There once was a mighty demon, terrible and fierce. The shedding of blood was its heart's delight. For untold years it slew. When the Earth was young, it roamed, visiting violence of all kinds upon all things. Born of darkness, it was incapable of any feelings besides hate, rage, and bloodlust. Sadistic glee was its humor, dripping with the lifeblood of untold numbers.
One day, as the demon sat to rest its evil bones, before it appeared a tiny puppy. The demon snarled with contempt at such a small and pitiful creature. With a wicked smile, it struck the puppy down. Why would such a pathetic thing exist?
The next day, right before the demon went out to pillage, another puppy appeared before it. This time the demon grasped the little thing in its clawed hand and crushed the life from it, disdainfully throwing it down. Sneering, it went off to delight in more bloodshed.
The next morning, as the demon rose, before it miraculously appeared another puppy, seemingly from thin air. The demon was slightly perplexed but nonetheless reached out to squash the life from this ridiculous life form. This was the way things continued for a while. Seemingly every time when the demon was about to go or about to rest, a puppy would appear in front of him. And every time, the demon took no pity on the poor defenseless creatures.
One day, as on countless days before, a puppy appeared in front of the demon. The demon was getting restless to slay and reached out in haste to snatch the puppy up to end its life. However, this time the puppy leaped forward and bit his finger! A single drop of blood formed.
"What's this?" thought the demon, looking at the puppy. Its little face was different than the others. What was in this puppy's eyes? Was it defiance? It was! This puppy was not the same as the others.
"Look at this pathetic thing," thought the demon. "Even in the face of death it cares not! It only wished to bite me before it perished!"
Something happened to the demon that hadn't happened in a long time. It laughed! Not as it had in the past, where coldly and spitefully it laughed at the dying. Something you could say almost resembling humor.
"Come then, beast!" the demon said to the puppy. "I must go now. You may follow if you wish."
So the demon went out as it did every day to cause carnage, and behind it trailed this puppy. An unsuspecting family was fell upon by the demon, as was its custom. Soon anything resembling the family was reduced to gore.
Glancing at the puppy, the demon noticed the puppy delighting in the slaughter! Again the demon laughed! Loudly this time!
"Go then! Drink your fill!"
The puppy happily scampered over to a fallen victim and began to lap the blood from the ground, happily biting off the softest bits of the freshly slain to chew. This brought a cold joy to the demon! In demonic delight, it snatched the puppy up into its arms and held it up in both hands. Its little muzzle covered in blood and bits of human flesh, the demon smiled at the little thing.
"You have fire in you!"
The demon caressed the puppy's head with its long red fingers and black claws, ever so gently. The puppy licked at the demon's hand and then bit the demon firmly on its smallest finger, drawing another drop of blood!
"Haha!" the demon laughed again. "You're my little blood drinker! This will be your name—Blood Drinker."
The next day was the same. And the day after, and the day after, and the day after. This went on as it always had, the little puppy growing into full size. Blood Drinker, now full grown, sometimes assisted in the death of the weak and helpless. This was the way it was.
Until one day, a particularly evil act was done. As Blood Drinker lapped up the blood as was his custom, something happened. The puppy started to pulse with dark energy. It had been exposed to so much carnage and drunk the blood of the innocent for so long that it began to transform.
A blinding flash of red, and where Blood Drinker was appeared a massive hellhound. Its teeth were the size of daggers, eyes burning with fire, drooling for more blood and death! The demon was overjoyed!
Blood Drinker ran toward the demon and jumped on his chest, knocking him to the ground, licking the demon's face with affection! The demon felt something he had never felt for any other thing—a connection, a kindred spirit! Sure, he knew other demons, but he was mighty, as were they, deserving only his contempt.
"Come, Blood Drinker! We have work to do!"
For centuries they killed indiscriminately. Wherever war was joined, they were there. In times of great famine and death, they were there. In times of peace and prosperity, they lurked. No matter the time or place, they were there—killing, torturing, and maiming those unable to protect themselves! This was the way it was.
One day, during the midst of a terrible battle, the demon and Blood Drinker were doing their work. This day was different, as an angel appeared to aid those being slaughtered. The demon and the angel locked eyes. The demon snarled with hate, and the angel's eyes burned with righteous fire. They joined each other in battle—light and dark in struggle.
The demon fought valiantly, but the angel overcame him. Raising its blinding sword to pierce the black heart of the demon, it plunged it downward!
A blur of movement and a yelp! Blood Drinker had jumped between the blade and stopped it from piercing the demon's heart. In doing so, he received a mortal wound.
The angel looked down at the hellhound pierced through with its blade, and the demon looked at Blood Drinker and felt something it had never felt—fear! The angel sadly withdrew the blade, looked down on the demon with pity, and vanished in a flash of light.
The demon ran to Blood Drinker, scooping him up in his arms, tears of fire streaming down his blackened cheeks. Blood Drinker glanced up with his fading red eyes at the demon. Whining, he licked the demon one time on the face and died.
The demon had never felt this. The demon felt loss. It held his faithful companion in its arms and wailed to the top of the world in anguish! Scooping up his friend, he rushed from the battlefield to where they called home. Sitting with the body of his friend and only companion, the demon wailed and rent his own flesh with his claws in agony.
"How dare the angel take something from me I valued! How dare the angel take the life of my only friend?"
This was the way it was. Now, however, the demon wanted no battle, no more blood. The demon simply sat. This was the way it was. The demon sat.
One day, many days later, something occurred to the demon. He had asked how dare the angel take the life of his only friend. A peculiar thought came: "But I have taken the life of many friends. I have done what was done to me countless times before! This is the way they have felt at my actions!"
Horror crept into the demon's black soul. "How dare I take the life of someone's only friend!"
A scream began to well inside the core of the demon. It wailed in sorrow for the first time because of its own actions. It was more guilty than the angel could ever be.
"What am I but what I am?" screamed the demon at the sky. "No. I will taste no more blood. What have I done? What can be done now?"
So the demon bound himself. His great wings he tied down. Reaching up to his hideous horns, he tore them from his head. He covered himself with clothes to disguise himself and went out for the first time not to slay but to aid.
He traveled where there was war to bind the wounds of the wounded and bury the dead. Wherever there was sickness, he was there caring for those afflicted. Wherever there was famine, he brought food. Whatever those needed—a coin—he produced it. This was the way it was.
The demon took no joy. It knew it was beyond redemption. It only did what must be done to save others from the fate that he so freely visited upon them. It roamed the Earth for countless centuries—healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the poor and weak and helpless.
One day, as the demon rose to go out, there in his path stood the angel. At first there was a flash of the old demon in him. He wanted to smite this angel down, but on the angel's face was only concern.
"What have you of me, angel? Your work is done. I am broken."
The angel only said, "Come," extending his hand to the demon.
"What else could hurt me now? End it!"
The angel only shook his head and said again, "Come," offering his hand.
The demon reached out and took the hand of the one who had slain his friend. In a flash of light, he was someplace bright, surrounded by angels of all manner.
A voice spoke: "What are you doing?"
The demon replied to the voice, "What must be done."
The voice asked, "What must be done?"
The demon replied, "The weak must be protected. The helpless must be helped. The sick must be healed and the poor aided."
The voice said, "I am well pleased."
A flash of light appeared before the demon. There, when the flash faded, was the tiny puppy—not the ferocious hellhound, but the puppy that had bit his finger so, so long ago.
In a wail that pierced the hearts of everyone in attendance, the demon fell to its knees and scooped up the tiny puppy! It loved this puppy! The puppy's little grin mischievous, it bit the demon right on the nose! The demon laughed something it had never felt before—joy!
The voice asked, "Do you see, my son?"
The demon said, "I see, Father."
The voice asked, "Do you understand, my son?"
The demon replied, "I understand, Father."
In a flash of light, the disfigured and horrific demon was transformed into a beautiful angel of light! And all of heaven rejoiced!
The End