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Savannah Central - The Red Lion Apartment Suites - Forest Penthouse Suite - Den 23A Tuesday - 05:58 AM - Overcast Skies / Light Sprinkles

The stifling incense permeating the air was blocking her senses, creating a fog that clouded her mind and suppressed her unbridled panic at being in this place. She could hear the chanting down the dark stairs, lit only by candlelight. Her mother was roughly pushing her down the steps, nearly tripping her several times. She reached the bottom and continued to nervously hold the candle she was forced to carry herself, taking extra care not to let it go out for fear of having them punish her again.

A paw tightly gripped her shoulder and she was abruptly turned into a large basement room where the source of the incantations was originating. Multiple mammals of varying shapes, covered from head to toe in black robes, stood in a circle around a central altar built from wood. Each one was holding their own light and continuing the droning as they brought her to the forefront of the group. She was smaller than most of the participants here, being a young pup herself.

The group parted way for her and her mother, revealing a small wolf pup roped down to the legs underneath the table, struggling to free himself, but to no avail. Her heart wanted to go out to her brother and tell him it would be all right, but she was kept rooted to the spot by the firm hand of their mother. A larger canine stepped forward from the rest and the chanting ceased as the two pups stared at each other in petrified terror.

"May the ceremony commence my brethren." The deep voice resounded, pointing first to the fox next to him.

"Mommy?" The female pup quivered. "What is he going to do to him?"

Her question was greeted by silence. Her eyes were rapt on the figure before her as the fox split his robe open to reveal his form. The pup's eyes grew wide as she saw what was about to happen. She screamed and cried in unison with her brother as each mammal in the group took turns. She twisted and writhed in her mother's grasp, requiring an additional set of paws to keep her in place as her heart yearned to be with her brother. At long last it was finally over, both siblings crying together in their separate places.

The larger wolf signaled his mother to move the young female forward. "My dear." He intoned gruffly. "You may baptize your brother in the holy water that bonds this covenant together."

Sniffling, she looked up to the wolf and then back to her mother who stood expressionless, giving her nothing but a nod to continue. She hesitantly padded over to her brother, taking a shaking paw into her own, their tears melding together. "It's okay little brother. I'm here now. I'm going to wash your wounds and make it all better." She lowered her voice so that only he could hear her, his eyes focused solely on hers. "And we're going to run away from this place, just you and me."

Taking the proffered container of water, she began pouring it over him. Her nose became irritated as she was halfway done with pouring the liquid onto her brother. It was more viscous than water, and it had a pungent odor. She had halted the pouring when a paw tipped hers and sloshed the remainder all over him. Taking her firmly by the arm, her mother pulled her back into the circle of mammals.

"Mom!" She whined. "That isn't water! What are we doing? Let him go!"

Without a second to prepare herself, the lead wolf threw a lit match onto her brother. Her blood-curdling wail pierced the night as Murana rose up screeching from her bed, Anthony being thrown off the mattress as Trevor and Zoey burst into the room at her awakening. She was frantically thrashing through the bed sheets, getting further tangled up in them as she was screaming for them to get off of her.

Anthony was upon her in a second, grasping for her shoulders to shake her awake, deftly avoiding her claws as she swiped about trying to attack anything that drew near. "Baby! It's me! Anthony! Murana, wake up!" He shook her vigorously.

Her eyes snapped open, seeing nothing but a male wolf looking down at her, a mixture of concern and determination in his eyes. She snarled loudly before thrusting him off of her and pouncing on him, her claws trying to maul his face. It took all of Trevor's strength to hold Murana back from killing her husband. Zoey scrambled up Trevor's leg and arm before leaping onto Murana's shoulder and smacking her hard in the muzzle. It seemed to work, as her focus shifted to the tiny mongoose, and the haze of murderous intent left her eyes.

"Murana!" Zoey chastised, "Get your shit together!" She propped her fists on her hips, looking rather perturbed at the wolf for having disrupted her beauty sleep atop her hunky Trevor.

Murana immediately sagged in Trevor's arms as she was taken to the bed to lie down, a massive headache suddenly springing to life in her skull. The wounds from the night before began to flare up with a vengeance as she began to moan in agony at the throbbing pain coursing through her body. She rolled over onto the bed to bury her face into her pillow, wanting nothing more than to sleep the rest of the day away. Her day was not so kind.

Climbing back up onto the bed from the floor, Anthony put a comforting arm around her waist, scooting in a bit to better spoon her side as he whispered lovingly, "Another bad dream again, hun?"

She shook her head into the pillow, "They're getting worse."

His expression looked pained; he felt useless and unable to help his wife. "I could talk with the chief and see if he could let you come in and talk to our counselor. They do have a family and friends program we could use."

Murana moved her head slightly so she could be heard better, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. It's just a dream after all."

"Yes, but it's not going away..." He then noticed her wincing as he slid his paw up and down her ribs. "Babe, you hurt? Was I too rough with you last night?"

Not wanting to shift onto her back and reveal the stomach lacerations from Javier, she raised her snout just above the pillow, "Nothing that won't heal by the end of the day." She did her best to grin at him, fighting back the urge to leap away from him as he continued to apply pressure to her back.

He looked up from her, satisfied that she was at least okay, and noticed their two friends stark naked beside the bed staring at them. He waved a paw off in their direction, "Go on, get dressed you freaks!" They both smirked as they saluted, Zoey hopping into Trevor's arms and allowing him to carry her out of the room. Anthony called out to them with sincerity as they passed the threshold, "Thanks again guys for helping me with her."

"No problem!" Trevor shouted back.

"Think you'll make it through the day today, Murana?" He expressed genuinely, switching to her formal name for once, which caught her attention immediately.

She held his gaze, "Yeah, I'll be all right."

Consternation developed on his muzzle as he regarded her, "I really wish you would open up to me. I'm your husband. That's what I'm here for." He gave her the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

She snickered into the pillow at his attempt at giving light to the serious situation. "You goof..." She looked over her shoulder at the door where her friend Zoey had departed. "Is it too much to ask for you to brew me up some coffee? That might make me feel better."

His laidback demeanor returning, Anthony slapped a paw on her ass, giving a nice squeeze to the base of her tail. Oblivious to her grimace at the pain he had caused, he hooted, "Of course babe!" He gave her a wiggle of his brow and a knowing look, "Maybe some white chocolate macadamia?"

She couldn't help but share his mirth at his eagerness to get back into the sack with her before the day had even begun. She pushed him by the muzzle away from her, "Get out you big lug and go make my coffee!"

Anthony chuckled as he bounced off the bed and walked over to their bamboo closet, shifting the curtain aside to pick out his uniform for the day. He sniffed a few times before remarking, "Hey honey, did you forget to spray in the bathroom last night? It smells really bad over here."

Her head shot up from the pillow. She gawked over at him to see him exploring the closet with his nose. A small bubble of panic formed in her gut that he'd find her suit. She belted out a bit more forcefully than she would have liked, "I'm sorry! I completely forgot to do it last night. It was late and I just wanted to get some sleep. I'll take care of it before I leave."

Wrinkling his nose, he shook his head. "That's gross, honey." He turned back to his uniforms and had a paw hovering over one of his casual t-shirts. After a moment to think, he moved to his formal blouses and pulled one out, thinking it was probably best to look professional for his wife like she had asked.

Murana could hear the shuffling of her friends out in the den getting dressed and hopefully cleaning up their own mess. Limping over to the closet herself, she put on a fresh set of garments and a loose fitting suit that would lay easier on her fur so as to not aggravate the injuries. Confident that she looked presentable, she did her best to stand tall as she swept into the main living space.

Trevor was already tightening the buckle on his pants before flipping a jacket over his arms and pulling them through in one smooth motion. "Well Tony, I'll be heading into work in a half hour after I get washed up at home. See you in the station later." He cast a glance at the still naked mongoose, who was leering at him the entire time he got dressed. "You got my number?" She nodded leisurely, prompting a sheepish grin from the wolf as the other two stared at this exchange. "Call me."

With an abrupt straightening of posture, he saw his way out, letting the penthouse door close gently behind him. Murana walked past Zoey, giving her a small whap on the back of her head, "Would you please get some clothes on? My husband is in the room." She gestured curtly to the mongoose's lower section.

The unflappable mongoose let out a raspberry as she hopped down from the coffee table to scrounge around the apartment floor to find the various articles of clothing that got thrown off in the turmoil from the previous night. "Right, like he hasn't seen plenty of those already." She snarked, picking up her sweatpants that had amazingly cleared the entire room.

Dismissing Zoey, Murana turned to Anthony, who had just delivered a steaming mug of coffee directly into her paws. She accepted a small peck on the cheek from him as he went about putting on the remainder of his uniform. He had just left their bedroom a second time when she noted his nose sniffing in irritation. "Honey, did you spray Steven's scent in our bathroom?"

Feigning any knowledge of that, "I have no idea what you are talking about, dear." She brought the mug to her lips and drank some of the rejuvenating liquid.

With sudden anger, he stabbed a finger at her, "You're lying! I knew I recognized that scent! Was Steven here last night?" He began looking around the apartment trying to see if he was hiding anywhere. "You know how I hate him sleeping around my feet!" He gave an involuntary shudder. "His little rodent fingers and nose touching and sniffing my paws, it's creepy! I don't know how you can stand it! Is there even a reason he does that?"

A loud bang echoed across the room, the sound of a coffee mug slamming onto the kitchen counter. Zoey paused in mid-dress, poking an eye out over the collar of the shirt she was yanking onto herself.

With arms crossed and tail swishing in agitation, Murana rebuked immediately, "He is not a rodent; he is my son. The only reason I made him leave our home was to honor you as my husband and your request to have space to ourselves being that he was old enough to live on his own. If I had a say, he would still be here with us, sleeping at our feet and taking comfort in the fact that he is loved and wanted here."

He barked a laugh, rising to the occasion of her ire, "He's not even your real son! He's just some stinky skunk you picked up from a musk mill that you couldn't find the parents for!"

She slammed a paw onto the counter, "I don't care if he's not mine by blood. I paid for the paperwork and I raised him for the last ten years of my life when no one else wanted him!"

Anthony threw his paws up, "He's been nothing but a hassle since I married you. He stinks up the apartment on a whim, hogs you all to himself and gives me these little death glares every time I'm around him. Even my colleagues at work make fun of me that I have a skunk son."

"So you're embarrassed to have him as your child." She responded with ice in her voice. "You're embarrassed to be married to a wolf that has a skunk for a son. You are embarrassed of me."

He slapped a paw to his head, growling in frustration. "That's not what I meant!"

Murana's tail stopped moving, "So what exactly did you mean, Anthony? That you don't approve of your wife and her choices with whom she chooses to adopt? You were his father for the short amount of time he was here in our home when you married me. You should have gone to him and bonded to him in a way I never could have. Instead, you chose to be immature and childish about it and took offense to his very existence here. Now he doesn't even care who you are anymore."

Anthony slouched on the backing of the couch, looking defeated. "Murana, I'm sorry. I feel we got off on the wrong foot here."

"You think?!" She snapped.

Holding a paw out to her in surrender, he pleaded, "Look, I just felt crowded from day one with that skunk. All that time dating you, I never felt there was anyone else in the world but me to you. The moment we got married, I realized how wrong I was. I feel like I'm second wheel to you two and like I'm fighting just to win your affections."

Steven probably doesn't think so right now, Murana thought. Dashing the memory away, she refocused on Anthony, "You don't have to fight for anything. I agreed with you and deferred to your authority by convincing Steven to move out. What would have helped prior was your willingness to love him as you love me."

Getting a bit perturbed that it all came back to that skunk, he glared at her, "Look, I know you are sad about not having him around anymore, but we're going to get a new cub in the house now. We both know we've been trying hard these past few months to make a baby. I'm excited to bring a new life of our own to-"

"I'm barren." Murana said flatly, drawing a blank stare from Anthony. Without waiting for a response, she pressed on, "The doctor told me months ago. I cannot bear children."

It took him nearly a minute to process, his mouth hanging partially open. "Was it...because of the abuse you've told me about?" He ventured a guess, still in shock at what he had just learned. He knew very little of what had happened to her when she was a cub, but never could get the whole story out of her. Starting to get a bit angry over being denied this revelation, his voice rose, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Does it really matter now? Even if I could conceive, how could I truly trust you'd love this cub any better than you did Steven?" She shot back, her expression cold.

The gravity of the situation hit him like a sledgehammer in the chest, forcing him to catch his breath. "You mean we'll never have any children?" The thought of that skunk being the only thing to carry on his name seemed laughable, ridiculous. Why was this happening to him?

Not caring at this point what her husband thought, she dropped the next bomb. "Oh, we will. Whether you are here to be a father or not to them is debatable. I've been to Tail Hollow Orphanage several times now and I believe I've found my second son. A raccoon named Max."

Anthony curled his nose in disgust, "Another freaking rodent? What is it with you and these mammals? Why can't we just adopt a wolf cub like a normal-"

He had no time to react as she closed the distance and slapped him hard across the side of his face. "Max is not some rodent trash! He isn't even a rodent! If you won't support me in helping young, troubled boys live and grow in a happy home, then I don't need you here."

His eyes bored daggers into her own, but she did not relent. At length, he got up from the couch without a word, grabbed his patrol cap gracelessly and stormed out the door, making sure it slammed hard on its hinges, rattling the entire room. Murana didn't even bother to turn around to see him leave, she was so agitated and distraught at what had just transpired that she couldn't bear to think about anything else but calming her own breathing.

A small movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to leap over the couch, using a paw to assist her across its width. She landed mere feet away from Zoey, who had an odd look of both surprise and disappointment. "Zoey?" Murana exhaled, withdrawing her claws. "I thought you had already left!"

"And I thought my best friend wasn't the Dark Flame Wolf!" The mongoose riposted, hands on her tiny hips.

Flustered at the sudden shift in topic, Murana had to take a few mental steps back to process just what she was being accused of. "I'm sorry?" She asked at last, trying to give herself time to come up with a suitable explanation.

Cocking her head at Murana, Zoey accused, "Yeah, don't think I didn't wake up to see you all dressed up in some crazy costume bringing in some of the worst stench I had ever smelt in my entire life! I had heard reports for years about some crazy nighttime vigilante going bat-shit crazy and burning people left and right, and this entire time it was my best friend who couldn't even bother to tell me it was her! Looks like Anthony isn't the only one being lied to here."

Heart skipping several beats, Murana wasn't sure how much Zoey was willing to compromise, given their long friendship together. She could technically turn her in, knowing who she was, and that would be the end of her free life in Zootopia. Hoping that cooler heads would prevail, she relaxed and stood up a bit taller. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to get anyone involved in my nighttime ventures. If I was ever caught and my connections with my family and friends were traced back, they could have legitimate plausible deniability of my actions."

"I get that, you idiot!" The mongoose marched straight up to Murana and smacked her across the shin, drawing a small growl. "What I'm trying to say is I don't give a donkey's ass about them coming after me to interrogate me about you. I'd lie through my teeth if I had to. I'm more appalled that my best friend is burning mammals to a crisp, even if they did deserve it!"

Murana looked away angrily, "They did deserve it!" After a pointed look from Zoey, she rumbled, "You wouldn't understand!"

Raising both hands in mock surrender, Zoey chided, "Fine, it's none of my business how you get off these days. You want to burn people for shits and giggles, be my guest. Just don't expect me to have your back when all you do is go around and murder people. Burning them alive? Even I'm not that cruel!"

The large wolf scowled at the tiny mongoose, "That's not how I operate! You know what? I don't even know why I'm having this conversation with you. I need to get ready for work."

"Fine! Run away with your tail between your legs! Doesn't change the fact you have been lying to me for years now!" Zoey yelled, hopping up onto the couch and then onto its backing to get onto a higher level with the retreating wolf. She jabbed a finger at Murana, "I mean, I know I'd tell you if I had anything crazy going on in my life like that! We've known each other for what? Twelve years now? Heck, we even shared a few mammals between us!"

Murana gritted her teeth as she gripped her keys from the counter dish hard enough to draw blood in her paws, "I was a different wolf back then. That isn't me now."

"Clearly!" Zoey huffed. "Where is that fun Murana I knew and loved? Clearly not standing here before me! All I see is a cowering liar and murderer who hides things from those she supposedly trusts the most."

"Get out." The words came before the thought was processed, but the intent was clear.

"I wish I could say you better be glad we are friends, but I can't." Zoey sulked, sliding off the backside of the couch before climbing up a nightstand to the glass door opening to her small apartment suite. "I may not have the heart to forgive you for this."

Although the mongoose wanted to slam the barrier door connecting their two spaces, she closed the glass lightly and clicked the lock. Without knowing why, Murana was already heaving from anger, rage, despair and resentment. She didn't really know how she felt. Her own friend just denounced her, and her husband left on a bad note. It felt like everything was falling apart around her and she was being abandoned yet again.

She collapsed to her knees and wept.

---

Savannah Central - Snarlbucks - On the Corner of Screech Ave. and Pride St. Tuesday - 07:00 AM - Overcast Skies / Slight Rain

Murana struggled hard against the flow of tears that threatened to erupt at any moment. Realizing that her eyes were probably bloodshot from the flood this morning, she avoided looking at any mammal directly as she subconsciously wove through the streets and alley shortcuts to get to her favorite café place. The thought at the forefront of her mind was that somehow just seeing Steven would make it all better, that seeing his smiling face and him calling her mom would alleviate the entire morning's pain.

Excusing herself as she sidled past a few customers in line going out the door, she strode into the shop, her eyes surveying the booths. Landing on their familiar spot, her heart danced unsettlingly at it being empty. There were no cups of coffee ready to drink, no backpack and no skunk. It was simply empty; immediately filled by several hippos who stared at her oddly as she gawked at their new seating arrangements.

She scanned the entire café in hopes she could spy some hint of black and white, her eyes settling on a very luscious tail that looked and smelled oddly familiar. Pacing over, she faltered a few steps closer when the skunk turned around and it was female. After a moment and a head tilt, she recognized the skunk as the same girl she had asked to keep Steven company the previous morning, complete with a belly-showing top and scratched-up jeans.

Noticing Murana staring at her, the skunk stopped in her tracks, having finished doctoring up her drink at the small sidebar. "Hello...may I help you?"

The shock of Steven not being there for her today was beginning to tear at her sense of reality. Too many things were unraveling and she was instantly reminded of his note that she had taken yesterday despite his misgivings of even offering it to her. Closing her eyes in regret, she recalled what it said, that he would not be here had she taken the note. Grief was threatening to overtake her.

Seeing that something was clearly wrong, the skunk took another step forward, extending a paw to see if the wolf was alright. "I'm sorry, are you okay, ma'am?" Recognition dawned on her face as she remembered her. "Ma'am? Are you the one with the skunk for a son from yesterday?"

Fighting back the tears aggressively trying to overwhelm her, she sniffed and did a curt nod at the skunk. "Yes, I am."

The polecat's paw immediately shot forward, surprising Murana in its unexpectedness. "The name is Courtney! It's a pleasure to meet the mother of such a wonderful son. I'm even more awed by the fact you decided to choose a skunk of all mammals to adopt as your son. It makes me even more interested in getting to know him better now!"

A bit taken aback by the extreme praise, Murana cautiously extended her paw and shook Courtney's. "Why would that be hard to believe that I would adopt a skunk?" Having lived with Steven for years, she had barely given it a second thought that it would be odd to others that she had a skunk for a son. She loved him for who he was, not what he was.

Courtney's eyes bulged at Murana's response, "Are you kidding? How long have you lived in Zootopia?" She immediately caught herself, suddenly realizing she had spoken a bit too loudly as several patrons turned their eyes onto them. Lowering a few octaves, she spoke a bit normally, "Sorry, I guess I got a bit excited there." She gave a bit of a giggled snort before continuing, "I guess I was just surprised that you asked me to talk to your son and it was another one of my kind."

She cocked an eyebrow at the flattering polecat. "One of your kind? Why would that make a difference?"

Courtney shook her head, almost blushing, "Nothing. I'm sorry...guess I'm just stumbling over myself. You must be a cool mom to be a proud parent to Steven." The name left her lips like a lovesick puppy on the summer's breeze. She had gotten his name out of him on their first meeting yesterday morning and she had been thinking about him all that day.

"Yes...yes, I am." Murana managed to utter, regaining her composure. She turned to look around again after releasing Courtney's paw. Have you seen him this morning by chance? I was expecting him to meet me here." She didn't want to seem desperate in finding her son, so she tried her best to appear nonchalant about Steven's disappearance.

Not to appear rude to the mother of her potential future husband, Courtney turned to the side to take a small sip of her coffee, nodding her head briefly as she confirmed its taste and quality before rotating back to Murana. "Yeah...I was kinda hoping to meet him here again myself. I'm probably just as disappointed as you were when I found out he wasn't here. Last I saw him he was on his way to work, the Zootopia News Network building."

Murana's brow rose as she shot a look at the skunk, "Impressive. You already know him by name, know where he works and probably got his phone number too."

A slight flush hit Courtney's cheeks as she glanced away with embarrassment, taking another sip from her coffee. "Possibly."

Murana had to shake her head with admiration at this determined skunk. When she had tagged her to go talk to Steven the day prior, she hadn't meant for the poor girl to fall head over heels for him. Yes, it was true she was trying to get him out of his comfort zone and find a girlfriend and potentially settle down for a family of his own, she just didn't realize she might have picked a real go-getter this time.

Courtney's eyes shifted back to wolf, "Look, I really appreciate you introducing us. He is a sweet guy and now that I've seen what a lovely wolf he has for a mother, I'm more excited than ever to become a part of his life!" Her eyes flashed with a glint of longing, her thoughts distant at the remembrance of her meeting with Steven.

"Thank...you..." Murana accepted haltingly, now unsure if this particular skunk was the right one for her son.

Courtney seemed a bit on the aggressive side with potential clingy, stalker tendencies. She barely met the girl and the vibe was strong with this one. She had little time to ponder the thought when her ears perked up at the sound of two voices entering the café. Swiveling to the entrance, she spied her husband Anthony entering the line with a fox that looked vaguely familiar.

Murana's ears flattened as her eyes narrowed to slits. This was the last place she wanted to meet her husband right now, let alone that fox buddy of his whom she now recognized as the one from the previous night's escapades. Knowing it wouldn't be long before she was either spotted or smelled, she had to excuse herself quickly from the chatty skunk before her. It already seemed to be an impossible task to get her to shut up.

"...So, I was very ecstatic when he handed me his number, just like that!" She tittered again, plowing on as if Murana's attention was still focused solely on her. "I mean, sure, I thought it was quite forward of him to just give me his number, but who was I to argue, right? Uh...ma'am?" She looked at Murana quizzically as she began to notice her increasing lack of interest.

Raising her ears to appear less aggressive, Murana shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm sorry, umm...Courtney, was it? Something just came up and I really need to get going. Work related duties and all that."

Courtney made a brush through the air with a paw as if she was in complete comprehension, "Of course! Of course! How silly of me. I should have known better, you are quite the busy wolf. What, with being the CEO of Lemming Brothers Bank and all."

Freaking hell! Murana swore internally. Was there nothing that Steven didn't tell her?! This skunk could be an excellent interrogator without even trying. Dropping all sense of etiquette, she turned on a heel and began threading through the crowd of patrons, taking a circuitous route through the store to avoid coming within paces of her husband and his friend.

"Well, well, well!" Came a snarky voice, filled with mirth. "Anthony, I do believe I have spotted your better half!"

Anthony growled as he glared at Nick Wilde, who seemed nonplussed at the aggression. "Really? I don't see her anywhere." He lied, trying his best to avoid another confrontation.

"She certainly looks better than you." The fox ribbed, smacking Anthony's arm with the back of a paw as he laughed heartily at his own humor. His audience was not amused. "Seriously though, you been lying to the department doctor again about your eyesight? You know that's a retireable offense." Seeing as he was not going to get any further with him, Nick turned and waved down Murana as she was flitting past several hippos. "Mrs. Wolford! Hey! Hello! Yes you, the insanely smelly wolf in the back!"

"Nick...!" Anthony warned, but it was too late. He could see his wife's eyes close in frustration as she turned to them. The encounter was inevitable now.

"Are you sure you're not smelling yourself?" She said coolly, crossing her arms as she strode up to the two of them, looking down her snout at the cheeky vulpine.

"My lady," He began with faux offense, "I would not dream of going to work smelling of..." He began sniffing the air a bit around her. "...essence of skunk." His nose twitched as the scent triggered a recent memory. Before he had a chance to act on it, Anthony pushed him aside.

"Stop smelling my wife! That's not cool!" He chastised. "That's personal!"

Nick shrugged his shoulders as he backed off. "I'm only smelling the front end, besides, I got the impression you didn't seem to care much about her this morning."

"I'm sure he doesn't." Murana piggybacked, her gaze now shifting over to her husband.

"Lay off, will ya?" He scowled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear." A small finger followed swiftly by a paw rose up between them as Courtney inserted herself into their conversation. Immediately that paw began to pump Anthony's vigorously. "I heard you are Steven's dad now? Two wolves adopting a skunk! This is even more amazing than one!"

"Congratulations, Dad." Nick teased. "I'm sure she'll be an excellent addition to your wonderful family. May she be fruitful and provide many skunk grandkids for you two!"

Anthony violently ripped his paw away from hers, eliciting a bit of a shocked cry from Courtney as Murana gripped her firmly by the shoulder and moved her to the side behind her. "Alright, I think I'm just about done here. If you are that adamant about my decisions and whom I choose to love and bring into our home as our children, then maybe it's best if you don't come home at all tonight."

Nick's grin faded instantly as he saw that the situation was more dire than he had assessed. "Anthony, I may not be an expert in relationships, but now would be the point where you'd grovel."

Ignoring the sputtering of her inept husband, her ears perked up as her attention was diverted to the news broadcast happening on the television perched just above the small bay windowed seating area overlooking the street. On the screen were firefighters putting out massive flames as pieces of a building structure collapsed in on itself. Multiple mammals huddling together as they staggered out of the entrance, covered in soot and grime.

The familiar leopard anchor, Fabienne, was reporting live from the scene, "...And as you can see, we have yet another orphanage devastated by these electrical storms. You can see behind me children and caretakers being evacuated from what was once Pale Moon Orphanage right here in Tundra Town. As of yet, they have not accounted for all the young tenants of this once prestigious establishment."

"I have to go." Murana said abruptly. "I'm late for work." She absently excused herself, promptly leaving the three of them in her wake as she unceremoniously left them awkwardly standing together staring at each other.

"I can see where Steven gets his temper." Courtney mused, looking at Anthony.

"That would explain her perfume today." Nick commented, looking at Courtney.

"I'm going to be sick." Anthony grimaced, looking at neither of them.

Not bothering to hear any further remarks, Murana was already out the door and on the streets. Dodging and weaving with the best of commuters on their way to work, her sights set solely on the ZNN tower several blocks ahead, past the ZPD station. Taking the more congested areas would probably take her up to half an hour, but knowing the alleys like the back of her paw, she could probably reach ZNN that way in half the time. Confirming her course of action, she dipped past an oblivious porcupine couple and down a rather grimy backstreet seemingly crushed between two buildings as if it was an afterthought.

She was nearly there until her eyes met what her nose perceived several seconds prior: three badgers bunched over what appeared to be a purse they no doubt mugged from some poor, unsuspecting victim. One of them spotted her and immediately called out to his brethren. She was already midway down the alley. Judging from their size, they could close the distance before she could get back to the main thoroughfare. She was locked into this altercation. Steeling herself against them, she stood tall with her legs spread firm.

"Oy! Hey there, little lady! What brings you to this part of town?" The center badger drawled with a thick accent, the other two fanning out to the sides past the nearby dumpster to close off her flank.

Murana snorted as she saw the diminutive mammals. Although they were nowhere near her height, she knew she couldn't underestimate them. Badgers could be quite vicious. "I don't think the word 'little' means what you think it means." Murana retorted; crossing her arms as she casually assessed the situation.

"Are you scared?" The badger on the right threatened, trying to appear larger than he was.

"Hardly." Murana answered truthfully. She was already figuring out a game plan in her head.

"Looks like we got a cocky one here, guys!" The one on the left sniggered, a knife already being brandished. "So, what you got for us? With your finely pressed outfit, I bet you must be carrying all sorts of cash and jewelry! Come on, cough them up and we won't hurt you...much!"

The center one eyed her up and down, tinkering with a tooth with his blade, a glint in his eye. "Unless you have some other form of payment for us to take." He leered.

Murana sneered, her lip raising to reveal her row of teeth. What disgusting vermin. "That'll be the day. Come claim it if you feel male enough to take it." She boasted, a hind paw sliding back a small distance, in preparation for their first move.

The right one bristled at this and snarled. "Get her, guys!"

Sliding her paw the remaining distance, she dropped to a knee, surprising the leaping badger as he sailed over her back. She immediately flipped around, snagging the unfortunate critter's tail in midair, claws digging in violently. Flouting his yelp of pain, she pivoted on her knee, leaning to the side to avoid a swipe from the left badger and his knife. Completing the movement, she slapped the first badger with his buddy, barreling him over onto his rump.

Flinging the brock like a sack of trash, the small body hit the nearby dumpster lid with a grunt. It rebounded and landed in the bags of refuse inside, the lid jarred from its open position, slamming shut with a clang. Her paw reaching deep into her suit pants, she slit open the interior lining with a claw before pulling out two kunai that were fastened inside the seams. With the two of them flipped up between two of her fingers, she dove back into the fray.

The previous badger who had brandished his knife was already upon her as she slammed her fist into his muzzle, the sharp blades sinking in like slicing butter. Blood spurted as he cried in agony before being lifted up by his head and smashed down on the other side of Murana. She cried out in pain at the stretch she had to do to flip him over, her stomach lacerations reopening in the process.

She had finished kicking the now immobile corpse of her kunai as the final badger slashed savagely at her face, as she crouched to recover from her wounds. He had nicked her nose and crimson sprayed on the street. She howled in fury as she dug her blades upwards deep into his skull, bypassing the lower jaw bone. His eyes rolled up into his head as she screamed in rage at him, pulling the weapons out, taking care to wipe them clean on their dingy clothes.

The brock left standing in the dumpster peeked out, his eyes bulging at the brutal scene before him. She barked at him, "You better sit your pretty ass down in that trash where you belong if you want to live."

This prompted an abrupt bang as he dropped the lid back onto himself. Murana cursed her luck as she felt something wet oozing from her stomach. She exerted herself a bit too hard. Maybe saving time getting to ZNN wasn't such a good idea after all, but she needed to see her son. Limping now from the reopening of all her pain receptors, she whined all the way to her son's place of work, taking care to hide the kunai and not appear as if she didn't just get assaulted.