Guardian

Chapter 32

I burst through the flaming building, and out into the fresh night air! I dashed to the edge of the forest, trying to escape the heat. There was screaming, screams of panic, screams of agony...

I shook my head, focusing instead on finding the shadow dogs who were hopefully still with Jason. I stuck to the shadows, avoiding the humans as they ran from the fire. I tried to pick up the scent of the dogs, but smoke still filled my senses. My panic grew as I searched despretly for Jason.

A breeze suddenly blew past, and I turned to the direction it was coming from. Slinking out of the dark forest came two shadow dogs with Jason walking in between them!

"Jason," I exclaimed and rushed to meet them.

I kneeled to the ground, wrapping my arms around him, holding him like he was about to slip away.

"D-Dark, what happened," he asked, "th-the last thing I remember is Steros...i-injecting me with...s-something..."

His grip on me tightened, and I sighed.

"It doesn't matter, Jason," I reassured, "you're safe now."

I looked up at the dogs, they were staring at me intently. Behind them, I could just make out the shapes of the others. They stood there, as if asking 'what next', and I didn't have an answer.

I gently pulled Jason off of me so I could see him. A tear started it's way down his soot covered face. I gave him a gentle smile as I wiped it away. He smiled back at me weakly.

"Y-Yeah," he tried to laugh, "I've cried enough today."

Suddenly, he burst into a bout of coughing! I caught him before he fell over, and cradled him in my arms as the coughing fit slowly came to an end. I looked him over and noticed all the burns and bruises. The burns didn't look too bad, but he was obviously greatly weakened by the events. I, myself, felt as if I could sleep for days.

The shadow dogs walked around us, forming a half circle, and started growling at something. I stood up, and immediatly saw why.

Stumbling out of the burning building was none other than the man I left behind. I stared at the man as he stopped to watch his building start to crumble before him in an inferno.

I put Jason down and told him to stay behind me. He quietly moved to my side, attaching himself to my leg. Some of the shadow dogs crept a few feet foreward, their rumbling growls growing with hatred.

"Wait," I called.

They stopped, but their gazes stayed trained on their target. He turned to look at the forest, right at us, at me.

"Back," I ordered.

Heistantly, the dogs slowly slinked back into the shadows. He faced me fully, and then started slowly limping towards me. I put a hand on the little human's head.

"Jason," I said, "I need you to stay right here behind this tree until I come back, okay?"

"Dark?"

I looked down at him and gave him the best smile I could muster, "Don't worry, my little human. I swore that I would protect you, right?"

Jason looked up at me with blue eyes that were once filled with tears. Now, they showed a great fire, one that refused to burn out. My smile grew, as did my spirit. With that, Jason nodded and went to the trees, out of sight.

I faced the man to see that he had stopped walking and was standing a few yards away. I rushed at him, stopping short mere feet from him. He didn't even flinch.

I glowered down at him, a low growl rising in my throat, "What do you want, Steros?"

He didn't look at me.

"Do you have nothing to say?"

He then asked a question I was not expecting, "Did he survive?"

I was caught off guard and didn't answer at first, "Y-Yes, Jason is alive."

Suddenly, he started laughing! He wrapped his arms around his stomach and stumbled forward a little.

"All my work," he laughed, "gone! Everything destroyed by a pathetic little orphan boy!"

He finally looked up at me, and his eyes matched his madman laughter. Blood slowly trickled down his head, making him look even more deranged. I took a step back, horrified by how much of the monster I had known him to be was now showing!

"Where is the poor boy," he asked as he continued walking towards me, "I saw him with you."

"I won't let you near him," I replied, my voice shaking slightly.

"I need him! He's the piece that connects the puzzle! With the two of you, I could rebuild everything!"

I stood my ground, refusing to let him scare me anymore. All the anger and hatred from the years of torture came bubbling up to the surface. I lunged at him, slashing at his chest!

He stumbled back and fell, clutching his chest as red bled through his torn white coat.

I stomped foreward, leaning over him growling, "You will NEVER touch Jason, the shadow dogs, OR Diana EVER. AGAIN. And, Steros, I will certainly never allow you to rule over me any longer."

For a minute, he looked up at me in fear and pain, but then it suddenly switched to pure rage. He glared up at me as he struggled to stand up.

"You...can't...do that," he puffed, "I...created you! You have to obey me!"

"It is over, Steros. You lost."

"No...this can't happen! I won't let it happen," he yelled, "I control you!"

"You used to," I retorted, "for so long I was scared of you. I wanted to get revenge, to tear you to shreds, make you suffer like I suffered!"

I clenched my teeth, all the plans I had when I was younger to kill him resurfaced. I had dreamed of this perfect moment! I remembered the pained howls of the shadow dogs as they were put through training. I thought about how he made me kill them, and them almost kill me. Diana's desparete call, and the all too familiar feelings I had seen in her eyes. I could kill him just for the horror he put Jason through!

The fire had engulfed the building, the flames so bright that it looked as if the sun was coming up. We stared at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity. I could easily kill him, plunge my claws into his throat, choke him on his own blood. Then, I felt multiple pairs of eyes on my back, and I remembered who was watching.

I sighed, "Steros, I am not going to kill you."

He stood there, his expression unchanged.

"I'm not going to give in to the monster you made me to be," I declared.

I smirked, the dogs had crept closer, alerted by my raised voice. I watched with a mix of satisfaction and slight pity as the coldness in his grey eyes melted into fear.

"But I doubt my brothers feel the same."