It was early morning in the cave as two bears quarrelled over a remote laying on a couch in the living room.

"Damn it, Gay! The Beast That Came from Black Water Lagoon is on soon. It's a classic."

Lech tried to reach for the remote and take it from Gay's grasp but with no avail.

Gay scoffed in response still holding the remote further away while pushing him away with his feet "Classic? That relic parading itself as a horror story. That's actually a romance." He chuckled softly.

"Oh Please, you can live without seeing that train wreck."

Lech continued to reach over Gay as he playfully kept moving the remote just out of his reach.

"Oh ho, so close!" Gay jeered.

Lech could hear a familiar cackle from afar, he growled at Evil before trying to grab the remote again.

"Twenty on the blue buffoon." Evil said with a smirk.

Nerd looked up curiously from the TV guide in his hands at the two. Then stared at the Light Grey bear absently. "Gay'll win, no contest." He argued shifting through the guide.

"Oh, Star Wars marathon!"

"Again?" Evil looked away disinterested.

Nerd glanced knowingly to Evil and grimaced. "Is it because of the prequel-"

"Could any of you stop that?" Prozac asked he sat on the kitchen stool with a clipboard and pencil in hand.

Evil rose his brow dubiously. "And what're you doing that's so taxing?"

"Making sure we don't drown in our own filth." Prozac sharply replied. He heard Crack shudder beside him as he sighed.

"Fair point." Evil said watching the two struggle from afar.

He looked up at the clock seeing it was almost noon. Then stared at the kitchen sink with a wry smile gracing his lips. Seeing this Prozac rolled his eyes, he would deal with whatever he was planning later. Just then, the sound of the fridge opening beside him alerted him to the red bear, Tanked, grabbing a beer from the fridge. Nothing too abnormal. He patted his chest lightly as he chugged the beverage down.

Prozac peered over across the room to see their medic, silently waiting outside of the living room as the quarrel continued. He wished someone would try to handle it without his intervention. However, that course of action was as sparse as common sense in this place.

Lech's annoyance grew as Gay twirled the remote around in his paw.

"Come on; It's the director cut!" He pleaded.

Gay paused staring at him inquisitively, from what he could discern his excitement seemed genuine. He would've considered it, unfortunately, during his lapse judgment, Lech used this opportunity to jab him in his shoulder resulting in him dropping the remote. Lech quickly grabbed it and with a pleased grin on his face as he changed the channel. However, the yellow bear poked his eyes in retaliation. Lech groaned sharply in shock before dropping the remote on his lap.

Gay leered at the device knowingly. He knew this wouldn't be the end of their squabble. So, he grabbed it quickly, placed the remote behind him and sat on it.

He wouldn't dare. He thought, smirking smugly.

Lech, after just recovering glared at the bear angrily, but reluctantly stopped reaching for the remote, opting to fold his arms and pout impudently. Gay relaxed in his moment of victory, leaning back on the couch.

"Sorry, Lech. I reserved this time to watch the fashion show today. Besides, you could always see that gauche film on Nerd's laptop, right?" He asked genuinely.

Lech furiously glared Gay for using his "manliness" against him. That wasn't an option for him, for many different reasons. At the moment he could hear two sets feminine of laughter. He peered over the couch and saw Gimp, Sara, and Cara. The latter were snickering at his misfortune. One was laughing joyfully while the other was more mocking in nature. He knew from her cruel smile.

"No, I can't watch it on his laptop." He replied turning his head away from the girls with gritted teeth trying to keep his composure.

"Why?" Gay replied with a raised brow.

The question itself made Lech growl annoyed at the bear. The circumstances that led to his 'personal' problems were irrelevant. After all, it wasn't his fault the keys were—

"Oh! He knows why!' Nerd shouted sharply adding more annoyance to Lech's plate.

"Mr. Sticky fingers got gunk all over my keyboard when he gave it back!" Nerd crossed his arms as he looked at Lech unamused. Hearing this, Evil stuck out his tongue in disgust and gave an inquisitive look.

"Look. I said I was sorry." Lech noticed the girls gaining interest in the story and tried to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. Nerd wasn't having any of it.

"Sorry doesn't cut it. I had to take out each of the keys to clean it!" Nerd exclaimed in a small snit, crossing his arms.

Evil rose an eyebrow mischievously, "What were you doing to make the keyboard so sticky?" he smirked knowingly, trying to goad him and to milk the situation for all it was worth.

"Oh, I can think of something a desperate male would do." Sara chimed in offhandedly as she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Cara looked appalled at what her sister was insinuating covering her mouth in shock. "No. He couldn't..."

"I wasn't doing that—I was watching a movie while eating nachos. I got excited and spilled a little on the keyboard." He leaned back on the couch calmly with a smirk as Sara scoffed at his excuse.

She was not buying it.

"Right. I'm sure you were excited all right."

Lech smirked coyly. "Hey, if you want-"

Sara gave the bear a murderous glare.

Lech decided not to continue the topic. However, Nerd continued, much to his dismay he stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"Regardless of why it happened, he's banned from the laptop for three more days." Nerd stated.

Lech scratched his head. "I can live without it, but I need to see that movie." He glared at Gay.

"You're being overly dramatic.." Gay retorted.

"Look who's talking, fruitcake," Lech replied sharply.

"Keep digging that hole, not like I was compelled to give you THIS now." Gay waved his paw and rolled his eyes as he watched the television.

Lech sighed, "Can I see the movie?"

"Oh I don't know, can you?" Sara stated smugly.

"Oh don't you start!" Lech yelled back over the couch.

"Oh hush, she's just joking," Gay added.

Lech furrowed his brow as the two of them continued to bicker.

As the conversation was getting heated another bear entered the room along with a brown-furred raccoon by his side. His fur was dishevelled, and his ear was left lopsided as he walked closely with the bear. His companion rubbed his eyes, yawning outwardly and extending his paws openly. His sluggish action caught the attention of the trio stationed at the corridor. Sara looked at him curiously. The little crest of hair on his head had a tint of brown on the tips it. He was also sporting a yellow bandana around his neck. A black musical note was prominent on the front of the cloth as it covered his neck.

She chuckled mockingly at his new appearance. "That's a good look for you, bird brain!"

Her sister inspected him closely. "That looks good on him. Like a cute puppy." Cara smiled genuinely.

His first interaction for the day already made him want to head back to his fruitless slumber. He silently scowled as made his way toward Nerd and Evil. He stopped to stare at Evil only to receive a sly wolf-like grin. Jimmy upon seeing this shuffled behind the bear calmly, his tail wagging anxiously.

"Morning, sleep well?" Evil asked.

Fighter stared blankly at him, his eyes partially glazed. He knew Evil wanted attention. He responded with a loud yawn.

"Sleep problems?" Nerd asked curiously.

Fighter glared at Evil knowingly.

"Something close to that..." He responded.

Moments before.

Fighter felt something heavy on top of him as he started to wake up. He slowly began to open his eyes seeing a small brown figure curled up onto his chest. He immediately recognized the animal in question. It wasn't the first time this had happened. He saw Jimmy's ears twitch as he had a content smile on his face. He sighed and patted his head earning a low purr from him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he scanned the room with blurred vision.

He noticed that Evil was absent from the room.

It's been three hours, I think, what did he…

He saw a string attached to the raccoon's ringed tail leading above his head. One glance above revealed a bucket over his bed; he glanced over either side of his bed seeing various toys with sharp pointed edges near his escape routes. Evil had lovingly placed all this while he was sleeping in his bed. The bed dweller gave a wry smile as he started to feel the raccoon move.

Well, this might take a while.

He grabbed the mammal and readied himself to dodge the trap. Hoping he would gain another embarrassing reminder on his person.

Present.

"It was a-ahhh, a sticky situation." Fighter replied while yawning.

To..da..I..ill.. k...hi-

He felt his head throb, like a needle going right through it. He shook his head.

"Eww." Nerd stuck out his tongue.

"Our room was booby-trapped," Jimmy stated whilst pulling off a string from his tail. He had a scratch on his cheek.

Evil feigned shock as Prozac glanced up from his clipboard. He also heard a bit of shuffling above him as Evil replied.

"Whatever could you mean?' He noticed his choice of words and scornfully corrected him. 'And you mean MY room?" He peered at Jimmy as the raccoon smiled awkwardly.

"Hehe, right." He curled back timidly.

"Speaking off, it's a mess. You should probably clean it." Fighter suggested as fiddled with his bandana.

"Ugh, do I have to do everything myself?" He stated dryly.

"Whatever. I suppose you'll come clean eventually." Evil stated bluntly as Jimmy's tail began to waver uncontrollably.

"You wish." Fighter grinned tiredly with a cocky expression.

"Playing with fire." Nerd stated not looking up from the guide.

He knew how this would turn out.

Fighter glanced over at the two bears in front of them on the couch.

He pointed to Lech and Gay's rambling with his thumb with a dubious look as Evil chimed in.

"Long story short. Lech wanted to watch a movie today, but Gay booked his TV time in advance."

Fighter nodded, he now knew this fight was trivial. He asked about the other options available: his laptop.

"Banned him from it this week due to his disregard for personal property." Nerd replied.

Again, he nodded in agreement wiping his eye. It was a fair decision, he glanced out the cave exit and saw a crack of light outside stretching to the cave floor, prompting him to ask the obvious to those in the room.

"What time is it?" He asked curiously.

"Around eleven thirty," Prozac replied garnering a surprised expression from the black bear.

A loud voice stated from one of the cupboards causing Crack to flinch at the new sound.

"Morning, sleepyhead!"

Prozac reached up and opened the cupboard to reveal a mouse standing near a cup filled with cereal.

Mike placed a piece of cereal in his mouth and waved.

"Is this how we're always going to find you?" Prozac asked sincerely with a dubious look.

"Eh, as long as you keep your Cheerios in here. Then sure." He said munching away messily as crumbs dropped onto his chest.

Fighter yawned loudly earning a distasteful glance from Prozac.

"If it's this early, I'm going-"

Fighter glanced down at Jimmy as he gave an anxious look. At that moment the bear furrowed his brow as he realized that wasn't an option.

"Maybe you shouldn't be staying up so late?" Prozac suggested.

"Not the issue. This isn't new." He replied immediately with a narrowed brow.

Mike looked at him knowingly. "You could always-"

Fighter glanced at Mike sternly as the mouse frowned and gave him an annoyed look.

"No. We've been through this."

Mike folded his arms.

"It's not gonna hurt ya, just get another form of sleep aid." He asked.

Fighter looked away silently and held his head. He groaned and walked to the sink.

"Maybe some sleep medication? It wouldn't be hard for us to get." Prozac suggested as he looked at Nerd curiously.

"I'd be easy to add medical information for his zoo-"

"No." He adamantly stated as he reached out for the soap dispenser on the Kitchen sink. He pressed down on the nozzle gently, only to watch as the liquid squirt over of his shoulder, he blinked blankly in surprise before turning on the tap.

"AHHH, MY EYE! IT'S IN MY EYES!" The group observed Crack holding his head as they all leered at Evil knowingly. He innocently smirked as he looked away watching his victim bump into the fridge.

Mike hopped out of the cabinet and walked along the counter. "You need sleep."

Fighter splashed some water on his face and shook his head.

"I do. Sometimes I don't get energy."

Mike's brow narrowed. "Regardless, the amount of sleep you have isn't healthy."

Prozac placed his paw on his shoulder."Come on. Listen to him; he means well."

Fighter slipped out of his reach and furrowed his brow. "No one asked you-"

"You Snooty Little Fruit!" Lech shouted garnering the attention of the group. The angry couple was still arguing. The two of them had gotten off the couch, and it looked like things were about to take a turn for the worst.

Fighter narrowed his eyes intently. Couldn't have asked for a better escape option. Exit stage left.

He walked toward the group as Mike watched him silently. His ears dropped slightly.

"Rude brute!"

"Arrogant Ass!"

"Moronic Oaf!"

"Uptight Jerk!"

"Stupid Lout!"

"Alright, that's it!" Lech had enough of this spout.

His attempts at being nice had got him nowhere. So, he tried what came naturally: Violence.

Lech rose his fist threateningly as Gay scampered back. However, he clumsily fell over a beer can near the couch. The bear scowled, glancing over to the Kitchen as the red bear looked away ashamed. The blue bear stood over the yellow bear menacingly as he cracked his knuckles. However,

"Alright, knock it off. It's too early for this." Fighter stated as he walked over and stood between the two. There was a brief silence between the two as the glared at each other.

Lech's eyes wondered to his hair. A wicked smile crept on his lips as he barely held back his laughter.

"Bha ha ha! Are those highlights?" He brayed out pointing to the tips of his hair.

Fighter narrowed his brow bitterly. "I'm surprised you know what those are." He retorted as Lech continued to guffaw. Gay used the moment to stand up and dust himself off.

"He's just jealous." He said while folding his arms.

"Snrk, Got that right." Lech snickered as he held his stomach.

Fighter leered back at Gay annoyed. "Pray, this washes out..."

Gay sincerely smiled as he shrugged.

Lech cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Just get out of the way before I ruin your perm next." He goaded as Fighter gave him a cold decisive stare. Lech noted his expression but was unintimated.

"As much I would LOVE to fight you." Fighter clasped his paws together and gave a strained smile.

"We both know this is petty and not worth your time." He argued.

"Yeah! You Obnoxious Boor!" Gay replied bitterly. However, it only made the situation worse as Fighter peered over his shoulder and gave him a tired expression.

"Keep pushing him. You might relieve more than what his paws could..." He tartly replied with a lazy smirk.

Gay snorted abruptly at his comment.

Lech took this moment while he was distracted and charged forward to attack him. Gay's eyes widened as he quickly moved out of the way toward the girls around the couch. Fighter glanced over his shoulder at his attacker, without flinching, he deflected the blow while using his leg to sweep Lech's thigh and moved behind him causing Lech to lurch forward and land face-first onto the floor.

Fighter gave a coy, playful smirk. It was a brief moment of joy.

Lech groggily got up and held his head. He felt a small bump on his head, nothing too serious, but it still hurt nonetheless as he glared at Fighter.

Many of the bears reacted differently to the impending fight; Cara looked concerned for both of them while her sister, Sara, was laughing at Lech's misfortune. Nerd showed concern despite Lech's actions prior, but he briefly smirked as he saw Lech with a bump on his head. Evil grinned satisfied at Lech's misery.

Gimp went to his bedroom to get the first aid kit. Crack ran the tap water in the kitchen to flush out his eyes from rigged soap dispenser and Tanked stayed in the kitchen to avoiding trouble by drinking a beer at the table.

Fighter felt his eyes grow heavy as he yawned instinctively. His ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey!" Someone loudly exclaimed.

He glanced over to the kitchen seeing Mike with a cocky smirk. At the same time, Prozac looked up from his clipboard observing the situation as only one thought came to his mind. Why me? He thought as he shook his head. "Try not to beat him too badly," Mike yelled out.

Fighter rose his brow dubiously. He didn't want hurt Lech this early. He suddenly felt a tremendous weight fall onto him as he fell backward on the couch.

Prozac gave a prudent glare at the mouse. "Don't provoke them." He stated knowing he'd have to settle the dispute.

Mike casually shrugged. "What? A little friendly competition never hurt anyone."

A loud crash rang behind them, and the mouse smirked as Prozac leered down at him on the counter. They both peered over to see the couch flipped over as Lech laid on top of Fighter ready to pummel him with his fist raised, right in front of the Gay and the girls. Cara stepped away first to avoid the two getting closer to them.

Gay paused as he looked down. "What do you call the male equivalent of catfighting?" He asked curiously. The group winced as they saw a blow connect from Lech.

"A fight." Lech and Fighter stated as the blue bear continued to hold him down.

Sara glanced down and cupped her chin. "Eh, I'd call it a Testosterone Tangle."

Gay and Sara chuckled innocently briefly before Lech threw another punch aimed at Fighter's face, he barely avoided it by tilting his head to the side. He quickly grabbed onto the sides of Lech's face and slammed his head into his causing him to lurch back and growl in pain. Fighter rolled back on the floor and shook his head.

That woke me up.

He pulled himself up and wiped his cheek.

Lech got into a mock fighting stance and threw straight aimed his chest, Fighter's responded by blocking the blow with his shoulder as he dodged a hook aimed at his head. He peered over his shoulder and to see Prozac walking over to them.

"Wanna call it quits-" Lech threw another punch at him as he casually dodged it by ducking and weaving around it.

Fighter sighed as he narrowed his brow. All right, plan B then.

He wound up his left arm and got into his orthodox stance. He watched his opponent pensively as he got ready to throw another attack. He bobbed around it. He couldn't help but glance down at his legs and squint before dodging another blow.

Bend your knees more. Fighter remembered clearly.

He instinctively did so spreading his legs apart evenly as Lech continued to throw a flurry of blows. He kept staring at his chin, each time he threw a punch he noticed his absent guard. He sighed openly before shaking his head.

Fighter dropped his guard letting his arms hang. He then clapped then clapped them together combined with his slightly glazed expression and smirk, it felt like a brazen taunt. Lech scowled and threw a sturdy hook, but he rolled under it toward the crowd.

"Ottuso." (Slow) Fighter spat out as he dodged another hook.

Lech almost hit Sara as she dodged out of the way.

"Watch it!" She yelled covering her sister.

Lech ignored her and attacked Fighter again. He kicked forward aiming for his shin, but he stepped toward the couch to dodge it. Lech continued assaulting him with a torrent of attacks, consisting of hooks and lumbering straights. However, each blow was deliberate to his opponent, with each attack he'd dodge or lean into the strike with his shoulders to soften the attack. Sweat started to drip down his brow. He just had to hit him, one more time. He gave a low, annoyed growl, throwing another straight leaning forward with his right leg. Fighter sidestepped the blow, leaning into him with a shoulder check. Then swept his leg with a hook and backpedalled toward the couch.

The bear barely caught himself, almost falling on his face again as he continued to pant. The blow stung something fierce as he knelt and held his knees, glancing over at his opponent to see him wipe the sweat from his brow. However, he didn't seem as exhausted as he was.

"Not enough endurance." He spat out.

"That, and you aren't thinking clearly." Fighter responded coldly.

Lech glared at Fighter as he stood upright as Prozac stepped in to defuse the situation.

"Break it up you two." He glared at the two knowingly before looking at Lech. Prozac furrowed his brow. "Apologize."

Lech's eyes widened in anger. "But-"

Prozac's eye twitched as he glared at the bear silently.

Lech gulped frightened as Gimp entered the living room with his kit and some Ice for Lech.

Prozac glanced back at Fighter. "Next time, don't be so quick to use violence as a solution."

"I didn't throw the first punch," Fighter responded nonchalantly.

Prozac gestured his fingers to his eyes than to him. He wasn't going to allow someone to undermine his authority. Fighter avoided his eye contact but got the message as Prozac got back to the two bears.

"Come on, the faster we can get this done the better. We have to "entertain" the humans. Also, I don't think Death alone will get be enough."

Gay didn't want to be the first to apologize, however, as he glanced at Lech his expression softened.

"I'm sorry for insulting you and your taste in programming." He said with a somewhat natural apologetic tone. Lech sighed and also apologized, but avoided eye contact.

"Maybe they'll have a second showing. Then you can watch it?" Gay suggested.

Lech's eyes bulged in surprise. "Oh, Crap,'

He glanced over at Nerd only to be met with three collective glares from Evil, Nerd and Tanked.

Mike held his head disappointed silently looking away ashamed.

"When's the next time they're showing it?" Lech asked sincerely.

Sara decided to say what everyone was thinking: "You idiot."

"Shut up, I forgot!" Lech responded brashly.

"The last showing is tomorrow, but it's around the same time the horror movie Evil and I are watching." Nerd replied as Lech groaned in annoyance.

"Serves you right for not reserving the spot." Gay quickly added with a smirk as Lech growled in anger.

Prozac could feel another fight was bound to start.

"Hello plebeians, how are all of you doing this fine afternoon?" Vanity stepped in passing through the group at the entrance.

Gay furrowed his brow annoyed he was about retort but was immediately interrupted by the small panda. "No need to answer. I know how mundane your lives are. So, I have come to grace you with my golden visage." He strutted proudly toward the couch and glanced at the television, he scoffed and grabbed the remote changing the channel.

Lech and Gay shared a meaningful look of disdain as they glared at Vanity. They both started to slowly walk toward him like predators closing in on their prey.

Lech cracked his knuckles while Gay barred his claws.

Vanity then realized just how screwed he was and quickly climbed up onto the couch.

"A little help?" He asked.

He noticed most of the cave dwellers had left, minus Crack, literally everyone but Prozac, Evil and Fighter were still in the cave. Luckily Prozac was coming to his aid while remaining few were about to leave.

Fighter yawned loudly and spoke to Evil. "Ahhh, Y'know….Ah…What, I'm not stopping them." He rubbed his eye tiredly as he glanced outside. He started walking toward the entrance.

"As if that was an option." Evil shrugged. "The little runt deserves what's coming to him. I only hope his legs run as fast as his mouth." A sadistic grin formed from Evil's mouth as Fighter nodded in agreement. He stopped briefly looking back at Evil watching intently, waiting for his comeuppance and he sighed knowingly.

"You realize it's gonna end this before the good part happens." He narrowed his brow and gave a disappointed expression. "You know that right?"

Evil pouted with a disappointed as his ears drooped. The image of a battered Vanity disappearing from his mind. "Why do you have to be such a buzz kill?" He asked.

Fighter softly chuckled as he walked out of the cave earning a distasteful scowl from Evil.

Evil glanced back reluctantly and saw their mediator between both parties as the raccoon fled into the Caverns. He observed him before groaning impatiently. His entertainment today was ruined.

He glared at outside absently. It's either this or clean up the maple syrup out of my room. He narrowed his brow in boredom and begrudgingly followed the others outside while Prozac dealt with another dispute. As he stepped outside of the cave, the glare from the sun made him cover his eyes. He glanced to his right and saw the pink and violet coloured bears wandering off toward the fountain to cool off. He'd probably take a dip later.

It's too hot today. When's it gonna rain? His eyes widened briefly in surprise.

Right. I need to check my traps later…Maybe I can-

"Hello." A calm, familiar voice brought him out of his pondering: Death. He was carrying gardening tools. Evil pointed to the devices with a morbid curiosity.

"What's with the...torture tools?" Evil asked shrewdly.

"I'm going to tend to my garden. Then take a nice nap." He smiled contently.

Evil smirked mockingly. "A TRULY fulfilling day for you." He chuckled to himself as Death calmly shrugged off the insult and walked away causing Evil to scowl. He's Too calm. Maybe I need to take some 'herbal' plants from his-

He felt something brush against his leg for a moment. He glared down at the grey mouse annoyed as he ran past him toward a large tree in the middle of the exhibit where Fighter laid under it. He peered over at the bear, even from afar he could see the fatigue on his face. Eyes half-closed, barely keeping awake as his mouse friend crawled up beside him and started conversing with him.

"Hmm, if he was serious about getting that for him I could easily switch—Naw. Done it before, I can do better." He pondered as he smirked deviously at the possible pranks that could be pulled on the sleeping, or even sleep deprived bear, either way, he'd get a kick out it.

"YAHHHH!"

Evil's ears perked at the sound of high-pitched shrieking and shouting from above. He growled annoyed at the familiar sound that intruded his personal space. He quickly decided it would be best to scurry away out of sight, lest a child wanted to throw a rock at him for not 'entertaining' the moronic creature. However, the sounds above continued to grow louder as he quickly found a bush to crawl into right next to the tree.

He sighed knowing he'd have to listen to the two talk, but it was better than listening to the prattling of tiny children. Only slightly better.

"Ahhh!" Fighter yawned loudly as rubbed his eyes. Evil saw the mouse below him looked up at him with a stern look.

"I think Pro was right. I'm gonna ask him if he can score some meds for you." Mike stated.

Fighter laid his head back on the tree with a disinterested expression.

"You don't need to do that. I'm...fine..." He stared absently at the wall.

"You're only proving my point here. Look, in the past, we dealt with this because we didn't have the resources, but now we CAN. Don't throw away their kindness." Mike said as he looked up at the bear, he was waiting for a reply.

He didn't respond.

Wow, I must've done a number on him if he's this out of it. Evil thought as he watched the mouse crawl up the bear's shoulder and yell into his ear.

He shook his head and placed back onto the ground.

"I heard, I heard… I don't need it. I'd rather not be on medication..."

"Oh my god, can you quit being so stub-" Fighter placed his finger on the mouse's head with a pleasant smile.

Mike scowled with a tiny tint of red on his face. No. You will not-

He started to pat his head gently.

"Stop it," Mike stated annoyed as Evil cackled softly in the bush.

"I'll bite you." Mike glared up at the bear furiously, then looked away tapping his feet in a huff.

Evil smirked from the shadows and crawled out of the bush slowly.

"Awww isn't this quaint? A boy in his pet." He said mockingly.

Fighter glanced over at the Evil in the bush. "Wondering when you were going to show up."

Evil narrowed his brow darkly. "I like to keep you waiting. Speaking of-"

Fighter glanced back at Evil stubbornly. "You're not subtle." He stated flatly.

Evil smirked smugly clasping his paws menacingly. "Don't need to be sleepyhead."

Mike furrowed his brow dubiously staring directly at the two. He closed his eyes and held his nose tightly. "Alright, I'm not stupid-"

"Debatable." Evil cheekily replied as Fighter rose his paw threateningly, Evil stared at him curiously. They both shared a glance as he slowly placed his hand down.

The mouse shook his head. "Something is going on between you two. When I come back, we're going to deal with this. Promptly." Mike glared at the nearby tree and noticed a branch reaching out to the rail.

Fighter eyes widened in surprise as Mike glanced back at him smiling at his confusion. "Don't look so sad. I'm a busy guy." The bear chuckled as he glanced up the tree as well.

"I'm not worried." He lowered his paw. Mike climbed up onto it quickly as he brought him unto his back. He held onto his bandana tightly as he climbed up the tree slowly.

He could feel the sun beating down on his fur as he got to the highest point at the base of the tree, he held on to the trunk tightly as the mouse crawled over his neck, past his head onto a branch. The mouse glanced back at the bear gesturing to go down. He stayed there staring at him patiently.

"How long?" he asked.

Mike nodded and spoke again. "Eh, a day. Unless she's gotten all high and mighty deciding she doesn't need my help." Mike stated as they got higher up. He peered down at the ground below seeing Evil stare up at them as Fighter climb down carefully. He stopped briefly and watched him.

"Don't fall!" Evil yelled out happily.

"If I do I'm aiming for you!~" He yelled back down at Evil.

Evil had a devious smirk creep onto his face.

Mike couldn't help but smile as he ran across the branch and jumped into the rail. He pulled himself up and hopped on the paved ground. He dusted himself off and looked around cautiously before sneaking away from the exhibit, however his ears perked as he heard a loud cry along with the sounds footsteps of a large group of people.

He glared at a bush and quickly jumped into it as the group stopped in front of the exhibit.

"Settle down, settle down. If everyone doesn't calm down, we'll all be going back in the bus." The female teacher threatened. The group of small children quickly quieted down as the teacher sighed and addressed the employee beside her.

"Sorry about this; it's their first time." She stated to the employee, he wore in khaki jeans, a white shirt and a green cap nodded as he took his hat wiped his sweat from his brow.

"No problem. As long as they don't cause a scene or disturb the animals, it should be fine." He peered over his shoulder seeing another similarly dressed man waiting outside the school of children surrounding the exhibit. He fixed his cap and glanced at the other employee wearing the same attire, expect he was sporting a green tie around his neck.

"Showtime, bub. We aren't paying you to stand around." He said wiping his nose.

The guide rolled his eyes as he knowingly as he turned back to address his audience firmly.

"Welcome to the Ursus or better known as the bear exhibit. Here we've placed a wide range of different bears together in an enclosed space." He glanced over the landscape to find a familiar species, pausing and staring at one of the trees.

"Ah, here we are. Over there the common American black bear...and the..." He paused noticing the other bear.

"The rare albino bear..." He glanced over at the employee in the crowd with a raised brow. He shrugged in response.

"Regardless, this breed is mostly harmless. Those bears are docile creatures compared to their grizzly or polar counterparts. However, these bears have exceptional hearing. Their ears develop to full size more quickly than the rest of their body. Their hearing is over twice the sensitivity of human hearing." The children continued to gasp in delight.

He noticed one little brunette girl raise their hand and he pointed to her with an inquisitive look.

"So, like dogs right?" She smiled giddily in anticipation.

"Almost, they're slightly better than dogs. Seven times greater to be exact." She seemed disheartened by that bit of information. The guide's expression softened somewhat. "But I suppose they aren't seven times as cuter as a dog." He gave a warm smile as the girl nodded. There was annoying sound coming from behind him; it resembled a forced gagging noise. He heard the teacher berate one of the children as he turned around and glanced at the presumed source of the sound, a black-haired boy with a flat top hair cut.

He decided to ignore it and continue.

"Do you have a question as well?" He asked. The boy narrowed his brow and gave a disinterested look.

"What's docil?" He asked with a confused look.

"In a word, submissive. Maybe even passive." He stated.

The child scowled. "So, lame then?" He responded.

The guide narrowed his brow. "That's one narrow definition, but in a way, they can be."

"Are any of them violent? I know that pandas used to be until we trained them." The boy stated proudly as the other children clamoured behind him intently with mildly impressed gasps. He smirked smugly at the instructor, but the boast did not affect him. Instead, his attention was drawn to the teacher giving a worried glance.

"As, fallacious as that statement is,' The children laughed at his words causing the boy to scowl further.

"I don't think we have all the information at the ready. There are different ways behaviour can be altered, for instance…" He glanced over the exhibit seeing another bear exit the cave below them. He smirked knowingly.

"Do you see that bear down there." He pointed to the red one wandering about aimlessly as it waddled around. The class peered over the rails curiously. "Do you see it's stature? It wanders about like a drunkard. Who knows what could've caused its change in behaviour, a simple drop on its head? Maybe, it changed due to the small enclosure it's held. Either way, it's unique in its own right."

The teacher clapped loudly to gain the children's attention.

"All right then it's time to visit the other animals." She said.

The guide smiled as he walked forward to lead them out. "Who wants to see the polar bears next?"

The children clamoured in excitement as they followed him leaving the employee alone. He walked over to the other employee.

"Finish cleaning the Rhino pit?" He asked.

The other employee shook his head. "I sent the intern."

He scratched his head and gave a suspicious glance.

"He was opening crates in storage why did you-"

"Tomorrow is gonna be busy, and we need all the help we get."

The capped employee narrowed his brow. "I don't think he's ready..." He reached for his walkie-talkie apprehensively.

The other employee saw this and walked past him shaking his head in disbelief. "He can handle it. We need to unpack the equipment for the crew tomorrow."

The capped employee groaned. "Ugh. Fine." He followed him reluctantly away from the exhibit.

Mike watched them leave as he peered out of the bush. He quickly jumped out and walked past the various exhibits to his destination.

The sound of hollow laughter followed as soon as he left.

...

"It's too hot... Freakin' humidity makes my fur itch."

The mangy wolf rubbed his back on a tree furiously as a small pack of cubs ran by with their tongues wagging out. A female wolf steadily followed behind them. He assumed they were heading to the watering hole. He paid them no mind as he relaxed under the shade of the tree. His mouth felt dry even his nose was dry as well.

He thought about going to watering hole himself but scoffed.

Little pests will be too loud, might as well wait.

He peered over to the cave entrance and saw two more leave the den.

Well look at that, the oddball is out of his cage.

Bosco snickered mockingly as the jackal walked in the same direction as the cubs.

"What're you laughing about?" A thick, stern sounding voice called from the cave.

He silently scowled and looked into the cave knowingly and acknowledged the leader.

"Nothing." He replied as the Alpha leered at him curiously.

"Aren't you hot? It's forty degrees out." Bosco openly panted as he felt the heat.

The Alpha took one look at his fur and sniffed the air. "Bathe and quit complaining." He stated bluntly earning a scornful leer from Bosco as the Alpha turned back at the den intently, he seemed concerned but returned to a stern expression as he looked at him.

"You're on cub-sitting duty today."

Bosco narrowed his brow annoyed. "Again? Shouldn't the Omega be taking care of this? Maybe even one of the females?"

The Alpha had a hesitant expression etched on his face, Bosco rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, he's ready. Stop being so reluctant to give him something important to do."

"It's been difficult..." The Alpha looked away concentrating on the cave again with a prudent glare.

"What? Is he refusing? Is he putting up a fight?"

"It's not that. I tried taking Clyde back, but for whatever reason, those morons don't want him."

"Probably because he's useless." He chuckled softly.

"Whatever the reason it might be best just to keep him." He surmised.

Bosco tilted his head dubiously. "It'd be hard for him to blend in."

"The easiest way for him to stay would be for him not be present during the humans' gawking period." The Alpha suggested.

He nodded with a hesitant look. "Fine. What about the keepers? They'd notice one missing. Heck, or even more likely, they'll notice our food supply getting higher." He argued.

"He's one more mouth to feed. It isn't too much of a problem."

Bosco narrowed his brow doubtfully. "Debatable."

The Alpha glanced down at the ground pensively before looking back at the den.

"Throw some dry mud on his back to cover his fur, and we'll have an extra hand to help out."

Bosco glanced around him seeing the jackal drinking from the watering hole. "If only he weren't so flaky."

The Alpha leered at Bosco and made an annoyed growl.

"Look, he's new here. Everybody has to start somewhere. So cut the shit already."

"But-" He continued to leer at the wolf intently before he reluctantly nodded his head. The Alpha turned around back into the den.

The mangy wolf waited till he was out of earshot as he entered the cave. "Momma's boy." He sourly stated as he walked to the watering hole behind the cave.

He could hear the sounds of loud chatter as he made his way to the watering hole. The same group he saw prior gathered around the far left while the jackal stayed on the right alone kneeling for water. He knowingly sighed as he walked toward the group, but paused briefly as his gaze shifted between the group and Clyde. Smirking as he walked to the female looking after the cubs.

The jackal stared blankly at the water as he drank, scowling at the blemish on his forehead. The scar had healed, but the mark remained. He shut his eyes, lapping up the water into his maw.

"Hey, pup."

He recognized voice behind him. He peered over his shoulder.

"Yeah." He sounded disinterested much to Bosco's annoyance. He sniffed the air and made a disgusted look.

"Ugh. Dude take a bath, you smell like rotting cheese." Clyde stuck out his tongue out in disgust.

The mangy wolf narrowed his brow.

"Boss says it's your turn." He gestured to the cubs behind him with the female wolf.

He looked at him curiously as Bosco scratched his snout.

"Yeah, change of plans. He's taking care of the elder and needs you to learn how to do this. Pronto."

"What about you?" He asked narrowing his brow.

"Do as you're told. Stop asking questions..." He said coldly, glancing away for a moment.

Clyde gave a dull look, ignoring the oncoming rant. As his eyes wandered, he noticed the cubs sharing an apple, glancing down at it absently.

The ambient noise became muted to his ear as he started to daydream.

It was hot and dry just like this back then.

...

The young jackal stared at up at the TV screen blankly from his cage. It was the only source of light in his dusty 'flat.' It laid atop a few crates as it gave off a pale light, not entirely engaged with what was on the device, mostly due to his headache. He glanced down, seeing a red apple just out of his cage. His mouth began to water.

"It's not too late to find salvation put your faith in him and he will..."

The voice of the boisterous man started to fade as Clyde felt his stomach turn. He crouched down to try and sate his hunger, limply reaching for the apple with his paw.

"You still watch that drivel?" A familiar voice rang out causing him to bang his head on the bars.

"Shit!" He exclaimed with a mixture of shock and anger. Luckily, his paw tapped the apple toward him as he heard a bit of shuffling from outside his cage. From a dark corner of the room, he saw a grey cloth wrapped around the animal's head covering his eye. The small polar bear's face barely was lit from the glare off the television.

The bear had an unamused look of contempt as he picked at his teeth with his claw.

"If you're trying to feign concern, don't. I'm fine." He said.

He knew this wasn't a fashion statement, but he doubted that the beating they took was enough to leave that much damage. Malcolm noticed the jackal's gaze and glared darkly, Clyde quickly decided to change the subject.

"It's…Not like I have a choice, it's either this or watching the bottom portions of the screen." He narrowed his brow annoyed.

"You're exaggerating. It's not difficult to read and follow along." He surmised as he leaned against a nearby crate and closed his eye. The light from the television allowed him to see his pensive expression.

"About before..."

"Sorry won't cut it...Be better next time, or else we might not be so lucky." He curtly replied with a stern glare.

Clyde scowled annoyed. "Asshole." He said under his breath.

He watched the bear slam his paw on the crates suddenly as the channel changed. The screen showed two males chatting in what looked like a bar. However, he couldn't follow what they were saying. It was too fast and foreign to his ears.

Malcolm watched the television absently without any hindrance he leaned on his cage casually. "We lost a lot of money because of you…" He said calmly not looking away from the television.

"When are you going to be more useful? You haven't grown at all since we got you."

Clyde squinted at the television trying to ignore the bear's comments. The attempt was futile because he couldn't understand the text. Nothing made sense to him; all of it was beyond his comprehension. So, he bitterly replied.

"I don't know when you're willing to trust me, or better yet not stick me with the pit bull for the fifth time?"

"I'm not going to babysit you. Either adapt or die. Simple..." He stated bitterly.

Clyde furrowed his brow as he glared at the bear. At that moment Malcolm saw a red object flung at the television changing the channel back.

"Don't walk away from this opportunity!" It said as the boisterous man returned with open arms.

The polar bear frowned annoyed. "If you're done, we have more important matters."

Clyde blinked blankly unsure of what he was referring too.

"Two new arrivals." He stated bluntly.

Clyde looked away uninterested back at the screen. He looked away frustrated as Malcolm watched him and smirked. "As long as their not scrawny like you. We might be able to do something." He pushed himself off his cage and started to stretch.

Asshole…

"I suppose it can't be helped. You're inexperienced and underdeveloped. What a shame." He shrugged.

"However, I might do something different on their first arrival." Malcolm dusted himself off leaving bits of his fur into the cage.

"Oh what? Actually, welcome them?"

Malcolm stayed silent as he wiped the sweat from his brow and walked away from him back into the darkness. Clyde snarled as he left, his stomach started to gurgle. The animal glanced over to the crate and saw the apple cracked in two on the ground out of his reach. He sighed separately.

….

Clyde felt his headache as he shook it restlessly.

"Hey, asshole!"

He suddenly felt a heap of dirt thrown at his face, cringing as he shut his eyes.

"DON'T ignore me. I've been talking to you for the last couple of minutes, and you're just sitting there with a droopy-ass expression!" The mangy wolf exclaimed.

"Must have been unimportant then..." He said quietly.

"What was that?!" Bosco furrowed his brow angrily, gripping the dirt.

The group of wolves watched intently as the conversation grew became heated. A few of the Cubs hid behind the female one. An action noticed briefly by the jackal as he glanced back at the small crowd.

Need to-

Before he could even speak, a large clump of dirt splattered across his face. He recoiled in shock, glaring at the wolf in front of him.

"Keep spacing out, idiot. Gives me an easy target to aim at."

Clyde wiped the dirt from his face and gave a low snarl, leering menacingly at the mangy wolf. He was started to see red as his head began to throb. "You're in for a thrashing, asshole!-"

A quiet whimper came from behind the mangy wolf, he paused, glancing over to the cubs cowering behind the female wolf. He let out a solemn sigh, glaring at the wolf before begrudgingly walking away toward a tree — his headache growing sharper by the minute.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Bosco yelled as he watched him climb the tree and over the exhibit rail. He furrowed his brow furiously following the Jackal alone as the inhabitants slowly began to clamour loudly.

...

A few moments later, Clyde escaped from the exhibit in a huff. He glanced over his shoulder anxiously, waiting for a moment in anticipation as he peered behind him. He felt his spine tense up, snarling in anger as he let his heels drag on the ground. His mind wandered, trotting around aimlessly past various exhibits.

"Now that you're staying here. You're going to have to pull your weight." The Alpha said as the Elder Wolf narrowed her brow.

"How much experience do you have with cubs?" The Elder asked giving an inquisitive look.

Clyde squinted dubiously. "None." He said anxiously as his mouth went dry.

The Elder looked away absently; he could tell she wasn't happy.

"Lazy...How do you not know something that basic?" She mumbled.

Clyde gave a stone-faced expression and looked away briefly.

The Alpha jostled his cheek with his paw and chuckled. He pulled him aside away from her. Then, quickly glared at the Elder sternly before addressing him again.

"It's fine, you're new, and you'll learn. Just take your time. Ok?" He said.

It felt sincere, but what was he supposed to think now?

Why do I bother?

He stopped walking.

Where the hell am I? He asked as he looked around cautiously before finding a sign. It had a picture of a few animals on it as well as a red arrow. It turns out he had walked to the Otter exhibit. He briefly considered something: The bear exhibit.

"Maybe I could stay there..."

Clyde narrowed his brow sourly. "Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad. No kids, no hassle, just a place to myself..." He leaned on the exhibit wall beside him as he put his paw on his head with a hesitant expression.

Crash!

A loud clattering noise came from behind him. He glanced back seeing nothing immediately. An old can had rolled on the ground out of a trashcan near a bush. Clyde scowled knowingly.

Maybe...No, no, no. I ain't leaving. That'd be exactly what they'd want. I bet he'd be grinning ear to ear after hearing me.

He took a deep breath and glanced back at the bush noticing a bit of movement, still smelling a foul musty odour in the air. A coy smirk crept on his lips. He turned to the direction of the scent. "Hey! Bos-"

"Now, now we're almost there!" A female voice rang out interrupting the jackal mid-sentence.

Clyde's eyes widened in surprise. He recognized the distant cries of the small children.

He desperately searched the area for a place to hide.

A bush?

He peered to his left and saw a few in front of an exhibit wall.

"No. Wouldn't have enough time."

He looked at the exhibit in front of him.

Hold on to the exhibit rail?

He briefly considered it but, realized the inherent flaws in his choice.

Craaap.

He glanced to his left and right. His eyes lit up as he saw something.

He snickered mockingly.

This isn't going to work, but what the hell.

"We're almost there..." A male voice stated.

He'd have to take it.

He bolted to his right and moment later a school of children walked past the Otter exhibit.

"On your right are the humble placental mammals: The Otter."

"Boooring." The flat haired child said looking disinterested as the class reluctantly agreed. Their teacher started to calm them down at the front, and she glanced at the child sternly.

"How much further do we need to go?!" The child asked curiously.

"Not too far." The guide replied.

The child folded his arms and glared at a large cardboard box beside them, kicking it in a huff.

A low snarl came from it. Before the child could question the noise his teacher yelled out:

"Billy, stop that!" She said glaring at the child.

Billy silently gasped as his eyes widened in shock. "S-Sorry..." He said.

The guide rose his hand apprehensively at the teacher. "It's fine. I'll continue. The Otter are diurnal creatures they..."

Billy started to lose interest as he prattled on, he looked around curiously for the source of the sound, glancing back at the box suspiciously as he looked around.

He peered behind him at old can near a trash can.

The box started to move alongside the exhibit wall. Clyde tiptoed forward briefly moving away from the group carefully.

Srrrch!

The box scrapped across the rail loudly; he quickly pulled it down as the child whipped his head around quickly. Billy stared at the cardboard suspiciously. It was on the right side of the sign.

He glanced at the guide as he continued to speak.

"They're excellent swimmers capable of..."

Again, Billy ignored the lecture and instead he walked up to the box and poked it. Nothing had happened. So, he did it again.

The same response.

He narrowed his brow and brought his leg back. He suddenly felt a hand on his back, his back stiffened as he looked back at his teacher giving him an iron glare. He smiled innocently looking behind her to see the little girl wave at him coyly. The teacher rose her finger up and wagged it repeatedly.

"Please listen, even if you find it boring."

"Fine..." He said looking away.

Billy narrowed his brow. He knew he saw it move. He peered at the box. It was on the left side of the sign. The boy glared knowingly at it, and he was about to go to it again. However, he quickly was halted by his teacher.

"Stay with the group. I don't want you to disappear."

"But-"

"Just stay and listen, please." She bowed down and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Billy looked hesitant at first, but pulled away from her grasp and ran to the box the teacher following closely behind him. He stopped in front of the box and pulled it up.

"See!" He said triumphantly, only to the class to laugh at him as nothing was there.

He dropped the box desperately.

"That's it. Your sitting on the bus." She grabbed his arm.

A few snickered of his classmates giggled at his dismay.

"Everyone find your partners and follow us while we go back." She instructed as each of them paired off with one another walking toward the exit.

Billy couldn't help to glance back at curiously at the box. It laid there unmoving as he stood there. He scanned the area prudently but found nothing.

Unbeknownst to the group on the other side of the exhibit wall, two animals clung to the rails for dear life a few meters above the cold water below. Clyde glared at the wolf beside him.

Bosco silently returned his glare.

"H-hey?!"

"What?" Clyde stated annoyed.

"C-could you help me up. I feel like my paws are gonna give way." He asked as Clyde pulled himself up, he glanced at him blankly.

"Sure."

"Thanks-"

"Just one question..." He asked curiously.

"Are we honestly doing this here?" Bosco felt his heels kick along the wall.

"Just answer my question."

"Fine."

"Are you a good boy?~" He asked with a sneer on lips.

An odd silence formed between them.

Bosco frowned and gave an odd look.

"Y-You can't be serious."

Clyde furrowed his brow and watched him pensively as if he were waiting for something.

Bosco's eyes widened as he felt his grip loosen. "Yes! Yes! I'm good just help-"

"Bark." He ordered.

"Eh?"

"Do as your told, and don't ask questions. Unless there's something else to mention." He said calmly with a smile.

Bosco growled but complied barking out.

"Good. Now beg." He ordered.

Bosco growled in anger leering up at him.

"...No."

Clyde turned around he looked like he was about to hop over the rails.

Bosco almost lost his grip and banged his snout on the ledge. Luckily he held on with his teeth.

"Pwease, whelp..." He felt his teeth slowly grind against the edge of the wall. Clyde looked down at him dubiously.

"Hey, before, did I need to look after those cubs or were you lying?" Clyde placed his paw under his chin in a mocking, quizzical expression.

Bosco groaned exasperatedly as his eye twitched.

"No, it was a lie...Help me; I can't swim!" He pleaded.

Clyde stood over him and placed his paws out openly to grasp, prompting Bosco to hang on.

"One more thing..."

"What?" Bosco asked annoyed.

Clyde knelt and spoke into his ear faintly. "You need a bath." He let go of the wolf's paws as his eyes widened in shock.

Splash!

Billy turned around as heard the splash. He saw the Jackal holding on to the ledge. They locked eyes, and he smirked slyly.

Billy pulled the teacher's pant leg and pointed back. "Look-"

The teacher wasn't listening. "Billy, the bus. Now." She stated furrowing her brow. The child sighed as he held his head down and walked ahead with the group. She looked at the Guide with a disappointed expression.

"Again. I'm sorry. We'll be right back." She smiled.

The Guide smiled back and nodded as she walked away with the child in tow. He sighed pulling out a box of cigarettes as they got as they got further away.

Clyde walked past another knocked down trashcan with a small grin. He chuckled softly to himself at his victory. As he got to an intersecting path, he heard a rough sounding female voice across the paved ground near a couple of exhibits. "Sooo, hungry. It'd be great if something crawled its way here." She said.

"Hehehe." A giddy sound of laughter replied to her.

Clyde peered around the corner and saw two hyenae; one with slightly toned legs, while the other was lanky with a mangy set of hair.

The female spoke again, this time louder in tone.

"I've eaten nothing but garbage today...A small morsel would be sublime."

"Hehe haha."

He narrowed his brow dubiously staring at the duo; they were an odd couple. His snout twitched as he smelt a pungent, mouldy aroma from their direction, as well as another strong familiar scent from further ahead.

"Where are you? Don't bother hiding..."

"Hehe hehe." The other one cackled.

Clyde glared prudently at the two weighing his options and sighed.

These two wanted mouse meat, and he couldn't let that happen.

"Whelp, I've got nothing to lose. Let's get this over with..." He walked toward the hyena. He felt his short tail twitch with each step. As Clyde grew closer, both animals suspiciously stared at him.

Clyde smiled awkwardly.

The female turned away seemingly uninterested with him as the other kept smiling while gave him a weird look. It felt, hollow. Like, he was staring past him. A chill when down his spine. He ignored it and tried to talk to the other one. She was sniffing around with a focused expression on her face. On closer inspection, he could see her ears perk and twitch while she searched aimlessly.

"Haven't seen you around here before." He stated

"Yeah, what of it?" She glanced back briefly inspecting him.

"Could say the same about you." She looked at her companion intently; he continued to laugh silently to himself. She sighed dourly.

"You remember every face around here?" he asked jokingly.

"Been here for a while; don't recognize you is all."

"Yeah, I'm new," Clyde smirked wolfishly.

She gave a flat expression. "Spill your guts. Metaphorically, or literally, I don't care which." She stated.

"Wait. What?" He said surprised.

She sighed annoyed. "It's clear I can't get anything from you. So, can you leave? I'm busy."

The other hyena laughed at her response as Clyde scowled.

A broken twig laid on the ground, a piece of it was missing. Her brow darkly narrowed as she knelt her head down to smell it. She sniffed the air and glared at a bush that was under a street lamp in the distance. She gave a satisfied toothy grin. That was all he needed to know. She could not get past him now. Clyde quickly darted past the male and blatantly blocked her path earning an uninterested look from her.

"If you're trying to court me your failing. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

She tried to go around him, but he kept blocking her path. She gave a dark look and growled impatiently.

Clyde smirked slyly. Not what I had in mind but-

"You haven't even given me a chance to impress you. The name's Clyde." He grinned puff his chest out. From the bush ahead the mouse peeked out briefly, struggling to hold his laughter.

The female furrowed her brow remaining silent at his gesture, inspecting his appearance closely. He was a Medium sized canine, about her size — a decent coat of fur. However, there was still something that bugged her.

"Your legs look like drumsticks." She licked her lips curled into a hungry smile.

Clyde squinted in surprise before he regained his composure.

She circled him pensively slowly observing him and gathering more information. She glanced at his forehead and smiled.

"Good, you've got some experience under your belt...Either that or you bruise easily."

Clyde tapped his paw on the ground absently. He silently glanced at her tail; it almost looked as sharp as a hook, with a curved tip.

"Your posture is terrible." She added looking back at him with a disappointed expression.

He glanced at her face and rose his brow. Her snout had a large cut on her left nostril.

"Eh, your nose could do some work." He replied.

Her back rose up instinctively, reminding him of a cat. Even the way she strutted around resembled one too. He furrowed his brow.

"I'll point out more if you-" He noticed her right ear was jagged, almost as if there were teeth marks- He winced suddenly as the realization hit him.

She noticed his body stiffen and gave a flat expression. "I'll ignore that last one...Now, If your done gawking. I've got an animal to devour."

She started to walk past him toward the bush. He quickly jumped in front of her.

She stood firmly and growled loudly with a deathly glare.

"Get out-"

Clyde took the opportunity went for a kiss, Their muzzles joined together lovingly nuzzling their snouts, he could feel the low growl he started to brush and caress her mane and closed his eyes.

She is going to kill me.

However, there was nothing. Clyde opened his eyes briefly, staring into her dark red eyes. If he didn't know any better, she was giving him a sultry look. Only for him to feel a sharp, sudden pain. She bit his bottom lip causing him to grunt in pain. She pulled away and glanced at him curiously.

"That was... Entertaining. How about I-"

The male barked abruptly cutting her off. She glared at him annoyed as he continued to grin.

"Right..." She rolled her eyes then gave a half smile to Clyde as he held his mouth with a paw.

"You. Tomorrow evening at the Rhino pit. It'll be fun." She ordered with a pride-filled grin.

He gave a concerned look as he rose his brow quizzically.

She walked past him letting her tail brush his cheek blatantly. He couldn't help but feel flustered by the animal's scent as she left with the other hyena in tow. "And the name's Vivi. You forgot to ask Casanova." She said looking back at him.

He watched her leave silently. He couldn't help but feel satisfied.

"Nice job."

Clyde glared down at the mouse beside him.

"I'm surprised you didn't run while you had the chance," Clyde said.

"And miss your attempt at wooing the opposite sex? Hardly."

He gritted his fangs together bitterly. "Haha. Go f-"

"It wasn't too bad. From what I saw..." He cupped his chin pensively. "Play your cards right, and maybe she'll warm up to you." Mike nodded firmly.

"Really? I was pretty crappy."

"Yeah. Just don't be a jackhole and you'll be fine."

Clyde furrowed his brow annoyed at him.

Mike smirked smugly. "Man you need a thicker skin." He mockingly chuckled as Clyde scowled at the mouse. He was beginning to have second thoughts on his actions thus far.

"Uh, hey if you don't mind me asking, could you help me get to Tali's place without getting killed?" Mike asked curiously. He scratched his head with the tip of his tail.

Clyde looked at him with a dull expression, looking up at the sky briefly before looking at him dubiously. He shrugged.

"Eh, ain't got nothing better to do. Lead the way, mighty mouse."

Mike scowled while narrowing his brow. "No."

"How 'bout Speedy Gonzales?" He asked curiously.

The mouse folded his arms. "...Better." Mike said as he and walked ahead while the Jackal followed him closely and smirked slyly.

As they got further away, a wet wolf turned away and walked backward toward the exhibit.