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Everything was a blur. I remember passing out on the ground while I was taking a walk. The rest of it was nothing. I was drawing a huge blank and I don't have a pencil. The whole experience was just horrible. I thought it would never end. I thought I was going to be stuck with that infection for the rest of my life. I was glad that I had thought wrong on that. When there's a will, there is a way. There is also hope. You just have to have it.

I had awoken in my bedroom. I was surprised I was not in the hospital that time. As I sat up slowly I felt a little pinch in my neck. Did I get stung by another Hypno Bee? I don't think I did because this pinch was a little different. I slowly rose up to my feet and walked out of my room. I looked down the stairs and saw that everybody was gathered around and having a fun conversation. I could not help but smile from what I was seeing. I decided to join in on the party and made my way down the stairs where everybody greeted me with very warm smiles.

"You look much better than yesterday," Shadow said to me.

"I do," I replied. "I feel great! I feel like I can run 500 miles to the North Pole and back." Of course, that was an exaggeration. I hope that didn't give Shadow any bright ideas which nine times out of ten, it does.

"Well, that is good to hear. You have a lot to catch up on at the Academy, but we both know you'll do just fine." Shadow sounded just as cheerful as I did. I'm really glad to have that virus taken care of.

"Guil!" I heard someone say from the little crowd as I saw Shang run over to me. His tail was wagging like crazy and he hopped up with his front paws on my stomach.

"Hey there, Shang," I said to him with the same smile still on my face.

"You're better now!" he said sounding more excited than everybody else in the room. "All of us were really worried about you! We thought we'd lost you forever!"

"That's not going to happen anytime soon, Shang. I do not think I'm going anywhere anytime soon." It was then I had looked up and I saw His Majesty approaching me. "Y-You're Majesty! What on Earth are you doing here? It's an honor!"

"The honor is all mine, my child," he said to me. "We saw that you had needed assistance and I'd shave my beard if I let that virus take you away from us. I would not think that Nixon would forgive me for that. At any rate, while you were unconscious, the doctors and nurses treated to your wounds and gave you the anti-virus before it stirred up in your body again. You should be alright now."

"You guys...really did all of this for me?"

"You really need to stop asking such self-conscious questions like that," Grazar had said as he approached me. "That isn't like you. You're not getting too soft on us, are you?"

I just shook my head.

"No. But, thank you, all of you. You did so much just to save me from...whatever that virus was. I am happy to have such a loving family."

We all smiled at each other and laughed. I was really blessed to have them. Even if my mother and father weren't around, they were still watching from up above. Now that I was better, I am more than excited to resume my studies at the Hawk Academy.

I had to take it easy on that day to get my strength back. The next day came by and I was back at the Academy to catch up on my studies. It didn't really take me long to catch up on what I miss over a month. I made many friends along the way despite being one of the youngest in the school but I didn't let that bother me. I was having the time of my life. My main, and personal, instructor was Shadow but I had many other instructors as well to teach me many other strategies and weaponry as well. Strange enough, they say every time they see me I "remind them of their children back home".

My studies and training at the Hawk Academy was going by without a hitch. It's been nearly 2 years since I was a student and I was at the top of my classes. On my 15th birthday Shadow surprised me with something I was working so hard to obtain: The Captain position. I was honored to have my own Captain outfit. I basically wore a red jumpsuit that was just my size and I had a golden armor on with yellow shoulder pads and knee pads. I wore black boots with grey fingerless gloves. Of course I had a belt with my sword hoisted on my left side since I'm right-handed with the same pistol I got from the Masked Eagles' fortress on my right side. Most Warriors would also carry around a shield but I preferred not to have one. To make things better, I was also given the title "MasterGuil". I liked that title. The funny thing was when Shang heard about my position he even started calling me "master".

"Why do you want to call me 'master', Shang?" I asked him. "That feels a bit weird."

"Because that is who you are!" He replied in a happy tone. "Besides, I've wanted to call you that for a while. I feel like I can still learn a lot from you. So that's that; you're my master from now on. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

I just shook my head and let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, if that's what you want." I could not get mad at his new optimistic behavior. He was 5 years old now and I could have sworn he's gotten bigger. He looked bigger than any wolf I've even met and he still had a lot of energy in him. Ever since the incident with the virus 2 years ago he looked more determined than ever. He was even training with me in combat when I would go out to the training field. It reminded me of when he and I were training with his father. I'm sure his father would be so proud of him right now. I know I am. He has even gotten used to having a dagger in his mouth and his speed is still incredible. He is as fast as I am. I must say that I am a tad jealous.

Shadow called me in later the same day I had received my outfit. I walked into his office and he directed my attention to four beings that were standing against the wall. He said that I was assigned my own team seeing as though I was the youngest Captain of the Hawk Warriors. He introduced them one at a time. The person on the left was named Tyrone Shakkor. He had a black robe with a black hood over his head. I could tell he had the Hawk Warrior outfit on under his robe because I could see a little bit of the pants underneath where he wore his brown boats. I looked closely at him and I saw that he had a silver mask on. So I take it he is pretending to be Jason Voorhees or Casey Jones. I didn't ask any questions on that. The one thing that got my attention from him was that huge sword he had sheathed on his back. Why on Earth does he have that? I wonder how skilled he is with it.

The person on the right was named Elgris Maywok. She had orange hair while wearing a red scarf around her neck and she too was wearing the Hawk Warrior outfit. She wore all black with a brown belt and brown boots. She had a rapier hoisted on her right side so I assume she's left handed. I looked closely at her eyes and I saw that they sort of resemble cat eyes. Perhaps she was a hybrid like me?

Then there was the person standing next to Tyrone. His name was Bradley Levens. He didn't look like your average enthusiastic person. He had that demeanor that just says "Whatever dude. I don't even care. I don't even want to be here, anyway". I was surprised that he was wearing the Hawk Warriors attire on. He had yellow hair and had a not-so-welcoming expression on his face. Immediately, I could tell he wouldn't be easy to get along with so I barely paid him any mind at all.

Then...there was the person next to him. Her name was Tirela. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw here. She had long orange hair and she, too, was wearing the Hawk Warriors outfit. It's obvious that I was attracted to her. I don't know what it was but I wanted to take this time to get to know her. She just looked that stunning. I hope I don't turn into one of those infatuated morons who would totally make an ass out of himself to try to please a woman and be a show-off. I probably just jinxed myself just by saying that.

"Today is the day of your first mission as Captain with your own time, Guil," Shadow said to me. "We have received word from other villages of a smuggler we have been looking for. He is a wolf named Ranger and it's been said he has been stirring up some trouble in the forest near that burnt village we came across earlier. Your mission is to find him, get him to talk, and then bring him in."

We all stood at attention and nodded. Our orders were clear as we made our way to the forest. This was all new to me. It was my first mission as one of the Captains of the Hawk Warriors. I was not going to let anybody down. We walked through the forest as we were also dealing with the awkward silence between all four of us. We came to a halt when we saw a brown shed that was completely unguarded. I didn't like the look of that. We could be springing into a trap. I took the initiative to creep up on the shed and peeked up through the window that was on the left side. To my relief, it was Ranger sitting alone at a desk in his chair. I signaled the others to approach and Bradley, with his sword in hand, kicks down the door. Ranger jumped from his desk and went to grab something from his drawer. Elgris was faster than him and tackles him to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand.

A few minutes later we had Ranger tied up to his chair. He was certainly not happy with what was happening.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" he yelled out.

"We'll ask the questions around here, bub!" Elgris yelled back at her. "Now, we understand that you're a smuggler of some sort. You mind explaining that? Tell us what we want to know and we'll make things easy for you."

"Why would I want to answer to mere children?"

While she was trying to interrogate Ranger, I was browsing through some files and I came across some interesting photos. In the photo that I happen to pick up was him next to a little girl. They seemed happy together. I guess he saw what I was holding and he began rocking frantically in his chair.

"You get your hands off of that!" He growled at me as he struggled in his chair. I looked at him with a sly grin.

"Why? What's valuable about this picture?" I asked him with that same grin. Then I got an idea that would get him to talk. "Hold that thought. Hey Tyrone, do you have a lighter on you?"

Tyrone checked his pockets and he pulled out a blue lighter and tossed it to me. I flicked open the top and ignited the flame. As I did I brought the picture closer to the flame and then I heard him started whimpering.

"Please, no! Don't burn that picture! It means everything to me!" He started to get a bit more restless in that chair but his reactions were hilarious to watch.

"Mind filling us in on the smuggling business?" By that time the corner of the picture was starting to turn black and melt away as it was still near the fire. He remained silent for a good while biting his bottom lip. That's when he gave in and started to snarl at us.

"Okay, you little brats! You win! I'll talk! Just don't burn that picture!"

"Good." I flicked the top back on the lighter to put out the flame and tossed the lighter back to Tyrone. I put the picture back on his desk and I approached him slowly. "Now then, your smuggling business?"

I heard him sigh and his ears lowered.

"I was hired by the Captain of the Masked Eagles to bring in illegal firearms and illegal custom parts into their land so that they would have an advantage over the Hawk Warriors. To be honest, I highly enjoyed it. It was the only thing that was keeping me happy now. I don't have anything anymore."

I was starting to figure out who that little girl in the picture was.

"So I take it that little girl in the picture was your daughter?" I asked him which caused everyone in the room to go wide-eyed and look at him. He slowly nodded and I saw that he was crying.

"My little girl, Mindy, was the best daughter I ever had. When her mother passed away, we had to leave our home because we were fireworks specialists and everybody considered us threats. We moved to what we didn't know was the Forbidden City. We were only there for a week when my daughter got really sick. She was in bed for a few days and that's when she died. I didn't know what to do... I lost everything; my wife, my child, and my home. In order to make a living I was hired by their captain to smuggle in guns for them."

That was a very unfortunate story. Poor guy. He knew what he was doing was wrong and I have some symphony for him. For some reason, how his daughter died sounded familiar to me. It sounds like the same way my mother died. Was this just a coincidence?

I sighed as I reached out to rub his head.

"I apologize, Ranger," I said to him as he looked up at me. "You don't have to keep working for them and keep living a life of crime. We'll take you in and we can get things settled at the Hawk Court. Everything will be fine."

"If you really believe that things will be better for me, I guess I'll go peacefully."

I nodded but something struck my mind. I need to ask him something.

"But, I have one question for you."

"And what might that be?"

"Do you know who Nixon Hawkings is?"

I saw his ears perk up slightly as he blinked.

"I do. I will admit I did not like him. He always seemed too cocky. Nothing really got him angry. He was always liked by everyone like one of those snotty rich-kids. He just seemed so stuck-up and it was irritating me to no end."

That was enough to raise my suspicions of him. He caught the glare I was giving him and stared at me.

"...Did you kill my father?"

He remained silent and then he shook his head.

"Even though I hated that guy, I did not kill him. I heard about his death and I felt really bad about it. I regretted not apologizing to him. So I am not your murderer and I am sorry about your father."

I sighed and looked down. Damn it. It's not him. But then again, why did I ask him? The person who killed my father was a dragon. But he could've been hired by someone. I don't know. There are so many possibilities as to how this could've gone down. I will keep looking for him and I will bring him to justice.

"Alright. Our work here is done," I announced to my team. "Let's untie Ranger and bring him back to Hawktown."

They all nodded...except Bradley. He was staring intently at Ranger. He approached the back of him and lifted his head up, completely taking all of us by surprise.

"Bradley, what the hell are you doing?" I said to him. I saw him pull out his survival knife and held it at Ranger's neck.

"We really do not need him anymore," he said in a low voice. "He needs to be disposed of so he won't supply the Masked Eagles with more firearms."

"Those are not our orders, Bradley!" Elgris yelled at him. "We're supposed to bring him back and let the Hawk Consul and the King deal with him. He already said he's turning over a new leaf so don't kill him!"

Bradley remained silent with Rangers head lifted in one hand while he was holding the knife in the other hand.

"Bradley, seriously, put the knife away," Tyrone yelled as well.

His hand was trembling as it looked like he was moving it away from his neck but the unbelievable happened.

"No," was all Bradley said before he dragged the blade across Ranger's neck, cutting it open as his blood pours out onto his shirt and onto the floor. He was gagging and choking on his own blood. We all gasped as Bradley tossed him over on his side as he bled out and more blood pouring out of his throat. He actually did it. He killed Ranger.

"Bradley, are you out of your damn mind?!" Tirela cursed at him. "Why the hell did you do that?! You disobeyed an order and that will not be tolerated!"

Bradley didn't say anything as he walked past us and out the door. We were all in total shock. Indeed we got him to talk but we were supposed to bring him back alive. What Bradley did was unnecessary. He went against orders and killed someone. That doesn't sit right in my book or anybody else's.