FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I finally finished this story this morning while waiting for class to start. I hope you enjoy it, it was a fun one to write.

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Continued from 'magic, combat and friendship'...

Days passed as they journeyed, constantly running towards the coast. Cerule, as ever, was tireless, the hard pace seeming not to trouble him in the slightest. But by the time the fourth day dawned, even Jessica, a veteran of another hard flight through the wilderness, was exhausted. She knew that if need be, she could use her magic to refresh herself, but that would leave her without magic if the enemy should happen to catch up with them. And that was looking ever more likely as the days wore on. The torches of the villagers were always visible at night. The small party's lead never seemed to get any longer, but Jessica counted it a blessing that neither did it seem that they were drawing any closer. But she knew that if they didn't end this chase before the coast, they would stand little chance of escape before the water's edge. But she was more worried about their new friends. Though they said no word of complaint, it was plain to see that they were tiring. They had been ill treated by their captors and though they seemed willing to run on, they could not keep up this pace much longer. Ardal was worst off, for his body was undergoing the deep changes of growing into manhood, and he had no energy to spare for running. But he continued on none the less. He kept up with the others, even though he was starting to stumble with weariness.

At last, late on the fourth day out from the morphic village, they paused for a short rest on the last ridge before the plain headed down to the sea. They could not risk a fire out in the open like that, so dinner was cold, but none complained. Aden and the other two newcomers slumped to the ground in exhaustion, asleep before they reached the earth. Jessica sat down with Cerule on a fallen log, staring back at the torches of their foes. They too appeared to have stopped for the night and Jessica was glad of that. Cerule's eyes were looking at the pursuers as well, but they seemed to be far away, not really seeing them.

"Are you alright?" Jessica asked, concerned. He nodded and turned to her, his eyes losing their distance.

"Yes, I am fine." He said, "I was just thinking about how we are going to get across the water to the island."

"Well, if we had the time, I could build a boat that would do the job, but we don't seem to have that time." She answered, looking up for a moment at the stars. "We could use magic."

"We could." He replied. "But it would take a large effort and I am not sure that it is a good idea to be that exhausted when we show up on unfamiliar land."

"True." Jessica said and sighed. "But it would seem that we have some time to work it out."

"Maybe." Cerule said and she could see him testing the air with his nose. "Maybe not. I smell salt."

"What?" She said, surprised by his last statement. She sniffed and could smell nothing of the sort, but she trusted Cerule. "Well, I will devote my thought to it."

"No, get a few hours rest, I will watch for a while and think about it." He said, a smile on his face. She smiled and lay down beside the log, finding a soft patch of grass for a pillow. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, memories of the sea coming back to her for the first time in years.

***

"Wake up." Cerule urged, shaking her gently. She opened her eyes and looked up at her love for a moment, a smile beginning to creep across her features. However, the smile faded when she saw the look on his face. "I need to know if you can see this."

"See what?" She whispered, sitting up and looking where he pointed. He was pointing out into the plain to the west with his finger, and she took a moment to settle her vision upon the spot he indicated. Barely visible beneath the pale light of the stars was a scattering of figures in the distance, moving slowly through the grass in their direction. They looked to be humanoid in shape and Jessica focused her sight on them. "Looks like humans."

"That is what I thought, but I couldn't be sure." Cerule said and peered at the humans for a moment before looking back at the pursuing morphs. "They are headed right for us. If we don't hurry, we will be caught between them and the morphic hunters."

"Between them..." Jessica repeated, an idea blossoming in her mind. "Cerule what if we did get caught between them?"

"We would probably be killed. Why?" he asked and Jessica smiled.

"I think I have an idea..." She said and looked back at the humans.

***

"This is the most foolish thing I think I have ever done." Aden stated for the umpteenth time, running the makeshift whetstone along the blade of his spear. Jessica rolled her eyes and did not reply. It was a very risky plan, it was true, but if it worked, they would be home free. She went back to sharpening her dagger and waited for Cerule to appear. It had been another four days since they had spotted the humans and a swift look by Cerule had confirmed that they were soldiers. They were now waiting in a small stand of trees near to the shoreline. Cerule and Shae had split off from the other three to lead the morphic hunters to the north of the stand and then back south to the coast. Jessica and Aden had allowed themselves to be seen by the humans and then left tracks leading to the north. Moments later, Cerule and Shae came into the stand of trees and hunkered down in the small draw where the other three were waiting.

"Well, they are on their way." Cerule stated, readying his spear. "And boy are they angry. We had to kill one of them before they would follow us."

"Even better." Jessica said and tested the blade of her dagger with a thumb before going back to sharpening. "The humans are coming as well."

Cerule smiled and peeked over the edge of the draw slowly. The morphs following the pair were only a half mile distant and even from here, they could hear their angry voices. The humans were visible a similar distance away to the south. Jessica picked up the spear she had been carrying once again and looked over her handy work. Using her magic, she had changed the nondescript weapon into one easily recognizable as a morphic spear. The spear Cerule carried had been changed too, but it looked like a human hunting lance. Everything was ready, now all that was left was to act. The five warriors waited anxiously for the two sides to close with each other. They did not have long to wait. A few moments later, the two sides stopped, just within range of each other. Their leaders shouted back and forth to each other and the pair of tigers made their move. Both threw their spears into the force that would take offence at it most. A human hunter cried aloud in pain and one of the morphs let out a howl that split the night as their modified spears found targets. For a brief instant, the two sides stared at each other in shock and then, with a wild cry, they were charging each other. The Ka-lin hidden in the draw hunkered down and listened as the two sides clashed, allowed the fight to carry on around them.

Soon, the embattled plain outside the trees ran red with blood and the bodies of fallen warriors carpeted the ground. Though fewer in number, the human warrior's superior training wrought tremendous destruction in the ranks of the morphic hunters, but soon, the weight of numbers began to tell. The last human warrior fell to a morphic spear after a few more minutes, and the battle was over. More than a hundred bodies lay dead or dying on the field and little more than a dozen morphs remained standing.

"I don't believe it," Aden began, looking out at the terrible slaughter. "It worked."

"Yes, and now, we have a chance to end this." Jessica stated, taking her dagger in hand, a bright nimbus of energy flaring into being around her arms as she accessed her magic.

"Then lets go." Cerule stated and the five warriors turned back from the sea and reentered the plain, their weapons held at the ready. The remaining warriors of the morphic force turned to meet them and Jessica smiled, lightning beginning to crackle at her fingertips. She raised her hands and magic surged through her arms, bolts of lightning searing into the intervening space between the groups and playing over a pair of warriors. But, to her surprise, the magic did nothing. Instead of surging through the pair of advancing warriors, the bolts were absorbed by a stone held by one of the warriors. She looked in astonishment at him for a moment and then suddenly, she recognized the morph. He was the village shaman, but he looked so much younger than he had when they fought in the village and Jessica felt a chill run down her spine. Only the unnatural powers that were expressly forbidden to mages could reverse aging. Just as she thought this, the shaman spoke, his words echoing with the power of magic and his eyes flashing with a power that scared her. Hundreds of tiny black darts coalesced in the air around the shaman and Jessica knew that the barest graze from those weapons would be deadly.

"Back!!" She shouted, and the other Ka-lin looked at her with surprise. She waved back towards the trees, shouting her warning again. Cerule nodded and turned back, running towards the tree line with the others. Jessica followed, already preparing another spell in her mind. Her instinctual magic would not help with this. Only one spell she knew of would be powerful enough to protect them and she ran on, forming the words to it carefully. The spell was very old, discovered when magic was in its infancy and the words were difficult, but one slip spelled certain death. The shaman laughed at their backs and the other morphic warriors ran eagerly to catch the retreating Ka-lin.

Just as Ardal, who was in front, reached the trees and dove behind a fallen log, a whistling sound filled the air and Jessica shouted the words to her spell, weaving arcane patterns in the air with her fingers as she ran on. The morphic warriors were closing in quickly, but she knew they would never reach her. She didn't turn around to watch the effect of her spell, knowing that to do so could cost her her life, so she sprinted as hard as she could towards cover. When she had gotten behind the log Ardal crouched behind, she whirled around and found the morphic warriors falling to their knees, their faces contorted with pain and their mouths open in silent screams of pain. Moments later, they fell forward and writhed on the ground with the pain, dozens of darts sticking into them. Even more darts were flying forward, soaring towards the bright line on the ground her spell had created. The moment the first dart passed the line, a wall of bright flames rose, incinerating the remaining darts before they could reach the Ka-lin.

"What the hell were those?" Aden asked, watching the warrior's death throes.

"Necromantic darts." Jessica answered, breathing hard from the task of casting such a powerful spell while running. "That shaman is a necromancer. We have to stop him right now before he can cast another spell"

"Then allow me." Cerule said, hefting his axe and rushing off towards the distant caster. Jessica started to follow after him, but she found herself too winded to go very fast. She could see Cerule running on ahead of her, already almost to the wall of fire, but she found her eyes were getting blurry. Suddenly, her legs buckled and she was falling. She went down hard and managed to suck in enough of a breath to call out.

"Cerule!!" She shouted and found herself tipping forward into a vast black void. She saw Cerule turn back towards her and she struggled to take a breath before she blacked out, her hand reaching out towards him in desperation...

***

Cerule was almost halfway to the blazing wall of fire when he heard Jessica's cry. He whirled around and found her falling forward, her face full of pain and panic. He knew of little that could cause his love harm and he ran to her, his magic speeding his feet. When he got to her, he rolled her over onto her back, gently searching for the injury. She was totally unconscious and he noticed a thin dart that had embedded itself in her neck. He plucked it out of her flesh carefully and looked at it. It was tiny, too small to contain a poison vial and he knew that it was one of the enchanted darts the shaman had conjured. The woman he loved had been struck down and he saw the man who had done it striding through the wall of flame, a magic shield around him.

Rage filled him and he seized a spear that lay nearby. The weapon was a normal human weapon and its shaft had been cloven towards the butt, but it would serve his purpose. The wild anger and fear filling him sent the power surging through him and he cried loud, the force of his roar stirring the grass about his feet. The spear point lit suddenly with the fire of his rage, growing brighter until it outshone the brilliance of the sun in the sky. He cocked his arm back and took two steps forward, the spear launching through the air with his cast. He had never been that accurate with throwing weapons, preferring instead to fight in close where he was unmatched in skill, but this time, he refused to miss, his power guiding the spear on its flight.

The spear flew straight and true and when it contacted the shaman's magic shield, there was a mighty flash and the shaman's eyes grew wide as the long weapon's shaft pierced him. A second explosion filled the space between them and the shaman slumped to the ground, inky black energy swelling out from his body. Nothing was left of the spear; the weapon being eaten up by his powerful rage. With the last foe fallen, Cerule knelt beside his love and took her hand, drawing upon his power. He did not know how to save her with his magic, all he could hope to do was share energy with her, give her what she needed to survive. He closed his eyes and delved deep within himself, bringing the powerful energy that lived within him to bare. His power surged to life and then began to flow into the woman he loved. He could feel the curse that the dart had caused within her, spreading swiftly through her entire body. And he could feel her fighting it with all her strength, but her strength was not enough and the curse was winning. Cerule linked himself to her, body and soul until he was bound so tightly to the battle that raged within her that if the curse won the fight, he too would die and slowly, the curse's advance ground to a halt and the struggle began...

***

Aden sat next to the campfire, reveling in its warmth for the first time in many days. Ardal was sleeping peacefully by the fire, wrapped in the blanket that Jessica had loaned to him. The old fox smiled at his son's contented expression and looked up as Shae entered the firelight and sat down.

"Any change?" He asked and she shook her head.

"None." She replied, looking back at the shadowed form of the tigriss pair, still locked in their struggle for survival just outside the firelight, a faint aura of energy surrounding their linked hands. "Which I assume is a good sign."

"Probably." Aden replied, looking back into the fire. "I don't know anything about magic, especially not necromancy. I just wish there was something we could do to help them."

"Me too." Shae said and yawned widely. "At least we don't need to worry about a chase tonight."

"Indeed." Aden answered, then smiled. "Go to sleep, I will keep watch tonight."

"All night?" She questioned and Aden nodded.

"I don't feel much like sleeping right now, besides, I don't think we will be moving tomorrow." He said with a smile. "I don't mind standing to the watch all night. Alright?"

"No, we will split the watch like always." Shae insisted. "Wake me at midnight."

"Alright." He said and the snow leopard lay down beside his son and covering herself with blankets. Aden sat alone beneath the stars, feeling at peace for the first time in many years.

***

The next morning, Aden checked on the tigriss and found Cerule's brow furrowed from some unknown effort, and black lines spread out over Jessica's body in a spiderweb. He suspected that that was some evil spell contained within the shaman's dart taking effect, but even as he watched, the spiderwebs shrunk a little, but it was barely noticeable. It seemed that whatever was going on inside the wounded woman, the Tigriss were holding their own, at least for now. He sighed and got to work, piling the bodies of the fallen warriors from the battle onto a funeral pyre. Aden and his family split up the work so that two people were working to pile up the bodies while a third watched their friends. It took all day, but finally, the battlefield had been cleaned up and the bodies were ready for burning. Shae lit the pyre with a torch when the wind was blowing from the south, sweeping the greasy, cloying smoke away from the camp.

While the pyre burned, the three sat down to a meager supper made from their ever dwindling supplies. Rations that would have lasted two people for a month had been severely cut down by five people consuming them and Aden knew he would need to go hunting before long. After the meal was consumed Shae stood watch while Aden and Ardal slept, but the day's trials were not over. About midnight, when it was time for Aden to take over the watch, Cerule slowly sagged and slumped to the ground, landing face down beside Jessica. Aden and Shae rushed over to him and turned him over with an effort. His hand was still clasped tightly with Jessica's but both of their faces were unlined, the nimbus of light gone.

Aden checked Jessica's wounds, fearing the worst, but he found that the spider webbing was gone, and the wound closed. Both Tigriss still lived and it seemed that they were only just sleeping. But, when Aden tried to wake them, they would not wake up, no matter what he tried. Shrugging, Aden went back to the fire and sat watching for intruders, the night seeming to hold a strange menace within its darkness. Despite the feeling, when dawn came, he found that the Tigriss were still alive, though still unconscious. He shrugged to himself and dug through the pile of weapons that they had collected the day before until he found himself a bow and quiver of arrows. He had decided that he would go hunting today, because anything was better than just waiting for something to happen. He tested the bow's tension and found that he could draw it easily and he started to walk out of the camp, the quiver slung at his hip. But, just before he passed out into the plain, his son sat up suddenly from sleep, his eyes opened wide in shock.

"Father, I know what is wrong with Jessica and Cerule." The youth stated, and Aden walked over to him, crouching before his son.

"Ardal, it was just a dream." He said, but his son shook his head adamantly.

"No, I saw Cerule in my dream. He walked right up to me and told me that he and Jessica had depleted their spirits of energy. They still live, but they cannot wake unless we help them." He insisted, and Aden listened with growing curiosity, for he had heard of magic users being able to do similar things. "He said that they needed some special herbs."

"What herbs?" He asked and his son continued.

"He said Akema leaves, Thornweed and Cievine." Ardal stated and Aden nodded. He knew what each of the plants looked like and had often used them for healing purposes, but they would have to be very lucky to find all of them here.

"Ardal, come with me quickly." He said and the youth got up, grabbing his spear from the ground and following his father. The pair woke Shae and explained everything before rushing towards the nearby short span of trees. The pair spread out in the woods, looking for the plants. Akema plants would not be there, for the forest was not deep enough to contain them. Cievines were a similar story, what with them only growing up thick stones. But Thornweed just might be there. Aden searched for hours and just when he was beginning to give up hope, a seaborne breeze brought a familiar whistle to his ears. He looked about him and followed the sound to a belt of underbrush at the base of a tall oak tree. There, hidden among the bushes, he found what he sought. He took a knife and carefully cut a few branches from the plant, careful to avoid the hollow thorns that produced the whistling sound. He called for Ardal and the pair made their way back to the campsite.

"Thornweed." Aden stated, laying the branches down next to the fire. The weeds would need to dry before they could be powdered and used. Then, he gathered his family and unrolled Jessica's map. "Alright. Akema is only found in the deep woods, so I will go south quickly to this forest to find some." He said, tapping the woods two day's journey south. "According to this map, there is a rocky cliff up the coast from us. Cievines might be found there. Shae, you are better than I among the rocks, so, will you go to find them?"

"Yes, I will." She said. "But what about Ardal?"

"I will guard the camp." Ardal stated. "You can count on me."

"I know I can." Aden stated, grabbing a pouch of food. "Time is against us, so let us go."

***

On the second day after departing from the battlefield, Aden entered the southern woods. He had run as swiftly as he could, putting his exhaustion aside. Though the small party had only met a few weeks ago, he considered the Tigriss his friends, so he was willing to give all to save them. Pausing a moment under the treeline, he took a deep breath and sat down against a tree, resting his tired legs. He sat still for a few moments before he forced himself to stand once more, knowing that he had no time to waste. He looked about him for the characteristic blue veined leaves of the Akema plant, but he found none. He sighed and moved on, keeping an eye out for any flash of blue. After two hours of finding nothing, Aden was getting a little frustrated. He was getting towards the heart of the woods and he knew he should have been able to find some by now.

Just as he entered a clearing, he heard a commotion off to his right. Looking in that direction, he spotted someone coming towards him, crashing through the underbrush in haste. All at once, there were shouts behind the running figure. Aden rushed across the clearing and dove into the underbrush, hoping that the dark foliage would conceal his bright coloration. Peeking through the edge of his cover, he found that the running figure was a young morphic wolf, black furred and fit. He looked to be about sixteen, long past the time of the rite of manhood, and yet his eyes contained no burning scarlet. Instead, they were brown and opened wide in terror. As the running morph came near, he was able to discern distinct human voices following the morph.

"Come on, he went this way!!" One of the voices said and Aden hunkered down lower. "He's a good runner, this one."

Something about their tone didn't sit right with Aden and he watched the morph enter the clearing and suddenly veer right towards where he was lying. He made a split second decision and as the morph passed him, he lifted a hand. His white furred hand caught its ankle as it passed, tripping the running wolf. When the wolf was down, he grabbed him and placed a paw around the youth's muzzle, keeping him from crying out.

"Be quiet and lay still or the humans will find you." Aden said and the wolf nodded, too surprised at the presence of the Ka-lin to fight him. Aden removed his hand from the wolf and allowed the youth to crawl up next to him, peering between the bushes. The odd pair lay perfectly still as four humans entered the clearing, each carrying a net or spear.

"Where did he go?" The first one questioned, his pale skin covered in odd tattoos. "His tracks just stop here."

"Well he has to be nearby." The second replied, looking around for the wolf. Neither morph moved as the hunters looked around, then one of them shouted loud.

"Boy, your not playing by the rules and you know what that means!!" He shouted and then looked around for any reaction. The boy managed to remain still and Aden watched the hunters keenly, trying to discern what they could possibly want with the boy. But then, he spotted something much more important. At the hunter's feet, on the western edge of the clearing, plants with blue-veined leaves caught the sunlight just right. "He's not here. Lets go on back." The four hunters left the clearing and Aden breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who are you?" The wolf whispered, looking at Aden in surprise. "And why did you help me?"

"I am Aden." The fox replied, offering his hand to the boy, who looked at it suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Fel." The wolf replied and took Aden's hand hesitantly. They shook hands and Aden spoke once more.

"Alright then Fel, I helped you because I wanted to ask you a few questions." He said. "Who were those humans and why were they after you?"

"Those humans were pirates." Fel answered, sitting up slowly and rubbing a bruised elbow. "They came to our village from the sea one night and attacked us. They killed our shaman first and when he died, something happened. We all felt like we were waking up from a dream and because we were so disoriented, we stood little chance against them. They took us all prisoner and have been using us as slaves since then. The women, they use for..." The wolf trailed off and Aden nodded his understanding. "And they take the rest of us one by one out into the woods here and then hunt us down like game. No one ever comes back when they take us." The wolf then regarded the fox with a curious expression on his face. "You know, its odd, but when I look at you, I don't feel any hatred."

"What is so odd about that?" Aden asked, wanting to test his theory.

"Well, when we are children, we are told to warn the elders if we ever see one of your kind and when our shaman was still alive, whenever I thought about your people, I felt a feeling of incredible loathing and hatred." Fel explained. "But that feeling is gone now."

"I think I know why." Aden replied, going to retrieve the leaves he had spotted. Fel got to his feet and followed.

"What are you talking about?" The wolf asked and Aden explained it quickly to him while he carefully harvested the plants. By the time he finished, Fel was scowling angrily as he helped the fox with the leaves. "So that is why. It doesn't seem right does it?" He asked, and Aden nodded. "What are you gathering these leaves for anyway?"

"Some of my friends are very sick and I need these leaves to help them." He said. "They are a few days up the coast."

"I have an idea." Fel said and Aden looked at him as he bundled the leaves into a pouch. "If you help me free my people, I can promise that we will help you. We can take you north in one of our boats. We would travel much faster than on foot."

"Alright." Aden replied with a smile. "It's a deal." The pair shook hands once more to seal the deal and Fel led the way back west towards his village. It was a short journey to the edge of the tree line, and the pair looked over the large coastal village as the sun set. It was a sorry sight. The simple buildings of the village had fallen into disrepair and cages had been set up on the village edge closest to the forest. Morphs crouched in the cages by the dozens while more, mostly woman and girls, served refreshments to a large group of humans who lounged about, laughing and jeering while watching several chained teenagers dance naked before a bonfire. Even as he watched, several pirates grabbed servers and carried them off into huts. He grimaced, knowing exactly what they were doing. But he also noticed the single man dressed in the clothing that Cerule had described as belonging to the Scio sitting among the pirates, smiling and laughing. Aden looked over at Fel and the youth nodded. The pair slipped back behind the slight rise in the earth and Fel spoke.

"As I was saying, hard to get into." The boy said, looking at the older fox.

"Yes, hard. But not impossible." Aden replied. "How many guard the cages?"

"Normally, twelve." He said, "But during the evening celebrations, only four and most of the time they are drunk."

"Why haven't you tried to get out before now?" Aden asked and the wolf looked down in shame.

"Because we had no hope." He said. "Even if we managed to escape, they would only hunt us down. I only escaped because they gave me a chance to run for freedom, even though none have escaped before."

"Then I say we give them hope." Aden stated. "Hope for revenge."

***

The four pirates on guard duty sat around the fire, sharing several jugs of wine. All were drunk and angry at being regulated to guard duty while their fellows enjoyed the fruits of conquest. One of them, a tall man with a beard, rose from where he was seated and stumbled over to the shadows of the huts to relieve himself, just out of sight of the other guards. Just as he was finishing, he heard something behind him, but before he could turn to see what it was, he felt a furred arm encircle his throat and squeeze tight. He struggled, but the creature was far too strong for him. Before he could cry out, he felt another hand on the back of his head and he choked quietly, letting out a small gasp before his vision blacked out forever...

Aden released the pirate as he felt his struggles cease. He quickly took the man's dark sea cloak and swirled it around his shoulders, preventing his white fur from being caught by the firelight. Fel stepped from the shadows where the pair had hidden and Aden tossed him the pirate's dagger and cutlass.

"I assume you know how to use these?" Aden said and Fel nodded. "Then lets get to it."

As Fel ran off into the shadows, Aden waited in the shadows, watching the three remaining guards. They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that their friend had not returned. He could hear all their talk and a grim smile formed on his lips when he heard what they were saying.

"What is taking Oran so long?" One of them asked, taking a swig of wine.

"I don't know." Another answered, almost tipping backward off the bench he was sitting on. "He probably passed out on his way back again." This comment drew many laughs and the trio around the camp fire went back to their drinking. Aden watched them for a few moments more before he noticed eyes reflecting the firelight behind the pirates. He smiled and walked into the firelight, aping the swagger of the pirate he had killed.

"That you Oran?" One of them asked when he spotted the fox. Aden grunted.

"What kept you?"

He avoided speaking until he was close to the fire, his head down in his hooded

cloak.

"Evening gentlemen." He said, raising his head.

"What in hellfire!!" One of the guards said, his last word choked off by a rope held by a morphic warrior encircling his neck and tightening. Aden tossed his hood back and looked around him. The entire village had been freed from the cages and they looked at him with suspicion.

"Fel has explained to us what you did for him." One of the warriors said, coiling the rope he had used around one hand. "What I want to know is why."

"My people, the Ka-lin, know that your shaman was controlling you with a spell that failed when he died." Aden explained, crossing his arms. "And they are doing this at the request of a group of human assassins named the Scio." Rumblings of shock filled the crowd and Aden waited for them to quiet themselves once more. "All the proof you need is sitting in the village square among the pirates." Several of the warriors walked so they could see into the crowd around the bonfire and came back, telling of the assassin and his strange manner of dress.

"We captured that man a few days before the pirates came and I remember the shaman calling for him to be brought to him." The warrior who had questioned Aden earlier said, looking at him with grudging respect. "I didn't think much of it until now, but I heard them talking late one night while I stood watch. But, even if what you say is true, why should we trust you?"

"Because my son does." A female voice answered the warriors looked towards a black wolf woman who was just entering the firelight. Fel was beside her and Aden nodded to the youth. He returned the nod and the woman continued. "I say we trust him. He saved my son's life when all he had to do was remain hidden and Fel would have been slain." The warriors nodded slowly and Aden spoke again.

"We will need weapons." Aden said, and the warrior who had been debating with him spoke up.

"The pirates stored all of ours in a house near the shore." He stated, looking towards the beach. "It is constantly guarded by at least two pirates."

"How many pirates are there all together?" Aden said and, Fel's mother answered him.

"Fifty-three at the celebration and five or six on the ship." She said, looking around. "Their captain used me as a servant for a time before he tired of me."

"Good, we have more than enough." He said, then nodded to Fel. "Did my young friend explain the plan?"

"Yes, and we agree to it." The black wolf woman said. "But we must hurry, the celebration is drawing to a close. Even drunk, the pirates are not blind."

"Then let us go, time is of the essence." Aden said and they nodded, slipping to positions that Fel had outlined for them. Aden himself snuck along until he was behind the hut where the weapons were stored. He snuck along the wall slowly so he could move when needed. Fel's mother came along between the houses, bearing a wooden tray with two cups. The guards smiled upon seeing her approach and one of them spoke.

"Well hello sweetheart." He said, taking one of the cups from the tray. "Wanna have some fun?"

Fel's mother smiled sweetly at him and suddenly stabbed with a dagger she had hidden beneath the tray, stabbing him in the throat. As the other guard went for her with his sword, Aden attacked him from behind, his dagger stabbing down between collarbone and neck. When the pirate's bodies had stopped twitching, Aden looked at Fel's mother and nodded to her. She was breathing hard, her dark fur marred by a streak of blood from the pirate she had killed. She returned his nod and he waved warriors into the hut to get weapons. While the warriors were arming themselves, she spoke to him quietly.

"I have waited for that ever since they killed my mate for protecting me." She said, drawing the dagger from the pirate's body. "I have a request to make of you. I wish to claim the life of the pirate captain."

"It is yours." Aden said. When the villagers were at last armed, they gathered around Aden and Fel's mother. "Alright, remember the plan, silence is key, one noise before we are ready and all is lost."

The warriors nodded and swiftly spread out through the village, several to each house. The majority of the pirates were inside houses now, enjoying their slaves and the streets were clear. Aden walked with Fel's mother to the largest building in the village, a large lodge-like building where the captain had set up shop. A pair of armed guards stood outside it and Aden unslung the bow he carried, knocking an arrow to the string with a second one in his left hand. As he sighted down the shaft on the lefthand guard, he waited for the right moment. The guard suddenly noticed one of the villagers entering a house across the square and he started to cry out a warning, but at that moment, Aden loosed his bow. The arrow soared across the square in less than a second, slamming full force into the pirate. He gasped and his fellow started to run back into the large hall to warn his commander, but Aden's second arrow pierced his back and slammed him into the wall. Before either guard had fallen to the ground, Aden and the black wolf had rushed to the door. Aden put his ear to the door and listened, then nodded to his dark furred companion.

Aden gently pushed open the door and then strode into the house, his dagger barely catching the light of the torches that lit the hall. The pirate captain lay in a makeshift bed that had been built in the center of the hall, stripped totally nude and completely unconscious. Two barely clothed young girls, one a lion, the other a black wolf that looked almost identical to Fel, save for the fact that she was female, were sitting huddled together in a corner, sobbing. The Scio assassin Aden had seen was laying against the wall, snoring loudly. Aden walked up in total silence and dispatched the assassin while he slept. Then, still moving with great care, he picked up the captain's belt of weapons, carrying them away from the comatose officer. While he did this, Fel's mother went over to the two girls and spoke quietly to them, embracing them both. Their sobs quieted and Fel's mother walked over to the captain, drawing the dagger she carried. Gently laying the blade of the weapon against the captain's chest, she nodded to Aden.

The fox covered the captain's mouth with a paw and the man finally woke up, his hands immediately going for his weapon belt, but his eyes grew wide when he realized it was out of reach. His dilated eyes managed to focus on Aden, then on Fel's mother, then on the blood wetted dagger in her hands. He had just the time to comprehend that he was a dead man before the dagger pierced his skin. The knife parted flesh and pierced the man's black heart swiftly, as if eager to taste the man's death. The body twitched and quivered like a fish on a hook for a while before it finally gave up and died. With that, Fel's mother released the handle of the dagger and stepped back, breathing deeply.

"Justice be done." She said and Aden nodded.

"A well struck blow." He stated and Fel's mother nodded thanks before motioning the other wolf forward. "Aden, I would like you to meet my daughter and Fel's twin, Ferus. Ferus, this is Aden, a Ka-lin who has come to help us."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Aden said, bowing to the young girl who stepped forward shyly, barely meeting the eyes of the fox. "Now, if you would be so kind as to come with me, I think it is time."

The white fox lead the way out of the hall and into the square once more. As he emerged, he saw the pair of morphic hunters waiting at the square's edge. Aden nodded to them and they returned the nod, slipping off into the shadowed streets. And there, beneath the full light of the moons, in a village that had once been filled with enemies, the ka-lin waited with his new allies. Moments later, the chorus of screams that signaled the end of the pirates echoed between the houses and lodges. When all was silent once more in the village, Aden went to the shoreline and watched the sunrise behind the pirate's ship, its banner thrown into the sea by the morphic warriors who had swam out to it. He smiled as the dark rolling waters of the bay were transformed into a sea of fire as the sun peaked over the horizon. It was the dawn of a fateful day...