Alright
"Alright, listen here cause I'm only gonna say this shit once. The Scallini's up north in midtown are giving black market weapons to the Canilono's soldiers. The Canilonos are pushin' from Brooklyn and don't seem to be letting up. We need to push back, the Don is considering going to the mats with them, but he is avoiding an all out war at all costs, a wars the last thing we want." The puma looks up from the map of the city, straight at the three other furs in the room. He was wearing a black, pinstriped, three-piece suit with a black fedora pulled down a bit. It shaded his eyes. They were sitting around a big table in the back room of a controlled bar. Light flashed into his eyes as he thinks for a second. "I can only hope that the new recruits are good enough to help, we are losing men, and fast. I'm gonna meet them out front and bring them in here." he leans in and looks at the fur across the table, it was a mountain lion, his dark yellow fur was contrasted by his all black suit. "You got that Canilono capo in the other room right?"
The lion licks his lips "Yeah, he's tied up tight and unconscious. What are we gonna do with that poor son of a bitch?"
The puma chuckles "Wait in that room for me and the recruits. When I knock on the door three times, bring him out here. Me and the new blood are gonna have some fun" He chuckles a bit as he thinks of what he's gonna do. His paws slam down against the table as he gets serious again. "I'm gonna go wait out front for the recruits." He walks from the room, followed by the other furs, all except for the dark yellow one, who goes into the other door. This one labeled "WC". The two other furs move to a booth and sit down, planning to scope out the new guys. He walks through the empty bar and pats the bartender on the shoulder "Wassup, Leo" He winks and walks out of the bar, smiling. Leo...the one who got him into this business, the one who helped him the most in the world of crime that his life was immersed in.
He walks to his right when he exits and leans against a near-by lamp post, lighting a cigarette and watching the smoke trail upwards as he waits. He notices his knuckles, the tops of them red, raw, and bloody from what he did the night before. He puts them in his pockets, trying to hide them. No matter how long he had been in this business, he still hid the fact he was in it to most people. But he knew, after what he was planning was all said and done, everyone would know his name. They'd speak of him in whispers and hushes, his name like the plague, scorned but still passing from one to another. He purred, his mind shooting out thought after thought, but landing on one. *Maybe this is why I do what I do...*
He looks over the top of his cigarette, a young bobcat, just barely eighteen, looked back at him. The bobcat was standing at about six foot, wearing a worn fedora and an old suit coat. He was trying to look like a respectable mafia man, but failed at this task greatly. The puma just smiled and nodded to the left, towards the entrance to the bar. "In there." The bobcat nodded slowly and went inside. The puma shook his head as he saw the bobcat exit from the streets "Jeez...we're screwed aren't we?"
One by one, more and more furs entered the bar, many different types of felines entering the back of the bar, almost ten of them. As the last one entered the bar, the puma followed him, entering the back room with them and locking the door behind him. He saw the bobcat again, his foot-paws rooted to the place in nervousness. The puma grinned, his mind jumping from thought to thought again, this time landing on something different. *Maybe it's seeing the people cower...maybe that's why I do this dirty job*
The puma walks to where he was before; whispers can be heard throughout the room. He stood up in front of the map, bringing a paw into his jacket pocket, the whole room going silent at nearly the same time. He grinned widely at this. *Maybe this is why I do it, the complete control I have over people lower than me* He brings out a dagger, slamming it down on the table, right on the name of the "Canilono" that was on the map. The entire room shudders as he pulls his paw from the butt of the knife.
"Now then...before we go on anymore..." The puma walks to the door with "WC" printed on it, knocking on it once, twice, three times. The puma walks back; smiling as the mountain lion bursts out of the bathroom, lifting up a bruised and battered collie and slamming him on the table, a muffled yell came from the gagged muzzle of the canine as he hit the wooden tabletop. The puma stepped back to his original position, smiling at the furs around the table before speaking again. "...I'm gonna need full trust from all of you."
The puma lifts the knife from the table and throws it on top of the collie, his gaze locked onto the other furs. "Collect some blood from this bitch...cover your thumb and push against this table, I want a signature in his blood." He nods forward at the collie and looks around the table. The bobcat was the first to act, almost climbing on the table as he tries to grab the knife. His paw moves quickly down to the wrist of the collie, slicing open his skin and splattering some blood onto the white fur of the collie. The mountain lion kept his paws on the collie, making sure he doesn't get away as the new recruits took the blood of this capo.
After about five minutes, six of the ten furs had made their makeshift signature. Four refused to do the deed. By the time the last willing fur finished up, the capo passed out, the mountain lion releasing his grip and looking at the puma again. The black puma was pleased by what he just saw. *Now I remember why I got into this.* He grinned a wide, toothy grin as he looked at the six. "Alright, looks like I don't have a bunch of fags on my hands. The rest of you...you sicken me. Johnny, take them out of my sight" The lion smiled and looked at the four who failed this little test.
"Alright you fairies, follow me out back, I need to debrief you" The mountain lion waited for the four to exit before winking at the puma, who winked back and looked at the remaining six.
"Well, you have all been accepted into the family, but your still outsiders. Work your tails off and you might make it somewhere. But get one thing straight...piss me off, and your fucking dead." He looked around as the six furs tried to ignore the gunshots being fired out back. All of them flinched at all four, except for the bobcat, who remained motionless, his gaze always on the puma. "You'll all get a call from me or a family member tomorrow, with a time, and place. That's where you'll meet who's gonna train you. If you can't pick it up fast enough, then your probably gonna be fucked somewhere down the road. So pay attention to everything they say.... your all dismissed, go home an get some sleep."
The six furs walked out as the mountain lion walked in, his shirt had not a drop of blood on it as he put his gun back into its holster under his suit jacket. "It's time, Joe. They'll be here any second."
The puma nodded, walking ahead of the mountain lion and back into the bar, the two furs still in the booth, both with a glass of brandy. He looks to his right, his friend Leo on the floor, tied up. He kneels down, patting the back of the lion to show that it was his best friend and confidante talking to him. "I'm sorry about this Leo, I really am, but this is what you get for dealing with those dirty fucking mutts."
The lion just squirmed, trying to get out of the ropes as he moaned out for help. The puma just stood up and chuckled. "Yeah...this is why I do this job"
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A black car sped down the city streets, making sharp turn after sharp turn, cutting off cars and passing cops without even a siren going on. Every cop in the city knew what was going on tonight, and they made sure to stay out of it. Inside the car, four furs prepared for what looked like a war, loading up with as much Tommy gun bullets and Molotovs as they can hold. The driver was already ready for what he was about to do. The scared grey wolf at the wheel was loaded up with twin 9mms and a single Molotov, his teeth grinding in anger as his target came into mind. "That fucking puma! I'm gonna blow his God damned brains out for this shit. It's not business for that fucker anymore, it's pleasure!"
The other furs, a collie, a hyena, and a malamute, knew not to say anything back to the wolf. They all knew his grudge against the feline in question, and they all knew their mission. About five minutes later, they were at their destination, an old bar on the corner of Broadway and Bowery Street. The furs exited the car, cautiously waiting near the front door for the "all clear" to enter from the wolf. The grey canine waited till his heart stopped beating, he would finally have the puma in his grasp.
The wolf nodded and the collie and the malamute busted the door in, shooting a few rounds inside to make sure no one was waiting. The four quickly entered, looking around the empty bar. The wolf's eyebrow cocked up in surprise. "Wh.... where is everyone?...That fucking lion said they'd be here!"
The four only had to wait a few seconds before their answer came. Moaning from behind the bar rose up, all of their guns moving toward it at the same time. The wolf slowly edged his way over to the bar, looking over the wooden bar and seeing the collie laying on top of the lion, both of them tied up and in the sixty-nine position. The wolf sighs out and chuckles. "Alright you bastard, get the fuck up, let's get out of here." He moves behind the bar, shaking the shoulder of the collie. "Come' on, man, get up." He shakes hard enough to flip the collie over, revealing what was underneath. The wolf had only a second to register what it was before it exploded, the bomb destroying the whole bar as its weight trigger went off. It killed everyone inside the building, destroying every bit of evidence, scorching every body inside.
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The bobcat woke up to another normal city day, the cars moving, the horns blaring, the people walking and talking...and of course, the horrid, horrid smell. The place was a shit-hole, but it was his shit-hole. He lived here and he loved it. He hated it with a passion, but he loved it with his soul. He sat up in his bed and scratched behind his ears, shaking his head quickly to get him up. He didn't bother with a shower, it smelt like shit anyway, no one would notice. He brushed his teeth, got dressed and fell down onto his couch, looking out the window of his apartment. "When's that bastard gonna call?"
In no longer than ten seconds later, the phone began to ring. He sat up, looking at it, just staring at it without moving a muscle. *This is it....this is the last stop before I go past the point of no return* He walks up to the phone, placing one paw on it and stopping *Well...here goes nothing* He picks up the phone and places the receiver to his ear. "H...hello?"
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The puma sat in the corner booth of a diner, looking intently at the paper, scanning through every story. Not a word about the explosion, or the shots fired. He smiled his usual, toothy, smile, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. He put the paper down, averting his gaze up from the news to the furs outside of the diner, walking happily on their way to their destinations. He blocked these furs out of his mind as they passed, searching for the one he was waiting for.
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The bobcat made his way around the corner, stopping for a second as he looked at the sign hanging on the side of the building. "Looks like this is the place...the moonlight diner, huh?" His legs started walking before he even realized it, his paw moving up once he reached the door, opening it slowly and walking in.
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The puma saw the bobcat walk past the window, sitting back as he waited for the entry of the new member of his surrogate family. The bobcat made his way over to the table, his same coat and fedora as the night before draped over him. He sat down as the puma chuckled and shook his head. "Ya know, you need some new threads. You look like a fucking pauper." He brought his coffee up to his lips and took a sip before looking up at the bobcat.
"Alright, you got me here, where's my mentor?"
The puma chuckles again, "I am, you little bastard. Now get the fuck up, it's time to do a little something for the family." The pair stood up, the puma doing so first before the bobcat.
"So.... what are we doing?"
He chuckles one last time, winking at the bobcat "What else?" The puma walks to the center of the room, reaching his left paw into his jacket and pulling out a magnum revolver, firing one shot into the air. The entire room went silent.
The bobcat didn't even know this man's name, yet he was compelled to pull out what he was carrying. The Saturday night special was the prize of the bobcat, and he held it with pride.
"Now then..." The puma starts walking toward the counter, his pistol still raised in the air. "...This place is now the property of the Felianos, and you will pay homage to our family." His gaze moved to the chef and owner of the place. It was an old doberman who was used to getting his place shot up, due to the fact he opened his business on disputed mob territory. "You got that? A cut of every month's earning is our property. In return, we give you protection."
The doberman shook his head. "Fuck you! My business has been passed around like a fucking whore since I started it. I'm not gonna take it anymore!" The old dog pulled out his own weapon, a twelve gauge double barrel. He quickly pulled up the muzzle of the gun and pointed it at the puma.
The bobcat was too quick for the doberman, not saying a word and aiming with deadly precision, pulling the trigger and blasting off the trigger finger of the owner, and nothing else. The puma could do nothing but smile as the canine drooped his weapon and moaned out in pain. "Do you see my point of view now?"
The doberman panted and held his paw tightly, only getting out a few words. "F...fine! But you better protect this place...I'm -not- changing allegiances again!" The puma just nodded and started walking out of the diner, putting his gun back into his jacket.
"Alright, our men will be here to hold this place down soon, and a lawyer will be here to work out our little deal." The owner growled as the pair of felines left, his business taken once more.
The puma got into his car outside, the bobcat following as usual. He quickly started up the engine and drove off, the diner getting farther and farther away. "So, what's your name kid?"
"Name's Anthony...Anthony Mercanti..."
The puma didn't wait for anymore words "Name's Joe, and that's all you need to know for now. You did good in there kid, but I've been asked to make sure I instill this into you. Right now, negotiations are important, being a cowboy is only gonna get other people fucked. Judging by that gun of yours, and how you look..." The puma grabs the lapel of the old jacket on the bobcat with his thumb and forefinger and then lets go "...I'd say your more of a fighter than a talker. That needs to change. Tomorrow, I'll bring you to one of my favorite tailors. Maybe you can look as good as I do one day." Joe chuckles as he reaches his destination, stopping in front of a worn apartment. It once held beauty, but years of wear and tear has destroyed it. It took the bobcat a few seconds for him to realize he was in front of his own apartment building.
"Now get out and lay low till I can make sure no-one's gone to the cops about what we just did. Or, at least, pay off the cops so they don't do anything about it. Gotta love crooked cops." Joe grins as Anthony gets out of the car, keeping the door open to say one last thing.
"H...how d'you know where I lived?"
"I'm your mentor, you fuck-wit. It's my job to know" Joe winks one last time and pulls the door closed from the inside. He drives off immediately, leaving Anthony on the side walk as he speeds off, through the streets of the city.