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CHAPTER 2

"Not necessarily. What I'm trying to say is that all of us have Mana, but though the dragons have the least they can still change their form, although you would be safer as one of us, by that I mean a Cheetah." Avery said in a rush.

"Wait, calm down," James said with confusion. "It's starting to make sense but please, just slow down."

The Cheetah took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.

"Alright. You get that all of us have Mana yes? Ok, so that means you get that the amount of Mana we have varies with the species so that some of us have more than others. Also that cheetahs' have the most, but we have the most because we need to protect from higher predators, that also the Dragons have the least because they are the highest on the food chain. Now do you get it?" he explained calmly.

"Yes. But just one more question, why can't I choose two exactly?" James said with curiosity.

"Because when you choose an animal you basically shed your Human skin to become an Infant version of the Anthro that you decide to choose. That and it would not work out well when you're born into you're new life. One more thing, we age to maturity at an alarming rate, by the time we're fully grown it's been two years."

"Ok, now it makes sense. So what do we do know?" James queried

"Now... we wait."

As it started to grow dark and the sun started to set in a most spectacularly way that you wouldn't see in the city, all the crickets that they had been hearing for the past hour or so stopped.

"Oh no," Avery said in a concerned voice as he pinned his ears and rolled his lip into a snarl, "they've never been here before. Why now? When I tell you to run, run."

"Why?" James asked while starting to back away from the big block table.

"Because it is most, undoubtedly, the Werle."

"But, I thought you said-" James was interrupted

"Yes, I know I told you they have little to no Mana, but that does not mean they aren't the best trackers. Now run!" Avery screamed

As James started to run he heard an explosion behind him, and as he whipped around he noticed there was a gaping fiery hole where the entrance had been and the battle that had started to unfold there.

The last that Avery saw of James was him disappearing into the forest behind the little clearing before an explosion bloomed out of the hidden entrance to his house and he was thrown back five feet to land on his back and the wind to have been knocked out of his lungs. When his breath returned and his muscles began to work again he stood up. The first thing he noticed seven figures standing just outside of the jagged remains that were left of his door and he thought to himself; goddambit they're pissed this time.

"What do you want dragons of the Werle?" Avery shouted over the ringing of his ears.

"You know exactly what we want Cheetah." They hissed in unison.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Avery said with a smirk.

"Oh we think you do, and don't keep denying it, for you have tried to help many others before and you also know that they will always become one of us. But, we are surprised that we haven't found this portal yet." The dragons said.

"That's nice and all, but really I'm surprised you haven't already tried to take me in yet." Avery said with a giant grin starting to appear on his face.

As the dragons started to move forward Avery raised his hands and released a flood like wave of faintly luminescent purple water. Whatever dragon it touched fell to the ground screaming with steam rising from the places where the water-like substance had touched them. What dragons did notice it rolled out of the way to come up and breathe a wall of white fire at him. Avery noticed this, dropped onto one knee and drew a semi-circle into the rock at his feet, and a wall of stone flew up to meet the fire. But what he didn't notice over the roar of fire and the hissing of superheated stone was a lone dragon moving to the back of the lone cheetah.

When the dragon got to his point of desire some 20 feet behind the cheetah he lifted his tail and ripped out one of the regrow-able spines there and bit back a cry of pain. When his eyes refocused he lifted the serrated spine and brandished it like a throwing knife. He then threw it straight at the cheetahs' heart.

Suddenly Avery felt a piercing pain in his back and he collapsed. As he reached a hand to find out what it was he felt the serrated spine and ripped it with some effort. He then coughed up some spittle flecked with blood, and his face contorted into a grim smirk. He flipped around as fast as he could and noticed the lone dragon standing behind him. He reached over to the roots of a tree near him and simply touched them; suddenly roots erupted from the ground below the dragon and pulled him into the earth. Avery whipped back to the battle at hand and noticed his rock wall was starting to grow soft at the edges with a blazing red circle in the middle. Suddenly the fire stopped and Avery dropped the rock wall.

"Well!" Avery shouted at them as he felt his Mana start to wane "you want me! Come get me!"

They started to advance towards him, cautiously at first because of what had happened to their comrades. Once they got in range of Avery he released his final assault on them. You see Avery knew his time was up so he went out with a bang, quite literally in fact. See as the dragons grew closer to him his fur started to deepen from the regular colors that they were to a black furred, red spotted cheetah with deep purple eyes. At which point he started to sway side to side, as if enticing them to attack. Now the dragons realized what was happening and recognised that this cheetah was going into a mode that all Anthros were born with, and it was simply called Rampage. Now this mode literally sucked all of the Mana from your body. That's why it's only used as a last resort.

With a screech, Avery released the attack which would bring about his end. As he rushed the first dragon that had started to run away in fear. Within two seconds he was upon the first to jump up and snap it's neck to fall forward onto the ground with the body, to roll up to his feet in the next. The second dragon took three seconds to reach and the cheetah swiped his legs out from under him so he landed on his stomach. Avery stood up and stomped down on his spine to break it and he was gone again. Within two minutes there was only one dragon left, and he had almost made it through Avery's house and into the town. As the cheetah caught up to him he swept low and flipped the dragon onto his back with his arm. As Avery stood up he walked over to the dragon to stand above him.

"Well, well, well," Avery said to the dragon, "what shall I do to you?"

As he said that Avery started to waver back and forth and he thought to himself that he had to finish this soon before another group of dragons showed up and he inevitably died. So with that thought he lifted the dragon up by its head and forcefully shoved it into the ground. As he stood there he remembered what he had said before the battle. So he walked through his house for the final time on shaky legs and back into his peaceful little grove where he had spent most of his time for the last 15 or so years and surveyed the damage that had become what remained.

"James!" Avery shouted, "I know you didn't run, now come here. I promise I won't hurt you."

As James warily stepped out from behind the bushes and trees some 40 feet away from the grove Avery smiled.

"Now James," he said with kindness, "it's time for your last lesson before you choose, and that is the fact that if you do use Rampage there is no leaving it, you will die if you use it, and that is also why it is to be used as a last resort."

"W-what happens now?" James asked warily.

"Now? Now you hide until you make your choice, and me? Now I can rest in peace knowing that I've made a difference." He said will a glassy look beginning to cover his eyes.

"I promise you, when I choose, I will make sure the leader of the Werle will fall and justice shall be done." James said with determination.

And with that, the Rampage weary cheetah walked off into the trees, and collapsed. As James rushed to the cheetah that had been his friend for only a day, he noticed a final change happening upon his body. His black fur and red spots began to change into their proper colors, and for the first time, in a long time, James started to cry.