Dreaming Demons

As in most cases, Alex sensed the demon long before he saw it. Perhaps it was in the crunching of the leaves, or the eerie quieting of the night time chatter, but he knew that something was up, and he knew it was out for blood. He morphed, flawlessly, and capitalized on his wolf senses to tell him where the demon was. He did not have to travel very far. Past three oak trees, and there it was. Human sized, but absolutely grotesque. One eye, sort of like a cyclops, but if possible, much uglier.

"Little wolf man." Ah. The demon knew English. Wolf-Alex stood warily, his tail down and ears back. "Do you know what you have done, sharing your secrets with the world?"

Ah. A mind reader, too. Alex in both forms hated the creatures that got into his head. He wished that he could just recite "la-la-la" until the problem went away, but he was not so lucky.

"Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me..." The demon shimmered and morphed into a perfect, but naked, replica of Ivy. His taunting voice grated the wolf's ears.

Wolf-Alex realized that he could not feel the ground beneath his feet. He simply... was. And after he realized it, of course, he realized he was dreaming.

Alex woke with a start, knowing immediately that he was in danger. He rolled towards the wall, reaching with his left hand under the pillow for his hunting knife. It was gone. He must've never put it back after visiting Ivy at the hospital. He morphed, instantly, afraid that if he did not, he would soon suffer some mortal injury from the demon which was surely nearby.

"I am Jn'hyr." Announced the demon's voice. It echoed around the room, burning into wolf-Alex's true ears. Yes, he was definitely awake now. Cursing himself for not turning on a light before turning -- he had clapper lights for a reason -- he let his eyes adjust. Named demons always wanted to play with their food before they settled down for their meals.

Wolf-Alex saw movement in the corner and he knowingly ducked. The lamp shattered against the wall and onto the bed. Great, a mess to clean up. Wolf-Alex had sights on his victim, though, and took a flying leap. He missed, but the clatter turned on the clapper lights and both demon and wolf were momentarily blinded. Wolf-Alex recovered just before the demon and got a good look at the form it took. Although its true form was most likely the grotesque cyclops from his dream, it was currently a little boy. It probably represented Alex's younger self, or future children, or something, but frankly, Wolf-Alex didn't give a flying fuck. It smelled like a demon. And so, it would die like a demon. Wolf-Alex lunged at the little boy, although every human bone in his body was screaming at him not to do it, that it really was a little boy, an innocent. Wolf-Alex ignored them.

But Wolf-Alex missed. That little boy form was lightning fast. Wolf-Alex got nothing more than a shoe from the young man, who scampered away from the attack, giggling maniacally. As Wolf-Alex rebounded, he saw that his quarry was lost into the night, laughing. Ghostly echoes of "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me" filled his ears and Wolf-Alex was disgusted with himself. But, Jn'hyr would be back. And he couldn't escape the perimeter fence which meant for the meantime, Wolf-Alex was playing cat and mouse.

Reasonably assured of his safety, Wolf-Alex morphed back into human Alex and walked naked to his front door. He pulled the deadbolt, something he had forgot to do that evening, as the demon had simply walked into the cabin without forcing the door or windows. Distracted guardians meant dead guardians. That was rule number one. He checked the locks on his windows, and, comfortable that he was safe for the night, and could hunt in the morning, he moved to the bed, noticing that his arm was unusually tender. He looked down in surprise.

How had that silly little imp demon gotten him? Had he somehow managed to cut himself? No, the wound was already beginning to be infected. It was a demon caused wound, of that, he was sure. Sighing, he got out of the bed and ambled to the bathroom. He would have to treat it before it got worse.

Demon wounds decayed at a faster rate than normal wounds. That is why Ivy spent three days unconscious. Not because of her concussion, although surely that was a reason, too. No, she spent three days asleep in a hospital bed because Alex had been unable to stop the werewolf poison in time, and she had to sleep it off. Twenty years ago, he would've hidden her away in his bed -- no, not like that -- so that modern medicine couldn't get a hold of the poison. Luckily though, the doctors had either not noticed or chosen not comment on her unusual condition besides, "She needs to rest."

Distracted guardians meant dead guardians. The original guardian's words echoed in his head, and wished desperately to see that old man's face again. He had been like a father, but better, because the love between them was based on respect and a bond deeper than blood. It was the bond of destiny. And that stinking old man had never told him that he might fall in love with some strange woman at the most inopportune time. No one had warned him that someday, his urges for physical connection would interfere with his job.

Alex took out the herb cream he saved for these special occasions and wiped it tenderly on the boiling wound in his arm. It must've raked him when he overshot his target, Alex decided. Sleepy guardians make for dead guardians too, but he couldn't very well become a vampire just to satisfy the demons' schedules. That was just too much to handle. The cream soothed, then burned, then soothed him. Once to cleanse, once to cauterize, and once to heal. The old Guardian had taught him the recipe as part of his first lesson. This is how you stay young. This is how you stay safe.

He put the cream back into the medicine cabinet and turned from his bathroom to return to his bed. The clock blared at him angrily. 3:41 am. Why did the demons always choose sometime between two and four to attack? Probably because that's when Alex slept deepest, and his dreams were the most penetrable to their whims. The time when they could prey on his hopes and dreams and fears.

#

Ivy questioned Alex about the wound the next day. He had agreed to accompany her out on a special project to sample plant diversity within the restricted area, last week, when they had first met alone. She enjoyed his company, and he, hers, but the relationship had not progressed beyond that of friends. They rarely touched, for that uncomfortable electricity between them dared them to go down a rabbit hole that neither was brave enough to explore.

"I fell into a piece of barbed wire." Alex explained the bandage on his arm away. It covered half of his forearm, but he didn't care. He wasn't sure if it was the remnants of demon poison or merely the lack of sleep that was making him grumpy, but he didn't feel like dealing with her slew of penetrating questions. He was not aware or awake enough to answer them guardedly.

"You should be more careful. Do you want me to look at it?"

"I've been taking care of my own wounds since before you were born." Alex said and Ivy laughed.

"I thought you said you were 29." Ivy said triumphantly, and Alex rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. I [am]{.underline} older than you, aren't I?"

"Yes, by a few years." She winked at him, as if she was in on the big secret. She was way too close to the truth, and Alex didn't like it.

"You ready?" He asked her briskly. "I'm hungry."

"We can go back." She agreed. She picked up her measuring tape and began the onerous process of rolling it up.

They passed a few minutes in silence, hiking back to the gate. Instead of accompanying her to the field research station as he normally did, Alex stood behind the gate with his dull grey eyes. There was a fire behind them which she didn't like. He had been on edge all day.

"Can you make it back without killing yourself?"

"Not coming?"

"I have something that I need to do here." He said gruffly. She nodded, but her crestfallen expression struck a chord in Alex's heart and if he could, he would've melted and taken it back on the spot. But, there was a demon playing hide and seek in the restricted area, and it was sleeping, which meant that Alex had the advantage for now. He had almost cancelled their outing today, but didn't want to let her know that something was up.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah. I guess." Ivy said. "Bye. Tomorrow?"

"Yes." Alex said, harsher than he intended. She recoiled at his near-shout.

"Alex?" She asked softly. He raised his eyebrows at her, granting her permission to continue.

"It's okay to let someone care about you." She said. He sighed, exasperated with her.

"No one has ever before. I don't know why you think it needs to start now. I can take care of myself."

"Everyone deserves love." Ivy said calmly, and his response struck her like lightning.

"You think you know me? There is so much that... I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow." Alex said and turned from her before she could see the tears forming in his eyes.

How dare she come into his life and upset the balance of the world. Who did she think she was? He heard her murmur her farewell as he stalked off in the distance. His heart and jaw clenched, knowing he had probably made her cry with those parting words, but he couldn't afford to turn back around and apologize. To throw himself at her feet and beg her to love him, which was more than he deserved.

If only she had known how, long before they met, he had torn apart someone that looked eerily like her, as if the demon could see into the future. How he regularly tore apart Jon. How he could not look at one of the rangers after a demon fueled dream where he had ripped an eye out and it had just hung there, useless,y as the demon cackled through the ranger's dying mouth. Alex was a horrible, semi-immortal human being. To his very core. And no one deserved the life he had to live.

#

Alex stopped by the station later that night. His arms were full and he had knocked on the door with his foot. Terrance had opened the door to help him with gigantic bag, a confused expression on his face.

"Dinner." Alex explained. "If you guys haven't eaten, yet, that is."

"We haven't. We were just going to do sandwiches tonight."

"Good." Alex said, passing through the living room to the kitchen.

"So..." Terrance said, watching him curiously. "What are we having?"

Part of Terrance's confusion had been over Ivy's bad mood during the afternoon, when she had returned. She was not normally snippy, and she wasn't outright rude, but Terrance had wondered if something had gone wrong between her and the ranger that she was trying to bed.

"A native root. I'm not sure what the scientific name is, but it's in the onion family. No. There will be no dissecting of your dinner." Alex said pointedly to Haywood. "You will sit, and relax, and I will cook for you all. It's like baked potatoes, but way better. And, to top it off, I brought some bacon and sour cream." Alex smiled as the word, bacon, caught Ivy's attention. She had been, up to that point in time, blatantly ignoring Alex's presence.

Ivy wasn't sure what had put his panties in a twist that morning, but he seemed to be better, now. The bandage was off of his arm, and he was flaunting just a scratch from what she could see. But it was as if the scratch had occurred over already raised scar tissue. It was a strange look. But perhaps Alex wanted to prove to Ivy that he was just fine and didn't need her help. At all.

Or was this an apology offering? That could be, too, for every time Ivy or one of the other scientists mentioned Alex's behavior to the head ranger Jon, a strange look crossed his face. A mix of bewilderment and disbelief. As if he could not believe that Mr. Alex Sloane was interacting with anyone with which he wasn't required to speak. Ivy suddenly remembered just how cross Alex had been when they first met. So cocky, and so argumentative. What had happened to him? Had her injuries really somehow changed this man's life?

She watched from the couch as Alex rustled around in their open kitchen for what he needed. A few minutes later, Alex had methodically poked holes in each of the tubers he had brought, sprinkled them with seasonings, wrapped them in aluminum foil and placed them into the oven. With nothing left to do, he stood there, scanning the refrigerator which was covered in scientists' notes and drawings. Ivy broke the silence.

"How long will those take?" She called out to the kitchen. Alex shrugged, and she waved him into the living room. "Come, sit."

"Yes ma'am." Ivy heard Alex grumble. On a whim, Terrance moved off the couch and switched to the chair on the other side, making as if to plug his laptop into a power source over there, but Ivy knew the reason for the move. Terrance was trying to force Alex to sit directly next to Ivy. Haywood, too, saw the move, and gave Ivy a knowing glance over his glasses. Were they all conspiring against her?

"How was the rest of your day? Alex asked her, cordially. He had sat as far away from her on the couch as humanly possible, scooting to the far edge, but turned his entire body towards her to start the conversation. She set her laptop down on the dark mahogany coffee table so that she wouldn't be rude, and answered.

"Fine. Came back and relaxed. My check up is in a few days, so I've been trying to take it easy so that mean doctor doesn't yell at me again."

"You did bust up your leg." Alex pointed out, and Ivy glowered.

"It was your fault."

"Oh?" Alex asked.

"Yup." Ivy asserted. Of course, it was not his fault. He had watched her fall, yes, but he had been there, again, to pick up the pieces.

"I see." Alex said. Wow, Ivy thought. His good mood had indeed returned. "Time to go check on dinner." Alex decided aloud, and rose to move to the kitchen.

Terrance shot her a look, and Ivy stared back at him. She had a feeling that if Terrance could mind-speak, he would be telling her that every time she flirted with wolf-man, god killed a kitten. And if Ivy could mind-speak back, of course, she would be saying that she was doing no such thing. Although she knew that she was, in fact, flirting. And she couldn't seem to help herself.

#

Alex's feet patted the dirt trail in a steady rhythm as he made his way back to his house. He knew that tonight would be the night that Jn'hyr tried again. The demon had been the primary cause of his bad mood, but a long bath and nap took care of any grumpiness, and he had decided to repair his relationship with Ivy that night before things got uncomfortable. Plus, there was always the small chance that he could get hurt badly during this fight, and he didn't want to die or almost die on bad terms with that woman. He had a feeling that somehow, she would manage to haunt him for the rest of her life if he accidentally died. He knew that the prediction was backwards, for he would be dead, but somehow, it fit.

Alex wondered how the demon would show itself. Two named demons in a span of 3 months was extremely unusual. He hadn't seen activity like this in well over fifty years. He decided that he would think on this later. For now, he would focus on the demons.

He reached the gate closest to his cabin and swiped his card. Soon, the fight would begin. The gate clicked open with an ominous sound and he walked through quietly. Now was the time for stealth. He shut the gate securely behind him and felt the shields reactivate.

Alex set down his leftovers just inside the gate. He would be back for them after he was done. He didn't want to have his hands full when the demon chose to attack him. But the demon did not show itself until Alex had finished the walk to his cabin. He had a feeling, deep inside, that the demon would be attracted to the lights and the humanity of it all.

He was not phased at all when he heard its voice. It sounded feminine, if in a perverted sort of way. He did not even bother to look up at it, instead choosing to unlock his front door, first. The demon laughed, and Alex could tell it was drawing closer. Not to attack, but to taunt. For the first time, Alex concentrated to make out what it was saying.

"After I kill you, Guardian, I'm going to burn your house down. Then I'm going to take that little thing you had to open the gate, and I'm going to go outside and find everything that you hold precious, and I'm going to burn it. Or eat it."

Alex laughed, in response, and flipped on the light inside the front door. "If you'll wait just a minute," Alex asked the demon, his calm and patience infuriating its sadistic nature. But, Alex did not hear it move, and so, he went into his house and gently shut the door, turning the deadbolt behind him. He stripped out of his ranger outfit as the reinforced steel door started shaking.

"I'll be out in a second." Alex called to the demon. Its raging was near unintelligible by now.

Alex did not like morphing into his wolf form while clothed, if he could help it. He sometimes lost or tore the clothing during his stay in wolf. And if this demon would play along, then, Alex would take the time to ready himself.

Alex walked to his bedroom and popped open the screen-less window. Effortlessly, he morphed into wolf form and leapt out the window. He plodded to the front, where the demon was still pounding away on the door, screaming obscenities and insults. Wolf-Alex sat down at the corner of the house, illuminated by the yellow light, and waited for the demon to notice him.

It took a few more seconds, and when the demon had tired of his attacks on the door, and had turned to try to find another entrance, and noticed the wolf, sitting, patiently. Although wolf-Alex could not speak, he knew the demon saw him smile.

The demon stood there, as if to ready itself, and then, suddenly, it reached up to its face. It was in its true form, the gargoyle cyclops that it had revealed in Alex's dream; but it reached up to its forehead and just... pulled. The skin came off like melted cheese on a quesadilla as it gets pulled apart, and beneath a layer of slime, Alex saw a face that made his heart sink.

The named demon had chose Ivy as its mind-fuck form. Alex, who had just spent the evening making up with Ivy, would now have to tear her body apart and drop it in a tub of acid. The demon shook the slime from its now-beautiful face and smiled so innocently at Alex.

Wolf-Alex, of course, did nothing more but sit and stare at the monster turning into a beauty. No reactions, other than a brief lip raise as he realized which form the monster had chosen.

Training kicked in, and Wolf-Alex leapt towards the image of Ivy. Remembering what had happened before, Wolf-Alex aimed low, and hit gold when the demon tried to duck out of the way and raise its clawed arms to rake the wolf again. Alex got the throat and in one effortless more, tore a gaping hole into its esophagus.

The demon was left gasping for air and clutching at what used to be its throat. Wolf-Alex left the gory scene and moved to the back of the house, leaping through the window. He changed back to human form, and naked but unscathed, he shut the window and locked it, just in case the demon magically recovered. He took the ceremonial knife from beneath his pillow, threw on a pair of shorts, and unbolted the front entrance. The demon was still, now, and Alex was thankful that it had died quickly.

He shifted into wolf to begin his meal. It was sweet as always, and although Wolf-Alex tried, in general, to not enjoy it when he ate his friends, he couldn't help but to be fulfilled by the delicious meal Jn'hyr had created for him. An hour later, when all but the bones were consumed, he morphed back to human and grabbed the wheelbarrow he always kept for such an occasion. He filled the wheelbarrow with the demon bones, grimacing as they clanked against the metal bucket. Demon bones tended to be far denser than true human bones. Alex hypothesized that this was because the demon had to put its mass somewhere when it changed forms, and it chose bone density. As he wheeled them to the back of the house, where his barrel of acid was awaiting its prize, the demon peeling out of its own skin and into Ivy's flashed through his brain. That was an interesting trick, and one that would haunt his dreams for a while.

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