Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ugh..." I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times, and was confused as I was lying in snow, just before I pushed myself up and sat on my knees as I rubbed my head.

"What happened?" I wondered, before my eyes widened in shock as I reached for my throat.

"My voice..." I trailed off, quickly digging through my pocket and taking out a mirror that I use when it came to shaving, and was shocked to see that I was my 25-year-old self.

"The fuck..." I trailed off in disbelief, then I heard monstrous roars behind me and turned just in time to see a pair of monsters dashing towards me.

"Shit!" I shouted before getting my M4 rifle, which was lying in the snow.

I've dealt with a lot over the decades, experienced different conflicts as a former member of SEAL Team Six, conducted many different highly classified operations as a former member of the CIA's Ground Branch and the NSA's 3rd Echelon and top-secret government program Alpha Protocol, and spent many years surviving against the undead that had come back to life to feast on the living while dealing with hostile survivors in a world where society collapsed.

After all of that, experiencing so much, nothing could prepare me for this new threat since they were dark and ugly motherfuckers while also being just as mean as I frantically got up, firing at the monsters with the bullets piercing their hide.

The monsters screeched in pain while I started running and didn't look back, hearing more of them showing up to no doubt make a meal out of me, so how the hell did I get here, and where is here? The last thing I remember was getting ambushed and shot before passing out from blood loss, which should've killed me.

Somehow, I'm alive and aged back to my mid-twenties while waking up in a snowy wasteland with ugly monsters trying to kill me, so survival was my priority since figuring out where I am and if there were people would come later.

As I kept running, I heard the monsters getting closer, so I spun around to fire a few shots to kill a few as I kept running for dear life while defending myself, just before I passed through an abandoned town that looked like it hadn't been populated for a long time.

More screeching erupted as monsters with wings started showing up, swooping down to try to get at me before I dove out of the way to use an old rusty car as cover, doing a magazine check in my rifle and swapping the half-empty mag for a fresh one.

I ran to one of the buildings and kicked the door in, sprinting inside as it looked to be what used to be a barber shop of some kind, though the amount of dust and rust showed that it wasn't a barber shop anymore, as one of the monsters came crashing through the window.

I reacted by shooting it a couple of times in the head, which killed it before I ran to the back and bashed a back door open, running through a couple of alleys as flying monsters landed into the alleys to chase after me.

I needed to find someplace secure right now to hole up in or those things were going to tear me to pieces, which would be a pretty shitty way to die since I've seen it happen to people who were killed by walkers.

Still, all I could do was keep running and hope that I could find a secure location to wait out these things, and I think I saw what used to be a military base in the distance, but I wasn't going to make it there while those flying monsters were still in the air.

I continued to run and shoot back at the monsters, beginning to get tired as my lungs were burning and my legs were starting to hurt from running so much during the past several minutes to close to an hour, and just when I was about to stop running and deal with the problem that was trying to kill me, I saw something that was up ahead.

It looked to be a massive facility of some kind that had been constructed into the mountain, but that didn't matter since it was better than nothing, and it looked sturdy enough to withstand a missile bombardment, so I sprinted my way toward it.

I prayed that there was a way inside, because as well-trained and experienced as I was, I couldn't do this forever since I'm getting tired and one mistake would get me killed, so I continued running to the facility while shooting back at the monsters.

I rolled out of the way of a flying monster that tried to swoop down to grab me, my rifle now empty, but I didn't have time to reload, so I pulled my Beretta M9 out of my leg holster and fired at the monsters as I searched for an entrance.

Thankfully, I found a large metal door and saw what seemed to be a console with a few buttons on it, prompting me to hurry over to try to get the door opened before I somehow managed to find the right button to activate the door.

The door let out a groan as it slowly slid open before the monsters charged all at once, somehow figuring out that their prey was getting away, so that indicated some kind of intelligence, and that was a problem for me as I was forced to move away from the door while killing a few monsters.

Once the door was opened up enough, I ran straight to the opening as I was exhausted and needed to get inside fast or those things would kill me, though one of them managed to catch me off guard by ramming into my side.

I was thrown into the wall near the opening and bounced off it, getting the breath knocked out of me and rendering me dazed as I groaned in pain, but I still had enough strength to raise my sidearm to keep firing at the monsters until the slide locked back.

Putting my M9 back into its holster and not having any time to reload, I got out my SPAS-12 shotgun from its holster on my back and started blasting any monster that got close as I was beginning to get cornered, just before my shotgun clicked empty.

I lowered my shotgun and saw more monsters coming before they started getting closer, though they were more cautious of me after I had killed so many of them, and I took out my combat knife to get ready to go down fighting.

Suddenly, I heard the screeches of monsters dying and war cries of people running out of the facility to start killing monsters with swords while exhaustion hit me hard, then I slid down onto my side and my vision started darkening as I saw someone approaching me but I couldn't make out their face because of my darkening vision, just before everything went black and I passed out.

'Christ...feel like shit,' I thought as I started to regain consciousness for the second time.

I assumed that what happened was nothing more than a bad dream as I woke up and went to open my eyes, then I saw that I was lying on a bed in a room in some unknown location, which made me instinctively reach for my rifle.

It was gone and so was my shotgun, my holstered M9, and my tactical vest, still on my person as my jacket and black ballcap wasn't on me at the moment so I was only wearing my grey t-shirt, black fingerless gloves, dark blue cargo pants with a belt, and black combat boots.

Feeling on edge and tense, I carefully got out of bed and went to take out my M9 so that I could reload it, then I held my sidearm as I looked around to study my surroundings before seeing a door that was nearby.

I also saw my hat on a desk and my jacket hanging on a chair in front of it, prompting me to head over to put them on as I was fully alert and heard footsteps approaching the door outside, making me quickly pick up my M9 to get ready.

I faced the door with my sidearm at the ready and the door opened before someone stepped inside, then I was completely taken off guard and not sure how to react, as the stranger was big with solid muscle while having a bit of a muscle gut, but it was the fur, tail, and head of a saint bernard that caught my attention as the stranger perked up once he saw me out of bed.

"Oh, you're awake! Good, I'm glad you are since everyone's been curious about you after we saved your life, and we've been worried about whether you were going to wake up or not," the dogman greeted with a smile, only I stared with eyes furrowed in bewilderment while wondering if I was still dreaming.

"So, how do you feel? You've been unconscious for a few days, so I came here to check on you to see how you were doing," the dogman said, and I managed to snap out of it.

"I'm, uh, fine," I said quietly, sounding awkward since I had no idea how to have a conversation with this thing.

"Great, when you feel up to it, meet me out in the hallway and I'll give you a tour of Shelter," the dogman told me before he started to leave, only to pause and look back.

"Oh, and my name is Burry. It's good to meet you, stranger," Burry said before he left the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

'Shelter? Must be the name of this place,' I thought while pondering what to do next.

I didn't know what to make of this since this was completely new territory for me, and Burry wasn't reacting to my M9 being out and ready to threaten him, so was he not afraid of it? Either way, I couldn't let my guard down, so I'll have to approach this cautiously to make sure that I'm not being lured into a false sense of security.

Preparing myself for what might be waiting for me outside the room, I approached the door carefully and kept my gun at the ready as I reached over to slowly open the door, stepping out into a hallway before Burry brightened up with his tail wagging once he saw me leave.

"There you are, ready for the tour? Come, follow me," Burry encouraged before he started walking down the hallway, and I was bemused by how casual he was at my appearance since he didn't seem bothered that I was a human.

"Um...Burry, was it? How are you not...bothered...by my appearance?" I asked hesitantly, and Burry looked back.

"You mean, why aren't I reacting to you being a human? Well, we have a human resident living here, and he and I were the ones who found this place before turning it into a haven for anyone in need, so he's going to be thrilled to see another human here," Burry explained, and I made a mental note of that as we continued walking.

Burry continued to show me around the facility, and everywhere I looked, there were dogmen of different shapes, sizes, and species as they sometimes walked around or displayed some canine behavior I was familiar with, so it was almost mindboggling that there were so many, and they all noticed me before looks of curiosity and intrigue appeared on their canine faces.

They didn't appear to be fully against me being here, so that wasn't a bad sign so far, but I didn't know if they could be trusted or not, so I had to keep my guard up for now until they could prove otherwise.

"So, what's your name? I forgot to ask," Burry said before I looked at him.

"Sam, why?" I inquired, my eyes narrowing into a guarded expression.

"No reason, I told you my name, so I figured I should know yours," Burry replied, though I was still skeptical about his intentions since I've had bad experiences with other survivors who pretended to be nice to try to get me to lower my guard so that they could try to kill me, steal my supplies, or do worse.

"Okay," I said cautiously, and Burry seemed to notice how tense I was.

"Are you okay? You don't need to be wary since you're safe here, I promise," Burry reassured me, though I was still suspicious.

"No offense, but I don't know you and anyone else here, so I don't have a reason to trust any of you yet," I stated with my expression turning cold, and Burry's smile faded a little.

"I understand, you must've lived a hard life, and it's made you distrustful of others. Don't worry, we'll prove that you'll have nothing to worry about, Sam," Burry said as I studied him for any signs of deception, but I didn't see any.

"We'll see," I said before letting out a sigh.

"So, when I woke up, two things were missing from my gear, so did you take them off me while I was unconscious?" I questioned, and Burry perked up.

"Yeah, we did. Those objects were unlike anything we've seen before, so we wanted to examine them," Burry explained, making my eyes furrow.

"Wait, do you not know what a firearm is?" I asked before Burry tilted his head in a canine fashion.

"No, what's a firearm?" Burry asked in confusion, and I shook my head while feeling grateful that my rifle and shotgun were empty when they were taken off my person, because I didn't see this ending well if they started messing with them while they were fully loaded.

"I'll explain later, but I would like those objects back. They're not exactly toys to be playing around with, and they would be better off in my hands since I'm more familiar with them," I replied before Burry looked thoughtful.

"I'll see if I can have them brought back to you, but for now, let's continue the tour," Burry said before we continued walking.

After continuing the tour, I got to meet the residents of Shelter, and they mostly seemed to act like dogs in humanoid bodies, which was going to take time to get used to after being familiar with their four-legged siblings all my life.

I also met Shelter's only human resident, Luke, who was greatly surprised to see another human here, and he definitely had a lot of questions, but I could only answer a few while keeping my past to myself as the tour soon ended.

I had questions of my own, such as why I felt a little ill, what Shelter is, how safe the facility was from the monsters outside, and if there was a map of the place I could study to memorize the layout so that I didn't get lost trying to find my way around the place.

It was explained to me by Burry that Shelter had been inactive when he and Luke first found it, and that it used to belong to the ancients, an extinct civilisation of magic users who were gifted at engineering mana in incredible, nearly impossible ways.

Originally, it was made into a shelter for explorers who wanted to scavenge the ancient relics left by the ancients. Nowadays, it is a refuge for those that the world didn't want them and for those who don't want the world.

The Shelter is commonly referred to as a warm and cozy place. To do this, the Shelter constantly siphons mana out of the air, but when a newcomer arrives at Shelter, their body isn't used to this environment and thus gets sick.

This phenomenon is commonly referred to as "shelter sickness", which is what was happening to me, and I was currently recovering from it. All the mana that the Shelter extracts comes from the lives of all living beings inside the Shelter, but this is harmless and not a bad thing, since all of that mana that would otherwise go to waste instead brings warmth to every Canine there. The entire facilities run on it. However, it is possible for it to overload, which can cause a temporary shutdown.

There is a gigantic turret at the top of Shelter that can be controlled from a special room and has enough power to blow up a mountain. It is used by Luke to discharge the mana in Shelter safely, by aiming at the sky. Also, it causes people nearby to have flashbacks from all the lives from the people's mana was taken to fuel it. It is done regularly by Luke and is now a cultural event known as "Sky ablaze".

There is a garden that can grow various types of vegetables, but also biological matter such as meat, with special relics that harvest them. It is the cornerstone of shelter stability, according to Luke. Not all of Shelter is currently explored, and Luke and his friends still discover from time to time new functions of Shelter. The display in the various control rooms can only be read by him with his mana vision.

My mind struggled to process that this world had magic and that I had it now, which proved that I wasn't on Earth anymore, so I wondered what my type of mana would be like once I'm fully recovered from Shelter Sickness.

The days went by after that, and it was a challenge trying to adjust to being around others after surviving on my own for years, though I did discover that my newly developed mana allowed me to not only ensure that my firearms had infinite ammo and had my knife being able to cut through anything, but I could transform into the seven different races of this world while using their mana and racial abilities.

It had its limits, so I needed to be careful when using it, which prompted me to start training with it as the weeks went by, until Shelter shut down suddenly one day because of an overload of mana, and that allowed the monsters to breach the facility.

The canines panicked, but I quickly took charge of the situation, coming up with a strategy to have traps and ambushes set up to kill more than a few monsters while Luke hurried to the tower to get Shelter back online by firing the turret.

With my leadership and tactics, we won with only a few casualties, since it could've been a lot worse as Luke managed to get Shelter back on and that forced the remaining monsters to retreat, though the canines needed better weaponry and training to be better prepared, so I offered to carry out an expedition to the military base I saw when I first arrived in this world.

Because everyone in Shelter was grateful for my actions, a dog named Cooper and his team volunteered to come with me, so we headed out while the others went to recover from the attack while taking care of those who died during the attack.

We eventually arrived at the base, and it was abandoned, though the old and faded lettering on some of the signs looked almost Russian, so was I in an alternate version of Russia or Siberia that looked like it went through some kind of apocalyptic event a long time ago?

Something told me that I might never find out, so I focused on having us search the base for any weapons that could be useful, then we located an armory that hadn't been looted yet, and there was so much firepower ranging from handguns, shotguns, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, and explosives that still looked pristine, despite the dust that had gathered for who knows how long.

We gathered as much as we could take before heading back to Shelter, and we had to do a few trips to the base and back to get the rest before I started announcing that everyone was gonna go through firearms training, explosives training, and learn everything I was experienced in so that they would have a better chance in defending Shelter.

After that, I got everything set up for everyone and had them learn how to use firearms and operate them safely, taught them my skills in hand-to-hand, many tactics, marksmanship and sharpshooting, survival skills, and more, as they all began to learn how to operate much more efficiently in different squads and units.

The days kept going by as my training regimen and my actions in saving Shelter had Luke and the canines grant me the role of head of security and expedition leader, with my own team being assigned to me for maintaining security in Shelter and going out on expeditions to locate relics and supplies.

I was asked how I had so much training and experience, and I just said that I was mostly involved in survival situations, which the others accepted as time continued to pass by, until I came back to Shelter one day after going on a recon mission to locate any possible sites to scavenge from.

"Welcome back, Sam," Cooper greeted as I sent him a nod in response.

"Hey, Cooper. I found a place that might have resources we'll need," I said before taking out a map.

"What kind of resources?" Cooper asked curiously, and I placed the map on the table before tapping a finger on one location.

"Here, there's a town that has gardening supplies and seeds that will allow us to grow different kinds of fruits and vegetables, so I marked it as a priority," I explained while Cooper and his team looked at me with wide eyes.

"You're right, we'll definitely be needing that, so good find," Cooper told me, just before Luke came running over urgently and started breathing heavily once he stopped.

"What is it, Luke?" I asked, having a bad feeling about this, as Luke looked at me.

"We've got wolves outside Shelter who are approaching, and judging from their armor, they're with the Wolf Kingdom," Luke said breathlessly, making my eyes harden since I didn't have a good feeling about this, as Luke looked uneasy.

"Luke, notify the others to get geared up and head to their stations to set up defenses. The rest of you, on me," I ordered while getting my rifle.

Luke nodded before taking off to alert the other canines while Burry, Cooper and his team, my team, and several other armed and well-trained canines followed me as we headed to the entrance, pushing the button to open the door.

I signaled for everyone to set up a defensive position in front of Shelter before we all moved outside in a coordinated fashion, our rifles, machine guns, shotguns, and submachine guns at the ready as we moved to set up a defensive position around the entrance.

Some canines had their weapons low but ready to snap up at the first sign of trouble, while the rest had their weapons raised to cover our surroundings just in case monsters were to show up, some on one knee while the others were standing.

Burry and I stood in the front with our weapons ready as we all waited for the new arrivals to show up, then we saw a large group of wolves in armor approaching us while they were being led by a husky in heavy armor, the husky having a stern look on his face while his posture and movements indicated years of combat experience and dicipline.

"That's Rune Moon, the Second High Pack General of the Husky Clan...what is he doing here?" Burry mumbled in surprise, and that got my attention since I had heard about Rune and how he was a war hero who fought in different conflicts during his service in the canine military.

"I don't know, but stay alert," I replied quietly, having a good feeling that Rune and his men weren't here for a friendly conversation as we waited to see what would happen next.

Chapter Text

While I kept studying Rune and his men, I heard the other canines whispering to each other in surprise and astonishment that a pretty important canine had shown up here of all places, though I was guarded and a little suspicious since they didn't look like they were here to stop for a meal and conversation.

"Hello, how may we help you, general?" Burry inquired curiously, just before Rune took out a rolled-up piece of paper with a stamp on it to unroll it so that he could read the contents.

"Under the highest call bestowed upon me, these ruins and all of the current inhabitants are to be rested under the protection of the Red Royal Tree...and so on and so forth...ugh..." Rune trailed off before lowering the paper, not looking enthusiastic about it.

"Look, if any of you mutts want to leave, we're sending an escort back to Morzeburk tomorrow morning. Get some rest tonight, and gather any of your belongings...except for the relics," Rune said with a hard expression.

Apparently, after a few of our exploits in Morzeburk, the rumors of Shelter and its powerful relics had reached the capital. From what it looked like, Second High Pack General Rune Moon of the Husky Clan was tasked with incorporating Shelter into the canine military assets as a new base of operations.

Those of us who wanted to stay and continue living at Shelter were offered coin for assistance in the investigation of the facility, working for them. Burry and I looked at each other, trying to process what we were hearing.

After the husky said what he needed to say, he turned around and started walking away, leaving Burry speechless, and I was dumbfounded. Goddammit...after everything I've been through in my world, finding a place to call home here in this world, was Shelter going to be taken away from me and the others? By the fucking military?!

Did Rune want to take away the result of everything we fought for, for whatever stupid wars the canines were currently engaged in? Fuck that, I didn't lose everything and found a home here, only to lose this, too! Our home...our tavern...our community...my reason to keep on living!

"General, wait," I said firmly, with my eyes turning as hard as steel, and the tone in my voice made the husky stop in his tracks.

Burry and all of my friends and teammates stared at me with worry in their eyes and tried to hush me, but I didn't care. I started walking toward the husky, making some of the canine soldiers pull out their swords, which also made my team and a few other dogs aim at them in response. However, Rune waved his hand, and the soldiers retreated while I signaled my team and the other dogs to stand down.

"General, as someone who's also followed orders for most of my life, I understand you have a job to do, but you can't just take this place from us. We found this place, made it our home, fought for it, and even bled for it.

This is a place for those who need a place to belong after they were tossed away, ostracized, or have nowhere else to go. This place might just be ruins to you, but it's a part of our lives. As one combat veteran to another, just leave us alone.

You can't take Shelter away from us, not when everybody here has nowhere else to go," I said with a hard frown, and Rune waved the paper with orders on it over his shoulder.

"I can, and I have to. You know what this is, right?" Rune replied.

"I'm guessing it's orders from your superiors," I pointed out.

"Yes, the words of the Crimson Royal Grove itself," Rune stated, making me furrow my brows.

"So?" I questioned, just before I heard Rune chuckle.

"These are the orders of our masters, mutt! Your masters! If my superiors say you need to leave, then I'm sorry, but as they say, you have to find another tree to piss on," Rune stated before my eyes turned cold.

"Is that right? Well, general, you go back and tell your superiors that I don't answer to them, and neither should anyone else here. So, their orders don't mean shit in my eyes. They don't own me, understand?" I said coldly before Burry widened his eyes in shock.

"Sam, what in the blazes do you think you are doing?!" Burry yelled in horror with fear in his eyes at my ballsy defiance, but I was fully calm.

Rune finally turned around after hearing my words and saw me fully, seeing that I wasn't a canine, and he did not look happy that I wasn't as he glared at me with his gaze roaming up and down my human appearance, holding the handle of his sword.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?! Speak!" Rune demanded until red dots appeared on his head and the heads of his men.

"I wouldn't be so threatening if I were you, look up," I said before Rune and his men looked up at the room, where they saw dogs with sniper rifles and assault rifles aimed down at them.

"What is this?" Rune questioned in disbelief.

"Those would be high-powered sniper rifles and assault rifles dialed in on you and your men, and those rifles can fire projectiles that can wound or even kill their targets at a distance. Before you say I'm bluffing, I'm not.

I've trained them well, and you better believe they'll fire once I give the signal or if my life is in immediate danger. So, if I were you, I'd take your hand off your weapon," I warned, my expression fully serious as Burry quickly came to my side.

"He's not joking, general! Please, take your hand off your sword! There is no need for that! His name is Sam, and he is our ally and Shelter's head of security! Every single one of us can vouch for him! Let us calm down and-" Burry reasoned, only to be cut off.

"Like hell we will!" an old terrier growled.

"Yeah, the human here, Chief Decker, is right! We're not leaving, Rune Moon or not!" a Neapolitan mastiff agreed.

"This is our home, the only place we can live in peace. Please, don't take that away from us..." a water spaniel begged.

"You can't just come here, claim our den, and expect us to stay quiet!" a dalmatian protested.

"Yeah, yeah, you're no hero! You're an invader, a common thief!" a Maltese snarled angrily.

"You stink!" the old terrier insulted.

"Quiet, I beg of you! You are going to get us all executed!" Burry pleaded, but the other dogs weren't backing down, and a growing tension kept happening.

After a short amount of time went by, my friends still weren't backing down so I knew that things were going to get ugly, and that Rune and his men would try to take Shelter by force before trying to have us killed for insubordination and an offense to their authority, which would end in a massacre on his side.

Regardless, I wasn't backing down either because I would be damned if I were to lose this place, just before I saw Rune's men pulling out their swords and most of the dogs aimed their weapons at them in response while I got ready to shoot, but then Rune raised his hand to stop his men and pacify my friends before shaking his head and sending me a tired glare.

"You are insane, you know that? Do you really expect us to leave you here with the power that could potentially help our whole country? A whim of a handful of mutts over the fate of countless lives out there?

And...look, even if I didn't have my arm twisted by my orders and, for some insane reason, I just let you stay here freely like you're asking...what would be the damn point for that?! This is a dangerous world, and neither you nor any of these mutts will last long out here!

You and all of your pack will eventually die if I hadn't come here to help you all today! Can't you see that I'm doing you a favor?! If I were to leave you here as you are right now, you would only drag your entire pack to their deaths!

You are powerless, so there is nothing you can do! Even now, despite those relics you have, you can't do anything but whine! Just shut up and let me help you, already!" Rune shouted, looking flustered and almost conflicted.

When I glanced back, all of my friends had their ears lowered flat against their skulls, and they all looked sad and defeated, all of them appearing to reconsider unlike Burry, who rarely showed strong emotions but instead of being scared, he looked pissed so I grabbed his shoulder to stop him from approaching the husky.

"Burry, stand down," I said with a hard tone in my voice, which stopped the Saint Bernard before I approached Rune and faced him, looking at him for a moment while noting that he was only a couple of inches taller than me, and there was almost what seemed to be something honest and vulnerable in those blue eyes of his.

"General Rune Moon, I appreciate that you have good intentions and want to help us, but we are capable of taking care of ourselves," I said stoically.

"No, you can't, not here. You need someone to-" Rune said, but I cut him off as my expression turned solemn.

"Still, what is the point of you helping us if you're never going to give us a chance to stand back up on our own two feet? Also, if you really think that only you would have to save everyone...then, General...when you're the one who needs help one day, who is going to save you?

No man, or canine in your case, is a mountain so keep that in mind," I stated.

I turned to look at Burry and the others before signaling them to stand down and head back inside, before Burry let out a sigh of relief, while the other canines looked reluctant, but they lowered their weapons and they all started heading back inside as I went to look a Rune again, just before I saw him about to backhand me and everything went black after an explosion of pain, and there was nothing else.