A Return To When We All Lived In The Forest Chapter 5: Mad scientists, and Magic, What’s next?

Story by Jake Shadow Wolf on SoFurry

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#5 of A return to When We All Lived In The Forest

Chapter 5 of A Return To When We All Lived In The Forest. This chapter introduces multiple new areas, a twist on the story, and a somewhat likable bad guy, go figure.


Legalities: Refer to my other stories for all my personal copyrights. However the characters Vex, Hena, Rylee aka Wolfbane, James Tillston, Kyroo, LJ aka Lost Josh, Cody, and anyone I may have missed are copyrighted to their owners. Their owners will be listed in the editorial note, so DON'T' TRY TO STEAL THEM OR I WILL KILL JUUU! Anyway, with that random outburst, caused by feeling sick, out of the way let's get on with the story.

I woke up with a pounding head ache, and the feeling of someone curled up against me. I slowly disentangled myself from whoever it was and stretched then got off the mattress and popped my back then my shoulders. I slowly worked on loosening the rest of my joints, still not looking at who had been laying in my arms. I silently wondered when I'd shifted positions, and where Balto had ended up in all this then blinked as I saw Damien walking up with green eyes that had slit pupils. He held up a hand to forestall my questioning and said simply "Hena accidently scratched me when she wasn't paying attention. No big deal, the only side effect was the change in my eyes, and the fact that I've lost my hatred of fish."

I snickered at that then he motioned behind me and said "So who's the human girl you were cuddling with, where's Tanya and why the heck is Balto glaring at your back?" I turned around and saw that Balto was indeed glaring at me, and his fur seemed to be rumpled. I blinked and knelt down then whistled for him to come to me. He slowly approached and I rubbed his ears with an apologetic look on my face. He licked my hand to say all was forgiven and Damien sighed then said "I'm confused about what the hell goes on between you and that dog, but I'm just going to accept that you know him better than anyone else does."

I smiled at him and said "I have no idea, in answer to your first two questions. As for the third, I think I rolled over and either Balto fell off the bed, or I may have lain down on top of him." Balto gave an emphatic nod then growled at the bed and the girl laying on it as if it were their fault, and not mine, now that he'd forgiven me. I laughed and rubbed his ears then said softly "Calm down Balto no one meant for you to be forced to move." He licked my hand and whined as if to say 'but it hurt', I laughed and kissed his ears as I'd done to my own dogs when they did something amusing, then walked over to the bed and whistled softly. Balto bounded over to me and the girl mumbled in her sleep. I glanced around for Tanya then turned to Damien and asked "She didn't leave here, did she?"

Damien shook his head and said "No one left the mattress store after you three came in, so I don't know where she could have possibly gone. You think she may have gone into the office?" I shrugged and motioned for him to follow me then walked into the office and turned on the lights. I wasn't expecting Tanya to be in the office, and so I wasn't all that surprised when she wasn't there. Damien on the other hand was flabbergasted. He stared at me then said "So, where is she?" I shrugged and motioned back toward the bed where the girl who'd curled up in my arms was now sitting up and rubbing her eyes then pointed at Balto and me. He blinked and raised an eyebrow then said "You expect me to believe that the three of you slept together on the mattress, and you've been out cold for a while."

I nodded then twisted, popping my back and loosening my joints. Damien raised an eyebrow since he thought I was avoiding the question then I sighed and said "We fucked in the office, and then Balto, Tanya, and I all went into the main part of the store and collapsed on a mattress. Does that answer your question?" He nodded and the two of us walked back to the girl. I instantly noticed she was still naked, without paying all that much attention to her figure for modesty's sake, and pulled off my shirt then handed it to her. She took it and slipped it on then smiled at me in thanks. I nodded in recognition then asked the most obvious question "Miss, who are you exactly?" She laughed and whistled softly causing Balto's ears to perk up then the silly pup jumped into her arms and started licking her face. I blinked and glanced at Damien who just shrugged with a puzzled look on his face. I sighed and said "Seriously, who are you?"

She raised an eyebrow and said "Ah, Jakey how can you not remember me? It's me Tanya, also sorry about curling up with you, but shortly after we went to sleep I felt cold so I kind of used you for warmth." Balto sniffed her then nodded as if agreeing that it was Tanya and I blinked. I pointed down at her hands and she followed my eyes then let out a yell of pure delight. However, a few people in the mall mistook this for a cry for help and came running in. I waved them back and she said "Sorry, I was just so excited about being human again, but how did it happen?" I shrugged and got to my feet then motioned for my group to follow me as the dragon, the fox, Hena, and the two coyotes that ran in at Tanya's call left.

I watched them go then walked out and headed for the clothing store with the others in tow. When we got there I motioned for Tanya and Damien to look for suitable clothes, then I walked off to the food store with Balto still in tow. I grabbed several bags of nonperishable items to take back to the bunker then tossed some deli meats and what not in just to be sure I had everything we could need. I also grabbed six cases of water and placed them in a cart then wheeled it back to the clothing store

Tanya was fully clothed and looking through for clothes she thought would be good to travel in while Damien just grabbed some extra stuff to subsist the stuff he was already wearing and shoved it in his bag. He took one look at the cart then stared me in the eyes and said "You won't get back with that." I raised an eyebrow as if to ask "You think I'm taking this back right now?" He blinked confused then I pulled two bottles of water out and tossed them in my bag along with a few packets of food before heading for the sewer grate by the fountain. Damien watched me go then sighed and prepared to follow me. I glanced at him and shook my head then glanced at Tanya so he understood my meaning. He looked at her then sighed and said "Yeah I'll watch her and the pup, but you better come back without having changed or I'm kicking your ass."

I laughed and said "I'd love to see you try." as I checked the stun gun then slowly removed the lid to the sewer grate I glanced at Damien as I put my first foot into the grate and said "Put the lid back in place after I leave, I get the feeling if you don't you guys are going to have a lot of company you don't want." He nodded instantly getting what I meant then I slipped my feet to either side of the ladder and slid down as he started to move the lid of the grate back into position. I heard the lid slam into place just as my feet slid under the water at the bottom of the stairwell.

I quickly pulled out my flashlight then slowly started travelling through the sewers. After about ten minutes of walking I found myself staring at a brick wall. I sighed and turned around then went back the way I came. When I got to the ladder I pulled out a piece of charcoal I'd been saving for an emergency and wrote on the wall "Don't turn right from ladder, dead end. It could lead to being trapped, go left." I sighed and slowly walked down the passage thinking that things were probably going to get a lot worse before they could possibly get better. I silently cursed the stink of the sewers after another ten minutes because it was making it impossible for me to smell anything else. I slipped against the wall as I walked thinking it would be wiser to do that than continue walking through the disgusting water in the middle of everything

I stopped when I heard the sound of something crawling through the sewer and slowly looked up to see if it was on the ceiling. I blinked as I saw what appeared to be a giant spider approaching then noticed said spider actually had the upper torso of a woman. I blinked and mumbled "Knew it would get worse, now I have to face a drider..... Damn you R.A. Salvatore." She dropped down in front of me and I realized that she wasn't actually a drider like in one of R.A. Salvatore's books, but a human who had mutated into a spider girl and still retained her awareness. I growled softly and shot her point blank in the chest with the stun gun. She fell into the water, which my foot happened to be touching because I hadn't been paying attention, and shocked the shit out of both of us. I grinned and bore it holding onto the trigger as I tried to pull my foot out of the water then finally let go of the trigger and leaned back on the wall feeling my heart struggle in my chest.

I walked over and noticed that she had a bunch of web on her spinner and took it knowing the doc needed samples then kicked her once in the spider part as a reminder not to fuck with me before removing the electrical prongs from her chest and walking off. I followed the sewer until it ended up in a large tunnel that branched off in multiple directions. I could tell the one directly in front of me led down, the two to my right led to different parts of the sewer system and the two to my left led to ladder wells and sewer grates. I studied one and noticed that it was letting light through so I walked over and climbed up slowly.

I blinked as I found myself on an abandoned street with collapsed buildings blocking it off from either end. I glanced at the map and saw that it was marked as "The Dark Queen's lair." I slowly slipped back into the tunnel then walked back to the center of the room. I blinked as I heard sounds coming from the two tunnels to the right and quickly slipped into the shadows in the tunnel I came in from. Suddenly two grotesque beasts that looked like crosses between snot, humans, and pigs slipped past me. The larger of the two was a dirty yellow color, smelled like urine, and had huge tusks by the front of his face. His body shape was mostly that of a weight lifting human, but it seemed made of a strange goo like substance that as stated earlier smelled like urine. The smaller of the two had the head of a human woman, the fore and rear legs of a sow, the torso of a human, and all of it was made of a purple goo similar to the male's however it smelled almost like lilacs.

I slipped behind the two of them and pulled out a pair of empty bottles then took my knife and sliced a bit off each of them, using a rag to protect the hand that gathered the sample. I still ended up getting a little bit of the goo on either of my hands and I blinked as my hands changed colors. The one on the left turned purple then went back to normal and the other turned yellow and smelled of urine before going back to normal and the smell faded. I growled and quickly corked the bottles putting them in the same bag as the spider web from the arachnid girl then slipped along behind the two beasts trying to figure out where they were going. After a few steps I quickly marked directions back to the mall on the wall.

I followed the creatures for another five minutes then realized that if I went any further down the tunnel they were leading me I'd be completely lost because it branched in three directions up ahead. I turned and ran back to the mall silently cursing my own curiosity.

After about twenty minutes I got back to the mall's ladder and slowly climbed it without thinking to look behind me. As I started to climb out of the grate something grabbed my leg and tried pulling me back in. I growled and pointed the gun down into it then blasted it with the last charge in the gun shocking, and possibly killing, it. I growled as the charge ran through me then let the gun fall down with the beast as it let go and Damien pulled me out of the sewer. My muscles shook uncontrollably since this was the second dose of high power electrical voltage that had hit them and I held back the urge to scream as what felt like liquid fire flowed through my veins. I did manage to breath out "Get the blue bag out of my pocket and put it with the stuff I'm taking with me when I leave. I've still got to go get the gryphons but I don't' need to return to the damn sewers to soon."

Damien did as I said and I laid there trying to get my body back under control. After about ten minutes the electrical shock finally stopped affecting my nerves and I could climb to my feet. I slowly did just that only to have Balto and Tanya tackle me one yelling at me for being an idiot and the other growling in agreement. I let them vent then said softly "You guys couldn't have helped me down there, so I didn't want you to go with me because it would have only caused you both to be injured when I couldn't protect you." They stared at me surprised then Tanya suddenly started going on and on about how worried she was while Balto just curled up on my chest and growled at anyone who got close. I burst out laughing, which hurt like hell, then glanced at Damien and asked "Help?" He shook his head and stepped back as if to say 'You are so on your own buddy boy, I'm not fucking with those two as of right now.'

I sighed and closed my eyes letting the pup and Tanya fuss over me until they finally got off then climbed to my feet only to be punched in the face by Rylee. Hena grabbed her arm and said "Rylee stop. He didn't let that thing follow him up, and he looks bad enough without you punching him." I slowly climbed to my feet and spat some blood to my left then motioned for her to hit me again if it would make her feel better about herself. She shook Hena off and punched me again this time in the stomach. I'd been prepared so I had flexed my muscles slightly softening the blow, but the brunt of it took me to my knees. She snorted and walked off without a word.

Hena stared after her then she bent down and said softly "You scared the shit out of her when you up and vanished. She asked where you went, and when Damien said it was down into the sewers she nearly went after you. He said something about you not wanting anyone to go with you, so she held to your wishes. She must care about you a lot to have nearly risked her life by going down there, so what was so important you would go down there for it?" I smiled slightly showing that my teeth were bloody from her punch causing me to cough out more blood, and my urge not to show it then slowly climbed to my feet.

I spat into a trash can and said softly "I didn't expect her or anyone to want to follow me down there. As for what was so important, I had to get a few samples for a friend of mine so they can find out how to remove this infection. Do you know what those chimeras made of goo are?" She shook her head and I sighed mumbling "I thought as much but I hoped I might be wrong." I slowly wiped my mouth off with the back of my hand then started for the sports store. Hena walked alongside me and I said softly "I'm getting a few tools before I go after the next target, you don't have to stay by me." She snorted and mumbled something that sounded like she was the only thing keeping Rylee and the others from tearing my damn arrogant head off. I smiled at her in thanks; still not really seeing her, then walked into the sports equipment store and grabbed some stuff.

I picked up a baseball bat and slipped it into my pack alongside a net for a soccer goal, a few baseballs, and I pulled on some knee and elbow pads thinking they'd work for temporary armor. Hena watched me then asked "Are you getting ready for a fight or something." I nodded then turned to explain and stopped finally seeing her for who she was for the first time. She was a cat hybrid, which meant she only had the ears and tails of a cat. She stood at about five foot six, had black hair that went down past her shoulders, eyes that were the golden color of honey, a bracelet with a wolf howling at the moon on her left wrist, was wearing a dark blue dress that went down to her knees, and a pair of combat boots that looked like they could beat the fuck out of someone. I studied her face and noticed she couldn't be much older than seventeen despite having a scar over one of her eyes. She caught my eyes then looked away without saying anything.

I stretched as I glanced away from her and said "I'm going hunting the gryphons and amazingly a few of other creatures out there for a friend of mine. Then I need to come back and take my supplies to the bunker where I'm staying since it's obvious that Riley doesn't want me here. I'll give my friends the option of staying here or going back with me." I held up a hand as she started to protest and said "I know Rylee doesn't have a big problem with me, but I don't want to cause you guys any more trouble than I have and I have to check up on someone I left back at the bunker who is probably worried about me."

She sighed and nodded then walked off to talk with the others as I slipped out the back door of the sports shop and found myself in the middle of the parking lot. I glanced up at the sky and caught sight of some gryphons flying around the rooftop of what appeared to be an apartment complex. I shrugged and started following the doc's map to get there noticing that it said 'Possible Gryphon Nest?' so obviously if they gave birth to eggs I was supposed to retrieve one of those too. I sighed and continued walking toward it with the net ready figuring that if nothing else it would distract the gryphons long enough for me to knock one out.

As I came closer to the building I noticed a fox anthro running across the roof trying to avoid the gryphons which seemed to be trying to catch him. I sighed and ran forward to head upstairs mumbling under my breath about saving random anthros being a major problem as time goes on. I blinked as I heard the sound of gunfire then someone shouting "Here birdy, birdy, birdy, come get the foxy." I snickered finding that amusing as I peeked over the roof of the building and saw the person was using a pair of smgs to shoot at the gryphons and keep them at bay. The artic fox had a weird gleam in his eyes that seemed as if he was enjoying himself a little too much. I tossed the net knocking two of the gryphons down onto the roof top and he scared the rest away by throwing a grenade at one of them.

I climbed up and knocked the two gryphons in the net out with the baseball bat then slowly lowered it as the guy with the smgs pointed them at me. I held up my hands and said "Easy fox guy, I'm just here to take some stuff from the gryphons and get them off your hands." He studied me for a bit then swapped out the clips in his guns or some he must have had hidden in his vest, and put them on his belt. I watched him work and asked "Former military?" He shook his head and I nodded slowly figuring as much by his unorthodox shooting style, but I'd hoped maybe I could find someone who was former military to shove a small load off my shoulders onto. I held out a hand slowly and said "Name's Jake, and you are?"

He smiled standing to his full height, which was a good few inches taller than me, and said "Kyroo. I guess you could say I'm the owner of this place since the Gryphons managed to carry everyone else off." I nodded and watched him as he bent down and checked the gryphons for a pulse, seeming to want to know they were alive despite them having tried to carry him off. I watched him and nodded to myself then glanced around trying to see where the other gryphons had flown off to. After about five minutes of searching I saw the backs of them heading toward what appeared to be a staircase made of clouds.

I blinked and mumbled "And I thought New York had some crazy architecture. Guess I'll have to find out what supports that stuff." The staircase also gave me a flashback to when my friend Zero and I were in our early teens and had run our own business. I shook my head as Kyroo looked up from the Gryphons and nodded at me as if to say 'Nice work, you didn't kill them but you incapacitated them.' I nodded back then bent down and pulled out a few empty bottles like the ones I had used in the sewer then set them next to the gryphons.

Kyroo watched me for a few minutes then said "I'll bite, what're you trying to get from these two?" I smiled slightly at the irony of it all and motioned first to their breasts then down to their cocks and vaginal areas. He raised an eyebrow and said "So you're trying to get their breast milk, cum, and fem cum?" I nodded as I silently tried to figure out how I was going to get all three samples for the dock without waking the gryphons up, or contaminating myself.

I suddenly remembered I'd taken some leather gloves from the hardware store on my way out and thought "Well those should prevent contamination, and sadly the perverted part of me has an idea on how to get them aroused even though their unconscious. However I'm not raping them, just because I kicked their asses." I quickly pulled the gloves out of my pocket and put them on then glanced at Kyroo who seemed to understand what I was about to do. He walked back toward the door that led downstairs from the room so he wouldn't be in the way of any stray cum-shots. I nodded at him to let him know that was a good idea then sighed and said softly "Time to take the plunge I guess." as I pulled out an extra four empty bottles to go with the first two. I slowly groped the first gryphon's breasts causing it to murr despite not being fully awake then squeezed down on it causing a stream of milk to shoot out.

I nodded when I realized they'd lactate despite being unconscious then pointed the gryphon's breast into the first empty bottle and started squeezing. It filled up the bottle half way before finally stopping. I quickly did the same with the other breast and filled the bottle the rest of the way, then capped it and placed it a few feet away from me so it wouldn't be knocked over. I grabbed the second of my six bottles and filled it with the other gryphons breasts then glanced down at the two's gigantic cocks and balls. I motioned Kyroo over and he slowly approached with a raised eyebrow. I sighed and said "Sit on one of these two while I jack it off into the bottle, otherwise the sample is going to go flying everywhere as the thing tries to move."

Kyroo stared at me as if I was nuts then slowly sat down on the gryphon's stomach and used his slightly muscular frame to keep it pinned. I nodded in thanks then put the lip of the bottle over the slit in the gryphon's cock tip and slowly jacked it off with my left hand. Now to some that might sound fun, but it was a hell of a lot of work to get the gryphon's horse sized cock to pump its load without tossing poor Kyroo into the air. I handed him the gloves and sat on the other one and motioned for him to do as I'd just done, figuring fair was only fair. He made a much easier job of getting the gryphon I was sitting on to blow hir load, but that's not much of a surprise since I was messing with the damn thing's breasts so I wouldn't have to sit there all day like he'd had to.

When Kyroo was finished I smiled and said "What do I owe you for the help?" He shrugged and got to his feet then went and leaned back on the door of the entrance to the roof and watched me to see how I'd get the last two samples. I sighed and picked up one of the empty bottles then slowly started using it on the gryphon like it was a dildo. I'd seen enough girls play with themselves, and used my hands on enough of them, to realize what I needed to do so I did it quickly yet methodically. After about five minutes the gryphon let out a screech and released into the bottle filling it up and coating my gloves in the smell of its pussy juices.

I moved to the second one and did the same thing then picked up m net and baseball bat. I walked over to Kyroo and motioned we should head downstairs before the gryphons woke up. He nodded and quickly opened the door then led me down to his apartment. I shut the door behind us and sat down by the door as he sat on his bed and studied me. I motioned for him to ask any questions he had as I checked all six samples then put them in the net and tied it off. He studied me then said "So who's the friend you're collecting the samples for?" I thought about how to explain the doc then shook my head and motioned for his next question. He studied me and said "Where'd you get the clothes, and the supplies?"

I stood up and said "I got the supplies from the mall, as for who's giving me orders, that's for me to know and everyone else to wait to find out." He laughed and I started studying him as he walked around the room tossing some stuff into a pack. He was about six foot two, which accounted for why he was only an inch or two taller than me, had bright white fur that I could tell would blend in with any amount of snow, and he wore camouflage gear like someone from the military. His eyes were the kind most women would die for, and his hair, though long, seemed to stay out of his eyes without any effort on his part. I noticed he also kept his fur well groomed unlike many who changed and just wanted to go back to normal.

He glanced at me and jokingly said "Enjoying what you see, or is it you just never saw a six foot two artic fox before." I chuckled at the joke and shook my head to let him know that my studying him wasn't in any way sexual. He laughed at the head shake and said "I know you weren't studying me because of the change Jake, I was just trying to make a joke. Also thanks for the help with the gryphons; they were starting to become a real pain." I shook off his thanks and sat back down as he finished filling his bag and said "Think I can go with you? I don't really have anything keeping me here." I nodded and hoisted the net on my back then opened the door and started for the stairway down.

Kyroo walked along behind me at an easy pace and I occasionally glanced back to make sure nothing was following him. I knew he'd said that there weren't any others in the building, but I figured you could never be too careful in this city. Kyroo seemed to sense my edginess but he just laughed it off and kept walking at the same steady pace. I sighed and let the infectiousness of his attitude rub off enough that I stopped watching behind us. He grinned and said "I'm glad I can help you calm down, but what's got you so edgy?" I considered telling him about my trip into the sewers, or the creatures I'd faced while going through the zoo then shook my head and decided against it.

Instead all I said was "I've seen to many things that I was not trained to deal with. So I've learned to be a little bit overly cautious of every new area I enter." He nodded in understanding then the two of us approached the entrance of the building and I slowly opened it. Kyroo already had his SMGs pointed ahead of us and I nodded thinking it was a good idea for one of us to be ready for a fight. I'd noticed there appeared to be two sides to the easy going arctic fox. The first was the one he showed when things were going well, the second was a badass who tended to only come out when the pressure was on, or was about to be on. I decided I was glad to have someone else who could not only calm the group down, but also hold his own in a fight joining the crew.

I slowly walked outside in a crouch giving Kyroo plenty of room to shoot over me if we ran into anything then motioned for him to put his weapons away as I saw the street was complete deserted. I motioned for him to follow me then the two of us headed back toward the mall, where everyone else waited. As we walked and nothing attacked us Kyroo went back to being a somewhat carefree guy. He started telling me a few jokes he remembered from before the war and I couldn't help but laugh. As we got closer to the mall, and entered territory I was more familiar with, I calmed down even more and started telling him some of the dirty jokes we'd exchanged all the time back on the ship. He burst out laughing at once and I covered his muzzle mumbling "Not too loud, I don't want anything to come after us when we're this close to home free."

He nodded and the two of us continued onward, speaking in slightly lower tones. When we got to the entrance of the mall I knocked on it and motioned for Kyroo to stand next to me. He walked up and waved at everyone inside seeming relaxed then Hena and Rylee opened the door. Rylee kneed me in the crotch and said "The next time you plan on leaving, I want you to tell me first. Otherwise I'm going to do a lot more than just knee you in the crotch, got it lover boy?" I nodded as I slowly massaged my gonads and Kyroo tried to keep a straight face. Hena grabbed him by the arm and led him off to where the others from my group were standing around by my shopping cart and talking.

I watched him go then turned to Rylee and said "Do you beat the hell out of every guy who goes off by themselves or am I just the exception." She just grinned at me and I shivered slightly, starting to understand why they called her Wolfbane. As I started to be able to come back up to my full height I studied Rylee as I hadn't done before. She was about five foot eleven, had black fur with blood red markings on her paws, tail tip, ears, and muzzle, similar to the ones I'd had when I turned into a full anthro, she had a katana strapped on her back, and was wearing normal jeans and a t shirt. I blinked wondering how she made such simple clothes look sexy then shook my head and said "I guess you can't call me a tourist anymore, because now I know my way around town."

She noticed the map and laughed then said "No, now you're just a well-informed tourist. Anyway your friends have been worried sick about you, and I figured you'd abandoned them." I growled at her my teeth sharpening to points, since I would never abandon my friends or my comrades. She stared into my eyes and took a step back then said "Ok so obviously you're not the type of guy to abandon those who rely on you. I guess I judged you a little wrongly with that remark, so my apologies." I nodded slowly in understanding then held out a hand. She laughed and grabbed it then shook and said "I think we got off on the wrong foot, I'm Rylee or Wolfbane depending on who you ask. You are?"

I smiled slightly and said "Jake. Nice to meet you Rylee, and sorry about the kiss but it was an accident." She snorted and looked away her fur hiding anything that could have been going on in her mind so I just sighed and slowly released her hand. She turned and looked at me questioningly. I shook my head and said "Sorry just thinking about a friend I left in the bunker I've been staying at. I seriously need to go check on her before anything goes after her. With that said I also have to get these samples to a friend of mine. So I think we will be leaving you're hospitality today."

Rylee studied me then touched my cheek and said softly "I really was wrong about you, all you care about is making things easier for everyone. You must be running yourself ragged worrying about those who chose to follow you. If it'll take some of the burden off your shoulders, your friends can stay here." I smiled at her in thanks then walked over to the others feeling eyes on my back. I didn't turn around, but I did whistle causing Balto to bolt over and tackle me to the ground growling. I laughed and said "Hey Balto, looks like I came back and you were worried for nothing." He growled at me and nipped my nose then turned to the others and barked three times like he'd brought me back all by himself.

Everyone just laughed and Kyroo said "Looks like the little one is the one who owns Jake, not the other way around." The others laughed harder at that and I just smiled trying to imagine what Balto would be saying if he could speak English. He seemed to understand Kyroo though, because he started nodding his head emphatically then growled at me as if reprimanding me for leaving without giving a detailed explanation about my plans. I glanced at Damien with a look that said 'Help?' He smiled and shook his head mouthing back 'The little one is your problem.' Then showed me his arm which had a bunch of little bite marks going all over it.

I winced in sympathy then climbed to my feet and held Balto by his scruff then said "You aren't in charge little one. I'm in charge, it's just your job to make sure I don't do anything that gets all of us in trouble, understand?" He nodded and looked down as if trying to apologize and I everyone made soft sounds of appreciation for the little guy. I hugged him then set him down and said "Alright guys, you have two options. One is you can go back to the bunker with me, after I drop off the sample's at the doctor's lab, the other is that you stay here at the mall. Those who want to stay here won't be blamed for their choice; if anything I'll compliment them for having more sense than the rest of us."

Damien glanced at the others then smiled and said "Where you go I go. If it weren't for you I'd probably be Tanya's pet, plus I think you know more about what's going on than anyone else." I nodded slowly and shook his hand then glanced at the others who seemed to be weighing their options. Balto looked up at me then yipped and sat on my foot as if saying 'Don't think you're leaving me behind. What would you do without me?' I laughed and rubbed his ears as Damien said "Well that makes three of us so far, you, me, and the dog." I nodded and Balto yipped in agreement then Damien glanced at Tanya and asked "You coming with us, or staying here where it's safe, since you are back to normal and all."

Tanya seemed to think about it for a while then said "I feel like I need to be around Jake, so I'm definitely going back with you guys." She glanced at Kyroo who just shrugged as if saying 'Why would I stay here? I don't know any of these guys and you guys are pretty cool to hang out with.' I laughed and Tanya said "Looks like our group of four is now five." I nodded and glanced at the cart which Tanya quickly grabbed the handle bars of and said "I'm not much help in a fight, so I think you guys can do all that while I take care of the supplies." I nodded and tossed the net full of bottles on top then motioned for everyone to move out.

They walked over to the door while I walked over to Rylee and Hena then held out my hand with a simple "We're going to head out now." Rylee shook my hand and Hena mumbled something about us coming back real soon then the two walked off and joined the rest of their crew. I turned and walked over to the others then said "Back to the lab, then you guys are going to head home." They raised an eyebrow as if to ask what I was going to do and I said "I'm going to go looking for any other survivors. I should be back by nightfall." Kyroo smirked and Damien just sighed then laid a hand on Tanya as if saying 'I'll make sure she gets back to your place safely.' I smiled in thanks then pushed open the door and the five of us headed out.

We went to the lab with virtually no trouble then I kicked open the fence and said "I'm going in alone; you guys stay here and guard the entrance." They nodded and I walked in thinking about the fact that I hadn't changed out of the clothes the lab had given me, and wondering if the guard would recognize me. Dianna nodded to me as I walked in then went back to watching the entrance as I walked past and headed through the security door to the lab. The machines decontaminated me again then I walked in and set the eight samples in front of the doc. They turned and studied me as I said "I brought what you asked for, now how do I control the infection."

The doc laughed and said "You can't control it just yet; however I can give you a few new abilities now that I know a little more about how the infection works. Also I'll be studying these samples for a few days, but I'll need someone to stay here so I can send for you when I'm done. I know you have several friends with you, so pick one and you can head out." I nodded then turned and walked back out to the others. I motioned for Kyroo to come over to me and he did with a relaxed smile on his face.

I pointed behind me into the lab and said "You're staying with Dianna and the doctor until they need me. Don't ask why, the only thing I can say is I trust you and that they want someone on hand to send for me when they need me to come back, ok?" He nodded and I patted him on the shoulder then the two of us walked in. I looked away as he went through the decontamination process then got dressed. The two of us walked into the Doctor's lab and the doc studied us. Finally they nodded and motioned for me to step into a machine while directing Kyroo to sit in a chair against the wall. Kyroo did as they directed and I slowly walked into the machine wondering what it could possibly do.

The doc hit a switch and the machine started humming as the doors slid shut around me. Suddenly a holographic panel appeared in front of me and said "Please choose upgrade." I blinked and studied it, trying to figure out what the upgrades were. The doctor's voice suddenly came over the intercom in the ceiling and said "This is the upgrade chamber, every upgrade you choice will be directly uploaded to your nanites. As of right now the only upgrades I can give you are the ability to track creatures better, an enhancement in speed, an enhancement to your intellect, or increase your charisma. What would you like?"

I thought about it for a while then said into the intercom "I'll take the enhancement on my charisma. Never know when I'll have to charm my way out of a fight or into someone's good graces." The screen turned blue and the words "Charisma increase initiated" appeared in bright silver letters. I blinked as a needle slipped out of the wall and stabbed into my arm injecting me with a silver liquid, then electrodes attached to my hands and face shocking me. I yelped as the electricity slowly faded then the doors opened and I walked out.

Kyroo blinked and said "Well it looks like he matured since he walked into the machine, and his eyes are now dark green." The doc nodded and held up a mirror for me to see my reflection. I blinked as I realized my cheek bones were more defined and my face sort of looked like an elf or a hero from some game. Kyroo laughed and said "Well Jake it appears you got more than just charisma from all that." I nodded and kissed the doctor's gloved hand then nodded farewell to Kyroo and started for the door. I heard Kyroo ask the doc "So you think you can give me some upgrades." I didn't hear the doc's response as the door slipped shut behind me then started out the gate.

I nodded to Dianna again then she motioned for me to stop. I looked at her and she said "Next time you visit I'll tell you my story. Seeing as how you helped the doc and all, I figure it's only fair." I nodded in thanks then continued out. Damien looked at me and I motioned for him to move out. The four of us, Damien, Balto, Tanya, and I all continued along the road until it split off. To the left led the path back to the library and the bunker, to the right I saw a pair of robots carrying a few anthros. I motioned for the others to go left then followed the robots without a second thought. Damien sighed and picked Balto up by his scruff then motioned for Tanya to follow him as he started for the library. I'd told him about it earlier, so he knew what to look for. I also told him that Regina would be in the library waiting for me. I told him what she looked like so he knew what to look for.

I glanced back and watched them go then continued to follow the robots that'd gotten quite a ways away from me. I growled softly and slipped along behind them wondering where they were headed. I blinked as I saw a huge hospital and shivered wondering what would happen if I were to go inside. Suddenly I caught movement off to my left and started following it. I blinked as I realized the movement led into a grove of trees, that hadn't been there even ten minutes before. I slowly slipped into the forest and watched as a group of what appeared to be fairies started dancing around in circles. I shivered wondering why they gave me the creeps then noticed that the place was covered in a strange aura.

I stared around and mumbled "Oh fuck, I think I just stumbled onto real magic." I quickly turned and fled from the forest not caring if the fairies saw me, only worrying that the things I'd hunted as a kid would sense my presence and come destroy the peaceful glade. I realized that there were only three options when I left the glade, one run down a random street, two run into the hospital, or three run back to the bunker. I knew I wasn't ready to fight those whom I'd hunted so I chose option two, because I didn't want to involve my friends in this sort of trouble. I slipped into the Hospital just as the doors shut behind the robots then followed them through several different twisting and turning corridors.

Finally they stopped outside of a strange laboratory where a fox with bat wings and horns stood holding the door open. The robots carried the furs inside and I slipped in just as he shut the door. I silently thanked the gods that I didn't have a tail, because if I did I'd have been screaming my lungs shut as the door would have shut on it. I followed the doctor and his robots then hid behind a computer as the mad doctor said "Well then, let's see how my latest chimera serum works. These two will do nicely for the next test subjects, but I still want you to find those irritating annoying former military dragons and any others like them for my next research." I heard the robot let out a metallic hiss then it turned and walked out the door while its fellow held down the two anthros.

The scientist smiled and shoved a needle into the arm of a beautiful vixen and said "Let's see what happens to you my dear." Suddenly I noticed a puppy tugging on his heel; he just reached down and scratched behind his ears as he shoved a different needle into the other "subject's" arm. I watched as they slowly changed from normal anthros to beasts out of myth and legend. The vixen turned into an actual medusa, only a fox instead of a human, and the other turned into a bloody manticore. I slowly slipped out the door not believing what I'd just seen then took a step and ended up falling down a shoot into a pit full of slime.

I sighed and mumbled "Magic, and Mad Scientist's what's next?"

To Be Continued..................................

Author's note: Well Ladies and Gentleman, we have finally come to the end of Chapter 5. This means that next upload for this series will be a wonderful character sheet. If anyone is willing to do art for the character it would be much appreciated. Now onto the questions that let me know if anyone is paying attention, despite no one answering them other than Wolfbane13 who owns the lovely Rylee aka Wolfbane. Question 1: What ability did Jake take from the doc? Question 2: What creatures of myth and legend were born from our infamous mad scientist's insidious concoctions? Question 3: What was the first true sign of magic so far? Question 4: What was Tanya originally? The answer to question 4 is not mentioned in this chapter so this is to see if you've been paying attention to the overall story. Question 5: Where did Jake meet Kyroo? Finally Question 6, aka the bonus question: What story did Genetech originate in? If anyone gets the bonus question they get a wolf cookie, their own pet creature from the story, and an honorable mention.

With question time done it's now time for me to give mention to those who've contributed to the story. Hena is property of my good friend Lex, aka Serenityhopefaith. Rylee is the property of Wolfbane 13. Kyroo is the property of Kyroo Echoes. Vex is the property of Scribe the Gray. Cole is property of my little brother Gabe aka Gman2014. LJ is copyrighted to Dragon obsession. I think that's everyone, but if I missed you don't be afraid to let me know I did so and I will gladly rectify my mistake.

Sincerely,

Jake Shadow Wolf your esteemed author.

P.S. If you want to join the crew, just send me a pm or mention it in the comments and I'll contact you.

P.S.S. for those looking for my other stories they will be coming out before I post the character sheet of this one starting with the remade A Not so Average High School Life, and my Pokémon story.