Rated: PG
Author's Notes: This is the first story in what I hope will be a collection of "Off-the-wall" type stories. I have several more that are being worked on based on a variety of "Weird" songs. As always, feedback is always welcome... good.. bad... any kind of feedback! Just to let me know that you actually read it! ;)

The dark-haired Warrior Princess frowned as she gazed at the night sky. There were several new stars that seemed to be moving steadily closer. The light snoring from across the campsite told her that Gabrielle was sound asleep. She returned her attention to the strange lights and was disturbed to notice that they were definitely closer. She pushed aside her covers and stood up. She studied the lights closely and, after several minutes, was able to determine where they were going. She glanced down at the sleeping bard, but knew it would be difficult to wake her. Sighing, she quickly packed the camp and made sure the last few glowing embers of the past evening's fire were extinguished. Looking around to make sure everything was done, she nodded to herself and then reached down to gently shake her friend.

"Gabrielle, get up," the dark-haired woman said.

A non-verbal muttering was all the answer the fair-haired bard gave before turning over and pulling her blankets tighter around her.

"Fine. Have it your way," Xena grinned as she grabbed the blankets and yanked them free. "Rise and shine, Gabrielle!"

Gabrielle opened her eyes blearily and glared at her companion. "That wasn't funny, Xena. C'mon, give me back my blankets! It's not morning yet. I've still got at least another hour left." The bard reached for the covers, but Xena pulled them out of her reach.

"I saw something in the sky. It looked like it was heading towards Amphipolis," Xena explained. "We were going to go visit my mother soon anyway. We'll just go a little earlier so we can check it out."

The bard grumbled and grudgingly got to her feet. "You owe me for this, Xena," she complained as she packed her bedroll. "Do we get to eat before we go at least?"

Xena tossed a pack to her friend. "You can eat while we walk. It isn't that far to my mother's tavern and if we get going now we can be there by dinnertime. I know how much you like her cooking," she smiled and took her palomino's reins, walking towards the city.

The bard nodded and looked into the pack as she followed behind. Finding some dried meat, cheese and day old bread she immediately started eating. "Mmmphf mmooo ffing fhll mmmk?" the bard asked with her mouth full of bread.

Xena looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow. "Wanna repeat that? Without your mouth full of food?"

Gabrielle swallowed and tried again. "What do you think she'll have for dinner?"

Xena rolled her eyes. "Is food all you think about, Gabrielle?" she teased, with a smile.

The bard didn't answer as she was chewing on some dried meat.

Meanwhile, in Amphipolis....

A middle-aged, dark-haired woman stepped out of her home and looked at the bright lights that had awoken her. Several other men and women gathered around her, staring at the bright lights curiously.

"I don't feel good about this," the dark-haired woman muttered.

"Is it the work of the gods, Cyrene?" a woman asked her, worriedly.

"I don't think so," Cyrene mused. "I've never heard of the gods doing anything like this. Although, I suppose it's possible."

"Maybe it's a gift from the gods," another woman suggested.

"Well, whatever it is, it's landing just outside town," a man said, pointing. "Let's go see what it is!"

As a small crowd began to follow the man, Cyrene held back. Something didn't seem right to her. "I don't..." she started to say, but the crowd soon drowned her out. She tried again, in a louder voice, "I don't think that would be such a good idea." But the crowd ignored her. Reluctantly, she followed them out of the village, towards the lights.

"They look like big metal saucer-ships," a man noted.

"Oh, they're so beautiful!" a woman said in awe.

"Look! There's a door! Someone's coming out!" another woman remarked.

Cyrene took a step back nervously. She stepped behind a tree and glanced around it apprehensively. She knew most of the people in the crowd and tried to call them back, but they were all entranced with the shining ship and were slowly making their way towards it. As more figures emerged from the ship, Cyrene retreated further. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out what the figures looked like, but it was almost impossible, as the light was so intense. The only thing she could determine was that the head, if that's what the large blob on the top of the body was, was huge. As she looked closer, she saw two large orbs on either side of the strange beings heads began to glow and all of a sudden a person standing at the front of the crowd burst into flames, burning into ashes in mere seconds before her eyes. She gasped and turned, running back into the village.

The young woman yawned for the third time in a many minutes. "Xena, can't we just stop for a while? I'm exhausted," she complained.

"Gabrielle, I only woke you an hour earlier than usual," the Warrior Princess responded.

"Okay, then could we rest for an hour then?" the bard asked hopefully.

Xena sighed and rolled her eyes. "We stopped a few hours ago. We'll stop again a little further down the road. But if we keep stopping, we won't get to my mother's in time for dinner," she warned.

The bard groaned and reluctantly followed her friend. "I don't see why we have to be in such a hurry," she grumbled.

"Something's wrong, Gabrielle. I can feel it. I'm sure it has to do with those strange lights I saw last night," Xena said.

The bard muttered something about a certain person with weird dreams and continued following her friend, hurrying to keep up.

The tall, lanky man ambled along the road, his make-shift armor clattering with every step he took. He was heading home, to Athens, to see his mother and two other brothers. He was the youngest of the triplets and was looking forward to celebrating his birthday with his family. A bright light in the sky caught his attention and he turned to see what was causing it.

"What the...?" he wondered.

The light moved across the sky towards Athens and the man quickened his steps. He began to jog as the light moved closer to the ground. The light disappeared behind some trees a short way ahead of him and he ran in an attempt to catch up. He burst into a large clearing and saw a large round ship, brightly lit, land a short distance away. He nervously ducked behind some bushes and watched as a door opened. A figure emerged from the ship and walked down a ramp to the ground. The man was still watching intently when a hand clamped over his mouth. He felt a wave of fear sweep over him and his heart skipped a beat. He was roughly spun around and breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized one of his brothers.

"Jett! Boy, am I glad to see you," he whispered. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with mom getting ready for our birthday?"

"I was out getting some supplies when I saw ... that fly overhead. I followed it to see what it was," Jett answered.

Joxer glanced back towards the ship. "There's someone coming out. Let's see who it is."

Jett crouched beside his brother and watched the figures that emerged from the ship. "They've got the biggest heads I've ever seen!" he whispered.

"They've got eyes like some kind of bug," Joxer murmured.

Jett slowly backed away, with Joxer following a moment later. "We better get back to Athens and warn everyone," he said quietly.

Joxer nodded. "Yeah, I doubt they're here for our party."

The two brothers quickly headed back to town.

Near Amphipolis...

The aliens scanned the area briefly before deciding to leave the area of their spaceship. The group of bipeds that had first approached them did not seem to pose any threat and it was possible the creatures might even be edible. After traveling through most of the universe, the aliens were glad to have the opportunity to leave their vessel for a short time and the prospect of hunting fresh food was exciting. Their fleet commander's only instruction was for them to enjoy themselves and the aliens planned to do just that. They began to approach the larger cities and killed the bipedal animals at will. This was starting to look like a great vacation.

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