This is an awesome picture done by the very amazing talented  furrybob

I decided to write a quick little story to go along with it. The great  grizsylverwing happily makes a guest appearance. Hope y'all like it!

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The soft clicking of his claws on the worn stone floor echoed off the crumbling walls of the ancient ruins making it sound like a series of small pebbles were striking the ground constantly. A slightly louder crack sounded out after every other step as the butt of his staff struck the ground. The tall figure wandered through the dilapidated structure for several long minutes as he navigated his way through the maze of twisting passages and long abandoned rooms. Every now and then the darkness of the interior was broken by dull beams of light that shone in from broken sections in the ceiling. The rest of the time the halls were lit by the single torch that he carried in his free paw.

The flickering flame sent strange and misshapen shadows dancing over the uneven surfaces. The figure paused at the entrance to a large chamber. A set of double doors blocked his path, the wood rotted in a few places but for the most part the heavy door was intact. Looking around he spotted a metal bracket set into the wall by the door. Placing the torch into the bracket he ran his paw over the rough wood of the door studying it closely.

The flickering light reflected slightly off the pale white half mask that covered the right side of the figures face along with a small metal earring set into his pointed right ear; a symbol was etched into the metal of the dog-tag-like earring that looked like a dragon with its wings unfolded, in the centre of the dragon’s body was the depiction of the yin-yang.

A pair of dull white horns protruded from the top of the figures head which curved and pointed behind him. The black fur that covered his body absorbed the light from the torch. A long jacket hung from his shoulders, the bottom resting just a few inches above his ankles. Under the jacket he wore a simple white shirt and blue jeans.

As he studied the door he noticed a series of pictographs carved into the wood, the meaning of which was lost on him. Raising his left eyebrow, a set of three spiked piercings shifting with the movement, he mumbled to himself a series of words in a strange language.

As he spoke a flicker of dull red light began to emanate from the carved ruins set into his staff. After a moment the light began to fade. Snorting to himself his flicked his long bushy tail and grabbed hold of the thick metal ring set into the door. With a heavy grunt he began to pull the door open, confident that there weren’t any traps set into the wooden barrier blocking his way.

Once the door was open enough for him to slip through, he grabbed the torch and proceeded into the chamber beyond. The room was filled with golden light from the midday sun, large sections of the roof had broken and crumbled down littering the ground with dozens of massive boulders bigger than he was. Several smaller shards of rock were scattered along the floor forcing him to watch his footing less he step on a jagged piece and cut his bare foot paws.

It took nearly ten minutes for him to navigate the room. Once he had crossed the majority of the chamber he spied his goal. Set at the far back of the room was a large decorated altar. He knew from his research that in the glory days of the building hundreds would come from all corners of the land to bow and worship before this once holy place. The exact nature of some of their practices had been lost over the ages but what was recorded told of offerings of gold and other treasures in the hope that the old gods would bless them with good fortune.

As he reached the platform that the altar rested on he spied a medium sized statue made out of a worn material, some kind of rock that he didn’t recognize. Slots set into the stone showed that at one point jewels had been adorned the statue however they had been pilfered long ago probably by grave robbers or bandits. He wasn’t worried about the idol however, his goal had nothing to do with it. The item he was searching for was far more valuable than gems or gold.

Small trinkets littered the altar and the floor around it. The un-valuable items that thieves had no interest in since they were not made of gold or silver. Setting the torch down on the ground he leaned his staff against the altar and began rummaging through the piles. He spotted countless small polished stones along with jewellery made from amethyst crystals. A stray pearl rolled off the platform and struck the stone by his right foot paw with a slight clack.

He made no move to pick it up as he spied a number of rolled up scrolls and faded parchments. Carefully he began to sort through the papers, spending a full minute skimming the contents of each looking for the item he had been sent for. To his dismay he was unable to locate what he wanted.

A low rumbling growl escaped his throat and he bared his sharp teeth as he grew more and more frustrated at his failure. Finally after he had examined the last parchment and scroll and still hadn’t found what he was looking for he roared in anger and with one swipe of his paws threw every item from the altar down onto the ground. He stood breathing heavily as he tried to get his anger under control.

“It’s not here!” He growled to himself.

By all accounts it was supposed to be there. He had been given a confirmed report that it was there, but even so it wasn’t. He had to wonder if someone had made it there before him and taken it. If that was the case though he was sure he would've found some clue of others being there recently. But he hadn’t seen a single foot print or any other sign. Grumbling to himself he picked up his staff and torch and stormed out of the chamber, this time not caring about the sharp rocks and as a result he ended up with a number of cuts and scrapes along the bottom of his foot paws.

It took him less time to get back to the entrance of the crumbling ruins than it had getting to the central chamber. As he exited the building he threw his torch to the ground and was satisfied to hear it splash in a small puddle that had collected next to the door. It wasn’t until he reached the bottom of the long staircase that lead up to the main door that his temper cooled enough to allow him to notice that things weren’t as they should be.

The normal chatter of wildlife that had surrounded the area when he first arrived was strangely absent. Also, as his nose twitched as he scented a strange series of smells hanging in the air. Before he could put all this information together however the sound of dozens of heavy footsteps filled the air along with shouts and laughter as a group of over twenty individuals came bursting from the trees that circled the building.

The group consisted of furs from a number of species. He was quickly able to identify several large Lions, a couple of canines, a gorilla or two and dozens of hyenas. Naturally it was the Hyenas that the high pitched laughter was coming from. As the group stood before him effectively blocking his path he watched as one figure pulled away from them and stood further ahead of the rest. A wolf similar in build to himself although with a fur pattern of grey and brown stood smirking at him his arms crossed over his chest.

“Well well… look what we got here.” The other wolf said. “Looks like we’ve got a little pup who's lost his way!”

At his words the rest of the group behind him started to laugh mockingly. Trying not to show how annoyed he was at being halted he carefully spread his arms to the side showing that he was unarmed, with the exception of his staff.

“I didn’t come for trouble and I’m really not in the mood for a fight right now. Just step aside and let me be on my way and no one will get hurt!”

The other wolf let out a loud bark of laughter that was instantly echoed by the group behind him.

“Those are some big words for a little pup like you!” The grey and brown wolf said. “Normally I like bravery, especially from someone of my own species. Unfortunately, you’ve stepped into my territory and I can’t very well let that slide now can I? I’ll tell you what though, hand over whatever you took from that building and come along quietly and I might tell my boys to go easy on you.”

Baring his fangs he lowered his arms. “Not gonna happen! Besides, I’ve got a deadline to meet and no third rate group of thug wannabees is going to make me miss it!”

The other wolf’s eyes hardened and he snarled. “In that case, I’m done playing games with you, you son of a bitch!” The wolf snapped his fingers and a roar erupted from the group behind him.

Sighing heavily he settled back into a slight crouch. His long jacket flapped out behind him as he settled into the fighting stance he had been taught. Tightening his grip on his staff he raised his right paw above his head slightly. His palm open and his fingers curled slightly. Taking in a deep breath he gathered his willpower and focused himself.

The ruins on his staff began to glow brighter and brighter until the whole length of wood seemed to be shining with the light. He saw a flicker of fear and unease in the eyes of several of the group charging at him. The sight made him smirk wickedly.

“Y’all looking for trouble!?” He shouted. “We’ll congratulations! You just found it!”

As the last word left his muzzle a spark popped in his raised right paw. A second later a blazing ball of black and red fire erupted into life suspended several inches above his paw pads. The fear he had seen in their eyes evolved into looks of utter terror as he rushed forward meeting them head on. A yell tearing from his snarling jaws as the flame in his paw erupted into an inferno of brilliant power.

Over an hour later the black furred wolf stumbled through the doors of the large house. His fur was ruffled and singed in places whilst his clothing was dirty and torn. Several rips and holes adorned his long jacket effectively destroying the garment. Closing the door behind him the wolf sighed and rested his staff against the wall by the door. Trudging through the halls of the house he came to the doors of a large study, a thick oaken desk set in the far back of the room with a sturdy black chair set behind it.

A massive figure rested in the chair. Forest green scales shone brightly on his hide as two massive wings, one green and one silver rested half open on his back. A pair of ridged horns protruding from the crown of his head. A thick greying beard lined his jaw and on the bridge of his snout a pair of spectacles. In one large paw he held a smouldering pipe while in the other he held a worn leather bound book.

As the wolf entered the figure looked up a small smile on his face as if nothing about the wolf’s appearance seemed out of the norm.

“Shade, it’s about time you got back. I was expecting you here an hour ago.”

The wolf growled and pulled off the tattered remains of his long jacket and threw it onto the desk in front of the large dragon. He raised his brow slightly as he looked at the destroyed jacket.

“That’s not quite what I sent you out to get…” The dragon said in a mild amused tone.

“Yeah… no shit.” Shade replied moving over to a small table set by a large fire place.

Picking up a decanter filled with amber liquid he poured himself a glass and drained it. “It wasn’t there. I looked all over the place for it but it wasn’t there. On top of that! When I got outside I was ambushed by a group of bandits.” He glared at the dragon and snorted. “I’m assuming you sent them?”

The large dragon marked his place in the book and set it down. Slowly rising to his feet he opened a drawer on the desk and pulled out a worn and beaten scroll of parchment. Shade glared at the scroll and growled.

“Well, I’m at least happy to see that you were able to realize part of your lesson.” The dragon said. “But judging by the state of you, you failed to grasp the lesson in its entirety.”

“And pray tell Master. What exactly would that lesson be?”

The dragon shook his head and mumbled something about thick headed pups needing more training. With an internal moan Shade hung his head knowing what that meant. Looking at the clock on the wall he saw that it was just turning midnight. He geared himself up for another sleepless night as the large dragon was sure to spend the rest of the night beating some kind of lesson into him