not sure if this is the right place to post it but...

NAME: Melt

SPECIES: Wolf

JOB/TITLE: Spy/warrior, I don't have a title, but in the spy world I am known as shadow, though my few friends call me Melt.

APPEARANCE: Gray, big and powerful, green eyes, black tips on my ears and tail, light gray patch on my chest in the shape of a wolf who seems to be melting into the shadows.

PERSONALITY: Very much a loner, doesn't trust humans because they killied the rest of his clan. Is very loyal and protective to the few he loves.

HOME: Anywhere and everywhere, he is always traveling.

MOST OFTEN SEEN AT: The Bog & Burrow, listening for news.

FRIEND OR MENTOR: Has none now, used to live with an older wolf who saved him from the humans but he died several years ago, he taught Melt all he knows.

ENEMY OR RIVAL: Humans.

FAVORITE POSSESSION OR OBJECT: A gray stone which hangs about his neck, it was given to him by the old wolf.

MOTTO OR FAVORITE SAYING: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

STRENGTHS: Well for one thing, he's just strong, but he also is a skilled fighter and will fight to the death if needbe. He is also quite wise for his age.

WEAKNESSES: Very distrusting, can be very secretive about his past.

BACKGROUND: His father was the chief of his clan, but he is the only survivng memeber of the clan now.

Ekron Sanders~~

I stepped back suddenly, as the door swung open, to reveal Samuel Coryli. His eyes filled with surprise and he took a step back.

"Apologies, Lieutenant. I didn't see you there."

"No need," I replied. "You didn't even run into me. How was Caligo?"

Samuel looked suspicious for a moment--perhaps because I didn't use the title of 'general', or perhaps it was because I had guessed correctly and Coryli really had poisoned Caligo. It didn't matter--all I needed was for Coryli to begin accusing me, Caligo's second-in-command, of traitorous deeds. Then I, in turn, could deem Coryli a traitor, and get him out of the way.

"He's fine," Coryli responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Is it wrong of me to be concerned for the wellfare of my General?" I replied sharply. "Especially when the last person to visit him isn't exactly...trustworthy."

~~

Aaand that's what happens when I try to post with no ideas. 

Sanders~~

He slipped into the privacy of his own quarters, examining the walking stick now that he was all alone. His ruse to get Samuel Coryli away from it had worked...shockingly well.  It had also helped to partially confirm his belief that the walking stick was being used for purposes other than the average cane--after all, if Samuel truly needed to use it, why leave it behind while he took the long walk all the way to the kitchens and back?

Sanders found the secret compartment in the cane after a few minutes of intense searching. There was a soft scraping noise as some of the wood slid beneath Sanders' thumb. Within the space was a vial of a strange, glowing substance.

Posion.

A malicious grin appeared on Sanders' face. This would prove Caligo's disloyalty in one fell swoop-- Caligo had said he would search through Coryli's things with care, and yet he had mysteriously overlooked the posion hidden in the walking stick.

Things were going even better than expected.

~~

Tsuki Natsu~~

"This way," Glow of Dying Embers said in a soft voice, leading me down a stone and wooden hallway, illuminated with glowing lights. I wondered briefly if they were electric, or magic. 

He opened a door, revealing the woman sitting upright on the bed--Hornshaw. "She requested you be alone, but I'll be waiting here if you need anything."

"Thank you," I told him, before entering the room. The anxiety didn't start until I heard the soft click of the door closing, effectively trapping me with who was possibly the most insane person alive.

"Natsu," Hornshaw said suddenly, drawing my attention. "You came."

I swallow. "What did you want from me?"

She pauses, as if collecting her thoughts. The mist in her eyes seems to intensify briefly.

"Is...everything okay?" I ask, a little worried at her odd behavior. She suddenly snaps back to reality.

"Oh, yes. At least, in this room everything is fine," She says. "But the Forest...it has spoken to me. I figure you would be the best to recieve this knowledge."

"Which is...?"

"I do not quite understand what it is speakinga about. It says something about a gateway being opened...a portal. It says that...'the consequences can be seen, in the pools of darkness.' One is located near the Forest itself. It urged me to investigate...but I felt that the Sanukans would not wish for me to leave. So I felt you should go, in my place," Cornelia Hornshaw explained.

"Consequences? What's it talking about?" I asked, alarmed. "Is someone hurt?"

Hornshaw shook her head. "I am unsure. But I insist that you investigate."

---

One tense meeting with Rubiana and Victor later, and Rubiana and I are standing in the snow, near a quiet little town named Icewood. It's a non-Sanukan controlled town, instead being run by none other than Catastrophe. Which is why I've been forced to wear a dark cloak with the hood up, to conceal my green tentacles.

The residents shoot us angry looks, some even pausing to shout insults. While I'm disguised quite well, there's no way Rubiana could've hidden the fact she was Sanukan, and the locals really seem to hate them.

Makes sense, seeing as they're all Catastrophe loyalists.

Rubiana grumbles under her breath. "I remember when this was a respectable town, before Catastrophe came along and corrupted them with his foolish, petty ideas. Can't wait until we win this stupid war and I can throw all these idiots in a prison for disloyalty."

"You do that and you'll be no better than Catastrophe," I warn her.

She rolls her eyes. "I wasn't being serious, Tsuki. Though I'm going to make sure my husband raises taxes here after the war, and that's no joke."

"Fair enough."  

It becomes obvious that something is going on the farther we walk. There's a ring of stands, and a crowd of people. Rubiana and I manage to weave amongst them, and make it to the front.

We examine the supposed 'consequence', and I find myself at a loss for words. There's a pool of almost black water--but it's not quite water, either. There's something off about it, something that makes my skin crawl and makes me want to get as far away as possible.

"What in Claaws' name," Rubiana begins, "is THAT?!?"

~~~~

I was read the Lamont the Badger posts and felt like the Sanukans would probably get involved, so here's this. 

Caligo~

News of the sinkhole reached me moments after Samuel departed. The phone on my desk rang; I curled my lip at it and answered.

"General Caligo, sir! We've just located a massive sinkhole outside of the town of Icewood. It appeared out of nowhere and is covered--no, the second report just came in; filled with dark shadows. We can't find any direct witnesses...But we have begun to secure the area."

"Keep it that way," I barked into the phone, the back of my neck prickling. "Take as many photos as you can and try to locate the source."

I dropped the phone roughly into its cradle and simultaneously unclenched my left fist, letting the silver vial hidden between my fingers roll onto my desk. I had kept just one dose from Sam's walking stick.

I picked it up again and squeezed it. I wanted it to break and be ruined. But my anger broke first, and I hid the vial in my inner pocket before I could change my mind. I wasn't going to use it; let's make that clear. At first, I'd planned to keep it to retain power over Sam. But the notion crumbled in my mind, disintigrated by the torching shame and hate burning within. I now hated myself more than I've ever hated anyone or anything.

The sinkhole was a welcome distraction. I wrote a report of the sinkhole to Catastrophe and sent our fastest self-destructing carrier pigeon to his location. I also mailed a report to the Bleak Peak base. Then, I grabbed my cloak and radioed Lieutenant Sanders. "Lieutenant, do you copy?"

After a pause, I heard his reply. "I copy, sir."

"I will be leaving Jokull for two hours to investigate the sinkhole that just opened outside of Icewood."

"Yes, sir. I will be here."

"Have two squads dispatched to Icewood via helicopter. Save room on one of them for me."

Within minutes, we're on our way to the coordinates that the scounts sent. We touch down in the snowy meadow at the front of Icewood, and the town greets us like we're heroes, waving Catastrophe's Army flags and saluting. The affair fills me with unusual fury.

"Clear the roads!" booms one of the footsoldiers stepping out of the other helicopter. "Silence for the esteemed General Caligo of Catastrophe's Army!"

The crowds quiet down.

In my loudest voice, I declare, "We have heard of a mysterious sinkhole that has appeared outside your town. Have any of you seen it?"

Several townsfolk raise their hands.

"And have any of you seen Sanukans in the area?"

Several townsfolk raise their hands.

"Did any of you see the sinkhole form?"

I send a group of three soldiers into the crowd to interrogate the every witness who raised a hand. The rest of us follow one of our own scouts, who had already been here, to the site of the sinkhole.

- - -

To be continued, one way or another. While Caligo is gone, Sanders can imprison Sam, if that fits in with his plan. I finally figured out what Caligo will do if Sam is imprisoned.

Three months later...*breathes out* Here we go.

Cendaren Caligo~

I meet eyes with Rubiana Starr. She and her disguised companion have no way out of the ring of soldiers. We've effectively claimed the sinkhole and the town. 

Another message buzzes in my earpiece, directly following the one that alerted me to Rubiana's presence: "Sir, we've identified the second person. We believe it to be Tsuki Natsu, the wanted traitor." I had already guessed that; Tsuki was my soldier first, after all, and I recognized her size and gait.

I reply with a sigh, "She's Rubiana's bodyguard. Don't apprehend either of them. We'll honor the treaty."

Rubiana and Tsuki trudge through the snow, keenly aware they're being watched from all sides. As they trudge ever closer, I stare at them, and they stare at me. But I say nothing. I just step aside and give them room to pass.

Tsuki and I don't exchange so much as a nod; she doesn't turn to look at me for a moment. But Rubiana does, with a steely gaze tempered by calm dignity and superiority. I stare back balefully, daring her to speak. I can't keep contempt from emanating out of my frown, but it's not directed at her. Rubiana sees me as scum--so do I.

They pass out of the circle and I turn my attention away from them; they are of no concern so long as they leave us to our business.

I help organize the able of the town into a rough militia to guard the hole; I assign ten soldiers and a commander to remain on duty and leave on a helicopter with everything under control.

Under control. Or so I thought.

- - -

Samuel Coryli sat in the dungeon quietly. He didn't say anything or move, except to breathe. He'd taken a severe beating on the way down, although he hadn't resisted arrest. Now he developed a black eye and a bruised, rattling chest. They'd crushed his prosthetic leg in several places, rendering it weak and liable to break. And then, they had literally thrown him in.

With his back against the darkest corner of the cell, Sam stared at the wall, mind reeling. All he could think of was how stupid he'd been. He'd failed the Resistance, failed at Caligo's only hope, and failed all of Northern Kyngdom. Only now did he see, in hindsight, that he should have scrapped it all for the quick way! Anything would have worked better than those vials of light magic. He could have been a legitimate hero. A hero, redeemed. Now he would die a villain to all sides.

The trace of a sad smile tugged at Sam's lips as he thought back to Amira...Only a month ago, she'd liberated him from the army--saved his life. Brought him to life, more like. Changed his mind, his whole existence. And given him the option to serve Kyngdom. He'd fancied winning her love through the success of his mission...It hurt to face reality.

"Coryli, they expect you to die at Jokull. Are you prepared to face such a reality?" Amira had asked while she cut Sam's hair back to its military length.

Sam frowned. "Well that's disheartening."

"Isn't it worth something to die that another could live? You would be dead without our intervention, whether you lost a leg or not: Living for evil is not a life at all."

"I won't die," Coryli insisted. "I'll come back and prove it to you."

Amira's expression didn't change. She dusted away the hair clippings and set down the scissors. "Don't think of this as killing a friend. As far as I am concerned, General Caligo is already dead. Whether the light magic works or not, you're bringing life to a man and a nation."

"That's a good way to think of it."

"Try to remember that when you're there."

She'd said it as a challenge, not an encouragement. From the moment he’d walked into Jokull, Sam had not been able to make himself remember that. Killing Caligo felt like cheating him of time to change. Sam wanted Caligo to live and be saved.

Sam blinked, trying to rise above his sorrows. Nobody had told him what was happening, so there was a chance Caligo wasn't behind all this. Ever the optimist, Sam had been keeping his mouth shut, just in case there was hope. This could be Sanders's doing, Sam reasoned, and if so, Caligo might stand up to him. Might being the key word. That was almost enough for him. 

This was usually the part where a higher-ranking Resistance agent would signal their backup team and call for rescue. Sadly, Sam didn't have one.

Sam didn't have anyone anymore. 

- - -

Caligo emerged from the helicopter at the back wall of of a bright and snowy Jokull, only to face a set of guards and a very haughty, slightly smug Lieutenant Sanders.

"Seize him," Sanders ordered calmly. And the guards did just that.

The soldiers who had been on the helicopter with Caligo made some kind of move to stop the treacherous guards, but Sanders said, "Do not act rashly, men; your general is a traitor."

Caligo's glare was scathing: intensely cold and venomous. "Sanders, you're a fool! Explain yourself."

Said Sanders triumphantly, "General Cendaren Caligo, you are under arrest for treason--for harboring and enabling a traitor by the name of Samuel E. Coryli."

Caligo's blood seared for three reasons at once: first, he was filled with rage, more rage than he had ever known--and second, he was afraid, because he had been caught. But more than that, he saw into Sanders's plan, and knew in that moment there was a third traitor standing right in front of him. It made his blood begin to boil. He had found his excuse; his paranoia was vindicated. But Caligo was not about to succumb to a cut-rate coup scheme. 

"I never took you for a fool, Lieutenant Sanders," Caligo said coldly, attempting to wrench himself from the soldiers’ grasps. "Coryli was a Resistance operative sent to end my life. Did you not suppose that I gave the assassin my trust in order to earn his? Have you now thrown him into prison and ruined all chances of acquiring his secrets?"

Sanders did not so much as blink. "You inspected the prisoner's belongings, did you not?"

Caligo knew where this was going. "Did you not hear me, Sanders? I inspected his belongings and discovered vials of light magic, which he confessed were for my consumption. If the light magic did not succeed in 'erasing my evil,' Coryli's orders were to kill me. I preyed upon the fact that we were friends in our youth, and in doing so, caused Coryli to believe I still cared for him. He would have confessed to me much more than what he has already told, had the deception not been cut short."

Caligo was now able to pull his arms away from the guards, who released him without a struggle; they did not want to be accused of committing treason against a general who had done nothing wrong. Caligo approached Sanders. "I am not a traitor." He continued lowly, "And I know you are, truly, no fool. Yet that was a rather foolish move." This was Caligo's way of telling Sanders, I know what your real plan was.

Sanders kept his cool. Caligo had a hard time reading his expression.

"I see you remain within your right mind, sir. But suppose that Coryli and his...light magic...had succeeded in overcoming you. I only wished to err on the side of caution. In this you can surely find no fault. I had not been informed of your plan, after all."

"Correct. Your caution has been noted, Lieutenant." Caligo hoped Sanders heard his sarcasm.

A second later, Caligo heard Sanders draw a breath--a breath of anticipation: "Then permit me to act again with the safety of the base in mind. Do you believe it is possible to draw any more information out of Coryli?"

"It is unlikely," Caligo said. "Most agents choose death over a revelation of secrets to their enemies." Caligo only saw too late where Sanders was going with this. And the guards were still at attention, hearing every word.

Caligo melted on the inside. I think I just doomed Coryli...trying to save myself.

Caligo steeled himself while Sanders nodded slowly. "Then would you prove to us in this uncertain time you have not, indeed, been controlled by the traitor, by following standard protocol?"

Execute Sam.

That's what Sanders was asking.

Caligo commended Sanders's perseverance with a wretched internal laugh. Who could have expected that Sanders would be the trial by fire? It was time, too soon, for Caligo to try himself. Time for Caligo's weakness to melt away forever: but in this trial he had a choice. What would he allow the fires to destroy? The last dregs of his conscience--his guilt over a lack of guilt? Or would he instead burn down the door that he had closed, the one blocking out the light? Would the fire solidify his heart of stone? Or could there still be hope for it to soften?

“Yes, Lieutenant. If nothing else, at least we still have the rules.”

- - -

Caligo stared at the dungeon stairs, feeling that this was the climax of all he ever would be. He waved the guards aside and led the way down into the dungeons. Lieutenant Sanders followed. Now it was just the two of them. Two traitors in their own right, off to meet a third one.

Caligo breathed in. Breathed out. He feared for no life but his own, which added to his growing shame--the depths of fiery self-hatred raging around him. Obviously he still cared for Sam’s life, or else he would not have felt so bad. Caligo clung to the shame inside: It was all he had left of his humanity, but it hurt. So much. He could not bear to have a conscience in his body.

And right now, whether Caligo knew it or not, Sam was his conscience. Sam was holding him accountable to a higher standard, and Caligo’s life hung in the balance with him. If Caligo killed Sam, he could never be redeemed. Caligo didn’t want to do it, but it horrified him that he wasn’t horrified at the idea. Caligo didn’t want to be this way--he wanted to have real loyalty and honor within himself.

Caligo had never been good about handling himself on the inside. He didn’t want to think about this. How could he get out of the decision?

The dark, dank halls passed through Caligo's attention like figments of a nasty, shadowy hallucination. Caligo felt like he was walking toward his own execution.

He felt, deep down, that a part of him was about to die. He only hoped...he only hoped it wouldn’t be his soul.

“Lieutenant Sanders,” Caligo wondered, “do you ever think about evil?”

“I suppose I think about evil all the time, Caligo.”

"I suppose you do. I suppose we both do."

They arrived at the end of the corridor, which opened into a large, trapezoidal room where Sam's cell and another cell faced one another on either sides of the chamber. A guard, Pichokara, was on duty, and he saluted. The room was uncharacteristically bright; lanterns erased any shadows the room might have had before.

Sam glanced up dejectedly in the left cell. In the right cell, surprisingly, was Ashzan Moksovinan.

“What have you arrested Moksovinan for?” Caligo demanded.

“Suspicion of collusion, either with Coryli or the Sanukans,” answered Sanders.

Ashzan grabbed the bars of her prison cell and looked into Caligo’s eyes. He could not identify the emotion he saw there. She almost looked like she did not want to get out of the cell. Was she really guilty? It didn't matter. Caligo would trust her plaintive expression over Sanders’s collected stare any day.

“Pichokara, release my soldier,” Caligo said.

Pichokara obeyed.

“Thank you, General, sir,” Ashzan said, stepping out of the cell.

“Now leave,” said Caligo.

Ashzan left. Hesitantly.

And so it was just the four of them: Caligo and Sam, and their two witnesses--Sanders and Pichokara.

Sam did not stand, but waited for someone to say something.

“Hello Coryli,” Caligo said.

“You’re not…” Sam’s words caught in his throat. He swallowed and tried again, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, Coryli,” Caligo said.

Sam shook his head. “You don’t. You only want to save your own skin, but--what’s that skin worth right now, Cendaren?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Caligo answered quietly.

Sam shook his head and looked down. “If you’re right, then why did I come?”

Pichokara unlocked the cell and dragged Coryli out to the floor-space between both cells. Oddly, he did not handcuff Coryli’s hands, and he allowed Coryli to attempt standing, which Sam did so carefully. The four men stood rather close to one another in the center of the room, preparing to leave, so they could perform the execution in the proper location. Caligo’s heart beat nervously as he contemplated a fate that seemed inevitable. Meanwhile, Pichokara stood in front of Caligo with Coryli, and Sanders stood slightly behind.

So Caligo couldn’t see, but Sam did:

Sanders had a pistol.

Cocked.

He was pointing it up at Caligo’s back, barely lifting it from his hip, as Caligo began to turn around.

Pichokara moved aside--subtly, slowly, towards Sanders, out of range. Part of a plan.

Sam’s mind raced. If he let Sanders kill Caligo--wouldn’t his mission be a success? Couldn’t he die at peace?

No. It would be worse to enable Sanders.

So Sam yanked away his arms and dove for the gun, catching Pichokara by surprise--

Sam was close, so lunging caused him to fall sideways across Sanders’s frontside, landing belly-first on the extended barrel of the silenced pistol. The Lieutenant stumbled backwards. Maybe Sanders had already started to pull the trigger, or maybe the force of Sam’s body had jerked his finger back, but Caligo whipped around just in time to hear the telltale slish of silenced gunfire--to watch Sam crumpling onto the ground--and to see Sanders cocking his pistol again. Again. Sam took the first bullet. For me.

At that moment, the shrilling of an alarm began. Jokull was under attack...by who? The blast of noise startled Caligo--it called for his command--causing him to fumble with his pistol. Too slow.

Sanders shot Caligo.

The bullet went through his abdomen: A messy shot, sent off course by the alarm, but enough to immediately drop Caligo to his knees. He clutched his side, crumpling inward. “Ahhhh…” The groan rose to a crescendo inside his mind. He’d expected this sooner or later.

Caligo didn't surrender; with reddened hands, he reached for his gun again. It had fallen to the ground--but no, the magazine was dislodged. Across the room, Pichokara and Sanders were both about to finish the job, when suddenly, Pichokara collapsed. Someone else had gotten him.

Simultaneously, Caligo sensed movement in the doorway, but his senses were blurred--so Sanders recognized Ashzan before Caligo did. Ashzan raced into the cell and fought for a moment, yelling to Caligo about Sanukans. Caligo scrambled to fix his gun, but that just made his injury worse; he crumpled to the ground. There, he thought it prudent to play dead upon the floor in case Sanders survived the fight, which he did: Sanders knocked Ashzan unconscious, scanned the room, and left, closing and locking the door behind him.

Everything was silent.

“Coryli,” Caligo gasped out, “Samuel. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Sam groaned and then gasped for breath. Caligo was close enough to grab Coryli’s arm, move it aside, and glance into his abdominal wound. Caligo saw enough to know that after a few minutes, they’d both be dead.

“Moksovinan?” Caligo grunted. He couldn’t tell if she was awake or not; she was on the other side and he couldn’t see her. She didn’t reply.

Slowly, Caligo slid his reddened hand in front of his face. A long time ago, thanks to his elven genetics, this hand could heal...But Catastrophe had erased that part of his identity. Walled it off. It’s why Caligo had been so infatuated with Tsuki’s abilities--they were rare to see in the Army. He clenched his fist and pushed it onto his sticky, throbbing wound. Pain shot through his nerves. No relief. No healing. No hope.

Caligo shut his eyes and pulled his hand back up to his chest. His forearm pressed into something hard in his breast pocket: the vial of light magic he’d taken from Sam’s walking stick. Oh. It was still unused--a reminder of his pride and stubbornness.

Caligo cracked open his eyes again, and they watered. There was no more hope for him. He had wasted the last day of his life. Sam had come--offered a last chance at redemption--and Caligo would have killed him for it. What really pierced Caligo’s heart was that Sam had taken the first bullet. He took the bullet for the man who might have ended him. What have I done for him? I wanted to be better.

Caligo quivered; he saw it clearly; there was no more hope for his soul. He’d wasted his life. He wished he hadn’t. Tears leaked out of his eyes.

Slowly, achingly, on threat of passing out, Caligo peeled back his uniform coat flap and slid two fingers into his breast pocket. He pulled out the vial slowly, appalled at how even now, he recoiled at the sight of the glowing light magic within.

Purify me, Caligo cried inside. Get rid of me.

Caligo didn’t have the strength to unscrew the cap, so he put the end of the glass in his mouth and bit down, crunching it open. Even though the shattered glass hurt his lips, he let the potion flow into his mouth and down his throat. He sucked down all of it, every last concentrated milliliter, and oh how it burned.

Agony spread like fire through Caligo’s veins as his body absorbed the liquid. His stomach heaved and his eyelids slammed shut as all the lamps in the room flared like the sun in his eyes. Closing his eyes made it worse. He felt like his face was cooking. The light combusted under his eyelids, searing, scrambling, and boring into the inmost parts of his body, like acid. Caligo bit back a scream--the bullet wound was nothing compared to this--but his control broke, and a pathetic, whimpering squeal bubbled out of his throat. The potion worked inward, all the way into his heart, until it had nowhere else to saturate. It tore his consciousness to shreds so that his world existed only as tatters of knifelike light exploding in his cranium and eating away his heart. He panted--he couldn’t breathe--and clutched at his chest; his body tried to tear out the thing that was destroying him.

He couldn’t escape it. It burrowed until it clanged against his soul. It went into his soul. Then, in the depths of his heart, Caligo seemed to step out of himself as his life flashed before his eyes. He looked on from the outside and relived with open eyes every evil thing he’d done. The light magic tore down the door to his conscience--the door he had shut with Jaaws’s power--so that Caligo trembled in shame and sorrow of all the things he saw. He was fully exposed to, and fully accountable for, how fully monstrous he had been. His cruelties looked black under the light--but Caligo was gone from them now, wasn’t he? How else could he see them from so far away?

The light flared again. Caligo was blind now. He opened his eyes and they saw nothing, but even though he couldn’t see, his brain was still filled with radiance. The magic’s influence gifted him with an outward sign of change: it continued to overflow from his body, channeling along long-neglected passages wired through his skin and reviving the power his mother had left him. Bleeding slowed. Skin stopped dying. Bullets retreated from intestines. Organs and muscles knitted back together tenderly, just well enough to preserve the fading life of the body they were part of: both in Caligo and Coryli, who Caligo’s hand still touched.

When it was over, Caligo covered his burning face with his burning hands and wept. He still thought he was dying, but he wasn’t: For the first time in months, Cendaren Caligo was living.

-----

I spent three months on this not because I was really working on it for three months, but because I have been busy with various school-related endeavors. So it took me a long time to think of what to write and how to write it. Fun fact, I wrote about Cricket/Kyngdom in a couple of my college applications.

Note the following behind-the-scenes advancements:

- A group of soldiers kidnapped Rubiana and Tsuki behind Caligo's back. Sanukaville retaliated, hence the alarms going off.

- Caligo is completely blind now, but perhaps just temporarily.

Get ready for a post that's longer than it needs to be!

Tsuki took one last glance behind her shoulder at the ring of guards, then quickly looked down and caught up with Rubiana again. Disbelief echoed in her mind--that had been too easy, no way they were just going to walk free. While Rubiana was silent, Tsuki could tell by the faintly worried expression on her face that she was not expecting an easy solution either. 

"Stay right where you are!"

Rubiana and Tsuki turned to see their fears come to life before them. It was a group of Catastrophe's soldiers, but this time, Caligo was not with them. 

"What do you want with us?" Rubiana asked, her voice clear and strong, free of any waver or worry. "We haven't violated the treaty, and your general already let us walk free."

The soldier who had spoken scoffed. "Caligo does not give us orders. We follow Sanders."

Rubiana's eyes narrowed. "So you are committing treason, are you not?"

Tsuki was lost in thought--she recognized the name Sanders, but where from? Her eyes widened when she remembered. Lieutenant Ekron Sanders--she remembered having a distinct fear of him, though she couldn't remember exactly why. There was something about him that radiated evil and danger, and she'd done her best to avoid him. 

"Is it committing treason to refuse to follow a traitor?" The soldier replied, entirely unphased by Rubiana's accusation. "No matter. Your opinion is meaningless, you're just a Sanukan. Detain them!"

A thought of fighting back flashed across Tsuki's mind, but it was quickly extinguished. Tsuki and Rubiana were good fighters, but they had hardly any weapons and the soldiers greatly outnumbered them. Two soldiers grabbed Tsuki, and as she struggled, her hood fell off, revealing her unmistakable tentacles.

"Hm," The leader of the group said, a small smile on his face. "How fitting that the one accusing us of committing treason has a traitor in her midst."

"You'll pay for this," Rubiana snarled. "The Sanukans will make sure of it."

"And how will they ever even know?" The soldier replied.

"Oh, they'll know alright," Rubiana said. There was now a smile on her face. Tsuki spotted something pressed firmly into Rubiana's palm, hidden beneath her long sleeves--a Sanukan pager, used to call for help.

------

Victor leaned back in his chair, sighing. He'd heard nothing from anyone all day, and worry was muddling his mind, especially for Ashzan. Had she been caught? Was she okay? He didn't know, and it was driving him to madness. There was also Gamgi--no word from her, not at all. He didn't realize how much he would miss her energy and brutal honesty.

At least Hviti was still communicating with him. He'd been excited about the alliance they were forming with the Resistance, and even spoke of a Tenebris who was with them. (Though, as Hviti made sure to add, the Tenebris wasn't technically a Resistance member, but it still had been a wonderful thing to see. Victor had mentioned that Tsuki might want to meet them, but Hviti had laughed and said that she probably was driven too much by morals to get along with him too well. He did, however, mention a Homo Avian and a Homo Felis she would probably get along with, but Victor had said that Tsuki might not like that because they might remind her a little too much of Raven and the one Homo Felis she'd met at Jokull. After that, Hviti and Victor had sighed and decided they would stop trying to find friends for Tsuki.)

Suddenly, a Sanukan burst into the room, breathing heavily, their earpiece hanging haphazardly around their neck, the cord trailing behind them. Victor recognized them-- their name was Traer Kule. Traer had been the one in charge of monitoring Rubiana and Tsuki.

"What's going on? What happened?" Victor demanded to know. Rubiana--his wife--Tsuki--the girl who he felt was almost his daughter--he would go mad if anything terrible had happened, he decided. 

"They've--they've sent a distress signal, the one reserved for--for being taken captive," Traer said, out of breath, fighting just to speak. 

Victor suddenly stood, alarmed, angry--very close to insanity. "WHAT? This is unacceptable--we agreed to lay down arms!"

Traer took a nervous step back.

"Get me my generals, Traer. We are attacking, and we are attacking now!" Victor snapped. Traer nodded quickly, then sprinted outside, forgetting to shut the door behind himself.

-----

It had been a long time since the Sanukans had gone to war the way they were today. Hvumkuul was smiling from beyond the grave--the Warrior-Queen was proud of her people for fighting for their homeland, for the mansion they had crafted. No animal was going to ever think of settling in it once more, and any one of Catastrophe's soldiers who had a mere notion of wanting to take control of it would be cowering before their might. 

Within every Sanukan was a fighting spirit, stronger than any other race. Long ago, the Sanukans had been the fiercest warriors not only in all of Kyngdom, but in all of the world--the only enemy they could not conquer was Death herself. Hvumkuul was not a Power, but she was powerful--when someone as honored, loved, and strong as her died, their spirit could do wonderful things. Her spirit seemed to infest every one of the Sanukans. It was time they reclaimed their honor and returned to their traditions of old. No longer would they be the secret village high in the mountains--they would be the Giants who ruled over the coldest reaches of Kyngdom, and all would fear their wrath.

The Sanukans themselves couldn't quite place what they felt, but they knew they felt stronger and greater than ever before. They seemed to stand higher, their hearts were braver and their respect for honor had grown stronger. Hvumkuul cried in joy at the sight of her people.

They were ready.

------

At last, Rubiana and Tsuki had reached Jokull. They'd spent the helicopter flight there sitting tall and proud, not losing an ounce of their dignity. Rubiana was beyond confident the Sanukans would retaliate. 

When they landed, this was confirmed. Alarms were blaring all throughout Jokull. The soldier who'd taken them captive hunted down a poor private who looked scared out of his mind, and roughly spinning him around to face him, shouted, "WHAT IN CLAAWS'S NAME IS GOING ON?"

"S-sanukans have b-been spotted, s-sir," The private said, voice trembling even more than he was. The other soldier cursed, and while he was busy throwing a temper tantrum, Rubiana tapped Tsuki with her toe. Tsuki quickly looked over, and gave Rubiana a small nod.

Rubiana spun around quickly, kicking the soldier holding her in the chest. He stumbled backwards, and Rubiana ran down the hallway, Tsuki close behind.

"There's a door in the Wreath Wall, and we have to open it if the Sanukan's invasion is going to be successful," Rubiana explained. "It's why we failed last time--we couldn't get through the stupid wall."

"I remember how to open it," Tsuki said. "Follow me."

Tsuki turned down a side hallway and Rubiana followed her, as they dodged and hid from soldiers rushing outside. Tsuki eventually led Rubiana up a flight of spiraling stairs, which in turn led to a guard's watchtower, perched high on the roof of Jokull.

There was a guard on duty, who opened his mouth to shout when he saw Tsuki and Rubiana. But Tsuki was much quicker--in a flash of light, she was behind the guard, covering his mouth with her metal hand. She used her tail to motion to a large lever inlaid into the marble floor. "That should open the main door."

Rubiana rushed over to it, and pushed, finding it was much heavier than she thought. But some sort of strange power filled her, and it suddenly became easy to push it. Tsuki's eyes widened when she saw how easily Rubiana managed to accomplish the task.

By this point, Tsuki had already knocked the guard unconscious. Rubiana could see his chest rising and falling, and she almost felt bad for him--Catastrophe would not be happy to see that he'd let the Wreath Wall doors get opened, that was for sure.

There was a loud metallic screech, and Rubiana looked out the window to see that the two large doors in the side of the wall were opening. A few moments later, Sanukans were pouring in.

"We should get outside," Rubiana suggested. "Let them know we're okay, join in the fight."

"You go ahead," Tsuki responded. "I want to find Ashzan."

------

Tsuki darted down halls, glad all the soldiers were outside. Was Ashzan among them? She wasn't sure, but she was sure she needed to search every inch of Jokull first. Her first destination was the prisons.

Tsuki remembered when Davina and Kimi had been trapped down here--how she'd bargained and dealt with the prison guards to move them into a tower, where the conditions would be slightly better. She always had hated it down here.

Three bodies were on the floor, but before she could process the scene at all her brain recognized one of them Ashzan.

"Ash!" She cried out, hopeful at first, but devastated when there was no movement, no response. She rushed to her side and flipped Ashzan over. Holding her limp wrist, Tsuki found there was a pulse, and her worries thinned. There was a bruise on Ashzan's forehead--likely the cause of her lack of consciousness, but Tsuki deemed it non-fatal. She began to sling Ashzan over her shoulders in a hurried version of the fireman's carry, but a voice stopped her.

"Tsuki?"

Tsuki recognized the voice--Caligo. Her eyes narrowed, and she thought maybe that he had been the one to cause this. But Tsuki saw that he had a large patch of bloodied uniform, and Ashzan had no weapons on her--so she hadn't attacked him, but then who had? And of course there was the matter of his voice--Tsuki had recognized it easily enough but it sounded weak, faded, and hoarse, so different than it usually did. She then realized there was something off about his eyes as well-- they couldn't seem to focus on anything, and it occurred to Tsuki he must be blind.

"It's me," She said. She wanted to abandon him here, and yet she didn't leave. Shazam had always liked Caligo, even if she'd never admit it. And Tsuki realized she couldn't just let a friend of Ashzan die.

Tsuki carefully set Ash down, then moved over towards Caligo, crouching down. She waved her hand in front of his eyes, and when they didn't follow, her suspicions of his blindness were confirmed. When she got closer, there seemed to be an overwhelming concentration of power near him--specifically, light power. Her own powers seemed almost enhanced around him. She spied a vial, the top shattered, with a small drop of golden liquid left inside.

"Okay, I hate you a lot, but Ashzan likes you, so I'm here to help. Or something," Tsuki said, recoiling at the words.

Ashzan was going to owe her a very large favor after this.

~~~~~

Now get ready for the lore-dump and explanation for everything that will probably be as long as the actual post!

So, I mentioned this a while ago, but I had an idea the Sanukans were the original creators of Jokull, and they gave it to the animals as a peace offering-type-thing. (Let me know if this isn't okay.)

Hvumkuul, as I've mentioned previously, was the Warrior-Queen who brought the first Sanukans to Kyngdom--this was a long time ago, back when they were still fully giants. The reason they lost their Giant traits is because they turned away from their old traditions. Basically, there were some old rituals and stuff that gave them abilities and powers, and generally also made them taller--hence, why they were giants.  They've begun to fight in a war again, and have also started to return to their old traditions--for example, while I didn't write this, Victor called for all his generals to form a Council of War--something that hasn't been done since ancient times. The powers they've regained are super strength, and minor frost powers. Also, all Sanukans are taller now. (This includes Davina and other Sanukans in the Grasplands, and also Gamgi.)

So, my plan is for both Sanders and Victor to not survive the battle. Victor will choose her to become the next chief (all Sanukans chieftains get to pick who will be the next chieftain, I explained this in my posts on Myths and Legends about the Sanukans.) Rubiana will pick Gamgi to become the next chief after her, making Gamgi second-in-command. Once Rubiana becomes chieftess, they will permanently gain their old abilities, as Rubiana will transition fully to the old traditions. Also, Hvumkuul will give Rubiana extra strength and stuff because Rubiana is her direct descendant and she's proud of her.

Other things-- Tsuki will take Gamgi's old place and basically become an honorary Sanukan. (She doesn't get any cool powers, though.) And Tsuki isn't going to be willing to do much for Caligo other than hand him over to the Sanukans, who will first treat any wounds he might have and then imprison him. He and Ashzan can then, like, go rogue or something. Tsuki will probably cover for them.

Tsuki sprinted across the red-stained snow, weaving between Catastrophe's soldiers, lost in the chaos. Don't get overwhelmed, she reminded herself. Ashzan needs me. Ashzan herself was slung over Tsuki's shoulders, still mostly unconcious. 

Tsuki ran faster, her legs screaming from the effort. She couldn't see Sanukan tents anywhere, and soon she coudln't see anything over than the clashing and fighting all around her. In the center of bloodbath, where Tsuki stood, it was impossible to tell who was on either side. Motionless bodies formed a twisted carpet, some partially buried in ice and bloody slush. Panic rose in Tsuki but still she fought to stay calm.

Someone fell on top of her, and Tsuki hit the ground. She pushed the body off herself, not allowing her eyes to linger on it, and crawled through the snow, searching for Ashzan. It was too loud for her to think, too loud to focus, she couldn't concentrate--

"You okay, soldier?" Someone pulled Tsuki to her feet--she didn't recognize them, but they were a Sanukan, and she felt herself relax. 

"Please, I have to find Ashzan, she's unconcious, maybe dead now, I don't--"

"Slow down, slow down," The Sanukan said. "Say it again, but slower."

"I have to--I have to," Tsuki took a deep breath, then tried again. "I have to find Agent Moksovinan. She's a forest elf, with reddish hair. She's unconcious, but not dead--I lost track of her, but she needs medical attention."

"Agent Moksovinan? She was wearing a Catastrophe uniform right?" When Tsuki nodded, the Sanukan continued. "Yeah, she's alright. I had someone else take her to the tents, over there." He motioned towards a few black tents, with red crosses and Sanukan symbols on their tops. 

"Thank you," Tsuki said. Her courage now restored, she sprinted over towards the tents, a sense of hope in her soul.

Rubiana was the first to greet Tsuki. "I saw Colonel Duskumvr bring Ashzan over without you, and I thought you must have died--thank Hvumskuul you're alright."

Tsuki hugged Rubiana, beyond glad to see her. "General Caligo and a Resistance officer are in the main Jokull prisons. Both are badly injured."

"I get wanting to help the Resistance officer, but why are we helping Caligo? Don't we hate him?" Rubiana asked.

Tsuki shook her head. "No, I think he's betrayed Catastrophe. He offered to help with intelligence, and besides, if he is loyal, he'd make a good bargaining chip. And... Ashzan likes him."

"Well, if Ashzan likes him, it'd be wrong to leave him. I'll get a team together to extract them."

As soon as Rubiana finished talking, there was a loud metallic groaning, much louder than the opening of the Wall's main gates. Tsuki turned to see two massive doors in the side of Jokull sliding upwards. Something was pouring out, but Tsuki couldn't tell what. 

She knew it wasn't good though.

~~~

I wasn't sure what the weapons would be--at first I though maybe shadows, but I'm not sure if those are a Catastrophe's Castle-specific thing, and then I though maybe Tenebris, but maybe those would just be in the regular army, and--well, you get the point.