"I had a feeling it would be you."

Ridgedog swooped down and landed silently next to the unconscious figure in the centre of the crater, curled up in a fetal position, sleeping, blissfully unaware of the events unfolding around him. Ridgedog knelt down next to the person, careful not to disturb them.

"I've been waiting for this day to come. I hoped it would never happen, but it was inevitable, really, wasn't it?" he said softly, trying to suppress the anger in his voice. He looked at the person resting before him – he was curled up tight, legs pressed against chest, held in place by his arms, wrapped tight around himself. His soft dark brown hair flopped over his bowed face, forming a curtain of darkness over his closed eyes. He appeared to be wearing some kind of uniform – red and black, with shiny black shoes and some kind of golden brooch-like badge just below his shoulder, with a kind of unrecognizable crest on it. It was a strange thing to see in the middle of the night, but Ridge had seen far more peculiar sights, though perhaps none were as terrible as this.

"What was Mother thinking? Sending you here – how idiotic! This will not solve anything – it's just made things worse! You've made things worse!" he cried out, but no one was listening, and no response was given. The sleeping figure did not even stir.

"This place is too dangerous for us now. With two of us here, he will find us, and transform us, and use us, and then…" Ridge did not allow himself to finish the sentence, lest thoughts of this terrible outcome came rushing into his troubled mind, and made themselves permanent residents.

"Oh Mother, I love you, but how could you have done this to me? To him? What did you hope to achieve through this?!" Ridgedog sobbed desperately, slamming a fist down into the soft dirt. The figure let out a soft cough and turned away from him.

All of a sudden, glancing back up at the sleeping figure, Ridgedog sensed a glimmer of hope.

"He doesn't remember, does he? You…you buried his memories…and you sent him to me, so he would be safe; so we would both be safe, didn't you? Didn't you? Ha!"

Ridge's trademark smile, which the locals knew him so well for, returned to his face. His features lit up as he pushed off the earth and shot into the air. As he soared higher and higher into the night sky, stars whizzing past him until they became indistinguishable white blurs, he felt a surge of joy.

"I protect the inhabitants of this planet – they are good people, and they shall help take care of him. I promise." He said quietly, to no one in particular.

Then he spoke in an ancient language, lost but to a handful of people, which included him and the sleeping figure down below, not that they, nor anyone else, would ever realize that - thankfully.

"Orumb srromedes frermanns teck, cretarck Xephos."