The snow seemed to fall harmlessly to the ground as Matt stared up at the sky. The chilled air bit his bare arms, but he ignored it for now. His mind was an utter mess. There were many things running through his head, many questions he wished to ask but could not get the answers to them.
Matt sneezed, which echoed through the still, quiet air.

Koori watched Matt from where she was curled up under the snow in her snow lepord form. She had not let him out of her site for too long since the incident where he was driven insane. Though she wasn't sure if there was anything she could truly do for him.

Matt took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Koori," he started. "What is Matt?"

Koori raised her head, snow falling from it as she looked at Matt. "You are a nightmare that was once human. A witch cursed you to be such." She answered her tail flicking a little before curling around her legs.

"Cursed? Then who is Matt?" He asked.
Matt sat up to look at her.

Koori had to think about how to answer that question. "In all honesty, I'm not sure who you were in your past." She said sitting up compleatly. "I've only known you for 12 years and during that time I've only known you as the nightmare Matt. You are a good person, a loyal friend and a faithful compainon. Pyro would be able to answer more of your past than I. You did work as a murderer and recovered ancient items that were hidden or lost with in the folds of time."

Matt was silent for a moment. "Who is Pyro?"

Koori would have been surprised by the question if she had not seen Matt's condition after the attacks. "Pyro is my Mistress's husband. And he was once your partner in murder. He is one of your friends still. A fire demon."

"Oh. Last question. Why does Matt's heart feel like it is being stabbed?" Matt asked.
He looked down and placed a hand on his chest.
"It really hurts."

Koori frowned a little. "Maybe something happened to Bella..." She said a little confused herself. "She is your sister and some times, it's easy for siblings to know when something has happened to the other..." It was all she could think of. She hadn't told Matt of their relationship other than friendship. She wasn't sure how to bring it up and right now she wasn't worried about it.

"I don't have a sister," Matt started.
He rubbed his eyes and blinked for a moment, looking around confused for a moment.
"I taste metal."

Koori looked around as she stood, her eyes checking over the snow covered hills. "I don't know why you taste metal..." She said shaking her head. "Somethings happened... but I don't know what."

"Metal and blood. That bad?" Matt asked, standing up as well.
He could feel his heart squeeze tightly together, like someone was gripping it tightly. The pain he felt made him flinch.

"yes that is very bad." Koori said taking her human form and going by Matt. She put her arms around his shoulders. "I don't know.... what's wrong..." She said again, her voice a whisper, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Matt's heart is hurting really bad," He started.
Matt suddenly ran and went behind a tree. Blood suddenly came up his throat, landing on the snow when he bent over.

Koori followed, frowning greatly at the blood and worried. She placed her hand on her necklace and rubbed his back gently. "What's going on?" She asked in a soft whisper. "What could cause this??"

Matt just shook his head, afraid he would cough up more blood if he spoke. He swallowed what was in his mouth and took a few ragged breaths.
"Ow," he mummbled.

Koori took some snow in her hand and placed it on Matt's neck to ease some pain that he felt. It was a long shot but it could help ease his stomach as well. "I don't know where Shiva is..." She mummbled. "I dont' know if the battle is getting ready to start so I can't call her..." she was worried.

"And what happened?"
Pyro walked up to them, staring at the blood in the snow.
"I go away on a trip for a week or two and Matt already gets sick. What have you two been doing?" he blinked.
Matt sat down and looked up at Pyro.

Koori hugged Pyro, happy to see him. She had to calm down a little before she started at the begining... when Matt was captured by the nightmare collector and up to a few moments ago. "And Shiva is in Ren with Atela so I can't call her..." She finished.

Pyro blinked for a moment.
"I am never leaving you two alone again. And if I do, it will be because I know Shiva is going to be watching you. So why do ou think he is coughing up blood again?" he asked

Koori crossed her arms a little... insulted by Pyro's words but decided to put it off for now. "I'm thinking something may be wrong with another nightmare, Bella. She claimed to be Matt's sister and I believe her. I have two sisters of my own and I can see the resemblance." She said quietly.


Ella appeared in the snow covered trees watching Pyro, Koori and Matt. "oh, the fire demon. Fun." She said happily.

"I remember her. Didn't Matt yell at her once? I can go find her if you want," Pyro said.
He took out a small flask and handed it to Matt. "Drink it all."
Matt nodded and took a sip, gagging afterwards.

Melody appeared next to her.
"Scale of one to ten?"

Koori nodded. "Yes he did. We never did find out where she went though..." She said shaking her head, rubbing Matt's back a little. "Drink it, please?"

Ella looked at the group. "I'd give them a 10 for the mist and nightmare together. the fire demon is a 10 on his own." She said happily. "So shall we get started?" She asked aimng an arrow at Pyro, firing it then one at Matt then Koori right after.

The arrows snapped in half and fell to the ground. Anian appeared behind the two, growling low.
"It is dishonorable to attack one who is ill or one who is unarmed," he said.

Pyro glanced up at Ella as Matt tried to drink it all.
"It taste horrible," he mumbled.
"Suppose to be. Koori, get ready to run or for battle. Matt, stay down," Pyro said. There was a hint of a prisoned growl in his throat.

"Who said I had any honor?" Ella asked amused as she looked at the nightmare. "Besides, aren't you suppose to be under Lord Diablo's control?" Her smile was evil as she jumped down, throwing more weapons towards the others.

Koori growled, taking on her leapord form. "Just what we need... a visit from the demented star child." She said sending a wave of ice shards to destory the thrown weapons.

"Just because I work for him doesn't mean I can't follow my morals!" Anian yelled.
Melony giggled and held her axe up to Anian. "I'd be quiet if I were you."
She ran around to get behind the three.

Pyro sent a wave of fire at Estrella. "Demented doesn't even describe it."
Matt made a knife appear and he stood.

Koori looked at Anian from where she was then back to Estrella, turning to attack Melody as she noticed her coming at them from behind. ~Such a nice guy... working for Diablo?~ She thought absently as she kicked up snow at Melody.

Ella giggled and went right through the fire, not caring about the burning sensation as she dove into the snow, kicking up spikes at both Matt and Pyro.

Melody disappeared as the snow came up. She appeared beside Koori and brought down her axe.

Pyro tackled Matt, pushing them both out of the way. He stood, charging forward to attack Estrella.
"Please stop this frivolous game!" Anian growled.

Koori felt the bite of the axe against her shoulder as she took mist form, disappearing into the snow only to appear above Melody. She sent a shower of ice needles down at the young looking nightmare.

"And just why should we?" Ella mused as she took out her new toy, the skeleton minon thanks to Melody's idea. It was a pygmy skeleton minon but had sharp teeth and bones. She set it loose against Matt as she took out a glaive, charging Pyro with it.

Anian growled low once more and sent a bolt of lightening at Estrella as Pyro rolled out of the way and sent fire at her.

Matt threw the dagger at the skeleton and swung a punch at the skull.

Melody put her hands infront of her face, soon crying when the needles came to a stop.
"That hurt," she whimpered.

Ella made note to tell Diablo about Anian as she disappeared as the two elements reached her. She sent a wave of water at Pyro and a set of earthen spikes at Anian as she landed on the snow softly.

The skeleton's head fell off when it got hit though the dagger just got stuck in it's bones. The body still walked as the skull formed anotehr body and began to go after Matt.

"So did the axe in my shoulder." Koori growled not giving in to her cring as she sent another wave of ice needles at her and a wave of ice to stop the skeletons.

Pyro made a large wall appear to stop the ice. Steam rose from the snow and the ice that hit the wall.
Anian disappeared and reappeared in Estrella's head.

Melony dived behind a tree.
"I should hope it hurt. I'd have a lot of problems if it didn't. Why wont you lay down and die like that other nightmare?"

Matt took a step back and tilted his head, changing into a dog and grabbing a skeleton's leg

Ella frowned. "Out of my head. You won't find anything of interst in there. It's nothing but a maze of death traps and my brain is of no use to anyone but myself." She said out loud causing Koori to stop and look at her a moment.

She shook her head and landed. "Because I'm not a nightmare for one... two I like life thank you. There's too much chaos in it to be bored and three, There are people that I do like here." She said sending a wave of ice at the tree Melody was behind.

The skeleton... started to hop around when it's leg was taken. "Give it back. Give it back. Me can't walk with out me leg..." it said in a deep voice.

"You will be surprised what I can do in one's mind. I can make you think of pink frilly, preppy things," Anian said, sitting down.

"So, the last few people weren't and they laid down and died!" Melody snapped.
She darted for another tree as the ice slammed against the wood of the one she was behind.

Matt jerked the leg around and growled low.

Ella grinned. "Oh you mean like this?" She said changeing her clothes to a bright pink, her hair pulled up into pigtails with pink ribbions. "Like, that was so totaly awsome." She even had a set of pom poms and started doing random cheers.

Koori looked at Estrella, her eye twitiching a little. "Make her stop....she's scaring me...." She turned her attention back to Melody. "They must have had a reason to want death then." She said as she sent ice spikes through the snow towards Melody.

"Let it go. Bad Dog. Let me go. Let me go." The skeleton said as the headless one started to pull on it's counter part to get him loose.

Anian twitched and appeared out of Ella's head.
"IT BURNS!" he yelled, trying to get the image out of his head.
He reappeared back in Ella's head and shoved a random sword into her mind.

Melody let out a small yelp as a spike caught her leg. She brought her axe down to try to make the spike break, but to no avail.
"Let me go you damn ice mist!"

Matt let go and jumped back, attacking his spine once he let go of his leg.

Ella laughed at Koori's responce as well as Anian's. she flinched as she felt the pain from the sword. "Get out of my head!" She growled. "There isn't anything in there so why worry about it? Do you want me to think of pink elephants doing Ballet?" She mused... and started doing so. Pink Elephants in pink tutus appeared in her head dancing to swan lake.

Koori held the spike well but was running out of energy. "Who was the nightmare you killed?" She asked the question had been hounding her but at least she was able to ask before passing out...which was going to be shortly.

The skeleton growled as the other tried to get Matt off of him. "Let me go. Let me go. I'll bite you off at the knee caps."

"What affect would that have on me....they are pretty though..." Anian said, thrusted the blade in again.
He lifted his hand and made giant black mice appear.

"Some girl...I forgot her name, but Ella knows her," Melody asked. "She swallowed my last axe. Poor thing was already jittery."

Matt stared to pull its spine and claw at it's skull with his bak legs.

Ella giggled. "Mice are neat!" She said... and had the elephants hug the mice. "But quit that... that hurts." She said pouting a little. She looked at Koori and smiled as she heard Melody's answer. "Oh she's talking about Little Bella. I would have loved to have seen that. But saddly, I was killing someone else."

Koori was honestly too tired to go after Estrella. "You are such a bitch..." She said growling at Estrella. "And why kill her? What did she do?" ~Maybe.... I was right all along. I was hoping I was wrong about that...~ She thought saddly.

The headless skeleton took off it's own leg and held it up. "Hey boy... go get it..." the one witht he head said as his counter part threw the leg.