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"Matthew Lancaster? That husky from our linear algebra course?"

Jennifer adjusted her cell phone so the speaker was closer to her ear. Every couple minutes of walking would jostle it, making it hard to hear her friend Anika.

"Hm, I never pictured him as a hero material, y'know. He's way too much of a teacher's pet, and really, how many math majors end up heroes in movies? It's always journalists."

She picked her way across the slippery sidewalk, placing her wrapped feet down with care. The white cloth performed the double duty of keeping them a little warmer in the winter chill, as well as providing a bit more traction than her talons would. Beaded strings which made up Jennifer's long "hair" tapped her golden beak as she snorted.

"I know magic is real, Anika! I've seen it with my own two eyes, which are pretty sharp, y'know. First there was that dragon-man thing on the skyscraper, and I was on campus when all those buildings appeared from that other world, too." It always ruffled her feathers when Anika didn't believe her. She liked to gossip, sure, but lying wasn't a trait she exercised. Gossip's not lying, it's just talking about truths which most furs would rather not. "So it's his fault that everything is so freaking cold right now? We shouldn't even have had snow for another month, y'know."

Jennifer let out a huff, the air in front of her beak condensing into a puff of steam. "I don't want the time off school! Sure we got refunds, but this sets back my degree like a year, y'know. I need to re-plan three whole years of classes to fit everything I need." The dark avian paused for a moment, feeling the compacted snow crunch under her talons as she walked and waited for Anika to finish her sentence. "Yeah, I'm almost to the mall; I've gotten a lot more hours at the shop. We should get together tonight!"

Catching the walk symbol across the street from the corner of her eye, Jennifer kept moving forward, intent on finishing her trek and her talk. But both were interrupted when someone laid on their horn.

Jennifer looked up, dark eyes wide as a semi-truck careened down the icy road, unable to stop. The cab and the container were at near right angles to each other as the vehicle skidded towards her. Throwing her paw forward, she screamed.

A loud crack echoed through the street as an invisible force decoupled the container from the cab and pushed them both to the side. The vehicle itself came to a stop half-embedded in a wooden fence on a slight hill beside the road, while the giant metal container tipped over and halted only after plowing a streetlight.

The raven girl fell to the ground, panting and shaking in the middle of the street. Furs rushed out of their vehicles to help the driver and a few even stopped by to check on how she was doing. A middle-aged otter couple escorted her to the sidewalk while they muttered soothing platitudes, though Jennifer didn't respond as she let them guide her.

What just happened? Did I just use... magic?

"No," a deep voice announced within the confines of Jennifer's mind. "I performed the magic. And I've finally found a suitable vessel."

* * * * *

Oh, man... This is going to be a complete disaster.

A month had passed since Matt Lancaster had helped fend off the demon hordes at the University campus by summoning an ice storm, the likes of which nobody had ever seen. In fact, Matt hadn't seen it either because the magic had sapped him of his life energy. It took so much it had drained the husky of all color, leaving his fur white as the snow he had brought, not to mention throwing him into a coma. A coma the husky was still in.

It's not like Kael hadn't tried to help his friend. As an Avatar of the deity Dias, he had access to "holy" powers. The god had once mentioned he couldn't bring back the dead, but he could bolster confidence, and accelerate healing. However, as Kael had seen in the past, if someone's soul was damaged enough, there was nothing the deity could do. Not that the rotund kangaroo was convinced Dias was actually any sort of divine being. Though he was incredibly powerful, he wasn't powerful enough to stop the force which was the husky's family.

Kael cursed under his breath and slapped his thick tail against the floor. Matt's parents would be here soon, and there was no way they'd take kindly to the massive moose hanging over Matt's hospital bed. He had to get Chris out of there.

Gripping the husky's paw, Chris ignored Kael's pleas, which made the 'roo more insistent. A month of grieving over Matt's pristine hospital bed had left the moose with a haggard appearance: his unkempt fur hung from his muzzle and limbs, his posture was stooped, and his musculature had begun to waste away. Out of the entire group, Chris was the one who normally took the best care of his body, and it worried Kael the moose let himself go like this.

Which made the impending confrontation all the worse. Matt's mother would chew the moose up and spit him out.

"Dude, just... go take a shower at least before you meet them." Kael sighed inwardly. It was like talking to a wall.

And then it was all over.

A sharp intake of breath announced the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster. Matt's father was an imposing figure, tall with a broad back, hulking in the doorway. But the expression plastered on his muzzle revealed his gentle nature as he entered the room, moving to his son's bedside. Placing a paw gingerly on Matt's forehead, Mr. Lancaster said nothing about Chris or Kael's presence.

Mrs. Lancaster, however, remained in the entrance, surveying the room with icy eyes. She was much shorter than her husband, but with her own broad shoulders she was just as boxy. Matt got most of his looks from Mrs. Lancaster, as the gray-blue of her fur matched Matt's. Or at least, used to match, before the storm.

"You're the Walkers' boy, aren't you?"

Kael flinched from the cold greeting, emerald eyes closing involuntarily. Ten years of friendship with Matt, and he still couldn't deal with the husky's mother.

"I almost didn't recognize him," Matt's father said, looking to the rotund kangaroo for an explanation. Kael was going to have to be in this for the long haul.

"Well, the dude saved the University," Kael said, looking at Mr. Lancaster rather than his wife. When neither reacted, he realized a more thorough accounting was called for. "All right, well, this'll sound crazy, but you've seen the news, right? Matt was the original mage here on Earth. The dude got pulled into another world called Amaranth, and he was part of this prophecy. Turns out the bad is Earth and this other world are merging, and Matt is one of the furs who have to save it.

"So Matt got his friends to help here on Earth, and we'd been working with the police force to protect furs from these demon attacks that keep coming because something about the merging gives them a way into our world. The last big event was at the University campus a month ago. The demons went all out, and killed a lot of innocent dudes and dudettes, but Matt arrived to save the day. He and Chris here ended up taking on the big demon general guy, but they both nearly died until Matt brought down the early winter, sending the demons back to the hell they came from. He's all white now instead of sorta-blue because he spent all his life-energy summoning that storm. But here we are, demons are gone, and dude's in a coma."

The room was silent for a moment. If the news hadn't reported most of this, that story would have sounded completely nuts. I still almost don't believe it. Kael thought, then broke the silence with a nervous thump of his tail.

Matt's mother spoke up. "I didn't raise a fool. Why would he get himself killed doing this?"

Before Kael could think of a suitable response, Chris lifted his head and examined Mrs. Lancaster, his eyes focused and clear for the first time since Matt had been admitted to the hospital. "Because Matt's boyfriend was killed by the very same demon."

The kangaroo slapped a paw against his forehead.

"What do you mean boyfriend?" Mrs. Lancaster stepped into the room, her icy eyes focusing on Chris so hard Kael thought the moose might go up in flames. Chris, however, must have realized his mistake and said nothing as he stared back. "Get your paws off my son! I didn't raise a faggot, either!"

Kael's thick tail thumped the floor even harder. "If it weren't for Chris, Matt might not even be alive."

The moose stood. Matt's dad was tall, but Chris was even taller, without taking into account his antlers. He didn't snarl, but Kael knew it was hard to break Chris' temper. Mrs. Lancaster was probably getting close to that point, however. "Matt's a hero. He saved the city and countless furs. You should treat him with more respect."

"Get your corrupting asses out of here, before I call the police! You aren't family, you have no legal right to be here."

His teeth bared, Kael walked up to Mrs. Lancaster, bringing his nose up to hers. "It's furs like you who killed my father."

"No, it was your father's choices which killed your father," Mrs. Lancaster said.

Kael wanted to rip the smug right out of her voice. I could do it, Dias...

"Leticia, drop it." Mr. Lancaster was quiet, but somehow the statement carried through the argument.

"But--"

"They've been here for Matt all this time. I'm happy my son is alive and proud he has friends who care so deeply for him. Could we leave this for now, please?" Leticia folded her arms, nodding once. Mr. Lancaster turned to Kael. "Might we have some time alone with Matt?"

As Chris and Kael left the room, Leticia made it clear she didn't trust them. She ensured her back was never exposed to the pair, as if one of them would stab her or something. Though, Kael couldn't admit he hadn't thought of at least smacking some sense into her.

Once they were down the hallway, the kangaroo kicked a small green plastic chair, his large feet launching it a couple feet. An orderly shook her head at him, but he snarled. "Ugh! She makes me so mad!"

Chris' eyes were wide. "Uh, Kael, your paws are glowing."

Kael glanced down at the bright white light enveloping his paws. He was closer to smiting that woman off the face of the planet than he thought. Taking a deep breath, he willed the power away and ran his hands through his mop of dark hair. "Sorry, dude. I just--I grew up with Matt and Mrs. Lancaster has always been the one to wear the pants in that household. She's bigoted as fuck, which is why Matt never told them about being gay."

"Sorry," Chris said, hanging his head. Even his antlers seemed to droop. "Maybe they'll come around eventually?"

"I've known them for over ten years now. The dudette is still as controlling and crazy as ever. And don't worry about it. If you hadn't told them about Jay, they'd have found out shortly. The police report has all the details, anyhow."

Still, it's good to see something snapped Chris out of his funk.

A buzzing sound interrupted the kangaroo's thoughts. Nabbing his phone from his pocket, he wondered who could be calling. "Hullo?"

"Hey, kangaroo friend."

Chris quirked his head at Kael, who put a single finger up. "And hello to you, too, Axel. What's up, dude?"

"Could you come down to the police station? If you could get Chris out of the hospital and down here, that'd be great, too."

Kael placed his paw on the cell phone microphone. "Axel wants us both at the station."

The moose sighed and rubbed his arm, his thick digits kneading the bicep. "Sure. I don't think I want to be here when Mrs. Lancaster gets out of the room anyway."

"We're on our way, Axel," Kael said into the phone before hanging up. "I'll go let Matt's parents know we're headed out. Maybe this is good news. We could use some."

* * * * *

Laura sat in Axel's office at the police station as prim and proper as she could muster. The white wolf tried to control her fidgeting, not wanting to look as uncomfortable as she felt, but was failing. Rather than playing with the black stripes she had dyed into her pristine fur as she normally did, she laced her fingers together and bounced her paws on her lap as she stared out the window at the other officers bustling around. Axel sat behind his desk, typing away.

She knew the german shepherd liked her--he had asked her out before the demons attacked the university campus, and she had turned him down. Now that she was dating Eric, Laura realized she shouldn't be nervous, and in all honesty Axel was the most laid back fur she knew. And yet, it still felt awkward.

Thankfully it was only another couple minutes before Kael hopped into the room with a surprise guest in tow.

"Chris?" Laura said, standing then tackling the moose behind Kael with a big hug. "It's so good to see you! How're you doing, hun?"

"I'm doing okay, thanks." Chris' response was muted, even for the taciturn moose, but Laura was happy he was out of the hospital room. Her tail wagged so hard she could hear it thwap the door frame.

"Glad you're up and about, Chris. I miss you at your home gym. Not the same workin' out by myself," Axel said, also giving the moose a hug and a smile. Chris used to be more muscular than Axel, but a month of inactivity and crappy hospital food had worn on the moose. "Y'all should sit down. We've got work to do."

"So why are we here, dude?" Kael asked as he sat beside Laura. He and Laura both were friends with Matt for a decade before all going to the same university. The trio were inseparable, especially now with the business of magic holding them tighter yet. But that didn't mean there wasn't some tension between them. Kael had been avoiding Laura's gaze since he arrived at the office.

Axel sat on his desk, facing the others. The german shepherd had grown into his role as de facto leader since Matt had gone comatose. He was about eight years older than the rest of them, and had an actual career as a police officer, whereas Chris, Matt, Kael, and Laura herself were all university students. Well, were University students until it shut down.

Clearing his throat, the shepherd launched into his explanation. "The police force have a lead on where Zachary Knowles might've taken the Amernathian mage, Jason, after the demonic invasion of the university campus. CSIS wasn't forthcomin' about Knowles' location, despite the fact he kidnapped someone. I'd've thought committing a felony would get an agent in some sort of trouble, but they're bein' jerks about the whole thing.

"But because CSIS or Knowles wanted to question the mage about Ameranth, and Ameranthians can only be on Earth where the two worlds overlap, an Earthling couldn't take the Ameranthian out of the merged zone."

Kael coughed a couple times, interrupting Axel's speech. When the cop raised a single eyebrow at the kangaroo, Kael shrugged. "Terran, not Earthling."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Fine, a Terran couldn't carry an Ameranthian out. The Ameranthian would just disappear back into Ameranth while the Terran would be stuck on Earth. Anyway, I had a team sweep through the area with the help of Matt's magic tutors, Rhisanth and Kazar, and they found signs of recent activity around a manhole in the residential district near the south end of the university campus."

Chris snorted. "In the sewers?"

"Man, so seriously cliché. Not to mention freaking cold," Kael said.

"So, when do we go get him?" Laura said, sitting forward in her seat. She was a little nervous about performing a maneuver without Matt, but they did all right holding out for him during the demon invasion.

Axel stood, his dark-furred ears cupped in Laura's direction and twitching once. "We're goin' tonight. The force would like your help, too, if possible. My boss is a bit more leery of lettin' Ameranthians in on missions than Terran civilians, which I don't really understand, but we're goin' to need magical help. CSIS has agents who can use magic, now, too."

"Why're the police so interested in saving Jason, anyways?" Laura said, "Wouldn't it make more sense for Rhisanth, Kazar, or someone else from the Council to look into this?"

"Well, first of all, I'm pissed Knowles made a fool of me. Kidnappin' a fur and I couldn't do a damn thing but watch with a gun to my head while he taunted me." Axel growled, his tail bristling. "But that's personal. The real reason is the Council is puttin' huge pressure on the local government to get their mage back. As far as they're concerned, Jason's abduction is effectively a declaration of war, especially given CSIS is a government agency. Getting' him back would smooth over relations, so the powers that be are makin' it a priority."

Kael grinned. "Aren't you one of those 'powers that be', dude?"

"Just 'cause I'm subbin' for Matt on the Council doesn't mean I'm the only one makin' decisions. That'd be a conflict of interest. But I'm sure my opinion counted for somethin'."

"Getting' involved, eh, Axel?" Laura said with a shake of her head. The german shepherd shrugged, his black uniform rippling with the effort. At least the situation defused the tension. "So I'm in."

"Me too, man." Kael added.

Chris sat, staring at the tiled floor. "I'm not sure I'm ready for something like this."

"That's fine, Chris. If you're not up for it, you're not up. I'd rather you stay out if you're not in one hundred percent."

Standing, Chris stretched his arms, touching the ceiling with ease. "I'm sorry. Good luck." The moose was gone, back to the hospital Laura assumed. She hoped he'd be okay.

"All right, let's talk about the plan."