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Infinity Verse Spotlights

Shirou Ogami: Apex Predators


In the cold, black void of space, a starship began its approach towards Earth's orbit, its cloaking mechanisms hiding itself perfectly from Skyward Tower as it flew past it. The occupants inside had absolutely no intentions of fighting the planet's greatest team of champions, but their intentions weren't exactly what one would call peaceful.

For they came looking for the strongest warriors...to claim as their trophies.

Its coordinates were locked on Japan. More specifically, the country's 93rd ward, and an independent city-state that was home to a most peculiar and uncanny species that resided on Earth. A species that, no doubt, had many potential trophies for these hunters to collect.

The craft containing said hunters landed just behind the city on the other side of the mountain where it resided. Once it had done so, the bay door opened to reveal four figures walking down to the ground below. Three males, one female, each with dreadlocks donning the back of their masked heads and an array of weapons at their disposal. In no time, the four of them made it to the top of the mountain and gazed down at the city with their infrared vision, witnessing the nightlife of the city's inhabitants as they went on with their lives, unaware of what was watching them.

The Beastmen of Anima City had better watch their backs. For the Yautja were in town...and they've got a few days to kill.


"Clean up crews continue to be hard at work in Tokyo today as its citizens begin to return home. It is still unknown as to what caused seven members of the Infinity League and one unknown metahuman to fight against several of their fellow League members in the city, and the League's P.R. department still has yet to comment on the matter. [1] Earlier today, United States Senator Wilfred Masterson made a public statement before Congress to further push the need for superhuman registration, using the incident in Tokyo as further proof. The President of the United States has even responded to this, despite his continued efforts to fight the results of the recent election. A vicious tweet was made by the President calling for the apprehension of those invol-"

"Please tell me you're joking."

That cynical voice was enough to snap Michiru out of her thoughts as she watched the news from her phone. The tanuki girl let out a yelp of surprise, nearly dropping said phone into her bowl of cereal. Once she ensured her device wouldn't be damaged, she turned around to see exactly who she knew said that: Shirou. Still in his human form, the wolf Beastman glared blankly down at Michiru's phone, which was still displaying the news report regarding the League.

"Oh, come on, really?!" the tanuki girl groaned. "Look, I know you're a giant stick in the mud when it comes to humans and all, but...really?! You seriously have a problem with the Infinity League?!"

"Why should I harbor any praise for a bunch of humans who have done nothing for any of us?" Shirou answered.

"Wha-You don't know that!" Michiru protested. "They've probably helped out a ton of Beastmen outside the city for all we know. I mean, have you SEEN some of their members? I don't think they'd hate Beastmen if one of their bosses is literally A DRAGON!"

She then went back to watching the news report on her phone with a pouty expression on her face.

"Of course, it's not like they CAN do much here thanks to that stupid law of yours," she added.

Ever since arriving in Anima City a few months ago due to her sudden 'illness' as she had previously called it, Michiru was quick to learn that this place wasn't exactly the safest of havens she previously thought it was. Violent gangs, assassins paid by humans, corrupt businesses, poverty-ridden slums, and several strict laws were what greeted her soon after her arrival. One of said laws was established not long after the Infinity League was formed, dictating that only non-human members of the League, such as the Ninja Turtles or the Mighty Mutanimals, were allowed to enter the city unless in the event of a crisis.

"Michiru, you and Mayor Rose have been over this," Shirou stated. "Given the relations most of the city's population has with the human race, this was done to maintain peace of mind and prevent any potential hostilities between both parties. The last thing any of us need right now is for tensions to arise between us and the humans, including these 'metahumans' as they call them."

He then caught a glimpse of the news report displaying camera footage someone captured of the brawl in Tokyo. It displayed several images of the White Ranger and the Red Ranger's sword duel, Sailor Mars tossing a purple-skinned vampire to the ground, an unknown blonde metahuman with a robotic right arm forcing what appeared to be a female Frankenstein Monster through the wall of a building, and Powerglide crashing into a skyscraper owned by KibaCorp.

"Besides, given how they apparently can't even resist fighting among each other, I'd say that's probably for the best," he added. "And even if that weren't the case, it would be a cold day in Hell before I even consider allying myself with them."

"Eh, your loss," Michiru replied before suddenly grinning to herself. "I've always dreamed about being a superhero, especially after they've formed. Make lots of new friends, punch bad guys in the face, and most of all, finally getting to meet my favorite hero!"

She then turned her phone around to showcase the cover she had attached to her phone, or more specifically, who, was plastered onto it.

"SAILOR VENUS!"

Stars could practically be visible in the tanuki girl's eyes as she brought up her hero, while Shirou...remained as stoic as ever. An awkward silence filled the air for several seconds before the sounds of Shirou's phone ringing interrupted it. The wolf Beastman wasted no time in answering it.

"Yes?" he greeted before listening to whoever was on the other side. "...I'll be right there."

With that, he hung up.

"What was that about?" Michiru curiously inquired.

"That was the Mayor," Shirou answered. "She claims to have intel regarding the murders that happened overnight."

Hearing that caused a chill to run down the girl's spine. Before she had caught up with what was happening to the League, the first bit of news she was greeted to was of three members of The Family, a criminal mafia owned by a beluga whale Beastman known as Giuliano Flip, were viciously murdered. Their decapitated bodies were found strung upside down inside a parking garage. It was said to be a scene that could only be described as being straight out of a horror movie.

"I'd stay inside if I were you," Shirou advised. "The city was rarely safe as it was, and now we've got some maniac out there on top of that."

"Yeah, don't have to tell me twice," Michiru responded.

With their conversation concluded, Shirou walked out of the room to begin his newfound task, leaving Michiru alone to finish her breakfast.

"Oh, and you think you can get a mechanic here or something?!" she called out, hoping he would hear her. "Mr. Gem told me the air conditioner might be busted, and I'd really rather not literally sweat my tail off here while this stupid heat wave's going on!"

As typical of Shirou, silence was all she was answered with, causing her to grunt in an irritated tone before continuing on with her morning..completely unaware of the invisible figure that observed the two of them from a nearby window.

"S-S-Some m-maniac-ac out-out there on t-t-top-op of tha-at."

"Don't-t ha-have to tell-ell me t-t-twice."


"This is Tony Pope, live from LA, the city of fear, where the psycho vigilante killer continues his daily diet of murder! Bodies strung out. Bodies with the skin ripped off. The hearts torn from the cadavers! And just recently, King Willie, the drug lord, the vicious drug lord, found in an alley just around the corner with his head cut off, and his spinal column torn from the body. A fitting demise to the Prince of Po-"

Feeling as though she's shown enough, Mayor Barbara Rose paused the archived news report as Shirou turned to face her with several questions on his mind.

"I trust that there's a reason you've shown me that nonsense," he deduced.

"That was a news report from 1997," Rose stated. "And I believe it may have some connection to the serial killer roaming the streets as we speak."

"How so?" Shirou asked as he leaned against the back wall of Rose's office.

"The manner in which Flip's men were found was dangerously close to what matched the victims in Los Angeles," the mayor of Anima City answered. "Not only that, but its targets were notorious gangsters, like most of the LA murderer's targets, and it went about its crimes while LA was in the midst of a heat wave like we currently are."

"So, you think this might be the same killer?" Shirou hypothesized.

"The LAPD never confirmed that they apprehended them, but I can't be too sure," Rose answered. "Still, I believe that this is no coincidence."

The mayor then rose to her feet and turned to face her ally.

"I need you to track down this killer. The Family believes somehow that Gram Grandma and her gang put a hit out on them after they were released from prison. If we don't stop this, we might be looking at a full-blown gang war erupting in Anima City."

"Precisely," Shirou agreed as he straightened himself and began to make his way to the door. "Even if this killer is targeting criminals, I cannot allow this city to plunge itself further into lawlessness, nor can I risk any innocent Beastmen paying the price should they get in this killer's crossfire."

The wolf Beastman then stopped and turned his head halfway towards Mayor Rose.

"Have the bodies been sent to the police?" he asked.

"They have," Rose confirmed.

"Tell them not to start their autopsies just yet," Shirou requested. "I'll start my investigation with them. See if I can detect any scents that might lead us to the murderer."


"Well, here they are," the chief coroner stated as he and Shirou approached three slabs where three body bags were lied upon. "I should warn you though, Mr. Ogami. I've seen plenty of young Beastmen unlucky to end up here in my days...but I've never in my life seen anyone butchered like this."

Having seen his fair share of Beastmen dying in his unnaturally long life, Shirou simply brushed off the coroner's words and walked towards the first of the body bags. He slowly began to unzip the bag, allowing the repugnant stench of death to coat the area. Once it was unzipped all the way, what greeted the wolf Beastman's eyes was exactly what the news had described: A decapitated corpse.

But there was something that the news had failed to mention. Something that bore more similarities to the news report Rose had shown him earlier...This corpse was completely skinned, and in addition to his head, his spine was also removed from his body.

For a brief second, Shirou's hues of ice blue widened in shock before they gave way to rage, both of his hands clenched in anger. The coroner was right about something: This was indeed among the most horrible fates he had ever seen happen to his fellow Beastmen...

...but it was not a fate he hadn't witnessed before.

Just by the condition alone, he knew who, or rather what, had murdered these three Beastmen. In an instant, memories of a creature stalking and murdering several Beastmen he had considered friends during Japan's Feudal Era came back to him. Memories of him confronting the creature he had at first assumed was a human poacher looking to make his fellow Beastmen his or her latest prey. But once he tore this hunter's mask off, his enemy was revealed a monster unlike any Shirou had seen before. It didn't seem to be a demon, or even a half-demon like a certain dog boy he would occasionally cross paths with during this era, most of the time resulting in a fight between them.

Nevertheless, despite this creature's origin being a mystery, Shirou was certain about one thing: It was a threat to his kind and needed to be brought down. After an intense battle that resulted in half the forest they fought in being set ablaze, Shirou managed to take one of the creature's mouth mandibles and one of its eyes before it retreated, never to be seen again.

But now...it seemed as though this monster had finally made its long-dreaded return.

Fully understanding the hell that this creature would bring to Anima City, Shirou wasted no time turning into his wolf form before observing a stab wound that was found on the body's chest. His keen sense of smell kicked instantly, detecting a faint scent coming from a place he had a hunch this being would strike at some point.

"Rabbit Town," he muttered to himself before turning to the chief coroner. "I have what I need. You can begin your work now."

The coroner was about to say something when Shirou immediately bolted out of the room, hoping he wouldn't arrive too late to stop this monster.


"YOU BITCHES THINK WE'RE FUCKIN' STUPID OR SOMETHIN'?!" a pelican Beastman in a business suit shouted, standing between two shark Beastmen "NO ONE PUTS A HIT ON US LIKE THAT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"I assure you that I've told you nothing but the truth," Gram Grandma stated as she continued to sit unintimidated behind her desk, her bodyguard, a lioness Beastman named Elsa, standing right beside her. "We had nothing to do with the murders."

"And to answer your question, yes, we do," Elsa added as she crossed her arms.

The pelican practically growled at the owner of Rabit Town. Just a few minutes ago, this member of Giuliano Flip's Family arrived with his posse, barging into Gram's office and began to shout several expletives at her seemingly without any rhyme or reason. Elsa needed to use every ounce of her willpower not to jump at him and rip him to pieces out then and there. Only after about thirty seconds of relentless yelling, he finally told her why they were here: The murders of three of their members.

"Who the hell else could it be?!" the pelican retorted. "You're the one who had a bone to pick with us after you got your sorry asses locked up!"

He and the sharks then reached into their jackets.

"The boss wasn't too happy about what you girlies did to 'em. So you can kiss our 'protection' AND this whole damn shithole of a town GOODBYE!"

The three of them all pulled out their pistols and aimed at the crime boss, only for an enraged Elsa to jump right in front of her, turning into her lioness form and readying her claws.

"You so much as touch her, and I'll rip your goddamn faces off!" she threatened.

"Kill her!" the pelican ordered his backup.

However, right before anyone could make the first move, the window behind Gram Grandma suddenly shattered, prompting her to duck down instinctively. Two large holes then formed from the front and the back of the pelican's head. He let out one gasp of pain before his lifeless husk fell to the floor. Afterward, the invisible object that claimed his life slowly began to reveal itself, revealing a large spear jutting out of the front of his head. The shark Beastmen were horrified at the sight while Gram and Elsa's eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" one of the sharks shouted as he took aim once more.

But before either of the females could plea their innocence, they noticed three red dots flashing onto one of their chests. From the broken window, a bolt of plasma energy fired from an invisible figure, blowing a massive hole in his chest. As the first shark witnessed his fellow gang member's corpse fall over, he heard something landing in front of him. He pointed his gun towards where he heard the voice, only for a pair of invisible blades to slice his neck open, causing blood spatters to land on the cloaked figure, revealing itself slightly to the only two occupants left in the room.

Knowing its presence had been compromised, the figure slowly began to de-cloak, revealing itself as a Yautja Scout with both Gram and Elsa. His gaze locked towards the mortified Elsa before letting out an ear-splitting roar that was unlike any creature that roamed this world. Shaking off her initial shock, Elsa then charged towards the attacker and swung her fist towards his face. However, the Yautja easily evaded this offensive and swung its wrist blades at the lioness. She just barely got out of their way before they could decapitate her, but they were still able to make their mark on her cheek.

The lioness Beastman then tried to swing her foot at her opponent, landing a kick against the Scout and causing it to stumble backward slightly before Elsa went in for the kill. She lunged her claws towards the Scout's neck in an effort to decapitate him, but the intergalactic hunter easily grabbed her fist and bent it backward until a loud snapping sound was heard. Elsa screamed in agony and attempted to free her now broken hand, only for the Yautja to swing his free arm at it, slicing her right hand off.

Before she could scream, the Scout grabbed her by her sports bra and forced her to turn around towards Gram Grandma, who could do nothing but watch as the brawl ensued.

"G-GOOD-OOD-DB-BYE!"

The Scout proceeded to lunge his wrist blades through her back and firmly grasped onto her spine. Elsa's eyes widened in agony as she coughed out a spatter of blood before the Scout pulled her spine out of the hole he had made, her skull still attached to it when he did so. A mortified Gram watched the cadaver that was once her main bodyguard collapse onto the now blood-stained rug while the Yautja roared triumphantly as he continued to hold Elsa's spine and skull.


Outside the building, Shirou ran as fast as he could towards the door when he heard the sound of a creature roaring coming from a broken window at the top floor. A roar that he had heard long ago. One that meant only one thing.

This monster had claimed his next trophy.

Without hesitation, Shirou turned into his beast form and burst through the locked doors, sprinting through a flight of stairs before reaching Gram's office. He kicked the doors down, and his heart sank at the sight of four Beastmen lying dead on the floor, their killer nowhere to be seen. This was enough to cause the wolf Beastman to freeze dead in his tracks for several seconds before he turned to Gram, who was practically shaking with fear.

"Who did this?" Shirou demanded. "WHO DID THIS?!"

It was at that moment that Shirou picked up a new scent that was coming from Elsa's corpse. Focusing on it, he detected not just the scent he had picked up earlier...but three other very similar scents. And he was able to pick them up coming from another place he knew would be on this murderer's radar.

The home of Giuliano Flip.

Upon coming to this realization, Shirou instantly ran towards Gram Grandma, who immediately ducked down to avoid him as he lept out the window. He then landed feet first onto a parked car and smashed its roof in as a result. The force hurt like hell, but he had been through worse. Once he was back on the ground, he fought through the pain he was in to barrel towards Rabbit Town's entrance and back into the main city, pulling out his phone and quickly dialing a number as he did so. He placed the device to his ear as the person on the other side picked up.

"Tachiki, I need every police unit you can spare at Flip's home immediately!" he said. "And tell them that we're not dealing with one killer...we're dealing with four!"


The complex had turned into a bloodbath.

Not long after dispatching some of his men to confront Gram Grandma, Giuliano Flip heard the sounds of screaming coming from another room. Stunned that someone had managed to sneak into his home without his knowledge, the head of The Family ordered more of his goons to go investigate. And by investigate, he, of course, meant put a bullet into this bastard's head. He naturally anticipated this situation to be resolved quickly so he could get back to business being Anima City's top crime lord.

Instead, his ears were greeted with more screams, coupled with the sounds of gunshots and flesh being ripped to pieces.

Both enraged and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, slightly intimidated, Flip now found himself needing to take matters into his own hands. So, after slipping on two obscenely large pairs of brass knuckles, grabbing a tommy gun he had placed under his desk, and changing into his beluga whale form, the heavyset crime boss burst out of the doors of his office and looked in every which direction for this intruder.

Almost immediately, a distinctive, almost clicking noise was heard, prompting Flip to immediately turn towards where he heard it and fire his weapon. However, the bullets simply ripped through the wall. Growling in irritation, Flip continued his way through the halls of his home.

"Show yourselves, ya damn cowards!" the crime lord shouted.

Obliging to his demand, though not out of fear, two cloaked figures landed in front of and behind him, revealing themselves to be a Hunter and Berserker Yautja, both of them with their bloodied wrist blades at the ready. Seeing the ones responsible for murdering several of his top men, the beluga Beastman flared his sharp teeth at them. The Yautja, however, didn't seem the least bit threatened by this display.

"You freaks got some nerve comin' into MY home and makin' mess outta things," Flip growled.

He then raised his weapon towards the Berserker in front of him, only for his shoulder cannon to fire directly at it, causing it to be burned into two pieces, much to Flip's shock.

"Oh, I see how it is," he said as he raised his fists. "Well, that's just fine by me. Cause when I'm done with the two of you, there wo-"

Having heard enough of the head of The Family's yammering, the Berserker charged towards him and was able to tackle the large Beastman to the floor with ease. He then raised his wrist blade and readied himself for the kill, only for Flip to punch him right at his mask, the brass knuckles leaving a large dent onto it. This offensive knocked the alien hunter off his person and allowed him to get back up, only for the Hunter behind him to slash his blades across Giuliano's back. The crime boss gritted his teeth in pain as he turned to face the two Yautja, who were more than ready to continue this fight.


Elsewhere inside the building, two of Flip's men stood in front of a door with their pistols at the ready, only being able to listen as the sounds of their friends being massacred echoed throughout the halls. One of them was practically shaking with fright, even whimpering slightly as he feared the same fate may happen to him.

"Hey, knock it off, will ya?!" the other guard snapped. "You're startin' to give me the creeps too."

"I-I can't help it, man!" the first guard responded. "You hear that shit goin' on too, don't ya?!"

His fellow guard breathed a heavy sigh before responding.

"Yeah, but there's nothin' we can do," he stated. "Boss said we gotta make sure the mistress is safe in her room during all this. Now, will ya-"

Before he could continue, an arrow suddenly flew up to the duo and pierced through the first guard's head, effectively killing him. The second guard gasped in horror as his co-worker's corpse slowly slid down to the floor before noticing something in front of him. He turned his head to see a Female Yautja de-cloaking herself and holding the bow that no doubt fired the arrow that killed his friend.

Acting on instinct, the guard pointed his weapon at the alien and fired.


All Nina Flip could do was cower under her bed as the ripping and tearing outside her door commenced. The dolphin Beastman was forced to cover her mouth so as to stop herself from screaming as tears streamed down her face, believing that she might just die here and now. Several agonizing seconds passed before the wretched sounds finally died down, and an eerie silence overtook the area. For a brief moment, Nina was hopeful that the danger had subsided somehow, and she can breathe a sigh of relief.

But then, the doors to her room were smashed open, forcing her to bite her lip before she could yelp in fright. She began to breathe quickly and heavily as she felt her heart race in her chest, all while she observed the Female slowly walk into her room from her hiding spot. The hunter snarled to herself as she monitored her surroundings, searching for more prey. Her helmet's infrared vision combed through the entire room when it detected a heat signature coming from under the bed.

Once she found her target, the Yautja lept down to the floor and made her way towards the bed. With little effort, the extraterrestrial hunter flipped the bed over to reveal Nina to her. The crime boss's daughter tried to get up and run, only for her to fall onto her back. Not even mustering up the courage to scream, she desperately backed away from the Yautja as she continued to silently observe her. All Nina could think to herself was how this was most certainly the end. That she should just pray to Ginrou for forgiveness before this creature took her life.

Then, in a startling twist of events, the Female turned around and walked away from Nina without so much as touching her. The intense fear that was building up inside the dolphin suddenly gave way to utter bafflement as she watched the Yautja leap back up to the balcony above and walk out of the room, cloaking herself as she did so. Even though she had been spared, Nina still couldn't help but wonder to herself...why?


Back with Giuliano, the beluga had been shoved through a wall and into the den room of his home by the Berserker with ease. The mammoth of a Beastman stumbled backward as he attempted to swing another punch at the larger Yautja, only for him to duck down and deliver a swing of his own that cracked Flip right in the jaw. Blood started to stream from the crime lord's mouth soon afterward as he fell to the floor, knocked completely unconscious.

"G-G-G-Got-t some-ome n-ner-erve."

With his prey finally down, the Berserker positioned his wrist blade once more, ready to claim his prize as the Hunter stood behind him. Suddenly, a patch of silver burst out of the front door and tackled the Berserker through the hole he had made just a few seconds ago, taking the Hunter with him at the same time. The Hunter was knocked into a nearby hallway while the Berserker was smashed through the back wall and into the complex's yard. His helmet was also smashed, revealing the true, otherworldly nature of the being within.

Once he finally got a clear look as to what had caught him off guard, he saw an enraged Shirou in his wolf form grabbing him by his armor and pulling him up to face him.

"So, there's MORE of you filth out there," he snarled.

However, before he could do anything else, the plasma cannon on the Yautja's shoulder pointed itself towards Shirou, the three dots aiming right for his head. Knowing already what this hunter was attempting, the wolf instantly lept away from the Berserker right as he took the shot, the plasma blast instead making its mark against the wall of Giuliano's home. Once he landed, Shirou saw that the Berserker had gotten back on its feet and opened its mandibles to roar at the Beastman with a fiery rage.

Undeterred by this, Shirou dashed towards the Yautja, intending on smashing his face to a bloodied pulp. However, the Berserker was able to deflect the offensive with his arm and stab Shirou in the gut with the blades in his free arm. The wolf Beastman grunted in agony but was able to ignore the pain long enough to slam his head against the Yautja's forehead, causing it to stumble back. This, in turn, caused the blades to come out of his stomach and allow his regenerative abilities to kick in.

When he looked back up, he noticed that the Berserker was seemingly gone. However, after his past encounter with one of these creatures, he knew that this was no retreat. So, the Beastman closed his eyes and focused on the scents and sounds that surrounded him. No later than three seconds after doing so, he heard something coming from his left, the scent he picked up from the Yautja following immediately afterward. He then lunged his claw towards his neck and grabbed the still cloaked Yautja by his neck. This caused the hunter to de-cloak, and reveal a stunned look in his eyes to his captive.

"That trick didn't work on me three hundred years ago...and it damn sure doesn't work now!" Shirou stated.

In an effort to free himself, the Berserker took aim with his plasma cannon once more, only for Shirou to slam him back first against the Flip household's wall and grab the weapon, crushing it with his free hand. The Yautja then tried to slice his captor's arm off, but the Beastman was quicker than he was and grabbed his arm before tearing it off of his body. The alien hunter howled in pain as his bright green blood poured out of the wound before Shirou grabbed him by the neck once. He then pulled the Yautja backward before brutally slamming the back of his head against the wall, crushing the Berserker's skull and killing him instantly.

With one of the killers taken out, Shirou tossed the Berserker's corpse away before walking back into the house. He couldn't detect the scents of the other three when he entered, meaning this time, they did end up retreating. However, amidst the sea of death, he was able to pick up two scents from Beastmen that were very much alive. Acting quickly, he rushed towards the still knocked out body of Giuliano as the sounds of sirens blaring were finally heard outside.


"One, two, three!"

With those words spoken, eight paramedics began the daunting task of trying to load Giuliano into an ambulance. Even with eight of them lifting his unconscious body, it was clearly still a struggle as evident by them just barely able to place the top of the stretcher into the vehicle's doors. It was about an hour after the carnage had finally subsided. Crime scene investigators were scattered throughout the complex as they took a close look at the multitude of dead bodies found inside. Half of them, though, were focused squarely on the body of the deceased Berserker Yautja, clearly having never seen anything in their lives quite like this creature, even for Beastmen like them.

As for Giuliano's daughter, Nina was still in her room, clearly shook up over what had happened in her very home as she was calmly questioned about the incident by Yƫji Tachiki. A great dane Beastman that was the Anima City Police Department's chief inspector.

"Can you describe the intruder for me, ma'am?" he requested.

Nina stayed silent for a few seconds as she relived the trauma she endured inside her head to try and answer the inspector's question as best she could.

"She was tall, had dreadlocks, wore some kind of armor on her chest, and had this mask that covered her face," she started. "She was carrying this bow with her and...and I swear, I think she somehow saw me through the bed I was hiding under."

"And after she found you, she just left?" Tachiki asked.

"Mm-hm," Nina answered with a nod. "I don't get why, though. I mean, I'm glad to be alive, of course, but she could have done anything to me. Why didn't she?"

"It's because you weren't worth her time," a voice answered for her.

Caught off guard, the two Beastmen swiftly turned to see Shirou jump down to the two of them from the balcony above.

"Ogami," Tachiki greeted.

"Not worth her time?" Nina repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"She's a hunter, just like the rest of the killers," Shirou answered. "These predators came to your father's in search of prey. They seek only those they consider worthy enough to challenge them...and then claim their skulls as trophies."

"You're certain of that?" Tachiki asked.

Shirou knew he had to think of an answer that wouldn't expose his true nature to his friend and the daughter of the most notorious crime lord in Anima City. Thankfully, he knew that he would have pieced all of this together, even without his history with these monsters.

"Think about it, Tachiki," he said. "What were these murderers' targets? Gangsters. A mob boss. Anyone who could fight back against them. What could someone like her possibly do to any of them to warrant their attention?"

He motioned to Nina as he spoke that last sentence.

"I see," Tachiki responded as he placed a hand on his chin. "And given the crime rates here, the whole city'd basically be like the world's biggest turkey shoot to them."

"All the reason why we need to put a stop to the others immediately," Shirou added. "I was able to trace them here from Rabbit Town. I might be able to find them again. But first, I need access to the murderer's body."

"Done," Tachiki replied as he got back to his feet. "Just follow me."

With that, the two Beastmen walked up the balcony and out of Nina's room towards the body of the Berserker.

"How many?" Shirou asked.

Knowing exactly what he meant by that, the police inspector gave a heavy sigh before answering.

"Fourteen."

Though he was doing an admirable job hiding it, a wave of guilt shot through the wolf's entire body. Failure was not something lost to the immortal Beastman, but it was still a sensation he could never get used to. For centuries, he was forced to watch Beastman after Beastman fall victim to those who hated and feared them, and though these men chose the path of low-life criminals, for them to be treated not even as being beneath their slayers as humans tended to do, but to instead be seen as objects to satisfy someone's lust for blood, it made him sick to his stomach.

And what if the bloodshed doesn't stop there? What if these creatures got bored with gangsters and turned their attention to police officers? Or some random citizen training themselves in martial arts? Or anyone who so much as simply carried a weapon for their safety?

No.

He wouldn't allow it.

Not again.

And so, with that mindset, he approached the body of the Berserker just as the investigators were about to load him up in a body bag. He focused on the aroma's coming from the body and focused. Sure enough, like last time, it didn't take long for him to discover where the other three were...But where exactly they were nearly made his centuries-old heart stop.

It was the Horner's home...and the three of them were inside, heading for...

"Michiru!" Shirou gasped quietly.

Without hesitation, the wolf Beastman bolted through the house and out the front door, shoving two cops out of the way as he quickly ran towards the direction of the Horners' home.

For if they found out what the tanuki was capable of...they'd want her skull mounted on their wall in a heartbeat.


"If you're just tuning in, we have reports that the individual responsible for the murders of three Family members last night did not act alone. Police are now on the lookout for three serial killers on the run in Anima City. All of them are considered armed and extremely dangerous. All citizens are currently encouraged to stay indoors as the manhunt conti-"

Having heard enough, Michiru paused the news report on her phone and placed it away, fighting through both the uneasiness she was feeling as well as the fact that her head was pounding due to the heat continuing to barrel down onto the city. As she wiped several droplets of sweat off of her head, she couldn't help but look out her window, her thoughts drifting towards Shirou's wellbeing.

She knew more than anyone that the wolf Beastman could take a beating, but she still couldn't shake this feeling that he could be in danger right now. Despite their constant bickering and the wolf's hatred of humans, she still considered Shirou a friend. One that she hoped would be able to make it out of this situation alive as he always had.

Putting her mind somewhat at ease, she turned towards her bed, thinking that a quick nap might be able to soothe her thoughts more so.

"S-Some m-maniac-ac o-out-out-t-t the-ere."

"Huh?" Michiru said to herself when she heard the sound coming from behind her.

The tanuki girl turned around, only to find absolutely nothing staring back at her. She sighed to herself in irritation.

"Great," she groaned. "Now the heat's making me hear things."

Feeling foolish, she turned back around towards her bed. However, right before she could take the first step, a cloaked hand wrapped around her mouth and covered it, causing Michiru's eyes to widen in fright.


When Shirou arrived, he noticed one of the windows on the building was open. Already fearing the worst, he lept up and reached the window before grabbing onto the sill and lunging inside. He was greeted to the room being in shambles. Pieces of furniture knocked over, several things broken, and in the middle, Michiru's phone, displaying a map of the city.

Thinking this might be a clue to the human-turned-Beastman's whereabouts, Shirou bent down and picked the device up, noticing a small red dot at the location of an abandoned apartment complex about ten miles away. He then noticed something inscribed onto the search bar of the phone.

"WE HAVE THE GIRL," it read. "IF YOU WISH TO RETRIEVE HER, YOU WILL COME TO THE TOP FLOOR OF THIS LOCATION. ALONE."

A scornful scowl overtook Shirou's face once he finished reading that sentence. He then tossed the phone away and lept out of the window once more. He might not know where these monsters came from, but for threatening Michiru, he knew exactly where he'd be sending them to once he got his claws on them.


Michiru awakened to a splitting headache in her head and a feeling of dizziness overtaking her. When she was finally able to shake that feeling off, she looked down and noticed that her legs had been tied together. She attempted to get up, only to feel something resisting against the back of the chair she sat on. Unknown to her, her hands were bonded to the chair by a pair of energy cuffs.

When she realized she was trapped, she, in too much pain to morph any portion of her body, began to thrash about violently, thinking this would at least break something or loosen the rope, only for her to stop when she heard something.

A clicking noise coming from right in front of her.

The tanuki ceased her struggles and stared at something appearing before her very eyes: The Hunter Yautja de-cloaking. This action caused Michiru to flinch slightly in fear as cold sweat began to run down her neck.

"Uh...h-hi there," she meekly said.

The Hunter said nothing, merely motioning his left arm to the gauntlet attached to his right. He pressed a series of buttons that displayed several symbols in the Yautja language. After forming a sentence, the letters translated themselves so Michiru could better understand them.

"DO NOT BE ALARMED. WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF HARMING YOU. ONCE WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED, WE WILL RELEASE YOU."

Michiru, clearly having not expected that, nor this unorthodox means of communication, raised an eyebrow in an untrusting manner.

"Right, and I guess you just tied me up just to make me comfy," she sarcastically remarked. "Why did you even bother in the first place?"

The Hunter, again, typed a sentence onto his gauntlet, which translated itself for his captive.

"WE NEED YOU TO LURE SOMEONE OUT FOR US."

Before Michiru could question this stranger about who this individual was, the gauntlet suddenly displayed a video feed of what transpired earlier in the Flip household. Specifically, one of Shirou's brawl with the Berserker. Seeing her friend on the video feed caused the tanuki's eyes to widen as she realized that he was the one they were after.

"Shirou..." she said before turning back to the Hunter. "Why?!"

The Hunter, once more, typed out his response.

"BECAUSE HE IS WORTHY PREY."

No sooner had that response been made did the Scout de-cloak behind the Hunter, approaching his brethren as he turned to face him. The Scout growled something in his native language to the Hunter, who, in turn, responded in a similar manner. Without saying a word to his captive, the Hunter began to type something into his gauntlet before he cloaked himself and walked away from Michiru.

"No, wait!" she pleaded. "DON'T!"

Her pleas fell upon deaf ears, unfortunately, as evident by the Scout re-cloaking and disappearing from the tanuki girl's sight. Once the two of them were gone, Michiru immediately resumed her struggle to free herself, desperate to try and escape her binds so she can save her friend from these hunters' ambitions.


Shirou wasted little time once he reached his destination. He immediately lept up to the top floor of the complex and smashed himself through one of the windows before landing on his feet inside. Brushing off the cuts the broken glass had given him, he got back on his feet and saw Michiru at the back of the room, still tied up despite her efforts.

"Shirou!" she called out.

Upon seeing the tanuki girl, the immortal Beastman ran over to her, using his claws to cut the ropes that held her legs and smash the cuffs that held her arms.

"Shirou, we need to get out of here!" Michiru stated. "These freaky guys in masks want to-"

"I know," Shirou interrupted.

"BUT-Wait, what?" a confused Michiru asked.

Rather than answer her, the wolf turned his head at seemingly nothing.

"You three can come out now," he said. "There's no use in hiding from me...That was your friend's last mistake."

The clicking snarls of the Yautja echoed across the room the instant Shirou called them out, prompting an uneasy Michiru to quickly hide behind her friend's back, shivering with fear. Not long afterward, the Hunter de-cloaked in front of the duo, followed by the Scout to their left and the Female to their right. Seeing the familiar, masked face of the species that had claimed the lives of so many Beastmen prompted Shirou to growl with intense hatred, his teeth flashed out for them to see as he gripped his claws tightly in anger.

"Let Michiru go," he demanded. "She has nothing to do with any of this."

Shockingly, the Hunter nodded to the wolf's sentiment before locking eyes with Michiru. He then pointed towards the back door of the room they were occupying, silently telling her to leave.

"Go," Shirou instructed the girl behind him. "Find someone to call the police once you're outside."

"What?!" Michiru responded. "Shirou, I can't just leave you to-"

"I'll be fine," Shirou sternly reassured. "Now go. Now."

Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere arguing with him as usual, Michiru hesitantly stepped away from Shirou before running towards the door. Shirou kept his focus on the three hunters that surrounded him, anticipating that they might just make a move against her, but much to his surprise, they remained completely still as the human-turned-Beastman opened the door and left without a hitch.

"So, it seems you have some sense of honor after all," he stated. "But my views on you haven't changed."

He then splayed his claws outward and got in a fighting stance.

"I'll show you the same mercy you showed my Beastmen brothers and sisters all those years ago!" he declared.

The Yautja responded by getting into a fighting stance of their own, the Hunter readying a staff, the Scout pulling out a disc-shaped, bladed object, and the Female pulling out her bow and arrow. Shirou was ultimately the one who made the first move by charging towards the Hunter with the intent to kill.


Michiru had made it to the second floor when the fighting started. The instant she heard the muffled sounds of the ensuing brawl between Shirou and the three Yautja, the tanuki stopped dead in her tracks. She knew that Shirou was tough, but these three were unlike any hostile human or Beastman she had ever encountered. Could he really take them alone, or was it just his usual stubbornness getting to him?

Either way, she couldn't just leave it up to chance that he would win this fight. So, despite Shirou's orders, Michiru, without giving it a second thought, turned around and went back up the flight of stairs to the top floor.


Back with Shirou, he was currently dodging the swift attacks of the Scout whilst trying to keep an eye out for the other two. As he did so, he carefully analyzed the fighting styles of the three Yautja. The Scout seemed to lack strength, but he more than made up for it with speed. The exact opposite of the strong, yet slow and cumbersome Berserker Shirou had bested. However, while he was occupied by the Scout, he was unable to see the Hunter sideline him from his right and tackle him to the floor. Shirou quickly kicked the Hunter off his person and quickly got back on his feet, only for him to jump out of the path of a plasma bolt that was aimed at his head.

The Hunter seemed to be the most balanced of this hunting party. Able to be as ferocious as he was nimble. The Female also appeared to be fairly balanced but seemed to have a slight preference for brute force like the Berserker. Shirou quickly deduced that the Hunter would prove to be the most challenging to take down, so he needed to focus on the Scout and the Female first so he could get them off his back. This was easier said than done, however, for it was the Hunter that seemed to be the most determined to claim the Beastman as his prize.

The immortal Beastman quickly lept up to the ceiling to dodge another blast from the Hunter's cannon before launching himself towards the Female, only for her to pull out a small handheld device that fired a net that encased her target and pinned him to the wall. The razor-sharp wires slowly sliced into Shirou's flesh as the net constricted around him. Gritting his fangs in pain, the wolf used his claws to tear through the wires as blood continued to seep through his wounds. Once he had broken free, the cuts began to heal themselves as Shirou charged towards the Female once more. Acting quickly, the Female Yautja readied her weapon, releasing an arrow from her bow that flew towards Shirou, only for him to sidestep away from it with inhuman speed. Once he was close enough, Shirou leaped into the and swung his foot right at the Female, causing her to be hurtled away before crashing into a dust-coated desk.

With one of them finally down, Shirou was about to make his way to the Female to finish her off, only for him to hear something coming from behind and being forced to flip back over an invisible Hunter that tried to spear him with his staff. Roaring in irritation, the Hunter swiftly turned around and slashed his blades across Shirou's chest the instant he landed. The Beastman winced slightly in pain but quickly brushed it off before swinging his fist at the Hunter's face. The force of the blow caused the Yautja to stumble back as Shirou went in to strike him again. But before he could, he was forced to dodge the Scout's smart disk as it flew in from the side in an attempt to decapitate him. The disc flew back to its wielder's hand seemingly on its own, Shirou being distracted long enough for the Hunter to grab him by the neck and lift him off his feet.

The three dots then appeared on Shirou's forehead as the Hunter's cannon began to charge up once more.

"GOOD-OODB-B-B-YE!"

However, before the Yautja could take the shot, Shirou managed to kick the Hunter with such force that he was forced to release his iron grip. Now freed, Shirou managed to grab the Hunter by the arm when he attempted to use his blades once more. One elbow to the face was all it took for the extraterrestrial hunter to be knocked flat on his back. Unfortunately, once again, Shirou's attempt to finish the job was thwarted when he was forced to quickly turn and grab the Scout by his neck before he could ambush him. No sooner had he done that did one of the Female's arrows deeply pierce his shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain and release the Scout from his claws. He attempted to turn his attention to the Female once he removed the arrow from his body, but with his back turned, he was unable to see the Hunter fire a weakened plasma bolt right at his back, singing it and causing him to fall face-first to the floor.

Groaning in pain, Shirou attempted to get back up, only to then feel the Hunter plant his foot onto his back, preventing him from doing so. The Hunter then proceeded to grab his spear and jab it through the Beastman's back and out of his mid-section. Shirou yelled out in agony as the Scout and the Female approached him, only for the Hunter to lash his arm out at them aggressively, snarling something in their native tongue. This, in turn, caused the other two to back away from the two of them. Unknown to Shirou, the Hunter had claimed him as his trophy, and it was deemed dishonorable for any Yautja to steal another's kill.

With that, the Hunter, now uninterrupted, raised his wrist blades to claim his trophy, all while Shirou, weakened due to the immense pain he was in, struggled to free himself. All seemed to be lost, however, until...

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" a voice screamed.

The three Yautja, stunned, turned towards where the voice was coming from and saw Michiru sprinting towards the Hunter with her right hand curled tightly into a fist. As she reeled her arm back, its muscles began to bulk up until it had fully morphed into a gorilla's arm, all while Shirou observed in horror.

"MICHIRU, NO!" he called out.

But his warning came too late. For the instant Michiru made it to the trio of hunters and their downed opponent, her massive fist slammed harshly against the Hunter's helmet, causing it to fly off and for him to be sent careening to a wall. Upon witnessing their party's leader being ambushed by someone they assumed was unworthy prey, the Scout and the Female slowly turned to Michiru, who was panting heavily and glaring at the downed Hunter as her arm morphed back to normal. Three dots then appeared at the back of the tanuki's head from the Scout as his cannon prepared to fire, only for Shirou to grab him by the leg and jump back to his feet, resulting in him falling to the floor. Shirou then swung the body of the Scout at the Female before releasing, causing the two of them to fly away from both him and Michiru, catching the tanuki's attention.

"You idiot!" the wolf scolded as he pulled the Yautja spear out of his body. "They know what you're capable of now!"

Before she could retort, Michiru spotted the Hunter getting back on his feet, catching a good look at his unmasked face, which, in turn, nearly caused her skin to turn white as a ghost. The Hunter then fired a plasma bolt at the ground beneath the door Michiru used earlier to make her escape, setting it, and her only route to safety, ablaze.

"They see you as worthy prey," Shirou continued.

No sooner had he said that did the three Yautja surround the duo, conversing among themselves in their native language.

"What are they doing?" Michiru whispered.

"I'm not certain," Shirou answered. "But the one you attacked seemed to want to claim my life for himself. They might be debating which among them will claim you."

"Oh, well that's...flattering," Michiru meekly responded before gulping in fear.

Just then, she noticed that the fire the Hunter started began to spread throughout the entire room.

"What do we do now?" the tanuki whispered.

"The only safe place now is the roof," Shirou answered before handing her his cell phone once their enemies weren't looking. "Get up there and call the police. I'll cover for you."

Suddenly, the aliens' conversation came to a close when the Scout pulled out his staff and pointed it right at Michiru, whose eyes widened in fright upon seeing the gesture. However, that look of fear then faded to one of determination.

"You're gonna have to catch me first, ugly!" she shouted before turning and dashing towards the nearby stairs to the roof.

The Scout bellowed a fierce roar in response and went after her as she ascended the stairs.

"Michiru, wait!" Shirou called out.

He attempted to give chase, only for the Hunter to grab him and throw him against the wall. He looked up to see the Hunter slowly approach him, detaching the plasma cannon on his shoulder and throwing it to the floor. The Female was nowhere to be seen, likely hiding herself to allow her fellow Yautja to claim his kill. Once Shirou got back to his feet, his alien opponent spread his arms outward and unleashed a horrifying roar that would send shivers down any normal man's spine.

But Shirou was no mere man.

In retaliation, the Beastman raised both of his fists up, readying himself for the impending fight.

"Some...nerve..." the Hunter snarled.


Meanwhile, Michiru kicked open the door that lead to the roof in a panic, knowing that the Scout was likely close behind, determined to claim her skull. Noticing a decayed chimney, she sprinted over to it and crouched down once she was behind it. She then pulled out Shirou's phone and frantically dialed 110 to try and get in contact with the police.

The instant she did so, however, she felt as though something was amiss and looked up to the top of the chimney. Suddenly, the Scout de-cloaked and swung his wrist blades towards Michiru, who yelped in terror before swiftly dodging the attack, dropping the phone in the process. She then noticed a rust-coated crowbar nearby and grabbed it before lashing it towards the Yautja. Unfortunately, the alien simply blocked it with his arm, causing it to bend substantially and for Michiru's eyes to widen in shock.

"...Bad idea," she said to herself.

Ditching the makeshift weapon, the tanuki girl turned her legs into cheetah legs to quickly dodge another swipe from the Scout's blades.


Back with Shirou, the wolf Beastman swiftly managed to evade a backhand from the Hunter before slamming his fist against the Yautja's left mandibles. The punch caused him to reel back slightly, but he managed to pull himself back together to block a second punch from his enemy. He then delivered a counter punch to the wolf's stomach that caused him to be sent tumbling against the wall. The predator, seeing his opportunity, lunged his wrist blades towards Shirou's back, only for him to jump out of their path and land behind a blazing bookshelf. Growling in frustration, the Hunter began to walk towards Shirou, who readied himself for what was to come next.

However, much to the Beastman's surprise, the Hunter simply walked past him, almost as if he didn't see him. As if the fire was able to hide his presence. It was then that an idea came to Shirou. One that could very well give him the edge over the alien hunter. He remained crouched for a few more seconds, waiting for the Yautja to turn his back, before dashing towards him. He was able to land a hit at the back of the alien's head before jumping over a burning chair and vanishing within the flames. The Hunter easily recovered from this strike and marched towards where he last saw his prey, only for him to emerge from his left and strike him at the side of his leg, causing him to fall to one knee.

With his opponent down, the wolf grabbed the Yautja by the neck and, with all of his might, threw him over his head and slammed him to the floor. Roaring with fury, the Hunter attempted to free himself by kicking Shirou off his person, only for him to strike the heel of his foot against his left knee, the loud crack of bones breaking being heard immediately afterward. The Hunter cried out in pain as he then tried to use his wrist blades to decapitate the Beastman, but this effort proved futile as well once Shirou grabbed the blades with his teeth and snapped both of them in two thanks to the force of his mighty bite.

With his enemy disarmed, the wolf Beastman sank his claws deep into the Yautja's neck, snarling at him as he watched him bleed profusely and struggle to break free. Shirou then pulled the alien's head upward, decapitating him with little effort. Once the Hunter's body went limp, Shirou harshly tossed his head away as he heaved heavily whilst looking down at the predator's corpse. He held no remorse or regret over what he had done. For anyone who dares to treat his kind as nothing more than game must atone for the atrocities they had committed.

Just then, three dots appeared against the side of the wolf's head. In response, Shirou swiftly turned to his right and saw the Female standing before him, plasma cannon charged and ready to blow his head off. Despite his exhaustion from fighting the Hunter, Shirou still prepared himself for another brawl with these creatures. However, in a startling twist of events, the Female powered down her weapon before dashing towards a nearby window, cloaking herself before she crashed through and escaped into the night. A slightly perplexed Shirou stared at the broken window for several seconds before the sounds of the Scout's roar from above snapped him from his thoughts.

It was then that he remembered that Michiru was still at the mercy of the last of these creatures and quickly ran towards the stairs to the roof, grabbing the Hunter's staff as he did so.


While that was going on, Michiru had been flung off the roof of the building by one of the Scout's plasma blasts hitting the ground in front of her. She would have fallen a good ten stories to the road bellow had she not stretched her arms to the ledge of the roof and held on for dear life. As she reconfigured her arms and was brought closer to the ledge, she attempted to get back on the roof to continue trying to hold off the Scout so as to give Shirou a better chance against these hunters, only to then see said Yautja leap onto the ledge and looked down at the now petrified tanuki girl, snarling as he did so.

The extraterrestrial game hunter then pulled out and extended his staff before raising it upward for the kill whilst Michiru frantically tried to think of what to do to escape this monster's thrall. However, right before the Scout brought his staff down, another staff suddenly burst out of the Yautja's chest. The alien bellowed in agony, dropping his own weapon in the process, before tumbling off the ledge. Acting quickly, Michiru swung herself away from the Scout's body as it descended towards her, launching herself out of its path before grabbing onto the ledge once more. She turned her head to watch as the Scout fell towards the street below, smashing atop a parked car before going completely motionless as his blood continued to pour out of his now lifeless body.

The danger having now subsided, Michiru turned her head to look up at her savior and, sure enough, there was Shirou, crouched onto the building's ledge and offering her his hand. A smile beaming on her face, Michiru took the wolf Beastman's hand, allowing him to pull her back up to the roof.

"Are you alright?" Shirou asked.

"Yeah," Michiru heaved. "Thanks."

Just then, the sounds of a helicopter's rotors overtook the scene, prompting the duo to look upward just in time to witness a chopper from the city's fire department hovering over the burning building. Salvation at hand, Michiru wasted no time waving both of her arms to try and get the pilot's attention.

"Over here!" she called out. "We're over here!"


An hour had passed since then. The fire department had managed to put out the flames that were tearing through the abandoned complex before it could collapse. Several crime scene investigators surrounded the car that the Scout had fallen onto, all eyes on the Yautja's corpse. Anima City's news outlets hounded the scene like moths to a flame while the police kept them at bay. As for Michiru, she was currently sitting on the steps of the complex where she had yet another near-fatal encounter. Something that almost seemed to become a regular basis for the human-turned-Beastman.

"I hope you understand just how reckless that was," a voice stated.

The tanuki girl looked up to see Shirou, now in his human form, approaching her.

"You had no idea what these monsters were capable of," the Beastman continued. "I'm starting to wonder if you secretly have a death wish of some kind."

"Uh, less of that and more of just being used to stuff like this here," Michiru admitted.

She could hardly even believe she could say that with a straight face. Ever since she had arrived here in search of answers, she had been caught in the middle of a bombing incident, held at gunpoint, nearly sold off to the humans, held hostage yet again before falling off the top of a building, and even took part in several dangerous baseball games. She couldn't even count just how many times she would have been dead without her abilities and her friendship with Shirou. Because of this, encountering these mysterious hunters seemed like just another Tuesday afternoon for her.

Hearing this, Shirou simply sighed to himself before continuing.

"Still...you did save my life. Of that, I am grateful."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Michiru responded with a smile as she rose to her feet. "Besides, someone's gotta have your back. I'm not the only one around here with a 'death wish.'"

"Don't push your luck," Shirou blankly responded.

However, before this conversation could go any further, Shirou's eyes widened slightly. He could just barely detect it. A scent that did not belong in this city of Beastmen. Not wanting to believe what he had just detected, he turned back into his wolf form and focused on this alien scent.

"Uh, Shirou?" a confused Michiru asked. "What are you-?"

"Everyone move aside!" a cop suddenly shouted. "Give these guys some space!"

Hearing this, Michiru turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw a black-clad armored van approach the two of them. The passenger-side door opened to reveal a man, African-American and appearing to be in either his late sixties or early seventies, stepping out. Almost on cue, the instant this man stepped out of the vehicle and began to approach the duo, Shirou's eyes bolted open, his fangs flared out as he snarled one simple word.

"Humans!"

"Relax, Fido, we ain't here looking for a fight," the man assured as he reached both the tanuki and the wolf. "We're just here for the bodies. That's all."

"What gave you the right to step foot into this city?!" Shirou growled as he stormed towards this human, despite Michiru's attempts to hold him at bay.

"Shirou, wait!" she protested.

"Your Mayor, that's what," the human answered.

Before Shirou could even question this man's answer, he pulled out something from his pocket. It was a document that was meant to grant any outsider access to Anima City for twenty-four hours. One that was signed by Mayor Rose herself. Still unsure, Shirou swiped the document from the human's hands and focused on the scents it carried. As he did so, about eight men in bulletproof vests approached the man from behind, who turned around to address them.

"Mayor said there's two of 'em here," he stated. "One's in there, other's over here."

He pointed up at the charred building inside him, then at the Scout's body laying on the car he had crushed. Four of the men approached the Scout while the other four entered the building. Back with Shirou, the events of this same individual being handed this very document by Mayor Rose played out in his mind, confirming that what this man had told him was true. Still, there was one question left unanswered: Who are they?

Determined to get these answers, Shirou opened his eyes and looked down at the piece of paper in his hands, trying to find this man's name. Instead, he found what appeared to be an acronym printed where one's name should be.

"O.W.L.F.?" he read aloud.

"Stands for Other-Worldly Life Forms Program," the man answered for Shirou.

"Other-Worldly?" Michiru repeated. "Wait...those things were-?!"

"Aliens," the human interrupted as he turned to see some of his men load up the Scout's body into the armored van. "These pussyfaced motherfuckers have been a bit of a thorn in our side for some time now. Anytime they come down here, they're on safari...Literally in this case."

Shirou had to resist the urge to tear this man's throat out for saying that.

"They're drawn by heat and conflict," the man continued. "You've got plenty of one based on what I've seen and, well, all it took was one hot day to make the perfect jungle for them."

"I see..." Shirou replied, now with answers regarding his past encounters with these creatures.

"So...what happens now?" Michiru asked.

"As I said, we're only here for the bodies," the man answered as he saw the rest of his men exit the building with the decapitated corpse of the Hunter. "Once we've got 'em, we'll be out of your hair. That being said..."

He then approached Shirou and glared right into his blue eyes, the unintimidated Beastman glaring right back at him in retaliation.

"What happens in Anima City stays in Anima City," he stated. "If we find out any of this shit got leaked, we'll know who's responsible. And when we come back, you won't be talking to me...You'll be talking to Dutch. And believe me, you don't wanna be talking to him."

Several tense seconds passed before Shirou finally gave his retort.

"I'll keep that in mind, human."

The human said nothing in response. Rather, he simply turned back towards the vehicle he arrived in and approached the four men that were loading up the Hunter's body.

"Make sure there's still room for the one over at the beluga's," he ordered.

"Will do, Mr. Harrigan," one of the men responded.

The man then approached the passenger door of his ride as the Yautja's body was loaded, and the men loading it stepped into the van. He opened the door and climbed inside before taking one last look at the streets of Anima City and its inhabitants, shaking his head in disbelief. Right when he assumed this world was done surprising him, it throws yet another curveball his way.

"I'm getting too old for this sh-" was what he said before slamming the door shut.

With that, the van drove away from the scene, all the while Shirou and Michiru observed.

"You think they know about the one that got away?" Michiru questioned.

"Possibly," Shirou answered as he shifted back to his human form. "But we should keep an eye out for her regardless..."

He then looked up to the night sky, glaring deeply at the stars above.

"...and be ready." he continued.

"Huh?" Michiru asked. "Ready for what?"

"Call it a hunch..." the wolf answered. "...but something tells me this won't be the last time we encounter these aliens."


Lightyears away from Earth, on a planet simply referred to as Yautja Prime, an Elder continued to stare at the screen in front of him. His scouts to Earth were successful in selecting targets for what was to be their kind's greatest hunt. The 'Great Hunt,' as his clan called it. The potential trophies were limitless. Alien refugees, mutants, sorcerers, soldiers, killers, supernatural creatures, master fighters, Earth was practically a breeding ground for worthy prey. Even better was the report one Female made after retreating to her homeworld after her entire hunting party fell in Japan. This 'Anima City' was the perfect location for the Great Hunt to take place in.

And yet, that wasn't what the Elder's focus was mainly on. It was on the one who had slain the Female's hunting party. He was lucky he was able to have the Female call off her pursuit of this trophy before she or any of her comrades could claim him. For if anyone was to have his skull mounted on their wall, it was going to be him.

And so, here the Elder was, staring intensely at the screen as footage of Shirou's fight against the Berserker played before his one eye, growling something out of his three mandibles.

"Silver...Wolf..."


[1] - As seen in Ch 8 of The Dark Phoenix

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I feel like I should address the continuity to my fellow BNA fans who might be asking why Michiru doesn't just fly away to safety. This all takes place before Episode 7 where she learns how to morph wings for herself.