Chapter 59: Bulls-eye

Chapter 59: Bulls-eye

The werewolves raced around one another in excitement as the buzz of the rodeo flowed under their fur. They stood in a clump, all looking up towards a giant red barn with their leader standing on top. Her dark eyes darted from one wolf to the next, she hadn't felt such anger in her life. Something happened to her, the past few days it was as if this deep seeded hate was settled over the large ranch, infecting every wolf within its walls. The animals all seemed to feel the same, though she noticed a few vomiting out black sludge. It didn't bother her for some reason. She couldn't place her finger on it, but the power she felt under her skin was too great to ignore.

She could have both Ranches, more people, her blood lust rolled under his palms as she brushed them against her pants in an attempt to stop them from sweating.

"Wolves!" She howled, they all fell silent. Moving their heads up to the woman who stood tall against the almost full moon that illuminated her frame. She was short but a force to be reckoned with, her arms large and strong as she lifted her hand to the sky. Her pack howled hungrily up to the moon as she held her clawed fingers to the air.

"We," She started, slamming her foot into the wood below her. The red barn seemed to glitter like blood in the moonlight.

"We are suddenly blessed by the Gods with great power," She sang out, her light brown skin and long, straight brown hair seemed to simply glow with her words, "We are to take The Grotto for ourselves, tomorrow, we will show 'em there can only be one true ranch in this town!"

The Werewolves yapped and howled into the night, Jasira giggled to herself. Unaware of the darkness that flowed through her veins, evolving, leaning at a rapid pace. The woman would soon lose all control, and she wasn't even aware of the deep sickness within her bones.

"We are no longer reformed," She howled, "Tomorrow, once we get to the final act we take what's rightfully ours, eat anyone who stands in our way," Her voice deepened as her body contorted. She roared angrily into the night sky as her wolfish form rolled through her flesh, her usual thick, straight werewolf fur was starting to get dry, thinning in some areas. She didn't notice, nor did she care as the darkness pressed itself deeper into her brain.

***

Robin groaned inwardly as sleep was chased away by the sounds of people talking, the neigh of horses and the shuffle of footfall. He was warm, comfortable. He couldn't recall the last time he'd felt so comfortable as he started to wake up more, it occurred to him now as his grogginess vanished that Danjal was curled around the small man. Holding him against his chest, Robin felt his heart skip from the realization. He didn't often sleep beside Danjal due to the man's need to cling to anything close to him while he slept, it hadn't been an issue the night before due to Robin shoving himself as far away from the other as he could. His crush on Danjal made his heart break. How could this beast of a man who lit up the world with his laughter ever want to be with him?

'I'm just a little demon, Danjal could have anyone he wanted' Robin mused, though he had noticed Danjal looking at him more recently he didn't want to make assumptions. The archer let his head rest against the other's chest, closing his eyes for a few more minutes to enjoy the closeness of it. It was rare for him to be close to someone like this, he silently craved it.

The hard knocking at the front door of the cabin caused Danjal to shuffle and wake up.

"Ya'll wake up!" Gretchen yelled out, "We got some trainin' to do before you go on, Romeo!"

Robin rolled his eyes, Danjal realized he was holding the other. Dropping him suddenly and scrambling up and out of the bed.

"Sounds like you got a date," He grinned, Robin sighed at this before sitting up with a groan of pain from how sore his body felt.

"Want me to come with you?" Danjal asked as Robin leapt out of bed and started to collect the clothes he wore the day before. Having washed around bedtime the previous night. He pulled the pants on and glanced towards his friend,

"No, it's fine," He said a little more forcefully than he meant too.

"Oh, I see, you want to have some alone time with her. Huh, Romeo?" He teased, grabbing his own clothes and tugging off his sleep pants.

Robin's face burned from the comment but he didn't reply, turning away from the other as he stripped down, "Come on, Robin. You've seen me naked plenty of times," The man chuckles, "While you train should I be looking around?" Danjal asked with an excited touch to his voice.

"Yeah, and try to keep an eye out for the werewolves doing anything...sneaky," Robin said as he pulled Donnie's shoes on. They reeled and clasped to his feet, letting out a small click till they fell silent.

Danjal nodded at this, rubbing his hands together as Robin snatched up his bow and wrapped it around his person. The quiver latched to his belt, he ran his fingers over the textured bag. He silently wondered what it was made of, the top felt like plated metal only thin, it's dark colors masked the few small buttons on the side of it.

"Hey, how did you know to shoot that arrow yesterday?" Danjal asked, holding his phone up to take a selfie of himself in his cowboy hat that Gretchen had let him borrow. It was large with a lion etched into the front, an odd hat that one of her patrons had apparently found. The tag on the inside only had a single name in it, 'Fran'.

"Uh... I'm not sure," He uttered, tugging out his phone and reading over the messages Abel had sent him. The pair had been texting non stop since last night, the man had plans to do a break in but seemed to be avoiding any of Robin's direct questions.

"Something just told me to do it, I...tried doing it again but this Adinkra seems to want to decide when to help and when not too," Robin shrugged, making his way to the door on the other side of the room. Pushing it open to enter a small hallway that led to the outside, it was early in the morning. The sun's heat hadn't touched the farm yet as people moved about hastily.

A handful of food trucks had just arrived and lined themselves among the front, behind them Robin could see the employee's of the Grotto setting up last minute fences, chairs and whatever else they'd need for the day. A few booths with games and prizes for the kids sat on the far end of the ranch, while the other side was loaded with animals of all kinds.

Danjal stepped out beside him, tugging a tight tank top over himself as he did so. Eyes moving slowly until they spotted the food trucks,

"This is just a big party, isn't it?" Danjal laughed, Robin's eyes moved from person to person until he spotted the Vampire he was looking for. A clipboard in one hand, a horse's reins in the other as she caught his gaze, waving at him from where she stood.

"I'll see you later, Dan," Robin said to the other, feeling the familiar prickle of panic in his fingertips.

"Oh you have fun, Romeo!" He called back, clicking his tongue and winking. The wink sent a dizzying rush through his system, he rolled his eyes at the man before racing off towards Gretchen.

"Morning, Romeo!" She called out, before he could say anything she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and shoved herself against him. The horse behind her huffed as if annoyed with the sudden movements.

"I got an idea for you an' Danjal," She whispered, pulling him away from the crowd that she had been a part of. Her hair braided into two long pigtails, her overalls seemed a little big and baggy but they suited her..

"I don't need ideas, I need to get this over with so I can go home," He replied with a small whisper, she patted the small demon on the head playfully.

"Oh honey, ain't you cute!" She laughed, "That ain't gonna happen, none! You're my friend now an I got an idea that'll help ya,"

"My friend?" Robin said in slight shock, she nodded, grinning from ear to ear at him. He couldn't help but smile at the idea of making a friend.

"oh...okay, what's your idea?" Robin asked as the pair made their way towards the horse stalls, Robin was shocked at the level of dedication everyone had as they threw decorations up and got things ready.

"After the last event tomorrow tonight they're havin' fireworks!" Practically singing this, she spun in a circle with excitement.

"So I was thinkin' ya'll could go up to my secret spot an' watch em!"

"Secret spot?" Robin asked as Arrow trotted happily towards the front of the pen. She opened a small, brown hutch beside the stalls and stepped in. Running her fingers over the saddles that settled themselves on the walls all around her.

"Sure! I'll show ya, probably best to do it now," She mused to herself, snatching up a small white bucket with supplies to groom the horses before the events of the day. She dropped the supplies beside Robin who leaned against the side of the wooden hutch, putting a hand on a long, metal pole stuck to the side where the horses would be tied up.

"Before we start pickin' their hooves, ol Arrow's always trampling through the mud," She mused, grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from the horse stalls. He stumbled to follow her, standing only an inch or two shorter than the woman.

"This place ain't something most folks know 'bout," She said as they walked towards the field that was being fenced off in certain areas for the big event. Robin eyed the fencing, turning his head to her with a frown. She refused to let his hand go, as if she was worried he'd run off in the middle of her talking. They got to the edge of the field and she stepped into the forest behind them, Robin hesitated before following after her. The pair walked through the large forest for a few rapid heartbeats until it opened up to show a vast, beautiful horse trail. Overlooking a desert with mountains of rock that stood tall, the red sand looked hot to the touch and brilliant purple and red cactus flowers were sprinkled all around the opened area. They stood on a small hill that overlooked it all, a perfect spot to view the rodeo and the desert. The caw of a hawk could be heard as Robin took it all in.

"At sunset, well this sky turns to fire!" She sighed, grinning at him and dropping his wrist. "My mom and dad had their weddin' here, an the fireworks will happen right at sunset tomorrow after the big event so it'll be perfect."

Robin wanted to inform her that this wasn't a romance novel, he and Danjal had a real mission and were in danger but he couldn't help himself from fantasizing about it. If they weren't in a life or death fight for the Earth, if they didn't have to find Bohdi, if Danjal would ever like him back.

"Yeah...it's perfect," He whispered, feeling a deep sadness in his bones. She squealed and leapt a few times in the air, spitting into her palm before holding her hand towards the other with a grin.

"As of right now, I'm gonna help ya even harder to get with em,"

Robin looked at her hand then to her face, he knew arguing wouldn't work and even so, maybe she could help him. Even if it only was a little. The spit caused him to grimace, but when it Rome.

"Fine," He chuckled, grabbing her hand. She nearly crushed his grip causing him to grunt in pain, pulling it away with a nervous chuckle.

"I can't shoot if you crush my hand," He laughed softly.

***

Danjal helped a few people set up gates as the morning went on, he enjoyed chatting with a few of them before getting himself something to eat. The innocent around him were growing in numbers as the day moved towards the afternoon, the first event was going to start soon and Danjal wasn't sure where Robin even was. He silently debated on getting the man something to eat as he made for the food trucks, this thought died down as he watched Robin and Gretchen sitting at a table with half eaten food. She was waving her arms in the air dramatically, Robin watching with his elbow on the table and his cheek rested against his open palm. He eyed the two for a few heartbeats, his heart felt heavy and he couldn't place why as a soft note of jealousy flooded his system.

"No no," Danjal murmured to himself, shaking his head as if to clear the negativity that flooded his mind, "Robin deserves to have a crush, I don't even think I've seen him on a date," He said to himself, the soft laugh of a man beside him made him jump out of his skin. He looked down at the dark skinned human who wore a western looking suit as if he were a sheriff in an old movie with a cowboy hat covering his graying hair.

"Sorry," He said, his voice smooth as fresh coffee, "I didn't mean to listen in."

"That's alright, my friend," Danjal chuckled, the man nodded at the other and held out a hand towards him.

"I'm Fran,"

Fran. The name was familiar but Danjal couldn't place it, his mind went back to the conversation Abel was having with the group a few days ago. He mentioned a name but couldn't recall it, all he could remember was daydreaming about something unimportant.

"I'm Danjal," He said, shaking the other's hand. The man nodded at this,

"That's a nice necklace you have," Fran said, reaching forward and plucking the shell up from the other's chest. Danjal felt a weird spark against his skin, this man wasn't human though he couldn't place what exactly he was he could almost smell the cosmic energy that radiated from his dark, warm skin.

"Thank you," Danjal said, "A friend of mine gave it to me,"

Fran nodded, smiling as he let it drop, adjusting his cowboy hat, the man shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced back at Robin and Gretchen.

"What are you?" Danjal whispered, Fran's eyes sparked with an unknown emotion that Danjal couldn't place as the angelic man looked towards him.

"I used to have a necklace just like that," He mused, ignoring what the demon said.

"You did?" Danjal inquired, eyeing the man who seemed far more interested in Robin than Danjal liked. He felt the sudden push to protect the archer but Fran turned to look at him again.

"Oh yes," Fran said with a soft nod, "May I?" He held a hand out to Danjal, the Hawaiian slowly pulled the necklace off and dropped it into the other's open palm. Fran inspected the shell for a few heartbeats, his fingers dancing against the textured exoskeleton.

"Donnie is always just...a little bit off with these wires," Fran said, pushing his hand into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys. They were large, with so many keys that Danjal couldn't understand how he hadn't heard them jingling earlier. The man revealed a tiny screwdriver in the bundle, Danjal watched in curiosity as Fran popped open a small square in the middle of the shell.

The inside was filled with wires of all types, thin metal lined the inside. Fran held the shell upside down until a small screw fell out, he reached down and picked it up. Fran placed the screw back inside delicately, pressing the screwdriver against the head and twisting until it was secured among the wires. He grinned at Danjal,

"If he'd look away from Israfil for a minute he'd have spotted that,"

He held the shell up to Danjal who took it, the machine let out a soft shutter before the liquid white shell vibrated with color. Turning the white to a cream, as if it came to life after being dead for so long.

"Perfect," Fran chuckled, Danjal looked at the shell in shock.

"What...is it?" He whispered.

Fran chuckled, pushing down on the shell causing a vivid red light to flicker from the end. It was small, strong, Fran let his finger roll down causing the small pinprick of light to grow.

"Oh! That's neat," Danjal chuckled as Fran rolled his finger the opposite way and allowed his necklace to drop to Danjal's chest.

"Do you like games?" Fran asked, the question caught the Hawaiian off guard. He'd expected a new wisdom to fall from the others lips, some sort of message.

"Games?" Danjal puzzled with a hint of curiosity touching his tone. Fran nodded to a few carnival games not far from them, Danjal followed the man's gaze. His mind worked hard to understand what this odd deity meant. Only a few games scattered beside the food trucks, a water shooting game with multiple targets, throwing rings on bottles, even an archery game that reminded Danjal of his friend. He turned his attention back to Fran but the man had vanished into the air, his cologne still lingered as the demon made his way towards the booths of games.

***

A large bull let out a roar of anger at the werewolf before it, his long legs, thinning hair and cocky grin seemed to anger the animal even more than before as it tore its way to the other. His horse let out an angry whine as he dashed to the opposite side of the creature, the crowd let out a roar of excitement. The air was hot with the breath of every creature around, they screamed into the wind as dust kicked into the skies.

"So far the time to beat is three minutes!" An announcer yelled from a megaphone, a few judges settled safe behind a large gate. The animal growled angrily at the werewolf as his horse continued to dodge the brute's angry, sharp horns.

Robin frowned as he watched this, hating how they taunted the animal. The werewolf leapt from his horse and onto the beast's back. The bull let out a roar of anger as the wolf dug its claws into the bulls flesh. Robin growled, knowing the others wouldn't say anything. The announcer started practically shouting as the bull attempted to buck the man from his back, shouting and kicking up more dirt as it went.

"Alright Breaker," Gretchen whispered to her friend, the redhead watching the bull with fear dotting his features. It's dark body and angry noises sent goosebumps over his skin. Robin could see them despite the sweltering heat of the dry sun.

"You got this?" She whispered, he swallowed loudly and nodded.

"I think so," He murmured, moving his gaze to Robin and back to his friend "This is my first time riding a bull but the metal one doesn't stand a chance against me!"

Robin moved his eyes back to the bull that was fighting against the werewolf until the man was finally kicked off. The werewolf yelped as he knocked to the floor but stood up with pride beaming from his smile.

"Oh! That's a clean six minutes!" The announcer whistled at this, a few handlers went out to check on the bull only to notice the dark marks in its flesh. They all shared a look but didn't say anything as the animal was taken to it's pen.

"Apparently our bull is a little run down! Thankfully Wolfsbane is allowing us to use one of their boys!" The announcer yelled out. Robin was caught off guard by this, turning attention towards the front of the stalls where a large, black bull stormed forward. The strong animal let out a bellow that didn't sound correct, it was as if the beast had a cold but this concern was dashed as the wolves shoved and pushed the bull into the gates. Black sludge dripped from the animal's nose, dropping to the floor in fat blobs. A cold chill rolled down Robin's spine, he turned attention to his friends.

Breaker was settling up his horse, his large hat falling in his face as he did so. Gretchen was talking through a checklist with the other, neither seemed to notice the intensely violent bull.

"This is one angry guy!" The announcer yelled out, it's eyes flashing from black to yellow as the animal fought the darkness that pulsed in it's veins. The bull was released into the gates, its head swung around wildly at the sound of cheering seemed to be agitating the beast more. Robin felt a tug on his skin.

"Alright I got it!" Breaker laughed out, as they set up the saddle. Robin knew if they let the vampire out there he'd be a goner. The archer had seen first hand what the darkness could do, what it was able to do. His heart stopped, across from them he spotted the werewolf leader. Her grin was thin, snake-like and standing beside her was a dark skinned man with a pair of broken sunglasses over his gaze. His face looked decently beaten in, with scratches and bruises covering his cheeks and forehead. Robin recognized him as Bohdi without even needing to take the picture out. He stood awkwardly, small beside the pack of angrily, chatty wolves. Where was Danjal? His eyes moved around quickly until he spotted Arrow, the animal grazed lazily on a patch of grass in his pen. Robin silently sent a thank you to the universe, his horse already had the saddle attached and ready for him.

Fear prickled deep within him, could he even face this giant bull? It rammed itself into the gates in anger, the blackness that rolled down his nose started to fall like tears from its eyes. The bull was in pain, Robin could feel it in his core. He had to get the darkness out of the animal before it was too late,

"Finally we have the Grotto! Can they hold onto the beast longer than six minutes?" The announcer asked dramatically to the crowd that let out roars of excitement.

"Shit," Robin murmured to himself, eyes going from the bull, to Breaker who was still sitting himself awkwardly on the back of his horse and finally bringing attention to Bodhi who had taken the sunglasses off, his blind eye seemed to be staring directly at him. The bull let out another roar of anger, he had to save the bull. He had to save Bohdi.

"I don't think this is right," Breaker squeaked out. Robin dashed past the two, his body moving on instinct now as he leapt the fence that held his horse, almost seeming to fly as he did so. He landed to the mud below, his boots let out a hiss as the man grabbed the horses reins and leapt onto his back. Arrow sparked with excitement under the man's weight. The pair leapt back over the metal fence that held the horses, a few people gasped in shock as they pelted towards the gate.

"I'm going in" Robin shouted towards Breaker and Gretchen who looked at him in shock but neither had a chance to say anything as he and Arrow trotted to the front of the gate. The bull roared in rage, he could hear the werewolves near him. They all clustered together around the blind psychic,

"I told you not to release the bull," Bohdi snarled at them through gritted teeth.

"And I told you, we won't win!" One of them replied, nudging the small man sharply with a finger, Robin recognized him as the rider who harmed the other bull, sending a wave of rage into the archer.

"Your funeral," Bohdi hissed back, causing the wolf to smack him on the back of the head. Robin glared at the wolf, his attention returning to the gate. The cheer of the crowd sent fear spiking through his veins but he couldn't stop now, he had to do something. But what? They opened the door, it let out a creek as Arrow walked slowly inside. The horse held its head high, letting out a chuff.

The possessed bull turned its head towards the king, silence followed this. It was as if the world was taking a breath, the sun cast its harsh light against them sending shadows to the wall as the bull and the horse started to circle one another.

"Romeo! Just six minutes! You can do it," Gretchen shouted.

"A new rider seems to be working with the Grotto! A mysterious man on the back of a stallion, what will he do?" The announcer called out to the crowd.

Robin sucked in air as the slow moving world fell and a rush of adrenaline exploded through his mind. The bull tore towards him at a speed he wasn't expecting, Arrow let out an angry whinny as he dodged the bulls massive head. The monster gagged and hacked black sludge to the floor as it shook itself violently, roaring at Robin it raced towards him. Robin held onto his steed tight as the horse leapt over a wooden barrel and raced past the animal. The horse's jump caused the crowd to cheer loudly, the possessed bull snorted in agony from the noise.

Robin silently wished he had his arrows, he had something! The only thing that he knew was the bull was possessed, the sludge had gotten into its brain and was causing it great pain. He didn't know if he could save the bull but he had to try, he clicked at Arrow with his tongue causing the horse to run faster. They tore around the large, open circular field with the bull on their heels. The sound of clopping hooves was drowned out by the cheering crowd that watched in awe, the bull snorted in rage as Arrow did a quick turn so he could race beside him.

Robin steadied himself, this wasn't a normal rodeo. He could tell from the creatures that filled the area that monsters of all kinds seemed to enjoy the festival, the extra danger of leaping onto a bull was cake for a lot of these beings.

Robin sucked in air loudly, his entire body trembled but the pained noises and wheezing of the bull was all he could focus on. With that the archer leapt, he was in the air one minute and slamming into pure muscle and hair the next. The bull started to buck without warning, robin clenched into the saddle that had been forced on the creature.

"It's okay," He whispered softly, "I'm trying to help!" His Adinkra glowed vibrant against his chest as he rolled his fingers down the creature's back. The fur under his touched shimmered gold, the bull slowed its bucking before stopping all together as black sludge dripped from its jaw and fell to the floor.

The crowd let out a cheer of celebration as Robin slipped off the animal and fell to the floor. The clapping and cheering nearly caused him to cry again as his body trembled from the fear,

"Hey! What's that!" Someone shouted, the archer blinked a few times and glanced to where someone was pointing. The bull started to graze only for the black sludge to roll its way back to the creature, the laughter from the werewolves was the only noise that hit his ears, static hissed into his brain as the darkness attached itself back onto the bull before the king could do anything. It fizzled into the animals skin, rolling like a wave over the fur.

"Romeo!" Gretchen shouted, pushing the door open to call him back "Get out of there!"

"Wait! No stop!" Robin yelled back, but it was too late. The bull let out a sickening roar, blood fell from its jaw as the giant creature's body shuttered and morphed. Its muscles bulged outwards, the bulls head seemed to almost shrink as it glared down at Robin. It's giant body shook with the sudden weight of the muscles that rippled out of his skin, black blood falling from its skin.

The monster tore its way towards Arrow, anger spouting from its being as the horse whinnied in fear racing towards Gretchen. She yelled in shock as the horse and the bull erupted from the fences causing the innocent to scream in terror.

"Shit!" Robin gasped out, the bull quickly became confused from the people all around screeched and attempted to leap out of the way. The werewolf yelped in fear,

"Hey! Stop! You weren't supposed to bust out!" A werewolf shouted, throwing Bohdi back into the arms of another as his body shuttered and morphed.

"Protect the prophet!" He snarled out, Robin ran as fast as his legs could take him as the bull charging the werewolf. His body contorted with fur and muscle, the bull roared in anger as it turned at an unnatural speed for its large frame, ramming its horn into the wolf's chest causing him to howl in agony. The bull stood tall with the wolf attached to its horn, it glared down at the pack of werewolves with hate in its features. Blood rolled down the dying werewolves body, drenching the ground in its metallic stench.

The werewolves took a few steps back, Gretchen moved quickly in front of the wolves, slashed the bull across the face with extended claws causing it to roar in anger. Swinging its head, throwing the corpse of the wolf to the ground. Robin leapt the last few feet towards his friend, his small black wings extended from his shoulders as he landed in front of Gretchen. Terror etched into her features, she took in air as though she ran a mile with the bull's deep, dark red blood rolling down her sharp, thorn-like claw. The bull opened its jaw wide, causing the bone to pop and dislocate as it screamed into the air, sharp, jagged teeth pulled from the beast's gums.

"Holy shit," He heard her utter, he glared up at the bull with fear pumping into his veins. He had no weapons, his horse had taken off, this was it. He had to do something or she would die, he would die, the bull would die. His thoughts were stripped as the Earth under the bull exploded upwards, causing the monster to scream in shock. Robin turned his attention to Danjal who held Arrows' reins in one hand, the other on the ground. The Earth split under his palm.

"Are you alright?" He shouted to his King, a flash of gold rushed through the Lionheart's gaze sending a shooting warmth through Robin.

"Now that you're here!" The archer yelled back, attempting to keep the relief from his tone.

The bull landed to the ground with an angry grunt, breaking the floor under it. The creature scrambled to its feet, it charged at Danjal who dropped the hose's reins and got into a squatting position. The bull hit him with the force of a train, but Danjal caught the creature by its outstretched horns. The Earth under his feet bunched up as if he were an anchor stuck in the sea's depths. Danjal's muscles popped from his skin due to the intense weight of it all. The ground under Danjal's boots clattered as it surrounded the bottoms of the man's shoes - keeping the warrior planted to the Earth.

"Hold on, big guy!" Danjal growled out, Robin watched in complete awe as the beast was hoisted upwards and tossed into the fences. It let out a painful bellow as its body was thrown like a rag doll. The innocent all watched in silent horror as Danjal continued to shove the creature into the fence and away from them as if he were a superhero protecting his people.

"Shut your mouth," Gretchen whispered to Robin, putting a hand on the other's chin and closing it, "You'll start to collect flies," Robin could feel his face heating up, it burned so hot he knew he had to be bright red.

"Is that normal?" Gretchen asked, pointing to Robin's necklace. The King glanced down at his Adinkra in shock, it glowed a vivid gold and pulled itself towards Danjal. Robin blinked away his panic, racing past Gretchen and towards his friend. The bull seemed to be losing its desire to fight against the Hawaiian giant, his abilities to control the Earth below his feet caused the darkness to shutter in fear. It wasn't strong enough. It needed to be stronger.

"Danjal," Robin shouted as he raced towards the other, the man put an arm out to stop his friend.

"Stay back!" Danjal said,

"Wait, no listen," Robin replied, attempting to step past the other's arm.

"No, he'll hurt you!" Danjal said with a touch of anger in his tone, causing Robin to freeze. The bull groaned, having stopped its rampage as it attempted to figure out its next move.

Robin bit his lip, clenching his hands. If he didn't stop the darkness inside the bull soon it might be too late, though looking at the deformed creature before him he knew it might already be too late.

"Danjal, please listen!" He said louder this time, trying to make his voice carry. Danjal turned to him but stopped before speaking, he opened his jaw and closed it like a fish gasping for air.

"A-Alright," He finally said, causing Robin to blink in surprise, hesitating a bit before pushing past the other and making his way to the bull. Its body continued to contort awkwardly, pain burned into its gaze as the animal bellowed. Tears burned into Robin's eyes, he knew it was far too late. A hushed voice seemed to fall over the crowd that had come to watch Danjal beat on the animal.

"I'm...so sorry," Robin whispered to the bull, placing a hand on its head as tears ran down his cheeks. The Adinkra glowed vivid now, Robin could see the darkness was starting to seep out of the animal on its own. He made a note of it, telling himself to call Abel about it. The darkness must have some sort of its own mind if it could recognize when it had been defeated in an attempt to keep itself alive.

Robin took in a breath, his wings fluttered softly as he rose in the air. A few black feathers fell to the floor under him, was he losing feathers? He ignored this worry, sucking in air he felt the energy from the Adinkra, the power of the grace that flowed inside his veins.

Pulling his arm back, he focused on the arrow of light. He could feel it against his palm and when he opened his eyes a wind rushed against his face as he held the large, glowing arrow back, it seemed to be sucking in the air around him like a black hole. He took in a breath and let the arrow go, pain exploded through his skull as the power of the weapon was sucked from his energy and left him feeling exhausted. A headache pumped behind his eyes as he watched the arrow slam into the bulls forehead. It's brilliant light covered the creature, releasing the bulls soul from its flesh. Robin wobbled in the air as the light from the arrow died, leaving a normal looking arrow sticking from the bulls forehead.

Tears continued to roll down his cheeks as his wings shuttered, tucking themselves back into his body before he even got to the floor. Robin felt himself fall but almost didn't care, he hadn't ever felt so exhausted in his life. Danjal caught him with a grunt, laughing as he did so. The crowd erupted into cheers as Robin felt darkness swamp his vision. He clung to Danjal, attempting to keep himself awake.

"Dan," He groaned before tunnel vision fell over him. He couldn't fight it, he felt too dizzy and weak to keep his eyes open. With that he was in the warmth of unconsciousness.

***

Cain gasped, taking in air as if he'd never had a breath in his life. He sat up, staring around the room with wide, fearful eyes. He was sitting in an office building, laying on the floor under a desk with only a pillow and a blanket. He scrambled, stumbling up and letting out a soft hiss as his head met the desk.

After a few heartbeats of shuffling Cain got out from under where he'd been sleeping and stood up. His eyes danced around the room, confusion burned through his body as he attempted to understand where he was. No lights were on, the city outside was dark and abuzz with the sounds of thousands. He glanced down at his hands, they shook violently, his legs felt like jelly and his head burned as if he had a fever. The doctor glanced around him, attempting to make out any shapes in the room. The stench of death hung heavy, it made him grimace from its stink.

"Babs?" He whispered, the rabbit had been his constant companion but now he didn't feel the cold water or smell the musk of the swampy forest. Was it all a dream? It couldn't be.

"Cain,"

Cherms' voice caught him off guard, a light flickered on and showered the room in a harsh red tint.

"Cherm?" Cain gasped out, taking a step back as he looked at the once shadow looking man. Now he looked exactly like Cain, with large horns shooting from his forehead and curving upwards. Sharp, angry teeth stuck out of his lips, his usual orange tinted skin looked pale. Black sludge rolled down the side of his lips, a pair of glasses planted on the creature's face and covered his completely black eyes.

The creature took a few steps towards Cain with his hair slicked back to a point, he smiled thin like a snake as he started to circle the man as though he were mere prey.

"W-Why do you look like that?" Cain gasped out, Cherm chuckled and turned on his heels to stop and glare at Cain. The doctor felt the air tense,

"You have a choice," Cherm hissed, "If my Lionheart didn't love the original Cain as well I wouldn't be giving you this option. So consider yourself lucky."

"Mishka? You have Mishka?" Anger burned through him now at the thought of such a being harming his Lionheart. Cherm laughed out loud at this, his head falling back in a dramatic fashion.

"Oh, no. Amaryllis, you see," The man snarled, talking through his teeth at Cain, "You and me, we were meant to join souls. Become one soul, one soul so strong no one could stop it! Yet, you gave me no choice. I had to banish you to your forest,"

"What is my forest? what is happening?" Cain asked, he sweat rolled down his face, fear continued to pump adrenaline into his body.

"Your forest is your mind," Cherm said, "I locked your soul in your own head, it's such a mess in there you'd never find your way out."

"So...do other people have this forest?" He asked, attempting to keep the curiosity from his voice.

"Of course," Cherm took a few steps towards him, Cain took a step back and glanced past the man. His heart dropped when he spotted something sitting in a chair, the smell. It made sense now as he rolled his eyes over the outline of the person.

"I don't understand," Cain whispered this, taking another step back. "I...I'm supposed to be King of Kings, not you,"

Cherm snorted, shaking his head, "That's only partly correct, enough questions. You must choose. You can join me, lock our souls together and become strong. You will rule all with me and Amaryllis by your side, or I can send you to your forest. To live forever."

"But you said I can get out of my forest," Cain said, putting a hand on the desk. Letting his fingers search for anything he could use for a weapon.

"Choose!" Cherm roared.

"Cain, choose the right path,"

His mothers voice caused his heart to stop, her body shuttered and stood up from the chair she had been rotting in. It took all his power not to gag, her stiff frame walked ridged towards Cherm.

"My baby, you are meant to rule with Cherm," She said into the air, her voice didn't hold any warmth or sweetness to it. Only a deadpanned tone that he only heard her use around his father.

"So," Cherm whispered, holding out a hand "If you choose so, we can even make her body well again! She will be alive, all we would need to do is go to Faith's altar in Africa. The door between worlds, we can bring her soul back, she will breathe our air again,"

Cain felt questions race in his skull, a puzzled look remained on his features as he moved his eyes from the outstretched hand and back to his mothers talking corpse. Darkness dripped from her lips and fell to the floor, was that how she was alive? The darkness caused death but could it also bring a false life?

He shut his eyes as he attempted to think, what did he have to lose doing this with Cherm? After all, that is what he was meant to do. His entire life he was meant to do this.

"Come on Cain, you don't want to be with that slut," His mother said, he swore he heard his fathers voice too as if the man stood behind his mother and spoke for her. Anger exploded in his skull, his father, his mother, they had never shown him the love his brother had. The love his girlfriend had. The love his uncle, his friends, even Bailey who acted like she hated him had shared a cigarette with him.

"I love you mom," Cain whispered, "but...I don't think you knew what love was."

The words were almost exactly what he and Mishka had talked about at one point, he recalled her telling him this about his father but now he couldn't stop thinking it for his mother as well.

"Cain--" Cherm started, Cain didn't let the monster finish, Cherm's manipulations needed to stop here. He grabbed the stapler his hand was resting on, slamming it with force against the others outstretched palm, Cherm screamed in shock and pain as Cain turned on his heels and practically threw his mother down. Holding the stapler up as if it were a weapon, a few staples fell to the ground below.

Her corpse collapsed to the floor, black blood splattered but Cain knew he had to move. If he was going to find Abel he had to get out of here while he was still in his body. The doctor grabbed the handle and threw it open only to gasp in shock as Lucifer stood in the doorway with a thin smile. The smile was so large he could see it stretching the skin of the man's vessel.

"Hello Cain," Lucifer said, Jegudiel and Bernard stepped into the room past him. Lucifer shoved the doctor back, terror flashed like fireworks in his head. He looked to Cherm and back to the others, Cherm was holding his hand with an angry growl, attempting to rip out the staple that was lodged into his flesh.

"You'll regret that," Cherm hissed.

"You have your own body now," Cain gasped out as the demons moved towards him slowly, his Adinkra glowed bright against his chest.

"Oh, I don't have my own body yet, but I'm getting close! This time, I don't think I'll need you," He hissed out. Pain burned into his body, Cain gasped and looked down at the hand that had pushed completely through his stomach and ripped to the other side. Dark blood covered the pale skin of the demon king's arm. Was he about to die? He gagged on his own blood as it filled his throat.

"God, we were so close to combining a king's soul with yours," Jegudiel groaned, shaking his head, "You told me you had this handled!"

"We still have Abel's soul," Lucifer said from where he stood in front of Cain, his large, clawed hand had ripped through the doctor's abdomen coming out the other side. Cain couldn't do anything, every breath was agony, he could feel a coldness in him that he never felt before.

At the mention of his brother's soul he felt a spark of determination, still clenching the stapler he used what was left of his strength and slammed it against Lucifer's head causing the man to holler in agony as the staple that smacked into his turned to a shining gold. The devil ripped his arm out of the other causing Cain to collapse, wheezing on the floor. He couldn't move anymore, he was dying.

"Fool!" The devil spat, "Don't give him the relief of death," he snorted towards Cherm with anger blasting into his voice.

"You keep this fucker alive, I want him to suffer more for that!"

Cain gagged a few more times, letting relief wash over his body as a grim reaper made for the man only to be stopped as Cherm's Adinkra glowed green in the darkness.

"If he keeps interfering," Cherm hissed as he placed his cold hand on Cain's body sending shots of warmth into the dying man.

"I'll kill him and eat his soul like I had planned,"

"You know damn well you can't do that," Jegudiel snorted, "Fallen angels still have to live by the rules,"

"Even poisoning this fucker wasn't enough! Why won't you just give up?" Cherm hissed into Cains ear.

Cain groaned as life filled his body, the skin repairing itself with the use of his Adinkra

"Fallen...angel..?" Cain groaned as darkness swamped his vision. He could hear them chatting as a tunnel covered his gaze before he was dropped into the forest inside his skull.

Cain opened his eyes to the world, the strong smell of the swamp reached his nose, the feeling of the Rabbit shuffling in her sleep beside him brought him back to reality. He sat up, glancing up at the dark sky and into the vines clustered above.

"I can get out," He whispered, running his fingers through Bab's fur lightly while the hare slept.

"I just...need to figure out how," His eyes moved to the golf club that was beside him, he picking it up and got to his feet. A firefly flashed its light in front of him, causing the doctor to step back in surprise. The firefly danced before his vision and pumped its itself towards the vines above and back down to Cain. Holding the club tight, his mind fell to Abel who would have pointed out at least three different movies that this particular instance reminded him off.

"In the movies…" Cain murmured, holding up the golf club he swung it down towards where the firefly was. It buzzed away as the metal slammed into the vines and tossed them to the floor. A single ray of golden light cascaded from the skies above.

Cain looked down at the vines, then back to the firefly. It was settled among the branches of an old, dying tree not far from where he was. Cain took a few steps into the water, getting his weapon ready he brought it down. Shocked as the branches seemed to break with ease.

"Abel," He whispered, hoisting up the club and bringing it down until he saw more of the sunlight. "I...don't know what happened," He whispered as he continued to swing, "but I...I'm sorry, I need to...unlearn so much,"

* ***

If you're enjoying this story be sure to check out my actual book! This entire thing is being reworked into it's own thing. If you want to read it or just learn more about the lore, characters, etc you can find it all here: https://darapofficial.squarespace.com/