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Chapter 2

It was days like these that the wolf was sharply reminded of his constant lessons on patience. Pushing his family Saur to its limit was not part of his plan, and neither was the Kitsune next to him. He had planned to be given safe passage to the border by his mother's will. The long-standing custom of the matriarchy when male family managed to outlive the last female of a line was immediate exile from their lands, often with an armed escort.

This however was something from his worst nightmares. Three hours from the border, with two hours before sunset, with at least five Amarokine patrols stalking him. Alone, he might be able to survive the patrols, but the innocent next to him made this difficult, particularly if the matriarchy had bothered to do their typically thorough investigation and research on his training. Defense of innocents was high on the list of his sensei's ideals. A list that the wolf had grown to adopt as guidelines in his dealings with others. His eye caught movement from the Kitsune, a shiver. He grunted his disapproval, thinking her cold as he stopped the carriage to get a blanket for her.

The Kitsune female started at the grunt from this much larger male, stripping quickly as she thought this was a signal to begin his use of her services. When he returned with a blanket, instead of nude, she blushed profusely as he wrapped it around her. Having been told to remain silent she did not apologize for her error, and there was no further sound from the wolf, and no scents either.

For the past few hours, she had been mulling over what kind of depravity this new wolf was thinking of for her. In her years as a slave she had done much she was not proud of and often to the disdain of her masters. The surprise of the blanket was not something she was used to. Nor was she used to males who had no scents. Arousal and hunger were the scents she was most familiar with in her position. This male had no detectable scent she could pick up on. She could pick up no sign of his mood. His black fur and the eye patch on the side of his face made reading moods and blushing impossible. His loin cloth was positioned in such a way that even if he were aroused it would be difficult for her to tell. His lips and muzzle were impassive, showing no sign of emotion or mood that she had been taught to read.

Only slightly less disturbing was the fact that he made no noise when he moved. In her limited experience, feathers, fur, scales, and even bare skin made noise when it rubbed against something, be it more fur, cloth, or even the air that she breathed. But, as with his scent, he made no sound when he moved. Not even the rhythm of his breathing could she pick up with her sensitive ears. This building list of disturbing facts ceased being compiled as the wolf again set the carriage forward as fast as the dependable saur could move.

The stop had cost him time, but it was time that he was willing to sacrifice. The suffering of one under his care was not tolerated in his mind's eye as it was here in the Matriarchy. The woods were beginning to thin, which would mean the patrols would be starting to get desperate. His fears were confirmed as he spotted movement off in the woods. He smiled inwardly, knowing that escape was a growing possibility the closer he grew to the Usagi boarder. Patrols were constant along the southern border of the Usagi Mageocracy for several reasons. Border incursions into Usagi territory were common when it came to the hunting of wayward males. If he was lucky, he might just meet up with one of the patrols.

Meanwhile, outside the swamps of Amarokine territory, an Usagi patrol marched on, ever vigilant as they moved west along their route. A runner approached the commander of the patrol, a female Usagi who bore a Book of Sages. The young female nodded as she received the report for the scout and gathered her soldiers to her for their orders. "There is a male making a break for the border. It will be close, but at the speed the scout gave, he will make it into Usagi territory. There are five patrols after him. Any male who is able to attract the attention of five patrols is worth trying to help. Any objections?" she asked.

The second in command stepped forward immediately. "But your Highness Bianca, we are under strict orders to keep you..." She cut him off with a glare and he fell silent.

"My father is not here to dictate orders to me, or anyone else. I was placed in command of this patrol, and until I choose to leave, or find myself relieved of this command, we will follow our standing patrol orders. Is that clear captain?" She said with her royal command voice, one she had spent her entire life trying to be rid of. The entire patrol snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes your Highness!" They said. She smiled. "Good. Now let us make haste. I hate having to tell my father we found another dead male over our boarders again." She said. A grim smile spread over her face as electricity crackled over her fur. The captain winced. When the Princess got like this, even her father stood aside. With that the patrol set off at a quick pace to intercept the male and his pursuers.

Chapter 3

The wolf reflected on his situation with a feeling nearing ecstasy. His sensei had taught and trained him into a singular killing machine. The fight-or-flight response triggered a completely different being to emerge from the wolf. One few survived to tell the tale of when the killing was done. "Other races claim that their way of fighting wars is superior to all others. In these claims you must always remember the test that all these fighting styles prove themselves. When all is said and done, blows exchanged, blood shed, sadness and sorrows spread by the actions of you and those who follow you. The truth of a fighting style is in the killing. So many styles teach you how to wound, disable, or incapacitate my student. Those are not the ways of the warrior. Wars are not fought with mercy. Warriors do not show mercy, for to do so is to give up living. The basics of war never change Ceberune, kill the enemy before it kills you. There is no simpler way to view the world around you." His master had said.

For five years he had been trained for moments such as this. His mind detached from time itself as he observed the fight from within, while letting his body fight the battle with the cold efficiency his muscles had memorized.

The Usagi patrol waited in ambush as the carriage when flying past the forward scouts position, the young point-man gave the signal and the patrol sprung into action. Three of the five hunting packs were suddenly embroiled in fights they had not expected, dealing with Usagi skirmishers as they broke off pursuit of their prey to deal with a real threat. The two packs that made it through found two combatants prepared to face them. A male of their race, their prey, and a female Usagi stood to offer her assistance. She looked lightly armed and armored, yet held the book of a Sage.

They fanned out cautiously, ignoring the shivering bundle in the now abandoned carriage. Twenty Amraokine hunters surrounded the pair as the male suddenly did something unexpected. He smiled grimly and held out his paw, as if asking for something. His visible eye flashed a bright blue and in his empty paw he held a Katana, still in its saya. The females growled threateningly as the male calmly tucked the blade into his loincloth, within easy drawing reach as his left paw repeated the process of summoning the smaller sister blade to him. The wakizashi appearing as it had always done once he had mastered the ability to summon his weapons to him with a thought. He tucked the smaller blade in with the large blade, the angle of the tsuba slightly different from the katana, but no less easier to draw. The male then assumed a stance that had not been seen in the lands of Daquia for generations.

The Iajutsu dueling stance was generally regarded as nothing more than a taunt in the lands of the west. A stance created for the "civilized" duels of the East, the stance is maximized for the quick draw and strike with the Katana. Masters of the stance, and the technique itself, were rumored to be able to clear their saya, strike and return the blade to the saya before even the best eyes could detect the movement. The male's teacher was known the world over as the single greatest swordsman who had ever lived. So it was that the packs decided caution was their best course of action as they began to close in on their surrounded prey.

The Usagi female, however, did not believe in caution, and showed them exactly how foolish their choice had been as lightning lashed out from her outstretched arms and arced into the five nearest pack members, frying the females where they stood. Half of one pack already dead, the rest of them charged. Had the male been a normal Amarokine male, the melee would have been brutally short, both Usagi and Amarok male lying in pools of blood, their throat's slit. The male, however was no normal amarok as his sudden burst of action proved.

Before the nearest three females could even react to the threat of a drawn weapon, the male's katana had already passed through their bodies, neatly severing their mortal shells in half. The suddenness of the action caused hesitation in the second pack that proved fatal as two more died before action was attempted. Another three fell to the continued Usagi magic as the wolf stood, as if rooted in the same spot he had begun the fight in. The Usagi smiled grimly recognizing the technique the wolf used as the female hunting pack unsuccessfully tried their best to end the male's life. Ten seconds later, only half of one pack remained standing, The Usagi stood back as the five concentrated wholly on their main prey.

The Usagi smiled as the male in five swift strokes, killed all but two females, severing their heads neatly from the rest of their bodies, still having never moved from his chosen spot. "The Mountain does not move." One of the females growled out as her and the last remaining pack member charged the male from opposite sides. The male's eye again flashed blue as the world around him seemed to slow to a crawl. The Usagi's eyes widened as she watched the final strike in slow motion, The first stroke rendering one female weaponless, her knife flying up into the air, with the follow up slash from the larger blade sending her body into two uneven parts a few yards past the male. The third stroke landed with a sickening crack to the back of the second female's skull, knocking her into the dirt nose first. The male sheathed his smaller blade and flicked the blood from his larger blade before replacing it into its saya as well.

The Usagi was about to ask why he had not killed the last huntress when the flying knife from the first female, landed point first in the middle of the second females back nailing her lifeless body to the ground. The Usagi grinned at the male. "Show off." She said, her tone teasing. The impassive male shrugged and walked back to his carriage, followed by the Usagi. "Going my way Ceberune?" she asked.

"What about your patrol your Highness?" he asked in an emotionless tone. She bristled at both the tone and the use of her title.

"They can fend for themselves. Though I bet my father will give them holy hell for letting a dirty Amarok kidnap me." She said with no small amount of sarcasm.

The wolf's demeanor softened some at her tone, a warm smile beginning to creep into his features. "Well then Bianca, if you are willing to join me in my Journey North to see my mate-to-be, by all means." He said indicating she should hop into the carriage, with an imperious gait she sauntered to the back of the conveyance and opened the door and let out a squeal of surprise.

"Ceberune! You bad wolf! You got a toy without letting me have first dibs on that sexy body of yours?" Bianca said.

He waved her questions off. "We can have a question and answer period when we camp first. We are far to close to the Amarokine border. I'll be happy enough to try to answer everything as soon as we have some distance into your domain." He said as he shoved her into the carriage unceremoniously before jumping into the driver's seat and setting it moving forward again. Northward, ever northward they would move.