Blood of the Father

Redemption

The Comm was electrocuted…the energy sword was destroyed…his body had sustained 10,000 volts, and the rain pelted his form as he lay on the ground. Smoke rose from his form and the Comm sparked as it shut down permanently. A small flicker of energy flashed and Andromeda appeared, she flickered occasionally but sustained as she bent down near Fox.

"F…Fox, F-Fox!" Her voice was a bit garbled and she touched his shoulder. He did not move and she stood up. "I'll g-get the M-M'teras, just h-hold on."

The white tiger was standing in a room where he could look out over the entire forest and he felt something in his mind.

"Fox…he's fallen." He quickly turned around and the M'teras leapt down the stairs, he was about a story up and he jumped out into space, his power cushioned his fall and he hit the ground lightly. He ran through the storm and he used his power to brush away the rain drops, he also enhanced his vision so that he could see in the dark. The M'teras ran through the trees and he homed in on where Fox was, he could sense that his life signature was fading fast and he ran even faster. The forest became a blur and he leapt though the trees as he saw Fox on the ground, another figure blew by him and he stopped.

"M'teras!" Andromeda yelled and he walked up to her. "You need to help Fox, he's about to die." He ran over to Fox and he placed both paws on his chest; he began to speak complicated syllables and Andromeda just watched.

"Lako, lako lako, metiya, metyo, traklo, rashjaelo! Jizmal sangre, cuando escuela, hitko, kope esctar, estar, xenon quartlo!" He screamed and Andromeda saw light brighter than a thousand suns enveloped his body. The M'teras screamed out more words and his voice escalated above the storm as Fox's body changed; the burnt sections became normal, his Comm reassembled itself and the sword glowed as the M'teras fell back. He was panting heavily and Andromeda saw signs of cardiac arrest. He stood up and he looked at Andromeda. "I need to get him to the village and then I might be able to save him." He picked Fox up and the M'teras flew over the trees, literally; he was drained from using his power but his reserves kicked in and he shot over the forest in a blue fireball. He flew up into his tree house and he set Fox down on a table in one of the main rooms, he placed his paws on his chest again and he whispered as Andromeda walked up into the room.

"Will he be ok?" The M'teras stopped a few moments later and he sighed.

"Keep an eye on him until morning when I return. I need to build up my power again; I will be back." He walked off and Andromeda touched her mercenary's shoulder.

"Fox, please don't die."

Nico felt a stirring in his soul and he rose off his bed of leaves, he rubbed his eyes and he heard rain pelt his hut as someone stirred beside him.

His mate lay beside him but she remained asleep as he looked down on her, a panther like himself and a beautiful one you might add. For the moment, they didn't have a kit but they would soon. Nico smiled and he felt that twinge again, he grabbed his sword that lay beside him and he buckled on his loincloth. Nico sheathed the sword and he walked out into the rain, it splattered against his fur and he looked up to where the M'teras was. He felt beckoned to go to the tree and Nico walked up the long spiraling stairs. He saw the white tiger on the floor in the cross legged position and energy was circling him.

Nico wasn't surprised about this; he had seen the M'teras before meditating but this time the energy swirled around him rapidly instead of slowly like normal. He stood in front of him and waited to be addressed.

"Nico, do you know what has happened?" The energy dissipated and the panther nodded.

"No, I don't."

"Fox has almost died from a lightning strike directly to his body."

"What!" Nico asked and the M'teras nodded.

"Yes, I am recharging my energy for tomorrow when I will attempt to heal him of his injuries. I used all my power in one blast when I saw him and I am running on reserves. If you don't mind, I have to continue."

"No M'teras, please continue. I will take my leave." The white tiger closed his eyes and more energy swirled around him as Nico walked into a room, Fox lay there and Andromeda was standing beside him. "Oh excuse me." Andromeda turned and she beckoned him.

"Please, come here." Nico did and he looked at his friend.

"Oh Fox, don't you die on me." He looked at Andromeda and he could never know how she felt. "If he does, what will happen to you?"

"I will end up destroying myself." Nico frowned and she explained. "Killing myself."

"But why would you do that?"

"An AI, artificial intelligence, is nothing without his/her controller. If Fox died, there would be no reason for me to live." She replied and Nico nodded.

"Should I stay here?"

"If you want to but I think the M'teras can handle it from here." Nico nodded and he walked back down to his hut. He stepped in from the rain and he lay back down near his mate after taking off the cloth. She subliminally wrapped her arms around him and he smiled, this panther was a perfect match for him.

The M'teras opened his eyes the next morning and he stood up, he walked into the room where Fox was and Andromeda was still there maintaining her vigil.

"Stand back Andromeda, I don't know if this will work." She nodded and the M'teras placed his paws on Fox. He closed his eyes and the strange language whispered out of his mouth. Andromeda tried decoding it but the translation was unavailable as he continued. Light expelled itself from Fox's body and the M'teras concentrated harder, his voice increased in volume as Andromeda heard footpaws on the stairs. Nico and Kai ran up but Andromeda blocked them.

"Hold on, don't interfere." They stood back and Kai watched anxiously as she saw the fox that she loved on the table. Kai still didn't know if he was cleansed of the darkness but she prayed that he would be ok.

The M'teras removed his paw and he almost fell to the floor, Nico caught him and he set him down in a chair.

"It is done, give him some time and we will see if it worked. Nico, help me to my bed, I feel exhausted." The panther effortlessly picked up the tiger and he carried him to the bed. Nico laid him down and the M'teras immediately fell asleep as he had just spent all his energy in one fell swoop. Nico walked back to them and Kai was over Fox, her paws were on his muzzle and she was crying.

"Fox, don't you leave me, don't you wake up and tell me that you love that panther." She laid her head on his chest and cried harder. Nico walked over and he placed a paw on her shoulder.

"Kai, it will be ok, he will wake up."

"I know dammit!" He yelled and Fox continued running. Lightning flashed and he felt a great heat wash over his body, ten thousand volts or more shot through him and into the ground. He didn't have time for a scream as Fox's body hit the forest floor. He passed into a world of blackness and void and he passed out.

Fox awoke sometime later to a lifeless sky; dark foreboding clouds blanketed the sky like an evil blanket and the ground beneath him was a burned desert of ash and sand. Fox looked around at the barren landscape and mountains of steel surrounded him a few thousand miles North, East, South, and West of him. He was wearing his pants that he had on when he was zapped but nothing else.

"Where the Hell am I?" He asked out loud and someone answered him.

"You are dead Fox." He turned around and there was Black. She smiled at him and anything that was either white or grey colored seemed amplified.

"I'm…dead? But so are you, Andromeda pushed you off the bridge!"

"Yes, she did." Black walked around Fox and he saw darkness smoke off her literally like a cloud. "Do you kill what you don't understand?" Fox frowned, it was an odd question.

"What does that mean?"

"Did you have to kill me or did you think you killed me?" She stopped and her paw was raised.

"No, you're not taking me over, I will not allow it." Fox saw that whitish grey smoke was coming off him and he raised his own paw. Pure pitch black shot out of her paw while a very light shade of grey shot out of Fox's paw. They meshed and Fox screamed as he tried to overpower Black. The panther grabbed her paw with her other one and grinned, she opened her muzzle and a shrill scream left her mouth as her beam intensified. Fox was forced back and he lost control as the beam nailed him square in the chest. He was blown back and Fox hit the ground hard, he yelled in pain and Black walked over to him.

"Accept defeat, there is no other option." She said and Fox rose up.

"There are always options…" He spread his paws and he turned his face skyward, a bolt of light shot down on him and he started it lift off the ground in the light. It purified his body and the grey was gone, his white portions of fur glowed and he set back down on the ground. Black shot a dark energy beam at him but it merely was absorbed. "You have no power here." He said and Fox stretched out his paws.

"No, don't you dare defy me! I had control of you, don't you remember? You were mine and you loved it, oh yes I remember. Don't you?" Fox stopped and he thought back…

"I trust you, M'teras." She smiled and the panther pushed him down, the rain increased and lighting started to flash as she lay down next to him. Fox felt a dark peace encompass him and he closed his eyes as she placed her head on his shoulder. Her paws stayed on his chest and their tails entwined as she watched him fall asleep.

"You are mine now, my mercenary." She took his paw and continued transmitting her dark energy.

Fox opened his eyes and he did remember the events of the night before.

"Yes, I do but I will not have the wool pulled over my eyes again. I am strong enough to overpower you and I will kill you if I have to." The M'teras laughed and she grinned at him.

"You can try but I doubt that you have any chance against me." She replied and Fox dodged a blast of dark energy as he loosed his own. It nailed the M'teras in the chest and she was blown back with a scream.

"Even in death, I am more powerful that you are." He said and the M'teras stood up, she fell back to her knees and Fox walked over to the panther.

"How was that so powerful?" She asked as her strength waned.

"A friend once told me that good will always triumph over evil, no matter what the odds are. The tides have turned M'teras and you have lost." With that the dreamscape faded and Fox felt himself being drawn out.

"Nico! He's coming back!" Kai yelled and the panther rushed over to where the fox lay. The mercenary shook a bit and gradually his eyes opened, Fox tried to say something but his muzzle was stuck and she couldn't open it. "Fox, you're alive! Say something!" Fox regained control of his muzzle and he took a breath

"I'm…sorry…Kai." He managed and she smiled at him. "I am…so…sorry."

"Fox, I forgive you." Nico smiled at him and Fox nodded his acknowledgement as he could barely speak.

"I'll tell the rest of the villagers." Nico said and he left the two alone. Fox gritted his teeth as a sudden pain lanced through him and Kai placed her paws on his muzzle.

"Fox, how bad are you hurting?"

"Bad…I am in lots…of pain." He paused when the pain hit and the M'teras walked into the room.

"Well, the mercenary still has life in him." He walked over and placed a paw on Fox's head. "He is clean of all darkness and I feel that light is pulsating in him."

"Yes, I had a dream, you must know of this."

"I do, you faced a great evil, she has been beaten but the battle is not over, I feel a dark presence stirring in the forest." He replied and the tiger closed his eyes. "You did not kill her back at the village."

"How could she…be still alive?" Fox asked and he shook his head.

"I do not know, she has great power inside of her that none of your advanced weapons can kill. You either need to purge it or find some way to kill her. That is all for now, I must mediate on this and restore what power I have lost." He walked back and Fox sighed.

"Well, help me up, I want to see Traa." Kai did and he had to lean on the feline as he strapped on the Comm. Andromeda came back up and she was a light shade of green.

"Feeling better?"

"Much, thank you for not giving up on me." She smiled and the hologram vanished as Kai helped him down the stairs. The entire village was turned out and they surrounded the merc.

"He is back and Fox has survived the power of Black." The villagers responded with a resounding yell and Fox felt that they had regained their trust in him.

Meanwhile in the southern village…

Four figures were standing around the body of the female panther, her head was at an odd angle, her legs were turned up and she looked quite dead.

"Do you think she survived the fall?" A figure asked, the four were the same that had met with the M'teras back in chapter 2.

"No one could have, even if she was an M'teras." The other two nodded but they didn't know what they could do.

"Why are you standing around?" A voice asked and the first figure turned around. He couldn't believe it, his jaw dropped and he immediately fell to his knees.