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The voice called out to Reynard like a dream. Reynard tried to lift himself out of the fog and follow the voice to its source, but something blocked his path. Whatever it was hardly weighted down on him, but Reynard felt trapped and confined.

Reynard... Reynard...

Who are you?

Reynard looked around, but the haze thickened around him and prevented him from seeing anything farther than the silky black of his outstretched paw. His ears swiveled and tried to listen for the voice, but it came at him from all directions.

Where are you?

_ Reynard... Reynard..._

The voice was starting to become uneasy. Reynard wasn't sure if it was disturbed by his presence or was trying to find him. Reynard found himself and broke into a run, wanting to find the source of the voice as much as he wanted to get away from it. What made matters worse was the fact that the voice seemed to become clearer and closer every time it called out.

No...! Please, no...!

Now the voice had turned to panic. Reynard felt his heart beat faster. He began to pant as a second set of steps that was not his own started running towards him. Reynard changed his direction only to have the steps change and keep pace with him. Reynard felt his energy begin to fade, but he kept going out of fear of being caught.

Please don't kill me...! I didn't mean to...!

_ What's going on?Reynard called out. _What's happening to me? Why are you calling for me!?

A flowing shadow appeared in front of Reynard, but he couldn't make out its shape. It wasn't as tall as Reynard, though it seemed a fair amount larger, so he slowed down and began to cautiously approach the figure through the fog.

Who are you? Reynard asked. What do you need from me?

_ It wasn't what it looked like... I swear to you..._

_ _ Reynard crept closer. In the dimming light, he could see the shadow of a bipedal figure cowering on the ground, though he couldn't figure out anything else. Reynard hesitantly extended a paw forward.

Are... are you alright...?

_ _ Reynard's paw quickly recoiled to cover his ears as a deafening screech rang out. The shadowy figure doubled in size and opened a gigantic maw, revealing a set of sharp fangs. Reynard tried to run away only to lose his footing and fall on his face. His paws slipped off his ears as the full force of the death cry hit him even as his ears flattened and shrank to avoid it. His eyes shut tight, half figuring he could at least stop himself from seeing what was happening.

No! Reynard screamed. No! Please... "leave me alone!"

"I would if you stopped your screaming!"

Reynard forced his eyes open. Amidst the darkness of the room, Reynard could now see a small square of blue light. Reynard pulled the sheets of his bed off of him and went to the open window, poking his head out the window and into the early Nogune morning. Reynard looked around for a minute before looking down to see an older Siamese Felid leaning out a window below and looking at him angrily.

"Mister Reynard!" the Felid shouted. "I must insist! These night terrors of yours must stop!"

"I'm sorry, Mister Himomura," Reynard replied. "I promise you, I'll call someone today to check that out."

"You'd better," the Felid responded. "You keep waking me up at these ungodly hours with your screaming. I swear, I'm calling the landlord about this if they persist!"

"You'll just have to wait. There's nothing I can do about it yet."

Mister Himomura muttered angrily for a minute - Reynard could have sworn he heard him say "may the Creator help you" - before retreating back into his own window and slamming it shut.

"Good night, Mister Himomura," Reynard called half-heartedly.

The window reopened and the Felid popped his head back out. "What do you mean, 'good night'? What with the time you woke me up, it's nearly morning, you stupid, degenerate fox-leopard hybrid!"

Reynard sighed. "Why don't you just go back to sleep already!?" he shouted down at the now stunned Felid. "You're only keeping yourself up now!" Without waiting for a response, Reynard slammed his own window shut and got back into bed.

However much he tried, Reynard could not will himself to fall back asleep again; the sheets still felt confining and his ears kept ringing with the deafening sound of the shadowy figure, not to mention the notion that he might have to go through that whole nightmare twice in one night which he wasn't prepared for. Unsure of what else to do, Reynard got back out of bed and fumbled for his bedroom light switch.

After turning his light on, Reynard looked at the old clock on the wall and felt even worse after realizing he had woke Mister Himomura at nearly two thirty in the morning. Reynard lazily got himself some clothes and dragged himself into the shower; the warm water ran through his red fur and calmed his nervous mind. He thought about calling either his therapist or his mother about the nightmare, but felt it might be rude to call them so early. Frustrated, Reynard stepped out of the shower and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror.

Reynard looked like a normal fox from the rusty red coat of rough, thick fur to his oily black paws and ears and golden eyes atop a small, thin, pointed muzzle. When Reynard turned around, though, he could see a series of small dark grey rosettes scattered across his back. It was odd enough that Reynard was a cross between a Vulpine and a leopard Felid; his Vulpine great-grandmother had eloped with a snow leopard named Oncera whose mark passed to Reynard in the form of the rosettes. Reynard considered them like scars and often tried either washing or rubbing them of; the first time he ever saw the rosettes, he thought they were flecks of dirt. Otherwise, the rosettes and his name were the only things that his great-grandfather had passed on to Reynard Oncera.

Eventually, Reynard felt he had stared in the mirror long enough and finished getting ready to leave for work. The clock still only read three-thirty in the morning, but Reynard was past the point of caring. He grabbed a jacket with his wallet and keys inside the pockets and shuffled through the fridge for a few hardboiled eggs and small meat sticks, placing them into a small satchel around his waist along with his wallet before quietly slipping out of his apartment building and into the dark streets.

Reynard was one of the few living next to the vast Lake Pretca who didn't mind the cold nighttime winds and lower temperature such a large body of water created. Even so, Reynard found himself wrapping his jacket tighter around him to keep warm as he made his way through the streets towards the shore and a train station that would take him to the Northeastern District of Ikasarat. He hated going to the lake and only put up with it because of the convenience of the train station; it was cheaper compared to a taxi or a bus.

Every weekday, Reynard took the eight o'clock train from Nogune to central Ikasarat, waiting for two stops before getting off at the Northeastern District station five minutes away from his work. He had been a simple mail clerk for a mining company, but the executive of the company eventually promoted him due to behind the scenes work Reynard did in his free time and eventually gave him a desk job writing reports and answering the telephone. It was quiet work, but after the last few nights Reynard felt he needed the quiet.

The streets were still dark as Reynard unlocked the door to his office building using a keypad on the door and let himself in. A clock on the wall read five in the morning as Reynard turned on his computer and went over to the break room to make a pot of coffee. By five-fifteen, Reynard had started drinking his first cup of coffee and began entering data onto his computer. Reynard became aware of a blinking red number two on the screen of his telephone and started listening to his messages while he worked.

"Mister Reynard Oncera, this is Kirota Tontura. I was calling to inform you of your scheduled appointment for six o'clock this evening. Please call me back before noon today to confirm your appointment. The appointment will take place at the Academy in Nogune. My office hours begin at seven this morning. Goodbye."

Reynard scribbled a note down reminding himself to call Kirota back on his morning break before listening to the second message.

"Hey, Reynard. It's Jack Lupino. I was wondering if you wanted to get together for a late lunch today. My duties should be finished around three and I could treat you to that one pasta restaurant you enjoy since you treated me a few weeks ago and I feel like I owe you one. Call me whenever you get the chance. 'Bye!"

The number on the phone stopped blinking and returned to zero as Reynard finished his note and continued his work alone in the quiet of the early morning. He remained alone until seven o'clock when a large lion Felid with a golden mane and a black suit and tie entered the building and made his way to a door with a gold plaque near Reynard's desk.

"Good morning, Mister Oncera," the fat lion Felid purred, obviously pleased with something.

"Mister Arstan," Reynard acknowledged respectfully.

The lion paused and took a large sniff. "Got the coffee going, I see?"

"It's full minus two cups if you need any," Reynard offered as he turned back to his computer.

The lion waved a paw at Reynard. "Nah, I've got my own espresso machine in my office. But good work and thank you." Mister Arstan went over to the door with the plaque and began to unlock it. Reynard heard the door open and was vaguely aware he hadn't heard the door close. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the lion's robust voice yet again. "What time did you start working this morning, Mister Oncera?"

Reynard looked up to see Mister Arstan standing in the doorway of his executive office. The lion's face was a mixture of being concern and expecting something from Reynard. "I sat down at my computer at five, Mister Arstan." Reynard felt he was talking in a whisper compared to his boss.

The lion walked around and leaned on the wall next to the door. "So I'll be letting you out at two again today?"

Reynard gulped. "Yes, sir."

Mister Arstan walked over to Reynard's desk and pulled up an empty chair to sit in. "Reynard... you are one of the best employees I have here in the office. I'm going to let you know that if there is something you need, come and talk to me and I'll see what I can do." The lion put a massive paw on Reynard's shoulder. "I know a nice beachfront resort down on the southern coast. White sands, calm blue ocean, warm and sunny all year long with that fresh sea air. I could reserve a suite for you there for a week and have you on a train there by this Sunday."

"I'll be fine, Mister Arstan," Reynard said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm definitely sure."

"I'm not so sure." Reynard had expected the response to be stern and demanding, but the lion was calm, even gentle. "This is the third time this week you've come in before me. Currently, I'm not concerned with your work as the quality shows you're still putting it out there as well as you were before, but I am concerned about how it may affect you later on."

"Mister Arstan," Reynard said. "I've already scheduled an appointment for tonight at six o'clock. I assure you, I'm taking the necessary steps to stop this before it gets any worse."

Mister Arstan nodded and released Reynard. "Very well, then," he said, stroking his mane in thought. "I suppose I'll let you get back to work. My door is open if you need me." The lion got up, put the chair back, and went over to his office, where he left the door open after going inside.

Reynard remained quiet about his early arrival when his coworkers arrived, stating that Mister Arstan had called him last night about speaking with him privately about his performance. That was enough to satisfy them, and by eight thirty they had stopped asking about it entirely, leaving Reynard enough free time by the morning coffee break to make a few phone calls.

The first call Reynard made was to his therapist, Kirota Tontura. Reynard had known her for a few years now and had been going to her office long enough he knew the number of the office and her extension by memory. The phone ran three short times before someone answered.

"Hello. This is Kirota Tontura. How may I help you?"

"Hello, Kirota. This is Reynard Oncera. I was calling about the message you left on my phone and wanted to confirm my appointment for six o'clock this evening. I may be a little late, however, as I have a late lunch meeting with Jack Lupino this same afternoon." A few gasps came up from Reynard's coworkers, but he ignored them.

"Very well, Mister Oncera," Kirota replied. "Because of your status and who you are going to be with, I'll give you some leeway. So, should I expect you between six and six thirty?"

"Absolutely. Thank you so much, Kirota."

"You're very welcome, Reynard. I'll see you then."

Reynard tapped a button on his phone to cut the line before dialing a second number. He had known this number for longer than Kirota's and had also memorized it for reasons of security. Reynard scanned the room to make sure none of his coworkers were watching him or listening in before he finished dialing.

The voice on the other side of the line was deeper and more masculine than Reynard's was and spoke with definite power. "This is the office of Jack Lupino the fifth, general and leader of the king's troops in Ikasarat. State your name and business."

"Lupino. It's me, Reynard. I got your message."

Jack Lupino's voice lost its serious tone and became lighter and friendlier. "Reynard! How are things going? Haven't seen you in weeks with all the work I've had to do lately. Are you free for lunch this afternoon around three?"

"I'll be out of here by two," Reynard said.

Lupino laughed. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think they had demoted you to part-time. Speaking of which, I could still get you that job as one of my or my father's clerks if you'd like. Good pay for few hours; even more than what you get now, I think."

"As good as it sounds, I don't think I'm ready for the limelight quiet yet. The minute the press finds out about it, they'll be surrounding my apartment complex with the headline 'Onceras Back in the Royal Palace'. You know how bad those reporters can get."

"They actually leave me enough alone, but more on that later. Anyways, I've got to get back to work. If that one restaurant is good with you..."

"I'll meet you there at three. See you later, Jack."

"Later, Reynard."

There was a click and a yawn as Reynard hung up the telephone to get back to work; the early morning was beginning to take its toll. Reynard sighed and got up for a third cup of black coffee and hoped two o'clock came around quicker than usual.

* * *

At two-fifteen Reynard walked out of the mining company offices and started walking along the busy streets towards the northernmost district of Ikasarat. Reynard stopped by at a bank along the way to deposit his paycheck for the week; Mister Arstan had given him the day off tomorrow and requested his paycheck be delivered early. Afterwards, Reynard walked along the streets towards the restaurant he had agreed to meet Lupino at and got himself seated at a table for two for lunch. While he waited for his company, a snow-leopard waitress came around to take his order.

"Welcome," the Felid said as she set down two glasses of water and two sets of utensils on the table. "My name is Valencia and I'll be your server for this afternoon. I see you're missing one but would you like to order a drink in the meantime?"

"What sort of light beer do you have?"

Valencia rattled off a small list of light beers before Reynard selected one with the lowest alcohol content. Valencia nodded and smiled at Reynard as she went off to fill his order. Reynard found himself watching her as she walked off towards the bar and started pulling out a bottle and a glass and opening it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Reynard saw a very regal-looking grey wolf Canid with bright gold eyes enter the restaurant and start walking over to his table. His shirt was a royal blue, and over that he wore a blue vest with gold trim and buttons. His blue pants were tucked into a pair of black military boots and he held a ceremonial - but still very usable - slightly curved blade in a scabbard at his side. The wolf sat down and reached his grey and white paw across the table at Reynard, who shook it.

"Reynard," the wolf said.

"Lupino," Reynard said.

"So," Lupino began. "It's been two to three weeks since our last outing like this. How has life treated you lately?"

"Horribly," Reynard responded.

"How so?"

"I'll be seeing my therapist this evening."

Lupino's eyes widened. "What for?"

"I've got these strange dreams. I think they're about Belleza."

Lupino sighed thoughtfully. "There have been a lot of strange reports about sightings of Belleza lately around most of Lake Pretca. I've assigned some magicians to take care of it but she refuses even to acknowledge most of them. It's strange because of the fact that ghosts tend to be a bit pickier about who sees them and who doesn't."

"How long has your family been dealing with this?"

"Ever since the palace was moved into Ikasarat. My ancestors spent a lot of time dealing with her and it seemed to back down during the Garou dynasty, but ever since our childhood she's been appearing more and more. There was talk that she was seen around the hospital when you were born. She even possessed your mother in order to touch you."

Valencia returned with the beer and poured some of it into the glass, leaving the rest of the bottle on the table for Reynard.

"You're having a beer at quarter after three?" Lupino said incredulously.

"As the humans say," Reynard said. "It's five o'clock somewhere."

Lupino stared for a moment, then turned to Valencia. "I'll have what he's having."

Valencia nodded and walked away back to the bar. Lupino waited until she was out of earshot before continuing.

"Anyways, my father's been all over the island himself and all around the edges of the lake. People have been seeing the ghost of Belleza Oncera more and more often over the past few years. Come to think of it, they started around the same time you started seeing your therapist about these dreams."

"It's just a coincidence," Reynard said. "Nothing more. It's been years since even father stepped inside the royal palace. We have almost nothing to do with it anymore. Father and mother run a shop and pay taxes and I work at a mining company and pay taxes. It's the most of us lately that even goes anywhere near the palace."

"It's a shame, though."

"Yes. But if I did they'd start calling me the 'lost Duke of Ikasarat'. Even if it was just to visit with the royal family."

"But you're with the royal family right now and no one's around."

Reynard smiled. "You've spent so much time around commoners I've almost forgotten you were a prince. Anyways, discretion is key. This place is high-end enough they don't allow prying eyes near the establishment unless there's a food critic inside."

Valencia returned with the drink and pulled out a pad. "Now, what would you two gentlemen like to order? I can recommend the baked chicken and pasta with meat sauce and mizithra cheese or the smoked tilapia with lemon and lime and a side of rice pilaf."

"I'll go with the baked chicken," Reynard said.

"I'll take the tilapia," Lupino said.

Valencia nodded and wrote the order down. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"Another beer and a soda to go with dinner," Reynard said.

"Same here," Lupino said.

Valencia smiled. "Alright. Thank you very much."

Reynard once again found himself staring at the oddly familiar rosette pattern on the piece of Valencia's neck that they appeared on, in addition to the well-groomed silver, white, and black fur. And he found himself staring into those bright blue eyes whenever she was looking his direction.

"You're staring at her again," Lupino said.

"Shut up," Reynard said.

"You've always told me how you thought your own rosettes were like dirt," Lupino said, "and yet you can't help but stare at them on someone else. Though in this case, I can't blame you. She is quite the looker for a leopard Felid. It makes me miss the bachelor life I had before I got engaged and entered the military three years ago."

"The rosettes are like dirt," Reynard said. "I'd be a normal Vulpine if I didn't have them. I could mention the name of Oncera and people wouldn't be treating me like I'm royalty. That was five hundred years ago and they still insist that I should be a Ikasaratan representative."

"I wager you don't get out to the public pool much, do you?"

"I used to before someone saw the rosettes and asked too many questions."

"Come on, man! You need to get out more. You can't shut yourself up in your apartment forever."

"I can certainly try."

Lupino pointed to Valencia, currently taking another table's order. "I think you'd have a chance with her."

"I'd rather not take it. I don't want Belleza to start acting up again."

"What do you mean?"

"The dreams got worse when I was with my last girlfriend."

"Okay, now you're just making up excuses. She's been dead for five hundred years. It's not likely she's going to make you wait until you're dead to be with her. Besides, you know the stories; you'll probably be reciting them to your therapist this evening."

"No need to rehash them earlier, now is there?"

Lupino ran his tongue along his teeth.

The plates arrived and the two started eating. For a long while they were both silent until Lupino spoke up again.

"What exactly happened with the last girlfriend?"

Reynard sighed. "She was a standard Vulpine, maybe a little coyote in her but I couldn't tell. We were on our third date before Belleza started interfering. It started as little things moving around, the occasional flap of the window. That sort of thing. But as the night wore on it got worse: she pulled her tail and her ears and her tail and eventually possessed her for a minute and made me see a leopard for a minute before it returned. The Vulpine thought I was delusional and left me."

Lupino shook his head and Reynard could tell he was on the verge of laughing. "You poor, poor fox. I thought it was your species that was known for being tricksters, but it seems Belleza is one step ahead of you."

Reynard's eyes narrowed. "I have half a mind to break my beer bottle over your head."

"Hey, hey!" Lupino put his paws over his head. "I take it back! I take it back!"

Reynard sighed. "Anyways, I'll be having an appointment with Kirota at six. I already told her that little story and she just advised me to stay calm and try again. But with the way my sleeping schedule has become, I'm not sure it's the right time."

"It doesn't have to start out with you taking her back to the apartment," Lupino noted. "You could always just arrange a few coffee shop meetings, get dinner a few times, then start seriously thinking about going out. Besides, you need to make a few more friends besides myself, your boss, and that brown-tipped Felid living below you."

"Mister Himomura's a crab," Reynard said. "I supposed that whole thing about finicky felines is true. He thinks I can just turn off my spasms at will, no matter how many times I tell him the reason."

"He pushed your buttons this morning, didn't he?"

"He called me a 'stupid, degenerate fox-leopard hybrid', if you want to know the exact words."

"Well, that's a bit harsh."

"At least you understand it, though. I swear, most people look at me and think 'How the hell were you created?' Some even think I was an experiment of sorts."

"Well, it is unusual to see a cross between two different species. I mean, you are a Vulpine and Felid mix, and just seeing a mix of two Canids or two Felid mixes is very rare."

"I prefer that to a degenerate hybrid."

Lupino nodded and finished off his own beer in three big gulps, sighing contentedly. Reynard quietly sipped the last of his own and started pulling out his wallet before he noticed a paw on the table.

"It's been a while," Lupino said. "Let me pay as thanks for getting together."

"It was you who arranged the meeting. I'll pay."

"Let me do it this time. You can pay at the next place."

Reynard shrugged. "That works."

Valencia came around and started picking up plates. "Would you two gentlemen like anything for dessert?"

"No, thank you," Lupino said.

For a moment, Reynard couldn't help but stare. He hadn't noticed it before, but Valencia was the spitting image of Belleza Oncera; her deep blue eyes stared at Reynard expecting an answer, but for a while Reynard was unable to give one. All Reynard could see was the familiar young snow leopard not much older than he was, not thin but not very large, either, with a coat of soft white and grey fur, black ears, and the darker grey rosettes on her back. Her grey tail swayed gently behind her, ending in a black ring and a white tip.

"Sir?" Valencia's voice rang out soft and clear. "Would you like anything for dessert?"

Reynard shook his head. "No, thank you."

Valencia tilted her head. "Do you need a glass of water?"

Reynard put a paw to his forehead and found he was hot. His reflection in the beer bottle next to him showed his fur was redder than ever. "Yes, please," he said almost immediately.

"I'll go get that for you. And I'll take your card. What payment is this?"

"Credit," Lupino said.

Valencia nodded before picking up the plates and Lupino's credit card off the table. Reynard kept the paw on his forehead for a minute, trying to adjust to the sudden heat wave he was feeling, which didn't go away until Valencia was in the kitchen and out of sight.

"What's wrong with you?" Lupino asked. "You drink too much?"

"She looks just like Belleza does," Reynard said. "But... I couldn't tell. She's not so tall as Belleza was, and she didn't have as much extra fur like the winter coat, but she looked just like Belleza for a moment."

Valencia came around and dropped off the card and a glass of water for Reynard. Reynard slowly sipped it until the redness and the heat left him, though the surroundings remained a blur for a minute longer. Lupino signed for the card and gave it back to Valencia, smiling at the two as she walked away and thanking them for coming to the restaurant. Lupino didn't speak again until she was well out of sight and he had put a tip down on the table.

"She does look like the pictures I've seen of Belleza," Lupino remarked. "Not exactly spitting image, but I see why you thought that."

"That's the sort of thing I was talking about earlier. But... I felt no malice this time."

"...you are still going to talk to Kirota this evening, right?"

"After that? I wouldn't miss it if Ikasarat was under attack."

Lupino's eyebrows raised momentarily. "I'd say that was a bit extreme a comparison, but I'm not the one with the strange dreams. Anyways, I'll likely be contacting you in a week with whatever our paranormal experts come up with. Maybe that will hold a clue to whatever you're dealing with."

"Thank you," Reynard said. "Even if it's nothing, it will help me much more than you think just to hear you report and saying you tried."

"Your family might have been removed from the palace," Lupino said as they got up and walked out of the restaurant, "but you've still got the connections whenever you need them. You know my number."

Reynard nodded, said goodbye to his old friend, and walked off towards the train station.