{"sf1_id":2191129,"sf2_id":"zeR3vgAm","title":"Prowling Before New Dawn's Light","author":"WolfRider","words":6190,"posted_at":"2024-10-21T01:16:33.000Z","tags":["Alternative","Australian","Garrett","Howler","Libertyverse","Lion","Near Future","Redmane","Ronfauni","Sci-Fi","Sharpfury","Snow Leopard","Superheroes","Thackman","Tribal","Willaim","Wolf","Wraith","cold war","joshua","superhero","supervillain"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2191129-prowling-before-new-dawn-s-light","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/zeR3vgAm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/6d/7b/6d7b9855-8a5f-4291-ad00-19285232dd42","description":"Been a long while since I last wrote a story, and since I've been working on Libertyverse, I wanted to get some actual content out for the setting.  \n  \nHowler and Wraith scout out a location in New Dawn, with the latter seeing to test the Australian Tribal Wolf with a solo breach and clear operation.  \n  \nStory is set in the Libertyverse setting  \n  \nWraith/William Thackman and Sharpfury/Garrett Redmane belong to\u0026nbsp;[\u0026nbsp;gamegod210](https://www.furaffinity.net/user/gamegod210)  \n  \nRed Menace/Hóngxióngmao Sheng and the Hóngxióngmao Collective Belongs to\u0026nbsp;[\u0026nbsp;Coyote42](https://www.furaffinity.net/user/coyote42)  \n  \nHowler/Joshua Ronfauni and all other characters made up for this story belong to myself\u0026nbsp;[\u0026nbsp;wolfrider](https://www.furaffinity.net/user/wolfrider)","content":"[b]Prowling before New Dawn's light  \nBy Wolfrider  \n  \nHowler/Joshua Ronfauni Belong to Wolfrider  \nWraith/Willaim Thackman, Sharpfury/Garrett Redmane Belong to GameGod210  \nRed Menace/Hóngxióngmao Sheng and the Hóngxióngmao Collective Belongs to Coyote42  \nAll other characters and Lore within this story is apart of Libertyverse, which is owned by   \nWolfrider  \n  \n========================================================================  \n  \nLocation: New Dawn, Illinois, United States of America  \nTime: 1:37 am[/b]  \n  \n\"You sure about this place?\" an Australian Tribal Wolf clad in an orange, gray, and black colored   \narmored bodysuit asked as he observed a warehouse complex from a nearby rooftop, his jade   \ngreen eyes looking out through his black form fitting eye mask as he scanned across the cargo   \nyard, looking for anything that seemed out of place.  \n  \n\"Trust me, my contact in the city said that these guys have their lab setup here for sure. She   \nhasn't let me down before... and can be quite persuasive in getting the intel,\" a snow leopard   \nwith a short beard responded. He was clad in a gray and black bodysuit with dark brown and   \ngray assault pants, and also sporting an eye mask while holding a pair of binoculars to his face   \nas he scanned the yard as well.  \n  \nBoth Howler and Wraith had been working together for a little under a year, ever since the two   \nof them first met after the Aussie wolf had taken matters into his own hands tracking down a   \ncorporate mercenary named Samson Holt. After a crazed firefight, and having to bail the wolf   \nout by sneaking out of a city crawling with Catalyst mercenaries and armed police, Wraith heard   \nthe Australian out. Seeing they both were after the same guy for various reasons, both had   \nagreed to collaborate.  \n  \nWhile not getting Holt in the end, they did manage to shut down and expose a plot by a south-  \neast Asian nation to pay foreign mercenaries to wipe out entire villages in order to make way for   \nnew corporate mega projects; one that the South African mercenary was well known for both   \nconsulting on and leading. Ever since that day William Thackman had taken Joshua Ronfauni   \nunder his wing, eager to raise the former Australian combat engineer into a proper mercenary   \nand superhero.  \n  \nAnd tonight's little urban operation was going to be no different.  \n  \nHowler frowned slightly as he turned and rested his back against a nearby wall, crossing his   \narms as he looked at the snow leopard male. \"Well given you dragged me out here and are only   \nnow telling me it's a drug lab, I'm guessing this is another one of your learning missions... So   \nlay it on me, what are we dealing with here?\" Howler asked.  \n  \nWraith just smirked while keeping his eyes fixed to the binoculars, continuing to look around the   \ncomplex as he began to explain. \"Good to see you're catching on. Intel states that we have here   \nthe primary drug lab of the Warsaw Outsiders, a bunch of Polish and eastern European far right   \nwannabes that turned to illegal street racing after arriving here. Recently they've been operating   \nboth drug and weapon smuggling operations and are wanted by both Polish and Soviet   \nauthorities for various violent crimes.\"  \n  \nHowler's eyebrow raised at the info. \"You can't be serious that we are doing the red's dirty work   \nright?\"  \n  \n\"Not at all, this one is coming from higher up. My contact in the DEA wants this group taken out   \ngiven that they are not only producing their own stuff locally, but are distributing harder shit from   \nway down south. They're working with some upstart cartel in Mexico that's using the Outsiders   \nto transport drugs in the central US.\"  \n  \n\"So instead of hitting the supplier, we go for the distributors?\"  \n  \n\"Exactly. The DEA has something planned for the supplier; rumor is that they're about to get a   \nvisit from another cartel real soon...\"  \n  \n\"Would the DEA really go that far? I mean starting a war between cartel groups?\"  \n  \n\"Oh it's their playbook alright. Besides, this upstart is a threat to them given that he's been   \nplanning some big dick waving operation to show up the other cartels. Something involving a lot   \nof armored trucks breaking through the southern border and shooting their way into the   \nAmerican heartland. Trust me, this amateur is self-destructive and their stupidity is a danger to   \neveryone.\"  \n  \n\"I guess we just have to do our part and hope their play pays off,\" Howler stated while looking   \nover at the building again, his eyes focusing on a group of vehicles rolling up from a side street.   \n\"Victor movement on the south end of the complex, you see them?\"  \n  \n\"Oh yeah I see them. Looks like a couple of vans and some kind of sports car,\" Wraith replied   \nas both heroes watched the convoy turn into the complex loading dock and park just outside of   \none of the big warehouses.   \n  \nHowler focused in with his nanite enhanced senses, allowing him to naturally adjust his vision to   \nzoom in on the convoy. As he did so, he took note of a white wolf stepping out wearing some   \nkind of coat and barking orders to the other individuals who were in the process of getting out of   \nthe vans themselves and unloading goods into the warehouse. \"Must be the crew leader. Heh,   \nhe sticks out like a bloody sore thumb!\"  \n  \n\"DEA doesn't have a name on him. Apparently he did well to cover his tracks, but Polish   \nsecurity service and the KGB records on him have his nickname; the 'White Racer.'\"  \n  \n\"Woah that's totally original and not at all on the nose,\" Howler said while rolling his eyes.  \n  \n\"Don't let the name throw you off, guy has a rap sheet; aggravated assault, rampant   \nhooliganism, identity theft, and he's currently wanted for the assassination of the soviet   \nsuperhero Red Scarlet.\"  \n  \n\"This wanker killed a fucking super?\"  \n  \n\"Yeah, lured her into an alleyway in Warsaw and gunned her down with AK, then ran her over   \nwith a stolen truck to finish the job. The Soviets have him in their sights, but so far he's evaded   \ndetection until now.\"  \n  \n\"That being said, other than his trigger-happy arse, what other threats are we facing there? Any   \nenhanced individuals?\"  \n  \n\"Warsaw Outsiders don't have a history of having very many EI's, but the chances are never   \nzero on this one. Expect a lot of angry men in there packing heat,\" Wraith replied as he   \nmotioned Howler over to one of the van's being unloaded. Duffel bags, some of them opened,   \nwere being pulled out of the vans, and while difficult to confirm from a distance they noticed the   \nwhite ziplock bags inside the open ones. \"Jackpot!\"  \n  \n\"Alright then, what's ROE?\" Howler asked.  \n  \n\"You mean what's your ROE,\" Wraith replied with a smirk.  \n  \n\"Come again?\" Howler responded while cocking his head to the side.  \n  \n\"You're going in alone on this one pup! I'll provide some overwatch and lookout, but I want to   \nsee how you handle yourself in an urban environment. This isn't a third world backwater or   \nsome conflict zone. This is a true peacetime urban location with law enforcement and civilians in   \nplay,\" Wraith explained, waving his hand out to emphasize the point home.  \n  \nHowler just groaned and rubbed his forehead, shutting his eyes for a moment before opening   \nthem again and glaring at Wraith. \"I knew this was a bloody learning mission... alright, so I'm   \ngoing in alone, what are my rules of engagement?\"  \n  \n\"If they pull on you, your call to put them down hard or put them down for good. DEA would like   \nus to keep the important ones alive, and any EI's we encounter are to be taken into custody by   \nthe book,\" Wraith explained.  \n  \n\"Very well then, looks like I got my work cut out for me... You're not gonna cover me with the   \nsniper rifle are ya?\" Howler looked one last time at Wraith while heading over to a nearby stair   \nscaffolding.  \n  \nWraith just smiled, \"Now where is the fun in that if I have to do half the work for ya!\" Howler   \nsmirked back and headed down to street level.  \n  \nA few minutes later the wolf closed in on the complex. He kept his gun holstered, opting to move   \nas silently as possible. As he neared the chain linked fence to the complex Wraith's voice   \nechoed in his mask's comm system. \"Ok pup, looking at the complex info they don't have any   \npressure or motion sensors, pretty bare-bones, and standard security for this part of the city.\"  \n  \nKnowing this information Howler heated up his hand, and when it was a dimly glowing orange   \nhe pressed up against the fence, cutting and melting a gap in the fence itself, allowing him to   \nslip in. Now in the complex itself he darted from cover to cover, keeping himself out of sight of   \nthe floodlights and roaming guards that dotted the cargo bay itself.  \n  \n\"Guard patterns appear to be pretty lacking. You might be able to get away with taking out one   \nor two without being noticed,\" Wraith spoke again as he eagerly watched Howler do his thing.  \n  \nHowler peaked around the corner of a parked semi-trailer and saw one of the guards, an orange   \nhouse cat with a beanie. He was trying to light a cigarette, fumbling with the lighter in his glove-  \ncovered hands with an AK-74U slung across his back.  \n  \nHowler smirked and decided to help him out as he moved in the shadows, sneaking around   \nbehind the feline guard. Stepping quietly near him, he snapped his fingers and lit a small flame   \nbetween his thumb and finger and produced it to the orange cat from the side, keeping his face   \nout of sight as he spoke in as best Slavic he could manage, \"\"  \n  \n\"\" the cat said, lighting his cigarette and taking a quick puff, not even   \npaying attention to where the hand had come from. It took a few moments for the strangeness   \nof the situation to register with him, and the moment he started to turn to address who had given   \nhim the light Howler rapidly grabbed him from behind. Clasping his hand over the cat's mouth   \ncaused him to let out a muffled scream as he inadvertently inhaled the whole lit cigarette, which   \nburnt the inside of his mouth.  \n  \nHowler winced at the pain the man was experiencing but knew he had to do a job as he   \nstruggled and pulled him into the shadows. He then maintained a tight chokehold on him from   \nbehind until his flailing ceased and his body went limp. \"Real sorry about that buddy...but better   \nthan putting a bullet in ya!\" Howler whispered as he hid the unconscious guard behind some   \ntrash bags and continued to sneak around.  \n  \n\"No bad on that one guy, he might wanna see a doctor for that though,\" Wraith said via the   \ncomms as Howler hid behind some shipping containers, peaking around the corner and   \nfocusing on the sports car. He observed White Racer rushing out of the warehouse and tossing   \na duffel bag into the backseat, then getting in and starting to pull out of the cargo lot. \"Looks like   \nhe's in a rush, likely an urgent delivery for one of the big shots in the city.\"  \n  \n\"What's the rest of his crew doing?\" Howler asked, as he adjusted his position a bit closer to get   \na better look of the warehouse loading dock.  \n  \n\"They mostly headed inside, save for a couple of stragglers. Looks like the pair are keeping   \nwarm by a fire,\" Wraith advised as Howler got closer. He observed a pair of humans wearing   \npuffy winter jackets and crowded around an oil barrel that was alight, with one of the guards   \ntossing in bits of a broken up wooden pallet into the flames to keep the heat up.  \n  \nHowler noted their position; there was a good amount of open space across the lot between him   \nand the two men, meaning he had to move fast to get the jump on them. Noting the distance   \nand the shadows being cast by nearby objects, Howler launched himself into a sprint, darting   \nbetween shadows to keep himself as concealed as possible.  \n  \nHis rushing footsteps drew the attention of the guards who stopped what they were doing and   \nquickly looked around, startled by the sound, but before they could properly react the wolf was   \non top of them. Leaping up over the flaming barrel and clotheslining both men to the ground with   \nsheer force. Their firearms clanked and slid across the concrete as both men grunted and tried   \nto shout out in pain while they clutched at their faces.  \n  \nHowler got to work quickly, mounting the most active of the two as he repeatedly smashed his   \nelbow into the man's face, a crack ringing out as he broke the Slavic man's nose before he   \nfinally went limp.  \n  \nThe other had managed to get to his feet and was attempting to produce a weapon from his   \njacket, but Howler was quicker as he lunged and crash tackled the man to the ground, grabbing   \nand wrestling away the guard's arm from their jacket before rolling the man over onto his belly   \nand wrapping his arms around his neck for a chokehold.  \n  \nJust like the first guard he had dealt with this one put up a fight but soon passed out and   \nslumped to the pavement. Looking around quickly, Howler didn't see anyone else out on the lot,   \nas he gathered the weapons and cuffed both men leaving them where they fell. He was   \nsurprised that security was so lacking for an operation like this as he moved quickly towards the   \nwarehouse itself.  \n  \nHe nearly froze when he noticed the security camera by the door, yet something was off about   \nit. It was one of those inexpensive models, and it was clear it was on some kind of motor   \nallowing it to turn and scan. However, as he got closer, he noticed there was no activity other   \nthan the camera slowly panning left and right, allowing him to easily sneak under the sensor.  \n  \nLooking closer behind it, he almost facepalmed upon seeing that while the camera itself was   \npowered it was plugged into itself, meaning either this was a fake security camera or the goons   \ninside didn't know how to set it up properly. \"If they call this security, they better not piss on the   \nroof and tell me it's raining,\" Howler thought to himself as he moved around the outside of the   \nbuilding. So far no other guards were on the outside just like Wraith had told him.  \n  \nAs he approached a side door he checked the lock and sure enough it was bolted in place.   \nWithin seconds he concentrated on his hand as his nanites began to superheat his palm and   \nfingers, his suit's glove glowing a bright orange as he gripped the door handle and proceeded to   \nmelt down the locking mechanism of the door. Moments later all that was left was a molten hole   \nas he slowly pushed the door open and peaked inside.  \n  \nWhat he saw was a vast array of tables and vats with individuals dumping chemical mixtures,   \nprocessing and refining the drugs into a powder, and packaging each patch up in duffel bags   \nfilled with bagged up goods. Close by he could hear a tv playing, likely from the office. He   \nthought that it was odd that they were just cooking and producing the drugs right in the middle of   \nthe warehouse, and then he looked up to see only a large industrial fan spinning above. \"Smart,   \nthey're running at reduced power. Wouldn't get picked up on any power grid audits, might   \nexplain the lack of security...pretty much hiding in plain sight,\" he thought to himself before   \nsilently slipping inside, closing the door behind him as he crouched low and kept to a shadow   \nnext to the office block  \n  \nPeeking into the shipping container office through one of the windows he saw two individuals;   \none was an older looking human that wore thick clothing and a beanie with a slight tremor in his   \nhands, and the other a female goat sporting short cut hair, tank top with pants, and dozens of   \ntattoos inked across her arms. Both were sitting in foldable chairs, drinking beers, and watching   \na tv that happened to be broadcasting the nightly late evening news.  \n  \n\"Recapping some of the top stories from today, talks between the Soviet Union general   \nsecretary Egorov Sorokin and Japanese prime minister Toda Norio have entered their second   \nday on what could be a binding resolution and long-awaited peace agreement between both   \nnations. Brokered by the intervention of Australian president Emilie Fielding and US president   \nKelvin Bratcher, the Hokkaido accords aim to finally put forward a binding peace agreement   \nwhich had not been formally signed since the end of the second world war as well as the return   \nof the Kuril Islands to Japanese territorial control,\" the older African American news anchor   \nreported, before the screen flashed to footage of what naval warships in the middle of what   \nappeared to be a military exercise.  \n  \n\"This comes after a recent show of force in the Pacific and joint military exercises held between   \nthe Soviet, Vietnamese, and Indonesian navies held in the Sea of Okhotsk, one that was   \nshadowed both by American and Japanese observation aircraft as well as an intelligence   \ngathering vessel from the Hóngxióngmao Collective. It's believed that these exercises are   \naimed to not only apply pressure to the Bratcher administration and Japanese diet, but to   \nHóngxióngmao Sheng's rule as well,\" the reporter continued, before the heavily clothed human   \nmale angrily changed the channel to one of the various sport networks.  \n  \n\",\" the man   \ndrunkenly blurred out in polish while taking another sip of his beer.  \n  \n\"\\\u003ci\\\u003e\" the goat pondered, as she searched her pockets for a cigarette to light.  \n  \nWhile eavesdropping on their conversation, Howler looked to see they had a small armory in the   \ncorner of the room. A bunch of firearms and ammo were stacked up against the wall, likely to   \navoid them being a fire risk during the cooking process. \"That means these blokes other than   \nthe guards here are unarmed...works perfectly for me,\" Howler thought to himself before   \ncontacting Wraith. \"I'm inside, looks like about seven and all but two are unarmed. I'm about to   \ngo loud,\" he reported.  \n  \n\"Alright, good luck and give them hell!\" Wraith replied.  \n  \nReaching into his utility belt, Howler pulled out a small flashbang grenade and removed the pin   \nbut maintained his grip on the grenade and spoon. He crouched towards the door and pushed it   \nopen. Before the pair inside could notice he tossed the grenade through the doorway, the spoon   \nflicking out with a ping as the grenade bounced and landed in front of the tv.  \n  \nSeconds later there was a bright flash and a loud bang as the glass in the office shattered. The   \nboom echoed out across the warehouse causing everyone inside to become startled and   \nconfused. Inside the office the hearing and sight of both individuals was greatly impaired as they   \nstaggered about trying to regain their senses. Howler rushed in and grabbed the goat first,   \nquickly flipping her over his shoulder with a judo throw, sending her crashing into the now   \nbroken tv.  \n  \nThe human was next as the wolf grabbed and threw him against the wall before delivering   \nseveral fierce strikes to his midsection, finishing up with a crack in the face with a hard elbow   \ncausing him to slump and slide down the wall. As the rest of the crew rushed towards the office   \nto see what happened they came to a stop when they saw Howler dragging out both the   \nunconscious goat woman and human male, dumping their forms outside the office as the wolf   \nstared them down.  \n  \n\"\" a female human with a short stocky build and wearing chemical   \nprotection clothing and a breathing mask demanded with a muffled voice in Slavic.  \n  \n\"\\\u003ci\\\u003e\" Howler replied back, in broken   \nSlavic.  \n  \n\"\" another goon, a polish eagle armed with a wrench,   \nshouted as he pointed it at the wolf.  \n  \nHowler just smirked and gestured his hand to the office, specifically the corner that housed their   \nweapons and ammo. His hand glowed a bright orange and seconds later he unleashed a bolt of   \norange heat energy right into the corner, melting the guns instantly and causing the ammo to   \ncook off and catch fire. \"So, is that a language you can understand then?\" the Australian asked,   \nonly getting death glares back in response.  \n  \n\"Guess it's fisticuffs then, come on then mates! Come at me!\" he challenged, making a gesture   \nto bring it.  \n  \nThe eagle snapped first as he screamed and rushed the wolf taking a swing with the wrench,   \nwhich was quickly blocked with a raised arm. Howler quickly twisted and wrapped his arm   \naround that of the eagle's, keeping the wrench out of play as he grabbed his head and forced   \nhim downwards and then proceeded to repeatedly knee the bird in the face several times. As he   \nheard the clank of the wrench dropping free from the eagle's hand and onto the ground the wolf   \nlocked his arms under that of the bird, then spun around and tossed him hard against a nearby   \nforklift sending him crumpling to the ground in a heap.  \n  \nWhile his comrades were in shock another goon, a mink, ran forward and did a jumping kick at   \nthe wolf only to be surprised when the Australian took a step back and caught his foot. Before   \nhe had time to process what happened he was violently tripped up and put onto his back, with   \nHowler maintaining control over his foot, turning the man over and twisting his foot in an harsh   \nankle lock making him shout curses in Polish.  \n  \nTwo of the other cooks, both wearing chemical suits, rushed Howler with knives, causing him to   \nrelease mink's foot and go on the defensive as he dodged and evaded slashes and thrusts.   \nHeating up his hands, he waited for both men to rush him, and as they did so he reached out   \nand grabbed onto the blades of both knives, gripping them tight and melting them within   \nseconds.  \n  \nBoth men looked absolutely stunned and terrified, but didn't have much time to react next as   \nHowler lunged forward and thrust kicked one of them nearly half way across the warehouse,   \nsending him crashing into one of the drug making tables. The other was grabbed and hoisted up   \nacross the wolf's shoulders and dumped him right on top of the mink. The wolf then proceeded   \nto overturn a nearby table onto them both to keep them pinned.  \n  \n\"Well that only leaves the one. I'm guessing you're the head cook of this outfit right, miss?\"   \nHowler spoke out to the human woman in the protective gear, who only just stood there glaring   \nbut backing away slightly.  \n  \nThen Howler noticed her starting to tremble and groan, her breathing becoming heavier and   \nmore labored. Then he noticed that she was starting to swell up and expand within her suit, the   \nfabric stretching and tearing as her body began to burst from within it. Howler's eyes went from   \nconfident, to confused, and to fearfully widening as he saw the five-foot human growing to   \nnearly seven feet tall. Her skin began turning to damp, rough fur, her face morphing into   \nsomething more animalistic, and a large fat paddle-like tail breaking out from the base of her   \nspine.  \n  \nWithin less than a minute standing before him was not a human, but a full grown werebeast,   \nand not just anytime of werebeast but that of a werebeaver.  \n  \n\"You...have got to be...fucking kidding me....A werebeaver?! I thought you lot were like the   \nunicorns of lycanthropy, woah you even got big arse buck teeth too...I'm guessing we gonna   \nhave to do this the hard way,\" Howler started quipping before he yelped as the beaver rushed   \nforward, turning and smacking him hard with her tail and sending him sailing across the   \nwarehouse, crashing into the roller door and heavily denting it.  \n  \nAs he tried to get to his feet the werebeaver closed on him, grabbing him by the leg and yanking   \nhim upwards, and then tossing him across the warehouse again as he smashed through a   \ncouple of mixing vats. Getting chemical drug precursor powder coated upon him as he coughed   \nand grit his teeth, his suit began blaring warnings in his mind about not only a cracked rib but   \nalso potential exposure to narcotics.  \n  \nHe forced himself to his feet while his nanites worked to repair the damage internally. As he   \nspat some blood off to the side he watched the towering female werebeaver advance on him   \nwith an intent to kill. Howler closed his fists as they began to heat up and glow again, the   \nintense heat aura he was putting out vaporized the powder on his suit as he focused on his   \ntarget.  \n  \n\"I guess you can take it then...let's see how you handle this!\" he shouted before throwing his   \nfists forward and unleashing a few well aimed heat blasts, impacting the oncoming werebeast.   \nHitting her in the shoulder and chest and causing her to stagger back, heavily deforming one of   \nthe vats with her body weight. She roared as her scorched fur and skin became instantly   \ncauterized from the impacts and she rushed forward in the face of additional heat blasts from   \nthe wolf's hands.  \n  \nMeanwhile, still overlooking the warehouse, Wraith was listening in to Howler's comms, hearing   \nhis frustration and the intensity of the fight he was currently in all while keeping watch from the   \nrooftop. It was then that he caught sight of the White Racer's sports car pulling up into the cargo   \nlot and coming to a stop. He observed the white wolf rushing to get out of the car and heading to   \nthe rear boot to grab something.  \n  \n\"Shit, he must have seen the bodies,\" Wraith thought to himself as he observed the white wolf   \npulling out a long gun from his boot and heading to the warehouse on foot. The snow leopard   \nnarrowed his eyes at this, and with haste he got up and rushed down the ladder while   \ndisappearing from sight.  \n  \nBack inside Howler was breathing heavily and grunting as he locked hands with the   \nwerebeaver, being pushed back against some barrels of chemicals. His heated hands sizzled   \nthe webbed skin of the werebeast's hands, but she just roared and kept trying to bite his head   \noff with her buck toothed maw causing the wolf to duck and weave while struggling to gain any   \nleverage.  \n  \n\"\\\u003ci\\\u003e\" the werebeaver shouted in deep grunting Slavic, going in for   \nanother bite only for Howler to release his grip and duck low between her massive legs, causing   \nher to miss him completely and bite into one of the chemical barrels. Narrowly avoiding her   \nheavy slapping tail he rolled back to his feet, holding his side and looking on as the beaver   \nfrustratingly tried to free herself from the barrel. She lifted it high above her as she ripped the   \nbarrel open to free her jaws, sending chemical powder spilling all over her.  \n  \nHowler noticed in turn the flammable warning on the side of the barrel and the murderous, now   \npotentially drug affected, eyes of the beaver staring right at him. He raised one of his hands and   \ntook aim at the barrel itself. \"I hope your regeneration is strong enough for this,\" he said before   \nunleashing a heat blast right into the barrel, causing the contents to ignite and a flash fire to   \nerupt, engulfing the werebeaver who roared in agony.  \n  \nHowler shielded his face as he looked to the now burning section of the warehouse. His eyes   \nwidened as the towering werebeaver staggered from the flames towards him, herself alight and   \nroaring, trying to fight through the pain to get to the wolf. Seconds later though she started   \nreducing in size and mass; her animal skin, fur, and features reverting back to more human   \nones, now covered in burn patches and melted protective clothing as the now human female   \ncollapsed mere feet from the Australian hero.  \n  \nHowler rushed over and went to check her vitals, then breathed a sigh of relief; despite her   \ninjuries she was still breathing, but was burnt and injured. He wasted no time as he pulled out a   \npocket medical kit and got to work treating her injuries. \"Wraith, I've secured the warehouse but   \nI got a badly injured perp, bloody werebeaver transformed on me and had to go all out on   \nthem...I'll need you...\" Howler was reporting over comms while applying some burn ointment   \nand bandages to the unconscious human, when he heard the unmistakable mechanical sound   \nof a Kalashnikov's charging handle ringing out from across the warehouse behind him.  \n  \nHe turned his head toward that direction and saw at least a few meters from him the White   \nRacer himself, an AKM in his hand and aimed right at Howler. \"\" he shouted out as he raised the rifle upwards   \nto focus his aim on the Australian wolf who, with disregard for his own life, opted to shield the   \nhuman woman with his own body.  \n  \nA gunshot rang out and echoed, but to Howler's surprise he felt no impact, no pain other than   \nthat the beating he took during his previous fight, and no new injury warnings blaring from his   \ninternal nanites. Instead, he heard the pained cry of White Racer, turning to see the white wolf   \nhad been shot in the hand causing him to drop his AK and clutch his palm which very much had   \na hole in it now and spilling out with blood.  \n  \nHe then saw a brief shimmer of something cloaked making a move at Racer, observing   \nsomething unseen taking hold of the wolf and violently throwing him to the ground and cuffing   \nhim. Another shimmer and the figure uncloaked, revealing Wraith crouched and securing White   \nRacer in place.  \n  \n\"You ok?!\" Wraith asked him.  \n  \n\"Yeah we're good!\" Howler replied back as he continued to give first aid to the human   \nwerebeast, the sound of White Racer's Slavic swearing just background noise to him as Wraith   \nsearched the wolf. He removed some additional weapons, disassembling a pistol and tossing   \nthe pieces aside as he got back up and walked over to his partner.  \n  \n\"You did good, you know. Taking out the guards, getting inside unnoticed, and clearing the   \nplace out, but the lesson to learn from this is to always expect the unexpected,\" Wraith started   \nout as he stood over Howler. \"You're not wearing that older, heavier combat engineer suit   \nanymore, and you very well could have taken 7.62 to the back because you failed to fully secure   \nthe location.\"  \n  \n\"I know that...and I'm sorry, but I also have a duty to render aid as well,\" Howler replied, not   \nlooking at Wraith as he tightened the last bandage on the injured suspect.  \n  \n\"Hey, we make mistakes all the time. It wasn't a bad solo run, and honestly your heart is in the   \nright place. I would have done the same myself. We'll have to work on getting your instincts   \nsharpened overtime,\" Wraith said while placing a reassuring hand on Howler's shoulder.  \n  \nHowler just smiled back and got up, then looked around. \"So what's the call?\"  \n  \n\"Well take some snaps and torch the drugs. DEA will handle the rest while we can leave these   \ngoons to the local PD. Someone likely heard the shot and explosion so we are bound to have   \ncompany real soon,\" Wraith stated, with Howler nodding in reply.  \n  \nMoments later the wolf got to work using his pyrokinetic abilities to torch the vats while Wraith   \ngot to work on collecting evidence and moving the unconscious goons away from the flames   \nand to a much more centralized location. Within half an hour, both men faded into the darkness   \nas they left the scene.  \n  \n[b]An Hour Later[/b]  \n  \nWhite Racer was propped up against the wall, still handcuffed, yet his hand was patched up by   \nWraith and Howler before they left. He continued to mutter to himself in Slavic, trying to fight his   \nrestraints and break free.  \n  \nIt was then that he heard the sound of footsteps on broken glass, really heavy footsteps. It was   \nthe unmistakable sound of combat boots followed by a male voice that whistled at the sight of   \nthe mess inside the warehouse.  \n  \n\"Man I love what you guys have done with the place, a real shit show right here!\" White Racer   \nheard, as he turned his head and saw a towering male lion sporting military cargo pants, a wife   \nbeater singlet, combat boots, and an eyepatch over one of his eyes.  \n  \n\"\" the wolf shouted at him.  \n  \n\"Sorry, I don't speak commie!\" Sharpfury replied back as he walked over to the canine, then   \nroughly grabbed him and lifted him up off the ground with ease. The wolf struggled and cursed   \nat him as he was held up by his shirt collar. The lion then dug his hands into the wolf's pockets   \nand started searching until he found what he was looking for, dropping the man back on the   \nground with a thud as more Slavic cursing came out of his mouth.  \n  \nThe lion went over the small packet of cards that was in the wolf's possession, all of them stolen   \nID cards, until he stopped at one that had a familiar lion's face on it. Except in this photo, he had   \nboth eyes and the military uniform of the US army donned upon him. \"Naughty boy you are,   \ndidn't your mother ever tell you it's a bad idea to steal another man's identity? Figured it was   \nyou that pickpocketed me at that strip club while I was enjoying myself,\" the lion growled as he   \npulled out a large combat knife and crouched down on the wolf.  \n  \nHe hooked the sword breaker teeth between the handcuff chains and pulled upwards, causing   \nthe chain to break and freeing the wolf. At first, he was confused and thought he was being let   \ngo. That changed when the lion roughly hoisted him up and threw him onto a nearby table,   \npinning him down with a combination of the lion's own body weight and the force he was   \nexerting upon his arm and wrist, holding it down on the table while bringing the knife close.  \n  \n\"You know, it's not nice to take another man's info, especially if you don't even look like him. It's   \nkinda rude...\" the lion said coldly while inching the knife close to the wolf's wrist, the man   \nstruggling and trembling, pleading in Slavic for him to release him. \"They say that if you cut a   \nthief's hand off, they will never steal again...let's find out if that's true!\"  \n  \nScreams rang out in the warehouse, followed by the sickly sound of slicing flesh and cracking   \nbone as the muscular lion proceeded to cut into the wolf's wrist, sawing and taking his time. He   \nwhistled and hummed in an attempt to drown out the man's agonizing cries as he hacked off his   \nwounded hand, leaving a bloodied stump at the wrist.  \n  \nWiping the knife clean, he placed it back in its holster and then noticed some industrial cables   \noff to the side, causing him to grin as he picked them up then started to secure the flailing wolf,   \nwho was now in tears looking at his stump where his hand was moments earlier. \"Quit your   \nwhining, it's not like you're gonna be using that hand anyway where you're going!\" the lion   \nmocked as he tied down and strapped up the male wolf in a hog-tie like position. Then he   \ngrabbed a nearby baggy of drugs and slipped it over the stump, tightly securing it in place with   \nadditional cables in order to hold back the bleeding, much to White Racer's protesting cries.  \n  \nHauling him off the ground, he carried the wolf over his shoulder and out of the warehouse,   \nheading over to the parked sports car. Its engine was still running as the lion popped the boot   \nand tossed the Polish wolf inside. He then pulled out a smartphone and snapped some pictures   \nbefore making a call.  \n  \n\"It's Sharpfury, I got your package, sending the photo now,\" the lion stated which caused the   \nwolf's eyes to widen as he realized that the man that just cut his hand off and tied him up was a   \nvery well-known assassin and mercenary for hire. A few moments went by before the lion   \nsmirked, \"Oh yeah, he's missing a hand, but he's mostly in one piece...well thank you for your   \nunderstanding comrade! Pleasure doing business!\" he said as the call cut off and he grinned   \nwidely while looking down at the now pale wolf.  \n  \n\"You just earned me a lot of cash, and to think all I had to do was track you down for   \npickpocketing...enjoy the ride cause I'm jacking it for myself. You're heading right back to the   \nUSSR!\" Sharpfury laughed, before raising up his boot and slamming it right in the wolf's face,   \ncausing his vision to turn to black.  \n\\\u003c/i\\\u003e\\\u003c/i\\\u003e\\\u003c/i\\\u003e"}