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Chapter 7a

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The cobbled streets of Dawnbreak were eerily silent, a stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle. Shadows, thick and menacing, clung to the sides of buildings like malevolent spirits. The air, heavy with foreboding, pressed down on him as he moved through the darkened city.

The stones beneath his paws transformed into pools of inky blackness, each step leaving boisterous ripples. A distant wail echoed, chilling Kieran to his core. Terror gripped his being, against his will. As he turned toward the sound, he saw the dim outline of what appeared to be Hans standing in the center of town.

The air itself seemed to thicken, making it hard to breathe.

In a macabre dance, the corrupt guards materialized around Hans. Their eyes glowed red with malevolence, a sickly light that cast grotesque black wisps across their faces. Voss, the orchestrator of this twisted episode, emerged from the mass pool of ink, his silhouette imposing and malice.

Kieran gasped for air, finding less and less oxygen. His mind panicked; in desperation, he used every bit of strength he had to draw in as much air as he could.

The shadows came alive, wrapping around Hans like serpents, constricting tighter with each passing moment. Reality itself broke as the white fox glitched and broke apart, letting out a deafening scream that shook the world.

A dark, viscous substance oozed from the ground, staining everything in its path. A scent of metallic assaulted his nose, and it was so strong that tears formed in his eyes.

The mint-furred fox was rooted to the spot, helpless against the nightmarish imagery unfolding before him. The inky pools turned to blood, which ever so violently coursed at his feet-paws.

With Hans’ existence eradicated, Voss and his lackeys turned their attention toward the bounty hunter. Their eyes were uncannily large and completely circular. They menacingly gazed at him, cracking a predatory grin that showed off their razor-sharp fangs. Kieran’s heart pounded in fear as he watched them slowly make their way toward him, a static noise growing louder and louder until it was ear-piercing.

While feelings of despair and imminent death grew within him, Kieran’s resolve did too. He felt anger rising in his heart, as he did when in any combat scenario. The golden-eyed fox bared his teeth against fate, a flame alive in his soul that craved the life force of his enemies. It would not stop until it was thoroughly satisfied, not until it had drunk as many chalices of it as it so desired.

The shades of the corrupt guards lunged at him with a ghastly shriek, and in a flash had him held down, face and muzzle plunged forcefully into the murky liquid beneath. All power was stripped from him, and no amount of effort yielded any kind of headway; he could not for the life of him free himself. Eventually, running out of air, he inhaled the river of blood.

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Then, with a gasp, Kieran woke and shot up to a sitting position.

His chest heaved deeply, adrenaline pumping in his veins. It took a few moments for it to kick in for the stressed fox that the struggle he’d just experienced was all in his head, but soon the sweetest sensation of relief flooded over him, and his heart calmed down to a rest.

The first rays of the dawn’s pale light trickled into the rocky shelter, and a gentle, warm breeze brushed against Kieran’s drowsy face and toned chest. Pushing himself to his feet, Kieran shook off the remnants of the dream, his golden eyes scanning the tranquil surroundings. The rocks, bathed in the soft hues of the morning sun, stood as silent witnesses to the turmoil within him.

The death of Hans had been haunting to him; sure, the minty fox had seen plenty of violence and killing, even done it himself at times, but it was the context here that disturbed him so much. If it had just been the usual killing to escape capture or to steal goods like he was used to with the criminals he dealt with, he would be fine because he was desensitized to it; but this was something different, something far sinister than he had ever known.

‘I’ve never hunted the authorities before,’ he thought to himself as he made his way to the edge of the shelter, inches from the outside grass, ‘and there’s so many of them; there’s no telling how many are corrupt or not.’

Kieran stood on a rock face, overlooking the shimmering, contrasty landscape. This was his favorite hour of day and was when he’d usually relax and draw in his art journal before taking on the new sun, but this time it felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. To be fair, it wasn’t the first bout of such a thing in his life.

He sat down and exhaled slowly. ‘I’ll need to think of something… a plan. I have to keep Tessa safe, and out of the wrong hand. I need to find a way to deal with the corruption.’

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For a good, long while he sat in contemplation, the jagged rocks beneath him providing an uneven seat. Soon enough, he came up with some ideas to move forward with his mission. The crux of it lay in seeking help, and he knew exactly the ally he needed – his best friend, Liam O'Brien.

Now all he had to do was inform Tessa about it, so the minty-furred fox looked around and over at the tent she was sleeping in. Perseus, the vigilant dragon, curled up at the entrance, guarding with profound loyalty as per usual, his fiery scales gleaming in the early light.

Now and again, his forked tongue would drawl out on the ground.

Kieran approached the tent, his movements gentle as he peered in, opened the flaps, and reached in to wake Tessa.

He crouched beside her, shaking her shoulder. Perseus eyed him watchfully once again but remained still. "Tessa," he called softly, repeating it until he saw the stirrings of wakefulness in her green eyes.

She emerged from the realm of dreams, confusion painted her features. "What's going on?" she asked, a trace of sleepiness still in her voice.

Kieran sighed, his breath visible in the cool morning air. "I have a plan. This mission is bigger than I thought. I have a friend, Liam O'Brien. He's trustworthy, and he can help us root out the corruption in Dawnbreak."

Tessa blinked.

Kieran tilted his head. “Did you get that?”

Tessa snuggled into her pillow, closing her eyes. “It’s too early in the morning for this. Let me sleep more.”

Kieran huffed in amusement and rolled his eyes. ‘Girls.’

“You’ll need to wakey-wakey, sweetheart. We’re in a very serious situation, there’s no time to waste lazing about,” he instructed emphatically.