"Is... is that it?" Ren asked, clearly confused as she stared at the area where her claw marks disappeared on the Ancestral Tree.
Bella nodded, smiling proudly. "Yes Ren, you have given your vow. Congratulations." She replied with a cheery voice.
Ren slowly turned around, immediately looking to John with a big smile on her face. "That... was awesome!" She exclaimed, skipping over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him.
John chuckled, quickly hugging her back. "Yeah, it was." He said with amusement.
"Congratulations Ren." Said Shira, giving the wolf girl a very small smile while the others just seemed to be happy for her with their expressions... except for Tristan of course.
"Now all we gotta do is get her trained to fight when necessary." Cooper said with a smile while simultaneously picking at his canine teeth with a toothpick.
"Um, I think I have the perfect man to train me thank you very much." Ren said with a small giggle, cuddling into John a little more.
"Cooper is shit trainer anyways." Ivan said with a chuckle, nudging Cooper's shoulder playfully.
Cooper glared up at the tall bear, cursing under his breath. "I'm shit am I? I'll fucking show you shit.." he mumbled, growling slightly.
"If we're quite done with joking around on these sacred lands, shall we regain focus?" Tristan asked, scowling at everyone.
The group rolled their eyes from Tristan's mood killing nature, and with the order from Bella, the whole group retained their previous silence, going back to paying their respects to those they lost after Ren gave her vow.
And this would go on for almost an hour until Bella decided it was time to head back, turning around to everyone. "Okay, it is getting rather cold out here, let us return." She said, grabbing onto Sammy's hand once again.
Everyone began following Bella... except for Luna. She stayed behind, keeping her eyes to the Ancestral Tree.
"Actually... I'm gonna go a walk guys, I'll be back soon." Luna said quietly, still standing with the help of her cruches.
This confused the group, everyone turned around to face her.
"... a walk? Luna, you can hardly walk with those things as is." Shira pointed out. "You should be resting."
John was especially concerned by what Luna said and looked at her with an expression that showed his concern.
"Guys, I'm going a walk, I'll be back in a bit." Luna stated, clearly getting a little irritated.
Just as she began struggling to walk in the opposite direction as them, John sighed, shaking his head.
"Then I'll come with you." He said, earning surprised glances from the group, mostly Ren.
"Oh for fuck sake, seriously?" Luna asked, pinching the bridge of her nose as she stopped in her tracks.
John nodded. "Can't let you head out alone with the state you're in." He said simply, making her groan with annoyance.
"He's right Luna, if you insist on going out, someone is going with you. That's an order." Bella stated.
"Ugh... whatever." Luna mumbled, very clearly aggravated.
"John... do you have to go?" Ren asked quietly, going unheard by everyone but John as she leaned into him.
He sighed, knowing Ren wanted him to stay with her. "Yeah, I do... she can't just go alone like that Ren." He said softly, placing a kiss on her head. "I'll be back soon." He promised.
With a sigh, Ren slowly nodded her head, deciding that he wouldn't be gone that long. She backed up, allowing him to head over to Luna so that the two could begin their stroll.
"Um... mom, c-could I go with them?" Sammy asked nervously, surprising the group.
Bella stared at the fox child for a moment, shocked. "You... want to go with Luna and the human?"
Sammy slowly nodded his head. "I just... don't wanna go back yet. And I know you won't let me go out by myself so... could I just go with them?" He asked.
Bella was lost for words, this was the last thing she was expecting of her adopted son.
"We'll keep an eye on him, Bella." John assured, his hands tucked away in his jacket pockets.
"Hmm..." Bella mumbled, slowly turning her head towards the man, then back to Sammy. "Okay... but never leave their sight, and I mean that Sammy." She demanded.
"I won't mom, I promise." Sammy replied with a smile, quickly hugging the white rabbit gratefully.
Bella sighed, but smiled softly as she hugged the fox child back. "I'll see you soon, I love you Sam." She said like a loving mother.
"Love you too mom." Sammy replied with amusement before separating from the hug and hurrying over to John and Luna.
"Idiot." Tristan mumbled under his breath as he walked away, clearly directed at Bella for letting her adopted son go with a human.
"Luna... you have your radio, yes?" Bella asked.
Luna rolled her eyes, patting her jacket pocket where her radio was always held. "Uh-huh, always do." She replied.
"Good... tell us immediately if-"
"Yeah yeah, I will, don't worry." Luna cut the rabbit off, waving her hand as she began moving again with her cruches.
"We'll be back soon Bella, don't worry." John said with a smile and a nod, before following after Luna, not surprised when Aura quickly caught up with him.
Bella sighed and nodded, strangely trusting the man now. She eventually turned around to the others, motioning for them to follow her as she began her walk back to the hidden tunnel that leads back to Perseverance.
"So... where do you wanna go?" John asked Luna curiously as he, Sammy and Aura began following her.
"Somewhere alone would've been nice, but noooo." Luna muttered as she carefully made her way down the hill where the tree stood.
John, Sammy and Aura made their way down the hill with her, clearly surprised by her answer.
"You know how my mom feels about people going out alone... especially while the monsters are out there." Sammy said with a slight shiver as he mentioned the monsters.
"Uh-huh, which is exactly why I now have you three coming with me." Luna replied with a roll of her eyes as she reached the bottom of the hill, now making her way towards the edge of the magic barrier of the sacred lands.
"Well, what would you have done if you came across a rabid?" John asked curiously, clearly wanting Luna to see that she would be in serious danger out there alone, and in the state she was in.
Luna was silent for a moment after John's question, but eventually, as she trudged through the snow with her cruches, she rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever." She muttered.
"Exactly." Sammy said with amusement, right as they came to the edge of the magic barrier of the sacred lands.
Without another word, Luna left the barrier first and momentarily disappeared from their sight, being quickly followed by John, Aura and Sammy.
John went through the same routine as he did when he enterd the magic barrier, the entire landscape and wilderness suddenly changing before him with the blink of an eye as soon as he left the sacred lands. It was slightly disorienting to him, but he managed to stop himself from throwing up.
Once the four of them had left the sacred lands, Luna continued walking ahead without a word, clearly not wanting to start anymore small talk. Which meant John and Sammy walked side by side, with Aura closely behind.
The fox child glanced up at John a few times, clearly a little nervous but he kept his cool, apparently having slightly more trust in him now.
"S-So um... my mom trusts you now. You're really on our side?" Sammy asked, his still developing brain was clearly confused as to why they were now befriending someone of the same kind as those they treated as enemies for millenia.
John nodded, looking down at the fox child as they trudged through the snow. "I am. You don't have to believe me kid, but all I want is to do right by you guys. And I'm happy I'm getting the chance." He explained, smiling.
Sammy was silent for a moment, his eyes drifting to the snowy ground in front of him. "I believe you." He muttered. "I trust my mom more than anyone.. and she trusts you, so... I believe you."
That surprised John a lot, he never would've expected a young child like Sammy, especially after being brought up to treat humans as the enemy to suddenly believe him. "Uh, how do you know your mom trusts me?" He asked curiously.
Sammy was once again silent as he thought about John's question. "I don't know, I guess I can just... see it. She treats you as one of her own now, and... you're the only human she's ever come across who she hasn't... executed." He explained quietly and nervously.
John was surprised to hear that Bella executed humans herself... to him she seemed so soft, but apparently he was very mistaken.
"... and when I told her about everything that happened yesterday... that you saved me twice, and everyone else. I guess that just made her trust you more." Sammy added. "Also made her worried about those guys we came across though."
John slowly nodded his head. "Well, whoever their leader is won't find us, Perseverance is well hidden." He said confidently.
"I hope so." Sammy muttered, worry evident in his voice.
There was a moment of silence as John, Sammy and Aura followed Luna to... wherever she was going, but the man suddenly grew curious.
"So... how'd Bella come to be your mom?" He asked curiously.
Sammy's ears slowly lowered when John asked that question and he looked to the snowy ground below him, sighing. "A few years ago um... I was in a hidden village around here, with foxes like me... I was happy there, more than happy.. and I was only ten when it happened, I think... but one day.." the fox child stopped himself as he began reliving his traumatic memories.
"One day, some... terrifying man found us, I think he was part of the F.E.O but.. he looked different. The eyes on his helmet were orange instead of red... and I had to watch as he killed everyone and... my parents right in front of me." Sammy explained, tears beginning to brim in his eyes. "My older sister told me to run, keep running and don't look back... so that's what I did... I ran, like a coward, and I never saw her again. Eventually.. days later I think, Bella found me half dead from starvation and took me in."
John listened to Sammy with shock, with his eyes widened from this poor child's story... Luna had even turned around, the story clearly catching her attention and even making her tear up too.
"Shit.. Kid, I..." John muttered, clearly horrified and guilt ridden for making the fox child relive his trauma.
Luna was speechless, just like John... she had no idea what Sammy's story was, nor was she ever interested to ask... but now, she felt awful for him... and she knew exactly what he went through. His story reminded her of her own.
"Yeah... that's all the F.E.O do to us... if we resist their ways, they kill us... exactly what happened to me and my pack." Luna explained with a sigh. "I know how you feel kiddo... my family was killed by those F.E.O fuckers too.." she finished with sadness before turning back and trudging through the snow once again.
Sammy didn't respond, he just kept his head down and slowly followed after the wolf girl, along with John and Aura, but John now felt like the biggest piece of shit for making both Sammy and Luna relive their past's.
"So... what about you?" Sammy asked quietly, slowly glancing over at John with curiosity. "What's your story?"
John looked back at the fox child, silent as he thought about that question. "I never met my folks... I grew up in a strict... abusive orphanage. Left as soon as I turned eighteen." He explained simply, not wanting to give much thought to the place he grew up in.
Sammy nodded his head slowly with understanding to John's explanation. "I'm sorry." He said quietly but sympathetically. "And... what about her?" He asked, pointing at Aura.
John was clearly surprised that Sammy asked about the large wolf walking by his side, but he slowly reached down and rubbed Aura's ears gently. "Found her as a pup... next to her dead mom." He said sadly.
"Well look at us, fucking band of orphans in a fucked up world." Luna said from ahead of them, shaking her head. "Damn this is just sad."
The four of them eventually emerged from the wilderness and onto a rundown street nearby the city.
"What are we doing out here Luna?" John suddenly asked, looking over at the wolf girl... but he did have a small idea as to what she may be planning now. "You're not just out here for a walk, are you?"
Luna didn't respond, instead she just stopped in her tracks and looked to the snow below her.
"You think those humans we came across were F.E.O, don't you? And now you're out here to find out for yourself?" He asked, sighing. "Dammit, Luna... you're in no shape to fight, you shouldn't even be out here." He stated.
Sammy didn't realize it until now, but he knew John was right... it all added up. "He's right y'know... I know all you're thinking about right now is revenge... I am too... but we can't just take on the F.E.O like that if they really are still out here." The fox child explained sadly.
Luna remained silent for a moment, but eventually sighed. "I at least have to know. If we're really dealing with F.E.O, we need to be prepared ahead of time." She replied. "And I'm gonna find out who Artimas is." She stated.
"Another time Luna, you need to recover before you even think about that stuff." John said softly, but then, Aura began to growl... warning them of an approaching rabid that spotted them in the distance, and was now running towards them, snarling. "I've got it." He said with a sigh, taking his kabar out of his sheath as he walked ahead to meet the rabid head on.
Sammy and Luna watched as John skillfully greeted the rabid with a swift kick to the face with his black boot, then grabbed it by the scruff of the neck before driving his blade straight through its green eye. The rabid screeched before it fell limp when John yanked his blade back out, then wiped the green blood off of it on his pants.
But suddenly... a loud bang was heard in the distance, right in the middle of the city where some smoke was now visible, catching everyone's attention... followed by even more explosions.
"That... that's home!" Sammy exclaimed with horror, pointing at the smoke.
"Shit.." John mumbled as he stared at the smoke, sliding his kabar back into its sheath. "Luna, your radio!" He said quickly, glancing at her.
Luna quickly nodded and pulled her radio out of her jacket pocket, pushing in the button. "Bella, Bella do you copy?! Please respond!" She yelled into the device.
There was nothing but static for a moment, putting the three of them on edge. Eventually though, a voice was heard... but it wasn't Bella's, and it said one simple, haunting word.... "Help."
-
The group consisting of Ren, Shira, Bella, Tristan, Cooper and Ivan eventually made it back to the main vehicle bay of Perseverance, after walking back through the very long hidden tunnel that led them to the sacred lands.
"Alright everyone, if you need me, I'll be in my office." Said Bella, letting out a short yawn as she began walking away from the group.
But the white rabbit didn't get very far and her attention was gained by Francis walking towards her with a rather... scared expression.
"Francis?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow as she stopped in her tracks.
"We um... we have a situation." Francis started off, gaining the group's attention. "One of the cameras we have hidden up top caught some um... weird guy looking around on the hatch... it looked like he knew something was under here." He explained.
Everyone was silent, presumably just as worried as the coyote. "When did this happen?" Bella asked fearfully.
"Um.. about an hour ago." Francis responded.
"Just one little human?" Shira asked, crossing her arms. "No need to worry, I'll head up there and track him down before he spreads the word." The lizard stated confidently.
But... Francis shook his head. "Guys, this... this wasn't any ordinary human... I don't know but, he reminds me of F.E.O.. the shit he was wearing was fucking scary." He said fearfully.
"... F.E.O.." Ren mumbled, her expression immediately dropping to show her fear.
"Those bastards still around?" Ivan asked, scowling and clenching his fists.
"Hm, guess the end of the world isn't enough to stop their fucked up agenda." Cooper said with a sigh.
Bella seemed the most concerned, bringing a hand up to her face to pinch the bridge of her snout. "If this really is F.E.O, then we have a very big problem.." she said quietly.
"You know how they found us, right?" Tristan asked simply, shaking his head. "I warned you all right from the beginning, and you didn't listen."
Suddenly, Tristan recieved a very hard kick to the crotch from behind him, making him yelp with pain and fall to his knees, clutching his manhood.
"If you ever accuse John of something he didn't do, ever again... I'm gonna be sure to use my claws next time." Ren stated angrily, baring her teeth at the jackal after she revealed herself as the ball kicker.
"Ouch, that'll teach him." Cooper laughed, clearly finding entertainment in what he just witnessed, along with everyone else.
Tristan took a few breaths as he coped with the lingering pain, but he slowly raised his head to give Ren a very cold death stare. "You little.. human fucking whore." He growled, slowly standing up to walk towards Ren.
But before he could get far, a very sharp knife was suddenly held against his neck threateningly... by Shira, the lizard was scowling at him. "Take what she said and shut the fuck up about it, asshole."
"ENOUGH!" Bella exclaimed, angered by what was going on in front of her. "We have just been informed of a possible breach, I expect us all to be focused on the safety of Perseverance, not our own pointless squabbling amongst ourselves!"
Everybody slowly looked Bella's way while Shira scoffed, taking her blade away from Tristan's neck, but Ren whispered a very quiet "Thank you", to Shira, clearly grateful that the lizard stuck up for her.
"Now, Francis, gather your Sqaudron. We must be prepared in the event of an atta-"
... everyone listened with horror as a very loud, frightening alarm sounded throughout the entirety of Perseverance, followed by red, flashing lights.
"Umm.. wh-what's going on?" Ren asked with clear fear in her voice.
"Ohhh.. fuck, we're under attack! Bella, start up evacuation protocol!" Francis exclaimed, then ran away from the group to gather his squad.
With little to no hesitation, Shira, Cooper and Ivan immediately sprinted towards their positions which they trained for in the event of an attack.
"... S-Sammy is out there.." Bella mumbled to herself, beginning to tear up with complete fear for her adopted son... but she did her best to compose herself. "Ren... b-be prepared to evacuate, this could be bad." She said before turning around and walking away, presumably to her office with Tristan following her.
Ren stood there for a moment, absolutely paralyzed with fear. She had never been in a position like this, sure she'd seen John fighting people before but... he wasn't here... and Perseverance was under attack.
Her mind began running rampant with thoughts of what she should do, but then she remembered... "Mia..." she muttered.
With her one goal now in mind, she began running as fast as her legs could possibly take her throughout the Perseverance corridors, running passed many terrified furs on her way and blocking out the scary sound of the alarm blaring... she could only think about getting back to Mia, she would not be separated from her again.
But that was when the first bang was heard, making the entire underground base shake from the force of whatever just exploded.
-
John was cradling Luna as he ran, while Sammy and Aura were running behind him through the city of Montreal, trying to get back to Perseverance as fast as they could to find out what was going on.
"Try the radio again!" John exclaimed as he carried Luna close to him, never once slowing down.
Luna immediately did as the man said, holding her radio to her face again. "Luna speaking, is anyone receiving?!" She asked desperately... but the voice who responded moments ago no longer seemed to be there.
"... th-this is bad.. m-my mom.." Sammy mumbled to himself with fear as he continued running behind John.
"Your mom is gonna be fine buddy, stay calm." John said assuringly, still running as fast as he could... but he suddenly came to a stop when he saw Aura ahead of him stopping in her tracks, her ears flicking up. "Shh!" He shushed Luna and Sammy quickly so that they could listen.
Everyone was silent as they listened carefully, eventually hearing the distant voices of a very large up ahead... right around were Perseverance was located.
John silently signaled Sammy to follow him as he crept into a nearby alley, gently sitting Luna down in front of a dumpster as they continued to listen, Aura following them shortly after.
"That's gotta be about a hundred guys!" Luna whispered, shocked by how many distant voices could actually be heard.
John sighed silently and shook his head. "More than that." He whispered in response before gently grabbing Sammy's arm, bringing him behind the dumpster as well. "You two stay here, I'm gonna go see what's going on."
"What? No we go together!" Sammy whispered defiantly, yanking his arm back from John.
Once again, John shook his head. "Kid, you've gotta stay here and look after her. I'll be back, I promise."
Luna stared right into John's eyes for a moment, clearly disagreeing with what he was saying, but... she sighed. "Well, I guess I would just slow you down." She whispered, rolling her eyes. "Go on... just don't get yourself killed, got it?"
"Yeah, got it." John whispered in response, gently placing his hand on Luna's shoulder for a moment before slowly standing back up, then held his fist out to Sammy. "Be back in a bit bud." He said.
Sammy stared at John for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Yeah, cool." He said, bumping John's fist with his own.
The man smiled a little in both Sammy's and Luna's direction, and then without another word, he crept once again out of the alley, whistling for Aura to follow closely behind him.
John kept close to the walls of buildings in the city and abandoned vehicles as he made his way towards the city centre, where Perseverance was. The sounds of the many voices grew louder and louder as he got closer, causing Aura to growl slightly... only to be immediately shushed by him.
Eventually though, John had a partial view of what was going on when he made it close enough, crouching behind a parked vehicle with Aura beside him... and what he saw wasn't good at all.
It almost seemed like a massive hoard of humans crowding all around the entrance hatch of Perseverance, as if waiting to get in. They even had a massive perimeter around them to take out any incoming rabids that attacked.
But John was relieved to see that the hatch was holding strong to the punishment it had recieved in the form of explosions. There were only a few scorch marks and destroyed rubble around the hatch.
"Fuck... what are we gonna do girl?" He whispered, glancing over at Aura who still sat next to him.
The large wolf could only whimper in response to him, almost like she was telling him there were far too many for him to handle... this had to be a plan of pure strategy and calculation.
With a sigh, John gently patted Aura's back as a signal for her to follow him as he began creeping his way back to the alley... but unbeknownst to him... someone had already spotted him.
-
Ren practically slammed herself into their quarter room door in order to get it open, frantically looking inside. "MIA?!" She exclaimed with such urgency.
"Mm, the fuck was all that banging?" Mia asked tiredly, sitting up on the bed while rubbing her eyes.
Ren was... rather shocked that Mia wasn't panicking right now and instead seemed to just want to go back to sleep... but she rolled her eyes from the white wolf's typical behaviour and snatched her wrist, dragging her out of bed and frankly not caring if she was still naked, their lives were more important right now.
"Ah! Ren, the fuck?!" Mia exclaimed, now fully awake as she just barely managed to reach one of John's shirts that was way to big for her, and would cover her entire nude body.
"We've gotta get the fuck out of here, you're sleeping through an attack!" Ren yelled in response, still dragging Mia with a vice like grip as she ran back to the vehicle bay.
Mia was clearly surprised by what Ren just told her, quickly getting John's shirt on as she kept up with her. "Okay okay, I'm awake now aren't I?" She replied, though there was slight fear now evident in her voice.
Ren rolled her eyes and they both eventually emerged back into the vehicle bay, now hearing some kind of large, very loud saw above them, as if they were now trying to cut through the hatch.
"Ren! Mia! Over here, now!" Yelled the voice of Shira, waving them over to the entrance of the tunnel that led them to the sacred grounds, but now... it was being used as a means of evacuation for the entirety of Perseverance, a huge, single file of furs walking through in a calmly manner.
Surprised, Ren walked over to the lizard with Mia's wrist still held tightly in her hand.
"So where do we go now?" Ren asked, clearly worried about where they go after evacuating.
"We worry about that later, for now, just go, both of you." Shira replied strictly, her bow at the ready just in case.
"What about you, scales?" Mia asked softly and yet... still with a joking manner.
Shira glared at the white wolf for a moment before rolling her eyes. "I am waiting for Bella, said she's calling for assistance from an old friend." She replied with a shrug.
Just then, Bella came running back to the vehicle bay with a rather large backpack on, stopping next to Shira. "Has everyone been through the tunnel?" She asked with clear worry.
"To the best of my knowledge, yes." Shira responded calmly with a nod.
Suddenly, another explosion was heard right above them, shaking the grounds they were standing on once again.
Bella sighed and slowly nodded her head. "Okay, no more time... come, let us leave." She said quickly, motioning for the three of them to go.
Shira, Ren and Mia obeyed Bella's order and made their way towards the tunnel, with the rabbit following them... but Ren slowly glanced behind her, at John's truck that was still parked in the vehicle bay.
'Hopefully he won't be too sad about it...' Ren thought to herself with a sigh, right as the four of them walked through the tunnel.
But Bella quickly pulled something out of her pack, tossing it to Shira. "You know what to do, let's cover our tracks." She said with a nod.
Shira looked at what was in her hand... an explosive charge, and nodded in response to Bella, quickly reaching up and easily reaching the top of the door frame due to her height, and stuck the charge to it, pushing a few buttons.
"Alright, we have a minute, might be a good idea to run." Shira said with a surprisingly calm voice as she turned back around to them.
"... a minute, are you crazy?! Let's go!" Mia suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Ren's hand to begin running down the corridor.
Shira couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she and Bella ran behind them. "Apologies, I needed to cover our tracks quickly." She replied with amusement.
"Damn maniac!" Mia yelled back as they ran as fast as they could.
Right up until an explosion was heard behind them. Luckily, they were far enough away, but the explosion caused rubble from the ceiling to fall down in front of the tunnel entrance, making it seem like there was never and entrance in the first place, but just some damage from the attack.
After the explosion went off, the four of them were able to slow down, now out of danger.
"Come, the others will be waiting for us at the end of the tunnel." Bella said with a sigh, adjusting her pack. "... and I will find my son before we go any further." She stated... refusing to leave her adopted fox child behind.
-
John and Aura hastily made it back to the alley and unintentionally startled Luna and Sammy, who were still behind the dumpster waiting for him.
"What did you see?" Sammy whispered as soon as he recognized him.
John sighed, remaining at the entrance of the alley for a moment. "It's not good, there's a whole damn militia over there trying to get in, but the hatch has held so far... doesn't look like it'll give anytime soon." He explained silently.
Luna slowly nodded her head with understanding from John's explanation. "Then thank the lady for Annika..." she mumbled to herself, glancing back at John. "She helped reinforce that hatch years ago, a true master of her craft... haven't seen her in a long time but she's still saving all our asses." She explained with slight amusement.
John couldn't help but smile a little from what Luna said, about this 'Annika', he hoped to meet her some day, but he quickly got back on focus. "Okay, we seriously need to regain contact wi-" he was suddenly cut off by the vicious, angry growls of Aura behind him, warning him of something urgent.
Scowling, he turned around, his hand already hovering above his holstered desert eagle.
John was confused by who he saw at the end of the alley. It was a man, standing almost robotically upright in stature, staring directly into his soul with the orange, glowing visor of his helmet. His body was clad in very strong, sophisticated looking armour, and it seemed he had no shortage of blades sheathed in various parts of his gear.
But the most shocked of all by this strange man's sudden appearance, was Sammy... flashbacks suddenly flooded his mind after a simple glance at the robotic man, his sister's scared voice telling him to run, and don't look back playing on repeat in his head.
"You assist these furs?" The man suddenly asked with no emotion, still staring straight at John.
John just stared right back at the man with a scowl, Aura growling beside him. "I do." He stated with pride. "What are you? Some kind of F.E.O troop?" He asked, raising an eyebrow... not noticing the fox child's pure fear in this moment, but Luna was trying her best to calm him.
"Yes, I am Elite061, part of the Elite breed of F.E.O troops. But my commander calls me Ethan." Ethan explained. "Greetings aside, Artimas orders that all furs and fur fuckers alike are to be terminated." He said before slowly walking towards John.
"Huh, hearing a lot about this Artimas guy, wonder when he'll stop being such a pussy and show up." John replied with a roll of his eyes, watching as the Elite approached him. "Sammy, Luna, get out of here. I'll deal with this guy."
"No, I will!" Sammy suddenly yelled with a new burst of anger, emerging from behind the dumpster to run towards Ethan with his little claws extended.
"Kid!" John and Luna yelled at the same time, but luckily, John was able to grab the fox child just on time and held him back.
"You! You killed my entire family you monster!" Sammy exclaimed lividly, trying desperately to escape John's grip.
Ethan froze and looked down at the fox child, almost as if he recognized him... but something else entirely was going on in the elite's mind than what could be seen.
"Hm, I know you, young one." Ethan said, staring down at the fox child. "But, Artimas's orders that all furs are to be terminated... even children."
"You sick fucks." Luna said with a growl as she slowly stood up with the help of her cruches.
Ethan didn't respond, instead he just regained his focus on his current task and began making his way towards them again.
"Alright, that's close enough." John said, scowling as he pulled out his desert eagle, then firing his first shot in Ethan's direction.
The three of them stared with shock when Ethan simply raised his arm, a metal brace on his wrist taking the bullet and not even leaving a dent. It was almost as if the elite knew exactly where John's bullet would land and positioned his arm with precision.
John looked at his gun for a moment, baffled, before looking back to the elite. "That thing is strong enough to take a .44 magnum.?" he mumbled.
"Dragon hide." Ethan answered simply before he suddenly dashed towards John.
John scowled and began firing more shots at Ethan, but he could only watch with disbelief as the elite dodged and jumped on top of the dumpster, then skillfully flipped over the three, using his metal brace to block John's bullets before landing behind them, then kicking the gun out of John's hand.
"You two, run!" John yelled as soon as he was disarmed, immediately taking out his kabar next and swinging at Ethan, only for his arm to be caught, followed by a nasty punch to the face which made him stumble back and hold his nose, which was now likely broken from that blow.
"NO!" Sammy yelled, quickly climbing onto Ethan's back and desperately trying to jam his claws into the elite's neck, but it seemed that his entire body was clad in thick armour, too thick for the youngling's claws to pierce.
Aura gave Sammy a helping hand, growling viciously as she went in for a bite, but Ethan just barely managed to move his arm effectively for the wolf's jaw to lock onto the brace on his wrist instead of letting her target a weaker area of his armour.
"DIE YOU BASTARD!" Sammy exclaimed, still repeatedly jamming his claws into Ethan's armoured neck desperately.
Throughout all of this, Ethan didn't even make a sound, the only noise that was heard was the growls of Aura as her jaws remained latched onto his brace, and Sammy's yells of rage. But he decided this had to end at some point, and suddenly swung his arm back, easily throwing Aura in the opposite direction before reaching back and grabbing Sammy by the collar of his jacket, bringing him to eye level.
"Vengeance consumes you." Ethan said simply before a long blade suddenly extended outward from the brace on his free arm. "A short lived vengeance."
Sammy's eyes widened from the sight of that large blade, and desperately tried to free himself of Ethan's grip when the elite slowly moved the blade closer to him.
But then, just before the blade got close enough to the fox child, something was suddenly swung and snapped over Ethan's head, causing him to let go of Sammy.
The elite slowly turned around to face his new attacker... Luna, who was stood behind him, holding her now snapped crutch and standing on one leg.
"You leave the kid alone." She said, growling and baring her teeth.
"Hm." Ethan responded uncaringly, not even phased by her attack.
Now that there was a momentary grace period, the elite looked around him, watching as John got back up, wiping the blood away from his nose while grabbing Sammy, pushing him behind him protectively, while Aura also got back up with a small whine.
"This fight is pointless. None of you are a match for me." Ethan said, looking back to John and pointing his blade at him menacingly. "You know what is coming, you all do. The extinction of all fur kind."
"No... that isn't what's coming." John replied, spitting out some blood before readying himself with his kabar again, Sammy remaining behind him this time.
"Yeah, that's the thing about us furs, we persevere." Luna agreed, still growling with Aura stood next to her, giving Ethan her own vicious growls.
Ethan was silent for a moment, as if calculating how he would attack. "So be it." He responded, slowly getting into a defensive position.
John stood his ground for a moment, scowling in Ethan's direction while holding his kabar tightly... before he made a very loud, and familiar whistle.
The whistle was instantly recognized by Aura and she suddenly lunged onto Ethan's back, her jaws latching around his armoured neck as he began shaking his body side to side to try and get her off. The large wolf's teeth were very close to piercing his armour.
With the elite distracted, John went in for his attack, immediately going for a stab to the abdomen with his frighteningly sharp kabar. But Ethan's skill was unparalleled, and he managed to catch John's arm even while remaining focused on trying to get Aura off of him.
Ethan eventually got a good grip on the scruff of Aura's neck and managed to throw her off of him with quite some force, causing her to slam into the dumpster with a loud thud, allowing him to focus fully on John again.
The man was pissed after what Ethan did to his wolf and he yelled with his pure, livid anger, pushing with all of his strength to inch the blade closer to Ethan's abdomen.
The elite, who was now holding the blade back with two hands due to being surprised by John's strength, actually seemed to be struggling against him... but he wouldn't let the man best him, it went against his coding.
"Pitiful." Ethan insulted before suddenly headbutting John in the face with his solid metal helmet, followed by a nasty kick to his shin. Now that John was injured and distracted, the elite grabbed the side of his head and slammed it into the wall next to them.
After Ethan's skillful chain of attacks, John fell to his knees dizzily, spitting out some blood... no matter what he tried... this man just couldn't be beaten... or was he even a man?
As a last ditch effort, Luna hopped onto his back and began using her other crutch to try and strangle him, knowing she wouldn't be a very good fighter with her broken paw. And while she was at it, Sammy began attacking his front, desperately trying to find a week spot in his armour.
Ethan barely even reacted as usual, and he simply backhanded the fox child, sending him to the ground before grabbing onto Luna's crutch, squeezing and easily snapping it in two, causing her to fall to the ground, where he turned around and held his boot to her neck to keep her pinned as she struggled.
"I'm afraid this does have to come to an end. I would like this done before Artimas arrives." Ethan said with no emotion, walking towards John first with his long blade still extended.
"Yeah, well... get on with it." John mumbled, leaning his side against the wall when he realized he was now too dizzy to stand.
Ethan stopped in front of John ominously, winding his arm back as he prepared to end the man's life... but just before he could, something caught his attention. Shadows were moving across the ground as if something was... flying over them.
There was the sudden sound of something or... someone landing in the alley with them, followed by a smooth, feminine voice.
"You dare lay a hand on these furs, human?" Asked the feminine voice as she glared daggers at the elite. "You have made a big mistake."
With Sammy unconscious, and John just barely clinging to consciousness, Luna was the only one who was able to witness what was going on... and her eyes were in a widened state from just who had come to their rescue.
John could hardly see what was going on due to his vision blurring, but what he did make out was a figure with blue and white feathers attacking the elite with such grace and skill. A dance compared to their mystery saviour. But suddenly... very large wings expanded from their saviour's back, which she began using against Ethan with skill and calculation. No matter what the elite did to counter her attacks, he simply could not best her...
And so, Ethan finally managed to get a kick into her, making her stumble back and allowing him to retreat down the alley, knowing that it was smarter to flee from such a skilled fighter... who exceeded his own skill... something he thought was impossible.
With the elite gone, John watched the figure look around at the injured Luna, Aura and Sammy.. and then him. She stared at him for a moment, seemingly only now realizing that he was human... but eventually, her wings folded behind her back and she crouched in front of John, allowing him to notice now that she was female, and had a very obvious black beak on her face... she was an Avian.
"You're coming with us, human." Said their saviour... John just barely managed to see a few more of these Avians land in the alley, just before he passed out.
-
Artimas's army continued trying their best to open the Perseverance entrance hatch, and they seemed to be getting very close to doing so. But soon later, a large truck arrived and pulled up near the hatch... and Artimas himself got out of the passenger seat, looking around the place.
"Where is Ethan?" He asked his army simply.
"Here, sir." Ethan said, suddenly appearing from the side of a building... his armour looked dented and beaten as he made his way towards Artimas.
Artimas looked his elite up and down, surprised by his current state. "What on earth happened to you?" He asked.
Ethan was silent for a moment, stopping in front of the F.E.O militant. "I noticed a group lingering around here... one was human, the others were fur. I was just about to kill them but... then I was attacked by an Avian, sir... her skill exceeded my own and I was forced to retreat." He explained.
Artimas seemed... disappointed... or angry. It was hard to tell behind his helmet. "You are an elite, you mean to tell me that a fur bested you?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." Ethan responded quietly.
"Hm, then it would appear you'll need some extreme reprogramming when we return." Artimas said with clear anger behind his voice. "Where did this happen?"
Ethan slowly turned around and pointed down the street he just came from. "In an alley down there sir, they are likely gone by now." He replied.
"I see..." Artimas said, his hands forming into fists as he controlled his anger... but eventually, he sighed, and looked to the hatch. "I see that nobody has managed to open it yet?" He asked, disappointed.
"No sir." Ethan responded, looking around at the large army who were still attempting to open the hatch.
Artimas was silent for a moment, then looked to his army. "Everyone, stand back." He ordered, watching as the men and woman who follow him immediately obeyed his order.
The F.E.O militant slowly walked towards the hatch, then stood still near it for a moment, everybody watching him. But then... the red eyes of his helmet began glowing brighter and brighter, until two thick, red laser beams shot out from them, aimed straight for the hatch's week points while emitting a loud, scary noise.
Eventually, the laser beams stopped and the eyes on Artimas's helmet smoked. He waited for a moment, and watched as the hatch slowly fell down onto the ramp underneath with a very loud thud.
"Come." Artimas commanded as he began walking down the ramp, his stunned army following behind him.
Upon reaching the bottom, and entering Perseverance's vehicle bay, Artimas could immediately tell that... it was far too quiet.
"Search this entire place, leave no stone unturned. If there is a single fur here, I want them found and killed." Artimas ordered, his army immediately spreading out to search around the underground base.
He waited, for quite a long time in that vehicle bay, but eventually, members of his army began returning to the vehicle bay... clearly unsuccessful.
"They all... got away? There were likely thousands here... and they all got away?" Artimas asked quietly, his anger building up. "How could this happen?!" He yelled, whipping his glare towards Ethan.
"With the amount of time it took us to open the hatch, they likely formulated an escape plan." The elite explained calmly.
Artimas began taking deep breaths... but his anger right now was overwhelming. "Bill! You and your group have a perimeter around the city, did you not see a large group of the animals leaving?!" He yelled into his comm link.
"Uhh, n-no sir." Came Bill's stuttered, nervous reply, knowing that Artimas was probably once again disappointed in him.
Artimas turned around and slammed his fist into the concrete wall behind him, creating a large, deep dent into it. "They could not have gone far, find them or so help me, each and everyone of you will come to an unpleasant, painful demise!" He yelled at his army, barking the command lividly.
His army fearfully and quickly ran back up the ramp that led down to Perseverance, to fulfill their leaders command as quickly as they could like their lives depended on it... because it did.
"Ethan, you have disappointed me today, and it will not go without punishment... remember that." Artimas promised, beginning to walk up the ramp after his army... leaving the elite alone to his thoughts about his recent failure... and what that meant for him.