Catching Shadows

Chapter Two

Hello, everyone! I know some of you have been waiting a super long time for this, and I am so very sorry. Life has just been... Ugh. Ugh is a good word for it. All the things have happened the past several months, guys. All. The. Things! It's not a good excuse, I know, but it is my explanation, pathetic as it is. Anyway, now that things have settled down I am going to do my absolute best to update this semi-regularly. At least once a week is my goal. (Feel free to bug me if I don't meet this goal. Really. Please.) As for the story itself, while I have some basic plot points, it's pretty much writing itself as I go, so comments, suggestions, questions, and critiques are welcome!

With all of that said... Here we go!

Starring Devin Paisley
as
~ Dr. Sean Green ~

What was it about this place that attracted the crazy people? Between the hospital and the Academy, it seemed like I would be permanently buried under a pile of injured bodies. Today had been especially harrowing. Several teams had been injured in scuffles across the dreamscape and there had been a major, multiple car pile up on one of the main highways. At least I had the somewhat gruesome satisfaction of knowing it wasn't just my hospital that was flooded with injuries.

Unfortunately, there would be no rest for me today. As soon as I dragged my tired body into the latest of my long string of residences I would have to join my brothers on patrol. It would give my body a chance to rest, true, but my spirit was nearly as bone weary. All of ours were. As the years rolled by, it was becoming more and more obvious that our incomplete family was crumbling in on itself. There was only so much a soul could take, and the time when one of us would reach our breaking point was creeping close. Whether it would be North who cracked first or Owen, I wasn't sure, but when it happened... When they lost their hold on this world and became that which we were meant to hunt and destroy... How long would it be before my family would be forced to turn our skills on one of our own?

I couldn't guess how long we had left, but what I did know? When that happened, our family would implode, and there would be nothing of us left.

Some days I wished the end would just hurry up and get here. It would be such a relief to stop worry, to stop watching and waiting, to stop feeling the crushing emptiness day after agonizing year. Sometimes I forgot just what it is we were fighting for.

But today was not one of those days.

I was tired but determined. Pausing just long enough to slip off my shoes and tie, I flopped into bed, squirmed my way into a comfortable position, then closed my eyes and let my spirit travel to the dreamscape.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself in the familiar calm of Eternity Forest. The endless expanse of trees caused me to smile, as did the prickle of awareness I felt from each of my brothers. The connection was faint, nothing like it had once been, but there was enough left to feel North's perpetual grumpiness and Gabriel's grudge against physical exertion. There were faint murmurs of greeting from each of my team, and then we continued our patrol in silence. For a while, it seemed as if tonight would be a quiet one, but then the forest seemed to shudder.

I held my breath, waiting to see what had caused a disturbance among the never changing trees. It wasn't a long wait. A few seconds went by, and then Kota's voice was ringing loud and clear in my head.

"It's here."

The mix of contempt and despair in his tone was reserved for just one entity. My heartbeat stuttered, memories of all we had lost to this darkness forcing their way across my memory. Over the centuries we had faced this particular Eater a handful of times, and we had been able to hold it at bay. Barely. Thanks to her. Thanks to the sacrifice she had made for all of us. But what if this time we couldn't? Was this the night we lost to it? Was this the night we ---.

"Focus, Sean. We have a job to do."

Owen's cold, detached tone snapped me out of my panic, and I found my body moving in the direction that would bring me to my brothers. At last, my training was kicking in while my mind was checking out.

The shock of Silas' surprise and confusion drove me faster. As the others gathered close, I could feel each of them adding to the feelings until I finally found the edge of the forest and saw for myself just what was going on. I stumbled to a stop, bouncing off a strong protective barrier. The Eternity Forest had retreated, making room for a spirit ring. That was unusual. Usually, new spirits manifested in the Fields of Renewal, or somewhere equally safe. The protection afforded by the Academy's presence in those places drew them into the safe havens. So why was this one here? How had it created such a powerful shield? And where was the Eater?

Victor broke my musings. "You're injured." My head snapped in his direction, then to the shadowy figure of the spirit centered in the ring. Sure enough, thin veins of sickly yellow threaded their way through the smoky form.

Before I could open my mouth and offer assistance, North stepped up, growling and glaring at the invisible barrier as if sheer will alone would let him bring it down. "Who hurt you?" he demanded, rage pouring through him and into the bond that we all shared. Inside the ring, the spirit flinched, and North made a visible effort to calm. "Who hurt you?" he ground out again. It wasn't quite as infuriated, but it did little to mask his feelings.

"Don't be frightened. We won't harm you." Luke hurried to reassure the spirit.

It seemed to consider for a heartbeat, and then a soft voice echoed through the clearing. "I know." I let out a breath. At least North's personality hadn't startled it too much. That meant it was time for me to do my job.

"May I cross? I can help if you'll let me." When the pressure of the barrier stopped pressing against me, I stepped into the ring and cautiously made my way towards its center. Each step brought the spirit into better focus, and I studied it curiously. It was a tiny little thing, and at first, I thought it was a child. It was definitely feminine, which was even more unusual. There was an extreme lack of balance in the Academy, usually a dozen or more men for each woman.

But the closer I got, the more I realized that this particular female was just petite. As the details filled in, I found myself admiring the slight curves and the fall of hair the spread out over her shoulders and down her back. Another step closer and my heart skipped a beat as the shape of her face defined. My breath caught, my heart went from skipping to thundering in my chest, and behind me, I could feel my brothers' rising panic at my rioting emotions, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the emerging figure. I recognized the slope of that nose! I was intimately familiar with the gentle curve of that jawline and I knew, better than I knew my own name, that a whisper of a kiss just where it stopped beneath that ear would cause her to shudder. A gentle nip would have her knees giving out until she dropped into my waiting arms.

It couldn't be. I didn't dare believe it. There was no way. It wasn't possible. We had waited lifetimes, so long that the loneliness had all but consumed us. It wasn't until I took that last step that allowed me to look into beautiful green eyes a few shades darker than my own that my mind caught up to what my heart already knew.

She was back, and she had found us.

My grin was probably manic, but I couldn't have stopped it, even if I wanted to. When she slipped her hand into mine, I would have sworn to all the heavens that very earth beneath my feet shifted. It seemed as if everything finally stilled after so long of being turbulent that I had simply forgotten it wasn't always that way.

"Hello, Pookie." Was that my voice? It sounded strange to me. That was the voice of a stranger, one who was filled with light, laughter... Love.

Her smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Hello, Se ..."

A bright flash tore through the clearing, blinding me. An instant later, and she was gone.

"No!" The shriek that followed my denial was wordless, but it rattled the trees that had filled in the clearing where her spirit ring had been just seconds ago. I turned in quick circles, desperate. Surely she had just moved! The ring had shifted, nothing more! She couldn't have been lost to us already.

"No.... No. No no nonono! Pookie! Sang!"

My only answer was the pounding of my brothers' feet as the converged on me.