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Chapter 10: The Three Shades

"Hey, buddy...wake up."

Jalhamut grunted, rolling over onto his back and squinting his eyes open after his short slumber. He saw the red sky, covered for the most part by two silhouettes of canines. He quickly realized it was Nick and Aveyi that were watching over him. "Good morning...I figured Aveyi and I should give you some sleep. You've had a rough time." Nick was smiling down at Jalhamut, reaching down a paw to offer the king help in getting up.

"Thanks...I appreciate it." Jalhamut took the offer, Nick hauling the cheetah up to his feet with little effort. The cheetah stroked along his spotted pelt, cleaning it of the red dirt. "So what have I mi...oh, I see."

Jalhamut looked around himself, seeing mounds of undead furs broken and motionless surrounding them organized into similar sized piles. Each pile was surrounded with an icy glacier, keeping the stench of the rotting flesh from reaching the three furs. "Looks like you've been busy."

Aveyi sighed, rolling her shoulders as Nick put his paws up to them and rubbed his thumbs into her back tenderly. "Yeah...a little." Aveyi cooed to the sensation of the massage. Nick snickered at the reaction, pressing closer to her now as he rubbed along other areas of her body. "You were great, hun." Jalhamut turned away from the two lover's display, wanting to growl in annoyance and jealousy. He controlled himself though. Those two had something special, and he didn't have a right to interfere. He had their friendship, after all, and that means he isn't completely alone.

Jalhamut walked slowly toward the mound of dirt that he knew his newest friend lied dead. He could see the small heap of fur lying silently there. Sorrow swept over him again, but not as great as what he felt before. He started to sob, stopping in front of Zephyr to kneal down and stroke his lifeless cheek. "Zephyr...may the gods find a better place for you than this hell."

He stroked his paw down Zephy're face, closing his eyes to send him into eternal sleep. Jalhamut smiled, still crying lightly as he looked at his recent crush longingly.

Aveyi and Nick approached the cheetah. "Well, I think we should head to Bai'ji and speak to Shah. Aveyi says he'll know what to do. We need to find a way to kill Drayak and revive this world." Nice said calmly.

Jalhamut stood up, looking off into the distance and nodding to Nick's words. "Yes...we can follow the river away from the waterfall. It should take us there. I can't recognized the old paths we used to have anymore." The old dirt paths that connected all the cities of this world were turned to red dirt, just like all the grass and flowers that once surrounded them. Only the river retained its former glory for the most part.

"And we should walk, rather than ride on ice. Aveyi, you need to take a break. You've been launching ice everywhere almost every second I saw you recenty." Jalhamut laid a paw on the white wolfess' shoulder, smiling to her and nodding. Aveyi nodded back before turning and walking to the river. Nick and Jalhamut walked beside her as they began their trek to Bai'ji.

The three warriors walked silently along the river now, all clad in nothing except for a few hanging shreds of silk that hung from Aveyi's waist now. Her recent battles tore up her outfit, her perky breasts exposed now.

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They walked unchallenged for many miles by obstacles or undead. The world around them was quiet...too quiet. Aveyi spoke her concerns, "I don't understand...when this happend long ago, I could hardly go anywhere without running into at least one undead." Nick had stumbled across a few upturned rocks, creating a sudden racket to pierce the eerie silence they grew accustomed to on their journey. The noise flared Aveyi up, her eyes and paws blazing with blue flame before she recognized the stumbling frame of her lover. She sighed, her flames dimming away slowly. She then smirked as she saw Nick stare back at her with a stare of utter terror which he was obviously faking. They shared a moment of amusement, the wolfess biting the air as if she was challenging Nick.

Jalhamut was snickering for a moment before he stood still suddenly, holding out a paw to signal the others to stop too. "Wait...we're being watched." Jalhamut had noticed a shadow zip along a dead treeline on the other side of the river. In fact, he noticed the same zipping shadow for the last ten minutes.

There was a loud screech from above, the three of them looking up to see the silhouette of a bat above them. The creature flashed ahead of them, landing a few meters away in front of their path. Its wings were almost as long as its body as it streched out fully before folding behind its back. Jalhamut looked upon the new arrival, ignoring the black shadow that was behind the treeline for now to worry about the threat that presented itself openly now.

"Took you long enough to notice us." A high pitched, almost childish voice rang out from the bat. It turned around, it's ears perked up high as it looked upon the three warriors with black eyes. It was female. Large perky breasts that put Aveyi's to shame were bare for all to see. Her body had perfect curves into her waist, bowing out again around her butt and transitioning into strong, slender legs. She examined them all carefully before laying her pitch black eyes on Aveyi, head tilting down just a bit as she smirked sinisterly. "You've got one handsome boyfriend there, Avi." She turned her gaze to Nick, sliding her human-like hand down her slender curves. "Mmm...I can just imagine..." The erotic tone in her voice brought Aveyi's paws and eyes to their blue flame, the she wolf shouting, "Shut it!" She turned her head to Nick, seeing the wolf shake his head as if he was breaking from a trance. He turned the front of his body away from Aveyi, the white fur turning almost pink as the wolf blushed.

Aveyi felt even more fury as she witnessed her lover being enticed by the bat's seduction. "Beat it, you whore!" Aveyi glared back at the she bat again, who just shook her head condescendingly at Aveyi and raised a finger to wiggle it like a school teacher shaming a child. "Now now, there's no need for language." After she spoke, a new arrival emerged from the water. Jalhamut's eyes followed the frame of an ordinary trapper, the green alligator also sporting no clothing as he exited the water to join the bat's side. The alligator was smirking with the same sinister smile the she bat had. This trapper was different. It's eyes were replaced by two round mechanical orbs. It looked like iron surrounded two red lights that acted as pupils looking around. It's eyes examined the three warriors before laying on Nick, the pupils narrowing.

"The human...I remember you" The alligator's voice sounded robotic. "You supplied our slaves with those weapons that killed my buddies. However, I do appreciate the raw materials you left behind for me to make an arsenal for Lord Drayak. If only we could get our minions to understand how to use those blasted devices." The alligator shook his head, laughing as if he were embarrassed. "Undead, right? Can't teach 'em anything." He laughed lightly, looking at his companion, the she bat. The three warriors glared angrily at the two who acted so casually in front of them. Nick had calmed down from his arrousal, the alligator's approval of Nick leaving behind technology for his enemy shaming him.

"How rude of us! We never introduced ourselves. I'm Lush" The she bat placed her hand against her heart, bowing her head lightly. "And this is Viper. It's a pleasure to meet you." Lush giggled, glancing to her right across the river as the black shadow became a ball of darkness that pounded over the lake toward the two new arrivals. The ball stretched out into a long slender feline frame. It crouched as it landed on all fours, slowly rising up to reveal its male front to the three warriors. The black cat had white spots dashed along his pelt, one spot larger than the rest laid on his left cheek and just barely couching his jaw as it partially crossed over his mouth. It was a leopard with it's colors reversed. "And I'm Ryu." The leopards voice was soothing and calm. He didn't share the carefree attitude the other two showed. His glance was laid on Jalhamut alone, bright amber eyes glaring into Jalhamut's bright blue. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, Jalhamut."

The leopard walked confidently toward Jalhamut, the cheetah unsheathing his claws and crouching, ready to strike at the new cat. The leopard halted a few feet in front of the cheetah, holding out a paw. "No, we're not fightning you now." He looked to his left, nodding to Aveyi who was staring at the leopard with a cold fury. Then he looked at Nick, turning to walk toward the male wolf. As he turned, Jalhamut's eyes gazed up and down the slender, voluptuous frame of the cat. He was beautiful...he was athletic...he was confident. Jalhamut shook his head. Every indication leads to this leopard being his enemy, just like the other two.

The leopard stopped before Daniel, sniffing the air about two feet from the wolf. "As I thought...this is not one of them." The leopard turned around, his bare backside exposed to the three warriors almost foolishly. He walked back to his two companions, speaking to them loud enough for the other three to hear as well. "Drayak said there were four of them that threatened us, but only two are here. There's no point risking our lives if the threat he's was worried about does not exist." Lush and Viper looked disgruntled, shouting protests at Ryu. Lush's protest was more easily understandable than the robotic voice of Viper, "We can take them on! It's three against three, and that wolf is nothing!" Nick cringed, feeling shamed as if he was only a burden on the other two now.

Ryu growled, yowling out, "SILENCE!" The call silenced the two bickerers. Ryu turned around again, speaking to all three of the warriors. "You might as well run. Drayak will soon launch an attack that will overrun Bai'ji, even with that birds protective flame. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

Aveyi barked a defiant bark at Ryu, holding up a blue flaming paw to launch ice at the cat. Before the ice shards reached Ryu, a burst of rose petals appeared in front of him, the ice shards comming into contact with the petals and sandwiching the soft petals between ice and leopard pelt. The ice then fell harmlessly to the ground. "Now now, don't be such a fiesty bitch, hun." Lush held out her finger again, scolding Aveyi. "Ryu said we aren't fighting, so you should respect his decision and run with your lives."

Ryu nodded to Lush, silently thanking her for the protection she just provided. "We're heading back to our master now. Take my word for it and run. Do not try to go back to Bai'ji. The city is doomed, and so is this world. Perhaps you can find a cave somewhere that Drayak will have no interest in.

The three of them headed off away from the river, then turned to go back from where the three warriors were heading from on their journey. Jalhamut yelled out. "Why are you running!? Come back and fight!" The cheetah was shamed by the way those three were treating them like prey that they CHOSE to let live out of pity aloen.

Ryu stopped while the other two went on ahead. He turned to look at Jalhamut. His eyes glowed with a pang of sympathy as he stared at the cheetah. Then he shook his head and dashed off quickly to catch up with his companions.

"What was all that about?" Nick said intimidatedly. He was still a little taken aback by the arrousal he felt for another in front of his lover, and then called a weakling by what seemed to be the group's leader.

Jalhamut walked in front of his two companions, sighing as he put his paws on one of each of their shoulders. "It doesn't matter. i'm guessing it's just another fight to come soon. But if it comes, we'll be ready. Come on, let's get to Shah." Jalhamut turned around, nodding to Nick approvingly to try and cheer the shaken wolf up.

They continued on with their journey. They had avoided a fight this time, but only because the leopard found it to be unnecessary. Why was Ryu so certain that the three of them couldn't stop Drayak?

As they walked on, Jalhamut couldn't get the image of Ryu's sympathetic gaze out of his mind. Something about that leopard made Jalhamut feel...calm.

This isn't the end of the book at the moment. Daniel has more to read, about one more chapter's worth. Enjoy more cheetah and wolfy action soon :D!