• The black smoke started to clear. From the flames stepped a dark figure. He was looking down at the smoldering ground below him, the blade in his hand glowing red from the light of the flames. Slowly, his head lifted. His eyes burned with a red intensity. Lifting the blade high above his head, he screamed and brought the blade down.

    Raven sat up from where he was sleeping. He felt cold and his hands were sweating. He looked around and seen the sun was just coming up.
    "You're awake." Came a voice from behind one of the trees that surrounded Raven.
    "Kanzimura?" Raven called. "Where are you?" A young boy walked from behind a tree.
    "I caught us some rat-like things to eat." Kanzimura said as he set four hunks of meat on the ground.
    "Are they edible?" Raven asked.
    "Should be." Kanzimura said as he lit a fire in the center of the clearing. He looked over at Raven. "You all right?" He asked.Raven sat there staring at the ground. "Hey! Raven." Raven looked up at him.
    "What?" He asked as if nothing happened.
    Kanzimura looked at him awkwardly. "You don't look so hot. Anything happen while I was gone?" He asked.
    Raven hesitated. "No... Nothing." He said.
    Kanzimura threw him another awkward look. "Alright."
    "So how long till we get there?" Raven asked.
    "Well... we should be there in about half-a-day." Kanzimura replied. "Are you sure you can handle this?"
    "What do you mean?" Raven asked.
    "I mean isn't this a bit out of reach for you?" Kanzimura wondered.
    "It's just a guardian job. What could go wrong?" Raven asked.
    "It's just that you've been acting a bit strange lately." Kanzimura explained.
    "I have?" Raven asked.
    "Yes." Kanzimura said. "Like just now. You've been spacing out quite a bit lately."
    "I don't care. Come on. We need to go if we are ever going to get there." Raven said. "So who are we meeting?"
    "His name is Kaminu Tatsumin. He was a good friend of your father." Kanzimura said.
    "My father." Raven thought. "Hey Kanzimura, how did my father die?"
    "You already know. He died when the house burned." Kanzimura said.
    Raven frowned. "But my father wouldn't die that easily." He said.
    "You're father was caught with his guard down and it was a fast spreading fire." Kanzimura said. "Now let us drop the subject."
    Raven did as he was told. "Fine. Are we ready to leave yet?" He asked.
    "Almost." Kanzimura said. He started to glow dark red. When the light cleared, a large wolf stood in his place. "Alright let's go."