Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been writing lately. Life has been hectic as most of you can relate. I've had this idea for a while now and wanted to try it out. We'll see how it goes. All comments and constructive criticism are welcome, except for flamers. If you don't like the story, don't read it. Simple. I won't bother with your insults, so don't waste your time. I'll try to add on to my other stories asap.

Riddick, Pitch Black, and all the characters except for Kenna and my own twists belong to David Twohy and comp. I do not take credit for them.

I haven't written in a while so all help is appreciated. =) ~Angel~

Prologue: The Sleeping Animal

My mother had explained to me once, why cryo didn't affect us. It shut down most of the brain, she said, except for our primitive side, the animal side. That part of me, she revealed, could never be completely leashed. So now I dwelt on the brink of consciousness, body paralyzed, but my mind awake. I was stuck in a void where time did not exist, and all that kept me company were my thoughts and memories.

Why I had decided to board the Hunter-Gratzner was still a mystery to me. It was a large frigate, transporting civilians and other goods. The ship wasn't built for luxury, but necessity. Forty or so cryo lockers stood side by side, inhabited by its sleeping occupants. It traveled the back shipping lanes, not always the safest. If I had traveled with one of my brothers like I usually did, perhaps my actions wouldn't have been so illogical. However, I chose to take this journey alone, and something told me to take this frigate. It wasn't rare for me to quarrel with myself; in fact it was quite common. My logical mind had urged to pay for passage on a safer well-known ship, but my instinctual side was drawn to this hunk of junk. I'll give you one guess as to who won that argument.

I was brought out of my musings by the slight jerking of the ship, making my body sway in my cold metal prison. The clanking of the ship wasn't so much a lullaby as it was an irritation. All I could think was 'I hope this piece of crap doesn't fall apart'. That would be most unfortunate, as floating in a cryo locker in space didn't appeal to me.

Broadening my senses I let the beast take over. Some of the occupants of the ship, including myself, were stationed up near the front. The rest of the passengers had been stored with the rest of the goods. So in essence, this was first class. Lucky me. My ears picked up the slight snore to my right. A male, I remembered. Before we had boarded I had seen him with his female companion. They had smelled of leather, dirt, and sweat. Prospectors perhaps? They seemed like decent people. To my left were the holy man and his three students. Sweat with a tinge of some kind of incense permeated their robes. They were on a journey I believe, to New Mecca, a holy Chrislam site.

A couple of lockers down past the prospectors was the cop. Blue uniform complete with badge and gun. He had introduced himself to me before we had been settled in our lockers. Johns was his name. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that made my skin crawl. His scent of musk and something acidic made my nose hairs curl up and die. I had a good sense of people, of their intentions, and Mr. Johns was a liar. My instincts were telling me to be wary of this man, and for once my logical side agreed.

What intrigued me most, was the man in the locker on the right side of the wall. He had been rolled on board, chained in his tank, with the words 'Lockout Protocol: No Early Release' printed on the front. I couldn't get his scent due to his imprisonment but I learned from Johns that he was a convict. He was a murderer that Johns had captured and was taking to slam. At the sight of the muscled bald man, chained, blindfolded, with a bit in his mouth, my curiosity peaked. Johns had been trying to impress me, to no avail might I add, with horror stories about him. He told me his name was Riddick, and he was one of the most famous and deadly criminals in the galaxy. So of course, putting him in a room with civilians was the smartest idea. Idiots. I hadn't gotten a good look at him as I was ushered to my cryo locker, but he wouldn't leave my mind. Once my beast was curious, it would not be satisfied until its curiosity was sated. It would have to be disappointed this time though, because I'm pretty sure Mr. Riddick wouldn't agree to sitting down and having tea with me.

A high keening sound broke me out of my musings once again. It almost reminded me of metal being forced to bend. My senses went on high alert, as the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. Something skittered down my spine, as the noise got louder, it was fear.