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Arthur

I had the luxury of watching a lady fall from the top of a very high hill then plummet into a river filled with crocodiles.

We waited until the two men were gone down the river with our boats. I placed my trust in Zoey that she had made the right choice since I knew she had put her faith in those men. Worst case scenario: they were really working for the Overlord and just brought us here to send us to our death. I'd like to think they were really on our side, but we never knew who was really with who in this war. Though Damien could confirm they had allegiance with us, they could be easily swayed with bribery and freedom.

Zoey and I quickly gathered up our supplies and troops, setting out into the lush and dense forest filled with who knows what. Trees surrounded us from every angle, the sounds of ferals came from every direction, and it was almost like I could feel like we were being watched.

I took point ahead of the others with a two of my men, keeping a close watch on what might attack us. We stepped over thick root after thick root, pressing our feet into the mushy ground with each step, uncertain if we were just walking into our own demise. The ground sank about an inch with each step we took, making it difficult to track through the mud at a moderate speed.

The others followed as quickly as they could behind us. They had just as much trouble as us pushing aside the huge leaves, thick brush, and pulling out of the deep mud. Some even resulted in pulling out their machetes to start cutting down the vegetation in their path. A good idea on their part.

I followed their lead and took mine out, slashing through the thick vegetation as if it were butter. Some things were much harder to cut than others, but I managed to clear a path ahead for everyone else to follow. Time after time, I found myself being slapped with large leaves and thick vines and plants as I tried to push them apart only to cut them down a few moments later.

Pushing through the thick forest was the difficult part. I had to stop a few times and help some of the soldiers up the harder parts, pry them from the deep mud, and aid them up moss covered logs. When it came to the trickier things, I had to be aided by Zoey a few times under roots and through heavy plant life.

Eventually, I pushed back up ahead with my allies. They watched our small group from the sides while I cut through the vines and plants with the soldiers behind me.

Taking another step forward, I tripped over a root covered by huge leaves, only to be caught by one of the troops behind me. I was lucky he caught me otherwise I would've fallen into a deep pothole unto a pit of darkness. My heart thumped hard against my chest. All I could see was darkness looking into the hole, not to mention a sound or two that only caused my body to shudder nearly uncontrollably.

"Fuck," I cursed sharply.

I tried my best to remain calm while they pulled me up, making sure I was secure before letting me go. Even I couldn't deny that I was shaking by the time Zoey came up to meet me.

"Are you okay?" She asked with urgency, nearly out of breath.

I nodded, letting out a pained breath of my own. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Just almost fell to my death is all. Totally fine with that."

She gave me the serious look. "Arthur..."

I sighed. "Okay, I'm a little shaken up is all. I'm fine for the most part."

That answer seemed to satisfy her more. "Better." I saw her look over my shoulder then point. "Look."

I followed her finger and traced it to where she was directing. We appeared to be on a small hill, but it was nothing compared to the hill we could see in the distance. It had to be at least double what we were on right now, and it wasn't that far off either. We still had plenty of jungle to track through, but I could definitely see the hill and a few things we could take notice of.

Zoey handed me my inferred binoculars, allowing me some time to take point and look in the distance. I focused more on the area closer to the hill rather than the jungle around it.

"What do you see?" she asked while our soldiers set up a perimeter around us.

I held up a finger. "I see about half a dozen guards patrolling the wall around the jungle. There are two small watch towers blocking the gate into the compound, and I can see a few guards on the inside."

"Is that it?" she asked.

I shook my head, handing her the binoculars so she could see for herself. "Two mini guns mounted on each tower, and I believe I see two snipers on the sides of each tower. As far as this place goes, they're acting like it's a fortress."

"For all we know, it could be for that matter," she replied. "Just because it doesn't have a huge camp inside doesn't mean it isn't harboring an army."

I shrugged. "You might be right. Nonetheless, we're not getting inside with all those guards out on the prowl. We're gonna have to take them out before we can get inside. God knows how many more they might have inside."

At least we could agree there. She couldn't deny that I could be right about there being more soldiers just waiting for action to happen. There could very well be an army waiting for us if we made a wrong move and got caught, so we had to take things even more carefully than before. That was what we were trained for anyway, so we honestly couldn't fail.

"That's odd," she stated, squinting into the binoculars.

I turned towards her. "What's up?"

She handed the hardware. "Look at the top of the building--the very top. I see something."

Deciding it was worth checking out, I looked through the binoculars and maximized on the location she was referring to. I could definitely see something, or rather someone, up there. Who could possibly be up this early in the morning, besides us? You'd have to have insomnia, pretty bad insomnia, to be up this early in the middle of a jungle.

Actually, it wasn't just one person but two. I maximized a few more times to figure out who exactly they were. One of them appeared to be a raccoon by the looks of it, a female considering her breasts. She walked casually over to the edge of the top of the laboratory, dangerously standing over the edge of the place. Did she have any regard for her safety? I eventually turned to the second who stood right where...he...was...

I nearly dropped my binoculars, fumbling with them until I secured them over my eyes again. "Oh, my, god."

Zoey looked at me puzzlingly. "What's wrong?"

"J...Jupiter," I spoke, nearly in a pained whisper. If I could look at myself, I was almost sure all the color had drained from my fur until I looked like Damien and his white fur.

Zoey seemed just as shocked as I was. "Jupiter? You can't be serious."

I gulped, feeling my throat grow dry. "What other panther has four claw marks across his face in the form of scars?" I sighed, shaking my head with both frustration and aggravation.

My description was spot on. I certainly convinced Zoey that it was definitely him. There was no mistaking him. I would know him if I saw him, and I knew that this was definitely him. I zoomed more on him than the woman to be entirely sure that it was him.

Smug expression? That was a check. Four claw marks that were now scars across his face? Unfortunately, check. Amber eyes that looked as scary as they were deadly? Check. That was definitely him all right.

Now, my biggest question right now had to be pretty obvious. What the hell was he, of all people, doing in the middle of a jungle inside a laboratory surrounded by soldiers? Why would someone like him come here? There was no way it was to relax. Oh, god no. He was way too into the higher class with advanced technology to be in the middle of a primitive paradise where there had to be less electronics than he could fathom.

In all honesty, I didn't care why he was here. He was here and that was going to cause a million more problems for me mainly. Though the soldiers around me knew about him, I doubted they had ever been a slave to him. They didn't know what kind of a man he was until they spent a year under his watchful and menacing eye. I shuddered remembering what it felt like.

He was a killer that was for sure. Slaves died left and right like flies on his plantations, and those that survived were just treated worse and worse until they finally gave in to the clutches of death. Did he seem to care? Of course not. They would fall one day then be replaced just a day or so later. We were treated like garbage most of time anyway and being replaced after death without even a proper burial was the ultimate insult.

At least I gave my parents one. They too fell victim to Jupiter's unrelenting pressure and mercilessly died at his hand. I would never forget that day, and I could feel it come back to me piece by piece. It took all the willpower, and a few shakes of my head, to make sure I remained focused on the task at hand.

"Anything else?" Zoey asked, breaking my train of thought.

I was so lost in my memories that I forgot about focusing. "Hold on. I see Jupiter and a girl...looks like the girl is standing near the edge of the roof."

"Anything else?" she repeated once more, prompting me forward as I looked through my tool.

I held up another finger. "Hold on, he's doing something." I looked closer, zooming in as far as these things could take me. "It looks like he's telling her to do some--Oh, shit."

"Arthur, details."

"She just pulled out a gun," I answered quickly. "Now, she's pointing it at Jupiter." What was going on? Why was she all the sudden about to shoot and possibly kill Jupiter? This wasn't making sense.

Zoey sounded surprised when she spoke. "Wait, what? She just pulled out a gun? Is Jupiter trying to stop her?"

I shook my head. "No, he's not. In fact, he looks like he's about to take the shot."

"I think you're just fucking with me."

Suddenly, I saw her pull the trigger and fire. The loud pop could be heard even from our distance away, and we were still considerably far away. The ricochet didn't look like it had the power to send her backwards, but it apparently had enough energy to push her off the edge of the laboratory. I watched as she fell over the edge and plummet all the day down the hill, finally impacting right into the water where I could no longer see her.

When I took the binoculars away from my eyes, I watched a large group of birds fly away from the sound into the moonlight. They were exactly like me after I witnessed that: frightened.

"You were saying?" I mocked hoarsely.

Jupiter

The pain from being shot was a feeling he remembered all too well when it became a common everyday thing long ago.

Jupiter immediately crumpled over and gripped the bleeding wound in his shoulder while Adrianne fell off the edge of the building. He fell on to his hand and knees, clutching his shoulder in pain while the ring of the bullet continued to repeat itself inside his head like a broken record.

He groaned painfully, finding the pain from the shot taking more will on his part to not give into the brutal ache which was rapidly filling his body. The panther continued to tell himself in his mind that the pain was a mere illusion that he wanted to believe was there, but he had to convince himself that his mind was just playing tricks on him and that he was only losing a vast amount of blood. Convincing himself was the difficult part, though. He couldn't get over the pain in his mind enough to actually focus on it not being there.

Once more, he let out a few more primal groans of pain before he heard the loud buzz of the alarm. Everything was going according to plan. All he needed to do was not give into the pain of the wound and he would gain all the sympathy from the guards instead of blame. Adrianne was already dead, for he heard the faint splash from the river amongst the ringing in his ears. Now, all he needed to do was look like the victim of the "accident" and he would get away without any suspicion, which was exactly what he was going for.

He took his hand away from his shoulder, meeting a new surge of pain erupting from his body that caused him to hiss out a few more times. His hand was covered in darkly colored blood, and it only trickled down his robe until it eventually made a very small puddle where he bent over. Looks as though he would need a new robe by the time this entire fiasco was all over.

By the time he was able to focus back on reality, he heard the sliding of the elevator behind him. Act natural, he told himself. Act like a man who was just shot and just witnessed the "suicide" of one of his trusted friends. He was good at acting anyway. After all, he managed to get this far.

Two soldiers ran out and knelt down next to him on both sides. He made convincing heavy, raspy breaths while they tried to help him onto his feet. Perfect. They already looked worried about him.

"Master Jupiter, are you alright? What happened? Who did this?" the one on the left asked with urgency and worry.

The one on the right sounded more cautious. "One at a time. Looks as though he was shot, is that right, my lord?"

Jupiter nodded, making careful quick coughs to make his scene more convincing. "Yes...I was shot..."

"Did you happen to see who did it?" the one on the left asked, slinging one of Jupiter's arms over his shoulders while he friend copied his move.

This was the moment of truth for Jupiter. He had to make this as believable as possible or else he would get himself into even more trouble than he desired. Hopefully, he could convince these two dull men that he was the victim of the attack instead of the perpetrator

"It was...Adrianne," he replied with as hoarse of a voice as he could muster.

They both stared at him in disbelief, utterly shocked that he would admit to such an allegation. Seems it would take more than a simple confession to sway their opinion otherwise.

"Adrianne? No, no, no. Im...Impossible," the left one shook his head. "She would never do such a thing...would she?" He looked to his friend.

His friend looked unsure of himself. "I...I don't know. She doesn't seem like the person who would do something like that without some sort of viable explanation."

They helped Jupiter onto his feet. "Do you think it was because of her husband?"

Curiosity sparked within Jupiter. He had to know. "What...What's wrong with her husband?" He asked with groggy pain.

The soldier on his right explained it to him while they pulled him to the elevator. "He's pretty...unstable emotionally. We've seen him completely break down a few times for no real rhyme or reason, honestly. The man has a brilliant mind, but he can't really cope with hard things."

The soldier on the left pressed the button. "Heaven help the poor man once he finds out about this."

The other agreed. "Yeah, can't say I blame him this time. God knows how he's going to react to this, and I don't want to be the man who tells him."

Jupiter and the two guards entered the elevator once it opened, quickly making their way down to the floor of Jupiter's choice. He told them to stop on floor number seventeen. Despite the fact that he was still bleeding a decent amount of blood, slowly beginning to feel lightheaded, he had to persevere and finish up the things he needed to get out of the way.

"Sir, sit down," one of them ordered. "We'll try to patch you up until we can get a doctor."

He didn't argue and took a seat in the corner while they pulled the bloody part of the robe away. The hole was large, but it wasn't so large it took up most of his shoulder. He still bled while they quickly got to work. First, they cleaned the area around the wound and the wound itself with water they had on hand, using spare cloth to provide pressure to diminish the blood as much as possible. Jupiter struggled trying to cope with the new pain erupting form his body, and he cursed them for making it so painful.

Next, they wiped away any water then brought out some disinfectant. Once they sprayed it across the wound, Jupiter roared, forcing them to pin him to the wall while one of them used a few hand to spray the liquid across the bullet hole. Time after time, Jupiter roared and growled, feeling newfound pain shoot throughout his body.

Once they used a new cloth to wipe the area around it clean, they watered the area down with water and cleaned it up with an extra cloth. Jupiter could only hiss and groan while they did their work, yet he felt much better once the bandages were applied with the clean cloth. Could the elevator possibly go any slower? He thought. It felt like they had been going down for hours, but in reality, they had only been in there for a few minutes.

Just as the elevator stopped, they finished wrapping the bandages around the wound and sealed them shut. They then helped Jupiter onto his feet and brought him out into a massive flurry of scientists and soldiers making haste from one area to the next. Seems alarm protocols were taken very seriously here.

Patched up and better, Jupiter took his arms from the soldier's shoulders and faced them. "Thank you for your help, men. I'll be sure to give you proper recognition once this entire mess is dealt with. Dog tags, please?'

They both handed him the tags. Jay Velta and Scott Matters? Impressive names for two impressive men, if Jupiter thought so himself. At least they weren't squeamish cowards like a great deal of soldiers he had men in his life.

He handed the tags back. "Very well. I shall see you two later, for I have pressing matters to deal with."

Before he even turned around, Jay spoke up. "But, sir, with all due respect, you really need to see a doctor. We only did what our training taught us, but a doctor knows much more about this certain thing."

Jupiter rolled his eyes. "I will see a doctor then. Carry on back to your post."

"Do you need an escort?" Scott asked.

The feline was beginning to regret complimenting them. "I am a man growing old, but I am not that old. I can handle myself from here on out. Do not ask again."

He didn't even wait for a response and left the two of them to their thoughts. After all, he didn't have time to explain his reasons behind his sudden leave. He had things to take care of, and people to check on. The panther was a busy man and busy men like him didn't have time to answer a million questions each day that barely held any significance.

Many scientists, soldiers, and slaves passed him by without giving him so much of a curious look. That was good. Though his robe was still splotched in blood stains, they just passed by him as if he didn't even exist. He would rather be invisible during this time anyway seeing as he needed to get to his location without much delay. He didn't care that the slaves didn't bow in his presence for the time being either, but this would a rare occasion with that. After tonight, he expected them to be back in their place where they belonged.

Finally, he reached his destination.

Two guards stood by the metal door, holding their guns and standing erect with a forward presence that gave Jupiter a smile. Whoever trained these men were obviously top quality, and he noticed it in the way they saluted then bowed once he stood before them. They weren't slaves, but they definitely knew who treat with upmost respect and dignity.

"I demand entry into the prison chamber," Jupiter declared.

They turned to each other, and then nodded. Neither said a word but the one on the left turned around and tapped away at the keypad behind him. Once he was finished, he gave a nod to Jupiter and the panther allowed himself inside the dimly lit room.

A small group of men occupied the room. Each were chained by their wrists and ankles to the wall where they were allowed very little movement. They had been stripped of their uniforms and items, at least the ones they could find, and were changed into a pair of tight leather pants and stood their bare-chested.

He could tell the past couple of days had utterly destroyed them internally. They looked tired, weak, shaky, and above all else, broken. They all looked scrawnier than the last time Jupiter had seen them, but he made sure to feed them enough to get through a few days. He couldn't feed them every day or else the torture would be meaningless since being strapped to a wall in a very awkward position for a few days and being whipped, beaten, and assaulted wasn't torture enough.

Jupiter looked at each of them. He counted around ten in total. That was a little less than the number he recalled when he had found them snooping around the perimeter. No matter. They would give him what he wanted in due time. All he had to do was snuff out all their will and he would get the information he prized the most.

"Pathetic," Jupiter huffed.

The built up man looked at the way they held themselves, the way they looked at him, and the way they acted around him. He could hear groans of pain from the majority of them, some looking deathly ill and looked as though they were hanging on by a slim thread.

One surprised him above all else. He still stood with strength and dignity as if the past few days had done nothing to him. True, he looked skinner than the last time Jupiter had seen him, but he still held himself appropriately...on his own scale. The man made the panther raise a brow. This one was a curious one indeed, and he showed it without any consequence.

Jupiter stood in front of him and smirked. "You do not fear me." It wasn't even a question but more of a truthful statement.

The husky looked up and huffed. "I have nothing to be afraid of, you coward."

This one was interesting. "Oh? And why is that? Why am I a coward?"

"You hide behind your men and money, thinking your word is law. It is not. Your beliefs are just as corrupted as you and your officials."

"You think just because you barely know me--" Jupiter was cut off.

"I know more about you thank you might possibly think, Mr. Thalum." The husky was very monotone, yet the panther could hear resentment in his voice. "I know you think that men who cannot afford to be on your level of wealth deserve to serve you and those who have just as much or more wealth than you. I am not blind. You treat people like toys for your own amusement and replace them when they become dull or broken."

For once, Jupiter remained silent. He couldn't think of any words to counteract what the man was saying. That was his philosophy entirely and the husky proclaimed it for everyone to hear as if he and the panther were the only ones in the room. Perhaps they all knew this about him, or perhaps they didn't. He assumed they all did though.

That almost frightened him.

The husky went on. "Do not play coy with me either, Thalum. I know how much authority you have, and you exercise it on a daily basis, almost reminding those under you where their place in society is. It is sick."

Jupiter chuckled this time. "Sometimes I have to enforce those guidelines or else people will rebel and do what they feel is right. Is that not what you and your Revolution are? People who think what they're doing is right?"

Without so much as a chuckle, the husky smirked. "This is coming from a man who has more money than he needs. Is it right to kidnap a child--an innocent, carefree child, I tell you--on the side of the road, who has done nothing wrong to you or society then place them up at an auction and force them to do whatever you ask? Where is the humanity in that? And then months later they can die and be replaced as if their existence means nothing. Do you call that humane? I certainly don't."

"We do not kidnap children. They are sold to us."

The canine growled and pulled forward, tugging at the chains on the wall. Jupiter could see the fire in his eyes. "Don't you give me that sack of shit, you sick fuck! I've seen it with my own eyes right when it was acted then looked up the files behind it! Missing child cases are reported constantly, I agree, but what happens when I see the exact same child kidnapped by your men come up on the news or a board? That is not justice! That is dark, foul, injustice!"

Growling, Jupiter took a step forward. "You best to hold your--"

"Tongue? Oh, say what you will. I do not care. You could hit me a million times and I will not give you a quarter of my pain. The Revolution will bring light into this corrupted, foul world. You just wait and see."

This time, Jupiter laughed. "You Revolutioners are all the same, thinking you can change the world. I have some news for you." He leaned right in the canine's face, smiling slyly. "You will lose this war, and I will personally watch as your forces crumble beneath you. Not even God will hear your pleas for help, for you will be dead long before this war ends."

Whoever this man was, he didn't seem fazed by the words yet instead countered the man. "I will die on my own accord. It will be you who will be begging for God's forgiveness by the time this war is over."

"Why is that, hmm?" Jupiter replied with a smug expression.

Almost cold and dark, the man looked right into the panther's eyes. "Because I will watch, dead or not, as Arthur kills you."

Jupiter stood back in horror, his eyes filled with fear once the husky finished speaking. How did he know about the boy? That seemed like impossibility that he shouldn't know of. Did he actually know about the fox or was the man just trying to provoke fear in the feline?

He couldn't deny that he was actually frightened. Though Jupiter waited for the day he reunited with the fox, he couldn't say he would be delighted to see the boy once more. He had seen time after time what the fox was capable of, and that was what scared him the most. His heart pounded against his chest so much that it slowly began to hurt, and the wound from earlier suddenly began to throb once more.

Deciding that he had heard enough, he turned around without so much as a glance towards the husky. "Perhaps you're not as foolish as I took you and your people for."

He left the room without another word.