The Fable of a Lost Wolf

by Solaris Night


Interlude: Family Talk

The morning was cold, but not so much it caused discomfort, it was just right to feel refreshing. Shepherd enjoyed this kind of mornings, as he could leisurely walk through the camp, taking in the scene. As he continued his walk, he stumbled upon a clearing and there he spotted two Kanisars who were currently sparring with one another.

"C'mon, c'mon. Is that all you've got?" Trider shouted to Avaia. She retaliated by landing several kicks onto him.

Shepherd continued to watch them in silence for couple more minutes, before he turned around and began to walk back to the camp. He still couldn't believe how much Trider had changed. Even when he met him all those years ago, the little Kanisar was so traumatized by the death of his parents, that he didn't let anyone get close to him, not even him.

But Shepherd never gave up on Trider. He tried to lift his sorrow and with time he managed to worm his way into the boy's heart. As far as he knew, he was the only human that Trider ever trusted. And he had hoped that he would come to trust others as well. However it was not meant to be, because every time it seemed that he had opened up a little, he would witness another atrocious act of humans.

"One step forward, two back, as they say." he thought to himself.

And after Trider disappeared, Shepherd was grief-stricken. He was close with everyone from the resistance. They were like a family to him, Trider especially, he felt like he was a son to him.

As his thoughts continued to wander to everyone in the camp; it slowly drifted away to his other family. He stopped in his tracks and sighed heavily.

"I have to." he said quietly to himself and with a quickened step, he walked back to his hut. Once he arrived he walked inside and walked over to a small chest and opened it. Inside there was a long saber, several shurikens and a white mask, as well as several other items.

He reached for the weapons and put them on his belt. Before he closed the chest he took out the mask and put it on. With determination he walked outside and began to head towards the city.

***

The morning was cold, but not so much it caused discomfort, it was just right to feel refreshing. But Deadlock had no time to savor the feeling, as he and his unit were patrolling the streets of the city, looking out for any troublemakers. Since his encounter with Trider and his subsequent loss to said Kanisar, he had been demoted and had to do the menial work that was usually reserved for the commoners.

"When I find that mutt I'll rip his intestines out of his gut and then..." he grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for the rest of the unit to hear him. They knew he was in a bad mood and none wanted to even talk to him while he was like that.

Suddenly a metal canister fell out of the sky and landed in front of them. The men didn't have time to react, as it began to spew smoke out of it, effectively blinding them.

"We're under attack!" one of the men shouted. He was soon silenced as someone jumped on top of him, knocking him out immediately. The others pulled out their weapons and began firing at the attacker, but due to the smoke missed completely.

"Stop firing or you might hit one of ours!" Deadlock commanded to the soldiers and they did as he told.

One of them suddenly screamed as his gun was knocked out of his hand and it landed in front of Deadlock. He picked it up and saw a shuriken lodged in it. He squinted as he saw the letter S inscribed on each point of the weapon.

"Finally you showed yourself." he said to himself, his tone joyful, but filled with rage at the same time.

The smoke was slowly clearing and everyone began to look around, trying to spot where the assailant was.

"Over there!" one of them shouted and pointed at the top of a building. The masked man looked down at them, making no movement at all. The soldiers quickly drew their weapons and pointed them at the man. Before they could fire the man disappeared behind the ledge.

"Should we follow him, sir?" one of the men asked and looked at Deadlock.

"No." their commander stated. He drew his weapons and his form was engulfed in a purple aura. "I'll finish him myself." With a mighty leap he jumped onto the roof and began pursuing his target.

He chased the masked man for a little while, shooting Ki blasts at him, but missing all of them. Suddenly the man dropped another canister, but this one exploded, releasing a bright flash, which blinded Deadlock.

While he was tending to his eyes, Shepherd began to circle him.

"Salutations." he said, holding his blade at his side. "Since we've seen each other, I shall submit my sincere salute to such a scoundrel as yourself." he continued twirling the sabre in his hand. "I am the specter that saunters the city streets, stalking the sinners that strike the unsuspecting Samaritans, as they savor in the seconds of their own stories." Shepherd lifted his weapon and held it in front of his face, his voice becoming sterner as he continued. "So I swore to stand for the masses whose sanctuaries were stricken by spiteful souls, who sought their slaughter. I shan't sit in silence as their screams seek security in society, where they can sense safety." Suddenly he slashed his swords on the ground three times, leaving behind three scratch marks that formed the letter S. He took a made a big sigh and calmed down. "Even so I suppose I strayed from my starting sentence, so allow me to again submit my signature. I am S."

Deadlock stared at the man, his eyesight back to normal. "Are you done old man?" he asked, standing to his feet.

"Did you not enjoy it? You've always liked it since you were a child." Shepherd wondered, his tone laced with melancholy.

"That was a long time ago!" Deadlock shouted, charging at Shepherd. The two clashed and the elder man stopped his attack by blocking it with his sword. Not wasting any more time, Deadlock tried to strike him with his other tonfa, but Shepherd kicked him away at the last second.

"Stop this I didn't come here to fight." he begged, putting the sabre back in its sheath.

"Too bad, because I did." Deadlock said, once again leaping at the old man, this time covered in a purple aura.

Shepherd stepped back in order to avoid the attack, all the while keeping his blade ready. Deadlock wasted no time and unleashed a barrage of strikes at the older man, who managed to successfully avoid all of them.

"Stop this!" Shepherd yelled at the man, his expression turning to one of anger and fear. "Stop using this power right now!"

"Why?!" Deadlock rebutted, his attacks becoming even more ferocious. "Are you that afraid of my power, old man that you have to beg for mercy?"

One of the strikes managed to graze Shepherd's face, making a part of his mask tear apart. "I am afraid." he replied in a calm tone. "But not the reasons you think. And didn't I teach you that power will never outshine pure skill." As he said that he grabbed his sheath and used it to strike the Deadlock's leg, making him lose his balance in the process. In that moment, while Deadlock was trying to regain his balance, he spun around, kicking away the tonfa in his right arm and once he was again facing him, he held the tip of his blade so close to his throat that he drew a drop of blood.

"What are waiting for?" Deadlock said and looked him dead in the eyes. "Finish me already."

Shepherd's eyes became full of pain and he lowered his weapon. "I told you I am not here to fight." he said and put his saber back in its sheath. "I'm merely here to talk."

Deadlock humped and locked the tonfa in his hand onto his belt, before he went to retrieve the other one. "And why should I listen to you?" he asked, kneeling down and picking up his weapon. "Why should I listen to the man who abandoned his family?"

"Nicholas I-"

"Don't call me that." the man said pointing his weapon at Shepherd once more. "Only my family and friends can call me by my name. To you, your little pack and everyone else I'm only known as Deadlock." he stated determinately.

Shepherd was hurt by his proclaim. He reached up and removed the mask from his face, revealing the aged and worn face behind it. "What happened to you? What made you become like this son?"

"I am not your son!!!" Deadlock yelled back. "You abandoned me and our family to help those... those animals." He too removed the mask from his face. His face was nearly identical to Shepherds, only younger. "Do you know how much grief we had to go through because of you? We were branded traitors, had most of our estate taken and we feared for our lives, thinking that someone would finally come and kill so make you pay for it."

The words that were spoken echoed deep within Shepherd soul and he felt as though he would be sick. "I'm sorry." he said, his voice weak, like he was on verge of death.

"Little too late for that." Deadlock said, walking over to the ledge of the roof and sitting on it. "But despite your betrayal I managed to restore our family's name, somewhat. The only way to fully erase the shame you put on us is by killing you myself." He took a pause to compose himself, before he asked. "Why? Why did you do it?"

Shepherd didn't answer, instead he looked into the sky, as though the answer was hidden somewhere in it. "Tell me, why do you think humans retaliated against the Kanisars?"

Deadlock shot him a glare, angry that he didn't receive a straight answer. "Because the Kanisars would eventually wipe us out? They are stronger and fiercer than any human. So it was only natural that we attacked first." he answered, his voice laced with annoyance. "Just take a look at Mad Fang. He is textbook case of what a Kanisar can do."

Shepherd smiled. "True. Kanisars are physically better than humans in every way. But that part about their ferocity isn't. Even Trider has managed to settle down." One quick glance at Deadlock, told him that the young man didn't believe him. "But leaving him aside, the reason you've given me is just the propaganda that the royal family made up."

"Why would they do that?" Deadlock asked confused.

"Do you know why we had to leave our home planet and come to this one?"

The young man became even more confused, as to why he kept asking him these questions. "Because our planet was attacked and taken over by aliens. In the attack the Earth was left inhospitable, so we were forced to leave." he stated matter-of-factly. "Everyone knows that. It's also the reason why we struck against the Kanisars in the first place, so that we wouldn't be wiped out again."

Walking next to his son, Shepherd again smiled. "That is just one big lie." His smile disappeared, as a somber expression took its place. "The truth is much crueler." He sat down and cradled the mask in his hands. "700 years ago, our planet was at war. Not with the aliens mind you, but with itself. The royal family who ruled over our planet was in danger, as many other nobles and those in power tried to take that power for themselves. So a desperate and foolish decision was made. They used an experimental weapon to subdue all those who opposed them." He sighed and looked at Deadlock, who returned the gaze. "But they weren't aware of the side effects that the weapon had, or simply ignored it. Long story short, the weapon was used, many people died and the world was made a living hell."

Deadlock processed what he had told him and he was flabbergasted. "What about the aliens then?"

"When the planet was evacuated, the royal family began to use their power and influence to change the story." He lifted his hand and extended his index and middle finger. "For two reasons. One was to shift the blame from them, so the people wouldn't eventually turn against them again. The other was so that once they found a suitable planet to live on, and it was already populated, the people would be easier to convince to take over the planet."

"And how do you know that?" Deadlock asked, his voice clearly displaying his skepticism.

"The Shepherd family was once part of the royal family and the truth has been passed down from generation to generation." Shepherd explained. "When I learned of what the royal family was planning to do, I couldn't just idly sit by and let the Kanisars pay for our ancestors past. So I left."

Deadlock was stumped. Everything that he had just been told was giving him a slight headache. "Why should I believe you? And even if that was true, why tell me now?"

Shepherd paused for a few seconds. "Maybe because I didn't want you to see me as a man who abandoned you, but as a man who is fighting for what is right." he said solemnly. "Ever since I left I was worried about all of you. Sometimes I couldn't even sleep, because I was so worried."

"That's nice and all, but that doesn't change the fact that you did what you did." Deadlock said, his glare piercing through Shepherd's mellow eyes. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No." Shepherd said and stood up, slowly walking away from Deadlock. "I only told you this so you would really listen to me." He stopped and turned back to him. "I actually came to warn you."

It was Deadlock's turn to stand. "From what?"

"That power and the man who gave it to you." Shepherd said. "Maximilian Stonebright is actually a Kanisar who is hell bent on destroying all of humanity."

"What the hell are you talking about old man?" he said with aggression. "Sir Stonebright has done everything in his power to help the humans. Why would a Kanisar ever help us out? As far as I know every Kanisar in the world hates our guts."

"I do not know exactly why he does this, but I am certain he wishes for nothing less than our total destruction. Even if it means that there have to be sacrifices." Shepherd said, his words stern. "And that Ki power he gave you. Humans weren't made to house that power. It will kill you if you continue to use it. That is the true reason he actually gave it to you."

"Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound?" Deadlock said and laughed. "You went mad old man."

"Maybe." he said and smiled. "Believe me or not, you can find out the truth yourself. But just promise me that you'll no longer use that power."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because no matter what happens, I will always be your father, whether you like it or not. And I will always care for my son." With that said, he dropped another canister and smoke spewed everywhere.

"So with smoke and salute I signal my separation, but as sorrowful as it may be, we shall see each other." With his final words he disappeared, leaving Deadlock alone on the roof.

Nicholas put the mask back on his face, as he stared at where his father stood before. "As righteous of a rebel as you are, redemption will never right your wrongdoings." he said quietly and began to returned to his squad.