<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1>Here is the second and final part of the story!<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>Enjoy!<o:p></o:p>Chris<o:p></o:p>The Lurking Fox<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> As a child Demarest had always found the forest of Tol Doron intimidating. Its tall, wide trees seemed to block out the light, leaving the forest floor bathed in shadow. There were hundreds of myths about the place in Marigund folklore. It had always been a place of mystery and danger, full of strange monsters and ghosts. Yet it was also a place of sanctuary for those without anywhere else left to hide. A wanted person who made it to the woods could by law claim sanctuary there and not be harmed. A tact admission that few law hunters would dare enter the place. There were no wide roads through it and all the paths in had a way of twisting and bending at will. A person traveled the woods at their own risk and only if whatever it that resided there let them. And for the more persistent there were the wolves. The famous Doron wolves who existed nowhere else and who protected their home fiercely.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Demarest didn't like the Vault being there. He could understand why his predecessors had placed it there but he didn't like it. It felt as if they were contaminating the place somehow. The mage understood that the forest itself didn't want the vault there but tolerated it. Such absurdly dangerous magic HAD to be kept somewhere till a way was found to destroy it.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Usually finding anything in the forest was almost impossible even using magic. The forest of Tol Doron was old, powerful and guarded its secrets well. But for him this place revealed at least one small secret. A pair of Doron wolves greeted the mage when he arrived at the edge of the woods. He bowed to them and the wolves turned and trotted off into the darkness of the woods. Without hesitating the head of the Marigund Mages guild followed.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>*****************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> The group raced down an alley jumping over a pile of empty boxes and around a mound of garbage. The alley ended suddenly as the pursuers broke out into a wide street lined with tall, half timbered buildings.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Which way?" Carlisle asked. "Left or right."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha, Caroline and Salona stood in the middle of the road examining the pavement.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Right," all three scouts said at the same time.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Quickly the group made its way down the road and came to an intersection with roads leading off in three new directions.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Smashed fruit and vegetables covered the street in all directions. In the middle of the intersection was a pile of shattered and splintered wood that might have been a small wagon or a large push cart.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The woman walked over to a group of people standing in the middle of the destruction. Some of them were also covered with bits of smashed plant matter. "Have you seen a . . . "<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Large metal lion? That way," one of them answered, interrupting the mage. He was covered with bits of smashed and pulped fruit and pointed a hand covered with orange pulp off to the west.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>********************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I see him!" Up ahead Carlisle caught a glimpse of something silver and brass weaving amongst the people.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I'm not losing him again!" Carlisle snarled. He stopped and spoke a few words in a tone too low for anyone else to understand. The mage dropped to his hands and knees as spotted fur started to cover his body. In moments the man had become a sleek and fast cheetah.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Carlisle took off down the street using all of the natural speed and grace of the hunter he had become. The cheetah weaved around and through the people and even raced under a large wagon.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Quickly his target came into view as he saw the metal lion running down the road. the feline put on burst of speed and caught up to the automaton. The metal lion started to turn at the last moment but was too slow. Carlisle lashed out with a front paw and tripped one of the lions back legs.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion stumbled and hit the ground with the loud clattered of metal. With surprising deftness the fall turned into a tumble and the metal feline rolled right back onto his four legs.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Surprised by the deftness of his opponent Carlisle reacted too slow when the lion lashed out with one of its massive paws. The blow caught the feline mage on the shoulder and sent him tumbling to the pavement.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The metal feline placed a paw onto Carlisle's back easily pinning the feline mage to the pavement. But it didn't attack him. Those metal jaws could easily rip through his flesh and crush his bones but they didn't. Instead it's powerful leg kept the mage prostrate and helpless.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion turned his metal head to look down the street. Salona was racing up the street towards them. Close behind was Misha and a dozen other people.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That's Salona?" The lion asked in a man's voice. In spite of coming from a metal mouth it was filled with amazement. "She's beautiful."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Very beautiful," Carlisle managed. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Her movements are so graceful and fluid. Like a real animal's. My congratulations to you Carl. You do great work!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Thank you but my staff did all the hard work," Carlisle answered.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "It's incredible that such an artifact survived intact all these centuries," the lion said, the amazement still audible in its voice.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage smiled. "Some assembly was required." He looked at the lion intently trying to gain a measure of who was controlling it. All he saw was a metal face devoid of emotion and shielded by some powerful spells. "Who are you? Who is in there controlling this?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Haven't you guessed yet?" Came the metal feline's enigmatic answer. He turned and saw the group getting closer. "Time to go!" The lion said and leapt off of the mage.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "You are stealing our lion," Carlisle shouted as he tried to stand up.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The metal feline looked at the man for a moment. "No. WE built the lion and are just reclaiming it." With that the lion raced off down the street, around a corner and out of sight.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Moments later Misha ran over to Carlisle. The mage was still a cheetah and the feline was stretched out on the pavement. "Are you all right?" Misha asked as he knelt down.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Carlisle struggled a bit and tried to stand up again. "I think my shoulder is broken."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> With surprising tenderness Misha gently touched the cheetah's shoulder. Examining it with the practiced eye of an experienced soldier. "Oh yes, it's broken all right."<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> The mage shifted back to human form. The magic healing much of the injury as it attempted to return the body to its pre-changed and undamaged state. "That still hurts," he said rubbing his shoulder. "That lion reacted a lot faster than I expected."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The scout looked at the man's shoulder."There's no telling what he is really capable of."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha looked up and past the mage. "Here comes the Caial."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage turned and saw a half dozen men and woman running up the street towards them. They were dressed in full chainmail armor but instead of the expected swords and spears they were carrying cudgels and staves.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha waved a hand. "Over here!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The group came ran over to them and clustered around them. A tall blonde haired man with a tough and grizzled face stepped forward. "Sergeant Wells, City Watch. What's happening?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We're chasing a thief who stole guild property." Misha stood up.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Go get him!" Carlisle said. "But a word of warning. Whoever is in that lion is an Automicant, Like you and me."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha slowly nodded his head. "That makes sense. Thanks for the warning." He turned in the direction the lion had gone and raced off down the street. The scout pushed his body hard understanding that if the lion got out of the city the chase was lost.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He raced down a street weaving past the startled people. The fox scout took a left turn hard, skidding on the pavement for a moment. Ahead of him only a hundred feet in front was the metal lion.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Behind the lion the city wall loomed up. It's cold, gray stones blocking the path. Without hesitating the feline raced up the stone steps that led to the top of the wall. It leapt onto one of the merlons - the stone blocks that made up the battlements.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion paused on the edge, doing a balancing act as he stood on the stones of the battlements. The metal feline looked down at the ground some thirty feet below. With one last glance at his pursuers he leapt off and into open air.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha reached the battlement followed closely by Idette and Joeline. They looked over just in time to see the lion land with all the grace expected of a feline, metal or otherwise. Seemingly untouched the feline raced off and away from the wall.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Wow!" Idette said in amazement. "A thirty foot drop with no damage!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha hopped onto the parapet. He spoke a few words of magic and his body glowed a light blue. The fox scout stepped off the wall and into open air. Instead of plummeting quickly to the ground Misha slowly drifted downward. After a moment his paws touched the earth at the base of the wall. Without hesitating Misha raced off in the direction the lion had gone.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The stolen automaton came to a halt on a large open area. Centuries ago this had been a large plaza surrounded by tall buildings. Now it was just a granite platform in a large, grassy field filled with odd shaped bumps and depressions. Standing in the center was a tall woman dressed in a long, flowing, brown robe.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The woman jumped up into the air as she flapped her arms. Her body shifted, flowed and grew larger as she seemed to hang in the air. Arms that flapped in imitation of wings transformed into real wings. Massive wings that kept growing larger and larger until they had a wingspan of over a hundred feet. As her limbs changed so did her body. her robe flowing and melting into thick, brown feathers that covered her avian form. The woman was now a giant, brown eagle large enough, strong enough to carry a person, or a metal lion.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Hovering over the metal lion the mage turned avian grasped the automaton gently in her massive talons. The beating of her wings whipped up a storm of wind, dust, dirt and grass blocking everyone's view.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha had to stop and cover his eyes for a moment. When the storm settled the bird and it's metal passenger were already several hundred feet in the air and even further away horizontally.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He stood there staring at the eagle as it flew away, moving at a speed that no real eagle was capable of. In a moment he was joined by Caroline, Idette, Carlisle, Joeline and several of the Cail.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I'll bring down that bird!" Carlisle snarled and his hands started to move in the complex gestures of a spell.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "NO!" Misha shouted and grabbed the mages hands. "You can't!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage scowled at Misha. "He'll escape!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "And if you hit the bird she's liable to drop the lion automaton and the fall will destroy it!" Misha explained.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Carlisle cursed loudly and slowly lowered his arms. "Damn the Arenul Ceen!" He snarled.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "How do you know it's them?" Idette asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Who else would want the unfinished lion?" The man asked. "Who else could have built it?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Who can fly?" Misha asked. He hadn't taken his eyes off the retreating avian and its metal passenger.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Define fly," Carlisle responded slowly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha pointed to the bird/mage flying in the far distance. "Something fast enough to catch that."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Idette nodded her head. "All right. I have something large and fast." She stepped back a few paces giving herself more room. The mage closed her eyes and she seemed lost in thought for a moment. The change was imperceptible at first. Her brown hair turned gray and the long bangs clumped together forming feathers. These feathers spread down her neck and across her shoulders. As the feathers spread to her arms the limbs widened and grew long and thicker. Human hands soon were engulfed by the quickly spreading feathers.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage's legs grew shorter and thicker as her toes gained long, sharp talons. Idette's human face pushed outward into a sharp, black beak. Even as that was happening her torso got wider, thicker as the feathers covered a body that was no longer human or even mammalian. And as those changes happened she grew larger and larger and larger. Finally the changes slowed and then stopped, her transformation complete.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> What had once been a woman was now a massive falcon that stood over seven feet tall and with a wing span of over fifty feet from wing tip to wing tip. The feathered body weighed almost a ton. Her feathers were the gray of a storm laden cloud but edged the bright silver of a bolt of lightning. Idette's eyes glowed a bright red instead of the black of a normal bird. When she shook her new body lightning danced along the tips of her wings.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Instinctively the otter scout took a step backward. "What are you?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I'm a Storm Falcon," the massive bird answered with a voice like rumbling thunder. "A creature from Cenetli mythology."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha pointed to Carlisle and Joeline. "You two stay here with the watch."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Joeline scowled at him. "Why?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "He's wounded and you're too young," The fox snapped.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The girl opened her mouth to complain but Misha pulled his lips back and bared his sharp, vulpine teeth. Her eyes grew wide and she closed her mouth but she kept scowling.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Caroline and Misha gently climbed onto the back of the massive avian and took a seat straddling her neck like they were riding a horse. "Go easy!" The otter said. "I've never ridden a Storm Falcon before."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That's all right. I've never been one before," Idette said and leapt into the air. Her wings beat the air with a sound like the crash of thunder. In moments the massive bird and its passengers were a good distance away. It was moving remarkably fast for something so large.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The group left behind stood silently for a moment, their eyes fixed on the pursuers.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "THEY HAVE THE LION!" Joeline shouted in frustration. Frustrated at the theft of the lion and frustrated at being left behind. "They're stealing six months of work."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We will get him back," Carlisle responded through clenched teeth as he watched the bird and it's passenger disappear into the distance. "Misha, Caroline and Idette will catch them."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "And if they don't?" One of the Caial asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Joeline smiled and laughed. The group in unison turned and looked at the young girl as if she had gone crazy.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Why are you laughing?" Carlisle asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I left a little surprise in the lion," Joeline answered. "Just in case."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Idette looked at the girl with a puzzled expression. "What?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Something Salona taught me."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>***************************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> The wind roared past them as Idette flew faster and faster in an attempt to catch up to the eagle. She flew into a cloud and the everything vanished into a world of swirling white. In a few moments they broke out of the clouds and into the sunshine.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Where are they?" Caroline shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring wind. All three scanned the skies around them.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We have to be close," Idette squawked. "We were only a few minutes behind them."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "THERE!" Misha shouted and pointed off to the right.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The two females looked where he pointed. It took several seconds before they located it. A small, black spot several miles away and slightly below them.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Slowly the black spot grew in size as they got closer. Soon it grew into a massive brown eagle with something clutched in its talons.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We're catching them!":Idette shouted. "Another few minutes."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "How do we do this?" Caroline asked. "What do we do when we catch up? We can't just shoot them down. That would destroy the lion."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We need to wound the eagle enough to force her to land," Misha shouted his response.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "And how do we do that?" Caroline asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The fox leaned forward, towards Idette's head. "Go lower. Come down on them from above. Maybe we can force them down."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Wait!" Caroline shouted. "They're sure to have an escort." She suddenly looked off to the left and cursed loudly. "And there they are!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> A dozen creatures burst out of the clouds above and to the left of them. They were each as large as Idette's avian form and seemed to be all scales, wings, claws and wickedly sharp talons.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Caroline's bow twanged loudly and an arrow raced out and caught the lead reptile in the head. It just crumbled into dust and disappeared.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Without hesitating a dozen other creatures raced upwards towards them wings flapping and talons extended.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What are they?" Misha pulled our his own bow and loosed an arrow. "They're not like any living creature I've ever seen."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "They don't look natural," Caroline asked as she snapped off more missiles.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "They aren't natural," Idette answered. "They're Summonings. Creatures created totally from magic. They'll only last a few minutes before fading away."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That's long enough kill us," the fox answered.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Idette seemed to hesitate and she let loose with a loud squawk and a bolt of lightning shot out of her beak. In the blink of an eye it traveled the distance between her and her attackers. It struck the lead Summoning and the creature exploded into flames before the flames leapt out to catch others. Both scouts kept shooting and in moments a half dozen of them also exploded in flames. Burning bits and debris fell from the sky. But for every one they killed there seemed to be a dozen more to replace it.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The creatures swarmed around the giant bird, engulfing Idette and her passengers like a traveler caught in a storm. They snapped, slashed and bit at the three relentlessly as they pressed closer and closer.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> In the midst of the chaos Misha stood up on the falcon's back with the powerful axe Whisper in his hands. The small foxman twirled and twisted and spun the axe with an unimaginable ease and grace. It's jet black blades sliced through the creatures with frightening ease.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Caroline sat behind him working her bow with frantic speed. A creature rushed straight at her and slashed at the otter with foot long claws. The otter snapped an arrow off straight into the creature and it fell away and dropped from sight. Another took its place grabbing hold of her tunic, the claws slashing though the chainmail underneath.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> With a deft flip of the wrist Misha sent his massive axe slashing downward. The magically sharp blade easy cut through creature but missed the love of his life by mere inches.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Idette bit down on one of the attackers with her massive beak and the creature exploded in a spray of smoke and dust.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The wind was rushing, the creatures screaming and shrieking as they slashed and ripped and tore at the three. Misha axe slashed as Caroline's bow snapped. Lightning danced along Idette's wings, lancing out to catch any attacker that came too close.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Then suddenly it was over. Idette was flying in slow circles in a sky empty of anything, even clouds. They were alone.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The bird! The lion! Where are they?" Quite a few feathers were missing from her feathered head and blood sprayed from open wounds as Idette whipped her head about.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Long gone," the otter answered. She had her bow in hand and an arrow nocked as she slowly scanned the sky around them.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Let's go after them," Idette said. "Where did they go?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha shook his head slowly. "I don't know. I lost track of the eagle during the fight."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That was the intention of the attack." Caroline was looking all around.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "They're nowhere to be seen," Idette commented. "And I cannot sense them with magic."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha returned the axe to the straps on his back. "Probably a long way away by now."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "This chase is over," Caroline said in a tired tone. "Let's go home."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>The End<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p></div></body></html>