“Oh no, oh no, no no no.” He couldn’t stop. His voice was barely audible over the sounds around him. The spitting sounds of the gunfire sent his heart stuttering and tumbling. His whole body shuddered, trembling. His paws were sure. Each large gray paw landed confidently on the ground, launching him forward. There was a sound, so much quieter than the vicious crack of the guns. “No, no, no!” It was a mantra. Something blazing hot burned across his shoulders as he stumbled over a long reptilian tail.

Triple beat. Thump, thump, thump. He was running faster now, toward the danger. He tried to turn away, tried to drag himself off course, but there ahead of him was Lucky and beyond the fluffy multicolored dog and the opponent that was grasping his neck, was another one of the riders climbing to its feet. He definitely wasn’t going to do anything about that, he was going to run himself to safety.

He scoffed.

Safety. There is no such thing anymore. She had made him safe. Mom. Mom had kept him safe. She had hugged him when the thunder boomed, kept him safe when the sky exploded in colors, cuddled him when the neighbors had parties, comforted him when cars backfired, and saw to all of his needs. They were almost never apart. She only left the house to take him on walks, never alone. He was alone now though. So very, very alone.

A few more steps and then he was airborne.

Through the air like a flung spear.

His front paws hit first, slamming into the taut fabric of the rider’s suit. Two shimmering tubes went flying as he bowled the thing over. The gray dog went down landing heavily on top of the rider. There was a horrible popping sound, like a balloon. He hated balloons. Pop it went and his paws sank into the strange fabric beneath them. The rider was writhing beneath him, almost bucking him off. He whimpered. The thing hadn’t seen him coming, thankfully, but it sure saw him now. Beneath the smoky gray-black of the thing’s faceshield, he could almost make out the shape of its face. Small, strange eyes, wide piggish nostrils, a mouth full of jagged teeth. It deflated, the suit anyway. Whatever was inside felt firm against his feet. Firm and still.

There was another spitting sound behind him, Lucky’s Girl was screaming. The sound pounded through him, sending his heart racing in his chest. She sounded like Mom- He whimpered, body sinking down on itself, tail curling around his hindleg. He was shivering, fur twitching and the whites were visible all around his eyes.

He was up and running a moment later, not sure where he was running, but running nonetheless.

Eventually, it was over. Intrepid’s whole body ached. Other than the graze across his shoulders, he was unscathed. His body still trembled and he wanted nothing more than to find a small, warm place to hide away until this whole mess of the End was over. Mom would have kept him safe, but she was gone. Gone forever. He curled tight around himself until his nose was buried under his own leg. He reached for sleep, but it wouldn’t come. It wouldn’t come so often these days. It was almost a relief when Quigley gathered him up to go to the meeting with Lucky at the shattered hill.

The running was good. Mom used to run with him. She was so fast, he could stretch himself out unto a full sprint, ears flying, paws pounding against the ground. It was always a beautiful moment. Always. Until it wasn’t. Until a loud noise or a bright flash of light startled him. Mom was so patient with him. He missed his Mom. He tried to shake himself out of it as they jogged through the wood toward the shattered hill and the coyote dennings. Anything to take his mind off the memories.

His heart was still racing, eyes still wide with fear when they reached the dennings. Lucky and his girl were already there and after a quick greeting, he started talking to some of the dogs about their classes. Intrepid just stood and whined very quietly, it was almost like a wheeze to his breathing as much as a sound intentionally made. He was alone for only a short while before Sugar came up next to him. She didn’t say anything, didn’t make a fuss about it. She just came to stand next to him, close enough to touch. It’s a subtle thing, but it was enough. He closed his eyes and sat down so he could lean into her just a little.

Sometimes, dogs know just the right moves to make.

There was no sense of time passing, but it must have. Before he knew it, Lucky was saying his name, asking him to come forward and discuss classes.

“It -uh it was only the one new class, Lucky. It was… um… it was… it was [Dread Shadow]. I don’t think I like it.”

“Can you tell me about it?” The fluffy dog asked.

Dread Shadow

You can be more than you are. You are not just afraid, you are fear.

When you open this class you will gain the traits [It Is Better When They Scream] and [Reckless Speed] and the skills [Fear], [Aura of Disquiet], [Stealth], [Wall of Shadows] and [Swift Strike]. Other traits and skills may become available at later levels.

You will gain +7 Reaction, +2 Dexterity, and +5 Willpower

It’s Better When They Scream

You have an intimate understanding of what it feels to be afraid. You are an expert at exploiting that weakness in others.

Your skills are twice as effective when your enemies are suffering under a fear effect.

Reckless Speed

Speed is the one thing that you believe can keep you safe.

Whether it’s darting in for an attack or showing your foe your heels as you run away, you are three times faster than you were before.

Fear

It’s everything you know, just waiting to be shared.

You can unleash a wave of fear at a single target. If you overcome their resistance, they must flee.

Aura of Disquiet

Like whispers on the edge of hearing, fears have gnawed at you for as long as you remember.

An aura of a mild fear effect swirls around you at all times. Allies are twice as likely to resist the effect, but no one is immune.

Stealth

This skill influences your ability to hide, whether in the shadows or in plain sight. The higher your rank, the greater your ability to move unseen.

Wall of Shadows

The world is full of darkness.

You can create a wall of darkness 10 feet long, 8 feet high, and 1 foot wide. The darkness is impenetrable. Only air can pass.

Swift Strike

You have learned to recognize weakness, make use of it.

When your opponent exposes a vulnerability, your next strike automatically targets it, increasing damage twofold.

There was silence when he finished speaking and his body trembled. Lucky’s girl reached out to gently pet him, murmuring nonsense words and offering as much comfort as she could. “Sounds a little shady to me.” She deadpans.

Intrepid couldn’t help it, he barked a laugh.

“I can’t say I blame you for not liking it.” Lucky said after a long moment. “Can’t really blame you for not liking either of them. It’s your choice in the end, whether you take one, the other, or neither. We won’t force you. I didn’t take the first class I was offered and I eventually got more. I guess, think about it for a while.”

“I will. I promise.”

“Make sure you eat something before you go to sleep tonight.” The girl said softly, scratching gently behind his ear. “You can come join the cuddle puddle in my room if you need company.”

He was finally starting to feel more centered again, thanks to her comforting presence. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She said, “I’ll see you later then. You’re a good boy.”

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, his tail wasn’t wrapped around his hind leg. It was wagging. Not very fast, not very wide, but it was wagging