Hi, uh, I am alive.

I kinda just went on a really long break from writing just because I felt that I wanted to put my focus and effort into other things for a while. But I didn't want to just abandon this story, I never wanted to do that.

Thank you all so much for 540 views. For a story that seemed pretty much dead, that's a generous amount of people that stopped by to, at the very least, take a look. I hope to get it back on track and wheel out some more chapters consistently now that summer is around the corner by the time I post this chapter.

Please enjoy and tell me what you think! :)

...

Valla Tero seemed to have something for everyone. It was like a massive multi-story mall that offered all the pleasures in life one could buy. Groups of friends looking for a good time could run amok in clubs. Lone soloists could find serenity with a good drink at a bar (or heavy liquor to ease sorrows for that matter). Stressed or exhausted passengers could enjoy a spa session. Those looking for some fierce tools of the trade could purchase and arm themselves at weapon stores and test them out. And weary travelers could rejuvenate in suites for however long was necessary. Valla Tero had it all.

There was likely never any moments of total silence in the huge walkways of the spacecraft. Passengers of all kinds were constantly migrating through the mechanical behemoth, on their ways to different destinations; some heading through for the featured luxuries of the ship, others heading for one of the two hangars with the intention to leave. The sheer size of the ship stretched out for four whole miles, curving slightly in the midpoint. Its' design was specifically meant to orbit a planet; nothing less and nothing more.

Even the exterior was a regal silver color with streaks of neon blue energy pumping through the exoskeleton. Valla Tero was an extraordinary technical landmark and achievement, and it was a real thing of beauty.

And it was run by Harbingers.

For some reason, Wolf found it hard to accept that the largest most ruthless criminal organization in all of Kreev would manage a luxury craft resort for public use. Then again...he hadn't necessarily seen a good example of said ruthlessness, aside from the scout he'd encountered a few hours before. But the scout was so naive and aggressive; Wolf had dealt with plenty of simple crooks that often misrepresented a larger group.

Valla Tero was for public use; it was not exclusive to Harbingers. Anyone could come and go as they pleased. Likewise, they could enjoy the many attractive features as they pleased, so long as they brought some credits to spend. There was even free booking for one night stays in the simpler suites for those looking to save their money and rest up before moving on. These were acts of considerable generosity and hospitality rather than ruthlessness

Then again, the scout was Wolf's only experience so far. He would have to base further predictions and expectations of Harbinger encounters off of that experience alone.

The hangar was easy enough; it was the far left hangar on the spacecraft, allowing ships safe passage into Valla Tero through a translucent barrier of blue energy. It was packed with ships of varying sizes. The Strider fit between another compact vessel and a bulky unorthodox cruiser meant for nothing more than leisure. Panels of impenetrable glass showed operators for the energy gates and other functions in the hangar. Only a handful of armed guards patrolled the massive room. Wolf had no trouble with them, though he held his head low behind the collar of his coat when he passed by them.

And here he was, in the body of the spacecraft. Like Sordes, it was jammed full of people. But the difference here was the factor that people aboard Valla Tero chose to be here and please themselves with anything their heart desired. Sordian residents were just surviving on the filthy planet.

It was refreshing for Wolf to see such a clean environment with even cleaner people. Of course, there were also the ones not so well dressed, but he sighted not one rag of considerable filth like on Sordes.

He felt a little outclassed by many of the passengers. They wore grand outfits with vibrant colors and beautiful makeup. He glanced down at his drab black clothing; it couldn't compare in the slightest with the style and flair that some passengers had.

There seemed to be no end to the vast array of options avaliable; Beto's Poolside offered swimming and hot tubs. La'Bello's Girls was presented as an adult club with a stretch of neon outlines of poles and performers. Strin's Arsenal advertised their products with heavy looking weaponry in the display windows of the shop.

Once more, like on Sordes, Wolf felt lost as he wandered among the crowds of people, mindlessly glancing between stores and attractions. It was easy to lose focus in a place like this.

"Okay...can't forget the mission. Can't forget. Find Yara Mikalov...yeah, find him and..."

Now the realization had dawned on him; he wasn't fully sure how he would follow up if he succeeded in locating Yara. Find him, and then what? Just ask him where he could find Marq Prax? Try threatening or coercing him into giving him at least some sort of lead to finding he boy?

How could he even find Yara? Valla Tero was massive; that would be a lot of ground to cover. Was the bear even on board? Garrison had said Yara ran the ship, but did that mean he was always present? Who were the right people to ask in order to find him?

Wolf felt his neck ache and grumbled, walking a little faster with his head down in frustration. There were too many factors not in his favor. He had a sudden urge to just stop. He wanted to forget about this whole thing and just relax in some remote planet on Lylat, maybe even here in Kreev.

He knew he couldn't though. Not yet. He still had a target to kill.

For now, he needed a break. Nothing like a long vacation, but just a short break. He needed at least an actual night of rest.

Wolf slowed his walking as he felt his belly rumble and whine for sustenance. Now he felt hungry too. A little dinner and sleep would be no harm. He could worry about Yara in a few hours. Right now, all he cared about was getting some food and a bed to sleep in.

Jolly music really helped sell the festivity within the diner Wolf found himself in, seated at the bar. There were only a few women inside the male-dominated eatery, prancing around with drinks and roaring with laughter and glee as they celebrated for all their own reasons.

Minnie's Diner was less expensive looking than the majority of selections Wolf had seen so far on Valla Tero. The customers inside shared this characteristic look; no bright colored clothes or fancy suits. Rugged looking drunkards and casual middle-class passengers felt much more welcome in Minnie's Diner than at gourmet restaurants.

In one way or another, Minnie's was similar to Malley's back on Sordes. This time though, Wolf wasn't searching for someone in the diner. For the time being, he was like his fellow customers and wanted nothing more than a pleasant little supper.

Sitting at the bar by himself, Wolf twirled his spoon around in his creamy cheddar soup, churning the gooey cheese around with finely chopped chives and sour cream. It was a simple dinner that would be filling and incredibly cheap, easy to stomach too.

He lifted his spoon from the soup, watching some steam rise as the surplus of soup drizzled off the sides of the crater of his spoon back down to the bowl. Holding it until the excess fell down to a stable level, he sniffed the rich scent of his meal before bringing it to his lips and letting it flow into his mouth. The creamy cheese-broth mixture was delectably hot and blissfully smooth, soothing his gums and tongue. When he swallowed, he felt the mix warm his body and sent a subtle shiver through him.

Wolf sighed slowly, feeling hot air push out his mouth. It didn't taste processed or artificial. It was fresh, so very fresh and enjoyable. He realized that he'd been deprived of a legitimately good meal for some time now.

He didn't bother getting a drink aside from a glass of water. Alcohol would be of no help right now.

He dipped his spoon back into his soup and helped himself to a few more spoonfuls. Despite the blaring music and buffoons loudly living it up behind him, Wolf was beginning to feel relaxed. Only one or two other people sat on opposite ends of the bar. People left the mercenary alone, just how he wanted it right now.

Eating the soup was theraputic for Wolf. His whole mission would still be grueling, but the task at hand of finding Yara Mikalov didn't seem so bad now. He knew he could do it, and he knew he would find a way to get some sort of leverage out of this visit. It was well within his abilities. After all, he was the infamous Star Wolf. He could make it work regardless of the odds.

He smiled a little to himself and shook his head. This was just another job he was hired for. Well, "hired" was not the best word to describe his coerced employment, but still...he could do it.

As he rested his elbows on the counter and stirred what was left of his soup, he felt someone approach him from behind. Within the next moment, a solid steel object pushed up against his lower back. Wolf immediately recognized from experience that it was the barrel of a gun and went totally idle.

A hand rested itself on his shoulder. Wolf didn't turn his head, but closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for the smallest of further reasons to turn around and break this person's wrist with a swift movement. Had he been compromised so soon already? Who here would recognize and threaten him like this?

Wolf waited quietly for another moment and listened as an exaggerated voice mockingly proclaimed, "Alrighty Mr. Star Wolf, turn 'round real slow, or I'll pop that bastard face of yours'...".

Near-ancient memories triggered in Wolf's mind when he heard the familiar voice. He grinned and turned around. "Your raggedy ass has got nothin' on this 'bastard face', Cass." He chuckled as he was greeted with the friendly sight of a coyote's boyish face beaming happily back at him.

Tucker Cassidy went by the nickname Cass, and most everyone who knew him called him that. And Wolf certainly did know the coyote, years ago in fact. Of course he'd recognized his fellow mercenary's thick rustic accent.

Cass patted Wolf's right cheek playfully as he snickered and put his gun away in the holster on his belt, "Why ya gotta hurt your boy like that? Not like it was the first time you felt a cold gun 'gainst your back. Prolly won't be the last time neither!".

Wolf scoffed and shook his head away from Cass's hand, lightly punching the coyote's shoulder in retaliation. He could smell heavy liquor on Cass's breath, but he seemed otherwise stable. He was definitely buzzed and happy from the drinking though.

Cass took a seat beside Wolf and scratched his ear as he cleared his throat, grinning dumbly. "I thought you was still in Lylat, didn't think you'd even bother comin' to Kreev, let alone here aboard VT."

"Hehe, well, I got business to do Cass." Wolf smiled as he pushed aside his soup bowl and put his hands together, looking at his friend. "You understand, right?"

"Yessir I do!' Cass replied merrily as he nudged Wolf's arm with his elbow and giggled for no apparent reason. Wolf wasn't entirely sure if he really did understand though. Cass sniffled and narrowed his eyes at Wolf, slyly asking, "Say, you come out here lookin' to recruit some boys for your little club back home?"

Wolf snorted and leaned back, sipping his water. "Nothing like that, man. I'm sorta going rogue on this one anyways."

"Ah...goin' solo." Cass acknowledged as he smiled and nodded. His rose colored eyes stood out from his otherwise rugged appearance. It was easy to tell what he was thinking through his eyes. "Welp, regardless, I didn't think I'd see you again Wolf. Been too long, friend."

Tucker Cassidy was a longtime friend of Wolf's. The two had met back in Lylat, sometime before the war against Andross broke out. Wolf had just recently been hired by the mad scientist to lead a crew of mercenaries to aid him in his upcoming war on Lylat. Cass was a lone mercenary on Venom during the preparations for the war, and he was one of the many members of Andross's forces that was involved with the preliminary conquering of planets nearby.

Cass was a common grunt that the Star Wolf team led into raids on targeted cities and planets. Impressed by his performance and moxie, Wolf grew fond of the coyote and included him in nearly every single raid carried out by Star Wolf.

Months after Andross began overtaking planets at an alarming rate, General Pepper of Corneria declared war and launched a counter-offensive against Andross. Despite Wolf's pleading, Cass refused to stay and be a part of what was sure to be a planetary system under Andross's absolute rule. There were no hard feelings between the two however. Soon after, Cass peacefully parted ways with Wolf and left Lylat for good.

Here they were now, reunited after some years of separation. Of course, Cass had heard the news about Andross's defeat, considering it was a massive victory that spread swiftly throughout neighboring systems. He felt no need to discuss the war; whether or not it was a sore subject for Wolf to speak about was unimportant to him. Cass was just happy to see an old friend.

Wolf examined Cass, seeing that nothing had really changed about him since the last time he saw him. He wore an intensely faded and worn dark brown leather jacket with tight sleeves and minor scratches scattered around the ends of the jacket. Comfortable black combat trousers neatly tucked into the tops of his dusty black boots. If the coyote obsessed over his appearance, he could've looked much better. But Cass clearly didn't mind his looks, and it showed greatly. That was just who he was however; Wolf couldn't imagine him in anything that wasn't heavily worn out or inexpensive.

"Tell me how you've been, Cass. Tell me what's going on." Wolf yawned and swiveled around on his stool, placing his back against the edge of the bar and crossing his left leg over his right. "I wanna know what you've been up to all this time."

"Shoot, there's a whole lotta' stuff to tell you 'bout Wolf, but I'll try and narrow some stuff down for ya'." Cass replied, to which Wolf acknowledged by nodding understandingly.

"Welp..." The coyote began as he scratched irritably at his rugged snout, planning on getting more alcohol but wondering why there was no bartender present. "After you and I said are goodbyes, it took me 'bout six days to get somewhere safe enough to leave Lylat. I didn't know if I'd be punished for trying to leave the war, so I played it safe and took my time. And guess the place I had in mind?"

Wolf stared at Cass with a face that lacked amusement or effort. Cass clicked his tongue and shrugged. "Man, you're no fun. Anyways, Kreev was always in the back of my mind years before I met you when I was still pretty young. And lo and behold, I think I'm more at home here than Lylat, buddy."

"What makes you say that, Cass?" Wolf asked, though he had a feeling he was already aware of the answer.

"It ain't obvious? Take a lookie around, bud. Kreev was meant for me. Or maybe I was meant for Kreev, hehe." Cass drummed his fingers on the bar and sniffled again. Seemed that the drinks were getting to him as time went on. "Crawlin' with mercs. No uppity prancin' elites bustin' people left and right like Lylat. And the opportunity man...just think! Drug and weapon trafficking, assassinations, all that good stuff. It's a gold mine Wolf! You 'n me got the pickaxes too, baby!"

Wolf sighed and glanced at what little remained of his now cold soup. "Don't get all hyped up Cass, I'm not here to stay. I just gotta finish this one job."

Cass rolled his eyes and scoffed, putting an arm around Wolf. He was quite possibly one of the only living beings that could get away with touching him this much. "You're sayin' that now, but just wait buddy. With all the crazy revolution wack goin' on here in Kreev, there's gonna be a lot of value for mercs like us. We'll be swimmin' in credits real soon."

Wolf's ears flicked at those last few sentences. Something caught his attention.

"Revolution…?" Wolf narrowed his eyes and stared at Cass. "What revolution? What's that mean?"

"Woah, Wolf? Don't you know?" Cass inquired as he took his arm off of Wolf and scoffed with a confused smile. "Harbingers' run the show here, governments of Kreev don't do jack. But there's a helluva' lot of angry people that don't like that one bit..."

"So Kreev is in the middle of a civil war right now?" Wolf questioned with a growing face of spite. Len mentioned that Kreev often had civil wars, but he'd failed to specify if those were small scale wars kept local to a handful of planets. If the whole system was in the middle of a civil war, Wolf would've definitely liked to have known that beforehand.

"I mean, maybe?" Cass shrugged.

"Cass, there's either a war going on, or there isn't. It's pretty much a yes or no question." Wolf rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Alright Wolf, just chill. Here's the thing, man. Not all the planets are totally run by Harbingers, they jus' have most of them. But there's surely a couple that are fightin' to remain independent and get rid of the Harbingers. But there ain't no official war yet, not announced yet anyways." Cass explained as he looked to Wolf, seeing if he understood what he was saying.

"So...the Harbingers are on the brink of war with a resistance." Wolf summarized from what he learned.

The coyote responded with a nod. "Eh, you could say that."

Wolf ran his fingers through the soft white hair on his head. Kreev really was falling apart by the second, and it faced a war that would involve the entire system. Len may have just sent Wolf into Kreev at the worst possible time where everything and anything could be deemed suspicious of treason to one side or the other.

Or perhaps Len sent Wolf at the best possible time.

Yes...this could work out in Wolf's favor after all. Assassinations happen all the time before and during wars. Like Cass said, mercenaries like Wolf would be valuable to either side. He could find this resistance and ally himself with them, then propose his daring mission to them. He could get resources from these people. The assassination of Marq Prax as a harsh and brutal final declaration of war against the Harbingers would certainly have chaos ensue.

And once the civil war kicked off, Wolf could quietly slink off into the shadows, inform Len his job was finished, and finally get out of Kreev. He could let the war rage on as he moved to a new system; the Diaspora System could be the next chapter for the Star Wolf gang.

Wolf realized he'd been silent for a while now. Cass didn't seem to mind though; he was likely focusing on keeping all the drinks and food he had that night inside rather than outside.

Wolf looked out at the crowd around the tables and booths, still prancing around and partying. How long could they keep this going? They didn't look like they intended to stop anytime soon.

His eyes eventually met the buggy eyes of a large boar in a dusty coat, staring right back at him. The boar was drunkenly shuffling his way towards Wolf, who lowered his eyes and looked away, not wanting anything to do with the boar. "No, no, just get some water and leave...don't come near me y-"

"Y-You think I wouldn't recognize you?" The boar slurred as he hammered his arm down on the bar, getting in Wolf's face. The mercenary could smell his awful breath and grimaced.

"Back off, pal..." Wolf muttered with an immediate tone shift as he crossed his arms and kept his head down.

Cass seemed to sense the change and stood, pushing the boar's broad shoulder defensively. "Aight' porky, be best that you don't do whatever you're plannin' on doin'."

Ignoring Cass, the boar huffed and continued slurring at Wolf, grinning crazily as he grabbed the mercenary's shoulder and squeezed. "You out here all alone h-honey? Hehehehehe, you got a fine lookin' price on your head Star Wolf. I'm set for l-life once I get the reward"

Wolf grinned and closed his eyes the moment he felt the boar's hand grip his shoulder. Fatal mistake on the boar's part.

"Oh...alright."

In a flash, Wolf darted onto his feet and threw a lightning fast wallop right into the boar's fat snout, feeling a squishy crunch as his knuckle shattered the pig's nose instantly. It happened so fast, even Cass jumped a little.

The boar screeched as he reeled back, almost tripping over the stool behind him as thick blood ran down his face like a waterfall. Wolf did not intend on letting the bastard go that easy however; he ran after the boar and planted his hand on the boar's left shoulder, squeezing intensely as he followed up with consecutive jabs to the gut, each sounding a loud booming "Thud! Thud! Thud!".

A group of other drunkards saw and yelled, "Gavin! Take this sonofabitch down!". As a group of multiple species ran over, Cass was soon to race after Wolf and the boar as well once he heard someone shout, "I'll kill that boy with ya' Gavin!".

Cass just wanted to join in on the fun.

Seconds later, an all out brawl ensued between Wolf and Cass against at least seven friend's of Gavin, all trying to rip Wolf off of Gavin.

The fight didn't last too long though. In about a minute, several Valla Tero guards rushed into Minnie's and began shouting orders whilst pointing rifles around, sending some people into a brief panic. The guards raced to the cluster of people at the bar, pushing spectators aside as they yelled, "STOP OR YOU WILL BE DEALT WITH ON THE SPOT!". They all aimed their weapons down at a smaller cluster of three men on the floor.

Dazed from getting hit everywhere several times over, Wolf winced as he rolled on his back beside Cass, who coughed and chuckled a bit as he lay panting. Gavin lay between the two friends unconscious with blood smeared on his snout and chin.

Once Wolf's vision focused a little more, he saw the guards glaring down at him through the sights of their guns. Having nothing to say, Wolf sheepishly raised his hands and shrugged, breathing tiredly and managing a lopsided smirk at the guards.

"Ahhh...I have a really bad headache right now."

Cass lay spread out on the bench attached to the east side of the holding cell with his arm over his chest in a relaxed manner. Wolf sat upright on the west bench with his hands together on his knees. Both men had gone quiet for a while now after being put in captivity.

The small cut on Wolf's cheek sent a stinging sensation through his face every once in a while. Both his and Cass's legs and waists ached from being trampled and punched by the unexpected group of friends that came to Gavin's aid.

More than anything though, Wolf had a headache. The back of his eye hurt when he looked up or down, and it irritated him greatly.

He wasn't sure where the sudden burst of rage came from. He never had a temper as short as this...at least he liked to think that he didn't. Maybe it was because he was sick of keeping his frustration with Len bottled up and took Gavin's disrespect and threat as an excuse to vent. Regardless, he wished he'd handled things a little differently.

Now he was exactly where he had established would be the worst possible place to end up in; the Harbinger's captivity. How quickly had things gone downhill?

Cass wasn't nearly as thoughtful as Wolf. He yawned and rubbed his sore ribs. "Get nice and cozy-like Wolfie, might be here a lil' while bud."

Wolf glanced over at him and scoffed. "Yeah, I guessed that much already." He snickered and rubbed his forehead in amusement at the situation. "Years of not even knowing if you were dead or alive, and ten minutes after I find you again, we both end up here."

Cass giggled and swatted his hand in the air, saying with a happy sigh, "Well ain't nobody even asked you to tenderize that fat sonofagun.".

Both friends shared a moment of laughter, finding some entertainment within the holding cell. The coyote propped himself up on his elbows, wincing as he did so. "Anyways, we'll be just fine. I'm workin' for the head of this here ship, he'll take it easy on us. Worst thing that can happen is them kickin' your butt off VT."

Wolf's ears perked as he listened. "Wait, you work for the Harbingers?"

Cassidy nodded smugly. "All that stuff I said earlier? Those are all little side jobs I poke my head into for extra cash, but the Harbingers man...I'm thinkin' that I'll either move on to the next system after some years go on by, or if business keeps up like it is right now, I'll stick to it."

Wolf looked at Cass as he spoke, processing that his only friend present worked under the very organization that he was working against. It didn't bother him too much though, it just surprised him. Cass was the type of person that took any job regardless of morals just so he could fill his pockets enough to keep him alive and happy.

"So then, you said you work for the head of Valla Tero, right?" Wolf asked for reassurance.

"Yep. Yara Mikalov, maybe ya heard of him already. Big guy, kinda scary, y'know? I work under Yara kinda like a grunt. I just do favors and stuff for him. Wants me to go shoot down some space bugs gettin' too close? I'm off in a flash with a little squad of pilots. Wants me to head to some planet and scare or beat the ever-lovin' crap outta some hoser that messed up? I do it in a day or two, hehe." Cass responded nonchalantly and stretched his arms over his head as he finally sat up straight.

Wolf's assumption seemed to be right. Whatever ideaologies the Harbingers lived and worked by, Cass didn't care. He was just a simple mercenary that worked hard for credits and who's true and utmost loyalty lay with only himself. And Wolf of course.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard approaching the white holding cell. Wolf looked across at the energy gate blocking the entrance and watched as it dissolved by some remote command. Cass turned his head and saw the cell open too. There was nothing holding them back from just walking out.

Then, before either could even get up and leave, a monstrous figure stepped into view from the outside of the cell. The huge figure dwarfed the two average sized guards that accompanied him, but even without the contrast, he was frighteningly massive. And eeriest of all, he was grinning when he entered the cell.

Wolf right away guessed this was Yara Mikalov. It had to be. Grizzly bear? Check. Eight feet tall? Double check.

The bear made his way towards Wolf, who watched him in total silence. Cass observed from the side, curious as to what was going to happen. The grizzly's voice was rusty and deep; a perfect fit for his pockmarked face. All his words came out with an accent identical to Len's, albeit much heavier, and his words sounded a bit sluggish. "Out of countless men, only one or two identified who you were, which disappoints me greatly, hehehehe. It is my absolute pleasure to meet you, Star Wolf."

Frozen in place for a few moments, Wolf opened his mouth and began to stutter. "Erm, th-thank you…" He stared up at the bear, still in awe at the sight of the absolute giant. His palms planted themselves on the bench beside his hips as if bracing for impact.

The grizzly must've been aware of Wolf's shock. He laughed crudely, raising his head and revealing fearsome looking teeth. His upper left canine was entirely silver and reflected the white light in the cell. He wiped his muzzle on his sleeve once he finished. "Forgive me, it just never gets old to see what people do when they look at me, hehehe." He extended his beefy arm down to Wolf and held his huge hand open for a shaking. "Yara Mikalov. Perhaps Mr. Cassidy here has already told you about me?"

Wolf inferred that Yara was being hospitable, albeit unintentionally condescending. That was mostly due to his appearance alone. He only realized now that he'd been holding his breath and exhaled through his nose as calmly as possible, reaching out and gripping Yara's hand as best as he could. "A little bit, yes...apparently you already know me."

"I've known who you were for some years now." Yara answered as he shook Wolf's hand twice and letting go. "Anyone with culture should know who you are! And here you are, so far away from Lylat...what a treat, Star Wolf." He grinned and chuckled some more to himself. Judging from what he'd said, Wolf guessed that Yara regarded him highly. He was surprised to say the least, but he kept his mouth closed for now, allowing the bear to continue. "I have much that I would love to discuss with you, if you would permit me to do so."

Wolf forced a smile to his lips and answered, "Well, thank you. I...guess I wouldn't mind.". It felt strange to be in this situation. He wasn't expecting such hospitality from Yara, yet here he was attempting to mirror the grizzly's unexpected politeness. Something about that last sentence he said though...Wolf felt that he didn't have much of a choice on whether or not he truly was okay with "discussing" things with Yara. He couldn't shake the feeling of being boxed in, and technically, he was boxed in.

Yara's expression suddenly shifted to one of high disapproval, and Wolf felt his heart jump a little. Had he given some sort of wrong answer? Did he do something to displease the bear? Apparently so!

The expression wasn't for Wolf however. Yara muttered lowly as he briefly turned his head to the coyote, "As for you, Mr. Cassidy...this is the fourth time you've ended up in here this month.".

Wolf hadn't even been paying attention to Cass this whole time. Cass had gotten awfully comfortable, sitting with his arms stretched behind his head and leaning against the wall. He looked up at Yara and smiled dumbly. "Fourth time's the charm, sir. But really, it wasn't my fault this time, I swear."

"You said that the other three times, it's never your fault!" Yara growled shaking his head and pointing a thick clawed finger at his henchman. "I should boot you off this damn ship...all you do is get drunk and find trouble, boy."

Cass shrugged but nodded his head. "Gotcha." Something told Wolf that both Yara and Cass had this exact same conversation many times before, even beyond the three times this month.

Yara grumbled something in a language Wolf had no knowledge of, then gave orders to the two guards behind him in the same tongue. He must have instructed them to leave their presence since both nodded and walked off in opposite directions, disappearing beyond the sides of the cell. Then, speaking in English, he told Wolf, "About Gavin, the pig you brawled with...he'll be fine, a broken nose should be nothing to be worried about. And I know he's quite the aggressor, hehe. Consider this pass forgiveness."

The grizzly stepped back and motioned for Wolf to follow. Wolf sat up from the bench and stepped away from the cell, grateful to be leaving. But before he did, he looked back at Cass, who was watching with a relaxed, even happy smile. God he looked so dumb and careless…

"Wait...Y-Yara." Wolf called to the bear, who turned his head to hear him out. "...Cassidy didn't do anything wrong either. If anything, he was just there."

Cass looked back and forth between Wolf and Yara, who shot a glance over at him and sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Hmph...then don't make me regret letting you out either, Cassidy."

The coyote smiled at Wolf with a face that blatantly read "Thanks a bunch!". He hopped off the bench and patted Wolf's shoulder with gratitude. "Guess I'll let you an' the boss go on by yourselves, hehe. Will I see you one more time 'fore you leave though?"

Wolf nodded and smirked, assuring his friend he would not leave without saying goodbye. Content with that, Cass strolled off casually whistling some tunes.

Yara watched from a few feet away before commenting, "He's a pain most of the time...you two have a history together, don't you?".

"Yeah, you could say that." Wolf said as he joined Yara in leaving the holding cells.

"Hmm...he's worth keeping around for the most part." Yara added. He didn't seem too interested in talking about Cass. He was much more interested in conversing with Wolf, who had already felt his admiration and respect.

"So then Yara, what did you want to talk to me about?" Wolf inquired, walking beside the hulking bear.

"Patience, Wolf. I'm sure you and I will share a good evening to chat and drink." Yara promised with a smile.

Wolf acknowledged this guarantee by returning a smile. His head felt a little better, but he still just wanted to get some sleep. He didn't tell Yara of course. This might've been the best way things could've gone for Wolf's mission.

Or it might've been the worst.