Here we are. Speeding right along. Let me know if you see any problems.
She woke up several hours later with her head resting on Van's upper arm. She felt surprisingly refreshed despite the lack of sleep and stress she'd experienced the last few days. It was as if the crippling weight she had been carrying around with her had been somewhat unshackled from her body. It was still there, lingering on the edges to crush on her shoulders, but for now, lying content and happy in this room, she could easily blow away the responsibilities of what was to come like a gentle leaf in the wind. It was so simple; just indulging in the warm tan skin under her cheek and the even rise and fall of his chest. He had turned over to his side sometime during their sleep and now he faced her; his long legs hanging lazily off the small bed. His right arm curled over her upper waist and wrapped around the back of her shoulders. Her chest and stomach were pressed gently against his body; cuddled as if she were his stuffed plushy. Her green eyes studied his calmly sleeping face only inch away from her own. The black long eyelashes, the thin lips - which were usually pressed in disapproval - his long nose, high cheekbones, pronounced jawline…
A quick blush spread on her cheeks as she remembered holding that particular jaw between her palms; her tongue dancing with his…
Her peaceful hazy bliss suddenly broke apart as her vision blinked out his sleeping face-
"Come this way, dear," the nurse cooed to her. "The doctor was very happy with your progress last week."
"I didn't do anything special," she said lifelessly. "Only the dream journal like he told me to."
"Doctor Susumu was very pleased with it when he read it yesterday. He told me to tell you keep up the good work."
"Amano didn't want to tell me in person?"
"He has been so busy lately. I'm sure he will tell you himself soon."
They were silent for a moment as both pairs of white trainers squeaked on the sterile tile floor. Glancing up suddenly at the passing window, Hitomi's faded green eyes tightened at the growing storm on the horizon. She stopped walking; feeling the nurse tug on her arm.
"Keep walking, dear."
"Where are you?" she whispered to the glass and the nurse frowned kindly.
"Where are we? We are at the hospital, sweetheart."
"I'm fading…"
Clicking her tongue, the caretaker pulled a little harder, but Hitomi didn't budge.
"Was in all in my fantasy? Are you really just imagined? Where are you? Where are you?"
"Come along, Hitomi."
She yanked her arm from the nurse and ran to the window. Violently slamming her palms hard on the glass, she let out an almost feral scream. She hit the barrier again and again; as if a monster was running wild inside of her.
"Guards!" the nurse shrilled running down the stark white hall. "Guards! Come Quick!"
She stopped pounding and pressed her forehead against the cool glass; her eyes burning. She stared hard at the dark clouds; a desperate prayer escaping her chapped lips:
"Save me… I'm fading…"
She gasped as the vision winked back to the room and the terrible weight that she had ignored snapped free; falling ruthless and sharp like a guillotine.
Her gasp had stirred Van. His arm shifted underneath her head and he let out a long sigh.
"You are awake," he said with a low growl to his voice. His mahogany eyes creeped open to smile at her.
"I'm fading…"
"I just woke up," she answered quietly, trying to keep her voice steady. Her stomach gave a tight lurch as he suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers chastely. His hand on her waist moved upward and she felt him getting excited against her. Instantly, she felt his tongue brush against her mouth in an attempt to open it.
"Van," she said sternly against his lips, but a reluctant giggle escaped her. "We can't."
"I know," he answered, but his hand crept closer to her chest.
"So, that means, 'no'."
"I'm fading…"
"Exactly." He grabbed her breast and moved his lips to her neck. A startled moan escaped her throat and a taut heat knotted inside her stomach. He took that sound as permission and rolled on top of her, his hands moving up and down her naked sides.
"Van…" she groaned tightly, feeling the heated urge to grab him and never let go.
But her guillotine of reality had already dropped.
"I'm fading…"
"We… we are out of time, Van…"
The words froze them both.
The knot melted into a sick lead in her belly.
Hitomi heard him utter a quiet word in her ear and slowly shift off her body. His hands released her and she instantly felt cold. Bracing himself on his elbow, he locked eyes with hers and they remained that way for a breathless moment. An unspoken conversation of longing and regret passed between them as the seconds quickly ticked by. This moment, this quiet timbre of in-betweens, it was theirs. The peaceful understanding of loss, but the aggressive want for more. The icy impending danger, but the warm pleasure of satisfaction.
It was mixed and confusing, and yet so very, very clear.
At least to her it was.
She loved him.
With all her heart and her mind.
She loved everything.
The frustrations, the heartache, the worry, the pain. Everything about this impossibly infuriating, but wonderfully ridiculous man.
"What are you thinking?" he asked her softly, his eyes searching hers for answers.
"Can't you read my body language?" she teased lightly with a humor she didn't feel on the inside. He shot her his smirk. Her hands reached out to cup his face; his beautiful, worn face that was lined with the stress and burdens he carried on his shoulders. Would these lines of hardship disappear when he went back to his world? Smooth back into gentler lines of laughter and a life well lived?
"I'm fading…"
"I love you," she said quietly.
His eyes widened briefly before clouding with racing thoughts.
Thoughts she couldn't begin to interpret.
He didn't answer her. He was silent for another moment longer; those hypnotic eyes continuing to hold her. And then he released a short breath.
Sitting up from the bed, they found their clothes and dressed in silence.
Minutes later, her poultice back on her knee and his green shirt pulled over his head, they stood at the threshold of the room. Van wordlessly grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers. Looking up at him in surprise, a silly blush spread on her cheeks. He turned to her with a furtive expression partially hidden in his messy black hair.
"I'm fading…"
Whatever was going to happen outside this door, she was suddenly glad she told him. Even if he didn't give her an answer back, she didn't really need it.
As long as he knew…
Hand-in-hand, they walked out of their oasis and into their destiny.
Straightening up from the herbs she was tying together with a tattered rag, Grammy suddenly snorted at the wave of spice that tossed into the air, and she glanced to the front door in expectation. The old wolf didn't need to read anyone's heart to know what had happened in the last five to six hours. The couple walked out together and spread the heavy scent everywhere. Flavors of desire and satisfaction. A very good satisfaction coming from the female, Grammy noticed. Openly grinning, she entertained herself with the thought of loudly congratulating the little pup on his successful conquest until-
She felt a tug on her mind's eye and it opened to a sliver of jealousy; slippery as a snake. Her yellow eyes flickered immediately to her grandson, who was a few feet away pretending to count the flashlights lined up near the packs on the ground. Her smile instantly unscrewed from her jaw. She knew that the irrational boy held a slight torch for the out-of-his-league female, but his resentment was practically wafting off his body.
"Bloody Moon…" she cursed through her teeth. Yet another thing she'd have to fix.
Straightening her furs on her shoulders, she let a loud sigh of annoyance escape her thin lips. "Bakura, you fat sod, did you forget my onion root?"
Her grandson looked up startled and his eyes met hers. Even behind those ridiculously stupid glasses of his, Grammy could see the anger he was trying to uselessly hide from her. Both humans, separated to help with the packing, glanced up as well.
"I-I didn't know you needed it, Grammy."
"Of course, I needed it, lard cake! It's the staple in onion poultices! Come with me. I'll show you which ones to take." She beckoned him with her claw and shot the new couple a glare. "You two get this crap in the car! Don't forget the axes on the side of the house! And find that kitty! She said she'd have our damn lunch ready and packed an hour ago!" Hobbling off with Bakura – his ears pressed nervously into his head – she led him around the house to the left where her leather tent was sitting and brushed aside the flapping doorway.
"Come in and close the entrance, will ya? I ain't inclined to have any more visitors." She watched the puppy's fingers tremble as he pinned the fabric together; closing the tent around them. When he stood quietly waiting, she let her senses study him. He held a lot of confusion and apprehension, but her mind's eye still winked of jealousy.
"You never had a chance, fool."
The boy blanched at her brashness before his tail and ears lowered even further.
"Get over it. She was claimed the moment she was born. Those two are so intertwined I'm surprised it took them this long to fire things up. Having any kind of mating inclinations with her was stupid from the get-go. You should know that."
Her grandson blushed but shook his head swiftly. "It's not that-"
"Oh, it's not, huh?" She quirked her eyebrow and pointed a claw at his chest. "You're so green with envy, you could puke it on my floor. Can't lie to a mind reader, sonny. I'll see right through your fat body anytime of the week!"
"She's kind to me, Grammy!" He suddenly exploded and Grammy's eyebrows went further up.
"Kind to you? That's all?" the old wolf ruffed.
"I like how thoughtful she is! But not only to me! She thinks of everyone! Even when she's hurt, she tries to help in any way she can. She wanted to come with us last night! She even asked me if she could go! I… I can't help but fall for someone like that. She's such a nice person! And she's smart and so beautiful! She pulled off one of the Mystess costumes like a professional!" Bakura's tail and ears rose with his passion. "How could Van choose anyone, anything, but her? How could this even be a hard choice to make? He has a chance to have a life with someone spectacular! Bloody moon, Grammy, to me she's worth any crown! She's worth all the crowns this stinking world could offer! To me, she's… she's… perfect!"
Watching her grandson's eyes trail to his toes with embarrassment, the old wolf sourly felt an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time: pity. And with that bout of pity, she reluctantly decided to try something she never thought she'd have to do in her entire life: tact.
"Looks like that torch you have for her burned a lot brighter than I thought," she sighed through thin lips.
"Or maybe you've been too busy to truly notice it, Grammy," her grandson said darkly to his feet. "Maybe you've been so consumed by King Van and his stupid destiny that you've only had time for what he wants. I made a choice, too, Grammy. I'm here. I wish you'd see that sometimes."
Her mouth closed with a tight snap and she knew she was going to have to pick her words even more carefully with him. For having an all-seeing eye, you sure are blind, you old bitch, she chastised herself. Looking at his drooping ears, his thin arms, his patchy fur, and those dreadful glasses, she blew a deep breath out her nose.
"There's something you should know," she started, and scratched her neck with an awkward claw. "You… you… are… special."
The smaller canine looked up at her surprised. "What?"
"You are special," Grammy repeated, encouraged by his reaction, "so special to… me… More than a crown anyway…"
His ears raised an inch and his tail slowly swept the floor of her tent.
This was good. This was good.
"You're my family," Grammy continued. "And I… I gotta tell ya you are the only one to visit me. Of course, it was to fulfill some ass-backward prophecy, but… wolves are social creatures… and I have run alone for quite some time." Reaching out, she stopped scratching her neck and rested her clawed paw on his shoulder.
She swallowed back her snort at his buckling knees.
What a weakling.
"I know I can be a big bitch. I tell it like I see it and I'm not one for beating around a bush… unless it's for hot rut." She gave a little wink as Bakura blushed. "I wish I could tell you your perfect Hitomi Kanzaki will fall into your thin, weak arms, but I think we both know that's stupid. You gotta remember: they have a destiny that spans across universes. Dimensions. Multi-verses. And we fools? We are the bloody unsung heroes in their garbled tale of romance. We are the peons in the cross-fire; blocking the bullets from hitting them. Think of that foolish Thaioden."
A small whimper escaped his throat as he realized what she was implying.
"I want to be real with you, boy. What we are trying to accomplish here is more stupid and dangerous than poking a bear in the ass with a sharp stick. We are five bloody idiots and the best we can come up with is running straight into a damned beast clan war to get to an ancient tunnel that might collapse as soon as it opens. It's gonna be a real son of a bitch. But we have to keep those two alive. They are our only hope for this smelly turd of a world. Only they can save it."
"I-I know… I just wish…"
"She ain't yours to wish for."
A tight silence swallowed the tent.
"Chin up. If or when the putrid fart of this world gets wafted away, we can have this conversation again about some other female that was nice to you for a few seconds." She snorted a laugh.
He scowled and she laughed harder.
"I'm kidding, you runt!" Grabbing the boy, she pinned him in a headlock and rubbed his head. "You are pretty damn cute sometimes!"
"Gra-Gra-ouch! Grammy, cut it out! Stop!"
She let him go after a few more seconds with a gruff laugh. He continued to scowl, but his tail was slowly beginning to wag. Reaching up, he attempted to flatten the fur she's fluffed up with her claws.
"I do… kinda have a weird question though," the dog pipped in. Grammy tilted her head and gave him a long grin.
She already knew what he wanted.
"You wonder if there is another version of you," The old wolf acknowledged. "Curious little puppy, you are."
Her grandson's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "I just want to know… since there's all these multiple universes and stuff… it stands to reason that maybe you or me… maybe we have someone just like us, too…"
Her smile grew wider as she glanced into his eyes and mentally pulled herself through him. Her tent narrowed in her vision as Bakura's face changed before her. A tall canine with boiled lightweight armor and a deep dark eyes flickered before slowly fading back into her short, bespectacled grandson.
"You've got another, but you're a lot stronger than he is," Grammy announced as she pulled her inner eye away from him. Clapping his shoulder once more, she chuckled softly. "He's a weak fool… and you've got better hair, too." Watching his lips stretch into his silly wide smile, Grammy couldn't help but give a large grin of her own.
Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't too bad at this 'tactful' nonsense.
A tiny mockingbird gave a pretty tweet in the trees. The sun was shining even though the weather had taken an even colder turn during the long morning.
Van could handle the cold. He could handle the cheerful sun rays that filtered through the forest. He could handle the peaceful rustling of the leaves above his head.
He couldn't handle the pressuring silence that spilled between the two of them like a roaring waterfall. He couldn't handle the pounding in his ears that refused to drown out the words that repeated in his head:
"I love you."
Such an unpretentious statement. So simple, and yet it felt so heavy.
"I love you."
Van shut the passenger side of the car and strolled across the lawn with an ease he didn't feel on the inside. He headed around the side of the house, and spied the pair of heavy axes Grammy had mentioned leaning against the wall. They were slightly rusted at the edge, but sharp enough to chop through a thin tree with a couple of well-placed swings.
"I love you."
He grabbed them, one in each hand, and headed back around the house to put them in the trunk. He refused to look directly at her; instead opting for using his peripheral vision. Hitomi was busy packing the flashlights next to the driver's seat; her injured leg stuck out at an awkward angle. She looked so small; her thin arms and legs bent. Her short hair slightly messy in the back.
She was so small and yet… she wasn't.
"I love you."
He continued forward, his eyes finally darting to her back, before zipping to the open trunk
"I love you."
He stopped next to the vehicle somewhere between his two possible destinations. The trunk or Hitomi. The trunk or Hitomi…
She glanced behind her shoulder and gave him a solemn question with her eyes.
What's wrong? He read from her.
With a tight sigh, he opened his mouth.
No words came out.
Hitomi quirked an eyebrow at him and used the side of the car to help her stand. "Are you alright, Van?" she asked in that kind, concerned voice of hers. Her head tilted sweetly and her fringe fell across her forehead. Cold wind whistled through the clearing and he watched her wrap her arms around her shoulders. A flash of the night before crossed his eyes. Her smiling lips pressing against his, the pale smooth skin underneath his hands, her green eyes crinkling happily…
"I love you."
"I…" he started and the words tangled in his throat. Her face open and confused, she took a step closer. His dark gaze sliding to her mouth, which had pursed slightly with conjecture. Van suddenly shook his head and took a step back from her.
"It is nothing," he said in a gruff voice and headed back to the trunk of the car.
He never saw her green eyes narrow, nor saw her turn away to swallow down disappointment.
Everything was dark.
All darkness and cold and whispers. The hood they'd slipped over her head had summoned her mild claustrophobia and she had to concentrate on her breathing to keep from passing out.
Keep breathing.
Her hands were shackled awkwardly to her ankles and wrapped around a chilling metal pole. Occasionally the floor would give a terrifying lurch and she had to grasp onto it to keep from sliding violently left or right. Judging from the soft vibrating hum of the engines below her, she could determine she was on an airship of some kind. Storage compartment in some private jet? A public transport? She had no way of knowing.
This was all his fault…
Hatchet showed her the video of her son – or what remained of her son. He had promised that worse would come to her daughter if she didn't cooperate. As long as she did as she was told, Hitomi would be safe. All he wanted was the man Hitomi was traveling with and the white cat. Her daughter would also have to give up her father's research and publically apologize for her slander against Zaibach, but she'd be safe to come home. She would live a normal life…
As long as Hitomi kept her head down for the rest of it.
This was all his fault...
Megumi might have been foolish to trust this Hatchet man once, but that was a mistake she was never going to make again. She knew he was lying and that there was no escape. He would never let any of them go. Her son's mutilated corpse proved that.
Megumi also knew she was going to die soon and was only alive to serve as bait for her daughter. She didn't know why or where she was traveling to, but she knew one thing for absolute certain:
This was all her husband's damned fault…
She cursed him now – sitting in this cold empty space. She cursed him as she concentrated on her breathing through the black hood over her head. She cursed him as she felt the terrifying heave of the engine that was taking her to her final destination. She cursed him as her mind brought up the scarring video of her son losing the only remaining limbs he had left with a slow agonizing slice of a blade. She cursed him as she remembered the light leaving his bright green eyes. Eyes so full of promise and hope.
Eyes that matched his father's, his sister's…
This was all his fault…
And she would never forgive him. In this life, and the next…
The yellow tabby female gave him a side smile as she strolled inside the inner cove like a queen. Slinking to the corner of the cave without another word, she slid beautifully down the stony wall and began licking the inside of her arm. Behind her, bright, illuminated green orbs slivered into view; the slit pupils dancing to a reclining brown cat.
Jackoi gave a fanged grin as his older twin came forward with a tight nod in greeting.
"You move quickly, Helen," Jackoi commented, settling back lazily on thick pillows. His brown tail flicked back and forth self-righteously. His brother's mouth curled minutely at the lack of respect, but he sat on a red pillow beside Jackoi; his back straight and blackened fur rippling beautifully.
"Gotta commend you for Nere, bro." Helen started with a nod at the blond tabby. The cat lady gave him a quiet smile. "She reached my lands well before night's end. You should consider her as your next master huntress. She knows how to get things done. Unlike that calico you had before. She might have been sexy as hell, but a pussy ain't worth shit if she gets sniffed out by canine – least of all coyote."
Jackoi's stomach twisted angrily, but he continued his easy smile. The message was clear as day – Helen didn't respect his decisions. Helen thought he was weak. Helen thought he was beneath him. Pushing down his inner rage, Jackoi planted a smooth grin and twisted the subject to a more pressing matter:
"How much of your Pride have come?"
Helen's green eyes stayed straight on his face, but he exhaled the word: "Half."
Jackoi sat up swiftly with a loud growl. "Half? Only half!? You tryin' to get me ripped?"
"Easy, gato, easy." Lifting a silky black hand, Helen waved it as if fanning away Jackoi's anger. "It was all I could spare. You know my Pride's still recovering from the last turf war."
"So, mine will suffer because you ain't worth shit?"
"You askin' for help? This' what I brought. And aye, aye, your huntress was the problem! She's the one who got caught and fucked it all up to begin with." He shrugged. "Be thankful I showed up at all. At least with my clowder, your Pride stands a chance now."
"When those mangy, shit-covered bitches to the west attacked you, I brought everyone except the kittens!"
"And I rewarded you with a half kilo of turf!" his brother hissed back. "If this is how you treat your littermate then I'm tempted to take your lands back! I can only imagine what your Pride has been going through under your bitch-ass leadership!"
Jackoi roared and leaped from recline with his gray claws extending further. "You will never take my lands! I earned them! I will kill you before-"
"You dare threaten me?" Helen snarled, flying from the pillows to match his brother's rage. "Your entire fuckin' Pride exists because of me! I gave you your power! I gave you everything you have! And I can take it away! Let the coys come for you! I will save my Pride from your blunders!" With that said, his brother fluidly sauntered out of the inner cove.
"Nere!" the brown cat hissed between his lips and the tabby stepped forward like a ripple on the water. His eyes blaring, his claws extended, he growled lowly, "He must never leave this cave."
"Yes, Jackoi," she purred. "Shall I make it look like an accident?"
The brown cat thought for a moment before an idea bloomed in his head.
"No," he said, quietening down his voice further. "Get my canine claws from the war chapel. Make it look like a coyote ripped him."
"Yes, Jackoi, and where will his corpse be found?" Nere asked softly with her smile growing wider.
"Dump him on Neutral Block's road."
She grinned. "And when do you want us to find out?"
He thought for a moment, the idea growing like a twisting vine in his mind. "The sooner, the better. The coy-bitches are coming, Nere. And with this, Helen's Pride will join with mine to avenge his death. I will have his clowder, I will take out the coy, and my turf will span for kilos." He turned to yellow tabby and reached up to stroke her soft cheek. "Do this and you are my huntress."
Nere backed away as a blush of pleasure rushed her cheeks and disappeared into the shadows.
He didn't sense her coming.
Like he had said before: Nere was a good queen.
She would be an excellent master huntress.
Betrayal wasn't uncommon within Prides, but this was his brother.
They had fought in turf wars together.
Saved each other's lives.
The quick claw that swiped across his throat shouldn't have taken him by surprise.
But it did.
"I hate traffic…"
"Deal with it. We'll get there when we get there."
"But what if we get caught?"
"We're good for now."
"Are you sure, Grammy?" Bakura whimpered and the old wolf snorted a laugh.
"If you must know, ya tottering wimp, the person behind us is annoyed the radio is playing some weird rap song and the couple in the car beside us are fighting about their favorite pancake toppings. Ain't nobody worried right now."
"You're really not sensing anything? Anything at all?" Bakura asked, his fingers tapping nosily on the steering wheel. They inched a little further.
"Do I have a submarine sonar strapped to my damn head?" Grammy retorted. "My third-eye can only see so far, and so far, it's got nothin'."
Hitomi sat quietly in-between Van and Chordata, her leg comfortably positioned at a slight angle. A sour wash of self-depreciation oozed in her stomach as Van's elbow once again accidentally poked her in the side.
She felt so useless with this leg.
It was decided just before they had left that Bakura would be the one to carry her to the tunnel. Actually, the canine had insisted on it as soon as the subject was brought up. It made sense. If the beast clans decided to attack them, they needed their best fighters - Grammy, Chordata, and Van – to be free to fight. That left the two weakest, Bakura and Hitomi, to stick together.
Glancing at the kind dogman in the driver's seat, she began to chew on her bottom lip.
Yet another disappointment.
She knew she was being stupid, but after everything that had happened between them – especially with last night – she had entertained the thought of Van volunteering for the job. And, as the king had stood there silently with his eyes dancing to everyone's face but hers, Hitomi had tried to shrug off the itch of irritation at his blatant disregard. She had thanked the dogman with a bright smile, they'd all piled in the car, and that was it.
Nothing more.
Now, with the occasional poke in the side, Van's face was turned solidly to the window; his faithful sword braced carefully between his legs. Even without the years of training in reading people's minds through body language or heightened animalistic senses, Hitomi could figure out he was being more standoffish than usual. So much so she was starting to overthink. She knew she was being irrational.
But she just couldn't help herself.
Was he contemplating last night? Did he think it was a mistake? That their whispers of attraction had been just shallow pillow talk?
Or was it her confession this morning…?
"I'm fading…"
She had confessed because she needed him to know. With that vision still pressing behind her eyes, she knew she couldn't waste any more time. The vision had come to her like a warning. Their time was coming to an end.
So what was the damn point?
What was the point in hiding her feelings? Why skirt around it? She loved him. She told him. Done and done.
And Hitomi had been fine with his silence! She was fine with him not answering her back. She didn't need him to reciprocate her feelings. The sex could have been just that to him: sex. Plain and simple, two humans giving into physical attraction. She didn't need anything more…
But, of course, she had been fine until that damned look he gave her in the yard.
It told her that he hadn't meant for there to be silence. That there should have been more said. That he had felt more than just sex. That even after everything they'd been through together, even after admitting their attraction, after she admitted her feelings - there was still an open door to walk through.
And she had walked through it…
But he hadn't…
And now, sitting here, she kinda wished she could take it all back. Or slap him in the face with her frustration.
An unexpected softness touched the back of her fingers and Hitomi glanced to her left to see Chordata smiling at her. The cat lady turned her hand over; lacing her fingers through Hitomi's gently. The short-haired girl's lips curled up as Chordata tenderly pulled so that she could rest her head on the white lady's shoulder. The soft fur, the quiet purr, and the kind aura of Chordata made Hitomi sigh softly as her cheek nuzzled against the silky white hairs.
"Try to rest a little if you can," Chordata's voice whispered to the top of her head. "You look tired."
Closing her green eyes gratefully, Hitomi didn't see Van's expression as he turned to glance at the two women. Chordata shot him a questioning look which he replied with a somber scowl. The unspoken conversation lasted only a few minutes, but Chordata's amber eyes went wide. Looking down at the resting girl on her shoulder, she reached up to stroke her short hair gently all the while giving Van a hard glare.
He swallowed, broke off the heavy gaze with his only family member, and turned back to the window.
The pack of two dozen coyotes stopped short on the perimeter and several lifted their heads to sniff the air. The noonday sun was just climbing to the east as they padded through the dangerously jagged edges like lurking shadows. The largest of the pack flicked his topaz eyes left to right before whistling a low trill. The rest of his pack immediately gathered in close. Cadaver let a clawed hand rest on the hilt of his curved sword. One of them let out an excited bark as he withdrew the blade.
Today was going to be a good day.
"We will take those pussies lands once and for all! We head south. Spread out and hunt! The first to find a shithead kitten gets first kill."
With a loud howl from the entire pack, they separated quickly like darting shades.
There was an uproar.
The Pride wanted to speak with him at the tip of the Forum.
Jackoi kept his face straight as he heard the message from a panting feline. Dismissing her with a wave, he straightened the fur on his shoulders before heading to a branching curtain inside his cave. Sweeping the fabric aside, he reached to grab a hanging strapped leather jerkin. Along with it, he buckled four long vicious knives made from canine teeth onto his left side. From the right, Nere appeared from the shadows like a specter.
Helen's Pride was quick. Nere must have just finished when they'd tracked down his scent.
"Coyote attack!"
"Blood!"
"Helen will be avenged!"
She had done well.
With a satisfied purr, he reached out a hand and Nere beautifully sashayed to his side. He curled his arm around her shoulders and increased his volume. She responded with a loud purr of her own. Flicking him under the chin, she whispered, "As master huntress, I want to be by your side when the killing begins."
Jackoi, his tail flicking, bent his head and licked her neck.
"I wouldn't have it any other way…"
Grammy suddenly sat up in her seat with a loud, startling snort.
"Bloody shitty moon!" Her roaring curse woke the entire car.
Hitomi's head sprang from Chordata's shoulder and she saw the white cat's claws extend with fear. Van straightened up sharply and his hand instantly perched readily on his sword's hilt between his legs. Bakura swerved the car slightly in his surprise and fear.
"Grammy?"
"Piece-of-rottin'-bloody-shit! They're frisking! Zaibach bastards are stopping cars! That's why there's traffic! Look ahead, you bloody fools!"
As one, all five leaned forward to the dirty windshield, but all Hitomi could see was a stack of cars ahead.
"I don't see it, Grammy," Bakura whispered. Van shook his head, too.
But Chordata's mouth opened slightly.
"I-I see it… there's lights…" she breathed. "Is that from their cars?"
"Yeah." Grammy's sharp yellow canines protruded from her upper lip. "I guess it's time to kill people again."
"How many soldiers are there?" the dogman asked weakly.
"Not enough," the wolf replied. "I'll rip them all to shreds!"
"It might not come to that," Van said quickly. "Maybe there is a way around."
"How far out are we, Bakura?" Hitomi piped in.
The canine's hands tightened on the wheel. "I'd say about twenty minutes before we get to Exit 74... Once on that, it's another twenty at least to get to the edge of The Wastes... Unless…" The change was so quick, even someone as unperceptive as Hitomi could sense it. Bakura's eyes sharpened behind his thick glasses. His ears pointed forward and his back straightened. With a low, deep exhaling breath, he glanced back at Hitomi and their eyes met for a brief moment.
She noticed a glaze wash over his face before he gave her a small smile.
"We have to make a run for it," he announced, turning back to the road and his fingers twisted on the wheel. "As soon as the car in front of us gets done, I'm going to floor it past them."
"What?" Van cried. "That is insane! They will chase us down!"
"They will," the brown dog agreed calmly, "but I won't let them catch us. You have to get to the yew tree. Grammy and Chordata can protect you to the tunnel and Palace, but me? This… this is something I can do. I'm-I'm the driver, remember? I can't fight or change destiny or whatever… but I can drive. I know I can do it, so just buckle up and t-trust me, okay?"
A slice of silence filtered through the car before-
"I trust you," Hitomi said softly. "You can do it, Bakura."
Settling back in her seat, she tightened the belt across her lap and rested her hands on her thighs. Chordata followed after another few ticking seconds; her white fingers pulling the safety harness tightly across her chest.
Van sat with a huff and his mahogany eyes danced cuttingly out the front windshield. Hitomi could tell his rational mind was spilling with various conclusions and predictions. Finally, he let go a deep breath and she sensed he'd determined Bakura's plan to be the only option. He tightened his belt.
Grammy's gaze slipped to her grandson's face as the car grew silent once more. She saw the pinched frown on his forehead, the strained veins protruding out of his neck and ears, but there was also the spark of pride that flickered back and forth behind his glasses. A gleam of something almost wild…
A gleam she knew very well…
"We will confront the stinking shits and take their lands once and for all!" Jackoi announced loudly on the Forum and the combination of Helen's Pride and his roared their approval below him. Placing a hand on his canine knives belted at his side, he shouted, "Sharpen your claws and take up your weapons, my brothers and sisters! Helen, your Pride Leader and my dearest littermate, has been slaughtered by these coy-bitches! And now his spirit will not rest until we will see that his vengeance is fulfilled! Let the fuckin' dogs taste our claws until every one of them lies dead beneath our feet!"
"To war!" A male cried.
"To war!" A female snarled.
"For Helen!" another one shouted.
"Let's begin where our Helen was taken on Neutral Block! Let us step over their fucking turf line and pursue these fuckin' bitches openly!" Jackoi roared.
"Kill them all!"
"Death to the bitches!"
Nere, a furtive smile spreading on her lips, flicked her tail back and forth happily as the combined Pride soaked up Jackoi's speech.
A seat of power, fresh additions to their Pride, and more turf than they could live on. She knew Jackoi was sly and cunning. She had watched him in the shadows for a very long time. They would be the perfect match.
Years, she'd waited for him to notice.
And now… he was finally hers as well…
There six cars ahead of them.
Their vehicles, lights flashing red and blue, were parked on the side of the road.
There were two cars and three Zaibach soldiers, one for each lane on the highway.
Grammy's growl had dulled to a tight rumble in her throat. Hitomi fidgeted with the ever growing hole in her jeans. Van's eyes darted as if wanting to look everywhere at once. Chordata's back was straight with stress and underlining panic.
Only Bakura was calm; his expression collected and ready.
Five cars…
Bakura scooted the car further. He could see that the highway was relatively empty past the Zaibach soldiers. He'd have an easy time slipping through the cars – but, so would Zaibach. He swallowed down a batch of fear that was threatening to creep into his throat and forced himself to remain composed. He had to keep all his concentration on what he was about to do. He couldn't let himself whimper or cower.
Not this time at least…
Four cars…
He could see the Zaibach soldier pretty easily now. Their tell-tale green uniforms and brilliant silver patches adorning their sleeves. Briefly, he wondered if they were sporting firearms or not.
At three cars, he saw the gun holster on the man frisking their lane. It was the same for the other two soldiers as well. The Zaibach soldier bent his head to the driver window; his blading scalp shining in the sun. He looked like he was speaking with whomever was driving. He let the car go after a full minute of talking.
Two cars…
Bakura could hear Hitomi's shallow breathing and Van's rapid fingers tapping on the pommel of his sword. He could sense Chordata's increasing fright and practically taste Grammy's violent aura.
One car left…
The bald Zaibachian crouched low and his voice was muffled through the glass. It was less than a minute before he let the car go.
There was a breathless silence.
The car in front of them sped forward and the Zaibachian looked up expectantly for Bakura to inch forward.
"Hold on tight," he breathed.
And he pressed the petal to the floorboard.
"Whoa! What's up with this pussy blood everywhere?"
"I don't know, brah. There's not supposed to be any ripping on Neutral Block."
"Beh, one less kitty to deal with, bro!"
"Who found this?"
"Snots' the one who sniffed it out!"
They gathered around the blood stain, their sensitive noses slipping up and down the large crimson streaks. Snots, his hide covered in mange and light brown eyes wild with delight, stumbled forward as their Alpha came forward. "See, Cadaver? See? I found cat blood! I found it!" he shouted happily.
"And did you kill the cat?" the Alpha growled with his arms crossed over his burly chest.
Snots tilted his head at Cadaver's anger. "Well, ahh, no. I just found the stain. It's like it led us here to Neutral Block."
Cadaver's topaz gaze circled around his twenty pack mates and slipped to the left where the graffiti signs were displayed.
Pussy blood and their scent now spread everywhere on neutral ground.
This had the underlining dirty taste of a set-up.
He hit the Zaibachian with a sickening thump and the man's body tumbled over the hood of their car like a lifeless doll. Hitomi let out a small scream as Bakura twisted the wheel to the right and listened for gunshots – there was none. They must have ran to check on their fallen comrade.
So far so good…
He skimmed back and forth; slipping lane for lane like a snake. The engine roared around car after car. Bakura could smell Grammy's spiking worry as he almost grazed a guardrail to sneak past a vehicle on the far left lane. He straightened the car out to the middle lane and slammed the gas once more. They shot like a rocket; the engine buzzing appallingly.
It wasn't long before flashing lights began to flicker behind them.
"We gotta exit soon…" the dogman whispered more to himself than the others in the car. He swung to the right lane again and noticed the sign for Exit 74 in a half-mile. "As long as I can keep them off of me on the highway, we should be free sailing to The Wastes. That is… once we hit that winding road though…"
"You can do this, Bakura!" Hitomi encouraged through a squeal.
Bakura's ears perked lightly.
A few seconds later, a Zaibach car pulled up next to them.
"Pull over!" came a loud accented voice. "You are in violation! I will open fire if you do not! I repeat: I will open fire!"
"Bloody moon…" Bakura cursed and swung the wheel wildly to the left. The man shouted in surprise through the megaphone and pressed on the break to avoid him. The tires shrieked, but the canine kept a steady hand. Within a heartbeat, he'd straightened the car and instantly gained ground on the soldier.
The glowing police car came rushing back within minutes and Chordata let out a startled gasp.
"He's got a gun pointed at us!"
"Bloody moon…" Bakura cursed again and wrung the wheel hard to the right. Another car honked angrily as the dogman cut off the lane and exited 74 with a raucous speed. He let out a triumphant laugh as the police car on the highway gave a screeching halt to follow them. Bakura bled through the light and swung a stiff left to merge onto the tight two lane road.
It was practically empty.
A sign depicting "The Wastes" passed over their heads.
"The bitches are already at Neutral Block!" One of his Pride announced and several of them snarled in response. "They're all sniffing where we found Helen!"
"Who da fuck do they think they are?"
"Yo, they ain't even scared of us! That's, like, insulting, man!"
"Let's teach them to fear us!" Jackoi hissed. His combined Pride army extended their claws as one and darted away through the rocks. Nere, her claws extending as well, stood by his side and gave him a sideways smirk.
One that he returned.
"I smell 'em, boss! I smell pussies!" Snots howled excitedly as he bounced over to Cadaver. The smaller male grinned wildly with gleaming eyes. "I can kill one now, right?"
"Shit… there's a lot of them…" one piped in with a sniffing scowl. "Dudes, are they bringing the entire fuckin' Pride?"
"They's got a death wish if they did!"
Though they'd only been at Neutral Block for a few minutes, the waft of cat was tossing heavier and heavier in the air with each passing second.
"Gather in," Cadaver commanded and the coyotes perked up. The concrete tarred road grinded under their pawed feet as they pressed in together. As one, they faced the towering mountainside to the east. "They'll be coming soon. Don't let them surround us."
"Do I get first kill, boss? Do I? Do I?" Snots whispered impatiently. "I was the one who found the blood!"
Cadaver ignored the eccentric canine's pleas and waited. He could feel the trembling limbs of anticipation slipping through each of his pack members. Though he may be outnumbered by the smell of the Pride, he knew from experience that even someone as stupid as Snots could take on three pussies without breaking a sweat.
It was going to be a good day.
The first whisper of a feline whisker over the side of the mountain sent Snots into a howling frenzy.
And then they all came pouring in.
The first time she'd been forced to lean on Van's arm from Bakura turning the car, she felt her heart hammer in her chest for more reasons than fear.
The thirtieth time, she kinda wished he'd move his elbow.
Switching lanes, the Zaibach soldier following them was blaring his siren only a hundred feet back.
Within the span of only five minutes, four more joined his pursuit.
Bakura forced himself to focus. The more he concentrated on what he was doing, the better he reacted to situations. It was as if his mind was so narrowly fixated, his thoughts so driven, he felt as if time slowed down and he could rationally make split decisions. Another gunshot pinged the car and he swerved once more to the right; allowing just enough panic to slip through his resolve to be thankful they didn't hit the wheels.
The street was beginning to wind up and down. Van, both hands holding tight to his sword, announced that they were getting close in a taut voice.
Only a few more turns and they'd see the 'end of the road' signs.
Spinning into a constricted right, the car gave an unnatural screech and Hitomi screamed. Somewhere in the back of the car came a thunderous POW and Bakura felt the control of the wheel whirling out of his hands.
"Shit! A bullet hit the tire!" he howled as his panic broke open. He pulled the car straight with quaking fingers. The vehicle twisted wildly to the left and almost hit the mountainside. It rotated right and they were at the cliff's edge with a fall of fifty feet below.
"Keep it steady, runt!" Grammy roared.
"I'm trying…" Bakura panted and the car swung a breath's inch from the mountains again.
Another gunshot pinged the passenger side mirror and it broke off to ricochet down the face of the mountain.
"One more right!" Van cried.
With all his strength, the dogman yanked the wheel and the car gave another terrible POW.
Both back wheels were lost. He could control the car better, but speed was impossible.
As they climbed through the potholed road with little stability followed by the four Zaibach cars, Bakura recognized that they'd soon come upon the blocked road.
And then, with an all-encompassing panic, he realized he hadn't thought this through. How in the hell would they get past the signs and cross into the mountains with Zaibach shooting at them? All they had were several poultice packs and two axes. They'd be dead before they parked the car!
Twisting with one more right, he then discovered he had other problems to worry about…
The roaring engine first hit Jackoi's ears as he stepped out over the cliff's edge to see the coyotes waiting for him below. They had obviously heard it, too; their disgusting fur rising and their yellow teeth blaring down the road. There was at least twenty or thirty of them. One of them walked up with a challenging snarl as a filthy silver car shot into view. Quickly, their eyes widened in alarm as they realized the vehicle was rampaging in their direction.
"Scatter!" The largest coyote boomed and they yelped off the road on the other side just in time for the car to go speeding by. It barreled and swerved like a drunk before slamming hard into the words 'Neutral Block'; putting a crunching dent into the sign. The engine hissed and sputtered out, and everyone in the car was silent.
"The bitches are running, Jackoi!" Nere hissed in his ear and he looked beyond to see a tail disappearing through the rocks. "We can't let them escape!"
"Don't let them escape!" he ordered loudly and several pairs of slit pupils glanced at him startled. "For Helen!" he added, and they smiled before charging down to follow the coyotes.
"For Helen!"
He never noticed the flashing lights following the crashed car. He never noticed the loud thundering pops from inside them as they blared their loud sirens to surround the silver vehicle. He didn't notice the green uniforms of the men as they exited their cars and bent low over their car doors to shoot.
He didn't notice it until the third neko fell forward with a cry of agony and laid still on the road. Then a fourth, and a fifth.
One of the females turned back from her pursuit of the coyotes with a yowl of blind rage; her lover having fallen with blood spraying out of his neck. She took a running leap and launched herself at the cop car to dig her claws into the man's shoulder. His scream sent bullets to puncture holes all throughout her body. She slumped over, dead.
And suddenly the fight shifted. His Pride stopped following the canines and came forward to stare hard at the bloody corpses riddled with bullet holes. They began to snarl and hiss at the men as they reloaded their guns.
Jackoi was frozen on the cliff. His thoughts unable to comprehend what was happening. Behind him, his master huntress backed away slowly; slinking into the shadows.
The bitches… all he wanted was to take out the bitches. Then he'd have land and power and reputation. He'd be at the top. Stumbling backwards, Jackoi followed Nere as more and more of his Pride lost their lives.
What the fuck just happened?
"Is everyone alright?" Bakura croaked as the sirens began to blare louder behind them.
"Good at driving, my ass!" Grammy barked shaking her head rapidly like a dog. "You can shimmy and shake this car to oblivion, but you can't break for a large ass sign in the middle of the street?"
Chordata stirred with a groan and held a hand to her forehead. Her fur had somewhat protected her from the impact, but she'd hit her head hard on the side door during one of Bakura's wild turns. Though her fingers came back with a streak of red, she shrugged off the small cut with a whispered, "I'm fine."
Hitomi was against Van's side; his arm wrapped around her neck and shoulders. His hand protectively held the side of her face against his neck. He was panting breath stirred the short hairs above her head. She felt him swallow and his hand slowly slid off her face. Glancing up, her eyes caught his as he looked her up and down to check for scratches.
"She is okay," he announced through a tight exhale – as if to reassure himself of this fact.
"Everyone keep your heads down!" Chordata suddenly shouted as the familiar popping noise broke over the street. Van covered her head with his body as they pressed themselves down into the seat. Bakura yelped and immediately unbuckled his seatbelt to ducked low. Grammy's large size was a little harder, but she squirmed as much as possible with a dark grunt.
The back windshield cracked with a bullet. A man's harrowing scream bit a chill down Hitomi's spine. Yowls and roars sounding like raging demons burst raucously against the tight stone walls. The car shook as a cat's body slammed into the trunk and fell still. On and on, the bullets and roars continued.
Until only a few roars were left.
"They're out of bullets. And there's only one bastard left…" Grammy suddenly announced.
At the blood-curling scream that followed, she let out a dusky gruff and straightened up to unlock her seatbelt.
Bakura gasped. "Grammy, wait-"
"I've waited long enough, ya ass! This siren is driving me crazy!" the wolf snarled. The door opened to catch a furry torso and she lifted a leg to violently kick it open; knocking the body several feet away in the process. Van rose slightly with Hitomi; his mahogany eyes zipping for danger.
"Looks like there's only a few cats left, the poor bastards. They're making a run for it. Coast's clear!" Grammy announced from outside as she hobbled to one of the police cars to shut off the siren. Chordata, the blood dripping slowly down her cheek from her head wound, took a solid breath before following. Within minutes, they all stood outside; the carnage of what had happened rolling before them. With the sirens turned off, the shrilling wind was deafeningly loud to their ears. The spike of cold from the mountains rushed down Hitomi's spine as she forced her green eyes to study their broken bodies. Shivering, she didn't notice Van put his arm comfortingly around her shoulders.
Blood, fur, and bodies were spread like a large, crimson blanket over the small road. One of the police cars had toppled over and burst into flames. The body of a Zaibach was ripped to pieces; his right arm, head, and left leg tossed over the hood of his car. Another human body held terrible slash marks all over his face and chest. Bits of organs poked out from the stomach of his bloody uniform. Still another was lying on a large pile of dead cats; his gun gripped loosely in his fingers.
Suddenly, she couldn't look at it anymore.
"So… we were saved by a turf war…?" Hitomi said weakly turning to glance up at Van. "That's… that's…"
"Right damn lucky if you ask me!" Grammy grinned as she kicked an arm on her way back from silencing the sirens. "That takes care of that, I suppose."
Bakura's eyes were almost vacant as he stared at one still face from the next. Hitomi noticed and made motions to go to him, but Chordata beat her to it.
"Thank you, Bakura," the white lady said softly to him as her fingertips brushed his shoulder lightly. He started as if waking from a dream. "You have saved our lives. We would be dead if you hadn't done what you did. This…" she gestured to the spread of corpses, "is not your fault."
His voice quivered, but he stayed upright; staring at each body as if punishing himself. "I led them here… They're all dead because of me. I killed… people…"
"No, Bakura." Hitomi shook her head.
"You saved us," Van agreed with an unexpected kindness. Hitomi looked up at him again and she gave him a small smile of approval.
His cheeks tinted red and he kept his arm around her shoulders, but he glanced away undecidedly.
Bakura's large, hopeful brown eyes turned to his grandmother large hunkering form as she came near.
"What do you think, Grammy?" he asked quietly.
She snorted a laugh. "Hah, this shit storm was entirely your fault."
"Grammy, no," Chordata reprimanded gently as Bakura's ears dropped further and he whimpered.
The old wolf's forehead crinkled. "What? Am I wrong? He drove us here, led those sons of bitches right into The Wastes, and got them to turn on each other! So, yeah, he is at fault for all of this. What a hell of a job he did, too! The path to the tunnel is clear!" She shambled over to him, her furs swinging over her shoulders. "I have never been more proud of you than I am right now. You may be a lard ass, but you have the snuff, kid. You really do."
His tail wagged slowly, but his face still held the vacant glaze of horror. With a tight swallow, Bakura whispered, "Thank you, Grammy."
Shifting away with a nod, she headed to the trunk of their smashed car. "Let's get these damn axes out of this shitty contraption. Can't let my fat grandson have all the fun!"
Had a bit of trouble with the dividing lines. I flipped through a lot of scenes in this chapter, so I needed to make sure each scene got spaced properly.
I've got to keep this short and simple for two reasons: 1. I am swamped at work and need to get back to it pretty much right now. lol! 2. ...I am working on the next part and... I won't have any AN for the next few chapters. You'll understand when I post it.
Thank you always so very much for the wonderful support and messages! It means so much to me! I have made some wonderful friends on this site! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the progress and how much I love Grammy. Seriously though. I LOVE Grammy...
As always, a big thank you to Nainari for letting me constantly bug her about ideas and such. Poor Bubbles is busy, so this is me editing again - note the message above! Please let me know if you see ANY mistakes. I hate them all!
So much for keeping this AN short. lol!
Love to you all!
blue...