FSE

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Hey everyone. I know I'm starting a new series when I haven't finished my last one (I'm working on it please bear with me! I almost have chapter 14 done and already half way through chapter 15) but I thought of this and had to put it onto paper.

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From the depths of a sheltered society, a group wants to break free

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"Looking good my man! Man I can't believe this is happening!" Michael thought to himself as he pulled on a tight fitting jacket that showed off his physique. The slender skunk had just turned eighteen that day and was ready to hit the town later in the evening.

"Nah wait... I shouldn't wear this. I'll get stopped by the cops and I don't want to be arrested... again," he muttered as he threw off the jacket for something a little more concealing.

This would end up being a wise decision as there seemed to be a rather disproportionate amount of police roaming the streets that night.

"Hey what gives? What's with the large number of cops around?" Michael asked as he met up with his friend which had agreed to go out with him for the night.

"Rumours say that another raid has been planned on the 'Secret Society'," his friend Dave responded, wriggling his fingers to add emphasis to his words. Michael batted playfully at the leopard, almost knocking him over.

"Hey easy there man. I'm sure you don't want to be arrested for public displays of lewdness again!" Dave laughed. Michael smiled gently as he gestured for the leopard to lead the way to the club in question. Being arrested wasn't something Michael was particularly proud of but in all honesty it was his own stupidity which had brought it on. He had been brave enough to hold onto Dave's paw in public and when the cops noticed he had gotten caught, due to the fact that he couldn't run as fast as Dave could. In the end Dave was his only true friend and they had been pals for years. He was the first and only one that he had come out to about being gay and the leopard seemed incredibly pleased for some reason. Michael soon later about Dave being bisexual and from that moment Michael had felt that he had found a kindred spirit.

"Remember you have to act straight outdoors. You can't be careless like that," Dave warned him as they stood in line to be allowed in.

"Easy for you to say... you are half straight after all," Michael grumbled as he shifted uncomfortably in his jacket.

"That doesn't mean anything. Do what I do and act like how I would act and you'll be fine,"

The leopard passed coolly into the club without another glance but the bouncer outside stopped Michael from entering as he gave the skunk a once over.

"Sorry I'm not gonna let you in unless you show me some ID," the lion growled, folding his arms across his chest. Subconsciously knowing that this would happen, Michael reached for his wallet and looked through it, searching for the ID card which he had made earlier that day at the university. As he flicked through it, he smiled sheepishly when he discovered that he had left the card on his study desk at home.

"Um... uh," Michael started as he tried to come up with an explanation of some sort.

"No ID no entry!" the lion boomed as he gestured for the skunk to leave. Seeing the disappointed look on Dave's face, Michael called out that he was going to run back and get his ID and then return. The leopard's expression lightened slightly but still contained the look of disappointment as Dave entered, letting the door close behind him.

The skunk had no intention of getting his identification from his room, given that it was at least a good half an hour away and instead prowled around the building seeing if there was another way inside. Inside the club though, someone was watching him, a fennec sat by the window as he watched the young skunk run several times around the building, desperately trying to find a way in. He smirked to himself as he watched the young adult try to scale a drainpipe only to lose his footing and come crashing to the ground.

"The kid is pretty light on his feet," the fennec mused as he sipped his drink thoughtfully. The fox scratched at his left wrist as he looked at the tattoo which had been inked into his fur.

"The symbol... remember your orders. Don't reveal the society to anyone who cannot be trusted," the fennec muttered to himself as he got up with the intention of having a word with the bouncer.

In the end Michael didn't find another way into the club and was about to trudge back home when he thought he saw an opening. A fennec, who looked to be in his late twenties, was distracting the massive lion that was standing on guard and had left the door open while doing so. The skunk made a mad rush to the open door only to have it close prematurely in front of him. The lion glared at him menacingly and cracked his knuckles as Michael felt his heart leap into his throat.

"This is it! I'm gonna taste those powerful fists of his!" his mind screamed as he remained firmly rooted to the spot, fear being the only thing that was preventing him from running.

"Oh it's you... please go inside. The gentleman sitting at that table over there wishes to speak to you," the lion politely told him before allowing the quaking skunk inside.

"Huh... that was fast. What'd you do, buy your way in?" Dave asked him as the leopard left the dance floor and went over to speak to the skunk.

"Um... not really... that guy let me in," Michael responded, pointing to the fennec who was sitting at a nearby table. Dave took a good look at the fox Michael was pointing at. The face looked vaguely familiar to him but he simply couldn't pinpoint it. The fennec gestured for Michael to come forward and Dave gave the skunk a small shove.

"Dude, I'll go get a drink for you," the leopard whispered as he walked off in the direction of the bar.

As he hesitantly made his way forward, Michael tried his best to look more menacing than he really was. This wasn't exactly easy given his somewhat girly body structure and his normally submissive nature but he strode forward with as much courage as he could before confronting the fennec, who was dressed in a plain white shirt and faded jeans.

"Alright what do you want?" Michael gruffly asked. The fennec merely smirked at the question as he sipped his drink slowly, clearly unconcerned about the skunk's desperate show of bravado.

"You can call off the tough guy act any time now you know... it doesn't suit you," the fox muttered. Michael's confidence sank like a stone.

"B...but how did you?" he started.

"Know? It's not that hard really. You get to notice subtle things about others when you do the work that I do... but enough of this, sit down. There is much I have to discuss with you,"

Michael slumped into a seat opposite the fennec, astounded that his display had been seen through in an instant. Not that he was much of an actor. There were probably several hints he was giving off that revealed him only that he didn't know what they were.

"Tell me boy, how much do you know about the 'Secret Society'? I have heard all sorts of rumours about them and I want whatever knowledge you have," the fennec whispered. The skunk had heard a few rumours about the Society but that's all they were, rumours. He was hesitant to part with the information though. There were government spies absolutely everywhere and the police could often be counted on to appear without warning.

"I'm not working for the cops or the government... you can share your knowledge with me," the fennec added, noticing the look of concern on Michael's face.

"Well all I know is that they're a group that intends to fight the government using whatever means necessary, coercion, blackmail whatever and also that they're a strong advocate of gay rights," Michael hesitantly answered, still wary of the fennec.

"Okay then... what about the country's history. Do you know what has happened to our country in the past fifteen or so years?"

The skunk scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. Despite his excellent grades he knew little of what society was like before the change in government. Life had always been the same; there had been no upheavals, no changes as far as he was concerned. He shook his head, now suddenly interested in what the fennec had to say.

"Well things used to be different around here. You would have only been a young cub I would guess so you wouldn't know but believe me things used to be a lot better," the fennec finally told the skunk, somewhat confident that he could trust Michael, "Some twenty years ago a splinter group departed from one of the major conservative parties, complaining that the Liberal party had lost its touch. I was probably around five or six at the time. At first nobody thought they were a real political threat in a proper democracy. How wrong we were. Sure they lost the election but they had been hoarding a lot of power behind everyone's backs. They seized power in a military coup and set about an inquisition of sorts. I'm sure that they left that part out of your history books. If anything it was a scaled down version of the Spanish Inquisition. They targeted anyone they could get their paws on: those of a different religion, different political views, different sexuality you name it! If they had their way they probably would have picked on those of a different species as well,"

Michael noticed the fennec's expression had darkened significantly. It was obvious that this was a painful memory of some sort to bring up but the skunk was captivated by all of this new information. He had never known about this dark side of his country's history.

"Did nobody oppose them?" he asked. The fennec sighed.

"Oh there were a lot of protests and such... only that they never achieved anything and the leaders kept disappearing one after another. Those who attempted to flee the country were promptly hunted down and given a trial although more often than not they were all fixed and many of them were executed in secret at first, then in public,"

Some haunting memories started to filter back into Michael's mind. He started to remember the public executions that were prominently displayed on television and all the posters saying what could happen if one chose to disobey the law.

"I guess that explains why mum didn't want me watching a lot of TV when I was younger," Michael thought.

"It soon became apparent that doing things out in the open would achieve nothing. That's when the Society was said to have started. A conglomerate of furs from all walks of life. The Society is supposedly to be made up of several chapters, each with their own symbol and set of members. Among the most prominent are those who represent sexual diversity, their symbol being a snake that bites its own tail. While another one which represents cultural diversity have a faceless mask as theirs," the fox finally concluded. Michael slouched in his chair as he absorbed all of this new information. He had never known about all of this, having been educated in one of the so called 'public' schools. Free thinking was no longer safe anymore. He barely noticed Dave placing a drink on the table in front of him. The leopard gave the fennec a quick glance before nodding once and quickly losing himself in the throng that populated the dance floor.

"I... I never knew. If you happen to know so much about the Society then why ask me anything about it then?" Michael asked as he sipped his drink. The fennec chuckled to himself as he leaned forward over the table.

"You're pretty slow aren't you?" the fox whispered, leaning in until they were face to face, "I wouldn't have asked to speak to you under any other circumstances,"

Flicking his blue eyes down, Michael caught sight of a tattoo on the fennec's left wrist... a tattoo of a snake biting its tail.

"You... you're one of them?" Michael cried.

"Hey kid keep your voice down!" the fennec snarled before hiding the tattoo from view again, "I'm taking a big risk here even talking to you. I could be hanged for inciting treason like this. Look your friend on the dance floor was the one who suggested that I invite you in for a chat. He's a member of the society as well,"

Michael gave the fennec a highly sceptical look.

"Bullshit! Dave is no member of any society except for one in the university!" Michael retaliated. The fennec merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Take my words with a pinch of salt if you must. But know that if you are willing enough to join us you will become a fugitive like everyone else but I don't blame you if you don't want to take the risk. All we want to see is a world where anyone can be who they want to be, regardless of whether they are gay, straight or any shade in between. This isn't an easy decision to make. I'll get back to you soon enough,"

As the fennec got up to leave, Michael had a whole lot of thoughts buzzing around in his mind. This was a whole new revelation to him and he now didn't know if he wanted to take sides or not. As he sat at the table, giving some thought to it, he saw Dave wandering up to him and sitting down.

"Why didn't you say something earlier about being a member of the Society?" Michael asked solemnly, not looking up from the table.

"I didn't want to involve you in anything that could put you in danger. It is a serious thing to do, joining the Society. Once you're in, you'll never be able to back out of it,"

"Then why join then? If it's so dangerous why risk your neck?"

Dave snorted dismissively, it was obvious that the fennec's speech had done little but put more doubt in the skunk's mind.

"Michael I may only be a few years older than you but those few years have imparted more wisdom than you think. Don't you understand the situation we are in? We are all ghosts of what we really are. There was a time when we had all the freedoms and rights of the straight population! We've had that stripped from us and you don't want to fight for it? Do you want to remain as an oppressed minority? Forever forsaken and scorned by the rest of society? Someone has to take a stand! If not you than somebody else will take that place!" the leopard snarled, the energy in his voice intimidating the skunk somewhat. Shortly after, the leopard's pager started to beep loudly. Dave glanced at it momentarily before swearing underneath his breath.

"Michael... we need to go... right now!" Dave muttered, this time his voice full with concern and fear

"Why we only just got here," Michael responded.

"Damn it Michael, the cops are doing a raid here tonight!" the leopard hissed. Almost as if on cue, an armed platoon of police officers charged into the building, demanding that everyone get on the ground and put their paws on the back of their heads. Dave, having experienced these raids in the past, quickly got to his feet and made a mad dash for one of the fire exits. Michael noticed that a few others had also made their way to one of the numerous exits. Unfortunately Michael was slow to get to his feet and as he attempted to follow after Dave he was promptly hit in the stomach with the butt of a rifle before getting whacked in the face. The skunk fell to the floor in a daze and he watched in amazement as the fennec from earlier quickly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the rifle out of the police officer's paws and smashed it in the face of the hyena, who promptly stumbled around before falling to the ground in pain. There was no doubt that the fennec had broken the hyena's nose with the well aimed strike.

"Come on kid! We are leaving now!" the fennec bellowed as he helped Michael to his feet and vaulted over a table. The fennec fired the rifle, which had been loaded with rubber bullets, at a few officers who had the audacity to try and stop him.

"Come on! Follow me!" the fennec yelled as he knocked down an officer with the gun before kicking him in the face.

Michael kept close to the fennec as he traversed the almost maze like building until he had reached the exit. As the fennec kicked the door open and fired the last of the bullets he made a run for his car before gesturing for Michael to get in the passenger seat. Starting the engine, the fennec waited for Michael to get in before quickly speeding off down the back streets, with a police car in pursuit. A few bullets flew through the air and smashed into the rear windscreen, showering the both of them with glass while another few hit the body of the car.

"Damn you, you bastards!" the fennec yelled as he swung the car in a tight turn, "I just had this car painted!"

Michael held onto the seat tightly, making sure that the seatbelt that was drawn across his body was actually in place. His knuckles had gone an uncanny shade of white as he stared at the constantly changing scenery. Eventually the wailing of the police siren died out and the car came to a stop at the side of the street. The fennec heaved a sigh as he turned the engine off.

"Bloody hell... someone must have tipped us off!" he muttered before glancing over at Michael, a look of sheer terror fixed on the skunk's face.

"Is it all over?" the skunk asked.

"Let's hope so... let me guess. You're first raid experience?"

Michael nodded quickly as he shakily undid the seatbelt. He didn't expect this to happen. He would have to go yell at Dave for almost leading him into that trap. As his mobile went off in his pocket, Michael slowly reached for it and checked who was calling.

"Dave... you bloody bastard, you set me up didn't you?" Michael cried, trying to keep his anger from boiling over.

"Dude look I didn't know the cops would be doing a raid! Someone must have told them we'd be there!" the leopard answered.

"Bullshit! There is no bloody way they would just barge in like that... all on my eighteenth as well!"

This soon irked the fennec who was sitting next to Michael. Without warning he seized the phone from Michael's paw and quickly explained the sudden change in voice.

"Dave... it's La Volpe... yes the kid's safe... the cops got a few shots at us but nothing too serious. I will have to replace my windscreen though...really... alright then we'll avoid the main streets... right here are your orders, see if you can trace the snitch which tipped the cops off to us, I'm sure the boss will want to have a little chat with them... uh huh... right see you Tuesday," the fennec muttered before hanging up and handing back the phone. Michael looked curiously at the fennec.

"La Volpe? Where'd that come from," Michael asked. The fennec remained silent for a moment, the only sounds coming from the gentle rustling of the trees and the chirruping of crickets.

"Five years ago when the Society was still in its infancy, the then acting boss decided that in order to settle ourselves we as a Society had to show the government that we were willing to fight them. I'm sure that you were old enough to remember the thefts of certain documents, the constant graffiti of the trains and most of all, the firebombing of a government building," La Volpe finally answered. The news article all those years ago suddenly came back to the skunk. Yes... he now remembered the outrage his parents had shown as they saw the 'crimes'.

"Being the young hot head at that time I willingly took on these... 'missions' and it earned me respect among the other society members. I was also completing a law degree at the time and when I graduated the boss approached me and offered me a position as an advisor and lawyer to the society. A consigliore if you will, if you have watched or read 'The Godfather'. They said that I would be too valuable to risk in active missions and recruitment but I find this work much more exciting. It was my use of underhanded tactics that earned me that nickname and I haven't looked back since my induction,"

Michael nodded his understanding, it all started to make sense now. The government had been rather harsh to those who simply didn't want to conform to their ideologies. The skunk was now starting to wonder what kind of person he would be if he didn't have to keep acting like someone who he wasn't.

"I never knew that the government had this kind of power over its people though. It's almost like '1984'," Michael muttered.

"You know Orwell's work as well. I'm surprised. The education board removed that text from high schools a few years ago... well I'm sure that you have some important things to do tomorrow. Where do you live kid? I'll drive you home,"

In the end that one evening had opened up Michael's eyes more than any propaganda he had ever seen in his life. He had never expected to be caught in a raid on his first night out as a legal adult. As he waved goodbye to La Volpe he suddenly realized what he had gotten himself into. His next possible question would be how to explain what had happened to his parents. He had said that he would be going out that night but didn't exactly say where. Checking his watch, he discovered that he had stayed out an extra hour or so than he had said and his parents were often very strict about curfews. Opening the front door carefully, the skunk looked around carefully before attempting to sneakily make it to his room. His parents were waiting for him however and from the look on their faces, Michael would have to think quickly to get out of this predicament.

"And where have you been?" his mother asked.

"Mom... I was out for only an extra hour! We just got a little sidetracked is all," Michael responded.

"Really? Who is this 'we' you speak of?" his mother asked.

"You know... Dave from high school,"

"That fag of a leopard? I thought I told you to stay away from him!" his father huffed.

"Dad he's not gay! I don't know what gives you that absolutely retarded idea!" Michael snapped.

"Don't you try and get fresh with me young man!" his father snarled, hitting Michael across the face with the back of his paw. By that time a barely noticeable bruise had already formed on the skunk's face from his confrontation in the club and when his father's paw came into contact with it, Michael couldn't help but cringe visibly as the burning sensation overwhelmed him.

"Oh grow up and be a man!" his father growled before leaving Michael's room.

His mother was a little more sympathetic however and after Michael's father had left, got down on her knees to look at her son.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah... just dandy," he mumbled as he gently rubbed the bruise on his face.

"Nonsense let me take a look at that,"

Michael stopped fighting and let his mother start worrying over him again. A sudden feeling of nostalgia washed over him as the treatment reminded him whenever he cut himself when he about six years old.

"How did... you were caught in that raid weren't you?" she asked solemnly as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Raid... what raid?" Michael answered, "No! No raid ever took place where I was!"

His attempted bluff was of no use as his mother saw right through it. She gave him a sceptical glance which bore right through him. He hated that glance as his will always seem to fold underneath it.

"Michael... something you may not have noticed is that many of the raids are now also shown with complete video footage. Earlier tonight in the news one such raid was mentioned taking place at the 'Midnight Lagoon'. There was some footage of someone who looked like you trying to make an escape only to have a fennec come to your aid,"

"La Volpe," Michael muttered under his breath.

"What? Anyway I want to know. Were you at the 'Midnight Lagoon' tonight?"

Michael stiffened visibly. It was obvious enough what the answer was but Michael knew that his mum would actually want him to say it.

"Ye...yeah I was there," he finally muttered.

"That's all I wanted to hear. You're father will not hear a word of this though. Is there anywhere else those brutish police hit you?"

Michael reluctantly lifted his form fitting dark blue shirt and pointed to where he had taken the blow from the police rifle.

"Oh my poor boy," she muttered before hugging him tightly. Despite how much he wanted to tell his mother that he didn't need to be fussed over like this his senses had already been overwhelmed by his mother's scent. Being an only child had meant he had pretty much gotten whatever he wanted but friendship was something that couldn't be found easily. In the end he was very close to his mother due to the fact that during primary school he tended to be a loner. This did have its downside however of the fact that his mum would often know more about him and his life than he did himself.

"Mom... you don't have to fuss over me like this. I'm not a cub anymore!" Michael whined.

"I just want to make sure that you're safe. It's a cruel world out there... especially after the new government overthrew the old one. I've got to go calm your father down now. Get some rest; I'm sure that you've had enough adrenaline for one day,"

Michael had trouble getting to sleep that night, the events having taken place that evening still fresh in his mind. As he lay awake on his bed, his encounter that night replaying over and over, he started to think about what La Volpe had told him. He hadn't thought of ever coming out to his parents, especially with his father holding a relatively high post in the government, or at least that's what he claimed. He started to wonder if his mother had already worked out that he was gay but was keeping quiet about it. It didn't pay to be too much of a loud mouth in this society. Free thinking was a dangerous act in itself.

"'Thoughtcrime'," Michael muttered to himself as he took off his shirt and threw it on the ground, "Perhaps Orwell was right about a few things. Only that this isn't London,"

As he rolled over to look at his bedside clock he let out a quiet groan as he found it was only 1 am. He wasn't going to get any sleep at this rate. It was an absolutely stifling night in the middle of summer and the skunk was finding it impossible to sleep despite having the ceiling fan on. Looking over to his desk, his watched the gentle glow of the power button on his laptop. The internet was monitored by the government and a lot of it completely blocked off. It was only through illegal activity did some things actually get through. If it wasn't for Dave, Michael wouldn't have the slightest clue what pornography was. He found it strangely compelling, even the straight porn he found interesting, not so much because of the female involved but rather just the fact of seeing something like that on screen. Hauling himself out of bed he turned on the monitor to check up on the progress of the illegal download.

"Eighty percent... should be done in a few hours," he mumbled to himself as he closed the top. The government crackdown had resulted in the loss of a lot of things and the internet was apparently one of them. Why Dave was so adamant to introduce the thing to Michael, the skunk wasn't sure but he got a strange thrill out of breaking the law.

"They'd make masturbation a crime as well if they could get away with it," he chuckled as he slumped back on his bed clad only in his underwear.

"This weather had better change soon. I don't think I'd last much longer under this sort of heat,"

The weather wouldn't be the only thing that was going to change. News reports of the Society painted a rather ugly picture. Another building, this time a church, had been raided by Society members for certain bits of information which had been kept there. The place was a right mess and the security camera footage was blurry at best but there was no doubting that La Volpe was a part of this. There simply was no way of missing those large ears of his. A message from the government leader, John Falstaff, a wolf of supposedly important bloodlines, spewed forth hatred and a condemnation of the Society's actions. Michael could only watch in silence as the wolf called for a crusade against the Society, labelling every member a criminal and whoever knew of a society member but didn't turn them in, were just big a traitor to the state as they were. Michael's stomach did somersaults inside of him as the magnitude of this statement sank in. If he didn't turn Dave and La Volpe over then he would be in as much trouble as they would be if they were caught. Dave was his best and only friend though. He didn't want to be alone in this world without him. It was the next news article that chilled him to the bone however. The government had managed to uncover a small group of practicing homosexuals and was showing their public execution on television, a priest was openly claiming their actions as that of the devil and that they will suffer an eternity in Hell because of it.

"Huh... it's about time!" Michael's father grunted, "About time those fags got their comeuppance!"

Michael felt himself die a little inside as he heard this. It was obvious enough through this one statement that his father didn't know all that much about him. Strange... being a government servant pretty much required a complete knowledge of one's children. Perhaps his department turned a blind eye to it. Michael knew better than to voice his own opinions anymore and he barely nodded his head in response. He couldn't help but feel a little helpless though as he watched in silent horror as the prisoners were executed by a firing squad. The executioners were experts in their job and every single prisoner was executed with a bullet in the middle of the forehead.

"I've got a few things that I have to do before uni starts," Michael lied as he retreated to the safety of his room.

"You could learn a few things from news like this! I don't want you hanging out with any fags or society members!" his father called up.

Having seen others like him executed like that, despite it being a clean killing, terrified Michael to no end. He had lived a rather sheltered life and was still not used to the ever increasingly violent world. Life would be incredibly dangerous for him now. As he slumped on his bed, his thoughts turned back to the Society. It now seemed more enticing than ever to join the Society given that he had effectively been invited to join. He would need to somehow get into contact with La Volpe though and Dave was the only one with that connection. Picking up his mobile he dialled the leopard's number and waited for him to respond.

"Dave? It's Michael,"

"Michael... I knew that you'd call. Let me guess, you want a way in to the Society?"

The skunk frowned. Was he really getting that predictable?

"Yeah that's right. Think you can get me in?" Michael asked.

"Getting a hold of La Volpe won't be easy but he seems to have a soft spot for you. I could try and get you in myself but you might have a lot of trouble passing all the tests they have lined up for potential candidates,"

"What sort of tests?" Michael asked suspiciously.

"Come meet me at the library tomorrow. I'll tell you there,"

Michael didn't understand why Dave specifically said the library but he wasn't going to argue when such an important decision was going to be made. Arriving at the big library located at the city centre, the skunk waited patiently for Dave to show up. When Dave eventually turned up, there was a worried expression on his face. He was clearly a little harried, even more so than usual.

"Dude what took you so long?" Michael asked.

"The Society had me do something last minute for them," Dave muttered before passing over a batch of papers, "This contains some of the information that you need to become a Society member. There's more but it's classified information and I don't have the permissions to the documents. Inside you'll find instructions on how to find La Volpe. You're on your own from here on in,"

Without another word, Dave quickly left, leaving the skunk behind clutching the papers.

Knowing all too well that the library itself wasn't the best place for reading such things, Michael discreetly made his way home. He was careful enough to hide the papers underneath his shirt so as to not arouse any suspicion and he made it home safely without any conflict. Luckily for him nobody was home at that point in time so he had the entire house to himself. Locking himself in his room, he pulled the papers out and slowly looked through them. Not that there was anything interesting inside of it though. It was mainly just a charter and the recruitment requirements. Some of them however he wasn't sure that he could pass such as the physical fitness and the ability to fight if required. Despite his slender physique, he had very little endurance or stamina and as he never got into any fights whatsoever he wasn't sure how hard he could throw a punch.

"Well there's only one way to find out," Michael thought to himself as he looked at the business card on which the directions for finding La Volpe were.

It would be at least a fortnight before Michael eventually caught up with La Volpe, the fennec proving true to his namesake in being extremely crafty. The information which Dave had given to him was actually false, something which was probably designed to test his investigative skills. The leopard had been giving him hints though because by then his university course had already started and Michael was constantly seeing the leopard on campus. Perhaps it was through sheer luck that Michael eventually stumbled upon the fennec, ironically enough it was in another night club near the one which he had been caught out in.

"Ha! I've finally found you!" the skunk cried as he found the fennec sitting in a corner of the club, the harsh lighting casting dark shadows across La Volpe's face.

"Ah but Michael... I've been expecting you," the fennec responded.

"You... does everybody know about my plans whenever I make them?" Michael asked the fennec, taking a seat opposite him, "I swear it's like there's somebody broadcasting my thoughts to everyone else,"

La Volpe laughed heartily at this. This was indeed partially true as the one known as 'the fox' had eyes everywhere according to urban legend.

"My boy, do not necessarily believe that somebody is following you. Despite the fact that every action is a deliberate action, some are just a lot easier to notice than others. I have my sources of information. One of which is someone you know well,"

Michael wasn't surprised to suddenly have Dave appear out of nowhere.

"This is conspiracy I know it," the skunk muttered as he buried his head in his arms.

"Aww don't feel bad man. You had it a lot easier than when I was trying to join. La Volpe sent me all over the damn country before I found him," the leopard chuckled.

"How many times have I told you, I was on vacation then! It's not my fault you almost missed the start of your second semester," La Volpe responded.

"So when do I begin my training then?" Michael asked.

"Ah but my young skunk you already have started your training. Did you not read the documents Dave gave you? Finding me is your first step in your official training. Now under normal circumstances I would pass you off to someone else for training but the head of our chapter seems to have taken in an interest in you. God knows why but I have accepted his offer to train you myself," La Volpe mused.

Michael cocked his head and gave La Volpe a doubtful look. The fennec hardly looked like somebody who would actively go out and engage in a theft or sabotage. If anything he looked more like a university dropout from the way he dressed. He was in incredible shape however and it would be difficult to not simply keep staring at him.

"That's good right?" Michael asked, doubt clouding his voice.

"Good? It's excellent! La Volpe is one of the most respected and well trained members of the Society. All the different chapters recognize him as one of the best. You don't know how many want to be trained by him," Dave interjected.

"You'd better be right. I now suddenly feel so vulnerable, especially with dad ranting and raving about those who disobey the government. I think they must have brainwashed him in some way," Michael muttered, a tinge of sadness filling his voice.

"That is what the Society is for, to break free from the manacles of our oppressive government. But the biggest question now is, do you have what it takes to be an enemy of the state?" La Volpe demanded.

"I do. I want the freedom of being who I want to be without being forced to hide who I am!" Michael responded. Both La Volpe and Dave concealed smiles underneath the harsh lighting of the club.

"Then your journey begins here," La Volpe started, "You must be ready for anything that is thrown your way. You will be pushed to the edge and who knows, maybe you'll even survive to see a new age of peace and happiness,"