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Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire

Chapter 5: Corey and Rumble

Day 8 (8 AM Central Building Medical Clinic)

Carefully I unpacked the medical supplies that Lady Ursa was able to scavenge from her trips back and forth to World One. There weren't many but, it was what we had to work with.

The room was roughly 20 x 20. It looked like it was a storage closet back in antiquity, but today and from now on it was going to serve a different purpose. Carefully I placed the supplies on a shelf at the far side of the room. As I did, I realized I had a visitor.

"Corey!" I said turning around. In the doorway was the black haired snarky teen who had helped Corbin and myself escape from the Grand Kingdom.

"I heard that you wanted to see me?" He said with a smirk. He was still in the tattered red shirt and brown pants he had fled the compound with.

"Yes, since you and Rumble are the newest members to our community, I thought it would be prudent for an initial check up."

"So you are the local healer huh?" He said snarkily.

"Acting actually. I have the most medical experience of anyone in our group so, I was selected." I said to the teen humbly.

"I promise that I won't start chanting about the entity." He smiled weakly.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Now hold out your arms out and relax."

Despite being thin, Corey was mostly healthy, no diseases or ailments of any kind. I checked his eyes, nose, throat, ears, his chest and limbs for any discolorations or lesions. His back was another story.

"Hey- what is that?" I said moving down from his neck.

"Lash marks. I received those during my first day in the Grand Kingdom- motivation from the Intendant's goons to be productive."

"Hold still I am going to treat this." I said to him.

(Apparently the lab creatures weren't the only monsters out there.)

I ended up applying liquid skin to the teens wounds. He was surprised that they couldn't instantly be healed. The sad fact was we simply did not have the technology for that.

"So how goes the taming of the werewolf?" I asked as I finished the check up.

"Alex, I have been trying to domesticate him and he is impossible! He sharpens his claws on the furniture, sleeps on the floor, isn't house broken, doesn't bathe and just this morning I caught him trying to mark his territory! He is... is...." Corey said spouting off as if I had hit a raw nerve.

"A lab experiment who is trying to assimilate into a society he is not familiar with. Perhaps you could be a little more patient?"

"Actually, I was thinking about switching roommates." Corey countered.

"After just one night?! I don't think so. Corbin has the professor and I my bear. We have all been through a lot together. And you have Rumble- you two whether you realize it or not need each other too. If you find that you are losing your patience with him, try seeing things from his perspective."

"That is an interesting point, I wonder what it would be like to be a beastial or even a were-creature?" Corey said thinking out loud. "Must be better than being a weak human. Hmm..."

"We are who we are Corey."

"Say what is that small canister over there attached to the necklace?"

"That is something quite precious to my mistress."

"Really? What's that?" The teen asked.

"Her daughter." I replied.

"Say what? I feel there is a interesting story to that." Corey said.

"There is, perhaps she will tell you some day."

"Aw, can't you? Come on spill it!" He said pestering me.

"As for your roommate, the seven foot tall were-creature- I suggest that you start small." I said side stepping the request.

"You mean like house breaking him?"

"Yeah then work your way up from there." I said as I had yet another visitor. "Corbin!"

"Morning big brother, Corey." The adorable mongoose boy said.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Lady Ursa, I and the professor are having a meeting downstairs. They want everyone to attend."

"Ok, I am just finishing up here, we will be done in a second."

Corey and I soon joined Dawn, my mistress and Corbin in the records room on the main floor.

"Where is Rumble?" Corey asked.

"I think he is in the washroom." Corbin said.

"Looks like your opportunity has arrived." I said elbowing the teen.

"Ahem, I will go get him."

It took a few minutes, but the teen soon returned with his roommate.

"How did it go?" Dawn asked.

"...scary..." The were-creature grumbled.

"It looks like we will have to start smaller." Corey grumbled.

The five of us sat down at a nearby table. Rumble sat down on the floor like a common dog.

"How does it feel to be outside of the compound?" Corbin asked the teen.

"Great actually- no one forcing me to do this or that under threat of lashing or becoming creature food."

"Good because it is time for our morning meeting!" Dawn said cheerfully looking at our new members.

"....meeting...?" The seven foot werewolf said staring our direction.

"Yes." My warrior bear said.

"What do you discuss at these meetings?"

"Our survival." Lady Ursa said candidly to the black haired teen.

"Hmm... Interesting. Not a werewolf in the proverbial sense." The professor said staring at Rumble who was still sitting like a regular canine.

"What do you mean Ms. Stern?" My perfect person asked.

"It is morning and he didn't revert back to a human."

"I don't think he is that type of were-creature." Corey added. "When we met it was during the day."

"If I was a biologist. I would have such a field day with him!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Such a flake." Corbin face palmed.

"...meeting professor..." Rumble grumbled.

"Ah yes, yes, yes of course." She said.

"What is the status of our water supply?" I asked.

"I have been testing it over the last day and it is back to normal. The blood disappeared that afternoon you left to investigate." The blond female said. "We have what we need for drinking, bathing and washing clothes."

"Speaking of clothes, how are we on clothing supplies?" The little mongoose boy asked. "I know, Corey and Alex would like to have something to change into."

"Not much Corbin." My warrior bear said. "I will try to find something during my next outing."

"What about food?" Corey asked.

"Our food supply is critically low." Dawn said looking at everyone. "We only had enough rations for the next few months with two. When Alex and madam Ursa arrived it pressured our supply. But with there being six of us now."

"We will run out in a matter of days." Corbin said.

"We could always raid the Grand Kingdom." Corey added.

"Not a good idea, we shouldn't divulge our existence to them; let Caden and his thugs think we perished." I said.

"Momma bear could see what is left in the remains of World One." The little mongoose boy stated.

"That is probably the best scenario, I hope that she finds enough to get us through the winter." Dawn said. "Otherwise..."

"...we... hunt..."

Everyone turned their direction to the were-creature.

"What he is saying is that we live off of the land when our supplies run out." The snarky teen said.

"When spring arrives we will have to start growing crops." The little mongoose boy added. "We could also check some of the remaining farms in the area too."

"That brings us to defense." Lady Ursa said.

"Defense?" Corey said looking at Rumble.

"Yes in the last few days you four have identified threats to our very survival, we need to find a way to defend ourselves from these threats." My bear knight said. "There will come a time when the lost city is discovered, we need to plan for that."

(Crap!)

"Well we do have the maze that surrounds the city." Corbin said.

"And when our enemies breach the maze?" Lady Ursa said to the little mongoose boy.

"...we fight..." Rumble said.

"What he means is that we have two fierce warriors to protect us." Corey added.

"What if that is not enough?" Dawn said inserting her opinion.

"We have the prototype. We will use the probe to scan the city and mazes for intruders- that could be a type of a early warning system." I added.

"That will be the second layer of security." The professor said.

"What is the first?" Corey asked.

"We need to know all of the entrances and exits to the lost city. I mean every one of them." Dawn said. "I only know of the entrance I found, the one we all use. But that is only through one side of the maze."

"Right. It is beyond obvious that there are others. We need to find and document them and make sure they are secure." Lady Ursa said.

"I feel a project coming up." The black haired teen said yawning.

"Consider it a team building exercise. I want you four to explore the mazes to the west, east and north of the city, document your findings and we will build a map and place it here in the central building." The blond archeologist said.

"Why did I think I would get to lie around and do nothing today?" Corey said yawning again as Rumble looked at him.

The meeting soon disbanded. My mistress left in the prototype to comb World One looking for survivors and desperately needed supplies.

And the four of us left for our mission as well. As we were leaving the central building...

"Rumble, a moment."

The were-creature turned around and walked back toward the professor.

"Watch over the others and keep them safe." I heard my sister's doppelgänger whisper. The were-creature nodded.

"Which direction?" The little mongoose boy asked as we left the central building.

"The professor has throughly mapped the maze to the south. That is our primary entrance and how she found the ancient city." I said to my fellow explorers.

"So that leaves the west, east and north." Corey said. "Any preference?"

The werewolf lifted his nose up scanning for scents and then pointed.

"Alright west it is." Corbin announced.

And so Corey, Rumble, Corbin and I spent the day combing and mapping what would be called the west maze that protected the ancient city in which we now lived in. It was tedious, grueling work but necessary and revealing as the maze stretched for miles and miles underground. Whoever designed it wanted to make sure that if the city was ever compromised, the inhabitants would have fair warning.

"Wow, so much walking." The little mongoose boy said as he followed behind Corey and myself.

"It is a little better since we were able to use some of the glow sticks from the blue coupe otherwise this would be by candle light." I said to my traveling companions.

"Whoops, another dead end." The black haired teen said as we turned down a corridor.

"Right, backtracking- again." The little mongoose sighed.

"Looks like our mapper is getting tired." I exclaimed.

"This is turning into a quite the task." Corey exclaimed.

That was when our seven foot tall protector decided to lend a paw.

*grab*

*lift*

"Thanks." The little boy said as Rumble decided to let Corbin ride on his shoulders.

"So do you miss your dad?" I said as we picked another direction.

"Where did that come from?" Corey said.

"Just making conversation." I replied.

"Sometimes. After I left I didn't look back. So frankly I don't know what happened to him, where he ended up or if he even survived. Come to think about it, I am not sure my friends did either."

"I am still waiting for news about mine as well. I had friends that lived in each of the five cities. Most were in World One though."

"Did you try to find them?"

"That wouldn't be safe." I said to the teen.

"How so?"

"Too many Others running around. Some of them became possessed during the fall and I suspect those that survived also became Others."

"How did you find out Mr. Medic?" The black haired teen asked.

"Well, a demon told me."

"This I have to hear." Corey said as Corbin and Rumble looked on.

And so I told my friends about my dream and my conversation with the wolf demon from the realm of fire and magma.

"That is just, just wow." Corbin and Corey said in unison.

"Have you been able to confirm any of that?" The black haired teen asked.

"Yeah, three of my dearest friends in World One were possessed by the entity. That is what I know for sure. Two colleagues I worked with were killed and the remaining- I just don't know. I hope that my mistress brings news with all the trips she has been making back and forth- but she hasn't found anything."

"That she is telling." Corey said.

"I think if she had any news she would let me know. We have an agreement not to keep secrets."

"Guys. It looks like we found the exit." The little mongoose boy said pointing to some stone steps that lead to ceiling of the corridor.

Corey and I decided to investigate. While the little mongoose boy finished mapping. We made our way up the stairs and to where they ended- a platform and some type of primitive trapdoor.

"What do you think?" Corbin asked the were-creature whose shoulders he was riding on.

"...forest..." He grumbled.

With that Corey and I forced open the door.

"Yeah, it is another exit to the forest." I said taking looking around.

"You know where this is?!" The black haired teen said.

"Where?" I asked.

"This is a few miles from that farm we were imprisoned at! Down!" He said abruptly closing the hatch.

"Hey! What was that for?!" I said as Rumble started growling.

"I saw Russel and Ida they were being escorted by some of the Intendant's goons!"

"All we had to do was take this exit here when we fled the Grand Kingdom?!" Corbin said.

"It would have been quicker than wandering through the forest all night." I said.

"Well now we know. I would suggest that we don't use the west maze at all." Corey said.

"Agreed, all we need is for them to find this tunnel and we would be over run before we knew it." I said.

"Let's get back and tell the professor of our findings, besides I am getting hungry- I think it is almost time for dinner." The little mongoose boy said.

It had taken all morning and all afternoon to throughly map the western maze. We managed to get back just after my she beast had returned. She had ransacked remains of some stores in World One and taken what she could find. I also asked if she had found anything else in the ruins. "More bodies." She said. She collected them and buried each in a former park near the edge of the city limits. I asked her for more details. All that she would tell me was that it was no one that we knew.

That evening....

"I wonder if all the beds around here are this uncomfortable?" Corey said as he was preparing to lie down for the night. As he was about to remove his shirt and pants he glanced at Rumble who was staring at the door of their shared house.

"What are you..." The teen started to say as the were-creature glanced longingly at him. "You know you can go yourself- the central building is just across the street."

Rumble looked at Corey. "...washroom... is confusing..."

"Right. Of course it is." The teen huffed. The two left their house and made their way to the lavatory in the central building. Once inside, the black haired teen aimed the were-creature toward the various receptacles in the male's room. "You can use that one over there." He said pointing to a large oval orb on the wall and floor.

Rumble just stared.

"A big powerful and fierce creature like yourself intimidated by a urine collector. Geez!" Corey said as he turned the confused werewolf toward the large oval orb.

He had the creature place his paws flat on the wall above the device as he carefully removed Rumble's white loin cloth placing it near the entrance to the room.

"Ok there you go." He ordered Rumble as he stared at the creature's naked muscular behind and bushy tail.

".........."

"Let me guess, if this was a tree, you would feel more confident I guess." Corey said.

The teen then embraced the naked were-creature from behind placing his head on the small of Rumble's back. The brown werewolf's fur felt so soft. Corey also took his time admiring the creature's grizzled shaggy mane that extended partly down his back as he moved both of his hands around Rumble's waist feeling the creature's flat stomach and washboard abs.

"I hope, I am that buff when I get older." He said admiring the creature's amazing physique. After finding Rumble's tummy, he moved his hands down to the creature's thighs and then finally his groin trying to find the werewolf's member. He managed to touch something. It took both of his hands to do it. He traced the item to the Rumble's groin and then felt underneath it receiving a grunt for the were-creature. Yup, a penis sheath and testicles.

Rumble's penis was rather large -it took both of Corey's hands to hold and then aim it. The teen then hoped and prayed that he had pointed it right at the oval receptacle.

"Please tell me you know what to do from here."

There was nothing from the werewolf, no acknowledgement- nothing.

"I can't wait until you are house broken." Corey complained as he used his left hand to rub the creature's bladder while still holding its penis with his right. "Come on big guy, it is ok- this is how us civilized creatures relieve ourselves."

The next thing he heard was the stream of liquid raining on the oval dripping into its drain and the pleasurable moan of a were-creature enjoying a throughly relaxing, very relieving and cleansing urination.

"How to housebreak your werewolf in several easy steps." Corey said as Rumble finished voiding his bladder." He even had to jiggle the wolf's penis to make sure it wouldn't dribble when he removed it from the oval.

The teen then picked up the white loin cloth and reattached it around the naked werewolf getting a good view of the sheath that he had just touched and aimed for his friend.

"It is proper to was your hands, err paws afterwards." He said guiding Rumble to the wash-bin. "Make sure you wet everything thoroughly."

"...why...?"

"To wash away dirt and grime after touching your personal areas. I guess, the next lesson will be how to properly bathe. We should get back, it is getting late."

Corey and Rumble returned back to their stone house where the black haired teen again laid down on the rough bed preparing for sleep. It was still too uncomfortable for him. Corey tossed and turned. Before suddenly being picked up.

"What?!"

He was then dropped back down onto a flat thick furred abdomen.

"...thanks..." The creature underneath him rumbled.

"This could work." The teen said as he adjusted to his furred mattress.

Day 9 (8 AM Central Building Medical Clinic)

The next morning I was inventorying the additional supplies I had received for the medical unit.

(This should do for a while as long as no one really gets hurt.) I thought to myself as I heard someone enter the room.

"Rumble?!" I said staring at the seven foot tall werewolf with the yellow eyes, huge arms, legs, bushy mane and equally large paws. He was a beautiful specimen- for a escaped lab creature imposing and intimidating.

"...Corey said to see you..."

"See me? Oh yes- for your initial check up. I am creating a medical file on everyone here in the lost city- including you."

"...medical file...?"

"Think of it as a document of what you looked like and how you felt when you were well."

"...document...?"

"Never mind- just relax, I am just going to take some baseline readings and check your vitals."

I had Rumble stand straight up. Even so I had to use a stool to reach him. I checked his ears, eyes, nose and maw to his surprise. He seemed a little uncomfortable like he didn't know what to expect.

"So how is your transition going?"

The were-creature looked at me weirdly.

"You know your assimilation from lab creature to honorary beastial?"

".........."

"That bad huh?" I said as I started listening to his heart. "It may seem hard at first, but keep at it, you will get there. I think originals such as my mistress went through the same thing when they became beastials."

He had a strong heartbeat and his pulse rate was even better.

"Although technically she went from being a quadrupedal forest bear to a sentient bipedal bear- and we aren't quite sure what you were originally. Rumble, do you have any memories prior to meeting Corey in the lab?"

The were-creature looked at me again.

"I mean do you recall anything from like, a former life?"

"...no..." The creature grumbled.

"Do you remember seeing any one in that lab besides Corey like a researcher or scientist?"

"...why...?"

"That might provide some background on how you were created, why you were created or for what purpose. I have run across were-creatures before- my first week on this world I was attacked by three of them." I said as Rumble gave me a curious stare. "They were also lab experiments- the empire's attempt to turn humans into beastials and outright failures, soulless animal things that ran on pure instinct. Except for 001, that one was sentient, cold and calculating. A killing machine."

I concluded the exam checking his muscle tone, feeling his biceps, thighs, mane and tail.

"You on the other hand are an anomaly- perhaps you are just another human to beast creature. "That would explain why you are able to speak. (or barely speak, but then why doesn't he remember how to use a bathroom?) If that is true there may be a point when you remember who you really are and your life before this. If that happens you can lean on all of us as you come to terms with it- you and Corey are part of the family now."

"Morning Alex!" The black haired teen said peaking around the corner.

"Morning." I said.

"How did it go?"

"He was a little nervous- but otherwise he is a magnificent specimen." I said as Rumble snorted.

"Hey we better get moving we were going to explore and chart the north maze today." The snarky teen said walking up to his werewolf as I finished the examination.

So I joined, Corey, Corbin and Rumble as we started exploring the north maze that morning. Corbin stayed with Rumble and mapped while Corey and I painstakingly explored each and every corridor mile after mile backtracking when we reached a dead end.

As morning turned to afternoon we reached the end of the maze. Unlike the western one, it didn't end in a trap door to the surface, but just a dead end. We also noticed that the wall where it ended was not constructed of stone. It was of dirt.

"I was really hoping that this was going to go some where." The teen said.

Rumble gently lowered the mongoose boy he was carrying on his neck and shoulders. He then approached the dirt wall and started digging tossing dirt left and right in the process.

"Hey watch it!" Corey grumbled after some flying dirt hit him.

On the other side was another underground cavern.

"Interesting. Shall we go in?" Corey asked.

"I don't know- I have a feeling that was sealed off for a reason." Corbin added.

"I know right?" I added.

"...should find out why..." Rumble grumbled.

"And our protector has spoken." The teen said as he followed his werewolf. Corbin and I followed him our glow sticks held high.

The northern maze ended in a network of underground caves. Very carefully we made our way through exploring and mapping each as far as we could. The last one led us to the surface about three miles outside of World Five! In the distance we could see the flooded city. There was also movement along the new shoreline- we could make out humans and beastials moving around very casually.

"Remarkable!" Corbin said. "It felt like we were walking forever and ever."

"Now we know why, that cave network led right to the city." I said.

"Unbelievable! I thought the floodwaters would have receded by now it has been a week- but it looks like the levels had increased!" Corey said trading glances with Rumble.

"HELP US!! HELP US!!! PLEASE!!!" We heard some voices scream in the distance.

"Yes, I knew it more survivors." I said as we watched what looked to be two red pandas- young ones on a makeshift raft in the freezing water.

Alex Winter - January 9th, YOE 34...