• Previous Chapters:
    Chapter One - 'Thoughts'
    Chapter Two - 'Rebirth'
    Chapter Three - 'Flying Nightmares'
    Chapter Four - 'A Rogue Echo'
    Chapter Five - 'The Medical Roost'
    Chapter Six - 'A Chance to Think'
    Chapter Seven - 'Interrupted Dream'
    Chapter Eight - 'Condolences'
    Chapter Nine - 'A Pleasant Distraction'
    Chapter Ten - 'Passing the Torch'
    Chapter Eleven - 'A Rash Decision'
    Chapter Twelve - 'The Burning'
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    'Reminder'
    -Zotz, Rasputin, Saul-

    I died at the claws of my own son, what a wondrous feeling that was! To feel the anger and hatred towards all living things running so wildly through the strong body I graced him with was simply amazing! As he ripped through my flesh with his fangs and claws , I can truly say that was my proudest moment as a father. he was doing exactly what my lord wanted him to: slowly becoming the vessel that would serve as his earthly body.

    I had served my purpose and I thought I had served it well…even though I was not a Vampyrum, I was fully prepared to take my place in the city Zotz had created for all his loyal followers. As I felt my neck snap under my son’s strong jaws, and I felt the cold, welcoming fingers of death drag me downwards, I expected to see my reward immediately…

    …but I did not…

    I fell to the barren land of the underworld as if my son had just dropped me from our place in the sky ---he killed me mid-flight! If that was not a promising vessel for my Lord, I do not know what else I could have chosen--- and I fell straight through the solid earth of the living into the land of the dead. The impact of my fall surely would’ve hurt any liven creature…but it felt so good to me…

    I felt my newly reconstructed body snap as I hit the dry earth…such an incredible noise! My bones set themselves in their correct place as if I had never been broken…such was the grace of Zotz! Clearly he showed mercy on my broken body as he knew I was his most loyal servant, the immediate healing of my wounds was proof of this! I eagerly looked around, looking for either the city that was to be my new home or a regal Vampyrum, blessed with their obsidian teeth, that would escort me to that wondrous place.

    As I waited, I spread my wings and lifted from the ground in an attempt to either see where I was supposed to go, or let who was supposed to be my escort see me. With each of my wing beats, I silently admired my size; surely Zotz was amazed that he had such a large follower! I was at least two times the size of any normal Vampyrum…perhaps He would allow me to be ruler of the Vampyrum City!

    As soon as that thought crossed my mind, however, I received the answers to that and more…

    “…Not quite…”

    I gasped as I looked around, so many nights have I heard that powerful voice in my dreams, my Lord was about to show himself to me! I slowed my wingbeats and landed on the dry ground, there was no way someone, even a loyal servant such as myself, should be higher than Cama Zotz Himself. I lowered myself to all fours, bowing my head in respect, as I felt the ground tremble beneath my claws. Even though I no longer had a working heart, I felt the sensation of it quickening in excitement…I was about to meet the God I had served so loyally for nearly all my life!

    As the ground shook more violently, a loud crack nearly deafened me ---Not that I cared much, I wasn’t going to need my ears here--- and, much to my dismay, the crack did not come from in front of me…but below me…I fell downward into complete darkness, but I did not scream…surprised as I was, screaming was a sign of weakness, a sign of fear…and I knew that such a loyal servant as myself had nothing to fear, even with the negative comment that came with the opening of the fissure.

    As I continued to fall, a sharp odor stung my senses, it burned my nose and caused my eyes to water…it even seemed to dig past my fur and tear right into my skin…I gasped as I knew now what I was falling into…the ground hadn’t swallowed me, Zotz Himself had…

    Mere seconds after this horrifying realization, I plunged into my Lord’s stomach acid…the acid in which I would burn in for all eternity…a punishment that I didn’t think I deserved. Falling into that disgusting, painful pool of bile was much like falling into the angry ocean. Waves of acid crashed against me and the violent current took it’s chances to pull me under, I could feel the acid stripping me of my lush fur, my flesh, and my muscle, leaving nothing but bone behind…I felt a sensation of pain like no other, which was something I didn’t understand…this ‘life’ was supposed to be void of all pain, the followers of His Majesty was supposed to feel nothing but eternal bliss!

    Each time my flesh and fur was stripped from my body, and I had a moment of numbness in my bones, it was immediately given back to me…along with a whole new sense of excruciating pain. When I had a moment to where my head was above the acid, which wasn’t often at all, I took the chance to, for once in both my life and my afterlife, to question my Lord.

    “My Lord!” I sputtered at my first chance, “Why is it you punish me?!” Again, the current dragged me under, stripping new flesh and fur away from my body. As my bones floated to the top, I opened my bare jaw and yelled, “What did I do in my life that has displeased you so?!”

    At my final question the churning acid stopped for a moment and became still, save for the ripples created by my pain induced thrashing. The cavernous stomach of my Lord was silent, I couldn’t even hear my splashing, yet I clearly knew I was doing it. Then, just as quickly as the acid pool stood still, it began to bubble violently before shooting upward like a powerful geyser. In one powerful heave, I was shot out of the mouth of Zotz, writhing as a mere skeleton in a puddle of stomach acid.

    In many ways, I knew I should be honored to be the vomit of my Lord and Master, and as such, I bowed my head and averted my eyes…after receiving such a punishment, I knew I didn’t even deserve to look upon the face of the deity I devoted my life to..

    “You are…pathetic, Anubis…” His voice, a loud hiss, was heavy with angry disappointment. “I give you…a simple task…of preparing me an earthly body…and…you…fail!”

    “I have not failed you!” I protested, still not raising my head, “I have given you the most powerful body I have encountered, I gave you the body of my son!”

    “…You are too prideful…” he hissed, “…Your son, however powerful he may be, is not willing to accept me! He resists my power…his body will not be ready when it is my time to arise!” I could smell his putrid breath as he yelled at me, “And…if he is not ready…I will disappear like an echo from the world of the living…and it shall be your fault!”

    I cringed away from his disappointment, “…the process takes time, my Lord, you said so yourself…it will take ten times as many hearts of living bats than it would waiting for the next eclipse…” I paused, not wanting to upset him further and be returned to the acid pool, “Perhaps, in that time, he’ll come to accept you and your power, he will eventually do your bidding! And, when he does, you will return stronger than ever before!”

    He growled, again, causing my body of bones to tremble slightly, “…for your sake, you had better be correct…should this fail, your second trip to this world will be filled with pain far beyond your darkest nightmares…”

    I didn’t understand what he meant by my ‘second trip’, “My…’second trip’, My Lord?” my voice shook slightly, but it was not noticeable, at least I hoped it wasn’t, “…you mean…you’re going to give me a second chance?”

    He growled, acknowledging that I was correct, “…yes…” a harsh wind blew and I no longer felt his presence near me, but it was now all around me. “Open your eyes, you sniveling pile of bones, and receive your instructions…”

    I obediently did as I was told and looked up to where he was standing. In his place was the body of a pup that, just by looking at him, had not been born. His eyes were not yet open, but his nose twitched, sniffing for the milk he would soon expect, but would never receive, “I have taken the life of this pup…” My Lord’s voice echoed throughout the underworld, causing the pup to whimper, “His mother does not yet know…” he chuckled deeply, “nor do I think she would care, she didn’t want the weak thing in the first place…but you…you can succeed where I have seen three others fail…find his mother in the Vampyrum forests and rest your heavy spirit within her womb.”

    He again chuckled darkly, “…you will not be much different from the pup I have taken…such a weak servant will make an even weaker pup…she will not love you…even so, if you die in her care before your son can become the willing vessel I sought in the first place…you will suffer for an eternity…”

    I nodded, the thought of an unloving mother not fazing me in the least, “I understand, my Lord…I will not fail you again…”

    As I confirmed my loyalty for the thousandth time, I expected my body to be returned to it’s normal state. Before I could raise the question, he answered me, “You do not deserve the strong body I granted you with in your first life…crawl like the lowly insect you are to the Burning Tree…you shall receive no more help from me…”

    Enraged, I grinded my teeth together as I loyally did as I was commanded…it took me ages to reach that Tree…and I was constantly attacked by Vampyrum patrols…but I made it…I always hated the Burning Tree I stood before, it was the last defiance of the Goddess that should have never existed, but I crawled up to the knothole despite my hatred…because that is what I was told to do.

    As my spirit, a skeleton as light as the wind itself, entered the world of the living, I flew immediately to the Southern Temples that housed the Vampyrum Spectrum…the regal family I should have originally been born into…It took me several days to find the Vampyrum mother who cared not about her child, but through talk and rumors, the others of the colony unwittingly directed me to her.

    …I entered her womb and waited patiently…until things went black…



    Rasputin, the resentful ‘runt’ of the Vampyrum Spectrum colony, stretched as he awoke midday. He was small, skinny, and considered to be weak by all of his colony…the only thing that kept them from killing him was the white markings of a bat skeleton against his dark fur…they saw it as a sign from Zotz.

    He growled loudly as the sun shone directly into his eyes, “Damn the accursed sun!” he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with his wings, “…Can’t wait until Zotz completely destroys it…”

    Above him, someone chuckled, “Aw, did Bones wake up on the wrong side of the tree?” Saul, a large, impressive Black Foxwing, looked down on the partner ‘Zotz’ had forced upon him, he couldn’t stand the smaller Vampyrum any more than Rasputin could stand him…but, just because they were working together by some ‘divine command’, didn’t mean they had to like each other.

    He chewed on a twig because he knew Rasputin hated the fact that he was partly vegetarian, “Did Zotz come to you in a dream again?” his tone wasn’t mocking at the time…as a converted ‘child of Nocturna’, he loyally served Zotz and seemed to eagerly await any messages Rasputin may have received through his dreams.

    Rasputin sighed angrily, almost growling, “…Just a reminder of our purpose…nothing more…” he spread his wings and let go of his branch, “Come on!” he growled, “We’ve still got much ground to cover if we wish to make it to the northern forests…”

    Saul sighed, deep down, he felt he had a greater purpose rather than following a rude runt with no regard for life of any sort…but for now, this was all he had, so he spread his wings and followed after Rasputin, keeping his wingbeats slow so he didn’t jump ahead of his hotheaded partner in crime.