A/N I finally decided to write a story on Thrax's childhood. I'll also continue through "Almira's Story", showing his POV on meeting Almira. I don't own Thrax; he belongs to Warner Bros. I DO own his surname, his family, and other characters you don't recognize from Osmosis Jones.

thebigcrunch9: Yes, he does :D Well, thank you :) Ed doesn't really appreciate that XD

DNAngelFangirl: She's in this chapter :D

Yes, he did :D

LaMuerteRoja: XD I think everyone pretty much hated Ed XD

Princess LaLaBlue: Mm...nah, I don't think so :3

Chapter 13

It would be a year after Ed's gruesome death before Thrax met someone whom he had come to like, which was rare nowadays. With his career, he didn't have time to make new friends. And in all honesty, he had no desire to make any. But that changed when he entered the body of a San Diego zoo keeper, Jack Oleson.

It had started out normal. He had decided to take a once-in-a-blue-moon break from his career, and decided to wait a few weeks. It turned out to be a good idea in the end. Otherwise, he would have never met her.

A few days after entering the body, Thrax found himself strolling down the streets of Jack, humming and spinning his black and purple-blue chain around his wrist. Jack was in charge of the hyena exhibit in the San Diego zoo, so he often got bit by the sharp-toothed animals. Thrax had always been somewhat fascinated by the underrated animals. There was the fact that they could eat about anything without getting sick, and that they had the hardest bite of ay carnivorous animal. They could crack a thick bone in half, and eat it as well.

Thrax's thoughts on hyenas disappeared when he came upon the back of the right hand. He soon saw a large warehouse, where several germs, and even some cells, were gathered. Off to the side was a large ring, constructed only from several crates and two cages, one on each side of the pen facing inward. More cages were off to the side. This was a dog-fighting ring.

Thrax recognized one of the germs standing by a large cage partly covered by a tarp; he was dressed like a cowboy, complete with a cowboy hat. He also held a cane. He had a look that said he did what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted.

Thrax grinned and strolled on over, humming louder than usual. He caught the germ's eye. At first, a blank look. Then a returning grin spread on his face. "Well, if it isn't la muerte roja!" He exclaimed, laughing. "How goes it?"

"Pretty decent." Thrax chuckled in response, standing beside the cage. "I decided to stop by here an' maybe take a little break. After all, I still got a ways to go before I hit the medical books." He held the chain so it wrapped around his fingers and held it up, showing off his prizes.

The germ, Matt Preemer, just laughed and clapped the virus on the shoulder. "Same as always, Thrax ol' pal, same as always. Hey, y'all hear I got me a new fighter?"

"Not that I know of." We haven't seen each other for about ten years.

"She's right in here." Preemer gestured at the cage beside him.

Thrax looked down, and then crouched down to get a better look. Inside the cage was a thin-looking hyena fever germ. She had orange fur with red ears, spots, eyelids, and flaming legs. Her mane and tail looked like yellow flames. Her suspicious eyes were pale yellow, and she had sharp, pink claws.

The hyena was lying down with one front paw on top of the other. When Thrax had crouched down beside her cage, she lifted her head, perking her ears up. She glanced warily at Thrax chain, which was swinging around his writs, and at his claws. Then she stood up and growled, baring her sharp white teeth.

Instead of being intimidated, laughed and stood up. "She's a real beauty," He complimented Preemer. "I like the paintjob."

"Yup, ya got that right, Thrax," Preemer said with pride. "I trained her, an' she's been fightin' fer me fer a year now."

Thrax raised his eyebrows. "Really? Huh, I'm impressed, baby. How'd you find her?" The only animals inside a human body were cats and dogs, and maybe some rats. An exotic animal like a hyena only appeared in the animal body of its species, unless it was specifically imported to the human body. And even then, they were usually in a zoo, not a dog fighting ring.

"She was wanderin' 'round town. I found her when I was walkin' Hirschhorn, my previous fightin' dog. She beat 'im real good! I toughened her up more, o' course." He puffed out his chest, looking very proud of himself.

The hyena snarled up at him, growling deep in her throat. While another germ whispered something to Preemer, Thrax studied the hyena some more. She looked really thin; he could see her ribs and hip bones poking through her fur. She had some bald patches of fur, and he could see bite scars poking out from under the remaining fur. To his utter shock, he saw some old whip scars among them. Had she been whipped?

She snarled up at Thrax when she saw him looking. But there was more than hostility in her eyes. Thrax saw fear in those pale yellow eyes; fear resembling his own during his abusive childhood. Had she been abused? He knew dogs were treated badly during their lives in fighting rings, so that was a strong possibility.

"Yee-haw, we got us another fighter!" Preemer yelled out in glee. "Now you'll be able t'see th'Flamin Death in action."

"'Flaming Death'?" Thrax repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

Preemer paid no attention to him as he crouched down by Flaming Death's cage. "We got us a strong one, Flame! I want y'all t'get real mean an' win this one. Y'hear?" He stood up and poked her in the nose with his cane. This immediately sent her into a frenzy. With a loud growl, she tackled the side of the cage and stuck her arms out between the bars, claws flaming, and tried to scratch the germ. Her maw was wide open, and her teeth were bared as she roared ferociously. This only made Preemer laugh. "Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!"

Thrax stepped back once at the hyena's anger. "I don't think yer supposed to do that." He commented, glancing between Flaming Death and the cane.

"Hey, she's my hyena; I can do whatever I want with 'er." Preemer sniffed, walking away. The hyena laid back down with a humph.

Thrax looked back down at the hyena. "Not too fond of the fightin' life, huh, baby girl?" He asked, crouching by the cage again. "Can't say I'm a fan of yer fightin' name either."

The hyena looked up at Thrax. She twitched her lip as if threatening to show them again, and she still had the aggression and fear in her eyes. Yet, she listened to Thrax speak as though she was another virus. She looked as though she understood what he was saying. More than that, her eyes looked as though they were pleading, help me. Get me out of here.

Shrugging, Thrax just stood up and took his sunglasses out of his coat. "Good luck in the arena." He said as he put his sunglasses on. Hands in his pockets, he wondered off. Had he looked back, he would have seen the hyena glance at him before laying her head back on her paws.

Later, as the fight was beginning, Thrax sat on a crate on the outside of the arena, crossing one leg over the other. At first, he hadn't really wanted to watch the fight. He wasn't as enthusiastic about dogs—or dog-like creatures, like hyenas—as he was as a kid, but he still liked them, and didn't care to see them fight until one either gets injured or killed. But Preemer had been a good friend when he was still in school, and the fight would also give them the opportunity to catch up.

He glanced from the cage with the Flaming Death, which was covered in a tarp, to the opposite cage. This one was bare for all to see, and he could see a small germ dog with a square jaw. One would think this would be an easy win. However, something told Thrax something would go wrong; that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that warned him of his father's death, and the murder of his family.

Preemer's germ friend, a tall, thin light green germ with black clothing—including a shiny jacket—and a dirty bowler's hat, and a Spanish accent, stood on one crate above the chattering crowd. "Gentlemen, on three," He shouted, silencing the crowd. "Uno…dos…tres!"

The cages' doors were lifted, and both animals barreled out. Immediately, Flaming Death pinned her opponent to the ground, going for the throat. He pushed her off in the chest and bit her left foreleg. Its teeth had pierced her skin, and she began to bleed. The hyena pulled her leg frantically, but the dog held on tight. Then, she grabbed his foreleg in her mouth and pulled hard. He let her go and kicked her away in the stomach. Her mouth slipped off of his leg, and she crashed into a crate, blood on her teeth and oozing out of her injured leg.

"Get up, Flame!" Preemer yelled, hitting the crate Flaming Death had crashed into with his cane. "Get up an' fight!"

Glancing at her leg, she stood up and charged towards the dog, aiming once again for the throat. She managed to grab the dog's neck in her jaws. The cheers escalated. Thrax watched on with anticipation, but realized she wasn't doing anything more. She seemed to be loosing strength. Although she had the muscle, she was so thin; she didn't have enough energy to fight. And it was costing her.

The dog managed to turn its head and grab Flaming Death around the neck. He bit down with more power, and laid there as her mouth was removed from its neck. She lay there, and Thrax could hear her over the cheers for the winning dog, the boos, and Preemer's cussing; he could hear her yelping in pain. The dog ignored her as though his jaws were glued on her neck.

The next thing he knew it, Thrax stood up from the crate he was sitting on, kicked the crates shaping the arena to the side, and stormed over to the animals. Ignoring the yells aimed towards him, he lit his burner claw and shoved it into the side of the dog. He let the hyena's neck go with a yelp. Ignoring the dog as orange bubbles began forming and popping on its fur, killing it, Thrax turned to Flaming Death. Her injured leg and bitten neck were still bleeding. Eventually, she would bleed out. As he stood there, her eyes were fluttering shut.

Bending on one knee, Thrax gently lifted the hyena into his arms and stood up. He fully expected her to be light, as she was so very thin, but it still startled him that she weighed next to nothing. And he could feel her bones through his jacket and sweater.

"Preemer!" He yelled. "You better get a doctor, quick, or yer gonna lose her!"

Still muttering under his breath, Preemer walked among the crowd, asking for a doctor. Finally, a female cell walked through the crowd; she looked like a red blood cell. "Get her into the warehouse, now!" She yelled.

Not saying anymore, Thrax followed her into the warehouse, still holding the unconscious hyena.

A/N I know, I'm behind on the updates. I'm trying my best to write the next chapter for Queen of the Sanctuary. I'm still working out some kinks in the plot, and sometimes, I'm not in the mood for writing.

The next chapters are during Almira's Story, but they're in Thrax's POV. So there'll be some things you don't recognize, as well as some you DO recognize; like Almira meeting Thrax.

I tried to add some details I failed to add in AS; like Almira's condition, more than just being thin enough to see her bones. Since she fights, she's bound to lose some patches of fur, and has some scarring. Her full coat of fur just covers them unless it's parted or shaved. The whip scars are the oldest because she was whipped the earliest, which was a year prior, and since she destroyed it, she was only whipped for a short time.

I decided to add some hyena trivia :)