A voice drifted through the night. "SilentMoor is a world of horror," it said. "Where everything is quiet and still. The sun has long since died, and the moon has followed. The world is in a dark, eerie chill, with frost covering everything. The only light comes from the burning houses, and from the glowing signs of the few businesses that have managed to survive the assault of the dead."

"What?" Quaraun asked, uncertain if he'd heard the voice correctly.

"You are Quaraun. You're a male Moon Elf who recently joined the JellyFish Cult in their village of Lichtville after the two were attacked by a werewolf and the village burned down around them. Being the only survivor of the attack, the JellyFish Cult believes you are a Prophet of the JellyFish. You thinks you're a weeaboo. First Action: You wonder why your village burned down. There are no bonfires, no signs of struggle. The fire must've started from the inside. There is nothing in the surrounding area but a vast forest and snow-covered hills. There are no nearby settlements either..."

"The others slept outside in the cold. In the night, Quaraun would creep outside to relieve himself. Sometimes he would see a werewolf prowling around, but it never attacked him..."

"There had been a werewolf pack that had come in the dead of night and slaughtered everyone in their sleep. A pack so large it took two patrols to stop them...."

Quaraun woke up and stared up at the beams overhead.

"What a strange dream," Quaraun said quietly, so as to not wake the others. "My dreams get stranger every day. I wonder if it means something?"

Quaraun lay on his back staring up at the ceiling.

He didn't often wake up to see a ceiling. He tried to remember when he last time it was he had slept indoors. It had been several months at least.

The old Elf sat up, stretched and looked around. He felt like he was being watched. He could not shake the feeling that they were not alone and that someone was here with them, watching their every move. As if someone was here and had a say in what their lives were.

Quaraun felt a shiver run up his spine and said a little prayer to the Great Mother that it was only his mind playing tricks on him.

Unicorn and GhoulSpawn were asleep on either side of him. Unicorn partly draped over him and GhoulSpawn snuggled up beside him, something Quaraun had not expected to find.

The first night GhoulSpawn had slept on the other side of the room, refusing to get close to any of them at all.

The second night he had joined them in the soft fur nest bed, but stayed well out of reach of any one.

Now on the third morning of their stay in the chapel, GhoulSpawn was laying right beside Quaraun, their bodies touching. Quaraun could feel the warmth of the half-Elf's flesh against him. He reached out and touched the sleeping Sun Elf, brushing his glowing yellow hair out of his face.

"What a strange dream," he whispered. "I wonder if it means something."

A presence lingered in the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly and saw nothing.

Like Quaraun, GhoulSpawn was an incredibly beautiful Elf. Unicorn had often joked that Quaraun was so vain, he was only truly in love with himself, and that being only because he possessed a beauty the defied all logic. Unicorn had also said he worried what Quaraun would do, should he ever find another Elf with his same haunting beauty, joking he'd either kill it to get rid of the competition or keep it for his lover, replacing Unicorn.

The problem was it was not a joke and Unicorn was right, Quaraun did lust after his own beauty and it was his intense lust for GhoulSpawn's beauty that had inspired Quaraun to invite GhoulSpawn into his bed. Every reason he had given before was true, but Quaraun knew now, seeing GhoulSpawn up close for the first time and feeling the warmth of his body this close, that sexual desire had been the root cause of the request.

Quaraun sat watching GhoulSpawn sleep, watching his slow, relaxed breathing, and lusting for the young Sun Elf, in spite of the fact that Unicorn, his partner, lover, and soul mate was lying right beside him on the other side of the bed. He found himself wishing to feel the kiss of GhoulSpawn lips.

He leaned over and laid his head close to GhoulSpawn's, and waited for the Elf to wake up...

The danger of wishes.

Quaraun knew he had to get these thoughts out of his head. He was still not yet able to full control his psionic powers.

Should he accidentally say "I wish..." the results could be terrible. He tried to remember what it was he had said just before GhoulSpawn had come crashing out of a hole in the sky, landing at his feet. Had he wished for GhoulSpawn?

That was a possibility. He tried to remember, but he could not. Not that it mattered. GhoulSpawn was here now.

Had he been lusting for GhoulSpawn and wished the Sun Elf was in his bed?

Quaraun lay back down, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. He didn't know how much longer he could hide his lusts for the Sun Elf from Unicorn. Quaraun closed his eyes, trying to block out the thoughts of how much he wanted to have sex with GhoulSpawn just now.

Think of something else.

Think of the strange events this week had held.

The moon was new, and a full moon, and this was a week of strange events.

GhoulSpawn had fallen out of the sky and into their lives twice this week.

No.

Three times.

The Gremlin.

Wasn't he too GhoulSpawn?

Older and from a distant future.

But a Gremlin.

Yes. The Gremlin.

He was the servant of the Ghoul King.

From the future.

The future as Gremlin described it, troubled Quaraun. A future without Unicorn. Without BoomFuzzy.

A future where he and Unicorn was dead and the heartbroken GhoulSpawn was left alone.

Ouch. That had stung.

A stinging sensation, like a bee sting, distracted him from his thoughts. Quaraun looked around to see what had bitten him, but saw nothing.

It was still dark, but the night's darkness was dissolving into the dawn's light. A light he could barely make out, it seemed.

What had the Gremlin said?

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"I loved you very much. I still do. I never stopped loving you. I'm not trying to save the world. I just want to change the events of the past, so you don't have to die. You shouldn't have died. Not like that. I will lay a thousand years of legacy and tradition at your feet, if your heart will beat but once more."

The Gremlin had looked as though his heart was breaking when he'd said those words. He'd been visibly shaken up over seeing Quaraun alive again, after so many years.

Did this mean his future self was still alive? Was that possible?

It seemed so.

This was the second time this month he'd come back to this time period. Was it possible that he could lay a thousand year legacy at Quaraun's feet? If so, then how did one go about it? How did one become a hero?

The Gremlin had looked so old.

So sad.

His countenance was that of an Elf who'd survived a broken soul bond and had dipped into the madness of grief and despair.

Quaraun wondered, had he and GhoulSpawn been lovers?

What about Unicorn?

And what about the Gremlin.

How long had he been alone?

He remembered a distant howl in the night, a call for help.

His own howl of help.

Had he always been a loner?

Quaraun opened his eyes and looked at GhoulSpawn again. He looked so young.

So peaceful.

So different for the deeply distraught and very ancient Gremlin he would one day become. The Gremlin had indicated they were lovers. But what about Unicorn?

Quaraun could not shake that question from his mind.

What about Unicorn?

Would a time come when Unicorn was gone?

Dead. Forever.

No longer able to come back.

Quaraun didn't want to think about it. He loved Unicorn so much.

Unicorn was dead.

Is that not what the Gremlin had said?

The Lich's many lives had run out.

Even with a thousand more years, only one could not be given.

A thousand years is nothing to a being such as me.

But what of the Gremlin?

Another Phooka would kill BoomFuzzy some day and he wouldn't come back to life that time. He'd stay dead forever.

Quaraun felt a horrific pain in his heart at the thought of losing his beloved BoomFuzzy again.

Quaraun squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out ant thoughts of a future without Unicorn. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to think about it.

He didn't want to think about it. It was too much.

Instead, he forced himself to think about the attack on Lichtville and how he had escaped.

He had been in the village and he had heard the cries.

Quaraun's mind wandered back to wishing he and GhoulSpawn would kiss. Quaraun's wishes were dangerous. Every time he said the words "I wish" something bad happened. But he couldn't stop is mind, thinking of wishes. Wishes that went beyond kisses. Wishes that went to a warm embrace. Flesh on flesh. Skin against skin. Flesh inside of flesh. Their bodies coming together as one. Quaraun felt his dick go hard and erect as he imagined GhoulSpawn on top of him. Inside of him. Something Unicorn would never allow. The Lich was so possessive of Quaraun. Quaraun knew if Unicorn ever got a hint of Quaraun's desires for GhoulSpawn, the Phooka would kill them both. He would not allow for any wavering of Quaraun's affection.

As his mind wandered, it brought him back to the present, and the attack on local villages. He saw the creatures of the night attacking with a voracity unmatched by any of the other creatures.

The thought of Unicorn's anger excited him even more. Quaraun loved the dominant stance Unicorn took with him. Quaraun half began wanted to be fucked by GhoulSpawn, just to incite Unicorn's jealous range, so he could feel the full force of the Phooka rage targeted fully against him. Quaraun's thoughts shifted back and forth between GhoulSpawn's gentleness and Unicorn's fierceness, both thoughts exciting him, and he found himself wishing they would both ravish him together. And just now the need to relieve himself was more then he could bare. He needed to escape this position he was in, squished between the two men he was lusting for.

Quaraun looked around. It was still early morning. The sun was not quite up. The stained glass windows sent erry shadows across the room. ZooLock was asleep at his feet. Morning had arrived and the storm had left. Chickadee and Titmouse were singing in the pine trees. There was a fresh, musty wet smell to the air. The smell of fresh rain in a mossy forest.

Quaraun got up and went to the door to look outside. Though the rain had stopped, everything was drenched through. Tree branches hung low, water dripping from them. Dark puddles stood in places all around. The rich black earth was mushy and boggy, waterlogged from the heavy torrents of rain that had kept the Elf and his companions trapped in this church, now for three days.

"Take GhoulSpawn with you and go back the way you came," a female voice said. "Leave ZooLock behind. Take the half-Elf away from here."

Quaraun was suddenly alert, his foot long ears perked up high over his head instead of drooped backward as they normally were. With his ears twitching and listening like a scared rabbit, he looked all around for the source of the voice. His sight was not nearly as keen as his hearing though and he could see no one.

"Don't let him go back to that village. They're gonna kill him. He's too innocent. He doesn't know who they are. He doesn't know what they have planned. What they're gonna do. Take him with you. Don't let him go back to that place. Now that you have him go back the way you came. Don't keep following this path."

"Who's there?" Quaraun asked.

The sound of Quaraun's voice woke Unicorn.

"Who ya talkin' too?"

“I heard something.”

“I can see that,” Unicorn said. “Ya sexy little ears is gone erect.”

“Someone was talking to me.”

Quaraun was looking all around, scanning the trees for signs of life. His body was tense and alert, ready to run at the slightest sound.

Unicorn kicked ZooLock.

"What?"

The Thullid jumped up ready to attack, then relaxed when he remembered where he was. The commotion woke up GhoulSpawn, who sleepily sat up and tried to remember where he was and how he had gotten here.

"What for did you kick me?" ZooLock demanded.

"Our Elf busy being terrified bunny having nervous breakdown again."

"What? Oh."

ZooLock looked over and saw the panicked look on Quaraun's face and the stiffness of his tall alert ears.

GhoulSpawn had never seen Quaraun like this before so wasn't sure what was going on. He sat on the bed of furs and watched as Quaraun began trembling in sheer terror. Unicorn and ZooLock both went to the door beside Quaraun and looked around with him, but neither of them saw anything, partly due to the fact that Unicorn was nearly blind while ZooLock was a nocturnal, underground dwelling beast who was blinded by sunlight and could see nothing in the day time.

Quaraun continued looking around then gasped and fell back away from the door. There it was. Right in front of him. The black cat was watching them again. This time it was right there. Inches in front of him. It's green-yellow eyes gleaming at him.

“Look at that,” Quaraun pointed to the cat, but when he did the cat lept up and ran into the bushes.

“Look at what?”

Unicorn looked to see where Quaraun was pointing. There was nothing there.

“A black cat, with a jeweled collar.”

"Ya seeing cats again."

"Kats?" GhoulSpawn asked. "You see Kats?"

Unicorn went back to the fur bed and plopped himself down beside the half-Elf.

"Him been seen cats all over the place for the past week or so."

"Where?"

"Every where. Every where we go. We turn 'round and there him go gibbering about cats talking to him and following him..."

"Are they following him too?" GhoulSpawn's eyes widened in terror.

"Aye."

"They're everywhere!" GhoulSpawn gasped.

"Eh?"

"I can't get away from them," GhoulSpawn said, now sounding as scared as Quaraun.

The half-Elf began trembling in fear and started crewing on his nails, and twisting his yellow hair nervously around his fingers, while his gold flecked eyes darted fearfully around the room.

"Ya what?"

"They've been following me for weeks."

Unicorn leaned back, looking at GhoulSpawn, then turned to ZooLock.

"What it with Elves being scared of cats? This one doing it too."

ZooLock toddled over to get a closer look at GhoulSpawn.

"What do the cats look like?"

"There's a black one. Wearing lots of green jewelry. And a white one. With purple wings. And another black one. And a grey one. With tuffted ears. And an orange one. With long fur. And a flat face. And they talk. They won't stop talking to me. They show up every where I go. I thought I was going mad. No one else sees them. No one will believe me. The other half-Elves laugh at me. They say I'm crazy. They've started calling me GhoulSpawn the Crazed. I don't know what's real and what isn't any more."

"Those are the same ones I've seen," Quaraun said, coming back into the room and sitting on the floor beside GhoulSpawn. "We should leave while the rain has stopped

Quaraun ordered Unicorn to pack their things and the Phooka quickly obeyed.

"Travel with us," Quaraun said to GhoulSpawn.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"HellBorne needs me..."

"HellBorne? You mentioned him before. Who is he?"

"He's an old man. Ancient. Can't get around good any more. He's got a withered arm. Been that way since birth. It's like there's no arm there are all. Just skin over bone and the bones are like too short. It looks like he has one arm. He needs help doing things and now that he's old, just getting around."

"Have you known him long?"

"No. My father knew him before I was born. I only met him a about two months ago. He's a half Elf and he takes in half Elves. There's a lot of half Elves there. It's kind of a half-Elf community."

"So you have a place to go?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not alone?"

"No."

"Are you happy there?"

"I.... Uhm ... Not really. They're the ones killing the sheep."

"You're hiding the sheep from HellBoorne?"

"Yeah."

"Are you in trouble?"

"Kind of. And I will be even more now."

"More now?" Why what do you mean?"

"I've been gone three days."

"Do you not have freedom to come and go as you choose?"

GhoulSpawn looked away and didn't answer.

"Tell me about HellBorne. Who is he? What does he want with you?"

"He calls himself the Summoner of Darkness. Darkness is coming and we have to be ready."

"Meaning?"

"He's gathering up Thullids. A lot of them. Some type of cult. A lot of priests. Like him." GhoulSpawn pointed to ZooLock. "They're all gathering in the next village from here. If you keep going done that road you was on, you'll come to it. They're getting ready for something. Don't know what. They've been gathering up sheep to sacrifice to some ancient Elder God."

"Elder God? A Thullid Elder God?"

Quaraun looked over at ZooLock.