Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

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The crowd murmured, either in appreciation or fear as Dark tendrils sprouted out of the shadows beneath my paws and wound around me with a speed that made our practice bouts look like slow motion.

The woman babbled about protection, clutching the symbol. Manners and respect for her beliefs were gone now. I slammed a tentacle of Dark into her book, punching a hole halfway through its thick collection of pages and slamming her backward into the wall of a building.

She began to laugh breathlessly. "You see!" she gasped, "God protects me from your unholy power!"

"Does he now," came a low deadly growl from behind me.

I started as Abathar, enveloped in his Dark Fire stepped past me, his eyes blazing the dark red that meant he was calling upon both to protect him. "Your God cannot help you now." His growl was low, but it cut through the cries of shock and fear as he reached out and ripped the symbol from the woman's hands.

She shrieked as he squeezed the metal tightly in a fist. Black flames blazed up and a second later, the melted symbol dripped through his fingers to the ground into a useless pool of molten slag. "Not so tough now are you?" he jeered, seizing the book and incinerating it. "Shall I take your soul next? If you think I'm a demon, maybe I should start acting like one!"

The woman bolted past me, skirting my tendrils of Dark, and fleeing down the street. I let my power melt away as I stepped anxiously up to his side. My voice was clear in the silence that enveloped the crowd, "Did she hurt you?"

"My ribs are bruised," he replied, "But I don't think she broke anything."

The first rock flew past our heads. I gasped in shock and fury and turned on the crowd. Several others picked up rocks as well. One shouted something hateful, and soon they were all screaming viciously and throwing rocks. I blocked several from landing with tendrils of Dark magic.

"Shirra!" Abathar hissed sharply in my ear, "We can't fight them all!"

"Watch me." My voice went cold and flat. A tentacle as thick as a man's chest lashed out, seizing one of the people and lifting him bodily into the air.

Abathar seized my left hind leg in a painful grip in his jaws, "Sis, no." he growled around my leg, "They are filth. Don't waste your time on them. We're almost home."

"…" I paused, eyeing the frantically struggling human in my grip and the large rock he still clutched in his hands. Someone drew a Six-Shooter and that decided me. Tough as I was, there were only two of us, and six bullets in that weapon. I released my captive, letting him fall painfully on his feet from a height of only two feet in the air.

"Come on!" He whirled and fled with me in hot pursuit. Shouts of triumph rose from the mob behind us as they set off in hot pursuit.

As one, we vaulted the low picket fence that edged our yard.

"Hey!" Alkuma shouted as we landed almost on top of her, "Shirra! Abathar what..." Her ears snapped to full attention and she stared down the street, "...the fuck?"

She looked at the two of us, our sides heaving, and at the approaching mob. Both ears flattened against her skull and she picked up her Aemis with every tooth in her head bared. I silently blessed Alkuma's habit of frequently polishing the legendary crossbow in the front yard.

"Explanations later," she told us flatly, "Get your asses inside. NOW! And get Mom and anyone else who happens to be in there."

We staggered inside, nearly colliding with Quitzel, who was coming to the front door to see what the noise was about.

A loud rushing sound swelled to a roar and a heavy WHUMP noise. There were human yelps of shock and I peered out the front window to see the lynch mob pile to a stop in front of a brand new hole in the street. Coolly Alkuma hooked a razor sharp claw over the string and pulled it taut. There was a soft crackle, and then a hum as a bolt of pure Air magic formed on the weapon.

Several members of our family piled into the front room and peered out, drawn by the noise of the crowds and the roar of Alkuma's weapon being fired.

"First asshole to set foot on our property gets it at close range," Alkuma's voice announced, sighting the people at the front of the crowd.

Mom gently guided us outside, a hand on each of our shoulders.

"There they are!" someone yelled from the crowd, but though they shuffled around a bit, no one dared take a step closer.

"Well this is interesting," commented a new voice.

A young woman stood off to the side of the mob, a red uniform labeling her as an Administrator. Pale blue eyes took in the scene calmly and she gently tapped her palm with her notebook.

The mob was completely silent now, and several of them were shuffling their feet. A quick tendril of magic showed me that they were all suddenly awkward and shamefaced before the calm intelligence of the authorities.

"This is very interesting," she said into the silence. "A ticket was written up claiming that two pets attacked a woman in the streets, and I find a lynch mob being held at bay by an extremely well known fighter in the Coliseum." Her gaze flicked to Alkuma, who dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement but her aim did not waver.

"Alkuma?" I blinked in surprise that this Admin knew my sister by name, "Would you kindly explain what you know of this?"

"Not a whole lot Miss Gunblade." She eased her stance and gently relaxed the tension on the crossbow's string. With a soft crackle, the powerful bolt of Air magic dissipated harmlessly. "My sister and my brother came flying over our fence in a panic with these… people in hot pursuit. I decided to fend them off now, ask questions later."

"So I see," Gunblade glanced at the hole in the asphalt, which still trailed tiny wisps of smoke. She sighed and straightened. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I remind you that taking the Rules into your own hands is strictly forbidden? If you feel that someone has broken a Rule, you are to take it up with an Administrator or a Moderator, and not try to directly handle the situation yourself."

There was some uncomfortable muttering and the crowd began to break up.

"Oh no you don't!" Abathar snarled angrily, "You don't get to just disappear! These people threw rocks at us! And one had a six-shooter."

I nodded in agreement.

"Really." Gunblade eyed each person and narrowed her eyes. She flicked on a walkie-talkie and spoke quietly into it. Within moments, several uniformed people closed in on the street and took charge of everyone in the mob.

She turned back to us, "I am here to investigate a ticket filled out regarding two demons, by the names of Shirra and Abathar, for attacking a woman down the street."

"Attacking her?!" I demanded incredulously, "She kicked my brother!"

Gunblade sighed, "May I come in? I want the full story from both of you."

Alkuma grunted and unlatched the front gate, aiming her Aemis at the ground and picking up her discarded polishing cloth a few seconds later.

Gunblade drew both of us aside and talked to us separately, getting the story from each of us and taking detailed notes.

Finally, she sat back with a sigh and put her notebook away. "Well, it seems to be that your attacking her was in retaliation to an assault. The rules are very clear about violence toward another, be they human or Subeta pet, outside of the Coliseum. In your case, self-defense is your saving throw against some very severe punishments. I can't finalize this without comparing notes to my fellow Administrators, but this is pretty clear-cut to me. The ticket submitted was, quite frankly, not particularly descriptive about her exact role in this whole thing."

Hesitantly I asked, "So… nothing will be done?"

"Nothing concrete, no. But I will be sure to post a reminder on the News bulletin that assaulting another person or pet outside of the Battle Coliseum is strictly prohibited. And…" she favored the two of us with a slightly stern glance, "try not to be the one actually picking fights, you two."

"We won't," I promised, relief making my wings sag.

Abathar nodded curtly and rumbled, "Agreed."

"Good." Her smile turned kind, "In the meantime, I suggest you folks lay low for a little while. We'll sort this out in a day or two, so your best bet is to avoid stirring up more trouble."

"Thankfully it's Friday," I sighed as the door closed behind her, "What would we do if we had to go back to school after all that mess, and no official report to back us up?"

"Call in sick," Mom told us in a no-nonsense voice.

I blinked at her.

She sighed, "Come into the kitchen. We could all use some of Lacoda's cooking. Back to the subject at hand," she continued when we had all gotten a cookie each, "I don't like you missing out on your classes, but I won't risk your safety for your education."

"It looks like that bridge is burned," Abathar muttered darkly, "The rumors will be all over school that I attacked someone. The truth has a bad habit of not being as juicy as the gossip, which means it won't spread very fast, if at all."

"That depends on what the truth is." Nerrow rumbled, "Look, we can't stop the rumors from flying for now, but Gunblade will be done sorting things out by the end of the weekend. Of all the things Admins are known for, it's handling a problem. They'll make it public, which means that we can use it for our own means."

"How do you figure?" I asked.

"Simple. It's a juicy tidbit to hear that an Admin vouches for Abathar."

I sighed, "People are bigoted enough to believe Abathar just corrupted her."

"There's no stopping that." Mom told us gently, "People will believe what they want to believe, not just what's right or true. Many go to great lengths to twist something out of context in order to fit their own ideals, including religious books. However, Gunblade will make a public announcement. Either way, things are working into our favor. Looks like Suchil's butterfly effect powers are working."

I had forgotten that. Suchil hadn't been seen in public since she had drifted down to talk to Abathar in front of the whole school. Yet from that, things had swelled in support for Abathar to counteract the negative. Come to think of it, so had Kehai's Lucky Nose Beep. The woman who had kicked Abathar was being investigated. The people who had thrown rocks had either missed or been blocked by me. They too were in custody. Those working against us, and my brother especially, were being thwarted at every turn. Students were being lectured against their prejudices by teachers with the power of Fail grades.

The weekend proved to be…interesting to say the least.

A Dawn Malticorn knocked on our door. Hoshika was nearest the door so she was the one to answer it. I stood just a little behind her in case someone actually grew the balls to hurt or grab her.

"Hi!' The Malticorn chirped in a creepy sort of cheerful voice, "I just wanted to say that we don't want you in our neighborhood because you're evil and disgusting and you'll burn in Hell for harboring that demon. So move out okay?"

Hoshika froze, her fluffy tail foofing even more until it was twice the size of her body from shock.

I stepped up next to my sister and glowered at the bitch. "You aren't welcome on our property. Please leave or I will call the authorities."

"No problem," the Malticorn chirped again, "You're all going to burn in Hell anyway. Unless of course you send him back where he belongs and change your lives around to become normal people. I've delivered my message, so just leave okay?" She skipped off down the path to our gate and closed it behind her.

Gently I guided Hoshika back from the door and closed it. She was still in shock, her eyes wide and blank, and an expression of horror on her face. She moved only when I guided her and stopped the instant I stopped touching her.

I sighed deeply, "Hoshika…"

Her name seemed to snap her out of it. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at me. "Sis… I... I'm sorry. I sh-should've slapped her or something but her words were so wrong that I…"

"Don't worry about it;" I growled gruffly, "attacking her wouldn't change her mind, and you'd just get in trouble anyway."

Another knock at the door. The fur along my spine lifted in fury and I yanked the door open, "Listen you nasty little bigoted bitch-"I snarled, then stopped in surprise.

A Glacier Montre flinched back slightly, and then a wry expression drifted across his expression. "Uh oh," he sighed, "Apparently I'm too late to warn you about the resident viper." He held up a bag that smelled tantalizingly of chocolate, "I'm Marendithas, and whatever that Malticorn said, I promise you not all of us feel that way."

"I thought I heard you out here," Alkuma rumbled from behind me, and I jumped slightly, "You may as well come in."

I quickly made room for him. If Alkuma knew him, he would be an okay guy.

He dipped his head to me in a gesture of respect and took the sack into the kitchen before joining us, "I brought brownies." He explained, "I thought you folks could use some support."

"Thank you. We really could use some." I took a seat across from him at our dining room table. Briefly, I wondered how our chairs would handle the sharp ice shards that hung from his tail and wings, but relaxed when I saw that his wings folded neatly on his back and his tail dangled from the back of the chair. The ice was neatly located elsewhere.

"Well then this should make you quite happy," He spread a sheet of paper on the table and passed it to us. "It's on the News bulletin and there are fliers there for people to take home with them to read."

Posted by Gunblade

Hello everyone. It seems I have the unhappy duty of reminding everyone about certain Rules. Subeta is a world of diversity. As such, the Rules are clear; you may not attack –physically or verbally– or harass another user or their pets due to differences in opinion, gender, race, color, ethnicity, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Breaking ANY of the Rules can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of your access to our world. If you feel that you and another user or pet cannot get along, then it is up to you to remove yourself from their presence and use physical distance, not physical force, to disarm the situation.

"Huh. They play hardball." Abathar grunted.

"They have to;" Marendithas sat back, "some people have to be intimidated into behaving."

"So that's it then," I gently pushed the paper back, "we just have to wait until Gunblade finishes the official report."

"If I may be so bold," Marendithas began hesitantly, changing the subject, "may I ask your origins?" His gaze rested on Abathar curiously.

The fur on either side of the spiky fin that ran down Abathar's spine prickled suspiciously, "Why?"

"I enjoy adding to my knowledge," he replied primly, "and you are not the only ones who are outcasts because you are potentially dangerous."

A spark of interest flickered through Abathar's eyes and he relaxed slightly. "I am a… I guess you could say I'm an elemental. I was summoned into this world by magic. Memories of where I was before are really hazy. All I knew was that I could draw on both elements, and that I had to fight my way free of those who summoned me. Everyone I met before I ended up in the pound shunned me. I was attacked… often… until Mom adopted me. Needless to say, I don't like religious people in general."

"They're not all bad," Maren assured us. "But I can see where you'd have clashes with them. Especially those who read the older, harsher parts of their holy books."

I could feel my claws flex angrily. "Any deity that promotes violence and prejudice against those who are different is not a deity of good."

"Can't argue with that," Maren said with a smile.

We talked for the rest of the afternoon, learning about him. People approached our yard all day, some to spit on our fence, some to walk brazenly up to the door and proclaim something or other about demons, damnation, and hell. But some took a different approach: one neighbor posted fliers all up and down the neighborhood about tolerance and acceptance. We found numerous gifts on our doorstep from anonymous people; Mom opened them all with a baseball bat in one hand. Many of them included supportive notes and an item. Some were long rants that included profanity and insults, but Mom just sold the free items for sP in her shop.

A knock on our door Sunday afternoon turned out to be Gunblade with a copy of a rather thick report. The smile she gave us loosened the knot in my chest.