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The Fallen Find a Favorite

The rancid river of demon's blood oozed quietly along the floor, drifting into trickling rivets that cascaded across the dust caked ground around the stunned wolf. Sparkle Shadowpaw, however, wasn't paying attention to the thick blood that was all that remained of the demons that attacked her earlier. Instead, she was staring in to the sad, azure eyes of the lion, offering his free paw towards her. He had a russet colored mane, which she could tell was once golden and blonde, now distorted by the dust and sand that surrounded them. His body was rippled with muscle. Even though the armor she could see he had a giant's strength hidden under his six foot frame, and his movements were well practiced and intimidating. He was a knight through and through, sworn to duty and honor. So what he was doing in a place like this sent an unnatural shiver down her spine.

Slowly, the stunned and startled wolf took the offered paw, which pulled her onto a pair of shaky legs.

"Are you alright, m'lady?" The lion asked, his voice the very essence of bass. Sparkle glanced over towards him wide eyes, her breathing still lost to panting heaves of fear and she nodded her head.

"What? Me? Alright? Sure, why not. Quick change of panties and I'm good as new. "Sparkle whimpered, her ears splayed back against her skull in obvious fear. They had tried to eat her. They had tried to eat her...

"Might I inquire your name?" The big lion quipped. Sparkle reached up to grasp at her hat and offer it a tip, but paused when she realized it wasn't there. She frowned, and Instead she simply shot the lion a forced smile and nodded her head.

"Sparkle D. Shadowpaw. And might I inquire where we are, good sir?" She asked as cheerfully as possible, but her faux smile faded when the lion frowned at her. Gazing into the distance for a moment, he turned his sights towards her once more and gave a forlorn sigh.

"M'lady...You are...Your presence is but one of many among the damned. You are in hell." He explained quietly. The color from Sparkle's face drained until her normally colored visage was caressed in a grim, pale facade of her healthy appearance. She leaned heavily on her cane and bit her lip, before she looked up at the feline with tears in her eyes and a lost look of horror twisting her muzzle.

"You......you gotta place I can sit down?" She asked in a light, raspy voice. The lion simply nodded.

It was a very short trip to reach the base camp the lion had been using as a shelter. They were on the third floor, of what appeared to be some old, abandoned factory. What use it could have in the bowels of existence, Roland shuddered to think. The room was old, but secure. It was the final room on the top floor of the factory with two doors in. Both of them lead to different stair cases that lead out, but Roland had blockaded the second exit. The wolf he escorted had requested a place to sit down, but Roland discovered that once they'd reached the abandoned factory, she'd done very little of that. Sparkle paced feverishly back and forth, while he sat cross legged- watching the sway of her body and the swish of her hips. She mumbled to herself, obviously trying to come to grips with her new predicament and he watched quietly with perked ears.

"I don't feel dead. I don't think I'm dead. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. There wasn't even a tunnel. No angelic chorus no...no.......no judgment. I wasn't a saint but did my fair share of good deeds damn it! Roland, I don't think I'm dead." The wolf quipped suddenly, turning to face the relaxing feline. He gave a soft sigh and shook his head grimly, before the wolf frowned.

"You don't believe me?! You don't do you?! ...You...Roland..."The wolf quipped quietly, before she suddenly sat down across from him, tilting her head gently to one side.

"How long have you been here?" She asked, her voice suddenly fluttering and soft. The lion looked up gently, his eyes iced over with sadness for a few moments, before they hardened again. Those eyes...those tiny, little dotted eyes...Sparkle wondered if her's looked like that, but her thoughts were shaken from her mind before she had a chance to dwell on them.

"Long...longer then I care to remember. Longer then I think I CAN remember. I don't remember my family...only that I had a wife and a little girl. I don't remember my friends, nor my brother, just the night...the night when it all went wrong. I was the captain of the guards. Paladins of the Northlands. We were to be a symbol. Or trust, truth and honor. We were God's children...tools to protect and serve the lambs of the world...protect them from the lions. No, the irony is not lost on me, thank you." The feline chuckled grimly.

"I trained them. All of them. From swordplay to chivalry, to the good book, I trained them. But to learn one fell to the lure of gold...When I discovered Jon had given the raiders the plans to the castle, he assisted them in stealing from the treasury...in helping assassinate our king. Oh, he begged me to spare his life he did, he begged me. Told me he didn't know how far they'd go. Told me his daughter had been kidnapped and if he didn't help they'd slaughter her...I purged him Sparkle. I purged them all...our name, the Paladins of the northlands would NOT be sullied by one foolish puma and his bleeding heart. "The lion snarled furiously. Sparkle quietly raised a paw.

"Now. Just to be...absolutely terrifyingly clear...When you say...purged..." She asked quietly. The lion stared at her for a long time before giving a hiss.

"I hand picked each and every paladin in the group before our king was murdered. I...it was my fault...he was murdered because of me...I should have....I should have made sure they could have been trusted...should have made sure I knew them in and out...I killed them. I cut each of them down with my blade for daring sully the name of our kingdom...We are symbols for all that is good and true, and I refused to let the name be dirtied by one crazy puma! I purged them all...and then myself for failing to protect his majesty." Roland growled. Sparkle nodded her head, quietly scooching away from the raving lion on her rump.

"Comfort levels captain? Dwindling drastically ma'am." She mumbled softly, before she stood up.

"So...uh..." She started, but Roland was lost in his own world now, shaking his head and mumbling to himself.

"My fault...all my fault...it was my fault the king was assassinated...I failed my duty...I failed the Paladins...I failed God...tis why I'm down here Sparkle...Tis my punishment." He explained looking up at the wolf with tears in his eyes. Sparkle gave a grim chuckle, nodding her head.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the mass murder of the rest of your fellow knights." She muttered. Roland was up in a flash sword drawn and pointed at the snarky wolf's nose, till the point of the blade made an indent in the cold, black sphere at the end of her face. Sparkle gave a nervous giggle and waved a paw.

"Oh! Hey! HELLO THERE! Angry lion dude...we're friends...remember me? Sparkle. You rescued me...from um...from those creepy spider things...I distinctly remember that happening... less than an hour ago?" Sparkle whimpered quietly. It took a few moments before Roland lowered the sword, his tiny pin-prick eyes going soft again.

"I...F, forgive me m'lady. I grow...angry when reminiscing. If you say you are not dead, then there is no reason you should be here. And I know of one whom we may seek to answer your questions. I vow to protect and serve you, till we find the answers you seek." The lion said sheathing his sword and offering the wolf a bow of his head. Sparkle's lips twisted into a very, very nervous grin and she nodded.

"Heeeey...that's...that's great. That's really...that's really great. Is there a word you know for both terror and comfort, cause I'm feelin' that right now." Sparkle mumbled, looking away sheepishly. If the demons didn't get her ...

"Our quest begins tomorrow. We hunt for the grim reaper. " The Lions explained while Sparkle's pretty, pouty lips twisted into an angry sneer.

"Jack..."She muttered grimly and looked away. Roland twisted his head to one side curiously.

"...You...sound as if you know of-"

"The reaper. Yeah. We've met. " Spark growled quietly. Roland frowned slowly.

"You...You've met? How could you have-" The sound from downstairs cut the lion off in mid sentence.

A loud sound- like a door exploding off it's hinges by a powerful force. Roland growled and stood up again, his sword drawn and pointed at the door.

"Oooo you ordered a pizza! That's good, I hope it's got extra cheese!" Spark giggled. Roland raised an eyebrow quietly.

"...Pizza?" He asked. Spark sighed. Lion from the middle ages...right...

"So...do I wanna know what that sound was?" She asked nervously. The lion shook his head.

"They are the Fallen...The Damned...Like the demons that attacked you earlier...mutated by their sins and the environment...they lust for carnage." He hissed, while his fingers wrapped tighter around his broad sword. Sparkle just blinked, ears perked as she listened to the description and nodded her head slowly.

"Soooo we're NOT inviting these guys to karaoke?" She whimpered quietly. There were sounds- like footsteps. Sluggish, slow, squishing footsteps that were slowly getting closer to the small room Sparkle and Roland had decided to trap themselves in. The footsteps slowly grew closer, and closer still...and then stopped all together. Forever passed as Spark and Roland listened...and waited...and when nothing happened, Sparkle's shoulders relaxed and she gave a nervous grin.

"Maybe they gave up?" She squeaked. Roland however, didn't move from his ready position at the door, narrowing his eyes. Another tense eternity passed and slowly, the lion took a step forward...and another...and another still before he opened the door just a crack to peek out. He slammed the door instantly and turned towards Sparkle with a panicked look in his eyes.

"MI'LADY! RUN!!!" He screamed- as a large blade stabbed through the door only inches from his head.