Hello and thank you for checking out this post :)
This story is the long prologue about a character by the name of Zach who is the prince of his kingdom
One day while he is exploring one of the cities his father rules over he meets an interesting rat individual who calls himself Black who wants to become acquaintances and promises to tell Zach stories!
Read the short tale of how these two met and if you're feeling up to it I would love constructive and helpful criticism :) ^{_{compliments also appreciated if you actually enjoy the read}}

Chapter Title: The Parasite and the Prince
Chapter 0 [Black POV]

Black rarely ever thought about why he decided to do certain actions. This wasn't one of those times. While running on the small rodent legs of his most recent host searching for a more permanent host he saw a bright ever emitting light that seemed to not dim at all as time was passing. The light of his current host was steadily running out the longer he inhabited its body.

'Continuing to just take animal bodies is fine and all but its a nuisance to keep having to find new bodies every few years.'

Black knew there were no other creatures like him, and didn't bother to wonder how he himself came to be in this kind of world either. Why waste time thinking about something with probably no answer after all?

'That's a very beautiful light, even for a sentient.'

Black didn't exactly have a body of his own, and didn't ever remember having one though he probably had to have had one in the beginning. But if you could ask those whom he had taken host of, they would tell you for the single second it took for him to take inhabitance they saw white pupiled unemotional eyes swimming in black oceans with a large toothy grin that poorly imitated a happy smile.

'If that light is coming from a sentient I cant take over without their permission, Ill need to come up with a plan.'

Something Black had learned early on in his life was that he couldn't take over a sentient body without the permission of the owner, and he couldn't lie about what would happen if asked by the seller. He wasn't exactly a violent being, be preferred to just lie low and leave everything else to its own business as if he didn't exist. This also made taking a sentient host better, since he could just sleep while they continued to live for him while all he needed to do was talk to them mentally every once in awhile if that was what they wanted of him.

The city he currently resided in was a small town called Spark Town. Another oddity about Black was that he was considered a magic wielding being. And in a world that followed the idea of science to a period he shouldn't exist but in fairy tales. The citizens he passed by were too accustomed to the site of rats to be bothered by him any, infact it would probably be odd if they were bothered by the small animal since they were not too far from closely related. They weren't exactly rats themselves so to say but they definitely had matching traits, some more than others.

'This should be done quick and simple, offer them whatever riches they want in exchange for co-ownership of the flesh and soul whilst they give in to their greedy desires.'

Turning a corner Black entered the marketplace, all the collected traveling merchants offering their wares from different corners of the world. Few men of science resided in this part of town, this was where the pirates and travelers came to exchange stories and wares.

"Hey did you hear? The prince is walking the streets again today."

Black made sure to avoid getting too close to the sentients, though they didn't mind a rodents presence they wouldn't appreciate one getting too close, he was a wild animal after all.

"I don't understand why he keeps coming here, there's nothing to do here that could be more enjoyable than what hes probably offered in the palace."

Black was now maybe a block away from the bright glow now. The light wasn't something he could look at directly exactly but more of an image he could see out of the corner of his eye for a better explanation. He could feel the phantom touch of warmth emitting from the glow.

'Well this may be a bit harder than I thought.'

Black watched the sentient walking by, and he wasn't the only one watching them. They weren't looking at him for his light probably though unlike why Black continued to watch him in fascination. The light kept growing and freely entering the air around it, way more than needed for the host to need to keep it all contained. Just being around the sentient made Black feel more alive, the energy in the air finding his needing host and giving fuel to his dying fire.

"The prince shouldn't be in this part of town, its dangerous here and its irrational on the kings part to let him wander this far."

The sentient was out of sight now, the light trail still emitting a warmth of its own. The other sentients eventually continued on with their work of either selling or scamming since not everyone was there to be a buyer. Black envied those ones, as long as they used their cards right they could get what they wanted, on his hand he was missing a few in his deck and that made it harder for him to get the things he wanted.

'The sentient is too young to care about riches, too young to want revenge on anyone, too young.'

Black was having a dilemma and he couldn't think of how to fix it. He had been able to take host in sentients before, it was pretty easy when you understood the wants of the homeowner. The home he wanted to buy was new and the building was sturdy, the price would be much higher than for the building falling apart and the owner begging for someone else to buy it off of them.

Black started following the trail of light before he lost the source and had to search again. Before he hadn't noticed but the body he resided in was growing tired and hard to move, during those few seconds of being embraced by the spare light he had felt awake again and now that he noticed the difference, being in his current inhabitance felt unbearably uncomfortable.

'Just being near them is revitalizing, the feeling of living inside would probably be intoxicating.'

Black caught up to the sentient child just as they exited the market and entered the docks. They had no bodyguards with them, but they had the look of confidence only someone who knew others wouldn't dare touch him could wear. The price of Gear City wouldn't fear his subjects but being in a place like Spark Town was still questionable for someone of his status.

"Hello there young lad! I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

A gruff voice coming from the left called out, causing Black to look over and see a returning pirate of the residence. The sentients fur covered in soot, the original white pelt probably far from ever returning to its original color made him look older than his probable age. Ears swiveling slightly he greeted the child, checking for more footsteps or any others who decided to come along. Deciding he and the child were alone but for the rats he opened the door to the hotel he was staying in for now till he departed again.

Black didn't like rabbit sentients, more for the fact of them reminding him to much of actual rabbits and after the first time he taken residence of one he had never done so again.

'Scared creatures only caring for their own survival letting anyone fall in their wake if by tripping them they would gain a chance of better odds.'

Now that Black thought about it, the younger sentient he had been following was a cat sentient, and usually the two different groups of sentients didn't interact with one another in private terms. Sure during occasions were all sentients came together they would mingle but when given the option otherwise they prefer different company. Not wanting to overthink it and miss his chance of the bright light he hurried in before the door was shut behind them.

The rabbit sentient was actually too tall for the building and thus had to slightly slouch to make sure he didn't hit the ceiling, his ears folded back to accommodate. The cat sentient on the other hand maybe being six at least wasn't nearly tall enough to need to worry about the short ceiling that could barely accommodate any grown adult. The kids fur was short, clean and chestnut brown, his tail swishing in excitement.

'Why did he come here?'

Black wasn't sure what the child was excited for in such a disastrous place as this but maybe it would give him a hint of something to offer the child to let him take residence.

'Maybe I was wrong and they are interested in treasure, a pirate would probably have something like treasure around.'

Black had resided in pirates before, at the agreement of hidden treasures and riches beyond belief, and those pirates became well known of course because Black never went back on his offers. Though each and every one of them didn't live to die of old age.

Reaching what Black assume must be his room the adult sentient opened the door for the child to come inside, Black following after as the pirate shut the door behind him.

"Come 'ere Zach and sit on one of the chairs lying about."

The child took a chair for himself and the pirate followed suit, taking one of the other chairs.

"Honestly lad I haven't a clue why you're interesting in stories from someone such as me."

Black settled behind a broken bookshelf, items precariously placed upon its surface. Items like clothes not so neatly crammed together in corners of shelves, some foods like green apples and fish on the fresher side that was probably to be eaten later placed on top the clothing to keep from bruising or touching any of the other objects in the room.

"Once upon a time, a kingdom sortove like the one we currently reside in-"

Black stopped listening, so the kid was here to listen to stories, and from a ******ty story teller at that if the wording they chose to start off with had anything to say about them. But looking over Black saw the kid was getting pretty engrossed in the story the pirate was weaving from one of his recent adventures. Pirates weren't heroes in this world, the rich ruled and pirates stole what they could for themselves, not to be robin hoods. The high class funded advancing in technology to advance their own living whilst pirates still sailed on wooden ships, upgraded by new tech of course but keeping the surface wooden as a means of denial that the world was changing. Technology was taking over and unless you made sure to stick with everyone else you were going to be left behind.

The story wasn't too long apparently for Black noticed the child standing up and passing over a bag of what Black assumed was probably gold, the currency of the rich. Black finally got an idea.

'Its been a while since I last had to speak..'

The child was now using a brisk walk to leave the docks, weaving around adults.

'Seems he actually might know its dangerous here.. or he needs to be somewhere, lets hope he doesn't need to be home for a bit.'

Black quickened his pace to catch up to the child and when finally reaching a pace where he was walking side by side, he mentally pushed at the kids mind, looking for a way in but was surprised when his presence was immediately accepted. Black looked up and saw the kid looking back whilst they both kept their pace, still moving forward. Did the kid notice him following him earlier? Anyone would probably suspect of something that was following them for that long. It really had way too long since Black had had to speak to another mind.

'Hello, can you hear me?'

The child looked amazed for a second, they looked back forward to make sure they didn't trip over anyone since they still hadn't stopped moving and nodded their head.

'You like hearing stories about adventure? Well I don't like to brag but Id have to say I have the best stories.'

Black wasn't exactly the best storyteller probably, but he had lived long enough that he had experienced a lot. Black wasn't exactly certain what kind of personally he should act out to gain the child's attention, but luckily the kid already seemed interested, their tail slightly twitching now.

Chapter Title: You Remind Me
Chapter 1 [Zach POV]

The wind rustled his short brown fur, cat ears flicking with the unwanted attention from the wind. A nice day outside and away from the family. Zach unlike everyone else in the city preferred to read adventure stories rather than talk about new machines and technologies, his brother Zane loved to tinker and make small robots himself. Having such an important role given to him since birth there was a schedule to follow and always something for Zach to do. All in all life was.. boring. Zach wanted to go on adventures like the heroes described in his books, to be loved for being a hero.

Yesterday he met a new friend, he called himself Black. A while back Zach had met a sailor whom his father was friends with. Thats what the sailor said anyways, said they were very good friends but it was a secret that he was visiting so Zach wasnt to tell his father that he had arrived yet. Zach couldnt wait for them to meet up, the sailor seemed very happy and anxious to meet up again with his father.

Zach had told the seafaring man that he would have to tell him stories every week or he would tell his father he was there, of course he wouldnt actually tell his father(for a while) if he didnt but the sailor looked horrified at the prospect and thus to appease the child told him stories every week about things that happened out at sea, and once he ran out of stories that interested the prince he started making them up.
'They weren't ever very interesting even from the beginning though.'

Today Black had told Zach to meet him in the marketplace. The market was a nice area, the people friendly and the scents intriguing. The fishermen's stalls full with fresh fish caught in the early morning and farmers showing off their harvest hoping to collect returners if people liked their items enough. Some tables held handmade tools of different materials, Zach liked looking at those ones. Sometimes Zach went to the stalls that held mechanical parts to get something for his sibling, he owners of the stalls every once in awhile letting him take something to bring home to his brother for free.

Finally Zach noticed a small black figure coming towards him, then turning off into a alley. Zach looked around him to see if anyone else noticed but they all seemed occupied with their own things. Zach started walking towards where he saw Black, then looked into the alley. Black was sitting next to a barrel, waiting for Zach to approach.

Zach was excited, the sailor had been running out of ideas and Black would only be telling his first of hopefully many stories today. He felt something nudging inside his head like tapping fingers, he couldn't explain the feeling any better than that. He opened the door to his head, feeling the presence enter. It wasn't exactly the worst feeling, but Zach felt like he shouldn't have been as nonchalant about it as he was.
"Hello again, thank you for trusting and letting me get these stories out of my head, I've always wanted to tell someone."
Zach, flattered blushed slightly and nodded his head happy to listen. Now knowing that the reason Black wanted to tell him stories made him feel even better knowing it was making them happy too.

"Hmm.. today why don't I start off by telling you a story about a dragon? Oh I see that look you're giving me, you don't like fantasy? Would you believe me if I told you everything I say in my stories are true?"
"No!?"
"Aw I'm hurt, oops I'm kidding don't worry you aren't the only person whod think I'm lying."
Black sounded around the same age as his older brother in his twenties, but spoke like he was much older than his parents. Well sounded was possibly the wrong word, Zach didn't exactly hear him more than saw the words in his head without seeing them. A feeling maybe.

"Would you give me permission to tell you some insane sounding stories that couldn't possible be true then?"
Just the way Black spoke made him seem a natural storyteller, like he had already begun the story just by asking to tell it. Zach loved a good storyteller. As if catching on to Zach's thoughts Black smiled.

"Only around three century ago, there lived a single dragon. There had been more, but.. being as powerful as they were people feared them because they could not control them. This dragon however was smart and hid away from the danger when he saw it was going to happen and went into hibernation deep underground during the years it took for it all to be over with.
When he left the deep caves he found that no other dragons were there anymore. In but ten years his species had disappeared. Before the mas.. wa.. end of their existence dragons had been allowed to freely fly to their hearts content. This dragon knew that if he flew ever again he'd probably.. He wouldn't get to fly for as long as he wanted without others telling him to come down, telling him he was blocking the light of the sun.
A.. demon happened upon him and both were amazed to see each the other, both either known extinct or not real. The demon saw opportunity with the dragon though and offered a deal. This demon, he didn't have a home of his own and was always searching for a place to stay. If the dragon let the demon live with him, then the demon would help the dragon fly. There were specific rules that needed to be met though for this to work, the demon could make the dragon such a dark color that he could fly at night without anybody able to spot them. But for the day the only thing they could do was to stick to uninhabited places. The dragon agreed."

Black looked down, as if truly recalling the event. Zach fully engrossed in the story, noticed this. A insane story that couldn't be true, but Black seemed to believe it. Zach wished he could believe those kind of stories, to be able to escape into the fantasy on his own like Black was able to create the sense now.

"During the day the demon lead the dragon to places he sensed no others lived around and during the night the demon turned him into the night, unable to be seen swimming in the ocean of the sky. Both were happy, but.. They were both using each other. Both were powerful on their own, together unstoppable, so why did they hide out alone and live the way they did?
They were peaceful both of them, just wanting to be left alone. The dragon didn't wish for revenge and the demon was content with his new home with the dragon. Seventy six years later though, the demon noticed the dragon was dying. The dragon noticed this too. Neither spoke of it to the other though, both knew the other knew.
The dragon set off during the day, the demon with him for one last flight before they would return to the dragon's cave. Not paying attention at first, the demon didn't notice till the dragon had lowered close enough to the village to be in view of those down below. Faint screams could be heard, the demon started yelling at the dragon. What are you doing?! Youre going to be shot down! The dragon ignored his yells though, only lowering himself even more, the demon unable to stop the downward descent. The ground was rushing up to meet them and the demon started to understand what was happening.
You don't need to do this my friend! Turn around before you're hurt! The demon pleaded, knowing it was already too late, the ground was going to be upon them in little time. People were gathering below, sticking to the edges of the path ahead of the dragon. Then the dragon finally spoke. Make the contract with someone here, out in our seclusion you would have been lost so I brought you back to reality. Im sorry my friend, but not everyone gets a happy ending and this will be the happiest mine gets. Keep living for me, promise me this last thing.
The demon now, he had never grown attached before but beforehand the places he had lived the people only let him stay for their benefits and didn't know the price he himself inflicted upon their agreement. At this moment the demon knew the dragon knew from the beginning. Both outcasts feared by the rest of the world, that by this era shouldnt exist but in stories. Usually when his landowners died, they cursed his very name but the dragon even knowing from the beginning why the demon wanted to make the deal was still wanting him to continue living.
If the demon could cry he would have been choking back tears but for the fact he could not do such a thing, he smiled instead. It was a hearty smile and sincere as the demon had never been able to truly create a smile like that before. Thank you, my friend.
The dragon abruptly grew limp, all life gone and crashed upon the ground in the center of the city. The demon ran off with the dragons heart in tow, no wounds present on the body to show he had touched the organ. Civilians gathered around the corpse in wonder, amazed to see a creature theyd heard stories from by great grandparents.
The demons new heart beating shakily, stumbling unable to keep to the drums beat and to tired to keep dancing with the other dancers. It would probably last one more day, enough time for the demon to find a new home before he died too."
"Heh."

Zach looked back up to Black, having almost forgotten this was a story he was so enamored by the words used. Black looked uncertain how to continue the story, how to end it.

The demon found a friendly person in the market who let them stay in their home?
Zach tried to suggest, for obviously Black was probably winging it and hadnt thought to prepare a actual ending to his story. Black looked up to him, as if forgetting he was there. Then Black sighed and smiled.

"Then the demon found someone friendly in the crowd who let him stay in their home, and the dragons heart stopped to be replaced by this new figure."

Chapter Title: Who are You
Chapter 2 [Black POV]

"Why would they hide away after they learned something so small?"

"Because the idea had the ability to grow and thrive in their thoughts, flourishing and becoming bigger as more ideas came together in coupleship to create new ideas with only the best genes of the parent ideas before them."

The alley they had frequented before became impossible to sit comfortably in with the nearby shops leaving their trashed goods and things that smelled so bad you'd think someone had murdered at least half a dozen people back there.

'On the other hand someone might have murdered someone and placed them back here with the kind of dump this town is.'

Maybe Black just saw things too dramatically, but most of the buildings looked ready to crumble to piles of rock and brick. Doorways too short for adults to properly walk comfortable through and though many lived here it was because none could afford to leave. Zach seemed to notice none of this.

Black genuinely enjoyed the companionship between him and Zach. Zach was an avid listener and while Black had been joking at first about wanting to tell Zach his stories he now understood that being able to tell someone about the things he had seen and found interesting himself was nice.

'Its no wonder the sentients do it all the time.'

Usually dealing with adults formally, being around the child made it understandable how adults tolerated them.

'Might just be this kid though too.'

Zach was childlike is the best stereotypes and hadn't showed any indication of proving the bad stereotypes were true. A bit mature for his age Zach didn't take it upon himself to try passing off the idea that he was the center of the universe, a modest child.

Today's story had been about unicorns. Slain for their mineral wealth they went into hiding, the sentients of long ago concluding their material worth higher than their lives. Black had intended to be a child-safe storyteller, but learned early on Zach wasn't perturbed if Black forgot to change a word here or there to avoid words like murder and didn't flinch if he classed a sentient as evil over another species. Zach didn't believe his stories of course, but he saw meaning through them.

Having come to the same town for a week now-
'Cant believe its only been so long.'
-the civilians who occupied the market town had grown used to seeing their prince there. They were happy he wasn't so casual about the place too, cause if he was there so frequently maybe the child's father would give prosperity to the little town his son frequented. They spoiled the child of course like they never would there own hoping for his attentions.

Black assumed Zach enjoyed his company so much not just for the stories but for the fact Black didn't care about sentient roles in society and as far as Zach knew had nothing to obtain by hanging out with him. Of course Black felt no guilt at this, even if he liked the kid they had only known each other for a week and priorities were better placed in his survival than the feelings of someone he barely knew.
'Don't create attachments.'

The child would probably last a long time even after Black got the consent needed to take shared inhabitants of the body. The fuel from the fireplace seemed to never run out as each time Black and Zach met up his blaze was as warm as ever. Flickering embers of his fire reached outside the house and Black greedily took the warmth in, extending the life of his stolen campfire whose blaze had dimmed.

The sentients were a interesting species themselves, some sort of looking like not so mythical monsters of lore centuries ago. They had the features of animals yet distinctly were different- some even looking more monster than animal.

'They wouldn't know what I was talking about if I ever did decide to talk to one of them and say hey, you remind me of a fictional creature a sentient group who lived long before you created in fictional stories!'

Black wasn't certain where they originated himself, but it was in this continent where he found them first. They reminded him of a species long gone, himself only alive long enough to have watched that group go extinct. Being around over a thousand years had the ability to make one feel old, but oh so blissfully young so easily with each new discovery.

There hadn't been anything else like him in all those years though. Nothing like him. At first Black didn't need to leach off of others to keep living but around sixty years since he had found himself aware he felt a new instinct. With the kind of knowledge a baby bird has of when it needs to fly Black felt he needed to escape his body. The shell was dying but his being sure as hell wouldn't as long as he had any say in that.

"Black are you ok?"

Almost forgetting the child was there Black stopped where that thought process was leading and returned back to the present.

"So sorry about that, was just thinking back to the past."

There Zach went again giving him that pitying yet envying look, thinking Black slightly insane at this point probably, Black didn't know what to think of the envying half of that look though. Black still had no idea how Zach didn't even think to assume some fiction wasn't so fiction, for one he was talking to a rat of all things, and not just talking Black was literally speaking inside his head to communicate, and as far as technology in this age went they could accomplish a lot but telepathy was not one of those things.

"Hey Zach, why do you do that?"

Zach looked down to his small companion, confusion written on every inch of his face.

"What do you mean?" The child of only seven asked, shorter brown fur shining from obvious care and eyes dark enough to be called black giving him a sweep over as if trying to detect what brought the question up.

"You always make a point about letting me know you don't believe in magic and dragons, yet you let our interactions pass as if I myself am something normal."

Now the child turned fully towards him, body lithe like the animal he most represented but still slightly clumsy as a child, his feet and hands looked too big for his body. Pupils narrowed, the child gone from the world now in thought. Black waited patiently for a answer, finding distraction in watching the child's thin long tail swish slowly in thought. Finally deciding on a answer Zach focused his attention back to Black.

"Its kind of hard to not believe in something sitting right in view."

Zach did have a point, but was still avoiding answering the actual question that entailed.

'No reason to try asking such a complicated question to a child.' Black thought to himself.

"Hey Black?"
Zach was looking below now, the view from the roof they decided to rendezvous giving them both a nice view of the town below.

"..would you be disappointed if I told you I don't think I could ever believe in your stories?"
Black looked over to Zach, he didn't seem to look too worried about Blacks answer, calmly swinging his legs over the edge. His tail on the other hand told a whole new story, laying curled in close to the child's thighs and going along towards the edge of the roof to join his legs.

"Honestly I didn't expect you to believe these stories anytime in the near future."
Black slightly regretted his wording, Zach was giving him an odd look from the corner of his eye and he suspected the child read that phrase the way Black had meant it.

'I mean, if this goes as planned Zach's going to realize I am the unnamed monster within a lot of these stories.' Black grimaced to himself.

Black had half the year at most to switch from his current body to a new one, and was planning on investing a lot of that time to Zach. If things weren't in place by the time limit Black could take another rats body and continue from there, but more preferable by then he'd be sharing the home of Zach's form instead.

Down below in the market, Black noticed with slight amusement some rabbits escaping from a stall, the owner pushing past the crowd trying to reach them and stirring up agitation within the streets.

"Hey Zach, did you buy those tomatoes like I asked?"

Zach looked higher up the roof where he had dropped his pouch. Arms straining with little if any muscle yet Zach lifted his legs back over the edge and walked over to his bag. The bag was too small to hold much, Black wasn't surprised when Zach only produced two of the red orbs from within.

"I thought you didn't like tomatoes?"
Zach held the fruit out to Black, who shook his head towards the fruit.

"I'm not interested in eating it, but-"
Zach followed his gaze which looked towards the agitated crowds below. Understanding a lit within Zach's eyes and he gave a small amused smirk in Blacks direction.

"I thought you were more mature than this" he said, already taking a critical look back into the crowd searching for the perfect victim to start the riot.

Black gave an amused huff.
"You're no better."

Zach laughed at that, no need to pretend ignorance or denial.
"I have a excuse, I'm seven you're not."

"Kid after living for as long as I have you learn you're morals differently, this is nothing."

Zach finishing his critical review of the crowd threw the fruit.

Chapter Title: City of Pipes
Chapter 3 [Black POV]

Since the town was built on the border where the ocean kissed the land there wasnt a lot of plant life- but for the bright red flowers villagers grew long ago spread by humid winds and hungry birds. Brass pipes crawled like vines along walls and reached across roads building to building, no longer shiny and new but dulled from water exposure and use.

Farmers took long journeys to reach the town, since it was the only one that was known specifically for its market. The inhabitants themselves more often than not becoming sailors sold fish and other ocean life. Black was surprised they hadnt reached farther lands yet with how many and how often the citizens were away from home.

The civilians of the nation and many other nations on the continent didn't even know there were more landmasses, their world was this continent surrounded by water. Pirates knew better of course, but who believes a pirate. Black was still fairly new to this continent himself, maybe having been there for forty years.

Hed ended up here traveling with a pirate himself, his latest contract with the man at the time. Apparently pirates knew well of Black from where he still had no idea, but knowing of consequence they sought him out still.

He sat in an outcropping of flowers, their lush green stems despite their small size holding up their burdens. The speckled red flowers sat heavy with dew, the early morning of the coast convincing the suns light to dance with the vegetation. The only leaves they had rose from the ground next to the stem as if offering support. One of the few things Black would admit to liking was flowers, they never failed to take him spellbound.

While the town was made up more with dull browns, silvers and brass the flowers gave it a nice color to compete against. He padded around the flowers, towering above the rats smaller form. Pipes under the hard earth creating bulges in the dirt as if huge worms were digging beneath.
Zach was stuck home today, turns out one of the kings men had been in town yesterday and ended up being the target of the knowing princes aim when he threw the tomato. Well there went one day of getting closer to the young sentient.

'No worries there, current progress seems fine already.'

No reason to waste a break when its offered. Admittedly he didnt have many friends, but this didnt bring him any problem. He'd adopted pastimes over the centuries.

With more strength than a rat should have, he ripped a flower roots and all out of its earthy home, showing no exertion used from his arms hold. The stems rubbery, delicate surface near its base turned a few shades darker green, bruising where he had grabbed it a bit too harshly.

Careful of the already slightly damaged roots, he started off by carefully rubbing the larger dirt clumps off, spitting into his paw and scrubbing the rest from the roots, a bit still clinging defiantly. Doing this kind of thing was a lot harder when using a rats body, his jaw unhinged. Holding the plant above his form, the plant went down root first until only the bright red bulb was seen before it too joined the rest of the plant inside his stomach, were he kept all of his hoard.

If someone had tried to cut the rats body open, they would find nothing of the flower, maybe some long digested bread but otherwise that flower was on himself, not the rat. He didn't need to eat food and in fact never did but for the hosts body if they couldn't eat on their own, usually the smaller mammals or avians who he took complete control of. It was only with sentient beings that he didn't need to do this, perfectly happy to just hibernate unless needed in fact. The upside to non sentient animals though was that he didn't need their permission to take their body. The downside was that they didn't live nearly as long. Zach would survive a lot longer than this rat would.

Flower safely secured, Black set his jaw back cringing slightly with pain. A rats jaw wasnt supposed to do that. The way his magic worked dealt more with possibilities, the physical. He didn't absorb items, he ate them. He knew he was not the rat, so the flower didn't get taken by the rat. He liked to imagine himself like a pouch at times like this, the only physically identifiable thing about himself the items he stored away.

Dragons for example, their magic dealt more with the impossible, what people usually thought of magic as. Young dragons not strong enough to defend themselves would use fire, in Blacks case he would make himself stronger physically, grow bigger and more intimidating. His magic would produce wings, the other magic would let the user just hover or float. Dragons born with wings didn't seem like they would need to use magic for something like flying, but dragons are huge, and their wings were physically incapable of carrying their large forms.

Black didn't like using magic often, the mental strength needed to create the possibility was taxing and dangerous. If he stopped believing what he was doing was real, then the illusion would fall apart. A shapeshifter.

The blaring sound of a cannon halted his thoughts.

'Pirates.'

He climbed up one of the many pipes rising upon the building closest to him, one of those built on the edge of the town. Unfortunately for the town this wasnt an uncommon thing, fortunately for them the cannon sound wasnt the war cry of them taking over, rather a we have returned shot.
Children rushed excitedly towards the sound, returning fathers aboard the ship. Searching, Black eventually located the one man who knew what he was yelling orders as his men finishing securing the ship to the docks. Black started traveling the roofs towards the ship, would probably take a few minutes to reach him but the man usually waited on board for him before getting off. Tyrus was always willing to wait.

Tyrus and Black had an uneasy friendship, but they easily trusted each other. The wolf sentients fur shone oily and dark as coal, his eyes the same color as the gold he robbed from others. He had no family to return to. Compared to Zach, Tyrus was tall as a building.

'Then again compared to most sentients hes huge.'

The town loved this man though. Though he was a feared man by many and was the main character of a few horror stories, the place he was born and raised had no need to fear him. A powerful leader and a good man to those he cared to show that side to. He didn't like many and trusted fewer, but for those who gained that trust and friendship they carried with them a pact. Being treated as part of his pack was a huge privilege, and provided huge benefits.

'Thank god Im one of those few.'

Before he even realized it, his small feet were padding across the soft waterlogged wood of the docks. His tiny paws didn't produce a lot of noise but it attracted Tyrus attention, he looked down from where he was leaning against a pole, ears flicking slightly in acknowledgement towards Blacks much smaller form.

I havent seen you in a while, how have you been? He says this while lowering himself more level with Black, hand outstretched in his direction. Of course it would be easy for this man to find out when it was Black approaching him. Even though last they saw each other he had been a different animal.

'I mean, most animals on the island arent black in color, Ive gotta be pretty unique.'

He laughed slightly at the thought of Tyrus thinking some other random dark animal was him and tried to converse with it.

Welcome back Tyrus, its been a few months hasnt it?

Black clambers up onto his hand, stubby legs making it more difficult than he preferred.

So a rat huh?

Mmhmm, easy to come by around here. Black says to explain.

You may not know this, but the more I see you the more I start to think you're not that character in stories passed along crew to crew. Certainly not. his voice is still gruff probably from raising his voice too many times in even louder storms.

Black huffed, acting offended.

Happy to see you too.

He didn't need to prove to the wolf his role in the stories by now.

'How to bring this up..'

Tyrus seemed to notice Blacks troubled look and spared him the time of trying to figure out how to bring up the topic.

You not going for another rat next switch? Tyrus guesses.

By rat he meant any small non-sentient animals. This was one topic they fought over, Tyrus may not be a good man and himself once upon a time willing to make a contract with him, but he didn't like the idea of Black taking host of others.

Its not anyone that lives here if that helps.

Thing was, Black had the power to incredible raise the statistics of any side of a wars chance of winning. It he had made a contract with someone here, that would mean some innocent civilian would live a shorter life, if it was someone out of the area that left the chance of a formidable enemy, Black by effect becoming the enemy too and both outcomes undesirable by the sentient holding him.

Trying to tell him its a child so they wouldnt be a part of any brawls would probably not help.

Tyrus settled Black onto his broad shoulder.

Hey Black you should find a parrot, that way I could look more authentic.

Tyrus says this whilst winking in Blacks direction.

And there it is, every time I see you I cant believe you're that evil villain in those stories you're in yourself.

Ah! Im hurt Black that youd say that.

If Tyrus wanted to avoid fighting for today and divert away from the discussion for now, Black would allow him this one thing for today.

Chapter Title: The Jester
Chapter 4 [Zane POV]

Zane stood four heads taller than Zach. Like his father, Zane had adopted his light grey fur. From their mothers side he adopted a gold ticked tabby pattern, comparable on his grey fur to gold veins upon rock walls. Pale, almost foggy blue eyes adorned his face like rare gems filled with bright gold flecks. 'Don't I sound like a narcissist.' Anyone new to the castle would think him the prince over his younger brother. Zach unfortunately took more to the kings side with the unpatterned plain rusty brown pelt.

At the age of 20 he was required to spend a lot of time in the castle, so he knew most all of the secret rooms and corridors and who everyone who worked here was. So of course Zachs repeated absences were noticed too.

But for the moment in time, that wasnt exactly what was on Zanes mind.

Zane kept walking down the many halls of the castle looking from room to room for his baby brothers current location, tail trailing behind him as if trying to entice his brother out of hiding.
The castle was huge, large open meeting rooms with stone pillars carrying tall ceilings and resting rooms covered wall to wall in expensive paintings. Every window of the building was made of intricate rainbows of glass. The throne room where Zane currently resided was decorated with two plush chairs, one for the king and one for the queen.

He heard giggling coming from behind one of the soft red curtains covering one of the many huge windows in the room.

'Time for the performance.'

"Oh no, it seems like Zach's escaped me again!"

The giggling was getting more noticeable now, the closest window to his right.

With an even louder voice now, "I guess Ill just have to become a single child, oh well I won't need to share the food and toys since I don't seem to have a brother anymore!" Zach didn't need to know he didn't care for either the toys or the food.

A gasp was now heard, but Zach didn't come out of his hiding spot yet.

'Oho hes playing hard to get is he.'

"Oh me," he says this while striking a pose, slightly slouching over holding one hand over his face.

More giggling was heard.

"Oh my," this phrase followed up by him leaning back, damsel in distress one hand palm outwards from against his forehead.

Giggling turned into soft fits of laughter.

"I was hoping my dear brother would help me through my fear of taking baths! But I guess hes not up for the task if he decided to become a runaway over the idea himself!"

That did the trick. Zach came running out from his spot behind the curtain and jumped into his brothers waiting arms, nearly causing both of them to fall if Zane hadn't been expecting it.

"I can help you! I'm not scared, I was here the whole time!"

Zach clutched his arms around his neck to keep from falling off while leaning back to meet his brothers eyes to say this.

Zane pulled Zach in to better hug him close, nuzzling the top of Zach's head.

"I'm so glad you're here to help."

Zach giggled happily against Zane's chest.

"Now lets get you to the bath ok?" Zane turned around ready to head off back the way he came, Zach in hand this time.

"Aahh noo Zaanne!" Zach started pushing against his chest, trying to escape.
"Guess who's now getting a bath Zach!" Zane says this whilst gripping Zach a bit tighter so he couldn't wiggle out of his grip.

"Nooooo!" Zach said this while burying himself back into his brothers chest as if trying to disappear.

"Its too late, the big bad monster has caught you and the only way to keep yourself from getting sick from the dirty monster is to clean yourself!"

"You're not a monster." Zach mumbled against his chest halfheartedly, giving up the fight.
The phrase made Zane still for half a second before he continued walking.

"Hey Zach, guess what."

Zach waited a second before responding-

"What?"

"Don't know if I've told you this yet, but you're my favorite person."

He could say this with complete honesty, he didn't like a lot of people. Being the ****** of the kingdom most others felt obliged to feel the same way in return.

"You say that all the time." Zach still gifted him with a smile for his comment though.
Having been the one raising Zach for the last seven years now, Zane had grown very attached to his baby brother. Their parents were rarely there to attend to either of them, busy with work more times than not and the job of ruling a whole country-
'-I guess takes a lot of their free time away.'

'I cant help but hate them for it though.'

The hallways seemed longer than when he first walked them. Zach pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hey Zane are you listening? Heeyyyyy." Zach was pouting up at him, probably not knowing the kind of face he was making right now.

"Yep, I'm listening!" Finally reaching his destination, Zane pushed the door to the bathroom open shoulder first, carrying himself and Zach inside.

"Since when I was younger you used to tell me stories, do you wanna hear one I was told a while ago?" Zach asked him.

"Sure." Zane said.

Settling onto the floor, he reached into the bath turning the water onto a nice temperature.

"Zach which soap do you wanna use?"

"The bubbly one!"

"..You mean all of them?"

"One of them has more bubbles than the rest.."

Zane laughed lightly.

"Okay I have you're bubble soap, now get over here while the waters warm. I won't remake you're bath if you run and force you into the cold bath instead."

Zach bristled at the idea and moved quickly into the bath, his haste causing some of the water to overflow.

"So then, you wanted to tell me a story?" Zane prompted, getting the soap into his hands before he started rubbing behind Zach's ears.

Zach's face lit up, then he looked a bit doubtful.

"I don't remember exactly how the story goes though since its been a while."

Zane leaned back a bit to examine his bubbly masterpiece that stood triumphantly upon Zach's head.

"Well then tell me how you remember it."

Zach grew a bit more confident with his next words.

"Okay then!"

Zane waited patiently as he watched his brothers expression shift slightly trying to remember the story as best he could.

"Once upon a time there was a demon and a dragon."

Chapter Title: The End of a Prologue
Chapter 5 [Black POV]

The town was burning. People desperately pushed past each other trying to escape the blaze, amongst them Black.

'Zach where are you?!'

Black knew he wasnt thinking rationally, that Zach probably wasnt even in town right now. This early in the morning, Zach probably wouldnt have even been awake yet.

With how the flames were charring the body he inhabited, his body wouldnt last the day, let alone the hour. Black was practically dragging around a corpse trying to find the small child that may or may not even be around.

'And then what? Even if I did find him I couldnt get him out of here, let alone help myself at this point.'

Black turned another corner, ignoring the growing body count the farther in he ventured, ignoring the scent of cooked flesh. Black ignored the bubbling sounds of melting skin and the scent of burning fur. What he wanted to see was a unharmed small cat child with clean chestnut fur and eyes the opposite of his own.

That unfortunately wasnt what he found.

Black gagged, usually he was indifferent to such sights but seeing the barely alive form of the child, limbs hacked off and blood pooling around his torso took his breath away. It was getting harder to breath, Black didnt know it it was due to the smoke or the site of his friend dead or very close to being so. The ground around Black was sticky, he didnt look down, didnt want to see how far the blood reached.

Black started moving forward again towards Zach, hoping for signs of him being alive, at the same time hoping the child couldn't feel the pain anymore in blissful death. Upon looking at the kid's face, Black saw the wide eyes of someone who had been in incredible pain and shock, the kid was alive but unconscious.

'I need to act quickly or we're both going to die here.'

Black having no time to be gentle forced his way into the childs mind, making sure he was heard from wherever the kids mind had taken itself to ignore the agony inflicted to the outside body.

"Zach! I need you to make an trade with me! Ill offer something and all you need to do is say yes."

Black had planned on there being more time for him to grow close enough to the kid to get him to agree to something like this, but with current events Black was thinking maybe now would be a better time to forward the proposition.

"Zach, Im offering myself as.."

Black shuddered, looking at the mangled body before him, arms cleaved off at the shoulder, his feet missing from slightly above the ankle and a bloody mess were his tail had once been.

"Zach, I will become your new limbs, and we can have adventures together ok? Stay with me kid dont sleep you can do that later."

Black noticed that Zach had heard him, but was having a hard time in responding, either not capable of speaking right now or not too willing to accept the offer.

"Okay, nod your head if youd like to accept my offer, adventure and a new body if you let me take residence inside your mind and soul."

There was no time to sugarcoat Blacks intentions, they were both going to die at this rate, but finally Black watched Zach nodding his head having mentally forced himself out of his mental security room just to do the action.

There were few times Black thought about why he did certain things, this was one of them.

Black swiftly let go of the body he was currently in, feeling relief of being out of the burning corpse barely living on its own now dead. The feeling was like drowning, Black wouldnt live much longer than that rat without a body, and the one before him was the only one near. Black had no time for regrets and he rushed forward, quickly finishing up the job of transferring hosts. He saw no fear in the childs eyes unlike every other host before him for the few seconds they got to see him, then again the child was half dead. Black swiftly used his magic to give himself a outside form, the childs own magic reserves more bountiful than he expected. His magic was burning with power, and usually Black could feel the host immediately slowly losing their light but Black was beyond surprised when he realized Zach was perfectly fine.

Black mentally brought up the idea that he was like any other clothing artifact hed seen sentients wearing before. A scarf for new arms and hands and they could figure out how to fix his legs later, his tail was done for.

Black took over the body feeling Zachs exhaustion, the kid wasnt going to be the one getting the both of them out of there.

"Im going to get us out of here ok?"

Fur turned black and and limbs became whole, Black stood up and set a swift pace out of the flames in his new host.

New chapter and new Title and writing style hopefully! Still working on editing things when I can but otheerwise with due dates just finishing relatively slightly polished chapters, I think this is the best chapter yet :)
^{If this has the bug were it doesn't add the quotes("like this") in I'll edit later_{Not that anyone is reading this tbh}}

The Definition of a Parasite
Chapter 1 [takes place after prologue i need to work on either shortening or polish it up better now that I don't need to have it minimized at seven pages]

Black stumbled and crashed past buildings and homes, flames blazing and consuming everything in site. The sound of glass shattering and wood burning filled what would have otherwise been sounds of the marketplace that once had taken residence of the area. Now though, fire had stolen what had once been here. Steam pipes dripped molten brass and hissing noises gave the impression of monsters. He stumbled past some small, still recognizable bodies in his passing.

The corpses smelt delicious.

Damn everything!

Black passed a few familiar buildings, his brain quickly processing what he saw to his internal map. Eventually he passed the main fires range, the fire wasnt done though. The flames spread rapidly behind him, as if chasing him down like a hungry predator. Black moved down a few more streets before coming into view of the docks that now lay ahead.

Tyrus was still there; amidst the black smoke Black could make out figures in the distance rushing towards the safety of the ship. The wolfs crew were hurriedly bringing people on board, those aboard working under their captains orders trying to retain calm. Tyrus was the first one to spot him.

Black!?
The large wolf didn't get any more words out before he started choking on the thick smoke that encased everything.

Fire caused fur to burn and eyes to water, Black could feel his body growing weaker as he struggled to keep moving that small distance forward to get out of harms way. This was his promise to keep and if he failed now then they would both die.

What Black meant of course when he said his body was that of his host. Black himself didn't have a form of his own and needed to keep moving to different hosts to survive. His most recent host was a cat child named Zach, whom just minutes earlier Black had found bleeding to death in the center of the inferno. Whoever had attacked the child possibly also had something to do with the fire- but for the moment Blacks biggest concern was keeping them both alive.

Tyrus! Black choked out- we need medical attention!

For who? Tyrus, seeing nobody else with Black, called back.

Flames licked at their heels, persuading Black to move ever faster, grabbing Tyrus and urging him to follow, there was nobody else to wait for. If there were people still in the flaming ruins they werent breathing.

Its Zach, it was a miracle he was still alive when I found him!

It hurt to grip Tyruss hand, his own mostly charred and raw.

What happened to him? Tyrus, now moving with the forward direction, being physically stronger, was now the one urging Blacks smaller body on board his ship.

The wolfs crew immediately started getting ready to depart, their captain now safely among them once again. Too many people stood about the ship, crowding together among those they either recognized or ran together with to safety. The adrenaline and fear of what had just transpired giving them reason to not care about each others species for the moment.

Ah, chaos really brings people together.

Black, whats wrong with Zach? Concerned, Tyruss voice was filled with more emotion than hed ever permitted Black to hear used toward Zach.

Hes missing a few parts here and there, Black practically whispered out, finding it hard to breath in.

What does that even- Tyrus stopped, and his eyes widened a fraction.

Welcome back to reality sunshine, once I trade places with Zach again this ship ain't going to sail. he gasped out, referring to his body and not the actual ship.

Almost reluctantly, Tyrus asked, where..?

Black dragged his pointer and middle fingers over each shoulder and right below his knees.

Tails missing too, cut clean off.

But, who would-

A lot of people, you know his heritage. Use your imagination on this one.

Tyrus led Black past the shrouds towards his cabin. People watched the captain of the ship nervously, uncertain, scared, but hopeful. This ship, this structure and safe haven untouched by the flames belonged to Tyrus, the people needed a leader after all the chaos and Tyrus could easily fill that role if he chose to.

Black why arent you taking this at least a bit more seriously or with more concern. Someone set fire to a whole city! People lay dead on the street, nothing left but burning corpses! I know you're heartless but once-

Don't.

Black gave Tyrus a weary glance, he had no right to bring up these kind of things right now.

As it may come as a surprise to you, I truly care. But right now, being concerned isnt going to cure anything, is it? And everything is way past too late to fix.

Tyrus didn't seem to notice the implications of that last sentence.

Lets just get out of view so we can deal with the physical wounds. A bit of venom laced his words, a byproduct of things almost said.

Grudgingly, Tyrus complied. Anymore talk wouldnt get them anywhere.

Ashes rained down upon them.

Alright, he said, opening the hatch to the main deck, come on down.

Glancing up at Tyrus a he passed, Black slowly lowered himself down the wooden amalgamation of ladder and steps into the ship. Tyrus started to follow closely behind.

So will the ship be leaving or-?

I gave my men the orders to depart once I returned.

A few civilians had made it below deck and nervously watched the lumbering, dark wolf descend into the hold, uncertain if they were allowed to be down there or not.

While I was out looking for anyone left behind my men were preparing the ship. I hope you didn't have anything to return to, Tyrus gave the civilians quick smiles while passing, then politely asked for them to return above deck.

Tyrus looked back over to Black once the civilians had gone back up to the main deck and observed his new look.

-unlike this kid did.

Ah, still mad at me about that. Black thought to himself.

Of course Im angry, you took a child!

Or said out loud.

He wouldnt have anything to return to if he was dead now would he?

Tyrus practically ripped the door open to his cabin. Fairy lights hung from the rafters, strung above a low hanging hammock to the right. To the left, a wide desk held most all of the wolfs possessions, including some old, well worn maps and some weapons among the various other junk.

So this is the big bad wolfs home huh?

Tyrus ignored his comment.

Lay down on the Hammock and cease control, I need to deal with Zachs wounds since you cant.
Fine then.

The window to the far wall was covered in soot, making it almost impossible to see past but for the orange light filtering through. Muffled voices filtered from above, indistinguishable to Black and Tyrus below.
Black grabbed onto the side of the hammock and hauled himself heavily over into the hanging bed.

Im not sure if Zach will be able to stay awake once we switch places though. Black couldn't admit he felt too concerned, but he did feel guilty.

Last time he was conscious he was burning alive. And he hasnt been awake during this entire time Ive been in control.

Black didn't even want to consider the kind of damage done mentally to the seven year old, considering they probably hadnt even noticed the fire. And if they had, then there was the possibility that at the time that fire could have been a blessing, the means to an end. Black barely got Zach to agree to make a deal with him once he found him.

What if he didn't want to..

Well then youll have to coax him out then wont you? Tyrus reached for one of his stool that were placed about the room and settled it to the side of the bed before moving towards the right side of the room to grab something else.

Im not a ****** nurturing person Tyrus, I don't know what to do to get him out right now.

Everything hurt, God did everything hurt. Black could feel the pain of severely burned skin and his brain messed with his perspective. Phantom limbs that were physical for him but shouldnt actually be there, it was hard to keep a physical form when you stopped believing it was real yourself.

Im not used to this body yet, I got no time to settle down and adjust before I had to take the wheel.

Black sighed before closing his eyes.

Hey kid you in there?