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The forest looked the same when my mind registered the familiar setting in my dreams. I took in a lungful of the clear forest air and noted a familiar scent close by. I feel a weight rest against my side and smile peacefully knowing she was here with me. “Can’t get rid of me that easily you know.” I met her gaze with a smirk and bent down to lick her cheek.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” That comment earned a derisive snort from her as we both snuck an arm around each other. With a little thought, a set of vines descended from the canopy of the trees and took on the form of a swing. She giggled when a scooped her up and sat down with her in my lap. She snuggled closer into my chest as we rose up above the trees to peak out and stare at the midnight sky; A warm gentle breeze ruffling my fur as we gazed out at the void. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks hasn’t it?” She didn’t answer right away. I could feel her wrestling with emotions inside herself but they never strayed too far in any one direction so I felt comfortable waiting for her to speak.

“I wish I had done more.” She let out a long sigh as I thought of what to say to deny that claim. “Shush, I know what you’re thinking… I still wish that I could have helped more. I freeze up at the most crucial moments and only watch and cower in the distance.” She slowly shuffled in my lap until she had turn around and looked me in the eyes. Those beautiful hazel eyes held no sadness or remorse but a fierce conviction. “I admire that so much about you. You’re so brave and dependable but I’m just…”

“I’m not brave…I’m scared.” She ran a hand through my cheek.

“That’s what bravery is you dummy.”

“I just don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose this family that I’ve found. That is why I can fight. it’s not me that’s brave… it’s you that makes me brave.”

“Things have changed now, I promise.” She slowly lowered her head onto my chest and wrapped me in a tender embrace. “I won’t let you fight alone.” I returned the soft embrace with warmth filling my heart.

“I’m not going to pick any more fights. I think I’ve had enough excitement for quite a while.” She leaned back off my chest with a smile and softly captured my muzzle in a quick kiss.

“Good. I’d feel bad for whoever tries to go against us anyway.” That drew a lighthearted chuckle from my lips and rest my muzzle on the top of her head.

“You’ve grown quite confident haven’t you?” If ever there was a shit-eating grin it was the face that Lucy had in this moment. She began running her right hand through the fur of my chest drawing out a pleasant grumble from me.

“Ever since the bond I’ve felt more connected to... everything around me. Maybe I am a bit full of myself,” I barely caught what she whispered under her breath. ‘full of something else as well…’ I could feel warmth bloom in my face and I had to avert my gaze and cough into my closed paw. She only gives me a smirk before continuing on as if nothing perverted had just been said. “But I guess you’re right… I’m sure we can find much more interesting activities to pursue than fighting.” The coughing into my paw continued as I found my throat dryer than a few seconds ago. Her light giggle brought my gaze back to her joyful face. I received a light peck on the lips for my troubles. “You’re quite easy to tease, you know?” She received a light growl in return.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“No way… Wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Nothing?” I cocked an eyebrow at that to which she snuggled close to my chest.

“Nothing.” That made me happy causing my tail to slowly wave behind me. We stayed quietly in each other’s arms for a while content to simply share in the warmth between us. My calm reverie was disturbed when she backed out of my arms and slid out of my lap entirely. I had a moment of panic that she would fall through the trees but she landed softly on the canopy below us. She beckoned me down and I had to swallow the lump in my throat as my butt left the swing. I found the ‘ground’ to be springy but solid which caused me to stumble for a few steps. Just when I was able to steady myself I felt a weight land heavily on my back and force me forward in to the leaves.

I was compressed further into the canopy and heard the leaves crunch and rustle above my head where she had landed after jumping off my back. “Now what was that ab…” The syllables died on my tongue when I raised my head from the foliage. My maw was still open when a paw reached out and booped my nose ever so lightly.

“TAG!” I barely noted she had said anything when my mind registered what my eyes were seeing. A feral wolf was standing barely a foot in front of me… but it wasn’t feral… or a real wolf… I knew it was still my mate. The shock slowly wore off when I was batted in the face with a fluffy tail as she turned around and sauntered away with a sensual sway of her romp. She paused a few paces away to glance over her shoulder with tail hiked higher than was technically modest. “Catch me if you can.” She disappeared into the trees a moment later to descend to the forest floor. I continued to stare at where she had been before chuckling and allowing the canopy to swallow me as well in a controlled descent to solid ground. I catch sight of her slipping between the trees as my paw pads touch down onto the soil.

Without much hesitation I followed her lead and allowed myself to restructure into the form of my feral counterpart and took off in a game of tag that I was pretty sure wouldn’t progress any further after I managed to catch up. We weaved further into the woods and the foliage grew denser and more difficult to traverse. She was managing to maintain her slight lead but I was steadily closing the gap. I could just about snag ahold of her tail when she leapt high into the air to clear over a large fallen tree which had completely snuck up on me. I threw on the brakes to stop myself from slamming into it and came up just short. I heard a soft yelp from the other side and shook my head. I ‘cheated’ by adding a small dugout path for me to crawl under with ease. What greeted me after I emerged was my mate ‘tangled’ in rope of all things. I use the word tangled lightly because the only spot that was wrapped around her had a shoelace knot to undo it while the rest was draped over her.

With a heavy roll of my eyes and a shake of my head I trot over to her. “Oh somebody help. I seem to be quite stuck.” Her acting was so cheesy a groan escaped my lips. I grabbed the rope between my teeth and the knot came undone before I could even tug on it. I chuckled as she spun around and nuzzled under my chin. “Oh thank you! What ever can I do to repay you?” I licked along one of her ears and played along with her silly game.

“No thanks needed miss. It was my pleasure to help someone as beautiful as yourself.” Her tail beat the air behind her faster as she nuzzled harder against me.

“Oh that will never do…” She slowly walked her body under my chin before stepping forward and away from me. There was a soft growl of anticipation in my throat as her tail slowly rose. “There must be something I can offer you.” It took only a glimpse to drive me into a fit… of giggles, which evolved quickly into a full body laugh as I fell to my side on the ground. I felt her front paws jumping up and down on my chest while the laugh slowly wound down. “What’s so funny? I thought I was being sexy!”

“Aside from the super cheesy acting you were definitely being sexy.”

“Then why are you laughing!?” Still with a slight chuckle I answered.

“It’s just that your, um, bits are a little… off...” She quickly looked all over her body as much as she could see.

“What bits…? I look just like a wolf.” I softly cleared my throat.

“Well your lady bits.” She narrowed her eyes slightly at me and rose her head to scoff.

“And what’s wrong with my vagina?

“Well.. it’s just that the um… bits...” She let out a snort and smiled softly at me.

“Don’t be embarrassed sweety. You can call it a vagina… or pussy… or honey pot… or cookie…”

“OKAY I get it.”

“Or snatch… or…” before she could continue I grabbed her neck with my paws and drug her to the ground beside me to nibble on her ears.

“OKAY! I get the point. Your um... vulva is upside down.” I felt her squirm in my grip but make no effort to pull away.

“Is it really…?” She hid her eyes behind her paws in embarrassment.

“It’s fine love. Just a minor detail really.”

“Well it’s fixed now… and no more laughing if I have something else wrong. I’m not a Lycan or wolf after all.”

“Hey that reminds me. didn’t you just tell me you wouldn’t change a thing?” She batted at my muzzle with a paw and rolled over onto her back while still keeping her head facing me.

“This is different… I just thought this would be fun and I would only be able to do this here. And it was fun… so mmm.” She stuck her tongue out at me.

“Yeah it was fun chasing after that cute little tail of yours.”

“Couldn’t take your eyes off it until you almost ran into that tree!”

“You did that on purpose didn’t you.” I watched her slowly morph back into a human and found my muzzle being stroked by her hand.

“I would never.” But her mischievous smile told me otherwise. I returned back to myself and rolled on top of her to capture her lips with my own. I had begun kissing my way down her jaw toward her neck when I picked up a faint gasp and words being spoken that I couldn’t quite make out. I snapped my head up and searched the trees for the source of the noise and locked eyes with a young Lycan. My chest tightened as recognition slowly dawned as to where I had seen this face before. I had filed that memory under stuff that the demon had messed with, but they were exactly the same as before… the ground started to tremble as I lost control of my dream.

“Oh… fuck…” Then my conscious snapped back to reality as I awoke with a gasp. I tried to sit up and found the bottom of my jaw in the path of Lucy’s head as she snapped her head up as well. My throat was sore and I found a dull ache as I tried to work my jaw loose. At least the momentary stun and slight pain stopped my mind from racing.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay…?” I coughed some to clear my voice and rubbed the spot she nailed while we both sat up.

“I’m fine. *cough* I’m okay.” My voice came out a little croaky but quickly returned to normal. “I’m just glad I didn’t bite my tongue.”

“Okay, so what happened love?”

“I… saw that pup again…”

“What pup?” I lazily scratched the back of my neck trying to decipher the meaning and think of a way to explain it.

“A few nights back… when I first woke up after the, um, attack. I met a little pup in my dreams. They looked just like me and called me… brother… and just now I saw them again.” Lucy took a few seconds to think before responding.

“Do you think that’s real?”

“I don’t know… seemed to be, but if it’s not… than I don’t know what the meaning would be…”

“If you had a sibling… they would be likely to be a mage as well… given the lineage.”

“But why now…? After things have finally settled down?”

“I don’t know love. We’re just going to have to ask them.”

“Do what now…? I can’t go back after what happened.”

“That’s the best way to get answers right? Besides, we talked with them before we left. They don’t blame you.” I had to look away from her.

“No… I nearly got them all killed and… they didn’t deserve that.” I begrudgingly allowed her to pull my gaze back to her and found the tickle of tears beginning to form in my eyes.

“Your emotions are all jumbled up babe. Talk to me.” I leaned against her with my eyes closed taking in her scent and warmth for comfort.

“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone but…” I felt her grip on me tighten.

“But you remember what you lost.” I shook my head against her shoulder.

“What was taken from me. I feel bad for what happened but at the same time, feel a sense of… satisfaction… I’m just as twisted as…” I found a hand clamping my muzzle shut.

“You are not twisted… or evil. You are pure and good.”

“That’s… not true…” She responded with a quiet anger.

“Bullshit. We are bound together are we not? There is nothing to hide between us.”

“I wouldn’t have these feeling if that were true.”

“Feeling betrayed and hurt is not a weakness babe. Feeling angry at them does not make you evil… but… answer me this, if they were under attack, in real danger… would you help them?” I wanted to say no, to wipe my paws clean of them but the heart is not so easily fooled. I grit my teeth as the tears slowly leaked out and the turmoil inside me settled a little more.

“I… would try to save them.” I took a deep breath and felt it catch in my throat when she calmly asked her next question.

“And if it was just Jun?” That put me on edge. My heart rate quickened and the fur raising on the back of my neck. I wanted to be angry. I felt I should be angry but there was a nagging hesitation instead. “If it was just you and him.” I pictured it; The one fur I should hate more than anything, hanging from the side of a cliff. I tried to imagine turning my back… or laughing at the desperate cries for help but the thoughts only twisted my stomach. I tried to cling to anything that would justify it but nothing held. I don’t know how long it took for me to accept it. I just didn’t want to hurt him anymore.

Then something clicked in my mind that was like a bolt of lightning. All the heartache I’ve suffered was the only path that led me here; A light shown anew on a dark chapter of my life. “You would help him.” Her voice was but a faint whisper but crashed around me like a mighty storm. “Because that is who my mate is.” A series of chills ran down my spine and the storm vanished.

“How do you know?” I asked her genuinely.

“Because we are connected in mind and body… well not body anymore.” I still felt shell shocked but I couldn’t help but giggle and pass a glance at where our bodies were tangled together and where my cock was safely back in its protective sheath.

“What would I do without you love?” She smiled softly and captured my lips with hers.

“That’s a silly question wolfy. But we do have something else to do.”

“And what might that be?”

“Shower.” I had absolutely no complaints with that and silently dreaded the tangled mess I had made of my pubic fur. We may have strayed under the warm stream for longer than was necessary to get clean and hands and paws may have wandered but no further mess came about. We were in the middle of drying off when she suddenly froze. “Oh… no.” I could only stare wide eyed, waiting for what she would say next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Let’s go over this again. I’m not quite sure I understand.” Garrett took a moment to flick his gaze between the two of us. I was having trouble maintaining straight ears and eye contact. “So, my only daughter… my sweet precious girl… snuck into a boys’ room at night and ended up binding souls together… among other activities? Is that how you interpreted that sweet heart?” For nearly all of our awkward discussion Mary had remained passive and silent.

“Seems like a sufficient summary dear.” My ears were flagging submissively for the outburst I knew was coming.

“I just don’t know where to even begin dear… So many questions… I mean, with this soul bonding business is there even going to be a wedding? Do I even get to walk my daughter down the aisle…? You know it’s every parents dream to see their kids get married.”

“Dad cut it out... He doesn’t know you’re teasing him.” I don’t think I could have curled up on myself anymore. “But I… you are handling this much better than I thought you would...” I was so confused… wasn’t he upset?

“Comparatively… this is nothing. Well not nothing but… let me just say that I, no we, are at least happy for both of you… assuming this isn’t some fever induced hysteria or a new form of super cancer or OW… what was that for?” Garrett rubbed his arm where he got pinched by Mary.

“Don’t assume dear. It won’t do any good to think up a million causes and scare the kids. Now I need details sweety. Don’t look at me like that; of the soul bond.. not what goes on under the sheets!” Lucy had the faintest blush.

“Ah. Of course. I feel the best way to describe it is like a permanent corporal link of a class three transfer spell. The transfer of information feels like it’s a couple magnitude higher bit rate than even our hyper threads though...”

“That’s significant… can you narrow down the speed any more precise? And you mentioned a transfer of emotion, what do you mean by that?”

“I’m afraid not. I’m hesitant to assume that the same conventions apply after all. The transfer of emotion is a kind of passive feeling. It’s almost like an echo… Whichever feeling lines up best with one of my own will kind of reverberate. An example might be when he’s anxious I’ll feel the same as if I’m going to speak in front of a crowd. For instance right now I feel like the time I first discovered your higher level spell work and was absolutely overwhelmed… which would mean my wonderful mate should probably be excused from the conversation.” I could feel the gears in my head grinding abruptly to a halt the moment they started talking. Thankfully both me and Garrett were relieved of duty while the girls chatted it out.

“Thank goodness… I’m pretty sure I was going to short out just listening to that.” I found Garrett palm clapping me on the back as we left.

“You don’t even know the half of it. That was barely a blip on the radar. I get the feeling it’s only going to get worse.” We both shared a good hearted chuckle and made our way to the kitchen. As we rounded the corner we nearly ran into someone who was carrying an assorted tray of snacks and drinks. Upon recognizing Ms. Louise I felt my ears growing hot in embarrassment. “Good morning Ms. Louise. I take it the girls requested this spread?” Garrett said while plucking a small cracker sandwich and happily munching on it.

“You would be quite correct about that sir.” She edged the tray away from his hand on his attempt to acquire another. “I would be happy to prepare a snack for you if you would like.” Garrett just shook his head and chuckled.

“No I’m quite alright. I would appreciate if you could have someone bring the car around though.” She gave a brief nod and replied.

“Of course, and good morning to you Andrew. I hope you slept well.” I couldn’t look her in the eyes but mumbled a short greeting. She was soon on her way and I let out the breath I had been holding. Garrett merely cocked an eyebrow at me but thankfully didn’t ask any questions and we continued along toward the front doors. Garrett had elected to drive when the car was pulled around. He turned to me before we started moving.

“The only thing I’ll really say on the subject is that this is sudden. I thought I would have a couple years before things got serious. Just… take care of her. I know you will, that much has been proven, but as her father I feel I must say it.” I thought for a moment and placed my paw on his shoulder.

“I won’t let anything happen to us… not just Lucy.”

“Good. But enough of that for now. Let’s go grab a bite to eat then we can go shopping for your school supplies.” That got me excited as we pulled away from the manor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Sandy Holt – General Hospital - Room 634~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A dark shadow looms in the corner and listens quietly to the instructions being given. Richard’s voice is dry and raspy. “I don’t care what it takes. *cough* I want the Covack’s blood spilt. I want the mutt alive and delivered to Hanway. You do this and our debts are settled.” The figure in the corner steps forward slightly allowing a glimpse at the haunting face and menacing eyes.

“Consider it done.” The figure fades back into the shadow and dissolves from view.

~~~~~~~~~~~Covack manor – after Garrett and Andrew return~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Right where we left them.” Just like Garrett had foresaw they were still sitting and talking when we had returned. Mary stood and strode over to her husband.

“Welcome back honey. Did you and Andrew have a good time?” I walked over to take a seat next to Lucy.

“I certainly did my love.”

“He bought me way too much stuff…” I had become a little numb to it after the second store but I was still uneasy considering there was going to be delivery trucks. I found that Lucy was pouting when I glanced back at her.

“You went shopping without me… I mean us?” She may have been acting let down but she was happy. It only took a lick to her cheek to bring her smile out and have her lightly pushing my muzzle away.

“Oh dear I hope you didn’t go too overboard.”

“Of course not. I only needed to pull out one card for the whole trip.”

“Which card?” Garrett only smiled but kept his mouth closed. “Do I need to check the bank account?” He pulled her close and planted a small kiss on her nose.

“No dear. But we will have a delivery coming within the next few hours.” By now she had draped her arms over his shoulders.

“And what should I expect to be delivered?”

“Mostly just furniture dear.” Their lips met in a slightly less than decent kiss.

“Good.” I felt a shuffling by my side and felt Lucy stand up.

“Come on… get a room you two.” She had stood up to walk away with rosy cheeks.

“Uhh… what was that about?”

“Well… okay be honest. If you two were in your bedroom right now what would be happening?” Garrett pulled a little at his collar and glanced away.

“Well I could use a shower I suppose.” Mary rolled her eyes and elbowed him lightly in the ribs which caused him to jerk a little and glare before clearing his throat and reluctantly replying. “It’s possible that we would have sex.” That caused me to snort and chuckle.

“Possible my ass.” I flicked my ear at the low voice of Lucy in the other room reprimanding my language. “Aside from the kiss there are some obvious signs of arousal between the two of you that Lucy can now pick up on. But don’t worry, It’s a much more common smell than she expects and she will either have to turn her enhanced smell off or learn to disregard most of it.” I hear Lucy again from the other room and chuckle softly. “Yes Lucy. I would say 15% of your school is aroused at any given time.” Everyone could hear the faint shriek of horror/embarrassment this time. “Get back in here or quite eavesdropping dear!”

“Well now that the cats out of the bag… come along love.” Garrett flailed his arms a bit as he was tugged along by the back of his collar. I could only chuckle and make my way into the other room toward Lucy. I found her on the couch with a pillow to her chest. Her cheeks were rosy red in embarrassment.

“You enjoyed that a little too much you know?” I plopped down beside her and leaned against her.

“Maybe it was just the right amount of enjoyment. It’s still hard to believe how much you all have changed.”

“How so?”

“Since Mary returned you have all been more open to each other and all around less proper I guess.”

“This was… is our normal. Maybe we are a bit over the top to make up for lost time.”

“Then it’s all been worth it right?” She captured my head and pecked my nose.

“I suppose it has. So, what did you and dad go buy?”

“Little bit of everything it seems like. Clothes, books, and furniture.”

“I heard him say that… what kind of furniture? I thought you had just about everything in your room.”

“Well… according to Garrett that’s not my room anymore. Not that I disagree but he said we would end up sleeping together anyway so we picked up some things for your room.”

“He’s not wrong there.” She noticed my ear flick in the direction of Garrett and Mary now that they moved outside of normal hearing range. Lucy’s hand found my paw and tugged me along in the opposite direction. “Let’s go collect a few things from your old room then and maybe lay down on your bed one last time.” The corners of my muzzle ticked upwards upon seeing the glint in her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Suumahn territory border 2 days later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good luck again you all. Call if you need anything.” Garrett thanked him and handed him a tip for good measure but I was focused once again on the familiar trees of my home. It had taken a little convincing to setup a second guide back through the woods after the first incident but money has a way of winning people over. Now that I was standing at the edge I found my legs trembling. I felt my resolve waver until Lucy stepped up beside me and took my arm. With a deep breath I took that last step to cross over into my old tribes’ land yet again. It took only and pawful of steps before I was aware of Lycans around us. in fact, it was Lucy that noticed first as I was still lost in thought.

“Follow.” Came the command for yet another Lycan I did not recognize. I slipped away from Lucy but hesitated at his shaking head. “No, all. Follow.” That was unexpected but we all slowly fell in line. The four others that came with me included Lucy, Garrett, Mary, and Agent Delaine which was there to ensure no further incidents occurred. We walked in agonizing silence for a few minutes until we finally reached far enough that hunting trails became familiar. When we had come upon a clearing, we were told to wait.

As we stopped and waited, I cast my gaze around and got lost in the smells around me. Finally, after a few minutes my eyes caught motion in front of me. A group of Lycans were approaching of which I recognized 2. First my eyes were drawn to the tall and proud wolf that was my father, then to the aging old village chief that I remember growing up with. They slowly stepped into the clearing while the rest of the group dispersed around or clung to the shadows. They were on edge about my return as well, which is understandable. Our conversation fell into our native tribal tongue.

“You have returned sooner than I anticipated young one.” The chief was addressing me which brought my gaze and thoughts to the elder Lycan.

“Yes, my… chief.” Old habits resurfaced before I could taper them off but he seemed unaffected by the slip up. “I have many questions that were left unanswered when I… had to return home last.”

“As I am sure others have many questions in return.” He bowed his head slightly and brought his staff down into the ground with a solid thunk. “_But I must know the true reason of your return. I cannot risk the safety of my tribe.” _ I could feel my ear flick dismissively before needing to take a slow breath. Snapping at the chief will get me nowhere after all, regardless of how hypocritical that sounded to me.

“Th… that is a difficult question to answer with so many extra ears listening.”

“A visitor is not a secret affair young one neither is the safety of my people.”

“Information has proven to be just as much a blessing as a curse… I do not wish to be a curse to anyone.”

_“You believe that what questions you seek answers for will bring harm to my people?” _ I let out a slow breath and tapped into a spell that I had learned from Lucy and established a telepathy link with the chief. It was still difficult for me to maintain but I did not need anyone else to hear.

“-_They will. I have first paw experience with how your people respond to this knowledge.-“ _ The chief showed only the faintest jump at hearing a voice in his head but soon adopted a soft smile. I let the spell fade away as he slowly approached us and paused a few paces way.

“You have grown young one, perhaps greater than your years let on. It saddens me to know that ultimately I have been the cause of this…” _ He bowed his head deeply before me which stopped any response that might have been piecing itself together. _“Let it be at least comforting that our ways have changed. We no longer fear the arcane as we have in the past. We now seek to embrace our gods given ability and learn from our mistakes. To that end I have failed you.” _ I stood shocked before him as he once again rose to his normal standing height. I felt my legs losing strength and fall to my knees. A cascade of relief explodes through me as I slowly process the meaning of what I had just heard. I just couldn’t believe the cycle was over. No one else would have to suffer as I had. No more meaningless blood would be spilled. It was truly a wonderful feeling. Yet another ray of light breaking through the darkness. **_Are you sure this is real** _? _ A negative thought whispers through my mind and sends me reeling.

This is just a trap . _ I could feel myself being wound up without much thought. But why would this be a trap… they don’t have a reason to… **_They seek revenge for what you brought to them** . _ But… **_you brought Lucy back here, into a den of wolves** . I did notice that there were more Lycan present than before and it was getting harder to think with all the motion around me. I had begun to collect the energy along my back and into my main nodes for easier access but the situation still didn’t feel right. Everything felt heavy around me. That voice in my head would not shut up and this smell of honey suckle was just overbearing… I wanted to pull the fur off my head and everyone else for that matter. Who the hell planted honey suckle!? That doesn’t even grow here…! I never saw a single one walking here but it’s so overpoweringly strong. I combed through my memory multiple times and came to one conclusion every time. There. is. no. honey suckle… so then why the hell can I smell it?

“Love… what’s going on? I don’t understand.” I shook my head and stood back up while edging close to her and the others. With a very hushed voice I replied to her now finding my head slightly clearer.

“Somethings not right… I don’t… I can’t think… not with this smell.”

“That was giving me a headache so I turned my nose off.”

“Lucky you…” I felt actually ticked off at that which alarmed both of us. “This isn’t natural. Someone’s fucking with us…”

“It has to be targeting your sensitive nose. I felt fine after tuning it out. Who would be doing this?”

“We have to get rid of it first… without triggering an attack… everyone out there is on edge.”

“Right… I have an idea.” The shifting air current was subtle at first and appeared to be any normal wind… unless you looked above the trees where a swirling of air was building strength. I lent her my strength to keep the strain from being visible. She only needed a few more seconds and I established a telepathy spell with Garrett.

“No fast movements and I need you to trust me. Surround us with a barrier strong enough to block at least arrows and spears in 3… 2… 1… now.” A wall glinted into life as a roaring wind plunged into the woods and forced fresh air into the area. The commotion did drive some of the Lycans to attack as I had expected but nothing pierced the wall. I searched the woods for anything out of place but a gasp behind me caused me to snap my attention around. To my shock my father was standing in the middle of the group. His body, held by Delaine’s ethereal shackles, a few inches from burying a blade in Garrett’s back.

“You will pay for what you have done!” He was lost in whatever drug or magic was still in his system while the fresh air streaming in was doing wonders to clear my head.

“Don’t hurt him! He’s not in control of himself!” Even as I said it the affects had started to wear off.

“Let me… I’ll…what…” _ He trailed off in confusion as Garrett stepped away from the knife wielding ‘maniac’. I approached quickly and drove my palm into his gut just below the ribs to force the breath out of him along with whatever gas was the culprit. He wheezed as his body recoiled from the blow but the effect was immediate. I could almost see the haze leaving his eyes. “_Son! But how.. you were.. I saw him…” I flicked his nose like he used to so long ago for me.

“I’ll explain later.” I turned back to the group. “We are under attack. Mind altering gas of some kind. We were able to dispel the area but it might come…back.” A pressure was suddenly bearing down on me that grew heavier with each beat of my heart. We were all driven to our knees until even that wasn’t strong enough to hold us and I found my muzzle in the dirt. I heard the crunch of leaves approaching and stop a few foot away from me.

“Valiant effort… futile of coarse… but valiant.” The voice was cold and raspy. “I do enjoy when you struggle so don’t be afraid to ‘try your best’.” What followed was a dark chuckle that grated on my nerves. “Ahh, to be reunited with the love of your life just to have that taken away, cruel don’t you think Garrett? Are you ready to part ways or would you rather I start with the darling daughter instead? Would give you a few minutes extra with the wife.” My heart is seized again…

~~~~~~Perspective shifts – Lucy (normal font) – Andrew (italic font)~~~~~~

The feelings that consumed me were frightening and raw… they weren’t just my own. A howling cacophony of anger and desperation exploded through me and jumbled together with my own. It was terrifying to experience. The strength of each emotion soaring higher and attempting to consume me… us… not just me. I fought the urge to clamp down on the link between us; my own insecurity wanting to abandon the fight.

Move… body! I struggle to lift even my head to look around. I could only really see his legs as they approached and felt a growl rumbling in my throat. I had started to drag my arms in to attempt to push off the ground but yelped when a heavy boot crunched down on my paw. He crouched down beside me but I couldn’t angle my head enough to see his face. He seemed pleased to grind my paw in the dirt and I had to grit my teeth feeling my bones roll against each other painfully. I could feel his breath on my ear as he spoke next to it. _ “Don is going to have fun breaking you. If you behave you might get to be a pet… but I doubt that. You’ll be an obedient little cock sucker before the first night is up I bet.” _ I felt his hand on my head push down as he stood back up. “Ah to finally be free of those bastard McDougals… and for such an easy task. Almost feels like Christmas. Don gets the mutt and I get to play with the others…” The colors slowly bled away from my vision.

I felt sick to my stomach hearing that. The McDougal’s had sent this sick bastard after us… yet I didn’t have anytime to dwell on that. The flood of emotions had abruptly stopped and I was left with just my own… or what was left of my own. It felt like a shallow spring compared to before.

The pain in my paw forgotten. A feral part of my being began clawing its way to the surface, a darker feeling enveloping me.

Why did he block me out!? I search frantically for my link to him and find the path open but void of warmth... I don’t know what it means… I felt like I could reestablish it somehow but the menacing aura was giving me pause.

That voice in my head was back; A part of me that I try to suppress. The thoughts were always so hard control…

The link was cold when I reconnected it. There was a wild feeling coming from my mate. I’ve felt the echoes of this before… but to experience them first hand was hard to handle.

I needed this. It made me strong. Stronger than I ever could be… but I hate it. A dark spiraling path awaits me if I’m not careful…

I push hard against the link. I demand my feeling to pierce the veil and reach him. Little by little I was able to chip away at the walls he built around himself.

This was my fault… I didn’t finish what I started and now the past has come back to hurt us.

Please break through… I have to reach him.

I won’t make that mistake again… I can’t afford to make that mistake again…

At last I finally break through. The image I feel and what I see are truly terrifying. A dark shell of my mate but at the very center… a terrified pup.

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end perspective shifts – Agent Delaine~~~~~~~~~~ _

I heard Andrew yelp and worked diligently to break the gravity spell holding me down. It would take much too long to break the hold over everyone else as well so I focus on myself. Once I felt the pressure lift I reached carefully into my pocket to call for backup but a jamming field prevented the signal from getting out. I silently cursed and shuffled to a stand, careful to stay in his blindspot. I took care to bolster the protection spells covering myself and prepared to attack. I could feel a slight tremble and tried to still my nerves… I recognized this foe, Lorenzo Alamon, nicknamed the invisible dagger. He was a highly competent assassin and an even match for most any grand master let alone a field agent…

“Ah to finally be free of those bastard McDougals… and for such an easy task. Almost feels like Christmas. Don gets the mutt and I get to play with the others… and they seem like quite the fun subjects… wouldn’t you agree Agent?” My personal protection spell absorbed an impact to my left and the figure I was watching faded away into mist. Shiiiiit. I scanned the forest around me looking for any signs of him but the air was deathly quiet. “You aren’t who I’m after but I’ll never turn down a lovely woman… especially one with eyes like yours.” Another splash from my back and yet nothing is there when I snap back around. I cast orbs into the surroundings to illuminate the shadows and see the first signs of movement stop behind a tree.

I quickly charge and release a blinding spell and set the detonation distance a few foot behind the tree. I squint at the light that filters around the trunk but keep my eyes focused for any movement. I see him a few trees away but quickly pick up multiple tricks of the light that all appear humanoid around me. “You have to try harder than that… don’t make this boring.” My barrier barely deflects another attack from right in front of my chest but I saw nothing. I back pedaled to a grouping of trees to put at my back and hopefully eliminate an angle. “How long now before desperation sets in?” I fire off an air cutter at a moving shadow and see the blade pass clean through.

My shield breaks deflecting another blow and I catch the shimmer of a cloaked dagger as it bounces off. This is bad… I hastily draw energy to the surface of my body and form a shell of crystalline armor. “You have to attack or you’ll surely die out here.”

“Shut up you coward!”

“Coward? If you could only open your eyes you might find me!” He was right in front of me the next instant. I felt an impact on my shoulder and stumbled back into the tree behind me. I follow his outstretched arm and see my armor cracked and falling apart. My arm felt numb and I suck in a breath through clenched teeth as a blade slowly shimmers into existence where the hole in my armor is. In my other hand I bring the finished spell from behind my back and detonate it in between us. The force slams me against the tree and threatens to knock me out but my training allows me to remain conscious. I take this reprieve to try removing the dagger from my shoulder and apply a healing balm. I only get half an inch removed before he’s pushing the blade back through and embedding it in the tree behind me, effectively pinning me in place. “Wonderful… truly desperate…”

He grabs the wrist that was trying to pull the blade out and stretches it painfully above my head. He leans in close to the side of my face and I turn my head away from the tongue that was slowly dragging up my cheek. I try to knee him in the balls but find my legs unresponsive. “Body feeling sluggish? Your heart is beating so quickly Agent. The poison travels so much faster that way.” My heart sunk down into my stomach as my eyes grew heavy and the world began to spin. He slammed his chest against me and I could feel the knife tearing more of the muscle in my shoulder but quickly enough he pulled away from me. When he turned around I could see a Lycan standing behind him with a spear in their hands. Before I could tell them to run they were being held by the neck against a tree. I couldn’t muster any strength and could only watch the wolf struggle against the assassin as darkness encroached on my vision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Perspective shift – Andrew~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My fireball splashed harmlessly against the shielded back of our attacker but that was the plan. We couldn’t risk hurting Delaine or this new wolf but we needed him to let go. “Finally growing a pair Garr… oh? how cute. The kids want to pla-aahh.” Lucy slammed a wall of air into his side the moment he stepped towards us and flung him further into the woods. Lucy followed after our him while I approached the fallen wolf. My stride faltered when I recognized who it was that had tried to help. His eyes went wide when I knelt to grab his shoulder to get his attention.

“Help Agent Delaine from the tree and carry her to the humans I came here with.” Fresh tears were welling up in his eyes and the words he was trying to form failed to leave his muzzle. With my paw on his shoulder I felt the rush of guilt and sadness that engulfed him. I felt the last semblance of bitterness fade away from my heart. I felt wetness form in my own eyes and brushed my nose against his before rubbing my cheek down him muzzle. “Please help her Jun… I need to go.” I went to stand but a paw clung loosely to my arm. I squeezed his paw and stood up and offered a soft smile. “My mate needs me.” I turned away and shed the vest that I was wearing. It took him a few seconds but I finally heard him stand before rushing over to where Delaine was hanging.

The sprint to where Lucy had flung the assassin was short. They were facing off and slowly circling each other when I emerged from the trees to stand next to her. He was trying to blend into the shadows while leaving an image of himself as a distraction. He was easy to track when one can see the energy traveling through his body. “So the big bad wolf has finally caught up.” He was projecting his voice around us. “Were you admiring the decorations? I hung them up myself.” I was still tracking his movements and bared my teeth to which he hesitated slightly before continuing to circle around. I gathered the energy in my claws and readied myself. He had started to approach Lucy from behind while focusing a dense amount of energy into his palm.

I knew what it was, having seen the blade imbedded in Delaine shoulder, and felt my blood start to boil. “Don’t kill him love. I would like to ask a few questions first.”

“Kill me!?” He had slowed his approach despite the bravado. “You naïve… sheltered little shits.” He stood not 7 feet behind us with Lucy still facing away while I followed his movements. “I am a nightmare,” I saw the dagger being raised and readied to intercept it. “A demon beyond your comprehension.” He began the predictable stab that he aimed in the same spot at Delaine. His wrist was easy enough to catch. I clamped down with my claws but found his arm protected by a skin tight barrier that didn’t allow me to keep my grip on him. I clawed out at his face with my other paw but found that spot empty as he leapt backwards to safety. My anger flared wildly at my missed attempt at dealing easy damage.

“Focus wolfy... you’ll get him next time. Besides, I just finished the barrier. Come back to me in one piece love.” With that said she kissed my cheek and sat down to focus on the barriers. She would offer support where she could but it was obvious to her that she couldn’t keep up with him. A second barrier protected herself and the preparations were finished. Now was my moment to cut loose; a freedom that my mate encouraged. She made sure that I would remain myself through our link. I feel my heart hammer in my chest as the flow of energy continues to increase throughout my body. I hesitate only a moment before seeking the beast I kept locked inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Agent Delaine~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I felt a terrible pain in my shoulder immediately after coming to. I grit my teeth and raised my head against the protesting of my body. I saw a figure nearby and tried to focus enough energy to cast a spell but my concentration wasn’t up to the task this quickly after blacking out. I let my head fall back to the dirt when I recognized that it wasn’t Lorenzo. I alerted him with a grunt of pain and found a dark grey Lycan quickly kneeling beside me. “Akno akno…” He placed a hand on my chest while he was trying to get someone else’s attention. I softly grabbed his wrist and lifted it off my bosom.

“At least buy me dinner first…” I heard shuffling of leaves above my head and saw Mary step into view.

“Don’t move, don’t move… you’ll only make it worse.”

“Worse…? I should be dead. Lorenzo doesn’t… shit, where is he?”

“I… don’t know… Lucy and Andrew are gone. Garrett and another wolf went looking for them…” She was shaking and the only comfort I could give was to rest my hand on hers. “They haven’t found them yet… but he says they are close. Please be okay…” If Lorenzo took them… my heart sunk knowing the atrocities that man has committed. I blink the tears out of my eyes but it’s no use with the constant flow. “He found them! They… they’re alive! They’re okay…” She started to sob and I couldn’t help but shake my head. These kids were something else.

It took a few minutes for them to return to which I convinced Mary to help me sit up. I had a moment of panic when the group emerged from the trees and into the clearing. Garrett was carrying Andrew and I could breathe a sigh of relief when I noticed him intently looking around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Andrew~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where is she…? Where is she…? At last my gaze falls on a gathering of Lycans but one stands out like a beacon. I struggle free of Garrett’s arms and stumble when my hurt leg bares weight again. I limp as fast as I can until my side is support by the shoulder of my father who gets me to stop. “Mina, love, we have company.” Her ear flicked towards us before turning to look over her shoulder. Our eyes locked and my breath caught in my throat.

“Mom...?” She slowly stood up and turned around and I searched her face. I took another painful step closer still convinced it was a trick of light or something. Her voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

“_Oh sugar foot you’re hurt…” _ There was no longer a doubt. Her voice… her movements… everything about this Lycan in front of me came to only one conclusion. Before I knew it was being cradled in her arms and surrounded by the scent of her fur. I clung to her desperately for fear she would disappear again but the moments drug on and she continued to stroke my back. No one bothered us and allowed me soak in as much time with her as I possibly could. How she was alive didn’t matter. That thought was the furthest from my mind until the tears dried up. _“I’ve missed you so much.” _ I couldn’t keep the question from returning to my mind.

“How… how are you… alive…?” Her petting stopped and I felt her tremble slightly in my arms. I felt a drop land on my ear and felt her arms around me in earnest again. Her voice was shaky.

“You… I thought it was on purpose… I thought you… what an awful burden to bear.” She trembled again before pulled back to look into my eyes. It hurt to see her cry but she smiled and rubbed her cheeks. Her voice was much calmer after a few breaths. “You saved me sugar foot. You gave me the power I needed to fix myself.” I saved her…? A blissful calm washed over me.

“Sugar foot huh? That’s a cute little nickname hun.”

“Hush you…” I felt mom lean closer to my head to whisper in my ear.

“Who is she?”

“My name is Lucy May Covack. Sorry if I’m intruding but I wanted to introduce myself.”

“You can speak our tongue? That’s quite rare… and you speak it quite well.”

“Thank you mrs. Minarae. (Me-Na-Ray)”

“And she knows my name? How curious. How did you know that if I may ask?”

_“Because this is the human I told you about mom.” _ A voice startled me so I peek out behind mom and saw that same small Lycan from my dreams.

“And this is the little peeping tom I was telling you about Lucy_.” _ I could tell she was a little girl now, while she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“What’s a peeping tom?”

_“It’s someone who spies on others when they are indecent.” _ She scoffed and crossed her arms with a frown.

“I do not spy…!”

_“Then what were you doing hiding in the bushes?” _ She looked away and kicked a little at the grass but still pouting.

“It just took me a while to find you... and you and her were naked… and she’s a human…” Mom was flicking her eyes between Lucy and I so I stepped back, at the slight protest of my leg, to stand by Lucy.

“Mom,” I noticed Dad hanging out within earshot. “Dad, this is Lucy, _my mate.” _ Dad had walked up after I addressed him.

“Well that much is obvious.” _ Mom raised her eyebrows and cocked an ear. “You would have to be there when we found them. Our son is a quite the fighter and you miss_ Lucy are as well.”

“Thank you, but the real fighter is your son… I could only help from a distance.” _ She laid her head against my shoulder with a sigh. “_I would have just gotten in the way.”

_“She is wise son. It takes strength to fight but a stronger mind to know when not to.” _ We all heard the footsteps approaching and saw Agent Delaine walking toward us with her arm in a sling and hasty bandages all over her shoulder.

“Andrew… not to interrupt, but could we speak for just a moment.” I nod and inform my family I will be right back.

“Are you okay? Shouldn’t you be in a hospital?” She gave me a very tired look but nodded her head in agreement.

“I will. Trust me. But first I need your side of the story. Just the cliff notes. It’ll save you from being drug off for interrogation… at least for a little while; hopefully enough time to actually do what you came here for…”

“Okay...? Someone in contact with the McDougal’s sent him after us. He tried to kill us. Nearly killed you but we isolated him to protect the others. I fought him while Lucy backed me up and we eventually beat him. We tried to get information and he stabbed me in the leg to which I nearly ripped his hand off. Lucy incapacitated him and then Garrett and my father found us. Garrett helped carry me back and Dad brought what was left of ol’ shredded hand back to be locked up or something.” I could see her grimace slightly but ultimately nodded with a tired smile.

“Should be good enough to buy you a few hours or so but I would advise seeking medical attention for the leg regardless of your healing ability.”

“I will. Be sure to tell Mrs. Reynolds that I’ll more than likely be seeing her soon.”

“So, who’s the white Lycan?” A smile crept it’s way onto my muzzle.

“That’s my mother, Minarae.” She glanced over after hearing her name but returned back to the conversation they were having with my mate.

“But… didn’t you tell me…?” I nodded my head slowly.

“She lived. I’m pretty sure she is where I get my healing ability from.” I don’t think she could think of the right words to say so she gave me a side hug with her good arm. “You should go. I can smell infection setting in.”

“Right… I’m taking a damn long vacation after this. Agent Tukson will be shadowing you all in my place. He’s a good agent, just quiet.”

“Thank you for everything. I truly mean it.”

“I know you do. Tell everyone bye for me.” I nod and we part ways to which I rejoin the conversation with my mate.

_“She’s going to get help right? She seems the kind to ignore injury for her work.” _ I snort in agreement with my father before replying.

“_Maybe. But she bought me time to actually spend here. I don’t think we have been properly introduced now have we?” _ I addressed my younger sister who bounced in place with cub-like energy.

“My name is Lileane. (lil-e-ann) Are you going to stay with us?”

_“I’m sorry Lileane but he’s found a new home, isn’t that right son?” _ He tried to be cheerful but I could tell he was saddened by it as well.

“I have.”

_“Awww but I wanted a big brother to play with.” _ I ruffled her head fur and chuckled a bit.

“_Hey, I will definitely be visiting more often and we can always play when you come visit our dreams… but we will need to set ground rules first.” _ She huffed a bit but agreed that it would be fine. We all sat down and shared stories. I recounted the big events leading up to today and dad told me about the progression of the tribe. Lucy was being pestered with questions from my sister and ended up with a snoozing 6 year old in her lap. We continued talking until the sun began to set at which point Agent Tukson approached from where he had been keeping watch. “Time to go huh?” He only nodded when I picked myself up off the ground. I looked over and saw that Lucy had nodded off holding Lileane.

“She will be a wonderful mother one day.” That startled me a bit and I turned to my mom.

“I’m sure she would… but Lycan and human are incompatible.” She had a mischievous smirk and moved forward to hug me. With a very soft voice she whispered in my ear in perfect English.

“Don’t be so sure son. A soul bond changes both partners in dramatic ways. I used to have skin as fair as your mates before I met your father.” I looked between my mom and Lucy with my jaw hanging open. My father had walked over to collect my sister and slowly nudge Lucy awake. Before mom pulled away she licked my ear. “_I expect grand pups or grandkids sometime in the future… but only when you two are ready. You got lucky she isn’t in her fertile period or I suspect you’d be in for a surprise.” _ I looked back at her as she stretched her tired limbs and rubbed her eyes.

“I will be more mindful of that...” Regardless the thought both scared and excited me.

“Be careful son.”

_“I will try my best. My family has grown quite a bit larger after all.” _ I turned to Tukson to address him. “Do I have time to talk with one more person really quick?” He huffed a bit but nodded regardless.

“5 minutes.” His voice was softer than I expected from a man that stood a foot taller than me. I felt my tail wave behind me and nodded in return.

“_I need to speak with Jun before I leave… do you know where he is?” _ I could tell dad was apprehensive so I collected him in a quick hug. “_Don’t worry, nothing will happen.” _ I could feel the tension slowly leave his body.

“_Check the medical tent.” _ My father’s guess was correct but what surprised me was that he was not there for an injury but was bandaging the arm of another Lycan. The other Lycan noticed me first and nudge Jun to look my way. I could see him tense up before finishing the bandage and stepping slowly outside. His gaze was downturned and tail limp. He stopped a few feet away and lowered himself to a knee and bared his neck. I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I could manage to speak.

“_Jun…” _ I saw him tremble.

“_I won’t move. Strike me down. I deserve whatever punishment awaits.” _ I felt a whine leave my muzzle.

_“Stand up Jun… I’m not going to hurt you.” _ His eyes were hurt and frantic but he slowly stood nonetheless.

_“No… I need punishment… I drove my best friend from home…” _ He had started idly scratching across his shoulder as his frantic mind continued to spiral. “_There has to be punishment.” _ I found myself taking a hesitant step back, not sure how to respond until I picked up the smell of fresh blood. I noticed the dark patch slowly spreading from his shoulder and the constant raking of his claws. I closed the distance quickly and grabbed his wrist to stop him but I felt him trying to continue.

_“Jun stop! Please stop…” _ I finally felt the strength leave his arm and I let it fall to his side. That was when I really noticed how many scars were littering his body; they were all evenly spaced to not be mistaken for anything else. _“Gods Jun… please don’t…” _

“I’ve done so much worse to you and your family.” Tears were forming in his eyes. “_I can’t take that back… I wish I could.” _ My body moved on autopilot and I found my arms around him in gentle embrace. He stood there in silence.

“You’re supposed to hug me back Jun.” I did feel him return the embrace slowly. _“I used to hate you Jun. I struggled to find a way to live outside. Life was a nightmare. But I wouldn’t change what happened if I could.” _ He pulled back and looked at me with lonely searching eyes.

_“Why…?” _ That was just the faintest of whispers.

“Because it brought about change here. The cycle ended with me... That’s cause enough for me to be okay, but more importantly, I found a mate that I would never have met. I don’t want to fight, Jun. I want to be happy. I want you to be happy. I want to forgive and forget.” I pulled him back into a tight hug. “_I’ve missed you.” _ He clung to me nearly desperately.

“I’ve missed you too, Mare. (Mar-eh)”

“Aw… come on… you know that nickname sucks Jun.” _ We both shared a soft chuckle and pulled away from each other to wipe the tears from our cheeks. “_I’ve got to go.” _ I saw his ears droop and tail stop waving. _“My time limit is up for this visit.”

_“You’ll come back right…? To visit?” _ I felt my smile deepen a little and lean in to lick his nose which catches him by surprise. His tail quickly beats behind him and he returns the gesture. His eyes catch site of something behind me. “_Who’s the human?” _ I knew it was Lucy that was approaching and smiled.

“She’s my mate, Lucy.” His ears perked up before he leaned his head to the side to peek out at her again.

“You mated with a human?” _ He chuckled when I raised my eyebrows at him. “I meant nothing by that. She’s very pretty for a human.” _ By that time she was all but standing next to me and hooked her arm in mine.

“Aw, thank you. Oh… you’re bleeding, are you okay?” He reeled back slightly but quickly cleared his throat.

“I’m… I’m fine. Much better actually.”

_“Good. Get that shoulder checked out. Now babe, we gotta go.” _ I was practically drug away by the arm with no room for negotiation. She did slow down considerably when I tried to hobble along at a decent pace but my limp made for slow progress. The agents had setup a small array to teleport our group home… or in our case to the local headquarter for questioning. Maybe one day I’ll get to go home after visiting my parents but my track record says otherwise. I braced myself as best I could for the jump but my stomach still upended its contents in the nearest trashcan.

I found my interrogation room to be much nicer this time. There were actually pictures hanging up and fake potted plants set around. Introductions were carried out as they were in the past with 2 new faces, officer Cole and agent Lopez. They seemed to be much more friendly than I was used to but I guess the situation was much different than before. We talked through the events leading up to the attack to confirm minor details, which is where I was asked to recall the fight with our assailant… and so I began.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I knew this opponent was a dangerous one… that much was proven by how easy he had incapacitated agent Delaine. He hurt my family and that was not an offense that I would take lying down. I took in a deep lungful and slowly released it. One last glance at Lucy to confirm she had fully protected herself before surrendering my will to the instincts that waited inside. I sought the beast inside and found a dark shadowy version of myself standing behind a window. The shadow followed my movements as I approached but I could tell the energy was different. ‘I will grant you temporary control. This is not a foe I cannot defeat.’ The shadow bared its teeth in a dangerous looking grin.

‘We are one and the same. We fight for the same goal. We love the same and will defend them the same.’

‘I regain control after we deal with this correct?’

‘Neither of us have control and both of us have control.’ He passed through the glass like nothing was there. ‘We want the same thing. We are one and the same.’ It felt like I was missing something. There was a nagging feeling about this whole situation that I could not decipher. The shadow wolf slowly shifted into a dark silhouette of Lucy. ‘Don’t hide who you are. Trust yourself and I will be there to help you.’ The true meaning of those words slowly etch themselves in my mind. Not 2 minutes ago those exact words meaning something different to me. I was trying to suppress myself to fit into a new life and Lucy was trying to tell me I didn’t need to. She could see the two halves of me and felt no fear. The shadow lost its shape and settled across my body before finally fading away.

The snap back to reality was seamless and appeared that no extra time had passed. I glanced at my mate again feeling once again immensely grateful to have her. Looking back at the enemy in front of me fills me again with a rush of emotion. I loosen the clamp on my emotions and let the wave come crashing back. My anger flares and a snarl sets on my muzzle. ‘Protect them.’ The anger at this vile human reaches a boiling point and erupts in the form of a towering inferno. The near explosion of fire is accompanied by a savage yell that I could swear shook the trees around me. It takes effort to rein the energy back until it is just a flicker of fire jumping off my fur. My prey has fallen back to the tree line. I had begun slowly moving forward keeping my eyes trained on him despite the large number of fakes.

“You are but an infant next to a real demon.” I could tell I struck a nerve because he stopped hiding in the shadows and allowed the fakes to fade away.

“I’m going to cut that tongue out of your muzzle. You won’t need to talk where your headed anyway.” He had formed a blade in each hand and was approaching at a steady walk. Lucy was channeling an ice spear since he had stepped out of hiding. I drove the energy coursing through me into my claws to strengthen and sharpen them before lunging forward and closing the distance between us. He tried to parry the attack and I felt the ‘metal’ buckle. The blades gave out but my strike lacked the power to connect with him yet again. I felt the spell leave Lucy’s bubble and pulled myself into a roll as the ice shard passed closely over my head and impacted his left shoulder.

The attack was ultimately blocked but staggered him backwards while Lucy calmly constructed 3 more. He saw the new attacks forming and readied to leap out of the way. I reached out with my left arm and barely snagged ahold of his ankle in time to trip him up. I felt the attack release and held on tight to keep him in place. He coiled his body and released it in a surprisingly fast twist. I brought my other paw up to intercept the kick that was rapidly approaching my muzzle but found I didn’t have the leverage to stop it. The kick rang my bell and disoriented me but at least Lucy’s attack had landed and some amount of damage was dealt. I could taste the blood on my tongue from my cut cheek and spit it on the ground while standing back up.

He pulled something from his pocket and I leapt backwards as he threw it on the ground. I recognized the portable shield that formed and intercepted the next ice spear that was heading his way. With a small flourish he formed a new blade in his hand and flung his arm out toward me. The blade quickly rocketed towards me aided by a small air burst. I tracked the motion and caught the blade between my thumb and index finger before it could reach me. When I locked eyes with him again he had a twisted smile and the blade began to hum in my paw. I tried to toss the blade and turn my head from it but the blade exploded inches away from my paw. I felt shards impact multiple places along my body and grit my teeth against the flare of pain. I took stock and let out a breath when it appeared the damage was mostly superficial yet it would still take time to stem the bleeding.

“Oh, I bet that hurts doesn’t it? Keep getting in my way and I’ll skin you alive mutt. Besides… we can’t forget about the darling little daughter, so feisty. I bet her blood will taste so pure. Oh to feel it on my skin! It truly is one of the few pleasures of life. It’s a rush I’ll never get tired of regardless of the hundreds before you.” I felt a shiver run down my spine and saw my breath frost in the air as the temperature rapidly dropped.

“Absolutely vile.” My attention was drawn to Lucy upon hearing her voice. The barrier was now completely opaque. “I’ve never met a creature more undeserving of life.” The barrier around her began to crack. “For all that you have hurt.” *Crack* “This will be the last.” The barrier at last collapsed and instantly the temperature plummeted. My cloak of flames kept the worst at bay but the bite of cold was still there. The heavy fog that accompanied the shift in temperature began to settle and at last she was revealed. Her body was armored in dense plates of ice which altered her appearance. Despite the situation I couldn’t help but chuckle as she had taken on the appearance of a Lycan.

I made my way over to her while keeping an eye on our opponent. Now that I could get a closer look the armor was almost lifelike yet highly functional; The tail aided in balance. “We should still try to not kill him.” She took a deep breath without taking her eyes of him but I knew she brought her emotions under control a little more.

“No promises wolfy.”

“Yeah… no promises either love.”

“Are you done talking yet… you’re not the only people I have to kill you know…” As he said that he knelt down placed his palms on the soil. A tremor shook the ground and stones began upheaving and piling up on him. A huge amount of energy radiated through the stones and they started to move again as if climbing onto one another. The stones continued to shift until a nearly 14 foot tall stone man stood before us. I could catch small glimpses of the man deep within the golem. The man smashed his two rocky fists together with a loud resounding bang that displayed the true mass of the stones. “Let’s play kids, try not to get crushed!” The behemoth was slow to move but each movement would carry a massive force. The golem wound up like a pitcher and launched its right fist at us at a surprising velocity that had us diving off to the each side.

Alarm fired through me and I just managed to twist my body in a way to dodge the blade that was hidden behind the boulder. The blade passed by with barely an inch to spare. I tumble and roll to my feet to take up a position behind an old oak tree and give me a reprieve from any more daggers. The ground shook as the large boulder finally touches dirt and the sound of wood splintering can be heard deeper in the clearing. I glance to my right and check on Lucy and see her pulling a blade from the armor on her stomach. I catch a glimpse of red on the blade and time slows to crawl for me. The light catches the armor and appears white as snow. The image of my mother with the same injury flashes in and out of focus. My paws tremble at the resemblance.

I blink and she has taken a defensive stance and the visage is gone. I step around the tree as the colors drain from my vision. My approach is slow as the nodes and spells become ever more visible and focused in this grayscale world I find myself in; It makes it easy to forget there is a human attached to the glowing lines and swirling lights. My body feels almost numb with the energy flowing through me; the nerves and receptors unable to cope. I see the glow of the golems left arm winding back to strike out at me as I close the distance and meet the massive fist with my own. I watched a portion of my energy be injected into the first few links of stone and a split second later those affected pieces explode. The shockwave pushes me back a few feet as my claws dig furrows in the dirt.

The energy quickly floods back into my paw and I focus it into my claws. The air swirls around my paw as I begin casting a modified air cutter on each claw tip of my right paw. My focus allows me to form 4 cutters and wrap the core of the spell with as much raw elemental fire as will fit. I swipe my paw in his direction and 4 angry orange lines rocket toward him and tear large gouges in the stone where ever they touch. The power flooding through me kept the spell active and allowed me launch attack after attack as fast as my arm could strike out. It felt like minutes had passed since I began my assault and only ended when the spell fizzled away from my claw tips. I fell down to a knee as the drain on my system came crashing down on me. The path down my right arm was screaming from the demand but I kept my eyes focused on the cloud of dust that was my target. I got to my feet and approached the settling cloud. The only thing left of the golem was the chest stone that had barely a half remaining.

I circled around slowly and found him resting his back against the stone and holding his side where a cutter had slipped through a crack and reached him. His breathing was labored and he barely met my eyes as I closed the distance between us after dropping down to all 4. I could see the fear register in his eyes as he understood the slow gate of a predator. I crawled my way until I my snarling maw was inches from him. I brought my right paw up and gripped his neck enough to make breathing uncomfortable. I continued to slowly tighten my grip until I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I snapped my attention down to see a physical steel knife in his right hand being pulled out to strike somewhere else on my body. I found his wrist between my teeth the next moment and the fresh taste of blood on my tongue as my teeth broke the skin.

I bit down as hard as I physically could and felt bones snap until I swear I had severed this hand from his arm. I felt a hand run through the fur on my head and let what was left of his hand fall from my muzzle. Her arm settled around my neck as she kneeled beside me. I stayed still, listening to her voice as she settled the last of my nerves and talked me out of attack mode. I laid down and allowed her to bandage the fresh wound on my leg and stem the bleeding while I kept an eye on our unconscious adversary. We took a couple moments to rest with her snuggled to my side before my dad and Garrett found us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Present – Interrogation room~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And that was all that really happened.” One of men took a sip from his cup and checked his notes.

“That’s just hard to believe… neither of you tested high enough for that kind of story to be believable.” The man cross his hands together on the table and leaned forward a little. “This is important. We can’t have you exaggerating on an official review.”

“I’m not exaggerating sir.” He just dismissed it with a sigh and stood up.

“We’ll get the real story later. You’re to be transferred to Maryland Hospital immediately so grab whatever you brought and follow me.”