T

he city streets were quiet and empty. The solar eclipse was long gone. Kevin checked the time on his watch: 5:35. The sun hid its face behind the tallest buildings, leaving a faint

light. Just a moment ago animals were scrambling left and right, running away from the catastrophic battle that took place at the stadium. Now only silence existed. Something wasn’t right. What had become of Kain and Remu? What had become of the thousands of wild beasts?

Major led the group through the dark alley, glimpsing at the windows. “No doubt they’re waiting for us.”
“Where?” Kevin whispered.
“Everywhere. In the buildings, in the sewers, in the dumpsters. It’s not a matter of if we get seen—but when. They’re luring us in. They don’t want us to run away. They want us to get in closer and closer…until we’re boxed in with no escape.”
Kevin gulped, sweat dripping down his back. “Then what are we doing here?”
“What are we doing here?” echoed Major lightly. He restrained a laugh. “We’re stopping at nothing to do what we must. Sacrifices must be made, my boy. You can’t expect to go into a fistfight without bruising something. Though this ain’t a fistfight. No, we’ll be hurting much more than a few bruises…much more.” He peered over the side of a building. The coast was clear. “So far so good. We’re almost there…just a few more blocks. From here, we split.”
“Split?” Now Andrew was sweating profusely too. “I hate this splitting thing. Do we have to?”
Major could see the worry in his eyes. “We’ve got no choice. They already know we’re here. The only thing they don’t know is where we’re headed. Time for the gamble. We’re betting it all now. We go three ways, they split their forces. I’ll tell you this: I’m no expert on tactics. I’m a house pet for goodness’ sake. I haven’t fought any wars—much less hunted a rat. This ain’t fight we can win. But as my master always said, ‘You can lose as many battles as you want as long as you win the war.’”
Kevin said, “That doesn’t sound very optimistic.”
Major ignored his comment. “Alright, each human takes a squad. Kevin, you’re with me. Andrew, you take the open streets. Katie—”
“Now wait just a minute,” Andrew cut in. “Why do I have to take the open streets?”
“Would you rather the girl handle it?” Major replied.
His eyes wandering over to Katie, Andrew hesitated to respond.
“I suppose not…”
“Good,” said Major. “Way to take it like a man.” He continued, “Katie will stay in the alleys. Since Andrew will be out in the open, he’ll be targeted first. He’s the bait to lure them out from wherever they’re hiding. If Andrew gets overrun, beaten, chewed, mauled, killed, eaten—”
“Get on with it!” snapped Andrew, exasperated.
Major continued, “—then Katie will lead them away from Kevin. Is that clear?”
They all nodded, though some were nodding less confidently than others.
“Good.”

Kevin slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. He looked at the squad of dogs at his rear. Major raised his nose and sniffed for any peculiar scents.

Kevin nodded wordlessly and followed after the dogs as they entered. It was a normal office. There was a desk by the window and file cabinets beside the wall.

Kevin crouched by the window and peeked out. He could see a good portion of the street from the second floor. He could even see Andrew stealthily maneuvering around some cars parked by the sidewalk.

Major grunted quietly, “Now remember, we’re waiting for them to take the bait. We run the moment we see their attention on him.”
Kevin eyed Major for a moment. “He’s risking his life.” “All the more important that we succeed then.”
Kevin peered back through the window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw shadows drifting along a brick wall on the far end of the road. Something was coming. Did Andrew’s group notice it? No. Kevin watched as they continued to move slowly behind the cars. They were completely unaware of the approaching danger.
“Get ready,” said Major. “They’ve noticed him.”
Like a swarm, they came, their furry hides dotting the land. Hundreds of creatures, big and small, slowly traveled so as not to alert their prey. They also snuck around cars and clung close to the front of the shops. Andrew, still unaware of their presence, slowly crept behind the cars.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Kevin forced open the window and shouted, “ANDREW, BEHIND YOU! THEY’RE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!”
Andrew glanced back and saw the bloodthirsty multitude behind him. He sprinted as fast as he could down the street, his squad of dogs tailing after him.
Major yanked on the back of Kevin’s shirt with his teeth. “You fool! You blew our cover!”
Kevin shrugged. They ran out of the room and headed for the stairs. Strange sounds were coming from the stairwell.
“Close it!” shouted Major. Kevin did as instructed.
They decided to search for another exit on the other side.
Breathless, Kevin crossed the corridor. Though he saw nothing coming, howls and growls echoed back and forth from the ceiling and floor. It almost sounded like laughing—a very sinister laughing. Then Kevin heard a loud crash. Through one of the office doors ahead, smoke and dust came flooding into the corridor.
The haunting, shrilly laughter got louder as Kevin drew nearer to the dust. A hyena dashed out and leaped onto Kevin with one quick motion. Kevin fought back, trying to keep the hyena from ripping his throat out. Major pounced on the hyena almost instantly; then two dogs, a bulldog and a beagle, helped Major tackle the hyena to the ground.
Major glanced at Kevin and gestured with his snout. “Get up! Go, go!”
There was a rapid drumming of paws as a band of coyotes came rushing into the hall. The pack of dogs charged at them. Kevin, lying on the floor, gaped in horror as the sudden brawl broke out. The animals were barking and snapping at each other.
“Forget about us and go!” shouted Major in the middle of the frenzy. “Get to the street! Get to the lab!”
Kevin fled and, as he did so, looked back to see the frenzy escalate. It was his fault. He knew it. But, given the same chance, he would do it again. Even though it pained him to see the consequences of his actions, it would bring him even greater pain to see Andrew overtaken before his very eyes. “Sorry, Major. I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
Kevin found an emergency exit. It took him outside to the street, the one parallel to where Andrew was. Judging from where he stood, the research facility was a few blocks away, seemingly out of sight. Luckily for him, there was an old bicycle lying by the side of the road. It looked pretty banged up, the colors faded. Unsure of its condition, he cautiously sat on it and started pedaling.
As he passed by the intersection, he looked to his left and caught a glimpse of Andrew running for his life past the bend. Kevin chewed his lip. There was nothing he could do to help him. Unless, of course, Kevin managed to wake everyone up. But that was quite a gamble. Andrew maybe had five minutes to live. Kevin knew it would take much more than five minutes to even reach the underground facility.
As much as he hated it, he was going to ignore Andrew completely—that is, until he felt the tremor. Boom… boom… boom. It was a rather slow sound, like the careful hammering of a nail. It was precise, maybe even leisurely.
Kevin watched as a massive shadow fell over Andrew. The dragon was already taking the lead in hunting down Andrew. Though Kain could have easily outrun Andrew, he didn’t. He was taking his time, as though he enjoyed it thoroughly. As evidence of such, every so often a loud snicker reverberated along the city buildings.
Andrew was about to pass out, panting for air the entire time.
Kevin sharply swerved around the corner of the sidewalk. He pedaled furiously and zipped toward the dragon. “Leave him alone!” The front wheel of the bike snapped apart, the screws rebounding off the asphalt. Had he not stopped the bike with his foot on the ground, his face would’ve dove straight into the road. Kevin got off the broken bike and chased after the dragon’s huge hind legs. “Stop chasing him or I’ll…I’ll kick you in the shin!” And kick him in the shin he did, though it didn’t make any difference.
Andrew stopped running and fell to his knees. He was done running. There was nowhere left for him to go. They had him surrounded. Before him was a crowd of forest creatures and at his back was a dragon nearly five stories tall. He was finished, he thought glumly.
Kevin was so focused on the dragon that he never noticed everything else. He spun around and around, watching as the Forest Army poured into the road. They were all over, forming a circle around the dragon. Major was right. They had been ready to swarm from the start. Now it was impossible to escape.
Rooted in place, Kevin knew he wouldn’t be able to run away.
Several wolves held the dogs captive, pinning them to the ground.
A cougar swaggered over to Kevin, preparing to pounce.
“No,” said Kain to the cougar, “leave him alone.” Kain snatched Andrew up in his hand. Grinning, he looked at Kevin and said, “You must have come to say farewell to your friend.” Kain nodded, smiling to himself. “Friendship is such a beautiful thing. I once had friends long ago. It’s a pity then that I couldn’t die with them when I had the chance.”
Looking spitefully at the dragon, Kevin said, “You can still die now.”
Kain guffawed. “It just wouldn’t be the same. Dying pointlessly would be a shameful thing, one full of regret. Now then, I want you to watch closely. These are the last moments of your friend’s life. You should cherish such things.” Kain howled in amusement. Almost like playing with a small doll, he waved Andrew around for everyone to see, and then, with one huge motion, lobbed Andrew far up into the sky.
Kevin screamed, “NO!”
“No? I am pretty good with this. You shouldn’t worry about your friend falling onto the pavement.” Kain opened up his huge mouth, looking as though he was going to catch Andrew with his tongue.
Held in suspense, Kevin could barely look. His eyes darted repeatedly from the dot in the sky, which he was sure was Andrew, to the ground. However, he continued to watch, hoping for a miracle. The miracle didn’t come. Andrew started to fall, wailing tragically all the way down. Kevin cringed as he heard his distant voice grow louder and louder. It was painful to know that there was nothing he could do. Andrew was about to die and there was absolutely nothing he could do.
Kevin forced himself to watch. Andrew was now coming clearly into view. In a few seconds, he would be gone, down into the pit of the stomach of an angry dragon. Kevin averted his eyes. He could no longer bear to see. He counted in his head. Three. Two. One. Then he heard the dragon’s mouth clamp shut. Though it may sound strange, Kevin waited for some affirmation that the dragon had swallowed Andrew: a licking of the lips, a satisfied rubbing of the belly. Nothing came. Instead, Kain stomped his feet, hissing and snarling.
Scanning the sky, Kain growled angrily, “Who dares interfere?”
Wondering what was going on, Kevin looked above. A blue streak zoomed across the clouds.
Kain bent down near Kevin, glaring at him. “You knew! You brought them here, didn’t you? How dare you make a fool out of me!”
Kevin shrunk back at the terrifying sight of the black-rimmed dragon eye. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but since he was going to die anyway, he might as well pretend to know. “Yeah, that’s right! I did bring them here! I love making a fool out of you! So what? What are you going to do about it, huh? That’s what you get for messing with me!”
“Why you—Die, worm! I’ll make you suffer!” Kain drew in a deep breath, sucking in all the air around. Even Kevin was being sucked towards him. Then Kain huffed out a long, gentle flame.
Shielding himself with his arms, Kevin yowled. Kain was doing this on purpose, Kevin thought, to torture him. Kain could have easily incinerated him with a powerful breath of fire, but he didn’t. Kevin now realized what it felt like to be slowly roasted in an oven. He kept his eyes closed, unwilling to see himself get burnt to a crisp, though he could still see the brightness of the flame. He could feel the heat on every inch of his skin tingling and burning. He was suffocating because it was so difficult and excruciating to breathe.
Then there was a relief. The intense heat faded and he could breathe again. The light from the fire was gone. He opened his eyes. The dragon’s mouth was no longer in front of him. What was before him was something even stranger, if that were possible. He was staring at the side of a huge golden wolf-like beast. Nearly half the size of the dragon, it was almost as big as a school bus. Its fur was silky smooth, shimmering with an unnatural shininess. The wolf was blocking the flames with its body. When Kain realized his fire had failed to harm them, he stopped, backing away.
The golden wolf looked kindly upon Kevin. “Don’t worry about Andrew. Terminus has him and is taking him to the others.”
Kevin stared into the beast’s eyes. “Genesis?”
“Genesis,” echoed Kain sinisterly. “So we meet at last. I’ve heard much about you.”
Genesis turned to the dragon. “I suggest you leave peacefully.”
“I’ve come this far,” said Kain, baring his jagged teeth. “And a single Relic Knight won’t be able to stop me.”
“We’ll see…” Genesis glanced at Kevin. “Go on, do what you must! I’ll deal with Kain!”
Gesturing with his hands toward the army of animals, Kevin said, “I can’t go anywhere!”
At that moment, Kevin felt something grab him by the back of the shirt. He was lifted off the ground by a few feet, and then he was watching the ground suddenly leave him, as he was jolted into the sky.
Kevin screamed, unable to tell what was happening. Moments after being in midair, he landed on the rooftop, dangling helplessly by the threads of his t-shirt. Kevin tried to look over his shoulder but couldn’t see much of anything.
“Hang on,” Kevin heard someone mumble. “I’ll take you a bit farther.”
Kevin quickly said, “Wait—ahhhh!” Before he could another word, the movement started up again. It was like a wild roller coaster ride, except much more frightening because he had no harness or belt or anything to keep him safe. Kevin was being carried over from roof to roof with great leaps. There was no time for him to catch his breath.
Every time he was thrust back into the air, he wondered if his shirt would rip or if he would fall down into the streets below. He covered his eyes with his hands, peeking through the cracks of his fingers. It was quite disorienting to be zipping across the city without a proper seat. He was like a rag doll, swinging hopelessly up and down. One moment he was staring into the unreachable sky, then the next he was plummeting to another rooftop.
“Urp!” His hands shifted from his eyes to his mouth as he tried to hold back the urge to barf, feeling the effects of motion sickness.
Finally, after landing on one more roof, it all stopped. Released from the terrible ride, Kevin fell to the floor. He turned back to see what had carried him this far. It was an overgrown black panther, big enough to make Kevin look like a kitten, and possibly treated Kevin like one when it had carried him over the roofs by the back of his shirt.
Almost hysterical, Kevin chuckled. He made eye contact with the panther and, after examining it, said, “You must be Luna.”
“What a perceptive child,” the panther said, musing. “How did you know?”
Kevin thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. “I don’t know. You guys just have that special quality about you.”
“Anyway,” said Luna, “this is as far as I’ll take you. I must hurry back to Genesis. He cannot handle the dragon alone.”
“What about me?” Kevin protested. “I can’t reach the lab alone. I have to get there!”
“The HPC will help you with that.” Luna paused. “I mean, they need you for that. Go down this building. You’ll find them nearby. We rescued them from the hotel so you’ll have a large force under your command. I heard from Major. You have a solution, right? Good luck with that. We’ll be cheering you on.” With that said, Luna quickly left, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until she disappeared.