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Kyra was in a land of dreams. She wandered aimlessly through visions and memories. In her heart a great sorrow weighed her down. Her body seemed heavy than it should have. Sadness clung to her mind, everywhere she looked she saw pain and suffering. In over her head she could only flow with the loss.

Loneliness, the great demon that she thought defeated, had reared its deformed head in her direction once again. It hissed and laughed at her misery, spitting in her face. For a time she had conquered it with thoughts of another but now it returned to prey on her emotions.

The wolfess was helpless. At once she thought of giving in. Death would be preferable to this loss and anguish she thought. Life, in its cruel twists and surprises had taken her very existence away. The only reason she had to live was gone so why should she stay.

Resigned to defeat she wept uncontrollably. A flood of salty tears streamed down her face wetting her fur. Kneeling she placed her face in her hands and sobbed. Surrendering to her sadness she did nothing but cry. For a long time she cried but still she kept on unable to hold back. Even when she thought her tears should run out more came and still relief did not come.

After other painful events in her life she had cried, alone. Afterwards she had felt at least a little bit better. Not this time. She kept weeping for her love, for all the considerable life she had lost, but mostly for him.

There was not a soul in her nightmarish land that could, or would, comfort her. No one to pat her back and tell her it would be alright. No reassuring words came forth to help her overcome this pain. Instead she was left alone in the darkness to fend for herself. That was one thing she refused to do however. Kyra would not recover from this endeavor. While something as simple as a sweet whisper could have saved her from grief none was offered.

The darkness closed around her, enveloping her mind slowly and maliciously. It sensed her weakness and hovered over her. It whispered promises of peace and consolation. Come with me, give in and all will be better for it it said. Once she had submitted the pain would leave.

Again she contemplated tossing away her will and taking a break that would last forever. With the world against her what would be the sense in continuing to live? Would throwing up a white flag be so terrible, she thought.

With her resolve eroded by loss, she began to give in to the darkness in her heart. Her mind at once settled peacefully, as the darkness had promised. All the pain and suffering was gone, brushed away along with the rest of the world by a numbing cold. Kyra cared for nothing now, the end had come and she was ready. Idly she wondered why she had ever feared the end. It wasn't so bad, it was actually quite serene, just as the darkness had said. All of her suffering, her pain, and her will quickly slipped away from her, not that she cared. Finally after a life of struggling for a futile cause the wolfess was leaving this world and nothing felt more right.

Then something behind her called. There was something niggling in her ear. She turned away from it, she was at an end she didn't want to go back. Still the persistent call came. Kyra drew away from it but still it was there on her back. It held to her and wouldn't let her go.

The wolf cried out. She wanted to slip away. She wanted to leave this world. This thing, this presence was trying to stop her though. She felt something wrap itself around her and try to pull her back. She heard something in her ears. A voice. Don't go, it said, come back. Her first reaction was to ignore it and she continued struggling. Next though she came to a realization, she knew that voice somehow.

It was familiar but she couldn't quite remember where she knew it from. The voice called again, it was soft and caring with fear clearly present. Why was it afraid? Did the voice want her to stay? Why? Who could care about her enough that she would be able to hear their voice here at the edge of life? Did someone actually miss her?

Like a lightning strike she remembered. There was someone that cared for her. She was loved and she knew it. Hiroto! The one she loved was calling her! He wanted her back. All thoughts of yielding to the darkness vanished. How could she have even thought of leaving her love? She needed him and she knew that he likewise needed her. They were apart of each other and that connection made life bearable. Together they could do anything!

She lifted her mind, following her mate's voice upwards. She willed herself to rise to meet him. Her heart shone with joy and relief. A smile lit her face and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Soon she would be with him again.

At first she had a vague feeling of warmth close to her body. With her soul returning slowly Kyra came to realize that someone was holding her close. Opening her eyes she could only make out a blurry grey world. Blinking several times she heard the voice of the ninja. He sounded happy. At last she could see clearly. Hiroto hovered over her, holding her tightly to himself.

His face was uncovered and she peered into those green eyes wet with tears on the verge of falling. The foxes smile widened considerably as he saw her eyes open. She saw the scar on his muzzle that marked him as a hero in her eyes and she smiled. Kyra was dimly aware that she lay with her back on the floor but the only thought that mattered was of Hiroto. He bent down and kissed her as if it would be the last kiss they ever shared, desperate and filled with love. He ended it too briefly for the wolf's taste but when he put his head on her shoulder and hugged her to him she forgave him.

"Oh Kyra," he said with a sniff. "I love you so much!"

"Hiroto," the wolf's voice sounded hoarse and weak. "You're alive!"

The ninja pulled up to look at her with a grateful smile. "I was so afraid I'd lost you."

"I would never leave you! I love you too much. They said the poison would kill you."

Hiroto shook his head, "No, it's not about that, you did almost left me."

Puzzled Kyra questioned him, "What? No, I never left your side. Not once!"

"But you did!" he insisted. "Just now I almost lost you. Your breathing stopped and I couldn't feel your heart."

"It... it did? But how? You were the one that was sick. Why would I have been in danger?"

She sat up and Hiroto sat beside her unwilling to let her go as if she might slip away again.

"He told me that you sat with me all the time," the ninja started. "You talked to me and told me to come back. I was in a delirium and quickly losing strength. Then I heard your voice. You called me back! When I awoke you still held me and you were sleeping. But you didn't wake up when I called. I tried to shake you but it didn't work."

Around them stood others. Kyra saw Gurda the bunnywife in a yellow nightgown with Skein holding back the young raccoon in a little nightshirt. Behind them was Valewalker, still covered in his mysterious cloak.

Gurda knelt down and rubbed the wolf's head. "Valewalker had done everything he could until finally he left the room and came to us. If the ninja ever woke it would be a miracle he said. When we heard him crying out for you we were overjoyed at first. We rushed in to see him weeping over you."

Hiroto continued the explanation. "You had stopped breathing, I didn't know what to do so I gave you my breath."

The healer spoke next. "He breathed for the both of you and in doing so saved your life. Your exhausted coupled with your grief nearly took your life."

The wolf looked down in shame. "It was my fault. I was so lost without you that I didn't want to live anymore. I gave in and tried to leave. I wanted to die."

The black fox hugged her again. "It's alright we're here together again. I too gave in to the darkness. My past came and kept me down but you saved me. I heard your voice in a torrent of guilt. I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered in his ear. They sat there holding each other closely for several long moments.

The silence was broken by Lassun as he tentatively inched closer to them. "Are... are you two gonna be okay?" he asked.

They both looked at the innocent child and smiled. "Yes," said Hiroto, "everything's okay now."

The raccoon cried out in joy and ran to them and hugged them both. They laughed and held him between them and Kyra suddenly realized how close they all had become. This felt right, as if they were now apart of a strange family. She was glad that all these people cared for her. Even the little 'coon that had at first been so afraid of her she may as well have been evil incarnate now hugged her warmly.

Silently the forgotten healer slipped out of the room. Skein, not one to miss such a move followed him into the hall. "You did a wonderful thing, healer."

Valewalker turned and a smile crept onto his shadowed face. "I did what I had to. My conscious would never forgive me if I failed an old friend."

The otter could sense the longing from the healer. On a whim he decided to try and confront it. Never in all the time had he known this strange fellow had he learned of his past. "You miss someone, don't ya? This brings painful memories to the surface, aye?"

At first the stranger looked to close down and remain silent. Then he nodded. "I do. There was a time I had known such love, but that was long ago and I ruined it."

"You can always talk to me if ya need to."

"No, it is my burden to bear. I made a mistake and I must atone for it in my own way," the stranger said calmly. "I appreciate the offer though."

Skein patted the healer's shoulder, "Offer will still stand if you change yer mind."

They shook hands and Valewalker backed up. "Thank you... for everything. Not many would accept me as you have, but I must leave."

The otter sympathized, he already knew one reason why Valewalker hurt, now he had learned that another reason was shrouded in his past. "Trouble is coming soon. We could use your talented sword arm. You could show them that you can be trusted."

However tempted the cloaked figure was he still shook his head and turned away. "It is not my place, these are not my people. My future is out there somewhere. I hope to see you again under better circumstances, my friend."

"May the wind be ever at your back," Skein called as Valewalker left the house and noiselessly blended with the morning twilight.

The heat of the midday sun beat down on the city. Skein, Hiroto, and Kyra sat together at the kitchen table discussing the state of Karyd. Hiroto, his strength returning, had a clean tunic and pants on and Kyra had also changed into a blouse and skirt that Gurda said had once belonged to her niece.

Skein told them that the people were in an uproar over the 'ruthless' Guard and tempers ran high on both sides. The Council was working out a way to please the citizens and one of the options included dismantling the Guard. That option was thrown out because it would have taken away all of the city's defenses but the Council had still discussed it as a way to make the people happy.

There were riots breaking out in the city and citizens were retaliating against the Guard for perceived wrongs. It was unsafe for small patrols now and even the new large patrols came under attack occasionally.

Now the Council was talking about replacing the Guard. The problem there was that the people may see it as a switch from one evil to another. Just recently High Elder Brunin announced that he was working on the problem of the out of control Guard.

The otter told them that all the pirates that had been arrested at the bar brawl, the spark that had ignited to become a wildfire, had been released and were back to doing the dirty work for Brunin's slave trade. There was a lot of talk of having the real perpetrator for the attack arrested, Kyra. When the wolfess had gone missing those against her said she was a coward and was trying to avoid punishment.

Tomorrow night, Skein told them the Council was to hold a public meeting to address the concerns of the city and work to restore order. Rumors were abound that Brunin had something grand to reveal at the meeting.

"I have to do something," Kyra said when she couldn't remain silent any longer. "I must let the citizens see that we are there for their own protection. The Guard is not an oppressive force, we simply carry out the orders of the Council. I have to put a stop to this."

"How do ya propose to do that?" asked Skein.

The wolf's eyes grew hard and determined, "I've got to address them. Somehow I must make them understand that something else is going on. If Brunin is able to set the city against us they will be embracing their own damnation. We can't let that happen."

The otter shook his head, "If ya go public not only will ya be discredited but yer life will be in danger. We need somethin' else, a poster child if ya will, someone who has seen the danger and will be heard."

Hiroto quickly caught onto his plan. "Yes, a small voice from the ranks of the city folk. One they can identify with and will immediately take a liking to."

With a shake of her head Kyra tried to follow their reasoning. "But who? We don't know anyone that could understand these happenings, will be on our side, and is openly separate from the Guard."

"Of course we do," Hiroto folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. At that moment the front door opened and Gurda stepped in with Lassun, his face obscured by a hood, behind her carrying some food bought at the market. "Ah here is our poster child now," the ninja added with a smile.

The wolfess took one glance at the young raccoon and immediately voiced her protests by standing up and knocking her chair to the floor. "Absolutely not! You will not expose this kid to the public eye like that! He's too young, his views will be discredited before he even speaks!"

The black fox shook his head. "Kyra, look at the facts. This boy is a known felon. He was to be executed by the Guard." Kyra winced at his words. "His face can easily be recognized, and then people will see he is an enemy of the Guard. From there they will rally behind the poor innocent child and listen to his opinion. He will win their hearts and in the process their ears."

Gurda took the goods from the curious raccoon and shooed him upstairs. She then stepped up to the three conspirators. "You plan on using the boy to sway the people against the Council." It was more of a statement than a question. "What did he say to this?"

Skein tapped his tail on the floor in confusion, "Well, we hadn't asked the lad yet."

"Exactly!" Gurda exclaimed angrily. Her long ears were flushed and her face showed just how furious she was. "You all sit here planning and plotting while the one you will be sending forth in ignorant. He will be in grave danger just by voicing his opinion!"

Kyra righted her chair quietly and sat down with her head hung low, much like the other two. "What gives you the right to decide his fate while you sit in safety?" the bunnywife continued. "You think of your own goals but not the boys."

"Now mum it weren't nothin' that bad. This matter concerns him too. What would happen if'n that scum Brunin had his way?" the otter countered.

"And what happens if you have yours? Will it do any good, this plot of yours, hm? Can you honestly guarantee his safety?" The others stayed silent. "That's what I thought."

Hiroto stood up and walked over to the bunnywife. "Now Gurda please, I love the boy as much as anyone. I wish there was another way to stop the avalanche of hate that is cascading through this city as much as you do. The fact remains that we are out of options as well as time. The council is planning for a coup and we have to try and disrupt their designs for this city or we will all be at their mercy. I don't want to put Lassun at risk either but we have to do something and this is the best we have come up with. If he cannot sway the people there is no hope left for this city."

Gurda sighed, she was calm but still had objections. She tried to put a voice to them but she was interrupted by another voice. "I'll do it." All heads swung to the staircase were little Lassun had sat and eavesdropped on their conversation. "I... wanna to do it."

The ninja stepped over and sat on the stairs with him, "Are you sure about this? It will be dangerous."

The adolescent raccoon paused and the nodded. "I want to help everybody."

Hiroto put his arm around him and hugged him close. "You are the bravest boy I have ever known."

Throughout the rest or the day they came up with a plan. That night Hiroto would take the boy down to the caves and show him the slaves. Gurda was passionately against this but eventually she settled as the ninja reasoned that in order to sway the crowd they must hear the true conditions of the city and only an eyewitness account would work.

Then the next day Skein would arrange a meeting with as many people as he could spread word to so Lassun could tell his tale. The otter would do his best to keep the information skewed and ambiguous so that when the opposition heard the tale they would not know what to expect. He would also try to keep the Councils spies in the dark as long as possible but with such big news they would undoubtedly hear something. His goal was to delay the inevitable as long as possible so that Brunin and the Council would have as little as possible time to come up with a plan to stop the conspirators.

Lassun's job was to recount his experience in the cave and point a paw at the real guilty party: the Council. If the crowd began speaking against the Guard he would tell them that Kyra herself had shed tears upon learning that the boy would have to be executed. He would spin a tale that she had argued with someone outside his cell that he should be set free. The raccoon was a good story teller as he had to tell lies and tales in order to survive on the streets of Karyd, he knew how to tell the people what they wanted to hear so he could get what he wanted, it was the best way to get fed.

The boy would speak out against the Council and their evil ways while arguing that the people had nothing to hate the Guard for: orders came straight from the Council and not the Captain of the Guard and each member had to enforce those orders.

If all went according to plan the people would rise in a revolution against the oppressive Council and fight for the freedom they crave so much.

The dark forms of Hiroto and Lassun crept along the rooftops. The adolescent raccoon understood this was an important mission and was determined not to disappoint his new friends. He knew that he was going to see the worst things imaginable this night. They had told him some of the things to expect to see and he had not understood why they were taking place. The boy did not know how any creature could perform such evil acts on others. Still if his testimony could stop them from taking place he would go down into that cave and witness firsthand the cruelty of hell.

The ninja, once again in his dark clothes and mask, had found another entrance to the slaver's cavern near the edge of the city. The area they were in was dirty and poor, with buildings badly in need of repair, the stink of poverty hung in the air. These places were inhabited by the less fortunate and forgotten lower class. The Council, after a close vote, had neglected to fund projects to help these people by providing better jobs and shelter.

The duo dropped onto the roof of an abandoned home. The roof had a large hole where it had partially collapsed. Behind the house there was a large patch of dirt that used to house a garden but now held weeds and dust. A bent wooden shed was placed at the back of the building with the old garden. Mold and lichen grew on the shed and it looked as though it could fall down at any moment.

The ninja motioned for Lassun to stay hidden on the roof then he silently dropped to the ground. A quick scan confirmed that there were no sentries around so he opened the shed's door with a creak. With no surprises forthcoming Hiroto signaled the all clear to the raccoon who dropped a little less gracefully to the ground.

Hiroto helped the boy up to his feet and together they entered the shed. The ninja took a torch mysteriously hanging from the wall and lit it with flint and steel he took from his pockets. The light revealed that the shed was reinforced and held up with sturdy shoring. Beams built after the shed had started leaning held it up firmly. Lassun wondered why someone would not just set the shed straight and then reinforce it.

Many broken tools and shelves lay scattered around and Hiroto had to move several piles aside to reach a cellar door on the floor. The hinges were well greased so the door opened easily and noiselessly. Stone steps led downward into complete darkness.

The raccoon looked outside once more before closing the shed door. "Why isn't anybody watching this place?"

Stepping downward the ninja replied, "Sometimes the best way to hide something is to ignore it."

They followed the steps a long ways down sometimes entering long hallways dizzying turns. Many times they came upon intersections where Hiroto would pause before choosing a direction on instinct. A few times they heard voices ahead of them and they would backtrack and try a different route.

Finally the tunnel opened up into an enormous cavern where Hiroto doused his torch. Around the entrance crates, tools, and weapons were gathered and further ahead the slaves could be seen gathered into large area under an overhang with metal bars holding them in. Lassun gasped quietly when he saw them, they were a pitiful sight, ragged, starved, and beaten. Most lay on the rocks sleeping in the rags they wore with no blankets. A few sobbed as they contemplated their situation and all were dirty and sore from the hard labor they were forced to do.

The two trespassers kept to the shadows along the wall so that they would not be seen. A few guards were posted by the cages and others patrolled the cavern. The work had stopped and the guards were minimal. Hiroto took in every small detail but Lassun could not tear his eyes from the sight of the slaves.

"Why?" the raccoon asked in a scared whisper. "Why are they doing this?"

The ninja stooped and shook his head. "There are many reasons why people do things," he explained. "Greed, lust, all power all work together to form things like this. There is the possibility for evil in all beings. They key is control, keep the evil in check and happiness will flourish but let the evil control you and only pain will grow."

A tear flowed down the raccoon's cheek, "I never want to be evil."

Hiroto put an arm around his companion. "You won't be. I know it."

"Can we leave?" asked the boy.

Hiroto sighed. "Unfortunately not yet. Look at the slaves. They are all women, children and the elderly. Where are the men?" He paused and then added, "We must find them, it will help when we are ready to release them."

Silently they walked along the wall away from the tunnel. The cavern looked to be part, quarry and part fortress. In the center an odd unfinished rock castle stood complete with walls and turrets. At the sides of the cavern it appeared that the slaves had been working to obtain rock to build the castle. There looked to be foundations being set and scaffolds constructed for towers in places as well as rock piles to be used.

Travelling along the wall they passed many other tunnels and exits in the wall until finally they managed to reach the far wall on the other side of the castle. There they found a shabby wooden structure in between the cave wall and the castle that looked like it housed a great number of fursons. Two double doors were the only entrance to the building but there were no guards posted.

Hiroto assumed that it was the slavers' quarters so he paid it no mind. He puzzled over where the rest of the slaves could be for a time before coming to the conclusion that they must be somewhere in the tunnels. With so many tunnels it was going to be tough to locate them but with the ninja's excellent memory and sense of direction they would not get lost in the twists and turns. The question was whether they could find the slaves in time or not.

Picking one tunnel at random he signaled the boy to follow him and picked up a torch from the wall. They followed the winding tunnel coming to several intersections where the ninja would pause before picking a direction. Sometimes they would come back to the cavern while others they found entrance to the city. There were a few small caves they found that held supplies and other essentials but they also had guards milling about so the ninja would backtrack and find a way around them.

With time and hope running short they finally caught a break. Hiroto found a tunnel that looked overly used and well developed. After walking a small distance into the tunnel it became obvious that it was used to hold slaves. There were cells with wooden doors on each side of the tunnel but each was empty.

After searching most of the cells with no luck they stopped looking and just walked by the rest. Wherever the rest of the slaves were there was no way they could be found before time was up. The ninja was now looking for a way to the surface.

It was pure luck that Lassun tripped over a small rock protruding from the floor. He cried out as he fell and Hiroto immediately stopped. He put one finger to his lips to signal that the raccoon should not make a sound. Cocking an ear the ninja listened for signs of approaching guards. Instead he heard a weak cry from the cell across from him.

With no other sound Hiroto approached the cell and raised his torch to peer in. What he saw made his skin crawl. A small naked squirrel lay in the cell with open wounds and bruises over most of her body, she looked more dead than alive. She croaked in astonishment and blinked at the bright torchlight.

"Stay still," the ninja spoke.

"What is it?" asked Lassun thinking the ninja was talking to him.

Hiroto hung up his torch and dug in his pockets and pulled out two small pins. He inserted them into the padlock and began to move them around. "I found a squirrel in here." The lock was new and sturdy but it had a simple mechanism so the ninja had it open in a matter of minutes. Opening the door fully he and the boy regarded the creature in front of them. Lassun turned his head and stepped back, he felt his insides turn at the sight.

With a shrug the ninja undid his shirt and lay it on top of the squirrel. She cried out at the sting of the cloth against her raw skin. "Shush, you are safe now. We are here to help."

He lifted her back and put his other arm under her knees and hefted her up. She leaned in with the last of her strength and wheezed into his ear, "Mina, thank." With her reserves drained she went limp in his arms.

The raccoon looked into the cell at his friend with tears running down his face. "Is... is she... dead?"

"No, she is asleep. Her wounds are grave; we must get her back immediately." Quickly he turned around and headed for the door. When he entered the tunnel he saw the last thing he wanted to see. A very large and very angry male lion running at them axe in hand.