Story (c) Midnight 2004

His attention was pulled away from the mirror, back to the door where the numbat was standing. He had an elder numbat standing next to him, probably his parent or something. "Oh, you've awakened. I thought you'd be out forever." The fox gave her a strange look. "We found you just on the outskirts of town, you were badly wounded no one thought you were going to live." The fox shook his head, "I don't remember that, I don't remember anything. Do you know who.. where I am?" The elder numbat shook her head. "You're in the small rural town of Izalem."

Three weeks have passed...

It's been weeks since he woke up, he finally started remembering simple things. He remember his name, and how to read and write. He was quietly eating dinner with the two numbats, then something plaguing his mind decided to form itself into words. "Ma'am why... why can't Nimbus talk?" she looked away from him slightly. "It's because of his gift, he's mute.", the fox looked at the younger numbat who just nodded. He picked up his notepad and wrote on it. The fox took it from him and read it. "I don't mind if you can't talk," the fox smiled at Nimbus. He blushed slightly and continued eating, taking his note book back from him. "Atimis, will you wash up before you get ready to leave?" The fox nodded and took up the dishes to wash them. He was leaving to the east, he remembered living somewhere in the east. Nimbus walked up and helped him wash the dishes. "So, are you sure you want to come with me?" Atimis asked him. The numbat nodded clasping a paw around the jewel of his necklace. "Where'd you get a aquamarine stone that size?" The numbat wrote on his notepad, handing it to Atimis. "You're father gave it to your mother. Why do you have it then?" he watched him scribble down his answer. "To protect you," Nimbus nodded and smiled. "Come on, let's go to bed. We leave tomorrow."

That night he had a dream, a dream about his past. He was in a forest, it was dark and there wasn't much light. He was glancing around for things that were out of place, then he noticed them. Corpses, corpses everywhere. Slain bodies of animals and humans, still bleeding the life giving crimson liquid. He was about to cover his face with his paws in disgust when he noticed, that his paws were covered in blood! He looked over him self, there was blood all over him. No wounds on his body, yet there was blood all over him. "Did... did I murder these people?" he sprung out of bed awakened and screaming. Nimbus burst into his room and hugged him tightly trying to calm him down.

Later that morning...

Atimis locked the clasp on the backpack and made sure it was closed. "Now Nimbus I want you to take your crossbow." His mother said. He nodded picking it and it's quiver full of bolts up from the corner of the room. "There have been reports of robbers on the paths to the east, I want you both to be careful." She kissed Nimbus on the forehead and saw them to the door. "I'll be seeing you then again, one day Ma'am." Atimis said. She nodded and shut the door behind them as they left. She walked around the house to the living room. Picking up a small portrait, she was starting to tear up. "He's falling in love with him, like you did with me. And soon he'll give him the greatest gift to show his love, like you did." She said to the portrait of a male numbat, her husband.

Two and half days travel later...

Atimis was playing with a stick, hitting it against trees, ground, rocks, anything that might provide entertainment. Nimbis scribbled something on his notepad and handed it to him. "Yeah, of course I'm bored. There's nothing to do out here!" Nimbis took the stick from him and pointed it to a stream. "I guess we could go swimming." he said throwing down the backpack. Nimbis set his stuff next to his and jumped in the water splashing the fox with a big wave. "Hey!" he exclaimed shaking the water off. "That's cold you know." The numbat smiled and grabbed the fox's legs and pulled him in. He scowled as he resurfaced and climbed back to the shore. He looked back at Nimbis, who was giving him a look of "you wanted to swim". "I know I wanted to but we should really be going." the numbat nodded and swam back to shore. Then they noticed there was someone searching through their stuff. "Hey, stop thief!" Atimis yelled, running at the thief. He was stopped by Nimbis grabbing him before he ran into the spear the thief had with him.

"What're children doing out here so far away from their mommies?" He laughed. He was human, kind of buff, and normal tunic with leggings. He stood up holding all their stuff and turned around to leave. Atimis picked up a stone and threw it hitting the thief in the head. he turned around and drew his spear, "You little brats, I was gonna let you live but not now." He lunged at Atimis, but Nimbis pushed him out of the way taking the spear to his gut. "Nimbis!!!" he exclaimed, his anger growing. He only saw the thief then he blanked out.

He awoke in a small room with a fireplace, a warm fire was going. "Awake are you?" a gentle voice came from next to his bed. He looked to see a black wolf staring at him. "You had a rough time. I've never seen an unarmed person fight so well at your age." He was confused then he remembered something. "Where's Nimbis?" the wolf looked away from him towards another bed. "Your friend was badly wounded, I've patched him up the best I could." Atimis jumped out of the bed and pushed past the wolf to the other bed. The numbat was breathing lightly, his stomach was bandaged. Atimis hugged Nimbis' chest crying into it. Nimbis woke up and placed a paw on Atimis' head. Atimis looked at him, "Thank god you're alive, I wouldn't know what I'd do without you."

4 days after the encounter with the thief..

Nimbis was able to walk around but was told not to do anything too strenuous. "You two will be alright?" Atimis nodded, wrapping an arm protectively around the numbat. The numbat kissed his cheek making him blush deeply. "Take this, it'll help you even if you don't need it." the wolf said handing Atimis a spear. "I got it off of the thief," the fox nodded and they left the small cottage.

It didn't take long to reach the small, imperial looking village. It was almost sunset and they started looking for a place to rest. The streets were crowded o it seem like a good idea for them to ask where the inn was "Excuse me sir, do you..." he asked a man but, he wasn't listening or didn't notice them. Atimis tugged the robes of a of a priest that was walking on the road. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the inn is?" The priest looked at him then was shocked, pulling his robe free from Atimis' paw. "Get away from me demon! Go back to the hell from which you born!" They both were confused from the sudden outburst from the priest. "This is a peaceful village. A demon such as you has no place in this town now leave!" He said pulling out a cross and placing it against the fox's forehead. After of few seconds of the nothing happing the priest got worried. "He's to powerful for any normal cross I'll need the special one from the church." he thought to himself and quickly ran off. Nimbis dragged Atimis to the edge of town and scribbled something on his notepad. "Of course I don't have a clue about what he said." he gasped.

It was the center of the village in the middle of the square. A fountain was broken, and it was squirting out a mixture of blood and water. Several of the buildings had huge chunks or a whole section of wall missing from them. Bodies of people lay everywhere, guts, arms, anything that could be pulled off of the torso of the body was scatter across the square. There was almost no ground that was not covered in blood. He looked down, he was covered in blood as well. This time though he knew what he was doing. "No one makes the Devil Lord Atimis angry and gets away alive." he felt himself smirk.

Atimis was panting heavily, clasping the fur of his chest where his heart is, in pain. "It's awaking, the demon inside of me is coming back out! Get away Nimbis! Run!" Nimbis stood his ground and pulled the fox into a hug. "No, get away now!" The numbat smiled and put his right paw on his chest. He was pressing his claws into it until in actually punctured his chest. "My god, Nimbis what're you doing?!" The fox cried out watching the numbat pull out his heart, it was a slightly bigger than his paw so it was noticeable when it came out. It was a jewel, an aquamarine stone in the shape of a heart. Nimbis coughed up some blood, "This is my greatest gift. This gift will protect you from the demon within." the fox was dumbfounded, his love just tore out his own heart and is now giving it to him. And he was talking! the gift his mother was talking about was his heart. "With our love it has grown, and it can protect you, my love, from all that you want it to." The fox shook his head. "No, I want you, we need to get to a doctor and get that thing back into you now!" The numbat hacked up more blood his eyes closing a little. "You idiot, I'll always be with you. As long as you keep this jewel close to you." The fox took the jewel from the numbat's paw and kissed the numbat on the lips. "I will protect you, always." and the numbat's strength finally faded, falling with his backside on the ground. The fox was gently weeping, clasping the jewel and the bleeding corpse to his body.

4 months after Nimbis' death...

Atimis traveled to a new land, to get away from the memories of the old one. He now is a member of a group of knights. The Knights of the Star Filled Sea. A legendary group of knights that swore to protect the innocent. He wears a jewel around his neck where ever he goes. The jewel of his love, it keeps him calm and reminds him of what he must do in life. Protect those who need protecting, even at the cost of their own life.