Meanwhile...

Probably the most ironic part of Detective Ian Malcolm's current situation was that he actually didn't like dogs. At all. As an almost entirely career focused individual he had little time for pets in general. Maybe a couple of goldfish or a hamster, something fairly easy to take care of and not too demanding. Dogs were loud, smelly and very demanding. It took a lot of time and effort to properly look after them. Doing so was rewarding, if you had that time but Ian most certainly did not. He spent most of his time in the office, out on the street or in various meetings with his employers. So yes, a dog was out of the question. Problem was, there wasn't a goldfish or a hamster guardian spirit

As to why he signed up with Ina, the Guardian Dog, the answer was simple enough. He was looking for a leg up into the police force, and she was looking to gain a man on the inside. She gave him that leg up and he fed her information. Win win. The problem came when she started demanding more than just information, which she had been doing with increasing frequency. Ian could probably refuse her orders, he wasn't exactly high up Ina's chain of command, though he was probably a bit higher now after the most recent debacle.

But that didn't mean he could just walk away whenever he wanted. Loyalty was a big issue In Ina's circles and treachery wasn't something she forgave. And while Ian wasn't especially intimidated by her, given his other connections, he didn't want to burn any bridges until he was sure he was standing in the best place. So, he had agreed to update Ina on the progress of his investigation. He would have preferred to have simply waited until it was complete to do this but Ina had insisted. Ian assumed she was desperate for some good news, not that he could blame her.

He hadn't been a part of the team sent to assault the headquarters of the Guardian Rabbit but he had certainly heard that it hadn't gone well. Six men lost and two more dogs. Of course, it was the loss of the dogs, Ina's beloved 'children,' that hit her the hardest. Ian didn't really understand it. She had plenty more mutts, and the ones she lost weren't especially valuable or well trained. They also weren't any of Ina's specially 'bred' specimens, just regular guard dogs from the kennels.

But Ina had taken their loss as a grave personal insult. Ian had certainly been surprised to hear about the result, his impression of Usa, The Guardian Rabbit, was that it was a coward and a pacifist that preferred hiding to fighting. Not a grave threat. But the results spoke for themselves.

Ian had found himself curious, unusual for him. He didn't usually stop to consider anyone else's situation, too concerned with improving his own. But he made an exception this one time and arrived at the Full Moon Kennels early, allowing him to catch the tail end of the Usa mission's debriefing. The operative in charge of the assault had been killed by Aria part of the way through the attack so his lieutenant, a former bouncer turned mercenary, was making the excuses instead. They'd better be pretty damned good.

Ina most certainly did not look pleased.

The frown on her face had become an almost permanent feature as of late. He couldn't entirely blame her, though at the same time she was certainly guilty of overextending herself. Even with the third largest organisation of all the guardian spirits, trying to fight against the tide when so many of her former companions had already capitulated was always going to be a mountainous task.

Then again it was largely down to her own stubbornness that she was gritting her teeth and hanging on when most of the others had accepted the new status quo. It wasn't even as though the fox had been especially overbearing. She was stronger than they were so she assumed the role of guardian. It shouldn't be any more complicated than that. The only thing stopping Ina from accepting the new sheriff in town was her own pride.

'So,' Ina concluded after the merc finished his report, 'you are saying a little red-headed skank showed up, put a fucking sword through Graham and then just left?' The unfortunate subordinate nodded, his fearful eyes following his employer as she paced back and forth in front of him. Ina didn't like chairs; they rarely gave her tail enough space. As such she preferred to lie across a sofa. But she also liked to pace, particularly when she was in a bad mood.

'Ok, so Graham was done in by a little demon bitch,' she continued, 'probably Aria seeing as that's her turf. No damn clue why that little pedo freak would get in our way, but not much we can do about that! So then, how did everyone else die? And why did I lose two more of my babies?' If the man was nervous before he was now positively quaking in his boots!

'We aren't entirely sure,' he admitted, 'something attacked Bravo team as they were sieging the rabbit's shrine. All I know for sure is that it was small, about the size of a child. After that Team Alpha broke through the front door and engaged the hostiles inside the building. We, er, don't actually know what happened inside.' Ina bared her sharp canine teeth as she asked her next question:

'Are you saying, you limp dicked asswipe, that your so-called team of professionals was beaten by a fucking child?'

'I'm saying I don't know for sure,' he confessed, 'anyone who got a good look didn't make it out to explain. At the very least we retrieved the sensor. No suspicious activity, we should be able to conclude that Usa does not have what we are looking for.' Ina growled.

'So we've suffered all these losses for another damned dead end? Whoopdey fucking do!' She waved a clawed paw.

'Alright, I'm sick of staring at your sorry face! Go make yourself useful downstairs! I'm sure Sanitation is looking for a few new hands.' Revulsion crossed the man's face for a moment before he masked it.

'As you wish,' he replied, turning and departing. Ina continued pacing.

'Can you believe this?' she demanded, though Ian knew she wasn't talking to him yet. Most likely she was addressing her 'half-sister.'

'Well you did say you wanted discipline and loyalty over competence,' Urma replied, examining her nails, 'and it isn't like we lost anyone of value. Just some basic grunts.' Ina growled again.

'And my children?' she demanded.

'You have lots of children, dear,' Urma reminded her, calmly, 'if you are going to get this bent out of shape about each one you lose then we might as well just give up now and let the fox win. I dare say many more lives will be lost before this is over.' Ina promptly let loose a single breath comprised of more and more colourful swear words.

'God damnit,' she finished, 'I hate the way you're so fucking reasonable! No idea where that came from!'

'Well, it must have come from you, dear,' her half-sister replied, 'maybe you did it subconsciously so you'd have someone around to curb your wildest of impulses?' Ina instinctively bristled.

'I don't need muzzling,' she protested, 'I'm no lapdog, I'm the biggest bitch around. Just you watch me prove it!' Urma smiled and nodded.

'Of course, you are, dear,' she responded, 'don't you worry. The fox has grown complacent. She's sure she's already won. So long as well keep letting her believe that we'll be fine.' Ina hopped onto the sofa next to her half-sister. Urma started to scratch her behind the ears. For a moment Ian believed that the pair had forgotten that he was still here before Ina's voice barked out.

'You gonna keep standing around like a piece of furniture Ian or are you gonna fucking say something?' Ian sighed. The last time he had announced his presence and she'd yelled at him for not waiting his turn. It really did feel as though Ina was someone who wasn't happy unless she had something to complain about. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she had a lot to complain about.

'You called me to speak on our findings,' he began, getting straight to business, 'well if you are looking for good news to brighten your day I have scarce little of that.' Ina snorted.

'Why am I not surprised! Well then! What do you have?'

'With the help of our mutual friends at the university I have been tracking the cat,' he informed her, 'we've encountered evidence of his handiwork and are drawing close. After examining the corrupted energy it's safe to say that the fox is involved. In which case we should be able to extrapolate that the cat is guarding one as well. It's only a matter of time until we find his hiding place.' Ina grinned.

'That's six now,' she declared, 'only two more to find. And Hei?' Ian shrugged.

'As cautious as ever,' he replied, 'if Hei has one then it's well guarded. None of our agents have gotten close to the temple let alone had a chance to scan for the fox's energy. But considering just about all the other spirits have one…'

'Except Usa doesn't,' Ina countered. Ian shrugged.

'That was always going to be a long shot,' he admitted, 'I doubt the little fluff ball could guard his own tail adequately. And the rat has always done its own thing. But we have confirmed that the ox, sheep, chicken, horse and boar are all guarding one. Assuming the cat and snake are both also guarding one that just leaves one left to locate. Once we know where they all are we can move on to the next phase of the plan.' Ina grinned, flashing her pointed teeth at him.

'Then we'll have that cocky little bitch right by the cunt!' She barked. Then her lupine ear twitched and she frowned again.

'We are forgetting the dragon,' she growled. Ian shrugged:

'What about it?' He countered, 'the dragon hasn't been seen even before the fox took over. No way it's in league with her now, right? More likely the fox snuffed the dragon out beforehand, figuring it was the strongest.'

'It was not the strongest,' Ina roared, 'I'm the top dog! Me! Remember?' Ian fought the urge to sigh. This creature and her weird hang-ups. She was trying so hard to be the best at everything. She'd even altered her own form so that she appeared more wolf than dog. Oddly enough she still considered herself very much a dog. Her argument being that wolves are just big dogs.

Urma started caressing her half-sister's head and neck.

'Yes, yes,' she confirmed, 'we all know that, dear, calm down now,' Ina practically purrs with joy at Urma's fusses, settling back down.

'We were all strong, in our own ways' she continued, 'but the dragon was always the best at gathering power quickly. One on one, it'd never lose to anyone. I'm not sure even that bitch could have got the drop on it easily. More likely it just got bored and wandered off. It was always concerned about the stupidest shit! No, forget the dragon! We have more important things to deal with.' Ian inclined his head.

'And Usa?' he asked. A growl escaped Ina's throat, unimpeded by Urma's efforts.

'We'll leave the rabbit alone,' she concluded, 'let Usa quake and hide like the fucking waste of space toerag it is! We cannot afford to waste any more resources on a dead end! I'll have my reckoning with the little shit, but not now!'

'Very well,' Ian agreed, 'we'll continue our hunt for the cat. If that is all, I shall take my leave.' Ina waved a hand at him, already going back to enjoying her half-sister's attentions. Ian frowned in spite of himself. Conceited woman! Who the hell does she think she's kidding! She hadn't been able to beat the fox back when almost all her guardian spirit friends were fighting with her! How did she expect to win now with the majority of them against her? It was foolish, going on suicidal. And she was only even doing it because she refused to admit that there was someone out there better than she was. If Ian didn't owe her for getting him where he was today, he wouldn't bother helping her.

But that didn't mean he'd be throwing his life away for her like the rest. Maybe it was because he was low down on the food chain and Ina didn't seem that bothered about him, but Ian didn't feel much loyalty towards the guardian dog at all. Her efforts to dethrone the current Guardian only served her own interests and she'll likely see many lives thrown away in the pursuit of it. Ian had no intention of being one of them. He just needed to make sure he waited for the best moment to jump ship. Was there anyone else around who could use an informant in the police force?

But first there were a few issues that needed clearing up. His investigation for Ina, for one but he had his other work for the force as well. And there was that one issue. The suspicious boy from the school. Sister Cassandra believed him to be a victim of some nefarious plot, but Ian wasn't so sure. The kid recognised Ina's first agent, the one who went missing while on assignment at Usa's place.

After further inquiry Ian had a name to go with the face. Zachary Robinson, best friend to Roger Mason, who just so happened to live at the same address that Usa did. Detectives rarely believed in coincidences. Victim or not, this kid wasn't normal. The only question left was what, if anything Ian should do about it. Sister Cassandra seemed more concerned about the boy, maybe waiting for her to make the first move would be prudent. After that, who could say…