Okay, here's the fourth chapter. This is where the story takes a seriously dark turn. This chapter is going to seem really out of place, because the previous chapters have been so light-hearted, but really, it's a precursor for a lot of bad stuff that's coming up in the future.

Please, review after you're finished. I'm putting a lot of hard work into this story and I really would like to hear some feedback.

*Disclaimer

Natcat5 does not own the Keybearer, the Anti-Form, or the concept of unlocking and locking the hearts of worlds. She does own everything else in this chapter though.

Mundo Del Perso

Del Perso

It was night.

It was always night.

The sky was perpetually dark, with a gray overtone that gave it an overcast look and smoky clouds spanned across it menacingly.

The sun had long since forsaken this place, leaving it to the darkness, and the night. The cold, the loneliness; the desolation of the World of the Lost.

Del Perso.

Land of the forsaken.

The place sunlight and warmth had deserted, the place happiness and joy had fled, the place where fear, hate, war, and the Moon now reigned.

Del Perso, home of the Moon warriors.

Home of the Night Order.

Home of the never-ending war between the two tribes.

Home to a fierce struggle over the last light of the land, over the one good, pure thing that the dark place had to offer.

Over its heart.

The War had raged since the heart had first been discovered, deep in the land. The world was darker then, the sky not gray, but pitch black, and the moon continuously waned.

When the first group first found the heart, they were unskilled, unknowledgeable in how to deal with it, and they let out a large percentage of its power, bringing some light to Del Perso. The power lightened the sky to a dark grey, and brought the Moon to its full state.

After it loosed a fraction of its power to the world, the Heart disappeared, moving to another, more hidden spot somewhere in Del Perso.

The light had gone, seemingly never to return, but hope had graced the forsaken people. Hope that it was indeed possible, to save their lost world, and they began searching for the Heart.

But the Heart of Del Perso was powerful, and enticing, and a group of people arose that wanted to use the Heart for their own selfish gains. They wanted to use the Heart to regain the darkness that it had banished, to use it for their own purposes. The wanted the pure night, the endless night, they hated the new bright moon that hung in the gray sky. They wanted darkness, and they wanted it badly.

And the War began.

The people of the new world, who loved the subtle light that had been given to them, were known as the Moon Warriors, a vast kingdom that dominated most of Del Perso.

The people who craved the darkness, and the old world, were the Night Order, who, while their numbers were fewer, had much more power from the darkness that they manipulated, then that of the Moon Warriors.

Both sides fought constantly, while still searching for the Heart, and sabotaging each other's efforts. They both used darkness, and were both filled with hate and wickedness, and the War was evil and bloody, both sides being low on morals and mercy.

And so the War raged on.

And as it did, the numbers of the Night Order grew.

Della Luna

Pack Leader Alpha stood on the ridge, surveying the lands beneath him with obvious contempt. The ground was dark and scarred, churned up and devoid of life after being the site of countless battles. Trenches and bombed out craters dotted the area, and darker patches of land told tales of bodies that had been left to bleed out on the accursed land.

Much of Della Luna was like this, war-torn and scarred, never to be habitable again. It was what the Moon Warriors got for having so much land, so many more places for the Night Order and their Gattigo to attack them. The Moon Warriors could only protect so much, and they had families, and people they cared about to think of.

Alpha's nose wrinkled as he thought of this. Caring. An emotion so utterly foreign to him it left a bad taste in his mouth as he thought of it. The Moon Warriors were brave and dangerous, but they would never match the might of the Night Order and the Gattigo if they continued to foster such notions as caring.

Alpha curled back his lips in a sort of sinister smile.

But that was what the Lupisomra were for. To add darkness and mercilessness to the Moon Warriors, and to match the might of the Gattigo blow for blow. The Moon King, Luciano, had been calling forth Lupisomra for almost a full century, never tiring of pulling the creatures from the darkness to do his bidding. There was talk of how he could no longer do it; that his power had been wasted, and there was a desperate need for the location of the Pe-Lua, the Moon Prince, lest the King fall to weak to lead the Warriors. But Myris had been missing for a year, and the Warriors whispered of him having joined the Night Order. That left only the Sa-Lua, the Moon Princess, who was rumoured to be just as savage and smart as her brother. But could she conjure Lupisomra? For that was what the Moon Warriors needed, more Lupisomra, more Shadow Wolves, to combat the never ending sea of Gattigo, Dragon Cats, that the Night Order commanded.

Alpha's ear twitched as he heard a noise from behind him, and he lifted his nose in the air, sniffing to identify the scent.

Gaaru, he thought to himself with moderate interest, sub-ordinate, but up-and-comer. Still a pup though. Better have good reason to approach me.

Alpha didn't turn his head as Gaaru padded up to him, not breaking his far-off gaze even as the young wolf stopped and stood directly behind him.

Gaaru lowered his head and tail respectively, looking up at Pack Leader Alpha with wide, admiring eyes that hid a deeper, darker cunning. The Pup waited, knowing it was death to speak to Alpha before being spoken too.

Minutes passed.

Gaaru shifted his feet, impatience making him fidget as he waited for his leader to acknowledge his presence.

Pack Leader Alpha continued to watch the lands below the ridge, but opened his long, tapering black muzzle to speak.

"Pup Gaaru, what is your business with me?" he growled in a deep, throaty, primal voice.

Gaaru raised his head slightly, and then looked at his leader's feet in respect.

"Pack Leader Alpha, Pack Leader Gamma been attacked under the Bone Trees, and Pack Leader Beta pinned down protecting Oca Atura. Pack leader Delta helping Pack Leader Beta's pack, and believed that they will drive off the Gattigo, but Pack Leader Gamma and his pack be slaughtered if they do not receive help," growled the young, dark brown wolf, never lifting his gaze. Pack Leader Alpha remained impassive, his dark eyes narrowing as he peered off into the direction he knew the Bone Trees to be in.

"Pup Gaaru," he growled, "Alpha Pack protects Lacio Della Luna and the Reale Lialaluna. Cannot leave our posts. You know that Pup."

Gaaru shrunk down to the ground, fearing that the Alpha's infamous wrath would soon be released upon him.

"Superior Kejiro sent me. Loss of Gamma Pack be bad. Luciano cannot conjure more Lupisomra, four packs cannot protect Moon Warriors," whined Gaaru, praying to the Moon that Alpha would not turn on him.

Pack Leader Alpha did not reply, but his eyes were narrowed as he considered the depth of the problem, realizing that each moment he took to ponder was precious.

Suddenly, he snapped his head towards the Pup.

"Gaaru," he growled seriously, "Tell your Superior Kejiro to take ten Lupisomra and aid Gamma Pack. Go with them. Fight well, Pup. Pack Leader Alpha is watching you."

Gaaru shook with barely contained pride. Pack Leader Alpha was watching him! He had already made himself known to the great leader Alpha, the highest ranking Lupisomra in Del Perso.

Gaaru nodded his head, still keeping his gaze at Alpha's feet. "As you wish it, Pack Leader Alpha, Superior Kejiro shall rally ten Lupisomra, and I shall join them. Aid Gamma Pack," said the young wolf obediently.

Alpha nodded his head. "Good Pup. Now run."

Dismissed, Gaaru took off running down the hill, towards Lacio Della Luna, where the rest of the Alpha pack was, guarding the palace and the Moon Warriors that resided within it. Time was of the essence, though the formalities necessary in a Lupisomra conversation took a lot of valuable time, they were a part of the Shadow Wolves' makeup, and not something that could be stopped at the drop of a hand. The conversation had taken long, and Gaaru had to make up for that time as he ran to the palace, lest Gamma Pack paid the price.

Lacio Della Luna

The dark castle stood menacingly in the barren landscape, completely black in colour, with chipped, war-worn stone and crumbling walls. The palace stood for a nation that was being ravaged constantly, without a moment's rest. It stood for a land of destitution and desolation, of hopelessness and fear, of death and constant fighting. It stood for Della Luna, the Land of the Moon, where you had to be a murderer to survive.

Lupisomra surrounded the castle. A score and a half of them roaming the perimeter and another score in the courtyard and in designated areas around the castle.

Kejiro paced back in forth in front of the castle's gates, his hackles raised and his muzzle bared in a terrifying snarl. The other Lupisomra kept well away from him, preferring to patrol as far away from the large, irritable, smoky gray wolf as possible.

Why he taking so long! He snarled inwardly. Gamma Pack dying...slain, Alpha must hurry! Mustn't keep Pup Gaaru waiting...cannot lose Gamma Pack.

The gray wolf stopped pacing and turned to look up at the castle, specifically at a large tower, where the bedrooms of the Reale Lialaluna were.

No one but I and the Sa-lua know the seriousness of Luciano's condition...I his personal protector, know of the fits he gets, the times where it seems his mind completely gone...his power is gone, he is nothing but a weak, crazy, old man. Cannot summon more Lupisomra...if we lose Gamma Pack, we are done. We mustn't lose anymore wolves! We cannot replace them!

Just then, a howl came from a wolf on the other side of the castle. All the Lupisomra tensed, rising onto their large, powerful hind legs. Was it time? Had the Night Order finally attacked Lacio Della Luna?

Kejiro also rose onto his hind legs, his fur bristling as he assumed the true form of a Lupisomra.

The Shadow Wolves usually looked just like that; dark, slightly large, intelligent wolves. But when they rose up into battle form, they were much darker, much more terrifying.

Kejiro stood on his hind legs, towering at a height of eight feet. His teeth had enlarged, and his muzzle with it, leaving him with a face that was all jaw and fangs, teeth jutting out in all directions, glistening with saliva. The canines reached down his jaw, over a foot in length and wicked sharp.

Kejiro's paws had become massive, the pads underneath becoming hard as steel and fortified with enough strength to break a rock. His claws were black, long, and thick, dulled by age and battle, but still sharp enough to rip through twenty men in one strike.

His tail had split into two, whip like extremities, now void of fur and covered in hard, black skin. Spines had grown along his back and onto his head, sharp and menacing.

All the Lupisomra looked similar to this, some with bigger spines, some with longer claws, some taller, some shorter, all menacing, all feral, all completely terrifying.

A Lupisomra ran towards them, still in wolf form, running on all fours from the other side of the castle. He skidded to a halt as he saw his comrades in Fighting Form.

"Night Order?" he growled, standing on his own hind legs. Kejiro growled and stalked towards the wolf. "Don't know. You tell me. You howled?" he growled, his dark eyes narrowed.

The wolf seemed to relax and fell back onto all fours. "Yes. I howled. Gaaru has left the ridgetop and approaching," he growled, lowering his gaze to look at Kejiro's feet.

Kejiro's face remained impassive, but inside, the old wolf was sick with relief. Slowly, he lowered down into his quadruped form.

"Good."

Kiki sat stolidly outside of the Mistress's door, trying to quell the growing impatience within her. The light gray wolf had heard the summons from Kejiro, his howls echoing throughout the castle, but she was required to stay by her Lady's side until dismissed. As Lupisomra, it was nothing less then insubordination to not answer a summons.

Kiki tried to stop from fidgeting and strained her ears for signs that her Mistress was finished whatever it was that she was doing on the other side of the door.

My lady Sa-lua, thought the slim gray wolf, what are you doing? Many packs fighting...Lupisomra making their own decisions...Moon King should be instructing them, in his absence, you should be instructing them. Fighting of their own accord...no tactics or strategies...They all be killed. My lady, you must take charge of Della Luna! You are last available member of Reale Lialaluna! (1)

Kiki shifted her paws, her worry causing her to shift her position uncontrollably. It didn't matter if Lupisomra were killed, they were, after all, here to die in the place of the Moon Warriors, but if they couldn't be replaced, then it was a whole different matter. King Luciano was out of commission, that much was certain, and the Sa-Lua had to be careful and tactful in the way she dealt with the remaining Shadow Wolves.

The door behind Kiki opened.

The wolf leapt to her feet and turned around immediately, head lowered in anticipation for meeting her Mistress.

"My Sa-Lua," she said humbly, staring at the bare feet of her Lady, "Moon Princess Fawn."

A girl of about seventeen stood in the doorway, wearing black cargo pants and a black halter top with silver lining. She was wearing silver and black wristbands, and a silver choker. Her hair was pitch black in colour, and wild and curly, travelling down her back. Her tawny gold eyes radiated menace and cunning far beyond her years.

Fawn smiled at the gray wolf before her, a sinister smile that didn't reach her tawny, gold eyes.

"Kiki, have you been sitting there all this time? Really, didn't Kejiro summon all the Alpha Pack? My, you have been a disobedient little Lupisomra, haven't you?" teased the Princess cruelly.

Kiki continued to cower before her cold mistress, not rising to her words.

Fawn laughed and tossed her black curls over her shoulder. "Oh, well, it's a good thing you didn't go. I haven't dismissed you, and I won't. Come Kiki, we have things to do, let old Greywhiskers get his fur in a bunch over some silly skirmish. I've got a better way to save Della Luna," said the raven-haired girl, re-entering her room.

Kiki's ears perked up at this, and she followed Fawn into the room, hope filling her, with the mention of her princess doing something to help the land.

The large room of the Moon Princess was all black and silver, a gray bed surrounded by black walls and a silver ceiling and floor. A gray desk sat in the corner, with a single, black book sitting on it and a black chair in front of it.

Kiki liked Fawn's room, it being the perfect atmosphere for a creature of shadow.

Fawn walked into the center of the room, confidence and superiority radiating from the girl. Smiling at Kiki, Fawn raised her hands, palms facing the floor.

"I've got a plan Kiki," she said softly, "A very good plan that will save our land. You see, I've been doing some...off-world reconnaissance, with the help of some old friends of mine, and I've discovered something. There is a person out there, a boy, who specializes in finding the hearts of worlds and...locking them. Well, I figure that he could be...persuaded to unlock our world's heart. I know where to find him, and I'm going to get him, with some help of course."

Kiki's eyes widened as she listened to her princess's plan. A boy who could unlock the heart of the world? Where had she gotten this information? Was it true?

Kiki raised her head slightly, but still didn't meet Fawn's gaze.

"My Lady Sa-Lua, this plan sounds like it could work, if the boy could be found and brought back, but surely he must be a being of power if he could unlock the heart of this world. You could not bring him back yourself, and we have no more Lupisomra to spare!" growled the gray wolf realistically.

Fawn dismissed Kiki's worries with a laugh.

"Oh, don't worry about him and me. I've already took a sneaky sneak into his dreams. He sees me as a pretty little girl; with excellent cookies," said Fawn with a sinister smile.

"Anyways, as for needing help...I've got that covered Kiki," said Fawn, her eyes glowing molten gold and a black aura radiating from her palms.

Kiki's eyes widened as black, shadow figures began to rise from the ground.

I-impossible! Thought the gray wolf, astounded. P-princess Fawn...she summoning Shadow Wolves!

The shadow figures rose from the floor, taken the form of ten black wolves with burning red eyes. These wolves were smaller then the average Lupisomra, and shadows rolled off of them like smoke. (2)

Kiki stared at them in awe.

They are Shadow Wolves, she thought, but not Lupisomra. Simply...Shadow Wolves.

Fawn smiled evilly.

"See? How could our keybearing friend resist?"

(1) Royal family of the Moon

(2) Think of Sora's Anti-form

I told you the story gets darker here.

Sora's in big trouble, Fawn seems to be in a totally different league than past enemies, and her Shadows aren't something to be scoffed at.

Please Review guys! Otherwise I may not update for awhile.