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Chapter One: The Arrival

A/N: Twokinds, Keidran, and most of the story elements belong to Tom... AU fluff and OC's are mine. Wonder if anyone else has thought of the fact AU means Alternate universe... but is also gold! Anyways, on with the story!

I have now gone through and fixed some glaring mistakes, enjoy.

-01-

Swords crossed, two beings, one dressed in white the shade of bleached bone, the other in black akin to the void beyond the stars both fighting in a never ending battle, smoke and fire curling up around them as the resounding clash of steel and the roar of combat drown out all else. The end was finally near, the man in white over extending as the man in black closed for the kill, the point of his blade touching to the other's neck.

The world plunged into a sickening black as gravity rushed, the man's head spinning as he pushed himself up from the ground, shaking his head as he cried out. "Shit I am going to be late for work!"

His hand yanked his phone from the dresser before him, his finger flicking over the power button as he glanced at the time. 8:00am. The man gave a quiet sigh, shaking his head slowly as slumped back down onto his mess of blankets upon the floor. "Still got forty minutes before the alarm, damnit man, no more late nights." Still, even as he said the words he knew he was lying to himself, but he shoved the thoughts to the side as he snuggled up to his pillow, not caring just yet about what anyone would say should they find him in such a state. The forty minutes drifted by in a haze that went by all too quickly, leaving the man wanting as the violent coords of his alarm finally rang out, the tell tale rift bringing his tired mind to the surface once more.

He threw his blankets to one side, not bothering to make his bed as he stood, mentally convincing himself that he was ready for the day to come even as he brushed a wrinkle from his shirt, the man having slept in his clothes knowing all too well his mad minute would need all the head start he could grant it. Silencing a second alarm he glanced at the other three occupants of the room, his friend, his friends brother, and the dog whose head was now raised, that permanent frown of his plastered across his brown and white face as he followed the man's every move. He knew he had only one shot at this, so he bolted for the door, squeezing through and bringing it to a close behind him before the dog could come fully awake, giving the twenty year old free reign over the rest of the house. Not that it mattered as he made his way straight for the game room, throwing the door open as he stepped inside.

The white painted brick walls didn't even phase him, oh no, what phased him was the unnatural cold that had swept into the room overnight leading the man to curse quietly. "Damn it Florida! You are never cold!"

Biting back further comments he quickly grabbed up his computer bag, sliding his laptop home within the folds before collecting the mouse and charger, an Xbox 360 remote and a flight stick quickly being stuffed in the other bag filled almost to the brim with clothing as he grabbed both, his last free hand going for his keys as he pushed both feet into his shoes, the back of one catching uncomfortably as he stumbled for the exit, his remaining fingers working the lock on the door so that he could swing outside and slam the door home. He then turned, and smiled softly as his eyes rested on his vehicle, a black jeep two years older than himself. Using the key he opened the rear passenger door and stashed his bags before heading round to the other side, and unlocking the driver's door, allowing him to rest behind the wheel and catch a good glimpse of himself. Brown eyes resting just above and average nose, dark hair brown hair almost black in color with faint hints of a warmer color and even a few stray strands of blond in the right light messily raked to the right, the light colored stubble of a strange salt and pepper beard, and the one smile line on the left side of his face, the ever present mark left by his lopsided grin. He could be considered above average on a good day, but both his esteem and his mirror told him that he both did not believe that.

Self esteem issue launched to the back of his mind as quickly as it appeared the man gave his signature grin, seat belt on, engine revving as his poor transmission began to jump slightly, the sound of faint grinding filling his ears just before a rock song came on over the radio, the tunes eliminating all sounds, and thus, all problems temporarily as the vehicle was shifted into drive, the man nodding. "It's going to be a good day Erik, just wait and see!"

The vehicle pulled around the corner, making his way down the street, his first red light forcing him to come to a stop as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, eyes fixed hazily upon the light. The light went from red to green and he began to pull out, only for the sound of a blaring horn to catch his attention. Erik jolted as he turned to face a red streak, the world vanishing with the heavy crunch of metals and plastics as a warmth bloomed along the left side of his body.

-02-

Erik sat up slowly, his right hand coming around to rub his left shoulder as he winced, expecting pain that never came. Ever so carefully he opened his right eye and sucked in a breath. Before him lay an expanse of forest, tall trees of green all around, and as his other eye opened he spotted his vehicle, totalled by a impact to the driver's door. He winced as he was fairly certain the driver's and passenger's seat were pretty much the same thing after an impact like that. Finally he willed himself to stand and approach the vehicle, moving around to the opposite side of the wreck and pulling the rear passenger door open, retrieving both his computer back and his bag of clothing, his sneakers kicked off as he turned to rest on the seat, pulling on a pair of old boots. He hummed quietly to himself as he checked the contents of both bags, frowning as he contemplated where he was.

Weather it was the afterlife, another plain of existence, or even just a coma dream he knew he should try to be ready for anything. With thoughts of his survival in mind he retrieved two empty plastic bottles from his car, adding them to his bag as he produced his clothes from within, folding them somewhat sloppily before stuffing them back into the bag, the fabric no longer bulging under the tangled mess and allowing him to dawn it comfortably.

Gear secured he turned to face the sky. The sun was still sitting at a decent angle which Erik assumed to be roughly in the east before nodding, setting off towards the west at a walking pace, humming quietly as he examined the trees around himself. They reminded him of tall oaks, thick trunks and massive canopies that cast large pools of shade. Minutes began to slowly fade into an hour as he pushed ever onward, his long legs capable of easily clearing most of the underlying brush.

Overhead the sun continued to shift, and a glance at the phone in pocket told him it was roughly 1:20 pm and Erik sighed as he allowed himself to sit down. With phone still in hand he entered a password and quickly brought up his music library, his finger resting upon the icon for Sabaton as he kicked back, the music washing over him as he tried for a moment to forget where he was. Ironic considering he had no idea where he was. He felt his lips twitch at the thought as he chuckled quietly.

Something stirred nearby and Erik looked over, eyes searching his surroundings before he shrugged it off. "Eh, just the wind.*

He rested for the better part of ten minutes, rubbing his left calf for just a moment before standing, stretching as he winced, putting weight on his leg as he shook his head, continuing west as he shifted his gait slightly. He walked in relative peace, the music keeping his mind somewhat distracted even as he looked around. Something was off, the feeling of eyes upon him unnerving if nothing else as he glanced over his shoulder. He slowly scanned the area around him, looking for anything that would stand out.

Two hours later Erik still trudged on, the sound of rushing water nearby grabbing his attention immediately, his gaze turning to face the foliage on his right. The man stepped through, nearly stepping in a glass like stream, his eyes studying the surface for a moment before he reached behind him, his fingers plucking an empty bottle from his backpack which he promptly filled. The water flowed over his hand, the chilled liquid raising goosebumps along his hand but the sensation was calming nonetheless. Standing once more Erik brought the bottle to his lips, sipping the cool water slowly, the cool drink bringing a slight smile to Erik's face. "Well, that solves one issue, thank you little stream."

He tipped the bottle back once more and finished the contents, doing this once more before filling the other bottle. Both bottles filled and once more standing Erik couldn't help but smile as he returned to his path, a cadence of all things coming to mind. So he did what felt right.

"A hostile situation,

It started in Iran.

And the bloody Russians,

Invade Afghanistan.

Men at war ooooooor,

Men at war oooooooooor,

Late at night when you're sleeping,

RDC's come a creepin all around, come a creepin all around HEY!"

So Erik marched on, a grin across his face, boots carrying on over the decent terrain. It took time, a little over an hour, but with silence once more over him he paused for a moment to reach for his phone when a twig snapped, his head whirling round to face not one, but two figures who paused mid step, each one frozen for just a moment as they watched Erik, analyzing him. Something was said, some form of signal and the two rushed Erik as he pocketed his phone, the song 40:1 blasting as he froze, unsure of what to do until they were almost upon him. He decided to try his luck and leaned forwards, practically jumping at the one on the left, his fist connecting with the man's chest. Something cracked and popped and Erik jerked back his left hand, shaking it profusely as he ducked a blow from the other man only to receive a kick to his shin for his effort.

Another blow caught his shoulder, and the man he nailed in the shoulder drew steel, a dirk if Erik could put a name to the blade and he fumbled for his own knife as he backed away from the man. The other drew a short sword and Erik swallowed, finding himself in a rapidly worsening situation as the man with the dirk rushed him, a battle cry of sorts ringing through the woods in an attempt to intimidate Erik, and it worked as he almost pissed his pants, adrenaline making it almost impossible to hold his knife correctly. Unfortunately Erik knew he could not outrun the two. The dirk wielder thrust as he closed, but Erik dodged to his right, only to receive a shallow cut to his right arm for his troubles as the short sword blurred past. Erik cried out, but managed to retaliate, his boot rushing up to catch the man heavily in the shin, his own toes hammering into the steel plate within painfully as the man cried out, falling to one knee as his partner returned, dirk slashing and thrusting as Erik once more fell back, knife ready in his hand.

The dirk wielder thrust towards Erik who moved right once more to avoid the attack, only for the blade to sweep across his chest, the pain stinging his chest as he tried to think outside the box. His mind was made up in a split second and with a feral scream he threw himself at the dirk wielder, his left hand smashing into the dirk wielders nose as his right foot came down heel first on his foot, the man screaming as something not belonging to Erik crunched. Then the blade once more flashed across his body, cutting into his right thigh and lighting quick across his left forearm. The pain was dull and pushed away by the adrenaline in Erik's veins as he brought up his left foot and planted it upon the man's chest, throwing him backwards while Erik attempted to disengage. Sadly the sword wielder was upon him, blade ready as he tried to catch Erik across his neck, the young man barely having the time to throw himself out of the way, his body hitting the ground hard as he rolled onto his stomach, scrambling for purchase as he threw himself back onto his feet, running as his bags rubbed awkwardly against his back. He looked over his shoulder and spotted the sword wielder chasing him down, gaining rapidly upon him as Erik rounded a tree, looking for anything that could help him.

Ducking under a branch Erik felt the muscles in his left leg tighten painfully, forcing him to slow as he turned, wishing he had something better than a knife to take on a sword. The man with the sword interrupted his thought process as he came from the other way around the tree, swinging his blade in a massive arc that Erik just barely dodged, the blade flashing past and embedding itself in a branch. The man grunted, pulling heavily upon the sword only to lose his balance as all the force of the metal music nailed him on the cheek, just below his left eye. He landed ass first, his hand attempting to bring his sword round but it would be to no avail as a steel toed boot caught him in the temple.

Erik panted as the song changed finally, and he bent over to pluck his phone and the sword from the ground as he contemplated what was the second longest four minutes and ten seconds of his life. He silently hoped he would not have to face another thirty eight men… he may have polish blood in his veins, but he wasn't exactly a rifleman gunning for invading Nazi soldiers. No, he silenced the phone and looked to the sword in hand. He was a Navy washout with a leg injury that would follow him through the rest of his life. Not nearly as badass. He looked down to the man on the ground and wondered briefly if he had killed him.

Erik then knelt, eyes on the man. An off white shirt, dull brown pants, sandy blond hair, a small trickle of blood matting his hair. Erik felt a pang of guilt, he took no pleasure in attacking the man, and kneeling he pulled a spare set of socks from his bag, and pulling a bottle of water out he wet the cloth, dabbing it to the man's forehead, applying mild pressure to the wound. He frowned and looked around for the other man, the other should have caught up. Erik sighed, pulling the down man up against a tree and dabbed at the wound once more before standing once more. Erik made his way back to the the area where he had left the other man and found him lying on his back, eyes staring up at the sky.

Erik cleared his throat, and the man, with his bloodied nose turned his head to face him. "Ah, so you beat Jordan. I assume you are here to finish me?"

Erik shrugged. "Actually I need you to lug Jordan's sorry ass back to wherever you came from."

The other man's eyes widened slightly. "I- you- he- Jordan is alive?"

Erik shrugged, crouching down and offering a hand. "Move yourself, unless you want to crawl until you find him."

The other man accepted Erik's hand, and he grunted as Erik righted him, helping the man stumble forwards, maybe three minutes of cursing, stumbling, and near falls and Erik found the other man, still on the ground. "See he is- GAH!"

Erik hit the ground, knee first, clutching at his side as the other man stumbled away. "Idiot, trusting me. Should have killed me while you had the chance."

Erik was then shoved to the ground, a long strand of rope bound his hands together, his back pack coming off as the man scrounged through it. Finding nothing of interest he patted Erik down, looking at his phone briefly and the knife before dropping them to turn to his partner, muttering about useless mirror and metal clips. Erik blinked, his hands quickly grabbing the items and forcing them into his pockets as his captor roused his companion with a well aimed kick. "Get up you fool!"

Erik grinned, his vision swimming as he winced, applying pressure to the wound. Half conscious from the pain and bleeding Erik eventually fell to the ground, head slamming home.

-03-

Far off a black robed figure, clad with a white mask and eyes of pale red flame watched, shaking with fury. The Human was her last chance, her bid for power squandered unless this could be turned in her favor somehow… yes, that was it, she would use this to shape his hate for humanity! Neither Ephemural nor Phalore could stop her now. She would bend this mortal instrument to her will. So she set off, her sight carrying her to the Human bandit camp. There she found her answer, and if the mask could shift, its grin would have appeared feral at that moment. Forwards she 'sprinted', covering the vast tract of land to watch her own work in progress.

-04-

Within the small camp, a slight figure lay curled upon the steel bottom of their cage. Their stomach growled and they curled up tighter, the sounds of the other two approaching only further cementing the furred figure's misery. An ear pricked as they spoke their tongue.

"Damn Lee, you and Jason got worked over by that kid."

"Oh shut it Daniel, Jason stepped on a twig and alerted our new friend here."

"Still, how did he work you over so well?"

"Not many people run at two with only their fists…"

"A tenacious bastard then. To bad, we could have used one of his kind."

"Well I won't miss him when we are finished, bastard broke my foot and my nose!"

A new voice spoke up weakly. "Shame, should have aimed for the jaw…"

The new voice was silenced with a sharp grunt of pain. The curled figure lifted their head just enough so one eye could take in the details. Lee raining several kicks upon the man. "Bastard, I will teach you before long."

"You couldn't teach a bird to fly."

"You little!" Another cry of pain, Lee's boot having caught the man in his side. "Throw him in with the beast-"

Without warning the three jumped as a loud blast of noise ripped through the air, the new comer blanching for a moment before fumbling a knife from his pocket, cutting his bonds. His dark eyes fell upon me for a moment and he bared his teeth as he turned to face the one called Lee, shouldering him to one side as he drove a fist into the startled Jason. The next scene was a flash, a blade freeing itself from Jason's side, the bonds on the man's wrist breaking, his stance shifting as he readied himself for the other two. Then he brought the sword down, into Jason's shoulder before stepping back towards the cage. The newcomer spoke then. "Two of you are injured, the other is to far away to get to the two in time. Stand down."

Defeated for the second time Lee dropped his dirk in the sand. The man approached Lee, who held out his hands to be bound, but the new man just slammed the crossguard of Jason's sword into his jaw with enough force to send a crack ringing through the camp.

The man leveled the sword on the last man. "You there, what is in the cage."

Daniel stuttered, pointing. "That one?"

"The only one."

"Why, it's a fox."

"What."

"A keidran."

The new man simply blanked out for a moment before holding out a hand. "Key."

"Yes sir!" The key… the key to her cage was promptly tossed to the new figure who stepped closer, the key working at the lock."

"Wait! Please don't! She is our meal ticket, we have families sir!"

"Ah, and your boys tried to kill me. I am not exactly feeling sympathetic to you right now." The man pulled the lock off the cage, and the creature sat up now, looking him in they eye, for this Human of all things was opening her cage. Terror struck her heart as he reached out, and she screwed her eyes shut while preparing for a blow. It never came. She opened one eye to find a hand held outstretched to her. "Can you understand me?"

She nodded yes.

"Good, we are leaving, grab what you can and go." She gave him a confused look, her mind rushing to process the order until he leaned down and picked up a strange looking bag. "Hurry up, grab and go!"

She didn't have to be told a third time, and even as Daniel and Jason cried out they ran through the camp, grabbing this and that, ruining the campsite before bolting away.

They ran, for what felt both like second and an eternity all wrapped together. It was almost sun set when the man fell, simply collapsing, gasping. He released his stolen goods and dropped his bag, pressing his back against a tree with a sigh as he held a hand to his side. "Ahh… that didn't nearly as bad as it did before…"

The Fox Keidran paused, looking at the man, amber eyes locked on the man. He looked back up and smiled grimly. "Go, go on, get… you shouldn't wait around."

"You are a strange Human." She said, venturing a step towards him.

"That's me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I saw you… and I clicked out, I just had to do something."

"But why?" She edged closer, and the man just shook his head.

"Not from around here."

"I can see that… you are bleeding, let me help you." She leaned in. Her paws roamed a bloodied shirt, both it and his pants baring several shallow slashed. "Where is it worse?"

"Lower back." Has gasped out.

She reached around him, eyes widening. He looked back up with mild curiosity.

"How bad?" It was a simple question, but she didn't want to answer him.

"Bad."

"He… hahaha." The man sucked a breath in and broke out in laughter. It was a strained thing, his eyes watering up. "Go… before one of those men catch up."

"No."

"Why?"

"You save me, I save you."

The man sighed. "Alright, good enough for me. Just use my shirt for a quick bandage."

The two set to shredding the shirt into strips which soon was used to bind the worst of his wounds and the man grinned. "Thanks for sticking around."

"I owe you."

"I hardly see it that way." The man said. He was a strange one, already moving about, sitting up, grabbing his bag from which he produced two bottle, handing one to the fox who shook her head in wonderment. Both took sips at the water, the man nodding. "Erik."

"Sorry?"

"My name is Erik."

"Hazel."

"Mmm… nice name."

"You are bleeding out… and you compliment my name?"

"We covered the fact I am strange already."

Hazel paused at that, shaking her head after a moment. "We need to continue on."

"Yes ma'am." The man picked up his bag, and some how managed to stand. "We will travel… oh let's say till I collapse?"

Hazel just sighed as the man wobbled, stumbling until she caught him. One arm draped over her neck, one around his side, the two set off in silence. Of course, Erik would not let it remain so. "Thank you again Hazel."

"Think nothing of it… you unlocked my cage."

"And you are dragging my half limp carcass away from said attempt."

Erik, after a moment laughed. "You are free!"

The word hit Hazel like a stone hurled by a sling. Erik just kept on giggling to himself, and soon the two were in the middle of a laughing fit. Overhead the moon rose, and a figure with pale red eyes looked on. Never in her life did she expect such a little nudge in the right direction and a burst of healing magic to be so potent. Still, she knew, it was still too early to celebrate, after all, the Human had to survive first.

Well! That was a great sessi- 3:20AM?! Hah, well. Here you guys go anyways, though it is probably rife with holes and what not, and probably very confusing, and it is not RAPF or WSSS, but I can explain!... actually I can't, this little slice of something was simply me writing to write, based on a prompt a friend gave me, so here she is? Shall this be the only chapter? Will I continue? I will let you all decide the fate of Erik and Hazel. Until my next random update, have a great time and don't forget to R&R! -Gate

(I really need to get better with naming people... Keidran specifically.