• A boy of about five years stood in the middle of an abandoned home, it was freezing inside. But it was worse outside, at least in here he could get some bit of warmth. Perhaps he could even find an old blanket and maybe start a fire... If he could stand going out long enough to find some firewood. More then likely he could. He'd been living like this for a year, if not more. He couldn't really remember how long. Though it seemed only days ago that his family had been killed, The day a dragon type monster had killed his father and mother. His mothers neck snapped, his father practically gutted. The boy shuddered, partly from the cold and partly from the horror of what happened that day. He closed his eyes, he had to push it aside if he wanted to live. Being distracted simply wouldn't do anymore. He had learned that a long time ago. Well, a short time ago but a long time ago sounds more impressive.

    He walked outside, shivering again. Though this time it was because the wind was blowing. Making the already cold night seem colder, and the fact that his clothing was thin didn't help matters any.

    He glanced around and took a breath before looking down to the ground and starting to walk, looking for wood. Not that their was much around. Here people guarded any of the wood they could get their hands on. Though their was plenty of it, most of the peoples mindset around here was that it wouldn't last forever. Best to guard what you have now, then to be lacking later.

    The boy sighed reaching down to grab some wood from the ground. He shot straight up right after hearing small sounds, almost like branches cracking. Actually, exactly like branches cracking. Slowly getting louder, faster paced, soon sounding like more were joining them. He listened with his heart thudding, blood rushing in his ears, his breath growing quicker and louder to his own ears until he felt as though he couldn't breath, couldn't speak, couldn't move. Paralyzed he continued to listen, willing his legs to run. Away from whatever was coming near, something becoming so loud. He became sure he could here loud breathing of the thing, or things, that were coming nearer and nearer. His pupils dilated slightly as he saw something move in the bushes and he was able to take a step back, dropping the firewood he carried as he saw the bush parting. His mouth opened, obviously to scream until he saw what it was. A couple of small white rabbits. He laughed slightly, still a bit terrified, but now feeling foolish for having been scared of them, just two white rabbits. He bent down to pick up his firewood. Just in time to feel something huge sail over his head.

    He straighted more quickly then even before and gasped at what he saw. A simple rat... But not any rat, this one was as large as he was tall, its fangs, yes fangs glistened in the light, its reddish brown eyes glistening with greed and hunger, its claws as sharp as sword and even more deadly, its tail, dear lord its tail! Its tail was as large as the largest boa constrictor and had just as much crushing power. This rat had landed on one of the white rabbits, the rabbit squealing as the weight of the rat crushed it, the blood flowing from its mouth, its eyes opening wide before glazing over as it died. But no, this insignificant rabbit was not its target, not enough to sate the rats hunger.

    No, the only thing large enough in the area was the boy. The boy named Chase Young, that small five year old boy could sate its hunger like no rabbit could ever could, and it felt the desperate claw of hunger in its stomach as it turned to face Chase, the reddish eyes glistening with the anger it had felt at missing its target, its claws now dripping blood, its fangs dripping saliva as it thought about how good that boy would taste. So sweet his blood would be, the blood of the young and innocent, the tender flesh of a mortal. That would be enough to sate his hunger, only this. This young boy would do that. Nothing else, it needed that boy, it could feel that he lunged forward causing the boy to fall back and throw up his hands.

    The boys heart thudded, this was it. The end, the rat would kill him, consume him. And their was nothing he could do about it. He opened his eyes to see why the rat hadn't reached him yet. His eyes widened as he saw what had stopped this demon of a rat. A solid wall of water had risen above him, his mouth dropped open as he saw that the rat had ran into the wall face first, it was now lying on its side, stunned slightly. But obviously not for long. Even as he watched it started to rise, seeming that its intention was to attack the wall between itself and its quarry. He stood and ran before the rat had the chance, glancing back a few seconds later to find that the wall was still standing. Protecting him from the demonic rat... Though not for long.

    The wall was beginning to fall as Chase ran on and on, away from the rat, towards the house. Where perhaps he could maybe. just maybe, hide from that thing. Then suddenly the wall fully collapsed and the rat lunged forward into a run with a furious squeal after its prey. Its fur was fluffed, its eyes wide and red, its mouth foaming angrily as it chased the boy crushing bushes in its haste to capture the boy would was trying to escape him. The boy who would be so satisfying. The boy it had to have, the boy who reeked of power. It would stop at nothing to get him. Nothing.

    Chase ran into the house and slammed the door behind him panting slightly glancing around frantically, for something that could protect him. But he saw nothing. Nothing that could protect him from the murderous rat. Nothing that would save him. Nothing he could protect himself with. He shuddered with the realization that he had nothing to protect himself with. Not even a fireplace poker with a dull tip. Only his own wit, nothing else. He shuddered again, looking at the ground with his back pressed up against the door. Fright and horror written clearly on his face. Nothing he could possibly do would dissuade the rat from his trail, the bloodthirsty enraged rat. He felt something hit against the door, and heard a loud crack. He had little hope that the rat had cracked its skull open on the door. If it hadn't done so on the wall of water, it wouldn't happen on something as flimsy as a door. One that was giving away even more as he ran for the basement, hoping to maybe find something there that could save him. Anything, he didn't care what he would find. Only that it would save him from the beast that was chasing him, trying to destroy him, trying to consume him as animals often do when they are ravenged by hunger forced upon them by natures cruel seasons. Chase ran down the basement steps, nearly tripping and hitting his head on the floor. Something that would have made the rat jobs easier to do. Simply get down the steps, kill the boy and feast upon his sweet, sweet flesh and blood. And cure its consuming hunger, the claw that gnawed at its stomach and refused to leave until it was sated.

    The rat lunged into the room as the door finally splintered apart from the force of the rats weight. It stuck its nose into the air and inhaled, sniffing for where its prey had gone. Oh how it could smell the fresh blood from a cut on the boys foot. So sweet and rich. So powerful. It inhaled again, not to find the boy this time but to smell that again. It grinned in only the way that the foulest of rats can, something that shows its menace, its determination... To eat the boy, to taste his sweet raw power running down its throat into its stomach. Sating his hunger. It sped towards the steps as fast as it could, hardly wanting to wait to taste the boy.

    Chase glanced around the basement room as he heard the door splinter, a slight look of panic crossing his face as he searched for a weapon, a hiding place, something that would let him escape this thing that chased him, that hunted him, that wanted to consume him with such deperation. He saw a torch and stones, but they were covered with dust. He didn't even know if he could light them before the rat managed to find him. He raced over to them as he heard the thing moving towards the basement, its footsteps were so loud. It was like hearing the branches breaking in the forest again. But everything else here was so much quieter. so quiet. Almost as though everything had stopped. He glanced towards the ceiling with a gulp and sped to try and light the torch before the thing made it down to the basement. He hit the rocks together as quickly as he could, producing only a small amount of sparks. He glanced towards the stairs and saw the rat. Seeming to be larger then before, even more menacing now that he was trapped with it in the house. Now that he had no protection. Now that he could do nothing to save himself.

    The rat grinned again, enjoying the horror on the boys face as it began speeding down the steps towards the boy. Soon, oh so soon, it would taste the boy. and sate its hunger. Its seeming eternal hunger. One that never seemed to rest, one that hadn't been sated by so many other humans. One that had to be sated by a human of power, not one lacking in the simple magic of the world. No. It had to be this boy, and it had to be now. Before the hunger consumed it, before it lost itself to the eternal sleep. The sleep that had threatened it for years. And still did unless it got this boy, or any boy with the same type of power. The same energy that allowed the boy to live and thrive. No matter what, it had to have it. Or it would die trying, trying to gets it meal. The one it needed so badly, so desperatly. It didn't care about any danger now. Or even take pleasure from the horror on the boys face. it simply needed to sate the hunger. Such painful hunger... it raced down the steps and quickly reached the end.

    Chase did the first thing he could when he saw the terrifying thing reach the bottom of the steps. He brought his arm back and threw the stone at the rat. For once his aim was right, it hit the rat in the eye. The rock pierced the rats eye, drawing a small amount of ruby colored blood, a terrible squeal filled the room as the rat felt the rock enter its eye, A squeal so loud Chase covered his ears with a wince despite himself. Despite the fact he knew he had simply enraged the rat more, he felt he could stop the rat. Even though terror was still evident on his young face, though his heart was still thudding and even though he still wasn't able to breath. He felt as though He could beat this beast, he just didn't know how. How to stop it, how to save himself. What he could do to stop the rat. Maybe nothing and all he was thinking was that he would only go out fighting, that he would never have given up. that he had to win this fight. That something was important, something that hadn't but would happen. And that it had to happen, and that he had to survive for it to happen. No matter what, survival was now the most important thing to him. No matter what it meant.

    The rat backed away slightly with a hiss, unable to see from one eye at this point. Its anger nearly, but not quiet, blocking the ever gnawing pain of its hunger. It forced its eye open and only saw red from it, only a red as bright as rubies. It snapped its head trying to grab the boy, the boy that had injured him, the boy that has to be destroyed, the boy that would suffer through everything the rat could possibly do to tourcher his last few moments, and sate its horrible, horrible, horrible hunger. A glint of madness showed in the rats working eye, and it began to advance on the boy. It bared it teeth again, showing the sharpness, the glistening sharpness. The saliva dripping from its teeth again as it drooled in anticipation of what was going to happen very soon. So soon in fact, that for a few moments it though perhaps its hunger had left it. It felt it again in the next moment. The pure gnawing, the claw of its existence. It lunged it head forward again, now close enough to grab the boy and kill him.

    Chase threw his arm up in defense, clenching his fist slightly as he did so, trying to stop the rat from reaching his jugular vein. If the rat reached that it would be deadly. He glanced over the the rat in why it hadn't reached him yet again. and he saw a fist of water curled around it, simply holding it in place as the rat thrashed and squealed in anger, but never terror. Chase slowly started to uncurl the fist that his hand had been in when he had put it in front of him to protect his jugular vein, and was surprised to see the fist uncurl itself slightly as he did so. He squeezed his fist as hard as he could and saw the fist of water around the rat squeeze as well. The rat squealed again, but this time in pain. Its eyes bugging out slightly as its ribs were crushed, its legs broken. The rats eyes began glazing over, while all the while glaring accusingly at the boy. The boy that had killed it, the one that had power. The boy that deserved to die more then it did. More then anything to the rat as it died was the simple desire to see the boy die as it had... To see the boy with that power reduced to nothing. Nothing in comparison to what the rat had been in life.