Caffeine laid his chin on the ground and sighed as he looked up at Dearest Human. He was just sitting there with his eyes closed.

Ever since they got out of bed Dearest Human had been sitting and concentrating on something. Caffeine could feel him doing something and sometimes Dearest Human would feel happy for a bit so whatever he was doing must be a good thing.

But it had been sooo long. Plus, Dearest Human had forgotten Breakfast!

It must be a very good thing if it was more important than Breakfast!

Caffeine sighed.

The sun was warm on his back and Caffeine decided that he could take a nap while he waited. Sunny Naps were the best!

His back got too warm so Caffeine rolled over. Warm sun on his belly was almost as good as a belly rub.

He opened his eyes when his belly got cold. Caffeine saw the sun had hidden behind the trees and he rolled over and got up.

After a goooood stretch, Caffeine walked over to Dearest Human, his tail wagged as he looked at him. Dearest Human was the best!

Caffeine sniffed at Dearest Human. He still smelled like concentrating. Caffeine sighed and crawled gently onto Dearest Human's lap. "Another nap sounds good."

Dearest Humans hands pet him as he lay down and Caffeine rolled over for the belly rubs. "Belly rub naps are the best!"

Caffeine woke up and Dearest Human had stopped petting. He still smelled like busy so Caffeine sighed and climbed into his new bed inside Dearest Humans coat. It was always the perfect size for cozy naps. Though he did poke his nose out, in case something needed barking at.

Then he was back home, with both Dearest Humans! They were chasing him back and forth from room to room, while Caffeine carried his favorite squeaky toy!

He ran and ran so good! He couldn't help the happy cries that came from him. He had missed other Dearest Human so much! They both made the happy sounds while they chased him until Caffeine had to rest and then he got two belly rubs at the same time!

Before he could fall asleep they suddenly had chicken! So much chicken! Both Dearest Humans gave him bite after bite, it was the best!

Then Caffeine got more excited and the chicken vanished! Both Dearest Humans faded away into the dark! Caffeine cried out for them… and opened his eyes.

"Oh… it was the sleeping fun."

Caffeine sighed. Sleeping fun was nice but now other Dearest Human was far away again. Caffeine missed other Dearest Human… but it was good to play with him, even in sleeping time.

And now the chicken was gone… Caffeine sighed and then sniffed again.

"Chicken! I smell chicken!" He climbed out of his cozy bed and sniffed at the air.

"I smell… grass, sticks, the sneaky dog, water, something interesting over there and over there, ToughStrong coming closer, and… Chicken!" He turned and watched ToughStrong walking out of the trees. "Hi ToughStrong!" He yipped. "Chicken? Chicken!" His feet were dancing with excitement and he checked if Dearest Human was excited but he was still sitting and thinking very hard.

"Hi Caff." ToughStrong said as he stopped in front of Caffeine. "You being a good boy?"

"I am a good boy!" Caffeine barked. "Chicken!"

ToughStrong smiled at Caffeine but then frowned at Dearest Human. "He is still working on it huh?"

Caffeine wasn't listening, he was too busy staring at the paper bag that smelled very very much like Chicken!

ToughStrong made a happy sound and lifted the bag. "You want some chicken, don't you."

Caffeine couldn't stand still, it smelled so good!

"I brought this for Stanley." ToughStrong said and set the bag next to Dearest Human.

"Dearest Humans Chicken!?" Caffeine felt very very sad. He licked the bag. Sooo good! But Dearest Human needed to have dinner too!

Caffeine lay down and stared at the bag in front of his nose.

It wasn't toooo sad… Dearest Human would share his dinner. He always shared. Dearest Human was the best!

But… he wasn't eating yet! He was only thinking very hard, not eating the chicken!

"And I brought this for you, Caff." ToughStrong said his name and Caffeine managed to glance away from the chicken to look at him. Only for an instant in case the chicken tried to escape!

Then Caffeine froze before jumping to his feet. "Chicken!"

ToughStrong pulled a giant piece of chicken from a bag behind him and held it out to Caffeine! It was almost as big as Dearest Human and had a crunchy stick inside it!

ToughStrong was the Best Human!

Caffeine danced anxiously as he waited for the Best Human to set it down. He did and Caffeine hesitated. "Dearest Human should eat with me. We always eat together…"

Caffeine cried a little bit as he looked at Dearest Human and then at the Chicken, and back at Dearest Human and back…

"Maybe just a small bite… Dearest Human might be thinking for a long long time after all…"

Caffeine decided.

Just one small bite.

He took a small bite of the tiny piece of chicken. It was sooo good!

ToughStrong smelled like surprised and then amused.

Caffeine opened his eyes and the chicken was all gone!

ToughStrong made a happy noise and gave Caffeine a friendly head scratch. "I'll bring you two drumsticks tomorrow Caff."

Caffeine whined sadly. The chicken was all gone! It had been such a tiny piece after all…

"That's what happens when you swallow the whole thing in one bite." He patted Caffeine as he said mostly not words. "You even swallowed the bone!"

Caffeine looked at ToughStrong when he mentioned a bone but there were no bones. He sighed and laid down to stare at Dearest Humans chicken.

"I have to get back." ToughStrong stood up after another head scratch. "We aren't that far away, Caff. If you want to come by and see your friends, maybe play with the children…"

Caffeine looked at him. "Come, Play?" He looked at Dearest Human and whined before laying his head down again.

"I understand." ToughStrong said something. "You're a good boy Caff. Take care of him, okay."

Caffeine watched ToughStrong run away and disappear behind the trees. He sighed. "I am a good boy."

Caffeine guarded Dearest Humans' dinner diligently for a very long time. But he kept getting thirstier and thirstier until he decided to go find the water he could smell somewhere nearby. Dearest Human had forgotten to bring his nice water bowl when they left the rumbly place, but Caffeine understood, after all, he had forgotten it too until just now!

First though he did a circuit around the area to check for danger or scary things. Everything was the same so he followed his nose to a giant lake. It was a dangerous and deadly place. The water looked almost too wide to jump over and Caffeine was sure that if he fell in it would be deep enough to kill him outright.

He crept carefully to the edge and leaned down. The water smelled strange… He took a taste. It was spicy… Caffeine thought about it as he licked his lips. He decided it was a good spicy. Very interesting. He drank until a small thing sitting on top of the water started croaking at him.

"Hi there!" Caffeine woofed. "Are you…" The croaking thing tried to lick him and Caffeine had to jump aside. "Your tongue is very long!" It tried again.

Caffeine circled around the big lake, jumping forwards to grab a few slurps in between tongue strikes. "You're very good at playing catch." Caffeine complimented the croaker.

Eventually Caffeine had enough to drink and went back to continue guarding Dearest Human. Also he remembered that he was supposed to be guarding the Chicken!

There was a loud noise and Caffeine arrived to find the Chicken safe and unharmed.

"Can't believe I forgot the Chicken!" Caffeine huffed. He looked over at the sneaky dog that was still hiding under a tree. "Thank you for not eating Dearest Humans dinner." He didn't respond but that was okay. "He must be shy." Caffeine realized. He did smell like fear and worried all of a sudden… "Do you want to play chase?" Caffeine woofed at him. Playing always made him happy after all. "I can play if we stay close to Dearest Human."

The shy dog didn't respond but he did run away. Caffeine sighed and walked over to smell his hiding spot. It smelled interesting and he hoped he would come back to play later so Caffeine could smell him better. And it would be fun to play while he took care of Dearest Human.

Much later, after a very very long time, Caffeine decided that Dearest Human wouldn't stop his hard thinking by himself. The light was almost gone and it was getting colder so Caffeine climbed onto Dearest Humans lap and started licking his face. That was the best way to wake him up because while sometimes he was grouchy when he woke up, a good face licking would usually bring some happy sounds and that was good!

"Gah! Caff!" Dearest Human finally opened his eyes! "Ahh, stop!" He wiped his face with his hand. "Why is my face so wet! Oh…" Dearest Human picked up the bag of chicken!

Caffeine sat down in front of him. He was a good boy!

"Did Nate come by?" Caffeine scooted closer, though he was already as close as he could get. "Have you been keeping watch, Caff?"

Caffeine wagged his tail as Dearest Human opened the bag and stuck his hand inside. "Yes! Yes! Chicken!"

Dearest Human pulled out a piece of chicken and Caffeine froze as it hovered in the air, it's destination unknown. Then it moved towards him and Caffeine grabbed it! Sooo Good!

Another piece came out of the bag and Caffeine held his breath. Dearest Humans stomach made a hungry sound as the Chicken moved to Caffeine and he froze with indecision. "Dearest Human is hungry too!"

Caffeine had eaten one small piece earlier… but that was sooo long ago. Ages and ages. He looked at Dearest Humans belly and whined.

"Okay Caff." Dearest Human chuckled and ate the Chicken. Then another piece came from the bag… and came to him! Caffeine gobbled it up.

Dearest Human made the happy sounds and patted his lap. "Come on Caff. Let's go inside while we eat. I'm so fucking tired."

Caffeine jumped into his lap and sniffed at the bag while Dearest Human made them move into the air.

"I think I'm making progress, Caff." He handed a piece of Chicken to Caffeine. "My Soul is getting better." He ate a piece of chicken. "It's just so slow." He made frustrated noises and gave Caffeine another piece. "At least it seems to be leveling my Skills and my Class…" He ate another piece.

Dearest Human made lots of noises while they ate chicken and when it was gone they had somehow gotten inside and on the bed. He got under the cozy blankets and held them up for Caffeine.

Caffeine wanted to stand guard but Dearest Human seemed sad so he crawled under and cuddled with his legs. Dearest Human liked that.

Caffeine waited until Dearest Human was asleep and carefully crawled out of the warm snuggly place. He curled up on top instead. Bad things had hurt Dearest Human before and Caffeine wouldn't let them do it again.

When Dearest Human started making sad noises and smelling like frightened and hurting, Caffeine crawled closer and licked his face. "It is okay now, Dearest Human. I will make the scary things run away." He huffed quietly and laid his head on Dearest Human's chest. The frightened and hurting faded and Dearest Human rested until it happened again. Caffeine reassured him again and the long dark passed slowly.

Only one something tried to approach in the dark. Caffeine heard it coming and Growled at it. "No!"

It froze and Dearest Human stirred and mumbled something. Caffeine rested his head back on Dearest Human's chest and huffed quietly. "I will be quiet…"

The 'something' outside ran away very fast and Caffeine closed his eyes. "Good."

The light eventually came back outside and Dearest Human woke up with a smile and some happy sounds followed by a wonderful belly rub that turned into the best nap ever!

When he woke up Dearest Human was sitting outside and thinking very hard again. The warm sun was shining on his belly and after a quick sniffing, Caffeine dozed off again.

He woke up when he smelled the sneaky dog again. He was still hiding under the far away trees and not wanting to play so Caffeine ignored him until he left again.

He had lots of good, warm, snuggly naps.

Another trip to the spicy water and his new friend Croaker. He had lots of fun playing keep away with Croaker and then had another nap.

Much later, after a very long time, he smelled it!

Chicken!

Caffeine was sitting very excited and obedient when ToughStrong walked out of the trees. "Chicken!"

"Hi Caff!" ToughStrong smiled and lifted two huge Chicken sticks! "As promised."

He tossed one and Caffeine gobbled up the tiny snack and stared at the other. ToughStrong laughed and sat down next to Dearest Human. He pulled small pieces of Chicken off the big one and handed them to Caffeine who ate them happily.

"Hi Stanley." He handed a piece to Caffeine.

"Still going at it?" Another piece.

"We're doing pretty good over there." Bite, good! "We haven't seen anymore Undead since that day." Yummy!

"I'm not sure what to expect on that front. Did we hurt them enough that they are afraid… or are they just waiting for the right moment…" Chicken!

"I didn't think dealing with people could be so tiring. I almost would prefer the Undead at this point." Happiness sounds and Chicken!

"But no… I don't really mean that." Bite!

"As tiring as it is, it's rewarding." Chicken!

"Zeke still wants to come see you but Eve goes on a tirade and won't let him leave." Yummy!

"I think she is still shook up from the attack and the way they went after her brother." Chicken!

"Not that I blame her… that girl took a beating trying to protect him." Sad… and Chicken!

ToughStrong kept making sounds but Caffeine ignored him and stared at each piece of Chicken as it leapt into his mouth. And then it was all gone! Caffeine helped ToughStrong clean his hands and then lay down to stare at the paper bag with Dearest Human's Dinner.

"It feels like too many people just immediately forgot about the danger and the need to cooperate…" ToughStrong smelled sad and tired.

"Out of sight, out of mind, I guess." Caffeine gave the Best Human a comforting lick. "It will be okay, Best Human. Chicken makes everything good!"

ToughStrong stood up. "Good talk, Stan." He smelled tired with a little bit of hurting. "You too, Caff." Dearest Human was being too loud and hurting him… Caffeine gave him another lick. "Dearest Human doesn't mean to hurt you! Sometimes he might step on you or sit on you, but he is always sorry."

"You're a good boy, Caff." ToughStrong walked away and Caffeine settled in for the long, hard, dangerous job of guarding Dearest Human's dinner.

A very long time later, Caffeine had to remind Dearest Human to eat dinner and go to bed. Dearest Human was the best and shared his dinner!

Caffeine kept away the scary dark until the light came back.

"I think I need to let my Soul rest and heal a bit today." Dearest Human said words while he gave Caffeine a sunny belly rub. Dearest Human was suddenly quieter and smaller.

"I'll practice shielding today, so I won't be completely out of it if you want to go run around." Caffeine yawned and closed his eyes while Dearest Human made his rumbly noises.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

His warm sunny nap was suddenly interrupted by a new dog!

"Fight! Attack! Challenge!" The dog howled.

Caffeine jumped up and looked at the dog. "New friend?"

"A wolf? Seems a bit hostile… but weak. Kinda surprising it would approach… maybe my shield is working better than I thought?" Dearest Human smelled worried and afraid while he said things but he calmed down as he pet Caffeine. "Do you wanna go play with him, Caff?" He was smiling at Caffeine when he said the 'play' word.

Caffeine took a few steps and looked back at Dearest Human who only smiled and waved. "Go play. You're a good boy and you earned some time off. I'll be fine."

"Go Play!" Caffeine took off and ran to meet the new friend. "Hi there! Let's be best friends!"

"Challenge! Fight!" The dog growled and charged.

"Chase! Fun!" Caffeine yipped and started running away. "Chase! Chase!"

The dog just missed Caffeine and snapped at his heels with its teeth as it went by. Caffeine banked into a turn and raced past again. "Chase! Fun!"

His new friend growled and charged after him. They sprinted around and around until Caffeine got thirsty and ran to get some water. He ran up to the spicy water and got a quick drink before Croaker could react and start trying to lick him.

"This is Croaker." Caffeine explained to his new friend as he sprinted past. "He likes to play chase with his tongue." He dodged the tongue and chased after the other dog.

"What's your name? I'm Caff Caffeine!" He accidentally bumped into his new friend as he ran past and the dog tumbled in the grass. "Oops."

"I have two names, just like Dearest Human!" He swerved and the dog raced past him with snapping teeth. "Is your name Chase Friend?"

"I will be Beast Lord!" The dog snarled as it chased him.

"That sounds like a good name!" Caffeine replied. "Isn't chasing the best, Beast Lord?" Caffeine panted happily as he sprinted away. Chasing really was the best!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A massive gray wolf lay prone in the scrub bushes, her form still and nearly invisible as she lay and watched the Humans in and around their dwelling. The wind brought to her the scents and sounds of the bipeds and her keen eyes tracked their movements.

Cunning Fang was not impressed. Many of the Humans were weak and scared, their senses dull as they scurried around, oblivious to her presence. There were a few, however, that…

A distant wolf howled and an ear twitched as she listened. "That sounds like…"

A Human had stopped and was looking towards the sound of the howling. His head turned as he scanned the area and his gaze slowed as it neared the wolf's hiding spot. "That one is dangerous." Cunning Fang observed. It had a much better sense of its surroundings and she was pretty sure that it had felt her eyes on it.

A shadow next to the wolf darkened and spread wider until a pitch black wolf rose up from it and crouched down next to her. "Night Shadow." She greeted her mate.

"Quick Bite is challenging the Beast Lord." He didn't waste any time and immediately sank back into the shadows and headed away from the Humans.

Cunning Fang took one last look at the darker skinned Human that was still carefully scanning the area, and then she slunk away and followed after her Mate.

She didn't move very quickly as the Humans were thick in the area and she did not wish to be discovered. Once she was further from the Humans, her mate rose from the shadows ahead and fell in alongside as she traveled.

"I have found the source of the clear air." She told him. "It is a Human."

Night Shadow growled in displeasure. "So we cannot simply drive them away?"

"No… the Human is creating this sanctuary, we will have to avoid them or else search for another place to go."

"We could have claimed that Lair." He huffed. "It would have protected us. Now we will have to fight for this clean land against everything else that will want it."

"The Lair was a trap." She told him, and not for the first time. "We would have gained some power and protection yes, but we would have traded our freedom for it." She remembered the voice, the same one that started this. It had granted her new and greater understandings of herself and the world around her. Cunning Fang would not waste that gift but she also would not give up her freedom.

"I watched the Humans hunting birds inside a Lair near here. I do not wish for our pack to be trapped and hunted down like rodents at the bottom of their burrow."

"I don't fear the Humans!" Night Shadow growled.

"You should." She snapped at him. "We are outnumbered. While many of them are still weak, they grow more powerful every light cycle. Plus it is not only the Humans, the Corrupted are growing in number as well."

He only growled as he dropped into the shadow of a tree and emerged beneath another further ahead. Cunning Fang followed silently after him.

"What of the Beast Lord?" She asked when she had caught up. "You have seen him before, will he kill Quick Bite?"

"I do not know." He growled, sounding frustrated. "He is as Mad as the Human he follows around like a tamed pet! I do not know what his intentions are or even what his true strength is… He runs around begging for scraps from the Humans like a weak cub and the next moment he forces a bear to yield to him or moves faster than my eyes can see."

"He even taunts me by calling out to me when I am hidden beyond the light." He snarled angrily.

Then the sounds of Quick Bite snarling and another beast barking and howling, filtered through the trees ahead. Cunning Fang slowed and ducked into the underbrush as Night Shadow fell into the darkness and vanished.

Eventually she was crouched next to her mate where he hid in the shadows under a tree. "Foolish pup!" She growled as they watched one of their cubs chasing the Beast Lord around the woods.

"Quick Bite is still too impulsive." Her mate agreed. "The Beast Lord only taunts him for now but what will we do when he tires of the game?"

"No…" Cunning Fang told him quietly, as she observed, disbelieving. "He does not taunt Quick Bite… he is playing…"

"What?" Night Shadow was doubtful. "But he is running away and does not bite back."

The duo sprinted near their hiding place and the Beast Lord looked right at them both. "Hi, New Friends! You can Chase too!" His small form blurred suddenly to dodge Quick Bite. "More Chasing is more Fun!" The Beast Lord howled happily as he ran further away, Quick Bite still hot on his heels.

Cunning Fang watched them go, stunned and confused. Was the Beast Lord sick as Night Shadow claimed? He didn't smell of madness, only happy and excited… Though Night Shadow was right about him pretending to be weak. Except for that dodge… "He behaves as a young pup." She murmured. "But how strong…"

The Beast Lord slid to a stop when Quick Bite finally grew tired and fell behind. As the small Beast lifted his head to howl, a great striped cat leapt from the brush behind him and shot towards his exposed back in a blur.

Cunning Fang had an instant to realize that the cat was a powerful threat that exceeded her own strength. The cat roared. "Die! Worthless…"

Many things happened in that instant.

A pulse of fear crashed against her and before she could do more than recognize the feeling, it was gone. And replaced by imminent Death.

A human appeared in the air above them, the debris of shattered trees floating lazily in the silent stillness between heartbeats as the Human immediately started killing them.

The Human was not angry with them, not afraid, it was only here to remove something that might potentially be a threat. Something that had startled it.

She felt the Humans fangs sinking into her throat. No chance to fight back. No chance to run. Only Death.

Then, as abruptly as it started, it was suddenly over.

Sound rushed back in with a roaring boom of wind and breaking trees. The Beast Lord was howling at the Human. "Don't hurt my Friends! We are only Playing!"

Cunning Fang blinked against the rushing wind and struggled to focus past the stinging pain in her throat and onto the sight of the Beast Lord. He now towered over her, one paw resting on the cat's head as it thrashed angrily but helplessly beneath him. "Definitely hiding his power… I didn't even see him move…"

The Human above them was no longer trying to kill them, but no longer calm either… She could now understand why her mate had called him Mad. He radiated a cacophony of emotions, strongest of which were fear and anger, with the anger slowly winning out over the fear as he looked down at the cat and then around at the rest of them.

His glowing gaze struck her like a physical blow full of frantic madness. Then his gaze shifted to her side and the fear shifted further into an angry promise of violence and death.

"Show yourself! Now!" Cunning Fang snapped at Night Shadow and dropped to her belly as her mate appeared out of the darkness and lay beside her. She winced at the smell of her own blood and the sting of pain from her neck.

The Humans anger faltered and shifted into surprise, then fear and uncertainty. "He is like a wounded predator caught in a trap. Confused and in pain, snapping at anything that gets close."

"You should not scare Dearest Human." The Beast Lord's growl pulled her attention and the Humans gaze from them and back to the cat who was growling and hissing at the giant beast standing on its head.

"...Kill you dumb…" The cat roared.

Anger surged high and the Beast Lord suddenly leapt up into the Humans arms and started licking his face and whining sadly. The Humans anger faltered until the cat stood, she saw a bloody wound on its neck, and then it roared up at the Beast Lord… and immediately slammed face first into the ground with an echoing boom. The Human floated slowly to the ground, anger replacing his fear and sharpening into a deadly promise.

He started to walk towards the Beast as it struggled back to its feet, snarling and hissing at him the whole time.

"You think I'm scared of you?" The Human said something. "Caff is too nice. He wants to be friends with everyone." He stepped right in front the roaring cat that was now towering over him and looked up into its face. "Try me." He took another step forward and the cat stepped back. It looked surprised and tensed up as it opened its mouth to…

Another Human sprinted into the small clearing. It was the darker skinned one, the dangerous one, even now his hands and feet glowed with deadly power. His gaze swept the area and settled on the giant cat.

The cat roared at the new Human and took a step.

The Beast Lord was very suddenly in front of the cat. "If you attack Best Human…" The Beast Lord grew in size. "...then we can't be Friends." Bigger and bigger until he loomed over the cat. "Are you a Not Friend?" His growl faded away and even the wind rustling in the trees seemed to pause as the weight of his question settled onto the striped cat.

"The Beast Lord finally shows his teeth." Cunning Fang thought.

The cat submitted. It sat down and then sprawled onto its side in the sunlight, yawning as if it was simply out here enjoying a warm nap in the light.

"Sooo…" The other Human slowly relaxed as he glanced around at everyone.

The Beast Lord trotted over to Quick Bite who was sprawled in the clearing, either unconscious or pretending to be, and licked him with a whine. Quick Bite bounced to his feet and yelped as he sprinted to his mother.

"Pretending." Cunning Fang huffed at him as he cowered behind her. "Have you come to your senses now Quick Bite?"

The Beast Lord dashed to his Human who had gone suddenly silent. He had his eyes closed and was no longer radiating any feelings. Though she did catch a whiff of his scent and it still carried the bite of anger and fear. The scent changed and shifted as he took the Beast Lord in his arms and stroked his fur while getting a thorough face cleaning.

"I do not think he is a pet." She remarked softly to her mate who huffed in agreement. "But he does seem to have a pet Human…"

Cunning Fang had understood enough when the world changed, had known on an instinctual level that she and her pack would have to fight much harder to survive. But along with the new dangers, came options and opportunities to become stronger, or faster, as Quick Bite had chosen. Or to gain new incredible abilities like her mate now had.

Cunning Fang had leapt at the opportunity to increase her intelligence and understanding, something that had served her and the pack well through many winters and she had gotten what she wanted. She had sacrificed greater personal strength for new knowledge and it was well worth it, a small price to preserve her pack through this changing world, to lead her away from the trap of the Lairs and to find this clean place.

The Beast Lord hadn't chosen knowledge, but power. He had claimed a Human, had bound it to himself and only cared about protecting that Human. "And his... Friends."

The Beast Lord leapt from his Human's arms and ran to the other Human. Where he started pawing at the man's legs and whining while trying to sniff his pockets.

"The Beast Lord could rule us all, could force the pack to follow and obey, but he only wants Friends…" She still wasn't sure what to make of him. He acted like a puppy and yet when it mattered he faced the threat without fear. "...we will be your Friends." Some of the pack would balk at this but she didn't care. If any objected too strongly she would send them to the Beast Lord, to play… Chase.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stanley watched Caffeine trying to get snacks from Nate and smiled slightly. He glanced at the Tiger, still unsure how obedient it would be. The damn thing's Soul had switched from straight up murderous to completely relaxed and chill so fast that Stanley had trouble believing it. "Cats…"

"I didn't bring any chicken Caff, sorry." Nate tried to console the pug.

Stanly glanced at the Wolves. The one that had hidden in the shadows had been a surprise. He'd only gotten a flicker of its Soul before it showed itself. The other one, the big one, had an intelligence in its eyes and its Soul. "How much can animals change… how smart can they get?"

Stanley sighed and floated himself over to Nate, still holding up his Soul shield to avoid blasting the man with his damaged Soul. "Thanks for looking out Nate."

"Glad I wasn't needed." Nate smiled at him. "Was a bit worried that the Undead had come back… I should head back and let everyone know that we're good." He looked at Stanley and cocked his head. "Your shield is great. I can't feel anything. You should come with me, back to the base, say hi to your friends."

Stanley shook his head. "I don't need to…"

"Caffeine can come and get some chicken…" Nate grinned at the dog and then at Stanley when he saw his resolve weakening. "You don't have to stay." He added. "But at least join us for lunch."

"I can't stay." Stanley told him. "I can't hold this shield when I sleep."

Nate smiled wider, knowing he'd won. "No problem. Let's go, I'll race you!"

Stanley floated calmly and slowly into the sky and towards the base while Nate blurred in that direction, only to be thrown into the air by the shockwave of Caffeine passing him.

Stanley took his time, making sure he kept the shield going. When he arrived there was a small crowd of people with Caffeine barking and sprinting happily back and forth as he greeted his friends.

He saw Zeke in the crowd and standing protectively behind him was Eve, her eyes focused away from the dog and watching for any incoming threats. As he approached, Eve turned to face him and glanced at his face, making eye contact briefly.

When she looked into his eyes, Stanley felt a jolt of something from her Soul and at the same time a shiny metal contraption popped up on her shoulder and shot him!

The bolt of light hit him so unexpectedly and out of nowhere that he didn't even try to block it. It slammed into his chest with a slightly bruising impact but that was all. He didn't even lose his Soul shield.

"Eve!" Zeke shouted and Stanley felt her Soul flare with fear and embarrassment but he was distracted and rubbing at his chest. There was definitely a bruise, a rapidly fading bruise, thanks to his Regeneration, but his coat was completely undamaged. "Walter really made me something special here…"

"Are you okay?" Zeke rushed up to him with golden light glowing on his hands and tried to place them on his chest.

"I'm fine Zeke." He caught the boy's hands and smiled at the soothing warmth that came with his ability. "Thanks anyway."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Zeke gushed. "I mean after… before…"

Stanley felt his Soul bounce around a myriad of emotions, likely remembering the battle, before settling back on happy.

"We were worried when you didn't come back but then Nate said you were okay but we couldn't go see you because your Soul was…"

Stanley held up his hands to stop the flood. "I'm glad your okay too Zeke. That was a pretty bad day."

Zeke nodded. "Yea… Eve, she…" His face paled and his eyes started to shimmer with unshed tears.

Eve chose that moment to approach. "Stanley." She stated. "Sorry." She growled it out like it hurt to say. "It's supposed to detect threats and defend me. Might be some more bug fixing to do."

"Relax Eve." Stanley smiled at her. "It's completely normal. Happens to people all the time."

She glared at him.

"You know… You get a little too excited and suddenly…" The machine on her shoulder popped up again and a small barrel spun to point at his face.

"I'll shoot you again." She growled out. "On purpose this time."

Stanley laughed and held up his hands.

Eve stepped closer and grabbed his jacket lapel. "What is this made out of?"

"No idea." Stanley told her. "It was made by a man named Walter, a butler… I think?"

She glared at him, again.

"Seriously! He was grateful that I saved someone!"

Her glare faded and she turned her head a little too quickly to look for Zeke. Stanley felt the spike of fear and pain, and the small relief when she laid eyes on her brother, still safe and sound.

She turned back to Stanley and released her grip on his jacket. Her eyes met his for a moment and he nodded, understanding what she couldn't say. The look in her eyes was far too familiar. He didn't know what had happened here during the battle, but it had obviously been bad.

The crowd broke up as people returned to their duties and Stanley finally got a good look at the base. It was impressive how much they had improved in such a short time.

The walls were no longer just stacked containers, now they looked like true armor with deadly looking downward pointing spikes all over. There was a small gate at one point and it was guarded by a small squad of people wearing crude armor and wielding swords and shields. More guards could be seen patrolling atop the walls, their attention focused outwards and looking for threats.

Nate was with the gate guards and he waved Stanley over when he saw him watching.

"What do you think we can expect from the Wolves and that Tiger?" He asked when Stanley approached.

"The Wolves felt like they were okay with everything at the end there. As for the Tiger…" Stanley trailed off. "I don't really know… fucking cats. It might come here and just try to scare people or it might actually attack, or it might just stay away." He shrugged. "It depends how well Caff cowed it I guess."

Nate didn't seem to like that answer and neither did any of the guards.

"If you see it or the Wolves, just don't attack first." Stanley said. "I think they all came either for the Purified area or… to fight Caff? I think?" He shook his head. "If any of them start shit, I'll kill them. Or you can Nate."

"I'll spread the word." Nate said unhappily.

Zeke eventually dragged Stanley inside for lunch where he could hear the squeals and screams of excited children. "Caff is having fun."

The lunch was nice and Caffeine got more food than anyone by begging unashamedly from every single person he could. The only dark spot was when a young man approached him and started yammering on about something.

"So you finally came crawling back!" Stanley ignored the first bit, thinking it was for someone else. "You're lucky I'm such a forgiving man." The voice was right behind him and Stanley turned around.

"Who are you?" Stanley didn't recognize him.

"I…" The man stuttered a bit. "I'm the one you attacked with that cheap shot when you wanted to steal all the loot!"

Stanley still had no idea until Eve leaned across the table. "He threatened to light Caff on fire." She helpfully supplied.

Stanley managed to keep his Soul shield going but it was a close call. "I…" He was tempted to break the man's legs again but he heard Caffeine whine from across the room and saw him standing upright on his back legs with his front feet just up to the top of a table. His gaze was jumping from Stanley to the chicken in someone's hand.

"He couldn't have hurt Caffeine if he tried." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about attacking you." Stanley held out his hand. "Thanks for helping out here and protecting people."

The man smiled and accepted his handshake. "He ran away when the Raid Leader was about to kill us." Eve supplied, this time with a glare.

"Does she want me to kill him?" Stanley wondered.

"I couldn't hurt it at my Rank!" The man protested. "I went to help with the weaker monsters."

"Sure…" Eve drawled.

"But now that I'm E Rank, I could easily kill that monster." Stanley dropped his hand. "He's still an idiot."

"It's good that you apologized." He said smugly. "I was worried I'd have to teach you a lesson."

CU…

"No. That would get blood all over me… I'll kill him outside!" He saw Eve looking at him with an evil grin on her face. "I hope his fighting ability is at least decent. For the poor people who have to put up with him."

He glared at Eve. "You'll pay for this." She just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey!" The idiot said loudly. "No flirting with my girl!"

There was a flash of light and he fell back with a yell of pain.

Eve climbed up and walked over the table towards him, her shoulder weapon pointing at him and one arm raised to point at him. Some kind of gauntlet around her wrist glowing brighter by the second and covered with gun barrels. "What did I tell you, Kyle?" She asked him cooly.

"I was joking!" He scrambled backwards on all fours.

"Did I make an exception for jokes?" Her blasters glowed brighter.

"No! I'm sorry! Won't happen again!" He sounded desperate now.

"Good!" Eve smiled at him and he smiled back until he noticed that the glows were still growing brighter.

"Wait!" He scrambled to his feet, still backing away.

"Tsk, Tsk." Eve shook her head. "You kept forgetting, remember? So I told you that every time you forget I'll have to shoot you one extra time to help your memory."

Kyle turned and ran for the door. He was about to turn the corner when a flash of light zipped into his ass. He screamed and toppled out of sight. Eve smiled, walked back to her seat and continued eating.

Stanley smiled and enjoyed the rest of his meal.

Outside later that evening, Nate strolled over as he waited for Caffeine to finish his rounds. He stood silently for a few minutes, just watching the sunset.

"It's good to occasionally take some time to relax." Nate finally said. "To see why, what and who we are fighting for."

Stanley nodded. It was good. Sometimes the smiles were extra bright.