A/N: Good news first: new chapter yay! Bad news: might have to slow the updates on this. As of recently I've been struggling, so I'd rather take a little break and not have my work suffer. That being said, I don't know when I'll resume updates, but I do have a section on my profile that clues you guys in on how stories are progressing from my end. My apologies in advance.

However, I have started a new story, and I've been having so much fun writing it. That may take over the weekly updates for a little bit until I can solve my block with this story. I've gotten some good feedback so far from some of you guys that have read both this and the new one, and I thank you guys for that. For viewers that have not seen it yet, I'd love to know what you guys think of it. It's called "Far Form Home" fyi.

So, again, sorry that I'm slowing updates for this, but writers block is a bitch and affects everyone. Just know I'm not stopping this, but I will have to take a brief intermission from it. That said, I'd love to know what you guys think as usual. Feedback will most likely get me out of this slump (and no I'm not bribing you guys. I'm being frankly honest). FFH will most likely take over weekly updates as previously stated, so keep an eye out for that.

Sorry for the long-ish update, but I'd rather tell you guys now than later. Take care fellas; I'll see you next update!


Great Fox (airspace of Chicago, Illinois)

James lazily threw on a dark gray cotton V-neck shirt over his orange furred torso, then rewound the red scarf around his neck as he sank back down onto his bedside.

His plan was simple: put the Great Fox into auto-pilot and have her fly over to Sheila's last known location, then tomorrow, when it was daylight out and when the storm would dissipate, he'd use whatever he could to locate her. He managed to put the locator system onto his transmitter, and had Sheila's tracking chip saved onto his small mini-map. He was hopeful he could find more than just the husky when he went down there.

He made a glance to his nightstand, then saw the paper with the humans' message scribbled on it. He stared at that paper, but faintly shook his head and glanced away.

"I am not negotiating with those sons of bitches," James murmured bitterly. "I won't let them off with just a slap on their wrists. I will kill anyone that gets between me and my kit. Anyone at all."

James glanced over at the paper again, but this time it almost seemed as though the numbers were screaming to be called. What if they had Fox at gunpoint when he barged in? They would blow the defenseless kit's head right off his shoulders before he could even blink in recognition. He couldn't take that risk, but it was still Cornerian policy to not negotiate with the enemy.

Then again, what was policy anymore? He was pretty sure that they had broken numerous rules with this war in general, but it was still what the humans deserved. If they didn't deserve it now, they sure as hell did now with Fox in their possession. If everyone else broke the rules, what was stopping him? Still, he had just told himself that he would not negotiate. He told himself he wouldn't stoop to the human's level just to get Fox back. Rules or no rules; he would get him back, even if it cost him everything. Fox was everything to him now.

James picked himself up, snatched up the scrap of paper, then crumpled it into a ball as he faintly leapt up and lobbed it into the trash can on the other side of the room as if he was making a three point shot in basketball. He grinned at his precise jump-shot, then spun around and slowly trotted down the hall to the Great Fox's bridge. Along the way, he noticed two soldiers talking by the door to the break room. He growled faintly and turned his head away from the wolf-dog, who was talking with a smaller rust colored coyote. The coyote was much shorter than James, and his short dark hair was spiked straight up, but the short length of the hair did not match up with the length of his ears. Wes noticed the vulpine and gave a nasty scowl back.

"Where do you think you're going McCloud?" Wes questioned scornfully. James stopped in his tracks and cranked his head around to the hybrid with his teeth bared.

"I'm getting my kit back; not like you give a fuck about it anyway," James snapped.

"Don't you think you've done enough damage for one war?" Wes retorted.

"Not even close," the vulpine quickly butted in. "I know where they might be, and I'm gonna make them suffer for what they've put me through."

Wes instantly lost his glare and donned a confused stare. "You know where they are?"

James sighed and pawed at his forehead. "Wolf's tracker got disconnected, and the only way that can happen is if he had another transmitter to do it. His is in pieces on the Husky's ship, so the only way he could disable his is if he got someone else to do it."

"So, who did it?" Wes asked, shrugging his paws.

"Sheila supposedly went down late last night. My guess is that she found Wolf, and disabled his tracker. For whatever reason, Sheila's didn't get turned off, so we've got a set location on where she is."

"Wait, hold on; what's Wolf and Sheila have to do with finding Fox?" the hybrid questioned.

"Wolf stole that Husky Arwing that we found yesterday. We're assuming that Wolf is helping the humans hide Fox, so wherever Sheila is, Wolf is bound to be with her, and wherever Wolf is, we can deduce that Fox is right there with them."

Wes exhaled slightly and twitched his ears. "This just seems… I don't know… simple? It just seems too coincidental. This can't be that easy."

James nodded and glanced at his transmitter. "We're not absolutely sure, but if it is true, I'll need some help."

"I told you James, I don't want to be a part of a rescue mission or any negotiations," Wes stated.

"I am not negotiating with them," James quickly corrected. "If we can find where they are, I'm gonna kill the humans that are behind this. I know you want to get your revenge too, so this is a way that will benefit both of us."

Wes' eyes dropped to the floor, then suddenly picked up as a slight smirk creased his maw. He inched closer to the vulpine and held out his black and gray tinged paw. "I guess I've seen a different side of you James. I… I honestly don't often say this to people, but… I apologize for how I acted the other day. I'll admit, I was a bit pissy and harsh. I didn't mean for it to be such a hassle for you. I'm sorry."

"No, Wes, I'm sorry," he corrected, grasping the hybrid's paw with both of his own. "I was too wrapped up in blind rage to see what I was really thinking. I apologize for how I acted. It was wrong of me to go off on you like that."

Wes chuckled and nodded slightly, blatantly obvious that he was struggling to come up with a response. "I… I forgive you James… I understand."

James tightened his hold on the hybrid's paw, then gave him a sly smirk. "And I'll accept your apology as soon as we find these kidnapping sons of bitches."

Wes smiled and nodded. "You got yourself a deal."

James let out a slight grin and patted the hybrid's back. "And… I'm sorry I threatened to blow your head off. I was… well… I had a long day."

"I could tell," Wes chuckled. "So, when do you wanna head out?"

"Tomorrow," James replied, then looked at the coyote next to him. "Can you get your group wound up Rusty? I don't know where Dustin went, but when you find him, can you tell him our situation? I'd love to have you guys' Special Forces group come with us."

"Absolutely," the small coyote Rusty replied with a grin. "I'll get him filled in right away."

"Thanks. I'm gonna put the Great Fox on auto-pilot heading for Sheila's last known location. We'll be there by early morning, so you better get some rest now while you can."

"Alright," both Rusty and Wes replied simultaneously as they both spun around and headed down towards their quarters. James continued trotting down the hallway in the other direction towards the bridge of the dreadnaught warship.

The orange vulpine popped into the main bridge and instantly saw a tall blue avian asleep in one of the chairs. James chuckled softly, then smacked Riley's shoulder, making him stir and almost fall out of his seat.

"Oh, uh, hey James," Riley mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "What're ya doing?"

"Setting up an auto-pilot route," James responded, poking at the computer in front of the avian's chair. Riley instantly raised an eyebrow back.

"Where?"

James glanced over his shoulder and gave Riley a smile. "I think we found them."

"You found Fox?" Riley asked excitedly. James nodded in between slight laughs.

"I'm not certain, but I think we did," James replied. "This place is where Sheila is. We're speculating she turned Wolf's tracker off, but for some reason didn't bother to turn her own tracker off. Since we already know where Sheila is, then we can say that Wolf is with her."

"And that's where Fox is too?"

"That's what we're thinking."

Riley grunted in approval and popped off the seat. "So, being the genius you are, how do you plan on getting him back?"

"I'm not sure as of now," he replied. "I don't want to barge in there because they might have him at gunpoint. I wanna take it slow and steady, but as the same time I don't want to waste any time."

"You think we could set up a distraction?" Riley suggested. "Maybe cause something to divert the humans' attention for a split second, then rush in while they aren't paying attention."

"You're calling me the genius?" James asked with a laugh. "That's a great idea! I already asked Dustin's Special Forces squad to help, so they wouldn't be a bad idea to set up a distraction possibly. He may have other ideas in mind, but for now let's just go with this."

Riley snickered and sat back on the seat. "Dustin's always got an idea for everything. I'm surprised he wasn't elected leader of Husky Squadron."

"Nah, he's not eligible," James responded, continuously typing into the computer. "Only purebred huskies are permitted to join. He's a hybrid husky with some other shepherd I think. Although hybrids are generally more talented and better suited for a squadron like that, they won't let him because of age old customs established back when all fighting was ground-based and inter-planetary travel was considered witchcraft."

"We've come a long way, no?" Riley chuckled with a wing over his head. James nodded in approval with his own smile.

"True… Anyway, I'd rather see Dustin leader of Husky Squadron than Sheila. I'm being frankly honest here, but she's too young; she doesn't have the experience, patience, and authority that Dus has."

"Yeah, but Dustin's Special Forces group is pretty talented," Riley chirped in. "It's him, Rus, and Ash, right?"

"Oh, I forgot about Ashley," James stated, adjusting his scarf. "She's pretty talented. Not too many talented females nowadays in the force; especially from the vulps. She's got quite a bit of combat skill; more than I would have expected out of someone like her."

"And she's single," Riley cooed with a smirk, making James instantly break his concentration on the screen as he turned to face the avian.

"What are you saying?" he questioned with a hint of sour inflection.

"Ash is your age, is she not?"

"Your point?"

"You two should hook up," Riley suggested. "Granted, she's a black furred fox which isn't like you at all in terms of physical appearance, but that doesn't change the fact that she's sweet and beautiful, and neither of you have a companion–"

"Vixy is my companion," he interrupted. "I don't care if she's gone; she's not leaving my side. I'm not gonna try and find another woman just to please my needs because my real wife is six feet under back on Corneria. Ashley is a great person, don't get me wrong, but Vixy is my wife."

Riley nodded and stood up, putting a wing on the vulpine's shoulder. "I understand. Sorry I tried to ship you two. Just… just keep her in the back of your mind; in case you start feeling like shit after the war. I'd hate to find out you actually went through with what you tried to do the other day, but this time I wasn't there to try and stop you. I'm only lookin' out for ya."

"Thanks," James replied. "And… Actually, you're right… If I start struggling after this campaign… maybe… just maybe I'll ask her… Damn, I sound like a high school kid right now."

Riley cracked a laugh and patted the vulpine's shoulder again. "Nothing wrong with that at all. I know Vixy may be your wife at heart, but right now, mentally, you need someone. I can see it all over your emotions right now; you're lonely, and you need another companion that you can spend your life with. As a close friend of yours, James, I'm only trying to help you fill that void in your heart."

James sniffed and looked towards the floor with a single tear in his eye. "Riley… I… You're right… She is beautiful, really funny, and she seems to connect with everyone real well… When we get back home, I'll… I'll maybe take her out for lunch or something…"

Riley nodded with a smile and stepped off of the bridge. As soon as the vulpine heard the door shut behind the avian, he sat back down on the chair and held a paw over his forehead.

"Vixy… I'm… I'm so sorry… If you're listening to me right now… I just want you do something for me…"

James tensed up as he felt the golden locket in his pocket. He let the tension escape out of his nose as he slowly exhaled and looked up at the ceiling.

"Please keep me strong… And… please forgive me…"

James closed his eyes and slouched in the chair, continuously feeling the cold metal locket in his paw.

"Till death do us part my ass. You'll always stay with me. Always."


General Pepper's Flagship

"General?" Vince called out, lightly rapping on his door. A few seconds later, the light trail of footsteps within the room progressively became louder, and the door eventually ripped open with the aforementioned bloodhound standing in the doorway with a slight grin on his short muzzle.

"Good afternoon Vince," he said cheerfully, then let his smile fade as he saw the vulpine's concerned expression. "Is there something wrong?"

"There's a lot of things that are wrong, sir," Vince muttered, lowering his ears. Pepper's eyes shot open as he removed himself from the doorway.

"Here, Vince, come in and sit down. Tell me what's on your mind."

Vince nodded as he slowly inched into the room and found a seat near a large desk. Pepper shut the door and locked it, then slipped into the seat behind the large desk.

"Alright, what's wrong Vince?" Pepper asked concernedly, folding his paws on the desk. Vince suddenly shot up from the chair and slammed his paws onto the desk harshly.

"This whole war is wrong!" he yipped, then instantly covered his maw and felt his face start to warm up. Pepper was probably just as stunned as the vulpine was as he slowly lifted his arms off the desk.

"Hold on, what happened?" Pepper asked with an eyebrow raised.

Vince exhaled through his nose, then sat back down and glanced at the floor. "We lost an entire Destroyer just a little while ago… The entire thing's gone…"

Pepper's eyes shot wide open as he placed a paw over his chest. "What… Vince… what happened?"

"They ran into a nasty storm, and the ship malfunctioned because of the lightning and crashed into the surface. From what we can gather up right now, the entire thing is nothing more than scrap."

Pepper's paw transitioned from his heart to his head as he rubbed his temple. He suddenly shot up from the chair and pulled up his transmitter.

"What are you doing, sir?" Vince asked.

"Backup," the bloodhound replied stoically. "Calling in more Destroyers. We can't complete our missions with only one commissioned Destroyer still functioning."

"General, I'm not too sure if that is a good idea," Vince awkwardly piped up, making Pepper cock his head with an uncharacteristically nasty scowl.

"How would you know?" Pepper growled sourly. "You're not in control of this war; I am. I'm the one that makes the decisions."

"And not all of them are good ones," Vince muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Stazac?" Pepper barked, making Vince raise his eyebrows in confusion. It wasn't characteristic of the bloodhound to snap as he just did. There was something off about the general.

"What's wrong sir?"

Pepper growled and slammed his paw on the desk. "Are you questioning my authority, Stazac?"

"Well, no, sir, I'm just–"

"And do you think I'll be happy that one of our ships was destroyed?"

"No, sir," Vince shook his head in disbelief. "I was just asking–"

"And you're trying to cover up a human attack on her with this so called storm, aren't you?"

Vince's eyes and jaw opened wide in shock. "What? What are you talking about sir?"

"There's no way a Destroyer can go down because of a 'storm'," Pepper shot. "Absolutely no way at all. Tell me the truth, Vince; that cruiser was attacked."

"No, general, we weren't attacked by anyone," Vince quickly interjected. "The only thing we were attacked by was the weather. That storm was absolutely nasty."

"Then why didn't they avoid it?" Pepper questioned. "Why did they just try and tank through a supposedly nasty storm if they knew it was bad?"

"I don't know, sir," Vince replied humbly. "They must not have thought it was that bad, but as soon as they got stuck in it they realized they were mistaken."

"You mean the humans used that storm as cover and took down our Destroyer while we weren't paying attention to them," he corrected acidicly with narrowed eyes.

"Pepper, that's not what happened," Vince tried to explain calmly. "I saw the G-diffuser on the Destroyer combust because one of the Arwings hit it. The electrical surges messed with all of our instruments, and that eventually took her down. It wasn't an attack, sir."

"Vince, obviously you're not seeing the bigger picture," Pepper stated somewhat scornfully as he sank back down onto the chair, which was all it took to snap the vulpine in half.

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!" Vince barked harshly. "Don't you get it?! This war is stupid! It's not necessary at all! There's no reason for us to be here!"

"Vince,"

"No, general, listen," Vince interjected. "Think about it. We're acting on impulse. We impulsively declared war on the humans because we assumed it was a missile that hit us, but in reality we were wrong! We were wrong to think that way, sir. I'll admit, I thought that way too, but when you sit down and think about it, it really doesn't make any sense. It just doesn't add up. Remember what Wolf said? He was right this whole time!"

"Vince, that's enough," Pepper pleaded, but his plea came on deaf ears as the vulpine continued his rant.

"The humans would not attack us," he continued. "They have no reason to. Wolf said that they were just curious and wanted to study us too, and he was right! This whole damn time Wolf was right, and we exiled him! We thought he was insane, so we made him leave! Now, we're the crazy ones!"

"Vince, stop."

"We were too wrapped up in blind rage to actually think about what happened. They didn't attack, but we sure did. We should have never started this war, sir. You should've stopped this."

"This is your last warning Vince," Pepper growled, but Vince growled even louder right back at him, disregarding any potential consequences.

"No, Pepper, this is yours," he stated. "If you don't call off these attacks, we're all gonna get killed! I saw that Destroyer go down, and if the damn weather can do that to our most fortified cruiser in commission, then there's no telling what the humans' military can do to everyone else! We already lost a huge chunk of our soldiers now with that cruiser going down, but if we don't leave there won't be any of us left!"

Pepper smashed his paw into the desk again, instantly quieting the arctic fox's ranting. "That's enough Stazac!" he snapped angrily. "You're not in control! You have no authority! And this story you're telling me is absolutely bogus! Do you know how much trouble you could get yourself into by lying to your superior officer?"

"I'm not lying!"

Pepper shot out of his chair with extreme momentum, making it fall backwards as Vince slightly curled up in his chair in fear.

"If you still want a job on this ship you better get out of my sight right now."

"Firing me won't change the truth," Vince stated as he stood up and backed up towards the door. "You can demote me, fire me, or kick me out of the CDF entirely, but that won't change the fact that this war is wrong. The sooner you figure that out sir, the better off we will be. Think about it, before more of your troops die out there."

Vince then opened the door and slammed it shut as his tail disappeared behind the frame. Pepper shook his head in negativity, then lifted his transmitter back up to his short muzzle.

"This is Pepper. Get Destroyers 3, 5, and 8 prepped up for immediate engagement. As many soldiers you can fit in each ship. We're ending this damn war."

After putting his wrist down and sitting back into his chair, he pulled the transmitter back up again and called a different person.

"Hey, it's Pepper. Do me a favor; I want you to detain Vince Stazac. Don't let him out of his quarters. He's a threat to the outcome of the war, and I don't want him getting in our way anymore... Thank you."

As soon as his message was over, he slipped the transmitter off of his wrist and carelessly tossed it on the desk. He stood up and walked to the nearest wall, then slammed his forehead against the wall, reverberating the loud bang across the otherwise silent room.


Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sheila practically tore her damp orange jumpsuit off and tossed it into the corner of the relatively small bathroom, then stepped into the stream of steaming hot water. She yipped softly at the sudden temperature change, but eventually let out a breathy sigh as she let every single drop of water permeate her fur. It was a satisfaction that she hadn't felt in days, considering they had to ration the water supply on the Husky Destroyer.

Something about the water felt different then what it was back on Corneria. It seemed to seep its way through her fur like it wasn't even there. It felt stronger, warmer, and surprisingly cleaner; albeit everything felt cleaner after escaping from her prison. She had wandered the streets for hours on end in the pouring rain, hiding out so that nobody else could see her. She was a filthy, sopping wet mess until Nathan had found her. He was a godsend in her eyes.

What were the odds too? Him, out of the hundreds of thousands living in the city; he was the one to find her. He was the one to just happen to have two of her favorite people in the entire universe at his house. That was another question in and of itself; where did they come from? How did he get a hold of them, and more importantly, why didn't either one of them flip out when they saw the human for the first time? He wasn't hostile, but why was he aiding his enemy? She knew the Cornerian Army was the real enemy, but why was a human trying to assist a Cornerian? Or, was it the other way around? Was Wolf trying to help Nathan? There were way too many questions than answers.

Sheila lathered her entire furry body and hair with a rather sweet smelling soap Nathan located down in the basement of the small house. It was almost like a lavender smell, but it wasn't at the same time. It was a weird smell even her canine senses couldn't decipher; but it was a present aroma, so that's all that mattered. She just didn't want to smell like she had just ran a twenty kilometer marathon in the pouring rain, which she had essentially done but with no reward of a medal.

The light copper husky buried her face into the warm stream again, washing out any and all dirt and sweat that had accumulated over the eventful two days. The water was doing exactly what it was made for; cleansing. It soothed her more mentally than physically as a matter of fact. The hot water melted more stress and worries than it did dirt and filth. The soothing stream and pleasure that ensued from it almost made her not want to get out. She let herself soak in all of the steaming water for a few extra moments, then turned the water off and let countless drops of water drip from her face and hair and into the drain.

Sheila bent down and put her paws on the shower floor and shook her entire frame, which got a large portion of the steaming water out of her fur, then stepped out and grabbed a towel from the rack. It was a rather soft towel, but again, everything felt nicer after the prison she had escaped from. She paid special attention to the bandage that was still wrapped around her midsection, making sure not to aggravate the wound again. It still hurt, but only when she moved in and around that area of her body, or if something brushed up against it.

She took a glance at the steamy mirror over the counter, then whimpered slightly at the blurry sight of her abused muzzle. She wiped her paw over the mirror, making the image of the numerous cuts and visible bruises all over her facial protrusion crystal clear. She contracted her lips, revealing the large gap in the top right side of her teeth where the long tooth was ripped out, and let out a sigh as she pawed the hole. Luckily it had stopped bleeding a long while ago, but that didn't help that she thought her smile looked horrid now with the large gap. The four long canine teeth for Cornerian canines symbolized authority, and Sheila's were above average in size, which was one of the reasons why she had so much authority in the CDF even in her young age. Now with only three of those teeth, however, she looked more humorous than intimidating.

The light copper husky located the dark hairbrush on the counter and did her best to get all the knots out of her hair. Less than a quarter of the way through, she realized that she really did need to get her hair trimmed up. The heavy, voluminous cinnamon colored hair easily exceeded three feet in length as the vast majority of it exploded off the back of her head, while some, much shorter hair flowed in front of her ears near the sides of her face, which all-in-all was quite the hassle to clean up and care for. However, the only reason she kept it at its excessive length was because Wolf absolutely adored it. During the few days that they had alone back on Corneria before the war broke out, Wolf would constantly compliment and fondle the husky's hair, and she didn't have any complaints while he did it. If it made him happy, she'd keep it at any length he'd want.

After she felt dry enough, she tied the dark towel around her chest just under her underarms, then poked her muzzle out of the doorway. She made a quick glance in either direction, then shot out from the bathroom and into the room just across from it. It was the main bedroom, which consisted of a queen size bed and a dresser, with a small TV hanging on the opposite wall of the bed's headboard. She shut the door behind her tail that just barely snuck out of the towel, and walked to the bed that had a few articles of clothing laying on it.

Nathan had quickly improvised some old clothing from the dresser into Cornerian-appropriate clothes. Just like the prison uniform, he had sliced a small hole in the rear of some loose-fitting, baggy, light gray sweatpants. There was also a small pale violet shirt lying next to it, which Sheila instantly fell in love with because it was her favorite color.

Sheila swiftly dropped her towel and slipped the sweatpants around her legs, then fit her light copper tail through the improvised hole. It fit fairly well, but it was somewhat baggy and sat loosely on her thinner waistline. It felt softer than Cornerian material, and she absolutely adored the feel of the fabric on her legs. She then poked her ears through the pale violet shirt and adjusted it on her shoulders. She instantly knew it was a nightshirt because of the large neckline and super soft material, albeit it was a bit short and didn't cover very much area below her ribcage, showing off part of her light cinnamon colored sides and back, as well as most of her white furred belly.

The husky sighed as she felt the soft material in her fur, but once she turned around she gasped at the lupine that was grinning from ear to ear in the doorway. He had a toothy smile as his tail faintly wagged behind him.

"Wolf!" she whined with a giggle. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see that pretty little tail of yours," he cooed, making the husky's cheeks warm up again. "And I'm not talking about that one," he added, pointing at her wildly flicking copper tail sticking out of the sweatpants.

"Oh stop," she complained sarcastically, biting her lower lip and looking at the gray wolf longingly. Wolf stepped all the way in the room and shut the door with his foot.

"Did I ever tell you how adorable you look?" Wolf asked with a smirk, slowly inching his way toward the husky who was getting warmer by the second.

"I don't think you have," Sheila played along, trying to contain her wagging tail but failing miserably in doing so. Wolf smiled and inched his muzzle closer to hers, but right as the husky tried to lean forward he pulled back to taunt her.

"Getting a little needy, aren't ya?" Wolf said smoothly, rubbing the tip of his nose against the husky's muzzle. Sheila sighed a bit and closed her eyes and let the lupine's nose work around her face.

"Wolf, I–" Sheila suddenly gasped when Wolf buried his maw into her neck. He nipped and licked at her short neck fur, making the husky moan in pleasure and let her tongue fall out of her muzzle. Wolf instantly pounced and attacked her tongue with his own, making the duo fall backwards onto the soft bed. Wolf felt the husky's paws work around his back and come up near his shoulders, taking the hint to scoot in closer. He was practically laying on top of the smaller husky as he continued to mush his muzzle into hers. Wolf adjusted his mount on the husky, and accidently pressed down on her wounded midsection. She yelped and bit down on the lupine's upper lip, causing him to instantly shoot up and cover his maw.

"Wolf, oh my god I'm so sorry!" she cried, sitting up on the bed with a paw over her bandage.

"No, She, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" he asked, checking his maw for signs of blood. He noticed the husky trying to cover her midsection, so he hopped back up on the bed and glanced at the paw. "What's that?"

Sheila hesitantly lifted her paws up, showing off the massive bandage wrapped around her stomach. Wolf gasped quietly and gently laid the back of his paw on the bandage, making the husky cringe slightly.

"She, what happened?" Wolf asked concernedly. Sheila exhaled as she fought back a tear.

"It was about how I got here," she started, looking down as she retold her story. "I was flying around, just trying to see if I could find you, and… they shot me down. I… I was going to die Wolf… I was gonna bleed out with the cut I had here… but… the humans saved me… They stitched me up and kept me alive."

Wolf wrapped his arm around her as she choked back a sob. "But… They kept me held up…" she continued, closing her eyes tightly. "They had me tied to a chair, completely helpless and vulnerable."

"Did they question you?" Wolf asked.

"They didn't just question me," Sheila said bitterly. "They… they tortured me… the human, he… He was an animal… He had no morals or… anything. He threatened me, slapped me, punched me… He was trying to kill me… I bit him to try and get him to stop, but that only made him even angrier, then he pulled out my tooth… And... after that… Wolf, he…"

"What did he do?"

Sheila glanced back up and glanced into the lupine's eyes with a terrified and traumatized stare. "The other humans stopped him, but… he… he tried to rape me…"

Sheila herself could feel the lupine's heart drop into his stomach. He lowered his head and growled softly with balled paws, then leaned over and embraced the husky tightly.

"She… I'm… I'm so sorry…" he whispered in a cracking voice. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's mine," she corrected, gently pushing his head off of her body. "None of this would have happened if I would've just listened to you. You were right about everything."

"What are you talking about babe?"

Sheila sighed again and looked into his violet eyes. "The human… he didn't know anything about what happened. He said I was lying when I brought up the attack. The other one that I killed yesterday said the same exact thing."

Sheila wiped a finger under her eye to dry off a tear. "Wolf… I'm sorry I didn't believe you before. You were right about everything. I can't believe I was so dense. I'm the one that's heartless."

Wolf exhaled and ran his paw through the husky's long light cinnamon brown hair. "Sheila, it's fine. Really. I'm not mad at you."

Sheila's eyes shot wide open. "You- you're not?"

Wolf grinned slightly and shook his head. "Why would I be mad at you? She, I know how you felt yesterday. I knew you had just watched your teammates die… I'd be upset too."

"But, Wolf, I… I broke your heart… I criticized you like I didn't even know you."

"So?" Wolf shrugged. "I honestly would be the same way. You don't have to apologize for the way you acted, because I knew it wasn't you. You weren't Sheila on that ship yesterday; you were someone else… Now? Right now, you are the Sheila I love. That's all I could ask for."

Sheila grinned and let a few tears flow out of her eyes. "Wolf… I–"

"Shh," Wolf hushed, leaning in and slightly nipping at the husky's muzzle. "You don't need to say anymore. I accept your apology, and I apologize for pushing you into this mess. I promise I'll get you out of it."

Sheila smiled even larger, and this time made no mistake as she forced her maw into Wolf's, then managed to flip his heavier frame onto the bed and laid on top of him as she attacked the lupine's tongue. Wolf managed to wrap both of his arms around the husky, avoiding the injured spot on her stomach, and pulled her in closer. Sheila eventually removed her muzzle from Wolf's, then let out a pleasured sigh as she laid her head on the lupine's chest.

"I love you Wolf," Sheila moaned, feeling the lupine's tongue in her ear. Wolf nibbled even more, knowing that the husky was very sensitive in and around her ears. He caressed her ears with his maw, while gently rubbing the husky's back to comfort her. Sheila couldn't contain her giggling as Wolf continued to work around her ears.

"I love you too Sheila," Wolf responded, releasing her soft ears and gently sliding the husky to the opposite side of the bed. Sheila slid under the covers of the bed, then laid her head on the pillow while still keeping both of her pale blue eyes locked onto the lupine. Wolf licked the tip of her nose as he rolled over and sat back up, then removed all of his heavier clothes until he was wearing nothing more than a white tank top and dark gray boxer shorts. He turned the light off on the nightstand next to the bed, then slipped under the covers next to the husky. He instantly rolled to face her and put his gray furred arm onto her shoulder.

"I promise," Wolf spoke up, scooting closer so he could wrap his entire arm around the husky. "I'll never leave you again. I'll always be right here at your side, as long as I'm still breathing."

Sheila grinned as she nuzzled closer and used the lupine's chest as a pillow. Wolf laid his muzzle on the husky's head as he continued.

"I love you."

"I love you too Wolf," Sheila whispered, feeling her heart and cheeks warm up. "I… I don't want to be with anyone else but you. You're that perfect guy that every girl dreams about. You're the love of my life, and… I can't imagine my life without you."

"Me neither," Wolf agreed, exhaling through his nose into the husky's hair. "What took us so long? Why didn't we get together sooner?"

"I… I don't know," Sheila grinned, feeling the lupine's breath through her thick hair. "All I care about is that we actually did. And Wolf, I… I loved you for the longest time. I can't tell you how long I wanted to ask you."

"Same here," Wolf responded. "It's like… we were made for each other."

Sheila giggled quietly. "You're such a dork."

"And so are you," Wolf quickly added, nuzzling his muzzle against hers. "But you're my dork."

Sheila couldn't contain her laughter as Wolf buried his face into her sensitive neck. She giggled and moaned, but did not squirm or fight as the lupine nibbled her thin neck fur.

"Wolf, stahahahap that tickles," she whined. Wolf inched his way up from her neck and worked up to her face, then after toying with her for a few moments he slipped his tongue into her mouth and cradled the back of her head as they joined each other into another passionate kiss.

Wolf let out a relatively loud purr as the husky inched closer with her body and wrapped her tail over the lupine's leg. Sheila cracked a slight laugh while still being drowned out by Wolf's maw. She managed to fight her way out, then once she had a full breath of air she laughed out loud softly.

"What in the world was that?" she asked, choking through laughter.

"I honestly don't even know," he responded, himself chuckling a bit. "I've never had that happen to me before."

"Aww, someone's softening up," Sheila cooed, rubbing her face onto his.

"And whose fault is that?" Wolf asked with a smirk. "I've finally got my first legitimate partner in my life; I can't be all cold and stonehearted all the time."

"When have you been stonehearted?" Sheila asked, adjusting herself so she was almost entirely on top of the lupine. "As long as I've known you, you've always been so sweet and nice to people."

"If I'm so nice and sweet to everyone," Wolf started, once again starting to nibble at the husky's face. "Then what am I to you?"

Sheila let out another sigh as the lupine's tongue again ran up her neck. "You… oohhhh…"

"What am I?" Wolf taunted, continuing to seduce her with his smooth words and even smoother tongue actions.

"You're my Wolf," she moaned in submission, not being able to contain her pleasured and euphoric sounds as Wolf continued to work around her neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you too She," Wolf purred, removing his tongue from the husky's neck and inserting it into her maw. Sheila's muscles instantly relaxed as Wolf fought an uncontested battle with her own tongue. He removed his face from hers and let the husky roll over onto her other side. Wolf instantly wrapped both of his arms around the female and practically pressed himself up against her body.

Sheila exhaled again, then nuzzled the back of her head up against the lupine's muzzle. "I don't ever want you to let me go," she mumbled sleepily, burying her face into the soft pillow. "I want you to stay here with me. You're my Wolf, and… I… I love you more than anything… I don't want you to leave…"

"Don't worry She," he responded. "I can't imagine what I would do without you. I'll never leave you… ever…"

Wolf laid there with his husky in his arms, using his free paw to smoothly stroke the back of her head. Within moments, the lupine heard her heavy breathing as she had finally fallen asleep. Wolf did not let her go as he moved his arm back over the husky's frame, then felt himself slipping into sleep. Wolf purred quietly and let his tail join in on embracing the husky.

"What did I do to deserve someone as perfect as you?" he muttered under his breath with a grin. "Whatever happens from here on out, just know I'll always be right here next to you… I won't let anything happen to you…"

Wolf slightly licked the side of the husky's muzzle, making her smile slightly in her sleep. Wolf chuckled silently and laid his head to the pillow next to her, then almost instantly fell asleep with her still wrapped in his arms.


Let me apologize to begin with
Let me apologize for what I'm about to say
But trying to be genuine was harder than it seemed
And somehow I got caught up in between

Let me apologize to begin with
Let me apologize for what I'm about to say
But trying to be someone else was harder than it seemed
And somehow I got caught up in between

Between my pride and my promise
Between my lies and how the truth gets in the way
The things I want to say to you get lost before they come
The only thing that's worse than one is none

*Linkin Park – In Between*