(Title)

Key: gg=good guy bg=bad guy np=neutral person

Main CharactersB Shade Darkblade- Evil guy trying to save illegal animals (bg)

G Alyss Lightheart- Lightning/Ice Spellcaster person who likes Shade (np)

B Harphinx Upofolies-Head of the Alcatrugans, also person after Shade (gg)

G Oriana- Alcatrugan Executioner of Illegal Animals (EIA) also a person who likes Shade (gg)

B Dvero- Mysterious old man that is an experienced swordsman, retired to be Shade’s weapon maker (bg)

G Uklana - Spearwoman that tracks animals for Shade (bg)

G Alvaria-

G Rosaline Sverkof - Teenage girl from human world

B Jack Oscars - Guy who likes Rosaline

B Owen Hiro - One of Jack’s and Rosaline’s friends that they (separately) talk to a lot

G Louise Sverkof –Rosaline’s mom

B Steven Hiro -Owen’s father

B Robert Oscars -Head of Police: Havern, also Jack’s father

G Amanda Sverkof -Rosaline’s younger sister

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! “If that’s all you can do Darkblade, then you better change your name!” shouted Dvero. Shade gritted his teeth against the resonance in his sword’s hilt. “Argh!” he yelled back as he charged Dvero. Dvero laughed menacingly with an evil grin. “Do your worst.” He taunted. On and on this went till they were both tired. “Phew, good work out, eh?” Shade said. “Work out? You mean that little warm up?” Dvero questioned. Shade simply groaned. After they were both exhausted, more so Shade than Dvero, they took a walk through the armory. “What now?” Shade asked. “More training!” Dvero barked. Shade decided to grab his bow and head out to the range. Dvero quickly interrupted, “Oh no not that one, this one.” as he chucked a heavy ironwood bow. Shade’s shoulders felt like they were going to drop off but, he toiled on, lest the flat of Dvero’s sword hit him on the seat.

When they finally reached the range, Shade fell straight on the floor matted with hay. SMACK! Shade howled in pain and got up quickly. Dvero was sitting quietly at the table polishing his blade and watched Shade in small amusement. Shade decided to hurry up and get the archery training over with and quickly. He notched his arrow and took his shot. It struck the target slightly off center about a centimeter or two. Dvero shook his head. Angrily, Shade notched another arrow and when he had shot it, it got stuck in the shaft of the previous arrow. Rapidly, he kept at his firing till his quiver was empty. Dvero looked at the target and looked back at Shade, “Need some more work.” Shade walked over to the target 50 meters away and retrieved his arrows. Preparing to shoot again, Dvero interjected, “Hold your bow a centimeter higher and two over to the left. Better shot then.” Shade rolled his eyes and did what his teacher had said. Firing, he saw his teacher had been right.

Eventually, three hours later, they were done for the day, with Shade dripping with sweat over his lean frame and Dvero still thinking of ways to build Shade’s endurance. “Head back to the showers. Change. Sleep. Prepare for more training.” Dvero said blankly. Shade fell, once again, into the hay pile and got up quickly before his Dvero could grab his sword to swat him. Too late. SMACK! And yet another cry of pain. “Get going boy before I grab something denser.” Dvero replied as he was reaching for an even bigger sword. Shade ran quickly back to the showers and changed into a clean tunic and pants. Hopping into bed, he stared out the window before he fell asleep in his bed. Now what Shade had been looking at was all the animals he, with Dvero’s guidance, had recovered from the Alcatrugans before they had been terminated. Of course Shade couldn’t rescue all the animals, but he had made quite a large dent in the Illegal Zoo. As Shade slept, he dreamed of a girl that kept on recurring through his dreams lately. She whispered that she would be coming…

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