Sable sighed and watched the glowing pillar of energy
disappear, along with Diane and the Starlight Gem. A part of him missed her
already, but he knew that she would return sometime in the future to talk with
him again. He walked with Tara and Quvas back to the exit of the Time Temple,
where the little Princess of the Wildtra looked up at the ferret.

“What do you plan to do now, Sable?”

Also dropping the honorific, Sable responded.

“Return to the Hidden Tower… meditate, train, and watch
the Tai’far as they learn their code of honour.”

Tara tried not to giggle at the thought of Sable returning
to the Tower and sitting in a room without doing a thing for several days, and
meditating. The ferret raised his brow at her, and she stifled a small giggle.

“Sorry, Sable… when will you be leaving?”

A beat.

“Right now, if it does not inconvenience you.”

Tara nodded her head.

“We can continue our discussion some other time – I’ll
return to the castle now…”

The young Princess of the Wildtra did just that, daintily
walking through the crowd with a calm air of confidence – everyone here knew
and loved her, so she knew she was in no trouble. The Prince of the Tai’far
watched her go with a small smile, before setting his own sights on the exit.
Quvas spoke.

“Would you like an escort of some sort, Prince Sable?”

The ferret chuckled softly at the honorific used by the
lynx – ever formal, was Quvas.

“No thank you, Quvas. I can take care of myself well
enough. I’ll be seeing you later.”

The lynx nodded, and Sable Flame, the Prince of the Tai’far,
walked down through the crowd with the same ease Tara had, except he was headed
to the gate. He looked forward to the relaxing walk back to the Hidden Tower.

 

As he walked through the forest, however, the royally
robed ferret got the sensation he wasn’t alone. He hadn’t let his time as a
‘Prince’ make him soft, and he was on the alert, one hand resting on the hilt
of his faithful katana sword hidden under his robe. He couldn’t clearly tell
where his pursuers were, but they were incredibly sneaky – staying just out
of his line of sight, and even his trained eyes and ears were having a hard
time picking out where they were.

Who would be following me? Almost everyone knows that
as the Prince of the Tai’far, I’m a very capable warrior, and honourable – no
one has anything to gain from attacking someone whose entire ‘city’ would seek
revenge if they ever succeeded…

A loud hiss from behind him clued him in, and he whirled
in one swift movement, blade swishing from its sheath and glimmering with black-green
spiritual energy as it arced through the air. The shadowy being leaping at him
looked like a feline fur made out of shadow, with glowing red eyes. It dissolved
after his spiritually enhanced sword slashed the man-sized thing in two. Sable
dropped into a defensive fighting posture, senses on full alert as he waited
for the rest of his pursuers to emerge.

Demons! And high-level ones at that. Why would they
be after me? My spiritual capabilities make me an even foe for anything…I think.

His situation worsened when more of the shadowy feline
furs stepped from amid the trees. Not two, or three, or six…but more in the
capacity of twenty, thirty…. fifty. Sable’s emerald eyes widened, and he lowered
his sword, before nimble fingers yanked a small grey ball from his robe, which
he threw at the ground. It threw up a cloud of smoke, and he beat a hasty retreat
through the trees. His photographic mind laid out the area and made him think
as the Follower demons hiss-yowled and took off through the smoke and headed
in his general direction.

Dammit, who in this area could possibly be strong
or cocky enough to help me take out a horde of Followers this big?

His lips curled into an amused grin as he ran.

Time to pay a certain firewolf a visit.
 

2.The Prince, the Firewolf, and the Followers.

The firewolf that the Tai’far Prince was thinking of
had taken up residence in Aivena Village, and he hadn’t taken up residence alone
– having tracked him across half of the world (her words, and an exaggeration),
the mink Tharlie Ashbel had settled down with him. Zephyr was no longer the
supremely arrogant firewolf he used to be – he still had arrogance, but he was
more open with his feelings. He and Tharlie were still in a relationship that
was more of ‘boyfriend/girlfriend’ but both of them liked it that way – her
flirtiness didn’t bother him, and his mock arrogance amused her. They were also
the first to hear when a town scout came running into the village.

“The Prince of the Tai’far is heading this way, and he’s
got something chasing him badly!”

Tharlie looked at Zephyr, teasing expression gone for
a moment.

“Isn’t that your friend…. the ferret, Sable?”

Zephyr blinked and snorted.

“Pah! That’s true… and if he is in trouble…. I guess
it’d be nice for me to help out…Tharlie, you’re going to stay here, okay?”

Without a further word, Zephyr found his ‘battle costume’
and was dressed in a flash. Knifeclaw on hand, and magic at the ready, the firewolf
raced out of the building, in the direction that the scout had said the ferret
had been coming from. He would have flown, but trees tended to inhibit one’s
ability to get airborne. It was hard to tell just when they met, because out
of nowhere Sable grabbed Zephyr by the arm, stopping him – the duo stood side
by side as the shadowy Followers slinked between the trees, hissing as they
spotted their quarry.

“Dammit, ferret! They’re just as ugly as you are!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, big ears. There’s around
fifty of them.”

Zephyr stared at Sable in surprise.

“Why’d you lead them HERE!?”

Sable smirked bemusedly.

“Between us, I say we can handle twenty five each. Unless
you’ve gone soft?”

Zephyr snorted.

“Pah!! Ready when you are, ferret!”

There was silence a moment. Then the firewolf and the
ferret dashed forwards, weapons and magic in hand, towards the approaching horde
of Followers.

It did not take long for the battle to get out of hand.
Zephyr was blazing left and right with his magic, taking down at least three
Followers a blast, and Sable was a living blur with his sword, his slashes taking
out the demons left, right and centre. The high-level demons were making no
effort to defend themselves, and it didn’t take long for the firewolf and the
ferret to find out why – for every Follower they dropped with spell and spirit
energy, it left them open for at least two others to get in slashes with claws
that crackled with painful dark energy. Soon, the ferret and the firewolf stood
back-to-back, Zephyr lashing his fire blasts out in an arc, and Sable slicing
around with his sword, but the duo were tiring while the Followers just kept
on coming. Sable’s once princely robes were looking tattered, and Zephyr’s battle
costume was looking just as bad.

“Why the hell won’t this horde end!?”

Zephyr’s cry was a mix of annoyance and weariness. So
was Sable’s, when he replied.

“My spiritual energy is dangerously low. Anymore and
I’ll pass out, so I can’t strike killing hits anymore…”

The firewolf scowled.

“I was killing them before, and so were you. So why haven’t
they at least thinned out!?”

Sable’s voice was grim.

“Something keeps summoning them here.”

Before the ferret could elaborate further, one of the
Followers got inside his tiring guard… before the Tai’far Prince could respond,
it drove a clawed fist into his stomach, and then grabbed him by the throat.
Hefting him like a rag doll, it snarled and threw him sideways, over the other
Followers, and into a tree. Hard. He slid down the trunk and landed in a crumpled
heap at the bottom of the tree, out cold.

“Sable!”

Any attempt the firewolf had at getting to his ally was
cut short when he was swarmed by the remaining Followers…. claws and blows rained
onto him from all sides, and the firewolf fell under the assault, the pounding
rendering him as unconscious as his companion.
 

The firewolf came to inside what appeared to be a glowing,
shielded pentagram. Surrounding it was total darkness. Grunting, he sat up –
albeit stiff, he found that his bruises and injuries were gone, and he looked
around. He spotted Sable leaned against one of the walls, eyes closed and a
frown upon his features, equally unharmed. Then a soft, female voice spoke from
his other side.

“It’s about time you woke up, firewolf. You were healed
right after they dropped you in here.”

Zephyr turned his head, and blinked, doing a double take.
Sitting there, in equally tattered clothing to himself and the ferret, was the
Windhawk Vai’ray. She didn’t seem the least bit ruffled by the situation, although
anyone could see the weariness upon her features. When the firewolf looked at
her clothing, she shook her head and spoke a single, calm word.

“Followers.”

Zephyr nodded and scowled, not liking the situation one
bit. Vai’ray merely went back to sitting calmly, the priestess’ piercing gaze
trying to penetrate the darkness.

“Hey.”

Both she and Zephyr looked at the Prince of the Tai’far
as he opened his eyes finally, still frowning.

“The circle is sealed. Nothing can get out or in – not
even my spiritual talents put a dent in it. Whoever made it is extremely powerful,
and has plans for us all.”
 

3.Shadow Dark’s Time Tricks.

For an indeterminable amount of time, they sat. Ferret,
Firewolf, and Windhawk, trapped in the magical barrier and surrounded by darkness.
Sable sat in relative silence, trying to maintain his calm by meditating. Vai’ray
did something similar, although both their expressions betrayed their slowly
growing nervousness about the situation. Zephyr was the most active, pacing
around the shield and occasionally hitting it with what magic he could muster
without hurting the others, calling out an obscenity or three each time. He
was about to do it again, when he yelped in surprise, and the other two turned
their heads, to see a pair of large, glowing red eyes in the darkness. A voice
spoke, although it was inside their heads.

~You, ferret, were correct. My plans cannot allow
for any interference. And my servants have been watching you all, especially
during the battle at the Time Temple.~

Sable’s frown deepened, and Vai’ray rested a hand on
his shoulder, the two sharing a thoughtful look, and then Zephyr, the more fiery
member of the trio, let loose another frustrated yell and glared at the glowing
eyes.

“Get to the point, glow-in-the-dark!”

The red eyes narrowed, and the firewolf took a step back.
Vai’ray stepped forward as the darkness spoke again.

~Watch thine tongue, firewolf, lest my servants decide
you are better off without it. And what do You have to say, Vai’ray Stareye
of the Windhawks?~

The three of them flinched and stared in surprise a moment
– whatever the being in the darkness was, it knew Vai’ray’s name, and probably
theirs as well, in that case. The female windhawk spoke in a soft, calm-yet-edgy
tone.

“I agree with what Zephyr said. Tell us why you have
imprisoned us thusly – we have done nothing to aggravate you whatsoever.”

The darkness seemed to chuckle, although the red eyes
never took their glowing gaze off Vai’ray, Zephyr, or the currently quiet-yet-focused
Sable. The ferret was picking up an overwhelming sensation of evil, and the
distasteful expression creeping over his features showed it.

~Since you are so eager to know, I see no reason not
to tell you. What you three are capable of separately, and together, creates
a threat to my future plans. To put it in plain language for the firewolf, you
three are going to be eliminated.~

Zephyr yelled again, this time in shocked anger.

“You’re not killing us without a fight!”

The firewolf pulled out his knifeclaw, and Sable rested
a hand on his sword. Vai’ray merely stood there, as if prepared to heal any
damage the two took. The darkness chuckled again, speaking in a much more ominous
tone.

~Mortals, you misread me. I’m not going to kill you.
Oh no. The Shadow Dark is Much more resourceful when it comes to removing unwanted
hazards.~

This made the three freeze in surprise. Zephyr gaped,
Sable’s eyes widened to their extremes, and Vai’ray covered her mouth with a
faint ‘oh!’ of surprise. All three knew of the legend of the Shadow Dark, one
of the most powerful demonic creatures ever heard of. The fact that it was here
(wherever ‘here’ was) talking to them meant that it truly perceived them as
some sort of threat. They all stepped back until they were as far away from
the glowing red eyes as possible, getting their suddenly rising fear under control
– it was remarkably none of them had made the connection between all the darkness
and the being controlling it earlier. They all murmured to one another. First
Vai’ray spoke, then Sable, and Zephyr put in his own two cents on the situation,
his fear rising and mixing with his annoyance.

“The Shadow Dark…”

“We’re in a lot of trouble…”

“Ya think so, ferret!?”

Then they slowly turned their eyes back towards the malevolent
gaze of the Shadow Dark, and they got the impression that it was smiling at
them, in an unpleasant, twisted fashion. The glow of the pentagram shifted colours
from red to a blueish-white, and as they looked down in surprise, the voice
of the Shadow Dark roared into their heads.

~You three will cause trouble with my plans if I allow
you to proceed. Begone! The flows of time take thee to where you cannot cause
trouble!~

The half-sphere barrier over the pentagram-circle took
on the same colour as the pentagram, shimmering with an almost blinding blue-white
light. The threesome within the barrier cried out in surprise….

And then they were gone.
 

4.New and Unfamiliar Places.

The alleyway was dingy and grimy. A stinking dumpster
sat along one side, and pieces of scrap paper drifted across the damp pavement.
On the second floor of the building facing the alley was a balcony with a metal
railing, damp with moisture from recent rain. It was late in the evening, and
thus no one was in the alley when the disturbances began. Small arcs of energy
began leaping around the alleyway, all channelling and focusing to a point above
it. There was a flicker of a small pentagram in the sky at that point, and a
bright flash as three bodies fell from the sky. Three voices, two male, one
female, cried out simultaneously.

“Aaaaagh!”

One body fell straight down, thudding into the pavement
with a grunt. The second fell at a slightly different angle, crashing into the
dumpster amid piles of trash. The third of the trio fared somewhat less fortunate….
first falling onto the balcony railing gut-first, then sliding off the edge
to join the first body on the pavement.

“…ow….”

“This smell…is disgusting…”

“I feel like…. I broke something.”

The first speaker, Zephyr pushed himself to a sitting
position, sore and slightly numb from hitting the pavement. Vai’ray stuck her
head out of the dumpster and climbed out, her clothing still tattered and now
reeking of rubbish. The grey-clad Sable was the last of the three, helped up
by the two furmentials, holding his stomach where he’d bounced off the railing.
He was the first to speak something more coherent, however.

“I think… the Shadow Dark… sent us somewhere far from
home, wouldn’t you say…?”

Zephyr scowled.

“I’m going to have a look around.”

Before Vai’ray or Sable could even stop him, the firewolf
strode off out of the alleyway. They could hear faint ‘hmm’s and a muttered
‘weird place’…then, out of nowhere, a very loud sound of something rushing past.
The noise made Sable and Vai’ray cringe, holding their ears. It was the windhawk
who spoke, once they were sure the noise had passed.

“Zephyr was out there when the noise came…”

The two stepped out of the alleyway and onto a pathway.
They didn’t recognise any of the strange concrete buildings, or the strange
changing lights. Where the grey stone path ended was a great black strip that
looked like a pathway for something large. There weren’t any people around,
either – a look at the sky showed it was very close to midnight. Vai’ray and
Sable concentrated on Not looking around. They moved over to Zephyr.

“Hey, big ears. You alright?”

No response.

“Firewolf? Zephyr? Are you injured?”

Again, no response. The two moved around to his front,
standing on the ‘black pathway’. The firewolf was standing stock still, and
his eyes were so large they looked like they’d bug out of his head. He’d been
scared out of his wits. Sable waved a hand in front of Zephyr’s face, and finally,
the firewolf blinked and twitched.

“It… It was…. metal…and…and fast…and it went…straight
by me…almost…hit me…”

The windhawk and the ferret exchanged glances. Just that
moment the strange noise started again, except this time it was much deeper.
The two stepped up onto the stone pathway…. just as something positively huge
and metallic rumbled past, leaving a cloud of exhaust. When it cleared, all
three were standing there, stock still, eyes bugging at whatever the hell had
just gone by.

“I…I…think…it would be better…. if we got away…from
this…”

That was Sable…. the ferret was straining to recover
his composure, eyes still wide.

“I…second that…warrior.”

Even the usually calm and logical Vai’ray, who had spoken,
looked like she’d been freaked out of her wits. Zephyr merely twitched, and
the three finally looked at each other. Zephyr shook his head, trying to regain
his own composure.

“Let’s… cross this… path and get away from it…”

Both Vai’ray and Sable spoke at the same time.

“Agreed.”

Tentatively, the trio stepped out onto the long black
path, and began walking quickly across it. They had barely gotten halfway across
when the noise of another metal thing approaching caused the three to freeze
on the spot. The bright lights of another metal thing approached the alarmed
trio, and Zephyr snapped out of his freaked-out-ness and levelled a hand at
it. With a yell that was filled with fear, a blast of fire roiled from his open
palm. The entire front portion of the metal object melted, and it slid to a
stop, sparks flying. On the side, the trio could read some strange words that
made no sense – all they could make out was “Police”, whatever that was.

“Well…it stopped…”

Those were the ferret’s nervous words, until suddenly
they saw the sides of the metal thing open, and two people dressed in blue stepped
out. One was a human, with brown hair, who looked fairly fit – he was talking
into a black box that he held to his mouth, yelling something about ‘seeing
furmentials.’ The other occupant was a fur, a tiger of broad stature. He looked
slightly less surprised than the human, and pulled out something and pointed
it at them.

“Police! Don’t move!”

The trio looked at him oddly, then at the half-melted
metal thing – they feared the human and the fur much less than it, and so they
turned to make an exit. A loud bang was followed by a cry from Vai’ray, who
went down holding her shoulder – which was suddenly bleeding. The other two
grabbed her in surprise as the tiger shouted

“I said don’t move!”

The human added, speaking to his taller companion.

“Easy… we’ve got backup coming. That firewolf totalled
our car, remember!”

Sable checked Vai’ray’s shoulder. The wound wasn’t fatal,
but it looked like something had slammed through the scale with great force.
Zephyr looked at the two of them, twitching slightly.

“Why the hell did that metal thing attack us!?”

Both the fur and the human looked at each other quizzically,
then back at the car – then decided that the furmential had to be a madman,
a nutcase, or whatever. After all, it was the firewolves who caused the Great
Slaughter, they knew.

“Zephyr! Watch Vai’ray – she needs to heal.”

The firewolf snorted and turned away from the people.
Sable rose, and saw that as the firewolf turned away, the fur aimed the L-shaped
thing in his hand again. His eyes narrowed.

“No you don’t!”

A dash forward and a straight-up kick to the wrist sent
the strange weapon flying. The ferret dropped into a fighting crouch, as the
human and the tiger stared in surprise – the human pulled out a similar weapon.
Zephyr was helping Vai’ray to her feet, when from behind the melted object –
the human had called it a ‘car’, came more noise. And from behind them, too.

“It’s…the noise…”

The trio froze as Vai’ray muttered out what they feared.
Within the next few moments, they were surrounded by the ‘cars’ and all three
froze in fear…. Zephyr pointed his hand at one car, Vai’ray levelled her hands
at another, and Sable pulled out his sword – the humans and furs within the
metal things were inconsequential.

“Keep…them away… from us…”

The ferret’s usually calm voice trembled slightly. One
human, seeing their fear, made his ‘car’ make the noise again, and the blue-suited
people yelled in surprise as the ferret made a lightning-quick leap and impaled
his blade through the front of the vehicle, and the noise died. Zephyr took
it as an opening and melted the front of another car, and Vai’ray conjured up
a wind to blow two more of them off the ground, making them crash. All three
of them had wide eyes, and were breathing heavily in fear – whatever this new
place was, the things they were finding were scaring them out of their wits.

“They’re nuts! Get them into custody!”

The next few moments were a blur – the two furmentials
and the ferret proceeded to blast, cut, blow, or otherwise decimate the metal
cars, ignoring the people only until there were several ‘bangs’ from the weapons,
which were quieter than the first time. Zephyr took two strange-looking darts
right in the back…Vai’ray took one in her injured shoulder and another in the
stomach, and Sable took one direct hit to his neck. All three looked at each
other, and suddenly felt woozy… and everything went black.

5.They’re Where!?!

Diane was sitting in the apartment she shared with Abbie.
She felt somewhat lonely, but otherwise happy with herself. Her spur-of-the-moment
trip to the past had finally brought her feelings to fruitition, even though
she couldn’t stay very long to enjoy it. She was absently paging through a book
on history, checking for references to anyone from the past that she knew, when
she heard footsteps rushing towards the door of the apartment. She barely stood
up when Abbie shoved open the door and got inside, panting like he’d been running.

“Di! Quick, turn on the news! There’s something you have
to see!”

The urgency in her brother’s tone made her stare for
a moment, but she nodded and dashed to the coffee table, picking up the remote
and turning the TV on and to the news channel.

“Late last night, the police were stunned by a sudden
attack on one of their vehicles. When backup was called, several more cars were
attacked and destroyed. The three assailants were taken down and into custody,
and moved to the Tallavier Asylum For The Mentally Unstable…”

Diane looked curiously at Abbie, who’d gotten his breath
back. The coyote looked troubled, his long hair hanging around his face. He
shoved it out of his face and pointed at the news as the reporter continued.

“The police state the reason for the move is the three
assailants seem to be paranoid about everything they see, and one of them, a
dark grey ferret, identified himself as the Prince of the Tai’far. The other
two were furmentials, a firewolf and windhawk, naming themselves Zephyr and
Vai’ray, and they and the ferret claimed to be from the past…”

Diane had been staring when she’d heard the comment about
the ferret, and her eyes were as wide as saucers as the reporter continued.
She clicked off the news and continued to stare at the blank screen before looking
at her brother, who looked intently and worriedly at his sister.

“If it’s really them, Di… we have to go help them.”

She nodded her head, dashing to the phone.

“I’ll call Savrin.”
 

It was barely half an hour when the half-furmential met
the two in a small park as the evening sun cast its light over the city. It
had turned out that Savrin had seen the news as well, and was just as troubled
by the situation as they were. They sat down on a bench in the park, all trying
to figure out the ‘who, what, where and why’ of the situation. Savrin spoke.

“Could they have used the Time Temple to get here?”

Diane shook her head with a slight frown.

“They can’t without the Starlight Gem, and I have it,
remember?”

Savrin nodded his head and looked to Abbie, who blinked
and spoke what was on his mind as well.

“Okay, so they can’t have used the Temple, but they’re
here somehow. And obviously with no idea where they are… you saw how the report
said everything was freaking them out.”

Diane stifled a tiny giggle at the mental image it gave
her, but nodded her head, looking from her adopted brother to the half-furmential,
and then for a moment up into the sky, where the stars were starting to twinkle.
She sighed a moment, and then spoke.

“Look, it doesn’t really matter about how or why… they’re
in trouble and we have to save them, right?”

Both of her companions nodded, and as one looked to the
west, where the Tallavier Asylum was silhouetted by the setting sun. It was
a long walk, but the threesome decided that regardless of what happened, they
had to get their friends out of there. And so they began to walk, formulating
a plan as they went.
 

The three companions that were in need of rescuing slowly
came to once more, finding themselves in a dark, padded cell. All three had
been tied up in straitjackets, restraining their arms, and in the case of the
two furmentials, restraining their wings as well. They still wore their tattered
robes/battle costumes, but their weapons were missing. It was Vai’ray who spoke,
sounding faintly groggy.

“I can’t… move my arms. I can’t heal anyone…”

Zephyr scowled.

“I can see that, Windhawk! I can’t move my arms either
to cast magic, and they took my knifeclaw!” Sable then managed to lift himself
off the ground with sheer flexibility and legpower, green eyes gleaming a little
in the dimly lit, but mostly darkened cell, finishing off the analysis.

“No arm movement here either, and my katana has been
taken.”

The threesome shifted themselves into sitting positions,
in the corners of the room – Zephyr in one corner, Vai’ray in the other, and
Sable against the wall in between the two. All three strained to break their
bonds, with no success – all they could do was stand or move their legs, using
the walls as support to get to their feet. But they just sat – Zephyr scowled,
Vai’ray sighed, and Sable muttered the words that all three knew were true.

“Wherever, or whenever we are… we have to get out of
here…”
 

6. Insane Rescue Attempt!

Savrin stopped along with Abbie and Di, looking up at
the huge fence surrounding the asylum. There was a gate, though it was closed
and locked – along with that, it was monitored by a security camera, and the
gate and the fence running around it were topped with barbed wire to prevent
anyone climbing in – or more realistically, climbing out. They looked at the
fence for a few more moments, and Abbie spoke.

“We can’t climb it without getting hurt – the barbed
wire is there for a reason, and as much as I don’t like to say it, it’s for
a good reason.” Savrin looked at the fence again, and shook his head.

“It won’t stop us for long.”

The half-furmential looked left, and taking the cue,
Abbie looked right, and Diane looked at the fence, studying it and looking for
a weak link. Both the coyote and the half-furmential noticed other cameras along
the perimeter – none of which were positioned to see them. Diane and Abbie turned
to ask what Savrin’s idea was, and found the furmential conjuring a flame into
his hands and using it to melt a doorway through the chain-linked fence. Both
the furs looked around again, nervous that they would be spotted, but they were
unnoticed as Savrin cut a decent-sized hole through the fence and the trio stepped
onto the expansive grass fields surrounding the asylum. They began moving towards
it at a brisk trot, keeping an eye out for guards of the human variety – it
was knowledge that this asylum was human-run and everyone in it was trained
to dislike but attempt to ‘help’ faffurs. Diane winced at some of the things
that were rumoured to be done in there.

Sable, if it’s really you and the other two in there,
I hope you’re all right. We’re coming to get you…
 

The faffur and the two furmentials that were going to
be rescued weren’t sleeping. The guard watching their cell was rather sleepy
himself, and at the faint sound of something being knocked around inside the
cell made him blink and peer inside curiously. The ferret was standing and bouncing
a small sphere with his feet, and occasionally kicking it to one of the furmentials,
who kicked it back. All three looked a mix of weary and bored. The guard, realising
that they weren’t supposed to have Anything inside the cell, unlocked the door
and stepped in.

“Come on, you three – you aren’t allowed to have anything
in here. Hand it over…”

Sable smirked in that cunning way only ferrets could,
kicking the ‘ball’ hard up into the air, and when it hit the ground, it broke,
and a thick smoke filled the cell – the sphere had been one of Sable’s little
smokescreen balls, and the threesome proceeded to barrel past the guard and
kick the cell door shut, trapping him within. Still restrained, they leaned
against the wall and looked around.

“Which way now, ferret?”

Sable shrugged, thinking, looking left and right.

“Not sure – we weren’t awake when we were dumped… so
any way is our best bet.”

The quiet Vai’ray chipped in her own two cents on the
matter.

“We should follow the signs and try and find the storage
– you two must want your weapons back…”

Sable nodded his head, and Zephyr looked about with a
slight twitch.

“As long as we don’t run into any metal things or strange
new objects…”

The threesome nodded and simultaneously shuddered at
the concept of coming upon more bizarre things from this time. However, their
contemplations were broken when a loud alarm sounded, and the asylum shook.
Red lights flashed in the dim hallways, and the three broke into a run, picking
a direction. Sable panted out as they ran.

“Whatever that was…”

Zephyr took it up.

“…It sure picked a bad time!!”

Vai’ray shook her head.

“It may help us escape…. they will be looking for the
cause.”

There were no more words spoken, as the threesome continued
to dash along corridors, turning this way and that. In the mayhem of orderlies
and guards rushing about, they weren’t spotted, for the moment. But they wondered
what the ruckus was.
 

The source of the ruckus, that was attracting the attention
of numerous guards on the facility, was a blue-coloured figure hovering in the
air around the asylum. The demon Yuumei, shifted out of Savrin’s body and into
his own solid form, grinned to himself as the humans sought to try and shoot
him down, and he retaliated with scorching fireblasts. He also made occasional
blows of magic against the building itself, shaking it and scaring those inside
that weren’t ‘patients’ of the asylum. However, the demon was only running distraction,
as the threesome trying to break in to the facility clustered near a side door,
and Diane picked the lock.

“Think Yuumei will provide enough distraction?”

Savrin grinned wryly as the lock clicked open.

“What do You think?”

The threesome entered into pandemonium…. guards and orderlies
were running hither and tither, and they got past the entrance without much
trouble. However, resistance came in the form of guards only a short time later,
who fired stun-darts at the ‘intruders’. They managed to hide behind doors and
walls, and when the guards stopped to reload, they moved…Abbie and Diane both
leaping forward. One guard fell to the coyote’s tackle, and another from a firm
kick from Diane – she’d taken lessons in fighting. They continued through the
corridors, and soon reports were going out – not only were there intruders in
the asylum, some of the ‘patients’ had sprung from their cell.

“Agh!”

The brother and sister duo stopped to grab the half-furmential
and drag him down an alternate corridor, as he plucked a dart from his shoulder.
Abbie shouted as they ran.

“Savrin! Will you be alright!?”

Savrin shook his head woozily, blinking.

“Kinda…I’m not fainting…. but…woozy…”

Diane shook her head.

“Must be your furmential side…”

Any light conversation stuff stopped as they rounded
yet another corridor and came almost face-to-face with several guards, guns
levelled. This situation was interrupted by a deafening roar from down the hallway,
which caused both the human guards and the furs/half-furmential to all look
that way. The sound was accompanied by the sound of concrete and mortar breaking
as whatever it was, it was huge. Savrin’s woozy eyes widened, as did Abbie’s
and Diane’s, and the trio turned and ducked around to the interconnecting hallway,
just as a huge gout of flame roared down the hallway, toasting the guards. As
the threesome tried to recover from the shock, a clear, familiar voice spoke
from down the now-fried corridor.

“That was overdone, big ears. Still, it got rid of the
guards. And your transformation broke a hole in the roof and ripped through
your bonds…on top of that, it’s nice to see that you can finally transform again.”

There was the sound of more concrete breaking, as the
familiar voice spoke again almost amusedly, or annoyedly, it was hard to tell.

“Now I feel envious of being just a faffur.”

Diane and Abbie supported Savrin as they crept down the
burned corridor…emerging into an open room that gave them something to stare
at.
 

Within the room, which now had most of its roof missing,
was Zephyr and Vai’ray, both in their higher forms and seeming rather unhappy
with things. Sheltered near Vai’ray’s leg was the straitjacketed Sable – by
his feet were his sheathed katana and Zephyr’s knifeclaw, that had been hell
to carry considering they’d all been straitjacketed up to this point. Looking
out from the broken roof, Zephyr could see Yuumei, it seemed, for the higher-form
firewolf proceeded to break more of the roof as he exited, breathing another
huge gout of flame to terrify the guards trying to ward off Yuumei.

“Not only did you both break the roof…”

Sable’s voice trailed off as the still-straitjacketed
ferret’s gaze fell on the three entrants into the room. His eyes went wider
by a few notches, and moments later Di had her arms around his straitjacketed
body.

“Diane…what…..how…..when..?”

The voice of Vai’ray rung in their heads.

~I suggest that we leave and go somewhere safer and
find out just what’s going on, and where we are…~

Within moments, help from Savrin’s ever present sword
relieved Sable of his straitjacket, and the foursome climbed onto Vai’ray’s
back, and she lifted off. A piercing whistle got the higher-form Zephyr’s attention
as well as Yuumei’s… and they all beat a hasty retreat – Savrin gave them directions.
Over the wind, no one could really hear anyone else except those that were closest,
but everyone heard Sable after Di told him..

“We are WHERE??”
 

7. Modern Sights.

After a most hectic escape from the asylum, and after
managing to evade pursuit – which was hard to do with the two higher-form furmentials
– soon the now six-fur group were outside the out-of-the-way abode that Savrin
shared with his father/mentor Vandabar. The three from the past still seemed
twitchy about their surroundings – but en route, they had received a basic summary
of things in this world, enlightening them as to what some things were – it
still didn’t stop them from being nervous about it. Savrin was the first one
to enter the abode and was greeted by his adopted father – now in his fifties,
Vandabar kept himself as fit as ever, although he preferred to garden now.

“It’s good to see you home, Savrin.”

The half-furmential nodded.

“Di and Abbie are here… and we have a few..uhm…friends
with us who are in need of help.”

The horse blinked, looking past his adopted son – in
the doorway, he could see Diane and Abbie, and behind them…he blinked and did
a double-take…two furmentials and a ferret. He looked questioningly at Savrin.

“They’re….from the past…”

Vandabar nodded, taking the words to be true…he invited
the group in, friendly greetings passing between the horse, the coyote, and
the cat. Zephyr was still slightly snobbish but he greeted Vandabar, and Vai’ray
was the epitome of politeness. When Sable finally stepped in, he cocked his
head slightly to the side and studied Vandabar. The old horse stiffened slightly
and looked back at Sable evenly – something seemed to pass between them, and
finally, the ferret inclined his head.

“Mentor.”

The horse nodded slightly and responded.

“Warrior.”

The next few moments were spent exchanging names and
a bit of past detail. When they were asked precisely how they’d gotten here,
none of the three could remember clearly – their experiences within this world
had made them forget, but Sable assured Savrin and the others that they would
remember eventually. They then got a brief tour of the building – Sable seemed
to be interested in staying in the dojo area, while Zephyr and Vai’ray were
placed in the guestrooms. The lateness of the evening saw everyone drifting
off to sleep, awaiting the next day – before going to bed, the group had discussed
doing things to show the three from the past interesting things about the new
world. And then they slept.
 

Sable was woken from his meditative sleep by Diane, who
hugged him good morning, and offered him a new set of clothing that would help
him fit in – after putting on the jeans, shirt and jacket, Sable felt like an
idiot, but Diane giggled to herself and thought he looked cute. Taking the ferret
by the hand, she helped him up and hugged him again. He smiled faintly.

“I take it you’ve decided to ‘explore’ with me, then?”

Diane nodded her head.

“Of course, after all….”

She blushed, and the ferret grinned slightly and planted
a light kiss on her muzzle. Her blush deepened as she lead him out of Vandabar’s
house. They walked hand-in-hand down the streets, Diane pointing out what different
buildings were named and what they were for, along with numerous objects and
their functions. Less fearful of his surrounds while in her presence, Sable
took it all in with glances and nods, his eyes starting to not move from the
feliness next to him. Diane blushed again, and finally she guided him to a small
café, and they sat at a table outside. She made sure Sable was comfortable before
telling him that ‘she would handle it’ as the waiter inquired as to their order.

“A really large milkshake and plate of pasta, thank you.”

Sable eyed her quizzically, and when the waiter walked
off, Diane giggled.

“A milkshake is just flavoured milk, Sable. Pasta…well…you’ll
see. It’s tasty.”

The ferret nodded and took her word for it, and remarkably,
their food didn’t take long to arrive. She offered him ‘first go’ and he tentatively
tried both, the large milkshake and a bit of the long, stringy pasta. They didn’t
disgust him, but they left something to be desired, in his mind. Content that
he would be able to eat…they both began eating from the same plate, taking occasional
sips of the milkshake through the same straw. The milkshake ran down first,
and each time their eyes met over the plate, Di felt blushingly faint, and Sable
just smiled and felt the love stirring inside him. Finally, they were down to
the last piece of pasta, and since they both had a grip on it and were trying
to chew it, their lips met over the plate. Di blushed, Sable blushed, and the
pasta snapped. The ferret followed it up with a more affectionate kiss, and
Di blushed, trying not to stammer in embarrassment at this being done in public.
When the waiter came back, she paid, and they stood up.

“Sable..let’s go….back to Vandabar’s. If you want to
keep that up…”

She giggled and blushed, and Sable replied slyly, with
a grin.

“I’m sure it will be an enjoyable experience, my little
love…”
 

While the ferret and the cat were out at the café, Abbie
had struck up a conversation with Vai’ray. It was originally small talk, but
soon developed into a full fledged conversation, the Windhawk with her ever
gentle demeanour correcting Abbie on several points about his thoughts on how
the furmentials lived. Abbie had, out of curiousity, asked if she’d like to
play chess, and upon hearing about what the game was like, the Windhawk agreed.

“It sounds like a thinking game, Abbalion..”

As the coyote pulled out a chess set, he chuckled to
himself.

“It is, Vai’ray…please, just call me Abbie.”

The quiet Windhawk watched him set up the board, and
her next words were quiet and sincere.

“Why have a lovely name as Abbalion and not use it?”

The coyote didn’t reply as he set up the chessboard,
sitting it between him and Vai’ray and explaining the rules. During this, he
became aware of the Windhawk’s unerring gaze upon him. After making the first
move of the game, he finally looked up at Vai’ray, who continued to look at
him while unerringly reaching for the board and moving one of her pieces.

“You know…you have quite intriguing eyes, Abbalion…”

The coyote chuckled a little nervously and moved one
of his pieces.

“How so?”

Vai’ray moved one of her own pieces in a counterstrategy.

“They are deep. Thoughtful. Intelligent…”

At the compliments, Abbie felt himself starting to blush.
He pushed it down, and Vai’ray seemed amused at this. Their game continued.

 

Finally, Vai’ray moved one of her pieces, and a rare
smile spread across her face as she did so.

“I believe the word is ‘checkmate’, Abbalion.”

Abbie blinked and stared at the board. He’d been sure
he would’ve won – but within a few moves of his own checkmate setup, Vai’ray
had countered it and managed to put him in check. He grinned and offered his
hand.

“Congratulations then, Vai’ray…”

The Windhawk shook his hand as they stood up….and totally
unexpectedly, tugged the coyote into a genteel embrace. Abbie stiffened in surprise
as the Windhawk spoke in her soft voice. “During the course of this game… I
have been thinking, and looking at you…and I have come to a conclusion…that
you have the attention of my heart…” Abbie blinked in surprise. He’d been attracted
to the Windhawk’s intelligence, he knew, and perhaps even like this, but the
simple problem remained in front of his eyes.

“Vai’ray…you’re from the past…”

The Windhawk responded with a hint of sharpness.

“Sable and Diane have worked out a relationship…”

Abbie nodded thoughtfully….and when he looked up at the
tall, gentle Vai’ray, she smiled again, softly, and hugged him a bit more. Abbie
returned the hug with a semi-sheepish chuckle and before he could stop himself,
an automatic kiss to the Windhawk’s face. Vai’ray blinked and blushed faintly.

“Shall we….retire then…Vai’ray?”

The Windhawk nodded, the tiniest hint of thoughtful amusement
in her tone.

“Yes…a…’rest’ would be good…”
 

The third group, consisting of the half-furmential Savrin
and the full firewolf Zephyr, had also left Vandabar’s house, albeit both had
been careful to hide their wings. In a moment of curiousity, Zephyr had asked
Savrin what a ‘bar’ was, and the hybrid had felt obliged to take Zephyr in there
to show him. The big-eared furmential had covered his ears at the initial loud
noise within the place, but they headed to the ‘fur’ part of the bar and found
themselves sitting on the stools at the bar. The ‘tender looked at them both.

“What can I get you both?”

Glancing at Zephyr, Sav lowered his voice.

“It’s his first time in here..”

The bartender nodded with an amused chuckle…ducking behind
the counter, he got Savrin’s usual – the half-furmential wasn’t a day-to-day
customer, but he occasionally indulged himself. The semi-cheap wine was good
on the tongue, and he’d long since built up a resistance to the alcoholic content.
Zephyr, as the butt of the prankish nature of the bartender, got a bottle of
beer…that was quite concentrated in alcohol. The firewolf tasted it, found it
good, and to quench his thirst, he quaffed the whole bottle, leaving both Savrin
and the bartender staring in open surprise. The firewolf was unaffected, it
seemed, and looking at Savrin, he suggested the hybrid try one too – it was
delicious, he said. Savrin looked sceptical.

“Look, Sav, you brought me here…this drink he gave me
is absolutely great! You really should try it…” The hybrid folded, and nodded
to the bartender.

“I’ll have what he’s having.”

Zephyr smirked.

“I’ll race you in drinking!”

It wasn’t precisely Savrin who responded, but Yuumei
who spurred the hybrid to take the challenge.

“You’re on, Zephyr!”
 

Zephyr stifled a burp as he helped Savrin down the street
– after numerous drinks at the pub, the firewolf was feeling mildly ill, and
Savrin, due to his human side, seemed to be totally drunk. He had an arm draped
around Zephyr’s shoulder, and burped as well, with woozy sounding ‘ooohs’ as
they walked.

“Dammit, Sav… you shoulda stopped, those drinks are affecting
you baaad…”

The hybrid responded woozily.

“But they were goooood shtuuuuff…”

Zephyr snorted.

“Yeah, yeah…and to think this is your time…you shoulda
known better, I reckon…”

The duo continued down the streets, heading back towards
Vandabar’s place. Savrin continued to ‘ooooh’ woozily as they walked, shaking
his head every now and then and looking up at Zephyr from his slanted walking
position. Whether it was the alcohol talking, or the fact the alcohol had removed
the inhibitions he’d had on the matter, the next action was very clear. Sliding
his other arm up to rest on Zephyr’s chest, the inebriated hybrid kissed the
firewolf on the cheek. Zephyr stared at the surprise action, covering a blush…a
guy wasn’t supposed to kiss another guy! But he tolerated it, ignoring the thoughts
blooming in his head. It didn’t take them long to get back to Vandabar’s house,
and helped Savrin into his room – the doors to both Abbie and Di’s rooms were
closed and locked…and the woozy hybrid, when they were inside, leaned over to
do the same to their door, before draping his drunken self around Zephyr and
kissing him again.

“C’mon…Zeph…let’s get into bed…”

The firewolf stared in surprise as the woozy excuse of
a hybrid dragged him over to the bed, drunkenly kissing him a few more times.

“Sav….we can’t….I’m a guy!!”

Savrin shrugged.

“So….I like you, Zeph!! Pleaaase….”

The normally arrogant firewolf was at a loss for words
as the drunken Savrin, in no mood to be told no, gave the firewolf the biggest
liplock of his life, and pulled him down onto the bed.
 

8.We Have To Go Now

The next morning brought moments of discovery and surprise.
Diane and Sable woke up at the same time, cuddling each other and exchanging
fond kisses before sidling out of bed. It was rather similar with Abbie and
Vai’ray – although it was the Windhawk who awoke first, and Abbie only woke
because Vai’ray was stroking his hair out of his face with quiet affection.
The two pairs quickly got dressed – Vai’ray and Sable in their less modern clothing,
and Abbie and Di in their usual clothing, and met in the dojo, to discuss their
next move. It was Diane who looked around first and commented, however.

“Where’s big ears and the wing boy?”

Abbie shrugged in response.

“Probably still sleeping – I heard them come in rather
late last night…”

Vai’ray chuckled softly to herself.

“I doubt you heard anything clearly, Abbalion, considering
what you were doing…”

This brought a furious blush to the coyote’s face. Diane
and Sable exchanged glances, then looked at Abbie and Vai’ray again. It seemed
to take a few moments to sink in, but it was Sable who spoke. He tentatively
pointed a finger at Vai’ray, then Abbie.

“You two…”

Vai’ray merely nodded with a faint smile. Sable squashed
a chuckle of his own, and Diane stared at her brother in surprise – but she
could understand, to a degree, since she had Sable. Speaking of the ferret,
she caught him heading towards the door. He seemed to notice her stare despite
the fact he wasn’t looking, and called over his shoulder.

“I’m going to see if Zephyr’s awake… then Savrin.”

As the ferret left, Diane nudged her blushing elder brother
and proceeded to gently tease him about his relationship with Vai’ray, who looked
on with the air of someone watching two friends squabble playfully. Sable was
just reaching the door of Savrin’s room – after finding Zephyr’s empty, when
he heard movement within, the sound of a body shuffling about in bed. What bothered
him is that right after it he heard the sound again, from a slightly different
cause…like there was two people in the bed. The ferret’s natural curiousity
for once got the better of him, and he creaked open the door, sticking his head
into the room.

“Mmm….Zephy….”

The ferret’s eyes went from calm and normal to wide and
surprised. There were clothes strewn about – not only Savrin’s clothes, but
those of the full firewolf who was sharing his bed! The hybrid was cuddling
up to the larger firewolf, who shook his head and opened his eyes…

“ARRRRRGH!”

The loud noise made Sable withdraw from the room in a
snappy motion, and the firewolf made the sound again, stirring Savrin from his
slumber. The hybrid moaned pitifully and grabbed his head at the stunning hangover
he had.

“Agh, my head! Although it was comfortable…last night….”

Scowl.

“For you, maybe! Arggggh….Tharlie’s gonna kill me!”

Savrin looked up at the angry firewolf with pitiful eyes
because of the hangover ravaging his mind.

“You mean..we….”

Zephyr shook his head.

“YOU were! You were drunk! And you dragged me into bed…good
thing you fell asleep!!”

Before it could de-evolve into a total ruckus, Sable
knocked fiercely on the door, his voice coming through it and getting both the
firewolf and the hybrid’s attention.

“You two! Stop arguing! We have to discuss what to do
next!”
 

The six of them met once more in the dojo, seated. Sable
sat by Diane, and Abbie was close to Vai’ray. The hybrid and the firewolf were
the only two not near each other – Zephyr was in between Vai’ray and Diane,
and Savrin on the other side of the little ring between Sable and Abbie. So
far they’d only determined that they’d have to get back to the Time Temple,
but there was a sticking point that hurt the three who naturally lived in this
time period. Diane voiced the problem again.

“In order to use the Time Temple…you have to have the
Starlight Gem with you…which means once you three go back, you’ll take the Gem
with you”

Sable patted her hand as he thought.

“What about you three? You went through the first time
without trouble…”

Diane shrugged and sighed, but it was the still headachey
but otherwise fine-but-twitchy-near-Zephyr hybrid who actually replied.

“We tried…it’s like the well is solid ground. We’re not
sure what happened the first time – maybe the opening of the Time Temple activated
it temporarily or something…”

Vai’ray then spoke up.

“So that would mean there’s no alternative to using it
– as Diane said, however, if we take the Gem with us, there is no way for you
to visit – and you are much better received than we were.”

There was silence all around for a moment. No one was
sure how to continue. Diane put an arm around Sable, who did likewise to her
and gently ruffled her hair with his hand. Abbie looked up at Vai’ray, who raised
her brows in response, then ruffled his hair with a perfectly straight – except
for the slight amused look – expression. Finally, Zephyr snorted.

“I don’t see what the problem is!”

Diane stared at the firewolf, who responded snappily.

“Don’t look at me like that, little kitty! It’s easy
– we ALL go back in time, then you and your friends can come back with the Gem!”

There was a stunned silence as everyone, even the headsore
Savrin, stared at Zephyr for a moment. The hybrid was the one to speak, as well.

“Good on you, Zephyr…I think we’ll have to get moving
before people come looking for you three…”

The group stood up, Savrin still rubbing his head about
that hangover and the fact he’d spent the night sleeping with Zephyr and found
it comfortable. They were stopped on the way out by Vandabar, who scrutinised
each of them in turn, then lead them back into the dojo to put on appropriate
battle clothing under the more ‘modern’ clothes, just in case. He studied them
as they put on the clothing – which was like the royal robes the group had worn,
but reinforced by the old horse’s magic. He then shook his head.

“Something bad may come of this. You must all be careful.”

The group nodded, and Sable averted his eyes with a pang
of loss as Savrin carefully hugged Vandabar, and the group was soon underway.

 

They reached the forested area surrounding the Time Temple
without incident. They were trekking through the trees towards the structure
when both Sable and Savrin stopped, looking around. Savrin hissed out in Yuumei’s
voice.

“There is something wrong here…”

Sable nodded, already taking off his modern clothing
to reveal his greyish robes.

“I sense Followers…”

The others didn’t truly understand, except for Zephyr,
but soon enough they were in their battle costumes. Savrin and Sable had their
swords, Zephyr his knifeclaw. Diane pulled out a pair of knives – she’d taken
lessons with the weapons. And Abbie withdraw his spear from a holder on his
back. Sable looked back at them, wryly.

“Nothing more modern?”

Abbie chuckled dryly.

“It felt right to bring these weapons instead…”

They were rounded out by Vai’ray, who had no real weapons
of her own – but she rubbed her hands together a little and readied her magic.
Finally, the armed group stepped into the clearing surrounding the Time Temple,
and stopped in surprise.

Standing between them and the tiers of the Time Temple
was a small army of black, shadowy beings that resembled furs – Followers of
the Shadow Dark. The entrance to the Time Temple lay beyond them, but it was
who was up on the second level of the temple exterior who got their attention.
Standing there, surveying the Followers, was what appeared to be a fur. Clad
in robes of dashing black and red, the wolf surveyed them almost arrogantly.
His hair was tied back in a sleek black ponytail, and yellow eyes gleamed in
anticipation. The energy he wielded was no laughing matter as, with a gesture…a
small explosion rent the ground in front of the group, before he spoke. His
tone was smug, self-assured, and quite, quite evil.

“My name is Akaimet. And as a servant of the divine will
of the Shadow Dark, you all must die – I will let nothing stand in my master’s
way!”

He drew a sword and swung it, pointing at the group.
With no sound whatsoever, the small army of Followers charged, and the group
was smashed apart in the melee -Zephyr was knocked away to fight by himself,
and the two ‘loving pairs’ of Windhawk and coyote, ferret and feline, found
themselves fighting for their lives against the Followers. There was, however,
a clear path for Savrin to walk as Akaimet looked down on him smugly. Savrin
drew his sword, his eyes flickering red. Akaimet spoke again as the hybrid leapt
up into the air to land on the platform.

“Come on, Yuumei. Hybrid. Show me what you’re made of.”

 

9.Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way!

Everyone was fighting for their lives. Zephyr was by
far having the worst time, being he had no one to back him up. The Followers
were nearly impossible to put down for the count unless he hit them with magic,
and they were only warded off temporarily if he swung his knifeclaw. For every
one he managed to put down, several more swarmed in to claw at him. He yelled
above the din of battle, frustratedly.

“This battle STINKS!”

Sable and Diane weren’t doing much better. The ferret
was able to strike down several Followers, but like Zephyr, he knew there were
just too many of them. Diane was holding her own, the pink-haired feline’s twin
knives flashing left and right to ward off Followers. But both of them were
wearying, even with Sable’s combat training. Hearing Zephyr yell, he shouted
back.

“You think so, big ears!?”

Abbie’s voice joined the yelling.

“Shut up and keep fighting!”

The coyote was faring better then the others – he had
the healing magic of Vai’ray backing him up, but most of the time she too was
busy taking down the Followers with white magic. Realising that separated they
were going to eventually get overwhelmed, the three different ‘groups’ began
slashing and fighting their way towards each other. Savrin, or rather Yuumei,
wasn’t faring much better. Akaimet was extremely deadly with his sword, and
although Savrin was an accomplished swordfighter, and Yuumei enhanced his abilities,
the possession spirit knew that Akaimet was much more powerful in terms of energy.
As they locked blades again, the black-and-red robed wolfdemon snarled amusedly.

“Is that all you are able to muster, you pathetic twosome?”

An angry slash that barely missed Akaimet’s arm was his
response.

“Quiet, Akaimet! I’m going to kill you!”

The wolfdemon chuckled darkly, then took a double take
as he saw the slash in his robes, and eyed the hybrid/demon’s glowing sword.

“Give it your best shot, you pathetic possession spirit.”

 

Things were going equally badly for the group now totally
surrounded by Followers. They’d finally met up back-to-back, and were able to
hold their ground. No one was optimistic about their chances of survival, at
least until Diane noticed something strange.

“Hey! Look… at some moments, they stop to look up at
that Akaimet guy!”

Zephyr fireblasted a row of Followers and watched it
fill in again before replying.

“What’s your point, little kitty!?”

Diane yelled back annoyedly, her twin knives flashing
about to ward off a particularly persistant shadowy black being.

“They’re distracted!”

Abbie yelled out, after impaling two Followers on his
spear.

“And so are we if we keep looking at those two! Try and
keep focused!”

Said focus was almost lost when they heard Savrin cry
out in surprise, and heard the chink of a sword hitting the ground. They all
looked up at the upper level of the temple exterior in surprise, and then the
Followers rushed them – the valiant warriors being overrun by the shadowy-black
beings.
 

Akaimet smiled smugly. The ferret, the cat and her brother,
and the two furmentials were practically buried in Followers, and the fight
with the hybrid was going in his favour. With a swing of his blade, he knocked
Savrin’s sword away and the hybrid fell over. He levelled his sword at Savrin’s
throat, not noticing the fact the hybrid’s eyes were no longer fully red.

“I had figured you and Yuumei would put up at least a
good fight…. but I was right, you and your friends were underrated…”

He raised his sword…and staggered as a gust of wind
ploughed into him. He looked to his left to see Vai’ray climbing up onto the
same level of the temple, with Abbie in tow. A whistle from his right made him
turn to see Sable and Diane climbing up on the other side. And coming straight
up to complete the triangle, Zephyr leapt up onto the platform, between Savrin
and the demon. Akaimet looked around.

“This cannot be! I am a servant of the divine Shadow
Dark! You foolish beings can’t hope to oppose me!”

A voice spoke from behind him – like Savrin’s, only darker.

“Not separately, Akaimet.”

And a female voice joined it.

“But we’re working together! Hehehe… I have to get you
for hurting my firewolfy…”

By now Savrin was on his feet too, and Akaimet turned
to see Yuumei and Kira, standing on either side of Savrin’s sword. He was totally
surrounded. He looked left and right, around at everyone.

“How!? How could you have survived!? My Followers overwhelmed
you, I SAW it!”

Zephyr snorted and replied.

“And you were saying we were underrated?”

Diane chimed in with the amused arrogance only a feline
had.

“You were the one who underestimated US, Akaimet!”

The wolfdemon, his robes as tattered as those of the
furs and furmentials surrounding him, started to look worried. Savrin and Zephyr
both crossed their arms across their chest. Vai’ray closed her eyes, and Sable
lifted his arm, concentrating. Abbie and Diane moved their weapons into a throwing
position – and behind Akaimet, Yuumei and Kira joined hands and began concentrating
pure magical energy. Fire billowed, wind roared, spiritual energy tingled, and
pure magic glowed. Akaimet looked around wildly.

“This can’t be happening!”

Yuumei spoke, darkly amused.

“Oh, but it is.”

The weapons thrown by the coyote and the feline buried
themselves in Akaimet’s body – the spear into his ribs, the knives into his
lower abdomen. He stumbled, snarling…and then a magical apocalypse occurred
as fire slammed into him from the front, wind from his left, spiritual energy
from his right, and pure magic from behind.
 

When the blast cleared, Akaimet was still there, but
in no condition to fight. His robes had been charred off his body, and the wolfdemon’s
once proud form lay prone on the ground, battered, blasted, and most definitely
beaten. Vai’ray hugged Abbie, and Diane hugged and supported the weary Sable.
Savrin and Zephyr made to hug, but paused and sheepishly shook hands, and most
surprisingly, the two spirits gave each other a victorious hug.

“I can’t believe we pulled it off, Zephyr.”

The furmential chuckled half-arrogantly.

“Guess teamwork has its quirks after all, Sav.”

The group formed up near, but not around, the punished
wolfdemon. There were general congratulations and hugs all around. Particularly
to Savrin and Yuumei, who had held off Akaimet for as long as possible. It was
finally Sable who reminded them of why they were actually there.

“I think… I’d like to go home now.”

The others nodded and began moving away, to climb down
from the second tier of the temple and enter.

“Hahaha…..ahahaha…hahaha…”

Everyone stopped and turned in the direction of Akaimet.
The wolfdemon was unable to fight or hardly move, but he had his eyes closed,
and he was smiling as he laughed. No one moved to go near him, and finally he
stopped his laughter, at least momentarily.

“Ahahahaha….I underestimated you all…Hehehe….but rest
assured…ahaha…the Shadow Dark will destroy you all…”

And before anyone could say anything, the body of the
wolfdemon glowed golden-black and vanished.
 

10. Home Sweet Home

Everything had gone off without a hitch. Zephyr’s half-baked
plan that would ensure the threesome of the future got to keep the Starlight
Gem worked like a charm. There was little for the three from the past to do
except wish their future companions good luck and goodbye… in Sable and Vai’ray’s
case, planting deep and mushy kisses on their respective partners. The threesome
shook hands with each other, and then each once more went their own way. For
Vai’ray, that was very simple. After discovering with some surprise that they’d
been absent for an entire month, she shifted to her windhawk form and flown
off, heading for the temple of which she was priestess. She hoped her younger
acolytes had kept the place in one piece while she was gone. When she arrived,
it looked fine from the exterior, but a young acolyte peeked out the door, saw
her, and ducked inside. She could hear faintly.

“The Priestess is back!!”

There were cries of surprise, and as Vai’ray slowly strode
up the steps, she suspected the worst. She opened the door to find everything
in disarray, as if the acolytes had been entertaining themselves with games
and pillow fights while she was gone. She folded her arms, eyeing the younger
Windhawks with a cool, calm eye. “Yes, I have returned. And rather than chastise
you for what you’ve done, I only ask that you clean it up and make sure it does
not happen again. Am I understood?” There was simultaneous nodding as the acolytes
scuttled around and cleaned up, as she stood behind the altar and watched, the
faintest of smiles upon her face – they were only children, after all. They’d
deserved the little break they’d gotten in her absent month away. But now, she
was back, and she’d have to get them back into their priestly studies…
 

Sable stopped amid the rocky terrain and looked up at
the Hidden Tower looming before him. According to Quvas, after their return
and brief explanation, the trio had been gone a whole month thanks to the time-shifting
efforts of the Shadow Dark. Sable knew ‘his’ Tai’far would have most likely
continued their training, but he’d known a few within the ranks were not very
happy that he lead them in such a peaceful fashion. And considering he’d been
gone a month…he closed his eyes and them reopened them and kept moving, his
spiritual energy making him perfectly invisible. He walked up the levels of
the tower, stopping and examining things unseen.

How standards have fallen. One of my Yuira-inspired
students must have taken the seat of Prince while I was gone…no matter, I can
deal with that. It should be interesting.

His arrival on the upper level to the Tai’far throne
room was also unnoticed, although he could hear a ruckus going on. With the
silence that befitted one of his ability, he slipped in the slightly open door.
Indeed, an older weasel, one who had made a life out of both being a bully And
intelligent once learning, was sitting in the ‘throne’, and several of his lackeys
stood about him. The more honourable guards stood at the door, scowling to themselves
– the ‘new Prince’ was berating a younger warrior for not doing as he was told.

“When I tell you to go and pillage a household, you will
go do it, you understand!? I am your Prince!!”

Sable uncloaked himself, and the guards at the door blinked,
them smiled to themselves as he called out.

“I am YOUR Prince, traitor.”

The new Prince’s eyes widened, and he gestured with fear.
His lackeys looked at each other, then hefted their swords and charged as one.
The ferret watched them approach, and when they were close, proceeded to disable
them with well aimed blows and kicks. When they all fell around him, he continued
striding towards the throne.

“I’ve just helped take on a demon-wolf and an army of
Followers, gotten out of it alive, and you expect to be able to stave me off
with your lackeys? You better not be on that throne when I reach it…”

The arrogant weasel responded as Sable walked up the
steps.

“I…am the Prince! You can’t hurt me!!”

Sable lifted a brow.

“Oh?”

The loud crash of a window was audible throughout
the Tower, as was the sound of the false Prince falling. Sable looked out the
window with a sigh.

“There is no room here for traitors. I hope everyone
understands that.”

The guards saluted and moved out to tell everyone the
truth – the real Prince of the Tai’far was back.
 

Zephyr approached the door to his and Tharlie’s house
with some trepidation. He’d been away an entire month between when the Shadow
Dark had thrown them and they’d returned, and he was nervous about what she
would think. He tentatively knocked on the door, and a depressed sounding Tharlie
spoke without opening it.

“Who is it?”

Zephyr rubbed his forehead and swallowed.

“Me.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the door
flew open and Tharlie dragged Zephyr inside in a heartbeat, dropping the startled
firewolf into a chair and proceeding to give him the biggest bearhug he’d ever
had. He gacked, wriggling a little.

“T….Thar….Tharlie….ease up, will you…?”

She did, but only a little.

“Zephyr!! You’ve been gone a whole month!! I thought
you weren’t coming back!”

Zephyr thought of the drunken Savrin a moment and twitched,
then grinned at Tharlie.

“Hey, I’d come back no matter what happened. I have you,
after all.”

Tharlie giggled and blushed, giving the firewolf a kiss
on the nose that made him wrinkle it and blush. She giggled again.

“You’re cute when you blush.”

Zephyr responded with a devilish grin.

“You’re cute, period.”

Tharlie continued.

“You’re a flirt.”

Zephyr paused to stare at her as if in shock, then grinned
and shook his head.

“To hear that, coming from you….”

His mink girl giggled again, and kissed him on the nose
once more. Zephyr decided that that wasn’t a kiss at all, and proceeded to sweep
Tharlie off her feet and kiss her silly. The mink found this quite exciting,
and it wasn’t long before the two found their way to bed again. However, late
at night, Zephyr slept with his eyes open, contemplating.

I have Tharlie… and she’s wonderful…everything I wanted
in a girl. But Savrin…when he was drunk, he said he loved me. Do I love him?
Or is it just Tharlie…oh, I’m so confused.
 

In a dark, dark room, where a pair of glowing eyes seemed
to reside, there was a bright golden glow for a moment, that inundated itself
with black, and coalesced into the form of Akaimet. He dropped to one knee,
bowing his head as the Shadow Dark spoke into his mind.

~You failed to keep them from returning, Akaimet.~

The demon-wolf closed his eyes.

“Forgive me, divine Shadow Dark. I underestimated Yuumei
and his companions.”

He dared to look up, golden eyes looking into the glowing
slits of the gaze of the Shadow Dark, which seemed to frown, then scowl at him.

~This was not between you and Yuumei. It was your
objective to prevent them all entering, and not get caught in your own personal
vendettas till you completed the objective.~

Akaimet didn’t know how to answer. It was true that he
served the divine will of the Shadow Dark, but his relationship with Yuumei
went a long way back. But he didn’t think on it further, and merely spoke.

“Forgive me, divine Shadow Dark. Forgive me and I shall
seek to do as you please and only follow my own agenda afterwards.”

A beat.

~See that you do. You are dismissed, Akaimet.~

The red eyes receded into the darkness, and the demon-wolf
rose back to his feet. His clothing was in once more impeccable condition, and
he was totally unharmed now he’d returned to his master and been healed. He
looked around into the darkness, and spoke quietly.

“Till we meet again, then, Yuumei…”

And he disappeared.