A Heroine's Struggle
#6 of A Heroine's Fall
Hello everyone! The long-awaited third chapter in A Heroine's Fall is finally here. Once again this chapter has lovely artwork by yoshi2332.Be forewarned that this is very dark and violent story, containing non-consent, humiliation, and degradation.
Enjoy the story, and I promise I won't take as long with chapter 4!
[All Comments (1,389) [Popular Comments \/ _]
[disdog84: I think she staged it, way too much moaning for it to be rape]
[JonBoy714: Not surprised she's the first heroine in a porn... always been a slut.]_
Mallory tore her eyes away from her phone, looking at the door, the window, anywhere but at the comments. Her gaze however, was inevitably drawn back. She tabbed away to refresh the page of the anonymous messaging app she was on again, as if she might have missed something in the ten seconds since she had last looked at it. She tapped her foot at an ever-quickening pace, bare fur sticking to the carpet of the cheap motel room for reasons she didn't want to think about.
There was a lot she didn't want to be thinking about right now. Like how she shouldn't be here. How this was way more dangerous than even fighting guys with guns. How she was so fucking scared that her tail was curling around her leg like she was a kitten again. Back and forth she paced, covering the width of the musty beige and brown room several times over before a knock at the door made her jump.
[carnahot: Obviouosly she's faking it for attention, but it's still hot.]
[Ghost_5793: Ye she's a good actor but those tears are fake af lol]
A moment of silence passed, Mallory considering her options. She could still back out. Just not answer. He'd have to go away eventually. He would probably be mad, but what would that matter
Mallory walked towards the door.
This was the kind of place that had three locks. A chain she slid off first, a deadbolt next, and finally the keyed room lock. She reached for the handle, but it flew open in her face before she could grab it, forcing her back into the room. In the doorway, backlit by the sun so intensely Mallory could hardly see him stood a tall, muscular german shepherd.
[Brett2223: See every time a lady hero pops up turns out shes a slut, when will you simps learn]
[piinkbear: IDK I think it's real... but it's still hot lol]
He stood there for a moment, taking in the details of the cat while her eyes tried to adjust enough to get a good look at him. She was dressed in just a red tank top and a matching pair of panties, both almost the same shade as her hero outfit. Her hero outfit didn't let her nipples poke through or allow such an obvious cameltoe though.
The canine strode into the room, slamming the door shut behind him and not even bothering with the locks. Instead he went straight to Mallory, grabbing her upper arm and dragging her toward the bed. "Fucking slut", he cursed under his breath.
[Love69Guy: Anyone white knight who paid for her OnlyFurs is more upset this is free than they are that she got raped 100%]
[CMDunk: Fuck this is hot but I feel so bad for her]
"W-w-wait, no!" Mallory stuttered in a sudden change of tone, pulling back against his grip. Her whole body leaned away as she tried to move, but the big shep didn't budge an inch. He had a good foot of height on her and was built much more solidly too, the cat's gymnast body just didn't have the mass to oppose him.
He took another step with her in tow before tossing her down, the tabby yelping as she hit the bed. He was already behind her, wrapping his tan-furred fingers in her red hair and forcing her face down into the scratchy linens. "You don't get to tell me what to do." He snarled back, reaching for her panties and yanking them down.
A sudden shock ran through Mallory as she was exposed to the dog. Her whole body tensed up, claws extending into the sheets and the carpet as every fiber in her body screamed in terror. A huge part of her wanted to throw the biggest fireball she'd ever made back at him, to scream and cry and make sure neither he nor anyone else ever touched her without permission again.
[XxSigmaxX: Look at the slut moan! She loves it!]
[TheBigDog94: What do you wanna bet she's got a litter from that huge tiger in the middle?]
Yet the part that didn't do that won out. She didn't know what exactly was stopping her. There was the strain of fear that told her she needed to stay still, to not provoke his ire. Naturally there was the horniness, the sheer carnal desire to just be taken. A dash of natural submissiveness ran through it all.
Above it all though, stronger than any other was the shame. The part of her imagining what Amber would say. The part that considered every degrading comment on a porn site to be a valuable opinion. The part that couldn't believe she was doing this.
The part of her that wished she could still get off any other way.
Fingers on her pussy snapped her out of her own head. "Wet as hell," the man behind her scoffed. He wasn't gentle with her sensitive folds, pressing both his middle and pointer fingers inside of her with no preparation. Mallory yelped from the brusk penetration, but he just tightened his grip on her hair, ensuring she couldn't move an inch as his calloused fingers scraped at her sensitive inner walls.
[trevon444: Come on, she posts nonstop, no way she isnt just doing this for attention. Desperite to stay ahead of my man sublime canine no doubt, no were near as cool as him]
[DareyNose: Her OnlyFurs tho.. tell me you deserve to be raped without TELLING me you deserve to be rapped.]
Mallory could hear the wet squelch as he pulled his fingers out of her. The german shepherd laughed at that, rubbing them together to admire the amount of arousal he'd collected. "Clean me off, slut," he demanded simply, turning her head to the side with his grip on her hair so he could shove those fingers in her mouth.
She could have bit him. Easily. Her sharp teeth would have done some serious damage, and she wouldn't have had to taste her own juices on his fingers. Or the distinctly unwashed flavor of his hand underneath, forced deep enough in her maw that it made her gag.
She didn't bite. Not even when his cock started poking at her freshly-fingered slit. Wait, when had he taken his pants off? Time was starting to move strangely, actions coming in and out of turn. She was gripping the sheets tightly, when had that started? He felt big back there. Hopefully he would be gentler with it than his fingers.
[FOX_HUNTER: LMAO have u SEEN her onlyfurs? She was asking for it]
[Ninjarobo: I jack off to this slut like everyday. Wish she had done it willingly]
He wasn't. Mallory screamed as he jammed his way inside of her, only the fingers in her mouth keeping the volume down. "Shut the fuck up slut!" He snarled, pulling his hips back so he could jam in another, equally brutal thrust.
The tabby beneath him was plenty wet, so his tapered shaft should have been easy for her to take. But she just couldn't bring herself to relax and let him in. A deep breath and a moment was all it should have taken.
Alternatively, fucking her even harder would get him inside too. A third vicious shove had him bottoming out inside the girl in his grip, the canine staying there in a moment of triumph. He had just taken the former top heroine after all, a bit of gloating was in order.
"Fuck you're tight, for a rapeslut." He goaded her as he adjusted his stance, his cock shifting around in her tight walls and drawing a small noise from the strained cat. The fingers slid from her mouth as he reached down to grab her tits with the still-wet digits, leaving an uncomfortable coolness where he groped her.
"Nice perky tits too. Kinda small though." Why did the insult turn her on more than the compliment? Why did her nipples perking up for this beast of a man make her feel good? She had nothing to prove to him.
[piggo89: Sucks that bitch lynx rescued her. Hopefully next time her and whatever other cunt ended the fun get caught too!]
The movement in her lower body started again without warning. Mallory yelped as his cock pulled back, leaving her suddenly empty and cold inside. The dog laughed, a low and rough sound. "Oh don't worry bitch. I'll be deep in again... now!"
He jammed the entire length of his shaft into her tight snatch in one go, aided this time by the generous coating of her own slickness on his length. It made it easier for him to get inside, but he made up for it by being extra rough. Bashing his hips into her ass harshly enough that her screams were just as loud now as when he was dry and she could feel his balls smacking into her lower lips after the bulk of his cock entered.
The hands on her tits didn't slow down either. He set himself into an aggressive rhythm on both, gripping and groping as he thrust himself in and out, plundering the hero's body like any common sex toy.
Because that's what she was. He came in here and took her so easily she may as well have been an inanimate object. She didn't use her powers. She didn't fight him. She was just a toy. A slut to use and abuse and leave behind. That's all she was to anyone. That was all she was ever meant to be.
That's why they had done it to her. Why HE had done it to her.
"Fuck me..." Mallory moaned before she could even stop herself. The man laughed, and again the shame gripped her. She shouldn't be doing this. She shouldn't feel GOOD from this.
[Crunchingnumbers69: Fuck i wanna breed that hero so bad...can you just imagine how fun having pups with her would be like]
[WarBreaker: There's like a dozen guys who don't have to imagine lol.]
The man paused his fucking for a moment as he adjusted his stance again, moving closer to the creaking motel bed frame. It seemed like he would be satisfied with just that for a moment, but apparently the groping on her tits earlier had inspired him.
"Gods you're a fucking whore." He murmured as he released her hair, moving both of his hands to her thighs. Mallory immediately noticed that he hadn't trimmed his nails from how they poked into the inside of her legs uncomfortably, digging in as he yanked her whole body around.
Mallory whined as her view changed from the ugly linens to the even uglier face of the man buried inside of her, his cock teasing her uncomfortably as she spun around on it. He reached for her crimson tank top, the thin fabric having already ridden up past her navel and yanked it all the way over her breasts, letting them come free as he leered down at her.
Now that she was laying on her back he had a much clearer view of the hero. Of course he had seen the video by now. Who hadn't? But in real life she was hotter than even the 4K version could show. The places where her fur colors bled into each other, the toned muscles of her well-trained body, that gymnast heritage clearly showing in her build. The pink of her pussy lips poking through white fur was exquisite too, especially as turned on as she was. It was more than enough for him to overlook the rows of thin, evenly-placed, self-inflicted scars on her inner thighs.
Mallory wasn't so lucky. As she was forced to face her tan and black abuser she could see that while his body was nice, that short fur was perfect, and his cock felt just right, his face was... all wrong. He wasn't bad looking, but he was by no means attractive. He wasn't a suave hero, he wasn't the most recognizable man in Halcard. He wasn't Him.
[DarkHart: Never seen a throat bulge like that... Def not her first time.]
[HotDaddy6988: At least she's still the center of attention, that's what she really wants lol]
She wouldn't have much time to think about it. Already he was starting to thrust into her again, this time reaching both of his hands to grope at her breasts. The look on her face must have tipped him off that something had changed though. "Ah come on sugartits. You know you wanted this. Besides, I'm not letting you back out now. I'm not done with you yet."
He did have the attitude at least. But that wasn't enough to keep Mallory going. She could feel the desperation leaving her, the lust boiling away even as he started fucking her for real. Her tits were bouncing from how he moved her, he was grunting in pleasure as he plundered her body, she could even feel his knot starting to swell at the base of his cock, spreading her lower lips just a bit wider with every thrust, but it wasn't working for her.
Mallory closed her eyes, desperate to preserve the fantasy. It was easier when she wasn't looking in his eyes, when she could just feel how he was fucking and ignore the outside world. Just focus on the hands grasping at her breasts like stress balls and pinching her nipples purely to draw a yelp from her lips. "I can't believe you like this, slut."
He said the right things too. All of the men and most of the women in the county would have wanted a chance with her, yet here she was hooking up with a guy who treated her like absolute trash. Because she needed this. No matter how much she wished she didn't. When her eyes were closed and it was just his touch and his voice she could let herself sink into the fantasy. Imagine that a camera was there watching, even if she would have flipped had one actually been there. Fantasize that she couldn't fight back, even though her powers could have thrown this guy through a wall without issue. Pretend that this guy wanted to hurt her even though... actually that one was probably true.
[nopainnogainR34: Honestly if a criminal is the only one who comes to help you then you probably deserved whatever you got.]
He had the right fur too. Rough and scratchy, almost as unpleasant as the feeling of those cheap sheets scraping against her back. The fact that he wasn't careful with his claws in the slightest helped too, allowing him to feel truly uncaring and callous. Maybe he was.
"Never thought I'd be fucking the top hero in the city. Though I guess there's a lot of guys who can say that now!" He chuckled, something that finally drew a moan from Mallory again. What an asshole. Exactly what she needed.
"Fuck you", she hissed, imagining herself back there. Imagining herself as still having the energy to fight, even if her pleasure was starting to rebuild under the surface. She was still a hero. Still going to--
SLAP! His open hand hit her cheek hard, and with her eyes tightly shut she hadn't been expecting it. Mallory yelped in pain, but the sound quickly gave way to a moan. He was still pistoning in and out of her, still taking her at a pace determined by his pleasure and anything else.
[DreadPilot: Lol guys, she's obviously faking it. No hero would let herself be caught like this, she's just a horny cat looking to be fucked by a bunch of dudes. She's cumming her little heart out.]
"Fuck..." Mallory murmured, finally starting to reach the heights of pleasure she had been at prior to being flipped over. The man was getting close to a peak as well, his pace growing less measured and more frantic. Each time was deeper now, the entirety of that tapered, knotted german shepherd flesh going ALL the way inside of her with every single thrust. In and out, in and out.
The nub that would be his knot had grown enough to be noticeably stretching her now, and that only served to push Mallory further. His rough hands on her tits like he owned them, his voice drawn down to nothing but grunts and groans, and his cock about to lock her onto him whether she wanted it or not. All he had to do was go a little longer, a little bit more and he'd knot her, filling her with his seed and making her his in a way that nothing could ever undo, all he had to do was--
"Oh fuck yeah!" The man groaned aloud, just as he pulled back and out of her entirely, his hot cum exploding onto her belly in a burst of thick cream that seeped into her soft white fur.
Mallory's eyes snapped open. Everything that was wrong about the situation hit her all at once, instantly evaporating any enjoyment she had been experiencing. "What the FUCK!?! You were supposed to cum inside, you were supposed to FUCKING KNOT ME!"
This was nothing like she'd sounded before. None of the victim who couldn't help their own pleasure was here, not a trace of the disgraced hero slut. The canine man picked up on it, but was still in the scene enough to try to continue. "Hey, I'm the one in charge here. If I want to paint you I can--"
"Not to mention I didn't want to see your face! Stupid fucking asshole can't even rape me right!" Mallory didn't know what to feel. The anger at how he hadn't respected their negotiation, at herself for thinking a random stranger would. The frustration at being so close to orgasm and being denied. The shame that she was still doing this. Again.
"Hey, I don't cum in crazy. I'll fuck you, not pay your child support." He said, reaching for his pants. It was a bit of a challenge to put on over his still-hard cock, but soon enough he had the knot that the seething cat wanted put away. "Maybe go to therapy instead of--"
"Shut the FUCK UP!" Mallory roared, throwing a loose ball of flame at the man. Even before he yelped in shock the tabby was regretting doing that. She forced herself to calm down and extinguish the flames with her powers as the door slammed shut, the german shepherd man storming out.
It took a moment before she could calm herself enough to get all of the embers under control, and the motel was definitely going to be upset about the singed blinds. What was a bit of furniture compared to the mess she had made of her life though? Not to mention she was still fucking horny.
"Asshole," she cursed as she lay back on the bed, pulling out her phone again. There were over a dozen other messages waiting for her, both on that anonymous app and elsewhere. Mallory ignored them, instead opening a web browser as her other hand slid between her legs. She had the site she was looking for bookmarked, but the cat had gone there so often it appeared as a suggested result even before the bookmark came up.
Seeing it from an outside perspective still felt weird. But if she closed her eyes she found she could just relive it through the sounds alone. That still left her a bit understimulated, so she scrolled down. As her fingers started to slide in and around her lower folds she read through the comments that were always running through her mind.
[DragonNutz: So glad I didn't pay for those panty shots on OF. This is WAY better.]
[FactsOverFeels: This is how all female heroes should be used.]
[CanineSupremarcy: She so deserved this. Glad it finally happened.]
Every comment turned her on a little bit more. Pushed the shame further away at least for now, and hopefully didn't stick in her brain quite as much as the others had. After all, she shouldn't listen to them. Even if she was already about to cum from them.
The pleasure she felt while thinking these things couldn't hurt too much, right?
It was just past sunset by the time Mallory was getting back home, still a touch damp from her hasty shower. Nothing about this felt good. She knew she was going to get mats in her fur later, she hated how her clothes stuck to her, and she despised that she was going to have to lie to Amber's face about where she'd been. Again.
Fuck, she really needed to stop doing this.
There were a lot of things she needed to stop doing. She needed to stop going back to that video. She needed to stop thinking about it as she got off. She REALLY needed to stop reading the stupid comments.
Reading the comments was never a good time even on her regular posts and videos. This was a big step further and more personal than even those. Mallory had long since learned to brush off the normal disparaging comments on the things she wanted to post, but she hadn't wanted to post this. Hadn't wanted people to see her like that. Now they were invading her privacy, then insulting her for it.
And she kept getting off to it.
She knew it wasn't healthy and-- wait. Whose motorcycle was that parked in front of her house?
Heroes and villains alike loved their motorcycles, so it was a toss-up on that front. It looked new though, and villains usually had more money. It was glossy black overall, a villainous color if she had ever seen one. Had someone she'd pissed off in the past come back to strike while she was vulnerable?
Had they gone after Amber?
Mallory's heart was pounding as she drove as quickly as she could into the driveway, the silver sedan suddenly feeling more like a cage than a means of transportation. Horrible thoughts ran through her head, of a faceless villain waiting for her when she opened the door and Amber dead or... no no no!
She yanked the keys from the vehicle and ran towards the door, barging through it so quickly she might have damaged the hinges. "Amber? AMBER!?" She called out, looking around. Not in the living room, maybe--
"Mal? What's wrong?" Came the reply soft and unstressed, though a little concerned. That distinctive curly blue hair and oversized glasses peeked around the corner a second later. "You sound upset."
Mallory breathed a sigh of relief the moment she saw the mouse. Thank the fucking goddess. "I- I'm sorry, I just saw the motorcycle in the driveway and I didn't know whose it was. I just... I was worried."
Amber frowned at that, but there was as much pity in the expression as anything else. Mallory hated that. She didn't need any pity, and it only got worse as Amber apologized. She shouldn't have to apologize, it was her house too. She shouldn't have to be this sensitive to Mallory's paranoia. "I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting visitors, but Obsidian dropped by."
Obsidian. Of course. That explained the newness of the bike and the glossy black paint. Even Mallory was jealous of his Catasaki sponsorship, a great deal, especially for someone on the bottom half of the top ten in the popularity rankings.
Though that was probably still higher than where she was now.
And speak of the devil, he was coming around the corner now too, jet-black helmet in hand. Both being tabby felines they had a bit of a pseudo-rivalry going on. Initially they had been closely matched in the rankings until Mallory had left him behind in terms of popularity. Still, they had great banter so Mal liked working with him.
"Hey Kitten," he said casually, the usual look of easy confidence on his face. It took but a second for the corners of his lips to fall though, like he had just realized something terrible. Or done something terrible. "I mean, uh, should I still call you that? Sorry, force of habit and all, but--"
"It's fine." Mallory interrupted him loudly, not caring for this line of conversation one bit. For once there had been someone who wasn't acting like she was damaged goods, and that had lasted all of five seconds. Now he was trying to protect her. Like that teasing nickname he had used a million times for her before might now be offensive because some assholes had called her it too. She wasn't made of fucking glass!
The fact that he reacted like that though, it must mean, "So you watched it then?"
If his expression had fallen before, now he looked like he was in full-on damage controlling panic. He raised his free hand in defense, his words getting choked down his throat before he could blurt them out. "I... I mean I had to! I was trying to figure out where you were, and seeing if you would get out safe and--"
"Yeah I get it." Mallory cut him off again. Her words were far more charitable than her icy tone. "And which part did you like gleaning your_information_ from the most? Was it when I was still struggling, or when I couldn't move a muscle anymore? Did you like it better when I was screaming in pain or from those stupid vibes?" Even now his eyes were seeing her clothed, but he had an image in his mind of her naked and exposed. He'd never see her the same way again, she knew it.
"I won't even ask how much you liked seeing it, because I'm nice like that." Mallory broke eye contact with him, not wanting to see if there'd be more pity or lust there. "But I suggest you get out of here before another paparazzi shows up. Wouldn't want to lose that sweet bike deal because you were hanging out with the likes of me."
The sneering words left her fellow cat speechless, cutting unusually deeper than any of their light-hearted past taunting. She knew he wasn't so shallow by any stretch, but she only wanted to shut him up and drive him away right now. Amber was the one to speak up this time. "Mallory, take it down a notch! He's here because he wants to help and--"
"And what? Baby me? Make sure the princess in her tower is all better now that the barbarian horde has left?" she spat back to her distraught friends. "I don't WANT help, and I don't NEED help! You should go do something better with your time. Maybe check the video again, see if you didn't miss anything!" Mallory turned toward the stairs, fully convinced that there wasn't anything worthy he could have to offer her. She wanted that bridge burned so at least she wouldn't take him down with her too.
"I know where Samson is!" Obsidian blurted out. Mal stopped in her tracks, holding still for a moment before a single ear turned to him. "Or, where he's going to be anyways. I mean, if you want to know I guess..."
A moment passed. Mallory's tail flicked once. Slowly she turned back towards the pair. "Keep talking."
Mallory pulled at the leggings of her spandex suit, trying to get the tight material to sit comfortably. It was always a struggle with a new outfit, especially when she hadn't worn one in so long. Having it cover her legs was new too. She had always wanted to show them off before. She'd never had anything to hide then, self-inflicted or otherwise. "How long until he gets here?"
Amber glanced down at her phone screen. "Soon. This is their last checkpoint, so traffic might be holding them up a bit. Remember, he's going to be in the second car so--"
"We wait for them to split up, follow, then pounce him once he's in a less populous area. I know Amber, I've followed a mission plan before. You're the rookie here, I should be grilling you!" Mallory insisted, staring down at the bustling intersection from their perch on top of the parking garage.
It was frustrating to have to wait. The heat had been on Samson ever since Mallory's public accusation, and he had finally blinked. Obsidian had given them what he knew, but what he knew was incomplete. The resurrected prehistoric feline had the resources to keep himself safe, but the coordination to get everything in the right place attracted certain watchful eyes and ears. A convoy needed planning, and plans could be intercepted.
"Yeah but you've been changing the subject every chance you get. I'm just worried Mal." Amber was dressed up too, for the first time. They hadn't had a chance to get a proper outfit for her, but the electric blue sweatshirt covering a kevlar vest would at least provide some protection. It went well with the darker blue of her hair too.
Mallory knew the mouse was right to be worried. Doing something rash was becoming a bit of a habit for the tabby cat lately, and it hadn't been working out well on any front. Thoughts of that disastrous interview, that terrible night, of all the times her recklessness had come back to bite her swirled around her head. She pushed it out of her mind. She needed to focus on the here and now, and what to say to Amber. Words ran through her mind of reassurance of her intentions, of apology for lying about where she'd been, or at least of acknowledgement of her failings. None of them felt honest enough to not require their own apology later. "I've beaten him before Am. And I wasn't even angry then."
Amber frowned. A lack of anger was about the exact opposite of her concerns. A rush-hour crowd of pedestrians talking, bikes ringing their bells, and car horns honking filled the dead air as the mouse tried to think of a way to get through to Mallory. The cat was fixated on the traffic with predatory focus, tail flicking behind her pensively. Trying to ignore everything but the upcoming fight. "Mal, I just want you to promise me that--"
"Amber! Three black SUVs in a convoy!" A wave of heat came off of the tabby as she bolted upright, the tight suit showing off how her whole body tensed. Amber scrambled to look, sighting them at the stoplight like a dark line redacting the road lane.
"They're the right make and model", Amber confirmed. "Tinted windows too, that's got to be our target. Remember, they're going to split up now and we follow the middle one. Let's get ready to--"
"Amber, you stay back and keep civilians safe. I'll get up close and fight." Mallory ordered as she stepped up onto the concrete railing.
"Mallory, don't do it." Amber pleaded, already sure that it wasn't going to work. Knowing Mal, she'd been planning this from the start.
The tabby glanced back, giving Amber one of her trademark roguish smiles. Like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar when her real crime was fucking the baker. On camera it would have looked great. For a moment,that Mallory was there. The one from the magazine covers and promotional videos. The one from before this all happened. "Sorry Amber. But you know it had to be this way."
Mallory jumped.
There was a certain grace to the cat's motions. She tucked her legs in for an olympics-worthy flip at the top of her arc, long tail trailing behind her. That perfect parabolic trajectory bent to gravity's incessant pull moments later as her legs extended again, arresting her rotational momentum. Down and down she fell, gaining speed. She stuck her arms out, using a little gout of flame to adjust her landing point. Her target was the hood of the first truck, and she wasn't going to miss.
Halfway down that six story fall was when she brought in her flare. Like a meteor the cat ignited, the flash of light drawing eyes from around the intersection as she braced herself for impact. Feet first, one final adjustment and-
*CRUNCH*
The hood beneath her gave way with a horrible sound of twisting metal and failing automotive parts, the V8 engine literally being forced through the bottom of the vehicle and onto the road. Mallory's fist was already there too, the blow accelerated by her fall and fire to hit harder than a sledgehammer onto the tempered bulletproof glass of the windshield.
It wouldn't yield to any mere blow, but a superheated jet of flame onto the very point where she was attacking WOULD get through. A fireball filled the cabin of the vehicle, blowing out the windows with enough force to shatter the glass of the cars on either side too.
For a moment there was doubt in her mind. The heavily tinted windows didn't let her see into the smoky interior, so the only thing she could see was the driver of the car clutching at the singed side of his head, a brief pang of guilt hitting her heart.
Then the rear passenger door was torn clean off its hinges.
A distinctive mottled brown fur-covered arm was holding the glossy black door, powerful claws tearing straight through the interior plastics into the metal beneath. Mallory jumped back from the hood of the vehicle towards the center of the intersection as he stepped out, holding the big door at his side like a shield.
"Not the way I hoped you'd jump from a building, but if it brings you back to me I can't say I'm mad." Samson spat out as he walked from between the vehicles towards the crimson-suited feline. People around the intersection were staring now, some even gasped as he showed his face. Mallory was sure that every one of them knew their history. Had SEEN how their last encounter went. Were they judging her? Expecting her to fail again?
She took a step forward, noticing idly that the asphalt beneath her had been melting from the aura of heat she was giving off. Mallory couldn't remember ever feeling this much rage, this much power before. Normally the quantity of flame she'd dumped into that SUV would have been a serious draw on her capacity, but right now she was sure she could have outshined the sun, and lasted longer too. The one thing she didn't have was any words for this bastard.
The second he stepped fully in front of his vehicle she rushed him, taking off like an olympic sprinter with rocket boosters. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to even react in time, but Samson wasn't normal. He brought up that car door, the metal denting in from the force of her blow as flames wrapped around the corners of his shield, blasting out and around him.
He shoved the makeshift shield forward, pushing her back with enough force to flip a tank. Mallory was ready, turning it into a graceful flight back stabilized by delicate use of her flames. She landed on her feet, skidding to a stop and already rushing him again with even more fire propelling her in relentless aggression.
Even S-rank speed wasn't unbeatable though. Samson leapt forward after her, massive tusks and predatory teeth bared as genetically-enhanced muscles put down enough force to crack the road beneath him. The shield was held at his side, those composite claws being the preferred weapon to slash at Mallory with.
He was far too slow.
The wild strikes left him open to counter, Mallory already swirling around to the side without the shield, a blaze of white-hot flame propelling her fist up and into his back, just below the end of his ribcage.
The pain of the kidney blow and the unarrested momentum of his attack sent the sabretooth sprawling to the ground near the line of stopped cars, his artificial pain suppression taking a moment to kick in. It was a vicious strike, intended not to end the fight but purely to cause pain. With a snarl he picked himself up, wiping the dirt and oil of the road from his face.
"I'd say you have real balls for showing up, but I already know you've got nothing but a tight snatch down--" He wasn't allowed to finish his sentence, the normally quip-filled tabby cat already rushing him down again, getting in close.
Samson smiled with a snarl. At range she could outspeed him, but up close he had the reach and raw strength to lay the hurt on her. His shield was dropped in favor of bringing his arms up in a close guard, a powerful swing with his right hand moving to greet the cat.
Mallory was under it, pulling up and around to hit the same pain-inducing spot again, drilling into his kidney with a vengeance. She started to swing her fist at it again when he finally countered, a heavy elbow slamming into her shoulder and sending her flying back into a stopped van.
"Fucking BITCH!" He cursed, gripping his side. Even with supernatural healing and the pain suppression kicking in it was a brutal blow, and he snarled at her with teeth out. She'd gotten off easy in comparison, converting his force into harmless movement.
Normally she'd taunt him now, but this wasn't a normal fight. Mallory threw a fireball at him, the blossom of yellow and orange flames looking like an approaching sun. The sabretooth braced himself for it, but it dissipated around him. There was no power there, no force behind it. It was already too late when he realized it was just a cover as she zipped around him again, aiming for the same place--
And catching his elbow right in the nose before she could attack him this time.
Mallory's head whipped back as she flew away, landing on the hood of a sedan with blood trickling down her face. All eyes were on her now, phone cameras out as she stayed there for an agonizing moment. A whisper ran through the crowd before she finally stirred, pulling herself up and wiping the blood from her face.
"You gonna fight me now, or just keep trying that bullshit again?" Samson shouted at her, his cockiness from earlier all but gone.
"I'm not just trying to fight you." Mallory admitted, breaking her silence. "I'm trying to hurt you. When you're pissing blood for the next week I want you to remember that it was ME who did that to you."
Samson laughed back. A wave of rage threatened to wash over the tabby, manifesting in heat so intense it bent the light of the air above her. "Never thought I'd hear a hero talk like that! Maybe we really did break you."
Mallory rushed him again. Her bloodied, enraged face backlit like a halo by the propelling flames, a sight that would have scared off any lesser man. The sabretooth had been raised on violence though.
The phone cameras of the civilians caught it from every angle as they clashed, again and again. Samson's vicious blows against Mallory's blazing speed, the tabby making pinpoint strikes to hobble him while he swung back anywhere, knowing that his strength would make any strike hurt.
Mallory struck the back of his knee, uppercut his chin, stamped into his ankle, while catching a chop to her shoulder in return. She couldn't keep up that ratio. Fuck he was strong, she cursed in her mind. There was no way he had been this powerful the last time she'd fought him, and she hadn't even been cutting loose then! She needed to change her strategy.
Dashing back and out of range, Mallory exhaled. He was strong, but he had no range. She had her fire. But there were civilians all around, she couldn't risk an actually powerful shot going wide. The two cats stalked around each other, slowly circling the impromptu ring of their fight. Looking for anything that would give them an advantage.
Mallory saw hers first.
A bit of electric blue in the sea of the crowd was just what she needed. Summoning up her power, calling on her training and her strength and her rage she put both hands in front of her to channel pure heat and power at the bastard. She prayed to the goddess that Amber would understand what to do. All she could do now was trust.
Samson didn't think she had it in her. Not after the first fireball had been weak, not with the crowd at risk. He stood his ground, bracing for a chance to counter another feint. By the time the wave of fire was on his way it was already too late. Flames and force and fury slammed into the tiger, badly singing his fur and throwing him back at the crowd... only to instead hit a newly minted wall of ice.
His head snapped back hard into the frigid wall as licks of fire burst out like the petals of an incandescent flower around the hastily erected glacier. Mallory breathed a sigh of relief that her rodent companion had known she'd needed a backstop, and the thick cracks from his impact were immensely satisfying to see. The tabby even allowed herself a smile at seeing her rapist's body battered like that.
Well, one of her rapists. That thought tempered the pleasure.
For a moment the crowd murmured in the same way they had when it looked like Mallory might have been down and out. Again though there was a stir from the downed super that quieted the rising rumors. Samson slowly pulled himself to a standing position again, a bit more stiffly now. The sabretooth glanced back at the impressive wall of ice behind him, knowing that his chances against whoever could do that were slim to none.
"Don't worry, she won't get in the way." Mallory assured him, loudly enough for Amber to hear and hopefully take the hint. "Just keep you from getting ragdolled into the crowd."
Samson snarled animalistically back at her before using his words. "This the bitch you had pull you out? Must be easy fighting when you know you have a rescue waiting."
It was Mallory's turn to hiss at him. "Not as easy as when you have a fucking trap set!" Her tail was fully puffed up, claws out. Maybe another fire blast would do him well. The tabby started to breathe slower, heavier as she built up the power to throw at him again when he reached down, composite-infused claws digging into the concrete beneath him.
"Your friend, how much range does she have with her little popsicles?" He asked, ripping up what must have been a full ton of concrete like it was a stray weed.
Mallory should have focused on her breathing. Should have concentrated on getting another attack out. "Not enough to save me! Try it, asshole!" She shouted instead, twisting her ankle perpendicular to her stance to ready herself to jump away.
Samson hurled the hunk of artificial stone and twisted rebar like a fastball. It sailed through the air well clear of Mallory, who smirked for a fraction of a moment before realizing something.
She wasn't the target.
"No!" She cried, the power she'd built up dissipating in a moment as she dove ineffectually for the airborne debris, but could do nothing as it crashed into one of the city's new electric buses. A cacophony of shattering glass and rending steel filled the afternoon air. The driver must have already moved or there'd have been a splatter of blood, but the huge vehicle still lurched into the stopped traffic behind it.
For a moment the bus was stopped and everything seemed fine. The attack on civilians was a low blow, but it had failed. Mallory turned back to him with a fresh wave of anger in her eyes, about to spout a line when she heard it. Pop. What in the world was... Pop. Pop. Pop pop POP! The tabby whirled back to see thick black smoke pouring from the bus, small explosions chaining into bigger ones as fire spread through the industrial-sized battery of the vehicle.
Shit shit SHIT! Battery fires were vicious and toxic, and even if the fire department could get through the stopped vehicles they wouldn't be able to put it out. There was only one person around who could stop this from escalating into a disaster, but if she did then Samson would have free reign to attack her. For a brief moment, the decision weighed on her.
Really though, there was never any doubt.
Mallory turned away from the Sabretooth, focusing on the roiling chemical fire starting in the base of the bus. Extending her power out she felt the fire, its source, its edges, its fuel and where it wanted to consume. The chemicals and the energy and where one was becoming the other. All of the concentration that had moments ago gone to creating energy now went to harnessing it, dissipating it. Keeping it bottled up so--
"MALLORY!"
Amber's piercing shout snapped open the eyes Mallory hadn't known she'd closed, just in time for everything to go sideways. Pain blossomed in her right side as she was sent flying with a sickening crunch, Samson's fist breaking at least three ribs as he sent the young woman tumbling.
She hit the ground once, twice before the front of a truck next to the smoldering bus stopped her with a second awful crunch that might have come from her body or the vehicle that had stopped it or both. Her brand new suit had torn wide open, only barely protecting her dignity. She wasn't in much better shape. Mallory's head spun as she tried to get up, stars swirling through her vision and blood dripping down into one of her eyes. Another small glint of pain to add to the harsh shine of it all over her battered body.
Samson strode up to her, recognizable only by the intimidating size of the shadow he cast on the small cat. Mallory couldn't make him out in any detail, but she just knew the look that was on his face. That smirk, the one he'd worn when he'd made her scream the first time. Full of the kind of confidence and arrogance that only a straight cis man ever had.
"Don't start a fight if you're not willing to commit, hero." He sneered that last word, like the fact that she was bleeding in front of him meant she didn't, couldn't really embody that title. "Any last words?" She couldn't see it, but she could hear him extending his claws.
"Hero," she managed to say, any attempt at a breath deeper than normal sending stabbing pain through her right side. She needed to breathe though. To concentrate. "Doesn't mean strength, or fighting villains." Samson snorted at that, but Mallory continued. "Hero means saving people. No matter the cost." Her breathing was ragged, like she was straining hard even though she was barely moving.
Samson rolled his eyes, taking a step closer. "Very fucking noble. I'll tell the newspapers you said that. But I meant for me. The man who's beaten you twice now. Any final insults, quips, curses, groveling?" He raised his powerful arm. A woman in the crowd screamed.
"Yeah." She said, with considerably less pain in her voice. "You shouldn't have started a fire to fight me, dick-for-brains." The tabby cat hero looked straight up at him with her non-bloodied eye, all of the tension and strain from a moment ago nearly non-existent now.
Samson instinctively slashed down at her in desperation as he realized his error, enhanced claws glinting in the light of the approaching fireball. He was fast, but not fast enough to reach her before a directed blast of combustion sent him flying back into that ice with more energy than Mallory could have ever managed on her own. He hit it with a loud thud and crack, from both the ice and his own arm, clearly snapped as he rolled onto the pavement. He didn't move this time.
Mallory put an arm out to push herself up, winced, and fell back down. Luckily most eyes were still on him. She tried again, leaning more on her left side this time and managed to stagger to a stand, the only one of them able to do so. Victorious. Slowly she started walking towards him, more conscious than ever of the dozens upon dozens of cameras on her bruised body and torn uniform. Even more cameras than had been at that interview. Far more than had been in the room that day. All staring her down, glass and silicon eyes that would share her body with anyone on the internet.
Good. Let them see her. They'd wanted to look when she'd been down, now they'd look when she was up. Let everyone see her. Let them admire her. She'd worked hard to build this body. It was only right they'd be jealous.
Maybe they'd even want to subscribe to her OnlyFurs for a bit of a better look.
The heroine had crossed their arena before Samson even had a chance to stir. The revived prehistoric super-feline was down, but his healing would stitch him up fast. Mallory kicked his side, the shock forcing him awake with a gasp. "You cunt," he coughed, blood spilling from his mouth as he did.
"That what you wanna call the bitch who's about to kill you?" She countered, quietly enough that none of the bystanders could hear. Above her fire started swirling, both her own and drawn from the remnants of the burning bus.
"Not very noble, Miss Heroes Save People," He hissed, hoping words could stop her if he couldn't.
"This part isn't hero work. This is personal." Mallory raised her left hand up towards those swirling flames, putting her right hand on her side as if to support the broken ribs there. The dull reds increased in intensity to oranges, yellows, even licks of blue flying off of the tornado above her.
Samson glanced around, the sabretooth looking for any hint this might be a bluff or trick too, but none was forthcoming. The tabby, Kitty-Flame, lived up to her namesake as the burning vortex silhouetted her form. She pulled it towards her raised fist, tensed for the strike, his death imminent. Mallory was about to do it... when a strong thick hand wrapped around her raised wrist and the entire left side of her body went limp. The cat yelped, but without her body to channel her power the flames dissipated quickly, the intense gathering of heat and fire floating away on the wind.
Mallory whirled around as best she could when half of her body was paralyzed and the other half was bruised and broken into mush. Who had done this, was it Arth-- Sublime Canine again? A different villain? She'd kill... Catherine?!?
Those emerald eyes looked unflinching into her sapphire ones, the lynx holding up near Mallory's entire weight without visible strain. "Cath? What are you doing? Let me go!" Mallory tugged her limp muscles against Elynxtricity's handhold as best she could, but didn't manage to move an inch. "I was gonna... I've gotta..."
"Mallory." Catherine said plainly. "As someone who's made the same mistake. Don't."
The tabby cat opened her mouth to protest. This was nothing like what Catherine had done 4 years ago! That had been against a non-super for one. Even if it had been personal, and he'd had it coming, and she'd been morally if not legally right to do so and... oh. Fuck.
Mallory again glanced around at all of the cell phones recording and watching them at this moment. The ones that had nearly just recorded and probably streamed her killing a man. A big step up in severity from the mere assault charges Catherine had racked up. The trap was rather obvious now that she thought about it.
Samson laughed weakly from beneath them. "So much for personal I guess! Stupid fucking heroes, always giving us another chance. Next time I'll just trap you again and not let your- AH!" Catherine cut him off by stomping on his hand, the heavy heel of her black leather boot crunching at least one finger.
"Not another word out of you, or I'll get the other hand too." Samson glared up at them, but didn't push his luck. There wasn't silence when he quieted down though, sirens filling the air. Ambulances, fire trucks, police, and of course--
"S-SWAT, back away from the villain!" A barked order pierced the previously private arena, officers decked out in black tactical gear and armor swarming in from all sides. Guns that never should have left a warzone pointed at all three of them, only finally turning away from the two heroes when they put enough distance between themselves and the sabretooth.
Catherine was practically carrying Mallory as she limped away from the singed villain. The news crews were starting to cautiously approach, but the two still had a minute before they arrived. "Are you alright?" Catherine asked softly.
"I mean, no, obviously." Mallory answered. "I've got three, maybe four broken ribs, my whole side is still tingling, I--"
Catherine cut her off. "I know that. I meant like, emotionally. You just almost killed your... your rapist." Hearing the word aloud was still weird, but Mallory appreciated it. Cath knew she didn't need to be coddled about what had happened to her. "Are you going to be ready for cameras, or should I get you out of here?" The disaster of her last interview was the unspoken context.
"Oh. Well, actually in that way I feel pretty good. I..." She paused for a moment, considering. "I've got something I want to tell them."
Catherine raised an eyebrow, but didn't have time to enquire before the fastest of the vultures was upon them. "Kitty-Flame! You've soundly defeated Samson Sabretooth, how are you feeling now?"
Mallory fought back the urge to say 'Like shit', no matter how accurate it was. "I feel great actually." The reporter started another question, but Mallory cut him off, grabbing the microphone with her bad side and instantly regretting it. No going back now. "And I'd like to send a message too. To ANYONE who thinks they can pull what he did and get away with it, you won't. No matter whether it's reported, no matter whether anyone knows what you did, I will find you. And you can only hope to get off as easy as he did."
The stretcher with Samson's heavy frame lifted up behind her, rolling away to the armored ambulance. Catherine glanced at Mallory inquisitively, but the reporter seemed taken aback.
"No further questions at this time." Mallory finished, handing the microphone back to the stunned reporter and turning away. Fuck, everything hurt. She hoped she could lean on Catherine enough to hide just how bad of shape she was in.
And if not, well they should see what the other guy looked like.
Mallory winced as Amber cleaned one of her wounds, the antiseptic stinging the ragged cut. There had been an awkward silence among them since they'd left the fight scene all the way till now in the back of Catherine's brothel. There were almost too many topics to talk about, and none of them were easy. They had to start somewhere though.
"S-SWAT should have arrested you too, right Cath?" Mallory gestured with her good side to the ankle monitor on the lynx.
Catherine nodded. "If they were enforcing the law, yes. But they had other orders. I'm guessing someone thought it would be worse optics for you to be working with a 'violent felon' right after a vicious fight."
"Take it from justified fighting back to personal revenge." Amber concluded, her PR mind spinning. "Think it will work?"
"After that speech? No. You did a great job of centering the narrative." Catherine paused for a moment, searching for her next words carefully. Amber looked up from her work too.
Before either of them could ask, Mallory cut in. "BUT... you've been my friend for a long time and you know that wasn't normal for me, right?"
Amber nodded. "Something like that," Cath offered.
Mallory sighed, then winced. Fuck, sighing hurt right now. "Yeah, you're right. I... I haven't been honest with you. Or anyone else. I... it's just that..." Why was this so hard to say? She was with friends, and she knew Catherine wouldn't have cameras here. This was the most soundproof place in town, and still she was afraid to say it.
Because you don't want to admit you were lying to your friends, asshole. The voice in her head was blunt today. Amber gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Mallory. It's alright. Really. We're here for you."
The tabby reached up to wipe more blood from her eyes. It wasn't blood this time. She nodded, choking back a sob. "S-Samson wasn't alone there, that night. I... I don't even think it was his plan. The... there was..." It wasn't going to get any easier to say. Especially not with how her chest was tightening.
They waited. They waited, and they listened, and they were there for her. No matter what came of it, she could at least trust them enough to tell them. The things she'd done later could wait. Mallory closed her eyes, just feeling Amber there next to her.
"Arthur Evan, Sublime-Canine. He's the one who raped me."