Kamara's War Written by SonicBlu Unauthorized duplication without the written consent of the author is a violation of copyright. Characters, places, and events are (c) 2003 SonicBlu. Any similarities with characters, living or dead, are purely coincidental. During the turbulent era in the turn of the century, the Gorokkan war between villager and dragon continued raging onward. Each year, many soldiers gave their lives to protect their village from dragons' fire. Only one Gorokk villager had the inner strength to befriend a member of the opposing side of the battlefield. Now in the year 1914, the Gorokk Confederacy had long since forgotten about the muscular fox that once served a valuable purpose in the small Tieral town twenty-four years ago. The Keegan home was never the same since the tragic event, in which Tumi and Kamara Keegan lived each day in an overabundance of misery. The kitchen smelled strongly of slow-cooked roast, steamed vegetables, and Nekuba Berry Pie, which sat on the windowsill to cool. Tumi removed the apron and placed it on the hook next to the window. As she gazed out at a pair of small birds chirping in the trees, a Confederate jeep drove slowly down their street, heading into the direction of Gorokk Base. "Leave it to those harbingers of warfare to bring about a disruption to a much-needed peaceful environment. Will the battles ever cease?" Tumi thought to herself as the sound of Kamara's soft approaching footsteps were heard. "What's the matter, mom?" Kamara asked as she looked up at her mother with concern. "Nothing, Kamara. Just thinking," Tumi replied as she proceeded to dish up the food for a lazy evening. The two vixens sat at the table and whispered a small prayer under their breath before commencing the consummation of nourishing foods. "Looks like it's the start of dragon season," Tumi said as the sound of another Confederate vehicle passed by their house. "Yeah," Kamara sighed as she kept her stare pointed down at her plate. "Something wrong, Kamara?" "Well, I was just thinking too, about the times Miko and I shared when I was just eight years old." "He sure did know how to take care of things around the house, did he?" "Mom, why did he have to die?" "Oh, sweetheart, I wish I had the answer to that. It's that damned Confederacy. They think they're lord and manor of the entire village," Tumi replied, not wanting to let on to the entire truth behind the brutal turn of event in the Keegan family's life. As far as Tumi was concerned, Kamara only knew that Miko died by the fire of a dragon that burned him in the barn. The true nature of Miko's secret was still kept with the withering vixen. "I wouldn't put it all on the Confederacy. After all, it was a dragon that killed him. He burned down Grandpa's farm, too. Because of that, I feel no dragon shall reign again." "I understand how you feel, Kamara, but we must make the most of what we have. Ever since your brother's death, times have been a lot harder on us. In a time like this, we only have but our own two paws to make ends meet. We must all do our part." "I know, Mom, and I wish to do my own part by striking back." "Kamara, that is out of the question. The Confederacy is no place for a young vixen like you," Tumi said as she wiped the dribbling butter sauce from the corner of her muzzle. "Mom, you're not talking to a little kit anymore. I'm thirty-two years old now." "Age is of no virtue when it comes to our own morals to keep up." Kamara sighed softly to herself as she moved the steamed vegetables around on her plate with her fork. With a heave of anger, Kamara threw her fork down on the plate and aimed her glare deep within her mother's eyes. "I can't believe you. You honestly don't think I have a fighting chance, just because I'm a vixen!" "Kamara, that's not what I mean. You're just overacting again." "No, not this time. You should know I'm not like other vixens. I can fight just as good as anybody else in that Confederate army, and you know it!" "Yes, Kamara, I do know it," Tumi said with a slight increase in volume, "but it's not me that decides your enlistment. It's them you have to worry about. It's always been that way for years, and it's not going to be any different now." "Yeah? Well, I aim to change history, and nobody can stand in my way, not even you." Kamara shot back as she resumed consuming her vegetables. "Haven't I told you once that the Confederacy is no place for a lady?" "Yes, mother, you have." "Well, then maybe you should reconsider your ambition to accommodate that of a young lady instead of trying to defy your own purpose in life." "Maybe I'm not as ladylike as you say I should be," Kamara said under her breath as she slumped down onto her bed, almost falling onto the handwritten letter Fernando sent to her. "Then, you won't mind when I tell you that other than going to market, you are not to leave this house, is that clear?" "Mother! You can't do that to me! I'm far too old for this type of captivity!" Kamara snarled her upper lip angrily and exposed her vulpecular teeth. "I can and I will. As long as you live under my roof, you abide by my rules!" "Mother! I can't believe you! I'm here helping you out around the house, and all you do for me in return is imprison me! You didn't want me stay behind to help you, did you? No, you kept me here to hold me back in trying to get into the Confederacy!" As Kamara's painful comment passed, Tumi stood in shock at the barrage of hurtful accusations her own daughter was mustering up. "You have a strong enough mouth on that muzzle of yours, missy! I put up with a lot for you kits, and this is how you return the favor onto your own mother? How dare you!" Tumi shouted. With a swift motion, she took her paw back and slapped it hard against Kamara's face. Kamara let out a loud, quick yip as Tumi's paw struck her muzzle. "That's for smarting off to me!" she shouted as Kamara placed her paw where her mother slapped her. A frozen shocked look crossed her face as she stared blankly into Tumi's eyes. Before she could get another word out, Kamara had already turned and headed through her bedroom door, leaving her mother in the silence of the kitchen - an aftermath of a heinous argument, which lingered in the air like a foul odor. Kamara stared at the closed door and swished her tail swiftly to one side. "We'll just see what happens when I make my own way, won't we?" she uttered under her breath. She took a look around her room and then shrugged her shoulders. "Material possessions. That's all they are to me," Kamara whispered to herself. She took the only piece of importance she knew she would need into her paws - a miniature-sized portrait of the very equine soldier she talked to about becoming enlisted. "All of the items in this bedroom cannot even compare to the importance you hold, Fernando," Kamara whispered softly as she kissed the small portrait gently. She stared back onto the suspended image of Fernando standing before a cloth-lined background, and the Tieralian flag on a post to his right. She placed the portrait into the pocket of her bright-red coat, turned out the lights to her room, and slowly opened the door. "Now, I'll need survival tools, and I know just where to go," Kamara thought to herself. She crept silently along the floor as she neared Miko's room. She slowly eased Miko's door open, just wide enough to allow her slim body to slink inside. Once she knew she was safe within the dark room, she closed the door. Upon flicking the light switch, the light bulb sparked, followed by a brief flickering as a sign of old age. The room was left in the same fashion as it was when Miko left it; several of his weapons adorned the wall. A wide grin instantly crossed her muzzle as she came across the first utility knife Miko ever owned; its blades and utilities still worked just as good as the day it was made. "Gotta thank Elite Blades for their durability," Kamara whispered as she placed the knife into her pocket. She contemplated about taking along Miko's crossbow, but froze when she saw the fancy blade of a one-handed sword displayed on the wall, held by brackets to show off. "Why not? I know I'm good with a crossbow, but I've always wanted to learn swordsmanship." Without a single moment of hesitation, Kamara removed the sword from the wall, and slid the blade slowly into its sheath. She placed the strap across her shoulder, and took notice of the window which led into the side yard of the house. "Why not? Sure beats going back through the hallway and out the front door." Struggling with the window, Kamara took swift glances over her shoulder as she could have sworn to have heard the sound of Tumi's paw pads moving about the hall. Instantly, her heart raced to a maximum tempo as she continued struggling with the window, only managing to inch it open little by little. The light from the hallway shone between the crack of the door, and her tension rose twice as much. "Come on, open!" Kamara whispered as she gritted her teeth. When she was satisfied of the gaping space between the window and the sill, Kamara leapt through the small, open space and immediately ducked down while trying to close the window from the outside. Finding the window closing much easier than before, Kamara scurried off into the nearby shrubs and disappeared into the night's darkness. The night seemed to pass by in a flash. At promptly oh-seven-hundred hours, the sound of Reveille rang out across the base. Soldiers of every species and rank rose to greet the alarming notes of the bugle, and immediately donned their uniforms and made up their bunks for inspection. The morning sun had not yet peeked over the horizon, but the Confederacy was used to awakening to a starry sky. To many soldiers, Reveille was more radiant and pleasant than any glorious sunrise. To others, it was an annoying way to start the day. No matter how each individual soldier felt about the thunderous bugle call, it was required that not a single soul remained asleep, otherwise the consequences of a fate worse than death would commence. Through the remainder of the morning, the Confederate soldiers performed their daily drills and sparring until the late afternoon. Within the cold caverns of Mount Gorokk, the large group of dragons were busy perfecting their fighting skills. In the largest cavern within the entire Mount Gorokk range, several dragons were seen flying around a makeshift obstacle course. The stalactites were used as obstructions for the dragons to fly in between. Once the airborne course was accomplished, the training dragon would have to land on the opposite side of the cavern floor, and silently maneuver around the many stalagmites to test their stealth-like hunting skills. Each dragon was timed by Sergeant Rik Dougan, who stood at the starting point of the course. "Karem, you're up next!" the Sergeant hollered as he gazed up at the hovering yellow dragon above him. "I'm ready, sir! Just tell me when!" he hollered back. Rik held his claw up and clenched his talons tightly to signal for the dragon to begin. Karem's wings flapped with great anticipation, and once the signal was given, the eager dragon's body began to soar around every stalactite with the greatest of ease. He held back the urge to perform a barrel-roll in mid-flight, but didn't want to be deducted points by not paying attention. Karem knew the course rather well, and running through it was second nature to him. He knew his score was determined by speed - not showmanship, and forewent the need to show off. Once Karem reached the end of the cave, he dropped to the floor, slunk around the large stalagmites, and began attacking with his foot talons at the crouching dragons nearby. Finally making his way back to the starting point, Rik motioned with a swift, downward motion of his arm to signal the end of the course. "Karem's time: three minutes, forty seconds. Nicely done, but one thing you neglected..." the Sergeant said and immediately began hovering up into the air, then brought his body down on top of Karem. "Hey! I thought you said I did a good job, sir! What is the big idea?" "What was your mistake, Karem? Can anybody tell me?" Rik asked as he looked around the many dragons standing nearby. After a brief moment of silence from watching some of the dragons shrug and look to one another, Rik piped in as he lowered his angry glare into Karem's eyes. "Your landing was too loud, dragon!" he shouted as loud as he could. "Didn't I train you for stealth movement? Did I?" The tone of Rik's voice boomed louder and louder as his eyes were held directly in front of the dragon's face. "Y..yes, sir," Karem replied back, "I will remember it next time." "Think about this, dragon! On the battlefield, there IS no next time! Get it right now, and no more excuses." Rik climbed down from the colossal body of the yellow dragon, who was now quivering nervously. He was slow to get up, but once he was on his feet, he clutched his stomach and joined up with the other dragons that have already ran through the course for the day. "Alright, Eldrich. You're up next, boy. Remember what I told you before." "Yes, sir. I'll do my best," the red dragon said, yet his tone of voice wasn't very convincing. "You better," Rik uttered under his breath as he positioned his claw for Eldrich to begin. Gracefully, Eldrich began flapping his wings. Once he was hovering high in the cavern, he took a quick glance upon the cavern floor at the hidden dragons he would have to attack. After memorizing the layout of the floor, he looked upon the stalactites to study where he would have to maneuver. "Hey, Eldrich, time is wasting. I already signaled for you to go! Go now!" Rik shouted as his arm was still held high above his head. Eldrich nodded softly and began to soar around the stalactites as he was trained. Reaching the far end of the cavern, he swiftly beat his wings to allow his body to descend slowly onto the ground. Nobody could hear the dragon's feet landing on the dirty cavern floor, and without a moment's notice, Eldrich slunk silently around the stalagmites, coming up from behind every dragon he remembered seeing from the air. Once in the clear, Eldrich raced to the end of the course, where Rik stood and shook his head. "Eldrich, your time is getting much worse. Six minutes is NO excuse, do you understand me?" "Sir, if I may protest something. It's not all about speed, but intelligence that wins the battle." "Eldrich, your order was to test your speed, not your head! Do you need another lesson to learn in the ways of following simple instructions?" "No, sir. It's just that I do not believe speed and brawn is all it takes to win." In an instant, Rik shot his body across the room with his speedy thrust, and rammed his head into Eldrich's chest. He continued propelling the red dragon's slim body across the cavern until he hit the opposite wall. "Speed, dragon! You need to learn it! I don't want any more excuses from you! You do what I say, and no more talking back to me! Do you understand me?" Rik's hard-scaled nose pressed tightly against Eldrich's, and his eyes squinted to give off the most evil-looking glare the debonaire, red dragon ever saw. A low growl emanated from Rik's throat as he waited for a smart answer in response. Eldrich knew when to quit reasoning and to just give the answer the Sergeant wanted to hear. "Yes, sir. I understand." "Go on, get back in line," Rik uttered and pointed a talon to the lineup of dragons awaiting to run through the course. "But, sir. I..." Rik's angered glare shot back into Eldrich's face, and a quick grunt brought out from his throat. "Okay. I shall if I must," Eldrich replied in a saddened tone. He followed from a safe distance behind the angry dark-blue dragon; his steps upon the cavern floor sounded deafening as the ground rumbled with every step the Sergeant took. Many of the dragons looked up at the ceiling to make sure Rik was not going to end up shaking any of the stalactites loose. "Attention!" Rik shouted as he faced his troop. Nervously, every dragon's eyes pointed straight forward; their heads were towering as high as their necks allowed them to reach. The anger of the Sergeant was still flared as he began to angrily stomp his foot down onto the floor, making the entire cavern vibrate twice as much as before. Still, the other dragons stood at attention. "This cavern withstood the cruelties of the planet's destructive ways for thousands of years! Didn't I train you all to be alert and fearless?" Immediately, the entire group replied in unison. "Yes, sir!" "Then what are you doing showing fear?" Rik shouted as loud as his voice could amplify; his angry stomping increased in power. "We show no fear! We are dragon!" the entire congregation shouted; the same oath was taken by every dragon before their training even commenced. Satisfied with the dragons' response, Rik ceased his arduous attitude, and resumed running the remaining dragons through the training course. As the days passed into weeks, training continued onward for every Gorokkan army. The dragons' feverish training grew more unmerciful as the time of their hibernation was nearing an end. Meanwhile, the Gorokk Confederacy sparred one another under the harsh and watchful eye of Lieutenant Blackwell. In the depths of the forest, the vagabond Gorokkan with the highest of hopes trained mercilessly. Kamara Keegan lived on ambition as she trained, refusing any form of leisure to cross between her and her goals; even sleep was not as often as it should have been. Through all the harshness Kamara endured during her self-training, she could now swing a sword as graceful as a swan. It was now time to turn elegance into energy. She began with a running thrust, of which many Koruko trees were used as targets. She gave a loud grunt as she scurried from one tree to another, driving the blade of the sword deep into the trunks of each tree. When she was satisfied of the results, she worked on her agility. The sword was placed carefully into its sheath as Kamara ran through the woods. She dodged the Koruko trees as she continued running. Every now and then, she would tumble to the ground, where she immediately rolled her body as if to be dodging attacks. She counterattacked with her right foot paw by thrusting it upward, and then continued rolling until she was able to stand upright. For the remainder of the night, she practiced her defensive moves. She felt a deeper strength inside her heart that she could feel like taking on the roughest dragon that ever lived. Moreover, Kamara was determined to get into the Confederacy, no matter who stood in her way. Across the nearby meadowy land, sounds of Kamara's battle cries were heard effusing from within the woods. The fields were empty, save for an occasional owl, which hooted repeatedly. Kamara finished her physical training and noticed several calluses developed upon her paws. Her face displayed several nicks and scratches, which were easily seen through the fur. To the average female Gorokkan, bruises of battle only came from that of abusive mates and accidents around the home. To Kamara, they represented badges of strength and determination. As she ran her paw softly over her face, she could easily detect each gouge. "If this doesn't convince them, nothing will," she uttered under her breath. It wasn't long before Kamara made her way across the village, and into Gorokk Base. From behind the gates, Kamara maneuvered around the many buildings to avoid the guarded facility. The platoon had just finished a rigorous day of training, and the grounds were alive with the Confederate army. Kamara remained in seclusion from the tired soldiers, and felt scared for the first time since her training. "No. I must do this. My days of hiding my inner strength are well over, and I must do what I can." With that, Kamara emerged from hiding, and walked towards the large group of soldiers with the deepest feeling of determination she could ever muster. "Hey, look at this!" a profound rhinoceros piped in as he pointed to the approaching vixen. "I didn't know we was havin' a bake sale today. Did you Cerevus?" a nearby black wolf said mockingly. "Not I, Jeb, but I sure would love for the little lady to tidy up in our barracks. I bet we'd win the award for the best inspection for sure, having been cleaned by a femme!" the alligator replied and couldn't help but to cause a colossal stir of hysteria to erupt among the crowd. Kamara withstood the heartless slings and arrows of harsh commentary from each offensive soldier, and continued walking by as if she never heard a single word. "Whoa, little lady. Where do you think you are going?" Cerevus asked as he quickly grabbed Kamara's shoulder in an effort to halt her movement. The tall, bulky alligator didn't even notice the strength used in the vixen's resistence, for his own strength still overwhelmed. "Leave me be. I have a matter to take up with your Lieutenant." "The Lieutenant?" the group uttered in unison and laughed amongst themselves. Such actions only increased Kamara's level of anger, and she clenched her paws tightly closed. "If you do not wish for me to induce pain onto your troop, I suggest you leave me be!" "What can a mere femme do to an army of brawn, muscle, and military training? Lady, we will kill you in an instant, and there'd be nothing left when they come to scrape your carcass off the ground," Jeb replied as he stood before the detained vixen; his face edged closer, and Kamara could feel the warmth of his breath like fire from a dragon's muzzle. "And what do we have here?" Cerevus asked as he grabbed the handle of Kamara's sword. He swiftly yanked it from its sheath and held the blade up before his eyes. "I say we have us a wannabe fighter in our grasp. You think you can use this against us?" the rhinoceros grumbled as he pushed his horn up against Kamara's nose. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were about to attack us, so that makes it our duty to put a stop to that before it starts." Arlo Gunther began to raise his paw high over his head about to bring it down to strike against Kamara's cheek when a voice chimed in, mingling with the thunderous sound of hooves clomping along the ground. "Aww, come on Arlo! Let some of us cattle have at her, too!" The more Kamara seemed to be taunted, the more attention she seemed to gain. Among the crowd of cattle, Chaz Barrett approached, and shot an angry glare onto the intruding vixen with a gaze that could pierce through even the strongest of armor. "What's going on here, fellas? What is this...this femme doing on our base?" "I don't know, Chaz. She said she wants to see the Lieutenant, and she came bearing this!" Cerevus said and tossed the sword to the heavy-set bull. Chaz caught it by the handle and immediately emitted a low grumble from his throat. From the back of the large crowd, Fernando Dominique tried to catch a glimpse of the intruder, but to no avail. From within the center of a large crowd of muscular soldiers, Kamara's anger began to flare, and by using her quick agility, she managed to roll her body between the legs of the nearby soldiers until she propped herself up onto her foot paws behind them. Now was the time for Kamara's true test of strength. Taking the first move, Kamara began to use the hand-to-hand fighting skills she acquired while in the woods, and took on one soldier at a time. Some of the soldiers partook in challenging Kamara's strength, while others stood and watched the fight. "Somebody go get the Lieutenant! Quick!" a few voices hollered through the scattered cheers of the crowd. Since Fernando wasn't able to get a decent enough view, he volunteered to locate Torr Blackwell, leaving the screaming crowd behind. Kamara used every bit of her strength along with her newly-acquired moves to fight each soldier. Sometimes, two muscle-clad males managed to restrain her arms behind her back while a third one attacked from the front. Her quick reflexes and fast thinking sprung to a higher altitude than that of the meager tactics passed onto the Confederacy. Kamara dodged each punch as best as she could, but still managed to catch a few across her stomach and face. She felt a slight trickle of blood against her fur, but she refused to let the scars of an unfair battle take their toll on her graceful, yet refined body. "Damn, does she have some kind of armor underneath her clothes?" Jeb hollered while Cerevus and Arlo held her arms back. With a smile, she forced her body parallel to the ground, and used all the strength in her legs as she thrust them forward. Jeb gasped and coughed as Kamara's kicks grew harder and faster. Once the black wolf hit the pavement, she flipped her body straight upward, twisted her body halfway to untangle herself from being grasped, and landed on her foot paws behind Cerevus and Arlo. The pair of soldiers were slow to face her, shocked at the moves the young vixen displayed. Immediately, Kamara performed a hand-plant with both of her paws, and thrust her feet into the astounded solders' faces. The impact of her foot paws caused Cerevus's nose to bleed and chipped Arlo's horn. She landed in a crouched position and waited for the next Confederate solider to challenge her. Since the soldiers was trained in the ways of strength, they were no match for the gracefulness of Kamara's moves. Her punches and kicks were still stunningly powerful, yet she seemed to be the only being that was able to flip her body around while attacking. When Chaz approached, he was still holding onto Kamara's sword. He began to swing it around above his head, causing a loud whooshing noise as the sword passed swiftly through the air. Kamara remained crouched into an attack position as Chaz neared closer; his swings appearing much faster with every step he took. When she felt Chaz was in a good enough position, Kamara tumbled swiftly towards the bull's legs and struck at the back of his knees with one leg, sending him to his knees. The impact of his kneecaps hitting the hard pavement sent intense pain through his entire body, but he refused to give up. Although his legs hurt badly, his arms were still free to move without a struggle. With his free paw, Chaz used all his strength to drive his fist hard into Kamara's stomach. She felt as if her wind was knocked clean out of her system, and she immediately fell onto the ground. Kamara attempted to catch her breath as Chaz held the sword high above his head, about to send the pointed edge into Kamara's heart. "Stop! What do you think you are doing, Barrett? Put that sword down this instant!" the sound of the Lieutenant's voice boomed from behind. Accompanying the aging wolf was the very same equine that sent out for him. Fernando was finally able to get a good look at the unknown opposing member of a constant, outnumbering fight. Chaz didn't even have to look back at the voice to identify the owner of the gruff, growling tone. Chaz let the sword drop onto the ground, but left his paws held high above his head. "Get up, soldier!" Torr demanded, his paw never letting up its grasp on his flog. Chaz slowly rose to his hooves, and scuffled towards the fallen soldiers lying upon the ground. "Kamara, what in the name of General Tarrak are you doing here? Didn't I leave explicit instruction for your mother to enforce?" "M...my mother," Kamara wheezed as she still tried to catch her breath. She held her blood-stained head up to face the figures. Her vision was a bit fuzzy from the onslaught of attacks, but as it turned out, Kamara did even more damage with the many attacking soldiers in one individual fight than she received during the entire duration. Fernando was at a complete loss of words, unsure of how to handle the sight of his own true love lying on the ground. He forced himself to approach Kamara, regardless of his shaken nerves. "Fernando! This was all your doing, wasn't it? You were the one that suggested such a thing, and now look what happened! LOOK AT IT!" Torr shouted and pointed to his soldiers lying on the floor - some unconscious, while others were recovering from the painful blows of Kamara's attacks. "Sir, please do not be angry. I told you she had it in her, but nobody believed me. She just wiped out half of your platoon! Do you believe it now?" Fernando shouted back, forgetting all about talking to a much higher rank. His main concentration was centered around aiding his loving vixen as he held her close, being careful not to worsen her wounds. "Are you blind, Fernando, or just stupid? Do you know what a brigade full of wounded soldiers are to me? They're worthless! How are we supposed to be ready for a dragon's attack with all my males out cold?" "What about her? She needs medical assistance, too!" Fernando shot back. "They...they will live," Kamara said through her coughing, "but what surprises me is that you still neglect my inner strength, even now. I feel fine, really." Kamara tried to drown out her weak reply with confidence, but even that wasn't even a close enough effort to convince the ill-tempered wolf. "That makes no difference, you worthless femme fatale! Who knows how long I'll get my males back into fighting form once again! Fernando, don't just stand there, fetch the medic at once!" Fernando felt rooted to the spot, unable to carry out the Lieutenant's request. He felt a deeper concern for Kamara than he did for his fellow soldiers, and wanted to see to it that she got the adequate treatment she deserved. Fernando knew he wasn't going to get what he wanted either, and only made Torr's temper flare even more. "What is wrong with you, soldier! I command you to obey my order!" Torr shouted as loud as he could. If he wasn't being heard by the entire platoon before, there was no doubt they heard him now. Several heads turned towards the quarreling group, and they all shared the same feeling about having a female fighter to face up to. Kamara seemed to make enemies quicker than she could befriend anyone. The only soldier that took her side was the built equine holding her close. "I'll go, sir!" Cerevus said as he held his nostrils tightly in his paws to help stop the bleeding; his paw was caked with blood upon his dark-green scales. By this time, the flow of his hemorrhaging seemed to have curtailed. "No, Dartanian. I gave a specific order to Dominique, here. How about it, solider? Will you do as I order, or will I have to assign you to the smoldering chamber?" "I don't care what you do with me, Lieutenant," Fernando uttered in a quivering tone of voice; his paw softly stroking the sides of Kamara's head, getting some of her blood on his paws and uniform. Slowly, he turned to face the tough-looking alligator, who made sure the bleeding had stopped. "Alright, Dartanian. Go get the medics. I'm staying right here," he said as he crossed his arms and turned to face the couple. "You are walking on some very thin ice here, Dominique. Starting tomorrow morning, I want your pretty face inside block five for the smoldering chamber. As for you, missy, I want you off of my base right now!" "I refuse!" Kamara shouted and rose to her paws. She grabbed her sword and slid the blade into its sheath. "You are ignorant, aren't you? Why do you even want to stay?" "I refuse to leave until I get what I came here for." "Negative, Keegan! I refuse to let a femme into my brigade, you needn't have the brains of a scientist to figure that out! You even think about coming around here again, I will have you arrested for interrupting military operations! Go on, get out of here!" "Come on, hon. You can't do much anymore. We gave it our best, and this is what Fate has decided for us. It is wrong to oppose our own purpose for existence. Just know that you gave a lot more here tonight than any female had ever done before. If you want to know how I feel, you've already made me very proud. Why should you need to overshoot your goals?" "I already made my mind up, and it's not just for me anymore. I saw my brother's farm, and call it a hunch, but I feel as if he's giving me most of the strength I've developed. Please, don't stand in my way too, Fernando. I am developed. I am no longer the girl you once knew. I am a fighter - a true warrior who will not stop until she gets what she deserves," Kamara turned her head as Torr took a step closer. Her anger was long from settling down, and seeing the uncaring black wolf made her that much more determined. "You got that, Torr? I'm developed! Sooner or later, you will regret ever doing me wrong. I will be back someday, and when that time comes, I don't want any hard feelings from you!" "Get out of here, worthless wench!" Torr shouted and pointed towards the entrance of the base. Kamara's head sunk low as she passed through the gates. The view from the lookout into the village may have been inspiring, but after her first attempt and failure, everything around her became quite ugly. Although she was steered wrong by the Lieutenant, got ganged upon by half the Gorokk Confederacy, and had her triumphant fights render themselves useless in the Lieutenant's eyes, Kamara never let the wounds affect her intention, for she wanted vengeance for her beloved brother's death - the type of vengeance that would continue to flow through her veins, no matter what mistreatment she would endure. She ducked and covered near an empty storage room, where she saw a Confederate uniform hanging in an open closet through the window. She decided to wait until nightfall before attempting to break the lock. Unbeknownst to the base at rest, Gorokk Mountain slowly became alive with the awakening of every dragon's slumber. A loud bell chimed throughout the cave as the dragons stumbled out into the main hall, still not quite recovered from being awakened. When every dragon's body was seen standing in line, the Sergeant took a quick pace up and down the lineup to give the final pep talk. "Alright, dragons. The time for awakening is upon! We're going to go out there, and we're going to fight for our freedom! Remember, every dragon's life depends upon the tactics of his fellow brethren. As a team, you shall all prevail. Individually, you will fail. Is that understood?" "Yes, sir!" the entire troop shouted in reply. "Alright, then let's get ready!" - What becomes of Kamara now that she's been attacked by the same army she once dreamed of joining? Now that the dragons' awakening is upon, what will become of the Gorokk Confederacy? Order the manuscript and find out the full story (including the yiffy bits that were obviously removed from this version).