((This is a house call clinic as the Den has no physical facility yet. Modern medicine is under close scrutiny from the Healers in the Den as they do not like it. They wish to stay with the old ways of Magic. This SL will be a tale of Fleet and Fen trying to bring modern medicine to there people. The current base of operation is Fleet and Ammy's house. Fliers can be seen around the Den and Rhydin City. All are welcome to come for medical attention. Anthros and Ferals are a specialty of the clinic.))

It was late at night or perhaps early morning when Fen returned to the apartments in the den that he shared with Ammy and Fleet and Mokkie, since their promise of being chaperones until the wedding was one they were taking seriously. But the living room was not deserted when he stepped in, as his fiancee was still up, sitting on the couch, writing out something, and she looked up concernedly when he stepped in looking so worried and she asked him what was wrong.

"Oh Fen," Mokk whispered when he confided his doubts to her after returning from the successful whelping he had assisted at, "you don't have to worry about money, I have enough saved from my unicorn hunting that we will be fine for some while." She reached up to take the bag of medical supplies off his shoulder while she guided him to a chair to rest. Plunking the bag down by the bench to be gone through and restocked before it was needed again she turned back to Fen smiling, "and no, you didn't wake me....i was already up trying to plan out my ritual wedding dance for you." She smiled shyly at him at the thought of that ritual, a traditional part of her heritage on both sides...as part of the wedding the bride danced for the groom and the witnesses, so everyone could be sure she was well formed and healthy enough to bear children and attractive enough that her intended husband would want her. "It won't be anything too revealing or...umm naughty, but you will be able to see more of me than you have so far, if i wear the traditional choli and half skirt anyway......." She scooted into the kitchen to reheat some water for tea and grabbed him a plate of bread and cheese and meat, with a few small fruits added in for a taste of something sweet. "Here, eat this, put your feet up and relax.....I will refill your medical kit with supplies, I've watched you do it often enough, I can do it." And so saying she did restock the kit, in between getting him tea when the water boiled and taking the empty plate out to the sink to wash quickly. She finally sat next to him to chirrup in that way she did when she had one of her "famous" bright ideas...."and if you are still worried about money, if we don't consummate the marriage right away, i can still stay in the unicorn business.......or if you don't want to do that.....we could always ask Ammy if she would let us borrow Myrlene for a few hours to draw some unicorns in......i think they would like her as much as she would like them.......so, now that you've had a chance to rest....tell me about the whelping....how did it go?"

Fen was just amazed and grateful for the help she was giving him. "The whelping went fine. First time for me, but Nallania, she's a strong mother. Those three will be in good paws." He just smiled.

"The Den will get to welcome in two girls, and a boy. And those three are just the first. Mimi and Tammany are on watch. They share Nallania's early whelping genetics. I do hope they don't deliver soon though. The pups need as much time in the womb as possible." Fen explained and sounded very tired.

"I am going to see Anya sometime and ask how the limbs are coming for Fleet. I could use his help badly. As for Myrlene, I am sure Ammy would let her come with you. She trusts you with Myrlene." Fen grinned.

He leaned over and scooped up Mokkie in his arms and held her close. "You've been really busy around the Den too I've noticed." He gave her a long kiss and held her. Being tired as he was, holding he made him feel like nothing was wrong.

A knock at the door interrupted his happy time. Gently sliding Mokkie off his lap, he went to the door and opened it. It was Tammany's husband. Fen suppressed a groan. They exchanged words in Lupinossi and Fen retrieved his med kit. He gave Mokkie a parting kiss.

"Tammany is not doing well. I am going to go check on her and see what I can do." He caressed her cheek and left the house.

Fen sat at the hearth in the Red Dragon Inn and felt icy cold. He stared at the wood grain of the floor. A wheel chair was in his field of vision, but he didn't want to look up at Fleet. He felt like he had failed Fleet and the Clinic. He could still hear Tammany's labored breathing, see that pup wedged tight during delivery, and Fleet telling him to pull out the dead puppies. He felt a stab of cold when Fleet told Diego, Tammany's husband, that she was dead.

His mind played the scene over and over. He kept puzzling out what he could have done, or not done. His eyes didn't see much. He heard a voice and looked up to Fleet. He realized that Fleet had been talking and he had tuned it out.

The next several days were busy for Fleet and Fen. Events, seemed to spin by. He and Myrlene had had their first check up at the Riverview Clinic by Anya. Star, their chief surgeon for prosthetic cases, jumped on his medical records like a dolphin on a tasty sardine. Fleet was getting additional scans and set for surgery on Friday night, February the 27th.

He rubbed his head as he sat with Fen in the wee hours of the morning of February the 26th. He was still giving councilling to Fen over Tammany's case. Fen was pulling through, but Fleet had to encourage him to take baby steps to build confidence back up.

Amid the councilling, Fleet and Fen encountered something neither of them expected. Myrlene came walking into the Red Dragon Inn with her wolf plush named Tinn, and began hunting pirates and slinging spells. A 3 year old Lupinossi should not have access to spells so young, but she did.

End result for that night, a bar with a burnt kitchen door, one person with a burnt foot that was then healed by his daughter. This last act reported to him by Ammy when Myrlene snuck out of the Den again. And Myrlene getting an abrupt lesson in how to land from a float spell.

Added to this, Fleet sighed, was one injured Fen. During Myrlene's magical flight, her Soultra, Fen, tried to lasso her with magic. Ammy's protection pendant worked like a charm around Myrlene's neck, and flung Fen into the bar.

Fleet now sat in the waiting room of the Riverview clinic, waiting for final admittance for surgery. Ammy and Myrlene were there, and Fen was home with Mokkie and a dislocated shoulder. He hoped and prayed to Lupis and Canis, that no medical cases would happen while they were both out of commission.

Fen walked into the Den. Medical Case slung over his good shoulder. He had convinced Fleet finally, that if he didn't do some of the light work, he was going to get rusty, and Fleet was never going to get sleep. He laid the case on the refill station to restock after the meeting. He saw Ammy sitting with with a clip board and a stack of 15 cases in front of her.

"Looks like today is going to be busy. Any for me?" he asked with a grin.

Ammy took 5 cases off the top and plopped them on the side of the coffee table where Fen usually sat. She went back to filling out a report. Fen moved to the chair, sat, and grabbed a cup of coffee on the tray. Sipping the coffee to wake up a little more, he sat the cup down, and leafed through the cases.

"Oh lovely. I get to remove Streets cast today. Well he'll be happy with that I hope." he said with sarcasm.

The other cases were light. Minor illness, sprains, and one young male with a severe case of premature shedding. He sighed a little, but with his shoulder still healing, this is what he gets. He looked at Ammy still filling that record out and then her sending a page to Fleet.

"Is that a case I can help with?" he asked.

"Ask Fleet when comes in. He is going to stop by and do a preliminary check on Merno Stranado. Parents state he's been acting odd. They think maybe the flu, but he keeps acting listlessly and staring at them like he doesn't know them." Ammy replied.

Something niggled in the back of Fens head. Those symptoms were trying to bring something to the surface, but the thought would not rise. Fen nodded, went back to his coffee and the 5 cases for him today.

The lupe den. Legion moved to the front gates of the compound where she was of course met by gaurds. " We have buisness with Fen." She spoke in that buzzing tone of hers. Her insect armor shifting about her form slowly. Wings spread here a click there. Making her way through the compound two of her minions detatching and fluttering off to get a sky high view of the place while her escort remained oblivious. Stopping her at the entrance to Fen's home. The pair knock.

There was a slight glaze to her eyes, nothing defining as of yet. Her nod came, easy and soft before she managed a murmur,? Food does sound like a good idea. I didn?t get much to eat before I left Street?s place.? Her muzzle wrinkled a bit and she paused in a gaze at her papers. Just staring at them for a moment, before her head shook and she managed to turn her head up towards Ammy.

?I?m sorry, you were saying something?? No big deal, so she spaced. She shrugged it off and went back to her paper work. Almost as if the conversation hadn?t happened. As far as she knew she was doing fine. Her paws shuffled through the paper work for a few moments longer before she paused. Another long stare coming from her, yet it looked like she was thinking.

Sari shook her head and went back to work. Sorting through the same pile she had previously sorted. So far all it looked like was that she was tired, no more, no less. That was it, she was tired. Blinking a few times, she moved to rub at her eyes. A light blink coming from her, the glaze still at a dull and weakened state, yet to the trained eye? It wasn?t hard to miss.

One more tug was given to her collar and she spoke up," When did we start adjusting the heat?

Fleet arrived at the clinic with Merno in the stretcher. Fen came out to help him move the patient into the house. By the looks of it, Ammy had already cordoned off part of the living room in anticipation of an emergency.

Merno was moved from stretcher to a comfy bed. Ammy was right beside Fleet. IV drip sets, lines, and fluids in a large bowl with an assortment of catheters. Fleet had to smile just a little. She was getting very good at anticipating needs.

10 minutes later, Merno had Lactated Ringers dripping into him at bolous dosage. Fleet checked his vitals again. They were plummeting fast.

"Ammy, go to the lab cooler and mix this list of medications exactly as measured out into an IV bag, then a separate IV bag with his list." he handed her two separate scripts. "The first will turn blue from the chemical reactions, the second red. Hurry if possible."

Ammy nodded and took off for the lab to mix up the solutions. Fen was standing there and looking at Merno. He had a haunted look in his amber eyes. Fleet stood and walked over to him.

"What's on your mind?" Fleet asked.

"Merno's condition and symptoms remind me of illness in my land for some reason. Do you have an up to date list of sympoms? Fen asked. He looked down as Fleet shoved the disc into his brown paws. He read the holo files and groaned. "Fleet, I know what it wrong with him. He has Lupanecrosis."

Fleet just stared at Fen as if he had hit him. "How can you be sure? The last known case from my homeland was 200 years ago?"

"Fleet I know, because I made the virus. But this is not the way it's suppose to act." His voice said in disbelief.

Fleet just stared at Fen for a long moment, then sighed. He had forgotten that Fen used to be an evil deity. This shouldn't have surprised him. "You said it was different. How?"

"The virus was to latch on to the bodies chemical producers and flood the system with neural toxins to allow easy control of the victim by voice command. It never showed the tendency to cause rapid wasting of the victim or that." he pointed to Merno's dire condition.

"It mutated Fen. That's what viruses do." he sighed. He looked up and saw Sari looking uncomfortable and hot though it was still early spring. He walked over to her.

"You look a little unwell Sari. Are you feeling allright?" he asked.

Sari just stared at him for a moment, then her eyes went wide. She bolted out the door of the house and disappeared. Fleet looked at her vanish and wonder what had gotten into her. He shrugged and thought it was just her being tired or nervous again. He walked back to Merno and began another examination.

Late into the evening, Fleet was at the Red Dragon Inn pouring over the test results and exams of Merno. He began ripping into the virtual libraries in the on board cpu's of his arm looking for references to the code he received. He found the notes in the dusty tomes of the Spiritors from his homeland. They had documented a similar mutation.

He made notations on what was needed to help combat the disease. He wished he had the information sooner. Merno passed away 2 hours after he arrived. Ammy had just finished mixing the treatments needed when he died. Fleet tried to revive him but his body was too wasted to bring back.

Fleet didn't like the frowns, the anger from the parents, and the questions as to what happened to Merno's body. He had Ammy disintegrate the body to ash to prevent the possible spread of Lupanecrosis. He politely worked with the parents to explain what was going on. When the word 'Lupanecrosis' came out. A whole new eruption of anger emerged. The went right the Healers Guild.

He was expecting a sneer, jibe, or some threat to come soon against him and the clinic. So far, it hasn't.

The following morning Sari was noted as acting odd again, and disappeared once more out the front door. Fleet decided to put a stop to this. She couldn't keep being flighty like this and he talked with Ammy about it.

"Fleet, she's not being flighty or paranoid of her own will. She keeps complaining about being hot. She often stares out into no where, and then asks the same question that was asked a minute ago." Ammy said firmly in Sari's defense.

Fleet heard the symptoms in that defense. He knew what was up. He told Ammy that he was sorry for assuming she was being paranoid. He left the house in search of Sari. He had to get to her and get her back to the clinic.

5 hours had passed and Fleet's search brought him to the Red Dragon Inn. Inside he found Sari at the bar talking to herself and going into lapses of silence. She was worse than this morning. He flicked open his cell phone and called Street.

"Hey Street. Fleet here, you're going to want to come to the Inn. Sari doesn't look well and she may need you." He flipped the phone closed and made his way to the bar. Sitting by her, he watched how she acted.

She turned and looked at him. She even asked him several times where she was, and who he was. Each time she got more panicked and her woodre genes were kicking in. He kept telling her that he was a healer sent to keep her safe until a friend arrived. He had seen Street and Sari smooch and do more than just be casual strangers. He was hoping he was right.

About this time a familiar Ion whine was heard. Soon Street's bike was heard screeching to a halt outside. Thumps were heard as Street hobbled up the porch and into the Inn at full speed.

"What's wrong with Sari?" he asked, red and orange eyes glaring around. Sari practically leaped on him and wouldn't let go. She kept telling him she was scared and didn't know who the man was over there. Street swallowed and felt fear well up in him for Sari.

Fleet watched the dialogue between the two, then noted that Sari tried to walk out the door to escape again. This time it wasn't going to happen. Her right leg appeared to buckle and she went down with Street trying to catch her. She was sobbing and crying. She kept rubbing her right leg and telling Street it wouldn't move.

Fleet was now concerned. She was starting to lose fine motor skills. He walked over and helped Street stand her up.

"You need to take her to the clinic now Street. She seems to remember only you. You've been promoted to being her nurse." He pulled out four vacuutainers and drew four vials of blood while Sari lapsed into a daze. He shoved two vials into Street's paws.

"Get these to Ammy. Tell her to analyze and begin working on the results. Have her run the protocols that we were starting for Merno. Sari has a good chance to pull through. I am going to stay here for a while and do my own analysis on the blood samples. I will arrive at the clinic soon." Fleet instructed.

Street just nodded and with Fleets help got Sari onto his bike. He hopped and started the bike up. It was pretty banged up and bare still, the shells not finished yet.

"When did you get the bike running again?" Fleet shouted over the whine.

"Just today Fleet. Ammy let me borrow her lab." Then he gunned the throttle and roared off.

Fleet watched the two disappear and walked back into the Inn to do some research.

The bike whined down the streets. Building slew past them as Street focused on two things. Reaching the Den safely, and making sure Sari to let go.

Sari was scared, and as she clung tighter to him it showed. There were times that her daze would claim her for a moment or two, but her grip never slackened. It seemed she was almost glued to him.

"We'll get you fixed up Sari. Fleet and Ammy will pull you through and I will be there teh make sure you don't give up."


"I won't give up Street. I have something to live for." She said as she clenched her eyes shut tightly," I'm just scared. What's wrong with me?" Like she'd remember it.

"Lupanecrosis is what Fleet keeps saying."

She didn't remember hearing about Lupanecrosis or what it was. It seemed she was baffled even then. All she had to ask was," Who's Fleet?"

"Just don't let go love. The Den is just up ahead."

Clinging to him, she nodded and tightened her grip," Stay with me through all this please Street? Please?"

"I wouldn't let death rip me away."

"I won't let it get that far, I won't..." She promised. She would fight it, do what ever it took to get better from this.

The den loomed ahead, and the gates only half opened as Street roared through them. A marduk messenger was ringing ahead already.

Sari was starting to go into another daze, her grip was slacking a bit as she tried to fight the haze. But the fog was winning out as her eyes glazed a bit more.

The bike came to a sidding halt at Fleets house. Ammy was outside with Fen and a stretcher waiting. Street dismounted, limped and began to move Sari. Ammy and Fen helped move her to the stretcher.

Sari was practically a frozen lump in the stretcher. Her eyes staring aimlessly at the sky. There was a white haze in her eyes .

He handed the vials to Ammy and told her what Fleet wanted done. She nodded, and held the door open while Fen and Street moved Sari into the clinic. A small group of Lupes gathered looking to see what was going on. They murmured that the clinic was getting hit by a strange disease.

Soon Sari was coming to. Her paws were working at her tank top again as she wriggled," It's hot.. I'm hot." She said as she squirmed on the stretcher.

Sari was moved into the makeshift ward. Ammy was barking out orders. "Fen, I.V. Blue bag first, then Red. Street, keep her calm." Ammy's paws set to work removing Sari's clothing.

At the sight of Ammy Sari practically went into shock. She screamed out loudly. Her body kicked and thrashed as she started to pull away. Trying her best to get away from Ammy, who she saw as nothing more than a stranger.

Street held her in place. "Sari, Sari. They are here to help. They wont hurt you. I will make sure of that." He whispered in her ear.

Ammy tried again then stopped. It was pointless. "Street you're the only one she trusts. Take her tank top off then work on the jeans. We've gotta get her temp down. Fen, ready yet?"

A whimper came from her and she clung to what she could of Street. Her eyes turned up, locked on Street the best she could. Wriggles came from her, her tense form trembling slightly while she tried to calm for Street.

Street nodded, pushed her down gently. "I need to get your clothes off. You'll be cooler Sari." He began to work on removing the tank top. Ammy and Fen discussed something behind him.

"It's still so warm..." She whimpered, wriggled, and squirmed as the top was removed. She wasn't kicking, but she was still trying to cool down.

Street nodded and moved his paws down to her jeans.

Ammy came up next to Street. "Leave the undergarments on. When your done, you're going to have to insert the IV. If she thrashes when we do it, we'll be blowing veins."

Her eyes closed tightly for a moment as her pants were moved down. A sweat was already building at her form. Her paw was working to fan her form.

Pants off he dropped them with the tank top. Ammy had the IV kit waiting. She instructed him on where to place the tourniquet and how to soak the fur down with alcohol. She gave him the need and guided him step by step. "Sari, be brave." Street whispered.

Arak had hmself been hard at work ever since that chance encounter with Ammy and learning about the Lupanecrosis outbreak in the Den. He was determined to ensure that this did not become an epidemic.

So far the only information he'd had on the disease were the records from one of the Lupinoss realm shards. In that copy of the world, the hybrid curse and virus had sweapt across the realm and decimated the population.
In it's native form, the disease created what amounted to continuually decaying zombies that were contagious in the extreme.

This new strain had lost some elements of the original curse aspect, however there was still a magical component that ensured that once infected, a host of the virus would continue to produce viral cells no matter how many times those cells were wiped out with medicines.
Unless that magical component could be neutralized, the best Ammy and her people could do was to contain the disease. Anyone infected could seemingly be cured of the symptoms, and might in fact be mostly non-contagious, but at any moment the curse could activate and spread the virus before the cures would take effect. Then there was the chance that the virus could mutate again and end up infecting Rhydin's entire population.

Arak sat in the middle of a hexagonal stone room, a meditaiton and experimentation chamber of sorts. Along all the walls and floor were traceries of crystal veins, carefully grown into mystic patters and runes.
Many of these patterns now glowed with energy being provided by a series of ten mana-stones set into recesses in a circle surrounding the mage. He bent over the innermost circle of the room, which contained within a tiny homunculus copy of a Lupinosse who had been infected with this new strain of lupanecrosis.
Arak had already run through ten of these magical constructs, attempting to dispell the curse component of the disease. While he was closer to his goal, something eluded him. It was as if the original spells and aetherial weave that brought the curse into existance had mutated along with the virus; but that was supposed to be impossible. A spell that complex could not sustain itself if even a tiny portion of said spell changed too much.

Squawking in frustration as the homunculus finally succumbed to the disease and died, Arak activated the disposal runes and everything inside the center circle was blasted into a void plane, vanishing totally from the multiverse.
Another sigh as the gryphon rubbed his forehead, exhaustion was setting in. He had best get some rest before he mis-cast a spell and blew himself to hell and back.

Tomorrow he would tackle the problem again, and again, and again until he had solved the riddle...

The day could have gone better. It seemed like it was. Fleet blazed through the cases that day like he was 20 again. He felt better than he ever did. A running percentile on his remission levels kept rising. By late afternoon he was pegging at 89.5%. This was good. The LNC treatment looked to be working well.

He was getting a bit thirsty and stopped by the Red Dragon Inn for a drink. On his way there, a Lupe handed him an exam request. He stopped by the house and examined the male. He didn't like what he saw. The Lupe was showing the early signs of Lupanecrosis. That made 3 now infected. It was beginning to spread. He recorded the entire exam and told the Lupe he would be in touch in the morning.

Fleet walked off to the Inn, his nose buried in the report. His paws knew this route by memory, and soon he was at the bar. He looked up and saw Anya smiling at him and talking with others. He gave a smile back to her and went back to the record. His metal paw lifted and a cola appeared in it. The magical act didn't even phase him like it used to.

He began chatting with Anya about the treatment. She nearly climbed over bar and put a boot up his rear when he told that he was the test guniea pig for the LNC. He just chuckled and reminded her that without him, who was going to patch up the Inn patrons while she was on probation.

That was when Ember Palling walked in. The Den's resident human Force user. He looked like he came out of malfunctioning droid factory. Burns and blood was on his gray cloak. He just sauntered over to the bar and sipped his Nerdan brandy like nothing was wrong. Fleet wouldn't buy into it. Ember even tried a Jedi mind trick to persuade Fleet he was fine. It didn't work.

Stripping burnt clothing from Ember and cleaning the wounds he learned that Sith had attacked his ship the Bi-Duran. The aft hyper drive coil blew and he caught the shrapnel and sparks. Fleet set about patching him up. 15 minutes passed and the Force user was in better condition than when he walked in.

Fleet went back to his cola. Another wounded patient tended to. Arak Krynn, an old friend to him and Ammy walked in. He was a magical gryphon, a very powerful Mage Knight. He sat at the bar and looked about as dead tired as Fleet was the last few weeks. He was helping Ammy unravel the Arcane portion of the virus. He set into question mode with Fleet and began asking him about the virus more.

Amid the queries Fleet felt a little odd and looked right at Ember. He asked him who he was? Ember looked a bit concerned at this and told Fleet that he was just worked on by Fleet. Fleet asked the same question repeatedly of everyone.

They all looked at him worried. He was showing signs of sever Lupanecrosis levels. At that point Ammy burst in in full panic. She had her lab kit over one shoulder and was injecting more LNC into his IV port before Fleet knew what happened. He began to feel better. Ammy swore colorfully as the readouts from her kit showed that the virus was attacking the nanites in the treatment rapidly.

Fleet managed to calm her down and gave her the next series of steps to take in modifying the LNC treatment. She left in a hurry to implement the changes. Her mate and friends were on the line.

He turned his attention back to Arak and Anya. They were discussing a magical scanner to detect the virus and they could have it ready in three days. Fleet knew with the readouts they had, he and Ammy could make a medical scanner as well. Arak was looking at him, so was Anya. He asked and they both confirmed he had a lapse in memory. His arm readouts confirmed what they told him. He shook visibly with fright. He may just well die during this battle the Den was having.

Arak gave him a comforting squeeze of his shoulder and they both got up to leave. As they walked out, they forgot about Ember who was listening quietly to everything. He made a suggestion. Scan all the Lupes and get the younglings and mothers out of the Den and onto his ship for safety. Fleet was hit again with fear. All he could think about was Myrlene getting infected. Ember left to prepare his ship for the refugees to come in three days.

As they walked back to the Den, Fleet asked Arak to start at the Healers Guild when they began searching for the virus' origin. He hoped he was wrong but he had a sickening feeling that that is where it came from. Arak just looked at him in shock at someone unleashing this virus on the Den.

((Removed due to sync issue. Posted in the right order.))

Arak stood in a MagiTech bubble, and watched fear and stress tear a people apart...
He had finished the artifact that would allow him to detect the presence of the curse portion of this strain of Lupanecrosis, and had even contacted a Drahkanid associate of his to furnish him with a hybrid magical/technological isolation bubble. The thing used a force-field to screen physical agents, and a mana-shield to keep out any magical influences.
The outbreak had nearly become an epidemic, and it was more imperative than ever that the healthy be removed from the infected. To this end, the Den had the entire contingent of Marduk drones circling the main areas of the Den, ensuring that no lupe entered or left the cordon. A double line of the big mechanical Gunner class drones stood to either side as the entire population of the Den was lined up single file towards the gates.

At those gates were Arak on one side and Ammy on the other, both encased in the isolation bubbles. From both sides, each Lupe was scanned by science and magic for any trace of the Lupanecrosis. Any that were found to be infected, even early stage, were escorted by more machines back into a segregated part of the Den square. Any who were clean were passed through the gates, and more Marduk, to the waiting transports. There were enough ships to hold the entire population of Lupinosse...

Arak feared that they would not all be needed.

Already too many were scanning out as infected, though that number did not yet outnumber the healthy. Since they were only a quarter through the Den's population however, Arak personally expected that situation to change as the day wore on.
Watching as families were separated, children forcibly removed from crying parents, siblings from their litter-mates; Arak's resolve hardened more and more. The gryphon had managed to arrange things so that the elders of the Healers Guild would end up being the *very last* Lupes scanned. If those bastards were at all responsible for unleashing this hell on their own people, they would pay the ultimate price.

And so, the day wore on, and the line moved forwards...

"Mokki?" A gentle paw would be felt on her cheek as well as something cool and wet on her forehead.

"Mokki?" A familiar Lupe voice would be heard.

Fen was crouched by Mokksha on a cot at the Den square. It was a small rest station set up a few feet away from the exam lines. What was a long line was now dwindling to no more than 30 Lupes left. Arak and Ammy had been running the scans all day. The sun slowly sinking behind the trees.

Fen stroked Mokki's cheek again. "Moki?" he repeated. It wasn't an alarmed call to her. He had scanned her himself and she was clean. She would however have a sore arm from the inoculation he gave her. He sat back on his haunches and changed out the now warm rag. She was merely over worked he would guess. The virus that raged and the blending of endless days kept him from thinking it might be something else.

He looked out the tent at the gold just touching the sky. 50 Lupes sat or lay on the ground in the quarantine section crying or stunned. Those still in line trembled as they waited the verdict on their lives. The past came to him of Lupinoss. The wars that had claimed that land so many times. The prisoners, the slaves, all victims to blood lust. He shook his head.

"Mokki, we have sailed a sea of endless turmoil since our meeting. Storms, shoals, and rocks of strife have torn, punctured, and beached our love many times. Yet.. we manage to sail on in hopes of finding the land of our union. I look out at the setting sun of one life, one civilization, and turn my muzzle to the east to wait for the rise of dawn on our love and hope. The star are beautiful as I wait, and I would like to share the view with you. Please come back to me safely, and we will sail the ocean blues once more, united in love, and bearing precious cargo soon."

Fens voice was soft as he let his thoughts out. He looked over to Mokki as she slept, and put another cool washcloth on her forehead. He genuinely felt horrible for not being there for her enough. Once this nightmare was over, he was thinking of resigning from the clinic and just settling down with her. He let a small smile touch his lips, then remembered other smiles he had seen on pups, and adults alike as he had treated them. He could never resign. He truly loved the new life of healing and not killing.

So he sat and watched the line begin to shrink more, holding Mokki's hand in his paws. They didn't need him for a while. He laid his muzzle on her shoulder and closed his amber eyes, a picture of love and commitment in a time of death, stress, and despair.

Fleet closed the eyes on another victim of the virus in the quarantine square. He then turned and injected the LNC into another Lupe hoping it was in time to save the life. He was walking among rows of Lupes in despair. They cried, howled in loneliness, and moaned from the fever and hallucinations. Their bodies wracked in pain now.

He everywhere he looked, percentages wafted up in front of his eyes that matched with muzzle he looked at. A few were recovering, but more were submitting and dying. 70 Lupes were down with Lupanecrosis. Only 20 Lupes remained in the exam lines. The sun had set, and twilight was approaching. All the cleared Lupes where packed onto shuttles and taken to Ember Pallin's ship the Bi-Duran.

This was a day when Fleet was glad that not all humans were alike. That there were humans that were kind and compassionate. He returned to the Lupe that just died and whispered on old rite of voyage for the soul. His voice was too low to be heard by many, but those nearby could hear the sorrow ripping into each vowel.

Metal paw held out he uttered the words most Lupes would be honored to hear, but in these times, just brought sorrow.

"Solne travlen tel peacne. Teh memron captre til solgrema." the body of the Lupe glowed green and then faded to a mist. The mist condensed and hardened. A soul gem was left behind in his metal paw. Even though he wore his crimson scrubs and lab coat with pride he felt like a cloaked vulture. A crimson clad grim reaper.

He placed the gem into a bag that was now very heavy with soul gems, when it was once empty an hour ago. He stood and walked to the makeshift gate separating the square from the lines. Shutting the gate he leaned against it. He didn't care if anyone saw him cry. His muzzle was wet with tears.

53. 53! 53 Lupes now lay in his bag of soul gems. He just collapsed on the ground and sobbed. 75% of those infected have died. The Den would sorely miss the ever dwindling race. Amid the sobs, his ears heard something from the line.

He looked up from bleary eyes and saw that the last 20 Lupes was the entire populace of the Healers Guild. They were giving Arak and Ammy flack about something. He couldn't hear them from where he was, and he truly didn't care at the moment either. He just remained crumpled by the gate. Sorrow had him in its grip.

Through the hell of this day, Arak had kept one thought in the back of his mind; that whoever was responsible for this atrocity would pay not only with their lives, but their souls.
Arak had not performed necromancy in over two hundred years, but if he discovered that any of these 'Healers' had deliberately unleashed a plague just to prove a point or to assure their dominance; then Arak intended to see to it that none of their souls rested. They would suffer eternally for their sins.

"What right do you have to challenge us you condemnable freak of nature. You should never be alive, a copy of a true creature. We are Alphrans to you, little bitch! Now move, or we will teach you and your pet," the leader snarled at Arak, "your place in this Den. As a submissive female!"

The Sunari heard the words, the arrogant tone of voice they were delivered in. To Arak, it was as good as a confession.
"Pet? Pet?!" His eyes began to glow crimson, the energy inside his body beginning to boil over. "I am Arak Vennik Tal Kryyn! Battlemage and Mage Knight of Skyhaven Eyrie, of the Sunari people! I am noone's pet, and today I will show you what I am!"

The five lupes who turned on Arak began chanting, preparing their spells to deal with the gryphon... It wasn't enough.
Many races called on or used magic. Sunari were magic. They breathed it. Magic swam through their very bodies and gave them life. Without magical energy, a Sunari would perish as all other life suffocates without air.
Because of this, an enraged Sunari could use raw magical energy with a mere thought.

The gryphon stepped out of the containment bubble, his wings spreading as the feathers burst into blue-white flames like a phoenix. The cold-fire spread across his entire body, being drawn down his arms to either clenched fist. The first lupe to finish his spell sent the fireball sailing towards Arak, only to be deflected with an annoyed flick of the gryphon's wrist.

"You think yourselves my superior?! You are not even my equal!" Arak raised his hands and pointed at two lupes. Coldfire poured out of his body and washed over the unfortunate pair, their clothes turned to ash in an instant, their fur and flesh soon to follow. Within seconds, there was nothing of the two Healers but drifting ash. Then Arak turned on the other three, their comrades incineration disrupting the concentration of the last two who hadn't gotten their spells off yet.

Already one was trying to turn and run, his eyes wide with fear. Arak drew a single rune in the air and sent a paralysis spell slamming into his back, after which he toppled over like a statue. Remembering his personal oath from before, loosed a similar spell on the other two still facing him. The sheer amount of power he poured into the third paralysis spell ended up stopping the heart of the female lupe.

The Sunari was not finished however. His hands moved through the air rapidly, blurring as he began tracing a very complicated series of runes in the air. Already the spell was coalescing, drawing together the souls of the Healers who had just been killed by Ammy, Fleet, and himself. Save for the one who's soul had been consumed by Fleet's black blade, that soul was gone forever.
As the gryphon wove his spell, the severed souls began to appear as softly glowing blue ghostly forms near where they had died, their expressions frozen in whatever pose they had had just before death.

Still Arak drew, crafting a cage for these souls, and the souls of those Healers still living. Once cast, this spell construct would bind those souls in a false reality; a reality designed to punish them for eternity. It was worse than most universes notions of hell. It was the blackest of arts. And it was Arak's sentence for those would would abuse their authority.

"Know this, O ye dammed! You have now but one chance to avert the fate I have chosen for you! Tell me now which among you are responsible for this plague, and I will free your souls to pass on to whatever afterlife awaits you. Any who do not confess will know nothing but eternal suffering. A thousand fold the suffering you have inflicted on your own people!" The gryphon's fury was etched onto his face, in every lick of flame that crossed his body.

"Tell me now, and tell me truthfully!" Arak held the spell in check, waiting for the replies of both living and dead...

Fleet's blood was pounding. All he saw was the Healers Guild attacking his mate and friends. One would could call it blood lust, others may say berserker, and some may say it was divine justice. All Fleet knew was that 3 healers were dead from his katana, souls absorbed by its blade forever locked in its depths.

The Alphrans of the Healers Guild lay on his back at Fleet's feet. The Blade of Lupinoss lay at his throat asking for his soul. Fleet gritted his teeth and took control of his body and rage. Using the keen edge of the katana, he made the healer crawl backwards. He herded the healer to Arak. As he approached he could hear Arak's question.

"Know this, O ye dammed! You have now but one chance to avert the fate I have chosen for you! Tell me now which among you are responsible for this plague, and I will free your souls to pass on to whatever afterlife awaits you. Any who do not confess will know nothing but eternal suffering. A thousand fold the suffering you have inflicted on your own people!"

The souls hesitated and looked at their leader on the ground at the point of one of the cruelest blades made by Lupinossai paws. Their leader just snarled a silent threat to them. The souls, seeing he could do no worse that this creature of magic binding them spoke in one voice.

"We are all guilty. We feared Fleetian would do away with our ways healing by magic. We did not like this new type of sorcery he was using to heal people. The sorcery called science. So our Alphans researched a way to render Fleetian discredited. He opened a rift to Lupinoss, but we found it was not our homeland, but a time very twisted.

A demon came in contact with us. His name was Fenrassan, a twisted offspring of the Fen Sprintar before your mate. He was enraged at being disturbed during his complete rule of Lupinoss. He was going to destroy this realm until we offered a bargain. We offered him the daughter of a deity that caused him a great deal of grief though Fenrassan killed the deity already. We offered Myrlene Wolf-Spiritor to him to prevent his coming through the rift, but we required of him a means to bring Fleetian down. He gave us the mutated virus that affects you all.

Once we saw how well the virus would affect our kind, and that Fenrassan stated the whole Den was needed to be infected to jump to infecting humans, we became greedy. We sought to sell the virus to those wanting it for the many wars on this realm. We were to go today and sell the virus, then once the Den was cleared, we were to contact our loyal servants to kidnap Myrlene. Fenrassan is expecting by tonight. If she does not appear to him. He will come through. He prevents us from closing the rift.

The Alphrans of the Healers Guild looked like he was about to explode in rage at the complete confession of his dead brethren.

"Is this true?" Fleet's voice was thin, and the air about the Den square dropped several degrees.

"Yes. I wi.."

The Alphrans never finished what he was going to say. Fleets katana first stabbed the Alphrans heart, then his head, and ended with his throat. The souls quavered. It was a ceremonial killing of one who was too vial to exile. The soul would be forever in pain and locked into one of the many gems on the handle or hilt. Slave to the possessor of the sword. The body then turned to ash.

Fleet was breathing heavy anger. How could they do this? He shook his head and shoved that thought out of his mind. Worse, they had a demon due to break through tonight. He about jumped when his cell phone went off. His adrenaline numbed fingers fumbled with the buttons. The cell phone went to speaker mode.

"Fleet! This is Ember. Problems on the Bi-Duran. We are under attack from a small nest of Lupes. The keep babbling about glory to the Healers Guild. They have blocked themselves in the cargo bay and they have Myrlene."

"Get her back at all costs Ember. Kill the group. They are dead to us now!" He looked to Arak.

"Find the rift. It must be at the Healers Guild. See what you can do to seal it, then see about getting what you need to get rid of this virus. I am going to get my daughter back!"

Ammy stood slowly, then spoke.

"Send me Fleet. Arak will need your help with the Fenrassan. You saved Myrlene last time. My turn."

Her green eyes sparked and showed it would be pointless to argue with her. Fleet just nodded, and in a blink of an eye. Ammy disappeared.

Ammy found herself slightly dazed as she appeared on the Bi-Duran. Familiar scents wafted back to her from the days when she was in hiding. A few unpleasant ones assaulted her nose as well. Acrid smoke from blaster fire, singed fur, and death.

She looked around to locate where she had appeared. She was standing on deck 18, section L. Her memory told her it was aft of the main cargo bay. Recent repair work seemed to be going on in this corridor. New welds and off colored panelling showed everywhere.

She flicked on her com unit, but static was all that greeted her. Whatever repair equipment was used interfered with communications. She ran forward towards the bay and came across an access terminal. Her fingers flew across the keys. She saw an alarm raised in section E, deck 12. She also noted that Ember Pallin was reported on deck 12 moving for section E. She decided to take the cargo bay by rear access.

Ammy ran to the nearest lift and punched it to rise to deck 12. In moment's she was in the corridor of deck 12, but the layout had changed. New cooling reservoirs blocked the entry and the corridor was rerouted around the bay. She ran down the detour. She would have transmuted her way through, but hyper drive coolant was lethal.

She reached the forward entry to the cargo bay just in time to see several Lupes stacking supply crates to hide behind. Myrlene was nowhere in sight. She began to move forward when a series of blaster fire from the right of the entry way peppered her metal shards. She darted back and crouched behind a terminal. They had the entry way pinned. How was she going to get through.

She heard the silent treading of boots on deck plating approaching quickly. She didn't have to use her Force training to know it was Ember. Frequent training sessions ground in the sound of his tread into her mind. She grabbed out and pulled him down as he ran by her, keeping him from being toasted.

"Hello Master." She just grinned.

Ember looked surprised to see Ammy on the Bi-Duran, then he blinked and was calm again.

"Ember, they have the cargo bay well secured with ambush and pin lines on the entry. Any suggestions?"

Ember rubbed his beard in thought then nodded.

"Remember our little training exercise on manipulating the deck plating for shielding and attacks?"

Ammy nodded quickly. Nothing more was needed to be said. Shifting her left metal arm to soul saber mode, she dropped in 2 soul batteries into the power receptacles. She would need every bit of soul energy to use the Force properly. She watched as Ember darted to the other side of the corridor.

She held out her normal paw at the same time he held out his right metal hand. Two panels of deck plating screeched as they were ripped free. Nodding to each other, Ember ran through the entry way. His panel rotated to the right catching the blaster fire. His left metal hand waved out deflecting the blaster fire from the left.

By then, Ammy was by him, her panel blocking the left barrage. In unison they sent their panels slamming outwards to the left and right. Lupes screamed in pain as they were crushed. 8 Lupes were behind the supply crates. 7 opened fire on them. The last one had an unconscious Myrlene over his shoulder. He was barking into some com unit but it looked like it wasn't working.

Ammy's azure blade came to life, deflecting blaster fire, mirrored by the snap hiss of Embers lavender blade. They circled the barrier, catching attackers with their own fire, or deflecting the deadly energy into the decking. The Lupes were looking frightened. 5 remained and backed up shielding Myrlenes captor.

Ammy's right paw came up and sent a Force blast into the nearest Lupe. The female flew through the air and impacted with a girder with a sickening wet crack. Ember sent one male through the forcefield into space. The three remaining defenders threw down their blasters and raised their paws.

It was too late. Ammy and Ember heard Fleet's command at the Den. Azure and Lavender rained down on two of the Lupes. The third ran. He didn't get far. Ammy snapped her fingers, and his legs were blown off by deconstructive alchemy. The last Lupe held a blaster to Myrlene's temple.

"Move and she dies. Fenrassan won't mind making her and undead play thing."

Ember's gray eyes hardened at the sound of those words. The Lupe was mad threatening the mother of the child in his arms with death. Ammy blinked once. Emeralds went white. The blaster in the Lupes paw suddenly melted. He gasped in pain, but that was cut short as well. Ammy's right paw was out in a choking motion. She then waved her paw to move him closer.

"Release my daughter you piece of trash!"

The Lupe, still fighting for breath, locked his hold on Myrlene's unconscious body tighter. Azure blade removed the offending arm. Ember reached out and caught Myrlene with the Force before she could hit the deck. He moved her close to him and just watched. Ammy was in full rage, and he barely managed to calm her down the last time she lost it.

Ammy eased on her grip to let the Lupe suck in breath to howl in pain at the loss of a limb. He kept him in the air.

"You picked the wrong side to be on, and the wrong Alphrans to mess with. I may be a bitch, but I am in command of my people just as much as Fleet is. And that means I control your fate in judgement on these crimes committed. You are sentenced to agonizing death!"

Azure blade faded and her metal paw reappeared. Both paws working in tandem, she snapped every bone in the Lupes body. The screams were nearly deafening. She brought the limp and broken body close to her and glared at him with white eyes. A simple sigil in the air and his fur melted away. Another sigil, and the skin slid off. The Lupe was nothing more than a writhing mass of red muscle and broken bones. Ammy reached her metal paw out and touched what used to be his chest.

"You are now forgiven wretch!" the body exploded outwards covering Ammy and the cargo bay in blood and gore. She stood quivering in divine justice. Then she turned to Ember. Emeralds had returned.

"How is Myrlene?"

"Just asleep. They must have used a stun beam on her. She'll be awake soon. I suggest you clean yourself up. Don't want to frighten her."

Ammy looked at her blood and gore soaked fur and the carnage around her. She just nodded, picked up Myrlene in bloody arms and walked off down to her old room.