A Friend In Need

"Always have your back."

Roland looked over his shoulder as he worked. Nobody was there. As he made sure, the coyote looked under the table and pulled out a small black case he hidden. Setting the case on the table, he opened it and pulled out two mysterious, strange but identical items.

"Ok, time to go to work."

Roland had been working on this "project" for over a year now. For some strange reason, he came up with the invention of these things in a dream. With each dream, he began to work on the project. It took 3 months to build his dream inventions. However, as time passed, Roland never bothered to try to see if they even worked. Nonetheless, he continued to work on the objects to make sure they were in good condition. He began to tinker with the objects. First, he gave them a bit of a shine by cleaning the objects with a rag. Then he began to work by taking it apart, piece by piece until they were completely in, well, pieces. The coyote inspected each and every single part closely and for a checked over each piece a couple of times.

What Roland had invented was a new type of gun. In a way, they seemed to be modeled in a image he could relate to. These guns, like Roland, were hybrids.

They appeared to be a mixture of a revolver and a flintlock pistol. It has the flintlock's curved grip along with its flint, steel, trigger, and priming pan, but it has the revolver's barrel, cylinder, hammer, front sights, and latch. Roland had personally designed them to fit his own style. Originally different, he thought of it. Despite being that both guns were completely identical, Roland had given them both different color schemes. One had its metal pieces created out of gold, but its wooden frame was a chestnut brown. The other gun was silver and jet black. The coyote tried to think of names for them, but he couldn't really come up with anything.

Putting the last pieces back in, Roland looked down the sights and aimed, but he didn't pull the trigger. It wouldn't do much, since the gun was unloaded, but Roland figured taking aim was just another way of looking at things. He placed both guns back in the case, and hid it under the table once more. He sighed as he finished the rest of his work, which consisted of cleaning, repairing, and inspecting each gun that was put in a basket labeled, "IN." Placing the last handgun in the "OUT" box, Roland got up, grabbed his backpack and jacket, and left for home. "See ya Will," he said to the owner as he left. Now, it was 7:36, and the coyote had planned to just read a few books, take a shower, and then head to bed.

Causing a little bit of trouble did seem to spice things up a bit, but Roland figured he would do it tomorrow. The label of troublemaker stuck to him, so Roland thought he should just do his part as troublemaker. He never really was, but in his own words, "nobody believes you even if you're proven innocent in this town." The coyote thought of it as just simply messed up.

Finally, he had reached home. Roland lived with Marcus. The older brother got his own place after getting accepted into community college. The youngest sibling just thought he should look after him. His older brother seemed like the type of person who someone needed to look after. And the person to look after Marcus was his own younger brother. Odd it was for the young to look out for the old.

Roland opened the front door, went upstairs, and fell in bed. As much as he wanted to sleep, he wasn't tired, so the coyote got up, grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower. A couple of minutes later, Roland got out of the bathroom, running his hands through his hair and went back to his bedroom. He sat down, grabbed a random book from under his bed and started to read. For some reason, reading just managed to make time fly by for Roland. Three and a half books later, Roland looked at his clock radio which read 9:47. The boy simply sighed and laid back down as he put his book back. He stared at the ceiling, and the coyote thought about what happened earlier between him and Annabeth.

For the past few months, Roland had been having nightmares. He didn't bother to tell anyone. He wasn't sure what they meant. Roland remembered that they were all the same. The coyote would walk down a dark hallway. As he kept walking, he would see visions of Marcus, Annabeth, Emilio, Maria, and even his parents in pain. The images kept repeating, scaring Roland into a run. He sprinted the hallway, trying to escape the visions. Roland screamed the names of his loved ones as he ran, only to fall into what seemed like an endless pit. Roland would see the bottom, despite being surrounded in pitch black. Soon, he would hit the ground, only to wake up in a sweat just as he would make the impact. Sometimes, Roland would wake up cold, shivering. Other times, he would breath very rapidly as if he came up for air. The boy would only stay up for a few minutes, only to fall back into sleep.

He got up and stood up. Roland decided to go downstairs, make something to eat, and then probably go back upstairs and get some sleep. Just as he reached the kitchen, he felt his phone vibrate. The coyote dug into his right pocket and pulled out the device and answered it. "Hello?" Roland asked.

"Roland! It's Annabeth. Listen. I know you may still be mad at me, but I need your help," the fox said in a terrified tone.

"Annie, calm down. What happened? Where are you?" Roland demanded.

"I'm at Drake's party. My friends...I-I don't know where they went and Roland...I'm-I'm really scared right now."

"I'll be there as fast as I can, love. Hold on."

"Hurry!"

Roland shoved his phone back into his pocket, grabbed his jacket, and ran out the door to Drake's house. Hang on, Annie. I'm coming, he thought as he ran.

Minutes Later...

The coyote had arrived at the party. He could see many parked cars along the streets as well as a couple of partygoers hanging out in the front. Roland decided to keep a low profile as he drew his hood over his head. Quickly as he could, Roland made his way in through the left side of the building. As he kept walking, he could hear the loud music playing from the backyard. Roland thought it could be an easy trip. There was a lot of alcohol around, and seeing as how everybody was either drunk or dancing crazy, the boy had a feeling this was going to be quick.

Roland had made it to the backyard, and his guess was right. Well, one guess was right. There was a lot of people dancing, and very quickly, the coyote moved as fast as he could without trying to catch any attention. His eyes kept moving, looking for his friend. Roland had made his way through the dancing crowd and found himself in a bit more spacious area. The backyard had a pool that had been occupied by some of the guests, but it did not become any of Roland's concern as Annabeth wasn't there. He looked and looked until eventually he spotted the gold fox sitting a small table by herself. The boy walked over swiftly and caught her attention.

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief and said, "I'm so glad you came. I honestly didn't think you would after ealier today." Offering his hand, Roland replied, "It's water under the bridge now, love. Let's get the hell out of here." The fox took the coyote's hand, and both made their way out. Until...

"Lombardi!"

"Well, isn't that bloody fantastic?"

Immediately, the music and dancing stopped, and every guest at the party turned their gaze toward the center of the yard. They saw Drake Hudson walking towards the grey coyote and the gold fox that were standing by themselves. "What the hell do you think you're doing holding my girl's hand, you freak?" Getting in front of the tall dog, Annabeth said, "First, I'm not your girl, Drake. I never was, and I never will be. Secondly, don't call him that." Scoffing as he was taken a bit back, Drake replied with his anger rising, "So that's how it is? You're gonna choose the punk over me? Annabeth, think carefully, because you're about to make a bad choice." Shaking her head, the fox replied, "No, I'm about to make a very good choice. Let's go, Roland."

Before they could even take a step, Drake grabbed Annabeth's arm. "Hey! Let go of me!" On his own instinct to protect his best friend, Roland shoved the Doberman with enough force it caused him to let go of the fox's arm. Drake's friends ran out of the crowd to help their friend. The coyote cursed himself for his actions, as he saw what appeared to be at least 14 guys, including Drake, all of them the size of very muscular athletes. All of them were on the football team. "So, Lombardi, when did you grow a backbone," Drake asked in a taunting manner. Roland replied, "I've always had a backbone. You, on the other hand, never grew a pair." The boy's remark sparked a loud "Oh" from the crowd. Seeing his reputation being insulted, Drake said, "You know, I've been waiting for this day, Lombardi. Boys, wanna give me a hand?" At the end of the Doberman pinscher's sentence, each of his friends started cracking their knuckles and necks. A few even brought out some baseball bats.

Annabeth's eyes widened at the sight. Feeling terrified for her friend, she whispered, "Roland, let's go." Laughing, Drake said, "He ain't going anywhere, sweetheart. He's got a show to catch. And everyone's going to enjoy the show. Right?" The crowd roared with cheers. Apparently, a fight was going to take place. The Doberman pinscher snapped his fingers, and within a few seconds, two of his friends came out of the crowd and grabbed Annabeth. Roland took quick notice and shouted as he tried to save his friend, "Hey! Let her go, you bastards!" Unfortunately, the coyote wasn't quick enough as the two guys took Annabeth to the side and held her as a captive.

"Come on, Lombardi. We ain't got all night. Or do we," Drake replied in the same mocking tone. Roland sighed as he turned to face the dog and his friends. He knew that some day, this would happen. "Fine, then. Come on," Roland said. A grin brought itself to Drake's mouth as he said, "We already are." A bit confused, Roland managed to figure out what Drake had meant as he narrowly dodged a swing from one of the players. The coyote countered with a few swift punches and kicked the player into the DJ station. Within a few seconds, music began to blare again, and the crowd shouted with cheers as the music played.

Roland looked back to Drake and his friends, and saw them getting prepared. "If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get," Roland muttered to himself. Doing a quick stretch, Roland got ready and said, "Bring it." Immediately, most of the players except for Drake and his few close friends, stayed behind. The team began to surround the coyote and he looked to see which one would be first.

"Ok, let's go."

Self medicating, craving punishment
Blaming myself for a world on fire

One of the players rushed foward, and Roland immediately dispatched by throwing a few punches and a kick to the stomach. Another one rushed in, swinging their bat. Roland ducked just in time and gave a sweep kick, causing the jock to fall down. The coyote stood up and performed an elbow drop onto the fallen player. Getting back up again, the boy rolled to avoid an overhead swing from another jock who used his bat.

No more shame, no more pity
No more
They rise from the ashes

Roland ran back to the jock and delivered a drop kick, sending the player toward the pool. He got back up again only to narrowly dodged a tackle from one of the linebackers. The coyote had stuck his foot out and dropped the linebacker, also sending him to the pool.

I will suffer
I will burn
Let hate prevail
Enslave my soul
But I'll never surrender

The music helped provide a bit of rush as Roland ran towards the jocks, punching and kicking one player that got in his way. The boy elbowed another player, and with great strength, the coyote turned around and threw the receiver over his shoulder. As the jock sat back up, Roland delivered a kick to the jock's head, knocking him out.

Silent words from a bleeding mouth
Swallows pride with a swollen tongue

The coyote jumped and tackled one of the jocks, a receiver, and gave the player a swift knee to the groin. The crowd happened to flinch upon seeing the receiver howl out his pain. One of the other players ran towards the boy ready to swing his bat. Unfortunately, before the jock could even swing, Roland ran foward and slid, kicking the jock in the leg causing him to fall. Roland immediately delived an elbow to the back of the player's head, putting the thug into unconsciousness.

Everything is nothing, life in a shallow grave
Too ashamed to feel joy, life collecting dust

Inside the house, Marcus was busy talking to a girl when a friend of his ran up to him. "Hey, Jake. What's up," the wolf said casually. "Dude! Come outside right now! There's a fight going on," the friend said excitedly. Marcus became interested and followed his friend to the backyard. It was crowded, but the wolf and his friend made their way through the audience and managed to get to the front. The wolf was suprised to see his younger brother fighting. "Roland?"

No more shame, no more pity
No more
They rise from the ashes

Roland was put on the defense as two of the players were swinging at him. They tried to grab the coyote, but the boy was skilled enough to dodge their grapples. He put himself at enough distance, and ran towards the two jocks, jumping over and slamming their heads against each other.

I will suffer
I will burn
Let hate prevail
Enslave my soul
But I'll never surrender

The coyote managed to block a couple of punches from another jock. Just as he blocked another blow, Roland delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the player's back. The jock was sent to the ground, and before he could get back up, the boy stomped on the jock's groin. Another flinch from the crowd made Drake even more angry. He sent his two friends to try to take care of the coyote.

I will suffer
I will burn
Let hate prevail
Enslave my soul
But I'll never surrender

Never surrender

One of the friends, the orangutan from earlier managed to get a hold of Roland. The coyote struggled as he saw the pig from earlier as well run up with a bat. Thinking quickly, Roland jumped as the porker swung his bat, only to hit the primate's stomach. While in the air, the coyote delivered a rising kick to the pig's face, knocking him out. His feet touching the ground, Roland pushed back causing the orangutan to fall back and let go. As they hit the ground, the boy threw his head back into the orangutan's face.

Mental cancer hijacks your brain
Denying the reality you created for yourself
They rise from the ashes
They rise from the ashes

Drake couldn't believe it. All of his friends were knocked out by Roland. The coyote stood up, raised his arm and with his hand, he gave the "Bring it" move. Letting out some sort of war cry, the Doberman rushed towards the other canine. Drake kept swinging his arms, hoping to hit Roland. However, the former mentioned either dodged or block each attack. Not one punch landed on Roland as he shoved the large Doberman pinscher foward and ran towards him.

I will suffer
I will burn
Let hate prevail
Enslave my soul
But I'll never surrender

Never surrender

Roland began to deliver a barrage of punches and kicks, each one being faster than the previous attack. The entire crowd watched as the king of the school was in the process of being dethroned. Eventually, Roland stopped and Drake fell on one knee. The coyote was breathing as he looked to see that the Doberman pinscher was getting up. With an laugh he said, "Lombardi. Is that all you got, you little bastard?"

I will suffer
I will burn
Let hate prevail
Enslave my soul
But I'll never surrender

Never surrender

Drake charged foward one more time as he let out some sort of war cry. As the dog ran towards him, Roland smirked as he winded up a punch. As soon as Drake got close enough, the coyote shouted, "Lights out!" That being said, Roland unleashed a powerful uppercut. The Doberman pinscher's head jerked foward upon coming into contact with Roland's fist. The large dog fell backward, being knocked unconcious.

Never surrender...

The crowd roared wildly as they witness Drake Hudson, the strongest and most popular guy at the school, knocked out alongside some of the football team by one guy. Roland tried to catch his breath as Annabeth ran towards him. "Roland! I can't believe you did that," she said in pride of Roland's actions. Looking at his best friend, the coyote said in return, "Neither do I, Annie. Let's get you home." The crowd continued to cheer as the two friends made their way out of the party. Just before they left the scene, Roland saw Marcus, who winked in approval of his little brother. The coyote simply nodded his head in respect, and he looked foward to leaving.

Half an Hour Later...

Both Roland and Annabeth were within a few minutes of reaching the fox's house. The coyote had lent his jacket to his friend, as during the night, Crescent City always seemed to be colder as the moon took its place in the sky. "Thanks," Annabeth said as she wore the cargo jacket, feeling the warmth her friend left. "No problem. And they say chivalry is dead," Roland replied, getting a laugh from his own joke. They walked down the sidewalk until Annabeth's house came into view.

They walked until they reached the front porch, where they faced each other again. "Thank you. I really didn't think you'd help after earlier today. Which brings up that I want to say that I'm sorry-" Annabeth was cut off as Roland hugged her and said, "It's alright. I'm sorry for getting angry in the first place. You were just trying to help. It was wrong of me to deny it." Letting out a sigh of peace, the fox hugged back and said, "I forgive you." The friends broke apart, which led to the coyote saying, "Well, I guess I'll get going. See you tomorrow." Seeing her friend leave, Annabeth spoke up, "Hey, wait," as she walked towards him. "Can you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone." At first, Roland wasn't sure, but upon seeing fear in his friend's eyes, he said, "Alright, then."

The fox walked into her house followed by her friend. She hit the lights which brightened up the room. Roland had walked over to the couch and said, "I'll stay here." Annabeth said in response, "Ok. I'll bring you a pillow and a blanket in a bit." In return, Roland said, "Ok." The fox smiled at her friend as she walked upstairs. The coyote made himself comfortable as he laid down on the couch. He stared at the ceiling as he thought about tonight's recent events. He chuckled as he reflected back to knocking out Drake. That was something Roland wanted to do for a long time.

Minutes went by as the boy realized that his friend had not come back yet. He sighed as he got up and walked upstairs. The house seemed a little big, but not too much. He felt a bit bad that Annabeth was living by herself. Even though she was born and raised in Crescent City, the fox never knew her parents. She was an orphan, left to be raised in the local orphanage. However, when she got older and met Roland and Marcus, Annabeth met Maria, who took her in. Living with the two brothers, she had grown on them. The wolf practically became the brother she never had. Maria had become a mother figure, and Emilio did serve like a father.

As for the relationship between the coyote and the fox, it was different. Despite being best friends, both of them were closer than anyone could have ever thought. However, they couldn't see that their friendship was just a title that was labeled on their bond. Annabeth was always there for him. Roland never left her. Yet, out of respect for each other and their relationship, they didn't think of telling how they felt for another.

Roland had reached his friend's room and slowly opened the door. As he did, the boy noticed there was music playing. He looked to see the fox sitting at a desk that held a mirror. Annabeth was brushing her hair and noticed the coyote standing behind her. "Oh, Roland. I'm sorry, I forgot that you were here." The boy just laughed as he walked over to the girl and said, "It's fine. I thought you might have fallen asleep. I'm just gonna go back downstairs." Taking his leave, he had reached the door when Annabeth spoke. "Hey, Roland." Turning his head, the coyote responded, "Yeah?" The fox opened her mouth, only to say, "I'll have the pillow and blanket down in a bit." Roland nodded his head as he said, "Ok."

The coyote sighed as he closed the door. He stood there waiting for a few minutes as he began to wonder what Annabeth was going to say. He knew she wanted to say something else, and despite deciding to go downstairs, Roland changed his mind as he slowly and quietly went back into the fox's room. Roland saw that Annabeth was standing at her window, looking out at the sky. The girl had her attention focused on the moon in the sky. She was breathing lightly as continued to stare out the window.

The boy walked up slowly behind his friend. As he got closer, Roland began to remember all the guys that Annabeth dated during their freshman and sophomore years. He hated how each guy cheated on his best friend. She deserves so much better, he thought. Roland knew he would never hurt the fox. He would always care for her. Roland thought that Annabeth just needed someone to care for her. Not just to look after her, but always stand by her whenever she needed that someone. The coyote moved close enough, and he wrapped his arms around her.

Annabeth gasped as she felt something holding her. She looked to see that it was her best friend. "Roland. What are you doing?" In response, the coyote turned her around and said, "Something I think I should've done a long time ago." He moved his head closer, closed his eyes, and he began to nuzzle against his friend. Annabeth was a bit shocked at Roland's actions. However, the fox blushed and she nuzzled back against the coyote. After a few minutes of their nuzzling, their eyes locked and both friends moved their heads closer, and soon they met in a kiss.

Their kiss lasted for a while before they broke away. His grey eyes met her hazel eyes. Annabeth then said, "Roland...I-I love you." Smiling, Roland said, "I know, love. And I think you know that I've always loved you as well." Giggling a bit, the fox replied, "Now I do." They kissed once more before they moved into a more passionate kiss. It became so much that Roland lifted Annabeth up and carried her to her bed. As he laid the fox down, the coyote went back on the attack, removing his clothes in the process. Annabeth began to remove her own as well. Soon, both friends were in their underwear. Before they went any further, Roland said, "Annie, I love you. Let me show just how much I do." With a smile, Annabeth said, "Show me." The coyote then proceeded to kiss her neck as he began to go to work.

"Oh, Roland..."


Author's Note: Whoo! Another one done. And, I'm sorry that I'm leaving you hanging. I feel terrible, but I promise to make up for it.

The song is "Never Surrender" by Combichrist. I put the song in as a reference to the new DmC: Devil May Cry game coming out. Look up the trailers on Youtube. Your mind will be blown!

Questions, comments, or concerns, leave them in the reviews or send me a PM. Bye!

*tb100*