EDITED BY: DrummerMax64

Chapter Eighteen - Gut-Punch

Edward navigated through a familiar rainforest-themed hallway. It was silent apart from the digital sounds of the various monitors and the hushed talkings of the mammals around him. He felt awfully comfortable with it, which spawned darker, conflicting emotions. After spending a total of a month navigating the floor, he felt that he knew it well enough to know where he was going.

The canid passed the many vacant-looking rooms before spotting the floor's receptionist—a doe named Diana—doing paperwork and taking calls at her desk.

Edward waved to the caramel-colored rabbit. She looked up and stared at him for a moment, then promptly glanced back down, shuffling through leaflets of paper and navigating through whatever was on the computer screen. Edward almost took it negatively, but shook it off. She looked busy.

What remained strangely unfamiliar to him, however, was the variety of other mammals that populated the room. What made it stranger was that they seemed almost completely oblivious to his presence, resulting in a few near misses. He imagined they were lost in thought, but some seemed a bit more intentional than others. Was this because of the Nighthowlers?

Edward did what he normally would do around others and made sure to keep his distance from other mammals. He didn't want to get in the way of the other patients, visitors, or the doctors and their equipment, and he wasn't too keen on making conversation either.

Edward peered at the room numbers along the wall, passing rooms by left and right until he reached the room labeled 438. Under the room number was the clipboard sitting in its holder on the wall. He didn't acknowledge it. He already knew who would be inside the room.

The lupine went up to the open doorway, knocked lightly on the door to announce his presence, then stepped through into the room. He rounded the corner. Then, he saw her.

The smiling, snow-white she-wolf already had her gleeful eyes trained on Edward behind her pair of purple, rectangular glasses. A book lay closed in her lap atop the blanket over her waist. The bed was angled in a way so she could sit up comfortably. Her hospital gown was neat and tidy, and her fur was neat and trimmed. She looked better in a way, almost as if she were ready to work back on the farm, like when he was younger. Was this his eyes playing tricks on him?

"Hello, sweetheart," she finally spoke.

"Hi, Mom," came his weak, teary reply. He was trying his best to give a full smile, in spite of the break in his voice.

"It's good to see you again. Please," she gestured to the chair, "sit."

The younger wolf did what he was told and sat down next to the side of the bed. Once seated, he stayed silent, not taking his eyes off of her.

"So what brings you here, Ed? It's a nice Friday evening, you should be spending it with your wife. Where is she?"

The male wolf's ears stood at attention, then looked around. Charolete was right, his mate wasn't with him. Edward was puzzled. Sharla would normally come with him to visit the hospital, as it was important to both of them that they visit Charolete as much as they could.

He sighed. "I'm… not sure."

"Well, I'm sure we can work that out together," she grinned, taking her glasses off and setting them on top of her closed book. "Hasn't been the first time we've forgotten something, hasn't it?"

"No," Edward chuckled.

A couple chuckles filled in the she-wolf's throat, then she went straight to something else. "Have you heard what's happening in the city?"

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy."

"Predators going savage," she shuddered. "I can't imagine the thought. Becoming something so… primal." She paused. "How's Sharla holding up?"

Edward's eyes lost their focus on his mother as his heart grew ever so heavy. His smile wavered as he muttered, "She's been a little weird lately because of it. But, it's nothing that we can't work through."

"Is it because she's afraid of you?"

The look of surprise on Edward's muzzle was irrepressible. What did she just say?

"...What?" Edward let out. "Afraid of me? She said she could never be afraid of me…"

"Oh, she's afraid of you, hon. Trust me. It's pretty obvious."

"T-that's a pretty big conclusion, Mom. Maybe you're misunderstood. She's only afraid of what I could become, not me—"

"That's what she wants you to think. Something to calm the little pup down before she gives him the devastating news."

For what seemed like the first time in Edward's life, he felt ashamed of how daft he was. Charolete couldn't be right. Right?

"Oh, she's scared of all of you," she scoffed. "Look at the way she looks at you now. The thought of you turning scared the daylights out of her. She knows it's only inevitable that either you turn or somemammal goes on the attack. And that's not even the worst part. She fears that she spent all that time with a mammal who's just going to end up either dead, behind a cell, or savage. Imagine how spiteful she feels. She'll never love you the same. She'll never look at you the same. She wants someone strong, a real alpha."

"Stop!"

Now standing, he heard his shout resonate throughout the room. His fists were clenched, eyes as wide as saucers. His mother was silent.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Did the doctors give you anything today? You'd never say anything like that."

Before she had the chance to answer, he continued with increased fervor.

"Sharla loves me. She loves all of me. I know that she doesn't hate me for something I can't control, and surely enough moxy to break things off if that were the case. I know we can get through this. She's strong. I'm strong. Nothing can change that. And if we can… or, rather, once we make it through this tough time, I know that we'll be even stronger. "

Edward turned away from Charolete, whose expression remained unchanged during the rant, and put his paw on the end of the bed. Tears built in the male's eyes. In that moment, the only mammal who fought for him and loved him became everything he despised and fought against for years. Edward wasn't about to indulge the she-wolf further. Walking away felt like his only option now.

He took in a sharp breath and sharpened his resolve, taking the first step towards the door.

Only, he didn't make it past that step.

In that moment, he felt something hard pounce at his back, knocking him down to the floor. The shock of the jolt left Edward reeling for air, as the wind had nearly been knocked out of him from the sudden attack. But, all he could do was wheeze and fear for his life as he tried crawling for the door. Then, he realized what had happened.

His mother just attacked him.

Edward didn't get far before he was pulled by the foot of his jeans by what felt like teeth. He could feel the warm breath of the she-wolf through the seams of his pants leg amongst the growls growing in her chest.

The male lupine was flipped over with a hearty tug, and was met with the light blue eyes of his mother. In the place where her pupils would be were those menacing black slits, frighteningly similar to a savage mammal.

She slowly stepped forward on all fours, Edward's heart pounding faster and louder than ever before. With each step, her eyes kept on changing. The blue in her gaze was vanishing, a dark, pure shade of purple taking its place until she was right on top of him, close enough so he could see the yellow accents in her irises. The world around them felt smaller and smaller. Each step made him realize how close to the end he was. He couldn't scream. He couldn't breath. He couldn't do anything to save himself.

So, Edward did the only thing he could do and kept his body as close to the ground as possible.

She growled.

"WHERE'S YOUR STRENGTH NOW, RUNT?!"

Charolete's mouth opened, revealing her fangs, then… she lunged for his throat…

Unable to look away, he braced for impact…

"...!"

Edward felt his entire body jolt. He froze, labored breathing all he could muster. His cobalt eyes darted around the room in a slight panic, searching desperately for his savage mother. But, clearly, there was no trace of her. The hospital was no more. Questions of what happened began to flourish, and at the same time, reality slowly started to set in.

The lupine was in his apartment. Instead of being on the floor, he was sitting on the couch. Across the small room, the television illuminated the space, quietly playing some vintage horror movie that he couldn't identify. Out the window was the darkened sky and cityscape of Zootopia. The clock on the dresser read that it was just past eleven o'clock at night. There was something else as well.

With a slight shuffle and light groan, Edward saw Sharla get comfortable after his jolt, still trying her best to remain curled up beside him the same way she had before his unintentional slumber. Her snout was nuzzled right up against his hip, her arm under his shirt and wrapped around him. She couldn't get any closer to him if she tried. Edward smiled. She looked so adorable.

The wolf gently moved his arm from the top of the back cushion and rested it around his mate. She smiled and nestled closer.

It was just a nightmare, he finally confirmed with a sigh. Sharla would never leave him, and he'd be damned to leave her. They needed each other. It's what made them both strong—

Cutting through the near silence in the room, Edward's cell phone started to lightly vibrate in his left pocket. It took him a moment to maneuver his body in a way that didn't wake Sharla, but he managed to nab the device and stand up with little effort.

When he glanced at the contact, he grimaced. Edward regretted ever getting up in the first place.

Charles Clawson - Cell.

The lupine stifled a groan and threw his head back to face the tall ceiling. Not expecting a call from Charles tonight was wishful thinking. No matter how much he didn't want to talk with him, their investigation wouldn't—or rather couldn't—wait. They probably needed him to run through data and write more information in their report. If Edward had the choice, he would just take the day off and recharge to prepare himself to face his friend again.

Would it be fair to Anders? He spent so long working alongside them, compiling everything they knew and learned since the beginning of their investigation. How would he react if Edward bailed right at the start?

Edward felt the phone stop vibrating in his paw and brought his head back forward, just in time for a new notification.

Voicemail (1) - Charles Clawson - Cell.

A quiet sigh left his snout. Edward stared at the notification, then shrugged. He tapped the screen and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey Ed, just wanted to call to see if you were alright. If you know where Anders is, shoot me a call. He's about an hour late for our meeting. I'm starting to get worried. Oh, and I wanted to say how sorry I am for…"

Edward allowed the rest of the voicemail to play out. The phone in his paw was at his side. He wasn't listening anyway. He was too caught up in thought, still hung up on the fact that Anders was late for something.

In all the time he knew the editor, Anders made it prudent that both he and others be as timely as possible. He was never late for anything.

His colleague described it as this: "If I'm going to take time out of my day, time in my life that I'll never get back, I expect someone to have the same respect as I do."

If Anders planed out his lunches a week in advance, he'd plan out his entire life if he could. How on Earth did he continue working with their research, let alone sleep? Edward didn't have a clue. There wasn't any way he could do it. The most he was able to accomplish was his doctor and dentist appointments. Life was way too random to plan every aspect.

Edward brought the phone back to waist height and began tapping away.

Might as well try the obvious first, he thought. Was it strange that he was beginning to panic? He brought the phone up to his ear and listened patiently to the dial tone. He waited. And waited. After thirty seconds, on the eighth ring, the call went to his voicemail.

Now he was certain about his unease. First Anders's tardiness, now lack of communication? Charles was right. Something was wrong.

Edward left a simple message, asking the swine to give him a call as soon as he could. He also sent a text verbatim of that message as soon as he finished. For a minute he stood in the room in silence, mind wandering outside at the cityscape while maintaining awareness of the dark screen on his phone.

Bzz-Bzz-Bzzzz…

Another message received. Although he had hope, it wasn't Anders. It was Charles. What followed made his stomach churn.

"Get over here, quick. Make sure you aren't followed. If you are, call the cops."

Followed? Cops? Edward thought. What the hell is going on?

o o o

Anders tugged on his black polo and locked the door behind him. Wallet, keys, phone, and his notes on their case. With his normal checklist accounted for, he flew down the stairs and out of his apartment complex into the street outside. He yawned, then checked the time on his phone.

"Nine-fifteen," he whispered to no one in particular. He mulled it over.

Even on a slow day, he should be able to make it to Charles's apartment by ten o'clock. This meant stopping for something to eat was possible. Starving himself since noon wasn't what he had in mind, but with their investigation taking up their time, there wasn't time to rest.

First, he texted Charles that he was on his way and that he was getting some grub. Then, he looked both ways, crossed the street to cut down on time, and briskly walked down Maw Avenue with phone in hoof.

Working for the majority of the day, from five in the morning up until now, was mentally taxing. And after all that he'd done in the past twenty-four hours, he wasn't finished. When both he and Charles were set to convene—Edward was a no show, with no explanation given by either him or Charles—they would show what information they had gained from the phone calls and the meetings and put them into a web document, ready to be written out by Edward at a later date.

As per their agreement, everything they had was on their group cloud storage rather than having it on anything physical apart from that notebook Charles always carried around. It was safer that way, and Anders loved technology, so he didn't have any complaints.

Anders, now ready to head out, began his trek to the diner a block away, where his online order would be patiently waiting for him.

The chime of Anders's phone reached the swine's ears, and he instinctively pulled it back out. It was a reply from Charles.

"Sounds good. Whatcha getting?"

He smiled, then typed away.

"That Thai place on Elm, Thaitopia. Want anything?"

The swine sheathed the device back in his pocket. He started to wonder how much progress they'd made since yesterday as he turned the corner onto Elm. They had to have at least made a dent in their investigation. Even if it was minute, it would still be leagues and bounds better than what the police had now.

The rumble of his stomach pulled him away from the topic, and made him once again eager for food.

Once he picked up his potato curry, he'd have to go a little further down Elm, around a corner, down an alley, inside a complex, up some stairs, down a hallway, and he would finally be at Charles's place.

The phone buzzed again.

"No, I'm good. I ate some Italian. Got some leftovers to pick at for later."

"Haha, suit yourself. Gonna be super jealous when I walk in."

His stomach growled at the thought of his piping hot dish. It had been a while since his last trip. He knew that it would be just as good as the last. Those tigers knew how to cook.

I wonder if the Srijan's will give me some extra potato this time—

Anders didn't even get the thought out. Something had bit him hard on the neck.

"Ow! Stupid bugs."

The swine went behind his neck with a hoof to investigate. He didn't hear anything, or feel anything land on him initially, which was off-putting. When he brushed the bite, he found something solid. It dug into his flesh. When he brought the object in front of him, he couldn't begin to comprehend it.

What he had in the palm of his hoof was a tranquilizer dart.

"Shi—"

Out of an alleyway to his left, a figure appeared from his left for a split second. Before he could process the fear that made his adrenaline skyrocket, the mammal, clad in a thick hoodie, swung their balled, gloved fist into Anders's stomach.

The sudden jab lifted him right off of his feet, and caused him to stumble forward onto the ground. His phone clattered away from him. A coughing fit plagued his throat as he tried to shake himself out of his dazed state. The world spun. The second thought that came to him was that one time in Pandusky when he went to an amusement park to ride the one-hundred twenty-five mile an hour roller coaster named the Dragster. If there was anything in his stomach, he'd surely have thrown up by now.

It paled in comparison to the first thought, which was the fear that this was his last hour on this Earth.

"Oh god. Oh god. Oh my god," he desperately repeated. He wanted to cry.

Was this where he was going to die? Was this it? Was this from his research into the Nighthowlers? He was almost certain it was. Had he spent his time wisely?

Don't panic. Don't panic, he scolded himself. It still didn't quell his fear. Focus. Get information. Who is this guy? What does he want? How can I get out this?

Anders shook uncontrollably. He knew that there wasn't much time. The dart was going to heavily affect him soon, so he needed to get away.

The pig attempted turning his head to get a better look at whoever his attacker was while also trying to crawl onto his feet, but the attempt was futile. Another punch made contact with the left side of his head. The pain was minimized thanks to the tranquilizer in his system. Anders could taste blood.

I'm going to die.

Fortunately, he wasn't knocked out yet, which he found comical, and he knew trying to escape had become an impossibility. He kept thinking about how these might be his last moments. Had he done everything a mammal should? Not really. He was gearing up for getting married and having kids, which he could've seen happening if this whole Nighthowler situation didn't get so big.

The pain from the second punch began to throb. Momentarily, he thought of escaping again. Crawling away wasn't an option anymore. He was already starting to lag behind mentally. Physically, the attacker would be able to catch him in a heartbeat. If only he were a track star or remotely fit. Sure, he was skinny, but in this instance he was still too slow.

Anders surrendered himself to whoever was attacking him and lay motionless on the sidewalk, allowing the figure to drag him into the alleyway he came out of.

That tranq is strong... are these what the Feds use?

The question echoed in his thoughts behind the dulled pain. What annoyed him the most besides inevitable doom was that with his average deduction skills, he wasn't able to properly ID his perp. Considering how bulky he was, a sheep perhaps? Who knew. It didn't matter.

His thoughts were starting to wander and lessen as he accepted his inevitable fate. Consciousness was becoming harder to grasp.

Anders recalled the many happy memories he had stored in his mind—his parents, building his first computer, getting his degree, landing his job at the Gazette, meeting Kristy for the first time…

He paused, then frowned. Perhaps his only regret. Damn. I never had the guts… to tell her…

Slowly but surely, his heavy eyelids had closed shut. After that, was silence.

o o o

When Edward arrived at the tiger's complex, the hallway leading to the apartment was deathly quiet. Not even a television could be heard, not to mention that it was also dark. It would've been fine for his predatorial ability to naturally see in the dark, except one of the fluorescent lights hanging on the ceiling was obnoxiously flickering a couple rooms down. The moment his eyes would adjust to the dark, he'd get a bright, blinding flash of light, then back to darkness.

The lupine shivered, a sudden chill in the air preventing his advance. Why was it so cold and creepy?

A second passed him by. Then three. On the sixth, he let out a calm breath and kept walking down to Charles's room.

The wolf passed by a couple doors leading to other apartments, eyes transfixed on the light fixture above his head until it was up and past him. Edward took a quick peek over his shoulder. However, the more the light flashed, his quick glance turned into a sluggish gander.

A moment later, after confirming there was no one, he sped down faster than he'd like to admit towards Charles's door. Edward flicked his left ear in the direction of the hall, the other towards Charles's place. Still no one. Why was he so worried? Charles lived in a great neighborhood. Why would anyone dare tarnish that?

Edward only got one knock in before the door threw itself open.

Peering behind it was a blazerless Charles Clawson. The tiger looked him up and down, then said, "Get in."

Edward waltzed inside while Charles stuck his head out into the hallway, checking both sides before closing it shut. The locking mechanisms followed with an audible thunk and the chain with a light shink. Light was scarce, thanks in part to the drawn curtains over the windows and the light above the dining room. If it didn't reek of garlic and Edward wasn't here strictly for business purposes, the inviting atmosphere would've put him straight to sleep.

"Are you sure no one followed you?" the tiger asked, pulling a phone out of his pants pocket.

"I'm sure," Edward confirmed quizzically.

When Charles aimed his attention at his phone instead of him, Edward frowned and came up close to him, gently pulling the phone down with a pained look.

"I still don't know what's going on, you know? It would make me feel better if you would bring me in the loop instead of playing 'twenty questions' like I'm a little pup. It's our friend and colleague we're talking about here. What's going on with Anders, and why were you worried about me being followed?"

Charles and Edward locked glances for a short moment. The lupine couldn't help but notice the hollowness in his face, and the hints of red strain in the whites of his eyes. Even the rise and fall of his chest seemed faster.

"..."

Crimson flushed into Edward's ears and face as he realized how close he was. Personal space, Eddy, he scolded himself. Don't get any stupid ideas. He broke your heart before, and again today. Step back.

The lupine awkwardly turned his head and stepped back a couple steps, bringing his arms close. The canid predator waited eagerly for Charles to speak or do anything to explain the ambiguity. However, despite his plea, Charles refused to open his maw. If Edward knew any better, he assumed he was being ignored. Anger built like a fire in his chest.

Claws tapped furiously on the smartphone's brightly lit screen, and before Edward could muster some sort of criticism to quell the annoyance building in his head, Charles passed the device to him.

Cobalt eyes were quizzically locked onto the phone. It was still on, and from the look of it, appeared to be on a text chat.

Why does he want me to look at his phone?

Before the wolf had the opportunity to speak his mind, an impatient gesture forced him to make a snap decision. The lupine begrudgingly indulged him, of course, grabbing the device with a touch of venom. He was too kind to be assertive, but it didn't mean he couldn't be pissed about it. He still didn't know what was going on.

Edward wasted no time gluing his eyes to the screen, reading what was the text chat between Charles and Anders.

At the top was the end of an address and the beginning of a short conversation on the topic of food. Then came Charles's question of where Anders went, which was the last thing sent to their colleague. However, it wasn't the last message in the chain. A triad of replies followed.

"We have your friend. Call us at the number below when you're alone so we can talk. You've got an hour.

"I don't think I should have to mention not to involve the cops, we'll know. I think you'd hate to see what would happen."

The last message was a tappable phone number. He read the message over, at first unsure of what he was looking at, then again once he put two and two together, mostly desperate that this was some sort of perverse joke. Then, reality hit.

Edward's heart dropped to the floor, and nearly himself with it. His chest pounded loudly in his ears. Vivid, lugubrious images of his coworker perpetrated his mind, the worst case scenarios.

This was a joke. An elaborate prank of some kind. No, that was wishful thinking at best. Charles wouldn't be acting the way he was without reason, and Anders wasn't the one to crack that kind of joke.

If this was real, could it be possible he was only hurt? Or was it something more severe?

The lupine could feel his breath hasten at the thought, his claws digging into both his palm and the device.

"Charles," he muttered in between breaths, "what the fuck is going on?"

"Ed…" The tiger shuffled over towards the lupine and attempted to take the phone from his paw. Edward shot the feline a glare, the hints of a growl rumbling in the air. Charles brought his paw close and took a few steps back.

"We spent today by going through the different flower stores in Zootopia," he explained. "We spoke to nearly every owner in the district. Because of that, I think we got too close."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"No, not 'how did he get taken.' I meant 'how did this happen,' Charlie," he venomously clarified. "There's no reason that we should've been found out so soon. It's the first day! All that should have happened today was research and light exploration, not full blown interviews. Even then, we shouldn't have clued them in on anything in regards to our research. How would they know about what we're doing? How'd they get your name?"

Silence and shame cut through the air like butter. Charles's head was turned away from Edward. It was like he couldn't look the wolf in the eye.

"We didn't falsify our names," the feline spoke in a near whisper.

A violent growl rose in Edward's chest. "You used your real names?! Are you kidding me? The one thing we could've done to keep this on the downlow, and you screw it up. How could you?!"

"Keep it down Eddy—"

"No!" Edward yelled louder. The phone flew from his paw, embedding itself deep in the cushions of the couch. He was about to explode. "I've spent my whole life being quiet, letting everyone, including you, trample all over me!" Charles didn't attempt to reply. "This is bullshit! Because of your negligence, they know who we are and what we're doing. Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

The cat parked himself on the couch. "We're screwed, aren't we?"

"That's the thing," Edward shook his head, "it's not just about us. We're the last mammals they'll give a damn about. Take a wild guess who's next in line after Anders?"

"...Friends. Family."

"Exactly! I just made amends with my father yesterday. Now we put him, my sister, her kids, and my mate in these guys' crosshairs? You're one of the brightest mammals I know! How could you do something like this?"

"I'm sorry," his friend mumbled defeatedly.

"Just…" The lupine released a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't continue. Due in part to both his anxiety and rage, his predatory form became a personal earthquake. Everything felt cold. His arms wrapped around his body. "Let's try and focus on finding out who this is."

"You mean we're going to call them?"

"You think we have a choice? They have leverage, Charles. Anders's life is on the line, if he's still alive that is. We can't exactly rely on the police to help us either. You saw their message. The more time we waste, the longer they have him, so let's just see what they have to say. We aren't in a position to argue anyway."

Edward glanced over towards the kitchen counter, eyeing the single-serve coffee maker on the left side next to the stove. Another shiver ran down his spine.

Something warm. That's what he needed. A nice cup of joe to combat the chill in the air.

"I'm making a cup of coffee. Dig the phone out of the couch and let's give whoever this is a call."

The feline consented to the request without argument and began digging between the couch cushions for Anders's lifeline. Whirs of the coffee maker filled the room. The two predators took a melancholic beat to themselves.

Edward was still angry at Charles. After what happened earlier that day, the lupine's grit was far from performing at its peak. In the back of his mind, Edward wondered if he'd been too harsh on Charles. Blowing up in his friend's face wasn't his intention after such a long week—or rather month—of mental stress, but considering the circumstances of their predicament he felt justified. Then again, Charles warranted some argument.

They had been working all night. The three of them stayed up for eternity coming up with information and evidence to support their case, and were totally exhausted by the end of the night. Anders didn't even sleep. They hadn't even considered falsifying their names—at least, to his knowledge. Edward had his headphones in his ears the entire night they were working. If they had considered the possibility while he was working on the report, that time had long since passed.

It felt pointless to dread over it now. They made the error, and Anders was kidnapped. It was up to Edward and Charles to make this right. They had to make this right before the unthinkable could happen.

On the other side of the room, the cat stood up and looked at the phone in his paw. His eyes lingered on the screen for a moment, then turned thin, shooting their curious gaze at the canid mammal across the way. Edward looked lost in thought.

"Aren't you scared?"

"Hmm?" Edward sounded, focused on his coffee. He was unable to catch the question. "Sorry, I spaced out there."

Charles weakly chuckled. He was quieter than normal. "From pissed to gooftacular in no time flat. I thought you'd hate me after this morning. I didn't expect that you'd come."

"What was the question?" Edward asked, partially ignoring and acknowledging his friend's unwarrantedly warm tone.

"Aren't you afraid of what might happen?"

Another run of chills went down his spine. His coffee was nearly complete.

"I'm…" he slowly began. Mulling it over was slow, but the time to think helped the lupine understand what he was feeling. "...I'm terrified. The thought of another mammal getting hurt because of me… or even dying… I… can't put it into words. It's overwhelming, to say the least."

"It's okay," Charles nodded. The friendliness felt strange to hear still. "You're not alone. But, I'm sure that we can figure out some way to make things right. We just have to work together."

Together…

The word played back in the silver wolf's thoughts. It might as well have been something from a foreign language. Charles and Edward, working together. Would it ever feel the same? Simply standing in the same room with his friend felt awkward, the integrity of their friendship rocky at best, and their work life was all but gone. Another sigh left the canine's lungs. He didn't know.

But, maybe he could have a little faith. It wasn't like either of them had a choice now anyway.

"Yeah," Edward gave a half smile. "Together."

The tiger nodded and went back to the phone in his paw, prodding around until a dial tone sounded loudly through the phone's back speakers. Edward went back to his coffee in an effort to help calm whatever nerves were building up in the back of his mind.

For twenty-four seconds, the phone rang. On the twenty-fifth, the ring cut off and connected to the other end of the line with an audible fumble. Then, a scruffy, rough-sounding voice followed.

"About time. I almost thought you were gonna abandon him."