Let's Play!

" rreally, but that's not for now."

Darryn shrugged.



"That's okay. I'm not sure I would be brave enough to eat a two-hundred-year-old twinkie, to tell you the truth." He sighed inwardly as they mounted yet another set of stairs. Woohoo.

" The oldest thing in that room is two years."



Ashleigh replied, looking out of over the snow blowing about, the peak not covered yet, but give it another ten minutes.

Darryn looked at the ever-decreasing space.



"You think I could fit through there?" He eyed it and sucked in his stomach.



"Maybe if I suck it in like this?"

" Yes, but, I fear you'd not lasy long. None would out there right now."

Darryn let out a huge breath, his stomach falling back into place.



"You're probably right. Besides, the old battle wound gives me fits during storms, you know." He joking patted the same padding as this morning.

Smiling, Ashleigh nodded.



" Well, looks like your my little rescued prisoner for a while."

Darryn rubbed his chin in thought.



"You know... I think there might be an oxymoron in that."

" Perhaps one or two, either way, your now my play thing."

Darryn looked at her with a curious expression.



"What precisely does that entail?" The man glanced her over, suddenly wondering if he could win in a fight against her.

" Nothing more then it has to this point. don't anger me, adn your free to roam, and potentially kill yourself, if you like."

Darryn sighed, speaking with a deadline voice.



"Well darn. Angering is my favorite thing to do after Lunper. I guess I'll have to skip it if I want to have the opportunity to complete my murder marathon after my midnight snack."

" well, your simply a love bunch of weeds, aren't you?"

"Don't you know it." Darryn reached to run his hand down and brush some imaginary dust off his sleeve when he realized that he wasn't wearing one. Now Ashleigh had a random soiled shirt laying beside a trap in some hallway somewhere. Oops?

" You know where to find more clothes, I'd have my lil one guide you through, but your not a fan of wolves..."

Darryn just shrugged.



"Well..." That was it. It wasn't like he could deny it. And agreeing didn't seem like it would help him in any way.

" So, do you trust little Skye, or not?"

Darryn looked at her.



"Well, Skye... Yes. He is okay." Not to mention it would be a crying shame if he were to die to an itty bitty wolf pup.

smiling, she whistled and watched the pup come runnign moments later, kissing his nose and instructing him to take care of their guest, leaving darryn at the mercy of a mere pup.

Darryn looked down at the cub a little skeptically.



"Um... Hi." He knelt down and held out his hand to the animal.

Skye kind of barked, tail wagging as he stared up at Darryn, moving to chew on his shoe... Yep, thought he was pup...

Darryn slid his foot back.



"Hey now..." Darryn squatted down, rubbing the pup's thick fur.



"Listen, we have to behave or Ashleigh will kick us both out." He sighed, noting that he was talking to a dog.



"Now. I'm Darryn. Glad to meet you, Skye."

wiggling and licking his face, the pup circled him, waiting to find where he wanted to go.

Darryn wrinkled his nose, looking at the little creature.



"Okay. I really need a shirt. And... man do I feel dumb asking this, but..." He sighed. "Do you know how to get back to where I was staying?"

Barking and spinnign about, he lead off in what appeared to be a random direction as his tail wagged.

Darryn sighed, bobbing between a brisk walk and a slow jog to keep up with the little fella.



"Heaven help me."

Soon ... soon as in within thirty minutes, the pup walked into Darryn's current room, perfectly pleased with himself, and currently expecting praise.

Darryn looked around, at first not sure if they were really there. There had been two false alarms where they were just passing through... and then there was the whole fact that he was sure it hadn't taken him a half hour to travel to where he had started. So the skepticism was understandable.



"Finally!" Darryn shouted joyously. The man swept up the wolf and would have probably kissed him if it weren't for the fact that Skye was... well... a wolf. "Thank you! I am never leaving this room! Ever! Until I leave!"

Happy he'd done well, the pup wagged his tail, perfectly happy.

After placing the creature down, Darryn rifled through the wardrobe until he found a t-shirt in his size. He then did two things he had been looking forward to. 1. He pulled on a clean shirt. 2. He plunked down flat on his face in the bed.

Ashleigh however was in her room, removing finger prints, diligently.

Darryn drifted off to sleep, much without his own knowing.



"Come on, Scrawny. Can't you even jump up here?" He looked up at the branch so high above his head. He was only three, and the tree was so big. The other kids were laughing. "I bet you he isn't even really one of us. He's a daywalker." He refused to be insulted like that. "AM NOT!" "ARE TOO!" "AM NOT!" "PROVE IT!" He went to jump... and then suddenly he was falling, falling down into a pit of spikes, spikes that spread upwards and grew wolfish bodies and gaping maws that howled at him, beckoning him closer as he fell.



On the bright side, he wasn't screaming this time.

Catching the disturbance in her house, slowly she wondered to Darryn's room, watching him sleep, smiling to herself, shaking her head.



" Poor boy..."



Not knowing what it was about, she slowly walked over and woke him gently, looking him over.

Darryn didn't start as before, slowly rolling back and blinking his eyes several times before realizing that he was awake and out of the dream. He swallowed hard, trying to ease the dryness in his mouth.



"Huh?" His voice was thick and coarse with sleep, but he would take it any day. He was secretly thankful.

" Want a drink? You looked thirsty."

Darryn blinked a few times.



"You woke me up... because I looked thirsty..." He was kind of at a loss on that one but smiled at her anyhow.



"I suppose I should. You are the doctor, after all."

Smiling, Ashleigh handed him some pomegranate juice, watching the star and moon shaped cubs move about in the glass.

((heehee!))



Darryn looked down at it a bit skeptically. Still, he found himself smiling at the ice cubes as he took as swallow. The man wrinkled his nose and then took another tentative sip, trying to determine if he liked it.



"What is it?"

" Pomegranate lemonade, it's extremely healthy for you, and hydrating too. Now drink."



men. I make it from scratch, home grown sugar cane and all, and he wrinkles his nose, I'd like to see him grow and process sugar.

Darryn just gave a smile and took another sip.



"Kind of strong, if you don't mind a bit of criticism."