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Chapter 4: The Path of light

Kitt once again sat in his cockpit, alone, lost. Rage sat boiling in his mind and soul. He'd avenge all the people who'd died because of the Alpha.

His ship flew through hyperspace on course for the human planet of Earth; he'd only heard about them, a race torn amongst themselves, almost constantly at war with each other and so contact with them was at a minimal with most furry governments.

Kitt turned on the video screen, looking for news reports on what had taken place on Tantri, to his surprise he came across UNN, doing a report, Kitt's face plastered in the background. The Alpha had set him up as a cold hearted killer; the fight on Tantri didn't help matters. Kitt was named one of the top ten most wanted people in the galaxy. So it was almost good he was going to Earth, not many furs would think to look there.

A week of travel in hyperspace began to wear down on Kitt's nerves; he couldn't train because the little ship would be vaporized under Kitt's newfound power. So he spent much of the time meditating and reading the Ess, he'd gone through it maybe six times, each time being drawn to one of the chapters near the end.

It spoke of an epic legendary battle that took place ten thousand years ago. There was a fur, was part fox and part wolf, which was by coincidence named Kitt. This fur had been the champion of this universe; he had near unlimited power and strength. He had bound all the races of this galaxy into a single government and brought peace to it.

But peace had it's price, the unity they had made them a target to others, the legendary Folf, fought never ending battles to protect what he'd built, and in the end he could not do it forever, he sacrificed his own life to the spirit of existence in order to save his universe.

It was told that this half-breed would rise again when it was most needed. He would sore from the ashes and once again unite the galaxy.

The silver bullet of a ship coasted closer and closer to Earth as it exited hyperspace. The blue gem hung in space, mottled by the whitest clouds.

Kitt searched Earth's planetary information net for this 'temple of light' Ven had spoken of in his last words. The computer brought up a set of co-ordinates, leading to the second largest continent in the far eastern portion of the planet.

There didn't seem to be any flight restrictions to that area of the planet, so Kitt piloted his craft down, landing several kilometers from the temple.

In a heavily forested area, Kitt shutdown his ship and slung his sword over his back then began walking towards the site.

The sun beat down through the trees; it was mid summer and the heavy humid air run thick. It took Kitt an hour to make his was through the vegetation before he came up to a huge stair case, leading up the side of a mountain to a point where several spires could be seen jutting out into the sky, made of a weathered ancient brick.

Kitt padded up the stairs to where the spires were, seeing the sets of massive old buildings, over grown with moss and vines. There didn't seem to be anyone around, Kitt cautiously walked into the biggest building he could find, looking around.

"Hello!" Kitt called out.

No one answered. He put his bag down against a stone wall and walked into the main hall, lit by hundreds of candles that lined the walls and four pillars in the corners of the room. In the center was a reddish brown cauldron that freakily resembled the one in the Hun-Gar trial room back on the Lupine Home world.

From behind a voice sounds. "Hello there."

Kitt startled a bit sharply turned to see a robed human, his head shaved bald with green eyes. He looked about middle age as human's go anyway.

"Uhm, sorry to intrude..." Kitt said.

The robed figure smiled and nodded. "It's quite alright, we here have an open acceptance, and anyone can come at any time" His voice soft but extremely wise sounding.

Kitt nodded. "I come seeking training from the masters here."

The monk cocked his head slightly to the side, studying Kitt. "Oh, is that true. Well I don't know if we're excepting new pupils at this time..."

"Please...I really need this..." Kitt pleaded.

"Why is that, Kitt Alistair?"

Kitt took a step back, not knowing how this person knew his name, although he could have just turned on a TV and got that. "I-I have to win a fight."

"Here, we don't teach people to go out and just beat up people." The monk explained.

"I know, I'm not looking to just go around and start something...I need to save my mate!"

"Oh, so you are the one. Very interesting, we haven't trained a wolf in a very long time."

Kitt blinked. "So...will I be trained??"

"Hmmm, well that's not for me to decide. Come I will get you a room."

Kitt sighed and followed the monk.

The monk left Kitt in this small room with only a mattress and a desk with a couple candles on it. Kitt paced back and forth in the room, trying to push his senses out and determine if these people were as powerful as it had been told. But he got nothing, not even a sense of it, almost like he was being blocked.

Several hours passed before the monk came back. "It's time Kitt..."

The monk led Kitt down the halls of the temple saying very little.

"Excuse me, but...I don't mean to be rude, but how did you know my name?" Kitt inquired.

"We've known you would come for quite some time."

Kitt didn't respond, knowing that he'd only get some sort of circular answer that would only get him more confused in the long run.

Kitt was led out into another audience hall, this time filled with humans. All lined up on either side of this red carpet and all dressed in similar brown robes. At the end of the room sat three very aged humans, gray and white hair, long beards, wrinkled faces.

"Kitt Alistair, please step forward." The human in the middle said, his voice echoing through the hall.

Kitt padded forward, stepping up to the three. Kitt made a small courteous bow, knowing these guys have to be the ones in charge.

"What do you want Kitt?" the middle human said.

Hearing this question before Kitt is able to answer quite quickly. "To save my mate and avenge my teacher's death."

The three humans looked to each other then back to Kitt. "Vengeance is a dangerous game, young warrior. "

Kitt nodded. "Still it's the only thing I have left."

"It will eventually destroy you, to win this fight you must be pure of mind and soul. Without that you'll never ascend to your full potential."

Kitt looked down at the ground and sighed. "Okay, then show me how. If not I have to be going."

The human chuckled and nodded "Alright, you will be trained Kitt, but it will not be easy. Are you prepared to sacrifice all that you have in order to win?"

Kitt was about to answer but stopped himself before the first word came out, contemplating it. He'd known in the back of his mind that he'd have to let go. After a minute, Kitt raised his head. "Yes...yes I am..."

The three humans nodded. "We will see how far your words travel with you, young wolf. We shall start your training tomorrow at dawn."

Kitt nodded and turned around the monk who greeted him bowed to the masters then to Kitt. "I am master Kway, Kitt a pleasure to meet you."

Kitt smiled finally glad to get a name out of someone.

Kitt lay alone in his room staring at the ceiling, he dared not try and sleep, for every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the faces of the hundreds of people he'd been forced to kill.

When dawn finally crested over the mountaintops, Kitt made his way to the hall and there met Master Kway, who then lead Kitt outside onto a three hundred meter square concrete fighting ring. There awaiting them were the three elderly humans.

Kitt bowed to them then stood at attention awaiting their direction. Kway stepped off to the side. "Show us your power Kitt."

Kitt waited a second to see if they were going to back away but when they didn't. Kitt raised his forearms up and began to channel his ki, soon his bright blue aura, flashed to life, kicking up dust and small rocks blasting them outwards. Pulsating and flaming Kitt energy lashed out, swirling around his body.

"You're still holding back Kitt...we want to see everything you have." The masters said in unison.

Kitt nodded and dug deeper into his center, forcing it out, his aura flaring into the air, a cyclone of wind and debris is whipped up over the tree lines.

The three masters smiled. "Impressive, Kitt you can stop."

Kitt let the energy bled off leaving the square silent again.

"You have good basic skills and control. But you are still holding back from your true limits."

Throughout the day Kitt was put through a rigorous training regiment. He followed along as best he could in the blistering sun as the masters drilled him with patterns and exercises, pitting him against a multitude of the other students. It was far more difficult than anything Ven had put him through because the master's did not stop to let Kitt rest.

As evening approached Kitt was sparring against six of the other students, his body ached and throbbed right to the bone as was relentlessly assaulted from every angle. Dodging from one side of the square to the other, Kitt evaded several attacks. He's pushed right to the edge of the square, then out of nowhere his feet were swept out from under him, and another fighter smashed his elbow into Kitt's unprotected chest. His battered body bounced into the concrete and slid limply onto the grass.

Completely drained Kitt couldn't even get the strength to lift himself. Master Kway stepped over Kitt and knelt next to him. "Are you alright?"

Kitt weakly sat up and groaned. "Yea, just give me a moment..."

Kway chuckled and lift Kitt up. "You truly do have the heart of a warrior, but it's time for you to rest."

Lying in his bed, Kitt knew how much he got his tail kicked but still he tingled with this weird energy that wanted to push him further. Kitt left his room, padding to the eating hall, there the hundred or so students sat conversing and eating, but when Kitt entered, it went dead silent, the looks on their faces were as if expected Kitt to be alive.

Calmly wadding through the sea of stares, Kitt made his way to an open seat and began eating. Slowly the conversations started up again. Kitt ate his meal not really interacting with anyone. There was an odd feel to everyone, like there all were in awe of Kitt just being there.

After dinner Kitt wondered the corridors, reading the scrolls on the walls, telling of epic battles by the temple's students. Then Kitt came to this small-secluded room, dimly lit by a few candles and a small cauldron of fire in the center. Kitt looked at the walls, scribed with legends and stories all written in ancient Lupine. At the head of the room was a large tapestry of a fur, dressed in a torn black and red sleeveless martial arts uniform. As Kitt looked closer, he saw him, a huge wolf with a mane of thick long golden hair. Kitt's jaw dropped as he saw his own face, it was like looking in a mirror.

"Do you understand now the reaction of everyone?" Master Kway said coming up behind Kitt.

"But...how is it possible?" Kitt said still starring into the picture.

"When we die, our energy is merely rearranged into other beings; you are him, in a sense. You have his power. You can ascend to a new state of physical and mental consciousness."

Kitt looked back briefly at Kway, confused "Ascend?"

"When a being such as yourself reaches the pinnacle of the power, to grow any stronger it must change, thus the ascended being."

"And you think I am one?" Kitt said trying to wrap his mind around it.

"You know the answer to that, every time you fight, you see and feel the underlying power. It's your destiny."

Kitt spent most of the following day meditating in the room with the tapestry. His thoughts drawn to the vision he saw during the Hun-gar trials. He saw himself standing over Alec's lifeless body the power surging up through his soul and the Alpha laughing and mocking him. Just before he felt his power bursting out, Kitt was shocked back to reality, his face and muzzle dripping with sweat, yet he'd never felt colder.

Kitt took his sword and stood in the middle of the concrete fighting ring. He let out a deep lonely howl his muzzle held up to the sky. The ground began to shake, cracking under Kitt's feet; blue lightning streaked out from his body. As the howl reached its pinnacle Kitt's aura pulsated shaking the air with a hard heavy bass. Kitt vaulted into the air, hurtling a dust cloud off the sides of the ring. He swung his sword from side to side in a flurry as he flew.

Finally coming to a stop in mid air, he aura died and he set down, crumpling to his knees, letting his sword fall and clang against the cold concrete. The sun slowly set over the horizon and the tall jagged peeks of the mountains as Kitt just sat there gazing into the sky, he didn't know what to do, he was so lost, every time he'd gotten close to a goal all the others just got further away. Just a few months ago he was just a wolf who wanted to serve his people. Now, Kitt was a legend, the savior of an entire universe.

Alec's body drifted across the square towards Kitt, his gentle paw brushing over Kitt's ratted hair. Kitt looked up, almost in tears.

"I can't do it Alec..." Kitt said in a whisper.

Alec knelt down before Kitt, his piercing amber eyes cutting right to Kitt's soul. "Kitt, I've always loved you with every fiber of my body. I know you can handle this, you are strong, just hold on."

Alec finished his sentence his image began to vanish, Kitt reached out trying to hold on to Alec. "No please...don't leave me." He pleaded.

"I will never leave you Kitt...remember that."

Kitt was left alone, in the dark on the training square.

At dawn Kitt was still out on the square, the three head masters approached him. Kitt slowly bowed to them.

"If I'm supposed to be this ascended wolf, start training me like it." Kitt said quite bluntly.

The masters looked at each other then back to Kitt. "Okay young wolf..."

The next four days Kitt spent fasting, in a deep trance, in the room where the tapestry of Kitt Redwolf hung, he'd not moved in several hours.

In Kitt's mind he stood on the temple of light's sparring square; the sun shinning, an absolute beautiful calm day.

Kitt smiled as his body was filled with a calm happiness. Suddenly a ferocious wind picked up behind him, whipping his long hair in his face.

"Kitt, you're so close..." a deep and wise voice said.

Kitt turned seeing the wolf in the picture, his crimson red fur shimmering in the sun, his eyes hard and ice blue, the wolf's hair, a dark brown with blonde streaks running through it. All Kitt could do was hang his jaw in disbelief.

The Redwolf smiled and moved forward. "It's not an easy life...but trust me, you can do it, you have the strength."

"But how can I save people when everyone I've touched has ended up dead?" Kitt asked.

The Redwolf nodded softly. "The people, who have died, knew what they were getting into. Your duty is the ones who are innocent and only wish to live."

Kitt looked down at the ground. "I don't know if I can, I can feel the power but I can't use it, like everything else it's just out of my reach."

The legend put his paw on Kitt's shoulder. "It's not like flicking on a light switch, well at first anyway. How about I give you some pointers...?" The Redwolf grinned and flat palm struck Kitt right in the chest, knocking him several feet back. Kitt steadied himself bringing his paws up in a fighting stance and looks at the other Kitt with his own grin.

"As an ascended being you feel the urge to fight more than any other..." The Redwolf lifted into the air and lunged at Kitt, who made a back flip just at the right time letting the Redwolf fly right over him.

As Kitt landed from the flip he twisted down to one knee, whipping an energy ball at the floating Redwolf.

The wolf put his palm out and deflected Kitt's energy off, out into the forest. "You are thrilled and enticed by the thought of being challenged by someone more powerful than yourself."

Launching into the air, the two wolves exchanged blows as they sped across the square, the scenery rushing by their heads.

Kitt got the upper paw when he clubbed the Redwolf across the chest sending him tumbling into the stone square which caved into itself making a huge crater in the ground.

As the dust cloud began to settle it picked up again, swirling around in a vortex, then it blew out in a huge flaming golden yellow aura with Kitt Redwolf in the center, his hair sharp and standing on end now an orangey yellow color shinning like metal, his eyes turned completely white.

Kitt was left in awe of the sight but more of the feeling; the power being generated by this wolf was enormous. In the blink of an eye the now ancient ascended wolf was less than a foot from Kitt's face.

"Impressed?" Kitt Redwolf said.

Kitt just stared he knew there wasn't any possibility for him to win. Kitt lowered himself to the concrete. The Redwolf followed, shifting back to his normal form, his hair changing back to its dark brown color, gracefully falling down on his shoulders. "Why did you stop?" he asked.

"What would be the point of continuing? I didn't have a hope in hell of matching you."

The Redwolf smiled and chuckled. "The point is that no matter how powerful the opponent, even if you're obviously outmatched, you still try...hell you might surprise yourself. You are so close to it, all it's gonna take is one pure thought and you'll ascend."

With the end of that sentence Kitt awakened from his meditation. He looked up at the tapestry and smiled, whispering. "Thank you..."