The group sat in silence, carefully sipping their tea: Nick dwelling on the carefully worded warning, Judy debating their solitary attempt to bring Savage to justice, and Reika waiting for the next bout in conversation. She knew the rabbit would break the silence, knew why as well, and sat only wanting to know when. Fortunately for the elderly mammal, it came quickly, yet not how she had expected.

"Nick, we need to call for backup. This is too dangerous to do by ourselves; Bogo ordered us to avoid heroics when we started this investigation. That's exactly what we're not doing now." The cool and steady demand was oddly reasonable for the rabbit, something that Mrs. Springslink wouldn't have expected. And when she looked over at Nick, she saw the uneasy, unsure look of consideration flash across his face. Interjecting, she put the pieces together for them both.

"Ahh, but danger is not the only thing to consider in this situation. There are other factors one must take into account. The issue before you now, the problem that must be solved, was caused by something. Do you know what that cause is?" Her question stumped both the mammals that sat in front of her, allowing her to quietly chuckle and explain.

"The Preserver was right to trust his instincts in coming without aid. This current dilemma, this danger, is caused by a secret being known by too many and the wrong sort. Had you called for aid, additions to those that would capture the fool and in doing so be made aware of the secret as well, you would possibly only exacerbate the problem. If one fool knowing the secret can cause all the damage he has, then what of a dozen? Or 100? What chaos would erupt from such knowledge being even more widespread? No. You two will be the last to know this hidden past, and in doing so rectify the failing of the previous generation." Her rationalization was sound, and Judy's slightly opened mouth yet continued silence marked her inability to argue with it. The backing of his decision also remedied Nick's sudden doubts. Deciding to get one last question answered, she threw caution to the wind, hoping the cheetah would be able to give this last insight.

"What happened between Sif and Arkous?" While she had no reason to suspect that the elder knew the answer, she hoped that Reika did. And with a sigh, that hope was answered.

"That story is… a depressing one at best. Even I can only just bare dealing at it from a distance. Its beginning is decently straight forward. Sif and Farron Pawtorias were born to Manus, the last patriarch of that pack. While Sif was a child prodigy in any skill he took up; his brother, on the other hand, was a sick and weak pup, but took a deep interest in learning academics. Manus hoped that the differences in the two would help them to work together, each doing what the other could not. And so, against the wisdom of his predecessors, he eventually told both his children of the evil their pack was charged with guarding. This proved to be their undoing. Sif, having grown in a time lacking the lustrous magics of the old world, rebuffed the concept, believing that if such a power had once been, it was no longer. His ambivalence to the idea left Farron to ponder. After watching his brother for years succeed and live in ways Farron could only dream of, he came to the conclusion that the power existed still, yet in its current state could only, or would only, empower one bloodline. This caused him to consider the unthinkable; breaking into the vault, and undoing the protection that had kept the fragile world safe for millennia. It didn't take long for the idea to seduce him, and when his brother left to join the ZSIS against his father's wishes, Farron began to supplant Manus, until eventually, usurping leadership and slaying the old wolf. It would take years for Sif to learn of this betrayal, and when he did, he moved against his younger brother. The conflict split the once great clan, and as divisions became more and more violent, their numbers dwindled, leading to the deaths of many at the hands of their closest friends and family members. During two such engagements, Sif saw the deaths of his own wife and, after the young Havel's betrayal, his nephew. The infighting left the name Pawtorias with only two willing possessors: Sif, and his daughter, Ciara. Sif's life was destroyed, his past taken from him, and so he decided that the same must not happen to his daughter, and hid her away. Now, none live that hold that ancient name." The explanation did little to comfort the bunny though; the idea of a family turning in on itself was revolting to the family-oriented rabbit. A detail had caught Nick's eye though, so he opened his mouth to ask. However, Reika stopped him, believing to know what he was about to question.

"I do not know why Havel, son of Farron, turned on his father. Perhaps he was disgusted with the conflict his parent had sown, or maybe he understood what his father had failed to see. Or possibly he never cared for his father to begin with, and joined Sif the moment he had the chance simply out of spite. I doubt the answer is known by anyone alive, and I fear the true answer will only lead to more questions, questions that will never be truly satisfied, as the dead refuse to respond."

"And what of Ciara?" Nick's persistence clarified just how wrong the old mammal was, and got an immediate response of surprise, the cheetah not expecting that line of conversation.

"The girl? I am unaware. She had never made herself out to be of any importance, outside of her lineage that is. And Sif did all he could to hide her from the world, to erase the past she had and so erase her from sight. As that was his wish, it has been done." Her reply was almost reassuring to Judy, comforted by the fact that the seemingly omniscient elder had her limits, and that the blood soaked legacy might have a positive future.

With both Nick's and Judy's questions exhausted, they sat in silence, their minds wrapping around all of the new information, and steeling themselves for the next leg of their journey. Their tea lasted much longer than either of them expected, each sip under the intense, watchful eye of the elderly cheetah. It was sometime after sundown that the feline finally retired, her tea long finished and completely content with the state of her guests.

"You two have a long day ahead of you. I recommend you get some rest. As much as you can afford. The next leg of your path will be, by far, the most taxing," she recommended as she rose from her seat and straightened her thick robes in a vain attempt to polish herself, "in any event, I believe a long night of solace afforded by sleep is in order for myself. I hope I have proven myself useful to you, Preserver, for I have little time to offer anything else." Her words perked up the ears of the younger mammals, a pang of fear snatching their attention from their internal conversations.

"Oh, of course Mrs. Springslink. Is there anything I could give you as thanks for your help? You've proven yourself invaluable, and I couldn't imagine leaving you here all alone without some sort of compensation." Nick's response was a struggle. He danced around the subject; he was almost desperate to have her accept his offer. It fell on deaf ears however, her mind either set or understanding.

"There is nothing you could afford to give me, and nothing that would tickle my fancy, although I do wish for much. Much that sleep will provide." Her response was resolute, and practically unshakeable. Nick opened his mouth to say something, but quickly found his mind blurred, all but the basic thoughts erased by exhaustion.

"Sleep, Preserver. Know that tomorrow these trials shall end, and you'll find the fresh start you've been searching whole of your life for." Reika's words filled his heavy mind as he laid down on the couch, wrapping around the rabbit he instinctively knew was curling up against him. It wasn't long before sleep stole him away completely.

"Did you really think you could kill me? Were you so deluded as to believe yourself that powerful?" Arkous stood at the cell door, staring down at his, formerly, most deadly tool. The snow white vixen sat in the corner of the dusty, sandstone room, legs against her chest, her clothes in tatters and fur covered in the fine sand. She could at least dust herself off. Keep some of your regalness. Arkous glared at her with a viciously smug smile. Despite his outward appearance, he knew what was coming, and knew that his life stood but on the edge of a knife; one wrong move, or even the right move played the wrong way, would see him careening into a grave he had so eagerly dug and furnished. Luckily, he wouldn't be alone at least…

"Up, child. Soon this will be all over, but I can't have you sit out the grand finally. What an indecent way that would be to treat such an important figure as yourself." He said as he unlocked the cage door. He motioned the two guards with him to move into the room and grab her. She offered no resistance, simply fixing her eyes on the floor as they led her out of her prison and deeper into the complex. When they reached a massive antechamber, with high vaulted ceilings, a small sky light, and a stage in front of what looked to be doors as large as the room itself, Arkous broke the eerie silence.

"Bind her on the stage in front of the doors. And make sure she's bound tight." He ordered, now walking behind the three. They followed his orders with a grunt, the wolves escorting her up the stairs and to center stage. After pulling out some rope and tying her up tight, they looked to their leader for their next orders, loyal to a fault.

"She's bound tight, yes?" They nodded in unison. The wolf gave them a slow nod of approval, pleased with how things were proceeding.

"Thank you, gentlemammals. Your work here is done. You are dismissed. You may go and meet up with the rest of the pack." His dismissal confused the two large canines, as they first looked at each other, then back at him.

"Uh, sir, where's the rest of the-ACK!" The larger of the two predators could barely scream as Savage pulled out a hand cannon and fired a round through his chest. He stumbled back, his eyes staring at the hole in his chest and claws grasping at nothing as he fell over, unable to make any sound to match the terror and pain he was going through. After just a few seconds of fighting the inevitable, collapsed on his back, death taking him quickly. Before he had stopped moving, the other wolf looked in horror from his companion to his master, raising his paws in a vain attempt to plea for his life.

"Wait wait master please-" His cries for mercy were cut off as the boom of the pistol ricocheted throughout the room, the shot placed cleanly through his head. He too stumbled back, his lifeless carcass tripping over his friend's and falling in nearly the exact same spot. The only sign of motion from the small fox was the wincing at the gunshots and her calm breathing.

"How unfortunate. They were good friends, truly. If only they had been smart ones." He said as he walked past her, kicking the bodies to the edge of the stage and then to the floor below. After they landed with a sickening thud, Savage turned back to the vixen who had stoically remained unaffected by all of this, Lucia's eyes.

"Oh, you could give some sort of reaction. At least drop the downer expression, you're the only sort of company I'm going to have until Wilde and his little bunny show up." The very apparent name drop shook her from her self imposed stupor.

"Wait, what!? How could he possibly be heading here? How could you possibly even know that?!" She shouted at him, a tremble rocketing through her body. The sudden jump in activity brought another smirk to his face.

"Oh my dear, you underestimate me once more. How insulting. Before the hour is up, he shall be here. And then everything shall end."

Judy awoke in the same position she had fallen asleep in, suddenly very much aware of an odd silence that had befallen the small house. It felt almost empty, as if some quality was missing from the air itself. Feeling well rested, Judy raised herself, careful not to arouse her still sleeping fox. At first she contemplated laying down again, and simply enjoying the respite from excitement. But the unnerving sense persisted, and she quietly got up and searched the tiny room for any sign of disturbance. It wasn't until she found the door way to Reika's room did it dawn on her. Her ears perked up as the rabbit desperately tried to find any sign of life in the room. When she heard nothing, she tip-toed in, walked up to the bed, and placed a single paw on the cheetah, and recoiled as she was met with ice, the ancient mammal rigid and long since gone. Shaken, she walked back to the living room, only to find Nick staring at her, his eyes asking questions to which he already knew the answers.

"I'm sorry, Nick." She whispered, sure he heard it. Her ears drooped as his became pinned to the back of his head. For a second she could see the terror and depression in his eyes, but as she started to cross over to him, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and stood up.

"We have to go… when we're done there, we'll come back and give her a proper burial." He said, steeling his resolve and quieting his nerves. Judy gulped and did the same, knowing they didn't have the time to mourn. Grabbing their stuff and some small knick-knacks from the hut, they left and headed back down the hill, and back to the car. It wasn't long at all before the road took them past the rainforest and into the nearby desert, the abrupt shift startling them.

"I've read about the Swirling Desert border being stark, but I never imagined that it would be that… sudden. It's almost…"

"Unnatural." Nick finished her thought, their eyes peeled an attempt to see anything in the horizon. Not only was the desert oddly specific about it's border, it was also incredibly flat, and their destination was easy enough to spot once it came over the horizon. The small, bulbous structure marked the hide out of their target, and they reached it not long after noon. They pulled the car right up to the building, taking a sort of devil-may-care attitude with their arrival. When they got out, a stench greeted them. And it didn't take long to find the source. Behind the dome was a pile of rotting corpses, a dozen or so mammals, all killed in various ways and simply dropped here.

"Disgusting. I guess we won't be expecting too much company down there." Nick said as he covered his nose to combat the scent of death.

"What? How do you know these were Savage's people?" She asked as she did the same. In response, Nick pointed to one of the wolves before answering.

"See him? I saw him at Arkous's last hideout. The guy's a pilot or something. What happened though…? You think there was some sort of in fighting?" Nick asked as he looked over the bodies, hoping to divine the causes of death from afar. Judy swallowed hard as she got in closer.

"No, these look like clean kills. Not visible scratches or bruising except for the lethal spots. Seems like they were taken by surprise. Maybe someone else got here first? Should we be expecting a third party?" Judy asked, the conclusion reasonable. Something didn't sit right about it with Nick though, and he shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. I doubt that anyone outsider would just toss the bodies like this. I think Savage put them out here. I think he means it as an invitation." The suggestion unnerved Judy, and so she tried to poke holes in it.

"Really? Why would he be inviting us in? How could he even know we're coming?" She knew he would have answers for these simple questions, but they were the first ones on her mind.

"Because he knows just as well as we do; this is coming to an end, today."

I'M BACK, BITCHES. Hopefully. One of my New Year's resolutions was to finish one of my stories, and seeing as how I'm in spitting distance of the end for this one, well, hand-in-hand. Anywho, if anyone has thoughts or commentary, please drop a review or a PM. Thank you.