Tirrora: Another wolf Story. CH1

A Story by VeridianWolf

The location is Tirrora, a world dominated by animals rather than humans.

Chapter 1

[Notes and explanations (the [H#] things) can be found at the bottom, also I've provided links to character pictures.]

Situation:

Darryl [H0]

Day: June 12 (Present)

Location: Central, Veridia

Emergency Meeting

Veridian Secret Service HQ[H1]

The anxiety in the room was heavy. Every agent under Nyala’s[H2] paw sat anxiously awaiting her arrival. I had gotten the news about the emergency meeting just moments ago and I rushed here as fast as I could… only to sit and wait. I sighed and sat against the wall joining the other edgy wolves. “Hey, did you hear?” Someone whispered from next to me. I glanced over to see Clio[H3] excitedly waving her tail around, “I heard there was another outbreak!” I assumed she was referring to an outbreak of rabies that occurred some years ago in Caniridia. It wasn’t just any rabies virus though. This strand was manipulated and reverse engineered to spread faster and keep the host alive long enough to pass it on. “Are you serious? Where?!” another agent overheard her and quickly asked. “I heard it was in Antarceos,” she replied squinting her eyes to remember, “Either there or Antarctica.” The room exploded with responses and secondary conversations. “Could it have been Incarnadia? I heard they were researching something like that… plus weren’t they responsible for the one in Caniridia?” I heard one say. “Impossible! Lavender[H4] is in prison! There’s no way they could’ve carried it out like that!” Another responded. The room was ablaze with discussion when Nyala finally entered the den.

The room fell silent, everyone looking towards her with anticipation. “Well I’m guessing you’ve all heard then.” She said quietly entering the room. “Told ya…” Clio whispered to me. “There was a case of Strand C Rabies [H5] in Antarceos a couple of days ago…” she began to say, “This morning, it has become an outbreak. There have already been over a hundred cases and even more deaths.” The room remained silent. Nyala sighed again and continued, “They have the situation under control for now… but the big problem lies in who could have spread the virus and where it is now.” “I thought the Incarnadians confirmed the destruction of all test samples when they arrested lavender…” Vannessa[H6] thought out loud. “They have, I was there to witness.” Another agent replied. Nyala nodded, “They have, and there lies the questions… who has control over the final product of Lavender’s bioweapon, why are they using it at a time like this and… most importantly… who will they target next.” I glanced over at Nyala who had been looking at me as if she were waiting for me to say something. “What do you think about this? Darryl?” The focus shifted to me in an instant.

“It could be the work of the organization[H7] that Inaria has been investigating… perhaps they’re using the collapse of Princess Lavender’s empire to finally spread its influence from one place to another.” I replied. My response caused the room to fill with quiet murmurs, none of which I could comprehend. “That’s exactly it.” Nyala finally said causing the room to return to silence, “Antarcéan authorities have located the source of the outbreak. It began near their port district, apparently from a Siberian wolf who had been infected.” “Do you think that he had been purposely infected? For the sole purpose of starting the outbreak?” I asked curiously. Nyala nodded, “For now, Princess Nikki[H8] doesn’t want us to interfere… but I have been given the O.K to deploy two agents to Inaria to aid in the investigation of this ‘organization’.” I knew from the beginning that some sort of action would be taken… meaning I would be sent off somewhere. “This meeting is adjourned. Darryl, I’d like to see you in my office immediately after this.” Nyala finished as she exited the room. “You’re so lucky…” Clio muttered to me as the room began moving towards the exit. “You get to see all the action… I’m just stuck here guarding the gate.” She sounded very disappointed. “It’s not as glamorous as it seems.” I replied reassuringly, “You pretty much do the same thing you do here, except over there.” Clio’s ears laid back in disappointment, “Whatever…”.

I followed the hall deeper into headquarters headed towards Nyala’s office. I knew Copper[H9] would be disappointed to see me return to Inaria… she always feared the worst. “I guess it can’t be helped.” I said to myself as I entered Nyala’s office. There, sat Maddox[H10] , a Veridian spy I worked with on a couple of missions before. “Well, well, well, look who we’ve got here.” He smiled playfully, “Must be a serious thing going on over there for the boss to bring out the big guns. I laughed, “Maybe she’s just tired of seeing your a*s running around with her daughter.” At that moment Nyala entered the room. “I’ll cut to the chase.” She immediately said sitting in front of us, “Tomorrow morning, you both will be headed to Inaria to aid in their investigation. I’m sure you’ve working with Fluffy[H11] before?” I nodded. “Excellent, I would suggest bringing some backup. I would employ a Veridian Agent to your services but I assume you have already got that covered.” She was referring to Scarlette[H12] , who recently agreed to by my personal backup giving her amazing skills at combat. I nodded. Nyala nodded as well, “Alright then, be back here tomorrow morning, I’m going to charter you a flight to Osoloscia[H13] and from there, you will fly to the capitol. I’m going to go ahead and assume you understand your rules of engagement… but to be sure, absolutely no civilian casualties.” We both nodded and went our separate ways.

Situation:

Arko[H14]

Day: November 13 (Three years earlier)

Location: Eastern, Veridia

Veridian Forest

It had been a few days after Princess Nikki and I had our little adventure[H15] together, and ever since then a lot has changed. While we were away, Veridia and Incarnadia had yet another massive battle in this seemingly never-ending war. Nikki had just gotten pushed into the throne before we disappeared together to get away from the madness that had occurred after her mother’s death. She came home to a lot of scrutiny. The many wolf packs felt abandoned by her and demanded that she be stripped of her title as Princess until she grew more “responsible”. The board[H16] who was usually in charge of the Veridian Military agreed to take control of the Territory until Nikki attended and passed Alpha[H17] school.. Which I thought was a pretty harsh thing to do… but she was determined to return to her throne... if that were to happen. They board is to decide her fate today. “Are you okay? Arko?” Nikki asked softly. I had been staring at the sky for so long I forgot where I was. “Uh… y-yeah I’m alright… just thinking about… stuff.” I replied nervously. I looked up to see her smiling face. She sat next to me and laid her head on my shoulder, “How is your leg feeling?” I remembered that I had almost broken it during a stampede of horses. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore…” I replied shyly.

She looked up at me, her blue eyes glistening in the sunlight, “We were so awesome out there weren’t we, I had a lot of fun… even if it was crazy scary out there…” She had always been so positive. Despite what we had gone through and the fact that she was in a lot of trouble and the board would decide her fate today, she remained happy as usual. “At a time like this… how can you be so happy?” I responded looking away, “You could lose the throne…” Nikki rubbed her nose against my face, “It’s alright. It was just a mistake… a big misunderstanding. I can’t be in too much trouble.” Right when she had said that, her caretaker, Mica[H18] , had appeared. “It’s time…” She said quietly. Nikki nodded and looked back at me, “Don’t worry about me, okay? Everything will be okay.” She followed Mica to the board leaving me by myself. I heard all the things the animals were saying about her… it was just too hard for me to believe that everything was truly going to be okay.

I waited anxiously outside for her to return. Four hours had passed and I was starting to head home, until I saw her shadow appear from behind me. There she stood, her ears flattened, her tail dragging, and her eyes swollen with tears. She was alone. “Wh-what happened…?” I asked nervously, though I already knew. Without saying anything, she quickly buried her muzzle in my chest and started crying. I gently patted her back trying to calm her, but it was no use. The fur on my chest had become soaked with her cold tears, but I didn’t mind. I had never seen her so distraught before, even after her mother was killed. We sat together for hours, until the sun sank behind the distant mountains. “They took it Arko…” She said very quietly, “I’m not the Princess anymore…” I didn’t know what to say… “I have to go to Alpha school…” She continued, wiping away her tears. “I-I’m sorry…” I replied softly.

She was to leave in three days, to the Himalayaan[H19] Mountain region in Inaria, where she was to face the hardest challenges any wolf could possible face short of death. I wasn’t familiar with the exact rules of Alpha School… just that it was damn near impossible. The next day I met up with Red[H20] and Darryl, my two best friends. They just got out of hunting school and were eager to finally test out their skills. “There, The watering hole.” Darryl whispered to Red. They had been watching a massive herd of unicorns [H21] for quite a while, trying to pick out the easiest to hunt. Blue[H22] , Maddox, and Triggur were there helping while Francine[H23] , Nikki and I watched. “Yeah, but which one? You’re not talking about the stallion are you? That thing’ll rip us to shreds…” Red replied adjusting his position to get a better view. “No, no, no, right there by the tree.” Maddox said pointing. The unicorn they had targeted was pretty slow and weak looking, but it was surrounded by stronger and scarier looking ones. “I think we should just say screw it…” Blue whispered, “I don’t think we’re that good yet… to face an entire unicorn herd… you remember what happened to those other guys[H24] right?” Darryl nodded, “Yeah they went after the stallion… anyone with a brain knows that’s suicide.” Red nodded. “Let’s go up for a closer look… I can’t see.” Triggur whined as they slowed moved forward. Suddenly, from a distance, a familiar wolf cried out with a shrill, poorly-executed howl that echoed through the valley. Simultaneously, the entire herd of unicorns at the stream gazed at us. Darryl’s eyes widened, “Ah crap…” Before anyone said anything else, we all started running.

The unicorns didn’t chase us, which was unusual for them. The wolf that had ruined their hunt was my little brother, Rawrie[H25] , practicing his howling. “Did you hear me?” He questioned excitedly, “How was it?!” We were all tired out from running so no one answered. “Forget about guys, we can try again tomorrow.” Blue smiled, “At least we had a little bit of fun right?” Everyone looked at her with contempt. In the midst of the ensuing arguments, Nikki approached me. “Hey… can I… talk to you alone?” She asked nervously. I agreed and followed her to a quiet spot. The sun had just sunk behind the distant mountains and the blue moon began appearing behind dark clouds from behind us. The Veridian Forest hid most of it, but as we walked, the moon became clearer. “The moon looks huge tonight.” I said smiling, “I’ve never seen it like this before.” Nikki didn’t say anything. “Is everything alright?” I asked nervously, “You seem really quiet.” “Yeah, everything’s fine, I just wanted to talk alone for a little bit.” She replied quietly. We ended up in a small clearing that revealed the night sky which was full of different colored stars. In the distance I could see the second moon in its crescent stage. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Nikki said looking up at the sky, “My mother and I used to come out to this spot… she would show me the constellations and the different far away planets… I always missed that about her…” “I bet you really miss her…” I said quietly. She glanced back at the ground, “I do sometimes…” There was a bit of an awkward pause after that. “Hey, remember when we were out on the plains by ourselves? The sky was so clear except for a few stars, the moon wasn’t even out.” I said trying to cheer her up. “It was the same time we accidently stumbled upon that wyvern’s nest right?” She replied looking back up at the sky, “She almost killed us.” “I don’t think I ever ran so fast in my life.” I laughed at the thought. “What about that fox?” She quickly said trying not to laugh, “The one who I scared so badly?” I started laughing, “He thought you were going to rip his balls off.” We both laughed together for a little while. “We’ve only been together for a few months and we are the best of friends. Isn’t that something?” She said leaning her head against my shoulder. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.” I replied smiling. I could feel her tail wrapping around mine. “It sucks all that had to happen to us before we got to know each other.” She said closing her eyes.

“Crap I almost forgot!” She cried out, quickly standing back up, “I wanted to ask you something…” Naturally, I assumed she was going to ask me to marry her. “What should I say?” I thought to myself, “Aren’t we too young to marry? Will I be Veridia’s Alpha male?!” Before I could decide on what to say, she continued. “ Well, I’m leaving for alpha school tomorrow… and I… was wondering…”She began trying to explain, “Well in order for me to be able to go… there has to be male and female… both who will eventually become Alphas together…” I swear my heart stopped for a good second. “I was wondering if you could come with me... and we can be Alphas together… you and me.” She said with a cute smile. Immediately I became dizzy with thoughts. I was too afraid[H26] to go to hunting school let-alone Inaria to Alpha school. I knew I was, in no way, cut out for alpha school. “Nikki…I…” I began to say but she continued, “We’ve been through a lot together and I thought that we’d have no problem getting through this. I mean, we survived a wyvern, not a lot of animals can say that.” I sat against a tree, too dizzy to be able to stand. I couldn’t think of anything to say. She sat down in front of me, her cute smile and sparkling eyes not too far from me. “Arko?” She asked quietly. “I can’t Nikki… I… I can’t…” I replied quickly. Her head canted sideways a little bit. “You’re not scared are you?” She asked playfully, “I’ll be there with you, so there should be nothing to be afraid of.” I began to feel sick. I heard all of the stories of many wolf couples going off to Alpha School… and never returning. I had seen, for myself, a couple go off to Alpha school together and only the male returned. His mate had died of a disease. There was so much that could happen there… I guess that’s why they say that Alpha School is the hardest thing an animal could go through short of dying. “I don’t think… I…” I began stuttering. I could quite make out truly what I was trying to say.

Nikki’s cute smile turned into a hopeful but unsure one, “Is there something wrong?” “I can’t go…” I said again, this time more seriously. Her smile turned into a very surprised and disappointed expression. “W-why n-not?” She asked quietly, her ears lying flat out of disappointment. “You’re talking about Alpha school… We barely made it out there in the forest…” I replied, “We won’t last a minute out there.” I could tell Nikki was trying to hold back her sadness. “We can do it Arko I know we can, together we can do anything!” She declared proudly. “I can’t…” I responded for the third time. This time her mood changed. “You can’t? Or you won’t?” She asked, almost inaudible. I looked down and away from her, “I won’t…” Tears began to fill up in her eyes, as she tried one last time, “But… we may never see each other again…” It hurt to hear her say that… but I knew if we both went to Alpha School together… we’d never have a chance. “I’m sorry…” I replied. I just wanted to get away. It felt like the atmosphere around us was getting heavier and it was getting harder to breath. I quietly stood up and turned my back to her. “Arko…” She whispered, choked by tears, “Please…” I began to walk away. Every stop felt like hell, the further I got away from her, the worse I felt. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” I whispered to myself as if I were talking to her. I could feel her staring me down as I walked away and as I got farther and farther, I could hear her crying alone.

Situation:

Fluffy

Day: June 12 (Present)

Location: Northwestern Inaria (Near the Chechnyan[H27] Border)

Briefing

Inarian Intelligence Agency

“I wonder when she’s going to shut up.” I thought to myself as Nichole went on and on about... Whatever she was talking about. “ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!” She screamed. “Yes, why are you talking so loud?” I replied calmly, “I get it, someone fucked up. Why are you telling me this? I just do the dirty work anyway... Not like I had anything to do with that girl’s cover being blown.” Nichole’s eyes narrowed, her ears flattened and her nostrils flared, “YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU NO GOOD PIECE OF…” I interrupted, “WHY ARE YOU TALKING SO LOUD?!” The room fell silent. I grinned, “This is more like it.” Nichole closed her eyes in frustration, “I want to show you something.” I reluctantly follow as she got up and walked down the halls of headquarters. “What is it Nichole.” I muttered. But she remained silent. The halls were filled with wolves who were working to make sure all was well with Inaria. There were mainly wolves, but other animals hoping to do their share for the Territory worked there as well. We turned the corner and headed down a very empty, very quiet hall. “Where are we going?” I asked quietly. “Shut up, Fluffy.” She muttered back.

We reached a room labeled “Cold Room” [H28] which I never expected to see again. “What’s this about?” I asked persistently, but she said nothing. The room was empty, except for one table. On the table was a very familiar-looking female wolf. “Th-that’s..” I whispered. “That’s right.” Nichole replied solemnly. The dead wolf girl was an agent I was supposed to have trained to infiltrate a rogue pack operating in the remains of Chechnya, a recently fallen territory. She had suffered many very deep and bloody tears and gashed from the fangs of what appeared to be many wolves. Her throat had been torn open, however, by what appeared to be an animal larger than a wolf. She laid motionlessly on the table in a shallow pool of blood. Her eyes were still open, and a very frightening terrified expression on her face. “Wh-what the f-f**k..?” I whispered. I had spent a lot of time with her… I felt that she had learned everything she could have… but in only three days… she was gone. “She messed up, Fluffy.” Nichole said quietly, “Her cover was blown… and they put her down.” I couldn’t stop looking at her. “Who did this…” I growled. Nichole glanced over at me, “I think you already know.” I did, it was the work of a shady pack of wolves that came together once Chechnya collapsed. Their goal is to keep other Territories from invading the battered Chechnya, while at the same time guarding it and protecting it in preparation for their Alpha to become the new leader. “Ebony[H29] …” I muttered. Nichole nodded, “That’s right. You know her pretty well don’t you.”

Again, I did. “We used to work together a long time ago as assassins for the Inarian police.” I replied closing my eyes, “She was always very loyal to her territory… She got promoted fast… that was the last I had ever seen of her…” Nichole headed towards the exit, “Sounds to me like it was more than just work between you two, anyway. We need your expertise in this case… Veridia is sending some agents to investigate what happened in Antarceos, but before then I have a very special mission for you.” I shook my head, “Why do I get a bad vibe from this?” We both left the Cold Room and headed back to the conference room. “Her pack was last seen crossing the plains returning back to their territory, which means they’re in the area… but we don’t know for how long they’ll remain.” Nichole explained, “What do you suppose she knows about you?” I shook my head, “Nothing, I hadn’t made contact with her for years.” Nichole smiled, “well then, that’s perfect. You can see firsthand what her pack is up to and report back.” I laughed sarcastically, “It won’t be that easy. It never is.” “Well looks like you’ve got yourself a challenge then,” She said standing up and heading towards the exit, “Who knows, maybe you will get the chance to cut that b***h’s throat open.”

Chechnya wasn’t too far from the headquarters in the northwest where we were, so I decided to head north to the battered territory. I started through the plains which were covered in tall grass and wheat. The sun was covered by tons of clouds which made the temperature almost perfect. Occasionally, I’d see an Inarian pack of wolves spending time together or having fun playing war games. I sighed and kept moving. “Not everyone can have such a happy life.” I said to myself, “At least they’re able to.” I couldn’t stop thinking about how good my own life was as a puppy. Even though my mother was crazy, I did have a good life as a puppy. I wanted to change though… I got into the business of killing instead… I still don’t know how… or why, but I chose that path in life… and maybe I took this job protecting the territory to try and wipe the slate clean. It ended up being a six hour walk through the plains before I reached the border, which was separated by a wide river. There was a bridge guarded by Siberian[H30] wolves that controlled access to both Territories, nobody was allowed to cross today (with the exception of the authorities) because of Antarceos’ terrorist attack. I crossed the bridge with no problem and even stopped for a drink. The landscape on the other side was just as beautiful, if not more, then Inaria, however the history of the place was not. “Be careful out there, there are some rogue animals in there.” One of the guards called out to me as I headed into the woods. I acknowledged, and then entered anyway.

The forest was very odd feeling. Ever since the war broke out here it seems as though all life had moved out and away. There were no longer birds singing… not even a single monitick [H31] attached to a tree. “Weird…” I kept thinking to myself as I ventured deeper into the woods. There wasn’t any life here... at least any that i could see. It was very boring. After a while I began to think to myself, “How the hell does Nichole expect me to just walk back into some rogue pack of wolves that some crazy chick I knew MILLIONS of years ago created to take over a territory… that b***h must be crazy.” I laughed to myself, “I guess we’re all a little crazy.” Suddenly I heard a sound behind me. I immediately stopped and looked back. Nothing. “What the f…” I said aloud to myself and continued walking. A few hundred feet later I heard the sound again. I immediately stopped and looked back again. Nothing. “Whoever you are, you better stop f*****g with me!” I growled. “Hmph,” I laughed to myself, “I guess I really am craz…” before I could finish my thought, a heavy figured suddenly came down on me from above and knocked me flat on my stomach, before I could even realize what was going on, I had a sharp set of claws stabbing at the back of my neck. “You’re in the wrong territory you Siberian dog…” the figure growled at me. I recognized the voice and the way the figure had taken me down, “I guess I am. But then again where else would I find you, Ebony?” Her teeth bared and ears lying flat, she growled back at me, “Who the hell are you?!” Deep down inside I was a little worried she wouldn’t recognize me. “I can’t believe you don’t recognize me.” I muttered. At that moment, I think she finally realized. “Wait… No way…” She finally said getting off my back. “Alright… I was getting a little nervous.” I said getting off the ground. She had a sort of wild, confused look in her eyes, “F-fluffy?” I nodded. “Wow! I can’t believe… you’re still alive!” She cried out in excitement, “Come here you!” She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed. “You look good.” I said struggling to breathe, “What are you up to these days?” She let go after a little bit, “I should ask you the same thing! What are you doing here?”

At that moment I had a very conflicting choice to make. I could lie to her and say that I was a mercenary looking for work (Going along with what Nichole, my boss, suggested) or I could warn her of the impending hell the Inarian intelligence agencies were prepared to release on her. It wasn’t too hard of a decision actually… Ebony and I had worked together for a long time, sure, but we had also been very close on the personal side. I was in love with her. Before I could ask her to marry me, she had moved on to Chechnya. It was painful for both of us when she left, but one thing about her… no matter what she would protect her Territory, especially at that time[H32] , when it needed her the most. We ended up on different sides of the fence afterwards. The collapse of her territory, due to a failed undercover Siberian operation, forced her on (what the intelligence agencies consider) the bad side. I knew there was way much more to it than that. Ebony’s main goal is to restore her territory, and that’s it. I saw nothing wrong with her objectives… her methods were a little… hardcore… but any wolf with pride in his or her territory would (or should) do the same thing. If I were in her position, I figured I’d form a group and, against all odds, try to retake my territory as well. The problem was, her massive pack had dwindled to only a few members, as many of them were either assassinated or arrested and then executed. Out of desperation, she reached out to the same organization that Inarian, Veridian, and many other Territories labeled as very dangerous to help her retake Chechnya. The world then saw her as a terrorist participating in those activities rather than a proud patriot of her territory in a desperate attempt to save it. As a result, she was put on the most wanted terrorist list. I decided to try and save her before she was executed.

“I’m still in intelligence.” I replied to her. Ebony’s smile went away. “And… you’re here to… kill me..?” She asked quietly looking toward the ground. “No…” I quickly replied, “I want to help you… you have no idea what kind of hell is waiting for you. Pretty soon every intelligence agency is going to have animals out hunting you.” Ebony turned away and faced the woods. “I don’t care.” She replied confidently, “I’d rather fight to my last breath than watch Chechnya fall to the Siberians.” As always, she had been a hard animal to negotiate with. “Why are helping me…” she asked shyly. We both knew already, but I guess she just wanted to hear it. “I still love you.” I replied, “I don’t want to see you die over something so surreal.” “How could you say that?!” She barked out of frustration. She then calmed down a bit and explained, “I did reach out to the Inner Circle [H33] … we used to have a lot of wolves fighting for this cause… but a lot of them… are dead now.” She said very quietly, “I can’t just give up with so much they’ve sacrificed. Even if it means dying…” I sat down next to her, “I know you had reached out to the organization… you’re too understrength Ebony, what do you think you can accomplish with four wolves and a bad reputation.” I argued, “You and I both know that the outcome of this is not looking too bright for you. The organization will just use you… do you really think they’ll keep their promises?” Ebony was normally very confident (Over confident actually) but now she seemed to be very tired and desperate. “I don’t know…” she said, “I don’t know what to do any more…” She never usually admitted it when she was at the end of her rope. “Killing that spy wasn’t too good of an idea either…” I continued, “That automatically puts you on Inaria’s ‘to kill’ list. Nichole wanted me to kill you if I had the chance.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” She replied looking up at me, “I never killed anyone like that. Not recently anyway…” So it appears that Ebony wasn’t responsible for the agent that had been killed earlier. I knew how to tell when she was lying, something I picked up being with her so long before. This time she seriously had nothing to do with it. “We haven’t had any encounters with the authorities in a little while,” She said, “As a matter of fact I was going through the forest looking for the rest of the pack… we had gotten split up a while ago and… I have no clue where to start looking for them.” “You realize that you can be free from all this…? I can help you.” I said, “If you didn’t kill that girl and you can provide information on the organization, you can even switch sides and we can work together again… just like old times.” She looked away, “I can’t, Fluffy… it’s my duty to protect this place now… or die trying…” I was getting tired of her frivolous talking. She always spoke of dying for her territory without even once thinking of different ways she can go about living to protect it. “If you die trying to save this place… what do you think will change?” I argued desperately, “You only have four members left of your pack and you don’t even know where they are. Every agency on Tirrora wants you dead because of something you didn’t even do! You can’t win this! But rather than preparing to die for nothing, why not live to fight for it another day.” She looked up at me. Her eyes showed a small glimmer of hope but, knowing her, she wouldn’t cave that easily. “But…” She began trying to explain but I continued, “I can help you! I can help you clear your name so that when this whole thing is over, you can finally return to a territory that isn’t war-torn or destroyed without having to worry about someone trying to kill you. If you help me with this… if you agree to stop this freedom-fighting charade… I promise, I will fight with you to get your Territory back.” Ebony smiled, “You always knew exactly the right thing to say… I always hated that about you. Fine, I’ll go with you… but I swear, you better not forget that promise you just made me. The organization is called the Inner Circle… and they may be a lot more dangerous than you could imagine.”

NOTES

[H0] Darryl is a VESSA agent focused mainly on international relations. His mate is Copper. Picture

[H1]The Veridian Secret Service Agency [VSSA, VESSA or VSS] was recently established in Veridia as a result of numerous Territory wars that were sparked in the Vitraian plains. Their focus is on the protection of the Territory’s districts as well as the Princess.

[H2] Nyala is a bluish-grey wolf with brown spots who is the current leader of VESSA. She is in close ties with the leader of Veridia and takes her job very seriously. She has two daughters and her mate was killed in a Territory skirmish against Incarnadia. Picture

[H3]Clio is a small-time VESSA agent who is very flighty and energetic. She hasn’t been on a single mission, however, and mostly guards the gates of Veridia along with a couple others. Even though she is one of the lowest ranking, she does know her stuff. For the most part.

[H4]Princess Lavender was the former leader of the Territory of Incarnadia. Her agenda was focused mainly on expansion and weapons development. She is known to be very ruthless in her methods with absolutely no regard for lives on her side and the other. Rumor has it, that she killed off her two brothers in order to ascend to the throne. She was overthrown by her territory and, at this moment, remains in prison awaiting her time of execution. Picture

[H5]Rabies in this world is the main incurable virus that kills a lot of animals if infected. Strand C Rabies was developed by Incarnadia under Lavender’s rule. It is very potent and spreads very quickly, zombifying every animal it infects leaving the infected in an undead state just looking for more hosts to infect. It is truly a terrifying virus.

[H6]Vennessa is a Hyena from south Africa. Her main job in VESSA is intelligence extraction by means of elaborate torture. She was hired by VESSA after being fired from her hospital job as a nurse because of her “fascination” with death. Picture

[H7]The organization (name currently unknown) is a terrorist cell which uses unconventional methods such as assassinations, kidnappings, murders, and threats to assert its agenda on the population. It was later revealed that the organization was created to bring the animals of Tirrora together under one global governing body.

[H8] Princess Nikki is the current leader of Veridia and Alpha of the Central Veridian Pack. She was given the throne at a young age but was later taken from her for multiple reasons. She was to complete alpha School in order for the crown to be returned to her. She completed everything she was required to and was eventually reinstated. Picture

[H9] Copper is a female Inarian Wolf who is Darryl’s current mate. She works as a nurse for larger animals like Unicorns, Dragons, and sometimes even wyverns. She was Darryl’s long lost friend and, after Francine died, became is lifelong partner. http://fav.me/d4mookk

[H10] Maddox is a VESSA agent who works alongside Darryl in international missions. He is very high in himself but he is very capable. Picture

[H11] Fluffy is an ISSA agent who formerly was an assassin for the police in Inaria. He switched to focus on more global issues regarding Inaria. Picture

[H12]Scarlette was formerly an interrogator/torturer for (Former) Princess Lavender. When Lavender’s reign was ended, Scarlette was sentenced to death, but was then saved by Darryl, who agreed to take her under his wing. So to speak. Picture

[H13] Osoloscia is a Territory where herbivores flocked to in order to escape carnivores. Even though it is an island paradise, it is very hard to move there because of strict rules placed on the residents. It is also where the busiest trans-atlantic airport is located.

[H14] Arko is Darryl and Red’s best friend. He is very uncertain of himself and is pretty much afraid of everything. He is very attractive to what he considers ‘crazy chicks’ who end up trying to kill him. http://fav.me/d3uixja

[H15] Referring to Arko’s story which talked about how Nikki was placed and then removed from the throne and the events that led up to it. That story can be found here: http://fav.me/d3g77k5

[H16] The Veridian War Board is in charge of Veridia’s international war activities. In the event that the power needs to be shifted or that the crown must change hands, the Board over looks it until a new leader is established.

[H17]Alpha school is an extremely hard program which teaches a couple looking to be alphas how to play the role properly. Almost 80 percent of the wolves who attend don't make it out alive. In order to go, One male and one Female who want to become Alphas together must attend and survive together for four years. There, they learn how to lead.

[H18] Mica was Nikki’s mother’s assistant.

[H19] The Himalayaan mountain region is something like a massive bowl surrounded by a huge mountain range. It has the most treacherous landscapes.

[H20] Red is Darryl and Arko’s best friend. He was always considered the leader of their little group. He usually acts on impulse with his friends following along. His mate is Blue. http://fav.me/d567ddo

[H21] Unicorns are unicorns. However, on Tirrora,they are very vicious and territorial. They are very hard to hunt and usually kill a lot of their attackers.

[H22] Blue is red’s mate. She works with Copper as a nurse.

http://fav.me/d567ddo

[H23] Formerly Darryl’s mate, Francine was a French poodle. She died from rabies a few moments after this.

http://fav.me/d410tgq

[H24] Regarding another group of wolves who took a herd of unicorns head on. They were all trampled and killed.

[H25] Rawrie is Arko’s little brother. http://fav.me/d41q8hy

[H26] Arko is very scared of death. Be it the one who causes it.

[H27] Chechnya is a rather small Territory to the Northeast of Inaria and far east of Siberia. It had always been the subject of talk between international intelligence agencies for being the Territory who employed the most spies. It collapsed as a result of a failed undercover mission led by Siberia.

[H28] Referring to a morgue.

[H29] Ebony is a former assassin that worked alongside Fluffy, she is thought to have been working alongside the organization. http://fav.me/d5esz1f

[H30] A large territory North of Inaria.

[H31] They're only about 6-8 inches tall and they feed mostly on insects and the blood of larger herbivores. Their 1 inch claws allow them to scale almost any surface. Their light weight and the "wings" folded up behind the front legs allow them to glide from the top of trees, ceilings, etc. onto unsuspecting prey. Their saliva contains a sort of numbing fluid which makes the bite almost unnoticeable. They have 2 sets (4) ears and two antennas. The antennas produce a small electromagnetic field about two feet in diameter around the animal that allows it to sense anything from prey to predators. http://fav.me/d4vm2yn

[H32] Chechnya was, at that time, very torn between radical groups. The police were very active at

that time trying to maintain order.

[H33] The revealed actual name of the organization.