Preface

Depa looked up at the sound of an owl's screech. She was more on edge than she had ever been before but, considering what had happened in the past forty-eight hours, she supposed she was allowed to be. Her beloved mate and all her friends back in Jedi Clan were dead, killed by a hunter and a devil dog. Until her dying day, she would never forget the piercing red eyes the devil dog had.

Something snuggled up against her and Depa looked down at her fourteen-year-old son Kanan. With his brown fur, blue eyes, and brown main and tail, he was the spitting image of his father. When the clan was attack, Depa's mate told her to take Kanan and run. Both mother and son managed to escape along with five others. One was Yoda, one of the clan's senior warriors who Depa's mate ordered to go with her and Kanan to protect them. The others were four other teenage chimera pups, two boys and two girls, her son's friends Kit, Plo, Aayla, and Shaak Ti.

A noise drew Depa's attention back to the cave entrance. A quick glance at Yoda told her that he had heard it, too.

"Other chimeras," the older warrior said.

As soon as he said that, four chimeras entered the cave, two adult males and two teenage females. One, the adult with orange fur and an orange main and tail, looked at them. Depa growled, wrapping her tail protectively around Kanan. Yoda growled as well position himself between Depa, Kanan, Kit, Plo, Aayla, and Shaak Ti and the four new comers in an attempt to protect them.

"We mean you no harm," the orange chimera said. "Were just looking for a place to rest."

Yoda glanced at Depa, being careful to keep the new comers in his line of sight. With the death of her mate, Depa was his leader now until Kanan was old enough in about five years. Depa got up and walked forward.

"You're welcome to stay here," she said.

The two pups immediately rushed forward and snuggled in with Kanan, Kit, Plo, Aayla, and Shaak Ti. Both seemed just as exhausted as they did and the two adults looked just as tired and on edge as Depa and Yoda were. Suddenly, Depa's brown eyes got wide. The three males turned to see what had caught her attention and their keen night vision picked up the shape of a devil dog off in the distance. Even in the dark, they could make out the red fur covering it and the black markings. When it turned it's head towards the cave, though too far away to see the chimeras or the cave, they could clearly make out a pair of yellow eyes.

"What's he doing this far south?" Depa said once the devil dog had left.

"No one knows but he's been moving steadily south ever since the hunts began," the blue chimera said.

"Many believe that he was driven out of his territory by the hunter and is now taking it out on the chimera clans," the orange one said. "He attacked our clan, Ryloth Clan, and killed everyone. Gobbie, Numa, my daughter Hera, and I were the only ones to escape."

The four adults exchanged a glance before looking towards the seven sleeping pups. If the two groups split up, they could never hope to keep them safe, not with the hunter and his devil dog still out there and this other devil dog in the area. They were going to have to work together to keep them safe.