Felarya: A place of wonderment, healing, riches, and danger. Most consider it an adventurer’s dream. Others consider it a nightmare. Most come for treasure, some for the healing properties of the land, and others for the bounty on the creatures of Felarya. But the hero of our tale did not come to this mystical land between worlds for any of those reasons. In fact, he came simply by accident. But what he found here was not gold, nor health, nor bounty. It was something that no one he size before him came looking for nor found… Sanctuary.

The captain of the small fishing boat checked his course for the hundredth time. It was a mighty risk he was taking, trying to fish in the river by Fairy Pond. But he was confident that they would be safe, so long as he kept his wits about him. And his guess was right anyway, proven by the large load of Felarian fish they had on deck. They were even lucky enough to catch a few Jewel Fish. They were now heading back home to Negiv City to sell their catch. But that would be the easy part. The hard part would be to get back home. He could tell the crew was nervous. And who could blame them? With a crew of eight, (four humans and four nekos) and their heading to be south past “Her” hunting grounds, and her favorite food being humans and nekos, it would be safe to say that everyone was on the alert. Even taking the tunnel they found at the Lake of Illusions would be dangerous. But, if they survived, it would definitely be worth it.

After a few more hours of sailing down the river, they came upon the second fork. Now was the most cautious point in their trip. “She” would be near and there was no telling how close she would be if they came within earshot. They had to be sure to be quiet. However, as they rounded the bend, they saw a figure sitting on the north cost of the river. The fool, the captain thought, he’s gonna’ get himself killed. As they approached the figure, they saw he was fishing as well, a small campfire by his side. Fearing the fire might draw unwanted attention, the captain risked calling out to him.

“Ahoy! You on the shore! Leave this area.” The figure made no movement. He simply continued fishing. As they got closer, they could see that the figure wore a hooded cloak, the hood deeply drawn over his face. The captain called again, “Ahoy! I say again, shove off. For your own safety and ours, man, move!” This time, the stranger merely waved at them, neither looking up from his fishing rod, nor removing his hood. “I heard you the first time, boy-o,” he replied with a slight irish accent, “I’ll be fine” The captain shook his head, “Nay, friend. There be a blond monster in them trees. She catches you, you’re as good as eaten, ya hear?” The stranger nodded, “Aye, and again I say, I’ll be fine. I’m a hard one to catch.”

The captain sighed and shook his head. “Fine, fool. Be her next meal. I not be putting my neck on the line to save your sorry hide.” He then looked over to his crew, “Sail on. Let this fool die in the belly of the monster.” They continued to sail around the bend. As the coast and the figure upon it vanished from view, the captain looked back with a slight smile on his face. “Good luck to ya, ya crazy dingbat,” he quietly said to himself.

Several hours later, Crisis laid on the shore of the river, enjoying her latest catch. A human/neko fishing boat had hit a rock in the river and had to come ashore for reapers (unbeknownst to her, it was the same fishing boat who had encountered the stranger). There was only one human left, the captain. As she lifted him up to eat him, he began to plea. “Please, hear me out!” Of course, Crisis could not resist. “Ok” she said joyfully, still prone on her back. She dangled him above her face still, ready to drop in at a moments notice. “I’ll make a deal with you,” the captain begged. “If you spare my life, I’ll tell ya where a nice, tastier, bigger meal may be. We’s passed ‘em about a half mile up river, as the harpy flies” Crisis thought for a minute, considering, or at least acting like she was considering, the captain’s words. “A tastier meal, hmm?” she brought the captain down and licked him over.

“You’re rather tasty, yourself. Are you sure he will taste better?” The captain, spitting her spit out of his mouth, nodded fiercely. “Oh yes, I am sure of it. And, might I add that ya look rather lovely in the light of the setting sun?” Crisis blushed a bit, “Why thank you. For that, you get a kiss” Crisis brought him down to her face, puckering up her lips. But just when he was about to make contact, she quickly opened her mouth and dropped him in. She swallowed quickly, enjoying his struggling as he slid down her throat and into her belly with his comrades. All their struggling together made her giggle a bit. “Now,” she said “to find the one he was talking about.” She sat up and began to slither through the trees, looking for any signs of the stranger.

While the sun continued to sink into the horizon, Crisis continued to hunt. She knew it wasn’t far. She had found the campfire by the river and saw that whoever it was had left into the jungle. “How convenient, she thought, he is heading right for home by the Big Tree. Means I won’t have to travel far.” Just then, she heard a sound in the trees to her right. She smiled to herself and licked her lips. “Gotcha” she said quietly. She got down low and crawled through the grass and trees. Silently, she crept up on him, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Soon, she found him in a clearing. His hood was still drawn over his face while he stood there, facing away from her, Bo staff in hand.

“What luck!” she thought. He had not moved since she came into the clearing. She could catch him easily. She continued to sneak up on him. Silent as a shadow, she slithered up behind him until she was right on top of him. Just as she was about to strike, he spoke. “Hello, lass, having a good evening?”

Crisis was absolutely stunned. “But how?” she exclaimed, “I was perfectly silent?” The stranger chuckled a bit and turned around. “Any Taur’Draug could hear you a mile away. Simply because you are silent to a human’s ears doesn’t mean you are to a Taur’Draug’s, or so the saying goes.” He laughed a bit and turned his back to her again. “I heard you eat humans. If that be so, I’d like to make a wager with you.” Now Crisis was really intrigued. Sure, her prey had tried to make deals with her, but never bets. Curiosity got the best of her. “Alright, what’s the wager?”

The stranger laughed again and ran to a tree. Without much effort, he climbed it quickly so he could be at her eye level and sat on the branch. “Here be my wager: ‘Tis a game of tag we are going to play. If you catch me once, you get to eat me. But if I tap your head three times with me ole’ staff here, then you’ll not be eating humans anymore, deal?” Crisis smiled. This would be too easy. “Deal” she said. The stranger nodded. “Then, on your mark, get set…GO!”

On the word “go” Crisis sprang into action. Her hand sped toward him and closed around him. But when she withdrew it, it was empty. He was gone. She looked around, listening for him. Under brush, up in the trees, no matter where she looked, she could not find him. After a minuet or two she felt a tap on the very top of her head. A strand of her hair fell before her left eye and suspended on it, was the stranger. “That’s one, girly. You really need to watch your-self. I swear I was standing up there forever!” Crisis reached for him again, but rather than grabbing him, she missed again and ended up slapping herself in the face. The stranger, landing on a nearby tree branch, began rolling with laughter. “That be two, lass”

Crisis looked down at her hand and saw that he had left the Bo staff behind, making her hit her own head with it. Although he was getting the best of her at the moment, Crisis smiled. She was still having fun. It had been a long time since prey had given her such a challenge. The stranger was still laughing. Now was the moment for Crisis to strike. She sped toward the branch and made another grab, branch and all. This time, she got him. “Ah Ha!” she exclaimed, “Its Tummy time for you. Thanks for the great game.” With that, she popped him into her mouth.

She was about to swallow when something strange happened. A sensation grew in her mouth which she had never had before. She rolled him around a bit, further trying to understand this sensation. It was then that her body naturally reacted. She spit him back out with a loud and forceful “YUCK!” The stranger landed in her hand and she looked at him with a look of confusion. “What are you? You don’t taste like a human, you don’t even LOOK human.”

And indeed he did not. For when she spit him out, his cloak came off, revealing his features. It was nothing Crisis had ever seen before. His body was human, or at least looked human. But it had a tail, like a Neko would, only bushier. And his head was similar to a kensha beast. Were a human to describe him, he looked like a werewolf. He was definitely not a native of Felarya. He sat up in her hand and looked up at her. His eyes disturbed her, as it would most beings. For his eyes were pure white. There was neither color nor pupil to them. Like two orbs of white marble, able to stare into your very soul.  Sadness took shape into his face. “It would seem,” he said, “that we of the Taur’Draug are immortal even to being eaten.” He sighed deeply as his face bowed in frustration. His ears, being on the top of his head, laid flat against it. “It would appear I am doomed to continue to run.”

Crisis brought him closer to her face to examine this creature more closely. “What are you?” she asked. Again, he looked up into her eyes. Those eyes, she thought, they were creeping her out. “I suppose I could tell you my tale, but would be rude not to introduce me self first.” He stood, a bit of his old joy returning. He bowed, “I am called Guar,” pronouncing it “Goo are,” “last of the Taur’Draug.” Crisis’ head tilted to the side. “But what is a Taur’Draug? You keep calling yourself that, but what is it?” she asked. Guar smiled, “Simply, we are an immortal race sworn to protect humanoid kind. Though, in my home dimension, the humans turned on us. So we became dimension hoppers, traveling from one dimension to another. Usually, because of our looks, we were called werewolves and either banished or fled to other dimensions.  After several hops, it has all come down to me. I am the last.”

Crisis was totally drawn in. Here, in her hand, stood a creature who had visited many dimensions, many worlds. She could hardly imagine the stories he could tell. She nodded in response. “I’m Crisis, a Naga.” Again, Guar bowed. “Tis a pleasure, Crisis. Though I know not what a Naga is.” Crisis looked confused at him. “Well, I am. See?” she waged her tail at him a bit, to show it off. Guar simply laughed. “No, lass, I can’t. Least not like you, anyway. I am technically blind. Tis the price for being a Taur’Draug. But what we lack in sight, we make up for in hearing and smell. I can tell what you look like from that.” She lifted him up to her shoulder and began making her way home. He perched himself comfortably and they began to converse on the way back to the Great Tree, him telling her stories of his adventures.

Meanwhile, in a dark alley in Negev City, a portal opened and out stepped five men. They were dressed in black trench coats and matching cowboy hats. They stepped into the street and the man in the middle took a deep breath. “He’s here, I can feel it.” He turned to the man on his left side for confirmation. Consulting a small, handheld device, he nodded. “Definite signs, sir. The werewolf is several miles to the north. It will take us several days to track him down.” The man in the middle nodded and turned to the rest. Pointing to two of them, he said “You and you go secure us some sort of map of the area and a place to set up a base camp. You,” pointing to the third not yet addressed, “are on Intel duty. I want to know what dimension we are, what lives here, who lives here, and all the important locations. I want you to become a native within the hour.” He turned to the one with the scanning device. “I want a bearing on where he is. I want to know how far from here, how many days it will take to track him down, and where he has set up camp. And I want it now. Not tomorrow, not after breakfast, NOW!”

Each man set about his set task. The man remaining looked up at the sky and smiled. “I got you now, you freak.”

The two new friends arrived at Crisis' normal sleeping spot. They had been talking the whole trip and it was completely dark by the time they reached it. But Crisis was not paying attention. She was too dumbfounded at what she had just heard. "You mean to tell me," she said in disbelief, "that there is a universe where I am somewhat famous?" Guar simply nodded, "So I have been told. I can't believe I didn't recognize your name when you said it, to be honest. It was my last hop, even. They think, though, that you’re just some fictional character, created by some guy who goes by the name of Karbo." Again, Crisis was amazed at the statement. "And these people who know of me... they WANT me to eat them?" Guar laughed, "Well, they don't actually WANT you to, but they do fantasize about it." Crisis began licking her lips, a smile spreading across her face. "Man, I wish I could come across some. They must be very tasty." Her smaller passenger didn't seem so happy about it. "Well, fortunately for them, they don't even believe in Dimension hopping. Probably won't discover it for another century or so. Speaking of which, I need to talk to you about that."

Crisis took her passenger off her shoulder and lay down on her back. She curled her tail up as she gently placed him on her breast, so she may look at him while they talked. “What is it?” she asked enthusiastically. Guar’s face didn’t show so much excitement. “We have become friends, Crisis, have we not?” Crisis nodded. “Ya, I would say so, even though it’s only been a few hours.” Guar nodded in response and sat down atop his perch. “Crisis, I am a protector of sentient beings. Human and Humanoid alike, I have taken a life oath to protect them.” His sadness deepened. “But I am at a loss and confused, both with you and those who chase me.” Now it was Crisis’ turn to be confused. She cocked her head to the side, trying to grasp what he was talking about. “Who is chasing you?”

Guar’s head bowed low, a single tear tracking its way down his furry face. He was silent for a while before answering. “His name…” he began, “his name is Cobalt, Cobalt Hollister, a supernatural hunter. He and his gang have been hunting me for the past thirty hops. See, in Dimension: zero-zero-two-four-point-five, or as we like to call it, “The Legacy Dimension,” There are a group of humans who spend their entire lives tracking down supernatural, mythical, or rare dimensional creatures. Some they lock up into zoos for display while others they deem as better off extinct. Thus was my race deemed.” Guar’s sightless eyes lifted up to the moon. He wanted to howl at it, as most canines do, but he knew he would get no answer from any of his kin. “They hunted us to extinction, Crisis. They are the reason I am the last. As immortal as we are, they have found a way to kill us. We lost most in their dimension. The rest we lost when they chased after us.” His demeanor deepened in sadness even more.

“And we could not fight them. Our oath forbids us to fight humans, only those who hurt them. This brings me to you, Crisis.” He looked into her eyes and again Crisis shuddered at the gaze. Though he felt it and knew why it happened, he never broke eye contact. “Crisis, you are a being that harms humans. I cannot allow that in my presence. I cannot sit by and watch as you eat what I have sworn to protect.” Crisis could not help but feel like she was being told to never eat another human again. And his stare caused her not to argue back. She could not take the gaze anymore so she looked away, sadness in her heart and plastered on her face. How could she not eat another human ever again? They were an important part of her diet. And they tasted so good! How could she stop?

After a while, Guar simply looked away and sighed. He pulled out a tin whistle, one he carried with him often. “Crisis, do you like music?” Crisis looked at him again, fearing to make eye contact. “Yes,” she said rather timidly. A smile crossed Guar’s face. “Then I shall play for you.” He brought the whistle up to his mouth and began to play. The sound that Crisis heard was incredibly beautiful. Never had she heard such a lovely tune. She breathed deep, taking in the notes. Closing her eyes, she saw pictures in her head based on the melody. She saw deer running through the forest, rabbits scampering in the leaves, and bears fishing in the lakes. She saw butterflies landing on flowers and birds singing to the song which came from the small protector of men perched on her breast. It was strange for her, for though she had never seen such animals before, she knew what they were.  She could see herself moving through the brush, enjoying the sight of nature on a world alien to her. She walked…walked? Crisis looked down to see that, rather than her tail, she had legs, Human like legs. But she was too focused on the song and the seen to really care. She was in a place that seemed more magical and more beautiful than Felarya.

Guar felt Crisis’ chest move in a steady pace beneath him. Her breathing told him that she had indeed fallen asleep. Good, he thought. The Song of the Forest from his home dimension usually had that effect. The hypnotic melody caused dreams from that dimension to occur. Dreams so real and so vivid, it always seemed better that the world you were from. It was a shame, he thought, that his home was no longer as beautiful as the song made it out to be. He slid from his perch gently and down to the ground. Using his hand to guide him, he felt his way past her shoulder and up to her face. He kissed her cheek (as best as he could at his height) and continued up to her ear. He leaned in and whispered, “Crisis… Crisis… can you hear me?” Slowly, the giant Naga’s head nodded in response. “Good,” he said. “Crisis, my eyes may not see what you may see, but they see into your heart. You may be a man-eater, a consumer of what I am sworn to protect, but you have a good heart. Devious as you may be at times, you have a good heart. Know that I do not hold any contempt for you, lass. Nor am I going to stop you from eating.” It was hard for him to say the next part, but it was what he believed. “Crisis, when you wake in the morn, know that you may eat what you may. But not when I am around. Not that you need it, but… you have my permission… to eat humans.”

It was like a shot through his heart. Never before had he allowed someone to harm what he must protect. But it was his right as a Taur’Draug: to allow one friend to surpass his oath and do as they pleased. He walked away into the forest. He didn’t have much need for sleep, after a few hours in meditation and he would be just fine. He stopped for a second to look back on her heart. In the vision of his people, he could see all she had done, all her emotions, and all she had been through. And through it all, he smiled. “Yes, my large friend, your heart is the best I have ever seen.” He walked into the forest. It was time for him to practice.

The training ground that Guar set up was rather crude, but the best a member of his blind race could do. He could sense where each dead log was, smell their presence, and hear the creak of the vine ropes he used to tie them. He stood among them and listened to them for a second. But his mind was not in the clearing, but in Negev City. He knew that Cobalt would fallow him and that he was most likely in the city now. That’s why he decided to try his chances in the surrounding Jungle. With lightning sped, he whipped out his bo staff and struck the nearest log, shattering it into splinters. This caused a chain reaction where a knife was flung at him. He ducked it, but still his mind was not on the fight. He had seen Cobalt’s heart and it was blacker than the most bottomless pit in hell. How could a human be so vile? The knife hit the tree behind him, cutting a vine and sending two logs swinging in on either side of him, aiming to crush him. He stuck his staff between the two, stopping them in there deadly swing. He leaped backwards, kicking his staff out from between them in a back flip, and punched forward with both fist at them, again shattering them. Catching his staff, he began to twirl it around his body in a defensive pose, his demeanor like a raging tornado. But, still, his mind was on Cobalt. Now he had led them here, what would probably be a gold mine of mythical and dimensional creatures for them. He spun his staff near the ground, kicking up leaves, dirt, and grass. This tripped another log to be flung at him, which he again deflected. He was out of logs, so he began to attack trees. Twisting around them, ducking imaginary blows, and smacking each with a blow that would normally kill a man. Now he had more than just humans to protect. Every creature in Felarya would be hunted by this group. He had to clean up his own mess. As he had feared from the start, he would have to face Cobalt Hollister.

The image of Crisis in a cage came to his mind and rage built up within him. He climbed the tree he was attacking and faced to the south, toward Negev City, and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Come for me, Cobalt! Come and face me! Upon my grave, I vow that you shall not harm these people! I shall no longer allow you to harm my friends!” He slumped on his perch, exhausted from his rage. He placed his staff back on his back, where he always hung it, and pulled the tin whistle out again. Its song always made him feel better. Without another moment, he played another melody, one of his own compositions. A song that seemed both happy and sad at the same moment. Its notes floated above the jungle canopy. Off in the distance, a pack of kensha beast, hearing the notes, howled in reply, adding their voice to the melody that seemed to float for miles.