___________
Zach
________________

"Hello?" Jay called.

"What if he's not home?" I asked.

    "That would make sense, I mean this quest was honestly too easy to begin with." He agreed.

    "Jelu?" I yelled.

    "Don't use his name." He scolded.

    "Why not?"

    "Well how would you like it if some strange claw just came storming into your house and calling out your name?"

    "Oh." I realized. "There's a catflap in the door, do you think we should go in?"

    "What's a catflap?"

    "It's a small door built for cats to go in an out. Of course we're a bit bigger than regular cats, but I don't think it will be a problem. The ledge is a little below your chest so don't trip." I squished myself inside.

    Jay knocked his forehead on the top rim and after some maneuvering he made it through, grumbling all the way.

    I took a breath and surveyed my surroundings. There was furniture covered in large sheets, dust flying everywhere. I felt my lungs seize up consciously, and tried to keep it cool. It was dark, the only light was the dim remaining drops of sunlight from the setting sun. It was kind of unsettling.

    "The next catflap we come across I am going to murder." Jay swore, catching up to me.

    "Hello?" I called again.

    There was a rattling sound my left and I jumped aside with my fur sticking up. Jay snorted and a hissed at him.

    "Come on, I'm sure it's nothing..." He trailed off suddenly.

    "What?" I asked, my heart pounding faster and faster.

    "Someone's coming, a claw. I can hear their footsteps." He hissed.

Two eyes appeared out of the semi-darkness. They were blood red. I hissed and unsheathed my claws. Tenebris victim no doubt. They walked forward and my suspicions were corrects. Dark tabby pelt, drunken walk, soft laughter. But what stopped me from attacking were the two brilliant glowing wings. They weren't attached to his body, they were floating, but they looked so different from Feurige and Ipa's.

"He's mine now." The claw spoke.

"Zach..." Jay warned.

"I think it's Jelu, he's been possessed." I explained.

"Great, and now we're going to have to save him."

"Yep." I sprung forward, but Jelu ducked. I landed on the other side and extended my wing. The sudden appearance of a large object startled him from clawing into my back and I twisted around. Then I lunged for his neck, dropping down my aim at the last second and pinning him down by his chest.

"Let Jelu go." I ordered.

Jelu started to cough violently. Little globs of black goo came up from his throat and into my face. I winced, and felt my lungs ache, until I shook it off.

When I was momentarily distracted, Jelu had shoved me off from on top of him. I tumbled down to the floor and watched as he flapped himself up into the air, landing on a bookshelf. Where he glared at us mercilessly.

"That dirty little-" I started.

"Zach," Jay stopped me.

"What?" I sputtered.

"Give it a few seconds." I stared at him in complete and utter confusion when all of a sudden Jelu fell off the bookshelf, knocked out cold.

"How did you do that?" I yelped.

"Goudaberry, same stuff I gave you when you tried to run away. Strangely enough it happens to be growing right outside." He shrugged, heading over to where Jelu lay, fast asleep.

He snored for a long time. We waited until the sun was long gone for the sleeping claw to wake up. Jay helped me collect whatever plants might force the black gloop out of him. There wasn't much, if nothing worked I figured we could just give him the hiemlich, then I needed to explain what that was. But alas, our tools proved fruit worthy when Jelu finally woke up.

    He started, opening his eyes. "Ha you honestly thought a plant could defeat-"
    Jay shoved a yellow leaf down his throat.

    Jelu's face contorted in agony before he leaned down and vomited all over the floor. The black goop pooling around a mess of assorted cat foods before he stopped heaving.

    "Sorry." I said, "it was either that, or becoming a mindless evil slave."

    He fur slowly faded into a light blue color, with slightly darker stripes. In fact he kind of looked like Jaysen, except Jay had very dark grey stripes. But their eyes were they same blue.

After he was done emptying the contents of his stomach, Jelu stood shakily and glared at us.

"That was terrible." He spat, swallowing dryly.

"Welcome to life." Jay sighed. "Guess what kid, you're part of a prophecy and we need you to fight evil with us. The same kind of evil that we just took out of your body. Your welcome."

"Woah, what?" Jelu asked.

"Let me start over, sorry about that." I glared at Jay. "We've been hunting down four creatures, who were prophesied to help destroy an evil that has been terrorizing our land for years. It's been a very long and tiring quest, but you're the last guy we need. Will you come with us, please?"

"Okay." He answered.

"Now I know this must be a hard decision- wait, you'll come with us, just like that?" I puzzled, gobbler smacked.

"Yeah, I knew you coming anyway. I'm ready to go. Besides, my human wanted me to go out an enjoy the wild before my short life ended. I figured I die saving the world, all heroic and stuff."

"Short life?" Jay asked. "Kid you've got a few decades left."

"Yeah, that's what Suka said. But I think she's a bit crazy if you ask me." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, this isn't exactly the family reunion I imagined but I'll take what I can get."

"Right." I agreed, "my name's Zach, and this my friend-"

"Jaysen." Jelu answered immediately. "Son of Portia and Haratio."

"How do you know my name?" Jay interrogated.

Jelu's face twisted in confusion, like he was afraid he had gotten something wrong. "Because I'm your brother."

-=-=-=-=-=-===-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-
MUH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AHA AH AHA AH AHA AHA AHA HA HA HA HA HAHA HAHA HA HA HA HA HA HS HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH AH AH A HA HA HA H AH HA HA HAH A HA A HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH AH AH A HA HA HA HA HA HAH AH H AHAH AH AHAHAH. HA HA HA HA.