Skye laid there on the gurney, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily. "The baby's coming!" She screamed, trying her best to calm and control her frantic breathing.
"Yes I know Skye, you have to push with everything you've got." Vulpes said calmly. "Deep breaths, then push." He instructed, examining in between her legs in the process.
Skye nodded her head, with tears brimming in her eyes as she took deep breaths, then pushed as hard as she could with a very loud scream of agony.
"That's it Skye! You're doing great!" Vulpes assured, seeing the results of Skye's pushing.
"Where is John?!" The avian cried, gripping the sheets of the gurney to control her pain.
"I called for him, he should be here soon. But right now you have to focus on your pushing, okay?" Vulpes said calmly, "now one more big push Skye, you're almost there."
Skye quickly nodded her head again, preparing for the final push, but suddenly the door to Vulpes's med bay swung open and John rushed in with a panicked look on his face.
"I came as quick as I could!" John said with a rushed voice upon noticing Skye on the bed, sprinting over to her side and taking her hand.
"T-Took you long enough, asshole." Skye replied shakily, gripping the man's hand extremely tightly.
John cared not for the pain in his hand from Skye's squeezing, he would let her break his hand if it helped her through this. "I'm sorry... but let's get this baby out of you, I'm here now."
"Yes. One more big push, Skye. You can do this." Vulpes assured.
"Fuck yes I CAAAAAAN!" Skye screamed, feeling nothing but agony as she pushed as hard as she could with all of her strength until finally... the baby popped out. A white, oval, spherical shell.
John was confused by what he saw. "Uh... an egg? I wasn't expecting that." He said quietly as Skye's chest heaved.
The avian felt instant relief from the egg no longer being inside of her, and watched as Vulpes picked up the large ball to bring it over to an avian incubator.
"Hm, you impregnated an avian but you didn't know they layed eggs? Amusing." The fox doctor chuckled, closing the incubator then turned back to them. "Congratulations Skye, now we only have to wait a few weeks until it hatches." He said with a smile.
"Yay... more waiting." Skye panted sarcastically, managing to laugh a little. "Mind if I... take a nap here?" She asked, and passed out seconds later due to her exhaustion.
John was worried, but he knew that Skye was just tired after giving birth. "Will she be okay?" The man asked, still holding her limp hand and stroking her feathers gently.
"Yes, she'll be fine. That went better than I expected." Vulpes said with a small smile, gently patting John on the shoulder. "I must go see Francis, so I'll leave you alone with her. She has given birth to a very healthy egg, John. Congratulations." And with that, the fox doctor left his office, leaving John alone with Skye and their egg.
He slowly stood up after kissing Skye's head lovingly, then walked towards the incubator. The man gently pressed the palm of his hand agaisnt the glass container, and smiled softly at the sight of the egg that contained his child.
"You're the future, kid." John whispered, allowing a small tear to fall from his eye.
-
Two years later
John was asleep in his bedroom, which once belonged to Bella. A very large, spacious room in the underground base of Perseverance. He layed on a king sized bed with Ren, Shira, Mia and Skye cuddled into him in various positions. But there was a small crib next to their bed, which was missing a baby.
John was awakened by a sudden pressure on his chest, and slowly cracked his eyes open. He chuckled upon seeing the adorable golden feathered face of his two year old daughter looking directly into his eyes.
"Good morning sweetie." He said with a bright smile, placing a gentle kiss on her head.
"Good mowning daddy." Said the little avian, returning her father's smile. Clearly she had trouble pronouncing her r's.
John hugged his adorable daughter. "Let me guess, does Aya want her breakfast?" He asked, running his fingers gently through her beautiful golden feathers.
"Yeah!" Aya exclaimed excitedly, easily squirming out of her father's grip and hopping off of the bed. Her tiny wings fluttered adorably during that short air time as if she were trying to learn how to use them at such a young age.
"Shh, don't want to wake up your mommies." John chuckled quietly, quickly placing a loving kiss on each of the girl's heads before he too got out of bed.
"Sowwy." Aya whispered, looking up at her dad with a cute, apologetic smile.
"It's alright my little flame." John crouched down and scooped her up, carrying her with one arm as he left the bedroom, right after getting his black nightgown on.
The man quietly left the bedroom and began walking the corridors with his daughter comfortably carried in his arm. He earned a lot of good mornings and smiles from furs that he passed, showing that during these two years he earned their respect.
It didn't take long for them to reach the huge cafeteria which was already filled with furs of the community feasting on their breakfast. Perseverance was thriving during the apocalypse, and life couldn't be any better for the community.
Luna, Cooper and Ivan were spotted sitting at a table near the back of the cafeteria, who were also feasting on their breakfast with John's very large wolf, Aura sitting by their table.
"Wuna! Auwa!" Little Aya exclaimed with excitement, her wings fluttering uncontrollably.
John chuckled and gently set Aya down on the ground, watching as his daughter adorably waddled over to their table.
"Oh, hey little bird." Luna greeted with her usual chill demeanor, smiling as she leant down to pick Aya up. "Sup?"
"I missed you!" Aya quickly hugged the wolf girl, making Luna's heart melt due to how cute she was.
"Morning dude." Cooper greeted as John approached the table.
"Hey guys, how was the run?" John asked, stopping by Aura first to crouch down in front of her, stroking her head as she licked his face.
"Successful. We found lots of food in that mall, the wolf helped us sniff it out." Ivan responded with a clear gratitude towards John for allowing them to bring Aura.
John nodded, still stroking Aura's head. "Good girl." He praised, earning more licks from the wolf.
"Y'know, we gotta deliver some of those supplies to the dragons later... you could tag along." Luna pointed out hopefully, with Aya now sitting happily on her lap.
John sighed, and shook his head. "I'd love to but... I can't. Got stuff to do, like helping out with the last stages of getting the Aviary back up to living standards." He said regretfully as he stood back up.
Luna rolled her eyes to John's response. "Of course. Geez, how did it take two years to fix that place up?"
"Uh, the place was bombarded with bullets, littered with rabid corpses, the gate and walls were torn down and the fort was on fire at one point... if I recall correctly." Cooper said with a small chuckle.
"And if we didn't have help from Bill and his group, we wouldn't be as far with it as we are today." John added, noticing the foul look on Luna's face upon mention of the humans.
"Hm, I still say we should exile them all. Their getting off lucky fixing that place up in exchange for peace." Luna rolled her eyes, gently stroking Aya's head.
"There's no need in making anymore enemies, Luna. Bill has been a useful ally to us, we're proving that humans and furs can live side by side... I won't have another war on our hands needlessly." The man spoke wisely, "Keep an eye on her please, I'll go fetch her breakfast."
They watched as John headed over to the chefs in the cafeteria, which caused Aya to make an audible sniffle as if she never wanted to be far from her father.
"It's alright little bird, he'll be back." Luna assured, gently stroking the Avian's feathers.
Aya didn't respond, instead she just shuffled on Luna's lap and cuddled into the wolf, which Luna completely welcomed.
"You know he speaks some truth, right Luna? Last time that guy fought a war, he lost a kid." Cooper said with a calm voice as he ate his breakfast.
"I know." Luna replied with a sigh, keeping little Aya close to her. "But I still don't forgive humans for what they did... F.E.O slaughtered my pack, and that man is the only decent human I've ever met."
"You don't need to forgive, just accept." Ivan lectured. "We all have our reasons to hate the humans, but we are better than them. We are stronger."
A moment of silence passed after Cooper and Ivan's lecture. She didn't want to accept, but for John... she would at least keep her hatred to herself.
"There you go my little flame, your favourite." John chuckled as he came back to the table, setting a plate of syrup coated pancakes down onto the table.
"Yay!" Aya exclaimed excitedly, still seated on Luna's lap as she dug in.
Everyone was amazed by just how quick little Aya ate her pancakes, her small beak tearing through the sweet, doughy cakes.
"You've got one hell of an appetite, little bird." Said Luna, she was clearly amused and gently stroked the chick's golden feathers as she ate.
It took no time for Aya to devour her breakfast and she looked back over to John once finished, reaching her arms out to him adorably and signalling that she was sleepy after her meal.
"Well guys it was nice catching up, but she's gonna need a nap." John scooped his daughter off of Luna's lap once she reached out to him. "Let's go Aura." he commanded as he stood up, the loyal wolf following him as he walked towards the exit of the cafeteria with Aya cradled closely, leaving Luna to watch longingly as the man left.
John arrived back to his room soon after leaving the cafeteria, and upon entering he noticed that Ren was awake, wearing nothing but a bra and panties as has become the norm with the woman who slept with him on a nightly basis. She was sitting at the end of the bed, humming to herself as she brushed her hair. He also took notice of Shira's absence, which John presumed was because she had scouting parties to plan out.
"Good morning." John greeted, closing the door behind him and Aura while holding the now fast asleep Aya.
"Good morning~" Ren responded with a more pleased tone. Apparently she was still satisfied with events that transpired the night before. "And good morning to youuu!" she cooed excitedly, giggling as Aura lunged at her to attack her with licks.
"Mmm, shut up." Came the mumbled voice of Mia, the white wolf was covering her ears with her pillow in a desperate effort to stay asleep.
"It's 11am Mia, come on. Wake up." John chuckled as he very carefully set Aya down in her crib, smiling softly as he listened to the little avian's calm, peaceful snoring.
But then, the sound of a shower stopping was heard, followed by their bathroom door swinging open. Skye stepped out with damp feathers, completely and uncaringly nude as she scrubbed herself dry with a towel. "I'm never going to enjoy cold showers." she grumbled to herself, then noticed John. "Did you give her breakfast?"
John grinned slightly as he got the perfect view of Skye's nude body. "Yeah, pancakes as usual." he chuckled.
"Hm, we really must adjust her diet to a more healthy standard." Skye pointed out as she moved next to John, leaning into the man slightly as she too watched their sleeping daughter. "Beautiful, just... perfect." she whispered, a small smile taking form on her beak.
"I still don't understand how I got you pregnant in the first place." John mused, but clearly he was in full agreement with Skye.
"Maybe she fucked some Avian guy before she fucked you." Ren suggested with a snicker, but clearly in a joking manner.
Skye glared back at Ren through the corner of her eye. "No, completely incorrect. Us Avians abide by our culture. John claimed me, and impregnated me. I am his, and he is mine." she explained with a strict tone of voice.
"Guessing humour isn't part of your culture." Ren giggled. "But hey... he fucked me first~" The wolf girl teased.
"Bitch." Skye grumbled, only making Ren laugh more. "John... may we leave early? I'd like to see my home after all of this time."
John shrugged and walked over to his dresser. "Sure, why not." He said with a smile as he grabbed his clothes, a pair of jeans, his boots and his black jacket.
Skye smiled excitedly as she too grabbed her clothing from the dresser, drying herself off quickly. "I cannot wait to show Aya the home of her ancestors." She said with a bright smile.
John smiled softly as he got his clothes on, finishing off his outfit with gloves and his belt, which carried his desert eagle and sword. "Won't be long now." he assured. "Ren, will you keep an eye on Aya while we're gone?"
"Of course I will, she's like a daughter to me, Mia and Shira too y'know." Ren giggled softly, more than happy to watch over the little avian.
Skye rolled her eyes when she finally had her clothes on. "Just do not let her pick up on your foul mouths." she demanded before snatching John's hand. "Come."
John was surprised by Skye's sudden pulling, but looked back at the wolf girls with amusement. "Be home soon, love you!" He called out before the door was shut behind him and Skye, leaving Ren and Mia to giggle to themselves from their exit.
-
A strange man sat alone in a tiny, cramped and dark cell. This man wore strange attire, and consisted of a brown hood draped over his head which masked his face entirely, and had what seemed to be shiny silver armour shielding most of his body, armour consistently worn by F.E.O. soldiers. But under that hood amidst the darkness seemed to be a dark and faint red glow.
The man's peaceful silence would be disturbed a few moments later however, by the very loud noise of his cell door being unlocked and creaked open. The person who opened it was a female F.E.O soldier, the strange unfamiliar and purple eyes of her helmet glowing into the darkness of his cell.
"Get up, the Supreme will see you now." The soldier spoke vaguely, but her voice was filled with demand.
The man didn't speak a word and slowly rose to his feet, keeping his gaze to the ground as he obediently followed the soldier out of his cell. The outside of the cell was interesting to say the least, it was almost pitch black with absolutely no source of light except from the glow coming from passing F.E.O soldier's helmets. It seemed that this was some kind of F.E.O base, or perhaps... THE base that all F.E.O followers resided.
Stranger though was that this man, this presumed prisoner showed familiarity with this base. He seemed to know where the soldier was leading him and did not need guidance, taking appropriate turns in the long chain of corridors without direction.
Eventually, they came upon a large open hall after walking the long corridors, only difference being that this area was lit by a few torches hanging from the walls. Up ahead however, seemed to be a throne like chair with a very tall statue standing behind it. A statue of what seemed to be a knight, holding his sword in front of him and wearing a helmet almost identical to the current F.E.O style, just in a far older fashion.
On the throne however, sat a woman wearing the same kind of armour as every F.E.O soldier, but her helmet's eyes glowed yellow instead of the traditional red.
"Supreme, I bring you the prisoner you called for." Said the female soldier, kneeling respectfully before her, but... strangely, her actions were copied by the prisoner, confusing her and the Supreme.
"Very good, thank you sister." The supreme replied simply, revealing that the female troop with purple eyes on her helmet who led the prisoner was in fact her sister. Her voice was very deep, and intimidating. She sat on her throne with one leg crossed over the other, tapping her fingers on her metal plated thighs. "Remove your hood, prisoner."
After the Supreme's demand, the man slowly stood back up to his feet with complete obedience, before raising his hands to his head and pulling back his hood, revealing the very familiar, scraped and dented helmet... of Artimas. The glow of his helmet's eyes were dimmed, likely due to the damage he received two years prior.
"Ah, one of our very own." The Supreme mused, surprised upon seeing him. "Why did you not inform us of who you were before we tossed you into that cell?" she asked curiously.
"I thought I'd surprise you, Supreme." Artimas responded. "I have spent the last two years trying to get back here, to get back to you."
"Curious." The Supreme muttered, and very slowly stood up from her throne. "The Downfall was kind to none of us. To this day, hundreds of our brethren still lay stranded in red zones. These beings of darkness swarmed the earth faster than we could respond... but now one returns to us."
Artimas slowly nodded his head. "Yes, it was not easy surviving the mainland, but I continued my duty. I garrisoned a small town in Canada and a few civilians fell under my command. But shortly after... a group of savage furs slaughtered them all in the night. They were led by a man, a fur fucker... I barely escaped with my life." He lied, taking a few steps towards the Supreme. "I have returned to you, Supreme, in hopes of gaining your support... in bringing justice upon those animals for their crimes."
The Supreme was silent, and listened to him. She took in every word he spoke. "Led by a man, you say? How interesting." she whispered to herself, deep in thought.
"Yes, Supreme. A man." Artimas responded.
The Supreme once again fell silent, and she slowly turned around to face the huge statue that stood behind her throne. "Baylor... the founder of F.E.O would be disgusted by such news. Being one of the last known members of his bloodline, it is up to me to honor his memory." she said quietly, and turned to Artimas once more. "We will go to then, and serve F.E.O justice. The fur fucker will die and so will this group of furs if they resist their natural enslaved state."
"They have already resisted, Supreme. They must be killed." Artimas argued, which was not taken well by the Supreme who stepped closer to him ominously.
"You dare question my judgement?" The Supreme asked quietly. The statue of Baylor's eyes glowed a dark, ominous red at the same time she spoke, the eyes glared down at Artimas judgingly. This was not just a simple statue. "Perhaps you forget your place."
Artimas was threatened into submission, and slowly fell to his knees before her and the statue of Baylor. "No, Supreme. I apologize... I became emotional." He responded. It seemed that the Supreme may have been the only being on earth capable of reducing Artimas to this submissive state.
"Yes. You did. See to it that this does not happen again." The Supreme demanded as the statue's eyes stopped glowing. "Vizla." she called out, and tilted her head slightly to the right.
Someone emerged from the darkness behind her throne, someone who was apparently there this whole time. Vizla was a huge man, monstrously huge. He wore the F.E.O helmet, but his armour was different. It looked to be made from dragon hide.
"Yes, Supreme?" Vizla asked, his voice deep enough to contend with dragons.
"Gather our troops, we depart for Canada." The Supreme demanded, making Artimas grin under his helmet. "And Lilith... ready the fleet." The troop with purple eyes immediately stood to her feet and left to follow her sister's command.
-
John's familiar black truck pulled up outside of the repaired Aviary walls, coming to a halt at the gate. Not long after, Skye and the man got out and watched as the huge group of humans worked hard on rebuilding the place back to what it once was.
"Home sweet home, huh?" John asked, and glanced over at Skye with a small smile as he offered his hand.
"Not quite yet, but... almost." Skye giggled, accepting the man's hand as she entered through the gate. But it was clear that she was on edge to the sight of humans all around her.
"Ahhh, well if it ain't my favorite couple." Came a very familiar Texan voice, "Guessing you two came to cut the ribbon, metaphorically speakin'." Said Bill cheerfully as he climbed down a ladder that led up to one of the many watch posts.
"We just stopped by to see how things were going." John replied, greeting the Texan with a rather strict expression, showing that just because there was peace, it didn't mean he was particularly fond of them.
"Ha! You are... the scariest son of a bitch I ever met. Okay uh, we got the place back up to livin' standards, all that's left is to get this dammed gate back up and attached to the walls. It's heavy though, not even fuckin' twenty of our strongest men could pull it up with ropes." Bill explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Say uhh, where's the little bird?" He asked curiously.
"She's at home, human. None of your concern." Skye retorted, and was amused when John walked over to the huge, flat piece of attached wooden planks that laid nearby the opening where the gate should be.
"You mean this gate?" John asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at it.
Bill raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, yeah that's the one, why?"
John gained a rather large audience when his eyes showed their familiar, intimidating blue glow. He crouched down, grabbing the edge of the gate and lifted up with a clear bit of exertion. It was a shocking sight to behold as the man single handedly lifted the huge gate up, balancing it against the wall nearby its place. Throughout the two years that passed, it was clear that John gained some control and understanding over the mysterious power he now held.
"Oh, you shouldn't show off too much darling. You'll scare the little humans." Skye cooed with a small, satisfied grin as she hurried over to him and took his hand again.
"Yeah, maybe I shouldn't." John chuckled as he and Skye headed towards the fort, leaving Bill and the humans stunned in their wake.
The pair entered the Aviary fort and headed up the many stairs towards Skye's old quarters on the top floor. But upon reaching that floor, John stopped in his tracks as he fell into one of the haunting flashbacks he'd been having ever since Tristan's attack.
He heard the voice of Sammy pleading for his life over and over again in his head, along with Tristan taunting him. "You should've stayed dead." The jackal continuously mocked. This time however... he heard the phrase that Tristan said to him as he died. "For the furs, for the furs." he would constantly whisper in his mind, and finally the sound of a disturbing, blood curdling scream from... Sammy, before his ptsd episode abruptly ended, leaving John in a panting, teared up mess.
Skye was quick to the man's side. She already knew what happened as this was a more than regular occurrence. "It's okay, shhh, it's not real." she whispered, bringing him into a tight and loving embrace, using her wings to cocoon themselves fully around his body.
Skye's efforts to comfort the man was always effective, he couldn't help but to lean into her embrace and close his eyes as he shivered. "I failed him." he whispered.
"No, darling. You did everything you could, shhh." Skye hushed, gently stroking John's hair as she kept him in her embrace. "Tristan was an evil jackal, only he is to blame for what happened."
John slowly nodded his head against Skye's chest, but he cringed when he heard the door to Skye's old room open, realizing this was a very embarrassing state to be in.
"Uhhhh, something happen?" Asked Bruce, the very tall and muscular crow looked down at the pair with a raised eyebrow. "I can leave you two be if ya want, I just heard someone at the door." He chuckled.
"No... no it's alright, I'm good." John said after a few deep breaths, escaping Skye's embrace and standing back up to his full height as if nothing happened. "Good to see you Bruce." he patted the crow's shoulder as he walked passed him.
Skye giggled and shrugged as she looked at Bruce, finding his confused expression amusing. "He's a big baby on the inside." was all she said before giving her brother a big hug, then followed the man inside.
Sitting on the sofa were Cleo and Camilla. Cleo seemed to be meditating while Camilla was clipping her talons, unaware of their visitors.
"Oh my darling sister, how many times have I asked you not to clip your talons in view of others?" Skye giggled, placing one hand on her hip as she and John stood nearby.
Camilla was momentarily startled and she dropped her clippers. But when she caught sight of her sister... excitement was an understatement. "SKYE!" she screamed, throwing off Cleo's meditation completely as she flew towards her and collided into her with a tight, tearful hug. "I missed you so much!"
Skye chuckled and brought her crow sister into a warm, loving embrace. "I missed you too."
"We heard things were just about done here, figured we'd come see for ourselves." John said, smiling softly at the sight of the sisters reunion.
"Yes, The Aviary is almost back to its former glory, it has been quite entertaining overseeing the humans fix the destruction they partially caused." Cleo spoke with his usual laidback voice as he stood up, giving John a firm and respectful handshake, which the man returned.
John's attention became conflicted though. His eyes were glued to the same spot that Sammy died nearby the kitchen, his ears momentarily ringing as it was all he focused on. But while he stared at that specific spot, he realized there was something he had to do.
"Skye... I'm gonna head back out, can you wrap things up here?" The man requested.
Skye was confused and slowly parted from her hug with Camilla to look at him. "Yes, I was thinking about spending the night here anyway, where are you going?" she asked curiously.
"The Sacred lands." John responded simply, giving the avian a quick and loving kiss on her beak. "I love you." he whispered, and headed back towards the door.
"John!" Camilla exclaimed, surprising the man as he turned around by lunging at him, clinging to him with her legs wrapped around his waist. "I missed you." She whispered into his ear softly.
The man was silent, clearly surprised by the cute crow girl's sudden action. But he chuckled slightly and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I missed you too Camilla." He said softly, stroking her feathers a little before gently setting her feet back down on the ground, then finally left the room and closed the door behind him.
Skye looked at Camilla with a rather suspicious, but amused grin. She knew her sister had a secret crush on the man.
John quickly descended the many stairs until he was once again on the ground, but what he saw at the bottom was confusing. The large group of humans were packing up and leaving. The man quickly found Bill, who was also packing up his belongings.
"Bill... there's still work to be done here, why are your people leaving?" John asked, his voice showing that he was not pleased.
"I'm sorry man, ain't nothing I can do. They're sayin' they've done enough... and they're goin' home." Bill responded with a shrug as he slung a backpack over his shoulder. "The major work is already done though so don't worry. Pretty sure you guys can handle the gate."
As Bill turned to leave, John grabbed his arm tightly and firmly, preventing him from going anywhere. "We had a deal, Dallas." He said through gritted teeth, only now realizing that he gained the attention of every other human there, a huge group of hundreds now stared at him.
Bill however, was more calm and sighed. "John... I wish there was somethin' I could do, but these people have had enough. I'm sorry." He said. "Come on... it ain't within you to kill us all for somethin' like that... is it?"
"I wouldn't be so sure." John looked deeply into Bill's eyes for a moment, but he slowly let go of his arm. As much as he hated the thought of the humans leaving before the work was done, he knew Bill was right. He wouldn't resort to killing all of them for something so small.
Bill simply nodded, and patted John's shoulder before he turned around, seemingly not paying any mind to the threat. He led the rest of his people out through the entrance of the Aviary. Most of the humans gave John death glare's on their way out, until they were all outside the walls and beginning their long trek back home.
John stood there for a moment, watching as the humans left. But he didn't let it distract him for long, he still had his objective in mind. He too left the Aviary and got back into his truck, beginning his drive towards the land of the sacred.
-
Some time later, John had entered through the invisible magical barrier that hid the sacred lands from the world. He walked alone, and silently through the snow towards the massive Ancestral Tree. The ghostly, unintelligible whispers continued to call out to him, as they usually did to anyone who walked these lands. But instead of being unnerved by the whispers, they brought a sense of peace.
The man eventually reached the Ancestral Tree and stood in front of it silently, gently pressing the palm of his hand agaisnt the cold, white bark. He closed his eyes and began thinking about the child he lost... Sammy. It was almost as if the man was asking for some kind of sign, perhaps something to tell him that the fox child's soul wasn't really damned to an eternity of suffering because of the blood magic. But after a considerable length of time, he recieved no sign, not even the faintest whisper from a voice that sounded like Sammy's.
Defeated, John slowly opened his eyes again and brought his hand away from the bark, then looked to the ground. The very same ground where he bled to death and saw oblivion with his own eyes. But that did nothing to scare him, or even unease him. He did not fear death and he would give his life in a heartbeat if it meant bringing Sammy back. But even after countless hours of trying to speak to the lady of death once again to propose this offer, it fell upon deaf ears. He hadn't heard from her at all since the day he died.
He spent a few more minutes standing there in front of the Ancestral Tree, realizing that he wasn't going to recieve any kind of sign. He turned around with a sigh as he walked back towards the area he came in.
"A tragedy, the fate that befell the boy." Said a familiar, deep male voice behind John, making him stop in his tracks.
"A tragedy, a burden of which is not yours to bare." Said the voice of a woman this time, which also sounded familiar.
John slowly turned around with intrigue, and was surprised to see the dragons, Draco and Cynthia. They both looked down at him with soft, calm expressions. They knew that the man was still guilt ridden and mourning, even two years later.
"We know you come here quite often, John. But you have to let him go. Guilt will continue to eat at you as long as you allow it." Draco spoke wisely. "Believe me boy, I would know this."
"What are you doing here?" John asked curiously, a clear attempt to change the subject. He knew all too well the effects of guilt.
Cynthia stepped forward with a soft sigh and crouched down to John's height, placing a hand gently onto his shoulder. "John... I love you, you know this. I would not have been able to bring you back from the dead if I did not." She said quietly, slowly moving her gentle and scaled hand up to his cheek. "It pains me to see you so broken like this."
John looked up to Cynthia's violet eyes, tearing up slightly to her words. "I failed him." He whispered sadly.
"No, you did not, Jonah." Cynthia caressed his bearded cheek soothingly. "You did everything you could for him, that is all that matters, my love." She promised, surprising the man with a gentle, but love filled kiss on his forehead.
After that kiss, John's sadness mysteriously vanished. It was clear that Cynthia used some kind of magic, but he didn't mind. "Thank you." he responded with a sigh, managing to form a small smile for the dragoness.
Cynthia returned his smile and slowly brought her hand away from his cheek. "Of course... but there is something we came to discuss, John."
"Yes, Koryyg has given us an order. We must always obey an elder's command." Draco said, taking a step closer. "He is taking us somewhere far from here, because he no longer thinks we're safe at our current residence... he senses the awakening of darkness."
John was very confused by what he was being told, and it was clear on his expression. "You're leaving?" He asked quietly.
Cynthia slowly nodded her head, clearly saddened by the news just as much as John was. "We must. We cannot disobey Koryyg." She replied with simplicity.
"When will I see you again?" Asked John, sadness beginning to overwhelm him.
The dragoness sighed softly, and crouched down to John's height once more. "I do not know, my love... but I promise you, you will." She assured with a small smile, leaning close to the man's ear. "And on that day, you will finally claim me." She whispered teasingly.
The man couldn't help but snicker in response to Cynthia, even with the sad news she still found a way to make him smile. "You bet." He replied with assurance, and suddenly pressed his lips against hers once more, closing his eyes as he kissed her deeply and lovingly.
Cynthia was surprised, but she melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around the man's neck.
"I did not come here to see this, daughter." Draco reminded with a huff.
The two regretfully separated from their kiss and Cynthia giggled slightly as she stood back up to her full height. "Apologies, father... the human caught me off gaurd."
"Yes yes. We must go now, Koryyg will be waiting." Draco rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.
Cynthia sighed and looked down at John, mouthing the words 'I love you' to him, before hers and Draco's wings spread out wide, the pair departing soon after. leaving John alone once again in the Sacred Lands.
It saddened him that the dragons were leaving. Not only were they a very strong and formidable ally, but they were his friends, not to mention he loved one of them. But he trusted Cynthia's word, he knew he would see them again some day... he only hoped it wouldn't be too long.
-
Artimas was sat in the back of a very large helicopter. By now a huge fleet of helicopters carrying F.E.O soldiers were headed straight for Canada to serve justice to those who broke their law. He was in the leading helicopter, the one that also carried The Supreme and Vizla. He looked out of the very small window, grinning widely under his helmet to the sight of the huge F.E.O army.
"You were a commander before the downfall, yes?" Asked the Supreme, emerging from the cockpit to approach him. "I looked into your record, that was your rank. Which means you had an Elite assigned to you."
"Yes, Supreme. That is correct." Artimas responded, turning his head to look at her. "Elite-061." he answered.
The Supreme was silent, slowly nodding her head as she stood in front of him. "And what of 061?"
"I do not know, Supreme, I presume he is dead. I lost all contact with him after the attack."
"Hm." The Supreme responded, deep in thought. "Perhaps these people are far more dangerous than one would assume, defeating one of our elites is no easy task... they shall not be underestimated." she stated with finality.
Artimas watched as the Supreme snapped her fingers, to which a F.E.O soldier hastily rushed over to her carrying a large box, which was gently set down before her feet. She pulled a key out from a small cavity within her armour and crouched down, inserting the key into the keyhole and twisting. A small click was heard, allowing her to open the box which emitted a bright red glow upon being opened.
"Baylor. Allow your wrath to flow through me, allow me to wield... the SuleyKaar." The Supreme whispered, then reached into the box. Artimas was stunned when she pulled out a huge, medieval bastard sword. The blade itself was a dark, ominous red which seemingly dripped an unlimited source of blood. It emitted a dark red glow which covered almost the entire inside of the helicopter, pulsating with blood magic. "If we face resistance... many souls shall be claimed for you on this day, Baylor."
-
After a few hours, John returned to Perseverance. The entire top half was no longer just a disguised road, but a gated and walled off entrance. The gate opened for him when the furs noticed his truck approaching, where he stopped and parked a few feet away from the gate. Upon getting out of his truck, he was greeted by Shira and Francis. The pair were on watch for now.
"Is everything okay John?" Asked Shira, the lizard could tell that something was wrong with him.
John was silent, and slowly shook his head. "The humans are leaving with work still to be done... and the dragons are leaving as well, to who knows where."
The lizard and the coyote were left in silence, both of them were clearly shocked by the news. "Shit. That only leaves us with what's left of the Avians." Said Francis with concern. "That's a huge blow to our defences, John."
John slowly nodded his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know... believe me, I know. Let's keep this to ourselves for now, alright? I don't need everyone to pani-." He paused, confusing the pair as he heard something odd. The man slowly turned around to where the noise originated, and saw what almost appeared to be a massive flock of birds in the distance.
"John... what is it?" Shira asked, apparently not noticing what he did quite yet.
John didn't answer, he just stared off into the distance while trying to work out what he was looking at. But then it occurred to him. "Those aren't birds." He mumbled to himself, his eyes widening upon the realization. "Francis... ready the troops, and tell Ren to take Aya and Mia to the cabin, now!" He ordered with a raised voice.
"What? John, what the hel-"
"I said now dammit! GO!" John yelled impatiently, showing that when it came to sending the ones he loved to safety, every single second counted.
Francis was stunned, John had never raised his voice at him before. But he understood this must've been serious and rushed off to obey his order.
Shira's heart was racing now due to John's sudden shift in behaviour. She looked to where he was looking, and finally... she noticed. "Oh lady of death, have mercy." She whispered with complete horror, baffled by the sight of the massive fleet of helicopters coming straight towards them.
As more and more furs took notice, the more scared they became, causing quite the commotion as non-fighters raced to get back underground.
"The humans and dragons couldn't have chose a worse time to leave, it seems." Shira said quietly, turning her head to John as she grabbed her bow.
John slowly nodded his head, keeping his eyes towards the fast approaching fleet. "There's far too many of them... and they definitely aren't coming to say hello." He muttered, before looking back at Shira. "If I fail to negotiate with them, your main focus isn't retaliation, it's evacuation. Got that?"
Shira nodded her head in response to him, knowing just as well as John that this would be a battle they couldn't win. "Yes, understood." She said with assurance, and gently took his hand in hers. A simple gesture which showed that even in the face of death, she was with him.
John squeezed Shira's hand in return, and a few moments later the huge fleet of helicopters swarmed and hovered above Montreal, likely attracting every rabid within a one hundred mile radius due to the deafening, unrelenting sound that hundreds of spinning helicopter blades created.
John looked up at the fleet, and waited. He knew that all hell would most likely break loose within the next few moments.