{"sf1_id":2039579,"sf2_id":"q1x8OWy1","title":"Love Me As If There Were No Tomorrow Chapter 15","author":"STRONG","words":4372,"posted_at":"2023-08-19T17:06:09.000Z","tags":["Fallout","Female","Guns","Human","M/F","Male","Snekdog","Story Progression","Violence"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2039579-love-me-as-if-there-were-no-tomorrow-chapter-15","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/q1x8OWy1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/51/aa/51aadf12-ddeb-4ead-a235-e1a7ead91212","description":"Chapter 15 and the end of volume one!","content":"Chapter 15: weightless\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eWater gently slaps the side of the boat Ray is piloting as you check and double check and triple check your Gear, ensuring it's clean and ready.\n\n\\\u003e\"You're sure she's alive?\" you ask again as you look to Ray, who rolls his eyes in annoyance at you asking the same question at least 4 times in the last hour.\n\n\\\u003e\"Yes, she's alive, they need her alive for her venom, like I said before, they need her to keep producing it so they can smoke it, plus you heard that centurion\" he answers for the 4th time, rolling his eyes in annoyance\n\n\\\u003eYou nod but those words don't give you any real kind of comfort.\n\n\\\u003eHow were those legion bastards getting her venom out of her?\n\n\\\u003eShe wasn't biting at them that's for sure, if she was a biter you would be dead.\n\n\\\u003eYou look at the bright green \"11\" on your arm where Gracie bit you to slow your heart so she could save your life.\n\n\\\u003eflashes of a memories flicker in your mind as you stare at the makeshift tattoo.\n\n\\\u003eA ragged snekdog playing dead as you looked for something to eat in broc flower cave.\n\n\\\u003eGracie turning herself into a pirate as she held a rifle scope too close.\n\n\\\u003eHer turning invisible to try to steal from Ray.\n\n\\\u003eStealing food from the NCR, her heat in vault 11, meeting her sister, going to the sierra madre\n\n\\\u003eThe tears after almost smelling out her sister.\n\n\\\u003eNearly dying for her.\n\n\\\u003eGracie declaring you were her mate.\n\n\\\u003eEvery hug, every snuggle, every time you felt for her was dregged up.\n\n\\\u003eThose memories weigh on your mind.\n\n\\\u003e\"We're almost there\" comes Ray's quiet rumble, shaking you from your introspection.\n\n\\\u003eYou glance at the giant of a man who was steering the boat with utmost confidence.\n\n\\\u003e\"Huh? You know the way to the legion camp just like that? Don't need a map?\" you ask, trying to lead him into explaining.\n\n\\\u003e\"I know the way\" he answers simply, glancing at you for the barest of moments before looking back up to the horizon and pointing.\n\n\\\u003eAnnoyed with his lack of answers; you Grab your Gobi scout rifle and peer down the scope in the direction he pointed.\n\n\\\u003eTo your surprise, you see what looks like a wooden gate next to a dock, two lonely guards wearing ragtag legionary armor stand on either side of it.\n\n\\\u003e\"How did-?\" you start to ask only to have Ray quickly cut you off\n\n\\\u003e\"Dealt with them before, warned them then, no more warnings\"\n\n\\\u003eYou nod at that information and sight your rifle on the sentries.\n\n\\\u003e\"Easy pickings\" you think to yourself as you try to align the sights of the rifle only to find it blurry.\n\n\\\u003eYou curse to yourself and pull off your helmet, trying to focus on the guard despite your missing eye.\n\n\\\u003eFor a long moment, you try to focus your vision through the scope but are unable to really get a good sight picture.\n\n\\\u003e\"Can you hit them?\" you ask raising the sniper rifle in annoyance so Ray can see it.\n\n\\\u003e\"Hard to aim right ever since I got this\" He answers stiffly, waving the hook at you.\n\n\\\u003e\"Use my shoulder, there are only two guards\" you reply, handing over the long rifle to him.\n\n\\\u003eYou feel the cold steel barrel of the gun rest on your right shoulder shoulder as you plug your ear with the same hand.\n\n\\\u003e\"Hold your breath for 5\"\n\n\\\u003eYou take a long breath and hold it as 2 separate shots ring out, so close together you're surprised if he even hit anything.\n\n\\\u003eAs you shake your head from the gentle ringing in your ear as Ray shoves a half a binocular into your hand with his hook.\n\n\\\u003e\"Look\" he rasps as you grab the now monocular from him and stare down it with your good eye.\n\n\\\u003eBoth guards are slumped over; both look like they never knew what hit them.\n\n\\\u003eFor anyone else you might have been shocked at the efficiency, but you had seen how Ray worked dealing with the Fiends.\n\n\\\u003eThis only cements the thought in your mind he was the right man to call for this.\n\n\\\u003e\"Nice shooting\" you say, staring at the slumped bodies.\n\n\\\u003e\"Used to snipe better before the hook, they wouldn't have their heads anymore if I still had my hand\" Ray grunts without any bravado.\n\n\\\u003eYou take a long look at him, expecting him to back up a boast like that, only for him to frown slightly at the hook.\n\n\\\u003eYour mind races, thinking of it.\n\n\\\u003eHe hit 2 targets, barely aiming on a moving boat, yet he was sure he could've done headshots before.\n\n\\\u003eGood thing he's on your side you guess.\n\n\\\u003eThe boat skips across the water faster now, Ray goosing the small engine along to take advantage of the opening you both made.\n\n\\\u003e\"Ready?\" Ray asks as he pilots the boat near the dock.\n\n\\\u003e\"I'm rea-\" you start to answer as you pull your helmet back on and look back to Ray.\n\n\\\u003efor a moment you're struck dumb at the sight of him.\n\n\\\u003eRay is in a starters position for running, it would look silly if he didn't look so deadly.\n\n\\\u003eThrough his coat you can see coiled tight muscle like a steel springs ready to snap.\n\n\\\u003eIn that moment, he doesn't look like a human, but an approximation of a human made only of muscle and metal and bone.\n\n\\\u003eHis long coat was stretched tight, his defining hat gently set in the boat as though it was his most prized possession.\n\n\\\u003eYou're nearly thrown off your feet as the boat hits the shore and before you can recognize it, Ray is gone in a blur.\n\n\\\u003eThat is \"nearly\"; you respond a second behind Ray, launching yourself after him even though he is much faster than you.\n\n\\\u003eMaybe it was knowing you had a powerful ally covering your back, maybe it was your bloodlust and anger that the legion had dared take your mate.\n\n\\\u003eThere is blind confidence, the knowledge nothing here could stop you or Ray.\n\n\\\u003eAnd the words told to you before you left Nellis.\n\n\\\u003e\"War is in your blood\"\n\n\\\u003eYour mind rewinds to being in vault 11, You and Gracie wading through the bones of hundreds of dead people.\n\n\\\u003eThe connection you had fought to hold with her, the fear she would throw you aside like the boomers did.\n\n\\\u003eOnly for that fear to be her afraid to connect to you too early, with her at the time unexplained heat.\n\n\\\u003eIf Gracie had come onto you then, would you react the way you did now?\n\n\\\u003eTo be honest, you aren't sure, but now was different.\n\n\\\u003eThe memories weigh you down as you surge forwards.\n\n\\\u003eAnother flash in your memory as your shotguns muzzle flashes, pulverizing an oncoming attacker.\n\n\\\u003eGracie, playing dead after a legion attack and letting you think she got hit by a stray round.\n\n\\\u003eRay coming at you \"Slavers Ain't friends little lady\"\n\n\\\u003eIn the absolute confusion a few men challenge you; all of them wearing ill fitting sports gear while throwing badly made spears while screaming \"retribution!\"\n\n\\\u003eThe spears hit your armor, and it, in contrast to the rest of the Seirra Madre is built solid; they hit you and simply bounce off, leaving small nicks in the armor.\n\n\\\u003eAll of the legionaries are reduced little more than torn up corpses as your coin filled shells tear through them.\n\n\\\u003eWith a calculated throw, you toss a few depleted power cores into the center of a group of tents and confused men, then calmly shoot one to cause a wave of nuclear devastation.\n\n\\\u003eAnother flash of memory; Gracie playing dead with you, Amber, and Pip as you opened the way to the Sierra Madre with a similar explosion.\n\n\\\u003eThe screams and carnage are nothing as you and Ray tear through the legion camp; but for a single moment you stop and watch as Ray moves through the legionnaires, a whirling dervish of death.\n\n\\\u003eHis hook opens throats to air while somehow diverting thrown spears at other legionaries, his shotgun blasting precisely to cause the most destruction.\n\n\\\u003eYou feel a small sense pride as a shower of coins rings out of the end of his worn lever action shotgun like a symphony of bells.\n\n\\\u003ePandemonium means \"the place of all demons\" or in more modern terms, a Chaotic situation.\n\n\\\u003eTogether with Ray, You were causing in Pandemonium with a capital \"P\" as you both tear through the people that stole Gracie away.\n\n\\\u003eIn an odd, clinical, set apart of your mind you notice these legionnaires aren't really good at ranged combat.\n\n\\\u003eFor starters almost none of these ones are using firearms and the ones that have guns seem to have no idea how to use them.\n\n\\\u003eThey don't use cover opting to instead simply ran at you; all the while not aiming down the sights.\n\n\\\u003eRegardless, you stop for a moment to toss a plasma grenade then dive behind a rocky outcropping.\n\n\\\u003eThere is no down time in combat, but in the moment behind cover you reload your riot shotgun with 12 new shells, ready to cause more carnage.\n\n\\\u003eYou break cover after a few bullets hit the dirt around you, kicking up small puffs of dust.\n\n\\\u003eIt only takes you a moment to observe what's going on.\n\n\\\u003eIn the chaos many legionnaires simply ran away, not bothering to see that only 2 men had attacked their encampment, sounding like an army.\n\n\\\u003eThe rest are having issues with the now thick smoke caused my your grenades and fusion cell detonation.\n\n\\\u003eYou're torn from your introspection as Ray Shouts \"Boomer!\" as he tosses something to you.\n\n\\\u003eWith your right hand you fire a round of coins into the chest of a legionnaire, while with your left hand you snatch the flung object out of the air.\n\n\\\u003eIt only takes a moment for you to realize its his lever action shotgun.\n\n\\\u003eHis empty lever action shotgun.\n\n\\\u003e\"Ray! 11 shells!\" You call out, throwing your riot shotgun to him.\n\n\\\u003eHe catches it deftly with his hook, flipping it with a flourish then turns a group of approaching legionnaires into nothing more than shredded meat and ketchup.\n\n\\\u003eYou kneel and quickly start Loading shells into his gun, 5 shells, then a quick lever cock with one more shell to top it off.\n\n\\\u003eHonestly, you had wondered how he reloaded it with his hook.\n\n\\\u003eA Shotgun blast goes off in the direction of Ray and you hear a thud on your blind side.\n\n\\\u003eYou turn to see a dying man writhing in pain.\n\n\\\u003e\"Still getting used to the missing eye?\" he calls out in a conversational tone, like we was discussing the weather.\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea first time in real combat since I lost it\" you answer sourly but trying to keep the same tone, racking the lever on his shotgun.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea I know what you mean, took me a bit to get used to the hook\" he laments as you fire a slug round into the throat of a man charging with a busted power fist.\n\n\\\u003e\"How'd that happen anyway?\" you ask, finding it odd and somewhat normal for Ray to be the most talkative on the battlefield.\n\n\\\u003eFor a moment there is a lull in battle as the remaining members of the legion attempt to regroup.\n\n\\\u003eYou look at him as he makes a wide slash with the metal limb, cutting the men charging him down.\n\n\\\u003e\"Catch\" he says, tossing you your gun, you casually toss his back.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Lost my hand trying to fist a robobrain\" he japes with a boyish smile, waving the limb at you \"She said she had more biological parts than just the brain\"\n\n\\\u003eYou choke on your laughter and nearly drop your gun mid reload, not wanting to offend him if that really was how he lost his hand.\n\n\\\u003e\"R-really?\" you managed to cough out, trying to stay stoic and serious.\n\n\\\u003e\"No\" he responds flatly \"Incoming\" he says in the same flat voice, motioning to his left with a nod of his chin.\n\n\\\u003eYou turn and see what looks like the highest ranking or the legion members there.\n\n\\\u003eShiny metal and feathers decorate their armor.\n\n\\\u003eBut hell, they are still using fireaxes and swords made of scrap.\n\n\\\u003ethe sound of coins hitting metal echoes through the air, slugs and buckshot cut them down as you and Ray unload your shotguns.\n\n\\\u003eSeriously, its like shooting fish in a barrel, the ones in front died first, tripping up those coming behind them.\n\n\\\u003eYou almost feel insulted, they didn't try to flank you or anything.\n\n\\\u003eFinally the last one falls, leaving a pile of dead and dying.\n\n\\\u003eRay stalks over to the pile of bodies and moaning men, the last remnant trying to stop yours and his stampede.\n\n\\\u003eYou follow him, calmly reloading you gun as you stalk calmly behind the larger man.\n\n\\\u003eWith his hook he fishes (ahah puns) out one of the least injured men, one that seems to only have a few leg injuries.\n\n\\\u003e\"I ask, You answer\" he rasps out menacingly, shaking the man like he was just a leaf.\n\n\\\u003e\"Where is the oracle?!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I won't say, she belongs to the visage of Nero!\" the man gasps out, clearly in pain and weakly trying to escape Rays grasp.\n\n\\\u003eHm? Visage of Nero? Weren't you dealing with Legate Nero? Doesn't matter, they have Gracie regardless.\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh don't you worry about that, we've bought her\" you say, calmly picking up a blood covered legion coin from the ground and pressing it against his chest armor.\n\n\\\u003eIt sticks a bit and slides down, leaving a blood smear.\n\n\\\u003eThe mans face pales, as realization dawns on his face at what had been used to kill hiss fellow soldiers.\n\n\\\u003eOr maybe from blood loss.\n\n\\\u003eEh whatever works.\n\n\\\u003e\"I-I die with honor\"\n\n\\\u003eRay positions his shotguns barrel against the now trembling mans thigh\n\n\\\u003e\"Yet you will perish all the same, long and slow while we leave you and find the oracle regardless\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Tell us and you may live to fight another day\" You say as you casually flip a large bloodied coin, letting the blood on it flick onto the poor prisoners face.\n\n\\\u003eYou see the will to live with supposed duty war in his eyes.\n\n\\\u003e\"I'll count to 3, where is the oracle\" Ray grunts.\n\n\\\u003e\"Three\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Two\"\n\n\\\u003e\"On-\"\n\n\\\u003e\"OK! Ok...She is being held in the visages tent\" The defeated man says, motioning to a larger than average tent surrounded by a few smaller ones.\n\n\\\u003e\"Good\" Ray rumbles, then brutally bashes the man across the face with the butt of his shotgun, knocking him out.\n\n\\\u003e\"Hm, I woulda kept him awake in case he lied\" you say as you start walking towards the indicated tent.\n\n\\\u003e\"He wasn't lying, I got a good eye for that kinda stuff\" Ray responds, leaning his gun on his shoulder negligently.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou simply nod at him and observe the legion camp.\n\n\\\u003eTents are steadily catching fire from the grenades and fusion cores you detonated, a few are already smoking ruins.\n\n\\\u003e\"I thought there would be more than this\" you remark, indicating to a few bodies on the ground.\n\n\\\u003e\"Most fled as soon as the shooting started, and the explosions; they probably thought a whole army was attacking them off guard with all the noise we made\" Ray responds, casually flipping his shotgun on his hook.\n\n\\\u003eYou nod as you watch another tent collapse while engulfed in flames.\n\n\\\u003e\"Makes sense, we should get out of here before they reform and counter attack\" you supply as you grab the tent flap and pull it open for Ray.\n\n\\\u003eHe grunts in reply then slides in, quiet as a serpent.\n\n\\\u003eYou follow, letting the heavy canvas of the tent shut behind you.\n\n\\\u003efor a moment, you're transfixed at the inside of the tent, and you feel Ray is too.\n\n\\\u003eDecadence, at least it is compared to the rest of the camp.\n\n\\\u003eWhile the rest of the camp has been eating scavenged scraps and plants, their \"leader\" has been eating steak.\n\n\\\u003eInstead of a bedroll he has a 4 poster bed with a thick plush mattress.\n\n\\\u003eWhile his soldiers died defending him, he cowered.\n\n\\\u003eYou and ray found the so called \"visage of Nero\" trembling and wide eyed, a gilded knife held against Gracie's neck.\n\n\\\u003eNot even her throat, he's trembling too much to keep it level as he holds her like a shield between you and her.\n\n\\\u003eThe \"visage of Nero\" isn't a bad looking guy; he has a full 6 pack and bulging muscles but you're able to see its all for show.\n\n\\\u003eGracie is doing what she always does, playing dead and being absolute dead weight.\n\n\\\u003e\"B-b-begone fiends! the legion has n-n-no quarrels with y-you\" he manages to get out, staring from you to Ray trying to figure out which would be better to talk to.\n\n\\\u003eAll the while he struggles to hold Gracie's dead weight up.\n\n\\\u003eHe seems to focus on you for a moment, you can't blame him after all Ray is a 7 foot something hook handed giant covered in blood, while you look extremely generic with your helmet covering your scars.\n\n\\\u003eYou feel the anger in you ignite as you try to surge forwards towards him, Ray barely able to hold you back.\n\n\\\u003e\"NO QUARREL? GIMME BACK GRACIE AND I'LL KILL YOU QUICKLY\" you scream surging forwards only for Ray to hold you back with both arms, even then you drag him forwards several feet.\n\n\\\u003eYour reaction might be 0 to 100, but this is your mate, the woman you decided to make yours.\n\n\\\u003eAnd they stole her.\n\n\\\u003eBut as much as you fight Ray's grip you can't escape it.\n\n\\\u003eIt feels like he's done this before.\n\n\\\u003eThe whatever of Nero recoils at your sudden outburst, trying to get away while still trapped in the tent.\n\n\\\u003eRay, for all his calmness, simply grunts.\n\n\\\u003e\"Rosa, I know you're there, kill the visage\"\n\n\\\u003eYou pause your struggle for a moment, looking at Ray, then at the Visage.\n\n\\\u003eHe looks around, wide eyed and obviously terrified.\n\n\\\u003e\"You! W-who are you talking to!?\" he cries, pointing the knife at Ray; letting Gracie slip a bit from his grip\n\n\\\u003eThen a chunk of meat simply disappears from his throat.\n\n\\\u003eThe man looks surprised for all of a a second, then drops Gracie and his knife; falling to his knees as blood pours out of the giant hole in his neck as he ties feebly to stop the bleeding.\n\n\\\u003eYou hear a disgusted \"ptoo\" sound and see a bloody chunk of what was once the Visage's throat as Ray releases you.\n\n\\\u003eIn a flash, you're at Gracie's side, gently rubbing her ears as you look her over for any injuries.\n\n\\\u003eYou pull off your helmet and cradle her in your arms gently.\n\n\\\u003e\"Gracie...Gracie wake up its me, its Boomer\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eGracie's eyes snap open and focus on you.\n\n\\\u003e\"Anon! you're here! I knew you would come for me!\" She cries happily, flinging her arms around you and burying her face into your chest.\n\n\\\u003e\"I knew it, I just knew you would save me\" She cries softly as you cradle her and pull her closer.\n\n\\\u003e\"Nothing would stop me\" you respond, gently kissing her forehead.\n\n\\\u003eIt feels like a weight has been lifted from your hear as you hold your silly snekdog close.\n\n\\\u003eYou and Gracie sit together like that for a little while, arms around each other before you hear a quiet \"Ahem\"\n\n\\\u003eRay, for his part has given you and Gracie space for your reunion, but he's looking in one direction with a small frown.\n\n\\\u003e\"I hate to sour this, but we gotta go, the legion has regrouped\"\n\n\\\u003eReluctantly, you get to your feet and help Gracie up, nodding at him.\n\n\\\u003eYou don't know how he knows they've regrouped but you trust he's right.\n\n\\\u003e\"Right sorry, time for that later, lets get out of here but uh...Who's Rosa?\" you ask as you shove your helmet back on.\n\n\\\u003eRay simply points, directing your attention to a pitcher of water that is now floating and pouring itself.\n\n\\\u003eA small nightstalker appears, pouring water into her mouth and rinsing blood out of her sharp teeth.\n\n\\\u003eSeeing how Gracie made a habit of eating things with her long tongue, you had almost forgotten that Nightstalkers are half canine.\n\n\\\u003eIt looks like Rosa bit the visages throat out while invisible, a concerning thought since with Gracie and Amber you could somewhat see where they were.\n\n\\\u003eYou eye \"Rosa\" as she washes her mouth out and look to Ray.\n\n\\\u003e\"One of Gracie's sister's, bred specifically for stealth\" he explains as if that were the most evident thing in the world.\n\n\\\u003eYou're able to register that only slightly before Gracie full on tackles the smaller Snekdog in a full body hug.\n\n\\\u003e\"SISTER! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!\" She cries as she pins the other snekdog in a hug that Rosa tries to fight her way out of.\n\n\\\u003eRay grumbles to himself as he walks over to the snekdog pile and pulls Gracie off.\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey I-\" Gracie starts, trying to grab Rosa again.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Not NOW\" Ray Grunts loudly, tossing Gracie into your arms like she weighed nothing.\n\n\\\u003e\"We gotta do reunions later\" you say, setting Gracie onto her feet.\n\n\\\u003eAt this point you're able to really see Rosa for who she is.\n\n\\\u003eShe's small for starters, probably only about 4 foot tall and covered in scars from her face to her legs; it even looks like a chunk of her tail is missing.\n\n\\\u003eShe's also wearing Ray's \"Mad Cunt\" hat, which he takes from her gently and places on his head with an annoyed sigh.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I thought I told you to wait at home\" Ray grumbles to the small Nightstalker.\n\n\\\u003e\"I missssed ssisster and wanted to help find her\" Rosa responds with a heavy lisp, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she speaks.\n\n\\\u003e\"This was a rescue mission, either one of us could have hurt you\" Rays grumbles, exasperated.\n\n\\\u003e\"Nothing too bad, besssides! I'm fine!\" Rosa retorts as she jumps into Ray's arms.\n\n\\\u003eShe gives him a gentle kiss on his nose and gives a smile you recognize.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I knew you wouldn't let me get hurt anyway\" She hisses happily, lounging in Ray's arms.\n\n\\\u003e\"Uh huh? and the fusion cores Boomer set off? What was your plan for that?\" Ray asks, both annoyed and concerned; motioning out of the now burning tent to the craters outside.\n\n\\\u003eThe Small Nightstalker fidgets awkwardly, refusing to look Ray in the eyes.\n\n\\\u003e\"I jusssst...Uh...dodged?\" She says uneasily as she looked at the craters in the ground.\n\n\\\u003eRay just sighed, shaking his head in slight annoyance.\n\n\\\u003e\"Time to get out of here\" He says with finality.\n\n\\\u003eYou nod sharply, and extend a hand to Gracie; who to you disappointment doesn't take it automatically.\n\n\\\u003eShe instead goes to the visages body and rifles around, clearly looking for something.\n\n\\\u003eAfter a moment, she holdes up his gilded knife, a beautiful piece of steel with gold inlaid to it.\n\n\\\u003e\"HAH Sucker! my shiny now!\" She yells, kicking the body and then rushing over to you.\n\n\\\u003eShe now grabs your hand and you nod to Ray, then take the lead; one hand holding you gun and the other grasping Gracie's paw.\n\n\\\u003eAs you lead your little group. You notice Gracie's head in on a swivel, looking around nervously.\n\n\\\u003e\"What's wrong Love?\" you ask as you guide everyone back to the dock.\n\n\\\u003e\"I...I wasn't allowed out of the tent... When I tried to escape\" She murmurs softly, then slides the sleeve of her leather armor up.\n\n\\\u003eOn her upper arm there are what looks like tally marks etched into her skin, dried blood matting the fur around the area.\n\n\\\u003eThe marks are about 3 inches long, not very deep but they would be painful enough.\n\n\\\u003e12 gashes down her arm, the only flaw on her fur, craved in because she kept trying to escape.\n\n\\\u003eTwelve cuts in 7 days\n\n\\\u003eYou stare blankly at the wounds, your mind running fast.\n\n\\\u003eIf you had come faster, maybe not waited for Ray.\n\n\\\u003eCould you have done it alone? could you have spared Gracie her pai-.\n\n\\\u003eA Furred paw gently bonks your head causing you to start softly in stare into Gracie's mismatched eyes.\n\n\\\u003e\"I Know that look dummy, like after I became a pirate when shooting a scoped rifle the first time!\" Gracie snorts softly, as she climbs into the boat.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I should have been faster\" you retort, climbing in faster her.\n\n\\\u003eRay silently sits in the boat, taking control of the motor while Rosa simply climbs into his lap.\n\n\\\u003eGracie Lays a paw on your cheek and forces you to look her in the eyes as the boat pulls away from the dock\n\n\\\u003e\"If you came alone you would've died, HELL you came with only ONE other person! I thought you would get all of the brotherhood or those Rangers who owe you! Instead you come with one other person! Only you would be that crazy!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou softly take her paw and smile.\n\n\\\u003e\"Looks like crazy is my new best friend\" You grunt, nodding to Ray.\n\n\\\u003eHe gives a rare smile as Rosa mumbles incoherently in what sounds like Spanish based on your lessons from Nellis.\n\n\\\u003eRay just stares where to direct the boat, barely reacting to you or Rosa.\n\n\\\u003eYou aren't sure he's actually listening to her until you hear a very quiet \"Si\" barely over the sound of the waves splashing.\n\n\\\u003eRosa stops for a moment glaring, them proceeds to start speaking even faster, which Ray only nods to occasionally.\n\n\\\u003eGracie snuggles up to you, the gashes in her arm airing out as the boat darts above the waves.\n\n\\\u003eShe'll always have a scar from them, but it will never make you love her less, just like yours don't make her love you less.\n\n\\\u003eAs you hold her close, it feel like a hole in your soul fills.\n\n\\\u003eA fear you would never get to hold her again, a sadness that you failed her.\n\n\\\u003eBut now in your arms she feels weightless.\n\n\\\u003eAnd you swear she'll never be hurt again.\n\nEnd Volume 1","series":{"name":"Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2039571-love-me-as-if-there-were-no-tomorrow-chapter-14.json"}}