"Wait!! Elowen was also...!"
Storm held up his hand to stop her.
"It's all right!! We've already found her and she's on her way to safety! You're the last one still unaccounted for."
Morrigan breathed out a sigh.of relieve.
"Thank the Nine Tails!! I feared the worst!!"
They left the area and began to carefully make their way through the city towards the exit.
Because Morrigan wasn't able to navigate the rooftops, they were restricted to only using the ground.
This greatly slowed down their movements , as they had to regularly hide and wait for the guards to move on.
As Storm watched the guards rushing through the streets,Storm began to worry about Aurora and the others.
"I hope they managed to get out with all these guards wandering around!!" Thought Storm.
After a few minutes, they saw the warehouse that concealed the hidden passage.
A large group of soldiers had surrounded the warehouse and was on full alert as they watched for suspicious people.
"Can we handle that many?" Asked Storm.
"If it was just us two, no? But my Shadows are close by!" Replied The Prince.
He pointed at a roof and Storm saw several Black hooded people waiting for an signal to attack.
"Stay here! I'll clear the way for us!" Said The Shadow Prince.
He stepped into view and with his arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture.
"Excuse me!! Guardsmen!! I would like to report a crime that's about to take place!!"
The guards immediately drew their weapons and rushed towards him, but he made no moves to draw his own weapons.
They surrounded him and pointed their weapons at him.
The Prince gave a sly grin and looked at the nearby rooftop, before giving a brief nod.
A flight of arrows struck the soldiers surrounding the Shadow Prince.
They cried out and looked around in panic as they tried to find out where the shooters were.
That distraction was all the Prince needed to draw his own sword and kill another two guards before they even noticed his actions.
Between the archers and the Prince himself, the guards were quickly dispatched.
A survivor of the Guardsmen with an arrow in his back, was desperately trying to drag himself away with his arms.
The Shadow Prince casually walked towards him and stabbed him in the back to finish him off, before waving Storm and Morrigan over.
"Morrigan!!" Called a voice.
They all looked up and saw Elowen running towards them with a single Shadow close behind.
As the Kitsune ran to embrace each other, the Shadow stepped forward to report.
"The main group of Kitsune has been evacuated, Sensei!! They're waiting at the rendezvous point." Said the Shadow.
"Very good, Talon!! Tell the other Shadows that they can cease disruptions in the city and start making their way back to our hideouts!"
The Shadow Prince looked at Storm.
"I'll see them out of the city, then rejoin you at the hideout!"
He turned towards the two Kitsune.
"Sorry, ladies!! We're going to have to cut the reunion short!! We're not out of danger yet!!"
The Kitsune nodded and everyone entered the warehouse and made their way through the tunnels.
Once they were on the other side of the walls, the Prince led them away from the city and towards a forest located close to the city.
Much to his relief, Aurora and the others were already waiting for them.
Several horse drawn carriages were located close to the gathering point.
She rushed at Storm and they embraced.
"I was so worried about you!!" Exclaimed Aurora.
"I'm all right! I had a lot of help from him!" Said Storm.
He gestured towards the Shadow Prince.
Ciela stepped forward to address the Prince.
"We owe your people a debt we can never repay!! Thank you for watching over us!"
"Why though?! Why risk so much for us?! Who are you really?!" Asked Storm.
The Shadow Prince hesitated for a moment before lowering his hood.
His hair was cut short in a style Storm had often seen soldiers use and he had short black stubble on his chin.
His eyes were a red/brown color and he had a single long scar across his left eye.
His features were rugged, but still handsome. The typical rogue type.
As soon as his face was exposed, Storm felt a strong aura of magic.
"You're a shapeshifter! Like us!" Exclaimed Storm.
"I guess it's time to drop our masks!" Said the Shadow Prince.
His body blurred as he dropped his disguise. Aurora and Storm instinctively backed away to give him room.
Everyone gasped as his features were revealed.
Standing in front of them was a black furred male Kitsune.
His fox features were in full display
A small patch of white fur grew from the top of his head as well as the tips of his pointed ears, his eyes were bright red and his snout was filled with sharp teeth.
5 Fox tails grew from his back, indicating his age.
"You're a Kitsune!!" Called Storm.
The Prince frowned.
"Do I look like a woman to you!? 'We' are known as the 'Nogitsune'." Answered The Prince.
Ciela was even more suprised than the others.
"There were always rumors about your kind amongst us Kitsune. But I never believed you actually existed!" Exclaimed Ciela.
"We exist. And we've been operating in the shadows of human society for centuries!
It is a secret we have gone to extreme lengths to hide from others.
Amongst my kind, I am known as 'Sensei' Leyocan."
"If your existence is such a closely guarded secret, then why reveal yourselves now?
You could have kept your true origin a secret from us?" Asked Aurora.
"You all saw too much already! You probably already began to suspect that we were non humans.
This uncertainty might have lead to suspicion, and this is something we can't afford right now!" Explained Leyocan.
"Are all your people... like you?" Asked Storm.
"All Shadows are Nogitsune, yes.
We occasionally work with human informants or accept them as low ranking members of the clan.
But we rarely reveal our true nature to them." Explained Leyocan.
"So... what happens now?" Asked Ciela.