Dream Quest The Wolf Dream

tunnel.

His bald head flashes a momentary reflection in the passing moonlight as he slinks through the shadows, hurrying towards, yet dreading, his secret rendezvous. A violent shiver seizes him. He trips but doesn't slow, the stumble propelling him even faster, looking like a small child who has lost control of uncoordinated feet. He weaves in and out of the buildings and alleys down memorized paths. He has traveled this route on darker nights than this. He does not fear the black darkness. And yet fear consumes him.

He's in the dream and wants to wake up, but when he does he has this giant wolf inside him, and he jumps off the front porch into the yard and tries to roll it away, but it won't go. It's rapidly taking over and he is growling and he feels his tailbone begin to extend until there is this long beating thing behind him. His eyes have rays that spread from pupil into the iris. Their sometimes called flashes, and is a sign of psychic powers. That is why the color of them cast off a golden hue.

He turned his head this way and that as the Wolf Dream began, and the air was full of scents he was starting to recognize. He opened his mouth and his tongue came out, as he started panting. He opened his eyes wide, and then howled as the Dream-spike built to finish the Wolf Dream. He was coming into the Wolf Dream too strongly; to try to control this spike was like trying to contain the wolf from coming out. He could only control his thoughts of the real world, keeping him from entering the Wolf Dream too quickly. Step by step he learned balance; wolf whenever the wolf was needed and the man whenever the man was needed. He let himself be drawn into the dream.

Blade was quick to learn, and having been the one who created the Dream Gate gave him the advantage. Where would this path of understanding lead? He moved awkwardly toward the shelter of the forest. If he is apprehensive or disrupted by an enemy, he will kill. He is the master of the Wolf Dream.

So those are the details, the facts. That is how the story ends. But the story never ends, does it? History - the rolling waves of thunder of incidence after incidence, propelled by lightening, currents of chance and luck and coincidence - streams right along with no regard for beginning or endings. The only true end is present moment, the seething forward edge of the wave. So let me bring you right up to the present. As I write this, the story must be told exactly as it unfolds.

~Sazz and Blade~

-o0o-

Sleep enfolded him while he lay down and the dream came at once. The open Dream Gate pulsed while the Wolf Dream was sent to him. Shivering despite his sweat, Blade's eyelids flickered rapidly during the entire dream. He did not look away from the afar vision, and the Wolf Voice was almost chilled enough to take away the heat from the room. With a gasp, Blade startled awake, heart pounding; starring up at the moon so full it was casting dark shadows across the walls. He couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into. How did this happen? Blade held his breath; He wondered whether the Gate had caused the dream to begin or the nightmare that followed.

Long thick fingers made a whip-crack noise like so and yet his eyes never changed. You always have to watch the eyes, maybe silence hadn't been so bad, but the shadows still danced around the room. Mirrored by the moonlight, he couldn't see it or feel it, yet he knew it was real. Sazz said "finally you side with us now Blade; Shadow Walker and his minions are riding with the Evil One.

When the shadows lengthened as if they were moving closer to him, it made the Dream Gate start rotating in a clockwise motion, expanding in radiance as each revolution passed, gathering its speed to fulfill the dream. The strangeness of the Wolf Dream continued and he not only smelled odd scents, but he heard odd sounds as well. The sound he heard before hadn't been phantoms.

The Dream Gate was made out of a colossal, revolving metal sphere, which was suspended in the air, without any visible support. Actually, it was being held up by energies I could not even begin to pronounce. The man who had invented the Gate was obviously a engineer. It’s clear that their mathematical and technical capacities are much more evolved than ours. That’s also why engineers don’t have enough time to think about their feelings. The man must have been baffled when he realized that the other dimension which he was looking for was really the dream world. What’s more, his invention had brought about an enormous breakthrough. Both our worlds had been merged into one. It took a lot of time before engineers were able to get over the shock and the confusion. In fact, that still hasn’t entirely ended. As the Dream Gate turned different colors, when the light was green I stepped into the sphere of the Gate. Traveling to another dimension isn’t exactly fun. It’s like being turned inside-out, which could be the case, really. It would be an amazing fairground attraction for people who like to go fast. Eventually, you do get used to anything. Strangely enough, when you arrive at the other dimension, you turn into a wolf and you land exactly on your feet, as though you have been carefully put down by a giant hand.

He was the wolf now, the ruler of this dream. His Dream-spike had created this nightmare and he was starring directly into the blackness of that nightmare. The voice in his mind was deeper than terror and fear inside him as he got to his feet, growling despite himself, and pushed open the door. He walked out of the room, glowing in a phantom golden light from above as he stood on the doorstep, no longer overwhelmed by the dream.

Those eyes, cold and emotionless, had once held that same self-confidence had now started to glow a golden hue. He saw the other golden eyes standing outside where ghostly apparitions appeared. Creatures of the night, wolf brothers and sisters was surrounding him, watching his every move.

You are also of the wolf clan now Blade and we run the forest at night, certainly never in broad daylight. He thought he heard a half-said child at the end of that. Actually, the other wolves were already waiting for him in the woods outside. What good could he do inside anyway? He asked himself fiercely. In the pitch blackness of the forest, Blade opened his eyes wide, turned toward the clan, winced, and was still. He grimaced into the dark; there was no way of turning back now. To his relief, Sazz came trotting over to his side, from the pack of wolves and sit by him. None of the other shapes he saw moving in the moonlit darkness were using their ability to shape-shift from one place to another without crossing the intervening space. Dream Walking was the words Scratch had called it, the leader of the wolf clan, a Native American. Blade had a thought implanted in his mind from Sazz, I mark you as mine, she said, as if he had no choice in the matter. She flung out her clenched paw as if throwing something, and then she was squatting beside him in the predawn, one paw outstretched as if to cuddle around his neck.

The Dream began more pleasantly than most he had of late. A small voice taunted him, and he had shaken his head, you can, it is allowed. There was no mistaking that squat shaggy shape; for there to be another wolf like that, here and now, was too big of a coincidence. Suddenly, she was glad she had not left off the outstretched paw, still wrapped around him, you will be my mate for life now Sazz cut in. He tugged at his collar, tossing his head, neither of them dared to take their eyes off the other long enough for more than a glance around. If he closed his eyes, he would only see the things Sazz had promised for them once they had reached the den.

Things began to happen too fast for thought, and the night had come alive to take them all. We do not have much time before daylight, Stretch said, time to go. So the pack started off towards the woods, howling as they ran behind their leader. Wolves were meant to roam.

A cool mist was blowing on his face, hard, about to push him under while he was trying to rise up out of it with a pretty ironic thought in the middle of having too much worry. He shook his head, he'd sort that out later, or better yet, forget it. He'd never been in the habit of worrying about feeling and that mental power'd be better spent trying to find out what to do next. So Blade and Sazz could figure out how to utilize this latest technology, and thought they could make some kind of contribution to the pack. He had tried to be prepared for this, abruptly he released her, you see Blade's lowered voice said, we're going into countdown now, Sazz. We're going to have decisions to make, and I believe we'll think more clearly if we can see the complete picture.

Maybe he'd decided to quit trying to run her off and act like she'd been here all along, and it was no big deal, so he relaxed somewhat and tried to stay pleasant. Blade, all frowning and worried and getting scared because he was the ultimate man-afraid-of-commitment, hesitated and then said, now, how's this going to work if you don't do what I tell you, Sazz? Sazz chuckled. The trace of aggravation in the way he said it made Sazz laugh again. Sazz, I expected a lot more cooperation and contribution and a lot less attitude from you, Blade said.

I think it's up to you, Blade, to find out how best to utilize your technology. I can't begin to understand anything about how the Dream Gate works or what it does. We'll be looking to you to let us know how we can integrate it within the organization. Sazz said. In the meantime, I think you could be extremely helpful in sitting up and organizing the main forces and support elements. That was a not-too-subtle blow-off, Blade decided, but he wasn't going to argue - besides, it was the answer he was expecting. I do wish there was something we could do about your ideas, Blade, but even these days most of us will soon convince ourselves; they didn't see what they saw if it isn't what they expected, but if they can begin to understand the technology of the Dream Gate, maybe this is one of those rare occasions on which I fully agree with you. But she would not, could not, just walk away for that would be the same as quitting - let him think he won - and she was not made that way. She meant to do what she had come there for - all of it - and he was not going to chase her off, not him or anyone or anything else.

Her long, harvest gold and white mane trickled down her shoulder blades. There is not a moment in time that goes by you don't enter my train of thoughts. I close my eyes and I can see your smile within the glisten of the sun's rays. My heart beats with heavy constrictions of blood rushing through its' veins at the mere thought of you. I look upon our pictures and I feel the love of a tremendous power and it almost bring me to my knees. For you could search the world over and back again and to find what we have deep inside of us would never be found again. I loved you more than a thousand years within my mind. Will love you for a thousand more within my heart. You will always be my true love. That one of a kind kindred spirit. No one will ever be able to break the bonds that ties us together. For God put us together only God can take us apart. But even then I will love you forever in a day and eternally. You are my greatest love as one human can love another. With the grace of God, all we have been through, he will anoint our soul with his grace, and we shall have that moment in time. Listen in the whisper of a gentle breeze, hear my devotion of love. Feel my kiss upon your cheeks and just know I am always close by. And so... she'd left. Not because she'd hated what she would become, but because she hated the fact that it had seemed so inevitable; Indeed, she proven adept in her duties at everything required of her. All of the wolves were sitting together at the fire, along the far side of the clearing, talking to one another until they spotted her coming toward them. The sudden silence unnerved her and she didn't dare look at Blade for fear she'd blush and cause the other wolves to wonder why. She kept her head down while she prepared her bed on the opposite side of the clearing, but she could feel all of them watching her. Blade was drawing circles in the dirt with a stick. She lay down on her side facing the woods, her back to the wolves, fully convinced she wouldn't get a moments rest with an audience observing her every move, but exhaustion won out and she was asleep minutes later.

So that they wouldn't disturb her, the wolves had continued their conversation in low whispers. Blade couldn't stop watching her, worrying about foolish matters such as whether she was warm enough or had enough blankets. So he built a fire close to her to keep the cold out. The wind had picked up and heavy rain clouds moved in, covering the mountain, blocking the moonlight. The sound of thunder had rumbled in the distance, and the air became thick and heavy. Blade's eyes narrowed in a half smile, he could not show the others, and then he made a quiet shivering sound. It captured his feeling perfectly. He tossed another log onto the fire, the darker it got, the more agitated he became. Grabbing his blanket and sleeping bag, he scrambled over to where Sazz was laying and placed it next to her. He yawned and then curled up against her back.

Sazz was awakened from a deep sleep during the night by a howling scream like the sound of a tortured animal. She was very familiar with the unearthly sound. Blade was trapped in another nightmare. She quickly rolled to her side and took him into her arms to soothe him; Hush, she whispered as she stroked his brow. It's all right now. You're safe. The screams turned to whimpers, and his terror abated. She continued to stroke him until she felt him relax and heard his breathing calm. A few months ago she wouldn't have noticed the extremely subtle clues as to his thoughts, and she doubted that many other people would notice those clues under any circumstances. She was simply attuned to Blade's responses, to the way he looked at and touched the objects around him. It was there in his expression, in the way he appreciated her without any trace of possessiveness. The heart-stopping howling started all over again an hour later, and she repeated the ritual a second time. She could tell a lot of things about the camp from a mere glance. Not the mention their habit of spending half the night gossiping by the campfires. The lightening in the sky rumbled, after staying out to light up their camp a few times in brief flashes like a faulty bulb, the moon finally tucked itself behind low streaks of black clouds, leaving blackness behind.

I usually didn’t care what happened in the dream, but once again, as earlier in the night, curiosity got the best of me. Something warned me that it was going to happen that night. Was it just a coincident? Something told me it wasn’t.

*They somehow knew my name.*

In the forests of those twisted woods, whose high immense oaks interweaves around the fortress, Sazz groping, however, had no fear; for she was an old dreamer and had learnt their language and made many a treaty with them; she knew the many obscure secrets of the dream world and a few of the waking world, since the woods at two places touched the clearing. Mystery hung about it as clouds darkened, she saw the fabulous unvisited mountain; and as Sazz stood breathless, there swept up to her the poignancy and suspense of almost-vanished memory, the pain of lost things and the maddening need to place again what once had been an awesome and momentous place. She knew that for her its meaning must once have been supreme; though in what cycle or incarnation she had known it, or whether in dream or in waking, she could not tell. I had been telling myself that somehow the Evil One had just been stalking me … that it was crazy. But there was more to it. There had to be or maybe I was crazy.

~Central Command~

-o0o-

So much responsibility on his shoulders, and sometimes it weighed heavily on him. Especially now, with more and more of the wolves coming through the Dream Gate. There were always little nagging worries that kept him busy and awake at night. Based on what you've told me, the dreams are all the same, Sazz pointed out. It's just a nightmare, she said. Repressed memories, working their way out. They're not repressed," Blade said. He wondered if the fog had triggered his nightmares, then again, he didn't need anything to trigger them. They seemed to come almost nightly. How many nights this week had he repeated this same dream, with its same routine? He tried to add them up but couldn't honestly recall. It had become far too common. Why did he try harder and harder to see the truth each time the dream started? He knew the answer, but didn't want to admit it. Survivor's guilt was complicated. Blade knew this. He had friends who did not come back from Iraq and Afghanistan. She didn't know what lay beneath the dreams, and suddenly she didn't want to know. Sazz only wanted to leave, to get out of there, before the truth was revealed. Blade glared at her until the echoes of her high-heeled boots clicking against the marble floor had faded away. Sazz had her charms, one of which was her ability with computers and systems. At least they had that in common, for Blade was an accomplished programmer in his own right. But she couldn't see the big picture like he did. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the satisfying feel of the salty air, then exhaled a cloud of mist and shook his head.

Sazz had never volunteered the information, and there was something about her that made you think twice before you intruded on her very private space. Blade assumed she was in her mid-thirties but he would never ask her or bet on it. The bond between them was as strong as any that could existed between lovers, as she wasn't just his friend, she was his secret also. Their relationship had been off and on for awhile, and even if he wanted to, he could never completely end it with her. The day was just about perfect... A good day to make his selections, and all day, there hadn't been even the slightest hint of their lovemaking the night before. Blade cupped his chin with his hand and was silent for a long moment as he stared out across the gathering bunch, realizing it would not be easy to decide just who to choose. Only two days and then they'd be on their way back to the main base at Central Command, and that didn't leave very much time for them to be alone together. She walked toward him, making no sound, until she could see what he watched so intently. She was quiet for a moment. How did you know I was here? He pitched his thought to her. Because you're concentrating on something very hard and it's a sixth sense I have, she smiled, Blade turned to face her. He looked ten years younger than he was: his face was barely lined, his coppery hair had no hint of gray, and Spartan self discipline kept him trim and well muscled. But what struck Sazz the most was the ridged nose, a certain angularity, lent his features strength. What she saw in his eyes now, was the concern for her.

He smiled a little. After all we're two people in love, who've never been away together, alone in a beautiful place. We ought to be able to do something about that. His tone, as so often, combined softness with seriousness. Sazz knew by now that this was another way he protected them both; to say how deeply he felt made him too vulnerable, and Blade did not want others to feel responsible for him. But buying these few days of freedom had been the only thing that he could do for them.

He kissed her forehead. Until we get to Command Central, he said in the same quiet voice, I'd like to talk about us and even to decide our future. Silent, Sazz took his hands into hers, looking up at him, she meet his searching gaze, and then slowly she backed away from him, letting her eyes drop to the ground, shyly.

Make love to me, Blade, please. He sweep her off her feet and carried her into the night. She put her arms around his neck and patiently waited for him to tell her where he was taking her. In truth, she had already come to terms with the inevitable. She loved this man with all her heart, and at the moment that was all that mattered.

Blade carried her to bed and laying her down, looked into her face. His hand, slowly tracing the bone of her neck, made her shiver. Her eyes closed, in the last instant before becoming lost in Blade entirely. She traced a line down the side of his face with her fingertip to get his attention. Sazz thought of the day when they'd first met, when her life changed forever. She was Blade's associate then, not his lover. She kissed the side of his neck, and bit his earlobe. He wanted to woo her with sweet, loving words, so that she would know how much she meant to him, but didn't know what to say because he was unschooled in the gentle ways of seduction.

I can't concentrate when I am around you, but I'll do my best, he laughed. You aren't always going to get your way.

Sure I am, she giggled. She looked, she decided ruefully, like a woman who'd just had a screaming climax and needed more. That telltale glow was still there. He leaned back against the headboard and let out a sigh of male satisfaction.

I get next to you, Sazz, I become confident in a big way. The fire in his eyes was much brighter than the lingering glow of the setting sun in the west and seeing the fears from the dream through those eyes made him remember those last few horrible days.

So he hid from the sounds, and the light; and even the camp so that no one could see his guilt and despair. The rest of the day was a blur, as he got used to being locked inside of himself. Eventually he even managed to not want or need anyone at all. The problem was that Sazz, his trusted friend, ever faithful, was part of a earlier time. But those good times just seemed to fade away as if they belonged to someone else.

Blade had the kind of charm that she needed, but sometimes he could be as dumb as a brick. I see what you mean, we'll have to be more discreet until we find a way to figure us out without causing a fuss. There was a moment when he looked at her, and Blade looking at her was more seductive than the touch of any other. He seemed to drink her in, and as he did, she came alive before stepping back into his embrace and savoring the power of his arms as they came around her. Their lips locked passionately again, and she became instantly and desperately immersed in him in every sensation that his touch brought. For infinitely miraculous minutes there was nothing in the world but being with him, feeling the slick side of his body against hers, the remarkable intensity of his sex and the very simple wonder of being so excruciatingly intimate together.

She looked at him and smiled and wondered how life could change so entirely and so quickly. But it had changed and she knew that what she was sharing with Blade was more than sexual attraction that was so strong and seemed to be so natural, so easy. Maybe they were just destined to be together.

Sazz was still sleeping when Blade woke. He eased out of bed, looking down at her, and it seemed impossible that the passionate creature who had ruled his senses, his libido, the entire night, could appear so pure and innocent by the light of day. With the sun shining in on her, the line of her back against the cool white of the sheets curved like alabaster, the kind of beauty sculptors longed to capture.

He knew Sazz had something that was far more acute than whatever power he possessed himself, and he worried about her. Now, by the light of a brand new day, there was the coalition, or team that they must tackle and solve. His shoulders bunched up around his ears with tight resolve, enveloped in a constant state of awareness.

There was no need to go into the fine nuances of just what the term complications meant. They both knew how carefully this matter of them being together would have to be handled if they were to avoid attracting unwanted attention to themselves. A sense of satisfaction flowed through him, lifting his spirits. He opened the front door and hesitated a fraction of a second on the threshold. He had already learned one lesson today, he reminded himself, but nothing terrible happened and once over the threshold, he relaxed. There was nothing alarming outside in the courtyard. The door squeaked on its hinges as he pulled it shut, as he made his way out, he locked the door behind him, and headed into the courtyard.

~The Quickening Soul~

-o0o-

It is the the meaning of life, a simple pleasure,a breathe,an emotion,a grant in time,and a morn of death. It is what is inside you,and living in me. It is life's ups,downs. Its' smiles and its' tears. It is everything you are,and nothingness. It is the deep down emotion that eats away at your strength,and brings you to your knees. It is that fork in the road.

The stone amidst the path,and the ruts in the barren field. It is that step through the door,and yet,one step backward. It is the cherish moment in time,and a moment that time forgot. It is a empty whiskey bottle on the shelf that says When!and the shoebox wrapped in a tiny string,in the bottom drawer,only a reminder of time as it use to be.

It is the time when the biggest fear is losing the one you love the most,and letting go to go onward. It is that first of everything. Words, steps, date, kiss,and child. It is the single expression of a longing,truth,innocent,and a shear promise.

A touch,a caress,in the shadow of the dark,and the warmth of the sun. It is the glimmer in someones eyes, and the glistening of the bare skin. It is the walk in the park,and a blanket on a rivers bend. A cricket serenading,and the birds inspiring the night sounds. Life's little meanings becomes pleasures. Cold feet warming under the covers, arms enticing the other. A favorite song,playing a symphony of ecstasy. A couple laying ,watching their favorite movie,just long enough to fall asleep in each other gentleness. Two pillows,a blanket,a bottle of wine,and candles in a moonlit night. Then taking those same two pillows,to see who can make the stuffing come out of them first. I will win. A passionate kiss,within the trickling of the rain. Life's little meaning,becomes a smile. A note,just a reminder, how much someone cares.

There is no rhyme nor reason for this,just because. A warm sponge bath to some acking,while talking of the tomorrows together. It is a look,a glance,in the mirrors of the soul.A kinship, a callin, within an embrace. It is knowing someone that you never met,within a bus station,a train depot,or the corner market. It is the knowing,the thoughts of another,without spoken. It is a feeling of being safe,and the danger all at the same time. It is the excitement,fulfilling pleasure,devouring the need. The sublential passion of fire,a blaze,that cannot be put out,nor dwindle. The rage of a flame.

A child,a mother. A son,a father. God,spirit,and the holy ghost.It is serenity,the stillness,and the quake. The possesion. The anger,damnation,and eternity. Fire and ice. Red and black.It is the soul,flesh,bones,and blood. All encase in a matrix effect. Yet,freedom beyond compare. it is the sound of your own heartbeat. In the mince of a crowd.

Life's little meanings becomes a look. It is the way you gaze upon a wretched soul,and see the beauty of it all. It is the just cause,and the cause justice. It is reaching for a gold ring,grasping its' meaning,and reading its' inscription.OUR LOVE TAKES WINGS It is the touch of a morning rose,as the dew drip from its' pedals.

The smell of lilac throughout the rooms. It is the flickering of a butterfly as it sets so softly upon ones finger. It is the coolest part of the day,and the blistering of the night. It is the twinge that needles the aching of one so missed. It is the stars that you can't count. It is a quest of uncertainty,and the knowing of all fate. Just beyond the grasped of eternity. It is your lips tasting mine. It is every time you whisper Good-night,and within the break of dawn. It is the quickening inside me, it is you.

~The Shadow Hunters~

-o0o-

Blade laid full length on the ground, then reached downward toward the tunnel and plunged his head below the surface, to see what it contained. An instant later he and Sazz was jumping into the depths of the tunnel.

The tunnel a dark descent was the tomb of a dream. Someone had dug this thing using God knew what kind of equipment under the hard sun, worked like a fool for a dream that led to nothing but failure and dashed hopes, it had lasted much longer already than its maker. The tunnels branched outward. His light disappeared down one of the passages. They went left, the sinister direction, the way they always went in the movies when there was a choice. Ten minutes later Sazz and Blade was a quarter of a mile down into the tunnel and hardly knew where it was taking them.

Thorn tugged at his sleeve and hissed, Over here.

Blade and Sazz were surprised at the man, and noticed the runes inked all over his wrists, the back of his hands, his palms.

You know what I am.

The Shadowhunter told them of a secret association that is responsible for tracking down, capturing and eliminating all Downworlders. This specific group is a combination of the Angel Raziel's blood and Human blood,also known as Nephilim, which allows them to wield angelic blades and create magical runes.

He was an ageless and immortal sorcerer, who is still hunting even after more than two millennium, since immersing himself in a magical flame, and claims that there was leader was the reincarnation of a long-dead creature he lost track.

Blade was one of the seasoned Blademasters that represented an elite fighting force and felt being a original Blademaster, that the Shadowhunter was one of his brethren.

There were others like him all over the universe, one or two to a planet, all monitoring their own worlds, all communicating their acquired knowledge to their brothers and sisters elsewhere. Between them, they saw everything, knew everything, understood everything and everyone. As if they were Gods.

Deep in the water pooled between two large boulders, he felt the man approaching behind him. He stopped a few feet away from his back, a dozen or so dead trolls in a misshapen semi-circle behind him.

He shivered, partly through cold and partly through premonition. This could be the end for him. And it could soon be the end for everyone, if only they knew it.

He sent his wishes to the other Watchers, spread out across a universe of swirling galaxies. They protested, but he held firm. There was hope of a kind, if they did as he bid them. Hope for others, but maybe not for him.

The man stepped forwards. Taking his shoulders, he lifted him to his