{"sf1_id":1453698,"sf2_id":"rn9q032n","title":"This Forsaken World Episode 12","author":"Mantrid_Brizon","words":4390,"posted_at":"2019-05-29T07:24:47.000Z","tags":["Action","Adventure","Anger","Anthro","Bad Language","Battle","Blood","Bondage","Canine","Cat","Comedy","Dark","Dog","Drama","Explicit","Feline","Female","Fight","Fighting","Fox","Furry","Future","Gun","Human","Love","Male","Pain","Pistol","Post-Apocalyptic","Red Fox","Romance","Ropes","Series","Story","Story Series","Tiger","Tigress","Violence","Violence (Not In Yiff)","White Tiger","Wolf","firearm","whip"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1453698-this-forsaken-world-episode-12","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rn9q032n","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/d7/02/d70227b4-c3f0-4246-8992-baad3e205af1","description":"Episode 12: Rodge and his scouts interrogate Grey, but they aren't pleased with the results, and Grey isn't pleased with them either. April, Augustine and Tyson also make appearances in this action-packed episode!","content":"This Forsaken World\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nBy Mantrid Brizon\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nEpisode Twelve: Nemesis\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Hey, wake up.\"\n\n“Is he dead?\"\n\n“He can't be dead; his chest is moving, you idiot.\"\n\n“It's just that he looks kind of dead.\"\n\n“Yeah, he's really pale.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nGrey's head shifts, rolling from the hard bark of the tree as a clawed hand grips his shoulder and shakes him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Wake up!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSlowly opening his eyes, Grey blinks several times before shifting his attention toward the hand. Clutching his shoulder, the black furred appendage, attached to a muscular arm, pulls away.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“There he is!\" Kane exclaims.\n\n“Hey. Sleep well?\" Rodge asks, kneeling down beside him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nGrey rests his head against the tree, still bound with ropes to the trunk. He can't help but remember how he and Monica had interacted, after he tied her to a tree much like this one. Sitting in utter silence, Rodge's eyes scan his prisoner. He silently chuckles at the man's resilience.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Still not talking, huh...\" Rodge sighs.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSmacking Grey hard with the back of his hand, Kane, Damian and the other scouts snicker. Standing around the bloodied human, they watch as Rodge strikes him again. With dried blood crusting around Grey's nostrils, split lip and several superficial cuts on his face, he'd already suffered a beating for his lack of communication. As further punishment for refusing to answer, they left him in only his jeans and soaked boots, withholding a blanket and keeping the fire just out of reach; the cold of the night nearly brought Grey hypothermia. The younger, dark-skinned human grabs Grey's face, violently yanking his head and forcing him to look at him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“That's really fucking impolite!\" Rodge growls. “You didn't speak a word yesterday, and I was very generous; I didn't even let them use any tools on you. We're going to try this again... Did you sleep well?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nGrey stares at Rodge, remaining silent. Rolling his eyes, Rodge suddenly forces his jaw open.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“There's a tongue in there. Are you retarded, or do you like pissing me off?\"\n\n“Maybe he's one of Mama Fi's boys?\" Damian suggests.\n\n“Well, then we'll really need to get rid of him.\" Kane remarks.\n\n“Why's that?\" Damian turns to him.\n\n“Think about it. We catch one of them, tie him up, beat him and leave him out all night. If we let him go, or worse, take him back to Searchlight and then the boss lets him go, what do you think he'll say when he gets home to his hillbilly family?\"\n\n“Damn...\"\n\n“Yeah! Sounds like a war to me! I saw we drown him right now, just in case. Make it look like an accident, in case people are looking for him.\" Kane poses.\n\n“No, no, no, no, no.\" Rodge swiftly replies, a sinister grin on his face. “I think there's more to this guy; he's not one of those inbred freaks.\"\n\n“How can you be sure?\" Damian asks.\n\n“Did any of you see one human among them?\" He looks back at his men.\n\n“Oh...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLooking back at Grey, Rodge continues to hold his chin firmly with one hand. With his other hand, he takes his knife from the sheath on his belt and waves the blade before Grey's face. With the spine against his skin, Rodge slides the sharp tip along the side of his nose, over his cheek and toward his neck, taunting him with the deadly steel.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“One last time, and then I'll start taking body parts.\" Rodge suddenly points the knife at one of Grey's eyes. “Did you sleep well?!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLooking up at the blade, Grey can see the cruelty in Rodge's wicked smile. Not only will he do it, but he'll enjoy every cruel second of it. Sighing and closing his eyes, Grey realizes that his death won't be swift and painless, as he'd hoped; resisting will only make him suffer further.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“... No... Next time, find a softer tree.\"\n\n“Well, what do you know!\" Damian exclaims.\n\n“I guess he's not retarded, just an idiot.\" Kane smirks.\n\n“I have to give you credit, mister. Most people would've answered us the second they saw us, but you... You just had to push it, didn't you?\"\n\n“Who are you?\" Damian asks.\n\n“I'm nobody.\" Grey murmurs.\n\n“You got that right.\" Kane chuckles.\n\n“Do you have a name?\" Rodge asks, sheathing his knife.\n\n“I'm known as 'Grey'.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nRodge's expression swiftly changes. Shooting up from the ground, he looks down at Grey, tied to the tree and with his eyes still closed. Could this be the same man that he'd overheard April mention before, months ago?\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“That's a dumb name.\" Kane laughs.\n\n“Says the guy named after an old person's walking stick.\" Damian quips.\n\n“Fuck you.\"\n\n“You'd like that wouldn't you?\" Damian teases.\n\n“Watch your mouth, unless you want to lose your teeth!\" Kane snarls.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWalking away from Grey, Rodge contemplates the possibilities. Running his fingers through his dreadlocked hair, he decides that there's only one course of action. He can't take the chance that this is the man April's been looking for. In retrospect, he should've shot Grey on sight, and any future human men, for that matter. Should he shoot him right now? No. He'd love to, but word would get back that he disobeyed orders by killing a survivor for no reason. April has already alienated him, and that might make her angrier. \u0026nbsp;Glancing over his shoulder at Grey, he comes up with another strategy. His hands reach for his pistol belt.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Untie him.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nRodge's scouts stop in their tracks, turning toward their leader.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“What?\" Damian asks.\n\n“Untie him!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDropping his gun belt near a stack of gear beside the campfire, including the pack and belt they confiscated from Grey, Rodge cracks his knuckles. The men look at each other before shifting their attention to Grey. Kane, who comprehends the scenario, grins from cheek to cheek.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Let see what else you'd like to talk about!\" Rodge chirps.\n\n“Yeah! I could use some real entertainment!\" Kane exclaims.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLoosening the ropes and yanking Grey to his feet, he stumbles a bit, weakened from hunger, the cold, and the wound on his side, which isn't healing as quickly as he'd hoped.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Are you sure about this? He doesn't really look up for it.\" Damian asks.\n\n“I'll go easy. Come on! I'm bored!\" Rodge insists, stretching his muscles.\n\n“Look... Whatever you're thinking about doing... Just do it.\" Grey says.\n\n“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the tree!\" Rodge laughs. “Come on. Let's have a little fun.\"\n\n“I don't want to play your game.\" Grey retorts, a hand gripping his side.\n\n“It's not _my_ game; it's the _world's_ game. How do you even live without playing?!\"\n\n“Living my life's hard enough.\" Grey murmurs.\n\n“Don't be a little bitch!\" Kane growls.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShoving Grey forward, he stumbles closer to Rodge.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Get him, Rock!\" A scout cheers.\n\n“Look around, Grey. We're living in a violent society, so why not enjoy it?!\" Rodge asks.\n\n“... You're a sick kid.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nRodge's confident grin fades, his ego stung from the minor insult. Walking up to Grey with a little bounce in his step, he keeps his fists near his chest. Rodge's scouts encircle them, keeping a bit of distance as they watch. Making the first move, Rodge takes a swing. With his right hook blocked by Grey, he quickly follows up with a left. Grey grips his arm, headbutting him in the nose and knocking him back. The men exclaim and cheer Rodge on. With blood trickling from a nostril, Rodge wipes his face with the back of his hand. Moving closer, he takes a few more swings.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nBlocking him again and again, Grey and Rodge slowly swirl around, as if dancing. After nearly landing a blow on Grey's temple, his left arm outstretched, Rodge lands his first punch near the bullet wound on Grey's right side. Wincing from the pain, Rodge punches him in the face, knocking him to his hands and knees. Before Rodge can taunt him, Grey pushes himself from the ground. Extending a hand as if trying to grasp his throat, Rodge easily grabs his arm. However, Grey throws a concealed handful of dirt into Rodge's face. Blinded and coughing, he's stumbles as Grey shoves his entire weight against him, tackling him to the ground.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLanding with a hard thud, he swiftly feels an arm over his throat. Effectively leaning his bodyweight into Rodge's larynx with a forearm, Grey tries to crush his throat and suffocate him. Rodge panics. He struggles to relieve the pressure with both arms while wriggling in the dirt. Pulling up a leg, he knees Grey in the thigh and hip. Shifting his body just enough, he lands a glancing blow to Grey's side, striking the bullet wound. Crying out in pain, Rodge manages to shove him off. Rolling over, Rodge bolts to his feet, whereas Grey lumbers along. Grey scans Rodge as they face off.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe suddenly and brutishly charges the younger, healthier human. It's no surprise to anyone when Rodge sidesteps out of the way, allowing Grey to topple over.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“That's right!\" Rodge laughs. “Let out that beast that you're trying to hide! I want to see what you've got!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCrack! Rodge stumbles back and his men jump. Now lying on his back, Grey had tricked Rodge. By moving out of the way, he dove next to the campfire, where he retrieved the pouch containing his chain whip. Turning his body and thrusting out his arm, he swung the heavy metal bolt, landing a firm strike near Rodge's temple. Blood trickles from Rodge's head and he nearly falls over, his vision blurring.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“What the fuck was that?!\" Kane growls.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nRising to his feet, Grey begins swinging the chain whip, the bolt swooshing through the air counterclockwise. A scout steps closer, lifting up his rifle. Thrusting out his arm, Grey's whip coils around the barrel. With a hard yank, Grey disarms him. As the rifle falls to the floor, Rodge drops onto the ground, sitting in the dirt and holding his head. Seeing his wounded friend, Kane explodes. Racing toward Grey, the human thrusts his arm and flicks his wrist, the bolt flying straight at him. The sharpened tip buries itself deep into a pectoral muscle, but he doesn't stop.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nGrabbing the human's shoulders, he roars as he shoves him to the ground. He kicks Grey's bullet wound, causing him great pain before dropping onto the dirt beside him. Though he holds up his arms in an attempt to protect himself, Kane punches him against and again. His muscular arms pummel the man as he screams in a rage.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“What the fuck were you thinking, hurting _my_ friend! How dare you hurt him! You're going to pay for that, you son of a bitch!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nRealizing that Kane is about to beat their prisoner to death, Damian steps in. With Rodge disoriented on the ground and Kane going berserk, the four scouts follow Damian's lead. Tackling Kane, they restrain him, pulling him from Grey's now unconscious body. As they wrestle the black wolf Voeldahn to the ground, he barks insults and demands, before outright begging them to let him kill Grey for hurting Rodge. None notice Rodge rising to his feet in the background. He falls to his knees as he bends over to take his old Hi-Power from his gun belt, struggling to make his way to Grey. Flipping off the safety, he takes aim at Grey's head, only for Damian to see him from the corner of his eye.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“ROCK! NO!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nStartled by the shouting, Rodge pulls the trigger. The round slams into the dirt an inch from Grey's head. Unable to maintain balance any longer, he drops the gun and falls onto the ground. Continuing to wrestle Kane, the wolf man soon grows weary. As he calms down, they can hear the water sloshing behind them.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“What the hell is going on here?!\" Tyson demands.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nGlancing back, Damian can see Tyson and his own scout team approaching, armed and ready for action.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“What're you doing here?!\" Damian asks.\n\n“April wanted us to check on the other scouts, and you were first on the list. You're supposed to be further north!\" Tyson replies.\n\n“We had a... Hiccup.\" Damian remarks.\n\n“A fucking hiccup?! Get the fuck off of me and I'll solve it right now! Are you listening you fucking cocksuckers?!\" Kane snarls.\n\n“What's wrong with him?\" A scout asks.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nExamining the scene, Tyson and his men find the strange human lying beaten on the ground. Rodge Rock has a gash in the side of his head, near his temple, and a bizarre weapon made of metal bars linked together sits coiled near the campfire. Subduing Kane, he's soon tied to the tree while Tyson and his men treat both human's wounds as best they can, all while Damian and the other scouts debrief them on the situation.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I guess it's a good thing we found you when we did.\" Tyson remarks.\n\n“So, what should we do now?\"\n\n“Well, your team leader is wounded and your second in command is... Unfit to lead.\" Tyson begins.\n\n“Untie me, you fucking assholes!\" Kane growls.\n\n“Technically, you completed your mission... I don't see why we can't just go home.\" Tyson continues.\n\n“Are you taking over?\" Damian asks.\n\n“Yeah, I guess I am. Pack up the camp and get ready to leave.\"\n\n“And uh... What about the prisoner?\" Damian asks.\n\n“We're taking him with us. What else?\" Tyson answers.\n\n“Are you fucking serious?!\" Kane growls.\n\n“Shut up!\" A scout strikes him with the butt of a rifle.\n\n“I mean... What are we going to tell April?\" Damian reiterates.\n\n“_We're_ not going to tell April anything. If Rock and whoever he is feel like talking, that's on them. Let's just worry about getting them all back to Searchlight.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAssuming command, Tyson leads April's men and sends them to work. Damian and his team pack up the camp, divvying up the gear belonging to Grey and Rodge, who won't be able to carry it. Using a large tree, Tyson's scouts cut off several branches, using extra clothes to fashion simple stretchers to place the unconscious Grey and the concussed Rodge. Kane, meanwhile, they leave tied to the tree.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Come on, you pricks! I know you can hear me! Just let me go and I'll make that piece of shit, Grey, disappear!\"\n\n“Who the hell is this guy?\" Tyson asks, moving Grey onto the stretcher.\n\n“I have no idea.\" Damian replies. “Rodge felt like fighting him and Grey sort of cheated.\"\n\n“Grey cheated?!\" Tyson chuckles, looking at his wounds.\n\n“He pulled some crazy weapon I've never seen before. Kane's just pissed that someone hurt his lover.\" Damian continues.\n\n“What?!\" Kane gasps.\n\n“I didn't know Kane liked guys.\" Tyson remarks.\n\n“The fuck I do! H-he's just my friend! ... That's all!\" Kane replies.\n\n“Don't let him fool you, Tye. Kane just wants that ass.\" Damian teases, looking at Kane.\n\n“Shut up! I like pussy!\" Kane struggles with his ropes.\n\n“I've heard of people who like both.\" Tyson remarks. “I'm not judging, though!\"\n\n“Fuck you!\" Kane growls.\n\n“Heh...\"\n\n“What're we going to do with him?\" Damian asks.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTyson pauses, pondering the situation. Realizing that Rodge's scouts might not be likely to hurt or kill Kane, who's clearly out of control, he instructs them to carry the stretchers. This frees Tyson's own men, who aren't friends with any of the others, to keep Kane controlled and marching at gunpoint. With a rope muzzle holding his jaw shut, his hands tied behind his back and a rope noose acting as an improvised choke chain, they force Kane to take point as they walk back to Searchlight. Rodge and his crew weren't even halfway to their search area; they'll be home by tomorrow afternoon.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLater that night, April struggles to sleep, tossing and turning in bed. Often plagued by nightmares, even the extreme comfort of the old but luxurious mattress doesn't calm her. Rolling over, she looks into the empty space of the king-sized bed. The blue moon pierces the windows, the ruby red sheets shimmering. It's as if the glistening taunts her, showcasing the void where Grey should be, and laughing at her plight with glimmering light. Sitting up, she rests her face in her hands, her feline snout protruding between the blades of each.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter he'd left her to return to Coalton alone, and after she'd successfully killed Marcus and her former minions, all she can think about is Grey. Burned into her mind as though he were always there, she spends much of her days yearning for the man who treated her so well and stole her heart. Only one other man had ever been so nice to her, and she lost him as well. Why wouldn't Grey go with her? What was he looking for in the south that was so important for him to reject her? April sniffles, her feline nose running as her eyes well up. Suddenly, her ears prick as she hears soft clicking on the hardwood floor of the hallway.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLifting her head, she can see the light of a small candle as Augustine wanders the apartment in the dark. Her bare, paw-like feet tap softly on the floor, her claws clicking away. Slowly pushing open the bedroom door, Augustine peeks in, the candle held out before her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Mom?\" Augustine softly calls out.\n\n“Hey, sweetheart. You can't sleep either?\"\n\n“No, I did. I just had a dream.\" Augustine steps inside.\n\n“A bad one?\"\n\n“No, but I wanted to tell you about it anyway.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nStepping into her mother's bedroom, Augustine sets the candle atop the nightstand, beside April's Micro-Uzi.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“And it couldn't wait until morning?\" April asks.\n\n“You aren't asleep.\" Augustine retorts.\n\n“True.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSitting atop the bed, Augustine scoots closer to her mom, pressing her right side against April's left. Draping an arm over her daughter, Augustine rests her head against her mom's shoulder.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“So, tell me about this dream.\"\n\n“I was in the main room, with the big red couch. I was sitting on the couch and watching a picture moving on the wall.\"\n\n“A moving picture?\" April chuckles.\n\n“Uh-huh! It was on that big, black slab. The one with nothing on it, in front of the couch.\"\n\n“What was the picture of?\"\n\n“I don't remember. I just remember that I wasn't alone.\" Augustine continues.\n\n“Oh?\"\n\n“Sitting next to me and leaning back on the couch was a man.\"\n\n“This isn't one of _those_ dreams, is it? Do you need to change your sheets?\" April teases.\n\n“Mom!\"\n\n“I'm joking, sweetheart. Keep going.\"\n\n“Anyway, there was a man on the couch. He was human, with pale skin and long, pretty, brown hair. He had a beard, but it was neat, with a long, straight nose and bluish eyes. He didn't speak, and I'm not sure if I knew him or not, but he seemed familiar. What I really remember was how warm he was, and how comfortable I felt with him there. I was leaning against him and he was holding me, like you are right now. Then I woke up and had to pee, but I wanted to share it with you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nApril is stunned. Augustine's somewhat vague description is a good match for Grey. However, she'd only met Grey once, when April first imprisoned him in the cages at Coalton, but that was about a season ago. Is Augustine's memory that good? Is she lying about not recognizing the man? Has she been thinking about Grey too? If she has, she's never mentioned it; April and her daughter have had very few conversations about Grey. Feeling a little sting in her chest, April can't help but be jealous over the pleasant dream that her daughter had.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“It sounds nice.\" April murmurs.\n\n“It was.\" Augustine sighs.\n\n“You don't remember what the moving picture was, huh?\"\n\n“No. I don't think that was the point of the dream.\"\n\n“Probably not.\" April softly scratches her daughter's head. “You sure your sheets don't need changing?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nPulling away, an offended Augustine climbs up from the bed. Taking her candle, and standing in an oversized shirt that acts as her nightgown, her lips are twisted in frustration.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Goodnight, mom.\"\n\n“Goodnight, sweetheart.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe next day, and after a difficult sleep, April spends time cleaning the penthouse. Standing at the windows, a bucket of water at her feet, she opens each window, washing the grime from both the inside and the outside. Augustine sits on the couch and reads a book taken from the study. It's a talent she'd learned from her mother, who was taught to read early by her own parents, before their death. She continued to practice throughout the years, with any book she could find. Closing a freshly cleaned window, April lifts the bucket and heads for the next.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she begins to clean the interior, she notices something on the streets below. A group of scouts return early, with Tyson leaving the group and turning toward the tower. He moves with urgency, something that April can recognize even on from the window of her penthouse. Dropping the cloth into the bucket, April dries her hands and heads for the staircase door.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Mom?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIgnoring her daughter, April opens the door and walks into the staircase, leaning over the railing and looking down at the steps below. Setting her book aside, Augustine rises to her feet. Hearing the echoing of Tyson's footfalls, April calls out his name. Poking his head into the stairwell, Tyson calls back.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“What're you doing here so soon?! I thought 'a few days' meant more than two?!\" April asks.\n\n“Yeah, about that!\" He yells up. “Rodge and his crew found some guy in the swamp! A human!\"\n\n“WHAT?!\"\n\n“I found them fighting and-\"\n\n“What's he look like?!\" April interrupts him.\n\n“What?!\"\n\n“The human, damnit!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWithout waiting for him to answer, April slips on her boots that sit beside the door. Seeing her mother preparing to leave the loft for the first time in days, Augustine springs from the couch to join her. By the time she races to the door and slips her digitigrade feet into her shoes, April has already traversed one level.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Wait for me!\" She calls out.\n\n“Hurry up, and lock the door!\" April yells back.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLocking the apartment, Augustine races to catch up. Her feet thump on the steps, echoing in the concrete stairwell as she jumps the last few steps to the landing below. By the time she reaches the third floor, she can hear her mother and Tyson talking about the human.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Where is he?! What's he look like?! Is he alright?!\" April barrages him with questions.\n\n“Er... He's alive.\" Tyson replies.\n\n“What the fuck's that mean?! Take me to him!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nReaching the ground floor, Augustine barely has time to catch her breath before her mom is already jogging down the hall and toward the street. Her clawed hand clutches Tyson's shirt and forces him to move. The trio run at April's pace to the clinic, with even Tyson growing fatigued. Upon entering the clinic, which only opened the previous day, she races through the building. Turning a corner, she nearly slams into Havana. The buxom mouse Voeldahn jumps back and gasps, pressing a hand to her chest.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“April! I wasn't expecting you here!\" Havana comments.\n\n“Where are they?!\"\n\n“Who?\" Havana raises a brow.\n\n“We brought in Rodge and some other guy for treatment.\"\n\n“Well, I just checked Rodge's cut and-\"\n\n“Fuck him! I want to know about the other guy!\" April interrupts.\n\n“I don't know about another guy. He might be with Dr. Shaw. He told me to see Rodge as soon as I came in a few minutes ago.\" Havana answers.\n\n“Take me to Shaw!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nGrabbing Havana by her shoulder, Augustine and Tyson watch as April forces the woman to lead her down the hall. In all likelihood, Havana would've led her to Shaw without being force, but April is too anxious to be polite. Tyson has never seen April act so violently, though she's often spoken quite harshly. Augustine, however, isn't remotely surprised. Following behind them, Havana takes the group to a room where Dr. Shaw works diligently. With several staff holding down his patient, he cleans his wounds with diluted alcohol, including the bullet wound on his side that's grown dangerously infected.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLeaving Havana, Tyson and Augustine in the hall, April steps inside of the room. She watches the writhing man, unable to see his face, as he's obstructed by Dr. Shaw and his assistants. The fear of disappointment keeps her frozen in place. Soon, however, the pale human passes out from the pain, his body falling limp on the table.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Well, at least this part will be easier.\" Dr. Shaw sighs. “Can someone pass me the scalpel? I need to drain this abscess.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTaking a deep breath, April walks further into the room, joined by Havana, Tyson and Augustine. Hearing the footfalls and seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Dr. Shaw stands straight as soon as he sees April. Greeting her exuberantly, she says nothing as she walks past him and around the room. Bringing a hand to her gaping maw, her breath is stolen as she gazes upon the face of the unconscious man. She steps back at the sight of Grey, bloodied but alive, her back striking the wall. Havana, Tyson and Augustine soon look upon the man.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n“That's him, mom!\" Augustine chirps.\n\n“Wow! That's Grey!\" Havana stares in awe. “I never thought I'd see him again.\"\n\n“Mom?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTurning back, Augustine and Tyson look at April. Her sapphire eyes are glossy with tears as she clutches her snout with both hands, obscuring her lips from their view. Slowly sliding down the wall, April sits upon the floor and weeps. It's the first time she can recall her tears ever being joyful.","series":{"name":"Series: This Forsaken World","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1453301-this-forsaken-world-episode-11.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1454357-this-forsaken-world-episode-13.json"}}