Chapter III: By the Horns

Neither Lance nor David Hale returned home that evening. Although David did call to say that he had to deal with the PR nightmare that Firebrand's revelation had brought upon them all. By all appearances, the media had pounced on the scandal with the news spreading all over the continental United States. It was big news... for their part of the world and even smaller for their section of the known universe. Miniscule in the multi-verse. People were madly scrambling to get interviews with Lars and politicians were immediately getting involved. Everyone had their opinions.

Conservatives were barking about how supers should remain the supreme authority against supernatural threats and 'wannabes' should not be empowered by 'half-breed-hugging-hippies' like Firebrand. Liberalists were singing Firebrands praises, calling for a universal breakdown of barriers between super, Outsider and normal.

The UK, who had the highest concentration of supers on Earth, bore their fangs and boasted about how loyal all their supers were to the crown. The United African Nations demanded stricter testing on their people to out all Outsiders and immediately deport them elsewhere. China and Japan just went right on making technology to awe the world. Australia stared at everyone and shrugged, not truly caring.

The news even reached the lunar and Martian colonies but what they had to say was still up to debate by their individual governments.

Much to Caleb's surprise, the FBI and its backers actually supported Lars' outing to the world and twisted it to their advantage. Suddenly, members of the government were throwing their lot with the Outsiders, claiming that if a full-fledged super could support the Outsiders, why couldn't anyone else. Many important political and entertainment figures jabbed and poked at Feral Steel's anti-Outsider statements throughout the night, calling the Alliance bigoted and narrow-minded. There were even talks of organising petitions to force the Alliance to educate the Outsiders instead of pushing them away entirely.

On the other side of the coin, the Alliance and their supporters were calling Firebrand a rogue superhero and was 'corrupted' by the Outsider's vigilantism. They cited Firebrand's performance within the Alliance alongside public opinion - stating how he was such a great rising star but had since plateaued. This defection to the Outsiders, they claimed, was just a tantrum of an impudent child crying out for attention. Trying to seem like the better man, they also announced that they were not going to revoke Firebrand's membership into the Alliance as they claimed that they were on the same side as the Outsiders though their methods did differ. Until a law was broken, they would continue with their stance that Outsiders were a danger to themselves and others due to their insufficient training and lack of baseline superpowers.

The story ran for the entire night and Lillian Hale had stayed watching out for her husband. She was practically shaking due to the severe overdose on caffeine by the time Caleb left that day for school. He was surprised to find that Mary's car wasn't parked in her driveway either and he guessed she hadn't returned home that night either. She was probably working with the FBI to ensure the best possible outcome and helping Bren keep everything under control on their side.

The surprises kept on coming when he finally arrived at West California High and found Lars waiting for him at his locker.

"Hey man," the Doberman greeted, grinning broadly.

Caleb instantly rammed into him, catching him in a headlock and slamming him against his locker. To others, it would look like the friendly jock rough-housing that was normal for the two. However in reality, Caleb really wanted to choke his best friend.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!?" he snarled.

Lars, being the super, was much stronger than Caleb and easily prised himself away. "Whoa, what's the matter with you? I thought you'd be happy?"

Keeping his voice low, Caleb said, "Did you even think that the Alliance knows your real identity and now has a connection to you being an Outsider? They're going to track you and find out everything!"

"Not after last night," the Doberman replied with a smug smirk. "I quit."

Caleb started, his jaw dropping open. "You what?" he hissed softly.

"You heard me. I quite that team." Lars smirked, obviously pleased with himself. "In a few days the Alliance will make the announcement official. I've handed in my pendant and am now on the team full-time."

"What about your parents!? What about your living arrangements!?"

Waving a paw absently at him, Lars said, "My parents never cared about me. They barely even said a word when I handed in my resignation. I packed up my things last night and moved into a hotel Bren arranged for me. The FBI is now looking for more permanent living arrangements."

Caleb gawked; he could not believe his ears and just shook his head in utter disbelief. He could never imagine doing something like that; leaving his family and striking out on his own... it was such an alien concept to him! Admittedly, Lars had a completely different relationship to his family than Caleb did with his but in the back of the wolf's mind, family should love unconditionally. They may not _like_one another but they should always be there for one another.

"What did Bren say?" he asked, finding his brain nearly imploding with the one mere thought.

"Actually, he said it was a good thing." Lars grinned from ear to ear. "The Outsiders have been getting crap with all of Feral Steel's propaganda and this just boosted their approval a thousand fold! Apparently overnight, dozens of Outsiders have been coming out, making themselves known to the government!"

"My god... Outsiders are the new gay..." Caleb murmured, shaking his head. "And you've just become their spokesman."

"Isn't it great? Bren spoke with the rest of the head honchos and apparently, they're already in talks with the media and others to make us more outgoing and approachable."

"What are you getting at...?"

"You know," Lars said, nudging his shoulder a little. "We're talking public appearances, talk shows and maybe even some branding. They don't want to undercut supers entirely but they want to make sure that Outsiders aren't considered freaks and to make sure that they know they have a place they can go."

Caleb groaned and spun towards his locker, banging his forehead against the metal frame. Lars, concerned, came up beside him.

"Cale? I thought you'd be happy. We're helping people all over the world, telling them that it's okay to be an Outsider."

"Happy?" he mumbled. "You realise my dad knows your identity right? And he knows I'm on the football team with you. What do you think he'd say?"

The Doberman made a worried face. "Oh... Oh right... Ah... Well... I probably won't be able to come over to your house anymore and you wouldn't be allowed to come over to mine..."

Caleb shook his head and opened his locker, tossing his bag inside. "I just don't want to lose you, man. We make an awesome team and I love you like a brother. If my dad throws down the ban hammer and says I can never see you again, it'd be just like if they had caught Lance and I together and exiled one of us to the other side of the world."

Lars looked really worried at that point and he voice cracked as he said, "Oh... Um... Well, you're still allowed to come to school and see Mary or Ben, right? What if I just meet up with you there?"

"And throw another lie into the works? You know I let Mary and Ben falsify the test results last night?"

The Doberman's eyes widened. "So your dad still doesn't know, huh? I guess I should've guessed..." Eyes cast down, Lars said, "I'm sorry, Cale... I didn't mean to put into such a tight spot. I was just so pissed at your dad. I mean, he tells us not to interfere with 'superhero business' when we're dealing with Shark Tamer and his cronies but when we back down from supervillains, he calls us cowards. I know you love your dad, Cale, but he can be an ass."

Caleb suddenly spun towards Lars and slammed a fist into his locker. "_Never_talk about my dad like that, got it, fucker!?" he snarled, baring his teeth and growling.

Lars jumped and held up his paws in surrender. "Alright! Alright! Sorry... Um... See you in class?"

"Whatever."

As Lars began to walk away from their confrontation, Caleb immediately began regretting what he had said. Lars was only doing what he thought was right and in the grand scheme of things, it was the right thing. Outsiders did not deserve to be pushed into the background and ignored. They were born Outsiders, it was not something they chose to become. Lars' message would give them the courage to speak up and stand up for themselves.

Maybe Caleb should've stood up and done the same...

He shook his head free of the thoughts and just tried to focus on the next few hours. If and when Lance and Dad came home, he would deal with these problems then. For the moment, he had the relative peace and solitude of high school life.

*****

The school was simply abuzz with news of Firebrand's reveal. Students left right and centre were already claiming to be Outsiders or at least making jokes about it. Math class was no exception. While the teacher was attempting to warn them about an impending test, the entire class was chattering about what powers the may or may not have. The teacher finally gave up about halfway through and picked up her tablet, perusing the latest news on the very same topic the class was so enraptured in.

Caleb tried to ignore it all and tried to do some simple equations. However, solving for 'X' became extremely difficult when every few minutes, someone would poke him and ask if he had Outsider powers - always suggesting it had something to do with how well he played football and being a wide receiver. He never really denied it, just laughing and telling them that he was busy.

Sadly, his list of practice equations quickly ran out and with a double period, he started to grow bored. While everyone was still talking, He began doodling absently sketching a strange hybrid of Firebrand and Flare Blue's costumes - spandex with some pieces of fire fighter gear.

"You realise, of course, that the one person that isn't interested in the hottest gossip is usually involved in it, right?"

That articulated, British accent made Caleb straighten and mentally swoon. He turned to find Ashton kneeling right beside him, arms crossed to form a little pillow for the tiger to set his chin on. It took Caleb a second to realise that their noses were just an inch from one another.

"Yeow!" he cried, leaping away in surprise. However, the sight of his three-hundred pound, muscled frame leaping up in horror and crashing to the ground caused a ripple of laughter throughout the classroom. After a few jokes at his expense from the other jocks, conversation went right back to possible Outsiders.

Caleb pulled himself back up to his seat, warily regarded Ashton. The tiger had Caleb's tablet with his doodle of Firebrand/Flare Blue in his paws. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough to know that you really hesitate when you're drawing people's crotches. Or at least men's crotches." Ashton flicked through the tablet absently, browsing through Caleb's collection of drawings. "All of your men seem to have suspiciously small packages." The tiger eyed him suspiciously. Then, very loudly, he asked, "Is this a reflection of personal experience?"

Caleb's jock mode kicked in and he lashed out, seizing his tablet in one paw while grabbing Ashton's collar in the other. "I'll make you choke on my big, fat cock, you faggot!"

The tiger just laughed, lifting his paws. "Easy there! I was just joking!"

"I wasn't!" growled Caleb, pressing their noses together though his muzzle was curled into a snarl. "One more crack like that, motherfucker, and I'll split you right down the middle!"

Strangely calm, Ashton just said, "I'm detecting hostility from you, Master Hale. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Slowly sliding away from his aggressive football jock mentality, Caleb paused for a few moments before he quietly said, "Say fish and chips."

"Fish n' chips."

Inside His heart did somersaults but he didn't show it on the outside. He hesitantly released Ashton, pushing him back into the ground with a grunt. "Get out of my face, fucking Brit."

The tiger just laughed and pulled up a seat right next to Caleb. "I take it you're somewhat aggravated that everyone keeps suspecting you of being an Outsider or a super, correct? All those amazing catches, your incredible speed and your herculean physical structure must set off many people's suspicions."

"Let's go with that," grunted Caleb, closing his drawing application on his tablet.

"Well, I have a suggestion that will take your mind off all of this." Ashton leaned close, his muzzle hovering right over Caleb's ear. The proximity made Caleb freeze, waiting with held breath for the next words to come out of that muzzle. "Let's ditch the rest of the day and head down to the mall for a showing of the new Will Sandler and Adam Ferrel movie."

Caleb didn't move. "I've got practice..."

"If we leave right after this class, you'll have enough time to get back."

"Are you nuts? I'm not ditching school just to watch a movie about two gay comedians who play broke guys who want to make an easy buck by being porn stars but because they don't have the bodies for gay scenes, they pretend to be straight because, for some reason, 'straight guys acting gay' makes more money than two gay guys going at it."

He replayed those words back in his head and realised he sounded extremely hypocritical... not to mention homophobic.

"Mary said you'd say something like that," Ashton answered. "She wanted me to ask you how come you know so much about a movie you hate but instead, I'm going to do something else."

Mary... Of course it had to be Mary. But Ashton seemed confident he could convince Caleb to ditch class. Something better than whatever Mary had concocted. Fine. Game on.

"What?"

Ashton didn't so much as say something as he did, lean a little closer... and gently, very gently, brush his tongue against Caleb's ear.

Caleb's eyes widened, his throat going abruptly dry.

"Fish n' chips."

"Okay! Movie sounds good!" he said, remaining perfectly still. "See you in a bit."

"Looking forward to it," answered the tiger. However, just as he was about to head towards the door he turned around to face Caleb with a smug smirk on his face. "And Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"Fish n' chips."

WHAM!

His desk reverberated from his punch. "Damnit, Mary!"

Fifteen minutes later, the bell rang and he was charging out of the classroom ahead of everyone else. Being childhood friends with Mary meant that he knew her class schedule as much as she knew his heart and mind. She was waiting for him casually at his locker and didn't even flinch when he slammed a fist into the door.

"What the hell was that?" he snarled.

"Entertainment," she answered. "Is 'Fish and chips' going to be your safety word from now on?"

"Stop hooking me up with Ashton! Lance and I are -" He froze, not even entirely sure anymore what his standing with Lance was after his stunt the previous day. "Just... just don't okay, Mary?"

"Caleb," she said, regarding him with a shake of her head, "not everything is about your love life, you know. Ashton suggested the movie because no one in the school seems to want to do anything but gossip about what happened last night and he keeps getting asked if he's an Outsider on the account that he wasn't born with any stripes."

"But he's not the only tiger without stripes in this school! Jayden Jamison on the football team is the same and he's not compensating by tattooing the words to Romeo and Juliet all over his body!"

"He knows that but people will prey upon anything out of the ordinary and draw conclusions." She shrugged. "He just wants to go out and avoid the school until the news gets old. Lars and Ben already agreed to coming as well. Alex said he'll stick around school instead. We didn't want you to feel left behind."

Scowling softly, he said, "Did you have to get him to lick my ear and...?" He flicked the violated ear lightly as he trailed off.

"It was the only way you'd be under his power. The whole 'Fish and chips' thing was all him. He's a great actor that way. Likes to improvise."

"He may be the actor but you're the evil director," he muttered, opening his locker and tossing his tablet inside. "What's the plan?"

As they went out to the parking lot, they saw a lot of empty spots and quite a few cars heading towards the exit. Apparently, they weren't the only ones to have the same idea of ditching the gossip-stricken school. Even some teachers were skipping class themselves to avoid the storm of questions and lack of any actual learning. It was actually a fairly common occurrence amongst the populace that when something truly scandalous hit, productivity went down. In a high school, that was felt more prominently. No doubt in the next few days there would be some ad-hoc super screenings to occur to check for any potential Outsiders.

As before, Lars took Caleb's spare helmet and rode Ballistic with him away from West Cali High to the nearby beach-side shopping mall. They bought their tickets from a bored looking attendant to 'Straight For Pay' and bought their snacks. Ashton had timed the movie perfectly and when they arrived, they just had ten minutes to buy their snacks before the previews started.

Caleb strode up to the counter with Lars by his side.

"Hey," he greeted, "can we get two extra-large popcorns, one cheddar flavoured and the other nacho cheese. Two extra-large sodas, lemonade for one and the other is a cola. And two of those chocolate-covered ice cream cones, mint-choc and honeycomb, please."

The human attendant blinked at the two enormous canines. "Sorry, we're out of mint chocolate."

"Then just boysenberry please."

"Cale," Lars said.

"Oh right. And a packet of Skittles."

Behind them, he heard Ashton lean over to Mary. "Are they serious?"

"They're growing boys," responded Mary with a shrug. "They have _always_gotten that since they met. Plus if you think that's a lot of food, don't ever go to the Hale household. _Especially_during vegetarian night."

Nearly everyone flinched at the very mention of those words.

Caleb shuddered involuntarily at the mention of the one night a week when his mother would serve them nothing but 'healthy vegetarian food' and their sympathetic father, while clutching his own stomach, took them out for some fast food. Beside him Lars wavered slightly, resting a paw against his stomach. Ben looked sick.

They were handed their snacks with Ashton just getting a medium drink and Mary deciding she would just get a bottle of water. Ben, still feeling the trauma of being reminded about vegetarian night, didn't dare get anything.

The theatre was, predictably, empty. Caleb sat down next to Lars as he always did and they arranged their food like they always did: cheddar cheese popcorn on Caleb's lap, skittles open in his pocket while Lars jabbed their drinks with two straws each as they always shared drinks.

"Mine's the bent straw," Lars exclaimed.

"Cool," said Caleb, picking up his honeycomb ice cream cone.

"You two share drinks?" Ashton asked from Caleb's left.

"Yeah? We share popcorn too. Why?"

Ashton regarded them curiously. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't realise you two were a couple."

If Ben had a drink, he would have done a spit take there and then. Mary laughed alongside him while both Caleb and Lars froze in their seats and whirled around to face the tiger.

"We're not a couple!" they said in unison.

"I just like cheddar popcorn," Caleb said.

"And I prefer nacho cheese," added Lars. "But sometimes you want something more cheesy so I grab some of Caleb's cheddar."

"I also like lemonade over cola. But if you eat a lot of cheddar popcorn, the taste with lemonade is really foul. You need something stronger to wash the taste away so I take a sip of Lars' cola every now and then."

"And to make sure things are fair, I grab some of Cale's lemonade."

"And we both like Skittles."

Mary threw her head back and laughed while Ben could've been on the floor laughing at that point. He wasn't sure. There was a loud thump and Ben muttered a soft 'owie'.

Ashton stared at the two canines with a very puzzled expression on his face. "Either you two are in such intense denial or you have just redefined the term 'bromance'."

Caleb turned to Lars and then back to Ashton. "We're not in a bromance. We're just really good friends. The best of friends! Lars is my best friend!"

"Whoa! Hey!" exclaimed Mary.

"Best male friend."

"Hey!" countered Ben before he quickly shrugged. "Eh, I don't care."

"Right..." Ashton answered, leaning forward with a puckish smile on his face. "Alright then. Prove it."

Giving Ashton his con-fuzzled look, Caleb said, "How?"

"Kiss."

The theatre - already empty as it was - felt even more deathly quiet. No one seemed to be breathing.

"What!?" Caleb exclaimed. "Are you out of your fucking mind!?"

"Yeah!" Lars chimed in "What the hell, man!?"

Ashton absently waved a paw between the two boys. "If you're really not in a bromance, kiss. There shouldn't be a spark. You shouldn't have to hold the kiss for longer than ten seconds and there must be full eye contact through the entire experience. Oh, and neither of you should get hard."

"That's not fair!" shouted Lars.

"I think it's fair," Ben said with a smirk.

"No one asked you."

The tiger waved his paws. "Okay, okay. You're two horny, testosterone charged teenagers. Fine, getting hard is fine. It happens. But no longer than ten seconds and afterwards, you have to be honest about what you feel."

"What are we?" Lars protested. "A bunch of sissy little girls who go around sharing our feelings?" He nudged Caleb. "Come on, Cale. Tell 'im." When Caleb didn't respond for a long moment, Lars said, "Cale?"

Caleb slowly turned towards his best friend, mentally playing _O Fortuna_in his head over and over again. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the annoyance in Mary's expression. "I say we do it."

Lars flinched, looking as if he was going to panic and run away or throw the extra-large cola he had straight in Caleb's face. However, the one thing that made him stop was Caleb's very subtle twitch of his left ear and a little wiggle of his nose. The Doberman swallowed hard and eased back into his seat.

"Oh... Uh... Really? Um... You sure?"

"Yeah," Caleb answered softly. "I mean, we've been best buds for a while. We went to the same middle school though we never really talked and you're my bro. If there was something there, I wouldn't hold it against you because... I dunno... I could be convinced to give it a shot. If something's there."

Lars blinked multiple times. "Alright... You sure? No take backs."

"No take backs," he agreed.

"On three?"

"Yeah... One..."

Both boys leaned towards one another, each other's faces the only thing in their vision.

"Two..."

Their muzzles were just an inch away from one another.

Ashton, Mary and Ben who had been on the edge of their seats, all cried, "Three!"

Caleb's lips pressed against Lars'. In that moment, the young wolf's heart skipped a beat just like if Lars had thrown the ball to him and he had just leapt into the air to snatch it; that magical moment, that fraction of a second when the ball was just inches from his paws and it he was stuck in that perpetual twilight between triumph and disappointment. Their eyes met and Caleb found it extremely hard not to close his.

Some imaginary timer flicked on in both boys' heads hitting 'three'.

Lightning fast, Caleb whirled around and seized Ashton's shoulders. The startled tiger never got a moment to cry out as Caleb immediately planted his lips against the tiger's, shoving his tongue down the feline's throat. At the same time, following his cue, Lars leapt up and pressed his groin against Ashton's rear, grinding his semi-hard cock against the tiger's bubble butt.

Both canines made loud, exaggerated moans, Lars crying 'Oh yeah, baby! Take! Fuck yeah!' Ashton tried struggling free but being sandwiched between two enormous canines - not to mention one being a super - made escape virtually impossible.

Ten seconds later, both boys released the tiger.

Ashton pulled away from Caleb, his jaw open wide in horror.

Caleb threw his head back, letting out the laughter that had been building in his chest since he and Lars had shared the very secret twitch and signal they had often used out on the field. "Hoooo-yeah! Ha-hahaha! You should see your face!"

"What the bloody hell!?" Ashton exclaimed, shoving a grinning Lars away. "What in the name of the Crown was that!?"

"Good ol' American hospitality, that's what!" Lars laughed.

Testosterone levels instantly skyrocketed as the two football players jumped to their feet, bumped chests and slapped paws. They slung arms over each other's shoulders, grinning widely at a puzzled Ashton.

"How was that, kitty?" Caleb taunted, sticking out his tongue. "Be honest now. That was the deal."

Lars leaned towards Caleb, playfully and effeminately rubbing the wolf's chest. "Was there a spark?"

In return, Caleb curled his arm up against Lars' chest, cupping the Doberman's strong jawline. "Was it longer than ten seconds?" Then he dropped the charade while Lars still clung to him, grinning like a maniac. "Oh wait, you closed your eyes! We've got to do it again."

Then something unexpected happened.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind."

Both footballers froze, their grins losing all mirth.

"Halestorm says whut?"

Ashton shrugged, all serious and business. "You're perfectly correct. I closed my eyes. We must perform the act once again. For the sake of the experiment. Come now. Back in your seats. Caleb, I was on your lap, our genitalia pressed against one another. Lars, you were compressing my tail a little. Would you mind if I lifted it?"

Both Caleb and Lars retreated a whole step, horrified.

Thankfully, Ashton didn't let them suffer for very long. He burst into laughter quickly joined by Mary and then Ben. Caleb felt his cheeks start to burn.

"Ah, you two," chuckled Ashton. Even the way he laughed was dignified. "A merry jibe that one. You well and truly got me. However, consider the tables turned." He waggled a finger at them. "Lars, you make a very convincing actor. The musical will benefit from your talent. Caleb, you require more work. Perhaps we can practice on your facial expressions more?"

"Fuck you," growled Caleb, feeling his cheeks burn up with embarrassment. He slumped back down next to Ashton, arms folded and ears twisted back in while Lars looked similarly humiliated.

Just as the previews were starting, Caleb's phone vibrated. A message from Mary.

'Awww, don't feel bad. Ash just thinks fast, that's all. You two probably could've bluffed him into another round. It'd be a new version of gay chicken. Gay chicken in denial_.'_

He grumbled and shoved his phone back into his pocket, staring glumly at the screen. It didn't help that he was watching a gay rom-com by two comedians he didn't like at all. Lars loved them. But after Ashton made a few quiet jokes during one of the scenes, Caleb became the middle ground for a popcorn fight as Lars flung bits of his Nacho cheese popcorn straight at the Brit. Ashton flung a few pieces back as well, but when one kernel bounced off his nose however, he spun towards Ashton and snarled.

"If you want your own popcorn, you should've bought your own instead of mooching off Lars."

The ever-cool Ashton shrugged and popped one of the kernels he had caught from Lars into his muzzle. "Apologies, Master Hale. Perhaps I can make it up to you." He offered Caleb a handful of kernels. "Nacho cheese popcorn?"

There was just something charming about the guy that dispelled his anger. He couldn't really be angry at Ashton. Like Mary had said, he just played the better hand. With a begrudging grimace, he reached for the popcorn -

Only for Ashton to shove them in his muzzle and then immediately shove his _muzzle_into Caleb's. Caleb's entire body locked up as the kernels were shoved into his muzzle one by one with a surprisingly dexterous tongue. Ashton's jaw shifted and undulated with his movements, forcing Caleb's into the same dance. A shiver rippled down Caleb's entire body and he was left with disappointment when the last kernel was passed to him and Ashton pulled away.

Pressing a finger against his lips, the tiger said, "And that is how you kiss, Master Hale. Do try to rehearse and be ready for next time."

Partially frozen, Caleb flicked his head back towards the screen and barely seeing what was flashing before his eyes. When his phone buzzed again, it took him ten whole seconds to register the words.

'Yes, he said next time. As in, he wants to kiss you again next time. Bad play, Halestorm, bad play. Pun intended.'

Caleb slammed his fists into the armrest and then, very loudly, shouted, "Damnit, Mary!"

*****

Manny Goldman winced.

All his life, he had played it safe. As a career, he was an accountant because it was a safe choice. For his entire schooling career, he barely played sports because he thought he could get injured or killed by a rogue baseball or crushed under a pile of football players. He still lived with his mother because there was nothing safer than the comfort of one's home. Eight o'clock was his curfew and he was always in bed by nine-thirty. Girlfriends _always_had to be religious and any sexual relations was restricted to after marriage - which he had yet to go into.

For the past thirty-five years, he had played it safe.

Then, on this night of all nights, he chose to do something out of the ordinary, something... dangerous.

He got a tattoo.

And it hurt like hell.

It was just a simple heart with 'Mother' drawn into it but it was big, red and stung. He had to cut the cab ride back home short because he was in so much pain that he was afraid it had gotten infected.

He burst into a nearby pub and staggered up to the bar, clutching his left arm. "Excuse me," he said softly to the bartender. "Do you have some ice?"

The bartender didn't hear him and kept cleaning a mug that was already spotless. Admittedly the TV was on fairly loudly and it was fairly captivating with its three-dimensional report on Firebrand's revelation.

"Umm... Hello...?" Manny said, just a little louder.

Again, no response as the bartender ducked behind the counter. Manny waited in agony as the big equine resurfaced, this time with another mug.

"Excuse me. I need some help."

For the third time he was ignored. He couldn't understand why. It was just four-thirty in the afternoon. The bar was open but it was populated only by those who had left work early on a Thursday afternoon. He couldn't possibly be speaking that softly could he?

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" he demanded.

The equine flicked an ear but just kept on wiping.

He was being ignored.

"Hey!" shouted Manny, banging his fist against the bar. He actually had to reach up to strike it.

The equine turned a lazy eye towards him. "Can't you read the sign?" The man pointed at the sign above his head. "Drinking age is 21 kiddo. You shouldn't be here. Get out before I call the cops."

Manny was livid. "I'm thirty-five!" With his one arm, he reached into his pocket and fished out his wallet, throwing it across the bar. "See?"

What proof he gave was ignored as the equine snorted and pushed the wallet away. "Whatever. What do you want?"

"I'm in pain," pleaded Manny. "Do you have some ice?"

He got a foul stare for that. "I don't know what kind of bar you think this is but we do not deal in drugs. Get the _fuck_out of here!"

Eyes were turned towards him and Manny was starting to feel his cheeks burn. "What? No! I mean real ice. As in frozen water." He rolled up his sleeve to show the red tattoo and the inflamed flesh around it. "I just got a tattoo and its hurting a lot. Could I have some ice to, you know, cool it down a little? At least until I get to the hospital to get it checked out."

The equine blinked multiple times, all hostility fading from his features. "Oh shit! Sorry, kid. I didn't know! Okay, here, here." He quickly piled ice cubes into the mug he was cleaning and handed it to Manny.

"Could I also use your bathroom?" Manny asked softly.

"Anything, man. Ulrich, cover for me."

Manny managed to utter some soft thanks before he was ushered into the heavily lemon-scented bathroom. The bartender went over to the locked first aid kit hanging on the wall and ran his pass through the scanner.

"Error. Scan incomplete. Please scan again."

"Fucking hell," snarled the equine. "Hang on man, this thing is finicky."

"It's fine, really," Manny responded, grabbing a cube of ice and gently rubbing it over the raw, red flesh around his tattoo. The sudden touch of cold was equally as painful but it left a cool numbness that washed relief over him. He sighed softly, angling his swollen shoulder towards the mirror.

Looking at the tattoo now, he realised just how stupid it was. A mother tattoo? Who got mother tattoos these days? It just showed the world what a mama's boy he was. It was a big mark as well, big enough to consume his entire shoulder, curling around the bony joint and even reaching down slightly towards his bicep.

"You should sue the asshole who did just a crap job," grunted the bartender as he made another swipe of his pass. Again, the kit refused him access. "Shit!"

"No, it's alright. It was an inherent risk of getting one." He twisted around a little so that he could see the tattoo a little more. "Besides, he did a great job. It's amazing. Just not for me."

He got a laugh for that. "You know, regrets over a tattoo usually come in after years not hours." On the third try, the first aid kit finally sprang open and the bartender retrieved some bandages. "It doesn't look too bad. Just inflamed. I bet if the guy had used more rubbing alcohol or had been gentler, you wouldn't be hitting this issue."

Manny refused the bandage as he regarded the tattoo in the mirror, smiling through the dulling pain. "It's alright, really."

The bartender offered him a smile in return. "If you're sure." The guy's soft, blue eyes appraised the tattoo. "That's definitely a new take on the whole 'mother' tattoo."

Manny blinked and took another look at the tattoo. For a moment he thought that the pain was somehow messing with his head, but after shaking his head and splashing himself with some water from a nearby sink and noticed a few other details About the tattoo. On the surface, it was a simple red heart with a billowing scroll wrapped around it, the word 'Mother' written across its length. An arrow pierced the heart from the right. However, the heart was not made of one, solid block of colour, rather it was layered with streams of various shades of red, giving it texture and life; almost like it was fire. Some streams were more bright and lively than others while there were darker streams that flitted between them. Even the scroll was not a solid shade of tan but rather a passage from some ancient book perfectly arranged and coloured to spell out 'Mother' on the appropriate letters.

The bartender leaned towards the scroll and smile. "Genesis," he said. "From the old Christian Bible."

"You know the passage?" Manny asked, with a curious tone in his voice.

"Not really but everyone knows the 'Adam and Eve' story. I mean it's a story about isolation, elitism, betrayal and a straight couple who somehow populate the entire world by breeding with each other and then their children."

"It's a disgusting book of holiness, alright," snickered Manny. "Glad Jesus set it right with his Second Coming."

He got a shrug for that. "Too bad nobody really believed him because he came back as a wolf. That is until he opened up the gates to Heaven and shouted 'I told ya so' to the world. They just thought he was another super. For the prophesised messiah, he sure had a rotten sense of timing."

Manny laughed softly before breaking out into a wince when his tattoo began to hurt again. He absently rubbed more ice against it while saying, "Well, it's not like it really mattered. He couldn't take you furs since you come from another dimension and blowing up the Earth with you guys on it just wasn't fair."

"'And so a pact was made with Him,'" the bartender quoted. "'The world will not be raptured. The gates of Heaven will remain open to those who follow the virtues of peace, love and compassion forever more. Souls are free to come and go as they please once they have earned the right. Avarice cannot be the sole motivation behind virtue. Redemption awaits those who were condemned and those who failed to treat others as they would like to be treated... well... There's a swear jar up here.'"

They both shared a laugh.

"You're a Christian then?"

The bartender reached into his shirt and retrieved a big, golden cross hanging on a silver pendant. He absently kissed it and then let it hang on his strong, lean chest. "Still hoping to go to Heaven someday. Just until I get to see my grandma and tell her I love her. Who knows, right? God changed his mind once. Why not again?"

"What're you hoping to be reincarnated as?" asked Manny, leaning back. His shoulder was no longer throbbing. It felt warm and tingly, a little itchy, but no longer painful.

"Whatever comes my way, whatever God decides," answered the man. He held out his massive hoof-capped hand. "My name is Shawn, by the way."

"Manny."

The moment Shawn squeezed his hand, the pressure caused his muscles to bunch up. His shoulder stang again and he winced, glancing over at his tattooed joint. The swelling had gone down and now that the flesh was no longer an angry red, the tattoo was starting to actually look a little... hot. He smiled at it, twisting his shoulder around and enjoying how the light shone off the shiny flesh.

"I think that thing looks pretty good on you," Shawn said with a smile.

"Yeah... Yeah, I do too," answered Shawn, a little mesmerised.

A slight blush touched the equine's cheeks as he turned away a little. "I gotta use the john but what do you say I grab you a drink? You've had a rough night."

Smiling at the valiant bartender, Manny said, "Sure. I'd like that. But I've got to be back at home before eight. Mother will kill me."

"Mama's boy," snickered the bartender.

"That's why I got this!"

Laughing, Shawn turned towards one of the stalls and locked the door. Since the furs had arrived, the standing urinals had been removed in all public bathrooms. Furs found it difficult to use them without knocking someone over or spraying their piss over their neighbour. Plus, furs tended to have bigger bladders. All toilets consisted entirely of stalls these days, built to accommodate furs and humans alike.

Turning away from the bartender's stall, Manny glanced back at his tattoo, gently running his fingers against it.

It did look good on him. Just a little spark of rebellion, a flash of individuality that made him stand out from the rest of the crowd. A sexy little mark that he could whip out any time he wanted to reveal that he was more than just a thirty-four year old accountant that lived with his mother. He was a rebel...

... and even that sounded pathetic to him.

Maybe he should've gotten another tattoo... Something less of a 'mama's boy'.

That same, tingling sensation emerged from his tattoo again, the feeling returning to the flesh after being numbed with the cold. Manny believe he could take it now and just dropped the ice into the sink. The moment he did so, that sensation intensified to a full-on, volcanic throbbing. Manny let out a soft gasp, a noise that was barely audible over the fans of the bathroom.

The experience was strangely... pleasant, he was just shocked. He reached for another cube of ice but before he could apply it... His eyes widened.

Right before his eyes, his shoulder began to bulge. Muscles built upon muscles rapidly, growing in tandem to every throb that emanated from the joint. It was a rhythmic pumping - thump-kathump-thump - far slower that his rapidly accelerating heart rate. With each pulse, his bony shoulder began vanishing beneath folds of dense, big muscles. A cleft began appearing right down his deltoids, adding more contours to his tattoo. The entire painted image no longer looked like it was a candy wrapper curled around a meagre treat; it looked more like a brand across a thick cut of meat.

Manny found himself speechless as the ink of the tattoo began to shift and twist right in front of him. Thin bands of black ink began shooting out of the edges of the red heart, crawling down his arm like a black snakes rocketing towards a single victim. Where they passed, his muscles were joined the _thump-kathump-thump_of his shoulder, bulging and relaxing rapidly. The black snakes curled around his bicep, twisting upon one another before extending themselves back around his triceps to make a perfect, jet-black, tribal tattoo. The moment the last link was made, a thick vein pushed up against Manny's flesh across his enormous bicep.

The young accountant staggered back, holding out his arm in shock as it stood to be even larger than his head. It was so big, so vascular! The muscles looked about ready to break the skin! That and his forearm looked ridiculous against the massive form...

The moment he directed his thoughts at his forearm, more streams of black ink began shooting out of his original tattoo, now looking rather miniscule against the mountain which was his shoulders. It shot past his new tribal tattoo and made its way down his forearm, causing the muscles there to join the upbeat dance of his growing muscles.

"No... No... No..." he whimpered, lashing out with his free hand and trying to block the stream's progress. The moment those streams touched his other hand, though, he felt his fingers join the thumping. He pulled his hand away, staring at it in horror. Fresh bands of black began crawling up from his palms, exploding up his forearms. They collated over the back of his hand, forming a stylised silhouette of a bull. As the new tattoo formed, Manny's hand locked up. His fingers throbbed with the beat, growing bigger, longer and thicker. His hand grew to match his extending digits.

He was suddenly made aware of the growth in his first arm when it suddenly jerked towards his crotch, fully out of his control. A louder gasp escaped from him as he felt his forearms balloon out, becoming thick and meaty while decorated by black flames rippling out from his wrists. Like his other hand, his hand grew into such an enormous size that his body seemed so... puny in comparison. In fact, his entire body seemed so small as his massive knuckles could easily brush the ground.

His back suddenly seized up and he barely caught himself on the edge of the sink. Sweat rolled down his face, his reflection clear in the mirror. A loud moan escaped him as his back began pressing up hard against his shirt. His shoulders tore through the fabric, revealing where black streams were spewing out of his mother tattoo and rolling beneath his shirt and singlet into his back. Every muscle on his torso began dancing to the beat his shoulder set as more streams went down his torso, pumping his non-existent pecs to growth and causing his nipples to become fully erect out of arousal.

Arousal... He groaned as his cock rubbed against his pants, cupped by his meaty hand.

A loud flush broke his rapidly degrading psyche.

"Hey Manny, ready for that -" Shawn emerged from the stall and froze. "... drink...?"

In the mirror, Manny could see the equine's horrified expression. Self-preservation was the only thing that dominated the equines mind and he immediately bolted for the door. The world seemed to slow as he lumbered over to the bathroom door, beating the equine which surprised even him. His free arm bulged and exploded out of his sleeve, slamming the door shut. Another tribal tattoo was wrapped perfectly over his bicep and it too began spraying bands across his growing shoulders and across his hidden back.

Hidden... but not for long.

Manny threw his head back, ignoring the fact that Shawn had fallen over in shock. His spine felt like the bands were pumping new mass into them and it stretched and extended, pushing him closer and closer to the ceiling. His shirt ripped right down the middle, his pectorals pushing the two halves apart while his abdominals came into hard, chiselled existence. His lats and pushed the last shards of his shirt off his shoulders, revealing an perfectly symmetrical mountain range for his back, crawling with those black bands. The bands formed and reshaped themselves into the perfect wing shaped tattoos against his back.

A loud groan escaped Manny as his thighs joined the throbbing dance of the rest of his body. In big, black, angry letters, the word 'Stampede' was written across his chest. He liked that name. Stampede. He was unstoppable. He didn't have to play it safe anymore because once he got going, nothing would stop him!

"Fuuuuuck...!" he groaned, doubling over. He had to use both his enormous arms to support himself against the wall as his thighs burst free of his pants, leaving his underwear in shreds. A big, thick, black rod burst from his groin, the last vestiges of humanity fading from it as it pink, helmeted tip became flat, flared and simply dripping with virility. His cum factories jostled eagerly, hanging nice and low between his thighs, as big as coconuts.

Manny lifted his right leg as a strange sensation began pulsing through his lower legs. He glanced down and watched as his feet stretched out his heel permanently raised. His toes blackened, becoming hard as steel. His big toe was the first to complete the transformation and it quickly slammed into its neighbour, absorbing it into its black frame. Within seconds, he had a pitch black, cloven hoof at the end of his foot. From the hoof, brown fur began sprouting, rapidly rolling up his leg, over his massive, permanently pumped, vascular calves and over his tree-trunk thighs decorated by more tribal tattoos.

He groaned, throwing his head back as the same fur began shooting out of his groin, spreading like wildfire all over his perfectly chiselled pecs and abdominals. Though they covered his tattoos, the ink showed clearly through the short fur. He wiggled his ass joyfully, the thick bubble butt remaining firm as a long, ropey tail jutted out from the base of his spine, ending in a tuft of long hairs. His left leg joined the cloven-hoof club and began spreading the fur further over his body.

Now perfectly able to stand at his full fifteen foot height, Manny stretched his body, spreading his arms wide and throwing his head back.

"Ooooh fuuuuuuuck!" he groaned, his voice growing deeper and deeper. Black strands rolled over his neck, forming one last tribal tattoo that spread fur all over his face. His jaw and nose jutted out from his skull at the same time pushing his ears back to the sides of his head. Mounting release urged through his groin complimented by the sensation of two, long, white horns jutting out of his temples.

"Yeeeeees!" he roared, seizing his cock with his massive hands.

The orgasm was so powerful he was actually knocked back as the fountain of cum flung the door wide open. His cock was a fire hose, spraying long ropes of cum everywhere and splattering the entire bathroom in his seed, filling it with the thick, meaty scent of a virile_bull_ that even the automated air fresheners couldn't deal with.

Shawn had just barely managed to avoid being struck by the backpedalling bull. He couldn't believe his eyes. The cute little human that had come into his bar like an injured puppy had turned into... into that admittedly sexy bull! The equine shook his head and bolted to his feet. He rushed for the door but slipped on a massive puddle of cum. He slammed face first into the pool, coughing and spluttering before rising again.

A massive hand seized his wrists.

"You're not going anywhere," rumbled the bull, grinning at him with black eyes shining lustfully.

Shawn grimaced. "Sorry about this."

Horses have very powerful legs and subsequently powerful kicks. Even a huge bull like Manny couldn't take such a blow right to the balls.

Manny howled in pain and fell back, giving Shawn the opportunity he needed to turn and bolt straight for the bar. The few patrons around were already rising from their booths and tables, angling their heads to see what was going on. Dripping with cum, Shawn bolted behind the bar where Ulrich, his assistant bartender was staring at him with jaw wide open. The wolverine was about to say something when Shawn dove past him and grabbed the phone.

"Shawn, man, what's going on?" asked Ulrich, seizing his shoulder and wiping some of the cum on his paws. "Is this... Is this... semen?"

"Shut it, Ulrich!" shouted Shawn as he dialled the Elemental Alliance hotline.

"You're reached the Elemental Alliance Emergency Hotline. How may I be able to assist?" It was a mechanical, female voice, the Alliance's AI.

"This guy just transformed into this huge bull in my bar and is cumming all over the place! Help!"

"Uh... Boss...?"

"Not now, Ulrich!"

"Did the subject laugh extensively?"

"What? No! He just grew muscles, added some height and became huge! He was a human!"

"What is your current location?"

"The Palomino, 44 Elkswood Road, West Marrington."

"Boss!"

Shawn pulled away from the phone and spun towards Ulrich. "What!?" His eyes widened in horror as he saw the wolverine staring at his own engorged paw which had lost its claws and covered in short, creamy, white fur. Tattoos were marked across his knuckles.

"Oh shit..." Shawn began, backing away. "S - Stay away from me!"

"Boss! Your arm!"

Shawn glanced down at his exposed arm... Through the cum and the short, tan fur... he saw a tattoo of a bull's head... something he had never had before.

"Oh fuck me..."

*****

Practice had gone off without a hitch and the team was absolutely _pumped_for the game. Caleb was ready and he was confident the team could make all the right plays and keep scoring even if he or Lars weren't present. He bumped chests with some of the other guys and mock-wrestled just like any other jock pumped with testosterone.

"We gonna wreck the game tomorrow!" he roared, pumping his fists into the air. "Raptors! Raptors! Raptors!"

The chant echoed across the entire locker room. He only stood there in a towel, dried somewhat from his shower.

"Who are we!?" someone else shouted.

"The motherfucking Raptors!" Caleb shouted along with the rest of the team.

He got a tap on his shoulder and turned, finding Lars standing there looking serious. "Come on, Cale," he whispered softly, "we've got business."

Too pumped, Caleb said loudly, "What kind of fucked up attitude is that for the quarterback!?" He immediately caught Lars in a headlock, grinning broadly. "Who are we!?" he roared right into Lars' ears.

"The Raptors," answered the Doberman. "Cale -"

"RAPTORS!" Caleb shouted, tossing his head back and letting out his victory howl. Other canines and lupines joined in.

"Cale!"Lars hissed, waving his phone but the wolf was too distracted and possibly too consumed with excitement. The Doberman rolled his eyes and before Caleb could go back to pumping up the team, he seized the sides of Caleb's head and pushed their lips together, going for the wolf's throat.

The entire team froze at the sight.

Caleb's eyes boggled.

Lars maintained eye contact, staring at his friend fiercely to let him know he meant business. He broke the kiss after ten seconds, pushing Caleb to the ground. The wolf toppled over the bench, banging his head against the lockers.

"Now that I have your attention," the Doberman growled. "Your phone rang. It's that fucking 'Waiting for You' song." He tossed Caleb's phone to the wolf. "Get dressed and fuck off."

Lars was already dressed when he had heard Caleb's phone ring. As much as he wanted to join in the festivities, he was a trained super and knew when to stow the hormones in lieu of business. Admittedly, kissing Caleb to get his attention was a little bit hormone driven but just a little bit.

It only took Caleb two minutes to get dressed and meet him at the parking lot by Ballistic.

"Um... Sorry about that," Lars apologised, eyes cast down. "It was the only way I could think of to get you to pay attention barring kicking you in the balls."

"I much preferred it that way," Caleb answered, grinning brightly. There was that magnificent, room-lighting grin again. Lars reminded himself to breathe. "Hey, you're not out to the team yet, are you?"

"Neither are you."

"Did you want to come out together?"

Just how many things did they do together? They already shared popcorn, drinks and Skittles at the movies. Whenever they went to their favourite pizza place, they always cut their pizzas in half and gave the other half to one another. The shared notes on tests and major assignments. Hell, one time at football summer camp, Caleb had dropped his toothbrush in the toilet and Lars had let him share his toothbrush.

Why weren't they a couple!?

"Then people will think we're dating," Lars said, tossing Caleb his helmet. "What would Lance think? Now come on. Bren called me with the address. Got your uniform?"

Caleb lifted the duffel back where he kept his outsider uniform. Lars had his own. "Yup. Let's go."

They jumped onto Ballistic and drove out of school. They found a secluded alleyway where they immediately stripped and got dressed. Lars could not help but eye Caleb from the corner of his eye as he shoved the fireman's helmet over his head. His best friend's lean, muscular form was just too tempting. Every inch of him wanted to tackle Caleb and lick those washboard abs while massaging those enormous, plump pecs.

However, as many times before, Lars retreated and restrained himself. Once they were fully dressed, Caleb drove them straight to West Marrington, a small district in the central CBD of West California Island. It was filled with coffee shops, pubs, sports bars and the occasional shopping mall. Everything on sale was still very expensive; most of the stores geared towards those who had six figure salaries.

Of course, salaries meant nothing when there was a horde of rampaging, horny _bovines_charging through the streets.

"Holy shit!" Lars shouted.

"I think you mean, 'holy cow'."

He smacked the back of Caleb's head for that.

The area in front of The Palomino bar was a scene of total pandemonium. Cars were upturned, windows were smashed and amongst it all were about twenty huge, muscular bovines. Most of them were distracted however. Two bulls had managed pin down a cow, ploughing her from both ends, their moans and moos echoing across the streets. Driven by the scene, other bulls clashed horns with one another, trying to dominate each other. Some pairings had already concluded and the winner was claiming his prize, the loser's seed spilling all over the street. Those who could not find a victim tore straight into cars and yanked someone out.

Lars watched with only mild horror as the mere contact with the bull's cum-soaked fur caused black strands that looked like tattoo ink to spread across the victim's exposed and flesh and turn them into another, raging bovine ready for the fucking.

"Where are the others?" Caleb asked, leaping off Ballistic, his hood already up.

"Mary and Ben are on their way. Bren is coming too. He's got Funny Bone for you."

"Fuck... Then I'll have to improvise."

Lars flicked his paws as twin jets of blue flame erupted from his palms. "I've got your back." Far above their heads, he could see news hovercopters already making their rounds. No doubt they were already commenting on his and Weapon Master's appearance.

Caleb rushed towards a fallen lamppost and placed his paws against it. The entire lamppost became wreathed in blue light, ethereal feathers dancing from its frame. Its frame shrunk down to fit into Caleb's paws, becoming a long staff with a large lamp head at the end. A bovine noticed the display and charged at the wolf. Caleb swung the staff, striking the bull's cheek. A brilliant flash of light exploded from the end of the staff, blinding both Lars and the nearby bulls. From what Lars could hear, Caleb was still striking his foe, probably unaffected by the flashes of his own weapon.

"I've always wanted to know what it's like to fuck a superhero."

The hot breath wafted down Lars' neck and he immediately spun. A massive bull stood before him, enormous cock fully erect. The sixteen foot bovine was simply brimming with muscles, beady black eyes conscious but simply overcome by lust. Across the bovine's chest was the tattoo of a Christian cross with a halo wreathing the top arm. Words of scripture on parchment was drawn in ink across his enormous arms and curled around his thighs, leading the eye towards his engorged cock.

"Let me guess..." Lars began. "Holy Cow?"

The bull snorted. "I'll go with Taurus." A grin crossed his square muzzle. "What do you say you take off all that clothing and drink some milk?" He squeezed his low-hanging balls. "It's good for you."

"Cow puns. Neat. Well, here's one. How do you like..." Blue flames erupted all around Lars. "Roast beef!?"

Taurus grinned and charged. The moment his hoofed feet moved, he left the ground and his body angled straight towards Lars, flying parallel to the ground! Lars barely had enough time to get over his shock to leapt aside and avoid the flying bull!

"The hell!?" He glanced over at Caleb. "Weapons Master! These guys have superpowers!"

"What?" Caleb replied, flinging his staff into the ground. Huge electrical wires shot out of the ground like an explosion of worms, seizing his foe. The bull screamed as he was electrified and slumped to the ground. "This guy didn't!"

Taurus spun in the air, turning back towards Lars with a grin on his face.

"That guy does!"

During the hyena strain infection, Madman had baseline superpowers and only Gnoll truly revealed himself to have powers. The other hyenas were almost baseline but none truly manifested superpowers. That Taurus was flying either branded him as _the_Original or -

BOOOM!

Another enormous bull came charging out of the bar. In five police officers clung to his body, clearly swept off their feet by the charging monster. Every step the bull took, the asphalt cracked and broke beneath his feet. When he came to a grinding halt, the bull threw his head back and let out a roar. An enormous shockwave exploded out from him, sending cars and debris flying in all directions. Caleb was thrown off his feet but he embedded his staff into the ground to prevent loss of ground. Lars, being stronger, just staggered a few steps.

"Stampede!" exclaimed Taurus, hovering down next to the slightly shorter bull.

The new bull grinned. "Hey handsome." The two immediately met muzzles, their cocks spewing precum excitedly.

BAM!

One of the cops at Stampede's feet pulled the trigger of his gun again.

BAM!

The bullet just bounced off Stampede's hide. The flesh rippled and Stampede threw his head back, groaning loudly, his cock jerking in pleasure. The bull's already massive frame stretched and expanded slightly.

Lars had seen this before.

"Stop firing!" he shouted. "Don't shoot! He absorbs kinetic energy and only grows stronger!"

The officers didn't listen and one by one, they lifted their guns... before each of them froze. They all doubled over, groaning loudly. Their backs burst from their uniforms, flesh exposed. Across their skin or fur, black trails of ink were already crawling, forming tattoos that seemed to just increase their growth. Within seconds, they were pouncing upon one another, lathering each other with sloppy, wet tongues while grinding their groins against one another while they admired their new ink.

"They're both supers?" Caleb asked, coming up next to Lars. "Either the Gene Stealers managed to create an Original strain with two guys or..."

"Or they're able to create full-blown supers now..." murmured Lars, fear gripping his heart. He immediately snapped back into business, blades of blue fire wreathing his arms and extending forth to touch the asphalt. "We've got to grab them before they self-destruct! We need a sample!"

"Right." Caleb spun his staff in his paws.

The two superpowered bulls turned to the Outsiders, grinning widely while still clutching one another tightly.

"Isn't that cute, Taurus? They think they can beat us. Not even full supers and they think they stand a chance."

"One of them is. That guy dressed like a fireman. He's really Firebrand. You better watch him, babe."

"Fire?" snorted Stampede. "Leave him to me. You take care of the pole dancer."

Caleb flinched. "Pole dancer...?"

Taurus lifted off the ground and charged straight at Caleb. Lars knew his friend could take the bull and he bolted towards Stampede, blue flames shooting out of his feet to propel him forward.

Stampede looked tough but he was in no way fast - at least as fast as Lars propelled by fiery jets. The bull swung at him with massive, meaty arms but Lars just ducked beneath it and lashed out with his fiery blades. The thin, precise, ultra-hot jets of flame sliced easily through the super-empowered flesh, leaving burnt flesh in their wake. The bull bellowed in pain before he swung around for another roundhouse punch. Lars leapt into the air and resisted the urge to kick the bovine's face. He just angled his feet towards the guy and kicked up flames, wreathing Stampede's head in fire.

The momentum took him leaping back into a circle of other bovines.

"Crap," he grunted. "Of all the places to land..."

"Flare!"

A jet-black rocket came shooting past the wall of beef, blades flashing. Mary - AKA Blade Babe though she preferred she be called 'Blade Bitch' - came shooting into the circle, somersaulting in the air and landing right next to him, her combine swords at the ready. A blood-curdling howl then ripped through the crowd as a massive, blood-red wolf shot out from behind the pile of overturned cars.

Boom!

Blood Wolf landed right beside Mary in a crouch. Slowly, the gargantuan werewolf rose, lips curled back in a snarl and eyes a bright red.

"Guys! Eyes!"

Lars immediately squeezed his eyes shut. He felt the heat from a brilliant flash and heard the cursing from the bulls around him. He opened his eyes a second later, throwing his paws up. Bolts of blue fire shot from his palms, slamming into the nearby bovines with enough force to send them crashing to the ground.

"You little fucker!" roared Stampede. He came charging straight at the trio of Outsiders, head ducked and horns primed.

Lars exchanged glances with Ben and Mary. On some unspoken command, Ben leapt in front of Lars, charging forward and seizing Stampede by the horns. Momentum temporarily halted, Lars and Mary flanked the bull, sweeping their own blades right and left, cutting the bull's calves. The bovine crashed to the ground, roaring in pain.

"He absorbs kinetic energy," Lars said. "He's probably got some stored too. He'll just regenerate. We need to contain him!" He glanced around. "Where the fuck is the Alliance? Where's Bren?"

A loud keening noise hit their ears followed by the roar of a hovercopter engine. Above them, a Channel 11 news copter came careening towards them, nose first. Lars managed to get one loud 'Fuck' out before he leapt to the side.

BOOOM!

Fire and debris flung in all directions. Lars swung his paws, seizing control of the flames and willing it all to ebb, preventing any further damage. As the flames died, his heart nearly stopped when he noticed that the hovercopter had landed exactly on top of Stampede.

That wasn't good.

The sun was temporarily blotted out when a parachute swept over them. Bren unhooked the parachute and pulled out his revolver.

"Sorry I'm late," the tiger said, grinning cockily. "Traffic was a nightmare so I had to improvise."

"How'd you get the Channel 11 hovercopter?" demanded Ben, eyes wide. "Kickass entrance, by the way."

"Thank you. And just a handy targeted teleportation device, some spare parachutes and a flash of my badge."

The debris began to shift behind Bren.

"Bren! That guy absorbs kinetic energy!" Lars shouted. "Get away -"

He never got to finish as Stampede erupted from the ruins of the hovercopter, swinging the vehicle's door like a baton. Bren managed to turn halfway around before the hot metal collided with his torso with such force that it ripped his upper body clean off his legs! Those same legs swayed for a few moments like they were still attached before they toppled over.

Lars growled and readied his flames... but he froze.

Stampede's eyes... they were wide in horror.

"Oh fuck..." whispered the bull. "What... what did I do...?"

*****

On the other side of the field, Caleb spied what had happened to Bren. Taurus had seen as well and seemed distracted. The wolf lashed out with his staff, aiming for the bull's head. Taurus was fast, though. The bull managed to twist his head to the side before the staff struck his temples. It still caught his left horn though, breaking it in two and sending a piece skittering to the side.

"What have we become..." the bull whispered.

Were they... Were they feeling guilt over what had happened? He remembered when he had transformed, it had taken him days to regain his senses but these guys... they seemed fully conscious of their actions. Were they freshly transformed or were they Originals?

"You're just test subjects," Caleb growled. "Pawns in some bizarre plot that causes people to transform."

Taurus turned to him, "Why?"

Caleb, panting, lowered his weapon. "I don't know... You remember the hyena infection a month back? This is similar. But... somehow, you've gotten superpowers... I don't know how or why. But... you were just changed right? Just an hour or two ago?"

Taurus nodded, eyes cast down at his hands. "Jesus Wolf Christ... I was just... I was just so wrapped up in the strength... the power... and fuck, I'm still horny... I thought we were just changing people and it felt so good to fuck... I didn't think we'd kill anyone..."

"We can help you," Caleb said, taking a step forward. "We found a cure for the hyena strain. We can find a cure for this strain too."

Taurus' eyes flicked towards Caleb and he let out a derisive snort. "Cure_me? You think something is _wrong with me? I'm a fucking super! I'm not giving this up. I'm going to learn how to control it! Both of us are!"

The bull lifted off the ground, face twisted into a scowl. "Just try and stop us."

Caleb glanced at his staff. If he slammed it into the ground, he'd have a burst of electrical wire that could restrain the super and provide enough of an electrical shock that it would be enough to hopefully knock him unconscious. For how long would the question but hopefully long enough for Bren to arrive with some sort of anti-super field.

However... looking at the bull's eyes... he saw desperation, fear and regret.

This was a guy that had been consumed by the raw power of the transformation, had taken the Gene Stealer's gift greedily and was now regretting that decision. He was afraid of turning himself in for fear of what they had done. He had nowhere else to turn but into the arms of those like him.

Just like Caleb and the Outsiders.

"Next time," Caleb said, embedding his staff into the ground. "Bring your A game because I won't go easy on you."

The bull snorted and turned in the air. "Looking forward to it."

Then, Taurus sped towards the horrified Stampede. The flying bull picked up the other, holding him tightly and zoomed off into the city. The other bulls were starting to rise but Caleb twisted his grip on his staff, activating it for the last time. Burst of electrical wire erupted from the ground, probably causing a blackout for the entire city block, but at least restraining the bulls and knocking them unconscious.

"WM! Why didn't you stop them?" demanded Lars.

It was Mary that answered. "Because they're just two lost guys who got swept up in what happened to them. Caleb can relate."

"For fuck's sake! You just let two very dangerous, very infectious bulls free into the city! What were you thinking?"

"This isn't going to happen with every Gene Stealer, is it?" growled Blood Wolf, arms crossed. "Or at least every one that shows some fragment of regret."

Caleb watched his staff dissipate into a flurry of white feathers. The fleet of hovercopters were starting to land, no doubt eager to catch them for interviews before they left. That the Elemental Alliance was nowhere to be found was equally worrying.

"They're still people," he said. "Living, breathing, thinking people."

"People that chose the wrong path," Lars said.

"And they deserve the chance to do the right thing," replied Mary, reading entirely from Caleb's thoughts. He wasn't sure if she believed what she was saying. "Blood Wolf is in the same boat." The werewolf snorted in annoyance.

Caleb walked past his friends and picked up the horn that he had severed from Taurus.

"We've given them their chance," Mary continued as Caleb twisted the horn in his paws. "They know their powers now; they know what they can do and how the world sees them."

The horn became consumed by blue light, feathers springing from it. Caleb swung in through the air, the light dissipating to reveal a long, bronze sword marked with the hilt of a bull's head. He turned to his teammates. Though they could not see his eyes through the optic jammers, they felt the intensity of his gaze, all doubt fading from their faces.

"Next time we meet, they're not getting away." Mary nodded slowly. "One way or another, they won't get away."

*****

The Outsiders had fled the scene before the media could catch them and returned to the Facility where they were debriefed. Elliot expressed worry - mixed in with his usual insults - that the bulls could transform others by mere touch.

"It seems that just by touching someone, 'tattoos' grow and start the transformation process," the orca said. "But the guys we managed to capture seem to just be on the level of Gen 1s. They've got budding baseline superpowers but no individual superpowers like those two we saw or Gnoll. If Muscles over there hadn't let them go, I'm sure we've had a more detailed analysis and comparison."

Caleb stood by his decision. Not everyone agreed especially Ben. Still, he had obtained a new weapon from it; the gladius that held the same properties as the initial form of Funny Bone. It constantly regenerated, allowing him to rapidly develop its powers after repeated use. He doubted the Gene Stealers knew about that.

"Why didn't the Alliance come to our aid?" asked Lars. "That was a battlefield out there. They should've heard something."

Bren shook his head absently, thankfully revived. "They were still reeling from the media frenzy you caused. They didn't want to step out there and show more weakness. They also didn't want to be reminded of what happened in Bal-Mordain a month ago when a large number of their crew were raped by horny hyenas."

"Where are the bovines we captured being kept?" Ben asked. "Bal-Mordain isn't safe. Gnoll managed to break in and cause havoc there. The Gene Stealers must know its layout."

"We're figuring that out. Currently, we're thinking about using an enclosed community. Patrolled and monitored of course. Caleb is right to treat them like normal people. Infectious they may be but after the initial euphoria of transformation faded, they began voicing their regrets. They're at least in more control than their hyena counterparts but they're afraid to touch anything or anyone. Putting them in a 'village' where they have some semblance of normalcy might be the best option. Give them no reason to leave and they won't even if the Gene Stealers come to their rescue."

"They didn't self-destruct either," Mary observed. "I wonder why..."

Bren had no comment on that and went on to explain that he was going to meet with government officials to get an official statement ready for the press. When asked how they'd treat the escape of Stampede and Taurus, Bren said they would stand by Caleb's decision on letting them go, emphasising the point that at that particular moment in time, the Outsiders were met with new information and if they had caused a prolonged conflict, it would have led to more people hurt or transformed.

It sounded like an excuse, a contrived explanation. Guilt crept into Caleb's chest, making every breath feel like inhaling barbed wire. Bringing in Taurus and Stampede would have been the right thing to do, he knew he could do it. They all could. Together, the four of them would have been able to at least knock out the bulls. It would have been better to try and lose than let them go.

Still... arresting them would have been the right thing to do for the Outsiders and the city... but letting them go was what was right for them.

... right?

Caleb asked the question mentally towards Mary who simply shook her head. Whether or not she was rejecting his idea or simply stating that she did not know left him with more doubt than ever before.

When the debriefing was done, he drove back home alone.

Was Ben right? Would he consistently let dangerous criminals loose because he sympathised with them? What if more people ended up being transformed because of his actions?

"Fuck, I'm an idiot..." he muttered.

"No you're not." He looked up, Mary's voice echoing through his helmet over the communicator. "When people transform like that, their personalities are overtaken by their primal instincts. It is their choice whether or not to succumb to it or not. You can only make decisions based on their_decisions and who_ you are."

"And I'm just a bleeding heart pussy that knows what they went through and let them go because of it."

"No. You're Caleb Hale. The kind, compassionate wolf who will always fight for what is right no matter the consequences to himself or the path taken to get there. This is certainly the harder path. It would have been easy to just take them in but then you'd be treating them like criminals instead of victims.

"It's going to be rough. We don't know if they'll turn themselves in, fight for us or go back to the Gene Stealers. They might turn more people, they might not. Only time will tell. But no matter what happens, you're going to be there to fight them. You'll fight to protect them and everyone, Caleb, you always will."

Caleb found himself smiling, lifting his gaze and letting out a soft sigh. "Thanks Mary... You always know what to say."

"Just working with what you give -"

She paused suddenly as they approached their homes.

"What?"

"Uh-oh..."

"What 'uh-oh'? I don't like 'uh-oh'."

"Hey Caleb... you know how you like things simple?"

"Yeah...?"

"Well... Things are about to get a whole lot more complex. But since we're about to dive headlong into the Apocalypse, why not go at it full steam, right? Caleb..."

Caleb parked Ballistic in the driveway, glancing over at Mary who slowly slid her car into her garage. "Yeah...?"

"Ashton really likes you. He asked me if you're single. I said yes."

"Okay... and...?"

"Well... He's thinking about asking you out."

Caleb yanked off his helmet, staring at Mary in horror. She poked her head out of the garage and shrugged. She mouthed 'good luck' and ducked away.

Ashton... liked him?

His knees began to grow a little weak so much so that he was walking with jelly legs towards the front door. Those knees went rigid, however, when he pushed open the door and found David Hale sitting at the base of the stairs to the second floor with Lance Hale standing right beside him. Both wolves looked up; their expressions unreadable.

"Caleb," David Hale said, rising to his feet. "We need to talk."