FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire Chapter 22: What She Saw (You Win Everyone Else Loses Part IV)

Day 31: (1:10 AM Aard Woods)

"Feeling better Shakara?" The little mongoose boy asked.

"A little." The lioness responded hugging Corbin and myself.

*hrrk*

"So why do we have to spend the night in the prototype?" The little boy protested as Shakara continued to hug him.

"I thought it would be polite to let Corey, Mia and Lolly have some alone time with their mom. They haven't seen her for six days." I said to him.

"And I wanted to thank my boys for saving me from the clutches of that vampire." Shakara said releasing us from her embrace to disrobe.

She removed her jacket, boots, shirt, pants and what was left after that too leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. When this female made herself comfortable, she made herself comfortable.

"Wow, close up they are quite large!" Corbin said gawking at the she beast's chest.

"The two from The Horde said they were too large!" Shakara said going back into her funk.

I looked at my little brother.

"Sorry it sounded different in my head."

"They are just the right size for you Shakara." I said.

*WHOOSH*

"Um, what was that?" The little boy asked.

"I think I just set her off." I said to the near naked mongoose.

"Huh?"

"Look down." I said to him.

"Hey, my clothes!" Corbin exclaimed. "Hey, your clothes!"

"It is a thing she does." We said trading glances with Shakara.

"Aren't we going to freeze?" Corbin said looking at his undergarments and the fact that I was missing mine and the rest of my clothing.

"I will just have to make sure you don't adorably cute. Now why don't you lie down right here." Shakara said positioning him just above her head.

"Um kay. But why?

"You make a wonderful pillow. And you my little cutie c'mere." The she beast said her smile widening. "I need my warm happy with a dose of well being."

"As my lioness commands." I said kissing her.

As Shakara and I became, um, ah, reacquainted- Corbin received quite a show. Quite a show.

"URRF!!!" I moaned and shuddered as I ejaculated into my lioness.

"So, so, so much!" Shakara rejoiced.

"Well it has been a few days." I said to my devious person.

"There it is! My warm happy!! OOOOOOOOH!!!!" My she beast moaned. "Yes!!! Yes!!!"

"Feeling better my lioness?" I said looking into her red eyes.

There was that broad smile again.

She pulled me to her lips and we kissed.

"I needed that little cutie so, so much." The dark tan lioness admitted.

"Shakara you are loved, don't ever, ever think otherwise." I said scolding her.

"Umm hmm." She said blushing. "Hey adorably cute you're pointing!"

"After watching that who wouldn't?" The little mongoose shot back.

"Come here my little boy." The she beast said pulling Corbin to her side. She then kissed him on his forehead. "Thank you for saving me."

"You are family. That is what we do." I said withdrawing from her, my jizz dripping out of her opening. "I guess we can clean that up in the morning."

Corbin and I fell asleep within the embrace of our horny lioness.

It was around 9 in the morning when I came to. I was lying on the side of my she beast. As I awoken, Corbin was on her torso resting his head on Shakara's chest!

"Enjoying yourself adorably cute?" Shakara asked as she nudged him.

"These are so nice." He mumbled.

"Better then the professor's?" The red eyed lioness teased.

"Much better- hers are really flat!" The mongoose admitted.

"I won't tell her you said that." Shakara chided.

"How are you feeling Shakara?" I asked her.

"Much better than I was."

"Well take it easy today. I don't know how much blood that bat took from you." I warned my devious person.

"Fair enough. So we are headed to The Madam's next hideout then?"

"Well, we still have nothing to bring back to the lost city so yeah our quest continues. But our first priority is to check up on Dianna to make sure she is ok. I suppose." I admitted to my companions.

"Alex we have been away from the lost city too long." Corbin warned.

"You are right about that too little buddy."

(I hope Lady Ursa, Rumble, Corey and Dawn are ok.)

"Alex? Shakara? Corbin?" We heard a voice outside say.

"They aren't inside!" Another added.

"I think we have visitors!" Shakara whispered.

"Just a minute!" Corbin said reclothing. He then made his way to the front seat from the trunk. "Good morning!"

"Somethings wrong with mom!" Mia said.

"Yeah, it happened when Mia and I tried to make breakfast for her this morning." Corey said.

"Ok, ok slow down- one at a time." Corbin said as Shakara and I cleaned up and redressed within the trunk of the blue coupe.

"We prepared her a place at the table and went to set her plate." Corey said.

"But when we turned around she was cowering under the table like she was expecting a massive Counter Earthquake." Mia said concerned. "We asked her why she was doing that. She said that she didn't know!"

"It looks like we should check Dianna out right away." I said to Shakara.

My lion lady nodded.

We rummaged through the supplies we had brought with us on the mission, put together a improvised med kit and followed Mia and Corey back to the shack.

As we entered we found Dianna Wild shivering and quaking uncontrollably under the table.

"Mom we brought help." Corey said. "Alex Winter."

"And friends." Corbin said.

"Dianna this is Shakara. She is a healer we would like to examine you." I said to the quaking female centaur.

Dianna nodded and let the lion lady help her back to her feet.

"Ms. Wild how long have you been feeling like that?" Shakara asked.

"Since I got back, I have had this horrible sense of dread, fear and panic."

"We would like to give you a little check up to make sure that you are ok." I said walking over to the rug she had been sleeping on.

The moment I said that statement the she centaur's eyes went wide with panic.

"Whoa, easy there. Ms. Wild it's Alex." I said trying to calm her.

"Yes, yes of course. Thank you for coming Alex. You too Shakara." She said.

"I think we should let the adults talk with momma." Mia said. "Corbin can I get you anything?"

"Kay!" The little mongoose said. His eyes lighting up as he followed Mia and Corey back to the table.

Dianna looked very rough, disheveled and very unkempt like she had arrived from a time before technology or anything else for that matter.

"I am so very sorry about Hue." I said somberly.

"I am too. He was a good man and my best friend." Dianna responded composing herself. "So you three just happened to be in Aard Woods?"

"No we were looking for you." Shakara said. "You have been missing for six days."

"That can't be right! I just left the shack to gather firewood!" The female centaur said.

"What else do you remember?" I asked her.

"I walked north picking up sticks and then... and then..."

"Did you encounter someone?" Shakara asked.

"There was this wolverine on an ATV- he was very rough looking. He offered to help me gather firewood for a price I would have to come with him to World Two. He reasoned that it would be safer that staying in the woods. I declined. He said that it wasn't a request."

"Uh oh." I stammered.

"What did you do momma?" Mia asked.

Her, Corey and Corbin were at the table transfixed to the she centaur's story. Lolly was too.

"We fought and I lost. I was hog tied and placed on his ATV and he started to drive out of the forest. That was the last thing I remembered." Dianna said.

"So that is where you got these cuts, scrapes and bruises." I said running my hand along her brown pelt.

"Um no, that doesn't seem quite right." She said.

"Ms. Wild if we may." Shakara said.

The she beast gave her consent.

Shakara had Dianna remove her clothing. We then started conducting our check up.

Dianna was very nervous and uneasy about the whole thing and it was not just because she was naked.

Shakara for obvious reasons examined Dianna's human torso, her breasts, abdomen, neck, arms, hands and head while I checked her horse half including her legs, brown pelt, belly, rump and tail.

"What is that?!" I said examining her flank. Carefully hidden by her fur was a long cut. No, it was a incision.

"I found something here at the base of her neck." Shakara said moving Dianna's blond hair out of the way. "Another bruise mark."

"No that is an incision." I said looking at it closely.

"From what Alex?" Ms. Wild asked me.

"I rather not say until we finished our examination." I responded.

We found mark after mark a cut, a bruise, a scrape, a incision where the she centaur had been pricked with some type of instrument and samples taken from all over her body. Skin, fur, hair and blood samples.

"Dianna I know this is very personal but it is necessary." I stated.

She consented. I lifted her tail and made a direct examination of her vagina and anus. Even there I found remnants of healed cuts and scrapes. It was obvious something had been forced inside of her.

"That explains why I have been a bit tender there." She commented.

I then went back to her front. "Can I examine your hooves?"

The she beast lifted her left front and then her right front so that I could look at both.

(Shit!)

There it was right under the right hoof and it was the spitting image of what I had seen on my mistress' foot paws and her armpits. Markings.

"So you three came searching for me?" Dianna asked noticing how quiet I had become.

"Yeah we followed your tracks to where they ended in the forest." Shakara said.

"We saw tire tracks heading to the east so we went to World Two looking for you." Corbin added.

"How is the city?"

"Destroyed." Shakara responded as I started rechecking my findings on our patient.

"By fire?" Mia asked as Lolly looked on.

"No by severe weather- tornadoes, a lot of them. Only a small sliver of the city was left undamaged." The little mongoose replied.

"I was thinking about heading there next." Dianna said.

"Don't." My devious person warned. "World Two is not what it once was."

"Dianna you don't want to go it is very, very, very dangerous- there is chaos and lawlessness through out." I said finally breaking my silence.

"What about the knights?" Corey asked.

"Those that are left can't maintain order; there are just too few of them."

"Very few?" Mia asked.

"There are gangs, as well as monsters and Others. We were abducted by one- The Horde a group that were rejected by the possessed. Now they are hunting down survivors to turn over to the entity."

"Oh my, abductor was a member of The Horde." Dianna Wild said as I examined her flanks again.

"There were also cults. We stumbled upon one that worshipped monsters." Corbin added.

"And we had to rescue Shakara from a monster." I added.

"Goodness!" The female centaur said.

"Since the fall they have been appearing in greater and greater numbers- the one we encountered last night was a bat creature with a taste for blood." Corbin said.

"A vampire?!" Corey said. "Cool!"

"Not cool. It was feeding off of Shakara." I added showing the Wilds the bite marks on her neck. "Suffice to say World Two is a very dangerous place. Too dangerous to be right now."

"So is pretty much everywhere else." Corbin said.

"I see. So where have you three been living?" Ms. Wild asked.

"We have be living in a city hidden in the forest between World Five and World Four." I said to her.

"You're welcome to come with us." Shakara said. "There are only seven of us but we have room for more."

"Thanks, but my home, our home has been World One." The centaur responded. "I want to go back there; I need to return."

"That is going to be very difficult momma." Mia said.

"I know sweetie. I know."

"The cities have all been destroyed, the survivors what few there are being picked off by Others, monsters, disease, hunger and starvation." I reminded her.

"We were on a quest for supplies when we came here ma'am." Corbin said.

"Our community was drastically low on everything and starvation was at our door." My lioness said.

"How is it?" Corey asked the dining mongoose.

"OMG this, this is so delicious!!!" Corbin exclaimed. "Casserole with pork, greens and carrots. Alex, Shakara you have to try this!"

"The pork will be fine thank you." Shakara said.

"Carnivores..." Corbin teased.

"That reminds me we could use a food preparer." I said.

"Thank you but no." The centaur responded.

"So what are we going to do momma?" Corey asked.

"I have to reopen the restaurant." Dianna said. "It was my dream. My life's work."

"That is going to be very difficult in the current climate." Shakara warned.

"Everything is just gone. The red sky that greets us every morning is reminder of that. There is no infrastructure, amenities or economy. It is like we are in prehistoric times." I added.

"The first priority is to find some place safe away from all this." Corbin warned the family.

"Then you can start thinking about rebuilding your life." I added.

Dianna was silent for a moment. "We can ride out the winter here. When spring comes we can find a farm and start growing what we need."

"We are probably going to have to do the same as well." I added. "We will also have to defend it from dangers and threats."

"Ok, Alex, Shakara what have you found?" Dianna asked.

"You have been poked, probed, penetrated and violated. A lot." Shakara said.

"By the wolverine?" The she centaur asked.

"I think deep down you already know the answer to that." I said candidly.

"Momma you said the wolverine was taking you to the east on his ATV what happened after that?" Mia asked.

The centaur female was silent again. "I am not quite sure, but it must have been very disturbing." Ms. Wild said trembling.

"What did you do when you saw the sky-ship? Did you panic?" I asked the she centaur.

"No at first I, I..." The centaur said.

"Her memory is being blocked. But she is fighting it." I announced to everyone.

"I think I have just the solution to help her recall." Shakara said as we concluded the check up." Corbin and Alex make her comfortable. Mia, Corey I will need your assistance."

Corbin and I had the still naked centaur lie down on the rug in the center of the room. She laid her chest down on a large foot cushion while Shakara had Corbin massage her human and horse backs respectively.

With Corey and Mia's help Shakara concocted a drink from the remaining supplies in the shack.

"Here Ms. Wild." The lioness said handing her something.

"What is this?"

"Lemon tea, a special concoction of mine to stimulate your memory." Shakara said handing her the drink

Dianna took a swig while everyone gathered around her.

"Relax your mind, body, your soul and very being." The lioness started.

"How do you feel Ms. Wild?" I asked.

"Very, very calm." The she centaur responded.

"Good. Mia, Corey. I want you to assist Alex and Corbin. Now Dianna you are safe with your family and friends nothing here can harm you."

"Yes." The she centaur said.

"Now let's go back to that evening six days ago you were being taken by the wolverine who called himself Malice." Shakara said trying to stimulate Dianna's blocked memory.

"I am trying.... he put on a mask as we headed east. It covered his face completely. I asked him why did he feel the need to wear a mask? He said that he was a member of The Horde and they would love to meet me. It gets blurry after that... while we were traveling toward World Two evening turned to night... I was going to try to attempt an escape but Malice was driving at a high rate of speed through the woods as if he had been spooked by something. What is that? What is that? What the hell is that?! He kept saying. I looked behind us we were being pursued by a something airborne." Dianna said turning a ghostly white. "It was a flying ship, no a spacecraft."

"Did it look like the ones the empire said were abducting citizens last fall?" Corey asked his mother.

"No. it was triangular shaped and much smaller. I was thinking that it was a very peculiar design as it caught up to us."

"Did you panic?" Shakara asked.

"No, but Malice did as it hovered directly over us. We saw a hatch or door on its underside slide open and a narrow beam of light shined down. It hit the ATV. Then engine failed despite Malice desperately trying to restart it and my abductor and I were sucked into the ship." Dianna said. "I next remembering Malice screaming NOT AGAIN!!!"

I had a pretty good idea what the she centaur was going to say next as Lady Ursa and I had experienced the same thing three years prior. It it must have been quite horrifying for her- no wonder she was shaking and trembling despite having trouble recalling what happened.

What follows is what Dianna was able to remember that night as told to Shakara, myself and her family.

I awoke on a red triangular platform. Malice was next to me screaming like a newborn. A red spotlight illuminated only us the surrounding area was nothing but darkness.

NO!!! NO!!! NO!!! Not again!! Malice screamed.

"YES, YES, YES again." A monotone voice to our left said mocking him. "It is time."

Another spotlight appeared and it illuminated another platform immediately to our left. On that spot were three beastials- one looked like a anthropormophic dinosaur and two aardvarks a tall one and short one all were completely naked except for a fundoshi they wore around their waists.

The dinosaur beastial was orange, tall and muscular. He had a horn on his snout and two sticking out from his head. He looked like a walking triceratops. He picked up Malice by the scruff of the neck and carried him away into the darkness.

"It appears the net caught something extra." The taller of the two aardvarks said walking over to me.

"They will be keeping this one as well." The smaller aardvark said.

The two of them seemed to be in some sort of daze. The helped me to my hooves as their spotlight illuminated the direction we were to walk away from the platform.

"Please what is going on?"

"You have been taken and/or captured." The smaller aardvark said to me.

"Why?" I asked.

"They have been studying the High Evolutionary's creations for some time and have increased their study since the collapse." The taller aardvark said. "This way."

"I am not going anywhere until you two start making sense! Who are they?"

"Of course you aren't your legs and hands are bound." The smaller aardvark said cutting my bindings.

"They are the researchers who want to know if we ultimate life forms can survive in the new present." The taller aardvark said grabbing my hands and leading me away.

I tried to resist but mysteriously my body would not obey me. I soon found myself following the two aardvarks as they followed the spotlight away from the platform.

We left the room(?) and I followed them down a dark hallway. All that showed was the spotlight on the floor.

We walked and walked for a little ways before the taller aardvark stopped. "I am being summoned. You are to continue." He said to the smaller one.

"Yes Ember."

To my amazement another spotlight appeared showing the taller aardvark where to walk while the smaller one continued to lead me away.

"Small one where are we going?"

"They have prepared a place for you." Was all that he would say.

_I followed him to another room where the spotlight stopped moving. He stepped aside as I walked into it. When I had regained control of my body I tried to step out from under the light. I couldn't it was like I had been placed under a dome. _

"Small one! I can't move!" I shouted.

_"This is your place." He said eerily. You will stay here until... until." _

_"Until what?" _

"Their will becomes yours. I must go; I am being summoned." The little aardvark said.

"Small one what is your name?" I asked as he walked off.

"Cinder."

From that moment I lost track of time. All of it. I did not know how long I stayed in my 'pen'. It was so small there was barely enough room for me to turn around. Oddly enough I was never hungry or felt a need to relieve myself. Only tired. I made myself comfortable and slept.

_Sometime later I awoke from my slumber. Outside my pen was one of them! A researcher had been watching me while I slept! The eyewitness accounts were true! They had __small bodies and limbs, grey skin, slit like mouths, and no noses. _

But the most scary part of them was their eyes! Those dark black ovals that seemed to stare right through you.

You are an excellent representation of your species. It said to me. But there was something weird- its mouth did not move. What it was saying just appeared in my head.

"Please why am I here?!" I asked it.

An extra fish that was caught in my net.

"If I was a unwanted capture, why was I isolated?" I asked the being.

You were never isolated._ It said raising its arms. As it did the darkness around my 'pen' was pierced by numerous spotlights under each of them were many beastials tall, small, short, long, furred, furless, young, old, male or female! _

Each and everyone of them was incapacitated, most likely to keep them calm. The being saw the sheer terror on my face as I realized I was in some type of cage.

Come._ It said._

"Where are we going?"

It is only some tests.

Not like I had some say in the matter. I lost control of my body again and followed the creature as it followed another spotlight away from my cage.

_I followed the 'researcher' out of the holding area into what had to been a lab. There were other beastials in there being studied, examined and dissected. On one small table was a hyrax that had been turned inside out so that his innards were visible. On several tables was Malice who had been disassembled- his arms were on one table, his legs on another, and his head on still another and he was still alive! _

How can that be?

He has always been a difficult one to study._ The being admitted._

_Unlike the reports I had heard on the hub, I did not see any other beings around. Only the one with me. I assumed this grey was studying every beastial I had seen. _

Inside a adjacent lab was the small aardvark Cinder- the top of his skull had been removed and his brain was being examined by a bizarre machine with many long needles. Next to him was the other aardvark Ember who was holding his paw quite concerned.

I asked the being what was taking place in the other lab. It told me that they were examining the little beastial. I asked why? The grey told me that they had been studying that little aardvark for about a month and that he had the most developed brain they had seen in quite a long time. They were quite impressed with him.

I was led to another triangular platform where I turned around to face the grey being. As I did my tail was lifted and something cylindrical was attached to my bottom.

The being smiled at my momentary discomfort.

"What are you doing?!" I asked.

"They begin by studying your waste!" Malice's disembodied head said.

It has been a while since you refreshed yourself. You can do so now.

I was horrified. Me refresh myself in front of this being? That was when the thing attached to my bottom split into two hoses one made its way to my rectum and the other to my... my... vagina. I felt a sucking sensation as it collected solid waste from my body for study. Most likely to determine my diet.

_"Please when can I go home?" I pleaded. _

The being suddenly got very quiet.

"You want to keep me?!" I gasped.

My supply of individuals of your kind is low.

"Please I am a mother, I have a family I must care for them or they will perish!"

Much of the populace from your world has perished._ The being said coldly._

I pleaded with the extraterrestrial at length (who I realized was female) while I was being studied. I was cut, pricked, poked, prodded and every opening and orafice was examined in great, great detail.

During my examination, the female being left momentarily to put the small aardvark back together. Cinder and Ember left the lab.

"Is he ok?" I asked.

I have finished with him for now. _The grey said. _

The female being had the aardvarks bring in a male centaur. He was barely an adult- blond hair, a youthful face full of freckles with a small white pelt and a brown tail. I soon realized what was going on; I was to breed with him to create foals for her.

Seeing what she had planned to do, I broke down. I pleaded with the being. I told her that my mate had perished recently and that I had a son and daughter I needed to care for.

At some point she grew tired of my begging, pleading and whining.

Very well. If you wish to see them again... The female being said.

_And so I agreed I would do anything and everything she requested of me no matter how embarrassing, demeaning or degrading. _

Now urinate. _The female grey said. _

"Um, I can't do that on command." I blushed. "It is going to take a while and a lot of water."

_The being summoned the taller of the two aardvarks who brought me a vile of liquid nourishment. _

_"Here." Ember said. It was orange. I was told to drink it. I complied. _

As I finished, all my clothing was removed.

"Sorry, but it necessary." The aardvark said.

"Necessary for what?"

"For her study." He explained.

"She is going to examine you inside and out, bodily system by bodily system." He said gently. "It is going to hurt. I am sorry."

The male centaur was placed on the same platform to comfort me.

"Just comply. There is nothing else we can do." He said reaching for my hand.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Three years. I am Octavius by the way."

"Have you thought about trying to go home?"

_"There is no return, unless they allow it; there will is ours." He said regrettably. "Besides right now here is more stable than being on the planet." _

The female grey smirked at his comment.

_The female being started with my integumentary system looking at my skin, hair and fur. She examined, touched, pawed and probed every portion of my body. She smiled as she did so too. My digestive system was next- she followed the nourishment I had consumed through my insides. The device that was fastened to my bottom collected my urine. _

The entire study was quite invasive and painful. My renal system was examined next. Then circulatory system, endocrine, lymphatic, muscular, then nervous, respiratory, skeletal and then finally reproductive system."

You claimed that you have children? But you have never given birth.

_"My mate wasn't a beastial we couldn't conceive- so we adopted instead I carefully explained. _

The female being turned to Octavius giving him some type of instruction mentally.

His left hand then moved to my chest and touched me there while his right ran down my backs and then to my rear.

"Octavius!"

"This forced breeding doesn't have to be uncomfortable or unpleasant." He said as the device connected to my rear was removed. "Now which hole?"

"Please I have done everything you have requested of me." I shouted at the female grey.

Breed.

"With him? He is barely old enough to think for himself!"

Very well next time then. The being ordered Ember to take me back to my pen.

I was physically, mentally spent by that point. "When can I go home?" I asked the aardvark.

"When they decide to let you." He responded as we watched Triceraton lead Octavius back to his pen and then remove a fennec from hers for the female being.

"He looks so familiar." I said to the aardvark.

"He used to belong to a vicious mercenary group before they started studying him." Ember said.

"Really?"

"He was their personal experiment for a number of years. Sometime during that they stripped the evil from him. You see what is left."

"Oh my." I said to him.

"Here there is no no's you can cry, plead, beg and whine, there is no escape from them; if they want you, they will take you." Ember said to me. "And if they feel like it, they will keep you."

So I sat in my pen again reflecting on what had happened to me. Some time later I was visited by Ember.

"How do you feel?" He asked me.

_"Sore." I replied. _

"This should help."

"What is it?"

"Ointment. Rub this on anything that aches."

"I would like to but, I am immobilized." I replied.

"It is something they do to keep their test subjects passive. If you like I could..."

I nodded and allowed the aardvark to coat my entire body in the stuff. Almost instantly I started to feel much better.

"Ember how is it that you are working with them?"

_"They have been studying me since I was young. At some point they started using me to comfort their victims to make their horrifying experiences less horrifying." _

"So you have been abducted on a regular basis?"

He nodded. In late December they started taking his cousin as well. He told me after their homes were destroyed he and Cinder became permanent residents on the sky-ship.

The following evening the female being regrettably returned me to the forest saying that she was done for now and that I would not remember anything.

"I just did didn't I?" Dianna said. "I was abducted?!"

"Great job Shakara." I said to my she beast.

"How long have you been able to do that?" Corbin asked.

Shakara just smiled as Corbin, Mia, Corey and I stopped massaging the she centaur.

"They are real!!" The she centaur said horrified.

"You have officially become a test subject of theirs. The greys are called the KLIS they are a selfish group that obsessively likes to study organisms for some unknown reason. They have been studying a portion of the populace since the rise of the empire. Apparently they are fascinated by beastials- humans not so much."

"What does that mark on my hoof mean?" She asked.

"It is a tracker- at some point they will abduct you again for a follow-up."

"What can I do Alex?" Dianna gasped.

"Short of removing that mark which is very hard to do, nothing."

Dianna was horrified by my remark.

"From what you said the female being really wanted you to foal. I don't think you will be able to convince her otherwise next time." Shakara added. "I am sorry."

"There is absolutely nothing I can do?" Dianna said as she started cry.

"Nothing but plead with them to return you when they are done and hope that they will. But that is not always the case." I said to everyone there. "The only good news to come out of this is the two aardvarks you met- Cinder and Ember, they are friends of mine."

"You mean they were from the Consortium!" Corbin said. "I thought they sounded familiar!"

"Yeah they joined a little after you were adopted by professor Stern. I am relieved that they are still alive but indentured to the KLIS?"

"Actually just to one of them little cutie. That KLIS female. From the sounds of it she is the only one on that craft; it is a mobile lab of sorts and the aardvarks and triceraton are her servants." The lion lady observed.

"That is a new take on this abduction phenomenon. Why no other crew? Did she break off from the main group?" I said thinking out loud.

"Alex how is it that you know so much about the KLIS?" Corey asked.

"Lady Ursa was an abductee as well until very recently."

"I have a feeling this is going to be another story." Mia said.

Shakara and I sat down to breakfast as I told Dianna, Corey, Mia, Lolly and Shakara my encounter with the KLIS in its entire horrifying glory.

Hearing my story Dianna was disheartened.

"They don't want to end your life only study it, in great detail." I warned. "Remember the female being said that you were a fine specimen of your species."

"There could be a benefit to all this." The little mongoose boy said to the disheartened centaur.

"How is that?" Dianna asked.

"Next time you are taken, start a dialog with your captors."

"To what end adorably cute?" The lioness asked.

"Information gathering. Perhaps they know of a way of defeating ONE and saving the possessed." Corbin said.

"That is a good idea." I said to him. "It would bring meaning to your ordeal Dianna."

It was just after 12 PM when I had finished my story.

"So how am I?" Dianna asked Shakara.

"You have been cut, poked, pricked and prodded but you are healthy as far as I can tell. Your wounds should heal in a few days."

"Until then spend as much time with your family as you can." I said hugging the she centaur.

"Alex we should be going." My little brother said gently.

"When they do come what will happen? Will they take Corey and Mia?" The she beast asked concerned

"They will be fine the KLIS don't care a lick about humans but they may be interested in Lolly though." I responded.

"I see." She said quietly walking Corbin, Shakara and myself to the door.

"From my experience, they will lure you to them. With Lady Ursa they drew her to the Dark Forest and took her there. But that was some time ago they might have changed tactics. But they probably won't visit for a while."

"How much of a while Alex?"

"A year maybe a couple and a lot can happen in that time."

"So where are you headed next?" Corey asked.

"World One. The Madam had a hideout there we are going to check that out next." Shakara said.

It was tough leaving the Wilds and the safety of their shack, but we had a mission to return to. Corbin, Shakara and I returned to the prototype and made our way to World One.

"I feel really sorry for her." Shakara said as we took to the sky and headed westward.

*From what I understand there is nothing that can be done. Well she could take her life, become an Other or cut off her hoof.*

"Um thank you Overwatch. I don't think any of those options should be pursued. Corey and Mia just lost their father, they don't need to lose their mother now."

"Unless it is only for a couple of days." My devious person said. "And when she returns, they could have more siblings."

"Shakara!" I said eyeing her.

It took us and hour to reach World One. What we saw was exactly what was on the video feed from my mistress previous trips. Burnt out buildings, destruction, ruin and bodies everywhere.

I looked toward the southwest and the remains of Castle Wundagore which was a pile of rubble.

"Damn!"

"Little cutie?"

"What is that down there?" I said looking at the footage from the front mounted camera.

*It is a mandril on the castle grounds Mr. Winter.*

" A survivor?" I asked.

*Yes and no Mr. Winter.*

"What Overwatch is saying is that beastial is an Other." Shakara said.

I took a good look at the mandril who had the same goofy peaceful stare as the Others we encountered in World Four.

"There is no coming back from this is there?" I exclaimed as Shakara, and Corbin looked at me. "Look around- the dictator is dead, the five cities destroyed, most of the population is deceased and those that survived are being picked off by monsters, aliens, the entity or each other!"

There was absolute silence as I made my observation.

"How can we come back from this?" I exclaimed.

"I don't know big brother." The little mongoose boy said.

*Life will find a way Mr. Winter, it usually does.*

"We are here little cutie." My lioness said setting down the blue coupe in a grass field that was lightly covered in snow past the city boundary.

"What is this?" Corbin asked looking at a 10 x 10 structure.

"A hub relay station?!" I said.

"The Madam made it look like that as to throw everyone off." My devious person said.

Shakara placed her paw on the lock. To our surprise the door unlocked and opened.

*It appears that this hideout was unaffected by the EMP.* Overwatch said as Shakara entered.

"That seems right even the sky out here has started transitioning back to grey." I observed.

"WOW!!!!" Corbin shouted as he joined the dark tan lioness.

Inside were secret compartments stocked with supplies completely untouched.

"There is enough in here to get us to spring." My lioness happily announced.

"There is even several communication cubes!" Corbin exclaimed. "We can talk back and forth with each other."

"Not really remember the hub is down little mongoose. We can have as many communicators as we want but, without the hub, they are useless." I warned him.

"Load as much as you can into the prototype. It is about time something went right for us." My devious person said.

And so we loaded up the prototype with as many supplies as we could carry. It took a good 20 minutes.

"Was there anything left?" Shakara asked.

"Yeah plenty." I responded.

"Well save it in case we get real desperate." The lioness said.

"Speaking of that, I think we should drop off some of this for the Wilds."

"That is a good idea big brother." Corbin said.

As we took to the sky Shakara noticed some large markings on the grass just north of our location.

"What is that?" She said.

"Overwatch magnify." Corbin ordered.

"It is a sign. Two of them. One has a skull and crossbones pointing to the east. I think the originator was insinuating death if you head toward World One. To the west it shows.... shelter." I said. "Could it be that is where survivors went?"

*Quite possible. The probe is not detecting any life signs for a mile in either direction Mr. Winter.*

"That will be a mission for another day." I said to my lioness and little brother.

"Destination?" Shakara asked.

"The Aardwoods. Let's give Dianna, Corey, Mia and Lolly some of our supplies." I said to our driver.

"And then?" She asked me making a broad smile.

"Home."

Dianna was delighted when we swung back by and gave her and her family a portion of what we recovered. We even gave her one of the cubes we had found. But we warned her that it would be useless because the hub network was down.

The trip back to the lost city took us two hours and we arrived shortly at the forests between World Five and Four just around dinner time. But as we did we discovered that the trap door at the entrance to the south maze was wide open.

"That is not supposed to be like that!" Corbin said.

"Shakara." I said.

"Right we are landing."

We then drove through the entrance into the underground maze.

"Corbin engage the holo-projector." I ordered. "Overwatch are you detecting anything?"

*Yes Mr. Winter I am detecting life signs. Oh dear.*

"That is good." I said.

*No Mr. Winter there are more than there should be.*

I traded glances with Shakara and Corbin as we came to the shocking realization that the lost city, our home had been compromised.

Alex Winter January 31st, YOE 34.