Land of Sun & Blood : Book 1 The Dark Sound Of Steel (REMASTERED)

by Sly Red Panda

Charlie Winchester, a legendary gunslinger left his mark on the United states wasteland with blood. Actions that shaped the future of Texas and its apocalyptic remains. Until his true victory on the "Febris War" left half the state wanting him and his family dead. In order to save his loved ones, he had to hide from the world, to be sealed in vault 55. Genre:Horror/Drama/Action

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Just another morning"

...

WEDNESDAY

...

ACT 1

...

MIDNIGHT

...

(Fallout 4 OST - The Stars My Solace)

...

Amir Waldi was washing his paws in the toilet of his med bay, planning on taking his leave shortly towards his own private quarters, located at deck three of the vault. It was about ten minutes' walk, and strolling with a casual whistle without too much hurry was waiting ahead as he felt exhausted and just wanted to relax.

Tending to an injured tiger boy is one, but hearing him do nothing but scream in agony and yell insults ain't the best way to spend a day.

Unfortunately for Farin, the tiger was not going anywhere after the stress his body had been through. He was laying in the nearby room bedside, in a deep sleep, and having his night lamp on. Next to the tiger, there was a tray with few stitches and bloody cotton pieces laying around, as Amir had been doing quite the work to fix Farin up as best as he could.

The bunny looked at the mirror, his slightly tired and bloodshot eyes visibly showing that he was going to probably sleep two hours longer than normal this time.

"Eindama yantahi yawm aleamal .. yjb 'an tartah watuhaqiq 'ahlamak..." Amir sang quietly like a casual routine.

His humming continued as he opened up the bathroom door after having washed his face slightly against the cold running water, trying to get just a bit more energy.

Amir kept walking on walking past the room where Farin was located, seeing the light glimmer on the hallway and against the opposite wall.

He slowed down his steps, just to observe the situation on the young tiger.

He was sleeping very peacefully, the chest lowering and raising normally. His face still looked pretty bad over the injuries, but Amir knew he had done quite solid work all the way on easing the pain. The slight amount of morphine given to the tiger made sure that the sleep was deep.

Amir turned his gaze away from Farin, keeping on walking towards the upcoming turn of corners. By keeping on walking straight, he would reach the main door of the med bay and get out to the main hallways.

By turning the other way, left, there would be a short hallway leading to the doors of his med bay areas and medical equipment storages. But there was no need to go there, as he had just arrived from locking the place up and cleaning after himself.

...

He was just about to pass the hallway, giving just a short and effortless look in its way...

Until the bunny stopped.

He slowly turned to look on his left again, backing up a bit.

The hallway was dark, mostly... And both of the doors at the end of the hallway were closed...

But.

The medical storage unit's window...

It had light's still on.

The rabbit at that moment squinted his eyes, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

"... I didn't leave that on... 'ana mtakd min 'anani qateatuhum..." The rabbit whispered quietly until his face came into visible realization. He had a hunch of what might have been going on...

And clearly wanted to believe that he was not right.

He looked around himself in slight paranoia, starting to slowly sneak onto the hallway with careful steps.

Slowly, the rabbit reached for his lab coat pocket...

And he started to dig out something. His paws were shaking slightly as he felt the metal against his fingertips.

It was a small surgigal scalpel.

He had no idea if his hunch was right... Or if it would help in the slightest to have the steel piece in his paws...

But he couldn't be fully sure what he was about to face... Or if he had just been really so forgetful in his tiredness due to a rough day that he had indeed forgotten the lights on.

Amir reached the doorway, peeking at the plate of glass and trying to look inside.

He couldn't see it yet... As the plate of glass was so thick that it didn't give a lot of vision into the room.

But slowly... He could make out a shadow. A dark shape of someone, moving just a bit.

And then... His bunny ears twitched as he heard it. Noise. Small, scraping noise coming from the room.

...

Someone was in there.

Now he knew for sure. It wasn't just paranoia.

Amir swallowed heavily as he looked considerably more nervous, his paws shaking more now and holding the scalp now more sweatily in his grip.

"... What do I... What do I..."

CRTSH!

...

The bunny could now hear a slightly higher noise, feeling like the figure had dropped something.

He couldn't wait like this anymore. Whoever was the person behind the door, was trespassing. Amir knew he was not brave, but he also knew that standing around here was not professional of him. He was responsible for one of his working areas and inventory... And he had to muster up his courage.

Rushing off to the hallways now and waking up a vault guard at this point of the night would take so much time, that by the time they would get back, the person could be already gone.

No. He had to find out what was going on.

The rabbit breathed in sharply a few times, his paw shaking against the green button of the doorway. He brought the scalpel in front of him, the back of it against his chest as he had to make his case clear that he was armed, to whoever could have been waiting.

He said a quick prayer scaredly to himself before mustering himself up...

And he slammed the button.

...

The door opened up within a second, the sound of steel raising up and the light hitting him hard on the dark hallway.

"WHOEVER YOU ARE, KNOW THAT I WILL!-"

That was all the rabbit could manage to say until his eyes widened up in shock of realizing what he was against.

He was staring at a barrel of a gun.

Up about four meters away from him... There was a male dog standing in the opposite direction, pointing a pistol at him.

The rabbit looked at the person in disbelief, tensing up and dropping the scalpel onto the floor.

CLINK!

The sound made a slight high pitched noise of echoing metal.

The person with a gun... Was Charlie Winchester.

The brown-furred old dog was not looking nearly as scared as Amir, instead of looking focused and intimidating. He had been ready the moment he heard the noise of the door opening.

But slowly, as he realized within two seconds who he was pointing at, his expression calmed down fast, as he looked apologizing right away without saying a word.

Quickly, he relaxed his gun arm, letting the weapon point down as he cleared his throat and wondered what to say.

The rabbit just stared at him back.

...

"Amir." The dog said quietly, giving a greeting nod despite the totally awkward and tense situation.

The bunny felt his body slowly relax and his arms lay down as well, as he had instantly put them up earlier as a sign of surrender after dropping the scalpel onto the floor.

But it didn't make him ease off the expression of the disbelief lingering there.

"... W-Winchester? Wh-what... D-did you just point a gun at me?" The bunny asked like it sounded unreal.

"... Yeah. I'm... Sorry for that one." Charlie said, sighing after and slowly laying his handgun to rest on top of a nearby surgical steel tray.

The rabbit looked at the gun, and Charlie just looked back at the bunny, explaining himself slowly.

"... I didn't expect you would be here, Amir. I thought you had gone to bed hours ago."

Amir slowly took his gaze off the handgun, looking at Charlie and swallowing a bit nervously, yet starting to approach Charlie cautiously as he knew that the dog would not shoot him by any chance. They were good friends with each other, and Amir trusted the man enough to know there was no real danger.

"... What... What are you doing here, Charlie?" The bunny proceeded to ask.

"... I umm... I had some business here," Charlie said, clearing his throat, slowly starting to turn around to continue what he was doing.

"... Charlie, it is half one in the morning. You know that my med bay is not open for anyone during that time," Amir explained, his tone making Charlie understand how serious offense to vault rules this was.

"... Yeah. I know," Charlie admitted quietly in a self-aware and apologizing tone.

"... Charlie, how did you even get in here? This lock is hard, how did you bypass-" Amir began in confusion, walking next to the dog and looking at the gun warily.

"Lockpicking," Charlie admitted after a moment, not bothering to make up some lie.

"... You... You lockpicked yourself in here?" Amir asked with a lift of an eyebrow, looking even somewhat impressed.

"... I know a thing or two about locks," Charlie admitted, looking a bit restless.

The Amir could see the dog even sweating a bit, looking like he was somewhat in a hurry.

"... I... Charlie, what are you doing? Why are you trying to open my cabinets? A-are you in need of medical attention?" Amir asked now carefully, seeing that Charlie looked at the cabinet warily, that was locked but had a pin shoved into the keyhole, as the dog clearly had been in the middle of breaking another lock open.

"No." Charlie admitted, looking at the floor and feeling somewhat annoyed that Amir kept trying to make him look at him straight into those judging and reading eyes.

"... S-so you are not injured? Then why are you here, going through the cabinets in the middle of the night, breaking into my med bay?" Amir pressed with a nervous tone.

"..."

"Y-you know if Calvin heard about this he..." Amir began warningly, until the dog rubbed his palm across his face tiredly, exhaling out heavily as he spoke.

"Amir... Could you just... Spare us both the time and open up this locker? I'm really tired too. You have the keys in your pocket, I assume? The faster you open this up, the faster you can go back to bed and your well earned rest... And forget that I was ever here. Calvin doesn't need to know, and you don't need to bother yourself with any of this. Consider it a favor. Okay?" Charlie asked, giving a friendly tap on Amir's shoulder restlessly and looking impatient.

"... A favor to whom?" Amir asked with a baffled expression.

"..."

"... Charlie-"

"Look, I... I had a rough argument with my son for what he did to Farin... You can already imagine it." Charlie reminded.

"... I can," Amir said quietly with an understanding tone, and Charlie then restlessly fidgeted around and waited for the bunny to move, but he didn't.

Amir was still standing there, continuing to speak

"I trust that it went... Okay?" Amir asked, hoping if talking about this subject would steer Charlie away from his lot more shameful one.

"I made him a promise and he made me one. It's over and done with. He will come to apologize to Farin in the morning of what he did." Charlie stated quickly, gazing at the cabinet with his side-eye, getting agitated.

"I... Charlie, how is that a good idea?-"

The dog got tired of tapping his feet against the floor, his claw scratching against the table in anticipation, until he spat out his next words in frustration.

"I'm feeling more than stressed out about many things right now. I just... Can you open the cabinet?" Charlie asked again, his fingers drum rolling against the counter in anticipation.

"Charlie... The contents of that cabinet have been moved elsewhere in the med bay." Amir revealed with a strick tone.

Charlie lifted an eyebrow at the reveal and the bunny explained while waving his paw off towards the handy bot, turned off on the corner.

"... My robot has been reporting for disappearances of certain substances for two years now in this med bay. And it was time for me to... Out of a hunch of what was going on behind my back, instead of my possible inventory counting errors... To move them to another locker and see if there was any truth to what I was thinking of."

"..." And the bunny now gave a guilt-tripping look still with the same disappointed disbelief at the dog.

"And it seems that there was... Only I could have never imagined... I mean... The Farlakes? Robbinsons? Maybe even Goldburgs?" But... You? Out of all mammals here?" The bunny asked, walking closer and wishing this would be all a big misunderstanding when it clearly was not.

"... Charlie... Make it make sense for me." The rabbit pleaded in worry as he walked closer to the dog and tried to make him look at him.

But instead, Charlie just cleared his throat and took the pin out of the lock as he spoke.

"... So you moved the stuff elsewhere."

The bunny now looked somewhat annoyed that Charlie ignored the concern like this, the rabbit repeating his choice of word.

"...Stuff. Say what they are, Charlie. Chems. I moved the chems elsewhere."

"..." Now Charlie raised his gaze to look up at Amir in the eyes, the dog restlessly scratching the side of his neck and exhaling tiredly.

"... Charlie... Can you... Can you talk to me here?" Amir pleaded again.

The dog nodded from side to side steadily as a negative answer, speaking quietly.

"Amir, can you go, and please get them for me? I am not here to talk with you about anything."

"... Are you serious? You are asking me to get drugs for you?"

"Yeah. yeah, I am." Charlie sighed, not arguing against it.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to put aside the ethics of my work... Make me break the rules of the vault. Jeopardize my job and also take responsibility on my shoulders... About supporting my friend's drug addiction?"

Charlie shook his head and spoke in frustration.

"It's not-... An addiction." The dog claimed tiredly.

The bunny spoke with a baffled tone like Charlie was not thinking clearly.

"Charlie... With the amounts that have gone missing, yes, it is addiction. A very, very bad one."

"... It is not of your business, Amir. I appreciate the concern... But I am not here for therapy or some moral guidance from you. Not today or tomorrow." The dog admitted, getting agitated.

"Charlie... These substances... They can kill a person. Are you out of your mind?" Amir asked in total concern, trying to put his paw on Charlie's shoulder, but the dog saw it coming and guided the hand away in frustration with his own and spoke.

"I know how much to take, Amir. Just... Can you just help me out here? I am tired, just like you and I've... I've had a rough day, as you can only imagine, after this whole incident with my son and Farin."

"That is not an excuse even remotely for what you asking-"

"No, Amir, It's not an excuse. But you listen to me... I don't wanna be here. You don't wanna be here. If you just give me what I want, I will leave." The dog said sternly, having enough of this lingering.

"And before long break in here again to get more?" Amir asked offendedly.

"..." The dog was now quiet but he knew that it was exactly what would happen.

The rabbit swallowed and felt the nervousness come slowly higher as the dog started to look at him with agitation that told the dog might have thought of doing something rash here, as Amir could see his fingertips restlessly rubbing against each other.

Which was clearly a sign of withdrawal effects.

"... Charlie... You are stealing Med-X and Mentants. That is not a small problem for a man to have. Those are the heaviest drugs that we have for emergencies. You know that. I can't do what you are asking me to do-"

"Amir. Shut... Up." The dog finally said with a warning tone and closed his eyes.

"... E-excuse me?" The rabbit asked warily.

"There is no one else using that shit and I need it. And I am running out of patience here. Just do as I say and... And I won't need to do something I regret." The dog now said, done with the civil talk.

Now the bunny was looking just scared and also very disappointed, as he started to speak with a tone of disbelief over Charlie's behavior.

"... Charlie, what is wrong with you?! You have never acted this way towards me or anyone I've known for as long as you have lived here-!"

"None of you know anything about me." The dog stated with an honest and cold tone to the rabbit.

"... What on earth do you mean by that?" Amir asked, not understanding.

The dog started to rub his fingertips against his sweaty palm as he spoke agitatedly.

"Amir... Go and get me my shit. Now. Please. Just don't make this go somewhere it doesn't need to go." The dog warned.

"... You are serious," Amir stated, just totally shocked.

"... I am. And I am sorry, believe me. I don't want to hurt you. But if you won't get me what I need, I have to." The dog said with a tone of remorse but he was serious about his need.

Now Amir looked so wounded over Charlie's behavior, that he mustered the courage to verbally hit where it hurt.

"Wh-what do you think you doing with your life?! IT DOESN'T JUST AFFECT YOU! YOU ARE A FATHER AND YOU HAVE TWO SONS! DO WANT THEM TO FIND OUT THAT THEIR FATHER IS-"

Charlie now grabbed Amir by the edge of his lab coat, giving the intimidating look as he growled at the bunny.

"DON'T... Don't fucking go there. Don't talk about my sons. What I do doesn't affect them."

"It does, if you die, Charlie! What kind of father do you want to be for them?!" Amir yelled.

"AMIR, I AM WARNING YOU-" The dog began with a serious tone.

The bunny now scaredly took a step back and pulled the edge of his coat so Charlie's grip of it went off, the bunny starting to speak with a disgusted tone to the dog despite being horrified of getting beaten up soon.

"Charlie, I have to report this to Calvin, for your and your children's sake!"

And after hearing that, the dog snapped.

He slammed the metallic tray and the wheeled steel table next to him over with only one hand, flipping it in the air.

It smashed against the window of the medbay, crashing down onto the floor and causing a terribly loud racket.

The bunny jumped with his back against the wall in terror as a reaction, looking as the dog started to rage at him with a burning gaze, his spit flying.

"NO, YOU DON'T! NONE OF YOU, I MEAN NONE OF YOU, KNOW SHIT ABOUT ANYTHING! YOU ALL HAVE LIVED HERE HAPPILY AND SAFE WITHOUT WORRY IN THE WORLD! EATING YOURSELVES FAT, SLEEPING IN WARM BEDS! HAVING NO FUCKING REMOTE CONCEPT OF DANGER, FEAR, OR LOSS! WHILE ME AND THOUSANDS OUT THERE WERE LIVING IN A FUCKING HELL! ABSOLUTE. FUCKING. HELL! RAPED, TORTURED, BURNED, MURDERED, SOLD, STARVED! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT LIFE REALLY IS! SHUT THE FUCK UP! AND GIVE ME THE FUCKING SHIT!"

The husky was rapidly panting after his outburst of rage, having held the words inside him for ten years now.

He had never figured it would be Amir receiving them... But here they were.

The bunny had desperately frozen into a terrified expression, his hands in front of him as a sign of surrender, wishing Charlie would not attack him.

The dog didn't. Slowly his panting started to calm down, the hateful expression from his face slowly becoming into the realization of what he had led out.

At the same time... It felt freeing. Like the release of something locked away for so long and finally opened.

Yet, the shame over guiding it at a mammal who considered him a friend, looking so terrified he could shit himself any moment, was clearly coming to him.

The dog slowly settled his posture, his rapid panting having gone mostly back to normal, as he didn't know what to say.

But as soon as Amir understood that the dog had no intention to escalate the situation and attack him... He let his guard off and laid his hands down, taking a small distance from the wall and just looking at Charlie still in shock.

The silence continued for a long while with them. Neither of them was moving.

And slowly... Amir realized the gun.

Charlie's personal Sig Sauer P226 was laying on the metal tray... Fairly in closer reach for the bunny than the dog.

And the husky slowly realized Amir's gaze having wandered towards it.

The dog yet remained calm... His panting no longer vocal, as he just observed Amir's expression... Wonder if he would truly have the guts to take the gun, as he would reach it before him.

But he knew that even if that was the case... The bunny would not have it in him to shoot, let alone taking the safety off from the gun.

Slowly, as Amir's fingertips started to do a restless movement, feeling himself swallow loudly in anxiety in this situation... His gaze slowly came to look at the dog.

Charlie didn't still say anything. He knew that he would disarm the bunny within a second no matter the advantage.

Amir took a deep breath, suddenly giving a slight nod towards the door on his left side. He let out the quiet and defeated voice.

"I'll... I'll go and get them... G-give me a moment."

Charlie was slightly surprised, looking unphased still as he just gave a slight nod and signaling Amir to go.

The bunny lingered his gaze on him for a moment, taking a deep inhale through his nose and giving up on the idea of grabbing Charlie's gun.

Amir walked off slowly towards the door, pressing the green button and the light blinking as the metal in front of him opened up.

He walked in without hesitation, leaving Charlie standing alone in the room and looking at the open doorway.

Charlie fully relaxed, knowing the possible situation that could have gone very serious and unfortunate was now over.

He slowly walked to take his gun from the top of the small table, sliding it into his holster that he had put around his waist. One of the rare things he had taken into the vault with him.

The Sig Sauger slid into its proper place, the dog now rubbing his eyelids as he started to lean his lower back against a nearby locker stand, listening to the small sounds of racket coming from the other room.

It took about twenty seconds of nothing happening, Charlie crossing his arms and wondering what to say once Amir would come back.

And before he had time to think such beforehand, the bunny arrived back into the room.

Within his grip, he had two needles, full of Med-X.

And a full tin box of Mentat's in his other paw.

The bunny still looked defeated, standing near the doorway and looking at Charlie still cautiously.

"... I know you mean good, Amir." The dog let out with an honest tone.

That made Amir look at the dog in question, hearing how genuine he looked.

"I know that your role is to look after the others. You have every right to be concerned about things like this. But this is not an addiction that you have to step into. This is a choice. A choice I've learned to handle. I know how much to take... And I know the risks. But all my life, I have known nothing else but those... I've learned to live with them too. And I am still breathing."

The bunny took a slow breath after hearing Charlie's words, then proceeding to talk towards him and speaking with an honest tone.

"... Yes... You are still breathing. But just because you put your apology into fancy words and make it sound like you are in control... That doesn't still make what you are doing any less wrong, Charlie."

The dog was quiet, seeing Amir stop in front of him.

"... No. It doesn't." Charlie admitted with a heavy tone.

"..." Amir was quiet, seeing as the husky was waiting.

Slowly, the bunny raised his paws, handing out the substances for him to claim from the open palms.

Charlie looked down, looking slightly apologizing as he didn't hesitate to take the needles and the tin box into his paws, leaving Amir with nothing.

The dog spoke quietly as he laid his arms down, sounding genuine.

"Thank you... And sorry, once again."

The dog didn't waste time after the apology, taking his leave.

But he had only managed to walk two meters before Amir spoke after him in hesitation.

"C-charlie?"

The dog stopped and turned around to look at the bunny.

"... What was that just now?" The bunny asked, still shook.

And it took no genius for Charlie to realize that Amir meant the outburst of rage and the hateful words of passion that had come out of him just earlier.

The dog was quiet... And didn't know how to put it into words very well.

"... I said what I said. And I can't take that one back. But it doesn't matter. It's best that you just forget it, Amir... As well as me being here tonight. Don't trouble yourself with it." Charlie promised tiredly, not having energy for explanations.

"... But you meant what you said... Right?" Amir asked quickly, stepping one step after Charlie as the dog was about to leave again.

"..." The dog stopped, taking a deep breath through his nose and turning to look at Amir tiredly.

"You have never... I mean... I couldn't have imagined-" The bunny tried to talk until Charlie spoke with a serious and honest tone.

"Only words can make it true. The place... Up there... It will always be part of me. But I am not there anymore. I am here. And it's not something that I need to talk about, trust me."

"... maybe you should?" Amir asked without hesitation.

"... What do you mean?" Charlie asked.

The bunny rubbed the back of his neck a bit, sounding professional with his words.

"... Would you... Charlie, would be interested in coming to me for a therapy session? I could... Help you."

"..." Charlie within two seconds actually gave amused and quick exhale out of his muzzle, genuinely feeling a smile coming to his face.

The bunny looked now a bit concerned and weirded out by the reaction, Charlie trying his best not to chuckle as he contained himself and forced his smile to go down as he spoke back with an honest tone.

"Thank you for the offer, Amir... But I think I'll pass."

"Why?" Amir asked, not understanding.

"...Amir-" The dog began, shaking his head in amusement until Amir kept on pressing.

"Sometimes talking about things can be better for one's soul than you could ever imagine." The bunny said dedicatedly.

"... Mh. I bet it does," Charlie said, not sounding convinced.

"... Are you... Afraid to talk about yourself?" Amir asked, feeling like that was the case.

The dog rubbed his eyelids again tiredly and sighed deeply as he still smiled slightly.

"Amir... If I would go down that road... You would be the one needing a therapist after. I appreciate the gesture... But I am not going to talk to you about my life, nor anyone else. Now... Could you excuse me? I got a long day tomorrow, and teenagers to teach. And you have the whole day of attending to Farin." The dog reminded.

Yet he found the irony in his statement, as he knew that soon... He was about to tell the things Amir wanted to know, to Ryan.

But the fox had that privilege, being the same blood.

"... I... I really would like you to consider my offer," Amir spoke in hesitation, truly sounding genuine as he wanted to understand the dog.

"... I won't," Charlie said without hesitation.

"Charlie-"

Charlie then sighed and cleared his throat, steering the conversation away from where it was.

"I assume you are going to keep quiet about this to Calvin, by the way? Just be honest with me. If I go now, will I awaken with guards around my bed and escorted to Calvin... Or will I wake up normally like each morning?"

"..." Amir's eyes widened, feeling rather desperate to make Charlie agree to even one therapy session, but he also knew that this was an issue too that they had not yet spoken to the end.

Charlie was waiting for his answer patiently as the sad gaze lingered on him by the bunny.

"Just simple yes or no, Amir. You already said that you want to report this to him. It's your job. I am not going to hurt you or hold grudge against you if you decide to tell. You have my word." Charlie admitted with honesty, not sounding threatening.

"... No... I won't tell." Amir then said quietly.

"Why?" Charlie asked with interest.

Amir was now the one to give amused exhale out of his nose quickly, speaking with a rather self-disgusted tone.

"Because I just become part of it by giving these drugs to you. It is not... It is not right for you to suffer for it... If I aided you in it."

"..."

"But It doesn't mean that I will let this happen again. I can't. Don't break into here anymore... Or I have to tell him." The bunny warned, trying to sound intimidating but now that it wouldn't have any effect on Charlie, as the dog already gave an apologizing expression and answered.

"... I can't make that promise... But thank you for being honest with me, as always, Amir. Just like your father. It's admirable."

...

There was a brief silence once more between them, until Charlie sighed, looking at the doorway restlessly and onto the dark hallway, speaking to Amir.

"... Good night."

And just as Charlie had arrived at the doorway, Amir sprinted right next to him, making the dog rolled his eyes as the stubborn bunny spoke quickly.

"Hey."

Charlie didn't even bother to say anything, looking at Amir now in restless frustration.

"... I need to ask just one thing... Because I can't make sense of it." The bunny claimed honestly.

"... Ask what, Amir?" The dog sighed deeply as he gave the look that meant "this better be important."

Amir now looked awkward, restlessly fidgeting around as he clearly was somewhat scared of how to ask his question...

But slowly he began explaining to the dog, sounding professional.

"... The drugs you have chosen... In theory, they cause the overwhelming status of euphoria into the system, along with lowered heart rate and dulling of all pain... But the mentats... They cause a vivid entering of one's corner memory, stimulating the brain cells, to even remember specific things of one's life... And together... Those two drugs should cause almost a borderline comatose state where one is trapped in with his pieces of memory, overwhelmingly so..."

"..." The dog was quiet, knowing what Amir said was more than the accurate result as he had gone through the experience many times before now...

And he was waiting for what Amir was getting at with explaining all this.

The bunny then slowly swallowed, speaking with interest and worry.

"Charlie... If that place you came from... Truly is as monstrous and horrible as you claimed it to be just now..."

"..."

"What do you want to remember so badly from there?"

"..."

This time... The dog looked slightly startled at the question.

And Amir could see that he had hit the question somewhere deep indeed.

Charlie was not looking frustrated, tired, or smiling anymore... But rather uncomfortable and shook.

And even emotional, for a brief moment.

Amir didn't know what to say, looking a bit speechless and uneasy under the dog's gaze, as if for a moment Charlie looked like he wanted to whisper some kind of answer to him, but he felt too uneasy and just held it in.

Without answering... Charlie turned his eyes from looking at the bunny anymore.

And taking off, leaving him standing in the doorway without a word.

Disappearing into the darkness.

...

Amir didn't know what that was just now or where he had managed to cut with that question, but he felt the tension.

Although now he felt like he could really exhale, not intending to go after the dog anymore as he knew that the question presented had made Charlie look even a bit unstable.

All he could wonder was what was going on in the dog's mind at that moment.

"Alsalam ealaykum tasharili wayunshistir." Amir whispered quietly after the dog, turning to rub his tired face with his open palm and wondering what to do.

Most likely starting to collect the fallen surgical equipment from the floor, caused by Charlie's violent outburst.

...

But neither of them had noticed... That in the darkness... There was someone even more startled and speechless person, hiding behind the corner and not making a sound.

And that was Farin Farlake, having been awakened by the loud racket and Charlie's yelling... And having witnessed the whole thing, his shining eyes looking in the dark after Winchester's back, as he saw him leave the med bay through the exit on the end of the long hallway... And wonder on to the hallways with the drugs in his hands, the door closing after him.

"... Holy fuck..." The tiger whispered scaredly in the dark, holding his hurt leg with his arm and biting his teeth together out of slight pain as he turned to peek at the other hallway again, seeing the door still open and Amir collecting stuff from the floor.

And all the tiger could think at this moment...

Do I tell about this to anyone?

...

ACT 2

...

(The Five Stairsteps - Ooh Child)

...

Ah... Just another day among others in vault fifty-five.

The clock had hit eight in the morning, and the younglings of the vault started to flood into the dining hall, the yells and cheers and chatters filling the place with life.

Overseer Marston was standing behind his round glass window, just casually looking down upon his future workers and contributors of the vault's continuity.

He had his hands behind his back, having a blank and rather tired expression, some younglings looking up at him from the hall and seeing his figure stand there and wave awkwardly to their leader.

The weasel didn't react, just observing, and after a moment, his gaze ending up on looking at the table that he tended to gaze upon the most in the mornings.

And that was the table of the most known group in the vault, the Winchester's table. Neither of the Winchester kids was in their usual seats. Only Tio, Sam, and Jacob were dining, talking with each other. Well mostly the hyena and the dog, as the wolf remained quiet and ate with patience.

The weasel would observe as some younglings stopped next to the table, starting to talk something to Jacob and Sam, interrupting their conversation. Both dog and hyena looked rather uncomfortable whatever it was that had been brought up as a new discussion onto the table. A brown-furred male cat named Lev leaned onto the table and kept squirming around, trying to get Jacob to tell something but the dog shook his head and looked apologizing as he answered something back. The cat looked frustrated, taking his leave along with a couple of his friends, Jacob looking after him and yelling something over still, the cat not reacting. And slowly, the dog started to talk with the chubby hyena again, Tio having not reacted during the whole exchange of words.

Calvin didn't know what to make of it but honestly didn't care at all. He was more wondering where the two Winchester's were. He wanted to somewhat see how Ryan would behave or how he would be received by the young ones the moment he would enter the hall, as it was clear that everyone knew by now that the fox had beaten the tiger up. Would he be cheered? Shunned? Questioned?

There was no answer to be had, as Calvin still stood there for a solid minute, sighing and not bothering to wait any longer, going back to his tasks.

...

Meanwhile, Dion Winchester was walking in a hallway towards the dining hall, rubbing his eyes tiredly and feeling somewhat horrible. But what could one expect? The constant nightmares were taking a toll on his mental health already at this point, let alone causing his energy to be so low due to lack of sleep. He had not even bothered to shower in the morning due to his mood.

Amir's therapy would be ahead waiting for him after his father's class, and yet... He just felt like he would rather go back to bed and spend the rest of the day there. That is how beat up he felt by the tiredness.

He had not even bumped into his father the whole morning, having lingered on the living room couch for a while. It was not usual for Charlie to sleep such overtime, but Dion didn't want to bother by going to knock and yell at the door.

So eventually, he had to take his leave to eat, as his stomach was screaming for food.

The husky arrived in front of the dining hall door, pressing the green button by the panel.

The steel raised itself up by the mechanism, the dog about to just stroll in...

Until he realized that his way was blocked.

There were two mammals right in front of Dion, almost bumping into him accidentally.

"Oh, Sorry, Dion." An eighteen-year-old female otter called Cecilia apologized.

Next to the otter, there was a male cat standing, and looking at Dion with a sudden lighted up smile. The cat was Lev, the same boy who just earlier had talked to Sam and Jacob. He began talking cheeringly to the tired-looking husky.

"Dion, you look like you walked out of a chamber. You good?" The cat asked, but not really caring.

Dion rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling and nodding at Lev's way and turning to look at Cecilia.

"... I'm fine, Lev. Uh... Morning, Cecilia. It's okay, I should have been more careful. My fault."

The otter smiled and spoke back.

"It's fine. How are you doing, Dion?" The otter asked endearingly, finding Dion very attractive as most girls did, trying to get some reaction out of the dog.

The tired dog tried to get his mentality together, focusing on the moment and smiling back politely as he spoke.

"Been better. Slept bad. How are you, Cecilia?-"

Suddenly the cat jumped in the middle of the convo, waving his finger and giving a light tap on Dion's shoulder to get his attention.

"Yeahyeahyeah, chit chats off. Dion, you are just the person I needed to bump into, as a matter of fact."

"O-oh? How so?" Dion asked with a puzzled gaze.

The cat cleared his throat, looking around briefly, and now noticing that few of the tables were looking at their way right now. Both male and female teenagers were giving the questioning gazes, following the situation.

It made Dion slightly uncomfortable as it did confused, wondering what was going on.

"Can you tell me what happened between your brother and Farin?" The cat just blurted out. The otter next to Lev looked a bit annoyed by the question being presented so bluntly, but clearly, her expression told that she wanted to know just as well.

"I-I... Wh-?" Dion stumbled on his words, having not expected the question... But after a few seconds, he realized, that he should have expected this coming. But he assumed that Jacob's loud mouth would have told the chain of events already.

"Like we all know that Ryan fucked Farin up but like can you tell why? Maurice and Jack keep their mouth shut out of loyalty to Farin and Sam and Jacob pretty much because... Well, they not wanting to get involved. But Ryan wouldn't be angry with you, he ya brother after all. Can you tell what made him screw Farin up that bad? I really wanna know. WE wanna know." The cat explained eagerly, sounding impatient.

"... I... Lev, I don't... Really feel like talking about it. You can ask Ryan himself when you see him." Dion mumbled, wanting out of the situation already desperately.

"AAaaaaa, come oooon. I don't wanna end up like Farin too, in the worst-case We have no clue what is going on. Don't be like that, Dion. Just throw me a crumb here. Mike, Joseph, and Ian been going around asking around and we get nothing. We been trying to get it out of Jacob and Sam the whole morning, maaan. Just... Come on." The cat whined.

"... W-why... Why don't you ask Farin himself, then?" Dion asked carefully like it could be a better option.

"Dude, it's not like we haven't tried. But Farin himself said he don't wanna see or talk to anyone. Amir shooed us off from gathering around his med bay door, he was so pissed. So we know Farin told him to not let us in. This is all just so stupid. Just tell me what went down, I know he told you. He did, didn't he?" The cat kept pressing.

"Dion, you don't need to tell, if you don't want to," Cecilia promised, looking at the cat warningly now and seeing how Dion clearly didn't wanna gossip about this.

"Shhh. Come on. Diiiion, don't be boring. Throw me a bone."

"... No. I'm... I'm sorry. It's... He wouldn't like me telling. It's between Farin and him." Dion tried to stay firm, the otter already poking the cat's paw to signal him to stop asking.

"UUUUGh, for fucks sake! What is with you all?! Just-" Lev threw his hands up in frustration, looking behind him and showing visibly to others that Dion was not going to tell either, the disappointed looks turning around and everyone going back to eating their food.

"LEV. Let Dion be. Let him pass." Cecilia hissed to the cat, trying to take his paw.

The cat shook his head, looking Dion in disappointment.

"... Jesus... Defended by a woman-OW!" The otter poked the cat with her claw against his ribs a bit, making the cat jump to the side.

"A woman who packs more punch than you." Cecilia reminded half playfully and half-serious.

The cat rolled his eyes and started to walk past Dion, stopping right next to the husky and still giving his last word.

"Dion, grow balls by the way. Any day now. Come on just tell!"

Dion was about to answer, looking sad as his morning was just going worse and worse with the rows of insults, the otter walking in front of the cat and shoving him to let it be.

Then out of nowhere, the cat got shoulder tied into a playful chokehold by a dog's arm.

"Eeeey, what is going on here?" the voice sang.

Jacob had arrived at the scene, being behind Lev and starting to brush his knuckle against the hair fur of the cat, making him annoyedly hiss at the dog.

"What the fuck? Off me, Jacob." The cat spat out.

For Dion's relief, Sam had also walked next to the situation and spoken to the cat who had just pushed the snickering german Shepard away from him.

"We know what you talking to Dion for, just because you didn't get an answer from our table doesn't mean you just go to Dion to ask the same shit. You should know better." The hyena spoke with a bored and disappointed expression while looking at the cat.

"S-sorry guys, I kept telling him to lay off from it." Cecilia apologized with a genuine tone, the cat shaking his head.

"Yeah, we saw," Sam noted, the cat now speaking to his girlfriend in frustration.

"Damn, are you with me or against me here? I ask anyone whatever I feel like."

Cecilia just gave a warning look for Lev to not even start arguing about this while others were around, the cat then sighing.

"FINE, I'll leave it alone." He muttered.

Dion felt good after hearing that, despite the cat still looking down on him in such a way. Like he was looking at a coward. A gaze Dion had gotten used to for years from everyone.

"Yeah, go harass Ryan or something if you wanna know," Sam said, giving the wave of the paw for the cat to tell him to hurry.

"Ha! I'd like to see that" The female otter laughed out, taking the cat by the paw and dragging him, Lev grumbling embarrassedly as he followed up.

"Nice job wearing the pants." Jacob chuckled out, getting a middle finger flip from the cat over his shoulder.

"Fuck off, Jacob."

Jacob then just to annoy Lev flirted after the otter.

"Ey Cecilia you looking really good this morning by the way."

"Thanks, J." Cecilia thanked with a giggle over her shoulder.

The cat started to argue with her right away as they were exiting through the door and they both disappearing as the metal closed.

Dion turned to look at his two friends and sighed as he spoke tiredly.

"... T-thank you two for that."

"Aaaaah, it's all good, we have obligation to get Husker outta shit like that, it's kinda fun," Jacob admitted with a genuine shrug and smirk.

"You see anything as fun," Sam added with an amused smile.

"It's a good way to live," Jacob answered.

Sam then walked next to Dion, tapping his shoulder friendlily, and spoke while rubbing his stomach.

"... Come one let's sit down already I've barely eaten and I'm hungry as hell."

"I wish I could eat but... I just don't feel that hungry." Dion admitted.

The food was the last thing in his mind during this depressing line of memories.

The horrifying flashbacks of the nightmares that had repeated themselves this morning as well. And he knew that after his father's class, he would have to go to Amir once again to vent off and hope that the therapy would pay off in a long run. It was all he had.

Dion met gazes with Tio, the wolf having carefully watched the whole situation on the doorway from the table, having not bothered to go with the two to stop whatever was going on. The wolf gave a slow nod at the husky's way from his seat in a "good morning" manner, Dion doing the same back with a slight smile.

Jacob hopped onto his seat and tapped the area next to him to signal Dion to sit in his usual place. The dog did, taking a deep breath and looking down at his food. Sam walked onto the other side, sitting next to Tio and rubbing his paws together with a satisfied expression, licking his muzzle.

"I freaking love Mac and cheese." The hyena let out with a passionate tone while almost drooling.

Jacob snorted out and spoke.

"It's aight. Yo, just to say, Husker. You look like your eyebags are dark as Tio's fur. You really sleeping shit each morning huh?" The dog asked from his best friend, despite the chuckle sounding slightly concerned.

"... Understatement." Dion almost whispered, blowing from his mouth against the food to cool down the steam rising from it, grabbing his fork.

"... Ummm... By the way... Where is Ryan? Did you see him this morning?" Sam asked after eating a big forkful of his food, having his mouth open.

"Krhm." The wolf cleared his throat annoyedly, reminding the hyena of his table manners.

"Oh, sorry, Tio." The hyena said quickly in slight embarrassment, closing his mouth and finishing chewing his food.

"... Yeah, we... We talked," Dion said quietly.

"... Where is he then? Dude, we been asked the whole morning about him and what happened. Lev was literally the tenth dude to stop by our table. I mean you know I love the spotlight but it's been nothing but desperate whining." Jacob said annoyedly.

Tio surprisingly agreed to Jacob's comment with an agreeing nod, the constant buzz around the table having been more than annoying to his breakfast peace.

"... T-that many?" Dion asked with eyebrow raise.

Jacob then snorted out and let his open paw sway around, pointing at everyone behind him as he spoke.

"Dude... Everyone knows WHAT happened. And by WHO, Maurice and Jack made sure of that. But no one knows WHY it happened. We have needed to keep our mouths shut for Ryan's sake to not tell anyone."

Dion then finished eating his forkful of food, turning to suddenly gaze upon someone that was on the opposite the table from their way, across the dining hall.

Besides quite a few gaze onto their table clearly over the most obvious case, Dion located Jill. He saw the gorgeous female cat look somewhat uncomfortable, not eating her food and just staring down onto her food.

Apparently Maurice or whoever had at least told that the female cat was involved, as it looked like she was being pressured by her girlfriends around her for the same goal that Lev had done to Dion himself.

The brown-furred husky kept on looking at her in sympathy, feeling really bad for her especially over the whole mess she had been thrown into. Ryan really should have gone to talk with her to explain or even apologize for the events in some sense. Dion knew he would have.

All Ryan had said when he had woken up, was that he needed to go and fill some "stupid promise" before coming to eat. Considering he was nowhere to be seen, it had been assumedly more important for the fox than his girlfriend was, which Dion could not understand.

Because Dion knew deep down... That he envied his brother a lot. Which was shameful for him to admit but...

He found Jill to be so incredibly attractive. And to know that he himself would never have the self-confidence to even speaking to someone looking like her, unlike his brother who was just so natural with it.

The dog just felt so frustrated over the lack of his social skills, especially when it came to girls. For so long, he had wondered what it was like to have a girlfriend. And all he could do was to sometimes just ask Ryan about his relationship, which often ended up with Dion cutting the discussion off when Ryan started to brag about how great the "sex" was with her. And that was where Dion drew the line, as he found such talks behind the back shameful act to do.

All he just wanted to truly knew what it was like to have a crush on someone.

Just maybe one day... I can get out of this shell.

"Yo? Dion, who are you looking at?" Jacob suddenly asked with a somewhat creeped out tone, waving his paw in front of Dion's face to wake his daydreaming up.

"O-oh?! I... S-sorry, I was just..." Dion woke up, only to find Tio and Sam look at him in total concern.

"... Dude... Y-you ain't about to flip again, are you?" Sam asked slowly with a really scared tone.

And at that moment Dion realized that the three had gone paranoid from his zone out, having expected that Dion was about to maybe even have the same kind of panic attack as he did on his father's class the last time.

Thank god that had not been the gaze now, but Dion did felt pretty awkward right now, having not realized the worry he was causing to his friends without even noticing.

"N-no? I-It was one time only, I was just... I-it won't happen again." Dion promised awkwardly, just wanting everyone to stop staring and making him feel like some burden that was to be watched over with nonstop.

"... So... what were you looking at? We were talking to you for like twenty seconds without reaction, man." Jacob then proceeded to ask confusedly.

"... Jill," Dion admitted quietly, nodding at the way of the cat.

Jacob turned to look at the cat sitting across the hall as well as the hyena, Sam then speaking.

"... Ah, I see. Yeah, she must feel like shit right now." The hyena admitted.

"Husker, by the way... Did Ryan tell you where he was going? You never answered that part." Jacob reminded.

"... He.. He said he had something to do," Dion said, that being all he knew.

"By something, probably went to train with Niles since he ain't here." Sam shrugged.

Tio then spoke quietly, laying down his fork delicately after having finished his meal.

"It's the most likely cause. Ryan doesn't need to interact with others too soon to be surrounded by the storm, and can probably somewhat release his aggression by training right after having woken up." The wolf pointed out as an explanation.

Jacob then turned his attention to the wolf with a sudden smile, like having completely forgotten the wolf's presence due to being too focused on Dion just now.

"Don't. I know you are looking at me. Don't start." The wolf warned tiredly as he was still looking at his plate and feeling the german shepherd's gaze bur into him.

"Oohhoho, don't think I forgot about you this morning. Why such a spicy attitude?" Jacob asked with a smirk, Sam already smiling and knowing the show was about to begin.

Once again, Dion just zoned out on the usual banter that was about to start, just looking at Jill's way.

I wish I could comfort her... And yet, I really can't.

What had to be so important for Ryan to not be explaining himself to her right now?

...

ACT 3

...

Niles Hovan was sitting on a wooden chair, looking at his father in the eye and the expression of careful judgment observing down on him. The older, much less preserved version of a grey lynx was grumbling, leaning his back against the chair of his own.

The young boy had just gotten done explaining to his father about the tangle that had gone down with Ryan Winchester and Farin Farlake.

About the involvement of Jill.

As well as Maurice and Jack, Sam and Niles himself who had been on the scene.

The old lynx was looking at his son carefully, releasing a long exhale through his nose and then nodding.

"... Thank you for telling me what happened, son."

Niles remained quietly, having been practically squeezed mentally to get the answer out. His father, Randal Hovan, could be rather threatening in his own way. He had a tight grip on controlling his own son...

Well, outside of Ryan's influence. The martial arts hobby had been something that they had gone back and forth over years, Randal begging for his son to quit.

Yet, always failing. It was something that Niles could not distance himself out of, as the warrior's dance was part of him and would always be. But it only had made ties between them sour, the father and son relationship being rather on the rocks.

But they both knew that it was stemming from a deeper place of hate. The one that would only give glimpses of hidden, burning anger that he could not release onto his son.

The loss of a wife. As some of you might remember or not... Niles's mother had died while giving birth to him.

And that happiness that had once been part of his old man before him had vanished soon within those years. Disappointed with his son for choice in life... And deep down hateful for taking away his wife.

A foul and terrible thing to hold anger towards your child for... But not even being a man of God can purge down the demons that one can hold within.

So there was no resistance from Niles when it came to answering whatever questions his father presented, over the fear of seeing any of that anger unleash... Or accusing words that would tear him up inside.

It was not an easy thing, living your whole life with a belief of owing something to your kin over a tragedy you could have not changed.

"You are going to tell Calvin, aren't you, dad?" Niles suddenly asked carefully as his father had stood up from his seat, walking in front of a mirror.

Randal started to adjust his pastor's clothes with prideful precision in front of the reflection, talking with a deep tone.

"As is my right and my duty as his kin."

Niles turned to look over his shoulder and then spoke with an awkward and sad tone.

"... Well, I feel like I betrayed my duty to Ryan as a friend just by telling you about what happened."

The old lynx could care less if this was how Niles felt, clearing his throat, and answered.

"I am your father and that means that you are obligated on telling me about such things. Calvin needed to know as soon as possible so it was by his request that I got the answer from you."

Niles then came to the realization after taking in the words, repeating it out loud.

"... He asked you to ask me."

"... As is his right. It was the best way for him to get the unfiltered answer about this whole... Disgraceful hassle without lies in between." The old lynx explained, having adjusted his rope to perfection, and then relaxed his shoulders.

"..." As Niles didn't figure out anything to say, Randal turned around and then cleared his throat, taking the young lynx's attention.

"... Are you starting to see why I have told for years to stay away from the sinful fox and his sinful family?"

Niles knew that this discussion was coming and already hated it. He sighed and began answering.

"... Father, Ryan is not-... Sinful. You know that what he did was-"

"Rational? Justified? A godly act? It was a sin. All of it. Especially the fact that the Winchester kid has been in a relationship with Jill Wilkins and knowing the sinful behavior that drives the boy, he has most likely done sinful acts with this girl without a doubt." The old lynx said with a disgusted tone.

"... Wait, what?" Niles asked in confusion.

"... Do I really have to spell it out for you to understand, my child? The way you tell the story makes me believe that The Winchester kid has most likely committed sinful acts before a formal marriage with this young woman. Foul. And forbidden." Randal explained with a serious tone.

Yet, Niles shool his head, looking at his father with a bit weirded out gaze.

"... Dad... Is that really on top of your concerns, even if that was the case? I mean, it's not like it's uncommon for a boy and girl of our age to-"

"Look at me." Randal suddenly commanded with a threatening tone.

"..." Niles then shut down really quickly, seeing his father frown upon him with an intense stare.

"What if this young girl gets pregnant, what then? The shame she will bring to her own father? Giving birth to a bastard child of Winchester? There are sins greater than others, and we have to take responsibility for them and repent. You are aware that Jill happens to be the daughter of a very good friend of mine, Jonas. And as you know Jonas's personal views about the Winchester's, he has the right to know what possible sin his daughter could have been apart of." Randal explained with frustration, not liking about the carelessness his son was talking about in this topic.

"... B-but... Are you not afraid of mister Wilkin's reaction if you tell him? He will most likely be really angry really at Ryan?" Niles asked scaredly, feeling horrible knowing that this was indirectly happening because of him telling the events to his father. And once Calvin would know, everyone would.

"And to Charlie himself. We do not know if he is aware of this relationship that has been going on with his son and Wilkins's daughter, but this oughta put a stop to it. It's a start for Ryan himself on the right path. Altho in my eyes, he will do anything but accept to walk it." Randal sighed.

"... Stop to it? Dad, are you even listening to yourself?" Niles finally asked, rather annoyed.

The young lynx stood up, his father looking at him with a baffled expression.

"Excuse me, what did you say?"

Under the threatening gaze, the young lynx felt his confidence trembling down as he stuttered back his answer.

"... I-I'm just saying that... All of this is just... Y-you can't just see my best friend to be blamed about everything that went down, it's not right-"

"Besides the poor mental health of your best friend? Him entering a psychosis as well as almost killing a boy over mean words towards his absent mother? Along with him also mentally damaging Farin Farlake possibly for the rest of his life? FOR NOT WALKING TO THE OVERSEERS OFFICE TO KNEEL DOWN AND NOT ANSWER FOR ANYTHING HE JUST DID NOR ACCEPT A PUNISHMENT?" The old lynx pressed, walking in front of Niles with his paws behind his back and shaking his head in disappointment.

Niles couldn't find the courage to say anything back that would anger his father more than he already was.

"... C-come on dad, y-you know it's not all that simple-"

"Foolish, oh foolish boy. It is all just sins on top of sins. This boy is not going to take a heap of responsibility for what he did, and once again has his father as his shield. And knowing their mental, he is going to return to his habits without any kind of recognizable look of shame for what he has done. As far as my guess goes, he is right now probably spending time with Wilkins's daughter, since I did not see him in the dining hall this morning while visiting Calvin's office, nor has he come to knock at the door to ask you for the ridiculous hobby of you two." Randal said, frowning on his son one more time before turning around and starting to walk into the bathroom in order to wash his hands. Something he always did to calm down when he was too agitated.

Suddenly, Niles found himself following after his father, still trying to make him see his view about it.

"O-Or he is just in his room and feeling guilt! How can you know? You don't know him as I do. Ryan isn't some heartless and hateful person, full of sin. He has is problems but he is a good person deep down-"

The old lynx turned on the tab water, placing his paws under and grumbling an answer over his shoulder.

"The sinful men love to mask themselves from the others until that mask slips. You are not headstrong enough to say things how they are, as you talk from the side of being his friend. And the more you keep protecting his actions like this, the more shame I feel for you each second. The boy is sinful. Clear as it is. And it is only a matter of time before the mask slips off from the face of his father's as well, as I know will happen."

"... Charlie is not wearing a mask of any kind." Niles now spoke like his father had to be kidding.

"Of course you young ones don't see it, glamoured by his teachings and his overly pompous charm that he likes to so much bask in to feel better than other parents." Randal spat out with distaste.

"Dad... I just... You don't need to paint such a bad picture to Calvin about this. You know that... I mean you know that it didn't happen over nothing!-"

"A child who cannot contain such rage and unleashes it on someone over yelled insults is a dangerous thing. The boy is a problem, and so is that family!" Randal snapped, turning off the tab and looking at his son.

"So Dion is in your eyes a problem too? He is the kindest person I have ever known." Niles stated like it was a fact that Randal would be a fool if denying.

The old lynx was quiet for a while, taking the hand towel from the wall and starting to dry up his paws as he took his eyes off Niles.

"Yes, the boy seems to be the most level headed out of them but that doesn't mean that his future is bright, as long as he stays in that family. Sooner or later, his brother and father will rot him into someone more like them."

Niles wanted to argue but knew that his stubborn father wouldn't listen to anything he would say in Ryan's defense.

"... I really think you are overreacting about all of this." Niles had to say out loud, as Randal walked out of the bathroom, shoving Niles a bit out of his way.

"And while I could care less of your input on the matter son, you are excused," Randal said quietly.

"..."

As Niles gave up, giving tired exhale and his mind full of worries over what was going to happen next once Calvin would learn the details of everything before long, Randal spoke.

"Have you prayed this morning?" The old lynx questioned as Niles was standing in front of his father's room door, almost having pushed the panel already.

"I will after breakfast. I-I mean after Charlie's class." Niles said and turned around, Randal looking at him while adjusting his sleeves.

"Mh. You better."

"... Yeah. I will." Niles nodded.

"And just so you know, son." The old lynx said, clearing his throat.

"What?" Niles asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his tone.

"If this fox slips off one more time like that... Calvin has already given me his judgment on the matter. The Winchester family is on a thin line around here. IF... There is one more act like this coming from that sinful bunch... Charlie will lose his right to teach the kids... And you will lose your right to practicing your hobby for the rest of your life, and as long as I breathe."

"... You are serious," Niles said with wide eyes, hearing this out loud being more than concerning than the idea of it.

Randal nodded and kept talking with a hopeful tone somewhat.

"I am. And maybe with luck, it is time to teach you into becoming a pastor in a good time, to make your own family proud. Do you ever think of that? When it would be your time to contribute beyond reading a bible and proceed to wear these robes?"

Niles said nothing, just standing there. As much as religious as he had been thought to be and how often he read the bible, Niles had never found his calling to be a pastor like this father. Another one of their arguments for each week. But Randal spoke stubbornly on the matter, always reminding about it.

The young lynx was about to press the door panel until his finger stopped.

He turned around one last time to speak.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1" The young lynx said.

That took Rnadal's attention, as the old lynx looked at his son and knew that the quote was meant to be some subtle justification for Ryan's deed.

"... Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. Psalm 37:8," Randal answered calmly.

Niles remained quiet, knowing that this was the game he could play all day with his father... But judging by the look in both of their eyes, it was clear that both were going to think about this their own, as stubborn as they were.

Niles exhaled deeply through his noes, then pressing the green button for the door to open.

As the young lynx was about to walk out, he suddenly bumped into someone.

Niles briefly budged, taking a step back and looking in front of him.

"O-oh! Mister Tampico! I'm sorry."

The black-furred male wolf that was Tio's father, was standing at Randal's doorway, looking somewhat nervous.

"It's fine, Niles. Sorry for blocking your way." Santino said quickly, standing aside in order to let Niles pass through.

"..." Randal looked at Santino in slight confusion as the wolf had never visited his residence before in his life. It was a rather odd thing to witness.

The young lynx slowly walked past Santino, but still remaining near him and looking at his father's reaction.

"... Father, may I speak with you?" Santino suddenly asked with a humble tone formally from the pastor.

"... What would it be about, Santino?" Randal asked with genuine interest.

"... I'm... I'm here to... Krhm." The black-furred wolf cleared his throat, looking rather uncomfortable. Slightly due to Niles still standing there, as he kept gazing on him.

"... Yes?" Randal asked carefully.

"Confess a sin." Santino let out with a heavy tone.

"... I... I see," Randal said, somewhat pleased to hear that Santino was her in such a manner, having not expected it. it had been a week since anyone had come to him for a confession.

Santino was giving a side look to Niles and without words telling Randal the obvious.

"... Go, son," Randal commanded Niles, as the young lynx was still standing there and observing.

After the command was given, Niles bowed slightly and left the residence, taking his excuse.

The only thing he heard over his shoulder before leaving, was Randal welcoming Santino in and closing the door after him.

"Huh... Wonder what that was about?" Niles whispered aloud with a weirded out tone, walking into the hallway and going towards the breakfast hall.

...

ACT 4

(The Last of Us Soundtrack - Vanishing Grace (Innocence) [Extended]

...

Charlie Winchester felt his eyelids open slowly, the ceiling light burning against his pupils.

The bloodshot eyes were purely tired, wincing as a reaction.

It took him a moment to realize that he was staring at the corner of his bathroom, laying on the cold tile floor.

"Mhrmm..." The dog grunted, forcing his paws to take support from the floor as he slowly started to gather himself up.

His arms were shaking slightly as they gave him the strength to sit up, the dog exhaling with long effort as he ran a paw across his tired face, ending up rubbing the corner of his eye from the night dust.

"Damnit..." Was the only word his dry throat managed to get out quietly, as he kept wincing and looking around him, feeling more than a bit woozy.

Suddenly an unbearable headache started to hit him, the old wincing in agitation as he felt like he had not drunk water in years.

To him, this scenario was not new. He had woken up from this very floor more than a few times, feeling the same bothersome after effects.

Charlie's gaze slowly ended up facing the two objects on his floor.

The guilt slowly settled in as his tired eyes kept staring at the stuff on the floor, glimmering against the ceiling light.

One Med-X syringe was fully ejected, laying there empty. And next to it, there was a half-consumed tin of Mentats, laying around. Two pills having rolled onto the floor carelessly.

For a good minute, the old dog kept looking at the drugs on the floor woozily, feeling the spikes of headache pester him as he finally started to fully get himself on his feet.

"Idiot..." Charlie whispered quietly, stretching his lower back and hearing the satisfying bone-crunching, the exhale of satisfaction leaving him.

He rolled his shoulders around briefly, the joints popping as well, and the slight grunts leaving his muzzle as he just tried his best to fight the headache and get himself together.

His shaky paws reached for the tab, opening the water flow and the sound filling otherwise tomb quiet bathroom.

He took a pawful of the water into his paws, splashing the water shortly after against his face and feeling the cold, releasing feeling brush over his fur.

"Ah..." Charlie let out in slight satisfaction, starting to bend his back down and also drink the water greedily from the running tab.

He could feel the pulses of his headache lower down the more he drank the water, taking another pawful of water and brushing it all over his face one more time. He took his face slowly away from the sink, clearing his throat and taking a few deep breaths until his face ended up staring at the reflection of himself from the sink cabinets mirror.

The old dog realized that he was naked shortly after, his underwear on the floor and the vault suit hanged upon the hangar near the door, by the handtowels.

As the old dog swayed from side to side a bit, his tired eyes observed the body in front of him.

And only because it was the only reminding thing of reality... That he had once lived a life somewhere else, long ago. It had been more real than this room... This place... Or this life was.

So much missing fur... And so many scars. His whole upper body, outer thighs, arms and feet were covered in them.

The signs of battles... That had been part of his life as long as he could truly remember.

His fingers slowly traveled around his visible stomach muscles, the long and dragged cuts... The bullet scars... The stab wounds... They all felt numb and only a visible reminder of how many times he had survived death.

Thanks to medicine... Luck... And pure stubbornness to fight for his life...

He was still here.

Charlie ran his paw on his shoulder, rubbing it and the tense muscle felt the blood flow open up slightly, the whole night and withdrawal effects having taken their usual toll on his body.

The need to shower, drink more water, and eat was there, his stomach slightly grumbling.

As soon as the old dog was done with rubbing his own shoulders slightly with effort, he moved his neck a bit from side to side to stretch a bit, hearing a few snaps as he took a final long exhale and knew that it was time to get out of the bathroom.

Before going... He finally looked onto the toilet seat, which had a neat amount of towels on top of it.

But what was on top of the towels, was his own pip-boy.

The advanced personal machine for his wrist was just sitting there, having turned itself off from being unused for so many hours in a row.

He had spent most of his night here after all, with his bathroom door locked and the privacy guaranteed for his drug use.

Charlie took the device slowly from the top of the towel pile, guiding it around his wrist, snapping the mechanism back to its rightful place.

With a press of a button, he turned the device on.

The sounds of machinery came to life, rows of beeping noises coming from it.

Greenlight blinked up, Charlie's eyes no more wincing from the light as he had gotten used to it within a few minutes already.

Charlie patiently saw as the screen started to show it's usual options. His health bar, heart rate, radiation level, along with every other crucial info of his situation.

The old dog started to scroll down the buttons, after a few presses coming into the options bar he had been visiting more times he could count.

...

The holotape was still in.

Holotape-77

"To my Charlie"

Last time of listening to a recording of input holotape... Six hours ago. Times repeated the audio log within the last twenty-four hours: 5 times.

Overall time's listened: 104 times.

...

The old dog felt the grasp of emotion strike in his chest, making him just look more sorrowful... And yet... Somewhat peaceful.

As he started to gain his senses... His eye wandered to the current time sec-

...

"Ah, shit!" Charlie let out, his eye suddenly blowing up from realization.

The time was eleven in the morning.

His class should have started two hours ago.

Before the husky could even start to act and get his clothes on from the floor, he could hear it coming.

THUMP THUMP!

The door of his room was being knocked on twice.

Charlie froze for a moment, shaking his head and opening the bathroom door.

With few presses of buttons at the panel, he unlocked the mechanism and the panel blinked green light.

The metal lifted itself up, the old dog walking out for a brief moment with a few steps. The lights from the bathroom shed light into the otherwise dark room, the dog looking at the doorway and clearing his throat.

"Who is it?"

After a short moment, Dion's relieved tone spoke from the other side.

"... D-dad?"

Charlie recognized the voice to be Dion's, the young husky waiting for an answer.

The dog quickly rushed to the bathroom, staring to collect his clothes as he yelled back to Dion so he could hear clearly.

"Yeah! It's... I'm here, son. Just... Give me a second here!"

"... A-are you okay?" Dion asked after a moment in confusion.

The old dog threw his clothes on top of the side of his bed, answering.

"Yeah, I'm fine... Everything is okay."

"You were not in the classroom, everyone was really worried so I came to look for you." Dion kept speaking from behind the door.

The dog rubbed his face a bit, feeling so annoyed by his own actions, as he had never managed to miss a class like this before as a teacher, so he found the situation rather embarrassing.

"Shit... Are they still waiting in the classroom?" The old dog proceeded to ask in hesitation.

"... I-I think so, yeah!" Dion spoke with an unsure tone.

The old dog muttered curse words, wondering what to do. He had definitely woken up already somewhat and felt his physical health feel better, as his toes and fingertips were tingling back their usual feeling and his headache getting better.

"Alright, I'm going to... I'm going to need just a moment! I just overslept, as rare as it sounds. Must have lost the track of time last night while... While reading one of my books!" Charlie lied, there being no book around to be seen.

"... Can I come in, dad? It's kinda awkward to talk from behind the door," Dion admitted.

And Charlie then realized before almost giving permission, that the drugs were still laying right there on the bathroom floor, the door open. If Dion would walk in, he would definitely see them.

"... N-no need, son!"

"Huh?" Dion asked in confusion over the unexpected answer.

"I'm... Well, I'm going to be honest, son... I haven't dressed up yet." Charlie admitted as a convenient excuse, looking paranoid at the way of the bathroom and wishing Dion wouldn't still just barge in. If Ryan was with him, he would already know that something odd was up.

"... Oh," Dion said awkwardly from the other side.

"Yeah. I'll just take a moment." Charlie promised.

"Umm... Well, I'm glad that you are okay. S-should I go back and tell everyone that you are coming?" Dion asked then with a hopeful tone.

Charlie nodded and spoke back with a forced happy tone.

"Yes. Yes, you can do that. I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"

Dion was quiet for a moment, then speaking.

"... A-are you sure, dad?"

"Yeah, I will be there! I'll see you in the classroom. My apologies, Dion." Charlie repeated, hoping that Dion would just listen.

To Charlie's surprise, the dog now sounded somewhat joyful over the promise and spoke back quickly.

"It's okay! It's not like you meant to! I'll go tell them!"

Charlie exhaled in relief, starting to pick up his underwear from the top of his bed.

"Yeah... Yeah, thank you, son." He spoke with a grateful tone.

After a moment, Dion spoke back with a happy tone from behind the door before taking his leave.

"Okay... Love you, dad!"

The warm and genuine words made Charlie stop what he was doing, the old dog looking at the doorway and clearing his throat as he spoke back with a fatherly tone.

"... love you too, son."

"I'll go now!" The dog yelled right after, storming off.

There were no more words from Dion as his footsteps along with the opening of a door were heard anymore.

And then... The silence settled into the room. Charlie was still staring at the door of his room, feeling himself smile slightly for some unexplainable reason.

But slowly, the smile died away, as the dog sat down on his bedside, rubbing his nose bridge and the corners of his tired eyes, taking in the moment and mentally preparing to hold the class shortly.

Charlie sighed, his gaze rising to look upon the drugs that laid still on the bathroom floor, reminding him of his dangerous act last night.

Amir's words coming back to him...

The holotape...

"I love you, dad!"

Dion's voice cheeringly echoing in his head still.

The sudden spike of self-disgust and hatred came to Charlie without a warning over the combination of all these feelings.

"FUCKING-!" The dog growled from between his teeth, his paw swiping a nearby object, as it happened to be in his reach to release anger into.

A nightstand lamp next to his bed flew with a great force across the room.

It smashed right against the wall next to the bathroom door, breaking into pieces and falling onto the floor.

The dog panted with a hateful gaze in the darkness, looking at the broken lamp for a while, feeling like he still wanted to throw something.

But there was nothing left to throw, besides his clothes.

Slowly, his reaching calmed down, his shoulders relaxing and him coming to the realization of what he just did.

The anger in his face turned into tiredness and disappointment, the old dog slowly getting up from his bedside and muttering in the dark, as he started to walk slowly towards the broken lamp, kneeling down and starting to pick up the shards into his paw.

And while there, kneeled down and humble, feeling his pulse go normal...

He felt like a horrible father that was slowly losing himself into the darkness.

...

ACT 4

...

THE CONTINUATION OF LORE

...

(Far Away Red Dead Redemption Soundtrack)

2239

...

Quan learned the harsh realities of the Texas wasteland very soon, right after stepping through those brothel doors. This place was the wild west. It was gruesome, unforgiving, rough, and yet... It was magnificent.

Baxton city held a good amount of around six thousand mammals in it. It was the greatest remains of Civilization left in America's bombed soil, the "Civil" being maybe a too kind prescription for it.

But it was alive, as violent as it was.

Gambling, gun dueling, minimal laws, lazy sheriffs, dirt, prostitution, mugging, extortion, saloon fights, dance nights, raping, slavery, murders, ghettos, and the rich areas, few working automobiles, slaves pulling carts, gun trade, crop growing, orphanages, boxing pits, drunken fuckery and lots of public music and acting performances.

Quan adapted right in very quickly. Within the first week, he settled down in the small broken building at the slum town, enough space to raise a family in. The man with his talents when it came to knife work and lack of fear was a valuable thing. His partnership with Baron George grew very... very rewarding. The ram kept his word. He protected and paid Quan, and Quan gave back his utmost loyalty, never going against the ram's orders, no matter what they were.

He did a lot of killing during those first months, and he was efficient in it. People who owed debts to the baron, got their fingers cut when the caps didn't come in. The competing and pompous pimps that tried to become greater than George, Quan intimidated and beat up. The back alley trades went south due to greed and arguments, Quan handled. His revolvers and his knife made the walls red, the ram walking away victorious from the bad situations.

The jealousy grew within Geroge's guard circle quickly, as Quan was becoming his most trustworthy ally and the most dangerous one.

Quan had become a very good gunslinger as well, mastering the revolver arts of the wild west slowly with a lot of training. Soon he had enough caps under Baron's service to buy himself a black smith&wesson 38 revolvers, accompanied with an 1847 Colt Walker Revolver on the other side of the hip. Quan preferred dual wield, due to more bullets always evening the odds. That and his big and shard scalping knife called Sura.

With enough killing and more jobs, Quan found himself getting a better life and accommodation soon, moving away from the slum area with his deer wife, Melly.

The girl who first was uncomfortable and clueless about a housemaid life, found herself getting fond of Quan. And it was not only because of his now more luxurious lifestyle but due to him being a very talented lover as well as very forgiving on how she would spend her free time. Quan was not sure if he loved her, or if she loved him, but they found each other still very much companion like. The blood caps were spent on dance nights together at saloons, visit the finest dining places, and the bunny kept sure that she would never be empty pocketed while hanging around the city with her friends.

Soon, she was with Quan's child. They were ecstatic, and George had grown so fond of his bunny guard, that he promised to be the child's godfather.

The two got married within the first year of being together, and as the year changed into 2240, their child was born.

Melly named the child Abraham, after a man that she had read about from an old book, telling about a president of America who had ended slavery and gotten assassinated. She had found the man's tale inspiring even after the unfortunate end. Quan had no complaints about the name, just happy that it had been born a bunny like him and not a deer-like his mother. Nothing personal, but Quan knew that bunnies had stronger legs, which would make sure that the child would be quick on his feet. Always a useful skill.

Quan now officially had a family and he was becoming a known person around the city. A foreign bunny from some mysterious tribe he refused to speak about. He was a new man now. He had slowly learned his grammar and how to talk properly. He learned the culture; he learned history. He accompanied Baron into every business meeting, learning the art of deal and trade on the side.

Few mutinies came soon within the second year. Baron was making fortune to himself in the city and slowly rising into the ranks of most wealthy men in it. The men in his service didn't like that this foreign bunny that wasn't even Texan for all they knew, had become so popular and trusted by the ram. Everyone wanted to be the second man for the ram. And it caused trouble.

Baron George soon had to adjust his ranks with very questionable but effective methods. Whoever wanted to prove himself better than Quan, had to test him in two ways, whichever they preferred. Fight to the death in a pit with knives, or fast draw duel in the middle of the city for everyone to see. Fast draw duels were the top entertainment in the city, as that was how the legends were made and known, besides the fight pits.

Quan was talented in both. More so in the pits, but he held his own in a quick draw. One angry raccoon guard of Geroge's named Mason Landy managed to shoot Quan in the leg in a duel, unfortunately getting two bullets through his liver in return. But it was the first time Quan had taken almost a fatal loss.

The bunny's leg was saved with a stimpak, just as Mason's wound was. Neither had died, which was rare in dueling cases, so Baron saw it as a sign to hold both close to him.

Quan and Mason were now his most trusted guards. The others had to settle their envy and squabbles with the two and especially Quan, by Baron's orders. Quan had proved more than his worth by killing a dozen of his competitors in the pits. Jealousy in the inner ring was bad for business, and it was now over and done with.

Third-year came, and Baron was on the rise. He dreamed of getting into the inner council of the city, to sit among the three most influential men of Baxton city, becoming the fourth one. They were called "The circle".

Rich, prideful rulers that controlled the Baxton city from the high building which was still in pristine and fixed shape, a stunning monument of the old world. And they knew what the Baron was up to.

His lust for power was unstoppable, and with the wealth, he earned due to Quan's provided gemstone, he was swimming in caps. He already owned five brothels, a good half of the city's salt and grain trade, his strong mercenary company, and now even the biggest and most known saloon of Baxton.

Goldrush Saloon, located in the center of the city. One with the highest standard of food and liquor, and the most loved musicians. The card tables, the slot games, the fortune wheels.

The way that George had gotten this glorious landmark of profit to his own pocket, was by having Quan assassinate the owner and then doctoring the manuscript of ownership to himself.

And that move stirred the pot. The earlier owner was Malcolm Steinfeld, who was loved by many, as he was a good-hearted person among evil men. Even the circle had admired the man.

It had been a dirty and risky move, which most knew was a foul play. The city circle did also know this as more than a rumor, as the Saloons proud twenty-year owner was missing, his body never found. And suicide was not his way. He had been a married man with two kids. It was plain murder by the Baron, and they didn't know if they should act on it or not. But they were not going to still let George into their circle, even if they could not prove by evidence that Baron was behind it. But everyone knew.

Three more years had passed. It was 2246.

The bunny was now known as one of the most capable fighters of Baxton city, as well as the whole Texas people knew. He was rich as one could be. He was living wildlife, and his son was growing into a strong boy, making him proud. His wife, Melly, was also a high-status woman who was admired by many of her friends, as she now owned her own bordel and was called "mistress".

The Baron himself was swimming in so many caps that he was rumored to be the fifth most rich man in Texas. He owned small towns outside Houston and his own automobile. Having those functioning and in shape was a luxury to be envied. And it was all because of the efficient kill work of the bunny, and the talented businessman ship of the ram. But the city council... it was starting to take notice now.

Quan's life was getting more complicated by far. The Baron started to stir things too much in his road to power. There was more murdering, mayhem, extortion. He was going to get to that council no matter what, even if he had to own half the city to get their attention. His ambition knew no limits. And Quan grew month by month into a more talented killer along with Mason. It started to get to a point where Quan had to wash his paws from blood each day after the day was done, his lovely and worried wife there to calm him down and taking care of him. The arranged marriage that Quan had done only out of lust and the need to continue the family line, had become genuine love. They truly now cared for each other and their six-year-old son, whose future was uncertain, just like theirs.

Baron was taking too many risks. He had become ruthless and didn't realize that not only his life was at stake. Quan had a wife and son to take care of, and it was only a matter of time before the Baron's crimes would get an answer the most predictable way and without subtlety. Quan did not want his wife and son to be on the fire line and end up dead because of his work with the Baron. Everyone knew who Quan was by now. Baron George's right paw. He even had a name's now. "Quan the slasher." And "Deadeye" due to him having an eyepatch.

Also not only was the situation in the city getting tense, but there were also worse rumors now.

The remaining Febris on the Texas soil had started to finally take interest in Baxton's business and was most likely aiming to take control of the place and bring firm order into the wild and untamed place. Which was something that not one rich man wanted. And the poor didn't get a say. Their voice didn't matter.

But if Febris were to knock on the front door of the place and the city council would give their answer, it was surely going to be the death of everyone in the city. The febris took no chances, and what they couldn't tame and control, they would destroy. Of course, they would in most likely cases tell all the willing people to come out to flee the place or join their cause and kill resisting remnants of the city without mercy. They still had the biggest firepower, tactics, and vehicles to get things done. And the moment tanks would roll in, it would be over.

For now, they were just rumors... But rumors always have some truth in them.

Soon enough as expected, there was an attempt on Baron's life.

It was just another day among others. Quan along with all the most trusted guards of the ram were going through a meeting inside his most famous brothel at uptown. Baron along with his high-status friends, establishment owners, and many other important men, were having a business discussion. The Baron gave an ambitious speech about wanting to become the ruler of the whole Baxton city. He claimed he would be the only one who could come up with somewhat agreeable terms, would the Febris be knocking on doors. And if not, he still claimed that his way of ruling would bring the city into true prosperity.

Apparently, the circle had hired an assassin to infiltrate into the business. And for Baron's surprise, it was someone he least expected. Mason. His second most trusted bodyguard had been in the circles pocket right from the start and waiting for the green light, would circle feel too threatened by the ambitious and reckless ram.

The raccoon stood up in the middle of the speech, drawing his gun and shooting at the Baron. But just like it was proven due to the duel with Quan, Mason wasn't the best shot. He aimed for the Baron's head, managing to shoot off his whole right ear clean off. The Baron fell down from his seat, screaming, as Quan acted fast.

He tackled the raccoon without hesitation, and the fight began. The chaos released itself inside the brother.

Mason was not alone in his fight. There was more than him trying to finish the job, few of the guards being bribed by the city council. The firefight started itself very fast. Countless bullets flying as Baron was crawling on the floor, screaming in pain and holding his bleeding remain of an ear.

After a long and intense knife fight, Quan had managed to get a hold of Mason's revolver and shoot him in the mouth, blowing his brains out all over the place, before a bullet scraped his side as well, sending him down onto the floor and finding cover. Many of the important men and women died inside that brother, as the chaos made it hard to tell who was who.

But Baron was far from dead. He was not a bad shot himself and managed to kill at least three men trying to shoot him, by grabbing the golden engraved lever rifle of his from behind the bar counter. The firefight lasted a whole ten minutes... And only ones walking outside alive from the scrap were Quan, Baron, a handful of his guards, and multiple bordel, saloon, and store owners.

It was clear that the inner civil war had been declared on Baron. And he was furious, sworn to revenge this attack.

The circle was just as furious over the fact that their assassination attempt had failed. Mason had been their wild card that had led to nowhere, due to Quan being a superior fighter. Which only led to the obvious solution by them, a desperate one.

They needed Quan dead. Without the bunny being there loyally at the Baron's side, he would be easier to take out of the picture.

Quan had lived enough in the city and heard enough rumors about the circle to know that they would rather die than accept the Baron into the leadership status among them.

It was time for the bunny to decide. He wanted safety for his son and wife. Their lives had been in danger the moment they had sided with the Baron, but now that situation could escalate into certain death if they would not escape the city. The bunny hated the fact that he had to think about betrayal towards Baron after almost seven years of loyalty, but he didn't know what else to do.

It wasn't just the caps that held his tie with Baron, it was also the friendship they had developed during the years. From simple cutthroat, Quan had become best friends with his boss and cared for his life. He might have been ruthless, dirty and twisted, known from sadistic and perverse nature, but Quan knew deep down he wasn't that different. He shared the same world views as the Baron, and only because of Ram's grace and gratitude, Quan owned one of the most expensive estates in the whole city and weapon store. Hell, the ram had been the one teaching him the ways of guns personally and how to shoot them. He had even thought Quan to read a bit.

So, in his eyes, he owed his life to the ram. He had already betrayed Tesshin and his own tribe long ago... Would he have to betray his only true friend as well?

Blood spilled on the streets. The inner-city council hired mercenaries to openly fight Baron in the streets. Multiple assassination attempts were repeated, and the city was under constant fear more than ever. The church and their burial business were the only ones truly profiting from the civil war, as well as gun stores. Small comfort.

But the Baron managed to survive each time just barely, with Quan commanding his personal mercenaries.

As the circle saw that there was no way of getting the baron dead, and the conflict was getting too expensive for them, they brought something to the table for the Baron.

...

(Black Sails OST - S2E05 - End Credits Music)

...

It was called "The Texan parley". The rules were simple. An only agreed number of mammals were invited in a single spot, no guns, and no objects of any kind unless specifically agreed upon. It was time for the city to hold their breath and see if it would lead to compromise and finally peace, after a month of pure carnage and gunpowder smoke.

The ram arrived with the only Quan by his side into a small saloon.

The circle arrived shortly after, and everyone sat down. It was the first time that civilians, who were allowed to follow the conversation from the outside windows, were able to witness the circle members in such a rachet part of the town.

The conversation was heated from the start. Baron, who usually was a very cunning and well-spoken man, felt the distaste on the table towards him. The lack of respect towards his name and status was more than present. Quan had not said a word yet, following the situation with anxiety from the side. He wanted to believe that the peace would be agreed upon and Baron's terms met, in order for his family to be safe.

These three men suggested to Baron that he would have to give less insulting terms for the conflict to end between them. He would not be allowed to join their council, but in return, they would give him a large number of caps, his own town that was located far East from the Baxton city, all the way in remains of Beaumont. He would be allowed to build his own establishments there and set up his own laws.

For anyone, it would have been a fair deal. Baron had wanted the mentioned stop for a long time, but it was not Baxton. Besides, getting Beaumont in shape for any kind of business would take years, and the Baron had already worked his whole life to get his saloons and bordels in the city. The circle told that their vision of the city was to change its course within future years. To end prostitution and slavery, and bring law and order, once they would have enough resources and wealth to put it into motion. Because only that way, they could give a better impression for the febris, once they would come knocking. If the remnants of the Us army would see that the city was in a healthy and civilized state, with a functioning society, there would be no violence or extreme actions taken. It was the only way to ensure that the city would not end up becoming another ruin and that they would still remain in power by the grace of Febris.

The baron had heard enough. He spat on the contract that was laying on the table, calling the circle members spineless cowards. They had earned their position and status the same way Baron had, yet they talked to him like he was eviler than them. The baron said he would rather rot than abandon his lifestyle. He would never bow to the Febris or their demands. He had been a pimp and a slaver his whole life. He had made his choice.

As the people had seen the ram spit on the contract, they had lost all hope. The conflict was going to continue, all because of Baron's ego. But he was not alone in his opinion. Not everyone wanted to hand over the city to the febris as if it belonged to them. Their own grandfathers and mothers had built this place with their blood and sweat. Giving it to some army that would create their own laws for everyone to obey was not a solution to be considered by many.

The Baron took his leave from the saloon... And Quan walked right after him, giving a respectful bow for the three. He questioned the ram's mental state and did not truly know if this was the right choice. The febris could make things safer... And he wanted that for his boy, innocent and pure. He deserved to live. As did his wife.

A month of conflict came again. The blood continued to spray on the streets. The situation seemed less and less hopeful. People were moving away from the city and away from the violence, seeking asylum from the febris army.

Which made Quan also consider it himself. If he would send his wife and son away from the city and into the febris army base, they would be truly safe. Febris would take care of them, but they would have to live humbler than now. The rich lifestyle and big mansion would be stripped away from them. They would have to live in small accommodation and poor... But at least their lives would be safe and they would still have their health. And protection by true weaponry and a true army that cared for its civilians.

After a long argument in the night, Quan managed to convince his wife to leave with their son, Abraham. To escape the danger. Once it would be over... Quan would come and get them back. But Melly knew that joining Febris was a one-way ticket. Escaping from them would be brand you a deserter. And the punishment for that was a public execution.

Quan convinced that he would the way. He would have to.

So, the next morning, his wife and son left with the other refugees. Quan felt broken about the fact that he had to send them away. He did not know how long this fight would last... Or if he would ever see them again. Dying any day for protecting Baron was very likely. And Abraham would have to grow up without a father.

Baron gave his condolences, as Quan admitted what he had done. The baron forgave him but said that he would not be allowed to leave his side to meet his family again until the city was his.

All the bunny could do, was to obey and accept it.

The seventh-year of servitude came. It was 2247.

Quan received multiple letters from his wife. Apparently, they were now sheltered by the febris with open arms and wished for the bunny to give up on the Baron and join Febris as well. To leave the city and everything behind. Quan could not do that, despite a part of him considering it.

Baron George had become more paranoid, unstable, and addicted to cocaine on top of it all. He was losing it. And it felt like this whole dream of owning Baxton city had destroyed the man he once knew in the process. Quan wanted the circle members dead. It was not about joining them anymore. After all these attempts on his life and the disrespect, he wanted to own the city alone.

But no matter how much both parties tried, they could not get anything but their own mercenaries killed in the process.

When it seemed like the city would suffer this bloodshed for many more months or even years...

Something unpredictable happened.

A famous gunslinger who had made a name for himself out in the Texas wasteland arrived in the city to look for a job. Fortune and glory.

His name was Samuel The Just. A religious man and dirty by his mouth. Known for his charismatic nature and powerful aura of authority. A bull by his species and black by fur.

His gun they called "The bull", which was Smith and Wesson 5000 revolver. Had more than little bodies on it.

He settled himself in a nearby saloon and was surrounded by admiring men and flirting women soon, asking him tons of questions and what his business was in the city.

Until Baron stepped into the saloon and the admiring crowd dispersed in fear and respect. The baron was here for the bull himself.

Quan accompanied him, as they sat next to the famous gunslinger on the bar desk. Samuel didn't break as sweat, questioning what the men wanted.

The Baron proudly introduced himself and Samuel knew instantly that this was the man who wanted to rule the Baxton city. As the bull turned his gaze as Quan, he assumed his name right and smiled, asking if he was truly "Quan the slasher" that everyone talked about as well. The bunny nodded humbly, and the bull's interest was awakened.

The Baron was here to break a deal. He was ready to offer ten thousand caps for Samuel if he would accept a task so difficult that not many men would take it.

With such an amount, the gunslinger would not need to accept any jobs in his life anymore from anyone. This would set him up for life. He asked what he would need to do.

And the Baron leaned in with a grin on his face, saying that if he would work together with Quan and take twenty men with them... They would have to finish the civil war once and for all. To storm into the main building of the Baxton city, kill all the guards inside, along with the circle members, so the ram himself could take the power.

Quan had been sure of his death first... But with this mysterious and famous killer by their side... They might have stood a chance. If he was as good as people told. The bull had given a chuckle, drank his drink, wiped his mouth, and turned to face the baron as he spoke.

"... I'm going to need a few more bullets for this thing right here... And an RPG. I've always wanted to shoot one."

The baron had broken down to smile widely from the confident agreeance and said that he would give anything he needed to get the job done.

...

...

(GUN Soundtrack - Cannon Village)

...

The next day arrived, and it was known in Baxton city as the "earthquake dawn". For a fitting reason. The fight that was held inside that building was so furious that it shook the literal ground of the city and its foundations. Windows and pillars exploded, people screamed as they fell from the tower of a building, both Samuel and Quan fighting like the devils themselves.

They killed seventy men together that day inside the building. Quan had lost his tail by a bullet, broken two ribs, stabbed in his lower abdomen, and gotten a bullet through his cheek and stuck on his tongue.

Samuel had gotten two bullets through his left shoulder, a broken nose, and one of his fingers bitten off by a mercenary dog's muzzle.

But after the smoke fumed on the hallways and concrete bits kept falling down everywhere... The two had won. The Baron walked past the gory hallways calmly, whistling through the whole journey to the top floor, beating the crawling survivors to death with his golden cane.

Once he arrived at the office that offered the grand view from the balcony over the whole city of Baxton, the three men were crying on their knees, Quan and Samuel aiming their guns at them. The bunny had passed the two after giving proud taps on their shoulders.

He kneeled down to look at the three, torturing them by telling them that the two bloodied warriors behind him were going to be the new sheriffs in the new city he was about to rule, becoming the new "Circle".

The three begged for their lives as expected. They were not used to fighting and the fact of how casual it seemed for the other three terrified them.

Baron ordered Quan and Samuel to throw all three men down the balcony, to fall thirty storages down into their death. He laughed as he watched them fall, breathing in the warm wind on the balcony and feeling like a god himself, claiming his kingdom.

He had made it. He had taken the city by blood. And now... it was time for him to build an empire of his own.

To say that things turned for the better would be an odd way to put it. It was more or less of the same. The baron kept laws as they were, but unlike the circle, he was not afraid to walk amongst the people. He didn't shun the poor. He had monuments build in his glory. Statues of himself in the town center. He even named the place "Baron Avenue". Needless to say, no one argued anything he did or ordered.

The people were only grateful that the war had stopped. Violence didn't of course, but the death rate had fallen down drastically. So, as the Baron started to enjoy the high life and snorting cocaine in his skyscraper office, he sent Quan and Samuel to keep up the order in the city. They set things straight and reorganized law enforcement. Baron George even designed the first official bank in the city, called "Bank of the golden Ram", and explained its purpose for the city. Reading a lot of books gave him knowledge and ideas for restoring many functioning properties of the old world.

Samuel and Quan befriended each other soon and worked together. Samuel found his service under Baron being more than profiting. Ten thousand earned him stimpaks, bulletproof vest, whores' company for several nights, and a nice hotel room of his own. Anyone would have left it there, but not a man with his ambition. When he got used to this lifestyle of luxury, it got him addicted. He swore loyalty for Baron George without hesitation, since Baron clearly wanted him to indeed be part of the new "Circle". Together the three were not officially the new city council.

As the year went on, Samuel had fallen in love with the city and felt his connection to it. The people. The image of it. He knew this was his home, so he was here to stay. For a whole year, the three made sure that the city was becoming bigger, killing anyone who opposed them. Needless to say, assassination attempts on their lives were very low now. Occasional duelists looking to make a name for themselves tried to time from time to challenge either of the two to a quickdraw, always meeting their end by the two deadly and talented men.

But Samuel didn't have an as friendly relationship with baron was Quan did. The two had a lot of arguments and different views on many things concerning the city. Quan could feel the tension between the two, as Samuel had that same ambition shine in his eyes as Baron once had.

Quan knew it meant trouble.

Two years passed. It was the year 2249.

Samuel had grown to be loved and respected by the people of the city, even more than so than the Baron. The tension was rising. These people only feared and respected Baron and his bunny guard... But Samuel was different. He genuinely cared for the civilian's well-being and the crime that was going on. He didn't enjoy the constant violence over small things, and the sorry state of many living areas. Or the starvation and seeing so many orphans around the place without guidance. It was a rare sight to see a gunslinger, knowing from nothing but killing, to become such emphatic towards men and women around him. He wanted to do right by them and make the city a truly better place to live. Safer. As if he was their father. Just, harsh, but caring.

Baron started to see Samuel more and more as a threat. He was going against his ideologies. And worst of all, he wanted to end the slave trade in the city completely, which was around thirty percent of the baron's cap income. Quan truly started to feel conflicted, as he had love and respect for both men... But knew that sooner or later, heated arguments would escalate.

Quan received a letter once again from his loved wife, smiling as he opened it. He missed his son and wife more than anything, wondering how their life had been at Febris base, the safest place in the whole Texas wasteland.

But his smile faded soon after reading the letter.

...

(Assassin's Creed Revelations (The Complete Recordings) OST - (Track 17)

...

The febris army had a new general after years of counseling in order to find the new leader to replace Ethan Winchester, who was presumed dead a few years ago, his search ending.

The new General was a black wolf called Hans Mayfield. A fierce and dedicated German-American man.

It was the only common knowledge at this point that febris controlled the whole of western Texas, as well as North. Only Southern and Eastern areas were left to conquer. By Melly's words, Houston ruins were going to be next. They wouldn't need to even go through the deadly mutant and raider infested areas, since there were two somewhat safe and easily recognizable roads straight into the heart of the Houston ruins, and right to Baxton gates. The back gate was through the Westpark tollaway, made safe and guarded to ensure safe trade in and out of the city. And the front door would be on the East Houston, over the bridge located at Lynchburg. From those both points, it would be only a few hours to get to the city with their war machinery and armies, and nothing would be able to stop them. They finally had enough focus to take the main capital of the whole Texas and were going to be knocking on either of the Baxton city's gates within a few months. Which meant only one thing.

They were going to negotiate terms, and ultimately take control of Baxton and man it with their troops fully, along with building a base for them into the city.

Knowing Baron George... It meant only one thing.

War.

He would never accept any terms of occupation like the earlier circle was ready to. He was on top of the world, chem addicted, cap swimming dictator of the whole population. There was no way he would give up that power. And he would be mad enough to answer fire and fight Febris.

But he didn't realize that even if Febris had lost its original course and spirit due to Ethan's disappearance, they were not weak. Their numbers were still reportedly around four thousand, battle-hardened by their years in the wasteland, and still owned tanks, vertibirds, and vast weaponry. They had the upper hand; anyone would see that. Only a handful of Baxton citizens would be ready to oppose the new order. Mercenaries, brother keepers, gamblers, and most of all, raiders. But it was not enough. And if Febris would come knocking and get bullets in return, they would take no risks. They would swoop in and kill every man and woman to be sure there were no hostilities left. It would be the biggest massacre that Texas or even the whole Us wasteland had seen. Febris was more desperate and less friendly and peace drove as they once were. They don't take shit from anyone, and they would cling to their last pieces of hope for restoring order and building a civilization from the ground. Baxton city was an undeniable complication for that goal. This was a free city where EVERYONE was welcome, no matter their background, crimes, or goals. This was the wild west. Dirty, harsh, and wild.

And Febris wouldn't have the patience to tame it. Why try, when you can kill the old and restore the new?

Quan's paws were sweating as he was thinking this all through, having not read nearly all of the letter yet. It was quite long.

But he knew that he had to tell Samuel... But feared the reaction, when he would have to tell George himself. Quan knew that his loyalty was to the Baron... But he would not go into battle when there was no chance of a win. It was suicide.

The bunny kept reading, drinking down whiskey nervously as he hoped for any good news at all.

The next news was something he would have never expected.

As good-hearted as Melly was, she had saved one more orphan from the chaos of the wasteland and taken him under her protection.

She had adopted a newborn child. A healthy young wolf boy. Apparently, the baby had no owner, and he would have died without her help. So now, they would have an addition to their family. And she said she was going raise it like her own without question.

Quan didn't truly know what to think of that. It was something he had not expected to read, but he understood. He was more than wealthy to take care of an extra muzzle. So, he just skipped through to read anything else she had to say.

The last part was something that made his glass drop from his paw and onto the floor.

General Hans had been more than resourceful in his studies on the city and its people. More importantly, the most known and influential people. He knew Baron ran the place, he knew about Samuel, since he had committed a few crimes against Febris in the past, and worst of it all...

They knew about Quan. They knew about him being married to Melly, and that Abraham was their son.

They were being held as hostages inside the Febris base, and they were going to be taken as hostages to ease the surrender negotiations as collateral. Would Quan aside with his loyal Baron, his family would be executed in front of him at the gates.

This was one of the first times Quan broke down after so many years. He had already betrayed his tribe, his best friend Tesshin, and now... He would have to betray Baron. The man he had to learn to treat like his bigger brother.

It was a horrible situation. And now, he couldn't tell anyone. If he would tell Baron that he would side with his own family... Those 8 years of friendship would be swooped under the table and he would most likely get a bullet on the spot by George's orders.

Only one he could trust with this... Was Samuel.

He would do anything not to let his family suffer.

A day later, he went to talk with Samuel himself, showing the letter. The two sat in the saloon with pints in their hands, talking, and processing what to do.

Samuel said that he was not going to surrender himself to the Febris since they would most likely publicly execute him for his crimes as show off for others. But he also knew that by shooting General Hans's head off at the gates would cause thousands of innocents to die. And that was the last thing he would do to people who respected and loved him.

Quan didn't want to say what they both were silently thinking. He didn't want to squeeze it out. And neither did Samuel. But it didn't hide the truth from their face.

They would have to betray George.

They would have to give the ram on his knees to the Febris, and accept the terms of surrender, and hope that giving the Baron would be enough sign of cooperation for them to forgive their crimes. Quan and Samuel were known killers after all, and Febris would be skeptical about leaving either of them in charge of the city.

Samuel then said his piece.

He said that there was somewhat a chance for him to use his speech skills and persuade General Hans to leave him in charge of the city in order to keep things at ease. If Samuel would open the gates to however many Febris soldiers to come inside and check the place themselves and set their roots here, it would be easier to convince the people of it being a good thing for them, if it came from Samuel's mouth. People would not be violent or too aggressive towards the febris troops. And that way, he would be able to save the city and maybe avoid punishment from febris due to making everything roll smoothly without bloodshed. It was the best option. But would giving up Baron to them be enough?

That either of them didn't know. They didn't know what kind of a man this General Hans was. But if he had been chosen to lead and fill the position of the legendary Ethan Winchester, he had to be a headstrong man. But was he good and just by heart?

It wasn't long before Baron found out the news of Febris's arrival as well, with few details missing from here and there. But he knew that they were coming.

As both Samuel and Quan had feared, the ram went batshit insane. It was time to make the preparations, expecting the invasion in three months. He used half of his caps which rounded up to almost hundreds of thousands of caps, hiring every willing man to fight against Febris at the gates. And he did manage to get it done. By three days, he had rounded up near seven hundred men and women, armed to whatever they could get and ready to put up resistance. Civilians, traders, and saloon keepers were hiding in their houses, fearing for death. They knew that this would only worsen the situation. Even if they would manage to kill the general, his tanks, and his five hundred troops on the stop, which was very unlikely... The reinforcement wave from Guadalupe mountain base would shred the whole city into the ground till there was not even a radroach left.

Everyone held their breath... And prayed for their lives.

Because Febris was about to claim the capital.

...

TO BE CONTINUED

...