FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Where is Kion?" Fuli asked as she looked to the sides. It had been almost twenty-five minutes after Kion had went to Mr. Howler's office, having being called in there by him. The time for lunch as almost over now and there was no sign of their lion friend.

"He should be back by now..." Said Bestie, getting increasingly worried with Kion, and Bunga was quickly to tranquilize him.

"Relax, Big B, I'm sure that Kion is just having a talk with the teacher and that he will be back at any moment."

"A talk of almost half an hour?" Ono said, and he added, "Teachers usually don 't take this long talking with a student unless the subject is serious. You don't think Kion got himself in any trouble, do you?"

As he spoke that, Fuli's eyes traveled to Bunga, who looked back at her, and he said, "What?"

"Well, it would be not the first time that your pranks put someone other than yourself in trouble." Fuli said, somewhat annoyed, "And surely it would not be the first time that this someone is Kion."

That was, indeed, truth. Bunga made a lot of pranks around, and most of them ended up with someone getting into a teacher's or the principal's room, and it wasn't always Bunga, and when it was, he rarely went to there alone. Fuli could very well remember when Bunga, her, Kion, Bestie, Ono, and many other students were all called into the principal's office after Bunga nearly turned the lunch hall into a water park.

That was a difficult situation, and Fuli passed half of the following week grounded due to having been involved into a situation like that, even if she was only involved with that unintentionally, and she had actually tried to stop the whole thing. She had barely spoke to Bunga for the next two weeks after that.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Bunga said, and he added, "It is just the second day of school! I didn't did anything... yet..."

"Oh, please, once you got detention in the first day!" Fuli said.

"Hey! It was not my fault! I didn't knew that the bathroom would be flooded if I flushed down the roll of toilet paper!" Bunga said in his defense, and while he and Fuli discussed, Ono and Bestie could only share a look among themselves, and roll their eyes, as they knew that this was not the first time that these two discussed. Fuli had a difficult and serious personality, and Bunga was carefree and worriless, and that was a combination that would surely be volatile if you let it together for too long.

These kinds of discussions were actually normal among them, despite them both always continued to be good friends.

Ono looked to the side to escape from that sight, and he got surprised with what he saw.

"Hey! It's Kion!" He said, and all the eyes turned to him and then the direction he was looking at. Their lion friend was running in their direction, soon he was in there, and he said, "Sorry for taking long, Mr. Howler had a lot to say to me."

His friend were far from mad at him, and Fuli was the first to speak. "Never mind, we were just worried with you." She had a smile as she talked to him, but Bestie soon spoke.

"But... you took way too long. What Mr. Howler wanted to speak about?"

"Oh, that... He just wanted to talk to me a bit more about my future and my goals." Kion said, and his friends didn't noticed that he was kind of nervous.

"Kion, is everything okay?" Fuli asked, and Kion said:

"Huh, yes, it is... is just..." Kion looked to the side, and he said, "You remember that we had agree to go out bowling today? Well, I'll have to pass by it, I'll have to stay in school."

This surprised his friends.

"What? Why? Did Mr. Howler put you in detention?" Ono asked, and Fuli was soon giving another hard glare at Bunga, who quickly noticed and answered:

"Why you keep staring at me like that? I did nothing!"

"No! No, I'm not in detention!" Kion quickly said, and he cleared his throat, and he added, "Is just that, Mr. Howler offered me a job."

"A job?"

"What kind of job?"

"Well, he said that he could help me reflect better about my future and that I could help him at the same time. He offered me a job as his intern, you know, helping with his organization, doing stuff for him, noting his compromises, this kind of stuff." Kion said, and all of his friends looked at him as the lion spoke that.

"He hired you as his secretary?" Bunga asked, and Ono said:

"A teacher hiring a student as intern is not very common."

"Yeah, he said that I needed to think a little more about my future and about my career, and he said that having a little experience as his intern would help me think better about it."

His friends all shared a look, and Fuli said, "Kion... Don't you think that maybe he was saying that to convince you to work to him for free?"

It was a valid question. Being an inter was something that poorly paid, or not paid at all, and it was common that people offered the "experience" of being an intern to other people in order to get someone to do work to them for free. In fact, Fuli failed to see how being an intern for the history teacher would help Kion with his future.

"I think it might be good." Bestie said, the others looked at him, and he cleared his throat. "I mean, we all have to get a little experience into a job sooner or later, and it is not always something glamorous, but a job is a job. The important is that you gain some experience from it and that you get introduced to what working is like."

There was a brief silence, and Ono then said, "I agree with Bestie. Having a job helps you develop responsibility and knowing how to do certain things, like working with deadlines and compromises, it is good for your development overall, even if it is about something that you might not follow career into. Actually, I was really thinking about finding a job as an intern myself, Mr. Howler is still searching?"

"Well... it is not a sure thing yet." Kion said to his friends, "Actually, today is more like a test. I'll spend the afternoon working with him, and depending on what goes on, I might stay as his intern or we might forget the situation."

His friends all nodded at him, and Bunga said, "But, this means you will have to spend the days working for Mr. Howler?"

Kion looked at him, and he said, "Well, I'm not sure yet because we still haven't decided. We'll just try out this experience and if it works out I'll decide if I will or not take the job as his intern."

Bunga was about to ask for something else, when the signal rang, letting everyone know that the lunch break was over and that they should all rush to their next class. This put an end to the conversation that Kion was having with his friends, and Kion was actually glad for this. Soon he and his friends were gathering their stuff and all moving in direction to their next classes, and he was able to hear Bunga complaining that work would take too much of Kion's time, and that he would have no more time to spend with them. Fuli was soon asking him to let it go, while Ono and Bestie discussed the importance of having the first experience in a job.

Kion barely listened to them, as he had gave them a lighter version of the things. Kion still could remember perfectly well the thing that had lead him to give that version of facts to his friends...

*FLASHBACK*

"This... this is all so hard to believe..." Kion said, as Mr. Howler continued to look at him, and the lion continued.

"I mean... I know it is truth, but... it is all so strange and so sudden. And, the idea of risking my life... But... I do want to protect people." Kion said quickly, and Howler looked at him as he spoke that.

"My dad always told me that I had to make sacrifices to protect people, and that risking my life was one of them." Kion sounded confident as he spoke that, and Howler continued to look at him, a small smile forming in his lips.

"But..." Kion continued, and he said, "I don't think he had fighting with monsters in his mind when he spoke that. It was clear that he was still unsure of what to decide. He was into an inner struggle between accepting the offer and fighting to protect people, or refuse and go back to his normal life.

Howler felt sympathy for the lion, and after a while, he made a small decision.

"Well, what about we make with you the same agreement that I made with my teacher when he called me for this job?"

"Huh?" Kion looked at him as he said that with that same smirk in his face.

"I too was indecisive when I was first invited to become a Millien Magi, so, my teacher proposed a little thing to me." Howler explained, "He proposed that I would company him while he went on a mission, as a watcher, of course, in order to see what the job of a Magic Knight was like, and then I would decide if I would accept or not."

Kion looked at him as he explained that, and after a while of silence, he spoke, "You... want me to go with you while you hunt a monster?"

Howler could notice the hint of fear that was into the lions voice, and he quickly said, "Don't worry, I can protect you." He said, "I'm going after that siren that tried to get you and the shark, after all, she is still around right, I need to find her and take care of her before she hurts someone else. But don't worry, I can assure that I'll protect you. I have been doing this for years, and I can already be called a professional."

The way he talked was almost as if he was inviting Kion to a stroll around the city, and Kion was not sure of what to think about it all. Part of him still wanted to simply refuse it all and go back to his normal life. Let Howler do whatever he needed to do to wipe away the strange things that he saw from his memory and make his life normal once again, so he could go back to all that he knew.

Still, somehow, something inside of him was telling him that he could not turn back now. He had entered into a world that he wanted to see more. Maybe it was just a wicked sense of curiosity, but it was still in there. It combined with that confident and kind smile in the face of that wolf, and that made him think about the offer, ignoring the fear and the danger that could possibly come of this kind of thing. This filled him with a sense of near safety, and he looked at the wolf as he made a decision that he might even regret later, but something inside of him told him that it was the answer that he should give:

"I... I'm not... okay!" Kion said finally, Howler looked at him curiously, and Kion said, "I'll go with you, to see what is like to be a... Magic Knight, and to see what I would expect if I do decide to become one." Kion said with a confidence that he didn't thought that he should have in a moment like that. This surprised him and Howler both.

The wolf looked at him for a while, before he let out a heartedly laugh, as if he had heard something kind of funny. Kion could only look at him, as the wolf looked at him, still chuckling a bit, and he said:

"Kion Prideland, you really are like a younger version of myself." He said, and Kion didn't knew how to answer that. Howler simply said, "Well, since that is settled, I guess you can go back, but you got to be ready." He walked to the lion, and placed a furred hand in his shoulder.

"Today you will have your first practical lesson about the jobs of a Millien Magi." He spoke, and he was serious as he spoke that, "You are probably going to see some things that would make people older than you go insane." He spoke that in a serious tune, but he still had that smile that said that it was all going to be okay.

"Ooookay?" Kion said to the wolf, who only patted his shoulder, "You better be going." Howler said, "You don't want to be late for the next class." The lion nodded, and he finally was going on his own way, exiting the room and leaving the wolf behind in that.

As Kion was heading to his next class, his mind was still running a thousand miles per hour. He was barely even hearing the voices of his friends, who were walking by his side, for his mind was too much absent into the subject of the "Millien Magi" and the idea that, in that same day, he was going out with his teacher to hunt for a monster.

Kion was still trying to take a grip into what had happened, and he was still trying to know if that had really happened. The past events had been very strange to him, almost like it was some kind of action movie that Kion watched. On the other hand, maybe horror would be a better theme for this situation. However, the young lion had already convinced himself that it was not a movie, and neither it was a dream or an hallucination. It was very much real, and it was his life.

He was really going to hunt for a monster...

"Fuli?" Kion said as he turned to his friends, and the cheetah looked at him as he had spoke to her.

"You still have access to the gym's equipment?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There is any chance that you can get me a bat?"

The day passed rather quickly after that, with Kion having several mental images in his head of what would be like go around the town hunting for monsters. Images that went from Howler crossing the skies on his flashy costumes to lurking into the dark like the ninjas.

Still, Kion was sure that he should be ready to anything that could come. He was not sure of what to expect, so he expected pretty much anything.

Kion was actually surprised when he heard the last signal, for he barely noticed that the time had passed at all. He knew that it was afterschool, the time that he agreed to have this "experience" with the new teacher.

He briefly met with his friends, and apologized to not going out with them as they had agreed. Bunga was still complaining to no end, and the others had the feeling that it was going to make the whole trip far less enjoyable.

Fuli, attending to Kion's request, brought to him a baseball bat. She found it rather odd, but she complied with the request that her lion friend made, and she only recommend him to return it in two days or less.

Kion nodded, and soon, his friends departed, and the lion was on his own way, once more, in direction to Mr. Howler's room.

He met him exactly as the wolf was getting out of his office, and they both met.

"Hello, Mr. Prideland." The wolf said, and Kion nodded at him, and the wolf said, "Ready?"

Kion knew that it was his last chance of turning away now, and he felt tempted to do so. However, still had something in the back of his mind that pushed him in direction of that which his rational mind told him that he should avoid at any cost.

So, Kion simply nodded, and the wolf nodded back at him. And so, they both started to walk into the same direction, with the wolf head, leading the way. None of them talked until they both reached Howler's car, and they both seated their belts. Howler ignited the engine and soon the car was on the road, and driving rather calmly as they both continued in silence. Howler still had that soft smile in his face, which almost seemed to be a natural part of his features.

The continued with silence for five minutes, before Kion finally decided to break the silence. "So... I brought this." He said, showing the baseball bat that Fuli gave to him, Howler simply looked at it briefly without saying anything, before turning his head back to the road. "Think it will be useful?"

"Maybe." Howler said as he continued with his eyes on the road. "But it was a good initiative of yours." He said, ad once more, there was silence, before Kion said.

"So... where do we start into this 'monster hunting' stuff?"

"Well, we usually start in the place that we know that the target has lastly been." Howler said as he continued to drive. "In this case, the mall."

As he said that, Kion was starting to recognize the path that the wolf was taking. Soon, the mall was in their sight, and they stopped in front of it with the car.

Kion expected the wolf to get down of the vehicle, but instead, the canine only stood there with the car. As he looked at Kion, he said, "If the creature you are fighting manages to escape, or if you are only going after it after it has already left, it is very important to know the last place that the creature was, so you can calculate where it could go next." He spoke, as if he was giving one of his lessons back in school.

"So, lets go back to the mall." He said with a smile, as he started the car and was about to start driving, leaving the parking area of the school.

Kion looked at him. The wolf was acting very casual, considering that right now they were in their own way to go hunting for monsters. He had mentioned that he had done it for years; maybe he just got very used to it?

Will I be like that if I spend years doing this? Kion asked himself, as Howler started the car, and he started to drive away from the school.

It felt kind of strange to be into the mall again after what happened into the day before. The idea that there was a magical creature in there that could have killed him and that shark, and that no one else knew about, was something that made Kion feel very unease. It really felt like something that had come out of one of Bunga's beloved comic books and video games.

"The last place our siren has been." Howler said as they were both still inside the car, and the wolf was looking at the mall. The wolf raised his hand, and the ring in it started to emit a soft glow.

Kion looked curious at it, and the wolf looked back at him, and he said, "One of the abilities of the Power Gem is to sense and detect sources of magical energy, which include supernatural creatures that are in this plane. The Power Gem can feel their particular vibrations and even track them, as long as their track is fresh.

Kion nodded at him, and the wolf continued, "Following the track can be somewhat tricky, and you need some focus and also some luck to be able to follow it for long periods of time. Considering that the creature has not gone far."

Kion nodded again, and then, he asked something that he really felt like asking.

"Hmm, Mr. Howler?"

"Yes?"

"Couldn't you have chased the siren yesterday?"

The lion looked at him with smart eyes, and he chuckled, and said, "Indeed, I could, and I did. As soon as I saw that you and the shark were okay, I went hot into her tracks, but I lost it after a while."

"Oh!" Kion said, and now he looked confused, "But... if you already lost her, then why we-?"

"So I could explain to you the importance of knowing the place where the creature had been." The wolf explained to him. "So you could truly understand what it mean to be a Millien Magi, and so that you would know exactly what you are meddling into if you decide to accept my offer."

Kion nodded slightly. Yeah, he could get it. The wolf was teaching him the basic of the basic, and there was no way that Kion could criticize him in any way for that.

"But... since you lost track of the siren's magic... (I don't believe I just said this seriously) how do we find it?"

Howler looked back at him, and smiled as he asked, "How do detectives and cops find their culprits?"

Kion knew that answer, and he said, "By following clues and leads." He said quickly, Howler seemed to approve it, and he said:

"We do pretty much the same thing. If we want to find a creature, we search for the leads and clues that could take us right to it." He said with that smile, and Kion soon was finding himself somewhat relaxing, and Howler said, "And I think I already know where to find our first lead..."

As he said that, he started the car again, and he started to drive away from the mall, and back into the road.

He drove for around a few minutes, going deep into the city, and stopped into a corner that was somewhat away from the residential buildings, and the place seemed to be somewhat the kind of place that shady individuals would frequent. Howler stepped out of the car, and so did Kion. The lion looked around.

"What are we doing here?"

"We are about to talk to a source." Howler said, and he gestured for Kion to follow him.

"Another Millien Magi?" Kion asked, and Howler simply chuckled as he walked forward, with Kion following him. "Just try not to be scared by him." He said as they walked into an alley.

As soon as they walked inside, Kion felt like a bucket of cold water had been dump into him. A chill ran his back and to the tip of his tail, making all the fur on his spine stand to end. He immediately had the feeling that they were not alone in there, and Kion had this feeling that it was something that you would not find on your everyday stroll into the city.

They walked into the alley, which was desert and the place was somewhat dark, despite being the middle of the afternoon, and Howler walked around with Kion by his side as if he had already come to that place in a regular basis.

"Dirty... far... dark... smelling like decadence..." Howler said as he walked into the alley. "Exactly the kind of place he likes to stay..." He said to himself, and Kion knew instinctively that he was talking about his "source".

The wolf walked in, with the lion following him from behind, the wolf looked around, and he said aloud, "Ragtir!" He said, as he looked around, and he called again. "Ragtir! Come out, we need to talk!"

Kion looked at him as the wolf looked around, and as he did, Kion again felt like something was looking on them. This time, however, he felt like it was closer, and like it was creeping around them. Kion turned his head around, looking at the sides, as if he was expecting to see something jump out of the shadows of the brick walls and jump over them.

Howler noticed it, and he looked at the lion, "So, you can feel his presence, can't you?" He asked at the lion, as if he was asking something that he already knew the answer.

Kion looked at him, and was about to ask what he meant, when he heard a voice saying, "Who is this you brought with you, Howler? Some little friend? Or is he a small snack that you brought to me?"

Kion almost had a backlash at his neck as he twisted his head to all sides, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming. As he looked, Kion suddenly had the feeling that the ambient around him was getting darker, as if the shadows were getting more intense. The lion was very surprised by this, the wolf, on the other side, was just as calm as he could be, and he looked around, and he said, "He is my new apprentice, or better saying, my possible new apprentice." He looked to the sides, as he too seemed to be trying to pinpoint the place where the voice was coming from, "We are in the middle of an experience..."

Kion looked at Howler, as the voice came again, first as a chuckle, and then as words once more. "He is rather young... You guys always pick the younger ones, don't you? It is easier to mold them to be like the rest of you..."

"We came here to talk with you about a thing." Howler said, looking around, "It is important, so could we please cut this out and you can just take us in? I pretty sure that it would be a bad idea we talking out here, where someone could just walk on us. It would be hard to explain and would cause a lot of problem, don't you agree?"

There was no verbal answer this time, but after a few seconds, Kion had the very familiar feeling that the ambient around him was distorting. It was just like the mall, and this time, Kion had the feeling like the shadows around were growing in size and darkness, and engulfing them as the space distorted.

It lasted only a few seconds, and then, Kion saw himself into a very different place.

It looked like the inside of some of these old antique store, with some old decoration, like rugs into the floor, and some painting into the walls, and even a lot of shelves into the place, holding several items. However, a quickly glance at that place was enough to know that this could not be a regular store, starting by the fact that the rugs into the ground seemed to be made of shadows, which constantly shifted and altered their shape.

Kion stood there, a bit stunned by this sudden change, and he looked around as he tried to make a sense out of the place that he was in, and as he did, he felt a creep down his spine, right before he felt what it seemed to be a hand laying on his shoulder.

Kion's head slowly turned to look at the direction the hand was coming from, and he saw a creature looking back at him. It was at least three feet taller than him, and it had an appearance that was somewhere between a bird and a bat. The body was sleek and almost seemed fragile, and it was black as the night. The head looked like the one of a bird, including the beak that was like the one of an eagle, crowned by a three pairs of bat ears. The eyes were fixated in Kion, and they were pure red in color with black pupils, which both looked like seven-pointed stars.

Kion gasped when he saw that creature, and took a step back, escaping from the creature and taking his hand to the hilt of the bat he was carrying, as if he was ready to use it to defend himself.

By seeing this, the creature let out a chuckle as it looked at him, seeming amused by his acting.

"You just don't waste a chance, do you?" Howler asked, seeming annoyed as he looked at the creature, and it looked back at him, before saying.

"Oh, sorry about that John, I just can't help it. Scaring you mortals is just too much fun!"

Howler sighed, apparently in resignation, and he turned to the lion, "Kion, I'd like you to meet Ragtir." He said, introducing him to the creature before him. The lion only looked at him, as he seemed to be at loss of words. The creature only looked back at him with a smirk on its beak, as if expectantly, and Kion slowly raised his other hand.

"N-nice to meet you..." Kion said, with his hand stretched, but the other was still holding firmly at the bat on his back.

The creature let out a screeching laugh, and said, "Howler, this one is a nice one."

Howler shrugged, and he said, "Well, I guess that are some that take this quite well. Kion is actually doing a lot better than I expected. Well, better than I did during my first day, at least."

The creature nodded, then reached out for Kion's hand, and took it into a grip. Its hand was leathery, and yet strangely insubstantial. It was big and had four long fingers that ended into white claws. It slowly shook Kion's hand, as he said, "Well, I really glad that Howler here has found someone who is actually a nice fella. I am also glad that you are not one of the ones that scream when you see me. After all, John surely told you what I do with the ones that scream..." He added with a dark smirk.

"W-w-what do you do with them?" Kion asked, but Howler quickly intermitted.

"Don't mind him Kion, Ragtir things the expressions of fear and shock of anthros to be very amusing, so he tries to scare us in every chance that he gets." The way he talked, it seemed that it was an annoying habit, and the creature only chuckled, before letting go of Kion's hand and turning his attention back at Howler.

"You make such funny faces in these moments, how can I possibly resist the temptation?" He asked, and he approached the wolf, Kion noticed that the creature, named Ragtir, seemed not to have a lower body, as it seemed to be just a spiraling mass of misty shadow. "So, what can I do for you today, Mr. Howler?"

"Yesterday I just had a problem with a siren." Howler said to Ragtir, as if it was a topic of a casual conversation, Kion only looked at the two as they talked. "I tried to track her, but lost her tracks after a while. She is still around, that much I'm sure of, and she might try something again, and next time I might not be around to stop her. So, I was wondering if you would, by any chance, have any hint that would help me find her."

Ragtir once more chuckled, and he said, "Perhaps, maybe I have. But before I say it, do you have anything for me?"

Howler sighed, and he reached into his bag, he searched in it for a few moments, and he pulled out a small snack box, like the ones that came from fast foods. The shadow creature seemed to perk all of its ears as it looked at it, and Howler opened it.

Kion could barely get a look inside, but it seemed to be filled with what seemed to be hundreds of small gelatinous globs.

"Eggs of feral frog." Howler said, "Courtesy from the science department of W.D. High. They have some females that lay eggs into this time of the year, but very few males. Most of them are unfertilized and end up going to waste, luckily, I can save some, I know how much you love those."

Ragtir chuckled to himself as he approached it, and took a deep sniff of the eggs. He licked his chops at it, and he tried to pick one with his long and skinny hand, but Howler quickly pulled it away from his reach, and he simply eyed him with a knowing smile.

The creature nodded, and said, "A siren, yes, I guess I heard some talking going around about one that had just arrived. Sneaking into the dark corners of the city, trying to find nice young male mortals to feast upon... They say she is quite the radical, and that she is crazy, even more than our regular sirens." As he spoke, he walked around the place, and he seemed to be looking at the shelves.

"I heard that she wants to have some males so she can take with her back to her land, and to share them with her sisters as snacks, and maybe slaves. Kind of creepy, if you ask me, after all, you mortals should stay in here, in your own world. Don't take me wrong Howler, you guys are quite adorable, but there is no way I would want the risk of some of you running free all over my world."

"Yeah, I get it." Howler said, seeming very calm, but Kion, on his side, felt a little insulted from this. That creature was, basically, talking about them as if they were cute feral animals that were nice to look at, but were way too impractical to have in home as pets.

"Anyway, I heard that she was very pissed yesterday, for she had a meeting with a Millien Magi that cut off her fun." He said, as he looked at the shelves, and removed something from them. "Now, I heard that she is somewhere north of the city, near water, you know how they love water, don't you? She is in there plotting how to get back at that Millien Magi that screwed her meal, and also trying to find a way to bring forth more mortals to her, so she can see her plans fulfilled."

He walked back to Howler as he said that, carrying what seemed to be a small glob of blue gel. "I heard that she has quite some tricks, some even say that she got into an alliance with some dangerous individuals." He talked to Howler, as he offered him the glob of blue gel. "This might prove to be useful, if you want it."

Howler looked at him, and he nodded, and picked it from the creature's hand. It passed to his hand easily and without leaving any residue. The creature kept his open hand open and stretched as Howler picked the glob, and looked at him as if expecting something.

Howler knew exactly what it was. He deposited the box containing the unfertilized feral frog's eggs into the creature's hand, who gave a shadowy smile back to him.

They nodded to each other, and Howler turned around to walk back to Kion, who had been watching and hearing all that was happening, and was now looking slightly dumbfounded.

The creature then said, "Howler..." The wolf stopped by Kion's side, and turned around to look at the creature, who was smiling at him. "This boy you found is pretty interesting. I guess I will hear a lot about him in the future. If he chooses to stay in this life, I mean."

Howler looked back at him, and simply nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I'm sure you will."

With that said, the creature raised its hand and snapped its long and skinny fingers. Immediately, the area started to distort around them once more, and after a few seconds, Kion and Howler were both back into the alley, and everything seemed perfectly normal.

Kion blinked, as looked around, and then at the wolf, who was casually looking at the gelatinous glob on his hand with a slightly smirk. Kion's expression was one that one could read as: "what the heck just happened?"

Howler looked at him, and chuckled, "Yeah, I made that same face during my first day." He said to the lion, as he put the globe of gel inside the pocket of his jacket, and he said to Kion, "Remember when I said that some creatures were more amiable than others? Well, Ragtir is one of these creatures. He is an umbral, a creature of shadows. They can be quite dangerous if you push their buttons, but most of them are not the kind that start fights, Ragtir is one fine example of a traditional umbral, just wants to stay on his corner and mind his own life." Howler said, "So, these harmless guys can just be let be, and as you saw, some of them are actually quite helpful, if you give them a good incentive. So, let's go?" He said, as he started walking, and Kion took only a second before rushing alongside the wolf, casting one last glance back at the alley from where the meeting had occurred as they left it behind. There was absolutely no sight of the supernatural event that Kion had just witnessed in there, and no proof that it had actually happened, and that Scared the young lion...

"So... these umbrals... they are completely harmless?"

Howler chuckled, "I wouldn't say completely. After all, they are quite stronger than they appear, and they have some tricks up their sleeves. In fact, if an umbral was mad or felt threatened it could easily kill most of the adult anthros rather easily. However, they are, in general, pacific and don't go searching for fights. Besides, each one is each one; an umbral is not like the other, just like a lion is not like the other."

Howler unlocked the door and entered the car, and do did Kion right behind him, and as he buckled his belt, he continued, "Ragtir is an example of an umbral that is very much what you expect of them: he is calm and will only fight if he sees no other option. I met him when I first moved to the city, and soon I saw that he was a calm fella and that he didn't meant harm. So I let him be, and I'll continue to do so as long as he does not threatens or harms anyone."

Kion nodded. It surely made a lot of sense; after all, the creature had done nothing wrong.

"And what if it..."

"Him." Howler corrected him.

"Oh! Right... what if he starts to hurt people?" Kion asked, looking at the wolf, who cast a glance at him as the lion talked, "Will you..." Kion hesitated, and he passed a finger over his neck, making a rasping sound.

Howler only looked at him, and he asked, "It is really what you think I do?"

Kion was a bit surprised by the way that he said that. "Uhh, yeah? I mean, in the mall, with these things that attacked me, you did..."

Howler looked at Kion, and he chuckled softly, "Kion, have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons?"

"What?" Kion asked, confused by this sudden divergence of topic, and Howler explained.

"One of the aspects of the game is the one of creatures that came from other planes of existence, like demons, elementals, and other summoned creatures. When they are attacked in the game, they suffer damage like any other creature, however, if they hit zero HP, instead of dying, they are send back to their home plane."

Kion looked at him as he finished the explanation, and the wolf said to him, "In real life is something very similar. When a creature crosses the veil and come to our world, they are still tied to their own world. So, if they suffer anything that would kill them, instead they are hurled back to the place they originally came from." Howler smiled at him as he finished, "Basically, it is like we are people from immigration. If the ones that travel to our world desire to live here in peace and not to cause trouble, then they are free to stay for as long as they want, but if they start hurting innocents and creating chaos, then we deport then back to their original world."

Kion heard every word he said, and he nodded in acknowledge. This made a lot of sense, and actually, now that Kion could stop to think about it, it was far better than killing.

"So, these things we fought are still alive?"

"Probably." Howler said, "I send them back to their home, and once in there, they are on their own. This is what I'm telling you, Kion, a creature can only be truly killed if it is on its own world."

Kion nodded at him, and then, the wolf started to car, and he said, "So, Ragtir said that the siren is somewhere north of the city and near water. I guess I have to go look for her now, right?" He turned to Kion, and he asked, "So, would you know that any great amount of water in the north part of the city? I mean, after all, you know the city way better than me."

Kion looked at him, a bit surprised by this. Kion had now to stop to think a little.

Well, the north of the city was a place that had many business places. It also had many places in there that were famous for their touristic nature, like the old library, or the great buildings.... or the lake!

"There is a lake in the north of the city!" Kion said immediately, and Howler looked at him as he explained. "The lake is part of a river, and it was part of the foundation of the city. It is a very popular place, and some people actually go in there to swim and to expend some time into the water or into the nearby park."

"Sounds like a very inviting place to a siren that is searching for some anthros as prey." Howler said, as he started to drive.

The trip would take a while, and so, Kion decided to use this time to ask another question that has been bugging into his mind.

"Huhh, Mister Howler? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Kion." The wolf said, "You can ask me anything you feel like asking."

"Does that creature... Ragtir, he really lives in the city? It is only him, or there are more?"

"As I said, as long as a creature does not creates trouble it is allowed to live peacefully in this world. Quite some creatures decide to come and stay in this world, either for a one-day visit, or to stay for a longer time, sometimes even for life. Anyway, these creatures all know the rules for staying, and they also know that it is a bad idea to risk being seen, so most of them stay along the astral plane."

"Astral plane?"

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Howler asked him, and in fact, the term "astral plane" was something that was highly recurring into the themes regarding fantasy. "The astral plane is real. It is a world that is superimposed into this world, here and not here at the same time, so to speak."

The wolf continued to drive as he made a turn and drove down the street heading to north. "The astral plane is mainly composed of astral mists. Mists that can be controlled and used to create matter, or what it seems to be matter. This way, is possible to use the astral plane to create new kinds of environments and places. This is the way that creatures that come to our world can create their barriers, by controlling the astral vapors and molding them into a new place where they can stay and hide."

Kion nodded, "So... all the creatures can control the astral plane?"

"Not necessarily." Howler said as he drove. "Controlling the astral plane is not something that anyone can do at any time. However, it is rather simple, if you know the right magic or has the access to the right equipment. Since crossing the veil is difficult, the ones that do so usually already have access to strong magic, and so, they have no difficulty into molding the astral plane. Some creatures have more facility to it than others, but it is not very hard. I heard that even some Millien Magi are able to do so with their own magic, to create their own 'astral operation base', but it is not simple, it consumes time and magic."

"And they can do whatever they want to it?" Kion asked, getting more and more interested into the subject.

"It depends." Howler said, "The astral plane is amorphous by nature, but it tends to resist to outside manipulation. There is a limit to how much you can actually change, determined by the power of your magic and your own skill. You saw that Ragtir's place was somewhat small? It is because he can only manipulate it enough to control a limited space, as most creatures do. However, there are many powerful creatures out there, they can control the ambient around them to great extends, creating barriers that vary in size from a small city block to a whole city."

Kion nodded, and so, the trip continued. They took around forty minutes, following the traffic (Howler had some difficulty navigating, for he was still recently moved to the city and still didn't knew it completely, so he had to rely a lot on Kion to give him directions), in order to arrive into the park.

Known as the Foundation Park, being name that way because it was the first place that the few colonists came when they first arrived into the new land, and where they first settled their camping to stay, which later became a village, which later evolved into the city that today existed. It all started into that great lake in there that was part of a great and long river, which started into the snowy mountains of the north, went all the way to the lake, and later continued in direction to the ocean, cutting that part of the city from east to west. It was a very popular place, with the lusty-green grass and the pavements for people to walk on it, and it was nested safely very near the lake, where some people would like to stay to help them calm, and even to take a dip into it. The lake had a very good maintenance, and it was permitted to bath in it, as long as you didn't made anything to the lake and didn't polluted it in any way. The lake was also a popular place for fishing, once it was full of feral fish that people came to try to catch.

Kion and Howler both stopped into the parking lot and exited the car, as they looked into the place. Kion had been there a time or two, and Howler, well, it seemed that it was his first time in there, and he took a time to admire the view.

"Wow! What a nice place." He said as he looked at the blue lake, which shone in the afternoon sun. "I should have come here sooner."

Kion was still amazed on how natural he was taking things, considering that they were currently on mission to hunt a supernatural creature. The wolf seemed to noticed it by the way that Kion looked at him, and he chuckled, "What, you expected me to be all serious about this and don't even look around?"

Kion looked at him for a few moments, and then wolf said, "Well, I suppose that there are certain Millien Magi who are like that, but I'm not one of them." He was smiling as he said that, "I try to take a break from this when I have a chance, to only look around, pass my time, and enjoy the little things. When you are always busy fighting some creatures that want to eat anthros, you need some small break from time to time. At least that's what I think..."

Kion looked at him, and he was not sure if he agreed with that or not, and Howler soon broke the line of thinking, as he said, "Well, I guess we can enjoy it later. Right now, we have to catch a siren." He looked around, and gestured for Kion to follow him.

The lion and wolf started to walk around the park, as if they were exploring it. Howler showed particular interest into the areas near the lake, and as he did, Kion noticed that he occasionally had eyes for his ring.

They spent around twenty minutes doing it, until Howler stopped. Kion looked over, and he could swear that he was seeing the gem on Howler's ring starting to shine, and it was blinking, as if it was a warning light.

"Well, look at that..." Howler said, looking at his ring.

"Why is it blinking?" Kion said, and Howler looked at him surprised.

"You can see it?" He asked, and Kion just nodded, not getting why he shouldn't be able to see it...

Howler seemed to ponder over it for few moments, but he seemed to shake it off, as he focused his attention back to the ring and started to explain. "It is doing this because it sensed a source of magic energy somewhere near. This might mean that our siren is somewhere near."

So, they started to follow the ring, and Kion noticed that it shone more and with more intensity as they went certain directions, and diminished as they got other directions. It was almost as playing Marco Polo, with the ring indicating if they were hotter or colder.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, they found the way, and it was following the river in the east direction. They walked a bit farther from the park, and as they did, Kion started to have some creeping feelings on his back, as if it were his instincts telling him that something bad was on its way to happen.

After a while, Kion started to hear a voice, very faint, that said, "Come to me..." and that sounded awfully familiar...

"That voice from the mall!" Kion said, before quickly slapping his own hand over his muzzle. Howler looked at him, and he nodded.

They started walking again, and this time, they were going carefully, as if not to warn the siren for their presence. As they walked, they arrived into an old abandoned building that was just by the riverbed. They stayed in the corner, behind some overgrown bushes, looking at the building, which looked abandoned at quite some time.

All the while, Kion could still hear that voice, louder and louder.

"Come to me, my dears. I am waiting for you. Come to me."

As they voice spoke, Kion noticed movement in the front of the building.

Anthros.

Males, all of them walking almost like somnambulists. Around twelve of them, of various species, and they all moving in direction to the building, the place where the voice was coming from.

"What are they doing here?" Kion asked in a whisper to Howler.

"The siren is luring them." Kion said, "The sirens are known for the power of their voices. They use it to lure their victims into their grasp."

"They can lure anyone?"

"Only males." Howler said, "And only the weak willed ones."

Kion watched as the males in there were taken in direction to the voice, as if lured by an invisible force. They entered the building, and as they entered, the voice seemed to become more delighted, as it said:

"Yes, my darlings. Come to me. Let me take you to a wonderful place."

The way it talked was very gentle and charming. To Kion's ears, however, it sounded as sweet as poisoned honey. If he ever heard that voice calling for him, Kion was pretty sure that he would want to go into the opposite direction and stay as far from it as possible.

"Well, I guess this is where I enter." Howler said, as he came out of the bushes and started to walk stealthily in direction to the building. Kion took a moment to follow him, but follow him he did. Soon, they were both approaching the building, and they were near the entrance.

Howler stopped, and he focused on his ring. Soon, that familiar white glow enveloped him, and in a flash of light, he was dressed into that musketeer outfit. Kion, for some reason, was no longer startled by this, even though he gave a step back when the wolf suddenly transformed.

"Ready?" The wolf asked, and Kion had forgotten, just for a moment, that he was supposed to be companying the wolf into his hunting for the siren. The lion nodded, and he wielded the bat, as if he was ready to use it to defend himself.

Howler looked at him, and reached out to grab the bat. As he did, it was enveloped by a bright light, and after a second or two, it vanished.

The bat was made of plain wood, without any kind of decoration. However, as soon as the light ended, the bat itself looked very different. Now it seemed to be made out of a silvery metal, and it was decorated in the tip and the hilt with white oval gems. It also felt just as light as before, despite Kion feeling it in his hands as if it was the hardest metal.

"Wow..." Kion whispered, as he looked at the transmuted object, and he looked at Howler, who simply smiled at him.

"Magic." He said simply, and it was enough of an explanation. "It is not much, but I'm pretty sure that it will protect you from immediate danger." He said to the lion, putting a hand on his shoulder. "This might be the last chance to back away, if you want."

Kion looked at him, and he could see that the wolf really seemed to be worried about him.

Kion wondered if that meant that Kion should be worried too. But... for some reason, Kion didn't wanted to back away.

Kion was scared. Any reasonable person would be scared. Still, Kion felt some kind of excitement over it, almost as if it was the kind of excitement that you feel when you are about to do bungee jumping (well, Kion would not really know, for he never did it himself). It was the excitement of when you are on the edge of the abyss, and feel like jumping in there. Like you are about to throw all of your worries away, and simply deliver yourself to the moment, without worrying about what is on the other end.

Kion knew that it made no sense having this kind of feeling at that moment, but he had it. Along with another feeling that he was having about these poor guys who just got in there.

Someone needed to save them, right?

Kion looked back at Howler, and he simply said, "Let's do this!"

Howler only smiled, and he patted Kion's shoulder, and said, "So let's go." As he and Kion entered into the place, and a small part of Kion's mind was still asking him:

What the heck are you doing!?!?