Beginning

Mistress Elana's inn was full. A bard's voice sang the melancholy tale of The Sea Folks, and men
laughed and drank their fill. Serving girls cleaned mugs dreamily. It was a good night at The
Golden Cup. --Kati

Or, at least it was for her. Outside the inn, peasants slept in the cold, sick, tired. Elana sighed. She
remembered when her life had been like that. She felt sorry for the peasants, and stepped outside.
--Gabby

The cool fresh air hit her face and she in-hailed deeply. The fresh air smelt and felt so good. She
wished she could become part of it. --RIP

It was night and Elana stood a moment to let her eyes get used to the darkness. She heard
someone cough and someone else sob. She walked through many smelly alleys, through stinking
heaps of trash, through bunches of people, wide-eyed and dirty. Suddenly she stopped. "Braden?"
she called. No one answered, but there was a quiet rustle. --Sophie

At the inn, there was a crackle and smoke met the people's eyes. The inn was on fire. Elana ran
back, not noticing the shadowy presence that followed her. --Lauren

"RUN!"

"FIRE!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Screaming filled Elana's head. How could this have happened? She was only gone for about 2
minutes! --RIP

Elana stopped and stared left, then right. Which way was the inn? She tried to remember, but all
she could think about was her lovely inn on fire, and the fact that she was lost. She wandered
through a few more alleys, and stopped in front of a dumpster. ““““Come here!”””” called a gruff
voice. --Sophie

Elana's heart thumped hard in her chest and the air caught in her breath; somehow it didn't seem
so sweet anymore more. She bent forward, willing her eyes to see through the darkness.
Suddenly, she heard a sigh and felt a warm breath of air on her face; a breath that stank of
whiskey and rum. Who ever had let out that sigh must have been so close, if Elana reached out,
she would surely touch them. "Hello?" Elana whispered, stretching out her long white fingers in
the black, darkness pressing in from all sides. There was a glint of bright eyes in the gloom, inches
from Elana's fingertips. Another rustle and then, something darted forward out of the black and
grabbed for Elana, gripping her wrist tightly in dirty, bony fingers. Whoever it was had caught
Elana in fatally deadly trap. ---- EllyMae

Elana screamed as the fingers enclosed her. The moon had extinguished, light had gone out. But
as she gave herself up for dead, something large and black rushed through the air, tackling the
thing. She crumpled on the ground, and saw nothing but that shape in front of her. "What was
that? Who are you?" she whispered.

"My name is Tyrwel, and that was a Skyr. Quiet now, and I'll tell more in the morning." ----
Lauren.

Elana woke up to darkness. Why must it be so dark all the time? She thought. I remember when
my brother Zackaria and I would play out on the bright flowery fields in the early morning. Why
must everything be so dark?

"Because my dear, this is the age of darkness . . ." --RIP

Elana turned to Tyrwel, wondering how he could’’’’ve read her mind. He was up and grinning at
her in the most awful way, with his yellow and black teeth showing and his coal black eyes
gleaming in the light. --Sophie

"What, what do you mean by, The Age Of Darkness?" Elana asked. -- RIP

"I mean, my dear, the time when all sinners must go and live in times of Darkness while all others
go up to Heaven. I have come to you, because I know you are no sinner, but for some raeson The
Lord has chosen to keep you down hear. He is testing you, along with 5 others, who you will
soon meet." Tywrel explained.

"Testing me? HOW?!" Elana asked. "Who are these OTHERS?"

"The OTHERS you shall meet momentarrily. The Lord is testing your beliefs. If you complete the
un-known challenges that he has made, you shall spend the rest of your days in the Mansions of
Heaven." (sorry for adding so much 'Godly' stuff, I feel though that (hopefully) none of you will
mind. (I know you won't Kati). -- RIP

This has to be a dream, Elana though feverishly, I haven't woken up yet... it's all a dream.

"This is no dream, Elana," Tywrel said, "This is real. Now, come with me. It is time for you to
meet, the others." He pulled Elana to her feet and led her blindly through the darkness. She heard
the scrape of a key in the door and the next thing she knew, she was squinting against the light of
day. -- EllyMae

The first thing she saw was the inn. The Golden Cup had been right next to her all that time. Now
it was just a pile of rubble, smoking and blackened. Elana felt her eyes prickle as she stared at he
inn. It had been her father’’s before hers, and she had treasured it greatly. ““Come, quickly
now!”” Tywrel said impatiently. He led her straight to the biggest pile of wood, which Elana
recognized as the counter, and pushed open a piece of wood. It swung open like a door, and
Elana stepped in. ““We have arrived!”” Tywrel called out. --Sophie

"Who have you brought to us nowssss." hissed a voice from Elana's far right.

"WE THOUGHT THERE WAS ONLY 6." Boomed a loud voice to her right.

"There is only 6 you idiot, we're 5 this is the 6th one." a snotty 15 girl's voice came from in front
of her.

"What is her name?" 2 voices ecoed at the same time. Elana could tell that these we not ordinary
people. And that was fine with her, becuase she herself, is not NORMAL. -- RIP

““Her name is Elana.”” Tywrel said. Elana wished she could see the people around her. Reading
her thoughts once again, Tywrel snapped to the voice to Elana’’s right, ““Light those matches,
Branden!”” There was a fumbling and suddenly a bright light flared in front of Elana’’s face. She
could see all the people around her and now could see how unordinary they were. They gasped as
she stared at her, realizing that this time Tywrel had brought someone different, unlike them. . . --
Sophie

One of the 5, make it 4, had TWO heads. The one to her left had a snake-like tongue that kept
popping out of it's mouth. The one to her left was at least 16ft tall, but the girl who had spoken
was, or seemed, to be almost just like Elana. She had dark black hair, light green eyes and a solem
face. Only that is when Elana saw the mark on the girl's lower neck. The sign like a SS. She was a
Shape Shifter. . . -- RIP

They were all gaping at her. Elana was like a regular human to regular humans, but magic
creatures could see the real her, just like she could see the real them. She had almond shaped
emerald eyes that slanted downwards, black hair that framed her rounded face, a nose that was
similar to a cat’’s (though she would never admit that), and ears that were right on top of her
head with an emerald ring on it. She was a Triz, a magic species that was know for their similarity
to cats. Half human, half-cat. She had a long tail and a long emerald robe that reached her feet.

““Sssssso. I guessss they are not all gone.”” Said the snake-like one.

““No. They are not. But I am one of the last.”” Elana said and switched off her hologram of a
human. Now anyone who saw her would see a Triz, the one species almost gone. Seeing the
others and being in her regular body, Elana felt more confident. That is, until she saw the real
Tywrel…… --Sophie

"I, like you Elana, hid my real apperence." Tywrel replied taking off his black hood to reveal a hiddouse face. 2 scars were down both sides of his face, his lips were puffy, he had whiskers, onlt those of a dog, and black fur covering his head. He was a Dogrith. A vertual enemy to the Trizes. -- RIP

A hiss escaped Elana's lips before she could stop it. Almost by instict, her nails elongated into claws and her ears flattened on her head.
"Calm yourself, Elana," the girl who was a shape shifter said, laying an arm on Elana's shoulder, "You are in no danger here." But Elana couldn't relax. There was something about Tywrel that was unsettlingly familiar, something she didn't like. --- EllyMae

Then she remebered, a vivid picture flashed in her mind. Her brother Zackaria and her were running on fields. Then, a loud boom, a growl of attack, a cry of pain and her brother, covered in blood, on the grass. A hunched hooded figure running away. Then she knew, Tywrel was the attacker.

"YOU!" -- RIP

(Warning: Not quite kid friendly!)

"Dogrith," Elana breathed. "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!" She lunged at him and dug her claws deep into his face. Tyrwel clubbed her in the head and they rolled on the ground.

"Stop!" the shapeshifter cried. The five rushed forward and pulled them apart. "You were brought here to be judged, and you shall be punished for this disgrace. You are sentenced to the duty of defeating the demons that are plaguing our lands."

"Take her away." --£auren