Vulpes Lupis Chapter One: BRAGGing rights.
#1 of Vulpes Lupis
Disclaimer: This series is rated R because of pervasive bad language and extreme war violence and disturbing scenes.
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Vulpes Lupis, chapter 1: BRAGGing rights.
Background: In a bleak dystopian future. Foxes and Wolves are at the brink of civil war. The Council of Sapiens gives each party their rights. Problem is that there are so many more wolves in the world and each species gets one representative for every 100,000,000 members. Laws are determined by the majority and there is no Bill of Rights. Therefore it is deemed acceptable to rape and kill foxes and they have nothing they can do about it.
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A wolf named Desmond Meyers stood in the alley alone, though wherever he went he was never truly alone, always having a team of snipers to his 6. His eyes drifted to a wanted poster with his face on it. He chuckled. "Shoulda used my other mug shot, I look so much more sophisticated in that one." He looked around nervously, knowing that if anyone saw what he was about to do next, it would blow what little cover he had. "Blacklight, be my eyes." He whispered.
"Nobody within 50 meters Meyers, carry on." A voice crackled over the ear mic he was wearing.
He took out a lighter and lit the poster; he flicked out a cigarette and lit it using the flaming wanted poster. He took a long drag and sighed. "Ah... nothing tastes better than the taste of freedom."
"Remember Meyers, this is a recruitment mission, don't draw attention to yourself"
"Understood Lieutenant Thompson, General Meyers out." He enunciated the ranks to make sure Thompson was on the same page. "Damn Lupes..." he muttered to himself.
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Elizabeth Benedick fiddled with the radio in her tiny, piece of crap car, trying to find something that honored the point of view of a fox like her.
"The Council of Sapiens-zzz, Vulps protested in the square today-zzz, Meyers is assumed armed and extremely dangerous-zzz, You know Kent, I think those stupid Vulps should shove a-"
Liz clicked off the radio. "Why do I bother?"
Suddenly the car's check engine light clicked on and it sputtered to a stop. Liz smacked the dash. "Fucking Lemon!" She swore, though it was the only car a fox like her could buy, and she was lucky to get even that. She looked out the window and saw a pub at the corner. "Hmm, maybe I could call someone..."
She entered the pub and squinted in the low light "Excuse me, do you have a phone I could use?"
The wolf at the counter looked up. "Not for you"
"Please sir... my car broke down..."
He spat on the floor. "Your kind shouldn't even own cars."
"Please! I've got no--"
A wolf grabbed her arm."He said beat it, Vulp"
Another got up. "Yeah, get lost."
"Maybe we should have some fun with 'er eh?"
"Yeah... she looks like she'd be a fun toy for a while."
Liz screamed as a wolf ripped her blouse, she punched the wolf in the face and immediately regretted it. "Ah! Fuck! OK, we were just planning to have some fun, but now we're gonna kill you afterwards!"
Lizzie screamed in pure terror and sprinted towards the door. The others laughed raucously and chased after her.
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Police Officers, if you wanted to call them that, were standing on the corner. Mostly though, they were just as corrupt as the populace. Several wolves, and much to their chagrin, but it was forced by law (at least in the earlier, not as corrupt days of the Council), a couple foxes stood on the corner. Suddenly a fox burst out of the pub they were standing guard by, followed by several wolves. The fox officers suddenly stood at attention. "Hey! We should go after them"
A wolf scoffed. "Eh, they're not doing anything wrong."
"Not to you maybe, but they're going to rape that vixen!"
"You were saying?"
The foxes donned an extremely horrified face. "W-what? Well fuck you! We're going to save her!"
The lupine officers turned and ran after the foxes. "Hey... Hey! We're on guard here! Get your vulpine asses back here!"
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Liz panted and tried to run while covering herself. "Oh fuck! I should have just left! I'm gonna get raped!" She cried, "Help! Anyone?!" She looked down and alley and saw a familiar wolf. "Oh no... not him."
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Desmond was enjoying his cigarette when he heard a commotion. "Blacklight, sitrep."
"6 Lupes, chasing after a female vulp, ripped blouse, nice rack."
Another voice soon came over the radio, firmer. "Cut the chatter, and its FOX, Thompson, don't call them vulps if you don't want them calling you a lupe. General, we can drop them right now if you want."
"Negative, it'll draw too much attention."
"Roger, General. Standing by."
The fox stopped and looked around, panicked. Help! Anyone?!" She stared right at Desmond. "Oh no... not him..."
"Fuck!" Desmond swore. "She saw me!" The wolves surrounded her and she fought as hard as she could. "Please!" She pleaded. "Anybody?"
"Come on baby, this'll only take a minute."
"Yo dude, look at that rack..."
"Damn! Maybe more than a minute..."
Desmond cracked his neck, "OK, that's it, I'm going in, cover me."
"Are you mad?" You'll blow your cover!"
"Cram a sock in it Thompson! General Meyers knows what he's doing."
"Thanks for the assist Major, Meyers out." Desmond spat out the cigarette and crushed it under his shoe. He pulled a Desert Eagle out of his coat and unclicked the safety. It may have been a relic from an ancient war, but it was still extremely effective. He carefully put it back in his coat and stepped out of his cover. "Hey!" He shouted to the wolves. "Let her go!"
They turned and dropped the fox. "Oh hey there! Want a go? There's plenty enough of 'er for everybody."
The fox looked up at Desmond. "H-help... m-me!"
One of the wolves whipped her with the butt of his gun. "Stay down you bitch!"
Desmond pulled out the Desert Eagle and aimed it at the nearest wolf. "Step away from the fox."
"Whoa! You wouldn't pull a gun on a brother would you?"
"You're not my 'brother' you damn Lupe" Desmond looked at the fox. "Get behind me if you want to live." She stumbled towards him and held on for her life. "Now then, get out of my site before my finger slips."
"Yo man, he's loco!"
"Let's get the fuck outta here!"
"Run!"
Desmond smirked with satisfaction. "That'll teach them not to-- oh shit..."
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The officers ran down the street, the foxes were in much better shape and they reached the scene first.
"Step away from the fox." One of the wolves said.
The foxes looked at each other. "He's helping her?"
The wolves finally got there. "Get back to your post you motherfucking Vulps!"
"Hey! Why don't you go fuck your OWN mothers, I'm sure your children will be more intelligent than you Lupes."
"I'll kill you right here Jenkins!"
Suddenly the offending wolves screamed and stumbled away.
The lupine officers stood at attention. "Hey! That's a rogue wolf!"
Jenkins rolled his eyes. "Suddenly you now care!"
The officers ignored him. "Freeze!"
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Desmond slowly raised his arms above his head. "Oh... shit..."
"General Meyers, Do you need assistance?!" The major said urgently.
"Drop 'em, just the Lupes." He said in a barely audible whisper.
"Hey wait... isn't that... he seems familar..."
"Hey, yeah! That's!" He was cut off as several cracks sailed through the air and the wolves fell to the ground in a chorus of screams.
The foxes ducked and closed their eyes. They opened them nervously after a couple of seconds. "He... he didn't kill us?"
The other one spoke. "He only killed the Lupes... H-hey... who, are you?"
Desmond blinked in surprise. "You don't know? I'm Desmond Meyers, revolutionary and wanted criminal."
"Well, for a criminal, you don't seem so bad... what's more is that you didn't kill us, even though you're a wolf."
Desmond held out his paw. "Would you like to join me? You were the only ones who seemed to take your job seriously."
The foxes hesitated and shook his paw. "Officer Tyler Jenkins, Mr. Meyers, and he's Officer Joseph Spengler."
"I smell a traaap..." Thompson said nervously.
The major sighed, registering in a cloud of static on the radio. "He knows you stupid wolf!"
Desmond looked down at the fox he saved, she shrank away and held her paws together, as if praying. "Please don't hurt me!"
"Hey hey hey... it's alright, I'm not gonna hurt you, what's your name?"
"Liz.... Liz Benedick..." She shuddered.
The vulpine officers took out their badges and flung them on the street. Jenkins spat on his. "What a joke, 'To protect and serve'"
Desmond looked back at them. "Ok Private Jenkins and Private Spengler, follow me back to the safehouse." He looked at Liz, who was shaking with trauma. "Come on..." He said gently. "You too."
The former officers saluted. "Sir yes sir... um... uh, sir! To ask you a question, what is your rank, sir!'
Desmond started walking. "General"
"General? They sent a general out into the field? "
They walked towards the apartment that was a safehouse and Desmond casually started whistling a tune. A safety clicking could be heard inside. "Raven!" said a voice inside.
"Nevermore" Desmond replied causally. The door swung open. A fox saluted inside. "Afternoon General, got some recruits?"
"At ease Corporal, and yes, I want you to take them back to HQ, I'll stay here for a couple minutes, I need to do some things."
"Yeah, he needs to do a fox." Thompson said over the radio. A loud smack could be heard and Thompson yelped. "Ow!"
"Next time it's your nuts" The major said firmly.
Desmond entered the apartment and beckoned inside. "Come on in, I don't bite."
Liz was still a little apprehensive, but she carefully walked inside. "Wow... this is nice... a fox like me could never get something like this."
Desmond rummaged through some drawers. "Now, for your clothes, I've only got some women's fatigues, if I can find them." He pulled out an AK-47. "What the? How the hell did this get in here?" He put it on a gun rack nearby. He opened a drawer. "Ah ha! There they are, now, what's your---" Desmond gasped and dropped the pile of fatigues he was carrying.
Liz stood completely naked on the bed. "I'll do whatever you want... I-I'll be a good slave..." She choked through tears.
"Wha-what?! I'm not going to rape you!"
"You-You're not?"
"Of course not! I'm not that kind of wolf!"
"Then... why did you save me?"
"Look, that's a long story. All I can say right now is that I did it out of the good of my heart."
Liz looked up. "Well... I have to owe you something..."
Desmond sat beside her on the bed. "Join me, I'll keep you safe, I promise."
Liz put an arm around Meyers... "Thank you, I could never repay you." She kissed him on the lips and he smiled, but she didn't relent and she slowly took him back on the bed. She started to moan a little and Desmond reached for the waistband of his pants.
"General Meyers! We don't have time for you to get it on!" A third voice crackled over the radio. The voice was of Lieutenant Barker, an extremely shy fox who never said anything unless he had a reason too. Desmond winced but he was forced to admit he was right. He broke the kiss. "Excuse me... that was extremely unprofessional of me."
Liz groaned. "Oh, it was just getting good."
"Come on, let's get your clothes on you little minx, I can't afford to have my mind clouded by pretty women."
Liz got up. "Yeah, you're right, anyway I'm a fox small."
Desmond picked the fatigues up he was looking for. "Fox small, here we are..." He handed them to Liz, who looked around nervously. "Um..."
"I'll turn around while you change, I trust you won't kill me."
Liz got her panties and the bottom on but she stopped at the top. "Um... General Meyers, sir? There's no bra..."
"Oh right... I forgot they don't come with one, I'll have to get you one from base later, for now just go commando."
Liz gulped. "You sure? I'm not really comfortable without one..."
"It's OK, Liz, just trust me, I'll pop anyone who stares at you."
Liz gulped. "Alright... I... trust you..."
She donned the drab fatigues, yet with her body they still looked damn good. Desmond did a double take when he turned around. "My god... you're beautiful..."
Liz turned away shyly. "You really think so?"
"Of course, remember Liz, you're as beautiful as you want to be."
Thompson made a retching sound. Desmond ignored him. "Hey wait... I've got something..." He grabbed a beret and slapped it on her. "There, special forces!"
Liz giggled and looked in the mirror, covering up some of her cleavage subconsciously. "Hey, that actually looks pretty good, can I keep this?"
"Sure! I've got tons of them."
The major's voice came nervously over the radio. "Uh oh, sorry to interrupt your... uh...recruitment, but we've got at least 12 Mozarts outside your front step!"
"Oh fuck! Not now!"
"Mozart? Wasn't he a composer or something?"
"Oh right, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but this is actually a pun. There's a gang, the West Orleans Lupine Faction, or WOLF. It got confusing though, we couldn't tell the difference between Wolves and WOLFs, so we called them WOLFgangs. Finally we got lazy and called them Mozarts, get it?
"Alright, I understand the pun, but what's so bad about them?"
"WOLF is bad, believe me, they absolutely hate anything vulpine, they work for the Council of Sapiens.
Barker's voice was almost a whisper. "Meyers, do you copy, we've got snipers! We can take them out from here but you're on your own with the other ones."
Desmond balled up a fist. "Fuck! Wilco, Meyers out!" He radioed. "OK, we've got to go, can you fire a gun?"
"You don't grow up a fox without learning to fire a gun.
"Good answer, take this." He tossed her the Desert Eagle and picked up the AK-47 he found in the drawer before. "Follow me!"
"What the? The've got incendiary grenades."
"Thompson, you'd better not be... Holy shit they do!" The major's voice came shakily. "Meyers! Away from the windows!
"No shit?!" He said indignantly, he knew the rules of war.
"Meyers, don't argue, DOWN!"
They ducked and the curtains were caught in a massive conflagration.
Lieutenant Barker came over the radio. "General! They're trying to get rid of the obstruction, when those curtains burn you're dead meat! You'll have to go using plan B, the front door is covered by Mozarts."
"Goddamn it! Come on Liz! Let's go!" He opened a roof hatch. "Grab a riot shield, you'll need it."
The Major's voice fizzled over the radio. "Hah! Got one! See you in hell!" The sound of high-caliber gunfire cracked outside. "Oh shit! Now they know we're here!"
Barker's voice cracked over the radio. "Merde! Anyone got an RPG?" The sound of a .306 boomed and Barker grunted. "Ugh! Mon bras! My arm!"
Thompson's voice boomed. "Got an RPG! Cover me!"
Desmond and Liz emerged from the roof hatch and were immediately besieged by sniper fire. Desmond laughed maniacally. "Shot at on first date? That's a record!"
"Firing!" Thompson shouted and Desmond turned towards a neighboring building, which exploded in a holocaust. "Sweet! Must have hit a gas line!"
"Don't celebrate yet Chris... we've still got others!"
Thompson yelped as a bullet just missed his head. "Holy shit that was close!"
Barker clutched his bleeding arm. "Fils d'une chienne! Helos!"
A few attack helicopters appeared on the horizon. "Oh Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuck! Please tell me you have more RPGs!"
Thompson sounded panicked "We've got 2 left, there's 5 choppers! So BCS is 3 choppers up your ass!"
"ETA?"
"3, maybe 2!"
"2 minutes to elimination? They need a better handicap."
Thompson gulped. "There's no way we can help Meyers. We're pinned! At least 30 plus foot mobiles en route to your position!"
"Deploy smoke grenades and get your asses back to base, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Wilco! You'd better hope for a miracle Meyers..."
A thick cloud of smoke rose from the Blacklight's position. Desmond just prayed that WOLF didn't have thermal scopes. The gunfire stopped as the snipers vision was broken by the smoke. Desmond broke out in a sweat. "Cover your eyes and close your ears... I mean... fuck you know what I mean! Just do it!" Liz complied as Desmond tossed a Flash-Bang into the street. A 10,000,000 lumen flash and 300 decibel explosion tore through the unprepared Mozarts, blinding and deafening them. Anguished screams told that it had worked. Desmond let out a battle cry and tackled one of the Mozarts standing on the balcony. He used his body to cushion his fall. He took out his knife and slashed the throats of all the Mozarts in his path. He quickly sheathed the knife and pulled out the AK-47. He shot the approaching reinforcements but several still remained. He went to reload and he realized he had only grabbed one magazine. He dropped the useless gun and took out the knife again. "OK motherfuckers! Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you!" He grabbed one of the wolves and shoved him into another one of the mozarts. He slashed the throats of the bewildered stragglers and stuck the knife into the two Mozarts he had shoved out of the way before they could get up and grab their guns. Desmond looked around at the carnage around him. "I... I did it!" Suddenly he gasped as he heard safeties unclicking. "Oh... fuck..."
There were several gunshots and the Mozarts who had snuck up behind him feel forward, dead. Liz stood, holding the smoking Desert Eagle. "Remember me, fellas?!"
Desmond turned around. "Holy shit... I owe you one."
"Let's call it even! We've got bigger problems" She shouted as the Apaches screamed overhead and did an about face.
Desmond's jaw dropped as their miniguns spun up. "Run like Hell!" They sprinted down the street, screaming and tried not to look back at the rapidly approaching trail of bullets. Desmond pushed Liz out of the way. "Duck!" He jumped on top of her just as the trail eclipsed where they just were. "Holy shit that was close!" He looked down the alley he had just jumped in. It was a dead end. "Oh... Well, it was nice knowing you Liz, and last words?"
Lieutenant Barker's voice came proudly over the radio. "Yeah! Spread out your choppers more you damn Lupes!" An RPG screamed and smashed into a chopper, making it yaw slightly to the left, where it caught another helo and caused that to crash into the street, a rotor flew off and impaled the third chopper who spun out and caught the tail of helo number 4, who pulled into a tailspin and rammed into the last one. Desmond let out a whoop. "Barker! You came back!"
"No soldier left behind sir!"
"That was stupid, reckless and violent! Keep it up!"
Barker grunted and grabbed his arm."Sir, can we return to base? It hurts..."
Desmond nodded. "Yes, Captain, you may."
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The long, arduous trek back to base was made worse by the fact that they were wanted men (and woman) and that Captain Barker was losing a lot of blood.
Captain Barker collapsed. "I can't... move..."
"Come on Captain! Soldiers don't die from arm shots!"
"I-I know sir... it's a big hole... It won't stop bleeding."
"Just hold on! One more mile!"
Barker vomited on the street. "Desmond, I'm seeing things..."
Desmond turned to Barker, nobody called him by his first name unless they had a damn good reason. "Alright Barker, no soldier left behind, hold on!" He picked up Captain Barker gingerly and started running again. He was careful not to jostle him too much. "Come on! You can't die, you still owe me $50!"
Barker laughed weakly. "That game was rigged and you know it..."
Desmond got the front door of their headquarters, an abandoned warehouse, and he knocked on the door.
"Ax-man!" Came the voice from inside.
Desmond grunted as he tried to remember the response. "Fuck! Just open the damn door, it's Meyers!"
The door swung open. "Meyers, you're alive?!"
"It takes more than 50 Lupes, a team of snipers and 5 Apaches to bring me down! Though Captain Barker needs assistance on the double!"
A wolf nurse hurried and grabbed Barker, who fell limply in her arms. Liz looked at Desmond, "She's a wolf! Is she really gonna help?"
Desmond looked down at her. "Liz, welcome to BRAGG, the Bispecies Revolution Acting in the Greater Good. Here, it doesn't matter whether you are a wolf or fox, we're all people and thats what matters."
"Well... what's your aim?"
Desmond scoffed. "What's the thing you hate most in this world?"
"Fucking Lupes!" She looked at Desmond quickly. "Er... no offense."
"None taken, now, why do you hate them?"
"Because they do whatever they want."
"Why?"
Liz looked at him oddly. "Because the Council of Sapiens allows them to?"
"Exactly."
Liz gasped. "You're not going to overthrow the entire government of the world, are you?"
"That is EXACTLY what we're going to do."
"Whatever happened to achievable goals?"
"This is an achievable goal, because by tomorrow, we're going to have the entire fox population of New Orleans on our side."
"...and you know this how?"
Desmond suddenly became grim. "Because, it just became genocide." He turned on the TV.
"15 square blocks of the Vulpine Quarter have just been bombed by police efforts to find and or kill Desmond Meyers by any means necessary, he was last seen running along 5th street, where 5 Apache attack helicopters were shot down. The immediate area was also bombed, such as areas like the Foxborough Square housing development."
Liz shivered... "Foxborough Square? M-my house is there!"
The TV showed smoldering rubble and countless fox bodies. A fox inside the base dropped a mug out of shock. Several of the foxes started crying, some vomited. Liz dropped to her knees. "No! My family! My friends!" She bawled and curled up a ball. "Fucking! Motherfucking, son of a bitching, cocksucking pieces of shit!" She screamed, trying to fit every explicative she could in the sentence. " Tears streamed down her cheek. "Mother... cock... assholes..." She babbled, no longer coherent.
Desmond reached down. "I'm really sorry Liz..."
Liz roared and fired a round into the TV. "Fuck it! Now, it's personal!"