The day was dark and gloomy as rain fell in thick waves over the small quiet little town of San Vivida, Mexico. As the rain was falling, many of the quiet friendly villagers hid in their small homes spending time with their families telling stories and the like. However not all was peaceful; at the edge of the village where the rich farmland laid, a short middle aged man ran as much as he could despite his disability in his leg while he carried a small baby in his arms. He had found the newborn abandoned in the forest and as a kind nurturing man he wouldn't dare leave a baby to die. The best thing he could possibly do was bring the baby to the most respected man in the village; Death. Despite the name, everyone in the village looked up to Death. Many told stories to the children that Death came from a distant magical land, with teachings and magical potions that helped heal the village especially during the times of plague. No matter if it was true or not, all of the village was grateful to him. With the newborn wrapped in cloth and held tightly in his arms, the man known as Jorge knocked quickly on Death's door. He was soaked to the bone, and his cane that he relied on to walk was long discarded back in his hut. As a lonely man, Jorge's only solace was having conversations with Death as well as practicing his love of carving into wood. Often he would carve small toys for children and fashion small furniture for the locals from scraps of wood he would purchase from merchants. With a shiver and a grunt, Jorge held the quiet baby close to his chest. As he was waiting he prayed that the silence didn't mean the baby wasn't alive.

"Por favor, dios mio..." He whispered to himself.

 

Grim shook gently at the sight of the needle. Much like Miguel, he hated them. Andres however couldn’t help but to praise Miguel. “Look at how brave you are! You are way braver than me, you know! I could never handle taking a needle like you did, I would’ve ran away.” Andres cooed, praising his beloved grandson as he gave him a gentle kiss on the head. “The pain will go away soon, Miguel. You’ll feel much better in a few minutes now.” Death insisted as he stood up. “The wound won’t cause any permanent damage, will it?” Megara asked. Death rubbed the back of his head. “The wound missed everything important as far as I could see. He should be fine, all we have to do is wait for him to heal up, and since he’s young he should heal up pretty quick.” Death explained. “He’ll be fine! Heck, maybe he’ll heal fast enough so I can take him adventuring.” Andres chuckled. “Oh no you won’t I’m not letting you take away my kids to hunt for made-up creatures.” Death hummed, rubbing Grim’s head. “Eh? But I want to help Grandpa fight off a wi…win…what was it?” “Wendigo.” Andres said. “Wendigo!” Grim squealed. “No. Besides, I’m pretty sure Miguel wants to sleep.” Death insisted, the two glancing at each other. Father and son, both doctors…just with different beliefs.

 

Miguel sniffled slightly, still upset at the fact that he had to take a needle. It wasn't even because of the pain. Needles didn't hurt much. He just didn't like the principle of it.

"Nooo...." Miguel whined, again fussing and climbing all over Andres. After a few minutes however, the medicine already began to take effect, and Miguel soon started to lull into a sleeping state. Even then be whined the tiniest bit.

"N-Nu....." His shirt lifted up a small tad due to his position, and a deep scar from the bite a few years prior revealed itself. It still didn't look like a animal bite... It looked human. Or something more.

 

Andres glared at Death as his son glared back. However his attention was turned as he saw the scar. He had read about the bite from a letter, but this was the first time he had seen it. “What the hell…” Andres hissed. “It’s from the letter I sent.” Death reminded him. “That bite mark isn’t from an animal like you said in your letter.” Andres murmured. “It’s an animal bite.” Death insisted. “It isn’t.” Andres snapped back. Death bit his bottom lip. “…Megara, could you take Miguel for a moment? I need to talk with dad in private for a few seconds.” Death asked. Megara gently took Miguel into her arms, making sure to not wake him up. Grim watched curiously as Death led Andres into a small corner in the living room, the two beginning to talk in whispers. “…So he says…” “…I knew it looked too strange.” “But this is the weird part.” “…no wAY CAN I MEET HIM-“ “I haven’t even seen him since then-NO YOU AREN’T GOING TO TRY TO SUMMON HIM!” Grim tilted his head to the side. “Dad and grandpa are both weird.” Grim hummed. “They are.” Megara sighed, lulling Miguel to a peaceful sleep.

Miguel was already falling asleep. Within a few seconds of being held by Megara he was already basically knocked out.

Meanwhile, from nearby Death and Andreas a new voice entered the room.

"That summoning bullshit won't work on me." The horned young man commented, leaning against the wall right next to Andres with his arms crossed.

"You're lucky I even showed up. I can't stand witch doctors..." The young man uttered to Death, looking to Andres. "You better not try to throw salt on me or something." The man appeared to be... Different. Much more perhaps stressed or aggravated.

"JESUS-you need to stop appearing from nowhere." Death huffed, getting his hand on his chest. Andres didn't seem alarmed. Instead he seemed estathic. If there was anything that Andres loved were adventures and supernatural discoveries. And with the man's sudden appearance, he was like a kid meeting his favorite superhero. "It's so nice to meet you I'm Andres can I touch your horns?!" Andres squealed. Luckily Death kept him from hugging the man or any attempts to touch him for that matter. "Dad no not now dammit this is my house and he's my guest. Dad didn't bring him dear, he's an acquaintance of mine...that I will totally explain of later." Death groaned. How could his life get any crazier, he feared to jinx it. "Come on have you any idea how unique this experience is?! I'll most likely die before seeing one like him!" Andres insisted. Death was more focused on the man and his mood. "Forgive my father. Nice to see you again. But every time I do see you something happens. You came to see Miguel after last night's event?" Death asked. By then Megara and Grim had made themselves busy by sitting with Miguel on the sofa, not being able to see the supernatural guest in their home.

Edited November 3, 201510 yr by Stardustblade358

[The man isn't visible to anyone but Death, the Undertaker, Santiago and Andres omg sooooooooo sorry for not specifyinggggg that Grim and Megara couldn't see him I'm so sorry omg)

(Fixed, and don't worry.)

The man glanced over to Miguel, then to Grim. He appeared to be deep in thought before he was torn out of it by Death.

"Hm...? Oh, I came here because I sensed an... Interesting new presence. It was slightly different compared to a normal human... Which now I can see is your father." The man uttered, looking to Andres. "I'd prefer for you to not touch my horns... Or my wings or my tails... Especially my wigs. Don't you dare try to clip them." He warned. One could easily tell the man really wasn't fond of Witch Doctors. Most of them, at least. "Your Grandson easily almost died last night, a premature death. But due to your appearance here, he is now alive. Impressive."

Andres almost looked offended, but overall he was just being himself. "Me? Clip off your wings? I would never. To clip them off would be to harm and deform such a beautiful being. Especially since you came to see me!" Andres said honestly. Death rolled his eyes. He frowned at the young man. "The wound could have killed him. His spine could have snapped, he could have bled to death, even gotten decapitated. I don't think it's wise to keep him out of sight alone anymore." Death admitted. Andres' cheerful expression hardened. "Those bastards saw themselves all mighty by trying to slay a child. Hopefully I've scared them just enough for them to leave him alone for a while." Andres said, glancing over at sleeping Miguel. "The child's life has been one tragedy after another. He deserves more than this crap." Death glanced over at the winged man again. "I've been meaning to ask you. Miguel is really the son of the witch, isn't he? Its not just the reputation, but whatever bit him..."

The man listened to Andres and Death's words. A small part of him- the tiniest little speck in his heart- felt a tinge of guilt. Little did they know of what was to befall Miguel... The tragedies were far from over.

"Is he the son of the witch...?" The man asked, humming in thought as he thought about the question for a moment. "Well..." He glanced over to Miguel's sleeping from. "Honestly... Well, I think so. I have reason to believe that he is, however I'm not a hundred percent sure on that... But if you ask me, yes he is."

Death didn't even change his expression, he just sighed and got his hands on his hips. "Well if would explain a few things. Though you still haven't told me what bit him, it wasn't from the mortal plane. Maybe its the connections that his mother had made that have made him a target...darn it. If only medicine could cure hexes." Death hissed. "Your medicines can't, but my charms could, maybe, possibly, maybe not heal or get rid of it but keep whatever bad spirits are being attracted away." Andres insisted. Death growled at him. "Remind me why I let you stay?" Death hissed, turning away and back to the young man as Andres walked back trying to busy himself with something. "Right. Miguel's injury will take much longer to heal than other injuries due to the position, but it should heal fully regardless. You don't happen to have any suggestions about how to deal with these men that are after Miguel, do you? I took an oath to never bring harm to anyone as a doctor...but my patience is beginning to run thin. I'm extremely tempted to move us away from here. Somewhere where they don't know of Miguel's possible past." Death contemplated, Andres showing Grim some of the items he had brought from his travels, including charms all the way from the northern tribes.

The man couldn't help but chuckle at Death's reaction to Andres. Death really was a stubborn little cookie wasn't he?

"So you're going to shun your only mortal ally that will know how to handle the boy's situation... That's smart." The man commented sarcastically with his arms crossed. Honestly Death was amusing him more and more. "Look, moving away isn't going to save you from any... 'Unfortunate events' that might befall you. With your father around, those men won't come back. If you really want my advise... I say listen to him."

 

Death stared at the young man with jaw slightly dropped. He almost looked insulted. It was hilarious to look at. “You obviously haven’t been raised by him.” Death scoffed. His childhood was great, Andres was a wonderful father. If anything…it was just kind of hectic. He had to travel wherever his own father had to go to, and with that came a whole lot of chaos. Death had been chased by animals, had to climb over a freezing mountain, and witness an exorcism before his 16^th birthday. The entire situation of living with a man who believed in everything had turned Death into a man who believed in nothing, taking a medical occupation based on facts. Yet as this man, and many other things began to simply pop up into his life…he wondered if he was wrong all along. “So it can’t be helped…mierda.” Death hissed. He glanced over at his father. “…fine. I’ll consider his methods.” Death said. He turned over to the young man. “By the way, I never got your name. I’ve been calling you ‘the mysterious young man’ all this time.” Death said. Meanwhile Andres took out something rolled from his bag. It looked like grass, but of thicker matter. He then proceeded to light a match, to slightly set it on fire, sweet smelling smoke surging from it. “Don’t mind me I’m just going to spread some sage around the house. If something bad is happening to Miguel that we can’t see, this should weed it out.” Andres cooed, turning around as he began to wave it around, the sweet scent covering the areas. Grim followed, watching Andres do his thing. Death gently held his head. “Ay…”

 

The 'mysterious young man' couldn't help but chuckle at Death's response. Honestly he found it a tiny bit surprising that Death was still trying to hold onto his facts even though he spoke to a supernatural being for years. A part of him wondered what it'll take for Death to actually realize what more is in this world. Death then asked for a name. The man have a nervous chuckle and paused for a moment. He didn't know what to say. The man couldn't even remember the last time he was asked about his name.

"I guess I could tell you..." He uttered, face and voice softening. "It's Dan-" All of a sudden, he saw Andres lighting save for the house. He looked dead straight at the sage.

"...Sage. You can call me Sage." The man, now calling himself 'Sage' said.

Death pondered if he could insist on gaining an actual name other than an alias. But in the end he decided not to. He gently sneezed at the sweet scent of the burning sage, glancing over at his father and Grim, who seemed more than fascinated by everything his grandpa was telling him. "Well if his presence means that it will bring more gooey than bad, then I guess having him around for a while won't hurt as much as I think." Death murmured. Family was family in the end of the day. He glanced over at Sage. "Well I have some time before I must return to tend over the sick. Want some tea? I would let you play with the kids but I don't think they can see you or that Miguel will be up for any active activities today." Death cooed, watching a sleeping Miguel as Megara gently rubbed his head, entertained by watching Andres tell Grim stories of his travels. "Unless you want to come with me to visit the sick. Though you might end up scaring the elderly." Death laughed.

Sage looked somewhat spaced out. It appeared that he was deep in his own thoughts. Occasionally he would take small glances to Miguel from time to time. He snapped out of it however after hearing Death speak.

"Hmm?" He paused. "Ohh... That's okay. Maybe I'll play with your kids someday another time. As for the sick people... I'll join you in a little bit. I... Want to stay here for a little while. And no on the tea... Any kind of food or drink turns to ash in my mouth." He sounded a tiny bit dissapointed at the tea thing. In truth, Sage did love tea. But obviously due to his being... He couldn't drink it.

 

Death stared amused. Turned into ash? Well, he wasn’t going to ask. “Right. I am going to get going then.” Death murmured, walking over to the infamous medicine cabinet. The thing was rather large. It took over an entire wall, and was easily the center of attention in that part of the house. It was made out of rosewood and had both free spaces and small cabinets here and there. It contained glass containers and boxes and all types of liquids and ingredients. He picked up a large glass container that had black, wiggling things inside. “Well, I’m going to Ms. Mendez’s leach session.” Death said casually, walking out while holding the leaches. “I will be back in a while!” With that, he closed the door and walked away. Andres ended up using the sage all over the house, making sure to not leave a single space untouched by the sage. At least it smelled sweet. “Any bad spirits that are stuck in this house leave.” Andres muttered as he waved the sage. Grim followed his grandfather around, following his guide. “Leave! Leave!” Grim cheered.

 

Sage gave Death a nod, still disappointed at the fact that he couldn't get to drink and tea. He watched as Death departed for work and began to walk around with Andres. From time to time he would glance at Grim, then Miguel and then Grim again. He kept his hands in his pockets, silently taking steps alongside Andres. After about fifteen minutes however, Sage slowly took Andres wrist.

"I..." He went silent for a moment. "I... I need to talk to you."

 

Andres looked over at Sage and nodded excitedly. He turned back to Grim and offered him the burning sage. “Want to practice? Whenever an evil spirit or bad energy is around the house, you will have to make sure to reach every corner to push it out of the house.” Andres said. Grim nodded and took the sage in his hands, turning around and running around the house as he waved it the same way he saw Andres do it, all ever so happily. Andres turned to Sage smiling. “Now, what you want to talk to me about? Is it about my handsome looks?” Andres joked. “Or about my cute and adorable grandkids? Or did my wife has something to tell me from the afterlife? Cause there’s always some poltergeist activity going on whenever I return home and I’m pretty sure it’s her way of telling me to clean the house.”

 

Sage shook his head at Andres' excitement. Honestly he sounded just like a huge baby to him. Sage watched as Grim ran around with the sage and couldn't help but get a small pain in his heart. He grumbled and walked towards the hallway, leading Andres away from everyone.

"No, it's not that..." Sage muttered, almost sounding bitter. He didn't know how to say it, but he decided to just be blunt with it. "Your grandson... Miguel... He's going to die. On his thirteenth birthday. And there is a... Very, /very/ dark creature that wants him. And that's the day he's going to get what he wants."

Andres' smile faded as she glanced at the young man with terrified eyes. For a moment he hoped that the young man would simply eventually laugh and say it was a joke, but it never came. If it were Death, he would be in complete denial, refusing to accept such possibility, insisting that he would protect Miguel with his life. But Andres knew that there were things beyond this world that were darker, much more powerful than any mortal could handle. Powerful enough to leave any of them useless of doing anything. "No..." He finally breathed, shaking his head in sadness. "Why? Why him? Why so soon? He will still be merely a child by that time. Barely beginning to live. Hell, that only gives him a couple more years. Why so young?" Andres asked. He couldn't help but to feel helpless. "Who is this entity? Isn't there any way we can stop this, at all?!" Andres asked. Miguel was family. He was a son and a brother and a grandson. It wasn't fair. Miguel didn't deserve it. "I'll fight him myself if I have to...is there really nothing at all we can do?" Andres glanced back at the three of them. When the time came, it would be devastating.

Sage sighed. He wondered if it was even right, telling a mortal this. But honestly he felt like he needed to tell /somebody/... And Death was definitely out of the question. After seeing Andres' face however; Sage wondered if it was the right choice to even tell Andres.

"We can't do anything... I tried. Attempting to fight it will only cause more death. I know because a boy and his father died because of it. This creature... He goes by many names... But most call him El Chupacabra. Honestly, I'd think a mortal would rather be eaten by an actual Chupacabra then meet him... I call him Cabra. And what Cabra wants... Is a new pet. I don't know why he wants the boy as his pet, but I only assume it has something to do with La Bruja."

Andres frowned even further, the happiness replaced with dread as a look of despair began to cover his eyes. "...mierda." He curses under his breath. So even as a witch doctor, he was still a mortal old man, and in the long term, useless to do anything to prevent it. To think that one of his beloved grandsons only had a mere few more years to live pained him greater than any wound he had received in his travels. "Cabra. I'll remember that name." Andres dully noted as he glanced over at the family members in the living room. Megara held a sleeping Miguel in his arms, watching as Grim tried to show her how he was doing the sage cleansing like his grandfather did. "Right...regardless that we can't do anything doesn't mean I won't keep trying but...thank you for telling me. I'll be sure to be ready when the time comes." Andres sighed. The least he could think of was to come around the date, and maybe spend what would be the last days with his beloved grandson. He couldn't tell Megara or Death. His heart ached at the thought of them realizing that there was nothing they could have ever done.

Sage looked back over to where the family in the living room rested, watching as Grim ran around and Miguel slept in his mother's arms. Sage felt bitterness in his heart, and anger as he knew he couldn't do much either.

"My name is Dante." Sage said. "I abandoned it a long time ago. You're the only one who knows it now. I'm... Kinda a trouble maker for the other guys. I always purposefully get in everyone's way because it's fun. But Cabra... He's another story. Honestly... I've been gone so long I don't know what's the point of my being anymore..." He trailed off, fading away with a small whisper.

"I miss my brother..."

 

-

 

The next few years passed, and Miguel was now turning thirteen years old. He recovered from the wound he had flawlessly, it leaving a pretty good scar on the back of his neck. Miguel didn't care though. If anything he wore it proudly and proclaimed it to be a battle scar which it technically was. Luckily the townspeople backed away from him after the whole incident especially because of Andres. Currently Miguel was stretching on the floor in the living room, completely lazy and not wanting to do anything. He always wore the necklace Andres had given him.

"All I want to do today is open presents, eat cake and lay down." He complained, laying on the floor like a rug. "All the cleaning this week left me pooped~"

Grim sat on the sofa with a book at hand. It was a mythical encyclopedia that explained different creatures of myths and legend and even had photos. A gift from Andres, of course, as he also wore the necklace that he had been given along with Miguel years ago. Megara was making a special cake for Miguel's birthday along with some of his favorite treats, so the boys weren't allowed in the kitchen to avoid them trying to get a bite before it was time. Death was doing his rounds as usual, promising to return earlier for the birthday celebration. They had hidden the presents too, so there was no way the boys would be able to get them before the time was right. Even Undertaker and Santiago would be coming to celebrate. "We still have a few hours though. Mami won't tell us where she hid the presents either." Grim smiled, closing the book as he jumped off the sofa, walking over to Miguel. "What do you want to do? It's your birthday so this time we can play whatever game you want." Grim hummed, playing with his braid. "Maybe hide and seek? We can look for Santiago and play together!"