Sorry that I've been silent for a while. I've been working on a couple of different stories, and I try to complete them before I post them so I don't leave you guy's hanging. This one is almost complete, but it's still got a couple of chapters to go, so you might end up waiting a little bit for the end, but it shouldn't last too long. Some of you might notice that the concept of the Vixens and the name Carmelita are used in the Sly Cooper video games for the character Carmelita Fox, but that this story hasn't been labeled as a crossover. That's because it's not meant to be, I just borrowed the name and concept of that particular character for the basis of my entire species, and I thought the name fit. Just to make sure nobody comes after me, though-
Disclaimer: I do not own Sly Cooper or Batman/Justice League. I might have borrowed names from Sly Cooper, but the characters are all my own. Daniel Wayne is also my own character, so no taking him without permission. The eventual protagonist, which you will not meet for a while, but I need to mention, is also my own character, though in all fairness, I did create him with the help of ThePizzadude93. Reviews are greatly appreciated, I very much like to hear what you guys think of my writing. Thank you.
The dark alleyways opened up on either side of her like black holes that wanted to swallow her up. The dim street-lamps did little to dispel the darkness that covered Gotham's slums. One might think that since Carmelita was an anthropomorphic fox, she wouldn't be afraid of the dark. It's not that darkness itself scared her, but when you live in Gotham, you learn very quickly to fear what might lurk in the shadows-especially if you're a Vixen.
She continued her quick pace to the apartment she shared with her two parents and younger brother, hoping that she would be able to get there without incident, but she was not so fortunate.
No more than three blocks from the apartment building, half a dozen men in dark clothes stepped out of the alleyway, blocking her path. "You're in the wrong neighborhood, fox," one of them said. Carmelita couldn't do anything but stand, frozen. "Me and my boys ain't too fond of you and your kind. But... I'm a reasonable man. For a small fee, we'll let you pass, unharmed."
"I don't have any money," Carmelita managed to squeak out.
The man shook his shaved head. "Well, you see, that's a problem. If we let you pass for free, then other foxes might get the idea that they can pass for free too. We can't have that. But, like I said, I'm a reasonable man. If you can't pay cash, maybe we can arrange a different form of payment." Carmelita saw the look in the man's eyes and immediately knew what he had in mind, and she wouldn't have any part of it. Looking around, she tried to spy a way out of the situation, but all six men had surrounded her. For all intents and purposes, it was hopeless.
Her breath became ragged, her heart pounded in her chest, and her palms began to sweat. Carmelita wanted to try to scream, but no sound came out of her throat.
One of the men snatched her backpack while another grabbed her long blue-black hair, jerking her head back in the process. The same man thread his arm through both of hers, pinning her back against him before he covered her mouth with his rough hand.
She looked at the leader, the man with the shaved head, her eyes as wide as golf balls as she saw him stalk towards her. His intentions were evident, and they were not pretty. Even though her mouth was covered and no sound escaped her throat, save her muffled screams, she mentally cried out for anyone to come and save her. But then again, she lived in Gotham. Nobody really cared anymore, especially if you were a Vixen.
Strangely, a bat flew between her and the leader. That single bat was followed shortly after by another bat. Then another, and another. One or two bats flying through Gotham at once was common enough, but when almost a dozen fly through a single street in less than a minute, that is odd.
The air suddenly exploded in a frenzy of screeching bats flying around Carmelita and the man that held her. The man started crying out in pain as the bats bit and slashed at him with their claws. He let go of Carmelita, only to fall backwards through the swarm and land on his back. The bats ignored him, continuing to circle Carmelita. They didn't come near enough to touch her, though. There was roughly a two foot radius between her and the nearest bat.
Outside her cocoon of leathery wings and furry bodies, Carmelita heard the men from the alley screaming at something. Her ears twitched as she heard a sound like wind whipping at a cloth-almost like a parachute. She heard two heavy boots land on the concrete, and fists colliding with flesh outside the circle of bats. She couldn't see past them; they were too densely packed. She heard what sounded like compressed air being released and the whine of a small motor, but she couldn't be sure. As suddenly as they appeared, the bats dissipated, flying off to reveal five of the six men on the ground unconscious. She saw the leader running off away from her, only to have his foot snatched, presumably by a cable of some kind.
As the man was hoisted screaming into the air by his foot, she ran towards her apartment building. She paused as she reached the front steps, trying to listen to what was going on on the roof. Tilting her head, she strained her sensitive ears to their limit, but try as she might, she couldn't make out any exact words. All she could hear was the man screaming at someone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her backpack was resting on the concrete outside the door with a package on top. Despite the adrenaline in her system, Carmelita slowly walked up the steps and picked up the package to open it. The contents of the package made her jaw drop. It was several bound stacks of hundred dollar bills, with a typed note that read ^Quit your job, stay in school, and follow your dream.^ There was no signature, but whoever it was was a god-send. The money would let her family stay in their apartment for several months, without fear of eviction.
Carmelita heard another scream, and looked up to see that the man from earlier was dropping at a fast rate towards the ground, only to stop suddenly when his head was just a few inches above the ground. The cable released, and the man dropped to his back with a heavy thud. Scrambling to his feet, his eyes met Carmelita's. She didn't know what happened to him, but he turned and ran from her as fast as his legs could carry him.
Looking up to the black sky, she saw no sign of her rescuer, but she knew he was up there. "Thank you," she said before putting the money in her bag and hurrying inside the apartment building.