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Episode I - It all Starts with a Train Ride

"Pollenburn is more a giant memento than a true city. A large, self-sufficient town built on tourism and historical monuments, the city is built on a tremendous plane of ash created from the Bloomcrest Purge. It is currently the home of world-renowned ExIT Commander, Gale Winthrop codenamed Wildwind or as many consider him, 'The Ninja of the Seven Winds'."

Ivan Thare

Mortaelis World Travel: A Guide to Our World

The alarm clock blared loudly.

WHAM!

A thick fist slammed its snooze button and its owner turned over in his bed sleepily, pulling the sheets tightly around himself and snuggling in for another ten minutes of blissful, dreamless slumber that came all too rarely. Jacob Reaper kept his eyes firmly shut, stifling a yawn and running his long, fat tongue over his dried lips.

A small paw was poking his cheek.

"Jake! Jake! Come on! Get up!"

He grumbled and swatted at the paw. There was a satisfying smack as he hit the diminutive owner and he pulled the sheets over his head.

Those same, small paws began jabbing his side. "Come on! You'll miss your ride!"

"G'way!" he growled, turning over beneath his thick quilt.

"But there's not another train until tomorrow!"

Unfortunately, the constant pestering had wakened his brain and Jacob begrudgingly opened his eyes. Cogs began ticking away in his head... and he came to the frightening realisation that the tiny voice was right.

"Oh shi -!"

He burst from his bed, pulling his semi-naked lupine form into full gear and zooming across his small studio apartment in only a pair of blue and red boxer shorts.

Damnit,_he thought feverishly._Damnit!

"What time is it!?" he demanded.

"7:13 AM. Your train is at 7:30."

"Crap!" he cried, diving for his dresser and pulling out a bunch of clothing. There was no time to pack.

He had to get that train. "Why didn't you wake me earlier!?"

"I'm not your alarm clock!"

Jacob did the calculations quickly in his head as he grabbed a white long-sleeved shirt, a red sleeveless shirt with his favourite brand, 'Wildog Pax' and a pair of rough, denim jeans. Not exactly the most fashionable, he would admit, but he really had no other choice. He contemplated grabbing a change of underwear especially since his current pair was feeling a little damp.

Damp...?

What? Did I wet my bed?"

He pulled his boxers off and sniffed them, expecting the foul stench of urine. Instead, there was a heady musk that kind of smelled a little like him.

"What the...?"

"What?"

He shook his head and threw the pair aside. "Forget it." Quickly, he grabbed a clean pair - at least he thought it was clean - and slipped into them as well as the rest of his clothing. Apart from a pair of socks and blue and white sneakers, the only other thing he slipped on was a pair of black gloves that had a bright, blue disc drawn onto its palm. Once fully dressed, he grabbed a baseball cap with the same Wildog Pax emblem on it and slipped it over his short, roughly cut golden blonde hair.

Time check.

7:18.

He snatched a pair of silver, wraparound sunglasses from his bedside table, his wallet, a wristwatch, a pair of large headphones, his portable music player and a golden pocket watch. All were resting beside the glasses. He slipped the sunglasses over his eyes rimmed with heavy bags despite the predawn light, tucked his wallet into his pocket, slapped on his wristwatch, attached he music player to his armband and connected it to the headphones that he looped around his neck. As for the pocket watch, he flipped it open.

The words: 'One day we shall all die' were written on the non-clock face of the watch. The clock itself wasn't working. The glass frame was cracked and the hands were twisted and broken, permanently pointing at five and eight.

A sigh escaped him and he quickly tucked the watch into the pocket opposite his wallet.

He turned to the small, white wolf sitting obediently on his bed. It was a feral wolf... well... if he really was a wolf. The creature was about the length of his arm from nose to tail and about as big as a small house cat. A pair of sapphire-blue eyes to match his own sparkled intelligently while a pair of black, feathered wings rested on its back.

"You coming, Spectre?"

"You're going out in just that_?"_ the wolf replied indignantly. "Are those clothes even clean?"

Jacob shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll get some clean ones when we get there."

"And by 'get' you mean...?"

Rolling his eyes, Jacob patted his shoulder. Spectre leapt of his bed, flying across the apartment to rest on his shoulders. The little wolf wrapped itself around his neck like a fluffy, white scarf and nestled in for the trip.

All set to go, Jacob hurried out of his apartment, locking it behind him.

"Oh, there's my favourite young wolf," a bright, flowery voice exclaimed.

Hiding a sigh, Jacob forced a brilliant smile as an old turtle with a rather thick mess of curly grey hair hobbled over to him. She smiled at him with watery, sky-blue eyes and held out an envelope.

"This came for you, dear," she said, completely ignoring Spectre. "I heard you tossing about in your apartment and I thought I'd give it to you since you were up."

Returning her smile, Jacob took the envelope and gent down from his 6'7'' height and pecked Mrs. Jenkins - his landlady - lightly on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mrs. J!" he said, spinning around and waving behind him. "Give my best to Shaun!"

"I will! You take care now, you hear Jacob?"

Jacob was halfway out the door into the busy streets when he said, "You know I will, Mrs. J!"

He was running into the alleyway beside the apartment building where no one could see him.

"What a nice lady,"_Spectre said listlessly. _"You should get her something nice from Pollenburn. I hear it's a great tourist spot."

"I'll bring her back a dead body. Her grandson will love that."

Spectre regarded him indignantly as he rummaged through a particularly large pile of rubbish to reveal a door - complete with frame - that rested against the wall. It was just a door. Not even connected to the building. He had found it one day while a building was being demolished and he asked one of the workers if he could take it. A few odd glances were cast his way but no one minded if the black wolf with golden-blonde hair took it.

"You do realise that Shaun is actually a year older than you, right? And he's only her adopted grandson."

"Really?" Jacob replied, running a finger over the door. "By the way she talks about him, you'd think he was ten or eleven. Twelve at most. Destination: Shellington Train Station. Concourse Broom Closet."

"And you wanna show a ten to twelve year old a dead body."

"Sure," he answered, with a shrug as he grasped the doorknob, "why not? I saw one when I was his age."

Spectre fell silent.

Jacob pulled open the door.

On the other side was the bustling concourse of Shellington Train Station. Announcements were blaring loudly all around him mixed with the angry shouts of other people from the delayed trains and the anxious cries of children at being up so early in the morning. Jacob checked the big, hovering holographic screens that indicated the arrival and departure times of the trains.

He noted that the time was 7:22 and that the 7:30 AM Express to Pollenburn was going to be on time.

Jacob pulled the headphones over his big, triangular ears tipped with the same gold fur that covered a good portion of his body and flipped on his music player. No actual music played. Just endless white noise. Fully 'armed', he shut the door behind him and headed towards the platform.

Naturally, there was a large number of MODD guards stationed all over the train station. Clad in thick, futuristic black armour with generic face masks over their features and hefting large guns, most people ignored them. However, with terrorist threats high on the list of national worries, MODD was everywhere and it was deemed essential that the biggest private company in the world employ guards at every major public transport terminal.

It only made getting onto the platform harder... but more fun.

Let's see... Last time it was an unattended bag... the time before that, it was a guy I managed to get drunk...

What'll it be this time...?

_"You really don't have the time to be picky here,"_Spectre warned, disproval clear in his voice.

"You're absolutely right," Jacob answered with a grin. The fingers of his right hand twitched and there was a brief twinkle of tiny numbers that flashed against his palm. He felt the tiny, marble-shaped, metal sphere against his palm and he quietly flicked it off into the distance, far away from the platform gates.

Three...

He started heading towards the gates.

Two...

A pair of guards stopped him. A guy with a cap and a pair of glasses standing around so early in the morning was definitely suspicious.

_"We need some identification there, kid,"_the guard said, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

One...

Jacob smiled innocently. "Of course, officer."

BOOOM!

The whole train station shook as flames erupted from somewhere behind him. The guards instantly shoved him aside as people began screaming and running away.

His smile turning into a grin, Jacob leapt over the barriers leading to the platform and hurried out of sight.

_"I hope no one got hurt..."_Spectre murmured.

"Me too."

Spectre looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yup." The train to Pollenburn rolled in and Jacob quickly got on, sliding into one of the empty compartments at the rear of the train and taking a seat. "I hope someone died."

The winged wolf on his shoulders merely sighed and said nothing.

Naturally, there was a delay since a 'terrorist' attacked the train station. About an hour or so. MODD guards came into every compartment checking up on them. Jacob had a suitable set of ID that marked him as 'Joshua Roans' and the guards scanned it for identity theft. There was an instant when Jacob wondered if the documents would be detected as false but the scanner in the guard's paws binged and the armoured men moved on.

It wasn't that he didn't have proper identification for the trip.

But he didn't have a ticket.

So he blew up the train station...

About an hour and a half after the scheduled departure time, the train finally began chugging down the line and heading away from Shellington. The thick, metal train was quite sterile and very... pristine. The walls were cold, hard and metallic. The seats were hard and uncomfortable. The single window was square and could not even be opened. There was a small rolling holographic sign that gave them constant headlines of the latest news reports and some ads but that was all that really broke the monotony of the rather uninspired compartment.

The scenery beyond the window brought some colour into his bleak surroundings, displaying the tall, futuristic skyscrapers of Shellington city with the intertwining highways that rose several hundred metres off the ground, suspended by anti-gravitational rings that encircled each of them. Anti-Grav cars zoomed between the highways which were made for pedestrians on Z-Skates or AG-Bikes. Holographic billboards flashed even so early in the morning and occasionally, it was possible to see a break in the high-tech landscape and see a plane of green scenery, trees rising alongside the skyscrapers with feral animals running through its preserved confines.

It took a good hour before they were finally clear of Shellington and the true reason behind the city's name became apparent. Countless craters littered the planes outside of Shellington. These days, they were covered with dense foliage and farms but there was no denying their existence. A city that had been shelled constantly during the great Seal War had its named changed just to reflect that.

The trip to Pollenburn would take another good two hours and Jacob was getting used to having all noise drowned out by the white noise his headphones provided when the door to his compartment binged and slid open. A young cougar entered, his chocolate-brown, curly hair looking perfectly permed and shining topaz eyes bright with the mirth of youth despite looking about the same age as Jacob - 21.

"Oh... erm... Is it okay if we share this compartment with you?" the cougar asked in a light, cheery voice. Masculine but not one of those over-macho deep baritones.

Jacob didn't let the word 'we' pass him.

"You can have it," he said, rising to his feet and turning to the door. "I'll just go find -"

A swan with coppery fur instantly pushed past the cougar and looked up at Jacob from her 5'9'' height, her emerald eyes widening in surprise.

"Wow! You're huge!"

Jacob was taken momentarily aback.

_"I think she likes you,"_Spectre giggled.

Naturally, everyone ignored him.

No one could see or hear Spectre except Jacob.

"Um..."

The swan blatantly reached out and pressed a paw against Jacob's right pectoral muscle and gave it a firm squeeze, making Jacob's fur stand on end. "Whoa! It's real! Joanna! Kerry! Check it out!"

A doe and a vixen poke their heads around their two friends and instantly seized the swan's paw and pulled her away.

"Christy!" the doe exclaimed, slapping her friend's paw. "Have you no shame!?"

"But it's awesome!" the swan whimpered, practically bouncing on her toes. "It's actually real muscle! Not synthetic!"

Synthetic...?

"Yeah. Didn't you know?" Spectre asked. "There was an ad on it on the Infomercial Channel. Apparently, you can get someone to surgically implant synthetic muscle into you. Lasts longer than real muscle and you can eat as much as you want and not exercise and it'll stay. Only thing is, all the flab will remain and it'll eventually just pile on above the muscle making it look real gross."

Jacob had to resist the urge of his stomach turning at the thought of someone having muscles surgically implanted into them.

"That doesn't give you a reason to manhandle a total stranger!" the vixen snapped, gazing up at Jacob with apologetic, black eyes. "I'm truly sorry, sir. She just gets giggly around big, muscled guys."

The swan pulled away from her friends, pressing herself wantonly up against Jacob and rubbing herself against him. "Hmmm... Big, muscled, cute guys."

Jason felt the heat rising to his cheeks and was grateful for his black fur.

"Christy!" all three of her friends cried and pulled her instantly away.

Christy was blatant in her attempts to get to Jacob, clawing out and staring at him lustfully, tongue lolling and even drooling a little.

"Um... I think I better get going," Jacob said. "I feel like I might get eaten..."

"I'd never eat something so deliciously meaty," Christy said, her eyes travelling down to Jacob's crotch. "I'm more interested in your bones."

Spectre was laughing uncontrollably.

"O-kay," Jacob muttered, pushing past the group. "I'm out of here."

A paw seized his bicep and he was about to shrug it off when he realised that it wasn't one of the girls. It was actually the guy. The cougar.

"I'm really sorry about Christy," he said, genuine in his apology. "You don't have to go."

Glancing at the vixen who had proceeded to examine his butt, Jacob said, "For her own safety, I think it best I do. Trust me, you don't want to know me."

"Ooooh! A bad boy!" Christy exclaimed. She was bouncing again. "I love bad boys!"

'Bad' is putting it lightly.

"Just forget you saw me."

"And I love the mystery with the shades and cap too," the swan said, her eyes roving his entire body. "You can't leave without letting us see your eyes at least!"

Jacob turned away, pulling his arm free of the cougar. "And that would be my cue to leave."

He ignored the rest of their protests as he headed down the carriages. There weren't any more free carriages. It wasn't that he didn't mind sharing a carriage but every other carriage was full.

Is everyone in Shellington heading to Pollenburn?

"No, this is what you get for jumping on a fully booked train you obviously didn't buy a ticket for."

...

Shut up.

Resigned to his fate, Jacob headed down the metallic, bland hallways of the train and found the janitor's supply room. The room had a nice ladder and a hatch to the roof of the train that he quickly mounted. Rushing winds blasted him as he left the train's interior and stood on the roof of the speeding rail. He shut the hatch behind him, headed about two carriages towards the front and merely sat on the edge of the train, watching the countryside roll by as they headed towards Pollenburn.

Out here in private, he could speak to Spectre openly.

"So... What do you know about Pollenburn?"

"It used to be a town known as Bloomcrest,"_Spectre replied, sitting contently on his shoulder. _"Some sort of plague hit the town and killed most of the population. Only a few survived. A quarantine was called by MODD. The Mortaelin Organisation for Defence and Diplomacy couldn't find a cure for the plague so they decided to do the next best thing."

Jacob let out a soft snort of contempt. "The purged it."

Spectre nodded grimly. "Yeah... Burned the whole town to the ground. Thing is, apparently Bloomcrest used to be nestled in the middle of a huge_plain of wild flowers that remained in bloom all year. When MODD purged the town, the fires spread all over the planes and even to the surrounding forests. Left nothing but ash._

"Even now more than a decade later, there's nothing but a huge plane of ash there. People have built farms close to the town but the fire was so vast_and so widespread that the tiny speck of green is barely anything in the huge black spot of ash. Pollenburn_ was erected close to the ruins of Bloomcrest as a tourism town. People go there every year to see the ruins of Bloomcrest and visit the Flower Memorial."

Jacob glanced at his shoulder, towards the winged wolf. "The what?"

"The Flower Memorial is this big, black statue of a flower built at the centre of the Bloomcrest ruins. It's a tribute to all of those that died at Bloomcrest."

Leaning forward, Jacob rested his chin on his knuckles and gazed out into the distance. Despite the sunny, bright landscape, he could see a dark smudge in the distance. He had no doubt that darkness was Pollenburn.

"Kinda bleak. Then again, that's exactly what MODD is about. Blame the plague. Bet they had some hand in creating the plague in the first place."

"Don't jump to conclusions. You never know. It might have been a real plague."

His left arm began to itch, causing him to sigh. "MODD will never change. Their reasons might but they're MODD."

Slowly, he got up to his feet, his fingers twitching. A spray of bright, blue numbers and shimmering panels of transparent, blue light erupted from the discs on his gloves. A long, thin blade with a crystal edge and a metallic core appeared in his right hand while a broad, silver blade that looked more like an enlarged combat knife appeared in his left. He held the right-hand sword in the classical front-style while the left-hand sword he held reversed, dagger-style.

"MODD will use people," he concluded. "No matter what the cost."

There was a loud screech from the distance but it was greatly muffled by his headphones' white noise. The terrifying screech, however, shattered all the glass on the train, sending a shower of sharp shards scattering across the trail line.

Jacob glanced towards the front end of the train where an enormous monster came swooping out from above them, landing securely on the train's front carriage. The creature looked like a legendary griffon only it was quite thickly armoured and its wings were a pair of flimsy, black, stylised skeletons. A set of golden shoulder guards and a breast plate was secured across his quadruped shape. Its claws were augmented by sharp, golden, sword-like extensions while a helmet with an odd symbol imprinted on its frame was planted over its head.

The griffon-like creature threw its head back and let out another terrifying wail. The train began to swerve dangerously beneath Jacob who barely managed to keep himself standing.

On some unspoken command, a hidden mechanism in his sunglasses activated. Instead of the tinted world he normally saw, his vision cleared like a one-way mirror. Numbers and words arrayed his vision before forming a rather easy-to-use interface that could be accessed via movements of his specially designed gloves.

His eyes focused on the griffon-like creature and his glasses instantly flashed the words: 'Searching Database'.

'... Species not found...New entry made... Recording...'

Jacob sighed as he drew up his blades into the ready position, his right-hand sword - Radiance - pointed to the ground in front of him and his left-hand blade -Requiem - pressed firmly against his back.

"So help me god if this is any indication of how the rest of the trip will be like," he muttered.

As if on cue, countless creatures began descending from all around him. Like tiny, two-dimensional tornadoes, the beasts appeared to be cartoon-version of twisters only they possessed arms, a flat torso and triangular heads with that same symbol imprinted between their big, red slit-like eyes.

His sunglasses instantly reacted.

'Species found: Draft. Larval Level Unsealed. Elemental Alignment: Wind. Seal Alignment: Seal of Silent Breeze. Notes: Weak individually but dangerous in groups. Temporarily invulnerable when in their wind forms unless special anti-wind measurements are taken. Average Incubation time: 4 Days.'

"At least I know these guys."

The Drafts - for that was what the tornado-like creatures were called - instantly charged at him, their forms transforming into long, thin ribbons that twirled around in the same way as a gale of wind. Five of them were standing on the same carriage he was while countless others were streaming into the carriages, bringing more screams from the other passengers.

"Jake!"

"I know!" Jacob snarled, deftly cartwheeling backwards as the Drafts sliced through the air where he had been standing. In their wind-like forms, they were like razor-sharp ribbons fluttering through rough winds.

Thankfully, they couldn't maintain that form for long.

One of the Drafts landed a few feet to his right, reassuming its casual form. Jacob swung at it with Radiance, slicing through its form easily. The creature let out a high-pitched scream before the symbol on its forehead began to glow brightly and shattered like glass. The rest of the creature merely erupted into a flurry of gold-coloured winds.

Jacob ducked as another Draft tried to swipe at his head. The creature reassumed its form behind him and he lashed out with Requiem in a full-circle swing. He took out that creature and another two that were quickly reforming. The last landed in front of him, appearing afraid but he showed it no mercy, severing its head from its shoulders.

He didn't spend any time contemplating his victory and spun around, running across the roof of the train all the way to the back. For a second, he cursed modern design. Old trains used to have a small platform between each carriage that linked the carriages together. He could've easily jumped down and entered the carriages.

But no.

Modern trains had to be one, single, streamlined form.

He was kicking himself mentally for having wandered so far down from the maintenance hatch.

People were screaming 'Unsealed' beneath him, their cries clear despite the white noise in his earphones, making each step desperate.

Some quick calculations...

The time to get to the maintenance hatch... plus the time to open the hatch... and climb down the ladder...

Damnit! I'm not gonna make it in time!

An idea hit him.

"You've got that 'I'm gonna do something crazy' look in your eyes," Spectre said.

"It's not crazy," he answered with a grim grin. "It's suicidal."

Without waiting for a response, Jacob threw himself over the edge of the train. He dug Radiance into the hull of the vehicle and twisted his body towards the broken window. With feet stretched out -

WHAM!

... kicking a Draft's face and sending it slamming against the compartment door. Jacob pulled Radiance away from where it was embedded and slipped fully into the compartment, lunging at the Unsealed and slicing it with Requiem.

Interestingly, he found himself back in the same compartment as those four young adults he had just left.

...

They were staring at him in awe...

Quick! Think of something clever and macho to say!

Jacob straightened and levelled Radiance at Christy, the swan. "No jokes or puns about handling my 'sword'."

She held up her hands in surrender, her eyes still wide with shock. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good." He turned around and regarded the compartment door. It was securely locked. A red symbol similar to the ones engraved into the Unsealed's bodies hovering in front of its surface. It appeared like a big keyhole with an 'X' interposed over it hovering over three concentric circles of arcane runes.

A Level 1 Lock Seal.

Jacob drove Requiem into the ground, and rolled up his left sleeve. Finally, the itching against his flesh ebbed as bright symbol glowed brightly against his large, muscular arm. It appeared to be star with eight points. The star's centre was marked against his shoulder while the star's 'leg' that pointed directly downwards cut through his black fur and reached up down to his forearm.

Picking up Requiem once more and with the symbol glowing brightly against his arm, he lashed out at the Seal against the door. His blade cut right through the red symbol, shattering it into two and the two pieces dissipating like glass.

"Whoa! You're a SWORD member!" the cougar exclaimed in both surprise and awe.

"Yeah... Let's go with that," Jacob grunted as the door slid open in front of him. "You guys stay here. Don't try and help."

He stepped through the door, finding all the other compartment doors nicely locked by the L1 Lock Seals.

"Typical," he growled as the door shut behind him. He swung his swords deftly in his hands, the blades twisting in his hands and causing the four young adults behind him to step back to avoid getting cut. "Lock everyone in their rooms but forget the windows are wide open."

Screams were cutting through the doors and he knew whoever was in each of those compartments were currently being attacked by Unsealed.

Think fast!

The central command console for this carriage!

His eyes darted to the front of the carriage where a small console sat. Quickly, he pulled up Radiance and pointed its tip straight towards the console. The blade split right down the middle, exposing the central, metallic core which was actually a cylindrical barrel. He pulled a trigger on the hilt -

BOOM!

... A shat of pure light erupted from the barrel, striking the console and instantly destroying it.

All the L1 Lock Seals dissipated and the doors to the compartments sprang open. Unsealed came pouring out of each of the compartments, streaming in from all directions while civilians screamed and rushed out, trying to escape their tormentors. Several were cut and bruised but none looked too severely hurt.

"Get down!" Jacob roared.

Almost everyone obeyed.

Jacob snarled and ran down the length of the carriage, sweeping his swords right and left, taking out the Unsealed as they took humanoid forms again. He dodged past the civilians who were too scared to hit the ground, ever leaping over a little girl who looked up at him in awe.

CREEEEAAK!

The train took a sudden jerk to the left and Jacob was hurled against the wall. An Unsealed leapt towards him, its ribbon-like shape darting towards him like a twisting beam of golden light. He pulled to the left and grimaced as sparks erupted from the Unsealed slamming into the wall beside him. As the creature reformed, he slammed Requiem into it and jumped to his feet.

"Jake! That thing on the front of the train is going to derail us! Deal with that first!"

Nodding, Jacob bolted down the length of the carriage, cutting through any Unsealed that he could. He hacked right through any more of the Lock Consoles to free the trapped civilians

CREEEEEEAAAK!

WHAM!

Jacob hit the ground again, cursing loudly. He was only in the second carriage and the train looked about ready to tip over from that last twist!

Think!

He couldn't attack the giant Unsealed from inside... There were also probably MODD guards at the front of the carriage that he'd have to cut through...

... so that only left one option.

_"I hate it when you think crazy thoughts,"_Spectre sighed.

Jacob dove straight into a compartment, pushing through the two old ladies who were swatting the Unsealed with their handbags. He helped them out by slicing through the Unsealed. Before either lady could say, 'Thank you young man', Jacob hurled himself out the window, driving Requiem into the hull of the train and hanging from it as he once more jumped into the open air.

A loud screech came from the Griffon - he decided to call the Unsealed 'Griffon' - and he saw it swatting at the MODD guards that were firing lasers desperately at the creature. One of the beast's massive paws grabbed a guard, lifting it into the air as the poor man dropped his weapon and screamed. The Griffon seemed to examine it for a moment, inclining its head right and left before letting out another screech and hurling the guard to the right - off the train. Unfortunately, the poor guy didn't get any mercy as countless Drafts flooded towards him, ripping him to shreds.

Jacob ground his fangs together and pulled himself up to the roof.

MODD guards were fighting the Drafts desperately but the Unsealed were far too numerous and the guards too few. A casual train ride to Pollenburn from Shellington didn't warrant high security after all. The guards weren't even that well-armed. They only had standard issue laser rifles and electrified batons.

"So MODD guards are highly trained when they're against me but when they're against Unsealed, they're worthless."

Sighing in agitation, Jacob bolted forward, swords at the ready. There were three groups of guards. The first one looked like the rear guards and had two of the armoured men fighting six Drafts. A third was already down and not moving.

Jacob reached them and they took the time to gaze at him in shock.

Rookie mistake.

Drafts pounced on them.

Jacob rammed his shoulder into the first guard and kicked the other's legs out from under him as the Drafts swirled around above them.

"Word of advice," he sneered at the guard he held down, "Drafts' attacks are most wind-based. Stick to the ground and you'll generally be safe!"

Leaping to his feet, Jacob swung his two swords around, destroying the Unsealed in a flurry of blows. Without waiting for the two guards to recover, he headed over to the second group which were a little more organised. They had hunkered down in a rough circle consisting of five men and shooting at the Drafts as they fluttered around them in a dizzying swarm.

Scowling, Jacob threw Radiance forward, the crystal blade swinging around and breaking the formation of the Drafts. It didn't destroy any of the Drafts but it confused them long enough to drop back down and resume their usual forms. The guards shot down six while Jacob took down the rest, catching Radiance as it made its return trip and zooming around the guards with blades swinging.

"Drafts are blind when they enter their wind forms!" Jacob shouted over the roar of the winds. "They attack blindly! They have to return to their normal forms to gauge their surroundings!"

He hurried to the third group which was the group fighting off the big Griffon. The creature screeched once more, while seizing the train and shaking it with his paws. Jacob barely managed to remain standing but the guards were thrown to the ground. The Griffon pounced on the opportunity, lunging forward with its paw and bringing it crashing down on the nearest guard.

No!

Jacob rushed forward -

CLANG!

Blades crossed, he held back the Griffon's paw. The edges of his swords burned the Unsealed's flesh, causing it to scream and pull back.

"You okay?" he asked, not regarding the guard.

"Uh-huh..."

The Griffon seemed to analyse them... Jacob was doing the same, his glasses quickly collecting data on the creature. No weak points were revealed yet...

But...

Jacob quickly hurled Radiance and Requiem forward, the two blades spinning and cutting into the creature's armoured head. They bit into the thick armour but did little else. As the creature threw its head back in annoyance, Jacob kicked the gun that was resting beside his foot, sending it soaring into his hands and pulled the trigger.

A barrage of lasers peppered the Griffon's helmet. Again, not much damage. Jacob quickly grabbed the gun by the nozzle, flicked a switch on the stock and hurled it at the creature. The rifle bounced against the helmet -

BOOOM!

... and exploded.

Secondary function of the standard issue Rioter Assault Rifle: Timed Self Destruct.

Jacob caught his two swords deftly and as the dust settled, he saw the Griffon's face for the first time. The metal helmet crumbled off its head as its flat, avian face was revealed, a pair of glowing, red eyes resting on its features. That same, odd symbol was drawn onto its forehead just like the Drafts.

The Griffon screeched in annoyance and spread its flimsy wings.

"No you don't!"

ZAP! ZAP!

Two beams of light cut through the Griffon's wings, Radiance sizzling with energy. The Griffon collapsed back against the train, crying out in agony. Lasers began storming down on the Unsealed, their bright, red beams cutting into the delicate feathers of the creature and causing it further agony.

About time...

Jacob drove both his swords into the ground and held out a hand towards the still-stunned, still grounded guard beside him.

"Grenade."

For a second... all the guard did was stare. Then he rummaged through his armour and pulled out a small, cylindrical object. Jacob snatched it up, gave the top a good twist and held it for a second. On cue, the Griffon threw back its head and let out a screech. Jacob hurled the grenade at the creature...

... watching it sail through the shockwaves of its cry...

... pass into that iron-like beak...

... and disappear down the Unsealed's throat.

"Get down!" he shouted, swiping Radiance and Requiem up.

BOOOOOM!

His world shook as he hurled himself into the air, letting the heated explosion sweep up halfway down the train. The train's roof slammed into him with a deafening bang, shaking his senses. He ignored the pain and the disorientation for a moment as he quickly rolled off the edge of the train and braced himself for the -

Crrrack! Wham! Thud!

SLAM!

He bit back a cry of agony as he lay a thick layer of ash, pain shooting all over his body. Most of the pain originated from his fingers and left shoulder. There was a dull throbbing on the left side of his head but he ignored that for the moment. Barely able to keep his eyes open, focused on the train and was filled with grim satisfaction as it zoomed away... Unsealed-free for the moment.

The remaining guards should be able to take care of the remaining Drafts.

If not...

Oh well... I tried...

Grunting, he managed to pull himself up to a sitting position and winced. His left shin was snapped in two, the bone sticking out of his flesh. The fingers of on his left paw were twisted in odd directions and his left shoulder was terribly dislocated. Other than that, pretty light damage all things considered.

"Damnit... that was my best pair of pants too..."

_"I can't watch..."_Spectre murmured, putting a paw over his eyes.

Jacob took a deep breath and reached over to his shin with his right hand. With a grunt, he shoved the bone right back into his leg, gasping as a fresh wave of pain shot throughout his body as a warm splatter of blood coated his hand. Thankfully, the pain was temporary as his flesh miraculously began melding together. His fur even repaired itself. Swallowing a wave of sickness that usually came with the alternating blasts of pain and warmth, he seized the fingers of his left hand and twisted them back into the right position with a painful crack.

The last step was to snap his shoulder back into position. He slammed it back, biting back the pain with his fangs digging into his lips and drawling blood. Tears were welling in his eyes and he let them flow freely as the pain seemed to last an eternity before his regenerative abilities started kicking in. When most of the agony was gone, he let out a gasping breath and forced himself to relax.

"Couldn't you just have dove back into the carriages and pretended you were a victim?"

"If I did," he grunted, pulling himself to his feet, "then I would've had to get off eventually. When that happens, either the guards or those kids I saw will recognise me. I can't let them catch me. You know that."

Spectre sighed heavily and nodded. "Yeah... I know... If you need a ride...?"

"No. Riding into Pollenburn on a massive winged wolf is hardly a good idea."

"I could get you to the borders at least..."

Jacob shook his head as he searched the grassy planes. He found his sunglasses, cap and swords. All unarmed. He still had his headphones on him, securely against his ears. He grabbed them all, grateful none were damaged in the fall. The instant he seized his swords, he silently commanded them back to their storage area and they dissipated in a flash of numbers, blue light and those same, blue panels.

"After an attack like that, Pollenburn will be on high alert. Can't risk it."

"But..."

Jacob slipped on his sunglasses and his cap.

The words, 'Griffon Profile Compiled' flashed before his eyes before his sunglasses returned to their normal, tinted view.

"Thanks, Spectre, but it's too risky. Besides..." He grinned grimly at his little shoulder wolf. "... who knows? I might find a door somewhere and just teleport right back into Pollenburn."

Spectre huffed loudly. "I don't care what you say, Jake. If you collapse on me, I'm coming out and dragging your sorry ass to the hospital."

"Yeah, great idea there," he muttered, starting his trek towards the ashen planes of Pollenburn. "Bet my mom would love that."

The winged wolf fell silent as Jacob walked through the grassy fields, following the train line that would eventually lead to his destination. It was a long walk and he was getting hungry as time went by. He hadn't eaten at all during the trip and after all that combat, he was starving. However, he bit back the hunger and just kept walking.

Setting one foot in front of the other.

He pushed aside the pain and weariness.

It became frightfully easy when the skies seemed to darken and the think, skeletal fingers of burned trees started crawling into his vision. Despite the sky being completely blue and the sun blazing high above without a cloud in the sky, the closer Jacob got close to those trees, the darker it became. Like someone was dulling the light somehow.

Perhaps it was the fact that black absorbs all light and the grassy planes soon gave way to thick, ashen hills. It appeared more like the grass gave way to black sand instead of ash. Sand that was broken by thousands upon thousands of dead trees with black forms like a graveyard of trees.

Jacob stood on the edge of two worlds... Behind him was the grassy planes of Mortaelis... and in front of him was the grim graveyard of Pollenburn. A shiver ran down his spine despite himself and he slowly began winding his way through the thick, dead forest. There was a large, rushing river that cut through the forest and he expected there to at least be moss or some form of lichen growing on the ashen wood... but there was nothing.

It was completely lifeless.

Fear was not something Jacob was accustomed to anymore. Hardly anything scared him. The only things he was really scared of was either talking about his past or his own reflection.

Pollenburn didn't even scratch the surface of his armour.

He just kept trudging through the ashen remains of the forest.

Soon, the dead forest gave way again to rolling, ash-covered planes. However, in the distance, he could make out housing.

Finally...

Unfortunately, his suspicions were confirmed. He noticed a lot of small little, ash clouds getting kicked up in the distance which indicated scouting parties. An Unsealed attack on a public train was indeed cause for worry and the civilians had to be checked for infection.

His progress was slower as he had to ensure he wasn't caught. One patrol got close but he merely ducked behind the other side of the tracks to avoid detection.

Approaching the train station was a different matter.

The station was located on the very outskirts of the city, right next to the farmland. Jacob noted that all the farms were rather green and very rich with crops and feral animals. While the sky didn't brighten, they all seemed quite prosperous. All their crops grew on the ash which he suspected was very fertile.

The train was parked in the only platform of the station and it looked pretty banged up. Jacob wondered if another Unsealed horde had attacked but upon seeing the large number of people still being held in quarantine, he guessed that wasn't the case.

Getting around the station was simple enough. He just circled around and headed further into Pollenburn, avoiding all the patrols. Within an hour of reaching Pollenburn, he was strolling through its streets, whistling quietly to himself. Everyone was at the train station wondering what all the commotion was about.

Being attacked by Unsealed was pretty trivial in the big cities like Shellington... but in Pollenburn... it was pretty big.

The town itself looked quite peaceful. Built right beside a large, artificial lake, Pollenburn a quaint little town whose tallest building was probably the town hall which had three storeys. Most of the buildings were residential. Those that weren't were shops that had residential buildings built on top of them. It seemed like one of those towns that was far removed from urban life, self-sufficient but still welcomed the income from tourism they got from the nearby Bloomcrest Ruins.

Jacob made a note to visit those ruins eventually.

Something else that caught his eye however, was the big futuristic tower that was positioned at the centre of the artificial lake. Jacob stood at the lakeshore, regarding the structure with its blinking lights, hovering vehicles and many spires.

"What's that?" he asked.

"That's the headquarters of the ExIT branch here in Pollenburn."

Jacob resisted the urge to spin around and draw his blades. There was a rather homely bovine standing next to him, a piece of straw in her lips and dressed in stereotypical farmer's outfit with denim overalls, straw hat and chequered shirt beneath. She was barefoot - barehoof - surprisingly.

"One of ExIT's commanders, Gale Winthrop was originally from Bloomcrest. Survived the Purge. When he became commander, he came back here and spearheaded restoration of our little town. Promoted tourism and helped all of us rebuild. We owe a lot to him."

ExIT was one of the three main divisions of the Mortaelin Organisation for Defence and Diplomacy. The Experimental Intelligence Troop was basically the most cutting edge intelligence agency in the world. They developed new technologies - both for consumer use and military deployment - and was charged with gathering intelligence for the safety of all the people under MODD's care, which was almost everyone.

The Special Weapons and Operational Research Division or SWORD was more military based in their research and less on the consumer side. They were the elite division of MODD, the best of the best. When new military technology was developed, it usually came from SWORD and it was usually SWORD who deployed them first. They were seen as the 'peacekeepers' of MODD.

Finally, there was ANVIL, essentially the grunts of MODD military force. A lot of their forces were just average guys that enlisted with MODD. Many really didn't take them seriously since they obtained the 'hand-me-downs' from both ExIT and SWORD. However, they were simply the most numerous and fiercely loyal. Those guards on the train were from ANVIL.

"You look pretty banged up, stranger," the bovine said, regarding Jacob with brilliant, hazel eyes that possessed little golden rings around each iris. Her eyes drifted down Jacob's blood-covered shirt and pants. "You need help?"

_"Don't do anything rash,"_Spectre warned.

Jacob mentally sighed and conceded. He wasn't about to go killing this woman and dumping her body in the lake for simply being concerned.

"I'll be fine, thank you," he answered coldly. "I just need a new pair of jeans."

"Looks like you need a new shirt too," she added with a genuine smile. "Had a run-in with MODD, eh?"

Okay... Time to kill -

"NO!"

Jacob stayed his hand.

"We like Gale," the female said, winking at him. "He's fair and kind to us. But the rest of MODD are just jackasses. They burned our home to the ground and then told us to pick up the pieces by ourselves and then still have the balls to tax us. We're grateful Gale pays the taxes for us out of his own pocket."

He wasn't convinced... but he wasn't about to go killing her... yet...

"You were on that train, weren't you?"

...

"Not for the latter part of the ride," Jacob answered, turning his gaze away from her and towards the train station.

"You the kid everyone was talking about? The wolf with golden hair that killed all those Unsealed, did some crazy stunts and saved the train by killing the big bastard that nearly derailed it?"

He didn't respond.

"If you are, thanks."

That made him turn back to her in surprise. "For what?"

"My boy was on that train," she answered, smiling brightly at him. She was chewing something. Probably cud. "You saved his life."

Jacob snorted and turned away again. "No I didn't. I just beat the Unsealed. He was 'saved' by default. I didn't intend to."

"Not this again," Spectre sighed. "You so_cared about those guys."_

Do not.

"Do so."

He tightened his fists. Do Not!

"Do so!"

"Do not!"

Then he realised he said that aloud...

"Do not what...?" the bovine asked curiously.

Think!

"Do not do whatever it is you're about to do," Jacob replied swiftly. "You don't want to know me."

A thick, meaty, calloused hand rested on his shoulder and he flinched from the contact, resisting the urge to summon Requiem and slice that hand right off with all his might.

"Don't need to know you to offer you a bit of help there. Look, if you go walking around all bloodied like that, you're gonna attract attention. I'm a poor farmer. If I notice you, then those MODD bastards sure are going to notice you." She hiked a thumb over her shoulder towards a rather rusty, blue truck. "Come on, my farm isn't far away. I'll take you there, give you a nice hot shower, a change of clothes and you can stay for the night. After that, whatever happens is your business."

...

I do_need someplace to stay..._

... and it's getting late...

"Not to mention you're starved like a wild dog."

Jacob bristled at the mention of 'dog' but quickly calmed himself. "Thank you for the offer. I promise I won't be a bother."

She smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "One good turn deserves another, mate. Now come on, before anyone else sees you."

Jacob followed her silently into the truck. It was odd to see a diesel truck these days. Most vehicles ran on Tritoscositite - an energy crystal - and had anti-gravity capabilities. This truck still ran on fossil fuels and had rubber wheels firmly planted on the ground.

A thought occurred to him...

What if she's actually a MODD agent...?

Hell, what if she's a serial killer who saw a desperate soul and easy prey?

It would've been ironic for a serial killer to die at his hands...

A serial killer getting killed by a 'psychopath'.

Now that would be one for the headlines.

"So what's your name?" she asked cheerily as she drove him past the crowd. Jacob slouched into the car's rather rough seats, pulling his cap over his lupine features to hide them.

"Joshua Roans."

"Your real name."

...

"Jacob Reaper."

"Pleased to meetcha Jacob," she said, holding out a large hand while keeping the other firmly on the steering wheel. "My name's Shana, Shana McLeod."

Jacob shook her hand gently. He didn't want to seem ungrateful. Considering the large group of civilians she was driving around and MODD guards, he would've had a lot of trouble making it through by himself.

"Likewise," he murmured.

"Where are you originally from?"

A sharp knife stabbed his heart at the memory and he winced.

"Ah, a runaway, huh?" Shana continued. "Okay. Where are you headed?"

"Nowhere. Just taking it one city at a time."

"Got a job?"

Is professional criminal a job?

"No."

"Well, if you ever get tired of killing Unsealed and saving people, you can come work at my farm!" Shana laughed cheerily. But her laughter was tinged with a bit of regret and pain as she added, "Gods know, we need it."

Jacob didn't take the bait and remained silent.

Still... Shana kept talking.

"The farm's been in my family for generations... Then the Purge happened and I had to start again... Lost all our livestock, all our crops... barely had enough to start over." She grinned and flexed her left arm, showing a sturdy bicep. "But we McLeods are made of strong stuff! We made it through... Got the second biggest farm in Pollenburn! Second only to those stinkin' Boswins!"

Again, Jacob didn't take the bait, pretending to be asleep but quietly listening to Shana's words.

"They're a bunch of suck-ups, I'll tell you that. They keep petitioning Gale for more funds and the stuff. You know what they did? They took those farmers that lost their farms in the Purge and had them work on their farm. Called it 'charity' but they damn run them like slaves! They even bought out several other farms and had their original owners work them to the bone! And the higher-ups think it's all for the good of the community and keep throwing funds at them!

"And now they're after my farm! The nerve of them!"

Huh... At least it isn't Unsealed.

"I swear, they've been killing my livestock too! My poor Bessie was found dead with half her torso ripped out just yesterday."

Okay... maybe not...

Jacob looked up, pushing his cap away from his eyes. "Unsealed?" he asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Shana said. "Not infected."

The Unsealed were terrible creatures that MODD blamed on people abusing the power of Seals. Their origins were blurred and complicated but they were tied to the Seals, an amalgamation of magic and science that basically helped modern life. Seals were essentially like devices that could perform a variety of tasks such as lock doors like the L1 Lock Seals, provide light, allow for anti-gravity, teleportation and all sorts of things that have become common place in modern life.

However, according to the history books, there was a terrible war over the Seals and certain people attempted to abuse the power of the magical symbols. These people attempted to fuse the Seals with themselves so they could gain mastery over the Seals' domain on a new level. Unfortunately, the magical symbols did not comply and shattered. Because the people were already fused with the Seals partially, their entire beings became shattered as well... Shattered but not destroyed. They reassembled themselves into the ferocious Unsealed, mindless and merely lusting to find a way to complete their existence by infecting others with their same curse.

It is theorised that by infecting others, the Unsealed bind themselves to a complete creature and thus experience a moment where they are completed. However, their Unsealed state overcomes the complete creature and their victim turns into an Unsealed as well.

Thus the need to screen people who come in contact with Unsealed to ensure they aren't infected. There was a cure devised, of course. A cure monopolised by MODD and the primary reason while it is the leading company in all of Mortaelis.

So this is what rural warfare is,_Jacob thought grimly. _Killing each other's crops and livestock.

They reached a rather big farm fenced off with old, wooden fences. Most farms these days used laser fencing or barrier fields. In terms of the world, this was probably along the lines of 'third world'. Ironic considering it was so close to a 'first world' city like Shellington.

Jacob got out of the truck's cab while Shana shut off the engine.

There was something odd about the farm as he quickly took in his surroundings... There were a lot of buildings... Several wooden barns and a farmhouse were pretty standard as well as a grain silo... but there were other buildings a well that looked like... other forms of lodging. He noticed the archway standing above the farm gates.

It read, 'Welcome to the McLeod Farm'

Directly beneath it was a smaller sign that stated the farm was a 'Recreational Farm'.

... Huh? What's a Recreational Farm?

"I've heard of them,"_Spectre whispered despite the fact he couldn't be heard by Shana or anyone else. _"They're farms where you see what it would be to actually be_in a farm. You work hard like any other farmer and you get lodgings and food. In essence, you pay for the chance to be a farmer with your labour."_

Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"I take it business hasn't been booming lately."

Shana regarded him with a bright smile that hid her deep worry. "No but we've always managed to make it through without help. It was easier when my husband was around but these days, it's just me and my son, Darren. It fills me with great pride that we can still stand on our two feet while Boswin has to get people to help his last, fat -" She trailed off and scowled, eyes fixated on somewhere beyond Jacob. "Speak of the devil."

Uh-oh...

There was a car speeding towards them... a sleek, bright-red convertible from all appearances. A bad choice of paint and design especially when living in an ash-filled dustbowl.

"You better hide, Jacob," Shana whispered softly. "No telling how Boswin will react to you."

"Good idea."

Jacob turned and hid behind the truck, away from view as the convertible drove up. The porcine pig - big surprise there - swerved in the driveway and sprayed Shana with black ash. The grubby, balding man pulled down his big, pointed glasses with a finger that had so many rings on it that it was a miniature jewellery store.

"So, did you hear, Shana?" the man asked in a slimy tone that Jacob instantly associated with 'Devil Salesmen'. "The train got attacked by Unsealed today. Wasn't your boy on that train?"

"Yes he was, Winston," Shana replied with barely contained agitation. "But he's safe. They just have him in quarantine now. He'll be taking the bus here when he's ready to be picked up."

"Would be a shame if something happened to him, wouldn't it?" Winston Boswin said, examining his jewelled fingers. "I mean, what would you do if he was infected by the Unsealed? You think you have enough money to cope with that?"

Jacob clenched his fists.

He had an eerie feeling he knew where this was going...

"Oh boy... You're gonna do something crazy again, aren't you?"

Yeah, I am.

Jacob tore off his shirt, revealing his highly defined, muscular chest with a chiselled six-pack that was only slightly covered by the thick golden blonde fur that formed a heart-shaped crest on his chest. He tore off all the shreds of his denim jeans that were blood soaked and rubbed some of the ash from the ground into his fur. It wouldn't do much against his jet-black fur but it would be enough to make him look like he worked on the farm a little.

Satisfied with his illusion, he opened the door of the truck and slammed it loudly.

Both Shana and Winston stopped trading polite insults as Jacob walked around the truck, rubbing a cloth - part of his shirt - in his hands and grinning broadly.

"All done for ya, Miss. Shana," he drawled in a thick, heavy accent that was clearly not his own.

Shana blinked, too stunned to move.

Winston had gotten out of his car and was hilarious as he stood at little more than 5'5'' next to the towering Shana who was about Jacob's 6'7'', maybe a little shorter.

"Who the hell is this!?" the pig exclaimed.

"I -" Shana began.

Jacob held out his hand, still grinning rather stupidly at Winston. "M'name's Josh! I'm Miss Shana's nephew!"

"What!?"_Spectre cried. _"You're of a totally different species!"

Whoops...

"Nephew?" the pig asked, regarding his hand sceptically.

"Yus. I'm her mother's sister's cousin's brother's, son's daughter's younger brother's wife's uncle's daughter's son."

...

"Do you even know what you just said?"

I think I just claimed to be her brother...

He just got a lot of blank stares... Thankfully, Winston wasn't the brainy type and just shook Jacob's hand to hide the fact he had no idea what Jacob had just said. The instant their paws met, Jacob squeezed as hard as he could and he heard the satisfying crack of several small bones. However, he just grinned happily and shook Winston's entire arm happily.

"Please ta meecha, sir!" he exclaimed.

Winston pulled away from Jacob's vice-like grip, gasping in agony. "Y - Yeah... S - Same here," he stuttered, shaking his hand. His beady little black eyes switched back to Shana. "You didn't tell me you got help."

Shana didn't get time to speak as Jacob just proudly put his hands on his hips, puffed out his impressive chest and flexed his large muscles, making Winston take a step back.

"Aw, I jus' arrived t'day, sir! Miss. Shana wasn't expectin' me! I took care of the farm while she went to pick up Darren!" He turned and grinned broadly at Shana, making sure to show off his big, sharp fangs. "Heard they was havin' some trouble down here so I came down to help! Dinna want to let them get hurt or anythin'."

Winston scrambled back to his car. "Y - Yes... O - Of course..." He bowed at them shakily, sweat dripping from his forehead. "I - I'll see you later, Shana. Pleased to make y - you're acquaintance Josh."

Winston drove off but not before Jacob waved happily and said in a nice, loud voice, "Y'all come back now, ya hear!?"

Once the slimy man was suitably away, Jacob lowered his arm, his eyes instantly narrowing and his grin fading. "That guy is an ass," he growled. "Just say the word and I'll stick that pig on a skewer."

Shana just burst into riotously laughter, clapping his shoulder and resting her head against her hand. Her shaking was infectious and rippled down his body, bringing some mirth from him as well. It manifested in a gentle smile.

"No, that's really not necessary," she giggled, pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes. "Did you see him run? My god, that was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen in my life!" She stood back and regarded him from head to toe. "You almost look like a decent farmer. And you had the accent down."

Jacob smiled and tapped his chin in mock thought. "Well... I think I should've replaced all my 'to's' with 'ta's' instead and I should've made my 'I's' sound more like 'ah'. But it was convincing enough, I guess."

"There's more to you than meets the eye, Mr. Reaper," Shana said, appraising him one more time.

"Probably too much to actually be safe," he answered, crossing his arms securely. "Listen, I get this eerie feeling that bastard is going to try and somehow throw your son in danger, maybe even infect him with the Unsealed poison."

Shana laughed and patted his shoulder. "Oh, don't you worry about that, Jacob. My son is as tough as I am. And if he does end up getting infected, we'll find some way to scrounge up the money. It's nothing serious."

A loud honking made them both turn towards the road as another cloud of ash slowly started growing in the distance. It was a bus of some sort. Again diesel powered.

"Oh! That must be the group we're getting in today!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Huh... Guess business is getting better.

"At least she'll get some help on the farm,"_Spectre said. _"Even if it is a bunch of tourists."

Tourism makes the world go round.

That and money.

The bus made its approach and another bovine leaned out of the window, brown-furred just like Shana but with white patches where hers was all brown. He was meaty just like her, a little rounded but definitely with strong arms. He waved, a pair of small horns jutting from his head and a big grin from his face.

"Hey mom! Guess who I found!"

"Keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, boy!" Shana laughed.

Jacob thought he should disappear and put on some clothes but as whoever was on the bus had probably already seen him so they would already know he was present. There was no use hiding at that point. Besides, he was feeling a little proud after having scareed off Winston Boswin.

As the bus came to drive up next to them however, his heart sank.

Oh...

Hanging out of the windows were five faces... four he recognised.

A cougar, a vixen, a swan and a doe... The last was a copper-scaled dragon but he didn't mind him.

Those four... They were those guys he had met and saved on the train to Pollenburn!

Crap!

The swan - Christy - had her eyes wide and she was drinking in his half-naked form. Immediately, she flicked out a camera and -

Fwash!

... took a picture of him...

...

It's times like this that I'm sure there are gods.

Because they're all laughing at me.

He glanced at his left shoulder were Spectre was rolling around on his back, legs flailing in the air and laughing madly. With a heavy sigh, he turned around and headed for the farmhouse.

"I could really use those clothes right now," he told Shana.

"You know them?" she asked, pointing at the group who were scrambling off the bus.

"No."

Wish I did though.

That way, I would know where they live and murder their families too...

"Aww, you really wouldn't do that,"_Spectre chuckled. _"You're too nice."

...

Shut up.

"There are cabins on the right of the farmhouse," Shana said. "Go for the men's one, obviously. I'll bring in some clothes once I get the other guests settled in"

"Sure."

Christy began making rather lewd calls as he made his way to the farmhouse. There was something about 'tearing up her carpet', 'harvesting her crop' and something about planting his seed in her bush. He ignored it all and just kept walking.

The 'farm dog' calls were annoying however and each one made one of fingers twitch into a fist.

"Easy there,"_Spectre soothed. _"Don't go doing something you'll regret."

I'm not going to regret 'ploughing' her...

A mental image of driving that long, swan-neck into the ground and dragging it across the fields to make room for the seeds was oddly satisfying.

His annoyance ebbed however as he reached one of the cabins. Each one appeared to be like a miniature farmhouse with their own porches, fly-screen doors. Each looked a miniature single-storey house complete with red-tiled roof and chimney. Inside was very homey even if it only consisted of three rooms. A large common room where the fireplace sat followed by the large communal bedroom that had six available beds and then a large bathroom with - strangely - a single shower.

Regarding his ash-covered fur, he opted to take a shower before Shana came in with his replacement clothing. It was a pity, he liked that outfit. Since his fur was rather thick across his chest, it would be difficult to wash off all the ash. Hopefully Shana wouldn't mind the slight spike in her water bill.

He wandered over to the shower room, removing his shoes, headphones, wallet, pocket watch, wristwatch, socks and ripped denim jeans - shorts really. Yet another chapter of his life he was throwing aside forever. Purposefully ignoring the mirror in the large bathroom, he switched on the shower to its coldest possible and entered the curtain of running water. The sudden blast of cold numbed him from head to toe and caused him to shudder but he ignored it and picked up a sponge and some fur shampoo. He applied it to his body began scrubbing himself down, trying to get every curve, mound and valley of his lean, muscular frame.

Plans started making their way into his mind.

"Tomorrow, I leave this place," he said firmly. "I'll head down the train line. This close to an ExIT branch is suicide."

"I'll say,"_Spectre murmured, shaking the cold water from his fur. _"The next town over is Graesham. Don't think there's any ExIT people there."

"Not like they openly advertise their locations," he muttered, scrubbing his back. "You didn't know Wildwind used this place as his base of operations."

"Hmmm... Did you wanna stay at least one more day?"

Jacob squeezed the sponge and winced at the outpour of blackish, soapy water. "Why?"

"I'd like to know more about Pollenburn. Particularly wanna see the Bloomcrest Ruins."

His curiosity was getting the better of him as well. He wanted to know more about the mysterious 'plague' that had hit that one beautiful and prosperous town. There was a sharp pang of pain in his heart when he glanced out into the ashen fields and just imagined what this place could have been back in the day.

A plane full of flowers...

Would've loved to see that...

It took about a good ten minutes before he was satisfied with his cleaning and he shut off the water. Unfortunately, it seemed that the little cabin didn't possess fur dryers. With thick fur like his, it was probably a blessing. Using fur dryers usually left his fur frizzy and standing on end. He heated that. However, he did relish the thought of shaking the water loose.

He shook himself from head to toe, wiggling his long, fluffy tail with the golden tip like the gods had decided to tip it in golden paint and use it as a paintbrush to colour parts of his body. His unusual markings made him quite easy to spot - a reason why he often tried to keep himself mostly covered up or dirty to hide the golden fur all over his body.

It was a pity he couldn't check himself in the mirror...

A poor disguise was a suitable sacrifice compared to staring at his reflection and his past...

Grabbing a nearby towel, Jacob quickly rubbed the remaining wetness from his hair and cleaned his ears. Once he was done, he regarded his dirty clothing and had to admit he was a little disgusted at how filthy they were. He couldn't - in good conscience - put on the same underwear and shorts after having taken a cold shower.

Walking around with a towel around his waist was perfectly acceptable, at least he thought so. Shana would be coming in soon enough with a change of clothing.

He stepped out back into the bedroom and sat on the bed farthest from the door and right next to the window. Time was hard to tell in the near-constant twilight of Pollenburn. The noon sun was high in the sky but the bleak, ashen landscape of the land dulled all light and made everything just seem that much gloomier.

"Do you think they'll ever get this place back to it's original beauty?"

Jacob frowned. "Beneath all that ash, there's some life. The farmers wouldn't be able to grow their crops if there wasn't. Something tells me that somewhere out there, under all that ash, there's this tiny flower just waiting to bloom. From the ashes of destruction, something will grow. Life is just like a cockroach. Near damn impossible to kill. When you think it's dead, it comes back up with a whole horde behind it."

"Why do you always have to turn a perfectly good analogy into something grim and twisted?"

Jacob grinned grimly. "Because I'm a sadistic bastard that revels in people's suffering."

"You mean the suffering of people who deserve it."

He didn't say anything.

"So, how many ways of killing Winston Boswin have you thought of?"

"Thirty seven. My favourite thus far is cooking him and then feeding his bacon bits to his feral pigs."

The door to the cabin swung open.

For the second time that day, that cougar stepped in when Jacob wasn't expecting him.

Oh great... and here I am dripping wet with a towel around my waist.

The cougar however just smiled at him genuinely and waved. "Hey! You must be Jacob!"

Fighting off the urge to summon his blades - he had kept his gloves on during his shower - he said, "Yeah. That'd be me."

There was a pile of clothing in the cougar's hands and he set them on the foot the bed Jacob had opted to occupy. "Shana said these are for you."

A pang of guilt jabbed into Jacob's heart as he regarded the clothing. All looked fairly expensive. Nothing like silk suits or real leather but still fairly expensive. There was a big, long blue coat that looked like it would fit someone who was seven feet tall and at least a hundred pounds heavier than him. It's floor-length body appeared pretty smooth but very sturdy. A pair of new denim pants, fresh underwear and a black shirt were there as well plus a white scarf that looked oddly like it was made of cashmere...

"Yikes... That looks like it cost a pretty penny..."

If this is how much people's lives go out for these days, I should rescue people more often.

Spectre seemed very pleased at that thought. "Good idea! Let's do that!"

Or... I could hold them for ransom. I think that'd be easier.

His little, shoulder wolf frowned at him. "No, let's not."

"Thanks," he said aloud, taking the clothing and heading towards the bathroom.

He felt the eyes of cougar following him into the bathroom and he shut the door behind him as he slipped on the clothing. Everything was ridiculously big on him but he didn't have any choice and he wasn't about to go ripping it to shreds especially if he was going to see Shana again this evening. He merely rolled up the cuffs of the pants and let the black shirt hang over his body, hiding his defined chest while draping the coat over his shoulders without slipping his arms through the sleeves.

"I'm Taylor by the way," the cougar said through the door. The sound of unpacking wafted through the wooden frame. "Taylor Yates. And you're Jacob Reaper, right?"

Unfortunately...

"Yes," he answered, tying his shoelaces.

"I never got to thank you..." Taylor opened the door slightly, poking his head through the tiny crack. "So thanks..."

"No need for thanks," Jacob said, straightening. He pulled the door completely open and pushed roughly past Taylor. ANVIL troops are incompetent. If they can't defend a simply train then they're not worth the taxpayer's money."

The cougar frowned at him as he collapsed into the bed he had claimed for his own, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Those guys did their best... Not everyone can make it into SWORD."

"Got that right."

"What?"

Jacob rolled onto his side, back to Taylor. "Forget I said anything."

"Oh... Alright..." Taylor sat on the bed right next to Jacob's. There was a bedside table with a lamp and alarm clock between them. "So... Where do you come from?"

That sharp pain in his heart again and Jacob chose to leave the question unanswered. Taylor waited for a reply and when it became obvious that one wasn't coming, he fell silent. There were many times when Jacob sensed Taylor was tempted to spark up conversation but he guessed the sight of his back kept the cougar's lips firmly shut.

As the silence continued, Jacob continued to make plans. Dinner would be up soon and after that, he would ask if he could stay at the farm for one more day as he bought supplies, some better fitting clothes, explored Pollenburn and waited for the heat from the Unsealed attack to cool off. No doubt trains would be delayed until the next day and there would be MODD patrols scouring the countryside making escape difficult.

He could easily take care of any patrol but...

"Not going to kill people who are just doing their job? Just like you aren't going to kill someone for being helpful or curious?"

Quiet you.

Spectre grinned and poked his nose at Jacob's cheek. "Aww! You're just a big softie inside! Remember that time you saved the little girl from the burning building?"

Her screaming was annoying me.

"What about that time you saved the old woman from getting crushed by a truck?"

I figure with her age, prolonging her death would be more torture than a sudden death.

"And what about the family trapped in the sinking car in the lake?"

I wanted the car.

Spectre laughed and that just agitated Jacob further, his fingers twitching.

A knock came to their door. Shana poked her head in with a bright grin.

"Getting all acquainted here?" she asked brightly.

"Too much in my opinion," Jacob answered gruffly, leaping from his bed deftly, the sudden, swift movement catching Taylor off guard. The cougar was still sitting on the edge of his bed.

Has he been watching me the entire time...?

"Well, come on you two," the bovine chuckled. "Time for dinner! We're having a three course meal!"

Wait... what...?

Dinner was held in the main farmhouse where a big dining table had been erected. The interior of the house was very rustic and reminded Jacob of those old movies concerning farms. These days, most farms were pretty modern with automated lights, air conditioning and serving robots flying around practically doing everything. Here, everything had to be done by hand.

Shana and Darren even had to serve them all by hand.

Much to his surprise, it was indeed a three course meal.

There was a hearty selection of soups with homemade bread for the first course. There was pumpkin soup, chicken and asparagus, chicken and sweat corn and even a cold tomato soup. Curious, Jacob tried each one and rather liked the chicken and sweat corn soup. With the bread, it was already very filling. He tried not to seem like a starved wolf despite the fact he hadn't eaten anything for the whole day and he had fought off Unsealed and walked many miles.

Introductions were quickly made as idle conversation on the table which he refrained from really participating.

Christine von Krueger was the swan who had shamelessly flirted with him earlier and taken a picture of him. She was too cheery and too promiscuous for his tastes. Also spoke an incredible amount that would've driven him mad but he was already insane - at least according to several psychologists.

What made things worse was the vixen, interestingly known as Joanna Swan. She was just as talkative as Christy but was still sensitive to people's need for privacy and was a good buffer against prying questions. Joanna - or Jo as the others called her - could easily deflect questions from Jacob.

Kerry Rawson was the doe. Like the sun and the moon, she was the silent type but incredibly polite. Just by the way she held her spoon, he could tell she was quite dainty and delicate. She spoke very politely and curtly, only ever smiling gently whenever something funny came up.

The gruff, grouchy bronze dragon with a rather big belly was Max Lionhart. The reptile was not at all that talkative and was pretty much like Jacob, unwilling to speak much. He ate voraciously without trying to hide his hunger... but Jacob sensed that was hardly the only reason Max was tearing into his food.

And of course, there was Taylor.

There was almost a symmetry in the composition of the group

The two farmers, Darren and Shana who ate beside them. The two silent, conservative types that were Taylor and Kerry. The two, loud, outgoing types that were, of course, Joanna and Christy and lastly the grouchy non-committal types that had to be Jacob and Max.

The second course came in the shape of lamb shanks for the carnivores and a nice tofu-based meal with sushi and sashimi for the herbivores. Jacob blinked at the selection and found his curiosity bubbling up before he could ask.

"Is that salmon?"

It was the first time he had contributed to the conversation - even Max had at least said his name - and everyone was a little surprised. He just regarded Shana impassively.

"Actually, yes," Shana replied, beaming brightly. "The river has a lot of salmon this time of year. They migrate away from here, heading past the lake further up north to their breeding grounds."

Jacob turned and picked up some sashimi from the communal sushi plate on the centre of the table. "You learn something everyday..."

"You eat rice?" Max muttered in surprised. "What kind of meat-eater are you?"

"The best kind," he replied, shoving the tightly wrapped sushi with salmon at its centre into his muzzle and chewing it - savouring the taste - before swallowing it. "The ones that survive because we don't stick to the labels of 'carnivore' or 'herbivore'. We're omnivores."

"That is good," Kerry said softly. "Perhaps one day you'll evolve beyond the need to eat meat and turn to the plans for nourishment."

"Oh not again with the whole vegetarian thing, Kerry!" Joanna sighed. "Not everyone can live off plants like you!"

"I just think that it is cruel that we breed creatures of this planet who evolved alongside us and eat them because they're incapable of defending themselves!"

"It's called survival."

"It's called murder!"

The argument spread fairly quickly through the rest of the table and Jacob just sat back and quietly ate his lamb shanks, not minding any of those who continued to argue around him. Dessert was a simply homemade chocolate cake with some vanilla ice cream that disappeared rather quickly because of Max. Jacob had to make sure he had all his fingers at the end.

"Well, you folks better hit the hay," Shana said, winking at them. "We all have an early morning tomorrow!"

There were a few groans as the guests left and headed to their own cabins. Jacob remained and helped pack up the dishes with Darren and Shana.

"You really don't have to help here, Mr. Reaper," Darren said. The youngster looked about eighteen years of age and possessed the same frizzy, brown hair that his mother did. "I can take it from here."

Turning off scathing remark about how he couldn't take care of himself in the presence of Unsealed and thus relating that to his ability to reproduce and take care of simple dishes...

... now.

"Please," Jacob replied with a bright smile, "it's the least I could do for such a delicious meal."

_"You're trying to be nice not pick him up,"_Spectre said.

Shut up.

Darren blushed beneath his brown fur as Jacob took the rest of the dishes and brought them to the kitchen of the farmhouse. It surprised him that Shana was doing the dishes by hand.

"You guys don't have a dishwasher or something?"

"Don't have that luxury down here," Shana said over her shoulder, taking the dishes from him and dumping them into the soapy water. "Darren, bring in the animals would ya? I'll finish up here."

Darren gave a, "Sure thing, mum!" and hurried out of the farmhouse.

Jacob picked up a tea towel and pulled the dishes of the drying rack, wiping them dry.

"You really don't have to do this, Jacob," she said gently. "We can manage here on our own."

"I don't doubt that," he answered with a smile. "Not often you find people capable living without modern technology... or the influence of the Seals."

Shana threw her head back and laughed. "Can't afford a Seal. Would love to have a Seal that can get the pigs in the pen at night or have the hens laying eggs but we just have to trust what nature gave us. Now the Boswins..."

She nodded towards the window in the direction of another farm. Even from the distance, Jacob could make out several glass domes which had to be greenhouses and hydroponic environments.

"You really don't like the Boswins, huh?"

Shrugging, Shana placed a large pot on the drying rack which he quickly picked up and began drying. "They were alright folks until Winston Boswin saw he could start buying out people and making them work for him. It was a daring venture and it promised to help Pollenburn out of this crisis... But Boswin eventually got greedy... Bought three Seals. One for himself and his two daughters, Dorothy and Caroline.

"Make it rain for them when it's the dry season, block out the sun's rays when it's too hot, cultivate the earth when it's bad... Things like that. Practically gives them perfect crops every year."

"I'll bet."

_"What are you thinking?"_Spectre asked softly.

Conspiracy theories... Well... More like evil plots really...

If Shana starts talking about failed crops, we can safely suspect sabotage.

"How are your crops?" he asked.

"Never better!" Shana replied with a bright grin. "Ever since Darren came up with the idea of opening up our ranch for tourists, we've gotten more help around here even when my dear old Harry was around. Our crops and animals are stronger than ever! It really peeves off the Boswins that we're able to keep up with them even if we don't have their manpower or their Seals."

_"So much for that idea,"_Spectre said a little smugly.

"And these mysterious attacks on your animals?" Jacob prompted.

"Probably some wild animal that's taken to eating my herd," Shana said dismissively, placing a plate on the drying rack. Jacob picked it up and dried it off. "Nothing serious to think about. I'm getting the sheriff to look into it."

"Sheriff a friend of yours?"

She beamed brightly. "Why yes. In fact, he's also the mayor. Welcomed Gale back despite being MODD. The sheriff is a decent fellow but his hands are tied sometimes. Can't touch the Boswins because they're so rich and they're so good at hiding evidence against them."

Typical...

"Listen Shana, I'd like to stay here in Pollenburn for a day or two longer and I was wondering...?"

"You can stay here for as long as you want," Shana said brightly, smiling and nudging his shoulder with hers. "You saved my son's life! It'd be downright shameful if I at least didn't extend some courtesy towards you!"

Jacob found himself blushing beneath his black fur. It was odd getting such... gratitude from Shana. He never really stuck around to experience the gratitude from those people he saved. Even old Mrs. Jenkins was a victim of his charm and on-time rent payments.

"I -"

"Think nothing of it, Jacob!" Shana said, handing him another plate.

"You don't even know who I am," Jacob replied, turning his gaze away. "I could be a serial killer or mass murderer for all you know."

"That's a chance I'm just going to have to take."

"You're a risk-taker then."

"No..." He felt her gaze on him and he fought the urge to turn to meet her gaze. "I just have this feeling about you, Jacob. I heard from Darren the crazy stuff you did on the train. Everyone saw you fighting that giant Unsealed."

Jacob shrugged and set the last of the dishes on a neat pile in front of him. "It's nothing special. I do it all the time."

"And you're not part of MODD?"

"No."

"And you're not with the Rebellion either, are you?"

The Rebellion was a group formed around the mobile continent of Proxy. They had created technology that did not use Seals and claimed that all Mortaelins should learn from the Seal war and boycott the Seals. They waged war against MODD and the countries that used Seals. No one could ever pinpoint their locations because their home of Proxy was an artificially created continent-sized island that constantly moved.

How something like that could move without being noticed was something else...

"They're two extremes of the same scale," Jacob murmured, crossing his arms beneath the coat. "I'd prefer not to be on that scale at all."

"We all gotta take sides eventually, Jacob," Shana said with a gentle smile on her lips.

"I do have a side." Jacob regarded Shana, his sapphire-blue eyes laser-like in intensity to the point that Shana actually took a step back. "My own."

****

When morning came, Jacob just sighed heavily at yet another sleepless night.

It was a terrible affliction for him.

He could never fall asleep in any location unless he had spent at least one week in said location fully awake. It was not for a lack of trying either. Sleeping pills did little since his supernatural regenerative abilities just absorbed them too quickly. Alcohol didn't work either. It was absorbed even quicker for some reason.

Jacob did not relish the idea of spending the next few nights unable to sleep, moving on and then having to spend another week in a place before he got a good night's worth of sleep. It was a reason why he usually wore sunglasses. It hid his weary eyes.

Thankfully, he had gotten some nights worth of sleep at Mrs. Jenkins apartments... Too bad his sleep was always restless as well...

Little wonder he was often grouchy...

He sat up in his bed, noticing the familiar little 'fortress' he had created for himself. There were three pillows offered to him so he had one pillow on each side of his body and one for his head to rest on.

Another habitual thing he did.

The psychologist had noted that he had mild Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He always had to arrange things in their height order, he always took thirteen minute showers and his act of 'barricading' himself in pillows were marked as part of his little disorder. It was in no way disruptive in his opinion.

Taylor was fast asleep in the bed adjacent to his own. It was curious that Max had a private cabin and Jacob marvelled at the terrible coincidences that out of all the male cabins on the farm, he just had to choose the one with Taylor in it.

He silently slipped off the bed, his movements completely soundless as he left the cabin and greeted the fresh air... well... Almost fresh. The smell of ash was in the air but that was just how Pollenburn smelled like.

The farm was already full of life so early in the morning even if the sun had yet to rise. Darren was getting the animals ready for the guests to meet them while the smell of a delicious breakfast was wafting through the air, overpowering the choking odour of ash.

People with asthma would hate it here...

_"People with allergies would hate it in Bloomcrest,"_Spectre pointed out.

True.

He wandered over to where Darren was struggling with the pigs. The feral pigs looked like they were enjoying themselves as they squealed and ran circles around Darren who was covered in mud from multiple dives into the mud.

"Need help there?" Jacob offered, leaning against the fence.

"Oh, Mr. Reaper!" Darren said with a bright smile. "No, no thanks. I can manage."

Jacob leapt over the fence in one, swift move and landed in the mud, his sneakers let out a loud squish. "Nah, it's no bother. You want them in there?" he asked, pointing through the open fence to a large feeding pen.

"Yeah... But they're really frisky this morning," Darren laughed. He dove at another pig but it got away from him.

Feeling a grin but fighting it back down, Jacob positioned himself directly opposite to the gate of the pen area and cleared his throat dramatically. A deep growl built in his chest as his hackles rose. He glared at the feral pigs around them. Slowly, each of the animals slowed their flight and stared at him. Once he had all their attention, he let out a sharp, rippling bark that instantly froze all the pigs - and Darren. Jacob followed up with a series of short, loud barks, snapping at the pigs with his fangs but never truly moving.

Each of the little pork chops squealed and fled into the designated pen out of fear.

Just to keep them in there, Jacob tipped his head back and let out a proud howl.

Once his voice died in his throat, he was surprised to find himself laughing. The sound of his own laughter was so... alien. He shook it off and shut the pen before the pigs could escape but it seemed that they were so frightened that they were scrambling for the positions farthest away from him.

He imagined one of them to have Winston Boswin's face and chuckled.

But something was missing...

Turning to his right, he found Darren on the ground, staring at him with wide eyes and shaking from head to toe.

"Erm... Sorry?"

Darren shook his head and struggled to his feet. "W - Wow... I - I never knew you wolves could do that..."

Jacob blushed beneath his fur and rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I think I'm actually part dog. Most wolves don't bark."

"You don't know your parents?"

Sharp pang of pain.

"I do... Both timber wolves. They don't know where I got my markings from."

"Genetics, huh...?"

"Yep." Jacob glanced at the pigs who just kept cowering. "Did you need any more help?"

"Uh..."

Farm work was not that hard for Jacob who had supernatural endurance, strength, speed and agility. Fighting Unsealed all the time had given Jacob not just a godly body but also abilities that most other Mortaelins could only dream of... unless they had a Seal. He was hefting large bales of hay in stacks and jogging easily back and forth from the barn to the fields with ease. Ploughing the fields was a lock quicker if he just tugged the plough through instead of using the truck. Chasing down the chickens and rounding up the horses was also easy since he could outrun them all.

The other guests joined them after an hour or so. There was a quick tutorial on how to feed the animals and they had a good hour of helping around before it was time for breakfast. Everyone - but Max and Jacob - was chatting excitedly on the events of the day. Apparently, they were going to go horseback riding along the Ashlands - the name of the planes surrounding Pollenburn - and go fishing down by the river. Jacob refused the invitation and said he wanted to just 'hang out' for a while.

When breakfast was finished, he helped with the dishes again and declined a second invitation from Shana to attend the horseback riding. He saw them off, waving at them from the corral. Christy waved her feathered butt back at him in return, making him roll his eyes and turn away.

Once they were all well over the horizon, he stepped into the corral and took a deep breath.

He counted to ten...

Then flung out his hands, summoning Requiem and Radiance. He gripped both swords tightly and swung them expertly in his hands, clashing both blades against each other and sending sparks in all directions. He struck his usual battle position and took another deep breath.

Lightning-fast he struck out at an imaginary foe, his swords slicing through the air. Each blade made their own sounds. Radiance made a sizzling sound while Requiem a more high-pitched screaming.

As Radiance cut through the air, it gathered more strength, transforming the atoms its crystal edge came in contact with to pure energy. The crystal was actually made of Depleted Tritoscositite. In its original form, Tritoscositite was a powerful energy crystal that could provide a house with power for decades, even centuries. But when it ran out, it began deconstructing the matter around it into pure energy and absorbing it back into its structure for further use. His blade's core and hilt was made of Amelium which could withstand Depleted-T's powerful deconstructive aura. The lasers and light that exploded out of Radiance was the stored energy from the Depleted-T.

He didn't fire any lasers however. Explaining laser burns to the McLeods would be difficult.

Requiem_was different however. The combat knife-like blade had hidden machines inbuilt into its structure that allowed it to emit powerful sonic shockwaves. The shockwaves could be broad and powerful blasts capable of overturning cars or sharp and like scalpels, capable of slicing easily through thick metal. It was a light, fast weapon - surprisingly lighter than _Radiance despite being bigger - but also offered an amazing defensive weapon as his headphones nullified most sonic weaponry and Requiem could emit a brain-melting screech.

He didn't do any of that either. If the animals on the farm were suddenly dead with their brains leaking out of their ears... That'd be very difficult to explain.

So he decided to do something else...

He threw Radiance into the air and pulled up his left sleeve, the symbol against his arm glowing once more against his fur.

"Spectre! Let's go!"

Brilliant light erupted from between his palms as he pulled his hand away, a small orb of light in his paw. He flung around and threw it directly at the farmhouse. The orb of light exploded before it reached the fence, erupting into a massive, circular symbol that was very different from the Seals. It was made of a variety of concentric circles filled with symbols and basic shapes instead of ancient runes. The general shape of the same symbol against Jacob's arm was drawn within the shape itself.

Suddenly the shape exploded outwards, shattering like glass as a massive wolf about nine-feet tall with jet-black wings charged straight towards him. His snow-white fur was partially covered in thick armour that included a saddle on its back, armour for its wing-joints and a helmet with a pair of golden horns sticking out forward.

Jacob jumped ten feet into the air, somersaulted and snatched Radiance from the air.

He landed securely in Spectre's saddle as the mighty winged wolf spread his wings and leapt into the air with an ear-splitting boom.

"Hold on tight!" Spectre growled, speeding in a straight vertical rise that would've been impossible to more natural creatures.

But Spectre was his Animus.

And his only other friend in the world apart from Albert...

Jacob sighed mentally as he thought about his other friend...

Gotta remember to send him a letter soon...

Slowly, he loosened the grip his legs around the saddle and he let himself slip off Spectre's back. The winged wolf didn't resist as Jacob plunged backwards. In fact, Spectre flung around in the air and opened his jaws, light and energy gathering in his jaws. With an ear-splitting_boom_, a blast of energy sprang from the wolf's jaws, speeding towards Jacob.

At the last moment, the beam shattered into a dozen smaller beams but all homing towards Jacob.

Jacob gripped his swords and spun in the air, swiping at the beams and shattering them with his swords, sending showers of light in all directions. Not a single beam got through his defences. He was feeling pretty confident as he swatted the last beam away, a big grin on his face.

That alien sensation of genuinely smiling was gone so high in the air. It was the only place in the entire world that he felt truly free. Free of social standards, free of his past and free of MODD.

If anything, there was only one thing he really wanted in the world.

And that was the fly away.

Leave Mortaelis behind... and just fly...

"Heads up!"

He snapped back to the present as Spectre unleashed a loud roar straight at him. The shockwave slammed straight into his chest sending him hurtling to the ground.

Thud!

Spectre sighed heavily as he pulled up with Jacob securely on his back.

"Daydreaming again?" the winged wolf accused.

"No," Jacob replied, trying to kill the mirth in his voice and the grin on his face. "I was contemplating how best to get back up and knock you down on your ass."

"Sure," Spectre chuckled, gently gliding in the air. "Did you want to survey the land?"

Really, that was code for 'did you want to slack off for today?'

"Yeah. That's probably best since we're staying here a while."

Jacob crawled back up to a straight riding position, holding onto Spectre's white fur and gripping the saddle with his legs. For the first few minutes, he diligently took in their surroundings. From the air... there was a haunting beauty about the ashen planes of Pollenburn. The mixes of black and shades of grey almost made a dynamic, black painting that shifted every few moments. The dead forests that surrounded the planes were like the frame and the river that cut through the bleak planes was accentuated more because of its dark surroundings.

However, Jacob found his mind quickly wandering, a content sigh escaping his muzzle as the cool, morning air wafted through his thick fur. Sensing his ease, Spectre rose further into the air, bursting through a cloud and flying lazily through the rare, fluffy pillows of air.

In comparison to the lush, green planes that surrounded Pollenburn, the Ashlands seemed quite small. Rillotia was a very rich and lush continent for the most part with only one major desert. Jacob couldn't help but imagine how Bloomcrest would have looked like from above... The thick forest would've been like an emerald crown around a glistening jewel made of countless flowers... Like a diamond that caught the sun at the right moment and split the light into dazzling colours.

It was a tragic loss for the world...

Jacob leaned forward and pressed his cheek gently against the back of Spectre's neck, gripping the winged wolf tightly as his Animus accelerated, speeding through the sky like a white bullet.

"Hold on!" Spectre cried.

The wolf suddenly tucked his wings against his back and dove straight down. Jacob couldn't help but let out a howl of sheer elation as the wind rushed past him at high speeds and the adrenaline pumped through his veins. The ground sped rapidly towards them. At the last possible second, Spectre pulled up and zoomed across the Ashlands so close to the ground. Ash sprayed all around them in a mesmerising burst.

Jacob cast a glance downwards at the ground. A smile touched his lips when he noted there were tiny flecks of grass growing beneath all the layers of ash.

"How long was the Bloomcrest incident?" he asked.

"Twenty - maybe thirty - years ago," Spectre replied, rising into the air once more. "Why?"

"It's funny that these planes have remained covered with sand for so long... You'd think the plants growing beneath all that ash would come out sooner."

"Maybe there's something keeping them from really blooming. They're there... but it's like they don't want to be seen."

Jacob chuckled and straightened. They were approaching the river and he noted there was a small group next to the shore. No doubt Shana's group.

"Set me down over there," he said, pointing to a bend in the river where they wouldn't be seen.

"You feel like fishing?"

"No. I wanted to ask Shana little bit more about this place. Particularly what happens when it starts raining."

All that ash plus rain would make a terrible black sludge. If the incident had occurred over twenty years ago, it was just ridiculous to think that it didn't rain for that time or that the ash hadn't been swept up in said rains or the wind. There was something keeping all that ash down...

While some part of Jacob told him it really wasn't any of his business...

... he knew he'd make it his business whatever the case.

Spectre set him down on the bend. The instant he got off, the big wolf bent over and drew a long lick across his face.

"Aww! Yuck!" he cried, swatting Spectre away. "Geez! I just bathed!"

"Perfect time to lick you," his Animus replied, tail wagging happily. Then Spectre's blue eyes turned genuinely serious and loving. "I love you, Jake."

Jacob's heartstrings were tugged but in a good way and he smiled, reaching over and gently kissing Spectre's forehead. "Yeah, I love you too, bud." He then straightened and patted his Animus' cheek. "Now come on, I think you'll want to hear Shana's explanation."

Spectre nodded and exploded into a shower of white feathers and twinkling stars, becoming his miniature, unarmoured version once more and resting around Jacob's shoulders.

Shoving his paws into his pockets, Jacob casually walked along the river towards the group who were having a rather lively conversation from all appearances. None of them even really minded that some of their lines were getting tugged by fish.

It didn't surprise him at all that Christy was the first one to notice him.

"Oh hey! Look who it is!"

Jacob was in too good a mood to let her promiscuity ruin it so he actually smiled and waved. "Hey there."

Christy charged towards him, arms spread wide and a big grin on her face. The swan was far from graceful as she practically tore up the last few metres between them. A devilish idea entered Jacob's mind and he couldn't resist sidestepping at the last possible moment. Christy dove at his coat instead and stumbled, hitting the ground with a loud thump.

"Ole!" he cried with a laugh.

That brought a good laugh from the others as well and, not surprisingly, Christy joined in.

"Glad you could join us, Jacob," Shana said with a smile. "You're just in time for lunch!"

Time had apparently gone by quite fast and Jacob sat down on the small picnic mat that had been set out for them. He sat down amongst the small group and took an offered egg salad sandwich.

"What convinced you to come along?"

"My stomach," Jacob answered shortly, biting into the sandwich. It was surprisingly good. A nice mix of sweet and savoury. His reply brought a small laugh from those around him. It seemed everyone was sensitive to his hesitation to talk about himself so, thankfully, no one pestered him for more of his past.

Joanna and Christy did enough talking for all of them.

Jacob was halfway through his second egg salad sandwich - partially wondering how gassy he would get - before he spoke up and said, "Say, Shana, do you often get rain here?"

The farmer grinned broadly and said, "Well of course we do! We wouldn't be able to grow our crops otherwise!"

"That's what I thought. I was just wondering how, after all these years, there's still ash around here."

His surroundings just seemed to darken suddenly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Turning towards his hostess, he noted that Shana's expression had turned rather sad. Darren was the same.

"Oooh... Bad topic..."

Which is means the info will be nice and juicy.

"We've wondered the same thing," Shana said, her eyes cast to the distance. "Scientists say that because it's pretty windy here, the wind blows the ashes from the blackened trees surrounding Pollenburn onto the planes. Others say this is the gods punishing us for destroying such a beautiful treasure of the world, forever keeping this place covered in ash so it will permanently remain a black stain on the world."

She paused a moment.

"Then there are those that say the ash consists of the bones of those that died during the Purge and it won't easily go away until MODD apologises for what it did. That the ghosts of those that died in the plague continue to haunt this place."

Suddenly Jacob was very eager to get back up in the air and not sitting on the ground. Granted there was a thin sheet of cloth separating him from the ashes but still... The other guests looked a bit frightened as well. Kerry in particular gently brushed a bit of ash from her pants and seemed to bow to it, apologising.

"And this plague..." Jacob continued, setting down his sandwich on a plate. He wondered if the ash would suddenly take the shape of a hand and snatch his sandwich.

"It wasn't pleasant... Scary, really..." Shana turned to them with a bright but shaky smile. "Tell you folks what. We'll spend another hour or so here and then when after dinner tonight, we'll have a little campout before turning in and I'll tell you all the story. It's best saved for darkness and not to ruin a fine day such as this."

"I'll hold you to that."

Shana clapped her hands. "So come on and eat up! Who knows! We might actually catch dinner here!"

Jacob highly doubted it but he did savour the rest of the meal. After he finished the last sandwich - his fifth - he simply watched the others as they eagerly stood by their fishing rods waiting for a bite. Max wasn't so eager. He just sat cross-legged next to his fishing rod, arms crossed and looking grumpy as usual.

"I wonder what his problem is..."

I dunno. Constipation?

"You think?"

Maybe. He certainly looks the part.

Spectre giggled at that and Jacob shared a small smirk. Max caught him staring and turned away, huffing loudly. That only caused him to chuckle more.

"Sorry we didn't get you a fishing rod," Darren said, sitting next to him by the river. "Didn't think you'd be coming."

Jacob watched the waters, seeing the fish darting about beneath the glassy surface. The river looked quite deep.

"It's alright. I'm really not that into pole fishing."

"Not much of a fisherman?" the young bovine asked.

An opportunity to show up the rest of the group hit his mind and he couldn't pass it up. He rose to his feet and removed his coat and shirt. That instantly caused Christy's jaw to drop and he thought he saw Kerry blush beneath her fur.

"I never said that," Jacob said, kicking off his shoes and removing his socks. "Just like I don't like pole fishing."

"Wait!" Darren exclaimed. "You're not -"

Jacob didn't wait for a reply and dove right in to the frigid waters. Being used to cold showers, the shock wasn't that great. The fish around him darted away but even in the waters, he was lightning fast. He chased down one particularly large salmon and seized it between his fangs, sinking his fangs deep into it and preventing it from escaping. Triumphant, he broke the surface of the water and found himself paddling with his head barely clearing the smooth surface.

The rest of the group was standing on the shore staring at him with the fish in his mouth.

Then they started laughing.

And Christy took another picture.

What the -?

He was going for applause, shock or awe.

Not hilarity.

Frowning slightly, he swam to the edge of the water and spat the salmon out to the ground. It whacked his face with its tail causing him to growl and more laughter to erupt from around him. Rising, he crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze at the sources of that laughter. It hurt that even Max was laughing.

"Alright, what's so funny?" he demanded.

Christy could only stagger forward and turn the camera in her hands towards him. It was a digital camera so it showed him a preview of the picture she had taken.

One word instantly hit him...

Cute.

There he was, his head breaching the surface of the water, ears lain back, looking up with sparkling sapphire-blue eyes, all wet and with a salmon in his muzzle. He looked like a goddamn puppy with a toy offering it to his master! It was the puppy dog pout plus fish!

Jacob growled and swiped at the camera but Christy danced nimbly away and took another picture of him.

"Gimme that!" he snapped, lunging at her.

That grace of the swan kicked in as Christy slipped under his grasp and took a picture of him again, temporarily blinding him. His left foot suddenly slipped and he tipped over. He reached out with his hands to catch his weight but instead of solid ground he only found frigid water.

"Whoa!"

Splash!

... and he was in the water again.

Murderous rage was boiling in him as he surface again, glaring at the others. They just kept laughing.

"Easy now, kiddo,"_Spectre warned, completely dry and hovering over his head. _"This water is nice and clean. You don't wanna stain it with blood."

I don't?

"No, you don't."

... Fine.

Jacob swam back to the shore and pulled himself up. Laughter was his only greeting.

"Think that's funny do ya?" he muttered. "Well how's this for funny!?"

Jacob went on all fours and shook himself from head to tail, purposefully shaking all the water from his thick fur in the direction of those around him. A few cries and screams of half-shock-half-mirth met his ears and some of that murderous rage ebbed. He still wanted to strangle something. Maybe a cute bunny to compensate for someone suggesting he was 'cute'.

"This was my favourite outfit!" Christy exclaimed but she was smiling as she gestured at her white blouse which went quite well with her white feathers.

Jacob straightened, his fur fluffed out. "Guess we're even now."

Christy just grinned and flicked up her camera again. "Awww! You're so cute when you're all fluffy like that!"

...shit...

Fwash!

Another photo taken.

"Why don't you smile this time?" Christy suggested as the others laughed. "I bet you have a great smile!"

The only time I'll be smiling is when I twist that graceful swan neck into a pretzel!

"I know what'll get him to smile!" Joanna exclaimed, picking up the still salmon on the ground.

Jacob rolled his eyes as she vixen stood in front of him with a big grin on her face. "What are you going to do with that? Slap me?"

"Yep!"

Wait... what...?

WHACK!

...

Everyone had fallen silent... no doubt waiting for his smile... However, he was just too stunned... He had just been slapped with a fish! It wasn't painful but it was more a strike to his pride than anything else. Part of him was grateful that Christy wasn't recording the event in real time because he could just imagine her using the sound as her ringtone.

Slowly, he turned back towards Joanna who looked like she had just sinned against the gods.

That murderous rage came boiling up again.

_"Whoa!"_Spectre cried but it was too late.

"That's it!"

He seized Joanna's by the shoulders and threw her into the river.

SPLASH!

Joanna let out a loud scream as she was hurled right off her feet into the rushing waters. Her feet disappeared beneath the water, making a still blob of red beneath the glass-like surface. Standing on the riverbank, he huffed with satisfaction and crossed his arms.

That'll teach her...

"Uh... Jake..."

He blinked... the rage suddenly getting replaced with a spike of fear...

Joanna wasn't moving.

Everyone was silent.

Wait... You're kidding me!

I couldn't have...?

Jacob fell to his knees and peered over the edge of the river... Joanna's eyes were firmly shut and she was slowly drifting towards the bottom of the river.

Oh crap...

"I didn't -" he began.

Suddenly, Joanna's eyes sprang open and she lunged forward, bursting from the water and wrapping her lips around his. Her arms curled around his neck just as his eyes went wide like saucers. The world tipped suddenly towards the water's surface as the vixen pulled him down into river with a loud -

SPLASH!

Jacob was still too shocked with the kiss to really register the assault. When Joanna pulled away, she was laughing, bubbles spewing from her muzzle. She pulled him back up to the surface where they paddled, staring at each other. Jacob was just puzzled... Joanna's eyes were bright with mirth.

Laughter met his ears but he ignored it.

"You're evil," he muttered.

"I'm a fox," she answered smugly.

Then she winked at him and twitched her left ear towards the others on the shore who had gathered right on the riverbank.

Jacob couldn't help it.

He grinned.

In tandem, he and Joanna spun to the others, swinging their arms around and driving a large wave of water into them. There was a lot of screaming and laughing - grumbling from Max. They tried to get away from the shore but Jacob quickly jumped out, seized Taylor by the legs and dragged him back into the river. Like some classical monster movie, Taylor was clawing at the ground screaming - and laughing - as he was pulled beneath the waves.

The cougar burst from the water's waves, going cross-eyed and holding out his hands like he had become a zombie. "I'm one of them!"

Christy laughed, setting her camera down. "Nooooo! Tayl! Not you too! Save me from the evil River Monsters!"

That didn't last long as Darren charged at her, sweeping her up in his large, muscular arms and hoisting her up onto his broad shoulders. The young bull charged to the edge of the riverbank and leapt into the air.

"Cannonball!"

SPLASH!

Jacob pulled away, laughter ripping through his throat as he blocked his face from the assault of water. Another wave hit him from his right. Joanna was splashing him again and he countered by tipping his muzzle into the icy water, gathering a large amount of liquid in his muzzle and spraying it back at her. She squealing, crying 'Gross!' and swimming away from him as he chased her down.

"Oh my god!"_Spectre cried."You're actually laughing!"_

He froze and coughed.

No I'm not.

Contrary to that, as there was a smile cutting through his features even as he tried to force it back down. When Taylor splashed him, he laughed and splashed back.

After about an hour in the water, Shana called them all back out of the water like a patient mother. She had some towels in her hands. Kerry helped too and she had taken over Christy's photo-taking. Max just grumbled off by the horses. They all dried off with Jacob trying to straighten his fur to little effect. Since he had the thickest fur of the group, however, one towel wasn't enough.

"Need another one there?" Taylor asked, handing him his half-soaked towel.

"Yeah, thanks," Jacob responded, taking the towel and rubbing it against his head.

"You got a pretty nice bod there. You a bodybuilder or something?"

Jacob smiled and he poked his head out from under the towel. "Nah. Just good genetics and plenty of exercise."

'Exercise' being chasing around Unsealed, swinging two swords around like crazy and running around with a winged wolf I can summon at will...

"Wish I had a body like that..."

No... you really don't.

"Just keep working at it. You're not exactly tubby you know."

Taylor looked quite trim. Certainly fit. Jacob could see the definitions of a torso through his soaked shirt and his arms were firm. Not exactly bulging like Jacob's but still all muscle. He did envy Taylor's short coat of fur, however. Thick fur was hard to maintain.

"Still wish I could be as big as you," Taylor murmured, arms crossing his chest like he was hugging himself. "Wish there was some sort of miraculous growth potion or something to add on like a hundred pounds of muscle."

"Try the synthetic muscle implants," Jacob snickered, tossing the towel back at him. "I hear they're almost real."

Unfortunately, he didn't have a horse but he was comfortable just walking back and he got his chance to show up the others when he was left behind by the group and he summoned Spectre again only to beat the group back to the farm. He had time to take another shower and casually lean against the entrance archway of the ranch to greet them.

A few questions were asked but he just said he wasn't going to give them all his secrets. There were a few more farm-related chores that needed to be done in which Jacob gladly helped as well as the other guests. Eventually, dinner came around - another scrumptious three-course meal.

True to her word, right after dinner, the group was invited out into the open Ashlands outside the farm where Darren had arranged some logs and started a campfire. The sat around in a circle with Taylor and Joanna sitting on either side of him. In the dusky gloom, there was an intimidating air around as the firelight was cast on all their features... however there was also a comforting warmth as they huddled together against the cold.

"Okay, before I get to the main event," Shana said, "who wants to warm us up first? Anyone got some ghost stories they want to share? Anyone? Jacob?"

What? Me!?

Jacob realised that Shana was only going to delay the story more and more. It was clear she was uncomfortable talking about the plague and he decided not to push her. He'd find out eventually. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "Well... There is one I know..."

"Do tell!"

Jacob cleared his throat. "Well... It's not so much as a ghost story... but more like fact, really. It's about the Seal War."

It was a popular topic. With everyone relying on the Seals, knowing about the Seal War was basically mandatory for all schools. That and it was an amazing conversation starter.

"Anyone know about the Graveyard of Doors in Hox?"

He wasn't surprised that no one did.

"In the crystal deserts of Hox there's a valley where there stands the ultimate testament to the Seal War," Jacob said, eyes cast down. "It's said that during the Seal War, those that fought against the Unsealed used the limits of their Seals. They sacrificed themselves to unleash the full extent of their Seals. What ended up happening was that each Seal opened a doorway into a realm of unrivalled power. These doorways unleashed such a mighty barrage upon the armies of Unsealed that it turned the very sands beneath their feet into pure crystal.

"Those doors continue to stand here today, firmly closed and blackened. There are thousands of them all pointing to the central crater were a single, lone door rests. Popular belief is that it was this one door that will lead to the greatest Seal of all, the Seal that binds all existence, the Ultimate Seal. But no one has ever been able to open any of these doors."

Jacob raised his eyes to the sky. "According to legend, when the right key is found, that door will open and all mortals will become gods in their own right. But..." He turned his gaze to everyone else with a smile. "Until then, we're stuck with the Unsealed."

"Right," Joanna groaned. "Those monsters that are caused by the overuse of Seals... I swear, they keep getting bigger and meaner every time we see them."

"Actually," Jacob said, lifting a finger, "there are actually four stages of Unsealed evolution, five if you count the Infection stage."

That got more curiosity from the others and he continued.

"Well, after the infection spreads, the Unsealed come out in a form that's kinda... weak and flimsy. These are the Larval Forms. As the Unsealed grow older, they become stronger. Usually, within a week they hit their Pupae Forms. After that, they start focusing on defence instead of offence and enter their Cocoon form. During this stage, they have mid-level intelligence. Finally, they reach their adult stage after about a month after initial infection. They have genius-level intelligence and frightful powers."

"How do you know all about this?" Max grunted. "You some sort of Unsealed expert or something?"

Jacob felt a pang in his heart at the reason and he tried to fight the compulsion to tell it... but it came rushing out. Thankfully, Taylor interrupted him.

"His from SWORD," the cougar replied smugly. "He's the one that saved us on the train!"

Max's eyebrows rose. "Really? I work for MODD too."

Uh-oh...

"On vacation right now though," the dragon said, glancing away. "I deserve it after all the work I do."

Right...

There was a general air of scorn for Max at that point and Jacob decided to break it.

Three words to summarise Max from the short time Jacob knew him...

Grouchy... Arrogant... Prick.

He turned back towards Shana. "So you were saying about the plague?"

"Ah..." Shana said, a little surprised. It was clear she had hoped more conversation would pull away from the topic of the plague. "It was called the 'Pollenburn Plague'..."

"Why?" Kerry asked gently, also sensing her discomfort. "I thought Pollenburn was founded after the plague."

"It was... but the plague was named for its symptoms," Shana answered. Darren was shuffling uncomfortably on his feet. "You see, the plague was unique in that it spread through... pollen... and its source were flowers... Flowers that were nearly undetectable in the vast flowery fields of Bloomcrest."

Flowers... How do flowers kill you?

"When the pollen got into your lungs, it started burning," the bovine continued grimly. "Hence the name, 'Pollenburn'. The terrible thing is... it wasn't just a burning sensation. That sensation was brought on because the pollen would actually start taking root in your lungs... Within an hour you would suffer severe respiratory problems... another hour, you would be coughing up blood as the pollen grew into plants in your very chest... And by the fifth hour, you'd be dead because you couldn't breathe. The subsequent hours would see the plants actually pushing themselves out of your body, bursting from your skin, mouth, ears... eyes... and spreading more of their pollen around."

Jacob's flesh started to crawl and he noted he wasn't the only one who had stopped breathing. As Shana explained the plague, he couldn't help but imagine it in his head and he fought off the sensation to scratch his chest. There was a self-conscious fear in him that a flower was blooming somewhere in his lungs.

"Because of the low incubation time of the plague, people died by the dozen in days," Shana whispered grimly. "My husband amongst them... We were evacuated to beyond the forest... then they set the entire town of Bloomcrest alight... We watched our home go up in flames... and we were left with nothing. Charity was barely enough to cover our expenses and MODD didn't want anything to do with us after that. The government of Rillotia tried to lend aid but everyone was afraid that the plague was still around."

"It isn't... is it...?" Christy asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"No dear," Shana chuckled. "It was wiped out in the Purge..." Her eyes went to the west. "But... it took so much from us... I would like to have some closure... I'd like to know what caused it... We lived in Bloomcrest for so long and then there was just this... plague from nowhere..."

Silence ruled for a good few moments. Jacob wondered just how many people died in the horrifying plague. It was almost ironic really. A town that prided itself in its fields of flowers infected by a plague caused by said flowers...

"Well," Shana said, clapping her hands, "we best head to bed now. We have more things to do in the farm tomorrow!"

The mood was far from excitement, the memory of the plague looming over them. Even if it was just a story, everyone was suddenly very cautious about the earth beneath them... particularly the ash. Combined with the theories on why there was constantly ash in the Ashlands around Pollenburn and their surroundings suddenly took on a more sinister edge.

Joanna intercepted Jacob as they headed to their rooms. "Hey, Jacob! Did you wanna have a slumber party over at our cabin?"

Huh?

"Ooooh! A girl's slumber party!" Spectre squealed with delight. "You can do each other's claws, gossip about the boys, do each other's hairs and talk about which male movie stars are the hottest!"

Jacob absently swatted at him, making it look like he was getting rid of a fly.

"Sure," he answered a little hesitantly. "But why? I mean, Taylor is your friend after all." He gestured at Taylor who just entered their shared cabin while Max went off to his private cabin.

"Oh, Tayl's nice but he just isn't... in the same mindset as you."

He gave her a suspicious look. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"You know," Joanna said, rolling her eyes. "You'd be more comfortable with girls than guys because there just won't be any reason to be more than friends."

"Huh?"

Joanna stared at him incredulously. "Come on, Jacob. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Please because I'm apparently suffering from the incurable disease of ignorance."

She shoved his shoulder playfully. "You're gay!"

CRACK!

Jacob glanced around.

What was that!?

He saw that Spectre was picking up what looked like glass shards from around his shoulder. "That would be your reality shattering."

He turned back to Joanna. "I am not -"

The vixen looked endlessly amused and sighed. "Oh come on. Don't be like that! I mean, you're barely interested in Christy."

"That's because she's a promiscuous, overly hormonal, ditsy airhead who's an insult to swans everywhere."

"Be nice," Joanna giggled. "Okay, fine, Christy can come off a bit strong. Her boyfriends have said as much." She lifted a finger. "But in the kiss we had at the river today, you barely reacted."

"I was too shocked to react," he protested.

"Right. And how often does that happen?"

...

"Not a lot..."

Joanna leaned forward, a knowing smirk on her face and their noses almost touching. "Could it be because that was your first kiss and it wasn't everything you thought it would be?"

"I've kissed a woman before."

She poked his nose. "Kisses from your mother don't count."

Damnit!

Joanna stood back, arms crossed and a big smirk on her face. "And I bet you didn't even notice I was feeling you up during the story did you?"

Jacob went rigid.

No... No he didn't.

But it could be she was lying.

"Prove it."

She reached into her pocket and took out a golden pocket watch.

_His_golden pocket watch.

"Hey!"

He snatched it from her as she laughed heartily.

She flung around, flicking her tail in his direction. "I was running my paws over your leg for about thirty minutes before I took that off you. Just admit it, Jacob. You'll be a lot happier."

With that, she left and entered her cabin...

... leaving Jacob to stare at the watch in his paws.

For the first time in a long time... his paws were shaking.

"Whoa... You seriously are, aren't you?"

A - A - Are what...?

"You're gay!"

"Am not!" he snapped loudly.

Spectre squealed. "Awww! My little boy is all grown up! He's found his sexuality! You know, at this point I would bring out my Gay Care Package."

"What the hell is that?" he growled, stomping over to his cabin door angrily.

"It would contain a month's subscription to a gay online porn website, a year's subscription to a gay men's magazine, several packets of XXL condoms for Little Jake down there, a pamphlet on STDs, a list of rallies you might be interested it and the location of the local LGTB branch!"

Jacob flung open the door angrily and slammed it behind him while Spectre just laughed.

I'm glad you're not my dad.

"Which is awesome! That means you and I could -"

Jacob spun and made several desperate grabs at Spectre who flew away, giggling. Then he realised that wasn't in his head and Taylor was staring at him from the bedroom...

"Are you alright there, Jacob?" the cougar asked.

He blushed and straightened, offering Taylor a cheesy grin. "Yeah... just... really big... moth..."

Jacob sat on his bed a little rigidly. Part of him wanted to stab Joanna and make a snide remark about how driving his 'sword' in her was somehow related to his non-existed homosexual status... but the other part... It was quietly snickering away like it knew something he didn't.

... and that spoke volumes.

Oh god...

Spectre appeared again, spraying confetti and blowing a party horn.

Where the hell are you getting all that stuff!?

"Don't really know. I think the crazier you get, the more stuff I get access to!"

... Great....

"Are you sure you're alright?" Taylor asked, sitting up on his bed. "You look really tense."

You'd be too if your friend just accused you of being gay...

Wait!

The best way to confirm whether or not he was gay was if Joanna did that often. Perhaps it was a ploy. Accuse an unsuspecting male of being gay after inviting them to a slumber party. Naturally, that male would want to disprove those claims and storm right in there and exert his manliness... so to speak. Seriously, room full of women, emasculated man seeing to reinstate his manliness...

Yeah, don't wanna go there...

"Why? Because you can't imagine yourself ploughing their field?"

GAH!

Stop making me gay!

Spectre laughed as he stiffly turned to Taylor.

"Does Joanna go around accusing people of being homosexual often?"

Taylor's eyes shot up. "Huh? No. Why?"

Crack!

There went his reality again.

Spectre leaned on his shoulder, looking up at him with a smug expectance. "So... Got any other way you're gonna worm out of this one?"

He ignored his Animus and regarded Taylor. "Does she often do things like that, though? Maybe employ a little reverse psychology to lure unsuspecting prey into her den?"

"Her love_den?"_

Shut up! Shut up!

"Jo?" Taylor replied incredulously. "No! She would never! She's the most honest, down-to-earth person I know! Hell, she's even against MODD! She's a huge activist and lectures at the college on how MODD has screwed up and done a lot of manipulation itself! It'd be against everything she stands for if she started manipulating people too!"

"Gimme an I!"

...

I

"Gimme an M."

M

"Gimme an H!"

H...

"Gimme an O!"

O...

"Gimme an M!"

...M...

"Gimme another O!"

O...

"What does that spell!?"

IMHOMO...

CRAP!

He dove into his pillow face-first, trying to crush Spectre but the winged wolf flew away and sat on the windowsill, snickering away.

"Jacob...? What's wrong? Did Jo say something to upset you?"

Jacob didn't respond.

In his short, young life, he had always assumed he was straight by default. Even if he never had sexual relations with anyone. His life didn't exactly allow him the luxury of such relations and being a lone wolf for so long was quite a hit to his social life. Never before had he been in the presence of such observant people and it terrified him that they knew him more than he knew himself.

The last time he had connections like this, it hadn't ended well.

"You're... You're not gay... are you?" Taylor whispered.

Jacob wondered if there was some way out of this mess...

He contemplated just killing Taylor now and running away... but that wouldn't stop the thoughts in his head. The fear in his heart was making him shake all over. Oddly enough, that was his saving grace. As with every time he was afraid, he steeled himself and told himself that there was only one way to deal with fear and that was to solve the problem causing that fear.

... and it was about him being gay.

If he was gay, then there was only one thing he could do.

Make himself straight.

He rolled over.

He was going to go into that slumber party and -

...

He froze...

Another pair of lips were pressed against his...

... and they were Taylor's.

Suddenly, his heart was pounding hard against his chest again and it wasn't from fear this time. Something else was pounding away as well... and it was deep in his pants.

"Ooooooooooh! Oh no he didn't!"

For some reason, Spectre had a bucket of popcorn next to him.

Slowly Taylor pulled away, a cautious smile on his face.

Jacob was first to speak. "Y - You're...?"

"Yeah..."

Jacob was fighting the urge to run. There was no murderous rage, no reflexive action to draw his swords... just run... but there was also something else... Another sensation that was quickly growing and overtaking all the rest.

Currently, the urge to flee was about 75% of his being...

... this new feeling was the remaining 25%...

"Kind of a big surprise, huh?" Taylor murmured, blushing and averting his gaze. "Here I am, hanging around with three awesome girls... and I'm gay... You'd think I was a pimp or something..."

"Not at all..."

Wow... In the moonlight, his fur looks really shiny...

30%....

"I haven't even told Joanna or any of the others," Taylor admitted grimly. "I can barely admit it to myself... Do you know that when my other friends back home mock gays I join in too? I'm terrible."

His eyes... They're like topazes...

40%...

"You must have your reasons," Jacob gulped, his voice rising an octave.

"It's complicated..."

His lips were awesome... so smooth... so tender...

Damn electric too... Didn't get that from Joanna...

50%...

"So Jo made you gay?" Taylor chuckled.

"Erm..."

The cougar lay down beside him, head propped on one hand and a big grin on his face. "Let me guess... Always thought you were straight and then someone mentioned 'gay' and suddenly it's like there's a whole new world out there and you're afraid because you're part of it?"

Back down to 30%...

"That's just creepy," he said, shuffling away.

"Been there," Taylor laughed, reaching over and wrapping a paw against his shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze.

Hmmmm... warm paws...

70%!

"Was the same for me but you know what?" Taylor shuffled closer.

80%!

"I had someone to help me through it all," the cougar whispered, lifting his muzzle against Jacob's ear, his hot breath wafted against the fur there and making Jacob shiver.

90%! 91...!

"Want me to show you?"

...

99%!

100%!

150%!

Infinity-percent!

"Uh-huh..."

Interlude: Cruel and Fickle Winds

"No one knows how or why the Pollenburn Plague started. Everyone knows how it ended. It tore up the lives of the people of Bloomcrest and to this day, people consider it one of the biggest disaster in modern history and one of the few times the MODD actually failed. However, what people don't understand is that the Pollenburn Plague brought people together. The survivors are closer and those that visit Pollenburn are rocked to the core by its history and become bound by the hope that no such disaster will ever happen again."

Pauline Shores

Reflections on Recent Rillotian History

Two things you should know about me.

First, I am gay.

Knew it since I was fourteen when I watched a movie of a guy transforming into a werewolf, growing muscles and running around naked - even if no explicit parts were shown - and showing off all that power. Only got worse as I got older. Wolves became the object of my eye. All the wolves I know and ever encountered in my life are big, muscular and sexy. I can't help it. I love wolves.

Secondly, I love muscle.

Call it a fetish, call it an obsession. Fact about me is that I love hot, muscular guys. Especially if their fur was thick. That really got me going on. Now, if I was shown something where a scrawny guy transformed into a huge, muscular beast - especially if it was a slow and nothing was censored - I would so paw off there and then. Hell, I wished that happened to me.

Being an athletic cougar was great... but I would've killed to be as big as Jacob.

But getting screwed by Jacob...

_Way_better.

As I lay there, nestled comfortable in his hug, muscular arms, I just couldn't help but take in his god-like form. Goddamnit, he was hot!

No, not just hot.

Hawt.

The thing about being a closeted gay is that hormones build up overtime. I felt a bit of guilt jab into me as I realised that I could just have taken advantage of Jacob last night. Not that he didn't seem unwilling but still, I was the 'experienced' one in this situation. I should've known better. I basically called him out.

I should've known that he was insecure about himself.

Still... No denying the sex.

Just thinking about it made me hard again, my proud, nine-inch pink cock rubbing against Jacob's perfectly, chiselled abs that were cushioned by that thick, golden treasure-trail that made him so adorably sexy. I grunted a little as I felt his foot-long - that's right, it was a foot long - black prick twist a little inside me.

I hadn't been able to take it all in much to my dismay. It had been a long time between fucks.

Jacob was new to the whole 'sex' thing as well. He looked about my age of 21, maybe younger, but for the earlier part of the night, he looked like he was lost and paralysed with fear. It was cute. Of course, like all the wolves I've been with, instincts soon took over and he was rutting into me like a wild animal. He came first of course and collapsed in exhaustion afterwards. I had to paw off myself but rubbing my cock against his abs was enough stimulation.

God, I had forgotten how good sex was.

With his big, strong arms around me, I remembered what it felt like to be secure... safe... and enclosed in rock-hard muscle. I brushed my face against that beautiful golden crest on his chest. It was just adorable how that crest was shaped like a heart. He was pretty much like a cute, cuddly, muscle-wolf. The best kind.

I took in his scent... It was a little strange. Reminded me of crystals. Sweet and sharp. Of course there was his heavenly musk as well but that was another matter.

I definitely had fun exploring his body last night. That heavenly, god-like body. Hard to believe he looked about my age... Maybe he was on steroids? Nah, steroids shrink your junk. If he was on steroids, then all the gay men in the world just lost out on an idol.

I sighed contently and pressed my cheeks against his nice, plump pecs. They were like fresh, plump pillows. I slowly guided my paws around his back to his rear, gently squeezing that firm, bubble butt. Suddenly, this trip got a whole lot better.

I'll admit that when Kerry suggested it, I was reluctant. It was another one of her 'nature trips'. The McLeod farm was an organic farm, after all and since it didn't use Seals, Jo was instantly onboard. I didn't want to leave the big city and 'rough it'.

I'm no lazy ass. I work out. I study hard. I normally take a job around the block several times in the mornings. I'm fit, lean and strong. About 180 lbs of muscle. But looking at Jacob... yikes. He had to have at least fifty pounds on me... maybe even a hundred!

Anyway, coming to the farm was something I really didn't want to do but Kerry and Jo really wanted to go and Christy decided it was good experience to see what 'farmyard fashion' was like. Christy is an aspiring fashion designer. There was a discount at four people and they couldn't convince anyone else to go... and I guess I was the last person they asked.

You really got to wonder how I'm not gay when my three best friends are a sweet, shy doe, a promiscuous, peppy swan and a loud, motherly vixen. Thankfully, none of my homophobic friends know my orientation...

... mostly because I fake being one of them...

... when really, I was one of them.

The world is a harsh place... Harsher to gays...

I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and just snuggled in against Jacob. No one had to know what happened here. When the trip was over, I'd never see Jacob again except in my dreams. Things would just go back to the way they were. That saddened me a little but... at the same time, I knew it was for the best.

Jacob shuffled a little and muttered something. I looked up at him - he had about six inches on me - and smiled warmly.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

The instant I saw his brilliant, sapphire-blue eyes... my heart sank.

Jacob pulled his arms away from me like I was some sort of diseased animal. "Oh god..."

"Jacob, wait -!"

At that point, he probably realised that his erect cock - it was erect basically all night from I could remember - was still driven deep within me and my own spunk was splattered against his chest. There was even a little bit on his muzzle. Now I wasn't sure what he was going through but I did know that he was scared.

"Oh god!" Jacob cried, scrambling away.

His dick pulled out of me and suddenly... I felt really empty. Not just that kind of empty... but really empty like I had lost something special. Jacob stood up. I hadn't seen him properly last night but with him standing there, all his godly form with that cock erect and dripping with his seminal juices... Yeah, major turn-on.

The major turn-off was his face however.

It was full of fear and shock.

"We need to -" I began.

"Take a shower," Jacob said firmly, straightening. "I - I need to take a shower." He marched stiffly towards the en suite.

"Wait!" I cried. "Jacob we need to talk!"

He slammed the door on me.

And I suddenly felt so alone again...

I collapsed onto my bed - we had spent the night on his - and just stared at the ceiling. I kept thinking, 'what have I done?' I will admit that Jacob isn't perfect. He's a bit of a loner and kind of intimidating but when we had that little water fight down at the river and I saw his smile...

That smile...

Oh crap! I think I'm falling in love with him!

I sat up, horrified.

I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love again... Not after what happened with my last boyfriend. He was a bad-boy just like Jacob. Well... Not exactly like Jacob. He wasn't a member of SWORD, didn't go around slashing Unsealed and saving people. But he was just as mysterious, a little smaller in build and had the sexiest voice that swept me off my feet.

The thing about me is that I get attached really easily. I've had lots of flings, lots of one-night stands and in those times, I've always grown to expect a certain... something. I kept thinking that it was 'love' but these days, that word is tossed around so much that it's lost its meaning.

For instance, I love cock but it doesn't mean I'm about to go and marry my own penis.

That would just be weird.

I was falling for Jacob. Not necessarily 'falling in love' but I was falling for him.

Of course, I knew where this would end.

I sighed heavily and started to get dressed. With Jacob in the shower, I would have to make do smelling of sweat and sex for now. Odours from the farm would mask that eventually. Once I was fully dressed, I left the cabin, paws in my pockets and greeting the morning air.

If it weren't for the constant grey-black sand of Pollenburn and the Ashlands, I'd swear this place was beautiful. The darkness just made me feel worse.

Thing was, this situation could go in either one of two ways.

Either Jacob accepts he's gay and we spend the rest of the five days we have together having hot, steamy sex only to be torn apart painfully as he goes his way and I go mine...

... or he jumps back into the closet... just like I would once I get back to the city.

Either way, no way we could be together.

Besides, what did I know about the guy?

First, he was hawt.

Enough said.

Secondly, he was in the closet.

Me? I'm in and out of the closet depending on the situation. In public, I was a regular homophobic, West Rillotian conservative bastard. 'Procreation not recreation' an all that stuff. Went to church every week. Voted and campaigned with the conservatives and was very vocal against same-sex marriage. But in my bedroom, I whacked off to pictures of hot guys with bulging muscles an cocks as big as Jacob's. I always felt guilty afterwards. Not because I thought being gay was a sin against the gods. But rather that I was being so cruel against 'my own kind'.

Funny thing is, my parents knew I was gay and welcomed it. Hell, they outed me and even paid for my first month's subscription to 'hotdogsXXX.com'. Back home, I was an open gay guy. In the city, I was a anti-gay activists. Out here... I don't know what I am.

And last thing I knew about Jacob... He was a member of SWORD.

Brave, courageous and risking his life every day - well, almost every day - out there for us.

Me? I'm a biochemist working for a hospital developing and testing new painkillers. Nothing special.

There was no way we were compatible.

"You're up early!"

"Whoa!"

I practically leapt out of my fur as Joanna stepped up next to me. I wasn't sure how long I was standing out in front of my cabin but it was probably long enough for Joanna to spot me and wander over.

"Something on your mind?" she asked, leaning over like she always did when she was being nosy. She liked to poke people with her nose to get them to open up.

I pulled away and grimaced. "No... Nothing special."

"Really?" she asked.

It wasn't one of those, 'Really? Okay, I believe you' but more of a 'Really? I know you're lying!'

"Yeah, really," I muttered, turning away and trying to put as much distance between me and her as much as possible.

"Could it have something to do with a particularly hot black and gold wolf with a foot-long cock?"

...

I froze.

That gave Joanna enough time to wrap an arm around my shoulder - she was taller than me - and guide me over to the cornfield fence. There was a big grin on her face and I just knew I was in for hell now. I mean, how did she even know Jacob had a foot-long member!? Did she sleep with him? Was that how she found out he was gay!?

"H - How...?" I stammered as she deposited me on the fence. She leaned her back casually against it, a knowing smile on her face.

She bobbed her head from side to side casually. "Well... I invited Jacob to a slumber party over at our cabin. It was impromptu, mind you so neither Kerry nor Christy knew about it. I was going to surprise them so we could pounce him. He is hot you know." She coughed. "Oh, excuse me, I believe the proper term is 'hawt'."

I blushed.

'Hawt' was sorta my word. I used it often... Mostly in an attempt to hide the fact that I really wasn't interested in the girl my other friends were pointing out.

"When he didn't come around, I went to check up on him."

Oh no... My heart sank. I knew exactly where this was going.

"Needless to say, you moan really loudly, Tayl."

...

No matter how far you see it coming, you just can't prepare yourself for the bombshell. I collapsed against the fence, nearing tears as I realised Joanna knew my secret. Hell, it wasn't even a good way of her finding out. She found out I was gay when she caught the guy she was after pounding my ass!

"How could you take that monster?" Jo laughed. She pulled out something from her pocket.

To my horror it was a camera and when she flicked it on, I saw pictured of myself beneath Jacob... Jacob's huge cock pulling in and out of my ass, my own cock dripping precum against his chest as we were in the missionary position...

"I mean, even I'm jealous," she chuckled.

I panicked.

"Jo, I'm sorry," I begged. "Please, please don't -"

Then I stopped.

Something was off by the way she was talking...

"What did you mean by that?" I asked.

Jo tapped her muzzle with a grin on her face. "Babe, how do you think I suspected about Jacob? Gaydar is basically built into us."

...

I wasn't sure what to feel...

"So you're... You're...?"

"A lesbian?" Jo replied, one eyebrows raised. "Yes, Taylor. I like bewbies and pussy."

'Yikes' was all I could say.

Jo laughed, throwing back her head and her short, coppery hair. She clapped me shoulder and handed me the camera. "Look, I know you have your reasons for keeping in the closet. I'm not here to force you out or anything. I just want you to know that if there's anyone you feel you need to talk to, I'll be here."

That made me feel a lot better despite the morning I've had. "Thanks, Jo."

"Oh, by the way..." She reached over and flicked the camera to video mode. "If you play this here..." She pressed the 'play' button. "I got a hot video of when he cums in you."

My eyes boggled.

"Oh yes! Jacob! Jacob! Ugh!"

Jacob was unable to say anything. He was lost in the moment, just panting and grunting as he shoved his dick right into me at a feverish pace. I was instantly hard. Then, Jacob threw back his head and let out an ear-splitting howl. I was surprised no one heard that.

"Uh... Huh... Ah..." Jacob panted. "Ergh..."

He collapsed against the bed, his eyes - his beautiful, sapphire-blue eyes - hazed over and he drifted off into slumber. I was pawing off in front of him, rubbing my cock against his abs. In a minute or so, I let out a muffled cry as I cummed against his chest. I proceeded to rub myself against the mess I made and Jacob instinctively wrapped his arms around me. The video ended with the two of us in the position that we had woken up in.

"Wanna see it again?"

I jumped back.

I hadn't even noticed how close Jo was to me, a big foxy grin on her face.

"Um..."

"I do!"

The cry made us both turn toward the cornfield were Christy instantly poked her head out, snatched her camera and then disappeared back into the fields. There was some maniacal giggling amidst the mine and Jacob's lustful cries.

"Christy! How long have you been in there!?" I cried incredulously.

"Long enough!"

I turned, horrified to Jo but she was just smiling benignly.

"Bit disappointed that our muscle wuff is gay?" she asked.

Christy emerged from the cornfield, spinning her camera deftly in her hands. "Nope! 'Cuz now I get to watch him and Tayl doing it all night long! The only thing better than me and Jacob is Jacob and Tayl!"

Brain overload.

Here were two of my best friends in the world, not at all caring that I was gay but also_encouraging_ me to sleep with Jacob. No doubt they wanted front-row tickets but still...

"Are you...?" I began softly.

"Oh no, honey," Christy laughed, swatting my shoulder. "I like cock just like you. Just I have more stuff up here" - she jiggled her breasts - "and less stuff down here." She gestured at her groin with a grin. "Though now that I've seen his cock..." She regarded the camera with a grin. "Boy do I wish I was exactly like you."

I couldn't help but laugh. I was relieved. Neither Christy nor Jo cared... That was a good sign. The guys back home wouldn't care either but in the city, I'd probably get lynched. Still, having these two was solace especially since they lived in the city with me.

"So you think Kerry would mind?" I asked.

Jo and Christy exchanged unsure glances.

"Let's... leave her in the dark for now," Jo advised. "Her views are a little more conservative than ours."

That was true... Kerry was painfully straight... and a vegetarian that tried to make everyone else vegetarian. I imagined that if she ever found out about me, Jacob and Jo she'd be the whip-wielding drill sergeant telling us to repeat 'No way to gay'.

"Good idea..." I murmured. "Though... I guess we won't have to worry about Jacob..."

Christy inclined her head and jumped on the fence, swinging her legs absently. "Hmmm? Something wrong with your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend... Not even sure if he's my friend..."

Jo wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her, a very motherly gesture. "What happened, kitty? Did he call you a slut or something?"

That startled me. Despite Jacob's gruffness, I don't think he was capable of calling anyone that. "Huh? No. It's just... This morning, he just... panicked. He dove straight into the shower. I feel like he's in there trying to 'scrub himself clean of me'."

Frowning, Jo let go of me and tapped her muzzle. "Hmmm... What a tough little puppy... He's a virgin, isn't he?"

"Dunno... We didn't talk just..."

"Fucked?"

"Yeah..."

"Oooh! I have an idea!" Christ exclaimed, waving excitedly. "Why don't we invite him to that slumber party you had planned, Jo! Then we can come onto him! Hard! If he doesn't respond, then we know he's gay. He'll probably go running to Tayl too!"

I felt uncomfortable with manipulating Jacob like that but I had to admit, it was a pretty good plan. Made me wonder what other things these girls plotted behind my back...

"Sounds like a plan," Jo replied. "That okay with you, Tayl?"

I nodded and grinned, suddenly a little happier. "Yeah. That sounds -"

A loud, screeching noise caught my attention and I turned towards the entrance of the farm. There was a diesel truck driving towards the farmhouse. It was swerving and looked like it was driven by a bunch of drunkards. One of the guys sitting in the bed of the pickup was waving a rifle around, shooting wildly.

That couldn't be good news.

I saw a figure emerge from the farmhouse and I guessed it was Darren because of the build.

We were too far to see what happened...

...but it didn't matter.

The gunshot...

... followed by Darren falling over...

That was enough of a clue for us.

"Darren!"

*****

It wasn't just one shot.

It was five.

Five bullet wounds.

Three to the lungs, one to the leg and one that shot right through Darren's spine.

It was a miracle that he was still alive.

None of us were really family except for Shana but we all stood around Darren's comatose body as he lay there, hooked up to all sorts of machines, beneath the bed and with a sense of gloom hanging all around us.

"How much will it cost...?" Shana asked softly.

I had been the one to ask the doctor that question...

"Sixty..." I began softly. "... thousand Solars."

Mortaelian currency began with Terrans. A hundred Terrans made one Lunar and ten Lunar made one Solar.

Sixty thousand Solars was huge.

"He says that they need to do spinal replacement surgery," I explained grimly, watching Shana's brown eyes tearing up over her son. "Lots of reconstructive surgery for the lost tissue that died because of blood loss... A bit of brain repairs and then the therapy afterwards..."

Shana pursed her lips but nodded grimly, rising from where she let beside Darren's bed. "Thank you, Taylor..." She turned to us apologetically. "I'm sorry folks... but it seems we'll have to cut your stay with us short..."

My heart broke.

I had my theories on who those guys that came storming into the McLeod farm were but I had no evidence. That really didn't matter, though. The fact was, considering the financial troubles that Shana already had, chances were, she'd have to sell the farm. Honestly, I wish there was something I could do but I barely made forty thousand Solars a year!

I wondered if myself, Christy, Kerry and Jo could all scrounge up enough money to help Shana out...

Suddenly, Jacob turned around and left.

"Jacob!" I cried, chasing after him.

Oddly enough, the instant I stepped through the door, I couldn't find him. He either moved really fast or I just wasn't looking in the right direction. It shattered my perception of him that he's just storm out like that. He seemed angry too.

Was he mad that Shana couldn't live up to providing us with a 'genuine farm experience'?

Surely he was more sensitive than that!

I turned back to the private ward where everyone was consoling Shana.

It was hard to watch... I mean, okay I only knew Shana and Darren for two days but seeing someone shot just forged that connection. I wasn't sure how or why but... I was suddenly moving towards Shana and patting her back as she stood by her son. She was so strong... While there were tears on her eyes, she still considered us despite her grief.

I really wasn't sure how long we stood there comforting her.

But eventually, visiting hours were over.

We were ushered out by the nurse.

"We should head back," Jo began. "We should see if we can give Shana any spare change... Or maybe we can help around the farm. We should know enough stuff by now to -"

She fell silent.

Jacob came storming down the hallway like he was on a warpath. Even I had to press myself against the wall as he charged past me. There was a briefcase in his right hand.

"Jacob -" I began.

"Not now," he growled.

The nurse tried to stop him but he just glared at her and she instantly shrank back. He barged through the ward door. Myself and my friends - even Max - crowded around the door's window. It was impossible to hear what Jacob was saying but Shana looked a little confused.

I wished I could read lips.

Didn't need to really wish, though, especially when Jacob set the briefcase on the foot of the bed and opened it.

I nearly fell over in shock when I saw what had to be a hundred thousand Solars stacked neatly into piles.

Shana staggered back in horror.

Jacob pushed the case back towards her and looked insistent.

Shana shook her head.

He said something that made her eyes go wide.

I may not be able to read lips but I could sort of make out what she said. Her cry was pretty loud that it even pierced the soundproof glass a bit.

"Boswin!?"

Jacob did some rapid explaining. He even made slashing gestures with his hands.

My imagination ran away with me.

Jacob did two things...

He went to Gale's office, identified himself and withdrew a lot of money from his personal account. Then, he sent his agents to head over to the Boswin farm and gather the needed evidence to pin the attack on the Boswins.

I may not have been involved with the McLeods for long but I knew how much they disliked the Boswins and I knew those pigs were no good.

Right now, there were probably a large number of ExIT, SWORD and ANVIL troops rushing to the Boswins to arrest them

I smiled grimly.

It was a fitting end to their reign of terror.

The other farmers would be free and they'd all be able to go back to their farms without the Boswins milking them for all they were worth.

Jacob said something and nodded with finality before turning around. He headed for the door and we all immediately pulled away to give room to the huge wolf.

I was grinning.

Jacob was glaring.

... my grin slowly faded.

"Jacob -"

"What?" he growled.

I backed off.

Suddenly... I wasn't so sure if he had done exactly as I had imagined.

"Um... Thanks for helping Shana..."

He grunted and shoved past me and the others. "I didn't do it for your thanks. Shana needed help. I can help. So I did."

Okay, at that point, I was kind of torn.

On the one side, I was torn because that was a bit harsh. I was just expressing my gratitude and relief and there was no reason to bite my head off.

But on the other side, I was totally falling for him. The tough guy act was winning me over.

Crap... I was falling for another bad boy...

Remembering what happened with Rory...

Even as I was halfway through my memory, I was chasing him down and seizing his huge paw. Man, that paw could easily crush my head!

I was starting to wonder if it was such a good idea...

"Jacob, I just wanted to talk about..." I lowered my voice and glanced around cautiously. "Last night..."

Jacob growled at me, fangs and all. "Look, what happened last night was a mistake."

And there we went again...

I got that a lot... My heart sank... Hell, it didn't just sink. Jacob shot a goddamn torpedo into my heart, blew a hole the size of a continent in the hull and my heart went down like a tonne of bricks.

It was the dangers of falling for a bad boy...

But was I really falling for him... or did I just want his cock?

I considered my feelings...

Deep down, I knew I couldn't be with him. He was from SWORD, I was a nobody. We were only brought together by coincidence... or was it fate?

And yet... because I couldn't be with him... that made him all the more attractive.

You want what you can't have... and I couldn't have Jacob.

So I wanted him.

"But it takes two to do the horizontal tango," I insisted. "And remember, you -"

Jacob growled and pulled his paw away from mind, shoving me back roughly. "Listen here you little housecat."

That hurt... That really hurt and I had the horrible vision of Jacob crushing my head in those paws of his.

"There is only one reason and one reason only why I -" He choked slightly. " - why I slept with you last night. I suffer from insomnia. I can't sleep anywhere unless I've spent the last seven days in the same place fully awake! Last night was a means to an end! A fair trade. You got your rocks off and I got a good night's sleep!"

My heart didn't just sink then...

... it downright broke.

Torpedo? Nope. Atomic bombs.

"You mean...?"

"You're nothing more than a sleeping pill to me," Jacob snarled. "Deal with it."

He turned... and stormed off.

I felt empty again... Not the same emptiness that I felt when Jacob pulled out of me this morning... The emptiness was cold too... but also burned. Like someone had taken a burning blade, sliced my heart to shreds and then dipped it in liquid nitrogen onto the shatter it into a billion bits.

I knew it was stupid to fall for a guy I barely knew, just met and basically am not compatible with. Call me old fashioned though but I find meaning in sex. It isn't just about getting my 'rocks off'. There was a bond there. For one brief instant, Jacob was in me and I had his seed - his essence - in me. I would have liked to know that I at least touched him somehow...

But apparently not.

Still, I was in a daze from the rejection.

It would be awkward sleeping in the same room as him...

Someone - not sure who - took me away from the hospital and drove me back to the farm. I think it was Jo. Shana was with us as well. The doctors said that she needed rest and time to recuperate. I think she was more aware than me about the situation ever since Jacob gave her all that money.

When we arrived back at the farm, someone asked me if I was alright but I was just stuck in that stupid daze. It was totally illogical, I knew but let's face it, my heart is pretty fragile like that. Fragile but bounces back pretty easily. It's gotten to the point where I can basically get up and be my old self again within a day of being dumped. Not gonna go out dating or looking for more cock for about a month or two but I'd be good after that.

This was just a phase.

Usually didn't have a turnover rate like this but still...

I bid the others goodnight and I returned to my cabin. Funny Jacob wasn't in yet. Really, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to sleep somewhere else instead of in the same room as a 'faggot' like me.

Sighing, I went to my own bed and lay down.

This holiday had turned out to be pretty rotten.

The hottest guy I've come across in a long time turned out to be so deep in the closet he was probably lost in there.

Oh well... Being in the closet was his choice...

... just like it was mine...

The door opened and I heard a shark intake of breath. I detected Jacob's sharp, sweet, crystal-like scent. It was probably best if I pretended to be asleep so I just closed my eyes and evened out my breathing. Forget that I still had my shoes on and I was lying on top of my sheets.

I was asleep.

Jacob's steps were slow and deliberate. Probably thought I was asleep and didn't want to wake me.

"I know you're awake."

Damnit...

Despite that, like a petulant child, maintained my illusion.

I heard him sigh and move closer.

"Come on. Stop being such a baby. We need to talk."

I wanted to shout out, 'What's there to talk about? You're clearly straight.'

However, I just bit my tongue and hoped I could sleep through his rambling. I probably could have.

Problem was, I couldn't sleep through his embrace.

Yep, he actually lay down behind me and tentatively wrapped his arms around me waist. My heart started beating rapidly at that moment. He didn't press his chest - his glorious chest - against my back but I could still feel the warmth rolling off his body and I was getting hard.

My cock was a goddamn traitor.

"What I said back there..." Jacob began. "I'm sorry... It was... Out of line. I was a little pissed from what Boswin did to Darren."

That got me.

"You sure it was Boswin?" I asked, spinning around.

We froze...

Our noses were touching.

Jacob instantly pulled back and coughed, his grip loosening around my waist. "Erm... Yeah. I uh... I snuck onto their property... I overheard one of their goons talking about the hit. Mentioned that the guys who did it are going to be the scapegoats. Everyone knows they work for Boswin but with no evidence pointing to it other than those guys' testimony, they can't pin those pigs."

My mind was starting to tick away... and things were starting to fall into place.

"That money..." I began. "That didn't come from your personal bank account, did it?"

"Don't have a personal bank account," Jacob replied, a grim smile on his face. "Suffice to say that Boswin will notice he's a couple hundred thousand Solars short."

I had no idea how to feel... again. 'Mortified' was putting it lightly. I pulled away from Jacob and nearly leapt off the bed.

"You stole from Boswin!?"

"The bastard deserved it," Jacob growled back.

"But there had to be another way!"

"I wasn't thinking about getting back at Boswin!"

I gave him a sharp look.

"Okay, so maybe that was a deciding factor," he admitted begrudgingly. "But I was thinking about Shana and Darren! Honestly!"

I was reaching hysterics. Jacob could've gotten hurt! Those guys had guns! I don't care if he was an amazing SWORD soldier! He could seriously have gotten killed! Worse, he could get arrested for stealing! Maybe even kicked out of SWORD!

"Couldn't you have used money from your own pocket!? You're part of SWORD!"

His expression darkened and he turned away from me. "I never said that."

I was just about to protest... when I remembered_I_ had been the first to assume Jacob was part of SWORD... He just said, 'Let's go with that' and never really confirmed it.

My world came crashing down on me.

Jacob... wasn't part of SWORD... but he had powers like SWORD... and he just stole from someone...

I could have been sleeping with a criminal!

"Oh god..." I murmured.

Jacob seized my paw and I wanted to just pull away but he was too strong for me. "Taylor, just please... Listen."

He seemed genuine... so I couldn't do anything... I was just frozen in fear and curiosity...

"I... I'm not exactly a 'good guy'," Jacob admitted, eyes cast down. "I steal, I cause wanton destruction and I've killed. I don't regret any of it. I have to do what I have to do to survive. Judge me all you want but know this... I'm not heartless. I did what I did back there for Shana and Darren." He snorted and turned his gaze away. "Believe me. I would've loved to keep that money..."

Weird thing was... I believed him.

Just... something in his eyes.

"How'd you turn out this way...?" I asked softly.

"Long story," Jacob sighed, shaking his head. "You don't want to hear about it."

I stared at him squarely. "You owe me that much."

"Maybe another time, kitty," he said with a smirk. He rolled off the bed and stood up. "Right now, I'm sorry I called you a 'sleeping pill'. You're not a sleeping pill."

Okay, I had to take the bait.

"Then what am I?"

He froze.

It was so cute when he froze.

"Um... I... erm... Uh..."

We were still holding paws... His looked like he wanted to let go... but he just didn't.

That said something.

I pulled him back onto my bed.

"Come here..." I whispered gently.

He folded... collapsing beside me against my sheets and curling his huge, muscular arms around my waist. I pulled myself up to his face, gently nuzzling his neck and cherishing the feeling of those thick, corded muscles beneath the thick, luscious fur. His sweet, crystal-like scent wafted into my nose, tickling my nasal cavities and causing my heart to beat all the faster.

God, he smelled wonderful.

I slowly drew my tongue against his neck, rubbing its rough surface against his fur and tracing his jaw line until I met his lips. He still a little shaky. I could feel him trembling against me and he was even whimpering a little. Slowly, I reached up around his head and rubbed the back of his head, rubbing my fingers against his coarse, short, golden-blonde hair.

Jacob pulled away from our kiss, eyes rolling back in his head and a goofy grin on his face, tongue lolling out.

"Oh... Oh yeah... Just like that... Hmmmm..."

I blinked... All I was doing was rubbing the back of his head... just behind his right ear...

Then it struck me.

"You like that huh?" I asked with a grin, scratching the fur there. Jacob's tail began wagging uncontrollably and his leg was twitching in excitement. Oh my god! He was just like an overgrown puppy!

"Oh yeah... yeah!"

He totally lost it. Jacob dove against my face, lathering my muzzle with his tongue just like an overly affectionate puppy. I was laughing as I kept scratching him behind his ears while he kept that goofy grin on his face and kept licking me.

To my utter surprise, he suddenly locked lips with my, driving his tongue into my muzzle and sending it probing every inch of my mouth. I stopped scratching him in shock by the sheer passion of his kiss didn't stop. The tentativeness flew out the window as he seized me ardently, pressing me against his steel-corded body.

I was instantly hard.

I wanted to see his abs. Those glorious, rock-moulded abs.

Pulling away from his kiss, I reached down and seized the rim of his shirt. He was panting in my ear, his hot breath raising the temperature of my body. I pulled his shirt over his head slowly. I wanted to savour the reveal as I gazed upon his sculpted torso. It was like pulling the curtains back on a true masterpiece. There was no shame to admit that I was drooling.

I instantly buried my muzzle into that thick, tuft of golden fur between his pecs, taking a deep breath of his sweet scent that was now mixed with his sweat and musk. A perfect blend of sweet, savoury and just hot sex! My paws ran all over each of his thick abs, squeezing each one and relishing how hard they were.

I was in utter heaven.

I didn't even notice how or when Jacob pulled my shirt off me. I was just pressed up against his beautiful chest. His scent was like ambrosia to me. I couldn't get enough! My paws were running all over his body, exploring his thick pecs, running over his muscular sides and over the thick mounds of his back. His paws scrambled to loop around me waist, reaching down into my pants struggling to pull them down.

Some sense returned to me as he gently pushed away from him. "I'll do that, babe," I said, reaching down for my belt buckle. As I did so, I leaned over to him and wrapped my lips around his, our muzzles twisting against each other as I tasted more and more of him.

And his tongue!

God, I loved canine tongues! They were so long and agile!

Jacob put his to good use, pressing it against the walls of my muzzle and causing my cheeks to bulge out.

I pulled away for the briefest of seconds. "Flex for me..."

He looked puzzled for a moment then broke into a grin as he wrapped his arms around me completely, helping me pull my pants off my body. I was pressed right up against his hard chest. Then, those beautiful mounds suddenly got bigger and harder, his black nipples standing hard and erect.

I was driven wild.

My feline instincts took over and all I did was rub myself against those huge pecs, purring. My cock was finally free of its confines and dripped precum shamelessly against his muscular thighs. As my face was lost in the ecstasy of his chest, my paws were scrambling down to his pants, hurrying to unbuckle his belt and free the monster I knew was waiting for me.

Jacob pulled one arm away from me and lifted it up just for me to see. He flexed his bicep, curling those huge muscles. My eyes boggled and I abandoned my attempt to free his cock. I instantly lunged at that massive mound, running my tongue all over it and gripping it with both paws. Seriously, it was as big as a watermelon! I ran my tongue over a thick, pulsing vein over and over again, simply loving how it beat with life against my tongue.

The bit I loved the most was his forearm.

I was a veins man.

I loved thick, pulsing muscle with lots of veins.

And Jacob's forearms...

Heaven!

I dove at it, wrapping my lips around the thick muscles and absolutely relishing the contrast in textures of his veins and fur.

A thick, wall of his musk hit me and I pulled me muzzle from one thick, vein-covered arm to another thick vein-covered armed.

Simply put... his cock was beautiful.

A long, thick, tampering black rocket. Black as the night so that the drips of clear, white precum were all the more visible. Veins pulsed against the black flesh and it twitched in tandem with my heartbeat, counting down to the moment when I would take that monster in my muzzle.

5... 4... 3...

Aw hell, I couldn't wait for 1.

I dove straight at it, wrapping my muzzle around the tampering point and shoving it straight down my throat. I heard him gasp and moan, his voice going a little high pitched.

"Oh god... Aw... fuck..."

Okay, if he wasn't gay, then he needed a ruler for his version of 'straight'.

I couldn't take everything into my mouth but I simply loved the rush of salty precum down my muzzle. I swirled my tongue around the tip of his member, licking at that cumslit and catching every drop. My pawns did laps over his foot-long length, he own cock spurting my arousal against his legs as I felt every vein on his monster member.

"Taylor... I - I ... Aw shit... I..."

I pulled out, licking my muzzle and grinning devilishly. Jacob looked up at me, whimpering, his ears flattened against his head. It was so cute! Now that I looked at him, his face was so innocent and adorable! He was a puppy that needed me so badly!

I crawled up to him, kissing him gently. His moan said it all.

Slowly, I positioned myself against the headrest of my bed, using my arms and knees for support. I lifted my tail and winked at him over my shoulder.

Nothing else had to be said.

Jacob positioned himself above me, one arm wrapped around me chest while the other was pressed against the headrest, right next to my head. God, his muscles were amazing! I didn't get much time to dwell on his godly bicep as I felt a volcanic spear of meat press up against my ass. He was rubbing that amazing, black length up and down the crack of my ass cheeks.

For a newbie, he sure knew how to tease a guy.

I felt his hot, muscular body press up against mine as he pulled us closer together. The tip of his hot rod pushed into my ass, making me moan in pure bliss.

"Oh god yeah! Jacob! That's it! Put it all in there!"

Jacob pushed himself in, punching through the initial barrier before pulling out and driving in further again. I felt his hot meat sliding further and further into me and I was bucking my hips against him, practically begging him to drive that foot-long member all the way into me. I didn't know if I could take it all but I really didn't care.

I glanced up at his arm... saw the muscles there... saw the veins...

"Oooh... Jacob..."

His paw rubbed against my chest, running over my firm pecs and abs. Nothing as large, defined or thick as his but certainly still there. I loved his touch. Despite his size and strength, he was so gently. His thrusts weren't feverish or wild like other wolves I've been with. Certainly hard when it needed to be but there was so much more meaning in it...

I wasn't sure what that meaning was but goddamnit it was hot!

No...

Not just hot.

Hawt.

His paw suddenly found my cock and I gasped.

Jacob froze. "Oh... Erm... Sorry, did you want to do it yourself...?"

My god... He was asking what I wanted... During sex!

That never happened before! Everyone I had been with just took!

I was just too shocked to reply... but I reached around with one of my paws and wrapped it around his, both our paws around my nine-inch cock.

We started developing a steady pace. He would trust and I would spear myself against his cock. At the same time, we would pull up on my cock and as he pulled out, we'd finish our stroke. I would pant between his grunts. Man, his voice was goddamn sexy. Our voices made a steady chorus of sexual pleasure.

My arms and knees grew weak beneath me as I was lost in our sexual haze. I collapsed and he shortly followed, his other arm wrapping across my chest and holding me tightly against him. Feeling his thick, muscular arm around me and his massive, sculpted chest behind me drove me over the edge.

"Oh god! Sh - shit! J - J - Jacob! I'm gonna - I'm gonna - AAAAAAAAAH!"

My cock jerked violently in our grip as it exploded with my seed. The orgasm was amazing and almost painfully hard. My cum flew across my chest, splattering my fur with some bits even landing on my face. Jacob's paw squeezed every last drop out of me.

He was still ploughing into me but sadly, I couldn't take all his meat. I could feel his knot pounding against my ass. I so wanted him to tie with me. That was best part about getting screwed with a canine top. The knot...

I whimpered softly as Jacob threw back his head and let out a tremendous howl that I swore woke up the entire farm. His molten, sticky seed pumped into me, filling me with a warmth that banished the coldness of the night against our sweat-covered bodies.

As his howl died, he curled up against me, wrapping me protectively against his huge, muscular body. I was exhausted... and I can tell that he was too. I turned my head towards him and saw that his eyes were closed.

I guessed that he needed the sleep if he was an insomniac.

Part of me feared that he'd just wake up again and go back into the closet.

But you know what?

I really didn't care.

At least for now, he was gay.

Gay with me.

That just made me happy for some reason I really couldn't fathom.

Suddenly, Jacob reached over and pulled the sheets out from under us, wrapping it securely around our naked forms. Well... Semi-naked. I still had my shoes on. Surprise hit me as he wrapped the quilt around us, snuggling in against me and making a content sigh.

"Wouldn't want you to get cold," he murmured in my ear.

I turned back towards him...

His sapphire-blue eyes were wide open.

Wow... they were gorgeous...

"You're not gonna go to sleep?" I asked, stifling my own yawn brought on by the afterglow.

"Hmmm... Maybe," he replied with a wink. He bent over and kissed my cheek... then licked some of my cum off my face, swallowing it securely.

That got me hard again.

"Besides, we could always try again later."

I liked that idea