It was completely silent in the sacred lands, the only sounds being of the calm wind that blew with the light snowfall. But near the frozen pond stood a small crowd of furs... standing near a pyre, with Bella's covered up corpse laying on top of it.
The small crowd consisted of those who were closest to Bella. Sammy, Skye, Shira, Luna, Tristan, Cooper, Francis and Ivan. Along with John, Ren, Mia and Camilla. Devastation was etched onto everyone's expressions.
Skye slowly stepped forward, her feathered cheeks stained with her tears. "E-Everyone... we gather here to say goodbye. To a great leader... a mother... a friend." She said with a sad, raised voice, hearing some sobbing behind her. "May the lady of death guide her through oblivion... and may the Phoenix meet her upon the stars." She said through her own silent sobs, using her own faith that the Avians followed along with Bella's. "... goodbye, Bella... I will miss you." She finished, her gaze lowering to the ground as she cried.
The fox child, devastated from his adopted mother's passing, stepped forward next to Skye, looking up at her as he sobbed. "Can... can I?" He asked sadly.
Skye glanced down at the fox child, her tears still falling to the ground beneath her. But she nodded her head slowly, handing over a small wooden torch to him.
Sammy slowly took the torch and stepped closer to the pyre, still sobbing quietly as he lit it on a small fire that was nearby. He was eventually stood right in front of the pyre, slowly placing his hand on it while holding the flaming torch in the other.
"I... I'm sorry mom." Sammy cried, looking at Bella's covered up body. "I was never able to show you how grateful I was for you taking me in... and I never will be able to now... I-I love you mom." The fox child cried, pressing his forehead against the wooden pyre.
John couldn't bare to watch as Sammy cried in front of his dead mother... tears welling up in his own eyes as he thought about what he could've done to save Bella... but failed to. He felt someone take his hand and glanced to his left, seeing Ren who was also in a heartbroken state.
Eventually, Sammy stood back up, still sobbing as he looked at the flaming torch in his hand. "... I-I love you." He repeated before slowly moving the torch forward, until it made contact with the combustible pyre.
The fox child dropped the torch down onto the snow below and stepped back as the pyre caught flame, everyone watching as it grew into a large blaze in a matter of seconds.
The Ancestral tree glew a very bright white behind them as Bella's ashes began blowing across the sacred lands, completing the traditional fur funeral.
While everyone still cried, John slowly stepped forward until he was next to Sammy, looking down at the fox child sympathetically.
"Who... who did this?" Sammy asked quietly, keeping his eyes to the burning pyre as his tears flowed.
John let out a quiet sigh, and shook his head. "I don't know... I didn't see the shooter." He replied softly.
"... I'll kill the one responsible." Sammy stated with simplicity, promising himself vengeance.
John didn't respond. Instead, he slowly moved his arm to gently place his hand on Sammy's shoulder caringly.
"Don't... don't touch me." Sammy suddenly demanded... unclear if his emotions were simply acting up from the death of his adopted mother... or if he hated John now.
John was surprised, but quickly moved his hand off of Sammy with a sigh. "I'm sorry kid... I... I truly am." He said with nothing but sympathy in his voice.
Sammy was silent... and simply stared at the pyre as it burned.
- three months later
Over the course of three months, the people of Perseverance have learned to adapt to their new home... and the death of their loved leader. But with the death of one leader... came the rise of another.
It was an early, cold morning. And John was currently wandering around the Aviary with Aura by his side, his hands in his jacket pockets as they enjoyed their usual morning walk.
He smiled and waved at a few furs that they passed, happy that most of them have come to like him by now.
"This place isn't so bad, right girl?" He asked cheerfully, reaching down to rub Aura's ears.
Aura, who was now much larger than three months ago, barked quietly in response to him.
Deciding that they've walked long enough, John began heading back to their place of residence within the Aviary, but due to the sudden rise in numbers at the Aviary, Skye had to think of alternatives to house all of the newcomers. Her solution was to expand the walls and set hundreds of large, oval shaped canvas tents in the open area that it created, where most of the furs now lived comfortably.
John and Aura made their way through the maze of tents until they finally arrived to the one assigned to them.
As usual, Aura layed down outside of the tent while John stepped inside, smiling to the sight of Mia braiding Ren's hair while sitting on their bed roll, both of them in nothing but their bra and panties.
"Hey John." Ren greeted with a smile, staying still as Mia worked on her hair.
"Hey." He responded with a chuckle, noticing that Sammy's bedroll was empty. "Huh... where's the kid?" He asked curiously.
Mia rolled her eyes. "Out and about with his friends, as usual." She said with a giggle. "Gives us some alone time~" she suggested.
John chuckled slightly as he took off his jacket and hung it up. "Wanting more so soon~?" He asked with amusement.
"Oh, you know by now that I always want more Johnny~" Mia replied with a lustful giggle, still working on Ren's hair.
"Horny bitch." Ren laughed, glancing back at Mia through the corner of her eye.
"Mhm~" Mia responded, clearly agreeing fully.
John chuckled slightly, shaking his head with amusement as he stepped closer to them. "As nice as it sounds, now isn't the time. I gotta be somewhere later." He said, slowly sitting down on their bed next to them.
"Ugh, fine." Mia responded with a playful huff.
Just then, the flap entrance to their tent moved aside as Shira, Luna and Francis entered.
"John, we have a few things we'd like to discu-... err.. are we interrupting something?" Shira asked, her scales darkening slightly from the sight of John sitting next to the two half nude wolf girls.
"Yes! We were just about to fuck!" Mia exclaimed with a bit of amused laughter from seeing the uncomfortable, awkward expressions of Shira, Luna and Francis.
Ren scowled slightly and smacked Mia's arm. "No, we weren't, she's just kidding." She assured, relieving their visitors.
John was very amused and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he chuckled. "What needs discussing?" He asked curiously as the three of them sat down in the canvas.
"Well... there's a few things that require a leader's attention. Skye has filled that roll for us lately, but soon... Perseverance will need it's own. And we sure as hell will not allow Tristan to fill that gap." Shira explained softly as she looked into John's eyes.
He was silent for a moment... sighing as he looked to the ground. "Guys... I'm not a leader. Never have been." He responded quietly.
Ren quickly took John's hand, gripping it tightly. "We've talked about this... Bella chose you with her dying breath. She saw something within you, and she knew that you would be the leader that Perseverance needs." She explained softly.
John was silent for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. "That can't be what she meant..." he said quietly. "The people would never follow a human anyway."
"Dude, most of them already do." Francis pointed out, sitting on a chair with crossed arms. "Sure, some of them still hate you, but most have seen you prove yourself, and with Bella gone... they've started to look to you for guidance. You just haven't noticed." He shrugged.
"It's true. Skye may be leading them right now, but... they follow one of their own. And that will be you." Luna pitched in, her back leant against a wall. Her paw had recently healed and she no longer required crutches.
John was surprised by what Luna and Francis said to him... clearly, he really hadn't noticed. "I... I don't know guys.." he said with a sigh, having no confidence in himself.
"John..." Shira started off softly, slowly sitting down on the floor in front of him and gently taking one of his hands in her own. "We need someone to follow. And we've known you long enough now to know that you are the man who will lead us... I will follow no one else." She stated.
John glanced down at the hand that Shira was holding, before slowly looking around to see everyone nodding with total agreement from what the lizard just said.
With a quiet sigh... John slowly nodded his head. "Okay, I... I'll give it my best shot." He said with a small chuckle.
"You'll be great, John." Said Ren with love in her voice as she hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I sure hope so." He responded with amusement, smiling softly as Ren hugged him.
There was a short moment of silence where John and Ren simply hugged each other lovingly... with two girls watching jealously.
"Anyways... back to topic. We need to discuss one more thing with our new leader." Said Francis, adjusting his brown leather jacket a little. "I knew Montreal like the back of my hand back home, but now... with this new place... we barely know our surroundings. So I want your permission for Cooper and I to head out and scout the place out." He explained.
John thought about Francis's request for a moment, scratching his chin as he thought about how to act like a leader. "You understand that it'll be risky, right? It's only been three months since those people attacked." He reminded.
"I know, we'll be careful, stick to the outskirts. But it is important that we know this place, John." Francis pointed out.
He was silent for a moment as he considered Francis's reasoning, before letting out a quiet sigh. "Be back by nightfall, no sooner." He ordered, giving the coyote a nod.
"Heh, will do chief." Said Francis with a chuckle, patting John's shoulder gratefully as he got up and left the canvas.
"Well, that's all we had to discuss... later John." Said Luna, waving him goodbye as she too left the canvas with her hands in her pockets.
Shira remained seated in front of John for a moment before sighing softly, letting go of his hand. "Yes, I must go too... but... I am at your service now, John." She said with a soft smile, her scales darkening as she quickly stood up and left the canvas.
John noticed a hint of nervousness within Shira before she left and he raised an eyebrow, clearly confused and glancing over at Ren and Mia... who both had very smug smirks on their faces.
"Oh, she definitely wants a piece of this delicious hunk of man right here~" Mia said to Ren with a giggle, who nodded with total agreement.
"Pretty sure Luna does too." Ren said with her own laughter.
John stared at the two wolf girls with wide eyes. "... you can't be serious." He mumbled with disbelief.
"We can, and we are~" Mia stated with a small smirk. "Trust us, they want you~"
He was silent for a moment, his expression still showing his disbelief as he quickly stood up and turned his back to them, scratching his bearded chin. "... S-So what if they do? You two are my only girls." He responded.
Ren and Mia glanced at each other again, their smirks widening. "Welllll... we want you to try getting with them too." said Ren with a small giggle.
Shocked, John whipped around to face them again, staring at them with his wide eyes.
"Oh don't look at us like that." Mia laughed, rolling her eyes with amusement. "We like girls too, remember? That's why we would be okay with it~" the white wolf pointed out.
Seeing that John was still stunned, Ren stood up and walked over to him, gently placing her hand on his cheek. "Mia and I have talked about this for a while. We genuinely wouldn't mind this, and besides... we don't want to hog a man like you." she said softly, leaning up on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.
John's heart rate went down gradually, thanks to Ren's calming voice and kiss. But he still looked into her eyes with uncertainty. "I... I don't know what to say.." he muttered.
"How about yes? We're giving you an opportunity that any other man could only dream of~" Mia cooed, now laying on their bed roll with one leg over the other. "Come on John, live a little and go gather more pussy for yourself~"
John rolled his eyes from Mia's comment. If he were to actually go through with this, he wouldn't see them as just more 'pussy' that he would gather... that wasn't how he rolled.
"So... what do you say?" Ren asked quietly with hope in her tone, gently taking John's hand in her own.
He really began thinking about this, '... I guess it would be pretty cool.. and hot.' He thought to himself before slowly tightening his grip on Ren's hand, meeting her eyes. "... I... I guess." He finally responded with a nervous, yet slightly excited chuckle.
"Yes! He's gonna end up with like... thirty chicks following him!" Mia exclaimed triumphantly and excitedly.
"Geez, I highly doubt it'll get that extreme Mia." John chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Mia shrugged, still laughing a little. "I'm being optimistic~" she said innocently.
"Sure." He replied with amusement... before suddenly remembering. "Anyways, I gotta go for my daily training with Skye, I'll be back by evening." He said, giving them both a quick peck on the lips before standing up.
"Skye huh? Maybe you'll have some ideas now when you see her~" Mia teased, watching as he grabbed his jacket.
John amusedly rolled his eyes as he got his jacket. "Love you both." He said with a chuckle as he left the canvas.
"Love you too~" both Ren and Mia responded simultaneously.
He smiled softly to himself as he left the canvas, though immediately noticing that Aura was no longer laying outside of it... 'probably off with Camilla again.' He thought to himself with amusement as he made his way passed all of the other canvases, tucking his hands into his pockets.
But then, as he walked... something caught his attention, making him stop in his tracks. He was hearing some sort of confrontation, or argument, causing his curiosity to take over and slowly make his way towards it.
"Dude, imagine having a human as your new dad." A voice could be made out, laughing with a few others as John neared.
"HE'S NOT MY DAD!" A voice, who John immediately recognized as Sammy exclaimed.
"Awwww, the little whimp is gonna cry!" Another voice mocked.
John scowled as he sped up his pace, his hands already forming to fists as he made it to a large tree by the canvases, where two young wolf boys had Sammy cornered.
"I-I'm not gonna cry... LEAVE ME ALONE!" Sammy yelled angrily, while trying to hide the tears that were slowly brimming in his eyes.
The two wolf boys continued mocking Sammy for another few seconds, before John suddenly let out a very loud, ear piercing whistle which immediately caught their attention.
The two boys eyes widened at the sight of the very human they were mocking Sammy for, fearing for the possible consequences of their actions.
"Run." John simply ordered, staring directly into their eyes with a livid scowl that would put fear into anyone's hearts.
The two boys gave absolutely no argument and immediately took off with their tails between their legs, leaving John and Sammy alone.
"Ugh... I didn't need your help." Sammy muttered, quickly wiping away his tears while looking away.
John slowly nodded his head, letting out a quiet sigh. "Yeah, you're probably right. You are a pretty tough kid afterall." He responded cheerfully, approaching Sammy and nudging his shoulder playfully. "Come on, don't let them get you like that. They're just looking for a reaction out of you, and that's what you gave em'." He explained softly.
"... that's what mom always used to say... but it's hard not to snap." Sammy grumbled, keeping his eyes to the ground. "And they were supposed to be my friends." He pointed out with a more saddened voice.
John let out a quiet sigh, looking down at the fox child sympathetically. "Yeah, bullies suck... I had some myself when I was your age, so I know how hard it is not to snap, kid." He explained, slowly crouching down to Sammy's level. "Control your anger, don't let it control you." He slowly moved a hand to the fox child's shoulder.
Sammy looked down at John for a moment before sighing. "I... I don't think I can." He mumbled hopelessly.
"You can. And we're gonna work on it." John responded softly, slowly pulling Sammy into a tight, fatherly hug.
Sammy didn't react for a moment, but... he slowly gave into the hug, clearly getting used to the fact that he would be his new parent... adopted parent at least.
They hugged for a few seconds until eventually separating, while Sammy quickly wiped away another tear.
"Can... can I stay out a little longer? I met an Avian my age a few days ago so.. I'll just go see if he wants to hang out." Sammy requested. "I promise I'll be back on time for dinner... and... Ren's pretty awful cooking." He assured, while mumbling the last part under his breath.
John couldn't help but chuckle slightly from Sammy's mumble, but he slowly nodded his head. "Alright kiddo, back by dinner and no sooner." He said, speaking with a voice that a serious father would when telling their child to do something.
"Thanks da-... John." Sammy replied, almost slipping his words from his excitement as he quickly turned to walk off.
"Hey... forgetting something?" John asked, smirking slightly as he held out his fist towards Sammy.
The fox child rolled his eyes, quickly fist bumping John. "That's getting old dude." He snickered before walking off this time.
John just chuckled to himself a little, slowly standing back up to his full height while amused by what Sammy said. After a moment, he resumed his previous journey, tucking his hands back into his pockets.
-
Francis and Cooper had already left the Aviary, only minutes after the discussion with John. They were both riding motorcycles on the quiet, deserted roads of Canada's outskirts. They both rode side by side, the wind blowing against their fur.
"So, any particular goal in mind?" Asked Cooper with a slightly raised voice so that Francis could hear him over the sound of their motorcycles.
"We're scouting, Cooper. That's all." Francis responded, the coyote looked nowhere else but ahead of him as they passed many abandoned vehicles and buildings.
Cooper rolled his eyes. "Scouting, how fun." He said boredly.
Up ahead they saw a rabid on the side of the road, feasting on some kind of animal carcase. Cooper smirked as he took the cigar out of his mouth, flicking it at the rabid right as they zoomed passed it and laughing as it hit it directly on its head, angering the rabid and causing it to try and catch up with them.
"Come get it, ugly bastard!" The wolf yelled back at the pursuing rabid, revving his bike tauntingly.
Eventually, the rabid was once again out of view, speeding too far ahead of it.
"You enjoy mocking them?" Francis asked with slight amusement.
Cooper immediately nodded his head. "Fuck yeah I do, they're the bastards that killed our friends back in that tunnel, remember?" He asked with a hint of anger.
"Of course I remember..." Francis responded with a sigh. "Vulpes barely even understands them yet." He pointed out.
"Vulpes huh? Been talking an awful lot about that guy lately." Cooper said with a... teasing manner.
Francis's cheeks reddened under his fur slightly as he glanced over at Cooper. "Wh-What? So..?" He stuttered.
Cooper chuckled slightly. "You two would make a good couple." He said with amusement. "The Coyote and the Fox." He laughed.
Francis was about to argue, but... he could tell that Cooper could see the crush he had on Vulpes now, there was no point in hiding it. "... shut up." He sighed with defeat.
"I'm just saying, you should go fo-" Cooper was cut off when both of their motorcycle's tyres suddenly exploded simultaneously... immediately knowing that they had driven over some kind of road spike.
"SHIT!" They both exclaimed as they quickly lost control of their bikes before tumbling to the ground violently, the snow luckily easing their fall... at least by a little.
Francis got off luckier, due to colliding with a large pile of snow soon after he fell, getting off with a few cuts and bruises while... Cooper wasn't so lucky.
By the time Francis got to look over at him, Cooper was laying against his totalled bike belly first, with blood gushing from his head.
"COOPER!" Francis yelled with horror, getting up with a few coughs... right as human men with guns suddenly emerged from the abandoned buildings around them, aiming their guns at the coyote.
"Ahh, that damn road spike was genius." Said a familiar Texan accent as... Bill pointed a colt single action revolver at Francis. "Here's a warnin' bud, don't try to fight, I'm a better shot than you think." He warned with a smug smirk, making his sqaud chuckle.
Francis stared directly at Bill with a scowl, baring his teeth at the men. "How did you know we were coming this way?" Asked the coyote.
"We got a lead from someone, none of your concern." Bill replied, pulling back the hammer of his revolver with his thumb, creating a satisfying click. "Now, you're comin' with us." He stated.
Francis retained his scowl, showing no fear to his captors, but he occasionally glanced over at Cooper. "Please, just... let me help my friend." He pleaded.
Curious, Bill glanced over at Cooper and chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "Nah, he dead. Now come on, time to get you home." He stated, watching as his men grabbed Francis and led him over to a nearby van.
Francis growled and fought to free himself, right up until he was thrown into the back of the van, which took off moments later.
... an hour or so later, a groan came from Cooper as he slowly raised his head from his destroyed bike, only realizing his very bad wound once he saw the snow drenched with his blood.
"... fuck... gotta.. get back." Cooper mumbled to himself weakly, slowly standing up with a groan in the shivering cold before beginning to stumble his way back to the Aviary.
His vision was extremely blurred and he felt very dizzy due to his injury, but up ahead... he could make out a figure running towards him.
Luckily, his mind wasn't too jumbled for him to quickly realize that it was a rabid, the same one he tossed his cigar at. "Alright... come on then bitch." He muttered.
Cooper quickly pulled one of his daggers from his belt's sheaths, readying himself as the monster lunged at him with a vicious snarl and screech, extending its four appendages to go in for the kill.
But even in his injured state, Cooper was focused and positioned himself to not get cut by any of those massive claws, before thrusting his arm forward, successfully stabbing the rabid in its green eye followed by slamming it to the ground, then yanking his blade back out.
Ugly fucker." Cooper murmured as he weakly got back up to resume his difficult, painful journey back home.
-
John reached the massive building in the centre of the Aviary in a matter of seconds, quickly entering the building which was filled with all of the Avians and making his way up the many stairs, headed for the very top floor where Skye's room was.
It took a while, and by the time he reached the top he was panting for air slightly, but he was fit enough to only take a few seconds, then knocked on the door which was now in front of him. It opened a few seconds later, with Skye standing on the other side. She was wearing nothing but a white sports bra and black tight shorts.
"You guys seriously need an elevator." Said John with a chuckle, his eyes drifting to her... assets.
"Hm, what use would we have of an elevator?" Skye asked, tilting her head slightly with confusion as she gestured to her wings, then at the large open window in her room, which was more or less just a nice top floor condo.
"... touche." John muttered, clearly not thinking of that.
Skye laughed slightly while moving aside for John. "Come in, and let us get started." She said with excitement.
He rolled his eyes with amusement, stepping inside while Skye closed the door behind him. "Soo... remind me, why are we doing this?" He asked amusedly.
"You want to learn how to fight like an Avian, do you not?" Skye asked curiously. "To fight the way that I bested that man."
It was true. Over three months, it has always been on the back of John's mind that he was almost killed by that... man. His fighting skills were something he never saw before, and he wanted to be well prepared if he ever saw him again... he knew only one person who could teach him. So far though, John felt he was getting the hang of the Avian fighting techniques.
"So if you want to learn, then let us continue our training." Said Skye as she walked towards the large window, walking passed a shelf which held a photo frame surrounded by candles... a picture of her and Bella with their arms around one another, smiling brightly at the camera. The picture was quite clearly taken years before the Downfall.
John nodded and quickly followed behind Skye, until they walked out onto the large, roomy balcony that was passed the window, giving them a great view of the entirety of the Aviary, along with an even better view Canada due to how high up they were. The top of the building itself was disguised to look like the trees that surrounded it, so that it wouldn't be easily spotted by prying human eyes.
"Now, John. There isn't much else that I have to teach you, because unfortunately... one of your biggest disadvantages is that you do not have wings." Skye explained, spreading her large wings out for emphasis. "Not only can we use these to attack, but we can also use them to defend." She said, wrapping her wings around herself like a cocoon for a demonstration.
John slowly nodded his head, understanding his disadvantage.
"Useful to remember if you ever find yourself fighting an Avian." Skye mused, tucking her wings neatly behind her back again. "But the last thing I would like to teach you, is how to be agile. Agility always surprises your opponent, shows them that your more than just kicks and punches."
John barely had any time to react when Skye suddenly spun around, flipping sideways in the air while bringing her leg down full force on a target for his head, which he managed to dodge by a mere micro second.
"Now your heart is pounding, you've seen that my skills outweigh your own and that you aren't a match." Skye explained after landing on her feet without a hitch, before once again surprising him with a skillful flip, this time with her fist targeting his face.
He barely managed to back up again, and his heart was indeed pounding now with adrenaline.
"And the more I show you what I'm capable of, the more your instinct to flee floods your mind, and the more sloppy you get." Skye pointed out with a few more skillful, agile attacks, which John continuously managed to dodge or block at the last second.
But she was right again, all of his instincts were telling him to run right now, and because of that he couldn't focus completely on the fight.
"That loss of focus... is the death of you, John." Skye said ominously before performing one last skillful spin flip, followed by a kick which she landed square on his chest.
John spat out air once he was hit, and the force of the impact caused him to stumble back until... he fell over the balcony railing and began plummeting towards the ground, and fast, not even able to scream due to the wind being knocked out of him.
But just before he collided with the ground, Skye of course swooped down just on time to catch him with her strong bird feet and talons, flying back up to the balcony and dropping him down onto the wooden structure, allowing him to catch his breath as she landed behind him.
"I apologize for that extreme training method. Believe it or not, that is how all of us Avians are trained... the only difference is we are forced to learn how to fly ourselves as we fall without being caught. Injured, panicked and unfocused." Skye explained softly, tucking her wings behind her back after she landed.
John coughed a few times as he slowly got up to his knees, clutching his chest with pain. "Damn, that sucks." He muttered, slowly getting back up to his feet again.
"It'll take you a while to learn that, and divert your opponent's focus. But you will learn. For that is the key as to how I bested that man." Skye said softly. "Now, let us take a break-"
Skye cut herself off as she turned to face the window that led back into her room, only to see Camilla standing there with a look of fascination in her eyes.
"I... I had no idea you could fight like that, Skye... that was awesome!" Camilla exclaimed, smiling widely.
Skye rolled her eyes, walking passed Camilla. "Yes yes sister, I can fight like that." She said boredly as she made her way to her kitchen, pouring two glasses of water for her and John.
John chuckled slightly as he followed Skye, amused that Camilla witnessed him getting his ass whooped. "Hey where's Aura?" He asked the crow girl curiously before downing his much needed water after the exertion with one gulp.
"Oh, I took her back to your canvas. It was getting late." Camilla explained with a kind, innocent smile.
That confused John and he looked down at his watch, seeing that it was already 5pm, and that the winter sun was starting to go down.
"... how long have we been training?" John asked with a chuckle, clearly losing track of time.
Skye just rolled her eyes, amused by John's lack of time keeping. "Are you here for a specific reason, Camilla?" Skye asked curiously.
"Oh, um.. Bruce wanted me to tell you that some Avians have been complaining due to the cramped space around here now or... something." Camilla responded, shrugging her shoulders.
Skye sighed and shook her head with disappointment. "Well, they'll just have to put up with it for the time being." She replied, taking a few sips from her water. "The people of Perseverance are our friends, and with John as their new leader, we will make them understand that." She explained softly.
John was surprised by what Skye just said. "How... how did you know that? We only made the decision today." He asked with a confused chuckle.
"A little birdie told me." Skye shrugged, finishing off her water.
He chuckled a little more, dismissing the topic as he walked back out to the balcony and watched the beautiful winter sunset, smiling softly as he watched with his hands in his pockets. Skye later followed him, leaning over the rail to watch as well.
"Beautiful isn't it? You'll always get the best view up here." Skye said with a quiet, relaxed voice as she enjoyed the cold breeze against her feathers.
He slowly nodded his head with full agreement, and full relaxation. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it." He replied with a small chuckle.
He glanced over at Skye, who just so happened to be looking back at him, their eyes meeting. They stared longingly into each other's eyes for a moment, almost as if trying to judge one another's intentions. John was close to leaning in for the kiss, clearly gaining attraction for Skye over the months... but the moment was halted by Camilla, who he spotted through the corner of his eye once again standing by the window, staring with curiosity.
"Um, why don't you come out onto the balcony?" John asked with a chuckle, while Skye looked as if she was suddenly snapped out of a daze.
"I... I'm afraid of heights." Camilla said quietly with embarrassment.
It took a moment for John to process that... but he had to hold back a chuckle. "A bird scared of heights? That's a new one." He said with amusement.
"Yes, it confused us all. She seems to be more afraid than the average Avian. Which was why she received no training." Skye explained with a nod, turning her head back to the sunset. "She doesn't know what she's missing out on though. An Avian without the sky is maddening to most." She pointed out.
"... I prefer both feet on the ground, okay?" Camilla asked, crossing her arms with a huff.
John chuckled a little, but nodded his head towards Camilla. "Hey don't worry, we all have our fears, there's nothing wrong with it." He said with assurance.
"Well in her case, there is." Skye pointed out. "How else will she meet the great phoenix among the stars once she passes without flying?" She asked, inadvertently explaining how the Avian faith worked. While regular furs had the lady of death, the Avians had the great Phoenix.
"I... I'll learn at some point, okay Skye? It... it's just scary." Camilla mumbled with embarrassment, her gaze lowering to the ground.
Skye sighed softly before turning around, slowly bringing Camilla into a tight hug. "I know sister, I know. I will make sure that you do." She assured.
"... thanks." Camilla whispered, holding back a few tears as she leant into Skye's loving hug.
John smiled slightly as he watched the beautiful moment between the two... sisters? He was still confused by that, based on the two's completely different species.
"Uh, can... can I ask how both of you are sisters?" John asked, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him after they both separated from the hug.
Skye glanced over at John for a moment, sighing softly. "I was adopted by their family, John. They found me out in the woods as a chick... abandoned and left to die. So, once I was found I was brought up with Camilla and her brothers, Bruce and Cleo... and one other, who I will not name." She explained... scowling as she said that last part and making Camilla shiver slightly with fear as she mentioned it.
John was surprised by Skye's explanation, not realizing until now that she was adopted, but he could tell that it was a sensitive topic, so he decided to be cautious with it.
"So... this family that took you in, I guess they had some sort of power around here?" John asked curiously.
Skye slowly nodded her head. "The Flyhigh family have led all Avians for generations... I was lucky to be taken in by such a powerful family." She responded with a soft sigh. "As for how I came to lead... there was an incident, and things changed... I was the only one who would take over." She explained solemnly. "But... all of the Flyhigh's have one thing in common... they're all crows." She pointed out with a small giggle, gently tugging on one of Camilla's black feathers and making her laugh cutely.
John took note of that, definitely wanting to learn more about the Flyhigh family. "So that's why the Avians are separate from all other furs?" He asked curiously.
Skye shook her head. "No, not exactly. We have a completely different culture and faith compared to other furs, just like dragons do. While we are friendly with other furs, we are not the same, and prefer to keep to our own." She explained.
"Makes sense." John responded with a slow nod, surprised but understanding now as he turned his head back to the now set sun.
"I'm sure it is surprising to you that hundreds of years ago, the Flyhigh family would've been considered royalty. And yet here you are, standing in the presence of one of their decendants." Skye explained thoughtfully, nudging one of Camilla's shoulders gently.
"Royalty huh? Want me to bend the knee?" He asked, glancing back at Camilla with a chuckle.
"Please don't." Camilla giggled, quickly shaking her head.
That made John laugh a little more as he slowly turned around, letting out a short yawn. "Anyways ladies, I should probably head back now. Thanks for the training Skye... and for almost killing me." He said with amusement as he walked towards the door.
"John, I would never let you die." Skye said with an amused roll of her eyes. "Oh and one other thing... a leader like you no longer has to stay down there. Why don't you gather up Ren, Mia and Sammy and come live up here? There's plenty of room." She offered kindly.
John stopped in his tracks and was... very surprised by Skye's offer, slowly turning back to her. "Skye, I... I don't want to invade." He said quietly.
"It was an order, not a question. Now go retrieve them and come back at once." Skye said, still speaking with a kind voice.
He was about to argue further, but... he decided to give in, knowing that these were far better conditions for the people he cared about. "Heh, well thank you Skye, this means a lot." He said gratefully before leaving the condo like space... so that he could bring his family to their new home.
-
Francis was sat on a chair in a dark room, with his legs strapped to the chair and his arms strapped to a metal table in front of him. He had been sitting there for hours now, not knowing where he was or what was about to happen... but he knew it wouldn't be for anything good.
Eventually though, a door opened, spilling light into the plain room to reveal Ethan and Artimas standing on the other side. Francis could only stare with confusion at both of the intimidating men's armour and helmets, one with orange glowing eyes and one with red.
"Well hey there fellas." Francis muttered.
Both men entered the room and closed the door behind them, consuming them in darkness once more.
"Animal, you are here to be questioned. Answer truthfully and this will be easier for you." Said Artimas, looking down at the coyote with judging eyes.
"How about suck my big co-" Before Francis could finish that sentence, he recieved a swift blow to the face with a metal gloved fist, causing him to spit out blood.
"There will be none of that, animal. You will answer questions when asked. If you do anything else... the consequences will not be desirable." Artimas warned, watching as Ethan wiped some blood off of his fist.
Francis spat out some more blood before glaring back at the two men. "It would be desirable if both of you su-" once again, he was cut off by a hard blow to his sensitive snout this time, the impact causing his eyes to naturally water while his nose began bleeding.
"This will go on and on, animal, unless you comply." Artimas pointed out before leaning over the desk to look at Francis more clearly. "Where did you and the other furs flee to?" He asked.
Francis was silent for a moment, before suddenly spitting some blood onto Artimas's helmet with a livid scowl. "I ain't telling you shit." He stated.
Artimas simply stared into Francis's soul for a moment in complete silence. "Oh well, the hard way it is. Do not worry, you will talk. We have all day." He said uncaringly before glancing over at Ethan. "Elite061." He said simply.
Oddly, Ethan didn't speak anymore, likely due to his re-coding. But as soon as Artimas gave him the order... he quickly extended one of his large blades from one of the metal wrist braces before swinging downward fast and hard... right onto Francis's right hand.
It didn't take long for Francis to process the sudden agony of losing his hand, later filling that room with the sounds of his screams while Artimas and Ethan listened.