Sorceress

         Sleep didn’t come. Not while I was in the presence of a Black Weaver who worked under Pane when I was completely drained of my own magic. Sleep wouldn’t come easily. It didn’t help that I was shivering uncontrollably in our sheltered meadow that had a fire in the center of the frigid darkness. Light snow had started to drift lazily to the ground though it would never touch us. He, the Black Weaver, had casted a Jinx that acted as a barrier around the small clearing. Though it didn’t keep in warm air or keep out cold, it just kept physically solid things from entering and exiting.

          I might have actually cried then and there if it weren’t for the training I received at the Academy. Instead small whimpers escaped my lips as I struggled to keep from sleep. I was offered warmth, a blanket, body heat, but I had refused with harsh words; as I should have. The man I had refused the welcome into warmth from was Fleete Steel. Also known as “The Water Worker” in his home town before he deserted them after several assassinations and multiple attempts to overthrow its rule. He had joined the Black Weavers afterwards and I’ve grown under the knowledge to despise the group of traitor Magicians.

          “Just take the blanket, you’ll freeze.” spoke the low voice of the Weaver himself. I pulled myself into a tighter ball, my back facing him, in an attempt to keep body heat in,

          “Good, let me freeze. I’d rather do that than go with you.” Pure venom dripped from my words and I heard him sigh. I risked a glance over my shoulder at him; his torso was bare, free of a shirt which surprised and angered me, the heavy blanket he was covered in reached a small ways past his abs for him and his arms where crossed behind his head. He still had plenty of Magic and could circulate it throughout his body due to his rank and experience to keep him warm. I snorted and looked away; He’s stronger than I am. I couldn’t get away if I tried, even with full Magic. Damn him, if I had my powers right now the least I could do was stay warm.

          “It’s too bad I can’t let that happen. See I promised to bring you back alive and if you freeze, well I would fail at my mission. You will take this blanket even if I have to force you to. You don’t have a choice, little sorceress.” He said, his voice was quiet and dark, I narrowed my eyes,

          “Don’t you dare touch me…” I growled as I propped myself up on my elbow. I shot a glare over my shoulder meant to kill before standing up and stepping quickly away from him towards the fire.  Before I could take more than five steps he was in front of me, black fog misting around him. He stood about a foot or so taller than me and I had to admit his height was intimidating for a prime Magician but I knew better than to show weakness. I bared my teeth even though I had no means of shifting into an animal.

          “Get under that blanket.” He growled and jutted his chin towards the large sleeping mat I had been laying on a minute before that was covered by the large, black, blanket.

          “Bite me.” I snapped in a sharp retort and in a blink of an eye he had me in an unbreakable hold, “Hey! You bastard, let go of me! Let go!” I shrieked. I screamed and kicked and thrashed as he lifted me effortlessly and sauntered over to the bed that was laid out,

          “I gave you a choice,” he sighed, “You refused,” he threw me down and I landed with a solid thud but pain didn’t register, I was to angry for a simple feeling like pain, “I warned you I would use force. You didn’t listen.” I scowled up at him for a second then scrambled to make a break for it. He teleported next to me and pinned me in a flash.

          “Get your hands off of me!” I yelled at him, he looked down at me with a cool, amused gaze.

          “Good night.” Was all he said before flopping down next to me, one hand tugged the blanket over us completely then reached over my chest and hugged me, pinning my arms to my body with his one arm. He settled and held me roughly as I struggled and lashed but it was helpless, he had me good. I gave one last thrash but got nowhere new. He held me tighter and his hand readjusted around my belly and held me in a better grip as his other hand made for a pillow under his head.

          The mere fact of being this close to anybody made me growl deep in my throat. But then I realized that my body heat was returning to normal from its nearly freezing state. That’s when the ache of tiredness in my bones hit me and my eyelids grew heavy. I tried to fight sleep, not daring to fall asleep next to this bloodthirsty criminal such as Fleete but I couldn’t fight it any longer. I let out an ample sigh and with my body warming ruefully next to Fleete Steele's welcomed a deep sleep that I had tried to fight for so long.

Unforgivable

Life
A howl of pain
Fires through the night,
Causing any living creature
To scurry from sight,
Paws powered by anger
Thunder on the path
Forgetting its danger,
An unmoving body awaits
A brothers brother
Taken by the Fates,
A stone cold heart
Forged by pure sorrow
Soon crumbles apart,
A broken spirit
Now in two,
Unfelt emotions
Running straight through,
Anger defeats grief
As he sets off
After this soul's thief,
Snarls fill the night air,
Brother, I failed you,
This isn't Fair!
Breath turns to fog
The standing brother
Races for this heartless dog,
A howl of rage
As the brother pursues
Like a beast from a cage,
Another howl fills the night
The murderer freezes,
If he stays he loses a fight,
This brother is on the follow
For his kin's killer
The slayers heart,
Black and hollow.

Unafraid

Death
I fall panting
To the ground
Struggling,
My life's end
Has been found,
Brother,
I'm sorry
I failed you,
And our land
Grant me peace
and lend me your hand,
My last breath
I draw
Through a bleeding trap,
A bloody maw,
Though don't worry
True love I finally found,
Maybe I will pass
Feeling safe and sound,
I will miss you,
Brother and love,
But my heart weakens
With one last shove,
I am sorry to leave
The world like this,
Friendship I'm certain to miss
My last fight
As I slowly fade,
And finally,
Of death I am not afraid,
Your guardian angel
I will be,
Forever and ever,
Brother,
I'm sorry.

More Than A Name

A Poem By Red Ghost

Red Ghost

It means defender, fearless, and companion,

It is the number 57,

It is like a forest drenched in moonlight,

It is buying a pack of fake mustaches for everyone to enjoy,

It is the memory of Ian Reynolds,

Who taught me endurance and nonsense,

When he reveals the light side during the glum times,

My name is Red Ghost,

It means that when the world tells you, “Give up.” yell back, “Make me!”

Wounded

A Naruto Fanfiction by Red Ghost

          I lay on the bed drawing in shallow, ragged, and uncontrolled breaths. Almost everybody was in the room which surprised me; I didn’t think I was that important to everybody. The shocking thing was they all looked worried and their gazes where filled with sorrow. Kumori pushed between Deidara, Sasori, Pain and Zetsu and her hands flew to her mouth as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. I smiled weakly at her as Konan stood on the opposite side of the bed panting heavily as she attempted to heal the stomach wound,

          “No!” she whispered as she surveyed my body her eyes resting on the gaping hole in my stomach, it wept fresh blood and hurt like hell but I did my best to ignore the screaming wound and the obvious reason that I was going to die.

          Our old lair had been found, we where attacked while we where heading to another base in the mountains and that was when a lethal jutsu was cast, aimed for Pein, Kumori, Kisame, and Itachi, and that was when I decided to do something. I had thrown myself in front of the four and taken the jutsu on directly, a split second late and the four of them would be dead. I had taken it on full force, and in return I had earned a fatal reminder of protecting the ones I loved.

          Kumori stumbled forward, her eyes wide, mouth slightly open as she stared at me in disbelief,

          “Akuma!” she cried as she fell to her knees next to the bed, I tried to laugh to reassure her but was cut off as blood filled my throat causing a sickening gurgle to sound and forcing me to swallow the crimson liquid. She cussed into the mattress as I lay breathing roughly until a sob ripped from her throat and she slammed her fist on the bed gripping the sheets until her knuckles where white, Konan stepped back, Kumori looked up at her with eyes filled with anger, hurt, and misery.

          “It’s too big,” Konan hissed quietly, she wiped a tear away that was making its way down her cheek,  “I… I’m sorry.” She looked away and I blinked slowly, as Kumori stood,

          “How can you give up on her? After what she did for us!” she yelled, her face red with anger and her cheeks soaked with tears. It was strange, seeing her cry, the last I remember her crying was when we where twelve, I can’t remember over what but that didn’t matter now…

          “Kumori…” Deidara said as he reached out a hand to comfort her, she turned on him, smacking his hand away crossly as she did so,

          “Shut up!” she snarled, “If you won’t heal her, then I will.” She turned to me with uncertain eyes. I sucked in a painful breath, about to speak but was choked again as more blood flowed into my throat from wounds near my neck and the gash in my stomach. I began to suffocate from the blood clogging my throat and I coughed several times, blood leaking out my mouth and dripping down my cheek to the pillows below. I struggled to swallow but finally managed leaving my throat feeling raw and sticky and clogged.

          Kumori had placed her hands over my wound and was currently tackling the wound with chakra in striving attempt to heal it. It’s too much; I’ve lost too much blood already, and the wound stretched from my chest to my hip and covered half my torso, mainly affecting my stomach. She could try, maybe if she worked for a few hours she could close the wound, but I judged I had only mere minutes. That was Kisame and Itachi pressed into the room…

          “Akuma?” I heard Kisame’s low voice break through the silence and accompany my harsh breathing,

          “Ki-” I tried to say his name but my voice cracked from pain and from what felt like my throat nearly giving in. Kisame made his way to the bed side while Itachi pulled a sobbing Kumori away from me and embracing her in a hug letting her burry her face in his chest, clutching his cloak as he turned her so she couldn’t see me for her sake.

          “Akuma…” Kisame said, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I should have been there, I shouldn’t have let you… Please, don’t go…” his words faded off as I closed my eyes feeling tears burn my own. I realized, I don’t want to go… then the tears began to trickle one by one down my bloodied face, I loved them, all of them in a different way... It was nice… A smile barely creased my lips as fog crept into my vision,

          “Go away…” I swallowed blood as it rose up once again and smiled, “I’m alright.” The smile remained as Kisame laughed softly before leaning forward and laying kiss on my forehead, Kumori left Itachi’s arms and stood next to me, she grabbed my cold hand in her warm grip and smiled sadly as I drew my last breath. And all that remained was black nothing.

(I do not own Naruto, this story itself is a piece of a larger fanfiction I'm working on. The character Akuma is based off of myself and the other female character, Kumori, is based off of a close friend, and don't worry, I don't die... Thanks for reading!)

In The Dark of Night

A short-story by: Red Ghost

‘Please, no! I want to go home! I want my mom, my dad! Save me!’ I cried silently as hot tears soaked my black wolf fur. My paws thudded softly on the forest floor, my heart was pounding, my lungs burned, and my body ached.

Some said what I had was a gift, others a curse. I just wanted to go back to living a calm life, but instead I was being hunted like a wild animal by my own friends and neighbors.

“It went this way! We have to stop that beast!” a man bellowed a ways behind me. I gasped in shock and dismay as the baying of the hounds became increasingly close. My breathing was short and suddenly loud snarls erupted behind me.

Please stop! I wailed in a strange language that sounded alien yet somehow came naturally.

Obey! Hunt! Kill! Obey! The dogs howled now so close I could feel their rancid breath on my tail. Suddenly a dog snarled loudly and lunged for me; it sank its teeth into my right back paw and I yelped in agony as it held tight and whipped its head to the side, pulling me with it. I was flung like a rag doll across the forest floor, crashing loudly into some dry bracken. I curled into a tight ball as the massive, slavering, hounds loomed over me; they where all easily twice my size, I was only nine in human years and I was numb with fear. The dog that bit me leaped forward, teeth bared, eyes glowing with bloodlust, I lashed out with a forepaw out of instinct and my claws connected with the tender nose of the animal. It reared back, growling in pain as it jumped behind the five other dogs that cornered me.

Enemy! Attack! Attack! They all howled, my nose began to burn from the stench of blood and the overpowering smell of adrenaline and my own fear.

Stop! Please no! I cried.

“Over there! The dogs have it cornered!” a man called, the dogs turned for a second and I used that moment to turn and lunge back into the thick woodland. I didn’t get far before the ground dropped from beneath me and I plummeted and struck hard packed dirt. Something made a popping sound and I inhaled sharply in pain. Something happened to my back leg but I didn’t know what as my head spun and my vision blurred. I scrambled blindly in the dirt, in pain and in confusion and in the midst I thought I caught a glimpse of yellow in the black forest.

Help me… I need… help… I whined into the forest but the yellow blur was gone.

I heard the hounds. I heard the men from the village. Their yells filled with anger and uncertainty as they pursued me. Coming for me. I don’t know what I did, I never will, I was going to die here. They would kill me; nobody would stand up for a shape shifter, for a werewolf. I braced my front legs underneath my beaten body and hauled myself into the middle of the small clearing before collapsing again to the ground.

‘Wait, I can’t die… no… I can’t please no…’ I thought before I was interrupted by the loud clamor of the dogs and the village people.

‘Why?’ I thought as my head slumped into the dirt. I tried to haul myself up again but was cut off my immense pain and I screeched into the night, it almost sounded human as it added to the continuous calls of the villagers and their dogs. I finally laid down in defeat waiting to smell the dogs breath and feel their teeth at my throat, their claws raking my fur. ‘How much longer must I wait?’ I thought as I struggled to breathe evenly trying to calm myself before my life ended, then it happened; the dogs exploded from the underbrush, howling and snarling like wild beasts. The leapt from the small ridge and raced around me, their heads low to the ground scenting my blood and fear, their eyes filled with the excitement of the chase.

“Down there!” another man called and suddenly the villagers where at the top of the small ridge, “Let the dogs finish it off, none of us want the blood of a child on our hands, do we?” a man queried. It. That’s what I now was to these people, an it.

I growled weakly as a dog came too close to my head and it hopped back and barked at me. That’s when I heard what most feared, a long, feral howl, and it was soon joined by a dozen other wild songs.

The villagers fell silent, the dogs went still. They all listened. Agonizing moments passed, part of me wanted them to just end my life so I didn’t need to suffer any longer, and another part wanted to live desperately. As I waited, a minute passed then the dogs began to fidget closer and closer to me, the villagers remained mostly silent but they now whispered uncertainly to each other. The largest dog then snarled violently and lunged forward, its red eyes fixed on my throat where its teeth should have been if it wasn’t tackled to the ground by an enormous wolf-like creature. I huffed in surprise as my vision blurred once again as I tried to follow its movements; it was unbelievably fast. When I finally caught a solid glimpse of it three more animals had appeared from the night. They all had strangely built figures; sturdy and large, but their paws where oddly elongated almost like human fingers, they also had very muscular torsos and very long hind legs like mine. The creatures moved with deadly grace, each striking down a hound with a single blow from their massive paws. The villagers turned with screams of terror and where now the hunted as four separate wolves exploded from the trees and raced after them.

I cried in horror as the massive beast approached me, it was larger than any dog I have ever seen and its eyes where a vibrant yellow, though unlike the hounds, they did not hold bloodlust, and to my surprise they seemed gentle. It bent down on long legs and sniffed me. I closed my eyes tightly and laid my ears back,

I will not hurt you… the wolf cooed and I found it to be a female, I blinked up at her and she continued, I will take you to a safe place, you will not be harmed, your safe now, child. I felt myself relax and my head fell back to the earth as my body calmed. She stooped down and picked up my small form in her jaws before turning into the dark night, her soft, yellow eyes lingering in my memory, as my mind went blank and my sight blurred then faded to black as I fell unconscious.

A howl sounded, soon accompanied by others. How much longer must I wait? Until my song joins theirs?

Never Alone

By: Red Ghost

The house is still

But she is not alone

Only one living soul dares to move

But she is not alone

So silent, the silence could kill

To the naked eye she is alone

Nobody is present in the home

But she is not alone

One girl walks the house

But she is not alone

Every glance sent over her shoulder is directed at something

She is not alone

It doesn’t stop her wondering

Is anybody home? Is she alone?

Chills pulse through her bones

She is not alone

She can hear her own hearts frantic beating

She now knows she is not alone

Unseen eyes observe, waiting

They watch

From every shadow they keep silent vigil

They watch

Are they there to protect her?

They watch

Or do they have different intentions?

She begins to settle into the night

But she is not alone

She holds a pillow close

She is not alone

No matter what she does or where she goes

She is not alone

(This poem is inspired by the home I have lived in for 15 years and I belive to be haunted no matter what anybody else says)