It's been quite a while since I revisited this story. Quite a while. It's just that I hate leaving unfinished business

and this one really has a lot of potential.

So... I'm not making promises to update like clockwork (see disclaimer in the beginning) but I'm determined to see this one through.

Warnings: None!

Mettle

Kona surveyed the papers before his desk with a smile of supreme satisfaction. These were the very last contracts and documents to be signed for club Dante. It was almost annoying really, the amount of trouble this one affair had eventually become. But in the end, it would all be so worth it. In a matter of days the city would be theirs.

And then the world.

A door creaked open and he looked up as his lover emerged from the side room in the office. It was a little antechamber that technically did not exist on the building plans, but they'd found enterprising uses for the tiny space. These days the other man commandeered it.

"Done feeding your fish?"

It was funny really, how evasive Zai had become about his new pet. It was always covered up, hidden away from view. He didn't let anyone touch it, even his lover didn't know what it looked like. He seemed to be sticking to whatever rules the Chinaman's contact entailed. No matter, Kona mused, it was all good in the long run. The mystery pet kept his lover sufficiently engaged and ultimately gave him the proper focus to take care of loose ends. Eventually Zai would tire of his latest find and it would fall to him, the unpleasant task of cleaning up.

"Come here."

He patted his lap and the other man obeyed, straddling his long legs. Kona's smile was full of affection as he reached up to cup his face.

"How are you feeling?"

Zai smiled, blowing a gentle breeze against his palm. His skin was warm and a little flushed; his eyes were large and impossibly black.

"Almost ready, like a bun in the oven."

The other man nodded and made sympathetic noises, gently massaging his throat, neck and shoulders. "Our plans are progressing at just the right pace; everything is falling into place." He paused and shook his head. "Well as long as you keep your hands to yourself in the mean time."

Zai closed his eyes and slumped forward, falling into his waiting arms. "Over the course of weeks? I make no promises."

The other man sighed and cast his eyes to the ceiling. "It's a good thing then that I'm not the jealous type. Bear with this darling, it's all almost over. If you need any reminding, just think about how far we've come along...where we're going. "

Zai leaned back, his eyes flashed a hungry red as they measured gazes. "You have no idea what it's doing to me, this waiting. How far we have come… it's all I can think about." But then the tension slipped and a coy smile hovered over his lips. "Well, almost. You said you're done..."

Kona made a sound of assent.

"So no meetings or calls or other annoying interruptions."

He nodded slowly.

"Nothing. No one but you and me."

Leon stared at the clipped notes on his desk with a growing frown. They were the final forensic reports from the last case he worked on. The back from the dead case, as he bitterly termed it in his head. He'd cadged this, along with the M.E's preliminary reports on he who refused to stay down. Forget whatever the two stooges were saying, he knew in his gut that there was something hoary about this new case. The police were tripping over themselves trying to find a proper explanation...just like he was also trying to figure out how he could have dropped the ball on this so badly.

It didn't make sense.

According to forensics they'd found all sorts of DNA in the scene; most of it belong to the deceased but there were also others, including this mystery woman they couldn't get a fix on in any database. As far as he was concerned, it just meant she'd been a model citizen up until now. But still, why had he been so gun-sure about this case?

He set the forensic report aside and picked up the M.E notes. From the prelim report, Martin had died from massive hemorrhage stemming from the severing of his carotid artery and jugular vein by...fangs. Judging from similar injuries found on the only other body in the room ¨C a Tristan D Pryor ¨C both victims shared a similar fate. They were both attacked by a wild animal. Likely a very large feline.

On paper, this was just another death in the series of bizarre animal related murders he'd been working for months now. So why was there the certainty in the base of his stomach that these two were the very last? That the case was as good as closed?

Leon rubbed off the slow headache in the base of his skull and frowned into the writing. He was a good cop dammit! He didn't just fly off on wild theories; he carefully followed leads and reasoned out questions. He was good at analyzing information and reading people.

And he trusted his gut.

His gut told him that there was something missing. Something he was overlooking...

And there was Jill lying in the hospital. Fighting for her life. Somehow Leon knew this was his fault. He owed it to her to get to the bottom of this.

But where to start?

His eyes turned back to the forensic notes. This mystery woman. If she was somehow involved with Martin, then there had to be more evidence back at his apartment.

"Need any help with that, Count?"

Count D looked up at the Whooping Crane paused at the threshold and shook his head with a slight smile.

"Thank you Miss but no."

She peered at him from the side for a moment, an inclination characteristic of all her kind, and then nodded, walking off to the common area of the shop. Count D sighed and settled back into his task. Spring cleaning in the shop sometimes lasted well into Summer or Fall; one of the little projects he'd been meaning to get done but somehow got derailed. There was always something else coming up besides the daily handling of the shop. New faces trickled in almost constantly these days, nearly all with a similar story to tell. Their homes had been destroyed, habitats cleared to make room for Man. There were moments he wondered whether they wouldn't soon run out of room, but then quickly chided himself. There would always be room, as long as there was someone willing to keep the door open.

Speaking of room, he was surprised that this one had gone empty for so long. It really was up to the shop to designate rooms for each occupant, he never had a say about that. All he needed to do was walk them in, and the shop usually led them to the right door; the right room to fit each specific need. Perhaps there just wasn't a reason for him to notice this room until when he found it in such a disheveled state.

Count D sorted through the cluttered furniture, dusting and putting them in proper place, and changed the sheets on the bed. There were tightly packed bags strewn around the space, as though someone had merely stepped in to dump everything in there and walked right out. The last occupant must not have spent a lot of time in here. He reached for the first bag and upended its contents onto the bed.

"What in the world?"

The bag was full of Jeans trousers, all neatly folded along the seams. He shook one open and frowned; it was an old fashioned straight cut and very easily his own size. Investigating into another bag revealed dress shirts, tee-shirts and tank tops, all in varying colors and cuts. His frown deepened as he opened yet another bag.

"Changshan."

He picked up one of the silk gowns; it was quite similar in cut to the one he wore, but the color... Count D usually favored subdued hues of purple, green, the occasional burgundy, but this was done in flamboyant orange and gold, with dark red hibiscus flower patterns embossed all over the hemline. Not his style, definitely not his Grandfather's style. The latter favored even more conservative tones than his. He brought it up to his face and breathed in.

Scent is the most important quality every creature possesses; it is the fundamental marker of all living things. His sense of smell was very acute, more so than many of his charges. The Count could identify every single creature that darkened his doorstep just by their scent alone.

So familiar...

Pon-chan was an earthy sweetness to Ten-chan's spicy musk. Tetsu was an overcast cloud of energy and tension, with that iron tang of blood that followed him everywhere. Grandfather smelled like the crisp clarity of mountain air after the rain. His own scent was similar but flowery. This scent was darker and more fruity...

Of course, who else?

The gown pooled out of the Count's fingers and back to the bed. It made a little more sense now, that the bags were hastily dumped in here, that the room was still available. That person rarely spent significant amount of time at the Shop, not even before...

He sighed and mechanically folded the clothes back into the individual bags. The Jeans trousers should have been a dead giveaway; he'd never owned one and Grandfather wouldn't be caught dead in such an inelegant contraption. Only that person had such unconventional tastes after all. Most times he found it hard to believe that he came from that person. But even more so, his grandfather must be terminally mortified by how completely different from him his son turned out to be. Different from them. In fact, one could be forgiven for concluding that a mistake had been made somewhere when it came to his father. He was flamboyant, flighty, eccentric and his dangerous ideals of how the world should be! But all of those sins paled next to his relationship with that human.

Count D's hands tightened over the gown as he remembered the day his father had brought Vesca Howell home to the Shop and blithely made his announcement.

"For the past eighteen years I have been trying to live a lie. Well I have failed and I admit my failure. I love this man and I am going to be with him with or without your blessing."

Grandfather had been furious- no, livid. He'd never seen their elder look so angry, so disappointed. In his grandfather's eyes he saw the anguish of loss, and truly understood what was going on. His father had just chosen - chosen a human over them. Over him. And then came the pain.

In the haze of confusion and questions, he distantly overheard his grandfather ordering his father out.

"Well then leave! I do not see why you came here to tell me that."

"I didn't come for you; I came to tell him."

His father had walked over to him and knelt until their eyes were level. He remembered looking into those violet eyes, only to find them brimming with tears. He remembered the cool feel of his father's skin as he gently cupped his face.

"You won't forgive me for this, little one, and I won't expect you to. But someday when you're older, I hope that you will understand. Above all, I hope you'll come to know this very feeling. And when you do, cherish it."

His hands slowed over a sleeveless top and he stared into the armoire across the room. His father never came back to the Shop; they didn't talk about it, didn't talk about him. It was still painful to his grandfather. He still didn't know how to forgive being so abandoned, and couldn't even begin to understand why the latter would choose to be with a human for any reason. Knowing that feeling...well at least that was one thing he would never have to worry about.

Count D folded zipped up the bags and neatly set them in a corner. He gave the room a last look and shook his head. Actually, that was not the last time he ever saw his father. There was that strange occurrence a few years ago. It was an unusually quiet day at the Shop and he'd stolen a few hours to meditate. The Count rarely thought about his father but on that day for some reason the latter had been on his mind. And then, all of a sudden, there he was. It was as though he was looking through a mirror, but it wasn't his own face looking back. His father recovered from the surprise much quicker and a slow smile formed on his face. He was somewhere tropical, and his bright dressing gown fit the setting.

"Well if it isn't my little one."

Startled, he had broken the connection. He never dared to try again. Besides, what was the point in that? His father had made his choice; he had done well enough without him. He was steward of the Shop, surrounded by so many wonderful friends, and he had Grandfather. What more could he possibly want?

And, little one? It was just like his father to treat him like the child he was not. Why, Count D fumed, he was old enough to-to have his own child. He huffed and shut the door. Enough of that. As he walked away, the Count firmly put aside all thoughts of his absconded father, the past and old buried wounds.

Chris winced from the very off-key rendition blaring out of the bathroom door. Macy had many talents, including somehow always knowing exactly when the bus would roll out the stop, but singing was not one of them. Too bad, it seemed no one around her ever made this known. Or maybe they loved her too much to tell her so...or maybe the opposite. He sighed and rolled his eyes, turning back to the anime show on TV. Either way, she was stuck in babysitting duty with him.

He had to wonder what his brother kept promising to get her to agree to this every singe time; nonetheless, Leon had hustled him up from bed around seven and across the hall with the promise to be back by lunchtime. He thought that after what happened the last time, she would say no; but all she did was roll her eyes and step away from the door. A faint smile formed on his face as she attempted another high note, only to hack into a coughing fit. Macy smoked a lot and used bad words a lot but she was nice to him. She wasn't really a bad person, but he wondered what his aunt would say if she ever knew about this. There were a lot of things Chris decided he wouldn't be telling his aunt about this Summer vacation.

"Hey Kiddo, still watching that weird cartoon thing?"

She paused for a moment on the way to the bedroom and shook her head. He shrugged to no one; Macy was not the first person to make that comment. And it wasn't like he could really explain it to her anyway. Not in a way she'd understand. A bird fluttered to the window sill and he stared at it wistfully. It was cloudy outside but it hadn't rained all day, and the weatherman didn't say it would. He thought about the park around the corner. It would probably be empty now; his aunt always canceled outdoor plans whenever the weather looked like it did now. He was sure most other moms thought like his aunt anyway. The bird cheeped once and flew off. He sighed longingly after it; the park would be nice and quiet and he could play on the swings all he liked. Or stare at the shapes in the clouds. If only they could hang out at the park, that definitely beat sitting in the house all day. But Macy didn't seem like the kind of girl who'd like to play in the park. She burst out of the room at that instant, dressed up, made up and smelling like a lot of flowers.

"Okay kid, we have a problem."

She spread her arms wide for dramatic effect and he blinked, playing along.

"So I just got called up for an interview at this brand new club opening in a few weeks. It looks like my best friend Stella must have put in a good word for me because they just left a message on my phone that they'd like to check me out for a sudden opening…"

She was talking really fast now and her voice was steadily rising. Chris could see the flush of color on her face and excitement in her eyes.

"This place is a really big deal and the pay is amazing! I could literally have only one job and still pay for rent and the car insurance! And a new pair of Jimmy Choo's every week! Chris I have to go for this interview."

Her eyes went wide as he quickly filled in the dots. She couldn't take him along because kids aren't allowed in that kind of place and she didn't know what to do with him because his big brother was still away. Wild hope bloomed in the silence that grew between them.

Macy must have read the acceptance in his eyes because she leaned close and grabbed his arms.

"It's only going to be for a couple hours, I promise. I know your brother asked me to watch you but I have to do this. So can you do me a favor and stay put? I'll order take out when I get back, okay?"

Chris smiled and nodded. She heaved a sigh of relief and rushed around the room, stuffing things into her bag.

"Okay, so I'll see you soon honey! Wish me luck!"

And just like that, he was all alone in the apartment. The anime show was over and they were just about starting another. Chris looked out the window to the gloomy sky. She said she'd be out for two hours; he could go out for a little bit and be back before then. Macy wouldn't know and neither would big brother.

Chris felt a twinge of guilt as he turned off the T.V and made for the door. Macy didn't say he could leave the apartment – she didn't actually say anything but he didn't think she would agree to watch him again if she found out. So he really had to make sure no one found out.

He turned the lock only half way, so he wouldn't be locked out.

"Okay guys here's what we're gonna do. We're starting with a wild cat; chuckles, you break left and cut him off with a double wing, I pass the ball to blondie and she tosses it over and we finish with the flex bone for the end zone. He'll never know what hit him, okay?"

Pon-chan straightened up from the 'team huddle' and raised an eyebrow. "What's a double wing, and flex bone? I thought we were just playing flag football. T-Chan you're making this complicated."

The Tetsu rolled his eyes and bent her back into the huddle. "Look do you want a plain, lousy chase around this field or do you want some real action?"

From across the field the lone opposition team waved and hollered. "Hey guys, I've actually counted three more grey hairs since you began this tactical meeting. Are we going to play or what?"

"Tell me about it," the raccoon groused to her team mate and Ahere giggled.

"Pon-chan, this is Chuckle's first pigskin experience and I want it to be real special. Put in an effort to her, okay? Besides, I've got her decked out in full Charger swag."

"And that's the wrong city," she retorted but shrugged. "Okay fine. So full wing and fish bone, hut!"

Tetsu opened his mouth but then thought the better of it. "Sure, whatever."

True to Chris's prediction, the park was practically deserted. And more importantly, the swings were free! He made a bee line for the sand filled enclosure, passing by a group playing in the field.

"Break left Chuckles! No, my left!"

They seemed to be playing some sort of football game, except it was three against one. That was hardly fair. Chris paused, wincing slightly as he witnessed a hard tackle….on the other hand, maybe that one guy didn't need help after all. They all looked like they were having fun – for a moment he thought about asking to join their game. Rule number one was: don't talk to strangers. Chris was sure he'd already broken ten rules by leaving the house; he didn't need to get into more trouble. Besides, what if they didn't need anyone else to join their group?

He smiled and walked on as the other three chased the one guy all the way to the end zone but still couldn't catch up to him.

"You know what? Maybe football was the wrong game," T-Chan huffed from between gritted teeth as they call came together.

"Finally admitting defeat?" Ten-Chan jabbed, dodging from the thrown elbow.

"You shut up, cheater."

"It was three against one!"

"Guyyyyys," Pon-chan sighed, playing mediator once again. "How about this time we let Ahere pick the next game?"

All three turned to their taciturn companion and she shrugged lightly.

"Um, how about hide and go seek?"

The older pair considered the suggestion and the Totetsu nodded.

"That's actually a great idea."

Pon-chan pointed to a wooded section of the park. "That looks like a good place to hide. Ahere and I will go hide, and then you guys come seek, okay?"

The girls bounded off, giggling excitedly while their friends watched them go.

"Hide and go seek, I haven't played that since I was a cub with my litter mates," the Totetsu muttered wistfully. "Nothing like kids to make you feel your age, huh?"

Ten-chan sighed and casually slung an arm around his friend's neck. "Yeah that's true. But then, there's nothing like kids to make you forget your age. Come on, let's go play some hide and seek."

He turned around and made a show of yelling, "Ready or not, here we come!"

This was nice. Chris sighed and took a deep breath of warm air. The best thing about swings was that they made you feel like you could almost fly. Sometimes he had to remember to keep holding on and not let go. Falling wouldn't be fun; he'd probably hurt himself and have to explain everything to Macy and big brother. But sometimes he wondered what it would feel like for that one second, just to let go and fly. He pushed off the swing and looked around. He'd probably spent enough time out in the park, it was time to get back to the apartment.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

Chris froze, startled by the loud scream. What was that?

"No!"

He turned to the left – it came from over there around the trees. It sounded like someone was in trouble.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Chris took a step forward but then hesitated, biting his lip. If they were in trouble, he ought to call for help from an adult. Or a police man. Someone bigger than him.

There's nothing I can do. I shouldn't even be here – if something bad happens I'm gonna be in a whole lot of trouble.

"Stop! No!"

He ran forward into the woods, in the direction of the screams.

"Gotcha!"

Ten-chan positively cackled with glee when he half yanked a protesting raccoon girl from the tree branch she'd been hugging.

"Hey, no fair! You guys started looking for us too early."

The Kitsune shook his head and swung her over his shoulder, bouncing her up and down as he walked through the trees.

"Or we're superior hunters and finding two little kids in a bunch of trees is child's play."

A short scream burst through the landscape and he nodded. "And that's your partner being nabbed. Come on, let's meet up with them. We should be heading back now – Count D's likely on his way from the bakery and we don't want him to catch us."

Pon-chan made a sound of assent and snuggled closer to her friend. "Promise you'll buy us ice cream?"

"You little extortionist."

They bantered companionably as they sought for their friends. Soon enough, the Totetsu's figure could be seen just ahead.

"Alright big guy, I think we've humiliated ourselves enough for one day. Now Blondie here has promised not to repeat any of this to the damn tiger…"

But something was off; he sensed the tension wafting off T-chan the moment they were close enough and it made him tense. A few steps closer made the situation clear as they came abreast their friend, and the whimpering human child caught in his stare.

Please I'm sorry!

Chris shut his eyes, arms raised up against the monster snarling and spitting over him. He'd run into the woods toward the voice, hoping to help whoever was in trouble, and found them. The girl was screaming and kicking against the man holding her by the legs. Only, all of a sudden she disappeared and he- he became this –

Curlyhairedgoattigerthing! Please don't eat me!

Now he was crying and it was getting hard to breathe. His throat was getting stuck! Chris wheezed and bent over, struggling against the dark spots filling his vision. It was getting hard to breathe!

Curlyhairedgoattigerthing! Please don't eat me!

The trio was paralyzed into silence for an instant, staring wide eyed at the little boy cowering before them.

"D-did he just say what I think I heard?"

T-chan's voice was rough with shock but the raccoon girl slowly nodded.

"If you heard curly haired goat tiger thing…"

But then the boy began flailing and doubled over, high splotches of color blotting his face.

"Tetsu, what did you do to him?"

The Totetsu shook his head, turning slightly to Ten-Chan.

"Nothing, I swear. He just ran into Chuckles and me and started freaking out."

"He can't breathe – he's choking!"

The Kitsune yanked the boy upright and pounded him hard on the back. He jerked and coughed before taking in a deep breath and sank unto the ground.

"Is he alright?"

Pon-chan hesitantly approached the fallen boy and poked him slightly. He flinched and opened his eyes, skittering back from them with wide, wild eyes.

Please, please don't eat me.

"No one's gonna eat you. Relax!"

He gulped and swallowed, looking sideways from the little girl to the big black man. A tiny frown appeared on his face as he searched beyond them.

W-what happened to the monster?

The girl looked around and shook her head, eyes wide with question.

"What monster? There's no monster here."

But I saw! He was big and-and had big teeth and red eyes!

"Matte Pon-Chan." The Kitsune's soft voice had a warning edge and she stiffened.

"Nani desu ka?"

The Totetsu shook his head and stepped back from the kid, eyes narrowing slightly. "The kid hasn't opened his mouth this whole time."

She frowned and turned to the pale faced boy. "What are you talking about?"

"And yet all of us can hear him loud and clear. How's that possible if he's not talking?" Ten-chan's gaze turned calculating as he surveyed the child. "So what's going on?"

Before he could react, his volatile partner dropped the glamour and pounced on the kid.

Aaah!

"T-chan, wait!"

"I got this Kitsune."

The Totetsu turned back to the frozen human in a dangerous voice. "Hey kid, I'm gonna ask you one thing. What is the color of my horns?"

Silence descended between them as they all stared at the child. The Kitsune swore softly. This was getting complicated really fast. They could have just glamored the boy's mind to make this all seem like a bad dream but of course the hot head just had to throw this money wrench into the plan.

"Dammit Tetsu, you don't have to do this."

"Kid answer me; what is the color of my horns?"

It was a bizarre question, coming from the monster. Chris couldn't believe his ears. Why was he asking for his horns? Didn't he know what his own horns looked like?

"Dammit Tetsu, you don't have to do this."

He turned a fraction to the big black man, and the blonde girl holding on to him. They looked worried.

"Kid answer me; what is the color of my horns?"

He gasped and jerked back to it, swallowing. His horns? He didn't have any horns. All Chris could see was his big teeth and his big red eyes…and so much black. It was like smoke all over him, like he was on fire. He didn't have any – no wait! There…they were tiny and he couldn't really see them, not by actually looking at them. He frowned and looked past the smoke and shadows.

Gold – your horns are really shiny.

It was as if he'd passed some sort of test. The monster let him go and the smoke disappeared. But he was still scary, just not evil scary.

"Well that's interesting. It's all right now; we're not going to hurt you."

The big black guy was no longer a guy. His body was changing, like gold dust was swirling around him. And then, he was a really big wolf with pure white fur. It was the most beautiful creature Chris had ever seen. Forgetting his fear, his predicament, he reverently reached out to touch it.

Wow…

"So you can see us, and we can hear you. And you're human."

"It's okay Chuckles, you can come down now," the monster called up into the sky. There was a flutter of wings and Chris looked up, just in time to see the bird flying over their heads. Only it jumped down and landed as a girl. It was her! She was the one screaming, the one that he came to help.

This was all ridiculous. How could they hear him?

You were a bird – you just jumped down.

His eyes moved from the girl, to the wolf, to the monster and the other girl.

What are you people?

The wolf laughed and shook itself, changing back to a man. So did the monster. He was young, much younger than big brother, and skinny and kind of dorky looking. All four of them looked at each other before turning back to him, and then the big guy shrugged.

"I guess introductions are in order. But you first. What's your name kid?"

Chris – Chris Orcot.