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Once upon a time...

In the world of Theria, there were once thirteen great kingdoms. Each of these imperiums were beheld by a variety of qualities, characters and conditions that constituted their magnificent acreage and the societies built upon it. For generations, these kingdoms gave rise to attributes, both beautiful and virtuous--the dilatant forested mountainscape of Uthalia, the lush rolling hills of Baelan, the vast ocean waters and beachy paradise of Idosia--as well as the malevolent and viceful--the greed of the power-hungry Agu Morrans, the contemptuous and arrogant nature of the Surians, the squandering, gluttonous people of Aey'Áris. The wonders of the land contrasted greatly with the sins of their inhabitants, but to a justified end, for in this world, just as in any other, there was a profound need for balance in all things.

It was one fateful day when that balance became threatened forever.

In the northern kingdom of Liara--a nation well-known for its cold, snowy climate and peaceful, magic-bearing peoples--a group of experienced mages constructed a weapon more powerful and destructive than any other in Therian history. This weapon became known as the Artifact.

The other kingdoms responded to the Artifact's creation in various ways. Some saw it as a fearful machination, threatening the wellbeing and very existence of their respective nations. Others saw it as a potential for immense power, should they be able to steal the Artifact and grasp onto its power for themselves. No matter the interpretation, one thing was clear to everyone: Liara was a force of imminent danger. It had to be dealt with.

Soon following the Artifact's birth, almost all of the other world powers convened under a singular military alliance. Through the hazy fog of panic and misconception, war was waged on Liara, and what followed was a massacre unlike any other, yielding the destruction and genocide of virtually all Liaran society. The Artifact was never used, nor was it ever found amidst the wreckage...

Almost a century later, a new conflict has boiled into fruition in Theria. Decades of political strife between the kingdoms are threatening to break the carefully preserved peace. Even in this new day and age, the Liaran genocide continues, and the few Liaran survivors left in Theria are forced to live in hiding from their true identities.

And yet, beneath all the political turmoil, there are rumors insisting that the Liaran Artifact is still out there somewhere. Alliances start to form, a race for the past's ancient weapon begins, and war seems all too inevitable...

-1-

P.O.V. Aiko

93 years after Liara's fall

Aurro, Bælan

The air was warm and quiet, all except for the sounds of birds chirping atop the trees. In combination with the comfortable orange and yellow colors of the setting sun, it was the perfect night. In my paws, I carried a bundle of firewood. It was a bit heavy, but hey, I'm a strong-ish guy, so I managed. Of course, just one bundle of wood wouldn't be enough to stock up our reserves for the rest of the week. Thankfully, several more bundles of wood were mysteriously floating through the air, following close behind me.

Thanks magic, I mused haughtily. You're the best.

The dry, powdery dirt felt comfortable beneath my bare feet as I walked down the forested path. Just past the gentle overhanging branches of the oak trees, my small village came into sight. I stopped for a moment and sighed as I simply absorbed everything around me. Nights as free and stressless as this one were rare, and it felt like the weight of the whole world, for that brief stroll through the woods, was lifted off my shoulders.

Walking through the village, I saw several of my neighbors lighting the streetlights and grabbing the hanging laundry from their clothes-lines, preparing for the night before them. After a short stroll through the heart of the village, I came to a small and cramped cottage at the edge of town. Logs were arranged atop one another to form walls in a somewhat rectangular shape. The door was a plank of wood loosely tethered to a metal stake in the ground, which allowed it to swivel back and forth, opening and closing. The ceiling was nothing more than a cheap gray tarp from the flea market, delicately draped over the whole complex. It was our "house" if that's what you wanna call it. We built it ourselves and called it the Hovel. I opened the door to the sight of multiple familiar faces.

"Heya wolfy, finally back? We were getting worried," said the small, chirpy red fox standing in front of the open door. The fur on her muzzle was an inky black hue, but the rest of her fur was stunningly scarlet in color.

"Oh heya, sorry. I got a ton of wood for the fire," I reported as I walked into the crowded hut. Fortunately, none of us were terribly large people, so the whole situation was at least tolerable for our simple everyday life.

Ruby closed the rickety old door behind me and replied, "Good. We're almost out." Odie and Shiro were huddled by the fire, keeping warm as they burned the last of our previous wood stash. I dropped the bundle I was carrying next to them, then stuffed the rest of my findings in the corner of the room, where we usually kept our wood. Taking a look at the other side of the small room, I saw that Maren was busy folding laundry and fitting it snugly into the organized compartments she had made for each of us. Beside her, Medley was laying down with his head resting on a bunched-up blanket and his paws folded neatly across his chest. The lynx appeared to be very deep in thought, just as usual.

"Oh yay! More wood!" exclaimed Odie from his place by the fire as he turned around to face me. "Now we won't hafta cuddle each other to death for warmth."

"Aww, but that's fun," Shiro murmured, grabbing one of the new logs and tossing it into the fire.

"No, it's not," Medley stated coldly. His voice almost seemed to suck the happiness right out of the room.

"Ehh, I sure don't mind it," I said with a smile. Medley simply glared at me from his position on the floor, then resumed his meditative state of inner peace.

"I don't think Medley appreciates your desire for physical intimacy," Maren jested with a chuckle.

"A family that sleeps uncomfortably close to one another stays together, isn't that how the saying goes?"

Medley grunted. "That's definitely not how the saying goes, Aiko."

"Well, it is now!" I declared cheerfully, provoking a smile out of all my other housemates.

There was a moment of pleasant silence between us, before Maren spoke up. "Alrighty, gang. I think we oughta get ready for bed."

"Alrighty then, I'm gonna go hit the bathroom quick!" I announced before stepping outside one last time to quick run into the woods. Although summers along the southern coast of the mainland tended to be fairly warm, the temperatures still managed to get cold during the night. Standing outside wearing nothing but a tank top and trousers, I began to shiver. There were also mosquitoes, and something about arctic wolf blood must drive the l'il buggers crazy, 'cause they were all over me like I'm all over my breakfast in the morning, and believe me when I say that it's not a pretty sight. Suffice it to say, I took care of business quickly and hurried back to the Hovel.

I climbed back into our home to find that everyone was settling down. The only source of light remaining was the crackling fire. Odie and Ruby appeared to be amidst a last minute quarrel over who had to cook breakfast the following morning. I got settled in my improvised pile of ground-level blankets--or "bed" as some might call it--just in time to hear Medley's voice croak out, "Please shut up and go to sleep, or I will come over there and slit both of your throats." The quarrel ended and the room promptly fell silent.

Nobody ever questioned Medley.

We laid there in silence for a few minutes, simply looking up at the stars above, which were bright and remarkably visible through the thin, nearly-transparent ceiling of our hut. The sight, although quite troubling in terms of our economic welfare, was beautiful, and it immediately put me at ease. Whaddaya know? Being dirt poor can have its advantages, too, I thought.

I began wondering whether anyone else was still awake, which was soon answered by voice of the timber wolf to my right.

"I remember when I first met you guys," said the quiet and calming sound of Maren's voice. "It was a night like this one. The stars were just as bright. I was lost in the forest, alone ever since I'd lost track of Medley the previous day. That's when I saw your campfire. I saw the five of you guys all huddled around it, and believe it or not, it was Medley that later convinced me that we oughta stick with you guys." She playfully nudged the figure next to her. A muffled "Shut up," was the response.

"From there, it just took a l'il bit more traveling and we found this place," Shiro said, chiming into our nostalgic story time.

"We were just a l'il north of the highlands at that point," I said, pitching in. "You guys only got dragged down here 'cause I was headed in this direction to find work."

"Yeah, and look how far your 'work' has gotten us. We now have a really nice tarp," Ruby interjected.

"Hey, magic is some serious business! I'd like to see you try," I recoiled. Then I paused to think for a moment. "Say, why'd you guys decide to follow me anyways?"

There was another moment of silence before Maren spoke once again. "Because we liked you, Aiko. You had all these great stories about growing up and all of your adventures. We were all lost and confused, and you gave us hope."

At that, my heart almost stopped from how loving and caring my ragtag family was. I couldn't help but smile.

"I love you guys," I told them. Next to me, I felt a small reddish-brown fox cuddle up to me and nuzzle into my fur. By the looks of it, Shiro was already asleep. I pulled him closer, and with that, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

-2-

The next morning, I awoke tired. Rubbing my eyes in my furry white paws, I forced myself to pull the covers away and get out of bed. I must've slept in quite a bit, although that was nothing short of the usual for me. The sun was shining bright in the sky, and I was the only person left in the Hovel. I got up and quickly slipped on some warmer clothing before I stepped outside.

"Mornin'," Odie said to me before taking another bite of something that smelled rather pleasant. The otter was sitting by our bonfire, carefully watching the frying pan that was comfortably nestled amidst the sizzling flames.

"Heya, big guy. Where the others at?" I asked.

"They already ate. Shiro and Ruby are off in the woods, picking berries I think. Maren and Medley went into town."

"Ah, okay," I responded as I sat down on the other side of the fire. Odie grabbed the pan by the handle and passed it to me. "I made pancake-ish things. Want some?"

"Sure," I replied, chuckling and taking as many of the tasty treats as I could seize. I sat and ate for a few minutes until I finished wolfing down my meal. (Haha, see what I did there? Laugh, dammit. I'm funny.) I heard some footsteps approaching and looked in their direction just in time to see Shiro and Ruby get back.

"Look Aiko! We got berries!" Shiro shouted to me.

"Nice job, buddy!" I marveled, giving him a complimentary high-five of approval.

Unfortunately, our celebration was short lived. My tall ears perked up at the sound of yet another set of footsteps, these ones belonging to Maren. With a newspaper clutched firmly in her paw, she seemed to be in quite a hurry, and by the troubled look on her face, it couldn't mean anything good.

"What's wrong?!" I exclaimed, running up to meet her. "Where's Medley?"

"He's still in town, shopping for some herbs I think. He'll be fine. However," she began, grabbing my paw and forcefully pulling me back towards our settlement. "There's something you guys should see. Everyone get inside," she ordered. We all immediately headed for the Hovel with the exception of Odie, who first set out to extinguish the fire and grab the remainder of breakfast as a take-out.

Once we were all inside, Maren laid the newspaper out on the ground. All five of us huddled closely around it, eagerly scanning the headlines for the recent news that had Maren so gravely worried.

INCREASED TENSION ALONG THE BORDERS

Wrothian and Agu Morran troops are reportedly converging along their southern river boundaries. Alleged smuggling incidents over the border, coupled with the conflict over land rights to the Mountua Strip, have been inciting violent responses and public riots. An alliance has formed with Aey'Áris, and negotiations for an alliance with Uthalia are under-way. Could we be headed to war?

MORE SEEKERS HEADED SOUTH

The Northern Alliance or "NA" is sending more of their murderous, Liaran-hating apostles called "Seekers" to all major Bælanian, Árisian, and Uthalian settlements, claiming, "They can live in your town, be a neighbor, or even a friend. They are a disease to this world, and must be eradicated."

"I see," I said quietly, shaking my head. My ears drooped at the thought of everything. Maren placed a paw on my shoulder.

"You're worried about your mother, aren't you?" the wolf asked me quietly.

I sighed in disappointment. "Yeah, of course I am. She lives right on the border, you know. Just a mile or so away from the Thitus River." I paused to swallow my growing emotions. "She'll be ok, as long as they don't figure out what she's been doing."

After a moment of silence, Odie said, "I'm sorry, Aiko. You have my hopes and prayers."

Just then, the door burst open. I was about to prepare my stunning spell, but thankfully it was just Medley.

"I don't think the seekers are heading down this way" he stated, shuffling in and closing the door behind him. "Hell, I don't even think they know anyone lives out here. Aurro is about as obscure a place as it can be."

"Well fortunate for us, huh?" Maren mused. "In that case, it's probably safe to go back outside. Just be careful." At that, everyone slowly started filing back outside to get some fresh air, leaving just Maren and I remaining.

"Aiko," she said hesitantly, her voice trailing off.

"It's okay, I know I shouldn't worry too much," I replied. "She may not be my real mother, but I care about her a lot. She raised me into this world when I had no one else to even give a damn. But I guess that doesn't really compare to you guys never having parents in the first place."

To my surprise, she pulled me into an embrace. I laid my head on her shoulder, as tears started to form in my eyes.

"It's okay, Aiko. We understand. We care about you and we care about your mother too," she said, gripping my paw firmly. "I'm just really worried about you. If they find out what you are..."

"I know. They'll interrogate me and then kill me. I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Okay. Well, we don't know anything for sure yet. Don't loose your hope yet, Aiko."

A moment of silence lingered between us. She quietly mumbled, "I love you, brother," which was then proceeded by an hour-long session of my emotions slowly sinking into her fur in the form of my wet tears.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. I went on a stroll in the forest with Ruby and Maren, and then later, we all had some family bonding time with a good ol' game of "guess what the other person is trying to draw in the dirt with a stick".

We went to bed early that night.

-3-

Several days later, I woke up to the feeling of being violently shaken. Opening my eyes, all I saw was the frigid, palpable darkness of the night. The stars were null.

"Aiko! Aiko, wake the hell up!" I heard. Looking up, I saw Maren's terror-filled face in front of mine. Behind her, Medley and Ruby were waking up, and Shiro began to stir. Odie was still deep in sleep, as usual.

"What is it?!" I demanded harshly.

"Aiko, I'm so sorry." She paused for only a brief moment, but it felt like entire hours of her eyes intently gazing into mine, frantically searching for something that wasn't there, that didn't exist.

I wanted that moment to last forever. I wanted to hide in that moment and never leave, because I already knew all too well what her next words would be, the words that would ignite the spark of pure fear and madness in my heart, and I just couldn't except them.

"They're invading. Their forces have already taken Aey'Áris by night. And I think we're going to war."

-4-

P.O.V. Bodey

Fort Regulus, Uthalia

It was early on a Tuesday morning when the alarm sounded. From somewhere atop the fortress, a soldier stood and blew into his horn in a steady pattern, one that we all knew very well. It could only mean one thing:

War.

I was resilient to wake up and rise at first. The horn was just monotonous, meaningless humming, although it was quite loud and hurt my sensitive ears. My eyes could only muster the strength to open a slight margin before they fell back into place. Grabbing ahold of the side of my bunker, I slowly pulled myself up into a sitting position and rubbed my tired eyes. It's too goddamn early. What kind of sick joke is this? I thought. It was only when I finally listened that I recognize the pattern and bolted straight out of bed. This wasn't just a routine roll-call. We were being called to fight.

I sensed a flurry of motion in the bunker. A quick glance around, and I saw that all my fellow soldiers were already properly dressed and exiting down the spiral stairway leading to the ground floor. "Dammit," I muttered, "I need to get going!"

I quickly got dressed, equipped myself with the proper gear and grabbed my precious weapon: a shiny silver blade with a small blue gem engraved in the middle of its beautifully chiseled handle. The sword had been passed down from my father before me, a sort of family heirloom. I took a moment to simply hold it in my paws and admire its beauty and craftsmanship, just until realizing that I had a duty that desperately grabbed for my attention. I slipped the sword into the sheath tethered to my back before exiting the bunkers and closing the door behind me, although perhaps a bit too swiftly. I let out a small grunt of pain at the sensation of slamming the door on my long, striped tail. And that's just about when I knew that it was gonna be a bad day.

I rushed down the flight of stairs and into the fortress's courtyard, where most seminars and roll-calls were held. The early-morning sky overhead was filled with gray, dismal clouds, perhaps an invitation for incoming showers. Standing before the podium on the western edge of the courtyard, a large crowd of my colleagues was already converging.

Slipping my way into the crowd, I eventually found a nice open spot to stand, one with a tolerable level of personal space. I still involuntarily cringed at the close proximity to other people.

Next to me, I recognized a familiar face. He was a badger with a rounded, amiable face and warm blue eyes. His name was Travis. "Heya, Bodes. What gives?"

"Oh, shut up. I had a rough night of sleep."

"You, a rough night of sleep?" He seemed surprised. "I saw you turn in right after dinner. You should've gotten plenty. You didn't even show up to game night!"

"I never do."

"Well...why not?"

"I was just tired. Okay?"

Travis frowned at me and let out a deep sigh, his broad shoulders sagging at his side. "People say you're tough as nails and as sociable as a hermit crab. I can see why."

I didn't reply. The air was filled with hundreds of conversing voices, but the air between us was dour and silent for a long moment. Travis was scanning my face intently, trying to undercover what foreign affair might've lingered beneath the cold and murky waters. In return, my gaze only met with my own feet.

"Come on, buddy. If something is bugging you, you can trust me with it. I'm your friend, yeah?"

"Sure, I guess. And please don't call me buddy, Travis."

"Okay, Bodey. Whatever floats your boat."

It was then that a panther with vivid black fur walked up and stood atop the podium. The talkative crowd quickly distilled into silence. General Uhruan wore a long gray trench coat with bolded black fringe and a bright gold badge on the collar that certified his rank. Nestled between his short rounded ears was a matching gray forage cap with a shiny onyx brim, dipping slightly downward to hover just above his lime-green eyes, which were so radiant in comparison to the rest of his dark, somber figure, they almost seemed to be glowing. The look on his face was stern and confident as he gazed into the watchful eyes of his soldiers.

"I'll make this quick and simple for all of you. Wrothian forces have converged at our border and have begun launching attacks. Most of the northern outposts have either been taken or are currently under attack. It is our belief that they plan to move along the coast of Rescuer's Lake to take this base, and then further south to take the capital. It's our job to make sure that doesn't happen. At all costs."

He paused for a moment, his eyes grazing the crowd with unnerving vigilance, before continuing. "We're splitting into three groups. The first group will take defence here at the outpost and in the surrounding forest as a defensive measure. The second will launch a forward assault on land. Finally, the third will coast along the lake by boat to prevent their forces from taking that route. Are there any questions?"

A cougar near the front of the crowd raised her paw in the air. "What's the latest news on the situation in Bælan and Aey'Áris? Is it possible for us to receive backup from Bælanian forces?"

"As of right now, Her Majesty has yet to officially conform to any alliances between our kingdoms, but such a plan is in the works. As soon as a treaty has been formed, we can rest assured that there will be an exchange of troops from both sides.

"As for their situations in the sudden assaults, Bælan is holding their ground against the NA. Unfortunately, we've also received word that Aey'Áris is falling to Agu Morran forces, which as of our latest news have almost made their way to the Árisian capital of Áriseil. They are, however, being reinforced by Bælanian troops," concluded General Uhruan.

A few more paws were raised, and a few more questions were answered. Most of it was just petty logistical blabbering from people lacking the common sense to figure anything out themselves. I tuned it out.

Uhruan propelled his gaze across the crowd, searching for any more questions. When he didn't find any, he ended with a simple, "Dismissed," and stepped down from the podium.

Just a moment later, a new figure stepped up to face the crowd. He was a skunk with jet black fur and sullen, murky brown eyes that I recognized as Uhruan's lieutenant.

"Alright, we've assigned each of you to your respective squadrons! My assistants will begin to divide you up now!" he shouted. His orders were then carried out by several assistants who scurried into the crowd.

"Well, best of luck to you," said Travis before he waddled away. Just a moment later, I felt a small tapping on my shoulder. Turning around, I found Uhruan's lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Aráshvahr," he said, "you've been assigned to a special designation. Please come with me."

I was instantly curious. They assigned me to a special designation? I thought. Instead of the front lines? I was one of the best soldiers the military had at their disposal. Whatever this was about, I knew it must have been important.

Nonetheless, I followed the skunk, who led me out of the commons area and past the main body of the fortress, on a dirt road into the outlying woods. We didn't speak a word. The lieutenant simply cruised on ahead with his eyes glued to his path of travel, and I accompanied him while gazing around at the beautiful scenery of the pine forest. The plantlife and ground were both coated in a brisk morning dew. As we neared a clearing in the trees, I could see the waterfront of Rescuer's Lake.

The lieutenant led me to a small wood cabin standing amidst a small grassy meadow, about 100 feet from the broad lakeshore. Two royal guards dressed in elegant gray and white uniforms were standing just outside the building.

One of the guards opened the door and held it open, beckoning the lieutenant and myself inside. He closed the rickety door behind us, leaving myself and just three other individuals inside the small structure. It looked like an old fishing house. There were nets and rods hanging on the wall to my right. To my left stood the lieutenant, and sitting at the wooden table in front of us sat the prince to one side and my father to the other.

Prince Pazifal was an exuberant man, to say the least. He was just a couple years younger than I was, but more of a politician than a warrior. And his ego was unbearable. We had only met on a few sparse occasions before, but it didn't take very many of them to figure out what a complete ass he was. He was a jaguar with a stubby, snarky muzzle, glossy yellow eyes, and fair tan fur with splotchy black spots. He wore a regal gray tunic with fanciful black and white highlights, a silver crown gently nestled between his ears, and he almost always had the same snide look on his face, practically beaming with narcissistic gaiety and a sort of sly, cunning optimism. I hated him with every fibre of my being.

My father was an entirely different story. He was a golden tiger with amber-orange and white fur covered in tawny-brown stripes, just like me. People often said I took after him in both looks and combat skills. He was a retired war veteran, and had served in the military for almost 30 years. As a young cadet he had risen through the ranks quickly, soon attaining the rank of lieutenant and later on, general. Throughout his time in service, he had valiantly fought in two wars and a vast number of smaller conflicts, and he had been decorated on countless occasions for his great achievements. He had his fair share of scars to show. But he had resigned roughly ten years ago. Since then, his age hadn't been particularly kind to him. He suffered from a growing number of health issues. A few severe injuries from his military days didn't make life any easier for him, and although both father and I had rather hefty builds, I could tell that he had been gaining weight. His physique was suffering, and that was just his physical stature. Father had never quite recovered from the impact of my mother's death. He sat there at the table, staring down at it's rotting wooden planks and twiddling his thumbs anxiously.

"Bodey Aráshvahr! Excellent to see you here. Please, sit down," exclaimed Prince Pazifal in a booming and energetic voice. I prefered to stand, but that was hardly consequential. I pulled the third and final chair out from under the table and took a seat, although a very uncomfortable one, for the chair was relatively small and did not fit me well. I imagined that my father was having a similar issue.

The prince turned to the lieutenant beside me. "Thank you, Bahrú. I will be sure to let General Uhruan know of your diligence," he said. Bahrú nodded in assurance and then promptly exited the building.

"So, Bodey. It's a pleasure to see you again!" Pazifal proclaimed exuberantly, reaching his paw out to shake mine, which I complied to, although with resistance.

"A pleasure for me as well, my prince."

I'll have you know, I'm a passionate practitioner of the sarcastic method.

"You know, your father and I have been talking about you! You see, my mother told me many stories of when your old man was still in service. She says that he was one of the greatest warriors our nation has ever had!" he asserted, his passion now exceeding the boundaries of my growing annoyance with him. "And according to General Uhruan, you are very much a justifiable successor to his name! Long live the Aráshvahr family, eh?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"So, father. Why am I here?" I asked, trying to avoid talking to the overly-joyful jaguar sitting next to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was almost immediately cut of by Pazifal's circuitous blabbering.

"You are here because we have a mission for you!" the prince exclaimed, practically shouting at this point. "It is a very dangerous mission, but I could think of not one individual more suited for the task then you."

God damn, I hated Pazifal.

"Alright, let's get right to business, shall we?" he chortled after a moment of silence between us. I groaned quietly in dismay, and my father simply stared down at the table in front of him, lost in thought as he often was these days.

"Your mission is..."

-5-

P.O.V. Aiko

Aurro, Bælan

"Aiko, you can't just leave!" Maren shouted to me as I furiously scavenged the Hovel for various items. I was preparing to set out for Hakúmo, my mother's village.

"Why the hell not? She's already in enemy-occupied territory. If they're after what I think they're after, they will kill her. She can't hide herself forever."

I fumbled with my things, desperately trying to acquire everything I needed. A little food, some water, and some spellbooks, of course. What else could I possibly need? I pondered. It was difficult to concentrate over the ruckus that had become of our tiny household. Odie was finally beginning to stir, most likely because he was being shaken rather violently by Ruby. "Odie, wake up! Aiko is leaving!" she mumbled to him. Shiro and Medley were awake, although still droopy-eyed and trying to grasp onto complete consciousness.

I walked outside and laid all my things out on the ground. The early morning sky was still dark and overcast, making it hard to see. I muttered a few words under my breath to cast an illumination spell, then began hastily shoving my possessions into my pack.

"No weapons? You're charging into a warzone, Aiko," Maren commented tentatively, following me outside.

"I've got my books. That's all I need. I'm a skilled sorcerer, and I don't want any extra weight on me."

"You shouldn't always rely on magic for all your problems. You know very well that it can't be the solution to everything."

I opened my mouth to recoil, but was interrupted when the door to the Hovel creaked opened. Maren and I turned and watched as all four of our other housemates slowly filed out. Ruby was the first to speak.

"Wolfy, please. Let us go with you. We could help you!" she pleaded.

"No," I said firmly. "It's dangerous out there. I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"But we can fight too!" said Ruby and Odie simultaneously.

"No!" Maren said, scolding Ruby. "Maybe Medley or I can, but you three are far too inexperienced!"

"We are not!" Ruby protested.

"Ruby, no," asserted Maren. "Think about your brother, Shiro. He can't be a day older than ten."

"Guys, shut the hell up!" I snapped loudly, quieting everyone down. "I'm going alone. This is my responsibility and I will not be putting any of you at risk. End of story."

Everyone paused for a long moment. Complete silence stung the damp morning air. Then everyone seemed to move all at once. Maren grabbed my bag and shoved a large wool blanket and a few other miscellaneous items into it. She then picked the heavy pack up and slid it onto my back.

Medley stepped up next. In the blink of my eye, his paw held a long, silver knife to my throat. A sinister, apathetic expression lingered on his face, then dissipated into a impish smile, cackling playfully. He slid the knife into its leather sheath and handed it to me.

"To keep you safe, buddy."

"Aren't you gonna miss it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah," he said, grinning mischievously. "I've got plenty more."

"Medley, a tricky ninja. And a caring brother, as always," I said, returning the expression with a smirk.

Ruby walked up to me next and handed me a small cube. Each side of the cube was dividing into nine small tiles, and each of those tiles had a different color of paint smeared on it.

"Ruby the engineer?" I asked.

"It's a game. I made it myself," she boasted pridefully. She paused before reassuring my curiosity with, "Just to keep you entertained. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

A small fox waddled up from behind his sister and handed me a small round stone.

"It's for good luck!" Shiro said happily, although there was also a certain tone of sadness in his voice, likely from my rapidly approaching departure.

"Aww, thanks l'il dude!" I responded with a cheerful smile. I slipped the stone into my pocket for safekeeping.

Last up was Odie, who handed me a delicious pastry, settled in a neat little box. I knew the scent anywhere; it was Odie's own cooking, without a doubt.

"Leftovers from the other morning," he stated simply, an obnoxiously cute smile spreading across his chubby face. "For whenever ya get hungry!"

I blushed and replied, "Thank you, Odie. You know me too well."

After receiving the generous gifts from each member of my family, I looked up to sky. Morning was slowly brewing into fruition, and if I wanted to get to my mother's village in time to save her, I would have to make immediate haste. "Alrighty guys. I've gotta go," I reported wistfully. A solemn countenance sunk into each of their drooping faces, but they nodded sympathetically, understanding that I had an important task in my paws.

"Maren," I addressed candidly, "you're in charge when I'm gone. Keep the family together and safe, okay?"

Maren nodded and gazed back with an expression that notified me of her confidence. Then just a moment later, all five of them swarmed me with one giant hug. We stood there like that for a lengthy moment, immersed in our own shared warmth amidst the damp, cool morning breeze, before finally breaking apart.

"Take care!" Maren shouted as I walked away from our home, beginning my voyage westward. "Stay safe and be back soon! We love you!"

"Love you guys too!" I shouted one last time before turning around and roaming away, my dearest family disappearing from my sight.

-6-

P.O.V. Bodey

Fort Regulus, Uthalia

"Are you bloody serious?!" I bellowed deeply. My father and I sat in the fishing house, now without the prince's company. "What the bloody hell is this?"

"Bodey, calm down," father said in his calm, raspy voice. "It's all for a better cause, trust me."

"Like hell it is! That dumbass is asking me to help him with his insane plan to double cross this whole conflict!" I paused for a minute to take a deep breath and calm down. "And this is why Queen Marvhalien is hesitant to sign the treaty with Bælan, isn't it? It's because of this!"

"Bodey, please just try to understand, and trust that this is what has to be done. All of the mainland kingdoms have been at extremely unstable odds with each other for a long string of years. Our military forces alone have amounted to such immense casualties in the past, and what might unfold next would be catastrophic. If you help us with this and succeed like I know that my great son will, then Uthalia will be able to bring peace to all of Theria!"

I stood up and shoved my chair in, not sure of what to say.

"Son, please. Trust me, and have faith in the queen's plans. With your help, we can make a difference for this world."

The old tiger stood up from his chair and wobbled over to me, gripping the crutch that held him up from his bad leg. He placed a paw on my shoulder and looked me in the face with a somber smile on his wide, striped muzzle. His eyes were a deep, oceanic blue color, just like the ones he gazed into, a reflected image of his own passed-down heritage. "Please, son..."

That was only thing I needed to hear. If there was any one variable in my life that always spoke to me as a voice of reason and as a light to guide me out of the dark, that light was my father. I gave him a stern, confident look.

"I'll be on my way, father. I have a job to do."

-7-

Rescuer's Lake

I had already endured countless hours of intense physical labor, and yet I still hadn't made quite as much distance across Rescuer's Lake as I had hoped to. Ugh. Who ever knew that the simple act of paddling could be so utterly exhausting? I pondered drowsily.

Granted, I was moving at a fairly brisk pace for traveling in a mere one-person birchwood canoe. All those fierce years of training under my father and Uhruan's regiment had done more than enough work to make this an easy plight for my biceps. But I wasn't taking a leisurely boat ride across a lake so renowned for its vast scope of deep blue waters and stunning cliffside shores to find a nice island to picnic at. I was on a mission. An important mission that my father and the queen herself had sought me out for. I couldn't let them down.

I kept paddling until eventually the sunset was upon me and the darkness of the lake, coupled with the brooding gusts of incoming weather, served as a fair indication that I best pull off of the water and hunker down for the duration of the night.

I found a nice little island in what appeared to be the middle of absolutely nowhere. Surrounding me from each side was nothing more than a perpetual landscape of waves and water, its dark blue hue glowering malevolently under the sky's encompassing darkness. My kind of luck, finding myself in such a serene and hopeful situation.

I heaved the canoe up and carried it onto the rocky shore, then took what few belongings I had with me and plopped myself down under a nice tree to sleep. From a pouch holstered on my belt, I pulled out a yellow fleece blanket--a gift, sewn by my late mother, something I always kept with me--and wrapped myself up in it.

As a soldier, I was used to sleeping in an uncomfortable environment with little to no resources available. Unfortunately, night one of my trip gave me the unusual fortune of being restless. Maybe something was on my mind, or maybe the sounds of nature and buzzing mosquitoes were bothersome to my ears. Or maybe I was cold and wet. Oh wait a minute, I was cold and wet! Why was I cold and wet?

Oh, because a storm rolled in and I was sleeping underneath heavy downpour on a small island being cascaded by massive waves. That's why.

Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful, I thought.

The time couldn't have been too far past midnight when I opened my eyes to that. I was already completely soaked through. I thought for a moment that it would probably be smart if I were to stand up and make sure my boat hadn't blown away, but I ultimately decided that what I actually wanted was to stay where I was, lying in a pool of soaking-wet undergrowth and depression, pondering what it would feel like to simply die, rather than waste the energy on something that was fairly important to the success of my mission and my own survival.

Oh, Bodey, I thought to myself, you're quite the optimist, aren't you?

I experienced many more interesting things as the night continued. Rain, ear-deafening cracks of thunder, more rain, and some kind of small rodent that kept crawling out of its hole and trying to get into my bag. Among many other things, of course.

Sleep was not an entry on that list.

Yay.

-8-

I woke up the next morning--and by waking up, I mean to say I became consciously aware of it being morning--to the dim light of the sun peeking through my eyelids.

I got up and took a look around. The island wasn't very big, so there wasn't much to see. A couple of the already few trees that stood upon the small mass of land had been knocked over. Thankfully, I found my canoe to be in one piece, although filled to the brim with rainwater.

Just about everything was wet. My blanket and all my clothes were thoroughly soaked, not to mention my entire mop of striped fur had absorbed enough water to make me feel a good few pounds heavier. And I was freezing cold.

I gathered what few pieces of semi-dry wood I could find to create a fire, which took about an hour. The food I had initially brought with me was now rendered unsalvageable. So I settled on some cooked rodent instead. It took an additional hour to successfully capture my evasive meal, and yet another hour after that to gag over the disgusting taste before I finally finished soothing my famished appetite.

Take that, you little fucker.

By that point, I had probably wasted enough time. Disgusted in how inefficient I had been so far, I quickly took my boat into the water and set off once again, paddling into the morning horizon.

For what it was worth though, that pretty little island wasn't half bad, I mused pretentiously.

I decided to name it "Fuck You Island", in memory of my joyous and comfortable stay there. Which I surely won't be forgetting about anytime soon, I noted silently.

-9-

P.O.V. Aiko

Tempest, Bælan

I opened the door slowly, cautious of whether anyone was inside. The "Inn" sign on the door swayed from side to side as I pushed it open, as it only was attached by one nail. The lights inside were dim, with just a few scattered torches hanging on the wall throughout the bottom floor of the inn. Despite the late time of night, there was still a man awake at the reception desk. He was a brown bear with dark muddled fur and a pair of spectacles loosely balanced on the tip of his muzzle, no doubt the innkeeper. He had a book in his paws, and a stern, focused look on his face as he read, not bothering to look up at me when he spoke.

"C'mon in, kid. It's gettin' late."

I walked inside and closed the door behind me, then walked up to the bear and handed him a few silver coins.

"A room for just the night, please," I said.

He looked down at the money, obviously taking note of the fact that it wasn't quite enough, but then grunted and put the money away before handing me a small silver key and picking his book back up.

"Go up and you'll be the first door to the right. Be careful not to wake anyone."

"Alrighty," I responded. I walked towards the stairs on the opposite side of the room, but got distracted by a map that hung on the wall, depicting the town and the surrounding area. I paused to study it for a moment.

"Where are ya headin', boy?" the bear asked from behind his desk, his gaze still not straying from his light reading.

"I'm headed up to Hakúmo. I'll be crossing the Little Mountua River tomorrow mornin' and heading up from there."

"Are ya insane?" he asked, keeping a surprisingly calm tone but finally pausing to look up at me from his novel. "Kid, it's a warzone. You'll get killed."

"Thanks for your concern, but I can fend for myself. I have personal business to attend to," I replied simply.

"Whatever ya say, kid," he responded after a pause and a lengthy sigh, surely fueled by his disbelief. He turned back to his book. I strolled up the stairs without another word spoken.

Once upstairs and in front of room 2B, I slid the key into the door and opened it, revealing a small and cozy place to spend the night. I plopped down on the bed and threw my bag to the ground beside it. The comfort of an actual bed, however low the quality, far surpassed the experience of the previous few nights, during which I slept alone on the cold, barren floor of the forest.

I thanked the heavens that I didn't have to wake up to the sound of forest wallowers again. Man, were those damn l'il critters loud.

My exhaustion set in within minutes of laying down, and before I knew it I had drifted off to sleep.

-10-

I woke up the next morning rather tired, but the light from the window wouldn't allow my eyes to remain shut. Knowing that it was about time for me to get on the road, I got dressed, grabbed my things and left.

I strode down the stairs onto the ground floor of the inn. The innkeeper from the previous night was mysteriously vacant from his post, but it was no big deal. I figured the big 'ol fluffball probably had just left to go attend to other matters. I assumed that it would be fine if I just left the key on his desk for him, and so I did just that and promptly exited the old wooden building before strolling off down the street.

My first impression was that it was awfully quiet in Tempest for the present time of morning. The sun was out, beaming overhead with pride and energy, but as far as I could tell, there was nobody outside at all.

Huh, that's strange, I thought.

I continued to walk down through the northern end of town, taking careful note of the architecture around me. Many of the buildings in this part of the world had a renowned beauty, but the wood-chiseled craftsmanship of the structures wasn't what concerned me at that moment. The apothecary, the blacksmith, the library--every shop I passed still had a "closed" sign hanging on the door, as if the morning sun had never risen at all. All the blinds were closed, all the doors were closed, and still not a single soul roamed the streets. The silence felt frigid as it hung in the air. Even the birds, who would normally be flying about, chirping happily and singing their florid, fanciful songs, were silent and invisible to the eye.

Something wasn't right.

A movement stirred, from my five o'clock, just outside of my peripheral vision. I rotated my head ever so slightly to see what it was, but the source of the noise had already vanished from sight.

I kept walking.

Again, more movement, now from my seven o'clock. I was cautious this time and didn't look to see what it was, knowing that the eavesdropper wouldn't be there anymore.

Something definitely was not right.

Movement, now dead in front of me. Four imperial soldiers marched out from the surrounding alleys, dressed in Agu Morra's navy-blue and gray military uniforms. My ears perked up at the sound of more of them coming out from behind me; by the consistency of the clutter, I estimated at least ten. From the front of the crowd, one more figure emerged, although this one had a familiar face attached to his dark-blue general's coat, a much more intimidating set of apparel then his light brown robes from the night before.

"Out to play, are we?" the innkeeper cooed deceitfully, his voice as thin and cold as ice.

"A little wolf like you really shouldn't be getting his paws into business that he doesn't belong in." He took a few steps towards me, slowly closing the large gap of space between us. Then he held up a book, one with a leather cover and scarlet red lacing tying it together.

Dammit! I cursed to myself.

The moment I saw that book, I knew I had messed up, and badly. I put a paw over my chest, as if to make sure my heart was still beating. The general saw my exasperated reaction.

And he grinned.

It was a wide grin, showing off rows of sharp teeth that felt as though they were piercing into my flesh, despite the spacious distance between us. This, coupled with his faint, icy blue eyes, which seemed to bore into my spirit with an ambition more vile and malicious than any other, proved to me once and forever that surely, he must have been evil itself, incarnated into a form which so accurately captured its true nature.

I slipped a paw into my backpack and felt around, just to make sure my eyes knew what they were seeing. Without the spellbook, the bag still maintained enough weight for the difference to be too trivial for me to have noticed. It was little more ominous than the missing weight of last night's dinner.

He must have searched my bag during the night, when I was asleep, I pondered. And of all the spellbooks he searched through, he found it. The dangerous one.

The general looked me straight in the eyes, giving me a stare that sent shivers down my back and into my soul as he uttered his next words.

"Kill him."

Almost instantaneously, every single Agu Morran soldier in the proximity sprinted towards me, swords and spears poised overhead, ready to strike me down where I stood.

"Try me," I replied.

With the flick of my paws in the correct pattern, a bright blue flare of light formed from thin air and rocketed towards the nearest soldier, a dark-gray timber wolf approaching from my flank. It hit him square in the chest and knocked him backwards. His armor made a heavy clunking sound as it made contact with the stone pavement.

Next up were two soldiers coming from my two and three o'clock. Each of them met their fate with a similar burst of energy as the one that hit the wolf. Unfortunately, my real problem lied with the slower soldiers, who now came upon me all in one mass. I dodged underneath one of them as he swung his long silver blade at me, then turned to fire a burst of energy at another. A darkly-colored weasel made a jab at my legs, but I used my superior agility to jump and avoid his blow, then bolted towards him and swung my fist right into his muzzle. My punch created a burst of bright-orange light as it send him hurtling towards the ground, face first.

After a few more agile attacks of mine, I bolted away to a vacant area to get a sense of my surroundings. Although I was most prominently kicking all of their asses--my constructive opinion, anyways--the sheer number of them was too overwhelming for just one mage to handle. Sweat starting dripping from my forehead, threatening to get in my eyes and obstruct my vision. I swept it away and smirked at the onslaught who came running back to me.

"I guess you guys haven't had enough, have you?" I muttered under my breath. "Well then let me show you what I can still do."

I bolted towards the soldiers, jumping up and rocketing back to the ground with fists burning with my magic, creating a shockwave that knocked several of them off their feet. I sent a few more of them spinning off to the sidelines with some stunning spells.

A nearby cougar made a leap for me, jabbing his sword at me a few quick times. I dodged most of his thrusts, but I wasn't quite fast enough, and the feline's final strike sliced into my shoulder. I winced in pain from the incision but knocked him back with yet another burst of blue fumes.

At this point, I was panting with exhaustion. I couldn't fight them like this forever. I needed something else, pronto.

Thankfully, I was prepared with a little extra backup. I pulled a small spellbook out from my back pocket and opened to a page I conveniently had bookmarked with a small piece of brown cloth. I cleared my throat and began reciting the words on the page as the hoard of soldiers came running back to me. It was a race against time.

"...and so heed to me, Thitus of the heavenly earth and beautiful land, protect me from this most dire situation, and vanquish my enemies from your soils. Et abiit in malum!"

With one final flick of my paw, a massive, pulsing energy formed, emanating from somewhere deep inside me. I could feel it resonating in my bones, just before it released itself in the form of a crippling shockwave, rocketing outward from my body. One by one, the soldiers were hit by the shockwave and sent flying through the air, hurtling towards the nearest body of water.

"Haha! Take that!"

My victory, however gleeful, was quickly cut short, for there was one more problem that I had almost completely forgotten about.

The innkeeper stormed up to me with large, thundering footsteps. Our eyes met, and in his, I could see a cold, icy fire of pure anger and animosity.

"You won't survive to see the end of this, you filthy Liaran scum," he spat. In the palms of each of his paws, light-blue icy textures began to form.

"So," I said, waving my paws in a circular motion. A shield of energy began to form in front of me. "You're a mage too? I wasn't expecting that."

The general smirked and replied with a curt nod. "I was suspicious of you from the moment you stepped into my shop. I went through your belongings while you slept--that's my procedure, as I'm sure you can understand--and discovered your spellbooks. So I knew right then that you were a mage," he explained, backing up and taking his own defensive stance. "But then I found your 'special book' and was thus notified that I would have no choice but to put Tempest on lockdown and dispose of you."

"Well, I sure as hell wasn't expecting the local innkeeper to be a lowly spy and a seeker."

"Kid, you've got some serious problems with being too honest," he responded.

There was a moment of silence as I stood my ground, trying to anticipate his first move. I waited for a brief time, then lowered my shield and went in for an attack.

Wrong move.

In the split second that I lowered my shield and lurched towards him, he flared up his own attack and aimed it directly into my stomach.

"Gg-g-gah!" I howled in pain as I stumbled over, struggling to keep my balance. In my confusion, he launched yet another attack, which hit my left leg. This time I tripped and fell. I tried to get back up, but my leg wouldn't bend. It was frozen in ice.

"Dammit!" I yelled.

From my helpless position on the ground, I launched more projectiles, meticulously focused at his right side. He anticipated my obvious attack, just as I had planned for him to, and dodged to his left.

"Ha! Got you!"

As he moved in to deliver what could have easily been a killing blow, I swung my good leg around and kicked the bear right in his stomach. The forceful impact of my magic sent him plummeting to the ground on his back. I used the momentum of the kick to gracefully propel myself back onto my feet.

I took a short moment to think. I knew that my survival would depend on freeing my leg. Without it, I could only maintain a mere stumble, at least until the ice melted. But who knew when that would be? I had to act quickly.

I could've ignited my fire spell, but that might've taken too long to melt the ice, and as it was, my stamina was fading away. I was so physically exhausted, I could hardly breath. But the general was already back on his feet. I can't just stand here! I thought frantically.

"Say your goodbyes, Liaran!" he shouted as he lunged towards me, his fists blazing in a frozen torment of white, crystalline ice, a cold front that threatened to end my misadventure and my life along with it.

I felt a sharp pain. His fist was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

-11-

P.O.V. X

Fort Regulus

It was a quiet wednesday evening. The offensive had been uneventful the past couple of days, and the general was enjoying a night to himself as he sat behind his desk in his small, dimly-lit office. The candles on his desk and the torches on the walls had been placed in very precise positions to provide him with an environment that optimalized his clarity of mind. He sat and shifted through various papers and documents, lost deep in his work as he planned out the coming stages in the war and the political and militaristic ramifications that he held in his paws. His thoughts were disturbed by a light rapping on the door.

He took a sip of his tea. "Come in, Lieutenant."

The door swung open and was quickly shut by the dark-furred skunk. "Urgent news, General Uhruan," Bahrú reported sternly.

"Yes, what is is?" the general asked, putting down his work.

"It's the conflict in Aey'Áris. They're done for, sir." The young lieutenant's head drooped and he let out an exasperated sigh as his dark, dismal eyes scanned the sprucewood floorboards. "News has it that their capital is completely occupied and that enemy forces have been seen as far south as Braza."

"Bloody hell..." Uhraun muttered, cupping his weary face in his paws. "What is the status on our forces?"

"Same as the last time I checked in with you sir. They're holding their position along the Northwestern Theatre. Once we get our reinforcements there, we should be able to push the Wrothians back into their own territory."

Uhruan's ears perked up. "Excellent. As soon as the reinforcements have been sent, round up all of our extra troops. Tell them that we're leaving to fight abroad."

"But sir, Queen Marvhalien has yet to sign the alliance with either Aey'Áris or Bælan!"

"Frankly," the general began, pushing his chair out and standing up, "I don't give a damn. She may be queen, but I'm in charge of the military. Just because we still have a few days to wait before the alliance is official doesn't mean that we don't have a good reason to get our asses into gear."

The general grabbed his forage cap and coat from the hanger by the door and looked over to Bahrú with a sly grin on his face. "I think that it's about time that we provide our friends with more troops."

"More, sir?" Bahrú asked, confused for a moment before he came to realize what the general had meant. He returned Uhruan's comment with a smirk. "Oh, yes. I suppose we already have a certain tiger of ours heading for the front lines."

The two of them walked outside together, and the lieutenant shut the door behind them. There was a moment of silence before General Uhruan opened his mouth to speak.

"Let's go kick some ass."

-12-

P.O.V. Bodey

Meko, Bælan

The newspaper felt strangely dry in my paws, which were wet from the thunderstorm that raged outside. It had been raining and storming consistently over the past few days, and it wasn't until now that I had finally made my way to a small village on the Bælanian shore of Rescuer's Lake. Although the atmosphere of the outdoors was still wet and chilly, the nice, heated temperatures from inside the tavern were perfect for warming me up.

"Another drink, mister?" said a soft feminine voice from in front of me. I looked up to see the bartender, waiting for my reply.

"Umm...sure, give me another of whatever I just had. Please." She took my glass and left for the other side of the counter, then returned a minute later with my beverage.

"Thank you, miss," I said, taking a sip of my drink and returning my gaze to the newspaper I had picked up earlier.

AEY'ÁRIS FALLS TO NORTHERN ALLIANCE

Reports have confirmed enemy occupation in Áriseil, Braza, Hakúmo, and the Mountua Strip. Military forces are still holding back against the invasion in the southern settlements of Lithgard and Ouroport. Meanwhile, Bælanian and Uthalian borders remain strong. Bælanian military reinforcements are reportedly on route to Aey'Áris.

UTHALIA TO SIGN ALLIANCE

After weeks of fighting, Queen Marvhalien of Uthalia finally has agreed to a military alliance with Aey'Áris and Bælan. The official signing of this treaty is scheduled to take place in four days time in Urria Pal.

CONFLICT CONFINED TO MAINLAND

Leaders and citizens alike in Apala, Bodora, Suria, Sibia, Paya and other nations all publicly denounce the war in the Mainland and insist on staying neutral in the conflict.

I thought the conversation was over, but the bartender didn't leave, and her gaze was still focused on me intently, scanning me with a nimble curiosity. She leaned against the counter and asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"

I sighed. "I'm from Uthalia."

I thought about ignoring her for a moment. I didn't have the time or desire to get wrapped up in some petty conversation with a local. But a small voice in the back of my head told me not be rude, so I reluctantly put the newspaper aside and folded my arms, now fixing my attention on the fox in front of me. "How did you know? Was it the accent?"

"It might have been," she replied, grinning at me. A small smile escaped my muzzle, despite my efforts to suppress it. I discreetly dug a sharp claw into my forearm, hoping that the pain would discourage me from giving off any more positive vibes. I didn't want to talk to her, and I certainly didn't want to give off the impression of wanting to.

"Where'd you come in from?" she asked eagerly.

"I paddled a canoe through the heart of the lake," I answered, trying to sound impressive. "I just arrived here today."

"Wow, really?" she remarked ecstatically. "Through all of that weather? You must be tough fella," she said, winking at me.

Yeah, and it was living hell and all I wanted to do the entire time was die, I thought. But I did survive, so I suppose her admiration is well justified.

"I guess I am!" I responded, flexing my biceps and chuckling. "It wasn't even that bad, made it through that storm like a piece of cake!"

"That's amazing!" she said, blushing. I couldn't suppress my grin. I was fully engaged in the conversation.

I liked her eyes, I decided. They were a curious color, a light shade of amethyst-purple. She had round ears, and a tuft of dark burgundy fur between them, which was spiked in such a way that seemed to play up her passion and energy.

Part of my mind was screeching in fury, Abort now! Get out of there, stop fantasizing, and shut your trap! But the other part of me already had drowned that voice out.

"So what about you?" I asked after telling her a brief story about being a proud warrior from the great nation of Uthalia.

"Oh, me? I'm not that interesting, to be honest," she replied with a nervous chuckle. "I grew up here in Meko. My father owns this establishment, so naturally I ended up working here. My mom wanted me to follow in her footsteps, but unfortunately she ended up passing away." A dour expression crossed her face.

"Oh...I'm very sorry to hear that," I replied earnestly.

She nodded and forced out a smile. "Thanks."

After a moment of silence, I spoke again out of curiosity. "What did your mother do?"

"She was a mage."

"Ah, that's...quite interesting," I said warily.

I hated mages. They were freakshows in my eyes, the way they bent nature out of shape to fit their wims. Not to mention a few bad experiences I had gone through with magic-using folk in the past. For a moment, my anger tempted me to speak up about the subject, but I ended up keeping my muzzle shut.

"Yeah, I guess it is, despite what some people say about them," she said. "Unfortunately, she died when I was pretty young, so I don't remember a whole lot of her using magic."

"Huh," I mumbled, glancing at the big clock on the other side of the room. "Well, it's been nice talking to you, but I should probably get going. I've got some duty to attend to."

"Alright Bodey, thanks for chatting. And, umm..."

I stood up from my seat but kept my feet firmly planted by the bar. "Yeah?"

"If you ever find yourself back in town here, feel free to stop by the tavern! I'll be here, like always."

I grinned and nodded. "I'll be sure to. What's your name again?"

"Sarah! Sarah Kohlar, and you?"

I bowed. "Sir Bodey Aráshvahr, at your service."

I stepped out of the bar, once again finding myself in the wet and cold exterior world. The brunt of the storm had finally died out, but light rain was still drizzling down, and the darkened skies still stretched far across the horizon, trapping the humidity to the ground.

I looked up to the grim visage of the horizon, and it suddenly occurred to me how much time I had wasted.

Dammit! I raged internally. What an asinine fool I had been! How could I have possibly gotten so carried away, flirting with the bartender in the local tavern of some lonely little town in the middle of bloody nowhere? I had a mission. The queen herself had given me my task, because she knew that I was the only one competent enough to carry it out successful. I was chosen because I was strong and attentive and capable, and I wasn't a bumbling, babbling dumbass like everyone else in this godforsaken world. I refused to be anything like them. I refused to associate myself with them. For all I cared, they could all rot in hell and die slowly, cackling like the pitiful imbeciles they were. At least then I could finally be at peace with this world.

I had a duty to perform, and that was all that mattered. It was that simple for me, and that's how simple I was gonna keep it.

I needed a clear head to complete my mission. So I shook the jumble of thoughts out of my mind and raced off towards my destination: Tatego, the capital of Bælan.

-13-

P.O.V. X

Alkilik, Wrothia

"Idiot!" boomed the deep thundering voice of King Polimatus. He stood up from his throne and stormed up to his servant, who, in his relatively diminutive size, stood beneath his king's towering form and trembled in fear.

Although the servant was greatly honored to work as a servant of Wrothian royalty, the great polar bear king had a way of scaring him for all that his life was worth. The worth of the servant's life, in King Polimatus's most noble and righteous opinion, was very little, and practically nothing when his poor servant failed to meet his requests with unsurpassable accuracy.

"I thought I told you to inform all members of the military council that I expect a major boost in efficiency!" bellowed the king. "Things have been moving at an dreadfully slow pace around here lately, and amidst this war we simply cannot have this kind of overwhelming apathy!" Glowering down at him, the king's eyes were filled with boiling rage, burning a hole through the servant's already limited supply of confidence. His glossy, impeccable white fur contrasted with his dark red robes of royalty in such a way that seemed to demand obedience and deliverance, should the servant wish to escape the night with his frail body intact. Every last detail in the polar bear's appearance was flourishing with intimidation.

"I tried to bring your c-concerns to General Protsier, m-my lord," the servant explained, stuttering through his words. "I figured that he would be able to p-pass on your demands to the h-high command at their n-next meeting."

"Imbecile! You think you can just take the easy way out of your workload? I want them informed NOW!" Polimatus shouted, turning around and sitting back upon his throne, undoubtedly annoyed with his servant's incompetence.

"Y-yes my lord! And, umm, m-my lord, I have a note from Agu Morra!" the servant pleaded. In his nervousness, beads of sweat were gushing down his flustered face.

"Oh, do you?" the king asked, a pinch of curiosity working its way into his apoplectic tone of voice. "Alright then. Speak up already!"

The servant gulped anxiously, then pulled the note out from his pocket and held it in front of him, and he began to summarize.

"Their espionage operations in Bælan have yielded some promising results for our war effort, as well as our search for the Artifact. General Rodlan, leader of Agu Morra's seeker program, has made some promising captures as of late. He plans to report the data from his interrogations directly to you and King Orrako as soon as they are completed and he can safely return from Bælan."

Polimatus leaned back in his chair and placed a paw on his chin, lost in thought as he analyzed the news he had been given. He appeared skeptical--almost doubtful, if the servant was reading him correctly--but nonetheless, the king let out a grunt and nodded in affirmation.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing what the general has beaten out of those Liarans," the king said, "and then maybe we'll know if enough to get our paws on the Artifact whose power I've been longing to have for so long."

"And then what, my lord?" the servant asked, perplexed by what he knew to be a contradiction. "The Artifact's power can only be wielded by one individual. You will be unable to share it with King Orrako."

There was a long pause. The servant observed his king, who sat completely motionless with his eyes closed and without the slightest trace of expression on his face. It was so utterly quiet, the servant could hear the sound of crackling fire in the torches lining the walls of the dimly lit grand hall, hidden deep within the massive complex of Polimatus's royal castle. For a moment, the servant pondered if the king's old age had caught up with him, and that the man he served may have simply passed on, right then and there upon his throne. A silly thought, but one that almost seemed plausible amidst the infinitesimal beating of the king's heart.

But then, just a moment later, the king lurched back in his royal seat, and his mouth opened wide, and the sound that came out and echoed all across the grandiose scape of the castle was none other than laughter. Maniacal, wicked, malignant laughter, resounding around him in all its beastly glory.

He muffled himself with a paw over his muzzle, and the king's laughter quickly died out. But when he took his paw away, a smug grin was still present on his face. The king's eyes, each a small circular portal to a hellish place no sane man would dare venture, were glaring eagerly down at the meek form of the servant and the frightened complexion about his face.

"Yes, servant. The Artifact, and along with it, the infinite potensial to conquer and destroy, can only be wielded by one," the king explained, "which is why when we have won this war, slaughtered all other enemies in our path, and have our paws on the Artifact...I will kill King Orrako right where he stands, and I alone will be this world's new ruler."

-14-

P.O.V. Aiko

???

My eyes opened to a rather dull amount of light. I was clearly nowhere in reach of the sunlight. Still, it pained me to do the simple act of opening my eyes. But this was rather because my face was covered in bruises and cuts. From what, I was struggling to remember.

I left home, and put Maren in charge, I recalled. And then I was on the road for a few days. Then I was in Tempest, where I left to go cross the border. So why am I now here? Where is here?

Slowly, the blurriness in my vision started to fade away. Under the dim torchlight, everything still seemed a bit hazy and colorless, but I could at least analyze my surroundings now. On each side of me were old stone-brick walls with moss creeping along in-between the cracks and crevices. The ground was cold and covered in dirt and dust--I must have been somewhere underground, somewhere that hadn't seen the light of day or the presence of another soul for a long while.

There were no windows, nor any other apparatus or ornaments hanging from the walls, other than a single torch on the wall opposite to me. Beyond that wall, I could see that there was a hallway, taking a sharp turn to my left. There must have been an exit somewhere in that direction, and a stairway leading to the surface, but I couldn't get to it. Blocking my path was a old and rusty set of iron bars, locking me within the confines of the small, barren cell.

Then I remembered. That asshole general with the ice magic! And now I've been captured, I recollected. But wait, why am I still alive? He seemed hell-bent on killing me, and I'm certainly not dead.

I tried to get up, but almost immediately gave up from a pure lack of strength. Every muscle in my body ached with pain. Due to an overwhelming urge to not move at all, I decided that my curiosity could lay to rest for the time being. And so I drifted off to sleep.

What could have been either the next few hours or the next few days--I honestly wasn't sure--went by with the same repetitive behavior. I would drift off into a strange kind of hazy sleep, only to wake up an unknown amount of time later. I would sit on my butt and stay still as I used my limited amount of energy to power my brain and think about what my options of escape were. When I would realize that there were none, I would drift back to my unconscious state, and hence the process repeated itself over and over again. My ears buzzed with sound, even through the cold silence that swept the air, and my eyes only saw the same grim, lifeless walls surrounding me and keeping me hostage to their bleak facade.

-15-

At some point, reality finally came back to me. From what had felt like a deep and surprisingly pleasant sleep, I was awoken by the sound of a door opening. Soon after that I heard footsteps, and then through my still-blurry vision I saw the silhouette of a tall and burly figure, standing on the other side of the cell's door. There was a jingling noise as the lock was fiddled with, followed by the sound of the door to my hellish box of imprisonment opening. The figure bent down and placed something on the floor. I silently hoped it was some food and water--I was absolutely famished, and my throat felt as dry as a desert.

Then, just as soon as the figure had come, he closed the door with a small clink and walked away, back up the stairway and up to the faint daylight of the world on the surface.

After he left, I decided that it would be an ideal time to finally get up. Forcing myself to find the strength to move was difficult. My entire body still ached with pain, but I was able to push myself up to my knees. I tried to stand, but my efforts resulted in futility as I only managed to stumble back down. I caught myself with the palms of my paws. From there, I took a deep breath and noticed the visitor's "gifts". For a moment, I was thrilled to see it. My mind instantly plunged into a deep, overwhelming lust for a meal to consume.

My burst of enthusiasm was unfortunately cut short by a further examination of the cuisine, which turned out to be a very pathetic looking piece of bread and a small gourd of water. After a moment of staring at the disappointing display of room service, I picked the bread up and took a bite.

It might as well have been rock. Bleh.

Maybe some water will make me feel better? I thought.

I gently tipped the gourd into my mouth, making sure not to spill. Such a precious substance couldn't afford to be wasted at a time like this.

A moment later, I gagged.

Or on second thought, maybe this could afford to be wasted. 'Cause it tastes like someone mixed piss with dirt and shit and served it as a gorme soup dish.

"Seriously?!" I shouted out, "you're gonna kick my ass, lock me up down here, and when I find myself starving for food and water, this is the best you can do!?" I clutched onto the bars of my cell, shaking them violently and yelping out in anguish, as if there was any hope that I might be heard. "I thought for a moment that you guys might have some hospitality! But no! You're a bunch of fucking barbarians!"

I fell onto my back, gasping for breath. I was angry, and I was exhausted, and my food-and-water situation had been left utterly unsatisfied.

Then, from somewhere deep inside of me, the most unexpected thing came out of my mouth: laughter. I just started cackling uncontrollable, and I continued to do so for the next minute or so, until I finally ran out of breath and started choking.

Why the hell am I laughing? I asked myself. This isn't funny at all. I'm probably gonna die in this cell. Slowly and painfully, and for absolutely no purpose.

Once again, I started drifting into deep sleep. My eyes closed and my consciousness faded away, almost as quickly as the small remnants of hope were vanquished from within me.

-16-

P.O.V. X

Tatego, Bælan

"His name is Bodey Aráshvahr, my lord," reported the squire. "He is a knight and strategist from the kingdom of Uthalia, and apparently one that is very highly praised for his skills. He says that Queen Marvhalien sent him here to provide us with his talent and knowledge."

"Why yes, of course," King Bauxtaurus said in his deep and spacious voice. "I was informed by her that we would be receiving him as a predecessor to the additional troops that will soon be on the way. Thank you, squire."

He then turned his gaze to the proud tiger that stood opposite to him. "And you have my thanks as well, Sir Bodey Aráshvahr. Our forces could make good use of your expertise in our offencive with the Northern Alliance, as well as to lend a paw to Aey'Áris. I will be sure to assign you to wherever my heads of military and myself believe is most fitting."

"Of course, King Bauxtaurus. It is my pleasure," Aráshvahr responded with a small bow of courtesy. At this, the king took a moment to observe the fascinating new visitor to his kingdom. He had unusually bright shades of orange that coated his fur, as well as some light shades of brown and remarkably creamy whites. The golden tiger wore a sleeveless brown tunic, similarly brown boots and black pants, which all fit nicely with the colors of his fur. His large, bulky frame and regal stature were poised as straight as could be in the king's royal presence. The king knew immediately that Bodey was a warrior of great honor, just like his father was before him.

His father, Bauxtaurus recollected.

Some memories began to fade into the cougar king's mind as he remembered the vivid image of Malcolm Aráshvahr. It had been decades ago during the Suribian War when they had fought side by side as young soldiers. They actually knew each other quite well during that time, and Bauxtaurus often wondered where his old friend was these days.

For a moment, the king thought of mentioning to Bodey that he had known Malcolm. His mouth opened to speak, but as several darker memories passed through his thoughts, he closed it and decided that it was best if he stayed quiet.

"That will be all, Aráshvahr. Please feel free to take a look around my castle whilst I inform our military forces of your arrival. Squire!" he shouted, redirecting his attention to the squire. "Show him around, if you'd please."

"Yes, my lord, at once!" he responded promptly. The squire began to walk off towards the west wing of the castle and directed Bodey to follow him. The striped feline tottered out of the cougar's view, his tail sweeping across the glossy silver floors of the castle. The king sat back in his chair as a wave of deep, perplexing thoughts suddenly resurfaced from their long slumber in the back of his mind.

-17-

P.O.V. Aiko

???

My eyes once again opened to the sound of the heavy steel door opening. I got up to my feet, grasping the iron bars of the cell door to keep my weak body standing as an all too familiar face came into view.

"Well, aren't you looking lovely this evening?" the general said, a sinister tone sneaking through his thick Agu Morran accent--which, I must add, he had done an excellent job of masking when we first met at the Inn.

"You..." I said quietly, gasping for the breath to speak. Although my stature had significantly improved since I was locked up, my voice was still scratchy and weak.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"My name is General August Rodlan. You may call me whatever you'd like," the bear said simply, scanning me with menacing blue eyes. "It honestly doesn't matter to me. All that I care about is getting the information I need to ascertain the location of the Liaran Artifact. After that, you're little more than cannon fodder to me."

"Alright then. If I'm as good as dead to you, why should I be interested helping you find the Artifact?" I asked him in return. I tried to stand up straight to face him, but a sudden burst of pain in my shoulder caused me to topple back towards the door.

"Oh, it's not your own life that you would be saving, Aiko," he said calmly, "it's someone else's."

Someone else? That could not be good.

I was struck with a sudden combination of confusion and worry. "Who?" I asked warily.

"Who? Hahaha!" The bear chortled at my dismay. "Someone that you may know by the name of Emily Burningham."

My heart sank.

Rodlan grinned.

He had my mother.

"You...y-you're lying!" I stuttered out in disbelief.

"She was one of my more interesting captures, to be certain. I was originally gonna kill her for her crimes, but after discovering how many of her pesky Liaran pupils she had running about, I figured she might come in handy," Rodlan explained, a smirk on his face.

My mouth was hanging open, but I couldn't seem to form any words meaningful enough to counter his revolting ambitions. My gaze graced his face--his cold eyes, the ghastly smirk on his muzzle--trying to find a trace of at least some compassion or reasonability. But I could only find stringent, loathful apathy.

"Y-you're insane," I uttered softly, "you c-can't seriously do this!"

He quietly chortled to himself once again.

I swore to myself right then and there, I was gonna kill that bastard the first chance I got.

I stood up, finally finding purpose in balancing on my own two feet.

"Rodlan, listen to me," I pleaded. "Whatever you want from me, I can't give it to you. You found the book in my bag; surely you must have read it! I know nothing more than what that book says. You have to believe me. Do whatever you like with me, just don't hurt her!"

"Perhaps," Rodlan responded thoughtfully. "But you see, I beg to differ. Partly because I simply don't believe you. The other reason," he began as he opened the door and entered my cell, "is because this way is always so much more fun!"

Just as he had done before in the streets of Tempest, he again grinned in such a way that truly embodied the corruption and malevolence of his being.

Then he pummeled me will the power of his mere fist and a single punch that sent me sprawling to the cold, lifeless floor. I cried out in pain as all the helplessness and agony I had finally recovered from instantly shifted back into my body, ignited again and again with each kick the general placed in my abdomen.

After several minutes of physical abuse, he grabbed me tightly by the throat and heaved me upwards.

"Tell me where the fucking artifact is!" he spat in my bruised, concaved face. I could already taste an abundance of my blood on my lips.

"I d-don't k-know!" I choked out as loudly as I could. Tears were streaming down my face.

What can I say? I thought rampantly. I could tell him some bullshit lie about the Artifact's location, but Rodlan would probably suspect my deceit. But I can't let him hurt mother! And that's just considering that he hasn't already killed her.

My options were limited. So was my time.

"Boy, listen to me! I'm only gonna ask you once more, and then I'm gonna start shredding your mother apart, piece by piece, and it'll be as slow and painful as possible! And I'm gonna enjoy every second of it, and then when I'm done with her I'm gonna do the same thing to you, and you'll die knowing that you did it for absolutely nothing!"

This can't be happening. It just can't. It can't, I repeated to myself in a haze of doubt. I refuse to accept it!

"BOY!"

"Alright!" I let out, gasping for air. I could hear Rodlan breathing heavily amidst the newfound silence. His chaotic shouting had temporarily ceased at the sound of my most recent interjection.

I sighed, shook my head timidly, and then warily looked up at the general.

"I'll talk."

-18-

P.O.V. Bodey

Camp Stormgazer, Bælan

"We'll move Scorpion Battalion here," I said, pointing to the map in front of me. Several pairs of eyes moved along with my paw and the croupier stick that now glided a pawful of small figurines across the map. "Those forces will be led by General Bakla," I added, glancing at him from across the table. The martin looked at me with stern, light-green eyes and gave me a gentle nod of confirmation.

"So what about Aey'Áris? Invading straight through the Northwestern Front won't do much for us or for them," said Tokato, a young lieutenant standing to my immediate left. He was a noticeably short fox with dark-brown fur and the tendency to talk so frequently that it made me wonder if he ever stopped to breathe, much less allow for any silence. I had only been at the camp with him for a few days, yet I already was quite fond of that particular trait, and learned--as any reasonable person would--to dread it.

"That's where we come in," I responded. "I'll be leading Python Battalion here, over the Little Mountua and into Agu Morran-occupied Aey'Áris." Bakla moved the other set of small wooden figures to where I had pointed as I continued. "We'll wait a full twenty-four hours until we make our advance, which will give Scorpion Battalion an ample amount of time to make their mark. With any luck, the Agu Morran troops will send all their available forces to help fight us back in the North, which will allow us to make a clean and easy entrance in the West."

General Bakla added, "Once our forces have secured the Midline Theatre, our additional battalions will all be prepared to engage Agu Morra's forces on the southern half of the kingdom. They'll have no place to run with the Midline Theatre blocked off, allowing for an easy and successful recapture of the southern half of Aey'Áris, including the capital."

"Exactly," I said, "so if we stay strong and stick to the plan, we will emerge victorious. Yes?"

"Yes!" chanted the soldiers surrounding me.

"Alright. Meeting adjourned. Scorpion Battalion, be prepared to launch in two hours."

Most of the soldiers exited the tent, scattering into the camp outside. Bakla ordered a few of his subordinates to go deliver our new plan to the personnel at the neighboring military facilities.

Remaining by my side was Bakla, as well as two of his lieutenants; a young, strong-looking bobcat named Jadia Lytra, who served as Bakla's first-lieutenant; as well as Lieutenant Tokato.

"Jadia, I think that your skills would be best utilized if you lead our troops across the river alongside Lieutenant Aráshvahr," the general said, "and both you and Aráshvahr will receive the temporary rank of commander. Understood?"

She nodded and replied, "Of course, sir."

She then turned to me. "It will be a privilege to serve with you, Aráshvahr," Jadia said. She gave me a confident nod, then turned back to Bakla. "Is there is anything else, General?"

"No, that will be all," the general replied. With that, Lieutenant Lytra strolled away to attend to other business.

"Tokato, you will serve as Aráshvahr's first-lieutenant. I assume that you will be compliant with him and assist him in any way that seems appropriate," Bakla said.

"Of course, General. You have my word."

"Good," he said simply. "Bodey Aráshvahr, I wish you the best of luck," Bakla said, firmly placing a paw on my shoulder.

"Best of luck to you as well, sir."

The martin nodded and left to go convene his troops, leaving Tokato and I alone. The young fox began speaking immediately.

"Sir, I have a question about--"

"You always have a question, Lieutenant," I muttered, starting to stroll away.

"But sir, I thought it was important, considering that it's releve--"

"Shut up!" I barked, not bothering to turn around and face him. I continued walking and heard no further sounds besides my own footsteps and the casual, quiet chattering of the camp's soldiers as they prepared for the night before them.

I walked until I found my personal tent--I had been given the honor of having my sleeping quarters all to myself. No more constant bickering from any of the soldiers or that bloody obnoxious fox. It was just me now. The tent was a much needed sanctuary.

I thanked the heavens for the divine and holy gift of privacy.

I strolled in and laid down on my hammock, which almost slunk down far enough to touch the floor after having my weight placed upon it. I folded my paws together and gazed up at the roof of the tent. Suddenly I was hit with a massive cascading wave of all the thoughts that hadn't received a chance to fully express themselves during the busy day.

That damn lieutenant is so bloody obnoxious! I thought. How can it even be possible for a person to have said so much in just one day?

Maybe he was just excited. Or perhaps nervous, frightened by the prospect of the war, and he was just seeking confirmation on things--he seemed pretty young, so it was only natural for him to have been so skittish.

But then again, it's not like I was that much older. The lieutenant needs get his head on straight, I decided. We're about to venture out to the front lines, and we can't afford to have anyone acting like a chicken with its head cut off.

I let out a deep sigh. The sun had finished setting a number of minutes ago, and even within the confines of my tent, the sky's encompassing darkness still met my tired gaze with its cold embrace.

Tomorrow was sure to be an important day in the course of the war. It was make-or-break, and I had no intention of letting anyone down--not General Bakla, not the Árisian people, nor Queen Marvhalien, General Uhruan, and my father, who were all waiting and counting on me back in Uthalia.

With all that weight on my shoulders, I would need to get sufficient rest tonight. I closed my eyes and, gazing up at the unparalleled darkness above, drifted off to sleep.

-19-

I woke up restless and tired the following morning. My fur had acted like a sponge, soaking up all the late-night summer humidity and effectively turning me into a giant ball of sweaty fluff--not exactly the most comfortable way to sleep. I rolled out of my hammock and stood up, receiving a bit of lightheadedness, but nothing too serious. Forcing my eyes open was difficult, but I could see that the morning sun was definitely out, as were many of the troops, engaged in early-morning chit-chat as they strolled past my tent.

Ugh...why does it have to be morning already? I thought groggily.

"Good-morning, captain!" said a chirpy voice as I exited my tent.

I was about to say good-morning in return, but I bit down on my tongue just in time for the imminence of my return to be ignored.

"How did you sleep, Commander?" Tokato asked. "I slept rather well myself. And today's the big day, huh? We're gonna go take the first steps in taking back Aey'Áris! That's exciting, right? Well I mean, not really I guess...it's war, and people die, so not exciting like that, obviously. But it's good to know that we have a solid plan prepared for tonight! I'm feeling confident about gaining back the southern Árisian territories. And if things go really well, we should gain back the capital too! Think about how happy King Llarene of Aey'Áris will be when we save him! I bet we'll have the Árisians on our side for good! Err, I mean, they'll be on Bælan's side for good, I'm not really sure about your country, sir. Uthalia, right? Speaking of which, what is Uthalia like? I've never been there myself, but I hear that it's really pretty. And do all of you guys over in Uthalia have those funny accents? Or is it just you? Y'know, I've been thinking, what if--"

"Lieutenant."

"Yes Commander?"

"How the bloody hell did you get promoted to your current rank?" I looked down at him sternly.

He returned my gaze with a pause--a brief one, but a pause nonetheless--and a shy expression crawling onto his face. "Why do you ask sir? Do you believe that I shouldn't have been promoted so early?"

"Promoted early?" I repeated harshly, glowering down at him. "You shouldn't even be in the bloody military to begin with! You have absolutely no discipline whatsoever, no bloody common sense, and to top it off, you talk so damn much that I can just about feel my ears starting to bleed!"

"S-sir, I--"

"I don't care, Lieutenant!" I bellowed, walking away in a fit of anger.

That would teach him, I figured.

-20-

P.O.V. X

Lieutenant Tokato sat beside the morning fire as others came by to pick up their breakfast. Camp Stormgazer felt remarkable empty compared to previous night, when the members of Scorpion Battalion were still around. Although there was plenty of food, the lieutenant didn't feel like eating. His appetite had been trounced by the adverse chain of thoughts now coursing through his head.

Maybe Aráshvahr is right about me, he figured. Maybe I don't deserve my rank, or a position in the military in any capacity. Tokato knew that he had a tendency to babble incessantly, but often, he simply couldn't help it! To him, life itself was such a copious source of adrenaline and excitement! There was a deeply instinctual need to express himself to others--by sharing his enthusiasm, relishing in life's vigor, or voicing his every concern.

He knew that most people found him to be an annoyance. He could see it every day in the way they treated him, whether it be the casual rolling of their eyes, or the glares he was given whenever he got too carried away, prattling on about whatever anecdote or stray thought had most recently crossed his mind.

Contrary to Commander Aráshvahr's rebuke, the lieutenant rarely received criticism from his superiors. Tokato always made sure to be thorough in the completion of his duties. General Bakla himself had given the young fox his promotion, because he was so impressed with his efficiency. But as Tokato thought more about it, the more he seemed to realize the rationale in Commander Aráshvahr's words.

"Not hungry this morning, Lieutenant?" said the familiar voice of Jadia Lytra. Tokato looked up at her as she circled around the fire and took a seat next to him.

"Oh! Umm...nah, I guess not," Tokato replied, chuckling nervously.

"Well, you should still eat something. You're gonna need the energy for tonight when we disembark."

"Yeah, I guess," he said, taking a small, cautious bite of the food that had been sitting dormant on his plate.

A concerned look crossed the bobcat's kind face. "Is something the matter, Rigel?" she asked.

"Oh! Well, I'm not sure..." Tokato said. He stopped eating and looked up at her, scanning the commander's face with newfound curiosity--very few people called the lieutenant by his first name.

"If something is, you can tell me. I will listen," Jadia replied, giving Tokato a comforting smile. Tokato looked down at the fire. He didn't want to waste Commander Lytra's time with his silly doubts and insecurities. But then, she had the most uniquely alluring tone in her voice--tranquil, intelligent, warm and benign--and listening to it, Tokato felt tempted to take her up on her offer.

"Well, do you think I belong here, Jadia? Do you think I deserve the rank of lieutenant, or...do you think I'm competent enough to be in the military at all?"

Jadia raised an eyebrow, surprised by what she obviously found to be a most peculiar and unfounded inquiry. "Well, Rigel. You're one of our brightest soldiers, and reliable in a pinch. You've shown an exemplary amount of skill both on and off of the battlefield. Not to mention that you're an excellent archer."

She paused for a moment, and then queried, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's that Aráshvahr guy. He seems to really hate me for some reason! Earlier today I went to say good-morning, and I just tried to converse with him a little, but then he got super mad and told me all this stuff about how I don't belong here..."

"You conversed with him just a little?" the lynx responded, letting off a modest smirk. "That doesn't sound like you at all."

"Okay, so maybe I got carried away! I can do that sometimes."

"Yes, I am aware," she replied with a chuckle. "You and Aráshvahr are very different people. As far as I can tell, he seems to be very sheltered. With someone as introverted as him, I'm sure you can understand how someone like you could easily get on his bad side. Especially when he's got an entire camp full of people to deal with in addition to you."

Tokato placed a paw on his chin, giving Jadia's words some thought. "Hmm, I suppose you're right. So I guess for now, I'll try to stick to business around him and avoid asking him too many questions?"

"Exactly. That sounds perfect."

"Alright," Tokato responded. A moment of silence passed, until he finally added, "Thank you, Commander."

"Of course. I'm always a friend, whenever you need one," she said, giving Tokato a kind smile before getting up and walking away.

Feeling much better now, Tokato quickly finished gulping down his food, then stood up from his place by the fire and ambled away to attend to his duties.

With his newfound confidence, he planned to prove to Commander Aráshvahr just how capable he truly was.

-21-

It was later that night when everything was finally starting to come together. It had been a day full of hard work and preparation, and Python Battalion was almost ready to depart. They would be leaving for the Little Mountua River shortly. The hazy darkness and heavy fog that night would provide the perfect environment for a sneak attack.

The troops began to converge near the center of the Camp Stormgazer. Commander Bodey Aráshvahr stood on top of the podium to face his warriors. Commander Jadia Lytra stood beside him.

"Alright. The time has come. You all know the plan. We go in, we do our thing, and it'll be quick and easy, because you are all warriors of one of the strongest military brigades in all of Theria, and I won't be expecting anything less of you! Is that clear?" Aráshvahr bellowed in his authoritative baritone voice.

"Sir, yes sir!" chanted the crowd. Commander Aráshvahr grinned.

"Excellent! Onward we shall go!"

As Aráshvahr stepped down, Commander Lytra stepped forward to take his place. She began to speak her part in an equally loud and commanding voice.

"According to our sources from Bælanian Intelligence, Scorpion Battalion has been successful at creating enough ruckus to attract a significant amount of the NA's attention. It'll make our job a lot easier, but I still urge everyone to be cautious and attentive during our offencive. Now prepare your squads! We'll be heading out in half an hour!"

In a small bustle of unorganized chit-chat, the crowd disbanded and began to saddle up. Aráshvahr returned to his tent, pleased with the morale of his troops and ready to make the final preparations before the battalion's departure.

He sat down, grabbed a cloth and began cleaning his precious blade, the sword that had forsaken his family's name for generations. Only a clean blade can serve as an honorable weapon in combat, he affirmed to himself.

His thoughts of his glorious soon-to-be-victory were cut short by a set of hurried footsteps that barged into his tent. To Aráshvahr's most unfortunate surprise, it was no other than his new biggest nightmare.

"Commander! I have some urgent news!" Tokato exclaimed as he barged into the tent. Aráshvahr glared at him, despising his presence with every muscle in his body. Tokato stood as still as stone and gulped in his nervous state, fearing that his commanding officer would once again repent him for his loud-minded behavior.

But alas, the commander simply sighed and said, "Alright, Lieutenant. What is it?"

"Sir, it's umm...it's another message from Military Intelligence in Tatego. They have another mission for us."

"Oh?" Aráshvahr seemed rather surprised. "And what might that mission be?"

"Well sir, it's about Windstrom, a small village in Aey'Áris, and it shouldn't be too far off our designated course. Military Intelligence believes that it's been made the site of an important NA military facility."

"So we're supposed to infiltrate the village, disrupt their activities and learn as much as we can about the NA's war effort?"

"Yes, sir."

"I see," Aráshvahr replied thoughtfully, "well then it looks like we'll have to add that to our agenda. Go inform the others, Lieutenant."

Tokato saluted him. "Yes sir, will do!" he said confidently, before exiting the tent and vanishing from Commander Aráshvahr's sight.

-22-

P.O.V. Bodey

Little Mountua River

The sky was almost completely invisible. Everything was wet with the night's dew, and the air was humid as it hovered above the ground in a foggy haze. The weather was hardly desirable for anybody wishing to relax or have a pleasant midnight stroll. But for a preemptive strike, the forest around us simply beckoned to our call.

We had been trudging through the lush Bælanian forests for hours at that point. According to both the map and my instincts, the trees would be soon to dissipate and reveal the winding form of the Little Mountua River. I was in the leading position of our battalion's formation as we pressed through the forest, with Lieutenants Tokato and Riicau on either side of me. Commander Lytra and Lieutenant Kovarti took positions to the left and right of the center of our formation, while Lieutenants Corow and Nuuva took the trailing ends. Our formation had been planned very carefully--courtesy of myself, of course.

As I pushed several large leafy branches out of my way, my eyes finally laid rest upon the river. I stood there within the growth for a moment as a pair of nearly-silent footsteps trotted up from behind.

"Commander, according to our map, I believe we missed the mark by about a third of a mile," Tokato reported, map in paw.

"That's fine," I responded. "We'll cross here. It shouldn't be too bad, it's just a little wider and deeper here. We can't risk breaking formation."

"Aye sir," he said, then added, "ready for a swim, Commander?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, chuckling at a strange mixture of humor and misery that seemed to go paw in paw with the present circumstances. I listened to Tokato's faint footsteps as he sneaked away through the undergrowth. Just a minute later, I saw him and a few others begin to stealthily dart out of the woods and over to the river's shore. Recognizing that it was my turn to go, I waved my paw to the soldiers behind me and then charged towards the water.

The water was rather warm, although that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With the heightened air temperature and complete lack of wind, it made for quick travel across the river.

Once the entire battalion had made it to the opposite shore, we resumed our advance through the forest. Although the sodden plantlife surrounding us appeared to be no different than before, there was one key difference: we were now in enemy-occupied territory.

According to our map, there would be a small outpost located just half-a-mile into the forest. Unfortunately, we also had to compensate for being slightly off course. I would have to trust that Tokato and Riicau would help take us in the correct direction.

After traveling for a short time, the order to stop finally passed around. The soldiers in the upper-right section of our formation must have been in position to attack the aforementioned outpost. Knowing that my services were best not wasted, I snuck forward to find the outpost for myself.

Through the bushes, I could now see the building--a tall tower with moss and vines covering the aging stonework. Several Agu Morran guards were posted outside, taking the night shift. I tilted my gaze upward to see Tokato and two other soldiers atop the trees, situated on the large overhanging branches and waiting silently, armed with bowstrings drawn and ready to fire in a moment's notice.

The air was perfectly quiet--a deadly kind of quiet, if you weren't observant. In the blink of an eye, multiple Agu Morran soldiers were struck with arrows and fell like dominos, queuing our ground forces to move forward and capture the small, ostensibly lifeless keep. I drew my sword and charged forward just behind them, my body colliding with brush as I ran.

I launched myself towards the first enemy soldier I saw. He swung his sword to counter mine. The two pieces of sharp steel collided together in a entanglement of metallic noises. But the guard was no match for me, and after just a few thrusts I felt my sword pierce through his flesh.

A moment later, I pulled the sword out of his gut. He dropped to the barren dirt ground, now just as lifeless as the keep he died protecting.

And in a matter of minutes, the entire keep uttered nothing but silence.

Tokato and Riicau confronted me.

"All clear sir," they reported in tandem.

"Excellent. Spread the word around; we're switching to our second formation. It's time to light this place on fire."

After getting a curious glance from both of them, I added, "Only figuratively, of course."

Riicau nodded and ran off. Tokato followed him, but not before giving me a smirk and saying, "No promises, sir."

It was a slow process, but I was finally starting to like that fox.

"Alright," I shouted to the troops behind me, "let's get a move on it! We have a kingdom to take back!"

The near-silent trodding of footsteps once again raced across the ground. The dark cast of the forest loomed ahead of us portently, and the trees began to gently sway in the newfound winds, an early sign of more triumphs to come in the wake of our first victory.

Our advance had begun.

-23-

P.O.V. X

Camp Stormgazer, Bælan

General Uhruan took a sip of his tea as he gazed into the heart of the broiling fire. The night was beginning to get chilly and the wind had started picking up, blowing large tufts of vile dark clouds across the horizon. Although it was unanticipated, a powerful storm appeared to brewing amidst the desolate prospect of the heavens above.

Just a few hours prior, the general and a group of his soldiers had arrived at Camp Stormgazer. Although the sky was seamlessly black in the midst of the late night--the elements at this point had yet to begin stirring--the camp was still bustling with activity, and when Uhruan and his men had turned up, they were immediately met with a cordial welcome and remarkable hospitality.

Ever since then, Uhruan had been huddled around the bright sparkling flames of the campfire with two Bælanian Generals, Brimson and Louskayous, both of whom had come to oversee the invasion of Aey'Áris and, like Uhruan, had arrived mere hours ago.

"And I swear," Brimson concluded distastefully, "that bastard was a cheater, through and through!"

"The final score was 5-23?" Louskayous asked for clarification. "I've seen worse turnouts in Mountain Blocks before. He was probably just a prodigy, Brimson. Some people are just born with incredible paw-eye coordination like that."

Brimson's face flushed an angry red color, and a scowl spread across his muzzle. "I'm telling you!" the coyote insisted, "he was a cheater! I've never lost that badly before, not even close!"

"Or maybe you're just embarrassed because you're bad at Mountain Blocks," Uhruan jested with a snarky grin, giving Brimson a playful punch in the arm.

Brimson buried his flustered face in his paws. "Or maybe you're a cheater too! Winning every time like you always do..."

"Jeez, it's just a silly game. Just drop it already," Louskayous asserted, a small hint of annoyance seeping into the weasel's otherwise tranquil voice. "Do you two always have to act like children around each other?"

"Only when I 'cheat' at Mountain Blocks, apparently," Uhruan grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Generals!" shouted a distressed female voice. All three of their heads turned to greet Lieutenant Shilao, Louskayous's first-lieutenant, as well as Lieutenant Bahrú, who came up running just a few yards behind her. They raced to the fire, panting in exhaustion and sharing the same deeply-troubled look on their faces, a surefire sign that whatever news they brought couldn't be good.

"Shilao, what is it?" Louskayous asked promptly.

"Sir, we have, umm...we have a problem," Shilao replied, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"A very big problem," Bahrú emphasized. "Just take a look for yourself."

From the same direction that the two lieutenants had come from, three more figures emerged from the darkness--three Bælanian soldiers, one of whom had his arms tied behind his back and was being reluctantly dragged forward by the other two.

"Who's this? What's happening?" Brimson badgered, glancing between the two lieutenants and the soldiers coming in behind them.

"A spy, sir," Bahrú replied, motioning to the fox with his paws tied up. "He was stationed at an outpost northeast of here. Some other soldiers caught him when they discovered he had been sabotaging the flow of military information."

"He's done WHAT?!" Brimson roared, glaring down at the lieutenants threateningly.

Louskayous wore a ominously stern look on his face, but opted to remain silent and simply observe the situation as it unfolded. Uhruan and Brimson, on the other paw, took a few daring steps forward, towards the NA operative.

"Bahrú, what did he do?" Uhruan inquired while observing the spy carefully. The fox had been forced to kneel down, and his eyes were now busy scanning the ground meticulously.

"Most recently, he misdirected Python Battalion with orders to investigate a village where the NA has an ambush prepared," Bahrú responded.

Uhruan grimaced. "You mean to say they're walking right into a trap?"

Bahrú nodded warily, his dismal eyes scanning the cold earth below his feet.

"Soldier?" Brimson hissed at the spy, glowering down at him with his arms folded across his chest. "It would be in your best interest if you told me everything."

For a long moment, the air was cold and silent. Uhruan shot a worried glance at Bahrú, who simply shook his head in dismay. Shilao and Louskayous were both gazing intently at the spy, who stayed utterly silent, staring down at Brimson's feet.

Then the spy looked up, with a perfectly calm and composed complexion about his face.

"I serve the proud and noble kingdom of Agu Morra," the spy finally said. "I will tell you nothing."

"You BASTARD!" Brimson sneered, swinging his leg back and kicking into the spy's stomach as hard as he could, sending the fox sprawling onto the ground, gripping his gut in pain. Uhruan took a step forward and grabbed for Brimson's arm to try and pull him back, but the coyote shook him off reached down, grabbing the spy by his throat and hoisting him up off his feet.

"I'll fucking kill you, you filthy piece of shit!" Brimson howled, his face's features contorting into a vile scowl, fuming with anger. Within the general's tight grasp, the fox started choking quietly, but he met Brimson's harsh glare with a steady impassivity.

"Brimson, let him go," Louskayous ordered coolly. Reluctant to let go of his anger, the coyote held on for a few more seconds--but then finally released his grip on the spy, letting him plummet to the ground, gasping for air.

"Umm...Generals?" Bahrú said hesitantly. "There's something else you should know."

Three pairs of eyes slowly turned to the lieutenant.

"Yes, Bahrú?" Uhruan croaked out nervously, already fearing what the skunk might have to report.

Bahrú sighed and shook his head apprehensively. Uhruan could see the reluctance in his eyes--whatever fearful words lingered on the tip of his tongue, it could only mean certain disaster.

He opened his mouth to speak.

"It's Scorpion Battalion, up in the north. They've been wiped out. They're dead. All of them."

-24-

P.O.V. Bodey

Windstrom, Aey'Áris

"Commander! Windstrom is just ahead!" Tokato shouted to me.

And it's about damn time, I thought as a smirk crossed my muzzle.

After trudging through the massive bog of mideastern Aey'Áris, being on dry land had never felt better.

So far that night, we had already taken a total of five different keeps, each one a critical military installation along the Midline Theatre. None of them were any match for us, of course. Even now with our battalion dispersed in preparation for our takeover, we still managed to slide behind the enemy's back and cut them down with ease.

"Alright!" I announced, "everyone lay low and stay quiet; we wanna take them by surprise."

In suit with Tokato and I, the party of troops behind us settled into a stealthy forest crawl through the shady grove of trees.

A few minutes later, I began to see the peaks of buildings coming into view from above the forest canopy. The dense treeline thinned out in exchange for the open grassy plain on which the village of Windstrom was built, and I suddenly felt a rather strong breeze come in, sending chills down my spine.

More wind? I thought. The forecast mages hadn't predicted any weather for that night. And it looked like it was coming in fast, too.

"Sir?" Tokato said, an obviously confused inflection seeping into his wary voice. Step by cautious step, we lingered through the village's dirt streets.

The village was completely unoccupied. Looking around, it was actually very tidy and clean. There was laundry hanging up on clothes lines, streetlamps gleaming with their gentle torchlit light, and the streets were free of any mess, be it from panic, mayhem or massacre. Everything appeared to be normal...except that the village was empty. No people, no patrolling guards, nobody. It was as if the entire population had just vanished from thin air.

A few soldiers started popping their heads into some of the smaller houses on the outskirts of town. They each came back out and conveyed their findings to me a simple nod of their head--no people in there either.

Never before had I heard such obscene quiet. The only sound was the gentle, eerie swishing of the wind--a prelude to the incoming storm, looming overhead from the West. Coupled with a newfound coolness in the air, the sensation was remarkably dreary--I might've even considered it frightening, if I was susceptible to such petty feelings. But fear was a pointless emotion, and so I had ejected it from my conscious long ago. I certainly wasn't the type to be so easily frightened, much less by something purely abstract.

But then why am I shaking? I asked myself, looking down at my quivering paws.

"Where the bloody hell did everyone go?" I asked Tokato quietly, "and where's the NA? You said they had important military operations based in Windstrom."

"Perhaps they're hiding. It could be a surprise attack to catch us off guard," whispered Tokato, following close behind me.

"Where, though? We've already searched half the bloody town. There's nobody here."

Tokato stopped in his tracks, placing a paw on his chin as he tried to come up with an explanation.

I turned around to face him. "Lieutenant?"

"I'm...not quite sure, sir."

"Not quite sure?!" I barked, no longer seeing a point in keeping quiet. "Lieutenant, this town is empty! I need to know why!"

"I was t-told that the installation would be here, s-sir!" Tokato stuttered out with a timid expression crossing his face, clearly falling prey to my intimidation.

I glared down at the meek fox and crossed my arms.

"Well it's gotta be somewhere, sir," Tokato said gingerly. "Perhaps it's disguised?"

"Lieutenant, who exactly gave you the orders to infiltrate Windstrom?" inquired the cold and dark voice of Kovarti, a wolf with bright yellow eyes that glistened under the pale moonlight and stuck out vividly from his pitch-black fur. He was usually very quiet--until he had spoken, I didn't even realize he had come over to us. Tokato gulped and remained silent.

"It just doesn't make sense," the logical canine continued. "It's a small village, with relatively no importance or strategic value. Even if there is a military base here, hidden underneath a commoner's house or something like that, there's no way it could provide enough space or have enough security for the magnitude of importance that you described."

Tokato nodded his head shyly, acknowledging the logic in Kovarti's argument, then replied to his question. "A young lieutenant gave me the orders, when I was doing a routine check-in with an outpost northeast of our camp. Outpost D3, I think is was. Why?"

"Interesting," Kovarti mumbled thoughtfully.

"Is there something that you're trying to suggest?" I asked sternly.

Kovarti's answer was interrupted by the sound of a massive explosion. Like a bolt of thunder, it cracked through the air and hung there, sustained by the sheer power of it.

"Shit!" I screamed, covering my ears and glancing around, trying to locate the source.

After a moment, I found it. Large red fumes were towering above the treeline from less than a mile away, in the forest just north of Windstrom.

"Riicau and Nuuva's regiment!" Tokato yelled over the echoing sound. Kovarti and I both nodded, and together, the three of us ran off in immediate pursuit of the anomaly.

As we ran past a small, relatively-inordinate house in the village, a figure darted out and tackled me from the side, sending me plummeting to the ground.

"Sir!" Tokato yelled.

"Fuck!" was my reply.

I darted around to see my attacker. He wasn't there, but out of the corner of my eye I could see Tokato and Kovarti drawing their swords and charging towards something behind me. A moment later, they both went flying back in the direction they had come from.

I quickly spun around on the ball of my foot to face my enemy. He was a brown bear--large and burly, dressed in Agu Morran colors, and a general by the look of his uniform. He had a sword, but it sat dormant in a sheath tethered to his hip.

Of course, he just had to be a bloody mage, of all possible things!

"Who the hell are you?!" I demanded.

With the flick of his paw, I felt my a wave of sheer cold rush over me and carry me off my feet.

Just a few seconds later, I felt my heavy form crash straight through the brick wall of the house that the general had come from.

"Who am I?" the bear scrawled at me, his fists blazing with frigid white energy. "Why should I tell you? You lowly creatures are of little importance to me. Telling you my name would be a waste of my time."

I managed to slowly push myself up from my position against the wall of the house--or, to be more descriptive, the pile of fractured bricks that used to be the wall of the house. Despite aching all over from the house-shattering impact, I didn't appear to have any serious damage, so I just brushed the rubble off and got to my feet.

Behind the general, Tokato and Kovarti both laid sprawled out on the ground. Kovarti was attempting to get up, but Tokato appeared to be unconscious.

"Dammit! Go to hell!" I bellowed, drawing my blade and charging towards the general at full speed.

The general drew his sword to counter mine. It was slightly shorter, but what it was lacking in length was made up for in bulk. He made a swing for me, accompanied by a few jabs towards my stomach. I stealthily dodged and blocked his hits. While defending with his blade, he used his other paw to send several more blasts of ice towards me. I dodged the first two, but the third managed to sweep past my evasive maneuvers and hit me square in the chest, knocking me off my feet. My skull made contact with the ground with a loud thudding noise.

From behind the general, a sword swung swiftly and silently with the intention of taking off his head. The bear blocked Kovarti's blow and turned around to focus on him instead, knowing that I would be off my feet for a moment anyways.

After colliding with two hard surfaces in a matter of just a few minutes, my head was expectedly aching in excruciating pain. I might've had a minor concussion, but fortunately, my skull didn't feel broken--I silently thanked my father for my thick frame and all the mornings he forced me to drink a whole half-gallon of milk in one sitting.

As I tried to prop myself up from the dirt, I took the liberty of peeping a glance into the structure my frosty friend had made his dramatic entrance from. The house wasn't very large, but there was a dim light emanating from the end of a hallway on the far end of it.

I carefully pulled my weight back up onto my own two feet, being careful to not stir the general's attention from a three-on-one fight with Kovarti and two other soldiers. I walked into the empty little home and followed my curiosity towards the end of the hallway.

There was a set of crooked stone stairs, accompanied by a sturdy-looking steel door, shielding away the mysterious contents of the basement from the outside world. A smirk was promptly erected on my muzzle.

Bingo! I had found the goods.

I trotted down the stairs, sword still in paw and at the ready. My head was still violently buzzing from the impacts, but I still managed to make my way to the basement without tripping or falling.

I opened the steel door with a little bit of muscle and a lot bit of a loud screeching noise. It opened to reveal a hallway with several prison cells lined throughout.

I walked down the hallway. Cell number one: empty.

Curious, I thought.

Cell number two: also vacant.

Cell number three: still no occupants, although there was a small metal dish and a broken wooden spoon on the floor.

I was gonna be very disappointed if this detour ended up being for nothing.

I came up to cell number four. It was the only cell that was locked up, and sure enough, I finally found someone. He was a wolf with snowy white fur--or at least it would have been snowy and white, if it wasn't thoroughly embellished in a mixture of dirt, grime and blood. His clothes were tattered and torn, and one of his eyes was badly bruised. He didn't look very old. My presence must have awoken him, because he slowly began to stir awake from his trance-like sleep on the cold steel floor.

With the swift chop of my sword, I removed the rusty lock from the door and opened it. I walked inside and kneeled by the young wolf's side as he raised his head and squinted his eyes at me, trying to get a sense of his new surroundings. Now even more than the moment before, I could tell that he was in pretty bad shape.

"Hello? I need you to wake up. I'm here to help you."

"H...huh...hmm?" the wolf mumbled, still trying to grasp onto consciousness.

"My name is Bodey Aráshvahr. I'm a warrior from Uthalia. I was sent here to Windstrom to infiltrate the military's operations here. What is your name?" I asked, offering my paw to help him up. There was a moment of silence as he gazed up at me. I gazed back into his swollen and watery eyes, and for a brief time, his tawny-brown eyes served both as mirror through which I could see the pain and anguish lurking inside of his heart, and as a gateway through which I could travel to the very core of that same heart and feel those emotions coursing through me--only to unite with my own inner torment.

Our two strifes were completely unalike, yet somehow, I could truly feel everything he felt--and looking into his eyes, I knew that somehow, he understood my pain as well. He embraced my pain, and I embraced his, and through that strange and brief sense of unity, I could feel a blazing fire ignite between us, fracturing the shared pain and nullifying it's deadly cast.

My paw still laid out in the air between us, awaiting the wolf's answer.

"My name..." he mumbled to himself. A moment later, he finally reached out and grabbed my paw. I gripped onto his weak grip with a much stronger one that I used to pull him up to his feet.

He gazed up into my eyes once more.

"My name is Aiko."