• He had never felt the impact. He had been walking on one of the many floating rock pathways in the ghost zone -courtesy of his powers disappearing on him- then had slipped somehow. Next thing he knew, he was fully submerged in an ice-cold, black -or dark green- liquid. He had been groggy, even wondering who he was, but soon realized he was deep, deep in an ocean hidden away in a dangerous part of the ghost zone that not even Vlad dared venture.
    His limbs and torso ached, and he felt like his entire body was being pressed on, pressed inward, a sign that he was far too deep underwater than was physically healthy for him.

    He mentally gasped. Something had brushed against his legs. He had never been in this part of the ghost zone, thus had never encountered much of the ghost zones aquatic life, but he had heard tell from other ghosts that this part of the Ghost zone was as dangerous as they came. Rumored home of phasmavore ghosts that were powerful enough -and big enough- to take you out in one shot.

    He blinked - and it happened. The monstrous, Plesiosaur-like ghost creature was bolting toward him, it's gaping jaws revealing row upon row of gleaming, white teeth. The creatures eyes seemed to contain a hidden joy, as if it took pride in being able to make the halfa its meal. Danny quickly streamlined himself, and began swimming upwards, in an eel-like fashion.
    He felt the Plasmiosaur's nose brush the bottom of his foot, and it was then that Danny knew he was in deep danger.

    The Plasmiosaur, which had turned around rather quickly in the watery liquid, was hurtling itself back towards Danny again, a certain determination gleaming in it's eyes, showing that it would get the hybrid, even if it took a fight to wear him down.
    Danny readied himself, but quickly brang a hand to his forehead, suddenly feeling lightheaded, and remembering he was in water. He need oxygen to live, while the Plasmiosaur didn't, so could keep this up for much longer then Danny himself could. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, and the last thing he saw before falling into the pit of shadows his mind was conjuring was, much to his chagrin, the mass of ectoplasm, brute strength and teeth hurtling toward him.

    0o0o0o0

    He was floating, floating in amongst a mass of black, shadowy spirits, their clawed hands grasping at him and cutting any part of his body they could reach. He was powerless, and belonged to the grasping shadows...
    A sudden, sharp pain that pierced straight through his left arm shunned the black spirits away from him, and Danny was brought into consciousness, where he could feel his entire body wracked with pain, and his lungs, the burning that had been shooting through them previously, gone, were working to send oxygen, which seemed to be plentiful in the water-free room, to the rest of his body.

    He looked around himself, to see he was inside the cavernous room that was the Plasmiosaur's mouth, and his arm was caught in, and being gouged by the ghost's sharp, white teeth.

    'So thats why I'm still alive...' Danny thought, before the Plasmiosaur's head thrusted backwards, freeing Danny's gouged arm, which automatically gripped one of the slippery teeth, one that had ironically been chipped and provided a good grip. He cried out as pain shot through his arm, his grip tightening, only conjuring more pain. The ghost's head leveled, Danny quickly letting go of the sharp tooth and landing on the Plasmiosaur's soft, wet tongue. He silently and unmovingly rejoiced as the saliva of the creature began to dull the ball of pain that was his bloodied arm.

    'Thats one good thing...' Danny thought, his eyes shutting as his mind unwillingly fell into a pool of bliss that the soft pink muscle's comfort had conjured.
    He soon became aware that angle of the muscle he was on was changing, growing bigger, and he soon, through the skin that the torn away parts of his hazmat suit revealed, felt himself moving, sliding, he knew, closer and closer to the waiting, eager throat of the Plasmiosaur.
    He soon felt the lower half of his leg's dangle off the rounded edge of the ghost's tongue, and knew that unless something happened, this Plasmiosaur would be his grave.

    The smooth surface of the tongue quickly disappeared, making way for the pushing and pummeling of the tube that was the ghost's esophagus. Danny arms and body were repeatedly being crushed, and he knew that he wouldn't be alive for much longer, quickly wishing that he could be unconscious during his few final moments.

    Just as his mind decided to start shutting down, Danny came to discover that the Ghosts neck was being cut through, and he saw a familiar black glove shooting an ecto-ray through the glowing green skin of the Plasmiosaur.
    Through the gaping hole in the ghosts neck, Danny could see extremely worried, possibly even scared, red, pupil-free eyes.

    "Grab my hand!" Came the distorted voice of the man. An arm came into Danny's view, and Danny, though only half conscious, Painfully pulled his good arm away from being trapped at his side and raised it toward the red-eyed man, who grabbed it and began pulling. Danny felt himself beginning to move against the powerful muscles of the Plasmiosaur's neck, and back into the ice-cold water that made up the ghost zone's ocean. The man, Danny could see, was wearing a mask of sorts, probably one that allowed him to breath underwater, and it explained the distortion of the mans voice.

    "Daniel! Are you alright?!" The man exclaimed, But Danny, worn and beaten, had already slipped into unconsciousness, and a tiny river of bubbles was streaming out of his mouth.

    0o0o0o0

    He was laying on... what was it, anyway? It was hard, and uncomfortable, plus he was in a very odd position for being eaten. Wait... He was eaten... Wasn't he? Then how was he still alive?

    Danny opened his eyes, to see the hazmated backside of an older man. He closed his eyes, and groaned, which stopped the rapid flight of whomever was holding him. His carrier touched down on a rather large slab of floating rock, and carefully layed him down. Danny could hear the man kneel down, his breathing either halted, or silenced so he could hear Danny himself.

    "Daniel?" The man asked softly, his voice being played with by an accent he recognized. Danny opened his eyes, blinking them a few times to clear the blur, to see a very worried-looking Vlad.
    Danny began to stand up, but was stopped by Vlad's black gloved hand.

    "Just rest. You should be lucky you're alive, Danny." After Vlad finished speaking, something registered in Danny's mind.

    "How... did you find me?" Danny asked, his voice no more than a whisper. Vlad smiled lightly before making his response.

    "I was in the middle of finishing my newest plan to... to get you and Maddie to join me, and I decided to check up on you. My tracker-"

    "You have me bugged?!" Danny interrupted softly, his voice still not fully recovered. Vlad smiled mischievously, and continued speaking.

    "My tracker told me you were in a dangerous part of the ghost zone. I, at first, took nothing of it, but when your heart rate elevated, then dropped like a rock, I knew something was wrong, and hurried to your aid." Vlad picked Danny up, and began flying towards a large purple football in the distance.

    -----

    Next thing Danny knew, he was laying down on a soft bed, and covered by a comforter that was out several months before it should have been. Leaning against the bed, asleep, was none other than Vlad, and Danny swore he could see, through the crack of the open door, a metal-covered somebody standing guard.

    "D-daniel?" Vlad yawned, looking up at Danny.

    Suddenly, the metal-clad person, Skulker, walked into the room, a phone in hand.

    "There is a phone call for you, Mr. Masters." Vlad stood up, taking the phone from the metallic ghost.

    "Hello?"

    "Vlad? Please, Do you know where Danny is?"

    "He... He's here, with me... I found him in... In the forest, near my home. He was unconscious and it seemed he was... Attacked by an animal. He's fine now, though. There is no need for worry." Vlad said, glancing over at Danny while speaking.

    Vlad continued his conversation with Maddie for some time, until Vlad agreed that he would meet her the next day, so she could retrieve Danny.

    0o0o0o0

    The next morning found Danny and Vlad standing in front of Vlad's mansion, the older man helping the hybrid stand, as his left arm was in a cast and sling, and most of his body was wrapped in bandages.

    Danny blinked his china-blue eyes and watched as the fenton assault vehicle, or RV, made its way up the drive. When it stopped, both his mom and dad exited the vehicle, His mom running toward him, stopping in front of Danny when she saw the extent of his injuries. His father almost pulled him into a crushing hug, but was stopped by his mom, who obviously knew it would, at the moment, harm her son.

    "Come on Danny, lets get you home." Maddie turned to Vlad. "Thank you Vlad. I owe you one."

    "Oh, no need Maddie. Being able to help you is good enough for me. But if you ever need anything, feel to give me a call." Maddie smiled, before beginning to help Danny to the RV.

    "One second mom." Danny said, turning and walking back to Vlad.

    "Thanks Vlad. I guess your trackers are good for more than just what they were programmed to do." He said with a smile.

    Vlad brightened, and then spoke.

    "You're welcome, my boy. Just remember, if you need help with anything, anything at all, just give me a call."

    "Don't count on it, Vlad." Danny said with a smile, before turning back to his mother and the RV, anticipating the bowl of soup he would receive at home.

    Once out of reach of Vlad's ears, Danny whispered something to himself.

    "Maybe we can get along after all, Plasmius. I guess we'll just have to wait and see..."

    END

    Phasmavore: a creature that feeds upon only ectoplasm-based creatures, or simply, a creature that consumes ghosts and other ectoplasmic entities.