-3RD Quarter morning. 3RD POV-

The sun approaching the zenith in a blue sky adorned with few white clouds bathed the landscape in its light and warmed the wintry day to comfortable temperatures that beast and people alike could appreciate. However, the battlefield near the entrance to the mana vein in wolf territory drowns in screams and yowls as the fighters employ every available method to attain victory while a soft breeze carries the smells of gore, smoke, and dust towards the west.

*HOOooOOoo...* The wind softly howls inside a 50-meter wide crown-looking stone fortress north of the hill riddled with large holes and corpses. *Dlik! Dluik! Plik!* The blood of four-meter long beasts skewed on a partially broken trap drips down a twenty meter deep hole where their tails hang and wave with the wind. *Schhlack... Slosh! Slorsh!* The youngest of the four Elder wolves gnaws at a high-ranked foxman, oblivious that he's turning into a bomb inside her mouth.

"Guh..." A young red-haired foxman uttered lying on the barren ground near the northern wall with both legs and left arm broken.

"Heh!" The fox leader of the trio smirked hatefully while kneeling in front of the darkness beast with his magic nearly depleted.

"Urk!" The older foxman chocked filling his insides to the brim while counting down to detonation.

Ohhh... This is a good chance. I wanted to eat prey alive like the Dragon does... Mused the she-wolf facing north and planned to swallow the intrepid firefox.

Al...most... theee...re... Feloz affirmed enduring the uncomfortable sensations in his body.

"Ha-huff! Haff! Haff! Huom?!" Panted the orange fox lying down while observing the situation from the black wolf's left.

That's not a distraction to run away! I won't allow her to die... Simon realized the ploy perking his ears and immediately took action.

*Suarsh! Thump! Thump! Whoosh!* The magical fire beast got up and lashed at the neck of the wolf. *WUAP!* He latched on the wolf's throat strongly enough to not do harm and stop her from swallowing.

"WUOH!?" The she-wolf startled for a moment and stopped chewing before glaring at the beast burned on his back.

...Changed your mind? Damya asserted and raised her left foreleg.

*BAM! PHUAM! KRrrss! Srrrak! Srrrak!* She smacked the orange fox on her left and scratched open red lines on the orange fur that trickled blood to the barren ground.

"Kyuuu! Kyuun..." The orange fox whimpered with his ears folded back in sadness.

"Grrr... This damn ... traitor!" Roniez growled with hatred and gathered the last of his magic reserves.

Traitor...? I always lowered my head and obeyed, but I refuse to be a puppet of the Divine any longer! This will surely trouble Mother, but she'll understand my desires... Simon determined with resolution.

*Fwoop! FWOoosh!* The fire user launched a human-size fireball with a compressed chemical core towards the orange fox's left eye. Simon, who couldn't dodge and had little magic reserves to redirect it had to take the hit and endure covering his eye with a layer of water. *BOOM! Blarsh!* The ball made contact before exploding with shockwaves that shook the beast and blasted away patches of fur on the eye ridge temporarily affecting the vision.

"JYARGH!" Simon screamed while still holding onto the throat of the wolf as the smoke produced disperses.

Ultimately, the strange behavior of the foxman, the silence of the enemies and the actions of the orange beast clicked within the she-wolf's head and she realized the danger of what she was about to eat.

Oh, no... I've made a grave error... Damya thought freezing on the stop rigid before her fur stood on end horrified.

*Wuargh... Thoom!* The orange fox realized to have accomplished his goal and released his bite before falling back down on his left side. *ZiuuuUUCH! Kruk! Kruak!* The foxman's body inflated breaking bones of his rib cage in the process but was unable to utter a sound from the suffering. *Kluap!* The she-wolf opened her mouth wide and lowered the muzzle hoping the bloated person would fall off to no avail. *Gruark! GUAARG!* She retched strongly enough to spew the foxman out.

"EH--!?" Roniez blurted looking at the familiar body approaching his way and only had time to cross his arms in a defensive posture.

*BRA-BOOMM! Bluarsh!* The fire user self-detonated just outside the open jaws splattering flesh and blood in all direction while sending bones shooting at high speed. *Shak! Shuak! Sha-rak! Plak! Buort! Spuish!* The blast made bone fragments lodge in the arms of the foxman before blowing him back and inside the mouth of the wolf as the shockwave shook her body. *SWOOOooo~* A red cloud of dust and blood expands within the enclosure leaving everything painted in gore.

"HYARGH!" Cried out the darkness beast in agony opening and closing her mouth while licking to remove the bone pieces lodged.

"ARGH!" Yelled the red-haired foxman rolling on the ground with his arms and chest riddled with a dozen bone shards.

"HUuuf~" Simon sighed relieved and unfazed by the portion of the blast that added wounds to his broken body.

"Wha--!?" Aremis forgot his pain making a quizzical sound at the projectiles reaching him a dozen meters away. "Simon, you insufferable fool! Stop helping the wolves... Don't you know what's stake?" He rebuked with an anguished expression.

"I DON'T CARE! Not anymore..." The orange fox barked causing the foxman to flinch. "I never really wanted anything for myself...until today. I feel from the core of my being that I belong by her side. I... I want her to acknowledge me... She's more important to me than the Divine..." He announced the decision to change sides.

"Ah, I see, I see... Good for you. Good. For. You." The heavily injured foxman said sarcastically. "But you didn't have to get us all killed in the process... Stupid beast!" He argued feeling irritated and wronged.

"Sorry... I'll beg for your life and get tortured in your place." The beast fox apologized and offered proudly.

"Ah, sure, that'll solve e v e r y thing--NOT!" Aremis retorted rolling his eyes. "I'm hurting a lot, and it's gonna take a long time to walk again...if I even get out of this alive." He affirmed pointing at his legs. "I'm sooo going to curse you from the afterlife. I swear by the Divine! I will!" He announced hatefully yet somehow accepted.

Ugh... We failed... And these two idiots are bickering like children while I'm dying... Roniez thought irritated.

"Uuh~ I've never been cursed from the afterlife before. I wonder what it feels like..." Simon mused.

"Guh!" The foxman uttered in defeat.

"Just... don't do anything aggressive to her." The beast warned and focused his water magic on the blood leaking out wounds.

"GRURUB! GUAK!" The she-wolf continued gagging uncomfortably feeling yet another source of pain from her jaws.

Grah! Still hurts...like my pride... Urgh... I hate...to admit that I was overconfident after gaining some ability... The Dragon did warn me to take things seriously... But I couldn't help it! No beast wants to play with me... Damya lamented and turned to the foxman. This fox is dangerous...to order a subordinate to commit suicide... No more playing with a threat around. She affirmed and approached him.

*Thump! Thump!* The heavy footsteps alerted the fox sitting on the ground and made him quiver.

"GRRNN..." The black wolf snarled while slowly getting closer and lowered her muzzle in front the fox.

"W-what?! D-don't blame me. We have a mission from our Divine. We can't disobey. Even if it calls for sacrifice." The fox leader blurted excuses while crawling away.

*Fwump! Bwak!* The she-wolf pushed the fox down with the right forepaw.

"Omph!" Roniez uttered losing air from his lungs and gripped the paw pressing down on his chest. "Agh... Y-you wolves were no different...fighting like humans. Just get it over with already--Pwuah!" He accused and spit at the wolf resigning to his fate.

*GA-rash! Chhrr--kruk!* The black-ish claws slowly sink into the flesh expanding the four holes.

"AHHRGH! Urk! Gehrk..." The beast person screamed as his lungs filled with blood and spew mouthfuls of it spilling over his face before tinting the dirt.

*Chhrrr-Snap-Crack--KRUAK!* The thicker part of the claws sunk in crushing the ribcage of the foxman who trembled for a moment before he stopped moving and the mana wave confirmed his death.

"Le... Leader..." Aremis stammered frightened and stayed with his mouth agape.

*Shhuak! Swip~* The she-wolf took her claws out of the corpse and turned left.

"EEEK! I'm-I'm next...!!" The surviving foxman shrieked backing off against the wall and stammered with dismay.

"WRUFF!" Damya scoffed and shook her head denying.

"I don't sense killing intentions anymore." Simon affirmed.

"Is-is that true? Will you wolves kill or torture me...?" He timidly asked the Elder.

*Shuiss~Shuiss! Thump! Thump!* The she-wolf conveyed her message again and walked over to the orange fox.

"HAAaah~ That's good to know..." Aremis sighed relieved leaning against the wall while sitting with his broken legs sprawled.

We're probably gonna get used as hostages to stop the invasion... Aremis conjectured the prisoner's fates and relaxed. Well, I can make a hell of a tale out of this. Hehe... He mused trying to distract himself from the pain.

The two beasts shake in pain staring at each other for a few minutes reading their body language and confirming with the Spirit as neither of them expected nor imagined what transpired today could've been real.

"You... saved me... Thank you. And thank you for existing, oh, strange fox..." Damya solemnly said and lowered her head.

"HyuuUU~" Simon interpreted the growls and whined excitedly to be recognized.

*Zuuu... Schhhlap! Shhlap!* The she-wolf licked the orange fox's mouth, and soon, he licked back from the ground.

Ugh... How ridiculous... Our lifestyle has always been killing each other and look at them... Ah, well, they're both freaks. Aremis determined.

*Swiss... Thump! Thump! Swip!* The she-wolf suddenly separated and turned East before lifting her tail. *Shruagh! Sua-Thump! Thump!* The fox, understanding what the wolf wanted, got up to sniff the wolf's rear wagging his tail in excitement. *WHUMP!* He hopped over the black-coated rear shining with sunlight and waited for his arousal to increase.

"...Huh?! W-wait, wait, wait--Wait a moment!" Aremis interjected making a confused face and calling the attention of the two beasts lined up from East to West. "W-what are you two doing?" He questioned leaning on the northern wall.

"Intercourse..." The orange fox casually replied and firmly grasped the she-wolf with his forelegs. "Obviously." He added as his malehood energetically slid out of the canine sheath.

"Ugh! With those wounds...??" The foxman uttered scrunching his face. "That won't work! She's from a different species and not even ready for the act..." He pointed out.

"We aren't common beasts with such limitations..." Simon countered and started humping.

*Whump! Whamp!* The orange fox aimed for the female genitals and their copulation began.

"Come ON! I'm in enough pain as it is... Uuugggh..." The foxman grumbled unable to move from the spot and could only turn his face with ears lowered.

"HOOWOOooooo..." The she-wolf pointed her snout up high and howled victoriously in more ways than one.

...

*Zuu... Zuu...* A sleeping black wolf almost reaching an adult's height lies a few meters from the southern entrance of the stone fortress. *ShuoOAahh~* The wind howls on the half-a-meter tall grass field 50 meters to the south where two groups of beasts of similar Ranks confront each other. *TSsuUUuruURrgh~* A wall of fire burns brightly around three fox beasts cornered with their rear against each other facing a wolf at fourteen meters away in different locations. *Thump! Thump! Stomp!* Three wolves pace six meters away from the fire with their hackles raised stalking their prey.

"Are you two able to run now?" The high-rank foxman riding a beast facing north inquired the recovering beasts.

"Not a problem." The South-East beast injured on the left foreleg reported.

"I fear that only short distances." The Southwest fox answered flexing his wounded right foreleg.

"My portion is ready..." The fox beast facing north reported controlling a compressed ball of flammable gases in his mouth.

""Not us! You didn't get hurt as much as us!"" The two other beasts protested.

The three wolves observed the foxes behind the flames with their magic gathered and ready to act as the fourth wolf arrives on the northern wolf's left.

"GRR... They are planning something..." Dechewy snarled showing his teeth menacingly. "Let's attack already!" He demanded, taking a pouncing stance.

"Wait... Let's interrupt them with combined waves first." Deiyan commanded narrowing his eyes. "Pick a target since it's 4 versus 4..." He instructed.

"Gwruff! Ignore the beastly person... He can't attack well with his element." The snappy wolf derided and followed the instructions.

""We're ready."" The two southern wolves reported.

"Alright. Let them have it, then!" The upper-Rank 7 darkness wolf commanded.

*Wuak! Fwurooom~* The four wolves opened their mouths producing a set of specific electromagnetic waves that easily penetrated the fire and interfered constructively inside the fox beast's heads. *Zuuoon~* The resulting high-intensity microwaves heated up brain tissue unevenly while the magic energy permeating the flesh resisted the changes.

"They're up to something." The medium-ranked foxbeast informed the rider on top.

"Hmph! It's useless... Darkness is the most inferior--!!?" Tieko derided as he looked through the flames before movements of his partner interrupted.

""KWEH!? GRAUU! HYUN!"" The foxes yelped shaking their heads and losing control of the fire ring.

"Argh! B-blow them away!" The sub-leader ordered hurriedly.

The fire users gathered the remaining portion of the firewall under their control into a loop before pushing it outwards. *FwuooOSSSHH!!* The expanding ring of fire forced the wolves to stop attacking and instinctively tried to evade. *Whoop!!! Thump! KRrrrrsshh!* The wolves jumped back, sliding on the grass and tried to take some distance when the flames reached them twenty meters away from the foxes. *BAASHHH!!! BOOMM!* The doughnut-shaped wave of fire swallowed the wolves for a moment and exploded outwards leaving a cloud of toxic fumes.

""GRURUA!!"" The black beasts grunted enduring the burns on their body and shook their heads dazed.

"Hey, I wasn't... targeted..." The sub-leader muttered dejected watching the wolves momentarily disoriented. "Stupid wolves underestimating me..." He grumbled gritting his teeth in anger.

"Urgh... D-don't let it get to you, partner. We all have roles... Uuuggh... My head...hurts..." Lalo comforted while staggering and shook his head to expel blood out of his ears.

"Argh... True to that... I-I couldn't think well..." The South-East beast affirmed as he recovered with eyes closed.

"Any more of that... and I fear that our brains would melt..." The Southwest fox asserted feeling better.

"Yeah... I'll show--we'll show you, stupid wolves!" The sub-leader announced clenching a lance on his right hand.

"Only their Elders would understand you..." The fox beast retorted. "But keep that spirit up!" He encouraged making a smirk.

*Whooooh... Kssshh!* The fumes slowly disperse revealing sizzling grass and wolf fur emanating smoke when a sound from inside of the fortress made the seven beasts perk their ears.

"HOOWOOooooo..." The triumphant howl ended without the owner appearing but it made the wolves relieved while the foxes became more restless.

"It's up to us now..." Tieko muttered with his heart beating faster.

""GRRAWRRR!"" The wolves recovered and snarled with deadly glares ready to rush at their target.

"Use Leikser!" Deiyan ordered taking a pouncing stance.

Without question or delay, the darkness user compressed magic into a cylindrical shape without density gaps before producing high-intensity infrared wavelengths. *BzzzZiUUMM!* The finger-thick beam carved foot-long and inch deep lines on the red coats before the foxes knew what was happening. *Psshhh!* The flesh where the laser lost intensity frizzled after the attack stopped.

""HYUN!!?"" The foxes jerked their body feeling the cutting pain in their necks.

"W-what is it now?" The rider asked looking around surprised.

"Grah! Another weird magic..." A fox beast asserted twisting his neck.

"I fear another one is coming." The other southern fox affirmed looking at the wolves.

"Guys... We need that Fire field, NOW!" Tieko ordered said and released his portion of the fuel.

*Chhhiunn...* The fire users released the collected gases in all directions rapidly encompassing the wolves before igniting and interrupting them. *FwoossSSH! TsURURUG~* The blazes expanded for over thirty-meter square and towered dozens of meters high consuming the oxygen inside while producing toxic fumes for the darkness beasts within.

""HYARGH!!!"" The wolves yowled from burns all over their bodies and took mouthfuls of smoke becoming more disoriented.

"Fire claws! Take their mobility out!" The sub-leader commanded using the distraction.

""OUFF!"" The fox beasts responded in unison and mobilized their magic to their fore paws while sensing the wolves within the fire.

*Shrrrshhh!!!* The red-coated beasts elevated the temperature of particles in the surface of their claws turning red-hot without harming the material. *Srash! Sua-Thump! Thu-rum! Thu-rum! Whoosh~* The two southern fox beasts dashed towards their respective targets while the northern one aimed for the snappy wolf and the rider on their leader. *Shomp! Thu-rum!!* The wolves noticed the approaching beasts and turned tail running away while the highest rank ionized the gas around his mouth to speak.

"Split them up!" Deiyan barked while sprinting.

These injuries are acceptable. We can't waste mana with more fighting to do... Deiyan asserted hoping to weaken the raging fire.

*TSURurusSHH!* After a few seconds, the expanding flames originating from the foxes only diminished and moved along with the casters in a fiery ball dozens of meters wide. *Fwop! Thu-rum! Thu-rum!* The beastly person covered his lance on reactive substances while chasing the two wolves on the north.

"HA!" Tieko yelled swinging his right arm at the right beast before igniting the compounds on his weapon.

*Swuoong! Friuuush!* The lance turned it into a pseudo rocket shooting towards the rear of a black wolf. *Shuiss~Chiak!* The projectile whistled through the air and stabbed the wolf's ass.

"HYAAK!!" Yowled the wolf leader within the flames while stopping and ionized the gases in a bigger area around his head. "KUHE! Huaff! M-my ass..." He coughed and complained wagging his tail trying to remove the spear without knowing more were coming.

*Friuuush! Shuiss~Chiak! Shuiss~Chiak!* The beastly person threw another two javelins from each hand stabbing wolf in the belly and neck on the left flank before continuing riding towards the fortress.

"GRR!" Deiyan growled annoyed and twisted his body to remove the spears lodged while expanding his Magic territory.

*TSUuuu... Ksshhh!* The fire dispersed for five meters around the wolf leader exposing the sizzling materials emanating fumes as the fight went on. *WhoOSH!!!* The other foxes also reached the wolves that were showing signs of exhaustion from the lack of oxygen and toxic gases. *Krrrrang! Srrruach! Sriash! Shruuum!* The fire users slashed at their respective targets and seared the thick fur leaving gashes as wide as human arms in the hind legs, and sides of the wolves.

""KYARGH! GRYAH! GRWUA!"" The canines yowled stopping while the foxes maneuver around them to aim at weak points again.

"Go for the neck! Go for the necks!" The beastly person ordered throwing another fiery lance at the burnt wolf near the fortress.

The wolves felt the need to reveal their newfound ability and stopped the combustion around them as far as they could push back the foxes magic. *TSUuuu... Ksshhh!* The fire disappeared leaving a cloud of smoke blowing upwards while fresh air descended.

""KUHE!! KUHE!! HUFF!! HA-HUFF!!"" The darkness beasts coughed puffs of smoke and inhaled precious oxygen regaining their mental state before absorbing the infrared radiation used by the foxes to track them.

*WhoOSH!! WhoOSH!* The foxes rushed into the dark cloud with their jaws open ready to bite but the wolves dodged within their magic territory keeping them safer. *ThuMP!!! Thu-rum! Thu-rum! Srrsh!* The red-coated canines left the darkness sphere and took some distance trying to assert their targets.

""WUOH?! KYU!?!"" The fox beasts barked and ceased their ineffective attacks to save mana and retracted the magic.

"Ehh!? W-what just happened??!" The rider blurted looking around the blurry battlefield.

"More trickery! Gruff!" Lalo affirmed and scoffed.

"Blast the area! Don't let them catch another breath." The sub-leader commanded.

""WE CAN'T!"" The southern fire users denied.

"I still have some magic left, but they should be nearly dry." The rode-on beast confirmed.

"Damn it all!" Tieko cursed and clutched a spear. "Wait... Where's the 4th wolf?" He wondered unable to detect the canine.

"How do you lose a beast that large??!" The fox beast retorted.

"What? We left him behind and he's a higher Rank, so I can't pinpoint his location well." The foxman explained his shortcoming.

While the foxes exchanged a conversation over a distance of tens of meters on what to do, the injuried wolves stood still letting their body recover even a little naturally when a radio wave broadcast carried a repeating message in Morse code.

"_Dechewy attack from west me from east and rest_go_" Deiyan who was quietly lying low within a darkness cloud inside the smoke on the East ordered.

"I'll find him," Lalo said and extended his probe in the surroundings inadvertently becoming defenseless when the wolves retaliated.

*Shra--Whoop!* The snappy wolf on the north lashed silently without a second thought out of the darkness cloud.

"He's 30 short steps to--" The fire user revealed the location in the equivalent of meters and noticed an open parched maw approaching from the corner of his eye.

*WHOoo!* The fox beast lowered his body right close to the ground while swiping with the left foreleg. *Thuam! Kluap!* The red-coated paw closed the black jaws shut while redirecting the rushing beast to the south.

"GWU--!" The attacking wolf grunted and continued running past the rear of the fox beast.

*Thu-rush! Thu-rush... Thu-rum!* The running paw steps receded as another matching set approached the northern fox beast. *Shruu~ Krsh! Whoo...* The beast trembled in an unsteady posture and pushed his body the opposite way to dodge, but it was too late.

Oh, no... Lalo anxiously thought after detecting the approaching beast.

"AH--!?" The foxman turned his neck and uttered becoming pale as sharp teeth

*KRUASH! Creeeak! Drak! Spuff~* The white fangs sank into the chest armor shredding the flesh below and spurting blood before the bite gripped strongly to rip the body out of the saddle. *Sruah--Whoosh!* The darkness beast ripped the body out of the saddle in a circular potion spraying blood through the air from a pair of legs dangling outside the large mouth.

"Urk--!" The beastly person blurted mouthfuls of blood and quivered before his limbs hanged loosely. "Ha..." He drew the last breath shortly after inside the wolf's maw on the east before the small mana wave confirmed his passing.

"NOOO!" The Mid-Rank 7 fox beast barked with dismay while the black wolf carried away his life-long companion.

"GRRA-AWR!" Dechewy circled around and lashed at the left hind leg of the unmoving fox. "GRRNRN!" He growled pulling the fox south.

*GRUAP! GRACK! Kreekk...* The strong bite made the thin bones creak under the pressure and caused a sharp pain to the fox who looked back annoyed.

"Ohhh? Youuu want myyyy leeeeg?" Lalo growled with boiling anger transmitting over his trembling Magic. "Taaaake ittt!" He said with hatred oozing in his tone and willed Elementals on his leg.

*BOOM! Blarsh! Fwuish!* An explosion originating from the fox's leg inside the wolf's mouth forced the jaws open while ripping flesh off on both beasts.

"HYAK--GRRAWRR!" Dechewy yowled from a throbbing pain in his mouth but endured and lashed again.

However, the fox beast's anger reached the tipping point and willed his Magic out of his body explosively. *BWOOOM! KRRrrchh!* A sphere of fire originating from the Fox blasted in all directions flattering the grass and stopping the snarling wolf in his tracks just before another blaze ignited. *Fwop! FWOOOSHHIUM!* Intense blue flames appeared from the Firefox's paws moving in upward waves along with the fur raised on ends forming yellow streaks as it vaporized in the widening blaze towering a dozen meters.

"GRYAAAAAAHHHH!!" The firefox roared loudly towards the sky spewing flames and shaking the air transmitting a tune of sorrow and rage for miles. "ARF!" Lalo closed his parched mouth seconds later and looked around searching for a target using magic as his eyes could no longer see. "GRYA-AH-AH-AH!" He shrilled insanely and started moving towards the darkness wolf on the East vaporizing the grass and charring the dirt with each step.