Zandor put his paws together and closed his eyes, preparing to tell everyone what happened ten years ago.

The full moon was partially covered with purple clouds, providing the trio with much-needed darkness. Anciel, Zandor, and Mai were pushing through the thick jungles of Zelos on their way to the Orgriash settlements. The former chieftain used to know these lands like the back of his paw, but his long absence made it hard for him to navigate, often having to resort to letting Anciel lead the way.
The nomad boy was using his clairvoyance to predict possible pitfalls, poisonous plants, and other lurking dangers. His other ability – to be aware of everything in a certain radius – made it possible for him to plot the best route. Yet he knew nothing of the directions and could not see the map Mai was showing him.
Thus the three of them had to combine their efforts in order to get to their destination, and not lost in the hostile territories.

Zandor stumbled.

"Master…" Anciel gave the old orgriash a look of concern.

"I have told you already, I am not dead yet. My body is currently fighting the paralysis of Abraxia’s poison. I am certain that the battle is lost in the long run. He was not an ordinary snake but the first orgriash, after all… however, I cannot rest until we rescue Sheena."

"Abraxia…" Anciel recalled his torturer he knew by the name of Anguis. He tried his hardest not to dwell on the painful memories, but his curious nature was stronger, so he asked…

"Why is he called ‘the first orgriash’? Was he literary the first? How would one even know if there were no others? He’d have to be thousands of years old…"

"Abraxia was immortal. There are records of him in even the most ancient orgriash writings," Zandor was carefully stepping forward, wary of possible traps, while Mai was cutting through large vines with her rapier, adding…

"He’s the same as me late dad, in that regard. We also ‘ave stories of ‘im passed down for generations. I’ve only som’ early memories of ‘im, since he an’ mom went their separate ways, after an argument so bad, it split th’ pirate nation in two. That’s why we’ve had Wasserstadt and Goldstadt. Former run by me mom and the latter by me dad, Suiris the Immortal. They say me mom was the first woman he ever loved in his infinite lifetime, yet the two of them be so bloody stubborn that they would rather die than admit they were wrong!"

"Wow… that’s tough. Well at least you met your parents," Anciel remarked, instantly regretting how sarcastic and whiny it made him sound.

"Do tell," Mai was curious, not even noticing his tone.

Anciel explained as they pushed forward.

"Label and I both have this peculiar case where we don’t remember our early age and have no recollection of our parents. As if someone did a clean slate on our memories. I only thought of that after I heard from Anguis… Abraxia, that it was even possible."

"Ye two must be brothers. Sons of someone who didn’t want ye."

"Mai, that is an awful thing to say," Zandor didn’t want this to escalate, "Besides, the two are far too different to be brothers."

"Ye never know…" she tilted her head.

"Enough about that. I consider Label my brother whatever the case. I don’t care if we are related or not. And as for my parents… I’d like to meet them. If for nothing else, that to ask them ‘why’…" the blind boy frowned.

"Understandable," Zandor nodded.

They moved through the night, using the shadows of the trees and bushes as cover.

"But since we are on the subject,” Mai spoke again, “Weren’t you the one who first stood up to Abraxia and banished him out of Zelos?" she asked Zandor.

“Believe it or not, he was once a fine chieftain. But ever since the orgriash had discovered that ancient tablet, Abraxia became…”

“Merciless scum.”

The words escaped Anciel’s lips.

Zandor sighed, continuing…

“Indeed. He has changed. For the worst. I have no excuses for him, or myself for letting him live–

“You spared his life?” the boy asked in disbelief.

“Yes…I decided to banish him from Zelos, on the grounds of his previous accomplishments. I could not bring myself to end his life.”

Mai interjected before Anciel could even express his bitterness… 

"Aye, an’ right into his next nesting grounds; Gradopolis, where he poisoned the King’s mind, probably being the reason for all our troubles… Good job!" she sarcastically added and raised a thumb.

"Hmph… Did you forget the orgriash gave you far less trouble since I took over?" Zandor put her into place.

"S’ppose…" she shrugged.

“In any case, we should move on,” Zandor wanted to bring the discussion to an end but Anciel interfered.

“Master Zandor…”

“What is it, my pupil?”

“You mentioned an… ancient tablet?” the boy leaned his head curiously.

“It was excavated from the bottom of the sea on orgriash expedition that went further north than any before. They brought back a giant tablet written in an unfamiliar language. No one could read it…except Abraxia,” Zandor explained, “Now please, we must hurry. Tonight is the night of mating rituals.”

“Mating…” Anciel repeated.

“How do ye know?” Mai asked.

“The full moon,” Zandor said, “If the ways haven’t changed, it would be this night that all the orgriash work their part in order to increase the numbers.”

“Huh…” Mai put a finger on her mouth, comparing the orgriash ways to that of the pirates and trying to weigh if they were much better or much worse.

Anciel stopped.

"I think we’re close to a settlement," he told the rest what only he could see with his extraordinaire vision.

"Then we better exercise caution from now onward," Zandor offered a solution.

"Yeah, I doubt we could fight them all, with your condition and all…" the dark boy feared the worst.

"Especially if any of the generals are among them…" The old cat knew he was no match for them in is current form.

“Master,” Anciel stopped them, “I will proceed on my own. The two of you are far too loud to be of any help.”

“Thanks,” Mai said sarcastically.

“I mean no disrespect. You are fine combatants, but this situation requires stealth, and I am the only one capable of it.”

“Fair enough,” Zandor admitted with a heavy heart, “But know this; if you get caught, we will have two people to rescue.

Anciel nodded.

“As long as Sheena is here, I promise to bring her to you.”

The nomad boy slipped through the bushes and into the village. His circular vision and the power to predict enemy guard movements presented him with opportunities to move in between tents unnoticed. He circumvented around patrols and villagers alike, hidden in shadows and avoiding places lit by torches and bonfires alike. The tents were made of wood and leather, decorated with bones and markings.
It wasn’t long before Anciel found her.
Sheena was in a tent all alone, sitting on a bed. He entered slowly, raising his hands so she can see them.

“I’m a friend,” was the first thing he said, trying to avoid putting the leopard in a state of panic.

“You…” she recalled his face, even with the bandage across his eyes, “You are the boy from the galley…”

She stood up and approached him. A transparent silky dress adorned with gold and silver pieces was dragged behind her over the contrastingly primitive tent. Anciel would have thought she was dressed like a princess, if not for the awkwardly placed and limiting fabric concealing her private bits.
It didn’t matter to him, as he could not see anything and yet could perceive everything around him.

“Zandor is here with me. We’ve come to rescue you,” he cut to the chase.

“Zan…” her eyes teared up upon hearing his name, “You better not be lying!” she put on her serious face, wiping her eyes.

Anciel sighed, “And what would be my motivation? Now please, hurry! I sense something… terrible close by!”

She followed him out of the tent and mimicked his movements step by step, impressed at how well he avoided any patrols until Anciel stopped in his tracks, as if frozen in place.
A small tremor shook their bones as a giant dragon head arose behind the tents further down. Its scales shining on the moonlight as if made of metal, it turned its horned head toward the duo.

“Vatraal…” Sheena whispered.

Its fiery eyes focused on the female leopard and it stretched its long neck to reach her. The black smoke from its beak made Sheena cough, but she didn’t move from the place where she stood.
The dragon sniffed her a few times, making her hair stand up, but pulled its giant head back after that, as if it didn’t find anything.

Anciel waited behind Sheena, thankful that he was smaller than the leopard and that the creature had no other means of noticing him. Perhaps it was the excessive amounts of perfume she had on that confused the vile devil.

Vatraal suddenly stood up, showing its full, unbelievable size and making tremors as it walked. It moved away from the tents and then swung its wings, flying into the purple clouds.

Anciel exhaled with relief.

“That was close. Come, let’s hurry,” he took her hand and led her out of the settlement.

Mai and Zandor who observed it all from the distance, felt huge relief as the duo approached them. Sheena leapt into Zandor’s arms and he fought with all his might to suppress the pain that the poison spread through his muscles, but he did not let this moment be ruined for her.

“Sheena…” his eyes were watery but he did not cry. The leopard, on the other hand, could not suppress her tears.

“Zandor… my love,” she caressed his face and whiskers.

Noticing her dress, Zandor couldn’t help but ask.

“Bai Lao-Hu… did he–”

“No. Never,” she quickly interrupted him, “Despite his crude behavior, and the many opportunities he had, he never forced himself on me.”

“I’m glad to hear that, my love, that I wasn’t… that we weren’t late to save you from his paws, or other worse fates.”

She hugged him again, even tighter than before.

Anciel hated to interrupt them but was in a slight state of panic after what he had just witnessed. The dragon was much larger than Albus and it looked as if nothing in the world could stop it. The boy had never seen anything like it and the very idea that such a creature could exist frightened him to the core.

“Master, we have to get out of here,” he pressured them.

“You are absolutely right. We will have all the time in the world… if we make it out alive. Let us hurry!”

The four of them backtracked through the jungle the same path they came. That way, they already knew of all the potential hazards, and the thick flora was somewhat taken care of.
But it wasn’t long before Anciel spotted a dark and fast shadow coming from their flank. Even though he saw it, he did not manage to react in time and it was Zandor’s quick paw that deflected the incoming fist aimed at the boy.

“Bai Lao-Hu!” Zandor recognized the tiger, not by his face but by his stance and form. His ba-ji-quan was unmistakable.

“Zandor…” the black and white tiger roared with contempt, “And where do you think you’re going!?” he turned to Sheena.

The five of them found themselves in a clearing next to a lake illuminated by the moonlight.

“As far away from you as I can!” she roared.

"Sheena…” the tiger spoke, “I think I did right by my people. I regret nothing. It is only because of this damn idiot that you refuse my paw. But now is the time to settle this once and for all…" he took a metal paw out of a leather pouch and fixed it onto the stump that was his arm.

“You had a tough time with someone,” Zandor commented.

“He had an unfair advantage,” Bai Lao-Hu remembered his unfortunate handshake with Suiris.

“The Immortal Pirate,” he added.

“Dad…” Mai whispered, “Tell me, tiger…how did me father die?”

“A daughter of Suiris?” the tiger took a better look at her and surely there was no doubt… He hated her features which reminded him of the man who injured him for life.

“He died a coward!” Bai Lao-Hu said with contempt.

Mai’s eye was focused on the tiger for the longest time before finally screaming.

“By the seas, you lie!”

Before anyone could react, she drew her sword and charged at the orgriash.

Bai Lao-Hu used her hot-headedness against Mai. He waited until the last moment in order to give her the impression she was going to hit him, but then dodged her attack and punched her in the stomach. And yet, Zandor noticed now Bai Lao-Hu could have used his metal paw with sharp blades, but opted for his natural paw instead.

“You are a fool, just like your father!” said the tiger, “You both picked a fight you couldn’t win…”

He threw her back at them and Zandor caught her, dropping to his knee. The reason was partially to lower her to the ground, but also because his body was betraying him.

"Now, Zandor…” the tiger roared “Let’s settle this once and for all!"

"I…can’t…" the old orgriash avoided his rival’s stare.