Page 67 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

“Hey, you.”

It turns to face me. It’s a Toba, like a small dog.

“What are you doing here, little one?”

A Toba should not be in this dimension. Maybe his owner brought him over and he got lost. His black fur contrasts strongly with the snow. He has two sets of shining, electric blue eyes. He looks at me, those eyes filled with pain.

“Hey, little one. What’s wrong?”

The Toba whimpers and shakes. He must be hurt. I can’t abandon him. I need to protect the sweet little creature. His eyes remind me of Ivy’s.

I kneel in front of the little animal and pet its forehead between its eyes. As a child, I had a Toba as a pet. They liked to be scratched like that.

It purrs. Its butterfly wings open slowly, lifting it up. It becomes airborne and shows me his left paw. It was bleeding. Something had crushed it.

“Come to me. I’ll take care of this.”

The Toba floats into my arms and cuddles its small body against mine, sharing my warmth. The moment I held him he closes his eyes. I must get back to the cabin as quickly as possible and see if we can help the Toba. I take some snow from the ground and push it against the Toba’s injured paw, cooling the wound.

The snow is still falling hard, making it difficult for me to see. The road refuses to show itself. I wish I could find it

“Draw.”

Ivy’s voice fills the loud silence. The little creature releases a cry that sounds like a call.

“Ivy.”

Did she change her mind? I hope she isn’t alone. Just as worry makes me burn with anger, I sense Khal and Mrez. Both tug at our connection to let me know they are close. The connection between us is like a sparkly map that’s easy to follow.

Ivy emerges from the blizzard and runs toward me. I can feel her. I start running, too. I miss her and feel responsible for her. She’s my anchor, my one, my reason to keep going. The little Toba purrs the closer Ivy gets. It is their way of showing joy and love.

I finally catch up to Ivy. The moment I see her, the snowstorm stops. This place, The Valley, has entwined with our emotions.

“Draw, I’m so sorry. It was selfish of me.”

Khal and Mrez send signs of submission to me. I respond with a wave of dark energy back. The punishment will come, but not today.

The Toba purrs sweetly.

Ivy wraps her arms around me as the small Toba barks.

“Who are you?” Ivy scratches the Toba under his chin and between his eyes. The little one purrs and flies from my arms and into hers.

“Hey.” The Toba licks Ivy’s face. She enjoys it.

“Is he dangerous?” Ivy asks between cuddles.

“No. It’s a Toba. It’s like a puppy, only it can fly.”

“How did you find it?”

“He’s wounded. I can’t leave him.”

“You are a good soul, Draw. Look, and by the way, it’s a she.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know. We should name her.” Ivy smiles and pets the Toba. “What’s your name love? What do you want to be called?”

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