Friday - 10:00 PM - Somewhere dark
Dark, dimly lit, hardly any clue how to escape this hell, San found himself being hunted in the twists and turns of this labyrinthian gauntlet of rusted cars and makeshift barriers crafted from mesh and wood. Hell, that was apt. This place was essentially some junkyard dump someone had designed into a closely packed complex, but it might as well have been hell for him. Alone, in the middle of the night, stranded on the wrong side of the Back Alley Market with some crazed carnivore scouring the shadows seeking to devour him. A regular herbivore nightmare.
Thankfully it wasn't a complete black out, there was some light, though it was still hard for a creature like himself to see more than a few meters in front of him. Each overhead lamp shined down practical godsends of warm visibility, but still they were only brief fleeting beacons of hope. They weren't a hard solution to this predicament. He still would have to rely on his instincts and other senses to aid him.
The heart pounding in his chest was so distractingly loud, he almost wondered if they could hear it. The only things San could really rely on were his nose and ears and right now? He could barely concentrate, let alone listen! He could smell his stalker at least, their sweat, their body odor; the wind was blowing in his favor, their scent traveling his way and the stronger it got meant the closer they were. He needed to pick up his pace or he'd never get out of here in time. There was a light thud behind him, he was sure of it. It could be them, it could be some debris falling off one of these decrepit junkers, it could be- his thought was interrupted by what he recognized as scratching. San swiveled his head, investigating the source. He heard a loud crack.
"Ooooooatmeeeeal…I smeeeeell youuuu!" A rough and raspy voice called out, echoing in the inky black darkness. They were taunting him, trying to get him to panic, make a mistake, he just knew it.
San swore silently to himself; he knew he had practically seasoned himself up with the cheap sweet smelling canine fur conditioner. To them he must have been lit up like a damn beacon for their olfactory senses. All because he wanted to impress her, just some fool attempting to appeal to her canid nature. Shit, she wasn't even a dog, you moron! Even that was some dumb misstep, he thought.
*pat* *pat* *pat* *pat*
His ears perked up; alerted. He heard continuous clatter in the distance, discerning it from his beating heart, the noises grew louder. They still were getting closer despite the ground he had covered he just knew it. There was rhythm to the pattern, footsteps hitting a hard surface, it was them, it had to be. Sounded like something above him, on top of the wooden and mesh barriers. That's how they were keeping up, they were circumventing the maze and taking shortcuts.
Really? He thought. Come on...how fair is that?
It was enough to make the llama grind his flat teeth together, but he kept quiet, trying not to give his position away. This still sucked. Not only were they able to stalk his every movement, but they were essentially cheating. The natural advantage of claws no doubt allowed them to scale the walls and bypass a helluva lot faster than he could. If he tried it, he'd be done before he got to the top. He looked over his shoulder into the inadequate light, scanning for just a brief glimpse of some clue. Nothing, nothing he could see at least. Not good.
He jerked his head back around and booked until he rounded a corner, hiding in a dark crevice of some crates and a piece-of-junk derelict, something out of the way, out of sight. This was only to catch his breath, maybe give them the slip. He'd think of something if he could just catch his breath, he thought.
He tried to still his heart and rapid breathing so he could home in where the sounds were coming from. It was quiet now, he couldn't hear anything, not footsteps, no clatter, nothing. Pure silence if not for his own panting. They most likely stopped just like him. He held his pistol in hand, maybe he'd have a shot if they played their hand first. Or maybe as soon as he popped out they'd be on him.
They might be staring down on me right now, he thought. Hell, they could be making moves to strike.
He heaved a ragged set of exhales as he held his gun, his only real protection at the ready. His anxiety was running rampant, unrestrained. His forehead was becoming drenched from perspiration, each cold bead of sweat that slid to the floor left an inadvertent clue for his pursuer to track.
You can't die now you dummy, you can't, he thought. This is just what Kyuu said would happen. How are you going to live this down, huh?
He joked, trying to downplay his fear.
Live this down? Ahaha. Live this down, what a joke? He chided himself. As much as he wanted it to, the self-depreciation wasn't helping. Fear, no matter how much he bottled it, it was seeping through the cracks, betraying him.
They probably could sense that too, he thought ...who knows.
The cowardly nature of his true instincts; what any herbivore would feel in this situation. All of that fear was surfacing, escaping the hole he had thrown it down, reaching up to claw at him. He knew no matter how much he suppressed it, either by humor or confidence, the truth was there, the warnings were there. The reality was on full display. He was an herbivore being stalked by a carnivore. He was prey, and prey is destined to be caught.
He heard a creaking noise, the sound of metal being warped from weight pressing into it, maybe one of the cars he thought.
Where did it come from though? Which direction? Rational thought was failing him.
He bolted from his position in a hot sprint, trying to get as far away from the noise as his long legs could carry him. His ears twitched frantically like radar. Another wrenching noise, louder than the first. They were homing in! Then a loud metallic thud. He tried to lock down the direction.
Left flank! His mind screamed. Behind you!
He turned to evade, but it was too late. Far too late. He already felt the wind blow against his wool as his attacker brushed past him and pivoted for the kill. He felt clawed hands grip into his shoulders and he was tossed to the ground in seconds. He never stood a chance.
"Gotcha!" The attacker growled as they threw themselves on top the helpless camelid , pinning him as he tried to scramble to his feet.
"Shit!" San cursed aloud as they tussled on the ground before being pressed to the floor spread eagle. They had totally gotten the drop on him. No time to properly react and defend himself like he had with the todd (male fox). His training wouldn't save him now.
He knew he needed to break free as he tried to wrestle his arms loose from their clutches. If he could just angle his arm or wrist and fire his gun before it was too late. No deal. His arm wouldn't budge. It was just like the dingo from a few months back, only no one was coming to save him this time. He was doomed.
"That's right, squirm you little weakling!" Their unnaturally hoarse voice snarled taunted with violent and sadistic glee.
"Not so brave now?! I bet the fear makes you taste amazing. Delicious I'd even wager." The predator jeered as their thick tongue swung out of their mouth to lick their lips. San was defiant to the end as he struggled but ultimately his efforts were futile; he had nothing left to do but resign himself to the pair of fangs hovering over him as the predator took their place of dominance over the freshly caught prey. San closed his eyes and tried to think of something more pleasant as the gaping maw of sharp death descended.
8:15 PM - Priscilla's car
watch?v=BfSWrbe_uTA
(Godfather Don - Status (Looped Instrumental) (not exact music but similar)
The llama yawned loudly as he leaned up against the car door, lazily looking out the window. San felt a bit complacent in the lap of luxury. The foreign urban music on the radio had a nice beat to it. The seats were very comfortable, much more comfy than any of the beds they had ever slept on. And for once he wasn't worried about his next meal, Priscilla having treated him to some watermelon after leaving the festival.
One thing however captured a bit of awe and wonder in him, the street lights; neon signs, the glitz and glamour of the buildings passing by. It was beautiful. Simple, yes, but each building on display was interesting as they whizzed by especially the ones with artwork for advertisement or the ones where the lights seemed to move as if they were alive. Green lights, yellow, red, orange, blue, it was like a technicolor wonderland for the underprivileged youth.
To be truthful, he had seen these bright lights before, though it was always at a distance. Always out of reach. Typically he and Kyuu might catch glimpses of the beautiful town of Denko just poking through the winding dark and narrow alleyways, brightly shining like opulent gold treasure contrasting the dull and decaying brick and stucco of the rundown and rotting market.
Some nights they could get a full view of the skyline when hopping rooftops, necessary detours when the streets got more dangerous or even better views when they risked the old rickety elevator for trips to the top of their tower. It was always a beautiful, but ultimately unreachable, jewel for them. Something so close to almost reach out for it, yet so far away that they couldn't grasp it.
Still, as much as he was enjoying his time today, he still had concerns. Like for one, why wasn't she talking? They had such a great rapport earlier. He glanced over at Priscilla, the summer furred arctic fox was silently driving with her eyes focused on the road. Ever since they left the eatery, they hadn't really talked. Sure she might ask if the air conditioning was fine for him or if the music was too loud, but she hadn't held a conversation with him since they got back in the car. She only really interacted with that small flat device on her armrest, San assumed it was a cellphone, one of those devices important animals had.
Before she was at least trying to tease him with their 'little game,' but now she just seemed to be focused on other things. Had they hit a snag? Was he in trouble? Did he say something wrong or was she really upset that he had hurt that fox and secretly hated him for it?
What else did she have in store, he wondered or more importantly what was her 'great idea?'
Something, she said, that would be better than whatever that male fox had been going on about. Part of him wondered if it was dangerous, perhaps some kinda trap. Maybe all this was some kind of ploy? He wanted to shove such thoughts aside as paranoia, but it's not like he had forgotten just who or what she was after all, a fox of the Inarigumi Gang, one of the dangerous organizations that operated in the Back Alley Market. He trusted her, but trust could be misplaced.
San gave the vixen a quick side-eyed glance, trying not to be obvious. Just a quick scan, it was enough, it gave him a decent amount of information to process. Her facial features were a start. Fur wasn't bristled, so she wasn't mad or annoyed about anything it seemed. Cheeks were relaxed and her lips curled into what he could register as a smile at least for a fox, so she didn't seem bored. A smile, he thought. A smile from a carnivore could mean a lot of things, excitement, eagerness, confidence … hunger. Hunger?!
That thought almost made his heart skip a beat. Nonsense, he thought. She wouldn't do...that or else she would have done it already. Right? Why would we be still driving around?
Doubt started to swell like a lump in his throat. He swallowed his spit, making an audible gulp that instantly drew the attention of her round orange-tinted eyes for the briefest of moments before darting back towards the road.
He almost jumped in his seat startled, surprised that she might have actually heard him. She said nothing, as her focus remained on driving. The silence unsettled him more. Her senses were that attuned? He wondered. She was a carnivore after all, her hearing had to be real good.
All this worry was bothering him, it was prey talk, he was acting like prey . Don't make her think of you that way. You're more than that. You're going to be fine. He kept telling himself.
The little device buzzed again atop the armrest, drawing his attention. He curiously tried to sneak a look at it from his seat, but the brightness and glare made it too difficult to make out anything decipherable like letters or kanji, besides his literacy wasn't exactly spectacular and it would take patience to comprehend what it might say anyway.
He was tempted to crane over and look while she was focused on driving, but that definitely would be considered rude if she caught him and it might not be his business. Then again...it could be a hint. He decided to go for it, stealthily tilting over the armrest, inch by inch trying not to seem obvious, looking straight ahead while glancing down with his eyes.
P: Call me l8r
R: Use protection Snow-chan ;)
P: 😾 Fk u!
R: 😽
New Messages
R: Party jst started. Will bring sum cake bk!
Party? Cake? He thought recognizing some of the words.
"Don't ask," a posh accented voice spoke, her voice.
The suddenness startled him, San looked up a bit white-faced to see the brown and white furred fox staring at him. Her face thankfully not one of anger, but rather amusement. She had just caught him sneaking around and it amused her? San was frozen as he attempted to calculate his next move. The car had just stopped, currently resting at a red light, and now she was just looking at him, she rested her chin on her fist as leaned on the armrest, fascinated by the practically panicking herbivore.
"Well aren't you just a curious little kitten?" She said with a short giggle. "Cute, but if you think it wise to sneak around with a fox, that's a fool's errand San-kun . " The vixen joked with more giggles. "I knew something was up when I saw movement in the corner of my eye. I just was letting you carry on so I could get you with a little scare, you cute nosey llama."
The llama nervously smiled as he jerked back onto his side of the car, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. He wanted to make up a cover, but no way she was going to buy it. She'd caught him red-handed.
"Um.."
She lifted the phone up out of his view and took a quick glance at the new message and promptly sent a reply. A satisfied smirk appeared on her lips, before she buried it in her purse and looked back to the light, waiting for it to turn green.
Meanwhile San tried to cook up some kind of way to say sorry, but stopped himself, quickly remembering her stance on apologies. He took a deep breath and just tried to tell the truth, but she cut him off.
"Save it." She said.
"Well I, um…" He twisted his long mouth ashamed.
"I'm not mad or anything, just relax!" She said, nudging him in the shoulder. "Just stop trying to pry and you will be fine, okay? 'It's a surprise'."
San sank back in his chair a bit dejected, but she doubled back seconds later to check on him. He still looked ashamed that he had been caught. The fox wasn't going to put up with his moping, she shook him a bit playfully.
"Relax! You didn't do anything unforgivable. Just sit back and listen to the music or something. We'll be there after a while."
The light above flashed green.
He slid back into his seat as the car lurched forward and combed his hand through his bangs, taking a deep breath. Nice try you dummy. He told himself, defeated.
As much as he was beating himself up, he noticed and was impressed by the ease she had picked up on him earlier. Her senses must have been just as keen as his own if not more given she picked up on his attempts just from a glance. Or..maybe she figured him from the start? In anycase, San knew he'd get nowhere investigating, not this close.
Just take her advice, listen to the music at least you can do that, he thought. He noticed the style had changed up. It was a more modern sound.
watch?v=kEFZ-3FzH04
4l instrumental - 21 Savage (not exact music but similar)
It sounded familiar, he recognized the voice, it was the rapper from earlier. It took a while, but San started to vibe with the song pretty well. He didn't particularly care for the vulgar lyrics, but the rhythm and beat was very catchy and repetitive. He particularly liked the whistling and clicking on the beat, something he tried to emulate once he got the pitch down.
Priscilla's ears perked up a bit as she listened in on his whistling.
"Like that one huh?" She asked, swiveling her head towards him briefly, a warm smirk stretched on her muzzle.
He glanced over to her still trying to whistle, "What? Uh... yeah...sorta. I like the melody I mean, it all...goes together."
"Hmph, I'll have to show you my collection another time then, it's a wide selection of different artists from all over the world. I know you'd love it. We can jam out to it whenever we get another chance."
"Uh, sure." He piped up. "That..that sounds like an awesome idea." It intrigued him, but there was a bit of uncertainty gnawing at him. She was thinking in the long term and he was unsure if he could do that.
"Well...maybe if I can tear you away from your little rabbit a bit more after this at least." She added, rolling her eyes.
San didn't particularly care for that phrasing, but indeed his cellmate probably would make a meeting with her again like this difficult. Hell, how long could this last before Kyuu was just gone, he thought. Just one bad day or fight is all it could take right? 'She's just one slip up from being a quick meal.' that's what Priscilla-chan said earlier, then there is the little fox gunning for her. He had no clue what he'd do if she died or hell even what it would be like going back to the tower after tonight. His partner had been pretty pissed when she stormed out. It was almost depressing just thinking about it. Still, all he could really do is hope this relationship could last.
"I'm sure we could work...something out." He said trying to be accommodating, but still unsure of his future.
"Maybe I'll get you a phone or something?" Pris pondered. "Y'know so we can keep in contact." The fox brightened as she took to the idea almost instantly. "Yeah! We could do that! So we don't have to just keep meeting under such 'dire circumstances' and then I can keep in touch or pick you up whenever you want."
San initially brightened at the thought, but shook his head, modestly turning down the offer. "I dunno. That's a big...um respon-responsibi- I wouldn't know what to do with one. Ahaha" He nervously laughed, a phone could be trouble.
"No. I'm definitely getting you a phone," The fox said with certainty. She snickered, bemused that he would refuse such an offer. "It'll be one of those cheap and simple drop phones so you don't have to worry too much about it and I'll pay for your service. One those ones you can at least text on for sure."
"You don't take no for an answer much do you?" San replied, shaking his head.
"Noooope. Hehehe." She said, her bubbly laugh became infectious as the two of them chuckled.
"So Texting-?" He started off.
Suddenly the road got a bit rougher, and the smooth ride became bumpy. They had just gone over a bridge when the glimmering lights vanished, replaced by plain and decrepit looking buildings. The warm clean air that reached into the cabin of the car became mixed stale and cold with a familiar but unpleasant stench. One of smoke, blood, spices, flesh, and death. The Back Alley Market. He was sure of it. Of all the places, we needed to head back to this loathsome pit? San looked around confused and looked to Priscilla.
"I recognize this smell… Why are we back in the market?" He asked incredulously. "That's your idea of fun?"
"What? We can have fun here." The fox said, before opening her sharp maw wide to let out a loud theatrical yawn. "You really wanted to hang out at that snooze fest in the park?"
"Well…" He started off. He had been enjoying things, like how pretty things were down there, but...it had been just a lot of talking and the highlight unfortunately was his handling of the male. Still being here of all places, kinda felt like a sharp step down, he wanted to get away from this place. However he didn't want to seem like a bore to her. "It was nicer- I mean isn't this a bit…"
"What? Is it too much? I thought you'd be used to it, you live here after all."
"No," He said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just I thought we'd stay in the nice part of town for a while longer is all."
Priscilla clicked her tongue at his reservations.
"Don't worry a single hair on that wooly head of yours, you're with me. We can do more of the city stuff next time." The brown-white furred vixen purred, tickling under his chin eliciting a smile from the llama. "For now, I'll take real good care of you. I'll keep you safe."
The car eventually drove up to a large lot with a chain link fence next to a medium-sized 2 story building. The lot was filled with an assortment of stuff that didn't look like it belonged, like the vehicles crushed and stacked on top of one another or tall wooden barrier walls that seemed to twist and connect randomly like an unfinished house or construction site. The place was in the middle of nowhere with these closest buildings being easily a mile off on either side. It was like a lonely island, isolated from the rest of the market.
"What is this? A junkyard?" He asked as they stepped out of the car and he got a better view of the establishment. San was a bit hesitant as he looked around, the parking lot was almost barren save for a few cars.
"Not quite." She replied plainly, more focused on parking.
He slowly read the words up on the worn looking sign hanging off the building: Janco & Blisk's Retail Hardware. The building looked as old and ramshackle as with most things in the district, in fact it reminded San a bit too much of home at the tower. No one would want to come here, he thought.
So why are we here? He asked himself.
"Just follow my lead." She said right after as if she had heard his thoughts and reservations, practically dragging him along into the building.
watch?v=o02i-osBHxU (Kiss - War Machine Cover)
As the door opened up, he immediately felt a sense of foreboding, like he didn't belong here. The place smelled off to him, there was a hint of tobacco and gasoline that proliferated the whole building, assaulting his nostrils and lungs as soon as the door opened. His ears were the next victim as they were blasted by some loud percussive rock music playing over a loudspeaker, a sharp contrast to the rhythmic tunes in Priscilla's car. Once they entered the store proper, the place looked like an old general hardware store with aisles, though on closer inspection everything was off. Instead of tools or equipment for repair or handiwork, San saw what he recognized as weapons, firearms, body armor, ammunition, and other types of combat equipment. Similar to the pawnshop he had gotten the .38 Special in his pocket cleaned at.
A brown short-fur medium-sized pot bellied mastiff type dog with a dark snout and short floppy ears stood behind a glass display holding guns of all sorts. Firearms of different makes and sizes were hung neatly on the wall and inside other display cases positioned around the room alongside as well as different styles of boxes and containers from small to large.
It reminded San of the Back-Alley marketplace with it's stands, kiosks, and brick & mortar stores that hung up slabs of meat sectioned off to display the different style of merchandise, albeit instead of dead meat, this market sold weapons.
The dog proprietor was wearing a dark leathery sleeveless vest with pouches and dark olive green cargo pants looking like an old mercenary from one of the various conflicts in the past. While he had a gut, he still looked toned and muscular, with old scars that told San that the beast had either survived many fights or he was terrible at avoiding them. Both forearms were covered in tattoos from sleeve to wrist, none of which San could really make out that well or decipher unless he got up close. Something he was reluctant to do.
The pooch was hard at work, rubbing a damp cloth over a black disassembled rifle when the arctic fox strolled in and greeted him with a bit of fanfare.
"Hey Janco-san!" She shouted, getting his attention. "It's me Pris!" She added, factoring in her summer coat likely making her unrecognizable.
The dog's jowls slouched a bit in confusion as he looked up from the weapon and instantly his ears perked with typical canine empathy of seeing a friend not seen in a while.
"Ey, the Snow queen herself!" said the dog, a Boerboel mastiff with a gruff and heavy Afrikaner accent. "I guess I should probably say former Snow Queen, huh? Hahaha." Commenting on the lack of white fur she was known for.
Priscilla frowned at the little dig. "Don't push it you old mutt." she said, hands on her hips.
" Dit is net 'n grap meisie!. " He smugly said in a language San didn't recognize, though Priscilla seemed to react positively to it, responding back in the same language.
" Jou humor het nie goed verouder nie ." she replied, much to his amusement. "Hmph. So how have things been?" she asked.
"Ah ah…" he said, wagging his finger. "First things first!" he said sternly. "Kom gee jou uncle Janco 'n hug meisie! Ha ha haaa!"
He hurriedly rounded the counter to give her a crushing hug, almost lifting the smaller canid off the ground while he gave the roughest of laughs. It reminded San of a father warmly embracing a daughter. Like their time out of captivity, those pleasant years, he thought, back when someone cared.
"Today's just been slow... because of the festival y'know. Most of the important beasts are all downtown." Janco added.
"Slow?" Priscilla asked, her tone seemed content in that news at least from San's read of her body language.
"Yea, only got five tonight." Janco answered holding up three fingers. "What, you here for a run? It's been awhile since you and Raira came in and tore up the Gauntlet! Got some people back there that were looking for you girls."
"No I don't think so, I didn't bring Ashhead this time because she's busy, but I do have a new partner in crime with me today." She looked over to see San hesitantly hanging around in the corner of the lobby just out of sight. She shook her head and yanked him in.
"Come on in, sweetie! You'll be alright." She beckoned.
The boerboel's eyes widened and filled with surprise as he saw the lanky herbivore stroll in. The dog looked at Priscilla with a curious shocked expression and whispered in the fox's dagger of an ear.
"Hey, hey! You brought another live one? Look if you are gonna to do 'that', at least call me ahead of time so I can make sure the place is empty."
Priscilla tapped the dog's shoulder and whispered under his ear to clear things up. "Wha-NO….Shhhh. This one's different and he's-with-me."
"With you?" He said, very suspicious. The mastiff leaned over her shoulder to give San a looksie. From a glance the llama didn't give the dog much confidence. " With you?" he asked again. "You ain't bring no rat Pris?
"Janco!" She said a bit peeved and insulted that he would even insinuate that, pointed a finger in the ridgeback's face. "With. Me. This is San, he's an 'associate' from work . "
The dog threw up his hands and sighed. "Work? Fine. Um...Ello kid. Sorry bout all dat. Name's Janco." The dog said as he held out his hand to shake.
San wasn't stupid, that exchange was immensely suspicious. Living herbivores likely weren't a common sight down here judging from the dog's reaction. The thought of being another live one was also a concerning matter. However, all he could do is play along, so he extended his hand and nearly shouted in pain as the dog's grip almost crushed it to the bone while he shook vigorously. The dog made no attempt to hide his fangs, still looked friendly enough.
San still couldn't put away the thought of what 'another one' was..
"Nice to meet you. Ahaha." He said, trying to keep his nerve behind a friendly smile.
The dog stared at San, studying him, briefly frowning before walking back around the counter, back to his project. "So... what can I do ya for?"
"I'm here to get him some experience." She looked towards a heavy metal door on the side of the building labeled: Gallery. "You said you had some company back there, looking for me?"
"Yeah, I got a group renting some equipment, they're... er… they're a bit uh...wild y'know. They're in the Gauntlet."
"How many again?" She asked.
"Same five I told you about. Two felines, a medium and a big one. A cougar, one of those mountain lions and some other kinda cat, I dunno, got these flappy ears."
"A Caracal?" Priscilla guessed. "You know with the ears?"
" Slim meisie !" He said given a short chuckle. "I would assume that's what she is. She was a bit witty, that one. The mountain lion is the one I worry about, he looked a bit...uh off y'know? Like he's been eating too much-"
He gave San a cautious glance.
"-eating too much uh meat. You can smell it on him and see it in his eyes. But, they are probably going to be in there awhile."
"And you just let him have a gun?" She asked, looking at him with some skepticism.
"It's just a paintball gun, I didn't say it was a firearm. Besides you know I try not to pry into paying customer's business."
"It's still dangerous, Uncle and irresponsible! You are lucky the law doesn't reach down here."
"Yeah Yeah…" He said waving it off.
"That's two, but who are the others?" Priscilla asked.
"You don't know?" He asked. "They didn't call you?"
"Who?" Priscilla asked.
"A buncha ya sisters. Inarigumi I'm sure of it."
"What?" She asked with a look of shock on her face. "In my territory? None of my girls should be here, who is it?" She inquired.
"One of the other crews I think uh. Rin or Lin, was the one in charge. They looked like classy ladies, if you know what I mean? They came in for practice and some hardware, I didn't ask any further questions."
Priscilla's ears drooped while her brush tail shot up at the mention of that name, a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her temple. "So...Sutiretto Clan? Ugh... come on, you couldn't have mentioned that before Janco?!"
"I figured you would have known." He explained and nervously smiled. "This is your area after all. Thought they would inform you of a visit or something."
Priscilla shook her head, looking none too pleased. "Of course they didn't." She groaned and massaged her scalp. "Ugh... I don't want to wait for them to leave either. It'll be too late." She murmured to herself.
"Don't stress yourself out about them meisie. I'd worry more about those felines. Buncha hustlers, the both of em. They usually come around and the other spots, hustling people. Rin's girls were their latest victims after they came in looking for some pieces and renting out the Gauntlet. They'll try to work you over too if you let em, 'specially him." The ridgeback said, pointing at the obvious greenhorn in the room, much to San's chagrin. "And they'll probably try to challenge ya, 'specially with your reputation."
Priscilla still looked a bit discouraged, but erased the worry as she turned around and looked to San who still looked lost and unsure, contemplating what would happen next. The female fox grinned as she winked at him and turned back to the mastiff.
"To hell with it, we're staying. I'll just look out for him. Just um...get me two pairs of…" She examined San's head profile and ears. "Canine style ear protectors."
"Canine?" He asked.
"Unless you got something for his kind." She said.
"Yeah," He said, also taking a good look, pondering it. "Yup, that'll do it. Goeie keuse meisie. Coming right up."
"We're going head into the Gallery and I'll ring you for anything and put everything on my tab."
"Of course, meisie ."
Janco looked at San, studying him for a moment, then looked to Priscilla. He stared longer at Priscilla and frowned. The old mastiff looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his tongue and handed the arctic vixen the equipment.
"Ek gaan jou nie reg of verkeerd vertel nie, meisie." He said sternly looking at her in his own language. "Just be careful."
Priscilla took a quick glance at San, then frowned at the dog. "Dankie." Was all she replied, before bowing.
Janco pressed a button behind the counter that made a door swing open automatically.
The dog kept his eyes on San and shook his head as they entered, closing the door behind them.
Priscilla led them into what looked like a large basement or bunker with a strange row of open doorways or short walls and some tables placed against the wall with certain tools and rags on top of them. The room itself seemed mostly barren save for some sandbags piled up at the edge of the room. Cardboard cutouts of different animal profiles of varying sizes as well as some paper sheets with circles on them hung from the ceiling. It was a shooting range.
The cutouts had numbered sections denoting vital areas on the body that San could recognize, such as the head, limbs, or areas of the chest or abdomen. There were also a few circular disks that were hung from the ceiling at different distances. Each having ringed sections, also numbered until it reached the center which San believed was called the bullseye.
San was left puzzled by the utter plainness of the room. What was so fun about this? He thought. They had left the park with its food, music, and-"
"Alright, so…" Her voice came from behind, breaking his train of thought..
San turned around just in time for Priscilla to start fastening a pair of earbuds to his ears.
"You said you haven't practiced with that revolver?" She said, loudly so that he could hear her.
"Right." He said, trying to catch up. Wincing as the earbud snapped onto the cartilage of his tipped ears. "Uh...I haven't really touched it in months."
"But, from what the Runt told me, you shot two people with it, right?" She asked, very straightforward only seeking a sufficient answer. "Lùn filled me in on what happened. I'm glad she found you in time."
San nearly froze up thinking about that night. He hadn't really forgotten, just repressed what had happened. Normally he tried not to think too much about death, he saw a lot of it, from his time in the tower to his cellmate's fights, but that night was the first time he had ever done the deed himself, and it still ate at him.
"Well… no, I actually shot three...I uh...killed two." He replied, feeling ashamed. "I hit a wolf in the ear earlier that night. A while before Lùn showed up. The other shots I….uh" He looked down, his nerves starting to get to him. "I missed."
"And?" She asked eagerly. "How was it? How was the weapon?"
San was caught off guard, he had been expecting ridicule, but answered her questions all the same. "It was really loud, deafening, and the gun jerked a lot in my hand. Like I aimed how you taught me y'know using the...sight, but I kept missing. I only hit the other two close up."
Priscilla listened and pieced everything together. It didn't take long for it to click what might have gone wrong.
"Hmm...okay, I think I might have figured out your main problem. You need better muzzle control and probably need to grip it properly."
She fastened her own protectors to her ears and walked up to him with a confident smile.
"Give me the Special." She ordered, holding out her hand. "The gun." She clarified.
San was visibly unsettled as he reached into his pocket and produced the.38 Special, placing it in her hand with some reservation. He was unsure if he really wanted to do any of this.
This was supposed to be better than the festival? He started to ask himself again. Some stuffy, cold basement that reminded him too much of the tower if he was going to be honest. What was she on about?
She took the weapon and inspected it, a bit of blood from the incident earlier had dried on the barrel, but the weapon was functional nonetheless, not that much could really mess with the inner workings of a revolver.
"First, we're going to start off with basic marksmanship. I'll get you knocking targets in no time."
"So we're here so you can teach me how to kill?"
Priscilla looked over her shoulder at San like he had just asked some stupid.
"Isn't that what you are trying to teach me?" He asked.
"Lighten up. That's not what I mean." She said training it on the target down the range, lining up the sight.
"I'm supposed to lighten up about taking someone's life?!" The llama asked, looking at her incredulously.
"First off. I never said anything about killing." The fox said. "Next, what's your deal? Don't you see death all the time? Why are you so squeamish now?"
"Yes, but that's different. Kyuu is the one that hurts people."
The female fox just stared at San, utterly confounded by his perceived naivete.
"You sound like a hypocrite. You know that?" She said, pointing at him. "You probably feel bad about killing or hurting someone yourself, yet you seem to be so complicit whenever your rabbit does it to someone in the arena. If you were so concerned with other people's lives then why do you help her?"
"That's differen-"
"How is it different?!" She cut him off. "You are helping her hurt people! If you cared so much, you wouldn't. Simple as that. But it sounds like that's okay for you, because she's the one doing the 'dirty work' huh? What are you too good to do it yourself? You think you're innocent?!"
"I'm not...I'm not innocent!" He said with some hesitation.
"Then why are you acting like it's so hard for you? It's not like anyone is asking you to go out and kill someone. This is just so you can defend yourself. So nights like that will go smoother."
The llama bit his lip and looked away, he still felt guilty about that dark night. The lives he had taken, especially the anguish he had put that jaguar through when he shot his friend to survive. He heaved a heavy sigh.
"Priscilla... that night I realized how bad it felt after I shot a guy that someone cared about. I watched as his friend held him in his arms as he just faded away. I-I did that. He'd be alive now, if I hadn't shot him."
Priscilla placed her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye with an understanding gaze. "San, look at me. You were in a bad position then, you were forced to make a choice, but never forget that you had to do it. You had to. That's all that matters"
"I-I..I felt bad about it though!" He stammered looking away. Priscilla raised his chin, making sure she had his attention.
"Look don't cry over it. You had to make a choice on whether you wanted to live or die. It's natural to feel remorse afterwards, but some advice? When it's your life on the line? You need to do what's necessary to survive." Her grip on his shoulder was becoming noticeably tighter as her nails pinched into his jacket.
"Don't. Hesitate. They. Won't." She emphasized. "Facts are, those men were going to kill you, so it's only right that you killed them first. Way I see it, you lose whatever privilege you had to a life the second you threaten someone else's, so you had better do what you need to before they do."
He shook his head. "You sound just like Kyuu." He said dismissively.
"Ugh…" She groaned. "You-did-not-just-say-that."
He heaved a sigh, folding his arms. "I get that I have to defend myself, I really do Pris-chan, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it!" He shouted.
"Who cares if you feel better about it?!" She scolded as she shoved him against the barrier with a glowering stare. "Life or death, those were the choices you had to make San. All that should matter to you is that you defended yourself. That you didn't die. You survived!"
The camelid just blew hot air from his nostrils as he stared back, not saying a word. The vixen seemed to be breathing hard as she began to lose her patience with him. Enraged, she struck him with a soft underpowered slap and stood right under his chin, standing muzzle to snout with him.
"Look here you! I would have thought you had a spine in there from what you showed me today!" She poked at him with her index finger, jamming her nail into his shoulder. "Seriously, what happened to that bold male?" She poked him again. "Y'know the one who was so ready to stand up for me in the park?" She said pressing him against the barrier. "Who's this soft little weakling that I'm looking at, huh?!" She shouted just as she was about to poke him again.
San snorted indignantly, as he caught her hand in one swift motion. The scowling glare he wore at the park gazed into the vixen's eyes, clearly the herbivore had had enough. Priscilla didn't budge or cower as she glared right back up into his eyes.
"Let me get this right? I'm weak, because I have a conscience?!" He growled down at her.
"Oh, that's a big word for you, conscience." She snarled into him, her snout wrinkled as she growled at him. " Mr. I'm-so-poor-and-uneducated !"
She yanked her wrist free. "Well, here's another one, cowardice! That should fit right in with that weak spine of yours."
"You may not care for Kyuu, but you two would definitely agree on a lot of things!" He pointed out much to her disgust.
"Then maybe there is at least one thing right going on up in that screwed up little skull of hers!" she fired back. "You need to be able to do what's necessary or people are just going to walk all over you!" Priscilla shouted. "You think in life or death situations, in those split seconds, when that adrenaline is pumping….that 'they' are going to care that you don't wish to hurt them? That's naivete at its worst if you do. It's called survival."
The llama scowled and rolled his eyes, fed up with this conversation.
Priscilla was almost amused by the llama's stubbornness. "Heh. So you still don't agree? Okay, well when you're sprawled out all over the ground, then you'll likely see where that kind of spineless thinking can get you, except... you probably won't because you'll be too dead to regret it." The fox lectured. "Around here, death is usually the cost of such cowardice just saying."
San said nothing as he exhaled heavily. Cowardice...right. Whatever. He wouldn't get anywhere arguing with her. "Alright." He huffed, irritated by the way this conversation was going. "Not going to fight you anymore on this. Teach away, I'll play along, but I still don't want to kill anyone."
"Whatever you say you big baby. We can discuss morality another time, right now all I'm teaching is gun safety and marksmanship. You won't have to kill anyone tonight except some paper targets. That won't be too much will it?" The fox asked.
"That's fine, I guess." His tone was jaded as he leaned against the wall with his arms folded. "I'm all ears."
"Alright then, pay attention. First thing you want most is safety." She began to explain, demonstrating the proper ways of holding the weapon such as high ready and low ready.
He sighed and began nodding throughout the demonstration. A simple "Yep" was pretty much his confirmation whenever she asked, much to her ire. The emotion from their little spat was still fresh on their minds, and so the camelid's curt answers were beginning to visibly annoy the fox quite a bit.
"You getting this? She asked.
"Yep."
The fox shook her head and groaned.
Truly however, he was really paying attention as she continued into trigger discipline and proper ways to hold the weapon. Pissed off or not, San was never one to pass up on listening into a lesson. That's what he was good at, details. An avid listener he was always the one to pick up on things that others couldn't.
The graceful period when he and his cellmate were lucky to have had a stable home had been a very developmental time for him. The panda doctor that took them in like a pair of lost strays, Gouhin, had been a very brutish and direct man, but he was a very patient one as well though he never showed it on the exterior. His readiness to understand people or his patients rubbed off on the young llama once he had picked up on it. And Gouhin had encouraged him to continue to listen and observe when training them. For better or worse the opposite seemed to rub off on his cellmate. Maybe that was the problem? He thought.
"Got it?" She asked again.
"Yep." He responded quickly to her lesson on gun safety.
"You better. You keep saying 'yep', but I better not have to go over this again because you know I hate having to repeat myself." She said, annoyed.
"I can recite it back to you if you want, what with the "high ready" or "low ready" or not putting your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire or how a gun is never unloaded until you make sure it's not loaded." He said, listing off exactly what she had taught him.
"Naw, that's good enough. You're paying attention I guess." She replied with a smile. "Now, look at my grip," She said shifting her grip into view, a very limp looking grip. "Not a good grip." She said. "Even a mouse could probably yank it out of my hand if it wanted to. Now watch what happens when I fire." She said aiming and pulling the trigger haphazardly, jerking the revolver up.
*POW!*
There was a loud crack as the firearm discharged down the range, swiftly followed by a ringing 'Ping!' noise that echoed for a while. San had almost forgotten how loud it was, his ears shudder a bit just thinking about the painful ringing he went through after he fired it point blank. Feelings aside, he noticed right away that the revolver bucked out of her hand, precisely like it had that night for him.
The sheet down the range had a smoking hole in it, but it didn't land anywhere in the circle, merely on the outliers.
"I missed my intended target. Noticed how the gun jerked upwards in my hand? That's bad control."
San nodded dutifully as the teacher continued to explain.
"That's because the grip was wrong and I just squeezed the trigger all willy nilly. Now look close. I want you to do this ."
She held the pistol up to signify a different grip, one where she clutched it tightly. She also bent her knees and spaced them apart slightly, before pulling the trigger gently.
*POW!* *PING!* Another small smoking hole was left inside the bullseye on the target sheet.
"Control." She said methodically, pantomiming what she did with her free hand. "Controool."
"I get it." San said abruptly. "Thought you didn't like repeating yourself."
The fox blushed and giggled at him. "Your turn, then" She said, handing him the weapon.
San looked at the weapon and her, and sighed. No point making this harder than it should be he thought. He didn't feel like reopening a debate with her. Just follow the instructions. He readied himself into position in the booth just like she demonstrated.
"Just keep a firm grip on the handle." She instructed."Line up the sights, and pull it smooth. Don't jerk. You control it, not the other way."
"Okay...don't jerk, pull it smooth." He repeated to himself, focusing on the target. "You want me to hit the middle circle right?" He asked.
"Yeaaaah if you can, but I'm not expecting you to hit it, so don't worry about teasing if you miss…well I take that back, I think I owe you a little teasing you wuss." She joked, folding her arms, inspecting his stance.
"Great, no pressure there." He flatly commented, rolling his eyes as he readied up.
Priscilla was impressed by how he held it, but it was his stance, his stance caused her to frown. He just wasn't standing properly for someone his size, all hunched over, but she still let him go through with it. She'd fix it afterwards.
"I can fire now, right?" He asked..
"I mean, if you are ready? Yeah."
San pulled the trigger and the gun discharged.
*POW!*
There was another loud ping as the bullet reached its destination. The loud crack and echo stayed in the room, before dying down and the smoke cleared, San turned to look at Priscilla. She smiled and gave San a thumbs up before looking down range to inspect the target.
His hands were trembling, and his hair standing on end. Another smoking hole was left punctured through the metal sheet, just centimeters off from the one she made earlier. He had hit it. He actually hit it. A smile formed on his face as he looked back to her.
"I did it!" He shouted. "I hit the middle!"
"Great going." The fox proudly complimented as she walked up behind him.
"Now, what I want to show you is how you should stand so you can absorb most of the recoil." She said, pressing into the small of his back so she could straighten his arms in the proper position.
Her firm grip and warm touch caused his heart rate rise. His body stiffened up as he felt her long slender hands rub down his thighs and grip his knees. He kept his cool on the outside...for the most part, but inside his instincts were in conflict with his mind. She effortlessly shifted him into position without much input from him.
"Like this?" He said as he looked over his shoulder only to see her gazing right back at him. The fox's smile and nod as she placed her hand over his chest and straightened him up, his body was burning up like it was summer and he was all bundled up. Her touch made him feel so lightheaded and floaty, he almost felt like he was going to tip over. In fact he was enjoying this, his little stubby tail began to whip repeatedly against her stomach, while his ears wagged sporadically.
"Well someone's a bit excited to learn now I see." The vixen teased.
"Ahaha." He nervously laughed. "Well this isn't as bad when I got as nice a teacher like you." He stammered, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Oh now you want to compliment me?" She asked, very smug as she stepped away. "You should be good to go now."
He was just happy they weren't fighting anymore and this actually was starting to feel fun. Perhaps he had been overreacting. He aimed down the sights like she had instructed and pulled the trigger. The weapon discharged again, more comfortably this time.
The target pinged loudly as he hit the bullseye right in the circle next to the first shot.
"Rex! Nice shot San." The fox complimented. "Now, fire as fast as you can. See if you can keep that grouping up."
He pulled the trigger as fast he could while trying to be smooth as she had instructed.
*POW* *POW* *POW!* *click* *click*
"You got it! That's a nice spread, tightly packed together" She said slapping him on the back and playfully messing up his hair. "Alright load it up again."
San paused and slowly looked over to Priscilla.
"Um…I-I don't... I don't have any more bullets." He stammered, looking at her with a nervous smile.
Priscilla gawked at him a bit dumbfounded, amazed that he was so underprepared, but issued an understanding nod. "You only had enough for one cylinder?" It shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, he had little means to work with after all.
The vixen let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, just wait here." She said as she opened the door to the lobby. "I'll get you loaded up in no time. Janco I need .38!" She yelled before the door closed behind her.
San soon felt a cold wind blow past his ear like a draft. Something seemed off, like something or someone was in the room with him. He sniffed the air, a hint of the meat market was in the air, something smelled like... fricassee chicken, and something else he couldn't quite nail down. It was a person, he was sure of it, he could smell them. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt hot breath brush down the wool on his neck. The llama turned around to see two round yellow eyes encompassing two beady black dots staring down at him.
They belonged to a muscular cream furred mountain lion standing before him. The young feline, no older than thirty, had seemingly materialized out of thin air behind him. A form of stealth San was familiar with, it was a common tactic used by most big cats known for their covert nature and lightness of feet. Even the devourings that involved their kind usually had the victim being ambushed from behind when they least expected it. But then again, if this was stalking, the tawny cat would have pounced on him before he turned, so San considered himself lucky for the time being..
The mountain lion was dressed very oddly, he was decked out in what looked like combat gear. A dark padded suit worn over a casual looking t-shirt and jeans. San quickly remembered seeing something similar in the lobby, perhaps some form of protective armor. The cat also seemed to be armed, holding a weapon of some kind. It looked like a rifle, but had a canister on top of it.
"Knew I smelt something good in here." The cat said.
A nervous smile formed on the llama's lips as he took a cautionary step back. He wasn't too afraid, armed with the .38 special, though with it's empty cylinder, he wouldn't get much use from it outside of blunt trauma, though the cat didn't know that. He kept the weapon in hand just within view to let the predator know of it's presence. It seemed to work as the cat didn't seem ready to make a move, well at least that's what San wanted to believe.
"God, I could go for some alpaca right about now!" He said, salivating at the sight of the llama. "Say, how about a deal? I'll give you 7,000 yen for just a finger."
San frowned as he stepped back away for his own safety. A cat this size could crush or maim him without even trying, just from being too handsy and this guy didn't exactly sound or look like he was all there in the head. Definitely a meat addict.
"No way, buddy."
"Come on, how bout' just one finger, kid?" He growled, a bit of drool began dripping from his lips. "I'm good for the money! How about just the pinky! That's like the most useless finger right?" He frantically pleaded, encroaching on San.
Fortunately for the camelid, a dark figure slid in between them. Priscilla, back from the lobby carrying a brown paper bag. The mountain lion easily made her look short by comparison, but the vixen kept her nerve as she stood up to the feline.
The cat's beady eyes kept darting between San and her. "You- come on...j-just a taste!" He begged the llama.
"Answer is no." Pris sternly replied, speaking for San and not budging an inch.
"Who the hell…" The cat began to ask.
"Why don't you go take a trip to Koshu Alley? I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for there.
This one's mine." She stated, with the sternness San was so familiar with back at the Arena.
"Come on, we can share! I'll give you 7,000- No 10,000! For just a few fingers! C'mon tha- that's a good deal!"
"No." She said, firmly making it clear there would be no negotiation or haggling.
"Come on!" The mountain lion loudly beckoned, beginning to break out into a heavy sweat as he stared down the herbivore as hunger began to take over.
Then the door to the side opened up and another cat, a medium sized female feline with tall tufted ears known as a caracal, entered the room happily counting money. She was around Priscilla's height and was dressed similar to the big cat, same dark colored combat plate gear.
"That's 20,000 yen, babe." She said, before noticing the two quarreling. "What's going on here? We got another one, Takoma?"
"Another one?" Priscilla asked, turning her attention to the female cat.
"Yeah, I heard there were some hot shit foxes around here that were the best shots this side of Denko. Whoever they are sure as hell wasn't the ones we just whupped outside!"
Priscilla glared at the caracal, but soon began to cackle like a mad woman. "Well good for you! Can't trust the wild rumors I guess?"
The caracal looked at her perplexed, and pondered the fox's demeanor.
"How about you? You wanna go?" The feline asked, her whiskers and ears flicking with eagerness and confidence.
"No thanks." Priscilla said as she humbly declined with a respectful smile.
"I take it you don't want to lose any money?" The caracal smirked at the fox. "Smart."
Priscilla waved off the offer. "I got nothing to prove. All I want right now is just for your friend here to leave my friend here alone. His fingers aren't for sale."
The tufted ear cat just shrugged at her and tapped Takoma on the shoulder.
"Sure thing, come on Takoma-kun, stop being an ass. We'll go get some refills from the old geezer, maybe head to the place on Barzam. Probably have some suckers down there too."
"Shit, alright." The cat whined. "Can we at least get some alpaca on the way? This guy's got me craving." He asked, fiending for his next meal.
"Eh, sure." The female said as she opened the door for them to leave. Once they were gone, Priscilla looked to San and made sure all of his extremities were still intact.
"There, now we're even." She said, placing her hands on hips content with a sly smile.
"Even for what?" He asked her, looking puzzled.
"Well for earlier at the park. You stopped that jackass from bugging me remember? So I think we ought to be even now that I stopped that asshole from taking your fingers."
"Well...thank you, I guess. But I was just doing what I thought was right."
"As was I. Can't have you losing your fingers before I get you up to something better." She said as she brandished a brand new looking black pistol, semi-automatic. "Now, I'd like to introduce you to one of my friends, the CZ-75 Semi auto."
"But.." San looked at her flummoxed, "What about my...gun?"
"I'll get you some more cartridges when we leave, but I thought I'd get you comfortable with something more advanced than a .38. This is a semi-automatic. This is the B model and it takes .45 ACP bullets, a bit heavier than those .38 rounds your revolver uses."
She took a look at him and from the dumb look on his face, saw all this jargon was going over his head. "Means it hits a lot harder than the .38, but has a higher kick when fired." She clarified.
She opened the paper bag and pulled a few black containers and placed them on a prepping table by the door. She called him over and held up one of them.
"This is a 'magazine.'" She explained. "Pistols like this use magazines to hold all your ammunition. It also can hold a tad bit more than that 8 shooter you're used to, which is why we're moving up to this so we can get your grouping down. Besides if you can get the hang of this, that .38 will be child's play."
"Um… if you say so." He said, still a bit leery of the new firearm.
"There's a set amount of rounds loaded in already, but you can load them in yourself ahead of time." She said showcasing the magazine. "You replace them by sliding the bullets in one at a time from the top. Once you're fully loaded, you load the mag into the grip, this is called the mag well." She said slamming the magazine in firmly. "Alternatively when you are out, there is usually a button on the side of the grip called a magazine release. It pretty much drops the magazine loose when you are out or need to change." She said pointing to the button.
"How do you know when you are out?" San asked.
"Great question. Once you are completely empty, the slide will eject back revealing the barrel underneath. When that's done, release the magazine with the mag release. Load a fresh one and then rack the slide back up to chamber the next round." She promptly demonstrated, jerking the slide back and forth with a loud clicking noise. "Then you are good to fire again."
"I think I've seen people do that before." He said, vaguely remembering watching action movies back when they lived with Gouhin years ago. "The action hero used to do it all the time to show people they mean business."
"Mhmm. That's part of it, but like a lot of stuff on television is exaggerated." Priscilla said. "But if that works for you."
"Now." She said getting behind him again. "I want you to get a good feel for the grip on this one. The grip is a tad bit larger. Notice the grooves and serrations on the side?"
"Y-yeah." He said, getting a bit bothered by her being close again. His tail was starting to fidget again.
"That's so your grip will be a lot more secure. Now I'm going to show you the 'optimal' way of holding it."
"I-it's not the same way as the o-other one?" He nervously began to stammer as she got closer up behind him.
"Not... exactly." She explained, wrapping her arms around his once more and gently forcing his hands into the right position. "Sometimes they require a different touch...y'know."
"I guess...you can say that." He said as her slender hands rubbed over his.
"Got it?" She asked, raising both their hands into position.
"Y-Yep." He nervously answered.
She blushed, as she softly giggled at his simple answer. Her body temperature was rising too.
"Something tells me you are enjoying this demonstration teacher." He said, when he saw her brush tail swaying from side to side, feeling it beating against his leg.
"Aren't you student ?" She enticingly answered while playfully nuzzling her snout against his neck fuzz. "We should be more careful though…" Her fang filled mouth said, opening close enough to his neck to nibble. "We might enjoy ourselves too much. You ready to fire?"
He nodded, happily.
"Then take aim and pull the trigger. It might take some effort, but remember, firm and try not to jerk the gun doing it."
The llama took aim and focused on the bullseye, using the external hammer along with the sights to line up the target. You can do this….you can do this.
*Pow* *Pow* *Pow* *Pow* *Pow* *Pow*
"Whoa!" She proclaimed, inspecting his handiwork. The target had been riddled with a plus shaped set of bullet holes, tightly landed on the bullseye. "Spectacular grouping there for a first try. I think we might have found you a niche, San . Maybe we'll get you started on rifles if we get the time."
To be continued in Pt 2