As Felinar made his way through Birnall Wood, the cry of a hawk caught his attention. Looking up into the sky, he spotted the bird of prey soaring overhead. It was a female, probably flying back to her nest with a meal for her babies. As he gazed up at the bird, he failed to notice the distinct smell of weasel until the group of   rodent-like creatures was nearly on top of him. Spinning quickly, he looked down just in time to be caught in the muzzle with a slash from one of the disgusting creatures' claws. Snarling, Felinar stepped back and assumed a fighting stance as he tossed his belongings aside.    "What the hell do you rodents think you're doing?"    The leading weasel cackled and spoke in a dry, cracked voice.     "Eliminating a threat, kitty." The leader rushed in, claws extended. Felinar stepped to one side and slammed his arm into the chest. There was a sickening crunch, and he coughed up blood as he fell to the ground.    "You weasels want a fight, eh? You've come to the right cat."   By this time, Felinar had managed to approximate their numbers at six, give or take one, as they were moving in and out of the clearing where the lion had been so rudely attacked. The remaining weasels decided on a group attack, and pounced on him virtually simultaneously. Catching the first one who neared him by the shoulders, the lionspun and blocked the slash of another with his body, then tossed the wounded creature aside. Felinar slammed the palm of his hand into the face of the weasel in front of him. Its head snapped back and it fell, its nose and neck broken. Hearing a sound behind him, he glanced back in time to avoid the swings of a third weasel. The lion snarled at it as he extended his claws, and it gurgled in terror as he leaped at it, piercing its chest and knocking it over, then springing to his feet in front of the dying creature.     With three of the creatures dead and another wounded, the remaining three -- no, two, remaining began a renewed attack. The wounded weasel must have retreated. Which meant trouble for the lion, if he could bring reinforcements. The first creature to reach Felinar swung a rock at his head which he barely avoided. Deciding it best not to offer him another opportunity, the lion grasped his arm, twisting it behind his back and breaking it. He let out a frightful shriek and was thrown hard; the weasel flying twenty feet before slamming into a tree. From strange way his neck was held as he slumped to the ground, Felinar didn't bet on his still being alive. With that, he turned my attention to the final weasel, who appeared absolutely petrified. He grabbed the filthy creature by the tunic and lifted him up with one hand.     "Now then," Felinar growled, keeping the voice at a dangerous level, "Who sent you?" The weasel's eyes were as big as teacups as he tried to stutter a reply.     "F-f-from t-the A-A-Awardings...s-s-aid to k-kill a-a L-l-lion with a w-w-white s-s-treaked mane a-and a S-S-SunFire v-vest..."     The lion looked down at myself, the albeit faded and worn SunFire insignia was still visible on his brown leather uniform vest, and his mane, dark red but interrupted every few inches with an albino streak, a feature which carried over to the tail, certainly matched the description. He pushed the weasel harder against the tree and could hear him groan in pain.     "Then WHY were you trying to kill me?" He looked ready to faint.     "D-d-don't know....p-paid w-w-well.....c-c-commander w-was o-o-ordered to f-f-find and k-kill F-F-Felinar of T-T-Tarrai....a-ally of S-S-SunFire...a-all I k-k-know...l-let m-m-me g-g-go...."    Growling with disgust, he tossed the creature to the ground. He was off running in a matter of seconds. The lion checked his muzzle and found that the wound was not deep, and decided that he had better do the same. Gathering the backpack and travelling gear, and set off towards the last known location of Blue Heeler SunFire...the city. The lion wondered how the canine would react upon seeing him again, as the last time they had seen each other was when the lion was exiled. But that had been on the other side of the world, in Tarrai, in a different time. ********     A pervert, unclean, they called me. For loving someone of the same gender. He was killed, being of age, and I, still several months from the Rite of the Warrior, was 'merely' exiled for life. There had been others since then. Some male, some female. I shook my head, wondering how I got myself into these messes. Did I CHOOSE to be this way? I think not. And as for Blue...I had never been able to gauge his reaction when he found out. A visitor in our lands, he had been travelling with his father. They were visiting several areas, our land of Tarrai the second to last stop on their journey. I joined with his Blue's father's company as a bodyguard as part of the training for my Rite, and travelled to the port city of Rathkar. That was where I met my first love. A white tiger, I was physically attracted to him from the start, something which frightened me immensely since I had always been attracted to females, and was in fact betrothed to one. We became friends, then lovers, and were found out. We were taken back to Tarrai in shackles, where he was burned and I was cast out forever. During the journey back, the younger SunFire's difference in opinion in me was apparent, but I could not discern whether it was positive or negative. We barely spoke. And now, here I was, an adult, returning to lands held by the Awardings, seeking him out. I hoped he wouldn't turn me away. ************    Several days later, the lion arrived in a decrepit city.  Passers-by gave him directions to an Inn where he was apparently staying with a friend. Uneasy in the urban surroundings, Felinar decided to walk instead of taking a cab. Several times, he found someone attempting to pickpocket, and by the time he reaches the Inn, the lion was thoroughly agitated.    The clerk, a lovely young raccoon girl, looks up as he approaches. "Can I help you" "I need you to page Blue Heeler SunFire for me, please..." the lion asks. Napalm perks up, hearing his friends name.    "And why would you think that you could do that here, Mr....."   She looks at the faded uniform. Napalm picks up a news paper and moves a little closer, so as to overhear the conversation better.    "Felinar, of Tarrai. I heard he was here...I need to talk to him." He glances behind him, as if sensing movement. Seeing nothing unusual, he turns back to the clerk.    "You and a lot of people. Well, we can take a message here for him." She gets out some paper.    "It's urgent...I worked for his father seven years ago. I need to talk to him now, Miss."    Napalm walks over to them. "Actually," the wolf says, "let me take a message for you, Mr. Felinar I believe?" Napalm extends his paw in greeting.    Felinar looks at the wolf suspiciously, and his eyes narrow.  "Who are you?"   The clerk picks up a phone and dials.    "My name is Napalm, but that doesn't begin to tell you who I am."   Napalm winks. "Anyway, you say its urgent, does Mr. SunFire know you?"    Felinar glances down at the floor. "...Yes, he knows me."  The clerk hangs up the phone.    "From Tarrai, you say? Nice place, a little strict on some laws though. You seldom see any of your kind outside of there...unless...."    Felinar snaps irritably, "I left. I need to see Blue, where is he?"    "Obviously." retorts Napalm.    "Excuse me," the clerk says, "the manager would like to see you, Mr. Felinar."    Felinar frowns. "The manager? Why?"    The clerck stands and ushers Felinar through the door behind her. "If you want to find Mr. SunFire, then you will talk to the manager."    "I can make this a little easier," the wolf says, "go ahead and talk to the manager, I'll be right back." Napalm suddenly dissappears in a puff of flame. *************    "Just sign these papers here," the squirrel points, "and it will be made official."    "Thanks, Memer," Blue starts signing, "but why now."    "You've reached the age. This hotel will be your's now. It's what the estate has declared." Memer hands more papers to the canine. Blue sighs as he signs the papers. He sets the pen down, then jerks as a buzzer sounds. "Do you know him?" the squirrel asks as he points to a tv monitor. Blue looks up to see a lion in a faded vest and leather pants, just the hint of white showing from the dirty mane. Gasping slightly, he closes his eyes remembering a different time, as Memer watches the monitor and talks, not realizing he isn't being listened to. **************    Dad had to make a trip through various foreign locations. I was only 10 at the time and couldn't go with him for the whole trip, but for the last part, going through Tarrai, I was invited. I flew out there to the exotic land of the lions. I've heard about the mystical land all my life. Hearing about the power and grace, the ancient customs, the way battles were fought.  As I stepped off the plane, my father ran up and hugged me; he always was one to show his emotions, then introduced me to the dignitaries around him. The work of the Watchdogs was always far reaching. It took my dad away from me on many occasions, but he made it up. He would get me out of school to come on trips, he brought back gifts.     Looking around I saw the typical guards, mostly made up of seasoned veterns, but there was one, a young looking lion with a white in his mane. As I watched him move, I could tell he wasn't much older than me. "Who's that, dad?" I asked quietly.     My father turned, looked, then whispered with a smile, "That's Felinar, he's training for his Rite of the Warrior. He'll be accompanying us. You and he should try to talk, it will be a good experience for you."     The tour started. We were shown around the town, then my dad had to enter into the conversation time; leaving me alone in the city to explore. I walked the streets in awe, looking at all the unfamiliar sites. Then, I started to wonder about this land and sought out the lion, Felinar.  We got to know each other as the days passed, became at least distant friends; I treated him as a good friend. He taught me much about the lands of Tarrai, and I told him what I knew about my own lands. Then it happened.    Someone saw Felinar and a male tiger spending a lot of time together; including going into a room after the evenign meal. I had wondered about Felinar and Sekai. They always seemed happy when they were together. The guards grabbed Felinar the fowllowing mornign as he reported for duty. They shackled them up and lead them back to the main city. I was unable to talk to Felinar at all, and it pained me that I couldn't find out what had happened. We were quickly moved out of the town to the next town to try to keep what would happen out of sight of my dad, but as we were leaving; I saw a stake in the ground around which wood was layed. I was worried, and cried. My father hugged me, then shushed me. "This isn't your land, and isn't your people, Blue. They have a different set of morals and codes here." I didn't think I would see the lion again. ***************    "Blue, are you alright." Memer asks as he shakes the canine.    "Yes I'm fine..." Blue states as he shakes the last of the rememberances away, then notices Napalm in the corner. ***************    Felinar sighs, and goes through the door. "Are all cities like this? I just want to see someone..." He looks at the spot where Napalm was standing, and sighs again. The clerk leads the lion into a waiting room, with couches. The only other door in the room is closed but the latch turns as Felinar enters. He stands and waits impatiently.    An older Squirrel steps out and walks over to Felinar. "I understand you wish to meet Mr. SunFire"    "Yes, I do. Excuse my impatience, but it's really quite urgent."     Blue walks in after the manager. "Felinar, I can bearly remember you." He walks over to the lion.    "Uh...hello Blue." the lion states.    Napalm steps in two paces behind the dog and nods at the lion.    Blue turns to the Squirrel, "I need to use your office, Memer."   Blue ushers Felinar into the door they just came through. "Follow me." Felinar looks at the supposed wolf suspiciously, and walks through the door after Blue. Napalm closes the door behind him and leans to the side of the door frame, a slight grin on his face.  "Have a seat. Now, what can I do for you, last I knew you were still in your homeland."    Felinar glares at Napalm and growls, "What's so funny?"    Blue looks up at Napalm. " Don't mind him, he always looks like that."    Napalm raises an eyebrow. "Is there anything funny?"    Felinar glances at Blue. "Who is he? A friend?"    "I've been accused of that more than once."    "This is serious, Wolf."    "You'll learn I'm seldom serious."    Blue looks at the two then says, "Yea, he's a good frined.  Ignore him. What brings you here?"    Felinar sighs, and sits in a chair. "I was attacked in Birnall Wood several days ago, by Weasels from The Awardings..."    Blue chuckles. "You don't need to worry about the Awardings for a while." He waves for the lion to continue.    "That may be...but there are people after your friends."    "Oh? My friends?" Blue looks more interested.    "Yes. I came here for two reasons. One, to warn you about this, and two, to find out why they would think that I am your friend, or how they even became aware that I knew you."    Napalm states, "It appears we have similar interests then."    Blue looks at the lion's vest. "There's how they knew that you know me. That uniform marks you in a way."    Felinar glances down and nods. "But they knew exactly who to look for."     "As to how they knew you were my friend. Who knows, I'm sure there was a spy close to my dad, or else how could they make him dissappear."    Felinar blinks, and looks concerned. "Your father...? What happened to your father?"    "He dissappeared and was killed about 7 years ago."    Felinar frowns. "I'm sorry."    "Don't worry about it. I have taken care of the problem, and paid an eye for an eye. That Awardings was evil. He experimented on my dad, and tried to on me. He almost succedded, he deserved to die."    Napalm interjects, "I wouldn't say they see things the same way though...." The dog looks over at the wolf, as the wolf continues.  "We do still have the younger Awarding, and I doubt he has given up."    "He's a punk"    "He's a punk with an army and apparent magical powers. Not a serious threat, but a threat non-the-less."    Felinar growls, "In any case, a spy still doesn't explain it. I know what you think about me...after what happened..." Felinar 's ears droop and he appears to blush. "...And the spy would too, if there was one."     Blue looks with a warm smile. "There is nothing to blush about, Felinar. I have heard and read about some events happened over there."    "Well, they're probably true. I wouldn't know."    Napalm looks questioningly. "Makes one of us, I'd like to know what got a feline of obvoiuse worth to their society banished."    Felinar glares at the wolf again. "That's none of your business!"    "No, it isn't." agrees the wolf.    Blue looks at Felinar.  "I would like to know the truth. It is what I search after."    Felinar turns back to Blue. "You know the truth. You were there."    "But not for all of it. We left right after you were found. They hushed us up to somewhere else."    Felinar looks at the floor and wipes a hand across his eyes with a sigh. "He was burned, I was exiled. What else is there to say?"    "Burned?!?" Blue nearly leaps out of the chair.    "You heard me..."    "A manner of death," Napalm states, "I'm rather well aquainted with...I'm sorry...for you both, he was obvously clsoe to you."    Felinar glances at Napalm, for once without malice. "I'm not close to anyone."    Blue looks with concern at the lion. "That seems harsh, no wonder they moved us away. Because they didn't want to put a bad image out to the Watchdogs. That is unfortunate, but what brought you this way, to the woods"    "I have been working as a mercenary for five years...I was a slave before that."    "Mercenary? That's a hard life."    "It has it's good points..." Napalm says.    The lion continues, "I was heading back to Birnam Village after collecting a bounty when I was attacked."    "I guess I'm lucky in that I've never had want of money." the dog says wistfully.    "Money?" the wolf asks incredulously, "You do it for the money?"    Felinar looks back at the wolf, "Yes. What else is there?"    Napalm looks at the other two in honest confusion.    Blue explains, "Napalm there," pointing to his friend, "hasn't learned the finer points of our culture"    "Well, I did it just for something to do." Napalm also explains. "I was kinda bored that decade."    Blue looks back at Felinar, noticing for the first time, the look of his clothes. "Do you need a place to stay, and clean up?"    Felinar looks at himself. "No. I'll be leaving now."    "No, I insist, you stay here."    "It's dangerous for me to be around you."    Blue snorts. "No, it's dangerous for anyone to be around me. You will stay here in this hotel. Besides, I can get any of the information you want about the Awardings, or ...." Blue stops and thinks for a second.    Felinar growls, "You may be accustomed to giving orders, but I take them from NO ONE. I will do what I please." Felinar stands up. "You can have your uniform back. I'll buy new clothes."    "Wait, do you know how they found out about you? You and him? ..and I'm sorry, I shouldn't give orders. I just want you to have a safe place to stay. As a friend, I would like you to stay here."    Felinar looks down again. "It's not important. I was wrong."    "Well, figure it out. My dad is on a trip, and that's when they find you. I bet it was the Awardings."    "Don't give me that...I know what you and everyone else thinks of me...and you're right."    Napalm starts placing things together in his mind, but decides to opt for tact over his desire to find out if he's right.    "What." the dog blinks. "How do you know what I feel?? He stands and approaches Felinar.    "Because I REMEMBER how you looked at me. When you found out...it was different."    "I was young, I didn't know about that type of life. I was curious, and still am."    The wolf interjects. "You may not value my opinion much, but my kind do not lie, and I place my full trust in Blue. If he says you are his friend, then I consider you one as well."    Felinar turns and looks at Napalm. "You're right, I don't. I know you aren't a wolf."    Napalm stares back, his eyes straight and unwavering. "I'd show you what I really am...but geometric limits prevent such a display."    Felinar smiles slightly. "I don't want to know, it's none of my business."    "No, it isn't, but perhaps you will have occasion to find out none-the-less."    "Later, Napalm, right now." Blue reaches his paw out to shake Felinar's paw. "I count you a friend, and while my friends are in town, they stay here. My hotel, now. And tell you what, you're a mercinary. Then I want to hire you"    Felinar looks up from the floor and into Blue's eyes. "What for? You own your own company. You have legions of employees."    Napalm chuckles as the dog grins, explaining, "I don't have a company, I was just given this hotel from my dad's estate; and I have no employees, my brother has some in his cargo business. I have me.... and my good friend Napalm. Hopefully now I have you."    Felinar grins sardonically. "You know I can't be trusted."    "Who says we trust you?" Napalm says with a wink.    "Can't be trusted?? What makes you say that" Blue asks.    "I was betrothed. You know that. I went against my clan for a....a..."    "Come on, say it, it will help."    "...You know what happened then."    "Like I care about that."    "I betrayed my family...Napalm is right. You shouldn't trust me."    "I didn't say I didn't trust you either." the wolf adds.    Blue replies strongly. "I have a feeling about you, that I can trust you. And the room is still here for your use." He picks up the phone.    "In any event, we seem to have a similar interest." Napalm adds to the lion. "We both want information, and to the extent of accomplishing our goals, we can trust each other to do what is in our own best interests."    Felinar looks around, and comes to a decision. "Fine. I'll stay, for a few days. I need time for my injuries to heal."    The dog hangs up the phone. "Well there you go, you now have a room here, for as long as you need it. Let me show it to you." He heads for the door. The feline follows the canine quietly as the wolf steps out of the office behind the others, noding to Memer that they were done with it for now. The dog leads to the door next to the room he's in. "Here you go, right next door to me, this is the private wing, no questions will be asked." Blue hands a key to Felinar and walks in the room, looking it over    "What do you mean, no questions? About what? Like if someone goes in who shouldn't go in "normally?" Felinar asks suspiciously    "No. Like in `Who is that in room 102'"    "Well, everyone seemed to know that YOU were here. But it's different with me I suppose."    "It's not hard, because this is one of the SunFire holdings."    "On the other hand," Napalm speaks to no on in particular, "no one around here really knows who I am, nor have I been asked."    Felinar walks into the room slowly, looking around cautiously.    "Well," the canine says, "we'll let you clean up. Care to join us for supper? It's in about an hour. And there will be someone coming by in about 5 mins.    "Coming around for what?" the lion asks suspiciously again.Napalm stands liesurely in the doorway, waiting for the other two to decide.    "He'll have a package for you, from me." Blue then adds quickly, "It's free from the hotel.    "I see. If he's coming to take my clothes and wash them, I don't have any other, and I haven't been able to wash since I got in the fight with the weasels. Tell him not to bother."    "You'll see what he's bringing, it will be right outside your door"    Felinar shrugs. "Okay, fine."    "We'll let you alone. I'll knock when we're ready."    Blue walks out the room, over to his. Napalm steps backward out of the doorway, nodding farewell to the lion before joining the dog in his room.    The lion sighed, partly in resignation and partly in relief. He hadn't slept in a bed for well over a year, and it would be a pleasure to feel something other than rocks under him again. He had begun to strip out of my filthy clothes and dump them next to the bed that had been provided for him when he heard a knock on the door.   Standning up, Felinar walks to the door, and looked out the peephole to see a youngish female lynx holding a box. He opens the door and looked down at her. She shifted uneasily under his gaze.    "A package from Mr. SunFire, sir." The feline took the box from her and smiled tiredly.    "Thanks." he replied. She blushed slightly and hurried back towards the stairs. Taking the package into the room, he latchs the door again, then sat down on my bed and dumped the contents next to me. The box contained three navy blue uniforms of the same design as the ragged brown one that I wore. He looked at the tags on the vests and khakis, they were exactly the lion's size. Shrugging, he emptied his pockets and dumped his old clothes into a trash can, and brought one of the newer uniforms into the bathroom.    There was a large mirror in the bathroom, almost completely covering one wall. Lookin at himself, he thought, "I looked terrible." His fur was caked in mud and disheveled from the fight with the weasels. His mane was even worse, the heavy fur sticking out in every direction, and covered in so much mud the color was impossible to distinguish. Felinar wondered how the weasels saw the white in the mane at all to identify me. Knowing weasels, they probably didn't and got lucky.    He stepped into the shower and turned it on, yelping as the water a little too hot. He thought, "I hadn't used one in so long.  I can barely remember how." There was a wire brush and several shampoos and conditioners in the shower, he guessed that Blue didn't want the lion embarrassing him. As the steaming water soak his fur to the skin, he began to purr quietly in contentment.  After about thirty minutes of hard scrubbing, the lion emerged from the shower and began to dry himself off with a fur dryer that he found lying on the counter. "He has EVERYTHING in this place," he thought as he dried myself off, then began to brush the mane, and then the tail tuft with the wire brush. As he finally finish grooming myself, he glance up into the mirror and smile, satisfied.  Felinar's mane flowed around his head, hanging partway over his eyes in the front and reaching past the shoulder blades in the back he could see the color for the first time in weeks, a rich auburn, made unusual by the fact that it was broken every few inches by a streak of pure white. The tail tuft was the same auburn, interrupted in the middle by a ring of white. The wire brush had seen to it that his tawny colored fur was straight and presentable, again, for the first time in weeks. The body was hard and well toned from years of living in the wild, and the muscles rippled with every move that he made. He grinned again, wondering idly if Blue would recognize him as he pulled the comfortable uniform on that presumably marked him as a SunFire freelancer. Returning to the room, he placed the few possessions that he had in the pockets of   the new clothes.