"Here\x92s how this works." I said to the Loupians. The entire village was there. "Xiangshua and I will take out the guards from this point. Groups 4-8 will go around to here. Meanwhile, Groups 2-4 will wait for my signal to destroy this door. After that, Groups 5-9 will then storm the compound and free the prisoners. We will repeat this for the next three bunkers. After that, we will demolish these three bunkers to the south. We will move hard and fast, so be alert at all times. The opposition will be fairly heavy but we will have other troops joining us. They know the plan and will help us."

"Are we going to receive any new weapons?" Axum asked.

"Yes. A drop-ship will be giving us more weapons and explosives. That should make things easier. Xiangshua and I will pick them up. All you have to do is make sure that we have a clear way when we transport them."

"Who\x92s going on this mission?"

"All of you. You will remain in the groups I gave for training exercises."

"When is this going to happen?"

"In three days. We will be training hard for two days and rest a little on the third. We will train on the third day, but not as hard. Make sure you eat well and get plenty of rest after exercises. You will need all the energy you have. Dismissed!"

The village went back to normal routines. I began to set up how each exercise with Axum and we began training. We had the strength of a platoon and more experience than most units. I went to the radio room and got on the line with Jed.

"Jed, ALPHAwolfOMEGA here." I said.

"This is Jed, ALPHAwolfOMEGA." Jed replied.

"I need some supplies. You know why."

"Yeah. They\x92ll be arriving there tonight. I gotta say, it was hard as hell to get the troops. You sure it\x92s gonna take two platoons to take out this base?"

"Yeah. It\x92s pretty well guarded and easily defendable. I want to free those prisoners."

"I don\x92t want a repeat of last time."

"Don\x92t worry. There won\x92t be a single Chattan alive to call for help."

"Don\x92t go overboard."

"I won\x92t."

"The supplies should be there soon. The troops are ready to deploy. Send us the word and we\x92ll deploy. It should take less than two hours to get there. I\x92m not sure about your troops."

"It\x92ll take about that time."

"OK. We\x92re all set then."

"Roger that. ALPHAwolfOMEGA out."

I ended the line. Jed knew what to do. I had a messenger send the plans over. All I had to do now was train the troops and get the supplies. I went over and found Gen. She was sparring, as usual. The female Loupians put up a much better fight than the Lupines I had normally seen. She actually had to fight hard in order to win. It was rare that Gen ever lost. Women sparred against men too. It was to make sure that everyone got equal training. What they decided to do extra was their choice. I had trained another four snipers. They were almost better than I was, but not quite. Gen beat her opponent, as expected. She came over to me.

"So how did I do?" She asked, a little out of breath. She fought hard.

"Very well. You have to work on your kicking techniques a little." I replied.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Not on me though." I replied, jokingly.

"Oh you!" She said, playfully punching me in the arm. She had become famous for that now.

"C\x92mon, I want to teach you how to ride a unicorn."

"I was wondering when I would learn." She said, smiling. She had taken a liking to them.

I took her over to the stables and began explaining how it worked between the rider and the unicorn. She listened and nodded. I showed her to a unicorn that I thought she would work well with. Her name was Bianka. She was pure black with a silver mane. Gen bonded with her instantly. Gen began to rider her. She did pretty well, better than I did on my first run. I watched Gen and Bianka ride a little before I saddled up Ryekai and took him out. I told Gen to follow me and I led her to a spot deep in the forest. It was a peaceful spot.

Gen and I looked around as we rode. There was a small clearing up ahead. We went into it and decided to let our unicorns rest a little. We sat down on the ground and looked around. I heard a screech above, it was a hawk. We saw all different types of animals. It was magical the way everything was. The sunlight streaming through the leaves, the sounds of animals, the sheer beauty of the forest, and the fact that we were there together. It was beginning to get a little late so we decided to head back. When we got back we saw Dave waiting for us.

"Dudes, the supplies are in. Xiangshua went out and secured it with a team Group 2." Dave said.

"OK, well be right there." I said. Ryekai broke out at full speed and I was there in twenty minutes.

"I\x92ve been waiting. I sent two guys with some of the weapons back already." Xiangshua said.

"Right then. Let\x92s bring back the rest. Ryekai and I will take most of it." Ryekai was pretty strong for a unicorn. He could sprint and carry more equipment than most other unicorns could.

I loaded up with a bunch of weapons. Xiangshua and the other two Loupians took the rest. We made our way slowly through the brush. We were right at the village entrance when we were fired upon. We sprinted as fast as we could. Groups 4 and 5 began returning fire.

I ran to my hut and grabbed my sniper rifle. I went to a clear spot and aimed at where the fire was coming from. I used my infrared scope and detected three heat signatures. I locked onto one of the targets and fired. I could see, through my scope, its blood splatter all over behind the fallen body. The two others looked at where the person had once been. The point man motioned something with his hand. I took aim for him and fired as he got up. He got up just as I was pulling the trigger. I had aimed for his head, but now my sights were at his stomach. I could see him get knocked back a few feet and fall to the ground dead. He was still bleeding, as I could see the heat from the blood through my scope. The third one took cover. He began to retreat but I wouldn\x92t let him get away. I took aim for his chest. He moved quickly so I had to be fast. I aimed and kept my sights trained on him. He paused behind something, most likely a tree. I pulled the trigger and saw the bullet leave and rip through whatever he was behind. I saw his body fall. I would not allow any enemy to leave and inform his comrades about our position.

Gen was right by me, still returning fire. She had gone trigger-happy. I called out to stop firing. I had to wait until Gen ran out of ammunition before I could get her to let go of her rifle. I calmed her down a little. She was startled by how close they had gotten to our base. I would have to ask Jed for some detectors and auto-cannons. As soon as order had returned I assigned extra guards to check around the village. I would make sure that they switched shifts every few hours so that they wouldn\x92t be bored. When you get bored, you become less alert.

I went to my hut right after assigning guard duties. I closed the door and knelt down. I began to pray to the Guardian. I was extremely thankful. I came so close to death. The shots were so close to hitting me it was unnerving. I finished praying and got up. I opened the door and found Gen waiting outside.

"That was too close." Gen said.

"I know. We can\x92t let them get this close again."

"How many were there?"

"Three. I killed them all"

"I know."

"Are you Ok?"

"Yeah. Just a little shaken."

"Get some rest. I\x92ll be there in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"Gonna tell Jed."

"OK. I\x92ll be waiting\x85" She said, teasingly.

I went to the radio room and filled Jed in on everything. He said he would have a few detectors. He couldn\x92t get the auto-cannons right away, but they would be here soon. I couldn\x92t wait. With the detectors hooked up with the auto-cannons, we could cut down on how many men needed to be patrolling. That meant more men could get sleep and better combat effectiveness. I went back to my hut and got changed into a pair of shorts. They were different from wearing a loincloth, much more restricting. They kept me a little warmer during the colder nights though. That and being snuggled up next to Gen\x85

"You\x92re tense." Gen said.

"Yeah. They got too close\x85" I replied.

"You got \x91em though."

"Yeah\x85"

"Come to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." She said, patting the bed next to her.

"Sure thing. Let me just put my sword away."

Training started early the next day. I was leading the mock raids. They went along fairly well. The Loupians knew exactly what they were doing. That made things much easier for Xiangshua and me. Xiangshua was my second in command. He was a Second Lieutenant, I was a First Lieutenant. Dave and Gen were both Sergeants. Axum was helping me lead. He knew more about strategies and tactics more than I did. He was also a fine swordsman. The only thing he really needed help with was getting supplies and fine-tuning skills with his men.

The entire village was involved in the fighting actually. Not a single person didn\x92t have something to do with the war. I look around and see so many families. So many of them fighting in a war that started for reasons of hate. It was sad, seeing children being brought to kill others. The children had probably never met a Chattan who was friendly toward them. There were many before the war, now it seams most of them have turned into total strangers who are bent on slaughtering Lupines and Loupians.

What made Lupines and Loupians different, though? We are the same species, same type of blood, same type of people. The only difference is that Lupines were not from A\x92Blam. Loupians are from A\x92Blam, Lupines are from the other planets. We are the same people, but we have classified ourselves separately. I thought it was odd, how society always had to separate people out, rather than see people as equals. But I knew for any order in times like this that there would always have to be ranks and classes. Or did there\x85 My mind could be so liberal, but I am born into a society where one must conform.

It was late afternoon when I called in the men. I was given charge of the entire village with the help of Axum. I briefed everyone on the plan. It would be much like the last attempt to free prisoners I was through. The groups would enter from different areas, forcing the Chattans to react and split their forces. We would free prisoners and escort them out. From there, a group of Lupine forces would take them the rest of the way out to a squadron of drop-ships. Although it seemed like a small number of people to take out a prison camp, forty people, it was much easier having a group of that size than to have a larger group. It was easier to coordinate the efforts and we had another four platoons in backup. I had only one thing to do before all this took place, warn Akume. I knew that if I didn\x92t, he would be killed.

I sent a messenger; a Loupian named Derek, from our village out to their base. I knew he wouldn\x92t be caught, he was stealthier than anyone I\x92ve ever known. He\x92s been credited with sneaking past a detector unnoticed. I\x92m not sure whether or not this is true, but he certainly was a sneaky bastard. I sent him out with specific orders on who to tell and what to tell him. I told him to tell Akume to lock himself in the cell I was in. He should wear the clothes that a prisoner wears and not to tell anyone else. I knew he would follow the orders.

I went out into the woods that night. It had been a long time since I tried to use my Sense. I went deep into the woods, alone. Gen wanted to come with me. She sense something was wrong, I did too. I knew I would be all right though. I went out into the night, with my sword and my sniper rifle. I found the spot that Gen and I were at a few nights ago. I sat down and faced the river. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift before focusing it. I searched through every part of me. I finished searching myself and then searched outward. I saw what was already happening in my mind, and then looked beyond that. I saw a white light and a sharp whine. I kept looking and the light faded.

What I saw was unreal. The prison camp I was held in was now a pile of ruble. It was destroyed and the Lupus Army was marching all over it. There were dead bodies everywhere. I searched around and saw everything destroyed or being taken apart for use by House Lupus. I was engulfed in seeing my plan work out in the future. Then my mind was jolted back by a few sticks cracking near me.

I jumped up and drew my sword. I couldn\x92t see anything, but I could hear something. I pulled the barrel of my rifle up and shot in the direction of the sound. I knew whatever had been coming close to me was either taking cover or running off. I wasn\x92t sure. I closed my eyes and tried to sense for anything. I could feel someone nearby. I pulled my rifle up for another shot but it was knocked out of my hand before I could do anything. I was armed with my sword and nothing else.

I tensely looked around. I could hear whatever was attacking me move around with extreme speed and agility. I could hear it snicker as it moved in circles around me. I closed my eyes and let myself view the area around me without looking. I could see things differently, letting my other sense give me an image rather than seeing one directly. I could picture the Chattan running around me. Then it stopped and turned toward me. It began to run toward me. I could picture it with its spatha drawn and aimed at me. I waited until it was barely an inch away from me. Then I dodged left and spun around with my sword extended. I opened my eyes and found a cheetah with a samurai sword locked with my longsword. It was a katana against my longsword.

I jumped backward and extended. The cheetah stopped just short from being impaled and faked right. I saw through the moved and slashed left. I barely missed and found my arm cut open. I screamed and saw the cheetah smile, sadistically. It was a female cheetah, much more agile and fierce. I growled and leaped forward. I landed a foot away and kicked her legs out. She fell and I thrust my sword downward. She rolled away and slashed at me. I picked my sword up and blocked. Metal clashed against metal for some time. I was growing tired. She still had plenty of energy in her.

She leaped forward. I did the same and met her in midair. We slashed at eachother. We landed ten feet apart. I noticed black vest had been cut. I turned and saw her shoulder cut open. She snarled at me and rushed at me. I could see time slow. Each step she took I could see the separate movements. I waited for the right moment. Then I ducked and lifted my sword up. She had no time to react. My sword was up to the hilt in her chest, just below her left breast. It had pierced her heart. She looked at me, in total astonishment. I pulled my sword out and she collapsed.

I took her sword and put it back in its scabbard. I picked up my rifle and slung it over my shoulder. I tied it around me and slung her over my shoulders. She had fought extremely well. I wanted to give her a proper burial. I walked back to the village, covered in her blood now. The entire village was in shock. I had brought a mortal enemy of theirs onto their land and wanted to give her a burial. I explained it t Axum, who was a bit nervous about the idea. I finally convinced him to allow the burial. Some of the other Loupians took some respect to her grave. I held her in high regard, and the others saw this. They decided not to bother about it. Soon, I hope, they would just ignore it and leave it be.

I went to my hut with the sword still wrapped around my chest. It was across my back and was in a comfortable position. I could reach over with my right hand and draw it. As I drew the sword, I could make a quick slashing move downward. It was much like the classic samurai draw, when the sword was behind them. I decided to give my longsword to Axum. He looked at my new weapon with some envy when I showed it to him. He showed some more respect toward me when I showed him. I knew that no one would try to steal it from me. When I entered I saw Gen who was kneeling down, praying. She finished and looked at me. Her eyes grew wide in horror at the sight of me covered in blood. She didn\x92t know that most of it wasn\x92t mine.

"Oh Guardian! What happened?!" She screamed.

"It\x92s Ok, don\x92t worry." I said, trying to calm her.

"No, It\x92s not OK. You\x92re bleeding!"

"Don\x92t worry, it\x92s not my blood."

"We have to get your cuts washed and cleaned and oh god\x85"

I calmed her down after about fifteen minutes of her becoming completely hysterical on me. I managed to convince her that I wasn\x92t hurt, despite the gaping cut on my left bicep. It didn\x92t tear into the muscle; rather, it went with the grain. I was lucky; it barely missed a vein there. We went down to the river and washed off the blood. She cleaned and bandaged my cut. I would have to wrap that arm for a while until it healed. We went back to our hut. I sat down and began to look at and admire my new sword.

It was about 38" long and extremely sharp. I\x92m surprised it didn\x92t cut through my old blade. It was beautifully decorated. It was fairly light compared to the heavy longsword I had previously fought with. It had a deep blue scabbard with a griffin fighting a wyvern, a winged serpent. I looked at it and admired the beauty and sharpness of it. Then Gen began to comb out my fur. I decided to not disrupt her, she seemed like she was enjoying her work. When she finished I took her into my arms and kissed her. We just held eachother for some time. I didn\x92t let go until my legs were numb and she was almost asleep.

"Your heart beats fast." Gen said.

"Aye, it\x92s because I\x92m here with you." I replied.

"You\x92re sweet." She cooed.

"Mmm\x85 I love you."

She was asleep. I carried her to our bed and lied her down. I tucked her in and got changed. I slipped into bed and took one last look at my new sword and rifle. I closed my eyes, put my arms around Gen, and fell asleep. Tomorrow would be a long day\x85

"DOES EVERYONE KNOW THE PLAN?!" I screamed out to the village.

"SIR, YES SIR!" The village bellowed back.

"SADDLE UP, LOCK AND LOAD!"

We readied our guns, loaded them, and mounted our unicorns. We would ride in as mounted infantry. We would go in hard and fast, taking out everything that got in our paths. We had rehearsed this many times in the past 48 hours. Now, would be the day that showed our hard work and effort. We will win this, I know it.

My team: Dave, Xiangshua, Gen, and me were the first to reach our starting points in the outskirts of the woods. Axum\x92s team was the next in position. In a minute or two, we were all ready. I gave the order to begin sniping. Xiangshua and I took aim at their stationary guns. We blew them to hell and looked for our next targets. There were guards that were fairly heavily armed. We shot them, leaving a bloody mess where they were. We had cleared what we could and I gave the next order. Team 2 rushed past the outer perimeter and toward the first bunker. I mounted on Ryekai and lead my team into the fury of the battle. We reached the bunker that I was held in. We dismounted and readied our weapons, checking to make sure the safeties were off. Dave stayed back to make sure we had no surprises. Despite being human, he was an extremely good fighter.

My heart was pounding, the adrenaline pumping through my blood, and my Sense was jumping more than a schoolgirl on speed. I blasted the door open with my assault rifle and rushed in. What I found caught me off guard, not a single Chattan in any of the hallways. Gen, Xiangshua, and I stormed every part of that complex and found not a single enemy soldier or Lupine captive. The only part we hadn\x92t stormed was the cellblock I was in. We quickly rushed into that area. I kept getting a feeling that no one was left there. I hoped my Sense was wrong, for once.

We rushed into the hallway I was kept in. Nothing, not a single person to be found. Then I heard a scream. I rushed in the direction of the screams. I heard a voice yelling and another pleading for mercy. I recognized them both immediately, Griff and Akume. I sprinted toward the door that the interrogation chambers were held, the others barely able to keep up with me. I ran into the room, and found what I expected. Griff had Akume hooked up to the torture device. He stared at me, I stared at him. I raised the barrel of my rifle, but he lunged at me and knocked it away before I could do anything. We grappled on the floor for some time. Neither Gen nor Xiangshua could get a clear shot at Griff without the extreme risk of it going through him and killing me or just plain killing me.

Griff had a firm grip on my throat. He was digging his claws into my windpipe. I moved my hand toward his eye, and thrusted my thumb in, taking out his eye. He snarled at me and then yelped in pain. I rolled over on him and began strangling him. I kept my thumb in his eye socket and my other hand over his throat. My thumb jammed into his throat, choking him. He struggled to get my grip loose, but failed. Then he rolled back and kicked me off. I landed on my feet and went after him. I ran up to him and jumped into the air. I drop kicked him against the wall and got up. He was weak now. I held him up and stared him in his good eye.

"Who the fuck are you?" He managed to say.

"You\x92re worst fucking nightmare, bitch." I replied, spitting on his face.

"Who are you!" He yelled.

"I am ALPHAwolfOMEGA, your deliverer of death." I said.

And with one smooth motion, I unsheathed my katana from behind me. I jumped back quickly as he took a swing at me and I thrusted forward with my sword. I cut into him, right in the heart. I took the sword out, crimson red from his blood. I spun around, sword held close to me and then extended the blade to the base of his neck. The blade cut his throat easily. He slumped to the ground. He had a blank expression on his face. Death had come too quickly for him, he should have suffered like the other prisoners he tortured. I looked at Akume and rushed to him. I unstrapped him from the chair he was held to and unhooked the device. With one final look at what had caused so much pain, I slashed at the machine and cut it in two. We left the room and I nodded to Xiangshua. He knew what I was thinking. He took out an HE grenade (high explosive) and threw it into the room. We walked away just as the room erupted with a loud bang.

Dave was busy outside, gunning down enemy soldiers as they came toward the bunker. We instinctively drew our weapons and fired at them. There weren\x92t too many, but they had activated their shields. It took about ten or fifteen well placed shots to down each one of them. When we killed off the group that was attacking us, we mounted. Akume rode with me, and Dave was in wonder.

"What the hell are we doing with a scumbag Chattan?" He asked me, yelling over the surrounding battle.

"This scumbag is the person who got me the fuck out of this shithole of a prison!" I yelled back.

"He\x92s the guy who helped you out?!" He said, surprised.

"Yeah, now shut up and ride!"

We rode through hell. We had to get through hordes of Chattan soldiers, a small minefield, and numerous gun emplacements. We stopped about ten times to make sure that our forces were in check. Despite the way it sounded, everything was going to plan. We had evacuated every soldier we could possibly find and leveled half the camp. We escorted the prisoners to the drop-ships and I gave Jed the OK signal to finish off the base with his troops. Jed was able to get a few platoons to help out with this operation because it was on the way. He had to attack this area in order to extend the borders and with the help of the Loupians, it would be all the better.

"ALPHAwolfOMEGA, Raider here." Raider was Jed\x92s call sign.

"ALPHAwolfOMEGA here." I replied.

"Your forces did an awesome job. Chez Chattan officially closed. Congratulations, you did a good job. We\x92ll debrief tomorrow after we get a count on the prisoners."

"Roger that, Raider. ALPHAwolfOMEGA, out."

It had been a job well done. I called in a count of my forces. Everyone reported in. We had zero casualties on our side. I looked at Gen, who was tending to Akume\x92s wounds. He had many cuts and bruises. There was a spot on his neck where his fur had been shaved off. It looked like he had been burned there. I gave him a smile and he managed to grin.

"So, you kept your promise." Akume said to me.

"I always do." I replied, patting him on the back. I think he winced in pain when I did that.

"Now what?" He asked, a little wary on what the future held for him.

"Now, you help House Lupus defeat the Chattan forces."

He shook his head. "I feel so sorry for these people. They\x92re all fighting for a cause that\x92s long dead."

I was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Do you know why the war started?" He asked me.

"A Lupine Ranger gunned down a Chattan." I said, a little unsure.

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