FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The steady rock of the old, decommissioned naval warship, The Interceptor, renamed The Interloper by Midland lord Tiberius Iollan McCree the Third, did nothing to ease my nausea. The waves lapped violently at the sides of the ship, currently anchored in some harbour for the night, after sailing for over two weeks straight. As it turns out, Tiberius isn't as skilled a sailor as he'd lead us all to believe. It was, however, a mostly uneventful trip, since most of the time I'd spent lying in a bed. A comfortable bed, at least, with clean sheets. My body was still very sore and very tired from when I'd last worn the Dragon Armour.

In fact, I'd woken up in this very bed after a dreadful fight with some sea monsters - on land, no less - having used the mighty power of Algol to aid me. Algol was a fantastic suit of black armour crafted by the most wicked, and certainly most mad Black Dragon in existence - now no longer in existence - designed specifically for equally wicked furs. Now, you might not think a fur who kills sea monsters can't be all bad, but in fact, we can be. Deep inside me dwells an evil so powerful and so malignant, nothing short of Divine Intervention can stop it. Either that, or total obliteration, which is a task unto itself. But I can't control that sort of Darkness; it only comes around when its apparently needed, rather than at any time I want. Often times I'm not even aware of its seizure of control, not until I'm too far gone to stop it. On the battlefield, back in the days of the Century War, I'd been given the nickname Nosferatu, Death on the Battlefield, given to me by both my enemies and my allies. In those days, when things got tough I would never realize what it was, exactly, that gave me such strength, but it wasn't until meeting a young panther named Kai where everything started to fall into place.

His fiery red eyes is what started me on my quest - my quest so save him from death, and as I later discovered, from releasing the evil Crimson King from his place in Hel. The bond between Kai and I had grown significantly in the couple short years we'd known each other, to the point where only death could break it. The boy and I were, without a doubt, mates, and the love we shared was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and would likely never experience again. He and I travelled to Hel together, in my new mission to kill the Crimson King and free Midland from his horde of nasty demons called Disciples. Instead, all I was successful in doing was, quite literally, delivering Kai to the King's doorstep, where he promptly released Kai's soul and escaped from that twisted land, with my boy. And for the past nine months, almost, I've begun my newest mission: to destroy the Crimson King and save my poor Kai from whatever fate has befallen him.

Which, of course, brings me back to Algol, the Dragon Armour. It is the one thing I need to bring about the Crimson King's destruction, for only it has the power I need to defeat a greater Darkness than my own. My Darkness is born of his nasty seed, which he'd planted millennia ago, many ages before he and his Disciples had fallen into myth. And though Nosferatu aids me greatly in battle, it is easily suppressed by the King, and so Algol comes in. The Dragon Armour, while being heavy and thick, and quite frankly, extremely intimidating, brings Nosferatu to the driver's seat within moments of putting on every piece, turning me into a sort of shell for it. Although I am fully aware of my own actions, with the armour on, I can hardly control them. It's like every evil impulse I could possibly have must be gratified, and while wearing Algol, it will be gratified; when I want something dead, I will not stop until it's dead, then continue onto the next thing, be it monster, demon, or fur. Algol is a very dangerous suit of armour, but it is necessary for defeating the Crimson King - necessary for saving my Kai.

Unfortunately, when Algol Luca runs out of things to kill, instead of blacking out like usual, I would instead, in theory, wander about until I find something new. That is, until a piece of the armour is removed, which no other being could possibly come close to doing. The only one who could remove a piece, in fact, was the Dragon who'd crafted the armour, the one who'd been killed by a vengeful arctic fox named Loki. And shortly after the Black Dragon's demise, I found myself on this very ship, where I continued to lie, not yet feeling the energy to get up.

But of course, it seemed I wouldn't be given a choice.

"Still in bed, I see," said Keefe, the blue Great Dane and former Holy Knight, wandering up to my bedside. He was wearing a white, loose-fitting tank top and a nice pair of pants, with an equally nice pair of black boots, arms crossed. He looked like he was close to grinning, as if amused by my lying here, but hadn't quite made it there. The canine instead kicked the farthest leg of the bed several times before looking back up at me, the grin growing a bit more. "You doing all right?" he finally asked. I knew he cared.

I just nodded quickly, then in a bout of subtlety, shifted my body to the left, making room for Keefe to sit. And sit, Keefe did.

The canine put both paws beside his legs for now, like he was gripping the edge and preparing to vault forward at any moment. But when my leg brushed against his lower back, he soon relaxed, back slumping a bit - though he was a very tall, well-postured dog - and arms melting to his sides. He glanced over at me, and though it was mostly hidden beneath his steely dark fur, I think there was a bit of blush. I just smiled back.

"I missed you," I told him.

"I was only gone for a few hours," he replied.

"I mean...when I was in Hel. I missed you. All of you... I thought you'd all been killed. 'Specially Rit."

Now Keefe was smiling.

"What happened," I asked, "after I left? How did you all survive?"

Keefe stared past my eyes for long moment, like he was recounting every minute. Finally he focused on me. He then opened his maw to speak but stopped himself, then gave a quick laugh through his nose and shook his head slightly. "Well," he finally started, "as I'm sure you remember, the Cathedral was overrun with monsters and Disciples, brought in by Loki. They burst through the door and the windows and walls, shortly after you vanished through the Carrier, and though we'd only managed to kill a couple on our own, it was Demon Rit who'd inadvertently saved us."

I was wearing a face of curiosity.

"He crashed through the high ceiling, crushing a couple monsters below him, completely by accident; he was still under Loki's command at that time, but careless all the same. Fortunately, he'd weakened the stone vaulting enough to cause a partial collapse of the ceiling, which created enough dust and confusion for Rin, my father and I to escape relatively unnoticed. We never saw what'd happened to Valo. Loki'd chased us, though, through the thick forest, riding on Demon Rit's back, but he never found us. None of us were in a state to keep fighting, so when we finally stopped hearing Demon Rit's roars, we knew he'd given up."

"Wait... Riding on Rit's back?"

Keefe shrugged. "Apparently he can sprout wings, though that may have also been Loki's doing. Anyway, when we got back to the mainland, probably a week after you were Carried into Hel, construction on the Crimson King's castle had already begun, and after a few weeks of observation, noticed hundreds of Disciples flocking to the ruins of Midgard. Which was when we encountered Rit again, in his usual form, naked and exhausted. He'd come from the ruins, explaining everything that'd happened with Loki. Apparently without his power, Loki could no longer control the Disciples, which of course included Rit. Since he was never a true Disciple, instead created by Loki, he was almost immediately transformed back to his former self. Luckily all the other Disciples were either too busy or too frightened to notice their former ally wondering away from them."

"So where did Loki go after that?"

"Not really sure. He certainly didn't follow Rit, probably afraid of what we'd do to him if we found him. He probably went to find you."

And Loki had found me, in the port of city Fairfax, very much eager to tear me apart. But of course, with or without Nosferatu, it was a steady and easy victory. We'd soon managed to put our differences aside, however, and focus far more on the similarities, which were striking. We'd both lost so much from the Crimson King, and both wanted revenge. Of course I also wanted to reclaim Kai.

"How did you guys know where to find me?" I asked, an even more curious question. "You couldn't possibly have guessed..."

"Surprisingly, it was Nidhoggr who wanted to find you, though he kept calling you Baldr, and said you'd need saving. Your friend Char agreed, so we took off quickly. It's quite exhilarating, you know, flying through the air like that on dragon-back. Everything looked so small from the clouds."

I made a noise suggesting I agree, then rolled onto my back, only my legs covered in warm sheets. I then took a quick glance around the room, then put my paw on top of Keefe's.

Keefe's head whipped over, but left his paw there. He was blushing again. "Luca..." he said quietly. I think he was going to say more, but I started to pull, and within moments, had the canine's forearms resting on my chest, while his legs continued to dangle over the bed's edge, our noses nearly touching. He sighed heavily, but I could still see he was blushing. And smiling, for that matter.

With both paws gripping Keefe's, I bumped my nose against his, rubbing slightly then nuzzled his face, and was overjoyed to feel the dog nuzzling back. My paws then ran up his muscular arms and wrapped around his back, and for a long while we simply held onto each other, quietly nuzzling until we heard someone at the door. Keefe quickly got up, myself sitting up, and together we watched his father, Tiberius, enter the cabin.

"I thought you were getting Luca," he said, flicking his plain-looking cape and hood to get off the rain he'd collected.

"I was," frowned Keefe.

"Well, c'mon then."

"Where're we going?" I asked, sitting up with minimal pain. I wasn't wearing pants.

"To the pub. Let's go."

"We'll catch up," Keefe said, bending down to pick up my pants. He tossed them at me, then shared a glance with his father.

Tiberius rolled his eyes, though I couldn't see them that well from under his hood. "Fine, but make it snappy."

After Tiberius left, Keefe turned back to me, and it was our turn to share a glance. Finally I got up, letting the sheets fall off my legs, uncovering my sheath and balls. Within moments, I had my paws on Keefe's hips, standing close.

"Luca," Keefe giggled, "we can't. Not now..."

I then silenced the dog with my lips, placing them gently upon his, and after the initial shock wore off, Keefe kissed me back, paws now finding their place upon my back. It didn't take long for us to part once more, the lean, muscular canine slowly backing away, paws slipping off my hips and his head hung low; he was still looking up at me.

"Get your damn pants on," he said with a smile, tossing them at me.

I caught the garments easily. "You're no fun," I simply said, turning around. When I did, I bent over in such a way that I nearly knocked the dog over with my rear, regretting it soon after when a tearing pain ran up my leg. I snarled and held myself up on the bed, ignoring Keefe's worried paws on my back. "I'm fine," I growled, then slipped into my pants. After standing up, I turned to a concerned canine.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. My wounds just aren't totally healed, that's all."

Keefe finally nodded, then handed me a top. I put it on without argument, then watched Keefe wrap himself in a cloak, throwing up the hood. I never liked rain, more especially fighting in it. As if the ground wasn't unstable enough, rain only made it slippery, and of course muddy. Sometimes it would be so bad, I'd be nearly up to my knees in water and mud, and swinging my sword was next to impossible. Not that that was ever much of an issue for me, but my enemies were certainly unimpressed. 'Course, that was back in my army days, during the Century War.

After a short search, I finally found my own dark cloak, swinging it around my back dramatically, ignoring the sharp pains in my shoulders. I, too, threw up the hood, then approached the canine, who was waiting for me patiently by the door. But before he could open it, I swiftly pushed him into the door and growled sensually. Except this time Keefe put a paw on my chest.

"We can't keep on like this," he told me. "I'm happy you're feeling better, but they're going to wonder where we are."

"Then we'll just have to go where they won't find us." I wasn't sure why I was feeling so aroused.

Keefe gave me a long, hard sigh, then shot me an enormously serious look, no longer smiling. He even pushed me a bit with his paw.

Thwarted, I finally backed away and let the dog have his way, but not without rolling my eyes. We left The Interloper's cabin and hurriedly into the harbour, where we were greeted by a powerful blast of wind, hard clap of thunder, and faces full of rain. The fact of the matter was, I was feeling much better after only a few days at sea, and though Keefe was originally taking care of me, we could hardly keep our paws off one another for very long. Despite confined quarters and lack of privacy - I was quicker than usual - we somehow kept it from the others, and decided it may be best to leave it that way.

When I'd first met the Dane, we could barely stand each other's presence, but as time passed, he and I had grown much closer, and though at the time we were both mated to others, we couldn't deny our feelings. Shortly after celebrating those feelings, however, we were forced apart as I ventured into Hel without the dog, and for over eight months lived without any furry contact. Which of course was rectified very soon after returning to the mortal realm.

"This way," Keefe suddenly said, holding a paw out to me, though I didn't take it; I could turn my body just fine by myself.

But I just nodded and followed. "So how come you're not going to tell Rin about us?" I asked the dog. Rin was Keefe's mate, who was just a young man when we'd met him - a cougar about sixteen years old. He used to be a servant to the late King of Midland, who of course was a Disciple of the Crimson King, but was taken with us when the castle fell.

Over the cries of the wind and hammering of the rain, I heard Keefe sigh. Then he stopped.

"He already knows we'd slept together before," I told him. I wasn't sure why I was being so persistent. Perhaps in some way, to justify what we were doing.

The dark-furred canine lowered his head. "That was over eight months ago."

"Yeah, so?"

Then I thought I caught a bit of growl. "Do we have to talk about this now?" Keefe said angrily, turning to me. Though most days I'd have no problem messing with him, his eyes told me not to. And I didn't. We just continued along the muddy thoroughfare until we reached the pub, where a dry and undoubtedly warm lion, cougar, Great Dane, skunk and a nearly naked cheetah waited for us. Keefe and I sat with the group, served drinks almost immediately.

"So," Tiberius started, holding that pause for an excruciatingly long time. We all knew what he was going to say. "What happens next?"

I simply started my drink, sitting next to an inebriated lion. I think he'd been here all afternoon.

Rit promptly wrapped an arm around me and gave me a great squeeze, very happy to see me. I patted the lion's belly, thanking him insincerely. The lion and I had shared a deep, meaningful bond, too, at one point, though I think it didn't run nearly as deep as the one I'd shared with Keefe. And I don't think Rit knew about us, either. But nevertheless, my friend and I shared a drink, waiting for someone to answer Tiberius' question.

"What'dya mean, 'wha happens next?'" the lion slurred, slamming his large tankard down on the table, miraculously not spilling a drop.

"I mean," Tiberius said, irritated by Rit, "what's our next move? We took my ship to find Luca...so now what?"

We all just sat around in silence, I suppose none of us really thinking about it. I know I hadn't. All I could think about was the end; how I was going to kill the Crimson King. He had beaten me so easily once before, but with Algol I actually stood a chance. And yet oddly, though it was clear in my mind I would tear the King apart, specifically, I couldn't begin to imagine how it'd happen. Would he transform himself again? If so, then what would I do? Continue to fight, I suppose, and with Algol on, I wouldn't have a choice. That is, until I was killed. But I wouldn't let that happen, either. It wasn't even an option now. The only option, no matter how it came about, was to kill the King and reclaim my dear Kai. But how we get there was an entirely different story. Strolling up to his castle at Midgard seemed an unlikely idea, though I had no doubts the King would be arrogant enough to let me waltz right up to him. The others, however, wouldn't stand a chance. Though...they didn't have to come with me. This was my fight, anyway. But before I could suggest that, Rit had already opened his big, drunk maw and started his best attempt at speaking.

"Ready the troops!" the lion cried, throwing up his ale-arm. "And storm the fucking castle."

No one paid much mind to Rit.

"How about finding a way to stop Nosferatu from killing every one of us?" a voice said from behind us. We all turned to face Loki, who was staring seriously at us, even producing a significant growl from Rit.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Tiberius asked. I had to admit, I was quite curious to know, too.

"Before Nidhoggr died, he told us to find his brothers. Now, why would we do that?"

"'Cause once you go Black," said Rit, then a hiccup, "you never go back..." then an obnoxious laugh, and I could practically hear everyone's eyes rolling.

Loki, ever-serious, then slammed a paw down on the table, sobering the lion to a certain extent, snarling at the drunken beast. "If Luca dons that armour once more, none of us will be able to stop him, and save killing him ourselves - before giving the Crimson King a chance - we need to find a way to control Algol's darkness, as well as Luca's. Nidhoggr was estranged from his brothers, but over the centuries they'd shared many things with one another, including their dark prowess. Though they rarely communicated, they always tried to one-up Nidhoggr, failing at every chance. Which means they no doubt experimented with their magic, and wouldn't hesitate to steal ideas from their brother as well, including prolonging life and, I believe, cursing inanimate objects."

"Like the Dragon Armour," Ashley chimed in needlessly. He was wearing a new dress now, given to him by Tiberius. In the week we'd been at sea, the two had caught up and delighted in sharing stories. Tiberius had quickly grown fond of the young skunk, even admitting - much to Keefe's embarrassment, and consequently Rit's delight - he'd very much enjoyed the pawful of times he'd thrown on his wife's gowns, having even purchased a few for himself, cleverly disguising them as gifts.

"Exactly," Loki confirmed, as needless as that was, too. "They must know how to remove the armour, or at the very least, lead us in the right direction."

The group thought about that for a while, taking time to lap up a bit more ale and consider the consequences. Like the others, I had no idea where to begin looking for Nidhoggr's brothers, assuming they even still lived. Nidhoggr hadn't ever mentioned them the first time we'd met, which made me wonder if they'd even been Carried to Hel all those centuries ago. Either way, their location was still a mystery. But perhaps...

"Maybe Char can help us find them," Rin suddenly spoke, as if reading my mind. The cougar never said much, so it was a shock to hear him string so many words together in one sentence. But we contemplated those words. "Or at least, tell us who can."

"Like most Black Dragons, they used to dwell deep within the snowy mountains of northern Heimbard, which of course belong mostly to Midland now. But it's impossible to know if they're still there. Or alive, for that matter."

Then I heard myself sigh, sinking into my chair. No one seemed to notice except Rit, and I think Keefe had looked over. I took another long drink of this putrid ale, now holding my head up with a paw. All I wanted to do now was sleep, a sudden wave of fatigue crashing into me. At the very least, I had to get away from this smelly, musky place. Even from this whole country. What I wanted was to go back to Midland, back to a time before monsters and demons, and of course the Crimson King. Back when I was a mercenary. Everything was so much simpler then. All I had to do was kill whoever I was being paid to kill, or defend whoever I was being paid to defend. None of this planning and waiting and discussing and arguing, and more importantly, none of these massive injuries. I was much better off not knowing about my Inner Darkness - about Nosferatu - but simply using its dark influence to assist me in battle.

But those days were long gone. I hadn't had a real good sleep for...hell, I'm not even sure I'd ever had a real good sleep, that's how long it'd been. The sleep I did get was full of visions and nightmares, waking up almost every time in a cold, frightened and confused sweat, paw always ready by my sword. I hadn't even thought about my future, and though in the back of my mind I knew I couldn't continue forever, I never once thought it would turn out like this. I'd always found time to sit around in a pub drinking with my mates, but it was this planning and plotting which got to me. After listening to the others talk amongst each other for a while longer, I simply sunk deeper into my seat, sighing heavily.

"Wha's the matter?" Rit asked me, strong paw on my shoulder. "You en't run outta drink yet..."

"I don't know," I said quietly, not wanting to attract the others.

"Wha don'cha know?" the lion continued, breath reeking of his sweet, sickening ale.

I simply sighed again. There was no use telling Rit about it, not now. "I need some air," I finally said, getting up. The rest watched as I threw on my hood and made my way to the door.

"But it's raining!" the lion cried, thoroughly confused.

I just slammed the door behind me, not really sure where I was headed. The streets were empty, though many lights were on in the homes, my footpaws splashing through the muddy potholes in the poorly cobbled street. This was a sizable town, built up mostly around the port, with plenty of pubs, dark alleys, and of course prostitutes. I passed a small group of females trying their luck under a canopy, uninterested, but knew where I could find others. I hadn't ever been to this town, but if it was like any other poor, slum-town I'd been too - like the Dregs in old Midgard - they would be far more hidden, likely in the back of some tavern. And sure enough, I passed the ramshackle facade of The Bear Claw, a seedy pub with mainly male customers. I popped in quickly for a drink, sickened by the others, and escaped through to the alley. And I found exactly what I was looking for.

In this case, it was in the form of a tall, lean Doberman. "Well hi there," he said flirtatiously. "You sure you wanna be back here, kitten?"

I nodded. I wasn't sure what exactly had drawn me to this place, since obviously the drink would be the same anywhere. Suppose rather than the complicated love that was waiting for me back with Keefe and the gang, I wanted - or craved - something cheaper. Much cheaper.

"So what can I do for you?" he said, getting in close. I couldn't imagine was diseases he was carrying, but I wasn't particularly interested, either.

All I really wanted was some relief, of stress and otherwise. Something, anyway, to distract me from my mission for at least a little while. Something raw and uninhibited, where I had no worries and had to fear no consequences.

"Not a talker, huh? Well lemme just give you a few ideas..." the Doberman said with a phony, sensual smile. He reached a paw down into my pants, instantly finding my warm, albeit wet, sheath, giving my balls a good massage.

I simply closed my eyes and leaned back again the tavern's wall, arms dangling at my sides as slowly my pants became looser. I moaned quietly with the heavy pattering of the rain, myself and the Doberman protected by an extended roof.

"How's that feel?" the dog asked, not expecting an answer. I moaned a response anyway.

But when he got down to his knees, his warm, wet lips feeling extremely pleasing against my hard tigermeat, then the wild zing of his tongue, I opened my eyes to see a hooded Dane watching me from the end of the alley. He looked displeased, despite my obvious pleasure, but made no attempts to move. I just closed my eyes again and put my paw on the Doberman's head, urging him to do more. I felt his lips part against the tip of my shaft, then his tongue invite the hard organ into his maw, which encompassed me completely, forcing out a louder moan when his head began to move. When I opened my eyes again, Keefe was gone. Good.

Obviously experienced, the Doberman bobbed his head methodically and made very typical, practiced noises, like he was following a script. And after less than ten minutes of fairly constant pleasure and attention, I'd blown a mediocre load onto his muzzle. I stood for a moment out of the foggy rain panting, my breath hanging ghoulishly in the thick, muggy air as my cum-covered cock receded back into the warmth and comfort of my sheath. I wasn't feeling nearly as satisfied as I'd thought I would, and after doing up my pants, the Doberman now just brushing off his knees, I sighed heavily. I reached into my coin purse and paid the dog, and after giving me his rehearsed line about how fun that was, he went in for a drink. I simply knocked mine off the barrel I'd set it on, growling in contempt. I put up my hood once more, making my way back to the ship; I had no interest in seeing what conclusions about this mission everyone had come to.

"Hey," I suddenly heard, and I spun quickly. Keefe was standing behind me, still wearing that face of annoyance. "Did it help?" he asked, though he knew damn well what the answer was.

"No," I simply replied, continuing back to_The Interloper_.

"What was that all about?"

"It was nothing," I said, though by this point, he knew it wasn't nothing. Even now, after all we'd been through, I just couldn't tell Keefe what was on my mind, though he always pulled it out of me. I don't know why I even bothered trying to deny it.

Keefe didn't say anything, but walked with me in the rain, sighing loud enough so I could hear it. "I don't need to remind you that I care about you," he finally said. "We all do, and we're all here for you. Christ, even Loki's here for you."

"I'm just so sick of it all," I finally admitted. "I know it's only been a while since we got together again, but...I don't know how much more I can take. No one knows what we're supposed to do next, and if we ever find our way back to Midland, how long will it be until we can rescue Kai? If you ask me, I think you should all hang back and I'll just face the King myself."

Keefe kept silent for a short while before speaking. "Firstly, you know we would never let you face off against the Crimson King alone. We just wouldn't. Second, what do you think would happen after that? I saw you in that armour, and I can honestly say I hardly recognized you. Sure, you looked like Luca, but you ceased to be...you. There wasn't a single bit of Humanity left in your eyes, and if this was a few years ago, I'd say you'd lost your soul, too. Having said that, how long do you think Kai would last near you after killing the King? And how do you think we could possibly rescue you, afterwards?"

I, of course, didn't have an answer, and I think he wasn't expecting one. The dog had a point, though. I couldn't defeat the Crimson King without the help of Algol, and with the King dead, no one would be left to stop me in my endless rage. I would continue to destroy everything until I was permanently stopped, which had been the case for my ancestor Baldr, the original bearer of the dark armour. So it would seem our next move, or at least my next move, was finding one of Nidhoggr's brothers, and hope he could somehow help me control my Inner Darkness, or control the effects of Algol's curse. That is, if any of them were alive. Unless they'd uncovered the secrets to extending life, they'd have died countless centuries ago. When I looked up at Keefe, a steamy wall-torch silhouetting his handsome features before me, I noticed a glare in his eyes, then realized he'd been staring at me. I just stared back.

Finally the dog turned away, just a second after our eyes met. I cocked my head and continued forward, the pair of us slowly meandering through the downpour, somewhere toward the harbour. Every so often our fingertips would brush together, which made my heart jump for a moment, but we both seemed to just ignore it. Despite the cold rain, an odd part of me wanted to hold Keefe's paw, though that always seemed like something couples do. Keefe and I weren't a couple, at least not in the traditional sense. He and Rin were a couple. Keefe and I had fooled around once, and for some strange, inexplicable reason, upon meeting up with the dog again after my eight months in Hel, I could scarcely keep my paws off him. I kept telling myself I should stop, for fear of the others finding out, but it wasn't like he was stopping me, either. We'd only slept together that one time, after I defended the dog against his asshole father, who'd calmed down since then.

But it'd been more than just defending him that'd drawn us together like that. Defending him had simply been the breaking point, of sorts. Since meeting Keefe, he'd slowly begun to lose his faith in his God, more especially when he'd sought guidance of some kind in the worst, most monstrous of times, finding instead only fear, darkness and cold. The only Truth he'd ever discovered in his travels was, in fact, a big, powerful, evil tiger swinging an enormous slab of metal around at anything he called Enemy. Anyway, all of this had happened completely unbeknownst to me, until that fateful day where the dog had revealed his desires to me. First time I'd ever been knotted, too, which was an experience.

Of course, sleeping with Rit was quite an experience, too. Different, to say the least, but an experience all the same. We'd met years and years ago, and were fairly close friends, both of us mercenaries serving opposing countries, having become intimate - though not sexually so - in my favourite pub The Tiger Tail. It wasn't until years later where Rit and I had finally bonded, our attraction to one another fairly mutual. Although I'd always commanded the battlefield, Rit seemed to always have something over me, and needless to say, he really roughed me up. Gave me a nasty cut on the lip, too. But over time, since he'd joined me in my journey, it seemed it'd become more than just a mutual, physical attraction, but emotional one, too, and mostly one-sided. But unfortunately I had fallen for the lion as well, which made it all the more painful when he'd been transformed into a Disciple and forced against us. And though I'd gotten over it in time, it seemed the lion hadn't yet forgotten the time we'd shared together, nor forgotten the feelings he'd felt.

I wasn't feeling much of anything, actually, which had been the case as of late. Though upon seeing Keefe again, it surprised and frightened me the amount of emotion that'd suddenly coursed through me. Although I'd let it go a few times, in the couple weeks since returning from Hel, I'd shown extreme restraint toward the dog, more so than I care to admit. It was difficult to decipher exactly why I was having these feelings now, and that unsettled me.

Again our fingers brushed together, and in a bout of subtle passion, my fingers lingered and tried to link with his, but Keefe just stopped. Moments later, after I stopped, our fingers held onto each other's, and we stood close together, breathing our breath in a heavy form between us.

"Luca..." Keefe sighed, looking up at me.

I didn't say anything. I didn't even smile. Amongst the heavy crashing of the rain around us, I somehow heard my heart pounding in my chest, blood surging through my ears. Ironically, I think I was happier not feeling a thing. But nothing stopped me from raising a waterlogged paw up to Keefe's left cheek, gently rubbing his fur with my fingertips. The dog sighed through his nose, eyes closed and rubbed into the warmth of my pawpads.

"I'm happy you're back," was all Keefe said to me before pulling away. He didn't pull far, but enough to tell me to stop.

I simply sunk back into my hood, paws falling to my sides now beneath my heavy cloak. "I don't feel the same way about him," I suddenly found myself saying, referring to Rit.

Keefe looked at me puzzled, face half illuminated by a steamy torch.

"What happened with him in the eight months I was gone?" I asked. It seemed strange, in retrospect, that no one had filled me in yet.

"I assume you're talking about Rit?"

I nodded, then we continued our walk.

"Did he talk about you?" Keefe said, asking if that's what I meant to ask.

I nodded again. "What did you tell him about our mission since the Dragon Library?"

"Well," the dog started, seeming to forget about our paw holding mere moments ago, "for the first few weeks he was pretty out of it. I guess turning into a monster can do that to you." Keefe then glanced at me, as if to say "you should know what that's like." I just frowned.

"Anyway," he continued, "he was supposed to stay in bed until he was feeling better, but you try to keep him down. He would wander about aimlessly, sometimes talking incomprehensibly to himself, other times frighteningly silent. Other times he would get violent, and all we could do was wait until he calmed down before restraining him. It was pretty rough for a while... But I think when he heard us talking about you one day, he had something to cling to; something to draw him back to this world. He'd had us so preoccupied, though, I guess we really hadn't given you much thought, until he knocked himself out one night. When he woke up, he kept repeating your name, over and over until he became exhausted."

I sighed. I knew the dog was trying to help, but he wasn't, really.

"But does he still love you?" Keefe finally said, then gently shook his head. "Yes, absolutely. But we all do, Luca. He never believed for a moment that you were lost to us, and even resisted his powerful urge to rip Loki's limbs off just so we could find you. I think more than anything, Rit's simply craving your carnal attention."

Suppose there was no harm in giving him at least that. And yet I felt no particular desire to do so, but of course felt plenty desire toward Keefe; I must've really lost it. I didn't much like these thoughts, though, so I silently growled and shook my head.

Finally the two of us approached The Interloper, and noticed a peculiar shadow in the main cabin. We both stopped, noticing it at the exact same time, also realizing that shadow shouldn't have been there. Neither of us were armed, however we moved up toward the ship anyway, silent in the heavy downpour. Upon boarding the ship, we certainly heard noises from within that weren't supposed to be sounding, and so with preparedness, we stood by the door.

"Who the fuck is that?" I asked the dog, listening harder.

Keefe shrugged, pressing an ear against the door. But we both glanced at each other when we heard a heavy door slam from within, the newcomer clearly moving throughout the ship.

"He must be searching for something," Keefe suggested, now slowly opening the door. He nodded to me twice, and upon the third nod, the two of us slowly crept in. The dark newcomer was nowhere to be seen, as we'd thought. Either he'd moved to the lower deck, or he was in the Captain's Quarters.

I gestured to Keefe I'd check out the Captain's Quarters, and within moments I was next to the door, the dog standing by for a possible runner, and I snarled and burst in, prepared for a fight. But again I was left with only a dark and still room, the only noise coming from the rain hammering away at the fine glass windows. But I searched around anyway, listening to my breathing, checking every corner of the room, and under the long table, then past it to the second half, around the desk and near the bed. Still nothing. Finally I exited the Captain's Mess and Quarters, and Keefe just shook his head.

"He must've gone down to the lower decks," he reported.

"Tiberius left a bunch of gold sitting on his desk, and as far as I could see, it's all still there."

We stood above the hatch and stairs to the lower decks contemplating. This was undoubtedly the most expensive ship this town had ever seen, its longest dock hardly suitable for anything bigger than a cargo ship, and without guards or crewmen onboard, probably the perfect target for just about any thief. Having said that, with a pile of gold still sitting in the most obvious place to start plundering, it was hard to imagine this was a common thief. So what was he after? I glanced up at Keefe, who'd probably been thinking the same thing I was.

"Only thing down there worth taking would be the booze and our weapons. And of course..."

"Algol," I said, confirming the dog's suspicion. "But...how would he know it's here?"

"Does it really matter?"

Keefe was right, of course. One way or another, there was an intruder onboard, and whether he was after gold or booze, we had to stop him. And so Keefe opened the hatch to the lower decks, and in we went. Of course, I was going first, unarmed but ready to fight. Keefe and I carefully made our way throughout the ship, deck by deck until we were at the bottom, heading toward the brig. And as it turned out, they'd locked Algol in one of the cells, where we saw a small, dark fur trying to get in. But why was he after my armour?

"Hey!" I growled, picking up a length of chains. I'd left the Lionheart on the upper deck, next to my bed, knowing there would be hardly enough room to swing it down here. I could hear Keefe padding quietly behind me.

The dark figure just stopped for a moment, then continued to rattle the cage mercilessly as if to break off the door. I then growled and smashed the chains into the floor, approaching the impish fur. I'd caused him to stop for but a moment before he reached his arm into the cage, grasping at my evil armour. When I smacked the cage with the chains, he pulled away harshly and snarled at me from beneath his dark hood, arms held close to his chest. Upon closer inspection, the newcomer looked like just a child, but had experienced many horrible things. But before I could teach him a lesson, I felt a warm paw on my shoulder, pulling slightly.

"He's just a kid," Keefe said. "Probably hungry."

"What's he gonna eat down here?" I barked, lowering my arm. The child just stared up at us.

Keefe just frowned at me and stepped forward, leaning forward a bit. "What's your name?" he said softly, holding out a paw. "I can get you some food, if you'd like."

Frowning harder than I'd ever seen a child frown, the dark-furred boy stepped away until he jostled against the furthest wall. Keefe was still approaching, slowly and nonthreatening. But like any animal backed into a corner, the young beast snarled and swiped his little claws at the dog, giving him a fantastic cut on the nose. Keefe snarled and held his small yet deep wound, and the kid took off.

Despite Keefe's injury and insistence he's only hungry, I ran after him. I tore past the mainmast and up the stairs, snarling as I jumped over thick ropes and barrels and crates as we ascended the full rigged ship, but he was fast and nimble. But finally we burst from the cabin and were on the main deck, and within moments I was pursuing the little thief-to-be in the pouring rain and throughout the town. My hood was pulled back by this point, and my fur thoroughly soaked. Splashing through the dark, empty streets, I heard a fit canine close behind me, growling fiercely as he easily caught up.

It was strange hearing Keefe growl, let alone snarling and angry. I glanced over at him when he was in sight, impressed by the amount of ferocity he was showing. Usually he'd only be catching up to tell me to let the kid go, but he was just as keen on catching him as I was, if not more so. Suddenly the kid darted into an alley, and with my claws digging into the severely dampened ground, the canine and I made a messy turn, following as closely as we could. We barely turned again, slipping in the rain, making our way back out to the muddy thoroughfare where we pursued mercilessly. The kid was now making a beeline out of town, and after finally removing my drenched cloak, I felt myself speed up. I tore through the mud and rain nearly on all fours, panting heavily with teeth bared. But I was surprised to see him stop and turn, and for the briefest of seconds, noticed a particular glint; the boy was armed.

Up on my haunches, I snarled and lunged forward, easily dodging his pitiful attack and smacking the boy in the back of the head with the chains loosely wrapped around my forearm. He fell instantly, snarling adorably as he turned and got back to his footpaws. I was breathing heavily, stepping to the left as he attacked once more, and again I countered with the chains, smacking him in the face. I was about to hit him again, but was promptly interrupted by a panting canine. I simply held the boy down with my footpaw, grinding him into the mud.

"He stole," the dog started, taking deep breaths between words, "a part of Algol." Guess that explained Keefe's desperate attempt at catching the kid.

I then ground the boy deeper into the mud, holding him there in the heavy downpour. "Why the hell would he want a part of it?"

"Perhaps to prevent you from using it."

I flicked my ears quickly, partly because of the rain pouring into them, but also because that didn't make sense.

"How would he know about it, or where it is?"

Keefe shook his head. "That, I don't know. Maybe someone hired him."

I just scoffed. "If someone did hire him, how would he know where the armour is?"

"I don't know," Keefe barked. "But if he was just a common thief, why would he skip past every part of the ship and go straight for the brig?" the dog tried to argue.

"Well I dunno," I countered solidly. I could feel the boy trying to get up beneath my footpaw, but it was futile. He was snarling and whining, completely covered in mud, but unable to attack me in any way. I don't think he even had his weapon on him anymore. But I think amongst his gargled breaths and desperate cries, he was trying to speak. I kicked the kid onto his back, now holding my footpaw on his throat. Keefe was trying to get me to ease off, but I would have none of it. "You gonna tell us that?" I asked the kid, rain pouring off my chin.

"Fuck you!" the young black wolf snarled, gripping tightly at my leg.

But before I could do anything more to persuade the boy to talk, I was suddenly interrupted by a quiet and frightening chuckle. In the back of my mind, hiding, the faint pool of darkness began to bubble. I looked back down at the child, who was still desperately trying to free himself, then all around, but there was no one else to be seen.

Keefe must have noticed the intense and curious look on my face, since a second later I felt his warm paw on my shoulder once more. "Is everything okay?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I lied, staring down at the young wolf. And though he showed no signs of being a Disciple or a Hel Beast, my Inner Darkness was certainly attracted to him. It's dark eye was trained intently on him, growling and laughing, begging for a fight; begging for blood. But there wasn't a single part of me - of the sane me - who could kill a young boy. Hit with a chain? Sure. But take his life? Never. Finally I stepped off the wolf, as if to spite Nosferatu, letting him up. And although I felt the Darkness scratching at my belly, trying desperately to reach the boy, I backed away.

"Just give back the armour," I said, holding out a paw, "and I'll let you go." But beneath his dark cloak, he held his prize tightly. I just growled again, still distracted by my insistent Darkness.

Then much to my surprise, Keefe lunged forward with a growl, smacking the kid with the back of his paw, and while he fell back, kicked him down, then promptly retrieved the Algol's black, heavy gauntlet.

I just stared at the canine with wide, wet eyes. He turned back to me with a frown.

"Was that really so hard?" he said. But before he could rub it in any further, I heard a powerful crack and the dark-furred knight suddenly fell far forward, a large, bloody gash on his back. Keefe groaned and struggled, but I didn't have time to help him before being alerted by my Inner Darkness, causing me to suddenly leap back.

When I looked forward, two large, scythe-like arms were protruding from the sides of the young wolf, and he was chuckling wickedly. Just then, after sweeping Keefe easily out of the way, a wild bolt of lightning crashed behind him, accenting the dark and twisted trees which seemed to have crept up around us. The wolf boy began to howl, his eyes glowing a deep red, arms now thrust forward in the mud, as if to anchor himself there. After hearing some horrible grinding and popping noises, a few more of these similar, chitinous limbs began to protrude, and the insect-like monster slowly began to form. Guess I should have trusted Nosferatu's instinct after all.

When the wolf boy began to grow, more and more limbs appearing - ten so far, plus his scythe-arms - I was beginning to wish I had the Lionheart with me, but looked about for any possible weapon. Upon spying the wolf's small blade - more than a dagger but not quite a sword - I lunged for it and decided to attack the Disciple while he was still taking form. But this proved ineffective, as I was easily knocked away by a powerful, swinging arm. I rolled around in the mud and rain until I finally stopped, immediately getting to my footpaws and ignoring what could very well have been reopened wounds. My eyes darted around quickly to find Keefe, but I couldn't see him amongst the heavy downpour. But I ran toward the two glowing eyes of what was left of the wolf's face anyway, finding upon closer inspection, he'd now achieved his fully demonic form.

Just as one of his razor-like arms came down at me, I just barely dodged it and rolled to the side, getting up and slashing uselessly at one of its hard, armoured legs. And before considering my next move, that leg had already kicked me square in the chest, sending me to the wet ground with a heavy thump. I snarled heavily and got back up, having no time to rub my sore chest before having to dodge another attack. This blade was useless, but save luring the monster back into town while I dashed madly for the Lionheart, I had to use it. The whole monster looked like it was heavily armoured, having no real soft spot anywhere, and of course was extremely deadly. I then heard its large, sharp legs hammering at the muddy ground as it ran toward me, screaming wildly and coming in for another attack.

I leapt back and watched for a moment as the tree next to me creaked and groaned, having nearly been cut in two by the monster, but ran away from it as I heard it fall. I think it'd even smacked the Disciple, too, since it let out a different, yet familiar cry, and amongst the heavy rainfall, heard mad rustling of leaves. After getting a fair distance away, I turned and watched the angry Disciple burst from the fallen tree, then come at me again. When I noticed its glowing eyes from my peripheries, I decided that was my best bet at striking the beast back. But once again my thoughts were interrupted by a downward-slicing attack, except this time I leapt forward. Desperate all the same, I rolled and stabbed powerfully at its underbelly, but managed only to scratch the former wolf boy.

The Disciple growled and laughed, then swung at me with its various legs, and after finally being struck, I rolled to my footpaws and concentrated. I could feel Nosferatu constantly crying out at me, laughing and snarling much like the Disciple, imploring me to let it out. But I'd beaten Disciples before without it, and I could do it again. I'd have to.

Just then, I noticed Keefe had, at some point, gotten up, and though I couldn't easily see what he was doing, my gaze had drawn the Disciple's away from me. "Fuck," I spat, seeing the monster now aiming toward the canine. I dashed madly, hearing myself cry out the canine's name, but it wasn't enough to save Keefe from being struck once more in the back, and probably the same spot.

I heard the dog cry out in pain, and though I think he'd seen it coming, he didn't know what to do. Plus I think he hadn't quite experienced an injury quite so severe before, and could have been in shock, or something close to it. But just as Keefe fell once more in the mud and stone, I growled and jammed the small sword into the scythe-limb's joint, snarling ferociously as I struck again. When I went in for a third attack, a mistake I tend to make in my rage, my feet were suddenly swept out from under me. Amazingly, after falling on my back, close to Keefe, this small blade was strong enough to stop an attack that would have surely pierced my chest, and though I wasn't strong enough to push the beast away, I could at least hold it back.

Despite that, I could also feel Nosferatu rising up, and while I continued to block these attacks, I could tell I wasn't the only one controlling where my blade went. Just as the monster's arm came down once more, I blocked it, but this time held the blade at an angle so the pointed, razor edge of the scythe slid down into the mud. I promptly lifted myself and cried out as I thrust the blade upward, jamming it precisely between its large, plated skin, then hammering the pommel with my paw, trying to force it up into its flesh. But just as I noticed a small squirt of dark blood, thrilling my Darkness beyond words, I was alerted to an attack, but wasn't quite fast enough to avoid it with my sword so thoroughly stuck.

I nimbly rolled back and leapt up to my footpaws, then ducked as a scythe whizzed past my head, and rolled back again. This time when I got up, I felt the monster's arm cleanly slice into my cheek, feeling but a blunt strike at first. But as the rain pummelled my face, I felt the warm blood flowing down and off my chin, as well as the cool sting of every drop. I snared wickedly and held the wound, glaring up at the monster. It just cried out in joy, giving me enough time to pick up a rock just larger than my fist, and when it attacked again, I blocked it with ease. Spying the sword and the slow trickle of blood, I felt a wild zing rush up my back, and desired more.

By this point, I knew I'd already let Nosferatu creep into the driver's seat, and I no longer did anything to hold it back. I then ran forward, and with the rock in paw, slammed the sword's hilt, hearing the satisfying cry of my enemy and the crunching of its hard skin. Before the beast could knock me away, though, I'd already hammered the sword in further, drawing out even more blood and even more cries of pain. But it wasn't enough. I quickly abandoned the rock and gripped the small sword tightly, immediately turning it and heaving it forward, trying to cleave its chest in two. I roared and snarled as the blood poured down my forearms, fuelling my Inner Darkness and giving me strength. The monster's tough shell broke and cracked with satisfaction, until finally the sword broke free. And with it came copious amounts of blood and warm, translucent gore, the organs of which I could scarcely recognize.

As the monster cried, I quickly cleared out of the way of its wildly swinging arms and laughed. Then it charged at me, and I dodged easily, which seemed to cause the monster to not only slam into a building of some kind, but also smash through it. Had we come this far back into town already? It didn't matter. But it wasn't until the Disciple demolished another building where I began to realize there would soon be a crowd, and therefore many more casualties. Of course, I wanted to avoid that, but I was hardly in the state of mind to do anything about it, much less care. And so I slowly approached the mad beast, laughing at it smashed through yet another building, screeching all the while. I wondered if it had ever even been in a fight before, let alone been injured. It was irrelevant now, anyway.

Soon enough, I started to hear the delightful cries from a terrified town, and decided I'd watched enough. I tore through the rubble quickly, apparently unnoticed, and jumped up onto the Disciple's back, running along then leaping up toward its neck, where I forced the blade down between two shells, driving it deep. The monster screamed with pain and I hung on tight, somehow managing to direct it away from the town. With a fierce growl, I threw my paw downward, taking a firm grip of part of its back and with all my might, tore the chitin from its flesh. Excited at the monster's agony, I dug my paw into its soft, warm flesh, somehow sensing where to strike to cause maximum harm. And how much agony I was inflicting, the Disciple's noise was a marvellous melody. But after a while, Nosferatu began to crave more than just the warm embrace of blood. I had to end this life.

I let out a long, deep growl and removed my paw from the demon, quickly replacing it with the small sword. I then let myself drop from its neck, dragging the sword downward with me until I stopped, where I quickly pulled the sword to my right, ignoring the chitin shell and breaking straight through, roaring bestially. The monster screamed and roared and writhed about in pain, until I finally released my grip and landed gracefully on the slick, muddy ground, rain still pounding down. The Disciple quickly spotted me and attacked ferociously, swinging its deadly arms violently and without purpose. It was mad and desperate, probably as blinded with rage as I've often been.

Oddly, it's in my rage that Nosferatu tends to surface, and though I'd certainly felt it when Keefe was struck, I'd hardly put up a fight. Moreover, I was hardly blinded by my rage, but was instead focused, each of my moves purposeful and precise. It was a somewhat disturbing revelation, and I didn't know quite what to make of it. Perhaps Nosferatu wasn't as in control as I'd thought, or I'd somehow gained more control over it. Either way, I still felt an unquenchable desire to bathe in blood and take this monster's life, and I would do just that.

The Disciple screamed and in one of its finer moments, swung an arm toward my head aimlessly, which I easily avoided. When it tried again, I used the sword, holding it so the blade pointed behind me, to deflect the attack, then punched at the arm with my bare fist. With just one mighty blow, I managed to crack the chitin-scythe, my second strike breaking it in half. I very much enjoyed the cries of the monster and the spray of its blood, but I'd had enough of that. With a serious and dreadful face, I growled and deflected what would be the monster's final attack, bounding back to allow the arm to sink into the mud. I then ran forward and jumped, and in a feat of surprising agility, I kicked myself off what would be its forearm, roaring as my blade came down into what was left of the wolf's neck, digging in deep and even cutting through its hard carapace. As the monster cried and wavered, I was ceaseless in my attacks, finally weakening the monster's skull - where the deformed remnants of the wolf sat. I heaved the blade through the wolf's twisted back and slammed my fist into its lower spine, severing the wolf from the rest of the insect-like beast below.

The body fell with a large, powerful thud, splashing up mud and water, covering what was left of its small, furry form. And with a booming crash of lightning, I hopped off the dead Disciple and dragged myself toward the writhing, gasping body of a half-dead wolf child. Ignoring the small crowd of frightened - and some cheering - furs, I reclaimed the sword and pushed it into the child's chest, growling with pleasure.

"Why did you take the armour?" I asked him. "Who sent you to take it? Answer me, and I'll make your death swift."

The beaten wolf just hissed as blood gushed from his mouth, apparently unable to speak.

"And don't bother telling me I can't kill a Disciple."

A dazed and injured Great Dane then slowly emerged from behind me, watching. I think he wanted answers more than he wanted me to be humane.

The wolf hissed again, squirming and squirting blood. "T-Tiber...ius," was all the wolf managed before he closed his eyes, bringing much satisfaction to my Inner Darkness.

I just growled and stood straight, and after pushing the sword down to its hilt, I closed my eyes. Amazingly, I didn't pass out. I simply stood and listened to the rain, feeling the intense darkness slowly creeping back into its corner for the time being, and though I felt weak, I was at least able to remain standing. When I finally glanced back at Keefe, he looked angry, exhausted and perplexed.

"Why did he say my father's name?" the dog asked, falling to one knee. Either he was truly blown away by that, or the pain and blood-loss was starting to get to him. For a moment I just gazed at the agony in his eyes, captivated by them, until a particularly loud bolt of lightning brought me completely back to reality, and I was suddenly a very cold, soggy tiger.

But I bent down anyway, to Keefe's level, putting an arm around him and pulling the injured canine in toward me. He was holding Algol's gauntlet.

"I don't know," the dog said, "how you do it..." then closed his eyes. I think he was referring to my ability to sustain incredible damage. His body had gone limp, mostly, but he was still breathing.

Hurriedly, I got up, admittedly unsure of what to do. He needed to be sewn up, but who could do that for him? I was far more panicked than I let on, lifting the dog onto my back and looking about at the scared and curious people, but not one seemed inclined to help. I just growled and decided to take him back to the pub where we'd left the rest of the group, though it was hard to imagine they'd all still be sitting around after all the noise and commotion that'd just gone on. Pushing my way through the small crowd, I had to growl at some of the furs who insisted on asking me questions, like what that thing was and how I was able to kill it. Most of furs who decided to say anything noted how monstrous and frightening I appeared, but I'd gotten used to hearing things like that. I traipsed though the muddy streets hastily, soaked down to the core, but I finally reached the small street the pub was on, delighted to see Rit and Ashley and Loki, and even Cy to a certain degree. Tiberius was among my friends, looking far less concerned for his son and more curious to know what exactly had happened, though that could've just been my imagination.

With a brief explanation, Rit helped Keefe into the pub and set him on the table, apparently sobered by either the rain or the possible presence of a Disciple. I then heard Loki demand I remove his shirt and soak his wound in alcohol, which I did quickly; Rit looked a little sad to see the alcohol go to such a use.

"It's a clean cut," said Cy, who'd pushed himself forward. I guess he'd had experience with this sort of thing. "Doesn't look like it cut through bone, so it should heal up nicely. Just lost a lot of blood, that's all."

The nearly nude cheetah then began barking orders, demanding certain things so he could sew up the deep laceration. I just watched, heart pounding heavily, though I wasn't sure why. As far as wounds go, this one was hardly fatal. I knew the canine would pull through, and yet I was fearful. More fearful than Rin, which certainly seemed to suggest something. I didn't like this feeling in the slightest, so I promptly grabbed a drink.

"What the hell did you two do out there?" Rit asked me, giving me a large blanket. He and I sat in the corner near the bar, myself shivering as I tried to drink. Tiberius was standing close to the bar, too, though further away from us, holding a drink and watching his son intently. Every so often I noticed him look down at the piece of Algol sitting on a chair next to Loki, clearly deep in thought. This just made me more curious.

"It was a Disciple," I said. "Just a kid, too, which is unusual. Neither of us had weapons..."

"Well, Keefe didn't. You had Nosferatu."

I shot the bold lion a fierce glance. Though I couldn't deny it, I hated being reminded of the fact I was almost like a Disciple myself when my Darkness took control. What made it worse was knowing just how easily and quickly I'd slipped into that state of mind in this last fight, and how completely natural it felt. I just growled quietly and took another swig, but it did nothing to ease my nerves nor my mind.

Loki then approached the lion and I, sharing a hateful glance with Rit. "He'll be fine," the arctic fox told me. "He's already awake, but feeling weak. Guess he's not used to losing so much blood. Are you going to be all right?" he then asked me.

I looked down at him. "All right how?"

"I can tell from that empty look in your eyes..." He didn't need to finish the rest.

I frowned. "I'm fine."

"It was easier this time, wasn't it."

I didn't say anything, but waited for him to explain.

"You've always tried to hold your Darkness back, prevent it from becoming too strong. That's why you black out; your mind becomes exhausted. Bet you didn't even notice until it had already taken over, hm? "

The fox was right.

"It's interesting, though... Usually your Darkness rears its head when you've been pushed to your limits, and I know for a fact - and I think this brute would agree - you can endure far more than a scratch on the face. Keefe, on the other hand, cannot."

"What're you tryin' to imply?" Rit demanded, showing great restraint in not attacking Loki.

Loki glanced up at me, and when I'd stopped watching Keefe, slowly focused on the little white fox. "Huh?" I said brilliantly.

"It was an emotional response. A distress so intense, your Inner Darkness must have thought you were in great physical pain, or something similar, and so reacted. Reacted, that is, more powerfully than just sensing a Disciple around."

"You make it sound like it's a living being," I responded. With the look Rit was giving me, I didn't particularly want to focus on my emotional attachment to Keefe.

"Whatever your Darkness is, exactly, it can't distinguish between emotional and physical pain, which means something other than that scratch on your face triggered it to rise up and take control. Take control, I might add, with little resistance from you."

"Why're you telling me all this?" I asked somewhat wearily.

"Yeah, what's your point?" Rit so cleverly joined in.

"No point," Loki said slyly. "Just offering you some self-awareness."

I looked up at Rit, who was still frowning, then back to Loki, who wasn't making any face, though his eyes expressed some amount of seriousness. Why did he care that I hadn't yet told Rit about Keefe and I? It's not like anything was really going on between the dog and I, anyway, besides the occasional flirting and attempts at foreplay on my part... Perhaps Loki was trying to get me to admit something, like my unusual attraction to Keefe. Was he trying to cause trouble? I had no way of knowing how Rit would react to such news, given his short-sightedness and quick temper. With or without Nosferatu, the massive brute of a lion was still a formidable opponent, and could likely best me in non-weapon combat.

In fact, everything about this lion was rough and jagged. Although he'd shown me warmth and tenderness a long time ago, he was still an enormous beast in nearly every aspect of his life, but especially in battle and in drinking. Although I hadn't seen the lion fight since before going to Hel, I had absolutely no reason to believe the amazingly built, powerful lion was any different in that regard. He'd even made a few advances on me since my returning, and though I was in a weakened state, I think if he didn't love me as much as he did, he'd have easily taken everything he wanted from me. I didn't quite have the heart to tell Rit precisely why I didn't accept his advances, but instead insisted I was still extremely sore. How do you tell someone who loves you so much that you no longer feel the same? Rit could have possibly accepted that, except given who those feelings now seemed to belong to, I think the outcome would be far different.

When I glanced back at Keefe, he was sitting up now, looking almost ashamed, but was probably tired as well. He and his father shared an odd look, and apparently I was the only one who noticed a bit of tension between them.

Although it was difficult to say with any certainty, Tiberius was somehow involved in the attempted theft of Algol, or at least a part of it. Why else would the Disciple - that wolf boy - say his name? Could he have hired the boy to steal the armour for himself? Tiberius did own a large, impressive collection of ancient artefacts and treasures, priding himself greatly on it. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if he wanted to add Algol to his Dragon Collection - a perfect addition, or perhaps replacement, to the Lionheart. If that were the case, then why hire a child, much less a child without the keys to the brig? He couldn't have known he was a Disciple. And surely the clever canine could come up with a better way of stealing a whole suit of armour. Staging it like an accident, for example, or hiring a big group of bandits. Or mercenaries. I'd seen it done dozens of times in my life, and even partook in a few. But if stealing it for his collection wasn't his plan...then what? Was he hired by someone?

Before I could ponder that any further, my gaze had inadvertently caught Keefe's. He seemed to be communicating something to me through half-closed eyes and a serious face. Whatever it was, it made my heart skip a beat, and I think I felt myself blushing. We continued to stare at each other for a long while until Rin broke our line of sight by hugging the canine, and though we'd glanced back over at each other for a moment, Keefe finally closed his eyes and relaxed a little. I, of course, stared a little longer, somewhat perplexed by this, until Rit now got in the way. I slowly looked up at him, noticing his wide grin and drunken eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, even though I knew damn well what It was.

"You always look so cute after a fight," the lion said, becoming less sobered again. He then put a paw on my shoulder and licked the long gash across my cheek, over and over, trying to clean the blood away.

I resisted at first, but the lion was insistent. Within moments he got both paws linked around the back of my neck, murring as he continued to clean up my wound. Seconds later, I felt something brush up against my front side that gave me a clear indication what was on Rit's mind, and I wasn't feeling it quite as much as he was.

"Rit," I said, pushing on him, and I think he got the hint.

"What's the matter?" he asked, still holding onto me. "You used to like when I licked your wounds."

"I know I did."

This time Rit frowned. "So what's the problem?"

"Now's not really the best time," I said, looking up at him as seriously as I could. Admittedly, I did enjoy the feel of his rough, soothing tongue gliding across the raw flesh, but I just wasn't in the mood. It was then I began to long for the simpler days again, where there were few options and it never mattered which one you chose. Hell, I even began to long for the days where my only option was my dear boy Kai, despite our terrible journey. He was so warm and loving and kind, not to mention small and sexy. The kid really knew how to turn me on, and he really knew how to use it against me. It'd been far too long since I'd last thought about him like that.

When Kai and I had first met, he was only twelve years old, and drove me crazy. I had no experience dealing with kids, let alone with being a kid, so the first few days of our journey to save his brother was bothersome. And yet I'd felt an odd attraction to the young panther, one I'd tried to deny. But I suppose the tension had grown too high and I'd finally given in to his subtle flirtations and often times whining. By a riverside, I'd forgotten about everything that'd held me back and taken the panther, making him my mate and my love. His small, slim, sexual body turned me on so much, and even though I'd tried to ignore that fact, I could hardly deny it. Finally being able to lay my paws on him in the way I'd so badly wanted to was intoxicating, and I'd barely been able to contain myself. But when I'd finally felt his tight, extremely warm insides completely envelop my hard, eager tiger-shaft...well, let me just say I didn't last too long up in there. I'd planted my seed inside the boy much faster than I would have admitted, solidifying our powerful bond at last. In that moment where I'd simply held myself inside the panther, I knew without a doubt I was in love, and no force in all of Midland could have taken that from me. In retrospect, becoming that attached to the boy was ultimately a mistake, since it'd blinded me from the true purpose of my mission. And yet I'd never felt a feeling so intense, such a powerful desire to protect my boy even at the risk of my own life, or anyone else's for that matter. In the end my feelings for Kai is what'd become his downfall, and to a certain extent, mine as well.

But now was the time to rectify that mistake. I'd let down the greatest love of my life, and nothing else mattered as much as saving my beautiful young boy from the Crimson King's wicked grip.

"You okay?" Rit suddenly asked me, shaking me out of my trance. He'd let go of me, finally, and probably retrieved another drink. "You sorta spaced out there for a minute."

"I'm fine," I finally said, looking about. Tiberius was gone, and Keefe and Rin were sitting at a table together; Keefe was probably filling the cougar in on what'd happened. Cy, Ashley and Loki were talking amongst themselves, looking fairly casual; Loki, of course, still looked frustrated and angry, but I think that was his usual face. It troubled me that Tiberius had left without concern, and a part of me wanted to follow him. The other part wanted to stay put and relax. With Rit drinking away, I continued to glance over at Keefe, who seemed to constantly do the same, apparently ignoring the other at the table. But we both managed to pay enough attention to the other so as to not arouse suspicion, or to raise questions as to what we kept looking at. Rit wouldn't have noticed even if he was totally sober, but Rin was sharp, and his ears didn't even twitch. Loki probably noticed, too, and would no doubt say something later. But for now I glanced back away from Keefe and took another large swig of mead, until it was empty. I smacked the tankard down with some satisfaction. I wonder where Tiberius had gotten to?

Before I could finally lift myself from the table to answer that very question, I was stopped by a wandering, yet purposeful, footpaw running up my leg. I eyed a happy and intoxicated lion, whose left paw was down on his lap, and I could see his arm muscles twitching. I almost asked if he was itchy, but when that footpaw pressed quietly into my crotch, it was clear what exactly he was scratching down there. I shifted uncomfortably, but couldn't deny the growing heat within my pants. I wasn't really in the mood for sex, let alone lion-sex, but he seemed intent on giving it to me. But finally I grabbed his ankle.

"Rit," I said to get his attention, then simply stated, "I'm not in the mood."

The lion frowned and sighed. "Why the hell not? It's been weeks, an' so far as I could tell, you ain't got off at all. You gotta be at least a little pent up."

It was true, except my pent-up passion was being saved, more or less, for someone else. Not saved so much, since that would imply I was doing it on purpose, but inadvertently contained. Either way, it wasn't being aimed toward Rit, but with the growing bulge in my pants, it was becoming harder to maintain.

"Maybe a little," I admitted, though I cursed myself immediately after. I was only encouraging the lion.

"I knew it," Rit replied with a sly grin. "You wanna piece of my big fat lion meat? Pound you into the wall 'til you can't even walk no more?" Then he laughed uproariously.

"Oh God," I groaned, covering my eyes and shaking my head. "You're repulsive."

"Oh, c'mon! You've had it before, tiger, and I know you loved it."

Despite his drunkenness, Rit managed to make another good point; I had loved it. But I think you have to be in a particular frame of mind for that sort of punishment, especially from a violent drunk like Rit. He wasn't violent all the time while drunk, mind you, but generally required certain triggers. Those triggers usually came in the form of pre-existing bar-fights, which he'd happily insert himself into, or angry yelling which would inevitably produce a bar-fight. Either way, Rit was feeling exceptionally virile tonight, which he was probably radiating across the entire pub. But I couldn't let his horny footpaw get the better of me. In a bold move, I decided to get up.

Rit got to his footpaws excitedly, evidently getting the wrong impression. "Where you goin'? he asked.

I'd already been out for a wet walk, and though this new set of circumstances made me want another, I didn't really feel like visiting a frightened and paranoid town. I was feeling somewhat weary as well, though conscious of what was going on Rit's mind, going back to bed may not have been the best option. And Keefe was preoccupied with Rin, the others preoccupied with nonsense. What I really wanted to do was follow Tiberius, but by this point, he could've been anywhere, plus I'd lost my cloak somewhere, and didn't much feel up to getting re-soaked.

"Nowhere," I simply replied, then decided to join the others. Rit, predictably, followed. I sat beside Loki, who just glared at me. "Where's Tiberius?" I asked the fox.

"I don't know," he said. I was glad to see Algol's gauntlet was safely stored within Loki's paws, and that Tiberius hadn't just taken off with it. "Why?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure yet."

"Did something happen?"

I then lowered my head a bit, glancing back at Keefe. Quietly, I said, "Tiberius is involved in this somehow."

"How do you mean?" the arctic fox asked, leaning in closer. He got the hint I didn't want to fill Keefe or Rin in on this quiet yet. Luckily, Rit got caught entertaining Ashley and Cy, so they paid little attention.

"Before the Disciple died, I asked it what its purpose was, and all it managed to say was 'Tiberius.'"

Loki seemed as surprised by this as I was, though you wouldn't know it just by looking. He had a peculiar way of showing what was on his mind, in subtle movements and gestures in his facial features and the way his eyes flicked about. As his small, pointy ears twitched rapidly, I could tell he was thinking about it heavily, trying to work things out or piece everything together, and so far he'd come up with nothing. Finally his dark eyes stopped moving and he peered up at me, face completely deadpan. "Interesting," he offered.

"Do you think he hired the kid to steal the armour?"

Loki thought about that for a moment, as if working out every possibility before giving me an answer. "How old was he?"

"I dunno. Nine or ten, maybe."

"No," the fox finally said. "That's a stupid way of doing it, and despite his eccentricities, he's not an idiot. There's a dozen other ways to steal that armour, and hiring a child to take a whole suit of it makes no sense whatsoever. Besides, why would he want it now?"

"I don't know. Maybe to replace his stupid Lionheart?"

Now Loki's expression was unmistakable; he thought I was being moronic. It was the sort of look you give children when they're being ridiculous or misbehaving, or if a drunk lion won't let up his obvious advances.

"Well I don't know," I said defensively, drawing more attention to myself than I'd intended. Loki was frowning at me, and I was frowning back. Finally the fox got up.

"Come with me," he said, suggesting toward the stairs to the rooms.

"What?" I asked.

"Just come," Loki insisted. After a moment, the others went back to what they were doing, and I joined Loki on the second floor. He led me into a room with several beds, then shut the door behind him.

"Why else would Tiberius be known by a Disciple?"

"Could've just been coincidence..?" I think I was being hopeful, which became all the more evident when Loki gave me that face again. Finally he shook his head.

"I know you don't believe that."

Then I sighed. "You think he's working with them?"

The fox nodded quickly. "I think it's more likely," he said, then paused long enough for me to ponder that thought and flatten my ears. That was a very uncomfortable notion, more so the thought of filling Keefe in on our theory. "But...it's always possible he's being coerced."

"Coerced? How?"

Loki shrugged. "The only thing I think would force Tiberius to do anything he didn't want to was if his only son was in danger. Or his wife."

Finally it clicked. I'd only met Lady Moira once, but she was the kindest soul I'd ever met, and it was clear she had a great love for all things, but most especially for her child and husband. This was a far more disturbing notion. "Do you think that's it?" I asked, feeling somewhat heated and nervous. I didn't want that to be it, though it would at least explain Tiberius' involvement, but if there was one female in Midland I would do anything to save, it was her. Loki didn't respond, but I knew what his answer was.

"Why wouldn't he tell us they took her?"

"Assuming that's the case, why would he? Would you have given him, and thus the Crimson King, your armour?"

I actually had to think about that. My first instinct was to say yes, absolutely, but handing over my only weapon against my enemy - to that enemy - would be an enormous mistake. Finally I shook my head ashamedly. "No, I wouldn't have. That's just... It isn't an option."

Loki was giving me a hard stare, but his eyes told me he approved of my answer. "It'd be better off for him if Algol was just stolen."

"So Tiberius must've told the Disciple-wolf-kid where to find the armour... So what do we do now?" Then a thought suddenly struck me, and my heart began to race. I stood up quickly, probably looking far more panicked than I should have, and I ran to the solitary window, which was pointing toward the wharfs. "He could be taking the armour now," I said anxiously. It annoyed me that Loki wasn't as concerned over Tiberius' disappearance as I was, and even now he stood expressionless in the centre of the room.

After letting me panic for a moment longer, the fox finally spoke. "I had Valo go watch Algol after we heard some buildings crash, since he was doing no good in this filthy shithole. He wanted to go help you, but didn't trust leaving the ship alone while the town was distracted. Disciple or not, thieves thrive in this town, always hidden in the daylight."

I just stared at the small, clever fox for a moment before finally letting out my breath.

"He'll let Tiberius onto the ship, but the old dog should know Valo won't let him off again with that armour."

My relief was clear, and I nearly gave the fox a hug. After a moment's hesitation, I did it anyway, and Loki certainly disapproved. "Thank you," I said, giving a slight squeeze, then finally released him.

Loki just frowned and grumbled, head turned toward his shoulder and eyes darting about to show his discomfort. Something else was showing in the fox's eyes, but it was something I couldn't quite make out; something I hadn't seen before, or had seen so rarely that I'd paid it no mind. He glanced up at me several times, then finally gave one rapid nod, as if to confirm he'd heard and accepted my thanks.

Suddenly, I heard an amazing crash at the door, a loud growl and then a big lion burst into the room, snarling and about an inch away from striking Loki across the face. "You leave Luca alone!" he roared.

I just stood embarrassed, and Loki backed off, frowning horribly.

"He wasn't doing anything," I said as the lion got himself more stable. "Calm down."

"Then what were ya two doin' in here, hm?"

"Talking, Rit. Christ."

"In a bedroom," he said suspiciously. "No one talks in bedroom unless they're... Shit, you two aren't..?"

Neither Loki nor I said anything, but gave the same irritated frown. The arctic fox then looked up at me and stepped around the lumbering lion, making toward the exit. His eyes stayed on mine, ignoring Rit's threats, giving me a sly grin, as leaving me here with the lion was some sort of payback. My eyes were telling him not to leave, and his whole face said, "so there," then the door slammed shut.

"Finally," said Rit. "Y'know what that cheetah told me? He said you an' Loki fucked in the brig of his ship! That you two were totally hammered and just went at it like a couple 'a wild animals."

My face started to go red, and I wasn't sure if I was angry at Cy or just embarrassed by it. Either way, my discomfort showed, obvious enough to even a drunken lion.

"So it's true," he frowned. "Well what the fuck, stripes? You'll fuck him but not me? Thought we hated that shit-face."

I nearly let out a growl, but managed to suppress it. "It's none of your damn business who I sleep with, lion, for one thing, and for another, you hate him. I don't hate him, you hate him. I did before, for what he did to you, and me, but he isn't the same. We bonded, in a sense."

"Yeah, I'll say..."

"That's not what I meant. Why the hell do you have to blow this so far out of proportion, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know," the angry lion said, throwing his arms around, "maybe because I love you..?"

And there it was. He loved me, and there was no taking it back. Rit never had any trouble saying what was on his mind, more so when he was drunk, except for when it came to stuff like this. He probably didn't mean to tell me, but as we stood in near silence - only the sound of the loud rain pattering against the window could be heard, plus the faint noise of drunken festivities downstairs - that fact hung between us thickly.

Rit then shrugged, as if those words were nothing.

I lowered my head and sighed. "I know you do."

"So why can't me an' you..?"

I didn't answer, and despite his drunkenness, I think he understood what I was going to say. Then he lowered his head.

"I see. You're still devoted to the kid, huh? Despite...well, you know."

I then felt a sudden jolt of guilt. He thought it was because of Kai I didn't want to pursue any sort of relationship, be it carnal or otherwise. "Not exactly," I admitted, though every part of my common sense was screaming for me to stop. "I did love you, Rit, a long time ago, but I spent the last couple years accepting you were gone from my life forever, and I just don't feel that way anymore. The fact of the matter is, with everything I've been through, I don't feel a hell of a lot anymore, except..."

The lion furrowed his brow. "Except what? You and Loki? Jesus Christ..."

I ignored that. "After the Crimson King took Kai, I sunk into a place darker than you can imagine, became a monster far worse than any Disciple. I tore those beasts apart like they were nothing, and they were frightened of me. Their King gave the group of them orders to kill me, and in the end, they tried to run from me, but I wouldn't allow it. When I finally came out of it, I had no feeling whatsoever. Physically, yeah, sure, but everything else was completely numb. And I just figured that's how my life was going to be from then on, living only to destroy the Crimson King; living only for revenge. I rarely thought about Kai, much less in the way I used to. The Dragons had to cast some sort of spell on me in order to keep me from being corrupted by Hel, which also meant sealing away my Darkness, since apparently the conversion had already begun... But anyway, I lived there for over eight months with the Dragons, never feeling anything, and accepting everything that'd come to be. But...when I returned to this world and saw Keefe for the first time..."

I think Rit would have preferred it to be Loki, since he just stood there giving me a hard stare, I think trying to decide whether or not I was being serious. "Well great," he finally said, dropping his half-empty tankard of ale. "You got a fucking hard-on for that damn Knight? Of all the people, it just had to be him, didn't it. He bugs the shit outta me so much."

"I didn't intend for this to happen," I simply said, figuring by this point I had to say something.

"So, what, he's not attached to that kid anymore? Or you got a three-way thing goin' on?"

This time I frowned, making a noise of annoyance. "It isn't like that. Rin doesn't know anything's happening between Keefe and I, and sometimes I wonder if Keefe feels anything at all."

"Well you two've been sharing glances all night," he said, which surprised me. If Rit noticed that, then surely everybody had. Fortunately, Rin tends to have an open mind about these sorts of things, though if we are, in fact, talking about - dare I say it? - love, then it could be a whole other story.

Of course, I had no idea if that's what it truly was. I wasn't even sure if that was what I felt; I'd spent so long not feeling anything, it was hard to make sense of these emotions. At one point, Keefe at the very least lusted for me, and showed me that after I beat the shit out of his father. And I think that was the first time I began to feel something for the Great Dane, and I was so certain he'd felt it, too. Perhaps he didn't, and it was just me with the problem. Perhaps it wasn't even love at all, and for some strange reason I wanted to sleep with him and no one else - especially not Rit. But the big, beefy lion continued to bear down on me, as if waiting for me to confirm or say something. What was I supposed to say?

"So now what?" he asked me, as if I'd formulated an answer already.

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"If you and Keefe aren't really a 'thing,' then..."

I could see the gears turning inside the lion's head, and it didn't take a psychic to know what he was thinking. He figured since Keefe and I weren't officially attached, or however you want to phrase it, then there wasn't any reason he and I couldn't have a bit of fun for a while. That is, if you can call being hammered mercilessly into the bed - or wall, or floor, or wherever else you end up - for at least an hour fun. Either way, this thought had been on Rit's mind for a while, and it was clear he wasn't going to give up without a fight, which could be taken quite literally, too.

The lion never finished his sentence, but instead looked at me lustfully. "Remember how much fun we used to have?" Rit said, smiling like a dope.

"I have a vague recollection," I said, lying of course. The lion seemed to have ignored that.

He then approached me and ran a couple fingers gently across the right side of my muzzle, one pad sliding over a scar on my lip. "Remember when you got that?"

I took Rit's paw and rather than smacking it away, simply moved it. "Yeah, Rit, I do."

"You know how badly I want this..." the lion informed me. "An' so far as I can see, there's no reason why you 'n' me can't, y'know...bump uglies for an hour 'er two."

Of course the lion was right, despite his atrocious phrasing. I wouldn't be betraying anyone, and with his strong paw now resting on my hip, it was getting harder to deny that particular tingling down below. He wanted release more than anything, but particularly he wanted it with me. And why should I deny him such a raw and simple pleasure? A part of me was telling me not to, that it would be a mistake and just complicate matters, but with my pants tightening around my crotch, how much longer would I be able to deny it?

Rit then got himself close, and with his large, sleeveless arms, put them around me. My paws just rested on his chest in a vain, fruitless effort to push him away. "You know how I feel about you, stripes," the lion said, alcohol still very strong on his breath. "An' even if you don't wanna be my mate, least let me play 'round with you, have my fun."

I couldn't pinpoint exactly what part of that statement made sense, but trapped within his powerful arms, it was getting harder to resist. My heart was beating quickly and I think I was blushing, though I couldn't be certain; it was warm in this room.

"You're not exactly turned off by the idea," the lion informed me, making a point of rubbing his leg into my crotch. That definitely caused me to blush, and I opened my maw to deny it, but how could I in such a compromising position? "So maybe you don't wanna mate up with me, but I know I'm turnin' you on in all the right places."

It was true. He was. I think he even flexed a little just to emphasize his point. Moments later, his paws ran down from my hips and got a tight hold of my rear, and he pulled me as far into him as he could; he was much harder than I was, but it was starting to equal out.

"Rit," I blushed, turning my head away slightly. I felt both very uncomfortable, and very aroused.

"What is it, stripes?" he asked amorously.

Of course, I couldn't find the words. I wanted to say, "we can't," or, "stop this," but was left with nothing. Suppose there wouldn't be much harm in giving the lion what he wanted, at least no harm to anybody but me.

"Just," I managed to start, heart pounding mercilessly at my nervous chest, "don't go so hard on me."

And there it was: me, once again conceding to this lion, who was either far more brilliant than anyone had ever suspected, or simply too dense to know when to stop. My money was on the latter. But I gave in, and now, whether I liked it or not, I had to endure whatever torture the lion had in store for me. Of course, if I didn't like it there was a good chance he would end up dead, but somehow I doubted it would come to that. All that was left for me now was to reluctantly surrender myself to his powerful desire.

But then a thought struck me. As history has proven time and time again, whenever I face off against the lion, be it in bed or on the battlefield, I was always defeated. Always, by him. But why was that? My initial thought was some sort of powerful, subconscious bond we shared, even before the sex, which somehow prevented me from causing him any serious harm. But that didn't seem too likely. And neither did my other theory, that he had some sort of Inner Darkness as well which was stronger than mine. But...I'd always been able to sense when there's an evil presence around, in some way or another, and I never got anything like that from Rit. That, of course, just made my first thought more likely, though it still seemed unbelievable. And yet he somehow has always managed to get me into bed with him when he was feeling particularly horny, though I'd always blamed it on his amazing persistence.

With Rit's powerful body leading me toward the large bed - large enough, anyway, for a big tiger and an even bigger lion - I was beginning to wonder how I truly felt for him. I'd spent over a year believing he was dead, only to discover he was not only alive, but in his true form and just as much the same as ever. And yet what I felt for Keefe, as absurd at it sounds, was undeniable. I'd only slept with a few different furs in my life, and though I always gain a particular bond with each one, I surprised myself by how intense it was with Keefe; even after Rit gave me my lip scar, the attachment wasn't nearly as strong. And yet...there was a time when I was so certain of my feelings for Rit.

Now sitting on the edge of the bed, the lion removing his loose tank top, I began to wonder where my feelings truly laid. Was it with both of them? I hadn't considered that a possibility, and surely with all we've been through together, no one would blame me for being so attached to both of them, nor everyone else for that matter. Even Loki, to a certain extent. Yet not more than an hour ago, I was so solid in my believe that I loved Keefe. And now...I wasn't sure.

Maybe I didn't love Rit or Keefe. Even though a big, nude lion was now standing in front of me, his excitement clear as day, I had to consider that maybe what I felt for them was simply compensation for a fur I'd truly loved. And lost. The pain I'd felt then, when the Crimson King vanished into flames, was like nothing I'd ever experienced, and certainly not something I was eager to try again. Again, who could possibly blame me for feeling how I did, and acting upon those feelings?

In my daze, Rit helped me remove my shirt, apparently unaware my mind was elsewhere. He pushed me back with one paw, and I fell back so easily. My eyes met with his for a moment, but I continued to just stare blankly at the ceiling. I felt his other paw carefully massaging my crotch, and though I was clearly aroused, I wasn't in the room enough to respond. My mind was instead focused on my loving boy Kai. And it wasn't until now where I began to feel just how vast the hole in my heart truly was.

None of what Rit was doing to me I was enjoying, though it felt familiar and what I would have described as "good," and yet now...it was nothing. I'd slipped into a state beyond simple daydreaming where I was out of my body, floating somewhere where my body was lying, but very much away from it. I could hear Kai speaking, his soft, delicate voice echoing all around me, trying to tell me something. Or maybe it was just a sweet reverie, lulling me further into my trance.

You let him take me, I heard, and slowly I became more active. It was Kai's voice.

No, I called back to wherever the voice was coming from. I did everything I could to keep you safe...

I think by this point, Rit had already removed my pants, and was moving closer to fucking me. I could feel his big, hard, wet lionmeat pressing into my body, missing my tailhole completely, and yet I responded only with hackneyed responses, as if my body was driving itself and reacting with muscle memory. His paws were strong against my body, moving me wherever he needed me to go.

It wasn't enough, called Kai. His voice was as sweet as ever, and yet he sounded like he was in pain or peril.

I know, I responded desperately. But I'm coming for you. I'm coming for you, and I'm going to take you from the King. I'm going to save you Kai, I promise.

How can I trust you now..?

Jesus Christ, I cried, trying to hold myself together. My physical self, on the other hand, was completely stoic and going through the motions of sex with a big, rough, drunken lion, convulsing and moaning and groaning and heaving and snarling and gripping the sheets tightly. Anyone else would have realized something was off, but Rit was hardly in a state to realize anything.

You know me, Kai. You know I would never let you down, not on purpose. Please, believe me. I swear to you I'll destroy the wretched King once and for all.

Do you still love me? the gentle voice asked. Is this mission...still about me?

I hesitate to mention this, but I didn't answer straight away. Yes, of course it is, and I do, Kai. My God, of course I do. I never stopped loving you, not for a moment. After all I've been through, never once did I stop loving you.

My body continued to lie there, now gripping Rit's powerful arms, feeling his strong biceps flexing continuously as he hammered into me. I could still feel every movement our bodies made together, and felt the intensity of every action, but my mind was numb to it. I'm certain if I was all there, it would have been beyond belief.

Your love wasn't enough to save me, Kai pointed out. Why was he doing this?

I then heard a quiet sob, and I think it came from me. My heart was heavy and pounding mercilessly at my ribcage, and there was an intense churning inside my stomach. It gripped so tightly at my belly, crying and tearing, I thought it would rip the contents straight from my navel. I groaned again, a different sort of groan, indistinguishable to the intoxicated lion. This odd voice of Kai was sending me on a bigger guilt trip than I'd sent myself on, and it was unbearable. And yet I wasn't ready to snap out of this strange trance - if I could even snap out of it on my own, anyway. I wasn't even entirely sure how I'd found myself in it to begin with.

The Crimson King was so powerful, I begged. My love alone just wasn't enough... You have to believe me, I did everything I could. But I'll make things right. I know I will. I have some armour, Kai. Some better armour than before. Armour that the King won't even be able to pierce.

_ It won't be enough_, my boy insisted. Your love, your armour.... It won't be enough this time, or anytime. You're going to fail me, and abandon me just like you did in Hel.

I had to admit, this was getting extremely stressful and extremely irritating and upsetting. Nearly to the point where I was beginning to doubt this was even the voice of Kai. And yet I continued to argue with the voice.

I did not_abandon you, Kai_, I cried. I was desperate to make him hear me. I won't fail you, not again. It isn't an option. My love for you is burning bright, and I'm going to use that strength to power every blow I strike against the King, I promise you.

Rit was making all sorts of noises now, like snarls and roars, both his paws now gripping the windowsill behind the bed, so as to punish my poor tailhole harder. My weak, trembling paws held onto his muscular arms like they would never hold anything else ever again, and I continued to hear myself sobbing and moaning, again unnoticed by the lion. I noticed copious amounts from precum smothering my stomach and chest, though it was clear I hadn't - and probably wouldn't - reach orgasm, which suited me just fine. I didn't even really want to do this with Rit, anyway. But with his rough growling, I sensed he was nearing the end.

We shall see, said my boy; an odd remark.

But before I could ensure Kai any more that I would save him, my mind did an unusual snap, and though I was seeing the world exactly how I just had, it all suddenly became real. The noises were loud and violent, as well as the pain and the pleasure coursing through my body. The room was warm and reeked of thick, masculine sweat and sex, intoxicating as it filled my lungs. Rit's hard muscles were that much more arousing, causing greater squirts of precum, and a greater groan from myself. I could feel cool spots on my face where tears had once been, no doubt caused by my distressful trance - Rit would in all likelihood blame himself proudly for my tears. All my senses had suddenly flooded back into me, just in time, too, to feel the last batch of powerful, body-splitting thrusts the lion had to offer.

"This is it," he growled needlessly. One, two stronger thrusts, but still he wasn't done. I think the lion enjoyed torturing me like this - his final blows tended to be the most intense, pausing for just a fraction of a second before each one as if he was quickly loading a cannon. Until finally, after a couple more shots, I simultaneously heard his claws scratching deep into the windowsill, felt the lion buck as far as he could go, and trembled at his mighty roar as my bowels began to flood with his hot, sticky, pent-up lion-seed, blasting the room with a particular musk which would have ordinarily aroused me beyond measure. But he eventually relaxed, growling deeply with every heavy breath and holding himself inside me, eyes mostly closed but looking down at me.

I just stared up at the lion through cold, forlorn eyes, which I think he mistook as exhaustion. Finally my paws slipped from his arms and laid gently at my sides, and the lion began to retrieve his pride. Slowly I felt the hot organ slip from my tailhole, somewhat painfully as the barbs scraped my tender insides. But finally he was out, and in a vain effort I tried to close my tailhole so as to not make a mess, but I felt his fresh cum slithering out and onto the bed. I sighed heavily, thoughts of Kai heavy on my mind - he sounded so confident in my inability to save him.

"How'd'ja like that?" Rit asked with a wide smile, murring quietly. He licked my cheek then lay down on the bed, on his side, a paw draped over my belly and rubbing me gently. "Have fun?"

I ignored the question, but instead stared at the ceiling as if telling myself I'd just made a huge mistake. Of course I didn't feel that way, but my mind was certainly elsewhere.

"Well that's good," Rit responded happily, leaving his paw there and closing his eyes. He may have been purring, too.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of heavy rain now just a light tapping against the window and the thunder a distant rumble, I finally stirred from my place beside Rit, sighing once more. I guess what we'd done was good enough, but I had no emotional response to it. Especially not like the first time. It was still dark out from what I could see, and though I felt heavy and tired, I decided to finally get up anyway. I looked around for my clothes, and after a bit of effort, finally slipped into my pants and into Rit's loose tank top, which I'd only discovered after I left the room. The shirt was laden with the lion's scent, which I found oddly comforting.

I finally decided it wasn't worth trying to find my own shirt, and continued down to the pub, where a slumbering Rin lay sprawled between an almost naked cheetah and a cross-dressing skunk. Curious what had been going on, I took a seat beside Keefe at a table, where he sat alone, awake, and with only half a tankard of ale. It looked warm and stale - more stale than usual. The fur behind the bar had long since left, so it must have been late - everything was clean, neat and tidy, and the others were all gone and chairs resting upon the tables.

Keefe finally looked up at me, but he didn't smile. I didn't smile either. "Have fun up there?" he asked me tonelessly. It was hard to tell if he was upset by it, or simply asking to start a conversation.

"No," I admitted. "Not really. Rit did, though."

"So why did you do it with him?" Keefe sounded almost indignant about it.

That was a good question though. I didn't really have a reason, beyond getting the lion to shut up about it. "I dunno," I finally said. I could tell that answer wasn't good enough. "He was bugging me and bugging me about it since I got back, getting more aggressive about it every day. And tonight...I guess I just gave in... Reluctantly." I was hoping that last word would smooth things out a bit better; not like that excuse was a very good one.

That forced a quick, insincere smile from the canine, but it had gone as quickly as it'd come.

"I was thinking about Kai," I finally said. I used to hide this sort of information from the Knight, never wanting to share, but I'd long since learned it was useless. "During, you know... But I wasn't just thinking about him. It was like I was talking to him, outside of my body."

Keefe glanced over at me, intrigued. "You haven't mentioned Kai in a long time," he said. Char, I gathered, had told him in greater detail about my adventures in Hel for those eight months, and would have undoubtedly mentioned the amount of times I mentioned my boy, or lack thereof. Finally, after thinking about it for at least half a minute, he furrowed his brow and looked more seriously at me. "You were communicating?"

I nodded. "Or so it seemed."

"Keefe slumped back in his chair. "It could be a trick by the Crimson King. He tends to get you when you're most vulnerable."

"But it sounded exactly like him. If it was a trick, then it captured everything in his voice; his soft, gentle tone, the sweetness and beauty in every poetic word he says, and even that adorable way he pronounces certain letters."

Keefe was thinking intently on that, or at the very least, simply staring into his ale. At long last, the dog pushed it away with the tips of his fingers and leaned forward on the table, resting his head on one paw and looking over at me. His other paw then slowly moved through the air along the edge of the table to where mine was resting on my leg, and gripped it firmly. When I looked over, the dog was making a face halfway to a smile, eyes nearly closed. In the instant I looked into Keefe's loving eyes, I immediately glanced over at Rin; the kid looked dead asleep.

Of course, Rin wasn't really much of a kid anymore. He was sixteen when I'd met him, his innocence already lost to him, and was now in the later end of eighteen. By all accounts, the cougar was a man. A young man, but a man all the same. His body had fully matured and though Kai was no longer around, scarcely played little games. Every so often I would catch him fooling around childishly with Keefe, but it was only with Keefe and it wouldn't last long. And yet I still thought of him as a kid - a boy, even - especially compared to me.

But then again, when I was eighteen, I'd already killed at least a hundred furs in battle, and was as cold and hard as any weathered mercenary. Although my virginity was still very much intact, I hadn't been a boy since my first real battle when I barely even knew what sex was, and especially didn't know what being gay meant.

In fact, I instantly recalled a time when I was charged with overseeing the interrogation of our captured enemies, only a month or two after turning eighteen. I watched impassively as my fellow mercenaries broke every one of the captive's fingers, starting with his left pinky, roaring ferociously when they asked for the information. The captive begged us to stop, insisting he was only just hired to protect the place - an armoury, I think - and didn't know what exactly their numbers were, or what their fortifications were like, or if there were any weak spots to be exploited. He couldn't even tell us where they stored the good gear. Naturally no one believed him, and I simply watched coldly as he was untied from his chair, gracious beyond words, then beaten in the head with a large rock until he was dead. After a moment, my eyes blankly moved away from the ruined corpse of the enemy and focused on the next, who was just being tied to the chair.

A kid could never do that, and certainly neither could Rin.

Finally, though, my eyes looked back at Keefe's, and I found myself in the exact position he'd left me in before the memory. The Knight squeezed a bit tighter at my paw, shuffling himself and his chair close with a shocking amount of silence.

"I never got to properly thank you," he told me. This was certainly a change of tone.

"For..?"

The dog shook his head for some reason. "I saw the way you went after the Disciple, after he struck me down. You were as fierce as always."

Before I could say anything more, though I didn't have much to say anyway, the canine leaned in and placed his lips against mine, kissing me gently. Unlike with Rit, I didn't hesitate for a moment to kiss back. And as the kiss went on, Keefe got himself closer, making subtle noises as his other paw grazed my left cheek, holding me there. I closed my eyes and placed my left paw on his shoulder tenderly, letting the dog know I had no intention of leaving, and soon our maws opened and the kiss became far more passionate.

I felt his warm tongue brush against mine, and I showed my approval by gesturing in much the same way in return, as if my short, quiet moans weren't enough. But after a short while, Keefe pulled back a bit, and though he seemed reluctant to part with me, finally our lips did separate. We just stared into each other's eyes, hearts beating wildly. Mine was, anyway.

"Thank you," the dog said quietly. "For saving me. Again." Then he stood up. I watched curiously as he scanned the room, then back to me, our paws still connected.

Before I could ask him what was going on, the canine gestured for me to stand, and I did so slowly.

"C'mon," he said, leading me toward the stairs.

"Wha..?" I said stupidly. But I quickly discovered Keefe wasn't bringing me to the stairs, up to the rooms, but past the stairs and through a door beside the bar, into a small room full of grain sacks, potatoes, boxes, booze and other provisions. I was then gently pushed onto a stack of grain sacks and Keefe took one final glance outside, then closed the door behind him. I just continued to stare up at him, still not entirely sure what was going on.

But I soon found out.

Keefe approached me with a surprising bulge in his pants

"Holy shit," I exclaimed, which went ignored by Keefe. "Are you serious?"

And the canine answered with a paw gripping my crotch, and soon it was down my pants and gently stroking my sheath. I let out a long, long moan as his fingers slowly urged my tigermeat out. And after a moment, his soft, warm, delicate paws were coveting my shaft like you'd covet a fragile antique, which took almost no time at all to turn rock hard. I cried quiet, pitiful moans at the dog as my pants found their way down my legs once more, and still he stroked my meat.

Keefe's paws were delicate yet extremely strong and precise, feeling up and down and around with the utmost love and desire. I hadn't been treated like this in ages, and though I was only half-conscious for most of it, far gentler than Rit had been. The Knight was smiling and blushing brightly as his fingers wove expertly around my shaft, blowing immense pleasure throughout my body with just the gentlest of touches, seeming to know exactly where to touch, how hard to press, and how to move those paws. This wouldn't even have been classed as a paw-job, since I knew there was no way I would ever reach climax from this alone, and yet my whole body ached with intense pleasure from the slow, simple movements of his surprisingly soft and nimble pawpads. Never before had I felt something so unbelievably fine as this dog's paws flowed tenderly around every inch of my naked shaft.

Finally I looked up at Keefe, who seemed to be enjoying this immensely, and stopped moaning and squirming enough to say, "Jesus Christ..." I let out a long breath and continued. "Where did you learn to that?"

Much to my dismay, Keefe had to stop to explain, though his paws still held onto my tender shaft. "When I was a young man at the Holy See, self-pleasure was strictly forbidden, much less pleasure with another soul. And like a good knight-to-be, I resisted the powerful urge to gratify myself. But over time, after many close calls, I began to touch myself ever-so-gently, stroking so soft and so slow, it was nearly impossible to climax. But what I'd discovered, after finally getting over the urge to just quickly finish myself off, is that this quiet, soft stroking of the shaft felt extraordinarily good, and I quickly learned how to do it very well. In fact..."

Then the canine continued, barely pushing his pawpads into my sensitive shaft, but almost immediately bringing back that intense sensation. "Oooh, fuck," I groaned, back arched but soon relaxing terribly on the grain sacks. But then I felt the most subtle of changes, and though the strength hadn't gone out of the pleasure, I could tell he was doing something different. One paw seemed to concentrate at the tip of my spiny length, doing something I could barely describe, even if I was watching it, while the other, again, did something completely beyond my understanding. And yet as he continued, something happened that caused me to yelp, then growl, then curse some more, then finally cry out ecstatically, my muscles convulsing and my shaft tensing violently. A cannon of extreme rapture fired off somewhere in my nethers, exploding all across my body - it felt exactly like an orgasm, and yet felt somehow different; it had produced no cum, and I was as hard as ever. But what happened next surprised and shocked me even more than that; it continued.

I cried out in ecstasy, no longer able to control my volume, claws dug deep into the canvas sacks below me. Keefe's gentle paws continued up and down and around my tigermeat, seeming to strike every nerve precisely, prolonging the massive climax he'd already wrought. My body felt tired, tense, and incredibly relaxed all at once, and I was squirming and shuddering and moaning as my orgasm continued to torture my cock and balls for the greater part of a two minutes, until I was forced to throw his paws away. I was panting heavily like I'd just run a marathon, feeling tired and flush and extremely good, my solid shaft still aching for more and twitching like a madman.

"Fuck," I spat, after finally finding my breath. "Jesus..."

Keefe then chuckled in a way I hadn't ever heard before, then made me gasp by gently caressing my warm, white-furred balls. "I could have continued for a while," he said, gently gripping my cock again with one whole paw. He stroked me idly, slowly and carefully, and I simply responded with yet another moan. Which increased, by the way, when I felt his big, rough wet tongue glide up along the underside, forcing copious amounts of precum to squirt uninhibitedly.

In my mind I was telling the dog to stop, that all of this wasn't necessary, and yet I couldn't quite find the words. We'd only been intimate once before, but it left an enormous impact on me which hadn't been quite as obvious as it was right now. "K-Keefe," I finally managed, "you know you don't hafta do this."

"I know," he admitted with a shy laugh. "But I want to. You're always there for me, so strong, so powerful. I know a lot of your strength comes from your...evil...but I appreciate it nonetheless. No one's ever protected me like you have, and it wasn't until you were gone where I realized just how much I really depend upon you. Not just for protection, but for confidence and strength as well. I...don't admit that easily." The Knight was still holding onto my shaft.

"I'm just..." I started, but I couldn't think of anything that would downplay my actions. While I would have fearlessly protected any part of my group, I had to admit I did pay particular mind to Keefe, and often times try just a little harder to keep him safe. Rit, of course, was tough and never needed protection, but Keefe... We'd been together for a while, and though he's a very skilled fighter, when it comes to Disciples, his strength usually didn't quite match up. I would never tell him that, of course.

The Knight was still looking up at me, awaiting a response, but I couldn't continue. I instead finished the rest of my thought off by rubbing his head, between his ears, smiling down at him.

Keefe smiled back and closed his eyes, losing grip on my shaft. I could see his tail wagging viciously behind him, another thing I rarely saw. I gave his short, dark fur a few final pets and retrieved my paw, letting it rest once more upon the grain sack. Then I had a wild idea.

I leaned forward a bit, and placed both paws on the dog's shoulders, blushing somewhat and heart pounding fiercely at my chest. I felt almost nervous for some reason. "Get up," I said in a low whisper, eyes never peeling away from Keefe's. And so he obeyed. He stood in front of me, myself half naked, fully clothed but making no attempts to hide how he was feeling. As he stood, I let my paws slide downward to his hips, and within moments began to work at his belt, easily unhooking it and rapidly removing the dog's pants. Now he was blushing, having figured it out, but seemed hesitant. Though he'd already kicked his pants aside, it seemed he didn't want to progress much further, despite my paws on his rear urging him otherwise.

"What is it?" I asked, still in a low, sensual voice. I was so turned on, more so by Keefe's shy dogmeat hanging in front of my face, shirt dangling on either side and his knot yet unexposed. I was really hoping he wasn't going to make me say how I felt.

"I'm not sure about this," he said.

I held the canine's paws, which made him blush. "What I did with Rit...it was more for his benefit than mine, as cold as that sounds. He did what he wanted to do, and it was over. And while I can't fairly speak for you, this is something I want for us. Because, uh... Um. I, y'know..."

Keefe was blushing brightly.

I sighed and tried again. "Ever since we spent that night together, I've found myself more and more drawn to you, not just sexually, but emotionally. In the eight months I was stuck in Hel, all I wanted was to feel your warm, soft fur against mine, and get the chance to give to you what you'd given to me. I wanted to get close to you on every level. Because by some bizarre, extraordinary happenstance, I'd fallen in love with you. No one would ever believe it...but it's true."

Keefe was blushing uncontrollably now and stayed deathly silent. I sensed an incredible amount of tension between the two of us, and within moments, Keefe groaned something that may have been my name and lunged forward, our paws parting and our lips instantly mashing together. The passion in that single kiss was incredible, and in that instant our hearts were beating as one.

As we kissed, we both somehow managed to remove our shirts, both of us naked in this storeroom and exploding with fervour. After our long kiss, the dog pulled his soft lips only slightly away then wrapped his arms around my shoulders, nuzzling his cheek against mine. Finally we rested, myself still sitting back on the grain sack, and Keefe kneeling on it, straddling me.

"Christ, look at me," the dog said idly, leaning back with his paws on my shoulders. "Luca, I'm sorry. I'm not sure what came over me..."

I didn't say anything, but instead put a paw on his rear and lifted it, positioning myself properly. I looked deep into his eyes as my cock-tip just poked at his tailhole, and instantly Keefe began to blush profusely.

"You don't have to be ashamed," I said. I felt infinitely happy in that moment, the naked dog atop me, our noses inches away and my lips screaming for just another kiss.

"I've never reacted to someone like that before. Not even... Not even Rin."

Now that was a surprise, but I hid it well. What I wasn't sure I could hide was my undeniable guilt. After all, Keefe and Rin had more or less been attached since after the fall of Midgard, their bond seemingly as strong as ever. And yet here I was violating that bond, or about to violate it. My eager shaft was begging for the sweet release of penetration, and though I was moments away, I hesitated. And I think Keefe noticed that.

The dog groaned quietly, then bumped his wet nose against mine, smoothly running it and the side of his muzzle against mine, breathing heavily through his nose. He then backed away just enough so his soft, gentle lips grazed mine, and with his eyes barely open, he kissed me so sweetly and tenderly.

I kissed him back, my paws running up along his slim, muscular sides, up along his ribs then back down toward his hips again, a wild rush shooting up my spine. I loved the smell of his heavy, canine scent, thick in my nose, which made not pushing upward that much more difficult. It was clear by the passion crashing between our lips, Keefe wasn't hindered by the thought of Rin and their relationship, and perhaps this was his way of telling me how truly powerful his feelings were for me. Our lips parted for a second, we moaned, then continued kissing again, heads tilted the other way and our paws unable to touch the other enough.

But finally in our sweaty excitement, Keefe pulled away panting, and said heavily, "Come on, Luca..." and I had never seen more serious, horny eyes before in my life. I'd seen drunk and horny, and horny and horny, but these eyes were something entirely different. They wanted me inside him, badly.

And for a moment I was stunned. Keefe was obviously more than ready to go through with this, and so I couldn't let the thought of Rin - or Kai, for that matter - bother me. By my cold sweat and rapid heartbeat and shaky paws, it was clear my love for this dog was immense, and as I looked into his dark, serious eyes, captivated by the deep brilliance, I knew he felt it, too.

I rolled my paws gently down his sides one last time, eyes never leaving his, feeling unbelievably happy and anxious - I'd hardly felt like this the first time we did it. But finally my paws came to rest on the Holy Knight's hips, and with a gentle push and subtle jab, my spiny cock-tip punctured Keefe's tight, unused tailhole, instantly feeling a connection.

Keefe gasped loudly, then groaned painfully as my shaft progressed. He closed his eyes tightly and squeezed my shoulders hard, now snarling, but clearly trying to hide it. "Damn it," he finally spat, opening his eyes enough so I could see the intense pain within them. Instead of merely stopping, I decided to pull out. My scraping spines, however, caused the dog more pain, which made me feel bad. I think he was just a step away from whimpering.

"You okay?" I asked.

"It hurts a lot," he said, "even now. I've never had anybody up there before..." The dog looked embarrassed and ashamed, but I petted him gently and kissed his cheek. I then put my paws around his back and pulled him in close, purring quietly as our chest fur meshed together, and Keefe held on tight.

I could feel every one of his heartbeats, and mine as well, and something seemed to have chimed between us. I wasn't sure what it was, but in that instant, we both were struck by the same thought. After a bit of comforting backrubs and nuzzling, the canine leaned back with his paws on my shoulders once more, noses again just inches apart. When our gazes finally met, that particular chime rang again, and we both blushed intensely. But neither of us looked away. I wanted to say it, and though I somehow knew Keefe felt the same, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I opened my maw and found no words. Keefe had done the same.

"I..." I started, begging my eyes to peel away, but they couldn't. For a second they darted to the left, but were back again. "I love you, Keefe," I finally managed. Moments later, after an excruciating wait, a trembling Great Dane hugged me tightly once more, squeezing and rubbing my back lovingly.

"I know," he said. "I love you, too, Luca, far more than I ever thought I would. I wanted another moment like this so badly since we'd last been together, but we hardly had the opportunity. I'm so happy you've given me that chance."

My heart was aflame, and after a long, long embrace, I gently rubbed the canine's cheek with the back of my paw, smiling constantly until I moved both paws back to his rear. Let's try this again.

Very slowly I directed Keefe downward, and he simply closed his eyes and tried to relax, as evidenced by his long, drawn out breath. He growled quietly when I penetrated his nearly-virgin tailhole - though he was not a virgin, he had never been penetrated before tonight - but seemed to be able to take it a bit better now. He gripped my shoulders tightly once more, putting us back into the same situation mere minutes ago, except this time there was hardly any pain in his eyes. Well, if his eyes were open, I'm certain there wouldn't be. "Oooh, God..." Keefe murmured, arching his back even more. He continued growling and letting out sharp yelps, but handled it remarkably well. And that filled me with such joy, his tight insides enveloping my tigermeat so completely. But at long last, I felt his soft rump slowly press against my body, and the dog opened his eyes.

He showed great pleasure in those dark eyes, and incredible happiness, and somehow I could feel his heart and his spirit coalescing with mine. It was an amazing, indescribable feeling. My heart was pounding and was filled with such joy it nearly hurt, and I knew he felt the same. I never wanted to let go of this dog, and though he was squirming and complaining with his body language, somehow I knew he loved it, too.

"I was so nervous," Keefe suddenly admitted, blushing brightly. Again he moved his body closer to mine so our chests connected, and his arms were firm around my shoulders. In another unexpected move, Keefe licked my cheek several times, which if I understand correctly is a sign of great affection particularly for dogs, though many cats do it, too. Again and again, slowly and sensually, his canid tongue brushed through my fur, venturing closer to my ear where he stopped. "Keep going," he whispered nervously, now licking my ear a little.

Admittedly, I wasn't sure exactly how to continue - it was clear the dog was very new to this, given he was the one mostly in control of the speed and power of my thrusts. I was sitting down, after all, and he was on his knees, straddling me. But with both paws on his hips, I took a firmer grip and suggested his rear upward, which got the canine moving.

He groaned coarsely until I had him stop about an inch from removal, then got him going back down. It seemed as if Keefe didn't want that much control here, despite his position. But like a courteous kitten I persisted, and though it was slow and awkward, it did feel amazing. Every movement was a wild rush, coursing pleasure through every inch of my rock-hard shaft and beyond, and the dog didn't even seem to notice my prickly barbs, which of course was a bonus. But after a while of listening to Keefe pant and groan and hold back cursing and the clumsy action of our movements, I decided it was time for a change. I gave the dog one final, hard-as-I-could thrust, which made him yelp to my delight, then told him to get up.

"Why..?" he whimpered quietly.

"Don't question me," I growled, which would have annoyed me a lot more if he was any other fur. But obediently the dog removed himself, with some amount of pleasure, too. He stood in front of me, more nervous than before, blushing and somewhat ashamed, uncertain of what I was doing. But I finally got up off the comfy sacks of grain and immediately remedied his worries by hugging the dog firmly but lovingly, purring quietly as his paws slowly made their way around to my back.

"Don't tell me you finished already," he said quietly.

I frowned. "I know I'm fast, but I'm not that fast."

Keefe just giggled and pulled his hips away. And much to my delight, he'd gripped between one paw both of our throbbing, precum-covered cocks, which for some reason made me gasp. His was hot and I could feel the blood pumping through it, heavy and fast. Then he began to slowly stroke, and as he pulled away, got the other paw in there as well. Looking down, his knot had fully formed and was completely exposed to the warm, dry air of this storage room, though his paws focused on both my shaft and his. When our eyes finally met, he left his paws where they were, busily working away with great pleasure - though nothing I could foresee cumming to - he slowly moved his head forward and we kissed, both of us moaning quietly into each other's maws.

But eventually that kiss had to end, and though it was nice, I took Keefe by both wrists and pulled them away. He just blushed and looked up at me curiously - I think he knew by now that no matter what I stopped him from doing, I wasn't finished with him yet. Without saying a word, I leaned forward and gave the dog a quiet peck on the muzzle then got him turned around. I pressed my chest into his well-defined back and my hips into his rear, and at once he knew exactly what I was going for.

Keefe groaned and arched his back and wiggled his hips in an extremely sexual manner, which again surprised me - despite what we were doing, I still had a hard time seeing Keefe as any sort of sexual being. But finally my cock-tip found his tight tailhole, gripping his tail with a paw, which had unfortunately been stretched enough so it'd lost its initial tightness. But I pressed forward heroically, finding it hadn't all been lost, and very much enjoyed my journey forward. And Keefe did, too, if his yips and yelps were any indication; I just moaned like a normal fur. But once more I had entered completely, and for now I contented myself with simply holding the canine from behind, my paws resting together somewhere around his hips.

Keefe murred quietly, and I imagined him with his eyes closed, paws held onto mine. "I can feel every inch of you inside me," the dog decided to point out. "It hurts and yet it fills me with such amazing joy and pleasure..." I was never a big talker during sex, and I was certainly not going to start now, but I let Keefe say what he wanted to; he was always best at expressing himself this way. "I love you so much, Luca, and I don't feel ashamed to admit it."

My first instinct was to argue and ask why he would feel ashamed, though I think in some way I understood, and kept my trap shut regardless. I responded with asking, "You think you're ready for this?"

Keefe hesitated, but nodded enthusiastically.

I moved my paws slowly around his belly, feeling his strong muscles beneath my pawpads, roaming upward toward his defined chest. Though Keefe wasn't anywhere near as big as Rit, he still had a very strong, sexy and muscular body which turned me on much more than I'd ever thought. In fact, even compared to me he seemed fairly thin, but you could tell just by looking - and especially by touching - that every inch of his body, from his legs to his arms and back and chest, was very well defined and surprisingly powerful. This dog would be a formidable opponent in any battle, but particularly paw-to-paw combat. I wouldn't be surprised if he was an even better fighter in that regard than I was, having no doubt had proper and consistent training.

But finally my paws found their way back to his hips, and though Keefe hadn't braced himself on anything, I began to pull out slowly. We both murmured and moaned in unison, though they were very different and distinct noises, and when I was just about to pop out of his fine, smooth hole, I pushed back in, a bit faster. And much to my delight, all the other cock-stroking sensations aside, Keefe moaned much louder, the pleasure clear in his noise.

And so with that knowledge, I very quickly picked up the pace, though I did have to steady myself somewhat so I didn't cum too fast, which was generally the case. And after what Keefe had done to my cock before all of this began, I knew there was no way I could last a long time, since it was still fairly sensitive. But I progressed steadily, in and out of the dog's body, growling as I inched almost too close to the edge, trying desperately to hold it all in.

Keefe, who'd now put both paws on a sturdy shelf in front of him - which is why I'd chosen this position - was moaning quite loudly now, and panting and grunting with every one of my thrusts, thoroughly enjoying himself. But what pleased me most of all was when I began to feel the dog pushing back, telling me he was not only perfectly okay with this, but he wanted more. And despite my hesitation and wanting to last longer, I pushed harder into him. The canine yelped loudly with my powerful thrust, then again and again, but he showed no sign of wanting me to back down. In fact, the only sign he gave me was his sharp moans and growls begging me not to stop.

He wasn't the only one making noises, either. I was making my fair share, mostly at every moment where I felt like I was about to step over the edge of pure ecstasy, and yet by some miracle I managed to keep it all inside. He did have an amazing body, though, both inside and out. In the mysterious light of this storage room, I could see every small and large bulge and bump and valley of his body, his muscles straining and working and moving about totally in synch with my own movements. It surprised me that with such a perfect, sexy body, and frankly his very handsome looks, he'd lost his virginity so late in life, despite being a devout Holy Knight. Of course, though he'd kept the armour and sword, he was no longer a vessel of God and the Holy See. Which suited me just fine since I was never into those types, even if they did look like Keefe did.

A particularly loud yelp then grabbed my attention, and when I looked up, I noticed one paw was missing from the shelf. Curious, and still pounding away at my canine's rear, I looked about, finding it had found a very comfortable home on what I assumed was Keefe's dogmeat. "Aaah!" the dog cried, apparently in even more pleasure than before. Though I'd asked for no explanation, it would seem he was intent on giving me one anyway, between his heavy breaths and sharp moans. "I...I wa-ah!-ant to...c-ugh!-um-m-m...with you...aah...inside me..!"

I wasn't sure why he felt compelled to tell me that, as opposed to just doing it, but I was happy to hear it anyway. Again I only responded with a few sexual noises and a particularly hard thrust.

Amazingly, Keefe was able to coordinate my relentless pounding with his busy paw, and within moments we were in a different yet equally fluid set of motions. I hadn't really done anything different, and yet I could feel something inside Keefe's body which was different, like a convulsing or pulsating of some kind, which harmonized with the dog's increasing noise.

"Oh, fuck!" Keefe cried, his body jostling awkwardly, but working back into our steady rhythm once again. It was odd hearing the Knight curse like that, since he rarely did it, even after renouncing his faith. He would growl and bark and snarl as wickedly as any sinner, and yet I never heard him swear. I had to admit, hearing him cry "oh fuck" pleased me far more than it probably should have, giving me a different sense of joy. That one simple word said to me that Keefe was uninhibited in my presence, and that he was opening himself completely to me, or letting me in. It was as if we were starting to bond on a whole other level besides the physical and emotional, that we were truly becoming one. Though perhaps I was looking into it far more than I should have been, especially at such a critical moment in our ecstasy - I think Keefe was about to cum.

The dog was groaning and moaning without restraint, calling my name with some curse words thrown in, until I heard a whole other noise altogether; that of claws scraping on wood. All I'd heard until now was fur rustling, bodies bumping together and of course heavy panting and moaning from both of us. And this sharp scraping cut through all the other noises so clearly, it almost hurt my ears. But this noise told me a lot; Keefe was most certainly about to cum. The canine growled loudly and lowered his head, showing off his back and shoulder muscles. "Ooh, God, Luca!" Keefe suddenly shouted, then pushed back violently as he cried out again, and after the scraping wood I heard a dull splat against either the wall or floor, and inside his body I could feel a tightening and intense warmth joining my tigermeat. But I didn't let up, and I heard several more sizable globs of dog-cum fire into the wall and of course Keefe moaning uncontrollably, his body shivering and quaking in intense ecstasy. Though I couldn't know for sure, I was reasonably sure Keefe had never felt an orgasm quiet as strong as that.

But now that Keefe had finished up - and before me, too - I felt somewhat obligated to hurry up. And though I didn't let it all out right then and there, it wasn't a long wait. I continued to pound into the canine viciously, both of Keefe's paws - one totally covered in cum - back on the shelf, and he was still moaning my name. And cursing. But finally I let it go, and almost instantly my orgasm struck me.

When I finally stopped trying to hold it in, it took only a dozen or so thrusts for me to cry out as loudly as Keefe had. My shaft was so unbelievably sensitive and filled with such enormous pleasure, I was shocked I was able to hold off as long as I had, but with my final thrust, I gripped Keefe's hips tightly and pulled him back, and I think he was pushing, too, and came immediately. My whole body trembled with violent and extreme rapture, which I illustrated brilliantly with my powerful moan-roar, the dog making a sort of quieter version of that noise as well. I pumped the canine copiously with my hot, musky seed, groaning as my powerful orgasm came to a steady halt, the lingering pleasure still very present I think in both our bodies.

And when my cock finally stopped pumping out the cum, I simply stayed where I was inside the Knight, purring loudly and hugging him close, our cheeks rubbing together. This tiny room was rank with our combined odours, which I very much enjoyed, and neither of us could stop blushing and smiling. The afterglow of intense sex was clear on our faces, and for now I just held onto my dog, sharing my warmth with him. But after a while, Keefe began to stir, which was my cue to exit his body.

With a quiet moan from the dog, I pulled away, and out came my cum-covered shaft, now only half as hard, and much to Keefe's surprise, my seed began to pour down his thigh. He cursed again, but I helped him clean it up, and he was wise to try to hold it in. It filled me with an odd sense of joy when I thought about him actively trying to keep my seed inside him, as if he wanted a part of me within his body at all times. Content with that, I sat back on the grain sacks and watched the slender dog.

The blue Great Dane bent over, reaching for his shirt, showing off his lovely, adorable bum to me, which made me giggle silently. It was almost enough to get me to go another round, but after what Rit had done to me as well, I was thoroughly tired. After the dog had gathered all his clothes, just holding them in his arms for now, he leaned forward and we kissed softly. He then thrust the clothes into my chest, and after a bit of confusion, I realized he'd picked up my clothes instead.

"Here," he said needlessly.

But I just held onto my clothes and watched Keefe slip into his. It wasn't a brilliant show, but fun nonetheless. I got to see the canine stretch his muscles in normal ways, yet I found it extremely sexy. But after a short while the unintentional show was over, and with some urging from Keefe, he got to watch me slip into my clothes. He put his paw on door handle and before opening it, turned and gave me another kiss, this one a bit longer than the last one. Then finally we left.

The pub was dark and completely empty now, all the chairs up on the tables and the skunk, cheetah and cougar were all missing, the fire having gone out a while ago.

"Rin's going to wonder where I was," Keefe said quietly, making for the stairs. I followed behind, his rear looking great in those pants. He and the others were all staying in the room across from where Rit was, though we were all supposed to just share the biggest room available. I guess it wouldn't look so good on Keefe if he and I walked into the same room together, though there'd be dozens of reasons why that would be. Perhaps since the rain had stopped, Keefe and I had gone out for a late-night stroll? Or perhaps we were in the storeroom having sex..?

Either way, Keefe turned to me and quietly said good night, holding my arm firmly and we kissed one final time for the night, then he went into his room. I noticed several lumps in the beds in his dark room, and when I turned into my room, I saw just the one big one; a slumbering lion who probably never knew I'd left. I shut the door behind me and skulked around the room like a thief, removing my clothes and tossing them aside carelessly, finding comfort in my own bed.

I lay awake for quite some time in the dark, listening to Rit snoring, but also couldn't get Keefe out of my mind. The whole event kept playing back rapidly in my mind, filling my heart once more with excitement and joy, and with my eyes closed I could almost feel his soft, tender lips once more against mine, and I smiled brightly and snuggled the sheets, feeling quite childish as I did so. But I didn't care; I felt happy. It had been far too long since I'd felt anything even close to this, and I wanted to cherish it for as long as possible. And with those thoughts in mind, I slowly drifted to sleep.

My night had been mostly pleasant with a dream I could barely remember. The least pleasant part of my night, ironically, wasn't at night at all, but was having to wake up in the morning. And of course it wasn't one of those nice mornings where you slowly awaken feeling refreshed. It happened suddenly and by an excited lion.

"Wake up," I heard a tree saying to me. It was curious, but after a moment, the tree vanished and all I saw was black, then when I finally opened my eyes, was blinded by light. "Wake up," I heard again, a lion slowly coming into view. I groaned noisily and turned around, away from Rit, closing my eyes once more.

"Wake UP!" he said again, this time shoving me toward the wall. I growled in response and turned back around.

"What do you want?" I shouted angrily.

"Time to get up," he said pleasantly. I was surprised he didn't have a splitting headache from all the alcohol he'd drank.

"Not for me," I replied, and turned once more. But before I could get anywhere near falling back to sleep, I felt two strong arms wrap around me and literally pull me out of bed, which I objected loudly to. But soon enough, despite my swearing, I was lying on the floor where Rit had dropped me.

"Why'd you move beds last night?" he asked, myself still barely awake. I was sitting up now.

"Because," I answered quickly, "you were hogging all the sheets. And you were noisy, and you took up over half the bed." Although I'd experienced none of those, I had no doubt in my mind that if I'd stayed with Rit last night, those issues would have certainly come up, forcing me to switch beds anyway. He'd believe it.

"Well that's not my fault," Rit argued predictably.

Finally I decided to get up and search for my clothes, my pants easy enough to find. My shirt, I discovered, had been thrown behind another bed, and after collecting it, I slipped it on and then my pants. Rit, of course, had been watching me, and was giving me a stupid look. I just frowned at him.

"You're such a sexy tiger," he said to me, approaching. "Did you have fun last night?"

I blushed, thinking of Keefe.

"Y'didn't seem all that into it," the lion commented. "Seemed like your mind was elsewhere."

"I'm surprised you noticed; you were pretty drunk."

"Not too drunk, stripes. Either way, I had fun. So...thanks."

I nodded quickly. We both just stood in the middle of the room awkwardly, both of us with the same thought in mind; we knew I didn't particularly want to do it, but like a good, generous tiger, did so anyway. But that didn't stop Rit from hugging me anyway. "Sorry for coming on sorta strong," he said, though I doubt he truly meant it.

"It's okay," I simply said. "I went along with it for you, anyway." I didn't mean to make the lion feel guilty, but I think he did anyway.

The lion then furrowed his brow, sniffing the air. "What's that smell?" he asked.

"I dunno." I was really hoping he wasn't talking about Keefe's strong, canine scent now mashed into my fur.

"Was Keefe in here recently?"

I shrugged, then he smelled my fur.

"Shit, it's you, stripes! You smell like that dog. What, did he come up here begging for you, too? Jesus Christ."

"Rit, shut up... Yeah, we slept together. Just don't go announcing it to everyone."

"I knew you liked the guy, but Christ... How long did you wait 'til after me 'n' you finished, hm?"

I honestly didn't know, which is precisely what I told the lion. He didn't seem to buy it, nor did it make a difference.

"I didn't mean for us to sleep together. We were just talking, and it just sorta happened. I didn't do it just to slight you, Rit, so stop taking it so personally."

The lion just frowned and growled. He knew I had a point, but this only confirmed my suspicion: the lion did still feel the same way about me. Why else would he react like that? Plus he'd told me earlier. But this would certainly make things awkward later on, which only gave me more incentive to carry on this journey by myself.

But then Loki suddenly appeared in the door way, looking like his usual deadpan self. "Char's on his way back," he said, startling Rit.

"The fuck outta here!" the lion shouted angrily. Loki was hardly phased.

"The messenger just got here. He said Char had other things to do when he sent him, but would be on his way toward us by the time the messenger arrived."

"Thank you," I said to Loki, and he nodded quickly and left. Then I turned to Rit. "It is what it is," I told him, "and I can't change what's happened. I'm sorry that I hurt you..."

Rit was frowning at me harder than he's ever frowned, and I decided I didn't want to take his facial abuse any longer, so I turned and left. But before leaving the room entirely, the lion called, "I used to think me an' you had something special!" then I stepped out of sight.

But I stopped just a couple steps away from the door and sighed heavily, clinging to my chest. I began to regret taking on a team like this, hating the drama and confusion that arose. My life was so much simpler when I wasn't having sex at all and living on my own, taking care of myself and worrying about no one. These foolish emotions were making me feel worse than when I didn't have any, and I was beginning to prefer things that way. But instead I have to hurt some, pleasure others, always taking a toll on me. There was a day when the only person I had to care about was myself and my sweet young panther. I still cared for him and loved him deeply, but so much has happened since the beginning of my journey. I never would have guessed years ago that Keefe and I would have slept together, much less loved each other. And Rit... What can I say about Rit? He and I were in love once, I think, long before I met Keefe. But we'd moved on with our lives until happenstance brought us together again, and of course time brought us closer. And while all of this was going on, messing me up and confusing me, Kai had always hung somewhere in the back of my mind. And the closer I got to the Crimson King, it seemed, the further up his thoughts moved.

I just sighed again and continued toward the stairs, slowly making my way down, feeling heavy. Everyone was up by now and down by the bar, looking quite ready to go. Keefe was sitting beside Rin, and after glancing at everyone else, my eyes finally came upon Keefe's. Our glance was different, though. It lasted only a moment, but in that moment we conveyed a surprisingly deep love, and probably a kiss or two as well. But I roamed past the canine and his mate, past Cy and Ashley to where Loki was sitting by himself, and took a seat. It looked like he was fiddling with something.

"What's that?" I asked the arctic fox curiously, smiling a little.

In one fluid and frantic motion, Loki looked up at me and threw something into his shirt, then retrieved his paws and let them rest casually on his lap. The whole motion took only a second, then he rapidly said, "Nothing," and frowned furiously.

"Where's Tiberius?" I asked instead, hoping to get a straighter answer.

He looked over at me without moving his head. "He's looking around town now that the rain's stopped, hoping to find some antiques for his collection. Waste of time in this town, if you ask me."

"Waste of time anywhere," I added, but the fox didn't smile.

"You reek of the dog," he said, then finally looked at me with his whole head. "I guess that's what you and the lion were fighting about?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm starting to think I should just sneak away at night and leave everyone behind, just so I don't have to deal with this crap."

Loki shrugged. He always had an uncanny ability to know what was going on with people, whether anybody said it or not. "I wouldn't worry about it. The lion's overly emotional, anyway. And immature. But listen. The messenger said Char may have something on finding Nidhoggr's brothers. Most of the other Dragons he talked to didn't know, but he tried the people of Asgard and other northern settlements, and thinks he may be in the mountains somewhere up there."

"Why would he be in the mountains?" I asked.

Loki shrugged. "You know as much as I do, and as much as the messenger does. He also said to continue along and not wait, because he'll find us."

"Alright. Well when're we heading out?"

The fox shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't have anything besides my clothes, and everyone else has their stuff onboard already. Guess we're waiting on the old dog to finish his damn treasure hunt."

"We could leave him behind," I said, and again got no reaction from Loki. Then, in a more serious tone, "I think I'd prefer that, anyway."

"Because of the Armour?"

I nodded. "At least if he's not around, he can't bring any more Disciples around to the ship, 'cause he won't know where we are."

"Assuming that's even the case."

"Well what else could it be? He's got some connection to them."

Somehow, defying all laws of nature, Loki managed to shrug without moving his shoulders. "You know as much as I do. The rest is speculation, and frankly, the more you dwell on it, the more twisted and paranoid your thoughts are going to be, until you can't trust anyone."

I gave an annoyed grunt and slumped back in my chair. He had a point, of course, given his frequent comments about Human Nature, but it irritated me to admit it.

"And knowing you," the arctic fox added, "it's bound to be worse than just paranoia."

I frowned at the small, white-furred beast, but nothing more. "How much longer do we have, anyway, 'til we reach the last port?"

"Not long. We should get there by nightfall, assuming Tiberius isn't navigating. Then it'll be to Midland on foot. And I can only guess how long it'll take us to get there. Month or two, maybe, give or take."

Everyone then turned to a sudden stomping at the stairs, now seeing a big lion emerging from the hallway above. He glanced around at everybody, giving particular glares to me and Keefe. And Loki, but no one would have found that unusual.

"What's up?" Ashley asked Rit happily.

"Nothing," he said gruffly, seeming envious of the skunk's cheerful attitude. "We ready to go now, or what? Where the hell's Tiberius?"

"He's on a daring hunt for lost treasure," Cy said, spinning in his seat and waving his paws around annoyingly. The only thing the slender cheetah was wearing was a pair of pants cut off below his calves and of course his red bandana around his neck. "I'm sure he'll bring you back something pretty, sour-puss."

Rit frowned at Cy. "I'm going back to the ship. Gonna check my gear 'an sharpen my sword." And with that, the angry lion crashed through the front door of the reasonably clean pub and slammed it behind him.

Everyone just stared at the door as if waiting for it to explain, but soon turned back to what they were doing.

"What was that all about?" Ashley asked, looking around.

I caught his glance, telling him I didn't know, but when I looked at a suspicious Great Dane, my eyes inadvertently told him Rit knew about last night. Keefe then, again with just his eyes, shook his head and called me stupid. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way of expressing without words that I didn't tell Rit on purpose, but he'd figured it out by smelling his stench on me.

"You don't exactly make it subtle," Loki suddenly told me.

I whipped my head toward him. "What do you mean?"

"Rit's not as stupid as he lets on. He'd have figured it out eventually. Besides, at least now he'll stop bothering you for sex."

Good point, I thought.

"And by the way," Loki added, reaching over to the chair beside him, "you can have your stupid gauntlet back." Then he slammed it on the table and slid it toward me. I'd almost forgotten he had this. "The thing creeps me out."

"Seriously?"

Loki frowned at me, which I think meant yes. I had to admit, it surprised me a little that Loki of all furs was creeped out by a piece of armour.

"It had your insane, dead ancestor in it," the fox explained, "who I'd had the displeasure of meeting several times. Plus I think he had fleas."

"What?" I exclaimed loudly, drawing attention. I batted the gauntlet away so it rolled heavily onto its back - not as far as I wanted it to go - then snarled at Loki. "Why're you jus' tellin' me that now?"

And then something strange happened. So strange, in fact, it dispelled my anger immediately and even brought warmth to my heart. Against all possible odds, I witnessed Loki smiling. And not the sort of grin he gives when something truly wretched is about to happen - like when he left me in the room with Rit - a genuine, satisfied smile, brought on by good cheer and happiness. Evidently, Loki very much enjoyed watching me freak out.

But after a moment, coming close to smiling back, I had to be sure. "Did he really?"

"Beats me," the triumphant fox said. "He could have. Lots of furs had them in those days, especially in Nidhoggr's camp."

I frowned hard at Loki, but finally took back my armour. "Can we go now?"

Loki shrugged, his smile long gone by now. "Only if you're serious about leaving Tiberius behind."

I then felt an ominous presence behind me, then turned to see the silhouette of a lean Great Dane standing behind me. "I can go find my father," he offered. When our eyes met, it made my heart ski p a beat, then once more when Rin appeared.

"Okay," I said, resisting every urge to reach out and pull the Dane in for a kiss. "That'll be good."

"Guess I should go collect my crew," Cy then added, hopping out of his seat. He then turned to Ashley and held out his paw. And like a gentleman, the cheetah carefully helped Ashley off his seat, giving a tiny bow as well.

Ashley just giggled and blushed, then looked at me and smiled. I smiled back. The skunk's long hair was tied back, but with something much nicer than a piece of torn cloth from my sword. Interestingly, he'd kept the torn cloth anyway, and even used it from time to time, particularly when we were sailing. I never asked him why he bothered to keep it, though I assumed it had some sentimental value to him, given the trials the two of us had endured prior to my two-week rest in bed aboard The Interloper. He was a sweet young skunk, and I loved him dearly - not like how I loved Keefe or Kai, but love all the same.

"What're you gonna do?" the skunk asked me, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of his face with a paw. He was wearing a nicer outfit than when we'd first met, but like the torn cloth, he'd kept his old one as well. Tiberius had bought him a nice dress, though he didn't want to wear it so much on the ship, and was worried about wearing it around this muddy town - most men wouldn't do the "proper" thing and lay down their coats for him, given he wasn't actually a Lady. Or a Lord, for that matter. It was something similar to his old, filthy barmaid outfit, but with finer - and newer, and cleaner - cloth, which hung off his delicate shoulders nicely, showing off the subtle definition he had.

"I'm not sure," I shrugged, very un-lady-like. Ashley would never shrug, though I swear I've seen him do it. I've seen him belch and fart, too, and even laugh uproariously at those very actions. Though he could've been drunk at the time, which didn't seem particularly lady-like to me, either. The only thing that was truly lady-like about Ashley was his elegant long hair, smooth and slender body, and of course his clothes. He had a lovely, feminine face as well, with an adorable smile and almost flirtatious eyes.

Cy was fairly effeminate, too, but not in the same way as Ashley. He generally talked in a higher voice than most males, had a long, slim body, and waved his arms and paws around flamboyantly. And though none of this could be confirmed, I would swear he had a double personality. While in a more casual setting, the cheetah was, for lack of a better term, very gay. He laughed and played and used irritating phrases like "sour-puss." He also liked not wearing any clothes, save his red bandana, though he at least put on pants when we went into town. And yet the cheetah also commanded a shocking amount of power and respect from men twice his size, and ten times more masculine. Men who would get into fights just for the sake of fighting would tremble before him, not hesitating for a moment to do as he commanded. I couldn't figure out just what it was that made Cy so intimidating to these most manly of sailors, but whatever it was, I was just glad I hadn't been captivated by it. Of course, given what I'd been through up until that point, it would have to take more than a colourful, naked cheetah to frighten me into compliance.

"I'll probably just make my way back to the ship," I said at last. "Soon as I get something to eat."

"Okay then," Ashley responded with a happy smile, then kissed me sweetly on the cheek. "See you in a bit."

I loved Ashley - the son of my first officer from my army days - and I think he felt the same, and everybody knew it. Though we would never be lovers, we were both perfectly fine with that, but very much enjoyed the relationship we had going now. It was that of very close friends who respected and loved each other too much to sully that by sleeping together, or doing things that would inevitably lead up to sleeping together. And fortunately, everyone else respected that deep friendship and said nothing about it.

Finally, though, Loki and I were the only ones left in the pub, the arctic fox simply sitting there and staring into empty space lost in his own thoughts.

"Something on your mind?" I asked him as I got my food. It seemed edible enough.

The fox shook his head, then slowly focused on me. "I was just thinking," he said.

"'Bout what?"

He shook his head again. "The past."

I could tell from the reflective look in his eyes that he didn't want to share, and with a nod I expressed I understood. And after swallowing a bite of this passable food, I reached a paw forward and simply rubbed the back of his shoulder gently, giving a half-smile to imply I sympathized, and that it'd be okay.

Loki tightened his lips and nodded quickly, and I could tell he was resisting the powerful urge to bury his face in his shoulder, which he often did when he was uncomfortable. It pleased me to see Loki at least trying to open up, little by little. I felt oddly Keefe-like in that moment.

Finally I retrieved my paw and finished off my meal. And for a while, he and I just sat in silence in the empty pub, simply enjoying each other's company. I had no idea what time it was, nor how much had passed, but it was nice and peaceful, moments in time I rarely got to myself. And fortunately, Loki was about as close to alone time as I could get these days, especially on The Interloper. Neither of us spoke, or even glanced at each other, and yet this odd sense of warmth and closeness was flowing smoothly between us. Finally, though, our eyes managed to catch each other's and we both sighed quietly, figuring we should probably head out.

Slowly the two of us stood up, and after I dropped a few coins on the table and grabbed the gauntlet, we strolled out of the pub. Interestingly, it was just as we left when a few others decided to enter, as if through some sixth sense, we both knew our peaceful moment together was about to end. Regardless, we meandered through the relatively large town without much care for where we were going, nor who was around us.

The town was slowly waking up, the sun hidden behind a medium-sized forest to the south-east, its brilliant glare piercing the treetops. It was a cool morning, the ground damp with dew - and last night's rain - but the sky was amazingly clear. I wouldn't have figured the pub we'd stayed at would be open this early, but suppose it was more of an Inn than a normal pub, despite it having a pub-like name, and was also where people went to eat. Despite being larger than most towns I've been to, the people here seemed very close-knit and social, more so during the day.

Which you could easily hear over the faint echoes of hammering and grinding and sawing, and other various sounds of a busy, waking town. People were already shouting and laughing and some even singing and playing, all of which blended into the noisy ambiance of this nameless town.

But after passing various shops and a big black bear viciously hacking up some meat, Loki and I decided, with not a word spoken, to finally head back to the port and see if we'd be setting off.

And sure enough, Cy was up on the top deck calling orders to the men, preparing to cast off.

"'Bout time," the cheetah cried, then snapped at a sailor who'd dropped a large rope to see who'd just come aboard. I simply smiled sarcastically at Cy, and of course Loki's face hadn't changed. But we entered the cabin to see Keefe, Rin, and Ashley, and of course my Alpha, Valo. They looked up at Loki and I, Valo trotting over and I petted his head gently.

The black monster had grown so docile since we'd first met; he was more like a puppy than a wicked demon-beast from Hel. And yet when I needed him, my loyal Alpha was always there for me, fierce as ever and more eager than myself to tear something apart. But when there were no monsters around, he was happy and craved attention, rubbing someone's leg and after not getting enough, moving on to the next person for more, often times whining at you. But for now he produced a pleased snarl as my paw rubbed somewhere behind his inky-black ears, lying on the floor next to me when I sat on my bed. Loki, in an odd but very bold move, sat beside me.

"Found your way back, eh?" Ashley said with a smile.

I threw my heavy, black gauntlet onto the bed, but before I could respond, we suddenly felt the ship jostle slightly and then a loud whistle blow, and soon it felt like we were off once more. As the ship rocked and creaked and water splashed, my paw found its way to my stomach as if to hold its contents in. I just groaned noisily, causing the others to look up at me, but they quickly discovered the problem. I was sort of hoping Loki would lend me a comforting paw, but he instead shifted slightly away from me, looking prepared to leap desperately out of the way of any half-digested projectiles there could be.

"How come you aren't affected by it?" I asked nauseously.

Keefe shrugged. "Used to sail a lot with my father when I was little."

Ashley shrugged too, telling me he didn't know, and Loki just shook his head. Rin did basically the same as the others, adding some sort of small noise that may have resembled, "I don't know."

"Want me to make you some tea?" the skunk asked. "Whenever Count Durham was feeling sick, he'd demand some tea; I think Tiberius has some around somewhere in his quarters."

I nodded pathetically. "Where is Tiberius, anyway?"

"Below deck, I think," Ashley replied, getting off his seat. "I'll go get you some tea..." then disappeared behind a fancy door.

"What about Rit?"

"The big baby is below deck, too," Loki said, "checking his equipment like he said he was. He'll probably stay down there, too, until we reach land."

I then sighed heavily and got up, staggering toward the door. "I'm gonna go get some air," I simply said. I didn't know anything about seasickness, and surely no one had given me any advice about it besides Ashley and his tea theory, but for reasons beyond my understanding, I felt compelled to get some fresh air, specifically blowing in my face. In my mind, that was going to help; it was going to be cool and refreshing, the salty water forming tiny beads in my fur, and all would be well. Suppose I just had a vivid imagination, though.

Nevertheless, I made my way out of the cabin with no help from the others, sticking mostly to the wall to both avoid spewing my guts and running into the busy crew. I made my way up to the top deck where Cy was standing triumphantly on the front railing while someone else manned the helm. Behind us land was slowly disappearing and the sun quickly rising, and already I could feel the warmth of its soothing rays. I leaned on the back of the ship on my elbows, and though the wind was blowing against my back, I think I felt better. At least, a little better.

"You can't just come up here," Cy barked at me. "It's for captains and helmsmen only."

I ignored the naked cheetah, who'd lost his pants somewhere between the last town and the ship. He'd also tied his bandana around his head at some point, too, instead of around his neck.

"Ooh!" he suddenly cried excitedly, and I'm sure he'd clapped his paws together, "you brought me some tea?"

Somewhat puzzled, I turned to see Ashley holding two mugs of what I assumed was tea. "No, silly, one's for Luca and the other's for me."

Cy flattened his ears and his paws fell apart. "You're so cruel to me."

"I know, sweetness. I know."

The slender, elegant skunk then walked past the cheetah and handed me a mug, which I accepted graciously. He then leaned against the back railing with me, looking up at me with a smile. I just looked back, and probably would have smiled if I didn't feel like it would have made me puke.

"You know, it's kinda funny the things that affect you," he said in a soft, sweet voice.

But I frowned. "How do you figure?"

"Well, with all you've been through in your life, how can you still be afraid of the dark?" he asked rhetorically. "And the simple rocking of a ship totally puts you off kilter. You wouldn't think someone who fights monsters all the time, and frankly someone who's suffered as much as you, would be afraid of anything."

I, of course, could offer no explanation, and while seasickness had nothing to do with fear, I didn't feel it was necessary to correct him. All I offered in response was taking a sip of the tea, which was hot and somewhat spicy, something like ginger.

"Like it?" Ashley asked. We were ignoring all the shouting and busyness behind us, the bulk of which was coming from Cy.

"It's all right. Better than most shit you can get at a pub."

Ashley laughed. "Well good."

And so for a long while, long after land had totally vanished, he and I shared this peaceful moment together, content in each other's company. A refreshing breeze blew through my fur from behind, while in front of me the water splashed coolly in my face. And of course beating down on my back was the hot, relentless sun, the perfect counter to the water's frigid reach. I then raised my head a bit and closed my eyes and fell into a sort of relaxed trance, soaking in all the sensations flowing around me. It had been far too long since I'd last seen the deep blue sky and felt the sun's comforting heat caressing my soft, clean fur; it seemed as if I was flying, free and happy.

My body stayed somewhere on the ship, while another part of me floated away with the breeze, so warm and snug. I continuously sighed in my deep relaxation, bounding over the waves like I was becoming a part of the sea itself, like a fish crashing through the surface. But my flying spirit was then halted by something. Something disturbing, something that caused the wind to stop blowing, the sun to stop heating, and the waves to stop roaring. I noticed a light somewhere in the water, and without knowing how, moved myself toward it. I could hear something. A voice. Was someone drowning?

When will you come? the sweet, delicate voice asked.

Soon, I replied, quickly realized what was going on. Soon, my love, I promise. I couldn't hear myself speaking, and yet I knew my words were reaching this light in the water.

I then got the sense that this light was shaking its head, despite being totally formless. But will you be enough to take me from this place?

I nodded excitedly, despite having no physical form, either. Yes, I will be. I have never been more certain of anything in my life.

How can you be sure? How do you know? You failed once, and you'll fail again.

No, I responded. You know me, Kai. You know I'll never give up; that's why I'm still here. That's why I'm still alive and coming for you. I've never given up, not once, and never will. I refuse to die, and as long as I live, I promise I will save you.

There was a pause from the light. I could also hear another voice talking, then a deeper one responding to it; I think somewhere, I was still communicating with Ashley.

I love you, Kai, I then shouted wordlessly. And I'm not going to stop loving you. I don't know what the Crimson King has told you in the months I've been gone, or what he's done to you, but I will take you from him. He's purely evil and needs to be taken down. That much I promise. That much I-

I was suddenly cut off by the sound of shattering glass and a high-pitched yelp, and in an instant I was drawn back into my body and I looked about with a desperate gasp, wondering what the hell had just happened. Then I noticed somewhere in my relaxed trance, I'd dropped an empty mug of tea and it had broken to pieces on the deck, which I guess had also frightened Ashley.

"Sorry," I said dazedly, still whirling a bit from my stupor.

"It's okay," the skunk replied, paw on his chest. "Just scared me, that's all. Wasn't paying any attention. And neither were you, by the looks of it." He then bent down at picked up the pieces, for now just collecting them in his own empty mug. "What were you dreaming about?" he asked me. Ashley's insight often staggered the mind.

"Kai," I told him, then turned around and sat, leaning against the back railing. Ashley soon followed. I sat with my knees up and paws clasped in front of them, staring tiredly into the white fur on my forearm, then carefully observing the transition between black and orange fur, then orange and white. I ran a finger through my fur, oddly captivated by its colour, until Ashley grasped my arm.

"You okay?"

I paused for a long moment before answering. I was starting to feel heavy again, from that one simple question, quickly coming up with an answer. "No. Not really."

Ashley made an odd, sympathetic noise, something like a whine. "What's the matter?"

"Where to begin..." I said, not expecting a response.

"How 'bout the beginning?" Ashley responded. He was smiling brightly at me.

I glanced over, then shrugged. "I guess I just want to continue on my own," I simply said.

"We can't do that!" the skunk said, alarmed.

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Didn't anybody tell you what we're doing?"

"No."

"Char's bringing back a friend, or something, another Dragon, who's gonna carry Tiberius to a bunch of different countries, an' try to convince them to band together for one big assault on the Crimson King. He said he'll act as Midland's liaison since there isn't any royal family left, and the old king's cousins and uncles don't want Midland. They say she's cursed, you know, that country, and ruling her is an automatic death sentence. Anyway, he said he wants to coordinate a final assault, if he can get the countries to work together for a change, with you leading the frontlines."

Me? Leading the frontlines? I hadn't ever considered that before, One Final Assault. All the other countries, individually, have tried and failed completely, but if Tiberius could band them together, it would be a massive army, perhaps exceeding that of the Crimson King's. Of course, one Disciple could easily wipe out a whole platoon of poorly trained soldiers, though if I was leading, and I had Algol - and could control Algol - I could tear a path straight through to the King's front doors. Hell, with the soldiers watching me demolish those monsters with ease, it could very well inspire them to do the same. One would hope, anyway. But still...that thought was invigorating, leading men into battle. I hadn't done that in years.

And yet a part of me was reluctant. After all, I'd essentially be leading hundreds of men to their deaths, those untrained or ill-equipped or, frankly, unable to handle the sight of such monsters. None of these soldiers will have seen something quite so terrifying, let alone an army of them, and surely they would be petrified by fear. When I'd first encountered one, I couldn't even believe such a beast could exist in our world, though I did have a slight advantage over most men; my Inner Darkness. I came out on top, but it was a rough battle. Regardless, encountering an enormous army of hideous monsters would frighten too many men, and under my command, it would fall entirely on me to explain their deaths. That was a burden I certainly didn't want to carry, though it does come with the responsibility of being Commander. I'd done it dozens of times during the Century War, and it never gets easy.

"Luca?" Ashley said, suddenly interrupting my thoughts. "Luca!"

I shook my head quickly. "What?"

"What do you think of that plan?"

"I don't know... It sounds good, but I'm not sure if I'm up to leading those men."

"Why not? My father said you did a good job back in the day, despite how disorderly you were about it. He said you had a way of rallying your men that seemed to make them invincible, though you usually did most of the killing. He, um... He had a lot of bad things to say about you, too. But you already know that."

I smiled briefly. "But that was fighting other men; other furs. We're all so fragile, impossibly so, and against an army of Disciples...those men won't last more than five minutes."

"But with you leading them, you can do extraordinary things!" The skunk was sweet, but I think he was missing the point.

I just sighed. "We'll see what happens."

"Oh, Luca!" the skunk chirped, grasping my arm tighter, "I just know you can do it. I have this feeling, y'know?"

I didn't, really. "Yeah," I said anyway, "I know."

"Why'd you wanna go in alone, anyway?" Ashley was still holding onto my arm, though looser this time. He was sitting very close to me, but it was in no way sexual or suggestive. It was a very comfortable moment.

"Because," I explained, "I don't want anyone here to get hurt. I mean... I know the Crimson King well enough. If I showed up alone, he won't send his Disciples out to attack me. He'll let me straight in, and fight me one-on-one. Either that, or extend the offer to have me join him again, which we both already know I'll refuse. But beyond that...I'm just so tired of all this dramatic bullshit."

Ashley was looking up at me curiously. When I looked down at him, I brushed some hair from his eyes and smiled momentarily.

"Do you have any idea what's going on between me and Rit?"

"I know Rit's got a huge hard-on for you."

"Yeah, well a long time ago, I had a huge hard-on for him, too. But it took years before we could express that to each other. Then we parted once again, only to be reunited years later when I started on this journey to begin with. I guess you could say we were in love."

"That's sweet," the skunk commented.

"But then he died, Ashley. He was turned into a Disciple by...by Loki...and left to rot deep within an ancient Dragon Library."

"Loki did that? But he seems so nice! How could he..?"

"He was working for the Crimson King then, and had many dark powers. When I went into Hel and the King got out, he punished Loki for all the mistakes he'd made, which meant taking his ability to use that magic."

"Oh... Guess that's why you beat him so easily."

"Yeah. Well anyway, for a long time I went on thinking Rit was dead, and I eventually learned to get over it. And now he's back, his feelings completely unchanged."

Ashley sat for a while just pondering that. "Ah," he finally said. "I understand. I'd have thought you'd be so happy to see him back again, alive and well."

"Yeah, well...that's where it gets complicated."

Ashley was giving me that curious look again, head tilted and brow furrowed, like he was trying to read my mind.

I then gave out a long, big sigh in preparation of telling the young skunk this part of the story, giving myself slightly more time to figure out just how to say it. But when I finished the sigh, I found I still had no idea. Suppose like every other aspect of my life, I just had to be blunt. "Keefe and I are sleeping together," which surprised the skunk, "and I... I think we're in love."

There was an excruciatingly long pause. "Ooh..." Ashley replied at last. "I see. Is that why he stormed out of the pub this morning?"

I nodded. "He found out, though I never said anything. He sorta figured it out on his own. Anyway, it's for reasons like this that make me wanna work alone again. I can fight monsters, I can tear apart legions of men, but this... This I can't do. It's too much. Plus that's all added to the fact Kai is still out there somewhere, with no idea any of this is going on, and probably scared to death. We've been communicating, you know."

"Wait, what? How? Seriously?"

"I dunno how, but sometimes I just sorta start hearing his voice, and we talk. I need to find him, and I need to bring him back, 'cause he doesn't think I'll be able to. I have to show him how strong I've become since first meeting the Crimson King. I need to save him."

"You still love Kai, don't you."

"Yes, of course I do."

"So then why're you doing all this stuff with Keefe and Rit?" Ashley was starting to sound angry now, which didn't help my guilt.

And I didn't have a good enough answer. "Maybe when you get older, Ashley, you'll understand. But sometimes...furs just need that sort of intimacy. Some of us, we crave it. And we don't do it intentionally; it just sort of happens. Falling for Keefe was the last thing I ever expected to happen, and Rit coming back, I wouldn't have thought it possible. And yet here we are."

Neither of us spoke for a long while, though it was nice to see Ashley hadn't backed away or hit me or anything. I couldn't tell if he was thinking about that, or simply had nothing more to say to me. It was impossible to know if he really did understand me, and I wasn't even sure if I understood it myself.

"I dunno what to tell you," he finally said. "I can sort of understand why you'd want to go the rest of the way yourself, though. Have you thought about Rin at all, in all of this?"

Truthfully, I hadn't really. At least, not as much as I should have.

"I'm not sure if Keefe's the sort to keep things from Rin, but I can't imagine he'd be too thrilled to hear about it."

"I know," I said quietly, lowering my head. This whole situation seemed out of control to me, and no matter what someone would get hurt. The logical thing to do, to me, was to just separate myself from the rest. I was the source of all their misery. None of them had to carry on with this mission, anyway, and the only reason why they continued to follow me was because they felt so attached to me. But take me out of the picture, and where do they go then? Would they continue on without me, toward Midland and the Crimson King? Or would they simply go their separate ways, finding whatever else to do in this world? I would hope for the latter.

"It's quite the situation," the skunk said, not being particularly helpful. "And I certainly don't envy your position in it. But if there's one thing I learned in life, it's that you gotta be true."

I tilted my head toward Ashley, listening carefully.

"I know it'll hurt, both you and others, but life is always easier if you're just true. Don't try to sugar-coat things or disguise other things, just...be honest and truthful. That's it."

I honestly and truthfully didn't see how that would help. But I appreciated the advice all the same, and gave Ashley's arm-gripping paw a friendly pat, then he kissed me gently on the cheek and rested his head on my shoulder. I noticed Cy watching us, and he looked unexpectedly happy. Of course seconds later, he was back to yelling orders and intently watching the seas.

Hours passed and Ashley and I hadn't moved much. We shifted around and for a short while, stared out at the horizon, neither of us speaking. But soon we were sitting down again under the midday sun, warm and comfortable, more so with the skunk so close to me. It was odd, this love I felt for him. It wasn't anything like what I felt for Keefe, or especially not Kai, and yet I would do anything to protect this skunk. And somehow I knew he felt the same, that there was this mutual, powerful love between us which had no sexual intentions attached whatsoever. He was an attractive enough kid - looked a lot like his father - but I didn't desire him in that way. I'd seen him naked, after all, and could easily see why anyone would want to be with him - we'd even slept naked together, but with absolutely no tension. How would you describe that sort of love? Is it what being a father is like?

"Captain!" I suddenly heard someone shout, which startled me out of my daydream. "I see somethin' out there!"

"Where? What is it?" Cy shouted back, alerting both me and Ashley. We both stood up quickly, and I was seconds away from bolting to get my sword. Cy had his nearby, and was already strapping into the sword-bearing harness.

"I dunno," the sailor in the crow's nest cried. "But it's far off... Don't think it's a ship, but it's headin' straight for us. Shit, I think there's two of 'em!"

"It could be Char," I said, just as Cy finished strapping on his duel swords. "He said he'd be meeting us sometime soon."

"Is it flying?" the cheetah called up to his shipmate. "What's it look like?"

"Hard to say... I think... Yeah, sir, it's flying. Strangest thing I ever saw."

Cy just rolled his eyes. "I think it's your friend. Least I got these men to work hurriedly for a second."

I just shrugged, and Ashley giggled.

"So what were you two doing all this time? Just relaxing? Up on my deck, instead of working?"

"Yeah, pretty much," the skunk replied happily. "Got a problem with that, Captain?"

Cy frowned a fake frown. "I'll put you to work one of these days, I promise you."

"Of course you will, sweetheart," Ashley said, giving Cy a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "Of course you will."

Suddenly Loki appeared on deck. "Is there a Dragon coming?" he asked expressionlessly. "I heard shouting."

"Yeah," Ashley responded. "I think it's Luca's friend, Char. He'll be here soon."

Loki peered out over the sea, finally spying a reddish Dragon with adept flying abilities. It had to be Char. "Probably a half hour or so."

I was feeling a lot more excited than I let on. I hadn't seen much Char since our departure from Hel, and if nothing else, I was looking forward to flying with him again. Of course, it also excited me that I could possibly learn to control Algol's frightening power, which in my mind would make me the strongest soldier to live. I would have purpose, and be able to control every one of my actions, while still retaining the absolute, unforgiving darkness held within. I would mow down my enemies with ease, but still be sane enough to know when to stop. It would be glorious.

"If he's taking you to see Nidhoggr's brothers, then you should probably get your armour," Loki advised.

"I don't like that armour," Ashley commented. "When you put it on, you weren't the same. You were scary."

"Aye," Cy chimed in, "and if this wasn't still Tiberius' ship, I wouldn't have it on here. Thing's cursed."

"So you've said," I simply responded, then turned to Loki. "Alright, let's go." Then back to Ashley, "Thank you, Ashley, for the tea, and for giving me someone to talk to." I then pushed some hair from his eyes with my fingers and kissed him gently on the head, which made him smile brightly, then continued into the cabin.

"What's going on?" Keefe asked me soon after entering.

"Char's on his way, and I'm getting my stuff."

"Do you really need the armour?" he asked, somewhat worriedly.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, but probably. Don't worry, I won't wear all of it. I'll have Char carry the helmet, or something.

Even Loki looked a little nervous. "Don't put it on again," he said. "You'll have Char with you, so you won't need it. You're a strong fighter, Luca, and unless the Crimson King appears, you won't need it."

"All right, all right" I said, picking my gauntlet up from the bed. "I won't put it on. I promise."

Loki seemed at least a little satisfied, though Keefe still looked concerned. Rin didn't know what to think.

Finally, though, Loki and I made our way down to the brig of the ship where my armour was not all that safely stowed. Nevertheless, Tiberius was down there - Rit not in sight - and while he wasn't doing anything to the armour, I saw he had a hard time looking away from it.

"Tiberius," I said with a nod. "Protecting the armour?"

"No, m'boy, just captivated by its magnificence. It amazes me how even now, something so ancient is so well preserved, like it'd been forged just a week ago. I so envy your wearing it; I wish nothing more than to add it to my collection... Already lost the Lionheart to you. Didn't seem to do you much good, though, did it."

I frowned and grunted, and resisted the urge to punch him in the maw. "Yes, well Char's on his way, so if you don't mind..."

"Oh, yes, forgive me," Tiberius said, stepping out of the way. "Perhaps I'll go see what Keefe is up to."

I was afraid if I'd told him what Keefe was up to, the dog would just stay down here with us. But soon he left, and I couldn't help but wonder what devious plans he was coming up with now to take the armour. But nevertheless, we successfully opened the old lock on the brig and swung the cage open, and after setting the gauntlet down for later, I hauled up the main piece, which covered most of my torso, and set it aside to a more practical place to put it on.

I started first with removing all my clothes. A fast process, Loki watched completely deadpan, as expected, though when I'd removed my pants, I did sense a bit of tension rising, though I'm certain the fox would have denied it outright. I then turned to face Loki, and though he'd barely moved, I could have sworn he'd had some sort of tiny reaction to my full-frontal nudity, not more than three feet away from him. I found myself suddenly blushing for some reason, and I think Loki was staring at me, blushing as well. Finally our eyes met, and whatever facial expression the fox had been making before was completely gone now, though it seemed he was forcing it. He then - and in my opinion, reluctantly - gestured toward the chainmail under-layer.

I simply shrugged without shrugging and picked up the heavy layer of dark chainmail and slipped into it with relative ease, and though I couldn't explain how, it seemed to almost tighten against my body, securing me inside it. Not completely skin-tight, mind you, but it did manage to show off some of my larger muscles while still keeping me mobile. Unlike usual, I noticed around my joints - my elbows especially - the dark links seemed to almost stretch, letting me bend my arm as completely as necessary, and shift away from the opposite side so it won't bunch up. It was almost like a living, slithering entity, moving and shifting around to accommodate every movement I wanted to make, but still retaining its integrity. Next up was the bottom portion of the chainmail, with that same tightening effect, more amazingly around my crotch. It wasn't constricting in any way, but it kept everything nice and snug and secure; surely this armour was created for a male.

Soon after getting on the chainmail, Loki helped me with the chest armour, which was essentially two pieces; the front and back, both equally heavy. The front was remarkably crafted, very dragon-like in design, showing what looked like thick belly-scales slithering all the way down from below the chest to around my crotch, which I fit into perfectly. The back, while much simpler, did have six thick, upward-curving spikes, or horns, two protruding from about where the shoulder blades fit into, plus two more about six inches below them, then two more six inches below those, making a sort of V-shape down toward my tail, each row a bit smaller than the last. Although they were both all one piece, especially the scaled front half, because of the plate-like design overall, I was still very mobile in the thick armour, and of course very well protected. When both parts came together, the crotch-scales seeming to slither downward and around to connect with the back-half, Loki helped in fastening the straps tightly and securely, so when I moved the armour barely shifted, if it even shifted at all. With every moment I had the top piece on, it seemed as if it was sizing my body up and conforming to my shape so as to fit me better, like a second skin. It was an odd and somewhat disconcerting sensation, but I soon felt comfortable in the thick black armour.

Next was the first part of the leg armour, covering my upper leg all the way around. Though unremarkable in design, once again it fit me perfectly, and after strapping both of them secure, they conformed to my body and became snug, as if taking possession of my body; I had to ignore that feeling if I was going to finish. The upper leg parts were, like every other part, crafted in wicked-looking plates and layers so as to allow my body to move freely and unrestrained beneath the cold steel, while still preserving its strength. Loki then hauled over the rest of the leg armour, as well as the footpaws, and diligently secured the straps around my calves. The front and top part of the armour pointed viciously upward over the knee, and looked like it hadn't lost any of its sharpness over the centuries. The armour covering my footpaws was easy enough to strap into, and provided a sharp area for each of my toes, which the armour clung to easily. On the top of my footpaws, above my toes, were several thick black plates running up toward my shin, which included two black spikes undoubtedly for assistance in kicking my enemies.

After my legs were firmly held within this dark, enigmatic armour, Loki looked up at me, appearing pensive and worried as he held onto the big, thick pauldrons. Each piece, which attached to my shoulders and provided ample protection to my armpits - which most armour tended to miss - had three enormous, wild spikes protruding from them; the biggest one stuck outward, away from my body, and curved upward, while the other two, closer to my neck, pointed toward and curved away from my head. They were subtle curves, and appeared more like a hard, awkward bend than a smooth, delicate curve. Either way, they were certainly what brought together the fiercely dangerous look of the armour.

"What is it?" I asked the fox, getting down on one knee. I could feel and hear the armour shifting and grinding as my body moved, but felt no hindrance whatsoever. I wanted to get more at eyelevel with the small arctic fox, but it also helped him to put the shoulder pieces on.

"I'm not sure about this," he finally said, our eyes meeting.

"It'll be fine," I told Loki. "Like I said, I'm not going to wear all of it."

"You gave into your Darkness so easily last night, and without even realizing it. What happens if you're tempted again, and Char can't stop you from putting the helmet on? Nidhoggr won't be able to bring you back."

I felt it wasn't an appropriate time to bring up the fact Loki was entirely to blame for that.

"I promise you I won't let it happen. Char and I will mostly be flying, anyway, so we'll avoid any potential danger. You have nothing to worry about."

Loki then frowned hard and slammed the pauldron into place. "I don't like it," he said.

I frowned, too, but lifted my arm anyway to help the fox tighten the straps. Once both pauldrons were on, he helped me secure the plated pieces to my upper arm, which tightened around the sides and to the pauldrons, and were less remarkable than other pieces. Finally, though, Loki handed me my gauntlets, which I slipped on with ease. Loki tightened the straps along the underside, then shifted them to make sure they were snug. Like every other piece, the gauntlets, too, were plated, and on the top plates of my forearm - four thick pieces of forged metal - a nasty spike rose up from each one, inclining toward my elbows. Obviously these bits were added for paw-to-paw combat, giving me an even greater advantage. With my arms now totally secure within Algol, its unusual dark metal holding on tight, I clenched my spiky, dangerous paw and just stared at it.

The metal radiated a certain darkness, and though the final piece lay on a table nearby, I could somehow feel my Dark Presence somewhere inside me, like it was stirring and mulling about, waiting impatiently for me to release it. It seemed to sense the armour, and I think in some way resonated with it, feeling its cold, steel presence and wanting to bond with it intensely. But I wouldn't allow it, especially not after promising Loki.

The fox just stared up at me, looking both angry and worried. And when I reached for the helmet, he quickly dashed in front of me, gave me a slight shove, and nabbed the heavy, malevolent armour before I could.

"Don't count on it," he said, cradling the dragon-like helmet, both long horns framing his white-furred face. "When Char gets here, I'm handing it to him myself."

"Jesus Christ," I said, frowning more. "You don't trust me, do you."

Loki hesitated, but finally spoke. "I do trust you, Luca. It's Nosferatu I don't trust."

I grunted, but retained my frown. Moments later though, when it was clear Loki wasn't going to give up the helmet - not without me forcing him to - I glanced around the brig for the Lionheart.

"Your sword's near your bed," the fox said.

I nodded in confirmation, then the two of us headed up. When we reached the main cabin, Everyone was there, including Rit. They all just stared at me for a while, and I simply stared back, feeling awkward. It hadn't occurred to me before, but none of them had seen me wearing this armour while conscious, besides Loki, Cy and Ashley. But they gave me the exact same stares as the others, except Loki was expressionless as usual. When the arctic fox stepped forward, going toward the door, a particular sense of relief wafted through the cabin as they noticed he had a tight hold of the final piece of Algol I would need to lose control. After Loki left, nary a word spoken or a sound made, the others finally seemed to loosen up, as if they were gripped by the thought of my going berserk.

"They coulda made it less freaky," Rit commented, stepping closer. It was hard to judge if he was still angry about this morning's revelations, or if he'd somehow found solace.

I could still feel Nosferatu stirring inside me, a quiet chuckle from somewhere deep within my gut. It wasn't scratching or crying for control, but it was there, ever-present, simply waiting and reminding me it hadn't left, like a fish swimming in a bowl.

I looked up at Rit, not really sure how to respond to that.

"So you're gonna be able to control that thing?" the lion asked, apparently mesmerized by my terrifying appearance.

"I certainly hope so," I said, making toward the Lionheart. Neither Rit, Keefe, Rin, nor Tiberius had seen me with the full armour on, and probably had no idea just how dreadful I'd become. But they knew how horrifying I could be without it, and knew this armour would bring that out many times over. They knew this was not a suit of armour that was to be taken lightly, if worn by me, and that within its cold, black shell lay a power so deeply evil, nothing short of death could stop the monster it would release.

"That's assuming Char can find Nidhoggr's brothers," Keefe added. "He said he may have an idea, but not an exact location."

I shrugged. "I guess I'll find out." I then reached toward the Lionheart and gripped it tightly, feeling an odd resistance coming from the blade. It wasn't a powerful resistance, nowhere near enough to make me lose my grip or let go, but it was noticeable. It was as if my paw didn't want to hold onto the sword, and some invisible force was trying weakly to push my fingers apart. But I held on firmly and finally took the sword with me, attaching it with a chain around my back.

Before making toward the door, I said, "Anyone gonna see me off?" and at once Keefe got up, Rin shortly after, then all followed me out the door. Rit was trailing behind.

When I reached the top deck, I looked around for Char and his fellow Dragon, and noticed them immediately, but they were still fairly far off; probably just a few more minutes, but considering how fast they seemed to be flying, that was a fair distance.

"So you'll soon be disembarking, hm?" Cy said. I nodded. "Well good luck to you, and I hope beyond hope you learn to control that monster of yours. Plus it'll put these men at ease for a while."

Valo was nearby, and I heard him make a noise. I just smiled at the evil hound, letting him know Cy wasn't talking about him, then he came to me and rubbed my leg with his head. At least he didn't seem bothered by my armour.

When I saw Tiberius, he was neatly dressed and well-groomed, clearly ready to meet foreign dignitaries and royalty. Though well-aged, he was still a very handsome dog, his life experiences clear on his face, and it was no mystery where Keefe got his looks from. The old dog was carrying a not-so-fancy cloth sack, no doubt with spare clothes or grooming devices, many of which I was sure I couldn't name.

"Well," the old dog said to Cy, "I suppose I will soon leave this ship and my men in your capable paws. Good luck with her."

Cy bowed his head. "Aye, thank you, sir. It's been an honour."

Ashley then pushed forward, wrapping his arms around Tiberius. "Ooh, I'm gonna miss you so much," he said, hugging the old dog tightly. "You always make me laugh!"

Tiberius just smiled warmly and petted Ashley's head softly. "It's been a great pleasure seeing you again, young Ashley, and I truly hope we can meet again once all of this is over."

The young skunk was beaming, but finally let go as the Dragons approached, blowing seawater gently over the deck.

Char's friend was a subtle, light-bluish colour, with tints of green and brown mixed into the hard, almost rocky scales. My guess was he was primarily an Earth Dragon, but had some Sky in him, too. Unlike Char, his features looked much rougher and rounder than Char's generally pointy, rigid body. This newcomer was smaller than Char, indicating to me he was many years younger, but still had enough age and wisdom to have mastered flight. He landed first on deck while Char circled above.

The men below were uneasy about these strange, odd beasts they'd never before dreamed of, but knew if their captain was okay with it, they should be, too.

Upon closer inspection of the Dragon, though, who was now firmly on deck, I was somewhat surprised to notice she was a female, something the others would have doubtfully realized. The newcomer folded her wings and sat, probably to retain energy. "My name is Willow," she said in a deep yet feminine voice. "Which one of you is Tiberius?" She looked around, stopping at me and giving a silent, expressionless gasp; only her maw opened a crack, eyes slightly wider. She no doubt sensed something wicked inside me, which was common with most Dragons. And I'm sure the armour didn't help.

Thankfully Tiberius stepped forward before she could say anything, nodding in confirmation. "I'm Tiberius," he said.

Her view then shifted to the dog, and she bowed her head. "Then we have a task of the utmost importance," then bent herself in such a way that suggested Tiberius climb on, and he did so with amazing grace. "Are you secure?" Willow asked.

Though he looked regal and refined, his discomfort and concern was clear in his voice. "As secure as I can be," he said shakily, holding onto the leather harness around the Dragon's body. Willow was holding onto his bag.

She then looked up at Char, and the two shared a glance, a nod, and soon the female Earth Dragon kicked off the back of the ship, vaulting it forward for a moment, taking flight immediately. "Farewell, Char," she called behind her. "May the fires of Hyrrokkin light your way."

Char nodded once more, thanking his female friend, and finally it was his turn to land. And he did so with such elegance, he hardly made a noise or vibration, unlike his earthen friend. The Fire Dragon folded his wings and sat as well, letting out a deep, smoky breath and closing his eyes for a moment before glancing at me.

"Luca," he said to me, nodding his head. I could somehow tell he was hiding his excitement behind a facade of dignity.

"Char," I replied in a similar manner. When we approached, despite all eyes upon us, he pressed his head into my chest, and I gave him a friendly rub on both cheeks until he pulled away.

"As you have no doubt heard, I may have located the brothers Nidhoggr spoke of before his death. It is unclear if they still survive, or if they still dwell within the mountains, as their position may have changed when Carried back here from Hel."

"Which mountains are they?" I asked, even though I knew I'd have no clue where they were.

"North," he simply said. "Much further north, and much, much further east than Nidhoggr's Library in northern Midland. In my short time here, I have not yet learned the names of many of your boundaries, as most furs refuse to talk to me."

I shrugged. "I don't really know them, either," I said, which was mostly true. Growing up as a mercenary in Midland, the only countries you get to know are the ones you're fighting, and since I'd only ever known one enemy - Maldad, to the west - most others were a mystery to me. As far as I knew, we were currently in the Fairfax Sea, sailing on toward the country Portland. But I wouldn't be arriving in Portland, at least not how Keefe and the others would be.

"You have your armour and your weapon," the Fire Dragon noted. "Can I assume you're ready to take off?"

"Ready when you are."

Loki then stepped forward, expressionless as always. He was still holding onto my helmet tightly. "I need you to make sure he doesn't put this on," he simply said.

Char held out a paw. "I am aware of the consequences of him wearing every piece of the Dragon Armour, so I promise I will keep it, and the rest of us, safe."

Loki then paused, looked into Char's eyes, and nodded, handing the helmet over.

When Char took it, he glanced at me and I somehow knew he wanted to take my sword as well, if for no other reason than so I didn't have to hold it during flight; it made flying that much more difficult for him because of the powerful wind currents. At least, that's what he's told me. Finally Char bent and I easily climbed onto his back and settled in, holding onto his harness like I'd done so many times before. I then turned to address my friends.

"With any luck," I said, "I'll have control over this armour, and soon thereafter we'll strike at the Crimson King. I don't know when I'll see any of you again, but if I don't...I want to thank you all for everything you've been through on my behalf. All of you - even you, Loki - mean a lot to me, and I love you all. I'm going to make sure we get through this together."

Loki stepped forward. "Quit being so dramatic," he told me, which got a chuckle from Ashley. Loki remained impassive. "Just go. We survived eight months without you; I think we can least a few more."

I frowned at the fox, though I could tell he cared. Despite that, I gave the group a sort of farewell salute, particularly to Keefe, then patted my ride gently, letting him know I was ready. And within moments, the Dragon turned around and kicked off the end of the ship and soared turbulently over the sea.

I just held on tight as his back muscles pounded mercilessly away, the rock-hard, scaled motions making takeoff more strenuous on me than I'd care to admit, and incredibly frightening. After all, with such heavy armour on, I would sink straight to the bottom of the sea. But with his wings nearly slamming into the water, a surprisingly large wake trailing behind us, the Dragon slowly began to rise, and soon I was staring at a vast plane of water and watching it steadily fall. When we reached a fair altitude, Char finally levelled off and we were soaring high above the sea, the Dragon now able to relax his muscles a bit, which had been trembling and grinding immensely beneath me, which I felt even through the armour.

"How long will it take to get there?" I asked Char, yelling over the whipping winds. Loki seemed to think I'd be gone for at least a few months, but Char had been all over the place in just a couple weeks. But of course, he wasn't toting around an enormous sword and a tiger with heavy armour, nor was he holding a helmet in his paws.

"I can't be certain," the Fire Dragon answered. He was part Air Dragon, too, and thus was an extremely skilled Avian. Though most Dragons could fly, particularly Air Dragons had a certain aptitude for it, and could therefore achieve much greater speeds and cover far more distance than the average Dragon. "Perhaps a week or two to find the mountains, then any amount of time to find Nidhoggr's brothers, if they even still exist."

"How did you know where to find them?" I asked as he soared between the cold, misty clouds. I could see a few ships in the sea below me, appearing only as insects on the ground; I think they were engaged in battle, and though it must have been intense, their problems just seemed so trivial from way up here.

"I spoke to some of my Elders who could still remember the old stories from before the Great Transport, as they called it, telling me of the great rivalry between Nidhoggr and his brothers. They tried fiercely to show the other up in their abilities, but of course Hidhoggr always won. Anyway, the Elders told me, according to their stories, the great, snowy mountains up north were carved out of the land by their constant battling, and the brothers once resided within their epicentre, always studying and always waiting. Nidhoggr once lived with them, I was told, but had left his clan to fulfill his own destiny."

"You mean controlling all other Dragons?"

Char nodded, which made his body dip slightly as he continued gliding through the clouds. He then suddenly dove downward, twisting his body and his wings so he went more in a long spiral, which made my heart and my stomach jump; he'd picked up incredible speed just now, plus lowered his altitude quickly. But soon enough his large, powerful muscles, particularly around his shoulders and his back, began pumping once more as he rose and levelled out again, his mighty wings easily catching the updrafts. Char tended to do this when he'd been gliding for a while, to keep up his blood flow. At least, that's what he told me; I think he just enjoyed feeling my adrenaline sharply rise. He was no doubt unaware that my armoured claws were dug deep into his scaly skin.

"What was that all about?" I cried anyway.

"Blood flow," the Dragon responded, and though I couldn't see his face behind a collection of horns and spines, I could tell he was grinning.

After a long, uneventful flight, myself sweating from the afternoon sun, things began to cool off when it lit up the distant clouds hovering over the horizon, and thankfully we spotted land. It was fascinating to be so far up and to see just how far some of the shadows stretched, and where the golden light just barely struck the tops of trees and hills and rocks. On land, I would seem to be entirely in darkness, and yet I could clearly see where the massive shadows ended; my fear of the dark only felt that much more ridiculous given this new point of view.

"Your world is strikingly beautiful," Char pointed out as he slowly descended toward land. "In Hel the sky is constantly alive with brilliance, and though simple, yours is amazingly dynamic."

I would have shrugged if it had been a practical moment to. Instead I made a sort of calm groaning noise, to imply I agreed.

"There is a settlement," Char informed me, "just beyond that great forest, where we may rest for the night."

It wasn't until he mentioned rest when I realized just how hungry I was, and suddenly my stomach began growling without mercy. "Sounds good," I said, patting my black, steel belly.

Char dove sharply once more until he was soaring over the treetops, and through the intense wind I could hear the vague noises of night time creatures calling out to one another, no doubt concerned about this giant beast gliding above their home. But soon we cleared the forest and came upon a sizable town about the same as the last one, though it had no port. Char landed a fair way out of town, and I easily climbed off his back.

"You go on," he told me. "I will stay out here and familiarize myself with your nature."

"Why don't you come with me?"

"Most furs in this time do not even know what a Dragon is, much less what one looks like; they will not want me in their town."

"C'mon," I said with a frown. "Don't be ridiculous. They aren't going to mess with you."

"Aye, but they will most certainly be hostile toward both me and you. You will also not be welcome."

"I don't give a shit if I'm not welcome in their town, so long as they feed me. Besides, we can just take what they won't give us."

Char was giving me a hard, disapproving stare.

I sighed. "I didn't mean it."

The Dragon didn't say anything.

Finally I rolled my eyes. "You're coming with me," I said, "and that's that." Then I turned around and made for the town, which was no longer enjoying the final moments of the sun's presence. After about a ten minute walk, though, the structures and lights becoming more visible to me in the darkness, I noticed a couple armed men coming my way. Their slow, cautious swagger told me they were extremely nervous, and didn't particularly want to greet me. I wondered, though, if this was usual practice, or just in light of the fiery beast approaching them. When I glanced up at Char, I noticed his eyes seemed to be glowing in the dark, a sort of orangey, reddish flickering against his darkened face, highlighting particular, rigid features; I could imagine why anyone would be frightened to see this thing approaching from out of the inky dark.

"Halt!" one of them said with a shaky, timid cry. "Identify yourselves." I could tell they didn't want to be out here, much less questioning us. As they drew closer, their single lantern highlighted the terror in their faces, and I could hear the iron clattering from the left soldier's trembling paw. However, their swords were not yet drawn.

"Who wants to know?" I said defensively, which always seemed to be my first instinct. I'd been told dozens of times it usually isn't a good start, most typically by Keefe. But they were competent enough not to be shaken by that.

"Who are you?" the other said, the one holding the lantern. He looked a lot younger, and was probably fairly new at this. They both appeared to be canid, but under their light helmets it was difficult to distinguish specifics. The one without the lantern, though, did have an impressive scar on him, which told me he was a seasoned fighter; he still looked scared out of his mind, though he managed to hide it much better than his younger counterpart. "Where did you come from?"

"Perhaps we should answer their questions," Char suggested to me quietly, mouth close to my ear.

I frowned, and gave both men a hard stare. "The sky," I simply answered. That produced a wary growl from the scarred canine.

"Have you come to destroy us?" the young guard suddenly blurted out, and he may have even wet himself. "Please, I have a son!"

The older guard then sighed heavily, clearly annoyed, throwing his paws up in the air spastically. "Well you had to go and ruin whatever credibility we had, didn't you."

"I'm sorry!" the young one cried, cowering before his cohort.

"We are not here to hurt anyone," Char then explained, ruining whatever credibility Ihad. "My friend simply wishes for a place to rest."

"What are you?" the older dog said, trying to sound brave.

"I am a Fire Dragon."

"A Dragon?" the young dog exclaimed. "No way! They don't exist anymore."

"Aye, but we do, young one. We once existed in another plane, a world parallel to this one; Hel. But we have been freed from our confinement by the same means we'd once found ourselves there, though it has not been long."

"You gonna let us in your town, or what?" I suddenly growled, cutting my friend off. This was getting tiresome.

"Not until you give us a name," the old dog said, though he didn't seem particularly keen on trying to stop us.

I just growled, until someone from somewhere said, "Luca," which caught everyone by surprise. It was a deep, commanding voice, one which seemed to make the two guards even paler. And I had to admit, I even felt myself tremble before that mighty voice; I had felt that sort of trembling so many times before...but from where?

Just then, an enormous figure - even bigger than Rit - emerged from the shadows behind the guards, his old, white-furred face coming into view. This most commanding of furs was clearly a powerful white lion, and I knew instantly why I trembled: he was the High Commander of the Dragonkin Army, August, back from when I had joined Midland in the Century War. I hadn't seen this intimidating lion since he'd cast me out of the Dragonkin.

"I find it hard to believe," he said, raising every hair along my spine, "you have not changed in all this time."

For once in a very long time, I was at a complete loss for words. I just stared up at the white lion, trying desperately to figure out how he'd come to be here, and how I should respond. But all was silent, and it stayed that way deafeningly so. Finally I opened my maw to speak, but as expected no words formed, but instead responded with a flurry of irritating single-syllable noises and empty breaths.

August just snorted, finally uncrossing his arms. "You two may go," he said to his guards, and they did so with great pleasure. "I'll take care of the newcomers."

I found it impossible to look at August in the eyes, as disgraceful as that felt. I continued to tremble in his presence, and though I was angry and frustrated with myself, I wouldn't dare lash out, nor even talk back. And I think the lion knew this, because he then addressed Char.

"It is an honour to meet one of your kind," he said admiringly. "In my youth, I studied all I could get my paws on about Dragons, though it was limited and often times, unreliable."

Char bowed his head gratefully. "Aye, and if I may presume... You are August, High Commander of the Dragonkin?"

August smiled, seeming impressed by Char's knowledge. "Luca has talked about me, hm?" He then looked down at me, which only made me freeze. I was sweaty and hot, and intensely cool at the same time. I managed to push out a nod, confirming what he'd said.

"Only flattering things, I would hope."

Now Char smiled. "He has said many things about his days in the Army, and truly you have not been exaggerated."

August looked back at me with a partial smile, staring me up and down as if sizing me up. Finally he snapped, "Straighten up," and I did so obediently. He continued to stare at me, I think checking out my armour, then stopped directly before me. "At ease, Luca. Neither of us are in the Army anymore."

I looked up uncertainly at my High Commander, finally getting a better look at him. It was odd to see him in anything but armour, and yet there he was, in only a plain shirt and a coat, as well as regular pants. He didn't even have a weapon on him, though I suppose he could have had a knife stowed somewhere on his body. The white lion's mane was still as thick ever, and oddly imposing, adding to his massive and powerful build. His face was old and weathered, and yet carried so much wisdom and authority, particularly in his striking silver eyes, it would be impossible to guess his real age. Truly this was the most magnificent lion to ever live, and for some reason was now living in this small town far from Midland.

"Yes, sir," I finally managed to say to him, nodding my head a little. I eased myself as best I could, but it was difficult; I could sense a sort of animosity coursing between us, as my last memory of August was him beating me into submission, which of course preceded my discharge from the Dragonkin. I couldn't imagine what he was thinking.

"Come," the lion ordered, turning around. "You are both welcome, though I'm sorry to say, Dragon, you may find it difficult to join us inside."

"Understood, white lion. And my name is Char."

August nodded as he walked, leading us into town. We passed both guards again, and they appeared worried, though the older one, I think, knew they would be safe.

Most people who were still out were petrified at the sight of Char, which was somewhat relieving; they were usually frightened of me. A few ran inside, while others seemed either too scared to run, or just intensely curious. Since August was clearly leading us through the streets, thankfully wide enough to support a Dragon walking through, some looked at us with caution, but decided we weren't a threat. At least, not yet.

August finally led us to a rather large home on the furthest end of the town, which took us about twenty minutes to walk to, which I presumed was his. It wasn't quite a mansion, but it was a lot larger than the other homes, which were built mostly out of stone with thatched roofs; fairly typical for towns like this, more especially inland. It was two stories high, unlike the other houses, and appeared to have a fairly solid roof, which wasn't too sloped; perfect for a perching Dragon. After Char climbed onto the roof, and after receiving instructions on which room we'd likely be in, August and I finally entered.

The home was reasonably nice; modest, I suppose you'd say, though it had quite a few weapons covering the walls, I think as decoration. Some of them looked pretty old, while some looked like they'd just been used. There was little furniture around, and no signs of a mate were present. There was an odd smell in the air, though, strangely familiar, like bad cooking; I'd made enough of it to know. But eventually we found our way on the top floor, sitting in a room that looked much like a study, though much less impressive than the one at Tiberius' home; there was a bookshelf not quite crammed with books, plus a couple small tables, a couple chairs and a writing desk near the window. I was invited to sit, which felt odd with all my armour on; when would I get an opportunity to take it off? August finally opened the window, which let in a cool, gentle breeze, then lit a few candles and a lantern on the wall. Moments later, Char's head dangled from the roof, peering in. He smiled at me, but I was too nervous in August's presence to smile back.

"So," the white lion began, taking a seat, "what brings you to Scoresby?"

I sat carefully, so the armour wouldn't damage the seat. I shifted nervously, but finally looked in August's direction. "I could ask you the same thing."

The white lion smiled. "Indeed."

We both sat in horrible silence until Char decided to open his big mouth. "We're on a journey to the north," he said. "To find a couple Black Dragons, whose dark powers now surpass those of Nidhoggr. We have simply stopped here so Luca could rest." I think Char was assuming August would know all about these stories.

"Now surpass?"

Char nodded. "Nidhoggr is dead."

That tidbit seemed to surprise the lion. "If the stories were even close to true, I'd find that hard to believe."

"Well... Thanks mostly to Luca, he couldn't heal himself fast enough before a young arctic fox finished the job."

Now August was giving me an forceful glare, as if I'd killed his closest friend. "You never could control that demon of yours, could you," said the lion, which caught me off guard. I hadn't even been fully aware of it in those days, so how could he? Again I didn't know how to respond.

"Luca tries hard," Char said supportively, "but it is a much stronger presence than you realize."

August wasn't sure what to think, it seemed. He appeared deep in thought.

"That's," I started timidly, glancing up at August, "why we're on this journey. Not just to control my Darkness, but...this armour as well."

August appeared puzzled.

"It was crafted by Nidhoggr himself," said Char, who'd thankfully cut in. "And within its black steel he imbued an evil magic; in essence, the armour unleashes his demon - Nosferatu, as Luca calls it - to its fullest potential, blocking out all other senses, including pain and fear. You will never see a being more malevolent..."

"You seem fine to me," August said at length, I think somewhat skeptical of what this armour can do.

"It's only effective if I equip every piece; Char has my helmet."

"If you're telling me the truth, then how in all you claim holy did you acquire such a monstrous suit of armour?"

"The original bearer was an ancestor of mine, who'd been locked away at Miskatonic Keep until he died; we retrieved the armour - Algol - just more than two weeks ago."

"And if you're on a mission to control such a power, then I can only assume you've tested it out."

I nodded quickly, hesitant to admit it. We sat for a long while in deep silence, August I think pondering what he'd just heard. Thankfully, Char managed to break the silence.

"So what has brought you so far from Midland?" the Dragon asked. It was as if he knew what I wanted to know, and lacked the silence I did. "Your army was held in such high regard by the King of Midland, and clearly you were not wiped out along with Midgard."

Before answering, August got up and poured himself what could have been wine, offering me some - which I declined - then sat again before sighing heavily. He took a generous sip, then lowered the glass slowly until his eyes reached mine. I felt a shiver run up my spine. "The short version: some time after the war ended, most of the aristocrats and royalty who had been so grateful to the Dragonkin suddenly began to find themselves repulsed by our common blood, and though we fought to remain a part of Midland's army, it didn't take long until we were cast aside. We had outlived our usefulness, and though most of my men joined the regular army, the Dragonkin was finished as a part of Midland's Royal Knights. And so defeated by the masses, I reluctantly returned to my homeland. It isn't the end I'd imagined for myself."

I couldn't help but sort of feel bad for August, who was once so noble and so proud and such an intense force within Midgard and all of Midland, only to be reduced to...a commoner. Never in my life had I imagined this giant of a white lion would be anything less than grand. It was at least relieving to see he hadn't grown old, fat and lazy. But how did he keep up his astounding physique?

"Anyway, that's all in the past now. My life may be much more dull, but I at least serve some purpose here."

"And what's that?" I asked.

"I train many of the men here how to fight."

"Like those two guards?" I said smartly, regaining some sort of backbone.

August glared at me. "Indeed. Despite that, in most cases I give them confidence and skill, and a way out of this town; they often seek work at Stretford Castle, either as a city guard or a castle soldier. And some of them stay here to help protect the town, especially if I'm not around."

I suddenly felt a delicate stir from Nosferatu, like it was waking up after a long slumber. "Protection from what?"

"From monsters."

For some reason, that surprised me.

"They don't attack often, but when they do, they're swift and brutal, and often unseen. They come from the forest at night, eyes glowing a bloody red and craving fresh meat. I have no idea where these foul beasts came from, but ever since the fall of Midgard, they've been coming around; no one had ever seen them before, much less heard of them. But I can tell you from the few times I've seen them clearly, they're almost wolf-like in appearance, except they crawl around on all fours and have these horrible red eyes and a wicked maw full of wicked teeth; they can tear apart a regular man in under a minute, leaving nothing behind. One I'm certain we could handle, but these vicious monsters always travel in packs, never leaving until each one has had their fill, and commonly even more than that. We haven't seen them around for a while, which is why those men were so jumpy."

By the sound of things, I was glad Valo had stayed behind with Loki. Of course, I hadn't much to add to what August said, though with my Inner Darkness slowly becoming more restless, I had a feeling I'd be staying in this town for a while longer than I wanted to be.

"Anyway," the white lion continued, "I know it isn't much, and I'm certainly not saving the country from foreign invasion, but I get by just fine. How long do you plan to stay for, Luca?"

"Just the night," I said, though Nosferatu was suggesting otherwise. I didn't need to tell August about this just yet, and Char was craning his neck to look at me, and his glance suggested he sensed something, too.

"We may be staying longer," the Dragon added.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here, Luca."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Now, what aren't you telling me?"

I gave my Commander a curious look.

"You and Char shared a glance, and you seem uneasy."

Despite spending a good deal of my life under this lion's command, I never knew his intuition was so sharp. "There may be something coming," I explained sombrely. "I can feel it. My Darkness is becoming...excited. It can sense the Darkness of another being, and they're interacting. Right now...it's milling about, giggling in anticipation and clawing slowly at my gut. It wants out; it wants to mingle with the other Darkness, then destroy it."

August was staring seriously at me, brows furrowed. I think he wanted desperately to understand what I was feeling, since he no doubt felt nothing.

"I don't know where or what it is, but it's out there. Maybe in this town, or maybe in that forest. Maybe it's the Alphas. But something evil is near."

"Will you know when it gets closer?" August asked; he looked as if he was trying to formulate a plan, a face I'd seen hundreds of times.

"Nosferatu will become more and more agitated the closer the monster gets," I said with a paw on my belly. Although it wasn't a physical sensation, I felt like I had to try to keep my monster in.

"You named that demon inside you?"

I glared at the High Commander. "You know that's what they used to call me."

"You," August emphasized. "They called you that; none of them knew why or how you fought like you did. It was a nickname given to Luca, but only you could have applied it to that monster dwelling inside you."

I just snorted. "It hardly makes a difference now."

August sighed. "I suppose not. So what now?"

I lowered my head, but kept my eyes somewhere on the lion. "I don't know."

The lion raised his glass and quickly finished off the rest of his wine, then set the empty glass down on a small wooden table between us. "Well if you can't tell me when our enemy will arrive, then you might as well get out of your armour. I'll warn the guards, tell them to be on the lookout."

With that, the white lion got up and took a couple large, sweeping steps toward the door, suggesting with his body language to leave; I think he wanted to show me to my room. And sure enough, I was led to a closed door a bit further down than the study, which opened to a modest room with a made bed, a cabinet and a small table by the window. I could hear Char on the roof moving about, I think trying to figure out where I'd gone. Moments later, I saw movement outside the window, then a small plume of fire.

"You may rest here. It's...good to see you again, Luca."

I nearly said likewise, though that memory of our final encounter was still burned into my mind. I simply nodded and thanked the commander, then he left. I paced quickly to the window and opened it, framing Char's head nicely. "So you felt it, too?" I asked the Dragon.

Char nodded. "Aye, but it is obscured. I cannot tell where it's coming from, nor what form it has taken. It may be a Disciple."

I felt a quick shiver rush up my spine at the thought; contrary to Alphas, Disciples had a tendency to be far more destructive. "My Darkness is agitated," I said, holding my belly again. "It's in there, and it's wide awake. It wants to taste blood..." For some reason, I was feeling scared; Loki had told me how easily I'd given in to Nosferatu, and I didn't want it to happen again. Especially not in front of August.

"Perhaps it is only that pack of Alphas," Char said, pushing his head further into the window, which I slowly embraced. He was trying to reassure me, but Nosferatu had never been this excited over a bunch of worthless Hel Creatures.

When I stopped rubbing the Fire Dragon's head, I pulled away and sighed, wishing I'd taken some of that wine after all. But not knowing when this yet unknown Darkness would rear its head, I decided it would be best to get out of my armour, or risk tearing the bed apart sleeping in it. I let out a monstrous yawn then unlatched the straps to my gauntlets, pulling them off with ease. Char simply watched as I stripped myself of my evil armour, the thick, black steel falling heavily to the floor, until only the dark chainmail remained. It rattled noisily as it brushed through my fur, feeling much heavier once it was all in my paws, and I let it drop carefully beside the organized pile of solid metal. I now stood naked in this dark room, Char I think enjoying the view; he could have handed the bag I'd brought at any time, but evidently chose not to.

I simply frowned at the grinning Dragon until he tossed it in, but I threw it on the bed as he passed the Lionheart through, too. I noticed he'd kept Algol's helmet. Despite that, I was quick to open my bag and retrieved a pair of extremely loose, comfortable soft pants, which I had to wrap and tie around my waist - something Tiberius had given me from his travels. I finished by folding the excess covering my navel down to make a sort of belt, then rubbed my white-furred belly once more, as if checking to make sure my Darkness wasn't escaping. I sighed heavily.

"Do not worry," Char said, trying to get his head further in, though he looked inches away from falling altogether. "I will make sure you stay you."

"How're you supposed to do that?" I asked, irritated at his presumption. But I approached the Dragon anyway, letting him rub his nose against my chest and stomach. His scaly flesh was warm and comforting, and I couldn't help put my arms around him.

"I don't know, exactly," he admitted. "But I will."

I suppose I could let the Dragon have at least that, though I was still doubtful he could do anything; it wasn't like he knew any magic that could pull me back. The only thing I knew he could do was to fight me and win, and if Nosferatu takes control, it was doubtful that would happen. Usually I would simply black out after a particularly intense fight, because like Loki had explained, my mind would try to fight Nosferatu's control, but it would seem that was no longer becoming the case. I wanted to avoid fighting at all cost, at least until I found Nidhoggr's brothers, but if it was more than a pack of Alphas coming our way - or perhaps already here, hiding - then it would be inevitable; August was an incredible warrior and leader, but against a Disciple, I feared he wouldn't stand a chance.

"So what should we do in the meantime?" I asked the Dragon.

He shook his head, causing me to back away a little. "You cannot prepare for an attack anymore than you are right now," he said, which was true. "But if you decide to walk around town, then I suggest you at least bring a weapon."

I had no particular desire to see this most typical of towns, though I had to admit to wanting to at least check out the closest pub. "Maybe you're right," I said, then grabbed my bag. I easily unhooked the leather strap and chains which acted as both a method of carrying the bag, as well as my sword upon my back. From the bag I pulled a reasonably plain, tight shirt, then strapped on the chains and within moments, the sword as well. I gave my friend a nod then headed out and into the hall, quickly making my way outside of the house.

On the front step, I looked about for a clue on where to go, until I saw Char circling above one particular place. I just smiled and slowly made my way into town, always keeping the Dragon in my peripheries, who I think was now just flying around to get a sense for the place, and I hoped looking for any signs of evil monsters, too.

It was late in the evening, so the streets were fairly empty, only a few furs hanging around here and there, all of them apparently awe-struck by my presence. At least, they couldn't stop staring at me; were they like this with all newcomers, or just ones who were friends with Dragons?

Finally I reached the pub - the Moonbeam Inn - and things were fairly dull. Most of the furs seemed to keep to themselves, and I think many of them were off-duty soldiers, who'd probably gotten here no more than an hour or two ago after their shifts ended. I decided it would be best, though, to sit away from them, alone at my own table. A drink was brought to me soon enough, and I made short work of it.

Some time had passed, and though my mind was slowly being drawn away from my Inner Darkness by the ale, the constant stirring inside never subsided. That is, until after my third ale I heard the door creek open then someone call out to me.

"Hey!" the voice said, not particularly hostile. "It's you, that tiger. Um... Luca, is it?" Finally the voice came into view, nearly knocking over my sword, and a canine took a seat beside me. He was a Dalmatian, the one who looked like he'd nearly wet himself when I'd first greeted him. His partner had already joined the others.

"Thank God you got outta that armour," he said as he was being handed a drink. "I've never seen anything like that, and it's pretty scary. I wasn't even sure you were...you!"

I glanced at the kid, then gave a half smile. "It's just a pile of metal," I said, obviously underplaying the value of that particular metal.

"Yeah," he said, sounding almost disappointed by it. "Well...um...why don't you join us?"

"I'm good."

"You sure? You could tell us how you met that Dragon. He's not so scary now that we know he's not gonna kill us all..."

Cute kid. Reminded me a bit of Kai, though he was much older; probably around Rin's age, though not as mature as the cougar. Obviously he hadn't seen much action, especially not as a soldier. It made me wonder when the last time the Alphas attacked. If it had been a long time, then that only increased the odds they'd be craving fresh flesh again. Though I tended to spoil my Valo, he got the craving at least once a month, sometimes less, sometimes more.

"It's not a very interesting story," I replied, again downplaying the truth so completely.

The young Dalmatian frowned a little, but seemed persistent. "So you and August know each other? He's teaching me how to fight, you know. Did he teach you?"

"No, I learned on my own, when I was just a kitten. I met August much later in life, when he asked me to join his army; it was just a mercenary band at that time, called the Dragonkin."

"He never really talks about that."

"There isn't much to say. He was fighting for Midland during the Century War, and after some key victories and a lot of resistance from the upper-class types, the Dragonkin became a part of the Midland Royal Army. It all sorta ended with the war."

"August was the leader of a whole army?" the dog said in amazement.

I nodded, taking another drink. "He was the High Commander of the Dragonkin Army, and eventually, he made me Captain of the Dragonkin's Brutes; sort of a small, skilled division of his army. We were an unstoppable force, claiming victory after victory." I neglected to mention how I'd gotten Blade, my second-in-command, killed, then exiled from the Dragonkin.

The kid was staring at me with bright eyes and open maw, spellbound by my story. Obviously August had never talked about those days, though why I couldn't imagine. Did he just show up one day and start taking charge? Surely if it had happened that way, no one would be in a position to argue, not with a lion so grand. Even still, it was curious.

"So what're you doing all the way out here with that Dragon, anyway? You musta come from Midland, too, if you served with August."

"We're travelling," I told him. "Up north, but we met south of here."

"I didn't even know Dragons existed! August talked about them sometimes, comparing us to them or something, but he never said they were real. He said they were banished thousands and thousands of years ago, and probably gave us some lesson based on that story... He gives us a lot of lessons. He also said there are a bunch of theories on what happened to the Dragons, but no one really knows."

I really knew.

"So how'd you meet him?"

I raised my glass and took a drink, but before I could answer, I felt a powerful force grip tightly at my stomach, and it wasn't something in the ale. I put the glass down and stared into empty space, ignoring the curious Dalmatian. Nosferatu was more than stirring, but was scraping loudly at my insides, chuckling in delight. Something was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon. My Darkness could sense the presence of another, and it was powerful enough to make me stand, but...I had to stay in control, and be conscious of what my mind was going through. I refused to lose control so easily once again.

"You have to go," I heard myself say over the deafening cry of Nosferatu. Yes, yes, I know... Something evil was near, and something evil was going to die. Hopefully, though, I could do that with as little damage to this small town as I could.

"Huh? But we just got here."

"No, I mean you have to go, leave this town. They're coming."

The Dalmatian appeared both afraid and confused. "Who's coming?" By that point, his older partner had sensed the urgency in my voice, and joined the young canine. The older one, as it turns out, was a yellow Labrador.

"What is it?" the old canine asked.

"Monsters are coming," I told him, glancing over seriously.

"This is what August has been training you for, kid," the Lab told the Dalmatian, gripping his arm tightly.

The young dog seemed utterly unimpressed with that fact, but soon toughened up. "I'll warn August," he said, then got up before I could think to stop him.

The old dog looked up at me. "I don't know how you know these monsters are coming, but for once we'll see 'em coming."

In truth, I didn't know it was them. I also doubted they'd see 'em coming, but clearly these men needed as much morality as they could find, especially against these Alphas. I simply held the Lionheart for a moment before hooking it onto my back. "Just leave the Alphas to me, and I'll ensure no one becomes their meal."

And like the Dalmatian, I left the pub before anyone could stop me. I looked about for Char, but couldn't see anything in the darkened sky; the stars were no longer shining, nor was the moon. When I stepped into the street, an eerie wind blew through my clothes and my fur, and seemingly down through my flesh to chill my bones. The night was unusually quiet, save the blowing wind howling through the town; neither critter nor insect made a single noise, as if they'd all fled for their lives, leaving behind the stupid furs who sensed nothing. When I glanced back at August's home, I got the feeling there wouldn't be enough time to get my armour; Nosferatu was chuckling loudly now, stirring about madly.

I then took off toward the forest, assuming that's where the Alphas would be attacking from. That, and my Darkness was urging me in that direction. When I finally reached the furthest end of town, I stood and stared into the infinite, choking darkness which now stood before me, mocking me. They were in there somewhere, and coming this way... It had to be them. Again I looked about for Char, but saw no sign of him. I then heard some footsteps behind me, and turned fiercely; it was August and a few others, including the Dalmatian.

The others were wearing fairly light armour - leather, mostly, and some metal - while August was wearing armour not familiar to me, but plated and full all the same. Back in Midland he wore full armour, much like a knight's, except it was pearly white like his fur, and very intricate and ornate. Having said that, his old armour was still fairly thick and though extravagant, it served its purpose far better than most. But it would seem he'd gotten rid of that armour I'd grown so used to, or at least hung it up, and found something more suitable for a commoner. His sword, however, was the same it'd always been; broad and deadly, yet - like his armour - beautiful and ornate.

"You sure about these monsters?" he asked me. "It's been a while; I was beginning to think they wouldn't return again."

I nodded confidently. "I'm positive. You sure you want your men out here? They'll just end up being moving targets."

August growled quietly, which I had to admit made me jump a little. "Cocky as ever," he responded. "I've trained these men personally, and I have confidence in their ability to defend Scoresby."

"This one," I said with irritation, pointing to the Dalmatian, "nearly shit himself when he saw me." I felt a little bad for pointing that out to everyone, but I didn't want anyone besides me, and I suppose August, to get hurt.

"This is my town," argued the lion, "and these are my men, and you will not dictate to me how I utilize them. You have a lot to learn in life, Luca, and apparently Blade's death didn't mean a thing to you."

I wasn't sure what my getting Blade killed had to do with anything, but I was starting to lose it, which meant Nosferatu was inching closer toward release. "Blade's death meant everything to me," I snarled, stepping toward my old Commander, fists clenched tight. I didn't yet have the guts to punch this massive beast of a lion, but I wanted to desperately.

"Your arrogant attitude is what got him killed, and it seems that hasn't changed."

I then began to feel myself trembling with rage, resisting the intense urge to knock August flat on his ass. "You have no idea what I've been through all these years. I am not the same tiger you knew. But I refuse to let any more people die because of my battles."

August scoffed. "These monsters aren't attacking because of you."

I had a feeling other than Nosferatu in my gut telling me this time, they were after me. The white lion had no idea, really, what's happened in Midland in the last few years, and more especially, my involvement in it. I had no doubt in my mind that given recent events, the Crimson King wanted to see me dead; after all, despite all his power and all his arrogance, he probably knew by now I had the tools necessary to take him out. That would explain why he went after Tiberius' wife, to get closer to me and to make sure in some way, I wouldn't be able to reach my goal.

I just shook my head at August, wanting to explain all this to him, but knowing we really didn't have the time. "You have no idea," I simply said, baring my teeth. That was probably the wrong thing to do, showing what would have been absolute insubordination in the army.

August just snarled back then took a step closer, grabbing me tightly by the shirt and pulling me in close, his face just inches away from mine. "I may no longer be your High Commander, but an insolent little shit like you has absolutely no right to treat anyone as disrespectfully as you are right now."

Before August could say anymore, or throw me away, or before I could fight back, the once timid Dalmatian chimed in with a sweet voice that reminded me of Kai, sounding terrified. "Au-August," he started, and even his voice was trembling, "I see something out there... Th-They look like eyes!"

The white lion promptly dropped me and drew his sword, the others following quickly. I spun around and noticed a set of glowing red eyes, which seemed focused directly on us, despite how vague they were. Moments later, from about where the forest stood, another pair appeared, then steadily a few more. I think there were at least five pairs of glowing eyes in total, each one standing perfectly still and yet drawing closer. Every so often one pair would vanish for just a moment, as if the beasts were sending us a message through blinking. Not one made a noise, but they seemed to chill the already frigid wind.

"Holy shit!" the Dalmatian suddenly cried upon seeing more eyes appear - that made seven in total.

"Stay calm," replied August. "You cannot let fear overcome you."

By this point, I was really wishing Char was around somewhere, but I couldn't see him, hear him, or even smell him. Where had he gotten to?

"Douse the lamps," I growled quickly.

"Wha..? Why? Then we won't be able-"

"Do it!" I snarled. "They'll be easier to fight if your eyes are adjusted to the dark."

The two holding the lamps looked at August, and it seemed he agreed; they doused the lamps immediately, surrounding us so completely in darkness. Now we were alone, just our small group of five soldiers and two leaders; one per Alpha. Fortunately, I felt confident I could take out more than one on my own.

The night air was cold, and we could hardly see one another, and yet these seven sets of deep red eyes projected so visibly. Their shapes were invisible in the pitch black background before them, but they were moving steadily and silently, and though you didn't know just from looking, you could somehow tell each one was gazing directly at us, eyeing us down.

Then the air suddenly became colder, enough so I could see my breath billowing from my maw, and behind me I could hear the others shivering.

"Breathe deeply," I told the others, though in all fairness that was August's job. "Try to relax."

"Easy for you to say," the Dalmatian commented, and if it wasn't for the increasing threat, I'd have asked him how he would know.

Suddenly, the eyes stopped. They stood now at different heights, floating there in complete darkness at an indiscernible distance. I still couldn't hear them, or even smell them on the wind, but there was no doubt they were there. And for a moment, we just stared each other down, my paw tight on the Lionheart. Any moment they would attack, and I had to be that much faster. Luckily my night vision was more or less fully attuned, and though I still couldn't see their inky forms, it would be easier once they approached. Unfortunately, because of the ruthless night all around us, to them, my reactions would be significantly slower. But...I'd done it before. And so had August.

Then the eyes vanished. We all just stood breathlessly, until an abrupt break in the wind carried the noises of their near-silent galloping. "Here they come!" I shouted, alerting the others and unhooking my blade.

Though I couldn't see them, I knew they were there, and they were close. Instinctively, I used both paws to swing the Lionheart diagonally up over my right shoulder, and just as I saw a couple eyes reappear only a few feet away and a nasty snarl, I slammed it downward, forcing out a sharp yelp as the Alpha was nearly crushed into two pieces. Unfortunately, the snarling and screaming continued from the other six plus the soldiers, and when I turned to help, one had already leapt at me.

I threw up my arm to punch the hound in the face, growling mercilessly as it felt to the ground. I promptly stomped on its face with a satisfying crack, but was interrupted before it could die; a third Alpha had latched onto that same forearm which had punched its brother with its powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth, slicing through my flesh with ease and not letting up. I roared painfully but managed to swing the beast around and smack it into another, which caused the one to let go of me. I held my bleeding arm for a moment before retrieving my sword, but felt a beast slash at my back.

I snarled and turned, beating a monster down with a footpaw, then snarling harder as I turned and smashed the back of my fist into the face of another; it seemed these Alphas were focusing on me, though I could hear the desperate sounds of battle beyond me; August was certainly fighting them off, his powerful roar clear and distinctive, while the other dogs were simply screaming and somehow avoiding death haphazardly.

But soon enough I avoided being attacked for long enough for both August and I to hear a pathetic cry from somewhere nearby, somewhere in the town; an Alpha was going for his meal.

I growled and after head-butting a dark hound who'd tried to snap off my neck, I quickly grabbed my blade and took off into Scoresby. Within moments I saw the Alpha dragging a poor female out of her home by either her footpaw or her dress, but regardless she was desperate for freedom. Instantly filled with rage, I snarled with my teeth bared and bolted toward the beast, who apparently didn't notice me. With my sword trailing heavily behind me, I growled as my sore muscles pulled the blade ahead of me, smacking the beast in the face seconds after it glanced up at me. But as it fell, I kept my momentum up and smashed the Lionheart clean into its gut, this time splitting it successfully in two. I shot the woman a glance and unintentionally scared her - she looked just as terrified at me as she did when the Alpha was taking her. I simply gave a quick growl and turned, August giving me a hard stare; I don't think he liked what he saw.

But the glance lasted only a second before the remaining five monsters closed in, some with fresh body parts in their degenerate maws; the other soldiers were dead, which only angered me further. People always died when I was around them, people who didn't deserve it, and I desperately wanted my armour. Not just for protection, but to show these damned beasts who the real monster was. But as I stared them down, I realized what thought had just run through my mind, and it both frightened and angered me, making me weaker. And the Alphas sensed that weakness; their cue to attack.

One immediately jumped on August, and though he was able to fight it off, I felt a powerful surge of anger course through me, and I snarled. An Alpha then pounced at me, jaws aiming straight for my neck, by my fist was faster. I punched it in the side of the jaw and felled it immediately, then held my sword to attack another. My blade of light rushed up in front of me bashed into a snarling monster, not killing him but slicing a good chunk out of his body. When it fell, I looked down at the one on the ground and before it could get up, pressed my footpaw down on the back of its neck, depressing it firmly. But while I was doing that, another decided to attack me from behind, sinking its teeth deep into my left side.

I cried out in pain, but managed to elbow the Alpha between its deep red eyes, which only served to tear my flesh even more. Shaking from the intense pain now slicing through my body, I smashed my elbow harder and harder until it weakened its grip enough for me to tear it off. Abandoning the Alpha on the ground for a moment, I quickly and painfully swung my sword low to the ground, striking the beast in the side of the head with the tip of my blade; the part which was moving the fastest. Its head then blew into dozens of hot sticky pieces, a few skull-laden chunks landing on my forearms.

When I turned, two Alphas were snarling and ready to attack me, eyes glowing brightly, and past them I saw August in much the same situation I was, though apparently less injured. But instead of letting them attack first, I went after them with a horrible growl. I could already feel Nosferatu spreading its wings and going in to attack, and at this point the pain and the rage was so great, it was difficult to tell just how in control of myself I really was. My vision appeared more or less the same, though I had to admit my senses did seem heightened, especially in the dark. I could sense the Alphas' beating hearts and though they appeared as just an inky blur against the darkened backdrop of the little town, I somehow saw them so vividly in my mind, it may as well been mid-afternoon. Their movements were swift, and as my blood and their blood blended into my fur, I felt myself moving even faster.

My sword came down with a powerful crash, but I'd unfortunately missed both Alphas. I just snarled and swung my blade to the right, striking the Alpha who was leaping at me, only succeeding in knocking him away. Which was just enough time for the second to attach his razor-like maw to my lower leg, to which I responded to with a terrible cry. Luckily it was at such as angle where I was able to smash the side of its head with my left fist, but it clung on tight. When I heard a cry other than my own, I looked up and through the intense pain in my leg, I noticed the two Alphas getting the better of August. And when I saw him fall and cling desperately to one of their mouths, protecting his neck from being eaten, I felt that Darkness inside me grow stronger.

I then heard myself begin to roar fiercely, pounding my fist down square on the Alpha's head, again only weakening it enough to painfully remove its sharp teeth with flesh-tearing results. Regardless of the blood now soaking into the dirt road, I ran forward with such amazing force, the ground seem to shake beneath me, holding the Lionheart outward like a spear. I cried out madly as the sword easily punctured the Alpha's side, producing a horrified yelp from the startled beast. But instead of letting it fall off the end of my sword, I sunk the end immediately into the ground, impaling it at once; the monster continued to cry and scream as it slowly died, until its noise became soft and gurgled. With a grin, I turned and snarled at the three beasts before me, August having moved himself out of the way.

I gave a mighty roar which made even the frigid air quake, then attacked. The monsters didn't even move, but instead watched me in paralysed fear. Satisfied with that, and without my sword, I kicked the first one hard in the ribs, sending it tumbling away, then when the other two decided it might be best to try to take me out, I batted one away with the back of my paw and grabbed the other in a headlock. The Alpha struggled and snarled and whined as I held its neck tight, and slowly I added pressure. At first it struggled madly, like an animal caught in a trap, but soon its evil snarling became desperate breaths for air. With the eyes of the final two Alphas back upon me, I snapped its neck and let the dead monster fall, pleased to hear it take its final breath. The others looked like they wanted to run, and yet they stayed. It would be their downfall.

I approached the closest who was trembling, and grabbed it tightly by the scruff of its neck and with a roar threw it at the other, and together the pair tumbled about, snarling and yelping. But before they had a chance to run, which I somehow knew they were going to do, I snarled and ran straight for them, kneeing one into the wall of a building and slashing the ribs of another, one who'd already been injured by the Lionheart. It snarled in pain, and though it snapped at me, I was quick enough to avoid it, then pounded its head into the ground. But before delivering a fatal blow, I was attacked. Fortunately I managed to grasp its lower and upper jaws before they clamped shut on my arm, and after just a momentary struggle, snarled and tore the lower mandible clean off, blood and gore spewing from its torn muscles while its long, crimson tongue simply dangled from its throat. When I glanced back at the last Alpha, who was still dizzy from my attack, it promptly took off. But before I could go after it, I was stopped part way by a small Dalmatian.

The young guard, who had apparently avoided death, seemed impressed with me, and his swagger showed confidence. "Brilliant show," he said, and I snarled at him. Something was stopping me from simply knocking him over, and with Nosferatu more or less in complete control, I was starting to realize why.

"This wasn't my plan, you know," he told me with a clever grin. August had joined me, and if my Darkness wasn't so transfixed by the Dalmatian, it would have certainly objected.

"My original plan" the Dalmatian continued, "or rather, my Master's plan, was to simply distract you with those savage beasts and take Algol away from you. But then I began to think... If I killed you and presented my Master with the armour myself, he would have to promote me then. I would rise instantly to his second-in-command, and be rid of this pathetic body for good!"

A monster with delusions of grandeur...just what I needed. I'd always gotten the impression Disciples were, in a way, part of a hive mind, or rather, the Crimson King's, all totally dependent on their master while still able to perform their daily tasks, especially those who'd taken another body, but apparently there were some who wanted more out of their meagre existence. It would be interesting to see how many others were like this, if any, though now was hardly the time to ponder such things. More so, it tended to be Keefe who dwelled upon such topics, but I suppose in his absence someone had to take over the role.

"Xander!" August suddenly boomed, which would have shook me in my normal state of mind, "stand down immediately!"

The Dalmatian bared his teeth at August, which was never a smart move, and yet August must have also sensed something was off here. "You have no idea what you're dealing with here, and you cannot give me your stupid orders anymore. I refuse to bow to your will, nor any other - I played my part brilliantly, but now it's time to be rid of this wretched town and you, and the Demon."

He meant me, I think.

But August wasn't terribly impressed, and I watched him run past me with a growl, sword held above his head and ready for attack. He ran with amazing power, and any normal fur would have surrendered instantly, if not long before he attacked. But the Dalmatian stood his ground.

Just then, the dog snarled and threw his left arm back as if to punch the giant of a white lion in the gut, except when his arm flew back, he seemed to completely shed his fur and flesh, replacing it with a dark brown limb, difficult to describe especially in such darkness. Regardless, it was clearly the monstrous limb of a Disciple, and seconds before August could strike a blow, he'd been thrown back with incredible ease, a feat I was sure not even I could accomplish.

I just watched the lion's body fly past me, after I leapt out of the way, then hit the ground and roll to a dusty stop, and for a moment he didn't move, but I could sense he was alive - Nosferatu could sense it, anyway, since it was laughing hysterically and was pleased by the small trail of blood that lead from August to the Dalmatian. When I looked back at the dog, he was smiling, and a few more of these large, hairy, spider-like limbs started to protrude noisily out of his back, though the limbs that replaced his regular arms did appear larger and less spider-like. As the dog grew taller and his body more deformed and somewhat bug-like - though also vaguely non-bug-like, too - my Darkness snarled in anticipation of a wicked fight.

Ordinarily I would have tried attacking before the Disciple could be fully transformed, but since Nosferatu was decidedly in control, I had to wait to see what exactly I would be fighting. But it would seem the Disciple wanted to fight me before it was fully transformed instead, since one of its monstrous limbs came crashing down at me.

Of course, I jumped out of the way, clawing at the leg but finding it mostly ineffective. More enormous limbs came slamming down, which I just narrowly avoided, and it would seem this massive spider-like monster was far more agile than most Disciples. I think he was finally done his transformation, too, standing somewhere around ten feet tall.

It then took another swing at me, missing but totally demolishing a building close to August, who was just now starting to recover. I snarled horribly then jumped back, just now looking for my sword. As usual, it was behind the Disciple and getting to it could be a trick. But when I leapt back once more in front of a building, I took hold of a lamp and quickly threw it up at the beast's face, getting much satisfaction from hearing it scream in pain as the brilliant blaze exploded all over half its upper body, which was being suspended by the monstrous legs.

With the monster distracted, I took the stake on which the lantern had been hanging and ran for its closest leg, where I promptly jammed the stake. Again the monster cried out, but was hardly phased. Unexpectedly, I received a powerful blow to my chest and stomach by the leg, its spiny bristles brushing through my fur painfully.

When I finally stopped skidding along the ground, I felt myself almost weakened, and now in constant pain. I looked down at myself and where I'd been struck, quickly realizing a lot of my fur had been seemingly torn out, and replaced by an severe rash and searing pain. It even ran up the right side of my face, and I could barely see out of my right eye. I cried out in intense pain, and though the Disciple was still on fire, it decided rather than search for me, it would simply crush anything beneath it, which included both buildings and terrified furs.

Finally, though, it seemed to regain its composure and turned to face me in amongst a pile of burning rubble, now snarling and throwing about large amounts of what could very well have been poisonous drool. Certainly something in its legs produced this horrid rash, the pain of which was still present. It then started toward me, crushing more buildings and spreading the fire to yet untouched structures. Its legs came slamming down at me powerfully, shaking the ground as I dashed about, madly trying to avoid it. The monster screamed and cried and just as I was backed into a wall, slammed an arm into my stomach.

It felt as if my insides were being torn up, as well as my bones shattering into pieces, though it could have also been the wooden structure behind me. Either way, I found myself in a half-ruined building now, stomach in even worse pain from the poisonous barbs as well as the large gash. But much to the Disciple's surprise, I was still standing. Barely, but standing nonetheless. Of course, it could only stay impressed for so long before it became irritated at the notion of a fur standing up to it for so long, and so attacked. But luckily, I knew it was coming.

I dashed forward and nearly tripped over the rubble now flying toward me from the crashing spider-limb, but was fortunate enough to catch my footing. I ran forward past the agile beast, quickly figuring out its underside was greatly exposed, though unfortunately over ten feet up. Nevertheless, I ran past August, who was just now trying to get away, and reclaimed my sword from the dead Alpha. But when I turned, I was just fast enough to watch August turn, prepare his sword to strike, then get blown away by a massive limb, like swatting away an insect.

Upon seeing my old Commander struck so, I let out a horrible and challenging roar, gripping the Lionheart tightly. It was odd, but I could feel it in my paw, but not in the sense that I was simply holding onto it. It was a different feeling, not just on my pawpads but throughout my whole paw, both inside and out, and this sensation grew through my forearm. August wasn't moving, which only made me snarl fiercely and grip my sword as if I never wanted to let go.

Despite the burning pain throughout my body, I was ready to attack again, and though the Disciple had busied himself with screaming innocents, I burst forward. My powerful roar, however, caught the Disciple's attention, and he swung a leg down at me. I jumped to my right and tried to keep up my speed, though each attack from the Disciple seemed to cause the ground to explode with large chunks of dirt making a firm footing more difficult. But I managed to stay up, and though it attacked again, I artfully dodged with an elegant spin, using that speed and momentum to swing my sword - when one of its front legs came down to crush me, I noticed most of its others were firm in the ground, which gave me a perfect opportunity to attack. The Lionheart was flying with such amazing force and speed, I could have sworn I was cutting the air itself, and when it landed a blow, its speed was rewarded with a satisfying crunch.

The Lionheart absolutely demolished the lower portion of the leg, completely removing the large, spiky and spiny part which was necessary for the Disciple to grip the ground. Now all I had to do was sever the remaining seven legs, a task which would become more difficult now that it knew my intentions. But I, or Nosfeartu, was invigorated by the spraying and splashing black demon blood, which it noticed clearly in the darkness. In fact, it wasn't until that point where I began to notice where exactly the monster's heart was beating, and where its blood was flowing.

It was odd, though I'd experienced it before. Though I couldn't physically see its black blood coursing through its body, I could certainly sense it, and almost see it in my mind. From every small vessel to large artery and even its black heart, I somehow knew where it was and saw it vividly and brightly in my mind, like lightning streaking across a black sky. And right now, a lot of this blood was spilling onto the ground, and in a sudden flash I sensed it firing down toward me, in the form of a sharp, spidery leg.

I leapt back and attacked with all my might, managing to make an enormous laceration but not quite cutting the leg. Regardless, the Disciple was injured and distracted enough for me to back away a bit, though it was a quick recovery. But this time when it attacked, screaming at me, instead of simply dodging I held my ground firmly and swung my blade, deflecting the leg and for a moment, making it lose its balance. This provided me the perfect opportunity to strike once more, and I did so with devastating results.

Unsure of exactly which leg I'd struck, I managed to slice through at least three-quarters of the way through, and though it wasn't enough to topple the beast, it at least had trouble using that leg, for fear of snapping it off. I'd been in enough battles against Disciples to know that they disliked pain about as much as anyone, and given most of them are too proud to admit a simple fur had inflicted so much damage upon them, they generally end up using the limb anyway, which weakens them.

Unfortunately this Disciple didn't stumble about like most Disciples do - it appeared to have a very strong will - screaming in pain and disbelief. Moments after I'd attacked it, it countered with one of its own, which sent me flying through the air like what had happened recently to a large white lion. And of course, with it came that severe flesh-burning I hadn't yet gotten used to. I snarled and stumbled like a fool as I got to my footpaws, holding the right side of my face once more, having been struck there a second time.

"You should not be standing," the Disciple cried out, either annoyed or impressed by my fortitude. It was limping forward, as one of its legs was gravely injured, while another was cut in two. "But without your armour, you are just a fur." And with that, the Disciple ran for me, knocking down more structures as it passed.

I steadily ran forward to meet the Disciple head-on, snarling like it did as I raised my sword, my sights set on one of its front legs, which I'd noticed did most of the attacking. But much to my surprise, to my right I was suddenly struck by what was probably yet another limb, and since my arms were both raised up to my left, it dealt a sound blow to my right ribs, crushing them and, of course, slamming me powerfully into the ground. It just laughed wildly for a moment, myself gasping desperately for breath.

At least Nosferatu was starting to lose its grip on me, though barely - it was snarling and growling now out of rage and frustration, rather than rage and excitement. Not that that helped much, anyway. I never had too much trouble dealing with these monsters, but this was wasn't typical. It was a lot smaller than the usual sort, and therefore much faster and more agile. Though it was simple in its monstrous design, every blow it struck had the addition of those poisonous barbs on its legs, which I now felt coursing through my veins. Whatever it was that was burning my skin was now burning my insides, too, and it was almost too much to bear. Steadily I began to pick myself up, growling deeply and ignoring the intense pain. This wasn't over yet, not by a long shot.

But just as I got to my footpaws, a difficult task unto itself, the monster attacked. I quickly held up my sword like a shield and though I got knocked back, the angle of the blade caused the Disciple to stumble forward a bit, which so far was my only opening. I regained my composure as best I could and took a few painful steps forward, pulling the Lionheart along with me until I began to swing it, gripping tightly as my muscles pulled. Within seconds of having been knocked back, I struck once more, again dealing a serious blow, though cutting the damn leg off would have been preferable. Nevertheless, Nosferatu enjoyed the symphony of screams echoing from the Disciple, which made dodging its attack that much easier.

I swung my blade around and deflected the attack, then another right after, until there was enough of an opening to burst forward, slicing into one of the middle legs. While it was distracted with its wound, I got a brilliant idea. I held the Lionheart by the pommel and pointed it upward, using one paw on the flat side of the blade to keep it balanced. After taking just a moment to aim, I leaned down to my right and spread my legs to get myself as low as possible, then with all my might - aided by my Darkness - I threw my arm upward, sending my sword firing up toward the Disciple's soft underbelly. And within moments, I was rewarded with an amazing howl from the monster and enough blood to paint a house, and now all I had to do was avoid its aimless stumbling.

But of course, my injuries soon caught up to me, as I was nearly crushed several times. In the final instance, the Disciple had corrected itself and despite having the Lionheart sunk halfway into its body, smashed a leg into my searing chest, knocking me back into a wood buggy or carriage or something of the sort. Either way, I was down, and with the constant burning in and on my body, it was that much more difficult to stand. I managed, however, but that tiny victory didn't last long as I was knocked back again, this time through the wooden structure and halting somewhere further away, definitely on the ground.

I could feel myself trembling with rage, trying desperately to move my body, but finding that task unbelievably difficult. I snarled and roared, blood spewing from my wretched maw, until I was on my knees, but I wasn't fast enough. The Disciple was right there, ready to attack.

"So fragile you people are," the monster said. "I cannot imagine how you were able to defeat so many of my brothers, but your terrible reign will end here. Nosferatu, indeed..."

Just as it lifted a leg to attack, and just as I got up to my footpaws, I noticed a quick movement from the corner of my eye and suddenly a brilliant blaze lit up the sky, and in moments, the Disciple was again set aflame with a terrifying scream.

I barely had time to react before another stream of fire blew into the monster from the sky, until suddenly another monster landed somewhere close to me, who I recognized as my friend Char. Of course, my Darkness saw it as a horrid beast with an amazingly luminous heart beating bright, warm, soothing blood all throughout its body that just needed to spill. My Darkness needed to take that life more than ever, though it also wanted to take out this black-blooded monster currently on fire. It needed to do this first, since Nosferatu was far more interested in revenge than killing some Dragon.

But before Char could attack the Disciple once more - and I saw he took in a deep breath, having to suddenly stop himself - I burst forward with a wild roar. Despite the barbs on its legs, I leapt up and in a perfectly timed and executed manoeuvre, leapt off the leg and took hold of my sword, which was still stuck inside its body. Just as I held onto it, my weight and momentum caused it to shift loose and easily slip out, spilling more blood and allowing me, thankfully, to land with relative grace. And as the monster cried out and tried to attack me, despite its face still engulfed in flames, I spun hard and with all my dreadful might, sliced straight through one of its legs. Overjoyed by the pain I'd just inflicted, I snarled happily and sliced off another, then another until the monster could no longer stand, and it fell, crashing through some other building, helping spread the fire.

Its legs squirmed painfully and it hissed and snarled, but I approached its main body and stood above its head, which was barely Dalmatian-like anymore. It hissed again at me, and beneath my footpaw on its neck, I felt it trembling. I just stared down at it with a ghastly grin, depressing its neck slowly.

The Disciple gasped for breath and squirmed harder, but it apparently had no strength left to get up or even move itself away.

I didn't even have to say anything to it; it knew what was coming.

"I-Impossible..." it said it in its typical Disciple fashion. But I think it knew just from the look on my face, I knew what it was trying to say, and its words were worthless.

Holding onto my sword tightly, I lifted it to its body and let its weight press down into the monster's chest, forcing out another blood-filled hiss. I then gave it some more weight until the sword punctured its skin and slowly slid downward, causing the Disciple to cry pathetically in pain. Finally the Lionheart hit the ground, and still I pushed, pinning the beast there. Oh, how delightful this was, hearing its awful cries of despair.

"Please," it begged. "S_top... I can...help you. Just spare me..._"

"Help me?" I growled, staring at it with contempt. "How?"

"I can get you...close to the Crimson King. Just...please, stop this..."

To my left I noticed metal rod of some kind, either part of this ruined home or something that'd been in it. Either way, I picked it up and slid the broken end across the Disciple's face. "I can get to the Crimson King all on my own," I said, then slowly sunk the rod deep into the monster's eyes, of which it had many. Still, it cried out in horrid pain and tried more desperately than before to beat me away. "You monsters do not deserve my mercy. No one does." I then dug the rod in deeper, even shaking it when it wouldn't go.

"Luca," I heard behind me; a deep, soft voice, calling out over the roar of the burning town and over the pathetic sobbing of the tortured Disciple. It was Char, but I just ignored him. I could kill him later, anyway.

"This isn't necessary," he insisted. "Just end his life already."

"Yes," the Disciple said, squirming. "Please, anything..."

I just snarled and finally lifted my blade, Nosferatu laughing wildly as it hung above its neck. Within moments, my Darkness finally urged the sword downward, and I swiftly ended the Disciple's life. As its body went limp and cold, I could almost physically feel my Darkness receding, satisfied at yet another kill. I began to stumble back as I felt weak and great pain, until I finally collapsed. Luckily, Char was there to catch me, and I groaned in his large, warm paws.

I then noticed August limping toward me, appearing both terrified and angry. He gave me a look I hadn't seen before, at least not on him. I'd seen that look hundreds of times after battle, particularly against the Disciples, but also from my army days. It was from looks like this that gave me my nickname, Nosferatu. Death on the Battlefield, they called me, and for good reason.

"I'm sorry," I said up to Char, holding my head. "I...I couldn't stay in control."

"I know, Luca."

August looked like he had more to say, but kept silent. When I looked about, I noticed far more damage to this town that I'd realized. Perhaps that was what had made the white lion so angry.

"Come," Char said, though he was still holding onto me, until I was placed upon his back. "When I sensed the presence of a Disciple, I went to enlist the aid of a healer; I travelled as quickly as I could, but it would seem your knack for finding Disciples was far more refined than I realized."

For some reason that made me laugh.

"We need a place for you to rest, so Sprig can work his magic."

"Magic?" August said.

Char nodded. "Indeed, while not as widespread as it once was, some Dragons do still employ powerful magic, most commonly for healing. Where may we go, so we can begin the process?"

August looked back at his home, which was half ruined, then glared at me, then at Char.

Char showed far more regret than I did, and suddenly spread his wings. He took off and flew only a short distance, to where an enormous tree stood beyond August's house. The other Dragon was already there, it seemed, and he'd placed down what looked like totems. Upon closer inspection of this healer Sprig, it seemed he was another Fire Dragon, like Char, and I couldn't yet determine what, if any, his other half was. Perhaps he was a purebred Fire Dragon, unlike Char.

My friend placed me down in the middle of these five totems, each one with a small flame above it, seeming to float just inches above the tip; I was reasonably sure there wasn't a wick or anything, either, which was odd, but not surprising.

After a moment, August joined us again. He was bleeding and injured, but I think they were mostly superficial wounds, nothing compared to what he'd suffered many times before during the Century War.

"We must draw the poison out of you," Sprig spoke, having a very deep, relaxed voice. "The process will be painful."

I was prepared for any pain, and though I conveyed that to Sprig with my eyes, he still seemed skeptical.

"White lion," Sprig said to August. "You must aid Char in holding the tiger down; he will resist."

August nodded and did as he was told, holding down my ankles. Seconds later, Char held down my arms above my head, and I started to feel somewhat nervous.

After removing my clothes, Sprig ran a large, beefy paw down my chest; this was nothing, so far, despite the searing pain still extremely present in my body. But within moments, it became so much worse. He lifted his trembling paw slowly, as if trying to pull something out of me, gradually clenching into a fist.

I then let out a loud, horrifying roar as the intense pain increased terribly, like the Dragon was slowly tearing the skin off my chest, and I was now trying desperately to escape; Char and August held me firm. I snarled and roared and thrashed about, this deep, shredding pain spreading further throughout my body, pulling an invisible something straight through my flesh and bones relentlessly. I could feel my voice starting to become hoarse, but the pain was far more severe than I could have possibly imagined. My eyes were slammed shut, so I couldn't see exactly what Sprig was doing to me, but he refused to let up, and my friends were stronger than I was at the moment, and able to hold me down indefinitely.

But after a countless period of time, I felt something much more soothing on my chest, and that intense pain was now gone. Mostly gone, anyway; I was still sore from the extraction. "I have removed the poison from your body," Sprig told me, and it must have been his paw gently rubbing my chest. The large, warm paw then ran up across my face and to my head, and I suddenly felt extremely sleepy. "The next step in the process you will not be forced awake for, and so I shall let you sleep."

Whether I wanted to or not, my eyes became too heavy to keep open, and after a quick moment, I was fast asleep.

When I woke again, it was to the sound of loud clanging, and I was no longer in pain, though I did ache a little. I sat up with a little effort and looked around, the sun too high to be morning. Char was nowhere to be seen, nor was Sprig. Before me I saw a smoky town, only a few buildings left standing, though they looked as if they would crumble any second. I saw no signs of life in poor Scoresby, just ruins upon ruins. The town was eerily still besides the rising smoke, and a part of me felt I was entirely to blame. Beside me sat my armour, bag and sword, all apparently brought up from the levelled town. And still that clanging noise was nagging at my ears. Slowly I got up, using the large tree for support, and looked behind me, where I saw a large, topless white lion chiselling away at a large, flat rock, and behind it was an enormous mound of dirt; this was curious behaviour, especially if he was memorialising the dead.

Slowly I approached August, the gentle breeze reminding me I was still nude.

August was panting and sweaty; obviously he'd been at it for a while, and with a shovel stuck in the ground, clearly he'd finished piling the dirt up, too. I stood just a few metres away from him, and yet he spoke anyway. "You're feeling better, I assume?"

"Yeah," I said quietly. For a while we just stood there in silence. I felt like I should have said something, but I wasn't sure what.

"I'm making a memorial," the white lion explained, though I had already guessed as much. "A tumulus to cover their graves; it would take me far too long to make one for every life lost, and I lack the resources for a proper ship burial. Apparently I was the only survivor."

I felt a powerful pang of guilt suddenly strike my chest, but still I couldn't find the appropriate words to say. What could I say?

"What will you do now?" I asked timidly.

"Everything you touch, you destroy," August said angrily, ignoring my question. He spun quickly, holding his hammer and chisel tightly. It looked as if he was shaking a little, too, no doubt from anger. "Whether it be forces of good or evil, everything eventually crumbles under your maliciousness. I was a fool for obtaining you for the Dragonkin; I thought your Darkness could be used to save our country, that you could somehow learn to control it and use it only against your enemies, but...I misjudged you. Instead you wield that dark power against anything and everything, regardless of who you hurt along the way. In less than a day, my town...where I was born and where I grew up, you managed to reduce it to rubble and ash. You truly are a monster, Luca."

I'd heard that so many times before, even from my closest friends, and yet for some reason, hearing it from my old High Commander meant more than it ever had. Suddenly, my mission now seemed that much more dire, and of course my guilt was almost too much to bear. My heart was pounding at my chest, hard and heavy like lead. I wanted to apologize, but I knew it would mean nothing, and knew it wouldn't come close to soothing August's immense grief. He hid it well, but I could tell last night was tearing him apart.

The lion turned back around and began hammering another symbol into the stone - appearing quite proficient at it - which was placed directly in front of the huge mound. The symbols and pictures looked a lot like the old runes I'd seen before, particularly within Dragon culture and other ancient ruins. They were also similar to the symbols I'd several times seen Loki use when he could still wield his magic, as well as some spells the late King of Midland had used to both to ensnare my friends and I, and to extract Kai's soul, the latter of which was unsuccessful. "To answer your question," he said after finishing up, but paused before continuing, "I don't know. I'm too old to be employed, and I'm not even sure I could handle that, anyway. There's nothing left for me here, no point in trying to rebuild."

"Why don't you join me?"

"I don't want to be anywhere near you," August said gravely. "A monster like you shouldn't have companions."

"I have friends," I explained, trying not to let my guilt overcome me. "They're on their way to Midland now, and when I finish with my mission up north, I will meet with them. They have plans for taking down the Crimson King and his army of demons."

August shook his head. "You mean they'll act as bait to be slaughtered while you slip in and claim victory for yourself."

The lion was extremely perceptive, though he stated it rather simply.

"In essence, I suppose... With the Crimson King dead, his Disciples will fall and quickly wither away. If my friends are successful, they will have amassed an army from many countries surrounding Midland, and the Dragons have soldiers, too, Char included. Together we're going to stand against the Crimson King's army, and...well like you said, I will take on the King myself."

August shook his head. "Typical of you, isn't it."

I frowned. "This isn't the same. I'm not seeking fame or trying to show off. No one in this world has the strength to defeat an evil that strong, but..."

"But you do," the lion finished for me. "What makes you think you'll be enough?"

"Algol," I simply answered, and for a second August looked confused. But soon he figured it out, probably remembering that what I called my armour.

"I see," he simply said. "This mission of yours...it makes sense now. I've seen what you can do without the armour, and if Algol is anywhere near as powerful as you say it is...well without this Black Dragon's help, nothing would stop you from tearing apart your own army."

I nodded hesitantly.

August frowned at me. "You're evil enough without Algol, and it frightens me to imagine you even worse."

What do you say to something like that?

The lion finished hammering in what appeared to be the last of countless runes, then turned to me and wiped his brow. "I'll join you on your mission."

Oddly, this made me feel a lot better. "You don't have to come with me up north," I said, bowing my head. "I'm certain Char's friend would be glad to take you to my friends."

"That's fine. Going with you, I'm certain, would be a death sentence. But there's nothing left for me here, and so if I'm going out anyway, I want it to be on the battlefield. At least that way I can ensure my spot in Valhalla."

I gave August a curious look; I never knew he believed in the Old Gods, though it certainly explained the barrows and the runestone. Both of us then looked up to see a couple Dragons land nearby, and beside Sprig, Char's Air Dragon features were that much more emphasized. His wings, for one thing, were quite a bit larger, and unlike Sprig, a full Fire Dragon, he had these sort of fins at the end of his tail, no doubt to aid him in flight, allowing for more elaborate manoeuvres. And though like a Fire Dragon Char had a long row of red-scaled spines running down his back, between them appeared to be some subtle webbing, a feature more pronounced in pure Air Dragons. Although Char was reddish in colour, it was clear he was much lighter than his full-Fire brother, particularly his belly scales. But for the most part, to the unknowing eye, these two would simply appear as normal Fire Dragons. Fortunately, Char retained his fire-breathing abilities.

"When will you be leaving?" August asked Char.

"Whenever Luca is ready to depart," he answered simply.

"Will I be accompanying you to the tiger's group?" Sprig then asked.

August nodded. "I decided to join him in his fight. We can only pray the Crimson King's death will see an end to all the evil in this world. At least, the unnatural evil," then he shot me a glance. "I have to finish up some things here, but despite everything, I do wish you luck, Luca. For all our sakes, and so these deaths won't be completely in vain, you need to succeed in your mission."

I nodded, then awkwardly turned back to the large tree where my stuff was gathered. When I heard more carving into the stone, I sighed through my nose and picked up some of my gear, sifting through the mass of black metal to find where I should start. After getting into the snug chainmail and strapping into Algol's thick, steel plates, and after Char had secured the helmet for his own safety, I swung my bag over my shoulder and strapped the Lionheart to Char's harness. He then lowered his body and moved his enormous wings so I could climb onto his back, which I did with ease.

Char then trotted over to his friend. "Will you be joining the battle, too?"

Sprig bowed his head. "Aye, and the rest of my clan. They have been spreading word and finding others to tell them of this momentous battle. It will be glorious."

Char smiled and the two bumped heads, then backed away, as Char needed a lot of room to take flight. "May the fires of Hyrrokkin light your way," my friend said to Sprig.

"And to you, brother."

I gave a sort of farewell look to August, who simply gave me a hard stare, as if to threaten me into achieving my goals. Soon Char turned toward the ruins of Scoresby and after holding on tight, he charged toward the edge of the hill, spread his wings and leapt up just as the wings came down, and beneath me I could feel his large, powerful muscles straining to force his body up through the air. But after a turbulent few minutes, he'd gained enough altitude and speed so soar a little more freely, resting his impressive muscles at last.

It was a clear day, and the sun was high and hot. Fortunately it was windy enough this high off the ground that I didn't overheat, and neither did Char. He dove and rose several times while beating his wings until he was soaring at about where the clouds would be, if any had formed, and for a while I was able to relax.

Down below we were passing over a forest, and I noticed upon closer inspection, it was very dark and very twisted. It hadn't started off that way, but rather gradually became darker and darker, the trees appearing more grey and dead and teeming with unnatural life. Fortunately any creatures dwelling within that could fly weren't able to reach as high as Char and I, and probably didn't even notice our presence, though they certainly felt it. Or rather, I felt their presence feeling mine, or that of my Darkness. Luckily, it was of no concern.

Char and I continued to fly uneventfully for hours until the sun started to set, and though there weren't any towns to destroy anywhere nearby, there were plenty of good places to rest, generally under groups of trees. Currently we were flying over the vast green and rocky highlands of a country whose name neither of us knew. But it was quiet, desolate and peaceful, just the way I liked it. Char swooped in quickly and was flying only a few metres above trees quickly, until there was a wide, grassy and hilly opening with what looked like an old, ruined castle on a cliff above a lake in the distance.

After flying around the large, ivy-covered castle for a short while, both of us determining it was, in fact, abandoned, we landed in what appeared to be a cloistered courtyard.

I got off my friend's back and while he removed his gear and set up a small camp, I took a look around. As predicted, while the castle was in reasonably good shape, despite a few gaping holes in the walls and ceilings, it was totally sacked. Not a single gold coin remained, nor even any artwork or tapestries; just the stone and mortar. Besides that, only some ruined furniture remained. After a while, not even discovering some sort of secret chambers or anything of the like, I rejoined my draconic friend close to the fire, leaning back against him for extra warmth, while he curled himself a bit to shelter me from the surprisingly bitter wind.

The morning came quickly, and after both of us stretched and ate, we were off once again. We travelled almost non-stop except to eat, rest, and of course to deposit our waste, finding nothing interesting along the way. For at least a week or so we continued this daily routine, which proved to be most uneventful, even to the point where we hardly had anything left to talk about. But I think the closer to the northern mountains we drew, the more excited and anxious we got, particularly me.

I had no idea what to expect from the brothers of the most power and most wicked Black Dragon ever known. Would they even know their older brother is dead? Would they even care? From what I'd heard, they were rivals of sorts, so without Nidhoggr to go against, would they turn on each other? Perhaps they would be as mad as Nidhoggr was when I'd met him. Maybe they would be so mad, they wouldn't even be able to help me, though that hardly seemed likely. After all, Nidhoggr, despite his apparent madness, showed great intelligence and mastery of his powers, even after all those thousands of years of total solitude. At least his brothers would have at least had each other to keep them company, though I couldn't imagine spending that much time with someone without going crazy. Except possibly for Kai.

Kai, I wanted to spend my whole life with, even though I was significantly older, and therefore closer to the grave than he was. Still...Keefe would drive me crazy after just a week, and I don't think I could handle Rit for more than a couple nights. Rin I didn't care much for, and frankly I don't think he cared much for me, so eventually something would have to give. Then, of course, there was Loki. We both did horrible things to each other, and though it would seem we've reconciled, at least for now, I don't think spending a great deal of time alone with him would be particularly good for my health... Or his health, depending on which way the inevitable fight would go. Cy, of course, drove me crazy, and Ashley...I could possibly see living with him. But spending my whole life with? Maybe, but there wouldn't be a whole lot of sexual tension there. Or there would be so much we'd both go mad from it. The only one my mind kept coming back to was my young panther Kai.

On a particularly cold, snowy night much further up north, hidden fortunately in a cave along an icy coast, I couldn't help but think of my boy; his small, warm body mashed into my fur, and his fiery red eyes that always got me excited. In the silence of the cave I could almost hear his adorable growl when he'd get mad, and his equally cute little moans while in ecstasy. With my eyes closed and snuggled back into Char's warm belly, I pictured his sweet smile perfectly in my head, and heard his carefree laugh when he'd pull on my ears. I then began to see my boy in clothes, and watched him as he slowly removed them, giving me devilish, tooth-baring grins as each garment came off.

Inevitably I saw young Kai totally naked, his dark fur glistening in my imagination's light His smooth, elegant body and subtle muscle definition was what I loved most about him physically, and soon I was vividly touching his black fur, running my large, worn paws along his young, energetic body. And of course it didn't take long before I was so clearly remembering how I used to kiss my boy, his surprisingly expert tongue pushing and sliding against mine while his paws grazed my back. I was very excited now, which of course lead to my remembering his lovely sheath and balls, bright pink cock poking out and creating an arousing contrast. I could almost feel his soft, warm orbs in my paw now, and my tongue sliding along his magnificent hard shaft, the taste still strong on my tongue.

After a moment, my eyes shot open, and I found myself blushing and half way to panting. I felt incredibly warm, except now for that small spot where I'd leaked a copious amount of precum. I shifted about restlessly, eyes closed again but finding sleep impossible. Plus that cold spot was bothering me, and of course my extreme hard-on wasn't going away. But I was still completely armoured, and Char was right here. Perhaps...further in the cave?

Slowly and as quietly as I could, I got up. In my head I was trying to rationalize why I'd be moving about, and more specifically, why I'd be removing my armour somewhere deeper in the cave. Despite the fact this Dragon had fucked me before, there was something about self-gratification that was just meant to be private. The cave got a lot darker a lot quicker, though, which of course made me extremely anxious, but happily there was still enough flame to bring with me. Slowly and carefully I lurked further into the frigid cave until I came upon a rather large, icy chamber, and though I could see a bit of moonlight glittering at the top where a enormous, ice-plugged hole was, there was hardly enough light to see where I was going.

But I stopped in this ice-covered chamber, which was surprisingly warm considering how much ice was coating it; perhaps it had warmed up some from the few hours Char and I had spent with the fire going. Nevertheless, I looked around suspiciously and slowly removed the key parts of Algol which were preventing me from touching myself; mainly the bulky chest piece, which extended down around my crotch like Dragon scales, and the massively dangerous pieces on my shoulders, which somewhat hampered that sort of movement. I couldn't remove the chest piece, anyway, without first removing the pauldrons. But after a frustrating few moments, I got them off and placed them down, my paw almost instantly finding the excited bulge in the black chainmail.

I moaned softly and closed my eyes, leaning back against the icy wall of the cave, now expertly untying the thick leather rope which bound together the sort of fly in the chainmail, also crafted from some sort of blackish leather. Regardless, my sheath and balls were at last exposed to the cold, dank air of the cave, and more importantly, my warm, weathered paw.

My coarse pawpads felt amazingly nice against my hard sheath, and it took no time at all for me to unsheathe myself and begin to stroke, which felt oddly amazing. Odd because while I didn't masturbate all that often - when I did it was never anything to celebrate - this time it actually made me moan. Perhaps it'd just been so long since I'd last thought about Kai, I was a little more than excited.

It didn't matter, anyway. With my eyes closed and wide smile upon my face, I restarted my memory with Kai completely clothed. In fact, I started with him in armour, just because I remembered he liked that a lot. But soon he was nude once more, and as I saw him twist and grind his body around sexually, a small spurt of precum - and a louder moan than intended - dropped onto the ice below me. I couldn't help but giggle quietly to myself, having way more fun than I'd ever had doing this.

I imagined, once again, my paws all over Kai's body, running across his smooth belly and up along his chest, even getting a feel for his small, hard nipples, which I never fully appreciated until now. And again I moaned, trying to control myself. I felt so filthy for some reason, and yet that only seemed to turn me on further. Soon I saw myself holding Kai close, both of us naked, and his small, delicate paws were rubbing along by back, until with an impish growl his paws took hold of my shaft, and with that, I squirted a larger amount of precum, my cock twitching as it bordered on orgasm.

I was breathing heavily now, and though I felt somewhat cold still, my face was very warm. Finally the pre stopped leaking from the spiny end of my shaft, and slowly I continued. But when I began to imagine Kai vividly in my mind, on his paws and knees and legs splayed, rear pointed directly toward me and twisting his body in an extremely inviting way, I nearly lost it. But with my paw steadily stroking my rock-hard tigermeat, I was able to imagine what I would do next.

Which, of course, was simple; I found myself, in my mind, behind Kai and soon had my shaft balls-deep inside his body, his hot, tight, wet insides pushing ever closer to that inevitable edge, and when I recalled Kai's moans and cries and ecstatic writhing and twisting of his slender young body, it all became too much. Seconds later, I heard myself begin to moan as a powerful orgasm slammed into my nethers with incredible force, my hot tiger-seed firing into the wall opposite to me, which was just a few feet away. I continued to stroke for a short while longer as the intensity of the climax died down, and eventually the flow of seed stopped and simply formed frozen globs on the floor, some still dangling off my knuckles.

I finally let out a long, satisfied sigh and letg my arms dangle at my sides, panting a little less hard now. There was still a bit of residual pleasure lingering, and I certainly felt a warm afterglow of a job well done. I then peered into the large chamber, up at the broken moonlight in the ice and sighed a somewhat different sigh. A remorseful sigh which longed desperately to hold onto my boy once again, and to feel his glowing warmth.

Sombrely I tucked myself back into my armour and with some difficulty, managed to strap back in. I picked up the burning wood and just stared into the flames scraping at my face. I couldn't help but sigh once more, the small, crackling flames reminding me of the fire I always saw in Kai's deep red eyes. "I love you," I heard myself say quietly into the fire, then turned and slowly made my way back to Char.

I nestled myself back into the spot I'd left, and with a heavy heart I slowly drifted to sleep.

The next morning, again after a stretch and some food, I climbed atop Char's back and, happy the powerful blizzard had become a just a gentle snowfall, we exited the cave. The crisp, frozen air was sharp in my lungs, but extremely refreshing. Char seemed a bit bothered by it, but he assured me he'd be fine. He walked along the frozen beach for a while until he found a good place to climb the high cliff, and after a bit of effort, finding it much easier if I just climbed myself, we rose to the top to be greeted by some snow-covered evergreens and a perfect blanket of deep snow covering the land. With the frozen sea below us and the soft snowfall, this was the epitome of tranquility and peace. Together Char and I simply walked in wonder of this amazing northern land, not quite ready to fly just yet.

But after passing a large group of evergreens, Char decided to break the immense silence. "I overheard you last night," he said quietly, not wanting to upset the natural beauty of this snowy wonderland by talking.

I didn't say anything, but shared a glance with him.

"You were thinking about Kai, weren't you."

I lowered my head a bit, but eventually nodded. "Yeah." I assumed he meant after I gratified myself, rather than before.

"You will save him," the Fire Dragon told me. "I know you will. The love you two share goes far too deep for another outcome. You mustn't give up."

I gave Char a half-smile, then petted his spiky shoulder. "Thank you."

After a full day's walk, though, the sun perhaps an hour or so away from setting, we decided it wasn't worth the effort now to start flying, especially since the distinct scent of smoke was gradually becoming stronger in the air, plus Char's wings were now very stiff. We weaved our way through the sweet-smelling evergreens and plodded through the thigh-high snow until we reached an opening, and not too far from the light forest was a small village of no more than ten homes, hopefully an Inn and a few other buildings we couldn't yet identify.

"Did you know this was here?" I asked the Dragon.

He shook his head, smearing his thick breath in the air around his head. With any luck, we would receive a warmer, less paranoid and less monster-filled welcome than we'd received in Scoresby.

Together we finally slogged our tired, cold bodies close enough to the village for someone to notice us, and a few people came to greet us. They were apparently in awe of Char. They looked like huskies, under their thick, woollen coats.

"Do our eyes deceive us?" the middle one spoke, who also appeared to be the oldest. He was likely in charge of this village, or at least some sort of Elder. "Are you...one of the Fabled? A...A Dragon?"

"Aye," Char answered, apparently not as surprised as I was to see these people recognized him as Not A Monster. I wasn't particularly keen on the way they used the word "fabled," either. It sounded like they might expect something from him, but if they offered us a room for the night, they could expect whatever the hell they wanted. A warm meal would be nice, too.

"What is this place?" my friend asked, since they seemed to ignore me completely.

"You have landed in Vinteranka," the husky replied proudly. "We have not had any visitors in countless years," he then said, glancing quickly at me, "and never expected to be blessed by the presence of such a mythical being."

Slowly others had formed around us, gazing up at Char like he was some sort of holy figure. The little ones were jumping in excitement, wanting so much to touch the Dragon, if even for a moment. Luckily, their parents were socialized enough to keep them at bay. By my estimation, there were perhaps twenty people crowded around this flagpole just outside their village - Vinteranka - where Char and I had been stopped, and couldn't imagine there would be too many more to make up the whole population.

Then came with the questions, everyone apparently having one and each wanting theirs to be heard first "Where do you hail from?" one cried. "Are there others? Do you have any powers? Are you a friend of the Black Dragon?"

That last one caught my attention, and so quickly I slumped forward, through the deep snow, which apparently startled the villagers, particularly the young ones. "What Black Dragon?" I asked eagerly. "Are there two of them?"

For a moment they all just stared at me, seemingly alarmed. Finally Char spoke up. "We are on a journey into the mountains north of here, and we are seeking a pair of Black Dragons who wield powerful magic."

The elder husky stumbled over words, as if not knowing where to begin. "The Black Dragon we speak of... He is simply a legend in our fair village, the one who centuries upon centuries ago brought upon us this perpetual snowfall, which in turn brought us peace. It is a story mostly for the little ones, though we believe there are truths in every one of our fables."

One of their fables more than likely included a Fire Dragon, perhaps melting this constant snow or purifying them in fire or curing sickness, or something. I didn't much care for their stories.

But Char bowed his head respectfully anyway. "Unfortunately, much of our story is dull, as it has been millennia since we have set eyes and foot upon this land. Perhaps if you can provide my friend and I with any sort of shelter for the night, we can more freely answer your questions."

"Yes, forgive my rudeness," the elder husky said, bowing fretfully. "We have a structure used for storage you may find appropriate, given we never have would expected to have a true Dragon as a guest in our village."

After the villagers finally cleared a way for Char, myself following along like a pet, he was shown the large, barn-like structure at the far end of the village, passing by a curious, tall stone dais in the centre of the village, which was covered in at least a foot of snow. Barely a five-minute walk from where we'd started, the barn was full with various supplies, all of them very neatly stored away and some of them looking like they'd never been used. There was plenty of room, thankfully, for a full-sized Fire Dragon and a tiger, despite the large amount of tools.

Char got settled in quickly, finally able to stretch his mighty wings - outside of the barn by this point - and much to my delight, after shedding my black, intimidating metal skin, I was given some very warm clothes; the children were in complete awe of Char's incredible wingspan, and begged their parents for a ride. They just laughed and didn't make them any promises. After a bit of discussing our journey with the curious villagers, and finding out they, like Asgard's people, still believed in the Old Gods and the existence of Dragons. We then explained how Dragons came to exist once more in this world, and the story behind how they'd found themselves trapped in Hel to begin with. In retrospect, itwas a rather dull story compared to their fables, but the humble people of Vinteranka - which we later found out meant "winter drake" in their old tongue - were grateful nonetheless to be some of the first to hear the true tales.

A while after the sun had begun to finally set, we discovered this stone dais, which had likely not been used in ages, was a large bonfire pit, which they liked to light for special occasions. Apparently "many years ago," as the Elder explained, they used to have a seasonal event to celebrate their Gods, though evidently every few months around that time they were unfortunately met with opposition from the sky, in the form of intense, days-long blizzards - whether it was spring, summer or winter - making lighting the dais impossible. Eventually they just stopped celebrating, fearing somehow their jovial activities were upsetting the Gods, though a part of me suspected a couple grumpy Black Dragons may have had something to do with it. But apparently while Char was busy regaling the villagers in his stories, they'd set the dais up to be lit once more.

Fortunately Char had caught on to their hint and, making more of a show of it than I'd have expected from the happy Fire Dragon, blew out an incredible ball of fire straight into the pit, instantly setting the large cone-shaped structure of wood and kindling aflame. The crowd cheered and the little ones revelled in throwing stuff into the roaring flames, which of course either melted or blew into ashes immediately.

Soon the whole village, or so it appeared, congregated around the flaming dais, many curious to see what was going on, while some carried bottles of what I think was mead. It didn't take long for the villagers to realize their Gods weren't going to punish them, or anything like that, and soon the excitement grew. People were laughing and shouting and having a wonderful time, until suddenly two large metal rods were carried toward the warm blaze and jammed into holes in the stone, both forked at the end. There was a quiet awe as people turned to see a large chunk of some nameless meat jammed onto an enormous metal skewer, then placed above the fire; when it was placed down, the people let out a wild cheer.

"We haven't celebrated the blót in decades," the Elder suddenly began to explain, surprising me from behind when he gripped my forearm. It amazed me how easily he could speak over the roar of the celebrating village. "Usually," he continued, handing me some mead, "it's on the solstices and equinoxes...but tonight is a special night!"

The old husky then stepped forward and cried, "Til árs ok friðar!" and drank his mead steadily. The rest joined immediately after, myself included, and together in the warmth of Char's fire, we celebrated their Gods.

Hours passed and Char and I found ourselves resting in the barn for the night, somewhat weary from what had been a rather sudden onslaught of alcohol, meat and festivities. Still, it was a very welcome change to what I'd been doing for the past couple weeks, and for once in an extraordinarily long time, I was at peace. I was resting quietly against Char, until he began to stir; I think he wanted to pray before sleep, which was a nightly ritual for the Dragon. I never thought to watch him or listen to him while he prayed, fearing I would somehow cheapen the value of it, and of course he'd never invited me. And, as predicted, Char rose from his spot behind me and gave me a nod, smoke starting to billow from between his teeth and nostrils. I just watched the Fire Dragon exit, and shortly thereafter, a young snow leopard poked his head in.

I was sitting in front of a much more modest flame than I had been not more than thirty minutes before, wearing the bottom half of the clothes that the villagers had given me, and I simply glanced up at the child. He appeared shy and modest, though he'd probably drank just enough mead to come see me. Or perhaps he'd come for Char, since most of the villagers were far more impressed by him.

"Do you need something?" I asked the snow leopard.

"Uh," he said quietly, hunching over a bit as if he'd just heard a noise behind him. "Yes...I mean, no... Uh, I mean...I mean yes, but it isn't anything I need."

I perked my ears.

"What I mean is...um...I just wanted to meet you."

I smiled. The kid was cute, and fortunately Nosferatu was lying perfectly dormant.

"Everyone is so happy," he started by saying. "Last blót we celebrated was before I was even born, but then the Gods were angry with us... That's what the Elder says, anyway. He's been around for ages."

The kid sounded skeptical. I nodded at him, then offered a seat in front of the fire; he sat right next to me, and was clearly very nervous. "You don't sound convinced of that," I said. "So what's your name?"

"Oh, forgive me. My name is Thor...named after one of our primary gods." The leopard rubbed his left paw with his right, then glanced at me quickly. "You're, um... You're right. About me being not convinced."

"So you're not much of a believer?" I asked earnestly.

"Oh, no, I am! I truly am, believe me... But around eight years ago, when I was just four or five, during an attempt at a summer blót, I saw a Dragon in the skies. He looked nothing like Char does, though, but I think he caused the blizzard."

"Why do you think that?"

Now Thor looked frustrated, or puzzled. "I'm not sure," he said with certainty. "They told me I was blessed by a vision from our Gods, but... Argh, I don't know. I only saw him once, 'cause I think that was the last time anyone's ever tried to celebrate, which was years after the second last attempt. I just...had a feeling, y'know?"

I responded with a furrowed brow and a downward glance at the young kitten.

Thor shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, then craned his head to look up at me. "Do you think he's the Dragon you're looking for?"

I nodded, then gave the boy a serious look. "Yeah, I do."

Thor then sighed. "Why would he wanna ruin our celebrations?"

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head slowly. I was pondering that, but couldn't imagine why either of Nidhoggr's brothers would want to interfere with what would be to them, such insignificant people. But then it suddenly occurred to me, like being smacked in the head with the broad side of a sword, that if it was one of Nidhoggr's brothers Thor had seen all those years ago, then somehow they had avoided being Carried into Hel millennia ago with the rest of the Dragons. Though I really had no clue, I could only assume it was thanks to their powerful magic that they weren't Carried. This was a very curious thought.

"Is that why you wanted to see me? To tell me that?"

Thor then laughed, blushed, then rubbed the back of his neck again and looked away. "No," he admitted. "That was just...nervous talk, I guess. I, um...I just wanted to see you, that's all. And Char...but also you." The kid then worked up the courage to look at me again, and was smiling brightly. With my eyes mostly locked with his, I didn't even notice his paw moving until it touched upon my leg, giving the most gentle of squeezes. It hadn't occurred to me until just then, but he was probably the eldest child of the lot, by at least five or six years, or perhaps a couple more, and was probably just reaching that particular age of maturity; emotions were powerful and confusing at that age, which was clear in the way he touched me.

"So, uh, tell me about yourself," Thor then said, reclaiming his paw. He was blushing intensely, but I think way too shy to continue with what he was doing; I think he wanted to change subjects. "What's your family like?"

I smiled nonetheless, finding almost everything about this boy so completely adorable. "I never really knew my parents; they both died shortly after I was born. But a friend of my father's took me in when I was just a newborn, and raised me with his mercenary band. I guess that was the only family I ever knew, though one day they were all killed, too, when I was still very young; such was the life of a mercenary band, I guess, constantly living in danger."

Thor looked appalled, probably having never dealt with death on a daily basis. "What did you do after..?" he asked solemnly. It was likely in his culture, and especially in such a small village, death was a time for celebration, as well as for mourning. When someone died in the village, it was probably a much bigger deal than losing dozens every month on the battlefield.

"In short, I joined another mercenary band years later - after hundreds of lousy freelance jobs - called the Dragonkin, who later became the Dragonkin Army for Midland's Royal Military. I'm not sure how much your people would have heard of the so-called Century War between Midland and Maldad..."

Thor just shrugged.

"Well anyway, when the war ended, I was back to freelancing, until I met a young panther named Kai..." With the snow leopard enthralled, I began to explain my and Kai's involvement in the prophecy that would eventually release the Crimson King and his Demon Army, and my plans to strike back. I also explained my story with the Dragons, which Thor particularly enjoyed.

"That's amazing," the young leopard said wide-eyed. "Such adventures! When I get older, I hope I can do even half those things. Like ride a Dragon!"

I couldn't help but smile at the energetic and excited cub. Everything about him seemed to remind me of Kai, and though I never had a chance to be like this, it hadn't occurred to me that most children were probably equally as bright-eyed. And in his excitement, Thor had moved closer to me and was close to snuggling up, and his fingertips were grazing along my thigh once more; I think he was warming up to me a bit more.

"There aren't really any others my age," the kid began to explain, moving subtly as he again reclaimed his paw, less quickly this time, "so I don't really have anyone to, uh...you know. Hang out with." Thor was blushing terribly, and rubbing his paw. I knew what he was thinking.

"I understand," I said with a gentle nod. "I grew up around old men, and not really any women, besides what the men would bring home - I don't expect you to understand much about that at your age, but needless to say, I know what sort of feelings you're having."

"I understand a little bit," he told me bashfully. "My parents...well they had a talk with me a while ago, explaining stuff about hunting, and runes, and growing older, and sorta the things that come with that. Most of it I guess I didn't understand...but I think I got the important parts. 'Specially about these 'new feelings' I've been having, which I guess they noticed; they're kinda exciting and confusing and sometimes scary, all at the same time."

When Thor had mentioned "runes," I was instantly reminded of August - who was probably over half way to my friends by now, if not there already - and thought how he would have loved this place. Didn't seem to be many other felines here, though, besides myself and probably Thor's family, but it sounded like he would fit in perfectly, and would learn a lot from them. These people truly believed in their Gods, the Gods that, if the Crimson King's presence was any evidence, do exist.

"Anyway," the kid continued, "they were talking to me about finding a mate one day, too, and making a family...stuff I wasn't too interested in, though don't tell them I said that."

I laughed through my nose and smiled at the boy. Cute. "My lips are sealed," I said.

"'Kay, good... But, um...I don't think I'm really into the females," Thor told me ashamedly; that much was fairly obvious by this point, but I could see it wasn't difficult for him to say.

"Well only you can know that for sure," I said, trying to be as helpful as I could. "I never had anyone explain these sorts of things to me when I was your age, either, though I did know how it was supposed to be. Rather, I knew it was normal to be attracted to females, and yet no one could explain to me why I wasn't. I didn't even know, but I just followed my heart, I guess you could say. Of course back then, there wasn't really much time between battles to contemplate such things, let alone act on those sorts of impulses."

"So I'm not normal..?"

I sighed, having never thought I'd find myself explaining these sorts of things to people. "You can't think of yourself in those terms. You must know that in general, males go after females, and that's how it's is. But sometimes males don't want females, and sometimes females don't even want males. And to them, that's normal. To the majority, it isn't, but you can't let that sort of thing bother you. You are who you are, and it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Thor seemed to contemplate those words deeply, then looked up at me brightly. "I like you, Luca."

I smiled. "You're all right, too."

Then the snow leopard's paw found its nervous way back onto my leg, and slowly it moved up. Why was he assuming I was into other guys, anyway? Did he catch a glance I shared with Char? or had I inadvertently checked another fur out? I guess I did make it fairly obvious... With his large, gloved paw now next to my crotch, I figured it didn't really matter.

Quickly, though, I grabbed his wrist and though I didn't pull away, I at least prevented him from moving any further. "Don't," I said softly. I had to admit, the leopard reminded so much of Kai, and sharing my warmth with him was very tempting, more so as my pants grew tighter. "There are several reasons why this isn't a good idea." Before Thor could ask what they were, if he even intended to, I began to list them. "Firstly, there's got to be guys closer to your age than me. Second...you don't want your first experience to be with someone you know won't be sticking around for more than a day. I made that mistake, and spent a long time regretting it."

Thor was blushing intensely, then withdrew his paw, rubbing it softly. "I-I'm sorry," he said at once, unable to look at me.

"Don't worry about it," I said softly, lending him a comforting paw on his back. "I know how strong those urges are, but you can't just act impulsively on them. Could get you into trouble one day, and sadly, some people would probably kill you over it."

Thor gasped silently at that thought, then sighed heavily. "There, uh...is another," he admitted at length, breathing somewhat heavily. I think his heart was pounding. "He's a lot younger than me... I don't think it would be right, not at his age. All he ever thinks about is playing Hunt and other games with his friends, even though he's just a few years younger than me. Guess that's what my parents meant about aging and maturing and stuff, at my age."

It was somewhat a relief to see the kid at least had that much self-control, much less the wisdom and sensibility to see the clear difference in age. Of course, given my relationship with Kai, condoning that would only make me a hypocrite, so instead I continued to rub his back.

"Age," I began, trying to think of just how to state it, "can sometimes just be a number." That seemed to be the best I could come up with. "But if you honestly believe he isn't ready to hear what you have to tell him, that he simply hasn't matured enough, then by all means wait. If you believe there is something, or could be something, then it will most certainly be worth it. All you can do for the time being is be as supportive as you can, and uh, see to your own needs, too. In private, of course."

Thor thought about that long and hard, apparently ignoring my last point. "Yeah, I suppose you're right..." then looked up at me and smiled brightly once more. "I don't know where you came from, Luca, but you're a very wise tiger." He then stood up, placed two paws on my shoulders, giving what felt like an innocent squeeze, then kissed the side of my maw quickly. His left paw gently stroked my cheek, and for a short moment we nuzzled quietly. "Thank you."

After a second, Thor turned and left, and I have to admit, I did check out his body. Though it was mostly covered in thick, woollen clothes, I could somehow tell beneath them was the fine young body of a happy snow leopard.

Moments after Thor left, Char poked his head in through the large cracked-open doors of the barn, appearing as if he'd been waiting for a bit, having courteously let us finish our conversation. I could tell he'd heard everything from the glance he gave me, then he slithered in quietly and took his place coiled around the fire and behind me, and once more I leaned back against his warm body.

"You're a good friend," Char said, his tail sweeping up toward my legs. Together the Fire Dragon and I fell asleep, knowing we were close to the end of this journey.

Morning came quickly, and much to my surprise Thor greeted Char and I with some hot breakfast and mead, and admitted he had no idea what Dragons ate.

"Wild animals, usually," Char said, though it generally involved scooping up Hel monsters and eating them raw; sometimes cooked, but not often. He neglected to mention that part.

"Well I hope this satisfies just as well..." said the snow leopard, placing a tray down on a box.

The three of us ate together, though I could tell Char was hardly satisfied by his tiny meal, but he was appreciative all the same. Fortunately that same amount was perfect for me, though admittedly it was rather bland. But of course I was never one to turn down or insult a free meal, and of course I thanked the boy graciously. He then gave me a hug in return, which I accepted just as well.

"So you're heading to the mountains?" he asked eagerly, watching carefully as I took off my clothes. I could feel his young, curious eyes upon me, carefully examining every inch of my body. When I turned to face him, cold and nude, he was blushing, but didn't take his eyes off me.

"Yeah," I answered, gathering my armour. "As soon as we can."

"It takes most men a few days or so to get there by foot, though they have to walk through the deep snow with all their gear."

"Why do some of your villagers go into the mountains?" Char then asked, and the boy seemed honoured to be talking to the Dragon himself.

"There are special plants that grow deep inside the caves up there," he said, looking a little disappointed now that Algol's frozen chainmail was covering me up. "I'm not sure what it's all used for, but we go collect it about once a month. Anyway, it's a clear day, but the mountains can be dangerous..."

"Thank you for the warning," Char said, bowing his head. By this point, I'd gotten both my legs fully armoured.

"They say there's monsters up there," Thor then mentioned, cowering a bit at the thought. "I'm not sure about that, but they've seen them flying around these past few years, and even attacked them! They haven't managed to kill anyone, but a few times some guys came back really badly injured."

"What sort of monsters, do you know?"

Thor shrugged. "Flying monsters, but...not Dragons. They're more like armoured birds, I guess...with tough shells and long, spear-like legs. That's how they were described, anyway."

"If they live up so far up north," said Char with a confident grin, "then chances are they won't be able to stand my fiery breath very well." I think he was trying to ease Thor's nerves more than anything.

Thor smiled nervously, but brightly. "Yeah, you're right."

Finally I finished strapping into Algol, and of course Char nabbed the helmet away before giving me a chance to touch it, and he slipped into his battle harness. Thor was just gazing at us in awe.

"I wish I could go with you," he said adorably. "My older brother's been teaching me how to use a sword, and he says I have few years left to go until I'm ready to go off on my own!"

I smiled. "Unfortunately, where I'm going, a kitten wouldn't last long."

Thor frowned. "I'm not a kitten," he insisted.

"Yes, well either way, I'm afraid you can't come."

The snow leopard sighed, but I think he understood.

I then grabbed the Lionheart and gave it to Char, who then strapped it to his harness, and together the three of us exited the barn, only to be greeted by what was probably the whole village. My nose was cold and runny already.

"So you will be off, then?" said the husky Elder, who stepped forward.

"Aye," answered Char.

"Then please accept this gift." The Elder held out his paws and within was a small brown sack. "It is an ointment made primarily out of Bloodgrass, the plant found inside the mountains. It has extremely restorative properties, and I feel it may aide you in your journey."

I took the sack of Bloodgrass and stuffed it into my bag, then thanked the Elder.

"You have blessed us all with your presence," the Elder then said to Char, and the villagers seemed to agree. "Fare well in your journey."

I hopped onto Char's back and got settled, smiling at the excited little ones, giving a particular glance to Thor. "Thank you, all of you. You won't be forgotten."

With that brief farewell speech, the Char turned north and we took off, soon having to weave between trees but fortunately finding a large enough rock to bound onto so the Dragon could spread his wings. Within moments, we were airborne and Char struggled to lift himself against gravity and frozen wings, but soon we were gliding high above the treetops, though not yet at an ideal altitude. He glided for a short while until he started to try again, and he'd eventually caught a particular updraft which lifted the Dragon quickly through the crisp, freezing air, and he was finally able to relax.

Together we drifted through the arctic sky, sun providing little warmth. But particularly for Char, his constant movement made warming his body much easier, though having to mostly keep still, it was a much harder task for me. Though when I looked up, I was excited to see the mountains far off, which took my mind off the bitter cold.

Hours passed and the large, ice-capped mountains were still far off, and the sky above us had clouded over; Char had dipped down below the clouds, since the gentle snowfall made visibility that much more difficult. And the closer to the mountains we got, the darker the clouds grew and the more powerful the snowfall. I just closed my eyes and relied on Char's ability to guide us safely, but soon he informed me we'd have to land, which as it turns out was at the base of the mountains.

But just as Char began to descend, my Darkness was suddenly alerted to a presence.

"Char!" I cried, though I wasn't sure he could hear me over the whipping winds. What he did hear, though, was an ear-piercing cry from somewhere in the clouds, and he knew something was coming.

There were too many trees below us to land just now, or land safely, anyway, and before Char could seek one out, something from above came shooting down.

Char noticed just in time, fortunately, and though I nearly flew off his back, he managed to narrowly dodge the screaming projectile, and when he regained his composure, he saw at least two more of these things coming straight for us - though they were hard to make out, they were likely the monsters Thor spoke of.

The adept Avian then shot upward, roaring loudly as the beast almost struck again, and after avoiding the other two, I decided sitting there wasn't going to help anything.

I leaned down to my left and held onto the Lionheart, and still with a good grip on Char's harness, I slowly and shakily stood up, unhooking the blade. I think Char noticed this, and adjusted himself quickly, making up for the awkward position I put us both in.

Suddenly, another monster attack, materializing directly in front of us through the raging snowstorm. I gasped, and Char made a quick and suddenly halt, nearly throwing me off his back, but he was swift enough to let out a long stream of fire, which struck the monster directly. It screamed horribly and flailed about as it fell, until it vanished somewhere below. The smell of burnt chitin and flesh was strong for just a moment, until the powerful wind blew it away.

But unfortunately, now the two remaining beasts were on to us, and if they were half as intelligent as most large Hel monsters, they would learn quickly to avoid Char's maw. Another quick attack, and though Char backed away and blew out some fire, the monster easily avoided. The Fire Dragon then shot himself downward, then levelled out quickly, myself just hanging on tightly to him and my sword; I think he was going to try to get me into a better position to attack.

He was now rocketing toward a beast, which had just let out a loud cry, revealing itself, and with all my might, only able to use one paw to swing my massive sword, I struck the monster somewhere, visibility horrible. But I was rewarded with what sounded like a pained cry, so I knew I'd done some damage, and for now I grinned; at least, grinned on the inside. I snarled and pulled up on Char's harness, trying to aim him, and though he resisted at first, he began to go along with it, knowing I would have a better sense of where these monsters were despite nearly being blind.

But it wasn't enough to save me from an attack from the side, which struck me hard enough to both knock the wind out of me and send me hurtling back down toward the ground. As I fell, I could feel an intense pain in my left ribs, like they'd been broken, and quite possibly cut, too, though it was hard to imagine anything piercing my armour. Either way, it didn't take Char long to catch me, and fortunately he was swift enough to have caught my sword, too. The Dragon swung me up on his back and despite the pain, we were at it again.

But not long after I was back on top of Char, a monster attacked. This time Char flexed his enormous wings and curved his body, swinging up toward it, and as the monster flew in closer, I was directly below it. I swung the Lionheart upward and managed to slice into its hard belly, and this time I saw the blood on my sword. The monster cried and flew about madly, until Char made an incredibly sharp, agile turn and blasted it with fire. Just one more to go.

Soon after the flaming monster fell, the last one attacked. It struck Char hard in the face and he snarled, a bit of angry flames shooting from his maw. The Dragon twisted and turned as the beast came in to attack, its many sharp, insect-like limbs stabbing and slashing, Char managing somehow to avoid being struck. Myself, I just hung on for dear life, unable to do anything while the two fought belly-to-belly. But Char managed to get a good hold on the beast, and I think slashed a few good gashes into it with his deadly claws, blowing out copious amounts of smoke and fire, growling and snarling fiercely as they wrestled in the freezing cold air.

However, I began to feel the Dragon waning as their one-on-one brawl continued, and had probably suffered quite a few injuries. Just as Char backed off, flapping his mighty wings to keep steady, I growled and focused. The two stared each other down, and just as the monster attacked, I gripped the Lionheart tightly with both paws and leapt off Char's shoulders, which shocked both him and the beast. Holding my sword downward, I snarled and struck the beast right in the mouth, forcing my blade down into its body with relative ease, considering we were now falling. It managed to strike me good in the back, though, before it died, which sent me twirling even further out of control, and I think amongst the winds and violent snowstorm, Char was screaming my name.

I think I groaned as I fell, though it was difficult to tell, and between the massive, flying snowflakes and ice, I think I saw the vague, reddish silhouette of a Fire Dragon, arm reaching out desperately for me. I reached a paw out to grab his, despite the intense pain in my shoulder, and seconds before our paws touched, I was suddenly struck from behind by an unseen object, which apparently flung my body wildly to the side like a ragdoll, and suddenly I was falling and ricocheting off dozens of hard, frozen objects, each one treating me like a piece of meat, until finally something slammed into my head. I was out cold.

I couldn't remember much after the incredible pain and complete darkness, besides more pain, a quiet chuckling, and what may have been visions of Nosferatu. They were all far too vague to recollect, but one thing I know I saw was my dear Kai. He was shrouded in darkness, though, most likely my Darkness. His expression was hard to make out, but it may have been pain, or perhaps sadness. Did he miss me? Was I seeing him now, or how he was? The more I tried to remember these strange visions, the more obscure and blurred they became.

Suddenly, though, the darkness surrounding myself and Kai were replaced by a searing pain all over my body, but most notably my head. Not in my head, mind you, but rather on it. I groaned, twisted, and was blinded by the peppery flames around me.

"Calm down," I heard a gentle voice say. I think it was Char. "You're safe. Thanks to the Bloodgrass, your wounds will take only days to heal."

"Wha..? Happen...ed?" I said, but it hurt to do anything.

"You fell," the Dragon replied. "You hit the trees before I could reach you... Forgive me."

I reached a paw up despite the pain, which was when I realized I wasn't wearing armour again, and I wasn't particularly cold either. I placed my paw gently on the side of Char's face and patted him softly. "It's okay," I said. "I've been through worse."

I then started to sit up, and I think Char knew me well enough to know pushing me back down would only irritate me.

When my eyes were well enough adjusted to the torchlight, I noticed we were in a cave-like chamber, but it was filled with books and strange devices, and of course everything seemed greatly oversized. I was reminded of the Dragon Library and the old Cathedral I'd been to, ancient relics from the days Dragons ruled the world, and if my head wasn't in so much pain, I probably would have made the connection faster; we were where Dragons dwell, most likely two Black Dragons related directly to Nidhoggr.

"Where are we?" I asked anyway, now attempting to stand. My left leg was in great pain, covered in several splints, which forced me to topple over. Char helped pick me up, handing me a wooden crutch which looked as if it'd been hurriedly made. "Damn it," I said under my breath, unimpressed with my broken limb.

"You're lucky it wasn't all of them and more," said another voice from somewhere. It was an ancient voice, powerfully deep with countless ages of wisdom within every spoken and unspoken syllable. This voice made me shiver, the sheer age and power behind it unimaginable. I turned, with some help from Char, to see an impossibly old Black Dragon, his millennia of profound wisdom carved into his face. He was smiling at me, which was unexpected.

"Forgive me," the ancient Dragon spoke. I shuddered once more. "You are in my home within the Mjollnir Mountains. This mountain where my home had been carved thousands of ages ago is called Nidafjöll."

I gave the Dragon a puzzled look, and he simply chuckled.

"Almighty Thor appeared to me in a vision once, you know," the Black Dragon recollected. "I named this range of mountains after his hammer..."

I didn't feel like asking why.

"It was an homage to him," the Dragon explained anyway, "and his fearsome power. Mjollnir could crush these mountains with a single blow, you know."

"Are you..?"

The Black Dragon nodded. "Indeed, Nidhoggr's brother."

"He told me he has two brothers..."

The Dragon lowered his head a little. "He did. My twin brother...not long ago, he decided to end his own life. After centuries of contemplation, he decided his life was an abomination, and without our older brother to rival, he felt there wasn't any point in continuing his charade. He wanted to join our Gods, and though he would never make it to Valhalla, he hoped with ending his life on those terms, he could at least avoid eternal torment in Niflhel."

"Niflhel?" I asked.

"The world below Hel, where those who did not die heroically go after death. I fear my brother has gone to Niflhel, despite his good intentions."

"I'm...sorry," I said, uncertain if that was an appropriate response. My head was still pounding madly away at my skull, but at least I wasn't bleeding.

"You have suffered no permanent damage," said the Black Dragon, whose name I still didn't know. "And you may call me Vedrfolnir."

By this point, I assumed this Dragon was reading my thoughts, a task no doubt simple for him.

"I found your friend trying desperately to revive you," Vedrfolnir told me. "He would not have been successful if not for your ointment, and if I had not felt your presence and decided to assist. You are very strong for a mortal, and if not for my brother's armour, you surely would have perished immediately."

"I should thank you, then."

"Indeed. But your presence here with Algol tells me your reasons for coming to the Mjollnir Mountains in the first place, without even having to 'read your mind,' as you put it. To be fair, it isn't exactly 'reading.'"

"Does it really make a difference?"

Vedrfolnir laughed. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

"Before we start anything...tell me something."

"Assuming I help you..."

I grunted my response to that. "Why would you stop the people's celebration in that village?" It suddenly occurred to me I never learned the name of it in my brief stop there.

Now this ancient, most powerful of Dragons began to look embarrassed. He finally sat down, and painfully I did the same. "After my brother left me, I was alone. And though I do not care to admit it, especially to a mortal like you, I was saddened by his departure. In some ways, I knew he wouldn't make it even to Fólkvangr, a world close to Valhalla where those slain in battle dwell after life. My brother neither died heroically, nor in battle. While he did die of old age, his life, like mine and Nidhoggr's, was an abhorrence. Surely he is now with Nidhoggr in Niflhel, and perhaps soon I, too, will join them."

Truly, Vedrfolnir was weaving a very sad story, though it hardly answered my question.

Vedrfolnir sighed heavily. "Again, it humiliates me to no end to admit this, mortal, but I was unhappy, and even contemplating my own death. I was...envious of their joy, and it made me angry. I felt if I could not share that happiness, then they would share my melancholy."

Though I knew Vedrfolnir was continuing to read my thoughts, which he was perhaps even doing unintentionally now, I couldn't help but feel a great sorrow for this Dragon. Like me, we both shared immense tragedies in our lives, and spent a long time in misery. I suppose in some way that connected us, beyond my direct involvement with his brother Nidhoggr in Hel, which of course resulted indirectly in his death. When I looked up at Vedrfolnir, I could somehow see in his eyes a sort of bond between us, which I knew he felt as well.

"So," he said, now lying down, head close to me. Char was still sitting beside me. "You want to control that little Demon of yours, as well as Nidhoggr's nasty armour."

I nodded. "Nidhoggr told me to find you, and I assumed it was to control Algol."

"A reasonable assumption. I will tell you what you'll need in order to control such dark power, but in your condition, you will have to wait, or risk greater injury to yourself, and to your friend."

I nodded once again, knowing full well what Vedrfolnir meant. Nosferatu seemed to have a way of shutting out any pain, or any emotions for that matter, and of course Algol would only amplify that, feeding on my pain to pull me further into its darkness.

"Your wounds will heal quickly," the ancient Dragon told me. I could only assume he'd done something to speed up the process.

"Indeed I did," said Vedrfolnir. "I may be a master of Dark Magic, but I know many spells spanning every type of Magic."

"Now," I said, emphasizing the word.

The Dragon furrowed his brow, then bowed his head slightly. "You are much wiser than I gave you credit, young Luca. But you are correct... I suppose with both of my brothers gone from this world, I can freely admit Nidhoggr, despite our constant rivalry, was always the more powerful Dragon. He had a particular grasp of the Dark Arts that neither I nor our brother could completely comprehend. Truly, he was the master, though I would have never admitted it whilst he lived."

"What made him so much more powerful?" I asked. We were all now sitting comfortably in this warm chamber, myself leaning against my Fire Dragon friend. Vedrfolnir was lying down, as was Char.

Vedrfolnir just shook his head slightly, staring off into space for a moment before finally speaking. "I cannot say for sure why he was so adept as his dark abilities... Perhaps, being the first hatchling, our father paid special attention to him. Nidhoggr surpassed our father's ability very quickly, though, learning far more than he was ever taught. He did most of his learning in this chamber, in fact."

When I looked about, it was hard to imagine Nidhoggr, one of the most powerful and evil beings to ever live - second, perhaps, only to the Crimson King - had once been a small Dragon living in these caves. After all, when I'd met him, he was even older then Vedrfolnir and had clearly gone mad. And yet at one point in time, he would have had to have been a hatchling.

Vedrfolnir then chuckled, no doubt amused by my thoughts. "We were all hatchlings at some point, even you...in a manner of speaking."

"Yeah," I said, "but...I dunno. It's just a strange thought. I never grew up with him."

"He was the only egg in his clutch to hatch, you know," the Black Dragon told me. "The White Dragons, the so-called 'Dragons of Light,' attacked us, or so we were told, destroying our rookeries."

Char appeared very surprised, myself only moderately. "They attacked your eggs?" the Fire Dragon said in response, apparently unable to say any more. He sounded disgusted.

Vedrfolnir nodded. "A bold move, one the Black Dragons could never perform. His egg was cracked, too, before he was born, from the battle. Nidhoggr's egg, that is. It was probably what twisted him so, being born in the blood and half-formed bodies of his brothers."

"In Hel," Char said, "the White Dragons were painted as such...honourable creatures. So noble and bright. But that goes far beyond brutal..."

Now Vedrfolnir really laughed, probably far more than he'd done in decades. "Indeed... And I suppose we, us Black Dragons, were shown as dark and malevolent beings, incapable of any decent thought. Feh... The White Dragons are the evil ones, trust me on that. They claim to be so benevolent, but as Black Dragons, our rookeries were far more guarded and far more fortified than any other part of these mountains."

Char looked guilty, admitting with his eyes he thought the Black Dragons were evil. "Most of the Dragons in Hel were born there, but there was still always this rivalry between the White and Black Dragons. At least, that's what I'd been told. I hadn't ever seen either Dragon in all my years, except in the final days of being trapped in that wicked land, months after Luca arrived. I have to admit, the Black Dragons were much more accommodating to us than the White Dragons were..."

Vedrfolnir snorted.

"There was nothing good about Nidhoggr," I said, looking up.

The old Black Dragon glanced down at me, then conceded. "Yes, you are correct. While most Black Dragons, especially in war, took the so-called moral high ground against their White-scaled brothers, Nidhoggr dreamed of grander things. He was the ruler of the Black Dragons for centuries, and no one dared contest him. He lead the war against the White Dragons, but after swiftly crushing them and obliterating their numbers - eggs and hatchlings included - my brother turned his sights to the rest of the Dragons. Each Dragon Clan was at war with each other, but most battles were small, insignificant skirmishes. In a sense, Nidhoggr was trying to unify the Dragons, but in reality, his goals were nothing of the sort. As you already know, this world was not enough to whet his enormous appetite, and for nearly a century he secluded himself completely, studying and experimenting on ways for him to enter Hel and truly be master."

"In the end," Char pointed out, "he did unify all Dragons, if completely by accident. Though the White and Black Dragons sort of segregated themselves, all others had to work together harmoniously if we were to survive."

Vedrfolnir nodded.

"Was he always that evil?" I asked, referring to Nidhoggr.

"My brother and I, and the rest of my clutch, were born years after Nidhoggr, so I cannot fairly speak for his starting years. It is difficult to say, though, especially at that age. As a hatchling, he could scarcely be controlled, and learned to use magic before he was ever taught; he had simply learned it through observation. But...I can say with certainty he had no compassion for any form of life, including the lives of his brothers and his elders."

"Except for Baldr," I pointed out. It took Vedrfolnir a moment, but he figured out what I was talking about.

"Indeed..."

After a short silence, finally I spoke again. "How did you and your brother avoid being Carried to Hel with all the others?"

Vedrfolnir chuckled. "As constant rivals to Nidhoggr's power, and to each other, we learned many ways to counter Nidhoggr's spells. It was my brother who learned Nidhoggr was planning to split a pathway open to Hel, and we immediately began to study it. I suppose we simply got lucky... We had only a vague understanding of the magic involved, and so our counter spell was equally as vague. Unfortunately, it worked."

"Unfortunately..?"

"After the Great Transport, my brother and I quickly discovered the loneliness of a barren system of mountainous caves which had been home to the Black Dragons for as long as anyone could remember. We went out, and discovered Nidhoggr's folly; he'd not only Carried himself and his Black Dragon army, but every other Dragon as well. It seemed we were the only ones who'd avoided the Transport, and could never successfully recreate the Transcarrier, nor the magic involved. The only comfort we had was knowing we weren't entirely alone."

"You must have gone mad..."

Vedrfolnir smiled slightly, staring off into space as if reliving those days. "He and I spent most of our time in solitude, but we had ways of subduing our boredom; tormenting furs, for one..."

I smiled slightly as well, not feeling entirely well enough to find that more amusing. "So when will we start..." I wasn't really sure what to call what we'd be doing. Training?

"Tomorrow," Vedrfolnir answered.

"Tomorrow? But you said..."

"I know what I said, but tomorrow we will start. You will not need your armour. Not yet."

I looked curiously at the Dragon, and he simply gave me a disconcerting grin, then slowly and shakily lifted his ancient body. "Perhaps now would be a good time for rest; you were out for some time."

Interestingly, it wasn't until he said that when I realized somewhere between waking up and talking with Vedrfolnir, my massive headache had subsided greatly. Though when I began to think about that, I thought I felt it slowly returning.

"You two may sleep in here, if you wish, or anywhere else you find more comfortable." Then the Black Dragon left.

I stirred slightly, then looked up at Char. "What do you think we'll be doing tomorrow?"

Char shrugged. "I can't imagine." His face then came closer to mine, and I looked into his eyes. "Are you feeling okay?"

I nodded, body still fairly sore. "I've suffered worse," I simply said. "I think I'll be fine."

The Fire Dragon then breathed out a bit of smoke, possibly by accident, then surprised me with a gentle lick on my cheek.

"What was that for?" I asked, holding the dampish spot.

Char seemed to hesitate before answering. "I was frightened to see you fall," he said at last. "And I was not fast enough to save you."

"Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault. Besides, I survived, didn't I?"

Char nodded. "You did, yes, but you suffered."

I sighed. "Not badly. I've broken bones before, and I'm certain I've had a concussion multiple times."

This time Char closed his eyes and pressed his face against my chest, nuzzling me a bit, and I patted him in return.

"There's no need to worry," I told him. "You don't need forgiveness, not from me, not for anything."

The Dragon nodded, then pulled away. "If you say so."

I then looked over at him and painfully raised my paw, patting his belly softly. Neither of us spoke, but I snuggled closer to my friend and he was eager to get closer to me. Like for the past week or so, we fell asleep together, warm in each other's arms. Though it was difficult to tell in my sleepy state, I think for the first time, I heard Char praying.

The next morning, the two of us were awoken by a shockingly deep voice, aged further than either of us could possibly imagine. Being inside the mountain, it was impossible to know what time it was, but I felt like it was early. Too early.

"Rise," the deep voice of Vedrfolnir said. "We must start your reconditioning."

"My wha..?" I asked wearily.

"Come," said the Black Dragon, turning immediately and expecting me to follow. "And bring the Lionheart."

Char groaned quietly, but fortunately helped me up, and carried me on his back. I was dragging my sword a long with me.

"Where are we going?" Char asked.

"To where I learned all my magic."

After what felt like a long trip through these massive tunnels, we arrived in a large chamber covered in all sorts of weapons and artefacts; it looked more like an arena than a study.

"You may not want to stay for this," said the Black Dragon, looking at Char seriously, just after I climbed off his back.

Char hesitated. "I'll be fine," he replied nervously.

"Aren't we gonna eat first?" I asked.

Vedrfolnir chuckled. "Later. For now..." Suddenly, the Dragon's tail whipped my crutch away, causing me to put some weight on my broken leg and fall over.

"Hey!" Char yelled angrily. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's okay, Char," I said to my friend, struggling to get up. Though I was asking the same question.

"I want to see what it'll take to bring your demon out."

He then padded forward and with his left paw, squeezed my broken leg tightly.

I cried out loudly at the intense pain shooting up my leg, and I could tell Char wanted to intervene. But with Nosferatu snarling as loud as I was, Char definitely wanted to keep his distance.

"Give in to it," the Black Dragon growled, finally letting go. He then grabbed me around my torso - I was naked still - and forced me to stand, and with my Darkness a greater presence, I tolerated the pain. I growled fiercely, and instead of fighting off my Dark Presence, decided rather to let it take over. This was a whole new feeling for me, and I lost control quickly. I hadn't really done any drugs in my life, though I'd certainly been around them, but I imagined this was a lot like that. My pain was, of course, still ever-present, but it didn't bother me as much.

I growled and snarled and stumbled for a moment, but then glanced up at Vedrfolnir wickedly, breathing heavily and feeling...strong. My leg ached incredibly, but I wasn't bothered by it. In fact, it only made Nosferatu's horrible presence that much more prevalent. I roared bestially at the Dragon, now beginning to see like how I imagined Disciples see the world; I saw it as plain as always, and yet I could somehow see in my mind Vedrfolnir's blood flow; his life force, his essence. That warm, life-bearing blood... I needed to spill it, to bathe in it and consume it. This creature that was full of life...needed to die.

"Good," the Black Dragon said, extending the word to show just how pleased he was. "Your evil is almost overwhelming. Truly you have been blessed."

I snarled, more particularly at that thought; I always hated this Darkness inside me, more so when it came out and showed the world its ugly fangs. Even worse when I showed it to Kai, though I'd always tried to fight it off. When I glanced back at Vedrfolnir, I was immediately filled with an intense rage and hatred, and decided to attack.

"Luca!" I heard a voice cry from behind me, which I decided would die next. But for now, I simply dodged a whipping, black-scaled tail and slashed my claws at the Dragon's face, which he didn't like. He growled deeply, and when I saw his blood dripping, I was filled with such excitement.

But then the Black Dragon uttered something and glanced at me, his stare seeming to piece my body. I stopped dead in my tracks before I could possibly attack again, stricken by his gaze. Nosferatu was crying out, screaming madly for me to move, trying desperately to do it for me, and yet I stood still, paralysed. "Tear it apart," I heard it scream inside me, my Darkness more restless than ever. "Do it!"

I then snarled and closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I was being held tightly by the Black Dragon, surprised at his strength. He uttered something loudly again, this time slapping his paw against my forehead and letting me drop.

I fell instantly like a lump of meat, groaning and moving seconds later. Char was right there, just as curious to know what had happened as I was.

"I silenced your Darkness," Vedrfolnir explained.

"What the fuck was the point in that?" I snarled.

"It was simply a test," he responded. "I wanted to see exactly what you were capable of, and you did not disappoint."

I shook my head. "Every time I give in to my Darkness...I feel a little less. I don't like it..."

"If you did not want to take advantage of this beast inside you, then you should not have sought me out, nor especially the power of Algol. You came to me because you wanted to control your Darkness, to control the monster hidden inside you, and I can do that. But I need to know exactly what you're capable of. Tell me, were you holding back?"

I had to think about that for a moment. Though I'd felt my Presence that strongly before, I couldn't say for sure if that was the strongest I'd ever felt it take over. A piece of my Humanity had always remained, and certainly it was still present this time.

"If that is the case, then I have much more to teach you. If you want to control your Darkness, you will need to know the furthest extent at which it can control you, in order to bring yourself back from any level. The more of you that remains behind, the easier it is to come back from it. But if none of you, none of Luca, remains...then what?"

I didn't answer.

"Then you continue killing until that bloodthirsty monster inside you is satisfied. You have achieved such a feat only once in your existence, and it will be because of that that you will be able to control your Demon."

"How..?" I asked, getting to my footpaws. Char helped.

"All in due time, Luca. Now...let's eat."

I frowned at the Dragon, irritated by all this, and I began to realize this may take a lot longer than I'd originally anticipated.

The following week passed by slowly and painfully, each day Vedrfolnir performing many of the same tasks with me, all ending in the same conclusion: drawing Nosferatu out, further and further. it was a strain on my body, but as the days progressed, less so on my mind, as I learned to listen to my Darkness at any given moment, to feel its ever-presence, and to, as Vedrfolnir put it, delegate how much control to give it. It was not, by any means, an easy task, since I had never had any sort of control, besides barely being able to repress it when it was on its way. And after eight days of simply becoming accustomed and more familiar with my Inner Darkness, it was "time to communicate" with it.

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked. Despite my familiarity with Nosferatu, I was extremely apprehensive about "meeting" it for the first time.

"You have to empty your mind," Vedrfolnir said, and in the large arena-like chamber, he began to spread some sort of ash in a particular pattern, beginning with a circle which contained countless runes. There were other geometric shapes involved, such as triangles and more circles plus runes, but since I was sitting in the middle of this shape, it was difficult to see. "Your Darkness, while not a physical being, dwells deep within your mind, a Presence otherwise unknown while ordinarily conscious. But if you have nothing left to cloud your mind, nothing left blocking its way, then communication is possible. Of course, your conscious mind will have to be void as well, so together you and your Demon can exist in a state somewhere between your conscious and subconscious."

"My unconscious?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

Vedrfolnir just smiled and gave me a disconcerting wink, just as he finished up his circles and runes. I didn't know if I'd guessed right, but I suppose it didn't matter.

"Well how am I supposed to completely clear my mind like that?"

"Drugs help," snickered the ancient Dragon. "But in your case, some meditation will suffice." I'd been meditating for hours with Vedrfolnir and Char every day for the past week, which helped me to relax and to become more attuned to my own body and mind, which of course helped me in sensing my Dark Presence even when another wasn't around, which had usually been the case.

"What is the point in all this?" I asked, sitting cross-legged in the middle of these symbols and runes.

Vedrfolnir didn't say anything, but continued spreading the ashes, or whatever substance it was. Finally he finished the circle he'd been working on, and slowly moved his head to glance at me. "You feel your Darkness inside you now, whether it is active or not. But that is not enough. You know where your Darkness comes from, its origins, but you do not understand it. At least, not completely. You know it is an evil presence that helps keep you alive simply from experience, but you haven't any idea why."

"It isn't a conscious being," I argued. "How can it have reason?"

Vedrfolnir chuckled alarmingly. He knew the answer to that question, but had no intention of telling me. This was something I would have to discover on my own.

And so for now, I simply sat cross-legged with my paws on my lap, fingers loosely clasped around my knees. I closed my eyes and began my meditation, taking in long, deep and controlled breaths, focusing my mind on as little as possible. Although usually I ended up thinking about something vague and concentrating on that mercilessly, in this case I was trying to release my mind altogether, which of course meant not actually trying to do it. I sat in the near-silence of the chamber, Vedrfolnir being surprisingly quiet. But soon my mind started to drift and my conscious thoughts were becoming more obscure and difficult to concentrate on, and I felt calm and relaxed, and I began to sense a small mass of darkness purring quietly somewhere within me, lying dormant until it is provoked. Hello, Nosferatu...

Suddenly, though, my mind rushed back to a fully conscious state as I heard stirring and felt a gentle wind tickle the very tips of my fur, then a sort of sweet, powerful scent wafting through the air. It was somewhat smoky, too, like...someone was burning something.

"Breathe it in," a deep, bone-chilling voice said softly, managing not to break my concentration entirely - it was as if it was speaking inside my mind, keeping me in my half-meditation. "Breathe deeply."

Through my nose I slowly breathed in as much of that potent smoke as I could, finding it came with a certain tingling and relaxation I hadn't ever felt before. And almost without realizing it, I'd slipped back into that deepest of meditations, feeling every part of my body, both physical and spiritual, blend into one. I felt like I may have let out a very happy sigh, but wasn't close enough to my body to hear it clearly. Nevertheless, my mind floated somewhere I couldn't begin to name, seeing so much and yet seeing nothing at all. More and more, that sharp smoke filled my lungs and my mind drifted further and further away from my body until I wasn't even sure who I was anymore. In my mind I saw this vague impression of a tiger...a soldier...a mercenary...but it was so far away. So far, and so incredibly elusive...

But soon that impression faded, and I floated in that nameless place alone in total silence. I saw nothing now, not even the darkness which no doubt surrounded me. And for a long while I stayed in this astral state, until I heard a delicate chuckling.

I had no eyes, nor any form, and yet in this void surrounding my mind, I saw an infinitely vast plane of stars surrounding me completely. There were lights, sharp lights, moving around at random, and enormous orbs of nameless colours swirling endlessly on its surface... I saw these things, these horrid visions so clearly, and yet in the instant they left my mind, they suddenly became so vague once more, and soon I found myself plummeting toward one of these orbs, different from the rest. This new one was covered mostly in blue, but had masses of white and green and brown, and despite my perilous journey to the centre of this impossibly large ball, I landed safely, finding I had obtained a physical form.

Looking down at my naked body, it was a shock to see, while still tigrine, it was that of a young boy. I found no words, but instead looked around curiously, seeing an odd, grassy land sparsely covered in trees and a clear blue sky. The sun was amazingly large in the sky, but I felt no heat, nor even the grass between my small footpaws.

I wandered for just a moment before a noise, a faint chuckling, grabbed my attention, and I turned to face it.

But again I was shocked to see a form not unlike my own, or rather, the one I'd left behind. This tiger standing before me was...impossibly large. It was overbearing and dark, but I couldn't yet see its face; the form had its back to me, and was leaning over a crystal-clear lake. When I peered beyond its beefy legs, I saw it had just a black reflection. Finally the form turned, and not surprisingly it looked like myself, gloomy and scarred.

Alarmingly, it smiled at me, showing its rows of sharp teeth. The thing growled and stepped forward, and in my young, tiny body, I simply stumbled back. I instinctively looked for a weapon, but of course only clasped at black and orange fur.

"Wh-Who are you?" I asked timidly, surprised to hear my voice, too, had changed. I hadn't heard that voice, so soft and so sweet, since I'd killed my first fur countless years ago.

The large tiger stopped, and somehow smiled wider, twisting its horrible face even further. Though it was identical to my normal body - powerful and muscular - its fur was somehow dirtier, or darker, and the distinction between orange and stripes was blurry at best. Its fur was messy all over, and a strange, inky haze seemed to obscure its details, rising from its body like smoke and dangling off it like a shredded banner waving lifelessly in the wind. In this fake, idyllic plane I'd found my ten-year-old self in, lost somewhere in my mind, I was now standing before my Inner Darkness; before Nosferatu.

It simply bowed at me, and I couldn't help but get the feeling it was mocking me somehow. And then it stood up straight and simply gazed at me with that same, razor smile. Was it expecting me to say something? Or do something? What do you say to an ancient darkness that'd been hidden deep inside you since they day you were born?

I started with bowing back, which seemed to amuse Nosferatu, then we stared each other down for a while longer.

"Are you...Nosferatu?" If it'd been inside me all these years, then it should be aware of the name it'd been given.

This freakish tiger just growled deeply, not taking its blood-red eyes off me for a second.

"You have kept me trapped in here for so long," the dark tiger spoke, it's voice frighteningly wicked. "Chained here in your mind, forever bound, gaining little control over your wretched form."

"You're too dangerous," I replied, trying to sound civil, despite my childish voice. "You want nothing but destruction and death."

Nosferatu growled again, taking another step forward, paws clenched tightly into fists. Each step was like a tiny earthquake, and the inky form in front of me seemed to become darker. In the bright blue sky behind it, dark clouds began for form, and all around the grass was turning grey and the trees withering, their leaves crumbling away.

I backed away, again searching for a sword that wasn't there, then looked up at the Darkness. Its face was totally shrouded in a swirling mass of black, the evil appearing to melt upward off its body, rising even higher like streams of black water. The lake behind it had turned into blood, a crimson steam now rising off it, and the earth below me was dry, crumbly, and barely able to hold the dead, grey grass.

When I turned to run, something impossibly cold gripped my small arm and threw me to the ground, a horrid snarl following immediately after. I rolled onto my rear and looked up, this mass of darkness towering over me like an evil cathedral, its maw open and breathing some sort of bloody smoke. My heart was racing with fear and I tried to back away, but something reached out from somewhere on Nosferatu's body and held me down by my ankle. I scraped desperate with my claws at the ground where this black arm was, but found, oddly, I was clawing only at dirt and grass, this shadowy arm still tight around my leg, and yet impossible to touch. When I looked up at my Darkness, it let itself fall forward, landing on its paws on either side of me, black arms quickly slithering out like the limbs of an octopus and holding me by my wrists.

I could feel these icy arms gripping onto me tightly, holding me down, and yet on the ground they appeared merely as dark shadows, despite the obvious lack of light. My little body was shivering desperately, but I had to be strong. I glanced up at Nosferatu, whose beady eyes were glowing somewhere on its face and its maw wide and deadly. A crimson glow seemed to emanate from deep within it, like a blazing, bloody fire wanting to eat me up. Its breath blew over me like a bone-chilling fog, piercing my fur and skin with ease. Finally it spoke again.

"You are remarkably strong," the black tiger said. "But you cannot resist your dark urges forever. I am as much a part of you as you are of me, and together...we can dominate anything."

It was already clear what drove my Darkness before entering my own mind, so none of what it was saying was particularly shocking. So what purpose did communicating directly with this part of my mind serve?

Nosferatu then lifted an arm - a real arm - over me, and its frigid paw pressed against my head, gently rubbing through my fur, downward over my chest and sort of idling around my belly, its sharp claws softly raking through my fur. "You are so small," it said, "and so fragile... Such a small part of you remains - it is pointless to resist."

When its claws scraped harder, I made an odd noise I'd last heard young Kai make ages ago, then began to struggle a bit. But it held fast and growled horribly, now resting its large paw on my soft belly.

"If I have to destroy the last fragment of your soul, then so be it..."

Then I let out a terribly loud cry as my Darkness gripped tightly at my stomach, its long claws digging into my flesh. I cried and cried, struggling and resisting as best I could, but it wasn't enough to stop Nosferatu from snarling and tearing three large gashes through my gut, then lifting me easily with its shadowy arms and throwing me into a nearby hill.

I landed with a hard thump, knocking the wind straight from my lungs. I groaned and held my bleeding stomach, my little paw catching only a small amount of the hot, pouring blood. When I looked up, Nosferatu was standing there, but immediately leapt up in the air like some kind of inky, agile form, and for a second it just hung in the air above me before attacking, as if to let me see its horror.

But I was not injured enough to just sit there. I frantically leapt out of the way, turning just as the monster slammed into the side of the hill, earth and black arms flying all over the place. When its head turned, though, it pounced with such intense speed, I had no time to dodge.

It pinned me to the ground immediately and held its paw up, about to strike. After showing me its claws and teeth and other frightening things, it slashed me across the face then threw me down back toward the bloody lake.

I rolled for an impossibly long time, tumbling over sharp rocks and dry earth until I stopped, struggling to lift myself again. But Nosferatu was right there, right above me and now, seconds later, with a cold footpaw pressing hard into the small of my back. But still I struggled, getting nowhere.

My Darkness turned me around and held its footpaw on my chest, pressing down, myself just crying out and gripping its leg desperately, finding those small, shadowy arms now crawling up my arms. Nosferatu then lifted its footpaw, myself with it, and slammed me down, forcing me to let go, then picked me up by my left arm, turning me around and holding me against its chest, like I was shackled to it.

I squirmed and struggled and groaned, blood now pouring from my maw and my nose, plus various other parts of my small, young body.

Its dark claws then ran up my chest and gripped firmly around my neck, while the other simply held me close by my stomach, and now the dark tiger was moving toward the lake. Behind me its frozen body chilled me to the bone and even further, and these shadowy arms continued to hold down my legs and my arms, and probably my head and chest and another other parts of me it could hold. Nosferatu then took several steps forward to the edge of the lake and peered in, forcing me to look as well. And in the reflection of the carmine lake I saw an impossibly dark mass, no longer in the shape of a tiger, but instead something shapeless; an ethereal form with multitudes of long, black, smoky arms swirling and waving like torn black flags, slowly drifting upward and outward in every direction, and yet somehow a couple glowing red eyes remained where its head could possibly be. And of course, in the reflection I saw nothing of myself, but instead and equally dark monster-tiger within the black arms of this horrifying creature, embracing the void and becoming one with it.

"No..." I rasped, barely able to breathe. I struggled some more, but it was useless.

Nosferatu then chuckled freely, and when it stopped, slammed me into the ground beside the lake, and before I could react, had both paws against my head and its twisted face only inches from my own.

"We will be one!" It snarled, then let out a terrifying roar and slammed my head back into the rocks. It slammed a paw into my chest now, claws extending and digging deep, as if to tear off my ribcage.

I screamed and cried out desperately as the dark plane surrounding us grew darker and darker until it was only a small patch of dead earth around me, and I was surrounded by the void. And still my Darkness tore at my chest, and I continued to scream in horror and pain, until from nowhere a bright, heavenly light shone fiercely behind Nosferatu, and the dark tiger stopped. Seconds later it started to howl and fight off the light, until it was overtaken and I felt myself in a blurry rush.

Seconds later, I took an impossibly deep breath and opened my eyes violently, shaking uncontrollably and sweating heavily. "What..." I said to myself, holding my head. I could barely remember any of what had just happened, but I heard a deep growling from somewhere inside me, one I was very familiar with, until it subsided. "...The fuck was that?

"I pulled you back," an ancient voice told me. I was happy to see Vedrfolnir's weathered face before me. "You did surprisingly well, entering that state of mind, but I fear you were unprepared. I suppose it was my fault, for not preparing you properly in the event you actually did reach that level of meditation."

"I don't...remember anything. Just...darkness and..." It was a struggle to remember, since all I saw were vague images of an evil dark.

"Tomorrow will be different," said the Black Dragon, then handed me some food. It hadn't occurred to me until I saw this meat just how hungry that journey had made me, and I wolfed it down immediately.

"What will we be doing tomorrow?" I asked as the Dragon began to leave.

"The same," he simply replied.

I quickly found Char and felt compelled to give him a tight hug, to help alleviate the emptiness I was starting to feel.

The next few weeks passed, like the previous week, slowly and painfully, a great deal of physical and mental stress put on myself. But as the days passed, we practiced various exercises to keep me sharp and to prepare me a little bit more for every encounter with Nosferatu. I worked on strange puzzles and riddles given to me by the ageless Dragon, which he ensured me would help. I trusted the Dragon blindly, and though I couldn't tell if any of what I was doing was helping, I was in no position to argue.

Day after day we practiced all sorts of things, such as memory games and solving problems Vedrfolnir had written for me in runes; another part of my so-called training was learning how to read and interpret ancient runes, which was a slow and difficult process. Like Loki had tried to explain to me, most runes had specific meanings, sometimes two or three or more, and while you couldn't build a sentence with them like you would with normal language, if interpreted correctly, messages could be conveyed with even more clarity. For example, the rune meaning Man could be interpreted in dozens of different ways, as either a male fur or perhaps even our Gods, or a male Dragon or a young boy, but written beside the rune for Woman its meaning can be narrowed. If the rune for home is then written, it can convey a family, or a marriage, or a couple, or perhaps even refer to sex. I had only begun to understand these runes, and I feared it would take many countless years before I could come close to understanding them on the same level Vedrfolnir or Loki did. Even Char could read runes. Later Vedrfolnir explained how these runes can be used in conjunction with magic and spells, but I was even further from understanding anything that complex.

And amongst my learning of the runes was, of course, my meditation, and further journeys into my mind, exploring the darkness within and, as Vedrfolnir put it, learning to work with my Inner Darkness, not against it. Of course, every encounter with my Demon was a hostile one, but each day I gained a little more strength and little more understanding, and the Black Dragon assured me if that was the case, then Nosferatu, too, was gaining more strength and understanding. He told me while it doesn't have a conscious mind of its own like people do, as long as it is a part of me, I will always give it a pseudo-consciousness.

Almost two months had passed since first meeting Vedrfolnir, and after dozens of encounters with my Inner Darkness, the ancient Black Dragon decided it was time to take my training to another level; I would now learn to control the dark power of Algol.

I stood in the large chamber I was so very familiar with beside a neatly piled suit of armour, and the Lionheart to my right.

"There are several things you need to remember if you hope to control such a power."

I stood there, eager to learn.

"You know how to communicate with your Demon, and you both have an understanding of each other now, at least on the most basic level. You have battled that Demon many times, and have learned how to triumph and how to dominate that evil. Your mind is focused and it is determined. But the black magic that has been imbued within this metal is far greater than you may realize. You may lose control of your Demon..."

I nodded. "I know this."

Vedrfolnir nodded. "Do you feel confident you can focus your mind well enough to contain your Demon?"

I hesitated. "I do," but Vedrfolnir knew it wasn't true. I had only just learned how to control Nosferatu, or rather, learned to dictate how much control it has over me.

"The Lionheart has aided you greatly," the Black Dragon said. "With its power of Light, you have more easily destroyed your demonic foes, but now you will use its Light to aid you in this task."

"How?"

Vedrfolnir sat down, his weary bones shaking. "You and your Demon have come to understand each other, but ultimately, you still have it chained down. But you are now in control of those chains, giving as much slack as you need, or as much as your Demon desires. Algol will break those chains, and your Demon will take over without hesitation. It will not back down, and certainly not listen to whatever part of you, Luca, would remain. But your weapon, the Lionheart, its Light can draw you back. It will give your mind something to grasp to, something to fight your Demon with. And as long as your mind remains intact, you will always have control."

Few times in my life I'd lost control completely, and while Nosferatu had been subdued, I was lost somewhere within the darkness. Eventually I'd been drawn back, but as Vedrfolnir had explained, there is a "point of no return." He said I was fortunate to not have reached it, particularly when I'd first worn my armour. Either I hadn't worn it long enough to be extinguished, or Nidhoggr had pulled me back when he removed the helmet. Either way, I knew what it was like to be lost like that, having nothing bright to grasp to. But now, I couldn't fail.

Char then entered the room, slowly and quietly lying down, I think concerned for me.

"While the Lionheart will give your mind something to focus on while covered in absolute darkness, the possibility remains that its light will be snuffed. It is an internal battle you won't even know you are waging, but it is possible to lose that fight. With the Light of the Lionheart, it is important you keep your mind active, or rather, consider people or objects you hold most dear to you. They, too, can save you, and aid the Lionheart in pulling you back from the Darkness. Your friends, for example... You love each and every one of them very much, and an emotion that strong will always prevail, but only if your soul has not been overcome by the darkness. That is where your weapon comes in. Do you understand?"

I nodded once more. All of this would be happening so quickly in my mind, I would barely even know it, but I didn't have a choice but to succeed. "When will we start?" I asked.

"Do you feel you are ready?" asked the Black Dragon.

I had everything I needed, and I felt there was nothing more I could do to prepare. "Yeah," I said more calmly than I was feeling. "I do."

"Very well," nodded Vedrfolnir. "Hand me the helmet and don your armour."

I did so obediently, Char walking over to help me strap in, though it was hardly necessary; I appreciated his concern all the same, and when I was strapped in, I turned and gently patted his head, which was now pressed into my chest.

"Good luck," said the Fire Dragon, then pulled away.

I turned back to Vedrfolnir, who growled as he stood up, and after I picked up the Lionheart, he looked me square in the eyes. I couldn't be certain, I think he was wishing me luck as well, though I knew he'd be able to pull me back if nothing else could.

"You are ready?"

I nodded one final time before Vedrfolnir clasped Algol's helmet between both paws and let it hover above my head. I felt the fur along the back of my neck stand on end, and I held my sword tightly. Inside I heard Nosferatu chuckling, stirring madly and awaiting its release. After a moment, Vedrfolnir gave me a quick, serious glance, then slowly placed the helmet on my head.

I gasped deeply and my eyes widened, the armour now complete and feeling as if it was now starting to fuse to my body, to every hair and even my flesh. I let out a deep, horrible growl and gripped the Lionheart tightly, which was tingling at my armoured paw, until an intense pain hammered at my head. A screaming dark chaos surged through my mind, and without control I let out a horribly loud roar, shaking the cavern. My empty paw held my head, claws scraping at the black metal, and I stumbled around as I tried to make sense of the roaring chaos in my head, hammering away without mercy.

I felt my Demon spread its mighty wings across the room as it was instantly released, and I could hear it laughing and screaming and roaring within me as it took control. I roared again and stammered about, dragging my sword with me, trying to see more clearly.

I heard a crying from somewhere in this chamber, a familiar voice that didn't belong to me. I couldn't make out the words, and I certainly couldn't see where they were coming from, but I suddenly realized I couldn't continue to resist like this. It had always been my first instinct, trying to hold Nosferatu back, but especially in Algol, it would be a fruitless attempt. In fact, I'd discovered that was the reason why I would black out after satisfying my Darkness, because my mind was exhausted. But I learned recently that trying to force Nosferatu back would never work, and only serve to exacerbate its distain, and so I had to let it out.

I growled deeply and released my paw from my head, and quickly the pain faded and I cried out wickedly, roaring without restraint. After a moment, I felt myself shaking, but standing still. When I opened my eyes, I saw a movement and fiercely attacked, the enemy leaping quickly out of the way. I snarled and swung my sword around to try to attack it again, but it was agile. I roared and snarled and wanted more than anything to destroy it, whatever it was. Again I attacked, then some more until I cornered the fiery creature, then I charged. But suddenly something leapt in front, roaring in return and uttering some phrase.

The ground shook around me and I simply waited, trying to keep my balance, and when it stopped the enemy appeared as dark as my armour, eyes glowing a carmine red and its roars and cries as evil and wicked as my own. But I just laughed and attacked, surprised to see this beast had knocked away my sword and it just slammed its paw into my head, then uttered a phrase.

"Use the light of the sword," I suddenly heard, the words echoing in my mind, and something sparked in the back of my evil mind. Something...inexplicable, but whatever it was, it made me hold on tightly to the Lionheart, and I growled deep. The two enemies in front of me cleared my path and suddenly that spark grew.

I growled and snarled at this new and unusual sensation, then closed my eyes. I roared once more, as if defying this spark, but it would have none of it. It was there, and whatever it was, it was there to stay. That was fine... I could tear these animals apart with or without it.

But then a name suddenly flickered into my head, one that seemed completely unknown to me at the time, and yet so closely familiar. "Kai," I saw, then flashes of a young panther. My heart began to beat quickly, and I snarled in pain. Something was happening to me, something I didn't like.

"Rip your enemies to pieces," I then heard, a deeply familiar voice.

"No," I responded, though I didn't actually speak those words. There was so much darkness surrounding me, covering me and choking me, it was difficult to tell what I was truly seeing, and simply seeing in my head. Or hearing, for that matter. But as the darkness continued to slam through my mind, I began to see a faint form appear, one that was infinitely dark and immeasurably larger. But I felt...different now. A strange, warm tingling covered my body, and when I moved what I thought was my right arm, it resonated throughout my arm, spreading that warmth throughout me.

While my mind was totally clouded in darkness, I could still see the room and the Dragons around me, watching me with some concern. I gripped at this soothing light tighter with my right paw, and though this infinite darkness standing in front and all around me snarled and cried, I managed to stand my ground. It came at me with its evil arms, and though it gripped me and covered me, it couldn't cover all of me.

But it tried harder, and though it hurt, I concentrated while I was still able to on my dear boy Kai, remembering every small detail about him, from his physical features to that time I made him laugh hard enough to blow ale from his nose. My heart beat loudly, pushing Nosferatu away, though it tried desperately to crush me, I wouldn't allow it.

"No," I said again, "as long as my boy lives, you will never be able to claim me."

Nosferatu howled and roared, and though its black arms were holding on to at least two-thirds of me -at least, that's how my mind perceived it - I think for now it conceded. But I allowed my Darkness free reign of this body and this black, metal shell, but I would not allow it to take my mind. For now, it was a reluctant compromise.

When I opened my eyes, I looked around the chamber with perfect clarity, feeling extraordinarily powerful and infinitely dark, and yet somehow...myself. I couldn't yet determine how in control Nosferatu was of my body, but I felt it had been drawn out to its fullest extent without taking my mind, as well. I could be as evil and strong and unrelenting as Nosferatu, but I had the power to stop myself, too. While my thirst for blood was truly undeniable, I still retained the will to prevent myself from slaughtering everything around me, as good as that would make me feel.

When I glanced up at both Dragons, they flinched noticeably and stayed very still, watching me carefully for any signs of weakness or waning or anything worse. I took a step forward, and they both flinched again, this time ready to either attack or leap out of the way. I couldn't see what I looked like, but I assumed given those reactions, it was something frighteningly dark.

"I am," I started saying, surprised a little to hear my voice was much deeper and raspier than I expected, "not...going to harm you..." Then I growled deeply and shut my eyes, holding my sword tightly. I would have to remember to thank my dear Kai for helping me, though he would have no idea how he had.

The Dragons then moved and when I looked up with a gruff growl, they of course stopped, but slowly continued toward me, cautious but far more relaxed; Char was a lot more nervous than Vedrfolnir, and he stopped a fair distance away.

It then occurred to me that I didn't know if I'd be able to remove my armour now, or if I could, how I would go about doing it. Nidhoggr, I think, used a spell in some way to tear the helmet from my head. Was I in enough control to be able to remove it on my own? I could vaguely remember a great, tearing pain when it was removed, and I might have to relinquish my sword in order to do that. With one paw tugging slightly my helmet, the armour not so much as budging, I glanced up at Vedrfolnir and he stared at me for a moment before I moved my paw.

He placed his paw on my head and chanted some words I couldn't understand, and though my initial reaction was to resist, and certainly I felt great opposition from Nosferatu, I allowed the Black Dragon to speak his verses. Seeming to pull at every piece of fur on my head and neck, slowly, with an intense growl and roar on my part and desperately retaining control, the helmet began to slide off. Within moments the cold metal finally slipped from my head, and as the Dragon stumbled back, I simply collapsed, my metal shell clanging together. As predicted, Char was right there with me.

"Shit," I said quietly, lying against his paw now. "That was...amazing."

"Very impressive," said a tired Vedrfolnir. "For now you should rest. We will have to work on gaining control more quickly... I am not sure if you noticed in your darkened state, but I had to use a spell to draw your mind back a little, at least enough so you could focus on the weapon in your paws."

I just shrugged - too tired to have anything intelligent to say - though I think I knew what he was talking about. Most of that moment spent in Algol was just a blur, but I think with further practice and training, I would be able to retain more of every event.

And so unlike the past couple months, the following two weeks passed quickly, learning how better to control the demon lurking inside me. It didn't get easier each day, yet I felt I was making progress.

In the second week, Vedrfolnir had Char and I spar together, allowing me to practice in the heat of battle. I'd known how good a fighter Char was, but he managed to impress me several times during a few matches, either by his surprising agility or by his variety of attacks. Being part Avian, he was very nimble, especially in the air, and he used my inability to fly to his advantage, swooping down to attack or shooting fire at me from the top of the cave. The Dragon never seriously injured me, though he certainly could have in a normal battle, and of course the pain was almost always blocked out anyway. Although at first it was difficult to maintain my control, I did find it had become easier, which fortunately made Char even safer against me...relatively speaking.

This time we'd spent together naturally drew Char and I closer together, sharing so-called war stories and showing our scars. A bit cliché, perhaps, but I was impressed by the large scar running along his inner thigh and slicing through some of his lower belly scales, which I'd somehow missed until recently. And of course I was then forced to explain my predominant lip scar - caused by a particularly rough lion one night years ago - and all the others covering my body were barely noticeable and too numerous to recall. But the Fire Dragon liked them all the same, and the night marking the two-and-a-half month point in my staying with Vedrfolnir, Char and I snuggled particularly close.

The next morning, the old Black Dragon came into our chamber, Char and I having already woken up, and evidently he'd found me some warm clothes to wear; I'd spent almost the entire time nude, neither Dragon bothered by it.

"What's this for?" I asked him.

"I can feel something happening," he answered cryptically. "Something important is going on in this world, something far greater and more profound than anything in these mountains. Your people...have amassed an army, and they will face off against the Demon Army of the Crimson King. But...they will be crushed. If you do not extinguish the evil that is the Crimson King, the master of Hel...then countless lives will be lost in the slaughter."

"When will the battle begin?" I asked anxiously.

Vedrfolnir shook his head. "Soon, Luca. Very soon... They have set up an enormous camp in the Southern Foothills of your Midland, and will set out toward the evil King's wretched black castle in the coming days. I cannot tell you any more than that." The Black Dragon then sat down, then slumped onto his belly.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, placing a paw on one of the horns protruding from his head. His breathing seemed broken, and his body weak. He seemed to be getting worse with every day, just slightly so, but it was noticeable.

Vedrfolnir groaned quietly, then spoke in his chillingly deep voice. "I am old," he said. "I have been alive for...far too long."

"But you seemed so healthy when I arrived," I said, rubbing his face a little. Char joined me now.

Vedrfolnir shakily got up, which seemed to be quite a task for him. "Indeed, but since taking you up on your request to train you, I have...removed the spell which has kept me alive for so long. My years of abominable and undeserved life are catching up to me now."

"But Loki was using a spell like that... Why didn't it happen to him?"

Vedrfolnir chuckled and began to exit the room, taking us toward a chamber I hadn't yet visited. "The Crimson King's magic is much more powerful than mine, I hesitate to admit. No doubt your friend Loki was under the influence of a different spell, or perhaps a different sort of magic all together." Finally, we reached the chamber. Inside there was a stone pedestal, large enough to fit a dragon upon, between four pillars, and all around there were trinkets and symbols and runes. Upon examining the runes on the stone in front of the pedestal, I saw this was a burial place, or a tomb or mausoleum of sorts. The Black Dragon sighed and took a look around.

"The Mjollnir Mountains have acted as barrows for the Black Dragons for countless centuries before the Great Transport. And now, it would seem, I will be the last one to die here."

"How long do you have?" I asked him, heart pounding against my chest. I'd seen hundreds of people die in my life without so much as a frown, and yet I was now feeling such amazing sorrow for this Black Dragon, despite knowing it was his own choice. I couldn't fully understand that choice, but I knew he was not happy living with himself, especially after his brother chose the same fate. I knew, deep inside, Vedrfolnir was happy to be leaving this world and he would see his brother once again, and yet there was such pain in my heart, it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

The Black Dragon then lifted himself unsteadily onto the pedestal and lay down comfortably, head pointed toward Char and I. "Not long," he finally answered. "I left just enough time to prepare you for your fight against the Crimson King, and now I feel confident you are ready to face him."

I nodded, holding back my tears. With every horrible slam of my heart, I knew the Black Dragon was inching closer to death. For a long moment our eyes never left each other's, conveying messages of gratitude and love.

"Thank you," the Black Dragon told me anyway, resting his head on both paws. "Perhaps training you in your fight against the Evil One...will have some weight in the afterlife, when my fate will be decided..." Vedrfolnir smiled at both Char and I, looking back at me once more before he finally closed his eyes, then let out a long, long sigh.

A couple tears then trickled down my face as I felt the ancient life of this Dragon fade into nothing, and after Char and I said a few prayers, we left the chamber sombrely, locking the door behind us.

Slowly the two of us gathered our gear. When I put my clothes into my bag, I noticed sitting atop was a small pendent made of stone with a rune carved into it. I just stared at it for a moment, held it tightly to my chest, then strung it around my neck. The rune read "brother."

After making our way back to the entrance of Nidafjöll, all of our gear assembled, I climbed atop my fiery friend and together we took flight, navigating the snowy winds with frigid ease.

Neither of us spoke much for the rest of the day, flying well into the night before we finally landed under a single group of trees in the vast snowfields of this nameless northern land. Char lit a fire and solemnly we slept.

The next day we continued on, walking at first before the snowy storm clouds rolled in, having enjoyed the bright sun in our faces - a feeling we didn't realize we'd missed so much until we felt it again, having lived so long within the mountains. We flew uneventfully for about a week, stopping at night time to sleep, now far beyond the reaches of the icy north, making little contact with people along the way, except to get food. Most furs were still frightened of Dragons, but surprisingly, there were many more now who'd seen them, and knew what they were and were particularly friendly to Char and I.

On the eighth day of flight, somewhere around noon when the sun was high, we passed over a familiar structure. It was a garrison of some kind, apparently abandoned, and we landed to check it out. After looking around, I determined it was Fort Brak, one of the first major outposts in Midland I was hired to protect as a freelance mercenary.

"Probably no one's guarded this place since Midgard fell," I said to Char, looking about. There was nothing of interest here, and it looked as if it'd been looted long ago. But since we now had a waypoint to navigate with, we could now find our way to the Southern Foothills much easier.

After eating and taking a break, Char and I took off once more. We flew high above countless forests and towns, none of them looking familiar but happy knowing we were finally back in Midland and were going to be making our way back to all my friends, who I was now even more eager to see.

When the sun finally set, still far off from the Foothills, we reluctantly landed close to another small town, where I was able to eat a hot meal and after almost three months, finally get some ale in me; it was a typical ale, but it tasted especially good now. After satisfying my stomach and swiftly ending a bar fight with an otter, I rejoined Char outside of town and promptly gave him a hug.

"What's this for?" he asked me.

Though I was mostly drunk, I did have a reason. "You're such a good friend," I said, trying not to slur too much. "You didn't have to take me to see Vedrfolnir, but you did anyway, and I thank you for it." I then wrapped my arms around Char's neck and purred loudly, finally letting go. I couldn't stop smiling at the Fire Dragon, though again, it was mostly because I was drunk.

"It was an honour and a pleasure," Char responded soberly. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed at my inebriation or not, but he nuzzled me back anyway.

Sleep came quickly that night, sleeping next to Char, and even quicker came sunrise. I woke with a dry maw and a headache, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. After getting some breakfast and ensuring people Char wasn't there to hurt them, the Fire Dragon and I took flight once more, and hopefully for the last time before meeting up at the camp.

For most of the flight, I couldn't stop thinking about finally reuniting with my friends, but more than that, I realized with every passing minute, I was inching that much closer to Kai. All of this, this whole journey since losing him almost a year ago, was dedicated to saving him from the evil Crimson King. I longed desperately to see his beautiful face again and wrap my arms around his soft, tender body. I wanted nothing more than to hear his poetic words once more, whether he's complaining about the heat or making a cute observation.

Like myself, he'd been though a lot of shit in his life, which seemed to become trivial once we met each other. We'd only known each other for a week, before the fall of Midgard, but somehow I knew in only a couple days he and I were destined to be together. And not just because of the whole "releasing the Crimson King" prophecy thing, but because it only took that long for me, against all odds, to fall so completely in love with him, and vice versa. There was something about that young panther I didn't want to ever live without. But despite my best efforts, which hardly felt like effort at all, he was taken away from me by the Crimson King, and his biggest mistake was leaving me alive.

In fact, that was the first time I'd ever lost absolute control of Nosferatu, and it seemed I wouldn't ever come back from that. But I did, dragged from the heavy, bloody mess by thoughts of revenge and of course my dear, sweet Kai.

And now, I finally felt close to him. Close to exacting my revenge and taking my boy away from that horrid, dark place. It had been far too long thinking that moment was too far off, and now... It would be glorious. Nothing could stand in my way; my path was clear.

Shortly after noon, when the sun was high and hot, Char and I stopped to eat and rest under some trees. Naturally, Char wasn't bothered by the heat, but since my armour was black and thick, it wasn't doing me much good.

"How are you doing?" the Fire Dragon asked me.

I sat down beside a tree, feeling focused and determined, then finally glanced at my friend. "You mean besides the heat?"

Char nodded. "Your mind seems elsewhere. I cannot read minds, but...are you thinking about Kai?"

I smiled, then relaxed a little. "Yeah," I admitted. "I am. It's been a long time thinking I would never see him again, but now we're almost there. It's hard to believe. I still can't imagine what we're going to do after this is all over."

"Midland will need to be rebuilt," said Char. "If I understand correctly, the royal line is dead, and save becoming annexed by another country, someone here will have to step up."

I just shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, really, who's in charge. It'll be the same anywhere we go."

"I suppose so. In Hel, we never had any sort of ruler like that. We all just listened to our Elders, trusting in their word."

"Dragons become wiser in their old age. Most furs just become senile."

Char laughed. "Indeed."

"So do you think we'll reach camp before nightfall?"

"It is doubtful. Though I am certain I could make it before having to rest for the night."

I nodded. "Good. I...I can't wait to see everyone again. It feels like it's been a long time. I'm even kinda excited to see Loki."

"You two share an interesting bond," the Dragon noted, which I suppose was true.

Loki and I hated each other more than anything else in the world at one point, but our hatred and anger toward the Crimson King is what had brought us together. I now trusted Loki with my life, though all logic told me I shouldn't, and I would certainly defend him to the death if things ever came to that.

In fact, I think I could fairly say that for all my friends, even Rin. Unlike Rit or Keefe, or even Loki, too, Rin and I had never gotten close. When Kai was still with us, I would train the two in using a sword, but he stayed primarily close to Kai and especially Keefe. I didn't know much about the kid, and Keefe, his partner, never said much. Suppose his story was as typical as any of the King of Midland's servants; grew up without parents, eventually fell into an orphanage, then taken to the castle to serve the King. Despite that, though, I would still defend the cougar to my final breath, if for no other reason than because he meant so much to Keefe, who of course meant a great deal to me.

Interestingly, Keefe had grown on me by a great deal in the few years I'd known him. At first I couldn't stand him, especially knowing he was a Holy Knight. But after revealing he no longer believed in his faith, due in part to the path I was leading, he and I had almost instantly become closer friends. Which only grew from there on, to the point where I could honestly say I loved that canine with all my heart. Naturally that contradicted my feelings toward Kai, but I couldn't begin to explain it. It was a different kind of love, I think, that I had for Keefe. The bond I shared with Kai was so much more intense than anything I'd ever felt, I hardly even considered it on the same plane of emotion I felt for Keefe; it was something beyond that, something profound and indescribable and everlasting.

Anyway, I missed that canine very much, as well as my long-time friend Rit. That lion, I must admit, loves me in perhaps the same way I love Keefe, and while I do love him in return, it isn't quite on the same level. It's somewhat staggering to think about all these emotions flying about in a single group, especially since Rit shares an intense hatred for Loki, but somehow we all manage; I think the release of sexual tension from time to time helps enormously, though that tends to complicate things further.

Nevertheless, I was eager to see every one of them once more, and with that thought in mind, I gathered my things and let Char know I was ready. In just a few minutes we were in the sky once more, and beneath me I could feel Char's body pumping hard, I think trying to get us to the Foothills as quickly as he could.

Hours passed of silent flight, save the sound of the wind whipping past my ears, and off in the far, far distance, an impossibly black cloud stormed above a small yet incredibly tall object, no doubt the Crimson King's castle. Char and I were still flying in cloudless skies, and at our altitude, we could see the enormous dark pillar billowing upward and swirling around the black castle, so far off yet so tremendously large. A cold shiver ran up my spine, and every one of my instincts was telling me to keep away. Somehow I could sense Char felt the same, and something in the mood of our flight had instantly changed. Suddenly we were flying with much more purpose, his wings pumping gravely as he rose upward.

Luckily, we weren't yet heading toward the castle, but even still it slowly drew closer, revealing its colossal size with every minute. We could hear a near-constant, deep rumbling of lighting and thunder in the distance, and though we were at least a ten-hours' flight away from it, it still felt dangerously close. The sky above us was grey and dreary now, and getting darker as the sun began to set. We were still a few hours away from the camp.

All around the cold wind and constant lightning and dark skies made for an extremely eerie night, and though we were flying uneventfully, I could hear Nosferatu constantly chuckling at something, and I think Char felt it, too. Something cold and wicked was hanging in the air, undeniably. But all was silent.

"What is that?" I said to Char as he lowered his altitude.

"I don't know," he answered. "Perhaps it is because we are in such close proximity to the Crimson King."

I gripped onto Char's harness tighter, suppressing a growl. Below us, what was once vast, beautiful forests were now enormous wastelands of blackish dead trees, shrivelled and twisted under the influence of the evil King, and I saw no signs of life in its twisted branches. Every so often I'd see a dark creature bound here and there, clearly an ideal environment for creatures of Hel, but either all natural creatures had fled, or had been devoured by their twisted counterparts.

"Do you think with the Crimson King gone, all of this will return to normal?"

Char I think would have shook his head, had he not been concentrating on flying straight. "It is hard to say. His influence is far-reaching, but there may be a chance for revival. Though I severely doubt anything even remotely close to his castle will ever be the same."

This time I did growl. I held on tight as Char suddenly swooped down low, and now continued to fly fairly close to the ground, though still a fair distance up.

After what felt like a long while, the ground below us completely dark and shadowed now, off in the distance we saw something at first unusual. But upon closer inspection, what appeared to be dozens - and steadily dozens upon dozens - of flickering orange stars on the ground turned out to be hundreds of little campfires, and lanterns marking the tiny, makeshift homes of thousands of soldiers. Though we didn't see any Dragons, it was likely they were at the furthest end of the Foothills, closest to the mountains. Less than an hour later, Char and I had finally reached the Southern Foothills and were flying steadily above the army, all of whom either didn't notice us or didn't raise alarm. The next move was finding out where Keefe and the others were.

My first thought was at the southern-most point where Tiberius' home was, but after passing what looked like the Commanders' tent, I thought I should start there. After a bit of circling around, Char finally found a spot to land, despite the frightened cries of some of the soldiers. I hopped off Char's back and gathered my things, mostly ignoring the scared and stunned men around me, focused almost entirely on getting to the tent. Char was still carrying my helmet, despite everything I'd learned in the past three months.

Most soldiers I passed by glanced up at me and either stared or gasped slightly, or simply glared at this strange newcomer, wondering who dared intrude so abruptly. Many of the soldiers, it seemed, had already gone to sleep, while others continued to get drunk or performed some other sort of ritual, which indicated to me we'd be heading out very shortly. Possibly even the next morning.

But finally I reached the large tent with two lanterns out front, and as Char and I approached, a young soldier exited, leading someone out. Seconds later Keefe appeared, looking exhausted, and when he finally gazed upon me, he stopped dead in his tracks and just stared, maw agape.

I smiled at the dog, and before he could smile back, Rit exploded from the tent and came barrelling toward me, wrapping his big arms around me tightly, despite my cold armour, giving me a hearty squeeze.

"You're back!" cried the happy lion, unrelenting in his hug. Finally I hugged him back. "I missed you so much! Everyone did. Even that shit-face Loki..."

At last Rit let go and held me at arm's length, as if to make sure I was really there, then finally released me. It was no surprise to smell the intoxicating scent of alcohol on his breath.

Keefe then approached me, smiling, and gave me a softer hug, which I returned immediately. "It's good to see you," he said. "Were...you successful?" Always straight to business.

"Yeah," I said, letting go of the dog. Rin joined us shortly after. "Char and I found Nidhoggr's brother, Vedrfolnir, and he helped me better understand Nosferatu, which allowed me more easily control it. You have nothing to worry about."

The sense of relief was palpable within our small group, and most soldiers who were sticking around just watched curiously, I think more so to find out who I was and why I seemed so important.

Past Keefe and Rit I saw August standing just outside the tent, giving me a hard stare, but I knew he'd heard everything. When I glanced over at him, I could tell he, too, was relieved to hear it, but I think was still angry at me. I couldn't blame him, anyway.

Finally, from a small tent near the Commanders' tent a small arctic fox emerged, face showing about as much emotion as it always had. But as I ignored whatever it was Keefe was trying to tell me, though I think it was mostly arguing with Rit, who of course wanted the dog to settle down, I looked into Loki's eyes and saw a great happiness you would never see from him otherwise. He didn't approach or say anything, just simply stared. Though he always appeared stoic, Loki could never hide the emotions in his eyes. I smiled and nodded anyway, happy to see him, but Loki just responded with a frown and disappeared into his tent.

"We'll be heading out tomorrow," said Keefe, still talking away.

"Where's Ashley?" I interrupted, looking about.

"He and Cy remained with the Swift Kitty II, which was the Interloper before. Neither of them wanted to join us in the war effort, unfortunately. They said something about having a dream of sailing together."

I couldn't exactly blame them for not wanting to join, though I wished I could have seen Ashley before the battle started. "What about Tiberius?" I asked.

"He's back at home, comforting my mother. He won't be joining us in battle either."

I nodded. "Is there any place we can sit down?"

"Definitely," said Rit. "We got some ale an' mead, too!"

I turned to Char now. "Will you be all right out here by yourself?"

"Aye," replied Char. "I will go find my brothers and rest."

I nodded, then hugged my fiery friend. I was then led into the Commander's tent, which had the typical table in the middle with a map of the land, redone to show the Crimson King's castle. There were all sorts of marks and a couple knives in the table, and based on condition of the map, I would say there had been many heated debates in here. Nevertheless, there was apparently another tent connecting to this one with another table, but looking more like it was for eating off of, rather than planning on. It'd probably been used for both.

"We finished not long ago finalizing our plans. I can go over it with you if you want...though I suspect you will not be a part of the main forces."

I nodded, everybody sitting down now. August was giving me a look as if to say "I knew it," but kept his maw shut.

"Yeah," I said, taking a drink. I was happy to see Valo, my Alpha, appear suddenly beside me, nudging me uncontrollably and making all sorts of horrible, happy noises. I petted him gently and gave him a piece of meat which looked like it was left over, which seemed to silence the excited black hound for now. "Unless you came up with something else."

"We more or less have you leading the men into battle, despite some objections. But, um...this can wait until tomorrow." Keefe was wearing a face of pure curiosity, I think wanting desperately to know how things went.

And so I explained my journey there into the icy north, describing the small village I'd visited especially to August, who seemed both impressed and fascinated by it. I then explained how the process of controlling my Darkness went, and how chaotic it was. But they seemed satisfied in knowing I wasn't any risk to them, especially when wearing Algol.

"It took that long just to do that?" said Rit.

I frowned. "Yeah, it did. It wasn't easy. The amount of stress I went through physically and mentally and emotionally was...unbelievable. It was almost too much. But I'm ready now, to finally end this."

The others nodded, and drank. Even Rin was sharing a drink, which was rare. After finally finishing, though, I suddenly started to feel the weight of a long journey, and I wanted nothing more than to rest in a comfortable bed.

"Where is everyone sleeping?" I asked.

"I'm sharin' a tent with August," said Rit excitedly, and the lions shared a glance. I think August was mostly unimpressed with that, but he'd likely grown used to Rit's presence by this point. Rit just stared admiringly at the large white lion, then back at me.

"Rin and I are sharing a tent as well," Keefe told me. "But it would seem the only one Loki was comfortable sleeping next to is Valo. Perhaps he could accommodate you."

Oddly, I felt somewhat excited over that notion.

"He barely spoke to anyone since you left," Rin chimed in with a smile. "He just kept to himself mostly, and didn't even help plan the attack, even though he knows the Crimson King better than anyone. I think he'll be really happy to see you."

I nodded, and thanked the kid. "If it's all the same to you, then, I think I need to get some rest. It's been a very long week."

"Of course," replied Keefe, who gave me a peculiar look. He held onto my forearm firmly before letting go, giving me a sort of lustful glance. I think he missed me a lot more than he let on, which made me happy. But regardless, I was a lot more interested in sleep than I was with making love.

I left the tent somewhat quickly, only to be greeted by a large group of soldiers, both young and old. They seemed more curious than anything to know who I was, and if they hadn't heard anything, no doubt gathered by my appearance and reception from my friends that I was somewhat more than just a soldier.

"Who are you?" a young canine asked.

"My name is Luca," I told them. "I'm Keefe's friend, and I'm the one who will be leading you all into battle."

They all just stood surprised, but not one questioned it. At least, not out loud; the word would undoubtedly spread fast throughout the camp, and I'm sure many angry soldiers, including some commanders, would have a few questions for Keefe.

"If you'll excuse me," I said somewhat annoyed, then made toward Loki's tent. Fortunately it was only ten feet away, give or take.

"Loki?" I said quietly, poking my head in through the front. Much to my delight, he was in there, sitting alone and, oddly, topless. It looked as if he'd hidden something moments before I entered.

"What?"

"I wanted to see you," I said, though it was only half true.

"For a place to sleep?" the perceptive fox asked. He then shuffled about to make room for me, and I stepped in graciously, careful not to knock over the lamp.

"Do you mind..?" I said, asking him if I could remove my armour.

Loki was, of course, totally deadpan, but looked up with excited eyes. He simply nodded.

After a short while, I had removed all my armour and placed it neatly in the corner, then turned to face the arctic fox, completely nude. He couldn't keep his eyes off me, but soon turned his head away, into his shoulder and frowning heavily. I simply sat near him, for now leaving the clothes Vedrfolnir had given me in my bag, and then stretched my back muscles before finally relaxing. I sat cross-legged, then turned my head to face Loki, and I'd caught him staring again. He looked very angry at me.

"It's...good to see you," the fox told me, finishing up the last four words very quickly, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him say them. "I, um..." The fox kept his face buried in his shoulder, rubbing his arm nervously.

"I missed you, too," I finally said, smiling at him. Loki either just continued frowning, or kept his usual face.

Though we sat in awkward silence for a while, slowly I began to work myself into a calming trance, sending my consciousness soaring through my mind as I started my meditation. I wasn't going to attempt to communicate with my slumbering Demon this time, but simply let my mind drift to see where it would take me.

Which, as it turns out, wasn't far, since I was alerted to a noise behind me; Loki was shuffling closer.

"What's up?" I asked, turning my head a little. But the moment I finished asking, I was suddenly assaulted by the small arctic fox in the form of a hug, quick and precise. I didn't say anything, but sat in stunned silence waiting for an explanation.

Loki pulled away about as quickly as he'd come, then looked me seriously in the eyes. "Don't tell anybody I did that or I'll murder you in your sleep."

"Okay," I said with a laugh. "You're sweet."

Loki rubbed his arm and blushed a little, looking away from me, but forced himself to look back. Once again his subtle, expressive eyes told me he'd missed me. "Has the dog told you the plans?" he asked, completely expressionless again.

"Sorta."

"The Dragons are going to go in first to try to weaken the enemies for the rest of us. The dog is assuming that the army is going to be in their demon forms, which would obliterate our regular armies, no matter how big they are. He also figured you'd be leading us into battle, but reluctantly agreed with the others that we couldn't count on you to return on time. Plus August insisted you'd be doing things your own way. I agreed, for what it was worth."

"Sounds simple enough."

"I'm sure there are more complicated plans in mind; another assault of Dragons I think will attack the Demon Army's flanks, though I can't imagine they won't be busy fighting off aerial Disciples."

I just shrugged. "I only have one goal in mind, and if it was up to me, I'd do it alone. But of course Keefe won't let me."

"No one will," said Loki, which surprised me a little. "You just... You mean too much to people."

"Even you?" I asked with a grin.

Loki frowned, then grumbled something incoherently as he rubbed his forearm.

"It's okay, you don't have to admit it."

Loki turned away.

After a moment, I finally decided to lie down, resting peacefully on the makeshift bed, while Loki simply sat nearby. I heard him shuffling around a bit, but I wasn't nearly curious enough to open my eyes and look. However when I felt a presence looming over me, the fox having shuffled closer, I was forced to look. When I first opened my eyes, I was greeted with a nice view of Loki's soft tail, quietly flicking behind him, but soon moved my head to look at him.

"What is it?" I turned onto my back, and it seemed as if Loki was holding onto something nervously. Curiosity overpowering me, I sat up.

"Um..." the fox started. "Here," he said, suddenly thrusting out his paws.

And in his paws was a length of some braided material, with a few colourful beads woven into it. It wasn't particularly long, but with a loop at one end and a larger bead at the other, I could only assume it was meant to be worn, quite possibly around my wrist.

Carefully I picked it up, staring at it. Despite how simple and primitive it was, the bracelet was actually quite beautiful. I just continued to hold onto it, and the two of us sat in silence.

"I made it for you," said Loki, who was blushing quite noticeably now. Finally he worked up the courage to look me in the eyes, showing a sort of affectionate sadness.

And I had to admit, I felt something, too. Even when we'd met for the very first time, he always managed to surprise me, whether it be for good or evil, but this was very surprising. My heart then skipped a beat as Loki took the bracelet and put it around my left wrist for me, putting the bead into the loop, and giving it a slight tug to make sure it would stay. Amazingly, it fit perfectly.

"Thank you," I said softly, heart beating quickly. Receiving something this personal from Loki was the last thing I ever would have expected. "It's beautiful."

Loki then grumbled something and looked away, but I wasn't going to let him get away with it this time. With my right paw I held my pads to his left cheek, which felt very warm, and gently got him to look at me again, which was apparently so painful to the fox, it made him groan uncomfortably.

"I mean it, Loki. This means a lot to me." Then I leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on his muzzle, which seemed to be just what the fox needed to calm him down.

Our eyes met, then without warning Loki frowned at me, then shoved my arm away. He gave me a quick nod, just one, then backed away. "You're welcome," he said, but soon softened up. "I made it because...you're important. To all of us, this army, and to this fight. The dog and the lion like you, and want to see you come back alive." Loki paused for a short while. "And...so do I."

I just smiled at the awkward arctic fox, finding his words sweet.

"You and I have done terrible things to each other," Loki continued, taking on a more serious tone. "Unforgiveable things. But despite all that...I'm glad you're here with us, to fight with us, and I sincerely hope when this is all over, you can return to us. To...me, too."

"Thank you," I said again, smiling at the poor little arctic fox.

He then put one of his small paws on my chest and I felt his body move forward slightly, but also hesitate and pull away. However once I put a paw on his back, he continued right along, his muzzle moving slowly toward mine, until I closed my eyes and together we shared a short yet wonderfully sweet kiss. After pulling away, we nuzzled for just a second and Loki backed off further, which I took as my cue to lie back down.

After the fox doused the lamp, and from the noise and darkness outside our tent, it seemed the rest of the camp was doing the same, he removed his pants and curled himself into a white, soft ball of fur across from me. And as I stared at the bracelet wrapped around my wrist, thinking about the amount of hard work and the dedication Loki must have put into it, I felt a much greater need to repay the fox in any way I could.

I leaned forward quietly and suddenly brushed my paw against Loki's back, which startled him out of his ball.

"What the hell do you want?" asked the angry fox.

"C'mere," I said with a smile, though I doubted he could see it.

"What?"

I leaned forward more and put my paw on his waist, pulling a bit, until he finally got the hint.

"Go away," said Loki, turning back around.

I sighed, letting my paw slump back to the ground. But a short while after getting back into my place, I noticed the arctic fox shifting a little bit, as if he couldn't get comfortable, until he cursed loudly under his breath and turned around to face me.

"You'd better not tell anyone..." he threatened, then very dexterously and carefully shifted closer, and I happily put my arm around him.

Though he struggled uncomfortably for a bit, after turning his body around he and I started to spoon, and I held the warm arctic fox close. I could hear Loki grumbling, but it soon stopped and he relaxed.

"Despite everything," I said quietly, "you're a good friend."

Loki, as predicted, didn't respond, but he did snuggle into me and held onto my paw as if to keep me there. With my arm wrapped comfortably around the fox, I couldn't stop myself from purring and slowly, he and I fell asleep together.

The next morning came with a startling noise from outside, like someone dropping their armour, and an incredible noise of a busy camp; I think they were getting ready to move out, and the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet. When I went to give Loki a squeeze, luckily finding him still with me, I was startled once again to see his fur had turned jet black and coarse and stiff, and he was breathing loudly. But when I managed to wake up a bit more, I realized Loki had, at some point, been replaced with my affectionate and loyal Alpha, Valo. He, apparently, was sleeping right through all this noise.

Finally, though, I decided to get up, and felt a certain chill, like someone was watching me. I looked about, then suddenly got frightened when I spied Loki at the further end of the tent, eating something and watching me. He was fully clothed now, and looked as if he even had some armour, though he hadn't put it on yet.

"You're up," Loki stated, now munching on some bread.

I stood up, yawned, then stretched, staring hungrily at Loki's food. "Yeah, I am... Sleep well?"

Loki shrugged. "Well enough." I then got a sense he was blushing, though nothing visible appeared.

"If you want some of your own food, there's a tent close by... You'll know which one it is by the group of people. I just stole mine from behind."

I began pulling my clothes out of my bag, fitting into the loose-fitting clothes easily; they were surprisingly warm. "You shouldn't do that, y'know."

Loki frowned. "Why not? I was going to get it anyway. This way I just didn't have to wait."

"I guess. Anyway, I'll be back."

Loki nodded, then away I went. Sure enough, I located the food tent easily, and I quickly realized why Loki opted to steal his food instead. But since Loki was far more subtle than I am, I figured it would probably be in my best interest to just wait; apparently it was some kind of soup for breakfast, or a stew or something. Smelled good, either way, probably because my stomach was making more noise than Nosferatu. I was happy, though, to see Keefe standing around, hopefully in this furry mass waiting to eat. I joined him quickly.

"Good morning," Keefe said to me, smiling brightly.

"Morning," I replied, much less bright-eyed than he.

"Loki said he told you about our plans..?"

"More or less, yeah. I can lead your men into the forefront of battle, and even fight with them for a while...but ultimately I'll be going after the Crimson King."

"Do you really think you'll be able to defeat him?"

I nodded. "Do I have any choice?"

"No," Keefe chuckled, "I suppose you don't."

Keefe then sighed quietly. "It's been a long three months without you," he said, rubbing my back slightly. He didn't seem to mind the crowd all around us. "Rit wouldn't shut up about you, and even Rin thought about you from time to time. Ashley wanted me to say good luck in the battle, and he'll miss you. And, well...you never left my thoughts, Luca."

"That's sweet of you to say," was the only response I could think of. Slowly but surely, we were making our way to the front, that much closer to satisfying my hunger. "I'm impressed you managed to amass an army of this size so quickly."

"You can thank my father for that. Don't ask me how he did it, but almost every country he went to agreed to join; he even went to the Holy See, but they of course declined. Unfortunately they knew about his disapproval of their religion, and the gods he preferred to worship, and called him as much a devil as the Crimson King. Neither of us were surprised."

"Who's in charge of them all?"

"I think unofficially, I am. But each country has a respective general. Midland's army is under my direct command, and many of them remember August. I'm, uh, not really used to being called 'High Commander.'"

I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

"Why is that funny?" Keefe asked, frowning.

"No, it isn't," I said, getting the last bit of laughter out. "I can't think of anyone else better suited to the title."

"Thank you."

At last Keefe and I reached the front of the line.

"G'mornin', Commander," said the Shepherd serving us. He plopped our food into the bowls."Ow're you feelin'?"

"I'm fine Jamie."

"Ah, good," the dog, Jamie, said to me. "Poor Keefe's been under a lotta stress these days, eh?"

I glanced over at Keefe, then retrieved my food. "I can imagine why."

"Thank you, Jamie," Keefe said, taking his food as well, and I think somewhat annoyed he was so forthcoming with that information.

Together Keefe and I worked our way around the crowd and back toward the large Commanders' tent, where we were greeted by Rit and Rin moments before entering.

"Oh! Stripes!" exclaimed Rit, about to hug me but stopped himself for fear of spilling my food. "We were jus' about to get some food, too."

"Better get in line now, then," said Keefe, not at his most subtle.

Rit frowned. "Go to hell, dog, I was talkin' to Luca."

Keefe frowned back, then went into the tent.

"Let's go," said Rin, pulling on Rit's arm. "They're gonna run out, 'cause you wanted to sleep in."

Rit sighed in annoyance. "You can get your own damn food," he said.

Now it was Rin's turn to frown, except it was much more effective than Keefe's.

The lion sighed again. "Fine, let's go. Christ... See you later, stripes?"

I smiled at Rit and rubbed his shoulder. "You bet." Finally I went into the large tent and sat next to Keefe.

"Got away, hm?"

"Yeah, thanks to Rin."

Keefe smiled, then we continued to eat mostly in silence, sitting across from one another, until we both finished. Keefe was staring at me.

"What?" I said with a mawful of bread.

"We've come so far together," noted the dog. "And we've been through a lot."

I wasn't sure where Keefe was going with this, but I think he didn't either.

Keefe got up, and I watched as he moved around the table and let his paws gently massage my shoulders. Then his muzzle inched down, and as his arms wrapped around me, he rubbed his cheek against mine, and I simply swallowed the last of my food; I was finally able to rub back.

"I missed you so much," said the dog. I could almost hear his heart beating. "I didn't think I would, not that much. I thought I would have enough to keep me occupied, but every day I thought about you. wondering how you were doing and when you'd come back to us."

I turned in my chair and looked up at Keefe, and fortunately he'd caught on. Within moments our lips were pressed together, both of his paws on my cheeks to keep me there. He was breathing somewhat heavily through his nose, and even groaned slightly, and soon our maws cracked open and our tongues connected. I tilted my head excitedly and opened my maw wider, Keefe doing the same, and even heard a quietly moan escape me.

Finally Keefe pulled away, and the lust and exhilaration was clear in his eyes. "Get up," he said to me, pulling on my arm, and I did so quickly. I had a fairly good idea of what was on Keefe's mind, and though I wasn't aching for it nearly as much as he was, it thrilled me all the same.

My heart was beating fast, more so when Keefe yanked my pants down with alarming ease, then pushed me back onto the table; he surprised me a little with his intense enthusiasm, and though he'd already undone his pants, I was at least fast enough to stop him.

"Slow down," I said, holding him by both shoulders. "I know you're excited, but you don't need to be so aggressive."

Keefe just stared at me for a moment, then relaxed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was just..."

Before he could finish that thought, though, I reached a paw forward and held onto his hard, throbbing cock, which made him gasp, and pulled him in for another kiss. Again I tasted his meaty breath, and was excited by the feel of his wet, busy tongue gliding around my maw in anticipation. Finally we parted, and with a lustful gaze, I dragged myself back onto the table, lifting my legs apart and leaning back on both paws.

Keefe leaned in further with a smile and kissed me again, except this time he pushed his hot meat into my tailhole, slowly penetrating me.

I gasped only slightly, not enough to break our kiss, and groaned as he pushed forward some more.

"I love you," Keefe told me throatily, and I think I felt his knot press against my rear. He groaned, then looked at me again. "I've been wanting to do this with you for so long..." The dog then began to blush intensely, like he was embarrassed to admit that.

I simply smiled and carefully reached a paw upward, stroking his cheek gently with my pawpads, then pulled him in for a quick kiss. "I love you, too, you know that."

The dog growled bestially with a devilish grin. "Indeed..." He then pulled out fairly quick then plunged back in with an amazing amount of force, causing me to cry out. Then again and again he slammed his knot into my rear, and I moaned along with him. I'd spent almost three months without any sort of sexual release, and so I was probably a lot more eager than I'd care to admit.

I now raised both paws up and latched them behind Keefe's neck, holding on as he fucked me, both of us making all sorts of strange and familiar noises; groaning, grunting, growling, anything to express our incredible pleasure in that heated moment. Though I couldn't speak for Keefe, I knew I wasn't going to last very long, my cock now rock-hard and begging for release - plus I never lasted long to begin with.

Every time Keefe slammed forward, I think I felt his knot hammering inward bit by bit, and each time he tried, a significant squirt of precum fired onto my shirt. I could hardly contain my odd noises, and so silenced them as best I could by kissing the dog once again, which didn't come close to slowing him down. We moaned and groaned in each other's maws, my blood pumping quickly, partially afraid someone would walk in on us. But that worry was pushed aside by the intense pleasure in both my rear and my heart, and our kiss wasn't enough to contain my happy growl.

Keefe's lips pulled away from mine, but his maw was still close, groaning and huffing, and at one point he'd even bit onto my lip, which caused a giggle from him and a horny snarl from me.

Soon our bodies were moving perfectly together, though dangling from Keefe's shoulders I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter, but certainly I tried. He would push forward with amazing force, and I would push my rear into him as best I could from my limiting position. Either way, our movements were harmonious, and the symphony of moans and deep breathing made for a very arousing scenario.

"Uhgg," Keefe groaned, holding onto me tightly. After a few particularly powerful thrusts, he asked me if I was ready, and though it took me a moment to register what he was talking about, I eagerly said yes. A couple thrusts later, he growled deeply, trying to hold back a howl, and pushed his sizable knot straight into my tailhole.

I cried out, which was subdued by a kiss, though it was difficult to contain. Somehow I could tell Keefe, too, was holding back a ton of noise, and I suddenly felt something very warm entering my rear, coming from the dog's shaft. After a long moment of shallow thrusts and bizarre noises, he pulled his lips away with a very satisfied sigh then gave an affirming tug, ensuring he was deeply knotted inside my rear. He just growled with deep satisfaction, and I could feel his body still trembling with pleasure.

"How about you?" he asked, paw reaching down to my slimy shaft. "You going to cum for me?"

I gasped as he gripped tightly, forcing out some more precum, which apparently amused the dog. He stroked me slowly at first, giggling at my shivering and quiet moaning, but soon sped up.

"Not going to last long, are we..." he teased. I just frowned at the dog as well as I could manage, considering my face was probably stuck in agonizing pleasure. He stroked me faster and faster, those warm, smooth paws massaging me so brilliantly, gliding straight through my spiny barbs as if they weren't even there. He then started to use two paws, giggling at my obvious pleasure.

Finally I let my paws go from around Keefe's neck, and resumed leaning back on them, to allow greater access for the Dane. His dark-furred paws moved like a blur against my shaft, squeezing perfectly in all the right places to drive me crazy. But in just a couple minutes, my body began to convulse slightly as my shaft was instantly flooded with intense pleasure, and I cried out. From my cock exploded copious amounts of hot, creamy tiger-seed, spraying upward and landing all around my hips and on Keefe's forearms. A moment later, the dog finally released my shaft, sighing with contentment, and still knotted with me. I was breathing heavily and feeling quite flushed, but amazingly happy. The incredible pleasure still lingered quietly in my nethers, assisted by the enormous knot still jammed in my rear.

For a moment Keefe and I just laughed, but soon we decided it was time to clean up a bit. Keefe, with a bit of effort, pulled out, giving us both one final bit of pleasure before we had to pull up our pants; it was difficult for me to keep all Keefe's dog-seen inside, but I think I could contain it.

The two of us were murring quietly as we did ourselves back up, and unfortunately we didn't have time to lick up any of our mess, but instead wiped it off on some kerchief someone had evidently left behind. We stood awkwardly for a moment, then caught each other's glance, and we kissed one final time; Keefe pressed his body up against mine, paws on my hips - and mine on his - as our lips collided. It only lasted a moment, though, but it was clear he wanted it to last longer. So did I. But when we heard noise from the planning room next to us, we finally decided to part.

Rit suddenly burst into the room, clearly irritated by something. "That line couldn't have been long- What's going on in here?"

Rin then appeared, looking at Keefe and I curiously. Our bowls were a few seats down from where we were standing, on either side of the table, and we probably looked quite flush. I tried my best to control my heavy breathing, and I tried as subtly as I could to see if there was still any cum on me. I had no idea if Keefe was doing the same.

"You two okay?" asked Rit. He really was dense sometimes. Looking at Rin, though, I think he knew what was going on, and it surprised me how fine with it he seemed. He just sat down, Rit soon following.

"They're fine," answered the cougar, eating his food.

"If you say so," the lion responded suspiciously.

Keefe and I then sat, Keefe beside Rin and myself beside Rit.

"Are you going to be ready to head out soon?" asked the Great Dane, looking at Rit. I assumed Keefe and Rin were already ready, and all I had to do was strap into my armour. "We'll be leaving just after sunrise, hopefully in an orderly manner."

"Yeah, yeah," Rit said, spitting food all over the table. "Don'cha worry, Commander. I'll be ready to go."

After a while of just talking, mostly about the battle to come, I decided I should go get my gear collected, and hopefully Char would be around. I left the tent quickly and soon was back at Loki's. When I entered, he simply glared at me.

"You smell like the dog," he said angrily. "You two can't keep your paws to yourselves, can you."

I felt a sudden twinge of guilt creep into my gut, though I wasn't sure why.

Loki just grumbled to himself then turned around, holding a piece of his armour.

"We couldn't help it," I admitted. "It'd been so long."

Loki sighed. "I know," he said. "I'm... I know, okay?"

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Loki was jealous, though he would never admit it. Which I guess is what made me feel bad, especially after he'd given me that bracelet. But what could I say now? "I didn't intend for it to happen," I tried, but it got no reaction. Finally I gave up and searched for my armour; it was exactly where I'd left it.

But when I removed my shirt, Loki said, "Am I pathetic?" then turned around.

"No, of course you're not," I replied, assuming he knew that I knew he was feeling jealous. "Why would you be?"

Loki groaned. "You know why, and I don't like it, this feeling. It makes me selfish and weak, and I shouldn't be feeling it." The small fox then growled in frustration.

"You aren't pathetic," I tried to assure him, but it was probably no use. "It's natural."

Loki scoffed, then turned back around, tinkering with his armour, or something.

I approached the arctic fox and from behind then gave him a hug. "Believe it or not, Loki, you do have a very special place in my heart. I know it seems impossible, but you do. I love all my friends very much, and I definitely consider you one of my closest. I can't take back what me and Keefe just did, but you have to understand it was in an intense fit of passion... I don't think either of us were expecting it. Anyway, my point is, no matter what, I'm always going to consider you one of my closest friends, and whether or not you choose to believe it, I do love you."

Loki didn't respond, but just stood there next to the tiny table with his paws still resting on his armour. Finally, though, he turned and without looking up at me, gave me a tight squeeze. After letting go, paws resting on my hips for just a moment before dropping, he looked at me. "I overreacted," Loki admitted, frowning. "I lost my head for a moment, so...thank you."

I smiled at Loki, but of course he didn't smile back. It was kind of cute knowing how Loki felt, but I think neither of us could realistically see how any sort of relationship could ever work out.

Nevertheless, I removed the rest of my clothes and with Loki's help, I got back into Algol, minus the helmet; Char was still hanging onto that, and the Lionheart as well. Moments later, I got to watch Loki get into his gear, which included some light armour and a couple daggers, and of course his sword. Satisfied we'd gathered everything we could carry, we then began the process of taking down the tent and throwing everything onto a wagon, which people had already started doing. Not long after packing up, Midland's forces began to move out; the other armies would be following behind some time after us.

Hours passed and Char finally met up with me, telling me he'd found his brothers and father once again, having been separated after leaving Hel. Though the army behind me was walking at least in semi formation, I, unsurprising to August, broke off so I could ride with Char. For a while we just circled high above the army, getting an excellent view in the mid-day sun of just how enormous this army was. Far off in the distant horizon was the Crimson King's Black Tower, it's infinitely dark clouds swirling around it; from high above the ground it was easily visible, but from down there it would be a few days before they would even catch a glimpse of it.

Nightfall came and still we marched, until finally the sun was gone altogether and they decided to finally rest for the night, quickly setting up some makeshift tents and sleeping wherever they could; it reminded me of days long gone.

In the next few days I walked on the ground with the others, though admittedly I did ride on Char's back for a while, while he walked. But at last the army, at least those in front, could begin to see the Black Tower emerging, and I felt the chill run up each of their spines. This massive castle of black stone stood on the horizon, watching us, and I could tell as the sun set, no one would be sleeping easy. We were only a few days away from the battlefield, and not a single fur doubted the Crimson King knew we were coming. The unfortunate thing was, no one knew what his army was like. No one knew the monsters they would be facing, nor the sheer size of them, and I in no way knew how I could possibly prepare them for it. Keefe, if he had any sense, had no doubt told them about what they would be up against, but even then it's impossible to know how you'll react once you see the monster up close.

When I first fought a Disciple, the late King of Midland, I was horrified at the sight. I couldn't believe that something so enormous and so grotesque could even exist; I refused to believe. But that was when I began to truly understand the Darkness lurking inside me. Mowing down regular furs in battle is one thing, not much extra strength is needed there, but against a beast that could flatten you without even realizing it..? That called for something entirely different.

In fact, it was because of that battle that I lost my only love Kai for what felt like an eternity. Not lost in the literal sense, mind you, but he didn't want anything to do with me. Hell, he didn't even like looking at me. That was when I knew my Demon was far from a positive force. Fortunately Kai and I came to an understanding, and for a while we were truly happy again. That is, until the Crimson King took Kai away from me.

That, of course, set me on the path I was currently on. The following days were rough, and many of the soldiers were disgusted at the sight of rotting trees and dry, rocky earth, barely able to sustain the low-lying plant life. This decaying land was once home to rolling grassy hills and beautiful regions of forests, something even I recognized. I could remember walking out here in spring, the grass soft between my pawpads and a sweet breeze blowing through my fur. Now it was a charred wasteland with a hot, fiery wind fit for an evil King and his monster army.

On the final day of our march, we settled down as best we could, knowing the next day, chaos would ensue. Most men couldn't sleep, and many of them prayed, for all the good it would do them. The next day we would march over the hill and descend upon the Crimson King's black castle, and I had no idea yet how I would play things. All I could see was myself standing before the King, eager for a fight. But I suppose it would help morale if the men saw me tear apart a few of these beasts.

Unable to sleep that night, and unafraid, I ventured up the hill and stared at the Crimson King's castle. The ruins of Midgard served as a massive wall to the castle, its size enveloping most of the city. A structure so enormous has never been built before, though like the city it lay upon, it, too, will fall. The sky above us was darker than I'd ever seen it, and even more so above the castle. A part of me wanted to just go for it, to just march down this hill alone and face off against the King. But before I could even get the chance, Keefe joined me.

"What're you thinking?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Just...how I'm going to kill the Crimson King. It's been nearly a year since he took everything from me, and now I finally have a chance at revenge. Not just for taking Kai, but for everything else. He destroyed this land and destroyed thousands of lives. It was because of him that Midgard now lies in ruins, as well as Scoresby, not to mention the countless other towns that have been half demolished. Most blame me...but they're his Disciples, not mine. And for all the pain and misery he's caused in this world, I'm going to tear him down."

"Will you be joining us in battle?" asked the Dane.

I sighed heavily. "Yeah, I think so. At least...for a while. I'll ride in on Char."

"You're the only one who can defeat Disciples one-on-one. Most of the soldiers will be slaughtered."

I growled quietly. "The sooner I tear apart the Crimson King, the sooner his army will fall. It was because of his evil and his magic that they all became so horribly twisted in the first place. If he dies, so will they. But it will help your men to know those monsters can be destroyed. I'll fight with you, Keefe, until I'm confident your men will be fine on their own."

"And if they aren't?"

"Then I won't stop until every one of them are dead."

Keefe was looking at me gravely. "Will you be able to maintain your sanity for that long? There are hundreds of Disciples, probably even thousands. He could even have more as far as we know. Loki was able to turn Rit into one of those monsters, so the Crimson King could have been doing the same thing all this time."

"I don't know," I said, frustrated. "I don't know if I can, okay? That's why I want to go it alone, so no one else has to get hurt."

"If you even make it to the castle."

I growled. "I have every reason to believe if I go alone, the Crimson King will open his doors up to me."

"Would he?"

I had to think about that for a moment.

"He'll kill you, you know that. He doesn't care if you live so long as you leave him alone, but he has to know you're coming, and he will be intent on killing you. He'll send every Disciple your way, and only after you mow down every one of them will you be able to get to him, I promise."

"How on earth do you know that?" I argued. The Dane was probably right, though.

"That's Loki's theory, anyway, and he knows the King far more intimately than any of us. He offered you to join him once, and I severely doubt he'll extend that offer again."

Again I sighed, staring at the black castle. "Does it really make a difference? The Crimson King has to die, there's no other outcome."

Keefe shook his head slightly. "I suppose you're right. If you fail, then there is no hope for the rest of us. But...I think to preserve your sanity, you can't possibly fight them all."

"I'll be fine in that regard, trust me."

Keefe was looking at me through horribly worried eyes, then held my paw. "Just come back to us, okay?"

I squeezed his paw in return. "I will. Nothing can stop me from killing the Crimson King, and when I save Kai...well things can't go back to the way they were, but we'll be that much closer."

Keefe then held onto my arm tight and leaned in to kiss my cheek. He put both arms around my waist and just held onto me, head leaning against mine. I put an arm around the dog and held him close, and for a long while we just stood there, staring at the Crimson King's massive black castle.

Eventually the two of us parted and would attempt to sleep, myself now sitting at a modest campfire with Loki and Rit; neither of them could sleep, too, and Rit wasn't even drunk.

"What did you and the dog talk about?" asked Loki.

"Mostly about how tomorrow is gonna go. I think I'm going to fight with you guys for a while, but ultimately I'm going to face off against the Crimson King."

"Why not just go there in the first place?" Rit asked. "Leave the monster killin' to the rest of us."

"Because unless these men know Disciples can be killed, they'll just stand there and be slaughtered."

Rit grumbled. "Yeah, I guess you're right... Hey!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Where'd you get that bracelet?"

I'd removed my armour when we settled down, and forgot I was wearing it.

"Uh," started. "Loki made it for me."

Rit immediately snapped his head toward Loki, glaring at him. Loki frowned back.

"It was really sweet of him," I said, examining it closely. "Shows he cares about me."

Loki then turned away, no doubt embarrassed by it.

"I care about you, too," Rit said defensively.

"I know you do, Rit, that's not being debated. This is how Loki decided to show his feelings; he's not as open as you are about these things, so I really appreciate it."

Rit didn't say anything in response.

"I appreciate your concern for me, too, Rit."

The lion frowned, but soon sighed. He looked exhausted, like everybody else.

"I'm sorry," Rit finally said, something I wasn't sure I'd ever heard him say before. "Like you said, you know how much I care about you, an' I think you can understand why I can't exactly trust Loki..."

"I do."

"So...yeah. I guess it was really nice of him."

The arctic fox slowly turned around, glaring at Rit without pointing his head toward him.

"You guys had better work together on the battlefield," I said, looking at both of them. "I know you two hate each other, but if either of you hope to survive, you'll have to have everyone's back. Do you understand that?"

Neither of them spoke for a moment, but finally Loki said, "Yeah," followed by Rit.

"Good. Because I care about you two, too, equally as much." I had to emphasize the last part to Rit especially. "And when this is all over, I expect to have a drink with you."

Loki and Rit just grumbled something, both frowning and turning away. But I think that meant they got the point, and simply didn't want to admit it. But as the fire started to die down, my eyes did start to feel heavier, and so with Rit and Loki close to me, we eventually fell asleep.

The next morning came with a startling scream, and everyone leapt up at once and searched frantically for their gear, thinking the enemy was attacking. Loki was the only one who managed to stay calm, mostly because he knew it was simply a battle cry. There was no doubt: the Crimson King knew we were here, and awaited our arrival with anticipation.

When I looked up, above the chaotic soldiers - and Keefe and August trying to calm them down - I noticed a small platoon of Dragons, who I understood were scouts. The Air Dragons flew up high with ease and soared toward the Black Tower, and were fortunately met with no opposition. The Crimson King likely welcomed any visitors, but was smug enough in his and his army's ability to not bother attacking first. Obviously he had no problem terrorizing people before the battle starts, though.

Soon enough I found my armour, and luckily it was all there; Char still had my helmet, though he found me quickly. I strapped in quickly and turned around, watching Keefe and August trying to rally their troops.

"It's chaos all the way back," Char told me. "They think the enemy is attacking, but some of my brothers are trying to reassure them."

"He's laughing at us," I said angrily. "The Crimson King... He knows we're here, and he knows how frightened these men already are. He doesn't even care that I'm here."

"He does not know how far you have come since he bested you in Hel," Char pointed out, which was somewhat of a relief.

Soon enough, though, after our army was convinced no one was attacking, they quickly got themselves into formation. They stood in five equal blocks of men, all in a straight line, though it was impossible to tell just how many stood across, much less behind. Though if I understood, Midland's army stood at the forefront, being the largest, with only a few pods of specialized men placed between them from every other country. Their best warriors, I suppose, who were fortunately being led by August, who for the longest time led the greatest Midland had ever seen, myself included. Though in this case I would be on my own, Char notwithstanding.

Keefe then turned to address his men, though I was already in the air by that point. I heard him say something about dying heroically, and surprised me when he mentioned Valhalla. Nevertheless, he seemed to rally his troops very well, and they all looked prepared to die. Keefe then began to warn them again about the monstrosities they were soon to discover, but to remain strong and to keep cool, even in the heat of battle. He then mentioned me, another surprise, and that I would weaken their forces. The soldiers weren't sure what to make of that, but I would soon show them. Finally Keefe wrapped up his little speech with mentioning the Old Gods, Valhalla once more, and that failure wasn't an option, but one way or the other, they would die heroes. I couldn't completely agree with that, but the soldiers seemed to like it.

Finally, they began their march. Even from way up in the blackened sky, I could hear their mighty footsteps crushing the foul earth beneath them, and began their war chant. It was a sound I'd heard hundreds of times, and for some reason it always chilled me straight to the bone, despite never being on the opposing end of it. I never participated in the chant myself, since I was usually far more focused on the battle to come, but I certainly felt its power resonating through my fellow soldiers, as well as rattling the enemy.

But when they emerged over the hill, I could hear their powerful chant wane upon catching sight of the grotesque army before them, still a fair distance off, but every bit as frightening. Though they appeared as normal furs, they stood wearing misshapen armour and looked as if they were dead, or horribly diseased. Despite looking small and insignificant compared to our army, there was something dreadfully powerful about them. A few of them carried weapons, and many of them looked as if they were mid-transformation; some were bent forward and back at impossible angles, while others had eyes or limbs misplaced, or extremely wide and sharp-looking jaws. These were, perhaps, some of the Crimson King's original Disciples, who had been too long in their twisted forms to remember how to shift back to normal. No doubt they were itching for a good fight. After a good hour, though, our men finally approached the frontline and discontinued their chant, now spreading outward in a wonderfully organized fashion, creating an enormous blockade of armoured furs, too many to count. While they all carried swords, they also carried with them long spears, though that defence would do them no good once the Disciples transform. But with Midland's troops now ready to fight, Char descended and landed firmly in front.

I then grabbed the Lionheart securely with my left paw, squeezing it tightly, and at last took my helmet. I glanced back at Loki, and he glared at me, but eventually gave me a nod. He knew I was ready, and knew I would be in control.

In front of us , still a fair distance off - though hopelessly close when the battle begins - was a sizable army of dirty, rotting furs, standing in weak formation. Their weapons were rusted and crude, and their armour twisted and broken. By my estimation, there was at least ten furs for every Disciple, probably more; an easy win under normal circumstances. But soon the battle would become far from normal. The enemy would be crushing six of us at a time, if it was lucky, and barely harmed by our weapons. But for now...they were defenceless.

I turned around on Char quickly, the Dragon roaring its fiery breath and bucking up to get their attention. "Soon we will engage the enemy!" I cried to Midland's forces. They looked curiously at me, as if to wonder who I was and why I was shouting at them. "You know these enemies by hearsay only, and you know what they will become. But you cannot be deterred. You cannot give them a chance to attack you; you must be swift and you must be courageous. If you falter, you will die; if you hesitate for even a second, you will die. Be strong, and be confident. Now, archers...they are defenceless! Fire the first volley!"

The soldiers looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Now!" Keefe screamed, startling even Loki. "Fire now!"

The spearmen in front quickly ducked down, allowing the crossbowmen behind to fire their weapons. Seconds later, the first volley fired away, causing a massive uproar from the enemies, many of them beginning their transformation now.

"Second volley," Keefe shouted out, raising his paw high. A second later, as most Disciples were mid-transformation, the endless clicks and cranks of preparing crossbows ceased. "Fire!" cried Keefe, throwing down his paw.

Only a few Disciples fell, mostly from the first volley, but most of them had completely grown now, and screamed horrifically with crossbow bolts sticking out of their putrid skin. All I could hear were the sounds of petrified soldiers, but I just growled and turned. "Prepare to fire again!" I barked, and they did so obediently. "You have to be strong!" I cried desperately. "They are grotesque and powerful, but they are not indestructible!"

A bunch of soldiers let out a war cry, and Keefe begged for them to stay in formation.

Beneath us a deep rumbling shook us to our bones, the sound of the advancing Disciple Army. They cried out and roared, and immediately I kicked Char's side, which sent him running forward. He spread his mighty wings and shot upward, and I felt him take in an enormously deep breath. A moment later, the Fire Dragon let out an impressive plume of fire, shooting at least ten metres into the scorched and blackened air, signalling the Dragons to attack.

I could hear Keefe still begging his men to hold their ground, but it was clear they all wanted to run; I was impressed by their courage. But fortunately for them, moments before the Disciples reached the frontline, hundreds of Dragons emerged from the black clouds, rocketing downward to attack their enemies. They let out a terrific battle cry as they descended, and within seconds they engaged the Disciples, setting them ablaze with their fiery breath and slashing at them with their rocky blades.

But as predicted, the sky was suddenly lit up with fire as dozens upon dozens of aerial Disciples attacked. Char shot downward and slashed at one with his mighty jaws, wounding it badly but it was hardly out. Air Dragons appeared quickly, snarling and roaring fiercely as their powerful wings smashed the twisted faces of the Disciples, clawing at their guts and their wings and limbs, anywhere that could do some serious damage.

Holding on tight, Char shot forward and twisted upward, then swiftly turned and set a Disciple on fire. But amongst the smoke and chaos, a monster appeared and attacked Char's wing, the only thing keeping him up. Together we fell, and despite our horrible twisting and screeching and flailing arms, I managed to raise my sword high enough to attack the Disciple, weakening it enough for Char to smack it away. However he was now greatly injured, and though he could fly, he could not do so with me on his back.

Quickly Char landed, and I threw him something in a small pouch; the last of my Bloodgrass. He nodded and thanked me, and swiftly took off. But for now, I had to fight. Helmet still in my paw, I slowly raised it above my head. I took a quick look around, and saw Loki covered in blackish blood, smeared across his face. Surrounded by the shouting and fiery chaos of battle, most of our men having engaged the Disciples by now, I gave the little arctic fox a gentle nod, and he nodded back.

I firmly placed the helmet on my head, and though Nosferatu had been begging for release since we arrived, I would not yet give it the satisfaction. At least, not total control.

A second later, just as a Black Dragon fell just a few metres beside me, I felt that sudden dark rush. I held onto the Lionheart firmly and concentrated on that light, and though my Darkness encompassed me, there was a small spot of light I had left to cling on to. Something there, something real to keep my mind in the present, to keep it conscious and in reality.

I let out a horrifying loud roar, eyes closed tight and staggering about, and though my Demon wanted me to let go of that bit of light, I refused. Thoughts of my young, beautiful Kai pulled me closer to it, warming me and keeping me safe. Breathing heavily and audibly, which I could tell scared some of the soldiers around me, I finally opened my eyes.

All around I saw my men fighting, and though the scorching flames blew violently all around, and the cries of battle blended into one horrific noise, I was able to somehow concentrate, and see more like a Demon. I could see my men, clear as day, and see the Disciples, and each one seemed to have their own sort of lifeforce flowing through them, something I could both see and not see. The furs, the soldiers...theirs were bright and warm and colourful, while the Disciples were black and horrid - no surprises there. My Demon, Nosferatu, showed me what it wanted, what it should extinguish, with my mind's eye, but I was the one in control.

I snarled wickedly and turned my head, gripping the Lionheart tight. I felt my Demon's power flowing through my veins, through every muscle, bone and strand of fur. I felt dark and indestructible, and though my men were getting slaughtered, that part of me vastly enjoyed it. I began to chuckle and laugh as a soldier's blood sprayed onto my face, then growled gravely.

"Luca!" someone snarled. It was Loki. When I turned around, he approached me with such amazing anger in his face. He then reached out both paws and gripped tightly at my left, the one holding onto the Lionheart.

I gasped slightly, then closed my eyes. I saw that light again, but it was dimming. That is, until I saw Loki in my mind.

"Fight it!" he growled, holding my paw firmly.

When I opened my eyes again, everything was clear once more. "Thank you," I said, sounding more like me.

"Don't lose that light," Loki said, his paws slowly slipping away from mine. "We need you here. Don't become one of them."

I gave Loki a hard stare, then nodded. When he nodded back, he forced his helmet back over his face and lifted his sword, roaring at me.

I roared back, sounding much more bestial, then turned. In my sights was an enormous monster munching on at least three of my men, and it was going to pay.

Firmly I gripped the Lionheart with both paws and charged forward, crying out as I ran. My footpaws slammed into the earth as I charged, bringing with it an incredible power I'd hardly been conscious for to appreciate the few times I'd ever felt it. I growled deeply as I approached, then leapt off the body of a dead or dying Dragon, slamming the Lionheart down onto its putrid, horrid body. The Disciple screamed in pain, then attacked me with its arm, but I was quick to deflect it. I raised the Lionheart up, slicing the arm in two then roaring as I held the blade tighter and immediately pulled it in the other direction, straining my dark muscles. But it paid off, as I was rewarded with cleaving the monster in two. Though it cried and writhed about in pain, no longer mobile, I wasted no time in ending its life; a quick fist to its face did the trick.

When I retrieved my paw, I growled in delight and glanced at my soldiers. They were awestruck and horrified, but when I saw an aerial Disciple start to swoop down, I hadn't the time to reassure them. I snarled and ran toward the petrified soldiers, grinding to a stop and turning to my left, then immediately swung my weapon around to attack upward; this whole motion took only a second, and one more later, I struck the monster.

The Disciple screamed and fell, flailing about and trying to get back in the air, but I was quick to destroy its wings. Then I turned to my men. "Kill it," I growled, but they hesitated. "Kill it!" I roared, and the four them jumped, then went forward and killed the monster fiercely. They did well in ignoring its pathetic pleas for life.

"These monsters can be killed," I told them. "Not as easily as a fur, but they are not invincible."

The soldiers stood above their kill, looking more proud than they should, but I think they got my point.

Seconds later, though, an enormous, flaming beast came screaming at us, and from the corner of my eye I noticed Char swooping away, smoke billowing from his maw. I grinned, then charged forward, piercing the monster's stomach with ease, and as it screamed some more, gripped the blade so the heel of my palm was closest to the blade. With all my strength, I forced the Lionheart upward, elated at the amount of blood I was spilling, and more than that, the sound of a dying Disciple. Though it struck me hard, knocking me back a little, I held my blade tight and finally pulled it out. Holding it appropriately once more, I swung the blade around and slashed it across its chest, then went for a downward strike and sliced off its left arms. The Disciple cried and cried and desperately attacked me, but without its other arms, it was useless. For now I left it, letting the Midland soldiers behind me finish it off.

When I looked up, Char came swooping down at me, and when I looked in his eyes, I saw he wanted to pick me up. I quickly ducked to avoid his wing, then held onto his harness as he sharply rose, the momentum swinging me up onto his back. Together we rode once more, except this time it looked like he had a specific destination; Keefe.

When I finally spied the canine, I noticed him fighting furiously, but doing a lot more dodging than attacking. The men around him cried in deafening pain as they were cut down, and I roared wickedly at the sight. When another flying Disciple came to attack, Char blew a fireball at it and I sliced open its belly, felling it immediately. By this point, we were above the massive beast attacking Keefe.

It was a worm-like monster with enormous jaws at the end of its body, and spider-like arms running along its body to allow it swift movement. As well as that, it had multiple scythe-like arms, which struck swiftly and precisely. When Char got me at a good angle, I thanked my friend and leapt off his back. I soared downward with amazing speed, but finally readied my blade. Within moments, my sword struck the beast square in the head, digging straight down to the hilt. It screamed and thrashed about as blood sprayed from both its mouth and its gaping wound. I then planted my footpaws firmly on the back of its head, ignoring its pathetic strikes to my back, and pulled. The Disciple roared furiously as its body was slowly being cleaved in two, then when I noticed Keefe watching, I begged him to attack. The dog quickly snapped out of it and snarled as he, too, dug his blade into the monster, joined by several men slicing off its legs and its arms.

Finally the beast fell, and with my sword stuck in its head, I slammed into the ground with amazing force. I had the wind knocked out of me, to say the least, but with my Demon urging me to stand, laughing at me, I did so with ease. It was then, though, I realized I was no longer holding onto the Lionheart, and though that shining light in my mind still remained, that small spot I could hold onto, I felt it growing dim and Nosferatu taking control.

I roared fiercely, trying to hold it off, trying to fight my Darkness, but in the burning chaos surrounding me, it was impossible. However, I was shocked to feel something wonderfully warm stroke across my dark mind, then a soothing voice echoing in my head.

"Luca," it said. "It's okay. You killed it...just hang in there."

I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by Keefe. His paw was resting on my cheek, and he was smiling warmly at me, despite the blood sprayed across his face. "Keefe," I said in return. He was holding me in this world, keeping me here, giving me something to grasp on to. That was the second time during this fight one of my friends had to save me like this.

Finally Rit showed up, and he snarled. "You two can't keep your paws off each other, huh?"

I just smiled at Rit as the battle ensued; crying and screaming and roaring filled my ears, as well as the sound of spilling blood and crunching bones and grinding metal. But ignoring all of that for now, I turned away from Keefe and gripped my blade once more, pulling it from the dead monster, feeling its light pouring back into me, tingling my arm somewhat.

"He saved me, that's all," I said.

"Yeah? And how many'sat you killed?"

"It isn't a competition," said Keefe.

Rit then spun around quickly, striking at a flying monster as it swooped down, grounding it with ease. He then lifted his massive sword - though not quite as enormous as mine - and snarled as it came down on the Disciple's head. He turned back around. "Six," the lion said with a grin. "Care to make it interesting?"

I just shook my head and turned, swinging my blade upward to slice the jaw of a rock-like beast in two halves, then plunged the Lionheart forward, piercing its rocky exterior with a roar and spilling great amounts of its cold, black blood. When I pulled my weapon out, I blocked its attack, then cut open its throat. As it staggered about, trying to hold in its blood, I sliced off its legs, then its scorpion-like tail, then finally its head. I just snarled at the monster, then turned back around. "Five," I said, though I was counting the ones I let the soldiers finish off.

"You two are pathetic!" Keefe snarled, attacking an enormous beast. He leapt back, then dodged to the right, cutting off its leg, then stabbed it straight through its belly, slicing upward to open an enormous wound. As the monster cried out, I jammed the Lionheart into the monster's chest, then ducked down as Rit came running at me. He put a footpaw on my back and leapt forward, roaring mightily as his blade came down on the twisted Disciple, cutting a hole straight into its neck, then severing its head.

"Six," I said quickly, while at the same time Rit called out, "Seven!"

Keefe just frowned.

Then I saw Char swoop by, slashing a Disciple and helping some of the soldiers, then cleared them away in order to set it aflame. The soldiers finished the monster off, but were fortunately quick to dodge another.

"How are the rest of your men faring?" I called to Keefe.

"With the Dragons' help, it doesn't feel like such a losing battle...but we're still losing a lot of men."

"We have to push forward," I said, "as best we can. Push them against their own walls, don't allow them room to move; that's where we're getting slaughtered."

Keefe agreed, then told several of his soldiers, some of the elite ones, to spread the word. I think they weren't too keen on being messengers, but understood both that Keefe was in charge, and that they had the best chance at reaching the other generals.

"I'm going after the Crimson King," I said, giving my friends a hard stare.

A second later, as if I'd beckoned him, Loki came flying past atop a screaming Disciple, which crash landed into a larger corpse. Loki was quick to slice open its neck, then its head, and leapt down to join us.

"I'm," I started.

"I know," said Loki, interrupting me. "I can tell from the look in your eyes. Good luck."

I gave him a nod, then looked up for Char. Our eyes met, and he knew what I wanted. Immediately the Fire Dragon swooped down, landing heavily and I quickly climbed atop. I saluted my friends in the Midlander fashion, the others returning it - besides Loki - and quickly took off.

Soaring through the air, Char evaded Disciples and other Dragons, occasionally blowing out fireballs wherever needed. He flew upward with incredible speed and dexterity, circling around once then firing himself downward. Plummeting toward the earth, Char spread his wings and sharply levelled out, now flying above the battle at amazing speeds. We approached the castle quickly, and he took a sudden turn upward, slamming into a part of the castle which propelled me toward a sort of balcony.

I landed hard, then looked forward through the evil helmet. Moments later I lifted myself, glanced at Char as he swooped away, then crashed through the stone door. My blood was pumping violently through my veins, my anger and darkness rising up. I had to hold onto the Lionheart and thoughts of Kai and Keefe and Rit and even Loki tightly, in order to keep myself linked to this world. I continued through the black stone hallway, crashing through a second door, only to be met by more corridors. Walking around were smaller monsters, possibly Disciples, and while they looked shocked, I sliced them open quickly, snarling as they died.

I then dashed through the corridors quickly, letting my Demon guide me, until I bashed down a door and was standing high above what looked like a throne room, in a tower, I presumed, high above it. The balcony I stood on, one of many, ran all the way around this round chamber, and when I peered over the edge, saw an enormous, black throne down below. When I looked about, I saw long black and red tapestries, matching the look of the stone walls, and immediately leapt for one. Digging my claws into the thick cloth, I managed to quickly and effectively work my way down until I was hanging above the throne room. I finally let myself drop, and with a hard clang I landed.

Suddenly, I heard a quiet laughing and clapping paws, and instantly an intense rage boiled up. I turned around rapidly, snarling at the one approaching, but was beyond shocked to see Tiberius, Keefe's father, walking forward. He was wearing light armour and carried a sword, but hardly looked like he'd just been fighting. I snarled again and took several steps toward the dog, curious what he was doing here.

"You are impressive, I must say," he said. "But I'm afraid I have to end your journey here."

"What do you mean?" I growled, barely able to contain my rage; this was due in part to my proximity to the Crimson King. I still could hear the intense roar of battle outside these walls, muffled by the thick stone.

"My orders were to take you out, should you breach the castle walls. Frankly, I'm surprised to see you up here, but nevertheless..."

"Explain yourself!" I snarled.

"Are you truly so dense?" Tiberius laughed.

I paused, but thought about it. "You are one of the Crimson King's... But...why? Why wait until now? Why not kill me while I slept?"

"Because, without you, there would be no army. I mean, any Midland army."

I shook my head. "But you were the one who rounded them up! Why?"

Tiberius laughed again. "I told them we had a soldier who could defeat these monsters, and the Crimson King, with ease. That ensured they would join the war effort. As for why the Crimson King wanted me to round all these soldiers up...well, it's just easier to slaughter them all at once, rather than visiting each country one by one, wouldn't you say?"

I growled deeply. "You're a traitor!" I snarled, moving forward. "Keefe would be ashamed."

"Only for a couple years," the dog said. "How else did you think I was able to activate the Transcarrier? Why do you think it was so easy? Because the Crimson King wanted to deny you access to Hel?" Tiberius chuckled again.

I continued growling at the old Dane. Like so many times in history and ancient history, the Crimson King had been using and manipulating Tiberius, even from Hel, in order watch me and work things out in his favour. Though I had strayed from the dark path, led away by the light - perhaps the light given to me by my mother - the Crimson King had only to manipulate my environment to see everything went according to his plan. And apparently, he still influenced this dog.

"You can't win against me," I told him. "Disciples can't come close, what makes you think you can?"

"Because," growled Tiberius, "I'm one of the oldest..."

Suddenly, the dog began to change, and I could only watch in horror. "No... " I wasn't sure why I found it so hard to believe... I suppose it was for Keefe's sake; he would be even more devastated than I was. But even still, I just stood there and watched as one of my best friend's father changed into one of these monsters I'd just been fighting. But...there was no going back now. Tiberius had been influenced by the Crimson King and taken by one of his closest Disciples. The old Tiberius could never come back, not even if I killed the King first. The body of Keefe's father was just a shell now, currently sitting atop a towering beast while a massive set of jaws jutted out of what could have been its stomach. The insect-like Disciple rose up, and cried out, revealing another set of deadly teeth within the large set already, and a multitude of tentacle-like arms broke from its carapace, revealing deadly scythes on each end. Below its twisted torso, where its body twisted to house its legs, a sharp, plow-like piece of shell pointed forward, spines covering it. It's spine then continued to grow, revealing a large, spiny, shell-coated tail, again with another scythe on the end. The beast let out a horrible cry, the remains of Tiberius' body now just hanging from the top of it, paws and his whole legs seeming stuck into the monster's head. Again the monster roared, then came hurtling toward me.

I snarled wickedly and leapt out of the way, skidding to a stop, then charged the monster. For some reason, I felt more intimidated by this beast than any of the others outside, but I couldn't let that slow me down. After dodging to the left, I spun and slashed at its stomach, and though the Lionheart sliced through, I found its carapace much thicker than any other I'd encountered.

The monster attacked me, striking my side and throwing me away, but I quickly recovered. While the battle outside seemed to be drawing closer to the walls, I continued to avoid attacks, which was difficult with the numerous flailing arms, striking me but not yet cutting through my armour. I roared and deflected its powerful tail, then burst forward. A direct attack would be mostly ineffective. I ran hard, barely avoiding attacks until I was close enough to strike. Holding my blade out, I snarled and slammed the pointed end down onto one of its legs, breaking the shell easily and snapping the limb clean off.

The Disciple screamed loudly and staggered about, trying more desperately to get me away, and though he managed to hit me, I was hardly phased. I ran forward once more, holding the Lionheart tightly, holding onto that light, feeling the Darkness flowing through me. With a roar I sliced off ones of its arms then, after building quite a bit of momentum, smashed the blade directly into its side, between a couple arms, which severely cracked its shell. I could see blood and bits of carapace steadily flowing down its side, and the monster just moaned horribly and once more smacked me away.

But again, I was quick to recover. I roared bestially at the Disciple, then again, and all it did was scream in return. It ran forward and slammed one of its arms down into the ground, missing me, then again and again, trying desperately to land a significant blow. But I was quick to dodge, and just as its final arm came down, I spun and sliced it clean off. As it backed a bit away, I snarled wickedly and attacked. This time I came at it more from the side, holding my blade forward. Though one of its arms smacked me across the face, I was focused enough to continue on, then rammed the spot in its side I'd already struck, breaking straight through and roaring happily as its blood sprayed out, onto my arms and my body.

Suddenly, though, it slapped me away, but this time it pinned me down, and my sword was still stuck in its side. I snarled and fought back, but four of its arms held me down, while another two struck me across the face and hammered my evil shell. That light in my mind was dimming, but I couldn't let it be extinguished. I had to break free, despite my thorough beating. I snarled and roared and thrashed about, feeling a greater Darkness flow through me. I stretched my head forward as I snarled madly, trying desperately to lift myself from under this powerful beast, moving my arms. And after a short while, I managed to free one of them. Without hesitation, my paw whipped over to the closest arm holding me down, squeezing it tightly.

I felt its bones, or whatever it was inside, break apart within my paws, and the Disciple cried out. I had to stop this monster no matter what, not to save myself this time, but to save Kai. This whole journey was for Kai, and this entire battle, just for him. Most men out there were now just fighting for survival, or fighting to see the death of the Crimson King, but I was doing it all for my sweet young boy. That boy who gave me hope and made me happy, and who would always make me happy. This was all for him. The blood, the killing, the monsters and death... All for the purpose of seeing my dear Kai once more.

With that bright thought in mind, I gripped the arm with both paws and suddenly tore it from the Disciple's side, and it screamed horribly, blood pouring down onto me. It was enough, anyway, to weaken its other arms. I kicked them away easily and as one came to attack, I think to slice at my throat, I grabbed it, squeezed it, then tore it out just like the other. When it tried again, I simply blocked it with my forearm and burst forward, now gripping my sword and feeling that warm rush of light once again. With a firm hold, I growled then pushed the handle forward like a lever, breaking a larger hole in its side and retrieving my sword. The monster howled in pain and I growled, feeding off its despair, then attacked again.

This time I went for its legs. My weapon smashed through the closest leg with ease, but it had several more propping it up. Though it was staggering about and attacking me with its strong tail, I was swift enough to sever another one of its legs, but was forced to abandon the rest when its tail continued striking at me. That wouldn't do. I blocked the tail again with my sword, then ran forward just enough to jump up onto its back. Though it could attack me easily now, I snarled and thrust my blade downward, piercing its shell, which gave me just enough time to run forward, along its back still, and smash my fist into its hard body.

Though I managed to crack its carapace, the monster was hardly injured. But I concentrated and managed to conjure up just enough force to crack its shell even further, then again and again until I saw blood trickling down; fortunately I was close enough to the tail-base where it couldn't attack me, though a few of its arms were able to slash at my back, still unable to pierce my armour. Suddenly, though, the Disciple began to thrash about, trying to shake me, and I held onto the Lionheart once again, hanging on tight. It stopped for just a moment, just enough time for me to swiftly pull out my blade and swing it around using all my and Nosferatu's might, smashing it into the base of the tail and breaking more than half way through.

The Disciple screamed and thrashed about more madly, managing to shake me off, but its tail was now dangling uselessly from his behind. I promptly burst forward, snarling like a mad dog as my sword went howling though the air, cleaving its tail clean off. Though the severed appendage continued to flail about uselessly on the ground, I wasted no time in attacking the monster's other legs, two more falling uselessly to the floor. Now it only had a couple left on this side, making it far less mobile. I snarled and sliced off another leg, which was enough to slowly topple the beast. It cried and thrashed about like mad, trying futilely to lift itself up.

I just roared at the monster, moving around to its front, puncturing holes in its side as I went, causing it even further pain. When I glanced at the gaping hole in its side, which was facing the ground, I wrinkled my nose in disgust and growled deeply. Its massive jaws were snapping at me uselessly, and it may have been crying out, "No," but I wouldn't listen. The Lionheart then came down in a flash, smashing straight through to the other side, finishing the enormous wound I'd started. Its lower half, like its tail, writhed and wiggled about uselessly as it died, and the upper half, while still alive, gurgled and begged for life. I walked up to its face, where Tiberius' former self still lay attached. His eyes opened, tears of blood pouring from them.

"Stop..." the monster said, using Tiberius' remaining body to speak. "P-Please..." it begged.

"The Crimson King may have taken Kai from me...but it's your fault it was allowed to happen."

"You...followed along so blindly," Tiberius said, his voice shaky and weak. "You were a fool...to have been manipulated so easily. You are to blame...for all your misfortunes."

I growled, then lifted the Lionheart below Tiberius' head. But what stopped me was a noise from behind me, at the big, black doors which may or may not have led directly outside. When I turned my head, though, I saw Keefe, Rin, Rit and Loki pile in, several soldiers and Dragons behind them fending off some monsters. Keefe walked forward, I think finally noticing who was lying beneath my blade.

"Father..?" Keefe said curiously. He had blood and pain all over his face.

"Son..." coughed Tiberius. "Forgive me..."

Nosferatu was laughing, begging me to finish the job at once, and I could feel it trying to move my arms and my legs and my body, its darkness nearly encompassing me.

The young canine then pushed past me, tears streaming down his face. "How long?" he howled, the pain in his voice echoing throughout this black stone chamber. "How long?" he begged, slamming his sword down into the stone next to his father's head.

"Only...a couple years... You were never...supposed to find out. Not like this..."

Keefe was shaking uncontrollably, but I lowered my blade. The others approached slowly, Rin looking especially sympathetic. They all kept their distance, though, I think afraid for what the dog would do.

"You gave up everything good about you, everything you stood for...for a power like this?"

"It isn't so simple," the dying Disciple said, I think mostly speaking as Tiberius now. "They threatened me...with your mother's life, and yours..." Tiberius then squirmed and groaned, then looked up at me, then back to his son. "Please...just kill me now."

Keefe held his blade tightly. "I shouldn't give you the satisfaction," he growled, holding the end to his father's throat. But I could see from his terrible trembling he wouldn't be able to do it. I then calmly reached over with my right paw and gently took the blade away from Keefe.

As the canine backed away, showing hatred and anger and grief in his face, I held his sword at the base of Tiberius' spine, at the back of his neck. When I suggested the dog look away, he predictably refused, and with a quick jab and a twist, I ended Tiberius' life. "I'm sorry," I said softly as I handed back his sword.

But Keefe shook his head. "This is your fault," he said gruffly, staring at the corpse of his father. Despite his anger, tears were streaming down his face, and I hadn't a word to say to console him. "Everywhere you go, and with everything you touch...death and disaster follows. You are a curse!" snapped the dog, looking fiercely at me.

I had never seen Keefe so enraged before, and I had to admit to being frightened by his ferocious eyes. All I could do was stare into those intense, hate-filled eyes, unable to find any words. He blamed me for all of this, and showed the same fury August did after the Disciple crushed his hometown. My heart was torn into pieces just seeing him, this canine I loved, in such a state, and it killed me knowing there wasn't a thing I could do to help.

"Keefe..." I said softly, stepping forward.

"No," barked the dog, taking a few steps back. "Just stay away from me."

Suddenly, a wicked laugh echoed all around us, distracting us for a moment, and this time I knew exactly who it was. I spun quickly toward the centre of the room, growling deeply. I held the Lionheart tight, waiting for the King to appear, but so far he was hidden.

"Such a display," echoed the voice, apparently thoroughly amused. "Such emotion..."

"Show yourself!" Keefe roared, which surprised me.

Suddenly, at the farthest end of the chamber, a figure appeared in the haze with two glowing eyes, strolling leisurely past the throne, coming toward us. His armour was as deeply black as mine, except coursing through it at various points ran glowing channels of carmine red, and of course he carried two long swords at his sides. He walked with confidence, and despite his eyes, looked just like a normal fur. Of course he had his helmet on, with two enormous horns on either side, and so hid his appearance from us, though I already knew which manner of fur he was; a tiger, too much like me. Though his eyes were just glowing spots against his darkened face, somehow I knew he was staring directly at me.

As soon as the figure appeared, though, before anyone could say anything, Keefe charged forward foolishly, snarling as he raised his sword, the rage clear on his face and in his cry.

"Keefe, stop!" I roared, but he ignored me.

A second later, Keefe's blade came down on the Crimson King, but the King was quick to block the sword with his spiky arm, then immediately slashed the other arm across the canine's face. As Keefe snarled and staggered back, holding his large, bloody wound, the Crimson King slammed his armoured footpaw square into Keefe's gut.

Keefe fell back instantly, dropping his sword and growling and gasping for air as he tumbled to the ground, blood splattering and trailing along. I took a few steps forward, but it was Rin who went directly to his lover's side, snarling at the Crimson King, but smart enough to know not to attack. Rit, too, looked ready to fight, both paws on his sword, but so far no one moved.

"I'm impressed," said the Crimson King, apparently ignoring Keefe now. "Not only did your army manage to beat mine back, but you managed to breach the castle walls, too. Certainly it's no surprise you got in here, Luca, but your friends... Truly remarkable. Of course it's all for naught, but I can't help but commend their spirit." He then turned his head to scan the rest of the room. "Ah, and Loki... What a delight to see you again. I hope you've been well."

"Fuck you!" snarled the little arctic fox.

"No," I growled, shaking my head. The King's attention was back on me now. "No more talking, no more stories, not this time. I'm going to end this now."

The King chuckled, and so did Nosferatu.

But that only served as my cue to attack. With Keefe moved a fairly safe distance away, I rushed forward, snarling as my blade flew along with me, then roared as I went in to strike. Though the Crimson King blocked my attack, I was quick to pull my sword back forward and strike again, but it, too, was swiftly blocked. I strained my dark muscles to move this giant sword of light with as much speed as my Demon could manage, and though it was fast, the Crimson King was always that much faster.

I snarled madly as I let out a flurry of attacks, but what angered me most was the King was using only one of his blades, as if to say, "one is more than enough." That was just his attitude, too, which in general made me angry, but more so because it came from him. I could feel my Darkness with me all the way, covering me and helping me move faster and strike harder, as well as alerting me to dangers that would ordinarily go unmissed, like counter-attacks. But as my heavy, glowing sword came down on my most hated enemy, I was somewhat pleased to hear him growl in return - though it was nearly silent compared to the noise I was making - and even take some steps back. I was gaining some momentum, and clearly he hadn't anticipated me being so strong, or rather, for Nosferatu to be so utterly present.

In my previous fight against the Crimson King, his darkness greatly exceeded my own, which caused Nosferatu to back into a corner and hide, thus making me even more powerless against the King. But now with Algol pulling all of my Demon out of me, covering me in its evil and malice, I was so many times more strong. What would take a great deal of effort in defeating one Disciple without my armour, I could now do in just seconds, and I think the King was beginning to realize this fight wouldn't be as easily won as the first.

Again and again I attacked him, sending my sword flying with intense force from above, below, and every other side, powerful and completely unrelenting. Though my muscles burned, Algol and Nosferatu blocked out that pain, allowing for a much more forceful volley of attacks that would otherwise be impossible. I was panting heavily and snarling even harder, drool spraying wildly from my maw as I attacked, but I couldn't lose this momentum.

The sound of clashing steel rang through my ears endlessly, and sparks continuously burst between us, highlighting every blow and every deep growl and roar. The Crimson King, I could tell, was as angry and frustrated as I was, as evidenced by his bared teeth and consistently louder growls, and the fact I was slowly beating him back.

Suddenly, though, much to my surprise and, I had to admit, delight, the Crimson King finally unsheathed his second sword. Less than a second after my attack, in that crucial moment where my sword was hanging in the air before deciding where to strike next, the King smashed his second sword into the side of my head, causing a deafening ring to blow through my ears, as well as making me lose focus and stumble back. But with the Lionheart still in both paws, hanging to my right, I went in for another strike, however blind it was. I roared and swept my mighty blade across the floor, going in for a low-strike to the King's ribs, but unfortunately felt that familiar clang and powerful recoil, which gave me a perfect opportunity to turn the blade and thrust it downward, going in to cleave his head in two.

But once again it was blocked, except this time instead of a recoil, my sword stayed between both of the Crimson King's, who'd crossed them in front of his face to hold my weapon there.

I growled menacingly as my body quivered, striving desperately to push the Lionheart down further, and I could see the King was putting up just as much of a fight to hold me there. My Demon roared and snarled and cried out as it pushed my body to its limits, as well as snapping and biting and barking at the Presence that was currently flowing from the Crimson King. His Darkness, from which mine was descended, was as black as mine and encompassed half this entire tower; Nosferatu was fighting dreadfully to consume the other half, though it seemed an equal fight.

The Crimson King then shakily moved his swords upward, pushing mine away, and with a terrific growl, moved swiftly to his left, letting my sword slam down into the black stone floor. And while chunks of stone and dust burst outward, my Darkness alerted me to an attack from behind. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite fast enough.

I began to twist my body, straining myself heavily to pull my sword with me, but before it could do any good, I was struck hard in the back. The King's blades came down with such fantastic force, it felt as if they'd both shattered my armour and were ripping at my flesh, but somehow I knew my metal skin was still intact. Nevertheless, I let out a horrible roar as I stumbled forward, trying hard not to fall over, until I received a brutal attack to my jaw, and though I wasn't sure what it was, it felt like the armoured footpaw of the Crimson King. Now facing him, I heard the King snarl at me and felt his Presence close by. Seconds later, he struck me in the side of the head once more, and as the noise crashed through my ears, I felt him grip my arm and with incredible power, throw me around and swiftly kick me in the chest, sending me backwards.

I snarled and stumbled about, trying desperately to keep my balance, but even more so trying to focus my mind. Amazingly, I was still holding onto the Lionheart, which helped. Nosferatu was battling both with the Crimson King's evil Presence, as well as the light of my sword. When I finally looked up, the King was standing on the large dais close to the end of the room, where his black throne was sitting; evidently in our battle, we'd moved around quite a bit more than I thought.

But now I stood in the centre of this enormous throne room down on one knee, between my friends and the Crimson King, who was panting just as heavily as me - the Disciple corpse of Tiberius lay to the right of me, ten or so metres away, nearly against the wall.

"You," started the Crimson King, holding both his swords tightly, "are an impressive fighter, Luca. You are starting to realize your fullest potential, however you have limited yourself."

Finally I got up, breathing heavily through my nose. I was focused completely on the King.

"Your armour," he said, "is a disgrace. While your Darkness makes you strong, it is solely your armour which allows you to use it against me. You have not trained yourself on how to truly access that evil part of your mind, but instead learned how better to fight it. To truly become powerful, you must give in to your Darkness, let it consume you and take over your mind. I know you, Luca. I've been watching you since you were just a cub. I know you have a strong will, and I know if given the chance, you could become a great, malevolent force in this world."

"Fuck you," I spat. "I'll never become like you."

"No... I suspected as much. It is saddening to know you would deny your heritage so readily." The Crimson King then sighed, and though it was probably mostly for theatrics, I could sense a bit of real emotion behind it, too. "You have too much of your mother in you."

I growled loudly.

The King then smiled. "Indeed... She is the one soul in history I could never influence. Chosen by the Gods, I suppose, to guide you on the path of the righteous. Wonders that did, hm?"

"How dare you mention her..." I growled. He was the one solely responsible for her death.

"Don't get so worked up, Luca; you didn't even know her. Anyway, I've never been known for giving second chances, but you are an exception. We can end all of this silly fighting right now if you just do one thing for me: destroy your friends. At least the dog, if not all of them. Call it a test, if you will."

I just snarled at the Crimson King, disgusted at the thought. "Why would I join you, especially now?"

"Well," shrugged the King, "it would ensure you get to see your precious Kai once again..."

"Tell me where he is!" I suddenly roared, snarling wickedly.

The Crimson King just chuckled, which caused me to burst forward, growling as my sword once again flew along with me. I was tired of all this talking, as well as listening to my men getting slaughtered by the Demon army outside. But as I approached the King, I was suddenly blindsided by an enormous boulder, which smashed into my side with unbelievable force. All I could feel was an intense pain in my left arm, my ribs, and along my left leg - probably a long series of broken bones - which only intensified when I tried to get up. I'd rolled quite a distance away, and when I finally focused, I saw the Crimson King laughing, then a small brownish rune vanish like smoke in front of him.

"Coward!" I roared, but that only amused the evil King further.

But then he raised his paw and with his fore and middle fingers, began to carve more runes into the smoky air, this time a bloody red. I stared at them and staggered closer, Algol now helping subdue my pain, but they were being drawn too quickly. I then heard Loki gasp, and I looked over at him.

"Luca!" he cried, a worried look on his face; if this arctic fox was showing emotion so openly, then whatever was to proceed was something terrible. "That spell, it's..."

But Loki was cut off by Rit, who growled deeply and took a few steps forward. He gripped his stomach tightly and groaned, looking up at me. He had tears in his eyes, which only began to stream down his face as he took his final step and fell to his knees; he must have known what was happening before I did.

When I looked back at Loki, he'd backed far away from the lion and joined Keefe and Rin, who were now following Loki's lead in moving away.

Suddenly, I realized what was going on.

"Luca," Rit cried, now on his paws and knees. One arm was draped across his stomach as he called out my name, sounding sorrowful. "I'm sorry!" he roared, now closing his eyes tightly. Within moments, his body began to quiver and soon his muscles grew exponentially, breaking his armour with ease.

"No," I said quietly to myself, staring at my friend. "Rit, you have to fight it!"

"I can't," groaned the lion, whose mane was becoming blacker with every second. Still he continued to grow, arms extending greatly and becoming at least twice as thick, if not more. From his beefy fingertips grew long, fierce claws, and though he was down on all fours, he'd grown to at least twice his original size, if not more. Rit snarled and roared, then looked at me just as two large horns burst from behind his ears, growing steadily forward to a deadly point. His expressive blue eyes had turned completely black, save the colour which was now just a glowing ring of deep red, and again he spoke, only in a deep, horrid voice. "Forgive me...Luca," he said in a deep, horrid voice. "Please...make it quick..." Then somehow I could tell he was gone.

Rit let out a loud, horrifying roar, drool and blood spraying from his maw, and the Crimson King just laughed.

I was breathing heavily, holding my sword as tightly as possible, trying my best to contain my rage. "God damn you..." I growled quietly, then turned to the King. "Damn you!" I cried, my roar echoing throughout the throne room endlessly. "Fight me yourself, you coward!"

But the Crimson King laughed some more, obviously pleased with himself. "You can thank Loki for planting that seed," he said, though I hardly needed reminding. "I simply repurposed it... Why, this should be no different than fighting one of my other Disciples."

"He is not one of your Disciples," I snarled, while Rit simply stood there growling. Every so often the demon lion would snarl and shake his head, as if fighting the transformation, but ultimately he stayed almost motionless. I then glanced over at Loki, who was staring between myself and Rit, a regretful look on his face; it was too hopeful to assume Loki could do anything about this, given he'd started it years ago.

Suddenly, after hearing the King chuckle to himself once more, pleased with what was happening before him, Rit let out an ear-piercing roar and stared directly at me, as if marking me. He growled deeply, staring me down, then bared his long, wicked teeth. A moment later, the monster lion began to charge.

Swiftly I dodged out of the way, letting the lion smash into the giant corpse of Tiberius, trying desperately to think of a way to stop Rit without hurting him, but nothing came to mind. I continued to dodge and block each of Demon Rit's powerful attacks, generally getting knocked back but not knocked down, using the Lionheart as a shield. Unlike my first fight with Demon Rit, I was able to stand against him much easier, rather than be brutally battered and tossed around. As I dashed and leapt around, I noted several obvious weaknesses in Rit's wild attacks, and could have killed him easily dozens of times already, but...there had to be a way.

Soon, though, there wasn't nearly enough room left to continue dodging, having let myself be backed into a corner, and I was forced to engage Demon Rit directly. As his enormous paw came down to smash me into a pillar, I blocked it with my sword then spun around, raising my blade above my head and inflicted a downward slash across Rit's chest, which made him snarl and thrash about. Distracted, I dashed forward and pounded my sharp elbow into the lion's gut, though it was a fruitless effort. Seconds after my elbow connected, Rit grabbed hold of me and smashed me against the wall, letting me drop. But no sooner had I landed on my footpaws did Demon Rit attack again. This time it was his hard, powerful fist pounding into my chest, knocking me back into the wall once more, then he spun and hammered me with his enormous, thick tail, which sent me hurtling along the wall until I skidded to a stop. I groaned loudly, getting up shakily, then quickly realized I was without my weapon.

When I looked up, in a bit of a panic, I noticed Rit was now wielding the Lionheart, though he looked as if he had no idea what to do with it. He stared at its faint glow for a short while, mesmerized by it, but after hearing a growl from the Crimson King, Demon Rit's attention was back on me. He roared loudly and smashed his empty fist into the floor, cracking it, then came charging once again. Prepared to fight, I jumped back quickly, feeling my own weapon just barely graze the top of my head, swinging with incredible power. Again I jumped back, surprised to see dozens of sparks illuminate my chest as the very tip of the Lionheart cut a shallow yet noticeable scar into Algol's chest. I was then forced to dive to my left as the weapon came down at me, crushing the stone beneath it. Rit snarled again and came barrelling forward, but I had time only to turn myself around.

I quickly crossed my arms in front of me and caught the Lionheart between them, crying out madly as a shooting pain tore through my arms, shoulders and back, but at least I'd managed to stop my head from becoming mush. However, it also meant Nosferatu was able to take a tighter hold of me, and though I was still mostly in control, it was becoming difficult. Rit then raised the sword and slammed it down again, except this time I'd managed to roll away, snarling as I got up and slashed at the Demon, cutting open his forearm. Though he snarled, he was hardly phased, and smacked me away. When I finally came to a rolling stop, I got up and stumbled for a moment, trying to stay in control, but my Darkness was fighting me bitterly.

Thoughts of the Crimson King and what he'd done were burned into my mind, acting as fuel for the black fire. Quickly my thoughts rushed between Kai, Keefe, Loki, and even Rit, though the latter only served to enrage me further. My Darkness was taking over, as I had nothing to connect my mind to this world, but I had to remain strong, and focus. If Nosferatu was going to rise up, then I had to concentrate and try to keep my consciousness steady. But with my best friend now a monster, and currently trying to kill me, that would be extremely difficult.

I let out a roar equal to Rit's in viciousness and burst forward. He took a swing at me, but I easily dodged it, rolling gracefully, then leapt back as the sword came down. I then ran forward and snarled, leaping off the sword stuck in the ground and held onto Rit's horns tight, causing the monster lion to roar and thrash about. A loud, metal banging then told me Rit had abandoned my weapon in order to reach both paws up to grab me, but only one of his paws held on. Though he pulled and pulled, I held on tight, claws scraping the heavy bone, feeling an immediate pain in my arms like they were about to tear. That last little bit of light then faded, and I let out a terrible roar. I pulled myself in toward the single large horn I was now holding onto, and though I was being pulled hard from one leg, I had a firm grip. Suddenly, I let the lion pull me, letting my arms slack which produced a great amount of pressure on the scratched horn, and in that instant I was thrown half way across the room, back toward my friends, having ripped the horn straight off Demon Rit's head.

When I got up, I growled and heard Nosferatu laughing horribly as I watched the lion roaring and thrashing about like a madman, clearly in pain. Just then, Rit snarled wickedly and held the Lionheart once more, except this time he threw it toward me like a mighty spear. I dodged - just barely - and turned to see it stuck deep into the black stone wall. Rit roared and came after me, but instead of going for my sword, I welcomed the lion and charged him.

As he took a swing at me, I ducked down and dodged his arm, then raised my own fist and smashed it into the monster lion's knee, causing him to roar and get off that leg. With his head down lower, he went in to jab me with his one remaining horn, but I instead clasped my paws together and pounded them down onto his nose, producing a satisfying cracking noise. Rit roared again and smacked me away, but I easily recovered. When he approached once more, with much satisfaction I ducked away from his slow and predictable attack, then moved in close only to attack his sore knee once more, except this time when the monster lion got down, I held on tightly to the tip of his horn and repeatedly attacked his face with the sharp end of my knee, then my footpaw slammed his jaw down into the stone. I roared triumphantly, then spied Rit's sword nearby, which he'd dropped when he started to transform.

With Demon Rit temporarily dazed, I grabbed his sword and crashed it down onto his arm, the one he was using to push himself up again, and laughed wickedly. The Crimson King seemed pleased, too, when I looked pasted Rit, but I snarled at him. He was next.

But suddenly, I heard a voice calling me from behind, calling out, "Luca," and I had to strain to remember that was me. I groaned, but eventually turned. Much to my surprise, Keefe was standing behind me, holding my enormous sword, and he looked angry. I just stared at him, unable to move for a moment as Nosferatu screamed at me, wanting desperately to take someone's life. I roared at the dog, baring my wicked teeth, then turned completely, holding Rit's sword tighter. But before I could kill him, Keefe amazed me when he growled and swung my massive sword around, striking me hard in the side and toppling me instantly.

With Nosferatu I snarled madly and went to get up, but was knocked down again by that light, glowing sword. I could hear Keefe growling fiercely as he attacked me, far more proficient with that giant weapon than I'd ever imagined he could be. Finally, though, as the sword came down, I leapt away and burst forward, striking the dog square in the jaw, then roaring as he fell. I instinctively grabbed the sword and dragged it forward, intent on ending this now; I had to ignore the warm, intense tingling in my left paw and forearm, parts of my memory telling me it was the Lionheart's glow. Keefe got up though, and craving a much more intimate kill, I grabbed him by the throat and squeezed tightly, enjoying the sound of the dog gasping for air.

"S-Stop!" he gasped, both paws on my forearm. "Please," he begged, which amused my Demon. A small, faint part of me wanted this to stop, though, contrary to how I felt just moments ago. It just made me want to end this life faster, but...something was holding me back.

Keefe's paws weren't tight against my forearm, but were instead gentle and soft. I growled, and couldn't seem to squeeze any tighter. I was aware of Loki and Rin nearby, both looking ready to attack, but so far stayed idle. "Luca..." choked Keefe, "don't...do this. I'm your friend, you know me. You love me and I... I love you..."

Suddenly, a spark went off, causing Nosferatu to scream horribly, and I simply gasped lightly. Keefe's paw then raised up slowly and shakily, now gently caressing my fur from under my helmet, around my jaw and cheek, and I gasped a bit louder. That little spark in my mind...it grew brighter, and my instincts were telling me to focus on that. "Keefe..?" I said wearily, paw looser around his neck, though still very much there. "I..." Suddenly I staggered back, paw tearing from Keefe's neck and holding my head, with a groan.

But the dog persisted, coming close to me and resting both paws on my shoulders, then nudged me with his nose.

I looked up at him, shaking and feeling frightened, though in my mind I saw images of this dog. He was...in his old armour - his Holy Knight armour - and we nearly kissed. I think that was the first time I began to feel something for him. When I focused once again, I stared into the canine's eyes, feeling something again. And soon I was aware I had regained that delicate balance between the darkness and the light. "Thank you..." I said, and though Keefe looked relieved, he also still looked angry.

Then I turned my sights back to Demon Rit, who had just gotten up, and the Crimson King was still standing close to his throne, showing annoyance.

Rit attacked once more, roaring and pounding his angry fists down into the floor, attempting to hit whoever stood in his way, though ultimately he came after me. I leapt back several times, still feeling the awesome strength and power of my Inner Darkness, but once again in control of my body; truly this was not a balance easily maintained. But I continued to block and evade Rit's attacks, until finally I decided to strike back.

My sword hit his large, downward-swinging claws, which stood up amazingly to my weapon, then pushed the monster lion away. I growled and charged forward, cutting Demon Rit but hardly stopping him. After he took a swing at me, I dodged and moved around toward his back and struck him hard, and as the lumbering lion stumbled forward, I snarled and sunk my blade into his flesh, piercing his lower ribs and getting him to the floor. But Rit cried out loudly and turned himself, despite the sword in his back, spilling more blood but managing to free himself, then got up. But in the instant he did, I began to swing my sword quickly but precisely, either missing or knocking him back, until finally it was Rit's turn to be backed into a wall, where after blocking his attack, I stabbed him just under his chest, holding him against the wall.

Rit snarled and roared madly, paws holding onto the blade, but unable to shift it. "Rit!" I cried, trying my best to get his attention. "You have to snap out of it!"

But he continued to roar. However, unlike every other time I'd attacked him, I saw pain in his eyes. A different sort of pain, far beyond the physical. He was hurting on the inside, and somehow I knew my dear lion was still in there. After an intense bout of roaring and thrashing, I managed to calm Demon Rit down, or perhaps Nosferatu had simply subdued the Darkness Loki had planted inside Rit those years ago. Either way, I was in enough control to pull my sword out of my friend, and he instantly fell to his paws and knees. He was breathing heavily, but looked up at me through more normal eyes.

"L-Luca," gasped Demon Rit, his voice shaky and deep. But something in his tone sounded exactly like he always had. "I dunno...how much longer I can hang on...y'know?"

"Yeah," I said, tears in my eyes.

"But you ain't gonna kill me...are you..."

I reached a paw forward, placing it softly on Rit's large paw, then shook my head. "Nosferatu can do it...but not me."

Rit then growled, closing his eyes tight. "That's fine..." he said, then tried to get up. "The Crimson King...he's only gonna let one of us live...an' you know it. So you jus'...rest for a bit. I gotta...do something."

The monster lion then turned to the Crimson King, growling deeply. Although he was right, I knew what Rit was going to do, and it was stupid and foolish. Although killing the Crimson King would undoubtedly change Rit back to his former self, I would never get close enough without Demon Rit attacking me, and he wouldn't stop attacking me until I either killed him, or he killed me.

Suddenly, Demon Rit charged the Crimson King, snarling even more wickedly than when he and I were fighting. I cried out for him to stop, but he ignored me completely. The moment he reached his target, though, the evil King jumped back, Rit's paw smashing into the floor. In just a second, the Crimson King had reached a blade up and easily sliced off Rit's left arm, causing the monster lion he howl in pain, blood gushing all over the floor.

"NO!" I cried, watching as the King snarled and easily sliced his swords across Rit's face, then stabbed him directly in the chest. Rit growled faintly for a bit, but after a couple seconds, toppled over.

I roared loudly, gripping firmly onto my weapon and steadily charging forward. As I approached the Crimson King, I swung the Lionheart with all my strength, and though he blocked it, I at least caused one of his swords to go flying off behind him, which seemed to surprise the King, then roared bestially as I attacked again, using every bit of strength I could.

The Crimson King was quick to block my attack, though I could tell it took some effort to do. He snarled and growled as he stepped back and to the side, only able to use his sword to deflect my blows, rather than block them outright. I was unrelenting in my assault, but the Crimson King was deftly avoiding or dodging each one, however close the Lionheart came. I cried out as my sword came down, which ended up smashing a large piece of the floor, and as the King came in to attack, I quickly swung my blade to the left, knocking his sword away, but he was able to block as once again I went to strike. Then I spun as my sword was deflected, trying to gain as much momentum as I could, and was pleased when the King blocked my attack and was forced away, nearly stumbling back.

I then charged the Crimson King, before he could totally rebalance himself, snarling madly as I felt the tip of my blade nearly come in contact with his dark armour, which sent an intense, anxious wrenching to course through my gut. I swung again and again, each time coming so close to hitting him, and each time being filled with that powerful rush of adrenaline, never quite being satisfied. When my sword came down again, once more hitting the floor, the Crimson King went to attack my head again, but I'd easily learned to avoid that; I raised an arm quickly to block the sword, and despite the intense pain slicing into my forearm, managed to heave my weapon upward and to the right enough to push the Crimson King back a bit, the end just scraping at his armour.

The King suddenly lunged at me, his sword thrusting right past my face, and I swiftly reached my right paw forward, gripping the King's wrist. As my paw came into contact with his body, I felt that intense rush once again, and I was energized. Suddenly, I found my left paw had quickly abandoned my sword for long enough to smash my knuckles straight into the Crimson King's jaw, then I head-butted him. Though the King snarled and staggered back, in the time it took me to reclaim my sword, he was already attacking me. Except this time, I managed to swing my sword far enough to not only block his attack, but to break straight through his blade and smash the King square in the side of the head, knocking him over instantly.

The Crimson King fell but was quick to his footpaws, snarling angrily at me, tearing the helmet off his head, which I'd dented quite thoroughly. He snarled once more and threw his black and crimson helmet aside, and I just held my sword ready to attack once again. Slowly he moved around, backing toward his throne, probably back toward his other sword, which was still intact. I then readied my blade for another final attack.

"Stop!" hissed the Crimson King, now upon the dais, half of which was covered in Rit's blood. He was breathing heavily, and I noticed a large, severe bruise on the side of his face, then the King growled quietly. His eyes, probably much like mine, showed an intense rage as he stared me down. But by that point, I'd already had enough, and wanted to end this quickly.

But a second before I was about to charge forward, I quickly saw why the Crimson King had stopped me, making me hesitate for just moment; Kai had appeared from somewhere behind the King, now walking solemnly toward me.

I gasped, and immediately felt myself began to shake, staring into the eyes of the one fur I loved above all else. Even my friends, most notably Keefe, were surprised to see Kai enter the battlefield. My beautiful boy was still alive, a fact I had doubted many times throughout my year-long journey to get here. And though his eyes looked dull and greyish - contrary to their usual fiery red - I was happy beyond words to see him.

"K-Kai..." I managed to say softly, heart pounding relentlessly against my chest. I took several steps forward as he came toward me and I immediately tore my helmet from my head, thus breaking the bond between Algol and Nosferatu, tossing the black metal aside. When I looked back at my boy, he still had the same lifeless expression on his face, and stared at me frighteningly. He was wearing armour, a lot like my old stuff, which was thick but didn't cover him totally like a knight's would, and like me, he also carried a large sword, which he was currently dragging behind him, holding it backwards with his right paw. I then fell to my knees as we got closer, and dropped my sword and held out my arms, wanting more than anything to embrace my sweet young boy.

Finally he approached me, and with a great intensity in my heart, I held my paws to his small, delicate shoulders, breathing heavily in his presence. "Kai," I said again softly, hugging him tightly. He didn't move, but for now that was okay. I just held onto him tight, nose pushed into the side of his face and around his neck to take in as much of his scent as I could, elated instantly as his odour filled my lungs. "I love you so much," I said joyously, giving him a squeeze. I'd been through so much to bring me to this point, and now that I was there, I had no idea what to say to him. I suppose it didn't matter. I just continued to hug and smell and feel the panther's delicate body, despite his armour, feeling as happy and so completely blissful as I did the first time we'd consummated our love for each other. And yet...something was still amiss. Even though he smelled like Kai, and he looked like Kai, and even breathed like Kai...somehow this wasn't my boy.

"Kai?" I said, pulling away from him and staring into his lifeless eyes. My fingers began to stroke through his soft headfur, petting him delicately as I tried to read his gaze. This was certainly my Kai physically, there was no doubt about that. But...something was wrong. I shot a fiery glare at the Crimson King.

"What did you do to him?" I growled dreadfully.

Then I looked back at Kai. "Snap out of it," I said, ears plastered against my head. I felt myself begin to shake, a vast amount of grief and worry starting to come over me. "C'mon, Kai... I need you here... Say something! Please..." But he remained silent.

I was trembling horribly now, still gazing into those lifeless eyes of his. The throne room remained deathly silent. "God damn it!" I cried, tears forming in my eyes. When I opened them and looked fiercely at the Crimson King, they began to trickle down my face. "What the fuck did you do to him?" I snarled, my pain echoing across this chamber.

The Crimson King just growled quietly, sword back in its sheath, then smirked.

Suddenly, Kai began to move.

"Kai..?" I said, taking back my arms. I then shifted away as he started to move his sword, then was forced to leap back when he swung that sword. "Hey!" I shouted, now on my footpaws. "Kai..! What're you doing?"

He just kept staring at me with those damned, dead eyes of his, looking intent on killing me.

The Crimson King chuckled. "I don't think he's going to listen to you," he commented.

I would have cursed his name in that instant if it wasn't for Kai attacking me again, making me jump back again. He then came at me with a downward thrust, which I blocked with my arms. "I'm not going to fight you, Kai," I said, but he just attacked again. Once more I blocked it with my arms, pushing the sword away, then took a deep, painful breath. "God damn you..." I said about the King, though I said it to myself.

Kai then attacked with a lot more power, but I quickly leapt out of the way, but had to block another attack seconds later. "Kai, stop!" I cried, glancing quickly at Loki for answers, but he had none. He just stared at me with his usual stone cold face, though his eyes were worried for me. Keefe and Rin, on the other hand, looked very visibly concerned, but stayed a fair distance away.

"Damn it, Kai, I'm not your enemy!" I shouted, blocking his attack, then another immediately after, slowly letting myself be pushed back toward the wall. I then let out a growl and when I blocked his blade with my crossed arms, I pushed him away. "I'm not going to fight you," I said again, this time lowering my arms. My heavy heart was pounding against my chest painfully, and all I wanted to do was go someplace to cry, unable to understand what had happened to my dear boy, and moreover why he wouldn't stop attacking me.

And for a moment I thought I'd gotten through to him, as he stood there with his sword. But it didn't take long for him to come at me once more, producing a cute - yet painful - growl as he came after me, and this time I didn't do anything to defend myself. But when he didn't stop, I knew something was gravely wrong. Nosferatu forced me to dodge the attack, Kai's sword slamming into the ground, and when he came at me again, I dodged once more.

I had waited so long and suffered so much to reach this point, and now that I have finally met my boy again... I didn't know what to do. I had to defend myself, which I did with relative ease, though his sword did hurt when it struck my arms, but how long could I continue doing this? I...couldn't strike back. And yet as I narrowly dodged and barely blocked Kai's intensifying attacks, I began to see fewer and fewer options.

Kai then came at me with a snarl, and with a heavy heart I blocked the sword with both arms then somehow forced myself to kick my boy in the gut, hard enough to knock him back, but I'd apparently let up enough to not stop him. The panther snarled once again, holding his gut, and despite the anger in his face, his eyes were still dead.

"You have to stop, Kai," I cried, tears flowing down my face once more. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could handle, though Nosferatu was begging and clawing at my gut, wanting so bad to be in control. But with so much sorrow in my heart, I wasn't sure I would be able to maintain control this time.

Kai came at me, and we continued our dance for a while longer, inching closer toward the wall. "Please," I begged, sounding more pathetic than a monster like me should, "stop..." I was beginning to run out of things to say, each word falling completely upon deaf ears.

Suddenly, I found myself backed against the wall, trembling terribly with my paws held out in front of me. My tears were still streaming down my face, unable to stop them, and my lead heart was pumping heavily against my ribs. A horrible churning in my gut was squeezing me tightly, unrelenting. I had never felt a sorrow such as this, not even when Kai was first taken from me - I felt anger and inconsolable rage, and every emotion in between, but this sort of sadness, this sort of grief...it was impossible to describe. I felt as if Kai was already dead, gone from this world and that I would never see his beautiful, fiery red eyes ever again. I could barely speak, an incredible lump sitting in my throat, but with nowhere left to go, I had to say something. "I...I know you're in there somewhere, Kai. I love you, God how I love you... You know that, you know I do, and I know you love me, too. I don't know what the Crimson King has done to you, but I promise I can help you. I can bring you back. I'm going to fix this, and make everything right, I promise you. But please...put down your sword. I'll take care of the Crimson King, and we can leave this place. I'll take you to see your brother back in Concord, and the other children, and we'll figure it out. The Dragons, they'll help you, Kai, I know they will. But for now you have to trust me. Just...give me your sword, please."

And for a long while, Kai just stared at me, unmoving. I had no way of knowing if any of what I said had gotten through to him, but I'd run out of words to say. Nothing else I could think of would snap my boy out of whatever held him so firmly, save destroying the Crimson King immediately. And still Kai stared, dead eyes gazing straight through me. After a while, I closed my eyes tightly and began to cry, unable to contain myself. I didn't even care, at this point, who saw me, be it my most hated enemy, or my friends. "Please, Kai..." I managed to say, pushing the words past the impossible lump lodged in my throat.

After hearing a quick chuckle from the Crimson King, my boy suddenly moved, which forced me to whip open my eyes. Kai was pointing the sword toward me, aimed straight at my gut. And through tear-filled eyes I just stared at him, my gut telling me what he'd do, but my aching heart telling me what I hoped he wouldn't. A second later, my heart burst with grief-stricken pain as my sweet young boy thrust his sword into my gut, piercing my dead armour and tearing at my flesh.

I cried out in unbelievable pain, the anguish in my heart greatly overpowering the physical pain of my large stab wound, which Kai seemed intent on keeping open. He growled quietly as he continued to push the sword forward, despite the end now embedded within the stone wall behind me.

I roared and cried as my paws fell onto the blade, gripping it tightly and trying desperately to contain my screaming Darkness. Again I cried out, my painful sounds echoing throughout this whole tower, and quite possibly breaking through the walls to the battlefield outside. The agony and torture in my intense howling was enough to make Keefe fall down to his knees, watching in horror as the boy I loved pinned me to the wall.

I was shaking uncontrollably now, eyes closed tightly and still holding onto the blade, and I felt Nosferatu spreading throughout my body, nothing left now that could keep my mind connected to this world. I tried desperately to hold it back, roaring and snarling and thrashing about, but with the sound of the Crimson King's laughter echoing through my ears, it would be impossible to hold back. I growled deeply as my Demon spread its mighty wings across the wall behind me, its darkness seeming to almost take a physical form, like a dark shadow, spreading out like long, snake-like arms and twisting and winding themselves around, even gripping at the sword with my paws. I snarled wickedly and though I was shaking, slowly began to move the blade out. Though Kai tried to hold it there, I was far more powerful than he was, and though I was screaming at myself to stop, Nosferatu's dark grip on me was far too great.

Finally, the blade slid free, and though I wanted dreadfully to stop, my body continued to move under the influence of a force now greater than my mind, which had been quickly swallowed up. I roared loudly as I held the end of Kai's sword, not even sounding like a fur anymore, then suddenly pushed him away, snarling as the boy fell to his bum. And in that instant, I knew exactly what Nosferatu wanted: blood.

I lifted the blade high above my head, snarling at the boy, and though somewhere I was screaming terribly for my Demon to stop, I couldn't do it. I roared madly, battling Nosferatu but it had a clear influence over me, one that the great pain in my heart was preventing me from winning. It was making me want this, and though my paws shook, they steadily became more stable as my darkness enveloped my mind, gaining more superior control. A second later, despite everything, I forced the blade down on my dear, sweet love Kai, the panther I loved more than anyone could ever understand, stabbing him straight through his chest.

My boy immediately coughed up blood, eyes gone horribly wide, and he was now trembling as terribly as I was. He reached a paw upward, which I held onto. An intense rush then blew through my mind as I held his paw, sword still sunk into his chest, and for a moment I saw clearly. Nosferatu hissed and snarled and barked and clawed at me, but as long as I held onto my love, it had no influence over me. I instantly began to cry, deafening as a small fire flickered in Kai's deep red eyes, and he struggled to speak.

"L-Luca," he said, tears pouring from his eyes, and blood from his maw. "I...I'm so sorry. I couldn't...control it. It was him...the whole time. I saw everything...but couldn't do anything. I...I love you, Luca. I love you so much. I love you... I...love..." Then the life faded completely from the panther's eyes.

When his small, lifeless paw finally fell away from mine, I closed my eyes tightly and felt Nosferatu starting to regain control, and I had to admit, I didn't want to stop it. Bent over my deadpanther, I looked up fiercely at the Crimson King, who was standing at the far end of the chamber and just watching. My body was trembling all over as I was covered in darkness, each heavy, painful breath releasing a terrible growl.

Then I saw my Darkness begin to spread outward along the stone floor, like long, shadowy arms twisting outward from my black armour, and all I could think about was tearing the Crimson King into as many pieces as I could. I wanted to hurt him so badly, torture him in every way possible, and make him feel the same broken-hearted pain I felt. Though I could sense other life in this room, none of them interested me, and I wanted nothing to do with them now. All I could focus on was the evil King, and I would introduce him to a darkness greater than he's ever known. I would surpass his darkness and wipe him off this earth, turning him into nothing more than a horrible blood smear.

I then began to lift myself, my armour feeling oddly heavy and loose, like it could no longer cling to my body. Fortunately it fit well enough to move around in, and as soon as I stood, I put my right paw on Kai's sword, gripping it tightly enough to hear my knuckles crack.

"Bra-vo," said the Crimson King, clapping and stepping forward. He would not be so pleased for very long. But for now, I stared at him, the rage and darkness building greatly in my gut with every step he took, and every word he spoke. "Honestly, I didn't think you had it in you, not even your - what was it called, again? - Nosferatu?" Then the King laughed. "Superb..."

I growled heavily, baring my wicked teeth. To my right my friends were still standing a fair distance off, closer toward the monster lion - who still, oddly, registered a slight flicker in my dark mind - and even the small, white canid looked scared of me. I was the embodiment of agony and pain, and evil and darkness; truly I was something terrible.

Finally the Crimson King stopped, holding both paws on his sword's pommel. He then sighed happily, just staring at me with adoration. "Dare I say, I'm quite proud of you. You've embraced your Darkness at a far greater level than I ever anticipated. If you just learn to maintain that level of Darkness while staying in control...well, I'd be proud enough to call you my son."

That was quite enough... Though I inherited my father's Inner Darkness, who'd inherited it from generations upon generations of male tigers much like myself and the Crimson King, I'd also inherited my mother's light. I think she was the one who prevented me from joining the Crimson King right now, instead giving my Darkness that particular edge that made it want to not only extinguish the good, but rub out evil, as well. No one before me had ever had that.

Then I began to cry out when the King started to speak again, startling him as I snarled and roared with wild abandon. I took a step forward, then another, then another until I was sprinting steadily toward the King. With both paws on Kai's sword, I roared brutally and charged the Crimson King, who gasped when he realized what was going on.

Just as the King unsheathed his sword, I let my weapon fly. With an intense, violent roar, I sliced the Crimson King's paw clean off, and before he had time to cry out, I slashed him heavily across the gut, then kicked him hard in his open wound.

The Crimson King tumbled back and stopped hard against his stone throne, probably breaking a few ribs in the process. He then lifted himself shakily with his remaining paw, then began to chant something, writing runes in the air. I walked steadily forward, snarling wickedly, then stopped when the Crimson King glanced at me with an evil grin.

Seconds later, he began to grow, bones shifting and cracking as he started to take on a more draconic form. But I instantly remembered this manoeuvre, and wouldn't be crushed by it again. I cried out and ran forward, smashing the hilt of the sword into the back of the Crimson King's head, which seemed to stop his transformation. He snarled in reply, and attacked me despite his missing paw, but like a shadow I easily avoided every attempt, growling and snaring as I moved.

When the King lunged at me, I simply kneed him in the gut, the sharp part of my armour digging into his gaping wound. As he was bent over, I grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed his face into the stone floor, snarling as the blood began to flow from his nose and maw, and he cried out for me to stop. I lifted the King and though he tried to blow me away with some of his magic - fireballs, possibly - I was unharmed and unmoved by them, but simply snarled in response. I then tossed him out toward the middle of the room, roaring terribly at him as he stumbled about.

"You can't destroy me!" he shouted, half his face demolished by the floor. "I am power!"

I simply bared my teeth and charged forward, crying out one final time. As I came upon the Crimson King, him performing some magic I couldn't describe, I slashed downward, cutting off half his forearm - the one with the paw on it - as well as slicing his chest wide open. He just stared at the stubs that were once his paws, then glanced up at me in horror as his dark blood poured down his body. I roared and roared at him again, spraying blood and drool all over the place in incontrollable rage.

As predicted, the Crimson King backed away, claiming he was pure evil, and nothing in this world could stop him, much less someone with as much light in my soul as me. But I just responded with swiping my claws across his battered face, then kicking him back. I then threw my sword at the King, piercing his lower gut with ease, then charged forward. I punched him square in the maw, then again and again, digging my claws into his chest until he was backed into a pillar. I snarled at him then grabbed him tightly by the head, and though he tried to grasp at my forearm with his missing paws, I smashed the back of his head into the stone pillar, stunning him.

I snarled and roared without control, smashing his head again and again into the pillar, unrelenting. His body convulsed as his blood spattered against the stone, until his skull became mush, and the loud cracking turned into splattered thuds. I cried out with intense pain as I held the Crimson King against the bloody pillar, his life fading quickly. I tore my paw from his head then lifted Kai's sword, staring into his eyes fiercely before striking. After a moment, giving him just long enough to comprehend what was about to happen, I sliced off his head at long, long last. With the Crimson King now finally gone from this world, for now and forever, I roared and roared relentlessly, tears still streaming down my face. I snarled and cried then shoved the sword down on his bloody corpse, slowly backing away from it, and though the battle outside was in dead silence, I felt nothing but violent pain and inexpressible sorrow in my heart.

Slowly and sombrely, the Darkness still covering me, I scooped my boy up off the ground and held him close to my heart, growling and shaking and crying as I took a seat in the Crimson King's throne, still holding the dead panther against my chest. My friends still remained, staring, but not one of them moved.

So for now I just sat, and I didn't know what I would do next. Kai was gone forever now, and I had nothing left waiting for me outside these black castle walls. I felt nothing except pain and grief and sorrow, caused both by the Crimson King, and my own Darkness. A life beyond these castle walls seemed impossible, especially for a monster as cruel and wicked as me. And so I continued to sit on this throne, contemplating what possible future this world had for a dark, twisted mercenary like me.