FSE

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Baby it's cold Inside © Tsumi Moogle '15 Characters Themselves.

It had long been one of their favoured spots. The thumping music mingling through lights and smoke, all through which mingled bodies in varying states of dress or undress. There was always something a little primal to the music that was played, stirring the heart and thrumming the blood that had the duo returning on a weekly, if not almost nightly basis.

The warehouse was extensive, and extensively done up, external corrogated iron walls padded to permit none of the thumping music to escape, artfully spray-painted every second sunday when the place closed down, to give it a fresh look and feel every time. Privately owned by no one cared who. Its tall roof permitted a second tier, with walkways that permitted gazes through the crowds below. A means to escape the grinding bodies, as much to admire them.

It was a handsome rat that admired the throngs of bodies below. He was a toned and firmly packed piece of rodent, sleekly groomed, and modestly handsome. With neatly trimmed whiskers, and hair on the fairer side of wild. His ruddy fur was visible through the meshed neoprene and black-strapped polyester pants. Thick ropey tail swaying as his eyes passed along the people below, smiling thoughtfully.

And with an 'oof!' his attentions were drawn to the warm weight almost pouncing atop his back. The tibbit had returned, with drinks. Reaching about, Joey offered the rat his drink, smiling softly and sipping at his own brightly coloured cocktail, purring with a soft shiver for the warmth of the alcohol.

'Any that draws your fancy?' quipped the youthful hybrid, flicking his long ears over one of his shoulders, leaning to share a fleeting peck with the rodent.

'There's a few, but I think the head candidate for tonight-'

'Putting the Candy in Candidate?' giggled the feline, earning a soft swat from the ropey tail to his leather-clad rump.

'I think the head candidate for tonight,' continued Elias with a wry smirk, 'Is that handsome wallflower, down there on the corner of the bar, far end, in the button-up.'

Joey's bright green eyes traced through the crowed below, following up towards the hectic bar, where several shirtless bartenders were handling drinks and money with uncanny ease. Near the darker corner of it sat an almost impossible to see figure. It was a panther, pelt ebon as the night, well shaped, if covered by rather too much office-fitting clothing and seeming almost bored as he nursed a beer.

'You sure..?' grinned the snowy figure as he sipped at his drink again, curling his tail about Elias' waist, earning the ropey tail about his own in kind.

'Oh? Not your type?' Grinned the rat. 'I thought most anything with a penis was your type.'

'No, only the ones that -are- dicks are my type.' retorted the hybrid, grinning and rubbing noses with the rodent. 'You're on. As for you, how about the painted dog on the pole by speaker three?'

Elias' eyes followed the directions, landing on the sleeker body putting his all on display, circling a pole with deft and wanton ease. His teeth flashed cheekily.

'A little easy, but I'm game.' nodded the rodent.

'Suits you fine then.' Joey snickered, easing from the rat's back and moving about before the slightly taller form. 'Well then,'

'Text if you can't handle him and pics if you can, see you tomorrow. Love you.' Winked the rat, easing his free hand up along his partner's cheek, drawing him into a fond and proper kiss, smiling and watching the tibbit swaying his hips as he slunk with grace down towards the ground floor. His eyes passing back towards the painted dog, he grinned, and began making his way in turn.

It was a game, a cheeky game, between the duo. Pointing out folks they thought the other would enjoy some time with. They'd made a number of good friends out of the mutual fun, and after all was said and done with the fooling around, always returned home to one another.

Joey smiled fondly to the thought of the rodent, swaying his tail and passing his drink off to a burly, and somewhat bemused fox, making his avian girlfriend trill with laughter.

Approaching the panther, Joey marvelled a little, they were always a little larger than he thought, from when he saw them on the look-out above. He was a little hunched at the bar, but not hulkingly large. Seemingly focused on the bottle to paw, he took a draining swig, before thunking it down atop the metal bar-top.

The tibbit slunk into the stool beside the feline, curiously empty for the rest of the bar's clammering, busy tide of people towards the other end. He felt the feline's eyes on him and met them without hesitation, smiling sweetly.

'Can I buy you a drink?' the tibbit offered in his most earnest tone, tilting his head. The panther's hand toyed with the empty bottle, turning it about on it's rim as his dark eyes traced along the smaller frame. Sleek, slinky, pearly furred gashed with almost fiery ebon streaks. The long ears and the tail-tuft at the end of the ropey, furred tail were an odd mix, making the panther's brow furrow for a moment.

All of it, wrapped to show. The tight leather pants showing off shapely legs and a perky bubble-shaped rump, A black cotton vest, tufted around the neck in some plush grey fur, and a pair of simple fishnet arm-bands to match the sleeveless shirt clinging to the feline's smooth chest.

'Sugar? A drink?' coaxed the tibbit with a pointed nod to the panther's drink. It was another moment or two, before a smirk split the large feline's face, and he nodded.

'Sure. A beer.' came a richer tone through the music. Joey's ears perked a little. The beer came, there was what Joey imagined to be a word of thanks from the larger male, before he was left with the silent form.

He wasn't exactly being shunned. The figure was appraising him, from what he could gather, simply waiting. The strong and silent type. 'So what's a handsome thing like you doing here..? Doesn't really seem to fit your speed.' Smiled the tibbit. The panther's eyes remained on his face as he took another swig before sweeping the club. There was an idle rolling shrug of his shoulders.

'Drinking.' At last came the panther's response. Joey's eyes rolled with a grin. 'You don't say. And after the drinking? Do you dance?'

'Rarely.' the panther rumbled, permitting a faint smirk to split over his face as the tibbit reached, grasping at his free hand, tugging rather insistantly. Following the incessant pull, the panther rose from his bar stool, following the svelte tibbit into the throng of the dancing crowd.

For all his stoic tone of rarely dancing, Joey found his partner for the evening to be very easy to move with. Whether 'rarely' was some code for 'all the time', he couldn't be sure, but the larger feline knew how to move his body, even in the rather more restrictive clothing he wore.

He was a little more guiding, hands grasping at the feline's arms, almost posessively so as he moved, seeming keen on keeping Joey's eyes fixed on himself. Even for the broad feline taking up his vision, the tibbit saw in passing, Elias winking at him through the crowd, making for the back-rooms with the almost giddy looking canine. Too easy indeed.

It was after a solid half hour of dancing, before the panther mimed returning to the bar. Nodding with a grin, Joey wiped his brow. Elated from the pumping music, he cozied up beside the panther, padding with him back towards the darker corner he'd met tonight's partner in.

Breathless and fanning himself, the tibbit smiled as he ordered a drink for himself. The panther, barely ruffled, smirking as he had a fresh beer settled before him with a word. Joey watched the panther's hand sliding cash into the barboy's hand, before sipping at his drink, smiling.

'So Footloose, tell me about yourself.' The tibbit purred, adjusting a leg to brush his calf along the side of the panther's. The feline's eyebrow raised at the tibbit, before he grinned.

'Overworked, overpaid stockbroker.' Was the simple response. Joey inclined his head softly.

'Stockbroker, huh? Hear that's pretty stressful.'

'S'why I'm here. A beer, and a chance to.. unwind.' the panther nodded, his eyes holding the tibbit's face. The sharp glint to them made Joey's stomach flutter in an unfamiliar fashion.

'But first, mind my drink. I'll be back in a moment.' rumbled the panther as he got to his feet. 'Don't go anywhere.' Nodding softly, Joey watched the panther get to his feet, making for the restrooms, sipping at his drink and pondering a moment or two. His free hand slowly slid his phone from one of his tight pockets.

'I'm not sure about this guy, Eli. I'm getting some weird vibes.' the tibbit texted, thumbing around the frame of his phone, nibbling his lip lightly.

'What's the matter kitten? Can't handle one panther?' Elias' response came back, followed shortly after by a picture of the painted dog going down on the rat's girthy dick. 'You're on your own~'

Pursing his lips softly, Joey blushed, typing back again. 'Eli..! I'm serious!'

And as the message sent, a darkfurred hand slid over the phone, thumb pressing at the lock-button, before it drew the phone out of the tibbit's hand. Joey gasped softly as he looked up. The panther was back, grinning at him again, as he settled into his seat, turning the device in his hand.

'Not bored already, I hope.' rumbled the panther, grinning.

'So, you have a name to go with your dance moves..?'

'Joey.' the tibbit said, hitching his smile back up. The panther rumbled thunderously.

'Nice to meet you, Joey. Call me Jack.' He added, lifting the phone playfully out of the feline's reach as the tibbit made to take it back, finally making a swipe and grabbing it. He blushed as he settled back down.

'Who all were you chatting to?' asked the feline as he took another sip of his beer.

'Just my friend. He's having a good time, apparently.' Joey deflected, headtilting.

'Well, it wouldn't do for him to be the only one. Here's to a fun night.' Jack rumbled as he lifted his beer. Joey found his own drink beside him, hoisting it, and gently toasting it against the beer bottle, before he took a sip.

The fluid was no sooner down his throat, than the feline knew something was wrong. No longer just a hunch, or a gut feeling. ..Well, it started as a gut feeling, his stomach disagreeing rather immediately with something, and he had a shrewd idea of what. An idea that grew harder to hold onto as the world began to swim. His vision blurred and grew waxy, distorting, as though watching everything through slowly disturbed water. The feline staggered to his feet, pushing passed the panther with a nervous gasp. His legs felt weak, his sense of direction completely askew.

'Joey?' Came the sound of the panther's voice as if from far away. Indeed, all the noise of the club sounded muffled, distorted.

The tibbit pushed into the bathroom hallway, almost bouncing off another patron stepping out of a cubicle. Slipping, he slumped into a wall, terrified as he fumbled for his phone, trying to unlock it, trying to text for help. His vision grew darker, a pair of highly polished shoes comming into view, before a darkfurred hand grasped his phone. The last thing the tibbit saw, before he passed out, was a broad, fangy smile.

'You don't look so good.'

---

Joey's head pounded achingly. Still dizzy and nauseous, he managed to open his eyes. It was dark, wherever he was. An odd vibration under his body and a soft thump told his woozy mind he was in a car. There was a thick blanket over his form. The screech of the car's breaks made him wince, the sound of the engine turning off, a door opening and closing, and muffled footsteps.

The boot of the car he was in opened with a small billow of biting, icy air. The blanket was callously tugged aside, revealing to the tibbit's bleary eyes, a snowy road, the warm orange glow of scarcely serviced street-lights, and the sides of a steel-beam'd bridge. Beyond the lights was night impossible to see, given the darkness of the evening. Right before him, framed by the quaint backdrop, was the shadowy form of Jack, an odd smile spread across the panther's face.

'Where..?' the tibbit tried to whimper, weak, and more than a little afraid. Jack stayed silent, grabbing at one of Joey's ankles, and promptly dragged him out of the car. The tibbit gasped, as he was hauled forward, and dropping from the back of the truck, impacted the ground with an aching thud, that drew a wheezing cry and groan. A soft clatter of metal petered into silence beside the tibit. His phone.

'Shut up.' snarled the panther, giving the hybrid a solid kick in the ribs. Joey yelped, trying to curl onto his side, to protect the injured spot, shaking heavily. The large feline's face was alight as it hadn't been at all through the night. He was -enjoying- this.

'W-.. Why?' quivered the tibbit, timidly opening an eye to peer up to the panther, in time to see the feline's leg drawing back. There was a blinding flash of pain as Jack's next blow slammed into his face, making the tibbit yowl, rolling over from the force, a coppery taste in his mouth.

'I told you to shut up.' smirked the panther, taking a moment to draw a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, easing one to his lips and lighting it up. 'But if you must know, It's like I told you, I'm just here to unwind. ..Ah-ah-ah.' tutted the feline, watching the tibbit shakily reaching for the cracked screen of his phone, just feet away. Taking a step, the panther's heel slammed atop the tibbit's hand, grinding heavily as he groaned in delight for the sounds of pain he elicited.

'We don't want anyone to interupt us, after all. You were so keen, out of everyone tonight, to be the one to help me relax.' Jack growled, stepping off the feline's broken hand, and lifting Joey's head by his ears. With a rough back-hand, he sent the tibbit reeling back against the heavy cross-beams of the bridge, Joey sobbing, choking in fear as he stared up through an uninjured eye at the approaching panther. Behind him, the sound of water, languidly sloshing and the soft thud of great chunks of ice. An inlet, perhaps. What tiny part of the tibbit's rational mind remained told him he was hours from town, from help, from safety.

Jack, smirking as he approached, seemed far less human. Feral, terrible.. Hackles raised, and.. Joey shuddered. The panther's pants were tight. He was getting off on this.

'S-.. Stop.. please..!' the tibbit tried to beg, legs scrambling a little lamely, head shaking as the large form got closer. Jack's face watched him as he reached out, grabbing one of the tibbit's legs, angling it, and moving closer, lifting his foot over the tibbit's knee.

The sickening crack that echoed into the night was met with Joey's terrible scream, screams that continued, though with weaker and weaker force, with each terrible blow, each meaty thud and brutal strike.

The tibbit didn't know how long had passed. A moment? An Hour? An eternity? He couldn't understand anything but the pain. The pulsing, lancing ache that had his face screwed up, tears leaking down his cheeks. The panther's heavy breathing, as though in mid-rutt billowed thick clouds of mist into the night air. Admiring his handy-work, the tibbit utterly ruined, destroyed.

'You were definitely one of the best..' Jack murmured, licking his lips. One hand slowly gripping the tibbit's throat, lifting him up into the air. 'Now how about the big finale?'

Joey couldn't move under his own power. Not that he could have gotten anywhere.. No heroes would hear him, no help would find him at this hour.. Through a tiny slit in his puffy eyesocket, the tibbit looked over the panther, at the dark truck he'd been carted in, and his broken phone by it's rear tire.

'E..li..' The tibbit murmured weakly, another tear trailing his cheek. The panther hurled the tibbit out from the bridge, Joey lost to the pitch black beneath it. Falling seemed to feel as though it took an eternity all its own, for the tibbit. His vision taking in the backlit shape of the panther above, the dark, cloudy sky above. A sky he knew, and rather liked. It reminded him of home, of fond days playing and galivanting about, of warm foods and blankets, of being comfortable, cuddly with loved ones. Small flashes of memory passed before the tibbit's eyes, the last being the smile of his partner, Elias. Why hadn't he come to save him..? He'd begged for help.. Had the rat.. and the panther..?

Shattering through the ice, and plunging into the water below. The last image he could make out, being the silhouette of the panther, watching him from above. And with darkness encroaching, the tibbit was, like his body in the powerful rip-tide of the icey water, washed away.

---

The door to the apartment opened, Elias smiling as he got in. The hours with the painted dog a fond and keen reminder to his partner's delightful tastes. Easy, yes, but by no means unskilled, or sloppy. Though the rat's body thrummed with the afterglow of pleasure, it too ached with the desire to sleep. The faintest tinging glow of the sun rising beyond the heavy clouds outside, he stumbled to the bedroom, peeling his shirt off.

'Joey?' he called a little groggily, not that he entirely expected an answer. Either the feline was sound asleep, or still enjoying his own pick, no response, so things must have improved. True enough, the bed was empty. Still ruffled and unmade from where they'd risen the morning before. Clambering in, and kicking his boots off, Elias smiled, stirring his way over to his boyfriend's side, nosing into his pillow to take in a soft breath. The sweet scent made his thick tail sway, and holding to the tibbit-scented pillow, the rat slept.

Slept well until the afternoon. Rising easily and stretching, refreshed and smiling, he looked about. Still no sign of the Tibbit. They almost always broke things off with their partners to get home.

The rat got to his feet, curling his fleshy toes in the thick carpeting. The apartment devoid of sound, of movement. Fetching his phone, Elias settled on the couch as the kettle began to boil. Perusing the messages, the rodent frowned. The last message he sent after the feline's plea unanswered.

'But if you're really that worried, give me another buzz.' It had been a couple minutes after his last one.. Bringing up the tibbit's contact number, he pressed call, and lifted the phone to his ear. Silence for a moment or two.. The steady ringing he expected, was replaced by a soft female voice.

'The number you are trying to call is unavailable. Please check the number and try again.' The rodent swallowed, lifting his phone to his face, double checking the number and calling again. He began to fidget worriedly, heart starting to pound.

---

The currents of the bay were strong and steady. Leading on out to sea, trailing the rapid descent of the coastline, the former tibbit drifted. Unknowing and unthinking. Unaware of time, of distance, of the sun or the moon, of even himself. Seemingly forgotten by the world, he sank, cast from the riptide after he knew not how long, into the deepest depths.

Perhaps it was fate, or luck, or merest coincidence, as the tibbit's cold body draped over a jagged edged crystal. It's multifaceted form giving the faintest purple glow in the infinite depths of the dark water.

The glow over the course of hours, and days, intensified. The cold body crept with an uneasy blue hue. In the nameless depths, in the crushing silence, the hybrid's heart beat. The cropping of potentia thrummed, pulsing like that heart beat. Slow, at first. Uneven.

The form twitched, and Joey's eyes flung open, burning with a searing blue fire that similarly enveloped his body. His whole and unblemished body.

---

Winter had gone, and once more arrived to the shores of New Rhodia. The first snow storm of the season caught meteorologists off guard, with temperatures dropping several degrees lower than usual. Indeed it was one of the coldest winters on record, getting most people staying indoors, or daring to brave the biting winds in numerous layers of clothing as they tried to continue about their daily lives.

One such figure, a stubborn, elderly otter squinted against the sleeting wind as he walked along the foreshore of the city. He'd walked every day of his life in the mornings, come sun or snow or monster attack, along those shores, and a snow storm the likes of this was not enough to stop his stubborn efforts, though they very easily impeded them.

Squinting through the layers of clothing on his face, he leaned on his cane with every other step, thinking of a hearty mug of coffee when he returned home, and a book, perhaps by the fire. He paused, lifting a gloved hand to wipe at his eyes. Over the murky ground, it wasn't a small isolated snow bank he saw, as he initially thought. Hobbling closer, he gave a soft gasp that hurt to make. That was a person, a -body-.

The otter made his way over, stooping with a soft groan for his aged joints, resting a hand on the back of the figure, mostly nude, save a tattered black jacket, and the remnants of fish-netting about one of his hands. Wet, and cold, and -shivering-.

'Alive..?!' muttered the otter, adjusting to awkwardly tug at one of his outer layers. peeling it away to drape over the firey-striped body laying face down on the sand. Trying to rub over the feline's scarcely clothed back, the old lutra murmured 'Come on, son. We need to get you somewhere warm, out of this infernal storm before you-'

The body arched. A hand flung out, grasping at the otter's form. The hybrid's eyes lashing open with a bright blue flash. For a moment, the air was still, and in that small pocket around the tibbit, impossibly cold. The ground beneath him, solid ice, that cracked as he got slowly to his feet. Joey's head lifted towards the city, with the glow in his eyes fading.

'...I'm back.' He murmured, standing in the buffeting wind, unperturbed by the biting cold. Shock gripped him, in the knowledge that he existed, that he was whole, and that for the bitter wind, he felt no chill. He took a step, and then another, lifting a hand to feel over his face. He remembered the blinding pain, the panther's snarling mockery. 'Was that your jaw? That was your jaw.' The ebon-furred feline had spat with a grin after kicking the tibbit, eliciting a sick crack..

The tibbit's face contorted, one of his arms crawling with ice, curling over his hand, forming a great and wicked, frost-bladed claw, that startled the feline. Shaking his arm, the ice shattered, leaving him staring at his hand. Swallowing, he lifted his gaze, recognizing a faint burn within his heart and body. Something had woken within him. Purpose burgeoned within him as he kept walking, his pace growing quicker.

The otter still knelt in the tibbit's wake, his form frozen solid, hand outreached, as if still trying to help something that lay before him.

---

Even in the heart of the terrible snow storm, or simply perhaps, because of it, Whisper was having a booming run of trade. A trendy caf?, with an air of pretentiousness about it, a warmer colour scheme set against a worn red-brick feature wall and sharp black roofing and hanging lights. A number of people settled in thick, plush leather furniture, nursing at their sizeable mugs, or sipping from tiny espresso shot glasses.

Every so often, the door rattled open with a soft chiming of bells and a billow of the frosted air. A heavily bundled figure trudging in and peeling off several layers to order a hearty, warming fix of caffeine.

At least until it opened again with a tingle, but this time, hung open. Nearly all gathered within turned their heads to the doorway to non-verbally direct the person inside, or to leave promptly. There were one or two gasps at the barely clad figure standing in the doorway, looking more unperturbed by the lack of something they were after, than the cold licking about their fur and hair.

'Sir, if you would, please come inside, or leave. You're letting out the heat.' pleaded a polite robin, whose feathers ruffled to the cold air, and puffed out at the chilling gaze the feline creature gave her. But slowly, he stepped inside.

The temperature lingered low as the tibbit stepped over the polished pine-wood flooring and plush carpeting. His eyes, a sharp icy blue, glancing from face to face before he made for the counter. A young bull stood to take the figure's order, adjusting his maroon apron over the button-up white shirt and black slacks.

'Welcome to whisper, sir. What can I get you?' His tone was as smooth as the smell of coffee in the air. 'I want Jun.' The tibbit said, his eyes staring at the slightly taller form. The bovine hesitated. Joey found the reaction odd, and rather than feeling nervous, recalling the rumours about the mysterious Jun, he felt angered by the bull's tone.

'I-.. I see, sir, I-' One of his hands twitched beneath the bar, though it froze as the tibbit lashed a paw over the counter, grabbing the bull's collar and pulling him towards his free paw, which had grown a large, single jagged point of ice over a couple of his fingers. There were several swift movements within the bar, of people backing away, or rising out of their chairs cautiously.

'Pardon me, sir. Young Owen there is quite new, he doesn't understand procedure.' Came a lower tone. Joey's eyes darted from the trembling bull's face, to the person speaking to him. A ferret, by the look of him, but with a stockier build, a thicker tail, and a boxier, longer muzzle. The sleeked back hair of black contrasted the russet fur. He wore a simple shirt with the arms rolled up, and slacks like his workers, but his name-badge easily displayed 'Jun' over his breast. The manager's eyes were a simple brown, peering over a small pair of dark-lensed glasses resting on his nose.

'Further, as you may be new in town. My establishment is solely for the enjoyment of coffee. The threatening of my patrons or co-workers is explicitly forbidden, through any means.' The tone was modest, but the threat was unmistakable. The tibbit's hand slowly released bull's collar, shaking slightly. Joey almost couldn't believe himself, what he'd nearly done. The young barista staggering back against his avian co-worker who supported him.

'So then, if you would follow me to my office, we can discuss whatever your issue is.' He leaned aside, lifting an arm directing towards a door for employees. Joey soon stepped in through it, his spade-tipped tail flicking as he went.

With an apologetic smile to his customers, Jun bowed his head, and excused himself to follow in the felines wake. As he settled into the comfortable chair behind his desk, the ferret looked to the tibbit standing before his desk.

'So what can I do for you, sir?' Jun said, steepling his fingers patiently. Joey's eyes fixated on the rodent. 'I want to know where someone is.' The feline responded, his fists clenching a little. That burning purpose within his form grew stronger. His need feeding a thrumming warmth in his form.

'Then you have come to the right place.' nodded the ferret, slowly taking his glasses off. 'Not, that I imagine you came here not knowing that. Still, you know I cannot divulge any piece of information, without first receiving a new one in turn. What information are you offering?' 'I know what happened to Joseph Tahlia, the night he went missing.' The tibbit's eyes glowed softly as his muzzle wrinkled with anger. Jun regarded the tibbit's form and face, and closing his eyes for a moment, he nodded.

'Very well. And the person you are looking for?' 'He was a stock broker. A panther, by the name of Jack.' Jun sat for several moments, regarding the tibbit with an odd smile, before he simply nodded.

---

As night fell upon the city, the raging snowstorm found itself weakening. Still a howling beast of a thing, but its talons loosened enough to permit people out and about, if they were brave enough.

Jack, while brave in his own fashion, had no intention of going out into the storm. Settled quite comfortably on a thick leather couch, amidst the well furnished upper-level apartment amidst down-town, he swirled a small glass of scotch, as he watched the rather wall-spanning television. To say the least, the last year had been.. prosperous. Plenty to keep him busy, but he'd put in the hard hours, and it had certainly paid off.

Finishing his glass with momentary rumble to the rich burn down his throat, he slowly got to his feet, wandering towards his liquor cabinet for a refill. His toe-claws clicked gently on the tiled floor as he went, rather chillier than he remembered. Placing his glass down, he paused at the sound of someone knocking three simple times on his door. He smirked lightly, inclining his head.

'What'd I tell you about forgetting your keys?' He called to the door, wandering over to it, opening it with an almost exasperated grin on his lazy visage, until his eyes fell upon a smaller form. A smaller, faintly familiar form. His grin fell of his face faster than a body off a bridge.

The tibbit standing in front of the door found the figure facing him familiar too. There was no grin on Joey's face as his steely blue eyes found the felines, reading with satisfaction, the terror in the panther's eyes as Jack scrambled back from the door, knocking aside a small table housing a set of car keys, and a phone.

'Fuck!!' he yelled, as the tibbit stepped inside, closing the door behind him and turning to lock it. 'What the hell- You're dead..!' The panther shook, gritting his teeth. The tibbit's face slowly turned back to the panther, his body following. 'Funny that.' Joey said slowly, he could barely control the tempestuous rage within himself. 'Given I feel fine.'

Jack straightened up, cricking his neck. 'How about we fix that, and put you back in the drink.' he snarled. He'd come rather too far, for one of his indulgences to come back and haunt him. Launching himself at the tibbit, his fist drew back, only to rush passed the smaller felines head.

Joey moved with a speed he himself could barely comprehend. His body moved almost as if on auto-pilot, ducking aside. He swung one of his legs up, impacting the side of the panther's ribs with an audible and personally satisfying crack. Jack roared in pain, staggering back, only to find the tibbit's fist following up, impacting his jaw with force that the sleek form surely shouldn't have been able to muster. The clatter of a tooth bouncing off the tiled floor emphasised the panther's agony as he staggered back, holding his jaw, the taste of something coppery making him stare at the small form.

'You little..!' Jack snarled, driven a little more by his scotch than he would have otherwise preferred at such a crucial time. He charged again at the tibbit, noticing a split second before it struck, the smaller male's claws encased in a thick mitt of ice. Great, blade-like protrusions that met his side, lancing with simultaneously freezing, and searing touch as it surged through cloth and fur and flesh. It took a moment for the pain to register through the shock as he impacted the floor, holding his bleeding side.

'Don't worry, hon.' Joey murmured, panting, grinning down to the panther. '..I'm just here to unwind.' Jack's eyes widened as he tried to scramble back as the hybrid's claw changed, into a simple blade like protrusion. He turned, trying to get an amount of distance, any amount, away from the apparently solid phantasm, finding in a moment of shock, his phone under hand.

Blearily, he swiped his thumb over the cracked screen, still scrambling, until a screamed in pain at the tibbit's frosty blade piercing the screen, and his hand.

'Ah-ah-ah..' Joey whispered in a vicious tone. 'We don't want anyone to interrupt us, now do we?' He wore a grin on his face for the cruel irony. Leaning back as the panther rolled, trying to take another wild, desperate swing at him.

His own lancing strikes, the meaty thuds of punches and kicks housing an unbridled fury, found their mark, eliciting screams, that in ways mirrored his own, so long ago. Each time his fist, or leg impacted the panther, he saw and felt those that Jack had in turn given to him..

A minute? An hour? He couldn't tell how long he'd been at it. Every merciless strike having weakened those yowling screams of pain, until Jack lay, brutalized, battered, nicked and sliced. He could only manage feeble whimpers as he struggled to breathe, head dizzy from how much blood he'd lost.

Joey panted a little, rather more elated, than worn out for his revenge. The crude tools his new icy gift granted him, felt easier and more refined to use.. He approached the feline, turning the large dagger over in his hands. Kneeling over the ruined form, he grasped Jack's arm as it tried, in feeble defiance to push him away. 'Now how about the big finale.' Joey murmured, lips leaned in close to the felines ear.

The blade plunged once, and twisted.

He held in position for several moments, feeling the strength waning from his target. Slowly getting to his feet and stepping back, he stared down at the panther, watching his eyes darkening, growing glassy. With a shuddering, rasping gurgle, Jack fell still.

In the silence that followed, the tibbit heard the pounding of his heart in his ears. It slowly returned to normal, without hesitation, without fear. He wasn't afraid of being caught for this. But at the same time, he wasn't happy, either. He had expected a rush of elation, a giddiness, even to burst out laughing, or into tears. But there was nothing. Nothing, beside a faint sensation of contentment. The purpose that had burned in his heart since he'd re-awoken, sated..

Quietly contemplating the amount of red he was spattered with, Joey turned his gaze from the panther's body, padding into the apartment with an almost curious air about him.

---

The headlines were still there, several days on. The investigation of the gruesome murder going strong, though with precious few leads to go on, so said the paper he read. No murder weapon, and unknown fingerprints.

As he closed the newspaper, Joey looked out over the snow-frosted park. He'd more or less, gotten away with murder. Though the cold didn't seem to bother him, he still found himself a new outfit, courtesy of Jack's wallet. It was, both harrowing, and heartening, to still be alive. The sun drifting in and out of sight behind cottony clouds, a chill wind that ruffled the fur, the sound of people laughing, having a good time, toying in the snow, or skating on the frozen lake. Small things, he was thankful to still be able to appreciate. ..At least, that was what he told himself. Part of him still felt numb. Maybe the shock of what he'd been through, he wasn't sure. Still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened, he'd kept to himself, staying at a cheap hotel. Jack's funds were getting closer and closer to drying up, though..

Lifting his eyes towards the sky, the tibbit gave a little sigh. He did have one more option available to him, one that he'd rather put off going down. Nervous of what would happen when he eventually did.. What all would he think..? What would he say..?

His eyes lidded, as he took a breath of the crisp winter air, and with a gentle exhale, he took in the park again, pausing at the sight of a couple wandering along the pathway through it, holding hands. His own hand subconsciously turned over as he dropped his gaze to it. He splayed his fingers, recalling the warm touch of the rat's hand on his own, and found himself smiling. Getting to his feet, the tibbit left the paper on the bench, the picture of the fenced off apartment building shown to the world.

The city hadn't changed too much in layout, in the time that he'd been gone. It was certainly a shock, to realize that it'd been a little over a year since.. Jack. Many streets were the same, shop-fronts a little different, but some faces he still recognized in passing. Stopping at the base of a tall, familiar set of apartments, he lifted his gaze. There on the third floor, Mr. Dullich, his pot plants sheltered, but blooming as ever. Above and to the right, the sweet, wizened Ms. Talaoski, wrapped in enough clothing to make her look like a marshmallow, beat dust from one of her rugs. She'd been one of the first on their floor to welcome them to the neighbourhood when they first moved in together.

Slipping into the main foyer, he looked over the register of apartments and names, sighing appreciatively to find the one he was looking for. Typing in the pass-code he remembered, the tibbit was pleased it still worked, as the inner door unlocked with a beep, permitting him into the warm main hall of the apartment proper.

The elevator ride was smooth as he remembered, the carpeting the same drab blue it had ever been, the walls, a polished mirror surface, and the roof, still with that strange stain up on the right corner..

Down the hall, third on the left, he stopped outside the doorway, lifting his hand and hesitating. His mind flashed with memories, the club, his phone, the bridge, the silhouette of the panther as he fell. An anxious air gnawed at his innards, as he recalled his uncertainty.. his mistrust. A small pulse of purpose rose within him. He had to know..

He knocked several times, taking a breath and standing back as he waited. He heard a familiar voice call out, footsteps approaching the doorway. His stomach flitted with butterflies, he could run, never let him know he was back.. The door opened smoothly before he could deliberate within himself. Elias paused, mid greeting with a gasp.

'..Joey..?' The rat murmured, a tone of confusion, of hope, of budding elation. The warmer tone drew the tibbit's eyes, lifting them to the familiar face of his boyfriend. He was just as Joey recalled, still well groomed, whiskers neat.. His hair was longer, he looked a little older, mostly due to the fine amount of stubble he'd grown, kept immaculately trimmed. It suited him.

'H-Hey there.' the tibbit managed, finding a smile on his face. The rat stepped out, throwing his arms about the smaller form, hugging him tight and shaking a little. His hands feeling over the felines form.

'Wh-.. this is-.. I thought-..' Elias murmured as he leaned back, holding the tibbit's shoulders. His gaze over Joey's eyes softened. 'What happened..? Where have you been?' he asked, gently guiding the tibbit into their home, thick tail swaying. With a soft wince, the tibbit felt as though a weight of ice had slipped into his stomach.

'..It's.. a rather long story. I'd.. prefer not to say, for now, at least.' he smiled gently. 'Just that.. I'm back.' Taking in their home, it had changed.. a fresh coat of paint, the furniture had been modestly up-scaled, but it still held the nostalgic scent Joey had always enjoyed about it. He knew it belonged to Elias.

'What about you..? It seems like you've been doing really well, since I've been away.' the tibbit mused, smiling gently. Elias nodded, settling on a couch.

'It took a while to get there, honestly. It was real rough for a while, but it all turned around about six months ago.. Honestly, I think it all changed about the time I told Cindy at work to go and fuck herself.' Elias mused.

'Oh god, her? The one that wanted to rutt anything that moved?' Joey smiled, snickering nostalgically. The rat laughed and nodded keenly. 'Go on! How'd she take that?'

Elias' story continued, Joey prying curiously, able to see easily in his mind, the way things had turned around for his beau. He felt warmer than he remembered being since he woke up. The smile on his face stayed fixed, felt familiar and welcome. He laughed animatedly, earnestly. Elias noted it in the tibbit as well. His eyes, there was a tinge of green, a familiar green, about his pupils. He was sure they'd been solid blue when he'd opened the door.

'So, that's been about the extent of my year, on the upswing.' the rat sighed with a smile, at least a couple hours later. They had shifted from the lounge-room, through to the open kitchen, Joey having prepared some cocoa for them both. Leaned against the bench, and resting side by side, he took a soft sip at his cup, looking Joey over.

'I showed you mine.' The rat gave a soft smile and a gentle bump of his hips. Joey mrewp!'d, mid-sip of his drink, blushing as he swallowed.

'Yes, but like most things, yours is bigger.' the tibbit said, looking aside faintly, chewing his lip a little bit. 'As if that's ever dissuaded you. ..Please?' Elias coaxed, draping his fleshy tail around the tibbit's hip. Joey swallowed faintly, looking to the tail, then up to the rat, mouth opening.

Another noise beat him to the punch: the front door to the apartment unlocking and opening easily. The bundled figure stepping in, shivered slightly, tugging at a beanie and scarf, toeing out of thick winter boots with a groan. It was a painted dog, one that drew the tibbit's eye.

'Oh! I didn't know you had company, babe.' the canine smiled, easing his jacket off and stepping into the kitchen to give Elias' lips a soft peck. Joey felt the smile sliding off his face. 'Name's Mbita. Call me bits.' the canine continued warmly, offering a hand, which the tibbit took, shaking softly. The canine stepped through the other side of the kitchen, and momentarily out of sight.

'..Isn't he that guy from the nightclub?' Joey asked in as close to a conversational tone as he could. Elias' fleshy ears pinkened slightly.

'The very same, yeah.' the rat admitted with a soft sigh, rubbing his neck. 'I thought I mentioned him.. A few months after you vanished, I was at rock-bottom. I dragged myself out to whisper, hoping someone had said something, anything to Jun, and I ran into Bits.. he.. helped me pick the pieces back up.' Joey twitched his tail. That sensation of ice dropping into the pit of his stomach had returned, but not in a fashion of feeling nervous. It was simply dousing something.

'So, my turn.. Oh, yes. Well, rather funny we should talk about the nightclub. You remember that panther you hooked me up with?'

'Yeah.. He said after that night with you, you just up and left. Something about setting out for adventures else-where.' The rat said, rubbing the back of his neck. The iciness in his old partner's attitude was almost palpable.

'..And do you happen, perchance, to recall those last few messages I sent?' Joey coaxed, his tail flicking agitatedly. That sense of purpose had eased, after a fashion, had shifted. Anger seethed beneath his skin. Elias looked very uncomfortable.

'I thought you were just wussing out, like with that stallion.' the rat murmured. Joey's form bristled.

'But rather than actually come to my aid, you sound like you enjoyed your time with spot back there!'

'Mbita, and I did, yes. That was kind of the point, had always been the point!' Elias retorted.

'Well, I'm so glad for you.' Joey gave an empty smile. 'You want to know where I've been for all this time? You wonder why Jun didn't have any information? It might be because that panther you pointed me to, happened to be the most psychotic piece of bastard this side of the trench! I was getting cold feet, yes! And I'd say for good reason. When he was getting his jollies, beating the shit out of me, seeing how loud he could make me scream on that bridge in who knows where, where were you?' The tibbit's voice was smooth, low and cold, as the anger under his fur burned white-hot.

'When he was holding me out over the water, when I couldn't think, or feel any more, were you enjoying yourself?'

Elias stood stunned as the tibbit berated him. He'd never heard the tone of voice in the feline, before. The fury was visible, as just a shadow on his face. The air in the kitchen was cold, and not just in his mind as a sense of shame. 'You left me.' Joey uttered in almost a whisper, a fist curled, while the other hand pointed at the rodent. He didn't need a blade of ice to cut the rat.

'You mocked me, when I needed you. He destroyed me..!' Joey's form shook, trying to keep the anger contained, watching Elias' face hanging, his form sagging a little with realization. 'He threw me out into that ice water.. cast me aside, like garbage. Just like you did.'

His tone was almost a growl, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the rodent. It was like staring at a stranger, an ignorant, worthless stranger. A stranger that he hated.

Elias lifted his gaze, as the tibbit's words abated. The chilling words lingered, but he lifted his hands, gently grasping his arms about the smaller form, to pull him in against his form.

'Joey.. I'm sorry..! I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know..! I never cast you aside, I never meant to abandon you. If I'd known, I'd have been there in an instant, I swear! I loved you. ..I still love you.' He murmured softly, easing a hand about, gently nudging the tibbit's chin up, to lean his lips into Joey's.

The tibbit tensed, his anger still thrumming, burning in his chest. He didn't shy away from the kiss. Rather, he pressed into it, tail giving another twitch and flick. Elias' eyes widened a little. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. He was getting colder, and colder. The rat felt it spread, from his very core, outwards. The sound of creeping frost, of ice rapidly crystallizing, cracking in comparison to the heat of the apartment.

Mbita had hurried back from getting changed, at the odd sound of hushed voices. Daring to peek his head in, as it had apparently stopped, he staggered back with a whimpered 'No..!'

Joey leaned back slowly, his tongue passing over his lips as he regarded the frozen rat, eyes their steely blue once more, impassive for the statue's glittering form. They passed for a moment over Mbita's terrified face.

'..See, that's the thing, Elias. ..I don't.' Joey murmured, giving the frozen rodent's chest a simple push with a finger. Turning, with that anger somewhat quelled and curiously replaced with that almost soothing sensation of contentment, he stepped from the kitchen, from the apartment, as the sound of something heavy, crashed to the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces.

--Fin.