* PLOT AND HISTORY.

This plot describes the fall of humans, and how Islara became to belong to the dogs. It also outlines the current fall of events, and why dogs are being forced to take sides. In short, this is how this rolled out, humans died off in 2015, Meera created her pack twenty years later and ruled for a damn good twelve years. Shade, her grandson, and heir ruled for five years before he turned into a royal tyrant, and that lasted for three years before Owen killed him in a rather badass rebellion, paired with treason and all that backstabbery, and took over in year 2047, and he ruled for twelve years, like Meera ( damn they lived to be old, right? ), before he was killed in his sleep by an unknown 'hero'. Five years have passed and that's where we are now, in the year 2064.

“They never truly thought of how they would end, did they? Sure, they created little stories, little funny scenarios in their heads. Now, humans, they had quite the knack for storytelling. They wove stories, they even preached some of them! Their idols, their Gods, they feared these beings, whatever they were, because the humans truly thought that their lives could be put to an end by these entities. They never understood the fact that they were the cause for their own destruction. Humans thought they were making the Earth Mother happy, but you see, they only angered her, poisoned her. She struck back with a vengeance. She killed off her two-legged, ungrateful, blissfully ignorant children. Us animals, we sensed her. We never tried to anger her. We only tried to make her happy. And we did.

“If you’ve never heard of them, you wouldn’t know that humans kept their diseases in a place. A CDC is what they called it. They stored illnesses there, somehow. No one really knows how though, that is one thing that humans were good at. Understanding things that no other animal has the real care, or capability to understand. One day... Something went wrong, and an accident combined two different things, creating a new kind of the illness they called the ‘Swine Flu’. It was deadlier than the original kind. It lay dormant for a few weeks, spreading. None of the humans knew they had it until they started falling ill.

“They would bleed from their noses, and vomit. After a while, blood would come from their stomachs out of their mouths with the vomit. The first part of the illness didn’t kill most. If they were strong enough, they survived. I’m sure some considered themselves lucky, but my grandfather you see, he was just a young pup when this happened. I remember when I was just a pup, and I’d spend time with him before he died. He’s the one that told me these stories, you know. I never believed him until I became older and learned the truth... Back to the story, shall I?

“The ones that survived, which was maybe two thirds of the human population, started to lose time. They’d ‘space out’, and sometimes they’d do things in those times. Some ended up dying, not realizing what they were doing. A strange, unintentional form of suicide. After that, the ones that started to realize this started staying home. Out of fear no one wanted to go anywhere. But they were all already infected. That was the first sign. The second? They started to have the effects that a chill would give you. Runny nose, slight fever, the usual sickness that a human might experience. That is, until the fever hit. It started with a simple small fever that slowly rose. The fever alone killed billions. It’d burn them up. Some dogs claimed that it changed the way they smelled, changed something in them.

“You see little ones, a dog knows when death is near. Any animal does, it’s something the Earth Mother gifted us that she did not gift humans. Those that miraculously managed to survive that horrible fever that seemed like a biting hot fire within them, started to deteriorate. First it was the loss of memory. Simple things like forgetting to turn something off, and gradually progressed until they forgot even their own names. At that point, most every animal knew the humans were dammed. Their senses started to go next. It went in a particular order. Smelling, hearing, sight, touch. After that? They were just feelingless shells of their former rather glorified selves.

“Their deaths came quickly after the lose of their senses. Their ability to move faded. Once they could no longer even drag themselves, they died slowly. Most of thirst, some of other causes. A few, I knew, were ripped apart by starving animals. Sad way for any creature to go, but really it was their own faults. Had they been more careful, and used the intelligence every animal knew they had, perhaps they’d still be around? Call it an act of God, or some higher being, but the humans’ demise was their own fault, completely, utterly, totally.

“Don’t think that our story ends there though. No, that was merely the beginning! Twenty years passed, and the start of a new pack began. The dogs of our city, Islara banned together, to ensure peace, prosperity, and protection for all. They knew no name other than The Pack. That was under the rule of a dame known as Meera. When her heir took over, is where the next part of our story truly begins.

“Meera’s heir, her grandson was known as Shade. Like Meera, he was a black shepherd looking fella. Five years into his rule though, the name Shade was dropped. He became known simply as Alpha. He ruled harshly, and mercilessly. Any hint of rebellion was crushed. He kept a group of twenty dogs, all massive brutes fairly capable of crushing a skull in their jaws without much of a thought. They were his ‘soldiers’. They were what allowed Alpha to rule as he did. After a few tried to escape from The Pack, a new rule was put down. The only way out is death.

“For three years this went on, before a brave dog known as Owen spoke out against Alpha. Several followed him. When the soldiers were told to kill them, only eight stepped forward to follow their leader’s orders. The others... They turned on Alpha. Now, for the sake of young ears, I won’t go into detail with Alpha’s demise. Though, it was a bloody one. Ask one of the older dogs... Oh, that’s right. Anyone who’s still around to remember, or who has heard the stories... They know that what Owen turned out to be far worse. He personally killed anyone that tried to threaten him, or tried to run... Revolution started to brew beneath the surface.

“Five years ago, Owen was killed in his sleep. Since then, The Pack has fallen apart. Three different groups are forming, each holding their own views, only reasons as to why they want to be... And that, takes us to today, which is why you see the chaos that you do now, little ones.”