"So what you\x92re telling me is that you need my help in training your men to fight." I said to Axum. We had been talking for an hour now.

"Yes. The Chattan soldiers have killed most of my village. They\x92re better trained than we are." Axum said to me.

I shook my head. "I thought that Loupians were better fighters than us\x85"

"We are. But most of my village went to help attack the city with you people. They were killed in the fighting."

"So what about the others?"

"They aren\x92t our best fighters."

"Ok then\x85 Let me see the weapons you have."

Axum ordered the men in his village to bring out the weapons. Everyone brought out what they had. There were about thirty people in his village, all nomadic. They each had a longsword. Some had pulse rifles, about ten of them. The others had outdated assault rifles from some time that has been long gone. They were projectile weapons and looked to be 20^th century. I picked one up and looked at it.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It\x92s something that the humans gave to us. They called it the AK-47." Axum said.

The name was very familiar. I used to have a fascination with ancient weaponry. "This is an extremely old weapon. It belongs in a museum more than in actual fighting!"

"It works well though."

"It won\x92t have any effect against a shield."

"That\x92s why we ambush them."

"So I\x92ve heard\x85"

Loupians were masters of guerilla warfare. When they were armed with the right weapons, they were lords of conventional warfare. I had heard legends about their fighting. They were extremely lethal when they fought, and worse when you pissed them off enough. They are friendly though. They don\x92t base their culture off of fighting and war. They are the original Lupines, they have a society. They are up to date with technology, but they have kept their traditions. They don\x92t dress as a person would in a city. Not normally anyway. They have a complex society and are well mannered.

"OK. I\x92ll help. I need to contact my people though. Do you have any radios or other means of communications?" I asked.

"We have some radios. I\x92ll show you." Axum said.

He led me to a hut. It had an array of communications equipment that looked like it had been stolen from a fortress. I looked at it and recognized it as the standard equipment you would find from a good small base camp. I shook my head in disbelief and began to punch in the frequency I would need. I got a channel open with Jed.

"Base camp 10700 this is ALPHAwolfOMEGA." I said.

"ALPHAwolfOMEGA, we need your security clearance." A voice said to me.

"Roger that. Clearance code is as follows: 2-delta-bravo-7-3-3-gamma-zulu-10-90." Every soldier had a code they memorized in case they got in a situation like I did. They were trained never to tell anyone this code no matter what.

There was a pause. "ALPHAwolfOMEGA, you are cleared. Patching you over to Jed."

"Jed here. Glad to hear from you Shaul." Jed said.

"Glad to hear you too. I\x92m out of the prison camp. I\x92m with a group of Loupians. They need our help. Can you send any backup over?" I asked.

"Roger that. We can send over three troops. But that\x92s it. We have to push the lines in the north soon and we need damned near everyone we can get."

"Send me Gen, Dave, and one sniper. We need about 20 extra pulse rifles and ammo for it. I also need my sniper rifle. That, I\x92m sure, shouldn\x92t be too hard to get."

"We can get the weapons. But who is Dave?"

"He\x92s in Unit 706 of the 101^st Regiment."

"Oh, him. Yeah, I know him. Damn, you picked our best two people."

"Did I? Well, if you\x92re only gonna send three men make them the best."

"Aye. They will be arriving at you position in about two days by drop-ship."

"You have a lock on my position?"

"Yeah. Standard procedure."

"Right. Any specific orders on what to do?"

"Train them. When you finish, help us out. We\x92ll keep in contact every day at 2000 and 600 hours. Good luck."

"Same to you. ALPHAwolfOMEGA out."

I closed the line and got up. My stomach growled and Axum offered me some food. I looked at my watch. It was about noontime. I ate what he gave me and took a walk. Axum showed me the river, some prime hunting spots, and other points of interest. When we got back to the village he took me to an area in the southern part of the village. What I saw was impressive.

There was a building that looked like a stable. It had unicorns in and around it. They were beautiful. They looked like they were built for speed and were extremely agile. I saw a Loupian training with one and they took off at extremely high speeds. They ran more like cheetahs that horses. They had flexible spines and were extremely fast. They were strong and it almost seemed as though the rider and unicorn were one. It was breathtaking to watch them.

"I will give you one to ride for as long as you stay, ALPHAwolfOMEGA." Axum said.

"You can call me Shaul." I said to him. "Thank you."

"We will show you how to ride and take care of them. The rest, you must do. The bond shared between a rider and his unicorn is similar to marriage. There is a deep trust between the two. You must follow each other\x92s wisdom. You must trust each other and understand each other."

"I understand. Our lives are dependent on each other. We must be as one."

"Yes. Now come. I think I know just the one for you. His name is Ryekai."

Axum brought me into the stable. He showed me a large and powerful looking unicorn. "This is Ryekai. He\x92s a strong one and has seen much fighting. He knows more about riding in combat than you probably do. Trust him." Axum said.

"That he certainly does." I said. I pet his mane. He looked at me and we began bonding.

I was shown how to put the saddle on him. It was a totally different saddle than a normal horse\x92s. It allowed me to ride on him even when he arched his back when running. I began learning how to ride and the commands on where to go and things like that. It was a little difficult at first but I got the hang of it after an hour or so. I was just as good as some of the Loupians who have been doing this for years. Axum said it was because Ryekai and I trusted each other. I kept riding for the entire day and hen brought Ryekai in. I cleaned him and brushed his hair. I gave him some food and plenty of water. He didn\x92t seem tired though. Rather, he seemed to want to ride more. It was dark and I thought it would be better if I found out where I was staying for the night. I said bye to Ryekai and went with Axum to find lodging.

"You will be staying by my hut." Axum said.

"Thank you." I replied.

"You will have anything you need for tonight. Tomorrow you can begin to help us."

"I was thinking in two or three days when my friends come."

"We need to get started now."

"It would be better if we waited though."

"We can not wait."

I wondered why Axum was in such a rush. I finally agreed and we made preparations on training. I got ready to sleep. Axum brought me some new clothes and blankets. The bed was quit comfortable. I fell asleep quickly. I woke up with Axum standing outside my hut. He had a bowl of a sweet smelling food. It was like oatmeal with honey. I ate it and prepared for basic training.

I went out into an open field with a longsword and an AK-47. I began basic sword techniques with the village. It was like I was a DI. They did everything I told them to do and they did it well. I saw that they had extensive sword use and wanted to go over shooting skills with them. They knew how to shoot as well as any sniper I knew, with the exception of me. I was always better than they were at sniping. I improved their skills with shooting a little and decided to go into the more complicated areas. I decided I would get into the basic four-man assault teams.

We split off into groups of four and I began lecturing the importance of small groups versus large groups. In guerilla warfare, you were almost always better off in small groups. It was easier to move around, more trust, and could operate deeper in enemy territory without being detected. I went over basic strategies with them and they learned. They knew some of the strategies I knew and they knew some I didn\x92t. The entire village learned from me and I learned from them. It was a mutual relationship. They respected me and I respected them.

Two days passed and the village was well versed in what I had taught them. They were setting up ambushed miles out and bringing in new weapons. They learned extremely quickly and were ready for anything. Gen arrived at around noontime with Dave and a sniper. The sniper was named Xiangshua. He was a Loupian. He was a fairly good sniper. He was as good as the Loupians were and then some. He wasn\x92t too great at extreme distances but was awesome at medium ranges. He even knew how to snipe with the old Ak-47\x92s. I liked him right from the start. I knew he would save my ass at least once. I went over to Gen and swept her off her feet.

"I missed you so much!" I said to her. I put her down and she kissed me.

"I missed you too." She said. She was just as happy as I was.

"Hey, dude!" Dave yelled. He was carrying gear and weapons with him. Xiangshua was next to him.

"We need some help getting the rest of this over from our drop point." Xiangshua said. His muscles were rippling from all the weight he was carrying. He was about 6\x92 2\x92\x92 and had numerous battle scars. For a sniper, he looked like he had seen plenty of close combat. The most visible one he had was one going across his chest. It had a lighter shade going across his brown fur. He had the coat pattern of a German shepherd.

"Be right there." I yelled back.

"We can talk later." Gen said, with a wink.

I helped Dave and Xiangshua carry the rest of the gear to the battlements. The village was fairly small, but had many defense points. It was a miniature fortress. We were given plenty of pulse rifles and enough ammunition to wage a small war. We were given medical supplies and radios for half the village. There would only be one radioman for each four-man team. Every soldier had medical training. It was up to the soldier to decide how much training he would need. Gen had received some extra training and could do some field surgery, should she need to. We were given enough personal shields for each person in the village. That would help us very much. We were now able to wage war from behind enemy lines.

"So tell me, Shaul, what were you before you became a soldier." Axum asked.

"I was a Ranger." I replied.

He looked at me in awe. "You were a Ranger?"

"Aye. You look shocked."

"I am. You stopped being a Ranger? How? Why?"

"I stopped when I became a Force Marine."

"You gave up an honored title to become a warrior?"

"Honored title?"

"Don\x92t you know what a Ranger is?"

"A Ranger is a police officer."

He shook his head. "My friend, you have much to learn."

Axum spent the next hour explaining what a Ranger truly was. Rangers were a police force, but hey were much more. They were messengers, holy people, and guides. They were supposed to help bring order within the community and help people. They weren\x92t just meant to be police units. I wondered why Ash was so religious. I decided that I would live up to the name Ranger from now on.

I went to my hut and found new clothes there. It was a solid black vest and loincloth. My longsword sharpened and fit to shave with. All my tactical gear was lying neatly on my bed. A note was next to my clothes. It read:

"To Shaul. Meet me a mile upriver tonight. There will be a spot that has been freshly cleared. Bring everything that I had prepared on your bed."

I wondered about who it was. I thought I might be Gen. She usually liked to play mind games with me. I went out to the river and bathed. I cleaned my fur and dried it. Then I brushed it until it felt smooth. The coarseness was gone and it felt almost like silk. I went over to the stables after and got Ryekai ready to ride. I rode him around a little. I got used to the new territory and let him show me a few spots that looked nice and peaceful. I had been out for an hour before I decided to head back. I gave Ryekai food and water and brushed his hair. I went back to my hut and got changed. It was dark now. I decided to head out. I told Axum that I would be gone for a while and that if I didn\x92t return by noon tomorrow to come looking for me.

I hiked upriver for a mile and found the spot. It was a calm spot near the riverbank. I couldn\x92t see anyone so I went to the spot and looked carefully. There were no traps so I sat down and began to meditate. I searched around in my meditation. My senses heightened and I could feel the presence of someone. My mind snapped back to a woman\x92s voice.

"I see you haven\x92t been killed ALPHAwolfOMEGA." The voice said.

I knew that voice. "Manawolf. How did you find me?"

"I have my ways. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I\x92m helping a group of Loupians."

"I know. I saw."

"I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"You may want to sit. This will take some time."

I told Manawolf about my dreams: the ones where I was alone and the one when the voices were speaking to me. She sat there, on a rock, listening. I finished and she looked up at me.

"You have a fear of being alone, of being abandoned. That is what your first dream was about. The second one, I\x92m not too sure of. It seemed more like you actually experienced that more than dreamt it." Manawolf said.

"But how could a rock speak to me?"

"Some religions believe that the planet is sentient. You may have just gotten proof that it is. Or you are finding deeper enlightenment within yourself."

"What?"

"Are you familiar with the old Earth religion of Buddhism?"

"Somewhat\x85"

"You are finding a deeper enlightenment. A higher state of being that is closer to nirvana. Something like that."

"I\x92m not sure\x85"

"I didn\x92t think you would understand. Just remember it. Don\x92t dwell on it though. Let it come to you at its own time."

"Right."

"I have to go now. Gen is coming this way too."

"What?"

"She gave you the note. You came about an two hours early."

"How do you know she\x92s coming?" I said, looking in the direction of the village. When I turned around, Manawolf was gone. I had to learn how she did that.

I went back to meditating. I dove into my inner thoughts. I went back to memories of my childhood. I remembered the first day I met Shieta. I went to when I was thrown into prison and how I met Jake. I kept searching up to the point when I became a Ranger. I understood what a true Ranger was now. I promised I would become one again when I finished my service. I kept searching up until the point where Shieta died. From there I stopped. I froze that scene in my mind and wondered what could I have done differently. The only I found was \x91Nothing\x92. I had to accept that. And for once, I was able to think about Shieta and not cry. Then Gen came and brought me back to reality.

Gen started to scratch the back of my neck and then she kissed me on the muzzle. I took her into my arms and gazed into her eyes. She was glad to see me. I hadn\x92t spent any real time with her for over a month. She saw the pain I had gone through. It showed in my eyes. I hid it well, but the eyes reveal everything. They showed what I had suffered, the isolation I faced, and the feeling of desolation I had felt for so long.

"I missed you so much." She said.

"I missed you too." I replied. I held her tightly.

"You combed you fur didn\x92t you."

"Aye. I missed the feel of your hands. You have no idea how alone I felt."

"I do. We searched everywhere for you. We couldn\x92t find you. Jed led our men to find you. We stormed so many prisons, but never found you. We thought that\x85 that you were\x85" She was starting to cry a little.

"I\x92ll never die. I\x92ll never leave you."

"Promise me that."

"I promise."

We spent the next few hours together, on the bank, alone, in the moonlight. It was so peaceful. We sat there, holding each other, watching the water flow, listening to it as it rushed by, enjoying the sheer beauty of the night. We didn\x92t do anything else. Time almost stopped. It was almost as though we had trapped time and caught it in that one perfect moment. Our hearts beat in rhythm, our breaths met at the same time, and I knew we loved each other. I said a silent prayer to the Guardian and thanked him for finally showing the reward to a harsh life. Gen and I sat there, and finally we moved. I kissed her and she returned the kiss. We got up and stretched. I looked at the water, how it looked so soothing. I took off my clothes and jumped in. Gen followed. We cleaned and groomed each other. We let some of our more primal instincts flow through and acted more like wolves. We got out of the water and dried off. I looked at the moons. They were full and shining brightly. I let out a long howl. Gen howled after me. I was in touch with my wilder side.

I looked at Gen, who was on all fours, walking toward me. Her body was lean, and looked more seductive. I was very familiar with how she looked now. She was powerful, but most of her muscle was compact. She was a six inches shorter than I was but could easily take control. Her most sensitive spot was right behind her ears, a spot that very few people knew. She had beauty that would make anyone jealous and was as smart as she was attractive. She called me by my name, something I reserve only for friends. Anyone else uses my call sign.

We finally became our normal selves again and got dressed. I kissed her and gave her a wink. She knew what I meant and we dropped to all fours. We ran like our ancestors did, like wolves. We ran like that until we reached the outskirts of the village. Then we got up and walked to my hut hand in hand. We had agreed to share a bed so sleeping arrangements were easily done. I had finally learned to sleep with clothes on. It took a little adjusting but actually felt a little more comfortable, when it got cold at night anyway (do not comment). I was about to get into bed when Xiangshua and Dave knocked on the door.

"Dude, we need to ask you something." Xiangshua said, as I opened the door. He looked in and saw Gen, in bed already. "Oh, sorry. Didn\x92t mean to bother you two\x85"

"What? Oh, no! We weren\x92t gonna\x85 you pervert\x85" I said, blushing (if you could even see it underneath my fur).

"I\x92m kidding. Dave already told me that you two were together. I just needed to tell you that we got some intel on the prison camp you were in. We think we can set up a rescue mission. The guys just need some mock drills. Other than that, we got ourselves a damned good platoon."

"Aye. I was about to propose attacking that base. We have the firepower and we can always call for more. This\x92ll be strictly by the books. I think the only thing we\x92re gonna need are some rockets. They have some pretty heavy doors. We\x92re gonna have to train a few to sniper level."

"Shouldn\x92t be too hard. They\x92re all basically there already."

"OK then. I\x92m gonna get some rest now."

"Yeah. This time though, keep the howling down." He said, with a grin.

"Get outa here." I said, jokingly.

"See ya in the morning." He said, chuckling.

I went and got my sword and knife. I took then out and put them across my chest. I prayed to the Guardian. I finished and put the blades away. I slipped into bed, next to Gen. She was already sleep. I curled up next to her and just stroked the fur on her neck. She smiled a little still sleeping. I thought a little. Life had been harsh, but now I had gotten my reward. I would have much time before my journey through life ended. I would endure more hardships and receive little in return for my kindness. There would be much more to endure, but it would be worth it. I knew that somehow, it would be worth it all.