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This Forsaken World

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode Seventeen: No Harm Done

Awakening the following morning, Grey opens his eyes to find April missing. His eyes bulge as he bolts upright, looking for her.

“Good morning, little bear! I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Turning in bed, he finds the white tigress standing before the dresser, across the room. Her nude form greets him, her back facing him and tail swishing through the air as she looks over her shoulder at the bedraggled human. Sighing, as if relieved, he flops back in the bed, his head thumping into the pillow.

“You scared me for a second, there!"

“I'm sorry!" April exclaims, her expression that of shame and worry. “I was just picking out my clothes! I wasn't going to leave you in here!" She insists.

“It's alright. It's just..." He hesitates.

April approaches the bed, sitting at the edge before leaning over. She stretches out, lying on her left side with her arm bent and palm supporting her head. With tail swaying behind her, she smiles warmly, reaching out and stroking his bare chest with her black claws.

“Tell me." She speaks softly.

“Sometimes... This life feels like a dream. I'll sit on the couch with Augustine or sleep beside you and think 'please, just keep dreaming'. When I woke up and you weren't there, I remembered what it was like when I was lost in the swamp."

“Oh, Grey!"

Scooting closer, April presses her body against his, draping an arm over his chest and holding him tightly.

“I'm sorry. I'll always be here for you, little bear. I promise, and you know how I feel about doing that."

“Yeah... I promise, too, sugar." He replies, smiling and stroking her cheek with his fingertips. “I'll do anything for you and Augustine, and I'll always be there for you."

Smiling back, April's tail sways a little faster. She leans in, kissing his lips before resting her head against one of his pectoral muscles.

“Next time, I'll wake you up before I get out of bed." She remarks.

“A smack across the face?" He quips.

“I prefer to use my claws." She sensually growls.

“Yeah, I noticed." He chuckles.

After taking a moment to cuddle, April and Grey rise from the bed. Grey stretches his muscles and collects his clothes, while April looks back and forth between her bodysuit and her old clothes. Slipping on his socks and underwear, Grey turns his head toward his lover.

“Heh..."

“What?" She looks back at him.

“Just like a woman. Two outfits and you still can't decide."

“I can!" She retorts. “I just..."

Hesitating, April rests a hand over her rapidly dwindling, almost imperceptible scar. The white fur of her slender body has reclaimed much of it, but she's still self-conscious. Seeing her expression and her hand as she rubs her side, Grey pulls up his black jeans and approaches her.

“You shouldn't worry about that. It's almost invisible now."

“Really?!" She turns her eyes up to him.

“Yeah. A shame, too." He says, slipping his arms around her waist.

“Why do you say that?" She asks, draping her arms around his neck.

“We have matching scars, but I don't have pretty fur to hide it. It was like a his and hers tattoo." He quips. “Also, I thought it was cute."

Smiling wide, April hops up, giving Grey a kiss. Kissing her back, the couple embrace for a long while before finally getting dressed. Slipping on his purple t-shirt and the black, hooded jacket that April had found for him, his feline Voeldahn partner puts on her original outfit, slipping on her panties, pants, tank top and vest. Exiting the living room, Augustine is already awake; they can hear her humming a tune, as she's busily preparing a meal in the kitchen. The smell emitted from the various, irreplaceable spices that she dumps into the pan envelopes the entire floor with its delicious aroma.

After wishing each other a good morning, Augustine treats the two adults to a meal of seasoned chicken breasts from a can, and cooked, white rice, found in an unopened, one-pound bag in the cupboard. Sitting down at the dinner table to eat, April chuckles at the realization that her daughter is already twice the cook that she is. Once they've eaten and cleaned the dishes, April is eager to take her lover and daughter into town; it's time to announce Grey's promotion. Heading for the door, April gleefully slips on her boots, alongside Grey and Augustine.

“Oh! Hold on! I wanted to show you both something!" Augustine suddenly chirps.

“Can't it wait, sweetheart?" April asks.

“Please, mom?! I promise, you'll love it!"

Turning toward Grey, he smiles and nods. Conceding to him, April sighs and looks at her daughter.

“Oh, alright. But make it quick!"

“I will! Stay right there!"

Darting away and into her bedroom, April turns around and heads for the living room couch. She takes a seat near a far end, leaning into the corner and crossing her legs. Grey's brown boots thud on the hardwood floor as he walks around the back of the couch, his fingers dragging along her body. They slide so tenderly over her left arm, along her shoulders and down her right bicep as he parks himself just behind her. Resting his left elbow on the backrest of the couch, she turns her eyes toward him, though he's out of her view. Neither notice as the girl's footfalls drawing near, returning from her room with whatever she was eager to show them.

Ka-click! Their focus shifts toward the girl, who holds a strange device in her hands. A small, black, rectangular box with a shiny lens is pointed toward them.

“Perfect! Want to see?!"

“See what?" April cocks her head.

“Look."

Augustine approaches the pair, sitting beside her mother on the couch, who quickly shifts, straightening her back. Leaning over and looking at a little screen on the back of the device, April stares at the candid photograph of herself and Grey. Resting his forearms on the backrest of the couch, Grey looks over April's shoulder at the picture.

“It saves the images!" Augustine chirps.

“Wow... Look at that beautiful creature!" He exclaims.

“Yeah. Isn't my little bear so handsome?" April asks, looking up at him.

“Who? The ogre?" Grey chuckles. “He's alright. I was too distracted by that gorgeous tigress."

“Aww!"

Gripping his jacket, April pulls at him, drawing him into another kiss. With the camera's battery weakened from a prolonged lack of charge, much like many of the devices found around Searchlight, the device powers down. However, the image of the couple will remain, alongside all of the others. Setting the camera aside, the trio head for the front door, only for April to stop in her tracks. How could she be so forgetful? Excusing herself, she returns only seconds later, wearing her harness and holstered Micro-Uzi. She passes Grey his Kahr CT9 pistol, before making sure Augustine has her purple and black, Taurus G2c in her left, jacket pocket.

“See, mom? It's always there." Augustine grins.

“Good, girl. You can't ever be too careful!" April remarks, stroking her daughter's pigtailed hair.

“Ready now?" Grey asks.

“Yeah. Let's go."

Leaving their penthouse and locking the door, the trio race to the bottom. With his wound healing well, Grey is nearly back to his old self, now able to keep up with the girls. Emerging from the apartment complex, which still only houses the tribe's leader and her little family, they head for a particular building. Walking through the streets, the denizens of Searchlight greet all three with equal exuberance. After traversing several blocks, they come upon a corner building with a unique, overhanging cube of glass. The three-story structure was once a law office, but now houses the on-duty guards and acts as the headquarters for April's security forces.

“April! What a pleasant surprise!" Tyson nervously clears his throat as he stands at attention. “What's going on?"

“First, stop lying, because you suck at it." April smirks. “Second, I need all of the scout team leaders in here, and any available scouts too."

“Right away!" Tyson exclaims.

Darting off, he uses his team to carry out April's orders, fetching the leadership, and the closest thing to an inner circle that April has. A bored Augustine and Grey sit near a few desks, playing with pencils and balled up papers, which they flick playfully back and forth at one another. Watching her lover and daughter, April smiles, subtly shaking her head.

“Alright! They're all here!" Tyson chirps, returning with the men.

“Good!"

April paces back and forth before the group, looking over to Grey and Augustine, who now pay attention to the assembly. She motions for them to join her, and both swiftly obey. Standing near his lover, Grey watches her with an ever-present smile. April ceases her extraneous hike, pausing to look at her mate before quickly spinning around to face the men.

“Most of you know my lover, Grey!" April very publicly claims him. “I'm sure many of you have seen him around, bringing the power back almost single-handedly! Well... I'm making him my hand; he'll be taking over for Tyson, who will now report to Grey instead."

The men are flabbergasted. Tyson's jaw hangs open as he's suddenly and abruptly replaced. Looking to Grey, who he considers one of, if not his closest friend, it's clear from the look in his eyes that he's at least partially slighted. Grey, whose eyes and brow appear apologetic, shrugs his shoulders as he stands behind April.

“Grey has plenty of experience; more than a lot of you probably do. He's a good choice for this. I'm leaving Tyson in charge of all of you, but Grey is my new go-between, and if Tyson is unavailable, go to Grey... Understood?!"

“Understood!" The men exclaim.

“Good! Spread the word. Dismissed."

The men quickly depart, returning to their aforementioned duties, but Tyson and his team remain. Quick to leave, April fetches Augustine, only to pause when Grey stays put.

“You coming, little bear?"

“Just a minute, sugar." He replies.

Approaching his friend, Grey rests a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, I hope you're not mad. I didn't want to kick you out of a comfy chair or anything."

“It's alright..." Tyson sighs. “Honestly, I'm not all that upset. Just surprised, really."

“She sprang this on me pretty fast too." Grey retorts. “But you know how it is; no one turns down their woman."

April's lips curl into a pleased smile as he speaks.

“No, I get it. You're actually doing me a big favor! Now I can breathe easy!" Tyson chirps.

“Hey..." April grumbles.

“I knew it!" Augustine remarks.

“Well, at least you aren't being fired, if you know what I mean." Grey smirks. “I'll see you around, buddy."

Closing their fists, the two men gently bump their knuckles together. Grey rejoins April and Augustine, who appear quite amused.

“... What?"

“You sure you don't want me to leave you here, little bear?" April giggles.

“No, but I wouldn't mind having a pet." Grey quips.

“I'm too high maintenance for you." Tyson retorts.

“Let's go." A chuckling April grabs Grey's hand.

Leading her little family from the building, April, Augustine and Grey stand on the corner, looking toward the tower. The sun shines and the breeze is just right. Why waste a good day inside? The trio agree to take the long way home, walking around Searchlight, stretching their legs and breathing in the fresh air. Wandering through the town, they avoid most of the townsfolk, content to spend their time without interruptions. They walk the road where men, led by Kindle, clear the fields that they intend to use for farming. Skirting the edge of town, they pause to look at the windmills, only recently made functional, thanks to Grey.

Carrying on, they finally head back to town as the sun reaches its zenith. They pass several buildings on their way to Searchlight Tower, one of them being the electronics shop that the mink siblings have claimed. Sitting on the second-floor windowsill, Carol sees April and her family down below.

“April! Hey, April!" She calls out.

“Yeah?" April glances back.

“I have a report for you! I'll be right down!"

With a frustrated sigh, April looks back at Grey and her daughter.

“I'll be quick. Wait here." She instructs before darting toward the building.

“Oh, but I like Carol!" Augustine quickly chases after her mom.

“I guess I'll wait here, then." Grey remarks.

Standing alone on the sidewalk, April and Augustine walk a few storefronts back to the shop, meeting Carol at the door. Standing with the silvery-white mink with long, blonde hair, the two white tigresses with matching black, pigtailed hair, listen to Carol's report. Grey watches them for a moment before turning his gaze elsewhere, waiting for them to finish so they can continue. A part of him considers joining April and Augustine, but he already knows most of what Carol is telling them; he's said it himself several times already. Carol is a very thorough person, and she considers any change, however subtle, noteworthy.

Taking a few steps away, Grey looks at the signs of the old buildings, still in excellent shape. Looking into a store that was once a bakery, a family of equine Voeldahn see him through the plate glass windows. They immediately wave, smiling at the human and pointing gratefully at their lights and the functioning, electrical cooking instruments.

“Hey, Grey." A voice calls out.

Turning, Grey sees the only other human in the tribe standing across from him. Partially inside of a building, Rodge Rock motions for him to come closer. He takes a few steps toward the man.

“Hey. Did you need something?" He asks.

“Yeah. I need your help." Rodge assures him.

He takes a peek around the doorframe, looking toward April and Augustine as they speak with Carol. By now, Augustine has since been overlooked by April and Carol, and now walks in little circles behind her mother. Looking back at Grey, she can see him speaking to Rodge. Her heart sinks as she witnesses the dark-skinned human looking around, as if checking for witnesses. She considers bringing him to her mother's attention.

“Seriously. I need your help with this, man. It's important." Rodge insists.

Grey hesitates.

“I'll get some people to help you."

“Now, we need to do this now..." Rodge growls.

“Look, I need to get back." Grey insists.

“Damn it... Why are you making this so fucking hard?!" Rodge draws his pistol, taking aim.

“The fuck?!"

Grey gasps as he stares into the barrel of the old nine-millimeter. He reaches for his own sidearm, which is buried deep in a pants pocket. The grip barely protrudes; he should've worn his belt and holster.

“I should've killed you in the swamps when I had the chance."

Cocking the hammer as Grey stumbles back, failing to draw his own pistol, Rodge seems to savor the moment.

“No!"

Hearing the voice, Rodge turns. Bang, bang! Struck a split second before Rodge could pull the trigger, a nine-millimeter slug bores a hole through his skull and tears through his brain. Killed instantaneously, his shifting body spasms, causing Rodge's finger to squeeze. A bullet is fired at a steep angle; it cuts through Grey's black jeans and burrows into his upper left leg, a few inches above his knee. Crying out in pain, he falls back onto the asphalt. Gripping his leg, he grits his teeth as the figure who's just saved his life emerges from the building that Rodge had tried to lure him into.

Standing just behind his body, Augustine, who ran around the buildings and entered through the back door, fires two more times with her purple and black pistol. Bang. Bang. The rounds from her Taurus G2c bash through his skull, jellifying his brain and breaking chunks away. The twelve-year-old girl stares with cold eyes, the barrel billowing a little stream of smoke. With a little sigh, she slips the firearm back into her pocket, the life returning to her face as she realizes that Grey is injured. She jumps over Rodge's twitching corpse, darting up to him.

“Are you okay?!" She asks.

“I'll be alright..." He pants. “I'm sorry."

“For what?" She cocks her head.

“I'm sorry you had to do that. I know that couldn't have been easy." He says through clenched teeth.

“Oh... It was easier this time than the last. I wasn't going to let him hurt you." Augustine flashes a little grin.

“What the fuck is going on?! Little bear?!" April cries out, panic and horror in her voice.

“Hey, sugar!" He calls out, lying back in the street.

“Oh, no!" She drops down to her knees, beside him. “Fetch Dr. Shaw, now!" She barks at Carol.

“Right! Be right back! Hang in there, Grey!" Carol exclaims before darting away.

“You're going to be okay, little bear! Everything's going to be fine!"

Throwing her arms around his neck, April shows her affection for him before quickly taking her hands and squeezing firmly on his leg. She applies what first aid she'd learned from her years out on the roads, and from her time with the physicians she'd captured.

“Don't worry, little bear! You're going to be fine, and every last one of the motherfuckers responsible for this is going to burn!"

Walking the streets and looking for Rodge, who'd disappeared on him, Kane can see Dr. Khanti Shaw and Havana running with Carol, Tyson, and over a dozen scouts. With a furled brow, the intrigued wolf Voeldahn follows them at a distance. Rounding a corner, he stops in his tracks when he sees Grey lying on his back on the asphalt. He and April clutch one of his legs, Augustine kneels across from her mother, and a crowd gathers around them. Walking slowly closer, he sees something else. Kane's eyes grow wide and his heart breaks at the sight of his best friend, Rodge Rock, lying dead on the sidewalk.

With his lower half inside of a building, his mangled skull and shoulders stick out from the doorway where he fell. Clearly, Rodge made his move and Grey took him out. Kane's eyes water and he feels a rage overcoming him, but as the pain swells, he decides that he'll make Rodge proud. As much as he wants to draw his gun and shoot indiscriminately into the crowd, he needs to do more. It's not enough to punish April, as Rodge had wanted. Now all of Searchlight needs to pay. Backing away from the road, Kane quickly runs away, sniffling as he begins to sob.

“I'm sorry, Rodge. I never should've let you out of my sight. They're going to pay for this, Rodge. I promise you." He speaks to himself.

Kneeling on the ground by Grey's head, Tyson holds Grey up, his hands and a leg beneath his shoulders. Dr. Shaw and Havana check his wound, while April fumes with rage. Rising to her feet, she curses and swears, calling for blood. With the pain in his leg and a weakness overcoming him, Grey is no longer able to talk her down or comfort her into tranquility. Her violent, almost childish outburst, startles the denizens of Searchlight. Most of them she'd gathered after she'd destroyed Coalton; she'd vowed to be good for Grey, and so none know what to expect.

Drawing her Micro-Uzi and raving to no one in particular, Grey's eyes follow her. Her chest heaves as she breathes rapidly, her anger and fear almost evolving into shock.

“We're going to need to open this up, dig out the slug and make sure it didn't hit any arteries." Dr. Shaw says to Havana.

“Right. I'm ready, Doc!" She nods.

“Sugar..." He calls out. “Sugar!"

“Little bear?!" She turns to him.

April kneels beside him as he extends a bloody hand. Seeing his hand, April takes hold. Already covered in his blood, she grips him tightly, leaning in and nuzzling his face with her snout.

“Hey, sugar..."

“Yeah, little bear? What is it?" She asks, her voice trembling.

“Stay calm... Everything's going to be alright." He assures her with a little smile.

“Alright, I need some people to help me carry him to the clinic. You!" Dr. Shaw points at Tyson. “Shoulders! Now!"

“Right! Let's go, guys!" Tyson orders the scouts.

As they lift Grey from the ground and race him toward the clinic, Augustine rushes alongside them. April, however, does not. She reaches out a bloody hand, gripping tightly to the only other scout leader in the crowd. He turns, seeing her pointing the barrel of her Micro-Uzi in his face.

“I want Rodge's whole team brought to me... NOW!"

“Y-yes, April! Right away!"

Letting go of him, he stumbles back before dashing away, dutifully carrying out his orders, like a good soldier.

“Time for a little discipline..." She grumbles.