Click here for Part 1

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The Endless Forest was on the brink of war. Sides had been taken, those who trusted Iugulare to her word, and those who were manipulated by Noctuis. Black infection covered those who sided with the stoat, where white infection was given to those of the owl. Many deer fled, who wished to have no part in the conflict. The others were inducted to one faction or the other.

Even Michael and Auriea began to bicker between themselves, one god favoring Iugulare, the other seeing Noctuis' arrival as a way to defeat the stoat for good. It soon led to the two vanishing into their own dimension to settle the argument, leaving the Endless Forest unprotected...godless...

It was here the war started. First skirmishes between small groups, a few infected with whiteness that attacked unsuspecting members of Iugulare's army; those with the black infection stealthily overtaking Noctuis' soldiers, and many ending in stalemates with the opposing forces wearing each other down to where they collapsed in exhaustion. Quite often, a member of one army would find them, and quickly overtake the enemy.

There were no casualties in this war, but rather one infected by the opposing virus would be turned. Where an infected of Iugulare's was defeated, their black infection would be engulfed by the white covered by their enemy, and soon they would be brothers in viral arms.

Eventually, these minor conflicts merged, both sides regrouped and stared down their enemy between the trees of the Birch Forest. Iugulare and Noctuis themselves were there, and it was Noctuis that ordered the attack that led to the devastating war. Deer charged, clashing, biting, kicking, infecting. The two generals stood back, not concerned with what was going on between them, but rather, both staring across the Forest at the other.

The deer began to wear, many collapsing from exhaustion and burning pain from the infection. It was here that Iugulare gave Quad the order, "Light!"

"But it will hurt your infection too. Are you sure?", the blackbuck asked, his wings growing from his back.

She eyed him quickly, "I want you and your friends to live. If this keeps up, there will be deaths. I will take cover, now light!"

The Grand Talux obeyed her command, and took to the sky. He swooped down into the group, and spreading his wings, his body radiated wildly. The deer below shielded their eyes, and infection from both sides burned. The plan was working, but Iugulare did not expect a setback. Quad was unaware that Anirapio was swooping behind him, and grasping the Grand Talux, she hurled him to the ground, preventing any more infected soldiers to be cleansed of the virus. The dragon herself was covered in Noctuis' white infection, and much like her instinctual ways, she began to squeeze Quad with her wings, not only crushing him, but infecting him as well. He cried out, "Iugulare! Please!!", and almost instantly, the dragon was hurled back with a devastating force. It was not Iugulare, but Nekumbra, who saved Quad by ramming her body into the dragon. She released her grip on Quad, who toppled to the ground and gasped for air. Anirapio flew off to recover, while Nekumbra helped Quad to his hooves and assisted him back to Iugulare's side.

They watched the fight as it was unfolding. Noctuis' army was clearly winning, many of those who had been infected by Iugulare were thrown to the ground, their bodies covered in the white infection and turned. Quad and Nekumbra ran in to fight, while Iugulare watched. "I just...can't win...", she spoke to herself.

Antlers everywhere, attacking them from every side. Quad threw many of them to the ground with his own force, but with one subdued, another deer came in and jabbed him in the side. He stumbled back, but fought back. It was here he saw that Nekumbra had been overcome, the spider doe was pinned by several infected deer. "Run, Quad! Run!!", she cried, as they bit into her. The doe screamed in pain before being silenced.

Quad was surrounded, and already bleeding and covered in the white infection, his wings burst from his back. He took flight to escape what would have been an impossible fight, and flew away to recuperate. Iugulare was nowhere to be found, and those who were infected by her were easily overtaken.

Noctuis had won the war. But the general of the black army had yet to be destroyed. He still had work to do.




"Quad?! Quad!!", Iugulare called. She was running through the Forest as fast as her body could. Sliding, she found him, laying nearly motionless in a patch of violet flowers. His body was nearly fully covered in the white infection, he was gasping for air and cringing.

The stoat raced to his side, "Get up, Quad! We need you! I need you!", she pleaded. But the blackbuck was slowly closing his eyes, ready to accept the seemingly impossible circumstances. "We can't...win...", he admitted.

It was here Iugulare sighed, "Maybe we can't...but we can go down fighting, right?", she asked. Pressing on his mouth, she continued, "Open up. I'm going to hide inside you until we come up with a plan."

Quad barely opened his mouth, enough for her to slip in. Her timing could not have been more perfect, for as her tail vanished inside of Quad's body, the infected army of Noctuis had found him. They at once began to rub on his limb body, infecting him more and more. His mind was much stronger than they expected, he could resist the virus well, but for how long...it would only be a matter of time before he, too, was overtaken.

To be continued...