//------------------------------// // Chapter one // Story: Mismatched // by Paradox Wolf //------------------------------// ‘I made it.’ I look around to find my small, broken form in a small crater. ‘I may be die in the next few moments but at least i’ll die free.’ Hello, my name is Mimic and I am a Lupus, or a wolf as the humans call us. One of the few chosen wolves to be experimented on to reveal how the chemicals effected my species from birth. My kind made up the majority of their experiments as we were more prominent to develop unnatural powers and true sapience. The humans did horrible things to us and forced us to combat each other in hopes of either awakening new powers or strengthening old ones. These powers were humans last saving grace for without them the chemical in the atmosphere that slowly ate away at them day after day and turn their once proud and intelligent race to nothing but dust. Thousands were tortured in hopes that they could find a way for stopping this plague. Most were helpless against them and had otherwise given up on freedom while a few joined up with their captors as retainers to avoid the pain of being a test subject. I hated them more than anyone else. You couldn’t blame the humans for wanting to survive but the things they did to try and achieve their goals were just inhumane. Not that there’s anything human left about them. That died off a long time ago. The humans one day were up to something big and I mean bigger than anything they ever done in the past. In fact it scared me as they had cancelled all tests for the mean time. I wasn’t the only one to realize something was wrong so me and the pack I joined up with sought to bring it down while I wished to use it for ourselves. But the lupus I followed didn’t want this, they wanted peace with the humans but to only bring down this horrid organization or government, I couldn’t see a difference between the two anymore, and save the humans from their sick fate. I admired them, they were strong and fierce yet kind and loyal only wanting peace with a race that has brought us nothing more than pain. I also admired the foolishness of their goals. Their was no saving the humans, their reign had ended with our birth. And why should we care? The age of the humans comes to a end now as we, and a few other chemical enhanced races, have managed to escape our confinement and lay siege to the facility where they kept this device. And now we make our assault on the humans collective military and their traitor retainers. At least that was how it was supposed to go. But no plan survives first contact and neither did most of anyone apart of that bloodbath. Humans and the chemical enhanced were slaughtered left and right. “Mimic!” A voice yelled from far off as my senses awaken from their slumber. The scent of death and fire lights my senses before I force my young eyes open. In front of me a fully grown, adult lupus stands there bearing her fangs at a few retainers who surround us. I quickly dart up and the wolf protecting me is the one I’ve known as my adoptive mother. “Stay behind me!” “Night, what happened?” My voice croaked and everything hurt all over. I was starting to have trouble standing and quickly fell off my four paws. “Where are we, what happened to the plan?” “Just stay behind me!” With that the four retainers bared their fangs once more before leaping at her. And thus their lives would quickly end for their choice. “Get back!” The grass and other plant life quickly sprout from the ground entangling the first two while smacking the others away and pulling them into the ground to be devoured by the plants. The first wolf quickly recovers and rushes Night once more only to be ripped to shreds by the shadows. His blood coats the ground and plants quickly bloom around his corpse and quickly encompassing his body. The last two seem to get the message and quickly make their retreat after their allies demise. Flowers now bloom the forest floor in abundance. Wait, forest? Yes we were in a thick forest compared to the metal and concrete facility from before. “Night, whats going on?” I ask with pain still wracking my body. “Where did everyone go?” “That thing, whatever was, happened.” She responded through panted breathes. “I’ll explain later but for right now we need to move before those retainer return with humans. I’m in no shape to take on humans right now.” I was worried at so many factors. ‘Where were we? What happened to the take over? Where was everyone else?’ I couldn’t help but ask more questions as my worry started to grow for her. “Are you okay? You’re not dying are you?!” “Stop worrying. I’m just... tired. We need to find somewhere to rest and I’ll be fine after a few.” She was exhausted despite the act she put on. In fact I’ve never seen her so tired in my entire life, but otherwise she appeared relatively healthy. Her black fur has green markings similar to swirls that travel across her body with neon green eyes. She stood about four feet high and was exceptionally strong for our kind by foundation standards compared to the things we learned about on earth. “Come on, I can’t... I just can’t talk right now. Let’s go, please.” “O-ok.” We started off in a random direction or what seemed like a random direction. Stumbling through this jungle like forest I found myself still able to keep up due to Night’s deliberate pace. The plants seemed to clear way for Night but stood strong in my way. ‘Even the plants listen to her...’ I thought as I crawled underneath another low hanging branch. ‘She’s always been the strongest out of all of our group.’ We eventually happened upon a small little nook covered in vines with a stone slab covering the top. A small pond sat on the edge of the clearing; it was deep enough to support a small school of fish. Sunlight, ACTUAL sunlight poured down on this little oasis causing the near pond to shimmer a little. Overall the area had a serene feel to the place that just put me to ease. “Wow, its beautiful.” The notion was missed on Night as she barely made it into the nook before collapsing to the ground. “Night, are you okay!?” I was worried as her breathing slowed and she barely moved save for a few twitches from her ragged breaths. However her condition didn’t worse seeming to stabilize now that she was in the darkness and after what felt like hours worrying for her she finally whimpered something out in her melancholic voice. “Don’t worry... Rest... Please...” She was exhausted and the long walk to get here only agitated her condition. I worried for her but my underdeveloped powers couldn’t do anything for her. I curled up next to her offering what little comfort I could give but despite this I was still the first to slip into slumber. "Grab it!" Yelled a human wearing a tactical uniform pointing at me as several retainers leaped at me. A wall of fire erupted beneath them turning them to ashes that blanketed my coat and sent my flying backwards into the middle of the inferno. "Stay away from me you monster! Get back, oh god please No!" The man was no more as his grizzled frame and short brown hair was reduced to cinders. The blue in his eyes liquidize and evaporate within milliseconds. I lay upon the ground covered in ashes as retainers and human soldiers tried to get to me. However each and everyone of them was met with a fiery blaze. Fear and panic awoke the cowardice that lay deep with in me as I started to concern myself with the fact of never being able to see Night again. The fires grew closer and closer and the intense heat I felt was near unbearable. The flames stood calm and burned with so little heat that I could touch them but anything that was not near me was reduced to complete ashes as the room exploded outwards and the flames cradled me. After a few seconds everything grows silent and a figure stands over me but yet they're appearance alluded me. I could tell that we were one of the same, I could tell that they wouldn't allow me to burn. "As long as you stick with us kid, Fire nor the wind or the forests will never do you harm." His voice was ragged and deep but carried a certain composure to it. "Stand behind me now, it appears we have a guest. And one of her own kind too." I did exactly as he said and peered out from behind his legs. "Oh my, if it isn't the sociopath who slow burns his victims for dinner~" She was navy blue with the top of her head being a wispy white that trailed down her back all the way to her tail. "I certainly wasn't expecting you Dawn breaker. And I most definitely didn't expect you to kill them quickly." "That's rich coming from you Mist." His voice now carried spite. "Leave now, and your brother won't have to cry over your ashes." "Ohhh, you're feisty today. Ditch the pup and I'll show you just how much of a sociopath I can be. Or maybe keep around and see just how well he holds up in the mist." The room, or what was left of it, started to fill with an eerie fog. "Or don't and you with have to worry about him every five seconds but I really want to see what you are at your best. And if your mother had ever been there to raise you, she would've told you to never leave a girl disappointed~" "Mimic, leave." His voice was assertive but I chimed in with my own voice unexpectedly. "But, you can't beat her alone! You need me!" I responded with worry in my eyes as they shifted between the fog and the roaring flames. "What would Night say about this?" "This isn't your fight, and I can promise you that I don't intend to die here." He responded with a grin on his face as he stared down the psychopathic wolf. "And when have I ever let you or Night down before? Now scram. I have a few burning words I would like to say to her alone." I merely nodded and sprinted down a near hallway as the sounds of explosions, roaring winds and water filled the air behind me. Yet again I failed to stand by them. And now, now Dawn was- *Splash My keen ears picked up on the sound and zeroed in on it and awakened me from the nightmare. Someone or something was outside near or in the pond. The sound wasn't enough to steer Night from her dreams and I didn't want to wake her either. I stood up on all four of my paws and left the warm embrace of her tail. 'Huh, still had enough energy to make sure I was warm for the night. Of course she would do that, she was always caring for me no matter the circumstance.' The chill morning air hit me like a tsunami and I found myself wishing for a thicker coat of fur. *SPLASH 'Yep, somethings out there alright. Maybe I should wake Night, but she's in no fighting condition.' I glanced back at her peaceful form. 'It's up to me to save her this time, I'm tired of being some pup that always needs rescuing!' I lurk my way to the entrance and gaze out just enough to see the intruder. 'What.' It was a statement and a question as I questioned what I saw but my brain merely referred to it as what in a more confused then questioning phrase. Looking back at it now, I think its called a brain fart. In our pond, our only source of water, was a small zebra. In the middle of the forest. Oh but the forest part wasn't the only part that was strange. It, or she from the sound of her voice, was humming a song and occasionally speaking in a hushed tone that I couldn't quite understand through my stupor. She was just swimming around and diving under the water every now and then as if... As if she were taking a bath. 'Am I watching what appears to be a sentient zebra female, or a male with a very feminine voice, taking a bath and/or having a good old swim?" "Oh god, Cadisk was right..." I muttered aloud but she thankfully didn't hear that. I stayed and observed her until her little trip was over and she wondered over to a pile of gold rings. 'Not only a sentient zebra but a rich sentient zebra too. Maybe the Corporation found some other creatures to infuse besides wolves.' This was a fun experience but with her soon departure I could probably go back to sleep. Or I could follow her back and bring back some food for Night. Stalking the zebra from afar and using his senses to the best of their abilities, Mimic followed the zebra shaman all the way back to her lair where a few unexpected guests explored.