HSS INTERDICTOR

Chapter 1

Throughout the years, the sky, the stars and the vast universe beyond have always been a topic of profound interest and speculation; Today, however, everybody was worrying less and less about life forms beyond the stars and more on whether if these life forms will help or doom us all.

Palato, the closest out of two suns was up and high, shinning it's bright light on the mass of Hundwickeans who came to watch and witness the impossible happen a second time; The launch of a massive vessel capable of flying higher than any living being could, reaching and navigating the stars with the same ease a ship could navigate an ocean. It’s construction having taken longer than anything ever before, taking years, lives and a great sum of money to build. They all were going to witness it fly just as they witnessed another one land years ago.

“Citizens of Greatwood!” howled Durwall with a voice that exhaled an air of old wisdom. The emperor of Greatwood wasn't particularly old, in fact, this was the youngest emperor the kingdom ever had.

“Over a decade ago we received the most unexpected visitors, humans faring from a far away planet called earth. Although their technological advances were intimidating at first, we learned of their honest and noblest intentions; To join in a jolly cooperation with us, humble Hundwickeans mesmerised by their kindness towards us.”

An increasingly chatter among the multitude of bipedal canines watching the speech wasn't loud enough to contain a few boos from the most restless of them.

The adaptive microphone used by Durwall, a canine with brown fur and a grey muzzle and a magnificent grey beard, registered the loud chatter and increased its own volume, making Durwall’s voice harder and harder to conceal behind displeased grunts and insults uttered by the mass.

“Over the last few years, they helped us build the most advanced piece of technology ever to touch our paws and which will allow us to reach the stars and earn a place among humanity and all the other species who conquered the feat of space travel. The Hundwickean Star Ship Interdictor!”

He opened his arms in a wide and exaggerated motion, almost hiting around hound that was stationed by his side, signaling a massive construction behind him, floating over the Limalto river; a white and red starship, with a sleek design and a shiny metallic paint, that highlighted it's most beautiful details. It was almost as big as their biggest buildings, boasting engines bigger than three stories houses and making everyone guess just how big it was on the inside and how could something so massive be kept afloat, without touching the river's waters.

The crowd didn't react as Durwall expected; He thought that being the one in charge when the humans made contact would have everyone meet him with praises and recognition, averting the attack everyone were sure that would come with the humans and ensuring everlasting cooperation between species. Instead, the reaction Durwall received was one of discontent and unamused citizens, who wasted no time showing their lack of support and faith in the inter-species cooperation.

“To hell with that! We don't want the humans here!” snarled a commoner Hundwickean in he crowd, clad in rather simple garments that showcased his humble origins and lack of personal wealth.

As if in unison, various others stepped forward and voiced up their distrust of the humans. At first only some voiced their opinions, the ones judged by most to be simpletons, not seeing all the potential behind the human cooperative, but soon louder voices joined the opposition chorus; powerful and wealthy industrialists, lords and big players in the Greatwoodian economy were also wanting the humans gone.

“but, but…” Durwall was baffled as to how the citizens of Greatwood could not understand all the advantages and benefits of the cooperative. He looked around seeking for help, in a quick motion that messed his parted hair. While looking for words to better explain the whole thing, three human guards standing ready beside him propped up their futuristic firearms that the Hundwickeans assumed was a more powerful -and menacing- version of their familiar muskets.

As the initial revolter kept on his rebelious tantrum, one of the human guards stepped down from the cargo loading platform that today served the function of helping the emperor deliver his speech, and began to move towards the simpleton bipedal hound.

“sir, I'm gonna ask you to stop, you're causing a uproar.” said the human guard, slowly reaching out and resting his hands on the Hound's shoulder, with a sympathetic tone.

The Hound's eye began to fill with rage, and before the human guard could notice, a clenched fist came in his face’s direction, hitting him square and making him drop the sidearm he had in his hands.

“Don't touch me, yer bleedin’ twat!” said the Hound, loudly, after punching the human guard and taking his weapon.

As he pointed the sidearm, which resembled a pistol with a big attachment under its barrel, towards the emperor, all the humans guards pointed their guns at him. He paid them no mind though, as if he weren't even there, or as if their weapons couldn't harm him, even though they were above a platform and he was bellow all three of them, he still looked down upon them, denying their power.

“A Hound who sides with these fuckers is no emperor of mine.” He said, valiantly. All the other Hounds around him suddenly felt inspired by his words and produced all sorts of weaponry they could get their paws at. Some picked up stones from the ground, others picked up bottles and the most inventive ones even managed to get steel pipes and pitchforks to add some diversity to the mob.

“Put that down, Pyetel!” howled a deep voice in a commanding tone, which shocked some of the folks which weren't all that committed to the anti human cause, but the Hound brandishing the futuristic pistol didn't waver and kept pointing at he emperor, he only directed his gaze slightly towards the owner of the husky voice and replied with a frown and showing some teeth.

“Even you have sided with them, Admiral?” Pyetel managed to say that with such a disdain that no one in their right mind would say to Admantel, the Admiral of the Hundwickean navy. “Have you grown tired of opposing these humans and decided to join them? You're all a menace to this empire!”

At the right side of the Emperor was Admantel, a young Hound with a tired appearance that added several years to his muzzle didn't flinch at the comment, he only lifted his head slightly from his musket’s sight and glared at Pyetel with a piercing look.

“We seem to disagree on who is the real menace here. Drop that weapon and step back right now and maybe you don't get charged with treason against the crown, mate.” said Admantel, slowly but firmly, punctuating some words for effect and making the crowd behind Pyetel lose spirit, he then laid his head back against his shoulder and aimed Pyetel down the sights of his musket, which was raised before the human guards had even raised theirs.

“Treason against the crown?!” Pyetel shouted and walked forward, making the crowd regain their courage slightly, but enough to keep their weapons raised against the emperor.

The human guards began a chatter among themselves as Pyetel kept urging the crowd against the emperor and Admantel tried to dissuade the rioters before the situation escalated further.

“Can't we just pacify him? I mean--” one of the human solders began, but was interrupted after the suggestion.

“No. We are not to engage them, that were the orders.” Said the shortest of the humans, who was the small group's leader.

“But the emperor is being threatened, wasn't that an exception?” Said a third human in a very slow and doubtful tone, the word emperor sounding alien in her mouth.

“None of them are attacking yet. So hold your horses.” said the leader, in a dismissive way that wasn't authoritative enough to fend off further questioning.

“They'll disperse if we pacify that one dog there.” said the first human guard, repeating himself.

“He is threatening the emperor, after all.” repeated the third guard as well, awaiting further orders from their leader.

“I said, no shooting,” their leader failed at convincing them to give up, but he keep going on, “the less we meddle in their affairs, the better for-”

A loud noise interrupted him, everyone held their breath and time stopped for a brief moment where everyone tried to understand what was happening around them. Right after that, another loud noise and this time, everyone knew precisely what happened, one of the human guards shoot Pyetel, who had just given a warning shoot and soon, chaos broke loose.

The human guards were deploying big riot shields with an inertia shield that slowed projectiles and conventional bullets that were being used by the Hundwickeans, that produced revolvers and muskets and began firing against the humans.

Durwall was paralysed, unable to move and unsure of what to do, until one of the various bullets being shoot deflected on the riot shield and hit him on the side, making him fall on the floor, letting out an agonyzing whimper of pain.

Admantel instantly recognized the voice and ran to his aid.

“Father!? Father, can you hear me?”

Durwall didn't answer, he didn't even listen. His whole mind busy, trying to rationalise the pain and reassure itself that everything would be alright.

Admantel looked around, trying to look for help, but finding no one other than the human guards, who were, once again, discussing among themselves on what to do, but showing strong signs of wanting to retreat.

Admantel grunted in disgust, but no matter how much he hated the thought of asking them for help, he did it.

“Hey you! My father needs medical aid. The emperor has been shoot.”

The humans, however, didn't seem to notice the canideos kneeled besides his father, and began to retreat.

“But Grant is still there!” insisted one of them.

“Orders are orders, we need to retreat and evacuate now”. Said the leader, only now having his commands acknowledged by his companions.

As they began to retreat, still with their shield up, Admantel rose and barked orders to them.

“Hey!! Where are you going? My father has been shoot and need- gaak!”

Admantel had little time to process the shocking pain and the feeling of a projectile connecting with his head, blurring his vision with his own blood and making him increasingly dizzy. He only had strength to reach out for his father father one last time before he collapsed and everything went dark, all the commotion around him sounded muffled and eventually all sounds subsided as well. Admantel tried to tighten his grasp on his father's hand, but his limbs began to feel numb and give in too, breathing became harder, but before he could choke, his consciousness faded and a pleasant dream of him with his family in the imperial manor began to take place.

Chapter 2

Loud noises that sounded low, whimpers and cries that sounded like flies buzzing, muffled conversations growing louder.

Admantel woke up, still dizzy and groggy, unable to make out where he was or who was In front of him. He blinked several times before everything got into focus and noticed that the muffled conversation was now directed at him.

“He's waking up, doctor, he's waking up” said excitedly a familiar voice, which brought some newfound energy to Admantel, who recognized Eadval, one of the royal councilors, actually, the only councilor who remained loyal to the emperor after his decision to support the human cooperative.

“Give him some space, let me check him.” Said a completely unfamiliar voice, which alarmed Admantel, who looked at its owner and sprang up to a sitting position from shock.

A young woman approached him, a human with a pale brown skin and a curly hair tied on a ponytail due to its messiness. Her face was round but she was very thin, having only a large nose and full lips to contrast her lack of body fat. She was wearing a white coat with a blue collar and some other details In blue that denoted her role as a medical doctor, along with a few discolored blotches which could be both coffee or blood as far as anyone could tell.

“Bwah! Eadval, where is my father?” Said Admantel, startled by the human woman but deciding to ignore her after the scare.

“Sir, you have been shoot, I need to do more examinations on you.” Said the doctor, approaching her hand towards Admantel, who brushed her hand aside with his arm in a rude way and repeated his question to Eadval.

“Eadval, where is the emperor?” He said, more forcefully now.

Eadval, who had been awfully quiet after Admantel question, was struggling to find words to explain what had happened, which gave room for the human woman to keep trying to coerce Admantel into relaxing.

“Whoa, watch it” She said, backing away after having her hand brushed aside and tried to approach him again. “You're bleeding from your face! I'm only trying to help here.”

Admantel now only slightly paid attention to her, glancing at her quickly but returning his look to Eadval and demanding answers.

“Eadval! Where is--”

“Dead.” Said Eadval, interrupting Admantel and then feeling guilty about It, the recent events still weighing on him. “I'm sorry, my lord, the Emperor, your father, p-passed away.”

Admantel looked away, he wasn't expecting this to have happened, despite everything.

“what happened?” He asked, now looking back at Eadval with a frown.

“His wounds weren't that bad, but he lost a lot of blood.” began explaining the human doctor, which made Admantel look at her with an angry expression. She noticed It, but kept going on with her report, In the most professional way possible. “We tried our best to save him, but it was too late, had he been brought here earlier or if we had a blood supply, maybe we could have-”

“You couldn't do anything?” Admantel said, growling in a low voice, clearly holding back his most intense feelings.

“My father had no shortage of stories about your technological advances and yet, none of it helped save him.”

“We tried. The morphological differences between your species and ours is still highly-”

“Where's my mother?” Admantel said to Eadval, without letting the human doctor finish.

“The empress should still be in the imperial manor, sire, along with your sister.” Eadval answered and predicting what Admantel would do, he added; “I've already sent a messenger, so just lie down and rest, sire.”

Instead of appeasing Admantel, it just rose more questions, “They… Where are we? What is this place?” He inquired, looking around for the first time and squinted at the strange, unfamiliar place he was in; metallic walls, ceiling and floor and the complete absence of wooden structures was enough to tell him he wasn't anywhere near home, several beds aligned, small and shiny apparatus, monitors with displays that relayed detailed informations in a similar manner to a clipboard and the ominous presence of the human doctor made a case of telling Admantel he was in some sort of hospital or medical bay.

Eadval and the human doctor looked at each other and exchanged a mutual look of agreement.

“We are inside the Interdictor, it was the closest place we could treat you in.” said the human doctor, crossing her arms and straightening her back, expecting the canid to have a fit of some sort.

Admantel looked at her with wide eyes, surprised at first and then with disgust, grunting and getting out of bed in a rather awkward manner.

“Whoa…” Admantel laid back against the bed he was In for a moment, until Eadval came to his aid, he then leaned against Eadval, a much taller canine, with floppy ears and light brown fur with white spots all over, despite the soft tone he spoke in, he had a very grim look. Admantel kept grunting and trying to move towards the door, neither Eadval nor the human doctor tried to stop him physically, but they tried talking him out of It.

“Where do you think you're going? You're still bleeding from your head!” said the Doctor, not moving, just turning on the same place to keep facing the two canines.

“the imperial…” Admantel began saying, stopping to huff and catch his breath, “...manor. I have to… see if my mother and sister… are alright.” despite the extra effort he was doing to keep talking, he still managed to say it in a somewhat rude way towards her.

She looked at Eadval, who had an expression of worry and concern, and then she sighed, unfolding her arms, grabbing a bag of medicine and approaching Admantel.

“here, let me help you.” She approached him with a syringe, a phial and new bandages.

Admantel noticed her approaching and lifted his arm in a protective motion. “What? No, get that away from me.”

“I need to change your bandages!” She said, still approaching him “and you're too dizzy to go anywhere. You'll end up getting even more hurt.”

“No, I don't need your help.” Admantel said, still huffing heavily and trying harder to reach the door, clinging each time less and less on Eadval for support.

“Ed, can you hold him for me, please?” the human doctor said, in a tired tone, like someone who gives up arguing with child and decides to take more definitive action.

Admantel smiled and shook his head sideways, dismissing what the doctor just said and doubting Eadval would ever help her do anything, until he felt thick and furry arms grab him from behind, holding him in a lock and lifting him up gently.

“what? Eadval!!” Admantel howled in surprise, trying to shake him off, but only flailing harmlessly.

“Thank you, big guy” The human doctor said making Eadval smile in a shy way and face blushing red, visible even under his short layer of fur.

“Don't mention it” He answered, wagging his thin tail about and still holding Admantel, who kept kicking and verbally denying help from the doctor, who, after some effort and medical precision, managed to inject him with the contents of the phial and change the bandages on his wounds.

---

After the serum kicked in, Admantel yelped and shook his head as the chemicals sparked extra energy in him and filled him with strength that only days of rest could provide.

“Feeling better?” said the human doctor, approaching him carefully now and examining the canine from a safe distance.

Admantel never felt that kind of sensation before. Whatever she injected him with, it worked marvelously, even though he didn't feel like being thankful to the human. His politeness kicked up and he grunted in what could be described as a positive acknowledgement and got back up again.

His gaze searched the room, for whatever reason, It was clearer and brighter now. After searching more the room, his eyes met Eadval’s. The bigger canine had an apologetic expression, but Admantel paid him no mind, still sour over the recent change of heart.

After finding nothing else in the room to examine, he ran out of excuses not to look at the human direction and meet her gaze.

“is that a yes?” insisted the doctor, looking at Admantel with a piercing gaze that signaled she wouldn't settle for mumbles and grunts as answers.

“yes” replied Admantel, bluntly.

“okay then. So you're going to the Imperial manor, right?” She asked.

“yes.”

“All right then, I'm coming with you.” She announced in a proud way, directing herself to a bag and beginning to sort out various medical supplies into it.

“No. You are not.” said Admantel, in his deep authoritative tone.

“Oh yes, I am.” She said, only lifting her head and speaking a little louder, but still looking at her bag and her medical supplies. “Matwell sent a distress call, requesting support in his clinic down in Rawood. I am to take supplies there and help other peop- hounds who got caught in the rebellions.”

Admantel tried to remember who was Matwell, but failing at at it. He used to brag to himself on how he knew every hound in Rawood, one of the various districts, neighbourhoods and towns that decades, if not centuries, ago combined themselves into the massive city that is Greatwood, the largest in the former woodlands, that now had every time less and less trees and more and more buildings and factories.

“Who's that?” He asked, directing his gaze more at Eadval rather than the human doctor.

“Matwell? He is… or rather, was an apothecary, but he has since learned a great deal of advanced medicine and has been helping us understand the Hundwickean physiology.” She explained in unrequested detail.

Admantel looked briefly at her with a frown, he did not know about that. In fact, he has known very little of what has been happening in Greatwood lately. Ever since the humans arrived, he has focused almost entirely on disliking them and trying to gather evidence that they were up to no good in hopes that his father would finally send them away. Now with his father dead, his mother, the empress, would surely see things more like his way.

“Fine.” He said, dismissively, looking around for his weaponry, picking his muaket and revolver and holstering them. Then his sabre, a mostly ceremonional weapon, but Admantel always kept it sharp and ready for use. One thing he was sure of, was that despite their marvelous inventions, humans could bleed too.

Eadval approached him holding a red coat in his arms, offering it to Admantel.

“Ill stay here to take care of the injured.” he said, looking mostly at the human doctor's direction.

Admantel took the coat and grunted at Eadval. He put on the coat, threw the musket over his shoulder and began to walk to outside the room, without saying anything.

As soon as he stepped out of the medical room he realised he wasn't familiar with the Interdictor’s architecture, he knew not how to leave or where to go, he looked around, looking for clues and noticed the hallway extended to both sides, ending in big metallic doors with rectangular windows. He decided to head towards the shortest end of the hallway, and went left. Upon reaching the door, he examined it, trying to figure out how it worked; it had no visible handles or knobs, he tried forcefully pushing it but it didn't budge, he looked behind and the human doctor still hadn't showed up, then he began to paw over the whole extension of the door, eventually giving up on it and deciding to examine the window. It had a thick but clear glass, he could see the other side, which was another hallway, but much shorter and without a door at its end, instead leading to a much bigger room that he judged to be a main hall of some sort. He stepped back, trying to remember how the human machinactions worked and scratching his head while doing so.

“Press the open button on the panel to your right.” a voice behind him said, and he recognised it as the human doctor's. Without looking back at its owner, he looked at the panel, which possessed various columns of buttons which various labels, some had numbers, others just a few letters, and the biggest and topmost ones had full words, one of them was the open button and Admantel pressed it, causing the door to slide open, vanishing in an opening in the wall. He shook his head and crossed the doorway, still without looking back or thanking the doctor.

“You're welcome…” she said, acidily and followed him, fastening the bag around her shoulder and holding it close.

Once they reached the big room, Admantel looked around and saw doors at various places, annexed rooms and two big metallic objects. These, he remembered, where smaller vehicles capable of flight as well, shuttles was what the humans called them. He then remembered even more of his distant training in human technology, these shuttles where normally housed at the main ship's hangar bay, the exit to those where normally big doors used to launch the shuttles in outer space, but could be used by living beings if the ship was landed in a planet safely. So he directed himself towards the biggest door he could find and this time smartly looked around for a panel near the door, there was one and he grinned to himself, approaching it.

This small panel had just as many buttons as the other one, but lacked the open button, he examined it further and couldn't find any indication towards it's function, he tried pushing buttons at random and causing it to beep madly as he did.

He kept pressing buttons until the human doctor got close to him and held him by the wrist.

“it only opens with a code, this one.” she said, patiently, trying to hide a smirk.

Admantel pulled his arm away, shooting her off once again and stepping back, crossing his arms and looking at her with a frown. “very well”, he said, pointing the panel with his muzzle.

She approached it and typed a code Eadval had told her previously, a code Admantel should also know, but for whatever reason, he didn't bother to learn it.

As soon as she imputed the code, an alarm blared, flashing in red and making a loud, but deep noise. Admantel got alarmed by it, but only looked around, not showing his concern. The door then opened vertically, splitting into two halves, one folded upwards and out of view and the other downwards, creating a plataform where they could safely quit the ship.

Admantel stepped outside, his eyes shutting in protest against the bright sun that was shinning once again. He tried to keep walking forward, longing the darkness of the ship's interior while his eyes got used to the light.

The human doctor got out as well, walking down the platform and getting down on the harbor where the riot happened a day ago. There was still blood in the stone pavement and some broken props. She looked at the spot where Durwall delivered his speech and felt grim, she looked at Admantel and he was already walking away, towards the city.

“Aren't you the least sorry about your father?” she yelled at him, with an offended tone.

“My father…” Admantel began, but restrained himself and put a little bit more of thought into his words, “he was a foolish hound, this cooperation with your kind won't ever work, he should have seen it sooner and sent you on your way.”

“Your father was a visionary,” the doctor replied, with conviction, “he wanted only the best foe his people, and yet, everyone thinks he's some sort of traitor. We don't mean no harm, we only want to help.”

“We don't need your help.” Admantel repeated himself, punctuating his words, making himself clearer.

The human doctor only sighed and added “Your father will be deeply missed.” before speeding up her stride and heading deeper into the city.

Now far from the Interdictor and the river where it was floating above, the archaic architecture was more clear and evident to the doctor, she saw throughout her life various architectural styles, she never paid them much mind, but always tried to understand the mentality of the people who decided to build buildings in that specific way. The styles she formally knew as Gothic and Imperial were abundant in the buildings in Rawood, showing the technological advances weren't still using too much metal in their construction, except for the biggest ones, still relying on wood and bricks to build everything, unlike her home, built of advanced surfaces with thermal insulation and hard enough to comfortably hold several floors, despite it's mediocre thickness, the various doorways made of adaptive glass that changed colors and transparency with voice commands and solar panel that also condensated humidity to generate both power and water. She longed for being back home, in the familiar place where she spent most of her life, but she had to leave and the thought of what she might find if she where to come back frightened her. She'd have to make do with her current situation in this society that doesn't seems very accepting of her presence and what she represents.

“There he is!! Kill him!” someone screamed far away, and suddenly, various hounds appeared from alleys and buildings into the street and began to charge against Admantel.

His instincts kicked in and he drew his musket and aimed at them, managing to shoot down only one of them while the others kept rushing towards him.

“Watch out!” he yelled at the doctor as he drew his revolver, deciding not to risk reloading his musket while out into he open. He shot down one more hound, but missed the other, who managed to approach Admantel and tackled him.

Admantel dropped his revolver and fell back, with the other hound on top of him. He quickly recovered his poise and began to punch the other hound, who took a few punches before pinning Admantel’s arms to the ground. He lacked the same military training that the admiral had and noticed Admantel trying to roll to the side, reversing their positions. Before Admantel could notice, the hound lunged forward and savagely bit hjs arm, sinking his teeth and fangs deep into his skin, easily piercing his coat, his cotton shirt and the soft layer of fur. Admantel yelped loudly in pain and as he looked to the hound bitting his arm, he noticed another coming towards him, with a metal pipe in his hands.

“It's time you human pets die and leave the empire to someone who's not afraid to face them.” said the hound standing up, clearly the owner of the voice that incited the group in the beginning.

He moved closer, lifting his pipe and before he could swing it, a loud noise made his head explode in a bloody mess, that created a gaping hole through his skull, he fell to the ground almost instantly and dropping his pipe, which made a loud metallic noise, so high pitched that distracted both canines.

Admantel took opportunity of his assailants distraction and jerked his head forward, bitting the neck of the hound that was bitting him, his teeth cutting through veins and arteries and his molars crushing his trachea, making him yelp and release his bite on Admantel’s arm, pushing Admantel away with his arms, but miscalculating the strenght of his bite and ended up having his neck torn by Admantel’s teeth with the pull. Deep red blood pouring from his fatal wound as he stumbled back, also dribbling from his mouth and nostrils as he kept wheezing for air

“Gak, damned be you.” said Admantel, spitting the blood from his mouth and trying to stand up and look around. All the other hounds who previously composed the group had disbanded and ran away after the first few shoots, and the ones who hadn't, certainly did after their leader was killed by the human doctor, who was still holding Admantel’s revolver and moved towards the wounded hound.

He tried, uselessly to draw breath, but unaware that every time he tried to inhale air, his lungs filled with blood. He began pawing around himself, trying desperately with all his might to cling to life for as long as he could, until his wheezes died out and he stopped moving, his eyes gazing at some point in the vast orange-blue sky above them.

“The hell’s wrong with you?” Admantel yelled to the body, but got his answer from the doctor.

“He’s dead, Admantel. I think he was with--” She stopped on her tracks, her eyes turning instantly to the admiral’s wounded arm. “Oh no.”

She ran towards him, holstering his revolver in her belt and kneeling besides him, opening her bag of supplies and quickly picking a small first aid kit from it, systematically opening it’s contents and approaching a bottle-like recipient into Admantel’s arm.

“No, I said- aaaarrgg!!” Admantel began, but before he could push her away, she was already pouring some water-like transparent liquid onto his arm, but it began to bubble and fizzle madly when it got into contact with his wounds, also washing away some of the blood that was still oozing from his wound.

“If you really want to lose your arm to an infection, then I’ll gladly stop and save these for someone who needs it more than you.” She said, sharply, while rummaging her bag for bandages.

Admantel couldn’t find any other ways to be rude to her, especially since she was doing him a big favor, the last time he was bitten so hard, he indeed spent several days visiting an apothecary and going through much more unpleasant methods to heal, so he settled for only whincing every time she had to touch his wounded arm.

“I never saw a hound being so... “ she stopped to look for words while she grabbed a syringe and a phial, readying it to apply on his arm. “...wild. He could have chewed right through your arm if he had a little more time.”

Admantel remained quiet, it wasn’t uncommon for hounds to bite one another in combat if none had any sort of weaponry available. Suddenly, he frowned and looked at her, only now noticing how she avoided mentioning he also bit his assailant’s neck and outright killed him. He didn’t knew how to feel about that, but it made him thoughtful.

“I think that’s better now.” She said, giving his arm a last look and putting back her supplies in the bag, putting the used syringe in another separate pocket along with the now empty phial she injected him with. She then grabbed a transparent bottle with a clear liquid inside and offered it to him.

“What’s that?” He asked, not picking it up.

“Water. To wash off the blood from your mouth.” she answered, looking him straight in the eyes, trying not to look too much at his bloody muzzle.

“Huh…” He said, looking down at the water bottle and pondering for a while before picking it up. He began to wash the blood off his muzzle while he gave her some more thought. She has seen him being bitten, and she also saw him bite someone to death, and still, she was here, trying to help him. Instead of feeling thankful, he only felt like she had some other motives for helping him. “Why are you helping me, human?”

“Robin.” She said. “My name is Robin, you can call me that.”

He looked at her surprised, he had heard various human names in the last years, but one he kept hearing over and over was hers, Robertine Mason, a human who came with a group of medics to study the Hundwickean physiology. She was the leader of the group, who settled somewhere near Varwood, another village that was annexed into Greatwood. He wondered why she was so far away from her group, deep into the heart of the city, onboard the Interdictor with his father’s advisor. He had never bothered to learn more about her, dismissing her motives as purely medical, not as some sort of military strategy to conquer them, but now, seeing her up close, knowing she also had some sort of experience in field combat, made him revaluate her anew.

“Hmm, much obliged, Robin.” He said quickly and then looking away, recomposing himself and looking around, picking up the things he dropped during the combat.

He picked his musket, and laboriously replaced the bayonett that had bent outwards and reloaded it, for posterior use, and then threw it around his should again, but this time, on his opposite shoulder, as his wounded left arm complained in pain against the weight of the rifle. He also looked around for his revolver but couldn’t find it, until he remembered that Robin, the human doctor, had picked up during the fight and fired it against the hound that was about to swing a metal pipe against him. He quickly looked at her, ready to jump at the first sign of threat.

She had finished organizing her bag and fastened it against her shoulder as she had done before, but now she approached dead hound with the neck wound, she closed his eyes and examined him for a while, before looking at the admiral to see if he was already off towards the imperial manor again, but there he was, staring at her, with an inquisitive look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, standing up and approaching him.

“You have my revolver.” He said, blunt as always, but this time, in a slightly less rude way.

“Ah yes, sorry.” She unholstered it from her belt under her coat and handed it to him.

He grabbed it from her hands in a rather brute way and holstered it amongst his other weapons after reloading it. He always kept extra bullets in his pockets for such ocasions, but wasn’t expecting to use them this soon and most of all, on a fellow hound.

“You were saying…” Admantel began to say to Robin, as he turned, looking at the bodies scattered around them. “You thought they were with what?”

“Oh, I was going to say I thought they were with the rebellion. The ones who caused the riot of yesterday.” Robin said, trying to avoid saying any details that might make her or Admantel uncomfortable.

“Hmm.” the admiral voiced, as he approached the leader’s body, and began to examine it. It was a hound dressed in common clothes, a cotton shirt like his own, but with a couple patches to close some holes and a string as a belt in his dress pants. He had no effects that gave him any clues as to their associations or motivations, same for the other three hounds he had shot down before and the bitten one.

“Admantel, I think we should go.” announced Robin, looking around worriedly.

Admantel stood up, following Robin's gaze and saw a small group coming towards them. His quick scan of the group revealed a bunch of hounds, brandishing clubs and pipes, led by a human with red hair who was holding one of the human’s futuristic weapons that resembled a bulkier rifle. Quickly accessing the situation, Admantel knew he'd have a hard time aiming the musket with his wounded arm and wouldn't be able to reload his revolver, because of his arm as well, so he readied his paw over the handle of his Saber, unsheathing it and holding it tightly, expecting the worst already.

“Wait, I think I know her!” Robin said and lifted her arms in a non threatening signal,approaching the group and hailing them.

“Jones? Gabrielle Jones, is that you?”

“Robertinne! You're alright!” Jones signaled her group to lower their weapons and hurried towards the two. “Where are you going?”

“I'm trying to reach Matwell’s clinic, he has a lot of injured hounds there.” Robin answered and Jones directed her gaze towards Admantel.

“is that the admiral?” Jones asked, looking at him but directing her question at Robin.

“Yes.” Admantel answered before Robin could and followed up with a question, “and who are you?”

“Gabrielle is an engineer, she was the overseer of the construction of the Interdictor.” Robin told him, slightly surprised that he didn't knew.

“That was weeks ago, now I was operating the communications relay, but it was attacked by some hounds.” Jones said, glancing at Admantel as if she asked him with her eyes why he hadn't done anything to avoid it.

“I knew it! The anti-human hounds are banding together and attacking us.” Robin said, exasperated.

“Where's Durwall? He said our operations would be under the empire's protection.” Jones asked.

“Ah…” Robin voiced, lowly, looking at Admantel.

“My father has passed away.” He said, keeping a serious face at both women.

“Ah shit” Jones said, clicking her tongue, “and what now? Who's in charge?”

“My mother, the empress.” Admantel answered.

“She's in the imperial Manor” Robin said, and Admantel launched a glance at her, as if she had said something she shouldn't. “we where on our way there, but some hounds attacked us as well.”

“Oh no,” Jones said, audibly, for the first time looking at Admantel with a concerned look, “The Imperial Manor was attacked as well, we heard that many were kidnaped and others… killed.”

Suddenly, a heavy weight dropped upon Admantel shoulders, he felt his heart sink as these news kept coming, a day ago hia life was perfectly normal and he could focus on hating the humans and trying to uncover whatever malicious plots they had,but suddenly his own people where turning against him and his family, destroying everything he held dear. He left everyone behind and ran a few blocks away, until the imperial Manor came into view in a distant Hill from where he stood. Columns of black smoke were rising from its collapsed structure and at that moment he realised something that frightened him; he no longer knew who was the enemy.