"What is to be." - Edouard Kock and Miktar Dracon

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Chapter 1 - Kir and Miyr
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"Christ, its cold!"
"Why the hell is it so dark?"
"Don't ask me, you were supposed to bring the flashlight." 
"Keep your fur on, I did bring....where did I.... got it!"
"Shit! Point that thing in the other direction!"
"Kickass flashlight, huh? I got it off some dead guy."
"Fuck, Im blind."

The bright beam from the flashlight seemed to scare away darkness itself 
as it cut through the cold night air. Small clouds of dust rose from the 
disturbed wooden floorboards. Nobody had been in here for a long time. If 
it wasn't obvious from the outside, due to the boarded up windows and 
slowly collapsing walls, it was damn obvious from where Miyr was standing. 
Broken furniture scattered across the disintegrating floor, heaps of dust 
in every crack and depression, and the thick smell of "old". Slowly, Kir 
regained his vision and saw what he had missed in the dark.

"This place is a fucking mess." he remarked, making sure not to drag his 
unnaturally long, bushy tail in the dust. Kir loved his short, soft brown 
fur that he would spend hours brushing, if Miyr didn't want to do it for 
him. The shortness of his fur perfectly outlined his well toned and muscled 
body. "Its genetic, really!", Kir would lie when questioned about the secret 
to his admirable body. But it was actually just a lot of hard work, workout 
and play.  Miyr noticed that Kir was paying more attention to his tail than 
to where he was going, and tried to warn him about.... "Ow, shit!" Kir 
screamed as he walked into a protruding wooden beam at crotch-level that had 
started to jut out from the collapsing wall. "Tried to tell ya," Miyr said, 
trying hard not to laugh, "you care way to much about your damn fur." Kir 
grimaced, then deftly walked over to where Miyr was standing, a lone shaft 
of light from a hole in the cealing the only illumination on him, aside 
from a soft glow from the halogyn flashlight. Miyr's fur is a light brown, 
and unlike Kir, may not be well built. But what he lacks in muscle detail, 
he makes up for in smooth outlines and a handsome posture. "Fit 'n frisky" 
as Kir always described him. Placing his paws on Miyr's shoulders, Kir gave 
him a lick on the snout and said with an air of playfullness, "I have to, or 
you would go chasing some other, better kept "wuff", wouldn't you?" Miyr 
wagged his tail, gave a wry smile, returned the lick, and then they started 
to carefully walk down the dusty hallway, checking every room that they 
passed.

They found dust, amoung other things. "Shine the light over here," Kir
motioned with a claw to a large hole in center of the floor of what seemed 
to have once been a livingroom. "What do you see?" Miyr asks as he walks 
over to where Kir is leaning slightly over the edge of the hole, peering 
into the darkness. "Im not sure, but I think I saw something move down 
there." Miyr walked closer with the flashlight, briefly noteing that 
there were small scratchmarks all over the floor, and the occasional, odd 
splot of a dark colour. As the circle of light creeped over the edge and 
into the hole, Kir quickly turned his head away. Miyr almost dropped the 
flashlight, covering his snout with his other paw. "Dammit! Why the hell 
didn't we smell that before?" Kir coughed after trying to take a deep 
breath. The stench was unbearable. Both left the room in haste, returning 
to the hallway. "How many do you think were down there?" Miyr whispered, 
Kir could hear that his mate was afraid. "Im not sure," Kir whispered back, 
"thirty, mabye fourty. When they are seperated like that, its hard to 
tell." Miyr frowned, he really didn't need to hear that. "Kir?" he asked, 
still whispering. "Yes Miyr?" Kir replied, who was looking around 
nervously, ears perked, listening for any sound that shouldn't be there. 
Miyr didn't like it when Kir looked nervous. "Miyr?" Kir asked again, 
directing his attention to his mate, who he now saw was looking very 
panicked, clutching the flashlight tight like a weapon. "Can we please 
go home now?", Miyr whispered as low as he possibly could, as if he was 
afraid of his own voice killing him.

Kir didn't like it. They had not yet found anything that they could
sell to the 'buyers', and they desperatly needed money. But on they 
other hand, did he really want to endanger the one he loved, for 
the sake of money? "Yes, lets get out of here." he said, firmly
taking Miyr's paw. Comforted by the touch of his mate, Miyr calmed
down a little, and moved closer to Kir. "Im sorry...", he whispered,
stroking a patch of fur on Kir's chest, who gave a soft smile.
"Don't worry about it, Miyr.", he said. "We will find something
some other time. Right now, I want to get you out of here. Its not
safe." And with that, they started to walk down the hallway to where
they had entered the building through a large hole in one of the
crumbling walls. But before they could reach the exit, halfway down the
hall, Kir suddenly stopped, looked back over his shoulder and pulled 
Miyr into him. "Switch the light off. Now." he whispered in a firm tone. 
Miyr fumbled with the switch of the flashlight a bit, and with an echoing 
click the strong beam of light vanished. Kir could feel Miyr shivering 
by his side.  "Wha....what did you see?" Miyr whispered softly into 
Kir's ear, which was twiching slightly. There was no sound coming from 
the darkness in front of them or behinnd them. It was hard to see anything 
with the light off, but Miyr didn't dare disobey his mate. Kir's hearing 
is much more developed than his own, and he trusts his mate 
unquestioningly. "Kir...?" he asked again, looking around into the 
blackness. The thick dust all around them. Miyr suddenly realized what 
was bothering Kir. They had not been in this hallway for a while, but the 
dust was in the air, recently disturbed.

A sound behind them. A soft click, followed by a hiss. Miyr gave a 
violent shudder, and inched closer to Kir, who was seemingly in a trance,
staring into the darkness behind them. Meanacing patterns of
dust in the air, curling and falling, then suddenly moving towards 
them. Kir slowly turned his snout to Miyr's ear, and whispered...
"Run." That's all Miyr needed to hear. Tenseing his leg muscles he
slowly leaned forward. In a gracefull move, landing on his front paws, 
his back legs giving a sudden kick, starting the sequence. Front legs 
pull, claw into the floor, back legs move up, kick down, dig in, push, 
leap. Miyr may not have the strength of his mate, who was a proven 
street fighter, but he could run. It was his only defence against 
those who would do him harm. He had been running since pup-hood. He 
always had to run. From his parents. From bullies. From the 'zards. 
And it was that which drove him, made him dig deep, push hard. Kir 
hadn't even taken a breath, and Miyr was already bounding down the 
hallway towards an exit he could not see. There was little light
where he was standing, but his eyesight was good in the dark. He
could now clearly see what Miyr didn't. And he didn't like it.
He had no choice. He must defend Miyr's escape. He didn't save
Miyr's life, just to lose it now to a couple of 'zards. In his mind,
he could see what the 'zards would do to his mate if they caught him.
He focused his rage, tensing his muscles, dropping into his combat
stance. Flicking one ear back, he listened to the sound of his mate
running down the hall, away from the danger he would now have to face,
not just for himself, but for Miyr aswell.

A growl, Kir ducked, feeling the body miss its intented target and
landing somewhere behind him. The second 'zard didn't miss, diving
square into Kir's chest, knocking him back, sliding across the dusty
floorboards a good length. "Get OFF me!" Kir shouted, pulling his 
legs up, under the scaly body on top of him and kicking hard. Jumping
to his feet even before the 'zard had landed, he spun around to face
the first one that had tried to knock him over. Face to face, nose 
to nose with one of the creatures he hated the most. The 'zard gave
a meanacing smile, looking down at Kir. 'Fuck, he's big...' Kir
barely had time to bare his teeth and he was already reeling back from 
a punch in the stomach. "Chri-" he muttered as he stumbled over the
unconscious body of the 'zard he had kicked off of him. 'Fall, land,
roll, up back into stance.', Kir readied himself mentally for the 
sequence he planned as he fell backwards. Upon feeling the cold
floor, Kir brought his legs back, backwards roll, and gets
up only to have the large 'zard knock him back down again with a
square blow to the face. 'Christ, this guy hits hard...', Kir 
swears as he wipes the blood from the corner of his snout.

Miyr was in a panic. He had heared the attack snarls of the 
'zards, and then the yell from Kir. He was not afraid for himself,
but for Kir. Upon reaching the hole in the wall where they had 
entered the building, he stopped and fumbled open his backpack.
He had been to afraid to tell Kir what he had in it, so he said
he packed food. Its a good thing Kir didn't get hungry, or he would
have found out about Miyr's lie. "I must help Kir." Miyr said,
taking out the shotgun he had found on the same body from which
he obtained the flashlight earlier before meeting Kir outside this
building. "All my life, I've been running. Now, I think its time I show
these fucking 'zards that Im not as helpless as they think." Putting
in two bullets and loading the chambers, again, and again, Miyr swung
his pack back on his shoulder and turned around, facing the noise which
was coming down the passage. He could hear Kir yelp in pain. He had
painfull flashbacks of when Kir had saved him the first time from 
a 'zard. He had to nurse Kir back to health for 4 weeks. Kir saved
his life that day. "Its time to repay that debt." Miyr muttered, and
moved through the dust and darkness back down the hallway, heading 
towards Kir's shouts.

For a while, Kir had been holding his own against the unnaturally 
large 'zard, but now, things were diffrent. After being thrown
against the wall several times, Kir had no fight left in him.
Lying in a pool of his own blood, cuts and marks across his skin, 
patches of fur ripped from his body, the 'zard towering over him,
its tail moving from side to side in anticipation of the kill. Kir
had seen this before. The proud look on a 'zards scaly face, its
forked toung licking the air, claws dripping with blood, hovering over
its prey like an anxious vulture. It started to taunt Kir, as it always
does to its victim before it kills. "I will find himmmm..." the 'zard
spoke in a raspy voice, licking the air after ever pause, "I will
find the one who wassss with you," the 'zard grimaced, baring its small
jagged teeth, "And I will kill himmmm". Kir growled with the last
of his energy. He couldn't stand up, no matter how much he willed it.
Inside his head, he could only think of Miyr. About how he would die
without him. Kir wondered if Miyr made it out, he hoped it, he wished it.
For a brief moment, he prayed, prayed to whatever God there is,
to please watch over his mate. To protect the one he loved.
Growing tired of this game, the 'zard raised its taloned claw, ready
to strike Kir one last time. Kir winched, awaiting the white flash of
pain, and then, death. 

"Fuck you!" came the shout. 'MIYR!' Kir thought, opening his eyes.
There was a loud thunderclap, the roar of the 'zard in pain as
blood splashed on to Kir's face. Kir took everything in, slow, like
a dream. The 'zards face bore the expression of pain, and then shock
as it spun around to face what had attacked it. Kir could see that
there was a large hole through the 'zards back, bits of white bone
sticking through the thick skin. He could see Miyr standing there,
filled with rage, and holding probably the biggest fucking shotgun
he had ever seen. "Howwww..." the 'zard gurgled, blood flowing down
the side of its mouth. "Like this, asshole!" Miyr shouted, and pulled 
the trigger again, this time aiming higher. The 'zard's head exploded
with a thunderclap, bits of meat falling around Kir, splatting against 
the roof and walls, the spray of blood clouding his vision. The other
'zard had regained consiousness and lept at Miyr from behind. Miyr
heard the 'zards growl and spun around ducking low. The 'zard landed 
with its stomach right on top of the barrel of the shotgun, snarling
in pain as two of his ribs snapped. Miyr smiled at the 'zard who was now 
in a state of panic and pain. "And fuck you too..." he said softly, almost
a whisper, pulling the trigger of the shotgun. A muffled thunderclap,
the splash of blood and guts against the cealing, the body of the 'zard
ripped in half. Miyr stood up, the upper torso of the 'zard falling to 
the ground behind him, the lower half falling backwards on the the
floor in front of him. The last thing that Kir saw was Miyr walking 
towards him. Proud. He smiled as his vision went black.


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Chapter 2 - Kir
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"Will he be okay?"
"Cannae say, lad. He lost a'lotta blood."
"C'mon, Kir. Christ, I swear I'll pay you the money I owe you, 
just don't die."
"Right. Both of you, out, now. Cannae you see, Kir needs t'rest. Out."
"I'll be outside if you need me, Miktar."
"Thanks, Miyr."

<God, where the hell am I? Miyr? Why can't I see anything? I feel cold.
I smell, what is that smell? Me? No. Smells more like... Miktar? Why would
I... wait. The 'zards. Miyr killed them both. I remember now. Dammit, take
this crap off my eyes! "Easy there lad, I'll take them off.." Wait, that IS 
Miktar. I must be back home. >

"Miktar?"
"Yes, Kir. Its me. Relax, lad. Ill take the bandages off.."
"Okay, just hurry."
"Why the rush? You are hurt, and need rest..."
"Miyr, is Miyr okay? What happened? How did I get back here? Where is..."
"*Sigh*, lie down Kir. Miyr is fine, he'a came wandering in'ta camp with you 
over his shoulder and carrying one damn big shotgun."
"Miyr carried me all the way back?"
"Seems so, lad. He is also in need of some good rest, mind you. If I were
you, I would stay in camp for a few weeks, not go searching for some damned.."
"Help me up, I need to go see Miyr..."
"Lie DOWN!"
"Ow, dammit! That hurts!"
"It oughtta, you've got cuts over your body that are bone deep. You WILL 
stay in bed until you have regained some of your health."
"Okay, okay. Just, go get Miyr for me, please, Miktar. I really need to 
talk to him."
"Allright, but if you so much as set'ta foot outta that bed, God help me 
I will personally strap you to it."

<Probably. I've seen what happens when Miktar looses his cool with a stubborn
patient.>

"Allright, I get the picture. Just, go get Miyr."

<Relax, Kir. Stressing is not going to help. Just breath.... thats it. Close 
your eyes. Clear your head. Feel where it hurts. Find out where the cuts are 
bad. Focus on them, visualize them healing, just like Miyr taught you. 
Breath... There we go. Breath deep...>

"Kir?"
"Im awake, Miyr. Come over here... It must be freezing outside, I can feel 
the chill of the wind."
"Yeah, it is cold. Is it okay if I sit here?"
"Its fine. Give me your paw.."

<Its cold. Very cold. His paws are shivering. He was standing outside, in this
cold, worried about me. >

"I love you Miyr, don't ever forget that..."
"I.... understand, Kir."
"Whats wrong, Miyr?"
"N.. nothing... "
"I can hear it in your voice, Miyr. Something is wrong. Tell me... Its okay..."
"Its just, well.... you're not angry with me, are you?"
"Angry? Why would I be angry?"
"Well, I know how you feel about using weapons, and well....."
"Miyr, my reason for disliking and not using weapons, is based on what happend
a long time ago. It was about time I got over it, and you opened my eyes to
something I was blind to for so long, something I didn't want to see."
"Im not sure I understand, Kir..."
"Miyr, I didn't want you to use guns, because I was afraid that something would
go wrong, and I would lose you. I neglected to think, that mabye it could actually
save your life, not to mention mine."
"So... its okay if I keep it then? The gun, I mean.."
"Of course, Miyr. Not only that, but I want you to help me find one aswell."
"I will, Kir. Is it okay, if I just lie here for a while? Im tired, and its
to cold to walk back to the tent..."
"You don't need to explain Miyr. C'mon, get under the blanket...."

<He is so cold, and he really is tired. Miktar is right. He needs rest. I do
too. We've been scavaging for a good few months now, its about time we
take a break. Miyr.... asleep already. Myrring softly in my arms. 
Miyr, one day I will tell you what happened. But for now, it is better if I 
keep it to myself. I don't need to burden you with my emotional troubles
anymore. You have your own.>

<How long have I known you, Miyr? Three, mabye four years? Im not even sure what
year it is anymore. I look out the windowflap, and what do I see? Blackness. 
Black sky, blackened buildings, scorched landscape. Slowly, the memory of the
colourfull New York that I once knew, is fading. What happened? I can't even
remember what started this war. Or if it even is a war. All I know, is its us, 
and them. But which side are we? Who is right, and who is wrong? Right about 
what? Christ, what the hell is wrong with everything? Why must things be this way?
How did they get to be this way? I wish I knew.... I wish I could understand
what went...>

"Kir? Are you awake?"
"*Snort*, Huh? What? Miyr?"

<Tent? Camp? Back at camp. Its morning. Miyr, here. He was with me all night.>

"Shhh, like down, its okay....."
"*Yawn*, what time is it Miyr?"
"Morning, from what I can tell. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, a little..."
"I'll go get you something to eat, we have some food left in the tent.."
"Wait, Miyr, sit down."
"Okay...."
"Miyr, I want to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Can you remember, when the war started? When all of this started? I mean, where
were you when it began?"
"Im... not sure. Im not even sure if it is a war. Is it? But a war... what are we, or
they, fighting about, or for?"
"Im not sure, Miyr. Thats what bothers me. I never really thought about it, until
now."
"Did you dream about something?"
"Yeah, I did."
"What about?"
"I'll... tell you later, okay? Lets get something to eat first."
"You stay in bed, I'll go fetch some food. Okay?"
"Allright."
"I'll be back in a sec."

<So caring. And to think, no, I won't even bother thinking about it. I don't want
to tell Miyr what I dreamed, I might scare him. It scares me. Dreams don't mean
anything anyway. But Miyr believes otherwise. But then again, there is a lot
that Miyr has shown me over the years, which has made me believe in things that
I never would have. Impossible things, but only because one doesn't understand, or
know. Mabye I should tell him about it. Mabye he will understand it. But not yet.
He needs rest. I do too. I will go speak to Miktar later, and the Archiver. Mabye
he knows something about...>

"Kir?"
"Sarah?"
"Can I come in? I don't want to be a bother..."
"No, please do come in. Its cold outside."
"Thanks..."

<She just gets more beautiful every time I see her. But so sad. Sad? Something
has happened.>

"You feeling better, Kir?"
"Im feeling great, Sarah... but tell me, whats wrong?"
"Wrong? Nothing..."
"I can see it, Sarah. You don't have to try and hide it. Please, tell me."
"Mind if I sit down?"
"Of course not."
"I was really worried, when I heard that you had been attacked."
"I thank you for your concern, Sarah, but don't evade the subject. What
is wrong?"
"*Sigh*, you were always the headstrong one, Kir. See? Im smiling. I feel
better now. But you still want to know whats wrong. Allright. Toras and I split
up."

<Oh dear. I saw this coming a mile away. Then again, I never liked Toras in the 
first place. Miyr agrees with me, and says that Toras has 'other agendas', but Im
not sure what he means.>

"What happened?"
"It just wasn't working out, Kir. There was a time where I thought he was 
sincere, and kind, but I started seeing him for who he really is. Nothing
but a self-centered bastard, who only cared for me because I was a good fuck."
"Ouch. So what happened when you told him?"
"He threw a fit, swearing that he would kill they guy if he found him."
"Hang on. Kill who? I don't get it."
"Oh, he didn't think that I was leaving him because of that, but rather because
I was seeing someone else."
"Fucking asshole. And then what happened?"
"Well, he left, and I came here."
"Oh. Well at least Im safe, huh? I mean, I can't possibly be the 'guy'."
"C'mon, this is serious."
"Is it? Was he really worth it? He was just using you."
"Mabye you're right. Im better off without him."
"Besides, I know a few wuffs who would be very happy to hear that you
finally dumped that damn fuckup."
"Really?"
"Sarah, do you honestly think, that someone who has a body like yours
and a brain to match it, doesn't have a few hundred or so wuffs in secret
admiration?"
"Don't exaggerate."
"Lets just say, that I think there are much better candidates out there, and you
should take this as a blessing in disguese. If you need a place to stay for 
a while, you are more than welcome to crash with us."
"Thanks, Kir. I really appreciate your support. And to be honest, its a real 
shame you are taken, aside from that other obvious fact."
"I'll take it as a compliment. Thanks."

<She really does deserve better. Toras was a fuckup, plain and simple. Sarah is
bound to find someone who will really care for her, and someone she can
rely on. I wonder where Miyr is? He is taking awfully long with the food.
Im hungry. I wonder if Sarah is hungry? Mabye I should...>

"There you are, you slut!"
"Oh Christ. Toras, what the fuck are you doing here?"
"Stay out of this, Kir. This is none of your god-damned business."
"Toras, please, leave. Its over."
"No Sarah, its not. You are coming with me. Now."
"Ow! You're hurting me! Toras, leave me alone!"
"Let her go, Toras."
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, little Kir? Fight me like you
did the 'zard that kicked your ass? Hah!"

<Christ, even if I was in top condition, I still wouldn't be able to bring him down.
Toras Tank, as the saying goes. That is one wuff who was swimming in the deep end
of the gene pool when it comes to muscle and size. Shit, he reminds me a little
of the large 'zard that fucked me up. But I can't just lie here, Sarah is in danger.
Who knows what Toras is going to do. He's so fucking stupid, he probably belives
that Sarah is seeing someone else....>

"Toras, out. Kir, lie down."
"Miktar? Jeezus, am I glad to see you."
"Are ye okay, Sarah?"
"I'd be a lot better, once Toras gets out of my fucking life."
"You keep away from me, dragon. Sarah is coming with me."
"Sarah, do y'want to go with Toras?"
"No!"
"Then that settles it. Toras, let her go."

<Uh oh. I know what it means when Miktar widens his stance like that, and his wings move 
out a little. It means he is fucking pissed off.>

"Dragon, keep out of this."
"Im afraid, that Im already in deep, lad. Either you let her go, and leave peacfully,
or I will remove ye from my tent myself. And don't expect me to fix you up
after Im through with ye."
"Is that a threat, dragon? Do you dare threaten me?"
"Yes."
"Toras, you are getting yourself into more shit than you can swallow. Watch yourself."
"Shut the fuck up, Kir."
"No, you shut the fuck up, asshole."
"Miyr?"

<Fuck me! The size of that goddamned shotgun gets me every time! This should settle things
quickly.>

"Get out, now, Toras, or I will blow your fucking brains out."
"Where did a little shit like you get that gun?"
"Toras, Im giving you ten counts, and then I shoot."
"You don't have the guts, little faggot."

<Bad move, Toras.>

"You now have five counts. One."
"You wouldn't dare..."
"Two."
"Stop this shit, Miyr. This is none of your..."
"Three."
"Dammit! Put that fucking thing down!"
"Four."
"Toras, please, just get the fuck out."
"Allright! Im leaving! But this isn't over, Sarah."

<Toras, tail between his legs, fleeing from Miyr. I never thought I would live to see this
day.>

"Well done, lad."
"Thanks Miktar.... Christ, I didn't think he was going to leave. And if he didn't..."
"You would have shot him, Miyr. End of story."
"Sarah, would that have been the best of choices?"
"Yes Miyr, it would have been."
"Allright, enough excitement for today. Lets all calm down, and have something 
to eat."
"Fuck, Im starved! Miyr, what did you get?"

*********************************************************************
Chapter 3 - Bartoc
*********************************************************************

<I can hear sound. I understand the words. Making me, sad. Singing? Where is
it coming from? Why do I hear it?>

"Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken..."
"The violence, cause such silence, who are we mistaken.."
"May you see, its not me, its not my family,"
"In your head, in your head, they are fighting."

<What is it about? Its coming from, distance. Radio. A radio, here? Must
investigate.>

He moves silently across the debris from a destroyed skyscraper. Large
slabs of concrete create a makeshift jungle for him to navigate. This is 
the world he knows, the world he was born into. He sees nothing wrong with
the fact that entire cityblocks are destroyed, that huge craters cover
the landscape. Its all perfectly natural to him. Walking past an abandoned
bakery, he stops to sniff the air. And almost intangible scent, unknown to 
him, fills the air here. But its origin long gone, just like everything else
in the city. Soft echos of whispers of wind, howling silently between the
buildings. The world dominated by grey and black. The shadows seem to 
hide infinity.

<Getting closer, source is moving away. Must move faster.>

Leaping further, digging in deeper, running faster. To watch a 'zard
move, is like watching water flow. His lizardine body moving swiftly into 
depressions of concrete and rubble, crashing over edges, leaping into the 
air only to flow swiftly once again. Black shadow follows, rippling across 
the background. Closer, further, the contours of the landscape a playground
to the shadow. A soft whistle, loud crash, thunderclap, rumble, echo 
after echo. The sudden sound caused the 'zard to stop and sniff the air.
Not noticable until it stopped, the music had a soft ghostly
echo, that is now gone.

<Why did it stop? Who stopped it? Thunder? Smell the air, I smell, burning.>

Yells, shouts, screaming. Someone in pain. All of this, and its echo.
Moving closer to the source of all the commotion, the 'zard peers over
the edge of a collapsed signpost, the words that once gave it meaning,
long ago weathered away. What looks like it was once a camp, is now nothing
but a hole in the ground. Remains of tent and wuff, scattered around it.
Some survivors that were thrown clear of the explosion, burned and in pain,
screaming for help, but none arrive.

Scanning for danger, but finding none, the 'zard slides down towards 
the crater, stopping only briefly to stare at the remains of an elderly 
wuff. Upon reaching the destroyed camp, the 'zard looks around for 
anything of use to him. 

"Help me..." 

<A whisper... where did that come from? Over here, I think..>

Climbing over a large rock, the 'zard finds a hurt and bleeding wuff,
probably in his 20's. Slowly, he moves down and stands next to the
injured wuff, who seems perfectly calm despite the chaos around him.

"Please, help me..." he says again, reaching into the air with his
paw. "I know you are here, I sense you..."

<Sense... me?>

"Where are you? I can't.... Im blind."

<Blind. He cannot see me. He doesn't know that...>

Standing over the wuff, the 'zard is a little confused. He is not
used to this. Being so close to a wuff, when it is alive. And he
is definatly not used to one, asking for help, from him. Screams
echo through his mind, 'Kill the 'zard! Its gonna kill us if we 
don't!'. Shaking his head to rid himself of the ghosts of the past,
he reaches down and holds the paw of the blind wuff.

"I knew it. I could feel you. But your hand, its...."

<What do I do? Do I help him? Help one of them? But why? He can't see 
me,  he doesn't know that I am one. One they fear. But its not my 
fault. Not because of me. I've never....>

"Pleassse, do not be afraid." the 'zard whispers softly, hoping that
the wuff wouldn't notice that...

"You are a 'zard?"
"Yesss."
"Why did you not kill me?"
"Ssshould I have? I had no reason to."
"There is something odd about you, 'zard. You don't look like the
others."
"But you are blind. You cannot ssssee..."
"I know what I am. But do you know who you are?"
"What?"

No answer. The wuff had stopped breathing, and the 'zard could see
that he would not breath again. Death, is something that does
not confused him. He understands it clearly, more than anything.
But now, something was wrong. A seed was planted in his mind,
and it was growing fast.

<Who I am? What did he mean? I am Bartoc. I am a Lizard. What is 
a Lizard? I am one. I am one because I look like one. I was
born a Lizard. But... what is it? Why is it?>

Looking down at the calm face of the now dead wuff, Bartoc slowly
releases that paw that he was holding, placing it on the furry
chest. Around him, the shouts of the other wuffs seem to suddenly
return to him, as if everything had been dead silent. This sudden
return to reality made him shudder, and he rose up from where he
was kneeling.

<What is wrong here? All around me, there are dead. I've seen my
own, dead. I've seen them, dead. This world, where am I? Its wrong.
Something is wrong. No, stop it. Get out of my thoughts! I don't
want to know!>

Ignoring everything around him, Bartoc suddenly starts to run. 
Not caring about anything, he runs faster than he ever has before. 
Things fly past his vision, memories flash in his mind. Not
the gracefull flow as usual, but rapids. Ignoring the pain of his
claws digging to deep into the ground, the scraping of his tail
against sharp concrete, Bartoc runs away from something he cannot
see. Something he doesn't understand. He stops.

He looks around at where he is. But what he sees, is not what once was. In 
the middle of an intersection of two roads. The buildings reaching to 
the clouded sky, broken, blackened, crumbling. 

<Its all wrong...>

Shafts of light slowly creep across the faces of these destroyed
buildings, the clouds above moving fast. Bartoc looks down at his 
shadow. His large frame, his tail, his muscled arms, his long slender
face. Suddenly is dissapears as a shaft of light moves over him. 

<What is... why do I feel diffrent? The light. Its....>

Like a child, marvelling at something which seems like magic,
Bartoc moves with the sunlight, seeking its warmth. 

The clouds move together, and the light stops. Bartoc stands
still and looks up. He has spent his entire life, accepting
what he sees, believing in something that was once all he
thought existed. He never bothered to look around, to 
see what was really there. But now, things are changing.

Alerted by the sudden intrusion of a sound in the area, Bartoc
snaps out out his trance and dives behind an overturned and rusted
truck. Little rocks cascade down a slope created by a collapsed
wall.

<Where did that come from? Who is here? I should have smelled
something by now.>

Slowly, he peers around the side, scanning the area. Nothing.

<I did hear something. There is someone out there. But who..
and why can't I smell...>

Right in the center of the crossroads, Bartoc suddenly notices
that there is a shadow there. Only a shadow. Right where he was 
standing. From his position, he cannot make out what the shape 
of the shadow is. It moves a little from side to side, then 
moves off to one side and then fades away. Unnearved by this 
phenomenon, Bartoc suddenly remembers to breath.

<This doesn't make any sense. Something was there, but I could not
see it, or smell it. Thats dangerous. I must warm the others...>

Checking once more for any 'detached' shadows in the crossroads,
Bartoc leaps into his movement cycle, but a little faster than usual.
Driven by fear, he finds himself back before he expected.

Tall pillars of bones clearly mark the entrance to the 'zard camp,
aside from the patterns of clawmarks on the ground and cement,
the stench of death, and the word 'Lizard' scribbled in blood 
on one wall in child-like handwriting. Nestled between two collapsed
buildings, its more of a fortress than a camp, several lookouts
on their haunches atop cement pillars.

"Who goesss there?" a lookout shouts.
"I am Bartoc, Clan of the Demonsss."

"Bartoc hasss returned!" the lookout shouts down behind him, and it
echos through the camp.

Routine. Single scratchmark on the wall, gatekeeper checks
skin and scent. The last thing a Clan needs, is a infiltration
from another Clan. In an attempt to destroy a Clan, a single Lizard
from an opposing Clan will capture a 'zard from the Clan and torture
his personal details out of him. Then, under the guise of the dead
'zard, enter his base and destory the eggs. Only the queen of a Clan
is allowed to mate, and thus, only the queen lays eggs that determine
the future of the Clan. But also for that reason, Clans remain small.

If there is one place that Bartoc does not doubt, its the camp
of his Clan. His home. The place where he was born, that taught him
what he is, and who is was to be. He has never doubted the clan,
his family. Until now. His head was filled with questions which
he did not have the answers to. And some questions he didn't even
understand himself.