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The Os-Nàdarra Sentinels

Arc Three:

The Overlords

Chapter 6: The Hunter

            "Keep moving, honey!" Kim's mother

urged as the two vixens, one an adult, the other a pre-teen girl, strode

through the woods as fast as they could, daring not look back at the thing she

was certain was chasing them. With her daughter's arm in hand, Scarlet urged

her on as fast as they could go.

            They had come to this forest for

some mother-daughter time, taking to the trails before coming to a clearing,

where they settled down for a picnic in the peaceful woods near Unity Falls.

They had been having a good time, enjoying the various food and beverages they

had brought with them, and were even playing a game of tag around the clearing,

chasing each other and laughing, and that was when they heard the voice... or

rather, not a voice. Almost like a thought, but perceived as a throb in your

brain, emitting a vibration that somehow you can determine to be words.

            Whatever was causing that throb had

told them what it was going to do if it caught them; how they were being

hunted, how it hungered for them and desired their bodies. They didn't know

what 'it' was, but they knew they had to get away -had to get out of this

forest, and back to the city. But for some reason, Scarlet could not remember

where they had left the car before coming onto the trails, or which one led

back!

            But still, they didn't slow; they

had to get out of the woods and away from whatever monster was chasing them.

            "Mom, we're going the wrong way!"

The younger vixen exclaimed, pointing off into the woods. "The car's that way!"

            "How do you know?"

            "Because I remember; we passed that

tree there," replied Kim, pointing at a rather gnarled pine.

            Since Scarlet had no idea where they

were going, she chose to listen to Kim, and made for the trail leading past the

tree, the two of them following it with all haste. They could hear something

rustling in the trees above; every time they heard that noise, their hearts

thundered louder in their hearts, knowing that whatever chased them was near,

waiting to strike...

            The winding path led them through

more of the forest, but soon, to the glee of the mother vixens heart, she could

see the parking lot beyond the nature park, where her car and the salvation of

both herself and her daughter lay waiting just a little further away. "Come on,

Kim; we're almost there!"

            But seconds from safety, as they

stepped out of the trees, something swept down from above, whipping around in

front of her and stopping her dead in her tracks before she was yanked off of

her feet, pulled from the grasp of her daughter and carried up into the tree,

the strange dark binding spinning her about. She felt her arms pressed to her

sides, the long mass of scaly flesh encompassing her torso and squeezing her

tightly.

            "Mom!" Kim screamed in horror.

            "Run, Kim; go!" Scarlet screamed.

"Run away!"

            The young fox cub hesitated, but as

her mother continued to scream for her to save herself, she eventually

complied, fleeing out of the parking lot and down the road as quickly as the

youthful vixen could run. Meanwhile, Scarlet lost sight of her, carried into

the canopy of the tree and turned about in midair, the scaly length binding her

arms now wrapped around her legs, making escape all but impossible despite her

attempts.

            Her struggles were rewarded by a

compressing force all around her, forcing the breath from her lungs. She tried

to gasp, but her lungs would not take in any air, the pressure around her chest

too great. Scarlet was turned about, until she found herself staring into a

pair of bright yellow eyes as a serpentine head appeared from the shadows.

            "You were close," it said. "But not

close enough, and now the hunter claims his prey."

~~~~~

-September 3rd, 2011, Unity

Falls Atrium-

            The hall was dark as the crowds

cheered, waiting for the reappearance of the band on the stage, who had stopped

for a brief intermission to catch their breath and plan their next performance.

They cheered the name of the band over and over again; 'Winged Fury, Winged

Fury!' echoed through the hall over and over again, every man and woman of all

ages with a fist up in the air.

            And then, from the darkness of the

stage, a low chord emanated and echoed across the hall. That chord soon turned

to a rhythmic melody, rising steadily. A drumbeat soon followed, matching the

guitar, and the lights slowly began to return, revealing the four individuals

on the stage; three avians and a hyena. The avians stood in a row at the front,

two of them with guitars, the third standing in front of the microphone,

swaying to the beat before the two guitar players stepped away while the spot

light illuminated the singer.

            Vinge put his hand up in the air for

the audience to see, and the roaring cheers intensified as they saw him raise

his arm. He spoke into the microphone. "Thank you for your patience, everyone;

now please lend us your ears as we show you our newest song that I personally

wrote for the return of our lead guitar player! He's been away for a while, but

now he's back!"

            Volcan stepped into the spotlight.

"And glad to be so!" He chimed in before stepping back again.

            "So let us celebrate his return with

your applause and this new hit that will be going on our next album! We call

this one, 'Return'!"

            The music began to intensify, a

sharp pitch from Pavan's guitar with a slightly deeper one from Volcan's own,

with Brent at the back pounding on the drums, creating an intense and

enthralling beat that was driving the crowd wild with excitement. But very

suddenly, the rhythm lessened to a more foreboding tone, and it was then Vinge

began to recite the lyrics, keeping his voice low to emphasize the grimness of

the opening

"I could hear

it, clawing from inside

From depths of

darkness in the black of my mind

A wicked

presence, older than time

Clawing at the

walls inside of my mind

I heard its

voice and I felt its grip

As it grabbed

my soul with cold hands

Volcan chimed in with a deep voice, saying the next

line.

"You will be

mine."

I fought it

hard, with all my might!

In body and

soul, I was wounded and torn

By I lost the

fight; the evil was free

Ripping from

me it rose, while I lay broken at death's door."

The more intense rhythm returned, elevating the hype

from the crowd as the song carried on...

            "And now I've returned!

            Stronger than ever!

            My trials were long but I endured!

            My strength is returned!

            Burning pure!

            No longer the same; I am reborn~!"

            From there, the song fell into a

short instrumental, before Vinge began singing again, carrying on with the rest

of the song as the melody remained intense and powerful.

            "My

body was broken, weak and far gone!

            My wounds were deep, I could barely breath!

            I cannot describe just what came of me!

            But for the first time in years

            I feel truly free!

            And now I've returned!

            Stronger than ever!

            My trials were long but I endured!

            My strength is returned!

            Burning pure!

            No longer the same; I am reborn~!"

            A second instrumental followed, this

one carrying on much longer, with many changes in pitch and rhythm but never

losing track of how the song was meant to sound, with Pavan practically

bouncing all over the stage as he played, spurred on by the intense music while

following Volcan's lead. The two even went to stand back to back as they played

with Vinge remaining by the mic, waiting to resume.

            The song continued with one more

repeat of the chorus before reaching a short, conclusive instrumental, with one

long chord marking the end of the song. The audience practically exploded with

glee, cheering out the name of the band repetitiously again, pumping their arms

in the air.

            Vinge gave the usual send off,

thanking them for coming to the concert that night before they began to gather

their instruments to take them into the back, the praise of the crowds

following their every step until they began to break and depart from the hall,

pouring out of the exits in a steady flow.

            "Whoot!" Brent cheered. "We're back,

baby!"

            "Winged Fury is back in action!"

Pavan chimed in as he and Brent did an airborne body bump and double

high-fived, both of them yelling 'Alright!' after.

            "I admit, these last few months have

been a little boring -at least when we weren't running some drills with the

team," said Vinge. "I'm happy to be back in front of a mic again."

            Volcan chuckled. "Feels especially

good to be back on my feet again," he said. "I know I've said that already but

damn it was just so boring lying around at mom's house for so long."

            "The team wasn't the same without

ya, buddy," Pavan said, clapping Volcan on the shoulder, which brought an 'ow'

from the Fire Phoenix. "Oop! Sorry."

            "Nah, it's okay," replied Volcan.

"I'm still not back to a hundred percent just yet." He rubbed his shoulder. "My

muscles are still pretty weak from being out of commission."

            "You seemed okay out there, though,"

Brent pointed out.

            "Playing guitar's easy," replied

Volcan. "But spending so long in recovery, most of my powers are pretty lacking.

I'm going to need time to get them all back; 'till then I can't return to the

team, at least not as a field man."

            Vinge frowned at that. "So I'm still

leading the team, then," he said.

            Volcan glanced over. "What's the

matter?"

            "I don't know; despite our success

up north I don't feel like I'm leader material," said Vinge. "Especially not

after seeing Buniq leading her people, keeping them safe for years; hell, it

was her who led the defense of Dawson

City, not me." He shook his head. "I'm not like you or her; I'm a strategist,

but I don't have the charisma or inspirational traits that you two do. I'm

better suited as a planner."

            Volcan walked over to Vinge and

placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've still done well keeping the team in

shape in my absence, so I'll ask you formally; will you keep leading the other

Os-Nàdarra until I can return?"

            Vinge looked at Volcan with mild

intrigue, surprised by how Volcan was asking him to continue his role as leader

when Vinge had already said he would, as though he wanted to make sure it was

okay to ask it of him. With no words to say, Vinge could only humbly nod to the

fire phoenix, and Volcan smiled back at him. "Thank you."

            With that, Volcan turned and went

back over to his guitar case, checking once more to make sure the clamps were

tightly closed before he looked at the others. "I'll see you guys at the next

practice, okay?" With their goodbyes, Volcan headed out of the concert hall,

with Vinge watching after him for a moment until Pavan, who appeared at his side,

spoke out.

            "You noticed it too, eh?" Pavan

asked.

            "Hm?" Vinge hummed in inquiry as he

glanced at the Wind Phoenix.

            "Volc's changed a little bit over

the months," he said.

            "Akatsuki did tell us he might not

quite be the same person," reminded Vinge, turning his gaze back to following

Volcan. "I would assume it's the trauma he endured."

            "But you don't think it was, do ya?"

Pavan asked.

            "It's hard to say," replied Vinge.

"So far, we've only seen him socially; he always had that dry sense of humor,

as well as being very honest and empathic -and maybe prone to sounding a little

flustered when he points out the obvious, but he definitely seems more...

chipper than he used to be, and a little more patient and focused; with what he

went through you'd think he'd be distant and less social, but it's like all sense

of worry he ever had is gone." He actually smiled. "It's as though when that

evil left him, it took the worst of Volcan with it -not that he wasn't a good

person before, mind you."

            "Now, he's damn perfect, I'd say,"

remarked Pavan.

            "Perfection is an illusion, Pavan,"

stated Vinge, but not maliciously so. "If one achieves perfection they have

nothing else to strive for. Volcan is still a Fire Elemental, and I have little

doubt he's still prone to losing his temper or letting his passion get away

from him. But what else has changed in him, well... we'll know soon enough, I

suppose."

            "I may actually look forward to

that," said Pavan.

~~~~~

            Volcan carefully angled his jeep

into his parking spot outside of his apartment complex. He had only recently

moved back into the building after spending most of the year living at his

mother's, and each time he returned he had the same words passing through his

mind -that it was good to be home again. Stepping out of his vehicle, he made

sure the doors were locked before collecting his guitar from the back, locking

the rear door as well, and then proceeding to the front entrance of the

building.

            Opening the door with his key, he

ascended the stairs to the second level, and turned to face his apartment door

when a voice from above calling hello caught his ear; he looked up, stepping

back to see over to the next floor up the stairs, and saw Tsume looking down at

him, the green and brown Earth Phoenix waving at him. "How'd the concert go?"

She asked.

            "Went great," replied the phoenix,

nodding to her. "How're things for you?"

            "Well, finally convinced Buniq to

take another shower," remarked Tsume, looking over her shoulder before looking

down at Volcan again. "But I don't know if I'll ever get the smell of the wilds

out of my carpet."

            "I can still hear you Tsume," a

voice called from behind the Earth Phoenix.

            "Aw merde..." Tsume muttered

            After bringing her back with them

from the north, Buniq had been living with Tsume until they could find the

Werecat cougar a home. Imagine Buniq's surprise when seeing Volcan's face for

the first time, after she had seen Calhoun Demonfire in Dawson City -a being

who looked almost exactly like the red and gold phoenix except for colours; it

had taken much explanation to calm her down when she had seen him. But although

Tsume had been welcoming of Buniq and opened her home to her, she had found the

Inuit-raised woman a little complicated to live with; Buniq was used to hunting

or fishing for her food, not retrieving it from the refrigerator, or cooking it

over a stove instead of a fire.

            Not to mention, she had smelled of

the wilderness; dead animals and forest-y smells had clung to her all the way

back, and though Tsume did love the smell

of the woods, she did not like the

smell of blood and guts on her furniture. She had been trying to convince Buniq

to start taking showers on a regular basis, but Buniq was skeptical, not

knowing what to expect since she had lived in a region without any sort of

indoor plumbing; the very concept was unnatural, in every sense of the word.

            "Well, try to be patient with her,"

Volcan said with a smile. "This is all new to her, keep in mind; six months

doesn't compare to twenty-five years living off the land."

            Tsume nodded in defeat. "Yeah, I

suppose." She then scoffed. "I'm being lectured in patience by a Fire Elemental when Earth Elementals are

supposed to be the most patient

beings in the world; holy crap, the apocalypse is coming."

            At that, the two shared a laugh,

before Volcan bade her goodnight and continued into his own apartment,

wandering into the living room and plopping down on the couch after setting his

guitar case aside. He reached for the remote, and aimed it towards the television.

"Let's check the news, shall we?" He asked no one in particular as he put his

feet up on the ottoman and made himself comfortable.

            He cycled the channels over to

somewhere local, to keep track of what was happening in his hometown. They went

over national events such as the upcoming re-election of Canada's current Prime

Minister, followed shortly by a weather forecast -ironically done by Pavan's

father, Richard Stevenson- for the week. With Autumn at its earlier stage,

temperatures were steadily lowering, but for the most part it was still warm.

            Finally, it changed to a local

broadcast, and Volcan's attention was grabbed promptly by the title. 'An

assailant in the hills' followed by a subtitle, 'Victims have no recollection

of attacks'. The anchorwoman on screen gave the report in detail. "Authorities are baffled by the string of

sexual assaults happening to visitors to the Anderson Nature Park; a place

where people go for a nice nature walk on footpaths through the woods. The

assaults don't seem limited to either males or females either; two days ago, a

male wolf disappeared for several hours, and was found later, naked outside the

woods. The couple who found him rushed him to hospital, and evidence uncovered

revealed the man had been raped and nearly crushed to death.

"But it

doesn't stop there, for just today, a woman was abducted while enjoying the

park with her daughter. The daughter, Kimberly, was found by a pair of bicyclers

who were heading up to the Park -they saw her running the road, screaming for

help, saying that something had stolen her mother away. The cyclers called

authorities and launched their own search for the missing Scarlet Meiers; age

thirty-six, red fox, single mother. So far, there has not yet been any word on

her whereabouts.

"The only

thing in common between the victims is their inability to recollect just who it

was that attacked them, and where. Even though young Kimberly was not a victim

of assault, somehow she has expressed this same form of amnesia, unable to

remember anything except the look on her mother's face and her telling her to

run away; authorities have not ruled out the presence of a form of

Superhumanoid being to be the cause. We will give you updates as this mystery

unfolds."

Volcan had already picked up his phone and dialed a

number before holding it to his ear; the call was shortly answered by Vinge. "Hello?"

"Vinge, it's me. We might have something that needs

our attention."

~~~~~

-The following day, at the

Unity Falls General Hospital-

            "I told you not to pressure her,

Jeols," Obsidian said, glowering at the Caucasian human as they left the room

and shut the door, dampening the crying coming from inside. "She's only a

child."

            "I know you did, but I just want to

find her mother, and the guy who took her," returned Jeols. "The guy's been

taking people left and right and we still don't even know who he looks like, or

even what species he is."

            Obsidian sighed. "I know that, but

trying to urge her on like that didn't help; try to be a little more sympathetic."

            "I'm sorry, Sergeant..."

            "Everything alright?"

            The two of them turned to see a blue

feathered avian in police attire approaching, eyeing them with curiosity and

bringing the two to attention as they recognized their chief of police, Gregory

Vinson. "I messed up, Chief," Jeols admitted without hesitation. "I upset the

poor girl; pressured her too much."

            Gregory eyed the young constable

with a solemn expression on his face. "I know you mean well, Michael, but try

to remember, people are often sensitive when they think they may have lost

someone. A child is especially so, when their parent is missing." He frowned as

the image of a white feathered, ice-blue eyed avian child crossed the eye of

his mind, bringing back a painful memory of his own. "I know that far too

well."

            Jeols nodded. "Yes, Chief."

            "Head back to your patrol, Michael;

I'll take over from here. When the girl calms down again, I'll try questioning

her," he said. "I know kids rather well," he added with a wink.

            Nodding, Jeols turned and headed up

the hall, leaving Gregory and Obsidian alone outside the door. They waited

until he was out of earshot before Gregory turned to the dragoness. "Think our

mutual friends know what's happening?" He asked.

            "I have little doubt about it,"

replied Obsidian. "They're probably already looking into it now." She scowled

as she crossed her arms in thought, her tail sweeping furiously behind her. "I

just can't understand why none of the victims ever remember who or what attacks

them; forgetting faces I can see but forgetting what race they were or where it

happened, it's like their minds are being erased when it happens."

            "A telepath like yourself, maybe?"

Gregory suggested.

            "Maybe, but to erase memories he'd

have to be at least a Class-4 Psionic," replied Obsidian. "But even then, it

takes a lot of focus and nearly no resistance from the person being probed to

actually affect their mind."

            Gregory rubbed his chin in thought.

"To do that they'd have to subdue them first; I wonder if it has any connection

to the bruises on that wolf's body when he was found?"

            "As if he were being crushed from

all sides," Obsidian added, and suddenly her ears pricked up. "Like being

constricted..."

            "Constricted; by a snake?" Gregory

asked. "But no Anthro snake has a tail long enough to completely bind a person

like that."

            "Not them, but a Naga would,"

replied Obsidian.

            "But there are no naga in this part

of the world; they can't live in a country like this," said Gregory.

            "Some scientists said the same thing

about Fire Phoenixes," Obsidian pointed out.

            "Touché. So our assailant may be a

psychic naga then," said Gregory.

            "Given what clues we have, it seems

the most likely," said Obsidian. "But without further evidence I can't be sure;

we haven't found any scales."

            "You may be looking in the wrong

places."

            The two of them turned to see the

owner of the voice, and came face-to-face with a familiar looking avian,

flanked on both sides by a second avian and a Cougar woman, stepping over to

them. Gregory beamed at the sight of none other than Volcan Skilerain, and

eagerly turned to him to shake hands with the red and gold feathered phoenix,

smiling broadly at him. "Good to see you my boy; I'd heard you were out of

commission for quite some time."

            "I was, for a while," said Volcan.

"Only about a month or so ago have I been able to walk on my own again." Volcan

looked past Gregory briefly, and noticed Obsidian staring gleefully back at him;

he could tell that she wanted to run up and hug him, but she maintained her

composure; public displays of affection while in uniform would look

unprofessional for a police officer. He smiled and nodded back to her before he

faced Gregory again, his expression more serious this time. "So, news last

night says we've got some trouble up in the Nature Park."

            Just as Gregory opened his beak to

answer, the ringing sound of a phone emitted from his breast pocket. He deftly

pulled out the phone and looked at it before he turned to face Volcan again. "I

need to take this," he said, before looking at Obsidian and nodding to her. She

nodded back, and stepped forward as Gregory turned away, greeting the caller

with "Vinson" before he listened.

            "How much did the news say?" The

dragoness asked.

            "Words I don't like to say in

public," Volcan remarked, glancing side to side to make sure no one was in

earshot. "But to be blunt, it seems we've got a rapist in the woods."

            "Unfortunately, yes."

            "How many victims have there been?"

Vinge asked. "I have only heard of the vixen who just disappeared yesterday,

and the wolf two days before."

            "There have actually been four

incidents, but that is only centered on the park," replied Obsidian. "There

have been eleven other cases all with the same M.O, excluding those four."

            Volcan's eyes widened. "Fifteen?" He

asked in disbelief, but managed to keep his voice low. "How long has this been

going on?"

            "About nine weeks," replied

Obsidian. "But the previous incidents weren't happening in the park; they were

from hikers up on the slopes past the waterfall at Unity Lake. We have tried

everything -helicopters, trackers, K-9 units, everything we have to try and

find this criminal, but so far no one has ever found the assailant, and

evidence has been limited only to what we can find on the victims; bruises,

signs of trauma, signs of sexual assault, and amnesia -unable to give any

details about their attacker. Even semen samples haven't been found."

            "He covers his tracks well," said Vinge.

            "We've got another kind of tracker,"

said Volcan, gesturing to Buniq. "Obsidian, have you met our newest member

yet?"

            "I have; Tsume brought her by

Rikyuu's house once while I was visiting," replied Obsidian, offering a

handshake to Buniq. "Good to see you again, Buniq."

            Buniq, still new to the gesture,

fumbled with her response before eventually grasping Obsidian's hand and

shaking it. "And you as well, Miss Kimoyama," she replied.

            The dragoness nodded to her before

looking back at Volcan. "So you have a plan?"

            "I think I do," replied Volcan.

"Buniq's a master of tracking; maybe she can find something that the others

couldn't."

            "I would need an idea of what scent

to find," said Buniq. "What is the species of the assailant?"

            "We don't know for sure, but," Obsidian

began. "As Gregory and I were discussing, we think that the culprit may be a

Naga."

            "A Naga with psychic powers," said

Vinge, rubbing his chin. "The victims are found with bruises around their body,

consistent with constriction, and they have no recollection of their attacker's

appearance. It fits the profile perfectly." He looked at the dragoness. "Excellent

deduction, Obsidian; you may make a good detective someday."

            Obsidian smiled at the compliment.

            "So what is a naga?" Buniq asked,

looking at Volcan.

            "A huge snake-like being from the

world of myth, just like our own races," the phoenix explained. "Powerful beings,

more serpent than humanoid that live in the wilderness; sightings of them are

often dumb luck by the one who reports it -they're very reclusive, because of

all the rumors that circumvent about them."

            "What sort of... rumors?" Buniq

asked.

            "That they eat people alive,"

replied Volcan.

            Obsidian paled at that thought.

"T-They don't really, do they?"

            Vinge answered for her. "The average

naga, from the waist-level up," he explained. "Is no bigger than the average

human or anthro; feral snakes are sometimes known to eat things with diameter

larger than their own but their bodies only stretch out so much. Naga's are

even more limited because they've got a humanoid skeleton and organ placement;

if they wanted to eat a person, that person would either have to be extremely

thin, or the naga would have to be built like Andre the Giant, otherwise their heart

or lungs would get crushed against their ribcage, not to mention the shoulders

wouldn't fit past the ribs"

            "I thought snakes had collapsible

skeletons?" Buniq asked.

            "Collapsible yes, but not

expandable," clarified Vinge.

            "Ah," said the werecat. "So I just

need to find a reptilian smell, then."

            "Shouldn't be hard; not a lot of

reptiles live in Alberta," stated Volcan. "Especially not around here; it's not

their kind of habitat."

            Gregory stepped in. "Then we better

get to work before this big snake attacks again," the hawk stated. "Scarlet

just turned up -she was found by a hiker heading up to the mountains, same

condition as previous victims; left unclothed in the road, amnesia regarding

her attacker, multiple bruises around her body and signs of molestation. It's

only a matter of time before that naga goes after someone else."

            Volcan nodded. "We'll get up there

as quickly as possible."

            "I don't need to remind you that the

area is now under investigation," Gregory stated. "There will be officers

watching and patrolling that place; if you want to search you need to stay out

of their way, or you'll be interfering with a police investigation."

            "I can slip past them easily

enough," stated Buniq.

            "We'll have Pavan watch from the air

as well, and Tsume will come in via underground," Vinge directed.

            Volcan went over Vinge's plan in his

head, and swiftly nodded in approval. "Perfect choice," he said. "Meanwhile,

I'm going to run my own little search."

            Everyone turned to face him. "What

do you mean?" Gregory asked.

            "These assaults started up near the

mountain closest to the waterfall, right?" Volcan asked. "Maybe I can find the

naga's lair; if they chase him out of the park that's probably where he'll run

to. As unlikely as it is he could outrun Pavan or Buniq, we can't take that

chance."

            "Volcan, that's crazy," Obsidian

protested. "You only just got back on your feet; we don't know how dangerous

this naga is."

            "I may not have all of my strength

back, but my powers are almost back to normal," assured Volcan. "I'm not

defenseless even in my condition."

            "And how will you get away if the

naga's too much for you to handle?" Vinge asked. "You don't have full use of

your wings yet."

            Volcan looked at Vinge and smiled.

"I've got that part covered too. Just trust me, Vinge, okay?"

            The ice phoenix looked unconvinced,

but he didn't protest any further, sighing before he nodded. "Alright... but if

you need help, you make sure you contact one of us."

            "I will," Volcan promised. "Now,

come on; we all better get moving before the trail goes cold."

            "I'm going too," said Obsidian,

looking at Gregory. "The suspect is a psionic being; the best thing to fight

that is another psionic, and I'm a Class-7. They and the police up there alike

will need me."

            Gregory gave her an approving nod.

"I'll let them know you're coming," he said.

            Vinge nodded in agreement. "Buniq,

with me; let's go get Tsume and Pavan."

            "Yes," agreed the werecat.

            Volcan stepped out the hospital,

watching Vinge and Buniq heading the other way, before he headed out to find his

truck in the parking lot, unaware of the purple dragoness following him out of

the hospital as he crossed the street. It wasn't until he saw her reflection in

the front windshield of his jeep that Volcan realized Obsidian was tailing him;

he looked over his shoulder at her, seeing the worried look on her face as she

walked up to him.

            Before he could say anything, she

suddenly hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tightly.

Volcan stood stunned for a moment before he returned the embrace, putting his

arms around Obsidian. He didn't understand why she was hugging him so

protectively, but he voiced no protest about it, the feeling of her scales

rubbing against his feathers as her cheek brushed against his washing away any

concern.

            They pulled apart after a moment,

and Volcan smiled at her with an arched eyebrow. "I could tell you wanted to do

that earlier too," he said.

            She smiled back. "Couldn't with so

many people watching; have to maintain professionality while in uniform," she

said before hugging him again. "I'm so glad to see you've healed," she said in

almost a whisper, on the verge of tearing up with joy.

            Volcan chuckled and held her warmly

in his arms. "Not completely, but time has done its job," he said, his hand

absently rubbing over her back.

            As Obsidian held him, she felt her

fingers brush over bare flesh on Volcan's back as she ran her hand through his

feathers. Her eyes reopened and she gently pulled back from him, walking around

him to look at his back. Volcan knew what she was looking for, and

instinctively pressed his wings together, trying to conceal it with a sad look

on his face.

"It's... not a pleasant sight," he warned.

She stepped back. "It can't be as bad as when it

happened."

"It's not... but it's still gruesome," he said.

She reached out, touching his shoulder tenderly. "Please?"

She asked.

Volcan grimaced, but eventually he turned slightly,

and let his wings part enough that Obsidian could see the grotesque mound of

twisted flesh on Volcan's back, where the skin, looking as though it were

caving in on itself, was deformed and bald -the feathers around the scar had

not regrown, as though afraid of the dark origins of the scar itself. Through

the deformity Obsidian could almost swear she could make out Volcan's spine

through the flesh, seeing a twitch as he turned his head.

"My god," Obsidian whispered, covering her mouth.

Once more, Volcan covered it with his wings. "I'm

sorry you saw that," he said.

She looked at him, shaking her head. "I asked to;

you have nothing to be sorry for," she bade. "I've just never seen anything

like it... does it hurt?"

"Only a little, and only if I turn too sharply,"

replied Volcan. "My mom tried everything to heal that, or at the very least

fade it enough that it doesn't look so... nasty. But not even her tears or the

medicines she tried can do anything." He shook his head. "I'll carry this scar

the rest of my life..."

He turned to her, and continued with optimism in his

voice. "But it'll never define me; the scar may be hideous, but it serves as a

reminder that I'm finally free of the evil that lived in me for eighteen

years," he stated without any hint of regret. "In the end, I think it was worth

it, because I'm no longer afraid of myself."

Obsidian beamed at that, and could see in Volcan's

eyes that it was true. He had lived his entire life with that creature inside

of him, afraid to let his emotions go unchecked, for any time he as enraged or

terrified the dark form would emerge and rain destruction upon everything in

sight. He had years of bottled up rage and stress that the creature had caused

him, but now his spirit was truly free of the darkness, and he had a chance at

proper happiness for himself...

Obsidian reached up, placing a hand on the back of

Volcan's neck, and leaned forward, kissing his cheek softly. "If anyone

deserves to make a happier life for themselves, Volcan, you do," she said.

He smiled and nodded to her. "That means a lot to

me, 'Sid," he said. Volcan could feel an urge welling up inside of him, to tell

Obsidian how he truly felt about her; words that he wanted to say, but couldn't

bring himself to. Before she could detect his turmoil and read his thoughts, he

changed the subject. "W-We better get going; we've all got work to do. I need

to stop by my house before I head on my search."

Obsidian nodded to him. "Okay," she said. "Please be

careful, Volcan."

"I will," he promised.

With that, she stepped back from him before she

turned on her heel and made her way back to where she parked her cruiser.

Volcan stared after her, watching the gentle sway of her body with longing, and

feeling warmth in his heart -not the kind of warmth that he emanated from his

burning feathers, but something far more. But he held back any desire to stop

Obsidian and take this time to tell her his true feelings...

'I may be free

of the darkness within,' he thought. 'But my battle with

it is not yet over... until that time comes, I have to keep fighting. There is

no other option...'

The dark presence, before it became Calhoun

Demonfire -whom Volcan himself was yet to even lay eyes upon; its words still

haunted him. It knew of Volcan's wants and desires; it knew what he wanted,

what he wished. If he let Obsidian get too close to him, Calhoun would never

stop targeting her... even now she was at risk, and the only thing Volcan could

think of to keep her safe was to keep her far away from him, so that if Calhoun

ever showed up to attack Volcan, she would not be caught in the crossfire.

'I have to put

an end to Calhoun, for the sake of everyone -not the least of which being those

I love,' he

thought with determination as he looked up towards the mid-morning sky. 'I will never rest until I destroy him, once

and for all.' "Calhoun," he said, darkly. "My battle with you is far from over." He would find his

strength again, and he would be ready when the time came for him to face his

darkness again.

And he would be victorious.

~~~~~

            After the rendezvous with Pavan and

Tsume, Vinge and Buniq headed up to the park with them in tow. They were met

halfway by Obsidian, who had free access to the park thanks to her police

clearance, while the others stealthily snuck in; Buniq jumped into the trees

and swung among the branches while Pavan and Vinge flew overhead, and Tsume

tunneled her way through the grass.

            They met in the shadow of the trees,

not far from a large gazebo in the main clearing of the park where the trails

could be found. As they met up, Pavan quickly took notice of the strange

body-suit Buniq was wearing. The outfit was black, sleeveless and form-fitting,

covering her from the collar down to the ankles, no signs of tearing or obvious

strain on the fabric.

            "Buniq; where'd you get that suit?"

Pavan asked, curiously.

            "I can answer that," offered Tsume.

"When I took Buniq with me to meet up with Rikyuu and his crew, I introduced

her to Ayane as well, who offered to make Buniq a suit that would stretch

around her body when she transformed. That way, she doesn't have her clothes

exploding off of her whenever she changes -that could make life quite expensive

for a person; believe you me."

            "Amen to that," agreed Pavan. "Price

of clothing is ridiculous."

            "Cut the chatter you two," said

Vinge. "We're here on a mission, remember; it's time we get to work." He turned

to face Obsidian. "Where was Scarlet taken?"

            "Over there," the dragoness replied,

turning and pointing through the trees. "The parking area has a trail that

leads directly to it; they were caught there when they tried to get back to

their car. According to Kim, the attacker grabbed Scarlet from out of the

trees."

            "Then that's where we look," said

Vinge, looking at Buniq. "You're up."

            "On my way," she returned before she

dropped to all fours and padded off into the trees, moving with surprising

silence as the huge, muscular werecat weaved her way between the trees and

reached the footpath, sniffing the ground and following the scent towards the

parking area, before stopping, and then jumping into a tree, disappearing from

sight.

            The group waited for a moment as

Buniq sought out a trail to follow, but for several moments there was not a

sound from the werecat, until they heard a nearby tree groan and looked up to

see Buniq standing on a limb, smelling the trunk; were it not for the branch

she was on protesting against her weight, they would have never sensed her

presence. Pavan, becoming increasingly annoyed by having to stand around for

several moments, nearly jumped a foot in the air when they heard Buniq, staring

up at her in amazement.

            "How can someone so big move so

quietly?" Pavan whispered.

            "She's a huntress, Pavan; silence is

key to catching her prey," replied Tsume.

            "Glad I'm not the one she's looking

for; I'd never hear her coming."

            Buniq glanced down at the group. "I

have the scent," she growled. "There has been a snake in these trees; a male,

moving between them. Some bark is stripped away from these trunks -he's using

his tail to navigate through them."

            "Very resourceful," said Vinge.

            "It explains why the tracking dogs

couldn't find him then," said Obsidian. "Feral dogs can't climb trees, and so

couldn't follow the scent even if they did detect it."

            "Well, his luck's just run out,"

said Pavan. "We're on his tail now!"

            "Really, Pavan?" Tsume asked,

slapping her forehead and shaking her head.

            "Stick close to Buniq," Vinge said.

"Pavan, with me; we're going into the air. Tsume, underground; you detect any

movement, check it out, and let us know what you find. Obsidian, you follow

Buniq -don't lose sight of her."

            Obsidian nodded in confirmation, and

broke into a run as the others departed; Tsume sank into the ground, vanishing

from sight minus a small lump that could be seen moving through the dirt. Pavan

and Vinge opened their wings and took flight, passing through the canopy above

and flying over the treeline, while Buniq continued leaping from one tree to

the next, tracking the scent while Obsidian used her powers to levitate

herself, carrying herself through the air after Buniq; much faster and less

taxing on the body than simply running, and she would need to conserve her

energy if the naga proved dangerous.

            Rushing through the trees, they

followed the trail all the way to a forest clearing, but much to their dismay,

Buniq directed them back into the trees, following a fresher, stronger scent;

two scents in fact, one of which Vinge guessed probably belonged the Scarlet

-the vixen who had disappeared and been found earlier that day. After another

long sprint through the trees, they emerged into the open again, this time at

the foot of the mountains near the park, the small, lone-standing fragment of

the southern Rockies looming over them and bathing the area in shadow as the

sun was setting in the west.

            "Why are we back over here?" Pavan

asked as he and Vinge landed nearby. "Didn't we enter back that way?" He

gestured along the tree line to the right.

            Tsume popped out of the ground at

that moment, making Pavan jump slightly with a 'Blimey!' as she shot out like a

coiled spring and landed at his side. "I'd have to agree; we were here only ten

minutes ago."

            "Buniq?" Vinge asked.

            "The scent comes back out here," the

werecat replied, sniffing the ground some more and peering off towards the

nearby road. "He took the vixen woman over there, came back here, and then

stopped..." She sniffed again, pacing side to side somewhat as she followed the

scent another ten feet and then raised her head. "He headed that way."

            Vinge walked up to her side and

followed her gaze, and saw the expanse of Unity Falls, only a mile or so away

from their current position. His eyes quickly widened with realization as he

saw the city in the distance. "It looks like our culprit has gotten bolder," he

said. "He's heading for the city."

            "But why?" Tsume asked.

            "He's not satisfied just snatching

people in the park anymore," said Obsidian, her eyes narrowing with concern.

"Eventually people will just stop coming... he's not waiting for that; he's

going for them himself."

            "Oh that's not good," Pavan stated

the obvious.

            "Everyone, get back to town," said

Vinge. "Buniq, keep on that scent; Obsidian, stick with her. Pavan you're on

air cover, Tsume you need to go let Chief Vinson know what we've learned; he

needs to pull his officers back to the city immediately." He pulled out his

phone, and hit speed dial for a number on the phone's memory, bringing up

Volcan's name as it dialed...

            Volcan used his morphing polearm to

help balance himself as he climbed the hill, grunting with effort as he lifted

himself over a ledge and took a look around, gathering his bearings and turning

his gaze back towards town, seeing just how far he'd climbed already. "Sucks

not being able to fly," he complained to himself, shifting his wings slightly.

"Why can't the muscles heal faster?"

            At that moment, his cell phone rang.

Promptly he picked the phone from his pocket and held it to his ear after

hitting the talk button. "Yeah?"

            "Volcan,

we've got a problem," the voice of Vinge spoke into his ear.

            "What happened; did you find the

naga?" Volcan asked.

            "Worse,"

replied Vinge. "We picked up his

trail in the woods; he's heading for the city. Buniq and Obsidian are following

his trail now, but from what we've found so far this snake is quite cunning and

may prove tricky to find. I've sent Tsume to let Gregory know what's happening

while Obsidian, Buniq and Pavan are still lookilooking. You know Unity Falls

better than I do; is there anything else I should do?"

            Volcan's eyes narrowed as he peered towards the city, thinking

carefully before he responded again. "He's going to be looking for a place to

hide, especially once he knows someone's looking for him; call Brent and tell

him to look up addresses of decommissioned or abandoned structures close to his

travel path. Once you find it, try to box him in; we can't let him get loose

into a residential area."

            "Right;

on it. How goes your own search?"

            "I'm near the falls, but I haven't seen anything yet," replied Volcan.

"If you guys find the naga and he gets away, let me know; if I find his lair I

may be able to intercept him if he comes back this way."

            "Understood;

I'll keep you informed. Watch yourself, Volcan."

            "Don't worry about me," assured the

Fire Phoenix, before he bade good luck to Vinge and hung up the phone.

            With that, Volcan resumed his

journey, continuing his climb up the hill and reaching the small river from

which the waterfall had formed. Fed directly from a lake in valley within the

mountains, the ice-cold river water flowed swiftly past him, spewing out over

open air to crash into Unity Lake below. Remembering that the previous reported

attacks had started from around this area, he looked around for any sign of

caves or outcroppings that could be used as a hiding spot for a naga. However,

he found no such formations nearby, and decided he'd have to continue his

search across the river.

            With a leap, he went into a brief

glide and landed on the other side of the river, a safe distance from the bank

-falling into that stream would mean his instant death, and one that not even

he could resurrect from. His wings ached from the act of gliding, though not

nearly as much as when he'd last attempted to fly. With a grunt, he folded them

again and then proceeded onwards towards a dune.

            He had never come over this side of

the falls; by now he had probably already crossed over the U.S Border -probably

wouldn't be long before the border patrol flew overhead, so he had to make sure

he was out of sight or they would arrest him for illegally crossing the border,

so he had to move quickly.

            Volcan circled the dune, taking a

glance up at the sky as he thought he heard a helicopter, and barely saw ahead

of him in time to avoid falling into a hole in the ground. He froze, his foot

hovering over the opening, before pulling his leg back and placing it on the ledge

as he stared incredulously into the hole. "I almost walked right into that," he

mumbled, mentally kicking himself for not being more careful.

            His self-scorning was for naught,

though; the 'hole' was not actually a hole, but the entrance to a cave and not

a very deep one. Volcan hopped down from the ledge, landing half-crouchedand

staring down into the hole, humming curiously to himself. "A cave right on the

Canada/U.S border, eh?" He asked aloud with intrigue as he readied his morphing

polearm and slowly descended into the cave, minding his footing as he felt an

incline beneath his talons, and using one hand against the ceiling to help

steady himself.

            Volcan detected a smell as he

descended deeper; the smell of a snake, without a doubt -he did not even have

that keen a sense of smell and he could sense it with every breath he took.

With a grin, he believed that he had found the correct place. "Easier than I

thought it would be," he muttered as he found himself wandering into an open

cavern; the air was moist in here, and he could hear the rumble of the

waterfall close by. The cave he had found probably ran directly behind it, and

the entrance he had come through was merely a back door to the serpent's lair.

            "Well, at least I know where that

naga 'hangs his hat'," he remarked. "Now I can..."

            <Who's there?>

            Volcan froze as he felt what he

recognized to be a telepathic message directly to his brain, but the mental

voice he 'heard' did not sound like Obsidian's voice... and as he felt it, he

could feel other emotions touching his mind -fear, intrigue and caution alike.

He surveyed the cavern, eyes igniting with a bright yellow glow as he used his

infrared vision to search the cavern for any sign of life, wondering who that

telepathic voice belonged to. "Who's in here? Show yourself!" He called.

            <Are you here to hurt me?> The

voice asked.

            "Should I have a reason to?" Volcan

asked.

            There was a short pause, before the

voice replied again. <You are searching for the one attacking people at the

Anderson Nature Park.>

            "Are you reading my mind?!" Volcan

shouted, feeling suddenly invaded; in his irritation, he changed the form of

his morphing polearm -a glow from the head of the weapon illuminated the cavern

as the form of a Romanian halberd took shape, solidifying and gleaming with the

polish of freshly forged steel.

            <Please, do not be angry,> the

voice said, and Volcan could sense the fear from the telepath. <I... I mean

no harm, I promise.>

            "Then show yourself," said Volcan.

"I won't attack, as long as you don't give me a reason to do so."

            There was another pause, before he

heard the voice again. <You are truthful... very well; look directly ahead,

to that large boulder across from you.>

            Volcan followed the direction the

voice told him, and spotted a flicker of movement in front of the said boulder,

spotting something sweeping around behind it. He watched silently, trying to

ignite a fireball light up the room, but it was difficult; the air in this

cavern was damp and moist, making it hard for him to create and maintain a

flame. He was surprised as, suddenly, an oil lantern appeared in front of him,

held up by unseen forces. Warily, he took it in his hand, twisting the knob,

and lighting the flame, giving the room some light.

            Blinking away his infrared, he held

up the lantern as he saw a serpentine head rise up from behind the boulder. A

pale, white-scaled snake head, peeking over the top before rising up to

shoulder level as they peered down at Volcan with pink eyes -an Albino, he

realized. He didn't recognize the species of the serpent, but he quickly

realized the movement he'd seen at the start was their tail -a bipedal snake

anthro didn't have a tail that long. This being was definitely a Naga...

            "So, I found the right cave after

all," said Volcan.

            "I am not the naga you are looking

for," the snake-like being stated, with a very even-toned voice despite the

concern Volcan had sensed earlier.

            "And how can I know that?" Volcan

asked, matter-of-factly.

            "Well, for one," replied the naga

with a wry smirk as they placed their hands on top of the boulder and raised

themselves up, allowing Volcan to see more of them, including the rather

swelled chest...

            Volcan blushed brightly. "Oh..." he said.

"Well, that's a pretty good reason." 'Definitely

NOT the one I'm looking for.'

            The naga chuckled dryly before

lowering herself back down to lay against the boulder. "Thought it was easier

to show you than tell you," she stated.

            Volcan gave her a scowl. "You sure

it wasn't just to surprise me?"

            Her forked tongue flicked out as she

snickered. "Maybe a little," she replied. "But it seems the action of my other

has brought you to me."

            This grabbed Volcan's attention

quite well, his eyes widening in realization. "You know of the one I'm looking

for then?"

            "Yes," replied the naga female. "You

see, he is my brother."

            "Your brother?" Volcan echoed.

            "Yes," she replied, sadly.

            Volcan frowned. "I'm sorry for

accusing," he said. "I didn't even realize any nagas lived around here."

            "We have lived in these hills for a

few years now; often we find ourselves longing for companionship, but

opportunities were few since we lived in the wilderness, far from civilization

where people feared and rejected us." She sighed. "My brother, Rovdyr, did not

like this lifestyle, and felt it was our place to dominate the 'civilized'

people as we saw fit. Priding himself a hunter, against my wishes he began to

attack people hiking in this area, molesting them, humiliating them, and if

they resisted... even murdering them; he did not take kindly to anything less

than total submission..."

            "Why didn't you try to stop him? I

heard you in my head; you're clearly a Psionic life form," stated Volcan.

            "I am, yes," the naga replied. "But

in body my brother is much stronger than I. Rovdyr and I are just as powerful

as the other in Psychic abilities, but he is physically superior, honing his

might for years. Even if I could have stopped him, it was only recently I

learned of his transgressions, and by then he was leaving our lair," she

gestured with her hand to the cave around them, "to carry out his hunts in

the... 'Anderson Nature Park' you called it?"

            Volcan nodded. "So he went rogue,"

he said.

            The expression of the naga soured as

she laid her head down against the rock. "Yes... I should have tried to stop

him, but I knew I would be no match for him... I am not a warrior."

            "I'm sure you would have if you

could have," Volcan said to her in a comforting tone, eyeing her

sympathetically. "Once more I apologize for believing you were the rogue.

Perhaps we can start over?"

            She raised her head to look at him,

a weak smile crossing her face. "You... are not afraid of me?"

            "Why should I be?" Volcan asked.

            She recoiled at that question.

"Besides my brother's actions... there is also the reputation of my kind -the

very reason we hide... our swallowing living people for food, or being thieves

and manipulators... none of this concerns you?"

            "The actions of a few shouldn't be

the definition of a whole species," stated Volcan, transforming his halberd

back to staff form and setting it down, stepping forward towards the boulder.

"I'm willing to let you show you're not one of those. I also happen to know the

whole 'swallowing people alive' is just some internet bullshit by fearmongers

or vore fetishists." He shook his head and chuckled. "Looking at you from here,

I don't think you're big enough to swallow the skinniest of my friends, let

alone me."

            She did not look as amused as he'd

hoped she would by his jest...

            "Sorry; that didn't come out right,"

said Volcan, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "One foot is in my

mouth, the other one kicking me in the butt," he mumbled before clearing his

throat. "Let's try that one more time; my name is Volcan. What's yours?"

            She lowered herself down from the

boulder, vanishing from sight; at first Volcan thought maybe he'd offended her

too much with his failed jest and she was leaving, but after a short wait, she

revealed herself from behind the boulder, slithering up to Volcan slowly and

stopping to 'stand' before him. The naga woman was over twenty feet long, with

a rather lovely face and a shapely upper body -she really was quite beautiful,

the whiteness of her scales making her stand out even in the dim light of the

landing in Volcan's hand.

She raised herself up on her tail to make eye

contact, meeting his gaze, and bowed her head respectfully. "My name is

Kodaku," she said. "I am pleased to meet you."

            Volcan bowed his head back to her,

recognizing the Japanese name -and suddenly noticing the Norwegian-ish name she

had given for her brother, and wondered why there were two separate cultural

influences to their names if they were...

            "We only shared a mother," Kodaku

answered.

            Volcan frowned.

            "Forgive me; it's... kind of habitual.

When your thoughts are in motion like that, it's hard not to read them," she

said guiltily, blushing through her white scales as her tail curled up behind

her.

            Volcan looked at her for a moment

before sighing. "Just try to keep it under control; just feels a little...

invasive."

            "Understood," she promised.

            "Now," Volcan began. "I need to know

about your brother; he's hurting people, and my team and I have to stop him."

            Kodaku's expression turned to worry.

"I..." She hesitated. "I don't know if I can tell you... he's my only family;

without him, I have no one... I can't betray him."

            "Kodaku," Volcan said, plainly.

"Rovdyr has gone rogue, and he's going to keep hurting people unless someone

stops him." He looked her in the eye, his sharp blue gaze nearly piercing to

her very core as he stared into her pink eyes. "I know this is hard... but you

have to help me stop him before too many people suffer his wrath."

            "Are you going to kill him?" She

asked.

            "If he doesn't give us a reason to,

no, we won't," he promised. "I only take the lives of those too dangerous to

allow to live -so far, that has only happened once, but if your brother gives

up or we can detain him without any loss of life, I promise you he will not be

harmed. Maybe we can even get through to him, with your help, and he'll redeem

himself."

            She let out a long sigh, but didn't

lose the clear hesitation on her face. "Okay," she said, softly. "I'll tell you

everything I can..."

~~~~~

            "Okay,

so," Brent began as he spoke to Vinge through the phone once eveyone had

regrouped and gathered around following Buniq losing the scent once the chase

led to paved roads. "According to the

direction of travel, that naga you guys are looking for will be in the Cameron

Hills Industrial park by now; most of the buildings there are still in

operation but there are four possible places he could hide. They're a little

spread apart though. I'm texting you the addresses now."

            "Thanks Brent."

            "Not

a problem. You guys be sure you call me if you need some firepower."

            "We will," promised the ice phoenix, before his phone let out two light

beeps into his ear. "I've got another call; we'll talk soon."

            "Okay;

later," said Brent.

            Vinge pulled the phone from his ear,

tapping a button and then bringing it back. "Yes?"

            "Vinge,

it's me; I've found the naga's old home," Volcan's voice reported through

the phone line. "He didn't live here

alone, either; he has a sister named Kodaku. She's cooperated with me in

everything I've asked from her."

            Vinge narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure she can be trusted?"

            "Normally

I might be skeptical... but I think we can believe her, yes."

            "Very well, let me put you on speaker," Vinge began, pulling the phone

away from his ear to tap another button, allowing the rest of the group to

listen in. "Okay, what has she told you?"

            "Her

brother's name is Rovdyr," explained Volcan. "He's large; more than twenty-five feet long, with light bluish scales,

a black toned pattern from the top of his head down his back all the way to the

end of his tail. He's a psionic being, just like we thought, and his species is

European Adder."

            "Uh... aren't Adders poisonous?" Pavan asked, worriedly.

            "Venomous, yes," Vinge corrected.

            The Wind Phoenix then tilted his

head. "So... if he's a viper, why does he detain his targets by constricting

them; shouldn't only 'constrictors' do that?"

            Tsume looked at him oddly.

"Obviously because he wants his victims alive when he catches them," she

stated. "Any snake can coil up and constrict; feral vipers too, but out of

instinct they rely on their venom. A naga, though, can do whatever it wants."

            "Would Kodaku be willing to give us

some her own venom, in case we need to make an antivenom?" Obsidian asked.

            "As

good an idea as that is, it won't work; Kodaku's not an adder," replied

Volcan. "She and Rovdyr only shared a

mother but they had separate fathers so Rovdyr's technically a hybrid. Kodaku's

a pure-blooded Sakishima Beauty."

            Pavan looked at the phone. "Beauty, eh? Sounds like you have a crush on

her, buddy."

            Vinge looked at Pavan. "A Sakishima

Beauty snake is a species indigenous to Japan; that is literally their name."

            "Oh..."

            "Back

to the matter at hand," Volcan carried on. "Him being a viper means Rovdyr can strike out like lightning, so keep

your distance -don't fight him up close or he'll be able to bite you in a

fraction of a second. European Adders are not a highly toxic species of snake

so you're not in danger of permanent harm, but if that venom gets into your

blood you'll be in for a world a pain and that'll make you easy pickings for

him. Do not confront him alone, and whatever you do don't turn your backs to

any shadows; he's an ambush predator."

            "Understood, Volcan; anything else?" Vinge asked.

            "Yes;

Kodaku asks a favor," said Volcan. "Try

to avoid killing him if you possibly can. We know he's dangerous but he's the

only family she has, and she hopes maybe somehow she can bring him back. For

all her cooperation, we at least owe it to her to give her that chance. But

make no mistake; if he's too dangerous to leave alone." He lowered his

voice slightly. "Do what you have to."

            Everyone shared a brief glance before Vinge turned to the phone again.

"We'll try. We'll contact you as soon as we learn anything else or if he gets

away. He may try to retreat back to where you are."

            "Already

thought of that; I'm going to stay here, just in case he does just that. I can

stall him long enough for you guys to get here."

            "We'll keep you informed," said Vinge. "Talk to you soon."

            With that, the ice phoenix hung up,

and turned to the others. "Alright; you all know the plan. Find Rovdyr, report

in, but stay close to each other; do not spread out too far. As Volcan said,

this naga is an ambush predator -if he gets the drop on any one of us, we're in

trouble."

            "If he comes after me, I can inform

you all with a telepathic message," said Obsidian. "I can safely go alone."

            "Obsidian, none of us should go

alone on this," stated Tsume.

            "We need to cover as much ground as

possible," stated Obsidian. "I won't stray far, but I'm the only one who can

communicate at long range without needing to use a phone; I doubt Rovdyr would

give me long enough to do that. Tsume and Buniq should stay together, but Pavan

and Vinge can both fly so they're safe and can respond quickly."

            "'Sid, haven't you ever watched a

horror movie?" Pavan asked. "The gal who strays off on her own is always the

first one who gets eviscerated."

            "Those 'gals' are designed to appear hopelessly stupid to

make the lead character appear to be the only smart one," Obsidian returned,

giving Pavan a stern look. "And none

of them are ever Class-7 Psionics."

            "What is a... horror movie?" Buniq,

who had reverted back to her anthro form while they were on the street, asked.

            Tsume chuckled at the question and

gave Buniq a wry look. "We totally need to have a girl's night in; I'll show

you some of lamest movies out there."

            "Obsidian raises a good point," said

Vinge, keeping the subject on their current priority. "She isn't without

defense even if Rovdyr gets the drop on her, and any one of us can reach her in

less than a minute to assist." He looks at Obsidian and nods. "Okay, but watch

yourself."

            She smiled confidently. "I'm a cop,

Vinge; that's practically rule one."

            He nodded back to her. "Okay; ground

team will check the addresses Brent gave us, right here." He held out his

phone, showing a text with a list of addresses. "If Rovdyr is in one of them

and tries to make a break for it, Pavan and I will intercept him but it will be

up to you to notify us if you see him. Now, let's go!" He spread his wings and

turned, getting a running start before taking to the air, followed shortly by

Pavan."

            "Let's go, Buniq," said Tsume,

before she sprinted off up the street, followed shortly by the mountain lioness.

            With that, Obsidian headed the other

way, remembering the addresses and thinking of two that were close to her

direction of travel. She kept her pace to a brisk walk, so as not to appear

suspicious, and followed the sidewalk to the first of the buildings.

Fortunately, traffic was light; there weren't many around Rovdyr could prey

upon if he were there. It was a Sunday and most of the factories and offices

were closed with the only traffic being truck driver's passing through the

area.

            She reached first address; a large

building with a small parking lot full of cargo trailers that were left behind

when the place had closed. The tires had been stripped from the trailers and

the wheel wells were rusted beyond use, while the trailers themselves were

battered from vandalism and bad weather, their frames dented and full of holes.

She looked at the building, and then at the trailers, deciding they were worth

a look as well.

            Levitating herself over the fence,

she drew her Glock from the holster on her hip, approaching the first trailer

slowly and checking the door. It was still locked; there was no way Rovdyr

could lock it from inside without a visual on the bolt, so she passed that one,

finding the second of the trailers open. She stood before it, positioning

herself just right to have a steady shot as she telekinetically opened the

door, exposing the inside...

            Empty.

            She let out a sigh, and moved on to

the next; three trailers later, she had been through them all, and found each

one to be the same. It was then she turned her attention to the main building,

checking the entrances and testing each one, even levitating herself up to the

top of the building to look through the skylight. Every door she checked lacked

any sign of forced entry, and they were all still locked. She passed a

'property for sale' sign that had clearly been there a long time on her way

out, floating over the fence and mentally checking off the property in her

mind.

            "Nothing here; onto the next," she

said.

            Two blocks later, she came to the

second location; an old heavy equipment site, with its own on-site garage and

attached office. Unlike the first building, this one was condemned; it had been

a victim of a one in a million circumstance -the building had been struck by a

meteorite a year before, hitting the primary supports of the garage, collapsing

half of it, and killing several workers. A risk assessment of the building had

declared it unsafe and the company who owned it abandoned it, but the land was

still for sale -though why the structure had not yet been demolished, she

couldn't say.

            "Well, as good a place to hide as

any," she said, although was iffy about entering the structure; even if Rovdyr

wasn't in there, it was dangerous.

            Floating over the fence, she

levitated herself over to the office, peering through the glass door before

testing it; still locked, no sign of recent entry, and so continued on her

circle of the building, checking every door.

            As she passed by one of the garage

entrances, something caught her eye. The door next to her was damaged; the knob

had been torn out, and the lock removed. A little tug on the empty place where

the knob used to be opened the door. She looked at the gravel beneath her

shoes, seeing a distinctive drag mark in the sandy ground. The evidence was strong,

and she once more drew her gun as she pulled the door open, gripping it with

both hands before she stepped inside.

            The dimly lit room was eerily quiet

as she stepped inside. She surveyed the room carefully with her eyes, searching

every corner before she ventured too far into the garage. She looked up, seeing

the damage left by the meteorite that had led to the condemnation of the

building; she cringed as she imagined what it would have been like to be inside

the structure when it happened...

            But she saw no one anywhere in the

room, and no sign of living. Turning her gaze to the office access, she

approached; this door's lock was broken, but not forcibly -general wear and

tear, probably from before the structure was deserted. Still, it was the only place

she hadn't looked yet, and so she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

            She had failed to notice the

movement in the rafters of the garage...

Left open and bare without desks, furniture or

counters, the office was just one big room with a supporting pillar in the

center. The cheap carpeting had been left behind, leaving her footsteps silent

as she stepped through; every creak and groan of the old building made her

jump, sounding much louder without any other sound to be heard. There were no

other doors other than the washroom access that she could see; it was all one

room.

Just as she was about to give up, she heard tires

screeching outside; she jumped slightly, before running over to the window to

peer outside in time to see a large pickup speeding down the road past the

building, with a sports car hot on its tail, flying towards the end of the

roadway before making a sharp turn.

Obsidian scowled. "Street racers," she said with

disgust before stepping back from the window. She was about to decide this

place wasn't the right place either when something in the glass caught her

attention...

There was something curling around in front of her

legs...

Reacting purely on instinct, she sprang to the side,

but it was too late; a loop had already formed around her legs and she was

yanked out of midair, brought harshly down to the floor with such force it

disoriented her briefly, and she barely felt more of the length looping around

her legs until they were practically encased. By the time she regained her thoughts

she was pulled off of the floor, clawing at the carpet for her dropped pistol

but failing to retrieve it, and felt another coil around her stomach.

She resisted the urge to pull it off and kept her

arms raised as a fifth loop formed across her chest, gritting her teeth as she

felt a harsh pressure on her ribs, and gasping in shock as the tip of the tail

looped around her throat; she grabbed at the tail, trying to pull it free as

she was slowly turned around to face her assailant. The huge, snake-like being

currently binding her was just as Volcan had described -a large naga with a

light and dark splash of coloration, with light blue scales as the dominant but

black scales forming jagged patterns from the top of his head to the end of the

tail currently wrapped around her throat. A pair of hungry yellow eyes stared

at her, with a wicked smile curling across the features of the snake.

(Play 'Dark Music-Twisted'

By Adrian von Ziegler)

"Well this is a welcome surprise," said the naga,

chuckling wickedly. "My first night in the city, and my first prey came to me."

Obsidian said nothing; if she breathed a word, she

knew she'd give away the whole plan. Forcing herself to focus, she sent out a

telepathic message, seeking the brainwaves of her friends even as the

constricting coils compressed her body...

<Everyone;

can you hear me?!>

Obsidian's telepathic voice in his mind caused

Vinge's balance to falter somewhat as he and Pavan glided down towards a

building; he noticed Pavan looking around in confusion, evidently having

received the same message, and they quickly landed to focus on responding to

Obsidian.

'Obsidian; are

you alright?' Vinge asked.

<I found

Rovdyr; he jumped me at the heavy equipment office on 25th

street!> She exclaimed.

'Hang on 'Sid;

we're coming!' Tsume's voice was heard on the telepathic link.

Vinge turned to Pavan hurriedly. "You can get there

fastest; go!" He commanded.

"Consider me..." Pavan began as he waved his arms

around to stir the wind around him. "GONE!"

He bellowed before he raced off at breakneck speeds, a wind tunnel forming

around him as he soared through the air.

Vinge followed suite, getting a running start before

he ascended into the air, hoping that Pavan wouldn't be too late. 'Hold on Obsidian; Pavan will be there in

twelve seconds!'

Obsidian could feel a pressure in her brain as well

as her body as Rovdyr tightened his coils around her while attempting to probe

her mind with his telepathy. "Strange," he hissed as he looked at Obsidian

curiously. "I'm having trouble getting into your mind... could you actually be

resisting me?" He asked. "Or... could you also

be a Psionic?"

Obsidian gave him a cocky grin. "The latter," she

said. "We've been looking for you all day, so thanks for saving me the trouble

of running across the city."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Who is 'we'?" He

asked.

Almost as if on cue, the glass of the window

spider-webbed as something struck it -a stone, flying through the glass and

creating an opening before a powerful vacuum force ripped away the cracked window,

making Rovdyr flinch and brace himself as he was nearly pulled out by the

vacuum as well.

"Oh snakey

snake!" A singsong voice chimed from outside, before a brown blur raced

towards the open window "The British are

coming the British are coming!"

And so Pavan landed the first blow, foot leading as

he kicked Rovdyr square in the face whilst he came flying through the window;

stars exploded across Rovdyr's vision as a triumphant. "BOOM SHAKA LAKA!"

filled the room, losing his grip on Obsidian and sending her whirling to the

floor as his tail unravelled from her; he was sent flying across the room,

colliding with the supporting pillar at the center and lay there, dazed, as he

tried to recover and fathom what had just happened.

Obsidian coughed as she fought to regain her breath,

most of the air in her lungs having been forced out by Rovdyr and the rest

leaving when she had gone whirling to the floor. Pavan quickly appeared at her

side and helped her up, looking at her with concern. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," replied between breaths. When she had enough

air to think clearly again she looked at Pavan oddly. "'The British are

coming'?" She asked with a wry smile.

"Hey I'm half British,

aren't I?" He asked.

"Yeah but I always pictured someone else yelling that while a British guy

was chasing them," she returned.

"Meh; it still works," replied Pavan.

An angry hiss filled the room as Rovdyr pushed

himself up on his hands, drawing the attention of the two back to him. The naga

'stood' up on his tail, shaking his head to clear it before glaring at Pavan,

the slit-pupils of his eyes narrowing to the thinness of paper as he fixed the

Wind Phoenix with a vengeful look. "You will regret that deeply, boy!" He spat.

"Oh yeah?" Pavan asked as he grasped the sword on

his hip and pulled it free of his scabbard, followed shortly by his whip,

uncurling it from around his shoulders and taking a stance, waggling his sword

tauntingly at the naga. "You can try, you tosh scale-belly." He then glanced at

Obsidian. "No offense, 'luv."

"None taken," she replied. <Okay, listen up; I can shield you from his telepathy but you need to

watch out for the rest; remember what Vinge warned us about.>

'I remember,' he replied in thought.

<Are you

fast enough to dodge a striking viper though?>

'I guess we'll

find out!'

(Play 'Sinner' by Drowning

Pool)

Pavan leapt forward, standing between Rovdyr and

Obsidian to let her focus as she cast a telepathic barrier around his mind,

while she stood by and was ready to assist when she could. Rovdyr bared his

fangs at Pavan as the two circled each other, with Pavan staying aware of where

Rovdyr's tail was at all times, watching how he moved. He felt a throb in his

head, and then saw Rovdyr glare at Obsidian; he was aware she was protecting

him, and would probably try and make a move for her if Pavan didn't interfere.

He lashed out with his whip, the leathery weapon

snapping in Rovdyr's path as he prepared to go after Obsidian. "Eyes forward,

mate!" Pavan taunted him. "Your dance is with this handsome bloke, not the

pretty lady."

Rovdyr hissed again. "When I am finished with you,

you'll be paint on the walls!" He bellowed before the veins around his eyes

throbbed and Pavan felt an unseen force send him flying into the wall behind him.

Pavan grunted as he hit with enough force to imbed

himself in the drywall, the softness of it breaking his impact with it. He

grunted, and looked in Obsidian's direction. 'I thought you were blocking his powers?' He asked.

<I said I

was blocking his telepathy; I can't

block his telekinesis!> She returned before she noticed her gun and

called it to her hand, catching it before she aimed and fired at Rovdyr,

illuminating the room briefly with the muzzle flash.

Rovdyr hissed in pain as the bullet grazed across

his back, turning to face Obsidian again. Curling his tail up behind him he

lashed out at her, fangs extending; she put up her hand before he struck out,

and Rovdyr was hit by a telekinetic blast that knocked him back halfway from

his target. He recovered quickly, swinging himself around on his hands and

swinging his tail at her. She ducked, dropping to a prone position as the tail

whooshed over her head, feeling the draft left by the massive sweeping

appendage, and blinking as it thundered against the wall to her left, bringing

down dust and loose, rotted roof tiles from the ceiling.

Pavan lunged forward again, his whip once more

cracking the air in front of Rovdyr's face, making him blink, and so Pavan

lunged a second time, spinning himself about an swinging his sword at the naga

-all this in the span of a two seconds, leaving the naga barely enough time to

get clear of the blade; he watched in shock as the powerful Khanda whizzed

across his vision, nicking the end of his snout with its rounded tip, leaving a

light graze over his nostrils.

Rovdyr sneered, and once more extended his fangs as

he struck out at Pavan; the Wind Phoenix jumped backward, seeing that big pink

maw in front of his face as Rovdyr tried to bite him, but his speed and

reflexes prevailed over that of the naga, avoiding the bite by centimeters and

thus saving himself from the venom. He swung at Rovdyr in retaliation but the

powerful muzzles of his tail had already yanked the naga back at a speed that

would leave anyone else suffering from whiplash, yet he was unfazed.

Rovdyr struck out several more times, each time

Pavan narrowly dodging until he managed to score a counterblow, bludgeoning

Rovdy across the face with the basket-hilt of his khanda and sending him

veering off course and failing to pull himself back, the naga crashing into the

wall in a mass of coils. Pavan wheeled himself about, and brought his khanda

down in a chopping motion to strike but Rovdyr blasted him with another

telekinetic blast the sent him flying back. Obsidian joined in next, picking up

Rovdyr with her own telekinesis and throwing him like a rag doll; he struck the

opposing wall harshly, but curled himself in a manner that cushioned his body

with the mass of muscles in his tail.

The naga leered at Obsidian, the veins around his

eyes pulsing again as she felt a powerful throb in her brain, and she knew he

was trying to attack her mind. She braced herself, her eyes narrowing as she

fought back against him, their minds colliding unseen as they battled for

telepathic supremacy. Rovdyr cringed as she retaliated, trying again only to

find his probe rejected by her mind; their consciences linked briefly, and

Obsidian could sense the naga knew he was outmatched...

Distracted by the telepathic battle, Rovdyr failed

to see the incoming attack; Pavan raced into his field of view, not being one

to hit people in the back, and danced through the air as he spin-slashed Rovdyr

across the chest. Hissing in pain as blood was drawn, the naga lost his

concentration, grabbing his head in agony, and Obsidian thrust her palms

forward as she directed a telekinetic bolt right at him, his chest and stomach

visibly caving to impact before he was sent flying across the room, once more

hitting a wall and leaving a deep impression of himself in it.

Rovdyr groaned, laying prone on the floor with his

entire body aching and burning from the battle; he was outmatched, equalled in

speed by Pavan and surpassed in psychic power by Obsidian, he had no way to win

this battle. Pavan and Obsidian regrouped, storming up to the naga; the

dragoness kept he gun fixed on the serpent while Pavan had his whip elevated

and ready to strike if he showed any further hostility, but his sword was still

in his other hand, showing he still intended to use it.

"Give up, snake," Obsidian snarled. "It's over."

Rovdyr's eyes opened as he glared at her. "The

hunter becomes the prey... this is most unfortunate."

"You're no hunter; just a filthy rapist," Obsidian

retorted. "Assaulting men and women on multiple accounts; you won't be seeing

the light of day or another unwilling companion for a long time, Rovdyr."

The naga's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

He asked, shocked. "I never told it to either of you."

"Oh, just your sister," replied Pavan.

"Pavan!" Obsidian scolded without taking her eyes

off of Rovdyr. "You're not supposed to tell him who gave him up!"

Pavan shrugged. "Hey, it's not like he can go after

her; we got him," he replied.

"Kodaku," the naga hissed. "My teeth to her neck...

damn her for betraying me!" He slammed his fist on the floor.

The sound of footsteps outside alerted the two to

the arrival of their friends; Obsidian kept her eyes on Rovdyr, while Pavan

turned to look, seeing Vinge stepping through the open window. "Hey; what took

you so long?"

"Did you get him?" Vinge asked, crossing the room

swiftly.

"Sure did; got him right here," replied Pavan,

turning back to Rovdyr again. "It was no problem at all." He turned back to

face Vinge again. "So what kept...?"

It was then Pavan saw the blade in Vinge's hand,

aimed right for Obsidian's back...

"'Sid, look out!" Pavan yelled, leaping into Vinge's

path and blocking the wakizashi with his khanda, sparks generated from the

sides as they scraped together. "Vinge, what the hell, man?!" He demanded as he

glared into Vinge's eyes. "She's on our side!"

"Yours, but not mine," the ice phoenix replied in a

voice not his own, until Pavan suddenly noticed something... off about Vinge's

face. The colour of his eyes, for one; they were not right -they had turned to

a solid violet, which now that he stood in the shadows, had a mild glow to

them.

"Hey, that..." Pavan began, but then had to dodge as

a second blade appeared in the other hand of the strange avian; he narrowly

dodged as the blade was swept towards his throat.

By now, Obsidian had looked back, just in time to

see Pavan avoid the attack, but her mistake proved to be the last as suddenly

Rovdyr spun up and punched her hard in the stomach. She exhaled sharply,

doubling over and clutching her stomach as he slipped away from her. With a

twirl, Rovdyr batted her with his tail, sending her tumbling over the rough

carpet, while Pavan was still occupied by the seemingly turncoat Vinge standing

between them, carrying two wakizashi blades in each hand.

"Ah-hey, just a minute!" Pavan exclaimed, looking at

the swords and the ice phoenixes' eyes. "Oddly familiar; have we met before?"

"Yes, we have," replied the avian before a

diabolical grin crossed his features, his beak bending in a way it shouldn't

have been able to as he flashed a mouthful of oddly canine teeth. "I nearly

killed you last winter."

Pavan's eyes widened. "No way! You?!"

As if cued, the ice phoenix changed form, his body

morphing as though it were Play-Doh, altering its shape to a more vulpine like,

ears sprouting from the top of his head and everything, and a leather body suit

forming from the neck down to his knees all in a fraction of a second, leaving

Pavan to stare back at an all-too familiar face. "In the flesh."

"But I saw Vinge and Tsume kill you!" Pavan

exclaimed. "Took your damn head clean off; how the hell did you come back from

that?!"

"I would tell you, but I've got a schedule to

keep..." Kumori began.

"Pavan, Obsidian!" The voice of Vinge -the real Vinge, called from outside as a

shadow filled the window.

"And no time to waste!" Kumori added before

vanishing his blades; he turned to Rovdyr, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on,

big fella. Got someone you're going to want to meet."

"Not yet; I want this one," Rovdyr retorted, his

eyes on Obsidian.

But as he tried to approach, three large ice spikes

imbedded themselves into the floor in front of him, barring his way; Vinge was

already in the building, sword in hand and charging straight for them, and

Buniq was hot on his tail,

"You don't have time you fool; come on!" Kumori

shouted, seizing Rovdyr once more and pulling him towards the back wall, the

two of them seemingly melting into ink as they vanished into the wall.

The end of Rovdyr's tail was the last to go as Buniq

pounced, hitting nothing but wall and crashing through it to hit the support

beams beyond, stopped only by the metal exterior wall, groaning as she pulled

her head back out and shook the debris from atop her skull, dazed by her impact

with the aluminum siding which had dented outward from the impact.

Vinge cursed under his breath. "Too little too

late," he grumbled.

"Where the heck have you guys been?" Pavan asked.

"We were delayed," replied Vinge. "I saw Calhoun

flying over the city; seems he was just a distraction though, to keep me from

getting here in time. Buniq and Tsume were far away and Buniq had to slow down

for her."

"Where is Tsume anyway?" Pavan asked.

"Right here!"

They turned to look as the Earth Phoenix strode into

the building, stopping by the pillar to lean on it for suppert and wiping her

forehead. "Did we... get him?" She asked between breaths.

"No," replied Vinge as he went over to check

Obsidian. "He got away."

"How?" She asked.

"A certain blood-crazed foxy is back from the dead,"

replied Pavan, pointing at Vinge. "Came in here wearing frosty's skin and then

bailed out with him." Suddenly he gave Vinge a suspicious look. "Wait... how do

we know you're not still him?"

Vinge shot Pavan a sharp look, giving him a leer

that made Pavan flinch. "Whoa-okay, only Vinge can glare like that. It's him."

Tsume let out a long moan of disbelief. "He got

away?"

Obsidian let out a cough as Vinge helped her to her

feet, thanking him silently before she asked. "What do we do now; do we have

any way of going after him?" She asked.

Vinge shook his head, his disappointment clear. "No,

there isn't," he said. "Kumori Shadow-Stepped them out of here; it's impossible

to know where they'll reappear."

"So now what do we do?" Tsume asked.

Vinge sighed, exasperated. "There's nothing we can

do."

He hated saying

those words...

~~~~~

            "You've got to be shitting me,"

Volcan said into the phone as Vinge finished the explanation of the events that

day. "Kumori's back? How? I saw you and Tsume kill him for crying out loud!"

            "I

wish I knew how, Volcan, but somehow Kumori has risen from the dead, and used

his shapeshifting powers to blindside us," said Vinge. "The only explanation I can come up with is

that somehow he astral projected himself to a new body before I decapitated

him, though why he'd wait so long to return after that is beyond me."

            Volcan let out a long groan. "First

Assiminik, now Rovdry," he said, before calming down and thinking things over

for a moment. "This can only mean Calhoun is putting together a team. It seems

he's more like me than I cared to admit..."

            "I

know you probably don't want to hear this, Volcan... but he's still basically

you. When he was formed, he was mindless -unintelligent with no thought but

destruction. His brain formed from bonding with your own, twisted by the chaos

of his own soul and demented into a twisted perversion of yourself. Calhoun's

methods will be very much like yours -not the least of which forming a balanced

team, although with people like Kumori and Assiminik he'll have a much harder

time keeping order in the group."

            "Not really," replied Volcan. "He'll know exactly how to keep people

like that on his side."

            "What

makes you so sure?"

            "The same way I keep our team together; I know what everyone of us

wants, and why we do what we do," he replied. "We all fight to make our home

better, with the dreams of our futures being our motivation. In Calhoun's case,

his new crew all have dark desires they want satiated, and he'll take time to

learn them. Whether or not he'll be like me and live up to his promises, or be

the exact opposite, I can't say for sure; I've never broken a promise if I

could help it. If he can uphold the promises he makes to them..."

            "Then

they'll have no reason to turn on each other." Vinge finished.

            Volcan scowled. "You know, no one

likes having their sentences finished."

            "Sorry."

            Volcan shrugged it off, before

saying goodbye to the ice phoenix and hanging up the phone. He became suddenly

aware of a pair of eyes on him, and looked over his shoulder to the cave

entrance, where he saw Kodaku staring out at him hopefully. It hurt him to know

what he would have to say to her, and pocketed his phone as he approached her.

"Kodaku... I'm afraid I don't have good news."

            She let out a sigh as she turned

away from him, holding her arm with the hand of her opposite arm. "They... had

to kill him, didn't they?"

            "No," Volcan replied, drawing her

attention back to himself. "He was saved by a kitsune renegade called Kumori,

which means now he's in the company of some very dangerous people, one among

them who may turn him to his side." He frowned. "I... don't know if that's any

better or worse than what we faced before. But he still lives."

            Kodaku turned to him fully, the

sadness on her face making his heart ache. "What are you going to do?"

            Volcan sighed. "We have to do what

we have to do," he replied, stepping closer to her and placing his hands on her

shoulders. "But if there's any way I can save your brother -any way I can bring

him back to you, I promise, I'll do whatever I can to find it."

            She smiled weakly at him, but then

her gaze fell. "Until then, though... I am all alone," she said. "Rovdyr was my

only family; my parents and other kin have been gone for decades. I have

nowhere to go now."

            Volcan smiled. "It doesn't have to

be that way," he said, once more earning a curious glance from Kodaku. "My team

and I, we're building something -a base, a safe haven for all of us. It won't

exactly be a five-star hotel, but it'll be somewhere warm to sleep, and

somewhere you'll be close to friends. I imagine Buniq doesn't want to live

alone any more than you do, and there's room on my team for another member."

            "But your team... are you sure

they'll ever trust me?" Kodaku asked. "My brother's turned to evil now; can his

own kin ever be depended on?"

            "Kodaku, if there's one thing I

know, being related by blood doesn't mean a thing to the person you are,"

replied Volcan, before adding with a chuckle. "I've got a brother who's

reckless, foolhardy and sometimes a bigger pain in the neck than he's worth but

he always comes through in the end. But he and I aren't defined by one another;

we're our own person, and so are you."

            Her gaze met his for a moment,

staring into his sky blue eyes which, despite their natural furrow, just seemed

so pure and full of warmth. She felt that warmth, not just that which radiated

from his body, but in her heart. So many people had seen her, many looking upon

her with terror, but this man looked at her as though she were just like him,

and was even offering her a new place to call home, without any second thought.

            Without another word, she slid

closer to him and hugged him tightly around his waist, rubbing her head against

his chest. He looked at her wordlessly for a moment before putting his own arms

around her, embracing her tightly. He felt a sizzle on his chest, and knew she

was crying, but he said nothing about it. He felt her tail curling up behind

him, pushing against his back to push him closer; he responded in kind by

wrapping his wings around her, giving her a blanket of warmth and soft

feathers.

            She let out a content sigh; she felt

so safe in his arms, basking in his warmth and the comfort of his embrace. It

was difficult for her to pull away from him, but eventually they had to, and

she looked at him pleadingly. "Can you stay here with me tonight?" She asked.

            Volcan smiled and nodded. "Sure," he

replied.

            With that, he walked at her side,

descending into the shadowy gloom of the cave. Kodaku's mind was in turmoil,

wondering what would eventually become of her brother, but for the moment, she

was glad to have someone there to act as a pillar of strength for her. Volcan's

heart was as warm as the feathers covering his body, and with him lying at her

side as they slept through to the dawn, her rest was pleasant and long.

Despite losing her brother to the darkness of his

own heart, her own was mended by her newfound friend, and her adventures with

the Os-Nàdarra were only just beginning...