Axel

Story

The bayou of Shadowglen was quiet for the most part one evening in summer, except for the buzzing of fireflies. They glowed like the stars of the night sky, illuminating the bog. Frogs croaked nearby, beginning their routine nightly songs. A catfish jumped out of the swampy water to take a swipe at a few fireflies low to the river's surface, and caught them in its wide mouth. Leaves rustled nearby on the shore, and out popped the head of a snake. Its skull was completely exposed, its red eyes ghastly. It looked around cautiously before slithering its black body out from the bushes, to approach the water's edge for a drink. When suddenly, SMACK! A large dark paw stopped the snake in its tracks. It wriggled fearfully as it was picked up from off the ground by the paw. The paw belonged to that of a dark-furred adult Tigrean. He had two different coloured eyes, one blue, one orange. He wore a pinky-purple crystal around his neck on a string. The Tigrean smirked at his catch as he held it up to his face, his teeth exposed.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Timber, come look at this," the Tigrean beckoned from behind him. His little brother, who looked very similar in appearance to his older brother except for his bright green eyes and white-tipped tail, approached.

"It's a snake, Axel!" Timber exclaimed, wagging his tail with excitement. Axel shook his head.

"It looks like a snake, but look closer, little bro..." and Axel pointed to Timber's own crystal hanging around his neck. Timber grabbed the crystal and held it up to his right eye. Slowly, the soul of the snake became apparent. The snake's body was merely a host, puppeted by the ghostly soul within.

"Oh, it's a dungarde's soul like Denny!"

"Very good little brother. It's a Lesser Dungarde at that, and trespassing on these lands," Axel growled and glared at the snake imposter. The Dungarde's snake form squirmed in fear, having now been identified.

"W-wait! I-I'm here to speak to your Lord!" the Dungarde squeaked out.

"Denny? What business do you have with our Lord, intruder?" Axel raised a brow before returning to his glare.

"I-I need to speak with him about a potential threat out there! A guild who will hurt any and all Dungardes!"

Timber cocked his head, before asking, "What's a guild?"

Neither cat were familiar with the outside world much. They were resident Tigreans of the bayou of Shadowglen, a family who protected the Jaxon Skellington's family Dungarde. The family never traveled outside the bog, and lived a life of solitude.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. We will take you to speak with our Lord on this matter," Axel decided. Axel kept his grip on the snake and together with Timber, they walked from the shore into the misty forest within. They followed the pink-purple crystal marked paths, the same crystals as they wore around their necks. The forest then led to an open tomb, marked by an insignia of a black widow spider on the wall's exterior.

"I-in th-there?" gulped the snake. Neither cat answered though Timber stuck his tongue out cheekily at the snake.

Once inside the crypt, which was partially submerged in swamp water, the Tigrean brothers arrived to the throne room of their Lord. They bowed before the noble family dungarde.

"Lord Dennis, we bring you the presence of a Lesser Dungarde, who requires an audience with you. Do you permit his request?" Axel remained bowed as he spoke, the snake held behind his back. The noble Dungarde, who was dusting off his impressive bookcase filled with tomes and books from throughout the land, paused. He sighed, turned his floating ghostly form around and set the feather duster down before crossing his arms as he sat in a stone chair-like structure.

"Yes, yes, go on now. This had better be good," Dennis moaned boredly. Axel brought the snake forward and released his hold, the snake dropping to the ground with a thud! He curled himself up into a protective ball as he stared at Dennis before him.

"Th-thank you, s-s-sir!" and he began his tale, recounting his time of living in a forest of lifeless trees on the main land. All the while, as the lesser dungarde shared his story, Timber dipped his paw into the flowing swamp water, casually searching for any fish, while Axel sat slumped and unamused, listening to the snake. He felt there was more the story than the lesser dungarde was letting on, but he remained quiet and respectful. It was not his place to decide.

"A-and they tried to kill me! I was simply existing in those woods, alone and minding my own business! I barely escaped with my life! And so I have come here to find you, in hopes you will help," the snake sputtered. Tears were formed in his eyes. Axel wasn't convinced. Neither was Dennis apparently, as the large noble Dungarde narrowed his eye with scrutiny.

"My Lord, this guild has only continued to gain strength and numbers. Soon they might even try to take you out!" the snake shook nervously under the scrutinizing gaze. Axel let out a quiet huff, which Dennis ignored. With the snake's story finished, Dennis leaned back in his chair and brought a finger to his chin, considering everything.

"...I suppose I should look into this matter then. If what you say is true, then this is certainly a concern I would like to deal with sooner than later. Axel."

The Tigrean straightened his sitting posture at the call of his name. "Yes sir?"

"You will serve as my ambassador and locate this guild and its leader. Bring them back here to me so I may judge them. If they resist, you may use force."

Axel smiled ear to ear. Timber let out an "aww man, no fair" at the news.

"My Lord, I thought you'd never ask!" Axel had never stepped out of the bayou in his 3 years of living. He didn't know what the world was like outside. He'd heard some stories, but this was something he had never heard before. A group of warriors that fought off monsters? He was intrigued.

"You must cross the sea and head northwest of the beach. There, you will find an old fort, and that's where the guild lives," the Lesser Dungarde explained.

"It should only take a few days at most. Please be careful out there, you may want to bring your spear for protection," Lord Dennis offered his hand in the direction of the armory. "You," he pointed at the snake, who practically jumped out of his skin at the sudden movement, "will stay here with me. Timber, you will be asked to monitor this lesser Dungarde."

"Aww, okay...just make sure you bring me back a souveneir from the outside world, big brother!" Timber pounced his brother from behind, and laughed. Axel gave his younger brother a gentle, playful push, shrugging him off his backside.

"Only if you do as Denny says!" Axel poked Timber in the rib childishly, causing the younger cub to laugh harder, while Dennis groaned at the nickname the brothers had given him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Axel said goodbye to his parents and Timber, and set off on his quest to find the guild of warriors on the mainland. He boarded a small ferry at the edge of Shadowglen, which brought him to Delphi Beach. From there, with his Carved Jade Fishing Spear in tow, Axel traveled from the tourist hot spot to the middle of nowhere, empty fields for miles with maybe a small village in between here and there. In these small villages, he would ask for information about any guilds residing in the area, they pointed him into the direction of a known old fort, just as described by the lesser dungarde.

It was day two of journeying, and Axel exhaustedly sat down in the middle of a forest. This was a huge place, and it felt like he'd been there for hours. He slumped his shoulders. "Man, this is hard. I ain't ever gonna find my way outta here," he complained, his tongue hanging out as he panted. He was thirsty, tired and his paws were super sore from so much walking. He sniffed the air, smelling for any nearby water, when his nose caught the scent of something familiar. Something that smelled...like him. He followed it and before long, he came across the source. Before him, beyond the trees, hunkered down behind a tall bush, was a beautiful, female orange Tigrean. She had feathers clipped to her ears, and a ring with feathers wrapped on her tail. She was stalking something beyond the bush, but in his naivety, Axel called out, "HI~!" to the female Tigrean. She flinched at the sound and then Axel heard something stampeding away. He watched as a bunch of weird creatures with tree branches on their heads lept away deeper into the forest, their white tails flashing the retreat.

"WAIT NO!" the female Tigrean popped her head out from beneath the bush, but it was too late. The herd of antlephore were gone in mere seconds. She turned around to snarl at Axel, who still had his paw stupidly raised in saying hello to her.

"Who do you think you are?! I was busy hunting, and you think it's okay to disturb someone mid-hunt with something like 'HI'?!" the female tiger was intimidating in her approach, and Axel dropped his head instinctively. Female Tigreans were the more dominant member of their species.

"I-I didn't know, sorry," Axel tried to appease the female Tigrean, showing he was no threat. Her raised tail lowered as she relaxed.

"Ugh, the guild was relying on me to bring back dinner tonight. Now I'm going to have to find something else to hunt," she complained as she turned away to follow after the spooked Antlephore herd.

"Oh, a guild, you say? What kind of guild?" Axel perked up at the word. The female Tigrean proudly raised her head as she looked back at him.

"Only the best of the best! The every-increasingly popular, Hunting Fangs guild!" she eagerly boasted to him. "Surely you've heard of us?" He stepped forward cautiously.

"Err, well no. Ya see, I come from the bayou of Shadowglen, so--"

"Shadowglen? That's where I'm from too!" the female Tigrean's eyes shone brightly. She looked Axel over with interest, admiring his dark fur. Now it was Axel's turn to be boastful.

"Yes, the lovely, quiet, gator-infested, possum-lovin' bayous of Shadowglen! What part you from?" he flashed her a charming smile. Her smile faded though.

"Well, I was born further in the forests, with my clan. Unfortunately, my family...they all perished from a disease, except for me. I was a lone survivor as a cub," she explained with sadness on the edge of her voice. Axel frowned.

"The guild found me though, and raised me since then. I haven't been back to Shadowglen, the memories are still too painful."

Axel scratched behind his ear anxiously. "I'm really sorry to hear that. It sounds like your guild is like a new family for you though." The orange Tigrean lightened up, smiling sweetly once more.

"Yes, they are a different bunch than most would expect. So, you said you were looking for my guild? Then come along, stranger. I'll take you to meet my commander, especially if you're interested in joining. I like that spear you're carrying on your back!" She had spotted it earlier and was pretty sure it wasn't just a fishing spear for looks.

"The name's Axel," the male Tigrean smirked as he pointed his thumb into his chest. "May I ask yours?"

"I'm Celosia. It's nice to meet you Axel! Even though you ruined my hunt. Come along then."

"That's an incredibly pretty name. Lead the way, beautiful," Axel gestured with his paw, and Celosia rolled her eyes at the tease, but led the way back to the fort.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So what were those things you were hunting? I've never seen that kind of creature before," Axel asked Celosia as they traveled through the woods.

"Ha, you've never seen an Antlephore? How interesting, and weird," Celosia commented playfully. "Wait til you meet Nova, she's a different kind of Antlephore than those.

"Huh, she sounds intriguing!"

"You say that now til she wants to rip your tongue out, haha," Celosia teased with a gentle push to his shoulder. He pushed back with a laugh.

"Tell me more about your guild, sweetheart."

"Hmph, you think you're such a charmer," Celosia smacked him with her tail as they walked side by side. "Well, there's Elfric, our commander. He's an incredible wolf, really powerful and pretty smart. And then there's Miss Hanji, she's a little Jollin with a big personality. She does a lot of science. And then there's Asch, he's like a dad for me, being a big cat himself as a Celinox. And then my brother Sirius, well, he's adopted like me, an Anyu from the north. And--"

"Whoa, wait, your guild isn't just a bunch of Tigreans??" Axel interrupted her, astounded by her descriptions. He had read the various books Dennis had in his bookcase, stories illustrated with some creatures of the world he never met or had seen. There had been a scroll detailing an Anyu who brought the rain to the lands, and he found it fascinating.

"Of course silly! We're an accletic bunch of misfits, but we all share the same common goal, to wipe out the monsters of the world!" Celosia struck a valiant pose, pointing a stick into the air as if it were a mighty sword. "And what about you? What brings you to visit our commander?"

Axel puffed out his chest, his face smug with pride. "Sorry, I'm afraid that my reasons are purely confidential and I am not liable to talk about it with anyone but your leader. I am simply an ambassador."

Celosia made a face and Axel laughed at her funny expression.

"Try using your charm on our guards, here they come now," she smirked, as they stepped out of the woods into the field clearing before them. A loud whooping sound could be heard echoing and two figures were running towards Axel and Celosia. They came to a halt before the tigers, a striped dog-like creature with a sloped back and her companion looked exactly like one of those Antlefoals Celosia had been hunting...but this one had sharp teeth, just like the dog. Axel shrunk back from their intimidation but Celosia intervened.

"Now now, don't scare our guest. He means well! He just wants to talk with Elfric," she soothed her high-strung companions. The dog-like creature stepped forward, sniffing the frightened Axel. She cackled lowly.

"Celosia, you were supposed to bring back a chunk of meat, not some HUNK of meat," she chortled at her own joke, while her deer friend remained stoic and stonefaced.

"Come on Nova, that was a good one wasn't it??" the striped dog-like creature barked up to the deer. Nova sighed.

"Yes Bonesnap, it is a good one. But what business does this guy have with our commander, Celosia?" Nova studied Axel carefully, looking him up and down.

"Well, according to him, he has classified information and can only disclose it with Elfric. He's an ambassador of sorts," Celosia mimicked his silly pose from earlier. Axel's face blushed bright pink with embarassment. Nova smiled, showing off her sharp teeth, as she finally relaxed.

"Then you'll find Elfric training one on one with Hailfire with the training dummies. Be sure to keep your guest close to you, wouldn't want someone to mistake him for a snack before dinner..." the wolf-like deer licked her lips hungrily, and Bonesnap laughed hysterically. They led the pair of Tigreans back to the fort, and Celosia thanked Nova and Bonesnap for their guidance. Bonesnap and Nova resumed their positions of guards, and Axel gave a nervous look behind him to see both of the guards grinning creepily at him, ready to strike if given the command. The male Tigrean kept pace with Celosia, hurrying alongside her to meet their commander, hoping he wasn't as scary.

"Don't worry, those two are more bark than bite. Well, they do bite often actually...but you're fine!" Celosia reassured in a whisper as they rounded the corner of the stone fort. There, a young blue Telenine with fiery markings on his arms and legs, as well as an ugly scar on his right front arm, was practicing his sword swings on a bunch of wooden dummies. A white Kumos stood nearby, watching meticulously.

"Good, Hailfire! But remember, horizontal swings leave you vulnerable and open, so be careful in using them. Oh?" The white wolf's right ear caught the sound of Celosia and Axel's approach. He turned to face the tigreans and Axel noticed his right eye was scarred and completely blind compared to his golden left eye. The Telenine relaxed his stance and held his wooden sword casually in his left paw.

"Commander, this here is Axel. He has traveled a long ways from Shadowglen to meet and speak with you about something." Axel stepped forward and bowed to the white wolf. The wolf bowed back respectfully and quietly dismissed Hailfire for a lunch break. The Telenine was relieved to finally get something to eat, but he was admittedly interested in this guy Celosia had brought back. No matter, he'd find out more later, as he excused himself to lunch.

"Welcome, Axel. I am Elfric. What brings you to our fort?" Elfric's expression was soft, warm, welcoming. It put Axel at ease. He definitely seemed to be fit for a commander.

"Sir, I come bearing news as an ambassador of Lord Dennis from the Shadowglen bayou. He wishes an audience with the leader of the Hunting Fans guild."

"Fangs, Hunting Fangs," Celosia whispered to Axel.

"FANGS! I mean, uh...sorry sir," Axel stammered nervously. it wasn't an easy job being an ambassador. Elfric looked confused.

"Lord Dennis? I'm afraid I might not be too familiar with your lord. Why does he wish an audience with me?" Elfric asked, puzzled.

"Commander sir, my family and I are servants to the Jaxon Skellington family Dungarde, Lord Dennis. The reason he wishes to speak with you is because he wants to verify you will not threaten his life. You see, a Lesser Dungarde appeared before my younger brother and I at least 2 days ago, and this lesser Dungarde claims your guild nearly took his life," Axel explained in greater detail. Elfric looked to Celosia.

"Celosia, please find Hanji and bring her back here. I think she may want to hear this," Elfric requested his soldier, and she left to locate their colonel.

"Please, have a seat," Elfric casually spoke as he sat down. Axel looked around the place as he sat down, and it was a humble little training ground. A variety of wooden weapons were kept, and the training dummies were made of wood and other random materials. Some looked like they could be automated even to move on their own. The fort was a bit crumbled, and there were some peices of brick and stone scattered about the area. But otherwise, the grass was greener than a Qrykee's skin and the air smelled sweet.

"I remember your lord from some years back, though I don't know if he remembers me. He had requested help with some anomaly going on with the region and new monsters had appeared. I didn't know a family of Tigreans were watching over him," Elfric continued. Axel nodded.

"Yes, my parents are the first generation of servants to Dennis. My younger brother and I are being trained to follow in their footsteps."

In no time, Hanji had appeared before them, with Celosia following behind her. Hanji saluted to Elfric, though the commander was at ease.

"You needed me, Elfric?" the common Jollin asked. "You know, I was just in the middle of an experiment training my Dionaea Audricus to target train. It's going well if you were curious!"

"That's..great, Hanji. I'm sure there will be some practical application in the future with your plant, but for now, Axel here has informed me of a lesser Dungarde who claims our guild nearly killed him," Elfric explained. Hanji's eyes widened in interest.

"Oh? A dungarde you say..." Hanji mused while she rubbed her chin with curiosity. "Tell me, what does this lesser dungarde look like?"

"He has currently taken the host of a snake, miss," Axel confirmed. "He says he had been residing in a forest of lifeless trees when your guild attacked him. My Lord, who is a noble Dungarde, is concerned for his own safety and life as a result your actions, and would like to meet with your leader here to make sure there's going to be no problems between'em."

"'A forest of lifeless trees', you say? Commander, shall we bring Stryker along and go meet this Lord Dungarde then? If you're thinking what I'm thinking..." Hanji trailed off. Elfric nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Axel. Hanji, Stryker and I shall follow you back to Shadowglen to meet Lord Dennis over this matter. Celosia, thank you for bringing Axel to me, you may stay here and continue with your training. We shall return in no time," Elfric rose to his feet, tail high and the girls saluted back to him. Axel had a feeling there was something this wolf knew about that sneaky lesser dungarde, and was excited to find out what exactly it was. 'This is going even better than I expected! Dennis will be so proud of me!' Axel thought to himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Back at the Shadowglen bayou, in the crypt of Lord Dennis, Elfric, Hanji and Stryker had joined Axel to meet with the noble Dungarde. Hanji was in awe of the crypt; the nearby locals had brought the Dungarde many gifts, including an array of scientific books, ones she hadn't seen before. But she remained focused. Lord Dennis sat in his throne, with the Lesser Dungarde curled up next to him. Axel was sitting between the guild members and his lord, observing everything.

"Lord Dennis, these are the representatives of the Hunting Fangs guild you wished to see," Axel introduced with a wave of his paw.

"Commander Elfric, Colonel Hanji and Lieutenant Stryker, sir," Elfric began. "We wish to tell our side of the story you have heard from that lesser Dungarde there." The white wolf stood proud, confident in himself. Dennis nodded without a word, allowing Elfric to continue.

"A few years ago, there was a village who reported to us of a strange occurence in the Deadroot Forest. There were people going missing, you see, disappearing without a trace. We were implored to discover the cause of these disappearances, and in our journey, met with a dungarde who nearly decapitated our esteemed mount and fought against us. That dungarde unfortunately fled the scene, and we haven't seen it since. Until now, that is, based on what Axel has told us about the lesser Dungarde sitting next to you. It goes without much saying that the dungarde next to you is the very same one we encountered years ago in the Deadroot Forest, who took the lives of innocent villagers passing through the forest trails," Elfric concluded. Hanji cleared her throat, inviting Stryker to speak. Stryker clicked his beak.

"It is true, this is the Dungarde who invaded my woods and wreaked havoc for weeks. I would have dealt with him myself, but the guild beat me to the matter," he explained. Hanji and Elfric looked at Stryker each with an unimpressed expression. The Irion pretended not to notice.

Axel was amused. He thought this Lesser Dungarde had been shady and this was the proof he needed to be sure of it. Dennis sighed while closing his eye. Suddenly, he grabbed the Lesser Dungarde and held him up. 'Ohohoho, this was going to get good now', Axel thought.

"I see, thank you Elfric, as well as your comrades. As for you," he now looked at the Lesser Dungarde being crushed in his grasp. "It would seem not only are you an intruder, but a liar and a killer. You entered my realm seeking asylum for the crimes you have committed. Axel, please lend me your crystal, for a moment," Dennis never faltered his stance, he only stretched out his other ghostly hand in response.

"You got it boss," and Axel obliged. He unlooped the necklace from his neck and handed it to his lord.

"If there is one thing I cannot stand in my life it is being lied to. And so you must pay for your crimes. Farewell," and Dennis touched the glowing pink crystal to the Lesser Dungarde. It screamed in agony as the crystal caused its body to form pink glowing cracks, and in seconds, there was an explosion of light and the remains of the Lesser dungarde fell to the marshy earth around them. All that remained was the snake-like skull, hollow and dry. Dennis handed the crystal back to Axel and reclined back in his throne quietly.

Hanji and Elfric were stunned silent, taken aback, while Stryker eyed the skull with desire.

"I am sorry you had to witness such a gruesome execution, but this one thinks it will give you the peace of mind to know that he can no longer threaten the lives of this world," Dennis sighed tiredly.

"N-no trouble at all," Elfric smiled nervously. Meanwhile, Stryker had grabbed the skull and showed it to Hanji, silently begging to take it with him. She shook her head 'no' and pointed to the ground. Stryker's face soured in disappointment but obeyed.

"You look familiar somehow, Mr. Elfric...have we met?" Dennis questioned while scratching his chin.

"Yes, I had been living with my human then. Ian had invented that machine to try and make Jaxon corporeal outside of Morostide celebrations. Unfortunately, it caused mutations in some monsters nearby, causing them to go berserk," Elfric thought back and started to remember details long forgotten. Axel noticed Stryker's disappointment and quietly picked up the skull and secretly handed it to the bird, who happily accepted it and slyly hid it under his wing while Hanji was distracted.

"Ah, yes, now I remember. You had been up at the front lines against that pesky Noflaik that plagued the area. Very well, I see you are not a threat to my well-being. I thank you for your honesty and willingness to meet with me. I have heard of your guild before, through murmurs and whispers of residents who talk fondly of you. But I had to make sure of the truth, you see."

"It's all good, Lord Dennis. We must be going back now," Elfric stood and bowed. Hanji and Stryker bowed, while Axel seemed distracted with a thought.

"Wait! Hey, Denny, since these guys have encountered a shady Lesser Dungarde, and it caused problems, would it be alright if I go with them? To make sure to keep an eye out for any others who dare to try and harm the living?"

"Axel, I have asked you not to call me that. As for your request, you do make a fair point. Your detection skills have grown remarkably in the last year, to the point where you no longer require a crystal to see the true soul. Therefore, I will grant you your request. Mr. Elfric, would you accept Axel as a member of your guild, so he may continue to grow and hone his skills?"

"Most certainly, I believe we will find Axel's talent to be a unique fit for our guild," Elfric agreed.

"Very well. Axel, please make me and your family proud. This is a big opportunity for you...so don't screw it up," Dennis said flatly. Axel saluted to Dennis with the biggest, goofiest smile on his face, and the dungarde sighed defeatedly.