Wolf's Rose
A lone shuttle raced through the darkness of space, its single occupant coaxing the vessel's maximum speed. Though the pilot would have been more comfortable in his Wolfen, he knew that for a mission such as this, an inconspicuous ship was a necessary evil. The lupine had even gone as far as to dye his fur black to help sell the upcoming deception. With sunglasses over his eyes, he was certain that his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
Wolf's girlfriend Carmen had taken a job to find a missing teenage vixen the previous week. After the dingo failed to check in, Wolf did some digging and didn't like what he found. The teen in question had turned up for auction on a black-market website, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what likely happened to his girl. As soon as Wolf worked it out, he threw every weapon and explosive he had in this shuttle and set off to get her. Days, hours…even minutes counted in a situation such as this. After 2 days in space, Wolf was finally closing in on his goal.
"Attention shuttle 3896, please transmit your access code immediately."
The 'goal' in question was a space station known in the underworld as the Stockade. It was infamous for being the single largest market of slaves in the system. To avoid the authorities, the station's location was constantly changing. By paying 50,000 credits to one of the Stockade's agents and passing their background inspection, you could get coordinates to its current position. As Wolf transmitted the code, he briefly reflected on the multiple violent felonies he'd committed the past week, both to gather the necessary cash and prove to the dealers that he wasn't a cop.
"Code confirmed. Welcome to the Stockade Mr. Dawson, please proceed to docking bay 6. An escort will be waiting."
Following directions, the black lupine soon landed in a massive hanger filled with ships of all sizes, parking in slot 846. While many of the vessels were mainstream transports like his own, a fair few were custom-built pleasure craft. The amount of money flowing around on this station was astronomical. No sooner had the black wolf stepped out of his ship than he was greeted by the promised 'escort'.
"Welcome Mr. Dawson" a lithe husky said before giving a bow. Wolf had seen lingerie models with more coverage than this canine. "I am Laika, and I will be your complementary escort for the duration of your stay. Do you require any rest or food after your journey?"
"I don't" Wolf replied, eager to not waste time. "I'm too eager to see the merchandise" he continued, forcing himself to smile. He was in the hornet's nest now, and he'd have to play the game or die trying.
"Very good Mr. Dawson. Please follow me to the arena, today's auction will commence in 20 minutes."
Laika led Wolf towards the docking bay's doors to enter the station proper. Before crossing the threshold however, they were stopped by two guards at the entrance.
"Mr Dawson is it?" a labrador spoke up.
Wolf nodded in the affirmative
"Please pardon the delay Sir, but as it's your first time we've been instructed to give you a rundown on Stockade etiquette. Firstly, weapons are forbidden outside the hanger. You're not carrying anything on you now, are you Sir?"
Though Wolf shook his head the labrador still gave him a brief scan with a handheld device, checking the lupine for any contraband.
"Thank you for your patience, Sir."
Wolf's only response was an annoyed grunt.
"The only other rule is that you MUST complete a purchase prior to your departure. Your $50,000 advance will be credited towards your total balance."
"Wait, you're telling me I HAVE to buy here?"
"That's correct Mr Dawson" the guard said nodding. "Our benefactor believes the relationship between merchant and customer is a sacred bond. By committing to a purchase, we strengthen that bond with mutual trust and friendship."
'More like dirt to blackmail me with' the annoyed lupine thought.
"Anything else" Wolf asked, quickly growing impatient.
"No Sir" the guard responded as he and his partner held open the double doors. "Enjoy the spectacle."
Wolf followed the husky through the lavishly decorated corridors of the station. He'd been expecting metal floors, metal walls and of course metal doors, but contrary to all reason, the station outside the hanger was an interior designer's wet dream. Carpeted floors, wooden doors and expensive art on every wall. The slaver-syndicate seemed eager to advertise their wealth and power to command higher prices for their goods. It took over 20 minutes of walking before the pair arrived at the doors to the arena, truly a testament to the sheer scale of the Stockade.
Laika led Wolf through the arena entrance before the pair turned left to walk down a curved hallway. Countless doors were spaced at roughly 20-foot intervals. After a short trek the husky announced their arrival.
"This will be our room Mr Dawson" she said, opening a door with a number that matched his parking space, before ushering the lupine to follow her.
The room itself was luxurious enough, the furniture alone was probably worth more than what Wolf made in a year, but that wasn't the highlight. No…at the other end of the room stood not a normal wall, but a wall-sized glass window, its tinting indicating it was a one-way mirror. Wolf looked out the window and saw hundreds, if not thousands of other mirrors arranged in a spherical design above a center stage. It was as if he was looking down into the center of an indoor sports stadium, yet instead of a field at the base he saw a raised platform.
Laika guided Wolf to a chair overlooking the window before giving him a crash course on how to use it.
"This button here will signify your bid" she gestured to a switch on the right armrest. "If another patron outbids you, simply press it again to meet the auctioneer's minimum raise."
As the lupine settled down into his seat, he was surprised when Laika brushed up against him.
"Can I get you anything else Sir?" the scantily dressed husky inquired "a glass of wine, a massage, perhaps something more…intimate?" she continued as her paw moved towards his nether regions.
"No, no…I'm fine" Wolf quickly responded, catching the husky's wandering paw before it could grasp anything sensitive. "I'm here to buy, don't distract me!"
The outlaw thought he saw a shimmer of relief in the young female's eyes, but as quickly as it arrived it was gone, and her monotone professional persona returned.
"Of course, Mr Dawson" she said quickly taking a seat adjacent to him "the auction will commence momentarily."
The pair didn't have long to wait. Soon the lighting outside the window dimmed while the stage was illuminated. Speakers near the stage sounded off, the arena's acoustics ensuring the festive music was distributed evenly to every viewing room.
A small hole opened in the center of the stage before a female dalmatian rose out on a lift, smoke and a lightshow accompanying her entrance. She was dressed in a skimpy ringmaster's costume and twirling a baton to boot. Stepping off the lift and walking around the stage, she began to talk, her words carried by speakers to the observers.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Stockade!" She announced with all the enthusiasm of a preppy high school cheerleader. Her voice was followed by cheering and clapping sound effects now coming from the speakers. "We've listened to your requests and are 100%-committed to customer satisfaction. Now without further ado, let the auction begin!"
The lift opened again, slowly revealing a new mammal emerging from the smoke.
"Our first offering is a lovely little kitten from the winter mountains of Katina. You can bet she knows how to keep HER special someone warm!"
The smoke soon cleared, revealing a snow leopard dressed in exaggerated winter clothing. The revealing garments clearly designed to highlight her figure rather than offer any practical protection from the cold. Grasping the leash hanging from the cat's neck, the dalmatian led the snow leopard in a circle around the stage, showing her off to the unseen buyers.
"Who'll be the lucky one to take this Snow Angel home today? We'll start the bidding at $100-thousand credits. Let's Go!" the dalmatian finished, raising her arm and striking a pose.
She was soon rewarded by the sound of several pings as the bidders rushed to make a claim. Each time a buyer made an offer, their one-way window would offer a brief flash of light to match the sound, letting the creature behind the glass know that their bid had been submitted.
"Oh, I see we started the bidding too low" the bubbly dalmatian gleefully let off. "We're now up to $200-thousand with a min-raise of 10K."
The dalmatian gave another warm smile to the crowd as she took in the noise and light show surrounding her, thinking of her good fortune. A mere 8 years ago, SHE was on the other end of that leash, being gawked at and sold like an animal. It had taken years to convince her master that she was more than just a pretty face, but when he finally recognized her talent for marketing, showmanship and business the old bastard quickly gave HER the task of 'liquidating' the merchandise. Needless to say, the dog was eager to please and not lose the power and privileges she'd gained by cooperating.
Every week, she went over the customer-submitted preferences with a fine-tooth comb and designed each auction accordingly to maximize the Stockade's profits. For example, this week saw an elderly hound wanting another cat to augment his previous feline purchases. It also saw the return of two arctic fox brothers who were in the market for a cold-tolerant girl to warm up their frozen lair. All the dalmatian had to do was put on-stage a girl who matched both preferences and watch the sparks fly as the clients dueled with their bids. Brawling with all the tenacity of a pack of predators fighting over a fresh kill.
"Going once, going twice…and SOLD to the lucky buyer in room 274. With how pretty this kitty is, I think we can all agree that $2-million credits is money well spent!"
The dalmatian soon led the snow leopard back to the lift and watched her sink away from view, the young feline now unable to hold back the tears in her eyes. 'Better her than me' the speckled dog nonchalantly thought before moving on to reveal the next item on the menu. It looked like today was going to be a feeding frenzy.
High above the stage in his darkened room, Wolf took in the spectacle before him, watching in hypnotic horror as girl after girl was brought out and sold. Occasionally, one of the buyers would request a closer look, prompting the dalmatian to remove an article of clothing that was restricting their view. Other times a buyer would ask a question, prompting the dalmatian to coax the answer out of the girl.
'You sick fuck!' Wolf thought as one buyer asked if the current girl on display had a bad gag reflex. After vocal prompting from the dalmatian, and some threatening prods from her baton, the purple avian gave a subdued "yes" as a response.
Yet what disturbed Wolf most lay not outside the room, but rather within himself. It took a while for him to notice it, but he found himself shockingly desensitized to the whole affair. He'd seen horrors aplenty during his time working for Andross, countless cities razed, and millions of people slaughtered in every possible way. This auction was disgusting, but still merely a drop in the Lylat system's collective bucket of misery. Not something he'd usually waste his thoughts on.
'Am I really that callous?' Wolf silently pondered, afraid of getting an honest answer. He was soon snapped out of his musings however by that damnable dalmatian.
"And for our next offering, we have something special for our adventurous types out there. A feisty girl in desperate need of some discipline."
Smoke drifted from the lift as a familiar dingo was slowly raised into focus. Carmen's body was more secured than the previous females had been, with her arms restrained behind her back. As with her predecessors, the desert dog was dressed in a gimmick that matched her species, in this case a slave-girl costume straight out of an arabian-nights fantasy.
"With a body hotter than Titanian sand and a temper to match, let us present…the Desert Rose! Who here can overcome her thorns to get at her petals? Let's start th..."
PING, a chime rang out in sync with a flash from a window high above the stage, the man behind it clearly impatient to buy.
"Oh" beamed the dalmatian as she gave off another large smile "I see we have someone who likes a challenge up there. Do we have another?" she continued, scanning the surrounding windows and seeing a torrent of flashes and pings from every direction.
Up in his chair Wolf was smashing the button down again and again, unwilling to give the sensor a break. Carmen was coming home with him, and he'd make damn-sure none of these scumbags laid a finger on her.
"Going once, going twice…and SOLD to the bidder in room 846, with a final price of $3.5-million credits. To the lucky Sir or Ma'am up there, this is one impressive firecracker, take care not to get burned!"
Wolf watched as Carmen sunk back into the stage on the lift, soon disappearing from view. A new female started to be raised but Wolf had lost all interest in the dalmatian's sales pitch. Turning to his companion, he asked the only question that mattered.
"Laika, when do I get her?!"
"At the conclusion of the auction Sir. After a purchase, the girls are prepared for their departure and then brought as a group to the hangers. You will receive her then."
"That's too long!" Wolf growled at the now flustered husky "I want her now!"
"Mr Dawson please" Laika responded, trying to calm the irate lupine "Protocol dictates that..."
"NOW!" shouted Wolf, slamming his fists on the chair's armrests as he gave the cowering husky a toothy snarl.
"O-of course Sir, please…let me contact my overseer."
Laika pressed a few buttons on the chair causing the hologram of a german shepherd in a suit to appear in the room. The husky quickly explained the situation to the canine.
"I apologize Mr Dawson, but it's against our policy to deliver merchandise to the observation decks."
"Oh really?" the lupine snapped back "Because that hussy ringmaster down there promised 100% customer satisfaction. Well…I ain't satisfied!"
The shepherd leaned out of focus, clearly talking to someone else offscreen, after a few seconds his hologram soon returned to full view.
"Of course Mr. Dawson, the customer is always right. We'll have her brought up immediately, please have your payment ready."
"Will do" the black wolf tersely replied before cutting the feed. He didn't have $3.5-million credits, but he had the next best thing, a plan.
A few minutes later saw a knock at door 846, followed by four canines entering the room. A still-restrained Carmen was pushed before a border collie and a doberman while the german shepherd from before walked up to the lupine to collect the Stockade's fee.
"This ain't the girl I bought" Wolf opened the conversation, trying to stall for time. "What kinda trick are you trying to pull here?"
"I assure you Sir, this dingo is the one from the stage, she…"
"Nonsense!" Wolf continued, walking up to Carmen and meeting her eyes. His disguise was foolproof against these thugs, but against someone who recognized his voice and his scent, it was paper-thin. "Where's the REAL Desert Rose, cause this ain't her!" Wolf barked, soon seeing his girlfriend's eyes widen in understanding.
"Mr Dawson" the german shepherd said between grinding teeth, his patience wearing thin. "This IS the female you bid on, exactly as advertised. We're bending the rules for your convenience as a gesture of our sincerity. Now, with all due respect, can you please tell me how you intend to PAY for her? Will it be with credits or in-kind?"
"Credits my good man!" Wolf said in a now cheery voice, swaggering up to the canine, all trace of his previously foul mood gone… "and here you are!" Wolf continued depositing a few small-denomination credit chips into the confused dog's paw. "Hope you don't mind…there's blood on those."
Before the other dog could ask what Wolf meant, the lupine sucker-punched the unsuspecting shepherd with a left-hook, knocking him senseless to the floor. Not wasting a beat, he tackled the surprised Doberman, dropping them both to the floor. Wolf soon pulled out a concealed belt-buckle knife and drove it repeatedly into the pinned dog's torso. The border collie moved to help his friend, but was tripped by Carmen, sending him clumsily to the ground. The dingo then followed it up with a swift kick to the collie's head. In less than 15 seconds, the three thugs were incapacitated.
Wolf wanted nothing more than to wrap Carmen in a hug and hold her tightly for the next 10-years, but his instincts pressed him ahead. After swiftly freeing the dingo from her bonds, he moved to tie up the loose ends.
"Carmen, check them for anything useful" he ordered, as he pulled off the shepherd's wristcom and started to dig through it. 'Paid in full' he mockingly thought as he used the shepherd's device to trick the system into believing that Carmen had been 'bought' by the client. With that done, he grabbed a blaster from inside the shepherd's jacket and used its lowest setting to quietly fry the 3 motionless dogs. After Wolf was confident the guards wouldn't be going after them, or anywhere else for that matter, he then pointed his weapon at the room's other occupant.
"Sorry Laika, but we can't have you blabbing."
Before Wolf could permanently silence the petrified husky, Carmen put a hand on his shoulder.
"WOLF, DON'T!" she pleaded "She's a slave too."
"Can't chance it" was the lupine's only response as he charged-up another shot. They'd been lucky so far, but loose ends had a nasty habit of coming undone, and he'd be damned if some foolish act of mercy scuttled his rescue.
"Please Wolf…it's not her fault…we can take her with us" Carmen continued.
"…Fine!" Wolf snarled as he finally lowered the pistol, the whirl of its charge fading away. "Back to the shuttle then, quick!"
"We have to save the others too!"
"Are you nuts?!" Wolf exploded "We're taking a risk with this husky already and now you wanna play hero? There must be thousands of slaves on this rig, we can't pack them all in!"
"Just the girls that were sold today" the dingo pleaded. "Please! If they leave here now with the buyers, then they'll never be rescued. The cops can save the others after we call in the Stockade's location. I have a plan…Laika can help too."
"Yes, Yes, Please, Yes!" husky added, furiously nodding her head. That merciful dingo had tossed her a lifeline and she was desperate to grab hold.
Carmen quickly explained her idea to Wolf and though the lupine was reluctantly convinced of the plan's feasibility, only his lover's immovable insistence on helping the others convinced him to begrudgingly go along.
"Take this" he said, handing his blaster to the dingo. "If she tries to skip out on you, make her regret it! I'll get things ready at the shuttle, if you're even 1-second behind schedule, I'm coming in guns blazing!"
"We'll be there" Carmen assured him before giving the lupine a quick kiss.
Leaving her boyfriend behind, Carmen took Laika with her to the holding area where she'd been waiting with the other post-auction girls. The husky used her wristcom to gain the pair access to the secured room. With the german shepherd and his friends absent, they could speak freely, at least for the moment.
"Listen up!" Carmen shouted, quickly becoming the center of attention. "My boyfriend's here to bust us out. Just follow our instructions and we'll get you all home!"
The dingo surveyed the room and saw that not everyone was convinced. This would be harder than she thought.
"Well, if it isn't the 'Desert Rose' herself" a black poodle sneered. "They weren't joking when they said you had an attitude problem. There IS no escape from this hell, and when that horndog Fritz comes back, you'll see WHY!"
"Oh really?" Carmen replied, flashing the dead shepherd's weapon to emphasize her point. "We'll get you out of here, I promise!"
"But how?" the poodle continued, afraid to have a spark of hope, lest it be painfully extinguished. The dog had been kidnapped as a young pup and spent most of her teenage years imprisoned on the Stockade. Now that she was over 18, they'd finally gotten around to selling her. Hope was something that didn't last long in this miserable place.
With a comforting smile, Carmen quickly explained her plan to the others. After every new sentence the dingo saw the cynicism weaken in the eyes of her audience. For too long, these girls had been living in despair, afraid to dare to believe that things would ever get better. Their great escape was ON, and after a few 'wardrobe adjustments' at Carmen's direction, the crowd waited for the final pieces to fall into place. They didn't have to wait long, the entrance doors hissed open, allowing a small group of Stockade guards to enter the holding area.
"Where's Fritz?!" a golden retriever demanded to no one in particular. It was against Stockade regulations to leave the merchandise unsupervised, and he wanted to be damn-well sure that HE didn't get blamed for this oversight.
"He went to the cell blocks to sample some of the merchandise" Laika offered. "He asked me to take over until he got back."
The sight of an escort-slave partially reassured the canine. Technically, the girls 'were' being monitored by a Stockade worker, but this was still way out of line.
"He should've known better! Where are the others?"
"They went with him Sir. If I may be so bold, they all sounded a bit drunk."
The mention of drinking on the job caused the retriever to growl. He'd like nothing better than to wring the necks of those slackers…but that would have to wait. All the buyers had cleared their account balances and immediate delivery was expected. The ringmaster took pride in the Stockade's customer service, and she'd have his balls for breakfast if the merchandise delivery was even one minute late.
"All of you follow me, NOW!" he barked. The canine was pleased to see their immediate compliance as he led the mixed group to docking bay 6 to meet their new owners.
XXXXXXXXXX Docking Bay 6 XXXXXXXXXX
Wolf stood next to his shuttle as he waited for Carmen to arrive with the others, his right hand not far from his now-strapped blaster. As he scanned the packed hanger, he saw dozens of other creatures doing the same. Sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, all apparently eager to get their hands on the goods. As the large doors whooshed open, all eyes went to the incoming party as a golden retriever led the captives to their fate.
'Carmen, you sly dog' Wolf thought, cracking a grin. Things were about to get wild.
As the group filed in, the girls were directed by the guards towards their buyers. After a successful bid, each girl was tagged with a sticker on their shoulder, identifying their new owner's parking lot number. While Laika and Carmen went straight to Wolf, it soon became apparent that there was a bit of a mix up with the others. Within seconds, angry shouts, accusations and threats filled the hanger.
"I didn't buy a bunny!"
"Hands off my vixen!"
"Where's our snow angel?!"
Surprise-Surprise, it appeared that the scum of the system didn't seem to trust each other. Who'd of thought? Blasters and other weapons were quickly drawn as the buyers and guards eyed each other suspiciously.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, PLEASE!" the golden retriever shouted over the din, desperately trying to regain control of the situation. "This is a simple mistake…let me confirm with management on the order of delivery, we'll get this sorted out for you immediately!"
'Well…that just won't do' thought Wolf as he drew and pointed his blaster at the troublesome canine. This hanger was a powder keg, and for them to make their getaway it was necessary for him to strike a match.
"The slavers are trying to cheat us!" Wolf shouted before dropping the retriever with a single shot to the face. "Fuck'em up!"
The buyers didn't need to be told twice, they soon opened up on the outnumbered guards with everything they had. The guards returned fire as they fled, desperately moving towards any available cover. Wolf soon threw some smoke grenades into the melee, adding to the confusion. If the stakes weren't so high, he'd have thought the situation was hilarious as he watched a room full of poor marksmen trade shots with each other like some sort of half-assed laser tag game.
"Security to docking bay 6! Security to docking bay 6!" a speaker repeatedly shouted as klaxons began to sound off.
While the guards and buyers blasted away in free-for-all fashion, the girls were quickly making their way to Wolf's shuttle. Some sprinted, some crouched and those closest to the heat of the skirmish crawled on their belly. Thankfully, in the surrounding confusion, none of the guards or buyers gave them a second glance. Each side clearly more interested in wiping-out the other, while somehow surviving through the chaos.
"30, 31, 32…That's the last one!" Carmen shouted to the lupine as she helped a purple parrot up the ramp and onto the shuttle. "Get us out of here Wolf!"
After squeezing off a few final shots, Wolf turned and raced up the ramp, slapping the ramp-closing button on the wall before bounding to the cockpit. The lupine pushed his way through the now packed ship and jumped into the pilot's seat, praying that the bedlam outside would be enough to cover their retreat.
In a matter of seconds, Wolf powered up the shuttle and lifted it off the ground. As they headed for the hanger door they were struck by a few glancing shots from the ground, but thankfully nothing serious.
"EVERYBODY, HANG ON!" he shouted, before stomping on the gas. The shuttle rocketed through the hanger, soon blowing through the energy field that separated the docking bay from the void outside the station.
Before the lupine could relax, Wolf noticed fighter craft were moving to intercept them. Mercifully he only counted 4. Without the ongoing bedlam in docking bay 6, it likely would've been over a dozen. A gruff voice soon appeared on the shuttle's radio, blasting on all frequencies.
"Attention shuttle 3896, you have not been cleared for departure. Return to the Stockade immediately or we WILL shoot you down."
'Like hell I will!' Wolf thought before increasing the throttle and preparing for evasive maneuvers 'just a little bit further…'
The radio soon crackled to life again. "All wings, you are authorized to destroy shuttle 3896, don't let them leave the area."
'Almost…almost…any second now' Wolf thought again as he jerked the shuttle first left, then right to dodge incoming streams of laser fire. One of the fighters soon moved to tail the shuttle, the next strafing shots would be near-impossible to dodge in this crate.
'Safe!' Wolf thought, a grin creasing his face.
As if on cue, a pair of Wolfens phased into view, their stealth camouflage melting away. The pursuing fighters were taken by surprise and 2 were quickly destroyed by quick bursts of laser fire. The remaining pair peeled off the shuttle and attempted to maneuver against the new threat.
"What now boss?" a familiar chameleon asked over the radio.
"Leon, finish off those fighters, then cover this shuttle. Panther, do a bombing run against the Stockade's warp engines before helping Leon, QUICK!"
A spirited 'roger' from his team was music to Wolf's ears. Within a matter of minutes, the shuttle was safely away from further reprisals while the Stockade lay dead in the water. Carmen walked into the cockpit from the cargo area and put her paw on Wolf's shoulder in a silent gesture of support. The lupine leaned his head on her paw and cracked a toothy smile.
XXXXXXXXXXX Two Months Later XXXXXXXXX
Wolf sat on the couch in the living room of his apartment on Zoness, watching the news while drinking a beer to unwind. After they'd escaped the Stockade, Carmen called in an 'anonymous' tip to the authorities resulting in the arrest of hundreds of Stockade employees and the release of thousands of prisoners still trapped on the station.
The trial of some of the more high-ranking members was dubbed the trial of the century. The news anchors were currently discussing that damn dalmatian who was hosting the event. Her defense team was trying to make the case that she was a victim as well, but Wolf doubted she would receive any leniency.
"Evil bitch!" he grumbled, before taking another swig of his booze, emptying the can then crushing it in his paw.
At that moment Carmen walked in from the kitchen, carrying two lemonade bottles, quickly moving towards the couch to snuggle up next to her man. Wolf thought it odd that she'd been avoiding alcohol for the past few weeks but said nothing of it, he had better things to talk about.
"Well, if it ain't the Desert Rose herself" Wolf playfully announced. "Oh, did you bring me another drink? I think I deserve a little reward for that first-class rescue" he finished with a laugh.
Carmen responded with the roll of her eyes. The past two months had been exactly the same. As soon as Wolf had confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was ok, both mentally and physically, the lupine had given her no end of grief for getting caught. Carmen thought he would eventually get tired of mocking her for "rookie mistakes" as he put it, but the lupine seemed determined to milk it indefinitely.
"I'm worth 3.5-million credits you drongo!" The dingo said as she snuggled up to him on the couch "Maybe you should be bringing ME drinks?"
"3.5-million to Mr Dawson maybe" Wolf softly said as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "To me, you're priceless" he finished with a kiss.
The pair sat there in silence for several minutes, not watching the TV, not drinking their lemonades, simply enjoying each other's presence in a quiet display of affection.
"I knew you'd come for me" Carmen whispered into Wolf's ear. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind."
Wolf's only response was to hold her tighter in his arms, acting as if she would vanish if he ever let go. After a few more silent minutes, Carmen began again.
"I do have a little something for you though" she softly cooed "something special."
The unrefined lupine expected another kiss, or perhaps a more 'intimate' display of her affection. He was unprepared when Carmen put a small plastic stick into his paw.
"oh…OH!" Wolf said as he noticed the two lines on the stick's screen. In the span of a second, he went from holding his girl to the dingo holding him. Her arms were a welcome anchor to the storm of emotions that threatened to blow him away. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd live long enough to become a father. To hold his own child in his arms, to smell the scent of their fur, to see his reflection in their face.
Melting into Carmen's embrace, the system's toughest mercenary was brought to tears. For years now she'd given him comfort, love and support…but now she was giving him something even greater, something that he'd always wanted but had long-since lost hope of ever attaining…a family of his own. At that moment, Wolf was on top of the world with his girl beside him, and the future was looking bright!
-END
Authors Notes:
Carmen belongs to my friend Big Bossk Man 92. Go give his Star Wolf: Insurrection fic a read, I loved the chemistry between Wolf and his OC Carmen so much that I asked if I could borrow her for my planned Wolf one shot. Consider this a non-cannon entry into his Star Wolf Trilogy continuity, it's not finished yet, but I wanted them to have a happy ending. They deserve it.
Originally, I conceived the auction to be held in a more open and communal area to allow for some dark humor of Wolf bickering with the other bidders. I took it out because I wanted to keep a fast pace and because of the influence of the film Taken, where the bidders all remain anonymous and never see each other.
Lastly, was anyone able to spot the subtle Titanic reference?
Thanks for reading!
