Previously on Dawn of the Lost Wolves...
“That...isn’t really much of a plan, but knowing you, it always pays well…Alright, anything else I need to know about?!”
“Actually, there’s one!” Max yelled before he notices a bunch of tall buildings over by the distance, prompting him to smirk.
“Okay...what is it?” AJ asked curiously.
“...Could you go to the kitchen and prepare me some meat?” Max asked, earning a sweat-drop from Kanoe.
“MAX!” AJ screamed, nearly deafening Max’s and Kanoe’s ears. Max shook his head before grinning cockily and exclaimed “What? This is a fantastic workout!”
“In what way do you consider this a workout?!” Kanoe exclaimed.
And now back to the Resistance!
Silence. There was nothing to hear. Nothing to see...that was what Kanoe was experiencing. She felt like the whole world turned black and empy…but she slowly began moving about, having her eyes slowly opened to see her surroundings.
“Ngh….Ngh…Ugh…” Kanoe slowly lifted herself up, her vision blurring up at a weird small area. She looks around and tries to see, but her vision was just blurry on what she was trying to see.
“Ugh…what the hell happened to me?” Kanoe looks down at herself and finds out that she was wearing a hospital gown before slowly lifting her upper body off the small bed. She looked around in confusion, wondering the situation. “I don’t understand. How did I get to a hospital? Did I get into an accident? No…I remembered waking up in some pod in an abandoned hospital, and then getting surrounded by these weird men and not just that…there was that guy…with the ears and tail…so who was he? Was it all a dream? But…it felt so vivid.”
Kanoe kept thinking all over on what she was experiencing before looking over at her chest, remembering about getting shot on the stomach. She slowly widened her eyes and tried getting up, leaning against the bed and tried standing up.
“It’s best not to stand around.” Kanoe widened her eyes before turning around to see a female doctor right in front of her. Her outfit is like punk style, consisting of a typical white lab-coat that is worn over a short dark blue dress. She accessorizes with a black grommet belt, a red studded necklace choker which connects to multiple necklaces, and strappy red platform high heels. She has black raven messy bob-cut with blunt bangs and brown eyes. Her bob-cut seems to have barely cover her left eye.
“H-Huh? Oh thank goodness, a normal doctor!” Kanoe sighed in relief, smiling happily at them. “I guess what happened earlier was really a dream…”
“Alright alright, just sit down.” The woman insisted, putting Kanoe back onto her bed. “But right now, you’re getting a little better right now for the moment. You’ve been in bed for a whole week, but I’m glad that you’re surviving from that bullet shot.”
“I know right? I’m…what?” Kanoe blinked in shock, hearing that last part before she slowly turned pale upon realization. She slowly looked down at her clothes as the doctor walked over and sat down next to her, looking through her schematics chart through her clipboard and began her explanation based on her medical information.
“Hmm…based on my current medical reports, you seemed to be alright other than being in a small coma from getting shot in the gastric region. Luckily, after going through a little surgery with you, I managed to get it out of you.” The woman smirked a little. “Heh heh heh, so don’t feel bad if you feel ‘different’.”
“W-What?” Kanoe asked in fear. “Wait…Um…where am I? And how did I get here?”
“Hmm, a fellow soldier brought you back here. Right now, he’s finishing up the last day of his punishment by Shepherd for going out on his own in the city.” The woman sighed, twisting her hair bangs a little. “That kid certainly loves to just go out there for his own reasons.”
“And did this soldier…” Kanoe gulped, hoping that she was wrong. “Did he have red hair with weird ears on top of his hair and a tail that can shoot weird light shows?”
The woman stares at her for a while before answering “Yes…? Maxwell Kyochi was his name, and right now, as I said, he’s serving his punishment for going out without anyone knowing or even without Shepherd’s permission.”
“No no no, this can’t be.” Kanoe shook her head with a scared look on her face. “Does that mean…?”
“Young lady, do you even know anything about the situation you’re even in?” The woman questioned with a raised brow.
Kanoe doesn’t say a word before slowly looking through the inside of her shirt by lifting her gown’s collar and saw herself wearing nothing but her bra and panties, but she a bandage being covered around her stomach. The same spot where she gotten shot at.
“No…way…” Kanoe turned pale, blinking in shock. “So this isn’t a dream…?”
The doctor stared right at her with furrowed brows.
“She doesn’t look ill, she looks and sounds like she doesn’t know what’s going on. Could it be a case of amnesia, then?” The woman thought. “Hmm…that’s pretty something that you don’t hear often. Then again, most of the knuckleheads that get sent to clinics always end up with massive damages. Though then again, I rarely get any patients around in this clinic…”
“Um, excuse me? Doctor?” Kanoe turned to the doctor, who stopped thinking the moment she heard Kanoe calling for her. “Um…am I able to stand again?”
“…Yes.” The woman nodded before taking a seat on her laptop chair and crossed her right leg on her left leg. “You may experience some trouble with walking, but I’m sure you’ll be able to heal quickly.”
“I-I see…” Kanoe nodded before examining the small room she was in. “What a small room you have here…I imagined a hospital to have bigger rooms.”
“Well this isn’t any of those famous hospitals that you would find yourself in, not that any good hospital are available anyway.” The woman shrugged. “This is just a clinic I own around here in the base. Not a famous clinic I’ll have you know.”
“A clinic…?” Kanoe questioned.
“Do I even need to give you a definition about clinics?” The woman complained. “It means an establishment or hospital department where outpatients are given medical treatment or advice, especially of a specialist nature.”
“I-I know that! But…I’m pretty sure something like having a gun wound would lead me to a hospital.” Kanoe pointed out, earning an incredulous brow from the doctor. “N-Not that I’m doubting you or anything on your medical skills Doctor…”
“…Michiko. Michiko Hamada.” Michiko introduced, looking at Kanoe before taking a look through her clipboard. “That’s all. Besides, you should be fine now.”
“Well okay…but I’m still surprise that I would get sent to a clinic.” Kanoe frowned. “I’m not offending you or anything, but I was hoping to be sent to a hospital based on my injuries.”
“Well sorry to say, but we don’t have any good technology here.” Michiko shrugged. “Besides, my clinic isn’t all famous anyway, but Shepherd was pretty generous to give it to me.”
“Umm…okay?” Kanoe frowned. “But…who’s Shepherd?”
“You really don’t know? Make sense considering that this is your first time being out here in the base.” Michiko sighed.
“Wait what?” Kanoe asked, staring at Michiko with a surprise look. “Base…?”
“Well…it’s understandable why you’re confused, but you should really know your facts.” Michiko sternly glared at Kanoe, who flinched a bit upon seeing that look on her face. Before long, Michiko let out a sigh. “Whatever…I have no room to talk. I’m just a lonely medical doctor.”
“Oh…sorry about that.” Kanoe apologized. “Sorry for just wasting your time then…”
“Oh well, I needed something to do.” Michiko shrugged before a smile appeared on her face. “Besides, you’re lucky that you weren’t awake during when I have to remove the bullet out of you. Things would have been unpleasant for you.”
Kanoe stared at her with a gulp coming down her throat, hearing about that.
“R-Right…Umm…thanks.” Kanoe coughed. “So anyway, what happened to my clothes?”
“I managed to wash them. They’re by the closet and you can use the small bathroom to change out of it.” Michiko pointed over to the small wooden sliding door on the left side of the room.
“Oh, thank you doctor Hamada!” Kanoe thanked, carefully getting up from the small bed and walked, but was wobbling a bit while Michiko watched her walk.
“Hmm…she’s improving. That’s quite a surprise. She’s as tough as some of the soldiers here in camp.” Michiko thought with narrowed eyes.
“Please, I’m not a doctor.” Michiko waved it off. “I’m more like a…physician.”
“Oh, okay…” Kanoe frowned before opening the closet door, finding her clothes neatly ironed and being hanged over before taking them down and heading out of the room and entered the door through to find a small bathroom, which consisted of a sink and a toilet.
Michiko watched her go into the bathroom and just waited for her to come out and put on her old attire.
“So…who is this Shepherd guy?” Kanoe’s voice echoed from the bathroom.
“Oh him? He’s actually the Resistance’s Leader.” Michiko shouted an answer to her.
“I’ve heard that name before! What Resistance?!” Michiko frowned upon hearing that reply again.
“She doesn’t know who the Resistance are? I mean, sure we’re quite a small band of rag-tag humans and Kanisars, but we’ve made quite a reputation.” Michiko thought with a suspicious look. “What’s this girl’s story? Ugh, that half-Kanisar didn’t even give a good enough report or so the recent rumors tells me…”
Soon, Kanoe came out of the bathroom with her normal attire. She let out a sigh, feeling happy that she was wearing her clothes again. Though she had to be careful putting her clothes on considering that she still was still healing at the moment.
Michiko stared at her for a moment before saying “Huh…you look like a normal high school student. Like I haven’t seen one for years.”
“Huh? Um…thanks?” Kanoe sweat-dropped with an awkward smile. She soon dropped it and replaced it with a serious look. “B-But anyway…you never did answer my question about the Resistance.”
“You ask a lot of questions.” Michiko sighed. “Look, if you want, go ask Shepherd yourself. He should be at another meeting with the rest of the other leaders.”
“Well…do you mind if you showed me the way?” Kanoe asked with an awkward smile.
Michiko sighed in annoyance before turning to Kanoe with an exasperated look before replying “Very well…not like I’m doing anything…”
“Oh, thanks!” Kanoe thanked before feeling woozy again. “Ugh…my head…”
“You feeling alright?” Michiko asked, getting up from her chair and walking over to her. “Hm…Well you are still recovering. You’re lucky that your wound was healing a day after removing the bullet.”
“Y-Yeah…” Kanoe nodded, placing a hand on her head. “Ugh…”
“Maybe you need to lie down some more?” Michiko suggested, but Kanoe shook her head and made a smile at her.
“N-No…I’m alright…maybe some walking around might help me…” Kanoe assured.
“….Well alright then. Don’t come crying when you start collapsing again.” Michiko shrugged.
“Um…” Kanoe frowned, looking down a bit. “Maybe you could lead me the way? I mean, I’m not even sure if this Shepherd guy know about-”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure someone will come by and check up on you. I mean, some soldiers have been requested by the higher-ups to come by and check up on your status and to see if I’m really doing my job.” Michiko explained. “Judging by their timing, one of those soldiers should be here right-”
“Hey…!”
“…Now.” Michiko looked over at the door and walked over to it, prompting Kanoe to follow her as they entered what seems to look like a lobby. Inside was a tall boy that Kanoe couldn’t believe that she was seeing.
This man appeared to be human, and a very tall one and was muscular with slightly tanned skin. He has slick black hair and steel-colored eyes. His hair seemed to have been shaved on the sides, white it later showing to have been grown out on the top of his head, with an amount of it being styled to go down the side of the right side of his face and it was a bit wavy. He also seemed to have two black sideburns. He wore a plain dark blue tight fitting tank-top with chains around his neck with a whistle hanging in the middle part.
He also seems to be wearing light blue tracksuit pants with white outlines on each side and had a towel tucked in the back of his pants. He also seemed to be wearing combat boots which were brown and black.
“Yo! Sorry if I’ve came late!” The large man screamed. “ALRIGHT! MICHIKO, I’M HERE!
Kanoe quickly covered her ears in pain upon hearing his loud voice.
“Jeez, that was so loud! His voice could practically create an avalanche at Mt. Everest!” Kanoe thought with a frown on her face, hearing the large man’s voice ringing.
“Honestly Takehiko…” Michiko walked over and glared at him sternly. “This is a clinic, and you know that you should be quiet.”
“O-Oh! H-Hi there Michiko! S-Sorry about that…” Takehiko apologized with a shy look on his face. “Um…Oh right! Just came by to check up on the young lady!”
“Well…if you must know, you nearly scared her to death with your voice.” Michiko pointed over at Kanoe, who stepped back a little away from the large man.
“O-Oh…sorry.” Takehiko apologized. “But anyway, pleasure to have you on board young lady! The names Takehiko Kinjo!”
“Um…hi?” Kanoe greeted meekly. “My name is Kanoe Fey…nice to meet you Takehiko.”
“Y-Yeah…same to you.” Takehiko greeted with a small blush.
“Umm…are you okay?” Kanoe asked in worried. “You’re…blushing a lot.”
“That’s just who he is.” Michiko chuckled. “He may be a strong and burly guy with a loud voice, but his weakness is sucking at talking with girls.”
“Oh…I see.” Kanoe nodded, a smile popping out of her face upon hearing that. “So you’re just shy, heh heh.”
“Hey!” Takehiko yelled, frightening Kanoe. “J-Just cause I’m not good talking with the ladies, you’re still a young girl while I’m a man in my late thirties!”
“Oookay…?” Kanoe blinked, sweat-dropping before a smile entered her face. “But even so, I can see that you’re a big and strong guy.”
“WHAT?!” Takehiko screamed, having Michiko sighed and shook her head while Kanoe giggled.
Kanoe has always had a thing on teasing people a lot with her cute and charming look. Some of her friends used to call her ‘dirty’ due to always making some sexual teasing on any boys that she met as her closest friends.
Friends…that was something Kanoe just realized before being gloomy about it.
“Friends…I bet they’re lucky that they have a future ahead of them but I don’t…I have nothing anymore and even so, it isn’t working out with my career.” Kanoe sighed, closing her eyes.
“Mm?” Michiko notices Kanoe’s frown before asking “Something in your mind Kanoe? Is it Takehiko’s bad breath?”
“O-Oh…Well…” Takehiko covered his mouth in shock, blushing madly upon hearing that. “C-Come on…I’ve been taking mints twice a day.”
“What you should be doing is brushing your teeth twice a day, including using some mouthwash. That is if the next delivery comes in.” Michiko rolled her eyes.
“Well don’t worry, some recruits went off to go get it! It’ll be a piece of cake!” Takehiko laughed. “Besides, I’ve trained some of the recruits that went off in the recent mission made by Shepherd! So I know they’ll do well!”
“Knowing your training regime, I’m sure they would.” Michiko sighed.
Kanoe watched the two argued before she began giggling a bit.
“Wow, you guys act as if you’re a married couple.” Kanoe shook her head in amusement.
“Well we aren’t dating.” Michiko scoffed. “Besides, he isn’t my type.”
“S-Seriously?!” Takehiko exclaimed in shock, widening his eyes with a massive blush on his face.
“Well anyway…you should take her to Shepherd. That way, she might try and get used to her surroundings around camp.” Michiko waved it off before heading into the infirmary room. “Don’t come and bother me unless it’s necessary…”
Kanoe and Takehiko watches her leave the lobby while the latter sighed.
“Jeez…my breath isn’t that bad.” Takehiko grumbled before turning to Kanoe. “B-But anyway little lady, I’m ready to take you over to Shepherd! Don’t worry, he’s a friendly guy that you’ll love to meet! Makes sense considering that he’s the leader of the Resistance!”
“I keep hearing that over and over. Resistance of what?” Kanoe asked curiously.
“Huh? You don’t know…The Resistance consists of surviving Kanisars and humans who wants to help save Inu from the wrath of the Human King and those other humans who sides with him. In other words, we’re in war.” Kanoe widened her eyes upon hearing all this before shaking her head.
“T-This doesn’t make any sense…War?! Since when?!” Kanoe exclaimed in shock.
“I’m…not really good at explanations. If you want, I’ll have Shepherd and the other higher-ups give you the brief explanation of it.” Takehiko reassured before heading out outside. “Now come on! Let’s get going!”
“H-Hey!” Kanoe ran after him, ignoring the slight pain from her healed gunshot wound and arrived outside and widened her eyes in shock upon seeing her surroundings.
“No…way…” Kanoe widened her eyes in shock and horror upon seeing many humans…and many wolf-like people around. There was many kids, adults of two different species walking around, chatting, or helping out with some work.
Kanoe stares at everyone walking by around camp, mostly at the ones with the ears and tails. She remembered that the boy who saved her had similar ears and tail like some of the people she sees around camp.
The campsite, in question, it looked pretty big, almost like a hidden secret village like you would see in movies and anime TV shows. Well, it acted more like a base of operations like she saw some humans and Kanisars wearing some sort of outfits that made them look like they were gonna be in battle.
Kanoe felt speechless, seeing all of this before taking a good look of the clinic behind her. Surprisingly, it looked small compared to the inside.
“Holy cow…” Kanoe muttered with a shocked look.
“Ha ha! You like this place? This place is the shit!” Takehiko yelled out. “But either way, this place is home for us all to enjoy!”
“Umm, yeah…I see.” Kanoe sweat-dropped.
“Now come on…let me take ya all the way to Shepherd.” Takehiko offered. “AND BE SURE TO USE YOUR VOICE VERY LOUD! YOU GOTTA FEEL THE BURN!”
“Umm…Okay?” Kanoe shrugged.
“Your voice is too soft! Say it louder!” Takehiko instructed.
“Okay!” Kanoe shouted.
“LOUDER!”
“OKAY!” Kanoe exclaimed, attracting much of the people and Kanisar’s attention.
“Good! You’re learning…Um…Oh yeah, um, I never did learn your name, did I rookie?” Takehiko chuckled nervously.
“No, you did not.” Kanoe shook her head with a smile on her face. “My name is Kanoe Fey.”
“Kanoe Fey…Okay then! Now let’s go!” Takehiko shouted.
“O-Okay, but can we please keep it down? I mean…everyone’s staring.” Kanoe pointed over to most of the people walking by over the campsite, staring between her and the loud man.
“Oh right…! Sorry about that!” Takehiko blushed. “Heh heh…I-I-I really messed up there…haven’t I?”
“Yeah…just a little…” Kanoe frowned. “But even so, you didn’t mean too.”
“Heh heh…thanks…” Takehiko blushed, holding himself while his face blushed madly. “I-I don’t even know…why I am getting so…nervous around you…”
“Right…” Kanoe sweat-dropped with an awkward smile. “This guy doesn’t look like a bad guy, he may be big and strong, but…he seems to be a nice guy…He’s just…timid and shy around girls, I guess?”
“N-Now then…! Let’s get going!” Takehiko screamed.
“R-Right!” Kanoe nodded.
“Louder!”
“RIGHT!” Kanoe yelled out, causing Takehiko to chuckle while some people stared at the two. Kanoe sighed and shook her head before following after Takehiko towards to where the Resistance’s leader is.
Meanwhile...
“Hmm…” Michiko watched through everything that occurred outside the moment she heard the large man screaming. The moment Kanoe and Takehiko took their leave, Michiko closed the blinds of her window and sat down on her chair before taking out her chart.
“Well…she is certainly something. Although…there is something off with this girl…I’m not sure why, but she’s quite a curious one.” Michiko chuckled to herself. “Hmm…I guess with her around, maybe we could have more recruits for the war.”
Kanoe couldn’t wrap her head around the situation she was in. One day, she was living her normal life, had normal friends, had a normal career, and continued her with her normal life. That is till when she…’died’…she finds herself here in this world for some strange reason, and found all of this strange ‘Kanisars’.
She continued to look around, seeing some children playing around with a ball, possibly playing soccer. She noticed some kids were Kanisars, which she could obviously with the wolfish ears and tail.
“They look like humans, but at the same time, they don’t. I don’t get it…Actually, I don’t get any of this.” Kanoe thought with a slight frown.
“Don’t worry, some of these guys are friendly and people I’ve trained through my training.” Takehiko assured. “Don’t get so nervous, we’ve lived with Kanisars for a long time, so you’re safe.”
“T-Thanks…” Kanoe smiled softly till a ball came over and bumped into her legs. “Huh?”
“Excuse me miss?” Kanoe looks over and saw the kids who were over by the field looking at her. One of the kids, a fellow young Kanisar, looked at her with a soft look and asked “Could we have the ball back, please?”
“Oh, um…sure thing.” Kanoe nodded before picking it up and handing it back to the young boy Kanisar.
“Thanks ma’am!” The boy Kanisar thanked before running back to his friends.
Kanoe continued to watch them play around before smiling to herself.
“They may look different from us, but…you’re right, they are like us…” Kanoe chuckled.
“Yes…but for young ones to have to go through this…it’s heartbreaking that those bastards are trying to exterminate anything in their path…” Kanoe turned to Takehiko, who looks away with a frustrated look.
“What…are you talking about?” Kanoe asked, feeling concern all of a sudden.
“…..You’ll find out once we get to Shepherd.” Takehiko sighed before they continued on with their path.
Kanoe continued to look around in the site of the Resistance’s base, finding some local shops, some small buildings people seemed to use as homes to live and sleep in, and even small tents with the medical symbol on them, but they were nothing compared to what Michiko’s clinic had. She even noticed over by the distance a bunch of soldiers, both humans and Kanisars, were fighting each other with either their fists, or using swords, staffs, and other fighting equipment.
“Heh, those guys are sure taking my advice very well! Good for those recruits!” Takehiko grinned.
“Oh…are you an instructor?” Kanoe asked curiously.
“Oh yeah, I’ve been teaching young trainees to become strong soldiers in my days here on Inu, and I gotta tell you that they’ve all grown up to become as strong and fight for what’s right to never give up on fighting off the enemy!” Takehiko grinned before looking away with a slightly frustrated look and clenched his fists. “Well…all except for one…I honestly don’t know if that was a mistake to do so to train him considering the damages he’s done…”
“Huh?” Kanoe blinked in confusion, wondering who he was talking about.
“I-It’s nothing…anyway, we’re almost there…” Takehiko pointed over to the small building. “Right now, I think Shepherd is busy off with a meeting with the other higher-ups.”
“Higher-ups?” Kanoe asked.
“I meant those with higher ranks in the army. Just…be careful. Things might get roughed.” Takehiko warned.
“Okay…” Kanoe nodded. “But…you’re gonna be with me, right?”
“Yeah, I will! Why else did I come to Michiko’s clinic?!” Takehiko screamed.
“R-Right…” Kanoe awkwardly smiled. “Yep…this guy is a total weirdo alright…”
“Anyway, let’s head out.” Takehiko walked over and opened the door for Kanoe, which she nodded in thanks for him as they entered the small building, finding a large round room around the place with a bunch of older people around it. Some were humans like her while others were Kanisars, but some were quite older compared to the others she saw outside of the camp.
Kanoe watches the people of the round room talking over each other, making her feel a little nervous.
“Don’t panic Kanoe…this just all just like preparing for a concert…it’s nothing much and I am talking to myself.” Kanoe shook her head with a deadpanned look. “Okay, maybe this is all not too bad and I am still talking to myself.
“I hope you served your punishment, young man!” Kanoe snapped out of her thoughts before seeing an older yet very muscular Kanisar man with a large auburn braided beard lecturing over a red haired boy. “Running off into a city where you fought off against some of the enemies! Do you realize how that could have jeopardize the Resistance?!”
Kanoe looks over and stares at the red haired boy before gasping.
“It’s him…it’s that boy…” Kanoe widened her eyes as she realized who was the Kanisar that was being lectured by the higher-ups and the Resistance’s leader. It was the one who saved her from those human soldiers.
“I know…” Max groaned, rolling his eyes. “Besides, I only went out for my own reasons and see what’s going on out there. And there was a girl involved I’ll have you know!”
“Max’s got a point.” Kanoe looked over and saw a younger boy with him. His hair was as green as an avocado which goes no further than his chin in length, though usually hidden by a hat he wears. He also seemed to have sky blue eyes . The attire he wore looked like a ship captain. His white hat had a golden outlining for the front, with two golden buttons near the transitioning area. A symbol appeared that spoken in one word that Kanoe can’t identified.
He wears a long sleeved lab coat, reaching to his calves, having an additional blue interior from the inside of his coat. It had two golden shoulder pads with a side pocket on the left chest pocket. Underneath the overflowing lab coat of his, he wore a dark blue short sleeved T-shirt with a red tie atop of it. He additionally wears a pair of white pants, along with white sandals with black straps on each of his big toe.
“I mean sure, Max always wanders off to his own a lot but he does it to keep a good eye on stuff. You know, double-checking on stuff that we overlooked.” The green haired boy explained. “Besides, Max already learned his lesson by doing the dishes for a whole week in the cafeteria.”
“But even so, it was reckless of this guy to just go over and just go off in his own accord without our permission!” The old auburn bearded Kanisar exclaimed.
“Jeez, calm down. Cool your balls off, old man.” Max rolled his eyes, picking his ear a bit. “I’m alive, ain’t I? Besides, you do realize that chick was getting harassed by those soldiers, so I fucking did a good job, okay?”
The old auburn bearded Kanisar gotten up from his chair and glared at Max before asking “Is that how you treat your superiors?”
“What I was doing was right. What do I look like? Some slave dog? I did it to keep a good eye on stuff that you guys overlooked, okay?” Max scoffed before turning to the young green haired boy. “AJ, back me up here.”
“Max, you really aren’t helping your case here.” AJ commented bluntly.
“Not what I meant dumbass!” Max exclaimed.
“Hey dude, I was only brought out of my lab by you to serve as your back-up witness.” AJ pointed out, only to see the blank glare he was giving by his friend.
“AJ…just shut the fuck up and back me up.” Max growled, earning a sweat-drop from the young boy.
“Oh sorry!” AJ chuckled nervously before turning to the higher-ups. “But listen, Max already served his punishment and besides, I’m sure it wasn’t his fault that she ended up in a coma. Max stated in his report that she pushed him out of the way to save his life.”
“And why would we even listen to some half-breed that-”
“That’s enough!” The whole room became silent before turning to an older man with an aging look and gray beard. Takehiko stood in a ‘stand-attention’ position while Kanoe looked at the man who silenced everyone with an uncomfortable look on her face.
“Sorry Shepherd.” The old Kanisar sighed, sitting back down on his chair.
“Look…while that may be true that he left the base without consulting with any of us on where’s he going or even gotten permission to leave, what matters that he protected and save a survivor.” Shepherd reassured before gazing at Max with a soft smile. “But I hope next time that you don’t do that again. You had us worried there.”
“Yeah yeah, I get it. I’m fine.” Max shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Don’t worry about me Shepherd.”
“Mm…you’re just like someone I know.” Shepherd chuckled, which made Max feel annoyed.
“Please, don’t compare me to that cocksucking dickhead.” Max growled a bit. “That guy is just annoying. I’m nothing like that damn Kanisar.”
“Says the one who stolen one of his moves by seeing him do it once in one of those recon missions you went.” AJ grumbled, earning a glare from Max as he exclaimed “Well I thought it could be useful! Besides, I have my own attacks that he can’t learn!”
“Now now Max, calm down.” Shepherd chuckled. “Besides, you shouldn’t feel this angry, especially with the little lady in the room.”
“Huh?” Max blinked in confusion before sensing someone in the room as he finally gazed upon Kanon, who stares at him back.
“Huh? Isn’t that…?” AJ grew shocked upon seeing Kanoe in the room.
“Shepherd, everyone, sir!” Takehiko saluted. “I apologize for not addressing you all when we entered, but you all were having a talk and I didn’t want to interrupt!”
“No no, it’s okay Instructor Takehiko. You had your reasons.” Shepherd assured. “Now…I see you’ve brought her, right?”
“Yes, she woken up just a half-hour ago.” Takehiko replied.
“Huh…” Shepherd, the higher-ups, Max, and AJ all soon gazed upon Kanoe, who felt uncomfortable upon being seen.
“Umm…hi?” Kanoe meekly greeted.
“Greetings little lady. I’m glad to see you finally awaken.” Shepherd smiled. “I’m sure you’re aware of your condition.”
“Y-Yeah…Um…I’m apparently lost around in the dark.” Kanoe admitted, blushing a bit.
“No kidding.” Max snorted, only to get elbowed in the side by AJ. “What? Just saying.”
“Um, anyway…” Kanoe gulped, wondering what to say. I mean, she was lost in some weird world where she have just encountered these strange wolf-like beings called ‘Kanisars’ and such. However, she knew one thing that was burning in her head. “Could…you tell me what’s going on?”
Everyone, even Takehiko, who escorted her here to the small building, stared at Kanoe in confusion.
“What do you mean…?” A female human asked in confusion.
“I meant…” Kanoe clenched her fists and decided to continue asking questions. “I mean what’s going on here?! And…what’s this all about some war, and what are these Kanisars? Especially about this…Inu?”
“Huh?” AJ looked at her in surprise. “No way…you…don’t even know about any of this?!”
“Well I mean…Well yeah.” Kanoe nodded. “I mean…I get taken by some weirdo with strange ears and a tail on his butt. I mean, this is just…all too crazy…”
“What the fuck you say, bitch?!” Max exclaimed. “My ears and tail aren’t strange!”
“Don’t take it as an insult dude. Calm down.” AJ assured.
“You…don’t even know what’s going on?” The old auburn bearded Kanisar asked.
“Y-Yeah…” Kanoe nodded, feeling a bit timid all of a sudden.
“Hm…” Shepherd hummed in thought, wondering much about her. “Could it be that you have amnesia?”
“Um…something like that…” Kanoe nodded with a grim look. “I-I honestly don’t even know what’s going on anymore…”
“Seriously?” Max asked with a raised brow. “That’s stupid.”
“Couldn’t you just be nicer?!” Kanoe whined.
“Just saying. Tch! Great, now we got some chick with amnesia.” Max sighed. “Oh well, not like it’s a problem.”
“Well that depends how long it would take till she remembers everything.” AJ stated.
“So I see…I guess we can take that to account. Well…how far do you remember?” Shepherd asked, offering her a seat. Kanoe looked down at the seat and walked over and sat down with a rather nervous look. She soon replaced it with a slightly brave and confidant look.
“Well…I know that my name is Kanoe Fey.” Kanoe stated with a soft smile. “And…I live in Shibuya.”
“Shibu-what?” Max asked with a raised brow.
“Wait…where have I heard that name before?” AJ wondered.
“Hmm…” Shepherd stared at Kanoe with a raised brow. “Shibuya…that’s the name of the city in Tokyo back on Earth…”
“Back on…Earth? So you’re saying…I’m in this Inu?” Kanoe asked, having the sense of dread creeping up on her.
“Yes…Hmm…are you perhaps from earth many years ago?” Shepherd questioned. “You seemed quite a young lady to just come here…”
“O-Oh…Um….well you see…” Kanoe rubbed her arm sheepishly, blushing. “I-I…honestly don’t know…I just don’t remember much other than being on earth.”
“Hmm…I see.” Shepherd nodded in understanding.
“Sir, are you sure? What if she’s just working for them?” The old Kanisar asked.
“While that may be the possibility, would the Human King make this young lady a spy?” Shepherd questioned with a raised brow.
“He’s right.” A mid-age female human nodded in agreement. “While that may be a possibility, I doubt that the enemy would have make her a simple spy and plus, according to Private Kyochi’s account, she was being harassed and being forced straight to their ship and to him, it didn’t look like an act.”
“And I can back that up considering that I was his support.” AJ added. “I mean, even I have audio footage of-”
“Okay, let’s not!” Max exclaimed, punching AJ in the head. “All we want is getting me more in trouble with it.”
“And care to ask what do you mean?” The old auburn bearded Kanisar asked with a stern glare.
“N-Nothing…” Max looked away with a slight scoff, crossing his arms before a smug look appeared on his face. “But either way, while I gotten my punishment, I still save that chick’s butt.”
“I have a name you know…” Kanoe grumbled, rolling her eyes.
“But anyway, I suppose that maybe I could explain as much as I could to you, Ms. Fey.” Shepherd offered. “Although…it is quite weird that you seemed to remember being much on earth rather than here on Inu.”
“W-Well…” Kanoe looked down, wondering what to say. Would they believe her if she told them that she was awoken in a strange pod in what looked like an abandoned hospital? “You see…umm…I…just don’t remembered. All I know is…waking up in what looks like a hospital…”
“Actually wait, Max, didn’t you say that you saved her from an old hospital?” AJ asked. “Did you investigate much inside?”
“No, I was getting my ass nearly killed by those cocky bastards.” Max shook his head with a light shrug. “Besides, why the hell would I investigate the inside of an old building, anyway?”
“I see. That’s disappointing.” AJ sighed.
“Anyway, you said that you woken up in a hospital? In an old and abandoned one in one of the deserted cities?” Shepherd interrogated, raising a brow at the young idol girl.
“Yeah…I swear that I’m telling the truth.” Kanoe nodded with a frown on her face.
Shepherd studied her face for a while, trying to find out if she was lying or not. However, she didn’t look liked she was lying at all.
“Hm…She’s certainly clean, but…waking up in a hospital with no memory of Inu and the Kanisars? How could that be? Is this really amnesia or…something else?” Shepherd wondered.
“Umm…are you okay Mr. Shepherd?” Kanoe asked in concern.
“Huh? Oh yes, I’m alright.” Shepherd nodded. “Now then…I guess we can take your account of your amnesia. But…I guess we can try to help you understand the situation.”
“Thank you…” Kanoe nodded. “So um…what’s going on? And…why are we on this Inu?”
“Well…I guess I must be blunt about it….you see, Earth is no longer inhabitable.” Shepherd sighed, causing Kanoe to widened her eyes in shock.
“W-What?! No longer inhabitable?!” Kanoe exclaimed in shock.
“Yes…Earth was destroyed thanks to the invasion of a species of aliens.” Shepherd explained with a grim look. “The human race was at near extinction thanks to them, so we had no choice but to escape the planet and soon enough, we’ve found a suitable planet.”
“A-And…it’s this ‘Inu’ planet that we’re all on…right?” Kanoe asked with a surprised look.
“Yes…this planet may act like Earth, but you could tell by the many different plants and lifeforms that you may never see from our old planet.” Shepherd nodded.
“Yeah, just be careful if your sorry ass gets overrun by some dirt bags here.” Max rolled his eyes, earning a glare from Kanoe.
“Now now, let’s calm down for now.” Shepherd chuckled. “Now then, you see…when we arrive to this planet, we’ve discovered that this planet was already inhabitable to the Kanisars.”
“You mean those weird people with the ears and tails, right?” Kanoe asked, earning deadpanned looks from some Kanisars in the room.
AJ had a small smile on that little insult while Max snorted and looked away in annoyance.
“I prefer the term ‘wolf’…” Max growled a bit.
“Heh heh heh, yes.” Shepherd nodded. “While they may be similar to us humans excluding the ears and tails, they’re quite powerful.”
“He’s right.” AJ spoken up with a smile. “You see, Kanisars seemed to adapt to being wolves by their ears and tails, even by their long hair, large fangs, even small snouts in rare cases of birth. They are well known as a fighting species.”
“Indeed.” The old auburn bearded Kanisar nodded. “Thank you AJ.”
“N-No problem, Commander Stephen.” AJ nodded, rubbing his arm. “Sorry for interrupting any of you, even you Mr. Shepherd.”
“It is no problem AJ.” Shepherd chuckled, waving it off.
“Anyway…like the young boy stated, it is true that we are a species who seeks combat.” The old auburn bearded Kanisar, fully known as Commander Stephen, started to take the lead of the conversation. “We Kanisars are known for our violent combat nature. We fight against each other to test our strengths by using Ki.”
“Ki…?” Kanoe asked.
“Ki is our life force that we use in combat.” Max spoken up, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “You’ve already seen me used it before.”
“I-I have? Wait…” Kanoe placed a hand on her chin before starting to remember when she first woken up on Inu. “Are you talking about…that weird blue blast you shot out of your hands?”
“Yep, that’s Ki.” Max smirked in a smug way. “Ki is a part of us all. It’s everywhere in life or how you say it. We use it as raw energy to live and to fight.”
“He’s…technically right there.” AJ sweat-dropped.
“It is true.” Shepherd nodded. “You see, Ki is directly connected to our bodies, it’s similar to our lifeforce like Maxwell called it a ‘raw energy to live and to fight’. Kanisars can easily manipulate their energy to improve their Ki pool and ability to use through intense training and by keeping their bodies in shape.”
“No way…” Kanoe muttered in shock.
“He’s right.” Takehiko spoken up. “We humans been studying it much when we first arrived to Inu, and we’ve gotten quite to learn much about Ki while we were living together in peace and harmony. I mean, I’m not good to use much of my brain and just use my muscles to protect much of my comrades, some humans can create technology like you’ve never seen before that help aided much with us when we first lived here in Inu and even how we gotten here in the first place.”
“I-I see…but even so, it’s…kinda hard to believe.” Kanoe looked away, turning a bit pale.
“You don’t even know Ki either? Jeez…” Max groaned before he opened the palm of his hands, showing off a small energy ball. “See this? This is Ki…the energy that we use to manipulate for fighting and the life energy that we all have…”
“Wh-Whoa!” Kanoe widened her eyes in shock before getting up from her seat with a shocked look.
“Here. Fetch!” Max tossed the small energy ball towards Kanoe. Kanoe didn’t have the time to notice it but still manages to hold onto it in her hands.
“…..Wow….” Kanoe felt speechless by everything she was seeing. She wasn’t sure by this strange feeling she was sensing when holding onto.
“This feels so warm…I’ve never seen anything like it…this is all too crazy…I don’t know why…but I suddenly feel connected to it.” Kanoe thought, staring at the small energy ball in awe before it disappeared.
“Heh, jealous?” Max smirked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kanoe asked, glaring at him.
“I meant that we can use Ki and you can’t.” Max shrugged.
“And even so, it’s impossible for humans to learn how to use Ki.” AJ added before muttering “Which is by the way, kind of a relief in our part…”
“Huh? What?” Kanoe blinked, not hearing what the young boy said.
“Oh, nothing. Sorry!” AJ waved it off.
“R-Right…” Kanoe nodded with a raised brow. “Wonder who’s the kid and…why is he even here with a bunch of adults?” She thought.
“Either way, thank you Private Kyochi.” Commander Stephen nodded.
“Yeah yeah, whatever commander.” Max yawned. “Are we done yet?”
“Actually, there’s just one thing I was hoping for…” Kanoe spoken up, fiddling with her fingers for a bit. “About…this war that I kept hearing about, are you guys…actually fighting off in some sort of war on Inu?”
Everyone in the room became silent with Takehiko looking away with a grim look. Max looked down with a darkened look, AJ tilted his hat to cover his eyes while he held back his sorrow. The higher-ups all looked at each other with discomfort and distrust, along with Shepherd frowning.
“Um…guys?” Kanoe called. “If it’s not something to talk about…it’s okay if I-”
“It’s a war between humans and Kanisars.” Max answered, causing Kanoe to look at him and saw anger in his eyes. “None of us even saw this coming. That one night…where humans began attacking the Kanisars and just started either killing them in cold-blood or just captured them and used them as slaves for their own amusement.”
Kanoe widened her eyes in horror before squeaking out “W-What…?”
“It’s true…that start of when it all happened…we all never saw it coming, and since then, half of the planet was enslaved by the Human King and the royal family.” Shepherd explained.
“H-Human King…? You mean…an actual king?” Kanoe asked fearfully.
“No, it’s just a bastard who calls himself in that title.” Takehiko corrected. “That bastard…he was the one who commanded the attack while the royal family just helped along. Even none of the guards that I knew back then…they…just killed innocent civilians with no remorse…”
“Tch…those bastards are just egotistic…those who sided with that bastard of a human leader…I won’t forgive him.” Max made a hard grip against the sword attached to his pants, growling.
“M-Max…calm down!” AJ warned, feeling worried for his friend.
“…R-Right…sorry.” Max apologized before turning to his head. “Either way, I just hope that he won’t get away and hide away like a coward.”
“Yeah…” AJ nodded.
“Yes, I understand your anger Maxwell.” Shepherd reassured. “But anyway, since that night, the war on Inu began. We, the Resistance, which consists of surviving Kanisars and humans who opposes against the Human King, fight against his forces in order to return the peace and harmony that Inu used to have before we arrived.”
“Yes, we all suffered so much losses.” Commander Stephen sighed.
“Mm-hmm…and it’s been going on for 8 years…” A middle-age female Kanisar nodded in agreement.
“For now, we’re safe here in this secret base out here.” An old male human assured. “Those fools don’t even know where we are…Hm?”
Soon, the others soon noticed how shock and horrified Kanoe was.
“Ms. Fey…are you feeling alright?” Shepherd questioned.
“…T-This…this is all just a joke, right?” Kanoe gulped. “I-I mean…hearing all of this…i-it’s really hard to take in.”
“You get used to it. You are now part of war.” Max rolled his eyes. “Relax toots.”
“Stop that! Jeez, do you know any manners at all?!” Kanoe exclaimed. “It’s Kanoe! Kanoe Fey!”
“Yeah, yeah. Relax toots.” Max waved it off, earning a scowl from Kanoe.
“I don’t like his attitude…” She thought irritably.
“Well anyway, I believe that this is the end of this conversation…” Shepherd sighed. “I sure hope that you now fully understand. I sure hope that your memories comes back to you Miss Fey. I am sorry for your little problem there…”
“O-Oh…no, it’s okay…” Kanoe sighed, looking down with a glum look on her face. “So…what now?”
“Hmm…good question.” Shepherd hummed in thought. “Well I guess perhaps you can make yourself comfortable with living here.”
“So in other words, this place…is my new home?” Kanoe asked.
“Yes.” Shepherd nodded. “I’m sure Takehiko will provide you a home of your own to live in. In the meantime, you should get acquainted with the area.”
“Well sure thing.” Kanoe smiled, pushing back all her fears away. “I’m actually pretty curious about this place.”
“Well then…why not Private Kyochi lead the way?” Commander Stephen suggests, earning an incredulous look from Max.
“Say what right now?” Max asked.
“That’s a great idea.” Shepherd nodded with a soft smile. “Maxwell, why not you show Kanoe around the place.”
“Now hold on-”
“Come on Max, it might be fun.” AJ shrugged. “I mean, you saved her life when she was bleeding and plus, it might relinquish your anger after hearing reciting that summary about…the war.”
“….Fine.” Max groaned. “But don’t say that I warn you.”
“That’s great!” Takehiko screamed. “It might even give you two some good exercises! In the meantime, I’m gonna go and find a suitable home for you Kanoe!”
“O-Oh, thank you.” Kanoe thanked.
“Your voice is too soft! Do it louder!” Takehiko sternly scolded.
“Thank you!” Kanoe yelled.
“LOUDER!”
“THANK YOU!!!!” Kanoe shouted, earning blank looks from some of the others while Shepherd shook his head in amusement.
“So…embarrassing…” Kanoe thought, sweat-dropping a little before smiling a bit. “Then again…I am used to the attention.”
“Well…alright then. Let’s go.” Max rolled his eyes, letting out a yawn. “Let’s just hurry so that I can get ready for a nap.”
“Hold on…!” Takehiko called, putting his hands on his hips before sternly glaring at Max. “You shouldn’t go to sleep this early? You should probably train yourself.”
“Nah, training’s not my game.” Max waved it off.
“If you don’t, then-”
“Yeah yeah, I get it. However, I train by fighting into combat. Not what everyone goes through. It’s…not my thing.” Max sighed before turning to Kanoe. “Alright toots, get up and let’s go.”
“You’re never gonna call me by my name, are ya?” Kanoe asked.
“Nope.” Max said with a smug look on his face. Kanoe let out an exasperated sigh before a smirk appeared on her face.
“Well then…I sure hope you keep me company pretty wolf boy.” Kanoe giggled, earning an incredulous brow from Max before he turned to AJ, who just shrugs and says “Hey, don’t look at me. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“F-Fine…just shut up and let’s go. After all, I owe you one and I don’t back down from making promises.” Max sighs before he walks off with Kanoe following after him.
“And don’t worry! I’ll be sure to give ya a nice and cozy place to stay!” Takehiko yelled, which made Kanoe nodded before turning to Shepherd and the rest of the higher-ups.
“Um…thank you again for listening to my story.” Kanoe nodded with a soft smile.
“Heh heh, it is no big deal Miss Fey. Enjoy your company here on our base.” Shepherd chuckled.
“You know…he’s a nice guy I’ve met so far. But…why am I here? I just…don’t know how I even got here…” Kanoe thought with a slight frown.
“Alright, let’s get going before I leave ya, toots.” Max called, already leaving the building.
“Coming!” Kanoe quickly raced over and left the building, leaving AJ, Takehiko, and the higher-ups.
“Well…what now?” Commander Stephen sighed.
“We might as well end this meeting for now.” Shepherd suggested. “For now, I think it’s safe to say that Miss Kanoe Fey is not with the enemy.”
“You sure sir?” The mid-age female Kanisar asked.
“Yeah, what if you’re wrong? I don’t doubt your intuition, but…” Another mid-age female human started, but Shepherd shook his head with a serious look.
“It is alright…” Shepherd assured.
“Hm…” Commander Stephen snorted.
“Um…sir?” Takehiko called, gaining Shepherd’s attention.
“Oh right! Takehiko! You may leave too!” Shepherd nodded. “Just find a neat place for Miss Fey to sleep comfortable!”
“R-Right! I’ll go back and find that key!” Takehiko yelled before quickly rushing out of the place.
AJ, in the meanwhile, was over by the corner, deep in thought about the newcomer to the base.
“Hmm…Kanoe Fey…I feel as though I’ve heard that name…Kanoe Fey…” AJ mumbled, tilting his hat a bit to block his vision.
"Is there a problem AJ?" Shepherd called, prompting AJ to stop thinking before he made a sheepish grin at the leader and the rest of the higher-ups.
“Hm? Oh sorry Mr. Shepherd sir! I’ll be…going now back to my lab!” AJ chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry!”
“It’s quite alright…” Shepherd smiled softly. “But you know, I thank you for siding with Max on testifying with his statement.”
“Nah, it didn’t matter. Anything for a friend.” AJ smiled happily before taking his leave. “I’ll be back at the lab. Take care, you guys.”
The higher-ups watches him leave and once he was gone, Commander Stephen let out a heavy sigh and leaned against his chair.
“What am I ever gonna do with that soldier, Private Kyochi? He acts so…defiant in his own way. He’s just like the Heartless Wolf…” Commander Stephen grits his teeth. "I may as fear that he might become as him..."
"Please calm down, Stephen." Shepherd said. "Besides, Max and Trider are two different Kanisars with their own ways of being strong. They just have similar ways of how they do things..."
That seemed to made Commander Stephen growled angrily at the mention of the 'Heartless Wolf'.
“That fucking Kanisar…he can’t even show any signs of sympathy for those who died with him…I can see why he knows how to succeed his damn reputation as the Heartless Wolf…”
“While that may be true and Trider's actions can't be overlooked, Max doesn't hold that much of a grudge on humans. I mean, AJ is a prime example Stephen.” Shepherd stated with a calm look. “I know that he has difficulty following orders, but give Trider a chance…besides, he and Max are said to be in equals in strength, but there’s a difference between these two. But still, I know that he’ll change.”
“I highly doubt it with that ‘Heartless Wolf’.” Commander Stephen scoffed at the word 'Wolf', showing his disgust at the mention of it. “I know that you have faith in that Kanisar, but what if Max becomes just like him?”
“Trust me that he won’t be like Trider…” Shepherd reassured. “And I know how much pain Trider is carrying right now after his...last mission, but even heartless people can have a change of heart. He has his own path, and Max is following his own. We all are, just like your son.”
Commander Stephen sighed before looking away with a slightly disappointed look while some of the higher-ups looks away in discomfort.
“If only he was just…a real Kanisar just like everyone else here in the Resistance…” Commander Stephen mumbled, which made Shepherd frowned at him before sighing “What am I ever gonna do with you Stephen…?”
Just outside of the small building, a lone scrawny lighter Auburn colored male Kanisar was behind a window, overhearing everything what was going on.
“……” The scrawny Kanisar let out a heavy sigh before walking off with a darkened look. “One day…I’ll get out there because fighting here in the Resistance is important, and I’ll prove that I’m not worthless as everyone claims…dad.”
To Be Continued