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More Than a Dog-Chapter 5

In the slowly rising sun amongst the cool snaking mist, Kaiser laid in the grass as his eyes continued staring into the sky. The Akita never managed to gain an ounce of sleep the entire night, his mind was riddled with thoughts and explanations about why certain things were unfolding as they were. As Kaiser lied in the grass, his fur grew damp as the dew drops that formed on the blades of grass grasped unto his fur. Kaiser was never the type of person capable of reading people's body language or facial expression, to him it was too bothersome, and in his mind it was like trying to read the body language of a jar of dirt, which would explain why he couldn't figure what was wrong with Ryuuk last night. The starry sky the canine had stared at the entire night was slowly submitting to the bright rays of the sun as they began to crawl across the horizon. In the canine's mind, the days of him meeting Ryuuk, fighting and sparring with Rexus, they all held great meaning to him, but not a single one seem to give him the answers he wanted. The one answer he really wanted, why was Ryuuk in such a worrisome mood now? Taking a moment from staring into the cloudless sky over head, Kaiser turned his head to look at the tent were Drake was asleep and recovering from the bruises he had received from Rexus the previous night. Kaiser only sighed as he hoped that the dragon on the other side of the leathery-brown tent would recover 100%. The dragon had two fractures in his left arm, a fractured rib, and was in a deep sleep almost as if he was comatose. The sight was disheartening, but Ryuuk managed to talk Kaiser into keeping his nerve. With a grunt Kaiser rolled himself to his feet and gave a soft howl as he stretched his body in the morning air. Like a kid playing with bubble wrap, Kaiser's bones snapped one at a time as his ribs stretched out. Coming to his feet after a long deep breath, Kaiser began walking to the tent. As he approached the cone shaped shelter, Kaiser was greeted by the sight of the winged dragon. With his wings tucked tightly to his back, the bluish-green scales of the dragon shimmered in the morning sun like glitter in the wind. In his hands, Kaiser saw the almost endless amounts of bandages Ryuuk and his self used to bandage up the dragon.

"I guess you dragons do heal quickly after all huh?" Kaiser smiled a grin of pure happiness.

"Spare me the modesty." Drake said abruptly as he dropped the puss and blood soaked bandages to the ground. Kaiser's smile dropped as he looked at the long line of fabric on the ground before looking back up at the dragon.

"A simple good morning would've sufficed you know." Kaiser's smile had changed from a look of happiness, to a growl of quick anger.

"Forgive me. I shouldn't be rude to you, you have nothing to do with me and yet I vent my frustration out on you, please forgive me." The winged dragon said in contempt as he lowered his head to look at the rough surface of the ground he stood on.

"It's ok. Drake is it? I know we haven't officially met, but maybe me and you can talk for a while, you know, that way you can get whatever that's bugging you off your chest." Kaiser said as he tried to comfort the loathing dragon.

"I don't think that's possible pup. It wouldn't do any good at this moment. It's best if I handled this on my own." Drake said as he lifted his head and focused his eyes into the sky.

"Seriously why does everyone keep calling me a pup here?" Kaiser growled in annoyance, but the canine's face changed as he looked at the dragon. As Kaiser viewed the dragon he began to see trails of tears sliding down the side of the draconian's face. Even though the dragon held his face in an almost steel like position, Kaiser knew the dragon wanted to frown and allow all his tears to be seen by the world, but it never happened. "Do you mind telling me what happened inside of Rexus' lair?" Kaiser softly said as he placed one of his hands on the dragon's shoulder.

"You shouldn't trouble yourself with my problems pup, or any other person's problems. It will only lead you to see more flaws within yourself than you want to know." Drake said with a crackling voice, a sign that his sorrow was just at its breaching point.

"Well if you won't tell me what happened will you at least tell me what you're going to do?" Kaiser sighed from being rejected of an answer to his question.

"I'm going to leave. I'm going to follow the winds in search for answers. Hopefully things will come to light and I'll be able to move on." Drake looked back into the sky. The look of confusion and desperation stood proudly for all to see. For Kaiser it was a look he'd never seen before. "Hey pup, do me a favor. Give this to Ryuuk for me, and tell him I said thank you for all the things he has done for my behalf." As Drake said that he fully unveiled his left wing revealing a small blue gem attached to a golden chain that wrapped around the base of his wing. "He'll understand once you give this to him." the dragon said with a soft expression on his face. To Kaiser the look was neither a smile nor a frown, but the look of someone lost in thought.

"Wait shouldn't you give this to him?" Kaiser said as he watched the dragon unwrap the chain and place it in his hands.

"Knowing him he'll try to get me to stay and find some way to work it out, but I have to do this, it's the only way." Drake said with a voice too soft for even Kaiser to hear. With a giant gust of wind, Drake released his other wing from his side and allowed both wings to spread out in full length. Kaiser just watched as he stared at the fleshy pink under side of the wings ripple from the small breezes in the air. With a hard jump the dragon ascended into the air high into the sky. His body grew smaller and smaller in Kaiser's eyes until his body was almost no bigger than a pin point.

"But maybe you do need help from others." Kaiser whispered as he continued staring into the sky looking for the slightest of movement. Like a bullet, Kaiser watched as Drake took off in full flight towards an unknown journey.

Nothing was making sense anymore. First Ryuuk tells him that he needs to leave, then there's Rexus roughing up poor Drake, and now Drake was flying off to god knows where, all this was starting to give Kaiser one major headache. With a sigh Kaiser dropped his head from the skies to look at the gem Drake had told him to give to Ryuuk. To Kaiser the gem looked pretty dull, just an average green crystal that sparkled in the sun light. "I guess I better go give this to Ryuuk then." Kaiser said as he clenched his fist enveloping the gem inside. "Question is? Where the hell is he?" Kaiser said softly as he surveyed the area around the tent. Kaiser walked half of the entire village but he never came across a single trace of the brown dragon chief. With the morning sun soon high in the air Kaiser found himself near the bank of a river. The smell of fresh water and the diamond like surface of the river caused Kaiser to stare deeply at the scenic view before him. In all his time being in the village Kaiser had not once seen this area. To him the view was pure photogenic. As Kaiser scanned the horizon he noticed a huge boulder in the middle of the river further downstream. It wasn't something that begged for his attention that was until he saw something move on top of it. In a quick sprint, Kaiser's padded feet traced the river bank as he ran closer to where he could see the giant rock. It took less than a minute before the Akita was standing 40ft from the rock. Kaiser only stared as the person he was looking for sat Indian style atop the huge boulder. The canine wanted to find something to throw at the dragon, but he remembered that the main reason that everything was happening was because he tossed something at the dragon in the first place. So instead of hurling a projectile at the dragon on the boulder, Kaiser sat underneath a nearby tree and observed the brown dragon.

Calm, mellow, taciturn, quiet, all these words trailed in Kaiser's head as he looked at the meditating dragon in the river. With his legs and arms crossed, and his head held downward as if he was asleep, Ryuuk sat atop the boulder in a perfectly still motion. It wasn't long though before Kaiser got impatient and tired of waiting for the dragon to move. With a grunt Kaiser stood up and made his way to the river. Kaiser stared at the sparkling water as he thought about how chilling the rushing stream would be. Just the thought made Kaiser's fur stand up and stiffen. With a deep breath Kaiser jumped into the river with a giant splash. The sound of someone splashing nearby stirred Ryuuk from his trance, as he lifted his head Ryuuk searched for a source of the sound. It was strange for him to hear a sound but not able to spot its source, to Ryuuk this was nerving, and with the way things were going Ryuuk had no reason to doubt having to attack at first chance was his only option. Unfortunately for Kaiser he had no idea that Ryuuk was set to attack. As Kaiser slowly rose from the watery depth and began to climb the cold rock, the canine kept his movement slow and sluggish to avoid any unnecessary noise. Ryuuk kept his mind focused as he felt the air around him tighten and constrict.

"Hey Ryu...." Kaiser barely got halfway through his sentence before he found himself being tackled back into the river.

With a giant splash, both Ryuuk and Kaiser fell into the river's depth. Dazed and confused Kaiser could only sink further down into the river and wait for the bubbles to disperse so that Ryuuk could see who he was. His movements held by the dragon's tight submission, the bubbles clouding his sight like a waving curtain, and his body embraced by the chilling depths of the water, Kaiser sunk lower and lower with the dragon until he was pinned to the riverbed. Finally the bubbles cleared and the god like hold on Kaiser's body loosened as Ryuuk finally got a glimpse of the person he had sacked into the river. A look of shock and embarrassment quickly enveloped Ryuuk's face before he swam back to the surface with the canine swimming right behind him.

"What the Hell!" Kaiser shouted as he resurfaced with a loud gasp for air.

"I'm sorry I thought you were an assassin or something." Ryuuk said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"An assassin, seriously, what the hell is going on Ryuuk?!" Kaiser said with furrowed eyes. He had every reason to be upset, especially after just being man-handled by a dragon under false perception.

"I'll explain everything back on the riverbank." Ryuuk said before diving back under the water and reappearing at the riverbank three seconds later.

"Showoff!" Kaiser yelled as he began his swim to the riverbank.

Finally reaching the grassy overlook, Kaiser pulled himself onto land and began shaking whatever water he could off his body. Suddenly a giant gust of wind out of nowhere toppled Kaiser to the ground with a heavy thump.

"Just helping you dry off." Ryuuk smiled as he tucked his wings back behind his self.

"You're really pushing it today you know that?" Kaiser said as he stood back up.

"At least you're dry now." Ryuuk grinned as he helped Kaiser dust whatever debris that had settled in his fur.

"Oh here, Drake told me to give this to you. He also told me to tell you thank you for everything you did for him." As Kaiser said that he handed Ryuuk the blue gem Drake had given to him. The look on Ryuuk's face quickly went sour as the grin that was once there had quickly vanished. "He said you'd understand once I gave it to you." Kaiser said with a tint of sorrow in his voice.

Ryuuk just stared at the gem. To Ryuuk the gem held a lot of fond memories. It had also held a lot of meaning as well. "How long ago?" Ryuuk asked as he closed his eyes, and clenched his fist around the crystalline object.

"It was early this morning, way before I found you." Kaiser said as he focused his sight on the ground below his feet.

"Already things are looking grim." Ryuuk said with a hush voice under his breath.

"Ryuuk what's going on?" Kaiser said with a voice heavy with confusion.

"Follow me." Ryuuk bluntly said as he began walking back in the direction of the village. As they navigated through the trees and shrubs of the nearby by woods, Kaiser stayed close by to listen to the dragon's words. "Kaiser, do you remember what I told you last night?" Ryuuk said with a serious tone.

"You mentioned something about someone harming your people. Then you were talking about me having to gather myself. Is that what you're talking about?" Kaiser asked as he continued trailing the brown dragon.

"Yes, it's about that." Ryuuk simply agreed.

"Ok so what's going on?" Kaiser asked.

"It's just as I said last night. There's someone out to harm my village, but I fear their true intentions are aimed at me." Ryuuk suddenly stopped in his tracks before turning around. "I've been feeling it in the winds, there's a malicious aura heavy in the atmosphere. It's almost sickening how cold it feels." Ryuuk closed his eyes before turning back around and walking again.

"Do you have any idea where or who the problem may be?" Kaiser was quickly growing worry to the dragon's behavior. Sure he had never seen him troubled before, but he was certain he wouldn't act like this under normal situations.

"No I don't. The best thing I could do is prepare for when the time comes, that's why I sent Rexus to personally train his own personal group of warriors. Hopefully Rexus will pick the most elite warriors to receive his mentorship." Ryuuk said as he and Kaiser bloomed from within the woods and out onto the outskirts of the village. Suddenly the sound of someone shouting caught both Ryuuk and Kaiser's attention.

"Chief! Chief!" A slim raptor shouted as he ran towards Kaiser and Ryuuk. "Chief I have grave news to report." The raptor said as he quickly snapped to attention once standing in front of his leader.

"What is it?" Ryuuk furrowed his eyes as he stared down at the saurian.

"It's about Rexus and the warriors he took with him sir." The raptor said. Already Kaiser could hear the sound of grief, sorrow, and fear in the reptile's voice.

"Spit it out!" Ryuuk shouted.

"The entire campout has been wiped out sir." The raptor squeezed his eyes shut in fear.

"What do you mean wiped out?!" Ryuuk was now furious with anger and rage.

"The entire campout has been destroyed. So far we've counted five bodies. Each body seems to be dead of either lose of blood, decapitation, or critical injury. As for the ten other warriors, including Rexus, we've found both body and clothing material belonging to them covered in blood. Sir we have reason to believe they've been bested in battle." The raptor reported.

"Damn it!" Ryuuk growled before pushing the raptor aside. Giving a quick look at the raptor, Kaiser too quickly took off past the raptor.

So far Ryuuk had lost his best physician, his best warriors, and his most skilled fighter. The future was growing dark in Ryuuk's mind. If there was an evil coming his way then Ryuuk was deeply in for some troubling times. Finally reaching his tent, Ryuuk stepped inside and began to calm down. There was no sense in getting riled up just yet, sure things were looking grim, but if his enemy knew they had him on edge then that would only give them happiness. Not too far behind, Kaiser stepped into the tent as he huffed and puffed for air.

"Ryuuk is everything ok?" the canine asked as he fell onto a cushion on the floor.

"Kaiser I must ask you something." Ryuuk said as he stared at the gasping Akita.

"Give me...a few minutes.....to catch my breath." Kaiser said as he chest expanded and contracted from his lungs taking and releasing air.

"I don't think it can wait." Ryuuk said softly.

"Chief Ryuuk, I've brought the stuff as you requested this morning." A soft and gentle voice sounded from outside the leader's tent.

Kaiser just stared as he watched a white, female Iguana walk into the room. Automatically Kaiser knew the lizard was different. He had always believed iguanas were green, maybe even an ashy-gray, but never white. As Kaiser watched the lizard motion closer to Ryuuk, he barely noticed the stuff the reptile was carrying within her arms.

"The herbs you specially requested, and the item you asked the blacksmith to make." The Iguana continued talking with a soft voice even as she handed Ryuuk the supplies.

"Thank you Ilila, and tell the blacksmith I say thank you as well." Ryuuk said as he placed the materials down between Kaiser and his self. "You see Kaiser, as long as you stay in this village you serve as a potential target." Ryuuk said as he stared at Kaiser.

"A target, me? How am I a target?" Kaiser asked.

"When our enemy attacks he'll perceive you as a highly valuable tool to use at his disposal. Most likely he has gathered enough Intel to realize you hold a major connection with me and Rexus, that's if Rexus is alive." Ryuuk continued staring at the Akita.

"If you're trying to protect me from harm, then stop while you're ahead. I've held my own against Rexus, and last I checked he's your best warrior. So if I can stand my ground against that giant lizard, then I'm pretty sure I can fend off a few reptiles." Kaiser said as he clenched his right hand into a tight fist.

"Don't you get it!?" A sudden outburst roared from the chief dragon. "I can't take the risk of someone getting the upper hand over you. Even if you can hold your own, the most skilled warrior still fails when stacked against overwhelming odds." The fur on Kaiser's body quickly rose in fear from the dragon's roar, but even amidst the dragon's rage Kaiser could see tears welling up within the Draco's eyes. "I made a promise to your elder and to myself that I would not permit any harm to you." Ryuuk growled as he clenched his eyes tightly to fight back the tears.

In that moment Kaiser fully understood why Ryuuk wanted him out of harm's way. It wasn't because he thought he wasn't strong enough, it was because the dragon had grown emotionally attached to him and didn't want to see him hurt. Suddenly Kaiser watched as Ryuuk snatched up the materials, rushed past the Iguana, and stepped outside of the tent.

"Ryuuk?" Kaiser softly spoke as he emerged from the tent as well.

Stagnant and reserved, Ryuuk stood under the sun's rays as he clenched the materials in one hand. Kaiser only stood there as he felt the wind crawl and snake through his fur, and the soft, warm heat of the sun coat his body in a harmonious flush. Ryuuk truly was deserving of being the village's chief. Even amongst a clan of fellow reptiles and dragons who despised and probably hungered for the blood of the outside world, Ryuuk still showed compassion and affection towards them.

"Kaiser" Ryuuk finally broke his silence as he grabbed the canine's attention.

"I'm here." Kaiser softly answered.

"I know you understand what I'm trying to do, but I don't think you know why I'm doing this. If I tell you the truth you might completely understand, but at the same time it'll just cause you to become even more worried and distraught. If that happens I believe I'll be doing you more harm than good, but I'm at a fork in a road. Both paths hold pain and suffering, but the amount on each side differs greatly." Ryuuk spoke as he continued looking away from Kaiser. "But I know what must be done, and there's no changing that." With those words Ryuuk finally turned to face the Akita. The face that was once filled with sadness, and pain, had now transformed to a face of complete determination and certainty. "Whether you want to leave or not you're going, end of discussion." Ryuuk said with a dominant tone.

"I'll leave, but only if you tell me what's the real reason you want me to leave." Kaiser folded his arms in defiance.

"What part of "end of discussion" Did you not understand?" Ryuuk walked past the canine.

"The part where you suddenly think you can control what I do." Kaiser said as he walked behind the chief. "Where are you going now? Seriously, you've been doing more walking than I've ever seen you done." Kaiser said in an aggravated tone.

"I'm not going anywhere. You, on the other hand is going somewhere." Ryuuk gave a slight chuckle.

"You've been saying the same thing over and over like a broken record. I need to leave. I need to disappear. I need to vanish. Do you mind telling me where exactly am I going to go?" Kaiser stopped in his tracks out of frustration. "If I knew you were going to bring me back here just to send me away again, then I would've just stayed home." Kaiser huffed.

"No!" Ryuuk quickly refuted Kaiser's suggestion. "If you go home, then you'll be endangering other people along with yourself. Not only that, but I've seen your quarters, it's not exactly a perfect stronghold to withstand even a minimal attack." Ryuuk said before stopping a few yards away from a palisade of trees.

"Wait, you want me to go out there, with no guide, no map, nothing?" Kaiser pointed to the wall of trees in disbelief.

"Not exactly, you won't be going out there completely with nothing." Ryuuk smiled as he turned around to hand Kaiser the supplies Illia had given to him earlier. "One Ninjato customized with pure dragon scales, a First-Aid sack, and a couple of herbs." Ryuuk said as he shoved the materials into the canine's chest.

"What, no map?" Kaiser joked.

"I figured the creatures of the night would eat you way before you would ever have need for a map." Ryuuk joked back. "Now before you go I want to make something very clear to you." Ryuuk said with a stern voice.

"Sure what is it?" Kaiser said as he strapped the sword onto his back.

"Make sure you ingest one pinch of these herbs every day. You got that?" Ryuuk said as he pointed to the orange, leathery pouch that was tied to the sword's sheath.

"Why, what's so special about them?" Kaiser said as he untied the herbs and brought the bag to his face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ryuuk said in a warning voice before taking in a deep breath of air.

"Why?" Kaiser said, but had already unraveled the string that kept the seal on the bag. As Kaiser stared into the bag, his eyes fed upon the sight of small, dried leaves that seem to been crunched up and soaked in some kind of liquid. "Well, are you going to tell me?" Kaiser said as he looked up at the dragon, his nose hovering over the one orifice that allowed escape. As if Mother Nature had a sense of humor, a soft, gentle breeze blew above the opening causing the pungent aroma within the bag to lift and crawl into the canine's nostrils. It didn't take long before the Akita's eyes began to water, and his mug contorted in a way unimaginable. "What the hell is this?" Kaiser shouted in disgust as he threw the bag towards Ryuuk.

Ryuuk wanted to laugh, but as long as the wind blew, and the bag remained open, the chief had to hold his breath. Slowly tying the sac, Ryuuk made sure the leathery pouch was tightly and securely sealed. "Those, my friend, are what we like to call Balk herbs." Ryuuk chuckled at the canine's weird mug. "They're mainly used for preventing infections, but if ingested, they prevent foreign pathogen or any other body modifying organisms from invading you body." Ryuuk added before tossing the pouch back towards Kaiser.

As if the bag itself was aflame, Kaiser did whatever he could to minimize the amount of contact the bag had with his hands as he tied it back to the sword. "And you want me to ingest that stuff every day?" Kaiser looked back at the dragon with a raised eyebrow. "Please tell me you're joking right?" Kaiser's voice was heavy with woo.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you catch something and you're miles away from the nearest village, don't complain when you come back with a second tail, or half of your fur has molted away." Ryuuk smiled.

"Not helping!" Kaiser yelled.

"I know. I just figured I get one last chance to torture you before you left." Ryuuk smiled. The smile didn't last long though, Ryuuk knew Kaiser would have to leave, no matter how much he tried to milk every last minute he had.

"You still haven't told where I should be going." Kaiser said as he stepped out in front of Ryuuk.

"To tell you the truth, you're not really going anywhere. I just want you to get as far away as possible, especially within the next day or two." Ryuuk said as he looked at the back of Kaiser's figure. "But I can give you some advice. If you walk in the south direction you should be within safe territory. However, I am not saying that there aren't probably other travelers amongst that path as well, so keep your guard up." Ryuuk applied.

"If you haven't notice, I don't have a compass, so how am I supposed to know if I'm on the right path?" Kaiser asked.

"We dragon's have a way that's pretty simple enough for you to understand. You see, not too far from here rest a mountain that was once proclaimed to have been used to climb to the gods themselves. Atop this mountain resided a dragon whom all other dragons revered and praised. When the dragon passed there was a special tombstone built atop the mountain in his honor. The night of the dragon's burial a strange light shot forth from the tombstone. Not too long after did the light begin to stretch and span to form a small band over the mountain's top. That band of light danced a multitude of colors as it hovered over the high, rocky hill. The other dragons on the other side of the mountain reported that the light was not visible to their end. My tribe, along with a few others, happened to be the only tribes that were capable of seeing the lights. From that moment on we dragons have used the lights of the mountain to give us a sense of barring." Ryuuk explained as he looked off into the trees.

"I've been here for quite a while, and not once have I seen this awe inspiring light show of which you speak of." Kaiser said as he turned his head to look back at Ryuuk.

"Well of course you haven't. You need to be in the air to see the light from this area." Ryuuk answered. "But trust me, it's there. After a few hours you should begin to see the apex of the mountain." The dragon reassured.

"I guess this is good-bye then huh?" Kaiser softly spoke as his mind pondered what would happen to him once he began his journey.

"You make it sound as if you'll never see me again." Ryuuk chuckled as he tried to ease the canine's worry.

"Drake has left. Rexus is probably dead in a ditch somewhere. Not to mention there's some malevolent force out to get you. So of course I would suspect I might not see you again." Kaiser softly said as he turned his view back towards the tree line.

"I promise you'll see me again; on the honor of all dragons." Ryuuk smiled as he rested one of his hands on the dog's shoulder.

"I've heard that before." Kaiser scuffed with a small grin.

The area quickly grew silent as the two males stood before the barrier of trees. Neither one was prepared to say good-bye to the other. The dragon's face kept still as his eyes transfixed onto the horizon, but his heart battered against his chest like the thundering of rails as a train rolls along. He felt more than just a connection towards the canine. He felt an emotion that tore at his conscious as well as his soul. Why was the idea of watching the Akita leave him so painful? He had watched the canine leave him once before, but why was this time more unbearable than the last? Ryuuk stood there, his mind fully concentrated on not letting his emotions show on his face. If Kaiser were to see any sign of fear or regret, then surely the dog wouldn't leave. Ryuuk didn't want that, especially with all the dangers that would be attracted to the canine eventually. Sending the furry creature elsewhere was the only logical choice he had if he wanted to protect his friend, his partner, his ally, his companion....his love.

Kaiser too felt something stirring within his body. To him the pain was something he felt before. It was the pain of leaving something special behind. He had spent countless hours with Rexus and Ryuuk, but the times he spent mostly with Ryuuk held more meaning to him than any other. The canine knew this emotion. His father always told him the true meaning of it, but he also addressed that sometimes it can't be returned. It was love his father spoke of. Love; the one variable all sought to understand and solve, but the one variable few enjoyed. However, Kaiser knew there was no other way. The dragon had his reasons for sending him away, and no matter how hard Kaiser would debate for his side, it was sure the dragon would not deter from his decision. There was no choice in the matter. Something had to be done, and the temporary disappearance of Kaiser was that something. Lifting his head, Kaiser took one last look at the wall of trees before he began to walk into their earthy prison. The closer the canine got, the more the ground become more rigid and apparent. The clay that once bed the entire ground of the village was soon turning prickly with blades of grass. Just feet away from the shadowy confines that slept beneath the canopies of the trees, Kaiser's heart truly began to pond against his chest. It took every ounce of resolve, will, and determination not to turn around with a muzzle soaked in tears, and run to the dragon

"Kaiser..." The canine heard the dragon's voice. The sound of the dragon's voice was enough to immediately halt.

"Yeah?" Kaiser quickly turned around to face the brown chief. In his heart and soul Kaiser hoped the dragon would change his mind, that the chief would tell him to come back and he'd protect him. However, Kaiser knew that wasn't possible.

"I-I-I want you to be safe." Unable to say what he truly wanted to say, Ryuuk spat the only thing he could think of before turning around and waving bye to the canine.

"I will." Kaiser answered. The canine hoped the three words he wanted to hear would come forth, but he knew that if the bond between Ryuuk and his self was strengthened any further then it would make their departing that more unbearable.

As the two figures walked in separated directions, a soft gentle breeze grazed the field on which they stood on. The dragon whose feet sauntered over the orange clay and the dog whose feet padded further into the grassy forest. Though they walked on different terrain, their faces showed similar pain. Both pair of eyes closed tightly to hinder the amount of tears that rolled over their cheeks. As the distance between the two grew wider and wider, the cool, dark, overcast of the forest soon engulfed Kaiser until his figure disappeared within its murky confines. Silent were the sounds of Kaiser's feet as the canine vanished. Ryuuk knew this and so he turned around, unable to say I love you. Unable to tell Kaiser he loved him. So with the canine gone and his heart in pain, but his mind at ease, Ryuuk steeled his nerves and left back to the village. Whatever that was to happen to Kaiser from then on out would be completely out of Ryuuk's hands.

The afternoon sun was beginning to wane as the cool, crisp night air began to creep onto the world's surface. Kaiser, who had never actually been left in the woods on his own, was lost between the two emotions of fear and anxiety. Sure he knew a few facts about how to survive, but they were things he was told about, nothing he had actually practiced. As Kaiser continued walking over fallen branches, and the roots of trees, he began to wonder if it were too late to run back to the village where he felt he was most comfortable. Sure Ryuuk would probably fly him off somewhere even deeper into the woods, but at least he would get a few more minutes with the dragon, at least that way Kaiser wouldn't be surrounded by trees and vines. With the canopy of the trees overhead the light around Kaiser diminished quicker than it should've. But that wasn't the only problem, with the canopy blocking Kaiser's view he was unable to see the light that Ryuuk mentioned to him. How was he to know if he was heading in the right direction? What if he had gotten way off track and was heading deep into some carnivorous tribe's strong hold? What if they were already following him? Kaiser's mind raced through a mass of horrible scenarios each one worse than the last. As the darkness of the night grew, so did Kaiser's paranoia. Although he never been out in the woods on his own, he still had a reason to believe that everything would see him more as a meal rather than a threat. Leery of his surroundings, Kaiser removed the sword from his back and held it with a firm grip as he tracked through the heavy foliage.

Hours passed and Kaiser was beginning to feel the weariness of his body. Every limb felt thirty times heavier. Each breath felt like an extreme labor of the lungs. At this moment in time Kaiser would've gave up his freedom just for a warm bed and a glass of milk. To hell with a glass of milk, Kaiser wanted a gallon. It wasn't long before his body reached its limits and Kaiser was forced to take a break. With a hard sigh Kaiser slid down against the trunk of a tree until his rump crashed to the ground. Oh how Kaiser enjoyed the relief of having all of his muscles relax. It was a pleasure he had taken for granted oh so many times, but no longer would that happened, especially not after tonight. As he lay against the trunk of the tree, Kaiser rested his head back against the fuzzy moss that coated its woody bark. Soft and smooth like cotton, yet separated with small little bristle. It was no pillow, but it supplied the desired amount of comfort he oh so needed. As the darkness clouded his sight, and his eyelids struggled to stay open, Kaiser found his self falling deeper into a tranquil pool of slumber. With one last flicker of his eyelids the canine was down, and sleep had carried him off.

The leaves and branches of the trees swayed in soft, gentle breeze of the night air. The owls that had stayed hidden all morning had now revealed themselves. The white moon rested high in the sky as its silver light danced atop the canopies. The view was peaceful. It was relaxing. The world was at one with itself despite the stirring canine that flustered amongst its serene beauty. The problem not lied with features of the terrain, or the cold wind that crawled through the land. The problem was eternal. It was annoying, imposing, aggravating. Why wouldn't it go away? It wasn't long before the annoyance got the better of Kaiser and he awoke from his peaceful slumber. His eyes half opened and the fur around his face all littered with dirt and leaves, Kaiser gave an unhappy grunt as he rose from the ground and began stumbling far away from his resting place. The soft crunching of leaves was quickly replaced with the sound of a trilling liquid. With each second that passed Kaiser felt more relieved as the liquid drained from his body. But with every second Kaiser's conscious stayed aware of his actions, the closer Kaiser got to fully wakening. His muscles felt less tired. His heart no longer gave a slow rhythmic beat. It wasn't long before Kaiser's eyes began to come into focus. The once blurry and murky woods quickly became vivid and readable. Dark shadows became moonlight bathed grass beds, and the feat of seeing his hand in front of his face was possible once again. And just like that Kaiser's body had awoken to the world around him.

It was relaxing for the time being, but since he had fully awoken Kaiser felt no need to stay there any longer. After grabbing the sheathed sword and giving his body one good final stretch, Kaiser was once again walking in an unknown direction. Who knows how long it would be before he would head back to the village with Ryuuk. Hopefully when he did go back things would be back to normal, maybe even better. As Kaiser continued hiking through the plant like prison he began to feel a little bit better about his circumstances. Maybe he was on the right path, albeit he didn't see the lights that Ryuuk mentioned. Who's afraid of a stupid forest? Not Kaiser. He had trekked the so called unpredictable world and even manage to sleep within its foreboding confines. If anything the woods should be frightened by him. Kaiser had conquered his fear of the unknown place. That was until Kaiser heard a hissing sound not too far from him. The once brave and courageous Akita had been quickly reduced back down to his paranoid, frantic self from earlier. His pace quickened and his heartbeat began to race. What or who was following him? No matter how fast Kaiser walked, the sound wasn't far behind. When the Akita began to run, the fear inducing hiss kept up to speed. Why was he the target? What did he do to invoke their attention? Kaiser's mind raced for reason, while at the same time his legs raced for distance. A once quick walk had now turned into an all-out dash for escape. But no matter how fast he ran Kaiser was unable to escape the foreign sound that haunted him. Then with one false step Kaiser came to a crashing halt as his chin and chest fell to the ground in a hard and powerful sprawl. He wanted to groan in pain, but the sound was upon him. Where did it come from? Why come after him? Did he do something? Would he be eaten? Kaiser could only keep his eyes shut tightly as he tried to console his worried mind.

"Hey are-"

"Don't eat me!" Kaiser said as he curled into a ball.

"Eat you? Why would I eat you?" said a voice from the trees.

Kaiser slowly opened his eyes as he searched for the being that he thought would be standing over him. Alas, no figure was present. Only the moonlight that managed to break through the treetops stood before Kaiser. "W-where are you?" Kaiser said as he stood to his feet.

"Over here." The voice answered from the shadows.

As Kaiser turned around his eyes were met by a pair of eerie yellow eyes. Their glare pierced the darkness as they stared onto Kaiser's form. Kaiser wanted to run, but questioned why should he. If the stranger wanted to eat him then it would've been done earlier when he was lying on the ground. Not quite sure whether or not to trust the bodiless eyes, Kaiser kept his hand ready to snatch his sword into action if it came to it.

"You can relax furry one I'm not here to harm you." With that a long body began to slither into the glimmering spotlight of the moon.

Kaiser could only stare as the legless form revealed itself. A rounded, serpentine jaw that looked as if it could take its fair share of punches rested atop a stout neck. A pair of arms that riddled with tightly coiled muscles hung loosely as the figure slid into the moonlight. Mounds of pectoral and abdominal muscles carved hills of might on the snake's torso. Below the abs and onwards the body only continued in a long muscular tail. Although no legs were present, as the stranger slithered further into view Kaiser could see the massive amounts of muscles stretching and contracting as they pushed the body forward.

"You ok there, you look live you've seen a ghost." The stranger said as he stood in view.

"Huh-oh yeah, I'm ok. Sorry if I was staring." Kaiser said as he smiled in embarrassment. In the entire time Kaiser had been in Ryuuk's village, not once did he come across a snake that looked exactly like the stranger before him, not legless anyway. Sure he had met some, but they all had legs, strong and powerful legs. But here he was, standing before what Kaiser believed to be a true snake.

"If you're going to just stand there then maybe I should have ate you." The stranger smiled as he began to slither further towards Kaiser.

"Forgive me it's just that I've never seen a snake like you before. It's actually kind of interesting." Kaiser chuckled as his cheeks began to blush.

"Oh really? I'm going to take a guess and say you don't normally spend too much time around reptiles do you?" The snake said as he poised his self in front of Kaiser.

"Yeah it's pretty obvious huh." Kaiser continued smiling.

"Well you must have some kind of inside of knowledge if you managed to stay alive in these woods this long." The snake said.

"Not really, my friend Ryuuk told me to head in this direction." Kaiser said as he glanced back in the direction from which he came.

With Kaiser's head turned in the opposite direction, he didn't notice the slight grin that had appeared on the snake's face before disappearing. It was a smile of complete deception. The furry one wasn't just some lost traveler, but someone who held a lot more profit than that. In just seconds the stranger had gathered his thoughts and finalized his plan. "Wait, did you say Ryuuk, as in Ryuuk of the West River Tribe?" The serpent stared.

"That's the one." Kaiser smiled.

"Well this is by far the best moment in my tribe's history." The snake hissed.

"How is this the best moment?" Kaiser said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Our tribe has always been in the shadows behind the West River Tribe. In a sense you can say we're their partners." The snake hissed as he began to slither around Kaiser.

Kaiser was then filled with a joyous emotion. If the snake's tribe truly were on the same team as Ryuuk's, then maybe they had some information about what was going on back in the village. Then again, Ryuuk didn't seem too sure of the circumstances his self, so there was the possibility that the snake wouldn't know either. Kaiser stood there as the snake encircled his position. As Kaiser's mind trailed through loads of options, the snake continued to circle around the canine until he had completely surrounded the dog.

"What are you doing?" Kaiser said.

"I'm sorry, it's just- we hold everything associated with the West River with high honors." The snake hissed as he began to inspect the canine from head to tail. His yellow eyes scanned every inch of fur. And his tongue flickered as it dissolved every scent that lingered above the furry form. It was something new, a view he never had a chance to inspect so close before. Each fur like little bristles that danced whenever the wind blew. A pelt of fur that looked so soft that it rivaled the clouds that soared in the morning sky.

This furry creature truly was a sight to behold for his eyes, but it was also a chance for the snake to improve his own clan.

"Um may I ask your name?" Kaiser said as he watched the snake's body coiled and uncoiled around his personal space.

"My name is Nyuu-tik-sumbat, but you may call me Nyuu." The snake said as he began to slither away from Kaiser's body. "Now may I ask of your name my furry cohort?" Nyuu said as he rose before Kaiser.

"My name's Kaiser." The canine answered.

"Kaiser. The name fits you my friend." The snake grinned. "Well Kaiser, my tribe resides just a few yards away from here. Would you perhaps honor us by staying in our barracks?" Nyuu hissed as his faced guised his deceitful intentions.

"I don't know." Kaiser said as his mind contemplated the idea.

"You're hungry. And a nice, warm, comfortable mat to rest on will allow your body to feel so much more at ease my furry chum." The snake said while playing on the canine's weakened state of mind.

Kaiser stood there, unable to fully rid himself of the idea the snake had parted onto him. Sure he had taken a nap earlier, but the moss wasn't exactly an above standards mattress. And the ground was damp, lumpy, and cold, so of course Kaiser had to learn to make the most of it. But the idea of a warm pad to rest on, and a stomach full of food was more enticing than the sirens that led sailors to their watery graves. Besides, the snake said his people were acquainted with Ryuuk's tribe, so at least Kaiser knew he would be in great hands. What was the worst that could happen?

Under the umbrella of the trees, Nyuu guided Kaiser to his clan's location. Kaiser, who was skeptic about the idea at first, slowly began to accept the snake's false impression as a beneficial succor. Each step that Kaiser took felt more draining than the last. Hunger was taking its toll and so in Kaiser's mind he did what was necessary to end that problem. As the two continued walking, Kaiser began to notice that the grass underneath his feet was beginning to part. It couldn't have been from Nyuu, Kaiser thought. Nyuu was to his left so the snake couldn't be the one making it. It wasn't long before that one suspicious trail turned into a wide horizon of flattened grass. Who would go around flattening every acre of grass? It was unheard of. Sure people would make crop circles, but at least they formed a design. But to go all out and flattened everything within view, Kaiser didn't think such levels of patience existed. It was as if someone had taken a giant comb and neatly laid the green pasture closer to its bed.

"We're almost there." Nyuu smiled.

"I don't see anything." Kaiser said as he focused his eyes looking for some form of fortress, or a cluster of tents like in Ryuuk's village. However, nothing was in plain view, only the bent curves from the bending blades of grass that Nyuu and his self trailed upon. With his mind completely focused on finding some form of building, Kaiser didn't notice that Nyuu had came to a complete stop. That was until Kaiser walked straight into the snake's brick wall of a back.

"We're here." Nyuu said as he stared down at the ground.

"Here? Where exactly is here?" Kaiser asked as he scanned the horizon left and right.

"Home, we're at my village." Nyuu said.

"But I don't see anything." Kaiser said.

"Well that's simple. I can't open the entrance as long as you're standing on top of it." The snake smiled.

"Sorry." Kaiser said as he quickly jumped backwards.

Using his tail, Nyuu brushed over the grassy area that Kaiser had been standing on. With each swipe of the snake's tail the once grassy area grew scarce of vegetation. It wasn't long before a plate of clay laid bare for all to see. "You might want to move back a little Kaiser." Nyuu said as he bent over and dug his hands into the dirt. With a deep breath Nyuu's face hardened as the muscles in his body began to tense. Kaiser watched as the brown scales that covered Nyuu's arms and back began to ripple and bulge with energy. Although the sight was enticing, Kaiser felt intimidated and frightened at the amount of strength the snake was showing. In just a few seconds Nyuu went from digging in the dirt to holding up a giant clay boulder over his head. It had to be twice his size, or at least three times his weight Kaiser thought. As the dust and roots on the rock dwindle off its hard, earthy frame, Nyuu took his time balancing the boulder over his head. Yellow eyes glowed in the night's darkness, silver beams of light hugged the muscular frame as if it had graphed itself onto it; truly it was a sight befitting the snake. Then, without so much as a growl or grunt, Nyuu tossed the boulder to the side of Kaiser and his self. Now in the place of the boulder was an unveiled tunnel that glowed softly. Its golden aura illuminated what would've been a dark and perilous shaft.

As Kaiser stood above the hole, the fur on his face and chest swayed as the small breezes from within the cave crawled passed his stature. Like small feathers being drugged across his frame, Kaiser just stood there as the wind continued to slither over his body.

"Are we going down there?" Kaiser said.

"I don't see any other tunnels, do you?" Nyuu replied as he began to crawl into the entrance.

"I guess not." Kaiser softly said. The canine's body was sending all kinds of signals warning him to turn back. He felt nauseous, his fur was standing on ends, and the occurrence of the common chills became ever more constant. Kaiser was a walking spook detector, and despite it being his own body he ignored every sign.

As the two dwelled deeper and deeper into the earth's crust, Kaiser began to feel as though he was being disconnected from the outside world. The bright moon was no longer within view, only the rough texture of the walls that had been carved from dirt formed the new sky. But no matter how deep Nyuu and Kaiser went, the cooling breeze that blew at the entrance still remained present. In Kaiser's mind he was expecting the passages to grow more humid and warm the further they descended, but it still remained at a comfortable level. As they traveled Kaiser kept good memory of the paths they had taken. Although it was hard to tell the difference between each tunnel, Kaiser knew that the wind would be strongest closer to the entrance, or so he thought. It was just an assumption in the canine's mind.

Finally the tight, constricting tunnels of the cave began to wane as they grew wider and wider until Kaiser found himself standing at the entrance way of a moderate size den. It would've been awe inspiring for the canine, but Kaiser was unable to relax with some many other snakes like Nyuu sprawled out around the area. It was more than terrifying. Kaiser had no idea what they would think of him, let alone if everyone shared the same view towards him as Nyuu had stated earlier. Kaiser's heart raced as his eyes engulfed every figure and object in the room. There were snakes twice the size of Nyuu, and for the ones that weren't bigger, they seemed more vicious and savage than anything the canine had ever seen. But he would have to be strong, at least brave. Even though Ryuuk didn't question his strength and skills directly, Kaiser still felt as if the dragon thought he wasn't strong enough. Here Kaiser would prove otherwise. If the obstacle ever presented itself, Kaiser would be ready to take down one or two of Nyuu's fellow clan member, but only if he had no other choice. He was after all, just one Akita surrounded by hordes of snakes.

"Kaiser these are my fellow people. From passive Garden snakes to your deadly Cobras, my clan is the most lionized clan of snake in existence." Nyuu said as he held his hands in the air with pride. "But are presence is not of need here my furry friend. No, our time shall be spent separated from the entire tribe." Nyuu said. Although Kaiser didn't physically show it, his body gave a giant phew as his worries went to ease, and his muscles began to relax.

Staying close by, Kaiser followed Nyuu into a nearby cave that led away from the den of consorting snakes. Kaiser soon realized that it had been a good two hours since Nyuu and he had left the woods, but so far not a single trace of food had managed to make its way onto his tongue. The Akita was about to become very irritable. Luckily the area were Nyuu was guiding Kaiser to, wasn't too far away. In seconds Kaiser's nose began to twitch and flicker as the scent of roasted meat trailed in the air.

"Here we are." Nyuu said as he turned around to face the canine. The poor canine was taken over by hunger. His eyes laid transfixed in one spot as they fed on the visual buffet of food before him. "Go on and help yourself. These are my private quarters and that food is personally mines. You can eat as much as you like and you don't have to share." Nyuu said.

It didn't take a lot of explaining before Kaiser threw his sword and supplies into a corner, had sprinted pass Nyuu, and was stuffing handfuls of food into his muzzle. It was too good to be true, that's what Kaiser thought for the moment. A vase full of water, racks upon racks of lamb, and what seem to be an endless amount of pork, Kaiser's prayers were truly answered. With each swig of water the seconds passed, and with each bite the minutes disappeared. It was as if Kaiser was eating through the essence of time itself.

"Enjoy yourself my carnivorous pal, I shall return." Nyuu said as he slithered back out into the dingy tunnels of dirt and mud.

Kaiser didn't notice, let alone hear Nyuu dismiss himself, he was too caught up with what would be the next morsel he would graciously engorge himself on. As Nyuu withdrew from the chamber he was immediately stopped by one of his fellow people. This air grew tense as the two eyed each other intensely. Their eyes laid focus as if they were trying to peer into the other's soul. No sound, no movement, just the feeling of the gentle cavern breeze snaking through the tunnels and over their scales. It would soon be Nyuu who would be the first to break the electric charged silence between the two.

"My lordship," Nyuu bowed. The other snake smiled as the area behind his head began to widen into a large hood. "I bring you a gift most pleasant." Nyuu smiled as he lifted his body of the ground.

"A gift you say?" The cobra said as he folded his arms.

"Yes my lord, 'tis a gift most treasured by the West River Tribe." Nyuu continued.

"How treasured is this gift?" The cobra said as he slithered to peak at the canine within the chambers.

"It is so treasured that their leader has deemed him fit as ally." Nyuu said.

"What proof do you have of this?" The other snake said as he watched Kaiser finally leave the table of food.

"He said so his self my lord. Not to mention that very few know of the Irenic Pass, let alone are allowed to travel it, and that is exactly where I found him." Nyuu smiled.

"Hmm...does he know why you brought him here?" Nyuu's leader questioned.

"He believes 'tis to honor our people with his presence." Nyuu sneered.

"Truly your word are the purest snake oil alive my dear Nyuu-tik-sumbat. Then again, that is why I chose you as both my negotiator and my aid." The cobra smiled.

"As I am unworthy of either, I think thee for his more than gracious decision." Nyuu bowed again.

"I have one last favor I must ask of you my faithful servant." The cobra spoke.

"Speak lord and it shall be done." Nyuu kept his body to the ground.

"Seal off the main hoard chambers, and while you're at it seal off all the other chambers except for the main tunnel. That should keep some fresh air leading from the surface back towards this area. I would hate to have any sub-par conditions interrupt me while I enjoy such an offering of the flesh." The cobra hissed.

"It shall be done as you command my lordship." With that Nyuu rose from the ground and slithered away.

As Nyuu left his presence, the cobra continued to scan Kaiser with eyes lit with nefarious thoughts. Although creatures of fur never attracted the cobra, this one had connections that outweighed his personal likes and dislikes. If what his faithful servant Nyuu had mention had any bit of truth to it, then that would mean that the canine was chosen for...conception for the dragon's tribe. And if that was right, then what can be better than breeding the host before the other tribe had a chance. A grin of deep evil and vice snaked its way on the cobra's face before he began to slither into the chamber with Kaiser.

"You have no idea how much I needed that Nyuu." Kaiser said as he laid and stared at the rocky ceiling. "I've never been so full before in my life." The Akita said as he rubbed his now bulging stomach.

"I will make sure to pass the message onto Nyuu when I have his audience once again." The cobra hissed from far away.

"Huh," Kaiser quickly sat up. "W-wait, y-you're not Nyuu, w-who are you?" Kaiser said as he began to clamber away from the approaching snake.

"I, my one of furry descent, am the leader of this clan of slither reptiles, and you may address me as Lord Yumba." The cobra said as he continued to crawl further towards the canine.

"Y-yumba, I didn't mean any harm. Nyuu told me the food belonged to him and that I could eat as much as I want. I d-didn't know, really I didn't." Kaiser continued until eventually he had backed himself against a cold, grainy wall.

"So I've been informed, but I feel it most necessary to inform you of my clan's most sacred ordinance." Yumba smiled as he stood within two feet of Kaiser's frightened form.

"W-what is that?" Kaiser tried to stay firm in the eyes of the newcomer, but the air around him was cold, bone chilling, as if it were sharpening itself to pierce through his body. But at the same time there was a scent in the air most familiar, one that Kaiser slightly remembered.

"Whenever service is rendered, service of equal covet in perspective shall be rendered in the utmost of urgency." Yumba smiled as he lowered his head down to eye level with Kaiser.

"Um-I don't really have any food on me at the moment, but I promise to bring some back when I get the chance." Kaiser said as he stared into the diamond like eyes of the cobra.

"I'm afraid there seems to be some miscommunication between us." Yumba smiled. "Reimbursement is exactly what we are entitled to for the fact of you eating our precious food, but the way in which you shall pay is solely determined by what I feel is equivalent to the amount of food you so happily engorged yourself on." Upon hearing that Kaiser felt as if his throat went instantly dry. "So let's see what exactly I deem equal..." Yumba raised his head as he began to act as though he was deep in concentration. "I know. Since you needed something you so desperately didn't have in such a long time. I too shall take something from you I haven't had in such a long time." The cobra hissed as he once again lowered to eye level with Kaiser.

"W-w-what would that be?" Kaiser asked. No matter how hard Kaiser took a gulp of his saliva his throat never changed. It was as if the snake's gaze sponged every bit of comfort his body had.

"I would say it's been quite a while since I last had someone to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh with me. However, I am ashamed to say that they left no lasting impression on me. But I look at you and I see untapped reserves of sexual frustration waiting to be unleashed." Yumba hissed as he began to trace one of his scaly digits along the ridge of Kaiser's ears.

"No I-I can't, I'm sorry." Kaiser protested as he shook his head to rid the snake's finger.

"You can't hide your inner desires pup. Although they are hard to pick out, I can smell leftover trails of other reptiles' pheromones lingering from your body. And even though you protest my advances, subconsciously your body is oozing pheromones like that of a volcano that spews lava." The cobra said as he dragged his eyes up and down Kaiser's body.

Was he right, no he couldn't be, then again Kaiser was so lost in fear that he had paid no attention to the scents in the air. A quick and sharp inhale quickly confirmed what Kaiser was afraid of. It was there, proud and brash for all to intoxicate themselves on, Kaiser's body was in fact pouring of pheromones. But why would Kaiser's body be sexually enticed by the snake's advances when his mind ran rampant with fear and doubts of survival. It was then that Kaiser began to feel the cobra snaking his hand up along his inner thigh. "N-no, please stop." Kaiser said. He couldn't let this happen, not with a stranger he barely knew. And what about Ryuuk, how would Kaiser tell the dragon that he had fallen prey to the sexual desires to someone other than his own?

"One way or another I shall receive what I want." Yumba growled. With one of his hands the snake held Kaiser firmly against the dirty wall by the chest.

"Wait, you can't do this. I'm from the West River Tribe, aren't you allies with them, if so then you can't harm me." Kaiser quickly said as he tried to remove the snake's muscle bound arm off his body.

"Ha- truly Nyuu's words are the purest of all snake oils." Yumba said as he stared at Kaiser.

"Wait-what? What do you mean by that?" Kaiser stopped struggling as he stared into the cobra's eyes waiting for an answer.

"His words were pure lies. Nyuu's absolute order and chore is to serve for my purpose and my purpose alone. Lying and convincing naïve little travelers like your self is his specialty." Yumba smiled. "To be quite honest, the West River Tribe, and my clan never see eye to eye, hell we can barely stand the sound or smell from anyone over there.

Those words struck a nerve inside Kaiser that bore deep down into the fabric of his soul. What had he done? How could he have been so stupid to fall so easily into a trap? Ryuuk warned him of the dangers that slept within the woody maze of the forest, and Kaiser, the stubborn canine that he is, was now paying the consequences for not being more cautious. Maybe if he closed his eyes, maybe if he pretended the snake was Rexus or Ryuuk than maybe he would be able to ignore the fear that had his body in such an anesthetize position.

"Don't worry, I promise not to leave you in too much pain... maybe." Yumba said as he began to lift Kaiser away from the wall.

Kaiser closed his eyes as he felt himself be stood to his feet. It would be over before he knew, or at least that's what he hoped. As he stood with his eyes closed tightly with a vice like grip, Kaiser began to feel the smooth, yet rough scales of the snake begin to coil around him. Such pressure, such strength, such power, and yet so much restraint, Kaiser felt every last muscle in the snakes body as they began to constrict, and loosen around his frame. Surely the snake had more than enough muscle strength to squeeze every bone in the canine's body into dust, but the submission the snake had on Kaiser was more of comfort than distress. It wasn't long before the cobra had coiled around most of Kaiser's form.

"I find it most enjoyable when I have my prey bound and restricted of any movement. It is also my prefer method on killing my prey. However, you are not for my nutritional benefit, so you have nothing to worry about." Yumba said as he began to hug his torso close to Kaiser's back. "But there is something I do prefer to do to my prey of these circumstances."

It should've been no surprise to Kaiser. It should have been expected to the canine, but when Kaiser felt something tickling at the base of his tail he almost lost the image of Rexus and Ryuuk he had planted in his mind, but he stayed strong. Little by little the unknown object began to apply pressure to the back entrance of Kaiser's body. Although the canine didn't want to admit it, the feeling of pleasure was beginning to grow more and more noticeable.

"Just relax. This is only a warm up." The cobra leaned in and hissed into Kaiser's ear.

It was a new feeling, something he never felt before. Sure Kaiser had pictured it in his mind before, but that was the furthest he ever went with it, just an image and a hypothetical simulation in his head. Pound after pound of pressure pressed against the puckered ring of Kaiser's hole before in one smooth motion the object found its way inside. Kaiser couldn't help but give a slight whimper as he felt the intruder borrow deeper and deeper inside him. It was the sweet and sour of sexual interaction. The pleasure of feeling something so thick and smooth crawling along the walls of muscles inside, and the pain of having his ring stretched to a size it had never known, it was something Kaiser never knew could be so exhilarating. Eyes that were once sealed air tight began to loosen as the canine's face began form into an expression of pure bliss.

"If you enjoyed that then I know you'll enjoy this." Yumba smiled. This entire time the snake was using his tail to prod and jab at the canine, sure he would've loved to get right down to the insemination of the canine, but it would have to wait. It wasn't his time to have his way with the canine just yet, but he wanted to make sure that the dog was completely drained of any energy and would be unable to prevent what his true intentions were. Though it would take a while, Yumba didn't mind watching the furry being squirm and writhe in pleasure for the time being. With the slightest mental provocation, Lord Yumba gave his tail a slight flex within the Akita. In an instant the canine's body jerked and his head rose in delight. Yumba just smiled as he watched the canine indulge itself in the jolt of gusto that shot throughout his body. Yumba had to admit to himself that watching the canine react in such a way was a turn-on, a major turn-on, but he would have to hold his self. Again and again Yumba continued the treatment, slap his tail against the prostate of the dog and watch as he twisted and groaned in ecstasy.

Kaiser didn't know what to do. His mind was overrun with mixed messages, some of pleasure, others of disbelief, and an equal amount of disgust, but Kaiser had become too enveloped to care. Whatever the snake was doing was had felt more addicting than anything Kaiser had the opportunity to feel before. It was as if the snake knew every muscle and how it worked in his body. Again Kaiser felt another wave of pleasure surge through his body. How much longer could he resist, how much further would he be able to go before he allowed the snake to win him over? Kaiser loved Ryuuk, and if Rexus was still alive, than surely Kaiser still had something for him as well. But this feeling of bliss, this cloud of enjoyment, it was taking him to new heights. Kaiser then began to feel the object slide away from its position. Even as the object was leaving it left a trail of pleasure to still be enjoyed by the canine.

"Don't worry I'll put it back when I'm done." Yumba smiled. How could he deny the canine of something that made him so weak within his grasp, but what he had planned would surely provide more than double the amount of pleasure the dog had received. Slowly Yumba began sliding the thicker portion of his tail that was wrapped around Kaiser's waist closer to the canine's thigh. With a hard tap, Kaiser's cock slapped upwards as it slammed against the warm scales of the cobra.

Kaiser was so caught up with the sensation of being internally pleasured that he had no idea that his member was fighting for space beneath the hard muscles of the cobra. But now that it was out in sight, the cool, crawling breeze that slithered through the caves tickled at his more than sensitive head. What was he to do it? Deep down in his mind Kaiser was fighting every bit of this idea of what was happening to him. Even more so, there was something else fighting the idea, but it begged for release, not of sexual release, but of destruction and devastation. It wanted to be free to slash the snake's throat. All ideas within the canine's mind were quickly lost as the feeling that once left Kaiser's rear had once again returned. This time its entry was quicker and less painful, but the pleasure was still as enjoyable as the time past. Kaiser's face went back to the mug of bliss it had earlier as he felt the intruder snake further and further up his canal of muscle. Oh how it tickled and prodded everything it came across, it was too enjoyable to ignore, but that paled to what the snake did next. With the canine's rod in a more appropriate position, Yumba motioned two separate portions of his tail to hug both the top and bottom of the dog's cock. It was an act of god that kept Kaiser from losing himself all over the snake's scales, but the feeling was too much. Yumba had the canine right where he wanted, and now it was time to finish the dog off. Muscle control was something any snake in Yumba's clan specialized in. Being that majority of the snakes didn't have legs to walk on they had to learn how to maneuver every muscle in their body in any given direction. This served for more purpose than that of getting from point A to point B, and surely the canine was beginning to understand that. Kaiser's mouth slowly opened as he began to gasp for air. With the hard muscles in the snake's tail rolling, sliding, and pulling along Kaiser's shaft, and whatever that was sliding in and out of his puckered ring was sending endless amounts of pleasure throughout his body. The picture of Ryuuk and Rexus inside Kaiser's mind was beginning to fade away behind a cloud of mist. How much longer could he hold out? This feeling of ecstasy that had Kaiser unable to protest, that changed his vocabulary of words into nothing but sounds of enjoyment was growing stronger with each passing second. The strokes in his backside became faster. The movement of the muscles over his cock moved faster, Kaiser knew it wouldn't be long. Yumba just watched as Kaiser kept his eyes closed but gasped for air. The sweat that rolled along his furry muzzle, the way his chest huffed and puffed for air, Yumba was growing more aroused by the sight of the Akita with each motion. It wouldn't be long, soon his arousal would be put to use, and the canine would take every bit of essence the cobra would offer him.

"I-I," Kaiser was barely able to speak. His stomach twitched and jerked with each breath he took. His cock throbbed and jerked as more and more pre coated the ceiling and floor of scales and muscles that surrounded his shaft. Oh how he felt in such bliss, it truly was more than he could take on a normal day. "Oh no" Kaiser finally allowed the word to slip from his lungs.

With one last jab of his tail, Yumba pressed firm and hard against the canine's prostate. Kaiser's whole body began to quiver as the tsunami like wave of bliss rushed over him. That was all it took as Kaiser's cock began to tremble harshly. The muscles in the walls of Kaiser's ass clenched tightly around Yumba's tail as his cock released spurt after spurt of warm, creamy, white dog seed all over the scales that covered his dog hood. With each pulse more and more cum drained from the Akita's sac as his body twitched. Kaiser felt relieved, so relaxed, yet so exhausted. His mind was fading to black, his conscious slowly fading into the darkness. In just a few seconds after his climax Kaiser's mind slipped and fell into the world of darkness that clouded his mind. Now within Yumba's hold rested an unconscious canine that was no longer aware to the world around him, he was truly and utterly under the cobra's will.

"It's a shame really. The leader of the West River Tribe will never get the chance to breed you. But don't worry, you'll receive more than you deserve here." Yumba hissed as he began to position himself in a certain way behind the Akita. It was his moment now. It was Yumba's moment to indulge his self on the prize he had won. Using one of his hands Yumba parted a large slit that rested just in front Kaiser's already stretched hole. He could only imagine how warm and silky the canine's passage would feel like. That thought alone vexed the hard shaft that slept behind the sealed hole to reveal itself. Its spear like form tapered at the end. Veins pulsed as blood rushed through them. It was safe to say that the cobra cock was just another reason why he was heralded as the leader. "Let's begin." Yumba hissed as he began to motion his cock closer and closer to the awaiting ring flesh that seemed to beg for his attention.

Inches away from penetrating the canine, Yumba was suddenly stopped by the feeling of something caressing against the nape of his neck. Kaiser had awoken, and one of his hands rubbed along the muscular neck of the cobra. In Yumba's mind the canine had finally understood. Kaiser had no reason to fear him. Yumba was going to show him true and lasting pleasure.

"I knew you would see the light eventually." Yumba hissed as his rubbed the snout of his nose against the nape against the nape of Kaiser's neck.

"You're right. And now you shall see the dark." Kaiser whispered.

Perplexed by the canine's statement, Yumba lifted his head to stare at the canine's face. His stare, however, were only returned by closed eyes and a slight grin. Why would the canine say something as bold and vulgar as that, surely the dog knew that he had the advantage, or was the canine just playing games with him? Yumba just brushed it off his mind as he restarted his drive towards the canine's puckered ring. Suddenly Yumba felt a tight grip around his windpipe. It's vice like grip held firmly as the pressure around it began to build relentlessly. What was going on? Who or what was doing this? Yumba suddenly felt his body grow cold as his eyes locked into a stare with Kaiser's. The once brown eyes that softened the world around them had turned yellow and sharp. The small circular pupils that rested in their brown ocean had sharpened into two sharp diamonds. What was going on, what the hell was happening to the canine? Quickly removing his hold on the canine, Yumba broke away from the grip the canine had on his throat. With one quick whip of his tail, Yumba pushed Kaiser far away from him.

"What the hell are you?" Yumba said as he held his aching throat.

"I'm your killer." The now feral Kaiser smiled.

Yumba scanned the canine that stood before him. What had happened to him between the time he fell unconscious and now? The canine's body had changed in so many ways. The Akita looked as if every last muscle in his body had double in size. The once small fangs that had little traces of food left looked sharper. And the fur that was once combed perfectly down had now rose and gave the dog a more than ravenous look. Truly the canine looked more ferocious and bloodthirsty than normal.

"Are you going to stand there, or are you going to fight?" Kaiser said as he stared at the cobra with blood lusting eyes.

Yumba never came across anything like this before, but even if it was something new and probably dangerous, the canine was still nothing more than a furry mammal, and there was no way the dog could ever hope to harm him. So slowly Yumba began to slither as he circled the canine. Didn't matter if the canine chose to fight, either way the situation was a win-win situation for the cobra. If the Akita kept unconscious than surely Yumba would've succeeded in his plan, and if the pup continued to resist and chose to fight him, Yumba would've killed him anyway. No matter which way the situation would've went Yumba was sure he had nothing to fear. But the way the canine just stood there, allowing Yumba to flank him, it boded nothing but a bad omen to the cobra. In a flash Yumba struck into action, his frame seeming to almost blur into the wind itself. Dust waved in the air where Yumba once stood. Seconds passed and the clouded air cleared as the sand and dust cloud fell back to their hard and murky floor. Now standing on the opposite side of the canine, Yumba's frame kept still and motionless as the electricity in the air died down. Kaiser also kept frozen to his spot. The muscles in his body dead with energy, the wind swaying his fur to and fro, the canine seemed to be frozen in time.

"The poison from my bite won't take long before it reaches your heart and causes total body failure. Is there anything you would like to say before you perish from the world of the living?" Yumba said as he broke the eerie silence in the chamber.

Kaiser just smiled as he went and picked up his sword. Yumba stared in disbelief. If the body didn't make any physical movement it would take at least six to eight minutes for his poison to take effect, but the time would almost be sliced in half if the body was doing any form of physical labor. The cobra just stared at the canine, why would the dog choose to quicken its demise so abruptly. His question was answered when his gaze met with the furry being.

"I do have something to say, but it's not because I'm going to die." Yumba was struck dumb by the dog's bold assumption. How could he be so sure that he wasn't going to die? "I hope you lived a full life." Kaiser said as he held up his arm for the cobra to see.

"How is that possible?" Yumba growled. On the sleeve of fur on the canine's arm rested a small puddle of purple liquid, it was the cobra's poison.

"The answer is staring you right in the face and you don't even know it." Kaiser smiled. "But it doesn't matter, you won't have time to learn from your mistakes/" Kaiser said as he strapped his sword onto his back.

"Why you-" Yumba's words were silenced quickly as a red mist began to spew from the side of his neck. In instinct the cobra quickly held a hand to the wound as he tried to hinder the flow of blood that poured from the injury.

Kaiser stood there as his eyes soaked in the gory image before him. The slanted, yellow eyes that sent chills through the cobra's body were now the same eyes that were staring at a snake barely alive in its own pool of blood. But the canine's mind felt fuzzy, almost half awake as if.

"Lord is everything alright?" Nyuu's voice echoed from behind a sealed tunnel. This was great, now Kaiser could kill the lying bastard that tricked him into coming here. "Lord?" Nyuu said again. Kaiser stood there as he waited for the snake to make his entrance with probably a squad of other accomplices. The idea was too exciting to Kaiser as he licked his fangs. But Kaiser would have to clear his mind before they would get there, the fuzzy feeling that clouded his thoughts seemed to spread further as it began to engulf every thought he had until eventually his mind went blank and he fell to the floor.

With a soft rumble, the boulder that separated Nyuu from Kaiser and Yumba rolled out the way. A sudden gush of wind whipped violently through the chamber as the air rushed to into the opened tunnel. Nyuu quickly slithered into the chamber only to find that his Lord had died just seconds ago from blood loss. Anger and rage quickly filled his mind as he stared onto the lifeless form of his superior. Revenge would be attained, and it would be attained without mercy. Across the room Nyuu watched as the Akita rose from the ground rubbing his head in pain. The wild fur fell neatly back down to the canine's body. The claws and teeth that were once ridged and sharper had returned back to their canine like shape. If Nyuu had came to the aid of his Lord a few seconds earlier he would've seen the true form that took the life of his master, but time fell short.

Kaiser stumbled to his feet as he rubbed his head. What happened to him? He remembered being wrapped by the cobra, but anything after that seemed to end in a black void. Suddenly the smell of blood slammed into Kaiser's nose. It was fresh, almost too fresh, as if he had walked right into an occupied surgery room. Opening his eyes Kaiser was shocked to find a lake of blood surrounding the cobra. How did this happen? When did this happen? Was he responsible for this? Kaiser's mind raced in every single direction as he tried to bring some light to the dark situation he found himself in.

"W-what's going on?" Kaiser said as he stared at the lifeless corpse on the floor.

"You killed him!" Nyuu said as he glared at the canine.

"I-I couldn't have, did I?" Kaiser was confused. He had no memory of attacking the cobra, nor any idea what lead up to him attacking the cobra. It was all one big mystery to him.

"You'll pay!" Nyuu shouted as he began to charge towards Kaiser.

The sudden movement of Nyuu threw Kaiser into a fit of fear as he turned and began running from the snake. Even if he didn't have any memory of killing the cobra, it would be hard to explain that to Nyuu, especially since the snake was bent on taking his life for killing their leader. The hard, rocky surface of the tunnel blurred by as Kaiser raced for the exit. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, fear pushing his muscles beyond their normal standards, Kaiser was speeding through the tunnel with unknown haste. Nyuu's heart ached as he chased behind the canine. The thought of ripping the canine's throat out brought little comfort to Nyuu's mind. The cobra was dead, his people without a leader, all because of a stupid creature who bore a coat of fur. The wind that raced across Kaiser's fur was growing colder with each passing meter. He was getting close to the surface, he had to be. The air smelled fresher, the wind was cooler, and the sounds of crickets and owls were growing louder. But what if the snake kept up chase even after Kaiser managed to escape, what if he didn't give up? Would Kaiser have to confront him in order to ensure his own survival? Kaiser could soon see the silver light of the moon emitting from a hole up ahead. He was close, maybe a good 40 yards, but the snake was still close behind.

"You won't get away." Nyuu shouted to the canine ahead of him. His pounded against his chest, he wanted to catch the canine, but Nyuu found his self being weighed down by the thought his dead leader.

Kaiser was there, just few more feet and he would be out in the wide open for him to run in any direction he would need to get away. In a flash Kaiser erupted from the hole in the ground. Kaiser's fur danced in the moon light as his body floated in the air before landing back on the ground. Not wasting time to look back, Kaiser began a full speed dash to get as far away from the area as he could. The parted field of grass that surrounded the entrance to the underground village of the snakes rushed underneath Kaiser's feet as they raced in hurry.

Nyuu made it to the entrance only to find that the canine had managed to gain a considerable amount distance in such a short time. He wanted to continue the chase, his pride begged for it, but he was unable to wipe the image of his dead master out of his mind. With as much force as he could conjure up, Nyuu slammed his fist into the grassy blanket that surrounded the hole.

Kaiser kept running, his fear continuously pushing him further and further. Minutes later Kaiser found himself panting for air as his stride began to whither down to a mere jog. Unsure of whether or not the cobra was still chasing him, Kaiser looked behind his self as he continued jogging. With a sudden thump, Kaiser collided with a wall and fell to ground. Looking up Kaiser saw a familiar figure standing in the light of the moon. The figure stood tall as a thick tail rested behind its frame.

"What are you doing all the way out here pup?" A thick and rough voice asked. Kaiser just smiled as he eyed the figure before him. Perhaps things weren't as bad as Ryuuk thought they were.