His panic was at its limits. All he could do was think about what he had just done. His mind was so devoid of any other thought that you could practically hear the question ricochet in his skull as he ran. The other soldiers would have noticed his absence by then. He didn't know where he was going. Not that it mattered. The girl he carried had to be protected. Rather, the ability she inherited from her parents had to be protected. That was the promise he made to them. It was their dying request and seeing as how he was their executioner, the least he could do was oblige. After all, they were comrades once. Bound by slavery and made to do the bidding of forces more powerful than they were, they understood each other. They understood that those bastards didn't deserve to get what they wanted. Maybe this time, instead, they'd get what they deserved.

The soldier discovered the mouth of a cave but chose not to hide inside. Instead, he decided to hold up with the child in a narrow elevated valley just off to the side of it. Caves harbor creatures and there was no telling what could be lurking in the dark. The terrain in the valley was tight, jagged and provided good cover. It also wasn't ideal for a troop of soldiers to enter. Not perfect but it was the best place to rest for the moment. He needed to calm himself and the child. Her mouth was gagged but she sobbed uncontrollably, her voice only barely muffled by the cloth. The soldier took off his helmet and revealed six small upturned horns on the top of his forehead. His face, although young, was weary as though he had lived for centuries. Upon seeing him, the girl stopped crying and kicking her hoofed feet. He was … beautiful. He wasn't at all what she expected. His amber irises shone bright in the shadowy corner they hid in. After a brief silence, he spoke.

"You. You have to stay quiet or they'll find us." He said. "If they find us, they'll kill me and enslave you."

The girl nodded. His voice was so smooth and soothing. It was mesmerizing and she sat there without a sound as the soldier removed her gag.

"Why did you … my mom … dad?" asked the girl.

"They wanted me to … so the other soldiers wouldn't get them."

The child sat in place and puzzled over the situation. She was barely old enough to comprehend it all. What she did know was that her parents were gone and the beautiful soldier took them from her. She wanted to hate him but she couldn't and didn't know why.

"Were you given a name?" he asked.

"R … Ren." said the girl.

"Ok then, Ren. We'll wait here for a while. Once we know we weren’t followed, we'll leave."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Far away. Anywhere they can't reach us."

"How will we know when we're far enough?"

"Heh … well, we'll just know when we are. Ok?"

"Ok, mister." She paused. "I don't know your name."

"Pfft, course not. I don't have one." He scoffed.

"So what do I call you?"

"I dunno. Soldier, runt, you there, those have all worked so far. Doesn't matter to me."

"My mom and dad … shared a name. Tegan. It's the only other name I know."

"Call me whatever you want. Still doesn't matter." he said with a kind smirk.

"Ok, mister." She smiled. "Tegan."

----

The sound of thunder and the flickering light of a campfire coaxes Ren's eyes open. She's warm but not because of the flame. As she sits up she realizes she's been dressed in a slightly grubby pair of overalls and wrapped in a musty blanket. It only takes a second for her to scan her surroundings. It's a barn? No, a stable. It's in decent shape despite a few small holes in the upper walls. The skeletal remains of whatever animals were once kept there still lay scattered about in the various pens. A hefty pile of small logs and sticks is stacked a few feet away from her by the entrance and just as she notices it, Tegan walks in with more to add to the mound. All he has on is a pair of ratty blue jeans with holes in the knees.

"I did it." she whispers to herself with a smile. "It's been so long … didn't think I still could."

Tegan doesn't acknowledge her at all but is visibly irritated as he heads back outside and out of sight.

"I got us out!" she announces. "Tegan?"

He doesn't say anything as a bunch of sticks fly into the stable to haphazardly join the pile.

"Tegan?" She gets up holding the blanket around her and makes her way to the door. "Teg-AH!" She's pelted with firewood as she reaches the threshold. Tegan faces the other way, gathering up more wood. "Are you gonna say something? Like 'Thanks for the save' maybe?"

He walks past her carrying another bundle and drops it onto the rest inside.

"… Tegan. Say something …"

He stands there for a bit looking down at the sticks. His hands are balled into fists but slowly they relax before he walks over to the fire and sits. Ren cautiously follows him. It's been a long time since she's seen him aggravated enough to ignore her entirely. She walks around the fire to sit and face him.

"… you should be happy." she mutters.

He looks at her as if the words she spoke smelled like shit. "Happy? To be on the run again? To be back in Earth after I spent decades trying to get outta here?"

"Uh … well-"

"After spending who knows how long on the other side trying to get back to you?" He stands back up. "After making sure you were safe and that everyone who could possibly want to use you like a fucking living round trip flight between one shit hole and the next were dead or gone, you thought, in that little head of yours, that I should be happy TO FUCKING DO IT AGAIN!"

"… no, I …"

"But wait. That's probably more than I deserve, since I'm just a killer who should be punished, right?"

All the tears. "… you're … we're together."

"We are. You got what you wanted." He kicks the campfire, scattering it's burning contents across the cement floor to the side of Ren. She sits there, staring forward, crying to herself. "You should be happy."

Neither of them say anything. Neither of them move. Neither of them look directly at the other. They both stay where they are. One sitting. One standing. A couple feet away but painfully distant. The constant rumble of thunder is all that can be heard as the mess of ember dims and soon dies.

----

The soldier carried the child on his back. They needed somewhere to lay low. The chances of finding a safe place were slimmer than a strand of hair but eventually they stumbled upon a small settlement built into the side of a cliff. It was risky but Tegan figured they could disappear in the crowds for a while. His former brothers in arms weren't the brightest and most likely wouldn't think to look for them in a place like that. Not to mention, he wasn't entirely sure if they even knew the girl existed. However, he was certain that she'd be taken if they found her with him. He didn't want to think about the awful shit they'd do to her if that happened. Maybe he could find someone else to take her off his hands. After all, he'd be the one they were looking for.

The main entrance was wide open and it led to something like a hallway/street. It was filthy and broken as if it was recently ransacked. The individuals there moved like they were in a daze, rearranging the wreckage into makeshift tents or fences … but like they didn't know exactly how. Whatever this place was, the ones in charge were clearly gone and the ones left behind had no idea what to do.

"What are they doing?" asked Ren.

"I dunno." said Tegan. "I don't think they know either."

They wandered for a while before Tegan found an alley with a discarded pile of thick rags made from the hide of some kinda hairy beast. He used them to make a big cloak, removed any distinguishing pieces of his armor and wore the cloth over himself and Ren.

"This thing is stinky." she said.

"I've smelled worse things than this." he replied.

"Like what?

Tegan thought for a second as they walked. He opted to make something up and not get into the specifics about the smell of decaying corpses.

"A Stenchosaurus."

"A Stesh-what?" she giggled.

"Stenchosaurus." he repeated with conviction. "Also known as Stankious Rankbottomous." He imitated an old British accent as he described the fictional creature to a delighted little Ren. He told her it was massive with an enormous rear end wider than he could spread his arms. That didn't stop Ren from trying to gauge its width with her own tiny arms while sitting on his shoulders. He detailed the sound it made as it attacked by placing a hand on his mouth and blowing a farting noise that became something of a roar. "Phphphwroaar!"

"Fwraar! Hehe, what did it smell like?"

"Like a big anus."

"Is that another animal?"

"No, that's a butthole."

"A BUTTHOLE!" She laughed uncontrollably.

"Ha, yeah. Maybe don't go around screaming butthole out loud though."

"Butthole." she whispered.

"Ok, a kid whispering that by my ear is definitely worse." he said having regretted his choice to expand the girl's vocabulary.

Suddenly, they heard a scream from somewhere behind them. Tegan shifted Ren from atop his shoulders to the classic piggyback position so the smelly cloak could conceal them better. Almost immediately after doing so, a child darted out from an alley and sprinted past them, followed by a giant short haired serpent-like thing. It easily caught the child with a bite and opened a series of gills above its dry pale eyes. The predator took in a hefty sniff through the slits in its head as its young victim cried in distress. Then it flung the screaming child into the ground at full force and all was quiet.

"What's happening?" whispered Ren as she tried to sneak a peek.

Tegan softly shushed her and carefully backed away after having noticed that the motionless child in front of them was wearing a piece of the armor he took off. That thing had their scent and they just barely avoided its detection. Their new fragrant outfit worked exactly as Tegan hoped it would. However, he didn't expect it would pay off that soon.

"Stay quiet for a while." he whispered. "We're leaving."

He turned to make their escape but stopped dead in his tracks. Another serpent was right in front of them. It sniffed at them and glared with its unblinking eyes. This thing was old and intelligent, with cold precise mannerisms honed to track its targets with deadly accuracy. Tegan was prepared for their odorous disguise to work at a distance but not up close. This was bad. What made this encounter even worse was that this particular beast … was his. He left it behind when he fled with Ren, meaning the other soldiers must've sent it after him. It could follow him anywhere. He had to lose it somehow because it definitely recognized him.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until I say." he whispered to Ren. She responded with a nod, buried her face in the back of his neck and held on tight.

With his serpent close behind him, Tegan turned and walked toward the dead child in the street. He knelt and used the cloak like a tarp to cover himself, Ren and the corpse. Then he took his piece of armor off the body and threw it as far down the street as he could. The two snakes lunged after it which gave him time to inspect the child, a stout boy with stubby horns and dull claws. With nothing sharp on the boy that he could use, Tegan used his own claws to open the bite wounds on the tiny victim's belly. He dug out its insides and smeared them all over himself and as much of Ren as he could reach. The blood was still warm. Some of the organs maintained a weak pulse that eventually stopped once they were completely removed.

"What is this?" Ren whispered trying not to gag.

Tegan replied with a calm shush once again and with the freshly opened body in his arms, he disappeared with Ren into the street, leaving limbs and organs scattered randomly as they made their way out of the settlement.

----

The view from the roof of the stable isn't much but it's enough to distract Tegan for a little while. He lays on his back staring up at the dark turbulent sky until his thoughts get the best of him. What are we gonna do? The queen must be furious. We can't go back now. Even if they did, there'd be no way for them to know where they'd end up. We're fucked. He thinks about Wraith for a moment. So much for excellence.

It starts to rain and Tegan begins making his way off the roof. Just before he hops down, he spots a pond not too far away. He pauses for longer than he realizes. Something feels weird about it … but he decides to ignore it and quickly descends to get inside. As he walks into the stable he sees Ren on her knees struggling to light a fire. She doesn't look at him. Her hands are scuffed and slightly bloodied. Clearly she's been at it for a while but rather than take over, Tegan waits and gives her a chance to do it herself. He taught her how to but it's been forever since they've been in Earth together. She manages to produce a small ribbon of smoke but gets too excited and breaks the sticks in her hands.

"Stupid fuarghh!" she yells and throws the sticks into the air before pulling her knees to her chest and retreating into herself. She doesn't look up until she hears the crackle of a flame. Her eyes meet Tegan's as he sits at the fire and he tosses her a box of matches.

"Should've left these down here." says Tegan.

She says nothing and places the box next to her. They have a stand off of sorts, waiting for the other to break the silence and set a temperature for any potential conversations. Neither of them plan to apologize but neither of them really want an apology anyway. Understanding that Ren won't say anything first, Tegan speaks.

"I haven't seen anyone around since we got here." he says. "Looks like it really is just the two of us from now on."

"Is that bad?" she quietly asks.

"… No, lamb chop. It's not … but you know we can't go back now, right?"

"I don't care. As long as you're here."

"Better not get tired of me." He lays down on his back. "We'll probably be here for a long time."

Ren crawls over and lies next to him on her stomach with her arms crossed under her head. "Are you still mad at me? I just wanted to help."

"You're fine. Doesn't matter now anyway." he says as he stares at the ceiling.

"Yeah …." She watches his face, trying to gauge what he's thinking. However, all she can think about is how he's barely aged. His hair is longer and his jaw is a little more defined but he's more or less the same as when they met. That is except for his eyes. His amber irises used to shine in the dark and although they're still pretty, they only give off a soft glow now. She thinks about how much she's grown since Tegan took her. Seems like a lifetime ago. What if they aren't able to age properly now because they keep getting new bodies? She's looked like a young woman for most of her time with him, which is fine with her. After all, she waited long enough for him to not see her as a little girl. Even after she was a decent age to confess her desires, she still had to convince him to take her virginity. In the end it came down to one question: Who else is going to do it? That was a compelling enough argument for him to reluctantly agree. She's only ever been with him. She's only ever wanted to be with him. Knowing that he's an incubus and that he naturally attracts female attention wasn't that big of a deal in the beginning. He was focused on her, focused on her safety. He never left her side and now it seems like he never will.

Tegan looks over at Ren. She's still staring at him, glossy eyed with her face half buried in her arms, smiling gently.

"You ok?" he asks.

"Yeah, I just realized something." she says.

"Hmm?"

"We're finally far enough."

"… Hm heh, we sure are. Haha."

"Hehe. We're so friggin far. Hehe."

"We are far as fuck! Hahaha!"

"Hehe hahaha!"

They laugh together, something they haven't done in so long it almost feels like a brand new experience. Like, what they said wasn't even that damn funny but they're in stitches on the floor. It's the kind of laughter that lingers and resurges just before it stops completely. It's the kind that hurts your stomach and makes your entire body hot. It's the kind that takes over until you can't remember why it started in the first place. It's desperate yet carefree and Ren manages to compose herself just long enough to pounce on Tegan, grab his face and kiss his lips. Their tongues meet to tango between their teeth. Their hands work together to remove the tattered clothes they're wearing. They fumble around on the floor, adjusting themselves until-

"Mmaahh …." she moans with content as he slips inside her. "Haahh always the right size."

Her movements are slow as she lays on top of him, working her hips around, savoring the feeling of him filling her exactly the way she wants. He matches her pace and they grind into each other as they continue to kiss. Their lips only separate when Ren expresses her satisfaction. Her arms wrap under Tegan's head and his hands find themselves on her petite but round ass. A firm squeeze and thrust makes her cry out before she kisses him harder, biting his bottom lip. She's missed this. She's missed having her Tegan all to herself. No one else knows her body and exactly how to please it. No one else should have him. No one else could have him. No one else will ever have him.

No one else.

She puts her hands on his chest to steady herself as she bucks into him. He holds her in place and pushes up into her. It's as if they're trying to get stuck in each other. Her head tilts back and her voice echoes through the stable without restraint. She feels electrified. This is far from her first time but that's not the case for her new body. She's rediscovering pleasure without the uncertainty or the fog of inexperience. It's like hearing an old song you haven't thought about in years and realizing you still know all the words as you sing along. She wonders if Tegan feels the same with his freshly resurrected form. Are they both lost in this familiar newness? If so, this is something only they can share. This is technically their first time. She gets to be his first. That thought overtakes her. She rides him like she's trying to tame an earthquake. She's never gotten like this before and she won't stop now. Not until she makes him cum. She wants to. She has to. She begs him for it through her ecstasy.

"Where do you want it?" he asks sweetly.

"Deep-uhh inside me." she pleads.

"Yes ma'am."

He obliges. It's the sorta thing he can do at will upon request. It's a useless bodily function for him. Only his partners benefit from it. What matters to him is giving ladies what they want. That's how he was built so that's what he enjoys. What she does to him doesn't get him off as much as giving her sexual gratification does. Although there's always been a darker more necessary reason behind it, he's never bothered to explain that to Ren. She'd take it the wrong way if she thought she couldn't satisfy him, even though that isn't the case. Nevertheless, the sensation of his throbbing rod pumping her full of himself serves its purpose yet again and brings Ren to a rather loud climax.

"… leave it in." she coos as she rests her body down on his. Her lips lightly peck his face and neck until she eventually succumbs to comfort and falls asleep on him.

Tegan lies on the floor holding onto Ren. He doesn't need sleep. Being put into a state of unconsciousness is the closest he's ever come to sleeping and that's never been fun … because that's when he sees them. Those countless faceless women continue to haunt him long after he took their lives. They wait for him behind the veil of his conscious mind, still craving him, always there to remind him that he's an incubus. That's the price he has to pay for survival. How else could a sexual entity like him last so long in Earth? He did what he had to do back then to stay in this mortal realm … and he did it all to make sure the girl currently in his arms was safe. She won't dance like the others. Not now or ever. She won't end up like her parents who he hasn't seen spazzing around lately. It's over. He actually kept his promise. Maybe they truly are somewhere far enough that nobody can find them. Maybe … after lifetimes of running, they can stop here.

The rain and thunder continue but there's something calm about it. At the moment, that's the worst that's out there. Tegan closes his eyes to linger in the sound of the elements. The rain, the thunder and … something else.

Singing?

----

With the settlement far behind them, the soldier sought shelter on the top of a cliff with a small cavity in it. He used the cloak like a curtain and took a moment to rest with the girl. There were things that had to be explained to her, things she needed to know in case they got separated.

"Are we safe here?" asked Ren, still covered in blood and bowels.

"Yeah, but we gotta keep moving." He said as he tried to clean off her face. "First, I need you to listen."

"Ok, Tegan." She said attentively.

"This might be hard to understand but try. Do you know what a key is?"

She shook her head.

"Alright … well a key is something that's made to open other things you normally can't get into. Does that make sense?"

"What kind of things?" she asked.

"Depends on the key. Some keys open treasure. Some open doors, gates, all kinds of things."

"How do you know which key opens what?"

"Uh … I guess you just hafta try them to know for sure. Anyway, what you need to know is … you're a key."

"Hehe, no I'm not. I'm a Ren."

"Ha, yes. You're a Ren and you're a key."

"How?"

"One of your parents was a very important key and it seems like you are too."

"I don't get it." She pouted.

"It's ok." He said reassuringly. "Because of your parents, you can open a specific gate to someplace called Earth."

"Errf?"

"Earth. With a thuh." He chuckled.

"Errthuh, hehe."

"Better. Now Earth is a big place. Much bigger than the things that live there think it is. It's a good place to hide so sometimes those of us who live here try to go there. They can't do that without keys like you."

"Can we hide there?"

"Maybe. You'd need to open a gate to Earth."

"Where's the gate?"

"That's up to you. You're a special kinda key. You get to choose what your gate is."

"How do I do that?"

"That … I dunno. But I do know that lots of bad guys were looking for your parents. They might not know about you but if they do, they'll take you and force you to make a gate to Earth."

"Why? Do they want to hide there?"

"No. They're looking for another bad guy who doesn't belong there."

"Are they friends?"

"Actually, they hate him. He's been hiding in Earth for a long time and they need keys to find him. I was forced to help them look for him."

"They hate him for hiding?"

"What he did before, that is why they hate him. He betrayed the truce between Creation and The Vile One and restarted their war. They found out what he did but he went to Earth before they could punish him. So because he did that, we all have to be punished until he's found."

"We should find him!" Ren said enthusiastically.

"Huh? Wish it was that simple, haha."

"If we find him the bad guys won't need keys anymore."

"You're right. But if they don't need keys anymore they might get rid of them to make sure no one else uses them like he did."

Ren's excitement faded as she tried to process everything. Tegan placed a hand on her head and smiled.

"Hey, don't worry. I won't let-"

Something grabbed Tegan by the waist and ejected him from the cavity! Ren screeched at the sight of him falling off the cliff and rushed to the edge to see if he was alright. He got caught on a ledge with the cloak not too far down and looked back at her with a thumbs up. She called out to him but her tiny voice was cut off with a yelp as she was swallowed whole by one of the serpents that was stalking them earlier!

"No! Fuck!"

The creature turned its attention to Tegan and lunged down at him! Luckily his arms were free and he caught the snake by the mouth. The impact dislodged him and he tumbled with the long monster to the bottom of the cliff. It whipped around frantically and sprouted seven spiny appendages that all started to stab at him! Its sharp legs wildly punctured him repeatedly. He had to do something. With his hands firmly clamped on the serpent's snout, he forced its jaw to the left and the top of its head to the right.

"Gyaaaagh!"

His face lit up with the same pain the snake felt but he kept twisting its head in opposite directions until there was a loud snap. They both fell limp but neither stayed still for long. The crippled predator's legs skittered as it flailed on the ground. Tegan rose to his feet and began to stomp the fuck out its head until it was nothing more than a pinkish mush. He stopped for a second to hold his own head but the instant the pain subsided he ripped open their attacker's carcass and pulled Ren out of its guts.

"Ren! Wake u-" Teeth clamped around Tegan's head! The other snake dropped down on him just as Ren opened her eyes.

"TEGAN!" She cried out as she watched him struggle to not get swallowed. Her little arms reached for him but her entire body was smacked into the cliff side by the serpent's tail. "TE-gnnnn!" Her voice dropped about twenty octaves into a harsh guttural drone unlike anything she ever imagined her mouth could produce. It was foreign and nauseating, the kind of sound that came from a what instead of a who. It frightened her. She coughed and attempted to call to Tegan again but the deep scary noise that came out of her continued. It wouldn't stop. She didn't know what was happening to her but she needed to help him. She needed to save the beautiful soldier who fought to keep her safe from monsters and bad guys but what could she really do? Tears flooded her face as her throat continued to emit the grotesque note. Her thoughts honed in on him. Only him. Only Tegan. Everything else faded away … except for the sound she made. Nothing remained … then there was gravity. Different than what she was used to, it pulled instead of pushed but it brought her down all the same. Then there was an entirely new feeling. Cold motion and moisture surrounded her. It swayed and crashed sending her tumbling around within it. She could feel her body again but she was at the mercy of whatever this thing that engulfed her was. Did she do this to herself? Where was-

"I got you!" said Tegan as he breached the surface of the water with Ren. "I got you, don't worry! You're ok!"

"Pwuh! What-phuh is this?" asked Ren.

"Water." he explained. "Try to relax. I think I see land."

It took a while but they made it to shore. Tegan carried Ren past the rocky shoreline and into the cover of some trees where he finally stopped. He laid on his back and looked up at the moonlight peaking through the leafy canopy. Ren crawled next to him and curled up by his side.

"You did it. Thanks for the save, kid." he said as he gently patted Ren's head.

"You mean … this is Errthuh?" she asked.

"Sure is."

----

A soft voice singing. A dragging feeling. A lumpy grassy movement under her back. Ren opens her eyes to a cloudy sky filled with lightning but no thunder to be heard. Something's wrapped tightly around her legs. It's long, jet black and warm. Uncomfortably so. She looks around to see the stable behind her. Then she sees him. Ahead of her is Tegan …

… standing waist deep in a pond.

"Tegan?"

He doesn't respond and she starts to scramble as she's slowly dragged toward the dark pool by what seems to be the pool itself. How? What is this? She claws at the ground, gripping clumps of grass and dirt but it's no use.

"TEGAN! WHAT'S HAPPENING!"

Her hoofs touch the water and it climbs up her waist. It laces itself around her. It feels like … wet hair. Endless black wet hair surrounds her and despite its awful warmth, Ren's blood runs cold. She screams as she passes Tegan who talks to himself in a trance while he sinks. She screams until she's also pulled under and the darkness abducts her sight.

Sleek, barely visible shapes glide in the ink. Nothing is clear.

A pale dot.

Closer.

A pale face.

Closer still.

A pale woman.

Not exactly.

The Abyss.

It stares at Ren. Its eyes are somehow darker than its home. Its skin looks like the reflection of water on white beach sand. Its hair … is everything else.

"Phuuaah! Guah!" Ren is flung to the surface and hits the ground with a hard thud! She's completely dry. Tegan lies face down close by but he's hastily carried away before she can see him. Her eyes readjust to the light and her heart drops when they focus.

"That was rude." says the queen as she stands over Ren. "We weren't done talking."