After Griffin woke up, he started to explain why he passed out unconscious. Apparently emotions tie in closely with magic in this world, bad emotions backlash due to the influx of magic. I wondered what other forms of magic emotion could bring.

When I asked about the Oblong Tomb however, he didn't know, save the advise to ask one of his crew members by the name of Growl, a diamond dog I'm guessing.

I went back to the training room, the silence inside becoming a bit of a niche for me, giving me some time to recover and recollect my thoughts. After a while I could feel my muscles starting to unwind and repair themselves, as if they were stitching themselves back together with even stronger thread. But I knew it would be a while before I could fully utilize my new muscle, until then I would resolve to staying off them for the time being.

I crossed my legs and sat in the very middle, recollecting the new knowledge I had gained in one day. The fact that my biology works differently now, somehow being able to consume massive amounts of calories in a single sitting, my body recovering faster than normal, as well as my endurance increased by one hundred fold. I couldn't help but wonder:

'What's happening to me?' Was it really like Eol and Blackfire said: that I had superior genetics among other creatures simply because of the choice of the creature I chose to be? Or was it something different, something much more important that I haven't even begun to grasp, much less understand to the full extent of my knowledge. It was unsettling to know that two people know more about what I am than me.

Even so, the possibilities that opened up to me could now be explored more intimately. Blackfire mentioned that I was a creature that excelled in speed, but haven't even reached a fraction of my full potential, no, not even a millionth was what he said. I was reaching my max speed for more than an hour, something biologically improbable by modern standards. Regardless, I had to keep an open mind about this. I kept reminding myself of my predicament: I was still, after all, in a world based off of a children's television show. Anything is possible.

I made it one of my goals to find out how far anything extended to. Right now however, I felt relieved. I had a heading, a destination, one I would soon make my way to. I needed to find Growl.

A rustle brought my attention to a shaded alcove nearby, on instinct, I threw a dagger at the corner of the alcove.

"Show yourself..." The figure stepped out from the cover of shadow. He looked taller than Ubi and Eol, tall and sleek, fur spiked at the edge of his muzzle, tufted ears. He looked at me with a firm gaze, but didn't speak. I relaxed my hand and went back to thinking. After a few moments he spoke.

"Do you always throw knives at people?" he asked.

"My apologies, I guess I'm a bit on edge..." I looked back at him, he started to go back to the shadows, "If you don't mean any harm, don't be shy..." He stopped and looked back at me, finally deciding to sit down across from me, whittling a wooden figurine just out of view.

"Does it remind you of home?"

"Yes..." he answers without looking away from his carving." I studied the carving closely, it was of another diamond dog, looking just like him except more muscular.

"I wish I had something to remind me of home..." I didn't have anything, left behind photographs and pictures I used to draw. But I remembered it all the same, down to the very last detail. He glanced at me.

"Where did you live?" He asked before going back to carving.

"It was a small house, in the hither lands, close enough that we could smell the ocean air." I hid my arms within my sleeves, a habit of mine.

"We were poor, not really able to afford any luxuries, but somehow, each day, I knew my parents would be able to make ends meet." I sighed, "It wasn't a castle or even a manor, but to me, it was home..." I closed my eyes, "And you?"

"A small warren. Deep underground, not much to say about it." He paused, claw hovered over the figurine. "It was plain... ugly..." I gave a slight chuckle.

"Same with my old room. When we moved in my dad complained about the crumbling drywall in my room." I laid back onto the ground, an all too familiar wave of nostalgia filling my thoughts, "One day, dad brought home buckets of paint cans and we would spend our free time painting on the bare walls." I remembered the childish designs we painted: barnyard animals, fish in the sea, all to wipe it over with whitewash and start with another design.

"We finally settled on one design, a painting of our family. My dad made a living as a freelance artist, so he would paint all sorts of things, from landscapes to portraits. When we were finished, it looked like a masterpiece." I felt a bit embarrassed, reminded of my amateurish backgrounds stood behind the life-like forms my dad painted. "The next day, I said to my dad that I wanted to do the next wall by myself. Heh, We had to spend the rest of the next day scraping paint off of me, because I had splattered paint all over the wall, trying to imitate how dad did abstract art. I could see why those paintings never really sold very well." I looked back at the diamond dog, he started to hold the figurine tight against his chest.

"I tried to make where we lived beautiful, but... father despised it." His voice turned rash, "He repeatedly scolded me, yelling, 'Any time you waste on these useless sculptures could be served better digging for gems!'" I was taken aback.

"He must have meant well, didn't he?"

"I do not know..." He scraped a few flakes off the statue, "If he did, he never made it apparent." He turned the statue once over in his hand before grasping it tightly, "All was well, 'til eight years ago. Ours was a smaller clan, and our Alpha, my father, was slain by a rival. Etch and I were enslaved for seven years. nine months ago, Griffin slew an entire troupe and struck fear in their hearts. He demanded the release of all slaves, which included us." It made sense.

"So that's why you travel with him..." I sat back up again, "My condolences for losing your father..."

"That is... alright. I have moved past it. I have a new father now, and a new name at that."

"And that is?"

"Growl, I assume it is because my voice is deep and gravely, and to those I speak to, it sounds as though I am growling. Rather fitting." He blew off a few more flakes, "And yours?"

"Aoi Myoujin. In my tongue it means Blue Stranger. Rather arbitrary, isn't it..."

"You are rather strange, I've never seen anydog dressed like you, but unless you are always sad, I do not see how it fits either."

"You're on the money with that one... 20 years, I've felt nothing but hate and sadness all my life, so yeah, I guess you could say I'm 'blue'."

"So it isn't arbitrary..." He squinted a bit to chisel in a minute detail, "Don't worry yourself too much over names. After all, what is a name but what someone else calls you? What matters is what YOU call yourself." He had a knack for the arts, I had to give him that much, "So Aoi... who are you?"

I thought to myself a bit before answering, pondering on who I really was, "I'm many things... Killer, Brother, Assassin, Protector..." I sigh, "Even orphan..."

"Then you have many names... My captain has several, and he seems to add them arbitrarily as well: Pirate, hate-seed, kin of the silent wolf, demon bird, liberator, smooth criminal. Some are given to him by others, and some he made for himself. He rarely uses them all, except when silencing a noble who needs to learn to hold his tongue. The captain can uses as many names as he likes... however..." His expression melts to one of sadness, "The title of orphan that many hold... it is a painful one to bear..."

"Too right," I bring my knees up to my chest, burying my muzzle into my arms, "But the title I'm most concerned about is the title of Lunar Legend." The mention of the name brings a shock to his face.

"Then, you are the one from the prophecy?"

"Surprised? I was when I heard it myself. It was too sudden, too coincidental. I've started to get the feeling that when so many unlikely things happen, you stop believing in coincidence. So tell me... what do you think of the prophecy?"

"I never took much stock in it. The world is what you make of it, waiting for a prophecy to come true is pointless unless one makes it happen themselves."

"Heh, Eol told me that other diamond dogs lost their lives because they thought they were the Lunar Legend, then he told me it was more of a species thing. From his books, I fit the bill down to the anatomical proportions. As far as biology's concerned, I'm now 100% bona fide wolf." I pull down the sleeve of my dobuku to show my undersized paw compared to Diamond Dogs. Growl chuckled.

"Until the captain heard of you, he intended to free the diamond dogs, then simply howl at the moon so the prophecy would be fulfilled, and the stubborn council elders would accept him."

"Council Elders?"

"Council Elders, Prophets, Oracles, call them what you may, they are the oldest living pure bloodline, and they're the ones who scribed the prophecies. Only their descendants can verify the completion or aversion of prophecies to be written into history. Anything not confirmed by them is universally considered blasphemy."

"I see..."

"By now, the elders are probably raising their hackles now that news of your return has reached Gem Fido. Most likely, you will be visited by one of the elders themselves."

"But wait, if the Elders are in control, then why have the clans been in such disrepair."

"I never said that they were in control. They have absolutely no say in clan workings, those are left to the Sirius."

"Sirius?"

"Leader of all the clans, the strongest diamond dog. Only the fool hardy dare challenge him, out of all of us, he has the closest ties with lycan ancestry. However, he's left us in such shambles, some debate whether or not he's even still alive, with the other Alpha's simply covering up his death."

"Hmm... I guess we'll find out soon enough..." I stretch before heading to dinner, "Before I forget though, I wanted to ask about the Oblong Tomb, Griffin says you might have heard of it." His face turned pale as soon as the name left my mouth.

"If you value your life, do not enter the Oblong Tomb."

"Why?" He leaned in close.

"Some clans still hold a strong rumour that the Oblong Tomb is... haunted."

"Haunted?"

"Whispers among the clans tell of Diamond dogs that entered the Tomb, and never came back out. It was said to have been the warren of Varg himself."

"Who is Varg?"

"Varg was the last of the remaining wolves. Legend has it that after his death, his clan fought for supremacy and wiped themselves out. But recently, starting about a hundred years ago, there have been... stirrings around the warren, like a clan was still inside, as if everything was normal. But all attempts to investigate have failed. Some even say that Varg himself rose from the dead."

Ghosts, undead wolves, haunted warrens, I was beginning to think that The Oblong Tomb was hiding more than it let off.

"Thank you for your concern, but I have to go, it's the only lead I have at the moment. Besides, If Varg really has come back from the dead, maybe I could have a one on one chat with him, maybe even get him to help." I stood up to go to dinner.

"It was nice talking to you Growl, maybe we'll meet again sometime."

"May your roads be paved with many gems," he said before disappearing back into his alcove. I waved back.

After dinner, I decided to go to bed early, having spend the entire day strenuously pushing my body to the very limit. But my dreams had other plans for me.

As sleep overtook me, time flowed backwards, reliving events that all swept past me in the blink of an eye. It was like the dream in Canterlot, and I feared what would happen next.

I was relieved to find myself not back in my penthouse apartment, but rather in my old house, the one by the sea. I smelt the warm salty air of the sea breeze rushing through the open windows, heard the slight creaking of the dilapidated oak shutters, felt the smooth woven tatami mats beneath my feet. I was back home, back where I started.

I loved it here, over two decades ago. It was my haven, the place where everything was absolutely perfect. It didn't matter that it wasn't a castle, or a manor, or even a condo. It was a small house, with just us. I wouldn't renovate it for the world. I pulled up a small chair, sitting at the dining room table. Straight across from where I sat was a window, over looking the rest of the hinterlands, spanning all the way to the seascape horizon. The view was magnificent, from where I sat, I could watch the whole world go by, and take it all in bit by bit like drops of paint on a canvas that formed a rich masterpiece, all from a window in a small house, on a small hill, with a small family living inside.

I laid my head down on the table and stroked the grain of the furnished pine. I remembered eating all my favorite dishes here: Shark fin soup, somen, steamed dumplings... even the occasional dessert of tiramasu or danko. I licked my lips, wanting to taste those longed for meals that I used to enjoy with mom and dad.

A plate was placed in front of me, laden with skewers of danko. Surprised by the sudden appearance, I looked up, following the hand that was serving me, to meet my mother's soft gaze and loving smile. I stood up with tears in my eyes, immediately wrapping my arms around her, overjoyed to finally see her again. As soon as I did though, my arms seemed to melt right through her, the entire room collapses around me, wisps of smoke cascading down the dark trenches of my consciousness, tearing me back to reality in a painful reawakening.

I lie there, tightly clutching my blanket, which had started to bear amorphous stains of red. I sighed, pulling the covers closer to my body, but I still felt cold. Wet droplets of blood trickled down my face onto the pillow where my head was resting. I lamented the fact that haunted me when I awoke:

'It was just a dream...'