This is a story I have been working on for a while, in which many of the events are inspired by music. In fact every chapter in the story is named and based off of a song. The story will not only feature the Supreme Talux, which I thank Terabetha for the design help, but also will introduce a new alien species called the Quoklians, which I have had lots of help with as well, especially from Aivilo and Trigger_Mortis. I'm still working out ideas and designs for the aliens if anyone would like to add to what we've come up with.


Also, for those who may be unfamiliar with my characters, here are the links to their biographies if you need them:

Quad - Hex - Zephyr
Iugulare, Anirapio, and Nekumbra - Noctuis





It all began with stars. The cloudless night sky was shimmering with starlight. Hex was watching these stars, unaware that anything would happen tonight. Her blind eyes could take in the light and interpret the future for those around her. She would never have expected what happened this night.

A large flash of light streaked across the sky, illuminating the Forest in a ghostly blue hue. The streak shot down to the Earth and a loud 'boom' erupted in the distance. When this happened, the Blind Seer gasped in horror, and standing from her place on the Playground, she slid off the giant boulder and ran off into the Forest, screaming, "Oh my Twin Gods, the prophecy! The comet has come! We are doomed! Doomed!!"

Kitrako, sitting up and yawning, looked over about the time the blind seer ran into a tree. She had no idea where she was running, only that she was panicked and screaming. "Whoa hang on, Hex.", the stag spoke as he approached, "What is the matter?"

Hex moved her head to the sound of the voice, "The sign...the prophecy! It's coming true tonight! The Forest will burn, innocents will die, it's the end of the world as we know it!", she cried.

Kitrako nuzzled her, "Wait, calm down, what prophecy?", he asked. The doe was trembling as she continued, "In my first days I foresaw several events of the future. They were recorded on a cavern wall from a place long forgotten...the...the meadow that my brothers and I grew up on...", she explained. It was an age ago when this happened, where Hex watched as her five brothers played in the golden grass. Among them were Caw, Blixt, Trunks, Quad, and Pent, and as Hex looked on, she hid in a small cavern where she began to carve prophecies into the wall. This was where Iugulare first appeared and stole her away. "The great blue comet...it's the sign that marks the end of days!"

Kitrako tilted his head, "But prophecies don't always come true...", but Hex replied, "The second sign...the death of an innocent...it's happening, oh Gods!!". The doe backed away and ran off again, screaming, "Take shelter! The end is coming! We're all doomed!!"

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The 'comet' was actually a meteor that crashed somewhere just outside the Endless Forest. The meteor left a trail of knocked-down trees and a small, smoldering crater where it sat. Noctuis tracked the thing, and after finally spotting it, the infectious owl landed nearby. "Finally...I have waited for this for too long...", he cheeped, approaching and peering into the crater. Within was a fragmented stone, with a single blue crystal inside. He grinned, "At long last...I will enjoy every moment of this. Now to start some chaos...", the owl reached in and gulped down the crystal into his infectious body, before stretching his wings and taking off.






Quad couldn't sleep. There was something odd about tonight, he sat up and went to the pond. He always seemed to be thirsty this late, and stepping into the cold water, he dipped his snout in and began to drink. It was here the bright meteor streaked across the sky. He sat up abruptly and looked upward, but it was gone far too fast. He shrugged and returned to drinking the water. He had learned to ignore things like this since often they were from the Twin Gods, so he assumed any odd thing that happened was just an Abiogenesis effect.

Some time passed and he began to head back to his pillar bed at the Ruins when his ears perked. He thought he heard screaming, but shrugged and kept on. Another moment he heard it again, much louder and closer now. It was here he saw Envy running through the Forest, now slowing when he spotted Quad close by. "Oh Quad, it's you! Something terrible has happened!", he cried and approached. "Whoa slow down, what's wrong?", the blackbuck asked.

Envy was hesitant to say it, but finally spoke, "Quad, it's...it's Zephyr...she's...", he didn't have to finish his sentence when Quad's face immediately tensed, "Take me to her!". The musk deer immediately turned and led him through the trees. It wasn't long before Quad saw a group of deer standing around. Envy motioned his head toward them, and Quad immediately approached and then saw what they were standing around.

Zephyr, his little girl...she was on the ground, not moving. Quad immediately ran to his daughter's side, "Zephyr?! Zephyr!!", he nudged her cheek. Unresponsive. He trembled and pressed his head to her body. No heartbeat...

Envy spoke up, "Quad, she's....", but the blackbuck shook his head, "No! No!! She's just asleep! Zephyr, please, just wake up! Please!"

The others watched quietly, knowing the worst had happened. Quad continued to nudge and nuzzle into her unresponsive body, before finally crying and pressing his cheek into hers, "You...you can't be dead...Zeph...please..."

It was here he caught a whiff of something. He jolted up, that familiar scent, it was unmistakeable. Infection...Iugulare...it was a distinct foul scent. He quickly sniffed Zephyr's body, finally catching the strong scent along her belly. It was white, masked in the strands of her white fur. The blackbuck immediately became enraged, scrambling to his hooves, "Iug...Iugulare!! You killed my daughter!!", he cried at the top of his lungs and immediately bolted into the Forest. "Quad wait!!", Envy called, but it was too late. Quad was sprinting, his nose now locked on the smell. It was close...






The scent got stronger and stronger. He slid to a halt, thinking he would spot Iugulare somewhere around here. The infectious stoat was clever and could hide, but he didn't see her anywhere on the ground. He raised his eyes to the sky, and on a branch, glaring down at him was a white owl.

"My my...what is the matter, hoo-hoo?", Noctuis spoke in his sly tongue. The blackbuck glared up at him, the other Goxi that lived on Earth. He didn't even consider that the infection could belong to Noctuis, as he was locked on the thought of Iugulare killing his daughter.

"Iugulare, tell me where she is now!", he demanded.

The owl scoffed. His plan was going perfectly, since Quad suspected Iugulare and not him, "Hmmm I believe I...saw her somewhere closer toward the Twin Gods' stones...", he began, and Quad immediately turned and began to run that way when Noctuis continued, "But wait Quad, I would like to...help you fight her...hoo!"

The blackbuck stopped, not looking back but saying, "There is nothing you could do to help me. I will rid both of you of our Forest soon enough, so don't bother trying to be my friend!"

"Oh but I know a weakness of our own species, something beside your...what do you call them...light bursts? I'm afraid you don't fully know the Goxi.", he spoke, and glided down toward the buck, handing on his back. That cold, burning infection caused Quad to tense up as he felt his skin burn on contact, "I only want to help, as she is my enemy too. Wouldn't you prefer to be rid of her once and for all than miss your opportunity?", the infectious white owl tilted his head.

Quad grimaced. He was still very enraged, and not thinking clearly. "If it will help me kill her off for good...", he started. It was exactly what Noctuis wanted to hear, "Hoo...Yes, yes it will. Now hold still, this will sting...", and before Quad could respond, the owl produced a glowing blue crystal, and taking it in his beak, he quickly lunged and struck the crystal into Quad's forehead.

The blackbuck immediately cried out in agony, his body swaying oddly, his legs kicking and trembling. He collapsed at that moment, as Noctuis flew off and went back to the branch, watching in pleasure. He thought this could finally disable Quad for good so he wouldn't be a problem. He wasn't expecting the reaction Quad's body had to the radiation coming off from the crystal.

Quickly the blackbuck's body morphed, his legs stretched, his hooves turned into bird-like claws, white feathers covered his body as his neck stretched and a beak covered his muzzle. His four wings grew out uncontrollably, and when it was all over, the much larger creature scrambled to stand. Noctuis wasn't sure what he was looking at, as it resembled Quad's Grand Talux form, but looked like a more complete form...it would later be called the Supreme Talux.

The creature was filled with pain and rage, and opening his beak up, he let out a loud, awful scream. It didn't sound at all like Quad anymore, but more like a monstrous, high-pitched cry. The Supreme Talux sniffed the air, he was looking for something, but unsure what...he could barely remember how he got there or what had happened before...except...daughter, and enemy...those two words seemed to continue to drive him.

The Supreme Talux immediately moved to one of the taller trees and began to climb, going up over the canopy before he stretched his wings and took off. Noctuis watched with curiosity, finally saying, "This is better than I expected...how interesting indeed...", he followed the creature, keeping his distance but wanting to watch the fruits of his labor unfold.






The silence of the Forest was shattered with a loud shriek. A whoosh above, the beating of wings on the canopy. Those below looked up, unsure what they were looking at. It was hard to spot the creature in the night sky.

And then, a burst of light blinded them, and the massive Supreme Talux landed among the trees with such a loud thud that it caused the ground to shake. The blinded deer turned to look at what this was, unsure what they were seeing. The great bird's wings outstretched wide, four huge white wings, before he let out another deafening shriek. The Supreme Talux' beak was wide open as he let out the shrill sound, his eyes now glaring at the deer who were backing away. "Run...run!!", Mar Sart called, who was among the crowd observing, as he spotted a glow appearing inside that beak.

The enraged monster charged light within his maw, and let out a devastating light beam that tore through the trees. Mar Sart and the others around bolted, barely avoiding the powerful beam of light. Once the area was cleared, the beam subsided, and the Supreme Talux watched as numerous trees burst into flame and toppled where they were cut. The great bird looked around, not finding what he was looking for, and flapping his wings, he soared into the air and vanished among the darkness of the night sky.

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Michael and Auriea came to the scene of the forest fire. It was already beginning to flare and char the trees around. The Twin Gods immediately used their powers to quell the flames, actually creating a vacuum in the space where no air could fuel the fire. The air finally returned once the fires died off, and they observed the damage - an entire section of the Forest that had been leveled and burned.

"What could have done this?", Auriea asked at once.

Michael grimaced, "I can't say for sure...we will have to find them soon before--", but before he could finish, Mar Sart approached. "Michael! Auriea! Thank goodness you came!"

The Twin Gods turned to him, "Mar Sart! Did you see what caused this?", Auriea asked at once.

The Thamin Stag nodded at once, "It was something I have never seen before...though it looked familiar...", he began, "It was much like...a great white swan, but with four wings!"

The gods looked at each other, "Four wings...", Michael spoke. Auriea nodded, then turned to Mar Sart, "Thank you, we will handle this from here." The stag bowed to them and ran off.

Auriea then looked into Michael's eyes, "It couldn't be...Quad, could it?"

Her god counterpart sighed, "It sounds like it would be. These burns, they don't look like wildfire...they look like they were formed by concentrated light.", he began, "I'll handle restoring this area, try to find him. I'll be there as soon as I am finished."

Auriea nodded and raced off, trying to find either Quad or the creature described. She knew something was terribly wrong, the signs all pointed to Quad, but the Grand Talux would never use his powers like this...not unless something had happened to him. Michael watched her vanish in the trees, and then shut his eyes, his abiogenesis powers radiating outward and making the smoldering trees vanish, then reforming the Forest as it was before the damage.

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"That's pretty funny, I heard a joke once about...well...a puppet and a bumblebee.", Zerg began.

The marionette smiled, "Oh do tell! I quite love--", Pema began, but turned her head, staring off in one direction.

Zerg blinked, "Pema? What's wrong?"

"There's...a disturbance...something's coming. Oh gods run, run!", Pema cried, and ran alongside Zerg just moments before a massive fireball slammed into the spot they were at. The mass cooled and the Supreme Talux outstretched his wings. He was incredibly thirsty from his constant screeching, and sniffing the air, he spotted a familiar sight - the Pond was nearby. The bird was now running to the water, exposing himself in the open area before he dunked his head beneath the Pond's surface. While he gulped down his drink, a few deer in the area noticed him and looked to one another, before slowly approaching.

The four were Darkweaver and Bastilion, who were catching up on old times; Nate, who was passing by on his way to the Ruins; and Blixt, who was relaxing on the old bridge. Darkweaver led them, giving quiet instructions as not to startle the beast, "Care...ful...don't...get too...close...". He and Bastilion were on the left of the monster, while Blixt and Nate took the right.

The Supreme Talux raised his head, then realizing he was surrounded, he turned and glared his head toward Nate and Blixt on the right side. The two stopped their approach while those beady eyes glared at them. The Talux immediately let out a shriek at them, water dripping from his beak and causing the two to squirm and flatten their ears. Without a moment to lose, Bastilion charged and slammed into the Talux' left side, the beast slamming into the water with his wings outstretched to catch himself. Nate moved out of the way in time, while Blixt was struck with a wing, but struggled and pulled himself out. The Supreme Talux scratched and writhed to get upright, and once he did, he shook off the excess water from his feathers, and then turned to glare at the close Bastilion and Darkweaver behind him. The Talux quickly lunged to snap at Bastilion, but the nobledeer was quick to move his antler into the beak, the Talux clamping on with a strange sound as beak hit antler.

Nate quickly charged and slammed his antlers into the Talux' right chest. Blixt shook off the blow to the head and joined in, both jabbing their antlers into his skin. The Talux squawked in pain and anger, now releasing Bastilion's antler and with a swipe of his foreleg he struck the two on his right and caused them to topple to the ground. "Back....back up...!", Darkweaver instructed Bastilion, who backed away as the demon elk approached now. His six eyes glaring into the Talux' own, he finally spoke, "...Quad...what has...happened...to you...?"

Bastilion blinked at once, "This is Quad?", he asked. Darkweaver nodded, "Those wings...I...know them...well..." Blixt heard this, now stumbling to his hooves, he immediately called, "Quad! Brother!!" Nate was now on his hooves and he joined them, shaking off the blow and returning to the right side as not to let the Talux escape.

"Stay...back!", Darkweaver yelled at the other deer, an eye glaring at each of them before all six returned to the Talux. Bastilion took a few steps back, Nate as well. Blixt stood his ground, if this was his brother, he was not going to budge. Now Darkweaver approached the enraged Talux, hearing the creature's breath, a slight snarl in his lungs as if warning the Demon Elk to leave him alone. "Quad...listen to...me...", the Gravekeeper began, "Remember your...training...you...hrr...you worked...too hard to...let yourself...become this..."

A moment of silence, the Talux not budging but continuing the low growl that was more audible now. "Quad...", Darkweaver began again.

The Talux opened his beak, and a concentrated light ray hit Darkweaver directly, engulfing him in a blinding burst of light. "Darkweaver!", Bastilion called in shock. Nate shielded his eyes, Blixt did the same.

The light subsided, Bastilion and the others looking in horror as it looked as if Darkweaver was charred to a crisp. He seemed lifeless, like a petrified husk of an elk burned in place. He remained unmoving, a light steam rising from the husk, for a good minute. The world was quiet, only the rippling sounds of the Pond's water, and the raspy breaths from the Supreme Talux seemed to make noise here. The Forest itself seemed to be in shock, mourning the loss of one of their own.








*crickle*


*crickle crack*


The husk around Darkweaver slowly broke open, pieces of thin ash breaking off around him as Darkweaver emerged on the inside. He shook off the shell, very much alive, and now furious himself. He was done trying to reason with the Talux, and when the bird began to growl at him once more, the Demon Elk roared and charged at him, ash dropping off of his body in bits as his hooves thundered beneath him. With all of his strength, he struck the Talux right in his chest, the great bird literally struck with enough force to send him hurdling into the Pond. The first splash was from the shallow edge, the Talux skipping off like a thrown stone as he submerged in the deeper Pond with the second splash.

They watched as Darkweaver was gasping for air, still poised and angry. More deer came from hearing the commotion, now seeing a pair of white wings sticking out of the Pond, motionless.






A crowd now gathered around the Pond, all watching to see what that was in the center. At this time, Michael and Auriea had arrived at their hill nearby, both looking on, now seeing the wing for the first time. Pica was there on the hill, as well as Pathweaver, they both had seen the entire thing. "What happened here?", Michael asked them at once. Pica was the first to speak, "It was a big bird, the deer were fighting it and it made a lot of light. Really odd thing.", she began, then looked up to them, "Is this an Abiogenesis?"

Auriea shook her head, "No, we didn't plan this at all. Pathweaver?"

The Architect of Destiny spoke, "I just watched Darkweaver, Blixt, Bastilion, and Nathaniel fight what appeared to be a giant swan with four wings. It tried to kill my brother, but survived the attack and sent it into the water...", he began, "And the thing isn't dead..."

They all looked at the time the wing began to move, followed by a few splashes of water. The Supreme Talux began moving around, finally exposing his head above the water and taking a big, gargled gasp for air. He swam to the far end of the Pond, where the land raises up, and began to climb the cliffside to the top. Michael and Auriea got a good look at him now. "It is Quad!", Auriea gasped.

Once the Talux had gotten to the top of the cliff, he turned back toward Darkweaver and the others, and let out a shrill noise much like a warning. He was about to fly off when he felt something on the back of his head - something cold and slimy. He tried to turn to look at it when he felt a jolt of pain enter his head. "Now now, where are you going? You've got a war to fight for me, hoo hoo!", Noctuis spoke as his infection began to wrap around the Talux and enter into his brain.

"Oh no...this isn't good...", Michael spoke. The Talux struggled at first, but then settled, closing his eyes for a moment, and opening them back up - clouded, glazed grey eyes now saw the world. The Talux turned toward Twin Gods' Hill, opened his beak, and immediately fired a light ray at the Twin Gods.

The light was very quick to strike, and would have caused damage to the Twin Gods' statues if it wasn't for Pathweaver jumping in the way. He was protected by the light but the force was strong...enough to cause him to slide slowly backward the longer he was hit by it. He groaned and dug his hooves into the ground, absorbing the endless ray of light.

It seemed like it wouldn't end, until the ray stopped. Pathweaver opened his eyes and looked to the place where the Talux was, and now saw something going on. A green blur was slamming into the giant bird and soaring into the air.

"Anirapio!", Auriea gasped. "But where are--", she began when Nekumbra climbed the hill and stood just above Pica, and on the other side was Iugulare, "We came as soon as we heard of this.", she spoke.

"Iugulare, you didn't have anything to do with this?", Michael asked at once as he looked down at the alien stoat.

The Goxi shook her head, "My powers don't work the same way Noctuis' does. We're from different parts of our planet, so I know some things he doesn't, and the other way around. But I have an idea how he did this...", she sighed, "I would have never done anything like this."

"Ani's calling for help, dear.", Nekumbra interrupted. The Goxi nodded, and looked up to the Twin Gods. They hated to ask for her help, but both nodded their heads to her, giving her their approval to go help. Nekumbra quickly rushed out, Iugulare jumping on her back as they raced to help Anirapio.

"Curses! Let's deal with this one first, Quad. I'll leave you to it.", Noctuis spoke and detached himself from Quad's head, flying off but leaving a bit of infection to continue to control him.

The Talux squawked and bit toward the flying alien, and began to flap his wings. He soon chased after her, screeching as he ascended over the canopy. He hovered, looking around. In his mind he heard Ani's voice speak, "...Over here!". He looked in one direction where he heard the voice, and in that moment, Ani slammed into him from another direction. It was a hunting tactic on Ibuzon, and she was very good at tricking her prey.

The Talux corrected himself and lost visual of her again. "...Here I am...mhh!", again, and he tried to predict where she would come from. He saw a flash in his periphery, and made his entire body lightburst the moment Ani got too close. She was blinded and retreated back under the trees.

At this moment, the Talux was just hovering, about to head back down when something zipped his way. He didn't know what this was, but looking down, he saw something else in the tree. Kinsha exhaled, readied a kunai, and hurled it at him. This one struck the Talux in his wing, causing him to shriek in pain and begin to plummet to the ground. Incidentally the bird slammed into the tree Kinsha was on, knocking him off the branch he had been on. Kinsha would hit the ground on his back, slow to get up but otherwise unharmed.

The Talux crashed in the open area on the front of the Pond. Here the fighters stayed, all poised and ready to fend him off. Others joined in as well, Saix quickly stepping in, "Heartless, go!" Before the Talux could stand, his limbs and wings were grabbed and held down by several shadow heartless. Saix would laugh if he could, but rather just said, "This was too easy..."

"Don't underestimate him, he's still too strong!", Blixt said, knowing his brother well. Bastilion nodded, "We need more restraints so he does not break free." "Let me handle that, dear.", Nekumbra said as she and Iugulare made it to the place. The spider doe quickly spun her webbing, first around the Talux' beak so he couldn't open it up, and then around his wings to pin them to his body. She would soon cocoon the Talux, still held down by the shadow heartless, a writhing creature under the webbing.

"What should we do with him?", Nate asked at once. Darkweaver's eyes all peered at the Talux, as he spoke, "He has...to die...". "Interesting, but why is that the solution?", Saix asked.

Darkweaver shifted a bit, he knew Quad and his abilities very well. "The Grand Talux...nrhhh...he comes...back to life...", he said. Bastilion nodded, "I remember this. He has a point."

Iugulare sighed, "I'll do it.", she spoke, and approached the writhing Talux. She was just before him, and as if it were just Quad and her there, she spoke to him, "Quad...I'm going to stop your heart. I want you to come back to us. I want you as yourself and at your full strength when we have our final battle, not like this.", she said, and closing her eyes, she put one of her little infectious paws on the writhing mass. Her infection seeped into the spider silk, through the feathers and into the Talux' skin. She reached within, closer and closer to that beating heart. The infection wrapped around it, and the Talux began to writhe and shiver in pain.

"Come back to us, Quad...I demand it.", she whispered, and squeezed the heart with the infectious grasp. The Talux squirmed quickly at first...then slowly settled...and then was motionless...






"Let's get this webbing off of him.", Iugulare said. The mass of Supreme Talux and webbing was motionless now, and Anirapio immediately used her mantis-arms to cut the webbing Nekumbra spun. Nekumbra peeled it open and pulled it away from the body of the now lifeless and limp Talux. Two of his wings were bleeding, his eyes shut, beak slightly open. Quite a bit of infection was on him - white on his back from Noctuis, and a black-grey on his chest from Iugulare.

It was a quiet moment as the fighters and spectators watched this. Among them was Archelius, who saw movement in the dead beast. "Spirit is still there...", he observed, "But it's writhing out of the body. This is strange..."

Nekumbra was walking around the body, looking to Iugulare, "What should we do now, dear? He's going to be too heavy to carry.", she said.

The stoat shook her head, "Before we do anything, we need to remove the radioactive crystal on his head. Let me handle that, it won't hurt a Goxi...", she said, and approaching the Talux' head, she puts her paws on the crystal embedded in his head. The infection seeped within, underneath, and gently popped the stone out. The moment this happened, the body morphed, glowing just slightly as it shrunk down to Quad's blackbuck shape. His four wings were still extended out, still bleeding and broken while he lay motionless.

Iugulare looked to Anirapio, "Come on, Ani, let's take him to the Gods.", she spoke.

"Mhhh...very well...", the Daog replied, and gently picked up the much smaller antelope. She held him close to her body, upright, face on her chest and wings dangling downward. The trio turned to the Twin Gods' hill, carrying Quad while Blixt, Darkweaver, Bastilion, Kinsha, Nate, Saix, and the others here watched in silence. They ascended the hill to where Michael, Auriea, Pica, and Pathweaver were, and once they were before the Gods, Anirapio gently set the dead Quad before them.

The Gods approached and began to inspect the Talux. They looked to each other in concern. Nekumbra noticed this right off, "Umm...is something wrong, dears?", she asked.

The Twin Gods looked to Nekumbra, Michael speaking, "He hasn't left his body yet. Normally Quad would have left by now to reform his new body. This is strange..."

Auriea asked, "He hasn't...given up, has he?"

Envy was here, and upon hearing all of this, he approached them and said, "Is it...because of Zephyr?"

Michael turned to him, then back to Auriea and asked, "Zephyr? Wait, did something happen to Zephyr?"

The God shook her head, "I didn't know of it, what happened Envy?"

The musk deer replied, "She...was found dead earlier tonight."

Before another word was spoken, Quad's body glowed a bright white. "Iugulare look out!", Anirapio spoke and quickly wrapped around the light-sensitive Goxi, back facing the light and wings around Iugulare while the body radiated.

A bright beam of light then shot out of Quad, going straight to the sky. It was bright enough to make it appear as if it were daylight, and the beam lasted for about a minute before finally subsiding, the darkness of the night returning. When everyone looked back to the spot, Quad was gone.

"Michael...he's...", Auriea spoke at once.

"He's gone to the stars, Auriea. It must have been the loss of Zephyr...", he sighed, "So this was it. We've failed..."

Nekumbra reached down and whispered to Iugulare, "D-did we...win?"

Anirapio, who now released Iugulare from her protection, spoke telepathically to Iugulare, "Congratulations on the victory."

The stoat was speechless. She approached the spot, looking around now more frantically. "Wait...where is he? Where is Quad?", she asked the Gods at once.

They looked to one another and then back to her, "He surrendered, and has gone to a place far in the galaxy. And...because of this, we cannot fight you any longer.", Auriea spoke, as she and Michael fell to their front knees and bowed down to the stoat.

One by one all the other deer around bowed to Iugulare, even Nekumbra and Anirapio did. She looked around at them all, bowing to her, before she spoke these words, "Get up...GET UP, ALL OF YOU!"

The Gods raised their heads. Slowly they stood, the others following and standing as well. "Iugulare...what's the matter? You won...mmrrrhhh...you should be--", Anirapio began when Iugulare shook her head, "No! This isn't my victory! This isn't the way I want it!"

Michael and Auriea looked to each other, then Michael asked, "If this isn't want you want, then...what is?"

The Goxi was sobbing now, even though she could not physically shed tears, she was crying as if she could, before she yelled, "Don't you get it? This is all meaningless if Quad isn't mine! I don't just want galactic domination, I want it with Quad! I --", she hesitated, quieting as she spoke the last part, "--I love him..."

Before anything else could be spoken, the stoat turned and ran off. "Iugulare wait! Where are you going?", Nekumbra called, but it was far too late. The Goxi left the scene, not turning back and not slowing down...








Iugulare ran without stopping. She knew where she was going, running until she was at the Playground. There she slowed, looking at the various stones in the place. "Which one was it...?", she questioned herself as she began to knock her paw on each of the tall, oblong stones that stood here. One made a hollow sound, and several glowing runes and markings appeared on the surface upon her touch. The Goxi nodded, finding the one she wanted.

She began her preparations, speaking Goxi words that made the strange symbols react. It was all prompts to begin the magical properties of the stone. She never told anyone about this, but it was a spaceship to transport her off of Earth. Iugulare belonged to a specific race of Goxi that were expert conjurers, able to manipulate objects for the purposes of space travel and teleportation. Iugulare studied this well, she had to if she was going to take over the galaxy.

She continued until a familiar voice called to her, "There you are!", she heard Nekumbra coming, followed by Anirapio. "Iugulare...what is this?", the alien dragon asked at once.

There was a hesitation, and then Iugulare spoke, "I'm leaving...and going to find Quad.", Iugulare spoke.

The Daog blinked several times, "What? Mhh! Why would you think about doing this? Don't you realize you've won Earth? Why would you go find your enemy?", she asked at once.

Iugulare shook her head, "I have to do this, Ani. You don't understand..."

Nekumbra stepped forward, "Dear, is it true? Do you...really love him?"

Anirapio was angry at this, she snorted and spoke, "You bring me to this planet, waste my time, mhh...and to love your enemy....", she nasal sighed, and began to turn away.

Iugulare looked to her, "Ani, wait...I'll come back. I'll need your help when I bring Quad back...and then I'll send you home."

The Daog stopped, not turning around but saying "If you ever return here....mhhh...consider me to be your enemy.", and she flew off right away. Nekumbra watched this speechless, before turning to Iugulare. The stoat turned to her, "You too, Nek?"

"Oh sweetie, I'm always going to be by your side. Just...please think about what the right thing to do is. That's all I ask.", the spider doe spoke.

Iugulare nodded, "Take care of Ani while I'm gone.", she said, and put her paw on the glowing stone. The stoat absorbed into the pores of the stone, now within the hollow confines as the charged spaceship began to rumble and glow brighter. A moment later, a powerful propulsion burst sent the stone into the air, making a loud boom at first. As it was over the canopy, it burst again at the base, sending the stone farther into the sky. This repeated again and again, the spaceship carrying Iugulare farther above the planet, heating up as it passes through the atmosphere. The Goxi groaned at the heat, hoping her magical barriers would protect her from the light of the flames outside. Once she was out of Earth's reach, finally in space, the Goxi closed her eyes. She could sense her infection, where it was at throughout the universe. There was a massive sense behind her on Earth, she could feel the direction where Venterm, her home planet was, and...there, a faint pulse of her infection in a direction she knew she had never been in the galaxy. She activated another property of her spaceship, which calibrated and coordinated her travel to that direction. She finally activated the last one - a wormhole technology that would cause her to travel a great length of distance over a short period of time. The Goxi's stone spaceship entered the wormhole, vanishing from Earth's solar system and traveling past countless stars to an unknown location...


-----------------------------------------------------

Back in the Forest, there was a place where the body of Zephyr lay motionless. Candles were all around her, lighting the deceased doe's body in an aura of flickering light. Ma Mousse was here, visiting her for a few moments before she was on her way. She was at the right place at the right time when something happened.

Zephyr's back grew wings, four of them, that began to glow a bright white. The moment they were at their fullest, the doe gasped a deep breath, suddenly alive and awake. Ma stepped back at first, not expecting all of this to happen. The now living Zephyr was looking around in confusion, now seeing the wings on her back, and the flickering candles. "Wh--what happened? Am...am I d-dead? Where i-is this?", she began to ask, more to herself but not realizing Ma was there.

The motherly moose approached, "Relax mon enfant, you are safe in the Forest, votre maison.", she spoke. Zephyr collapsed, exhaling and trembling from exhaustion. "I-I don't...understand what happened...owl...there was an owl, and..."

Ma nuzzled her, and blew out the candles around her before speaking, "Come mi amour, let us go to the Gods. There is much to discuss."

Zephyr nodded slowly and accepted her assistance, the wings working on their own to wrap around Ma's back, supporting her as she and the moose walked in the direction of Twin Gods' Hill.








She opened her eyes, unsure if she had landed somewhere. Space travel always seemed to wear her out, she had no idea how long she had been traveling as she had fallen asleep during the journey. There was a crack in the spaceship, and peeking out, she could see something that looked similar to trees with long, drooping white branches that swayed in the wind. "Where...am I?", she asked herself as she began to exit her spaceship.

The stoat soon found herself on a planet she had never been to before. The odd drooping trees were everywhere, but there was enough distance between them for open places like where her spaceship landed. The ground was a mossy green, and felt soft and organic to the touch. She looked to the green-tinted sky and saw a red star, it blinded her at first but she looked up again. She realized she was not being hurt by the light here, and knowing her astronomy she assumed this must have been a low-burning star. This was good for her because she would not have to lurk in the shadows as she would on Earth.

She was about to look around when she saw the first sentient lifeform fly above her and land close by. Folding its wings, the alien looked to her with odd black eyes, approaching to inspect her. She noticed right away that it did not have a mouth - this wasn't unusual to her as she had seen that sort of thing before with Anirapio, and the wings made her wonder if this was some variation of the Daog aliens. But there were differences in the anatomy that made her debunk the idea that this could be a Daog. The alien wore bristles on the head and the tail, and had what seemed like more reptilian arms. The wings were smaller than Anirapio's, which made this seem more like a glider than an aerial hunter.

She finally spoke, "Excuse me, do...you know any Earth languages?", she asked.

The alien tilted its head, "Est a Terra...vos putatis hac lingua?", it spoke telepathically, just as Iugulare was expecting. She shook her head, "No not that one...ah what did the Earthlings call this language..."

The alien straightened up and spoke, "C'est peut-être ce langage que vous parlez?"

Iugulare shook her head, "No no, arghh...it was called....English! Yes do you know English?"

The alien blinked very quickly and spoke, "Eng...lish...it has been some time since we have heard this language. We thought it was the Latin that was spoken on Earth, perhaps we will update our archives..."

Iugulare soon realized there were others around, of the same anatomy as the first alien. They were chatting amongst themselves as to the newcomer, the first alien speaking to them, "It understands the Earth language of English. Strange for a Goxi..."

The stoat blinked, "You...know of my kind?", she asked at once. Then shook her head, "Can...can you tell me where I am and who you are?"

The alien nodded, "Of course, where are our manners? The planet you are currently on is known as Silralix, our star in our language is called 'Wymner', but I believe the Earthlings call it...forgive me if I say this wrong...Proxima Centauri. The name of our race is Quoklian...and you are in no danger, Goxi. We are a peaceful race."

The Goxi hesitated, finally saying, "Quoklians...my species researches and documents all lifeforms in this galaxy, but why have I never heard of your kind? I would have thought our historians would have made contact with this planet a long time ago..."

The aliens looked to one another, before finally one speaking, "We have...made contact with Venterm. Perhaps this information was withheld..."

Iugulare blinked, finding this out was a shock to her. "They...they must have kept this planet a secret to me...", she exhaled, then spoke, "Listen, I've come here in search of someone. Did you find a quadruped recently? It would have had wings as well, you may be familiar with the Talux species...", she began.

The Quoklians nodded right away, "Yes, we have Quad here if this is the Earthling you are speaking of."

Iugulare's eyes widened, "He's here?! Please, I must see him!", she asks, "I came from Earth to bring him back to his planet."

The aliens nodded to one another, before leaving her with just the original alien that found her, "Come with me then. I will take you to the Quad."

Iugulare followed the Quoklian as it led her past many of the strange, willow-like trees. She stopped at one point and peered at the center where the trunk was, spotting a silhouette of a large alien within. "In there...are those more of your kind too?", she asked.

The winged alien nodded, "Yes, those are another race of our kind. We call them the 'Chovir', as they are the keepers of the heroes of the galaxy."

The stoat blinked, "H-heroes? What do you mean?", she asked.

"Come, I will explain.", the Quoklian spoke and led her toward the Chovir. The alien was sleeping, and had a body similar to the winged ones but with it's own anatomy. But there was something else here that Iugulare did not expect, and she gasped at first. "That's...that's a Daog!", she spoke.

The Chovir's front arms held the dragon-like alien as it slumbered. Iugulare thought at first that she was seeing Anirapio, but there were some subtle differences in the body, particularly the darker green color. This was a male. She also noticed many cuts and scars on the body.

"I don't understand...what is going on here?", she asked at once.

The Quoklian that led her there spoke, "We are the keepers of the greatest heroes of the galaxy. My species consists of three sub-species - the 'Abvu' are the elders who watch the galaxy, choosing those representatives of every species to join our sanctuary. The 'Vadra', or scouts as we like to call ourselves, are my kind. We retrieve those chosen from the fields and bring them to the Chovir. The Chovir spend their lives with their chosen hero, using the nutrients in the soil to heal their wounds and bring them back to life. The chosen are kept asleep until they are needed."

Iugulare approached this Daog, studying him carefully, "I wonder what this one did to come here...", she began to say when the Chovir's eyes opened, looking down to her and speaking, "His name is Wymner, a Daog from the planet of Ibuzon. He was responsible for saving countless lives, as he protected a small group of pregnant Daog females from a bandit group that wished to do terrible things to them. He alone fought off the bandits until they were killed, but his injuries were too great and he perished."

Iugulare backed away as she heard the explanation. The Chovir closed its eyes and continued its work of repairing Wymner's body. The Goxi turned to the Vadra and asked, "Is there one of my kind here?"

The Quoklian nodded, "Yes, one of your greatest minds named Fogus--", it began but Iugulare gasped, "Fogus is here?! He is the one responsible for discovering Goxi spacetravel capabilities, I...I can't believe he is here!" The Vadra nodded, "Yes, we have him in a special place where the light cannot do longterm damage. Come, I will take you to the Earth heroes, and to your Quad..."

The two now left and went farther on, eventually stopping at a great forest where many of the Chovir held humans from Earth. "This is where the Chovir take the many Earth heroes. Here you will find the resting places of several Earthlings, for example...let me remember...this one here...", it pointed toward one of the Chovir, "Is the keeper of George Washington. And this one holds Leonidas the First. Over there is the leader known as Crazy Horse, and next to him is Albert Einstein."

Iugulare was unfamiliar with these heroes, as she knew very little of human history. They continued on, where she stopped and said "Oh my goodness, it's Caw!"

She ran to one of the Chovir who held an Endless Forest deer. The Chovir opened its eyes and spoke, "This is Caw, the banished island deer who regained his faith in the Twin Gods." Iugulare nodded gently, "Quad's brother...I wonder if all of his siblings will come here...", she looked and saw another Endless Forest deer, Trysta, whom never found a mother to care for. The Chovir who held her said she was destined for great things.

"Look on the hill, Goxi. There you will find your Quad.", the Vadra spoke, and at once Iugulare turned and looked. There was a hill with a lone alien tree, the white branches drooping and swaying in the wind. Iugulare ran to it, passing the branches until she was at the middle, where she at long last found a Chovir holding Quad's mangled body. The antelope's wings were still outstretched, and many of his wounds were healed but scarred over.

She immediately asked, "Umm...excuse me, I really badly need to speak with this one, would you wake him up?"

The Chovir opened its black eyes and looked down to her, "We were not expecting a visitor...", it spoke telepathically, "However we cannot wake our chosen from their sleep unless the Elders call their name."

Iugulare blinked at first, before barking, "Now look you! I traveled a long way to find him, and I will not be turned away from what I seek! Now wake him up or--", she began to threaten when the area was surrounded by many of the Vadra, all glaring at her.

The one that led her there spoke, "I am sorry, little one, but if you are considered a threat here, you will be removed."

She became angry, but looked back to the body of Quad. She badly wanted to lash out at someone, but she knew she may blow her chance at ever getting Quad back. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, finally asking, "So there is no way to wake him?"

The one Vadra nodded to the others, who all flew off, before replying, "There is another way, one can convince him that he is not dreaming and awaken from there, but it requires...the ability to enter into a dream state. We know very few species that can do this, however...", it continued, "We do know that the Goxi are of those that can enter into dreams."

Iugulare nodded immediately, "Why didn't you say this before? My infection can tap into the part of Earthling brains that dream. If...I am permitted to do this, that is..."

The Chovir nodded, "It is permitted as long as you do not cause irreversible damage to the chosen."

Iugulare smiled, "Then I will convince him. Piece of cake.", she says.

The Vadra warned, "Be careful, though. In the dream state, time expands. You may be in there for several days when you really are living seconds here. Do not let yourself get carried away."

The Goxi approached Quad and gently stood on her hind legs, turning back, "I know this. I will be careful.", and then looking at Quad's face, she reached over and kissed him on the forehead. The infection was quick to enter past the skin, through the skull and onto the brain. Once it located the Limbic System, it infected the brain.


-------------------------------------

She opened her eyes, shutting them right away at first. But then opened them again and sat up. This place looked oddly familiar to her - a bright, golden field. She immediately gasped and tried to find shade, but none was around, and after a few moments she realized she was not being burned by the sunlight. It was very bright here, she was not used to this, but her eyes would adjust.

She began to walk in a random direction, looking for Quad. She heard water close by, and passing the edge of the grasslands, she saw a great cliffside, where several waterfalls flowed from the land and fell into a beautiful golden valley. Here, sitting on the edge of the cliff, was a blackbuck antelope.

Iugulare approached him, the antelope watching the open place, not moving his eyes or his face toward her, just staring out into the land. The stoat sat and looked out as well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?", he asked.

"Mmm...", Iugulare replied.

"Strange...I thought I was alone here, and then you appear. Hmm..."

She hesitated before replying, "Quad, I...I came back for you."

He tilted his head, "Why would you do that? Earth was yours. I had nothing left to live for."

The stoat blinked, "You...could have lived for me, you know?"

The antelope sighed and closed his eyes, "You don't understand. Once I lost Zephyr...there was nothing left to fight for. I was so tired of it all.", he exhaled, "There were days which I wondered how it ever came to this, I mean...why we're fighting in the first place."

Iugulare sighed, "I've had those moments myself. You know there's only two things I want in this galaxy...you're one of them."

Quad grimaced, "Why? Why me? What have I done to deserve you?", he asked, now staring at her.

The stoat blinked. She almost got angry here, but instead, she said, "Quad, I...I love you..."

The antelope didn't say a word here, only inhaled and exhaled slowly as he looked back out into the beautiful land they were upon. Finally he spoke, "I can't...I can't do this..."

Iugulare slid closer to him, now nuzzling his side, "Quad, please...just...just give me one day. I came a long way to find you. Please, if...if you're happy here after, I'll leave for good."

Quad exhaled slowly, and finally nodded, "Alright...let me show you what I've found...", he stood and led the stoat into the valley.

The day was long and well spent. He took her through a forest where the ground was covered with purple flowers, and then along an old garden where a stone walkway guided them. They went through a golden meadow, where they were now talking and laughing. Then to a reflective lake where they stopped to drink the clean water. They looked across the waterway where several tall mountains scraped the sky, and then to a waterfall where cherry blossom trees bloomed. This was where they stopped and kissed each other. They continued past beautiful ruins and ancient structures, then to a great tree with white bark. They sat beneath it and shared stories. Finally, when nightfall came, the two sat in a wildflower field and stared up at the stars.

"I don't recognize any of the constellations....", Quad began.

Iugulare pointed, "Well there's my star, and this binary one here is where the Daog come from. There are others I recognize, though I don't remember their names. And that one there, the bright yellow one? That's your Sun."

He closed his eyes, "So I'm not on Earth then...where am I?"

The stoat sighed, then spoke, "You're home, Quad. You're safely being cared for, so you can live an eternity in this place. Though...", she hesitated, "I really wanted to take you back to Earth.

The antelope sighed as well, "I would if..."

Iugulare smiled, "Listen, you need to know something, Quad.", she began "Zephyr is alive."

The antelope sat up and looked to her, "No, she can't be, I...I saw her. She was...dead..."

The Goxi shook her head, "What if I said...'Grand Talux Junior'? Zephyr, and any children you have, inherit your powers. She is alive and well, probably fighting Noctuis right now. Earth is quite safe."

Quad looked back up to the stars, "I can't believe...my little girl is a Grand Talux? Wow..."

Iugulare looked to him, "You can see for yourself. Come back with me. I'll take you home."

He sighed and said, "It's difficult...I'm finally happy here, but...but I'd love to see my little girl again..."

The stoat sat up and approached him, giving him a kiss, "If you're truly happy here, I will not pursue you any longer. But if you want to go back to Earth with me, just tell yourself that this is a dream and that you need to wake up."

Not another word was spoken. Iugulare left him, suddenly becoming exhausted and curling to sleep. She awoke to find herself back on the Quoklian's world, still kissing Quad on the head. She looked to the Vadra, "How long was I in there?"

The alien tilted its head, "It was only a few moments, but I know you must have been there for what seemed like a full day."

She looked back to Quad, "Please Quad...please wake up so we can go home..."








They waited for several moments, Iugulare watching the Grand Talux as he lay in the arms of the Chovir. The Vadra approached and said, "I am...sorry...he has made his choice."

The stoat closed her eyes, and reaching up, she kissed his lips one last time, before whispering, "Well...I guess this is goodbye...", and turning, she looked to the Vadra, "I suppose I'll find somewhere to go. I'm...I'm done with Earth, and cannot return to Venterm...there could be another planet I could go to begin my--", she began when she heard, "Iug...ulare..."

The weary antelope had opened his eyes, blinking several times as he started to look around. He didn't know where he was or what was holding him, and looking up he was met face to face with the Chovir. "What...what are you?", he asked.

The Chovir reached down and nuzzled him, "How to explain to our chosen what we are...we are the ones that keep and protect you while you slumber...", it spoke. Iugulare ran and embraced him, "Oh my word, I thought I lost you forever Quad! I'll--I'll explain everything, just...you don't know how happy I am right now..."

The Talux looked down to her, giving her a nuzzle as well, "Y-yeah...a...a good explanation would be nice..."


-------------------------------------


"So these are the honored dead that we bring here from all planets of the galaxy. We keep them for galactic emergencies.", the Vadra explained to Quad, now that he knew all of this. The antelope was feeling well enough to walk on his own, his Chovir was left under its tree, awaiting the next chosen to care for. Iugulare was close behind while Quad looked out at all the other Chovir that were healing and protecting the heroes of the galaxy.

"This is...incredible!", Quad spoke, as he was led to one specific one, "You will know this person."

The antelope saw his brother here, and finally recognizing him, he said, "Oh Caw...you're here too? I'm glad, I hope you are enjoying your slumber." This made Quad very happy to see his brother being held by a Chovir.

Another Vadra came, and spoke, "They're ready." The first nodded and said, "Quad, please go with this one, you will be departing shortly. I must speak with Iugulare..."

The antelope nodded and looked to the stoat, "S-sure, sure...I'll be waiting then...", as he and the other Vadra left. The first looked to the Goxi, speaking "We hope you understand what you are up against if you continue your mission."

The stoat blinked and tilted her head, "What do you mean?", she asked.

"Look at them all...", the Vadra said, as Iugulare looked at the many Chovir and the many heroes of the galaxy, "If you continue your quest to dominate the galaxy, you will be considered a threat and all of them will be fighting against you. Reconsider your intentions, perhaps...try to live a peaceful life, and you will avoid all of this."

Iugulare looked up to the Quoklian, "Is that a threat?", she asked, now becoming annoyed.

The alien shook its head, "Simply a warning. Go and live in peace.", it spoke as it led her to where the elder Quoklians and Quad were.

The Abvu were much like the Chovir, but had distinct long glowing tendrils that made them seem like they had beards. They were chanting something, their heads glowing as they outstretched their arms. One spoke, "Are the travelers prepared for this journey? We are sending the Quad to Earth and the Iugulare to Venterm...", before Iugulare shook her head, "No no, I'm going to Earth with Quad."

The Abvu looked to one another, then nodded their heads, "Correction, both the Quad and Iugulare will be sent to Earth. Perhaps the Quad should be in perfect form for this..."

The Vadra spoke to him, "They'd prefer you be in the best physical body you can for the journey."

Iugulare blinked, "The Supreme Talux? Quad, you could lose control again...", but he exhaled, "If it's what it takes, I'll do it..."

He closed his eyes, and concentrating, his body morphed from an antelope into the great avian. Iugulare stepped back in worry, but the Abvu spoke to her, "Do not fear the Supreme one, he has controlled the body and will carry you to Earth. You simply need to enter him."

She looked into his eyes, "Quad, I'm...I'm not going to hurt you, but I need to infect you." The Supreme Talux reached down so she could latch onto him, and as she did, she passed through his skin and into his chest, close to his heart. The Talux didn't flinch whatsoever, but now looked to the Quoklians.

"Wings outstretched, facing this direction...", the Abvu spoke. He obeyed, stretching out his wings, and pointing himself to the bright golden star in the distance.

"Farewell Quad and Iugulare.", the Vadra spoke to them, as the Abvu's outstretched arms began to glow, and the Supreme Talux was sucked into a wormhole.

He kept his eyes shut, as stars, planets, asteroids, and other space bodies passed quickly by, like blurs of light. He couldn't breathe, just held his breath while his wings seemed to glide him closer and closer to the yellow star.

Within him, Iugulare was thinking about all of this, and wasn't thinking clearly. The Goxi began to speak to Quad mentally, "I can't keep abusing you. I've...I've decided I must go."

"What are you talking about? You had your chance to go back to Venterm, but after all of that, we're going to Earth..."

"Quad...you really made me think about why we're fighting. And now knowing what I'm up against...I don't know if I can continue on my quest."

"If you want a chance at living a normal life, I'll give that to you...even if it means being in a relationship with you...I'll do it if it brings peace to the galaxy."

The Goxi was quiet at first, but finally said, "Thank you, Quad..."

They passed the outer planets, as Earth got closer and closer. And then in a flash of light, they slammed into the Pond of the Endless Forest, creating a big splash.








"Did you hear that?", Kylar asked. "I think something just hit the Pond.", Toukan replied. The two of them went to the area, and were shocked at what they saw. "Is that...Quad...?", Kylar asked immediately.

Walking out of the Pond, drenched and dripping, Quad stepped into the shallows and nearly collapsed. "I've got you, don't worry...", Iugulare spoke, as she left his body and used what strength she had to support him. Kylar and Toukan approached at this time, as Seed was waking up nearby and looking around. "Oh my gods...Quad, you're...?", he spoke at once as he stood.

The Talux rested here, all four wings still outstretched once he was on dry land. Iugulare slinked off, as she found a shady spot to watch while Quad reunited with his friends. "T-toukan...and Kylar...and Seed as well...I'm...glad to see some familiar faces.", he spoke. He was taking long breaths as the space travel wore him out, and trying to stand, he used his wings to brace the ground.

"Quad, where...have you been? We all thought you were dead. It's been...months...", Toukan spoke.

The antelope blinked, "Wow, I was...we were gone that long?", he asked, "What...what did I miss?"

Kylar spoke up, "Not much really, Zephyr has been doing a fine job defending the Forest while you were gone. We had a few threats from Noctuis, but she took care of it.", he said.

Seed nodded, "Mhmm...you have raised a great daughter, she had truly been an outstanding Grand Talux."

Quad blinked at this, "My...my little girl...I'm so proud of her.", he smiled knowing this, but then sighed, "But...it means she has the curse as well..."

Toukan nodded slowly, "She came back to life, so that must mean she has your immortality. But who knows, maybe...maybe if she defeated Noctuis it would break it, just like if you--"

Quad quickly spoke up, "Listen, about that...", he began, "I've been thinking that, well..."

"Go on, Quad, spit it out already.", Kylar said.

The antelope closed his eyes, afraid of the response, but finally speaking, "Iugulare and I are...we're going to try to...to be...m-mates..."

The three there looked at one another, Seed speaking up, "Are you sure that is wise?"

"I know, it sounds insane, but...we've spoken, and I think we can sort out our differences, and maybe...bring some peace between us. If it will save the Forest, then..."

"You understand though...", Toukan spoke, "That if you do that, you...you may be living an eternity with her..."

Quad simply nodded here, though the reality of this was difficult on him. Seed finally said, "If it is your decision, so be it. Come, you should see the Twin Gods. I am sure they will want to speak with you."

Toukan and Kylar looked to one another, before Kylar said, "We will go find Zephyr for you, and take her to the Twin Gods' Hill."

Quad nodded, "Thank you...that will be great.", he looked over to where Iugulare had gone, but saw that she had left sometime during the conversation. Still very weary, he had Seed's help going to the hill while Toukan and Kylar ran off to find Zephyr.


-------------------------------------


Iugulare went to the place in the Playground where Nekumbra lived. Approaching, she heard a familiar voice speak nearby, "I see that you have returned, mrrhhh..." Looking skyward, she saw Anirapio sitting on a branch, who swooped down to the ground near her.

"Ani...good to see you again.", Iugulare spoke, while Nekumbra climbed out of her den, "Iugulare! My goodness, I cannot believe you're back!"

The trio were reunited for the moment, when Ani spoke up, "So...mhhh...did you take care of it? Is Quad finished for good?" The stoat shook her head, "He and I came back, we're...we're going to try to work this out."

The Daog shook her head with a nasal sigh, "Mhh...I always knew you were weak..."

Iugulare blinked and glared at her, "What is that supposed to mean?", she snapped.

"Wait! Please don't fight! This should be a happy moment!", Nekumbra cried, but Anirapio snorted and flew off. As they watched her leave, Iugulare sighed, "I suppose not everything will be the same...I was going to see to sending her home...but if she is going to be a jerk like that, then forget it."

Nekumbra shook her head, "Perhaps she will come around, dear. But for now, I am glad to see you again. I've...I've felt so defenseless without you around..."

The stoat nodded, "Things will be different, Nek. Maybe...with Quad's help we both could benefit. It will all work out, I am sure..."


As this was going on, Quad had just finished telling the story about the Quoklians to Michael and Auriea. "We are glad you are safe, and...if it is your decision to work things out with Iugulare, then you have our support.", Michael spoke. Auriea nodded as well, "But if there are any problems, you will know what to do."

Quad nodded, "Yes...I understand...", and before he could speak another word, someone shouted close by, "Dad!!"

Zephyr ran up the hill, all four wings out, and as Quad turned, the two embraced in a nuzzle. "Dad I can't believe you're alive!!"

"Zephyr!! My baby girl, you're...I'm so proud of you!", Quad replied, both crying happily in the tender moment. It was here that Michael and Auriea vanished, letting them enjoy their reunion.


-------------------------------------


A few days passed, and Iugulare was walking through the Forest, no longer feared by the deer around as the Twin Gods made it clear that she was no longer hostile (though many were wary of her). She was going to the Ruins where she knew Quad would be, but as she approached she stopped, hearing some odd chatter in the place.

"Ah tout à fait charmant, what a grand adventure you must have had."
"Yes...well...it was not easy returning home, that is for sure..."
"But you are here, mon cher, that is what truly matters, that you are sain et sauf.

Iugulare peeked past the pillars to see Quad laughing and nodding to Ma Mousse. The stoat's face contorted, she becoming agitated almost immediately as she listened.

"But what about the étranger, is she...?"
"She's here, but don't worry, we're safe. She won't be a problem any longer."

Iugulare jumped out and ran at Ma here. "You! Get away from him!", she snarled, as Ma nearly jumped, but held her ground, "Oh mon enfant, what is the matter? I was only parlant to Quad here...", she began, when Iugulare then snapped at Quad, "And you! How dare you cheat on me!"

"Ma, I think you should go, we'll talk again some other time.", Quad spoke as he stood between her and Iugulare. The motherly moose only nodded and spoke, "Jusque-là. Au revoir", before she left.

Quad and Iugulare were alone, an awkward silence as they looked at one another. As Iugulare began to speak, Quad said, "Listen. Don't talk, just listen."

The stoat closed her mouth and was silent.

"I have a lot of friends here, and I have every right to speak to them as I see fit. We have not even begun this relationship and you're already accusing me of cheating on you."

"But you were--", Iugulare began, when she started to realize that he was only speaking to Ma. She began to calm down, "I thought...you were..."

Another awkward silence. Quad exhaled. "Don't jump to conclusions next time. I want to make this work just as much as you do, and that means I would not threaten my friends and put them in danger by going behind your back. I am not that kind of stag, Iugulare. I have far too much honor to cheat on my mate, I mean...if...", he sighs, "If Mazey were here right now, she'd...she'd confirm that I never cheated on her."

Iugulare closed her eyes, and nodded slowly, "Then I am sorry. I will...do my best not to be jealous of you."

The antelope motioned with his head, "Come on, let's go meet some of the other deer. I am sure they would like to know you a bit better, I mean...more personally."

Iugulare slowly smiled and nodded, "Yes...that will be fine...", and with that, they left the Ruins side by side, Quad taking her to the more social areas where they could begin their relationship together.













Kitrako approached Hex on another starry night, and sitting next to her on the big boulder, he smiled to her. "So I take it the prophecy did not come true?", he asked.

The blind seer nodded slowly, "Not every prophecy does. Sometimes they are simply warnings of things that could happen. Other times, the inevitable is merely delayed. In any case, we had quite an event happen, and out of it, we not only gained peace...but also a new Chosen One."

Kitrako nodded and looked up to the stars, "So what will you do now?"

Hex chuckles, "Oh my dear, my job is never over. Given a second chance as I was, I do not waste a single moment of my life, for I am thankful for my brother. So...perhaps I could tell you your fortune...", she offered.



The night would go on. A new chapter of the Endless Forest would begin, as this one ends just as it began...with stars.





Coming Soon



Coming Soon




Ending one - Breakeven - Positive ending in which Quad and Iugulare try to have a romantic relationship in order to prevent any more fighting and bring peace to the galaxy, but Quad soon realizes how much he has to sacrifice to continue this. He may never get the normal life he's always wanted, living an eternity as Iugulare's lover. In addition, Anirapio goes her own way, no longer wanting to associate with Iugulare as she tries to find her way back to Ibuzon.


Ending two - Miss Atomic Bomb - Neutral ending in which Quad and Iugulare try to have a romantic relationship, but when Quad runs into an old friend at the wrong time, Iugulare becomes jealous and lashes out at the friend. They soon realize that there could be issues in this relationship, and Quad tries to help Iugulare with her social skills. It is uncertain if Anirapio stays loyal to Iugulare or not.


Ending three - You Won't Be Mine - Negative ending in which immediate problems arise in Quad and Iugulare's relationship, the stoat tries to be too controlling of Quad, and when he decides to break up with her, the two begin to fight once more. Quad threatens to face her with his Supreme Talux form, and the Goxi leaves him, her plans to capture Quad and take over the galaxy now back on. The antelope realizes the mistakes he made, and that his actions have put the Forest and the planet in danger. Anirapio rejoins Iugulare to help fight Quad once again.