The Plan

Gora three months later:

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The sound of metal hitting metal resounded through the forest as I clashed swords with Canis in his human form. He was using the blade given to me by Mog. He also wore the clothes that I got. However, all the clothing I received were meant for a female. The black pants and top fit tight around his body. He still looked quite handsome in the frilly get-up.

Clang!

We clashed again, with me coming out the victor. I was able to push Canis back, giving me some space from the man. The hound had just started training with a blade, so his swordplay was nowhere near my level. That being said, Canis had shown quite the improvement over the month of training. I had healed up nicely, but my arm had yet to recover fully. My right arm was wrapped up in torn cloth and packed with healing herbs—courtesy of the gorilla tribe. I could still use it, just not to its full capability.

Bang!

Before I could attack, Canis Frons was there with a barrage of punches. I quickly recalled my sword back into my ring. Lucky I was able to block most of spider monkeys attacks until she began to use her second pair of arms. The woman was preparing to launch a stone palm with her bottom right arm. I still couldn't believe how quickly she learned the move. I figured Frons would be more suited to hand to hand fighting, considering her four arms. What I didn't know was how much that fact would come to bite me on the ass.

Clang!

I Retreat away from the woman and out of range of her attack. Only to be cornered by Canis. I manage to summon my sword in time to catch his blade. I needed to get rid of the Jackal fast. I could already hear Frons attacking from behind. I parried another blow from Canis, knocking him off balance. Then I switched my grip and slashed upwards at an angle. The move was made with blinding speed, leaving the wide eye Canis panicked. As he leaned back to avoid my slash, I slowed my swing down a bit to barely miss him. Canis was now bent backwards awkwardly before falling on his back, breathing heavily.

Bang! Bang!

I retracted my sword once again a caught Frons fist with my own. Our first collied with one another, with Frons losing the advantage. The shock wave from our fist blows the woman back. Frons recovered fast, but I was faster. (Leg whip!) I thought as I aimed a kick to Frons stomach.

Bang!

Frons caught the move with her bottom arms instead of being knocked back or countering the move. She fell to her knees, waving her hands in pain.

"Ouch Ouch Ouch!" Frons complained as she blew on her now red palms. (This move can be pretty brutal.) I thought as I starred at the spider monkey. She was also wearing clothes I got out of the ring. She had a silk long sleeve blouse tucked in her dark brown pants. Frons blouse was buttoned very low, giving me an eye full of cleavage. I averted my eyes back to her hands, feeling bad for her. If I'd known how painful it was, I wouldn't have used the move.

The Leg kick was designed to cause far more pain than any regular kick. I essentially used my leg like a whip. Whips are known for being a weapon of torture because they can inflict the most pain without killing someone.

"You guys did well. Frons, your punches are good, but you need to use your bottom arms more. Canis, your swordplay has improved, but you still are not ready to learn any technique." I announced as I scanned them both of severe wounds. The pair look good, a few bruises, but they'd live.

"You could have gone easier on us, especially me!" Frons exclaimed as she stood up. Canis said nothing as he stared at the ground. He seemed to be in extreme shock.

"Canis, I'm sorry if I went too far... I wanted to show you that when sword fighting. One mistake could cost you your life." I explained to the man as he stood up, now staring at his hands. ( Maybe I should take it easy on the pup.) I thought. I had been harder on him in our training. It may have been some repressed anger I had for the beast for leaving me. Although this was the first time I had gone in for the kill. If I hadn't slowed my blade down, I would have loped the Jackals head clean of his body.

In my defence, Canis had become complacent with his swordplay for a few days now. A month ago, when we first started training, he was excited to practice with a blade. But the demon beast quickly lost all composer when he learned that I wouldn't be teaching him any techniques just yet. For the time, I had him just practice swinging his sword. So it was no wonder the hound lost interest. I planned to let him get a feel for the sword first to create his own style. However, it wouldn't be refined as an actual martial style. It would make learning techniques easier. At least that was my plan. I was only going off my own training as a paladin. (Canis was lucky I didn't subject him to my full training regiment) I thought as the hound starred at me with awe.

"Please teach me how to swing my sword like that!" Canis demand. I let out a little sigh of relief after hearing his words. I was afraid the beast would be mad at me. I scratched the dog behind his ears.

"Keep up your training, and I'll teach you when you come back!" I said, which caused both beasts to look at me in confusion. I was starting the first step in my plan.

"Master, are you leaving today? Can't you stay at least one more day?" Frons pleaded. I didn't want to leave them, but I needed them to stay back for the second part of my plan.

"I need to gather more allies, and I need you guys here to train the others. I'm counting on you two. I said, look at them both. Canis looked determined while Frons hung her head down, pouting. Her frowning face made her look like a child. I couldn't help but giggle a little as I walked towards Warr. The tiger had been lying down a few yards away from us. She was ignoring us this whole time. Warr was all healed but refused to start training with us. I had let the beast off the hook for the past month. But today was different.

I grabbed my long black trench coat with fur trimming. It went well with my black trousers and short sleeve white shirt. The jacket was a God sent in as the weather was slowly getting colder. I was told it would be even colder in the months to come. I still didn't have any shoes on, but my feet had grown accustomed to the hard forest floor. The only shoes Mog sent were not meant for walking in a forest.

"Warr, it's time for you to get up!" I said to the napping tiger. I had recently learned that the beast was a girl. A fact that surprised me considering how deep the tiger's voice sounded. Warr snorted at me, but she didn't move. A smile graced my face after seeing the beast responses. I would typically let her disobedience go, but not today.

"Get your ass up!" I shouted as an illusionary black chain wrapped around the tiger's neck. I yanked the chain with little effort, causing the tiger's neck to jerk backwards. Frons had taught me about the guardian's chain, but this was my first time using it. The chain seemed to cause the tiger great pain as she struggled.

"Stupid monkey! You had to tell the girl how to use the chains!" Warr growled at Frons. I yanked the chain again to shut the beast up. This time I used more strength.

"Okay...I'm Up!" Warr exclaimed as she reluctantly got to her feet. She was now glaring at me only inches from my face. It was my turn to snort at Warr as I walked past the elephant-sized cat. Frons and Canis followed close behind.

"You coming, or do I have to pull your chain again?" I said, turning back to the tiger. Warr let out a long breath but started to move. ( I'm going to have fun breaking you, kitty.) I thought mischievously. Warr had to pay for all the times she woke me up while we were healing. There was also the fact that I was thrown from a cliff because of the tiger. I hadn't forgotten about my vengeance. I was sure it would be sweet.

The thought of sweets caused my rage to flare up. ( Jeny Red, just wait until I find you!) I thought as I clenched my fist. The mysterious woman that dropped off Mogs gift had also helped herself to my sweets—leaving me only one strawberry tart. There was a note attached to the empty boxes of treats from Jeny. It read, "Sorry I got hungry. I'll pay you back if we ever meet again." I leaked out blood lust as I thought of what I would do to the woman. Miss Jeny Red was going to pay. I noticed that everyone had gotten a significant distance away from me.

"I think It's Master's... time again." I heard Canis whisper to the others. I quickly withdrew my killer intent and glared at the dog. Canis ears dropped as he looked away from me. Now I didn't feel so bad for almost cutting his head off earlier. (I'm going to have to teach him some manners when I return.) I thought to myself. As we made it to the clearing, we'd been staying for the past few months.

It was a large open area filled with primarily dead grass. The clearing served as a border between the dead woods and the rest of the forest. We had decided to use it as our headquarters for now since it was large enough to hold all our new members.

Waiting for us was a group of gorillas and a pack of wolves. My tribe had ground quite considerable in the months it took for me to heal. I had Frons round up any monkeys wanting to join us. It ended up being the entire tribe. I guess they didn't have much choice in the matter. With no alpha, they would surely suffer for a time. I had Canis gather some of the wolves we met above the cliff. He managed to convince four of them to help in our cause. However, I got the idea that they were all outcasts. After examining how easily the wolves accepted their new roles in our tribe, I came to this conclusion.

"Frons, can you find Leafy?" I want to say goodbye. I asked. Frons bowed her head and went off quickly without saying a word. The spider monkey took her role as a guardian too seriously for my taste. But it made her happy, so I didn't say anything about it.

"Canis I leave the wolves to you. Remember to take them hunting and to train them well. I need them ready for the trip up the mountain." I stated to the hound. I also reminded him not to neglect his sword training. Canis bowed, promising to make me proud—Warr scoffed at the hound.

"They are omega meaning they were cast out for a reason. They're weak!" The tiger announced before laying back down. Canis growled at the cat but said nothing. I hugged Canis before he walked away. It was around this time that Frons and her sister showed up. It was hard saying goodbye to them, mainly because Frons was tearing up the whole time. On the other hand, Leafy acted as if she didn't care, but I could tell she was sad. After saying my goodbyes to the sisters, I turned to the lazy tiger.

"Alright, kitty, let's go for a walk!" I joked as I pulled the Warr's guardian chain. The tiger was yanked to his feet and followed behind me. The cat pouted on every step. I was taking Warr with me for backup, but I also wanted to know the beast better. Warr wasn't very talkative, so I didn't know much about her. The first thing I wanted to know was why they named a female tiger Warr. But that would come with time.

( Soon, I'll make my way up the mountain. I'll need to be prepared.) I thought as I looked up at the mountain. I had the mistake of not planning enough when I ran into Warr for the first time. I wouldn't let that happen again. My plan now was to search for more help. There is no telling what awaits us at the top of that mountain. So, I decided to gather more allies, as Mog said. The forest was enormous, and I knew other alphas were out there. The only problem was convincing them to join me. I figured I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. My goal was to get at least two more alpha before I adventured up the silent mountain.

Guardian Chains: Chains made from pure Ki allow a master to control a guardian beast. It is said that the chains are connected to a beast soul. Pulling on these chains can cause intense pain and even death.