"A very specific weasel. Her image was painted on some lovely Corinthian pottery that made its way to Rome. I must meet the lady who inspired such a painting. I hear she is living here?" The bull spoke with a lighter tone.

Misha looked over to Sophia as she walked from the cover of the wall and looked up to see the bull. The sun was over his head, so she had to squint to see him. The bull kneeled and offered his splayed hoof as a step. Sophia hesitated but stepped on his hoof, where he lifted her up to meet the gaze of his bronze eyes.

"Greetings weasel. I am Giuseppe...us, and I am grateful to meet you. Your painting on the pottery has inspired many to donate their earnings to building public libraries, to fix the roads, and to rural families with hungry children. I am here on behalf of the people to gift you anything you desire." The roman said with a smile on his face

She bowed her head as her vision blurred with tears. "I-I am not worthy of such kindness."

"Look at me" he urged gently. "If freedom is what you desire, then I will pay your price."

She rose her head shakily, wiping her eyes. "Then... then grant me this blessing," she begged. "Not for me, but for my family."

Gio tilted his head, intrigued.

"Find them and free them. That is the only gift I will accept." Sophia urged

A pause. Then, with a knowing smile, he nodded. "Then let us begin. But first, lets cut those rope that bind you." Out of his satchel, the bull gives Misha the coins required for covering her debt.

Tracking down Chrissia's owner was simple enough, the leopard merchant had made a small fortune from selling her as a housemaid. When Sophia and the bull entered the extravagant home, they found Chrissia setting a silver tray down before a pampered lioness. Her fur was thinner, her shining spirit dampened.

When she turned and saw her mother, her paws shot to her mouth. "M-Mother?"

The lioness glanced between them with a frown. "You know this girl?"

Sophia swallowed her pain and stepped forward. "She is my daughter."

Gio wasted no time. "And I am here to buy her freedom."

The lioness raised a brow and looked at her claws. "I like this maid, she has made me a very comfortable lioness. I don't even need to lift a paw before she is by my side. She is worth much more than I bought her for."

Gio retorted quickly "Then I will pay twice what she is worth"

The lioness smiled and nodded "Fine, take her. I can always get more"

A short exchange of gold later,, and Chrissia was released. The moment they stepped out of the estate, she turned on Sophia, her voice thick with regret.

"I was horrible to you," she admitted, her ears flat with shame. "The lioness would laugh when I scrubbed the floor because she would kick the water over me, just like I had done to Eudora" She bowed her head "When we were rich, I was cruel and spoiled. And when we lost everything, I hated you for it. But now... I see it was never your fault." Her voice trembled. "I'm sorry."

Sophia enveloped her daughter in a tight embrace. "So am I, my golden girl. Please forgive me for how I treated you. I love you."

For the first time in years, they held each other without resentment, without barriers. Only their familial bond remained.

The limestone quarry was a place of dust and misery. The air reeked of sweat, the sounds of hammering and grunting filling the vast canyon. Slaves, little more than bones and fur, chipped away at the stone under the scorching sun.

Sophia's heart clenched as her eyes scanned the exhausted workers. Then she saw them.

Akakios, wore the weight of his suffering in his hollow gaze. Dion, her once lively son, moved sluggishly, his youthful energy stripped away by the never-ending days of grueling labor.

When they saw her, disbelief flashed across their faces.

"Sophia?" Akakios rasped.

"Mother?" Dion whispered.

Gio stepped forward. "I have come to purchase their freedom."

The overseer, a shrewd deer, eyed the sack of coins suspiciously. But in the end, as all mammals do, he bowed to wealth.

Once the drachmas was handed over, Sophia ran to them, throwing her arms around their frail frames. "You're alive!," she choked out, pressing her forehead against Akakios's. "You're free now."

Akakios held her close, his voice breaking. "I was a fool, Sophia. I let status make me blind. And when we lost everything, I could only imagine you in my arms again." His grip tightened. "Forgive me."

Sophia pulled back, shaking her head. "Only if you forgive me for my anger."

Dion wiped his dirt-streaked face and apologized too, rushing to embrace his family. He stopped and pulled out a fire opal hidden in his ragged clothes. The opal shined in the sun, glistening an array of different colors. Engraved on its cracked surface were unfamiliar foreign symbols, lost to time.

As Dion pulled it out, he shyly said. "I found this in the rummage after the fire burned the house down. It was just below the staff like it was dropped in a hurry. I kept it close to my heart just in case...Just in case I saw you again" Tears welled in his eyes as he confessed.

Sophia's mouth quivered as she grabbed it and reveled in its shine, but she saw it as nothing but a rock and quickly embraced her son again.

That evening, under the purple glow of the setting sun, Gio walked with them down the city streets, guiding them to a familiar location.

"Now that you and yours are free, it is time you return home." Gio said

"How will we do that? Our home has been destroyed in the fire?" asks Akakios

"I spoke to a mammal earlier about where to find Sophia. She told me of her slavery and where her master was, but, with her head hung low, she was interested in her return. So, she offered her a place to stay, if I purchased Sophia's freedom." Gio stated with a little grin

"Who was this mammal?" Sophia interjected

Gio stopped and pointed his head just beyond the horizon. When they all looked, they saw the familiar shadow someone they once knew. Eudora the hare came walking from the old family home, humble and modest but rich in the sight of homelessness.

With smiles and tears streaming down their faces. Eudora and the family ran to embrace one another. Sophia smiled through her tears and whispered. "My treasures"

After the reunion, Sophia turns to Gio. "Why would you, a prey mammal, pay the debts of a family of predators?"

"Logically, there is no reason. Your ancestors killed and ate mine, if anything you owe my kind. But, there comes a time when debt of every mammal becomes too much to pay and even the most wealthy and secure, need to be rescued. I care not of your lineage and the decisions of your past and I wish I could pay the debts off all, but unfortunately I have debts of my own. However, Someday, there will come a mammal who is truely free and who never indebted himself to anyone. Because of his riches, taking the debts of all of mammality, who wish to be free, onto himself is the only logical thing to do. But what is different from any other rich mammal is the wealth he has pays for every debt you'd ever have. As for me, I am limited in my funds so, be assured to spend wisely." Gio smiled with the setting sun casting its rays parallel to his horns.

Sophia hugged his leg. "Thank you Giuseppius, I don't know how we can ever repay you"

He kneeled and touched her shoulder reassuringly. "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.'

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God"

Sophia nodded solemnly and smiled. With a final farewell, the bull departed, his figure fading into the twilight.

That night, as the family sat together for the first time in several moons, a quiet understanding passed between them. Inspired by the kindness of Misha the judean, Sophia renamed herself.

"My family, as of today, I am no longer Sophia. I am Eliana." Eliana stood and smiled

Akakios stands and grabs her paw "Then let me have a name like yours."

Chrissia and Dion stand in agreement grabbing their paws as well

Eliana smiled as she named them. "Akakios, I think you are now...Lazarus!" She turned to her kids "In honor of your sister, Chrissia you are now Dorothea. Dion you are Theodoro."

Eliana, Lazarus, Dorothea, Theodoro, and Eudora smile as wide as they can when they transform into a new identity in that very instant. Finally recognizing the wealth they had before them.



|~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~|



Several centuries later, Satan is exasperated and sits down on a rock. Darkness envelops the area, until the four walk through it to surround him. In a low voice he growls "I killed the messiah, I won the war! So why is it, every day I get weaker!"

Gio responds to his roar "Because you didn't win. You failed to see the obvious truth of the prophesies."

Satan retorts "He was supposed to be a king! A warrior of heavens armies, but I saw him die on that cross!"

Gio quickly retorts "Don't you see, that was his enthronement."

Caleb follows "The sword of victory bestowed to his side, blood marking his territory"

Misha follows "The venom of sin you have injected into mortal mammals, now has an antidote. The blood that you fed on, will now poison you."

Tigre concludes "You didn't just lose, you laid out your head to be stomped on. Squashed on the heel of our Lord, like the snake... you...ARE!"

Satan stands abruptly his eyes bleeding black while he snarls "You all lied to me. Again. First, was the second war of the worlds in Megiddo, now its this. You four are not like any ordinary angels. I KNEW you hiding something. You all knew this was going to happen, like you've seen it before... Who are you?"

In unison they speak "We are the angels of Apocalypse. We have come to reveal the judgements of the divine and usher in a new life to those lost but not forgotten. Our purpose is soley for the power and glory of the almighty, of whom commissioned us to hunt the demons that lead this world and use the products of evil to destroy it"

The old serpent screeches as they unionize their speech. His horns grow and teeth sharpen. The darkness begins to shrink, but the angels continue, raising their voice and shaking the earth. "By the authority of our Lord, creator of the universe, GET BEHIND US SATAN!"

As soon as the words were uttered, the goat disappeared. Nothing more than black dust in the wind. They stand is silence for a moment.

"What now, Gio?" Tigre asks

"It has been over 10,000 years since the fall in the garden. Now that the messiah has came, we must prepare for the revelation." Gio turns around and walks away. He looks over his shoulder at the three of them "1975 will come by faster than you think, after that, even I don't know. Until then, guard the secret of our origin, and get ready to defend. The bride is in a fight for her life, and a target has been painted on her back."

They all look at each other and slightly nod, accepting the challenge of the new millennia before they walk away to return to their respective four corners of the earth.