Smoke curled from clay chimneys, carrying the scent of roasted meat and pine sap.
The plaza pulsed with movement. Coyote soldiers carried sharpened wooden swords, their edges gleaming faintly with resin. A massive coyote, towering above the others at six-foot-three, grunted as he hoisted a boulder. With a heavy thud, he dropped it into a wagon. The wagon creaked, its frame rigged to a catapult mechanism waiting to be tested in war.
Nyte Fang strode through the organized chaos, her cloak trailing. Her eyes were sharp, her voice steady.
"Let's get a move on. Everything needs to be stationed and ready. We are days away from the biggest war this island has ever seen."
A soldier approached, bowing slightly.
"Leader Nyte Fang, will the war take place in this village?"
She shook her head.
"No. We will meet with the other tribe leaders and their soldiers, then march straight for the royal districts."
The soldier's eyes lit with feral pride.
"So we'll take the fight to them. That's the coyote way."
Nyte Fang allowed herself a small smile before moving on.
Later, the dojo was silent. The floor glowed in warm lamplight. On the wall hung three carved faces, each one capturing the likeness of a leader long gone: Lin Fang, Yon Fang, and Wu Fang. Their wooden eyes seemed to follow her every breath.
Nyte sat cross-legged, spine straight, the stillness of meditation flowing through her body. Her voice was quiet, almost reverent.
"Lin Fang, Yon Fang, Wu Fang... you were the peace of this village long before my time. You each protected the coyotes of Deer Point. Now it is my turn."
She rose, took her signature fur coat off the door hanger and put it on. She stepped to a closet at the back. When she slid the door aside, the soft gleam of silver filled the shadows. A sword rested within, sleek and flawless, its edge glimmering as if it remembered the battles it had fought.
Her hand lingered on the hilt.
"Gakimo... the unbreakable sword. Wielded by each Coyote leaders before me. This will be the blade I slay the king with."
She drew it free. The metal sang.
Outside, children's laughter broke the tension. Three young coyotes raced through the streets, their tails flicking as Hidikai chased after them.
"Where are you running off to, you little monsters?"
They tumbled into the dirt, breathless and giggling, then crowded beside him. Their smiles faded as they looked past Hidikai toward the soldiers, who loaded up wooden swords and shields with grim determination.
Luddi tilted his head.
"If you guys are going to war... who's going to protect us from the parasites?"
Hidikai crouched low, his grin softening into reassurance.
"Soldiers will stay behind to watch over all of you."
Buugi's lip trembled before tears spilled.
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"I'm scared... what if you don't come back?"
Hidikai froze, then wrapped his arms around the small coyote. His voice was gentle, but there was iron beneath it.
"You don't have to be afraid. I promise we'll come back."
Luddi a teen coyote frowned.
"But the royals have thousands of deltas. We only have two hundred coyote soldiers."
Hidikai ruffled his fur.
"You're right. But we have friends, the bears, the lizards, the deer. And don't forget, we even have the Zoner Knights on our side. Artists of justice."
The children's eyes lit up with hope. For a moment, the shadow of war was forgotten.
On the training grounds of the Coyote Village, sparks lit the dusk. Releyanda stood alone, her arm glowing with arcs of blue electricity. Each strike she threw cracked the air, her shadow dancing like a storm spirit. Her voice was low and burning.
"I'll get revenge on the royal family... for what they did to my mother."
The memory came without mercy.
FLASHBACK
A caravan pushing into the outskirts of the Animal Forest, flame candles trembling in the dark. Amongst them was Reylon, Relayanda's mother. She held her daughters hand tightly "Stay close to me Relayanda."
One of the men, pointed toward the trees.
"We're almost there. We'll find food and shelter."
Then the ambush. Deltas swarmed like silver locusts, rifles flashing.
The travelers scattered like roaches.
Reylon and Releyanda sprinted to wherever was safe.
However......
The night forest was over taken by Deltas.
Reylon shoved her daughter behind her. The young girl's scream echoed as a metal arm backhanded her, knocking her to the dirt.
The woman pressed a hidden switch. Her own arm detached, clattering through the underbrush until it locked onto the fallen girl, fusing with her small frame.
"Activists, you are a traitor to the royal family." a delta snarled.
Her mother's answer was a bullet through her skull. She collapsed without regret.
Releyanda's child-self reached out, too late.
The forest blurred as she stumbled, small legs weak with terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks, each one catching the faint light of fire flickering behind her. Roots clawed at her feet. She fell face-first into the dirt.
The ground shook.
A Delta loomed above her, rifle pointed at her skull. Its crimson optic glowed, reflecting her own terrified eyes. She was looking death in the face.
The shot never came.
A flash of silver. A hiss of steel.
The Delta's body split in two, its top half sliding off with a metallic groan before collapsing into the soil. Sparks flickered in the black leaves.
Standing before her was a young Nyte Fang, her fur bristling, her katana dripping black oil. Behind her, the shadows came alive, coyote soldiers emerged, their spears and blades glowing in the dark, eyes like amber fire.
Nyte Fang didn't look at Releyanda. She looked past her, at the machines still marching.
"Take the child to our village," she ordered, voice low but sharp as steel.
Her golden eyes narrowed, burning with rage. "These Deltas... are not allowed in our territory. This is a violation of the Human-Animal Treaty."
She raised her blade, the point glinting in the firelight.
"Destroy them all."
The soldier at her side saluted sharply. "Yes, Leader."
The woods erupted into chaos.
Coyote warriors tore through the Delta ranks, swords piercing steel, jaws snapping circuitry. Sparks and blood painted the forest floor. Every rifle shot was answered with a howl, every explosion drowned beneath the roar of beasts defending their land.
Releyanda, trembling in the arms of a soldier who scooped her up, turned back one last time.
Her mother's body lay still, but the forest was alive with vengeance.
And in the midst of the carnage stood Nyte Fang, unyielding, terrible, radiant in fury.
Back in the present, the warrior's eyes blazed with vengeance. She slammed her electrified fist into the ground, the shockwave scattering gravel. Her breath was sharp, her promise sharper.
"I'll destroy every last royal in sight."
The village prepared, lanterns burning brighter against the night. Soldiers worked, children prayed, leaders carried the weight of generations. Above it all, the stars glimmered as if watching the Coyotes gather their strength for war.