Forgive this late update, but I had other issues to address on other aspects of the site. They were a real pain to deal with. In any case, I'll be sure to work on this a little bit more over winter break, so you can expect the next update over that period of time.

Myu, after a good hour or so of debating with herself, finally decided to confront Gideon about his past. She felt rather silly for not doing so before, especially considering that he knew almost everything about her past…or at least, he knew all the details that he was able to grasp when he was actually paying attention to her explanations. She, on the other hand, had little to no idea of his past, and had hardly pushed when she asked about it, but her interaction with Lilia had hardened her resolve.

It was lucky for her that Gideon was outside the den on watch. He was very difficult to wake up, and he knew it, which was why, after a few minutes of debate, he volunteered to take the first watch. She began to pad out into the opening, but, surprisingly, she did not feel Gideon's presence at the entrance, although his scent was still there. When she crawled out into the night air, she found that she was right. Gideon was gone.

Myu more or less panicked. She was just about to rush in and get Kiba when she heard Gideon's snarl, followed by an animal's dying screech. Before long, Gideon reappeared from a thicket. In his jaws was a dead hare. Gideon dropped the hare before speaking. "Myu. What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Gideon…I got worried when I didn't see you out here," Myu said.

Gideon smiled. "Well, we didn't finish the carcass earlier, so I decided to hunt for a hare or two. This area was full of hares when my parents settled in. Their population dwindled her because of our presence, but ever since we left all those years ago, they apparently multiplied by a lot." He crouched down and ripped almost half of the hare's flesh off, including the head. "It's not fattening, but it does provide a good snack. Here, you can have the rest. I can catch another one."

"Thank you." Unlike her companion, Myu ate rather daintily, taking smaller bites to enjoy the taste more. There was little point, though; predators their size generally caught hares for a quick snack or to feed their offspring. As Gideon said, hares were hardly fattening.

"Now, there is a reason that you came here. You came to ask me about my past," Gideon guessed.

The hare carcass had nearly been stripped down to its bones, so Myu looked up, licking her lips. She was about to speak when another voice did so. "Yes…I would like to know that as well…" The two turned to the den entrance, where Kiba was padding out, his eyes as intimidating as ever, if not more so.

"Guess there's no avoiding it. You already know that I was the strongest wolverine kit in my litter. I dominated all the others, taking the best resting and hunting spots for myself. Of course, after seeing how Lilia reacted to me just before, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. You guys also know that Cheza and I were friends, and that I found her in Bellicus's lab after she disappeared," Gideon said. Kiba and Myu nodded.

"Well, what you don't know is why I was there in the first place. Bellicus had been observing me from the moment of my birth. He observes all the predators in his garden. To what end, I know not. Still, he took an interest in me, and offered me a choice; become one of his test subjects, or see my family slaughtered in front of me. Naturally, I became a test subject," Gideon explained.

"I hate choices like that," Kiba growled.

"You're not the only one. Anyway, after I saw Cheza, I tried to kill Bellicus and force him to set her free. However, he knocked me out. But you know this." Gideon fixed his glare on his friends. "What you don't know, and what I didn't know at first, was that Bellicus had already tested his substance on me. The instant I saw my parents, everything became a blurry red. I was dimly aware of what was going on; I was attacking my parents and my siblings. I tried my very best to stop it, but all my mind could do was sit helplessly on the sidelines as my body mercilessly slaughtered by siblings. My parents attacked me, and they were vicious. It took several major wounds from them for my mind to take control again. But then, I fell unconscious again. The last thing I heard was Lilia screaming in rage."

"And you thought that she was dead when you came to?" Kiba asked.

Gideon growled. "I thought that everyone was dead. Bellicus presented me with the slashed-up remains of my family. It was impossible to tell whom from whom. I had no idea that Lilia was still alive, but at that moment, I didn't care. I was too busy wallowing in self-pity," he said.

"So why did you leave?" Myu asked.

"I didn't have time to grieve after Bellicus presented me with the bodies. He said that I had done magnificently, and that he would depend on me in the future. Then he showed me a needle attached to a bottle full of red liquid, too bright to be blood. He told me it was the rage potion that he used on me; it amplifies rage, and in turn, power. However, its effect is only temporary, but gets stronger every injection until the victim is completely consumed by anger. Also, the injection has to be after the last one's effect wears off, or else the entire body system breaks down and the subject dies. Those who are injected with it just once will experience minimal symptoms. He tried to force me to take the potion. I guess you know what my answer was," Gideon explained with a smug look.

"You ran," Myu said.

"I flat out refused, of course. I swore that I would never listen to him again, and that he could go to hell. And, as expected, he lost his temper. I knew that I would be no match for him in my current state, so I ran. I tried to find Cheza, but she was not in the pod in which I first saw her. Bellicus was closing in, so I took drastic measures. I jumped out of a window," Gideon said.

"…That's it?" Kiba asked, giving Gideon a deadpan look.

"…Yeah, come to think of it, it wasn't that drastic. I just scaled it like I scale most cliffs," Gideon agreed, his eyes sliding to the side. The next moment, he pounced on a hare that either did not expect the predators there, or simply could not get away fast enough. He tossed the twitching animal to Kiba. "Here, you have it." Kiba nodded his thanks and stopped the hare's twitching by ripping a large chunk of flesh from its flanks. "Anyway, I raced through the forest, knowing that he would kill me if I didn't. By the time I got out, I had already promised myself that I would never return."

"But here you are," Kiba said, finishing the hare.

"Yes. It's high time I returned. I've always thought that I was a monster, and that my parents' murder was my doing. Now I know the truth, and I'm going to make Bellicus pay," Gideon growled, but then looked apprehensive. "Am I a monster?"

Kiba looked at the wolverine. "You are trustworthy, Gideon. Myu is right. You are not a monster," he said, and Myu nodded.

Gideon looked at them for a long moment before suddenly pouncing on Myu, snarling. His eyes had murder in them, and his paws were pressed onto her chest. However, Myu did not react, surprisingly, and despite the slight fear in her eyes, it was mostly patience and calm. When Gideon turned to Kiba, there was the same deadpan look in his eyes. He had the look of someone who was content to wait. Gideon's face morphed to confusion. They weren't afraid?

"What were you hoping to accomplish? You are a friend, Gideon, and someone I can trust. There's no way someone like you would ever be a true monster, and we will never be afraid of you," Kiba said.

Gideon let Myu up, his face full of regret. "But what if I turn back into what I was? What if Bellicus somehow gets the potion inside of me?" he asked.

"Then we will do all we can to bring you back. You fought it off once before, and you can do it again!" Myu claimed.

"And if there is no way to bring me back? If Bellicus has found out some way to make the effects permanent?" Gideon asked.

Myu looked down. "I don't want to think about that…I would never be able to forgive myself if I couldn't bring you back if you got possessed by that potion." She looked up so that she and the wolverine were face-to-face. "But if that happens…I'll set you free, the same way you set Lilia free," she promised.

"And I'll do the same. It's what you would want," Kiba said.

"Thank you," Gideon said, retreating into the den.

Kiba and Myu stayed outside. "And he didn't even offer to stand watch," Myu complained.

"I'll do it. You'll take the last watch," Kiba said.

"Thank you," Myu said, about to walk into the den. However, Kiba called her.

"Myu…do you still have the same feelings for me that you did when we first met?" Kiba asked.

Myu stopped and hesitated a bit before answering. "I…when I first saw you reborn in this world, I was so happy…but now, with Gideon…I don't think I have those kinds of feelings for you anymore. With you, I can't stop myself from thinking about you, and my heart still beats at an amazing rate when I'm around you, but…I can control myself now. I still have a crush on you, but I think it will fade in time," she said.

"And Gideon?" Kiba asked.

Myu turned to look at Kiba, and he could see the love in her eyes at the mention of Gideon's name. "Gideon…he means a lot to me. He was the one who saved me when I thought I would fall so easily in this world. I trust him, and I don't want to lose him. For all his extraordinary spirit, he seems…not weak, but…"

"Vulnerable," Kiba finished.

"Right. I don't know my exact feelings for him yet, but…I want to do for him what he did for me. I want to help him through the hardest of times. Gideon tries to do everything by himself, Kiba. I don't want him to be like that. He has to see that being with people he can trust is much better than living away from others," Myu said.

"If you fall in love with him…I won't interfere. I have feelings for someone else," Kiba said.

"It's obviously Cheza, right?" Myu asked, a sad look on her face.

"She means everything to me, Myu," Kiba said.

"I understand, Kiba. I won't interfere," Myu said. She padded back into the burrow.

"We will still be friends," Kiba called quietly.

"I know," Myu whispered.

Okay, I'll end it there. Admittedly, this was me being lazy. I wanted to use this chapter as a bridge of sorts. The next chapter will bring things up, I promise.

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