Kame entered the meeting hall and climbed onto his round stool at the head of the long wooden table. The room was largely bare as the clay walls of the cave were undecorated and the only accessories to the table were chairs and tall metallic candlesticks lit about in each corner and in the center of each wall. The turtle sage pressed his flat-ended arms together and waited patiently for the members of the Union for the Preservation of Wilds to attend the meeting he had called. His gaze was affixed on the opening directly ahead of him at the opposite end of the table, from which the others would surely enter.
Jack and Müse were already in attendance as they were very prompt and never left their leader’s side. Müse was Kame’s official bodyguard and sat to the sage’s right. Jack was never far away because Kame desires to keep an eye on him at all times. He sat to the turtle’s left.

“I sure do enjoy these meetings, eh?” Müse mused. “It’s nice to see everyone in the same room, ya know, Jack?”
“Too many people together make me nervous!” Jack fidgeted and frantically looked about the room as he scratched his ear with his right foot. The tassels of his headband bounced in response.
“You should know by now, Jack, that there’s nothing to fear from the likes of we,” Kame reassured him. “It’s the other factions that you have to be concerned with. And that is why we are conducting this meeting.”
“I can’t help it,” Jack moaned. “I get itchy around groups of people. And my finger twitches…”
“Don’t do it, eh?!” Müse stood quickly as he feared that Jack would pull out a gun and begin to discharge it haphazardly.
“Chillax, bro! I’m cool. I’m cool!” Jack ran a finger along the edge of his shell chain, which draped over his right shoulder, came across his torso, and around his back.
“Both of you be seated and becalm yourselves,” Kame instructed. “The others are arriving.”

Sefu glibly strolled through the entrance of the hall, sporting a red bandana upon his head and both Desert Eagles holstered around his waist. He smoothly slid under the large table and popped up in a seat at the far end on Jack’s side. He beamed at Kame and his entourage as he greeted them in a warm, yet boisterous manner.

“Aha Salutations, Comrades!” he said while bowing his head and gesturing towards them with a sly hand. He smiled broadly, flexing his eyebrows as his tail swung from side to side.

“I’m thrilled that you called for a congregation of our fellow Preservationists” he said to Kame energetically.
“We desperately need to teach those callous Carnivores a lesson!”

He sat back in his chair and his tail sprung up and passed something to his hand.
“Ismat and I had a bit of a row with some ravenous Preds down by the waterhole. Luckily they were rather blown away by our presence” he said with a toothy grin as he played with a shiny grenade pin.

"I hope that you did not kill them," Kame replied sternly. "We are working for peace, not violence. The only "lesson" that we need to teach them is that our Wild brethren are no better or worse than we and that they should be treated with respect. Excessive violence is never necessary. If they assailed you first, then you should have run or at least stunned them long enough to get away. We have discussed this before, Sefu."

"BUT BOMBS ARE SO COOL!" Jack screamed. "I love to blow things apart, especially preds!"

"Oh boy, eh?" Müse shook his head. "These hosers are a handful."

Sefu's wide grin suddenly deflated and his eyes dilated. He looked from Kame, who stared at him sternly, to the blood thirsty Jackrabbit, to the Moose who shook his head in despair. After a few seconds the silence was broken by the faint clang of the grenade pin, which Sefu suddenly flicked off the table. He put his hands together and started twiddling his long finger.

“Of course we didn’t kill them...Well not all of them” he said with a nervous half chuckle.

He rolled his eyes away from the three of them as he lifted up a parcel wrapped in a cloth.

“I don’t suppose you’d accept a gift that was harvested from the spoils of war” His smile reappeared as he unwrapped the parcel.

“But how could you resist? I made it to fit you exactly!” he said ecstatically as he lifted a small necklace made from an assortment of fangs.

“Look, some of the teeth are made of gold. It’s very regal!” said the rather maniacal Meekat as he held the necklace up, gestured towards it and nodded his head.

Sefu suddenly noticed a few patches of blood on the teeth. “Oh dear, it’s still a bit dirty!” He put an elongated finger to his tongue and then began to rub the blood off.

Hideo walked into the meeting room a little after Sefu entered. Wearing his usual attire the wolf gently smiled and said, “Hello every…whoa…ahhh!” The klutzy wolf tripped over his own legs as he entered cutting off his greeting. He tripped forward banging his head on the table causing him to reel back from the pain. Hideo tried to recover but regrettably fell backwards as he tripped over a chair which accelerated his fall. Landing hard on the ground he winced from the pain as he rubbed his forehead with his right paw. “Oww….Don’t worry I’m alright…”he said sadly, as he ruined his chance of not making a klutzy move today. Climbing slowly and carefully sitting down in the chair he spoke softly still rubbing his furry forehead, “Sorry about that…” Then trying to regain some positive energy he said smiling, “Hello everyone…How is everyone doing today?”

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"I'm flattered, but I'll decline the gift, Sefu, thank you," Kame replied.

Kame was unfazed by Hideo's mishap while Jack became more twitchy at the sound of the wolf's head bashing the table and Müse flinched a little.

"No need to apologize," Kame assured the klutz. "We are fine, thank you. Just waiting for everyone else to attend."
"It's not like them to be so late, eh?" Müse declared. "Something must be up."
"Jack, you did remember to tell everyone about this meeting, yes?" asked Kame.
"Maybe, sometimes, yes, I DON'T KNOW!" Jack replied, his fur becoming damp with sweat.
"Oh, great, eh?"

Sefu lowered the necklace, pouted for a few seconds then casually chucked it behind him.
"Ah, was too feminine anyway" he said as he folded his long arms and lifted his legs on to the table, crossing them in a comfortable pose.

He sunk back in the chair and half gazed at the Hideo, who had entered and typically made a fool of himself.

"Welcome, Noble Hideo" said Sefu as the wolf rubbed his head.
"How goes the fight for preservation?"

There had been a battle, an explosion even. Not entirely uncommon in these restless lands. Os had been scouring the air for a while now in search for food. And as luck has it, something caught his eye. Someone had survived the little skirmish, but was wounded. If Os had an eye for one thing, it was blood. A tell tale that death was around. Even from heights like he was using he could easily spot blood trails through the canopies down below. Although judging from the amount of blood, even a common pigeon would've been able to see it.

Os decided to follow it, flying slow and low to be able to easily follow it at his own leisure. It led into UPW territory. It showed no signs of stopping, in fact the patches of blood came at an even more regular interval, meaning that the victim was slowing down. The blood also didn't appear to diminish in quantity, meaning that the wound was grave and it was unable to close itself. This was a mortal wound.

The blood trail stopped at a clearing, underneath a tree surrounded by rocks. It was difficult to see, but the victim appeared to still be alive. A pity. Os swooped down and landed on a rock across the victim. A wolf, barely out of his pup ages. This probably was his first assignment, or perhaps he was just thinking the UPW was a easy target. It mattered little to Os. Judging from the hundreds of tiny cuts and the massive wound that actually managed to gut him, Os figured he was hit by the shrapnel of the explosions he had heard earlier. The fact that the wolf managed to get this far despite those wounds was a miracle on itself, but he was as good as dead.

These kind of meetings always went the same. First they would plead for help.

The wolf looked up at the giant bird, his eyes were blurred but there was still a bright flicker of life in them. "H-help me..." he manage to bring out before a coughing fit took away his voice. There was blood slowly dribbling out of his mouth, indicating internal wounds. It wouldn't take that long anymore.

Secondly, they will get angry once they find out Os isn't here to help.

"Boy, your guts are hanging out. You're already dead." Os calmly said. He could go in for the kill, but in his years he had learned that patience was always the best. The wolf could still be dangerous, even in this state. The wolf clearly didn't understand what Os had said at first, a puzzling face showed. It wasn't that uncommon, blood loss slowed your thinking process. But when they do finally catch on... "F-fuck you..." the wolf managed to hiss out with blood pouring out of his mouth. "You wont... Y-you wont get me." Os watched the wolf desperately trying to lift his weapon, but it was too heavy for him now. The wolf started to nod a bit. "F-fu.... Fuck... You." He tried to throw some rocks and pebbles at Os, but they didn't even get beyond his feet.

Then came the moment they would plead for help, one last time.

The wolf was nodding, desperately trying to stay awake. A losing battle. "Please... Please, he... help me." His voice was so soft you almost couldn't hear it. There were tears running through his fur. But Os just sat there, unmoving. Help would come too late anyway.

The wolf's mouth was moving, but no more sound was coming out. Slowly he slumped sideways as the last breath of life left him. A young vulture would've dug in right away, but Os knew better. Sometimes they'd still wake up again, adrenaline fueled. And adrenaline was a very dangerous chemical. Lets them do things they shouldn't be able to do. Like launching a last desperate attack, which could still do some damage.

So Os waited with the sun in his back, it made him cast a large shadow over the fresh corpse. After a few minutes he was sure the boy was dead and hopped off his rock. Better get to it before the other predators catch the smell. He dug his talons into the still warm flesh, tearing the boy asunder. All to reveal the nutrient rich bones. Os had no interest in the flesh.

It was a dirty business, Os knew that better than anybody else. But it was also the way of life. Eat or be eaten.

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Hideo’s pain dissipated by the time that Sefu finished asking his question. Hideo was confused by the question but he could sense there was some sarcasm in the noble Hideo comment uttered from the insane meerkat. The wolf stopped rubbing his forehead and put his arms at his side. Then he replied with a hint of anger in his voice, “By preservation do you mean the UPW or do you mean the fight for my self-preservation? Either way, both are going well, obviously the former more than the latter.” It couldn’t be helped but for some unknown reason Hideo was born unlucky and a klutz yet the wolf was determined to change himself even if the task seemed very daunting.

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Sefu detected a hint of frustration as the clumsy wolf spoke. He nodded and gave Hideo a toothy grin.
"Good good. So nothing new"

He then turned away and looked around the hall as he tapped his fingers on the table in various rhythms. It wasn't like Ismat to be late for a meeting. They had departed shortly after the brief skirmish and Sefu was sure that his mischievous monkey companion was going to arrive on time. Sefu smiled gleefully as he reminisced about all the carnage that they had caused in their time as part of the UPW. Even though Kame had stated that the organisation didn't condone violence, it was still a fact that without some sort of strong retaliation the Preds would ultimately win.

He looked at all his so called comrades and then focused on Jack, the trigger happy rabbit, who seemed to share his love of chaos.

"What firearm are you sporting there, Jack mah boy?"

Ismat, Greetings

"Ah more interested in guns than reasons, Ismat sees that Sefu has not changed while I was away." Came the baboon's voice as he entered the meeting hall walking on 'all fours', his tail was held aloft to prevent the others from accidentally stepping on it. "Course if Sefu did change like that, Ismat should take up gambling and hit jackpot, yes?"

The baboon had been gone for a couple days on a 'walk' through the wilds to see if there were any recent disturbances in his 'territory' and for the most part he had found that there had found little, at least none that had been obvious. During his journey through the wilds, Ismat hadn't stumbled across any of his wild cousins, only finding tracks and even those were scarce. Perhaps they were moving to new territory or perhaps it was something more sinister. Without evidence, the baboon could only speculate.

"So tell old Ismat, how bandanna boy's been up to? He was oddly bored without your strange way of handling situations... no random shootings, no spontaneous fires... no meerkat shouting 'let's attack them Ismat'... was strangely quiet. Does bandanna boy plan on staying? Ismat enjoyed hearing himself think." Ismat finished with a grin as he took a seat at the table.

Sefu instantly rotated in his spot as he heard the melodious voice of his pal Ismat. His tail wagged and wriggled around behind his chair like a snake on ecstasy. He laughed and grinned at Ismat in a sly manner as he sat down.

"AHA! Bandanna boy has not changed one bit since you left" he said giving Ismat a double thumbs up.
"Well you know. When I'm not around exacting righteous justice on Preds with you..I'm doing it by myself! HAHA!" he said blatantly as he sank comfortably into his seat, crossed his long legs on the table and tilted his bandanna over his eyes.

"Oh and yes I will be staying. Apparently the chief has something important to discuss with us"
"How was your walk about, Ismat old boy?" Said Sefu as he began to rudely rock his chair back and forth.

"Hey sweet cheeks, next time you're walking around, could you stop flaunting your ass like that?" Carol came strutting into the meeting hall with her regular air of superiority, giving everybody, except Hideo, a heartfelt smile. "It's not a pretty sight you know. And if you're not careful I might just mistake you for a bullseye next time." She nodded to the baboon, it was all jest of course.

She had just returned from one of her so called 'solo projects'. From time to time she just up and left into the forests alone. She'd stay there a few days, observing the area and fending off any predators. It was of course unsanctioned by the UPW, but they could do little to stop her. Well... except for imprisoning her, but god have mercy on the soul who would be ordered to bring her in.

She sat down next to Sefu and placed her hands behind her head, leaning backwards. "So whats all this ruckus about?" and whispered to Sefu "Hey, nice going with those preds." She had always liked the little guy's style, upfront and brutal.

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Ismat

"Ismat was afraid bandanna boy was going to say that, now he'll never be able to continue his philosophical wonderings as he walks the earth." The baboon said with a sigh.

"Ah but Ismat's red cheeks enjoy the cold breeze from time to time, pants do rub the wrong way when he wears them. His loin cloth is all Ismat really needs." Ismat began with a sly grin before adding, "Besides Ismat thinks many do enjoy his red bulls eye, make it easier on them to hit and they are nice to look at."

As he finished he stood a little and shook his red butt a bit above the chair just to annoy any onlookers. "Ismat wonders what the great shelled one has in mind this day, perhaps some talks about conduct or is he curious to how our health is this day. Ismat feelings rather healthy if the great shelled one is asking. Very fit. Yes."

The mischievous Meerkat ceased his rocking as the scrumptious Carol waltzed in and sat next to him.
His tail instantly erected to its full length, then just as quickly it relaxed and recoiled. A grin stretched on his face from ear to ear as she praised his noble efforts. He casually stroked the back of his left ear, as if literally stroking his own ego, and looked up at her. From his view he stared up at her face, but he was quickly distracted by the Magnificent twin peaks of mount Carol.

"All in a days work for Sefu Safari" he said as he winked at her.

Sometimes it payed to be the small guy. His *Ahem* subtle gawking could easily be mistaken for his need to gaze up, provided she was much taller than he was. Regardless, Sefu however was sure she knew exactly what he was doing.

"This meeting is going rather slow. Be thankful our leader isn't a snail!" he said to her discreetly out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's my favorite gun," Jack replied to Sefu's query. "It's a handgun that I call the 'Colt Python' because it kicks like a horse when you fire it and it kills like a python when it strikes." A wide, devilish grin came over his face, his extended incisors pressing against his lower lip in excitement.

"How is it that I am a turtle, but I managed to get here before all of you?" Kame asked aloud. He expected no answer, intending it to be a rhetorical question.

"It is kind of discouraging, eh?" Müse chimed in.

Kame patiently waited for another 30 minutes for the remaining members to arrive. Among them were Rhyan, the rhino Domestic, Chee-Chee, the cheetah Domestic, and her mate Leopold, the leopard Domestic.

"I believe it is time to begin this meeting," Kame began. "Please listen attentively. As you all may have noticed, scores of our wild brethren have been disappearing. Through reconnaisance, it has been discovered that certain Domestics have been kidnapping them for unknown purposes. Among these particular Domestics, it has been learned that their group consists of preds and other types. We do not know who their alpha may be, but we must find out at all costs and put a stop to them. This is a dire matter and must be further investigated. On top of this, we also have the Establishment of Servitude, which continues its abuse of our cousins and the rogue predators who butcher them. We must keep an eye out for both while investigating these disappearances. Finding our missing counterparts is our utmost goal at this point."

"I know that at least one of the Wild-nappers is a shark Domestic," Müse added.

"Yes, that correlates with what has be recounted to me," Kame replied. "This means that the seafaring Domestic society might be involved and that an emissary should be sent to hold audience with their leader. I also desire to rendezvous with the leader of the bird Domestics to enlist their aid. This is why I have called this meeting. I wish to assign some of you to these missions: gathering intelligence on the Wilds' kidnappings, meeting with the leader of the birds, and meeting with the leader of the seafarers. If there are any who would volunteer, as always, I ask that you speak up. I do not wish to dictate if I do not have to."

"I'll go on the bird mission!" Jack proclaimed. "Birds make great moving target practice!"
"I will look into the disappearances, eh?" Müse replied.
"And I shall be leading the mission to meet with the seafaring society," Kame stated. "Whom else shall volunteer?"

Hideo was very bored waiting thirty minutes for everyone else to arrive, as shown by his constant sighing. When everyone had assembled in the meeting room his ears started to perk up as the meeting began. Listening intently to the briefing the wise turtle provided he calmly thought about which role he would best be suited for since it was voluntarily. He had to decide what the best place was for him to aid in this mission. Hearing the insane rabbit said that birds are target practice Hideo, a bit shaken up, responded, “You never fail to disturb me Jack…” Thinking for a moment he decided and then proceeded to speak up. “Well I think I would probably make a fool of myself if I trip during those diplomatic missions you spoke of. My nose works pretty well and I’m good at tracking so I think I’ll be best suited for gathering intelligence on the Wilds’ kidnapping. But if you require my services in another mission I’d be more than happy to oblige.” The wolf was just happy to help as he wanted to prove his usefulness to the UPW.

_________________

It wasn't difficult to see what was on Sefu's mind. That cheeky little... Well, two can play that game. Carol moved her arms from behind her head to a crossed position just under her chest. With a sly grin she spoke softly so only Sefu could hear it "Do I need to get you a pair of binoculars, or are you not man enough to get a closer look?" She was curious to see who would back down first.

Sadly it would have to wait for another time, as Kame finally explained the reason behind this meeting. The mentioning of the disappearances immediately brought back the childhood memories she so desperately tried to repress. And, as with every mention of a alpha, she couldn't help but think of the hulking male that had killed her mother. She clenched her fists "This alpha, do we have a description? Or any kind of lead on him?" Carol cared little for the birds and actually had a fear for waters, so she'd prefer the search and hopefully rescue mission. And hell, perhaps it's the same guy as the one so many years ago. People had said it was a lost cause, but she was determined to catch the guy and make him pay.

_________________

Sefu gulped as she whispered those enticing words. He assumed she was toying with him and wanted to prove that he didn't have the guts, but she was oh so wrong. Sefu was in no way a closet pervert. His devious intentions stuck out like an Elephant at an all Rabbit's convention.

He twiddled his slender fingers that itched to ravish the kinky Koala.
Just as he was about to turn and ready himself to dive head first into her peaks of pleasure, the silent Kame began the meeting by addressing the important issues.
Sefu leaned forward and rested his head upon both arms in defeat as the aged turtle rambled on.
Both missions which involved meeting other domestic leaders didn't interest Sefu in the slightest. He wasn't one for diplomacy. However, gathering information and investigating 'wild' disappearances sounded like it could prove to be the most fun. Who knows. He could run into some more Preds.

He looked over at Ismat,"Should we go with that?" he said while shrugging.
He then glanced back at Carol out the corner of his eye. She seemed to supressing some deep emotions. Maybe she would join them in gathering information.

Ismat

"Ismat think if this play goes on any further then cleaners will have to come early... Koala girl will make terrible mess of Bandanna boy. Will make pretty stain on floor though." The baboon said with a grin as he watched the two 'fenced' with each other, a shame he couldn't actually hear what the koala was saying to Sefu but considering the response, he expected that the girl was toying with him.

It took thirty minutes for the others to arrive, for the most part Ismat had rarely had any contact with, probably due to his personality, not that he minded any way. As the last member arrived, Kame finally spoke of their task or rather a set of tasks. It seemed that the disappearance wasn't only in his territory but wide spread, a fact that did not sit well with the baboon.
"Ismat will volunteer to go with Trigger Happy, maybe he and Ismat can work together to be partially diplomatic... if not, we can at least have some fun with feathered friends... Do not worry Great Shelled One, Ismat will keep eye on him, make sure nothing happen too prematurely... Or at least that is what Ismat hopes." He finished with shrug before thinking carefully, "What does Trigger Happy think of this?"

"Okay," Kame interjected. "We can't have everyone volunteering for the same mission. Carol, come with me. Those who haven't volunteered, stay here. And to answer your question, Carol: we know nothing."
"Alright, eh, those who are going with me, follow...me." Müse directed as he stood and made for the exit.
"I think it's time to peck some birds with bullets, Ismat, izwut I think!" Jack hopped in his seat excitedly before hopping down and also making his way for the door.
"I hope I can leave Jack alone without incident..." Kame pondered.

Outside the UPW's base, Kame bid adieu to his subordinates as the embarked upon their separate journeys. Kame and Carol went eastward toward the sea, Jack and his crew set out westward towards the mountains for the settlement of the birds, and Müse's party went southward to investigate the most recent lead on the disappearances.

"Y-you mean go to the water?" Carol shifted on her seat somewhat uneasy. Why would he ask for volunteers and then completely forgo it? And why the water? Wasn't she better off in the woods... you know, her natural habitat? She didn't do well in water. But hey, he was the boss... and perhaps they wouldn't actually go underwater... It was just a diplomatic mission... right? She tried her best not to show her discomfort to the others, she didn't like to show any kinds of weaknesses to others.

Outside the compound, the teams had gathered to say their goodbyes. She turned to little Sefu with a sly smile "You know, you never did answer my question... I'm holding you onto that when we get back." Pleased with herself for having the last laugh, she turned away from the others and followed Kame. "Ssssoooo... We're not really going to go, you know, underwater and all?" she asked after a while of walking.

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Steven had this kind of mission before:

Once he was directed to conduct a sabotage operation against a terrorist group. First his team went into their camp when the terrorists were gone and rigged their entire mortar shell supply to blow.

The next day, Steven's team came under fire for two minutes. Explosions were heard from far away and one shell came crashing down. More explosions and as soon as it began it was all over. When his team finally checked out the place that was lobbing the shells at them, the found the entire place littered with dead terrorists and blown mortar tubes. It was funny. Steven and his comrades had a good laugh about it.

But this takes the cake.

Last night they rifled through all the supplies of the EoS encampment. They poked holes in all the food cans and put fecal matter in their water and food. An added bonus, they drilled holes into the barrels of each weapon left in the camp and planted tampered ammunition in the camp. What they got was a camp filled with EoS troopers having the messy runs. If that was not enough then the exploding rifles would suffice. His team observed within a week that the number of EoS followers dropped due to health concerns and casualties due to faulty ammo.

So having a EoS camp literally shitting themselves to death and dying from their own weapons is so hilarious that Steven actually had to suppress his giggles as they snuck out of the area. The UPW was similarly targeted and had the same results. The theory was this: thousands of ammunition were in the hands of both sides and by spreading a few dozen or maybe more into their ammo crates and loaded magazines, both sides will begin to doubt their ammunition quality, resulting in lesser engagements and potential fear of using their weapons. The tampered ammunition had been carefully modified and resealed to the point where only a well trained ammunition expert can spot the difference. Even then they will have a hell of a time to spot the bad rounds from the good.

So far it has been proven to be decisively effective. At least for the EoS.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[54 km south from UPW base]

The team never took roads. Never walked on moss or stepped on branches if they could. Their shoes were wrapped in large leaves that made the footprints unclear. They moved within the forest and with visibility less than 50 meters they kept their weapons loaded and ready to fire. Steven was up in front, followed by the radioman and chatterbox of a rabbit Perry. Chico the cat followed and Max took the rear. It was several hours since they ventured far into UPW territory, further than any other team previously. A dangerous task for any recon team.

"Meow meow" whispered Chico as the cat pointed towards the river. A small boat was docked near the river bank. It looked like someone had left the boat intentionally for passage. There was no dock and the surrounding looked like it was frequently used for river crossing. Before Steven had the time to do anything several EoS members walked out into the clearing near the boat. The EoS people milled about and began to launch the boat.

"Headshots only. Take them all out" Steven urgently whispered. The team complied by fixing silencers on their rifles and moved out to better firing positions.

The wolf patted his comrade on the back. The cat, obviously an underling taking orders from the leader complied and moved back. A glint caught his eye and as he turned to look a bullet silently turned his brain into mush. Three more bullets hissed and found their marks. The last one, the wolf only raised his rifle and growled in defiance before he too was felled by a shot to the brain. Steven, Chico, Perry and Max quickly grabbed the bodies and moved them to the forest.

"Hey Steven look at this!" Max said. He pulled out a bunch of papers and a bloodstained map from the wolf's equipment.

"Looks like a map with points of interest and a list of numbers" Perry remarked as he grabbed the papers and quickly scanned it.

"Meow meow meow" said Chico, pointing out that the numbers looked like coordinates and elevation data.

"Artillery coordinates, circled areas and routes in and out of UPW territory. Damn...it looks like we just confirmed the secret UPW base's location." Steven said.

"Meow meow meow?" Chico inquired. He obviously worried about the next step...

"That's right. With this we go deeper and recon the UPW base. If this map tells me what I think it does, then is a major UPW base and it will provide the proof that I have been telling the higher up for several months now. The UPW is just as dangerous as the EoS and must be dealt with swiftly and decisively. That's not my choice to make but it will damn well be our objective if were told to prosecute. Now lets hide the bodies, clear the blood from the boat, get away from this place and wait for nightfall to cross the river. Move out!"

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- Join the HUMP LEGION. Leading the Humping and Bumping since time began...*humpa humpa humpa* -

Note to self. Pg541

Hideo was content that he got assigned to the most he felt most suited his capabilities. After Muse told everyone going with his group to follow him, Hideo responded with a polite, “Yes sir!” He was getting kind of nervous since this seemed like an important mission. After saying farewell to his comrades the wolf followed Muse south to investigate the disappearances. Before leaving though, he made sure he had all the supplies and equipment he needed for the investigation. When the wolf’s triple checking was complete some of his nervousness went away but his tail was wagging a bit with some excitement. Hideo hoped he would find the missing persons quickly. “Hey Muse, I have a question!” said the wolf. “Did these wild-nappers kidnap so that they could experiment on them and turn them into chimeras? I hope nothing happened to them yet…we have to work fast and rescue them!” At the back of his mind he wondered if these where the ones that kidnapped his mother and sister. Shaking his furry head he focused on the task at hand. Yet he hoped deep down that he would find a clue to their kidnapping in this mission.

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