FSE

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_ D.E 1 _

_ Prologue _

For the second time Evil struck them deep within. Once again, lives taken; families unfairly separated by rapture, friendships ended by death and peace shattered by fire and destruction.

"Run..." She whispered to her friends. She had finally given up her struggle for survival, as she understood it was now the end of the line. She had been trapped in a cold metallic cage by the very grasp of Evil. There was no means of escape.

"Do not say that!" One of the others that fought for her freedom cried. "We will find a way to get you out!" The bonds naturally forged by their species would not be broken, even within the clutches of death. They were not used to these ways; war, battles. But they would fight until the end as their instinct demanded.

"I'm sorry..." The trapped one let out a sigh of acceptance to her fate. "It's the only way he can survive, and only you can make that happen, Hasky." In her arms, a little pup not a couple of weeks old held to her warmth. "He's your only hope."

One last lick; a quick one as there was no time to lose. So tender was the love that she had given to that pup. So gentle and dedicated to him as any Life Giver would. In only a few seconds, that had come to an end as she handed the pup to her friend. That would be the last time she would ever feel the warmth of her own flesh and blood.

"No!" Her best friend; in her arms she had received the pup that the trapped one once carried. "We will all get out of here and we will survive as we did once in the past!" She was the only hope for that pup that she had been given; she knew it. But she wouldn't give up to her sister, leaving her to her demise. She had to try.

The other three still struggled to open the cold cage that had ripped their sister away from them as the female who carried the pup now just watched. She just cried in desperation.

Unfortunately her cries fell into deaf ears as she expected support from her brothers. How much could she push the pup's luck? She dreaded leaving her brothers behind, but she knew if she stayed, she might endanger herself and the pup. That would break the possible last will of her dear friend.

"Hasky!" A male spoke now. He was the trapped one's mate. "Fibi is right and you know it." With tears in his eyes he realized it. It would be the last time he would see his pup, but at least he knew he would have a chance. "The more we wait, the higher the risk that those things will return and kill us all. All this effort will be in vain!" He said as he struggled to open the cage with whatever makeshift tool he could find on the ground.

"Xy is right, Hasky." Another male. This one almost identical to the one named Hasky. "You know it well, sister. If there is one chance for at least a couple of us to survive, then in your paws lies the future of this pup." The way he referred to her as sister was different. Not quite as referring to one of his own race, but more than that. Indeed, he was her sibling.

"Shamu!" The one named Hasky cried. "You cannot break our promise. Remember? We would fight together, brother! We would survive together!" Her objections were less effective as the minutes passed. The dense smoke progressively chocked them to the point of suffocation. There was so much that the little pup could withstand.

"Hasky." Another male spoke. "It is not only our friend's pup whose life depends on you." He approached her, resting his paw gently on her shoulder. "The two unborn that you carry in your womb, our pups, they depend on your survival." He told her. Tears flooded his eyes as he said this as he knew it would probably be the last time he would ever see her or her friends. Much more painful was to know that he might never see his own pups, or them would see him. "Promise me, Hasky." He fought against the fear and tears. "Promise to all of us that you will fight for even the slightest chance of survival. Not only for the pups, but also for the sake of our race." He said, chocking on his tears. He gently licked Hasky's forehead and turned back to his other friends.

"Chuksha...Fibi... Xy... Shamu..." For the one named Hasky, this would be one of the most difficult decisions she would ever make. A decision that would forge a strength within her like no other. However, the pain would never be forgotten.

She knew she was capable of helping them, but at that moment, her duty was to protect the pup that she held tight on her arms. She had a promise to keep. And it was not only that pup, but also her unborn twins.

How cruel was destiny, as once again those monsters could be heard approaching. Their eerie figure dancing within the shadows of the raging fires.

The time had come for her biggest sacrifice. She had to move quickly. Each step she took away from her brother, her mate and two friends was as agonizing as having her heart ripped out of her chest. She held tight to that pup as she ran as fast as she could, jumping and evading the ruins of their once beautiful home. Each step further was more painful than the embers that she stepped on with her soft paw pads, but the thought of stopping only made the pain worst. She soon disappeared within the ruins, never looking back.

"Hasky, I have not forgotten our promise." Her brother, Shamu, said to himself. "Whichever is the fate of our Canis Major today, that is a promise I will keep. I will survive. We will survive." A tear rolled out of his blue eye, as he went back to desperately try and open the cage. "Go, my baby sister... survive..."

So diverse, the Universe is; so rich despite its apparent nothingness. Those who venture themselves into its depths in search of the understanding of the secrets within it, might find enlightenment. However, it is not without its dangers. As vast as the Universe is, the unknown will always be present. Risk and uncertainty will always be waiting around each corner. Life will flourish, as well as extinguish. Over and over, that cycle repeats. For that group of furred creatures that drifted through the vastness of space for as long as they had existed, this was made very clear that day.

For this long time they had wandered in the never-ending universe, barely even knowing their origin. The only home they ever knew was a ship of hundreds of miles in diameter; a massive colony painstakingly engineered to support life within it as efficiently as a planet's biosphere. They lived for themselves, ignoring the Universe that surrounded them outside the colony's hull, even ignoring the origin of the colony itself.

Until that dreadful day, they had lived in absolute peace, understanding and love for their own kind. It had all suddenly been violated by Evil, twice now. Their peaceful nature hadn't let them fight back, other than with their instinct. If they survived that last attack, they had to change. A new journey would start for them, not only to learn to fight against Evil, but also grow as a race.

Memories of this journey begin a few years after this last attack...