Family Reunions

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#4 of A Dying Breed


Firstly everyone, while this story may start out differently from the others in this series, this is easily the best (and longest)!

Also, the point of view in the last paragraph switches from Matt to Chloe, just so you don't get confused or anything, but you're too smart for that, right?

Enjoy!

* * * * * *

Chloe was standing on the edge of a cliff when Mitch walked up behind her.

"So what was it you needed to speak to me about Chlo'?"

She turned around, a single tear glistening in her eye.

"Mitch, I need to go," she said, another tear joining its companion, "There's something I need to do."

When she saw his expression change, she shook her head sadly.

"There isn't anyone else, well, not in that sense anyway."

"I'm coming with you!" he exclaimed, hope blossoming in his chest.

"Mitch..."

"Yes?"

"I need to do this alone..."

"Why?" he asked, bewildered.

"Because I do!" she exclaimed angrily, half sobbing.

He held out his arms to which she replied with a warm hug.

"I'll come back," she whispered to him, "Even if the universe was on fire, drowned in water of fractured into millions of pieces, I'll come back for you."

"I know." he replied, before Chloe pulled away again.

"There's something I want you to have." she said, before holding out a large quill with a beautiful crimson plumage and a golden nib.

He took it, staring at it in wonder, before looking back up at Chloe.

She was gone.

Chloe exited from the portal to find herself standing in the middle of a large hangar bay with an equally large, wedge-like ship waiting for her.

"You're finally here!" a voice from inside called out, and an Espeon ran down the boarding ramp, before embracing Chloe.

"Good to see you too, Eifie."

She just smiled at this.

"So, how'd he take it?" she asked, eyeing Chloe's glistening eyes.

"Like a pro." she sniffled, before wiping her eyes with one of her hands.

"Come on!" Eifie exclaimed, "Now that everyone's here, we can finally leave."

Eifie took Chloe's arm and led her into the ship, the ramp behind them closing with a soft hiss.

She led her onto the bridge where five other people had gathered: Nik, Scott, Krystal, and a pair of arctic wolves whom Chloe didn't recognise.

"Hey mum!" Scott called out from one of the consoles on the wall, before walking over and giving her a pack on the cheek.

"Who're the new guys?" she asked, curious.

They must've heard, because they chose that moment to walk over.

"I'm Sasha." the one on the left giggled.

"I'm Lily." the other continued, before the both of them fell to the ground, laughing at some unknown joke.

"Sorta redefines ROFL, eh?" Scott said playfully, before chuckling at his own pun.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, she turned to Nik.

"So, why's Mitch not here again?"

"Because," he explained, "He's not a full Cerillian. Well, not anymore."

"Were you only able to round up these two?" she asked suddenly, pointing to the pair of wolves still giggling on the ground.

"Yeah."

Chloe sighed, before turning to Eifie.

"Can we go now?" she asked.

"Just finished the pre-flight checklist, so yeah!"

She walked over to the captain's chair in the centre, sat down, and started to give orders.

A deep rumbling filled the air as the engines roared to life.

Everyone scrambled for their seats as the rumbling intensified, before the ship shuddered.

Nik, Chloe and Scott glanced at each other, before they grabbed each other's arms, closed their eyes and concentrated.

Eifie was still shouting out orders as the roof of the hangar slowly opened.

It majestically rose out of the hangar, before the ship's engines throbbed, sending it rocketing into orbit in less than a minute.

All of this went unnoticed to Chloe, Nik and Scott, as a shimmering, blue aura surrounded the three of them.

Outside, much the same thing was happening to the ship.

An instant later, it was gone.

"So, what is this all about, Nik?"

The seven of them were sitting around a large briefing table, multi-coloured light spilling in from the fluxing space seen from a wall-to-wall viewport.

"I've recently received intelligence of a very grave matter," he began, "Word on the street is that a new faction has risen in place of the Signit Commanders."

A bone-chilling silence filled the room; even Lily and Sasha went deathly quiet as they remembered their cruel reign of tyranny.

"Do we know who they are?" Chloe asked, fear laced in her every word.

Nik shook his head sadly.

"No," he replied, "But I do know that they are responsible for at least a dozen murders and twice as many kidnappings."

"We've got to do something!" Krystal exclaimed.

"That's why I've called a meeting," Nik replied, "We have to prepare a plan of attack."

"So why couldn't Mitch come then?" Chloe replied angrily, rising to her feet, "Or anyone else for that matter! We could use all the help we can get!"

"Chloe," Eifie said gently, before pausing, unsure of what to say.

"What?"

She shot her a withering glare, before turning to Nik.

"Well?" she asked, "Care to explain?"

"They're smarter than the Signit; they aren't just hiding in some out-of-the-way system, but they're hiding throughout the time stream as well. Only Cerillians can travel through it without permanent damage, which makes me very hesitant to send anyone else other than us seven."

"Mitch still wouldn't care!" Chloe exclaimed.

"But you would," Scott said softly, "How would you feel if he came out with all of his limbs rearranged? Or parts being left behind?"

"Scott's right, Chloe," Nik said, "Only Cerillians have the ability to keep themselves together in the time stream."

Chloe was silent before slumping back into her chair.

"Fine." she said, defeated.

Scott moved over to her and put a comforting arm on her shoulders.

"Don't worry, I know exactly how you feel," he said reassuringly, "But this is the right thing to do."

She nodded, before turning to Nik again.

"So, what do we do first?"

"Dad?"

I jolted awake, the pre-dawn light filtering through the window, and saw the figure of Eifie next to my bed.

"What is it, hon?" I asked, concerned.

"I had a bad nightmare." she sobbed.

"Oh, honey!" I replied, "Why don't you hop in bed with us?"

I uncurled myself just enough so that she could fit in with me and Sam.

She snuggled up close to me, an uncomfortable fit seeing as she walked on two legs, while both Sam and I walked on four.

I tried to fall back to sleep and only managed to achieve a light doze before the sun broke the horizon.

I stretched out as Sam groggily woke up beside me.

She glanced between me and Eifie next to her, before a wide grin spread across her face.

"Looks like we've got bed bugs." she said, motioning to Eifie.

"Looks like it." I replied, before leaning over and nuzzling the side of her face.

I felt a weird tingle run down my spine and glanced out the window in time to see a flash of blue light the dawn-streaked sky.

I jumped up in surprise and dashed over to it, but all I saw were the tall trees of the forest we lived in.

"What is it, honey?" she asked.

I was silent, unsure if I had imagined it or not.

"Matt?"

"Nothing, there's nothing there." I said.

She gave me a concerned look, but didn't press it.

"So, what are we going to do today, then?" she asked, joining me by the window.

I was about to answer when a loud crashing sound rang out through the house.

Both of us ran towards the door, but before we could get to it, two figures stepped through it.

One of them was a large lizard, probably a komodo dragon, while the other was a sinister looking bat.

"Oi, guys!" the lizard rumbled, his deep, bass voice rattling the windows, "They're in here!"

They were joined by five others and they all advanced on the three of us.

I growled at them, and a shadowy blob of energy materialised in front of me, before shooting towards them.

At the same time, the jewel on Sam's forehead glowed crimson, before a wave of psychic energy blasted outwards from her.

Both ran into an invisible barrier of some kind, because neither reached their targets.

They continued their approach, and suddenly, another blue flash filled the room, and another seven figures were there.

Each one of them were wearing armour and cloaks of a different colour.

Sam and I moved closer together to protect Eifie, but these newcomers weren't facing us; they were facing the others.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" one of them, a tall, grey fox asked, the wings on his back flaring.

"Why is it any of your business?" one of the others sneered.

"Our family is our business!" one of them, an Espeon much like Sam, replied.

A brownish vixen with golden stripes stepped forwards.

"If you don't leave right now, you'll regret it!" she said forcefully, before an orb of fire appeared above her hand.

The lizard snorted.

"It doesn't matter, we've got what we came for." he said, turning around and leaving.

The others followed him out, leaving Sam, Eifie and I with the people who defended us.

Now that they had left, I immediately recognised all of them from my rather strange dream.

They turned towards us.

"Are you alright?" the vixen asked kindly.

"Yeah..." I replied, before realisation struck me.

"What about the others?" I cried, and ran out of the room towards the other bedrooms.

I immediately saw bits and pieces of broken furniture strewn about the place, but it was nothing compared to the fight that must've taken place; there were scorch marks all over the place, as well as a fair amount of water damage.

"What the hell..." I breathed, horrified at what'd happened.

There was a soft sound behind me, and I turned to see Eievui huddled behind the door.

I rushed over to her, sweeping her up in my embrace.

"Honey, are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

"They took them, daddy," she whispered, before collapsing into sobs on my shoulder.

"Matt?"

I turned around to see Sam, Eifie and the others behind me.

The brown-and-gold vixen stepped forwards.

"Don't worry, we'll find them," she said, "Families look out for each other."

I gave her a confused look.

"I don't know you..." I said softly.

"Maybe not in this form..." she replied, before her body shimmered, and Eievui was standing before me, tall, proud and powerful.

"What- who are you?" I asked, shocked and surprised.

"I'm your daughter, only I've come from the future to fix this."

"And me!" the Espeon exclaimed, "Surely you recognise me?"

"Eifie?" I asked in surprise, before I was engulfed in a warm hug.

"Yes, it's me," she said happily.

A dark blue wolf behind them cleared his throat.

"Chloe, Eifie, we have a job to do."

Eievui poked her head out from behind me.

"I know, Nik," both of them replied, before both bursting into laughter.

"Wait," I stammered, "How do you know his name?"

"Temporal memories," the Eievui in front of me, Chloe, explained, "You see, I, either by a genetic fluke or not, am a Cerillian, a race said to be older than the stars themselves. We have the ability to, among other things, create portals through time and space. Now, there are an almost infinite number of timelines, and each one of me shares the memories of the others. Only two others have this ability, and one of them is right beside me."

She pointed to the winged vulpine next to her who just smiled.

"I'm Scott, Chloe's son," he said, holding out his hand, before realising who talking to and pulling it back.

"So, what are we going to do?" Sam asked nervously, speaking up for the first time in a while.

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly screwed her eyes shut in horror and let out a small yelp of terror.

At the same time, Eievui did exactly the same thing behind me.

I turned around in surprise, and when she finally opened her eyes again, an expression of disgust and, strangely, pleasure, flitted across her features.

"Eievui, are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

"I- I think so," she mumbled, before she glanced towards Chloe writhing on the ground in front of us.

"Mum!" Scott yelled, before rushing over to her.

He glanced around wildly.

"Krystal, get over here!"

A blue vixen ran over and kneeled next to her, before placing a palm on her forehead.

I watched as a myriad of expressions flashed across her face.

All of a sudden, Chloe jerked wildly, before finally falling still.

"Mum?" Scott asked nervously as her eyes fluttered open, "Are you alright?"

"I- I think so," she panted heavily.

"What happened?"

The expression on her face told him everything he needed to know.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, "We need to get wherever the hell they're holding them!"

"Why? What's happening?" both Sam and I asked, before moving closer together in an attempt to keep our remaining children safe.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know," Chloe said, shakily getting up from the floor.

"Alright, Nik and Krystal, stay here and protect everyone at all costs. Scott, Eifie, Sasha and Lily, you're with me."

"I want to help!" I exclaimed, getting up and moving towards them.

"Fine, but you'd better be able to defend yourself," Eifie cautioned.

"Don't worry, I can," I reassured her.

"I'm coming as well," Eievui behind me said, getting up.

"No, I absolutely forbid it!" I said sternly.

"You know, that wouldn't actually be a bad idea..." Chloe said, slowly.

I looked at her incredulously.

"You can't be serious?"

"Well, my younger self has every power that I have..."

When she saw my furious expression, she immediately took a U-turn.

"But your father's right to be worried, it will be extremely dangerous."

She me a saddened expression, but didn't argue the point.

"Do you have any weapons?" Chloe asked me, to which I only replied with a shake of my head.

"Ah well, it was only an idea," she replied, "Ready?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Good," she said, and that instant, five glowing blue portals opened around the room.

"Alright then, let's go!"

Chloe motioned towards one of the portals, before stepping through and vanishing from sight.

Waving aside my surprise, I followed her through.

I felt an odd, almost squeezing feeling, pressing in all around me, and I was through.

Where, though, I had no idea.

There were the faint sounds of someone moaning close by.

I turned to Chloe, who had transformed herself back to her usual form.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered to her.

She nodded and pointed towards a door just up ahead.

Each one of them drew guns of various sizes from beneath their cloaks and stood on either side of the door.

Nodding to each of us reassuringly, Chloe jumped in front of the door and kicked it in with one mighty kick.

She promptly leaned to one side and threw up violently when she saw what was inside.

Regaining control of her stomach, she blocked my way from seeing what was in there, and I saw tears glistening in her eyes.

"Trust me," she said, barely holding back a flood of tears, "You don't want to see this."

Fear flaring in the pit of my stomach, I pushed my way past her and into the room.

There were the charred remains of a Glaceon lying in front of me, still smouldering from a wave of intense heat. The expression on his face, or what was left of it in any case, was one of pure terror and pain.

"Who is he?" I asked Chloe softly

"Glaceo," she said softly, tears now streaming down her face, "My first husband and your adopted son.

"Wait a sec, but wouldn't that mean..."

She rounded on me with a fierce expression on her face.

"It wasn't incest, if that's what you're thinking. For starters, I didn't even know he was my brother when I first had sex with him, and he isn't even a blood relative for God's sake!"

She turned back around to face his smouldering corpse.

"This was exactly how he was killed, kidnapped, tortured, raped, burnt alive..."

She trailed off, sobbing violently.

I was about to approach her to comfort her, but Eifie held out an arm to stop me.

"She needs to let it out," she said, "If she bottles it up, she'll explode at any time, and trust me, you don't wanna be around when she does..."

"I couldn't help them," she continued, still sobbing, "Glaceo, Mark, Verity, Hope, Booster, Thunders, Showers, Leafia, I couldn't save them. I tried, but I couldn't save them."

When I heard her list out those names, my heart skipped a beat or ten.

I turned to Eifie in horror.

"She can't mean?"

"Only Blacky, Chloe and I managed to survive that episode," she said sadly, "I haven't heard from Blacky in a while, not since Chloe's second wedding, in fact."

"Who were those other three people then?" I asked.

"Her son and daughters."

A sound from behind me caught my attention, and I turned to see a speaker box on the wall above me, from which the moaning sounds were playing.

"What the hell?" I breathed, before realisation struck me.

"It's a trap!" I yelled, before bolting for the door, only to have it blocked by a force field of some kind.

A hissing sound filled the air as a faint, pinkish mist jetted from a small hole underneath the speaker box's grill.

"Sleeping gas..." I managed to say, before the cocktail of tranquilisers and sedatives knocked me out cold.

I groggily woke up on a cold, hard floor, pain shooting through my body.

I weakly turned my head to see the others lying next to me, who were also waking up.

"Wh- what happened?" I asked, fear blossoming in the pit of my stomach.

"It was a trap," Chloe said, also fearful.

I looked around the room's steel grey features, before I heard a scuffle of sorts outside.

A door opened and Eievui was thrown in, crashing into Chloe and bowling the two of them over.

"Little bitch!" someone outside spat, before slamming the door shut.

"Eievui!" I cried, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I could help..." she mumbled from Chloe's arms.

The door opened again, and two men walked in and reached for Chloe.

She sprang up, punching one of them in the face, before spinning around and kicking the other so quickly, a loud bang filled the air as her foot broke the sound barrier.

She then turned towards the door in time to see another three run in.

A heat haze settled around her as small embers started to erupt from her fur.

All of a sudden, she literally burst into flames, and proceeded to shoot wave after wave of fire at her newest opponents.

She took out all of them, and when another came in, she didn't miss a stride.

She charged at him and swung with all of her considerable might.

Ducking it, he smashed a curled fist into her chest, and strangely, he seemed unaffected by the fire.

She stepped back, faltering slightly, and her opponent took the opportunity to slam another fist into her face.

He pounded her again and again, and she eventually slipped and fell to the ground, her fire going out.

There was blood everywhere, covering her face and arms, tinting the ground an evil shade of red.

A soft burst of light flashed from her body, and she was standing again, as unharmed as she was just minutes earlier.

She drew back a fist, which promptly burst into flames, and slammed it into his gut.

"Stay!"

She drew back her fist again, before punching his face.

"Away!"

She punched him again.

"From!"

Again.

"My!"

She stepped back, her foot bursting into flame, before spinning and slamming it into him, sending him flying back.

"Family!"

He smashed into the far wall, sending cracks rippling across its surface.

"Woah..." I breathed, amazed at her power.

She turned to the closed door and held out her hands.

A small, flickering spark appeared in between her outstretched hands, before a God-almighty roar filled the air as a torrent of flame shot towards the door, melting it.

We all struggled to our feet and bolted out the door, only to run into another seventy or so guards.

Chloe, Scott and Eifie stepped forwards, each a picture of undefeatable, indestructible elements.

Chloe once again set her fur ablaze, while Scott sent a wave of sparks through his, and the jewel on Eifie's forehead pulsed brightly.

A strange buzzing sound filled the air, and Chloe's fire died again, while both Scott and Eifie staggered back, clutching their ears in pain.

Chloe gave a weak groan and tipped forwards, collapsing onto the ground.

Eievui also yelped, but she didn't collapse, if anything, she grew more angry.

A bright red wave shot from her body, bowling over everyone, before she morphed into a figure of incandescent flame.

It was then that I realised that not everyone had been knocked off their feet; a lone stag, standing at the head of the group and holding a small remote in his hands.

Eievui let out a deafening roar of pure hatred and charged at him.

"Time to say good night," he said, before pressing a button on the remote.

A clear box descended from the ceiling and trapped her inside.

Another button later and fire suppression foam filled the box, putting out Eievui's inferno.

She fell to one knee, before letting out another yell and reigniting herself.

A shockwave pulsed from her lit fur and forced the foam away from her, before placing a hand on the wall of the box.

She closed her eyes and shunted every bit of power she had into her palm.

"Impressive," he said, "Can you beat this?"

He pressed another button on his remote and a pink mist filled the box.

Eievui sent out another shockwave to repel it, but it didn't have any effect.

She staggered, before slumping to the ground.

"Pity," he commented, before rounding on us.

He walked up to Chloe, who was still unconscious, and kicked her viciously.

I jumped up and leapt at him, only to have him whack me away without a backward glance.

I careered towards a wall, spun and bounced off it, and landed, before I charged at him again.

As I was about to hit him, he suddenly disappeared.

I skidded to a stop, unsure as to where he went, before he reappeared high above me and stamped hard on my back.

Flashing lights filled my vision as I collapsed under his weight, before everything went black.

Before I completely lost consciousness, I heard him say something that chilled my blood.

"Hmm, those two are very impressive specimens. Take them to my quarters; I'll need to investigate this matter further..."

Eievui and I were roughly thrown into a lavishly decorated room, before the door was closed and locked behind us.

I struggled to my feet and banged weakly on the door, before a sob escaped my lips.

I turned to see Eievui huddled in fear on the ground and rushed over to her.

"Shhh," I comforted her, "It'll be alright, I've been through worse and I'm still here, right?"

Eievui gave a weak chuckle, before falling into my warm embrace.

The door burst open and the stag walked in.

At the sight of him, both Eievui and I attempted to fire a fireball at him, but strangely, nothing happened.

The stag just laughed at this.

"What have you done?" I yelled at him, my fury close to breaking point.

"Do you feel that buzzing feeling in the back of your head?" he asked, ignoring my question.

The expression on my face was all the answer he needed.

"There is an EM field being generated around this room, calibrated to a specific frequency which nullifies your powers," he said, smirking slightly.

"What are you going to do with me?" I asked, glancing fearfully at Eievui.

"Well, I'm gunna do whatever the hell I want with you two, and I've gotta say, that was pretty cold just then, ignoring the plight of your sister? Daughter?"

"Neither," I replied, "We are the same person, only I'm not a native to this time..."

"Really?" he asked, interested, "How'd you get here, then?"

"Through a Cerillian portal," I replied, the words rolling off my tongue effortlessly, without control.

"Cerillian, you say?" he asked, "So that would make you one, then?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I suddenly closed my eyes and shook my head.

"It's none of your damn business!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

The stag looked at me in surprise, before his face broke into a wide grin.

"You truly are a powerful being, Chloe, first knight of the Order of the Firefox," he said, surprising me with his knowledge.

"Seeing as you know my name and story," I hissed, "How 'bout yours, then."

He bowed graciously.

"I can give you many things, love," he said, "But that isn't one of them."

"Then what are we supposed to call you, then?" I asked, "Surely you don't expect us to call you 'it' or 'that' or 'you'?"

"You may call me Master, and nothing else," he said, barely controlled lust seeping into his voice, "If you behave, nothing bad will befall you, I give you my word. But if you don't, the consequences will be dire."

Eievui shrank back from the danger in his voice, trying to make herself look as small as possible.

"When I come back, I expect you both to be clean and appropriately attired," he said, motioning to the blood matting my face.

He turned on his heel and walked back out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Eievui turned to face me.

"What are we gunna do?" Eievui asked, trembling.

"For now," I replied, drawing her closer towards me, "We'll play along. Stay alive as long as possible to give the others as large a window of opportunity to rescue us as possible."

"Wh- what is he gunna do to us?" she asked, for the first time since I met her, sounding like the child she still was.

"I honestly don't know, but if he's like some of the other men I know, it isn't gunna be pleasant."

I shakily stood up, before reaching back down and pulling Eievui up after me.

"Come on," I said to her, leading her into the bathroom, "We'd better do what he said, for now at least anyway."

We both quickly stripped down and stepped inside the shower, turning it on.

We both sighed with pleasure as the steaming hot water hit our bodies, soothing our aching muscles and bruises.

"He was right, you know," Eievui said beneath me.

"About what?"

"You do need to have a wash!" she said, grinning.

"So do you," I replied, before grabbing a bar of soap off the shower wall and scrubbing her fur clean.

We both were concentrating so hard on trying to forget what had happened earlier that we didn't notice someone walking in behind us.

The shower door was opened with barely a sound and before I knew it, someone had grabbed my ass.

I was forced up against the shower wall and felt something long and hard press against my entrance.

I yelped as it was thrust in, and heard whoever it was behind me cry out in pleasure as my pussy clamped around it.

I struggled to turn around and eventually managed to catch a glimpse of the stag from earlier.

A rage more powerful than anything I had ever felt descended over me, before I broke his grip on me, spun around, and punched him square in the face.

He staggered back a couple of steps, before tentatively reaching up to feel his bloody nose.

When he drew his hand back and saw blood on it, he rounded on me, a furious look on his face.

He slapped me hard, before grabbing my arm in a vice-like grip and pulling me out of the shower and into another room.

All that was in it were four chains hanging from the ceiling, a large pit right underneath it which was currently covered by a grill, and another four chains around that.

He dragged me over to it, before letting go of my arm to clip one of the restraints to my legs.

I was about to dash out, grab Eievui and run, but something kept me rooted to the spot.

The stag had finished with one leg, and had moved to the other when a low gurgling sound rose from the pit.

"Now you'll see why what you just did was a bad idea," he said in an evil voice, before finishing with the leg restraints and moving onto the arms.

The rumbling beneath me grew louder, doing more to scare me than anything else could.

I inspected the chains binding me, desperately trying to find a weakness that I could possibly exploit.

The links of the chain were incredibly small, but I knew that they were probably incredibly strong as well.

I followed them up until they reached the ceiling, where I noticed an odd ring around the chains.

The stag finished with the last restraint and pressed a small button on the wall.

A whirring sound came to life as the chains were pulled taut, before lifting me up into the air, face down.

The ring dropped down from the roof and tightened just above arms and legs, bringing them together, while at the same time, spreading them out.

I suddenly regained movement in my limbs and struggled with all my might against the restraints, but to no avail.

The grill covering the pit suddenly opened, and the rumbling sound gave way to a creepy yipping sound.

I waited, terrified as to what was coming, when I heard shuffling sounds all around me.

"If you survive," the stag yelled from beneath me, "I hope this teaches you a lesson!"

He promptly walked out the door, leaving me alone with whatever it was down there.

* * * * * *

Ha! Bet you hate me now for that cliffhanger, eh?

XD

All characters are copyrighted to their origional owners / creators.

ChloeTheFirefox