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"I'm going to destroy it," Matt said, his voice stronger now. "Non-magic users should stay back, including Rhino-boy there, and you too, Jay."

The cougar's tail lashed. "I'm safer with you than on my own, Matt!"

"Fuck, Jay, I almost lost you once! We've had this conversation, I can't protect you!"

Chris could hear Laura having a similar conversation with her new jock friend, Eric. He kept repeating that he's more than capable of handling himself.

Jay snarled, baring his fangs at Matt. "You can't protect me if I'm in the middle of a campus full of demons by myself, either!"

"Guys!" Chris bellowed. Everyone turned to look at the moose. "We don't have time for this. More furs are getting killed by that thing while we argue."

More screams drifted from where the Baatezu was fighting as if to emphasize Chris' point.

"Fine," Matt said as he gripped his staff over the gems. Without warning, he turned and sped off towards the demon, magical winds at his back.

Just as Chris was about to do the same to catch up, he felt Jay's paw on his bicep. "What?"

"Carry me with you! Matt's going to get hurt, and I want to be there to help him!"

Chris sighed and grabbed Jay by the waist, hoisting the cat up over his shoulder like a bag of flour. "It's your life." Jay secure on his shoulder, the moose imagined himself being carried by the wind, and booked it to catch the husky. He heard Laura swear as he left the other two behind.

As they ran towards the strange black building that sat between the science departments and the library, Chris realized there were a number of furs in robes of various colors who weren't running away from the grisly scene. They didn't seem to be fighting either. He heard Jay yelp, and risked a glance back. The furs he had passed were changing. Their clothing and fur were melting away to reveal lithe, scaled bipedal creatures with bat-like wings, and writhing tendrils of muscle and scale hung from their heads like hair.

"They've trapped Laura!" Jay shouted. Chris risked a second glance and saw the creatures were holding out their clawed paws and sustaining giant magical barriers of blue light, creating a divide between Chris and Matt, and their friends.

Matt was getting too far ahead of him, and Chris struggled to pour on more speed. He couldn't afford any further glances back. Not that it mattered, more and more furs were changing into these slender demon creatures and erecting more barriers. 'This was planned. A trap!'

Matt came to an abrupt stop, and Chris was right behind him. He let Jay down roughly, keeping an eye on the gigantic demon. Chris was tall, but this creature towered over him. Where Chris knew he was buff, this demon put him to shame. The creature's eyes shone with a wicked intelligence, and Chris feared they were outmatched. He caught Matt shooting a glare at Jay, but the Baatezu interrupted the moment.

"And so the upstart mage arrives, but your powerful lion friend is no longer here to protect you!" The voice sounded like rocks grinding together, and they made Chris' ears hurt.

"What the?" The husky took a small step backwards, his jaw hanging open.

"You cannot destroy us in your world; only banish." The creature's forked tongue snaked out, licking its beak-like lips.

"I'm stronger now than I was then."

"With magic in your world, Matthew Lancaster, so am I."

"Who are you? Why are you here? How do you know who I am?" Chris watched Matt ask the questions rapid-fire, amazed the husky could face down a creature of such obvious power without freaking out. Chris was certainly freaking out. The moose felt his heart in his throat.

"Oh, do you like my handiwork?" The demon laughed when Matt didn't answer. "I am the deity Apollyon's right hand. He wishes to enter the new mortal realm."

"Why kill so many furs, then? Isn't there a different way?"

The Baatezu laughed again. "Killing them wasn't for Apollyon. It was for my pleasure, just for you," the demon's gravelly voice was low, nearly a whisper. "After killing the lion who banished me the first time, I wanted revenge against the other: you. I've been watching, waiting, and planning. I knew you would come if I attacked your place of study. But you should be flattered. After all, you have Apollyon's attention, and who doesn't want to be in the sights of the Gods?"

Chris observed Matt from the corner of his eye. The husky was shivering and his tail and ears were as low as they could go.

"I never asked for this!" the husky shouted, his voice hoarse. "I never wanted to be a part of that stupid prophecy!"

The demonic creature stopped, some thought passing across its angular features. "Prophecy?"

Matt's expression changed from anger to fear. The demon splayed its arms, and a giant, fiery whip appeared in its right paw, and an enormous metal sword in the other. "So you're the one mentioned in the prophecies. Apollyon will reward me greatly for killing you, dog. But unfortunately for me, killing you just became business."

With a mighty window-shaking roar, the demon lashed the fiery whip out at the husky.

* * * * *

"Another roar? The hell could that be?" Axel asked no one. "Jerek, what're the squads' statuses?"

The badger fiddled with his radio, his bulky paws moving clumsily over the dials. "Alpha squadron is pinned in the dorms by a number of demons. Beta squad isn't responding."

Axel realized that the military wasn't quite on the same schedule as the police were, but his men were in trouble. Matt was also probably in a heap of trouble, too. Knowing the husky, he'd be running straight for whatever was making the racket. But without the military, there wasn't much they could do on a scale that was needed. It had only been ten minutes since the squads had been sent out, but crises tended to make a short time feel like an eternity.

"Officer Stephenson, respond, over." The german shepherd's own radio crackled at him.

"Copy that. Officer Stephenson reportin'. Over."

"Reports of a large demon by the Science Theaters. According to Lancaster's notes, it's likely a Baatezu-class demon. Over."

"Copy that. Changin' position to engage. Tell the military that they're missin' the fight and get their tails in gear. Over." Axel holstered his radio and unholstered his gun again. "You comin', Jerek?"

"I'm sure as hell not staying here by myself," the badger grumbled.

The pair made their way through the same alley they had seen earlier. It brought them out behind the library, in a small parking lot near a loading dock. Axel's ears twitched and cupped towards a dumpster that was rattling.

Axel released the safety on his gun and stepped quietly to the great green metal dumpster. "Who's there?"

A muffled voice cried out for help, and Axel sighed in relief. Carefully stowing his gun, he and Jerek went over and lifted the lid. Inside was a dirty, smelly kangaroo. "Kael!" The pair hoisted the rotund 'roo from the garbage, and it was all Axel could do not to wrinkle his nose at his friend.

"Knowles! Jason! Ugh, my head." Kael sat on the concrete, cradling the back of his head.

Axel took a quick look and saw the student had a large lump there. "Careful, you may have a concussion. Knowles escaped with Jay, nearly got me killed. Who's Jason?"

"Shit! Not Jay, Jason. Dude's like... some Ameranth body double of Jay's. Knowles is going to interrogate the crap out of him. It'll be worse than when Jay gave them my notes." After getting up, Kael leaned on Officer Jerek Brown, clearly still unsure on his large feet.

Another loud roar echoed through the campus, and Axel watched Kael's eyes nearly double in size. "A Baatezu? We're fucked."

"Axel, go on ahead, I got your friend." The german shepherd looked at his beat partner quizzically. It was the first time since his promotion that Jerek had referred to Axel by name. "Go!"

'There is way too much goin' on right now,' Axel thought as he ran around the corner of the library. 'Hell in a hand basket since I learned about magic.'

A short distance later, the german shepherd found the white wolf he was sweet on and some rhino jock throwing themselves against a translucent blue barrier. Laura had set herself on fire, but she didn't seem to be faring any better than the buff rhino. The magical wall grew brighter wherever the pair was attacking, and the rest of the curved fortification would dim in response. But it never bent or broke.

On the other side of the dividers stood curvaceous creatures, scaled like many of the other demons he had seen. But these were somehow different. Imps were built for agility, and the barl'gura were built for power. These creatures looked like they would be more at home on the dance floor of a club than on a battlefield, creepy tentacle hair non-withstanding.

"Out of the way!" Axel shouted as he fired off a bolt of electricity from an outstretched paw, but it had about the same effect as Laura and the Rhino's charging. Which is to say, effectively nothing. "Shit!"

"Axel, behind you!" The white wolf yelped.

The cop whirled around, pulling his gun out in a single smooth motion. Knowles was standing only a few feet from his weapon.

"I am not sure what that device is, but given that you seem to be dressed like a member of the local guard, I imagine you have pointed a weapon at me. I assure you, I am on your side," the black jaguar said, his voice nearly a hiss.

"Drop the act, Knowles!"

"Knowles?"

"Axel," Laura said, "It's not him! He's like Rhisanth and that lion from downtown a few months back, or Matt's stories of Jay and Jason."

'He's even in a robe, like that Jason was. Damn this is confusin'.' Axel lowered the gun, but kept it in paw.

"You must be friends of Matthew's, then. I am his tutor in Ameranth, Kazar." Unfazed by the german shepherd's near-attack, Kazar hiked his ebony robes and moved to the barrier, eyeing the creature on the other side warily. "Cubi."

The rhino cocked his head at the newcomer. "Like succubi or incubi?"

"Now there's a surprise. And how would you know that, calf?" The dark jaguar raised an eyebrow at the bulky male.

"Uh, I learned it from a popular webcomic." Laura grinned and shook her head lightly at her new friend's proclamation.

"Well, this 'webcomic' is either lucky, or perhaps there is lore here on Earth about them. They are shapeshifters, primarily magic users, not physically adept." The mage tapped the barrier a couple times with an unsheathed claw. The succubus on the other side never took her eyes off of him. "A large amount of force in a concentrated location would be sufficient to pierce the barrier. We should be able to do so--"

"I suggest you move, sir." Axel said, lifting the gun towards the barrier. Kazar shrugged and stepped aside. A loud crack echoed through the campus as the gun went off. The barrier disappeared less than a moment later, shattering like glass as the Cubi holding it up dissolved back to Under Eden after taking the bullet in her chest.

The dark jaguar's eyebrows shot up. "What in Tewaz's night was that? I felt no magic from it, yet such power."

"It's a gun," Axel stated, preparing to fire on more of the creatures. "Technology, not magic."

"Technology. So that's why the Gods banished him..."

Laura stepped forward. "Banished who?"

Kazar shook his head. "Now is not the time for a lecture on Ameranth folklore." Three of the Cubi nearby dropped their barriers and moved in to attack the group directly. "They come. Prepare yourselves. I hope Matthew has taught you well."

* * * * *

The Baatezu was fast. Faster than anything Jay had ever seen in his entire short life. The whip sizzled and popped as it melted the wall of ice Matt had hastily thrown up, and the cougar felt the breath he was holding return. The demon was ugly and beautiful at the same time. Sharp lips, a pointed nose, holes for ears, and wings with abrupt angles along the edges. Yet as it bunched its muscles to take a swing, Jay realized this creature moved with an elegance that no one would expect from something so large. No movement was wasted, and even with two combatants on their side, Jay thought they might be outmatched.

The muscular moose ripped past Matt and launched himself through the air at the creature. Pulling his fist back, he clearly intended to just punch the Baatezu's lights out. But that effortless grace showed itself again as the creature brought up that enormous blood-red sword and batted the moose away with the flat of the blade. Flipping in mid-air, Chris landed on his hooves before making his way in again, cautiously this time.

'Oh my god, what was I thinking?' Jay stood stock still, paralyzed by the deadly combat in front of him. 'There's no way I should've begged Chris to take me here. Matt was right!'

The husky palmed the sapphire on his staff and a stream of icicles shot from the tip of the staff. The Baatezu pursed its lips and spat tiny fireballs at the projectiles, melting most of them mid-flight. A couple got through, however, and scored its arm. Red blood oozed from the relatively tiny wounds. In retaliation, the creature snapped the whip again, causing the husky to dive for the ground. Summoning a gust of wind to upright himself, Matt landed on his feet.

Chris was approaching from the other side, dodging the swings of the massive blade. Loud, deep whooshes filled his ears with each swipe, telling him just how close he was to being sliced in half. A vertical swing from above, which the moose neatly sidestepped. Another swipe, this time horizontal, which the moose jumped over. He was nearly inside the reach of the weapon.

"Frozen throne heed my call, take my foe or I may fall. Stop--"

Before Matt could finish his incantation, the whip snapped out again and lashed him, throwing him back to Jay's feet. His staff clattered across the sidewalk behind them. The pungent smell of burnt fur and flesh made the cougar gag, but the sight of the charred lash mark across Matt's chest nearly made him throw up.

"Matt..." Jay whispered, tears in his eyes. It was all going wrong.

Chris was close enough to the Baatezu now that the demon couldn't use the sword on him. Instead of dropping the sword, however, the Baatezu released the whip and brought its massive clawed paw down onto Chris' antlers. The moose brought his own paws up and summoned the magical strength to keep himself from being crushed. He had to keep the demon distracted long enough for Matt to get back into the fight. He hoped the husky could still fight. Chris had to throw himself back, however, as the demon broke the deadlock by swinging the sword at him. Even the handle was huge, and Chris knew it could still hurt him badly. But now he was in the range of that deadly blade again, their struggle reset.

Matt groaned, his paw grasping for something around him. "Staff..."

"I've got it," Jay said, running back to pick up the wooden weapon. 'Perhaps I am useful,' the cougar thought.

Chris jumped to the side when he saw the Baatezu pull back his muscular arm for another swing, but the ground-shaking blow never came. Instead, the moose watched in horror as the demon released the sword.

"Jay!" Matt screamed. Jay had never heard that kind of terror in his boyfriend's voice before, and turned to see the gigantic blood-red sword turning end-over-end through the air in his direction.

* * * * *

Laura's brain was on emotional overload. First scared when the imps had shown up, then excited because she took them out on her own, then amused to see Rhino-boy helping out, then powerful when she and Eric had rescued Jay, then frustrated when Matt and Chris ran off, and finally terrified when these medusa-like creatures, Cubi, showed up and cut them off. It was like they were waiting for Matt to run by.

Three of the Cubi had dropped their barriers to attack Axel, given he had the gun. They were like dancers, their motions fluid as they weaved and dodged around Kazar and the german shepherd. Kazar was lashing out with his staff, each hit leaving a patch of ice on the creatures, slowing them down. Axel was having less success, having switched to throwing balls of electricity. He couldn't use a gun in such close quarters. He was liable to shoot one of them.

Laura wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't toss fireballs into the arena for the same reason Axel couldn't use his gun, and Eric was also pretty perplexed. One of the creatures managed to get away from the melee, however, and stalked towards Laura. The succubus began to look like someone was pushing needles through her skin. Those needles turned white as her body melted into a curvaceous shape that looked like Laura. In a matter of a second, Laura felt like she was staring into a mirror.

The momentary shock cost her, however, as the faux white wolf grabbed Laura by the arm and threw her to the ground. Even more of her breath was forced from her lungs as the other wolf pounced on her. Laura desperately tried to keep the creature from clawing her eyes out, the pair of them rolling on the grass.

The bulky rhino was about to come to her rescue when he realized one of the male lizards had done the same to him. The two rhinos began to grapple each other in earnest.

"Axel, go help Matt!" Laura yelled once her breath had returned. The creature pulled back a fist, but Laura imagined fire consuming her. Her body immolated in response, and the creature fighting with her screamed, jumping off the scorching wolf. The illusion had partially burned away, with patches of scales showing under the fur that had melted away.

Just as Laura was about to get up to charge her assailant, the succubus' eyes widened and her muzzle made an 'o' shape. The tip of a transparent sword of ice had pierced the breastbone of the creature's ribcage from inside. As the creature faded away, Laura saw Kazar on the other side, holding the frozen sword in the paw that wasn't holding his staff. Nodding once, the dark jaguar moved back towards Axel.

She glanced over to see one rhino sitting on top of the other prone rhino. The incubus had clearly miscalculated, because his form began to revert as the bulky rhino repeatedly punched him in the face. Laura brushed her long white hair from her face as she shook her head, caught between disgust and humor. Eric had been right. His physical strength, non-magical even, had come in handy. Of course, Kazar had said the Cubi were lousy in a fistfight. A snap was heard and the jock found his punching bag gone. He cursed loudly as his fist hit the concrete of the sidewalk.

The final succubus was dancing around Axel still, but she turned tail and ran when she had seen her two comrades defeated. The german shepherd took the opportunity to bring up his pistol and fire a shot into the creature's back.

"I hate havin' to shoot someone in the back," Axel said sadly as the beautifully terrifying creature retuned to Under Eden.

"Your weapon is quite impressive," Kazar stated matter-of-factly. "How many times can you use it?"

"Six more shots and I'll need to reload. Don't usually carry much ammo on me, though. Might need to change that."

"We need to help Matt!' Laura yelled. "And we've got more Cubi to get through. Have your chitchat later!"

"Why're you still here, then?" Kael's voice lifted Laura's spirits. She turned to see the kangaroo leaning heavily on Officer Brown. He looked tired, and like he was having trouble focusing his eyes.

Before anybody could reply, however, a keening wail could be heard as the wind suddenly picked up. Laura held her hair down before it whipped someone in the muzzle. The sky darkened as clouds began to roll in with incredible rapidity.

"Wait, that scream sounds like Matt! How can it be so loud?"

The dark jaguar's jaw hung open for a moment before he began to whisper the word "No" over and over again.

"Where's Jay?" Kael asked.

'Oh no. Matt's screaming because...'

* * * * *

It felt like yesterday that Matt was in Jay's basement for the first time. The cougar's hideous 70s décor was vivid in his mind's eye, a bright backdrop to his sexy kitty. The first time Jay became involved in Ameranth.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!" Jay stated loudly. Matt couldn't believe his ears. His boyfriend wanted to rush into danger? Was he insane?

"What if you get hurt, Jay? I can't protect you here," Matt turned and growled, ears flat against his head and his hackles raised. The husky's fists were clenched, he stared right into Jay's soft brown eyes. 'What if you were to get hurt? It would kill me.'

His boyfriend took a small step back, as if he were suddenly afraid of Matt, then growled back, his tail lashing, "And you can't protect Kael any better, can you? I'm going with you, Matt. You said it before, we're in this together!"

Matt stopped for a moment and cocked his head at Jay before giving his cougar a small smile, "Then come on, we need to move!"

'How could I have been so naïve, so stupid? I should've been more insistent. I shouldn't have let you come. I knew I couldn't protect you.'

Matt's awareness slowly returned. The husky was standing in the middle of his University campus, shaking like a leaf. It dawned on him that he was screaming. Perhaps he had always been screaming. The temperature had dropped precipitously, but the husky was only half-aware of it. He was too focused on what had just happened. But he couldn't look behind him at the scene, where his boyfriend - the fur that he cared for, so very dearly - lay on the ground, and the giant sword...

The wail continued, despite the fact that Matt had finally stopped screaming. It was as if the very winds themselves were responding to the husky's despair. He could see Chris nearby, staring in shock, vomit on the ground in front of him.

'All of my friends are in danger, and I let them put themselves there. It should've just been me.'

The cloud ceiling was quite low. It seemed like the demon could reach up and touch the sky. Light flashed inside and the peal of thunder shattered windows all around the campus, the echo deafening Matt. The husky didn't even bother to protect his ears, not until the sting of whipping snow forced them down involuntarily.

The demon was unarmed, however. Its sword behind Matt, and the whip on the ground. It smirked at the husky, enjoying its imminent victory. Thumping in his chest, Matt's heart hurt as if the sword had pierced it instead.

'Jay, I love you. I'll be there soon.'

* * * * *

Chris shook his head, wiping the acrid vomit from his muzzle using the arm of his new jacket. He watched as Matt just stood there. At least he had stopped screaming. The weather, however, had turned beyond nasty, as if winter had come in force and the season itself was trying to kill them all.

A jagged shard of ice the size of a small car thrust from below the ground, causing soil and grass to fly and get picked up by the gale. Tiny pebbles peppered his skin, hurting him even through his fur. Another serrated chunk of ice appeared, like a frozen stalagmite.

'It's Matt!' Chris realized that while Matt was just standing there, the husky was concentrating very hard. The power of the storm was chilling, however. He never realized just how much raw talent Matt really had. He wondered if anybody did until now.

Another pair of ice shards exploded from below, both nearly impaling the demon. The massive creature flexed its wings and leaped out of the way just as the ground gave way. Chris had narrowly avoided getting hit himself, but redirected his momentum when he saw the Baatezu rushing towards the husky. Throwing himself at the creature's exposed back, he managed to get a solid kick in, knocking the demon to the earth.

The creature wouldn't go down so easily, though. It roared in defiance as it rolled out of the way of a minivan-sized ice shard. Chris grasped at one of its wings, using it to pull him away from the wicked sharp obstacle. After being thrown off the demon and rolling to a stop, Chris stood up again and looked around. He had to keep his eyes narrowed against the whipping snow. The moose was built for a normal winter, not this magical monstrosity. The weather had become a blinding snowstorm, reducing visibility to a mere few feet. Except for Matt. The husky was a glowing beacon of magical energy in the storm.

"He's out of control!"

The demon roared in pain, giving Chris a direction to go after. A moment later, he came upon the Baatezu pinned by an ice shard through its thigh.

"I will not be defeated by this whelp again!" The creature was clearly slowing, and weakening, in the cold. It had gone from a sunny, warm fall day to the middle of a frigid winter in the span of seconds, and despite being sentient, Chris realized the demon was still a reptile. The ice crept up from the shard until it had completely encased the creature. Anger was the last emotion its ugly face had twisted into. The ice shattered of its own accord, and the demon was gone.

But the blizzard continued, unabated. Chris picked his way through the colossal ice structures, working his way through the winds. He heard another eruption of ice nearby. Shuddering, he realized he'd not likely be able to dodge another. Still injured from the Barl'gura, all of this magic use, and cold, had him exhausted. He couldn't imagine how tired Matt was after this much magic, and wondered if you could kill yourself using too much magic. Despite never liking Jay, he never wished him dead. He wasn't going to let Matt die, too.

The moose made it to the husky, just a couple feet away. Matt was still standing, a dead stare affixed straight ahead on his face. His thick fur was coated in snow and ice, making the normally grey-blue fur completely white. Pulling the husky into his thick arms, Chris hugged his friend close and began to stroke the fur on the back of the husky's head. He could barely feel Matt's frozen fur against his, but it made him shiver.

"It's done Matt. You can stop now."

With a gentle kiss to his forehead, Matt went limp, falling into Chris' arms. The wind came to a sudden stop, though the snow continued to fall peacefully.