FSE

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I pulled the baseball cap further down over my eyes before moving on to take another sip of my beer. It was shitty beer from a shitty bar in a shitty part of town where people go to feel sorry for their shitty lives, and I was no exception. I had just quit the job I had for three years, making more than a decent pay with a very resourceful... beneficial perk.

I hate this bar and the beer, but then, so did everyone else in the room. No one came here for the beer, or even the company for that matter. People came where when they don't want to be found, or around anyone. I was here for both reasons, and some. I turned my head to peer over my shoulder as the small stage in the corner on the other side of the room. On the stool, with a guitar on his lap and a single light over his head, sat a gently singing hyena, slightly swaying his short tail behind him to the tune.

He sang beautifully, professionally, in my opinion. It made me wonder why he settles for singing in a shitty place like this, but I wasn't really complaining. The hyena sang a classic (like he did most nights), Another Day In Paradise, which I found a little iroc given the crowd, but no one seemed to care. He wasn't always here. Normally, he only sings on mondays, tuesdays and fridays. But today's wednesdays and there he was here, so was I. A happy coincidence on my part.

"...Oh, think twice. It's another day for you and me in paradise..."

I take another sip of beer before turning around to watch the hyena. He was probably dressed the nicest in this place. He wore a nice, purple button up, black jeans and a nice, silk black vest. He didn't wear any shoes, not a lot of canines did, but he did have a nose ring, which was a little odd because not a lot of canines like their noses messed with. It wasn't uncommon, just odd.

"She calls out to a man on the street, he can tell she's been crying..."

I take another sip.

"She's got blisters on the soles of her feet. She can't walk, but she's trying..."

I sing along with the hyena in my head as the song entered the couris. I remember this song from a long time ago. I was only four when it came out, but my older sister listened to it a lot and I guess it just stuck with me.

I lean back on the counter behind me and watch him. He sure was a sight to behold, and he would definitely be getting more attention at a gay bar, or anywhere other than here, really. I imagine what I'd do to him if I ever got my hands on him. I imagine my hands sliding up and down his lean frame, pressing my larger body against his. I'm a bobcat, and hyenas and bobcats are around the same size, but my previous line of work has given more height and weight in muscles over the average bobcat.

I imagine sliding around his hips and gripping that nice rear of his, and suddenly I'm jealous of the stool he's sitting on. I try to tone down my imagination, because it's starting to show below my belt, and I'm standing, so it's more evident than it would be if I were sitting. Of course, those were just fantasies. While I would love nothing more than to take the hyena home for a night and show his a good time, maybe get him to come back if I'm lucky. But something as nice as that is out of the realm of possibility.

Movement to my right catches my attention. I look over without moving my head and see a familiar black coat and suit wearing feline standing next to me, watching the hyena as he stuffed his hands into his pockets casually. A doberman in a black suit stood next to him, hiding his eyes behind a pair of sunglasses and looking less casual. Darion and Brent. I used to work with them. "Boys..." I say when neither one of them made any indication of speaking.

"Garfield," Darien, the feline, responds without looking my way either. "How've you been?"

"You mean before you two shitheads showed up? Fine. Was even thinking of getting my dick wet tonight. Might still if you two feel like bending over for me again."

I didn't say it very loud, but it was loud enough for the lady behind the bar to hear and glance our way before she continued to clean her cups. Bren't growled threateningly, homophobe, while Darion just chuckled and shook his head.

The hyena had finished his song and was taking a drink before he sang the next song. He glanced over my way and smiled briefly before he started strumming his guitar. Shit, he noticed me.

"He likes you." Darion said. Fuck. Of course he noticed, he learned from the best. Me.

"So what do you want? Can't imagine a pretentious prick like you coming to Betty's bar for her shitty beer." Betty, the lady behind the counter huffed and moved to the far side of the counter.

I already knew why they were here, I just want to steer the conversation away from the hyena. He's innocent.

"Lacy wants to talk to you."

"And if I say no?"

A quiet, mechanical click went off from inside the felines pocket. I stiffened. "You won't." he said.

"Skipping straight to threats, huh?"

"Well, if you didn't insult me so much, I'd be less inclined to bring one. I don't want to shoot you, Garfield, I like you."

"Yeah," I push myself from the counter and start walking for the door with them behind me. "Flattery won't get my pants off any quicker, cocksucker."

Renewal

~Blake~

I had cried for a little bit, unable to contain the emotions I didn't even know I had. Jessi was very kind, staying with me through it and comforting me and telling me that everything was going to alright. I felt helpless and pathetic, but in a way, I was happy I was grieving. It meant that I really did love my wife and I do miss her. Yes, she was cheating on me, and she became a different person before she died, but now that she's gone, whatever possibility I was holding onto of her changing back had died with her. The fact that she died before I could confront her and talk about our relationship is what killed me the most. I thought it would be easier because now I don't have to worry about her cheating anymore, but now that she's gone, I've lost any chance I had at rebuilding what we once had.

I didn't cry for too long, because I'm not big on tears. Maybe only a few minutes before I finally got ahold of myself and apologized to Jessi for the breakdown. He told me that it was alright and that it was a good sign, then asked if I was hungry. The whole smug, inconsiderate ploy he pulled a few minutes ago really must have been just an act to get me to realize that I really missed Carol, because he was actually a very nice kid. He barely spoke and was rather respectable of my space, though, he was probably just reading the room.

I didn't stick around for much longer, feeling like I should get back to Kit at the apartment, and keep whatever dignity I had left. I thanked Jessi and he told me to visit anytime. He really was a sweet kid.

When I got back to the apartment, I didn't immediately see Kit, but I could smell him. His scent was strong here, stronger than this morning and last night. It was a nice smell, he seemed to have a roasy, almost floral scent in with his natural musk. Smelling him made me relax a bit and take my mind off from Carol. I pulled a cigarette from the package in my pocket and stuck it between my lips. I considered lighting it, I smoked back in my house and neither of us (Carol and I) seemed to mind it, but I'm pretty sure I saw a 'No Smoking' sign in the lobby and didn't want to run the risk that that rule went for everywhere in the building.

Light, muffled singing illuminated from behind the bathroom door, and a moment later I caught a whiff of a fruity shampoo scent. Kit must be bathing, though, I don't know where he got the fruit scented shampoo from, all of my shampoo smells like men and musk accenters.

As I approached the door, the fox's singing became more audible. "...Oh, think twice. It's another day for you and me in paradise..." Another Day In Paradise? I remember that song from when I was a kid, but it was definitely before Kit's time. I didn't know he had a taste for the classics. For a moment, I wonder if this is the song he was humming this morning, but it couldn't have been. I would have recognized it.

I knocked twice on the door and waited for him to stop singing and say come in. When I entered, I saw him sitting with his back against the wall in a bathtub full of bubbles. Because he blended in so nicely with the bubbles, it was hard to see where he ended and the bubbles began. Only his eyes and nose was the clearest thing I could see. Red dots in a sea of white.

I noticed a particularly large bubble floating in front of the fox with an odd reflection in it. For a minute, I think I see the what looks to be an unfamiliar bar in the reflection, but Kit pops the bubble before I can get a good look at it. He smiles when he see's me, brushing the bubbles off from his legs for me to see, as he says; "Hey handsome. How'd it go?"

I lean against the doorway and put my hands in my pockets. "It was alright. Jessi's a good kid. How come you didn't stay? Or, even go, for that matter."

Kit shrugged, playing with a few bubbles that blocked my few of what's under the water. "I'm not good with expressing sympathy or comfort, which is something I felt you needed. Jessi's an old, trusted friend, I knew he'd be better for the job than I am." He looks up at me and smiles again. "Glad you're feeling better."

I nod, not really knowing what to say to that. What I wanted to do was ask him why he was here. Kit was an incredibly mysterious individual who didn't seem to do anything without purpose. The last time he came to me, he helped me find a bunch of kids who were hiding from a serial killer. The same serial killer I had been tracking for the past month. And before that, Kit had come to be in a dream to ask me to help him find his twin brother. Now it's been about seventeen, almost eighteen hours since he showed up this time, and he hasn't wanted me to do something for him. At least he hasn't said anything.

Kit's ears flick when I don't say anything and I think he's reading my mind, but instead of saying something to confirm or deny my suspicions, he says; "Want to join me?"

I consider his offer. I wouldn't mind having a warm body to hold and press against mine, but I had just taken a shower a few hours ago and didn't really need a bath. So I said no thank you and went to sit on the couch and watch television, trying not to think about what Kit was planning while he could be listening to my thoughts.

~Garfield~

I lifted the ballcap a little more so I see the smoke seeping through the vent over the door to Lacy's office. I was being patted down by Darion and Brent, making crude comments when the reached my middle. Brent didn't find it very amusing, but Darion was a pro at ignoring me. I mean, he should be, he worked under me for two years. I even taught the cat everything he knows.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, my previous job wasn't exactly the legal kind. I guess you could say that I was a bodyguard of some kind, in my line of work, only I was hired to protect drug shipments and deals. You know those goons you see in the movies with the blazers, and the guns and sunglasses that never really have any lines and always get beat up by the good guys? Yeah, that was me. Only I never lost a fight. Can't say I never got beat up (In fact, in the next few minutes, I'm probably going to be beat to death), but I never lost a fight.

I got paid pretty well too, enough to pay off my college loans within my first year working with them. Not only that, but there was quite a few perks that came with it too; my family was guaranteed protection, it was pretty much a 'get out of jail free' card, and we could get as many girls (or boys, in my case) as I wanted without having to worry about being tied down (not in the fun way). And Lacy, my former boss, the one in the room right now, treated me pretty well. She took a liking to me pretty early on and gave me important, high paying jobs that she normally wouldn't give the others. Then again, I was the special case.

When I was finally called into her office, I tried my hardest not to look nervous. I had seen her office a million times, but under these circumstances, it was like I was in a foreign land. On the far side of the room, sitting behind a long desk with not much more than a lamp, laptop, a few bags of whatever drugs she was smoking and a gun, was Lacy herself in all her glory. She was a gorgeous tiger, orange fur so bright and beautiful, it practically glowed on its own, and her black stripes were so dark that they sucked up any light that shone on them. Her headfur was short and pulled back, and her eyes were golden, reflecting the light like a mirror. Her slender body was reclined in her plush chair with her feet crossed on her desk. She was occupied with something on her phone, probably a text, judging by the way her fingers moved across the screen.

To the right of the room, on a long leather couch that ran along the wall, sat her younger twin brother, Clayton, who smiled and waved at me when our eyes met. He was the spitting image of his sister, just with slightly broader shoulders and slenderer hips, and his eyes were silver instead of gold, but still shining like a mirror under light. He was in nothing but a black thong as he sat on the laps of two muscular wolves, who were rubbing him up and down, licking his neck and servicing him in whatever way he wanted. I remember being in their possession, though, I enjoyed it a lot more than these two. Clayton's a fun cat to have between the sheets.

When I reached Lacy desk, I stood there and waited to be addressed not wanting to interrupt her while she was on her phone (last guy that tried that got a pencil lodged in his shoulder). Instinctively, I looked around her desk for anything sharp, pencils in particular.

When The tiger was done, she tossed the phone onto her desk and looked up at me, folding her hands on her stomach, her tail flicking passively behind her, which I guess was a good sign. "Gary," She starts, using my nickname. Her voice was emotionless, as was her face and the rest of her body. It was almost impossible to read her.

"Miss Przybylski..."

She taps the back of her knuckles. "What's this I hear about you leaving the family?" That's what she calls her business; her family. All of us were supposed brother, sisters and cousins, not by blood of course, but according to her, that's what we were.

I lean on one leg and pocket my hands, trying to look as unfazed as her. I don't think I'm very convincing. I'm not nervous because I'm in front of the boss-lady herself, I'm nervous because of what I might say. I'm not always great at holding my tongue.

When I don't respond, she goes on. "I don't understand, Gary. You were doing a good job, I thought you were happy."

"I wouldn't exactly call transporting drugs a 'good job.'" I say before I can stop myself, and her ear flicks.

"Since when did you care about what you were guarding?"

"Since the police seem to be getting smarter. They knew where we were going to be at on the last job. Not only that, but the vigilante was there too and I don't really think drugs are worth going to prison for."

Her tail whips behind her. "You fear the authorities more than me?"

"I respect you, not fear. There's a difference."

"And this is how you pay your respects? By leaving because a few blue shirts flash their guns?"

I fold my arms. "Sometimes I have to do what's best for me."

She leans forward, planting her feet on the floor and eyes narrowing. "What about what's best for your family?"

In a movement faster than lighting, I closed the distance between myself and her desk, lighting trails showing where I was. I slammed my hands on her desk, cracking it under the force and creating sparks from the impact.

Lacy didn't even flinch, but Darion and Brent were making their way across the room. "That definitely wouldn't be in your best interest." I growled, sparks dancing in my eyes that shone bright enough for me to see it in her eyes.

She didn't say anything, just stared at me with an unwavering gaze. Her tail was lashing, her hands still folded tightly together on her desk near the handgun. I wasn't really worried, I'm faster than a bullet.

After what seemed like forever, the tiger leans back in her chair, unfolding her hands and resting them on the arms of her chair. "I respect you too, Gary, but I can't let you leave. You know the policy for... quitting."

With a snap of her fingers, four of her burliest, toughest guys came bursting through the door. I knew one of them, a big brown bear, not personally, but well enough that his ears were halfway down when he saw me. His name was Mike, a pretty average name for a pretty average dude, but I know he has a wife and kid, so I make a mental note to try not to kill him.

The first guy to come through the door got a face full of lightning, which knocked his frame back into Mike (who was behind him), clogging the door while they regained their balance. My large feline ears swiveled back when I heard Darion and Brent cock their guns and take aim. I spun and shot a bolt of lightning from my fingertips, disarming Brent, but not Darion.

The room filled with the sound of gunfire as Darion took his first few shots. Yellowish white lightning carried me to the other side of the room before the bullets could reach me, but Darion was fast too. He shot at me again, missing the first few times, but hitting my arm and side with the last two. It hurt, of course, but they were just flashwounds and ignorable for now. I shot a ball of lighting from my palm at Darion when he ran dry, sending him back a few feet before landing on his ass.

The four burlies at the door had regained their footing and were now charging towards me, while Brent was reaching for his gun. Lacy hasn't moved from her spot, watching with narrow eyes, and Clayton seemed board, playing with and twisting the fur of the wolf to his right.

I readied myself, sparks flickering in my eyes and hands. Six to one. That's not very fair... for them.

~Blake~

Kit and I ordered takeout for dinner because I didn't have food to cook, and neither of us felt like going out to a restaurant to eat. I'm not crazy about chinese food, but Kit says he really likes it, especially their chicken. With him being a fox, and chicken being part of their main diet, I figured he'd know better than anyone where to get good chicken, and let him order for me as well. When the food came, we put a movie on and watched it while we ate and talked. He told me about all the places he's been and I tell him all the places I've been, and compare critiques when we've been to a mutual place.

The food itself, in my opinion, wasn't that great. It was too spicy and had too much of a strong flavour for me to really enjoy it, but I had to admit the orange and sticky chicken Kit ordered was pretty damn good. The fox showed off by eating his food (except for the rice) with chopsticks, while I settled with a fork and spoon. He liked to tease me too; sliding dumplings into his mouth slowly when I was looking, holding eggrolls between his lips longer than necessary, and licking and sucking his fingers whenever he got anything on them. By this point, I had become a little worked up and the movie had become nothing more than whitenoise.

When the food was gone and our stomachs were full, we wriggled and writhed around on the couch and floor. Bucking and gasping and panting, Kit made some really cute yipping noises that I really liked and I growled low, something that I know he likes. He squeezed around me and I held him close until we reached the pinnacle point of our session and let the warm afterglow carry us nicely back down to earth.

We shut the movie off without finishing it and took a shower, enjoying feeling each other up and down and I found that I really liked the way he fit into my arms against my chest. We went to bed after drying and I liked the way he felt even more while lying down. I wondered briefly why it was just now dawning on me, but I already knew. It's because I wasn't thinking about Carol anymore. She was still in my mind yes, but it wasn't regret or pity (for myself or her), it was that I could finally let go and move on. The Carol I loved was gone a long time ago.

The next morning, I woke to an empty bed. Reflexively, I sniffed at a clearly vulpine scent, almost as if to assure myself that Kit had really been with me yesterday. I was rewarded with a noseful of fox with a hint of rose from the shampoo he was using, as well as a bit of my musk mixed in with his. The slight 'wolfish' pride of marking him as my territory made my tail wag just a little and made me feel like I was fifteen years younger.

I scratched my balls through my boxers and sat up and froze through the headrush that came with the motion, making me feel my age again. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to do my business and clip that fur around my neck and muzzle that was starting to get too scruffy. I dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and an amber t-shirt that matched my amber eyes, plus, Kit said he liked this one. But when I opened the door to the living room, the fox wasn't in there or in the kitchen/dining room next to it. I peered out on the balcony, but I was only greeted by the cool breeze of the morning air and bright shine of the rising sun. It wasn't unusual for Kit to disappear (and reappear) whenever he wanted, but I was a little disappointed he didn't stick around this morning. Then again, he could just be out at the market.

But that seemed like less of a reality as morning turned into noon and then afternoon. By the time the clock on my wall hit two thirty, I figured Kit had gone back to wherever he came from and I wouldn't see him until the next time he needed something. But that raised the question, what did he need from me this last visit? As far as I could see, he didn't take anything, and he didn't ask me to do anything for him. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this was a leisurely visit, but the whole time he was here, it felt like he was just waiting for something. But what?

I figured it was probably pointless to question the fox's motives, and thus far, all of the scenarios through my head have proven to be fruitless. So, instead of dwelling on it, I opened my computer and checked my email. Most of it was junk mail, some were notifications from SnoutBook, and I got one from an old dating website I signed up for a long time ago when I was thinking of leaving Carol when she first started cheating on me. One message, though, did catch my attention. It was a letter from Meg, giving me an update on the apb I sent out to look for Boe. Well, it wasn't a legitimate apb, I was actually just calling in some favours from friends in other stations around the country to keep an eye out for an arctic fox using the name Boe. I wasn't sure how it was spelled, so I told them to us Bo, Boe, Beau, and so forth.

For a while, all I was getting was random arctic foxes of all different shapes and sizes and ages. Boe could have been any one of them, and when I asked Kit how to identify him, the fox just narrowed his red eyes and smiled that sly fox smile and said; "You'll know him when you see him."

I was expecting to open a list of another thirty arctic foxes full of names and faces, but this time, there was just three. Bo Greyz, a slightly salted fox around my age, though his showed through the grey on his muzzle and ears. Too old to be Kit's twin brother. The next was Boe Kelly, a young vixen with yellow dyed into her cheek ruffs and ear tips. Not a boy. When I saw the last one, I nearly flew out of my seat. Right there, in the picture under the name simply title; Boe, was a young man who was the spitting fucking image of Kit. Same face shape, same mischief in his eyes, same ear length and everything. The only difference was Boe had dark emerald eyes in contrast to Kit's blood red, and Boe was covered in black markings instead of Kit's pure snow white fur. Ble had black triangles on the sides of his muzzle, the ends of his cheek ruffs were black, and the tips of his ears were black too. He had black around his eyes too, circling them and pointing out at the corners like he was wearing smoky eye makeup. I'm sure he had more markings on the rest of his body, but I only had the picture of his face.

His headfur was longer than Kit's. Where Kit's headfur was no longer than the rest of the fur around his face, Boe's had grown out to cover one of his eyes, or both if he chose to part it down the middle. Still, the resemblance between the two foxes was uncanny and I found myself wondering how else these two were alike. How did Boe sound in comparison to Kit? Or act? Was Boe as devious as Kit? If so, how difficult would it be to track this guy back?

Quickly, I wrote back to Meg, attaching the picture of Boe and asking where it was sent in from. She must have been checking her email as well, because a few minutes later, my inbox flashed with a message from her. She said that it was from somewhere over in the west, in a city called 'Apollo City.' I knew the city, it was one of the places Kit and I had been talking about last night; I had been there on a vacation a few years ago with Carol and a few mutual friends. Kit said he's never been there, but would like to go to try out one of their world famous casinos. Than I asked if he was able to cheat at some of the games because he could read minds and make people see what he wanted them to. He changed the subject.

Now I really wished the fox had stuck around, the was the first lead I've had since Kit sent me on this wild goose chace. He'd be happy to have a location and I'm happy to be one step closer to putting this little hunt behind me. But that made me wonder, what would happen once I found Boe? Would Kit then find me obsolete, no longer needing me? I know we weren't a couple or anything, but I really liked having the fox around and not just for the sex, as amazing as it is. We've had nice conversations and I generally enjoy his company, especially since Carol's death. I'm not used to living alone.

I shook my head. Who the hell am I kidding. I'm just doing a job for him and he's paying me, in money and in between the sheets. If he forgot about me after this job, then so be it, I wouldn't be heartbroken.

Almost as if he were listening to my thoughts (which is more likely than not), Kit walked through the door to my apartment, carrying a few full plastic bags and my car keys. I didn't even notice they were gone. "You're back..?" I said, though it came out as more of a question then a statement.

"Of course I am," He said, kicking the door shut and stopping to kiss my nose on his way to the kitchen. I followed him. "Thought you could get rid of me that easily?"

If he had heard my thoughts before walking in, he didn't make any indication that he noticed, so I pushed it out of my mind. "No, I just thought you, well, I mean-... You weren't here this morning and it's been half a day..."

He set the bags on the counter next to the sink and I saw groceries in them. So he really had gone to the market. Kit turned around and hugged my wasted. "Sorry, I should have left a note. I thought you would have noticed your keys missing though."

"Wasn't looking for them." But I was looking for things that might have been taken and car keys should have been the first thing I looked for. "You went shopping?"

He looked at the groceries, but didn't loosen his grip around me, tail wagging slightly behind him. "Mhmm. Some milk and eggs and some vegetables. Chicken for me and beef for you. Some beer and wine and a water pitcher with a purifier in it. And some clothes for me because I'll be staying for a few more days." He turned back to face me. "If you don't mind, that is?"

I couldn't have said no if I wanted to. By way of answer, I wrapped my own larger arms around him and kissed him between the ears, unable to keep the wag out of my tail. "Only if you brought OderBan." I joked. "You foxes smell."

At that, he let go of me and walked over to the counter. He pulled something out of a bag and presented it to me. A small device with 'OderBan' written on it's front. OderBan is exactly how it sounds; a small disposable gadget that you place in a room and it neutralizes the scents of stronger smelling people for others with more sensitive noses, like myself and Kit. Carol and I didn't keep one in our house because we were both wolves and we didn't have many visitors... well, I didn't have many visitors. And there was other ways of covering up scents.

Kit and I brought the rest of the groceries in from the car and put everything away. I checked my bank account and saw that it hasn't been touched since I bought the takeout last night, and thanked Kit for buying the groceries. It was a really nice thing for him to do it must have cost a few hundred dollars, and when I asked to see the receipt, he pretended to look for it before saying that he must have 'forgot' it.

When we were done putting everything away, I told him about the email I got from Meg and that his brother was spotted last in Apollo City. He smiled and wagged his tail and said "That's great, I can head there in a few days after I'm done here."

"What are you doing here, by the way?" I asked. Now was as good a time as any to finally bring it up, and if today proved anything, it's that I never know when I'm gonna see the fox again.

"Just work stuff." He said nonchalantly. "Boring, really. I'll tell you about it later if you're still interested."

"What if I'm interested in it now?" I said around an unlit cigarette hanging from my lip.

He turned to me and reached up to place his middle finger and thumb on the cigarette and snapped his fingers. The cigarette lit and I got a initial kick of nicotine in the back of my throat. "Pretty sure this is a no smoking zone." I said, half surprised that he's able to do that with just his fingers, but the other half of me says I should have known.

He plucked the cigarette from my muzzle and brought it to his, taking a nice long hit before he handed it back. He blew a thin cloud of smoke in my face as he leaned in and kissed me. I tasted smoke and fox on my tongue as his wrestled it's way into my muzzle. I kissed back, even though I knew he was just trying to distract me. It was working. My sheath was responding to the warm contact and smell of smoke.

It ended all too soon. He pulled back and winked at me. "I'll tell you later."

~Garfield~

I gasped as I skidded to a halt, residue of sparks lingering behind me until I finally stopped in the middle of the street. I didn't immediately know where I was because I left Przybylski's place in a hurry, not really watching where I was going except to dodge incoming traffic and pedestrians. It took a lot more out of me then I was expecting, my muscles clamped down and my breathing became a rasp of desperate inhales and exhales. I moved over to the empty sidewalk and collapsed to my knees, gulping in as much air as I could. My short tail twitched and my large ears were flat against my head, eye squeezed shut as I recovered. Once I felt able to, I moved over to sit against the wall of an apartment building and tried to compose myself.

Once the adrenaline subsided and I started to relax is when the pain started to set in. a stab wound on my back and shoulder, five bullet wounds on my arms, legs and abdomen, probably a few broken ribs, and more bruises than I could count. The first six goons that I had to face wasn't really a problem. Darion was the only threat in hand to hand combat, but he still didn't have any abilities like myself and I kept him at bay. The real problem was when six opponents turned into twelve, and that twelve turned into eighteen. I'd like to consider myself skilled in handling my own, but I'm still only mammal. I'm just happy I made it out of there alive.

But now that I made it out alive, they'll go looking for my friends and family. Unfortunately for them, I'm as smart as I am strong. I don't have any friends, none that are around anymore anyways, and I had moved my family out of the country about a year and a half ago without any of Przybylski's men finding out. It wasn't even hard to convince my family to move. My dad always wanted to to live in the UK, and since my mom died, it's just my dad and my little sister. Other than that, I don't have any more family. No aunts, no uncles, no cousins or grandparent or anything, which made everything that much easier.

I'm sure Przybylski won't be happy once she finds out that I outfoxed her and made myself pretty much untouchable. Of course, that was so long as I stayed under their radar for a few years. I'd probably have to change my name and leave the state, Przybylski's got eyes and ears everywhere in this town. I had already moved all of my things out of my old apartment before I even told anyone I was quitting. I'm holding up in a motel eight blocks away, though, it's too far to walk to right now and cabs don't cruis these back roads. I considered just sleeping here, at least long enough to get some juice back and bolt (literally) home, but like I said, I don't know where I am. I could be in a gang's territory for all I know, and trust me, that's not a good thing. Especially for me.

From down the street, a faint clicking noise illuminated in the darkness. It sounded like claws clicking from someone walking, and the longer I waited only proved that it was. Someone was coming, but I only heard one set of feet, so it wasn't really a threat. I could handle one guy. I tried to sniff the air to help me identify who was coming, but all I got was the wet smell of asphalt and piss. I started to see a silhouette walking down the sidewalk, the small gleam in his eyes told me that he was lost in thought and probably hadn't noticed me yet.

He walked under the single working street light and slowly, I began to recognize him; the Hyena singer from the bar. He stopped once he saw me looking at him a bit abruptly and I saw his tail stop swaying and his body tense. But the longer he looked at me, the more he relaxed and said; "Hey, you're from the bar." He took a few steps closer and I got a whiff of him. Musky and unmistakably canine, and when he spoke, I could smell alcohol on his breath, so he must have just been leaving the bar. "What're you doing sitting on the side of the street?"

His voice was just as beautiful as his singing, a tenor male voice that spoke with the same accuracy and control that I had heard earlier tonight. And the fact that he recognized me sent a slight thrill through my chest, like a cub who finally gets to talk to the pretty girl from across the street.

"I, uh..." was running for my life after fighting eighteen guy in front of a drug dealer. Needed a place to hide until I could skip town. None of those responses are ones that I really want to say, and my brain is scrambling for something.

But I didn't get the chance to reply. "Oh my God, you're bleeding!"

I glanced down at the small pool of crimson red I was sitting in and wondered how so much got out of me, and only then did I become aware of the wet, trickling feeling across my body.

They hyena closed the distance between us and knelt down beside me. "I have to get you to a hospital." He said, fishing his phone out of his pocket and started dialling 911. I almost let him too, but then I remembered that there was one of Przybylski's men that worked in almost every hospital in the city, in case one of us ever got injured and needed someone on the inside to help out.

"No! No you can't call the hospital." I said, still a little out of breath from the run. "They'll find me there."

The hyena looked a little more guarded. "Who's 'they'?" he took a quick glance down both sides of the street. "Is someone chasing you?"

I probably shouldn't tell him anything, he's innocent and I don't want to get him mixed into something this deep. Plus, Darion had noticed him at the bar, so if I'm seen with the hyena, Darion will find him and use him just to get to me. "You should leave."

A flash in the hyena's eyes told me that he was already thinking that, but he hesitated. "You need help."

"I'll be fine." I had to stifle a cough.

There was more determination in his voice when he spoke. "No, you won't... C'mon, I know where you can go."

He reached down and made me wrap an arm around his shoulders against my protests and helped me to my feet. We trudged slowly down the sidewalk, silently. He tried to support as much of me as he could, but he was three sizes smaller than me and I had to put more pressure on my tired, wounded legs than I would have liked.

The hyena kept a sharp eye out, seeing further into the darkness than my eyes, and I listened. His disk shaped ears probably heard more than mine, but I still kept an ear turned. We passed other homeless and someone who smelled strongly of drugs, turned shady corners and made it out of the really sketchy part of town and into a slightly less shady part of town.

The hyena's place was a small apartment in a large building. He didn't possess very much, though it was nice and comportable. I sat on the couch most of the night, letting the hyena tend to me. He was really sweet and even cuter up close, and he smelled nice, and his hands were so warm and delicate and holy fuck was it hard not to pop a boner. Nothing makes you more grateful for life than narrowly escaping death and then meeting a cute boy to take care of you.

"What the hell were you doing to get shot this many times, and how are you still alive?" He was just finishing wrapping my arm in gauze as he said it. His hands, arms and the front of his shirt was smeared with blood, but he didn't seem to care.

He had given me a bottle of scotch shortly after getting here, saying that I'd need it if he needed to pull any bullets out of me, which he did, but only a few. I took another sip of it, finding it to be two thirds gone, but I couldn't remember if it was unopened before he gave it to me or not. I was tipsy, but not drunk, the pain kept me sober. Or, at least, harder to get drunk.

"The less I tell you about me, the better."

"Ohoo! Tough guy, huh?" He tied the gauze on my arm and put his hands on his hips, still kneeling beside the couch. "Think you're doing me a favour by not telling me what you're mixed up in? That it?"

I turned my head to look him in the eye. "You're sarcasm is both endearing and offsetting."

He stood up and made his way around me, taking the glass scotch bottle from me before falling back beside me on the couch. He took a swig and handed it back. "Not the first time I've been told that, though, it's usually the later than the former." He turned his body to face me, back against the armrest and feet up on the cushion between us while his short tail lulled lazily off the side.

I turned my body slightly towards him, but the wounds made it uncomfortable to go very far. "I really appreciate what you've done for me, but you really shouldn't have brought me here. You're putting yourself in danger."

"Would you relax about that? Who would be searching for you here, anyways?"

"Did you notice the two guys that I left the bar with earlier tonight?" he nodded. "Well, they noticed you too, and how..." you looked at me. "I was looking at you. They'll be suspicious of you."

He had a small smile on when I said that I was looking at him, but other than that he didn't really react. "Like I said, you're worrying too much. The name I use at the bar isn't my real name, and this apartment we're in isn't even mine, it's my ex-girlfriend's. She's out of town for a few months and said I could stay here."

This surprised me a little. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were running from something too."

He shrugged. "We all have skeletons in the closet. Mine just happens to be a bag of money stolen from an angry kingpin."

"You stole money from a kingpin?" I was taken back. "That's actually worse than what I did..."

"What'd you do?"

"Quit my job of drug trafficking."

He laughed. "That's it?"

"It's not what I did that I'm trying to keep you out of. I just quit tonight, that's why I'm so beat up, and if I'm found with you, they'll hurt you."

The hyena folded his arms. "Why do you care so much about me anyways." He asked, and I couldn't answer. It's not that I cared about him specifically, I wouldn't want to get anyone mixed up in my predicament. But the longer I'm around him, the more I want to make sure he'll be safe. "You don't even know my name."

"It's probably better that way."

He scoffed. "Oh enough with the overprotective bullshit. I can take care of myself. My name is Tyler. What's yours?"

He's right, in a way, I shouldn't be so overprotective of someone I don't even know, but he really doesn't seem to understand what would happen if Przybylski got ahold of him. They would torture and kill him. Still, if he really stole money from a kingpin, he must know the danger and the consequences if he's caught. I was caught between a rock and a hard place, my head telling me what I should do and my dick telling me who I should do.

I sighed. "Garfield."

He smiled. A cute, wide smile that was contagious. "Was that so hard?"

I groaned. "You have no idea how hard it is..."

~Blake~

Kit wriggled and panted over me, squeezing my shaft as he pushed back against my knot. His tongue lolled out of the side of his muzzle, him grinning down at me as he rode me on the couch. I pushed my hips up, feeling the, now, familiar warmth and tightness of his rear around me, leaning forward to kiss and lick his neck and shoulder. He tastes good, a sweet taste and smell, like cherries, with a thrilling underlay of the metallic taste of blood, though, none was drawn.

His arms wrapped around the back of my neck and pulled me into his shoulder. He moaned, an airy exhale that was music to my ears and I wanted to hear it again. I pushed up with my hips again, grinding my knot into the lips of his entrance for extra sensation and was rewarded with another beautiful moan. I growled happily and he seemed to like the vibrations that came with it, so I growled again, nipping at his shoulder and tasting bloody cherries.

I stood, lifting with him on my hips with ease, and turning around so that he was on the couch and I was on top of him now. He smiled up at me and kissed me, wagging his tail between my legs and moving his hands to dig his claws into the muscles on my back. I took his tongue into my muzzle and moved my hips, pushing into him, pushing him into the couch. We moved in unison, a passion I didn't feel with Carol. It wasn't necessarily love, just the passion of having sex with someone who knew what you wanted and how to make it happen. Kit is just as much a male as I am, so it feels like we have a connection that I couldn't have with any women, making it easier to fall into him, and him into me.

Not only that, but he was young, energetic, attractive, restoring something in me that I haven't felt in years; passion. I haven't felt a passion for something in a long time, not for Carol, not for my job, not even for my life, but since Kit's come into my life, I've regained a sense of necessity. The insight of the job of looking into the murders new and interesting, finding the fox's brother was different and reminded me of the old days, chasing down baddies with no more information than a name or face. And, of course, the sex. Having that intimate session with someone new and who was just as passionate about it was exhilarating, and I briefly wondered if this is what Carol felt when she was cheating on me.

None of this would have happened to me if I hadn't met Kit. Maybe that's why I'm so reluctant to let him go. I pulled his body close to mine, feeling his hardness between us on my stomach and pushed further into him, sliding my knot in and out of him. He gasped and yipped, like most foxes do when they're happy, and I growled in delight. My knot was swelling and I could feeling myself coming closer and closer to climax, and from the throbbing on my stomach, he was getting close too.

My full sac tightened against his rear as I locked us together, releasing the built up passion with a strained growl. His warmth squeezed around me, milking me of everything I had, his moans pushing me further over the edge. I felt something wet and sticky spread on my stomach as he reached orgasm too. It's like fireworks and a crashing tidal wave and a million explosions all at once, concentrated in my lions and rushing through the rest of my body. I griped him, digging claws into his sides and his dug into my back, riding out my orgasm as long as I could hold it.

He panted and sighed, his legs still around my hips, and hugged my chest. I was panting too, and hugged back, though I didn't put too much weight on him. "That was awesome." He said between pants, his tail regaining some of its life as I felt it twitch between my thighs. "And you seem happier than normal."

It only then occurred to me that he could have been listening to my thoughts, though, part of me was narcissistic enough to convince myself that he was too occupied with the passion to be concerned with my sex-induced-mind-babble. "Just really horny, I suppose."

He blinked, pushing his chin into his chest. "For me? Awh, you're too sweet."

I sat up, tucking at my knot and finding securely locked to in the fox. "Hopefully you learned your lesson. Gonna tell me know?"

He cocked an ear. "About my agenda? You're still on about that?" He grinned. "Too much to tell tonight."

I sighed. "Are you at least going to tell me about the killer who's been hunting powered people?"

"Why would I do that?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Because you said you'd tell me who he was if I found your brother."

"And talked to him, and brought him to me." he patted my chest. "You're only one-third done there, big boy."

"Does that mean I'm going with you to Apollo City? What about my job? I don't know how much longer I can use my vacation time."

He giggled. "I wouldn't worry about it. I convinced the commissioner to let you go to Apollo City and work there as a consultant for a while. I hear they're having some homicidal issues there and I thought that you're special skills could come in handy in helping them out."

Part of me was happy, both to be going to Apollo City and that the excitement in my life wasn't leaving quite yet, but another part of me was worried what I'd be stepping into. I'd be going to stay in a new place, the only person I'd know would be Kit. But then again, it's not like I have a lot going for me here. Maybe Meg and Dylan, my coworkers, but that was about it. It's not like I'd be leaving a lot behind, and even so, it's not permanent, it's just for this job I'm doing for Kit.

"What about the killer? He'll still be free to kill whoever he wants."

"Haven't you noticed that the killer has be unusually quiet since you found his little layer in the forest? Something tells me that you have a little bit of time before he makes his next move."

I had noticed it and thought it was a little weird. That meant that whatever he was doing, he was doing it with a purpose and not just killing willy-nilly. It raised the obvious question of what he was doing, and since he's been quiet, it's almost like he's waiting, but for what? The right moment to move? An order from someone else? If that was so, that meant that there was someone else in on these murders and who could possibly be the one orchestrating them.

The only way to find out was to wait and for Kit's information, and in order to get that information, I have to do his job, which is in Apollo City. So it looks like I don't have much of a choice anyways.

When I looked back to get, he was looking out the window, eyes wide and ears standing up. It took me a moment to notice his bristling fur and worry in his eyes as he stared at the window. When I followed his gaze, I didn't see anything other than the top of the other buildings and dark thunderclouds rolling in from the distance. Looks like there's a storm coming. "What's wrong, Kit?"

"He's coming."

My fur prickled. The guy that's been killing powered people? "Who? The murderer?"

"Worse," he whispered, looking back to me. "Alex."