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Central District, The Ironwood Hotel:

Water droplets fell down around the white furred rat as she stood in the shower, a wide ivory colored room that was currently occupied. The rat woman huffed as a soft wave of warm steam wrapped around her form like a blanket, hiding her from the rest of the world. Her red eyes flickered as she glanced up at the shower head and gave a long huff.

Her hand reached for the lever to shut the water off abruptly. The rat woman stretched her arms over her head and grunted as she slid the glass door open and stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Her hairless tail swaying behind her as she reached for a black towel and began to dry herself off.

She reached for a pack of cigarettes that rested by the sink and pulled one from the package. The rat looked in the mirror, short black hair adorned her head and rested between her ears. She blinked and grabbed the lighter next to the package and lit the cigarette's end and brought it to her lips.

Carmine closed her eyes and pulled a long drag from the smoke, she felt it fill her lungs and heat her throat. Then she released the smoke with a puff from her nostrils. The rat stood in the bathroom, naked as the day she was born.

She took a few more long drags from the smoke and gave a sigh, she had promised herself she'd quit. Everytime she lit up she promised herself, and yet she found herself once again inhaling the toxic chemicals that stained her lungs and burned her from within. She shook her head and flicked the cig into the toilet and flushed it down, then after stretching her legs a bit she gathered up a bra and panties and started to get dressed.

When she exited the bathroom, she found herself in a large bedroom with black walls and a simple closet that hung open. On the bed rested a pair of black jeans, a tanktop, a gray overcoat, and a belt with a pistol holstered within. The rat quickly gathered up her things and glanced out of a massive window that gave her a nice view of the city.

“Up here, Krimson City seems so calm. No wonder people with wealth dissociate from the rest of the world." She uttered to herself.

Then she pulled her pants up and fashioned her belt around her waist, Carmine pulled the tanktop over her head and lastly put on the overcoat. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a steel blue cellphone and switched it on and quickly dialed a number.

The ringer vibrated against her ear for a few minutes and a gruff male voice abruptly chimed through. “Fuck Carmine, it's only 7 in the morning!"

“Felix, how is the witness holding up?"

“Scared out of his fucking mind. He was practically begging the cops to put him in a cell last night. Nevermind all that, are you in the city?" The voice asked.

Carmine gave a nod as she held the phone. “Arrived last night, checked in at the Ironwood. Has he talked to anyone about what he saw?"

“Nah, he was in too much of a panic. They say he's fairly calm now."

“Good." Already Carmine was reaching for another cig, she lifted it to her mouth and just rested it there.

“You think there's any truth to this Gargoyle nonsense?" Felix asked over the phone.

“It all sounds familiar doesn't it?" Carmine replied, standing in front of the window as light flooded in.

She heard Felix tapping something and he let out a long sigh. “Ten years is a long time Carmine. You were a rookie back then."

The rat chewed the cig a bit as she searched for words. “Yeah well, a lot of people died last time."

“We have to be sure." He answered back, she heard him adjusting in what she assumed was an office chair.

“Where do they have the witness?" She asked.

Felix sighed again. “The Avian District Precinct."

“Don't let anyone else talk to him. I'm on my way."

“Alright, just don't let it get to your head."

Carmine closed her eyes, her free hand curled into a fist as she pulled the phone from her ear and disconnected the call. She slipped the phone back into her coat pocket and started toward the door, fetching her lighter in the process…

It was going to be a long Saturday…

***

The Avian District Precinct:

“Look man, you gotta put me in protective custody or something! I'm dead if I step two feet out of this building!" Marcus tapped his hands on the table nervously as he looked at the glass window in front of him. His hands were handcuffed to a metal pool in the middle of the table he was forced to sit at.

The room they had him in was a bleak gray room with one door, and a window for the cops to view him from. He had been in rooms like this before, and knew that any moment the door would open and his lawyer would step in to set him free. But after what he had seen last night he wasn't sure he wanted to walk free.

The images of his dead friends had continued to flash through his mind the entire night. Why he was left alive made no sense to him, he had committed just as many crimes as they had. But that… thing… It had let him go. Now, he could barely keep his heart rate in check.

“Come on! What's taking so fucking long!?" He called out.

Almost as if he had willed it, the door abruptly opened and three figures walked in. But as he looked up at them, Marcus realized that none of them were his lawyer. He frowned as the one cop sat a chair on the opposite end of the chair. A rat woman with white fur and short black hair sat down in it and puffed on a cigarette.

The other person that came into the room with her was a burly fox with orange fur. He held an ashtray and rested it in front of the female rat as she stared at Marcus with red eyes.

“What the fuck is this?" Marcus asked.

“What, you didn't think there would be questions? That your little gun running get up wouldn't draw attention?" the woman spoke, then puffed her cig.

The wolf cleared his throat and gave a sigh. “Right, I'm Commissioner Felix Harding and this is Detective-"

“I'm Detective Ashley Carmine with the D.O.S.H. That's Department of Strange Happenings for a low brained street thug like you."

Marcus leaned back in his own chair and looked at Felix and frowned. “Is she going to insult me this whole time or…"

“The Gargoyle. Tell me what you saw." Carmine said bluntly, resting a hand on her cheek as though she were already bored with him.

Marcus immediately started to shiver, the images of the night before at the warehouse flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth, as though it pained him to think back to that particular nightmare. He gripped the bar and leaned over it a bit.

“Look lady, I just want to make sure I'll be safe in here. That thing had no problem fucking up my friends and Tex's goons!"

Carmine gave a sigh. “What did it look like?"

“Like a fucking monster."

“Describe it."

“Listen, that thing will kill-"

Carmine slammed her hand on the table and Marcus quickly shut his mouth. The female rat's face curled into a glare as she abruptly stood up.

“Whoa! Whoa! I'll get to it! Jeez lady, you need to get screwed or something!"

“Felix, I'm going to shoot him." Carmine retorted.

The wolf sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the wall of the room. He looked between Carmine and Marcus as he considered his options. Then he frowned and nodded to Marcus.

“Describe what you saw."

***

SLAM!

Carmine slammed the door of Felix's office and paced back and forth. The Commissioner sat in his chair as he looked at her.

“You can't just threaten to kill the witness Carmine." He said as he shifted back and forth in his chair.

“I wasn't going to kill him, just take his kneecap!" She replied as she paused and looked at him. Noting the newspaper on his desk and the various items such as a small globe and a stapler.

“He's scared of whatever this thing is."

“Fuck! We know what it is! It's not some fucking gargoyle, it's the-"

“Do not say that name in my office. I will have you walked out of this building." The wolf said as he quickly cut her off.

Carmine threw her arms up as she resumed pacing back and forth. “Well what the fuck do you want me to call it then?"

“For now it's a myth. We can't let this thing get out of control."

“It killed 11 people last night Felix! Criminals or not! And now some in the Avian District are starting to look at this thing as some kind of hero."

“So let them! I invited you here because you have experience with them, so for now you investigate and see what you can learn. You know their tactics, and how to deal with their suits." Felix said as she leaned forward in his chair.

“Right right, I'll have one of your cops pull up the files of any avians that have recently moved to the city. See who has a shady past. But you can't let this get out of control Felix. People are going to die."

Carmine dug her hands into her pockets for another cig but as her hand curled around the pack she gritted her teeth and though better of it. She needed to get out onto the street and start talking with any one of the feathered and beaked variety. She gave a nod to Felix and turned to leave his office.

“You should start with the bars and clubs around the Avian District." Felix rumbled as she opened the door.

Carmine slammed it once more and quickly went about searching through the precinct's files of known avians that had recently turned up in Krimson City. She gathered up at least 20 or so files by the time she was finished and headed toward the door. She left the station and paused outside by a trash can. She yanked the pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and threw them away. This time… This time it would be different. She would quit and let herself think clearly.

***

Central District, The Ironwood Hotel:

By the time the day was in it's later hours she had flipped through most of the files, the rat had them all spread out on the bed of her hotel room. Most of the avians she looked through had records of their addresses, families, past homes, and so forth. She was quickly able to deduce that many of them were clearly not the person of interest she sought.

Carmine leaned over one of the files labeled. “Josie Maddison" who worked as a dancer at a club in the Avian District simply titled “The Blacktalon Lounge". The rat flipped through several pages and shook her head.

“Jeez, your a creep but your not the creep I'm looking for."

She tossed the file off of the bed and onto the floor as she sighed,and dug her hand into her coat pocket. The rat blinked in surprise when she realized there was nothing within but air, she sat up and glanced around the room.

“Oh right, I threw them away…"

She grumbled to herself and looked out of the window, the sun had already begun to set low behind the sea of buildings and concrete. She climbed off of the bed and moved to the window and rested a hand against the glass. She could see the cars and people down below, moving on with their lives as though there wasn't a strange vigilante haunting their city. She wondered how people could be so oblivious to their surroundings.

Then Carmine gave a huff and turned back to the remaining files on the bed. She picked up another one labeled “Anzu Emmera"

She flipped it open and began to read:

“Has golden eyes, was born on March 11th… Has no known profession before she arrived in the city…"

Her eyes narrowed at the name and picture of the harpy eagle that the file displayed. “Why does that name sound familiar…?"

She flipped to the next page and continued to read, her eyes scanning over images of a building in what looked like a mountain. The building had been burned, it's stone walls covered in soot. She saw several avians carrying out bodies and items from what had clearly been a very violent fire.

“Ms. Emmera's entire family burned alive but her, she was rescued by a monk of the Shadowfeather as a six year old child… But has other no known connections to the cult…"

Her eyes stopped on the word “Shadowfeather".

“Fuck…" She uttered to herself and slammed the file shut.

She immediately turned to exit the hotel, she needed to speak with this Anzu woman as soon as possible. So she hurried down the stairs rather than take the elevator. Once she got to the bottom she hurried out of the building and hailed a taxi…

***

The Avian District, Lex Street Apartments:

Knock! Knock!

Carmine smashed her fist against the door of the apartment door, she hoped the avian was home after all the time it had taken Carmine to find her apartment. She gave a sigh and tapped her foot eagerly on the floor as she waited for an answer.

“Are you looking for Anzu?" A male voice abruptly spoke.

The rat blinked and glanced over her shoulder at a black furred stallion as she let her red eyes meet his own.

“Does she live here?"

“Yeah but you just missed her, Anzu went out with her friend to party. It's Saturday night after all." The horse replied as he rested a hand on his hip. His eyes wandered to the holster on the rat's belt.

“Is Anzu in trouble?"

The rat straightened her posture and turned to face the horse as she gave a shake of her head. She didn't want to potentially drag others into what could be her suspect in the investigation.

“No, I just need to ask her a few questions."

“Are you a cop?"

She gave him a slight tilt of her head. “Something like that. Detective Ashley Carmine. And you?"

The horse blinked and scratched the back of his head. “I'm Martin, I'm the landlord of this building."

“Do you have a key to Ms. Emmera's apartment?"

Martin gave a nervous laugh as his posture became more defensive. He looked at the rat and gave a sigh. “Sorry but unless you have a warrant to search her apartment, I can't help you. I have to respect my tenets and she pays well."

The rat gave him a slight smile. “Oh yeah? How much does she pay?"

“Err… It's more what she offers." He admitted with a slight gulp.

Carmine gave him a raised brow and chuckled. “I see, you get to fuck her every now and then and she lives for free. That kind of deal?"

“N-not at first!" He raised his hands defensively and the rat just crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh yeah?"

“Anzu is a sweet woman and well… We kind of hit it off after she arrived."

Carmine walked toward the horse and patted his shoulder, she reached into her jean pocket and produced a card. She slipped it into the pocket of the flannel shirt the horse wore and she gave him a shake of her head.

“Well next time you see her, give her my card. It's important that I ask her a few questions and relax, you got good taste in women."

“Into birds too?"

Carmine gave a short laugh. “Something like that. Used to chase girls myself, before I got this job."

Then she walked past him, her hairless tail swaying with her hips as she moved. It took a moment for the horse to get her meaning but when he did, he just sighed and reached into his pocket and pulled out the card.

It had the rat's name and phone number on it, along with the name of her agency. He frowned at it as he looked back at the rat as she started down the stairs and out of his sight.

“What in the world is D.O.S.H?"

***

Epilogue:

“Do you hear that friend? Drip… drip… drip… That's not rain water. Heh, it's not raining outside."

The raptor said with a toothy drip, cracking his knuckles as he looked at the other figure in the chair, tied down by thick ropes. The other person had a bag over his head, but was mumbling something. The raptor gave a chuckle and licked his lips.

“Was that woman your wife? Friend? Lady of the evening? Heh, she held up pretty well until I started pulling out her organs."

The man tied to the chair tried to struggle and it only incurred a laugh from the raptor. He turned away and straightened the tie that he wore with a white undershirt and a black button up vest. He gripped the lantern and switched it on, illuminating a stone room, likely a basement or even some underground ruins. It was impossible for his victims to tell once he had them, then his fun could begin.

In the room, various severed parts from his past victims were plastered all around the room, some arms and legs dangled from hooks, while some severed heads were mounted on the walls. Of which they were various species and types, from birds and felines, to rodents, deer, horses, and all sorts.

The raptor himself moved to a table where he look ran his hands over a number of various knifes and saws. Instruments of his passion and joy. His hand stopped on a lighter however as he glanced over his shoulder at his next victim.

“Oh my friend, I'm going to have such fun with you! Have you heard the news lately? There was this incident at one of the warehouses in the Avian District. I must say I was quite inspired by the killing that took place there."

He shifted and took hold of a gas can that had been sitting under the table and he chuckled as he moved to the figure in the chair. He un screwed the nozzle on the can and began to pour the liquid onto the figure who quickly began to squirm.

“Mmmh! Mhhhhh! N-hhhh!"

The raptor simply smirked as he moved about the room, dousing everything in sight with gas. Then he moved back to his tools and began to gather them up.

“I think it's time I meet this Gargoyle for myself!"

Then he flicked the lighter and the flames came to life. The raptor smirked and eyed the flame for a long moment.

“Oh yes… What fun we will have."

Then he tossed it onto the figure's lap and they screamed as they quickly went up in flames. The fire spread across the room, all the evidence of his hunts would be destroyed in the fire and as the raptor started up a series of stone steps he gathered up a hiking bag and placed his tools within it…

…The figure on the chair screamed for several minutes and Nigal loved listening to every moment of it…

END