To tell you right now, I'm nervous about this chapter.

The tabby scouts his surrounding as he slowly moved to the parcel. It was an open area surrounded by bushes and a couple trees. No one was around. Feeling pride of finding a fourth prize, he was oblivious to the tom that suddenly tapped his back with the steel fang. Chance froze; not bothering to see who it could be because that tom spoke.

"I won't let you have him."

Chapter 7:

Heartache

"Damn it!" Jake almost tripped. The bog made running difficult and, to make things worse, he lost sight of Rick. Frustrated, Jake growled at his uselessness. Chance was about to die and he had no idea where to find him. He began to hate the swamp since the mud and water covered their scent. Jake finally fell to his knees. The slick muddy water spread in every direction. A small splash landed just under his eye. The mud stained, but the water slid off like tears. There was only one thing he could do. He needed to tell his superiors about Rick.

Jake rose and started towards base camp. He stopped at a thought. If he told the superiors about Rick's plan, doesn't that make him liable? Jake could be kicked off the Enforcers just for keeping this a secret. This wasn't the time to stop. Jake had to tell. It was the only way. The lean tom began running again.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what!" Rick jabbed the gun harder into Chance's back. "Jake is mine. There is no way I'm letting you take him. After I get you out of the way, the Commander is next."

Chance gritted his teeth. He held the parcel in his paws and slowly crushed the box. Whatever was inside would eventually be broken. "What makes you think I'm not going to fight back?"

"If you even try to attack me, I'll kill Jake."

"You won't kill him!" Chance fought the urge to react. He doesn't want to risk the chances of thinking that was a fib or the truth.

"Shut up!" The tabby could feel Rick trembling by the gun. "You don't know what it's like to watch someone you love be taken away."

"I do know how that feels." Chance eased at his own answer. "Jealousy; anger; I know it too well. I fought the other out of anger because he told me I can't be near Jake anymore." He fisted his paws, "Now it's happening again. And this time, I won't loss!" Chance quickly wrested the pistol away from Rick. The gun fell into the water and Rick glared at the tabby.

"You're just his best friend. You wouldn't know true love." Rick pulled out his second pistol. Chance growled at Rick's act to quickly eliminate him. "A tom like you would truly never understand."

Chance dove out of Rick's aim. It was difficult for the tabby, but he managed to avoid getting shot. He inched closer to Rick so he could pin him down but it seemed that the light brown tom caught on. Chance hid behind a tree big enough to cover him. He peeked over the edge only to pull back as soon Rick fired. In that short time, he saw a way to stop Rick.

'I need to get to the parcel.' Chance thought.

"Just give up Chance!" Rick called out. "You can't save yourself! It's over! Jake is mine, he always has been! I knew the second I saw him we would be together!"

"Don't lie to yourself!" Chance yelled back. "I won't give up on Jake. It took me forever to realize I loved him. With the help of some close friends, I came to accept those feelings. Jake and I went through a lot of suffering and pain to get this far." Chance made a sprint for the parcel. "I won't give up!" The tabby dove, winced, and grabbed a grenade. He threw it the second he pulled the pin and averted his eyes. Rick yelled from the flash, but continued to fire aimlessly.

Chance couldn't get himself to stand. A sharp pain kept him on all four. He placed a paw on his lower left abdomen as he used a tree to help him stand. After some heavy breaths, Chance retreated into the foliage. Some short time later, he heard Rick yelling in agitation.

"You can't go very far! I'll find you eventually! If you're still alive, you'll die by my own paws!"

"What do you mean you can't?" Jake slammed his paws on the table holding returned parcels. "My mate is out there! He's being hunted by a sociopath who wants him and the Commander dead!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't do anything to help. This swamp is huge and our soldiers are scattered all over."

"That's why we have radio! God damn it! You're useless!"

"You there," Jake turned around to the call of a strong tone. "What was that you just said?"

"Commander Feral…?" The lean tom eyed the larger tom. Commander Feral raised an eyebrow upon seeing Jake's face.

"You're the tom who was attacked a couple months ago."

"And, you're the Commander who captured my attacker." Jake glared at the Commander but is managing to calm down. "Like I was saying, my mate is being hunted down by Rick-"

"Rick…? Not that tom." Commander Feral groaned upon hearing who it was. "I understand the situation. We must stop Rick before he kills your 'mate'."

"But sir," the Enforcer behind the table started. "We don't have the men needed for this."

"Quiet you fool!" Feral yelled. "The young private and I will handle this. Come, you."

"Yes sir." Jake followed behind the large tom into the swamp. Feral had asked Jake how long he knew Rick. Jake didn't want to answer but the words came out. It had almost been three months since they arrived. Rick had been acting distant and secretive, but also kind spirited.

"That's just it," Feral said. "Rick may seem innocent, but he is considered dangerous. He has been threatening me for months. Ever since I made that arrest, Rick promised he would kill me in cold blood."

"So, that's what Rick meant when he said you took someone special from him away." Jake began to go into deep thought. He was trying to remember all previous cases of arrests that he has heard of, but all he could remember was the bank robbery and…

"I never would have guessed the tom who attacked you had a mate."

"What…?"

"The tom who attacked you was in a relationship with Rick." Commander Feral explained more clearly. "Even though you were assaulted for your choice in lifestyle, he kept his a secret. The tom felt he could make himself seem less obvious of his sexuality by hurting another of that same lifestyle. What a pitiful excuse."

Jake was taken aback from this. All of this is happening because that one tom got arrested. And Rick, he felt he needed to avenge his mate. This whole incident has now become personal.

"We need to find Rick. As his friend, his one friend, I have to stop him."

The tabby was losing his vision. Even though he covered his wound with a piece of his uniform, he was still losing a lot of blood. Walking was beginning to become a task and the foliage only made it more difficult. Finally, the overgrowth of vines that crawled on the ground tripped him. A branch scrapped past his wound and Chance bit down on his lip to prevent screaming. This time, he didn't plan on getting up because the tabby hadn't the strength to. The ground was cold and slick. Chance managed to turn on his back and noticed that the bushes around him made a barrier. Exhausted, he closed his eyes.

The sound of frogs crocking nearby and bugs buzzing only made Chance wish he could get out of the swamp sooner. Not bothering to check his wound, he placed a digit near the tender flesh and the pain made him wince. He needed help fast or he would bleed out to death, but Chance wasn't going to let that happen. Soon, the sounds around him faded away. Sleep has taken him.

Chance doesn't know how long he was asleep. The sky was dark and, amazingly, he was still alive. When he checked his wound, a large layer of dry mud covered the wrapped area. It acted as a seal and was grateful for that.

He went stiff when he heard rustling in the foliage around him. The rustling got louder and stopped just a few feet away to his left. Chance made sure he didn't move and make a sound. The kat sighed in frustration and was walking the other way.

"Chance, where are you?"

The familiar voice made Chance realize it was Jake. He slowly sat up; "Ja-" his weak cry was immediately muffled by a paw and a knife to his neck. The cold steel blade made Chance mentally curse as he heard the rustling sounds fade into the darkness. Not having the strength to fight back, he was starting to loss hope.

"You were a hard tom to find. Lucky for me, you're still alive." Rick slowly sliced and gave the tabby a small cut on his neck. "How should I kill you?" He placed the knife just below Chance's eye. "No, I don't feel like making a mess." The knife slowly skimmed to Chance's chest.

"What will you gain from killing me?" Chance asked hoarsely. "When he finds out I'm dead, Jake will know you killed him. He will never forgive you, let alone, love you."

"Shut up." Rick brought the knife back to the tabby's neck. "Jake will move on and I'll be there for him. I'll comfort him and, eventually, he will see that he loves me."

"You're crazy." Adrenaline started to build up within Chance. "I'm tired of your twisted logic. The way you think pisses me off. Get this into your thick skull!" Chance used his whole body to push Rick back, and then punched him in his face. Rick grabbed his nose and yelled with pain. "I don't want to see Jake suffer. I'll fight to see him happy. Whatever pain comes his way; I'll be his shield and take the blow. As long as I fight for Jake, I know I can keep on living!"

"Chance!" The tabby turned around as best as he could to see Jake coming towards him. Chance struggled to his feet. He ignored the pain coursing through him. He took one step forward and almost lost his balanced.

Jake rushed to the tabby. He went from a run to a sprint. Fear made him act. The lean tom grabbed Chance and pulled him back as the knife penetrated him instead. Rick pulled the blade out and staggered back.

"Jake!" Chance quickly held on to the lean tom. He couldn't believe that Jake acted as his shield. The stab landed in the same place as before.

"Why did you that?" Rick dropped the knife and fell to his knees and paws. "I killed Jake, the last person who understood how I felt. That's two that I've lost now!" Rick quickly took the pistol in Jake's hold.

"Rick, don't do this. Jake was just trying to protect me." Rick cocked the gun. "Killing me won't do anything but make things worse."

"I'm sorry." Rick placed the steel tip at his temple. "I just can't continue living knowing that I killed someone I loved."

Bang!

The lights were bright. He didn't know when he passed out. All he knew was that he was taken to the infirmary. His mind was groggy and hazy from whatever they gave him. There was a pinch in his abdomen, not enough to yell out but only wince. He tried to see what they were doing, but a powerful paw pushed him back to lie down. He couldn't make out the words they were telling him. He felt another pinch, but this time, near his wrist. Everything starts to turn black. Whatever they gave him again worked fast. Then, there was nothing. No sound; no light; there wasn't even any pain. It was just nothing.

He heard a voice telling him to get up. It nudged on and annoyed him. Then he realized he knew that voice. Slowly, a small crack of light pierced through his dark vision. More seeped through until he could see a focusing image. He rubbed his eyes and groaned from the extreme exhaustion.

"You're awake." The voice he heard now was different. His peripheral vision captured the relieved look he was getting.

"Jake, what…?"

"Rick is getting the help he needs."

"He's not dead?" For some reason, this didn't disappoint the tabby. He's actually really glad.

"No, he's not." Jake sighed. "When I found out that he thought he killed me, I had to see him. I didn't want him thinking that he killed a friend."

The memory of Jake taking the stab that was meant for him made Chance shudder. At that moment, he too thought he lost Jake. It quickly made him angry. Chance grabbed the collar of Jake's muddy uniform and pulled him closer.

"Why did you get in the way? You scared the hell out of me when Rick stabbed you!"

"I heard what you said about being my shield. So, I wanted to do the same. That way, we can overcome out pain together. I'm not a kitten who needs to be babied. I want to become an Enforcer who protects the citizens of the city and those I care for. I want to protect you too." Jake leaned in and kissed Chance passionately. "You don't have to carry all our suffering on your own."

Chance pulled Jake into a deeper kiss making his need noted. Jake ran a paw down his chest and feeling the tabby's newly formed body. After being apart for so long, he made his decision.

"Chance…"

"Hmm…?"

"I promise, I'll stay by your side. Forever."

I've thought about ending it here but that would leave a huge cliff hanger. Okay, give me your honest reviews. (I can take it)