* III: Kleptomania *

"I'm very disappointed in you, Blue Boy."

"I-I'm sorry, master... forgive me, please."

"Remember the army knife my pop gave me? I'm gonna get it, and I'm gonna cut you with it. You and your new friend. Your blood will stain my clothing and my hands. And I'll drink it. I'll drink your blood and you'll watch me drink it before your last breath escapes your lips!"

"Master... p-please, I beg for forgiveness!"

Anubis woke, his head throbbing. The sunlight was intense and each blaring crash of the waves made his head hurt even more. He sat, feeling his damaged eye. It was still sore, despite how it was gradually healing. As he got used to the bright light, he noticed Delta's absence.

The lucario struggled to stand up. The beach looked a lot different in the daytime than in the night. The ocean was bright blue, and every inch of its surface reflected a small amount of the sun's rays. A city was visible towards the north, about a couple miles up the beach. There wasn't a hint of wind, odd as that may be. The beach botanics didn't stir or wrestle, and the forest seemed just as quiet.

Anubis followed Delta's paw prints towards the shore. They ended where the sand was moist and hard-packed from the water. He looked up and down the beach, but he couldn't see the cat. Was he in the water? That'd be an odd place for a cat to be. But, sure enough, Anubis managed to make out a small, black figure bobbing up and down in the waves. When it noticed Anubis, it swam to shore, undergoing quite a thrashing from the breaking waves.

"Are you alright?" Anubis asked, seemingly concerned, as Delta approached him.

"Couldn't be better," the umbreon happily replied, shaking his body and producing a fine mist.

"Didn't know you liked the ocean so much. I guess it suits your name, though." Anubis then felt another sensation of sorrow from Delta. He had forgotten of how that topic greatly depressed him. "Er, so are we going there?" Anubis pointed towards the city.

"I figured we could travel along the coast until we got to Maine, so we'll most likely be passing through the city."

"Is Maine the northeastern tip of America? How are we going to make it that far on foot? And what happens if we finally do get there?"

Delta thought about telling Anubis about his airplane idea. 'Nah, it can wait.' He decided to change the subject. "Hey, you got your cage? I don't feel like carrying it around anymore."

The dog was confused as to why Delta hadn't answered him. "Huh, don't worry, I got it..."

The two proceeded along the beach, barely exchanging any conversation, until they reached the city. A boardwalk with a sign reading 'Welcome to Morehedd' linked the beach to the city. The two walked along the boardwalk, passing various people who were making their way to the ocean, eager and excited.

"How's your eye doing?" Delta asked.

"Well, it's really sore, but at least I can feel it."

They explored the city and watched the hustle and bustle of the busy citizens. They laughed and joked about the humans and their appearances. Finally, they noticed that they hadn't eaten for nearly twelve hours, and upon realizing this, Anubis began to panic.

"My trainer usually fed me," the lucario said wearily. "What am I supposed to do for food, now?"

"Relax," Delta ordered. "Leave the food situation to me. Just... uh... give me a second." He left Anubis and came back shortly afterwards, carrying what looked like a krokorok-skin purse in his mouth. Its strap had been ripped, but apart from that the bag looked to be in perfect condition.

"What's that?" Anubis questioned, suspiciously.

Delta thought for a moment before dropping the bag on the concrete. "It's a bag. Humans put money in it, then they leave them unattended in the streets. It's pretty common to find them around cities..."

"Huh. Back in Egypt, humans usually kept their money. Strange." Anubis scratched his neck, contemplating the difference between their countries. 'That's seems... a little out there.'

"Uh-huh. Let's go find a Food Growlithe. I'm hungry!"

The pair eventually found the supermarket: A large store full of food products and other miscellaneous items, but food was their primary interest.

"Okay, Anubis," Delta exclaimed, excitedly. "You're going to push me around in one of those!" He pointed at a hoard of conjoined shopping carts.

"As you wish," Anubis said, walking towards a cart and pulling it from the rest of the assemblage. "Hop in."

Delta happily leapt into the cart before feeling a rise of adrenaline as Anubis pushed him speedily throughout the aisles. People glared at them as they shopped, but they didn't notice or care. "Get those," the energetic umbreon yelled as he leaned out of the cart. "Get those... Wheat Thins! And those... Saltines!"

"Hold up, bucko, we can't carry too many things. Even if they're put into bags."

"You know, Anubis, you're pretty lucky to have a body like that," Delta regarded Anubis' paws and legs with admiration.

"Are you coming on to me?" Anubis asked, slightly flattered.

"What? No, I mean you're pretty lucky to have a body like a human's. In a world of manmade technology and machines, everyday life must be a piece of cake for you. Animals like me, us with our tiny paws, can't really use anything associated with humans, such as this cart. And look at me! I only weigh about fifteen, twenty pounds maybe. I'm a little boy!"

Anubis considered the similarity between him and the humans... He was similar to them, body-wise, but there were major differences such as his size and his hound-like traits. "Hey, believe it or not, my paws still restrain me from doing a lot of things... And everyday is not cake for me."

"The bottom line is you have two arms that you don't use for walking on, whereas certain other species need to walk on all fours... Get those! Get those biscuits!"

"I'll only get Saltines for soup, but not cookies."

"Hey, it's my money!"

Anubis eyed Delta, skeptically. "Is it your money, though?"

Delta didn't respond for a while until he finally muttered "Well... it's not technically mine but... but that's because I found it on the street!" Delta quickly looked away and frowned. "Hmph!"

Anubis knew Delta was lying. He didn't even need to read his aura to know that. Where that money actually came from, Anubis didn't know. But he thought it'd be best not to converse about it in public.

Once they arrived at the checkout counter, the lucario paid the awestruck man with the money from the krokorok-skin bag.

"What-what... is this?" The man inquired, looking the blue-hound up and down. "Such fine fur... Such badass spikes... Such exquisite beauty!"

Anubis paid no attention to the cashier as he rambled and gawked. He gave him a couple bills, not knowing if it was enough or not. Frankly, he didn't care. The pair left with the grocery bags, leaving the man at the register amidst his daydreams.

Once they left the Food Growlithe, Delta dropped his grocery bag from his mouth and burst into laughter. "You gave him a ten and a single!"

"Oh, I did? My mistake," Anubis replied, nonchalantly.

They continued through the town until they found another boardwalk leading to the ocean. Then, they continued up the beach until Morehedd City was just as distant from them as when they woke up.

"Can we stop and eat, now?" Delta pleaded.

"Oh, right. Food." Anubis sat down on the sand and placed his two grocery bags down. "I hope the soup's not too cold."

The forested horizon split the sun in half as it set. The sky, dark red, was filled with bright orange and yellow clouds. The beach was seen in a pink-ish hue, as if it were being looked at through a pink filter. Anubis brought out two soup containers from a bag and put them firmly on the sand. He then brought out two spoons and handed one to Delta, who refused to take it. Delta looked at Anubis, baffled.

"Oh," Anubis exclaimed, before slapping his palm to his face. "I'm sorry. I-I could feed it to you... with the spoon."

"Yes, feed me," Delta ordered, teasingly. Anubis sighed and opened up the two cups of soup. He held two plastic spoons in his paws, one for him and one for his friend. He used the right spoon to feed the giggling umbreon, and the left spoon to feed himself.

"You enjoy using my capability to your advantage, don't you?"

"Yup, that's pretty much the only reason I rescued you! Where are the crackers?"

Anubis looked through his bags for the Saltines. Instead of taking out the crackers, he took out a small, cheap wallet and a roll of string. "Why'd you get these?" he asked.

"Ah, can you perhaps tie some of the string in a circle and attach it to the wallet? I want to wear it around my neck.

"I guess," the dog said, unraveling the yarn and biting a small portion of it off. He had a tough time trying to tie the knot, and he had to pause what he was doing every time the hungry Delta whined for food. Eventually, though, he managed to tie it without getting too frustrated in the process. The sun had fully submerged underneath the horizon, and the moon had risen from the ocean.

Delta happily wore his wallet around his neck. The main reason he had wanted a wallet was so he could easily collect money for the airplane, seeing as he is going to need a lot of it.

"Delta, why'd you get that wallet, anyway?"

Delta decided he should tell Anubis his plan. He cleared his throat and began making his proposal. "How would you feel about going back to Egypt?"

"I would... be most happy to."

"Good, because I was thinking that if we earn enough money, we should be able to buy you a plane ticket and get you back there," Delta proudly exclaimed.

Anubis frowned. "Plane tickets... to Egypt... could cost as much as 800 dollars! I don't know if we can ever make that much money. We're just animals. Besides, how would I get on the plane?"

"Trust me, Anubis, I can get twice that amount of money by the time we get to Maine."

"Twice as much?"

"Please, we have to do this," Delta insisted.

Anubis sighed, gently feeling his bruised eye. "But... the airport." Anubis looked at his friend and smiled. "Alright, Del. I'll go if..."

Delta's ears perked up. "If?"

"...if you come with me."

Delta thought about it for a moment. He wondered why Anubis wouldn't just want to go by himself... unless Anubis really liked Delta. He had been planning to go to Canada, but... "If it makes you happy. Let's go to Egypt."

Anubis grinned and tried to hug him. It was an awkward hug for multiple reasons regarding his chest spike and their size contrast, but nonetheless, Anubis was appreciative and he made his point clear. He released Delta and chuckled, apologizing.

Delta was feeling a little tense and nervous from the hug, which lead him to wonder what Anubis' orientation was. "What was your life back in Egypt? Did you have a lover?"

Anubis frowned, remembering what had happened to him before he was captured. "Yes, there was a lucario that I was friends with for a while. Right before I was captured, I fell in love with her."

Delta let out a breath of relief at the word 'her'. "That sounds like a bad time to fall in love with someone," he snickered. "What was she like?"

"Well, she looked like an average lucario, except for an occasional pigment irregularity in between her ears and on her arms where her fur was more prone to growth. She would gnaw the extra hair off her arms, though. But, man, she looked stunning!"

"I wouldn't say fur growth pertains to pigmentation," Delta corrected him. "It's more like a growth disorder."

"Heh, maybe I'm not spot-on with my English yet."

"Wait," Delta's eyes widened. "If I'm going to go to Egypt, I'm going to have to learn Egyptian!?"

Anubis laughed. "Yeah, it's a tough language to learn. I'll teach you, though."

Delta groaned and laid on the sand. 'I'd rather have to learn Canadian than Egyptian.'

"Anyway, about the lucario. We'd known each other for about six years but we only grew friendly towards one another three years after we met. Her name was Cleo, and she was the sweetest, most caring being I've ever met. Her voice was gentile and soothing, and her smile..." Anubis began to feel another 'new' mood: Depression. He had sensed Delta's depression before, but feeling it himself was more discomforting than anger or fright. "By now she's probably with another lucario. What lucario wouldn't kill to be with her? And to think," he said plaintively, "...I was almost ready to tell her."

"You think she loved you back?"

"There was only one way to find out, but my master ruined everything."

"Hey, cheer up. If she loved you, she would never be able to go out with someone else."

Anubis sniffed and smiled. "I hope you're right." There was a moment of silence between the two before Anubis broke it. "So what about you? Any... partners?"

Delta looked around the dark, moonlit landscape suspiciously. "I haven't had much history with girls. Well, there was this one glaceon I had sex with, but I wasn't committed to her, especially when it took me days for my iced groin to recover. There hasn't really been anyone else that I've met. I'm a nomad, so that's probably why." Delta glanced around as if he was looking for something. "Although, there has been something following me... I'm not sure if it's female or not, but it's been stalking me ever since I started my journey. I don't see it often, but when I do it's usually from a distance and very brief. It's starting to scare me..."

Anubis rubbed his neck, deep in thought. He blinked and looked at Delta. "You've got a stalker, huh? Do you think it's hostile? Or do you think it has a crush on you?" He didn't wait for his friend to respond. He focused his mind and closed his eye. He sensed the outline of the environment around him. He expanded his vision more and more until he sensed the auras of three animals about thirty yards north. He could tell one of them was a luxray, a semi-common animal found in Egypt, but the other two he didn't recognize.

These three were not who he was looking for. He expanded his vision slightly more until he could sense all scenery within a forty yard radius. There was something large crouching behind a bush, its head facing the direction of himself and Delta. It was positioned south of them, on the dunes in between the sea and a vast, arid area of rocky hills. This large creature both intimidated and concerned Anubis. "Delta," Anubis spoke, his eye still shut tightly. "Does your stalker look like a giant fox with a massive array of tails?"

"Y-Yes! H-How did you—"

Anubis stood up, his eye still closed. "Follow me. Get ready to run very fast."

"What are you doing?"

"Don't ask questions, just follow." Anubis quietly made his way along the beach. Delta followed, abandoning their shopping bags.

They walked until they were about ten yards away from the beast. They stood still for a moment on the beach. The beast was now in between them and the rocky hills. Anubis motioned for Delta to be silent as he slowly made his way towards the creature, crouching in the dune grass. They were nearly five yards away. That's when the beast darted for the hills. Anubis, clearly sensing the creature's retreat, shouted for Delta to run as he, himself, started sprinting after the spy. Delta had no clue what was happening but he ungrudgingly obeyed Anubis' command.

Soon, the dunes were far behind them. The beast ran, frantically trying to escape, but they were catching up. It kicked itself into overdrive and bolted throughout the large boulders, trying to lose its pursuers. Anubis kept track of the beast at all times, Delta following behind. The amount of boulders suddenly decreased, leaving the creature with no cover. Now was their chance.

"Okay, Delta!" Anubis shouted, trying not to lose too much oxygen. "Your stalker is straight up ahead, sprint and knock its block off!"

Delta realized why they were running. He sped up and bypassed Anubis, his golden rings glowing brighter as he increased speed, as if he were a wind-up flashlight. The creature could hear Delta close behind. It changed directions and headed for a large cliff.

"Bear right!" Anubis yelled and Delta obeyed, beginning to sense the presence of an entity closely in front of him.

Delta released a bright light that lit up the entire area around him. This move of his was known as Flash, an odd move for a dark type animal to know, but it was easily learned by him due to his light-emanating rings. The wolf/fox-like creature yelped as it was now clearly visible to its pursuers. Delta saw the golden, red-tipped tails flowing through the air and exerted a final burst of energy. Delta was Usain Bolt, and Anubis and the animal were some insignificant white guys.

Delta was about to bite one of the tails, but as they approached the cliff, the animal came to a sudden halt and was tackled to the ground by the umbreon. Dust shot here and there as the creature's snout was pressed against the sand and Delta tumbled over it and into a pricker bush. Anubis stopped and caught his breath.

The beast lifted its head from the sand and sneezed. It looked at the edge of the cliff. "Close call," its feminine voice clarifying that it was a girl.

Delta exited the bush, removing thorns from his coat with his teeth. "Alright," he yelled. "I want answers!"

The creature, up close, looked a lot less menacing than from afar. It resembled a fox with a thick, golden pelt. Her red eyes gleamed as she licked her paws and rubbed her snout, ignoring the umbreon. The creature was basically a large, yellow fox with nine tails and no pupils or irises. A rather simple creature.

"Why have you been following me?" Delta growled. "Don't think I haven't seen you sneaking around. I've known you've been following me ever since I left Florida!"

"Florida?" Anubis uttered, surprised at how far Delta has travelled before they met.

The thing sighed, thinking up a response. "Erm, well I'm a very hungry ninetales with no family or food. I saw you and your juicy, tender body. You looked pretty appealing. I wanted to wait for you to fall asleep so I could eat you, but you never sleep! I don't understand how—"

"Oh God, NT, stop bullshitting me," the cat snarled, angrily. "Why have you been stalking me?"

The ninetales giggled. "I believe the correct terminology would be 'Oh Arceus, NT, stop taurosshitting me'."

"I ain't playing, honkie!"

The ninetales frowned and took another sigh. "I've been watching you steal people's purses (and so effortlessly, too)! I, being a loner and not actually having any family or food, wanted to learn from your larcenous ways, and so I began taking note of what you've been doing and learning from you from a distance. You're like my mentor."

Anubis gritted his teeth, realizing where Delta had gotten the krokorok bag from. "You've been stealing?" He interrogated Delta, incensed.

Delta's ears drooped as he noticed Anubis' anger. "Well I-I'm a dark type! I am who I am!"

"Oh, so that's how you expect to get money for our plane tickets, huh?" Anubis spat.

Delta whimpered and looked towards the ninetales. "Well, NT, I'm very flattered that you've been learning from me, but you didn't have to hide from me... Why would you hide?"

"I have my reasons," said Ninetales. It was true, she did have her reasons...

Anubis further inspected her aura. Something was off about her. She seemed trustworthy, but she was a stealer. Stealers shouldn't seem so trustworthy! He could sense Delta's nervousness when he talked about the origins of the stolen purse, but this ninetales seemed... too innocent. "What's your name?"

"My name is Acadia, and, like I said before, I am a ninetales. I know that you're a umbreon," she stated, referring to Delta. "I don't know what you are though," she looked Anubis up and down.

"I'm a lucario. We're not common around these parts."

"How did you find me?"

"I used my aura sight. It's a power only used by my species. It lets us assess our surroundings and is extremely useful when our visions been impaired for any reason."

Acadia noticed his bruised eye and nodded. Delta was surprised that Anubis could use his aura powers for more than just creating energy spheres. The fox looked at the pair, nervously. "I saw your bags of food... Can I - may I?"

"Well, I guess you can have some food," Delta said, squinting.

The three of them left the arid wasteland and returned to the beach, only to find that their groceries were gone.

"We left them right here, right?" Delta asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Anubis replied. "Someone's made off with our food. Sorry, Acadia."

"It's alright," the ninetales sadly said.

Anubis frowned, sensing her hungriness. "Don't worry, Delta can just go and steal more money," he looked at the cat, disappointedly.

"Hey, I wasn't like this before I evolved," Delta shot back.

They sat on the sand and watched the moon slowly rise as they introduced themselves more thoroughly to each other. All the while, Anubis was trying to further assess the fox, but was failing. As they continued to talk and even share laughs occasionally, a luxray, an absol, and a croagunk sat, thirty yards away, watching the stars and enjoying a box of Saltines.