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Episode 4:

We stand together and we die together

We settled into our new home comfortably. I even convinced Elias to learn to sail with me after I found a willing instructor. It took some coaxing to get training in the late evening and night time hours, but I managed.

Years moved along as I realized through time and circumstance, I found I had grown enchanted by the ocean. The magnificent ships that plowed the waterways had also enthralled me. Some nights I would sit upon the balcony of our home, just watching the ships come and go through the harbor.

Galvanized with my love for the sea, I studied and trained hard to learn the ways of the modern ships. I even dressed as a male a few times and spent a couple of weeks a year working as one of the night hands on the ship of my instructor.

Nearly five years passed before Lorelai received a request from the council. She summoned me into her study once the messenger left.

"How can I serve you, my lady?" I spoke the words politely, knowing this was a formal summons.

"I have been summoned by Ra's to witness the evaluation of a new court member. I must leave on the morrow." Lorelai spoke the words in a matter of fact tone to me from her large desk.

I lifted my ears curiously. "Where will you be off to, my lady?"

"Seville, the capital of Spain. It is not far but I will be away for a minimum of a week," She sighed the words and shook her head. "I will not be placing any of you in charge officially, but please work in tandem with your brothers to maintain the home in my absence."

She saw the look in my eyes and watched me fidget on my feet before raising her hand. "What is it, sister?"

My large black tail wagged as I set her with a childish look. "May I accompany you? I wish to travel the ocean and see the city. Will it not be safer to go with a second to watch your back?"

Lorelai gave me an amused giggle and waved a hand. "Well... normally I would tell you I do not need protection. However, I do not wish to hear you yowl like a child and I could use the company... yes, you may join me."

My cheeks darkened and I folded my arms. "My lady! I am not some sulking child, I would have accepted your orders with grace and respect." I bit my lower lip and looked away awkwardly. "However, Thank you. I am thrilled you will allow me to accompany you."

"I'm happy to have you. Go tell your mate and spend a final night with him." Lorelai hummed the words and waved me off. "We leave upon the dusk of the following evening."

I wagged my tail furiously and gave her a respectful bow. "Of course!" I quickly exited the study to go tell Elias of the news.

#

"Take care of yourself, my love." The white fox gripped my hands in his own while we stood before the carrack in the harbor.

"I will, know I will miss you and I will bring you a fetching bauble from Seville." I gave him a loving smile before we embraced and kissed.

"Okay love birds, let's go. I swear you two dogs act like you're newly wedded. How many years has it been now?" Lorelai pushed between us, then gripped my wrist, pulling me along to the boarding plank.

"See you in a week or so, my fox." I called out with a grin as I waved at the white fox while being pulled along.

"But seriously..." Lorelai called out to me as we stood at the stern of the ship, watching Ceuta slowly slip out of sight. "You two have been together for decades now, why not just start calling yourselves wed?"

I pursed my lips while leaning on the railing, my tail wagging slowly. "It hasn't come up, neither of us pines for another mate. It seems fine how it is."

"If it isn't broken, don't fix it?" The sheep asked me curiously.

"Something like that..." I frowned and watched the city dip out of sight and lowered my ears. "The dreams, they have been bad lately..."

"I wish there was something I could do, Sarnai... does it weigh upon you so?" Lorelai placed a hand gently to my arm while speaking.

"It does... it feels like the only way I would ever be free of them is to hunt down the monster that did that to my kind..." I showed my teeth and thrashed my tail in anger.

"That is so long in the past now, my sister... you must not let that consume you. You have a good life now, with a family, and a good fox." The sheep stood on her toes and moved to gently stroke at my ears and hair.

"I wish I could... but when it comes to me fresh almost every night... it is not something I can easily shake away." I sighed the words, my ears flicking at her petting. I lowered my stance to allow her to more easily reach my ears.

"The world is vast, my sister. Perhaps someday we can find a means to quell that blight upon your soul. I will strive to find a means as well." The sheep rubbed my ears lovingly while speaking to me as a mother would a child.

My cheeks darkened, the earplay starting to get to me before I gently pulled my head from her grip and smiled. "I truly do not deserve you, my lady. I pray we are always together." Lorelai smiled at my words but I saw a distant look in her eyes. I could only imagine how many times she may have been told such things in her life, or perhaps even how many of our now lost siblings had possibly said the same.

The sheep shifted her gaze to the horizon, looking upon the dark waters before us. "So, how has your sailing and seamanship been going?"

I nodded at the topic shift and looked over the water with her. "Very well, I feel confident I could effectively run both a ship and her crew."

"Impressive, you will have to show me some pointers later. These modern ships are all a mystery to me." The elder vampire gave me a playful grin, showing me her sharp teeth.

I lifted my ears excitedly and patted the railing. I was eager to show my knowledge off to my lady and began right away. "Well, this is known as the stern of the ship, it also may be called the aft, it's the rear of the ship. The front is typically called the bow and if you're facing the bow, the left side is known as the port, while the right would be the starboard..."

#

It only took a handful of days to make our way to the city of Seville. It was the first major European city I had seen and though its size paled in comparison to Istanbul, it was still a thriving beautiful sight to behold. The architecture reminded me of a lot of the buildings I saw in Ceuta and made me wonder if that was the standard of most construction in this part of the world.

We found ourselves at a large mansion before being greeted and brought into the foyer by the massive bull I had seen at my own evaluation decades past. I gave a deep bow to him, lowering my ears and drooping my tail respectfully. "Lore Ra's, it is an honor to see you again." I spoke the words politely with my head lowered.

I heard a loud snort come from his nose before he waved a hand. "I am glad you are well, my sister. Especially after the tribulations your family has faced in recent years. Please, dispense of the formality until our council business begins, you are a guest in my home and I will not have it."

I lifted my ears and smiled, relaxing and folding my arms. "Thank you, brother."

"Tell me fox, when you exacted retribution upon the church in Moscow. How did it feel?" Ra's spoke the words curiously to me, folding his own arms.

"Ra's... she is not the one on evalu-" The sheep snapped her mouth closed as his large hand moved towards her in a gesture of silence. Lorelai scowled but held her tongue.

I frowned and gave a shrug. "If I'm being truthful? It filled me with joy and happiness to put them to the sword and burn their little cathedral to the ground. I only wish I could lay low scores more of them in retribution for our fallen brothers and sisters."

He grunted and rubbed his chin before pushing his palm over his large bald head. "I see that the decades have not quelled the madness in your heart for vengeance."

"What is the harm in taking pleasure upon the suffering of those that have wronged my family?" I showed my teeth in challenge, my tail cutting through the air in obvious agitation.

Lorelai spoke out to me sternly, "Sister, your words should be less-"

"Let her say her piece, Lorelai. I did welcome her into my home as a guest after all." The bull cut the sheep off once more. I saw the look of fury fill her eyes at being interrupted once more, but she simply clenched her teeth and looked away.

"I do not go out of my way to seek retribution and my lady is satisfied with the payment we enacted. I do not see the need for this dialog." I spoke the words pointedly and leveled the bull with a bored look.

"Because if you had it your way, you would be on a rampage right now." Ra's snapped the words out sharply at me, the first heat I had ever heard in his voice. "Know the difference between retribution and cruelty. I say it again, the day will come you will wish you had learned this lesson. Best to learn it now before then."

I clicked my tongue and jerked my gaze from his. "I thank you for your advice, my brother. I will try to calm my desires in the future."

"Can I talk now?" Lorelai spat the words out bitterly, her hands on her hips as she glared at the bull.

"Apologies sister..." Ra's bowed his head to the sheep.

"She doesn't stalk around the villa plotting death and dismemberment of the church. Her vengeance is not all-consuming, Ra's." Lorelai folded her arms as she grumbled the words.

"Well, the hour is nearly upon us. Let us talk more about this later." The bull gave the sheep another bow as one of the other lords arrived.

#

The evaluation was for a new member of Ra's house, back then the head of the council still held their own house, since travel was less simple and more time-consuming. The evaluation went off without a hitch and soon enough the other three lords had dispersed and it was just the three of us once more.

"Can I not convince you to stay the night, ladies? I feel crass to call you all the way here and not at least offer you lodging," The head of the council spoke the words as we moved through the grassy lawn of his estate towards the waiting carriage.

"Thank you old friend, but we have a vessel already chartered for Lisbon. I wish to let her see more of the Iberian coastline before we return to Ceuta," Lorelai spoke the words politely.

"Truly a shame, but I understand. Sarnai my sister, please do not think ill of my words earlier. I simply show concern for you, I have seen what an unchecked thirst for vengeance can do to someone." Ra's nodded to me and I slowly nodded back.

I gave the bull a smile and shook my head. "I am not upset, my brother. I do appreciate your concern and will strive to-"

None of us expected what happened next, there was a blast of bright light that erupted before the carriage. It reminded me of the sun and I felt myself grow sick before taking a knee. The steeds panicked and fled, drawing the carriage with them.

In my dizzy haze, I heard the bull roar out in pain. Lorelai was still on her feet, her teeth clenched in fury and I could see she struggled to maintain her position, her legs wobbling slightly. "Bastard!" The sheep spat out and I saw her cutlass draw from her scabbard before she blurred from my sight.

I tried to rise to my feet but the light had me paralyzed as my head spun and I threatened to vomit up the blood I had drank at the post-evaluation meal. My ears filled with the sound of clashing steel and scuffling before the light faded before us.

My vision cleared and I shook my head before climbing to my feet, the nausea passing. "My lady?" I barked out and looked to see Lorelai standing between Ra's, and two other figures. The bull had found his feet and drawn a large claymore that he easily held in a single hand like a longsword. A large wound was raked across his chest and I could see wisps of smoke coming from his body.

One of the two assailants I recognized. It was the platinum-haired fox from years ago. She now sported a pair of feathery wings on her back and her sword was held aloft over her head, her knees bent in an odd stance. I had never seen a sword like it before, it was curved and seemed to only be sharp on one side of the blade, certainly not the one she brandished half a decade past.

The other figure was obviously a male, he wore armor in a style I had never seen before. The chest was layered in plates of leather and silver with ornate shoulder guards and hip guards. The figure looked to be some sort of ram with large curled horns, and hair as jet black as my own.

He wore a well-manicured beard that came down several inches from his chin to a point and braided. The sword he sported was similar to Rachels but much larger to accompany his size, he was easily seven feet in height.

Shaking the daze off I drew my saber and moved to stand with my two kinsmen. "Rachel! Is this how you repay my lady's mercy?" I spat the words out towards the other fox, my tail thrashing about furiously.

"Sinners... you have caused enough death and destruction with your cursed existence." The large ram spoke the words, an odd draw to his dialect, his words sounding sharp and pronounced pointedly.

Ra's showed his teeth and dug his heels in. "Away with you two, this is not a fight we can win. I will stall them here."

"I will not leave you to die, Ra's!" Lorelai set her stance, bringing the cutlass upwards, resting the blade against her arm.

"That's right, brother... we stand together, and we die together, like family!" I barked the words and summoned my flames in a burst of black shadows. I saw both the fox and ram shift their gaze to me as the black wisps of flame rolled off my body.

"It means little, we would hunt you down. You went too far when you burned our sanctuary and attacked our clergy." The large ram raised his curved blade to point at Lorelai and then me as he spoke the words. I saw large white wings unfurl from his back and stand out sharply.

"They come!" Ra's spat the words as the fox and ram launched forward. I knew better than to square off with the ram, I could feel his overwhelming power, but I would be damned if I would let the fox get away with this betrayal.

There was a clash of steel as my saber met the curved foreign sword of the foxes as we met. "Sparing you was a mistake! I knew we should have taken your throat that night!" I snarled the words, black flames rolling off my blade as I struck out against the brown fox before me, driving her back from the melee between the other three.

"I am grateful! But..." She showed her teeth as I slammed by saber hard against her sword and we locked blades.

"But what? You bitch!" I barked in her face, my spittle hitting her cheeks as our weapons ground against one another.

The angel delivered a sharp booted kick to my hip and I barked out as I stumbled back, jerking my head away, the curved blade nearly coming down atop me. "I have no choice in the matter!" Rachel barked the words and brought her curved sword down once more.

I positioned the saber to deflect the blow and the moment the steel clashed, I grabbed her wrist. Twisting her wrist hard I gripped the pommel of the blade to disarm her. My teeth clenched and I yowled out as touching the blade sent pain through my hand. I bound several paces away, looking at my hand which was now smoking and looked blistered as if I had grabbed a blacksmith's iron rod straight from the forge.

Rachel set me with an apologetic look as she readied her stance. "Blessed silver, it will burn to the touch."

"Do not explain to her, you fool!" The ram snarled the words while dodging and parrying the claymore as well as the cutlass strikes that were raining down upon him from the two elder-vampires.

My ears filled with the sound of their struggle as Rachel gave me a shake of her head and sprang off her toes towards me. I widened my eyes in realization, the dog had no choice in the matter, he was compelling her. Our blades slammed into one another once more and ground there. The pain was influencing my grip as I held the saber with both hands, the silver blade inches from my face. It felt like it was alight with flames and it was as if I could feel heat radiating from it.

"D-Damn it!" I barked out as I rolled my blade, before tucking into a roll and pulling from the lock. The sword came down heavily in an overhead chop and I yelped as I jerked to the side to avoid the blow. She had me on the defensive now, I was having to retreat back with each exchange, drawing further from Lorelai and Ra's.

I felt panic start to fill me, she was my better now that my hand was injured and I knew it. Her sword was obviously designed for two-handed use, mine was not. Without full grip, her blade brought too much weight and power to parry it reliably. Our blades clashed and I rested the flat of the saber against my arm in an underhanded grip, my own blade digging into my flesh as my arm quivered from the brown foxes' strength. "I'm sorry, I am grateful..." Rachel whispered the words and I yipped before breaking from her.

I bounded several leaps away, panting and dragging my tongue over the large self-inflicted gash on my arm. The angel set her stance, her wings unfurling as she leaped straight up and took to the air.

"You're jesting with me, they can fly?! Of course they can, why am I surprised at this point!" I snarled the words as she set her blade and dove on me like a bird of prey. My eyes darted back and forth, I knew that much power coming from such a dive would shatter my sword. There was a reason birds of prey were such good hunters, I was in the open and she could easily adjust her descent to keep in line with me.

"Gods be damned!" I snarled and thrust my burned hand forward, summoning a gout of black flames that poured forth. I heard the other dog yelp out as my hellfire covered her as she came to bear upon me. I threw my blade up to take the blow and there was a violent clash of steel on silver.

I heard the steel whine and the pommel crack before I shifted myself at the last moment as the curved sword simply broke the blade off my saber. The angel brushed some black flames out on her leather armor, her wings looking singed and a few feathers still burning as she set her stance once more and showed her teeth in a growl.

With a grunt, I withdrew the large knife from my boot and set it against my wrist, hellfire pouring off me. "We're not done yet, bitch!" I barked the words and snarled as I lunged forward, tired of being on the defense.

The angel set her sword and struck at me but I blurred to the side of it, catching the base of the blade against the blade of my knife. Using my free hand I grabbed her by the throat and willed a gout of flames to pour forth. The hellfire burst forth all over the dog's face and head, rolling down her shoulders. My ears then lifted sharply as the sensation came again, it wasn't as strong as before but it still burned and ached.

"Wretched... argh! Just touching your lot is like quaffing poison!" I snarled the words as I pulled back, shaking my hand that had now been burned twice in this exchange.

Rachel snapped her wings out sharply as the flames faded, most of her platinum blonde hair and fur on her ears burned away, I saw her snarl before she set her stance once more. Her hair started to regrow before my eyes and the blisters of my fire healed on her flesh in real-time.

A little voice came to me as I swallowed hard seeing her ready her stance. Even with my hellfire, I couldn't beat her. It seemed like everything I had she healed or countered, I couldn't disarm her or even touch her. "Gods be damned..." I hissed the words and set my knife, my flames feeling weak from the long struggle.

"Again... I'm sorry." Rachel growled the words and lunged forward. I yipped and threw my knife up in a parry, the blades clashing as sparks filled the night air. Each blow made the blade groan and creak in my grip. It was a hunting knife and was never designed for this sort of combat.

Rachel howled out and sent the sword down in a mighty chop. I deflected once more, holding the blade and feeling it start to break in my grasp. I knew once that knife snapped, that curved blade was going to come down on top of me and take my arm off.

My teeth clenched hard and then my ears lifted sharply at the next sound I heard. It was my lady and it was a cry of pain. I jerked my eyes away to see her on the ground, holding her midsection. There was a large swath across her stomach and blood was pouring forth heavily. Ra's stood over her, sword at the ready as the angel stood before him. The ram looked fairly cut up and injured but maintained his stance with no signs of fatigue or pain.

"Lorelai!" I barked out her name, panic and fury filling my heart. The blade of my dagger finally snapped, flying off into the darkness. The mighty cleave didn't come, I had shifted both my hands to grab the base of the curved sword as my dagger failed.

Rachel's golden eyes widened as flames poured off my hands while glaring upon her. "Away with you dog, my lady needs me!" I barked the words and simply slammed my forehead into the angels. She yelped and stumbled back as I wrenched the curved blade from her grip and it tumbled to the ground. I followed up with a well-placed kick to her side, sending her sprawling from me several dozen yards, her wings slamming against the ground as she rolled.

Grabbing the hem of the formal dress I had worn, I tore off a large swath exposing my leg and thigh to the cool night air. I took the material and quickly wrapped it around the hilt of the sword and gripped it, feeling it still burn but not agonizingly so. I gave the dog a glance, seeing she had risen but her arm and both wings looked broken.

"My lady, I am here!" I screamed the words as I blurred across the lawn and was standing next to her with Ra's.

Lorelai coughed out then glared up at me. "Give me that damnable sword!" I grit my teeth, feeling her will compel me to do so and handed it off to her.

I saw my sheep grip the blade and lay it over her opened wound. She yowled out in a pained sharp bleat as the holy silver burned her but I saw right away what she had done. She used the burning steel to cauterize her wounds and stop the flowing blood. She staggered to her feet and passed me back the sword.

"What have you done with my knight, vampire?" I heard the larger angel scowl the words towards me. I set the silver blade and quirked a brow. "A few broken limbs and wings but she will live. More to the point... I'm going to do much worse to you for what you have done to my lady this night!"

I felt pressure on my back as Lorelai pushed her back to me, her cutlass back in her hand, I lifted an ear to note the fox was slowly plodding towards us. "Sarnai... I am sorry... know I am honored to stand with you in our last moments." Lorelai grit her teeth as she ground the words out.

"Enough of this!" The ram willed forth his power and another radiant burst of light erupted over the area. I barked out in fury as my knees grew weak and I fell to them, the blessed sword falling to the grass. I felt Lorelai slump behind me as well. The bull stood defiantly for several more seconds before also sinking to a knee.

"Weaklings... Knight, come retrieve your sword!" The ram spat the words in commandment and Rachel quickly moved to pull the tattered wrapping off her weapon before collecting it, her arm seemingly already healed of the break.

"Hagen... we may die, but we die with honor. You will live only as a coward!" Ra's spat the words out bitterly at him, his eyes blood red as his large sharp teeth showed in the bright light.

"Put this one down first, Knight." The angel pointed to the kneeling bull in the grass. Rachel swallowed and shook her head but moved to the downed elder-vampire. She raised her sword, setting her stance.

"Don't you dare!" Lorelai screamed the words and found her feet, stumbling forward a few paced before collapsing again next to me. I saw her blood-red eyes filled with tears, her teeth clenched in a furious snarl.

The angel known as Hagen gave a nod and Rachel brought the sword down in a clean slash, severing the bull's head from his body. My eyes widened and I felt a shudder fill me, my ears then filling with the yowling pained screams of my lady as Ra's body collapsed to the grass in a heap.

"Brother! Ra's! You... you will pay for this!" She screamed the words, fury pouring off her voice as her teeth showed. I felt her power magnify, her rage fueling her as she slowly rose to her feet, her knees shaking in the light.

I shook my head several times, feeling the rage and sorrow cripple me. Was this how it would end, me sitting here helpless as both my lady and our lord brother were slaughtered before my eyes? I sobbed out, thinking of my lady, then of Val and the twins. Then I thought of my fox, my beautiful white fox whom I promised to return home to. I shuddered and let out a bitter laugh as I spoke, "So be it..."

The demons had always been there, I always fought them back. I wouldn't let them have full control, but if I were to lose everything this night, why not myself as well. I stripped down all my barricades I had built over the last decades. I threw my arms open and welcomed the power and all the madness it promised. "Ha... so be it... so be it... for you Elias and Lorelai..."

My flames returned but they were no longer black like shadows, they had taken on a new color. They rolled off me a deep crimson, like the color of bloody fire. I staggered to my feet and barked out sharply, "Lorelai!"

The sheep jerked her tear-filled eyes to me, then they widened at my flames. I felt a hungry grin spread as I raised my hand forward and bloody flames poured forth basking over the radiant sphere and snuffing out its flames. "Kill him, kill him now!" I barked the words as my other hand extended out, fire erupting over both the angels. I heard Rachel scream out in pain and even Hagen cry out from the sudden demonic energy washing over him.

The ram clenched his teeth, his arm shielding himself, then the elder-vampire pushed forth out of the flames before him. There was no time to react, her teeth were already bared as she tackled him to the ground, her fangs in his throat before they hit the ground together.

"My lord!" Rachel barked out and moved for them. I blurred towards her and simply punched her in the face with a flaming fist. The fox yelped and slammed into the ground, several inches of dirt sinking in from the blow.

I clenched my teeth and looked over to see Lorelai atop the ram, ravenously feeding on him. The burning of his divine flesh was spreading over her face, wisps of smoke filling the air. The angel wasn't struggling, the euphoria had him and in a matter of moments, the burning stopped as his life ebbed from him.

Lorelai pulled from his drained form with a snarl, her lips blistered and the left side of her face viciously burned. I saw her shudder and give a ragged moan of relief from the divine blood in her. She shifted her eyes to me and down to the fox upon the ground.

Rachel groaned and shook her head as I sneered at her. She started to pick herself up but I planted my foot into her side and kicked her over onto her back. I stepped over to her with a hungry grin on my face. "Now it's your turn, little bitch..." I hummed the words as the red flames rolled off my body.

"She was helpless to him, Sarnai. She had no control over her actions." Lorelai spoke the words in a simple statement.

"Oh? So I should spare her then?" I was already straddling her as I looked to the sheep while asking my question. My hand was already in the foxes platinum hair, pulling her head to the side, her throat bared for me.

Lorelai shrugged a shoulder. "Lower-class celestials cannot disobey orders. That said, we have lost much this night, take her if you wish, I will not restrain you."

"Guess that's how it is... anything to say before I send you to your gods, little fox?" I growled the words, the power and demons in me hungry for her life.

Rachel clenched her teeth and whimpered, "I... I will not beg for my life... know I was grateful for the mercy back then and... I am sorry for your loss this night." She set her jaw and I felt her jerk her head further away, willingly baring her throat for me.

"Huh... not bad..." I felt torn as I started to reign the demons in, seeing her pulse throbbing in her neck hard, feeling the fearful thrums of her heartbeat.

"Could you not, please?" A soft gentle voice came to us and I barked out as a platinum-haired rabbit was before the three of us. His hands were resting before him, a bow in his posture towards me.

"Who in the nine hells are you?" I barked out in anger, feeling my tail fluffed out, sensing the same power from him as the last angel.

The rabbit looked between the two of us and then smiled upon me. "I am archangel Toroah and I am here to bargain for my sister's life."

"Why did you not bargain for that husk's life?" Lorelai growled out the words, thrusting a finger at the drained corpse of the other angel.

The archangel pursed his lips and frowned. "Archangel Hagen insisted upon this transgression despite my disapproval. He made me give my word before this began that I would not interfere."

"I'm pretty sure he would have been okay with you saving him." I barked the words out and gave Rachel a hungry look before sneering, "Give me your word, knight. Swear to me you will never turn your blade to house Silverpaw again and you may walk away from this."

Toroah gave Rachel a nod. "You have my permission, go right ahead my child."

The fox bit her lower lip and shook her head. "I never wanted to raise arms against your house to begin with. I'm happy to give my word. You have it here and now."

I growled and found my feet, offering her my hand. She hesitated and I rolled my eyes. "I've been burned enough tonight, I'm used to it, give me your damned hand." Rachel nodded and gripped my palm. I felt the burn spread and hoisted her up before pulling away to casually shake my hand in the air.

"Thank you for your understanding, my child." The rabbit bowed politely to me.

"She isn't your child, she is mine!" Lorelai showed her teeth and stomped over to the rabbit, glaring upon him. It was amusing to see given their height differences.

"I meant no disrespect arch-vampire Lorelai." Toroah bowed to her and the sheep frowned at the words.

"Why address me in such a way?" She spoke out, her blistered face looking surprised if not a little embarrassed at the words.

The rabbit blinked upon her several times and opened his palms. "You claimed the vitality of an archangel, surely you can feel the newfound power and vigor running through your veins."

She folded her arms and looked away, clicking her tongue. "I do... but I guessed it would be temporary."

Toroah shook his head. "May I... touch you?"

The sheep bleated out sharply at the words and glared at him. "What are you, some kind of lecher?"

His ears folded and I saw him blush. "No... m-my... no. I simply wished to heal your injuries... I wanted to see your face without the blisters." I gaped my mouth at the scene, my lady was getting the moves put on her by an archangel right in the middle of all this.

"Fine, if you think you can." She huffed the words and folded her arms. The rabbit then nodded and moved his palm to rest against her cheeks. I saw her flinch from the pain but then her tail wiggled furiously behind her as he moved to touch her delicately.

A few moments later she hissed and pulled from his touch, rubbing her cheeks. "I think you just burned me more, you wretch-"

"Actually, your face is healed..." I called out with a surprised tone in my voice.

"So you did heal it? Interesting, why?" She cut her now soft brown eyes up to his blue ones.

"I... I simply wanted to see it and felt it was deserved after what happened tonight." He stammered the words before quickly looking away, seeing me and Rachel both giving him a knowing look.

"Healing my injuries does not make up for tonight, rabbit! Our head of council is dead and my court will be in disarray. He was one of my oldest friends and my mentor. This is beyond personal... I will be summoning the lords and we will be preparing for war!" She spat the words out, her tone gradually growing more furious.

Me and Rachel shared a look at the talk of war, then Toroah bowed to the sheep. "I am very sorry, you must understand he acted outside of our-"

"Your excuses fall upon deaf ears! My oldest friend lies headless before me. You truly think we will let this pass?" Lorelai spat the words out sharply, her ears perked up and teeth showing in a scowl.

"Yes, and one of my kind lies dead as well. There are now only five of us left. Have the scales not been properly balanced by this? What can I do to avoid a war that would be a dreadful strain upon both of our kind?" Toroah kept his head bowed all the while as he spoke.

Lorelai furrowed her brow and shook her head. I recalled she had told me time and again we could not sustain a war with the celestials. Their power was directly influenced by the church and how powerful it was. The church was at the height of their power right now and we would be wiped out, it made me wonder why this rabbit was so adamant about avoiding a war they should be able to handily win.

"Fight me." Lorelai spat the words out plainly.

"What?" Toroah lifted his large white ears, a frown showing upon his face.

"You heard me. No knights, no countesses. Just you and me!" Lorelai grit her teeth as her eyes turned red once more. "If you can best me in combat, I will consider the scales balanced and our people will mourn without talks of retribution."

Toroah gave the sheep a long steady gaze before nodding. "And if I cannot best you?"

The sheep flashed her teeth at him. "Then you are mine and what comes next will be no concern to you, for you will be with your precious gods."

"My lord! Please do not consider this proposal!" Rachel barked out as she moved towards the two of them.

Toroah held a hand to the fox and shook his head. "Dame Rachel, please take Hagen's body and return home. Explain what has transpired here and relay that I will be accepting arch-vampire Lorelai's conditions."

The fox whimpered out her protest, but I could see she wouldn't argue as she moved over to the drained body of the former archangel. She kneeled next to him and I saw them both fade from sight.

"Sarnai..." Lorelai called out to me and I lifted my ears, moving to her side.

"My lady?" I spoke to her obediently.

"Leave us, find the carriage and take lodging in the city. I will find you when I am done here," She thrust her hand out as she spoke the words.

"My lady... I do not feel comfortable leaving you alone with this angel, their kind has shown they cannot be trusted," I growled the words and put my hands upon my hips.

"He can be, I can tell by his eyes. I wish to deal with this business then mourn my fallen brother properly. No doubt several members of his house have watched this transpire from the mansion and simply do not come out from fear." Lorelai cut her eyes sharply to mine. "Do not make me force you to do as I command."

I gritted my teeth and bowed my head, I then jerked my gaze upon the rabbit, fixing him with a glare. "Should my lady not return to me, I will personally find a way to wipe your whole lot off the face of this planet, I swear it," I snarled the words at the archangel and spun on my heel, stalking off into the darkness to find the carriage.

#

"So how did it go?" I growled the words as we made our way to the harbor to catch our ship. Lorelai had met up with me the following dusk as she promised.

"I'm not dead and we're not at war, so there's something." The sheep spoke the words cooly while we walked down the dock towards our waiting ship.

"Did he put the moves upon you?" I hummed playfully.

Lorelai fixed me with a serious look and nodded. "He did... we had tea after our duel. He said he would like to see me again sometime."

I barked and gave her a shocked look. "Woah, I was kidding but... that's impressive."

"Time will tell..." Lorelai sighed the words and shook her head, her curls bouncing slightly. "I have sent messengers to the various lords of the council. We are to have an emergency meeting in one month's time at Ra's home. We should have enough time to travel up to Lisbon and back again."

"So we won't be home for over a month?" I frowned at the worry it would cause him.

Lorelai gave me a smile. "Do not stress, we shall have a splendid vacation together in Lisbon, it's a beautiful city. Also, I have dispatched a messenger to house Silverpaw to let them know."

I gave her a relieved smile, then frowned. "I'm sorry about Ra's... I did not know how close you two were, but that must have been a heavy blow."

She frowned and nodded. "I got my grieving out after you left. Toroah was surprisingly comforting about it."

"Well, I'm here if you need to talk more, my lady." I spoke the words then felt her hand move to grip my own, a smile showing as she nodded.

#

We spent over two weeks in Lisbon, taking in the sights of the capital and enjoying what the city had to offer. It was a relaxing respite to be sure. Afterward, we made our way back to Seville and met with several of the lords that had gathered for the meeting.

When all was said and done the remaining members of Ra's house would be absorbed into Silverpaw since we had so few members. Lorelai also took the position as head of the council. She wasn't voted in, she simply stated she was taking it at the request of Ra's and the rest of the various lords agreed to her decision.

I and Lorelai had just emerged from our sleeping quarters as we returned to Ceuta with nearly a dozen new members in tow. The small ship had set out several hours ago and the sun had just dipped over the horizon, basking the skies in a deep haze of purples and reds.

"It's a lovely view... I enjoy catching it right as the light dips over the horizon like this." Lorelai spoke the words in a forlorn tone of voice. I nodded and then lifted my ears, squinting my eyes as I saw something far in the distance.

"I believe... we are being followed," I spoke the words, my teeth showing in a growl.

"Could it be a coincidence?" Lorelai lifted her ears curiously.

I shook my head. "Only if it's a coincidence that ship flies the crest of the Spanish acolytes."

The sheep snarled and peered into the distance, seeing the crest on the canvas of the sails, plain and obvious now. "Gods be damned... they must have had spies watching the movements of the house. They no doubt mean to sink us and strike a blow to the whole court."

"You think it's celestials at play?" I asked her in a calm voice.

She shook her head. "No, we're under a truce for the next ten years, that was part of the agreement. This is the mundane church sticking their nose in affairs not of their own, again."

I clicked my tongue. "That's a nice galleon..."

"What in the nine hells is a galleon?" Lorelai asked me curiously.

"It's a fairly new style of ship, it's only come into its own in the last few years or so. It's like an armored carrack. It's probably got around thirty guns on her," I hummed the words in amusement, my naval interest coming to the front.

"Thirty? By the gods, they will sink us in one volley." Lorelai huffed the words out and lifted her ears.

I wagged a finger. "If they can get in range."

"You think they will not keep up with this ship?" She tilted her head.

"Oh no... this girl is fully loaded with cargo and passengers, they will be upon us within a few hours." I wagged my tail and braced my elbows on the railing, watching the ship in the distance. "Oh, she's a beauty..."

"Look Sarnai... I know you are excited about this sort of thing, but this could be a big issue. What if we-"

"Take her? Oh, I was thinking the same thing, my lady," I cooed the words and showed my teeth in a hungry grin, still staring upon the galleon on the horizon.

Lorelai bleated out, "What? Take her how?"

I cocked my brow and grinned. "Are you a good swimmer?"

"Well... yes, I love swimming. I've had to flee sinking ships a few times in the ocean actually." She folded her arms in thought.

"May I take the lead for a moment?" I showed her an excited grin.

The sheep put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Fine sister, you know more about this than I do. I will follow your lead."

I quickly made my way through the ship and gathered all of our newfound family members. Counting Lorelai there were fourteen of us in total. I put my hands on my hips and gave them all an appraising grin. "Alright brothers and sisters. We've got the church coming for us in that mighty big ship off in the distance. She will no doubt sink us in one volley too."

They all murmured to themselves and I wagged a finger. "It's a fine ship though. I say the church doesn't deserve such a beauty, and I aim to have her for our own." I showed my teeth and thrust my hand out. "Those bastards cost us your former lord and now they mean to sink the lot of us and finish the job. Are we going to stand for that?"

I heard several of them snarl and spit out curses. I growled and clenched my fists. "I'm sorry, I thought house Silverpaw was full of strong brave warriors, not kits. I'll ask only once more... Will we show the church what fore, or will you belly up and whimper like pups!"

They all shouted their curses and agreeance towards me. I showed them a proud grin. "That's more like it!" I thrust my hand out towards the approaching ship and thrashed my tail around excitedly.

"They will be on us within the hour, but I say we don't give them the chance. Those that are confident in your swimming, join me and we simply swim out to them. We'll take them by surprise before they know what hit them." I showed them all another hungry grin. "There will likely be sixty or so on board, quite a feast would you all not agree?"

"Sarnai, can a group our size man a ship that size?" Lorelai asked me curiously.

I nodded. "It will be difficult but we're only half a day from Ceuta, we should be fine if everyone follows my command. I've already explained the situation to the captain of this ship."

"Wait, you told the captain what we are?" She gave me a shocked look.

"Don't be absurd. I explained that the church is obviously going to board us thinking we're fugitives or smugglers. The Spanish acolytes have a reputation in these waters of being cruel, so it didn't take much convincing to get him to agree. We will take the ship and some of their crew will help us man it until we get to port." I wagged my tail furiously now, feeling the excitement build within me.

"Well you're the one in charge, so tell us what to do, right my family?" Lorelai spoke out to the small group before me, all of them cheering and nodding at me.

"Got it! Those of you that know how to swim in the angry sea, you're with me. The others take one of the skiffs. Silverpaw is about to be the proud new owner of a Spanish Galleon!" I barked the orders out sharply as my makeshift crew formed and we all armed ourselves.

"You're, really into this, Sarnai." Lorelai yelled out to me from the stern of the ship as we stood there with six others. The rest were already in a skiff and lowering to the water. The Spanish ship was now nearly atop us, she would be within firing distance within half an hour or less.

I gave her a wide grin and nodded, then called out to all those near me. "Remember, we're not mundane. I want no sniveling or excuses, the church has cost us dearly and it's time we paid them back!"

I jumped onto the railing and shoved my fist into the air. "For Ra's and for Silverpaw!" I barked the words out and the others parroted my words as I simply fell backward, arms spread wide as I plunged into the black salty water below.

Thankfully, the family member that was manning the small skiff was an experienced fisherman that frequented the ocean currents in his mundane life, so the small band on the boat easily navigated with us through the rolling angry waves. Lorelai was right beside me as we swam on a collision course for the galleon. An assault like this was the last thing they expected, so they didn't even have any spotting lanterns on the waters to detect our approach.

My heart was pounding as I grabbed hold of one of the portholes as the large ship dipped into the water and I went down with it before coming up once more. A sailor below the deck saw me and gave a horrified look before scrambling out of sight. I giggled as my eyes flashed red and scurried up the side of the ship.

Saber in hand I came over the side soaking wet and ran the nearest soldier through with my sword in a surprise attack. Lorelai launched onto the deck right behind me, easily taking the head off one acolyte with a sweeping slash of her sword. The sheep then grabbed another by the head and plunged her teeth deep into his throat. She pulled deeply from the soldier before throwing his half drained body to the ocean below.

Heartbeats later over a dozen vampires were swarming the deck of the ship. Death came quick and ruthless as we tore the acolytes apart, feeding as well as cutting our way through the ship mercilessly.

I showed my bloody teeth as I kicked the door to the cabin open, my eyes widening as I saw the captain standing there with a flintlock pistol drawn upon me. He fired and I jerked my head to the side with supernatural speed, the small iron ball flying past my cheek. I set my saber as he fumbled to reload his gun. "I offer you the chance to say your prayers to your gods with your final moments, but if you wish to spend it reloading, that is your choice."

He gave me a shocked look before he shook his head, dropping his gun and clasping his hands together. I gave him a few moments as he said a prayer for himself and his crew. Then I was atop him and snatched his head to the side baring his throat. "Who says I'm not a merciful vixen? Go to your gods..." I plunged my fangs into his throat and drank deeply of him.

The last of the bodies were cast into the angry sea and I met my new family at the deck all of us covered in blood and looking satisfied with all the feeding. "She's all ours my family, let's get her to port!" I shouted the words and raised my bloody saber to the air, my brothers and sisters cheering at our victory.

"What are you going to do now, Captain Sarnai?" Lorelai hummed the words playfully as we both leaned against the railing at the bow of the ship, seeing the port of Ceuta coming into view.

I grinned childishly and shook my head. "I would like to say we can take this beauty and go wage war on the church, but... well, she's one ship and a big one at that." I gave a shrug. "Ceuta is a neutral port more or less. We will strip her down and sell her and the cannons off. It will fetch a very pretty penny for the family."

"And so ends the career of the Silverpaw pirates?" Lorelai showed me a grin, her small fluff of tail wagging about.

I tapped my nose and grinned. "If you can get me a few capable servants and some of our new family want to stick around as crew. I could get a small fast ship like a caravel. We could occasionally prey upon the church for fun and profit. A caravel would be fast, small and cheap. We could take them by surprise, board them late in the night. We would get payback, turn a tidy profit for our court, and the ship would be easy enough to hide away given its size."

"A compelling and exciting proposition." Lorelai smiled as we drew closer to the docks. "We can speak with the family at large once we are home and see."

I gave her a nod then stood to yell out towards the small crew manning the massive warship. "Alright my hearties, let's prepare for docking! Also, you lot from the other ship, stick around in port for a time, I will be giving each of you a proper reward for your help after we finish with business. Captain Silverpaw always shows her appreciation in the most important way, with coin!"

The sheep shook her head at me as I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, seeing her smile as my cheeks darkened. I lifted my ears and returned my focus to the crew as we prepared to dock.

---

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