Painful as it is to say, we all got captured. Jake was being restrained heavily to prevent him from squirming, as was his sister Gab. The moment we were surrounded, we tried to escape... but they instantly overpowered us and disarmed Gab. I tried to resist as well but I couldn't. My arms hurt from how bad they were holding them behind my back. My eyes dart around a bit to see what happened to Shade, only to see her wrapped around burnt robes and dragged by the big red salamander guy.

We were forcibly escorted to their camp and I started to see what Shade meant by weird smells. Something in the air just reeked of metalic dust and sulfur. One of the cultists called out, "Horace! We got them. What do you want us to do with them?"

The one named Horace came out of one of the tents and I can see his dark fur spark from the nearby flames of the campfire they had going. "Keep them under lockdown. We begin the ritual at night. And I want everything on them taken away. Clothes, weapons, everything."

One of the painted thugs walked up to Horace and pulled out the statue that Gab and I had. "What in the... where did you find this?" The thug leans in closer and speaks to him in a barely audible tone. My ears twitch a bit as I could barely catch everything, but one thing for certain is that what was spoken wasn't native to these lands. Horace's head moves and locks eyes with Gab and I. "So, these kids also stole this from that shopkeeper?" He then turns around, his shadowy hand snakes out from his robe and grabs the statue before walking back towards the tent he was in. "Good work. I'll see that you two are paid well for this. You are dismissed until further notice."

The thug nods before coming back to the main group and his partner nods. "Come on you, move!" The woman holding onto me starts dragging my body towards one of the tents as Jake and Gab have already been taken into it. My eyes dart around as I could not see where the salamander went with Shade.

Jake and Gab were getting feisty too when the cultists started stripping them of their clothing. Jake ends up biting one of them as they grabbed ahold of his pants. "You damn brat. Knock it off!" Jake tried to get another bite in before a loud firm slap echoes in the tent as the cultist trying to strip him gives a bitch slap to the face. He falls to the floor and tries to hold back tears from the slap.

As he is stripped down, I look at Gab and they had already gotten her naked. Probably should have worn more than just a hoodie, but she at this point was submitting from seeing her brother get outright assaulted. Fear was already taking place in all of us to what they are going to do to us.

I was next to be stripped down and I quietly complied by letting them get all my clothes off. "These ones are more cooperative. Usually they fight back more." Jake was picked up off the ground and we were dragged out of this tent and moved into another one that had a large metal cage. One of them opened the door and forcibly threw us in with little remorse.

Jake and Gab get up off the floor as soon as the door shuts and locked. They both start looking around the cage and started to freak out slightly. "Get use to this for your last moments cats. Your tribute to the ritual will be a blessing to this world."

Getting up off the cage floor, I cover my breasts with my arms and back myself into the edge of the cage facing the tent lining. Two cultist stood at the gate and just glared at us. One of them watched as Gab started freaking out more and she curled up into a ball, tears running down her face as the fear grew stronger. "Such a same though. The tiger one looks cute."

"Yes, I know. But strict orders to not violate the sacrifices still hold strong. Horace knows if it happens." The one watching Gab sighs before walking away. "I know, I know. I still remember what happened to Fenn, and I'd rather not have that happen to me." He then leaves the tent and the other keeps watch on us.

Time passes by what feels like an eternity. Jake and Gab had stuck close to each other for some time as to comfort one another. Not long after that the duo scooched their way to me as I was in full distraught. I didn't even know what was happening to my sister. What did they do with Shade?

The warmth from the two cats next to me was all that I could feel. If wasn't much comfort, but it was better than hanging on the loose thread of hopelessness that was upon us. "Hey, Kitsuno." My eyes drift slowly towards Jake as his hand reaches over onto mine. "I wanted to say sorry for being hostile when I caught you spying on us..."

Shaking my head, "Don't worry about it Jake. We planned that, just so we can find the statue you guys stole. Now I wish I never saw it..." He looks at me with concern, "What do you mean? Isn't it just a statue of some random woman?" A random woman yes... who looks just like me and my sister. It can't be a coincidence, no. I know that woman from somewhere. The problem was, where?

Jake shakes my hand, "Hey, stay with us Kitsuno. We'll get out of this one way or another." Gab had ahold of my tail and was cuddling against it like it was a security blanket. "Jake... how are we going to get out? There's too many of them..." Jake was about to say something but fell silent as the red bulky salamander Harvey walks into the tent. He had fresh robes on compared to his burnt ones from earlier and his eyes glared at us in the cage. He then looks to the guard who was asleep on the edge of the tent in a chair.

Harvey slaps his hand on his head before going over to the chair and forcing it forward to throw the guard out of her chair. "Wake up slut. We got work to do." The cultist lands on the ground hard and she slowly picks herself up. "Bah... straight to the point as always Harvey. This is why you are not on my list."

Harvey growls, "And I don't want that mouth of yours anywhere near my cocks. Wake up and get the sacrifices. Horace says it's time and that it is going to be the final one." The cultist freezes when she was opening the lock to the cage, as did we. "What do you mean by that Harvey? Why the sudden change in plans?"

"Horace said so. He didn't divulge any further. We already got the kitsune out there and the damn thing hasn't moved since we caught her." My stomach dropped as I fear for what happened to Shade. The cage opens and both her and Horace came in to grab us. The woman had ahold of me by my wrists as Harvey grabbed both cats by their necks. They struggled all the way until we were walked towards the large sigil outside.

My eyes widened as I saw Shade laying on the ground. She looked like she was in pain. Horace was standing in the center of the sigil and all the cultists and other thugs of the group surrounded the circle. "My fellow bretheren. We set out this journey to gather the essence of life in the people of this city. Our goal was to offer the essence to Marduk, one who ruled over the lands in ancient times. This world has not aged in his favor since his downfall as the people who defied him, the people who ruined him. Their blood runs rampant and free!"

He reach out in the air with both hands, "But no more! Tonight, we finally will bring forth our god with this offering. For this will give him the power to take back what is rightfully his!" Horace then lowers his hands and slowly walks away from the center of the sigil. "And what better way to give him the best offering, those with the blood that transcends time." He then points a shadowy finger at me. "This girl. She resembles the statue that was being harbored in this town. Legend tells of two kitsunes from ancient times that were powerful beings, yin and yang they were. Perfecting balance."

His hand lowers down before his gaze looks over towards my sister. "But alas, it seems we are only graced with one. The other kitsune that lays dormant is merely another magical being. One birthed by the olden ones with the abilities of illusions and trickery." Horace moves around and looks at the cultist holding onto me. "One mythical vessel however, will be enough to offer. The other will come to us another day." My body is forcibly moved into the sigil. Being inside the magic runes started burning something inside my body. Everything was starting to hurt.

"Witness as proof. Her blood runs strong as the sigil is calling forth her power." Something deep inside me was pulsating wildly. It... is trying to claw its way out. "In this hour, our moment of triumph is near. Now, Harvey. The honor is yours. Strike down the ancient one and relinquish our god from death once more!"

The cultist holding onto me forced me down on my knees and backed away. I couldn't move at all as the pain was unbearable. The only thing I could hear now was Harvey's footsteps as he approached behind me.

This was it...

.........

.....................

My visions starts to come back and I was being dragged by Jake. "Don't worry, we'll get you two out of here." We were moving slowly as my own weight had doubled from my body feeling limp and barely responsive. "J-Jake..."

He shakes his head as we kept moving. "Save your strength Kitsuno. You're in worse shape than Shade." Slowly moving my head, my eyes catch a glimpse of Gab holding Shade up by her shoulders. She was back in her normal form... I think?

Her eyes though... they looked. Empty. And behind us was a roaring fire. The heat was growing stronger as the flames crept closer. My vision started getting blurry again as I passed out.