"Go away!!!!" David screamed as he twisted his way in and out of shadowed
tunnels.  Something was chasing him... 

Turning his head, his vision sped up quickly, becoming a blur.  Losing his
balance, he fell.  His body moved through the air as if it were tar.
"Noooooo....!" He yelled, trying to claw his way through the something
that was nothing.

It was near... now more than ever.  'But I can't see it.... can't touch
it...." He thought, his mind swirling like a maelstrom one second, crystal
clear the next.  'Kaylin!'

"David!"

"No... I...."

"David!"

Sitting up straight, he looked around the room.  Minty was there, her hand
on his shoulder.  Sweat covered his face, and his head hurt.

"Mint..."

"It's ok, love.  I'm here."

"I..." David shook his head, trying to clear it.  "I was dreaming."

"I know." Minty said, and hugged him tightly.  "But you're all right now.
I'm almost finished with dinner."  Getting up, she headed into the
kitchen.

"Where is...."  Shaking his head again, he thought.  'Who?  Who am I
forgetting?  Kaylin?'

'...'

'Kaylin?'

"Where is who, love?" Minty called from the kitchen.

"Um..." Wiping the sweat from his face, his hand fell on something around
his neck.  Looking down, his vision blurred slightly.  "I.... um....
Zael!"

"What?"

"Zael.  Where is Zael?"

"Who... issssss Zael?" Minty asked.  She sounded different... hollow.

"Our son.  Ye should know that." David said, getting up from the couch.
The room shifted slightly.

"Sssssoooonnnn?"

"Yes." David said, and walked towards the kitchen.  "Are ye ok, Mint?"

Coming out from the kitchen, Minty looked at him.  "Yessss.... I'm fine."

Something was different.  Her edges seemed blurred, almost...
rubbing his eyes, David shook his head again.  "I..." Suddenly, David
heard a slight hissing noise.  

"Dear, areeee you ooook?" Minty asked, and took his arm, leading him to
the couch.

"I... what about Zael?  Where is he?" There was that hissing noise again,
but louder.

"I don't know whoooo you're talking about." Minty said.

David shook his head, and took her hand, closing his eyes.  "Mint... our
child..."  His hand felt strange.  Something... looking at his and
Minty's hand, he could see small strands of smoke raising from her skin.
"Mint..."

"ssssssss......"

"Mint?" He asked, looking at her.  She mearly grinned at him, the hissing
noise growing louder and louder.  Letting her hand go, strings of skin
stuck to him, more smoke spilling out of the tears in her flesh.
"What!!!!"

Araminta's skin began to melt away, blood and muscle spilling forth as
wisps of smoke rose from her body.  David pushed himself away, falling off
the couch onto the ground.  She followed him with her eyes as her body
continued to form a bloody puddle on the floor.  A scream welled up in
David's throat, but his mouth wouldn't move... his lungs felt as if they
were full of lead.

"What'ssssss the matter David?  Where isssss your ssssson?" The hissing
sound filled his mind as a wraith pulled it's way out of Minty's body,
its form that of his dead mate.  Flesh and bone still clung to it in
patches.  "Where.... isssss..... your.... sssssson?"

<...>

"Noooooo!!!!!!" David screamed as he sat up, his eyes opening up to
witness an apparition flowing through the doorway.... carrying his son!
Jumping off the couch, he ran after it.  "Zael!" He shouted, the only
thought in his mind that of getting his son away from the creature.

Dragons were bellowing now, and David came short of the cliff as he
watched Kaylin leap off the ledge, circling the wraith, flames billowing
from his mouth.  'No Kaylin!  Don't flame it!'

*It has the hatchling!*

'I know...' David said as Kaylin and other dragons chased the creature out
of the warren.  "I know."

<...>

David paced back and forth, wringing his hands together.  Waylene stood in
one corner of the room, Minty was on the couch.  

"The dragons say that the wraith disappeared into a network of caves."
Waylene said, and shook her head.

"Damn..." David muttered under his breath, and let his hands fall dead to
his side.  He looked at his mate, opened his mouth, but said nothing.

"David...." Waylene said, walking towards him.

"I know what yer about t'say." David said, and shook his head.  "But if I
hadn't been sleeping.... if I had been awake and alert and something more
than I am...."

"David!" Minty exclaimed from the couch.

"But if I had been doing m'job as a father, watching m'son instead of
falling asleep....!"

"What could you do David?  Against a wraith?" Waylene asked.

*It is my fault.* Kaylin said, his thoughts laced with worry and hurt.
*If I could fly better, faster... maybe I would have gotten to the
apartment in time.*

'No Kaylin, ye were getting checked out by te'healers.  The fault lay
with me, not you.' 

Walking over to Minty, David ran his hand gently through her hair, and
held her close.  "I love ye." He whispered, then looking up at Waylene, he
hardened his eyes.

"I have t'go into te'caves." David said, his voice heavy. "I have
to get Zael."

************* SUBMITTED BY ***************

Justin

NRPG:  I know the wraith is coming back, but this is right before it does.
:)  TAG anybody!!!!