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The hyena moved his figure, stinging with embers of pain rolling through his muscles and joints, bending down and scooping up the dying fox in his arms. His paws could feel the life, the light slowly dimming, pawtip to pawtip with every waning breath. He began to make his way to the door, in heavy and labored step, a crane of his neck beckoning the civet to move with him.

The civet complied, moving point to the hyena down the stairs and back into the evening, out into the howling wind. The hyena listened carefully, with perked ears as the night's secrets rode through the streets. He followed after the civet as they moved out of the plant and down the road, following the winds and ducking swiftly under orange hues of lights as they made their way outside of a massive hospital.

The civet manged a swift duck behind an adjacent building as he noticed two tigers making notable eye contact with every person stepping through the doors of the seven story beast. He turned his attention to the hyena.

"They'll see you if we walk right in. Fly up to the roof, get into the hospital, and wait on the top floor. I'll come to find you." With that, the civet turned, his tail looping and falling after him as he padded across the street to the hospital entrance.

In compliance, the hyena moved to a shadow, and flapped his wings to propel him skyward. The soreness within him was a resonance, residual of stacked tortures, and was not fading in time, causing him to nearly fall as he propelled skyward, flapping again to orient his stomach parallel to the ground far below him. He landed with a hard fall atop the hospital roof, right in front of a door. He kicked the door inward with full force, breaking the latch and handle inward as the door hit the wall of the inside stairwell with an echoing slam. He moved swiftly down the steel grated staircase, one flight, emerging through a swinging door into painfully stinging sterile light.

His eyes took a moment to recover from the daggers pushing into them from the flourescense, looking upon either side of the white tile, white walled hospital corridor. He moved quickly to a patient's room, peering through to ensure it was unoccupied, and quickly moved into it and laid the fox upon the empty bed.

He could feel the fox's light slipping fast from him, the breathing falling off into half yawns, half gasps. His heartbest whimpered and fell, surrendering into the sterile quiet of the evening around him, and the hyena felt a muse fall through his chest, a sympathy for this dying creature. He needed help, and it could not wait.

He was so tired -- and his fuse was at an end. He did not have the reserve left to motion through things. A doctor was needed immediately. He moved quickly out of the room, looking with furious and frantic eyes up and down the corridor, spotting a single barrel chested gray wolf in blue scrubs moving along the corridor, nose buried in a medical chart.

The hyena moved quickly toward the wolf, and as soon as the wolf looked up, he stopped in his tracks and dropped his chart. His eyes grew wide at the sight of feathered wings protruding from a very tall and very worn hyena in front of him, and was unable to get any words out of his muzzle but "oh".

The hyena stormed to him and grabbed him by his scrubs, forcing an eye to eye interaction.

"Listen to me-" The hyena glanced down at the nametag upon the scrubs reading 'Dr. Dreadlow'. "Dr. Dreadlow, you're going to stop giving a shit about the fact I have wings and going to start giving a shit that someone has a minute to live unless you help him." The hyena spoke with a snarl and a deep anger in his voice. He was fed up with the awestruck, with the dumbfoundedness. Dreadlow only nodded in hypnotic reply. He pulled the wolf into the room and pushed him toward the bed.

The doctor took a moment to shake from hypnotism and awe, then took a quick look at the fox on the bed, and sprung into action, administering immediate intravenous medication, speaking in haste to the hyena.

"What happened?" Dr. Dreadlow snapped.

"He's been shot in the chest." The hyena snapped back. With that note, the doctor turned on his heels and looked to the hyena. "He needs surgery."

The hyena shook his head. "Then do it in here, right now, or it doesnt happen." Dr. Dreadlow nodded in a slightly usurping compliance, then giggled a bit. The hyena wasn't quite sure what the giggle was for; all the same he didn't care. Dr. Dreadlow moved to grab tongs and gloves, boring into the bullet wound to retrieve the lead.

The doctor managed to get the bullet out, and administered heavy sedatives for sleep, then turned to the hyena. "Okay, what the hell is going on?" He shot a narrow glance to the hyena, telling him that he owed him an explanation. A voice behind him answered.

"His name is Interloper, and he just saved this Aerial's neck from the Flying Jackals. And I know exactly why he did it." The civet had appeared in the doorway. The hyena quickly spun to match eyes to the civet, noticing him standing with the two tigers on either side of him, holding his arms. One of the tigers, a siberian with a leather trenchcoat and a suit spoke.

"Usiku; we need you for our war. You can join us. Do you understand the Aerials will never accept you? Join us, and we can stomp out the Aerial world. You can have anything you ever watned, all you need to do is join our side." Usiku didn't need to see their palms to understand these two creatures were sunken.

"We will give you 5 hours to decide. If you truly will not join us, then we turn you over to the Jackals. And we certainly know you would rather die first." With that, the tigers took off down the hall, still holding the civet captive in their arms.

"Usiku, is it?" Dr. Dreadlow spoke. He huddled himself into the corner, obviously wanting to keep himself from harm's way.

"Look, Doctor. Just let me and the fox stay here for a while, and we'll be gone." With that, the Doctor nodded, an agenda sharp in his eyes, and moved to the door, showing himself the way out.

Usiku stepped to Interloper's bedside, moving his muzzle close to Interloper's. Hoping that the same trick would work again, he kissed him, knowing full well it could mean he would be in much more pain.

The fox awoke with a gasp escaping his throat and practically into the hyena's, his eyes opening wide, gazing for the first time into Usiku's deep blue as Usiku looked back into the black ang gold.

Usiku practically lurched back after Interloper awoke, still keeping himself hunced to the bedside as he watched the fox take a few awakening breaths.

"How do you know me?" Usiku asked Interloper, begging a response. Interloper shook his head, aware of the sedative pumping through him and slurring his speech.

"One doesn't go two hundred years as an outcast of nature without noticing another..." He responded, in a twilight phase of wakefulness as his head bobbed, his tail twitching as it attempted to find control.

"How.... how did you find me?" Usiku begged more answers from Interloper, close to him at his bedside. As he asked, his eyes moved over the body of the fox, his nostrils taking in the array of scents mixed with his masculinity in the air. This fox had found him. He had to have an answer as to why Usiku was taken from his home, why he has been beaten, gagged, tortured, why was he put through hell?

"I... you're somewhat of a legend in the right circles.... the mortal born with the wings of an Aerial..... Usiku--" Interloper struggled to move his paw upon Uskiu's at the side of the bed. His words nodded away as he was unable to fight against the waves of sedative rolling through him, even as everything within him wanted to stay here, after finally finding Usiku. His eyelids dropped over him as he fell back asleep.

Usiku watched on, feeling the frustration from deep within, the anger again taking a hold of him as he had the answer dangled in front of him, then dissapear again. His eyes sharpened, and he neglected to notice in his anger, he was practically crushing Interloper's paw in his own. The burn of rage mixed into his pain, a vat of sick negativity stirred up his imaptience. There were no answers, and he couldn't wait. The potency of the mixture seemed to cause a strange effect, and the Sandman crept through him and played taps in his head.

He awoke to find a paw moving upon his shoulder, and had to hold himself from spinning and hitting whomever it was from instinct. He turned his neck slowly and saw it was Dr. Dreadlow -- but he was no longer in his scrubs, instead he wore civilian clothes.

"We should get out of here, huh?" A grin crossed his face as he beckoned Usiku to come with him.

"You work for them? I'm not going. I'm not being pushed anymore." His demeanor had not changed toward the wolf. He turned to the bed to notice Interloper was sitting upright in the bed, hindpaws on the floor, a wary look in his eyes as he stared at Dr. Dreadlow.

"Haha! I don't. I promise I don't. C'mon. We should get out of here. A lot of trouble is about to start, and at the very least I can tell you what's going on. And you, fox - I saved your life. If I really wanted to kill you I would have done it by now."

Interloper looked to Usiku, giving him a slight nod, letting Usiku know that he wasn't about to leave his side, and that the choice was his. Answers sounded like just what Usiku wanted, like a smell drawing him to a meal, it prodded.

"Okay. In any case, you don't look as intimidating as the two tigers." Usiku stood up, his square face to Dr. Dreadlow pushing him to get into action.

They moved out, through the hospital, down stairwells and off elevators, avoiding hospital staff and patients at all costs. In the basement, Dr. Dreadlow led them into the boiler room, behind the boilers as they moaned loudly, muffling out the sounds of their pawsteps. He opened what appeared to be a sewer hatch behind the boiler, motioning them to climb down. Usiku complied, followed by Interloper, and Dr. Dreadlow was last in, closing the hatch behind him.

They moved through thin, poorly lit concrete hallways, winding their way through intersections. Usiku noticed Interloper having the slightest fearful looks about him as he moved.

"Something wrong?" Usiku spoke softly to Interloper, keeping the conversation out of audible range of Dreadlow.

"We're underground. I hate being underground. Sunken are underground." Interloper matched tone as he spoke.

The three arrived at a large steel door. Dr. Dreadlow knocked upon it, and it opened to a doberman in black combat gear, nodding to the wolf and inviting them in. The three moved into a large room, with many furs, all dressed in some form of combat gear moved in and out of the many doors lining the walls of the room. Some were sitting at computers in the center of the room, burying their snouts in whatever work they were partaking. Dreadlow moved through a door on the right, Usiku and Interloper followed. Interloper moved warily and uneasily about, not from the sedative still in him, but from a heavy caution and skepticism about this place.

The room they came into was a meeting room, with a long, rectangular table lined with various forms of chairs around it. Screens lined the walls, everything in a gray hue and lit well by a blue tinted flourescense.

A lion sat at the head of the table, wearing a green collared shirt, arguing over a matter inaudible with a muscular black dog in a navy blue combat suit. A Jaguar sat on the left of the Lion, wearing a white tank top and looking shyly around the room. In the corner, a rat stood huddled on the floor, holding his head, around which was a steel mask, only with holes for his eyes, which remained shut. A brown female rat in a jacket and a black bear in camo gear stared in shock at Usiku as he entered the room.

"Guys. GUYS!" Dr. Dreadlow shouted over the room, calling attention to the three.

"He's here." Dr. Dreadlow stepped aside to give everyone a better view of a very confused Usiku, who looked around at each fur. The lion stood up in his chair in a formal manner, putting his paws behind his back, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Thank you, Dravin. Hello. I'm Gerid, the strategist for this underground. The dog on my right is Nocturne, the head of operations. The Jaguar to my left is Zak."

"Ashis is the rat. She is our library." Gerid said this with a condescending manner. Ashis promptly gave Gerid the finger, still having her look fixed on Usiku.

"The bear is Deck. Deck's our specailist. Anyways, have a seat. I implore you." Gerid sat. Usiku moved to a seat, as did Mercer and Interloper, and as Usiku sat, he nodded toward the corner.

"Who's the rat in the mask?"

"That's Toxis. He's a mind reader. But he can't shut it off, so most of the time he sits in one spot with the mask on to drown out the voices." Gerid replied, leaning into the table. "You're probably wondering what you're doing here."

As Interloper sat, he breifly locked eyes with Gerid and Zak, noticing they were the couple from the club who had invited him to have some 'fun' earlier. He made no mention of it.

Deck interjected, leaning toward Interloper and growling. "Wait a fucking minute. Who the fuck is this fox!?"

"Calm down, Deck. Dravin let him in." Zak spoke up softly, barely audible to all in the room.

"Shut up, Zak! Mercer would let anyone in if he had the chance. This guy could be working for the Sunken or the Aerials. For all we know he's a Flying Jackal."

Usiku snarled angrily at Deck from across the table, immediately silencing the bear. "This fox is the reason I'm not in the hands of a prick of a panther. I might be dead right now if it werent for him, so shut up and stop detracting from why we're here." Deck slunk in his chair, but kept his stand-offish posture, eyes fixed on Interloper.

Nocturne spoke up "Did you say a panther? Where is he now?"

"Last I recall he was pushing up daisies." Interloper spoke up.

"He's DEAD??!" Nocturne had a shock in his eyes, which was shared by Gerid and Ashis.

"Well Nocturne, I'd say you don't have to worry about us being found out by a clairvoyant anymore." Ashis chimed into the conversation with the quick remark, chuckling to herself.

"You took out a calirvoyant. I'm impressed, fox." Gerid said to Interloper with an approving nod. Usiku looked to Nocturne and Gerid, waiting for an explanation to why he was here.

"Sorry, Usiku." Nocturne interrupted the side chatter. "Wa've been trying to find you for a while. The mortal with the power of an aerial -- you are an invaluable asset to whoever has you. I'm afraid at the current time, it's the sunken who want you. If they can get their paws on your blood, they can synthesize your skill. They can become you. Imagine it, Usiku. A sunken with the power to crawl through the earth, and the power to fly. If they have you, they become twice what the Aerials are, and the Aerials dissapear. An entire afterlife gets crushed, and the way of the sunken will reign."

"You work for the Aerials, then?" Usiku begged Nocturne to go on. Gerid interjected into the narration.

"No. The Aerials are looking for oyu too, Usiku, but they want you dead. They're perfectly aware of what it could mean for them if you fall into the sunken's hands. You know they won't accept you as one of them -- they will kill you if they find you. And I'm sorry to say, but they have found you."

"A war is coming. Heretics (agents of the sunken) are swarming the town looking for you, and Angels (agents of the Aerials) are coming fast from every direction."

Nocturne took over for Gerid. "Usiku, I understand this is a lot of things thrown at you. We are here to fight against the Angels and Heretics coming for you. It's your choice wheter you want to stay here. But understand if you run, you're on your own, and they will find you. If you stay with us, we can protect you from them as long as we have the power."

"We're here to fight against the heretics and angels for you, Usiku. Consider it -- I know you'd rather have me over that wimpy little fox watching your back." Deck interrupted.

"Deck, get out. Now." Gerid said in a stoic tone, hiding away his anger. Deck reluctantly complied, walking over to the door, he looked over his shoulder at Interloper, and before leaving, said "They may trust you, but I don't. You better watch your back, fox."

Usiku spoke firmly, not a waver or whimper in his voice with his words as he took in this information, the information that creatures of the afterlife were coming for him, to bind him to death, or to bind him to destruction. He stared blankly at the table as a thousand comparisons of the weight of his decisions were made in the silence of his head.

"I'll stay." He caught Ashis cheering to herself under her breath, and Mercer, to his right, gave him a friendly slap on the back.

"That's great. Now if you'll excuse us, Usiku, there's a lot of work to do. We suspect the Angels will be here tomorrow, and we have preparation to do if we're going to stand our ground against them. As for you, fox, you're welcome to stay here." as Gerid spoke, all the furs around the table stood up, shuffling to the door and leaving. Nocturne stopped by Interloper and gave him a quick word. "Deck's a dick, but he has to be. He's the best fighter we have -- we're not a military unit here, but Deck's the best warrior I've ever seen. I'd advise you to just stay out of his way. See you around, bud." Nocturne rubbed Interlopers shoulder as he left. Zak moved his way shyly up to Interloper and Usiku as they stood up, speaking softly again.

"I... it um, it's good to finally meet you, Usiku..... I hope we can... help you." He extended his paw to Usiku nervously, shaking all the while. Usiku firmly gripped it in acceptance of his amiability, responding with a "Thanks, Zak." Usiku turned and left the room, Zak following, but was gently stopped by Interloper.

"You certainly weren't this shy when you and Gerid hit on my in the club." Interloper talked in a friendly tone. Zak quickly turned red in the face.

"I... when I have my Lion, I get much more brave. hehe.... um, yeah.... you still are..... really.... really... um, I have to go." Zak quickly and embarrassedly hurried his way out of the room before Interloper had a chance to respond.