Alternate Origins: A Multiverse Adventure (Open to all)

The planet is Earth. The era is the modern day. Dragons do not exist here; humans are the dominant species. There are no Manticores, no Phoenix, no Thunderbirds. There are no gods. There is magic, but not quite as we know it. While the creatures we know have no place here, there is a subspecies to challenge the rule of humankind; Vampires and Lycans. On this planet called Earth, there is one such being in particular around which this story centers. He is the offspring of a Vampire and a Lycan hybrid--a hybrid himself. His name is Svadilfare and his story begins in another world called Pyrria.

Svadilfare moved silently through the snow-covered woods near Kryo. While his family slept, he took advantage of the alone time to do some hunting. Kryo was better off than other villages and cities, thanks to where it was located. Of course they had to deal with the monsters just like everyone else, but much less frequently. Most of the creatures around here were bigger, really only a threat to the Dragons that still remained. Still, game was becoming scarce. With so many mouths to feed, and his wife being sick, Svadilfare was starting to get a little frustrated. There were many nights he stayed up, training outside or out in the woods. Dangerous? Maybe, but the Pride of Kryo was not so called because he didn't take such risks. The warrior-assassin bent down to inspect some tracks in the snow. They were fresh; the animal that made them couldn't have been here more than a few minutes ago. He shouldered his bow--the only time he used a bow and arrow was when he hunted--and took off at a jog to the north.

It wasn't long before Svadilfare caught up to his prey. He crouched down at the edge of a clearing, in some bushes. The deer was just 50ft away, pushing away the snow with his antlers in search of food. A distant sound, perhaps a tree branch cracking under the weight of beast or snow, or perhaps a pile of snow itself falling to the forest floor, made the deer nervous. It looked up and around before darting off. The Kryoan quickly stood and drew back on his bow, aiming just ahead of the deer... then he loosed the arrow. But suddenly, the deer vanished into nothingness. Svadilfare crept forward slowly. At the point where the deer had disappeared, the warrior had seen a sort of... well, he wasn't sure what to call it. He could only describe it as the visible heat that sits just above a roaring flame. Cautiously, he nocked an arrow and fired it into the center of the strange phenomenon. Rather than flying at the tree directly ahead, the arrow vanished just as the deer had. Svad's eyes narrowed. Whatever this was, it shouldn't be here. Since gaining the capability to shapeshift into a dragon, Svad had not dabbled in magic. He had another way to attack and defend when weapons were useless; he could heal his injuries; he even had a way now to visit with his hybrid children if they one day chose to live in the world of dragons. He had all he needed as far as magic was concerned.

Of course, that meant there was nothing he could do about this thing he had discovered. He couldn't go to Celestia about it; she had no business doing anything but focusing on getting better. It then occurred to him that it was a portal. Celestia had used them once or twice when she didn't feel like taking the long way to get somewhere. But she couldn't have made this... Well, why not take a look? He had nothing else to do now that his deer was gone. With a quick breath, Svadilfare stepped through the portal.

"Svadilfare. Svadilfare! Pay attention, son."

"Uh.." Svadilfare blinked and looked around. He remembered walking through the portal... but not how he ended up... wherever he was now. But there was more than that. His voice sounded different just then, higher... like a child. He looked down at himself and confirmed his suspicion. His hands were smaller, he was considerably shorter. He was indeed a child. But when did that happen? How did that happen? Svad suddenly remembered someone had been speaking to him. He looked up at the man-- the, uh, wolf. Sitting a few feet in front of Svad, was a big black wolf. Had it spoke to him just now? A thought popped into Svad's mind. A thought about this wolf. It wasn't just a wolf. "Sorry, Father." Why was his father a wolf?

"Perhaps that is enough for today, dear." A woman approached from the left of the room--which Svad now noticed was mostly stone. She laid a hand on the wolf's head, patting it before picking up Svad and hugging him. "You know he'll lose interest after an hour."

The wolf sighed and suddenly changed. Bones cracked and changed, the fur seemed to melt away. Soon, a man stood in place of the wolf. "Very well. But I expect him to be able to tell me the importance of his name tomorrow."

"And I expect you to spend at least an hour with him without trying to force any sort of responsibility on him." Without waiting for the response she knew she was going to get, the woman walked away with Svadilfare in her arms.

Svad blinked as the darkness of the room he had been in gave way to sunlight. He looked at the woman carrying him. She must be his mother. Okay, so the portal brought him wherever he was and turned him into a child. At least he still had memories of home, but why wouldn't he? Actually, it was a little weird since he was slowly starting to 'remember' this life he had suddenly walked into. As the Kryoan's... mother... carried him off somewhere, Svadilfare wondered where the portal back home was.

Súl Iolar walked across the dunes near his home. Everything seemed to be going right with his life right now. He had married the girl of his dream, had another kid on the way, and in all honestly was enjoying his life. The man had just gotten back from a trip, and wanted to take a quick walk so here he was. As he walked by, he noticed a bird fly past, then... it was gone!

The man looked before noticing an odd waviness in the air. He wasn't sure what to do, but it intrigued him. He was about to walk away, but his curiosity got the better of him. Súl took a breath, then walked into the thing.

"Boy, I thought you were the one who wanted to learn this?" The man... wait? Was that his father? Súl looked around to see that he seemed a lot shorter. Where was he, why was his father here, and what on Pyrria was going on? "Sorry Pa." What was he doing here. He... he was.... He then heard another familiar voice.

"Hon'. Maybe he needs a break. You've said before blacksmithing isn't easy. That why I stick to keeping my animals." His mother! Wait. Animals? Not dragons, just animals? He also notices her teeth seemed longer. Súl then began to remember things about this life. Ok.... How was he getting home?