Narah and Agni

Narah's favorite part of the job was roaming the rooftops at night with the speed of a cheetah, the eyes of an owl, or the strength of a gorilla. She loved the rush of adrenaline as she vaulted from building to building, on the lookout for danger.

Tonight, though, she knew where she was going. There was a fire down by the docks. She'd heard a certain villain had been poking around there the night before and the fire only confirmed her suspicions.

Agni had returned.

It'd been two months since she'd even heard a whisper about him. He hadn't been visiting his usual spots in the slums. It was strange that he was down by the docks at all.

But sure enough, as she approached the docks she began to see the glow of the flames. They'd almost completely consumed the buildings along the edge of the docks, the cargo on the docks themselves, and one of the ships docked nearby. There was a space that was empty, however, and several figures were huddled there.

Focusing, Narah channeled the owl, letting the animal run free in her mind for a moment. It took over and suddenly she was the owl, flying through the air toward the figures in the fire. She could see everything in great detail with the owl's eyes, the dark city suddenly spreading before her, doused in bright moonlight unlike how her human eyes had seen it. She dropped down next to the figures, the shift fading and leaving behind only herself.

As she'd suspected, it was Agni. He stood there in all his fierce glory, black and gold uniform shining in the firelight. There were three dock workers there as well, huddled together with fear in their eyes. One of them had a bloody nose.

Agni had seen her land and whirled on her now, eyes blazing red behind his mask.

"You should have told me you were back, Agni," Narah bantered. "I would have thrown you a party."

"Shame I missed it," Agni retorted. "Guess I'll just have to throw one myself." At that, his hands caught fire, flames dancing along his arms. He threw it at her, balls of fire hurling through the air in her direction.

She felt the power surge through her as she channeled the cheetah, bounding out of the way just in time. She dodged the first one, leaping and rolling so that the second went flying over her head. She changed directions suddenly, feeling her power swell as she aimed a right hook directly at his face.

She felt heat singe the side of her face and the two of them were pushed away from each other. She'd hit him though, and there was blood on his teeth to prove it. He smiled, "Good one, Nar. But not good enough."

The volley of flame that came after was nearly impossible to avoid. The cheetah's speed was perfect for short bursts, but didn't have the stamina to keep up. So she let that go and instead channeled the wolf.

A growl left her throat as she lunged for him again, this time aiming a kick to his side. It connected and he was put off-balance. He cried out softly in pain, returning the blow quickly with a closed fist. She felt the heat mingled with a searing pain as he delivered an uppercut to her abdomen. But it wasn't enough to deter her from her goal.

The time for banter was over. They both got serious then, dancing around like the flames that surrounded them. She was landing more hits than he was, but she was also getting tired. He was looking rougher, favoring the places she'd hit over and over, but his fire was as hot as always.

She slid back, panting. There was a sheen of sweat on her brow. Agni was also breathing heavily, red eyes fading to a cool amber. Something caught his eye behind her and he took a step back. "Perhaps we should call it a night, Narah. It seems to be getting late, after all."

There was the crack of lightning and suddenly another one of the city's heroes, Silverspark, was standing next to her. "Need some backup?"

Agni gave her a cheeky salute, grinning, "Until next time."

He leapt up into the sky, flying away in a blaze of flame.

Narah swore and whirled on Silverspark, "What are you doing here? This was my fight."

Silver took a step back, holding up his hands, "Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to interfere. But the fire kept spreading, so I thought you might need some assistance."

Silverspark was a handsome young man. Narah thought perhaps he was a bit younger than her, although she couldn't really tell with the silver mask across his face. He had pitch black hair and tan skin, slightly darker than her own. His uniform was mostly silver, with stripes of white and electric blue like lightning.

Narah sighed, "It's fine. Let's focus on putting out the fire. And we need to get these civilians to safety."

She could hear sirens in the distance now. She was grateful that they'd hopefully have firetrucks on the scene within moments.

She turned to the three dock workers, "Come on, let's get you out of here."

Silverspark became lightning for a moment, disappearing and reappearing on top of a tall light pole that stood near the fire. "There's a path to your right that looks to be safe-ish."

"Thanks, Silver," she made her way to the right, making sure to keep the workers close. They coughed in the smoke, covering their mouths and noses as best they could until they were clear. It burned in her throat and lungs, making it difficult to breathe at all. Two firetrucks and an ambulance arrived then, rushing out to put the fire out. Narah left the three dock workers with the ambulance and waved Silverspark back down.

He appeared next to her with a crack of thunder, smiling faintly, "Well gee, you really didn't need my help. Sorry to steal your thunder."

"It's fine," she waved it off. "Thanks for stopping by anyway. I think the firefighters have it from here."

"You're probably right." Silverspark got serious then, looking out into the flames. "Hey, Narah? Have you heard of someone named Bloodstain?"

Narah felt cold suddenly, despite the heat of the fire, "Yes, of course. He's been leaving a trail of bodies from city to city for months. He's even killed heroes."

"Villains, too," Silver's eyes seemed to gleam in the firelight. "Did you hear about the last murder?"

"The villain from the Springs? Yeah, I heard about it."

Silverspark shook his head, "No, they recovered another body this morning, a civilian."

Narah's eyes widened. "Another one? Was it in the Springs again?"

"No, it was in Southside Park," he revealed.

Narah took a step back, covering her mouth with a hand. No, it couldn't be. "But… that means…"

"Bloodstain is here in the city."

@shipperwithnomisterssecondblog

Every Halloween for as long as anyone could remember, someone went missing. It was shrugged off as coincidence, that Halloween was an opportunity for a kidnapping. But those who were taken were never found, and no evidence ever came up to point towards a kidnapper. It was like they simply vanished.

One Halloween night when you were a child, you remember walking along with your friends. You were separated from them by accident and wandered through a secluded area of the city.

Suddenly, someone grabbed you, placing their hand over your mouth and hefting you up in their arms. You tried to scream, kicking out with your legs, but they were too strong. They carried you into a dark alleyway and deposited you on the ground.

You whirled around to face your captor, trembling in fear. He looked like a normal person, but his skin and eyes seemed odd. They were waxy and somehow didn't quite seem right. You tried to scoot away from your captor, but behind you came the voice of someone else.

"No, not that one," a smooth voice said from the shadows.

The man with the strange skin scoffed, crossing his arms, "You've never been picky before. Why now?"

"You must never harm this one," the voice responded almost gently, "Take [him/her/them] back."

"Fine," the man responded. He reached for you. You tried to evade him, whimpering in fear. He growled in anger, "Come here, you little mongrel."

From the shadows came a growl. Suddenly, you were scooped up in gentle arms, pulled into the shadows. "It's okay, little one," the being cooed softly, carrying you towards the entrance to the alley. The shadows moved around them as though they were part of them. The being deposited you gently just outside of the alleyway. "Run along. There's no need to be afraid."

You could not see their face, but their eyes glowed red from the shadows. A moment later, they were gone. And you were alone on the street.

Years had passed. Now, as an adult, you stood at the entrance to that same alleyway on Halloween night.

You had never dared come back for so many years, but something about tonight had drawn you to this place.

You cautiously entered the alleyway, eyes searching through the darkness. Had all those things really happened? Or was it the overactive imagination of a child?

But a smooth voice came from the shadows then, confirming your suspicions. "Hello, little one."

Spooky Month Prompt 6

"Mom?" You call, walking down the hallway. You look through the doorway into her empty bedroom.

"I'm in the kitchen!" She calls.

You plod down the stairs, hand sliding down the railing. Your mother is cooking something over the stove.

She smiles at you, "Hey sweetie."

"Mom, I thought we didn't have any photos of dad?" You question.

She tilted her head to the side, "We don't."

You hold up the worn photograph, "Then what's this?"

She takes it from you, but then immediately drops it with a yelp. Taking a step back, she hisses, "Where did you find that?"

You pick up the photograph, looking at it. "What's wrong, Mom?" You ask.

The photograph depicts you and your mother, smiling. Behind you is a shadowy figure. Red eyes glow from beneath a dark hood, inspiring fear.

You feel your own eyes begin to glow as a grin spreads across your face. "It's only dad."

Spooky Month Prompt 1

You were never afraid of the dark. Even as a young child, it never scared you. Shadows crawled on the wall, and you dismissed them. You got used to darkness, and you did not fear it.

Now you are an adult living alone outside of the city. As you drift to sleep, the door slowly creeps open on its own. You should have been scared. Any sane person would have been scared. But as you open your eyes and see the shadowy form slowly approaching your bedside, you can only smile sleepily.

"Hello, my old friend," you whisper to the darkness.