Wolf's Tales

 

Ashley Davis smiled proudly. Finally after all their hard work as apprentices of the 31 Patrol, Autumn and herself were able to become full fledged Guardians.  Autumn had just received her title: Lioness, Knight of Flames. “Next up! Ashley Davis!” Ashley stood, maneuvered past the stairs and wended her way to the platform. “Here.”  Scrutinizing Lynx’s sword, she calmly blinked. Her leader, Lynx, grinned. Lynx knew full well that Ashley would die before she showed emotion, no matter how excited she was. “Do you promise to protect your team to the best of your ability, do nothing to shame your clan, swear allegiance to the Guardians?” “I do.” “Do you promise to exercise your magic only in defence of self, team or others? Do you give your word that you will only use your fighting abilities for man’s good?” Ashley locked her eyes on Lynx. “I give my word upon this.”

THE LITTLE SHADOW GIRL

In the Daylight Realm, all things are true, no matter how terrible or marvelous. In the Shadows, reality is twisted and false. Only those who live in the Daylight can truly see the Shade for what it is. All things live in the Shadows, but few escape into the Daylight.

-------

Once there was a little shadow girl. She was not a noticeable girl, compared to the other children. She was not pretty or witty. She did not know the groups of teenagers she saw milling about. Her brother did. Her brother, Popular Sun Of Friendship (and corny jokes), was nothing in the least like her. He had people to talk to, to be there for him. He and his friends had many shared memories. Little Shadow Girl tried her best not to be envious of her well-liked brother but at times failed. “Lucky you. Talking and laughing over there with your groupies, while I just sit in a metal chair and try not to cry.” Eyes flashing out anger, and jealousy, and pain, she leaned against a table. Across from her, a couple tables away, stood her opposite. Little Sunshine Girl had a pretty, smiling, voice and laughing brown eyes. Her humor was kind, her personality sparkling and eye-catching. Even shy Little Shadow Girl could not help watching Little Sunshine Girl. She was attracted to Little Sunshine Girl as a moth to a lamp. But Little Shadow Girl was shy, too shy. She could not talk; she was so shy.  Little Sunshine Girl had a lovely personality, just as beautiful as her laugh. She saw Little Shadow Girl in all her horrible loneliness. “Come over here!” Little Sunshine Girl called. Little Shadow Girl’s eyes brightened. “Could she mean me?” Her heart pounded. Little Sunshine Girl looked expectantly at her. Little Shadow Girl skipped over. Hair flying back, eyes smiling, cheeks flushed, Little Shadow Girl was pretty, had she known it. The two opposites talked for a while. At long last, Little Shadow Girl had to leave. Getting into the car, Little Shadow Girl laid her school binder on the empty seat beside her. Little Shadow Girl of the golden hair and the flashing eyes was happy.   

Chapter 1 of Children of Flames

Chapter 1

Mason Menard, War Criminal, was dead.  He had given the ultimate answer for his deeds. And Joshua Ingallson, leader of the Bibliophiles, had been left to clean up the body and bury it. Menard’s wide, uncomprehending eyes were fixated on Joshua.

Joshua Ingallson had lost a person dear to this despicable man. Joshua’s eyes scanned him. He had no compassion for him. The things Menard had done to those children…..! Joshua turned away. He could feel Mason’s blank stare on his back, begging, pleading for help, any help.  As Joshua paced around the corpse, wracked by sorrow for his loved one, he seemed to hear a whispering voice issue from the broken body. “Water, sir, please, sir, for all that is good, please give a chap some water!” Joshua screamed out at the sky, the buildings, the trash in the alley, and most of all, Mason Menard. “No! You are a filthy murder! Lowering my head, Joshua fell to his knees. “My baby sister! You killed her!” She was only ten…. “I will never help you!” “ Water! Please, water!” Rushing through the burial process, Joshua ignored the whimpers for “Water, water!” Joshua left Menard, buried in a coffin far below ground. But Mason Menard’s plea did not leave Joshua.      

Shimmering Moonlight

Odin, the King of the Gods, gazed upon the bloody onslaught. All the fond hopes he had for humanity were mashed to little bits, along with his soldiers.

A frost giant thumped his way near Odin and lifted his mace to obliterate Odin. But before the mace descended to crush him, Odin ducked, bringing his sword up and into the Frost giant’s massive forehead. Uttering meaningless screams, the bleeding ogre stamped, then collapsed onto the shattered ruins of Asengard, the City of the Gods. 

All Things For The Love Of A Statue

There was an island once,

And on that island lived a dunce,

The island was ruled by Aphrodite,

She was strong, she was mighty.

The dunce was handsome with black hair,

Eyes of blue, skin of fair,

Every mother wished - to give away her daughter

To the princely dunce - who always said “Not her.’

So the mothers’ prayed to Aphrodite,

Every sunny day and every darky nighty,

Aphrodite heard

and appeared in the dunce’s dream,

She sounded like a bird,

And smelled like ice cream.

She told him to marry a girl who was modest

He could not agree for he now loved the goddess

Denied of her love, he sculpted her form

His love undeniably was outside the norm.

To the marble statue the dunce gave his heart

And asked to be transformed into stone fine art

But the goddess in pity replied “It cannot be so”

And to the stone imparted life from head to toe

The Warrior Child

In the obsidian Flames, Hatred dwelled

In the undulating River, Justice resided

In the crooning Trees, Fear was quelled

In the umber Earth, Brutality was delighted

If the Blight of Aenia (Ai nee ya) corrupts the Child

All the world shall lose its path

Carnage and chaos shall run wild

If the Pain provokes the Wrath

If the Day of Haven takes the Child

Light shall pervade the Earth

Evil conquered and the Beast exiled

Light shall give second birth

No longer shall the Flames be shaded

Instead reds, jades, blue as a tide

The joyful movement ever unabated

Flame, River, Trees, Earth unified

The Child hath dominion over Wind

And Fire that doth metal melt

And Water whom Light doth smilingly bend

And Earth, He whom never hath knelt

Song ever shall be her delight

Tis’ her choice whether it be blessing

A song of the day, and a song of the night

Dark and Light her love never guessing

Sword and spear, shield and bow

She, master of the fighting arts

Like none before, She comes to woe

Beware, Child, of He Who Darts

Beware, Warrior, of The Slayer of Hearts

X-23

CHAPTER 1

“Let me get this right: Weapon X left HYDRA for a mutant group called the…. X-men?” Gabriel Rice, the chief commissioner for HYDRA which was a criminal organization dealing mostly in assassinations, kidnapping, thieving, and selling information, could not believe it. He, Gabriel Rice had spent a whole lot of his money on Weapon X’s operation. And equipment. And training. Weapon X would pay for this! Gabriel Rice hissed out into the piercing blackness, his indigo blue eyes flashing dangerously at Lt. John Cuthbert. “He left quickly?”

“Yes sir. Here is his resignation, sir.”

Cuthbert was a brave man. He had gone through things that would have crushed a person of lesser determination. But this man, with a single glance, was able to chill Cuthbert’s blood.

“Blast you, Cuthbert. I don’t care about his ‘resignation’.” What I want to know is: Is it permanent? I mean, does the fool think he’s out of it for good? Or is it just another one of his whims?”

“He seemed pretty serious to me, sir. As Weapon X was leaving, he flashed his claws in the face of one of the government agents.”

“May I have permission to state an opinion?” The stretched, wiry, old man with the malevolent blue eyes cocked his head and turned, sneering, around to face Cuthbert.

“Yes? Go right ahead.”

“Sir, if I were you, I’d-” Cuthbert hesitated, knowing the dreadfulness of what he was about to say.

Gabriel Rice snarled, articulating each word in a snaky whisper. “Spit---it---out!”

In a burst of confidence, Cuthbert rushed through the sentence. “Well, sir…I’d make a clone of Weapon X.”

 

Months later………

Gabriel Rice strode briskly through the Michael Edwards Lab. Tapping one of the Genetic Scientists on the shoulder, he queried urgently, “Is ‘It’ going well? Have you made It yet?”

Dr. Deborah Risman turned calmly to face this loathsome commissioner. “No, not yet. The Y-chromosomes keeping dying every time we manage group any together. ” Dr. Deborah may have seemed composed and unconcerned outwardly, but inside she was gulping, knowing very well that project Cloning X was in severe trouble. The Genetic Scientists had tried twenty two times to produce the fetus HYDRA wanted. Her father needed this money badly for a heart operation. She couldn’t fail. Not with so much at stake.  Gabriel Rice leaned in close, his hot breath tickling her face. “What will you do to fix the problem? The Council needs It done by next month! We found spies in our territory! If It is not finished soon, we will have started a war with The Reavers for nothing!” Erecting his lowered head, a hateful sight greeted his eyes. Gabriel Rice growled. “Laura! I should of known you’d be here to gloat over me!”

Stepping back, he turned to face his hated archenemy: Laura Browning. Laura Browning laughed quietly, contemptuously. Deliberately, she ignored Gabriel Rice, instead speaking in chilling tones to Dr. Deborah. “Here, let me try. I am, after all, a known experimenter in Genetics.” Sighing deeply, Dr. Deborah stood up. “Sure. What have we got to lose?” She moved to the wall, giving Laura Browning the chair. Pressing a couple of buttons, Laura Browning created a sequence of letters, numbers, and waves that Dr. Deborah had never seen before, and sure enough, the fetus began rising up into the center of the man-sized status tube.

A mixed expression of derision and amusement passed over Gabriel Rice’s face. “So, Laura, does succeeding where I have failed make you feel… accomplished? If so, guess who I have picked to give birth to this little animal?” Dr. Deborah drew back in horror. Gabriel Rice couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Would he? Laura Browning turned pale. “You wouldn’t!” Gabriel Rice smirked. “I’ve already made arrangements for the implantation of the clone into you, my dear, dear Laura.” Though shaken, Laura still had plenty of fight left. “You fool! The Government will never let this happen!”       

Chapter 2

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The scream echoed throughout the hallways of the military hospital. Gabriel Rice smiled, a thin-lipped smile. At last, his insufferable rival was getting her due. “Rice, you will pay for this! You will pay! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”  Lifting his calm voice over the birthing woman’s cry, Gabriel Rice questioned the doctor. “How long until It is popped out?”

“ Not long. Any minute now.” “Good.” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!” “It’s coming! Push! Push harder!” Laura Browning glared at the man who had forced her to go through such extreme pain. “OHHHHHHHHH!”

 At last the baby’s sob was heard, such a tiny sound with such large implications. It had worked. The first clone had just been born! As Gabriel Rice gazed upon the newborn, he felt no joy, only a deep sense of loathing. He had failed. His deadly enemy created the clone. This child was a living testimony to his failure. Tearing himself away from the obnoxious sight, he snarled at the pale, pimply, doctor, “How long does It stay in the hospital? When can It start training? And what about the metal skeleton? When can I infuse it into It’s bones?”  “Steady now. It stays for the standard time in the hospital. We’ll see how strong the clone turns out, It might die soon. No way of telling. And as for the infusion of the metal skeleton, 3 years would be best.” Gabriel Rice nodded, pleased. To be able to infuse the skeleton so young! “And the training? When can I start It?”

The medic rushed through his words, hoping to have it over with, “Whenever you think it best, sir. I’m sorry, I must go…a wounded soldier needs me for a amputation.”

“Go.” Gabriel Rice slowly took the child from the cart she was laid on, and held her, crooning at her. The doctor, at first bored, changed his mind. The baby was adorable! Sneaking a peek at the “father”, the young medic shuddered to witness Gabriel’s malicious expression. Surely it was not safe to leave a newborn, helpless to the highest degree with this man. The redheaded doctor had seen Rice do depraved things to women and children, so ill and weak they could not resist him. The adolescent physician considered rescuing the girl-baby………. “Come on Fred! No time! The soldier….!” Instinctively, he rushed out to the sufferer, leaving the baby to her fate.