Although it was the middle of the day, the dark clouds made it nearly as dark as night outside.  Occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the sky briefly, soon followed by deep, powerful rumbles of thunder that seemed to roll across the sky.  Across the city of New York, animals paced and howled, uneasy with the change they could feel in the air.  It was the opening day of baseball, a day full of the possibilities of a new season.  Not that anyone expected more than a few innings before the storm overhead broke.

Elias was out shopping with his mother, a boring day.  Because she really wanted to get home before the storm broke, she had sent him to the baker for some bread, after giving him firm instructions on what to buy and not to loiter, while she picked out some fruit.  Elias had bought the bread and was headed back when he saw the latest Spiderman comic on the shelf at the little magazine rack outside the store.  He could see his mother still picking out apples, so he lingered, just for a moment, wishing he had enough money to buy the comic.  He hadn't absorbed the nuances in the new Wolverine vs. Hulk yet, and Spiderman was too kiddie lately, but still the shine of a fresh comic enticed him.  He squatted down by the comic rack, as if he were examining the fine print, while his fingers were nervously tickling the temptation to snatch the Spiderman and stuff it into the waistband of his too-big pants.  In the background he could hear a television announcer talking about the baseball game that was about to start.

Michiko walked steadily down the street.  She had just completed an archery lesson and was carrying her bow in its case at her side.  The lesson had gone well, but now she wanted to get home before the storm broke.  The street was fairly crowded with people hurrying to get their errands done.  Not far away she could see a young boy looking at a comic book.  The store nearby had a small portable TV that showed the baseball game just about to start as the pitcher took the mound, ready to throw out the first pitch.

A rumble of thunder rolled overhead as the announcer spoke.  "And here's the pitch.  It's a rocket."  Suddenly there was a tremendous crash of thunder.  Huge drops of rain soaked people to the skin in seconds.  Then a wave of energy ripped through the city.  The announcer's voice cut out immediately as the TV snapped off.  All the cars on the street just died instantly, without a sound.  The wave and wind combined to pick up Elias and throw him backwards.  His skinny eleven year old frame collided with Michiko and both went sprawling on the street.  Panicked screams and cries mixed with the explosions of thunder overhead.

Elias opened his eyes and saw the roiling sky above.  In a moment of calm, he imagined that the clouds were schools of fish and squid twirling and thrashing to avoid darting predators.  He sat erect, and wondered who had pushed him into the street.  His focus passed the other confounded persons on the street, and found Michiko beside him.  Elias' ears burned as he realized the trick: Whoever they were had pushed him into the lady and run away.  "Excuse me," he mumbled bashfully to her with his eyes downcast.

Michiko looked down at the bundle of child that had ended up sitting up besides her on the street. Shaking her head, she looked around and gathered her possessions as she spoke to the boy. "You're excused little twig, the storm sent you into me." With her personal effects accounted for, she slowly stood up and brushed the debris from her clothes. Looking down at the seated boy, she offered him an hand up, "Well little twig, tell me your name while we go and find your parents."

Momentarily offended by the lady calling him a little twig, whatever that's supposed to be, Elias was ready to tell Michiko to go find her own parents, when the thought of his mother made him remember the bread.  He left it by the comics, and if he lost it his mother will kill him!  He dashed back toward the store and the fallen comic rack.

As Elias ran towards the store, a young man near him pointed at the sky.  "What is that?  Dear God, what is that?"  The man staggered back as he stared, obviously terrified.  Elias and Michiko looked up in time to see some sort of giant winged reptile swooping down.  It took a second to realize the reptile had a lizard on its back.  A lizard who hurled a spear, impaling the young man.  The man staggered and fell with a gurgle, grasping at Elias briefly before his hand went still.  Above them, the winged reptile hovered for a moment as the lizard gave a hiss of triumph.

The elation that Elias felt at seeing a real living dinosaur was cut short like the young man's life, as Elias had never seen someone die before.  He was disturbed by how different it was from all the deaths he had seen on TV.  It was more sudden and more drawn out at the same time, and Elias could only stand frozen as he watched the colour run from the young man's face, red flowing onto the concrete.  The hand outstretched toward him, was it meant for him to take and join the man in death, or to pull him back to life?  Elias wasn't exactly sure which side of death he was at that moment, standing on the sidewalk in a city that had become deathly still except for the wind, the thunder, and monsters flying in the air above him.

Michiko ran up besides the boy and in one motion, pulled him close to her and tumbled with him into the doorway of a nearby building. Not sure if she was believing her eyes, she carefully watched the lizard and its reptilian mount, makeing to sure to keep the boy out of sight.  Elias, in shock, let himself be carried into the darkness with the shelter and simplicity it offered.

The lizard looked around and hissed.  It seemed to sniff the air, then dove its mount low and jumped off to tear its spear from the dead man's chest.  Turning towards Michiko, it seemed almost to grin, showing sharp, jagged teeth.  "Stormerssss," it hissed in passible english and started forward, brandishing the spear.

Keeping herself between the little boy and the hissing lizard, Michiko quickly reversed her backpack, bringing it around in front of her body and positioning the bulk of it in front of her torso. Still keeping her eyes on lthe lizard, she silently retrieved her bow and an arrow, carefully nocking the arrow to the string. Damn, this would be the time that I'd actually need my broadheads. she thought. 
Still crouched, she spoke to the lizard, "You best be certain that you want to die today, because if you don't leave now, I will take your life!"

Aware that this woman was fighting against the lizard-man made Elias realize that he was still alive, maybe even more so now than he had ever been before.  Though they were crouched in the darkness, the shadows defined the silhouette of Michiko with her bow contrasted against the vivid scales of the monsters outside in startling chiaroscuro.  She was going to shoot the lizardman with a bow and arrow, Elias thought excitedly, like in that game Warhammer, that his mother said was too expensive.  It was really happening!  But, he considered, would she be able to kill it with one arrow, before it could reach them and feed them to his dinosaur?

The lizard man hissed again, sounding like a boiling tea kettle.  "Come, stormer.  I will sshow you the love of Lanala."  It advanced with its spear held high.  Michiko realized the spear seemed somehow to be formed from a single plant stalk.  It even still had roots on the far end.  Strangely, she almost felt energized by the situation, as if she stood on a precipice, or at a fork in the road.  She could almost see the choices stretching out before her.  She could flee, if she ran now, but that would leave the boy behind her and the others around to the unlikely mercy of the lizard.  Or she could defend the boy, possibly being forced to fight the larger, stronger opponent.

For Michiko there was really no other choice. Had she been alone and there was no one else in danger, the decision to flee or fight and the consequences would have belonged to her alone. However, with the life of an innocent boy immediately in danger and strong possibility of others being endangered as well, she had to fight. She thought, Normally this would be a good time to forget that I am a descendant of warriors on both sides of my family but these people need a warrior to defend them, especially this little twig of a boy, Quickly turning to the boy she said, "Little twig be a good boy, run and hide inside."  Without a further word she drew, aimed, and fired the bow, ignoring the fate of the first arrow while preparing to fire a second.

The first arrow hissed towards its target, but the lizard moved faster than she expected and knocked it aside with its spear.  The second arrow, however, found a target, burying itself in the lizard's shoulder.  The creature snarled, but kept on coming at her, lunging with its spear extended.

"My name is Elias Stern, don't call me a twig!" came his defiant reply while he ran into the bakery, inflamed by an idea.  Elias grabbed a bag and began to stuff it with sausage rolls, croissants, and pizza buns.  He was guessing what a reptile might consider tastier than a skinny boy. 

Elias saw the door behind the counter was open.  From where he was, he could see the door led to a hallway and out to an alley away from danger.  He too stood on the brink of a choice.  He could look for a way to help the woman out front and the other people, or flee himself to safety, leaving them to their fates.  Although he had run away from trouble many times, often as not running hadn't saved him.  Bullies bent on trouble had long legs and longer memories, so even if they didn't catch Elias that time, they had many opportunities to torment him sometime later.  No, Elias wouldn't run this time, he decided, not with monsters and adventure outside and a plan sizzling like a firecracker fuse in his brain.  He turned and bolted back toward the door, and then past Michiko's valiant defense with her bow.  Howling "Yaaaaar!" he confronted the lizard-man dangerously close, and threw a cinnamon bun.  He couldn't hope to do more than confuse the monster, so when Elias flung the sticky missile his true target was the mouth of the winged beast behind the monster, which he prayed liked pastries as much as himself.

The boy hurled the pastry with perfect accuracy.  It sailed just past the head of the lizard man, who ducked and hissed, and hit in the mouth of the winged reptile behind him.  The creature gagged and shook its head, trying to dislodge the sticky pastry.  It seemed to lose all interest in the people around as it choked.  The lizard man turned in astonishment, staring at his mount and trying to see what was wrong, leaving Michiko with a perfect opening.

Michiko loaded her third and fourth arrows and fired at the lizard man believing that they would do enough damage to at least distract it from the boy, Elias. "Good throw, Elias-kun. Now would you please go back inside the building?" she pleaded as she brought her next arrow to bear on the head of the winged reptile.

Elias barely noticed the arrows flying over his head, because he was absorbed in the excitement and confusion.  He had thought the creature would like the cinnamon bun, but there was no telling what a dinosaur liked to eat.  If only the carrot cake had been small enough to throw!  Dodging around the arrow-riddled lizardman's legs, Elias softly threw a cheese croissant underhandedly in front of the creature.  "Get it, boy!" he encouraged the beast.

As Elias ducked around the lizard's legs, the creature followed him, turning to bring its spear to bear on the young boy.  Just as it stabbed the spear down, Michiko's arrow drove into the back of its skull.  The spear still fell, but with none of the creatures strength behind it.  The sharpened end slid down Elias' arm, tearing his shirt and scratching a bloody line.  The damage wasn't severe, but it was painful.  The lizard man fell to the ground without a sound, toppling like a tree.

The winged creature opened its mouth, emitting a high pitched howl and revealing sharp jagged teeth, better suited for tearing meat than eating pastries.  Fortunately for Elias, it seemed less interested in food than escape, so it pumped its wings powerfully and sprang into the air.  Elias' lips pursed, ready to whine for sympathy at the worst injury he had ever received, but he was fascinated by the trickle of blood winding down his arm, and so forgot his pain.  He touched the wound, and recoiled as it stung, but then he looked at the blood on his fingers and tasted it.  There was something spicy about it, he figured, like maybe it would taste good on a hamburger.  He felt hungry, and then remembered that he had a bag full of pastries, and so selected a pizza bun and crammed it in his mouth.  Its taste was exquisite.

"Oo wan' wun?" he asked Michiko with his mouth stuffed.  She'd killed the lizardman with that bow, so Elias thought she must be sort of cool.  Maybe she'd teach him how to do that, he hoped.

"Elias-Kun," she started calmly. "Please finish eating your pastry while I take care of your wound. And then we're going to look for your parents." she continued gently Using some of her water, she cleaned his wound and then carefully bound it with the remains of his shirt. After she took care of his wound, she took a good look around seeing if there were any more dangers and for any sign of Elias' mother.

His mother, Elias realized with growing shame, he had completely forgotten about during the excitement.  An icicle of dread dripped through his core as he looked around the darkened city streets, which stripped of the normal hum of car engines and air conditioners, was now haunted with a ravenous wind that carried the sounds of bestial growling and screams of terror.

With some care for the boy's injuries, Michiko took Elias by the hand and hurried back to the store where she first saw him. "Elias, where were your parents? Do you see them anywhere here?" she said, but he clammed up in confusion at the question.  He didn't know which story to tell her about his father, and he felt a familiar, digging curiosity at the back of his mind, wondering if his father was somewhere near by, coming home.  "My mother," he said at last, "'is buying groceries."

There were very few people left on the street.  Most of them were acting very strangely.  Either fighting with each other or tearing their clothes off.  They seemed to be more beast than human.  There was no sign of Elias' mother.

Both Michiko and Elias became gradually aware of a strange sound.  It almost sounded like singing, but no actually words could be heard.  It was very pleasant sounding, seeming to draw the two of them.  Lilting vibrations filled the air around them, cascades of song, murmurring familiar assurances to their stomachs and winding up through their skins supersonically, making the tiny hairs all over their bodies stand out as if to taste the air that had brought these sweet feelings.  The two of them were awash in sensation.

Michiko found herself almost letting go and letting the sonic vibrations carry her to where ever they were inclined to go before she remembered who she was and that she was not responsible for only her life, but Elias' life as well until they found his mother. Trying to keep both of them focused on their goal she shouted, "Elias Stern, we can't just stand here, we have to look for your mother." She bent over to speak directly to him, "Show me where she was when you last saw her and we'll start from there. Also, do you know her full name, your home address, and maybe her cell phone number?"

It was hard to think about the answers to her questions while he was trying to listen to the strange music, but fortunately Elias' mother had drilled the answers into him by rote.  "Elias Stern, eleven years old, 676 Linden boulevard, Klondike 5-2368.  Uh, my mother's name is, uh... Ruth."  He looked around but he didn't see his mom anywhere.  She had a standing order that he was supposed to wait right there until she got back, but this was like an emergency, and maybe she'd meet him where that music was coming from.  He really wanted to go there and see what was making that sound.

Michiko gently but firmly grasped Elias' wrist and walked into the nearby market , trying to get them both undercover and away from the seductive music. Once they were inside, she looked around for anyone who could be Elias' mother while dialing the phone number she was given. "Elias, I need you to help me look around for your mother while I try to reach her on the phone. Did she give you any instructions about what to do in case of an emergency?"

At first, Michiko stared blankly at the phone in her hand.  It was hard to remember exactly what it did.  After a moment, however, the feeling passed and she was able to focus on it again.  She was surprised, however, to see there was no service available.  While Michiko was trying to get a signal, Elias looked around for his mother.  She'd said that she had to get vegetables or something like that.  Elias wished that he had been able to befriend that dinosaur, so that he could ride on its back and his mother could see him up in the air.  He was tempted to shout out for her, but he didn't want any lizardmen to find them.

"Elias, do you see your mother. Or do you remember what she told you to do in case of an emergency? " Michiko coaxed the young boy, "I'm sure she's waiting to see you." 

"In case of emergency," Elias recited, "Call 911, Elias Stern, eleven years old, 676 Linden boulevard, yes I have my parent's permission."  He looked excited.  "Do you think that the ordinary police can handle lizardmen?  Does the SWAT team answer 911?"

Having no answers for his questions, Michiko took Elias farther inside the market, looking for other people as well as a regular telephone. Then she remembered that stores usually had telephones near the cash registers or in the Manager's office. Where did everyone go? There should be someone here in this store unless they all ran away while the child and I were dealing with the lizardman and his pterodan. she thought in disgust. But this boy's mother wouldn't have abandoned him, would she?

The store was abandoned.  Everyone seemed to have run away.  Michiko found a phone next to the cash register, but there was no dial tone when she picked it up and nothing happened when she tried to dial.  Suddenly the entire building shook.  An enormous crash echoed up and down the street.  Then there was a loud roar followed by another crashing sound, which seemed even closer this time.  A few people ran by screaming and looking behind them.  With a start, Elias recognized one of them as his mother.  "Mom!" he shrieked, and he tried to run to her but Michiko held his arm tight.  Michiko cautiously looked outside of the storefront window to try to find what the source of the loud crashes was, careful to keep Elias by her side.

As Michiko looked out, she saw a chilling sight.  Coming down the street towards them was a huge beast.  Something like an armadillo, only as big as a bus, it was heavily armored.  Even its head had armor plates on it.  Three huge tails swung around behind it, crashing into a nearby building.  With another ground shaking crash, the building collapsed spraying dust and debris into the street.  A dozen more lizard men followed the creature apparently looked through the rubble it left behind.

In response to both the monster coming down the street and Elias' call for his mother, Michiko quickly followed in the direction of the people who had passed their window saying to the boy, "Eiias-kun, we are going to try to follow your mother and stay ahead of the trouble behind us. So as we run, you pull me towards your mother when you see her. Alright?"

Elias nodded in agreement, but he wasn't really listening as he was entranced by the monster smashing through the streets.  Its three club tails were purely freaking awesome!  If Elias had that monster, he would show those older boys where to go.  But those lizardmen weren't going to let him take their demolition monster, so he might as well stop dreaming about that, he thought.  What were they looking for in that smashed building, anyway?  He looked in the direction that his mom had run, turned back to see that Michiko was with him, and then ran down the street, slightly crouched with the hope that the club monster and his lizard gang wouldn't see him.

Elias couldn't see his mother any more through the gloom and rain.  Water flooded the streets and ran freely into the sewers.  It was difficult to even see across the street.  Fortunately the rain also seemed to keep the lizards from seeing them, at least they didn't react as the boy and the woman ran down the street.  Seconds later the two heard another crash as the wood and stone building they were just in yielded to the smashing tails of the giant creature.

Struggling against the rain and wind, the two made their way further down the street.  Strangely, despite the thunder and pounding rain, the music they were hearing seemed to get louder as they went.  Although there were no words, the music called to them, asking for their help.  Something was in terrible danger and needed them. 

Rounding another corner, the two heard gunshots ring out ahead over the sound of the storm.  Barely visible through the rain, a trio of men were facing away from them.  One of them held a gun and was firing at something.  His target was not visible through the storm.  Elias ducked into a nearby doorway, both to get out of sight and out of the rain.  Water dripped off his nose as he leaned forward to peek at the man shooting the gun.

Michiko quickly moved in beside Elias breifly looking back to see if the kaiju (monster) was still moving up the street towards them and then turned her attention back to the man with the gun. She peered intensely through the rain trying to make out more details.

There was no sign of the monster, yet.  Both heroes saw the man with the gun stagger suddenly and drop to his knees.  The other man moved forward as two more lizard men emerged from the rain.  The unarmed man struggled with one of the lizard men while the other charged the man on his knees.

It was clear that those men were dead meat against those lizard men if they didn't have help, but Elias wasn't sure how a little boy could stand up to them when they were bigger than grown men.  From his hiding place in the doorway, he tried to scare them with his impersonation of the call of the Krayt dragon, which is not easy to do with unbroken vocal cords.  Elias filled his lungs with air and then bellowed "AIIIIIEEEBWAEEEEEE!  OOOAAAAHIIIIIUH!", and made Michiko standing next to him wince.

Thank you Elias, I'm sure those reptile men needed to know where we are, she thought as she fitted an arrow to her bow and fired at the lizard man charging towards the man on his knees. That arrow was swiftly followed by a second.

Although Elias yelled his loudest, the sound was lost in the noise of the storm.  The lizards ahead didn't react at all.  Michiko's arrows, however, flew true.  Just as the man on his knees raised his gun and fired, both arrows struck home and the closer lizard man collapsed in a heap.  The other man suddenly ran away out of sight while the first man fired again, but missed.

As the remaining lizard charged the man on his knees and stabbed at him with his spear, the second man reemerged from the rain holding a bundle in his arms.  He suddenly staggered as a spear flew out of the storm and struck him from behind.  At the last second it seemed to almost turn in the air, cutting him but not driving in.

Elias dashed toward the spear, and was fascinated by the way that it grew spikes as it embedded into the pavement, as if it was going to plant a lethal forest of picky children in Flatbush.  He didn't dare to touch it without wearing gloves and his mother's permission.  It was lucky that dirty man was alive, and Elias was glad that he hadn't seen his second death by spear that day.  He was not feeling like himself as it was.  He thrust his fist in the air, and shouted at the lizard man "Leave us alone, you twig!"

Even as Elias ran up, the dirty man handed something to a third man who had been standing off to one side, then scooped up the spear.  The spear immediately turned into some kind of plant in his hands, complete with roots.  The other man pointed his gun at the lizard and yelled at him at almost the same time as Elias did.  The lizard looked at the two of them for a moment, then turned and fled into the rain. 

Suddenly another last lizard man rushed out of the rain.  It ignored Elias and threw itself at the third man.  "Mine, stormer," it said angerly.  It had no spear, but its sharp claws slashed downward at the Asian man.  He managed to throw himself backward, barely avoiding the lethal strike.  Elias and Michiko could feel strange power crackling between the two for a second.  Somehow they knew it was the power of reality, a power they too could control and use.

 Although wary of the spear thrower they couldn't see, Michiko decided that the final visible lizard had to fall before it decided to attack Elias. Two more arrows were in flight almost before she could remember firing.

Just a Michiko fired, an unexpected gust of wind blew up, throwing her arrows off course.  They flew harmlessly into the rain.  However the lizard seemed to have had enough and it turned tail and fled.

Suddenly finding himself next to the man fighting the lizard, Elias jumped back.  How was it that he was brave just before, when now he felt quite the opposite?  He looked up at the sky, wondering if it was the rain that was giving him these strange feelings, but it was still raining on him, and he just felt like a lost boy.  Elias heard a rough voice shout "Hey!  Kid!  Get away from that thing!"

Elias listened for the music that had so entranced him before, hoping the sound would fill him with courage.  The music seemed to be coming from the asian man standing there holding a blanket of some sort.  As Elias looked over, he heard a sudden thud.  Turning back he saw the dirty, wet man standing over the last lizard, rubbing his knuckles.

Seeing no further target, Michiko ran up to the group.

ooc:  All lizards are down or fled.  Please move to the move, Storm Knight's United.