Hey all, I`m alive! The message below is VERY IMPORTANT, it will be copied down below after the chapter, so you can read it there too, along with some resources for information.

In our world right now, Coronavirus, or COVID-19 is a huge issue. Many of our lives have been fundamentally affected by it, and will continue to be. Beyond this, I`m not going to be mentioned COVID-19 in a serious way, as I feel most of us have been inundated with stress and information about it. Stay informed but not overwhelmed. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE follow the regulations put out by many governments across the world, whatever that may be for you. Some that have been proven affective; washing your hands for twenty seconds (sing the ABCs), social distancing and self-quarantining. The quicker we all do, the faster this will all go away. So I`ll leave you with this: PANIC WILL NOT HELP ANYTHING. It will only compound the situation, so I urge you to remain calm, follow instructions and practice social distancing. We ALL can do things to help flatten the curve. For now, take a deep breath, read that book you`ve wanted to read but hadn't had the time to. Sleep in later, binge Netflix, cook with your family, and take this time for yourself. Don't feel guilty for using those positive distractions, whatever that may be. Stay safe, wash your hands, and stay at home. We will get through this, together, life will go on, as it always has.


"Seth, stop petting the demons." Bracken`s stern voice spoke up from behind him. Seth rolled his eyes.

"Don`t be heartless Bracken. They`re only half-demon." Seth grinned as one of the creatures swatted at his sleeve playfully.

Bracken sighed as he crouched down next him. "I`m being rational. Those things are dangerous."

"You`re being a buzzkill! Just hold one and tell me that it`s dangerous!" Seth picked up one of the fuzzy black puppies and shoved it into the prince`s arms.

Seth reached down and picked up the remaining two puppies and held them close to his chest. "They`re hellhounds." Bracken repeated his warning.

"Baby hellhounds." Seth corrected. "Come on, you have to admit they`re cute."

Bracken frowned at him, looking down at the dog in his arms and then over at the bodies of demons on the floor. It had been a routine mission, to clear out some demons infesting an abandoned factory, when Seth had found the basket with three sleepy puppies in it. Hellhound puppies, but puppies all the same.

"You can`t keep them." Bracken deadpanned, standing up, putting the dog back into the basket. The puppy whined, putting its paws up on the edge of the basket, staring at Bracken.

"I wasn't planning on it. We do have these things called preserves, don't we?" Seth stood as well, placing the other two puppies in the basket and picking up the whole thing. "I think the dark forest in Living Mirage would be a perfect place for these guys."

Bracken glanced at him, and then at the puppies, the one he had been holding, whined again. Bracken sighed, his blue eyes settling in resignation. "I`m going to regret this."

Seth smiled broadly. "No you won`t! Let`s go!"


"You brought home puppies?!" Kendra`s excited squeal echoed through the living room as she scooped up the dogs, cuddling them close to her. One of them burrowed its face into her neck, one settling into her lap and the third in her arms.

"Hellhounds." Bracken reminded her. As soon as they had gotten home, after smuggling the puppies onto the subway and up to their apartment, Kendra had woken up from where she had laid down to wait for them and been shocked to see what they had.

"This is the best day of my life." Kendra whispered, scratching one of the puppies` head.

"We`re not keeping them. They`re going to a preserve." Seth spoke up, not wanting to let his sister think they were going to keep them. As cute as they were, and as much as Seth wanted a pet, he knew that the safest place for them was at a preserve.

Kendra frowned, looking up. "Why can`t you two just let me have this one moment?"

Bracken smiled a little, sitting down on the couch next to her. The puppy in Kendra`s lap stood up, and ambled over to Bracken, snuggling into his side. "Because we can`t keep them."

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Then what are we doing with them?"

Seth held up the phone in his hand. "I`m calling Agad, to see if he`ll take them." Kendra hummed in agreement, going back to cuddling the puppies.

"Hey Agad. What`s up?" Seth spoke loudly and clearly, knowing technology was still difficult for the old wizard. He was surprised that Agad even answered. Most of the time he didn't.

"Seth? What is going on?" Agad shouted into the phone and Seth winced, pulling the phone away from his ear. He vaulted the back of the couch and sat down next to Kendra as he answered.

"We have a little… situation. Three to be exact." Seth watched as the puppy Kendra held in her arms squirmed until she let it go, and it walked right into Seth`s arms. Seth let the puppy settle in his lap and watched as its eyes closed, little by little.

"You are going to have be much more specific." Agad responded dryly.

"We found something, when we were on a mission. Three somethings. Hellhounds." Seth decided it was best to just rip off the band-aid now.

"You are in possession of three hellhounds?" Agad`s voice pitched even higher at that.

"Baby hellhounds actually. Completely harmless. But we were wondering if you guys had any room at Living Mirage. Fablehaven seemed… inappropriate for these guys."

"Well of course, hellhounds must…" Seth let Agad ramble on about the proper habitat of hellhounds and their specialized care. Until eventually, "Bring them here at once. We`ll prepare for their arrival."

"Wonderful, thanks Agad!" After saying goodbye, assuring Agad he would be in contact as soon as they figured out the travel situation, Seth hung up the phone.

He stared down at the dog in his lap. It rolled over, yawning. It`s red eyes and sharp incisors glowed in low lamp light. But still adorable.

"We shouldn't name them." Bracken scratched the ears of the puppy in his lap. His voice lacked conviction.

"No we shouldn't." Kendra agreed sadly. She glanced over at Seth. Her lip wobbled. "I`ve always liked the name Atticus."

"We shouldn`t name them." Seth repeated. He looked down at the dog in his lap. "I`ve always wanted to name a dog Fish."

"Why Fish?" Bracken asked, looking up for the first time. Seth shrugged.

It was silent for a long time, until Bracken spoke up. "I used to have a Pegasus named Ingrid."

"We really shouldn't name them."


"Okay Fish, let's go!" Seth pulled the hellhound by the leash, away from his bed toward the front of the jet. They had just landed at Living Mirage and Fish was NOT happy to have been woken up.

Turns out it had been a good idea to call Agad and get the puppies to Living Mirage, in the three weeks since they had found them, the puppies had grown to almost double their size, and had gotten even fiercer. They had never been violent, but it was obvious that they were indeed growing out of their small apartment.

"Ingrid and Atticus are fighting again!" Kendra called from the front of the jet, sounding exhausted.

"I`m going to go check with the pilot and see how much longer it is." Bracken grumbled. He rolled to his feet and headed up to the cabin. The Knights of the Dawn had graciously let them use one of the private jets to transport the hellhounds. Kendra only had to do some minor begging on their behalf.

Seth pulled Fish up to the front of the jet, where Kendra was sternly ordering the two hounds to separate corners and to stay there. Fish ambled over to the middle of the aisle, plopping down and laying his head on his paws, promptly falling asleep. Seth sat next to Kendra, who flopped down in the seat tiredly.

"I can`t wait to land." Kendra groaned, stretching.

Seth hummed in agreement, looking up when Bracken came back. "We`re landing soon. Fifteen minutes or less." Bracken sank down in seat next to Kendra, laying his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes.

True enough, ten minutes later, the pilot made the landing announcement. Kendra and Seth got up to put the dogs in their crates. They didn't want to, but with enough convincing (bribing), they went in.

"It's alright Atticus. We`re landing soon and then you guys will have so much room to run around and play in." Kendra cooed through the bars of the crate.

"Kendra?" Seth asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are we doing the right thing?" Kendra glanced over at Seth, confusion on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we`re leaving them behind. We probably won`t see them again." Seth glanced over at Bracken who sat in his chair, reading, his hand resting on the bars of Ingrid`s crate.

Kendra sighed. "I don't Seth. They`re wild animals. They belong somewhere open and free. Not cooped up in some apartment in Manhattan, and you know that Fablehaven isn't the right place for them either."

Seth nodded. "I know. It's just…" He looked down at Fish, who looked up at him. "I don't know. Never-mind."

"I`ll miss them." Kendra affirmed quietly.

Seth looked over at the sleeping dog. "Yeah. Me too."


"Kendra, Seth, Bracken, it is good to see you!" Agad called from the edge of the pavement. The crude airstrip had caused a bumpy landing that caused the hellhounds to be even more upset.

"Hey, Agad!" Seth called out to the old wizard, pulling Fish towards him. Now that they were out of the jet, he was eagerly pulling at the leash, trying to get at everything and anything that moved. Kendra and Bracken were still wrestling the very excited Atticus and Ingrid out of the plane.

"Do you need any help?" Agad examined the hellhound with a wary look in his eye. Behind him was a group of people Seth didn't recognize, but seemed to be Agad`s assistants. They stood by a truck with cages in the back of it, along with an open air jeep.

"No, we`re good. They`re just excited." Kendra and Bracken finally emerged from the jet, panting, being pulled by Atticus and Ingrid.

"This is Fish," Seth indicated the hellhound at his feet. "Ingrid is over there by Bracken and Atticus is with Kendra."

"You named the hellhounds?" One of the assistants, a tall, slender Asian woman spoke up incredulously. She ran a critical eye over the group of them.

Seth shrugged, grinning. "Of course."

"Fish, Atticus and Ingrid? Really?" Kendra smiled at her, a cold, too polite smile.

"Really. We were feeling creative. Hi Agad." Kendra greeted the wizard with a much warmer smile. "How are you?"

"Busy." Agad chuckled. "Everyone, this is Kendra, Bracken and Seth, I`m sure you know of them. These are my assistants." Agad introduced them, pointing at each. They all seemed a little wary, but nice enough.

"And, finally, this is June." Agad gestured towards the woman that had been talking before. She tilted her head at them slightly. "Shall we get the hounds into the truck?"

"That won`t be necessary. They`ve been cooped up for a long time already. I`m sure they can run alongside us. You said it wasn't far from here?" Bracken spoke up.

"June?" Agad looked for the woman. "She`s in charge of the dark forest."

"It is only a 5 minute ride from here. They will need to follow us closely." June replied skeptically.

"We can do that." Seth crouched down next to Fish. "Okay guys, listen closely. See this car? You`re going to follow us, okay? That`s where you guys will stay." Something else Seth had learned since meeting the hellhounds was that they were extremely intelligent and understood what they were talking about perfectly, if they decided to listen. Fish wandered over to sniff the back of the jeep and then back to Ingrid and Atticus who sniffed a little. Then Fish glanced over at Seth, and then to Kendra and Bracken. His feet began to stomp, as if he was getting ready to go.

"I think we`re good to go." Seth looked over at Agad and June who called to the others to get ready to go. They shut the unused cages and got into the jeep. A tall man drove the jeep, glancing back to make sure they were all in. He started the car, and began to roll forward.

"Let`s go guys! Come on!" Kendra called out to the hellhounds who lined up behind the jeep. And then they were off, the jeep speeding along thick forested paths, the hellhounds racing behind. They didn't seem out of breath or tired at all, just happy. So blissfully happy. This is where they were meant to be.

Just as June had said, five minutes later the trucks rolled to a stop, and so did the hounds. Despite all out sprinting the last few minutes, they still looked ready to go. June jumped down from the car, as did Kendra, Bracken and Seth. The others elected to stay in the cars, having relaxed around the dogs, now that they knew they weren't going to rip their faces off.

"The dark forest is through there. Once the hounds enter the forest, it will become their new domain." June pointed through the woods, across a footbridge into a forest of blackened woods.

Seth swallowed, this is the part he had been dreading. Saying goodbye. God, why did we name them? Seth asked himself, his throat burning a little. Then something bumped his hand. Fish. The dog stared up at him, his tail wagging and Seth knelt next to him.

"Alright Fish, this is your new home. No more apartment, just an open place, where you can run anywhere." The dog regarded him with eyes that seemed to see into his soul. Maybe it was true, that these hounds did understand humans, and even feelings.

Beside him, Bracken was scratching Ingrid`s head and Atticus was licking Kendra`s face, more specifically, the tears that dripped down to her chin. Seth caught Kendra`s eyes. She nodded, giving Atticus one last hug, and stood up. Together, the three of them walked the hellhounds towards the footbridge. One by one, the dogs crossed, Fish the last to go.

"Maybe we`ll see them again?" Kendra murmured, grabbing Seth`s hand and squeezing it tightly. Bracken came up behind them and put a hand on each of their shoulders. Seth met the hound`s eyes. Seth smiled.

"Maybe." The hellhounds seemed to know what to do next, turning and walking into the woods. Before they disappeared into the underbrush, out of sight, Atticus gave a little yip towards them, one that made Kendra squeeze his hand even tighter. Ingrid barked, in response, pawing towards them and both walked into the darkness.

But the final hound remained, just for a moment, and looked back at Seth. The two held their gaze for a moment and Seth raised his hand towards Fish and waved goodbye. The hound`s head bowed towards them all, as if to say thank you, before slipping into the shadows, like a ghost in the night.


Here`s the same message from above, please give it a read.

:)

In our world right now, Coronavirus, or COVID-19 is a huge issue. Many of our lives have been fundamentally affected by it, and will continue to be. Beyond this, I`m not going to be mentioned COVID-19 in a serious way, as I feel most of us have been inundated with stress and information about it. Stay informed but not overwhelmed. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE follow the regulations put out by many governments across the world, whatever that may be for you. Some that have been proven affective; washing your hands for twenty seconds (sing the ABCs), social distancing and self-quarantining. The quicker we all do, the faster this will all go away. So I`ll leave you with this: PANIC WILL NOT HELP ANYTHING. It will only compound the situation, so I urge you to remain calm, follow instructions and practice social distancing. We ALL can do things to help flatten the curve. For now, take a deep breath, read that book you`ve wanted to read but hadn't had the time to. Sleep in later, binge Netflix, cook with your family, and take this time for yourself. Don't feel guilty for using those positive distractions, whatever that may be. Stay safe, wash your hands, and stay at home. We will get through this, together, life will go on, as it always has.

The CDC website, as well as have great information on COVID-19, steps you can take to stay healthy, steps to take if you feel sick, or have been impacted financially by the closures of schools and businesses.

I promise, I am going to be much more active on all of the stories, as I do have the free time!

Thank you to By myself alone, Wolf Lover27, Yakall, feministkendra and more for your support. You guys keep me going.

Stay safe, wash your hands and stay home!