Predation. Chapter Six.
Predation Chapter Six By Roofles The restaurant was a bustling place of divided sections with privacy booths set up between them. There was an assortment of smells in the air with powerful fans that kept each of the four sections smells and aromas uniquely confined to that area. Industrial fans that vent up into the ceiling and outside making the streets smell savory, sweet and at the same time like a butchers shop. "There's the vegetarian section over there. They use the color green to mark it, but those signs also help for species who can't see colors well. Can you smell the garlic? I swear, they put garlic in everything!" Alicia laughed as she described it to Shaun at their table near the center of the restaurant. If anyone looked over, it would look as if the lynx and sheep were on a date. "The one over there is carnivore. Opposite side of the building for obvs reasons. Don't need to tell you that. And here in the middle are the two omnivore sections; herbivores or carnivores can sit in this section as they like. The one next to ours cater mostly to omnivores with a more herbivore diet. Over here is ours because, well, obvs." She said again with a sly smile. "Could I, hypothetically, sit at the carnivore section." Shaun asked, curious about the place that catered to so many different diets. Most restaurants catered to one type of diet. Herbivore, omnivore or carnivore. Frugivores, granivores, nectivores, folivores, and piscivores were a smaller more niche group that had special places just for them. They even had special stores to shop from for their required dietary needs. The majority fell under one of the three major diet types, however, and dominated the city streets for options. Smaller places like food trucks, drive throughs or family run businesses pushed these limits. Trying to cater to as many as they could to maximum profits or, reverse, focus only on a single specialty group that could easily cost three to four times the regular prices. It was far more common to see the sign out front of the restaurant to find what the place actually sold or catered to. A white label with a black silhouette of an herbivore with horns, a bear known for their mixed diets as an omnivore or a lion known for their appearance. Insects and birds also had their own labels as well as fish. Fish was always located near, or on, bodies of water. Shaun had never been to any of these places and this was a first time coming to one such as this. These signs were extremely important as they allowed people walking past to instantly know what they served. This place had no such sign and if the others hadn't told him, Shaun wouldn't even have known the diversity of the place within. The powerful fans kept each of the three kitchen smells from mixing with the others or escaping into the lobby. Each kitchen had their own staff and the doors between them were strictly labeled. The chefs even wore special color-coded aprons like Shaun had seen at the PC caf . One was green, one was yellow and the last was red. "This place is incredible! I've never been to an omnivore restaurant, let alone this." Shaun said excitedly clapping his hoofed fingers together as he looked around as if he were at some kind of show instead of a place to eat. "Stick with me, and I'll show you the world." Alicia smiled. A snort across from her was ignored by the lynx who had stolen all of Shaun's attention since showing up. "Ignore the disgruntled canine. He's ruining our fun." Travis's foot tapped against the ground quickly as he stared at his two roommates. A gray furred lynx with white markings and a white furred lynx with gray markings. The two were nearly identical. Travis didn't have a problem at telling them apart as he glared daggers at the two. Or rather, at his roommate and lifelong friend, Alicia. Liam was currently on his phone, already checking out from all of this as Alicia grilled Shaun over a metaphorical open fire for the past half hour as they both waited to be seated, and waited to be served. "How'd you two meet? How long have you been going out? Did you know Travis is this and that and..." The barrage of questions went on, and Shaun did his best to keep up with her pace. She already seemed to know all about Shaun himself. Only curious about their relationship. Shaun was only embarrassed to know that Alicia was Alice from online. Taking everything else in surprisingly calm stride, making the coyote more nervous as if Shaun was putting on an act. Preparing to escape from his dysfunctional life. "Have you seen his cock?" Alicia said loudly and made Shaun spit water. The feline was on cloud nine and no one could bring her down. "Did she get into the catnip again?" Travis covered his face, slumping against an arm in defeat. He had tried to keep up with Alicia, but she was an unstoppable force when she got like this, and it was easier to go along with it until she naturally burned herself off. Like dealing with a force of nature. If you reacted to what she was doing, it would only get worse. "Nah, she gave me what she had leftover as payment. On top of the cash, literally on top of the cash. Green on green, heh." Liam said, typing on the phone. He didn't mention the extra hundred in his pocket or the fact she was also paying for this meal for Liam to put up with one of her crazy ideas. "Why?" Was the only thing Travis could truly ask. The coyote was exhausted as it was as he dragged his face down with both hands. He'd been working so much overtime to help pay for this dinner date and now another predator swooped in to steal his glory. Often referred to as a kill, but Travis didn't want to see Shaun like that. "Why is she here?" "She had to meet him." Liam glanced up at Travis with a look of pity. His tone reminded Travis how Alicia could get when she got interested in someone. "I'm surprised you guys have been hanging out for over a month without her rappelling down from the ceiling to ambush Shaun. Bungee jump from a skyscraper, grab him, and steal him away, hah! He's cute, by the way." Liam shrugged a shoulder offhandedly. Travis growled and Liam stopped at that. The lynx paused what he was doing, looking up at the coyote from the sound Travis had made. Noting the bared fangs, the twitch of his whiskers, the look in Travis's eyes and his lowered ears. Hostility radiated from Travis; unlike the friendly jabs they'd all constantly give each other. "Dude..." Liam eyes widen slightly, the feline smile grew as he became increasingly interested, again, in this entire shitshow. "You really like him!" He said loudly and Travis yipped, the coyote instantly backing down at being bluntly called out. "You freaking love him! Oh, my freaking claws, that's hilarious." "Shut up!" Travis tried to shush Liam, who laughed louder. Shaun was so distracted by the other lynx, he hadn't even heard as Alicia began showing the sheep pictures of the coyote on her phone. "I'll freaking stuff that phone of yours down your throat if you don't shut up." "Whoa, I've only seen you like this once." Liam smiled though and the look he gave his friend, made Travis's tail wag despite the increasingly uncomfortable situation. "You really do, huh?" Liam asked in a softer voice and the coyote's ears splayed out. "Shut up." Travis growled and grumbled at the same time, a growlbled at the feline who was enjoying this far too much. When Liam got like this, he really did resemble his twin sister. "It's only been, like, a month. We haven't even done anything..." "Not what I hear." Liam snorted as he went back to his phone. His fingers quickly typed over the phone and Travis rolled his eyes. "A little kitty told me everything you did. It must've been a humping good time." Liam chuckled typing faster on the phone. "Don't get me started on that." Travis covered his eyes with a hand, groaning another growling grumble out. "I can't believe she heard me. Again! I swear, it was like she was in the room." "Yeah, she does like to stick her nose in where it doesn't belong." Liam continued to type on the phone. Travis watched him type. Then read something, then type. Then read something... "Dude. Is that another Miki-chan?" Travis teased and Liam flipped him off without looking up from his phone. The lynx still typed with one hand. "Look at you. Please senpai notice me. Uwu," Travis made the cringe sound and even the lynx shivered at the horrible sound. "What one is this? Another high school romance of the nerd getting the goth chick who secretly is kinky as fuck?" "Shut up." Liam said as the tables were turned. "Look at you texting your artificial girlfriend. Adorable. 'Please, Miki-chan, step on me and call me a bad kitty.'" The coyote snorted a laugh, his entire upper body laughing with the motion. "Until they update her and she completely forgets about you," Travis teasing the lynx about using those chatbots. Liam flushed, getting heated as he glared down at his phone. "She touch you long time, yet?" "You have no idea." The lynx bared a fang, and Travis was glad he could get under Liam's fur like the feline did to him. That was true friendship. Pissing each other off so much that you wanted to strangle the other person, only to get pizza before the night ended. "I just use that app to help me figure out with what to say. Or do. Or, you know, roleplay the kinky stuff other people aren't into..." Liam admitted, blushing faintly as Travis's ears perked up. "Right." Travis nodded at that, thinking it over. Travis had tried it out after Liam showed him the app he used. Travis wasn't about to pay for that joke. He needed something real. The smell, the sound, the exchange of bodily fluids as you panted and grunted like a canine in heat. Humping and pressed, crushing under and smothering them with hot, musky coyote love. "The newer models allow you to do a lot more than they used to." Liam tried to brag. The coyote wasn't falling for it after tasting the sheep. Nothing could beat that taste and, even a month later, Travis could taste Shaun in the back of his throat. He'd never met a man that could cum like that. "Yeah, and how is that working out for you?" Travis asked knowingly. Liam glared at him. "She step on you, daddy? Call you a dirty filthy kitty cat? Treat you like a canine...?" Travis snorted, covering his mouth as he couldn't hold back. He knew all of the lynxes perverted interests. Liam and Travis had been friends for ages. Since elementary school. The two knew where all the bodies were buried and the skeletons were hidden in their closets. Even helping hide some of them! There friendship was strange and complicated and filled with painful moments that made them feel like brothers by the end of it all than friends. "Watch it. I know all the dirt on you too, don't forget. Be a terrible shame if Shaun heard about any of it..." Liam tapped a clawed finger against a fang knowingly. "He know about the pup mask you bought but never wore, for yourself anyways. Or-," "You do and I'll delete all your hentai." Travis crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the lynx with a warning grumble growl. "Don't tempt me." The coyote flicked his tail. "You don't know my password!" Liam defensively said, his ears splaying out. It was clear he was worried the coyote might do it seeking revenge for the stunt he and his sister had pulled tonight. Liam knew not to push Travis too far. "Magnets, water, whatever it takes." Travis shrugged and the shocked look that crossed the lynxes face told him that it would work. Travis wasn't a software wizard like Liam was. Alicia and Travis came to Liam about this kind of thing. Still a good hammer to a motherboard did the job well enough. "How could you." Liam glared. "We've both enjoyed those together." The lynx reminded Travis. Who shrugged it off without concern. "You loved it. Sitting on the sofa together while Alicia was on one of her horrible dates. You, me, no pants. Bros before hos. Three be bears. All at the same time," the lynx teased talking about the three mixed species bears together. "Brothers, am I right?" He wiggled his eyebrows and Travis snorted. "If you call Shaun a ho..." Travis warned and the lynx lifted his oversized hands up as he conceded. "What? No! That's not at all what I meant. I was hoping he'd join us. Eventually. Not like the tentacle stuff, or ooze, or latex monster..." Liam frowned, wondering where you actually start showing an innocent soul like the sheep was the depravity of the online adult world. "He'd love it... I'm sure there are like, I don't know, sheep grazing pornos while being fucked." The lynx offered. "He'll love it, promise." Liam crossed his heart, holding up a hand. The coyote hated seeing that because Liam had been part of cub scouts. Travis rolled his eyes. "Not as much as I would." And the coyote's eyes rolled to face Shaun who was still listening to Alicia. "I got my source of relief..." The coyote wagged, smiling softly. Liam gagged from the sight. "I don't need your smut no more. I got my smut right here." "While kinky, I rather keep my hard found collection." Liam slyly smiled, tapping his fingers together as he thought about the terabyte worth of material he's collected over the years. From anime series that don't exist any longer, to webcomics that had long since shut down. "I'm preserving a piece of history. If you delete it, you'd deprive future generations of such kinky knowledge!" "Yeah, of your depravity." Travis laughed. He ignored Liam as he leaned closer to Shaun to check on him. The coyote sniffed the sheep first, to check on him before even speaking up. Travis was larger than Shaun was and it was easy for the tall coyote to lean over, using the back of Shaun's chair as a support. "You doing alright, babe? She isn't torturing you is she? I know talking to Alicia is like pulling fangs." "We're doing great. Alicia is very friendly," Shaun said in turn as the other lynx paused long enough to watch their exchange with catlike eyes. Taking every movement in and recording it down to somehow figure out a way to use it against Travis. "She says the two of you used to date?" "Date?" Travis snorted a laugh, loudly, getting a growl from the lynx. "We totally dated, Travis! Don't you ignore me." Alicia said, threatening to throw her water glass at the coyote. Liam held her arm with a hand, still looking at his phone as he mitigated his sister's wanted need for destruction. "We were nine, Alicia! Let it go." Travis threw his hands in the air, shaking his head. "You kissed me. I've never kissed you. You kissed me and ran away after. Not exactly dating. More like sexual assault," Travis teased. "You didn't know you like guys then." Alicia huffed in annoyance, folding her arms. "She's turned more men gay than anyone I've met. Man or woman!" Liam laughed and got punched in the arm from his sister. "Ow, bitch, this is why you're still single." He said and got another punch for that. "Why don't you hit them?" Liam whined, rubbing the spot. "You always aim for the same spot." "Talk shit, eat shit." Alicia warned before turning back to Shaun and Travis with a sweet innocent smile on her face as she looked at Shaun. "Shaun is far too sweet to punch. I rather," her nails clawed the table as her eyes dilated. "Do other things," she said as her eyes dilated. "Don't look directly into her eyes!" Travis warned, covering Shaun's eyes as the sheep laughed at their ridiculous behavior with each other. "She's a man eater! The thing told in horror stories to scare children straight." "Except she turns them gay." Liam added and got another punch for his smart mouth. "I'm not going to pounce him, Travis. You worry too much. You're like an old nanny, fussing about everything. Fuss. Fuss. Fuss." Alicia got on Travis who tried to defend himself in front of Shaun. "You're his boyfriend, not his sitter." Travis blushed at that, knowing exactly what she was hinting at and Liam snorted a laugh in turn. The two knew Travis perverted thoughts better than anyone else. Shaun was innocently unaware of the double meaning as the coyote shifted uncomfortably on his chair. "I do not fuss!" Travis's ears folded back. "Or sit... I am just watching out for my date in front of the she- beast." Travis glared. The lynx met it with her own stare. The coyote and lynx got in on it, arguing that Travis was overreacting and wanted to crush Shaun or how Alicia was trying to steal Shaun's soul to add to her collection. Neither of them were convincing the other that any of these things weren't a future possibility. "I'm on a date, with Shaun, and you interrupted! That's being a pushing, overbearing bitch." Travis said loudly and had to lower his voice after. Alicia rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. As if she'd done far worse. "I've done worse." She said, confirming everyone else's suspicions. "She is such a bitch." Liam agreed and got punched again for that. The two felines got in on it as Travis rubbed his temple, needing a drink after that heated exchange about soul sucking, that led into sucking, and then sucking the soul out through sucking. It made the coyote shift, again, on his seat as he boner poked into his tight pants. He needed to calm down and not think of sucking. "Sorry about this. I wasn't planning on any of this happening." Travis explained. Shaun faced towards him, sipping on the straw in a way that made the coyote have inappropriate thoughts after the deep philosophical argument about sucking souls out of phallic shaped objects. "Anyways..." Travis licked his suddenly dry lips, needing a good drink... "I didn't tell her." "About us?" Shaun asked, looking at him with those large innocent eyes that made the coyote's cock throb painfully again. Travis was going to need to get a looser pair of pants in the future if Shaun was going to make him this painfully hard in public. "About you." Travis corrected. "I knew about her. But we never knew the exact names of the players at the PC caf . Us employees only have the IDs and your credentials given. The caf only lets us see your name and which room you're in. We can monitor some things, but you have a lot of freedom using the computer. I didn't even know your username. Let alone..." "That Alicia is the same Alice I game with?" Shaun clarified and Travis noticeably winced as if a pan had fallen on the coyote's head. "Yeah... sorry." Travis's ears drooped and his tail fell, hoping Shaun wasn't too upset at him. "I should've told you when I found out myself." "You couldn't have known you said," Shaun said far too trustingly. It made Travis vow to keep an eye on his innocence, until the coyote could be the one to ruin him. Travis shot a weary look at Alicia, knowing the lynx was thinking the same. The two exchanged a look. Alicia looking into Travis's eyes. Unspoken words were exchanged that they must both protect Shaun but also corrupt him as fast as possible. Alicia was distracted when her brother flicked an ice cube at her face. "Don't you dare!" She warned Liam. Liam flicked another at her face. "You need to chill, girl." Liam said and Alicia pounced on him. The two fighting on the other side of the table. "So, uh, yeah... she, uh, overheard us. And found out." Travis said watching the lynxes chew on each other's limbs like a coyote trying to escape from a trap. "She can be a lot." "Overheard us?" Shaun asked, tilting his head. Not seeming to understand the depths in which Alicia heard them making dry humping love to each other last month. "Yeah..." Travis repeated, not sure how to explain to the na ve sheep that he forgot to turn his headphones off and his entire group heard the two drying humping to a finish. "We're roommates. It was bound to happen." Travis tried to reach the same conclusion with a different route that preserved Shaun's dignity. It would've been increasingly awkward if Travis told Shaun that Alicia got off to what the two had done. "I suppose we do talk a lot. And text. With how nosy you told me your roommate is, it makes sense..." Shaun nodded, seemingly not that bothered by it while missing several key important details to fully judge the situation fully with. Travis would take that knowledge to his grave. "It's funnier, really." Shaun chuckled. "How so?" Travis asked, confused himself now. "I didn't expect you to know Alice! Uh, Alicia." Shaun corrected and Travis nodded. "Uh, yeah, she's the one who got me working at the PC caf , actually." Travis explained. "I had hoped he'd get me a discount," Alicia butted back in after elbowing Liam to the ground. "If he worked there. I could get a ten percent discount off food and drinks and fifteen percent off anything I bought that they sold. Seemed like a good deal. I wasn't expecting the two of you to get along. I didn't know who you were "ramsalot." Cute gamer tag, by the way." Alicia winked at Shaun who blushed, tapping a finger on the table as his anxiety rose. Alicia seemed to pick up on this and pulled back, letting Travis finish explaining. Alicia was, again, apologizing to the wait staff for their loud obnoxious behavior. She didn't look apologetic in the least. "The PC caf uses a local area code first before expanding outwards and so on until it hits the entire web. You'll always queue with people nearby first. I mentioned they like doing LAN parties and such. It's an entire thing the new owner is trying to do. To bring people back together. He wants to get people coming there and hanging out for parties and group activities. People tend to buy more stuff when with friends... they even have a karaoke section being built. Maybe we can check that out sometime." Travis awkwardly finished with, trying to plan out the next date for them after this disaster. Despite how uncomfortable Travis felt, Shaun was taking everything in a leisure stride. The coyote figured it was one of those weird herding instincts. Shaun would get nervous, check with Travis that everything was okay. Once he confirmed it was, he'd settled back down and enjoy things. "It's like using a regional server when you pick from a lobby group." Liam explained far better than Travis's ramblings did. "You chose the ones in the PC caf without even realizing it. It's the default setting after all. It also does the city. There was a very good chance of finding people here in the city way before you found anyone around the world." The lynx shrugged before going back to his phone after getting off the floor. The lynx was typing again and the sheep watched him instantly reply to instant replies. Shaun wasn't sure who could reply instantly like that. They must've had their face glued to the phone like Liam did. Waiting for those instant replies to the long text messages Liam was typing out as if the lynx was writing an entire story or scenario out. It seemed like a lot of work for little pay off. "And, honestly, I didn't even know." Alicia said, rejoining the conversation as she apologized without ever truly apologizing. "Travis and I go way back. First loves." "It was one date and we were nine!" The coyote grumbled. It was impossible to fully ignore Alicia. "He got so nervous and sick he puked halfway into the pseudo date at school." Liam snorted a laugh and got kicked under the table for it. "Ow, fuck you too!" Liam hissed at the coyote who snarled back. "We've been best friends ever since," Alicia continued despite the two arguing. "Throughout elementary school, lost contact in middle school and met again in high school. He couldn't get away from me. He even moved in with me after I finally got my own place." Alicia told Shaun. "Our own place." Liam jumped in, glad to be included. "My names on the lease, Liam." Alicia glared at her brother. "This free loader moved in after he broke up with his ex. Liam was trying to become a top streamer and it just wasn't paying the bills. Took all his time and didn't pay enough in return for the effort he was putting in. He'd have made more working at a convenience store." "Shut up." Liam growled at his sister who only laughed louder at Liam's expense. "Liam came crying to my front door late one night, complaining about how dumb men were and he was swearing them off for good." Alicia teased her brother further. Shaun glanced at the lynx who turned a bright red underneath his fur. "I'm bi!" Liam shouted and got a couple of looks from the others trying to enjoy their dinner. "I'm bi," he repeated in a lot softer voice, almost a whisper as he sat back down at the table. "I like chicks too..." "Good for you. No one cares." Alicia rolled her eyes and Travis laughed along with her as he picked at the appetizer he ordered. A popular mushroom tofu dish. The sauce was at least tasty, and he could share it with the sheep. "I care." Liam sniffled, looking back at his phone. "You're the only who gets me." He said petting the device making both Travis and Alicia rolled their eyes. "And that's why your single." Alicia pointed at the phone with disgust as if Liam were holding a cockroach. "And lonely," Travis added in. "And sad." Alicia continued. "And-," Travis laughed as Liam interrupted. "We get it! It's not healthy. I just like it, alright. It's free and it helps keep me busy..." Liam grumbled, laying his chin on the table and covering his face. Liam had way too much time between jobs. "You both can go fuck yourselves. At least Shaun doesn't pick on me." "Yet," Travis teased. "You both can go fuck yourselves." Liam repeated one of his favorite insults as his fur bristled and he shook his hands at his side. Even Shaun found the act more cute than threatening. "At least we'd be touching someone real." Alicia said in a softer voice, seemingly caring for her brother in her own messed up way. Shaun sort of understood that. He and his siblings could be brutally honest with each other. She was trying to peer pressure Liam into dating real people again. "It might not work out but at least you won't be alone. You can say you tried. We'll buy rum raisin ice cream and drink ourselves stupid." "I don't want to hear that from you. You've struck out the last three times you asked someone out." Liam laughed and Alicia punched him again, in the same spot. "I will kill you!" "Not if I kill you first." Alicia's eyes flashed dangerously. "They won't even find your body." "I'll chop you up and feed you to the fishes." "Not if I gut you like a fish first." Liam warned, a claw springing from a finger. "Right across your belly." The two continued for some time, loudly. "They seem... close." Shaun chuckled watching the two felines cause a scene as they hissed and batted at each other with their large soft paws. No nails, thankfully. The felines seemed to reflexively withdraw their nails at the last second. Leaving no bloody scratches as they hit each other with oversized, soft paws made for walking on snow. "Twins. All twins are weirdly close." Travis frowned at the two. "Can't believe I dated them both. Once. Each. Not at the same time. That's weird even for me." The coyote laughed. "Close enough to pretend to date each other?" Shaun asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not all twins. Just these two. Their that weirdly fucked up." Travis laughed. "It's cause we're orphans." Liam brought up, bluntly stating their childhood trauma as if it were something casual to dump on someone else after first meeting them. "Abandoned by our parents. Only having each other. Lived on the streets for a while. Makes you a little messed up in the head." "Don't trauma dump him." Alicia groaned, rolling her eyes as she sagged in her chair. "I hate telling people about that." Alicia had gotten her shit together and didn't need that part of her life being dragged up from the depths she dumped it. "We all got fucked up family lives. We're a fucked-up group. He should be aware of that." Liam said, this time in Shaun's defense. At least the sheep thought that was why Liam brought that up. "He should know all our skeletons, so we can, in turn, know about his." Liam grinned and Shaun realized that wasn't the case. "Ah, mutual blackmail material makes for the best fucked up families." Alicia agreed. The two siblings nodding about it sagely. "Yes, but you ease them into it. You don't just dump years of repressed trauma onto someone. We've been over this." Travis groaned, trying to explain to the two, again, how to act like normal people in public. "This is why we can't take you anywhere." The two lynxes looked at each other, then yowled loudly making an obnoxious feline sound. "Why can't you just be normal!" Travis snarled, growled at one, then the other. He wanted to shake the stupid out of them. "Not our problem." Liam inspected his nails, seemingly unthreatened by the display. "If you scare him away? I will make it your problem. Both of your problems," Travis warned the two. "Behave. Please. Or you'll get us kicked out, again." Travis said, apologizing, again, for the noise they were making as a disgruntled looking sun bear came over to check on them. He was the assistant manager and Travis hated groveling in front of him in front of the two felines and in front of Shaun. "Sorry, sir, really, sorry..." "This place is a dud anyways." Alicia mimicked her brother's actions, inspecting her nails. It must've been a feline thing as Shaun couldn't exactly do the same with his hoofed fingers. Felines made everything look lackadaisical and somehow threatening. "We should go somewhere fun. Not this snoozefest. Why did we even come here?" Liam asked and Alicia shrugged. The two lynxes seeming to forget why Travis and Shaun came to a restaurant, alone, in the first place. "We're on a date. You two can leave." Travis shooed them off. "Don't make me get the spray bottle." "Like that'll work on a lynx." Alicia laughed loudly. Her eyes sparkled with wicked ideas. "How about-," "No." Travis growled in warning. "That is far too extreme for a first date!" The coyote stopped her from bringing THAT up. "What about...?" Alicia thought about it. Liam shook his head. "No, they're remodeling after what happened last time." Liam explained and she nodded, as if only then recalling. "What happened?" Shaun asked, looking between the two. "Fire." Alicia shrugged. "Car crash." Liam said. "No, it was the fire." Alicia glared at Liam. "No, it was the car crash. That started the fire." Liam explained and she seemed to follow that messed up train of thought. "Right. Right... Didn't you use to date that guy?" Alicia asked and the lynx rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Bronson. What a joke. That leopard could not change his spots." Liam huffed and looked at his nails again. "What...?" Shaun asked Travis who shook his head. "Don't ask. Please. We'll be here all night." Travis said, glaring at the two felines. Knowing that was the reason why they brought it up. Liam and Alicia feigned ignorance as they smiled sweetly at the canine. Travis hated when they ganged up on him like this. "This place is a bore." Alicia said to no one in particular as she rested back, looking around the restaurant as if expecting something interesting to just happen. The lynx looked like she was about to cause something to happen if something didn't. "Alicia. No." Travis warned. She ignored him, standing up suddenly. "Agreed." Liam got up from the table. "Good. Leave. Don't come back. Ever." Travis was almost thankful to see them go before the two lynxes surrounded Shaun. Together, they lifted the sheep up to his feet. "Let's go, Shaun. Travis can cover the bill." Alicia said, guiding Shaun out of the restaurant. "We'll find something fun to do." "Fun to do?" Shaun asked innocently as Travis quickly pulled out his wallet to pay the bill. "Like what?" "Something with a drinks, please." Liam begged and Alicia nodded. "I've never drank before." Shaun, innocently, said. The prey species admitting it in front of the two predators. Both the lynxes eyes turned into catlike slits hearing those sweet words. "Drinks it is then!" Alicia cheered, pulling Shaun quickly as the coyote gave chase from behind. Travis had been held up by the sun bear, needing to apologize again for the ruckus they caused. "To brighter pastures, my hoofed friend." "We know just the place. Trust us." Liam followed behind, pushing Shaun out as Travis tried to chase after them and pay the bill for the appetizers, the repairs, a fee for the commotion and was told never to bring the lynxes back. "Get back here with my date! You damn scavengers." Travis shouted loudly as he chased the two down the street. "They have the best drinks! Bloody martinis, catnip infused margaritas..." Liam rubbed Shaun's shoulders as Alicia pulled his hands. "The best. Bright lights, dancing, booze. It's great. You'll love it!" Alicia said sweetly. Shaun nodded his head. "Don't worry, love. We'll help you." The lynx purred as Liam leaned in close behind Shaun, matching the purr. Two predators purring at the prey they caught. That was until Travis pulled Liam off and then threatened Alicia with a very bad time. Travis had pulled Liam with such force the feline ended up flipping backwards onto all fours from the throw. Liam landed perfectly fine, dusting his paws off after. "Walk with me," Alicia motioned for Shaun to follow her. He was about to, before Travis caught his hand. The sheep paused, looking at him. "Oh, hey Travis! We're going drinking." Shaun said brightly and Travis had half a mind to stuff the sheep under his shirt and smuggle him to safety. "Just, stick next to me. Okay?" Travis asked him. It wasn't an unreasonable request. He hated asking it still, feeling like some jealous possessive boyfriend. "Sure. I like walking with you. You're good company." Shaun agreed and Travis felt far too good hearing that as his tail wagged quickly. "He's getting hard being praised. Again." Liam pointed out and the coyote swiped at his face. Liam dodged it easily. "Damn your catlike reflexes." Travis glared as the two felines harassed them all the way down the street. Any time Travis tried to veer off from where they were going, Alicia or Liam would step in to try and steal Shaun away. It was like being circled by a pair of vultures, trying to steal his kill. "Where are we even going?" Shaun asked as Travis draped an arm around his shoulders protectively. The coyote growled at one feline, then snapped his teeth at the other. The two lynxes just laughed, stepping back just in time, each time. "We know a place." The lynxes promised. "They know a place." Travis rolled his eyes. "It's the one I'm thinking about, right?" They nodded. "Not the other one." They shook their heads. "Fuck, you two are creepy when you're together." They shrugged. "It's like the time you both tried to date the same guy." "What? No way!" Shaun's eyes lit up as he looked at the two. "Did you really?" "Yup. Thick leopard guy. All meat, no brains." Alicia laughed. "Oh, that was Bronson, wasn't it?" Liam said, thinking of the leopard. "Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Alternating Sundays. For me." "And I had Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays." Alicia nodded. "Did he crash into the place because he smoked your catnip? Even I can't handle that stuff." The lynx shuddered. "You have a serious problem needing to smoke that toxic cat grass." "You're weak. You're all weak." Liam laughed and Shaun was pulled back a step, giving the two felines space to talk about their miserable sex lives longer. "You doing good?" Travis asked, checking in. Shaun gave him a nod. "Sorry. I know they can be a lot. Especially when they're excited like this. We don't often get time off together to hang out." "They're a lot." Shaun did agree with as he looked at the twins. "I like they're cute kitty tails. It makes my tail look long," the sheep wiggled his tail. "I still can't believe that's Alice. It makes total sense! She's exactly how I'd imagine her." Travis snorted a laugh at that. "Yeah? That bad." "She's not bad. Not exactly..." Shaun had to think about it as they walked down the street. The sun had set and the night chill was coming in. Shaun shivered and Travis stepped closer, using his body to block the wind blowing in. "My sister isn't as bad as Alice, I mean Alicia. But she reminds me of a crasser version of that." Shaun chuckled. "That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to describe Alicia." Travis chuckled as he nosed the top of the sheep's head. "I think you'll like this place. It's a sort of nightclub. But its toned way back. It's a place where a lot of nocturnal predators like to chill at. We don't got a lot of places where we can go to during the day." "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't even think of that." Shaun said and got his fluffy wool hair ruffled for it. "I don't want to hear your apology. I want to hear those fuckers in the lodge apologizing!" Travis shouted and Liam and Alicia cheered, the three laughing about something that went over Shaun's head. Travis explained. "During the day? It's the popular predators that run the streets. Wolves and lions mostly. They kind of weeded the rest of us out. Pushing raccoons, opossums, coyotes, and everyone else out. Pushed us to the side lines. It makes it really rough to get by. At least during the day. Those fat cats," Travis mocked the lion pride, "and those brain-dead howlers," he mocked the wolves, "can have the day hours. We got the night." "Ah," Shaun said as it dawned on him. "You have to deal with prey species and the top two predators' families in the city and that leaves you guys with very little free time away from it." Shaun said, thinking that over. "Most prey species hide when the sun goes down and lions and wolves are infamously lazy, these days, being on top for so long made them fat and stupid and inbred." Most prey species didn't go out at night. It was an old belief from the dark ages, but a lot of them still were under the fear of being kidnapped in the middle of the night. As if expecting an owl to swoop down and take them away. Over the years, it became common for prey species to have curfews based off when the sunset was. "Prey wake up early to farm and till the land. Hunters lurk at night, going cold and hungry." Shaun said, recalling a nursery rhyme. "They used to tell us that all the time. The church encourages it! Encouraging us to wake up with the sun and go indoors as it went down. The watchful eye of the Harvest God." "Yeah and now, over the years, the popular predators have taken over the days hours. They're the only ones able to keep up with the prey species that dominate the city. Wolves got their pack funds and lions got their prides." "What do coyote's have?" Shaun asked. "Blue balls!" Liam shouted ahead of them and Travis threatened to take his shoe off and throw it at the lynx. "Don't tease me with a good time," Liam laughed as if already drunk on catnip. Shaun did see the two lynxes smoking something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled like a skunks rear end. "Damn felines," Travis grumbled. "Liam and Alicia are in the same boat as I am. It's kind of how we met. In elementary school there weren't many predators. The wolves paired off with each other, and I was kicked aside because I smelled off." "Off?" Shaun asked and Travis shrugged. The coyote didn't expect the sheep to sniff him, and a shiver ran through Travis's body as Shaun leaned over to smell him. To sniff him. His cute little nose wiggling as he sniffed at the predator walking at his side. "You smell fine to me." Shaun shrugged. "Thanks..." Travis wagged the rest of the way to the night club. "Stop making out back there! We're here," Alicia called. At the end of the street was a large neon sign that wasn't fully turned on. Several of the words burned out leaving only "Snack Hour" lit up. Shaun could only assume that was advertisement for the place. Neither of the three seemed to mind as they crossed the street, Alicia flipping someone driving off with both fingers as Liam mooned them. "Will it be okay? For me to go in there?" Shaun asked. Travis's hand tightened on his. "Trust me?" Travis asked and Shaun gave a sheepish nod, blushing. The two pausing outside the night club to look at each other. "Just fuck already!" Liam shouted as Alicia greeted the bouncer out front. A large portly bear with a too small black leather vest on, a gut that hung out over his front and straps on his arms and sides as if to hold the too tight pants on. "Bruno! Look who it is!" Alicia stepped aside, showing Shaun off. The sheep cowered slightly behind the coyote who waved at the largest man Shaun had ever met. The brown bear leaned down, sniffing at the two with a large nose. "Alice," Bruno stood back up, facing the lynx. "We agreed not to startle little lamb." The bear warned and the lynx looked nervous for a change, sweating at being confronted. Bruno had turned his body and forced the much smaller predator up against a wall. "You did not threaten little lambchop, did you?" "No! Promise. Honest." Alicia swore and Bruno glared down at him. "Uh, Bruno? As in online Bruno?" Shaun stepped forward, asking. The bear turned to look at him and those heavy eyes relaxed a little more seeing the small sheep in person. "Hello, Ramsalot," Bruno took a heavy step forward, kneeling down in front of Shaun. He was still taller than the sheep and Shaun was glad Travis was there with him. "Did little kitty bother you? I will punish small ball of fluff and claws if she did." Bruno offered. Shaun laughed, giggling at that, unaware the bear meant the words he said. "Bruno! It is you!" Shaun said and opened his arms. The bear looked startled, if only for a second. He gently opened his arms and accepted the hug that Shaun gave him. "You're so big! And warm. And you smell like... honey?" "Shampoo." Bruno chuckled, nuzzling down at the sheep before glancing up at the coyote. "If this no work, Bruno steal Shaun." He told Travis who stood a little taller at that. "Everything's going great." Travis told the brown bear as he took Shaun back. "Let's head inside, babe." The coyote guided Shaun in as the sheep waved at Bruno. Travis was feeling prickly as it was with all these other predators trying to steal Shaun away. "He is very cute. Soft. Innocent," Bruno warned, looking at the two lynxes. Liam cowered behind his sister. "You don't make trouble." Alicia nodded. "You call Bruno if there is trouble." He added on and the two agreed, being let inside finally. Bruno snorted, shaking his head as he pulled out his phone to look at his stock options as the night only began.