We left the plateau after we got the slaves back to the hollow, instructing them to convene a moot for the new Alpha. They harvested the dragon and recovered the gems from it's cave, the clan extremely happy to have an abundance of food supply.

"There's something bothering me about what you said, what did you mean by 'You came to this world'..." I decided to tell him, since I needed absolute trust.

"I'll tell you, but it may shock you. Are you sure you want to hear the absolute truth," he nodded, and I took a deep breath, "I'm not from this world, as you may have guessed. I was not even a wolf," He stared intently, taking in what I said, "I came here from a world where diamond dogs, dragons, or griffin's exist only in mythology and fairytales." He actually took it well, not with fear, but with absolute belief.

"How did you learn how to fight?" I couldn't lie with this question.

"I learned when I was little, all the way to two years ago, I learned my entire life." He knew I was hiding something and stared empathetically, "I learned how to kill, how to defend myself, and how to make weapons."

"So how did you manage to catch my arrow mid fight, I've never seen anyone do that..."

"When you've trained for as long as I have, doing it becomes second nature." started washing my dobuku in a stream nearby, "There are things faster than arrows and twice as deadly, it's not a matter of reflexes as it is anticipation, and acting on it." I grab a stick and then swing it in Eol's direction, he clasps it in both his paws.

"Good... you're not a stranger to fighting, makes my job easier," I stand, letting go of the stick, "How long have you been planning that moment?"

"5 years."

"How old are you now?"

"17,"

"Now you have your whole life ahead of you, what will you do now?" What he said surprised me.

"I wanted to help other clans from tyranous bastards from Alpha's like Ensin," I look down at the stream again and sighed.

"Why not go back and lead your clan."

"I can't, once you run away, you can never go back, besides..." He looked down at the stream, "I've nothing to go back to... That's why I decided to go with you..." He looked at me, "You could be my Alpha."

"I'm not sure I understand," I pull out my dobuku out of the stream and wring it dry, then hang it from a branch, "I have no intentions of starting a clan, nor am I one to lead... besides, I would have no idea on what an Alpha even does, what a diamond dog's customs are..." I pondered further, "I don't even eat gems..."

"You sure about that?" He tosses a gem to me, I placed the gem squarely between my teeth and bit down, the gem as flawless as ever. I hand the gem back to Eol. He took it back somewhat dissappointed.

"Okay, so you don't eat gems... but there's no proof that you had to..."

"You sure seem to know a lot about wolves, what can you tell me about me?"

"There actually used to be wolves all over Gem Fido, even some in the Dragon Badlands. They were just like the Equine species. Winged wolves controlled the weather and had wide spreading wings like griffins, they were cynogriffins. Wolves who used magic had two horns that channeled the energy constantly. Land wolves like you," I kept listening, "were fast and strong, making excellent warriors. Diamond dog Alphas are said to have descended from wolves, hence the Alpha's superior build and smoother coat, but were only a shadow of the original wolves. But one day, they were just gone, almost no trace, some rumored migration to another land, some a war with the dragons that ended badly, but they were gone, heh..." I wondered if others like me came here as wolves. Keith came here as another pony.

"I poured all my time into studying lore and legend, just to hold onto some hope that got me through the day," life must be hard as a diamond dog.

"What was your life like?" He started whimpering, then he sighed. I sat down next to him, wading my feet in the stream.

"Working in the mines... all you're taught is to listen, obey, and don't ask questions... those who slow down are dead, either the risk of being run over, not having enough to eat by day's end, or being eaten by the dragon you serve under, all while cold, barely breathing, starving, and exhausted. Each clan used to serve a dragon and the dragon protected us from attack, a mutual interest, that was when wolves were around, then the dragons became corrupted, and started to oppress those who served them, us. The dragons who oppressed their clans had gem hordes that could feed millions of diamond dogs, the dragons who didn't lacked and their scales weren't as strong, so they became prey to the other dragons, killed and their clans took over. I gathered every book I could, filling my head with knowledge, so that one day, my father and I could survive the journey to another clan, or even someplace like Equestria." he then starts to cry, "I'm free now, but no family to go anywhere with... my mother died giving birth to me, my dad was the only person who cared about me..." He wiped his face with his arm.

"Well now you have me..." I stand, "I hereby officially accept you into my clan." He looked up and smiled, then stood up and hugged me. It was the first time I had a hug in 20 years, I missed that feeling. I hugged back. I finally got a rough perspective of how tall I really was compared to him... now, I was his big brother, "Welcome to the family, Eol," I remembered the newspaper. "Have you ever heard of the Grand Galloping Gala?" We both sat down on the banks and he nodded, "We should go there sometime, after all, you're free now, your life is yours to do with as you please."

"Would you like to travel the world?"

"I'll go where my Alpha tells me to," that somewhat troubled me. I sighed.

"You shouldn't think like that anymore, you owe me nothing."

"You gave me a new purpose in life. I owe you everything!"

"Becoming free only to be enslaved to another shouldn't be what ones life should be. Think of being part of my clan as a bond not of fealty, but of trust." Slavery is what brought his clan to ruin, I wasn't going to make that mistake. He then smiled.

"Then consider us brothers in arms, and I'll always have your back," good enough for me. He looked up at the sky, "and yes, I would like to travel the world sometime, but only after we free the clans of Gem Fido. That means killing the dragons." He looked at Kokuryu, "I'm not sure how many there are, but no matter what, I know we'll succeed."

"Don't get your hopes up. I never said I'd start an entire onslaught," his mood depressed a bit, "One, some of those dragons may have families, they are sentient, and I don't want to cause anymore strife, two, I'm not even sure I'm the Legend you claim me to be." He took my reasoning with an expression of understanding.

"How about I tell you the entire legend?" I didn't know he skipped a few parts.

"The prophecy has been interpreted many times, but still with some discrepancies. I took an entire month recovering and re-translating the archives, the un-interpreted legend is this:

'In the Age of the Return of Sun and Moon, a white wolf will rise from unknown lands, with fur white as the moon, with a gaze of fire and ice. He wields a sword of dragon's bane, carrying with him an aura of that of a dragon itself. He will come to free the lands of the tyranny of dragons. He will lead his kinsman to victory, and the lands will be united.'

And that's the uninterpreted legend, you fit his appearance precisely, which is why I wanted to come with you." I was quick to object.

"Not exactly, I have red eyes..." He smirked and laughed.

"Maybe before you got here, but look at your reflection." I scooped up some water from the stream, the reflection held true, my colorblind eye blue, but my full-vision eye still the red color I've had my entire life, I let the water slip through my fingers, he continued.

"Many diamond dogs have stood up and claimed they were the legend, simply because they were able to kill a dragon, their fur various colors, claiming that the prophecy may have been wrong on the legend's appearance. When faced with a stronger dragon, they were slain like the diamond dogs they left. But you, you have white fur and blue and red eyes." I had to think a little before my next question.

"So how do I fit the rest of the legend?"

"You carry a sword that sliced a dragon's head off in one swing, made of a black dragon's scale, supposedly the strongest type of dragon. You yelled something in some language that made Hane what I'd say was scared, like you had done something unfathomable to a dragon," Hane must be the purple dragon, "Now all that's left is for you to lead us to victory."

"Honestly, I'm not that convincing, because there were some diamond dogs that attacked me my first day here, how am I going to lead an army of diamond dogs that don't even know me, much less have given up already."

"In someways, most diamond dogs have given up on the legend, and have fallen into brutish ways, kidnapping, stealing, and driving slaves. But some still have hope... It's just... I wish you had come sooner." He shied away when he finished, still remembering his dad, "But what you did will make waves amongst the clans, and the news will sooner or later reach Gem Fido, and maybe even Equestria." He was right, nobody's going to forget how one person slayed a dragon easily, especially not in front of a bunch of slaves who just witness their freedom being given to them. I think i just found out what to do in my life...

"Very well... I'm still not one-hundred percent sure I'm the legend you're talking about... but I'm not going to sit around while this happens," I remember Eol's first plea to me, "and I'm not going to let what happened to you and me happen to anyone else." His ears perked up at that last part, then looked at me intently.

"You mean... It happened to you, too?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes... it's why I spent almost my entire life learning how to fight, and how to kill." I ran my paw through my fur to smooth it out. I told him the whole story.

"My parents weren't eaten by dragons, they were killed... brutally, by a sick son of a bitch who killed for fun." Eol's ears flattened, "I eventually got my revenge. I'm not going to lie to you, I enjoyed every second of it, and I thought it was worth it." Eol sighed seeing his kill justified, "I started thinking the next morning, now that I had avenged my parents' death, what I was going to do, I had the rest of my life to do it, like I was born anew. That night I my apartment was surrounded by SWAT and a stranger offered me to send me here. It's Ironic really, meeting you, you had the same story, the only person worth living for, stolen away, then you spend your life plotting revenge," I replayed Eol's revenge in my mind, "Except the last part was different: I killed simply to finally end the living nightmare that haunted my past, You... I heard your speech, but I wasn't sure... what was your main reason for killing him?"

"I thought about it afterwards, at first I thought it was to make him pay for his crime, then I thought what it would be like if I let him live, he would soon find another clan, then take that over, then continue the same thing until someone put a stop to him," I felt relief hearing a straight answer.

"In my mind, both are justified, but I wouldn't have thought you less or more if you let him go," Eol looked confused, "fate played me a final card when I came here, to see how I would change or react to seeing you and your choice. Then I thought of it. In my world, fortune tellers use cards called Tarot cards divided into 2 groups: face cards and cards from the Major Arcana. Face cards reveal your personality, then the Arcana show the path you're destined to take. I thought Fate dealt me the card 'Death', its meaning was that I would have to soon come to terms with my past before I continue with my new life. Seeing you finally settled the deck, and now I'm free... so let me ask... are you willing to come to terms with your past in order to follow me?" He still didn't fully understand, but nodded. I contemplated what I was about to say.

"Then think, do you feel that the event you created is over? Do you feel bound? Are you ready to start fresh, and look to the future that you now grasp?" He looked to the stream and sighed and then looked at me.

"One last question, answer me truthfully, you knew all this and knew all I felt and didn't stop me or offer advice... Why?" The last chain was bare, all I had to do was sever it.

"That last decision was yours to take, you had to do it all on your own, no interference, no advice. Think of it as your rite of passage, a step you had to take in life, except this didn't define what path you took or your maturity, it simply would show you a piece of who you are. I made my decision, I wanted no part in making yours. I didn't think on terms on whether you did the right thing or not, because what you think is right isn't for me to decide. I simply pondered if you now could instill resolve in yourself to continue." He then had an expression of revelation, then looked at me in complete and utter relief. That was the look I needed.

"Now that you've accepted the cards Fate's dealt you, you can follow through. Now come on," I stood up and picked up another branch, "In order to be in my pack, you must learn to defend not just yourself, but support me as well if I ever need it." He stood up as well.

"Being in a pack isn't about keeping up with the rest, it's learning to act as a single unit. However, there are some skills you are lacking. I will be honest, training under me will be difficult, but if you can perservere, you will unlock your own potential."

So the lessons began. I first needed some preliminary testing.

"Before anything, let's see how you handle in battle, form your stance and attack me. A word of caution, the battle ends only when you or I yield, be prepared, I'm not going to go easy on you, so attack me like you mean to kill me." He formed his stance, stable but I saw an immediate problem, he led with his right foot but had the branch grasped the wrong way: his right paw was below the left giving him inadequate force when swinging, and also making him predictable in which way he planned to swing first. I held the branch in my left paw, but he didn't notice my hint. He charged headfirst, with the branch trailing on his right. He swung at full power. I parried, feeling the force of his swing, strong, but he immediately drewback due to the recoil of the parry. I grabbed his right paw and turned, hitting his torso then his face with two elbow hits. He staggered and counterattacked with an uppercut, I dodged and hit him in the side with my branch, winding him. He grasped his side. Now to test his defense. I turn and bring the branch down, he parries but his arms yield under the force. I use this to my advantage and press down, the branch slipping from his paws onto the ground. He dodges to the left. I turn and swing with both paws clasped onto the branch, to my amazement, he punches the branch out of the way with his left with surprising force, and turns to hit me with a backhand with his left. I wince but duck in time to avoid a puch from his right, then lift the branch upwards to hit him with an uppercut. He uses the momentum to flip backwards and gain distance from me. He's more accurate with hand to hand, with some knowledge of acrobatics, but he's swinging at any opportunity he gets, only thinking of his next move on the dot. He changes his stance to that of a boxer. I swing at his right side, trying to hit his weakened side. He reads this and ducks, hitting the branch with a flathanded uppercut, then hits me with a jab to the solar plexus. He reads the tide of battle quickly, also left handed, might explain the way he held the branch. I take a step back to catch my breath then decide to toss aside the branch, I was going to need to get in close. I take a lower stance, meeting him at eye level. He takes a few steps forward, but still retains his stance. I wondered why he did that, then I remembered our first encounter.

Why did he think I looked like Ensin, Ensin had gray fur which might have looked white, but I also had different clothes. Poor eyesight? No, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to even aim at me, and wouldn't choose arrows. What was it? I had to find out.

I dashed forward and reeled my fist back in a punch, he read that and shifted his stance to be ready to dodge. At the very last moment I dove into a slide and tripped him in a sliding sweep, then righted myself and slammed my left foot onto his lower leg, he barked in response to the pain. But immediately roller over and stood up in a low stance, his fist propping himself up. He took a few breaths then stood back up again ready for more, seemingly fine from the leg injury. He was taking punishment surprisingly well. He took his stance again but brought up his fists in a different way, his leading fist slightly farther from his face. Again with an unknown, interesting, but what did it mean?. He then charged, but with a low dash instead, his fists still in the same position. I sidestep to the right, his front fist not at all extending, but instead he stomps with his left foot. He wasn't going for a punch! I immediately bring my left arm into a guard as he pivots, blocking an immediate roundhouse kick. I grab his leg and toss him into the stream. He doesn't resurface for a few second. but see a single bubble surface among the flow. I duck into a low stance. He jumps out of the stream and reaches his peak above me, then flips and brings his leg down in a heel kick, I cross my arms in a block, but he instead brings his foot lower and lands on my arms, leaving me defenseless for a kick with his other foot into my chin. This fight got a lot more interesting. I flip backwards and skid to a stop, going back into my stance. He charges again, His body primed for a forward punch, I jump, pivoting my body and slamming my right foot onto his head, smashing him into the ground. He rebounds and I land on his back, pinning him to the ground. he immediately reached behind his back to grab my foot, but it doesn't reach. I grab both paws and cross them behind his back, then I turn around and sit on them.

"Give up yet?" I ask playfully. He struggles to pull his paw out from under me, but my weight secures them tightly, his struggle stops and he relaxes. I wait for a few seconds, then hear whimpering. I stretch my neck forward to listen. He then does something that catches me off guard: he rolls over and pushes me off him, grasping for my legs, but misses and I grab his arm. Then cross my legs over his torso, catching him in an armlock. Good tactic, bad action afterwards.

"How about now? This hold could break your arm, don't make me use it." He swallows.

"I yield." I let go and both of us get up.

"So, can I handle myself in battle?" He asks intently.

"Yes, but I have to tell you a few things. One, you need to work on your sword grip, it was too loose, making you drop it in the first place. You also have to work on thinking ahead with each move you make, not just attacking at every available moment. Also, the way you attack with a sword makes you too predictable. However, you are good at split-second thinking, acrobatics, and excel at hand to hand combat. Though I have to ask you two questions..." He perked up.

"When we first met, why did you mistaken me for Ensin? Also, during the fight, you stepped forward and didn't attack, Why?"

What he said next took me completely by surprise...