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Tigers & Lions & Bears... Oh my!

That's how it started. A cute tiger alarm clock. Well, not exactly. It began with her grandfather's watch and her constant pursuit to repair it. She'd never been able to find anyone who would. She entered the Time Bandit shop thinking to find someone who could.

What she walked out with was very different.

--

She'd been walking down the street with no destination in mind, but something caught her eye and she frowned. She'd never really noticed the shop before, but it made her think of her grandfather's old pocketwatch. It had not worked for a long time and she'd been reluctant to part with it to have it repaired. Her father had been the same way with it.

Crossing the street, she peered into the windows at the clocks and watches lining the shelves. Many looked very old. An old timepiece had a certain quality about it that is hard to describe. It was not so much the way it looked as the way it felt. These had that quality, but something more. As that thought slipped through her, she considered at least asking if they could repair it. The shop was just.. curious.

Uncertainly, she pushed the door open. The way her luck went, she'd forget to ask about getting the pocketwatch fixed and end up buying a new clock while she was here. That's just the way it went most of the time.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt, but...," she asked, "Do you work on old watches as well as sell them?"



"Alright," she murmurred softly.

Her grandfather's watch value though high because of its rarity was not what counted to her. It was the sentimental value that had her asking her father for it. The timepiece had always been passed down in the family to the eldest son. Her brother had no inclination for it, but even as she thought about her grandfather's watch, she noticed several clocks that were tigers. Thinking that they were cute, she studied them for a moment.

She was a Leo. A lion would have been cute, but even as she thought about it, orange was her color. At least as far as the standard for the zodiac. The orange tiger? Her lips twitched slightly.

Picking it up carefully, she could see it was like the others. Not working. For some reason that did not matter to her. Walking to the counter, she waited behind the other person in front of her. The clock was unusual, but it would be nice once she cleaned it up.

"Scox..." she said softly, then smiled as she waited on the shop clerk.






Effe listened as he spoke to the others. Maybe that was why she felt drawn to it. She waited patiently thinking it was just as interesting to listen to what everyone was saying.

"Hmm... I suppose.. if I can manage to clean and fix this one, then I might have a chance to fix my grandfather's watch myself." she murmurred more to herself than anyone else around.

Effe blinked. "I guess I am." she smiled. "Sorry, I wasn''t paying attention. This is just so cute. It was 5000, right?" With a smile she held out the orange tiger as well as the money.


"Yes, thank you." Effe nodded. "I can't wait to get started on him. He reminds me of... Tony the tiger from the cereal box." She suddenly giggled as she took her new treasure carefully.

"Scox. "

What was it she knew about that name? She'd heard it before in reference to something. Effe had been studying something in class and the name was listed there. Other names were mixed up in that also. Alot of them.

"Scox.." she repeated softly as she stared at the clock on the table in front of her. For some reason she was going to try to fix it. Why did that name seem important to her?

With a sigh, she began gently cleaning it with an old sable paintbrush. Its use was pretty much over except for the occasional cleaning of places she could not reach into and needed something soft.

She'd never really cleaned a clock or tried to repair one before. But she had taken apart other things. So long as she placed things in the order she'd taken them apart, Effe could put it back together. One piece at a time she carefully laid out on the table in front of her. After cleaning each piece, she began in the order of the pieces closest to her to return them to their positions. They were the last ones she had placed, so they would be the first ones put back. One screw at a time. One gear at a time until finally she put the cover back on tightening it just as it should be.

Staring at it a moment, she smiled. It really was pretty. And it really did remind her of... Tony the Tiger from the box of breakfast cereal. She laughed, shaking her head as she placed it on a shelf.

It was then she remembered.

Scox was known as one of the 72 spirits of Solomon. He provided good familiars, discovered hidden things, stole money, would transport anything. But there was something else about him that she couldn't quite remember. Other than he was also known as Shax, Shass, and Chax.

"Strange..." She murmurred having thought of him in connection with a stork. Not a tiger.

It was a couple days later that Effe sighed as she finished her supper. She'd been hearing strange noises at night and begun to wonder if she were having hallucinations. She definitely was getting no sleep. Just as she'd start to fall deeply to the zone of limbo, something would clatter or tap or fall off a shelf. Although it was on the peripheral of her awareness, Effe would awake sleepily rubbing at her eyes as she sat listening to see if she really had heard anything.

Several times she shoved the covers back off her as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Grabbing her robe, she'd head for the door to the other room. Each time nothing greeted her but the darkness and silence. She remembered looking at the clock and scowling when she understood what time it was. With little rest, she turned tiredly heading back and dropping off again almost immediately. In the back of her mind though, she was quite certain that someone was watching her. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up and she shivered slightly each time.

She didn't even clean up the plate as she stared. With work and everything else on top of the lack of sleep, Effe could barely focus. Shaking her head, she decided to take care of dishes in the morning. The bed and sleep sounded far too appealing to worry about dirty dishes for one.

It was a whirr at first, then a clicking sound.

Effe didn't move.

"Scox..." he smirked as he glanced around. With mischief in his eyes, the creature glanced around. He scrambled down the shelf to the very end. Digging in, he made his way down the side of the bookcase making gouges in the wooden surface. When he reached the bottom, he tilted his head around looking at the entire room. Then he noted the open door.

"Scox..." he smirked repeating his name once more. The next instant he climbed up the couch to poke at a pillow. "Ewww...." he grumbled poking at it again, the sound more a snort of disgust than an actual word. The next moment he was ripping it to shreds, stuffing flying everywhere. The white filling was scattered over the couch and floor with small bits still settling as gravity dragged them down.

"Scox! Scox! Scox!" he snorted in glee at the destruction around him.

It didn't take Scox long to destroy the other two pillows and smirk about it. Then he crept towards the only door he'd not explored.

Effe's room.

Pushing the door open, he smirked as he glanced around the area in front of him. The foot of the bed was just ahead and though it looked huge to the little demon, Scox was not daunted and quickly moved forward towards it.

Gouging his nails into the wood of the bed, he climbed up the footboard. Peeking over the top, he pulled himself up as he watched her. Sleeping. He watched her for a minute with another smirk on his face. It was time to play. At least he wanted to. So should she.

Wobbly he snickered as he moved towards her. She was laying on her back, her mouth partly open. She never moved as he moved up to her chin to stare at her face. He snickered slightly again as he moved back to her stomach.

Suddenly jumping up and down, he yelled, "Scox! Scox! Scox!" Gleefully, he continued.

Her eyes flashed open and she stared for a moment. Then she screamed, backing up against the headboard as Scox tumbled to the foot of the bed.

"Mrpft... mumble.. mrpght..." he growled as he tried to get back to his feet and remove his face from the blanket.

Effe blinked staring as she reached over and flipped the light on. Then her jaw dropped open.

"What are you?! My clock?!" She pulled the covers up around her as she watched him.

"Scox! Scox! Scox!" he smirked. "Scox!" Jumping up and down, he moved towards her again. "Clock! Clock! Clock!"

"Scox? Where have I heard that name before?"

When he jumped gleefully at her, Effe's eyes grew large. Throwing off the blankets, she leaped from the bed and was instantly out of the room.

Then her jaw dropped open as she stared at the room in front of her. The light in the corner illuminated the area enough she could see bits of.. fluff? scattered about.

"Scox! Scox! Scox!" he smirked jumping up and down where he was standing in the doorway. She thought he looked like some insane little man as he continued to leap about.

Shaking her head, she moved to a brighter lamp turning the switch. The light spread across the couch and down onto the shredded pillows.

"Scox! Scox! Scox! Fun!" he snickered again.

"Stop saying that.. you little.. Grrr... I really don't know what you are! but I know your name is Scox! Now stop bouncing around like an idiot!" she snarled as she shook her head in dismay at the pillows. Those were her favorites.

Snickering, he walked over to the bookcase, his claws suddenly gouging wood as he climbed up to the shelf he had once been sitting upon.

"Don't do that either!" she snapped, reaching out to grab him by the neck. At least what she assumed was his neck. "Stop making a mess!"

"Scox! Scox! Scox!" he smirked, wriggling in her grasp.

"Stop that too!" she yelled suddenly.

The time bandit reached out, stabbing one sharp claw into her hand.

Yelping she let go of him and he tumbled to the floor.

Jumping about again, he said, "Scox! Scox! Scox!"

"Did you do this?"

"Scox! Scox! Scox no do!"

"Liar!" she snarled at him. "I'm the only other person here and I most certainly did not do it!"

"Scox! Scox! Scox!" he snickered skipping about.

"I wonder if they'd take you back..." she muttered as she stared at him.