At the border that connected all three states and towns together, there was a park. Kai and Taiyo were nervously trying to exchange their contacts, but neither were able to make the first move. Wu and Kinto were watching from the side lines, Wu buried in the ground with only his head sticking out. “God, could they take any longer…” Wu complained.

“Shush, you blew our cover last time cause you can’t contain yourself.” Kinto stated. Taiyo then made the first move by holding out the paper with her phone number on it.

Kai nervously took it and placed the paper he was holding in her wings. Taiyo walked away as Kai walked over to Kinto & Wu. “Took you long enough, I thought I was gonna sprout roots with how long you were-” Wu was shut up by Kai stepping on his face.

Kai stared at the number on the slip of paper, taking a slow and long breath, he exhaled, “Woooo… This is really something ain’t it.” Kai’s eyes seemed to trace the numbers over and over.

“Yeah, the heir to the Silver Wolf Pack falling for someone from the Golden Phoenix Flock.” Wu replied, muffled as Kai stood on his face.

The words ‘Golden Phoenix Flock’ hit Kai’s ears and snapped him from his stupor. “She was a what?” Kai asked, lifting his foot from Wu’s face.

Kinto then replied, “She was from the Golden Phoenix Flock… Did… Did you not notice that…?” Kinto seemed baffled that Kai never noticed that Taiyo was from the Golden Phoenix Flock.

“N-no…” Kai muttered out, as he lowered his ears.

Kinto & Wu stared at Kai for a solid minute before Wu burst out laughing, his teeth barred in a fit of laughter.

Wu’s laughter echoed loudly before his voice slowly began to teeter until he passed out. Kai looked down at Wu before hearing Kinto fall over. Kai looked at Kinto’s unconscious form and pieced together what was happening. “Grandpa, you really have to get control over that thing Alpha’s do.” Kai stated as he looked over at his grandfather Gin, who was stepping out of a car with dozens of other guards nearby.

“Ugh, tell me about it, I have to send Minos to get me anything cause this generation is just too weak. Like you.” Gin said with a smile, before blocking a sudden front kick from Kai.

Kai then replied with an almost playful tone, “Care to repeat that, you old fart?”

Gin grinned widely as he repeated himself, “This generation is just too weak. Just. Like. You.” Gin then blocked a fast overhead kick, before going fully one defense, blocking Kai’s fast barrage kicks and punches with one arm. “Hahaha! Is this all you have to offer!?” Gin taunted.

Kai bit his finger and threw a high kick that also threw dust into Gin’s face. Gin blew it away before he had to catch a severed finger launched at him at the speed of a bullet. “A finger?” Gin asked himself before he groaned suddenly and sharply, as Kai had planted a strong kick to his gut.

“Can’t block everything can ya, you old fart?” Kai asked with a smile. Kai then felt something off, moving back, when his foot touched the ground. Every inch of it was in serious pain as if the bones had crumbled to dust. “What?” Kai asked as he fell over.

“Did you think I’d let you get a hit in? Nope. Now then…” Gin then reached into Kai’s pocket to pull out the paper he was handed by Taiyo. “Seems Ino was right, you got a number.” Gin had a proud look on his face as he placed the paper back. “You met someone didn’t you?”

Kai’s face blushed. “Whaaaat, noooo- yes! I met this girl, she was cute and everything and… her favorite drink is strawberry milkshakes, just like me!”

“You love that drink too much.”

“I’d rather die than give it up… Grandpa, when you met grandma, how did you know she was one?”

Gin looked at Kai for a moment before sitting down right next to them and looked up at the stars. “Your grandmother, when I met her the sparks started, deep down I felt like I knew she might be the one even after she slapped me so hard I crashed into a wall, I asked her out on a date and the next thing I knew and got to be with her, I married her, had your father with her, and loved her with my heart… the day I lost her was the worst day of my life… You just have to listen to your heart no matter what if you think this is the one.” Gin had a supporting smile. “So, who is she anyway? Anyone we might know?”

Kai’s smile of compassion changed to an uneasy and panicked look. He thought this to himself. ‘Shit, he will NOT like this, welp, better do what Mom told, to avoid a shitshow, lie.’ He then turned to his grandfather. “I think I should keep her a surprise for now.”

“Oooooooh, I get it, you don’t want me to embarrass you.” Gin said playfully. “Well then enjoy your privacy until I find out. Oh also you’re grounded.”

Kai then swore, “Dammit! Can I at least get her phone number back?!” Kai said, reaching for the number as Gin held it away from his reach.

*****

Flying above the clouds, Taiyo was doing the same thing, she was staring at the phone number with fluffed up feathers as she returned to her home city. ‘He was so cute, his muzzle was so handsome, and his fur looked like silver…’ Taiyo’s mind then began to piece together that Kai was a Silver Wolf. ‘Just… Like the… Silver Wolves…’ Taiyo’s eyes opened wide as she began to sweat. “Oh crud…”

Taiyo floated mid-air and began biting her arm feathers like it was a nervous habit. ‘My family will never accept this! They’ll freak out if they find out! I’ll never be allowed anywhere again!!’ Taiyo thought as she had a mental panic attack, ashes forming from her feathers as she preened herself aggressively.

Out of startlement, the young teen phoenix then felt a cold wind on her back. Taiyo then used magic to reignite her ashes and formed a massive fireball with Taiyo at the center. But then in an instant, the fire was put out by a chilling word filled with power. “Freeze.”

Air itself froze around Taiyo and caused her to fall with her now iced clothing. Taiyo landed in the arms, or wings, of Kori. Who immediately began to nuzzle her granddaughter. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, grandbaby!” Kori squeed as Taiyo pushed her away.

“Grandma! Don’t scare me like that! I could’ve roasted the town by mistake.” Taiyo stated as she pushed her grandmother away, unable to get free of Kori’s over-affectionate behavior.

Kori continued to nuzzle her grand-daughter. “Well, you've made me worry. You vanished without a trace. I had to give Junfuku a proper punishment.” Kori replied with a joyful tone.

“Punishment?” Taiyo asked, Kori then pointed down to the ground, where Taiyo could see Shirokane and her grandmother’s assistant trying to remove a completely frozen Junfuku from the limo.

“Pivot! Pivot, Arashi!” Shirokane shouted as the lightning avian.

Arashi then shouted as his fingers got caught on the limo’s door frame, “Ah! Ow! My hand is caught, stop!”

“I see…” Taiyo looked at her grandmother for a moment, she should tell her. “Grandma, can I ask you something important?”

“Of course my little firebird, what is it? Tell grandma.”

“Um well… I met someone and… when you first met Grandpa how did you know he was the one…?” Taiyo asked.

Kori remained silent for a moment before speaking, “Aeashi! Shirokane! Junfuku!”

The two Pangeans dropped Junfuku who broke free as the ice shattered, looking around he saw both of his compatriots standing respectfully and did the same, the three then spoke out, “Yes, Lady Kori!”

“I want names! Find out who has taken my little fire bird’s heart! He breaks it and I want his heart in a jar and his head on my wall!” Kori announced much to Taiyo’s shock.

“Yes, Lady Kori!” The three then vanished from sight, Taiyo began to worry for Kai’s safety as Kori began making calls on a phone with magical runes carved into the side in her purse.

*****

Hours later, Gin and Kai had returned to the Silver Wolf Pack’s headquarters and home. Minos and Cujo were cleaning up a lot of passed out canines as they walked to the main room. Kai then asked as they approached the door, “So, what brings you back from your vacation.”

“We’ll be having a meeting so I’ll explain it there.” Upon entering, Kai spotted all of his relatives, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and even his mother. There were also many other figures Kai could recognize from the Pack.

“Kai, sit down.” Kai didn’t see his dad or his dad’s brother as he and Gin took a seat.

“So…” Gin began, the pressure in the room being almost crushing. “Why has the strength of my pack been on the decline?” The air felt like trying to breathe in iron for everyone in the room.

Kai watched as several of his relatives flopped over, unable to handle Gin’s aura pressure. “Cujo, Cerberus, remove all of the ones that just passed out.” Gin commanded. “I know I can be a bit laid back, but that was because I built up, for over fifty years, I built a pack of strong canines and pangeans to defend my turf.”

The building began to shake, Gin looked up and growled, “An earthquake? Right now?” Gin then raised his hand then flexed his arm. The earthquake stopped immediately, no slowing down, no increase, it just stopped.

‘Jeez… Grandpa must be really mad… We're on the 4th floor too.’ Kai thought.

“I bet-- agh…” One Pangean spoke up, they were a coyote in a black suit. “Sorry, I'm still trying to stay conscious. Anyway I bet it is because we’ve been acting too soft lately, giving people extra time to pay off their debts, giving simple thugs warnings instead of breaking their bones, and the Flock has been more active in Cherryton lately sir!”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“He has a point, lately these last few months we haven’t been following our normal tactics. Why are we being more merciful too?” A panda Pangean said with others starting to talk.

“They’re right!” A Hyena Pangean spoke as he stood up from his seat. “Other Pangeans in this city are starting to lose fear in us for months and we all know why! So do you old man!” They said pointing their finger at Gin. “You’ve gotten soft!”

“Hido! Stand down!” Cujo ordered.

“What? We all know it’s true, he’s gotten soft, back in his prime when someone bumped into him he bashed the guy's head into the ground and nowadays he apologizes as if it was his fault?! He was someone you respected out of fear and now things are different.” The Hyena named Hido announced without mummering about.

“He kinda has a point, leader Gin is different and so is the boss, they’ve been acting too soft and due to that more and more naive gangs are showing up, sure we’re wiping them out but we still act too soft towards others, plus as of late they have been different after--” The Panda tried to finish but the Coyote stopped them.

“Shhh! We don’t talk about Hunt Night!” They whispered as to not be heard by Gin, he noticed the old man side eyeing them making them sweat.

“Hido, maybe you should calm down.” Gin suggested.

“No! I’m saying it! You’ve gone soft old man! Ever since Lady Okami’s passing you’ve--” Hido stopped speaking as he felt extreme pressure, Gin then raised his hand, the air itself began to shake from his movements.

Gin then closed his hand into a fist, doing the slowest one-inch punch ever, before Hido then slammed into the back of the room crashing into the wall, coughing up blood. ‘Idiot… we don’t bring that up ever… Master Gin is a forgiving man but calling his loss a weakness brings great punishment… Sorry Hido, you’re out.’ Cujo thought as he picked up the Hyena. “Hey, Tetsu, Sajo, help me take Hido to his car.” Cujo ordered the panda and coyote who left alongside him.

The moment they left Gin remembered something far more important. “Right, I almost forgot!” Gin then placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder to speak. “Kai might have a girlfriend.” Everyone was silent before a full blown riot of confusion and laughter washed over the room, others thought the old man was joking while others thought it was the end of the world, not a single one of them believed the old man’s words.

“OH SCREW ALL OF YOU!!!” Kai roared as he slammed his hands on the table.

After the meeting, Cujo and Ino were carrying the body of Hido out of the backdoor of the building. “I’ll call the family, then burn the body.” Cujo ordered Ino nodded as they dropped Hido’s body into the back of a car. Cujo then took out his phone and began scrolling through his contact list.

“Huh? What do you mean sir-” The panda was caught off guard as he suddenly noticed Cujo pointing at the car, launching a flare of fire at it making it explode, killing Hido.

“I’ll tell his family it was a rival gang.”

*****

Around a few hours before, Kori and Taiyo were also walking through the main building of the Golden Phoenix Flock. “I suppose you're here for a serious reason? Not just for me or Chi?” Taiyo spoke up.

Kori pinched her granddaughter’s cheek and replied with a smile, “You’re right, I’m here to deal with something that’s becoming a problem.” Kori and Taiyo then walked into the main hall, where all the top members of the Golden Phoenix were gathered. Taiyo then spotted her sister, Chi, sitting in an isolated corner of the room, opposite to their mother, Niji.

Chi was a near perfect replica of Taiyo, from feather colors to height, however, there were two distinctive features of Chi’s that set her apart from her sister. The left side of Chi’s face was largely scarred, going from her forehead to her neck, rendering her left eye useless. Chi also had much more muscle definition than Taiyo, with some calluses on her hands, indicating some form of training with a weapon. Chi wore a more casual outfit as well, consisting of a hoodie, sweatpants, and clogs.

Niji was different from both of her daughters, her feathers were like a rainbow, almost shimmering in the light. She had a figure that was as alluring as her feathers, she had a near perfect hourglass figure. She wore a traditional kimono that did well to show off her feathers, knee-high socks, and clogs.

Close to her were five individuals, one being Shirokane who stood with his hands behind his back like a bodyguard. Another was a red peacock Pangean dressed in flamboyant clothing such as a red Tai chi garment with the sleeves missing, their tailfeathers lowered like a trenchcoat as they looked over themself in a pocket mirror. Another Pangean was a large black tortoise with them mainly wearing a monk-like robe sitting patiently. THe last two were both lizard Pangeans but one of them had light blue scales wearing a blue one piece jumpsuit with some dirt stains while the other was a golden yellow both wearing a gold color coat. “The Five Gates have arrived as you instructed lady Kori.” Shirokane then turned to the others and kicked the peacocks' chair, making them close the mirror and pocketing it. “Pay attention Akahito.”

“Hmm, sorry.” The Peacock Akahito answered with a romantic tone in his voice. “I just wanted to fix my eye shadow.”

“Your eyes are fine Akahito darling.” Kori shouts cheerfully towards the Peacock.

“No, lady Kori, you are fine and lovely as always~”

“Cough! Cougar! Cough!” A bat Pangean said before beating his chest. “ Sorry, dry throat. I was calling you a cougar, Akahito.”

“Maybe tell that to both Aoisaki, she painted her eyes to make it seem she’s awake and Kinyama is secretly reading a fashion magazine.” A scale voice spoke up from behind the tortoise. Shirokane then walked over and snatched a magazine from the golden lizard named Kinyama while flicking the blue lizard named Aoisaki in the back of their head.

“I’m up!” Aoisaki said with her hand raised defensively.

“What the Hell, Kuroimizu?!” The golden lizard named Kinyama was furious and grabbed the tortuous named Kuroimizu who retreated his head into his shell.

“That wasn’t me, it was Dooku.” Kuroimizu replied with a chuckling being heard from behind him, looking down a shadow could be seen before it retreated below the robes of the tortuous.

“Ahem!” Shirokane said loudly, making the lizards look embarrassed. “Hey, red is my thing.” Akahito pointed out as he saw the three blushing slightly.

Taiyo, instead of taking a seat next to her mother or Kori, sat next to her sister, Chi. Kori cleared her throat before Niji could say anything, “A-Hem! Alright everyone. I’ve called you all here to discuss.” Kori explained.

Kori then snapped her feathered fingers and Arashi brought down several large stacks of documents. “Now would anyone care to explain… Why my Flock… HAS SO MANY REPORTS OF CRIMES!?!?!?” Kori roared, the room feeling like a heavy blizzard, Taiyo protected Chi with a dome of heating magic, Akahito guarded the Five Gates, and Niji protected herself.

Arashi then sorted the documents into piles before Kori then motioned to each pile as she continued, “Over 23 reports of breaking and entering, nearly 36 reports of destruction of private property, and almost exactly 43 reports of assault and battery on Canine Pangeans alone! And that is just this month! Do any of you have any explanation for this!?”

A wave of silence filled the room, it seemed no one wanted to speak up, Kori sighed, “Fine, if that’s how we’ll do this, I’ll just start like this. First, the effect this has had on Eleanoria.” Kori snapped her fingers again, the lights were shut off, then a slide show began playing behind Kori, showing several closed small businesses and shops side by side.

“Due to the rampant assault and break-ins, businesses have been suffering as they are no longer able to get trade because supply companies are afraid their employees will be assaulted.” Kori calmly explained, however, the room was getting colder and colder by the second.

Kori then changed the slide to show several homeless pangeans, “This has caused a rampant homeless crisis to start forming. And due to the decrease in business many are without jobs leading to them becoming homeless!”

“Hmm, Lady Kori, may I speak?” Akahito spoke up with Kori nodding her head. “I believe it is because of the fact that those businesses were owned by canines and as of late since the incident nearly a year ago, I mean the WIld Hunt, people have grown to exaggerate that canines are dangerous leading to panic and paranoia towards them which leads to our people fearing and attacking them in more ways than one.”

“As much as I hate to say it, for once Akahito might be onto something.” Kinyama spoke up with Akahito giving a quiet “Sassy bitch” comment that Kinyama ignored for now. “Some of our people are still slightly afraid of the canines and with the mixup, two years ago with that family of dogs tension is high.”

“We didn’t know they weren’t with the pack!” A pheasant Pangean interrupted by yelling. “And what happened that night wasn’t entirely our fault either those punks misunderstood what we were doing--”

“Silence!” Kori ordered her voice to make everyone stop moving. “Yes, what happened that night two years ago still haunts most of you. We thought they were with the pack and now a mother, father, and teenage boy died that night from a fire from five teenagers because they thought we wanted them gone… but I don’t want cowards in this flock!” Kori slammed her wings on the table to stand up, the force of her slam made the projector move, making the slides fall out of place and stood in the light. “We are the Golden Phoenix Flock! We are never afraid, you feel fear, silence it! Paranoid, shoot it in the face! Feeling like you need to take action, think first!”

Arashi then placed both hands on Kori’s shoulders, “Lady Kori, please relax, your freezing some of your subordinates are freezing to death. Some may already be dead.”

Some of the Pangeans in the room were shivering, a few others were frozen like statues. “Oh dear, sorry everyone. Ahem, Akahito?” She turned to the Peacock who wasn’t even cold or shivering. They stood up with their back tail feathers rising and opening showing the image of a sun rising with stars around it, a wave of heat washed over the room melting the eyes and making everyone sweat. “Thank you dear.” She then turned back. “Understand, we can’t let suspicion drive us, I hope you understand this.”

“Maybe some of us would listen if you never adopted that pup…” A pigeon Pangean in the back of the room whispered but felt a frigid feeling around him, then several ice spikes launched around his face, shaving off many feathers.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing miss I didn’t--” He was silent as he backed up and bumped into Shirokane who grabbed one of his wings and twisted it to place it behind his own back and was slammed into the ground. “AGH! I didn’t mean what I said! I’m sorry!”

“Speak up! What did you say?” Kori ordered.

“M-m-maybe some of us… w-w-w-would listen if you never adopted that pup… I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M--” He was cut off as a spike of ice was stabbed into the ground an inch from his head. “AH!”

“Why is that?” Kori demanded an answer. The air around the pigeon began to freeze solid.

“B-b-b-because… it is a pup, a canine… t-there have been some whispers saying… you-you shouldn’t have been so kind to--” He was silent as a heel was pressed on the side of his head. “AH!”

“That Pup, my pup, was orphaned by that fire… they watched their family burn because you all couldn’t control yourselves… Never insult the children I take in! The next person who insults me like that will have their body encased in ice and shattered to the point there is nothing but chunks to be used to feed the sharks with when it thaws out! Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yes! Ma’am!”

“Lovely.” Kori then removed her foot and walked back into her place. “Now, back to other issues, like the overspending at a spa?” Kori then turned her gaze to Akahito.

“I need it! Plus I am not the only one who uses that spa membership!”

“Yes, but I don’t spend over two grand there.” When Shirokane was about to pass Kori he noticed an envelope behind her, Kori motioning for him to take it, so he took it with no one seeing it. Once he returned to his spot, he looked it over, seeing the contents before crushing the paper, remembering the order within: “Taiyo might have a crush, find out who. If I don’t like them, kill them.”

“Hey, I let you use it and you need it, Lady Kori, you’re taking care of how many orphaned children now? Twelve?” Akahito asked.

“Fourteen.” Kori replied almost proudly. “I love each and everyone of them as if they were my own.”

“I think that’s too many ki--” a panther Pangean tried to speak only to get stabbed in the hand by an icicle. They held a scream as Kori was already next to them.

“Anyone else?”

“We learned our lesson, you are a lovely motherly figure, Lady Kori!”

“Aw, thank you.” She then pulled out the icicle. “In other news, I need to have Taiyo watched more closely. Earlier today, she sneaked away from Junfuku.”

“Right, she got away from Junfuku, one of the deadliest Pangeans in this room.” The bat Pangean spoke with Kori looking serious, he then turned to Junfuku. “Oh she did… HOW?!”

“Witch cat, leave it at that Ozzy or I’ll drop your car on your house.” Junfuku said with no one else judging or giving him odd looks, all looking frightful of the crow. Chi, meanwhile, was looking at her twin sister with admiration.

“Hmm, Ozzy right?” Akahito asked with the bat rising. “I say he is the first to watch over her, a bat has excellent hearing.”

“Um, sorry sir but I think I should stay with my team in patrolling the stree--”

“Thank you Ozzy for agreeing to keep Taiyo guarded at all times. We’ll put another group on patrol duty.” Kori said to the bat who quickly nodded in agreement to their leader, even saying “Yes ma’am!” Before sitting back down. “Get me a list of people who you all trust. In other business, we need to discuss our methods of keeping prisoners for interrogation. We can’t use poisons anymore, sorry Aoisaki.”

“COWARDS!”

To Be Continued...