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I slowly climbed to my feet and revealed what my mom had left for me. The first was an old shirt, the second a sword, and the third was a box bearing a pair of black angel wings on the top. I ignored the shirt and sword for now, since they didn't seem all that important, and instead chose to open the box. Inside was a pair of rings, one bore my mother's family crest, which was a pair of angel wings, the other bore a strange design I'd never seen before. It also contained a simple piece of leather which I quickly turned into a makeshift necklace with the ring on it. Next I studied the shirt. It was big, almost as if it was meant to cover a man three times my size, or it was meant for a man my size wearing armor.

On the front was a black dragon breathing flames, and on the back was a pair of sewn angel wings. I stared at it a while then shrugged and slipped it on over my shirt, noticing the material seemed a lot more durable as I did so. Finally I turned and examined the sword. It seemed like a simple blade made of an unknown alloy. There were words inscribed into the blade, but I couldn't really make them out. The handle was made of either bone, or a wood so old it had turned bone white. It felt warm to the touch, and the blade itself seemed to have retained an edge. I silently wondered when the blade was made and what it could have possibly been made to fight against. Meanwhile Luna was tossing cans into an old backpack she'd found while rummaging around. I blinked at her then nodded and noticed that there was a long leather tube within the hole. I quickly reached in and pulled it out. Inscribed onto it were the words "Blade of the Angel."

I shrugged and slipped the baldric it was attached to over my shoulder then slid the blade into the scabbard. It fit perfectly, and at the same time the weight felt reassuring. I glanced at Luna then helped her finish filling up the bag before slipping it onto my other shoulder. She gave a soft woof of irritation at me taking everything but I just smiled at her and said "You need every bit of maneuverability you can get. Whereas I don't think I'll be doing all that much fighting until we leave the city again." She thought about it then slowly nodded and motioned for me to follow her out of the house with a snort. I just chuckled and walked along behind her, wondering if we were going to end up in any trouble this time.

Luna waited for me by the door as I started searching the house to make sure we got everything of value then grumbled when I took a picture of me and my parents off the wall and shoved it in my wallet. Luna gave me a look that screamed "I Hope you're done." I smiled innocently at her and said "Yes I'm done, we can head home now. Just let me open the door." She nodded and I opened the door with one hand on my newly acquired sword. As soon as I had the door slightly ajar, a strange tentacle that seemed to be made out of a gelatinous substance shoved itself through. I stared at it then pulled out my sword and sliced the end off, reacting instinctively. As the tentacle fell to the ground its owner let out a deafening shriek and slammed the door open knocking Luna to the ground, and sending me flying.

I winced as my shoulder slammed into the wall, but luckily I didn't let go of the sword, which was my only way of defending me. The creature let out a gurgling roar and came rushing toward me with a look of pure hatred in its eyes. It was about six feet from me, giving me plenty of time to climb to my feet, and was monstrous. It was, as I said earlier, made of some sort of gelatinous material, had large tentacles in place of arms and legs, was trapped in the shape of a bowl of Gelatin that had been turned upside down, and had burning red eyes that made me feel as if all the hatred and malice in the world were contained within them.

The creature suddenly turned and tried engulfing Luna, causing that flaming anger from earlier to rise up in my chest. I jumped forward and slammed the sword down into it snarling in rage, and feeling as if my blood was on fire. I growled and drew my sword from its body then slashed at the thing's tentacles as they tried to grasp my hands and pull me off. I slashed wildly letting my anger and hatred consume me as the thing started to fall apart under my blows. After a while Luna grabbed my leg and made me stop. I looked at her and she motioned that we should go. I nodded and followed her mumbling to myself as I tried to regain my composure. Luna occasionally dropped back to check on me as we walked and I smiled at her then said softly "Life would be simpler if you could talk, right?"

She snorted at that and gave me a look that said "I can talk, you just can't understand half the time." I chuckled at that and said "Touché, Touché, If I could understand life would be a lot easier." She nodded and the two of us walked on in a companionable silence for a while. I occasionally checked to make sure I had my mom's sword on my back, and Luna occasionally looked around the path as if expecting to be attacked at any second. I wanted to laugh, but after two fights with monsters, I couldn't help but value her prudence. I shifted my mom's sword on my back and swore softly as something started to approach, but a warning growl from Luna caused it to turn and run.

I smiled and rubbed her ears then slipped into the shadow of a building as I heard the sound of something heavy approaching from up ahead. Luna heard it to and slipped in next to me with a soft whimper. I rubbed her ears and mumbled "It can't be that bad Luna, I mean whatever it is, and it can't be like that thing we faced when we were a few days out from town." I've since learned, there are things much worse than what I'd faced my first few days away from a compound. The creature that came down the street seemed to be made out of solid stone, but that wasn't what made it so horrible. It seemed to be made up of six statues, and rows upon rows of cages. The front was carved in the shape of a classic winged gargoyle, the back the two front legs each seemed to be made out of a giant statue of a man and woman.

That wasn't too horrible a scene, however as the creature started to pass Luna and I saw that the side of the creature facing us was lined with metal cages. Within them were creatures like the two we'd faced earlier, guardian animals, including wolves like Luna, foxes, and a few large cats, and worst of all humans in multiple stages of transformation. Most were normal humans like me, but some had already had small parts of their body changed. A few even seemed to be sinking into the creature, making it larger. The back half of the creature had a classic frowning motif, and the back legs seemed to be a lion and a dragon facing each other attached to giant columns.

I shivered as the creature passed and glanced at Luna who looked almost like she wanted to rip the thing a new one. I chuckled and whispered in her ear "I wonder which end is it's ass." Luna stared at me then let out a soft bark of laughter and the two of us continued on the road, with the creature on both our minds. The rest of the day seemed to pass by rather uneventfully; the only highlight was when Luna and I got spooked by a murder of Ravens bursting out of some bushes as we passed. I shivered at the sight of blood on their beaks and mumbled "Well looks like they were feasting when we interrupted them. I wonder on what though." Luna just ignored them after she realized what they were, seeming to think a murder of ravens beneath her notice until they proved themselves otherwise.

I just rubbed her ears not feeling like explaining why the idea of what they could have been feasting on bothered me so much. You see to some degree I'm an idealist, while Luna, like all wolves, is a pragmatist. She doesn't wonder about the how or why of things, she just knows they're the way they are and that's all that matters. I have to question everything, and sometimes this leads my mind down ideological or even somewhat destructive paths. I guess that's why when the world ended up like it is now I'd just grinned and bore it. I try to see the bright side, however the problem is things don't tend to be very bright around me anymore.

Eventually Luna and I stopped for the night in the same ravine where we'd faced the first of the monsters we'd seen. I noticed that his carcass was gone, and there were a lot of tracks that looked just like the ones he'd made when he was chasing us. The tracks all seemed to stop surrounding the place I was sure we left him. I shivered slightly as I realized there were about ten to twenty times as many tracks as I'd seen when he was fighting with us and mumbled "Looks like his friends came and got him." Luna just nodded and plopped down in a closed off spot on the ravine wall. I slipped in and sat down beside her realizing that this was both a good spot for defense, and an easy spot to get trapped in. Luna however seemed to know something I didn't as she just closed her eyes and slipped into a light doze.

I snorted and mumbled "Wish I had your easy going attitude toward life. If I did we wouldn't be in this mess, although I'd probably be dead." Luna gave me a look that said "Easy going though I may be, stupid and willing to sacrifice myself pointlessly I am not." I nodded at the look and said "Ok, ok, so what I said is a bit unfair, I admit it. However, I want to know how you plan on getting out of here should the entrance be blocked." She sighed and got up then motioned with her tail for me to follow her and lead me deeper into the recess. I followed her slowly, wondering why a simple recess in the valley wall would be so deep when she stopped at what was obviously the entrance to a small cave system. I stared at her and said "Let me guess, you want me to guard the front while you make sure nothing comes from back here?"

She nodded and looked at my sword as if to say "You have a stick to stab people with from a distance. I only have my claws, which are limited in their reach." I sighed and said "If you are truly saying half the things I think you are with just looks and gestures, it's no wonder you don't open your mouth and tell me it all. I seem to get the gist of it without words anyway." She nodded then walked back toward the entrance with me in tow. She plopped down when she found a comfortable spot while I slowly settled in against a wall where I could watch both entrances. Luna snorted at my idea, as if it was ludicrous to waste a chance to sleep, and slipped into a light doze.

I watched her for a bit then mumbled "We get back to the city; I drop her off, grab some supplies, and head out again. It's time to say goodbye." I closed my eyes and started to drift off when I heard the sound of something shifting. I opened one eye and looked outside our little crevice to see a strange creature slithering past. It looked like a cross between a giant worm, and a porcupine. At least that's what it looked like from where I was at. I had no idea what the head or tail might look like because it seemed to just be dragging itself through the rocks outside our little recess of safety. I sighed as I realized that it didn't care about us and closed my eyes slipping back into a light slumber.

Luna woke me up about six hours later as the sun started to rise and motioned we should probably go. I nodded and slipped out of the cave with her in tow then we continued on our journey back to the city. I occasionally glanced at Luna as we walked and I started to notice she had kept track of the same area for the last ten minutes if not more. I made a questioning sound and she growled softly and motioned with her head at a group of rocks that ran parallel to our course. I nodded as I saw them and she motioned to keep moving, so I did wondering what she could possibly have planned. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked like an eyestalk rise out from behind the rocks and swore as I realized that whatever it was, it wanted to kill us... Or worse turn us.

I readied the sword as Luna snarled and watched the creature with her claws out and fangs bared. I watched as about three more eye stalks followed the first then slowly an alligator like creature slipped out from behind the rocks with the eyestalks waving above its head and its mouth open wide showing a forked prehensile tongue, while its claws lengthened into wicked daggers and tore up the ground around it. Its scales were pitch black, and its eyes were a deep crimson that made one think of freshly spilled blood. It had a long prehensile spiked tail that was swishing across the ground behind it, and the spikes looked as if they could be shot out. I glanced at Luna and mumbled "Can you take this thing down?" She just barely shook her head then growled as if to say "But I can sure as fuck try."

I sighed and mumbled "I'm so going to start recording these things. Everything I can think of including their strengths, weaknesses, and over all characteristics." Luna ignored me and started circling the beast which had raised its tail revealing that the underside of its body was just like the soft underbelly of a normal alligator; however unlike a normal alligator its body was a weapon all the way around and its eyes glowed with an inner maliciousness. I glared at the thing's eyes that were looking at me as it circled around following Luna with its other two eyes.

Suddenly it stopped dead and lunged at me. I reacted instinctively by swinging the sword and stepping back. Its jaws snapped shut where I'd just been and the sword sliced the damn thing's eyes off. It yelled out in pain and started snapping around wildly smacking its tail into the ground and releasing its spikes in every direction blindly. Luna and I had to constantly move to dodge stray spikes that flew toward our faces. Suddenly I felt an intense burning in my shoulder and heard the sound of pained screaming. After a few seconds I realized that the screaming was me. The pain was so unbearable my brain had shut down for a few seconds.

I jerked my hand up and grabbed the spike in my shoulder then ripped it loose resisting the urge to howl out in pain. Luna seemed to sense my pain and jumped onto the damn creature's back snarling like mad. She bit down on its neck then quickly let go and jumped off it as the things tail slammed down into its back. It snarled at us and pulled its spikes out of its back causing red and silver blood to rise up from the wounds and its tail to lash even more wildly and releases more spikes, one of which nicked Luna's leg and caused her to yelp then limp behind a rock.

I growled at the sound and lunged at the thing shoving my blade into one of the holes in its back before twisting it slowly. I moved the blade back and forth snarling softly then slowly pulled it out, covered in the ichor of the strange beast. I cleaned it off on the beast's body then sheathed it and walked over toward Luna to make sure she was ok, even as my shoulder started bleeding like mad. I bent down and studied her foreleg, which was already bleeding rather heavily. I ripped up my shirt and wrapped it around my shoulder and her foreleg.

She stared at me then nuzzled my hand and glanced down at her leg studying the bandage. After a few minutes she seemed content with it and the two of us started walking back toward the compound that was the city. As we got close several guardians, including Luna's family, and a few other wolves I knew, approached us. They stared at me before Luna's older brother spitfire rushed over and nuzzled me with a lupine grin on his muzzle. I rubbed his ears and said "Hey Spitfire, how's things here at home?" He studied me carefully then shrugged slightly and gave me a look that said I'd have to see it for myself. I nodded in understanding and they headed off escorting Luna one direction while three wolves motioned for me to follow them around the compound to a back entrance.

I slowly slipped into the compound with a single wolf by my side then the two of us slipped to my aunt's old place. The wolf stopped me in an alley and motioned for me to look carefully. I slowly followed its gaze and swore softly as I saw that the house was surrounded on all sides by guards from around the city, and a few of Genetech's personal henchman. I noticed one, his name was Calen. He was about six feet tall, had light green hair that he'd been born with, was covered in bar codes and other marks that said he was Genetech's property, wore leather battle armor as the townspeople called it, and carried a pulse rifle. Pulse rifles were modern weapons that had replaced black powder fire arms. He glanced toward my hiding place almost as if he could see where I was at then turned and started speaking with the rest of his squad.

As he started my way, someone or something suddenly grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth pulling me into a hidden door that I'd been standing next to for a good ten minutes. I reached for my sword as I was released, turning slowly preparing for the worst only to let go of the blade in shock as I saw my old friend Arani staring at me with her family. I started to ask what the hell was going on but she motioned for me to be quiet and follow her. I sighed then motioned for her to lead on. She turned and motioned to her younger brother Alex, who was behind her to use his ability and light the way. Suddenly a soft silver glow emanated and he led the two of us upstairs to a room where Arani's father, mother, and elder sister Karmen were waiting.

I slowly looked around the room at all of them only to suddenly have Alex tackle me and start asking me all sorts of questions in a hushed tone. His parents pulled him off with a look that said 'silence'. Marcus and Dianna, Alex and Karmen's parents, were good friends of my parents before things broke down. They looked at me questioningly and I said softly "I'm leaving town. I came back to check up on my cousin and you guys as well as find out about my aunt." Marcus and Dianna looked at each other then said softly "Jared, you're aunt survived the hanging and is in captivity, as is your cousin. You're all that's left." I nodded then drew my sword and asked "No anyone that can teach me this?"

Alex nodded enthusiastically and quickly replied "Korian can." I raised an eyebrow and he continued "He's a Lupan who dropped into the city then left when he saw their standpoint on ferals. His family trained in the sword, and his entire clan, the Lupani, trained in weapons from before the war."

I blinked and said "Prewar?" He raised an eyebrow then said "Fine pre epidemic then." I smirked and he continued "They train in bows, swords, axes, etc. He said they'd be willing to train anyone." I nodded and asked "Which way from the city?" He grinned and said "The four clans as he called them have set up in the four cardinal points. Vulpes to the West, Felinoris to the East, Lupani to the North, and to the South are the Draconi. He said each one also had a half blood camp within them, and that the monsters seem to be taking the midpoints between. The cities are all gathered here in the center of it all. The Lupani took the north because of their coats, and their hardy nature. The Draconi the south because of their draconian ancestry, and the fact they are cold blooded."

I nodded in understanding then said "Think that you guys can give me enough food to reach the Lupani? I need to learn to use the thing I carry or I'll never be able to stop Genetech, or the beasts." He nodded slowly and said "You know you're a carrier?" I nodded and said "Of course, I've always been a carrier, I was one of the first injected." He slowly nodded at that then Marcus said "We can give you the supplies, but after that you're on your own Jared." I nodded in understanding and watched as they started packing gear for me, then suddenly Dianna handed me an old duster and said softly "It'll at least keep the rain off." I nodded and took it with a smile while Karmen and Marcus argued about going with me. I held up a hand to stop them and said softly "I go alone. Genetech wants me, they'll be hunting me, and one target is less likely to be spotted by the walkers, as for the devil tongues, they're already hunting me."

Karmen sighed in resignation while Marcus let out a sigh of relief then I took the bag full of supplies and started for the exit Alex had brought me in through. Suddenly it was kicked in and a group of men wearing lab coats walked through followed by two muscled guards with big guns. I quickly slid into one of the attic's many slats between joists and watched as Marcus argued with the scientists. Eventually he and his family were escorted away, with Alex being manhandled by the two toughs just because they could, and Karmen swearing in Latin at them. I sighed then slipped downstairs where Spitfire waited. I looked at him and questioned "They get Arani too?" He nodded and I sighed then mumbled "I hoped Calen wouldn't think to go after her entire family. It was too much to ask for I guess, damn it."

I sighed then glanced at Spitfire and said softly "Farewell old friend, this is where we part ways." He nodded and ran off to join the pack while I pulled the compass, which Marcus had conveniently packed away for me, out and started heading for the side gate I'd used to get in. I got to it and found myself facing Luna, her elder brother dusk-heart, and her younger brother twilight-tail. I looked at them questioningly then they led me out of the city to its northern border before howling farewell. I sighed softly then took my first step toward the city of wolves, where my new teacher hopefully awaited with only the name 'Korian' to find him by."