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Despite the easy work, he was exhausted from all the back and forth traveling through the town. He had just one thing on his mind. The fox, Juniper, was constantly racing in his head. She was affecting his dreams as well. He dreamed of making her his sweetheart, laying in bed next to her at night. Visions of Juniper in a wedding headdress filled his mind, and then a family consisting of himself, the fox, and cute little pups. Then the sweet, enchanting visions began to take a turn. Everything went dark. There was a beam of light hovering over a single object. A mirror. He looked into it, and saw only himself, but battle worn with eyes completely shaded with a blood red color, pupils in the form of slits. Blood tainted his jet black fur, and his teeth. Whether his own or from some external source, he could not say. It was steadily dripping from his chin. He was surrounded by fallen enemies, some of them with bite marks on their necks. He felt confused, and dizzy. He then saw a shadow figure with glowing red eyes staring straight at him in the mirror. The silhouette was in the shape of a wolf, like himself. It seemed to be speaking to him, but its language was incoherent. He started to get a burning feeling all across his body. It was almost unbearably, like he was being cooked from the inside. His eyes suddenly sprung open as he awoke from his slumber. He was sweating and panting, even though his room was relatively cool. He hopped out of bed and got himself a drink of water. After he got his fill, he looked out the window, and saw it was still dusk outside. It was too early for him to be up and about, but he couldn't help but think about the dream he just had. What did it mean? Was it only a dream, or a vision? \"What was that all about?\" he said aloud. \"Why am I having such a dream about Juniper? I've only known her for a few days. And what was up with the darkness? And that shadow figure?\" He got a headache thinking about it, and decided to worry about it another time, and tried to fall back asleep.\n\nMorning came quickly. The rising sun hit Atty in the face. He squinted and gave an annoyed sigh. \"Morning already? Feels like I just fell asleep.\" He stretched out in a downward dog pose and groggily hopped out of bed. He still didn't know what to make of the dream he was having last night. \"I need a pick-me-up,\" he muttered to himself. He grabbed his satchel and headed out the door, only to be greeted by a familiar face as he came out.\n\n\"Good morning, Atty,\" said the fox, Juniper. He gazed into her eyes for a moment, then looked away, blushing. \"Everything alright?\" she asked.\n\n\"Yeah, just a rough night, is all.\" He tried not to look directly at her.\n\n\"Having trouble sleeping, are you? I think I have something for that.\"\n\n\"No, it's not that. I had a nightmare.\" Juniper looked at him with concern in her eyes.\n\n\"Do you want to talk about it?\"\n\n\"No. At least not right now. Maybe later, okay?\"\n\n\"If you insist. You know I'm here if you need someone to talk to.\"\n\n\"I do. Thank you, June.\" He looked at her and smiled. \"I really should be going now. Talk to you later?\"\n\n\"Sure. I look forward to it.\" She smiled back.\n\n\"Okay. See you soon, then.\" He walked past her and headed out of the residential area, down the stairs into the main lobby, where he met Jewel at her usual post.\n\n\"Good morning, Atty-bear,\" she greeted. The cat noticed the exhausted look in his eyes. \"Are you okay? You look tired.\"\n\n\"I am. It's been a rough night. Any news today?\"\n\n\"Well, there was one thing. Luna wanted to see you. Said she had a special assignment for you today.\"\n\n\"Is that so? Thanks, Jewel. I'll visit her, once I've visited the cafe. I need something to perk me up.\"\n\n\"Alright. Take care, Atty. Hope you get to feeling better.\"\n\n\"Thank you, kitten.\" He gave a yawn and left the cat to her duties.\n\n-----------\n\nAtty went to the nearby cafe and paid for a stimulant. A nice cup of energizing hot tea, he thought, would lift his mood, and his spirit, up a bit. He took a little sip, and his ears and tail perked for a moment as he felt the caffeine kick in almost immediately. As he let the drink do its job, his mind began to wander. He thought about what the guildmaster could possibly have in store for him. Then he thought about the dream he had last night, and how it escalated from something beautiful to something dark, and what it could possibly mean. His mind finally wandered onto one person, the one he's been smitten with since he first arrived. Juniper. Just thinking about her gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. He sighed contently as he finished off his beverage, tipped the bartender, and left for Luna's office.\n\nHe went to the floor designated for administration, and headed for the guild master's office, indicated by the large double door at the end of the hall. He could hear a conversation going on inside, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He knocked and awaited a response. \"You may enter,\" he heard someone call out. He opened the doors and entered the room, immediately noticing Luna and her weasel companion, Nina.\n\n\"You wished to speak with me, Guildmaster?\"\n\n\"Yes, Atemis. You're looking well. Nina was just telling me about how the locals feel about you.\"\n\n\"And what are they saying about me?\" He gulped.\n\n\"All good things, I assure you. But that's not why I called for you. How would you feel about joining one of our field teams?\"\n\n\"Depends on what I'll be doing. What do your field teams do?\"\n\n\"They usually deal with issues outside our borders. Sometimes the jobs are pretty far out there. The journeys can be long and hard, but the pay is excellent. I won't lie, it tends to be pretty dangerous at times.\"\n\n\"Who will I be working with?\"\n\n\"Well, you have two choices, both you should be familiar with. But who you decide to go with is up to you. Our two heads, Valentine and Vyn.\" Atemis took a moment to himself to think about it before coming to a decision.\n\n\"I'll have to go with Val. She's much easier on the eyes and pretty easy to talk to.\"\n\n\"Understandable. Val's actually getting ready for an assignment as we speak. If you want to know more, you should meet her at the town border to the west. When can you leave?\"\n\n\"Immediately,\" Atty proclaimed.\n\nAfter his brief exchange with the guild master, Atty headed for the western border of town to meet Valentine. He could see her from a distance, along with some other figures he couldn't quite make out yet. They became more clear as he got closer. The six-tailed kitsune noticed him approaching and greeted him with a smile. \"Hello again, Atemis. I didn't expect to see you so soon. What brings you out here?\"\n\n\"Luna asked me to come. She said I should talk to you if I was interested in joining a field team.\"\n\n\"Looking to become part of the big leagues, eh? As it turns out, I do have an opening in my team for one more recruit. Let me introduce you to my team.\" She first gestured to a lynx, snow white in color with black spots and light blue eyes. \"This is Abigail. She's our scout, but that's where her job pretty much ends, as it happens that she is a pacifist. Damn good at her duties, though.\" Val then brought his attention to the second member, who was much more intimidating. A black tigress with golden stripes and amber eyes, along with a scar of three claw marks across her nose. \"And this is her mate, Tess. She's a strong warrior and an even deadlier assassin.\" She looked at the two felines, \"This is Atemis, Lunawolf's newest recruit.\"\n\n\"Pleased to meet you both,\" said Atty.\n\n\"Charmed,\" said the lynx.\n\n\"I look forward to seeing what you can do in the heat of battle,\" the tiger added with a smirk on her face.\n\n\"Atemis can handle himself pretty well. I've seen it for myself,\" Val commented. \"Now that we've all been introduced, let us get down to business.\" The kitsune looked at Atty. \"Abigail was just giving us her report. She says a group of bandits have taken refuge nearby. So close, in fact, that they're practically within the town's borders.\"\n\n\"Wouldn't happen to be the same group that jumped me before, would it?\" asked the wolf.\n\n\"No. Abigail says it's a new group. Their flag is black with a white dragon emblem. Never seen the likes of them before. But according to Abby, they seem to be much more organized than your standard bandits. From the sound of it, they might be planning an attack on the town.\"\n\n\"So what's the plan? Are you thinking of striking first, or would you prefer to let them come to us and perhaps ambush them?\"\n\n\"I'm thinking a preemptive strike is in order. But we need to be cautious. Abigail tells me some dangerous species are among this group. Crocodiles, wolves, lowly coyotes, and several variants of large cats fill their ranks.\"\n\n\"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us, then.\" Atty replied. \"When do we leave?\"\n\n\"We need a little more time to prepare. We will depart at noon.\"\n\n----------\n\nThe group spent much of the day hanging out at a local tavern, enjoying a round of beverages and engaging in casual conversation. Atty got to know the girls pretty well, but felt a little out of place being the only male on the team.\n\n\"So, Atty,\" said the kitsune, Valentine, \"Any ideas on what you plan to do with your share of the bounty on the bandits?\"\n\n\"Well, I'm currently saving what I can, but I've been planning on taking Juniper to the Blue Dragon.\"\n\n\"Ooh, fancy,\" the six-tailed fox said gleefully. \"I've heard good things about that place. I'm certain you and June will love it.\"\n\n\"Assuming you don't die before then, of course,\" Tess added as she casually took a sip of her drink.\n\n\"Tess, really?\" said Abigail with a glare at her partner. \"It's his first day on the field team. No reason to freak him out.\"\n\n\"I'm just being real with him.\"\n\n\"It's fine, Abby. I'm not a stranger to the face of death. Though, I must admit, I am a little nervous.\"\n\n\"Not to worry, Atemis,\" Val added, \"you'll be fine. At least now, you won't have to fight alone.\"\n\n\"Yes, that's true.\" They spent the day just talking, and playing a game or two, until it was time for them to leave, but not before tipping the bartender. The group returned to the manor to gather supplies. Atty decided to pay a visit to Juniper in the infirmary. She greeted him with a smile.\n\n\"Hey there, Atty. What brings you here?\"\n\n\"I'm about to head out with Val's field team, and was wondering if you had any potions to spare?\"\n\n\"Sure thing. Wait just a moment.\" She went into her tiny alchemy lab, and shortly after came out with a satchel and handed it to Atemis. \"Will this be enough?\" He looked inside to check how much she had given him, then looked at the fox and nodded.\n\n\"How much do I owe you?\"\n\n\"This is on the house. You can always pay me back by keeping true to your promise.\" She smiled and gave him an enchanting gaze, which seemed to make him blush.\n\n\"You can count on me, June. Thank you.\"\n\n\"Just promise me you'll be careful out there. The world outside our humble little town is a cruel place.\" Atty nodded, then said his farewells to the fox, and headed back out to meet the team. With all their preparations complete, they headed out.\n\nThe sun was high in the sky, but the temperature was mild, the gentle breeze pleasant. \"It's about time we get going. Are you ready, Tess? Abby?\" The two felines nodded. Val turned her attention to Atemis. \"Are YOU ready?\"\n\n\"I am,\" Atty responded.\"\n\n\"Let's head out, then. Lead the way, Abigail.\"\n\n----------\n\nThe group followed the lynx into a darker part of the woods, at least a few miles from town. She led them up a hill and stopped at the edge of a cliff. She pointed towards the distance, where smoke could be seen, indicating a bonfire. The group could make out the camp. It was surrounded by a wood wall and had a couple of watchtowers. There were a couple of guards at the main entrance. The camp itself was rather large, with a small building at the center, and several black banners with a symbol of a white dragon. \"So this is it, huh?\" said Valentine.\n\n\"Yes. As you can see, it is quite large for a bandit outpost. Though, it looks like there's even more of them now.\"\n\n\"Maybe they aren't bandits at all,\" Atemis added. \"No, something isn't right about this.\"\n\n\"Well, regardless, it looks like they're gearing up for an attack on the town. We need to stop it before it happens. And maybe find out who they are, if we can,\" the kitsune stated. \"Tess, do you think you could handle the tower guards? Looks like they have some war horns in place to alert the whole base.\"\n\n\"No problem.\" The tigress crept into the shadows and seemed to disappear.\n\n\"Good. Now we just wait and let her do what she does best.\" Val proclaimed.\n\nThe group waited patiently for Tess to make her move, keeping a close eye on the towers. It was growing darker by the minute. Atemis caught a glimpse of a shadow figure climbing up the side of one of the towers, stopping at the very edge, and seemed to be waiting for the guard, which was a panther, to leave itself vulnerable. As soon as he turned around, the shadow leaped over the edge and pounced him. It was easy to tell the shadow was actually Tess. She stayed on the guard for a moment, then eased off. The coyote was motionless, which means she either pacified him, or straight up killed him. Tess climbed down the tower and snuck over to the second, repeating the process as she waited for an opportunity to strike. The guard, another panther, was completely oblivious to her presence, and went down quietly when she struck and took him out as well. Once both the guards were out of commission, she looked in her team's direction and nodded.\n\n\"Now's our chance to strike. Let's get down there.\" Val ordered. Atty followed her, leaving Abigail behind, due to her pacifist nature. They confronted the gate guards head on. Both were crocodiles that seemed eerily identical. They noticed the wolf and kitsune approaching and took a defensive stance.\n\n\"Halt!\" one of them ordered, \"This camp belongs to the Order of the White Dragon. State your business.\" The other croc got a glimpse at their sashes, and growled.\n\n\"Wait a minute, brother. These fools are part of that guild, Lunawolf.\" The first one took note and noticed as well.\n\n\"You're right. What do you say we take care of these two ourselves?\"\n\n\"But the boss said if we saw anyone from Lunawolf, we were to report to him immediately.\"\n\n\"You dunce, don't you see? If we take care of them ourselves and bring their heads to the boss, we'll be rewarded big time.\"\n\n\"Good point. Let's get 'em!\" The two crocs began charging, maws open and fangs bared and ready to tear Atty and Val to shreds. The two of them jumped away in opposite directions, each now focused on the reptile closest to them. Atemis bared his teeth and dug his paws into the ground firmly, then made a pounce at his target, landing on the croc's back and trying to bite down on his limb. The croc growled angrily and tried to shake him off. Try as he might, the wolf was latched on good, but couldn't bite hard enough to penetrate those tough scales. He was finally shaken off when the croc attempted a death roll. Atty managed to recover as he slid across the landscape, and the lizard made a charge at him, opening his mouth and preparing for a leap and a bite. As he quickly leaped out of the way, the croc managed to grab hold of a log that was behind the wolf, and chomped, breaking it into a thousand pieces. The large reptile shook his head and spit out bits of wood. Atty got behind him, only to be met by a tail swipe to the face, and was knocked back a few feet. His face throbbed a bit. He caught a glimpse of Valentine fighting her opponent. She was mostly jumping and dodging incoming attacks, landing gracefully on her feet each time, then suddenly moved her tails just over her head, and energy began to form around her body, and her eyes glowed bright blue as it concentrated at the tips of her six tails. An orb of blue energy began to grow, and once it grew about the size of a soccer ball, she fired it at her opponent, hitting him directly and creating an explosion. As the smoke faded, the croc appeared ash gray and smoking, coughing heavily as he collapsed. Val had managed to take him out in a single blast. Atty quickly returned his attention to his foe, and due to him not paying attention, the croc had closed the distance and clamped down at Atty's back right leg. He howled in pain and the lizard steadily increased the pressure on his limb. He tried to fight back, but was quickly met with a death roll. The pain increased as he felt a joint pop in his leg, and the spin made him feel lightheaded. He then remembered something he learned about defending yourself against this creature, and jabbed his claws into the opponent's eye. The croc released his grip and cried out in pain. He wiggled his stubby leg. \"Can't even reach it,\" he said in a pitiful tone. Atemis struggled to stand on his back leg. It may have been dislocated, and it was bleeding. He was panting heavily. He managed to muster enough strength to dash behind the croc while he was preoccupied and jumped on his back once more, and bit down on his neck. The large lizard flailed about as he winced in pain. Valentine stood before them and dug her paws into the ground.\n\n\"Hold him steady, Atemis!\" she cried out as she angled her tails once more and charged up more energy. Atty did his best to hold on to the beast, being shaken about with a bruised nose and an injured leg. He slammed his body down with all his might and managed to daze the croc beneath him. Val had fully charged another orb and was ready to launch it. \"Get clear!\" Atemis jumped off as the kitsune unleashed her attack, getting a direct hit on the croc. When the dust cleared, he was ash gray, like his brother, and fainted as his body was smoking. Atty sat down for a moment to catch his breath. Val approached him. \"You okay?\"\n\n\"I've been worse,\" he answered. The kitsune noticed his back leg.\n\n\"Looks like he dislocated your leg. Need a paw?\" He nodded hesitantly. She went behind him and gently held his leg, examining it carefully, then positioned her paws carefully. \"I'll pop it back in on three. Ready?\"\n\n\"Just get it over with.\" He braced himself.\n\n\"One...\" without any hesitation or counting, she immediately pushed and popped his leg back into its socket. He yelped, limped for a moment, then moved his leg around to get readjusted.\n\n\"That feels so much better. Thanks.\"\n\n\"Don't mention it. But we still have work to do.\" They were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. A coyote appeared at the gate.\n\n\"What's all the noise out here?\" He looked at the damage around the area and noticed Atemis and Valentine. \"Hey! Intru-!\" He interrupted when a shadow figure came out from behind and pounced him. He yelped, but quickly fell silent as he was bit on the neck, and closed his eyes. As the figure laid off of him and came into the light, it was revealed to be none other than Tess.\n\n\"Took you two long enough,\" she said. \"You're not tired already, are you rook?\" she gestured at the wolf.\n\n\"Not even a little,\" he huffed and smirked.\n\n\"Did you take care of the rest of the guard?\" asked Val.\n\n\"Yes. All that remains is whoever is in that main building. I'm assuming that's where the group leader is.\"\n\n\"Let's pay him a visit, then.\"\n\n----------\n\nThe trio ventured into the building. It was at least a three story tower. It seemed empty at first as they climbed up the stairs. The top floor seemed deserted, except for a lone figure in the middle of the room, sitting in the center of some lit candles. The figure was a grey wolf, wearing a peculiar necklace that seemed to have a single silver scale dangling from it. \"So, Lunawolf has finally sent someone to confront us,\" he said as he stood up and opened his eyes, which seemed to glow a silverish color. \"So you've managed to take out a few guards?\" He snickered. \"It matters not. They are all expendable. Your efforts will be in vain. Your humble little town and its people already belong to the great dragon, Ikari. They just don't know it yet. And this is only the beginning. Ikari will have total control of this miserable continent, and then the rest of the world is next. You will all bow before him, or you will cease to exist.\"\n\nAtemis leaned over to Val and whispered,\"Who's Ikari?\" The kitsune shrugged.\n\n\"We can figure that out later. If his leader's goal is to take control and make everyone worship him against their will, they need to be stopped now.\" The black wolf nodded.\n\n\"Last chance to surrender.\" The silver-eyed wolf said.\n\n\"Forget it. You're outnumbered. You should be the one begging for mercy.\" Tess stated.\n\n\"You really think it's going to be that easy?\" He grabbed his necklace and held up the scale. \"This here is a gift from the dragon lord himself. It grants the wearer powers similar to that of Ikari himself. With this, victory is assured. For example...\" His eyes began to shine bright white, and his body began to emit a strange white aura. The trio readied themselves for a fight. The gray wolf suddenly shot a beam of light from his eyes. It came suddenly and caught the three off guard, getting a direct hit on Tess and knocking her back slightly. She hissed and glared at him, then made a charge at the adversary. When she pounced, the wolf stepped to the side, grabbed her paw with his mouth, and tossed her back. Val began charging up one of her energy orbs. Atemis made a dash at him, but the opposing wolf suddenly dashed towards him at what seemed like the speed of light, and punched him in the side with a free paw. The punch seemed to create an explosion on impact and knocked Atty back. The gray wolf leaped for him while he was still in mid-air, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the wall. He looked him in those glowing white eyes, and felt intimidated. \"You're going to have to get a little more creative than that,\" he chuckled sinisterly. Val had finished charging up her attack, and launched the orb at the opponent. He seemed to sense it though, and immediately turned around and grabbed the attack with his bare paw. Val was shocked and just stared. The orb began to grow larger, and started changing colors as well, shimmering a bright, silverish light and giving off a static discharge. He then launched it back at her with increased velocity. Val barely had enough time to get out of the way when it made impact, but was caught by the blast radius, and went flying against a wall. She struggled to stand back up. She noticed his eyes glowing again and tried her best to get out of the way of several incoming laser beams. \"Typical kitsune strategy, avoid and evade, striking only at the first given opportunity. By the time I'm through with you, I'm gonna mount those tails on my wall.\" Val growled and panted. She was getting tired fast. Before the gray wolf could make another attempt at her, he was suddenly pounced and felt a great deal of weight on his back, then something chomp on his neck. He groaned and shuffled about. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the tigress latched onto him, claws dug into his hide, and fangs in his neck. He gave an annoyed growl. \"You tigers are all the same. Hiding in the shadows like the cowards you are, then striking when no one is looking.\" His entire body began giving off a static-like discharge. Tess was caught off guard and looked him in the eyes for a brief moment, and was knocked off when his body gave off an explosion. Unfortunately for him, she was latched on real tight, and ended up ripping off some of his skin and taking it with her. He cried out in pain as his hide was torn off. Tess hit the wall pretty hard, and struggled to get back up. As he was going for her again, he was tackled and knocked down by Atemis. He quickly got up and lunged for the black wolf. They went at each other like a couple of starved predators, teeth bared, biting and scratching each other. The gray wolf decided he had enough, quickly swept behind Atemis, and grabbed his tail, swung him in a couple of circles and throwing him to the center of the room, then leapt up high into the air while he was trying to recover and slammed down hard onto him, standing on his throat as the floor broke, causing them to fall one floor down, and crashing through the second floor as well, taking all the way down to the first floor, and leaving a big crack on the ground as Atemis was slammed down into the foundation. His entire body was throbbing, and he was gasping for breath as the other wolf stood on his throat. He was left helpless against him. \"I think I'll finish you off first. Just remember, I gave you a chance to turn tail and run.\" His eyes began to glow. He was clearly readying up an eye laser attack at point blank range. Atemis sat there, struggling to breathe as he tried to think of a way out. He could see blood slowly dripping off the gray wolf's shoulder from where Tess had injured him. A single droplet fell off and landed on Atty's tongue.\n\nSuddenly, something began to change in Atemis. His body heated up, and his heart rate increased rapidly, and the pupils in his eyes turned into snake-like slits. His breathing grew heavier as he grabbed hold of the gray wolf's paw, and all of a sudden, some blunt stones shot up out of the ground, one of them making a heavy impact on the silver-eyed wolf against his gut. He gagged and coughed up some blood, some of it dripping on Atty’s face. The stones looked as though they were made of hardened blood, but seemed to be made of a much stronger material than stone. Atemis was finally able to breathe normally, and was shocked by what he was seeing. “What just happened?” he thought to himself. The rocks retracted back into the earth, and the opposing wolf fell straight to the ground, making a loud thud as he landed. He coughed up some more blood as it dripped down his jaws.\n\n“What did you just do?!” he glared angrily at the black wolf. He growled and managed to charge up an attack in his paw, now sparking with light energy, and made a swing for Atemis. Atty braced himself for a hard blow, but as he seemed to flinch, more blood red stones came out of the ground, and seemed to attach and pile themselves on his body, creating what could only be described as stone armor. As he finished, the gray wolf hit his mark, and made a small explosion, but it didn't seem to phase Atemis. Instead, a crack was heard, followed by an agonizing scream. His opponent looked at his paw as it throbbed, and seemed to be bent out of shape. It appeared to be broken. He backed up and tried to get some distance from him. Atty took a more aggressive stance, and started charging at the other wolf, his body still encased in bloody looking stones, and his body suddenly began to give off a crimson discharge as he dashed towards his opponent. He tackled him directly on the side and heard his ribs crack, and he seemed to have been electrocuted, and was knocked against the wall. The gray wolf collapsed and stared hard at Atemis. “What kind of power is this?! Just what are you?!” He coughed up some more blood. “Could it be that you're… no, that's not possible. He slowly seemed to lose consciousness, and suddenly seemed lifeless. Atemis was panting. The blood stones fell off and seemed to return to the earth. His body temperature, heart rate, and eyes returned to normal. He looked at his paw for a moment, and tried to wipe the blood off of his face.\n\n“Good question. Just what was that power? Did that really come from me?” he asked himself. He heard someone coming down the stairs, and met with his companions, Valentine and Tess.\n\nNice work, Atemis.” said Val. She and Tess were battered and bruised, not to mention dirty. “What was all that about? Never seen anything like that before.\n\n“I'm not sure,” he replied, “though he seemed to have an idea. I'm not sure what to think of it.”\n\n“Well, there is something familiar about it. I'll do some research on the subject when we get back. Tess, make sure the leader is dead, and be sure to deal with any stragglers you happen across.\n\n“Yes, ma’am,” the tigress replied.\n\n“Come on, Atemis. Let's get out of here. Luna will probably want to know about this ‘Order’.”\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Atty fell asleep quickly. Despite the easy work, he was exhausted from all the back and forth traveling through the town. He had just one thing on his mind. The fox, Juniper, was constantly racing in his head. She was affecting his dreams as well. He dreamed of making her his sweetheart, laying in bed next to her at night. Visions of Juniper in a wedding headdress filled his mind, and then a family consisting of himself, the fox, and cute little pups. Then the sweet, enchanting visions began to take a turn. Everything went dark. There was a beam of light hovering over a single object. A mirror. He looked into it, and saw only himself, but battle worn with eyes completely shaded with a blood red color, pupils in the form of slits. Blood tainted his jet black fur, and his teeth. Whether his own or from some external source, he could not say. It was steadily dripping from his chin. He was surrounded by fallen enemies, some of them with bite marks on their necks. He felt confused, and dizzy. He then saw a shadow figure with glowing red eyes staring straight at him in the mirror. The silhouette was in the shape of a wolf, like himself. It seemed to be speaking to him, but its language was incoherent. He started to get a burning feeling all across his body. It was almost unbearably, like he was being cooked from the inside. His eyes suddenly sprung open as he awoke from his slumber. He was sweating and panting, even though his room was relatively cool. He hopped out of bed and got himself a drink of water. After he got his fill, he looked out the window, and saw it was still dusk outside. It was too early for him to be up and about, but he couldn't help but think about the dream he just had. What did it mean? Was it only a dream, or a vision? "What was that all about?" he said aloud. "Why am I having such a dream about Juniper? I've only known her for a few days. And what was up with the darkness? And that shadow figure?" He got a headache thinking about it, and decided to worry about it another time, and tried to fall back asleep.

Morning came quickly. The rising sun hit Atty in the face. He squinted and gave an annoyed sigh. "Morning already? Feels like I just fell asleep." He stretched out in a downward dog pose and groggily hopped out of bed. He still didn't know what to make of the dream he was having last night. "I need a pick-me-up," he muttered to himself. He grabbed his satchel and headed out the door, only to be greeted by a familiar face as he came out.

"Good morning, Atty," said the fox, Juniper. He gazed into her eyes for a moment, then looked away, blushing. "Everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a rough night, is all." He tried not to look directly at her.

"Having trouble sleeping, are you? I think I have something for that."

"No, it's not that. I had a nightmare." Juniper looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. At least not right now. Maybe later, okay?"

"If you insist. You know I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

"I do. Thank you, June." He looked at her and smiled. "I really should be going now. Talk to you later?"

"Sure. I look forward to it." She smiled back.

"Okay. See you soon, then." He walked past her and headed out of the residential area, down the stairs into the main lobby, where he met Jewel at her usual post.

"Good morning, Atty-bear," she greeted. The cat noticed the exhausted look in his eyes. "Are you okay? You look tired."

"I am. It's been a rough night. Any news today?"

"Well, there was one thing. Luna wanted to see you. Said she had a special assignment for you today."

"Is that so? Thanks, Jewel. I'll visit her, once I've visited the cafe. I need something to perk me up."

"Alright. Take care, Atty. Hope you get to feeling better."

"Thank you, kitten." He gave a yawn and left the cat to her duties.

-----------

Atty went to the nearby cafe and paid for a stimulant. A nice cup of energizing hot tea, he thought, would lift his mood, and his spirit, up a bit. He took a little sip, and his ears and tail perked for a moment as he felt the caffeine kick in almost immediately. As he let the drink do its job, his mind began to wander. He thought about what the guildmaster could possibly have in store for him. Then he thought about the dream he had last night, and how it escalated from something beautiful to something dark, and what it could possibly mean. His mind finally wandered onto one person, the one he's been smitten with since he first arrived. Juniper. Just thinking about her gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. He sighed contently as he finished off his beverage, tipped the bartender, and left for Luna's office.

He went to the floor designated for administration, and headed for the guild master's office, indicated by the large double door at the end of the hall. He could hear a conversation going on inside, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He knocked and awaited a response. "You may enter," he heard someone call out. He opened the doors and entered the room, immediately noticing Luna and her weasel companion, Nina.

"You wished to speak with me, Guildmaster?"

"Yes, Atemis. You're looking well. Nina was just telling me about how the locals feel about you."

"And what are they saying about me?" He gulped.

"All good things, I assure you. But that's not why I called for you. How would you feel about joining one of our field teams?"

"Depends on what I'll be doing. What do your field teams do?"

"They usually deal with issues outside our borders. Sometimes the jobs are pretty far out there. The journeys can be long and hard, but the pay is excellent. I won't lie, it tends to be pretty dangerous at times."

"Who will I be working with?"

"Well, you have two choices, both you should be familiar with. But who you decide to go with is up to you. Our two heads, Valentine and Vyn." Atemis took a moment to himself to think about it before coming to a decision.

"I'll have to go with Val. She's much easier on the eyes and pretty easy to talk to."

"Understandable. Val's actually getting ready for an assignment as we speak. If you want to know more, you should meet her at the town border to the west. When can you leave?"

"Immediately," Atty proclaimed.

After his brief exchange with the guild master, Atty headed for the western border of town to meet Valentine. He could see her from a distance, along with some other figures he couldn't quite make out yet. They became more clear as he got closer. The six-tailed kitsune noticed him approaching and greeted him with a smile. "Hello again, Atemis. I didn't expect to see you so soon. What brings you out here?"

"Luna asked me to come. She said I should talk to you if I was interested in joining a field team."

"Looking to become part of the big leagues, eh? As it turns out, I do have an opening in my team for one more recruit. Let me introduce you to my team." She first gestured to a lynx, snow white in color with black spots and light blue eyes. "This is Abigail. She's our scout, but that's where her job pretty much ends, as it happens that she is a pacifist. Damn good at her duties, though." Val then brought his attention to the second member, who was much more intimidating. A black tigress with golden stripes and amber eyes, along with a scar of three claw marks across her nose. "And this is her mate, Tess. She's a strong warrior and an even deadlier assassin." She looked at the two felines, "This is Atemis, Lunawolf's newest recruit."

"Pleased to meet you both," said Atty.

"Charmed," said the lynx.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do in the heat of battle," the tiger added with a smirk on her face.

"Atemis can handle himself pretty well. I've seen it for myself," Val commented. "Now that we've all been introduced, let us get down to business." The kitsune looked at Atty. "Abigail was just giving us her report. She says a group of bandits have taken refuge nearby. So close, in fact, that they're practically within the town's borders."

"Wouldn't happen to be the same group that jumped me before, would it?" asked the wolf.

"No. Abigail says it's a new group. Their flag is black with a white dragon emblem. Never seen the likes of them before. But according to Abby, they seem to be much more organized than your standard bandits. From the sound of it, they might be planning an attack on the town."

"So what's the plan? Are you thinking of striking first, or would you prefer to let them come to us and perhaps ambush them?"

"I'm thinking a preemptive strike is in order. But we need to be cautious. Abigail tells me some dangerous species are among this group. Crocodiles, wolves, lowly coyotes, and several variants of large cats fill their ranks."

"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us, then." Atty replied. "When do we leave?"

"We need a little more time to prepare. We will depart at noon."

----------

The group spent much of the day hanging out at a local tavern, enjoying a round of beverages and engaging in casual conversation. Atty got to know the girls pretty well, but felt a little out of place being the only male on the team.

"So, Atty," said the kitsune, Valentine, "Any ideas on what you plan to do with your share of the bounty on the bandits?"

"Well, I'm currently saving what I can, but I've been planning on taking Juniper to the Blue Dragon."

"Ooh, fancy," the six-tailed fox said gleefully. "I've heard good things about that place. I'm certain you and June will love it."

"Assuming you don't die before then, of course," Tess added as she casually took a sip of her drink.

"Tess, really?" said Abigail with a glare at her partner. "It's his first day on the field team. No reason to freak him out."

"I'm just being real with him."

"It's fine, Abby. I'm not a stranger to the face of death. Though, I must admit, I am a little nervous."

"Not to worry, Atemis," Val added, "you'll be fine. At least now, you won't have to fight alone."

"Yes, that's true." They spent the day just talking, and playing a game or two, until it was time for them to leave, but not before tipping the bartender. The group returned to the manor to gather supplies. Atty decided to pay a visit to Juniper in the infirmary. She greeted him with a smile.

"Hey there, Atty. What brings you here?"

"I'm about to head out with Val's field team, and was wondering if you had any potions to spare?"

"Sure thing. Wait just a moment." She went into her tiny alchemy lab, and shortly after came out with a satchel and handed it to Atemis. "Will this be enough?" He looked inside to check how much she had given him, then looked at the fox and nodded.

"How much do I owe you?"

"This is on the house. You can always pay me back by keeping true to your promise." She smiled and gave him an enchanting gaze, which seemed to make him blush.

"You can count on me, June. Thank you."

"Just promise me you'll be careful out there. The world outside our humble little town is a cruel place." Atty nodded, then said his farewells to the fox, and headed back out to meet the team. With all their preparations complete, they headed out.

The sun was high in the sky, but the temperature was mild, the gentle breeze pleasant. "It's about time we get going. Are you ready, Tess? Abby?" The two felines nodded. Val turned her attention to Atemis. "Are YOU ready?"

"I am," Atty responded."

"Let's head out, then. Lead the way, Abigail."

----------

The group followed the lynx into a darker part of the woods, at least a few miles from town. She led them up a hill and stopped at the edge of a cliff. She pointed towards the distance, where smoke could be seen, indicating a bonfire. The group could make out the camp. It was surrounded by a wood wall and had a couple of watchtowers. There were a couple of guards at the main entrance. The camp itself was rather large, with a small building at the center, and several black banners with a symbol of a white dragon. "So this is it, huh?" said Valentine.

"Yes. As you can see, it is quite large for a bandit outpost. Though, it looks like there's even more of them now."

"Maybe they aren't bandits at all," Atemis added. "No, something isn't right about this."

"Well, regardless, it looks like they're gearing up for an attack on the town. We need to stop it before it happens. And maybe find out who they are, if we can," the kitsune stated. "Tess, do you think you could handle the tower guards? Looks like they have some war horns in place to alert the whole base."

"No problem." The tigress crept into the shadows and seemed to disappear.

"Good. Now we just wait and let her do what she does best." Val proclaimed.

The group waited patiently for Tess to make her move, keeping a close eye on the towers. It was growing darker by the minute. Atemis caught a glimpse of a shadow figure climbing up the side of one of the towers, stopping at the very edge, and seemed to be waiting for the guard, which was a panther, to leave itself vulnerable. As soon as he turned around, the shadow leaped over the edge and pounced him. It was easy to tell the shadow was actually Tess. She stayed on the guard for a moment, then eased off. The coyote was motionless, which means she either pacified him, or straight up killed him. Tess climbed down the tower and snuck over to the second, repeating the process as she waited for an opportunity to strike. The guard, another panther, was completely oblivious to her presence, and went down quietly when she struck and took him out as well. Once both the guards were out of commission, she looked in her team's direction and nodded.

"Now's our chance to strike. Let's get down there." Val ordered. Atty followed her, leaving Abigail behind, due to her pacifist nature. They confronted the gate guards head on. Both were crocodiles that seemed eerily identical. They noticed the wolf and kitsune approaching and took a defensive stance.

"Halt!" one of them ordered, "This camp belongs to the Order of the White Dragon. State your business." The other croc got a glimpse at their sashes, and growled.

"Wait a minute, brother. These fools are part of that guild, Lunawolf." The first one took note and noticed as well.

"You're right. What do you say we take care of these two ourselves?"

"But the boss said if we saw anyone from Lunawolf, we were to report to him immediately."

"You dunce, don't you see? If we take care of them ourselves and bring their heads to the boss, we'll be rewarded big time."

"Good point. Let's get 'em!" The two crocs began charging, maws open and fangs bared and ready to tear Atty and Val to shreds. The two of them jumped away in opposite directions, each now focused on the reptile closest to them. Atemis bared his teeth and dug his paws into the ground firmly, then made a pounce at his target, landing on the croc's back and trying to bite down on his limb. The croc growled angrily and tried to shake him off. Try as he might, the wolf was latched on good, but couldn't bite hard enough to penetrate those tough scales. He was finally shaken off when the croc attempted a death roll. Atty managed to recover as he slid across the landscape, and the lizard made a charge at him, opening his mouth and preparing for a leap and a bite. As he quickly leaped out of the way, the croc managed to grab hold of a log that was behind the wolf, and chomped, breaking it into a thousand pieces. The large reptile shook his head and spit out bits of wood. Atty got behind him, only to be met by a tail swipe to the face, and was knocked back a few feet. His face throbbed a bit. He caught a glimpse of Valentine fighting her opponent. She was mostly jumping and dodging incoming attacks, landing gracefully on her feet each time, then suddenly moved her tails just over her head, and energy began to form around her body, and her eyes glowed bright blue as it concentrated at the tips of her six tails. An orb of blue energy began to grow, and once it grew about the size of a soccer ball, she fired it at her opponent, hitting him directly and creating an explosion. As the smoke faded, the croc appeared ash gray and smoking, coughing heavily as he collapsed. Val had managed to take him out in a single blast. Atty quickly returned his attention to his foe, and due to him not paying attention, the croc had closed the distance and clamped down at Atty's back right leg. He howled in pain and the lizard steadily increased the pressure on his limb. He tried to fight back, but was quickly met with a death roll. The pain increased as he felt a joint pop in his leg, and the spin made him feel lightheaded. He then remembered something he learned about defending yourself against this creature, and jabbed his claws into the opponent's eye. The croc released his grip and cried out in pain. He wiggled his stubby leg. "Can't even reach it," he said in a pitiful tone. Atemis struggled to stand on his back leg. It may have been dislocated, and it was bleeding. He was panting heavily. He managed to muster enough strength to dash behind the croc while he was preoccupied and jumped on his back once more, and bit down on his neck. The large lizard flailed about as he winced in pain. Valentine stood before them and dug her paws into the ground.

"Hold him steady, Atemis!" she cried out as she angled her tails once more and charged up more energy. Atty did his best to hold on to the beast, being shaken about with a bruised nose and an injured leg. He slammed his body down with all his might and managed to daze the croc beneath him. Val had fully charged another orb and was ready to launch it. "Get clear!" Atemis jumped off as the kitsune unleashed her attack, getting a direct hit on the croc. When the dust cleared, he was ash gray, like his brother, and fainted as his body was smoking. Atty sat down for a moment to catch his breath. Val approached him. "You okay?"

"I've been worse," he answered. The kitsune noticed his back leg.

"Looks like he dislocated your leg. Need a paw?" He nodded hesitantly. She went behind him and gently held his leg, examining it carefully, then positioned her paws carefully. "I'll pop it back in on three. Ready?"

"Just get it over with." He braced himself.

"One..." without any hesitation or counting, she immediately pushed and popped his leg back into its socket. He yelped, limped for a moment, then moved his leg around to get readjusted.

"That feels so much better. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. But we still have work to do." They were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. A coyote appeared at the gate.

"What's all the noise out here?" He looked at the damage around the area and noticed Atemis and Valentine. "Hey! Intru-!" He interrupted when a shadow figure came out from behind and pounced him. He yelped, but quickly fell silent as he was bit on the neck, and closed his eyes. As the figure laid off of him and came into the light, it was revealed to be none other than Tess.

"Took you two long enough," she said. "You're not tired already, are you rook?" she gestured at the wolf.

"Not even a little," he huffed and smirked.

"Did you take care of the rest of the guard?" asked Val.

"Yes. All that remains is whoever is in that main building. I'm assuming that's where the group leader is."

"Let's pay him a visit, then."

----------

The trio ventured into the building. It was at least a three story tower. It seemed empty at first as they climbed up the stairs. The top floor seemed deserted, except for a lone figure in the middle of the room, sitting in the center of some lit candles. The figure was a grey wolf, wearing a peculiar necklace that seemed to have a single silver scale dangling from it. "So, Lunawolf has finally sent someone to confront us," he said as he stood up and opened his eyes, which seemed to glow a silverish color. "So you've managed to take out a few guards?" He snickered. "It matters not. They are all expendable. Your efforts will be in vain. Your humble little town and its people already belong to the great dragon, Ikari. They just don't know it yet. And this is only the beginning. Ikari will have total control of this miserable continent, and then the rest of the world is next. You will all bow before him, or you will cease to exist."

Atemis leaned over to Val and whispered,"Who's Ikari?" The kitsune shrugged.

"We can figure that out later. If his leader's goal is to take control and make everyone worship him against their will, they need to be stopped now." The black wolf nodded.

"Last chance to surrender." The silver-eyed wolf said.

"Forget it. You're outnumbered. You should be the one begging for mercy." Tess stated.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?" He grabbed his necklace and held up the scale. "This here is a gift from the dragon lord himself. It grants the wearer powers similar to that of Ikari himself. With this, victory is assured. For example..." His eyes began to shine bright white, and his body began to emit a strange white aura. The trio readied themselves for a fight. The gray wolf suddenly shot a beam of light from his eyes. It came suddenly and caught the three off guard, getting a direct hit on Tess and knocking her back slightly. She hissed and glared at him, then made a charge at the adversary. When she pounced, the wolf stepped to the side, grabbed her paw with his mouth, and tossed her back. Val began charging up one of her energy orbs. Atemis made a dash at him, but the opposing wolf suddenly dashed towards him at what seemed like the speed of light, and punched him in the side with a free paw. The punch seemed to create an explosion on impact and knocked Atty back. The gray wolf leaped for him while he was still in mid-air, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the wall. He looked him in those glowing white eyes, and felt intimidated. "You're going to have to get a little more creative than that," he chuckled sinisterly. Val had finished charging up her attack, and launched the orb at the opponent. He seemed to sense it though, and immediately turned around and grabbed the attack with his bare paw. Val was shocked and just stared. The orb began to grow larger, and started changing colors as well, shimmering a bright, silverish light and giving off a static discharge. He then launched it back at her with increased velocity. Val barely had enough time to get out of the way when it made impact, but was caught by the blast radius, and went flying against a wall. She struggled to stand back up. She noticed his eyes glowing again and tried her best to get out of the way of several incoming laser beams. "Typical kitsune strategy, avoid and evade, striking only at the first given opportunity. By the time I'm through with you, I'm gonna mount those tails on my wall." Val growled and panted. She was getting tired fast. Before the gray wolf could make another attempt at her, he was suddenly pounced and felt a great deal of weight on his back, then something chomp on his neck. He groaned and shuffled about. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the tigress latched onto him, claws dug into his hide, and fangs in his neck. He gave an annoyed growl. "You tigers are all the same. Hiding in the shadows like the cowards you are, then striking when no one is looking." His entire body began giving off a static-like discharge. Tess was caught off guard and looked him in the eyes for a brief moment, and was knocked off when his body gave off an explosion. Unfortunately for him, she was latched on real tight, and ended up ripping off some of his skin and taking it with her. He cried out in pain as his hide was torn off. Tess hit the wall pretty hard, and struggled to get back up. As he was going for her again, he was tackled and knocked down by Atemis. He quickly got up and lunged for the black wolf. They went at each other like a couple of starved predators, teeth bared, biting and scratching each other. The gray wolf decided he had enough, quickly swept behind Atemis, and grabbed his tail, swung him in a couple of circles and throwing him to the center of the room, then leapt up high into the air while he was trying to recover and slammed down hard onto him, standing on his throat as the floor broke, causing them to fall one floor down, and crashing through the second floor as well, taking all the way down to the first floor, and leaving a big crack on the ground as Atemis was slammed down into the foundation. His entire body was throbbing, and he was gasping for breath as the other wolf stood on his throat. He was left helpless against him. "I think I'll finish you off first. Just remember, I gave you a chance to turn tail and run." His eyes began to glow. He was clearly readying up an eye laser attack at point blank range. Atemis sat there, struggling to breathe as he tried to think of a way out. He could see blood slowly dripping off the gray wolf's shoulder from where Tess had injured him. A single droplet fell off and landed on Atty's tongue.

Suddenly, something began to change in Atemis. His body heated up, and his heart rate increased rapidly, and the pupils in his eyes turned into snake-like slits. His breathing grew heavier as he grabbed hold of the gray wolf's paw, and all of a sudden, some blunt stones shot up out of the ground, one of them making a heavy impact on the silver-eyed wolf against his gut. He gagged and coughed up some blood, some of it dripping on Atty’s face. The stones looked as though they were made of hardened blood, but seemed to be made of a much stronger material than stone. Atemis was finally able to breathe normally, and was shocked by what he was seeing. “What just happened?” he thought to himself. The rocks retracted back into the earth, and the opposing wolf fell straight to the ground, making a loud thud as he landed. He coughed up some more blood as it dripped down his jaws.

“What did you just do?!” he glared angrily at the black wolf. He growled and managed to charge up an attack in his paw, now sparking with light energy, and made a swing for Atemis. Atty braced himself for a hard blow, but as he seemed to flinch, more blood red stones came out of the ground, and seemed to attach and pile themselves on his body, creating what could only be described as stone armor. As he finished, the gray wolf hit his mark, and made a small explosion, but it didn't seem to phase Atemis. Instead, a crack was heard, followed by an agonizing scream. His opponent looked at his paw as it throbbed, and seemed to be bent out of shape. It appeared to be broken. He backed up and tried to get some distance from him. Atty took a more aggressive stance, and started charging at the other wolf, his body still encased in bloody looking stones, and his body suddenly began to give off a crimson discharge as he dashed towards his opponent. He tackled him directly on the side and heard his ribs crack, and he seemed to have been electrocuted, and was knocked against the wall. The gray wolf collapsed and stared hard at Atemis. “What kind of power is this?! Just what are you?!” He coughed up some more blood. “Could it be that you're… no, that's not possible. He slowly seemed to lose consciousness, and suddenly seemed lifeless. Atemis was panting. The blood stones fell off and seemed to return to the earth. His body temperature, heart rate, and eyes returned to normal. He looked at his paw for a moment, and tried to wipe the blood off of his face.

“Good question. Just what was that power? Did that really come from me?” he asked himself. He heard someone coming down the stairs, and met with his companions, Valentine and Tess.

Nice work, Atemis.” said Val. She and Tess were battered and bruised, not to mention dirty. “What was all that about? Never seen anything like that before.

“I'm not sure,” he replied, “though he seemed to have an idea. I'm not sure what to think of it.”

“Well, there is something familiar about it. I'll do some research on the subject when we get back. Tess, make sure the leader is dead, and be sure to deal with any stragglers you happen across.

“Yes, ma’am,” the tigress replied.

“Come on, Atemis. Let's get out of here. Luna will probably want to know about this ‘Order’.”
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