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Watchful and vigilant over the landscape stood the pine marten. She stood tall on the top of the last remaining tower of the former fortress, Sanctuary. High in the air, the wind was not blocked by any foliage or mountains, allowing it to freely pull on the marten's fur. Her ears folded at the force, and her tail swayed like a flag with the wind, but she did not move a muscle.

The landscape below her breathed with the wind. The leaves of the trees rattled softly, announcing the movement of the wind. The streams below endlessly flowed in and out of lakes. Flocks of birds could be see surfing on the wind. In the distance were the tall mountains of the Espowyes mountain range. The tops of the mountains were covered in a white, and below the cap was the green body of vibrant forests that had regrown out from Sanctuary.

A few years ago, this valley would have been decorated with the brilliant skyscrapers and outskirts of Sterliam, the capital city. Now no roads or buildings disturbed the landscape, but that did not mean the inhabitants were gone.

From the roots of the tunnels that honeycombed the mountain of her parent's old cabin, and the tunnels that were beneath Sanctuary, extended an entire underground city. The cities are being rebuilt to how the Caniderans believed they should have always been built: with no affect on the landscape or ecosystems. Of course, this was the Creeper's goal as well.

Their enemy that had caused an immeasurable amount of suffering had ultimately helped their cities evolve.

"Ironic," muttered Tang. She hypothesized with the theory if the whole war could have been avoided if only the Creepers were willing to assist in creating a balance with their planet, rather than forcing it. If that had been possible, then her parents would still be alive, along with so many others that lost their lives throughout the war.

The past cannot be changed no matter how much she wanted though. Her parents were gone, and she would have to watch over the start of this new era.

Two months had passed since the end of the war, and the negotiations with Euno had ended. They were all trying to move on from the war, rebuild their lives but so many had lost those that they had dearly loved. Others had suffered in different ways.

Gazing back at the Espowyes Mountains, she wandered what Jun and Yukiomaru were doing at that moment. They were somewhere in that mountain range, finding the solitude and peace that they craved. Yukiomaru still suffered from the war, because of the lingering infection that did something terrible to his mind. In order for him to move on, he was spending all of his time with the marten that he loved.

Their isolation with each other was not only beneficial to Yukiomaru because Jun had also suffered during the war. The martens' parents were lost, and with the lost of Yukiomaru at the same time, Jun had nearly lost the essence of himself. He always was a light-hearted marten that thought the best of everyone, even if it had come to their ancient enemies, the Velmarians. Even though he had nearly lost that pure essence, he had preserved it and continued to do so by being with the fox that he loved.

Life was resuming for all of them. The affects of the war will never be forgotten, but they will move pass it.

A shift in the wind allowed for the marten to sense the presence of another on the top of the tower with her. She turned to see the orange-eyed wolf. He must have been standing there for longer than she knew, and he too was gazing out over the valley. The wolf met her gaze with a gentle smile.

Tang returned with a warm smile. She realized that even she had progressed beyond the war now that she lived with the wolf she loved. Calvin has been happier than she has ever seen him in the recent weeks, now that he was finally able to put the war out of his mind. Calvin had disliked the war from the start, and even before then he disliked the violence of combat. His military career started early in his lifetime, and it had begun with furious combat against the Velmarians. Ever since then, he had sought out peace for years but was unable to find it.

But with the smile he wore when he looked at her, Tang knew that he had found that peace, and that made her genuinely happy. The red tinted fur of the wolf moved with the wind like her own fur. It almost looked as if he were cold against the wind.

Tang walked up to him and gently wrapped her arms around the wolf. His fur was soft and warm to the touch, and his touch when he returned the hug was gentle. It always surprised her how gentle a veteran warrior like Calvin could be. She gazed up into the orange eyes, and saw her own dark blue eyes reflect from them.

Without any words exchanged, the two of them entered the tower into their home that was built at the top of that tower. That morning the marten and wolf spent together.

Even with an intimate morning, it did not last long because Tang would be leaving to visit Lutracha. With a couple farewell licks exchanged, the marten left for the port. Calvin stayed in their cozy home, and would be waiting to greet Tang home once again.

In the underground facilities that were built into the side of the mountain, Tang waited for her shuttle to arrive. The earthen tunnels had ships flying in and out of the underground port. Tang watched the ships go about their business and lost track of her own thoughts when a familiar soldier approached her.

"Tang Fa," her voice said softly. The marten turned to see the meerkat, Yelena Cassander. "I am glad that I found you before you left."

"Hello, Admiral Cassander," Tang greeted her. The meerkat stood with a blank expression, but her eyes suggested that she was thinking on something. "Any news from the patrols?"

"Quiet across all fronts," Yelena answered. "No sign of any Creeper infections. Euno has kept his word and has only been using non-infectious life forms."

"Euno won't risk war again and neither will we," Tang responded. The outcome of this war could have been far worse so Tang was pleased to hear that the peace between the alien races would last.

She knew the Stealths could still present a threat, but too many races were determined to keep peace that they'd pacify the Stealths immediately if the situation was required. She hoped it would not come to that.

"Yukiomaru's instincts were more heightened than mine," Yelena commented. "If there is danger out there, he'd find it and stop it before it became an issue. The same way he killed Aggressor before the planet was really destroyed."

"You know Yukiomaru is retired," Tang responded. Staring at the meerkat, she knew that the Admiral knew that but something else was bothering her.

"I have not heard from Yukiomaru in months," said Yelena. She stared directly into Tang's eyes. "I have protected him since we met in the academy. I helped practically raise him. I know how much the Creepers have affected him so I cannot help but to worry about him."

"Yukiomaru is living with my brother," Tang replied. Yelena was not only worried about the little arctic fox, but she also missed him. "He trying to forget everything associated with the what had happened to him. He's able to do that with Jun. Not long forget the Creepers but the life that he could have had if the military hadn't adopted him and trained him since he was a year old."

"That will be best for him," responded Yelena although she looked disappointed. "I'm on the planet for the next week. I hope that Yukiomaru will just let me know how he's doing before I leave to patrol again."

"I'll inform Jun that you're on the," Tang said. "He's very protective of Yukiomaru though so I cannot make any promises."

"I understand," Yelena said. "I don't wish to bother him." She started to turn to leave before adding, "Thank you, Tang."

Jun wasn't the only one that was protective and concerned over the arctic fox. Yelena has taken care of Yukiomaru for years, and now she was unable to care for him. She really did miss him.

Tang activated her PawPad. Even though she knew that Jun did not check for messages very often, and Yukiomaru had discarded his PawPad, she informed them of Yelena's arrival on the planet. Before she could finish the note, her PawPad alerted of the arrival of her shuttle.

Tang finished writing the message before boarding the shuttle. The trip wasn't long to reach Lutracha, and in a couple hours, the shuttle was descending toward the surface. Below her, she could see that there were a few solid domes near the ruins of the ancient cities. She knew that the Velmarians had been building those domes to house themselves, taking the idea from the fortress Sanctuary that was built on Canidera.

The ship entered through an airlock in one of the larger domes before landing, and the engines shutting off. Exiting the ship, Tang was greeted by the Theta twins.

"Welcome Tang Fa," Olivia greeted her on the landing pad. Behind her were several new buildings and gardens around each one. Inside the walls of the large dome, the soil and air seems to have been decontaminated from the radiation. "I believe this is the first time you've visited us since we've built these domes."

"Yes," Tang replied. She surveyed the twins, and noticed how their personalities have changed. Oliver's defensive attitude seemed to have vanished. Olivia was growing accustomed to the diplomatic attitude that the Caniderans have. "It seems that you've isolated these areas and successfully decontaminated them."

"We have, it is a great success," Oliva commented. She gestured toward the inside of the dome. "I'll take you on a tour and show you the progress we've made." Tang accepted and walked beside the salamander twins. "These domes are more than capable of housing what our races have been reduced to. Our purification systems broke down several times while we tried to remove the radiation from these ecosystems."

Tang was taken through one of the buildings and noticed that the Velmarians were also trying to build their cities underground.

"How are the large scale attempts going?" asked the marten.

"We have had some trouble removing contamination on the large scales," answered Olivia honestly. "It's been over a thousand years since the bombs fell on this planet, but they were too potent and too many. Every time we attempt to remove the contamination from the air, water or soil, the radiation levels grow too high and cause malfunctions with the equipment. I'll show you some of that equipment."

Olivia and her brother were enthusiastic about showing Tang around the dome. The equipment that purified the air in the dome was shown to her. The salamanders informed her that the isolated contaminations were pumped into the ground. It was the same solution for purifying the water and soil as well. Tang wasn't impressed since it didn't seem like a solution, and only a temporary fix.

Regardless, she was shown of the living compartments and other facilities including the gardens. Next to the gardens, the salamanders stopped Tang at a park.

"We're trying to reach the magma underneath the surface so that we can put the radiation directly into the molten soil to break it down," Olivia continued to inform the marten. "If we could turn the soil into the magma, then the contaminates will break down to normal levels."

"That is if you don't destroy all life forms that still survive on the surface," Tang replied. "Our scientists have found a chemical that can break down the contamination. It is just as hazardous as the radiation. With more work it can be made to break down at a much faster rate."

"You Caniderans have been studying the radiation affects for all this time," Oliver spoke up. "You must have a lot of research data on it."

"We did, but a lot of that was lost in the war," Tang replied. "If you send some of your scientists to Canidera to work with our scientists, they will be able to find a way to help cleanse this planet of the radiation."

"We'd be delighted to learn more of what we can to help fix this world," Olivia responded. "Our ancestors destroyed it and it is our responsibility to fix it. We have a lot to answer for, especially after what my brethren did during the war. They all paid with their attempts of controlling the Creepers with their lives but we still have ancient wounds to mend."

"Your commitment impresses us," Tang replied. "You are always welcome with us as long as no more conflicts arise."

"It's been thousands of years since the last Banished War," Oliver spoke up. "Our forces have not had the power to present a threat to your powerful society in all that time. Now we are at our weakest. You'll see no conflict from us."

"The bloodlust that was trained into us will disappear," Olivia continued her brother's words. "Those that survived have learned to respect the Caniderans for saving us. We will learn to live peacefully here."

"I know your words are truthful," said Tang. "I should meet with your scientists and take them back with me to Canidera. I expect that this planet will be habitable again in a few generations. There's a lot of work to do but I trust we'll be successful."