{ "submission_id": "2738046", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "378", "keyword_name": "bondage", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "74434" }, { "keyword_id": "55", "keyword_name": "boobs", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "91768" }, { "keyword_id": "71", "keyword_name": "breasts", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "135618" }, { "keyword_id": "873", "keyword_name": "collar", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "42658" }, { "keyword_id": "9679", "keyword_name": "execution", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1521" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1104917" }, { "keyword_id": "8807", "keyword_name": "female/female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "24511" }, { "keyword_id": "33", "keyword_name": "fox", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "251570" }, { "keyword_id": "10881", "keyword_name": "grey wolf", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1235" }, { "keyword_id": "7", "keyword_name": "naked", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "118181" }, { "keyword_id": "58", "keyword_name": "nude", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "213709" }, { "keyword_id": "1031", "keyword_name": "red fox", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "9166" }, { "keyword_id": "1333", "keyword_name": "rope", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "8475" }, { "keyword_id": "528", "keyword_name": "slave", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "9866" }, { "keyword_id": "4556", "keyword_name": "slaves", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "678" }, { "keyword_id": "948", "keyword_name": "story", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "14311" }, { "keyword_id": "196846", "keyword_name": "story in description", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1742" }, { "keyword_id": "164", "keyword_name": "wolf", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "196191" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "29", "create_datetime": "2022-06-18 15:00:15.746862+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "18 Jun 2022 17:00 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2022-06-13 00:37:26.347123+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "13 Jun 2022 02:37 CEST", "username": "Talonfangclaw", "user_id": "201093", "user_icon_file_name": "388731_Talonfangclaw_ion_avatar_ib.png", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/388/388731_Talonfangclaw_ion_avatar_ib.png", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/388/388731_Talonfangclaw_ion_avatar_ib.png", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/388/388731_Talonfangclaw_ion_avatar_ib.png", "file_name": "4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.png", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.png", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.png", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.jpg", "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate_noncustom.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate_noncustom.jpg", "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "99", "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "164", "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "247", "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300", "files": [ { "file_id": "4058893", "file_name": "4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.png", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.png", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.png", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.jpg", "mimetype": "image/png", "submission_id": "2738046", "user_id": "201093", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": "2401", "full_size_y": "2921", "screen_size_x": "920", "screen_size_y": "1119", "preview_size_x": "247", "preview_size_y": "300", "initial_file_md5": "0ebcf7e600ed06b217cf1d28ce1d75ae", "full_file_md5": "f2bc65d12edf83e3c98f9e2ad7629971", "large_file_md5": "bd0db57851d683367756ff091a25dc7f", "small_file_md5": "e2f3df2af182f034d30a3c72a2a398d8", "thumbnail_md5": "f332c01745a5bd96bd3b498111600a92", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2022-06-13 00:37:26.347123+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "13 Jun 2022 02:37 CEST", "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate_noncustom.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4058/4058893_Talonfangclaw_594_-_dawn_of_fate_noncustom.jpg", "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "99", "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "164", "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "247", "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "60388", "name": "01 - ZER0 Plane (Void's Dephts)", "description": "The main plane of existence and main canon of my characters and stories and the main plane of existence of the story of Fangenclaw", "count": "541", "submission_left_submission_id": "2156263", "submission_left_file_name": "3126416_IonYggdrasil_151_-_alonely_time.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3126/3126416_IonYggdrasil_151_-_alonely_time.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3126/3126416_IonYggdrasil_151_-_alonely_time_noncustom.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3126/3126416_IonYggdrasil_151_-_alonely_time_noncustom.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "85", "submission_left_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "142", "submission_left_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "213", "submission_right_submission_id": "2530993", "submission_right_file_name": "3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments.png", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3725/3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3725/3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments_noncustom.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3725/3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments_noncustom.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "98", "submission_right_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "submission_right_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "164", "submission_right_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "246", "submission_right_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300" }, { "pool_id": "66939", "name": "11 - Artwork with Stories", "description": "Artwork that has a story with it that doesn't fall into the Fantasy or Medical categories", "count": "94", "submission_left_submission_id": "2098871", "submission_left_file_name": "3037508_IonYggdrasil_107_-_school_girl_zephyr.png", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3037/3037508_IonYggdrasil_107_-_school_girl_zephyr.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3037/3037508_IonYggdrasil_107_-_school_girl_zephyr_noncustom.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3037/3037508_IonYggdrasil_107_-_school_girl_zephyr_noncustom.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "111", "submission_left_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "submission_left_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "184", "submission_left_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "277", "submission_left_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300", "submission_right_submission_id": "2530993", "submission_right_file_name": "3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments.png", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3725/3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3725/3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments_noncustom.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3725/3725002_Talonfangclaw_429_-_nervous_first_moments_noncustom.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "98", "submission_right_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "submission_right_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "164", "submission_right_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "246", "submission_right_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300" } ], "description": "Art by Anonymous using base by DauxyCheeks on FurAffinity\n\n~\n\"You think you should really take on this contract Kyara?\" a red fox named Lorelei asked a tall female grey wolf Hunter while she was at the registry counter, \"there is another Hunter named Ion-Yggdrasil that has also...\" \"No this one is mine!\" Kyara said as she placed her hand on the registry counter hard, startling the red fox clerk, \"that fox boy is not taking another one from me and besides, I have unfinished business with this group\" Kyara retorted as Lorelei frowned, \"you sure about this? I know that is the group that hurt you... and me but are you sure you are ok with that mentality? Can you do this contract without loosing your senses?\" Lorelei asked with a serious tone. \"Yes I can Lorelei, don;t you trust me?\" Kyara responded, \"no, not really, I know how you get when your anger takes control...\" Lorelei started saying, \"what do you mean anger? I have not idea what you...\" Kyara started yelling back before she remembered that one day, the incident that while created freedom for both her and Lorelei, did traumatize Lorelei for quite a while, \"I guess you remember now?\" Lorelei asked as Kyara gritted her teeth, \"it is for the best I give this to Ion, remember you, as well as I are wanted in Thyracta for what we did to escape.\" \"For what I did for us to escape\" Kyara cut in, \"you are not responsible for any of that\" \"But I did leave with you, so I am guilty as well\" Lorelei added, \"ok, but I am a Hunter now, my past... our past there has been erased\" Kyara continued as Lorelei shook her head, \"while that is true on a general sense, it is most likely not with the Thyractaian guards, they are always on the lookout for runaway slaves, even ones that have become Hunters, the special status doesn't seam to matter to them as we have many issues sending back ex-slave Hunters from Thyracta back there so we try to avoid it at all costs if possible, if I send you, I will be questioned on it and I don't really want to deal with that stress at the moment sis.\" Lorelei replied. \"Fair enough, fine give it to the fox boy, i don't want to put you in any trouble\" Kyara responded with a smile, \"thanks sis\" Lorelei replied back as Kyara started to leave the registry, \"don't you want another contract?\" Lorelei yelled out to Kyara, \"No, I think I will take it easy for the time being\" Kyara replied back with a slight smile as she continued on her way.\n\nLater that night, Kyara carefully untangled herself from Lorelei's cuddling grasp, making sure not to wake her she quietly got dressed in her Hunter gear and started to set out from the apartment, getting to the front door before sudden words broke the silence. \"Were are you going?\" Lorelei called out to a surprised Kyara as she was about to open the door, \"I am... uh... just going for a quick walk...\" Kyara tried to answer, \"in your Hunter gear?\" Lorelei retorted, \"better then being buck naked like you are\" Kyara responded back, \"you are going after them aren't you, back to Thyracta\" Lorelei said in a more serious tone, \"don't try to stop me\" Kyara replied back as Lorelei sighed, \"well if you must go, then you are taking me with you\" Lorelei responded in a commanding tone, \"no, it is best you stay here and...\" Kyara started saying before she was cut off, \"No! I am going with you and that is final\" Lorelei cut in with an even more commanding tone. \"Alright fine\" Kyara said with a sigh, \"but hurry up and get dressed and get ready, that fox boy has had at least a half a day start on us\" Kyara called out as Lorelei went back into the bedroom to get ready, \"that is what I am counting on\" Lorelei thought as she geared up. A few minutes latter the girls exited the apartment and headed off towards the train station to catch an intercontinental rail as they would have to travel through the country of Cantrei after leaving Norland to reach Thyracta. \"What happens if we run into Ion?\" Lorelei asked, \"he is the contract holder and you as a fellow Hunter, are not aloud to snipe a contract given to another\" \"I am not going after collecting the contract, this is personal\" Kyara replied, \"and if fox boy gets in my way, I will just kick his ass, there is no rule that Hunters can't fight each other\" Kyara continued as Lorelei gave her a look, \"at least not to the death, a few broken bones is all I need to do.\" \"Just don't go too far, I don't want that headache\" Lorelei replied with a smile as Kyara wrapped an arm around her, \"I promise, like I said I don't intend to kill him, just knock him out of action for a while.\" \"Why do you hate him so much?\" Lorelei asked, \"it is not that I hate him\" Kyara started saying, \"it is more I find him annoying, he keeps taking on the contract that I need to take, the one like this one that are leading me to the answers I need to fine, it is like he has it out for me, like he is mocking me\" Kyara continued as Lorelei looked down, \"that is because I keep suggesting those to him, to keep you safe\" Lorelei said in her head as she didn't want to tell Kyara she was purposely trying to steer her away from the stress of confronting that dark time in their past, she just wanted them to move forward with the new life they had created, \"please Ion, get this done before we arrive, I don't want to see Kyara shrouded in darkness.\" \n\nKyara and Lorelei took their seats as the train departed at high speeds, a few uneventful hours passed with the train moving from stop to stop before a warning came over the loud speakers, \"Attention! Now entering Cantrei, please have papers ready for the next stop as you will need to present them at the boarder stop. Attention! Now entering...\" \"Ya, Ya we get it\" Lorelei complained at the repetition of the alert message, \"hey Kyara, when the train makes it's stop in Esper, can we get off for a bit to see our old stomping grounds? It is been a while since... actually we have never...\" \"sorry, not time, we got to keep moving to Thyracta\" Kyara cut in with a stern voice, \"oh... ok...\" Lorelei replied disappointed, \"it's just we never been back since we left to Norland after we escaped from Thyracta, there are a few people I would mind seeing again and...\" Lorelei started saying, \"how about this, once we complete our task, on the way back we can stop in Esper and stay for a while\" Kyara cut in once more, \"um... sure! That will be great\" Lorelei responded with a slight smile, \"it is not like I don't want to do that, I would prefer now to give Ion more time, I got to think of something else\" Lorelei thought as she tried to keep that fake smile at Kyara. As the train passed into the boarder station, Cantreian guards boarded the train and checked through the papers of the passengers still on board, Kyara just showed her Hunter's card as did Lorelei with her Hunter's Representative one and the guards passed them by, \"you know it might not be this easy at the Thyracta boarder station for the both of us\" Lorelei reminded Kyara who gave her a stare, \"remember we are on their runaway slave list and they mostly don't recognize runaways as Hunters\" \"even so we are still Hunters\" Kyara reminded Lorelei, \"Thyracta is part of the Hunter's pact, it would cause a retaliation by the Hunter's Association if Thyractaian representatives did anything to one.\" \"But thats the thing\" Lorelei replied, \"there have been some small incidents and some Hunters have gone missing entering Thyracta who were former slaves, tensions are a bit high\" \"Then why don't we just cross the boarder in secrete\" Kyara said with a cheeky smile, \"Hunters are free to travel from country to country without having to cross at the designated places and any small patrols that might come by don't have the registry on hand, all we have to do is show the Hunter's card and they are forced to let us continue on freely, or risk harm to themselves as anyone attempting to stop a Hunter from their mission is open to being attacked and dealt with anyway the Hunter sees fit.\" \"But Kyara, we are not on a mission\" Lorelei responded, \"they don't know that, that is why they would just let us go on our way as the other option is usually death for them\" Kyara said with a small laugh as Lorelei sighed, \"ok then, it is best to get off at Runden, the last station before the boarder, it has also been a while since we have been there\" Lorelei said as Kyara gave a small nod, \"yes that is where we crossed into from Thyracta when we escaped, we can go back in the same route\" Kyara added as Lorelei gave a small hesitant nod.\n\n\"Now arriving at Runden station, last stop before entering Thyracta, have your papers ready if you don't disembark\" the loudspeaker rang as many more hours, the train taking almost the whole day to finish it's crossing of Cantrei. \"Wake up Kyara, we are almost at our stop\" Lorelei said as she shook the napping Kyara who open her eyes and sat up, \"ready to do this?\" she asked Lorelei who nodded, \"good, we will wait until nightfall to cross over, I hate wasting hours like this but it will be easier to trek over in the cover of darkness, we should arrive at the boarder near midnight and into Wolsberg in the early hours of the morning, we can blend in there with the passengers from the next train that should arrive around 2am if this schedule is correct\" Kyara continued as the train made it's way into Runden station. The girls got off and went to a nearby park where they waited for the evening to come, before moving out across the small plains outside the city and into a nearby forest. Carefully trekking their way, they made it so a large river in the forest that divided the land between Cantrei and Thyracta, avoiding small patrols, they both swan their way across the river like they did years ago on their escape and stepped foot for the first time since them in the land of Thyracta, where both of them were born. A few more hours latter they were able to exit the forest near the town of Wolsberg, crossing in near the train station and waiting near the tacks for the next train to come by. Once it did the girls hopped up to the station platform just behind the train as the passengers were starting to depart and quietly mixed themselves within them as they headed to a smaller train station that would take them to where they wanted to travel within the limits of Thyracta. \"Just like that we are in without detection\" Kyara said, \"I hope you are right, this is still a boarder town so it is swarming with guards\" Lorelei replied as Kyara brushed her worry off, \"we just have to keep following the crowd towards the other station, once we are on board and on our way, we leave the guards behind. there is nothing to...\" Kyara continued saying before something caught her eye, \"small change of plans, we have to deal with something real quick.\" \"Wait, what could that... be...' Lorelei started asking before she noticed it too, Ion, the Hunter that was on the contract they were following, was within the crowd in front of them, \"shit, he must have taken the midday train after we did, I thought he would have traveled right away not wait a day and a half\" Lorelei thought in panic. \"Kyara, we don't want to make a scene, he is heading to the same train we are, we can out pace him there\" she said but Kyara continued on ahead, \"how about we make sure he doesn't have a chance to board\" Kyara replied, \"cause a small accident, he breaks a few bones and will be out of action for some time, giving us plenty of time to finish this out\" \"No Kyara, please we don't have to do this\" Lorelei rejected, \"yes we do! There is no way I am letting that fox boy get my mark\" Kyara said as she felt a hand grab her arm, \"I told you Lorelei, I am not stopping...\" Kyara started to continue before she realized the one holding her arm was not that of Lorelei, but a Thyractaian guard, while another was holding onto Lorelei herself. \n\n\"I don't remember seeing you on the train that just passed trough and thats a problem\" the guard said but Kyara smacked his arm away, \"I am a Hunter, I don't need to follow your entry rules\" Kyara angerly responded holding up her Hunter's card which was quickly snatched by the guard as he looked it over, \"that may be true, but still entering here the way you did causes some suspicion\" he said in a coy voice, \"again I am a Hunter, I don't need to explain my actions, especially to the likes of you\" Kyara retorted still angry, \"now if you want to make it home tonight, I suggest you let my associate go and be on your way\" she continued in a more commanding tone. \"Oh I don't think so\" the guard said as he made a small smile as a lot more guards surrounded them, causing other to onlook, \"I thought you looked familiar when I first saw you, I did some quick digging and I found something quite interesting\" the guard continued as other guards came in and restrained Kyara, causing her to growl at them fiercely \"a Hunter you might be but a slave you still are, a murderous one at that so you know what that means.\" Kyara and Lorelei were stripped down in front of the small crowd that had gathered, signifying their status as slaves of Thyracta, some of the crowd cheering when the guard announced that runaways had been recaptured and were going to be dealt with, collars were placed around their necks that tied together, their arms bound in rope as they were lead away to a small guard station on the outskirts of the city, there they were lead to a small fenced in area with a small metal structure that had a few ropes hanging down, they had entered an execution ground. \"Kyara, please do something! I don't want to die!\" Lorelei cried as she glanced at the ropes, Kyara eyed them as well before looking back at the lead guard, \"you only need to hang me, I am the one who killed those two, she had nothing to do with it, let her go, only my life should be taken\" Kyara yelled out at the guards as they made a small chuckle back. The lead guards stepped over to the girls and struck Kyara hard on her stomach with a baton, causing her to fall to the ground \"you think your lives are worth anything? You two are tainted, there is no use for any of the two of you now\" the guard said as Kyara growled back, attempting to take a swipe at him the best she could but the guard was able to throw her back down. \"You know, that is no way to treat a Hunter\" a voice called out as a shorter arctic fox with orange accents, wearing a black coat with orange stripes walked into sight with the full moon overhead, \"and who are you?\" the lead guard called out at the approaching fox, \"I am Ion of Norland, a Hunter like the two you have wrongfully detained\" Ion answered back with a sly voice, \"look I didn't ask for your help\" Kyara called out with a growl as Lorelei rolled her eyes, Ion and the guard took a quick glance over to the two girls before staring down each other once more, \"I suggest you release them, you don't want to cause an incident now do you?\" Ion said as he broke the silence. \"You must be as stupid as they come making demands like that when you are all alone\" the guard started saying as he started motion others to surround the fox, \"all I have to do is hang you as well and there will be no record of any incident\" the guard continued as the guards came in to apprehend Ion.\n\nThen suddenly a violent burst of wind passed through, with leaves impaling the area, cutting and slashing all they touched, \"you think I came alone?\" Ion said smugly, \"maybe you shouldn't be so eager to divulge your intensions, he gets angry when others threaten me\" Ion continued with a smile as another burst of wind came down, blowing away the guards that were restraining Kyara and Lorelei, in a flash a shadow emerged from the gust with a large scythe in hand that quickly severed the ropes tying Kyara and Lorelei together, \"fire at will, kill them all\" the head guard called as the rest started opening fire at the Hunters, Ion weaved his way through the bullets and started to swiftly take out guards from all angles, Zephyr got in front of the defenseless Kyara and Lorelei and used his wind shield to protect them from the flying bullets as Ion continued taking out the guards that were firing while some fled from Ion's onslaught. Then suddenly one of the bullets deflected off of Zephyr's spinning scythe, catching him in the stomach as he keeled over in pain, blood started staining Zephyr's coat as Lorelei, without thinking went to his aid, \"no Lorelei wait! it is too dangerous at this moment to...\" Kyara yelled out as two bullets pierced Lorelei's belly, with one exiting through her back, \"Lorelei!!!\" Kyara yelled out with tears as Lorelei fell to the ground next to Zephyr, blood spilling from her body and clogging her throat. Ion hearing the commotion, quickly took out a few more guards as he went over to the fallen foxes, Zephyr still conscious and using what strength he had left to keep up a small wind barrier to deflect the oncoming bullets while Lorelei's eyes were wide open and unresponsive, \"Kyara you need to get yourself together, for her sake, we need to get out of here and fast\" Ion commanded as he snapped Kyara back to her senses, \"Zephyr can you still hold this up as we go?\" \"I... I think so\" Zephyr responded wheezing in pain as Ion put him on his back as Kyara did the same with Lorelei, \"come on, there is a underground medical centre not too far from here, if we make it fast, I am sure they can save her\" Ion said as he raised one hand and bounds of blue lightning came raining down, scorching the earth and vaporizing anyone it touched causing the guards to drop their arms and take cove, when the storm passed, the four Hunters were nowhere to be seen. \n\n\"Clear!\" a call came out as Lorelei's body convulsed from the shock the paddles pressed against her chest made, \"no response\" as nurse replied as the doctor called for the defibrillator to be turned up a notch, \"Clear!\" she said one more time, pressing the paddles against Lorelei's chest again as her body convulsed once more. \"We have a heart beat!\" the nurse responded, \"good, lets get her into surgery so we can keep it that way\" the doctor called out as rushed the bloodied Lorelei down the hall towards an operating room, leaving Kyara behind a bit dazed, she took a deep breath to get a hold of herself and then walked over to the nearby procedures room where Ion and Zephyr were being held. Inside at one end, Zephyr was laying on an operating table himself fully nude, his belly fully opened as two surgeons worked to remove the bullet he sustained to his stomach, his heartbeat pulsing on the screen normally, as he groaned a bit from the pain in the absence of anesthesia. On the other side, Ion was mostly sitting up on the other operating table shirtless, as one surgeon was carefully removing a bullet from his shoulder he sustained during the escape, as he went to retrieve what he could of Kyara's and Lorelei's gear, that the guards still held when they were stripped, as Kyara rushed both Lorelei and Zephyr to the underground medical centre that operated discreetly for mercenaries and Hunters. Ion returned only being able to gather their weapons but took a shot to his left shoulder in the process, \"you know you didn't have do that\" Kyara said to Ion as she looked at the wound on his should, \"oh because of this, ya this is nothing, I have been shot a couple times before more seriously then this ahh\" Ion said, wincing at the end as the bullet was removed from his flesh, \"besides we are both Hunters and Hunters look after each other.\" \"Thank but I am more of a lone wolf anyways\" Kyara replied, \"I didn't ask for your help and I don't need it\" \"It kind of looks like you did, you looked relived, if only for a second when I showed up at the execution ground\" Ion retorted, \"you were in the crowd in front of us, you must of seen the commotion, why didn't you step in earlier then you did? So that you could play the hero at the last second? To add more to that good guy charm you put on for everyone? I know how devious you are, always...\" Kyara angrily cried out but Ion raised his right hand as a sign to calm down, \"I waited until we were in a secluded place to not cause colleterial damage to civilians, the guards were on edge, they would have opened fire right there in the square on you two under the guise of slave recapture, it has already happened to other Hunters in your situation\" Ion answered calmly as Kyara toned down.\n\nA few moments of silence passed as Ion's shoulder was getting stitched up, \"you know, we seam interested in similar contracts\" Ion started to say, \"there is no harm in working together sometimes and if you are really interested, you could always...\" \"thanks, but no thanks\" Kyara answered as she stood up and retrieved her sword Ion had recovered, wrapping the sheathing belt over her bare chest, \"I work alone and if you excuse me, I have a mission to accomplish, as punishment for getting in my way, I ask you to watch over Lorelei when she is out of surgery in my stead.\" \"Not so fast\" Ion said as he jumped up off the operating table, the surgeon literally just finishing bandaging his shoulder, \"this is my contract remember, I am the one who is going after them\" Ion said in a more forceful tone and Kyara looked back at him and growled, \"but I didn't say we couldn't work together, you didn't let me finish what I was saying before, if you are really interested, you could always help me with this contract since I am a bit injured at the moment in my more dominant sword hand and I did take this job with the thought of two Hunters tackling it, as you can see my partner is a bit out of action\" Ion continued, pointing towards Zephyr who was still undergoing surgery. \"I guess I have no choice, as you are just going to follow me anyways and I have no desire to beat up an injured person\" Kyara responded with a small sigh, \"but who is going to look after Lorelei\" \"I can always do that\" a quiet whisper came from Zephyr, \"it is not like I can go anywhere right now and I got nothing better to do while I am in recovery.\" Ion grabbed his coat and walked over to his mate and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, making sure not to disturb the surgeon's work, \"thanks buddy\" Ion said as Zephyr just smiled trying to endure the pain, \"ok then Kyara, lets get you some gear since I wasn't able to retrieve any of your clothing\" \"No need, I am fine the way I am\" Kyara retorted, \"you sure? I mean, you could use some...\" Ion started saying before he was cut off, \"no, I am a slave of Thyracta, my nudity signifies that and I am not afraid if everyone knows that, I will not feel free until they are dealt with\" Kyara interrupted as Ion shook his head, \"besides we are in Thyracta, I am Thyractaian we will play by their rules.\" \"Alright suite yourself but I am going to give Lorelei something just in case she doesn't feel the same way\" Ion interjected as he placed his coat on the gurney that was going to transport Zephyr after his surgery was finished, \"make sure you give this to her and let her know that we will be ok\" Ion said to Zephyr as he gave a thumbs up, \"alright, lets get going I would like to get you back to Lorelei before the daylight runs out.\"\n\nIon and Kyara left the small medical facility and headed towards the southern gates of Wolsberg, but as they approached a familiar face stepped in their way, \"I see you are a little worse for wear but no major harm done\" the head guard from earlier in the morning said as they approached, \"when you said you were Ion of Norland, I didn't realize you were actual Ion of Norland, Ion-Yggdrasil heir of the Overseer there, I never wanted to cause an...\" \"cause an international incident by trying to secretly execute me? Ion sternly said to the guard, \"and while I might not be too worse for wear, you shot my friend who is currently undergoing some painful treatment.\" \"Er... again sorry about that, we offer our humble apologies and offer our services to aid you in your dealings while you are here, but\" the guard started saying, \"the slave, both of them must be handed over to the state, you might have some immunity from our laws but that doesn't mean you get to claim other people's property\" the guard continued pointing at Kyara as she grabbed the handle of her sword but Ion motioned her to stand down. \"Really now, I thought their owner disowned them?\" Ion said, \"yes that is true\" the guard said as he took some papers from an accompanying officer, \"but being disowned doesn't mean freedom, they are now property of the state to do with as we please, as since these two murdered two members of their previous owner's family, no one would want to buy them so it is in the best interest they be put to death.\" \"You said no one would buy them? Ok then how much?\" Ion asked, making the guard and Kyara have a puzzling look, \"my good sir, you can find much better slaves for someone of your stature then these two, plus they have been slated for death by the state and...\" the guard started saying but was interrupted, \"you said they are slaves of Thyracta, owned by the state since nobody would want to buy them, well I do, so how much do you want?\" Ion demanded in a more serious tone. Well the going rate for older slaves like these two would be about 40,000g a piece normally but with everything on their slate and paperwork involved I would have to bump that up to 85,000g, so again it is not really worth...\" the guard started saying, \"ok then that is a deal, 170,000g for both then?\" Ion asked as the guard looked surprised, \"I guess that is but for that price you could get a small army of better slaves...\" \"but I want these two\" Ion retorted, \"I am giving you what you asked even though one of them has life threatening injuries and we don't know if she will make it, but I am paying up anyways\" \"ok then, come with me and we will get the paperwork sorted out\" the guard said unequivocally, \"I guess congratulations on your new purchase.\"\n\nAn hour went by before Ion and Kyara resumed their journey out of Wolsberg, \"so I guess I am your slave now?\" Kyara angrily confronted Ion, \"don't think for one minute I will bow to you, call you my master, do your...\" Kyara continued screaming but Ion placed the papers in front of her face, \"don't worry, I would not ever want anyone to call me master, especially by a 'slave' who is owned by someone else\" Ion replied as Kyara took the papers in hand, reading the transactions, another line was added after the one Ion signed when he 'bought' them from the state, saying Kyara was now owned by Kyara on Kyara's papers and Lorelei was owned by Lorelei on Lorelei's, \"I made an exchange at the registry counter and sold you to someone who would really value you\" Ion continued. \"You know, slaves cannot own property, I don't know how this is going to work\" Kyara commented, \"but you are a Hunter as well, who has every right to own property in Thyracta\" Ion replied, \"yes but a slave in Thyracta is still a slave even a Hunter, I would be forced back to my owner...\" Kyara started saying, \"your owner which is you\" Ion cut in, \"so now there is no way they can touch you, you said while in Thyracta we have to play by Thyracta's rules, well I just put the rules in your favor.\" \"Ok still I wish you wouldn't have\" Kyara replied, \"the fact you are funding such a system, I though someone like you would be better then this\" \"oh, well you see with that\" Ion started saying, \"I paid with a special check given from the special account of one of my ongoing missions, you see when they go to collect on that payment at the Hunter's registry, that check has a special code on it to give them traceable gold so we can come back and collect it kind of heist like\" Ion continued raising the interest of Kyara, \"you may of seen some low level stealth contracts to reacquire stolen assets, those are ours to get back the gold and to acquire information on what Thyracta has on other former slaves who are now Hunters, we have been reusing this gold to legally purchase their freedoms for themselves, you are not the first person who was once a slave to be owned by yourself now that you are a Hunter.\" \"Then how come I have never heard of this program?\" Kyara asked, \"well you said it yourself, you are lone wolf, this is a mission that passed through the guilds as it was a better way to share information, you decided not to belong to one so no wonder you don't know about guild contracts\" Ion answered, \"and to continue with your lone wolf mentality, you never mentioned to anyone where you were from or your past, which most former slave are the same for various reasons, which is why we also seek out information on the retrieval missions, to see who we can help out next, I didn't know you were a former slave until Lorelei told me about my current contract and why she denied it to you\" Ion continued as Kyara rolled her eyes, \"that dam Lorelei, oh you are in for it when I see you again\" she thought as Ion continued, \"so I took some extra time to get things in order before I headed out, from what Lorelei told me anyways I figured you would sneak off to confront my targets, the only thing I got wrong was the train you took to get here, I was one train too late but luckily you decided to enter Thyracta discretely giving me more time to get here, but not enough to avoid some troubles, again sorry Lorelei got caught in the crossfire.\n\n\"I am sorry Zephyr got hurt the way he did helping us, it is one of the reasons why I like working alone is that I can't get others around me hurt or worse\" Kyara replied back, \"I thought so too at one point but having others around, ones you can trust you will see things go a lot more smoothly, they can complement your weaknesses and you in turn theirs, it makes you stronger in more ways then you can imagine\" Ion responded, \"you say that but I have never seen it true\" Kyara retorted, \"that is because you have never tried\" Ion retorted back, \"so why don't you try? Come join Fangenclaw, I have been looking for another member with your qualities, it would be beneficial to both of us and our other members and with a third full Hunter in the ranks we can become officially recognized.\" \"Not on your life\" Kyara answered back, \"like I said, I am a lone wolf, this is a one time deal and after that we go back our separate ways\" \"again suite yourself, but my offer is always open\" Ion added as they continued their journey to the outer plains of Thyracta. \"I do have one more question for you Ion\" Kyara asked, \"you said you are not an official guild, so why do you get guild contracts?\" \"Well, we have a few Hunter's associates kind of like Lorelei with us that gets Fangenclaw partially recognized, so we can still get some of the guild contracts and the slave Hunters self reclamation is one of them we signed on to\" Ion answered, \"ok fair enough but with the reclamation beign a guild contract, why is the gold retrieval a standard one that any Hunter can obtain? Kyara asked, \"to help not leave traces to our guild work\" Ion answered, \"the guilds doing the main lifting and non-guild Hunters doing retrieval helps protect the mission, the Hunters doing retrieval don't know what the gold is for or what we do with the information they collect so if they get in a sticky situation, they can't trace back that it is Hunters that are messing around with Thyractaian affairs, just some lone Hunter hired to pull a small heist which the Thyractaian government can't really touch due to the Hunter's pact. Remember Hunter's cannot interfere in the affairs of other countries and the Thyractaian slave trade is included in that.\" \"But wouldn't that affect you as well being Norland's future Overseer?\" Kyara asked but Ion laughed, \"are you really a Hunter? Or is it that you still just don't know the Hunter's codes\" Ion chuckled, \"Hey I have been a Hunter longer then you have\" Kyara retorted, \"yes by about one year, but I have been preparing to be one since I was eight, so I studies more knowledge then you on them: Ion responded, \"it helps when you have a childhood where you can do that\" Kyara added, \"true enough\" Ion replied knowing Kyara's slave past, \"Hunters can interact with the affairs of the country they were born in, as they have rights as citizens of that country, me becoming the Overseer of Norland one day falls under that code\" Ion answered, \"just as you being a citizen of Thyracta allows you to fully interfere in the slave trade here without causing a pact incident, so you are a really valuable person to have on the reclamation mission if you join a guild as most Thyractaian Hunters kind of abstain from the situation, something to think about\" Ion continued as they reached the outskirts of a small encampment of mercenary slave raiders, their targets on the contract, the very same ones that burned down Kyara's village all those years ago and placed her into slavery, the ones that did the same thing to Lorelei a few years later.\n\nSeeing the encampment, Kyara growled in rage and raised her sword, hell has no fury like the one she was going to unleash, \"Kyara, calm yourself, we need to approach this... hey wait!\" Ion called out as Kyara gave no heed and charged in, blood splattering the ground as Kyara slashed and clawed her way through the lookouts as the other members of the camp descended upon her, Ion gritted his teeth and went forward to assist, skillfully taking out the bandits in Kyara's blind spots, getting in there in time to prevent Kyara from meeting her end in recklessness. 'Were are you, you coward!\" Kyara yelled out as she made eye contact with the bandit leader, recognizing him as the one who captured her as a child, \"you... you will get whats coming to you!\" Kyara screamed as she charged in at the leader, not noticing just how close she became to being cut down by other bandits that Ion swiftly took care of, darting as quickly as he could to cut them down before they could Kyara. The leader tried to put up a fight but Kyara enraged was just too overpowering for him, breaking bones and knocking him to the ground, \"why... why did you? Why did you...\" Kyara yelled, slowing walking over the leader as he tried to slide himself on the ground, \"I guess you are one of the slaves... it is nothing personal, just a job\" the leader said. \"Just a job?\" Kyara screamed, \"burning down my village, killing my friends, my family, my parents, and then selling me and every other child that survived as property? That is fulfilling to you?\" \"More then you could ever know, you worthless piece of shit\" the leader replied with a smile, enraged once more, Kyara raised her sword to deliver a killing blow, \"Stop!\" Ion yelled as Kyara had the sword raised over her head, \"stay out of this fox boy! He is getting what is coming to him! I am going to give what's coming to him!\" Kyara yelled looking Ion in the eyes, \"and I will cut you down if you try to stop me.\" \"And what would Lorelei think of you if you do?\" Ion countered as Kyara's eyes widened as she made a small realization, \"what would she think if she saw you like this? That this is how you avenged them, full of blinding rage?\" Ion continued as Kyara teared up, dropping her sword on the ground beside the bandit leader who looked a little relived, kneeling down shortly afterwards. Ion walked over and placed a hand of Kyara's shoulder, \"you don't have to do this stuff alone you know\" Ion said softly before eyeing the bandit leader and impaling his sword into his chest, \"it's done, now you can just concentrate on your life together with Lorelei\" Ion continued as Kyara pressed her face into Ion's chest fluff, letting out more tears, \"you know, my offer still stands, it would be great to have you on the team.\" Ion said as Kyara pounded her fist on Ion's injured left shoulder, causing him to wince. Kyara tears turned into small laughter seeing the small destress she caused, \"thanks, I needed a laugh\" she said standing up as Ion was still hunched over holding his shoulder, \"I am serious though, I think it would do you wonders, at least think on it\" Ion said as he stood straight up, \"why don't we get you back to someone who would probably like to see you\" Ion continued as Kyara nodded as the two of them headed back towards Wolsberg.\n\nThe sun set as darkness approached about halfway back, Ion and Kyara found a small inn in a nearby village where they spent quite an eventful night before resuming their journey in the morning. Upon entering back into the underground Hospital, Zephyr was on his feet working out the details of the payment for their services, \"you think you should be up?\" Ion asked, \"if Meeka were here she would kill you\" \"But she isn't\" Zephyr retorted, \"I am well enough to travel, just got to watch my stitches, I will get myself looked at by Meeka when we get back, she will probably want to do her own procedure just to make sure everything is ok, I can rest after that\" Zephyr continued as he finished up the small paperwork, \"don't worry I took care of Lorelei's bill as well, she is just down the hall, resting in the last room on your left if you want to see here, well Ion, I think it is best we get going, I assume everything went ok?\" Zephyr asked as he hunched over, Ion went to his side and helped him get sturdy, \"sure you are ok?\" he asked as Zephyr nodded, \"ok then, we can talk on the train, Kyara, thanks for you services, I hope you will stop by the guild sometime for a drink when you get back to Eios\" Ion continued as he helped Zephyr walk out the door and left the medical facility. Kyara walked down the hall and entered Lorelei's room, she was lying on the bed with Ion's coat draped over her, covering her private areas, Kyara took a seat in a chair next to the bed as Lorelei woke up, \"hey... your back!\" Lorelei said softly with a smile, \"yes\" Kyara answered, placing Lorelei's hand in her's, \"it got kind of late so we stopped at an inn along the way back... you know you were right, Ion is not such a bad guy after all\" Kyara continued and Lorelei gave her a smug look, \"you fucked him didn't you?\" she blurted out with a smile as Kyara's face went red. \"No! well maybe... hey you are the one who likes him not me\" Kyara stumbled to say, \"so what was it like?\" Lorelei replied back again with a smug look, \"well he is kind of the opposite of what you see normally in bed, kind of submissive and shy, he would fit you well\" Kyara started to say as Lorelei chuckled, \"tell me more!\" \"Well he's got this cute small peen, but he can climax hard and often, kind of very quick to do so actually which causes him to get a bit flustered which is kind of cute\" Kyara continued as Lorelei listened intrigued, \"but that metal hand, the way it feels on your breasts and even between your legs, it is something to really experience\" Kyara finished as Lorelei just started laughing. \"What? Do you want to see first hand? I can probably set up up since he...\" Kyara started saying, \"no, it is not that, it's just, it is nice to see you interact nicely with others\" Lorelei cut in as Kyara pulled off Ion's coat from her, \"ok if you want to be smart like that, then I guess I have to punish you\" Kyara said as she kneeled over Lorelei, her hands placed on Lorelei's exposed breasts, \"just watch my stitches\" Lorelei commented as Kyara lowered her lips in for a kiss, \"are you telling the truth though? Having something setup up between me and Ion?\" Lorelei cutely asked as Kyara smirked, \"I guess I am going to have to punish you a lot harder.\"\n\nA week went by before Lorelei was well enough to travel home, helped by Kyara, both boarded the intercontinental train as it traveled it's way back to Norland, crossing into Cantrei on it's journey, \"Now arriving at Esper station, capital of Cantrei, please watch your step\" the loudspeaker called out as the train arrived at it's next station along the way. \"Hey Kyara, remember you said on the way back we could stop here and see our old stomping ground\" Lorelei said, \"you sure you are ok, maybe another time would be best...\" Kyara started replying, \"no, lets go now! You promised!\" Lorelei cut in with a grumpy face, \"your right, I did\" Kyara said as she helped Lorelei off the train, \"maybe we can find a place in town for the night as well, get back to traveling in the morning\" Kyara continued as Lorelei's face lit up. The next day, the two girls boarded back on a train towards Norland, finally after many hours, the train arrived at it's last stop along the north line, the capital city of Norland, Eios, where the two now called home. \"It was nice to see everyone who helped us back then after we escaped, wasn't it?\" Lorelei asked Kyara as they departed the train, \"speaking of there is someone else we need to see\" Kyara continued, tugging a bit on Ion's coat that Lorelei was wearing to cover herself, Kyara was still nude but that was acceptable due to naturalist culture in these parts, \"come on, lets get us something to wear before we return this.\" Outfitting themselves from a store designed specifically for Hunters, Kyara and Lorelei made their way slowly, due to Lorelei's injury, to a small street off the centre of the city, where kind of hidden and out of the way of the busy street, through a pedestrian alley, was the Fangenclaw guild house. The door was unlocked as the two girls walked inside seeing a familiar face behind the counter of the bar in the main hall, \"nice to finally see you two\" Ion said as the girls walked over, \"everyone feeling ok?\" \"We're good\" Kyara replied as Lorelei nodded and sat down on one of the stools to take a breather, \"how is Zephyr doing?\" \"Resting at home just outside the city, he had to have another operation when we got back so he will be out for a little bit\" Ion answered, \"so what brings you here? Want that drink I offered?\" \"I came to give you back this\" Kyara said handing Ion back his coat, \"ah thanks\" Ion said as he adorned it once more, \"now I can get back to Hunting once Zephyr is better, is that all that brought you here?\" \"Actually there is one more thing\" Kyara said that gave Lorelei a puzzled look, but Ion let out a small grin, \"I have decided to take you up on your offer, not the drink, but to join the guild, on one condition\" Kyara continued as Lorelei looked shocked, \"what's your price?\" Ion asked. \"That she can join along with me\" Kyara answered, placing a hand on Lorelei's shoulder, \"I see you are in need of a bar keeper, Lorelei would be perfect for that\" \"But I don't know how to make drinks\" Lorelei protested but Kyara shook her off \"you can learn\" she said as Ion let out a small chuckle, \"Lorelei, the bar keeps for guilds are also the contract agents, they are our go between to the rest of the organization, you will mostly be doing the same thing you were as a clerk at the registry, just for us here at Fangenclaw, with a little bit of drink mixing in between but trust me it is worth it, I pay better then they registry does\" Ion said as Lorelei made a small sigh before letting out a small smile, \"ok sign me up, if it will make Kyara happy, then it will make me as well\" she said, \"good, so what do you say, care to take me up on my offer?\" Kyara asked as Ion though about it for a second then placed out his hand as Kyara took it in a shake, \"welcome to Fangenclaw!\"\n~", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Art by Anonymous using base by DauxyCheeks on FurAffinity

~
"You think you should really take on this contract Kyara?" a red fox named Lorelei asked a tall female grey wolf Hunter while she was at the registry counter, "there is another Hunter named Ion-Yggdrasil that has also..." "No this one is mine!" Kyara said as she placed her hand on the registry counter hard, startling the red fox clerk, "that fox boy is not taking another one from me and besides, I have unfinished business with this group" Kyara retorted as Lorelei frowned, "you sure about this? I know that is the group that hurt you... and me but are you sure you are ok with that mentality? Can you do this contract without loosing your senses?" Lorelei asked with a serious tone. "Yes I can Lorelei, don;t you trust me?" Kyara responded, "no, not really, I know how you get when your anger takes control..." Lorelei started saying, "what do you mean anger? I have not idea what you..." Kyara started yelling back before she remembered that one day, the incident that while created freedom for both her and Lorelei, did traumatize Lorelei for quite a while, "I guess you remember now?" Lorelei asked as Kyara gritted her teeth, "it is for the best I give this to Ion, remember you, as well as I are wanted in Thyracta for what we did to escape." "For what I did for us to escape" Kyara cut in, "you are not responsible for any of that" "But I did leave with you, so I am guilty as well" Lorelei added, "ok, but I am a Hunter now, my past... our past there has been erased" Kyara continued as Lorelei shook her head, "while that is true on a general sense, it is most likely not with the Thyractaian guards, they are always on the lookout for runaway slaves, even ones that have become Hunters, the special status doesn't seam to matter to them as we have many issues sending back ex-slave Hunters from Thyracta back there so we try to avoid it at all costs if possible, if I send you, I will be questioned on it and I don't really want to deal with that stress at the moment sis." Lorelei replied. "Fair enough, fine give it to the fox boy, i don't want to put you in any trouble" Kyara responded with a smile, "thanks sis" Lorelei replied back as Kyara started to leave the registry, "don't you want another contract?" Lorelei yelled out to Kyara, "No, I think I will take it easy for the time being" Kyara replied back with a slight smile as she continued on her way.

Later that night, Kyara carefully untangled herself from Lorelei's cuddling grasp, making sure not to wake her she quietly got dressed in her Hunter gear and started to set out from the apartment, getting to the front door before sudden words broke the silence. "Were are you going?" Lorelei called out to a surprised Kyara as she was about to open the door, "I am... uh... just going for a quick walk..." Kyara tried to answer, "in your Hunter gear?" Lorelei retorted, "better then being buck naked like you are" Kyara responded back, "you are going after them aren't you, back to Thyracta" Lorelei said in a more serious tone, "don't try to stop me" Kyara replied back as Lorelei sighed, "well if you must go, then you are taking me with you" Lorelei responded in a commanding tone, "no, it is best you stay here and..." Kyara started saying before she was cut off, "No! I am going with you and that is final" Lorelei cut in with an even more commanding tone. "Alright fine" Kyara said with a sigh, "but hurry up and get dressed and get ready, that fox boy has had at least a half a day start on us" Kyara called out as Lorelei went back into the bedroom to get ready, "that is what I am counting on" Lorelei thought as she geared up. A few minutes latter the girls exited the apartment and headed off towards the train station to catch an intercontinental rail as they would have to travel through the country of Cantrei after leaving Norland to reach Thyracta. "What happens if we run into Ion?" Lorelei asked, "he is the contract holder and you as a fellow Hunter, are not aloud to snipe a contract given to another" "I am not going after collecting the contract, this is personal" Kyara replied, "and if fox boy gets in my way, I will just kick his ass, there is no rule that Hunters can't fight each other" Kyara continued as Lorelei gave her a look, "at least not to the death, a few broken bones is all I need to do." "Just don't go too far, I don't want that headache" Lorelei replied with a smile as Kyara wrapped an arm around her, "I promise, like I said I don't intend to kill him, just knock him out of action for a while." "Why do you hate him so much?" Lorelei asked, "it is not that I hate him" Kyara started saying, "it is more I find him annoying, he keeps taking on the contract that I need to take, the one like this one that are leading me to the answers I need to fine, it is like he has it out for me, like he is mocking me" Kyara continued as Lorelei looked down, "that is because I keep suggesting those to him, to keep you safe" Lorelei said in her head as she didn't want to tell Kyara she was purposely trying to steer her away from the stress of confronting that dark time in their past, she just wanted them to move forward with the new life they had created, "please Ion, get this done before we arrive, I don't want to see Kyara shrouded in darkness."  

Kyara and Lorelei took their seats as the train departed at high speeds, a few uneventful hours passed with the train moving from stop to stop before a warning came over the loud speakers, "Attention! Now entering Cantrei, please have papers ready for the next stop as you will need to present them at the boarder stop. Attention! Now entering..." "Ya, Ya we get it" Lorelei complained at the repetition of the alert message, "hey Kyara, when the train makes it's stop in Esper, can we get off for a bit to see our old stomping grounds? It is been a while since... actually we have never..." "sorry, not time, we got to keep moving to Thyracta" Kyara cut in with a stern voice, "oh... ok..." Lorelei replied disappointed, "it's just we never been back since we left to Norland after we escaped from Thyracta, there are a few people I would mind seeing again and..." Lorelei started saying, "how about this, once we complete our task, on the way back we can stop in Esper and stay for a while" Kyara cut in once more, "um... sure! That will be great" Lorelei responded with a slight smile, "it is not like I don't want to do that, I would prefer now to give Ion more time, I got to think of something else" Lorelei thought as she tried to keep that fake smile at Kyara. As the train passed into the boarder station, Cantreian guards boarded the train and checked through the papers of the passengers still on board, Kyara just showed her Hunter's card as did Lorelei with her Hunter's Representative one and the guards passed them by, "you know it might not be this easy at the Thyracta boarder station for the both of us" Lorelei reminded Kyara who gave her a stare, "remember we are on their runaway slave list and they mostly don't recognize runaways as Hunters" "even so we are still Hunters" Kyara reminded Lorelei, "Thyracta is part of the Hunter's pact, it would cause a retaliation by the Hunter's Association if Thyractaian representatives did anything to one." "But thats the thing" Lorelei replied, "there have been some small incidents and some Hunters have gone missing entering Thyracta who were former slaves, tensions are a bit high" "Then why don't we just cross the boarder in secrete" Kyara said with a cheeky smile, "Hunters are free to travel from country to country without having to cross at the designated places and any small patrols that might come by don't have the registry on hand, all we have to do is show the Hunter's card and they are forced to let us continue on freely, or risk harm to themselves as anyone attempting to stop a Hunter from their mission is open to being attacked and dealt with anyway the Hunter sees fit." "But Kyara, we are not on a mission" Lorelei responded, "they don't know that, that is why they would just let us go on our way as the other option is usually death for them" Kyara said with a small laugh as Lorelei sighed, "ok then, it is best to get off at Runden, the last station before the boarder, it has also been a while since we have been there" Lorelei said as Kyara gave a small nod, "yes that is where we crossed into from Thyracta when we escaped, we can go back in the same route" Kyara added as Lorelei gave a small hesitant nod.

"Now arriving at Runden station, last stop before entering Thyracta, have your papers ready if you don't disembark" the loudspeaker rang as many more hours, the train taking almost the whole day to finish it's crossing of Cantrei. "Wake up Kyara, we are almost at our stop" Lorelei said as she shook the napping Kyara who open her eyes and sat up, "ready to do this?" she asked Lorelei who nodded, "good, we will wait until nightfall to cross over, I hate wasting hours like this but it will be easier to trek over in the cover of darkness, we should arrive at the boarder near midnight and into Wolsberg in the early hours of the morning, we can blend in there with the passengers from the next train that should arrive around 2am if this schedule is correct" Kyara continued as the train made it's way into Runden station. The girls got off and went to a nearby park where they waited for the evening to come, before moving out across the small plains outside the city and into a nearby forest. Carefully trekking their way, they made it so a large river in the forest that divided the land between Cantrei and Thyracta, avoiding small patrols, they both swan their way across the river like they did years ago on their escape and stepped foot for the first time since them in the land of Thyracta, where both of them were born. A few more hours latter they were able to exit the forest near the town of Wolsberg, crossing in near the train station and waiting near the tacks for the next train to come by. Once it did the girls hopped up to the station platform just behind the train as the passengers were starting to depart and quietly mixed themselves within them as they headed to a smaller train station that would take them to where they wanted to travel within the limits of Thyracta. "Just like that we are in without detection" Kyara said, "I hope you are right, this is still a boarder town so it is swarming with guards" Lorelei replied as Kyara brushed her worry off, "we just have to keep following the crowd towards the other station, once we are on board and on our way, we leave the guards behind. there is nothing to..." Kyara continued saying before something caught her eye, "small change of plans, we have to deal with something real quick." "Wait, what could that... be...' Lorelei started asking before she noticed it too, Ion, the Hunter that was on the contract they were following, was within the crowd in front of them, "shit, he must have taken the midday train after we did, I thought he would have traveled right away not wait a day and a half" Lorelei thought in panic. "Kyara, we don't want to make a scene, he is heading to the same train we are, we can out pace him there" she said but Kyara continued on ahead, "how about we make sure he doesn't have a chance to board" Kyara replied, "cause a small accident, he breaks a few bones and will be out of action for some time, giving us plenty of time to finish this out" "No Kyara, please we don't have to do this" Lorelei rejected, "yes we do! There is no way I am letting that fox boy get my mark" Kyara said as she felt a hand grab her arm, "I told you Lorelei, I am not stopping..." Kyara started to continue before she realized the one holding her arm was not that of Lorelei, but a Thyractaian guard, while another was holding onto Lorelei herself.

"I don't remember seeing you on the train that just passed trough and thats a problem" the guard said but Kyara smacked his arm away, "I am a Hunter, I don't need to follow your entry rules" Kyara angerly responded holding up her Hunter's card which was quickly snatched by the guard as he looked it over, "that may be true, but still entering here the way you did causes some suspicion" he said in a coy voice, "again I am a Hunter, I don't need to explain my actions, especially to the likes of you" Kyara retorted still angry, "now if you want to make it home tonight, I suggest you let my associate go and be on your way" she continued in a more commanding tone. "Oh I don't think so" the guard said as he made a small smile as a lot more guards surrounded them, causing other to onlook, "I thought you looked familiar when I first saw you, I did some quick digging and I found something quite interesting" the guard continued as other guards came in and restrained Kyara, causing her to growl at them fiercely "a Hunter you might be but a slave you still are, a murderous one at that so you know what that means." Kyara and Lorelei were stripped down in front of the small crowd that had gathered, signifying their status as slaves of Thyracta, some of the crowd cheering when the guard announced that runaways had been recaptured and were going to be dealt with, collars were placed around their necks that tied together, their arms bound in rope as they were lead away to a small guard station on the outskirts of the city, there they were lead to a small fenced in area with a small metal structure that had a few ropes hanging down, they had entered an execution ground. "Kyara, please do something! I don't want to die!" Lorelei cried as she glanced at the ropes, Kyara eyed them as well before looking back at the lead guard, "you only need to hang me, I am the one who killed those two, she had nothing to do with it, let her go, only my life should be taken" Kyara yelled out at the guards as they made a small chuckle back. The lead guards stepped over to the girls and struck Kyara hard on her stomach with a baton, causing her to fall to the ground "you think your lives are worth anything? You two are tainted, there is no use for any of the two of you now" the guard said as Kyara growled back, attempting to take a swipe at him the best she could but the guard was able to throw her back down. "You know, that is no way to treat a Hunter" a voice called out as a shorter arctic fox with orange accents, wearing a black coat with orange stripes walked into sight with the full moon overhead, "and who are you?" the lead guard called out at the approaching fox, "I am Ion of Norland, a Hunter like the two you have wrongfully detained" Ion answered back with a sly voice, "look I didn't ask for your help" Kyara called out with a growl as Lorelei rolled her eyes, Ion and the guard took a quick glance over to the two girls before staring down each other once more, "I suggest you release them, you don't want to cause an incident now do you?" Ion said as he broke the silence. "You must be as stupid as they come making demands like that when you are all alone" the guard started saying as he started motion others to surround the fox, "all I have to do is hang you as well and there will be no record of any incident" the guard continued as the guards came in to apprehend Ion.

Then suddenly a violent burst of wind passed through, with leaves impaling the area, cutting and slashing all they touched, "you think I came alone?" Ion said smugly, "maybe you shouldn't be so eager to divulge your intensions, he gets angry when others threaten me" Ion continued with a smile as another burst of wind came down, blowing away the guards that were restraining Kyara and Lorelei, in a flash a shadow emerged from the gust with a large scythe in hand that quickly severed the ropes tying Kyara and Lorelei together, "fire at will, kill them all" the head guard called  as the rest started opening fire at the Hunters, Ion weaved his way through the bullets and started to swiftly take out guards from all angles, Zephyr got in front of the defenseless Kyara and Lorelei and used his wind shield to protect them from the flying bullets as Ion continued taking out the guards that were firing while some fled from Ion's onslaught. Then suddenly one of the bullets deflected off of Zephyr's spinning scythe, catching him in the stomach as he keeled over in pain, blood started staining Zephyr's coat as Lorelei, without thinking went to his aid, "no Lorelei wait! it is too dangerous at this moment to..." Kyara yelled out as two bullets pierced Lorelei's belly, with one exiting through her back, "Lorelei!!!" Kyara yelled out with tears as Lorelei fell to the ground next to Zephyr, blood spilling from her body and clogging her throat. Ion hearing the commotion, quickly took out a few more guards as he went over to the fallen foxes, Zephyr still conscious and using what strength he had left to keep up a small wind barrier to deflect the oncoming bullets while Lorelei's eyes were wide open and unresponsive, "Kyara you need to get yourself together, for her sake, we need to get out of here and fast" Ion commanded as he snapped Kyara back to her senses, "Zephyr can you still hold this up as we go?" "I... I think so" Zephyr responded wheezing in pain as Ion put him on his back as Kyara did the same with Lorelei, "come on, there is a underground medical centre not too far from here, if we make it fast, I am sure they can save her" Ion said as he raised one hand and bounds of blue lightning came raining down, scorching the earth and vaporizing anyone it touched causing the guards to drop their arms and take cove, when the storm passed, the four Hunters were nowhere to be seen.  

"Clear!" a call came out as Lorelei's body convulsed from the shock the paddles pressed against her chest made, "no response" as nurse replied as the doctor called for the defibrillator to be turned up a notch, "Clear!" she said one more time, pressing the paddles against Lorelei's chest again as her body convulsed once more. "We have a heart beat!" the nurse responded, "good, lets get her into surgery so we can keep it that way" the doctor called out as rushed the bloodied Lorelei down the hall towards an operating room, leaving Kyara behind a bit dazed, she took a deep breath to get a hold of herself and then walked over to the nearby procedures room where Ion and Zephyr were being held. Inside at one end, Zephyr was laying on an operating table himself fully nude, his belly fully opened as two surgeons worked to remove the bullet he sustained to his stomach, his heartbeat pulsing on the screen normally, as he groaned a bit from the pain in the absence of anesthesia. On the other side, Ion was mostly sitting up on the other operating table shirtless, as one surgeon was carefully removing a bullet from his shoulder he sustained during the escape, as he went to retrieve what he could of Kyara's and Lorelei's gear, that the guards still held when they were stripped, as Kyara rushed both Lorelei and Zephyr to the underground medical centre that operated discreetly for mercenaries and Hunters. Ion returned only being able to gather their weapons but took a shot to his left shoulder in the process, "you know you didn't have do that" Kyara said to Ion as she looked at the wound on his should, "oh because of this, ya this is nothing, I have been shot a couple times before more seriously then this ahh" Ion said, wincing at the end as the bullet was removed from his flesh, "besides we are both Hunters and Hunters look after each other." "Thank but I am more of a lone wolf anyways" Kyara replied, "I didn't ask for your help and I don't need it" "It kind of looks like you did, you looked relived, if only for a second when I showed up at the execution ground" Ion retorted, "you were in the crowd in front of us, you must of seen the commotion, why didn't you step in earlier then you did? So that you could play the hero at the last second? To add more to that good guy charm you put on for everyone? I know how devious you are, always..." Kyara angrily cried out but Ion raised his right hand as a sign to calm down, "I waited until we were in a secluded place to not cause colleterial damage to civilians, the guards were on edge, they would have opened fire right there in the square on you two under the guise of slave recapture, it has already happened to other Hunters in your situation" Ion answered calmly as Kyara toned down.

A few moments of silence passed as Ion's shoulder was getting stitched up, "you know, we seam interested in similar contracts" Ion started to say, "there is no harm in working together sometimes and if you are really interested, you could always..." "thanks, but no thanks" Kyara answered as she stood up and retrieved her sword Ion had recovered, wrapping the sheathing belt over her bare chest, "I work alone and if you excuse me, I have a mission to accomplish, as punishment for getting in my way, I ask you to watch over Lorelei when she is out of surgery in my stead." "Not so fast" Ion said as he jumped up off the operating table, the surgeon literally just finishing bandaging his shoulder, "this is my contract remember, I am the one who is going after them" Ion said in a more forceful tone and Kyara looked back at him and growled, "but I didn't say we couldn't work together, you didn't let me finish what I was saying before, if you are really interested, you could always help me with this contract since I am a bit injured at the moment in my more dominant sword hand and I did take this job with the thought of two Hunters tackling it, as you can see my partner is a bit out of action" Ion continued, pointing towards Zephyr who was still undergoing surgery. "I guess I have no choice, as you are just going to follow me anyways and I have no desire to beat up an injured person" Kyara responded with a small sigh, "but who is going to look after Lorelei" "I can always do that" a quiet whisper came from Zephyr, "it is not like I can go anywhere right now and I got nothing better to do while I am in recovery." Ion grabbed his coat and walked over to his mate and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, making sure not to disturb the surgeon's work, "thanks buddy" Ion said as Zephyr just smiled trying to endure the pain, "ok then Kyara, lets get you some gear since I wasn't able to retrieve any of your clothing" "No need, I am fine the way I am" Kyara retorted, "you sure? I mean, you could use some..." Ion started saying before he was cut off, "no, I am a slave of Thyracta, my nudity signifies that and I am not afraid if everyone knows that, I will not feel free until they are dealt with" Kyara interrupted as Ion shook his head, "besides we are in Thyracta, I am Thyractaian we will play by their rules." "Alright suite yourself but I am going to give Lorelei something just in case she doesn't feel the same way" Ion interjected as he placed his coat on the gurney that was going to transport Zephyr after his surgery was finished, "make sure you give this to her and let her know that we will be ok" Ion said to Zephyr as he gave a thumbs up, "alright, lets get going I would like to get you back to Lorelei before the daylight runs out."

Ion and Kyara left the small medical facility and headed towards the southern gates of Wolsberg, but as they approached a familiar face stepped in their way, "I see you are a little worse for wear but no major harm done" the head guard from earlier in the morning said as they approached, "when you said you were Ion of Norland, I didn't realize you were actual Ion of Norland, Ion-Yggdrasil heir of the Overseer there, I never wanted to cause an..." "cause an international incident by trying to secretly execute me? Ion sternly said to the guard, "and while I might not be too worse for wear, you shot my friend who is currently undergoing some painful treatment." "Er... again sorry about that, we offer our humble apologies and offer our services to aid you in your dealings while you are here, but" the guard started saying, "the slave, both of them must be handed over to the state, you might have some immunity from our laws but that doesn't mean you get to claim other people's property" the guard continued pointing at Kyara as she grabbed the handle of her sword but Ion motioned her to stand down. "Really now, I thought their owner disowned them?" Ion said, "yes that is true" the guard said as he took some papers from an accompanying officer, "but being disowned doesn't mean freedom, they are now property of the state to do with as we please, as since these two murdered two members of their previous owner's family, no one would want to buy them so it is in the best interest they be put to death." "You said no one would buy them? Ok then how much?" Ion asked, making the guard and Kyara have a puzzling look, "my good sir, you can find much better slaves for someone of your stature then these two, plus they have been slated for death by the state and..." the guard started saying but was interrupted, "you said they are slaves of Thyracta, owned by the state since nobody would want to buy them, well I do, so how much do you want?" Ion demanded in a more serious tone. Well the going rate for older slaves like these two would be about 40,000g a piece normally but with everything on their slate and paperwork involved I would have to bump that up to 85,000g, so again it is not really worth..." the guard started saying, "ok then that is a deal, 170,000g for both then?" Ion asked as the guard looked surprised, "I guess that is but for that price you could get a small army of better slaves..." "but I want these two" Ion retorted, "I am giving you what you asked even though one of them has life threatening injuries and we don't know if she will make it, but I am paying up anyways" "ok then, come with me and we will get the paperwork sorted out" the guard said unequivocally, "I guess congratulations on your new purchase."

An hour went by before Ion and Kyara resumed their journey out of Wolsberg, "so I guess I am your slave now?" Kyara angrily confronted Ion, "don't think for one minute I will bow to you, call you my master, do your..." Kyara continued screaming but Ion placed the papers in front of her face, "don't worry, I would not ever want anyone to call me master, especially by a 'slave' who is owned by someone else" Ion replied as Kyara took the papers in hand, reading the transactions, another line was added after the one Ion signed when he 'bought' them from the state, saying Kyara was now owned by Kyara on Kyara's papers and Lorelei was owned by Lorelei on Lorelei's, "I made an exchange at the registry counter and sold you to someone who would really value you" Ion continued. "You know, slaves cannot own property, I don't know how this is going to work" Kyara commented, "but you are a Hunter as well, who has every right to own property in Thyracta" Ion replied, "yes but a slave in Thyracta is still a slave even a Hunter, I would be forced back to my owner..." Kyara started saying, "your owner which is you" Ion cut in, "so now there is no way they can touch you, you said while in Thyracta we have to play by Thyracta's rules, well I just put the rules in your favor." "Ok still I wish you wouldn't have" Kyara replied, "the fact you are funding such a system, I though someone like you would be better then this" "oh, well you see with that" Ion started saying, "I paid with a special check given from the special account of one of my ongoing missions, you see when they go to collect on that payment at the Hunter's registry, that check has a special code on it to give them traceable gold so we can come back and collect it kind of heist like" Ion continued raising the interest of Kyara, "you may of seen some low level stealth contracts to reacquire stolen assets, those are ours to get back the gold and to acquire information on what Thyracta has on other former slaves who are now Hunters, we have been reusing this gold to legally purchase their freedoms for themselves, you are not the first person who was once a slave to be owned by yourself now that you are a Hunter." "Then how come I have never heard of this program?" Kyara asked, "well you said it yourself, you are lone wolf, this is a mission that passed through the guilds as it was a better way to share information, you decided not to belong to one so no wonder you don't know about guild contracts" Ion answered, "and to continue with your lone wolf mentality, you never mentioned to anyone where you were from or your past, which most former slave are the same for various reasons, which is why we also seek out information on the retrieval missions, to see who we can help out next, I didn't know you were a former slave until Lorelei told me about my current contract and why she denied it to you" Ion continued as Kyara rolled her eyes, "that dam Lorelei, oh you are in for it when I see you again" she thought as Ion continued, "so I took some extra time to get things in order before I headed out, from what Lorelei told me anyways I figured you would sneak off to confront my targets, the only thing I got wrong was the train you took to get here, I was one train too late but luckily you decided to enter Thyracta discretely giving me more time to get here, but not enough to avoid some troubles, again sorry Lorelei got caught in the crossfire.

"I am sorry Zephyr got hurt the way he did helping us, it is one of the reasons why I like working alone is that I can't get others around me hurt or worse" Kyara replied back, "I thought so too at one point but having others around, ones you can trust you will see things go a lot more smoothly, they can complement your weaknesses and you in turn theirs, it makes you stronger in more ways then you can imagine" Ion responded, "you say that but I have never seen it true" Kyara retorted, "that is because you have never tried" Ion retorted back, "so why don't you try? Come join Fangenclaw, I have been looking for another member with your qualities, it would be beneficial to both of us and our other members and with a third full Hunter in the ranks we can become officially recognized." "Not on your life" Kyara answered back, "like I said, I am a lone wolf, this is a one time deal and after that we go back our separate ways" "again suite yourself, but my offer is always open" Ion added as they continued their journey to the outer plains of Thyracta. "I do have one more question for you Ion" Kyara asked, "you said you are not an official guild, so why do you get guild contracts?" "Well, we have a few Hunter's associates kind of like Lorelei with us that gets Fangenclaw partially recognized, so we can still get some of the guild contracts and the slave Hunters self reclamation is one of them we signed on to" Ion answered, "ok fair enough but with the reclamation beign a guild contract, why is the gold retrieval a standard one that any Hunter can obtain? Kyara asked, "to help not leave traces to our guild work" Ion answered, "the guilds doing the main lifting and non-guild Hunters doing retrieval helps protect the mission, the Hunters doing retrieval don't know what the gold is for or what we do with the information they collect so if they get in a sticky situation, they can't trace back that it is Hunters that are messing around with Thyractaian affairs, just some lone Hunter hired to pull a small heist which the Thyractaian government can't really touch due to the Hunter's pact. Remember Hunter's cannot interfere in the affairs of other countries and the Thyractaian slave trade is included in that." "But wouldn't that affect you as well being Norland's future Overseer?" Kyara asked but Ion laughed, "are you really a Hunter? Or is it that you still just don't know the Hunter's codes" Ion chuckled, "Hey I have been a Hunter longer then you have" Kyara retorted, "yes by about one year, but I have been preparing to be one since I was eight, so I studies more knowledge then you on them: Ion responded, "it helps when you have a childhood where you can do that" Kyara added, "true enough" Ion replied knowing Kyara's slave past, "Hunters can interact with the affairs of the country they were born in, as they have rights as citizens of that country, me becoming the Overseer of Norland one day falls under that code" Ion answered, "just as you being a citizen of Thyracta allows you to fully interfere in the slave trade here without causing a pact incident, so you are a really valuable person to have on the reclamation mission if you join a guild as most Thyractaian Hunters kind of abstain from the situation, something to think about" Ion continued as they reached the outskirts of a small encampment of mercenary slave raiders, their targets on the contract, the very same ones that burned down Kyara's village all those years ago and placed her into slavery, the ones that did the same thing to Lorelei a few years later.

Seeing the encampment, Kyara growled in rage and raised her sword, hell has no fury like the one she was going to unleash, "Kyara, calm yourself, we need to approach this... hey wait!" Ion called out as Kyara gave no heed and charged in, blood splattering the ground as Kyara slashed and clawed her way through the lookouts as the other members of the camp descended upon her, Ion gritted his teeth and went forward to assist, skillfully taking out the bandits in Kyara's blind spots, getting in there in time to prevent Kyara from meeting her end in recklessness. 'Were are you, you coward!" Kyara yelled out as she made eye contact with the bandit leader, recognizing him as the one who captured her as a child, "you... you will get whats coming to you!" Kyara screamed as she charged in at the leader, not noticing just how close she became to being cut down by other bandits that Ion swiftly took care of, darting as quickly as he could to cut them down before they could Kyara. The leader tried to put up a fight but Kyara enraged was just too overpowering for him, breaking bones and knocking him to the ground, "why... why did you? Why did you..." Kyara yelled, slowing walking over the leader as he tried to slide himself on the ground, "I guess you are one of the slaves... it is nothing personal, just a job" the leader said. "Just a job?" Kyara screamed, "burning down my village, killing my friends, my family, my parents, and then selling me and every other child that survived as property? That is fulfilling to you?" "More then you could ever know, you worthless piece of shit" the leader replied with a smile, enraged once more, Kyara raised her sword to deliver a killing blow, "Stop!" Ion yelled as Kyara had the sword raised over her head, "stay out of this fox boy! He is getting what is coming to him! I am going to give what's coming to him!" Kyara yelled looking Ion in the eyes, "and I will cut you down if you try to stop me." "And what would Lorelei think of you if you do?" Ion countered as Kyara's eyes widened as she made a small realization, "what would she think if she saw you like this? That this is how you avenged them, full of blinding rage?" Ion continued as Kyara teared up, dropping her sword on the ground beside the bandit leader who looked a little relived, kneeling down shortly afterwards. Ion walked over and placed a hand of Kyara's shoulder, "you don't have to do this stuff alone you know" Ion said softly before eyeing the bandit leader and impaling his sword into his chest, "it's done, now you can just concentrate on your life together with Lorelei" Ion continued as Kyara pressed her face into Ion's chest fluff, letting out more tears, "you know, my offer still stands, it would be great to have you on the team." Ion said as Kyara pounded her fist on Ion's injured left shoulder, causing him to wince. Kyara tears turned into small laughter seeing the small destress she caused, "thanks, I needed a laugh" she said standing up as Ion was still hunched over holding his shoulder, "I am serious though, I think it would do you wonders, at least think on it" Ion said as he stood straight up, "why don't we get you back to someone who would probably like to see you" Ion continued as Kyara nodded as the two of them headed back towards Wolsberg.

The sun set as darkness approached about halfway back, Ion and Kyara found a small inn in a nearby village where they spent quite an eventful night before resuming their journey in the morning. Upon entering back into the underground Hospital, Zephyr was on his feet working out the details of the payment for their services, "you think you should be up?" Ion asked, "if Meeka were here she would kill you" "But she isn't" Zephyr retorted, "I am well enough to travel, just got to watch my stitches, I will get myself looked at by Meeka when we get back, she will probably want to do her own procedure just to make sure everything is ok, I can rest after that" Zephyr continued as he finished up the small paperwork, "don't worry I took care of Lorelei's bill as well, she is just down the hall, resting in the last room on your left if you want to see here, well Ion, I think it is best we get going, I assume everything went ok?" Zephyr asked as he hunched over, Ion went to his side and helped him get sturdy, "sure you are ok?" he asked as Zephyr nodded, "ok then, we can talk on the train, Kyara, thanks for you services, I hope you will stop by the guild sometime for a drink when you get back to Eios" Ion continued as he helped Zephyr walk out the door and left the medical facility. Kyara walked down the hall and entered Lorelei's room, she was lying on the bed with Ion's coat draped over her, covering her private areas, Kyara took a seat in a chair next to the bed as Lorelei woke up, "hey... your back!" Lorelei said softly with a smile, "yes" Kyara answered, placing Lorelei's hand in her's, "it got kind of late so we stopped at an inn along the way back... you know you were right, Ion is not such a bad guy after all" Kyara continued and Lorelei gave her a smug look, "you fucked him didn't you?" she blurted out with a smile as Kyara's face went red. "No! well maybe... hey you are the one who likes him not me" Kyara stumbled to say, "so what was it like?" Lorelei replied back again with a smug look, "well he is kind of the opposite of what you see normally in bed, kind of submissive and shy, he would fit you well" Kyara started to say as Lorelei chuckled, "tell me more!" "Well he's got this cute small peen, but he can climax hard and often, kind of very quick to do so actually which causes him to get a bit flustered which is kind of cute" Kyara continued as Lorelei listened intrigued, "but that metal hand, the way it feels on your breasts and even between your legs, it is something to really experience" Kyara finished as Lorelei just started laughing. "What? Do you want to see first hand? I can probably set up up since he..." Kyara started saying, "no, it is not that, it's just, it is nice to see you interact nicely with others" Lorelei cut in as Kyara pulled off Ion's coat from her, "ok if you want to be smart like that, then I guess I have to punish you" Kyara said as she kneeled over Lorelei, her hands placed on Lorelei's exposed breasts, "just watch my stitches" Lorelei commented as Kyara lowered her lips in for a kiss, "are you telling the truth though? Having something setup up between me and Ion?" Lorelei cutely asked as Kyara smirked, "I guess I am going to have to punish you a lot harder."

A week went by before Lorelei was well enough to travel home, helped by Kyara, both boarded the intercontinental train as it traveled it's way back to Norland, crossing into Cantrei on it's journey, "Now arriving at Esper station, capital of Cantrei, please watch your step" the loudspeaker called out as the train arrived at it's next station along the way. "Hey Kyara, remember you said on the way back we could stop here and see our old stomping ground" Lorelei said, "you sure you are ok, maybe another time would be best..." Kyara started replying, "no, lets go now! You promised!" Lorelei cut in with a grumpy face, "your right, I did" Kyara said as she helped Lorelei off the train, "maybe we can find a place in town for the night as well, get back to traveling in the morning" Kyara continued as Lorelei's face lit up. The next day, the two girls boarded back on a train towards Norland, finally after many hours, the train arrived at it's last stop along the north line, the capital city of Norland, Eios, where the two now called home. "It was nice to see everyone who helped us back then after we escaped, wasn't it?" Lorelei asked Kyara as they departed the train, "speaking of there is someone else we need to see" Kyara continued, tugging a bit on Ion's coat that Lorelei was wearing to cover herself, Kyara was still nude but that was acceptable due to naturalist culture in these parts, "come on, lets get us something to wear before we return this." Outfitting themselves from a store designed specifically for Hunters, Kyara and Lorelei made their way slowly, due to Lorelei's injury, to a small street off the centre of the city, where kind of hidden and out of the way of the busy street, through a pedestrian alley, was the Fangenclaw guild house. The door was unlocked as the two girls walked inside seeing a familiar face behind the counter of the bar in the main hall, "nice to finally see you two" Ion said as the girls walked over, "everyone feeling ok?" "We're good" Kyara replied as Lorelei nodded and sat down on one of the stools to take a breather, "how is Zephyr doing?" "Resting at home just outside the city, he had to have another operation when we got back so he will be out for a little bit" Ion answered, "so what brings you here? Want that drink I offered?" "I came to give you back this" Kyara said handing Ion back his coat, "ah thanks" Ion said as he adorned it once more, "now I can get back to Hunting once Zephyr is better, is that all that brought you here?" "Actually there is one more thing" Kyara said that gave Lorelei a puzzled look, but Ion let out a small grin, "I have decided to take you up on your offer, not the drink, but to join the guild, on one condition" Kyara continued as Lorelei looked shocked, "what's your price?" Ion asked. "That she can join along with me" Kyara answered, placing a hand on Lorelei's shoulder, "I see you are in need of a bar keeper, Lorelei would be perfect for that" "But I don't know how to make drinks" Lorelei protested but Kyara shook her off "you can learn" she said as Ion let out a small chuckle, "Lorelei, the bar keeps for guilds are also the contract agents, they are our go between to the rest of the organization, you will mostly be doing the same thing you were as a clerk at the registry, just for us here at Fangenclaw, with a little bit of drink mixing in between but trust me it is worth it, I pay better then they registry does" Ion said as Lorelei made a small sigh before letting out a small smile, "ok sign me up, if it will make Kyara happy, then it will make me as well" she said, "good, so what do you say, care to take me up on my offer?" Kyara asked as Ion though about it for a second then placed out his hand as Kyara took it in a shake, "welcome to Fangenclaw!"
~", "writing": "", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "", "pools_count": 2, "title": "Confronting the Past", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "image/png", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "1", "type_name": "Picture/Pinup", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "220" }