• . I n t r o d u c t i o n .


    It was a cold September night in New Hampshire. It was raining rapidly outside; every few minutes the lightning would light the sky a bright silver, then disappear, leaving nothing but the loud crackling noise of the thunder. Within the heart of the beautiful forest of a town called Felix, was a small house. The house was in a horrible sate; the old oak of which it was made of was beginning to decay.
    Behind the damp wall's of this home, a man paced up and down in his small, dark bedroom. The candle fire was dimly lit; the bed sheet's were dragged on the floor, clothes hanged from the wardrobe like strange ornaments, and the mirror above it was covered in a thick layer of dust. The bedroom had seemed to be almost like a small shed, dirty and cold. The man mumbled to himself, pacing faster and faster by every minute. He paused next to the wardrobe, wiping the dust of the mirror with his sleeve and gazing at the dim refection of himself for a short moment. The man ran a large, pale hand threw his brown, stubbornly messy hair -- the thunder outside struck loudly, slightly shaking the house. He walked across the room and sat hard on his bed. Unaware of what he was doing, he begun to fiddle with his finger's and listen to the sound of the rain poring outside. Several minute's later, he heard a loud thump from outside the bedroom. He ignored it at first, thinking it was only the thunder, but the sound continued to knock, becoming louder and louder. This time, without hesitation, he swung the door open and raced out into the living room. The living room was much like his room, poorly kept; the wooden flooring was almost gone, cracked and torn by previous visitor's; gravel was the only carpet now. Two large, leather armchair's were placed next to the crackling fire, beneath them, a tan-colored carpet. The fire beneath the red-brick Mantelpiece caused the whole room to glow a beautiful dark orange. The man ran across the living room and stopped in front of a heavy, wooden door then quickly turned the bronze handle.
    "I can't find him anywhere!" Shouted a young, teenage boy as he sped into the living room just as the man opened the door.
    "What!?" Shouted the man. He slammed the door. "Where did you go?"
    The boy did not reply. His dirty-blond hair was drenched in cold rain, along with his black cloak; water rapidly dripped onto the floor as he slowly strode next to the warm fire.
    "Well, where did you go?" The man pressed on. "You both been gone for hour's!"
    "Please, Eric, let me rest first," Panted the boy as he tried not to shiver. "I'll answer all that in a moment."
    "But you could at least--!" Eric spoke angrily, but he soon caught the boy's eye and quickly dropped his voice to a more calmer tone. "Oh, alright..."
    Eric carefully helped his brother, Melvin, undress the wet cloak, and gave him some dry sheet's from his bedroom. Melvin wrapped himself into the sheet's and laid down in one of the leather armchair's.
    "What the heck were you thinking, Melvin!?" Asked Eric, and although he tried to hide it, Melvin could see he was extremely worried. "He knows his way home, and he doesn't need help. You could at least waited until you knew where he was." He added while quickly throwing the wet cloak onto the empty armchair next to the Fireplace, then standing in front of Melvin with his arms folded. Before speaking, Melvin, rubbed both his arm's, trying keep himself warm -- though it had little effect. He gazed at the roaring fire beneath the Mantelpiece, then spoke.
    "It's a full moon, tonight," Said the boy. Eric unfolded his arm's, and Melvin lowered his voice so low it was hardly a whisper. "I couldn't wait, not when it's like this..."
    "I know that, already..." Replied Eric absently. He begun to fiddle with his finger's anxiously. "You wouldn't think-?" Eric paused for a moment then shook his head in disbelief . "No, not here...they couldn't..."
    "I don't like this, Eric." Melvin's voice was cracking, though Eric was paying little attention to him; he was lost in his own thought's. "I...saw something-"
    "It's his own fault!" He snapped. "He's a fool! How could he do this? He knows very well that we need him here, but still he run's away, looking for something so useless -- in fact, he doesn't even know what that 'something' is he's looking for!"
    "Eric, please," Begged Melvin. "Your temper is not-"
    "What-" He begun to pace again, taking long step's and running his had through his hair."-in the whole world could possibly be more important then his own family?" Eric paused and put his hand's on his hip's then shook his head. "I mean, really. How could he be so selfish?"
    Melvin sighed deeply. It was clear that Eric had little care for what Melvin was trying to say. He looked into the fire once again, and laid back in his seat. Eric still stood in front of Melvin with his hand's on his hip's -- lost in thought, like he always was. After a few short minute's of silence, Melvin stood up and walked over to a small window next to a stock of barrels covered with white sheet's in the corner of the room. He sat down on one of the barrels and watched the raindrop's hit the cold glass. Eric continued to pace -- the only way he knows how to calm himself without yelling -- and begun mumbling to himself again.
    "He's always late," Said Melvin abruptly, still gazing outside. "I'm sure he's just messing around. You know how he is, Eric. He like's--"
    Eric spun around, his expression was furious. "--He should still be here!" He snapped. "He knows how dangerous it is. Especially tonight!"
    Melvin didn't reply; he ignored Eric and continued to watch the rain. The rain begun to stop; the cloud's cleared and now the moon shined brightly down upon the small house; the light softly leaked in through the window's, making the room slightly brighter. Seeing how Melvin was done trying to talk to him, Eric turned around and sat hard on the armchair his brother was siting on moment's ago and begun to impatiently tap his finger's on his keen's.



    Meanwhile, as Eric and Melvin stayed waiting in the house, something else was afoot in the forest.
    One man slowly appeared out from the dark shadow's of the tree's. Trevor was the man's name; his long, blond hair was messy and unclean, along with his torn jean's and brown leather jacket. His skin was light gray, his face was badly scarred and hallow. Blood dripped from his hideous, long, yellow fingernail's as he paused to listen for any unfamiliar sound's, then continued his way across the forest.
    "Come out, come out, where ever you are," He sang, looking behind every tree he passed by as if playing hide-in-seek with an invisible friend. He stomped on the fallen leave's as he strode through the forest; his feature fading in and out of sight as the branches of overhanging tree's blocked the luminous moon light. "I know you're here, Eddie." He said cheerfully, his yellowish eye's gleamed in the darkness. There was a faint crack behind him. Trevor spun around quickly, prepared to attack, but the source proved only to be a small brown bird jumping over the small branches on the ground. The man cursed under his breath; this was rather disappointing to him; there was nothing more than to suspect that his toy had ran away. He stood there in the forest for fifteen minute's, breathing heavily and thinking of what to do now. If he was to return empty-handed surely He would be angry with him. There was another crack, but this time it was louder. Far too loud to be from any small bird, he thought.
    "Trevor!" Spoke a deep voice from behind.
    "What!?" Growled Trevor. He spun around and narrowed his eye's to see whom it was amerging from the shadows. Between two, large redwood tree's appeared a man. He was broad-shouldered, and abnormality tall in height. His clothes were much like Trevor's, although they were black and uncut, and he, unlike Trevor, was very clean. "Ah, Kent." He said as soon as he realized who it was. "It's about time you showed up! What's the problem?" Trevor examined his face and noticed Kent was slightly worried about something.
    "We couldn't find him," Reported Kent, panting quietly. "It would seem that Sir Edwin has fled the forest-" Kent gestured at their surrounding's. "-and I was unable to track him down."
    "Fled the forest!?" Repeated Trevor. He clenched his fist. "You foolish bloke, you can't even find a single boy!"
    Kent folded his arm's. "Doesn't look like you've done to well, yourself!" He shot back. Kent smiled and gestured his head at Trevor's bleeding hand. "I take it that even you lost the boy?"
    "I had some...problem's," He spoke, his voice was muse.
    "He was not alone?"
    Trevor shook his head. "No," He replied. "At first he was, but then Nathan showed up and ruined everything."
    Kent unfolded his arm's. "Nathans here, too?"
    "Yes," Trevor replied quickly. "I believe it's the whole lot this time." He sighed heavily and begun to rubbed his eye's with his thumb and forefinger. "It's going to make kidnapping the child much tougher, now."
    "Just our luck..." Kent murmured. He looked up into the sky. "Perhaps we should get going?" He suggested, looking back at Trevor wishfully. "It won't be long before midnight. We'd better hurry back." Trevor shrugged his shoulder's in agreement and Kent spun on his heel and walked into the shadow's of the forest. When Kent was out of earshot, Trevor begun to chuckle devilishly, a wide smile was on his face.
    Trevor chuckled one last time before he had stopped rubbing his eye's then he begun to fallow Kent, whispering something cheerfully. "He's not going to like this..."