Today was a big day for everyone. After months of hard work and construction, they had finally finished repairing Outer Haven.

Well the place was restored and had some things that every demi-wolf requested, but the defense system was still a work in progress since they still needed 3 more key items.

Sol Light, Cherry Blossom and Jackal went to gather the residents and requested them to wear some blindfolds. They lead the group to the entrance of their 'new' old home and they could hear just how excited Sol Light and Cherry Blossom were.

"Ohhhhhh. It's finally happening, after all this time and work the day has finally arrived." Cherry said gleefully as she skipped through the fields.

[OC's response?]

"It has been a long run." Jackal added. "Though we would have finished sooner if someone didn't spend so much time on decorations." His voice was towards Sol Light who huffed.

"Well I refused to let them live in such a bland place!" She declared. "We Demi-wolves and Diamond Dogs have evolved through out time and if we don't evolve then we will be lost to history!"

Jackal rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Alpha. But did you have to give the same speech that you gave to the elders back home?"

"Oh hush you."

Sol Light went further up while Cherry Blossom moved closer to her mate. "Now honey, you know how hard she worked for our brethren pack. And let's not forget that once she sets her mind up for something, there is no stopping her."

[OC's response?]

The Demi-wolves smelled the familiar scent of their home and knew that they were close. Their guides stopped and turned to them. "Okay, take off your blindfolds."

They did just that and the first thing that they saw was a rocky wall.

If they asked why there was a wall there Sol Light would tsk and place her paw on it, or in this case, straight through it.

The ninja twins had stars in their eyes when they saw this. "Wow, now that is camouflage." Saki said, easily impressed as he is.

[OC's response?]

"Oh no." Jackal reassured the wolves if any of them thought that this was the defenses that Aura was working on. "This isn't the defenses, just a small addition to make the place feel safe." He walked through the wall and poked his head through it.

"Besides, Aura said that he was still working on it."

The wolves went through the wall and they saw that Outer Haven was now completely repaired, with a new look that one could tell that Sol Light and her pack helped create since there was a bit of a Neighpanese flare on the buildings.

[OC's response?]

It was then when a few members of the Guardian (Aster, Lü Bu, and Jason) came out of one of the houses wearing paint aprons and had a few paint spots on them.

"That should be the last house painted." Jason said as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Lü Bu removed the apron and the undershirt that he was forced to wear. Letting his muscles breathe. "And thank goodness too. I hate wearing clothing that covers my upper body."

Aster turned around and a smile grew on his face. "They're here!"

He ran towards the group and stopped in front of them, his tail wagging like a dog happy to see its owner after a long day of work.

"Do you like it so far?" Aster asked as he jumped up and down. "Of course this is just the entrance where the guards and scouts will be, but Sol did say that it should be important that the barracks be near the wall to quickly intercept any possible invaders. I don't know, I'm not a strategist, this is all Jason's area of expertise."

"First off: it's called lookout towers, they help spot intruders and relay them to the one in charge. And secondly, the barracks are more towards the inner right, far from the wall." Jason corrected as he rolled his eyes.

[OC's response?]

Sol Light checked the room that the three had just finished painting and gave it a chef's kiss. "Nice job boys. And I'm guessing that's the last one?"

Aster shaked his head and smiled. "Yeppers! It was a long process but we finally got it all painted just like you wanted."

Sol Light gave Aster a warm smile. "That's perfect Aster. And what about Crystal's task, did she finish her's?"

The Kitsune manifested in front of her with a proud grin on her face. "Oh honey, I've finished that part long ago."

"Excellent!" She turned to the group of Demi-wolves and Diamond Dogs. "Now let's go on with the tour!"

The first area that they visited was the residential area. While it had a slight look to what they saw in the Lotus Pack, Sol did say that they could change it since she had been so used to making that type of design. But the dens for each wolf were unique for them. And when they went inside, it looked exactly like they did before they left Outer Haven, it was almost like they never left. But there was a few differences like a few crystals growing from the walls and ceiling, and when they asked what they were for, Sol smiled and explained.

"Oh those?" She took a gem out of her bag and touched it, causing it to glow. "These are Sun Stones. Think of them as light switches. Better then using candles and they absorb sunlight when they get dim. We found them in your mines while keeping the nasties from attacking us."

Aster popped out of no where. "I killed a Basilisk! See?!" He pointed to where his, Myst and Darius' den was and they saw the hide of a Basilisk on a rack.

[OC's response?]

Next was the market place. Here others could sell or by wares like any pelts they collected, meats, trinkets or even little bits of culture like books and scrolls.

But what stood out was the Blacksmith shop, something that Saki asked for.

"You actually made me a Blacksmith's shop!?" He ran up to the place and inspected it. Touching the anvil and smelling the fresh hot coals as he gazed at all the tools.

"This is perfect." He sighed blissfully and grabbed a iron ingot. "If there was one thing that I do best, it's creating with the art of metal works." He turned to the group. "If any of you needs something repaired or created the old fashioned way, I'm your Lycan!"

[OC's response?]

That wasn't all that was there, next to it was... [insert what one of the wolves wanted.]

Next on the agenda was the Hot Springs. Apparently they discovered them while clearing out the rubble. The fight seemed to create pressure in an underground water vein and surfaces here.

And to Celine's request, they turned the smaller pools into therapy pools and the larger ones into a place for the wolves and Diamond Dogs to relax after a long day.

[OC's response?]

And now there was the main room for the Alphas. It didn't have any flare, but it did show just enough for them to make one know that they were in charge. But the one thing that they saw was a fountain that had a gorgeous gem at the top.

The Gem gave off a radiant green glow and they all felt such power from it.

[OC's response?]

If they asked what the gem was:

"That there is the result of data from 5 of the most defensive artifacts in the Multiverse."

Aura came out from behind the fountain and patted the gem. "One of my best creations yet. This thing has the essence of the Crystal Heart, Evervintwr Gem, Cosmic Cube, Ark of the Creator, and an Eternity Shard. This baby is under 30 different layers of protection and is God proof, Chaos proof, negative proof, he I'll just say it straight. It's basically everything proof! Tested it myself and got Connors help to make sure that it was perfect."

[OC's response?]

7833690

This is going to be a long one so... fair warning in advance.

Sol Light, Cherry Blossom and Jackal went to gather the residents. They found them at Snow Fang, Jazz still playing her tunes. Of note was Myst, sitting solemnly at the top of the mountain, kicking around a snowboard.

"The hills up here would've been great for sledding," she noted. "Had Aster ever visited... he could've had fun."

Shiva, in a rare moment of sympathy for a wolf who she usually didn't like, nuzzled her, before revealing a portal stone.

"This place won't be far away," Shiva promised, activating one of the portal stones. "Aster and you will be able to visit any time."

"Or just stay here," Lizzie muttered darkly.

If Sol, Jackal or Cherry asked what was up with her, Celine blushed sheepishly.

"I, uh..." Celine mumbled. "I forgot that Lizzie hates being stared at. It was a hanger on from her past life, and... Mavis may have... unintentionally triggered her."

"She kept staring into my soul!" Lizzie protested.

"That's not an excuse for barking at her and scaring her," Logan growled back.

Lizzie huffed and turned away, while Logan rolled his eyes and focused on Sol.

"Hey, Sol," he noted. "I'm glad you're here; there's a project that I had in mind that I believe would make a really great Mother's Day Gift from you to your mom. I can fill you in on the details after this."

[Her response?]

Upon requesting them to wear some blindfolds... Myst instantly tensed up.

"No," she said immediately.

"Myst, you got your nose," Darius noted. "We don't need our sight that much..."

"No," Myst said firmly. "We heard about how Luco's going to attack; you want us to walk up to this place blindfolded so he can get the jump on us?"

"I... have to agree. Do all of us need to be blindfolded?" Shiva asked. "Luke and I did help in this construction."

"Besides that, we see with our noses and ears," Jazz noted. "You'd need like a full hood to..."

"DO NOT GIVE THEM IDEAS!" Myst, Lizzie and even Kodo barked, none of them eager to be blindfolded.

[Responses]

After figuring out how to handle the pack's lack of enthusiasm for blindfolds, they lead the group to the entrance of their 'new' old home.

"Ohhhhhh. It's finally happening, after all this time and work the day has finally arrived." Cherry said gleefully as she skipped through the fields, the excitement in her voice apparent.

"A lot of effort for something that wasn't even wanted," Myst muttered.

"Knock it off," Luke barked at her. "We worked hard to fix this; they deserve to be appreciated for what they did."

"Doesn't change that they didn't have to do it," Jazz noted.

"Which just makes it all the sweeter," Celine offered. "Because they did it anyway."

Kodo's one eye was everywhere else, watching for Luco. "Stay ready," he noted to the others. "If Luco crashes this party..."

Myst cracked the first real grin since Sol and her pack mates showed up. "Then we can make it into a real party," she replied. "He's not ruining this for us. Whether we wanted Outer Haven back or not."

"It has been a long run." Jackal added. "Though we would have finished sooner if someone didn't spend so much time on decorations." His voice was towards Sol Light who huffed.

"Well I refused to let them live in such a bland place!" She declared. "We Demi-wolves and Diamond Dogs have evolved through out time and if we don't evolve then we will be lost to history!"

"While I appreciate the sentiment," Shiva said carefully, "Demi-wolves are rather minimalistic. I really hope you didn't go too overboard with decorations; we really don't need that much."

Jackal rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Alpha. But did Sol have to give the same speech that you gave to the elders back home?"

"Oh hush you."

Sol Light went further up while Cherry Blossom moved closer to her mate. "Now honey, you know how hard she worked for our brethren pack. And let's not forget that once she sets her mind up for something, there is no stopping her."

Logan smirked. "Great minds think alike," he noted, thinking, "Right, Skoll?"

The Demi-wolves smelled the familiar scent of their home and knew that they were close. Their guides stopped at a rocky wall.

Lizzie and Logan glanced at each other. "Uh..." Logan started to say, before he noticed Luke and Shiva grinning at each other. Logan's eyes brightened. "Camo, right?"

Luke chuckled and placed his paw on it, or in this case, straight through it.

The ninja twins had stars in their eyes when they saw this. "Wow, now that is camouflage." Saki said, easily impressed as he is.

"Sh!" Jazz hissed, as the demi-wolves glanced cautiously around again, looking and sniffing for Luco. "Camo ain't worth much if your enemies know it's there."

"Good point," Shiva noted. "Everyone inside."

The group quickly raced into the wall, Kodo bringing up the rear.

"Tell me this isn't where the defenses start," Kodo noted. "That was way too easy to pass through."

"Oh no." Jackal reassured the wolves. "This isn't the defenses, just a small addition to make the place feel safe. Besides, Aura said that he was still working on it."

Turning from the wall, they saw that Outer Haven was now completely repaired, with a new look that one could tell that Sol Light and her pack helped create since there was a bit of a Neighpanese flare on the buildings.

Myst, however, stared at the whole thing in horror. "This isn't a wolf den," she said. "This is a Neighpanese village."

Shiva smiled sheepishly. "We... did kinda like their aesthetic."

Myst grimaced. "A little too much, if you ask me."

Shiva sighed. "Everyone's a critic. Not to worry." She pulled the second portal stone up and tossed it. "I know just where to put this."

It was then when a few members of the Guardian (Aster, Lü Bu, and Jason) came out of one of the houses wearing paint aprons and had a few paint spots on them.

"That should be the last house painted." Jason said as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Lü Bu removed the apron and the undershirt that he was forced to wear. Letting his muscles breathe. "And thank goodness too. I hate wearing clothing that covers my upper body."

Aster turned around and a smile grew on his face. "They're here!"

He ran towards the group and stopped in front of them, his tail wagging like a dog happy to see its owner after a long day of work.

"Do you like it so far?" Aster asked as he jumped up and down. "Of course this is just the entrance where the guards and scouts will be, but Sol did say that it should be important that the barracks be near the wall to quickly intercept any possible invaders. I don't know, I'm not a strategist, this is all Jason's area of expertise."

"First off: it's called lookout towers, they help spot intruders and relay them to the one in charge. And secondly, the barracks are more towards the inner right, far from the wall." Jason corrected as he rolled his eyes.

"Yep," Darius noted, already checking out the lookout towers. "You'll want the soldiers close enough so that they can quickly intercept, but not so close that the enemy can ambush them." He turned to Aster. "You and I are snipers at heart, Azzie. You should know the value we take in long range."

Sol Light checked the room that the three had just finished painting and gave it a chef's kiss. "Nice job boys. And I'm guessing that's the last one?"

Aster shaked his head and smiled. "Yeppers! It was a long process but we finally got it all painted just like you wanted."

Sol Light gave Aster a warm smile. "That's perfect Aster. And what about Crystal's task, did she finish her's?"

The Kitsune manifested in front of her with a proud grin on her face. "Oh honey, I've finished that part long ago."

"Excellent!" She turned to the group of Demi-wolves and Diamond Dogs. "Now let's go on with the tour!"

The first area that they visited was the residential area. While it had a slight look to what they saw in the Lotus Pack, Sol did say that they could change it since she had been so used to making that type of design. But the dens for each wolf were unique for them. And when they went inside, it looked exactly like they did before they left Outer Haven, it was almost like they never left. But there was a few differences like a few crystals growing from the walls and ceiling.

"Why does it look like Diamondback ran through here?" Lizzie asked.

Sol smiled and explained.

"Oh those?" She took a gem out of her bag and touched it, causing it to glow. "These are Sun Stones. Think of them as light switches. Better then using candles and they absorb sunlight when they get dim. We found them in your mines while keeping the nasties from attacking us."

Aster popped out of no where. "I killed a Basilisk! See?!" He pointed to where his, Myst and Darius' den was and they saw the hide of a Basilisk on a rack.

Myst gave a soft smile, while Darius chuckled. "Atta boy, Az," he said.

Yet, Myst's grin faded slightly, as she thought she saw the Basilisk staring at her. One moment it was a snake... the next it was...

Myst blinked and shook her head, trying to clear it. "So... about those defenses?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

[Sol's reply?]

Next was the market place. Here others could sell or buy wares like any pelts they collected, meats, trinkets or even little bits of culture like books and scrolls.

"We... didn't have this," Kodo noted, standing in the marketplace like it was foreign. "This was a meal hall."

"Well..." Luke replied. "We made a few changes. Thought the marketplace had a bit more of a... community feel to it."

Myst looked down. "I liked the meal hall," she admitted.

But what stood out was the Blacksmith shop, something that Saki asked for.

"You actually made me a Blacksmith's shop!?" He ran up to the place and inspected it. Touching the anvil and smelling the fresh hot coals as he gazed at all the tools.

"This is perfect." He sighed blissfully and grabbed a iron ingot. "If there was one thing that I do best, it's creating with the art of metal works." He turned to the group. "If any of you needs something repaired or created the old fashioned way, I'm your Lycan!"

Myst still grimaced. "We used bone and fur enchanted by the pack link to make things. Not metal."

Celine nudged Myst, trying to get her to be more positive. "I'm sure it's a change we can adjust to, right guys?"

She only got a few mutters of assent.

"I said," Celine said with particular emphasis. "Right. GUYS!"

The force behind her voice got a louder bark of assent, which her tail wagged at.

That wasn't all that was there, next to it was a small archway that Shiva had requested. At the time, it had likely made little sense to the builders. But it all came together when Shiva set the portal stone down, opening a portal to Snow Fang.

"There," she said to Myst and Lizzie. "If you guys want to go back, you can at any..."

Suddenly, Lizzie yelped and shot right through the portal, taking refuge in one of the dens there.

"...time," Shiva petered out, as the other wolves looked around for what had startled her.

Kodo and Logan's fur was rising. "Are you sure those defenses are working?" Logan asked.

"We should try and check them out sooner rather than later," Kodo admitted.

Next on the agenda was the Hot Springs. Apparently they discovered them while clearing out the rubble. The fight seemed to create pressure in an underground water vein and surfaces here.

And to Celine's request, they turned the smaller pools into therapy pools and the larger ones into a place for the wolves and Diamond Dogs to relax after a long day.

Celine gave a small grin at these, looking to the others with hope.

"You see guys," she noted. "These will be great for therapy visits."

Logan snickered. "As long as no one here has aquaphobia." He glanced notably at Darius, who was staying at the entrance.

Luke sighed. "Come on, Darius; there's no crocs in there. I promise."

If Sol, Jackal, Cherry or any of the others asked, Luke explained, "When Darius was still young, he got jumped by a croc that he thought was a log. He's been terrified of water - specifically what could be hiding in it - ever since."

Indeed, when Darius tried to approach, even the bubbling of the hot spring sent him on edge, and he skittered away. "Can we check out those defenses now?" he asked, struggling to keep his cool.

[Responses?]

And now there was the main room for the Alphas. It didn't have any flare - just like how Shiva and Luke liked it - but it did show just enough for them to make one know that they were in charge. But the one thing that they saw was a fountain that had a gorgeous gem at the top.

The Gem gave off a radiant green glow and they all felt incredible power from it. Enough to calm even Myst down, as she had been on edge ever since they showed up.

"Is that...?" Logan started to ask, before Aura spoke for him.

"That there is the result of data from 5 of the most defensive artifacts in the Multiverse."

Aura came out from behind the fountain and patted the gem. "One of my best creations yet. This thing has the essence of the Crystal Heart, Evervinter Gem, Cosmic Cube, Ark of the Creator, and an Eternity Shard. This baby is under 30 different layers of protection and is God proof, Chaos proof, negative proof, he I'll just say it straight. It's basically everything proof! Tested it myself and got Connors help to make sure that it was perfect."

Shiva smiled at his words, but Myst gave it a suspicious look.

A look that turned to horror.

"Then why is it turning red?" she asked.

The other wolves backed up as a red glow indeed fell across the room.

Aura and the rest looked up... and saw Luco's face reflected in the crystal. Almost like Zordon in power rangers.

[Reactions?]

"Surprised? Boo!" Luco declared with a laugh. "Oh-ho, Aura-Aura-Aura. You should know that the more you believe in something, the more it's going to disappoint you."

"But how?!" Shiva demanded. "That was supposed to be protected against you!"

"It is," Luco replied. "Y'see, I'm not technically here, but I did manage to sneak a little something past Connors while he was inspecting it. You see, this gem reacts to the moods of your wolves. The less they want this place around, the more likely this gem is going to explode and take the whole place with it. And - oh me, oh my - there do seem to be some unhappy campers around here."

Indeed, the wolves found themselves flinching as their lukewarm reactions to the new Outer Haven came back to them.

"Oh, but don't be ashamed," Luco said. "That's what they want you to feel." Luco glared briefly at Aura. "Embrace your feelings, my little puppies. Remember what Shiva said: 'Outer Haven is no Haven.' And also remember that Aura didn't listen. He can call it guilt all he wants, but if he actually respected you guys, he would've accepted your wishes and let Outer Haven rest."

"SHUT UP!" Myst snarled, almost going for the gem before Luke stopped her.

"Dangit," Shiva growled. "Where is he?"

Luke paused, picking up a scent. "Wait... I got something!"

[Insert Aster and the other wolves mentioning that they can't smell anything]

Luco laughed at their input. "Of course you can't smell me," he replied. "I told you, Aura; I was going to find something you can't fix. And then I was going to shatter it." He leered at the God. "How does it feel? Knowing that you won't be able to fix this?"

Before Aura could respond, Luke shot away after the scent. "I'm going after him! In the meantime... Guys, do not let him drag you down! Fight the negativity; fight the grudges and bitterness!"

Jazz grinned widely, and began to play a tune. "I know exactly how to do that," Jazz declared.

[Note: while I'll put in lyrics for your OCs, feel free to change them up a bit to suit their personalities better.]

And with a grin, Jazz began rapping: "Alright let's do this! Here's my case!" She pointed at Luco. "You claim the Guardians are a vicious race? But guys, you'll find they're not so insidious." She gave Aster a noogie. "Just a group of lovable idiots."

"Hold it!" Luco yelled. "Don't give me that crap. Have you forgotten how they made Myst snap? The Guardians are vile and no doubt insane! They're small leeches who'll bring a world of pain!"

Aura cut in. "No that's wrong! We fulfill dreams! We bring smiles to both homeless and queens. It's all about love, teamwork and friends. So, don't let this be our work's end!"

"Okay," Shiva admitted. "Sometimes, they make us mad! But that's an insignificant little fad! Our mission is to laugh, enjoy and inspire! Just ignore the time Lü Bu set me on fire!"

Luco laughed. "Heh, this is the end, it seems. Despite what you may believe, your teams antics are too extreme!"

"OBJECTION!" Jazz barked, pointing right back at Luco. "Violence, separation, no negotiation, your chaos ain't craving balance for our nation!"

"You think you bring balance?" Aura asked Luco. "Don't give me that crock! You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"

"Our crimes in turn?" Shiva asked. "We saved the Earth, a buncha times!"

As Jazz sang, the gem began to glow green as the wolves' hopes began to get restored.

"From eldrich abominations," Jazz sang, as Fenrir was briefly seen in a flashback, "Greedy ex occasions..." A flashback of Inanis was shown. "Hate, love and rejection!" Flashbacks of Gallant, Ubel and Noir were seen. "Oh-Oh-Objection!"

Luco sneered. "Don't get cocky, you haven't won yet! I haven't even broken a sweat! You'll be banned, just as planned! Now witnesses, to the stand!"

With a flash of light, Red was put on the spotlight, her red colors brightening as she glared at Aura, rage dust making her eyes glow.

"You make us look so stupid and dense," she claimed. "None of what you do makes any sense!"

"So what? We're just trying to find our place," Jason rapped back. "On this plane of time and space!"

Lizzie came in, similarly raged up. "You think your snark makes a funny story? You just want to steal all the glory!"

"That's not what we want," Crystal insisted. "Our motives are true. Just ask Star, Frost Bite and Blue."

"I'm sorry, but I got a confession," Shiva found herself saying as the rage gas hit her. "All your powers give me depression!"

She was suddenly hugged by Aster. "That's okay, we may woe. But we also develop, love and grow."

"Come on now, you've heard their plea," Jazz insisted. "They're innocent! So set them free!"

"NEVER!" Luco roared. "Time to stop this persistent sinning. No matter what, I will be winning! It's no use with your excuses and tears!" He brought up a memory of Aura when he got angry at Shiva. "You embody all our worst fears!"

Aura got scared. "No, please! I didn't mean to get mad! I was confused, scared and so sad!"

"Oh, please, you deserve this mockery," The Rage-Adled Red growled. "Can't you be original? We've heard that crockery.

As she spoke, the gem began to glow red again as Luco prepared to destroy the base.

"Now you all better run for the Fang!" Luco eagery declared. Cuz No More Haven's going out with a..."

"OBJECTION!" Jazz roared, using her music to turn the gem green again as she sang. "Halt with your elation! This is not the end! We will not lose hope for our godly friends!" She turned to the pack. "Don't forget the good they all do. All the help and love they show to you!

Myst stepped up. "They saw us people, not as monsters. And gave us a family, even if it's fosters."

"Know their help and courage," Jazz sang, backed up by the wolves. as the gem glowed green again. "Hate, you will not forage." She pointed at Luco. "You have no protection; OH-OH-OBJECTION!"

"What'cha gonna do?" Logan demanded, holding Aster close. "This is my brother, even if he comes from another mother!"

Together, Guardians and Wolves stood up against the anarchist. "There's no escape you dumb ape!"

Luco looked around as the gem glowed brighter, starting to burn him.

"Wait, no!" he protested. "How can you agree!" He pointed at Cinder. "This one has no respect for even a tree!"

"Oh, sorry, times up, you clown," Aura mocked, as Myst stepped forward. "It's time for the judge to hand the verdict down!"

"Indeed it's time," Myst agreed. "And after all I saw! It's Luco who deserves this claw!"

She lunged forward, and carved at the gem.

But instead of damaging it's surface... she hit Luco.

And as Luco was blasted back, he hit the ground as Luke rounded the corner, glaring at him... only to stop in shock.

Luco had been hiding in the ruins of the Androgyne temple. Right where Morgana's crystal had been kept.

Though his face was bloodied by Myst's claws, Luco pulled himself up as Luke approached him.

"C-Come on, Luke," he insisted. "You're really gonna do this."

"Stay out of my head, ape," Luke growled as he advanced.

Luco stumbled backward. "But don't you remember?" he insisted. "They tried to foist the blame onto Morgana. But you know who's really to blame for everything."

Luke seethed as Luco conjured up an image of Orion. But not just any image.

It was the image Aura tried to show Luke before back in the bar. His home was in flames, and he was covered in blood. He was missing his arm and could only see with one eye. His pack lay dead around him... and Shiva was fighting Orion.

"All you had to do was give me the link and all this would of been avoided. But you just had to do this the hard way." He gave a sadistic chuckle as he thrusted his sword at a Diamond dog who tried to ambush him. "Not that I mind anyway."

Shiva didn't reply. Her face was a mask of cold fury as she bound Orion up, the links squeezing like a pack of anacondas, doing their best to break Orion's bones.

He struggled to get free and as the binds began to rip, Shiva turned to Luke.

"I-I can't beat him. Luke..." Tears glistened in her eyes as she gazed at her love. "Take the survivors and get out of here. I'll hold him off for as long as I can."

"Jacey can do that," Luke insisted, struggling towards her. "Either we beat him together, or we die together! There's no life without you, my love!"

"Please Luke. You need to live. You, Celine, Logan..." Tears dripped down her face as Orion began to tear free. With a snarl, Shiva hurled Orion across the battlefield, and used the lull in combat to embrace Luke one last time. "You're all that's left. It's me he wants, I don't want anyone else to die."

Luke hesitated at first but eventually nodded his head. He then got up and gather the survivors to escape. He gave one last look at his wife as she faced Orion head on, giving them the time they needed to escape.

Luke stared at the image, tears rolling down his face as Luco got back up.

[Reactions? Note: they can't get to Luke, but they can see all of this through the gem]

"He took everything from you," Luco reminded Luke. "And did Aura care?"

He showed another memory.

Then the image shifted to Orion dying. His face aglow with the same smile he had when facing Shiva. And as he faded away...

"Goodbye, brother," Aura said, leaking a few tears. Mourning Orion. "May we meet again in your next life."

[Reactions?]

Luke fell to his knees, sobs of both grief and fury making his body shudder.

"I... I'll never forgive..." Luke choked out. "I'll never forgive..."

"Exactly," Luco said. "Don't let Aura trick you with his tears and his lies. He doesn't care about you. None of them do! Aster let that thing die thinking that it was okay to slaughter your people. Humiliate your pack!" He gripped Luke's shoulders. "Stop letting them cling to you like the toxic leeches they are. Break free! Fight back and..."

With a gutteral howl, Luke lunged up... and put both his fists right through Luco's chest. As his fists exploded out Luco's back, they clutched Luco's still beating heart.

Shiva and the wolves backed up, various barks and shouts sounding. Myst herself looked awestruck.

[Reactions?]

Luco stared down at his chest, and then up at Luke, who glared him down.

"That's... not..." Luco coughed out. "What I... expected."

"I will never forgive that piece of sh!t Orion," Luke promised. "Just like how I won't forgive you for what you did to Myst." He sneered. "Orion might have gotten away from me. But you...?"

Luke began to mutate, going from a Lucario to a far more werewolf like creature.

Luco got one chance to stare up at him in horror, before Luke's jaws seized Luco's face, and bit down hard.

[Reactions?]

Shiva turned away, while Myst merely watched with a dark glare.

If the Guardians went down to the ruins, they found Luke chewing on Luco's remains, smashing him into the ground over and over as he vented his feral rage at both Luco and Orion.

[Insert how the Guardians got Luke to calm down]

By the time they managed to pry him off, Luco's body was little more than hamburger meat. And as they gazed down at the broken, bloodied body, they felt a shift in the air.

Faintly, they could see Luco's soul being dragged down to Hell, countless demons coming forward to claim his soul. They fought briefly with each other, but with a body too mangled for Luco to return to, they quickly returned their attentions to the anarchist. And he gave one final wail of fear as his soul was torn to pieces by the ravenous demons he had made deals with for power, the remnants being dragged down to Hell or wherever the demons had come from.

And that was it.

Luco was finally, truly, dead.

[Reactions?]

7833697
Don't mind me, I was just reading this post and noticed a little hiccup in your rhyme. I actually have some experience with making or revising lyrics both for my stories and for a friend's story, so I just wanted to offer a change to make the line below actually rhyme while still making sense.

Lizzie came in, similarly raged up. "You think your snark is even funny? You just want to steal all the glory!"

Instead of "You think your snark is even funny", maybe try "You think your snark makes a funny story". Other than that, the lyrics in your song are awesome.

7833753

Instead of "You think your snark is even funny", maybe try "You think your snark makes a funny story".

Oh, I like that. Just fixed it to have that change. Thanks. 👍

Other than that, the lyrics in your song are awesome.

Thanks; I absolutely loved this rap and the Zero Rap from SMG4. Both served as epic conclusions to their respective story arcs, and I wanted to try and see if I could adapt their song to the conclusion of Luco's threat.

Happy you enjoyed it.

7833756

I absolutely loved this rap and the Zero Rap from SMG4. Both served as epic conclusions to their respective story arcs

Same. SMG4 always delivers not only in humor, but also awe-inspiring moments, tear-jerking farewells, and intense fights, both physical and verbal. Their latest two raps were especially ambitious and had a lot of work put into them, and I'm always going to look forward to their next WOTFI.

Happy you enjoyed it.

No problem. Your posts never fail to impress me, which is why I love contributing to them with my own OCs.

Though... I will admit that Luco actually dying for good surprised me. I mean, sure, he's evil in a way, but the student of chaos has been around for as long as I've been in this group. Not that I'm upset about his death or anything, but... I simply didn't expect you to just off him like that.

7833766

SMG4 always delivers not only in humor, but also awe-inspiring moments, tear-jerking farewells, and intense fights, both physical and verbal. Their latest two raps were especially ambitious and had a lot of work put into them, and I'm always going to look forward to their next WOTFI.

Same.

Though... I will admit that Luco actually dying for good surprised me. I mean, sure, he's evil in a way, but the student of chaos has been around for as long as I've been in this group. Not that I'm upset about his death or anything, but... I simply didn't expect you to just off him like that.

I know what you mean. He was honestly a really fun villain to write for, and a part of me's going to miss not having him around.

But, at the same time, Aura, Ragnarok and even my own family were telling me that his time in my stories was starting to go on for too long, and my own list of OCs was starting to get pretty big. So, I'm hoping that by taking him off the roster, it'll allow me to explore some of my other characters.

Here's hoping they're just as fun as he was.

7833770

Here's hoping they're just as fun as he was.

I know they will be.

Also, I've got plans for a new OC or two, but I don't have all the details figured out yet. You can expect to see them in the future.

7833780

Also, I've got plans for a new OC or two, but I don't have all the details figured out yet. You can expect to see them in the future.

Cool. I look forward to seeing what they're like.

7833697
Sorry this took a while.

It's been a long and stressful day for me.

"I, uh..." Celine mumbled. "I forgot that Lizzie hates being stared at. It was a hanger on from her past life, and... Mavis may have... unintentionally triggered her."

"She kept staring into my soul!" Lizzie protested.

"That's not an excuse for barking at her and scaring her," Logan growled back.

And it showed as poor Mavis was crying and shaking like a leaf in Shiva's arms as she tried to comfort her.

Lizzie huffed and turned away, while Logan rolled his eyes and focused on Sol.

"Hey, Sol," he noted. "I'm glad you're here; there's a project that I had in mind that I believe would make a really great Mother's Day Gift from you to your mom. I can fill you in on the details after this."

Sol gave Logan her signature radiant smile that warmed everyone who saw it. "Of course. Thank you for telling me."

"Besides that, we see with our noses and ears," Jazz noted. "You'd need like a full hood to..."

"DO NOT GIVE THEM IDEAS!" Myst, Lizzie and even Kodo barked, none of them eager to be blindfolded.

Cherry Blossom popped out from behind them and put them in a group hug. "You don't need to wear them, it was just a suggestion."

[OC's response?]

(NOTE: I only chose this picture since there wasn't anything that that fit what was in my head. This was then closest in could get.)

Myst, however, stared at the whole thing in horror. "This isn't a wolf den," she said. "This is a Neighpanese village."

Shiva smiled sheepishly. "We... did kinda like their aesthetic."

Myst grimaced. "A little too much, if you ask me."

Shiva sighed. "Everyone's a critic. Not to worry." She pulled the second portal stone up and tossed it. "I know just where to put this."

Jackal walked towards his Alpha with a look that said 'I told you so.' "I told you that choosing this style was a bad idea. But did you listen? Nope, you went and did it anyway."

Sol puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "Well I'm so used to using this style that no matter what I do it just ends up like this."

She then turned to the wolves and bowed. "The wood we used is magically enchanted to change styles based on your preference. If you don't like the style then you can change it how you like."

[OC's response?]

Myst blinked and shook her head, trying to clear it. "So... about those defenses?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Oh, Aura is still working on it. But he did say that how it is should be enough for the moment. But he also said that he wanted it to be a surprise." Sol Light answered as she lead the group to their next destination.

"We... didn't have this," Kodo noted, standing in the marketplace like it was foreign. "This was a meal hall."

"Well..." Luke replied. "We made a few changes. Thought the marketplace had a bit more of a... community feel to it."

Myst looked down. "I liked the meal hall," she admitted.

Aster popped back out between his mother and Kodo. "We still have it, over there!" He pointed to the end of the path and indeed the meal hall was there.

Sol Light blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, the place isn't ready yet, as it recently had an infestation of gremlins that came from the mines. So we had Levi take care of them and he is now working on fixing what mess they caused."

And speak of the devil, Levi came out with two trash bags filled with rubble that the gremlins created and threw them out.

[OC's response?]

But what stood out was the Blacksmith shop, something that Saki asked for.

"You actually made me a Blacksmith's shop!?" He ran up to the place and inspected it. Touching the anvil and smelling the fresh hot coals as he gazed at all the tools.

"This is perfect." He sighed blissfully and grabbed a iron ingot. "If there was one thing that I do best, it's creating with the art of metal works." He turned to the group. "If any of you needs something repaired or created the old fashioned way, I'm your Lycan!"

Myst still grimaced. "We used bone and fur enchanted by the pack link to make things. Not metal."

Celine nudged Myst, trying to get her to be more positive. "I'm sure it's a change we can adjust to, right guys?"

Saki smiled and patted Myst. "Oh relax mama wolf. I can do more then metal, heck, my GI and clothes are all made of pelts and bone as well, made them myself." He took out his GI and showed part of his clothes that had bone fibers in them.

[OC's response?]

"When Darius was still young, he got jumped by a croc that he thought was a log. He's been terrified of water - specifically what could be hiding in it - ever since."

Indeed, when Darius tried to approach, even the bubbling of the hot spring sent him on edge, and he skittered away. "Can we check out those defenses now?" he asked, struggling to keep his cool.

Aster held onto Darius' paw to comfort him. "Don't be afraid father. We had them enchanted so that wildlife never gets to the waters. I'll show you!"

Aster threw his clothes off and jumped into the water, popping out head first and spitting out water like a fountain. "See! The waters great! And I normally hate the heat!"

[Darius' response?]

"Then why is it turning red?" she asked.

Aura's eyes popped open as he felt worry crash over him. "Come again?"

The other wolves backed up as a red glow indeed fell across the room.

Aura and the rest looked up... and saw Luco's face reflected in the crystal. Almost like Zordon in power rangers.

Aura fell to his knees and felt defeated. "All my hard work, gone in an instant. I..."

"Surprised? Boo!" Luco declared with a laugh. "Oh-ho, Aura-Aura-Aura. You should know that the more you believe in something, the more it's going to disappoint you."

"But how?!" Shiva demanded. "That was supposed to be protected against you!"

"It is," Luco replied. "Y'see, I'm not technically here, but I did manage to sneak a little something past Connors while he was inspecting it. You see, this gem reacts to the moods of your wolves. The less they want this place around, the more likely this gem is going to explode and take the whole place with it. And - oh me, oh my - there do seem to be some unhappy campers around here."

Indeed, the wolves found themselves flinching as their lukewarm reactions to the new Outer Haven came back to them.

"Oh, but don't be ashamed," Luco said. "That's what they want you to feel." Luco glared briefly at Aura. "Embrace your feelings, my little puppies. Remember what Shiva said: 'Outer Haven is no Haven.' And also remember that Aura didn't listen. He can call it guilt all he wants, but if he actually respected you guys, he would've accepted your wishes and let Outer Haven rest."

"SHUT UP!" Myst snarled, almost going for the gem before Luke stopped her.

"Dangit," Shiva growled. "Where is he?"

Luke paused, picking up a scent. "Wait... I got something!"

"How?" Aster asked as he tried to sniff the air but got nothing. "I can't smell anything."

Simply, Levi tried to locate Luco with his aura but came with nothing. "And I can't sense his aura anywhere. Why is it that we can't find him?"

Luco laughed at their input. "Of course you can't smell me," he replied. "I told you, Aura; I was going to find something you can't fix. And then I was going to shatter it." He leered at the God. "How does it feel? Knowing that you won't be able to fix this?"

Before Aura could respond, Luke shot away after the scent. "I'm going after him! In the meantime... Guys, do not let him drag you down! Fight the negativity; fight the grudges and bitterness!"

Jazz grinned widely, and began to play a tune. "I know exactly how to do that," Jazz declared.

Luke stared at the image, tears rolling down his face as Luco got back up.

Levi stepped forward and clenched his paw close to his chest. "Be strong Brother! We're on our way!"

The Guardians ran toward their location but Aura continued to watch.

"He took everything from you," Luco reminded Luke. "And did Aura care?"

He showed another memory.

Then the image shifted to Orion dying. His face aglow with the same smile he had when facing Shiva. And as he faded away...

"Goodbye, brother," Aura said, leaking a few tears. Mourning Orion. "May we meet again in your next life."

"Can you shut your f%@*ing mouth for once you wannabe Discord!" Aura shouted and gritted his teeth. "As if you care about them! It was you who hurt Myst all those years ago! It was you who brought the wolves suffering! No wonder Blaze left you! You're just extremely petty!"

He breathed heavily and felt the wolves try to comfort him. "And to think I felt a little sorry for you when Dai killed Blaze. Thought you had some redeeming quality. Guess I was wrong."

Luke fell to his knees, sobs of both grief and fury making his body shudder.

"I... I'll never forgive..." Luke choked out. "I'll never forgive..."

"Exactly," Luco said. "Don't let Aura trick you with his tears and his lies. He doesn't care about you. None of them do! Aster let that thing die thinking that it was okay to slaughter your people. Humiliate your pack!" He gripped Luke's shoulders. "Stop letting them cling to you like the toxic leeches they are. Break free! Fight back and..."

With a gutteral howl, Luke lunged up... and put both his fists right through Luco's chest. As his fists exploded out Luco's back, they clutched Luco's still beating heart.

Shiva and the wolves backed up, various barks and shouts sounding. Myst herself looked awestruck.

And Aura looked up with a bit of hope. Tears fell from his eyes as he sniffled. "Luke..."

Luco stared down at his chest, and then up at Luke, who glared him down.

"That's... not..." Luco coughed out. "What I... expected."

"I will never forgive that piece of sh!t Orion," Luke promised. "Just like how I won't forgive you for what you did to Myst." He sneered. "Orion might have gotten away from me. But you...?"

Luke began to mutate, going from a Lucario to a far more werewolf like creature.

Luco got one chance to stare up at him in horror, before Luke's jaws seized Luco's face, and bit down hard.

Shiva turned away, while Myst merely watched with a dark glare. Aura similarly had a smile like Myst did and felt satisfied watching Luco get what was coming for him.

"You know, there is just something about watching Luco get mutilated over and over again is so, therapeutic."

When the remaining Guardians went down to the ruins, they found Luke chewing on Luco's remains, smashing him into the ground over and over as he vented his feral rage at both Luco and Orion.

Levi and Lü Bu grabbed onto Luke and tried to pry him off. "Alright Luke, as much as I would like to watch Luco get chewed up, we need to get you out before his devils come to collect him." Lü Bu warned as even he struggled to get the Demi-wolf off the anarchist.

By the time they managed to pry him off, Luco's body was little more than hamburger meat. And as they gazed down at the broken, bloodied body, they felt a shift in the air.

Faintly, they could see Luco's soul being dragged down to Hell, countless demons coming forward to claim his soul. They fought briefly with each other, but with a body too mangled for Luco to return to, they quickly returned their attentions to the anarchist. And he gave one final wail of fear as his soul was torn to pieces by the ravenous demons he had made deals with for power, the remnants being dragged down to Hell or wherever the demons had come from.

And that was it.

Luco was finally, truly, dead.

The Guardians fell to the ground. "Is he finally gone?" Crystal asked.

Levi checked the area and nodded. "His presence is fully gone. At last, he's finally been dealt with."

Aster started to cry. "Finally. Now mom can hopefully be cured of her painful past. And those nightmares of Luco taking her away from me can finally stop.

[OC's response?]

7834018

Sorry this took a while.

It's been a long and stressful day for me.

No worries, my friend. 👍 Be sure to get some rest and take care of yourself. You more than deserve it.

"Hey, Sol," Logan noted. "I'm glad you're here; there's a project that I had in mind that I believe would make a really great Mother's Day Gift from you to your mom. I can fill you in on the details after this."

Sol gave Logan her signature radiant smile that warmed everyone who saw it. "Of course. Thank you for telling me."

Logan nodded with a grin. "Anytime."

"Besides that, we see with our noses and ears," Jazz noted. "You'd need like a full hood to..."

"DO NOT GIVE THEM IDEAS!" Myst, Lizzie and even Kodo barked, none of them eager to be blindfolded.

Cherry Blossom popped out from behind them and put them in a group hug. "You don't need to wear them, it was just a suggestion."

Myst relaxed. "Good. As long as it was just a suggestion..."

(NOTE: I only chose this picture since there wasn't anything that that fit what was in my head. This was then closest in could get.)

I still thought it worked pretty well. And it was a great piece of art too.

Myst, however, stared at the whole thing in horror. "This isn't a wolf den," she said. "This is a Neighpanese village."

Shiva smiled sheepishly. "We... did kinda like their aesthetic."

Myst grimaced. "A little too much, if you ask me."

Shiva sighed. "Everyone's a critic. Not to worry." She pulled the second portal stone up and tossed it. "I know just where to put this."

Jackal walked towards his Alpha with a look that said 'I told you so.' "I told you that choosing this style was a bad idea. But did you listen? Nope, you went and did it anyway."

Sol puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "Well I'm so used to using this style that no matter what I do it just ends up like this."

She then turned to the wolves and bowed. "The wood we used is magically enchanted to change styles based on your preference. If you don't like the style then you can change it how you like."

"Oh?" Myst turned to the wood, and nudged at it. Indeed, it changed to a more classic wolf den; not quite as flashy as the village, but it made Myst's tail wag.

Myst blinked and shook her head, trying to clear it. "So... about those defenses?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Oh, Aura is still working on it. But he did say that how it is should be enough for the moment. But he also said that he wanted it to be a surprise." Sol Light answered as she lead the group to their next destination.

Myst grimaced, and Luke nudged her. "I know, Myst," he said. "I know you prefer it when we're the ones doing the surprising. But try to roll with it."

"That's what I've been doing," Myst replied.

"Well, do it better," Luke replied. "And check the attitude while you're at it."

Myst stared at him with a bit of indignation, but a lot more amusement. "Being an Alpha really made you bold, didn't it?"

Luke shrugged. "You always did tell me to fight for what I believed in."

Myst grinned. "Touche."

"We... didn't have this," Kodo noted, standing in the marketplace like it was foreign. "This was a meal hall."

"Well..." Luke replied. "We made a few changes. Thought the marketplace had a bit more of a... community feel to it."

Myst looked down. "I liked the meal hall," she admitted.

Aster popped back out between his mother and Kodo. "We still have it, over there!" He pointed to the end of the path and indeed the meal hall was there.

"Oh, thank goodness," Myst said, racing over and checking that everything was in place.

Sol Light blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, the place isn't ready yet, as it recently had an infestation of gremlins that came from the mines. So we had Levi take care of them and he is now working on fixing what mess they caused."

And speak of the devil, Levi came out with two trash bags filled with rubble that the gremlins created and threw them out.

"Hey brother," Luke greeted Levi. "Thanks for getting those."

But what stood out was the Blacksmith shop, something that Saki asked for.

"You actually made me a Blacksmith's shop!?" He ran up to the place and inspected it. Touching the anvil and smelling the fresh hot coals as he gazed at all the tools.

"This is perfect." He sighed blissfully and grabbed a iron ingot. "If there was one thing that I do best, it's creating with the art of metal works." He turned to the group. "If any of you needs something repaired or created the old fashioned way, I'm your Lycan!"

Myst still grimaced. "We used bone and fur enchanted by the pack link to make things. Not metal."

Celine nudged Myst, trying to get her to be more positive. "I'm sure it's a change we can adjust to, right guys?"

Saki smiled and patted Myst. "Oh relax mama wolf. I can do more then metal, heck, my GI and clothes are all made of pelts and bone as well, made them myself." He took out his GI and showed part of his clothes that had bone fibers in them.

Myst gazed with a smile at the craftsmanship, before Jazz coyly joined her.

"He does have quite the muscle structure, doesn't he?" Jazz noted.

Myst scoffed. "I was more interested in his Gi, you pervert," Myst said.

"We like what we like," Jazz replied, leaning on Saki with a grin.

[Saki's reaction to Jazz's flirting?]

"When Darius was still young, he got jumped by a croc that he thought was a log. He's been terrified of water - specifically what could be hiding in it - ever since."

Indeed, when Darius tried to approach, even the bubbling of the hot spring sent him on edge, and he skittered away. "Can we check out those defenses now?" he asked, struggling to keep his cool.

Aster held onto Darius' paw to comfort him. "Don't be afraid, Father. We had them enchanted so that wildlife never gets to the waters. I'll show you!"

Aster threw his clothes off and jumped into the water, popping out head first and spitting out water like a fountain. "See! The waters great! And I normally hate the heat!"

"And I thought you normally hated the water too," Darius noted. "Unless... you meant you hate the ocean."

Celine chuckled. "Don't let Jackknife hear you say that."

Either way, Darius stripped off his own vest and waded carefully into the water. He was still a little tense, but as nothing came out at him, he was able to relax bit by bit.

"Can you shut your f%@*ing mouth for once you wannabe Discord!" Aura shouted and gritted his teeth. "As if you care about them! It was you who hurt Myst all those years ago! It was you who brought the wolves suffering!"

"Aura, stop!" Shiva insisted. "He's not worth it."

He breathed heavily and Shiva and Celine trying to comfort him. "And to think I felt a little sorry for you when Bai Long killed Blaze. Thought you had some redeeming quality. Guess I was wrong."

Luke fell to his knees, sobs of both grief and fury making his body shudder.

"I... I'll never forgive..." Luke choked out. "I'll never forgive..."

"Exactly," Luco said. "Don't let Aura trick you with his tears and his lies. He doesn't care about you. None of them do! Aster let that thing die thinking that it was okay to slaughter your people. Humiliate your pack!" He gripped Luke's shoulders. "Stop letting them cling to you like the toxic leeches they are. Break free! Fight back and..."

With a gutteral howl, Luke lunged up... and put both his fists right through Luco's chest. As his fists exploded out Luco's back, they clutched Luco's still beating heart.

Shiva and the wolves backed up, various barks and shouts sounding. Myst herself looked awestruck.

And Aura looked up with a bit of hope. Tears fell from his eyes as he sniffled. "Luke..."

Luco stared down at his chest, and then up at Luke, who glared him down.

"That's... not..." Luco coughed out. "What I... expected."

"I will never forgive Orion for what he did," Luke promised. "Just like how I won't forgive you for what you did to Myst." He sneered. "Orion might have gotten away from me. But you...?"

Luke began to mutate, going from a Lucario to a far more werewolf like creature.

Luco got one chance to stare up at him in horror, before Luke's jaws seized Luco's face, and bit down hard.

Shiva turned away, while Myst merely watched with a dark glare. Aura similarly had a smile like Myst did and felt satisfied watching Luco get what was coming for him.

"You know, there is just something about watching Luco get mutilated over and over again is so, therapeutic."

"Tell me about it," Myst noted. "For so long, I wanted to do that myself. But having Luke - one of my best wolves - doing it... I think it still works."

When the remaining Guardians went down to the ruins, they found Luke chewing on Luco's remains, smashing him into the ground over and over as he vented his feral rage at both Luco and Orion.

Levi and Lü Bu grabbed onto Luke and tried to pry him off. "Alright Luke, as much as I would like to watch Luco get chewed up, we need to get you out before his devils come to collect him." Lü Bu warned as even he struggled to get the Demi-wolf off the anarchist.

"One more!" Luke insisted, smashing the remains of Luco's skull hard enough to make his head explode. "And one more!" he tried again, but Levi caught his arm and pulled him back. Huffing, Luke let them pull him off Luco, but he did get one more spiteful kick at Luco's body before getting dragged off him completely.

By the time they managed to pry him off, Luco's body was little more than hamburger meat. And as they gazed down at the broken, bloodied body, they felt a shift in the air.

Faintly, they could see Luco's soul being dragged down to Hell, countless demons coming forward to claim his soul. They fought briefly with each other, but with a body too mangled for Luco to return to, they quickly returned their attentions to the anarchist. And he gave one final wail of fear as his soul was torn to pieces by the ravenous demons he had made deals with for power, the remnants being dragged down to Hell or wherever the demons had come from.

And that was it.

Luco was finally, truly, dead.

The Guardians fell to the ground. "Is he finally gone?" Crystal asked.

"He better be," Luke muttered, staring at his body. "I swear, if this was another prank or something..."

Levi checked the area and nodded. "His presence is fully gone. At last, he's finally been dealt with."

Aster started to cry. "Finally. Now mom can hopefully be cured of her painful past. And those nightmares of Luco taking her away from me can finally stop."

Luke gazed up, locking eyes through the gem with Myst. Myst managed a nod of thanks to Luke before stepping away.

"Luco is dead..." she started to tear up, even as she started chuckling in outright relief. "All those years... all the torture... all the rage..."

Seeing how close she was to breaking down, Shiva once again set her grudge with Myst aside and hugged her alongside Darius.

"Let it go, Myst," she encouraged.

"Let it out," Darius agreed.

Myst hugged Shiva and Darius, and began to both sob and laugh at the same time

Jazz shook her head with a grin, before looking to Saki and kissing him in triumph.

Celine and Kodo exchanged happy looks, before Celine turned to Cherry. "Cherry?" Celine asked. "I don't suppose it would be too out of the ordinary to have us a party, eh?"

[Cherry's response?]

Long into the night, the wolves of New Outer Haven partied. Singing several different songs, playing games in the hot springs, couples sneaking away to make love before rejoining the partying...

For so long, the wolves had lived in bitterness and anger over Luco's manipulations and lies. Now, they were finally free of him. Finally and truly free and ready to live their own lives. And they couldn't be happier.

[What were the Guardians doing during this party?]

But no one partied harder than Myst; it was as if a massive weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Having as much energy as Aster, she carried herself with newfound joy and hope, practically dragging Aster to Snow Fang, and eagerly engaging him in snowboard races as the two sledded down the mountains at Snow Fang.

And in the partying, Aster got to see a side of his mother that had always been hinted at, but with Luco gone, was finally able to break free and be it's own thing: she was a puppy again. Reunited with her best friends, and truly able to move on from the past.

[Aster's reaction to his mother free of her worries and stress?]

Sometime during the party, Logan managed to get Sol's attention... and revealed the robot replica he was making for Skoll.

He had made quite a large amount of progress, turning the robot from a mere Diamondback lookalike to that of an actual wolf. And thanks to the robot being made of organic materials, he had even managed to replicate fur.

"I'm trying to make it look like Skoll," Logan explained to Sol. "Because... well..." He touched the robot with his pack link, allowing Skoll to take possession of his soon-to-be-new body.

[Skoll speaking to Sol, and her reaction to it?]

7834026
Myst gazed with a smile at the craftsmanship, before Jazz coyly joined her.

"He does have quite the muscle structure, doesn't he?" Jazz noted.

Myst scoffed. "I was more interested in his Gi, you pervert," Myst said.

"We like what we like," Jazz replied, leaning on Saki with a grin.

Saki gave both of them a coy grin. "Ladies, there's enough of me to go around."

"And I thought you normally hated the water too," Darius noted. "Unless... you meant you hate the ocean."

Celine chuckled. "Don't let Jackknife hear you say that."

Aster splashed back into the water. "I hate it when someone else is spraying me with water. If I'm submerged in it, that is a different story."

Either way, Darius stripped off his own vest and waded carefully into the water. He was still a little tense, but as nothing came out at him, he was able to relax bit by bit.

Jazz shook her head with a grin, before looking to Saki and kissing him in triumph.

Celine and Kodo exchanged happy looks, before Celine turned to Cherry. "Cherry?" Celine asked. "I don't suppose it would be too out of the ordinary to have us a party, eh?"

And as if it were magic, Cherry Blossom pulled out a casket filled with party supplies and Pinkie Pie popped right out of it. "When isn't it out of the ordinary to have a party!?" Both party animals replied as they got to work setting up a grand party.

Long into the night, the wolves of New Outer Haven partied. Singing several different songs, playing games in the hot springs, couples sneaking away to make love before rejoining the partying... Mostly Saki and Jazz as everyone could tell with the look they gave each other.

For so long, the wolves had lived in bitterness and anger over Luco's manipulations and lies. Now, they were finally free of him. Finally and truly free and ready to live their own lives. And they couldn't be happier.

As for the Guardians, Aura and Levi were with Luke and Shiva having a nice conversation and going over the adjustments they were going to make for the defenses.

Cinder was drunk off her mind as she wobbled into the hot springs and floated belly up while cackling to herself.

Jason and Crystal were enjoying each other's company as they gazed at the stars.

Lü Bu stayed his distance from the wolves, thinking that they didn't want his company.

Chrono was in the hot spring enjoying a good book.

And Aster was dancing with his family and having the time of his life.

But no one partied harder than Myst; it was as if a massive weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Having as much energy as Aster, she carried herself with newfound joy and hope, practically dragging Aster to Snow Fang, and eagerly engaging him in snowboard races as the two sledded down the mountains at Snow Fang.

And in the partying, Aster got to see a side of his mother that had always been hinted at, but with Luco gone, was finally able to break free and be it's own thing: she was a puppy again. Reunited with her best friends, and truly able to move on from the past.

And Aster couldn't be happier. From what a few wolves have told him this was how Myst was before Luco came. And this brought a tear to his eye knowing that his mother was free to finally be herself again.

Sometime during the party, Logan managed to get Sol's attention... and revealed the robot replica he was making for Skoll.

He had made quite a large amount of progress, turning the robot from a mere Diamondback lookalike to that of an actual wolf. And thanks to the robot being made of organic materials, he had even managed to replicate fur.

"I'm trying to make it look like Skoll," Logan explained to Sol. "Because... well..." He touched the robot with his pack link, allowing Skoll to take possession of his soon-to-be-new body.

"Because he plans on bring me back to you and your mother, my daughter." Skoll said in a gentle voice.

Sol took a step back and covered her mouth. A few tears leaking from her eyes as she stepped closer to her father. "Is it really you...?"

Skoll gave her a small nod which made Sol release her flood gates.

"PAPA!"

She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest as Skoll hugged his daughter gently.

[Logan's response?]

Sol turned to Logan and brought him into a hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! You are the greatest!"

[Logan's response?]

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Oh, something I forgot to add in for Luco's death:

As they gazed down at the bloodied, broken body, they saw Luco's spirit pull himself up.

Before he could smirk or challenge Luke, a whistle pierced the air.

Luco froze, turning as another spiritual figure joined him.

Luke blinked. "Red?"

Indeed, Red pulled down her hood, revealing an eerie grin as she locked on Luco.

[Reactions to Red being a Grim Reaper?]

"So," Luco mused. "You left Connors for Death itself?" He huffed. "Not surprising; he is a rather charming dog, isn't..."

Red cut him off literally, shooting forward and driving one of her scythes right into his jaw. Luco was lifted up, gagging and sputtering as Red grinned darkly at him.

"I'm sure you've enjoyed the chase, Luco," Red said. "But we've reached the end now." A portal to Hell opened up behind her, with demons scrambling for the entrance. "And don't be scared," Red added. "You got plenty of friends waiting for you on the other side."

Luco gripped at the scythe in his jaw, gagging and gurgling in protest. But Red was deaf to his pleas, and flung him into the demons, allowing them to rend his soul to pieces just as they did before.

Sheathing her scythe, Red turned briefly to Luke, who seemed almost in shock.

"Red..." he mumbled. "How...?"

"Dream Lord Reign's wife," Red explained. "She had become a Herald of Death. To get her back and to calm Reign's anger... someone had to take her place." She gave her father in law a warm grin. "Live your life, Lucifer Lionheart. And live it free of fear for Luco."

Giving one more whistle, Red walked away into another portal, before vanishing.

[Reactions?]

Luke, however, sunk to his knees in utter relief.

Skoll gave her a small nod which made Sol release her flood gates.

"PAPA!"

She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest as Skoll hugged his daughter gently.

Logan watched on with a smile, happy that he could make someone so happy.

Sol turned to Logan and brought him into a hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! You are the greatest!"

"Just trying to do right by a guy who's done a lot for me," Logan replied, hugging her back. "Of course, there's still some work to be done, but that's okay. We should have Skoll fully ready to see Celestia on Mother's Day. Perfect timing, honestly." He grinned at Sol. "You don't mind helping me make sure he's presentable for the Sun Princess, do you?"

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Indeed, Red pulled down her hood, revealing an eerie grin as she locked on Luco.

Aster just waved like a child waving to their parent without a care in the world. "Hi big Sister!"

[Red's response?]

Most of the Guardians just chuckled at the ice wolf's innocence, but they looked at Red and whistled.

"I had a feeling that it would be a matter of time before you became a Herald." Crystal mused and looked at the clothing that Red had. "Could do with a wardrobe change though."

"So," Luco mused. "You left Connors for Death itself?" He huffed. "Not surprising; he is a rather charming dog, isn't..."

Red cut him off literally, shooting forward and driving one of her scythes right into his jaw. Luco was lifted up, gagging and sputtering as Red grinned darkly at him.

"I'm sure you've enjoyed the chase, Luco," Red said. "But we've reached the end now." A portal to Hell opened up behind her, with demons scrambling for the entrance. "And don't be scared," Red added. "You got plenty of friends waiting for you on the other side."

Luco gripped at the scythe in his jaw, gagging and gurgling in protest. But Red was deaf to his pleas, and flung him into the demons, allowing them to rend his soul to pieces just as they did before.

Sheathing her scythe, Red turned briefly to Luke, who seemed almost in shock.

"Red..." he mumbled. "How...?"

"Dream Lord Reign's wife," Red explained. "She had become a Herald of Death. To get her back and to calm Reign's anger... someone had to take her place." She gave her father in law a warm grin. "Live your life, Lucifer Lionheart. And live it free of fear for Luco."

Giving one more whistle, Red walked away into another portal, before vanishing.

Aster waved goodbye to his sister while Jason and Cinder released a sigh of relief that Luco was finally gone.

Luke, however, sunk to his knees in utter relief.

"Just trying to do right by a guy who's done a lot for me," Logan replied, hugging her back. "Of course, there's still some work to be done, but that's okay. We should have Skoll fully ready to see Celestia on Mother's Day. Perfect timing, honestly." He grinned at Sol. "You don't mind helping me make sure he's presentable for the Sun Princess, do you?"

Sol smiled and hugged Logan again. "Do you even need to ask?"

Amazing Job!

Thank you for sharing!

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Aster just waved like a child waving to their parent without a care in the world. "Hi big Sister!"

Red didn't reply, her focus being on Luco.

Most of the Guardians just chuckled at the ice wolf's innocence, but they looked at Red and whistled.

"I had a feeling that it would be a matter of time before you became a Herald." Crystal mused and looked at the clothing that Red had. "Could do with a wardrobe change though."

Red slowly turned her eyes to give Crystal a death glare, causing Luco to smile as he could see Red's dislike for Crystal.

"You gonna take that from a wannabe fake Zoroark?" Luco asked. "Why go after me when you have the power to..."

Red cut him off literally, shooting forward and driving one of her scythes right into his jaw. Luco was lifted up, gagging and sputtering as Red glared him down.

"I'm sure you've enjoyed seeing us fight each other, Luco," Red said. "But you're not getting out of this." A portal to Hell opened up behind her, with demons scrambling for the entrance. "And don't be scared," Red added. "You got plenty of friends waiting for you on the other side."

Luco gripped at the scythe in his jaw, gagging and gurgling in protest. But Red was deaf to his pleas, and flung him into the demons, allowing them to rend his soul to pieces just as they did before.

Sheathing her scythe, Red turned briefly to Luke, who seemed almost in shock.

"Red..." he mumbled. "How...?"

"Dream Lord Reign's wife," Red explained. "She became a Herald of Death. To get her back and to calm Reign's anger... someone had to take her place." She gave her father in law a warm grin. "Live your life, Lucifer Lionheart. And live it free of fear for Luco."

She then gave Crystal another glare before walking away into another portal.

Aster waved goodbye to his sister while Jason and Cinder released a sigh of relief that Luco was finally gone.

"Just trying to do right by a guy who's done a lot for me," Logan replied, hugging her back. "Of course, there's still some work to be done, but that's okay. We should have Skoll fully ready to see Celestia on Mother's Day. Perfect timing, honestly." He grinned at Sol. "You don't mind helping me make sure he's presentable for the Sun Princess, do you?"

Sol smiled and hugged Logan again. "Do you even need to ask?"

"Probably not, but I thought I'd be polite." Logan brought Skoll back into his head, and pulled out some tools. "Alright, let's get this thing fixed up."

Amazing Job!

Thank you for sharing!

Always happy to share.