In a desolate world where a disease has brought about the extinction of the human race, where abandoned cities have been reclaimed by nature, this mysterious disease seems to have had a completely different effect on many animal species, granting them sentience and an extended life span. Many have formed tribes and small civilizations, and have taken refuge in the ruins of human cities and the like. Our story begins with a small wolf pack, and is focused on one wolf pup in particular. He has just turned eighteen, and has an arranged marriage with a wolf from another pack coming up, but he has other plans...
In an abandoned human building, covered in plant foliage, moss, and vines, lives a pack of wolves using it as a den. In one of the many rooms lies our young wolf pup. Black in color with red eyes, he has been dreading this arranged marriage since he was a teen. The wedding is in a few weeks. He laid idly in his bed pondering his thoughts when he heard a knock at his door. A white wolf with blue eyes entered.
"Atemis," she called out, "honey, are you okay? We haven't seen you all day."
"I'm fine, mother," he answered, "I just have a lot on my mind right now."
"You thinking about the wedding?" The black wolf nodded. "I know it's tradition to arrange a union between two wolves from different packs, but in all honesty, it was never what I wanted for you. Don't get me wrong, I love your father deeply, but if things were different, he wouldn't have ever been my first choice to begin with."
"You mean you don't approve of this business?" The female shook her head.
"I only ever wanted what was best for you, and for you to be happy. So I must ask, what is it you wanna do?" Atemis thought about it hard for a moment before replying.
"I... want to go out and see the world. I want to do something meaningful with my life. And I want to marry out of love, not by convenience."
"Well, if that's what you want to do, then you should go for it. Follow your heart, wherever it may take you."
"You mean I should just run away? What about the pack? What about you?"
"They will be disappointed, and I will be sad to see you go, but they'll get over it in time. It wouldn't be the worst thing to happen around here."
"I... don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. But if you want to leave, you should do it soon." She approached her son and suddenly gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, my darling boy. You know that, don't you?"
Atemis was a little teary eyed, and gave a slight smile. "I love you too, mother."
Later that night...
Atemis had packed up some rations in a small satchel and wrapped it around his neck, and was preparing to sneak out. He waited for some patrols to walk off or look away before advancing out of the den. He had a few close calls, and eventually was able to make his way out of the pack's territory and escape into the night, thus leaving everything and everyone he had ever known behind, began his adventure as a lone wolf...
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Three years later...
Atemis had traveled much since he left his pack to follow his dream of getting out to see what the world had to offer. He met a lot of people, both good and bad. Sometimes he'd feel a little homesick and missed his family, but he kept his chin up and continued to push on, never looking back, and never wanting his future decided for him. His adventure eventually brought him to a forest. The temperature was pleasant, the air sweet. He enjoyed the scenery, but this was cut short when he looked into his satchel and realized his rations were running low. He would either have to do some hunting, or restock at the next village. As he continued to travel through the forest, he began to hear rustling in the shrubs, and stopped dead in his tracks, sniffed the air and caught a scent. A moment later, several figures leapt out of the brush. He found himself surrounded by a pack of four coyotes, all cackling as they eyeballed and circled the wolf.
"Looks like we got a loner, boys," said one with a scarred eye, most likely the alpha of the group. "This is Bloodfang territory. You're either very brave or very foolish to come here. Hand over your goods, and we may let you go in one piece."
"Even if I had anything of value, I wouldn't even consider giving it to the likes of you," Atemis said with a glare.
"Have it your way. Get him, boys!" the leader commanded. All four coyotes pounced at once. Atty managed to jump away in time and watch them all bump into one another. They all fell to the ground, but quickly got back up to shake the stars out of their heads. The alpha went for him, trying to bite at the wolf's neck. Both of them snarled as they tumbled over one another, exchanging bites and scratches. As he wrestled with the leader, he felt a sharp pain in his back leg and howled out. Another coyote had bitten down on him. He tried despewrately to shake him off. He felt another jump on his back and bite down on the back of his neck, and the other grabbed ahold of his tail. He felt a lot of pain all over his body as he was dominated by the pack and brought down. He was bleeding from the bites, and was shuddering. He struggled to stand back up, but was met with multiple tackles along with more bites and scratches. He was practically passed back and forth between the four canines, taking a hit every time. The wind was knocked out of him and he collapsed. The alpha stood over him and planted a paw on his snout, burying him slightly into the dirt. "You should've just surrendered when you had the chance. Maybe next time you'll think long and hard before you take on a pack on your own." The wolf felt faint, and was on the verge of passing out from his injuries. Before he blacked out, he heard what sounded like several explosions go off around him. The coyotes stopped what they were doing. "Blast. The witch found us. Let's get out of here, boys." The pack scattered and made a run for it, leaving the wolf behind as he laid on the ground, beaten and bleeding. He caught a glimpse of something white approaching him before he finally lost consciousness.
How long was he out? Minutes? Hours? It was hard to tell. Atemis finally opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first. He was feeling pretty sore from his encounter with the Bloodfangs. Once his vision cleared, he took a look at his surroundings. He was indoors, and on a bed. There were many beds in the room, and shelves filled with medicines. It was clear to him that he was in an infirmary. He noticed his wounds were bandaged up as well. It was quiet, until he heard light footsteps heading his way. A figure showed up at the entrance. It was a fox with unique colors, and clearly a female. She was mostly viridian green, with a light tan around her paws, underside, and tip of her tail. She had brown eyes, and had a pink flower pinned behind her ear. When Atemis saw her, his heart began to flutter. She seemed to glow, like he was looking at an angel. "Good, you're finally awake," she said as she approached, making his heart beat even faster when she got close. It was clear he was infatuated with her. "You had us worried for a while. How are you feeling?" He blushed as she looked him in the eyes. Her gaze was calm and gentle.
"A little sore, but good otherwise," he stuttered a bit.
"Glad to hear. It surely would've been much worse if Valentine hadn't found you. I'm Juniper, by the way. I serve as Lunawolf's healer."
"Juniper, huh? A fitting name for such a lovely creature." He grabbed the fox's paw and kissed it. She reacted with a blush, and then giggled.
"That's very sweet of you to say. Um, what do I call you?"
"The name's Atemis. But you can call me Atty."
"A pleasure to meet you Atty. So, what brings you here?"
"I'm just a lone wanderer looking for a purpose in life, maybe something to do with helping others in need. Been on my own for about three years now."
"That's quite a noble goal to shoot for," Juniper replied. "Perhaps you would consider joining Lunawolf. We might have what you're looking for."
"Lunawolf?"
"We're a guild that sets out to make life in our quiet little town a better place. We hope to expand our borders someday and spread peace across the country, and perhaps eventually, the world. We're always looking to recruit new members, if you're at all interested." Atty thought about it for a moment before answering.
"I'll have to think about it."
"I understand. It would be great if you do, though. We could always use more brave, strapping warrior types like yourself."
"What makes you think I'm a warrior?"
"Valentine told us about how you stood up to the gang of Bloodfang bandits and took them on. You seem to hold your own pretty well, even though in the end, you were defeated." Atty chuckled nervously.
"Well, when you live on your own, you kinda have to learn to stand up for yourself and not take crap from anyone."
"In any case, you should speak to the guildmaster if you're interested. I'm sure she'd love to meet you. You'd make an excellent addition to Lunawolf." She smiled warmly. "But for now, you should rest. I'll be back to check on your wounds later."
"Okay." Juniper began to leave. But just as she was about to head out the door, a thought occurred to the wolf. "Juniper, wait a moment!" The fox turned around suddenly and waited for him to speak. He gulped as he tried to muster the courage to talk. "I was just wondering, maybe, when I'm all healed up and not under your care, perhaps if we could hang out more? Get to know each other better?"
"Atty, are you asking me for a date?" The wolf blushed and stuttered a bit.
"I mean, if you don't mind my company." The fox giggled and approached him.
"No one's ever shown any interest in me before." She blushed as well, and booped his nose with her own in a playful manner. "I'd love to." Atty's heart skipped a beat or two, and a smile came over his face as he blushed hard at her gesture. His tail began to wag a little. "Until then, my midnight wonder... au revoir."
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A few hours later...
Atty was resting, enjoying the silence and isolation during his recovery. He was about to drift off into a deep slumber, until he heard some footsteps approaching. He sat up, thinking Juniper was returning to check on him. But the figure that appeared was different. It was a female kitsune fox, white in color with blue markings along her body, and around each of her six tails that seemed to have an eye shape to them. Her eyes were like sapphires.
"Well, it's good to see you up and about," she said. "You took quite a beating from those bandits. How are you feeling?"
"Better," Atty answered. "So, who are you?"
"I'm Valentine. I'm the one who saved you from those Bloodfangs and brought you here."
"That was you?" he said, "Well, thanks a lot for that. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Val."
"The feeling's mutual. So, what's your name?"
"Atemis. You can call me Atty, though," the wolf replied. "How did you happen to find me?"
"I was doing my routine patrol through the forest, scouting for bandit activity when I heard a commotion nearby. That's when I saw you going up against a gang of those Bloodfang bandits. They were doing a number on you, so I stepped in and scared them away with some of my energy blasts."
"I didn't know kitsune had that kind of power."
"There's a lot to my kind you probably don't know about, Atty. For instance, when people think of us, they picture a fox with nine tails. But we really can have anywhere between one to nine, depending on a combination of our age, wisdom, and experience."
"Interesting. I assume you're a member of Lunawolf as well?"
"One of the first members. I know the place pretty well, so if there's anything you want to know about us or the town, I'm the one to ask. So, do you have any questions for me?"
"Just one." Atty replied. "What sort of work does the guild do?"
"Whatever people need. From general labor to fighting off bandits. If you do decide to join up with us, you should see Jewel. She keeps track of all the available jobs around town. Now, you won't be doing it for nothing, mind you, but half of what you make will go to the guild, and the rest is yours to do with as you please. If you're in need of supplies, speak to Ariel at our general store. And of course, if you're in need of healing, you should see Juniper, but you already knew that."
"Yeah. Juniper's really nice." He blushed as the fox came to his mind. That faded when he heard the kitsune chuckle at his reaction.
"You're smitten with her, aren't you?"
"What makes you say that?" Atty said sheepishly as his cheeks turned rosy.
"Just the way you said it. Your eyes tell the whole story as well. You've fallen for our healer. It's rather cute, if you ask me." The wolf chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, I just wanted to meet you formally and see how you were doing. Take care, Atemis. I hope to see you again soon." Val began to make her way out, but stopped at the door and looked behind her to meet Atty's gaze one last time. "Oh, and I hope things work out for you. Especially with June."
Atty blushed. "Thanks, Val. So do I."
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Juniper returned a few hours later to check up on Atty. She was inspecting his injuries, and was quite pleased with how they were turning out. "You appear to be healing quite nicely. That's good."
"So does that mean I don't have to stay in bed anymore?" the wolf asked. The fox nodded.
"Just try to take it easy for a few days until you make a full recovery."
"Sure thing." Atty responded. "Juniper?"
"Yes?"
"When we do go out, where would you like to go? I don't really know the place very well."
"Well, there is this restaurant I've been dying to go to. The Blue Dragon. It's a hotspot for couples, both new and old. And then there's this spot by the lake with a gorgeous view that I really like. It feels like it would be pretty romantic, to just rest my head on someone's shoulder as we watch the sunset over the horizon together. But I usually go alone. It's... pretty lonesome." She sighed, and looked down steadily. Atemis just stared for a moment.
"I've been thinking about it all day, and I believe I will join the guild. Maybe I could save up some money and take you out, maybe to the Blue Dragon, like you want. And then maybe you can show me this perfect spot by the lake if you're feeling up to it."
She looked up at him and smiled. "Sounds like a dream come true. You'd really do that just for me?"
"Absolutely." He smiled back. "But it doesn't matter to me what we do, as long as we get to do it together."
"You're right. It doesn't matter, as long as we're enjoying each other's company." She continued examining Atty's wounds, just to double check if she missed anything. "Well, I think you're all good to go. You should probably head up and speak to the guildmaster about becoming a member."
"How do I find her?"
"From here, head to the lobby just down the hall, then go up to the third floor. Straight down the hallway from there is the guildmaster's office. You'll see the sign on the door."
"Thanks, June. I'll talk to you later, then?"
The fox giggled. "Looking forward to it."
