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Quint woke up in his bed; unable to move. His crew had strapped him to the mattress and braced his neck with makeshift bandages and what felt like spare pieces of wood. Tireal was across the hall from him; sleeping. The hyena sighed and closed his eyes again. His fast healing would save him, but Tireal was different. Quint worried about the otter.

"I know what you're thinking." Quint opened his eyes and looked around, but he couldn't see who was talking. "You shouldn't worry about him. Your friends will heal him."

"Who's there?" Quint asked.

"I've been here for a while now, you know; watching you." The voice seemed to be all around him; coming from no place in particular. "I don't really have a name, but I suppose you need me to give you one. You fleshy critters seem to like that tradition."

"That would be helpful, yes." Quint was baffled.

"You can call me Gabe."

"Ok, Gabe, where are you exactly?" The hyena was glad for the company, but it was getting weird not seeing who was talking to him.

"I am with you always. I am behind you to give you courage, within you to give you strength, and before you to light your way. By the way, you have a very complex mind if I may make such a compliment."

"Er- if you consider that a compliment, I guess I'll take it as one. If you've been with me all the time, why haven't you spoken before?"

"You came close to death. The barrier between where I am, and where you are has thinned because of this."

"Are you-"

"A God? No. I am just an observer."

Quint tried to shrug, but just winced instead.

"Why are you watching me?"

"I have my reasons, Quint. For one, my employer has instructed me to investigate just who you are and I must say I am intrigued."

"Your employer?"

"No one for you to be concerned about. They have no influence on your world anyway. Your spirit, however, has attracted them and they wish to learn what built you the way you are, so to speak."

"I'm sure you already know this, but my past made me who I am."

"Indeed. That is why we find you so intriguing. There is another like you, though he lives very differently than you chose to. My employer holds interest in both of your talents for a coming conflict."

"What conflict?"

"The details are vague. All we know is that it will shake the foundations of the world. But alas, I probably have said too much on the subject already. I should be silent and resume my duties."

"Ok, but what are you exactly?" Quint wasn't sure how he felt about being watched all of the time.

"I already told you. I am an Observer."

"So... you just watch things?"

"I watch and remember. I'm a record keeper of sorts."

"I see. Well let me get some sleep for now and we'll discuss this in more detail later."

"Fair enough."

The voice fell silent and Quint closed his eyes, lost in thought. This was going to be interesting.

Tireal twitched slightly and came awake. His stomach ached, but it wasn't overwhelming. It felt no different from being winded. The otter opened his eyes and looked down at his bandaged chest and belly. Some of the bandages were tinted red with his blood. The otter sighed and dropped his head back onto the pillow. They must have drugged him to ease the pain. It felt like his entire body was deadweight except for his head. The otter glanced to his left and saw Quint in the bunk opposite his; fast asleep. Tireal hoped he would be alright. He had been pretty badly beaten when Tireal had entered the room. The otter sighed again and silently prayed that they could get the Sapphire back from the wolf who took it. In time, Tireal thought he would understand Quint better, but time had only made the hyena more distant. The otter knew Quint thought of him as a son, at least that's what the hyena told him, but Tireal had fallen in love with the older canine. It wasn't easy for the otter to admit it and he hoped Quint knew that. Tireal would always have a special place in his heart for Quint ever since the hyena had taken him in. He just wished Quint would give a relationship a chance. Tireal found himself sighing again as a tear gathered itself at the corner of his eye and escaped; rolling quickly down his cheek. He had no choice now, but to go back to sleep. Hopefully healing wouldn't take too long.

Quint's eyes opened slowly again and he stared up at the ceiling of his berth for a few moments. The hyena felt the familiar pops of broken bones fusing back together and he sat up slowly; cracking his back all of the way from his tail-bone to his neck. The chameleon had really done a number on him. He swung his legs over the side of the berth and gingerly let himself down to the floor. Boy was he stiff. He stretched a few times; trying to loosen up his brick-like muscles.

"Up and about I see." Gabe said cheerily.

"Yeah, I thought I'd go and tell the crew what I want them to do." Quint replied as he bent over to touch his toes.

"They are a step ahead of you, my friend." Gabe sounded like he was smiling. "They have been on Hikage's trail for about five days now."

"How-? Nevermind." Quint didn't really want to know. "How far from Kathsera are we now?"

"You are two days from Kathsera, but they should be able to see Hikage's ship right about... now."

Quint heard an excited shout coming from the direction of the deck and decided to make his way outside. As he emerged from the cabin, the crew stared at him in shock.

"What?" He asked. "You all look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well you might as well be one." Charr replied. "How the hell are you walking after that beating you took?"

"I heal fast." Quint smiled. "So I trust that you have been following Hikage, then?"

"If that's the name of the guy who nearly killed you, then yes." Alexis spoke up as she pointed off the port side of the Dodger. "His ship is just over three kilometers away."

Quint squinted his eyes to see the small looking ship on the horizon. It looked like a merchant vessel.

"Hard a port!" Quint shouted. "We're going to attack that ship!"

"Are you sure that's smart?" Vicks asked.

"None of them have any piloting experience. We'll surprise them and snatch the Sapphire from under their noses." Quint grinned. "Now take her hard a port!"

The hyena smiled to himself as the ship turned towards Hikage's. Quint was going to let the wolf know who the master of the seas was.

Hikage smiled to himself as he looked into the gem in his paws. The wolf was sitting on the bridge of a merchant's barge. The squirrel captain was sprawled across the helm; one of the boat's elm-wood planks shoved through her head and leaving the ship on autopilot. Hikage tossed the sapphire into the air and caught it again. It was going to be a long trip to headquarters, but he was going to get Tsukuu back. That was all that mattered.

The ship bucked suddenly and Hikage lost his grip on the jewel.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he thrust his arm into the nearest shadow and grabbed the gem from underneath; bringing it back through with ease.

"Baki! What the fuck is going on?" Hikage shouted as he tucked the sapphire into his suit.

"We've got a little trouble, sir! Apparently that hyena heals really fast!" Hikage dashed to the window and saw a metallic ship pulling away from the merchant vessel.

"From a broken neck?" He shouted as he rushed to the door of the bridge.

The Dodger veered hard starboard suddenly and again slammed itself into Hikage's ship.

"Do something!" The black wolf snarled to his cohorts as Quint grinned at him from the bow.

"Having trouble, Hikage?" He sneered as the Dodger pulled away again for another strike. Hikage ran to the helm and pressed as many buttons as he could. The merchant vessel came to a sudden stop; making the Dodger miss by mere feet as it sailed passed them; coming about to face the stopped ship.

"They're going to ram us!" Kogoe screamed in Hikage's mind as the Dodger sped up suddenly; burying its nose into the merchant ship. Hikage braced himself on the back wall as the nose of the wooden ship splintered against the metal of the Dodger. None of his crew knew how to pilot a ship except for Tsukuu. Furious, the wolf shakily made his way out of the cabin and towards Baki. The lizard was carrying a now unconscious Kogoe and a lit torch. She held it above the cargo hold; waiting for Hikage's orders. The wolf stood next to her; watching as Quint leaped aboard the splintered merchant vessel.

"Light it." Hikage snarled angrily.

"But where will we go?" Baki asked.

"Does that matter!? I'm going to jump us somewhere now light it!"

Quint was halfway across the merchant boat before he looked up. The torch fell into the hold and the three commandos disappeared into shadow. Quint was puzzled at first and then he smelled the gunpowder. The hyena turned on his heal and shouted at his crew.

"Everyone get below deck, now!"

Quint's legs moved as fast as they could on the wood; trying to get back to his ship before the wooden one exploded. He saw all of his crew climb below decks and he was almost there. A movement in his shadow caught his eye and he looked down only to have Hikage's fist planted squarely under his jaw. Quint reeled; the blow taking him off of his feet.

"Happy landings, traitor." Hikage growled as he slithered back into the darkness.

The hyena's senses were stunned from the surprise attack and he heard the explosion over the ringing in his ears. He reached for anything near him to stop himself with, but the dark haze of unconsciousness was creeping in around his vision as he sailed in slow motion towards the cargo hold; helpless to stop himself. The heat came next; surrounding him and lapping at his fur.

Am I going to die here?

Quint waited for the flames to overwhelm him.

"Giving up already?" Gabe's voice rang in his head. "You immortals are so fatalistic."

Quint thought he felt something grab his ankle, but before he could determine what or who, the rest of the explosion propelled him in the opposite direction. He saw his ship go by beneath him and he had a chance to look up before the cold, salty water surrounded him. The sun sparkled on the surface as it drifted away from the sinking hyena and his senses gave out at last. The past had brought him here.

I am going to die here... Why does the past always come back? He thought before his mind dissolved into black.

***

The night air was cold as Hikage stood in front of the open cargo doors of the drop ship. The wolf was smoking a cigarette and he idly put it out on the side of the door before sliding it closed and returning to his seat. There was a muscular hyena sitting next to him; fastening his combat boots. Hikage lifted his rifle off of his back and checked the cartridge; making sure the thing was full before slamming it back into the stock of the gun. He clicked the safety switch off. Baki sat across from him, her arms folded over her chest and a look of grim determination on her face. Kogoe was next to her and the small leopard was cleaning his pistol quietly. He did everything quietly. Tsukuu sat in the co-pilot's seat; giving Hikage a thumbs-up.

The team listened to the chatter coming from the radio.

"Drop Ship Eagle, you have clearance to commence your mission. Team Omega is to remain on the island until the mission is complete. Do not stay in the air around the island for longer than necessary. Command out."

They steeled themselves as the ship turned to the right.

"Are you ready team?" Hikage asked. They all nodded. "Everyone understands our mission, right?"

The hyena raised his hand. "What, Quint?"

"Is this mission really necessary, sir?" the hyena asked.

"Without it, we won't win the war." Hikage narrowed his eyes. "Are you questioning your duty, soldier?"

"Not at all, sir. I'm merely voicing the opinion that we shouldn't have need to eradicate a whole race-"

"That's enough, Quint." Hikage's voice was icy. "If you want to abandon the mission, then go ahead and jump out of this ship right now. I'm not going to stop you."

The hyena didn't move.

"We all have our duty, Quint. Don't forget that." Hikage growled.

"Yes, sir." Quint said sarcastically. He was glaring back at the wolf with matching intensity.

"We're coming up on the drop point." Tsukuu called back from the pilot seat.

Hikage tore his eyes from Quints and turned to the rest of the team.

"This mission has to succeed or we lose everything." He said. "It's us or them. There's no going back for us, so we have to emerge victorious. Suit up and move out."

The ship vibrated as it touched down and Baki slid the door open. All five members of Team Alpha leapt from their seats and into the grass below. The drop ship took off as soon as they were out.

"Silence from here on in," Hikage said. "You all know what you have to do, so do it right. Failure is not an option."

The wolf glared at Quint as the squad darted off into the underbrush as one. As the group moved quickly through the foliage, Hikage continued to look at Quint suspiciously. He was sure that the hyena was up to something. The five soon reached the outskirts of the military research base that was their target. Hikage motioned for Baki and Tsukuu to follow him inside while Quint and Kogoe kept watch. The leopard watched as Tsukuu cut a hole in the fence and the other squad members disappeared into the base.

"Why are we always on guard duty?" the young cat whispered. He only talked in whispers it seemed.

"Because Hikage doesn't trust us, that's why." Quint looked over the bushes cautiously; looking out for any guards.

Kogoe laughed. "He trusts me." The leopard looked at Quint out of the corner of his eye, checking to see if the hyena was looking at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Quint was still watching for any approaching guards. Kogoe made his move. The hyena froze in place as Kogoe pressed the barrel of his automatic rifle to Quint's head.

"Don't move or I'll end you." Kogoe whispered into the hyena's ear. The leopard lifted a radio to his mouth. "Quint isn't going anywhere, sir. The mission is a go."

"You dirty fucking traitors..." Quint hissed.

"You're the traitor here, dog!" Kogoe snapped back. It was the first time Quint had ever heard him speak that loudly. "You were planning sabotage. We acted accordingly."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Quint noticed a human slowly approaching. If he could keep the cat talking, he might have a chance to escape.

"The messages you've been receiving from the planets surface were a dead giveaway. You have been collaborating with the humans for months!"

"I haven't been getting messages from the surface..." Quint's mind raced. Was someone setting him up? If they were, it was probably Hikage.

"Don't lie about something so clear." Kogoe was getting louder and now the guard seemed to be following the sound of the noise.

"I swear I don't know what you're talking about. You have to believe me!" Quint prayed the guard would investigate first before shooting.

"No I don't. You're just treacherous scum. You'll be court-martialed for sure." The leopard wasn't ready for what happened next. The investigating human fired two rounds through the bushes at them. One barely grazed Quint's left ear while the other ripped through Kogoe's right knee. The leopard screamed in pain and fell backwards, narrowly missing the hyena's head with his rifle's burst. Quint dove at the guard and wrestled his weapon from him; knocking him senseless quickly. Kogoe's weapon had a silencer, the guard's did not. Quint rushed to Kogoe's side and picked him up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" The snow leopard hissed at him.

"I'm helping a comrade in arms. If I leave you there, you'll die."

"So leave me you traitor!" Kogoe struggled in Hikage's grasp; sinking his teeth into Quint's right shoulder. The hyena winced as he felt the young cat draw blood, but he continued to run back towards the drop point.

"Instead of attacking me, you should warn your other team members about the guards that are sure to be looking for them." Quint panted through clenched teeth.

Kogoe loosened the grip of his jaws slightly and then let go of his savior's shoulder. The young cat put the radio to his lips again.

"Sir, we have a situation." He said.

"What is it, Kogoe?" Hikage replied.

"We have been compromised. A guard that Quint took down may have alerted others and they are probably looking for you."

"What!? How could you let a thing like this happen!?" Hikage sounded furious.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I've been wounded and can't use my right leg." Kogoe winced at the pain shooting through his leg. His kneecap was probably gone. "Quint is carrying me back to the drop point for pickup. I suggest you get the mission done fast or we're all sunk."

"You know as well as I do that the mission was supposed to take nearly all night and be completely covert. We are going to take as much time as we need to. Hikage out." Kogoe dropped the radio to his side and sighed.

"Hikage will still see you as a traitor even though you helped me."

"I know." Quint replied.

"You'll have to run. It's the only way to avoid military trial and execution." Kogoe started to cry.

"Hey, don't do that. I know it hurts, but we're only minutes from the drop point and then you'll get some painkillers." Quint said.

"It's not that," Kogoe sniffed. "I'm sorry I accused you of being a traitor, but if you really weren't getting messages from the surface, then that means someone has it out for you. I hope you can find a safe place to lay low. I'm going to miss you."

Kogoe had only been eight years old when he was assigned to Team Omega. Now he was sixteen. He had grown up around Quint and the hyena could sense that Kogoe saw him as an older sibling even though Quint looked younger than him. They burst through the foliage into the clearing that was the drop point.

"It'll be alright, Kogoe." Quint told him. "I'm going to leave you here. I want you to radio for the drop ship. Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

"I hope so too. Will you remember me?" Kogoe asked as he put the radio against his chin one more time. "Drop Ship Eagle, I need a pickup."

"Of course I will. I'll never forget any of you. Take care Kogoe." Quint waved as he walked away into the undergrowth; the drop ship touching down moments after he disappeared.

"Take care Kogoe..." The leopard could hear the words echoing in his mind as the drop ship landed next to him. Rough hands lifted him onto the ship as a needle pricked his upper arm.

"Take care Kogoe..." The cat was soon numb to his surroundings; the only thing remaining was the sound of Quint's words in his head.

"Kogoe..."

***

"Kogoe!"

The leopard awoke with a start. Baki was looking down at him, her scaly face twisted with worry. Kogoe was lying on a pier. There should have been ships filling the harbor, but for some reason it was mostly empty. The leopard looked up into the black clouds in the sky and from there to the massive marble walls further inland. The walls surrounded a city, which was so large that the young leopard couldn't see the end of it when he looked down the rocky coast in both directions. There were no trees on the coast, but that was because the walls came almost to the water's edge.

"This is, Kathsera?" Kogoe asked.

"Of course it is." Hikage's voice was ragged as if he had been running for a very long time. Kogoe stood quickly and turned around to look at the black wolf sitting on the edge of the pier. His back was rising and falling quickly as if he was trying to catch his breath.

"How far did we travel?"

"Two days worth of mileage. It was a stretch, but I had to try. We would all be swimming now if my powers were any less than they are."

"What happened back there?" The leopard asked.

"That asshole made us destroy our ship." Hikage snarled.

"Don't call him that-" Kogoe started, but Hikage's glare made him rethink his choice of words.

"Why couldn't we just teleport here from the start?" Baki asked.

"Because it would have probably killed me and you as well. Besides it's not teleporting." Hikage's breathing was slowly returning to normal.

"What is it then?" Kogoe asked curiously.

"Do you know what your powers are called?" Hikage responded indignantly.

"Well... no. Not really."

Hikage harrumphed in victory and looked inland.

"What's our next move?" Baki asked.

"We need to get back to HQ. I'm sure that they will let us back on the force after we tell them we found the traitor again. Besides, now that we have the sapphire, we can finally revive Tsukuu."

"Is killing Quint really necessary-?" Kogoe began to say, but Hikage stopped him with another glare.

"Of course it is." Hikage looked Kogoe up and down. "Why the sudden change in thinking Kogoe?"

The wolf stood and moved closer to the smaller leopard; grabbing the younger creature's arm roughly as his voice dripped with potential violence.

"N-no reason." Kogoe's eyes widened in fear and the young cat was trying to squirm out of the bigger wolf's grasp.

"Did you remember something we haven't?" Hikage asked icily.

"Let him go, sir." Baki said, folding her arms over her chest. "We shouldn't be fighting with each other. Let's just go to HQ."

"He's holding out on us, Baki-" Hikage began.

"I don't care. Why do you?" The lizard turned and started walking down the dock alone. "There's no reason to waste energy fighting each other. Save it for the main event."

Hikage dropped Kogoe's arm. "You're lucky that she's right. Watch yourself, cat, or I'll kill you myself."

"Sir," Baki was saying as Hikage caught up with her, "Isn't it a bit odd that the only technological craft that we've seen so far are Quint's ship and the place we woke up in?"

"We'll worry about that later." Hikage shrugged.

Kogoe sat on the dock as he watched the other two members of his team walk slowly down the dock away from him. The leopard looked back out at the black, still sea and silently hoped that Quint was alright.

Tireal sat up in his bunk and winced at the ache in his belly. The otter clutched his bandaged wound and slowly slid his legs out from under the blankets. He gently set himself down on the floor; getting his balance back. He had no idea how long he had been bed ridden. His memory was fogged from what he guessed were sedatives. Quint was missing from the bunk he had previously occupied so Tireal slowly made his way to the cabin door and opened it. The ship was strangely quiet and the otter suddenly realized that the Dodger was not rocking as it would if she were on an open sea. Tireal wondered why and where they were docked as he climbed the stairs to the deck slowly. The cool night air hit him with a refreshing gust of wind as he emerged onto the deck of the ship. Tireal walked slowly over to one of the railings and leaned against it; looking up at the bright orange moon in the sky. The otter sighed and turned his gaze inland. The Dodger was docked at a small fishing port. Nothing but one story houses populated the small town and the only two story building was the tavern. The otter could smell the booze from his perch as the scent drifted toward the sea. That must be where they all are. Tireal thought. He contemplated walking ashore and seeing if the rest of the crew and the captain were indeed in the tavern, but he was enjoying the cool night air. Tireal sat down and leaned his back against the railing; closing his eyes.

"A copper for your thoughts?" A masculine voice said suddenly.

Tireal opened his eyes in alarm and tried to figure out who was talking to him.

"You won't see me no matter how hard you look." The voice told him.

"W-who are you?" Tireal nervously asked.

"I suppose you would want a name, wouldn't you?" The voice sounded uninterested, "Names are so trivial, but I guess if you need to call me something than you may call me El."

"El?" Tireal was very confused.

"Yes."

"What are you?"

"I am an Observer." The voice seemed proud. "We are record keepers of sorts and thus, feel the need to keep track of important events and individuals."

"You think I'm an important individual?"

"Your connection and relationship with the immortal makes you such an individual." El spoke like a teacher addressing a slow student.

"So where are you, if I can't see you?" Tireal was still looking around him. He had realized the action was pointless, but it still gave him a little comfort.

"I am with you always. That's what they'd want me to say. However, I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm an angel and I'm speaking to you from Elysium."

"How is that possible?" Tireal had never heard of angels talking to people before like this.

"You almost died, kid. You're closer to me, so we can talk now. It's like being out of earshot almost. Before, you were too far away. Now, you're close enough for us to chat." El's voice changed to apprehension. "Well, to be honest, I only have a few minutes left to tell you what I came to tell you in the first place."

"Which was?" Tireal asked.

"You're going to be faced with much hardship in the near future." It sounded like El was reading from a script. "There will be a choice you have to make. And that choice will alter how you and Quint live. It may also make your wildest dreams come true."

"What the hell does that mean?" There was no answer. "Gods damn it."

Tireal stood and stretched. He put his hands on his hips and looked out to sea again. What was El trying to warn him about? The otter sighed and made his way to the other side of the ship. He could see a small crowd of people coming out of the tavern. As the crowd moved out onto the street it split into smaller groups and each group went their separate ways. Several of them moved down the docks. Tireal could see Charr and Alexis now as they moved steadily towards him; neither one of them seemed drunk. Vicks and Quint were no where in sight, though. Tireal yawned and walked back to the cabin door; climbing down the short ladder to the small hallway. He slid into his bunk and lay there silently. After a few moments he heard the two rats step onto the ship.

"So what do we tell him when he wakes up?" Alexis was saying.

"We tell him the truth."

"I can't imagine what that's going to be like. You know how much he cares about the Captain."

A lump appeared in Tireal's throat.

"I know, but it can't be helped. We searched the merchant vessel and the surrounding waters for hours after that explosion and we found neither hide nor hair of Quint."

Tireal's eyes clouded over with tears.

"I hope he didn't-"

"Don't even think that. I'm sure he's been rescued by someone. We were waiting for the fire to die down for at least two hours, so someone could have found him before we even started looking."

"I hope you're right, Charr."

Tireal pretended to sleep as the two entered the cabin. Charr stopped by his bed.

"You go on ahead. I'll tell him."

Tireal heard Alexis leave and then Charr put a hand on his shoulder. The rat sighed as he realized the otter wasn't sleeping.

"You heard all of that, didn't you?"

Tireal could only nod, his throat was too tight to speak.

"We'll find him again. I know we will."

It was little consolation, but at least it was something. Charr left him to his thoughts and Tireal spent the rest of the night crying into his pillow.

END?