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Chapter VII: Revival

Brasta's POV:

I stood over Strike, panicking slightly; I normally just take charge in a crisis, but the shock of seeing him like that, combined with the revelation that my mother's killer had survived... was enough to nearly unhinge my "think-before-you-act" mind. I had to get Fuwele; she'd be able to help him, she had to! Making my mind up, I ran off to find her. And after... well, there were other matters I needed to attend to...

Kopa's POV:

We just walked into Strike's den when Brasta came sprinting in, "Strike's been hurt badly; please, help him!" he said, voice on the edge of panic. I knew from what Fuwele had told me that he was normally the calm one in bad situations; but if it was bad enough to make the normally calm lion anxious, it had to be serious.

"Where is he?" she demanded, looking worried. "My den, just please hurry!" Brasta said, running in the opposite direction of his den. "Tojo! Let's go!" Fuwele said, running towards a figure on sprawled on the den floor. For some reason, I didn't follow her; instead, I began to trail Brasta. I was surprised when I saw him run out into the desert, heading north. I kept following him from about ten feet behind, my curiosity overpowering. Where was he going, and why?

I froze when Brasta suddenly halted. He turned around, looking at me as if I was an annoying little cub. I glared at him, trying to figure out why he would abandon his best friend to run off into the desert.

"What are you doing out here?" I demanded.

Brasta cocked his head slightly, "I could ask you the same thing." Brasta replied coolly.

"Aren't you worried about Strike?" I asked, confused and shocked he would just abandon an injured friend like that. "Yes, but I know he'll be okay; besides, there are more pressing matters at hand..." he said, eyes sparking with deep-set determination, fueled by anger.

"Like what?" I asked.

"That doesn't concern you." He retorted, annoyed. As he turned to leave, I was able to leap in front of him to cut him off.

"It may not concern me; but what about Fuwele? How do you think she'd feel if you went out and did something stupid and got yourself killed?" I asked, shouting now.

"Hmph! If you really cared about her that much, you would've stayed with Strike instead of following me for some ungodly reason." Brasta countered.

"Why?" I said, questioning my reasons for even coming out here.

"Because I saw the severity of those wounds firsthand, and not even I'm sure that Fuwele can heal him." Brasta said, walking forward.

"Then you should be there too; you're her brother, for the Gods' sake!" I said angrily.

"What I'm doing now is for all of them; you can't help in your present state. Now be a good little boy and go home." Brasta said, unusually disparaging.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" I shouted, offended.

"Look, just go to her; she needs someone to help her, and I-I can't right now..." he said, drifting off.

"Brasta...what's going on?" I asked, letting my defenses drop.

"I have to finish something I thought I had a long time ago." he said, his voice hard as iron. He quickly changed his manner to slightly concerned. "Just take care of Fuwele, would you?" he asked earnestly. For some reason his tone made me feel sorry for him.

"I will, Brasta; I promise you that." I vowed, turning away, "Just one thing if you're not back by tomorrow I'm coming after you." I said.

"Hmph- fair enough. I'll be back by then." He said, sprinting off. What the hell is going on here? I mentally screamed.

Fuwele's POV:

Needless to say, Strike's wounds were extensive, to put it bluntly. His battered body had recieved a dozens of third-degree burns, and deep gashes across vital organs and muscles. I sat there trying to keep myself from hyperventilating. Just calm down, Fuwele; just calm down, and focus on the task at hand... I gathered the herbs I had stored in the inside of the den, placing them in a bowl-shaped rock before using my paws to pound them. I could only pray this was going to work...

Strike's POV:

All I can see is pure darkness; a complete absence of light, streaked with acute and searing pain. No hope, no warm glow; nothing but pain and suffering. I keep wandering around in endless circles, wincing with every step. Who am I? What have I done? I can't remember anything!

A voice calls to me from the abyss, soft and low, "Strike... I'm here..." I follow the voice eagerly, waiting for an escape. I keep following it, and I fall through a portal of some kind. I land on desert ground, unable to move; I look up and see them. Fujo... and her killers. All I can do is watch, as Drake rends her beautiful fur, leaving it full of horrible gashes... see the crimson fountain gushing from her throat as Sadic slashes it with cold precision, laughing in ectasy. I can only gaze in horror as she's ripped apart by those maniacs. All I can do is break down in sobs as she dies... again and again and again.

I return to the darkness, this time a deep anger rushing over me. Where I was was changing rapidly; I was now in an empty valley, barren of life. Upon the dark horizon, clouds of red gather, and forks of scarlet lightning strike the earth, all to the accompaniment of earth-shattering rumbles. The sky turns from black to red, a scarlet abyss to which there seemed no end. I gaze at a circle of black stone, wreathed in flame, set against the crimson sky. I run towards the gleaming red portal, into a room lit by an even bigger gate, a gargantuan copy of the once I had passed through. A flaming crack slowly appears down the exact middle of the circle. There is a loud crunch, and the two halves of the circle slowly split apart to reveal an empty black void, barren of all light. But I could feel emotion radiating from the void: pain, death, suffering. All the negative energy of the world seemed contained within that void.

As I bravely step through the portal, I see Drake before me, cowering in fear. Oh, this was too delicious to be true; He was afraid of me! I knew what I wanted; I wanted to pay him back for all the pain he had caused Fujo... caused me. Every last slash mark, every last agony he had given me, I would repay. I pin Drake to the ground, smiling devilishly I prepare to rip out his own throat; just like he did Fujo's. But a small voice calls out to me in agony, "Strike... Strike!" I know that voice; but if I let him up, who's to stop him from attacking again? I need to end this. No... I need to kill him; it's the only way to make him pay... the only thing that will make Fujo avenged...

NO! FUJO'S MORE IMPORTANT! As I sprint towards the direction I heard the voice, all I can hear are Drake's calls mocking me and Fujo, "SHUT UP!" I scream, listening again for Fujo's voice... I hear her voice, fainter than before. Now I see her, standing on a bridge across a fiery chasm. I run towards her, but right as I am about to reach her, I get pushed back by Sadic. Anger boiling in my heart, I leap at him, only to be dragged back to the Gates. But Fujo was there, enveloped in white light; she fended off Drake and motioned for me to follow her. Drake lunged for me again. I looked between Drake and Fujo; I couldn't decide between my anger and the one I loved! In that split second, the bridge collapsed, sending me down into the never-ending inferno. I braced myself for the pain; but it never came. I saw Fujo's face before we ascended out of the abyss, and into the light...

Fuwele's POV:

Whew... after hours of extensive medical treatment, I had finally gotten his fever down and hopefully kept the pain level at a minimum. I sat at the edge of the cave keeping a vigilant watch over him. Just looking at Strike covered in poultices like that made me shudder... what could possibly be powerful enough to do this? Moreover, how did he get these burns? I was jerked out of my thoughts by Tojo limping up to the cave. I rushed over to him and shared a friendly embrace; then I gave him the most menacing stare I could muster. "Where were you?" I asked, "He basically convinced Brasta not to go and get you exiled; now he's lying hurt in this cave! Now you go off while you can barely walk yourself! How can I help you if I can't see you?" I said, starting to break down. This was all too much for me, I knew. I mean, seeing Strike like that...

"Look, I'm sorry; I followed Brasta out into the desert, and he said he'll be back by tomorrow..." he said, drifting off when he saw my sobs. As I began to sob, he did something unexpected; he walked forward, tentatively putting a paw on my back. "Fuwele... it's all right." We sat there for a few minutes, just him patting my back getting me to calm down.

"I-I'm sorry it's just that-" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"I know, Fuwele; I know he's like a brother to you as much as Brasta..." he said keeping his arm around me this time. I sat there crying into his shoulder until my tears stopped. I looked up into his eyes, and my vision was obscured by a stunning flash of amber. As I gazed into his eyes, I saw only caring, compassion... and something else I can't quite put my paw on. My heart was racing, and I felt light headed; did I overwork myself? No, I couldn't have... I gradually just got lost in his stare again. He jerked away, though, when we heard a faint chuckle behind us, "Hmph; I guess you were right, Fujo" I turned around to see Strike staring at us from the floor with a pained grin.

Strike's POV:

When we stopped above my body, I winced at how scarred it was. Fujo shed the light that was around her and stepped forward embracing me. "Strike... I need you to stop living in the past..."

"But Fujo they-"

"I know, but I don't want you to end up like them." She said, cutting me off. I thought back to before and shuddered at my actions; was I really that hateful?

"No, you aren't, Strike; but you are loving, caring, and kind, which is why you hate them... and because they killed me. But I want you to stop living in the past; right now you need to protect Kopa, Brasta and Fuwele."

I raised an eyebrow, "Kopa?"

Fujo sighed, "Yes, that's his real name. I don't know why but the Mighty Ones told me to tell you that."

"I will protect them, Fujo, with my life..." I said, growing slightly depressed. She nuzzled me, bringing my attention back to her. "I have to go now. Strike, take care of them, and you can obviously see what's between them..." she said, inexplicably growing sad as she walked away. "Now If only you could see..." She shook her head and turned. A door of light appeared in front of her, "Strike? My answer is and always will be yes." And with that she walked into the light. I cried out her name but to no avail she was gone...

I awoke to a lot of pain in Brasta's cave, I mouthed her name softly. Opening my eyes I noticed 'Tojo' and Fuwele, I inwardly chuckled, "I guess you were right, Fujo." I said smiling; I laid my head back down, my dreams swimming with my memories of her.