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Pain, my whole body throbbed with it, I can't move, I can't even open my eyes. It hurts so bad, what the hell happened to me? I can hear movement, voices, I can hear voices as well, there are furs nearby. Is it Cody and the others? I attempt to call them but I can't even do that, it feels like my body is a lead weight. What happened to me? And just like that it came flashing back, the violence, the killing, the innocent furs being slaughtered by the wolves.

"Hey, you awake buddy?" A familiar voice sounded from nearby. I couldn't recognise it, but it was familiar. I attempted to nod my head and even that was a challenge. "Easy there, I'll get you some water." I recognised the voice now, it was Jason. I had now managed to open my eyes, I couldn't focus as the candle light hurt them, but I could make out Jason moving next to me. "Here, drink up." He held something up to my maw and I soon felt the cool water flow around my tongue and down my throat. The water was refreshing and soothing.

"Th-tha-nk... y-you." I managed to splutter, the strain causing me to cough harshly causing me even more pain.

"Take it easy buddy." Jason said resting his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. "You've been out cold for over a day. I'm going to get Cody and the others. Cody's gonna be pissed, he's spent every waking minute with you and I just managed to go convince him to go washed up, and you go and wake up now." Jason chuckled. "I'll be right back."

I watched him turn and leave before taking a look around me. I didn't recognise the room but it was similar to the one I had spent the night in with Cody, so I could only assume we were still at The Garden of Eden*. I once again tried to move but hissed when the stabbing pain once again shot through my body. Well... I wasn't going to be moving any time soon. I just closed my eyes and tried to remain still.

************

I opened my eyes and squinted as the bright sun light blazed in the window, I must have fallen asleep. After my eyes had adjusted to the light, I looked around and right next to me there was Cody, he had his head resting on the bed as he leaned forward in the chair he sat in, sleeping. I looked up when something moved behind Cody, it was Eric. He motioned to me to remain silent then pointing at Cody, I nodded my head in understanding.

"He's not left your side since Jason told him you'd woken up last night." Eric explained in a low voice, pulling a blanket over the unconscious fox. "By the time we got here you had fallen back asleep. How are you feeling?"

"Better than I did last night." I replied, moving ever so slightly, my body still sore and stiff but lacking the stabbing pain of the previous night.

"That's good to hear." Eric smiled, "Now, do you know what happened? Why did you attack us?"

"I didn't..." It wasn't me, but how could I convince him of that? "I didn't attack you."

"Hmm?"

"It was me, but it wasn't me..." Eric looked at me slightly confused, but patiently and with a look of intrigue, he was waiting for me to finish. "I could see everything but I wasn't... something was controlling me." I looked at Eric again and I could see no judgement in his eyes, it was pure curiosity. "I could feel this anger, it came from inside me but... it wasn't my anger." There was a drawn out silence between the two of us as I waited for Eric to say something.

"Well... perhaps," Eric ran his talon along the length of his beak as he tried to word his thoughts, "Perhaps, the anger was yours but you just didn't know it was." I didn't know what to say and I could feel my muzzle contort in confusion, Eric continued to explain his thoughts before I had a chance to interrupt. "You've had a hard life Malakye, harder than most. You grew up with the absence of parental love, in a village that prosecuted your very existence. They tried to kill you and raped you... then there's Rose." I felt my throat tighten at the very mention of her name as I tried to hold back the flood painful memories. "You haven't dealt with any of these issues Malakye, they are there at the back of your mind and you've bottled them all up, and the other night they somehow manifested themselves through your actions."

I hated to admit it but what Eric was saying had a merit of truth to it. My anger was mostly directed at the wolves, the species that had caused me untold misery and pain as I grew up. It was during the chaos of the attack the other night my anger and hatred of the wolves manifested itself.

"Say... say you're right... What can I do so that I don't lose control again?" I asked and once again there was a long silence which only helped me to feel agitated.

"I don't know Malakye. You will need to find that answer yourself." Eric said with a tone of frustration. "But if you want to talk or if there is anything that I can do to help, you need only ask. I'm sure everyone else would be willing to do the same."

"Thank you Eric." I couldn't help but smile, at the same time I felt like I wanted to cry, how helpless I felt, but knowing I had five furs that I considered family at my back made me feel like I couldn't fail.

Cody began to rouse and I attempted to force my emotions back into check, I didn't want to worry Cody unnecessarily. He was obviously worried enough with me in my current condition, I didn't want to burden him with any more at the moment. A quick glance to Eric got a simple nod and a gesture which confirmed he would remain silent which put me at ease. Cody lifted his head and blinked tiredly letting out a yawn with which he let out a cute squeak which I couldn't help but smile at. Once he had been able to focus he saw me looking at him, he let out an excited squeal as he threw himself at me, wrapping his arms round my neck in an over excited hug.

"Oh thank Asurmen you're okay!"

"I'm okay Cody." I said with a chuckle.

"Are you sure!?" Cody asked worriedly, releasing his hug. "Do you need anything? Food? Drink?" I stopped a second to think if I actually wanted anything, it was then that I realised what I really needed.

"Yeah, I really need to pee." I chuckled, this lightened Cody's mood and he let out a chuckle himself.

"Well, you've been in bed for over a day now." Eric chimed in. "Cody, would you help Malakye to the bathroom and assist him if required, and I'll go get some food and drink for him and let the others know he's awake."

"Sure thing!" Cody said with a wag of his tail. Once Eric had closed the door behind him I threw off the covers and attempted to stand. I wobbled a bit but Cody was there to make sure I didn't fall, it felt good to stretch my legs but it was a bit of struggle to stay standing. Once I had balanced myself, with the help of the wall, Cody ran and got the chamber pot from under the bed. After relieving myself, I sat down on the edge of the bed and began to massage my legs while Cody went to get rid of the contents of the chamber pot. He returned a few minutes later and slid it under the bed where it came from.

"Eric was asking if you're okay to go downstairs?"

"I should be." I replied as I made to stand up, I wobbled a bit, but managed to stay standing under my own power with no assistance from Cody or any nearby walls. "Right let's go!" I said, eager to get downstairs and quench my growing thirst and hunger. Cody stayed within arm's reach while I tackled the stairs, but I managed them with little trouble, my legs were feeling better every minute, like I was walking off whatever it was affecting them. Jason and Michael were just taking their seats as we arrived, Aceh was leaning against a nearby wall, wearing his usual scowl, his eyes shut as if was he contemplating something of dire importance.

Eric was sitting at the table puffing his pipe. The place was deserted; the only other furs in the place were the staff, a complete change of atmosphere, even from the previous morning. The staff seemed tense and almost detached, like they were just going through the motions. Not too surprising I suppose, since their home was attacked by the wolves just two nights ago. I had no idea of how bad the attack had been beyond what I saw and experienced myself, so I could only imagine what had happened.

We all took our seats and a tense silence hung in the air, it seemed like no one was sure what they should say. The heavy silence was broken when the waitress came over with a tray of drinks and told us our order would be brought to us in a few minutes. We all sipped at our drinks as I felt that heavy silence settle over us again. Thankfully, Eric spoke a few moments later.

"We will be leaving as soon as we are able. Our Dandos* escaped the stables during the attack. The stable master said he should be able to s

et us up with some Fooshnar*."

"That's good, I'll miss Chavo though." Jason said with a sigh. Chavo was one of the Dandos; he was Jason's favourite. Cody had told me that Chavo was Jason's favourite, mainly because he had amused Jason to no end when Chavo started humping the other Dandos when they had first got him to become the dominant male in the group.

"So... what happened after, you know... I passed out?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"From what we were able to work out from some stories we heard from the other survivors, you took out a number of wolves before you reached us, which allowed everyone to regroup and force the remaining wolves out." Michael replied. "I don't know what happened to you but you were scary!" Michael added, the comment made me cringe.

"Yeah you were scary, when the fire started burning those wolven bastards alive, I got the fright of my life!" Jason exclaimed. "Dude, that was awesome! The rest of them went running for the hills! When you appeared out of the shadows I thought you were going to rip us to shreds but then you just collapsed, we were all a bit freaked out!"

"Sorry about that." I muttered, ashamed that I had lost control the way I had.

"We know you didn't intend us any harm Malakye, so don't worry about it." Michael said with a smile, obviously trying to reassure me, but I knew that if I hadn't stopped myself I probably would have seriously hurt them or worse.

"I heard when the wolves retreated they took a few captives with them, one of them I heard was just a cub!" Jason announced to the table. "Some of the locals were talking about whether to go after them when a dragon said that they should stay in case the wolves decided to attack again and that he'd go after them."

"One dragon against a pack of wolves? I don't see him having much of a chance." Michael said.

"From what I heard this dragon was bad ass! He took out at least a dozen wolves single handedly! I'm guessing he's got a better chance than most." Jason exclaimed.

"Once some help arrives from the neighbouring villages they'll send some after that guy, but by that time it'll probably be too late." Michael said with a tone of sadness, it was understandable. The wolves are ruthless, and if they did take a cub with them then that just makes the tragedy of what they'll do to their captives all the worse.

"It'll be at least another two days before help arrives." Eric added "The nearest village belongs to the Yanzo dragons*. It's at least two days journey from here, if they travelled through the night then they might make it there in just over a day, but a significant force will take at least two days to travel. They will arrive tomorrow at the earliest, but more than likely they will arrive the day after."

"What about the rest of the village?" I asked.

"There were a lot of deaths, last I heard, at least sixty lost their lives. I heard the body count for the wolves were about half that. Several buildings were completely wrecked by the fires." Michael explained. The losses for both sides were significant, but more tragic for the furs of this village.

"I expect the war between dragons and wolves will flare up again." Eric sighed, taking a puff from his pipe. I was about to speak when a couple of waitresses, a tigress and cheetah, brought our food to the table. I muttered a quiet thanks when they placed the food on the table, it smelt delicious, but suddenly my appetite was gone. Two large roasts of meat and several bowls of veg and other accompaniments sat on the table, even the normally insatiable Jason seemed uninterested in the food. Once the waitresses had left I asked my question.

"Why would the war between dragons and wolves start again?" I asked in a slightly hushed tone, just in case the waitresses were still in earshot.

"This village is under the protection of the Yanzo and Zangarian dragon tribes. An attack on this village will be viewed as an attack on them, if they don't respond they will appear as weak." Eric explained. "War is coming... and I don't think it will be stopped as quickly as last time."

"Last time?" I asked.

"Yes, about sixteen years ago. The war ended shortly after the fall of Zangar."

"Zangar?"

"Yes, Zangar was originally a a village in the Zangarian Mountains*." Eric explained. "The Rovarian*, Dakkatta* and Mordian Wolves* launched an all-out attack on the village of Zangar. The tribe managed to evacuate most of its inhabitants through some hidden tunnels on the mountains, but the village fell nonetheless, many were killed. Shortly after that, both sides massed large forces but agreed to another truce."

"What happened?" I asked, horrified at the story.

"Most of the Zangarian dragons* built the new village of Zangar* and have thrived ever since. Some were said to have headed south, through the Dark Forest* to make a new life for themselves away from the wolven tribes."

"No, I mean why did they attack Zangar?"

"Oh!" Eric said and then went silent as if trying to remember. "No one actually found out why. If they did, it wasn't made public knowledge. I have a theory however."

"What theory?" Michael asked, his curiosity peaked. Everyone round the table was showing great interest in Eric's theory, even Aceh seemed intrigued.

"Well, all we knew back then was that the Rovarian wolves* were the ones who gathered the other wolven tribes to attack Zangar*. But now I think I know why." Eric said, pausing to puff on his pipe.

"Well then! Why?!" Jason asked impatiently.

"Malakye, you said that necklace belonged to your father did you not?" Eric asked. I nodded and reached up to grip it, the one memento my mother had of my father and the one thing I had to remember her by... wait... Eric couldn't mean...

"The war... was because of me?" I asked in shock, everyone in the table turned to look at me in surprise.

"What the hell!?" Jason exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "Eric what the hell are you suggesting? How could Malakye start a war?"

"Not Malakye... his parents." Eric replied calmly. "Malakye is the child of a Rovarian wolf* and a Zangarian dragon*, and that necklace he wears bears the symbol of the House of Anaris*. The war sixteen years ago was because of a forbidden relationship."

"The House of Anaris*... no... frickin'... way!" Jason said with his muzzle agape, staring at me. I felt everyone stare at me, I couldn't stand it. I felt like I was an outcast again, like I was different... I didn't want to be an outcast. I had so many thoughts running though my head I felt like I was going to burst, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I felt my claws dig into my legs threatening to pierce my scales, I couldn't calm myself... I felt something touch my paw. I looked down and saw Cody's paw on mine, gripping it assuringly. It made me feel a little better that Cody was still there for me and helped me calm myself a bit.

"What's the House of Anaris*?" I heard Cody ask, a question I would like to ask myself.

"The House of Anaris* was one of the three clans of the Zangarian dragons*. Rich and powerful, and their clan members were commonly known as powerful fire manipulators." Eric explained. It was like suddenly several pieces of a puzzle were revealed, things suddenly began to make sense. The war, my ability to control fire... who my father was. A question that had plagued me all my life, suddenly I knew something about my father.

"Unfortunately, the House of Anaris* was wiped out during the last war with the other two houses." Eric added. I felt my heart sink at his words, I'd never have a chance to meet my father. "No one has heard from any of the houses since the fall of Zangar*. Stories from the survivors of the village said the clans stayed behind to fight off the wolves to give them a chance to escape."

"Are you okay Malakye?" Eric asked, I looked up to look him in the eye.

"Yeah, I'm fine... it's just a lot to take in."

"Just remember buddy, we're all here for you." Jason said with a smile and a wink, which made me smile a little. Jason turned to Eric and asked, "So what are we going to do now? If the wolves really are kicking off another war then that's going to affect where we can go right?"

"Yes, quite true." Eric replied. "It's not safe to travel west, they would certainly attack us on sight to get to Malakye. If we travel South we're going to end up back in Zangar*, which wouldn't be the best course of action as it's a long journey, and if the wolves are going to set up any ambushes, it's a long way to go, and we'd have nowhere to run."

"So that leaves north and east then." Michael said matter-of-factly.

"North would take us into the Northern plain*, not many places to go up that way." Jason chimed in with his opinion.

"Then that leaves us with east." Eric replied. "Probably the safest choice, we'd be heading deeper into dragon territory and straight for Bac'tou*. There are plenty of villages in the east for us to do trade with and we're far away from the wolven borders."

"Then I guess east it is then." Michael agreed. Jason nodded his head in agreement as did Cody and Aceh. I had no reason to object, but I was certainly beginning to feel like a burden on my new family. The only reason they were being forced to travel east was because I was with them. If I wasn't here, then they could go pretty much anywhere they wanted. I was grateful they were willing to do all this for me, but at the same time I felt like a hindrance. I was going to have to step up and pull my weight, I wasn't going to be a hindrance on this... my family.