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Chapter 2: A New Cause For New Paws

Kari led the four down a long hallway and into an empty lobby. Vix was the first to make observations. "If it wasn't obvious before, this place is a hospital." He took a bite from the apple in his hand, waiting for someone to confirm his statement. He was only acknowledged by Kari, who shot him a look for speaking.

The end of the lobby contained several security booths and metal detectors, manned by guards wearing heavy gear from head to paw. Their faces were covered by helmets, chests clad with vests and kevlar, and legs wrapped with metal shin plates. It was almost impossible to discern the species of the people holding power over them.

Max and the others stopped, reluctant to pass through. The nearest guard waved Kari through without a word. Kari turned to the others and beckoned them through the booth. Kuda stepped through first, giving the guard a strong glare. Vix followed, keeping his eyes forward and ears flat against his head. Max walked Jasper through last, keeping Jasper's bright green eyes focused on him and away from the intimidating battalion of soldiers.

The security passage led into a large open room. The room seemed to function as a hangar of sorts, housing dozens of strange aircrafts and motor vehicles that none of them could identify. Jasper nudged Vix carefully as Kari had her back turned. "I don't think we're safe here."

Vix put on a fake smile and rubbed Jasper's head, fluffing up the fur around his ears. "You heard the dragon, we're important to them. Everything is going to be alright."

At the end of the hangar a set of steps led upwards ending in a small door. Kari stopped and allowed the other four to begin their ascent, bringing up the rear with Max.

Kuda snickered. "Well, it looks like if we're gonna die, it'll be here and now."

The door opened at the top of the stairs from the inside. Two shadows stepped out into the light of the hangar, giving away their unexpected appearances. Both were wolves similar in appearance to Kuda, yet with many differences. They wore bright white shorts as well, showing off patterns in their fur that seemed more than unnatural. Dark curves and lines covered their bodies like a maze, tracing their well-formed cuts of muscle through skin. Kuda slowly grew red in the face as he looked up at the much taller versions of himself. Jasper glanced back at Kuda, who immediately hid his muzzle. The two let off no expressions but stood stoic as the four passed into the open door. Kari stopped at the entrance to the doorway, the dark room's only source of light, and paused to smile at Max as her paw reached for the door handle. Without a word, the door shut plunging the four into darkness.

Max felt Jasper's paw on his back and Vix's shoulder against his own as the group huddled together for safety. Max's eyes adjusted immediately to the darkness, allowing him to take a quick glance around the room. A desk rested in the center of the floor with an empty chair behind it. "Can any of you see yet? I don't think anyone's here." The steady breathing of Jasper behind him became the only source of sound in response to his question. "Guys?"

Vix's shoulder was no longer touching him. Jasper began to tighten his hold. "Max, I think they're gone." Max spun around in disbelief to see that both Kuda and Vix were nowhere to be found. He slowly turned to Jasper, who tried his best to conceal a smile, showing several sharp teeth. The lynx removed his paw from the raccoon's back and pressed it to his chest. "I'd like you to meet the headmaster of this wonderful organization."

With two claps, the lights around the room illuminated forcing Max's eyes to adjust once more. Before him stood Jasper, paws open above his head as if showing himself off to an audience while waiting for thunderous applause. Both Vix and Kuda sat slumped over in the large chair behind the desk, rubbing their heads in confusion. Kuda looked back and forth between Max and Jasper. "What...happened?"

The lynx rubbed the small tufts of fur on the tips of its ears and stroked its long fluffy tail. "In case it wasn't completely obvious, that's moi."

Max confronted the cat, ears flat against his head. "What did you do to them?"

Jasper giggled to himself. "I put them in a little bit of a trance, so to speak. They're fine, don't worry. I like you guys. We're going to get along great!"

Kuda stood up from the desk's chair quickly, almost tripping over his own paws. He helped Vix to his feet and snarled at Jasper. "Listen up you pain in the ass cat! The dragon said that the headmaster would explain all of this to us. So you'd better get to explaining."

The lynx took his eyes off of Max and gave Kuda a once-over. "You know, you were my first selection, silly dog." He waltzed over to Kuda and pressed his paw against the wolf's hide. He could feel the steady breathing beneath the dog's built chest. "Some select the first candidates because they see key attributes right away that would benefit a team. Others select any old mutt to meet a body count and narrow down the criteria from there. I'd place myself in the category of the latter." He looked into Kuda's brown eyes and gave him a wink.

"Vix, you were selected by me because you're the smartest damn fox I've ever observed. The thing is, you don't seem to know it yet. That's going to change very soon."

He walked around the desk once more, scratching the wood with a single claw as he made his way back to Max. "You were my last pick, dearest raccoon. You're going to become the very essence of night. No one will see you coming until they're already dead."

Vix found his voice. "So you're kidnapping us as pets to fight for you?"

"Well if you want to downplay the effort that it took to find you all, I guess you could say that. Don't worry, no one is going to miss you. I've seen to that."

Max tried to collect his mind, but his thoughts remained blank. "You did this to us. That's what you can do, isn't it? You tore our minds to shreds."

"Your minds are well intact, just...elsewhere. Don't try anything against me or my operation, I promise you'll lose." He put an arm around Kuda's broad shoulder and another around Max's bringing them together. "The point is..." He opened the door to the hangar and beckoned them outside the office. "See all of these people out there? They're expendable. They are merely bodies to fill the body count." He winked at Kuda. "You four? You're the rooks, the bishops, the knights...you're going to make things happen.

Vix looked out among the soldiers, motor vehicles, and aircrafts. "Four of us? You mean three of us right?" He crossed his arms and looked at the cat.

Jasper lowered his eyes to the ground, avoiding the gaze of his three subordinates. "Yeah, well...that's another story for another day."

Kuda turned and lifted the lynx's chin to glare into his eyes. "What's this war of yours we're fighting, exactly?"

Jasper smiled at the chance to explain his cause. "Outside the walls of this facility lies one of the largest cities you've never seen. Every great city needs protection, right?" Kuda rolled his eyes. "A recent threat has...blown a hole in our organization. We needed fresh meat."

"I have no reason to die for you." Max furrowed his brow and turned away from the hangar, staring at Jasper.

"I selected you all because I know that this time will be different." With that, he walked back into the office and stared at the far wall with his back to each of them. Max, Vix, and Kuda stood in the doorway looking in. Jasper pressed a button under the desk, causing the far wall to part in the middle, peeling back panels of metal to expose a large window. What they saw caused each of the three to walk back into the office in awe, staring open-mouthed at the sight before them.