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Description
The blaring siren of a multitude of alarms broke through the night air. Men and women alike ran to and fro as fires erupted in the facility, electrical wiring flailing haphazardly. The walls of the squat stone building creaked ominously as the robed humans attempted to contain the fire; buckets of water were drawn and thrown, but did little to appease the hunger of the raging inferno.

"How did this happen!? Who's responsible for this mess!?" a loud voice roared. It's owner was a man, bald, with several long jagged scars all around his face. "I demand answers, and I demand them now!" A single, massive forearm snapped out, grabbing a nearby scientist by his throat. The large man drew him in close, the specter of death itself as he growled quietly. "Well?"

The sound of a roaring explosion immediately to the side of the pair caused the poor scientist to scream, face paling intensely under that evil gaze… his blood ran ice cold as he held back a sob. He couldn't bear to speak, not in the presence of this man, his aura alone appearing to dim and diminish the flames that had erupted scant feet away.

"What's wrong... Cat got your tongue?" the man asked cruelly, a knife seeming to materialize in his hand as he held it up towards the scientist's frightened eyes. "Well, if you're that scared, why don't I help you?" The chilling tone of the man's voice could've frozen a lake as he pressed forward, gently, teasingly twisting is knife at the exposed neck.

A single drop of blood shone on the knife's edge.

"S-Stop stop! I- I really don't know! We were… we were just… trying to find a new energy source!" he screamed out, hands desperately scrabbling at the tree trunk of an arm that held him. "I swear! W-We didn't think that she'd react like that!" The knife pressed even deeper against his throat, causing a pained scream from the helpless man; the behemoth simply smiled darkly, licking his lips in pleasure as he slowly dragged the knife to the side.

"I see. I understand… Goodbye." The knife drove home, spearing through the exposed flesh with almost inhuman ease.  A short, strangled cry was all that the scientist could stammer out before his voice was silenced, permanently.

"You scientists… always blinded by your thirst for knowledge…" he jeered. A sound from overhead raised the man's eyes. Masonry flew from a section of the wall, heavy stone falling to the ground. The cries of scientists were drowned out by flame as the trio was reduced to a bloody, shivering pulp, though that was not what drew his eyes skyward; rather, he stared at the figure that had just demolished the wall. The fire's light shone on blazing red fur, marked with stripes of orange. A loud, guttural roar echoed from the animal's lips before it sprang off,  a young, child-like hand sticking out of it's maw. Nine long, blood soaked tails streamed out behind it as it leapt, disappearing into the night.

The man chuckled darkly as he watched the fox escape, eyes positively gleaming with malicious intent as he dropped the dead man. His fingers clenched tight about the hilt of his knife as he smiled, grimly. "So… you got away…" he murmured, lips pulled back in a sneer. Another massive explosion rocked the compound, what remained of the walls creaking and groaning as they fought to hold in the massive inferno burning within. He raised the blade to his mouth, licking bright red blood off the edge before he took a step forward, slowly.

With a shuddering groan the walls caved in,  a single great gout of flame bursting out of the demolished compound before it was snuffed out, covered by copious amounts of stone and steel.

The man took another step forward, covered by the ensuing dust cloud; not a cough passed his lips, however. A grin full of untold malice parted his lips. "Let's see how long you last girl…"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm sure you know just what I am. On the surface, at least. There's no doubt in my mind that you've heard of my name in the taverns and such. But… do you know the real me? My thoughts? My dreams? Do you know my past, of the burdens I bear?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A fire crackled in the fireplace, casting a weak glow across the floor. The oaken door glided open, silent as a specter.

"Ma'am? Miss Lily? A word, if I may." A voice like polished ivory slithered through the air. Its origin was a middle aged gentleman, no younger then mid thirty. His hair was cropped short, the occasional grey strand peeking through the surrounding field of brown.

"What is it? I'm a very busy woman." An ice cold voice cut through the air, frosty blue eyes shining in her stern visage. She leaned back, perched on a stiff business chair.The neck of the heavy business suit she wore was covered in sweat from the fireplace's heat. "If it's not important, I'll have to ask you vacate the room immediately, understood?"

´Comfort makes for idle hands´ was scribed on a small calendar marked by the expression of a grim faced man. The man that entered glanced at the wall, as though to remind himself of whom  he was dealing.

"I´m sure you´re aware of Project Light?" Each word was spoken with a measure of caution, as though considering how best to parse his next words.

"I´m afraid the lab in charge of the research was attacked. An investigation is ongoing but I´m afraid that there seems to be no survivors."

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, yet the chill did nothing to dissipate the sweat on his brow.  "What about the research subject? Did that thing survive?" Though she gave no outward sign of displeasure, the man trembled ever more visibly. Sweat seeped into the color of his expensive suit.

"It´s body hasn´t been found, so it probably managed to escape."

"Find it!Do you have any idea how rare one of those things are!? If that thing dies, it´ll cut our research back a dozen years! Understand?" Venom practically dripped from Lily´s tongue as she leveled an icy glare. "If so much as one strand of fur is damaged, I´m holding you personally responsible!"

An involuntary shiver wracked the man´s form; he knew well just what happened to those who had the displeasure of angering this woman. His lips moved soundlessly, racking his mind desperately for something, anything!

"Leave. Your sight irritates me," she stated flatly, standing up. She turned towards the window behind her, opening the blinds just enough so as to peer out at the city far below. The door slammed shut behind her, and she allowed her thoughts to travel off into the night. From the lofty reaches of the Kedel Corp. Tower, she could see the lights glinting in the city, street lamps shining on every other corner in the dark of night. Raising her eyes to the distance, she took in the sight of the mountain to the north.

"…Those damnable Beasts…"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The woman held her breath, her trained eyes gazing down the length of her ARX-12 Reaper, the massive handheld ballista crossbow easily matching her own height. The titanium that made up the stock was painted black, the better to hide away in the darkness. The woman´s green eyes flashed in success, her finger grazing the trigger. A burst of light came into being from the arrow as it flew, five foot long shaft segmenting into seven individual arrows as it arced through the night sky.

The night ran red with blood.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Always did hate those ugly ass things…" she sighed in relief as she slung the crossbow over her back. In front of her, she could see the forms of four of the repulsive Arrowmouth´s that seemed to thrive in this region. She shuddered in disgust as she regarded the oily black tar that seemed to coat its feathers. She couldn´t help but marvel at the fact that something twice the size of an average Beastkin and about five times as massive could even fly. The woman´s dark grey wolf ears lowered in shock at what she beheld; there was a large beast laying in the carnage, its orange fur matted with still fresh blood. Its sleek and powerful muscles and its five tails must´ve been an impressive sight when it was alive.

It was a beast kitsune. One of her arrows pierced its throat. She paid the fallen birds no mind, stepping all over the twisted skeletal necks in her rush to examine the multi tailed fox. Unfortunately the light of life had already vanished from it´s eyes, it seemed. Not a breath passed it´s lips.

"Damn it!" she cursed vehemently, smacking her hand against the blood stained ground. The beast in front of her must´ve been at least twice the size of the monsters that lay scattered about. "I´m sorry…" she sighed. A stray scent caught her nose, the wolf woman´s brow wrinkling in disgust.

"There´s a human nearby…"

Immediately she rose, sure fingers finding and taking hold of another Scattershot bolt. She pulled back the bow string with a fair bit of effort, while her extra hand pushed the arrow into the track. The Reaper bow was about as long as she was tall, yet she handled the great weapon with ease as she set it on her shoulder and aimed it at the woods. She heard a quiet whimper and immediately rounded upon it, booted foot reaching up to push at the offending thing.

It was a boy, young by the looks of it. His hair was silver, but matted down with dried blood. She couldn´t decide if he would live or die, as coated in blood as he was.
"With those injuries, you´ll never survive," she stated coldly. "I suppose the least I can do is ease your passing into the next life." The crossbow lowered, the tip of the bolt pressed against the boy´s temple. At this distance, when the bolt fired, the human´s head would explode from the sheer force behind the shot.

"Aren´t you tired of all the hate?"

The memory came unbidden to her mind. She saw herself standing at a crossroads, the green of the plains all around her. She wasn´t alone, though; there was a beautiful woman in front of her, hair as white as fallen snow. The memory was especially vivid. She fancied she could even make out the delicate snowflakes dancing on the woman´s dark blue kimono.

"Avalyss, isn´t it sad that us beastkin can´t stand humans? I don´t think I could ever hate the humans…" she murmured, eyes gleaming red in the sunlight.

"Yukari…"

"Awwr!"

A deafening roar startled Avalyss, the wolf girl scrambling away at the last moment. The deafening snap of those fangs closing where her neck had been moments earlier echoed in her ears as she turned her weapon to bear on this new foe!

The kitsune she´d mistaken for dead stood over the human, blood dripping from its lips. It´s paws surrounded the human defensively, eyes staring balefully into the wolf´s dark brown eyes.

"What the…?" The silver beast was obviously on its last legs. It didn´t even look like it could support itself, legs quivering and shaking like a miniature earthquake. It paid it´s grievous injuries no mind, however, steadfastly guarding the fallen boy.

The glare shifted into a silent plea.

"Why are you protecting a human?"

Description
The blaring siren of a multitude of alarms broke through the night air. Men and women alike ran to and fro as fires erupted in the facility, electrical wiring flailing haphazardly. The walls of the squat stone building creaked ominously as the robed humans attempted to contain the fire; buckets of water were drawn and thrown, but did little to appease the hunger of the raging inferno.

"How did this happen!? Who's responsible for this mess!?" a loud voice roared. It's owner was a man, bald, with several long jagged scars all around his face. "I demand answers, and I demand them now!" A single, massive forearm snapped out, grabbing a nearby scientist by his throat. The large man drew him in close, the specter of death itself as he growled quietly. "Well?"

The sound of a roaring explosion immediately to the side of the pair caused the poor scientist to scream, face paling intensely under that evil gaze… his blood ran ice cold as he held back a sob. He couldn't bear to speak, not in the presence of this man, his aura alone appearing to dim and diminish the flames that had erupted scant feet away.

"What's wrong... Cat got your tongue?" the man asked cruelly, a knife seeming to materialize in his hand as he held it up towards the scientist's frightened eyes. "Well, if you're that scared, why don't I help you?" The chilling tone of the man's voice could've frozen a lake as he pressed forward, gently, teasingly twisting is knife at the exposed neck.

A single drop of blood shone on the knife's edge.

"S-Stop stop! I- I really don't know! We were… we were just… trying to find a new energy source!" he screamed out, hands desperately scrabbling at the tree trunk of an arm that held him. "I swear! W-We didn't think that she'd react like that!" The knife pressed even deeper against his throat, causing a pained scream from the helpless man; the behemoth simply smiled darkly, licking his lips in pleasure as he slowly dragged the knife to the side.

"I see. I understand… Goodbye." The knife drove home, spearing through the exposed flesh with almost inhuman ease.  A short, strangled cry was all that the scientist could stammer out before his voice was silenced, permanently.

"You scientists… always blinded by your thirst for knowledge…" he jeered. A sound from overhead raised the man's eyes. Masonry flew from a section of the wall, heavy stone falling to the ground. The cries of scientists were drowned out by flame as the trio was reduced to a bloody, shivering pulp, though that was not what drew his eyes skyward; rather, he stared at the figure that had just demolished the wall. The fire's light shone on blazing red fur, marked with stripes of orange. A loud, guttural roar echoed from the animal's lips before it sprang off,  a young, child-like hand sticking out of it's maw. Nine long, blood soaked tails streamed out behind it as it leapt, disappearing into the night.

The man chuckled darkly as he watched the fox escape, eyes positively gleaming with malicious intent as he dropped the dead man. His fingers clenched tight about the hilt of his knife as he smiled, grimly. "So… you got away…" he murmured, lips pulled back in a sneer. Another massive explosion rocked the compound, what remained of the walls creaking and groaning as they fought to hold in the massive inferno burning within. He raised the blade to his mouth, licking bright red blood off the edge before he took a step forward, slowly.

With a shuddering groan the walls caved in,  a single great gout of flame bursting out of the demolished compound before it was snuffed out, covered by copious amounts of stone and steel.

The man took another step forward, covered by the ensuing dust cloud; not a cough passed his lips, however. A grin full of untold malice parted his lips. "Let's see how long you last girl…"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm sure you know just what I am. On the surface, at least. There's no doubt in my mind that you've heard of my name in the taverns and such. But… do you know the real me? My thoughts? My dreams? Do you know my past, of the burdens I bear?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A fire crackled in the fireplace, casting a weak glow across the floor. The oaken door glided open, silent as a specter.

"Ma'am? Miss Lily? A word, if I may." A voice like polished ivory slithered through the air. Its origin was a middle aged gentleman, no younger then mid thirty. His hair was cropped short, the occasional grey strand peeking through the surrounding field of brown.

"What is it? I'm a very busy woman." An ice cold voice cut through the air, frosty blue eyes shining in her stern visage. She leaned back, perched on a stiff business chair.The neck of the heavy business suit she wore was covered in sweat from the fireplace's heat. "If it's not important, I'll have to ask you vacate the room immediately, understood?"

´Comfort makes for idle hands´ was scribed on a small calendar marked by the expression of a grim faced man. The man that entered glanced at the wall, as though to remind himself of whom  he was dealing.

"I´m sure you´re aware of Project Light?" Each word was spoken with a measure of caution, as though considering how best to parse his next words.

"I´m afraid the lab in charge of the research was attacked. An investigation is ongoing but I´m afraid that there seems to be no survivors."

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, yet the chill did nothing to dissipate the sweat on his brow.  "What about the research subject? Did that thing survive?" Though she gave no outward sign of displeasure, the man trembled ever more visibly. Sweat seeped into the color of his expensive suit.

"It´s body hasn´t been found, so it probably managed to escape."

"Find it!Do you have any idea how rare one of those things are!? If that thing dies, it´ll cut our research back a dozen years! Understand?" Venom practically dripped from Lily´s tongue as she leveled an icy glare. "If so much as one strand of fur is damaged, I´m holding you personally responsible!"

An involuntary shiver wracked the man´s form; he knew well just what happened to those who had the displeasure of angering this woman. His lips moved soundlessly, racking his mind desperately for something, anything!

"Leave. Your sight irritates me," she stated flatly, standing up. She turned towards the window behind her, opening the blinds just enough so as to peer out at the city far below. The door slammed shut behind her, and she allowed her thoughts to travel off into the night. From the lofty reaches of the Kedel Corp. Tower, she could see the lights glinting in the city, street lamps shining on every other corner in the dark of night. Raising her eyes to the distance, she took in the sight of the mountain to the north.

"…Those damnable Beasts…"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The woman held her breath, her trained eyes gazing down the length of her ARX-12 Reaper, the massive handheld ballista crossbow easily matching her own height. The titanium that made up the stock was painted black, the better to hide away in the darkness. The woman´s green eyes flashed in success, her finger grazing the trigger. A burst of light came into being from the arrow as it flew, five foot long shaft segmenting into seven individual arrows as it arced through the night sky.

The night ran red with blood.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Always did hate those ugly ass things…" she sighed in relief as she slung the crossbow over her back. In front of her, she could see the forms of four of the repulsive Arrowmouth´s that seemed to thrive in this region. She shuddered in disgust as she regarded the oily black tar that seemed to coat its feathers. She couldn´t help but marvel at the fact that something twice the size of an average Beastkin and about five times as massive could even fly. The woman´s dark grey wolf ears lowered in shock at what she beheld; there was a large beast laying in the carnage, its orange fur matted with still fresh blood. Its sleek and powerful muscles and its five tails must´ve been an impressive sight when it was alive.

It was a beast kitsune. One of her arrows pierced its throat. She paid the fallen birds no mind, stepping all over the twisted skeletal necks in her rush to examine the multi tailed fox. Unfortunately the light of life had already vanished from it´s eyes, it seemed. Not a breath passed it´s lips.

"Damn it!" she cursed vehemently, smacking her hand against the blood stained ground. The beast in front of her must´ve been at least twice the size of the monsters that lay scattered about. "I´m sorry…" she sighed. A stray scent caught her nose, the wolf woman´s brow wrinkling in disgust.

"There´s a human nearby…"

Immediately she rose, sure fingers finding and taking hold of another Scattershot bolt. She pulled back the bow string with a fair bit of effort, while her extra hand pushed the arrow into the track. The Reaper bow was about as long as she was tall, yet she handled the great weapon with ease as she set it on her shoulder and aimed it at the woods. She heard a quiet whimper and immediately rounded upon it, booted foot reaching up to push at the offending thing.

It was a boy, young by the looks of it. His hair was silver, but matted down with dried blood. She couldn´t decide if he would live or die, as coated in blood as he was.
"With those injuries, you´ll never survive," she stated coldly. "I suppose the least I can do is ease your passing into the next life." The crossbow lowered, the tip of the bolt pressed against the boy´s temple. At this distance, when the bolt fired, the human´s head would explode from the sheer force behind the shot.

"Aren´t you tired of all the hate?"

The memory came unbidden to her mind. She saw herself standing at a crossroads, the green of the plains all around her. She wasn´t alone, though; there was a beautiful woman in front of her, hair as white as fallen snow. The memory was especially vivid. She fancied she could even make out the delicate snowflakes dancing on the woman´s dark blue kimono.

"Avalyss, isn´t it sad that us beastkin can´t stand humans? I don´t think I could ever hate the humans…" she murmured, eyes gleaming red in the sunlight.

"Yukari…"

"Awwr!"

A deafening roar startled Avalyss, the wolf girl scrambling away at the last moment. The deafening snap of those fangs closing where her neck had been moments earlier echoed in her ears as she turned her weapon to bear on this new foe!

The kitsune she´d mistaken for dead stood over the human, blood dripping from its lips. It´s paws surrounded the human defensively, eyes staring balefully into the wolf´s dark brown eyes.

"What the…?" The silver beast was obviously on its last legs. It didn´t even look like it could support itself, legs quivering and shaking like a miniature earthquake. It paid it´s grievous injuries no mind, however, steadfastly guarding the fallen boy.

The glare shifted into a silent plea.

"Why are you protecting a human?"