When Walking Into The Light, Only Happiness Awaits.
Walking Into The Light
Chapter Three:
When Walking Into The Light, Only Happiness Awaits.
Story Over View:
Cale is more distraught than ever with the discovery of his mother's assailant and worse yet, his sister's father. With no end in sight to the torment, Cale has all but given up his fighting spirit. When it comes down to saving his very soul, Cale finds the old adage to hold some meaning to it. Only the truth can set you free. Nichole finds herself dealing with similar issues as she is forced to make a decision to go down a dark road or stay on the straight and narrow. Find the conclusions to these and more in:
Walking Into The Light â€" Chapter Three: When Walking Into The Light, Only Happiness Awaits.
"Ok....shooters, find your targets, aim, turn your safety selector switch from safe to fire, and....FIRE!" The many different blasts from varying pistols echoed through the inside of the shooting range. Targets down the range being riddled with bullet holes as scraps of paper flew into the air amidst the hail of gunfire. After a minute or so an alarm sounded, signaling the shooters to cease fire.
"Cease fire! Cease Fire! Cease Fire! Ok good job. We'll bring your targets to the front and the scorers will tally up your shots. Head back to the main area and wait for your name to be called and to receive your results." The announcer finished and an automatic door slid open behind the line of soon to be licensed gun owners. Different furs and humans sat down in the processing room. Most being soon to be recruits for the county police or different functions. In the corner next to a large bay window sat the figure of an isolated human, a male, his broad muscled shoulders drooping slightly, the weight of a difficult life and a burdened mind weighing down upon them. His spiked hair once gelled enough to pop a balloon now began to wilt, the jet black mess looking like a sharpened fern bush rather than a styled hair do.
"There you are. So....how'd you do?" Came the question of a Collie. The canine wore little more than a pair of ripped khaki shorts and a Three Days Grace t-shirt. Like most morphics, laws did not require them to wear different footwear. This was mainly due to the reason that it was too restrictive to their foot paws. His smile was filled with expectations as he watched the human. He had taken notice over the last few days that the man's demeanor and mentality had began to degrade, slowly at first, but now it was just plummeting.
"I had to start shooting the center of target...." Came the nonchalant voice of the human. It was filled with a monotone manner and a lack of care for the conversation.
"Why? You always preach how only head shots are worth using bullets on." Came the reply of the Collie.
"I shot the head to many times and it exploded..." The human replied. Normally, it was a statement that would have made the man smile. There was a time that he used to revel in his own success. But lately, the only thing he seemed to be doing was wallowing in an endless sea of misery.
"Cale....What's going on man. You have to tell someone, so why not me. You aren't eating, you don't sleep, you haven't seen your sister in nearly a week. The only things you do now are protect the senator, train for your upcoming match, which has turned from just training to a blatant act of violence towards the practice dummies. Just, let me in a little man. I can tell you're hurting right now, and it doesn't sit well with me letting a business partner go on like this." The human sat there, staring through his own reflection in the mirror. The Collie was right, about everything. He was practically dying on the inside. He hadn't eaten anything in weeks. It was as if he had just lost the will to live. Only five days ago he had been more filled with life than ever, and then, one night, that all changed. Through a dream he had managed to uncover the identity, well, partially, of his mother's assailant and rapist. But in the act, he came to understand more and more about his life. The whole reason he was fighting, why he was working as a body guard for some senator. It was all a tangled web of lies. He fought to vent his aggression on the morphics for what they had done to his mother...for what they had done to him. Yet, he worked as a body guard, so that he could be part of their lives. Not only that, but in the days that followed, he had slowly begun to realize that he was developing feelings for a morphic. Who just so happened to be his sister none the less. An event that was made even more deplorable when he made himself understand that his sister was the daughter of the very anthro that raped his mother. As if that wasn't enough, it was her very birth that killed his mother. Everything was rapidly falling down around the human. His world was being turned upside down and the collapsing debris of his life were beginning to smother the life from him.
"I....I just don't know any more Terry." Was the only answer that came from the human. Well, besides an audible sigh of depression. The collie stood there, worried. If this kept up, his career would suffer, both of them. If he stayed in this rut, then who knows how he would handle himself in a match, he could very well get himself killed, or he might even kill himself attempting to use any one of his developing techniques that he was learning. Being a martial artist was one thing. But Cale had decided it wasn't enough. No, he had to be THE martial artist, taking three of the most lethal styles and combining them to make a style all his own. One that focused on pure strength coupled with speed to utterly destroy his opponents.
Sitting down beside the man, Terry gave a sigh of his own as he placed his paw on Cale's shoulder. It took him a while to say anything, his mind not really sure of where to go in terms of words.
"What happened that Sunday night Cale....what happened to you. What did you see, what did you find that has come so close to destroying you." His question was purposeful, he had known that it, whatever it was, had happened Sunday night after his fight at a local chop shop. He had left with his sister after dinner and never came back. Instead, this empty shell that looked like him was all that remained.
"I-I...I found him...her father....But...I..I...I can't....I can't...." His words soon turned to quiet sobs as he hunched over, bringing his hands to his face as his shoulders heaved up and down.
"You can't what Cale? Tell me, let me help you." Came the collie's soothing voice, his paw gripping Cale's shoulder reassuringly.
"I...I can't, I can't kill him...." The words that left Cale's mouth that day were permanently engrained in the Collie's memory from then on. It was the first time that Cale had actually shown some form of care for the life or death of a furry. It may have been at the worst time imaginable, but still it was there none the less.
"You don't want to kill him? Not even after all he did to you, to your mother?"
"Fuck right I want to kill him!" Came the man's voice, in a near shout. The others in the room looking over at the two for a moment before going back to their own lives. Well, so much for the care of life or death, but still, for Cale, not wanting to kill a morphic was like saying the sun wasn't bright.
"I want him dead...more than anything...but, I can't bear the thought of killing the last remnant of family that Nichole has. I've spent my whole life hating anthros...fuck, hating the whole world for what that one morphic did on that rainy night in the alleyway. His face has been burned into my very dreams. I...I can't let my sister go through that...I can't become to her what he was to me....I don't want her to see me as the Man who killed her father in cold blood." Cale's words were piercing. Never before had Terry ever witness Cale show such emotion or commitment to a cause. It was amazing to think he hated that fox so much, he would spare his life just to keep from becoming what he was.
"...Then let me do it....I'll kill him for you Cale, I'll avenge your mother." Cale shook his head slowly, beginning to laugh for the first time in nearly a week, only this time, it was a laugh that chilled Terry to the bone.
"You...just....don't....get....it.....do you? It doesn't matter if you kill him, if someone else kills him, if the fucking president of the united states kills him. Hell, God himself could walk down her and kill him, it still wouldn't stop it from happening..." Came Cale's response. His words so deeply spoken, so filled with conviction and anger.
"S-stop what?"
"The cycle. Don't you see. Life is just one big cycle of who can get revenge as many times as possible before they finally die. If he dies, who ever kills him will be the new killer and it will start all over again. She'll want to avenge her father's death, and soon enough she'll be driven down the same path and someone will be left to suffer and desperately want to make her pay for her actions. In the end....hell, there is no end...it just keeps going. It is like a self feeding evil that consumes everything. I can't fucking win. He beat me once...and now...he's beaten me again....and he knows it. The fucker is probably laughing at me right now!" Cale did indeed look like a beaten man. It was as if someone had informed him that he had only moments to live. But all that aside, he did have a point, albeit a grim one, but a point none the less. The fox was protected, not by shields nor hired guards, but by a sense of hatred so strong from another that it would rather have its host die than to let the object of its hatred die first. In a sick understanding, it was amazing to see just how far such a malevolent emotion such as hatred could push a person.
"So....then what do you suggest we do?" Terry asked as he looked to Cale for answers, something anything, any semblance of a solution to the problem at hand.
"We. No, there is no we in this one Terry. It will remain my own burden to bare. Nichole mustn't know about this either. The only thing I can do is hope that...he will just vanish." It was a futile attempt at any form of success. In all truthfulness, it wasn't even success. More than anything, it was just....barely surviving. To think, that the once all mighty human, the world at his finger tips, had been reduced to little more than a corpse. His ambitions and dreams having been sucked right out of him.
"Well, we have to do something. We cant just let him win, just let him get away with everything he has done." Cale snapped his head towards the collie sitting next to him, his eyes filled with anger.
"We can't but we have to. Do you think I like this, knowing that my hands are tied. Listen, just forget I ever told you in the first place....that's what I'm trying to do." His features began to sink back to the now routinely normal depressive slump. In the front of the room the scorers were already beginning to call out the results, the selected participants receiving their license to Carry and Conceal. It had been a rough week, dealing with the tests and practices of going through all the requirements of being able to legitimately carry and conceal a weapon. Truthfully Cale didn't want to do it in the first place. It was far easier for him to fight with his fists rather than a pistol. However, Terry had made a valid point by saying Cale would never pass as a professional body guard without a side arm. In the end, Cale had given in and took the course.
"Benziger, please come to the front for your license." Came a heavy voice. It was a stallion sitting at the front of the room. His long and shaggy mane resembling something you'd see from a Vietnam veteran. As Cale approached the smile on the equine grew even more. The horse began to stand up as he leaned forward.
"Cale, you did an amazing job out there. I've never seen anyone not miss a single shot, especially when 95% of their shots were in the target's head and the rest were in its heart. You're a real marksmen, I don't have a single worry or doubt for giving this license to you. You deserve it." The words were nice enough, but they did little to console Cale. In the end, he just nodded and slid the piece of paper into his wallet. The two partners headed out the door, neither saying much at all.
The day dragged on from there as the days before had done. Every now and then Cale's phone would ring, it was Nicky. She had been trying to reach him nonstop. However, with this new development he couldn't even speak to her. Just thinking about her brought his thoughts to her father and made his blood boil.
"Cale....you have to answer her sometime or she's going to start calling me." No sooner had Terry spoken those words than had his phone started to ring. The collie shot Cale an exasperated if not a somewhat angered look. Picking up the phone he answered it as patiently as possible.
"Terry speaking, how may I help you....uh huh, hi Nichole, no your brother isn't....well....no....he's ok....he's just....you know what, just talk to him yourself." Terry thrust the phone at Cale. The look in the human's eyes spoke of death for the canine as he slowly stood up and reached for the phone.
"H-hello....yes, I'm fine....because, I, I just haven't been feeling quite like myself lately.... I'm a little depressed, that's all..... Over what? I don't know....it's, complicated..... No it's not like that Nicky....Nicky please...ni-" Cale sighed and sat the phone down on the table between the two males.
"You happy....she thinks I don't trust her anymore." Cale said as he let his head fall into his arms laying on the table and moaning in a mix of despair and general hatred of his own life. Back to where he started all those weeks ago.
"Well....it isn't like it's that far from the truth." The collie replied with a nonchalant attitude.
"Yes it is...kind of....ok fine, so I can't tell her because I'm afraid that if I do she'll set into motion some cosmic force that can't be stopped. Is that so wrong?" Cale asked, his voice muffled by his arms.
"Wrong...no, I don't think so. However, it is borderline crazy and extremely paranoid."
"Don't call me paranoid. I'm just protecting her."
"Yeah, from a person she doesn't even know."
"He's a person she doesn't need to know Terry."
"Cale...wasn't it you who said you didn't want her to have to go her whole life knowing that you killed her father. What is the difference between that and hiding him from her?" This question made Cale stop and think. God how he hated it when the Collie was right.
"Fuck, I just can't fucking win can I?" Cale shouted as he stood up, walking away from the table and out of Terry's home.
That night, Cale spent a couple hours on the outskirts of Winter Haven. Fighting inwardly with himself over what he should do. Terry was right. Hiding him from her was just as bad as killing him. But was bringing her into that life worse than saving her from it? Or was he hurting her by trying to save her? In this case, was the truth more harmful than a lie? Would he be able to save his own soul by finally telling the truth? If he did tell her the truth, in saving himself would he be destroying his own sister? Too many questions and not enough answers. Cale sighed as he looked over the landscape of the park. It was dark...lonely. In a way, Cale and that park had a lot in common right now. Reaching down, Cale placed a hand inside the pocket of his black trip pants, feeling the presence of the letter he had written. As he pulled it out, the spikes of his wrist band caught on the pocket lining. He pulled for only a second before they came free. Kneeling down, he placed the letter next to his boot as he tucked his pant leg back inside his metal covered boots, tightening the laces and strapping down the leather buckles. He stood back up and tucked in his black Atreyu shirt and finished by straightening his spike collar. He always was a stickler for fashion, even in his darkest times.
"Cale?" Came a small feminine voice from behind the human. The effect that voice had on him nearly paralyzed his entire body, his breathing stopping and his heart even skipping a beat. Slowly, he turned around. The image of Nichole standing there, basked in the glow of a street light along with two other females, one a petite skunk and the other a lioness. Though their species were all different, they all had one thing in common. Each of them were wearing the same type of clothing most girls wore these days, short skirts, tight shirts. They were all lovely, but to Cale, only one of them was even close to being perfect.
"W-what are you doing here Cale?" The vixen asked as she stepped forward, the feline grabbing her arm.
"Nicky, you know this guy? He's like, way older than you." ‘As well as way too hot for you.' The feline thought to herself. Nicky just pulled free from her friend's grasp as she walked towards the male.
"Nichole....I....I'm sorry." He truly was, he never wanted to hurt her, in fact, it was this very pain that he saw in her eyes that he wanted to protect her from. He closed his eyes, trying not to focus on that painful look she gave him, all his feelings beginning to well up inside him tearing him apart, until finally, he couldn't hold them back anymore.
"I found your father!" He blurted out, then clasped his hands over his mouth in shock. Silently cursing himself for making such a horrible decision. Nichole could barely stand, her knees shaking as she looked into his eyes, seeing so much pain and despair in them. It was as if he had just told her the truth behind some horribly awful secret.
"Why....why didn't you tell me...ear-earlier Cale?" The two girls were just staring wide eyed now at the vixen and the human. It was like something right out of a soap opera, only this was real.
"I....Nichole, I can't tell you here. Wait for me tonight were we always meet. I'll tell you then...I'll...I'll tell you everything. Everything that I should have told you from the beginning." Cale sighed as he turned around walking into the park, his image slowly being swallowed up by the darkness of the overhanging trees. The two females ran up to the vixen. The skunk placing a paw on Nichole's shoulder.
"Nicky....who was that?" she asked as she watched the last inky blotches of the human's shadow fade to nothing.
"What's this?" The feline whispered to herself as she picked up a small white piece of paper from the ground where the man had been standing. Gingerly she picked up the paper, it was slightly crumbled, bent here and there but it was folded with care none the less. Opening it up, the female scanned its contents, her eyes slowly growing wide before a smile crept over her face. With one quick glance over at the other two females, she smirked and hid it away in her purse.
"That...was....I'm not really sure any more. He used to be my hero." The skunk gave a questioning look at her before rubbing her shoulder.
"Do you need someone to stay with you tonight, Hun?" She asked with the tone only a true friend can seem to manage.
"....No, I'll be alright. I have a feeling it is going to be a long night though..." She sighed and just as they had come, the group walked off, heading in the direction of a local coffee shop.
The moon hung low in the sky, it was still early and Cale was still a good ways away from Nicky's house. In fact, he hadn't even left the park yet. Since meeting her he had sought refuge from those eyes on the bank of a small pond. The moon reflecting off the surface of the water as small waves lapped at the reeds and cat tails poking out of the water's edge. In his mind, Cale grimly entertained the thought of just walking into the middle of the pond and dipping his head into the water then taking a deep breath. He had heard that drowning wasn't the worst way to go. However he was greeted by the memory of that ever so despised fox and realized that even in his own death he would be letting that creep win. It seemed that every action he took lead to his own defeat. It certainly had an inevitable feel to it all. Cale pulled his knees up to his chest, his baggy pants folding around his legs and sagging over his boots far more than usual. His shirt currently hung from the tree he was sitting under. It was warm enough outside that he could easily go without a shirt. And if he was going to drown himself, he hated the idea of ruining an Atreyu shirt. Sighing to himself he laid back. Letting the soft grass cushion his body. Few stars managed to peer through the branches of the tree.
"It's dangerous to be out here alone...." Came the ever familiar voice of his sister.
"The same goes for you. I told you I would meet you at your house." He replied casually. He didn't even bother sitting up.
"I know...but, I just wanted to take a walk first...and I found you here." She replied while she looked down over his body, a faint hint of crimson gracing the fur of her cheeks.
"Nichole....do you think, that somewhere...somewhere out there, there is a place where everyone is happy. Where...people don't have to die, where no one has to fight?" Nichole thought about this for a moment then laid down next to her brother, folding her arms behind her head.
"I don't know...I hope there is. Because I want to believe that mom is there right now." Cale smiled at this. It was his first real smile all week.
"I guess...I owe you more than just an apology huh." He said as he stared at the stars above, finding Orion's belt.
"No....not really." Nichole replied, looking over at him. Cale turned his head to see her, looking into her eyes for an explanation.
"What do you mean?" He asked, wondering where she was going with this.
"I just... want things to go back to the way they were. I miss my big brother....his smiles, his laughter. His strong arms as he cradles me to sleep. I just want the old you back...and if I have to give that up to find out who my father is...then I don't want to know. I just want you back in my life." Her words were heartfelt and sincere.
"I want that too...You know, going back to the way things were. But...I don't think that is going to happen." He frowned as he reached over and clasped his fingers around her paw.
"Why not?" She asked, her eyes beginning to tear up.
"Because...you have to know....I have to tell you, or else this secret is going to completely consume me and I'll never be able to smile or laugh again. I'd rather you end up hating me after you hear this than know that I have been lying to you all your life." She noticeably gulped as she squeezed his hand.
"Is it that bad?" The fur around her eyes was beginning to get damp as she watched the grim expression of her brother who was just as hurt as she was right now, if not more so.
"Yeah sis....it's....it's pretty bad." He answered her question, stumbling over a crack in his speech. His mind and soul not wanting to go any further.
"Will...will we ever be able to...laugh again...together?" She asked, a sniffle breaking up her words.
"I hope so...if you'll still want to laugh...or laugh with me." He replied.
"Ok....Then....t-tell me big brother. Tell me about dad..." Cale noticeably cringed as she said that last word. He took a deep breath before beginning his story, trying to steel himself, forcing himself to understand that there was no other way out now, that there was no turning back.
"Nichole....you know that mother....she was a human, just like me. You know that she was a very, very beautiful woman, and one of the nicest people in the whole world. But....your father...couldn't have been more different. He was a fox, it was the only trait that you obtained from him. For that, I thank the heavens. I don't know much about him, except that he was a criminal. He was part of a gang known as the S.E.S. the South East Stars. He made his living by hurting others, by stealing. It was late at night on a stormy evening in July when he first met your mother. She was walking home from her mother's house. She had just got done celebrating her birthday. The man who was...is your father, had been following her for the last two blocks. Trying to avoid confrontation, she ducked into an alleyway. However, your father found her. She was hiding in the back of the alley, holding a small eight year old boy in her arms."
"You...." Nichole spoke the single word ever so softly. Cale nodded and continued.
"Yes....me. She had told me so many times that I was the greatest gift she could ever get for any birthday. She proved it that night. It was raining hard and he had told her to give him her purse. She did, willingly she gave him all her belongings. That wasn't enough for him though. He ordered her to remove her clothing next. Instead she just held me tighter and whispered into my ear that everything was going to be alright. When she didn't do what he said....he....he pulled out a gun. It was the first time I had ever heard a gun being fired. I also thought it would be the last. He shot me....your father...shot me....The last thing I remember was laying on the cold pavement, the rain falling on my rain jacket as I watched my own blood pooling around my face. I could hear her screaming my name, and then I watched him....r-rape her....before I finally lost consciousness. Your father....is the sole reason, that I fight...because I can't stand morphics. I hate them with all my heart, and I felt that it would be a pleasure to get paid for beating them senseless. It wasn't until recently, that I have started to realize...not all morphics were like that fox. And when I met you....you changed everything....you helped open my eyes." Nichole laid there, her face filled with pain as she struggled to hold back her tears. Slowly she rolled over towards Cale, wrapping her arms around his chest before inhaling sharply and beginning to sob. Feebly, Cale held her in his arms. Knowing that it was a week attempt at doing anything at all to console her. He had just told the girl that her father was a thief and a rapist and had shot her own brother to top it all off. Not only that, but she was the product of rape. She was the unwanted burden. She was the culmination of all her mother's pain and anguish. Nothing could have ever hurt her more than what she had just heard from the man she cared more about than anyone else in the world.
"I'm so sorry Nichole...." Cale whispered into her ear, holding her tightly as he ran his fingers through the fur on the back of her neck, occasionally massaging her shoulder blades and whispering consoling words to her, though it did little to soothe her pain.
"I...I don't....I don't want to grow up to be like him....." She sobbed, trying to speak through her tears. Cale stroked her hair and whispered.
"You won't. I promise, I will make sure you grow up to be just like mom, loving, caring, and more beautiful than anyone else in the world." Nichole only shook her head.
"I don't deserve to be anything like mom, she didn't ask for me, I was forced upon her." Cale frowned as he listened to her words. Gently he pulled Nichole off of him, sitting both of them up and carefully holding both of Nicky's paws, as if she were little more than an antique porcelain doll.
"Nichole...mother loved you....she loved you before you were even born. That is why she was so beautiful. She loved everyone. She saw the beauty in everyone even when others couldn't see it. If she didn't love you, she would have had an abortion. But she didn't. She carried you for nine months because she knew that she had to let the world see just how beautiful you were. They said that mom went missing after she thought that I was dead...I don't know where she went, but I know that she spent her life trying to protect you. Trust me sis...she loved you more than you could ever imagine. That was her promise to you when she finally gave birth to you. I knew how mom was, even in her last moments, I know she was happy, because she knew that you would grow up to be just like her. So even though she would be gone, through you, her memory, her actions, her love, would live on. And you are sis, you are just like mom. You are as kind and as loving as she was...and I know that if mom was here right now, she would say the same thing." Nichole wiped her eyes on the fur of arm as she managed a smile.
"D-do you really think so big brother?" She asked, her voice still shaking.
"I know so." Cale smiled as he leaned forward and hugged the vixen, sighing contentedly as he felt her lay her head against his shoulder. Slowly Cale let his hands drop down, looking up at the moon. He had already done the hardest thing in the world. He had told Nicky the truth about her father and hopefully he could prevent her from setting vengeance's horrific cycle in motion. So in retrospect, hopefully the next part wouldn't be anywhere near as hard. Reaching down into his pocket he fished around for an item. He tensed up as he realized it was gone. His mind flashed back to when he was messing with it before he had gone into the park. When Nichole had startled him. He must have dropped the note....no...he had never picked it back up after fixing his pant leg and boots. He was going to let her read it, so she could find out how Cale really felt about her....it seemed now, all he could do was tell her himself. Pulling away from Nichole, he gave a sigh and looked into her eyes.
"Nichole...I, I have something else to tell you. I....don't know how you will react to this, but. I just hope it will be better than how you felt about your father." Nichole noticeably gulped as she began to nervously twist and roll the bottom hem of her shirt.
"Nichole....I....I really like you. I love you like any brother loves his sister...but I....I think I like you more than a brother should like his sister." Completely opposite of what Cale imagined happening, Nichole leapt into his arms, hugging her brother tightly. Cale was knocked backwards, his body landing in the natural cushion of the grass below him, his arms eventually finding their place around his sister's back.
"I'm so glad you feel that way Cale....because...I feel the same way about you. I have since I first saw you in your changing roo-" Nichole let out an audible yip of shock as she clamped her mouth shut. Even in the dark it was easy to tell that she was blushing beneath her ghostly white fur. It was true, before his last fight, Cale was in the middle of pulling on his boxers when he thought he heard something behind him. He turned around in time to see the thin fabric that acted like a door fall back into place as whomever was there ran off. He just figured someone had accidentally walked in.
"Heh heh, well, I guess it is only fair. I did see you changing in your room one time." Cale responded, he didn't even think it was possible, but his little sister began blushing even harder, leaning forward and burying her muzzle into his chest, wrapping her arms around him.
"Ohhh god...what did you see?" She asked in a self-conscious tone.
"Oh, I saw everything." Cale chuckled as he gently scratched behind her right ear. She began murring softly, her tail slowly swaying back and forth.
"Well, did you at least like what you saw?" She asked, looking up into his eyes, a small smile gracing her lips as she prayed for her brother's approval.
"I liked it very much so. I liked it so much, I haven't been able to get that sight out of my mind ever since I witnessed it." She slowly closed her eyes, pulling herself up and leaning forwards as she pressed her muzzle to his lips. Cale was admittedly surprised, not knowing what to do before finally surrendering to his feelings, letting his own eyes close as he wrapped his arms around her, and returning the kiss. The two laid there together on the shore of the pond, the only witnesses of their act of forbidden passion being the moon and the stars. In the many encounters Cale had with the opposite sex, he was quick to realize that more than likely, this was Nicky's first kiss. His only explanation was that she was very awkward about kissing. Slowly though, he guided her lips with his own. Getting her comfortable and eventually gently pressing his tongue against her lips. Without hesitation she opened her muzzle, letting his tongue invade her mouth, caressing her own tongue. The vixen moaned softly as she pulled herself tightly against her human brother, savoring his taste as she moved her tongue against his. The moment felt like it was going on forever, time even seemed to slow down to just watch the pure passion that emanated from their act as the held each other in their arms and kissed. But soon, it came to an end. Nichole almost unwillingly breaking the kiss after which planting another kiss on her brother's lips. She smiled and laid her head down on his shoulders, looking into his eyes as he turned his head to see her.
"That was....amazing." She whispered. He placed a soft kiss on her lips once more before replying.
"You know...you're pretty good at kissing for your first time." He smiled as she blushed.
"Is it that noticeable." Cale nodded and kissed her nose.
"Well...you were really good. So, I guess I wasn't your first huh." She said, eyes slowly drifting away from his.
"No, you weren't my first kiss. However, you were my best kiss. I've never felt so happy and perfect as I do right now." Nichole looked back into his eyes, smiling softly and hugging her brother, kissing him once more before laying her head down on his chest, the moon giving the both of them one last kiss from its light before being covered up by a blanket of clouds, leaving the two lovers to explore each other more deeply than they ever had before.
The door to the changing room slowly opened as a white male walked out. His figured clothed by a black Armani blazer and matching slacks, cinched around his waste by a black leather belt with a silver buckle in its center. His jacket covered a plain white dress shirt that fit perfectly over a white undershirt. The first few buttons of the white dress shirt were undone, showing his pale skin and just barely hiding a silver chain. His jet black hair was slicked back and combed down, while the only things on his face were a pair of Don Gioni black reflective shades and a single small loop silver ear ring in the lower portion of his left ear. His hands raised up, adjusting the brown and red patterned tie, tightening it ever so slightly. The shining black business shoes gleamed in the florescent lighting above, actually reflecting the faces of the Collie and Vixen who stared slack jawed at the man.
"So....?" He asked as he turned slightly, reaching into the upper left of the inside of his blazer and pulling out a black carbon colored Colt .45 1911-A1. He held the powerful pistol in both hands, pointing it down at the ground and pulling the slide back to reveal a magnum round nestled in the chamber. Releasing the slide he looked back at the two of them, arching an eyebrow.
"....God damn Cale, I think you may need that gun. James Bond is probably going to try to kill you for looking better than him in a suit." The vixen giggled and looked over her brother.
"Lookin' good big brother, very suave and mysterious. You look just like a legitimate CIA agent." She clapped her paws together as Cale slid his pistol back into its concealed holster, straightening out his jacket before nodding.
"Good, I need to look more professional if I'm going to be a proper body guard. The senator has already expressed that he thinks I'm the best body guard he has had in a long time and wants me to put him as a reference in my future resumes." Cale smiled at this, turning to look at himself in the mirror. He really did fit the part now. He had the suit tailored to fit him perfectly, hemmed and sewn with new-age fiber technology to allow for a greater amount of stretching and movement without fear of the seams tearing. It may have been costly, being real Armani and all, but the plus side of it was that he could get a new pair for free if they ever ripped at the seams. Cale smiled as his own new image gave him an idea.
"You know...since we are already at the mall, why don't we do some more shopping, let's get you two a new look while we're at it." Nichole was the first to jump at this opportunity, hugging her brother and giggling like a school girl...which in fact she was. Terry was a little more reserved but couldn't help but smile. The first stop they made was into an American Eagle store, Nichole browsing through the female section looking at various shorts and skirts, while Terry looked at a few shirts. Cale on the other hand stood next to the cash register. The very feeling of being in this accursed store was like setting himself on fire. But it was a torment he would endure for his sister and his partner. The group watched as Nichole tried on different outfits, eventually deciding on a nice combination. A short faded blue skirt and light blue shirt with an American Eagle logo sprawled across it. She did a quick spin as she exited the dressing room, her skirt just barely lifting up and giving a glimpse of her black panties. Terry was blushing at the sight, though it wasn't nearly as noticeable on his face as it was for Cale, his pale skin easily showing it off. The human began understanding that there may have been a few more reasons as to why she had so many other males wanting to date her. After grabbing several more outfits the trio left and made their way to a Pac-Sun clothing store. Terry looking at a few new surfer shorts while Nichole ran around, picking out different shirts that would look good with each pair of shorts he picked. Cale smiled, this was the first time that he felt...like, just maybe, he was part of something bigger than himself. Like he may have been part of a family.
The day came to an end far too fast for the human, his joys slowly abating as he bid his farewells to Terry and made his way to his sister's and new companion's house. He sighed as he relaxed back in the seat of Nicky's car, watching the scenery go by as he gently held her paw in his hands, intertwining his fingers with hers. The two rode in silence, their company being more than any words could ever say. As they pulled into her drive way, a light came on, illuminating one of the first floor windows.
"Shit." Cale said as he opened the door and closed it shut behind him, running off into the back yard, his chains jingling in the distance as the vixen smiled, watching his form leap over their fence and into another yard, ducking down behind a bush. She made her way up to the front porch, pulling out her key and unlocking the front door. As she opened the wooden barrier to her house, she was greeted by the stern gaze of her foster father, her mother sitting down in a chair in the living room.
"Hey d-" Her voice was quickly cut off by her father.
"Living room, now." Nichole gulped as her ears flattened back against her head, her tail hanging between her legs. She made her way to the living room, sitting down on the couch across from her mother. Her father closed the door, locking it as he joined his wife, sitting beside her. It was a moment that every teen hated, having their parents upset at them and knowing they were going to be punished. The worst part was that she didn't even know what she was being punished for.
"Where were you last night, why didn't you come home?" Well, that explained that. Her father seemed relatively upset in his questioning.
"Your mother and I were scared out of our minds, we couldn't call you, we didn't know where you were. We thought that you had been kidnapped." Nichole lowered her head, folding her paws in her lap as she listened to her father's chiding words. Now she was really in trouble, Nichole had never lied to her parents before, and just because her birth father was as wicked as they came, didn't mean that she was about to start traveling down that path.
"I...I was out with someone last night." She replied sheepishly.
"You were out so late you decided you just wouldn't come home. You weren't at some boy's house were you?" She paused, technically she wasn't at his house...unless he lived by the pond, in which case it would make what she was about to say a lie.
"I...I was with a boy, but I wasn't at his house. We were just out in the park." Her mother pulled her paws to her face, the female tigress feeling exasperated.
"Out in the park doing god knows what. I thought we talked about you saving yourself for marriage Nichole. I thought you knew better than that." Nichole threw her head back, giving a sigh of equal exasperation.
"It's my body and my life, I can do whatever I want with it dad. Besides....he was my brother." The two tigers were shocked, in fact had they been any more surprised, their stripes which all tigers were known so famously for, may very well have flown off their fur, reducing them to little more than oddly colored lions.
"Y-your brother...." Her mother stated carefully.
"You...have a brother?" Her father then asked.
"Yes....I have a brother, finally." She smiled warmly, the shock and anger once in her parents' faces, now fading away to surprised joy. The next fifteen minutes were spent by Nichole telling her parents every last detail, fun, and painful about the last few weeks with Cale, minus one night of passionate kissing next to the pond in the park; that she conveniently left out. The two felines were so shocked by her story that they could scarcely find the words they needed to form coherent sentences.
"So...your brother's a...human. And he told you about your mother. Well, I guess you would find out about your mother sooner or later, we had just hoped it would be sooner, but...a brother; that is just, amazing." Nichole nodded happily.
"I can get him for you if you want. He's outside right now. He does a really good job of hiding when he knows you two are home. He's always been so cautious around morphics and he has been terrified that the both of you would try to stop him from getting to spend time with me." The parents looked at each other, smiling softly, before the mother spoke up.
"Ohhh, the poor boy. We could care less how old he is, or what species he is. He can see you as much as his heart desires. If he is your family, then he is part of our family. She said, getting up and walking over to her daughter, hugging the vixen warmly, the father joining in.
"Yes, bring the young man in, I would very much like to get to know your long lost brother." He chimed in as they finally let go of their daughter. In moments the two tigers were following their vixen daughter to the back porch as she opened the door and turned on the outside light.
"Big brother! It's ok, you can come out now." The bushes in the opposite yard shook slightly and the tigers excellent night vision saw every bit of it. Their eyes fastened on the bushes as if waiting for some rare animal to come out of hiding. Slowly the human stood up, his pale white skin giving him a ghostly appearance in the dark moonlit night. With a great deal of agility and grace, he vaulted over the family's security fence, making them all realize just how misleading the name of the object really was. His baggy black trip pants swayed back and forth with every step he made, the chains jingling softly and glistening in the moon light. The pant legs were tucked into a pair of mid-shin combat boots, constructed from leather, zippers, straps, and buckles, the heels and toes of the boots encased in metal. His chest was covered by a form fitting black t-shirt, several rips in the abdomen making it look like he was attacked by a beast of some sort. His hair was still slicked back from earlier that day and the same ear ring hung in his left ear. His hands were covered by two fingerless fighting gloves, the black material accenting the white padding. He stopped in the middle of the yard, his vision finally allowing him to see two other figures behind his sister. His vision being a thousand times worse than the two tigers and five hundred times worse than his sister's, they had all seen him this entire time, and while the parents were a little skeptical of his clothing, they felt they could accept it, understanding where he had come from in life.
"Don't worry young man, we aren't here to cause trouble for you." The father said as he watched Cale frozen in the back yard like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. Cale took a step back, preparing to run when Nichole finally spoke up.
"It's ok Cale, these are my parents. They now about us now, they don't want to stop us from seeing each other, they just want to get to know you." Cale paused, his mind telling him to run, that somehow his own sister had violated his trust, but his heart told him that everything would be ok, that if his sister trusted her foster parents enough, then he should too.
Slowly, he took a step forward, then another, and another, the tigers watching his every step, soon realizing, that as menacing as he may have looked, he was just as scared of them as they were of him and that soon enough, with a little love, that neither of the three of them would have to be scared. They gave a welcoming smile as Cale walked up to the porch, the deck they stood on not having any steps leading up to it. The only way into the house from the back was to enter the basement door, which was actually an entire other level of the house that had been furnished into a massive entertainment area filled with a bar, an in-home theater and several game systems.
"I'll go open the basement door for him." The mother offered beginning to turn. She was stopped though by her daughter softly placing her paw on her mother's arm.
"Don't worry mom. Come on Cale, you can come up here, it's ok." Cale was beginning to feel like a dog, the three morphics coddling him and encouraging him to do this and that, it wasn't until he thought about it that he realized that he actually felt like a dog. He was scared. Legitimately scared for once, not angry or violent, he was just scared that somehow this would be the end of his relationship with his sister. Closing his eyes, he sighed, putting every last bit of faith in his sister's intentions and hoping to god she was doing the right thing.
Cale turned around and started running to the fence, stopping just five feet short of the barrier and spinning around on his heel. He knelt down and broke into a mad dash, sprinting across the yard as fast as he could and leaping into the air, his mind seemed to slow down mid jump, slowing time with it as he took in every detail. His left foot briefly touched the railing of the porch, giving the human a tiny bit of stability before pressing forward and landing on the wooden floor of the make shift balcony. The leap was little more than fifteen feet, an act that surprised even Cale. He had been working on his high scale jumps and had broken the twelve foot margin using the scripts from an ancient text he found on the internet describing acrobatic acts of jujitsu. It was something he never would have been able to accomplish if he hadn't learned how to increase his speed. The two tigers were once again speechless, they had remembered that their daughter had mentioned the boy was a martial artist prodigy but this was something out of a movie. Cale took a step back, straightening out his attire before reaching out his hand to the father.
"H-hello sir." He said his voice belying his own image and showing his nervousness. Something the male tiger picked up instantly, making him realize that both males were most likely equally nervous in front of each other. But the human's athleticism made the tiger wish that he had been that gifted as a cub. He could have been captain of his school's track team with little effort.
"Hello Cale." The tiger returned the greeting as he shook the human's hand, his own paw giving a firm and masculine grip. The mother joined in, walking up to Cale and hugging him as was her nature.
"Hello Cale, it is a pleasure to meet you." She spoke softly as if speaking to a child, an effect that the human found strangely calming. Nichole smiled before speaking up.
"Cale, these are my parents, Todd and Marcy Hanigen. And as you both know, this is Cale Benziger, my brother." The human and the two felines stood together, not really too sure of what to make of the situation. Cale finally took the initiative and spoke first.
"Well, it is nice to finally meet you Mr. and Mrs. Hanigen." The tigers smiled and looked at each other.
"Please, just call us Todd and Marcy for now. No need for formalities." Todd replied with a grin. The four sat down in several chairs out on the porch, exchanging stories and getting to know each other. By the time the moon was hanging high in the sky, the group was laughing and truly enjoying each other's company.
"So the senator says to me: ‘What do you think about investing in the present state of the economy?' And I said to him. "Mr. Gingrich, you'll have more success passing off toilette water as premier drinking water." The group laughed, Todd being a senior investor and accountant for a fortune five-hundred company finding the most hilarity in the joke since it hit so close to home for him.
In time the four headed inside, Todd, Cale and Nichole sitting down in the family room while Marcy threw together a late night dinner consisting of roast beef, broccoli and baked potatoes.
"So Cale, what is it like being a professional body guard?" Todd asked, intrigued by the profession.
"Well, it has its boring moments, a good portion of the time is spent sitting in a corner while the senator conducts business that is so far over my head it might as well be in a different language, the rest of the time is spent constantly surveying his surroundings and inspecting enclosed areas before he enters them. Really, it pales in comparison to underground fighting." Todd sat up, now remembering that Nichole had mentioned that her brother was a participant in the illicit sport. Though most parents would shun such a thing, Todd had always been a fan of sports, mainly boxing and wrestling and the thought of real fighting happening mere inches away from him was a dream come true.
"So do you fight often Cale?" Cale smiled, enjoying the feeling of speaking with ease to others about his less accepted profession
"Only on the weekends and even then only at night. Terry, my manager, he sets me up at the venues and I just jump in somewhere around the third fight. We've found that, that is the time when the crowd is most likely to vote against us. So Terry votes for me usually on Ten to One stakes and we make a killing. No one can say we are playing them because we are both new to the circuit. It is just their problem for not voting on the new guy." Todd was rapt with attention as he listened to Cale.
"So, about how much do you rake in per fight?" He asked, like a little cub listening to war stories.
"Oh, about fifteen to twenty thousand a night." The tiger's jaw dropped, that was more than he made in a month let alone in a single night.
"That's amazing.....Maybe I should take up street fighting." A noise came from the kitchen immediately followed by Marcy's voice.
"Don't you dare Todd!" Nichole and Cale burst into laughter, and were soon joined by Todd, even Marcy could be heard in the kitchen, laughing as well."
The group eventually sat down to dinner, Marcy saying grace and setting the meal in motion. Once he tasted the first bite, Cale was quick to eat his meal. It wasn't often that he got to taste home cooking, even though Jasmine, Terry's wife always offered to make extra for him, he could never find it in him to stay to long in their home. There was just something about mixing business and pleasure that didn't seem to bode well with Cale. By the end of the meal, Cale was the first to commend Marcy's cooking, telling her that he hadn't had a dinner that good in over a decade, which sadly enough was very true. The comment brought delight to the tigress' face if not coupled with a hint of sympathy. Turning to her husband, and nodding to him, Todd cleared his throat and took a sip of water from his glass.
"Cale, there is something I would like to bring up tonight. Now, this might be a little sudden, and if it bothers you, just stop me at any time. But, I would like for you to be part of our family. It only makes sense that if you are Nichole's brother, that in turn you would be our son, so we would like to make it that way. If it is okay with you that is." This time it was Cale's turn to be shocked. He was completely at a loss for words and for a moment thought that somehow, God had decided to play some cruel trick on him and was going to force him to wake up any second now. Slowly Cale began to realize that this wasn't a dream, that for once, just maybe, he would be part of a family that actually cared.
He smiled trying to nod his head and barely managing to do that. He felt strange, hot and flustered, but filled with an emotion he hadn't felt in many, many years. His vision began to blur and for a moment he felt all too strange, putting his fingers to his cheek, he pulled them back to see that they were wet and covered in tears. Looking from his fingers to the tigers and the vixen he couldn't help but realize that he must have looked so pitiful, and with that, he finally broke down, bringing both hands up to his face and letting out a single sob as he tried desperately to pull himself together. Marcy was immediately at his side, her arms around him, soon followed by Todd's paw finding a place on the human's shoulder and Nichole hugging him as well. It was then that Cale realized what it truly meant to be part of a family, what it meant to really and truly be loved, and that signified the end of a chapter in Cale's life, and the beginning of something new and amazing. A life renewed, a new purpose and meaning. Finally, through all the hatred and grieving over the loss of his mother and hating all morphics for that lost. A collie, two tigers and a snow white vixen had come together and changed his entire life, offering him not just solace, but salvation, salvation from himself. Finally....Cale was free.
Sorry that this was shorter than the last one. I'll make up for it I promise. Don't worry, as wonderful an ending as this would make, it isn't going to be that simple. But wouldn't it be nice if all of us could get a happy ending like this. I hope you all enjoyed the first installment in the ever changing life of Cale Benziger. Get ready for the next submission of Walking Into The Light, when Cale gets killed.
Just kidding. Bet you were worried for a second there. Tune in next time for more drama, action and forbidden love. What will happen when Nichole finds one of her best friends becomes her greatest endangerment with the help of a simple love note. It's up to Nichole this time to save the day and her growing relationship. Can she do it, or will her failure only serve as a testament that some things are just not meant to be. Next time on:
Walking Into The Light: Love Notes And Death Threats.