V

"Stand on the mat, Fang." Azzurri smirked, graciously opening her front door - painted in a deep sapphire blue; the windows lined with window-boxes, filled with brightly coloured flower arrangements.

Fang glowered, growing harshly under his breath - as he placed his two soggy front paws down upon the bristly doormat, brine dripping from his fur.

"You must be hungry." Azzurri smiled gently, ushering Spike and Dour into the hallway - their padded paws tapping softly upon the spotless laminate flooring tiles.

She grinned brightly, throwing Fang a rough towel, which had been hanging beside her letterbox. "Dry off - then you can come in."

"Sorry." She continued, turning to Spike and Dour. "My Trainer is a bit of a particular."

"So where is he?" Spike asked, throwing her a sceptical glance.

"She." Azzurri corrected. "She's out on business. I'm entrusted with looking after the house whilst she's away."

"There, I'm dry." Fang grumbled, throwing the damp towel at Azzurri's back.

"Thank you." She snickered, gingerly folding up the sodden linen - grimacing slightly at Fang's strong odour of soggy dog and seaweed. With a slight shake of her head, Azzurri took Fang by the scruff of his neck and dragged him inside - quickly closing the door behind them.

Azzurri lead the three quadrupeds through into a small kitchen - the floor tiled with black and white chequered linoleum, the walls painted a light pastel grey - and a large, scrubbed oak table was placed in the centre of the room, surrounded by six chairs made from varnished logs.

"Make yourselves at home." Azzurri smiled, gesturing for the boys to seat themselves.

All three followed her instruction, and nestled their furry behinds upon the seats; Fang's tail wagging in excitement, Spike's entwining itself around the bottom of the chair, and Dour's remaining perfectly still - as he gazed around in awe - admiring his new surroundings.

"I hope you like Poffin." Azzurri said gently, clattering about from the sideboard - pulling out a set of four china plates, and rustling a parcel which she'd produced from the pantry. A warm aroma of freshly-baked fruit bread filling the whole room as she pulled back the aluminium foil covering; making her guest's noses twitch in interest.

Dour placed his head on one side - having never tasted Poffin before - he was slightly curious for the new and enticing flavours to dance upon his taste buds.

Within a few moments, Azzurri walked back to the table - placing a plate down in front of each of them; a thick wedge of soft Poffin bread resting gently upon the intricate design of Marill and Poliwag dancing upon Lilly pads, which was painted daintily upon the china. Large clumps of colourful berries were poking through the crumbling bread - emitting a sweet scent right into their nostrils.

Azzurri had even taken to arranging three different types of juicy berries beside the slice of bread - and pouring out four tall glasses of MooMoo Milk.

"Thanks Azz'." Spike grinned, tucking into his Poffin. "Awfully sweet of you." - He said, his voice muffled by his mouthful.

"Thank you Spike." Azzurri responded, blushing a little. "But, do me a favour. Don't talk with your mouth full."

Dour smiled warmly, chewing thoughtfully upon his sweet snack - feeling strangely content - surrounded by three of his new friends, eating delicious food, amongst a soothing warm atmosphere - the deep red sunset seeping in through the cracks in the window-blinds.

"So; when are we hauling this joint?" Fang asked - rudely interrupting Spike and Azzurri's conversation; whilst clumsily blowing sticky Poffin crumbs in their direction.

Azzurri glared at him. "Don't be so ungrateful." She snapped, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah, bang out." Spike coughed, his eyes burning.

Fang sighed, toying anxiously with the remaining crumbs on his plate - rolling an Oran berry around the table in boredom.

"You didn't have to come with us." Dour growled - feeling slightly miffed on Azzurri's behalf.

Fang bared his teeth - squishing the berry flat onto the tabletop with a single slam of his paw. "...What, Dour?" - He said slowly, clicking his teeth in irritation.

Dour; despite shaking slightly in fear, held his ground. "...You heard me Fang. Apologize to Azzurri."

"I'm not 'pologizin' for anythin'." Fang muttered, swinging his back legs to and fro - obviously annoyed.

"Leave it, Dour." Azzurri sighed, shaking her head slightly in exasperation.

"Are you done?" Azzurri enquired, narrowing her eyes in Fang's direction - as she mopped up the squashed berry with a dishcloth.

Fang said nothing, but pushed his plate away - glaring at the floor. Azzurri sighed once more in Fang's direction; beginning to collect up the glasses and cutlery, before assembling them carefully in the pristine dishwasher in the corner of the room.

"It's getting late." She commented, giving the clock upon the wall an awkward glance.

"You're not sending us to bed, are you?" Spike joked.

"Of course, young Spike. Listen to your elders." Azzurri grinned, giving him a nod.

"You can always send Fang to bed though." Dour smirked, his tiny fangs protruding from below his lip. "It's past his bedtime, after all."

"Shut up Dour." Fang muttered, grinding his back molars together in fury.

"You can sleep in the den." Azzurri said warmly. "It's cosy in there. Two of you can take the couch; one of you can have the armchair."

"I bags the chair." Fang coughed, still glaring at Dour.

"No fear, fleabag - I'd rather sleep with a Skuntank than sleep with you." Spike snickered, his eyes shimmering.

Azzurri looked slightly alarmed at the mention of fleas - but continued regardless. "I'll get you up in time for your ship, don't worry."

In the dead of the night, a gentle hush had fallen across Six Island - lulling all of its' inhabitants into a whimsical dreamland.

Dour was huddled up at one corner of the den couch, snuggled deeply into a soft white cushion, whilst his back was covered by a woollen blanket. His breathing sounded heavy, but his mouth was hanging open in a dumb smile, as if he was having an extremely pleasurable dream.

Spike, who was laid at the opposite end of the couch - was snoring softly, as he was curled up tightly underneath his end of the blanket; his tail coiled around the arch of his back. One of his paws was hanging over the edge of the couch - and just as Spike was about to enter his own land of nod…

"AUGH! What the fuck was that?!" Spike hissed, feeling something unpleasantly moist lapping at his leg. Hoping he hadn't woken Dour, Spike sat up, poking his head over the side of the couch, glancing down at the floor.

Spike frowned, as he noticed Fang, crouched at his feet, his eyes shimmering sadly, wet with moisture.

"Fang… Don't lick my paw." Spike whispered, furrowing his eyebrows in irritancy, as he rolled back onto his side, burying his face in the cushion.

Yawning tiredly - Dour cautiously padded down the dimly-lit corridor, leading towards Azzurri's kitchen - where he could hear faint music seeping out through the crack in the door; combined with a gentle lull of singing.

He had to admit - despite being woken up several times in the night by Fang's loud snores, and Spike's anxious sleep talk - Azzurri's couch was a lot comfier than the bench in the Pokémon Centre.

He gingerly pushed the door ajar - letting the calm yellow light pour out from inside the kitchen. Azzurri was stood upon a stool, enabling her to reach the counter - boiling eggs in a large metal saucepan, and singing along softly to a classic song upon the radio.

"Sleep well, Dour?" Azzurri asked, turning to face him - a cheerful smile upon her lips.

"Yeah..." Dour mumbled, feeling a little shy. "Thanks for letting us stay... And for the Poffin."

"Aw, shucks - it was nothing." Azzurri smiled warmly. "I sometimes invite travelling Pokémon back here for a snack and a rest - especially when Sarah's out in Kanto. I get so lonely."

Dour nodded, assuming Sarah was the name of Azzurri's travelling Trainer.

"Though out of everyone who's stayed over here - you and Spike are two of the most charming Pokémon I've met for a long time." Azzurri added, her grin practically reaching her ears.

Dour blushed, grinning stupidly.

"Uh, and I suppose Fang is the most rude and obnoxious?" He smirked, his eyes shining.

"Definitely." Azzurri laughed.

"...It was so funny when you tipped him in the sea." Dour giggled, remembering back to the expression upon his face.

"He deserved it." Azzurri replied - though she smiled too.

"What're you making?" Dour asked, stepping closer.

"Oh, I'm just making you three some breakfast before you leave." Azzurri responded, jumping back onto her stool - beginning to slice up a round Poffin loaf into thin strips.

"I'll make you a lunch for on the road too." She added. "I hope you like hard-boiled eggs and Oran cupcakes." - She gestured to a steaming baking tray on the hob beside her - three neat lines of perfect cupcakes, risen to perfection and emitting a mouth-watering scent from the fluffy sponge base.

"They look delicious, Azzurri." Dour smiled, feeling himself salivating.

"Why thank you, Dour." Azzurri grinned, turning back to face him. "You know, Spike and yourself, no other Pokémon have ever paid me as many compliments." Azzurri suddenly smirked mischievously. "You don't have a cruuuush on me, do you Dour?"

Dour felt his cheeks burning. "Uh… No Azzurri! Of course I don't!" - He protested, trying not to sound rude.

"D'aww, you're a darling, d'ya know that?" Azzurri giggled, stepping down from the stool, before she wiped her paws upon a tea-towel. "Any ideas on when Spike and fleabag will be getting up?"

"I… I'll go and wake them up, if you like…" Dour stammered, looking up at Azzurri.

"That would be lovely, Dour." Azzurri said cheerfully, bending down slightly to Dour's level, kissing him softly upon his furry cheek. "Off you pop then."

Dour grimaced, dashing back in the direction of the den - hoping Azzurri hadn't noticed him blush.

Dour burst though the den door, leaning against it, panting slightly before he shouted at Spike and Fang to wake up. "Hey, you two… Get up!"

Spike groaned, raising his head from the cushion he'd been laid upon. He shuffled out from underneath the blanket, glancing over at Dour.

"Why are you blushing, Dour?"

Dour bit his lip, looking slightly pained and awkward. "Err… I'm not. I'm just… I'm just too warm. Azzurri's making breakfast, so it's real hot in the kitchen." Dour mumbled, attempting to cover his embarrassment with excuses.

Spike looked suspicious, but shook his head - turning his attention to Fang, who was sprawled out across the armchair, chewing a mouthful of his fur.

"Oi! Shithead!" Spike yelled rudely, indicating for Fang to wake up.

Fang grumbled, muttering various swears under his breath. "Alright, fuckin' hell - you'd think the world was fallin' or sump'n, the way you two are rantin' on."

"We could always leave you here, you know." Dour snapped, glaring at Fang. "We've got a ship to catch in an hour."

"No way Dour!" Fang responded, suddenly sitting up. "…There's no way I'm stayin' here if Argon and Argos are still kickin' about."

Spike sniggered behind his paw. "Aww, ain't he cute Dour? He's running from the bullies. What if they follow you, what'll you do then? Hide in a dustbin? Ah wait, you already live in one!"

Dour sighed, knowing he couldn't do a thing to stop this developing Spike VS Fang argument. 'Oh… This better not happen every day…' - Dour thought, attempting to ignore Fang's screaming retort back at Spike.

'…Yeah… I'm on Fang's side this time… Spike doesn't know what it's like to be bullied… He's too cool and tough for that… Not like me…"

"Hey, Schneider!"

"…Agh! …R-Rox… W-What're you doing here?"

"It's a free island, Schneider, I've got the freedom to go wherever I damn well please."

"…Uh… …Well… W-What're you up to?"

"…Run."

"……What?"

"Run Schneider… You've got ten seconds before I kick the shit out of you. …Ten… Nine…"

"AAAAAAARRGGHHH!!"

"Why don't you just piss off, Fang?! We don't need an irritating haemorrhoid like you following us about!"

"Shut the fuck up, Spike!" Dour yelled, saliva spraying from his mouth.

Spike stopped, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "…But Dour-"

"Just shut up Spike - you don't have a clue what it's like to have somebody following you around all the time, just wanting to beat you till you're bloody and crying! You don't know what it's like to be punched so hard in the stomach that you throw up your breakfast all over yourself!"

"Jeez Dour… Chill out, I was only-"

"No Spike! You don't have a clue what some people go through - you're so insensitive, it makes me sick!" Dour spat; wincing as he felt his right cheek burning.

"…Uh Dour?" Fang piped up, noticing Dour's scar beginning to appear from his face again. "…Your face is bleeding again…"

Dour growled, furiously wiping his cheek with his paw, smearing the blood across his nose. "Oh, why does it keep bleeding?!" He yelled, feeling the cold drips of liquid sliding down his chin.

"…I…It only s-seems to bleed when you g-get angry, D-Dour…" Fang stammered, dreadfully not wanting to get on Dour's bad side at this precise moment.

Just then, the door to the den swung open, and Azzurri stepped in. "…Are you boys alright? I heard- Dour?! What've you done?"

Dour grimaced slightly as Azzurri bent down to his level, trying to get a look at his bleeding cheek - though he wouldn't move his paw to let her see.

"No Azzurri! It's nothing…" Dour growled, not wanting to be fussed over.

"Don't be silly Dour, I need to have a look, it might be infected, move your paw!" Wrestling with the difficult Dour, Azzurri grabbed his paw with her tail, dragging it away from the scar.

Dour ground his teeth in fury as he felt Azzurri's soft paw stroke against the side of his face. "…Let me see Dour, is there a lot of blood? Was it an accident or-"

Azzurri suddenly gasped, wrenching away from Dour's face as if he were scalding hot. She held a trembling paw up, pointing at the scar in terror.

"…I…It's the Schneider symbol!"

"ARGH… It fuckin' hurts!" Dour screamed, seething agony now running through his skull.

"…Schneider symbol?" Spike gulped, noticing the pure fear painted upon Azzurri's face.

"…Y-Yes Spike… The a-ancient Schneider clan b-brand that symbol on their victims… Before they e-execute them…" Azzurri whimpered, taking several steps backwards.

"…Schneiders… They failed to execute me." Dour whispered, wiping the blood away from his face. He gritted his teeth, picking himself up from the floor.

His scar had stopped oozing blood, and was now shimmering menacingly amongst his glistening ebony fur.

Azzurri swallowed hard, attempting to pluck up her courage. She shuffled nervously over to Dour, and placed her paws firmly upon his shoulders.

"…Dour… Are you a member of the Schneider clan?" Azzurri asked, her voice shaking.

"…I… I don't know." Dour answered, fighting with his pain.

"…What's your surname?"

"…I can't remember it." Dour replied, blinking rapidly as he felt himself return to sanity. His scar had begun fading back into his flesh.

"What's the Schneider clan, Azzurri?" Spike asked, sitting up - his eyes bright with interest.

"Can you tell us, Azzurri?" Fang pleaded, also sounding oddly curious.

Azzurri chewed her lip awkwardly. "Well… From what I know…"

She swallowed hard, nodding her head bravely. "The Schneider clan… They're an ancient bloodline… Their blood runs through the veins of certain Houndour and Houndoom. Their first leader… He founded a clan made up of trusted members of his family, several hundred years ago, in the Sinnoh region…"

"And what did they do?" Fang asked, his ears pricked up intently.

"Well… I don't know much about them, but… I know that if anyone were to upset them, or speak of them wrongly… They'd be tortured and killed…"

"…Jeez… So they were a violent bunch?" Spike grimaced, glancing nervously at Dour.

"…I don't know how they operated, but if any family member was a traitor, or betrayed them in any way… Like they did with their victims, they'd cut the shape of a reversed S into their face, and kill them…" Azzurri said quietly, giving Dour's cheek an awkward glance.

"So basically, to be a part of their clan, you'd have to be a part of their family?" Spike asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Exactly Spike. There's even rumours that there's still Houndour and Houndoom with the Schneider surname, and the Schneider blood running through them." Azzurri mumbled, looking uncomfortably at Dour.

Dour spoke at last, standing up on his full four paws, looking up at Azzurri. "…And who told you this, Azzurri Coniglio?"

Azzurri looked slightly alarmed. "…H-How did you know my surname, Dour…?"

Spike grimaced, remembering when Dour had unexpectedly blurted out his full name to him. "…I dunno Azzurri; you'd never said it to us before."

Dour rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes focused intently upon Azzurri. "…Coniglio… Italian origin, is it not?"

"…Well yes Dour… Both of my names are from Italian roots." Azzurri mumbled, feeling slightly intimidated by the way Dour was staring at her.

"…So Azzurri - how did you gain this information regarding the Schneider?"

Azzurri felt herself sweating. "…Uhh… Information gets passed around on the islands… Between all of the islands, there's hundreds of Pokémon who will all tell you hundreds of different stories… But nobody knows which story is correct."

Dour nodded politely, his usual timid tone now returning to his voice, as his eyes returned to their normal dark colour. "T-Thanks Azzurri, that's all I wanted to know."

Azzurri breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Dour's voice return to the one she'd heard before - the one that didn't strike a pang of fear within her heart.

"Well that was enlightening." Spike smiled, attempting to hide his sarcasm. "Is breakfast ready, Azzurri?"

"Oh, I'm going to miss you so much, Dour!" Azzurri exclaimed, squeezing Dour tightly within her arms, almost to the point where he was unable to breathe.

"…Erk, Azzurri! You're hurting!" Dour yelped, feeling his ribcage being crushed.

Azzurri smiled slightly, though her lip wobbled - as she set Dour back down upon his feet. "…Well, it's been interesting, boys."

"Aw c'mon Azz' - you'll see us around." Spike said gently, thumping her on the back supportively.

Azzurri nodded, quickly composing herself. "That's right. There's no telling where fate takes us - and who it leads us to meet. …Maybe I'll see you somewhere in Kanto. …It's about time I got myself off this island for a while."

"Yeah, why not take a vacation somewhere?" Spike suggested, smiling brightly. "I heard Seafoam Islands are awesome swimming spots. Perfect for you!"

"I might just consider that." Azzurri grinned, peering over Spike's shoulder, as the Seagallop Six pulled into the harbour.

"A'ight… They should open the cargo hold pretty soon - then we can jump in." Spike mused, watching several sailors exiting through the rear door of the ship, unloading several boxes of cargo and Pokémart merchandise.

"What's it like on these ships?" Fang asked, jumping up and down on the rickety pier - desperate to be noticed.

"T-They're real fast." Dour mumbled; remembering how scary his first ride upon a Seagallop ship had been.

"Aw, mint!" Fang exclaimed, nodding his head in excitement. "I love fast things!"

'…Oh, lord help me…' Dour thought, dreading the upcoming ride in a dark, damp cargo hold with both Spike and Fang together.

"Quick, now!" Spike hissed, noticing that all crew members had began their maintenance checks upon the front of the ship, and some were hauling crates onto a van - ready to transport.

"Farewell boys! Good luck too!" Azzurri called, diving off the pier into the murky oil-streaked water, hoping to evade attention from the passengers now disembarking the ship.

Dour, Spike and Fang all took in a deep-breath and sprinted across the pier as fast as their furry canine legs would carry them. They dove into the darkened cargo hold, ducking behind a huge wooden crate, a label stuck across it reading: 'Destination: Four Island'.

"Oh this is awesome!" Fang whooped, loving the exhilarating speed at which the ship was moving. Bottles and containers held firmly within the crates around them rattled loudly, sounding like an incoming stampede of Tauros.

"Keep your v-voice down, F-Fang…" Dour mumbled, feeling extremely nauseated.

"How can you not like this, Dour?!" Fang yelled, his bristly fur sticking straight up in the air as he continued to squeal in excitement.

"…Shush Fang!" Spike hissed, grabbing the Poochyena by his tail, plonking him firmly down upon the floor. "…We're stowaways - we can't let anybody know we're in here."

"…Why not?"

"…Because we'll get in trouble - idiot." Spike snapped, shaking his head at Fang's stupidity.

"…I h-hate moving fast like t-this…" Dour whimpered, holding his paws to his head to block out the roaring vibrations of the engine.

"…How come Dour?"

"…Because I-"

Feeling exhausted, petrified and extremely violated - the nauseated and weakened Houndour continued running through the rough and craggy paths of Kin plains - knowing the next part of his gauntlet was about to come into view.

He'd managed to fight back his screams and tears for the previous sections that he'd ran though and survived - and his ordeals had left him filthy, terrified, bleeding, bruised and mentally scarred.

Dour Schneider felt a lump forming in the pit of his stomach as his next task came into view.

Standing on either side of the marked path that he was running - eighteen higher members of the Schneider clan stood on either side, holding rusted spears within their paws. The eighteenth, and final member stood on the line upon his right was his elder brother - a maniacal grin smeared across his jaws.

Dour Schneider gulped, knowing that if he dared to utter a sound, or let a single tear drip down his face - he would be sentenced to the shadows of shame, like all failing Schneider before him.

"ARGH! The lights! What happened to the-"

Spike clapped his paws over Dour's screaming lips, forcing silence upon him. "…Shush Dour… There's probably just a fault in the wiring…"

Dour trembled, feeling his voice masked by Spike's furry hold, as several tears dripped down his face.

'…But I don't like the dark…' Dour thought, trembling harshly with his back pressed against a crate. '…M-Maybe that's why they wouldn't let me be a Schneider…'

From another darkened corner came another voice, unknown to any of the canine trio. "…Who else is in here? I thought it was just me!"

Dour screamed from underneath Spike's paw - causing Spike to squeeze his paw tighter around Dour's mouth, muffling his sound even more.

"…Hey… There's three of us here…" Spike whispered, in response to the voice.

"…What are you? Pokémon or Trainers?"

"We're Pokémon…" Spike replied, still struggling to keep Dour quiet. "…An Eevee, a Poochyena and a Houndour."

"…W-What're you?" Fang whimpered, not wanting to even imagine what might be holding this new voice.

The voice gave out a gentle chuckle - as its owner stepped before the three, holding a small torch in his hand.

"I'm a Hypno." The Hypno smiled, his gentle, kind face illuminated by his torch glow. He was much bigger than the three creatures before him, with thick yellow skin, a long white beard around his mouth and a heavy white collar of curly fur around his neck.

"Well, that's different." Spike smiled, taking one of his paws away from Dour's mouth for the Hypno to shake it. "I'm Spike."

"I'm Tarot." Tarot grinned, shaking Spike's paw firmly. "Tarot Clio - psychic, medium, fortune teller extraordinaire!"

"Really?!" Fang exclaimed, bounding in front of Tarot giddily. "I love fortune-telling and all this creepy stuff!"

"Ah… That's a surprise, for one as young as you." Tarot grinned. "…No, don't introduce yourself… I'll read your mind - how's that?"

Fang looked like he was about to wet himself with joy. "Oh YES! Please Tarot!"

Tarot placed one of his huge hands upon Fang's head, closing his eyes as he concentrated intently. "Oh… Hmmmm… Your name… …It… It has four letters… …It… It starts with F… …F…Fa…Far… No… Aha! Fang! Your name is Fang!"

"Oh my GOD! You're amazing!" Fang whooped, his eyes shimmering brightly.

Tarot shrugged slightly, a smug smirk smeared across his lips. "Well of course… Just doing what comes oh-so-naturally to a psychic type."

"Can you guess my surname, though?" Fang asked, nodding rapidly as he issued Tarot this new challenge.

"Oh, I don't even have to work that one out." Tarot laughed smugly. "Your surname is Magnayen!"

Fang gasped, taking a step backwards in surprise. "…How… How did you know that?! You didn't even touch me that time!"

Tarot smiled, flicking the tuft of hair that hung down between Fang's eyes. "You have the Magnayen parting. Everybody in your family has fur like this, don't they?"

"I think so…" Fang mumbled, trying to remember the fur partings of his old family members.

Tarot turned to Spike. "And you're obviously an Evoli!"

Spike smirked, nodding proudly. "Aye, that I am. Let me guess, you saw the Evoli nose?"

Tarot nodded, laughing merrily. "Yeah, there's your nose - and you have a little kink in your left ear. A lot of male Evoli have that."

Spike raised a paw to where Tarot had mentioned, fumbling to feel for a misshape in his ear flesh. "…Aw yeah! You're right! Heh, I'd never noticed that before…"

Tarot glanced over to Dour, before looking back to Spike. "…He can stop screaming now… I'm not going to hurt him."

Spike looked at Dour - who he still held his paw to his mouth. "If you promise not to scream anymore, I'll take my paw away."

Dour nodded sheepishly, now feeling embarrassed about the way he'd reacted to the lights going off. Spike frowned, removing his paw from Dour's mouth - it now feeling uncomfortably moist from Dour's saliva.

Tarot focused his stare upon Dour, trying to find a distinguishing trait upon his person. "You… You're a… Ahh!"

Tarot suddenly gasped, taking a step backwards in alarm. "…You're a Schneider!?"

"…W-What's so surprising about t-that?" Dour stammered - his previous reactions to Azzurri's Schneider stories now totally forgotten.

Tarot held a hand to his chest, his eyebrows raised in concern. "…Ach… You surprised me for a second there, young Schneider… …It's just rare you come across them - ever since their clan leader disappeared."

Dour gritted his teeth, his eyes changing to a smouldering ember-red. "…Jürgen is gone?!"

Tarot, who seemed totally unfazed by Dour's sudden change of demeanour, responded without hesitation: "Yes… There's been tales travelling around these Sevii Islands - Jürgen Schneider III… He has vanished from the clan."

"Well… W-What's happened to him?!" Dour demanded, his voice trembling in rage.

"I don't have any idea, young Schneider." Tarot responded, shrugging heavily. "If I knew of his condition or whereabouts, I would promptly tell you."

"…Who's that?" Fang asked, his curiosity returning. "That… Jürgen guy?"

Dour looked disgusted. "…How can you not say that name without trembling in absolute terror?! Jürgen Schneider - he is the great and coveted leader of us Schneider… He leads our reign, he controls our wills… Everything our pathetic lives stand for - we risk it all to please him!"

"Wow, now that's loyalty!" Spike exclaimed, sounding impressed. "I don't reckon the old Evoli clan ever stood up to their leader… At least, that's what Gramps told me."

"Naturally, Ernest." Dour growled. "The Evoli clan was nothing but a mere flimsy and disorganised society, ran by the weak and the idiotic."

"…Are you insulting my family?!" Spike screamed, grabbing Dour by the throat. "Nobody insults my fuckin' family!"

"Whoa!" Tarot yelled, grabbing Spike with his left hand, Dour by his right. "…There's no need for this, boys! The old ways of the clan were in ancient times. Some of them might still exist and operate under our noses - but what happened in the past, happened in the past… There's no use dwelling on the past in the present, is there?"

Dour blinked, his eyes fading back to a pitiful umber. "…Wha… What just happened?"

Tarot grimaced, leaning across to Spike, whispering in his ear: "…You need to be careful with that one, Spike… He's got Schneider blood in him, alright…"

"Hey Tarot…?"

"Yes Fang?"

"You know how you said you could like… Predict the future and stuff? D'ya reckon you could tell us our futures? Pleeeeeeease?!" Fang begged, looking up admirably at Tarot.

Tarot laughed softly, sitting himself down comfortably with the three boys. "Of course Fang. I won't charge you boys, either."

"Aw, mint!" Fang giggled. "That's good though, 'cause I don't have any money on me, anyway..."

"Alright boys…" Tarot announced, taking out a pack of cards. "What would you like to see?"

"What can you show us?" Spike asked, seeming very interested.

"Oh, anything… I can help you find missing things, missing people, I can tell who what your next disappoint will be… I can tell you the next person to change your life…"

"Oh yeah! That one!" Fang called, bouncing up and down. "That people-changing-your-life thingy!"

"Very well then." Tarot grinned, laying out his cards, face-down in a neat curve upon the floor. "Whoever would like to go first, pick a card, and I'll tell you who you're going to meet next - and how they'll change your life."

"Save the best till last!" Fang giggled. "I'll go third."

"…I don't wanna go first…" Dour mumbled, glancing nervously at Tarot's cards.

"Oh fine, you sissies. I'll go first." Spike announced smugly, taking one of the cards.

"Alright, don't look at it - hand it to me." Tarot instructed.

Spike did as he was told, and Tarot glanced at it, nodding sincerely. "Ah. You've got 'The Joyful Twelve'." - He held up a card with twelve crosses printed upon it.

"So what does that mean?" Spike asked, resting his head upon his paws, not removing his intent gaze.

"The Joyful Twelve… You're soon to meet someone who will change your life for the better. Your days will soon be filled with uncontrollable joy and happiness - and the sun will always seem to shine on you."

"That'll make a change." Spike muttered. "Hey…! Does that mean I'll find Emily?!" - Spike's expression suddenly changed.

Tarot smiled warmly. "Ah, I'll leave that to be a nice surprise for you, Spike."

Dour gulped, drawing his card next. He held it gingerly, as if it were covered with flesh-eating bacteria.

Tarot took it from him, smiling softly. "Ah… This isn't so good… Dour, you've drawn 'The Vengeful Six'."

"Ergh…" Dour grimaced, biting his lip. "…So what does that mean?"

"…It seems that someone who is angry at you is due to return… I cannot fully tell what will occur… However… It doesn't seem to be something that a Houndour like yourself will not be able to survive."

Dour sighed, not feeling even the slightest bit consoled by Tarot's attempt to comfort him about this incoming doom.

"Bad luck Dour!" Fang mocked, reaching for his card. "My turn!"

Tarot shook his head slightly, taking the card from Fang. "…Ah Fang… Another not so good one."

"…What do I have?"

"You've got 'The Thoughtless Seven'." Tarot smiled, holding up a card with seven crosses.

"Aww man! Why does Spike get the good stuff, and I get stuck with the shitty 'Thoughtless Seven'?!" Fang pouted, folding his paws across his chest.

Tarot groaned, scratching his beard in thought. "…Fang, 'The Thoughtless Seven' means that you're going to encounter one from your past. They'll know something you want to know, but they'll be insensitive, and indeed, thoughtless about sharing their information with you."

"Oh well…" Fang mumbled, trying to twist Tarot's words into making him seem superior.

"At least I didn't get no shitty Vengeful Six! I'm gonna get some information! Dour's stuck with some random beating!" Fang laughed loudly, glancing in Dour's direction.

"Unlucky Dour!"

A/N: - This section with the cards was dedicated to a faithful reviewer, and excellent forum moderator: Thoughtless7!