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Once the fire died down enough, Luc wasted no time to break through the weak flame barriers that trapped him with Clarissa to sprint to Damien's downed body. He slid halfway across the floor on his knees, pounding his fists on the Tiger's chest in anger so he could find a response out of the limp warrior--anything that could show signs of life! Though, with much to his great anger and desperation, the Tiger made no effort or sign to show that he was awake--or even alive at that matter. Luc shook, punched and screamed at Damien to show a sign of a beating heart, but when no response was given Luc was forced to put his ear down to the Tiger's nose to feel for breathing.

"Come on, damn it..." He growled as his heart pounded on his chest, his paws violently shaking and his entire frame no longer having its usual tough guy posterior. "Don't die on me, Damien. I can't lose someone else!" He screamed and clenched his fists tight enough that the claws protruded on Damien's armour fabric.

The air flow was there, he felt it tickle his ear-fur softly but it wasn't as strong as Luc wanted it to be. Still, Damien was alive! There was still hope to save him! There wasn't much Luc could do though, not here in a destroyed apartment building at least. He needed to bring Damien back to base where he could be treated more properly.

"Luc!" Demetrius screamed and when Luc turned he was left to stare up at the Husky, whose eyes were hard and fixed on Damien's immobile body. Since the fire had died down a bit Demetrius must have been able to get out of their trap as well. Though Kevin wasn't by his side as they tended to Damien, he was a few feet behind the Husky tending to Clarissa, whom was shaking and crying in Kevin's hold. Demetrius only ignored the display of affection; his focus had to remain on Damien. His best friend's life was in danger right now and he had to keep his attention primarily on him.

"He's alive," Luc breathed, "barely."

Demetrius knelt down before Damien and examined the wound that was left on his stomach, the blood seeping quickly out of its passage and pooling darkly on the floor next to him. It looked bad and by experience a wound like that would kill someone within a matter of minutes if it wasn't dealt with properly. But Demetrius was no doctor and Luc couldn't even tell the difference between many species to know much about tending to an open stab. Demetrius' ears fell a little to the side; this may be his last chance seeing Damien alive.

"We have to get him back to base. They can patch him up there." Demetrius said in a panic as he put his paws to the stab wound. It was surprising to Luc as he saw this display out in front of him, seeing the legendary Demetrius falter under this sort of pressure. Damien must have been the other thing that was important in his life, seeing him die would be like losing another piece of his broken, shattered heart.

"Are you kidding?" Luc growled, "The base is halfway across this damned city, we can't carry him all that way. We'd either be spotted or he'd be dead by the more blood he's losing... Demetrius, we can't do anything." Luc couldn't believe those words slipped from his mouth, he didn't want to lose another life again but given the circumstances they had no choice. They weren't doctors and they didn't have the proper medical supplies with them to patch up a stab wound. The only thing they could do now was give him the honor he deserved.

"We can't just let him die, Luc!" Demetrius screamed from his spot, "There has to be something--anything!"

"Look around you Demetrius! Do you see any doctors around?" Luc hesitated at the Husky's snap in patience, his own ears falling to the side of his head.

"I can help."

As both of them spun their heads around, Luc groaned obnoxiously and couldn't believe who stepped up and jumped the gun. Clarissa stood next to Kevin, he legs shaking violently in fear and shock but that must have been what made her gather the energy to move. The shock of what displayed out in front of her must have given her the adrenaline she needed to stand up and hold her sobbing. Her face was a mess, her make up ruined with the mascara running down her eyes and the sweat on her fore head causing the blush on her face to wear out. Her hair was tangled and her clothes were what looked worse for wear! They were covered in soot and torn in places that exposed spots of her scratched skin, scratches of blood showing brightly in the crevices.

"You...?" Luc growled his annoyance and Clarissa only ignored it.

"I'm a nurse." She replied meekly. "We need to stop the blood. Put your hands...paws...just cover his wound and press hard!" She stepped between the two warriors and knelt down, ripping off her shirt in the process--which made all the males in the room have their eyes jump out of their sockets--and placed it over the stab on Damien's body.

Demetrius reacted faster than Luc did, whose eyes were obviously trying to focus on Damien, and pressed his gauntlet hands on the shirt to push his entire weight on the wound. Once the wound was pressured, Clarissa spun to Kevin whose eyes were filled with a blank space of hopelessness.

"Kevin!" She yelled to snap his train of thought out of its reverie, "I need you here with me." Demetrius glanced her way, his glacier blue eyes gleaming hard, "Go get hot water and the first aid kit from my apartment. Now...!"

Kevin only nodded, his zombie like posture now moving towards the door after digging his way through the debris of wood and shrapnel. Once Kevin left the destroyed apartment, Clarissa snapped her head to the Fox on her left, "You!" He jumped, his eyes snapping up to her eyes this time and his ears now fully down to the side of his head, "We need to close this wound and I don't have the stitching. We have to cauterize it. Put your sword in the fire!"

"What?!" Demetrius snapped this time, his head facing hers, "For god sakes he's been through enough pain, hasn't he?!" He never meant to yell, but his best friend's life was in the balance, he didn't want to see him suffer from pain again.

"You want him to die?" She spoke over his voice once he finished, which made Demetrius forget what he said and focus his attention to the wound. Luc only nodded his response afterward, his paw reaching for his sword and jabbing it into a burning log next a few feet away from where they were, letting the flames engulf the intruding metal and dancing its way to a burning temperature.

That left Clarissa and Demetrius left with Damien, who both did what they could in making sure Damien would stay alive. Making him comfortable by any ways they could and removing his armour thoroughly around the wound, exposing his torso. The wound was bad, Clarissa hasn't seen such a cut like that in the emergency room before, but then again she's never had a patient whom was a walking talking animal so everything had to be a first.

Demetrius growled his frustration quickly and shifted his weight a little, but the amount of pressure from shifting on the wound caused Damien's eyes to snap open and groan loudly, squirming away from the pain.

"Damien!" Demetrius used one of his paws to put on his shoulder, forcing the Tiger to remain still, "You mustn't move. Just relax, please!"

Damien paused and snapped his pain filled eyes in all directions, assessing the surroundings around him and realizing they were in a burning apartment building. Surprisingly, the apartment that blew up managed to remain okay besides the fallen support beam on the roof that blew a hole in the ceiling, causing the furnishing in the upper room to collapse through, which would explain the burning mess in the room. Thankfully, the bombs never blew a hole in the floor; otherwise Damien might not be awake right now.

"Demetrius," He grunted in pain, his eyes squeezing shut and his mouth swallowing the blood that had built up in his throat. Gods, he was in so much pain! His entire torso felt like the flames inside the apartment had started there when the explosion ignited. He knew he'd been stabbed there, he witnessed the knife get jabbed there in the first place before the pain caused him to fall unconscious. Now that he was awake, he was aware of what was bound to follow next. Damien felt the blood ooze out of his body like as if his life was fading away by the second.

The thought of death made Damien think of Demetrius, who was pressing hard against the stab wound, his glacier blue eyes focusing hard on his paws that were pressurizing as if even his own stare was adding more weight to it. Demetrius was his best friend, he thought of the years they'd been together. The happy times, the sad times, even their romantic times. Even though they'd been together for a very long time, they hardly had a situation that separated their friendship. Not even when Kevin showed up ten years ago and caused a whole mess in their lives. Kevin was who came to mind next, the sixteen year old--now twenty-six--made a living hell out of Damien's life when he died that day. He almost wanted to hate Kevin given the circumstances of leaving his best friend to fend for himself and pick up the pieces of his own shattered heart. But the Tiger knew he couldn't really hate the Human, he did have some positive outcomes in Damien's life that he actually should be grateful for. Kevin was a strong Human, and being the first to ever cross worlds and know someone like that was amazing, but the real positive outcome was how Kevin brought him and Gavin together.

Oh god, Gavin!

Damien moved his paw and let it find the one pouch in his armour that held the special piece to Gavin and his relationship. The one piece he saved and prepared for the conclusion of their ten year relationship. "Demetrius," He repeated, his eyes filling with water. Demetrius brought his eyes down to look at the wooden box in Damien's hand, his entire face expression dropping to the floor and his eyes shooting wide enough that even the whites were clear to see. Demetrius looked up quickly to Damien's golden eyes, then back down to the box in his hand. "Give this... to Gavin."

"No..." Demetrius said, looking up again this time.

"Tell him I love him."

"No!" The Husky yelled, leaning his body down towards Damien's face and releasing his paws from the wound to cup them against the Tiger's cheeks, "Don't say that! Think of Gavin, Damien, think of your friends!"

Damien winced hard and swallowed, Clarissa was now trying to move around Demetrius to put her own hands on the wound. "Please, Demetrius," He said softly, that was when they all heard the sounds that gave this entire situation a time limit.

Sirens, police sirens and fire truck sirens, both collectively getting louder by the second that Demetrius even screamed at them, wanting them to go away if he screamed loud enough and feeling the pressure in his own throat crack.

Damien used his other paw to grab the Husky's clenched one, "Demetrius," He groaned, "Please, you need to leave!"

"No!" He cried, his own tears now breaking through and falling down his cheeks, "I won't lose you! I promised Gavin I'd protect you Damn it!" He slammed his fist into the ground beside Damien's head and sobbed, "I can't lose my best friend too! I won't!"

Damien heard the sirens get louder, tears now streaming down his own eyes as well. "You have to get the Gateway." He said in a choked, pained voice, "You have to save Skylar..."

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU!" He roared and dropped his muzzle down to Damien's neck, sobbing violently now.

"Demetrius, he's right!" Luc spoke up over the screaming and loud increasing sirens, his scolding hot sword gripped tightly in his paw behind the Husky and Tiger. "We need to leave, if we're seen it'll be capital punishment!"

"I don't care!" He screamed, "I won't leave him! I can't!" He shook, gripping everything that was his best friend until finally Damien grabbed his paw and shoved the box into it.

"Demetrius," He grunted in pain over the crack of his voice, "Please give this to Gavin... Tell him...I'll always love him..." He groaned in pain again, and Demetrius gripped the box in his paw and sat up a little to look at it.

"You have to do this yourself, Damien." He cried, "You have to propose to him! This ring is for you to give--not me!"

Damien smiled softly and looked into the Husky's eyes, "I don't have that time now Demetrius. We both knew this mission would have a horrible ending in some way. It's my time..."

"No!" He screamed, "No, no, no..."

"Demetrius," Luc grabbed his shoulder and tugged, "We have to go!"

That's when Demetrius looked into Damien's eyes and saw the gold in them lose its shine, fading to a soft yellow now as if his life was fading with it.

Seeing this image made Demetrius grasp every emotion he had as he knew that Damien was on the edge of letting go, his face showed that he was trying his hardest to hold onto his life.

"Go..." He said, "It's up to you to get the Gateway back." His eyes began to close, "Kick their asses for me, I'll be rooting for you..."

With that, the Tiger's head lobbed to the side a little and fell silent.

Clarissa grabbed the sword out of Luc's grip and jabbed the scolding end that burned bright amber red and pressed it against the stab wound, the smell of burning skin and fur filling everyone's noses and the sizzling of flesh melting together filling the silence of the room. Afterward, Clarissa put her fingers under Damien's jaw line and felt and prodded for a sign of a pulse, anything that could tell that there was still a possible hope.

But in the end, she felt no pulse in any of the major arteries. "He's gone..."

Then there was silence. Demetrius sagged his shoulders a little in a slouch position and held his best friend in his paws as if letting go would completely lose him. The sirens finally arrived outside the apartment building and Luc walked toward the balcony to look down at the scene, "Two large red vehicles are here."

"Those are fire trucks," Clarissa responded simply. "How are we going to get him out of here? His body can't stay here otherwise that'll be one hell of an explanation."

"Don't worry," Luc responded softly, "Arella warriors are automatically transported back to the Kingdom once they've come to face with death."

Clarissa looked up and was confused, "Kingdom...?" She asked slowly.

Luc only smiled a little at her face; of course she wouldn't understand this. "Never mind..." was his response.

Finally, the police arrived in front of the building. "We have to leave." Luc said sternly after.

Demetrius looked up from Damien with pointed ears and scanned the room, "Where's Kevin?"

When Kevin left the apartment, it took him seconds to realize where he was and why he was caught up in this mess. Skylar was gone, his own son was taken by an enemy Kevin never even heard of and to make matters worse, he wasn't sure if they'd either keep him alive or if he was scared to death without his father. A father's worst nightmare was losing their child and never in a million years had Kevin thought it would happen to him.

Luckily the hallway outside the Kevin's apartment wasn't brutally damaged, just chunks of paint on the walls were chipped off and the sprinklers on the ceiling just made everything wet on the floored carpet. Seeing as Clarissa lived across, getting into her apartment wasn't a trek to make. At first the door knob seemed tricky since the sprinklers made it wet and slipper to grip, not to mention Kevin's given state of shock didn't make it any better for him to accomplish turning the damned thing. After the third try, the door opened and Kevin stepped inside with a stumble.

This apartment had no damage like Kevin's; the room was exactly how Clarissa had left it. It looked normal and mundane, which Kevin suddenly wanted at this exact moment: Normality. No animals attacking each other with swords and causing real property damage where his land lord would most likely want explanations for, no deaths, no apparitions of his ex-lover's ghost back to haunt him. Well, Demetrius certainly felt real. His touch, his body, even his lips were all what made Kevin finally believe they were all signs Demetrius was real.

Kevin couldn't believe he kissed Demetrius though after he was in a good relationship with Clarissa. But for some reason Kevin didn't even feel bad for doing it. The kiss felt like it filled this enormous hole inside Kevin's heart and it felt refreshing to have it refilled by the familiar wanting Demetrius showed. The Husky was once his lover ten years ago and now that he is back, Kevin wanted to make up that lost time. He needed Demetrius to hold him close, and most importantly Kevin had to apologize for the torture he put the poor warrior through. Ten years of no hope for the Husky must have been unbelievable to bear.

Kevin would have to do that the next chance he had. He needed to make things right with the Husky. To mend the wound that he caused so long ago. But will Demetrius even accept Kevin's apology after ten years? So little Kevin could tell by the situation he was in but the thought had to cross his mind. What if Demetrius wouldn't accept Kevin's apology? What if he really emotionally scarred the warrior to a point of internal destruction? And what about Clarissa, the one he loved right now? Kevin suddenly felt a new weight fall onto his shoulders as he crossed the apartment and towards the kitchen where he took out a mop bucket from under the sink to fill it with hot water from the tap. Whilst the water was filling, Kevin exited to head towards the bathroom where the first aid kit was found behind the toilet bowl.

Clarissa was all on his mind as he did the chores she asked, the thought of her state of mind while helping Damien must have been strong. She was a nurse after all and nurses had to be prepared for anything, even giant animal warriors breaking into the apartment during a winter's dinner. How would she handle all of this? How is Kevin able to handle this? He just lost his son in the process and he's able to numbly walk around this undestroyed apartment like a normal person. The shock must still be setting in.

"Daddy!"

Skylar's voice ripped through the apartment like nails being scrapped slowly against a dry chalkboard. As a fatherly instinct, Kevin dropped the first aid kit he held in his hands and bolted out of the bathroom where he found Skylar himself standing in the center of the living room, tears streaming down the sides of his cheeks and his bottom lip quivering like Kevin's legs. He was alone. How did he manage to escape the attackers and back to Clarissa's apartment?

That question lingered in the back of Kevin's head, but he completely ignored the uneasy feeling he had and sobbed a little, holding out his hands and walking towards his son, "Skylar, thank god!"

As he walked towards his son, a hard object slapped him across the back of the head and he hit the ground like a two ton brick. All he heard was the scream of Skylar and the voice that he now wanted to murder.

"Get the Dad. And shut that kid up, he's starting to give me a headache."

Kevin's eyes started to black out, the peripherals now shutting off and his vision only focusing on his son who stared down at his father with crying eyes.

"Daddy!" And the echo of Skylar's voice carried Kevin into the black oblivion.

Demetrius burst through the door once he crossed the hall, the door hinges snapping off and causing the door to swing open with a loud crack and hanging limply off the wall. Once he was two steps into the apartment with Luc and Clarissa right behind, Demetrius saw the body of Kevin on the ground face first, his eyes closed and the stain of blood on the back of his head. A few inches in front of Kevin was his son, the Gateway! Gods, he was here! Clarissa inhaled sharply at the scene of Kevin on the floor, her eyes suddenly filling with tears again.

Felix spoke simply next to his Panther goon who held his daggers close, unimpressed by the presence of the supposed-to-be dead Husky, "I should've used more bombs."

Demetrius growled, his head tilting down towards the ground but his freezing cold glacier blue eyes glared deathly holes directly at Felix. The fur stood on every inch of his body as his claws extended sharply through the fabric of his gauntlets, his anger peaking to the extreme maximum now as if all the stress and emotions he's bottled for so long have finally reach the breaking point inside the Husky's chest. Everything he's done for past ten years, the people who've died, even the battles he's lost has all measured up to now in this apartment. All the hatred that built up for years brought the Husky warrior to scream it all out.

He roared hard, his growl even erupting through the ear shattering cry and his paws tightening to a blood stopping moment, as if Felix's head was meant to be in those claws. The thought brought Demetrius' anger higher and finally the Husky has had enough.

"YOU BASTARD!!" He leaned forward and sprinted across the room in a blur that not even Luc and Clarissa could register it in time before he was half way across the room. Demetrius tore out another roar as he ran with his arms extended behind him, his claws jutted out harshly and ready for them to sink into the flesh of his enemy. Felix didn't even flinch as Demetrius charged directly at him, but he didn't really have to move as his Panther goon stepped in front of the Fennec and brought his daggers up in a defensive position.

Though, that didn't stop Demetrius.

Using the anger is what made Demetrius channel his attack, his claws swinging around and clamping hard against the Panther's throat to dig deep inside the flesh and pushing him backwards until finally they both tripped over Kevin's fallen body. But with Demetrius in control, he managed to stay on top of the Panther once his back slammed against the floor and straddled his stomach, bringing his claws up again and slamming them both down hard at the goons face. The Husky still roared as he swung his bloodied claws up and down towards the Panther's face until the dark crimson fluid even flung in strings out towards all directions. The walls, the floor, the ceiling and even the furniture around them.

During this brutal overkill, the only person in the Husky's mind was his best friend Damien. This was for the Tiger who spent his entire life being by Demetrius' side through tough and wear. The Tiger who was in love with the one he was about to propose to.

This was for Damien.

Once the body under him had stopped squirming during Demetrius' vicious attack, the Husky finally came to a halt and sucked in every breath he could greedily. His claws and armour was plastered in blood and the background in front of his kill was even uglier as the blood painted every surface it clung to.

Felix then came around to attack the Husky but his wrists were grabbed by Luc's hard iron grip, which he then lifted the Fennec up into the air and brought him up at face level, "Not this time you little shit." He growled harshly.

Felix only grinned, his eyes burning a bright violent red color. Bringing both his feet up in front of Luc's face, he slammed them towards his muzzle so the iron grip would release his hands and flip backwards onto his feet and back step towards Clarissa's balcony door. That was until his back made contact with a hard torso that belonged to a very angry Husky.

Demetrius didn't use much energy as he did before when he grabbed Felix by the throat and slammed his body repeatedly against the wall next to the balcony doors, but he made sure the assassin got every searing pain he deserved.

Slam...

Slam...

SLAM!!!

_ _ Felix tried to scream but the wind had been knocked completely out of his lungs by the final blow to the wall. Once his entire body was limp in the clamped grip of Demetrius' claws, he managed to open one soft baby blue colored eye and stare into the Husky's glacier cold ones.

Demetrius snarled angrily, "Where's Humphrey!?"

Felix didn't respond, which caused Demetrius to increase his anger even more fiercely.

Slam!

Slam!!

_ SLAM!!!_

_ _ Felix finally managed to stifle out a painful cry, "Okay!" His agonizing scream tore through the apartment.

"Demetrius!" Luc called out, "We have to leave! Now!"

"WHERE IS HE!?"

"On a ship!" Felix cried as blood started to drip down from his lips, "Out towards the pier. We killed the crew once we arrived in this world and held our operations inside it! That bastard is there!"

Demetrius grinned, bringing his bloodied face in close to Felix's and digging his claws deep into the flesh of his neck, which gave him an appropriate response from the Fennec, "Tell the Rat I'm coming for him." He growled in a harsh whisper so that Felix was only able to hear, "That's his final warning."

Then Demetrius stepped sideways with Felix still in his clawed grip and tossed him over the balcony.