FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well...I decided to try and start a new series over the summer.

Some people told me I should try a novel, I dunno how it will go or anything of the sort.

All I can do is try my best =3

This is going to be a sci-fi/fantasy based story series...later on there WILL be m/m, so be patient with me please ;P

As always comments are loved =3 if you liked it, lemme know, it gives me motivation to continue <3

Also if you think of anything that I still need to work on, also please lemme know

~Hope You Enjoy the 1st Chapter~

##

The Dream

Looking at the latest test score that rested on the upper right hand corner of the paper, there was a red 88 with a circle surrounding it in the same color of ink. In the middle of said paper read a name: 'Blake Darnell'. 'Looks like it's another B+ for me,' the Black Panther muttered glancing at the results of the exam, flipping through the pages to locate the problems he had done incorrectly. He scanned up and down each page looking for a red slash that would indicate an incorrect answer. He gave the occasional smack to his forehead when he saw the ones he knew but had for some reason marked down a different answer. Blake was a relatively good student, although he would readily admit he could do better if he actually would try. His grades almost always ranged from a B to an A for his tests and assignments.

'Pssst! Hey! Hey, Blake!' the panther twisted his head to face the whispering girl behind him. She was a Dalmatian who would always talk about their test results they got when they shared a class. Already knowing what she was going to ask, Blake lifted his test up showing her his score while the professor continued handing the remainder of the tests out to the other awaiting students. 'Hey! No fair! You did better than me again,' she whined as she leaned into the back of her seat, pouting back at the panther that held a cocky 'ha-ha!' smile. The Dalmatian then lifts her test into the air in a similar fashion; Blake had only bested the female by two points, a single test problem.

'Hey, it's only one problem difference, and besides,' the panther smiled and laughed quietly, 'weren't the results for this test the complete opposite of the last one? You did better than me by one problem! So I think this makes us even.' He, of course, never mentioned the stupid mistakes he had made or the fact that he should have done better because of such.

In time, the teacher completely finished handing out all of the tests, 'Well some of you did remarkably well, while others...not so much.........'

Blake began to zone out as the teacher initiated his rambling lecture: discussing the test, the answers of the test and responding to any questions or concerns the students have. The panther never paid much attention at this point; he would always start thinking about what he was going to do after the class let out. Even more than that now since the semester was coming to an end shortly, with finals soon approaching. Blake started considering what he was going to do with his precious time off: with his life, what he would do with his friends. When his friends came to mind his mind started to drift toward thoughts of his roommate, reliving a memory that haunts his mind every single day...

...Blake's roommate was sent to the hospital weeks ago after he was found unconscious without as sign of any injuries on any parts of his body. The panther made it a point to check up on his friend every chance he could, since they've been roommates from the beginning of their freshman year. Blake is now 23 years old and weeks from getting his first degree, he lives in their shared apartment all by his lonesome.

This accident was truly a surprise when he woke up to his roommate's girlfriend shouting and sobbing over his unconscious, unmoving body, 'Wake up! Please, Jacob, just wake up...PLEASE!!' These words constantly reverberated in his mind. Blake had a nagging feeling that he was somehow responsible for his roommate's condition and had been hiding his thoughts from those he knew. In part because it was to avoid them thinking that he was crazy but also because he feels like he should have done something to prevent what had happened, even though he didn't know what he could have done. The night prior to Jacob going unconscious, Blake had a dream...all he remembers from this dream was a deep black surface, shifting and motioning about, almost like a large black lake. His witnessed this from a bird's eye view, glancing down at the struggling male, like he was drowning in this blackness until he was completely submerged, his arm stretching out from underneath, desperately wanting someone to free him from his fate. Blake had no idea what it meant or what it could possibly symbolize until he was awakened by the pleading girlfriend. Since then he's had this deep feeling in his gut that what happened was somehow his own doing. His dreams seemed to be getting more extraordinary as time went by, but they always seemed so dark...so empty...so lonely. All he could do was ignore them and continue his schooling, moving closer to his goal of graduating from this college.

'Hey! Blake! Snap out of it!' the Dalmatian barked at the day-dreaming panther, making him jump in his seat. She giggled in response, the typical feline jumpiness she had expected, 'Class is over, c'mon! Let's get out of this place already~.' Blake gathered his items, stowing them away within his messenger bag. He proceeded to stand up from his seat and stretched his medium-sized feline body out. Blake's shirt lifted and showed his smooth dark colored stomach, he wasn't ripped but also didn't have any flab to speak of on his abdomen. He was at average height standing at 5 feet and 10 inches and was seen almost always wearing rather fitting jeans, sporting a solid colored pocket-less tee which fit well over his torso. He also liked wearing long-sleeved shirts, leaving them unbuttoned over his tee; if he happened to get too warm then he would simply remove it and tie it around his waist. He constantly was hit on by his female classmates; very few seemed to realize he wasn't interested in females. No one really knew what his orientation; he kept to himself about it and was only seen out with his friends. One aspect about him was that he rarely wore shoes, he had a thing for sandals, even in the winter he would just wear socks with the footwear.

The messenger bag slung over his shoulder and he leaves his row within the lecture hall. He met Brigitte in the aisle, she smiled at him and grabbed his arm suddenly, 'hey, let's go for lunch somewhere today!' She was practically bouncing as she led the panther out of the classroom, 'h-hey! S-slow down there! A-and...lemme go~' he managed to free himself from her grasp and slowed down as she continued running eventually coming to a slower stop. He stood upright and walked beside the Dalmatian, 'is there any place in particular you had in mind?' His head slightly cocked to the side, his ear flickering slightly as he awaited her response.

'Well how about we go to the Italian café?' She wore a big smile on her face as she once again grabbed a hold of his arm, leading him toward the café.

'Sure, why not? Seems like you're not leaving me much of a choice anyways, so let's go,' he chuckled lightly; he knew that he didn't have a say in the matter, but he did like that café so he didn't mind the decision.

The two made their way toward their location, the gentle breeze wafting through the air. The walkway's borders were littered with trees along and grass bordering the concrete going into large open pastures. The blades rippled shades of greens, going in symmetrical waves through the fields of grass and the leaves rustled about on the trees. The two continued to talk about school and their plans for what Blake planned on doing after his graduation. Brigitte, the Dalmatian, is still only a sophomore at this school but has kept a watchful eye on the panther. She would purposely take the same courses to make sure she could stay near him.

Blake suddenly stopped to look into the sky. A large shadow had just passed over the two, like a large towel, looking at what had blocked out the sun's rays during that moment. 'What're you looking at Blake?' the Dalmatian asked. 'Just looking to see what blocked the sun out,' he responded as he looked up at the sky. 'Umm...Blake? There's not a single cloud in the sky...there is no shade right here...you're looking right into the sun. You shouldn't look directly into it like that; the rays are hazardous to your eyes.' As she said that, the shadow suddenly vanished, it was like there really was nothing there. The sudden burst of light that hit the panther's eyes made him squint. Without warning, the panther blacked out.

...ake!..._his ears twitched as he heard someone's voice, but it seemed so distant. A deep voice reverberated......'_suscitatio'...... silence---'Blake!' the panther heard once again, this time it was a female's voice. Slowly his eyes began to crack open, directly above him was Brigitte with a concerned expression stretched across her face. 'Oh thank goodness!' Blake's eyes were finally opened the whole way, 'I told you not to look up at the sun like that!' She sat back with the palm of her hand resting on her forehead, shaking her head and hand along with it. Blake brought his left leg in towards his body, resting his forearm on his knee as he sat up, 'Heh...sorry...I must've just imagined the cloud or whatever it was, it must've been just a mirage or something.' Slowly he rose to his feet, reaching a hand down to the femme, curling his fingers in and rolling them back out several times to signal her to grab a hold. She smiled as she did just that, latching onto his hand and using it to pull herself up, hurdling the panther forward, almost running into the tree in front of them. 'Tee-hee thanks! But don't think that gets you off for passing out on me...you owe me lunch now and THEN you can call us even mister!' Brigitte winked at the panther as she grabbed onto his hand and began to go towards the café once more.

It wasn't long until they arrived and the two had their lunch with Blake paying out of pocket for her meal of course. He did feel bad for making her worry, which he profusely apologized for time and time again. She kept tell him to forget about it...but he couldn't...he recognized her voice but the other voice?

'Say, Britt...was there anyone else around when I blacked out?' the male pondered as he asked his friend.

'No...you weren't even out very long, only about a minute or so...still it happened so suddenly it gave me quite a shock...why do you ask?' She responded and proceeded to ask in return.

'Oh no reason, was just wondering, heh...it would have been bad if someone else saw me like that, huh?' he chuckled but his mind wasn't...who's voice was that I wonder?

He soon dropped the thought from his mind as their lunch was brought out: a large supreme pizza. It was an Italian place after all so why not get pizza? The panther served his female friend the first piece out of proper etiquette. He was always courteous regardless of male or female, going out of his way when he would see someone struggling, just to help them out. After she was given her slice, he took one for himself, sitting it on the plate and then started to eat. His Dalmatian friend was already ahead of him, eating her pizza by folding the sides in toward the center of the slice.

'Heh, you eat your pizza the same as I do!' the panther pointed out, doing the same with his pizza and taking a decent sized bite from the slice. All he got was a closed smile, as the female didn't want to smile and have the pizza ooze out of her mouth, that'd just be un-ladylike and she didn't want that. The two had some more slices until their appetites were satiated. Four more slices remained, but the panther didn't pay any heed to them. Instead, his attention went right back to Brigitte as she had begun questioning him.

'Have you blacked out before today? Like...have you ever experienced anything like that before? You kept talking about a shadow before when you were looking into the sky; there was nothing there...are you sure you're feeling ok?' Blake was overwhelmed with all of the questions.

'Whoa-whoa-whoa---slow down, lemme answer~' he chuckled and shook his head. 'To answer your questions...not that I can recall, no and yes...I don't think I've ever blacked out like that, sure I've had dizzy spells but who hasn't? I really do remember feeling like a cloud was passing above though, are you sure there wasn't a single thing in the sky?'

The dalmatian responded by placing her left hand over her breast and her right into the air, 'I swear to you there wasn't a thing in the sky then, not even a bird!'

Without a second's notice, her hand was resting on the panther's forehead, 'Nope, you're not warm at all...if anything you feel a little cooler than usual.'

Blake simply cocked an eyebrow, 'You do realize it's air conditioned in here, right?' he slowly removed her hand from his forehead and placed it back over on her side of the table, 'I could say the same about you, you seem pretty cold but I know it's just the temperature in here.'

She simply shrugged in response, 'I guess so. I'm just worried, that's all,' she gave the male a sigh and look of discontent.

'Well I'm sorry to have worried you, but I can assure you...I'm quite alright,' he smiled back and nodded. Blake then noticed the clock and realized it was nearing his friend's next class, 'hey don't you have to get to class soon?' he motioned in the direction of the clock. Brigitte followed the pointed finger and shrieked, jumping out of her chair, grabbing a slice of pizza for the trip and threw her bag over her shoulder, 'Oh gosh, you're right! I gotta go! You take the rest, ok? And take care of yourself, y'hear!?' With that she dashed on by the panther, heading to her class, a crack of a smirk on her face as her back was turned while she trotted off to her class.

As she took off and went off in the distance, her bag bounced up and down at her side as she trotted down the sidewalk, Blake turned his body as he got off his chair and headed to the counter, 'Excuse me ma'am, may I have a to-go box?' The woman behind the counter, reached underneath, and hands him the styrofoam container. Blake smiled and gave his thanks to her as he went back to his table to place the remaining three slices of pizza in the carton. Once everything was packed away and stored, he grabbed the strap for his bag, slinging it over his head, placing the bag on the opposite shoulder and letting it rest against his side as he headed back towards the walkway.

The two had been sitting under the outside portion covered by a hang-over roof; he looked around at the open areas, the parking lots and the buildings where his classes were held. He took note of a lot of different people hanging around; there was something strange about some of them though. These particular individuals had a blue lightning bolt tattooed on the right side of their face, starting from the temple and going down to base of the cheek bone. They weren't very thick either, only about half an inch wide at the top then gradually tapering as it neared the pointed base. 'Must be some new fraternity on campus...weird,' he grabbed the container from the table and headed back out into the sun. As he walked down the path, he gazed over the lake that was bordering the school, watching the liquid within churn, small waves peaking and splashed about from the gentle breeze. He stood there and closed his eyes for a moment, he was enjoying the feel of the breeze wafting through and caressing his soft black fur. His open shirt was blowing in the same direction as the wind: away from the lake, gently flapping about.

He slowly opened his eyes, fixed over the body of water. Still swishing away, the water lazily rolling and cresting over itself; so gentle, soothing...and black. 'B-Black!?' he exclaimed and he shook his head, clenching his eyes shut then opening them roughly half a second later just to end up peering back over the crystalline blue water as it kept its lazy motioning. 'Heh...it must be my imagination running from me or something, I must have been seeing things, my eyes are acting up,' he turned again to start walking. Out across the fields and along the path, every one of those strange personas that were there... were gone. It was as if they just up and left during the mere moments he was enjoying the view, 'where'd they go to in such a hurry?' Blake wondered. He answered his own question with a shrug as he started down the path, making his way towards upper campus; where the panther lived.

The upper campus apartments, located up on a slight hill. His apartment was a rather new looking building with 4 apartment-areas on the base making a perfect square with a walk way slicing them through the middle and intersecting with stairs on the sides, near end of each path, leading to the new level. Each door was inside these paths and each apartment also had a balcony, whether it was on the base floor or on the second. These were the smaller of the apartment buildings, typically meant for only two students each; this is where Blake lived with his roommate. That was...until the accident weeks ago, when his roommate landed in a coma and has been resting at the hospital ever since.

He approached their apartment after first going up the flight of stairs; he reaches into his bag and searched for his keys. His hand dug around until he heard the 'jingle' of the metal as it shifted about from his touch, his fingers wrapped around them and yanked them out of his bag. With his keys in his grasp, he reached for the door, the right key pointed in the direction of the key slot in the center of the brass knob. He turned his hand and in perfect symmetry the handle also turned with the key ensnared within the contraption. The door slowly pushed open, the outdoor light invading the space as it floods the entrance.

Upon entering the apartment, the large door slammed behind him before he could even turn to close it himself. As a reaction, he jumped, his fur stood on end from the unexpected clamor. Blake slowly turned to face the door and placed his hand on the knob, wanting to inspect the door because of its sudden closure. A tingly feeling suddenly crawled up the appendage, in seconds it felt completely numb. His other arm reached around to grab the numbed arm. He hissed at the touch as it felt like his hand was covered in needles pricking through his shirt and against his skin. Blake then turned, and leaned his against the door's bulky facade. His ears rang slightly and his vision blurred; a moderate dizzy spell he thought. He placed his hands on his knees as he began to feel nauseous and panted softly. It was then that he felt a chill run up and down his spine, like someone was there, in his apartment, staring at him. He lifted his head...nothing...not a soul but himself... that feeling was still there though, like someone was looking at him from behind his back but there was nothing behind him but the door.

'I...I need a drink,' Blake muttered as he started his way toward the small kitchen, dragging his feet along the wood floor. He suddenly stumbled forward, 'W-what the hell-' he moved completely past the kitchen area and tumbled onto his couch. Blake fell onto the cushions; his eyes clenching shut and hands covered his ears as the blurriness and ringing grew in magnitude simultaneously. 'Nnrrgghh!'

About a minute passed before his eyes re-opened, his vision was well enough and the ringing had turned to a low buzz now ...Something's going on...what the hell is going on? He shook his head and sighed, the ringing stopped moments later as he got his grounding once more, rising up to his feet. Moments after regaining his composure he hears a ringing sound again...no, not ringing...it was more like a tune playing. It took the panther a several seconds to recognize the melody as his ears twitched about. 'My phone~' he hurried to his bag, which was lying on the floor by the door. Blake reached inside and found his phone, pulling it out and flipped it open.

'Yeah, hello?' he answers his touch phone.

'Hey, Blake, it's Brenden~ ...you going to the school gathering by the lake, later?' the voice on the other end asked.

'Huh? Gathering? What's it for? ...uh...sure I'll go I guess,' the panther nodded slightly as he answered.

'Sweet! See ya there!' the enthusiastic voice responded.

'Alrighty,' Blake chattered back, 'when am I to meet you?'

'Hmm...how about half an hour? It's supposed to last a while, might as well have some fun since the semester is nearing an end! I think it's for the seniors who are graduating this semester.'

'Is that so? ...An hour? Alright, I can manage that, I'll head down then in a few,' Blake nodded again as he gave confirmation to his friend over the phone.

The two said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving the panther to gather his thing, taking his bag and hanging it over the end of the couch. He grabbed his wallet from the bag, placing it in his left pocket to which the material molded around it, bulging out in a similar shape. Blake then goes back toward the door, his keys sat on the floor beside where his bag was. 'What the hell's goin' on today...' he asked himself as he glanced at the keys in his open hand. He had no clue what was going on, and simply shrugged it off as he walked to the door. The panther placed his cell phone in his right pocket, making a bulge in a similar fashion as his wallet did.

Slowly he tugged on the door handle, the door slowly opened once again. Once it was slightly cracked, he saw one of those blue lightning bolts and the side view of the face containing it. In surprise he slammed the door shut. It's one of those guys I saw earlier... he said inside his mind. Something about them made him feel really uncomfortable. He straightened himself out, taking a deep breath and reopened the door, 'WHAT the hell are you doing standing at my door like tha-...' the panther stopped and looked about, there was no one there aside from his neighbor who across from him. She simply cocked her head and gave the panther a quizzical expression. Blake stood there rather embarrassed from his actions and chuckled, his hand behind his head, 'pesky spiders, always making cobwebs on my door!' Blake lied through his teeth, but she bought the lie and laughed. He closed his door finally and locked it. Using the latch that was used to keep his keys together, he attached his keys to one of his belt loops.

The black panther made his way back down the stairs to the base level and heads towards the lake. Blake looked at his watch, it was a quarter after four; he figured it'd take him about half an hour to get down to the rendezvous point with his friends, even then he figured he'd be about 15 minutes early. He began to head back down the hill, the trees and grass filling the space with lush greenery. The sun speckled the path as it broke through some of the patches of less dense fauna as the panther walked towards the school. The breeze from the lake seemed to be a little stronger now as his open shirt was flapping about more than it was earlier. Blake passed several students on his way down to the school lake side, smiling and nodding, giving some of them a 'hey' or 'how's it going' as they walked on by. It wasn't an overly large campus, nor was it small by any means, so he saw many familiar faces. Upon making it further along his path, there was a large group of people huddled around a small area. Intrigued, the panther grew closer. There wasn't a single person who he, personally, knew there. What is it that they're all looking at? He wondered as he drew closer to the crowd of students, he could see past most of them; in the middle of this jamboree stood an otter.

He looked a little... out of place, his bright blue baggy shorts mixing and eventually fading into a green hue which well suited the highlight in his hair as it swooped up in the middle of his scalp. He had a flat midsection showing his cream-colored fur, shades lighter than his reddish brown fur covering the rest of his body. Only a little of the cream fur was showing as the rest was covered by an open-buttoned shirt, wafting gently as the male ranted to the group. His body build was much like the panther's, but the otter showed a little more definition. Around his neck was a very peculiar fiery red pendant, a circle with a '+' in the middle and some excess sticking out the bottom, like a cross that had its upper half enveloped by the circle. The otter was also little shorter than Blake, standing at about 5 feet and 8 inches; a blue stud in his right ear and, judging by his apparel, probably wore a pair of teal swim shoes to match the rest of his wardrobe.

'Hasn't anyone noticed any strange happenings here!?' the male piped up.

The others just shouting out:

'What do you mean 'strange happenings!?'

'Start making sense otter!'

'What on earth is he talking about?'

'Nice clothes! Surfing the lake!? Ha-ha!'

Some were talking to friends on their phones: talking about how there was some weird guy spouting nonsense about something going to happen or that he was looking for someone.

The panther raised an eyebrow as he listened to the otter, '...someone who has any unique abilities or doing something way out of the ordinary.' The only response the otter got was a 'You're out of the ordinary! Stop spouting all this nonsense and get out of here, you freak!' this response made his brows furrow, strongly displeased by the answer. It seemed like no one was going to be taking him seriously. 'I'm looking for someone named Blake! Does anyone know of a guy named Blake---Blake Darnell!?' this made the panther's body stiffen up slightly, _how the hell does this guy know my name? Why is he looking for me...? Whatever this guy is a nut case..._Blake looked at his watch again; it is twenty minutes until the top of the hour. The panther decided to just ignore this strange guy and walk away from the crowd so he could meet his friends down by the lake as he had originally planned to do from the get go. The otter noticed that black panther strolling away, he couldn't pinpoint it...but there was something he felt was peculiar about him. He didn't have another second to spare as the group bombarded him with more questions and ridiculed the otter further.

Slowly Blake continued down the path leaving the excited group further and further behind him. He could no longer hear the words being shouted or the ridiculing of the strange otter. After a little more time he finally made it down by the lakeside, there were stands and other things set up that weren't there earlier. 'Wow...they sure set things up fast around here.' Blake commented as more people soon gathered in the area. Within 10 minutes the classmates he had become friends with his freshman year. Some of his friends had transferred to his school later on and were readily accepted into the clique, joined in with the crowd as well. Greetings and tackles took place as more people joined the friendly gathering. The area was soon filled with all the soon-to-be-graduating seniors, all of which were talking, laughing and just having what seemed to be more of a get together than anything serious.

'Hey Blake, you look exhausted,' one of his friends piped up. 'H-Huh?' the panther was in a different state of mind, he was laughing one moment, and drifted to other thoughts like the day's events the next moment. 'I-I'm fine, heh...just been studying a lot, y'know? Gotta make sure I graduate with you all!' Blake chuckled. Another friend, standing right beside the feline, elbowed him in the side, 'C'moooon~ you always do well, it's not like you need to worry about it now with a week left 'til finals!' The only response from Blake was a slow nod and a crack of a smile. He then put on a faux smile and went on talking and having fun with everyone, even though he couldn't get his thoughts to change, he at least figured he could try to hide them.

'Say...have you guys noticed that new fraternity?' Blake suddenly spoke out, some of the group going silent as they looked at each other and at the panther.

'Fraternity?' one asked.

'There's a new one? I haven't seen it,' said another.

'I haven't noticed anyone new,' a third shrugged.

'I've seen them...and they all have this weird...tattoo on the upper-right side of their face. It's like a neon blue lightning bolt...it's very strange.' Blake added.

'I haven't seen anyone like that, are you sure it wasn't a dream?'

Out of the corner of the panther's eye...another one of them. He could see her clearly, standing out in the crowd, wearing the same outfit as they always do: a midnight blue hoodie with pockets on the sides near the zipper...they always wore them zipped and the pants they wore were a dark-dark blue, so dark it was almost black, just with a blue shade to it. 'Over there is one,' the panther pointed in her direction, 'she has a tattoo and her hair is pulled back! Do you see it!?' Those who had been listening to him, and hadn't separated out into other, smaller, groups, followed the pointing digit.

'I don't see who you're talking...I don't see anyone like who you're talking about over there.' One of them pointed out.

'But she's RIGHT there! She's as clear as day~!' Blake growled out.

The panthers head turned as he felt a soft pat on his shoulder, 'Blake...I think you're just exhausted and imagining things. There's not a single person, male or female, where you're pointing that has the tattoo you mentioned or anything out of the ordinary. Maybe you should just go back to your apartment and call it an early night? I think this end of the semester stuff is starting to get to you.' Blake nodded, his head hung down a little and shook it slightly. Upon raising it he speaks again, 'yea...maybe you're right...I do feel awfully tired now that you mention it, I think a good night's sleep is just what I need.' He broke away from his group of friends, 'We'll see you tomorrow, Blake! Hope you feel better tomorrow!'

...but...I feel fine..._he thought to himself as he began his trip back to his quarters. His journey was a lonely one, lights and flames flickered down by the lake as he heard the sounds of laughter and the other students enjoying themselves. _Did no one really see her? She was out in the open, standing there alone...how could anyone NOT see her? Why could - I _-_see her? Blake's mind was cluttered with these thoughts while his legs continued their forward momentum as he stared at the sidewalk and the ground in front of him as he marched uphill.

The group that had once surrounded the strange otter were gone as was the otter himself. H_ow the hell did that guy know my name? I've never seen him a day of my life...and I've never seen him on this campus before either...why was he looking for me?_ He kept on his path, thought after thought filled his mind while the wind was still making his hair sway. Over the lake, the sun was starting its own journey beyond the horizon. The panther noticed the moon: it was waning, about 2/3 its full size. Blake stopped and looked up, heaving a heavy sigh, watching as small cirrostratus clouds drifted over the path of the moonlight, a halo forming a glistening ring around the satellite. Blake looked at it, admiring the lovely effect it produced. He blinked with his gaze still fixed up in the sky. His eyes, once re-opened, gazed upon the moon and the phenomena that accompanied it. Something started to change...the clouds that were covering the moon suddenly grew opaque, sliding over the moon and its shining ring. Like a thick blanket, hiding the moon from sight...then accompanied by darkness.

_I-It's gone...?_The panther was speechless as he stared at the empty, black-ridden sky, the moon's glow had left. If it wasn't for the lights from the lakeside gathering, he would not be able to see anything at all. Like he had done several times already, he shook his head, blinking multiple times afterwards and peered back into the night sky. The large rock, reflecting the sun's rays back onto the earth, was back, along with the halo surrounding it. 'What the hell is wrong with me!?' he suddenly shouted into the sky, his voice carrying in the wind and the noise from the party suddenly went silent. Blake just continued uphill with a heavy sigh, one step placed in front of the next. Now he just wanted to get back to his apartment.

He finally got to the building complex, walking between the two apartments along the concrete pathway until he met with the stairs that lead him to his abode. One step after another, he slowly made his way up those blocks, each one foot closer to his night time sanctuary. At last, he reached the top of the stairs and his apartment door was mere feet away. No one was standing there, none of those weird people after he looked to the left...no one...then to the right...again, no one. 'Man...I'm so paranoid...heh,' the panther went to his door, unknowing that there were a couple of those shady figures standing at the base of the stairs. Placing the proper key in the keyhole once again, turning and unlocking the door. Blake pushed the door open and closed it after he had passed through the entrance. Outside the door, on the top of the stairs stood three members of the 'fraternity', their hoods down, only their noses and muzzles exposed and each holding a smug grin.

Finally he was in the safe confines of his living area. Locking the door behind him, Blake slid his sandals off onto the mat leaving his bare feet treading on the smooth, cherry-brown, stained wood floor as he made his way down the hall toward the carpeted area that was the living room. As he passed the kitchen area, he left his keys and his wallet on the countertop. He stood there for a moment and stretched his arms out into the air, pushing onto the balls of his feet, and loosed out a groan as he stretched his body. 'Think I might go to bed early tonight...been a hell of a day...maybe a good night will do me some good; I just hope I don't have any of those weird dreams again,' Blake sighed as he strode to the couch, sliding his over shirt off and neatly placing it over the corner of the piece of furniture where his bag was. He then walked to the left wall of the room where he and his roommate's rooms were located. He looks at the door to the vacant room, after he heaved another deep sigh, he entered his own room.

Everything within his room was fairly tidy. It wasn't exceptionally clean though...he was a college student after all. Blake sat on the edge of his bed, looking out the window, the sun having fully set and he could see the lights all lit up all around campus. There was no more fire flickering and it looked as if the gathering had ended shortly after his departure from the event. The moon's natural light was drowned out by the light posts that filled the room with a dim glow as he sat there, just blankly staring out into the open night as the curtains shifting slightly from the breeze. He always kept his window open and didn't believe in air conditioners, preferring the natural cool air the night brings into his room. After sitting there for roughly 15 minutes, just watching and listening to the wind as it rustled through the trees outside, he began to unclothe himself.

He left the window open, knowing that no one could spy on him or view him undressing from outside. It wasn't that he had anything to really hide; sure he wasn't ripped but he was in pretty good shape, and had good personal hygiene. His pants and shirt slipped off, standing at the base of his bed in his boxers, a nice burgundy cover laid atop the mattress with matching pillow cases. The Black Panther walked around to the right side of the bed, he always slept on that side for no particular reason; he just always slept on that particular side. He crawled underneath those cozy sheets. The blankets conformed to his form as he was enveloped by the soft smooth linens. Finally, with his body underneath the spread, he rested his head back onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Gradually his view shifted back outside, gazing at the moon in the sky once more. I wonder what's going on...? What is all this stuff that's happening? Who are those people? Can no one else really see them? Blake found himself thinking, lost on the events that had just occurred the past 12 hours. It was like something out of some sort of sci-fi movie he would catch a glimpse of on the Syfy channel on TV.

Gradually the view of the window slowly faded from his view, the curtains of the window disappearing as did the curtains over his eyes. His dark fur still swayed softly from the breeze entering through his window, and lulled Blake into a slumbering state. Within moments, the panther had fallen fast asleep with his arms were lying over the bedspread. Meanwhile he was breathing deeply and slowly while slipped further into his sleeping stasis.

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'Blake, there you are! I've been waiting for you for like...ever! Took you long enough slow poke~,' Brigitte's voice rang clear making the panther turn and face her. He jumped back as her face had been a measly few inches from his own. Having seen that, the Dalmatian stood up with her hands at her hips, 'Now that's no way to react to a pretty thang like me~,' she giggled and wagged her finger at the panther, teasing him with her shenanigans. 'Hurry up already! We're going to be late!' she turned walking away from Blake, walking down the campus sidewalk towards one of the main lecture buildings where they had class. Blake lifted a leg, ready to follow after her. That was until the buildings unexpectedly disappeared and black-void returned. The side walk and the campus all vanished behind it as it started oozing out from the base of the endlessly towering wall. Still, Brigitte continued walking forward. 'Brigitte---!' Blake shouted in her direction. The only response he got from her was a look back at him and a sleek sly smile before she slipped into the dark emptiness. Blake stood there, his jaw slightly agape as a mixed look of bewilderment and panic spread across his entire face as she just walked in. The surface of the wall just rippled, like someone who had touched the surface of a puddle. His focus was on watching the dalmatian simply walk into the black wall, disappearing from plain sight.

Blake wasn't paying attention to the shadows sliding under his feet until the entire area was nothing or maybe he had gone blind. He felt it sliding over his feet, the slithering feel made him jump again in surprise. 'W-What is this stuff?' he shouted within his mind, falling back onto it. He doesn't just land as he began to sink slowly into the nothingness. Was he really sinking or was the emptiness starting to consume his body? He shifted his lower body about, his legs felt like they were trapped in a mold as his body was being enveloped by the void. Blake began to panic, his hands unable to pull free from whatever it was that was wrapping around his body. He tried moving them but it was like they were trapped in cement...

...V_os...suscitatio_...

...it was that deep voice again. The panther looked around, it was as if the voice was coming from a surround sound system but there was nothing but darkness. Before he knew it he couldn't move any of his body except his head which was reacting as if he was being submerged, his head tilted back. His body felt like it was trapped in a vice, he couldn't move a muscle. Images of his roommate then flashed through his mind, his arm reaching out into the air as his body was enveloped, just how Blake felt this instant.

Gasp! Blake awoke with a start, sitting up in his bed, panting and heaving like his body had been starved of oxygen. His palm rested against his forehead with his elbow resting on his knee which had been drawn up towards his body. He shook his head and released a deep, long exhale. What is it with all this strange stuff happening...these weird things...and all this darkness...what does it all mean? Is this a bad omen? Is something coming that I'm getting warnings about? Or am I just going crazy...? I simply don't know... the panther sat there, noticing his sheets were all strewn showing that he was thrashing about in his sleep.

'Must've just been a nightmare,' he assured himself, sliding out of bed and going toward the restroom. There his body released some of the toxins that had built up. The panther continued onward to the sink to wash up afterwards. He looked at himself in the mirror, his dark fur with few of the lighter spots visible on the top of his head, his silver-blue eyes gazing at himself on the flat reflective surface. 'I wonder what's going on...' Blake sighed lightly, 'whatever it is, I just hope it ends soon...I can't afford these distractions with finals so close.' He turned, facing away from the mirror. With his back turned his reflection was no longer himself, it was a shadowy version of himself, looking like it was entirely made of smoke...but with gleaming dark eyes. That feeling again, someone was watching him struck Blake. It sent a chill up his spine and look over his shoulder only to see his black, slightly spotted back in the mirror. The panther shrugged and exited the bathroom crossing the living room and going back into his room where he slipped back into a fresh wardrobe.

He picked up and looked at the clock on his cell phone...9:13, 'Now's a good enough time as any to go get some breakfast from the Cafeteria I suppose,' he told himself as he walked back out into the living room. He made his way toward the entrance to his apartment, grabbing his wallet and keys on his way to get his sandals. After slipping his feet inside, he finally exited the building and relocked his door after patting along his pockets to ensure he had his belongings.

Blake made his way toward the main campus area where his meals were served. No school's food could ever substitute mom's home cooked meals but this place sure as hell were close! Something stuck Blake as strange on this particular morning. He couldn't pinpoint it but there was a nagging feeling tugging at the back of his mind. As he walked downhill, he passed several people but he hadn't paid any attention to them since he was focused on his droning belly and getting down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast inside of it. Gradually the main campus grew closer and closer. The same breeze blew through his fur, as it always did. Finally, Blake began to take note of the people surrounding him. He stopped his stride to stop and look at everyone in the area.

There was a problem.

Blake didn't recognize a single face plus they all wore the same outfit and shared a similar marking on the right side of their face. Some of them were sitting, some of them were standing around while others were strolling about with a group...they looked like average students but they all dressed and had that strange tattoo on their face. ...I must be going crazy...I'm just gonna get to the cafeteria, I'm just fatigued and need food...that's all... the panther reassured himself as he picked up his stride once again, making his way toward getting some sustenance. Blake continued his walk downhill, soon arriving at the foot of the hill. The buildings laid out right in front of him, the lake was still to the side, lazily splashing and rolling about.

He turned and all of those that he saw on his trip had vanished from sight. What a relief the panther thought as he turned about again. He let out a deep breath, happy that it seemed to have been his imagination after all. 'Wa-Ah!' Blake fell flat on his ass as he looked up at three of those fraternity members standing right before him, they startled him so much by their sudden appearance that it caused him to fall backward. 'What the hell!?' he shouted up at them, they just looked down at the panther, their eyes masked by the shade of their hoods but their grins were still visible. The two, located on the sides of the trio, reached down to grab the panther's arms. Blake tugged his arms from their grip, 'I can get up myself, thank you!' he snarled lightly. The panther rose back to his feet, dusting himself off, 'Can I ask you something?' he looked at the three in front of him, 'Who the hell are you guys!?' He stared at them a few moments more before shaking his head and motioning his hands in the air, 'No...forget it I don't care who you are. Now if you'll excuse me though, I'm hungry and am going for some food.'

Blake went to turn his body in order to walk around them, about to start cut a path around the weird trio. There was a strong grip around his arms from behind, the three that were before him, were suddenly gone. The two who had previously held a firm hold on him, now grasped onto him from behind, 'h-how did you!?' he struggled in their grasp but it was too firm for him to break off from, 'let...let go of me!' the panther growled. The third walked around, reappearing back in front of the trapped panther. He was holding something in his hand, reflecting the sun's rays off of it which made the panther wince from the bright flash. 'Whoa-whoa-whoa~ Look I take back calling you weird and insulting you but what are you doing with that thing!? There's no need for using that!' the panther struggled more while held so tightly in the strong vice-like grab on his arms.

'IT...must not be born,' he heard the one wielding the small curved blade, slur. The hand drew back, the knife glistening in the sun's rays; the panther looked at the blade, his ears folding back. _No...this can't be happening! _ 'You have someone else! I have no idea what you're looking for!' Blake pleaded with the strangers, he knew where that knife's goal was and he was becoming utterly scared. The one in front stopped the backing motion with his arm then, without even a brief pause, he lunged that arm forward. The intended area being targeted was that of the panther's torso.

Blake's clenched his eyes closed for a few seconds as he awaited the impact. 'NO!' the trapped male roared at the top of his lungs as his eyes reopened. His silver-blue eyes had changed to a darker grey-blue. The male in front letting out a grunt as the panther snarled at him, the blade was less than an inch from piercing the panther's flesh and was at a complete stop. It quivered slightly as it remained in that location. The one wielding the knife grunted as he tried with all his might and strength to get that sharp piece of metal to impale his mark. His hand shook from the strain but refrained from moving any further forward, it was as if it had hit an invisible wall. Blake threw his arms up and out, easily breaking the bind his appendages were in. His strength had suddenly grown in magnitude enabling his effortless release. The two hooded figures stumbled back as the panther broke from their hold, the one in front was also taken back as he followed the others and stumbled back. They regained their balance, stood upright and began marching toward the panther once again.

Blake growled lowly and glared at the three that surrounded him, getting closer to the panther once more; they wouldn't fail this time. The two lunge their arms out at the panther to get a hold of him once more. The third hooded began his charge with the knife pointed outward, grasping the handle with it centered at his midsection, right below his ribcage. The panther centered in the middle of the three coming at him, his arms crossed over his chest and his head tucked. With a booming roar and his arms unfolding downward and then outwards to make a 90 degree angle with his body. A massive pulse of energy was released, shooting out from his body like a radial blast. The force of the energy sent every assailant through the air at least 20 meters before they crashed into the ground. The one holding the knife was tossed in the direction of the lake, skipping and crashing over the wet surface. The knife he wielded soared through the air much further than that of the wielder's body, creating a splash as it plopped into the depths of the body of water. Blake fell to a knee, landing with a thud on the hard surface, the like he had done several times the day prior, he blacked out as his body landed and laid out on the concrete.

The otter was up at the apartment buildings, looking for any trail of this Blake fellow, the guy he'd been searching for for days now. He noticed that most of the people around this campus today were all from the same group. He knew that it meant: today was the last day he would be able to find him. He had no idea what this guy looked like though. He only knew what to look for, as he continued his long search for any kind of sign that can lead him to this male. He rushed his search in the meantime, keeping himself from the view of the 'clan' that had been searching for the same guy. Within seconds the winds carry what sounds like a roar up the hill to the otter's ears. Upon hearing it he scurried down the hill path, looking for the location the noise originated, seeing what the commotion was. He looked around as he ran until he eventually saw the three members surrounding a rather familiar looking panther on lower campus. They were enclosing on the male. Then noticed a brief shimmer as the light reflected off of a small curved dagger one of them was wielding. There would be only one reason why they would be focusing their attention on someone such as this.

The mustelid hurried down the remainder of the slope, running as fast as he could to reach the one in question. There was still no certainty that the panther was definitely the right guy, but right now, he was a stranger in danger. The otter now ran along the flatter surface of the campus, having reached the bottom of the incline. Suddenly he came to a skidding stop as he heard that booming roar from the panther, almost sounding unnatural followed by a blast from his body. It wasn't just any discharge; it had a very distinct dark aura to it. The otter leapt into the air, pressing his hands down atop one of the bodies that had been hurled in his direction. He turned his head to see the two bodies skidding along the ground and then back at the panther seeing him collapse onto the hard cement. ...It's him...! the otter had finally found the male he has been searching for so relentlessly. He looked and noticed that there were several others from the cult starting to come out of some of the buildings. They took note of the collapsed panther; they already knew he was the target. It was now a race to see who could get to Blake first.

The otter saw that some of the guys were closer to Blake than he was, he wasn't about to let the panther go that easily. He dashed through the rippling waves of grass. He was making a b-line for his target, he had to get to that panther first and not that cult. Blake finally came to, his body shifting about on the ground as he let out a strained groan. The closest members of the cult were approaching the panther, less than 5 meters away while the otter was still some steps behind them. The panther regained enough strength to permit him to push his body off the ground. He wasn't aware of the crowd that had started to close in around him or that he was the attention of multiple groups.

Several sets of hands wrapped around his arms, four of the members getting to Blake before the mustelid had the chance. This made him lift his head and look at the cult, 'y-you guys...again?' he bore his fangs. He also notice the otter was quickly approaching his location. He suddenly felt a presence beside him as he looked to the side to see the otter running towards him and the others holding onto him. The group wasn't prepared for him either; the first one received a foot under his chin and against his neck, the body tumbled backward and slammed against the ground. The otter's body was still turning while his second foot connected with the face of the second victim's head. His body joining the other's, flying through the air as the stranger tumbled. He landed a few feet away from his partner with the wind knocked out of him and writhed on the ground from hard contact. There were two left now, and the otter used his one asset that many martial artists don't have: a thick tail. His solid otter tail smashed into the chest of the last two.

Blake simply watched as one single fluent motion knocked every one of his captors away from him. The panther noticed right away that it was the strange guy he saw before on the hill, the one that knew his name. As the thick tail came into contact with the other two, they were sent flying backwards like their predecessors. Their bodies flew back toward the others that were swarming towards the panther. The blow successfully knocked and halted the advance of the crew for a moment.

Just as it had started, the otter landed back on his feet beside the panther and looked down at him. 'You okay guy?' the otter asked Blake, holding his hand out for the other to grab a hold of. 'Yea, I'm fine, thanks...' the panther sat there for a moment, his mind still in a daze as he hadn't fully come about yet. 'Hey, c'mon~,' the otter beseeched, moving his fingers about, folding them in slightly and straightening them back out, 'It's either come along with me, or deal with them, and I'm not going to let you get taken away by the likes of them!' Blake looked up at the otter that now had a rather stern look on his face as the mustelid faced the oncoming crowd. The panther followed his gaze and saw a slew of those hooded people flocking toward him, 'Y-yeah...I think I'll take my chances with you,' Blake stated placed his hand in the one offered, using it to lift himself up as the otter worked on pulling him as well. 'Think you can run now Blake?' Blake still felt a little awkward about the otter knowing his name, but he felt he was strong enough to do what the other asked of him, 'y-yea, I'll be fine.' The otter nodded and the two took off in the opposite direction of the oncoming flow. Instead they ran in the direction of the apartments, on the upper part of campus. The crowd grew in size as more members began to give haste after the otter, but more importantly, they were after his company.

Together the otter and panther ran up the hill. Luckily, Blake was in fairly decent shape and had recovered quickly from his previous condition. The otter had his hand wrapped around the panther's wrist, tugging him along if he started to slow down too much. 'Blake, where do you live?' the otter inquired, huffing as he continued running with the wind at his back, giving the occasional tug on the panther's arm to help him keep the momentum.

'Se-Second...F-floor up...up ahead,' Blake panted in response. Although he was in good shape, for some reason, at least one he didn't know; his body felt so exhausted. The sunlight still speckled the ground with its rays as the shadows of the otter and the panther briefly turned those spots to complete shade. The apartment was coming up; the number of those following stayed the same but many had slowed down considerably. It was clearly not a cult blessed with exercise and conditioning for doing a chase of this sort. There were a few, however, that had managed to close in a little bit on the two. These were most likely the cheetahs and other such group members that were more accustomed to running or built for it naturally. Blake and his unnamed partner kept treading along the sidewalk, soon running down the path between the buildings to the stairs.

'Up...up here' Blake panted out, so lost in breath and so, so glad to be back at his apartment. With that they ran up to the second floor and without notice the otter stops at the top and releases Blake's arm. 'Go on and open your door, I'll stop 'em here,' he nodded confidently then turned to face the stairs while Blake went on to his door. He unlatched his keys from his pants loop and flipped through them to find the right key. 'They're here~ c'mon Blake!' the otter shouted. The panther scowled a little at being told to 'c'mon', and by name at that by some complete stranger, it was a little unsettling for him.

Finally he found the right key. To his side he heard several smacks and some thuds. Blake stopped to see what was going on, the mysterious otter was in his fighting stance, his body constantly bouncing or swaying to keep his momentum going as he knocked the oncoming flow of on comers down the stairs toppling others in the process. Blake shook his head, after being mesmerized by the fighting for roughly a minute. The panther faced the door once again, inserting his key into the slot and quickly opened the door. He started to enter it and was entered his apartment and turned around to lock the door with only him inside the building. I'd probably be dead or something right now if it weren't for him... he thought to himself as he was about to close the door. He sighed and poked his head out of the doorway; there were more members of the cult starting to come from all directions.

The otter still bounced about, executing round after round of techniques to keep them all at bay, but it was like a never ending flood. Blake shouted to the mustelid, 'Hey~ doors open! C'mon!' and motioned with his arm for the otter to join him in his living quarters. The otter turned his head and nodded. He smiled then turned to face the group coming up the stairs, 'Sorry guys, but it seems I've got to go...sorry we couldn't play more~.' The otter winked and gave a sly, smug grin and looked at the stairs. With nothing the panther had ever seen before, the strange mustelid did a front-flip in the air, his thick tail heavily following the same path. Within moments the thick tail came into contact with the top steps. They suddenly collapsed within themselves in the middle and creating a chain reaction down the rest of the flight. Dust from the cement flew into the air as the only path to the apartment was now made unusable. Blake definitely didn't want to get on this guy's bad side, but he still doesn't know his intentions concerning himself. The otter gave a saluting wave toward the cloud of cement dust and turned to follow Blake into his apartment. Upon entry, the panther turned and locked up; preventing easy entry for the other's when they would attempt to.

Blake didn't know what this male wanted to do with him. He knows that the cult tried to kill him and although he was still alive, he doesn't know how he viewed the otter standing a few feet in front of him. He may be the reason I'm still alive...but...I still don't know, he may have something far worse in store... Blake thought to himself. He went to take his sandals off, and realized one of the straps was broken and he loosed a heavy sigh, 'damn...these were my favorite pair too...' This made the otter turn his head, already halfway down the passage to the living room, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. 'Hmm?' he walked back and looked at the footwear, noting the one strap that was pretty well torn, 'oh we can fix that for you, it won't be a problem!' he said with a cocky grin. We...? _ 'Who's _we?' Blake questioned the male, 'but more importantly, who are you?'

'Oh please pardon my manners,' the otter chuckled, his hand placed on the back of his head, running through his fur. 'My name's Ocean...Ocean Laine.' He proclaimed and stuck his hand out in the typical greeting fashion. 'Pleased to finally meet you~ and so glad that I am meeting you!' Blake took the otters hand and shook it a little. He was surprised to feel how soft his hands were, especially for using them all the time with his fighting, 'I'm...well you already know who I am...which I still don't get, I've never met you...yet you know me.' Ocean just gave a steady nod, 'Well...yea, know the imperative for an operation after all. If I didn't know the name of the one who I was looking for, and didn't even know what they looked like...it'd be futile to even try, I only knew your name, hence why I was looking for you.' Blake just nodded, he was utterly lost and confused, 'Why were you looking for me?' he asked, 'and you also didn't answer who 'we' was referring to.'

'WE is me and the crew,' the otter nodded, 'and I'll wait until we get on board to deluge you with information. It'll be confusing and hard to grasp at first...but I believe you'll make perfect sense of it.' Ocean went back towards the living room and sat down onto the couch where he began to examine his tail, 'damn...this dust is going to be a PAIN to wash out!' He grumbled as little clouds of cement dust floated into the air as it ran his paw over the fur, waving his hand around in front of him to disperse the cloud.

'You know that was school property you destroyed out there,' Blake piped up walking over and looking at the once reddish-brown fur now had a grayish-white coating. 'Oh? Oops, well...' Ocean started, 'I guess they'll just hafta use some of the money they blow on unnecessary things to fix something necessary, huh?' The otter chuckled and pulled out something that looked like a phone from his shirt pocket, it snapped signifying that it was clipped onto something from the inside. He flipped it open; there wasn't a key pad or anything of the sort. It was all buttons and symbols of which Blake had never encountered.

'What...is that?' the panther neared the otter, looking over his shoulder at the weird contraption, studying its appearance and cocked his head in confusion. 'I'm sure you've seen futuristic shows and movies. They often use things they call 'communicators'? C'mon, I'm no genius...but you seem like a geek when it comes to that kind of thing,' the otter giggled, leaning back and giving a teasing wink to the panther. 'Com...communicator? Oh so someone made that for you then? It looks cool, where'd you get it? At a convention or something like that?' Blake inquired, he did love a good sci-fi movie or series since they always piqued his interests.

'Huh? Oh I can assure you, this is no toy' he pushes some random buttons; at least they were random to the panther, 'Hey Jay, y'there?' Over the background of the phone you could hear crashes and what sounded like someone stumbling then, 'Shit!' and a loud thud. 'Smooth J.C.' a feminine voice was heard after the thud and all the crashing. Another voice, 'CAN it Till~!' There was silence for a few more moments. 'Hey Oshe! Bout time you got back to us, so what? You get him or is the guy dead now and we can get back home?'

The female voice piped back up, 'Hey! Ya know how important this kid is, so how about you show some optimism! Not to mention respect...he's important afterall.' A smack was heard followed by an 'ow!' making Ocean wince a little.

'Nah, I got 'im, he's safe and sound...but we're in a bit of a pickle Jay and I need you to find a route to pick us up,' Blake notices as the otter presses some more buttons which make two sets of numbers come up, 'I'm sending you the coordinates now!'

'Alright Oshe, I'll letcha know as soon as I get there,' the voice on the other end stated. Ocean proceeded to close the device and tucked it back into his shirt pocket, making that same clicking sound as it had previously when he took it out. 'Well, he'll get here and we'll get you on board immediately,' the otter nodded, 'you'll be safe on there. In here though? Well...it's more like a countdown, either the ship will get here first...or they'll get up here and break down that door.' The panther looked at the door then back at the otter, still looking somewhat confused from the situation, his hands sitting on the sofa since he was leaning over the otter's shoulder. The panther feels a hand that's not his own, rest on top of his, 'I won't let them get you easily though, don't you worry.'

Blake simply nodded and then sat down on the opposite side of the couch, sitting on the thick arm, 'So...who are you?...and no, not your name, I mean like...where are you from?'

'Huh? Oh, me? Well,' Ocean started up again, 'you may not believe me, but well...I'm sure a lot of things have happened that were 'unbelievable' so...who knows?'

Blake just sat there with his arms crossed, glaring at the otter, 'Just tell me already, enough beating around the bush.'

'Right,' Ocean nodded, 'I'm from the future, 90 years from now...it's the new millennium where I'm from. A lot of things were made possible, but right now...well...we need you.' The otter smiled a little, but it wasn't a happy smile, it was more of one in desperation. 'I'll explain more once we get on board and you get settled...it'll be a little bit of a trip for us to get there,' Ocean divulged.

'But wouldn't time travel be instantaneous?' Blake asked, his ear flickering as he tilted his head.

'Bah! It's none of that stuff they show on TV or that you read in books or have played in games,' the otter shook his head, 'Granted to those, at the time you're entering, it feels like it's sudden. In the traveling itself, however, it's like traveling by car or plane. It still takes time, it feels like days that it takes to arrive at a certain time and space, worm holes aren't as short as they make you believe!'

The two sat in silence for a couple minutes as Blake sat there, lost in thought about everything that has happened in the course of the past twenty four hours. He has no reason to believe this strange new guy sitting with him in his apartment. If not for all the strange occurrences and the fact he was almost killed, he wouldn't believe a single word of it. 'Hey, how do I know you're not going to do something worse than what those guys would have done?' Blake suddenly asked out of the blue.

The Otter turned his head, a pondering look washed over his face as he fished for the best answer, 'hmm...well...I can't MAKE you trust or believe me. All I can give you is my word. After all, if I were truly a bad guy, I would have you tied up and what not and ensuring you couldn't escape.'

The panther responded quickly, 'well, you did smash those stairs and I'm sitting here with the option of remaining with you or going out to them. I'd say I can't really escape under these conditions.'

The otter sat there stunned, then blinked, 'Good point, heh. Well~' he reached into his pocket and pulled out his transmitter, tossing it at the panther who juggled it as he wasn't prepared for the sudden toss. 'Keep that until I get Tilly to make you one, she's a whiz at making things like that, and can customize it to suit you perfectly!' the otter chuckled and smiled. Blake simply nodded and looked at the contraption. He realized that Ocean must not be all that horrible, or he was playing him for a trick. Regardless, one fact was certain, he was still very much alive and outside with them, he most likely would not be.

After several more moments, and Blake looking at the new item in his hands, Ocean rose from the couch and started to look around the apartment. 'It's a nice little place, not bad at all for a college apartment,' he looks around and then disappears into Blake's room, the panther not even noticing since he was busy examining the transmitter device. He lifted his head and looked at his room once he heard the voice coming from inside, 'I don't see a single picture of you with anyone else here. No girlfriend or boyfriend?' he called out.

Blake sighed and shook his head, 'I don't have time for that when I got to focus on my studies first and foremost.' The otter stood near the window, peering outside and taking in the view...of bark and trees and leaves and lower campus, then quietly said to himself as he gazed out, 'That's a shame...'

A chime started to fill the room, the otter walking out of the panther's room upon hearing it seeing the panther looking at the device in his open hands. 'Well? You gonna answer it?' the otter chuckled, 'that's our ride out of here after all!' The panther opened it and just stared at all the foreign and unknown symbols and characters that littered the surface of the inside, looking over them not knowing what to push. 'Oh duh, I'm an idiot, I should have realized you don't know a thing about these,' the otter chuckled as he approached Blake and stood behind him, reaching over the other's shoulders then pointed at specific buttons. 'I'll show you more at a later time but for now...just press this little button, it'll answer an incoming transition.' Blake nodded and did as he was instructed, opening the channel,

'Hey I told you! That's personal Till, I ain't telling you about th-'

'Hey! J.C, They answered!'

'Oh shit...! uhh... hey there Ocean! That guy...didn't hear all of that did he!?'

Blake turns his head and looks at the otter with a cocked brow. Ocean just stood there shaking his head, 'you'll meet them soon enough...they're quite a crew lemme tell you,' he chuckled lightly.

'Hey J.C. you almost here?'

'Stiiill here Oshe, and we're closin' in on ya,' the male voice said over the device.

'Alright, how long do you suppose?'

'ETA ten minutes. Ooooonnn....the right hand side of the building.'

'Alright, we'll see you guys soon!' with that Ocean directed Blake to close the transmitter.

'So...we hang out here for another couple of minutes. I suppose you should get some things packed with you for the trip.' Ocean nodded as he walked to the side of the sofa, offering the panther his hand again so he could get off of the furniture and begin his packing. Blake took his hand yet again as he was hoisted up by the otter then carried on into his room to get his stuff together.

'So...how much should I pack...Ocean, right?' Blake asked the otter as the mustelid sat on the edge of his bed.

'Whatever you want really, pack what you think is important, no telling how long you'll be with us...be prepared for the longest trip I suppose.'

With that Blake went and packed his folded clothes into a traveling bag, 'what's the crew like? You said they were rather...eccentric?' the panther chuckled.

'Ooohh...you'll see, they're quite the group...hehe,' the otter chuckled, 'Lessee...there's J.C....you've heard him, he's the pilot. Then there's Tilly, she acts as the mechanic for the ship. And Mungo...he's pretty quiet, but he fixes the meals for us and is also quite handy just in case someone winds up hurting themselves...like J.C...' the otter shook his head slowly and chuckled, 'but I think you'll get along...heck I do, and look at me!' Blake turned and looked at the otter who bore a cocky grin on his face, winking at the panther with his tongue sticking out slightly.

Those ten minutes passed by quickly and a suddenly a blast of air blew into the room. The loose papers that were sitting on his desk and sheets flew off the bed and flapped about. The otter placed his hand over his eyes, looking at the hidden ship that finally came into view, a latch swinging down and crashing through the screen of the window.

'Seems our ride is here...and the right hand side happened to be your bedroom,' the otter got up and patted Blake on the shoulder, chuckling lightly. He grabs the panther's bags for him, 'come on, you're the special guest on our ship. Now, let's go before those guys finally break into your place.'

Blake followed Ocean onto the metal path leading into the large vessel; the future for the panther was completely unknown to him. All he could do was trust that this was the better of two evils: the cult hunting him down, or an otter that has yet to tell him why he was so important. One question stuck in his head right now..._Why couldn't he just have gone to the balcony? _ The metal latch lifted with the Otter and Panther now inside the vessel, the campus and soon this time will be a thing of the past...literally.

Next: The Crew