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"Liam...Liam" A young, red fox humal whispered as she licked his face to rouse him. Her mate like her was a red fox, though of a more bipedal build and lighter shade or red than she.

Stretching his strong young body and yawning, stretching his long muzzle wide he shook the sleep from his head. "Foxy...is everything okay?" He said in a young voice not quite fully matured yet.

"No...Liam I have a bad feeling. I feel that we don't belong here, in this camp. I am scared of being caught up in their fights and losing each other. I want us to run away" the animal turned humal said quietly with wide green eyes. "There is a better way, I'm sure of it than this fighting we witness".

The young human turned humal, Liam, frowned slightly. "Foxy, it is okay. The humans will never accept us now for what we are so we must fight. And when we are both grown up fully, we can have our own kits. Many kits, in a world by the new race to come," Liam said as he wrapped his tail round her. "Now let's sleep; please," he said before dozing off.

A heart filled with trouble, Foxy tried sleeping. But she couldn't help feeling that her young lover was been led by the wrong kind of people. Her tail tip twitched in apprehension, the group they had fallen in were becoming more violent and they needed out. She needed to show him he was wrong, that she vowed...

---

A chilling wind blew across the bleak buildings of a well guarded military laboratory up in the mountains. Both the front and the rear was well guarded by night vision cameras, four guards to each end and two sniffing dogs between each squad. "Patrol B, come in. is there any sign of the humal's reported in the area?" The radio crackled on a uniform green military truck.

"That's a negative, no sign of tail nor ear nor fur about, other than the local wildlife," a slightly more gruff voice came from the truck as it made its was towards the base of operation.

"Ten-four, return to base for your relief," the radio then went silent as the men in the truck holstered the com.

Except they were not men. "Fools," a Puma humal growled from in the rear of the truck from under a blanket, his teeth glinting in the dull light of the interior.

"They may be fools but they have us outnumbered five-to-one," a human, one of two who allied himself with the travelling band, spoke up. He was a human in his late 30's. A soldier veteran, battle hardened with a chiselledjaw, large biceps and broad shouldered, looking exactly the part of a commanding officer.

In the passenger seat slumped a dead human, one of the soldiers they had killed for the truck, cleaned and dressed, looking like he was just passed out with fatigue to help with the ruse. "I know you want revenge, but trust me, you won't win even with your superior strength and animal traits," the human continued with a look at the felines gleaming hazel eyes through the mirror.

"I know this Anderson," he growled from the back, a number of growls sounding from alongside him and further back. "But just the thought of what they are trying to do with my kind at that lab makes me..." he growled, unable to contain his anger. "I know they are your kind but...they treat us like a disease. Like we need to be cured and any deaths is in the name of finding, this, 'cure!'" He finished, punctuating his anger with a rake of claws over the metal floor he lay on.

"I understand but please...you need to be calm. Once we are in security should be a little lighter and then that is when you dress up in uniform, making sure to cover as much of you as possible and liberate your comrades before we break out. No chance of a clean or quiet break due to they are on a triple encrypted locked cell so we have to work fast and efficient," he said, relaying the info they had squeezed from a freshman soldier, the very one they had posing in the passenger seat.

"I know all this already," the puma growled. "Now focus on the job to come," with that he went silent and hid back under the tarp with the rest as they approached the outpost.

*

Meanwhile, a quarter of a mile away from the base, hidden behind the side of mountain, a band of Humal's lay in wait with two jeeps between them. "Foxy, go back to camp," a young, lean but muscular red fox humal growled to his side as a beautiful, young female humal of a more feral build looked nervously about with wide hazel eyes.

"No...if you are to be dragged into this fight then it will be together. I refuse to wait at camp wondering if you are dead or coming back alive," Foxy said as she attempted to halt the trembling fear. More and more so she had been growing restless with the increasingly hostile looking band of humals, their desire to join up with a large band to further their plans only seeming to make them more aggressive. "Please...why can't we try and send a representative out to talk? There must be a better way than this," she said with one paw gripping strong at his own arm.

"Hah, that's a good one," A Collie morph laughed from behind her. "Remember what happened when we ran in with that patrol further back? We tried to reason before resorting to force but they wouldn't have it. Now they have some of our number, doing who-knows what with them and more besides so we hear. Trust me, they will never listen to us. To us, we are just savage animals to be put down without a chance."

"But all you are doing is showing you as bad as they are!" Foxy cried out to him, rounding on the collie with eyes wide, whimpering and wanting them to understand.

"Foxy...please. Quiet for now. We will talk later about this," Liam said in a stern voice. He was not quite fifteen but already seemed like he was a soldier.

Whimpering, Foxy just clung onto him. Over the months travelling with the band of humals she had become much better at talking and understanding them. And for this reason she wished she had remained an ignorant animal. The things she had heard of them talk about, the things she had seen on their travels frightened her and all they did was add fuel to the humans fear.

"Up ahead!" A hawk humal cried out before rounding the mountain they hid behind. He was a morph most unusual as avian humals usually were not possible. But somehow it had happened. He was more striking in appearance than the rest, his mouth was normal like most of his head. But his ears had become sunken and hidden behind his plumage that had replaced the human hair and had wings for arms, ending in hands like a harpy with razor sharp talons. The rest followed a similar pattern, like a disfigured human that had been cloaked in feathers. It's legs were distinctly bird-like, giving him a sort of lurching motion as he ran towards them. He was both unusual and beautiful to look at.

"Okay, you heard Paul," A female husky morph sounded from behind Liam in a strong, deep feminine tone. She had been the first humal the boy had seen when he woke up after the stabilizing drug, the drug that kept their minds from being eaten away at by the virus, commanded as a more feral-looking male husky came up beside her, barking at the thought of action. She was as nice as they came but when it came to protecting the pack of theirs, the bonded pair were fiercely loyal. "Liam. You and your bonded will hang back here. I know you want to prove yourself but you are young and we can't take that risk."

"B-but Louise..." Liam stuttered only for her bonded, originally a feral Husky, to growl at him.

"Stay put pup!" He growled out on fours before rounding to bound after his bonded.

"I-it would be kit..." Foxy stammered before her ears lowered as the male husky gave her a glare, telling her as much with his exposed teeth as with his eyes for her to shut up.

"Come on Foxy...looks like we are grounded for this one," Liam muttered, his tail and ears trailing. He so wanted to show them he could be of use. He didn't want to kill, but just lend a helping paw where he could.

As they climbed onto the back of the truck, only one other humal was available in the drivers seat, that of a cheetah morph being the most capable of them all at driving them away safe and fast. Foxy just sat there in the back, gazing in a distant manner in the direction the rest had gone in before a hand was felt at her head.

"Foxy...I know girl. I know we are out of place here with being so young. And we have had mixed opinions about us being humals at such a young age," Liam began. "I...I'm scared to be honest. I wish I could find a better way. But you've seen them Foxy," Liam trailed off when he heard her give a murr of affection into him, her bushy tail tapping on his knee as she wagged it.

"I know Liam...all I know is that this is the wrong way. Even after all I have seen I-I still want to believe there is a way for our new race and the humans to get along peacefully. Not every human we pass has shown open hostility. In fact...the few we passed by showed interest. There is more than one war going on Liam, and I believe that is within ourselves."

As Liam made to open his muzzle to reply, a loud bang from a gun sounded through the air, disturbing the peace, followed by a series of gun shots. "That's them, crap!" The cheetah humal up front growled as he put his foot down to the floor, the truck jolting forwards with the two foxes just hanging on from spilling out over the rough terrain.

Off in the distance, two trucks of humals were tearing off as fast as they could go carrying, towing along two steel black containers along with them whilst the third that had recently gone to their aid scattered machine gun fire, most of the deadly lumps of lead hitting their marks thanks to their enhanced eyesight, forcing the humans to fire from cover at a distance. At the wheel of one truck was Zack, their puma leader who wore a look of complete rage, looking like he was only retreating with heavy persuasion. He kept looking backwards at the cargo they were towing and then would roar and fire a spray of bullets from his Sub-machine gun. What should have been accurate was wild due to the intense anger in the pumas hazel eyes.

As they got ever closer, Liam could see the battle in more detail than he wished. The blood spray of a human as they were killed off, one or two of their own becoming wounded by the bullets, It was only when Foxy gave him a gentle bite on his tail that he was aware he was been shouted at. "LIAM! Make yourself useful for once!" The cheetah cried at him, the dazed fox whipping his head about to see their allies on foot making a beeline for the truck.

"R-right!" He cried out, Foxy wrapping her tail about him to comfort. He could feel her own heart hammering in her chest as she went to the tailgate with her Liam as they frantically helped all the remaining humals up into the truck as the second roared past them, covering them as best they could. As the last humal was helped onto the back, the rest of the humals huddled together in the cramped space as Liam and Foxy closed the tailgate shut and tore off after the other two trucks, keeping them covered as the soldiers kept firing from a safe distance.

This was the first raid both Liam and Foxy had been on, the pair of fox humals held each other, shaken as both humans and humals took damage from the exchange. "Liam...please...lets get out of here. There has to be other places our kind is excepted," Foxy trembled next to the young tod.

"Foxy...I know," Liam said with a hushed whisper, giving soft murring sounds to comfort his young mate, holding her to him tightly as they headed for their camp in-between a mountain and valley, providing a natural shelter for them. "I have to talk to Zack. This is not the way and he and the rest need to see that," he said in a voice of determination.

"Liam no...they will never listen to you," Foxy trembled, holding him for fear of he humals thinking they were with the humans.

"Foxy, I have to try. Please understand that I need to. I know we are looked on as kits and...we are I guess still. But if you had been hit in that exchange I wouldn't be able to go on without you," Liam said, wrapping his thick, bushy tail around her waist, his bonded mate reciprocating the gesture, leaning into him as they reached their temporary base.

*

The truck trundled along at a more leisurely pace as they got further and further away from the zone of action. Coming up to the valley where a reinforced steel mesh sat, they waited for it to be opened so they could drive on through.

As they slid the improvised gate behind them, a burly pair of American Black Bears. Oddly both were male but then the human of the two humals had been bisexual to start with and the poor bear had been desperate for a mate. Having rampaged through the city with the first human he walked into been that of a male already well into the infection.

A number of tents littered the valley, the remaining humals left behind were mostly that of pregnant or humals that would rather help in camp then fight. One or two poked their heads through the tent flaps wearily until they spotted their own driving the trucks. Here and there, a humal popped out to see how the rest of the group fared, wondering if their bonded mate had come home safe.

Climbing out of his truck, Zack looked to be in a towering mood, his tail lashing all over, ears pulled far back and teeth exposed in hardly suppressed rage.

A female rabbit humal came briskly walking up to their leader, her pregnant bulge showing through her thin clothes. "Zack, my mate? Where is he, did you get him?" She asked in a panicked tone, her fur white and albino, red eyes staring unafraid as her concern for her bonded drove everything else out of her mind. She was the animal of the two so tended to move around more in a hopping fashion, though she could do a rough walk.

It was Anderson that answered her question though, "Well...your husband, er, mate, was the one taken from our camp before we drove them off yes. We thought initially it was in an attempt to provoke us into bringing the fight to them until we found it led to a military science lab..." He trailed off before he shook his head and led her to the back of one steel black container.

Opening the small latch, he let her peer in. "This one...held the ones they had experimented on. Trying to cure...trying to undo the change," he trailed off before the rabbit tore her eyes away from what she saw.

"No...no..." She shivered, falling onto the ground, curling into a ball. "It can't be, no, not him..." She shivered, starting to squeak like a regular rabbit. What she saw...was someone that scented like her mate, had vague resemblances but looked like a gross mutation between a hairless kangaroo and a giant baby, looking less intelligent then a rabbit as it just stared into space, making odd sounds between that of a baby gurgling and a rabbit squeaking.

"The other two that were taken from here we put inside the second container. Thankfully we arrived in time to save the other two that were taken from us," Zack no sooner said when two humals, one a feline, the other a wolf humal, dashed to see their mates.

The third van he had not mentioned, though some humals went from looking at the van which seemed to have a container that wobbled from time to time but the sound and bomb proof containers would leave them none-the wiser. Despite having got two of their own back however, Zack looked ready to kill something as he stalked off to their temporary training grounds, probably to tear apart a few training dummies they had fashioned.

"I don't understand it, this seems more of a victory than a defeat...yet Zack looks like he could suddenly turn on the first one to approach him," Liam said with a shake of his head as his bonded huddled up to him, frightened of their leaders rage.

"That would be because," a humal spoke up to his right, a broad chested canine mongrel, "we saw the horror of countless failed attempts to put us back to how we were. Even worse than our friend we rescued...we had to put them out of their misery," he said, liquid brown eyes cloudy with sorrow.

Foxy's paw flew to her muzzle at the images conjured, her tail quivering in revulsion as Liam clenched his short clawed paw tight. "How...how can they so willingly ruin and violate people. We are not a disease and neither are we a plague...I'm starting to see Zack's side of things here," Liam snarled lowly when to his bonded.

"It...it is just horrible...but Liam...no matter what. If we join up with the large group we were told about, there will only be more and more bloodshed and the feud will just grow and grow." Foxy begged him, clutching at his wrist tight, the thought of losing him was unbearable.

"I know Foxy...there has to be something but what? All we are is kits swept into this madness," Liam said through gritted fangs. He knew she was right, he could see it clearly in his mind. But he was really struggling to not let the rest of the humal's hatred along with what he had seen and knew, take a hold and sway him to violence. A sudden flurry of activity caught Liam's eye as the band began to gather around a make-shift platform.

"Listen to me, all of you," Zack roared atop his platform. "Tomorrow, we move to join the rest of the forming rebel band, forming our own army to push back at the humans who would see us a disease. But for tonight, I will tell you, and only you lot, my past," his tail lashed, cracking against the crate he stood on for extra effect. "No doubt by now you know of the atrocities that happened earlier today, and the sad state of one of our once comrades. But that is only the tip of the iceberg."

All the humals stopped doing they were doing and looked on eagerly at their band leader, ears perked and attentive to his every word. All except the two foxes as Liam and Foxy hid behind the now still truck.

"I used to be an assistant researcher in the field of biology and genetics for a military organisation. We were supposedly contracted to use our knowledge for the benefit of saving the countless thousands of endangered species along with reviving extinct species. For some of us, it was an honour to use our skills for life rather than death..." He said, pausing to let the rest absorb what he was saying. "But...we were betrayed and lied to. We were really creating a biological weapon, designed to imbue the animal characteristics to selected soldiers. One of our leading researchers found out and warned the rest of us, but some of the scientists wanted this to go through, thinking only of the untold millions they would make from marketing off of this disease. We were sold out by our own colleagues and, when we refused to cooperate, we were put to the gun and forced."

A number of growls, squeaks and hisses could be hear from the gathered humals as he told his story for the first time to them, anger clearly showing in their eyes. "But...eventually a few of us cracked under the strain and abuse we were subjected to and sabotaged the formula trying to create, under the guise of cooperating, a formula to bond human and animal DNA together to revive the natural kingdom. We were found out however...I along with my wife had tried using the formula to escape...turning all of us into what you see today. But we were all closed off and killed...all except me. Before I escaped, I made sure that the world would come under a new rule, a new world where animal and beast are one and shatter the vat with the bonding disease in."

The gathered hunals by now had begun to let their anger be known at such betrayal by the government, their leaders pain in his eyes spurring their rage on. "But now!" He roared above them. "WE are the ones with the advantage. And tomorrow, we will show them all that humanity can not do as it pleases! That WE will put back together a world, torn apart by human greed!"

The sounds of animal calls and cries became deafening as Liam and Foxy huddled together behind the van, their eyes reflecting each others fear at the poison Zack had infected them with his words. Grabbing for her paws, Liam held them to his chest, dark met light green iris, "I promise...tonight Foxy. We need a way to stop this and we can't do that alone," he whispered to her, Foxy rubbing her soft muzzle into his chest as they tried to shield each other from the venom running rampant around the camp.

"Liam, Foxy," a female voice drifted towards them, causing the pair to jump in panic and whip their heads to the side. To their side with her paws on her hips, stood Louise, the husky humal with a look of suspicion in her soft, odd coloured eyes.

"L-Louise...we were just uh, we were...erm," Liam fumbled before Foxy butted in.

"We wondered what was in the final truck but we ended up falling off the back trying to look in and needed to recover. We're sorry," she said in a sincere tone, her ears pulling down to show they knew they had been bad.

Sighing, she shook her head and gave a gentle whine to show no hard feelings. "Do you need to get bandaged up at all?" she asked them. When the pair shook their heads, she gave a small nod. "To stop you getting up to any more mischief, the final van holds two pairs of humals who were in virus stages of changing to study the virus at work. We let them take the natural course and they have had the stabiliser by our only other human contact so they will be fine."

"Oh, that's good," Liam chipped in, trying to make himself seem less suspicious. "Well, me and Foxy are in need of some rest after the impact so we will head off to our tent," he said, allowing Foxy to lead the way.

"Liam," Louise said in a low, gentle tone so only he could hear, "be careful," she said, neither sounding like a threat nor advice. Liam's frightened eyes stared at her for a while, sure she was going to rat them out before she said in a louder voice, "Rest up you two, tomorrow is a big day for you," she said, leaving them with a wave of her curled tail.

"Did she just...turn a blind eye to us?" Liam said in wonder, unsure if they were being set up or if he had her judged wrong.

"I don't know but if so, we have to leave tonight Liam," Foxy said as she dropped to all fours, pressing her body into his legs both to and for comfort.

*

When night came to the valley, the fox duo crept silently from their tent. The cover of darkness would offer little advantage to them what with all the humals having night vision better than any human could hope for. All they could do was pray the rest were asleep and to act on their paws as best as they- "You two, what are you doing there?" A deep voice sounded, startling Liam mid thought.

Whipping their heads round, Liam groaned and Foxy tried her best to stop her trembling as the hawk, Paul, jumped down from a rocky shelf of the valley, his wing-arms flaring to land softly, bending at the knees as he landed. "Paul, please let us go," foxy began, trying to buy Liam time to come up with something. "We were given permission to go on patrol so please, let us through," she said with wide, pleading eyes.

A paw landed on Liam's and Foxy's shoulder, nearly making the poor pair jump from their fur. "There you are you two, remember what Zack said, to stick close to me on your first patrol?" Louise said as she placed her head between them and the avian. "Young kits, always full of energy. Zack wanted me to go on patrol so I offered to take these two with e for back-up," she said in her usual smooth voice.

"Oh, my apologies Louise. Make sure you two stick with her. You are after all the future of our new race and we can't have anything happen to you, understood?" he said to the pair in a serious tone.

"Okay...we will," Liam said as he tried to fix a serious look on his face before they let themselves be guided out by the husky.

"Hey...thanks Louise," Liam said once he knew they would not be heard, exiting the valley and into open land. "But...why did you stand up for us back there?"

A sad smile spread across the older canines face. "Tell me, are you two scared of where the future is heading with our kind?" She asked, not looking to the pair but instead, at the inky blue, star strewn sky as though looking for an answer up in the twinkling lights. When they both nodded, she lowered her head and nodded back, "Then you have your answer there. I too am afraid of what the future holds and wish for one where our kind can live in peace with what we once was. I am confident you can help with that...so I hope," she said, her eyes gleaming in the dull light, the odd colours making her look mystical.

"Thank you but...what will you tell everyone when we turn up missing?" Liam asked, concern now creeping into his voice as Foxy gave a soft murring sound and rubbed round her legs on all fours.

"I will think of something...go now before we are found out," Louise said, feeling as though at any point they would be found out as she sniffed the air, thankful the wind was blowing their way so she could scent anyone she knew coming.

Nodding they understood, Liam set off with Foxy following behind after a farewell lick of the husky's paw pads.

"That human...he is just an ex-soldier who is looking for another war. That is the only reason he sticks out and supplies us with weapons. I'm sure of it," Louise said quietly to herself before making her way back to base, knowing her mate would be going frantic if he found her missing.

*

They had chosen to go through the mountains, although agreeably more dangerous, they was less likely to be found this way. They had decided to discard of their simple civilian clothes to appear at a distance at least, as though they were just two foxes running the landscape. Though spring was slowly warming the cold, mountainous landscape up, there was still a chill wind and snow covering the more enclosed, sheltered areas and if not for their coat of fur, Liam reckoned they would have caught hypothermia.

They had both been running for the better part of an hour now, but even though he was now part fox, Foxy was still better adapted to running on fours and after a little further, Liam had to call a halt on a part of mountain that levelled off. "Liam...do you have any idea where we are heading to?" Foxy said, pressing into her young mate as he stood on shaking paws, panting for breath.

Taking a minute to rest, he finally answered her, "I am trying to use the stars to help direct me south. There is a town that sits on the border of this wilderness and...well. Maybe we can find help there?" He said in a hopeful tone, looking and sounding less than convinced as he lowered his head.

Crossing necks with him, Foxy gave a high whine as she tried to pick his spirits up. "We will find something Liam...I am sure of it," she said in as confident of a tone as she could manage.

The two young fox humals exchanged caring licks with each other before hastening onwards again, following the mountain slowly downwards as they became lower to the ground. "Hey, what is that ahead?" Liam paused, seeing tiny lights traveling in the distance before Foxy wrinkled her sensitive nose up and twisted away as am acrid stench hit her nose.

"It stinks but there is no mistaking it...that is the smell of more motor vehicles," Foxy said, turning to see her mate with his nose to the air.

A happy, murring sounded in his throat at the familiar smell, comforting him with the promise of possibly finding people that would help them. "Foxy come on, we could possibly catch a ride if we find a truck or van going slow enough. Even just following the road should lead us to a town," Liam said with an excited yip, tail swishing before bounding off with renewed energy.

"L-Liam, hold on! Lets think before..." Foxy began before she trailed off, knowing it was pointless as he was no longer listening as he bounded off and down towards the direction of the road. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Foxy trailed off as suddenly she became acutely aware of another scent they had missed until it came close enough to be scented over the rising fumes.

Leaping down from a rocky ledge above and just behind where Foxy stood, two large, very needy looking male jackals slowly walked up to her. "Liii-LIA," her cry was cut off as the pair jumped on top of her, snapping her muzzle shut with a paw pressed to her skull whilst the other jackal roamed round to her rear, sniffing eagerly at her rump. "Oh no...they also have that virus..." Foxy thought, her acute nose picking up the same man made sickness that had altered her and her one human owner Liam.

She knew by now that it caused the mind to turn into a lust driven state for those infected, driving them to seek out a more potent source to accelerate the change and seemed to make those affected form a strong bond with their partner. But...

"No, I-I might be affected still and I love Liam, if you can understand me please leave me alone," Foxy begged but it was hopeless. As infected as they were the jackals were still nothing but wild beasts, having no contact with humans to learn from.

She struggled and squirmed under the two powerful canines until the one at her rump tired of her struggles and gripped the back of her neck in his strong jaws, causing instinct to take over and make her young mind surrender to the dominant males. However, when he thrust his turgid cock inside her pussy, her mind snapped out of its submissive state, "LIAAAAM!" She cried out, tears forming in her eyes as the wild dogs began raping her, the one keeping her guarded form the front using this opportunity to mount on her shoulders and fill her muzzle with his cock, causing her to gag at his eagerness.

Backwards and forwards her body swayed in time to their eager rutting, her tail batting ineffectively at the male from her rear and her muzzle tensing to clamp down on the dick in her muzzle, but each time they could tell she was trying to escape and would tighten their grip round her neck, making her stop for fear of them crushing her neck. She could feel the salty pre begin to start trickling down her throat, gagging as each thrust threatened to split her jaw apart, the male mindlessly mating her from the rear giving short, fast, hard humps as she felt him try to knot her, feeling the bulge pressing against her vulva. 'Thrust, thrust,' he was almost in her, Foxy felt the male almost tying her, screwing her eyes tight, hurt that her body would betray her and start allowing another male enter her. Just a few more and he would be in.

*Pop*, the jackal mounting her suddenly popped out just before he could seal the deal his dick being yanked out of her running pussy and suddenly falling flat on her chest as the canine in front was thrown off of her.

Whimpering in a bit of pain from the forced dismount, she cracked open an eyelid. Only to see...a wolf driving back the jackals? Snarling, the wolf, no wait, it wasn't snarling but more, shrieking. It wasn't a wolf but...it may as well have been for the sheer aggression he bore towards the jackals, snapping sharp teeth and slicing at them in a wild flurry of claws, driving them back and back before he had them fall off, onto a lower ledge, stunning them for a brief moment.

"Liam...oh Liam...my mate," Foxy stammered as she groggily got to her paws, deciding to stay on all four for support.

"Foxy, I'm sorry for getting excited and taking off like that...please believe me," he said with a worried, caring nuzzle into her before wrapping arms about her neck in a tender hug. "But we have to run, the people in that town would sooner skin us than listen. The first vehicle I came across tried to run me over, shooting when he couldn't hit me. Next thing I know I notice you were no where near me."

"What? Didn't you try reasoning"

"Don't you think I tried?!" Liam cried out before hearing the jackals scrabble from below before he looked into Foxy's eyes, sharing how much he would want to talk, to comfort her right now but knowing there was no time.

Another scrambling could be heard further below among a number of human voices, the glare of a torch made them shut their eyes tight against the light before a hostile sounding voice cried, "Over here, I found the beasts!" They could only go up and over the mountain now, picking a line up the boulders they began frantically scrabbling upwards and round, trying to pick a loose path to the other side where they could make a break for it among the wilderness. A few wild shots sounded behind them, harmlessly pinging off of rocks as the humans vented their frustration, calling them beasts or unholy creatures and words to that effect.

Scrambling down the other side as fast as they could see in the dark, just starlight and a slither of moon helping them pick their way, they hastened their progress as a flashing light could be seen from above them, knowing they would be sitting ducks if they got caught in their descent. With the light zeroing in on them, Foxy sniffed out something very canine like and grabbed Liam's paw to lead him just in time to an old den, just missing the beam of a powerful torch as it swept just where they had been.

Hearts hammering, Liam held his young mate to his chest, her whimpering making him want to do something, to say something to make it all better. "Foxy...we should head back to camp. I don't think we will be able to find anyone out here who will listen to us," Liam said with a deep breath, running his paw over her thickly furred chest and dug his finger in lightly to massage her, feeling her heart rate slow down.

"Liam...we can't. Not all humans are the same. You should know that. Please remember that you once were human, as were the rest in that band we travelled with. There must be some that...would listen to us," she said, her voice whimpering desperately, wanting with all her heart to not come to war between the old and new race.

"Foxy, what can I do? We are but as kits caught up in a fight among wolves. We don't even know where we are much less where to go. Face it, we might as well just pick our side and...what is that?" He said, cutting himself off as he heard a snuffling from outside, his ears perking wearily along with Foxy now, hearing it grow louder and louder.

Suddenly, the two jackals from before loomed into view as their heads poked in. "Shit, get behind me Foxy!" Liam growled as he felt her tense against him.

To his surprise though, the jackals cocked their heads and seemed to make a clearing sound. "S H I T," one ground out through his muzzle, trying to force words out, its voice having a very distinct growling quality to it. "F O X Y" the other said, his growling a little higher than his companion.

"I-I, did they...?" Liam whispered before whipping round, fretful he may suddenly see his bonded start turning part jackal, but much to his relief, she was as foxish as ever.

"I'm going to crawl out slowly and get the measure of them. Foxy, you stay there until I have cleared the way," he said, only to hear them both growl as he made a move out.

"Liam...let me try. I will be okay I promise," Foxy said, giving him a tender lick before crawling out, much to their surprise and Liam's concern, they didn't make a sound beyond the odd whimpering and licking her, as though welcoming her back. Giving a few yips out to the pair, they seemed to get the message and let Liam crawl out, though they seemed less happy when he stood up, growling again and looking ready to attack him. "Liam, get down. If you look like an animal you will seem less of a threat," Foxy said, pulling him onto his forepaws.

Again, she was right and they calmed down, still both seemed more weary of him then they did Foxy who they greeted as if she was their mate. Feeling jealousy well up in him, Liam cleared his throat, "Well this complicates things doesn't it now? They seem to have bonded with you and you are my mate," he said, unable to keep the jealous tone out.

"Liam, we have more to worry about right now okay? We can figure out what to do with these guys later but for now they can stick with us. I think it best. Look, over there, at the bottom, there is a natural road. Lets just wait for a suitable mode of transport and hitch a ride. We can figure the rest later," she said before making a steady climb down, the jackals in front with Liam figuring he had just become as the omega in a pack unless he tried to grow up a little more.

Scrambling down the other side of the mountain, Liam tried to pass the pair once they reached a piece of mountain that jutted out, only to have the slowly changing pair snarl at him. "Back off you two," Foxy said crossly, paws on her hips and glared down at the pair, making them whimper and back off, allowing Liam to slip through to her side, nuzzling her affectionately before they began picking a route to go by.

Making their way down, Liam kept a giving backward wary glances to the canines tailing them. "So...when are we losing them two," he muttered to her, flicking his tail out of the way of a jackals muzzle when he tried to snap at his swaying appendage.

"We can't lose them Liam, they are like us. We need to try and find somewhere safe for us and them," Foxy said with a slight look of disgust at him for mentioning it.

"Sorry Foxy...since they raped you well I...I feel protective of you," Liam said, his ears folding down at the thought of her being cross with him.

"Liam...it wasn't so much as rape but base desire. I can't fault them and besides, I won't become pregnant because you rescued me. I think if you show them you won't stand for it I'm sure they will respect you after so long," Foxy said, a tender murr coming into her voice as she bumped her rear with his.

Reaching the bottom of the mountain, the foxy duo peered over the rise from a dried up gulley that bordered the road.

However, there was nothing in sight at this time of night. No headlights shone through the gloom now any sound of a motor. The only sound to be heard was that of nature as bugs hummed and the sleepy call of a bird sounded from a nest above them on the mountain. "Liam...we should get some rest. We have been through a lot and no one will spot us if we sleep right at the edge, if this path is even used any more," Foxy pleaded, yaing as though to emphasise her point.

Liam looked at her, and then looked at the two jackals slowly changing as one tried to imitate them standing on their hind paws only to fall over whereas the second kept trying to work its muzzle experimentally, testing out the developing facial muscles that would allow them to talk eventually.

"Fine...but sleep close to me Foxy okay?" Liam said with a weary sigh. He didn't want to but it looked like they had little else to go on at this time.

With a nod, Foxy laid beside him and curled her tail about his fluffy tail, the combined tails looking like a weird, fluffy, orange plant. The pair of male jackals began to whine and, trying to work in between the two but a high growl from Liam followed by a nip on each of their tails quieted them, sullenly laying at either side of them.

*

As night became day, Laim woke to the sound of a diesel motor growing in volume, becoming louder the closer it came. "Foxy...Foxy," Liam whispered urgently, shaking her by the shoulder urgently.

"Mmh, L-Liam?" She mumbled, curled up to him before the two jackals with them growled as the motor stopped and the sound of doors opening and shutting could be heard. "What's going on?" She said, alarm creeping into her voice before the two changing jackals shot up and over the gulley, snarling before they were abruptly silenced.

"Hello, we know there are more of you. Make this easy and come out quietly, we promise we will not harm you if you give us no cause to," A deep voice growled out, strong and intimidating.

"We should do what they say...I won't let them hurt you Foxy, I promise. Get up from behind me so you are shielded by me. Do it!" He yipped in frustration when he saw she was going to refuse.

Slowly raising off the ground, he held his paws up only for his long muzzle to fall open in alarm. There was a humal pair of Akita's, one held a tranq gun, the other was poised on all fours. Calm but ready to leap at them from the tension in its leg muscles. But what made it unusual was the fact that there was two humans also with dart guns at the ready, seeming to be working perfectly well with them. One, a human male with short, cropped black hair, average of build but presented himself smartly in dress sense and posture, held a hand out to them. "I am Saren Wess, of the north branch of the humal integration and peace alliance. Please, come back with us and there will be no need for force," he spoke formally to the pair, his face remaining blank so tey could not read him.

"What will happen to them?" Liam said, inclining his head to the jackals sleeping off to their side.

"They will come back with us where they will learn their new role in life. You two will be brought for a gentle talk, nothing nasty like you probably read about in war. But there will be if we don't find this rebel group and ground them. Can you help us?"

"Okay...we will. I feel you can all be trusted enough," Liam said, feeling Foxy grab his paw and squeeze it in worry, his tail wrapping round her to try and give her comfort. "Please...take care of them two," Lian indicated the jackals.

As they climbed in and sat next to each other in the back, holding onto one another, Foxy spoke up, her voice quiet with concern. "I hope...these are the right people and not someone who was tracking to capture us?" Foxy said, her body trembling lightly against Liam.

"And I as well...we have to take the chance though," the young tod humal spoke softly, holding her tight for the remainder of their trip.