Lastly

Aura stood outside the gates of a large, fancy house in the middle of nowhere. Earlier that day, Dash had come back saying that the black cat of Eriols had flown into the woods and asked him to deliver a message. That Eriol wanted to meet Aura. That she should meet him at his house and he would explain the strange attacks of late.

Aura's fur was bristling all over. Kero stood beside her in his large form. Yue was on her other side looking vague. Aura led them in.

-

"But we threw a surprise party last time!" Ruby complained.

Eriol rubbed the scratch he had gotten yesterday. "Somehow," he said, "I don't think she'll be in the mood for a surprise."

-

Aura slunk through the house wearily. Her ears swiveled about constantly, checking for danger. Her nose twitched and sniffed continuously. Her eyes darted this way and that.

The guardians looked a little dazed.

They were caught up in returning memories. The décor was the same as his house, back when he lived in Japan as a boy. Back when he had Sakura changing the cards. Back in the days they had been forced to forget.

"Aura," Kero murmured as he gazed about, "I think I had a memory block. I'm remembering an adventure like these ones back before the plague."

Aura stopped looking around and turned her gaze to Kero. "Do you now? What all do you remember then?" she asked. Before Kero could offer an explanation, they found themselves in a long dining room.

Eriol sat at the end of a long table. Near the far wall were Spinnel and Ruby. Spinnel was lying down; Ruby was leaning against the wall. At least, it smelled like them. They both looked different then she had seen them.

At the table, a small meal sat in front of them. Most of it was meat. Aura sniffed the air, but neither pulled up a seat, nor went near any of the food. She stood in the doorway and watched Eriol very wearily.

Kero didn't have nearly that much reservation and leaped into the seat at the opposite end of the table. Now that he had his memories back, he didn't see a trap or danger in piling meat onto a small plate. He snatched the few sweets off the table and began to stuff his face.

Aura turned to watch him. When he didn't fall over dead from a booby trap, she apparently decided it was safe enough to take a seat. She still didn't touch any of the food. She turned to watch Eriol, waiting for some sort of explanation.

-

Eriol watched everyone settle. Kero's table manners had regressed father than they had been before, Eriol observed. At least last they had met, Keroberos had the decency to use a fork instead of his paws. Oh well.

He could see Aura wouldn't be the one to start conversation, so he began. "You no doubt want to know why I've been causing all this mischief for you over this past few months,"

Aura nodded and continued to watch him.

So Eriol began to explain. He explained that the cards had to be changed. He explained how changing them without a reason with her power levels was dangerous. He explained that he had planned this so that the cards would be able to change and survive under their new master and that she could change them with as little risk as possible. He looked back at Aura as he finished his explanations.

"So you planned the whole thing out from the start?" she asked, closing her eyes and facing the opposite wall.

"Yes. Like I said, I had to use those attacks so you could change the cards."

"You planned everything? Every plot and attack?"

Eriol nodded.

"You planned everything? The vines with leaves that attacked when I changed Fight?"

Eriol nodded and smiled. Aura continued.

"When you summoned a rock golem and I used Create to defeat it?"

"Yes."

"The leaves when I changed wood?"

"Yup,"

"And the river that flew into the sky on the day I changed snow?"

Kero was suddenly tense. Maybe even panicked. Why would he be tense? Eriol wondered. In answer to Aura's question, he answered, "Yes."

In that instant Aura lunged at him. She howled and began to dig deep scratches all across him. Kero leaped over and grabbed her scruff in his teeth, yanking her off of Eriol. She howled and yowled even louder.

Spinnel and Ruby were at his side, blocking Aura from getting near him. Kero wrestled Aura into the floor, using his weight to pin her down. He was roaring at her, trying to get her attention. Aura squealed and screeched, digging long scratches into the floor as she tried to get away from Keroberos. Eriol watched the scene in shock.

-

"Aura, get a grip on yourself!" Kero roared at her. Aura scrambled under his paws.

"Get Off!" She yowled, "That bastard killed my pack! I'll kill him! Get OFF!" She screamed. Kero put more weight on her as she writhed under his paws.

"Get a grip! It was probably an accident-"

"He just said he planned everything!" She roared.

"I don't think he knows! I don't think he knows they're dead!"

"He knows, or I wouldn't have new wolves in the woods! He's not that dumb!"

"I don't think he could tell one batch of wolves from the other! Why can't you just ask or something!"

"Let go! Get OFF!" She screeched, turning and taking a swipe at his nose. Kero reared in surprise and Aura was off in a shot. He grabbed her tail, rolling her over and trying to get his grip on her again.

Aura slid out of his reach, but she was on the wrong side. Kero now stood between her and Eriol. She snarled and shook with rage.

"He… that bastard… H-he k-killed my pack!" She growled, tears running down her muzzle. Kero reached out a paw to comfort her, but she turned and fled. She fled from the room, the house, and the area.

Kero watched form a window as she tore off out the gates, headed for the deepest stretches of woods.

Eriol looked at the fleeing chimera. "What," he asked Kero, "was all that about?"

Kero looked sadly at him. "You really have no idea, do you."

"No. I don't think so. What…?"

Kero lowered his face from the window and began to explain. About the ranchers and the wolves. How the wolves had taken a few sheep and alerted the ranches to their presence. How Aura had known ahead of time that the ranchers were going to get rid of the wolves, so she had moved them into the wildlife preserve a few more miles back. How when she learned the ranchers turned poachers were still after them, she had flown to warn her pack to get out of there.

And then about the river attack that made her too late to save them.

"I didn't see what happened," Kero continued, "Yue was hurt and I stayed to make sure he got on okay. But when I got there was blood, no wolves. Aura said the poachers had gotten to them first. Just barely…"

Eriol looked sad. "Oh…" he whispered, "I had no idea. I didn't even know that…"

"I should probably go try to find Aura." Keroberos said, walking out of the room with Yue close behind.

---

Aura was lying on her bed moodily. Kero and Yue had just come back a little while ago. And when Kero had seen the mood she was in, he had said,

"He really didn't know. He says he's sorry, and I really think he is. He wasn't malicious last time we met, some years ago. I don't think he is now. So please don't go after him or anything like that,"

So now she was stewing angrily in her room. Kero was on friendly terms with this guy, so she couldn't really sneak in and kill him later. Kero would be sad. But she sure didn't want that brat in her territory. Or casting spells around it.

And if he killed a pack once, it might happen again.

But if she killed him Kero would be mad. 'And Yue already thinks I'm a bit off the deep end, as it is' she added to herself.

So basically, there was a threat she couldn't take out, and it was in her territory. Kero looked up as if to say something. She glared at him, and he closed his mouth again.

Yue was a bit braver though. "Holding a grudge won't get you anywhere. Neither will glaring at Kero."

She shot Yue the same look, but he seemed completely immune which just made her mood worse.

"Why don't you just go to sleep and try to forget it for now?" Kero suggested.

Aura huffed, rolled over and closed her eyes. She might think of a way out tomorrow.

---

Aura's ears pricked at a tapping from the window. She lifted her head and saw Spinnel at the window. As soon as Spinnel saw her wake, he slipped a note under the window and took off.

Kero walked over and slid the note into the room. He opened it and read it.

"It's a note form Eriol," he said. Aura growled, but he continued, "He says he's really sorry about your pack, and will apologize himself. He'll be around the small grassy area near the edge of the small roads area."

Aura stretched her head forward to read for herself. It was true. She knew the area he was talking about. The sandy floors that bordered the north east of the woods. A small meadow clearing near a tangle of dirt roads.

Her territory again! Was he trying to rub it in that she couldn't do anything to him? Or was he just not thinking?

She wondered.

---

The next day Aura was slinking across her territory towards the meadows. An apology was useless to her, but it occurred to her that if he was really trying to get back on her 'good side' (Which was NOT going to happen) then he might agree to a truce on her terms. She was slinking through the grasses, looking for the wizard. She spotted him and stalked closer.

He saw her and looked uncertain weather to stand there, wave or come over. She came closer. He was just across a small brook from her. She raised her head over the grasses and watched him. He looked about ready to apologize, but she didn't really want to hear it. She said as much.

"I don't want any sort of apology. Those don't do any good to me. But if you're trying to get off my bad side, stay out of my territory. That would be the woods up to the mountain peaks, and to the plains, and the city from the orphanage to the school area. The surrounding fields there too. And the canyons to the west. If you stay out of my territory, and don't try casting any spells over them, I won't go after you. And leave all my pack mates completely alone. If I do catch you in my territory, I'm gonna kill you. I don't want to see your guardians near my territory either. They'll be attacked too." She said. Eriol looked a bit taken aback, but nodded.

"Good," she said, and stalked off back to the woods.

Spinnel floated next to Eriol. "Well, " Spinnel said, "considering how things were yesterday, I'd say that went rather well."

… TBC?

((A/N : no, not a very happy ending. IF I feel like writing little stories of life after, I'll post them. But they'd be when felt like returning to this fan fic. So they wouldn't probably be too frequent or very plot filled. Just FYI, Don't hold your breath for more))