A/N: Just some quick notes, I went through all my previous chapters and changed several instances where I used the word "Hand" when I should have written "Paw". Nothing too major, it just makes the story more consistent. When I use the term "paw(?)", It's from the perspective of mammals who don't know what to call John's hands, since all other mammals really only have hooves or paws (I am not going to include primates because I am assuming they never existed since "humans never happened" as the original trailer put it).
Eventually, I will go through everything and add "more", and by more I mean extra details and description that will make the story more immersive. I'm fine with what I have now, but there is always room for improvement. Also, it's probably going to take longer to post the next chapter since my vacation ends and I head back to school. I will try for one a week like I have been doing, but it might be less consistent, or maybe shorter chapters. Real life sucks huh?
Chapter 10: Taken
The sun was still shining down through the trees, illuminating the green and wet forest floor in a warm orange glow. A gentle breeze filtered through the trees, rustling the leaves and needles while local birds chirped their sweet songs, creating an absolutely calming ambiance. It would have been a nice place to just lay against a tree, kick your legs up, and relax while enjoying the beauty of nature. It was a shame, however, that the mammals currently present at the scene did not have time to notice such things.
The dangerous mammal was still standing in his original position with his arms folded, glaring at the cheetah who was standing there awkwardly, having heard what he had said, but still unsure about her next course of action. She took a brief glance at her downed soldiers scattered around the otherwise serene forest, the unconscious uniformed mammals occasionally twitching and letting out small moans signifying they were still alive.
'What should I do?' she thought to herself, the dangerous mammal in front of her eliminating any hope of escape. She refused to simply run and abandon her soldiers, even though she was sure that she could definitely outrun the mammal in front of her. 'Not going to risk it…' she thought in unwilling resignation, unable to take the chance that if she ran, he would hurt those under her command.
"Ok…what do you want to know?" she asked aloud while thinking to herself 'I need to stall, keep him here as long as possible'. She watched warily, as the fugitive mammal moved towards the unconscious wolf laying supine on the ground, the wolf's arm still bleeding from the stab wounds inflicted in their earlier tussle, one she had witnessed.
Standing in front of him, the mammal reached down, only to freeze when he heard the cheetah scream in panic "WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!". Simply glancing in her direction, the mammal ignored her as he continued to reach down and…pick up the gun the wolf had dropped, filling the cheetah with dread. 'What is he going to do…?' she thought, her eyes scanning John for any threatening movements. Her eyes widened when she saw John, gun in one hand, reach down towards the wolf as if to grab him.
'OH NO YOU DON'T!' she screamed in her head, her body moving before she could even register what was happening. On pure instinct, she charged him at full speed, tackling him from behind with great force causing the mammal to grunt as he was forcefully face-planted into the dirt while dropping the gun. She took advantage of the fugitive mammal's surprise as she pulled him into a headlock, already choking him in hopes she could make him pass out. Unfortunately for her, the mammal she was trying to subdue was no stranger to sticky situations.
The mammal rolled over so he was now on top of her facing up as she held onto his neck, his arms futilely attempting to pry her arms from around his collar. The sounds of their struggle ruined the surrounding peaceful atmosphere, the cheetah growling while the mammal let out choking sounds in his attempts to breath. Contorting his body, the fugitive mammal flipped backwards landing his feet on the ground, still being strangled by the cheetah, and he flexed his strong back lifting the cheetah into the air who was unable keep her arms around his neck.
Breaking free from her death grip, the mammal stumbled and collapsed on the soft ground a few away as he wheezed in several breaths, trying to recover from the lack of oxygen as he held his neck with one paw(?). Not giving him the chance to recuperate, the cheetah swiftly stood up and pulled out her combat knife from her vest, steadying it in her paws as she took a stance. Standing up rapidly, still catching his breath, the fugitive mammal turned just in time to watch as Lieutenant Olivia, with a shout, drive the pointed end of the six-inch combat knife dead center into his chest, right up to the hilt.
The cheetah retreated back as she let go of the knife, creating space and praying to the gods that it was over. Despite already seeing it before, she felt disbelief in her heart when the mammal only staggered back with his face contorted in pain, not collapsing.
'WHAT…THE…FUCK.' She thought in gloom as the mammal, one that should be by all accounts dead, carefully moved his paws(?) around the hilt of the knife and pulled it out slowly, groaning in discomfort with an ugly grimace. She watched in equal parts fascination and revulsion as he dragged the whole length out, his blood still staining the knife as he held it by his side. She did a double take, a look of incredulity on her face as she swiveled her head between the face and chest wound of the mammal.
The wound began repairing itself right in front of her, eventually fully closing with the only trace of the fatal stab wound being a little stream of blood running down his mud covered front. The mammal threw the knife straight into the dirt where it stuck into the wet ground 'Oh shit…this just isn't fair' she cursed to herself, knowing that she just royally pissed off an un-killable mammal in front of her judging by his less than amused face.
John was less than amused, incredibly incensed at her for what she had just done. The knife sinking into his chest had caused him incredible pain, and he was boiling over with repressed rage, wanting to return the favor. Involuntarily, his claws extended out thanks to his anger and the cheetah in front of him took a couple steps back in fear. He began walking towards her and the cheetah stumbled onto her back, her legs giving out, as she continued to crawl away backwards. Casually approaching the terrified cheetah, he walked right up to her side as he stared daggers into her, his impulsive and vengeful side wanting her to taste her own medicine.
'Turnabout is fair play after all' his mind was whispering to him as he debated whether or not to take vengeance. John was tired, tired of being a victim of circumstance. He didn't ask to be here, he didn't ask to be attacked by wolves, he didn't ask to be chased by talking animals wearing military uniforms, and he certainly didn't ask for all the suffering he had been through the last couple of months. "Exasperated" was not enough to describe how he was feeling and he desperately wanted to release the dam holding back his innate savagery that had been building up since he arrived in this strange world.
Glancing down at the cheetah, the cheetah held her arm up in a defensive stance as she shook in terror, the fear brought by his gaze overwhelming her basic bodily functions. 'It would be so easy…' the darker part of his mind spoke invitingly. All John had to do now was just bend down and sink his claws into her neck, like putting pins in a pincushion. His mind became cloudy; his rationality being dimmed by the resentment that permeated throughout his mind. Kicking the cheetah in the face which knocked her flat on her back, he jumped right onto her, straddling her upper body as he raised his claws in preparation for a killing blow.
The cheetah naturally struggled, but it was useless as John was stronger and had her arms pinned between his legs while his left arm held her shoulder down preventing her from moving. Just before John struck the final blow, however, he noticed something odd on the uniform of the cheetah, the corner of something…white, like a piece of paper, poking between the seams of the uniform.
His curiosity switching off his rage for a split second, the cheetah flinched as he reached with his free hand and pulled out the piece of paper, only to flip it over and discover it wasn't a piece of paper, it was a photograph, one the cheetah had likely kept in her inside pocket. John froze as he looked at the picture. It was of her and what he assumed to be her parents standing on either side of her, their aged faces plastered with unmistakable pride.
The younger cheetah, the one he was ready to kill, was standing there in a cleaned pressed uniform, the sun reflecting off the medals on her chest, her arms around each of her parents as she adorned the widest smile John had ever seen. They were standing in front of a flagpole with the backdrop being some kind of school, which John assumed was where she had graduated. Glancing back down at the shivering cheetah in his grasp, the one who was now looking at him with despair, he slowly felt his anger subside.
'She has a family…' spoke a hidden but still very present part of his personality, one that desired peace. He began to feel something that slowly began to eat away at his anger and turn it into bitterness. John felt pity for the cheetah. 'It's not like she planned on meeting someone like me, and it's not her fault either' he thought solemnly to himself as he stared into the terrified green eyes of the cheetah he was pinning to the ground.
By nature, John was aggressive and hot-headed, maybe even a little savage, but he remembered something his dad had once told him when he was at a particularly low point in his life, a low point caused by the insecurities of not knowing what he truly was:
"What we are is not what defines us, it's what we do that counts"
John remembered thinking how cliché that sounded, but that philosophy his dad imparted on him is what helped him come to terms with his existence and led him out of his depression in his teen years. 'This is stupid…I am not a mindless killer' thought John as he retracted his claws to the surprise of the cheetah. Standing up, John grabbed the cheetah by the arm and hoisted her onto her paws, who looked completely dumbfounded at the turn of events judging by the look she was wearing.
Turning around, John reached down and picked up the knife before wiping the residual blood onto the grass. Facing the cheetah, he flipped the knife in his hands before handing the knife, hilt first, back to the cheetah who just gave him a quizzical look before slowly reaching out and taking the knife. Putting it back into the sheath on her combat vest, John held out the picture he had taken from her before she quickly snapped it back, inspecting it for damage and carefully placing it into her uniform. "Nice family…" John muttered as he rubbed his head, looking away awkwardly, unsure of what to do since he had literally been just about to kill her.
A soft and quiet "Thanks…" was all he heard in reply.
Lieutenant Olivia didn't know what to think at this point. 'He is not what I expected…' she thought to herself. She remembered her orders were to capture and subdue an unknown fugitive mammal that supposedly posed a threat to public safety, but what she had seen only made her question her orders. 'Even though we have been hunting him non-stop and hurt him many times, he hasn't killed anyone despite having multiple chances'
The Lieutenant looked around at her still unconscious soldiers before looking back at the fugitive mammal, who was just standing there, awkwardly rubbing the fur(?) on his head, as if he was trying to nervously ask a girl out on a date. It was almost funny to her how awkward the fur-less mammal seemed, especially after she had seen just how viscous he could really be. 'He even complimented my family…what is this mammal?' she kept asking herself as her tail swayed behind her.
She immediately recognized that this mammal, despite being dangerous, definitely was not evil. 'Hell, if he was a true scumbag, we would all already be dead' she shuddered in thought. "I apologize for attacking you…" she began, hoping to diffuse the quiet tension that developed. "I thought you were going to hurt my soldier" she continued timidly, flinching slightly when the mammal looked back up at her.
"Don't mention it" he shrugged off casually, as if a single apology was enough to make up for her stabbing a six-inch blade fully into his chest. "I wasn't going to hurt him, I just wanted to see if he had any more ammo…" he finished bitterly in reply, making the cheetah wince at how she overreacted earlier. Walking toward the wolf again, John picked up the gun he had dropped when she tackled him, and proceeded to open the pouches on the wolf's vest.
This time, the cheetah didn't stop him despite still being nervous, for she knew that if he really wanted to kill them, it would be too easy. The mammal, finding what he was looking for, pulled out two small magazines loaded with pistol ammo and another larger magazine loaded with shock rifle darts before pocketing both and sliding one of the magazines into the pistol with a *click* as he pulled back the hammer to load a bullet into the chamber.
Putting the loaded pistol into the back pocket of his jeans, the mammal spoke up "Do you know first aid?". The Lieutenant was puzzled by the question, until John continued while pointing at the wolf "Because he could use some on his arm". Sure enough, Private Mane's arm was still slightly bleeding from the stab wounds inflicted on him earlier, and the cheetah's protective instincts kicked in as she ran to his side to examine his wound. Quickly deducing what she needed, she ran to her pack that she had put down earlier before pulling out a first aid box with a red cross on it and running back to her soldier.
Pulling out gauze, she applied disinfectant to the wounds before wrapping them securely with pressure to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, the fugitive mammal walked away and came back carrying the shock rifle the buffalo had been using before setting it down and sitting down on the other side of the wolf, watching the cheetah quietly as she did her first aid.
"So um…" the mammal across from her began speaking, breaking the silence. "What is your name?"
"Olivia…Olivia Spots" she spoke in reply, still quietly wrapping the gauze around her soldier's arm. Hearing him laugh suddenly, she looked up at him with a look that asked "What is so funny?".
Seeing her look, John quickly apologized "I'm sorry, it's just…a talking cheetah with the last name Spots, that's almost as bad as a talking bunny with the last name Hopps" he finished with a chuckle. Continuing with a wave of his paw(?) he said "Lemme guess, you also have a friend that is tiger with the last name Stripes" while laughing once again. Despite herself, she felt the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, the mammal's laugh being incredibly infectious.
"Anyways…my name is Johnathan Miller, but you can call me John. Nice to meet you…Olivia" John said as he leaned forward and held out his paw(?) to Olivia, who was taken aback at how informal he was being, as if they were now friends. Hesitating for a moment, she reached out her paw and grasped his before shaking it, a sign of mutual respect, which, under better circumstances, could have been the start of a wonderful friendship. Sitting back, John began "Sooo…Olivia, what rank are you, out of curiosity?"
"Lieutenant, fresh out of the Academy" she replied easily, which amazed her. In reality, when she thought about it, this whole situation amazed her. Normally she was completely professional and prided herself on maintaining her "aloof superior" attitude to help her officer persona amongst her soldiers, but right now she was sitting down in front of one of her unconscious and wounded soldiers directly across from the mammal who was responsible, and she even shook his hand as if they were buddies.
'It's all thanks to this asshole' she thought begrudgingly.
"Hmm, that's cool I guess. Say…why are you all trying to capture me? Said John in his attempt to get straight to the heart of the matter. Looking him in the eyes, she noticed something that she did not expect to see. He looked afraid.
Thinking for a moment, she asked "Exactly how old are you John?"
"Twenty-four" was his quick and short reply.
'No wonder…no wonder he is scared' she mentally chided herself. He was even younger than she was, and she was only twenty-five. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she was being hunted by the military, the simple thought of it making her feel sorry for John. 'Maybe, maybe I could convince him' she thought to herself. "We were ordered to capture an unknown mammal that had threatened the police and escaped into the Wilds. We were ordered to "not harm him" as he appeared to be a never before seen species that needed to be brought in to ease the public's concerns"
She looked up to see John listening to her with rapt attention before continuing "In summary, we were ordered to bring you in to find out what type of mammal you are and figure out if you posed a threat to society, meaning like if you were carrying any new diseases and such"
"I don't get sick…" was his annoyed reply.
"What exactly are you John?" she asked, her own curiosity getting the better of her.
"I am a human...but at the same time, I am different from other humans" explained John with a brief pause in his sentence.
"What do you mean by that? So your species are called "humans", a species I have never heard of before by the way, but you are different from other humans. What does that mean?" she prodded a little more.
Rubbing his eyes, John responded "Ok, look. I will make this easy to understand. I am exactly like a normal human in every way except for two things. One is these…" he said while holding up his hands and extending his claws, causing the cheetah to gulp warily. "…And the other thing is what you just saw" he finished while tapping the center of his chest. The cheetah felt her ears get hot and lowered them back when she realized what he was referring too.
"Yea, about that, again I am sorry"
"Whatever…" he replied while shaking his hand in a brushing motion, as if to sweep it under the table. "At least I am still alive"
Thinking now would be a good time to ask, she spoke "If you don't mind me asking, why are you running away from us? Wouldn't it be better to just turn yourself in and prove that you aren't a threat? From what I have seen you seem like a nice, albeit freakish, mammal"
John rolled his eyes and replied "I appreciate that you think I'm a "nice guy", but you just answered your own question. In this place…" he said as he gestured around himself before continuing "…I am a freak. Could you honestly promise me that I wouldn't just disappear, being kidnapped and taken to some underground facility where they would dissect me? You have already seen what I can do, so can you honestly tell me that?"
"Yes" the cheetah replied firmly, completely catching John off guard at how readily she replied.
"Look John, I don't know what you are or where you came from, but mammals here have rights. You won't be taken away just for being different, even in your case. We just want to learn what you are and then you could be on your way. The military gets its power from the public, and right now, the public simply wants to know what kind of mammal you are". John scanned the cheetah in front of him, trying to detect any malice or deceit, but her entire being was radiating sincerity.
Still having doubts, he asked the million-dollar question: "How do I know I can trust you?"
"I swear on my family that I am telling the truth, and I promise that I will see to it that no harm comes to you" she responded with resolve. John thought very hard about it as he sat there. He had been running from them for a long time with no end goal in sight. He did not have any plans, he didn't have any support, he was completely and utterly screwed in the end. Eventually, they would catch him, and he knew it.
The cheetah just gave him an easy out, one that if it paid off and she was telling the truth, he could find out more about how he got here and how to get home, but that would require putting his faith in the cheetah. It had been a long time since John had truly put his faith in someone, and it always felt better to think you have someone to trust, but John did not hand out trust easily, especially to someone he had only just met and had tried to kill him.
Seeing the look of indecision on his face, she added with a small attempt at humor "I promise that I will protect you, and also you will get to shower. You look and smell like shit"
John broke from his mental reverie and smirked at the cheetah before replying "Well with an offer like that, how could I refuse". John, weighing the pros and cons, decided that it was probably best he go with her. Even if he ran away now, he would only be tracked down again, and he did not think he could fight against an entire squad by himself a second time. He was, once again, cold, tired, and hungry, a triple whammy of misery, and he absolutely was mentally exhausted from this whole ordeal.
'Maybe if I go with her I will finally get some answers…' he convinced himself. Of course, there was a part of mind that was screaming at him that this was a bad idea, but he chose to ignore it this time. After all, the cheetah did not seem like a bad person, er, mammal, and John trusted his instincts, for they have saved his ass many times before, and right now his instincts were telling him to trust her. John stood up and held out his hand to the cheetah, who took it as he helped her up.
Looking her straight in the eyes as he grasped her soft paw, he said to her "I'll come with you, but I am holding you to your word Lieutenant"
"I don't make promises lightly; you will be safe with us" she promised once again. Olivia was ecstatic, having just convinced the young mammal in front of her. He was simply afraid for his own safety, which was completely understandable in his case, and the fact that she was able to change his mind meant they could avoid more chasing and bloodshed. After all, if he tried to run again, she and the rest of her platoon were currently in no condition to chase him.
They sat in a comfortable silence as she went around to each of her soldiers while checking on their conditions. John just went up to a tree and sat down with his back against it as he restlessly waited for what he knew was coming. Right on schedule, the rest of her platoon arrived on the scene, immediately absorbing everything they saw. The mammal they had been chasing was sitting casually against a tree while their Lieutenant was checking on the conditions of their unconscious comrades, the fact that they were unconscious not lost on them.
They immediately took aim at John who recoiled at their actions before their Lieutenant roared "HOLD YOUR FIRE". The soldiers, being led by a ram, immediately paused their motions and looked at their Lieutenant with confusion.
The ram began speaking "Ma'am, that's the mammal we have been chasing. Why is he just sitting there? Why aren't you moving to catch him?". The ram looked around before adding "And why are our friends unconscious?"
"It's a long story" she began as she walked towards her platoon. "Long story short, he has agreed to come quietly"
"What happened" the ram interjected as he pointed to the soldiers lying in the mud. "I will explain…" she replied professionally. John watched from a distance away, still holding the shock rifle, as the cheetah seemingly explained what happened, the constant changing of facial expressions from the group being somewhat entertaining. Occasionally, they would glance at John, who was still sitting casually against a tree, with looks of vigilance, as if they thought he would either stand up and start running at any time, or shoot at them.
After some time, she finished her recollection of past events, and the group started arguing about something quietly, something that John couldn't quite make out thanks to their hushed voices. John saw the cheetah sigh in resignation and the group made their way towards him, causing him to tense up noticeably. A giant rhino, another bear, a ram, a goat, and a tiger, each eyeing him warily with unfriendly faces.
'Not surprising…I did wipe the floor with their friends after all' he told himself. They approached him and surrounded the tree he was leaning against as he stood up with his arms folded.
Stepping forward, Olivia spoke "Ok John, we will be taking you in. I have decided that we will not restrain you since you are coming quietly, but there is something you have to do first…" Just from the way she said it, John was already not liking this.
"Please hand over the gun and rifle" she spoke with authority while her eyes were silently pleading.
'Fuck no!' were his initial thoughts. Feeling that when it truly came down to it, the only one he could really rely on was himself, so having weapons made him feel more confident. But then he looked at the cheetah, who he could tell was almost begging him to listen, and he felt his resistance crumble. 'It's really all or nothing now…' he mentally sighed. Reluctance clearly visible on his face, John held the rifle out to the cheetah as she took it. Next, he slowly pulled out the pistol from his back pocket as not to startle the surrounding soldiers. Turning it in his hand, he held out the pistol handle first to the cheetah who took and put it in her holster.
Smiling at John, the cheetah spoke "Alright John, let's bring you home"
The next hour was for recuperation. The mammals John knocked unconscious all woke up intermittently, with a couple of nasty bruises, and were immediately clued in on what happened afterwards. The wolf whose arm John impaled constantly whimpered as he cradled his sling. John made himself comfortable leaning against a tree while the Lieutenant radioed in to the Captain what had occurred and that they "had the mammal in custody". John overheard the sarcastic sounding reply from the Captain saying that they would be at their location in two hours, the "net" being cast very wide in order to catch John. She responded with confirmation that they would meet in a wide clearing they had recently past that was closer for both groups to converge too.
The platoon of ten mammals moved in a circle formation, with John and the Lieutenant in the center as they walked through the forest. Being surrounded like he was, John always felt stiff, but he thought to himself 'At least I'm not in handcuffs or something'. He was truly taking a leap of faith here, he just silently prayed it would pay off. When they arrived at the clearing, they all got comfy, finding a dry spot where they all relaxed waiting for the rest of the company to arrive. Some were cleaning their weapons while others, like the ones he knocked out, were rubbing their bruises while looking at John with displeasure. John elected to sit close by the cheetah, as he didn't know or trust any of the other mammals.
The ram was the first to hear it. A steady thrum of blades slicing through the air, the sound of an incoming helicopter. It wasn't long before everyone else could hear it as it got closer and closer. The Lieutenant looked at the sky in confusion, as she was not expecting air support. She would have been informed via radio if that was the case. The helicopter was almost upon them, judging by the up-roaring sound that was increasing in volume each second.
The Lieutenant radioed in to the Captain "Captain, did you request air support?"
"That's a negative Lieutenant, why do you ask?" he replied without his usual sarcasm which gave the Lieutenant a sense of foreboding.
"There is a helicopter approaching our position…" she responded louder as the roars of the helicopter were becoming deafening. She still could not see it thanks to the tree-line, which meant it was flying particularly low. Without warning, the helicopter appeared in everyone's sight, showering the entire clearing with gusts of wind as the surrounding trees shook.
John loudly asked "What's going on!? Is that our ride or something?". She didn't reply to him, because she wasn't certain of what was going on either. The soldiers all looked nervously at the single rotor helicopter that had stopped and was now hovering over the clearing with the bay doors facing them. Looking at the bay doors, the Lieutenant noticed a strange symbol, one that looked like a black colored hawk with a black ring painted around it.
'What is that?' she asked herself, unfamiliar with the unique symbol. They all watched in horror as the bay door opened and something they did not expect to see slid out. A mini-gun…a mini-gun with what appeared to be a coyote in a black uniform standing behind it, smiling wildly.
*REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*
The mini-gun began to spin up. Lieutenant Olivia, not wasting a second, roared "EVERYONE TAKE COVER" as all hell broke loose.
A hailstorm of bullets rained down upon them in a sweeping motion, pelting the ground and catching three unfortunate soldiers as they attempted to find cover, the stream of bullets ripping through their body armor and tearing them to shreds. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" the Lieutenant screamed helplessly as she witnessed three of her own soldiers die right in front of her. The other soldiers all took cover behind trees after exiting the clearing as the rain of bullets continued to pepper the immediate area.
John and Lieutenant Olivia were running towards the tree-line, having been the closest to the middle of the clearing. She was practically dragging John by the arm, who although being fast for a person, could not match the cheetah in speed. The mini-gun paused its firing, and then restarted, aiming at a new target…them. It all happened incredibly fast, John looked back to see bullets hit the ground behind them, slowly getting closer as the coyote adjusted his aim. John knew they wouldn't make it to the tree-line before they were cut to pieces and, reacting on instinct, he shoved the Lieutenant out of the way just before the stream of bullets hit them.
Unfortunately, John was not spared. Loud *thwicks* resounded as John was hit from behind twelve times starting from his lower left thigh and ending at his shoulder, right up the side of his back. The bullets were merciless, ripping completely through John and his backpack, bones and all, creating several large holes in his torso, back and left leg. These weren't pistol rounds after all. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH" An unholy shout of agony ripped out of John's mouth as he instantly passed out from the trauma. The hailstorm of bullets ceased.
Up in the helicopter
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! AIM FOR THE SOLIDERS, NOT THE FUCKING PACKAGE!" screamed a grizzly bear in a raspy voice as he smashed his paw down onto the helmet of the gunner who only whimpered in response. "You better hope that he is still alive!" finished the grizzly with a growl. Looking into down the length of the chopper, he ordered loudly at the assortment of black uniformed mammals sitting down on each side, quietly prepping their zip-lines.
"Ok you fuckers, retrieve the package! Do it quickly or we will all be dead!"
Immediately, the lead mammals began rappelling off the helicopter, the zip-lines lowering them safely. For one last time, the grizzly looked at the coyote before warning him "Keep the soldiers busy, if they poke their heads out, blast them!". The grizzly them went to the front of the cabin where he began watching the show through his monitor.
Back on the ground
The Lieutenant looked up at the bloody mess that was John as he lay face down in the dirt. 'He…he saved my life' she thought to herself, knowing that John had shoved her out of the way of the stream of bullets. She felt a gratitude she couldn't describe blossom in her chest, but that went away as soon as she heard the mini-gun revving back up. Taking half a second to glance at the helicopter, she noticed mammals in black uniforms carrying assault rifles rappelling down. They immediately took notice of her and began to fire in her direction, bullets sinking into the ground around her.
Jumping up, she ran for cover at insane speed, no longer being hindered by John. Diving behind a tree, she once again heard the sound of the mini-gun firing around her as several bullets smacked into the large tree she was behind blasting splinters everywhere. She was pinned down by fire.
"LIEUTENANT! WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS!?" the ram yelled to her from a nearby tree that he was hiding behind.
She yelled back as loud as she could "STAY BEHIND COVER! DO NOT ENGAGE!". Right now, they were not equipped to fight mammals as well prepared as these guys. Their original objective was to apprehend a single unarmed mammal, now it was like they were fighting in an actual war. All they had were their shock rifles and pistols. Grabbing the radio on her shoulder, she screamed "CAPTAIN! WE ARE UNDER FIRE. THE HELICOPTER WAS A HOSTILE! WE HAVE SUSTAINED CASUALTIES! REQUESTING BACKUP AND AIR SUPPORT!"
She paused for a moment before adding in desperation "THEY HAVE MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS AND A MINI-GUN! WE NEED HELP!" The look of the Captain on the other end was priceless. He quickly responded, his tone dead serious, "Copy that, we are sending everything we have!". From the way he was acting to the surrounding soldiers, the Captain definitely was not expecting these turn of events, but he was experienced and did not panic. He knew what he needed to do. He began making several calls.
The Lieutenant peeked ever so slightly from behind the decimated tree to see what had become of John, the black uniformed mammals running to where he lay face down. She watched in anguish as the mammal she promised she would protect be picked up and carried off like a sack of potatoes, the black uniformed mammals occasionally shooting at their hiding spots to keep them pinned down. Very well trained, the several mammals quickly hooked themselves back up to the zip line and were hoisted back into the low hovering helicopter, one of their larger comrades carrying John. 'Fuck…FUCK! Why the fuck is this happening! Who the hell are they?' the Lieutenant cursed as she helplessly watched the black helicopter rise up and fly away.
Back in the Helicopter
The grizzly looked down at the bloody fur-less mammal lying on the floor of the helicopter, his blood leaking out of the multiple large holes in his body. With a frown that was ugly to behold, the grizzly pulled out his pistol and aimed it right at the head of the suddenly terrified coyote who yelped "WAIT!" before blowing his brains out, his blood and grey matter spraying against the side walls of the cabin.
The depressed uniformed mammals sitting in the red illuminated space didn't even bother to look up, much less flinch at the ruthlessness. They all knew that the coyote fucked up, now none of them were going to get paid. 'Bring him in alive…BRING HIM IN ALIVE…fucking idiot' the grizzly thought to himself as he rubbed his muzzle, infuriated that they had failed after taking such a huge risk. He knew that they were lucky on this; That the soldiers were unprepared and caught off guard. But now none of it mattered, as they huge payday they would have had was ruined by a trigger happy coyote.
Heading back to the front of the cabin with a sullen gait, he grabbed a headset before speaking into the mic "Bring us home. Take a wide berth to avoid the military. Turn on the jammers. You know the drill"
"Copy that boss" was the reply. Groaning in regret, the grizzly took a seat at the front of the cabin before putting his head in his paws.
'So much money…fuck!' he mentally griped.
"nnngh" he heard something moan. Lifting his head out of his paws, he looked up to see the "dead" mammal, the one laying in the center of the cabin with twelve holes in his body, propping himself on his arm and lifting his head while looking around in a daze.
'Holy shit! What!?' were the thoughts of the astonished grizzly as he promptly stood up and hustled over to the mammal. Even the surrounding soldiers, despite normally being detached and apathetic, were just as surprised as the grizzly and leaned in to get a closer look. The mammal was still looking around in a confused stupor and he unsuccessfully attempted to stand several times as if he didn't have holes like Swiss cheese in his body.
The grizzly, upon closer inspection, found that the large holes in the fur-less mammal's torso had already stopped bleeding and were closing slowly at a rate that even he could see. 'Oh my god…now I see why she wants him so badly' he thought as he grinned with glee. Grabbing a rifle off the wall of the cabin, he butt-stroked the back of it onto the mammal's head, knocking him unconscious once again before checking his breathing one more time, just to be sure. Seeing how the mammal was still breathing, and the bullet holes were almost fully closed, he turned towards the equally surprised group of mammals in the cabin before shouting "GOOD NEWS BOYS, WE'RE STILL GETTING PAID!" eliciting a raucous round of cheering.
Back at the clearing (Some time later)
Lieutenant Olivia stood by, glancing over the bodies of the soldiers under her charge who were now lying in large un-zipped body bags with their faces covered by a rag. Around her, an entire company of soldiers moving around seemingly busy as a nearby triage tent was set up. Calls were being made inside a hastily rigged command tent, several helicopters flying overhead as protection. Ignoring the surrounding noise, she kneeled down and carefully pulled back the rag revealing the pale face of Private Mane, his eyes without their usual light.
Hurriedly covering his face back up, grief overtook her as she mourned the loss of a comrade, tears rolling down her fur as she fully recognized the impact of what had occurred. Her body convulsed slightly as she held her muzzle, emotionally overwhelmed. Feeling a paw on her shoulder, she turned to see an older mountain lion wearing a decorated uniform. Standing up she stifled her tears and saluted.
"Captain" she spoke while looking up at the taller feline, trying to keep her voice steady but failing miserably.
The Captain lacked any of his usual sarcasm as he asked "First time losing a soldier?" He already knew the answer to that, as she was just a Lieutenant, but he felt he needed to ask anyway.
"Yes sir" she replied quietly as she turned her head away in shame.
"Come with me" he ordered as he walked towards the command tent that was set up in the corner of the clearing. Following behind him while staring at the ground, she replayed the moments where she saw her soldiers get hit by the streams of bullets, their cries of pain still fresh in her mind. She followed him inside the tent, where he sat down behind a portable table and ordered everyone else inside to leave for a moment.
Pointing to a chair, he told her "Sit down" to which she complied silently, still looking down at the ground. Sighing loudly, the Captain began speaking in a solemn tone "Lieutenant Olivia, you are not to blame for their deaths. You were ambushed, and there was nothing you could have done"
"But sir…" she started replying in protest. Raising his paw, he interrupting her outburst.
"Lieutenant, please describe to me what you were armed with in that engagement"
"Standard Riot Control SR-6A4 shock rifles and a sidearm of our choice" she answered, puzzled by the question.
"Exactly. Would you say you were properly prepared for actual military combat? No… your original objective was to apprehend a single mammal, one which you and your soldiers were equipped for and had accomplished, only sustaining minor negligible injuries"
Leaning forward, he spoke sincerely "You accomplished your objective. You did not panic when ambushed. You requested back up under fire and from what your soldiers told me, you ordered them to not engage, a wise decision when looking at the situation you were in. You handled yourself exactly how I expect my officers to handle themselves: perfectly" She looked up into the eyes of her officer to see something she never thought she would see, compassion. "Don't beat yourself up over this. We need you at your best" he finished.
She thought it would make her feel better to hear from her superior that she wasn't responsible; It only made her feel more responsible, but she appreciated what he had told her.
Her eyes flashing in remembrance, she asked "Sir…what about the mammal we were sent to apprehend? The mammals that attacked us took him. I believe he was their target because they retreated right after grabbing him"
He waved his arm in dismissal while saying "Right now, he is of the least concern. We are attempting to track the mammals who attacked you and bring them down, which is proving difficult. They seemed to be prepared to hide from us seeing as how we have not detected any traces of them. Besides, if we find them, we are likely to find the mammal in question, knocking two birds out with one stone, so to speak"
Standing up, he saluted her while saying "That is everything Lieutenant, you are dismissed. I would advise you to see the medics just in case. Some friendly advice, from one experienced officer to another, go see a therapist. It's hard to lose soldiers" The way he said it made her believe that the same has happened to him before, so she took his advice to heart. Exiting the tent after saluting him back, she immediately went towards the medical tent as he advised.
Back inside the tent, the Captain walked back to his chair, took a seat, and propped his legs onto the table while pulling out a private cell phone. Dialing a number, he heard a sweet, sing-song voice speak from the other end "Thanks for the tip darling~!" He snorted before replying "Just remember what you promised" "Of course dear, I always keep my promises! Bye-Bye!" *Beep* The Captain put his phone away, smiling greedily while thinking 'Easiest 100k I have ever made' before laughing loudly.
On a road in the middle of nowhere
Jacob was nervous, squeezed between several larger mammals in uniform carrying assault rifles. He was sitting "comfortably" in the back of a Humvee being taken to god knows where. They had currently been driving for many hours. 'Why the hell did they have to pick me up at home' he thought, peeved at how they showed up at his burrow demanding he come with them, scaring a bunch of his family members.
His parents in particular were less than enthusiastic about him being taken away by "big and scary soldiers", but he managed to convince them that he would be back and there was nothing to worry about. Right now, he only wished he could convince himself of the same thing, because he had no idea where he was going. They pulled into what looked like a military compound surrounded by high cement walls and razor wire fences after passing through a fortified gate.
The vehicle continued on passing by military-esqe style buildings before stopping in front of a single story bunker type office building. Standing outside, from what Jacob could see, was a male sheep carrying a clipboard looking quite bored, as if this was beneath him. Jacob was hoisted up by his shirt directly out of the window and placed upon the ground by a larger mammal in the Humvee, a motion that would have been offensive in other circumstances. The Humvee drove off and Jacob, still at a complete loss of what he was doing there, looked around confused.
That is until the sheep spoke up "Jacob Hopps I presume?"
Jacob's attention switched back to the sheep as he nervously replied "Yes that's me. What am I doing here?"
The sheep didn't answer his question and simply responded with "Come with me please" before turning around and through the double doors into the bunker. Jacob, future still uncertain, felt his only option at this point was to follow this strange sheep into the unknown and uninviting tunnel. 'Hopefully, this is about John. This may be my chance to help him' he reassured himself.
Following the sheep down the long and dimly lit concrete hallway, he was taken around several turns passing by many different offices before stopping in front of a particular door with the title General Petraeus written on a plaque hanging on the frame.
The sheep knocked three times quietly before a gruff "Come in" sounded through the door. The sheep opened the door and gestured for Jacob to enter, at which he did, before the sheep closed the door behind him. Jacob immediately took in the surroundings. A well-furnished office with bookshelves on either side and a large and clean rug bearing the AUA symbol took the majority of the floor. In front of him, a large ornate mahogany desk stood like a wall, only allowing Jacob to see the horns of the mammal sitting behind it, as said mammal typed away on his keyboard filling the quiet office with little *clicks*. Taking the initiative, Jacob hopped up onto a chair and took a seat, waiting patiently while the old goat on the other side of the desk continued to type away on his computer.
While he was typing, the goat spoke up "Do you know why I brought you here?" he asked in a tone that sounded almost uninterested.
"Ummm…is this about John, err, the new mammal?" Jacob replied eagerly with an educated guess.
"Yes…well…that's the main reason. There are several others, but we will come back to those later. Right now, let me tell you a story". The goat finished whatever he was typing and scooted his chair forward while putting his elbows on the desk. Jacob looked into his eyes and was immediately intimidated by what he saw. The goat looked withered and old on the outside, but from what Jacob could see in his brown eyes, the way they seemed to pierce through his body reading him like an open book, the goat was someone that he did not want to get on his bad side.
The goat continued "Some time ago, I received a report of a new and undocumented mammal spotted in Polar City. There were several videos and pictures taken. The public, being the public, instantly went nuts over this new discovery" The goat shook his head as if in disdain. "On a whim, I authorized the chief of police to apprehend him in order to appease the public, who wanted to know what he was and if he posed a threat in any way. Low and behold, he somehow managed to escape, and retreated into the Wilds. A day or two later, someone…"
He looked at Jacob directly, letting him know exactly who that someone was "…posted a video, a video from which sprang more videos, detailing everything about this mammal like some kind of documentary". The goat gave a cold look at Jacob who was taken by surprise at the animosity. The goat continued "Three days later, I receive word that the soldiers I sent out to apprehend the mammal were attacked by a Mercenary group known as the Blackhawks, a militarized criminal organization that we have butt heads with many times before. Three of MY soldiers were killed in the conflict. Now tell me bunny, why would a high-profile criminal syndicate suddenly take interest in a random mammal we were trying to apprehend for public safety?"
Jacob felt like he had been stabbed in the heart, fully realizing what the General was implying.
With a face full of shame, Jacob mumbled "I just wanted to help him. I thought if I could show you that he wasn't a bad mammal, you would stop chasing him"
The goat rubbed his face in exasperation before almost yelling out "It was NEVER about if he was bad or good! We were not chasing him because he was a criminal!" The goat leveled his eyes back to Jacob before saying "Although you broke no laws in this case, I want you to know that you are partially responsible for the deaths of my soldiers. Your impulsive actions are now the reason I have to write several letters to parents who will never see their children come home"
Jacob felt all the blood drain from his body as he realized exactly what he had done, wishing he could take it back. He only wanted to help.
"What's worse still is how those mammals now have custody of the mammal we were trying to apprehend" the goat added.
"WHAT! You mean they have John?" squeaked Jacob
"Precisely" replied the goat. Jacob felt completely shattered, knowing that he not only was now partially the cause of three innocent mammal's deaths, but that also he just screwed the one mammal who had saved his life. He stared straight ahead with eyes devoid of life, as the goat allowed him to absorb everything he was told.
"I will say one thing however" the goat said after a brief pause "You are not completely responsible for what happened..." he said as his eyes darkened. "After going through the recorded radio transmissions, it's clear that someone gave away their position which is how they were found. We were betrayed by one of our own" Jacob looked back at the goat in confusion.
With a sigh, the goat continued "Normally I would not tell you that as it is classified information. I only told you since it pertains to you, and you are not to tell anyone else or else you will be charged with treason. Am I clear?" Jacob only nodded listlessly, still overwhelmed from what he was told earlier.
"There are two more reasons for why I brought you here. The first is simple: You are to be fully evaluated by doctors that we have brought here on post. They want to make sure that you haven't contracted any new or strange diseases from this new mammal during your time together. The only reason you weren't quarantined right away was because we know that you have been in prolonged contact with him without any signs of sickness, but we must verify it"
Jacob simply nodded.
"The second reason…" the General continued "Is that I am ordering you to be interviewed by any news station of your choice. I am well aware of the fact that they have been contacting you asking for interviews about your time with the new mammal and how you have not responded to them yet. Because of my position, I am required to tell the media about what has recently occurred before it actually gets out. This will pin a bunch of scrutiny on us that will hinder our investigation. I need you to divert some of that attention we will no doubt be receiving" he took another pause for Jacob to take in what he was being told.
Jacob just quietly responded "I understand"
Speaking once again the goat voiced in a somber tone "If you wish to help fix what you have done, I suggest you start with that. Technically… I cannot order you to do this since you are not military, but I plead that you do. We need to bring these mammals to justice, and maybe find your friend along the way"
That struck a chord within Jacob, who replied "Yes sir"
"Good, you are dismissed. The sheep outside the door will take you to the hospital for your evaluation" the goat finished. Jacob walked outside without a sound and asked the sheep where the bathroom was. Entering the bathroom, Jacob's shoulder slumped against the tile wall as he slid down onto the ground, wringing his paws on his head with self-hate, as tears slid down his fur. 'What have I done?'
Unknown Location
John was angry. After the first time he was knocked unconscious in the helicopter, he awoke only minutes later and he tried to fight back. He only managed to get it a couple slashes before he was pinned and beaten over the head once again. The second time he woke up, again only minutes later, he was tied in a corner of the helicopter cabin. He tried to stand, only to find his feet were bound, while the grizzly who was watching over him looked at him with fascination.
John struggled with all his might, before the grizzly smashed his rifle with great force once again into his head, knocking him out for the second time. The grizzly had kept asking himself 'What kind of freak is he?' as he was amazed at how quickly he recovered. Waking up only five minutes later, the grizzly was visibly annoyed and simply put a burlap sack over John's head, unwilling to keep bashing his head to keep him unconscious, while John cursed him out in anger, which the grizzly completely ignored.
While John was screaming obscenities that would make a sailor proud, he continued to battle against his restraints to no avail, the position he was tied up in preventing him from using his claws. Who wouldn't be pissed after receiving enough blows to the head to cause permanent brain damage for any mammal? Realizing that he couldn't break free, he decided it was better to save his energy for another chance at escape. Many hours ticked by as the helicopter flew, the cabin remaining relatively silent the whole way.
John couldn't quite tell how long they had been flying, since after all, he was blindfolded and completely bored. Eventually, he heard them land and he was drug out of the helicopter by his restraints as he struggled. He was unable to break free from the strong grip of the grizzly however, and soon was placed on his knees like a prisoner of war, before they quickly removed the sack over his head. The sudden light blinding him, he winced as he slowly began to notice his surroundings.
He was still in some kind of forest with beams of light filtering through the trees. The sun was now much lower, meaning that they had been flying for most of the day, but John could still not tell what time it was. Currently, he was kneeling on the smooth cement of the helipad being held down by the grizzly as…as a white wolf in a business suit approached him. The white wolf was smiling giddily, as if someone just handed her a Christmas present. She paused in front of John, smiling at him with appraising eyes. Reaching down, she grabbed his chin while turning his head from side to side whilst examining his face.
John was very puzzled by her actions, but he didn't have any leeway for complaining. Kneeling down so she was eye level, John looked directly into her beautiful blue eyes before she spoke in a silky-sweet voice "Hello there… John. We're going to be the best of friends" while grinning widely. John had a very sinking suspicion that her definition of "friends" was vastly different from his.
'I'm in big trouble, aren't I?' thought John with dread.
A/N: Any typos or blatant grammatical mistakes, let me know.