[Darksider]

When Drake woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was look around ARAT. The Hidden hadn't come! He was safe. Hurrying out of Alf's, he didn't hear Alf try to explain about the six strangers that came last night. Drake was hungry and he NEEDED to hunt. Slipping quietly out of the town, he immediately picked up the trail of a Paramite. Probably the good kind, the newly away from the mother. He hurried along, and soon found the pack. He saw the young one, and slowly circled it, hoping to find if he could kill it. It soon was obvious this one wanted to explore, because it came ever towards him. Somehow, though, he couldn't bring himself to slice it's head of. Nor could he summon the Marks to cast a fireball spell and roast himself lunch, for that was the time of day it was. He seemed, oh, drawn to the thing. It came up and sniffed him, or at least it sounded like sniffing. It WAS testing him somehow, he could tell. Weather by scent or something else he couldn't. Then it sat down, as well as any paramite could sit down. Drake just stared at it in disbeleif. This wasn't the way a paramite would act? Then, a suspicion hit him.

Drake:*whispers* Your not a paramite! Hidden!

The paramite suddenly lost it's shape, and reverted to the shape of a hidden. Suddenly, he saw other things return to the natural form of a Hidden. A tree, the bush he had been hiding in. Six in all. All of them. He began to draw the symbol of lightning in the air, the magic burning on his lips, he held back, not wanting to use magic, knowing he should run, they left him an opening. But that would be dishonorable. Then the paramite/Hidden laughed.

Hidden: You fool! I could kill you before you could cast any spells! You can only cast feeble magic of the Mark, mage spells! You are not a necromancer, where are your bells? Hahaha! You will live through the day, Drake, but your honor almost killed you. Find the bells and then, i will challenge you to a duel of Necromancy. We will finally see, once and for all, which is greater. Hidden or Walker. Orbrion, or Leorum. Enjoy what little life you have left, Drake.

With that, the Hidden disappeared. Drake, still hungry, decided to return to the place he had stayed and order food there. When he finally got back to Alf's Rehab and Tea, Alf had some horrifying news to give Drake, news that brought fear into even Drake's steel-nerved gut.

Alf: Oh, hey, i tried to tell ya on the way out, there were three fellahs with big swords and three with wierd-lookin' wands lookin' fer ya.

Drake: They found me, got to go... need food...

Alf brought Drake a tray and left after getting payed. He looked back and saw Drake eating ravenously. He's crazy, Alf though, but his moolah's good.