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I'm finding it hard to keep my heart rate under control. The closer the trial gets, the more my heart flies. It's starting in about an hour. I hate to admit it, but I'm scared. I know nothing can happen to me. I know that there'll be cops lining the walls. I know that there's nothing to be scared of. But I'm still scared. It's irrational fear. I know that. At the same time though, I feel relieved that it's almost over. That justice will be served, and nothing like this can happen to anyone ever again.

There's news vans lining the street. Cameras are set up with news anchors giving their viewers the first scoop on "The Trial of the Century". As mom, dad, Luke, Janet, and myself walk down the sidewalk, the camera's turn to us. News people swarm over to us. Police come out of nowhere to keep the news people at arm's length. They ask all kinds of questions. "Tony! What are your thoughts on the trial?" "What are your feelings at this moment?" "Clay! How do you feel about seeing the men who raped and mutilated your son?" Stuff like that. The police get us through to the door, where it's much calmer. There's lawyers, judges, police, and important looking people in black suits.

"Tony." A large lion in a black suit and red tie walks up to me. This isn't just any old lion. He's not a lawyer. He's not a judge. No. He is the most important man in the country. He is the President of the United States, and at this moment, he's shaking my paw. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ronald. But I'm sure you already knew that."

It's more out of wonder than anything that I shake this great man's paw without flinching, or drawing away. I do nothing but stare as the president releases my paw from his firm grip. The president then shakes the paws of my father, mother, Luke, and Janet all in turn. He greets them each.

"I didn't think this matter was big enough to involve the President of the United States. Surely this isn't some political stunt you're pulling." My dad says, sort of jokingly, but at the same time, you can't tell if he might be serious.

"I assure you, Mr. Goldenpaw, that my business here is for more than political gain. Regardless, I would like to offer my condolences to you Tony, as well as your family." Nods of appreciation go around, from everyone but me. "Today, I'll be witnessing the trial with my own eyes. I'll be providing extra security as well."

"Do you honestly think someone would want to hurt Tony at this point? Or yourself for that matter?" My dad interjects.

"No. This security isn't so much for Tony, nor me. This security is for Gregory. The alpha of the group of wolves who mutilated Tony."

"So you're protecting that scum? From who?" Janet says.

"Himself. The man is insane. He's liable to do something."

"Like what?" My mom asks.

"I'm not at liberty to say. Just know that all should go smoothly." A German shepherd in a black suit and blue tie leans over whispers something into the president's ear. "Excuse me. Something has just come to my attention. Good luck to you, Tony." He shakes my paw one more time, then leaves down a hallway with his secret service. I'm still pretty awestruck. The president shook my paw. That's pretty big. But then again, there'll be a new president soon enough. Unless this one gets reelected.

"Mr. Goldenpaw." A lawyer in a gray suit walks up to our group. "David Jones, attorney at law." Much to my surprise, it's not my father who he's speaking to, but me. He moves to shake my paw, but I don't let him. He doesn't surprise me enough to get a paw-shake. The lawyer withdraws his paw. "Right... Well, Tony, I'll be your lawyer for to duration of this trial. Your parents have worked extensively with me to ensure that we can charge those criminals with every charge known to man. While we're in there, I suggest that you do your best to look sad, or scared. That'll make the judge...."

"Pitty me?" I pipe up, giving Mr. Jones a dirty look. I don't need to be pitied.

"Well, yes, actually. The judge is more likely to put those wolves away for longer if he pities you."

"I'll look however I want." I snap at him, getting a little frustrated at being told how to act. I understand being told what to do, and even say at the trial, but I'll act however I feel.

"Right..." Jones looks at my parents with an expression saying; 'Are you going to let him talk like that?' He gets no response. "Well, Tony. Moving on. We'll have witnesses testify first. That includes Luke and Janet, and some other furs you might recognize. After that, you will testify your story. We'd like you to start from the moment you and Luke ran away and go from there. If you can't do it, don't worry. Just talk about what you can that pertains to the case. That sound okay?"

I still give him a dirty look. He continues.

"Well... Each wolf will have the opportunity to talk if they want. Some might apologise to get shorter sentences, some might explain what happened. You don't have to worry about any of that. It won't change anything. Now, the big question; are you ready?"

All he gets from me is the same dirty look.

"Right then. I'll meet you guys in the courtroom. Just have to soften up the judge a bit. If you'll excuse me..." Jones walks away toward a middle aged black panther with neatly kept blond hair. Shortly after a female otter in a dark gray dress suit comes up to us. "The trial will be starting soon. Please, follow me into the courtroom." The otter leads us through two huge wooden double doors. The inside of the courtroom is pretty big. There's rows and rows of seating, and behind a little wooden gate there sits two tables. Beyond that, the judges stand. To the right of that, the seat for those testifying. To the left, the jury's area. The entire place is empty. We get seated at one of the tables.

"I will be right back with some refreshments for you all. The courtroom gets pretty hot and crowded." Words of thanks go around from our group as the otter walks off. As we wait, people start coming in. Most of them sit behind us. The president walks in with his guard and takes a seat directly behind me. His secret service takes post at each corner of the room, and two sit on either side of him. Soon enough, most of the seats are taken. Some of the last people to come in are the jury, and all of the wolves. All of them. The Alpha, Greg, gets escorted in by two guards. He wears a muzzle piece that keeps him from talking. Most of the wolves sit in the benches behind the gate, separated from the rest of the crowd. Only Greg and Daniel sit at the other table next to us. Guards stand ready from all sides of the wolves.

I look over at Daniel. He lifts his chained paws and waves. I wave back with one paw. That earns me a weird look from my mother, who's been keeping an eye on me since we left the house. I ignore it. The Alpha looks at Daniel, then at me and growls. My heart rate quickens a bit, but I stay calm. A guard hits Greg in the back just hard enough with his nightstick to tell him to stay quiet. Greg looks away and keeps his head low.

Just then, a door opens behind the judges seat, and a bull walks through. Furs quiet down.

"All rise, for the honorable Judge Davis." Everyone stands. Greg has to be dragged to his feet. The black panther walks in, dressed in his judges uniform, and takes a seat. He hits his gavel.

"This trial regarding the case of Tony versus the 'Wolf Gang' is now in session. Everyone please be seated." Judge Davis talks with a voice so deep that it screams authority. It would be hard to dispute someone with his type of voice.

"Will the prosecution please state their case." The judge asks, calmly. Our lawyer stands up, and right away launches into a speech all about how I was held captive, raped, and mutilated by the wolves present. Luke squeezes my paw throughout this part. The lawyer goes on to state all of the witnesses that'll be speaking, as well as the police report of the raid on the "brothel house", as he put it. It wasn't a brothel. It was a cult. Stupid lawyer...

"Very well. You may sit." Judge Davis says in his deep voice. "Now, one at a time I will call the names of the defense. You will each rise and state your plea on the charges of child molestation, child prostitution, child endangerment, child abuse, attempted murder, kidnapping,-" I can't really hear the rest of all of the charges the judge says. Each and every thing he said just brought me back to that empty room with all of those wolves. I finally come back to the present when Luke hugs me and whispers in my ear asking if I'm alright. I rub my nose against Luke's shoulder in response, staying there while I try to clear my head.

"-se Rodriguez?"

"Guilty."

"Jeremy Fissure?"

"Guilty."

"Daniel Webber?" I look over to the Beta wolf.

"No contest."

"And finally, Gregory Bane." The Alpha wolf stands. My heart beats a little faster. I shake away the thought of a bad dream I had. "Bane, you are being accused of additional charges including the mutilation of Tony Goldenpaw, and organizing and leading the 'Wolf Gang'. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Gasps of surprise go around the courtroom, followed by discussion of the plea. My muzzle hangs open in disbelief. Judge Davis raises an eyebrow and pounds his gavel.

"Order. Order in the court." The judges commanding voice doesn't go over normal conversation volume. It doesn't have to. The courtroom goes silent. "Might I remind you that the evidence stacked against you will almost certainly prove you to be guilty?"

"I'm aware. I plead not guilty."

"Very well." Davis pounds his gavel. "Will the prosecution please bring forth their first witness?"

"Yes, your honor." My lawyer stands. "For my first witness, I call to the stand the one person who knows most of the story leading up to Tony's kidnapping. Luke Nightclaw. Will you please take the stand?"

Luke lets go of me and stands. He runs his paw across my shoulders as he slides behind me, then goes up to the stand next to the judge. He sits down and waits. The judges personal officer moves in front of Luke holding a bible.

"Luke, please put your left paw on the bible, and your right paw up, palm out." He does as the bull directs. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." Luke's voice cracks a little, but he keeps his composure. I can tell he's nervous. Almost as nervous as me. Almost.

Our lawyer walks to the middle of the floor and turns to Luke.

"Luke, I would like you to recount to the judge and jury everything that happened leading up to Tony's kidnapping." Luke doesn't start talking right off. He pauses for a bit, probably thinking of where to start.

"I guess everything can be traced back to when Tony... came out to me. We started dating if you could call it that. Nobody knew except for my mom. We kept it secret. He was afraid. He still is. I can tell." He nods toward me. He knows me so well... "It wasn't long after that we went to the fair, and we went up on the farris wheel. His father saw us up there... *together*. When Tony realized his father knew, he ran. He was scared out of his mind. I ran after him, and Mr. Goldenpaw followed. Eventually-"

Luke continues to tell the story. You know what happened already. I hold my stomach as Luke talks. My tummy doesn't feel right hearing all of this. It's like I'm reliving it. The running, the cloudy darkness, the static vision making it hard to see. Hard to think. The heaviness of the rock. The complete lack of memory from between me picking up the rock, and Luke holding me just feet away from Dad's presumably dead body. All of the blood... I close my eyes as tears escape me. Arms find their way around me. The same big strong arms that lifted me from the bloody, cum-stained floor just after I got my leg cut off. There's so much comfort in them. Just enough to calm me down after another five or ten minutes.

"That's when Tony found a gold watch. It had a note in it, and an old picture of two boys." Luke holds up the note. I didn't know he had it... I still remember what it said though, word for word.

'My dearest John,

Please take this watch as a symbol for our love. Carry it with you always, and forever let it remind you of us, for while my body lies six feet under, my love for you will always remain in your heart. Don't let our love die.

Forever and always, into the afterlife and beyond. I love you,

~William T.'

Much to my surprise, the words I recite in my head are also repeated as a whisper in my ear. I look to my left where Mom is smiling at me. She knows the two boys...

"We decided to pawn the watch for money.... Well, I did. Tony didn't want to. The watch meant a lot to him." Luke holds the note up again. "Because of this. But I convinced him. We got 125 dollars from the pawn shop owned by a parrot man."

Luke goes on to talk about how the money was spent, mentioning the lemur hobo whom he met after I disappeared. He talked about how the hobo wanted to commit suicide, but didn't after I gave him the hundred dollars. How I gave him faith in the world. Luke chokes a bit at the part where he hit me. I do my best not to listen. That bit is enough to make me cry again.

"It was after the hobo told me Tony was at a church that I ran to find him again. When I got there though, a wedding was going on. I was too late. What seemed like weeks passed while I searched and searched. I couldn't find him. I lost hope. So I did the only thing I could do. I went to the police. Mr. Goldenpaw met me at the police station within half an hour." Luke chuckles to himself. "He drove from his house. A two hour ride depending on traffic."

The judge looks at my dad, raising an eyebrow. What the judge sees is a large lion holding his fragile and emotional son to him closely. "That's some good driving." Judge Davis says. "Continue."

Luke nods. "With Mr. Goldenpaw, and the police's help, we managed to narrow down the search area. I was walking the street where the wolves house was when I heard screaming and shouting coming from that house. Two minutes later SWAT was knocking down the door, and the rest is history. We got Tony back. Well... Most of him..."

"That's enough Luke. More than enough. Thank you. You may step down." Jones says. Luke stands and walks back. He sits next to me. I hug him as soon as he settles into the seat. He hugs back. "There you have it. That is how Tony came to be missing. We have two furs here to verify this story. May Peter Valancourt please take the stand."

The parrot from the pawn shop stands up. He's still wearing that purple suit we first saw him in. The officer goes through the whole thing about telling the truth before Jones can continue.

"Pete, would you please tell everyone who you are, and how you met Tony and Luke."

"Aye. My name is Pete Valancourt. Owner and operator of Pete's Priceless Pawns located on sixty eight Dragon Drive."

"This isn't a commercial Mr. Valancourt. Get to the point." The judge interjects.

"Yes, your honor. These two young boys came walking into my shop holding a one of a kind golden pocket watch from the 18th century. They came in sayin' they were brothers. I didn't question it. A lot of people come in wanting discretion. I assumed these two might have been just two street rats who came across a gold watch." The judge can be seen writing something down. "Anyway, I gave them a hundred twenty five for it. Sold it for ten times as much..." He nods over to my table. "To her in fact." I look up at mom. She smiles again. "Anyway, that's what happened. They came in, they pawned, and they left."

"Thank you Peter. That'll be all. You may step down." Jones says.

"Don't go far Valancourt. We need to talk about your questionable business practices." Judge Davis says. Some of the court chuckles as Pete the parrot sits low, back in the crowd.

"As you can deduce, this verifies Luke's story." Jones goes on, ignoring the interruption. "Now, to further verify Luke's story, would Theodore Baron take the stand, please?"

A man stands up. He wears a fancy suit with gold colored fabric accents. The rich looking lemur sits at the stand. Again, they go through the whole truth thing. I watch on in disbelief.

"Mr. Baron, would you please tell the judge and jury who you are, and how you met each of these two boys."

"Of course. My name is Theodore Baron, and I am the 'hobo', whom Tony gave one hundred dollars to." Whispers go around the room. The judge clears his voice, silencing the chatter. "Yes. I know. I don't look homeless. I'm not anymore, thanks to Tony's generosity. The money he gave me, I managed to invest. In the short time since receiving that money, I have made hundreds of thousands of dollars through stocks." Theodore addresses me directly. "You changed my life, Tony. You gave me hope and faith when things seemed like they couldn't get worse. You restored my faith in humanity, and you gave me the chance no one else ever did. Normally people look away when they see a homeless man. Normally, people ignore us like we're part of the scenery. You didn't. You saw a fur in need and helped him. Helped me. You are selfless. Thank you, Tony. Every time I see another homeless person, I take out my wallet, in the hopes that I can help many more people get back on their feet."

Wow. Just... Wow... I just felt that really good feeling I felt when I first gave Theodore the money. It just goes to show how one act of kindness can have a ripple effect. Theodore smiles at me.

"I returned the favor Tony gave me. I found him half conscious on the pavement just hours after he gave me the money. I brought him to that church, and gave him food and a blanket. It was appalling to see such a thin lion drenched in rain with the temperatures dropping to the low thirties. I remember feeling so ungrateful. The boy was on the threshold of death, yet he gave me so much money? Truly selfless.... Anyway, the next day I saw Tony off. He told me he wanted to get as far away as possible. Now I know what he was running from. The very same person I met around noon that same day. Luke was sitting on the same bridge I was, thinking the same thing I did a not twenty four hours earlier. He had nothing left to live for. He lost hope. I talked with him, and as soon as I mentioned bringing a lion to a church, he ran off. That's the last I saw of them before now."

"Words cannot express..." Jones shakes his head. "Thank you Mr. Baron. You may step down." Theodore nods, and steps down. He stops next to me and holds out his paw. I shake it. He holds my paw firm.

"Thank you." He says, then lets go of my paw and returns to his seat. I look at the paw Theodore shook. Resting on my palm is a 100 dollar bill. I smile and pocket the money. I don't think I'll be spending that on anything for myself...

"Finally," Jones gets back on track. "The prosecution calls Tony Goldenpaw to the stand." My heart practically stops. I'm not looking forward to this... Luke gently squeezes my paw and gives me a little push. I stand up. To every person looking at me in this courtroom, I appear to be a sickly thin, little lion boy with a slight limp from a prosthetic leg, dressed in a neat suit, who looks very nervous. They'd all be right.

As I walk up to the stand, I get tunnel vision. I can't see straight. I can barely stand straight. But I walk through it, and make it to the wooden chair sitting behind a little fence type thing next to the judge without incident. The officer walks up to me with the bible. He instructs me to do as everyone else has.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The officer asks, sounding official.

"I do." My voice squeaks out, barely audible. The officer nods and walks back to his post. Jones walks up to me.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, Tony. Please answer them as best you can." He says so only me and possibly the judge can hear. I nod slowly. I still can't see straight, so I look down. "Tony. Everyone present has heard most of your story. Anything we don't know, we've only ever assumed. So, if you can, please tell us all what happened to you, starting from your fallout with Luke Nightclaw." I gulp. My heart won't take a rest. It's several minutes before I can speak. Everyone is on the edge of their seats, waiting.

"I ran... I was scared, and hurt, and I ran. I ran until my chest hurt, I couldn't run anymore. Until I collapsed and passed out in the cold rain... The last thing I remember was a blurry lemur picking me up and carrying me somewhere warm." My voice starts out shaky, but gets gradually stronger. "The next day I was still hurt. But I was more mad at Luke. So I walked and walked. I just wanted to get as far away as possible. When I stopped walking, I was in a different city. It was getting dark, and it was starting to rain. So I went into an ally for the night. That's when..." I have to take a little break. I breath deeply.

"The Alpha wolf found me, and... raped me..." I hug my tummy tightly, trying to ward away the bad thoughts. I find myself rocking back and forth slowly. "I passed out, and when I woke up. I was tied up in a basement." My sentences only seem to come in bursts now. Little by little.

"Tony." Jones says softly. "Can you tell us what happened during the time you were held captive?"

It's another minute before I speak again. The court room stays quiet. So quiet you could hear a pin drop. I can feel every single eye looking at me. Waiting. Waiting for the story nobody else has heard. "At first they tied me up... They raped me in every way imaginable... They didn't need to tie me up after a while... I couldn't fight back... I was weak and powerless..." I pause again. Still holding my tummy. Still rocking back and forth slowly. "They made me take cocaine, and they harvested me like a cow... I just wanted it all to end... Only Daniel gave me any relief." I look up at him. He sits there, patiently. "He was kind to me, and didn't hurt me. Not like the others." I stop rocking. "He refused to cut off my leg. He just isn't a bad fur. He even comforted me..." Daniel looks up at me and smiles. "He'd like to talk after me. If that's alright." I look up to the judge. He nods.

"Tony. Did you hear anything about why they were doing all of that stuff to you?" Jones tries to keep me on track.

"Greg kept talking about a ritual. The ritual that left me without a leg. He wanted power." The Alpha looks at me with his sinister eyes. "I tried telling him. He can't get power like that. He didn't listen."

"Was it Gregory who cut off your leg?" Jones asks.

"Yes."

"And after that, the police stormed in, and your father carried you out of the house, yes?"

"Yes."

"That's all we needed to hear, Tony. Thank you. You may step down." As I stand up and go back to my seat, Jones goes up to the judge to talk. On the way back I feel a lot better. I'm still shaky, but I'm glad that my part is finally done. Judge Davis clears his throat.

"As per Tony's request. Daniel Webber, you may take the stand." Davis says in his deep, powerful voice.

Everyone looks at Dan. He is stood up by the guards, and escorted to the stand I just vacated. The courtroom is dead silent.

"Thank you, your honor, for allowing me to speak." The judge nods.

"Please make it quick, Mr. Webber. This trial it turning out to be very long."

"Very well, your honor. Straight to the point. Tony came to me, just yesterday. He visited me in jail." Whispers go around. Nobody knew that I snuck out to see Daniel. "He asked me very basic questions. He wanted to know why I was so nice to him. So I told him. I didn't know what I was signing up for when I joined these furs. I wanted to be cool. To lead a vigilante life. I was wrong." The courtroom is quiet, except for Daniel.

"I asked Tony to let me speak today, so that I could apologize publicly. Not only for what happened to Tony. But to also apologize on behalf of every wolf here. I know many of them. They aren't all bad. Some were afraid of what Greg would do to them if they refused. Some were just horny. Others, were just like me. They didn't know what they were signing up for. I'm not asking to be excused for our behavior. It was wrong." Still, the room is silent.

"Give the others the time you see fit, but for me, I ask that you give me the maximum sentence available. As punishment for what I've done. What I didn't do..." The courtroom erupts in a sea of voices. The gavel slams down. The talking stops.

"Do you realize you are asking to be put away for the rest of your life under a 'no contest' plea?"

"Yes, your honor. I do."

"But according to Tony, you have done nothing to hurt him."

"No. I have. I could have stopped it all. I could have saved him. I could have snuck him away in the dead of the night. I could have taken down Gregory!" He says this almost angrily, before his voice becomes solemn again. "But I didn't..."

I stand up, calm as can be. The talking starts again, but one glance from the judge silences them. "Your honor." I say. "Cowardice is no crime. Please. Don't sentence Daniel for anymore time than he has to do."

The judge pauses. "This is a strange request, Tony. One that you and Daniel obviously planned. No contest, means he can be charged with any time I see fit." I smile. People whisper to their neighbors. Judge Davis smiles back at me. "Very well. Daniel Webber. You are hereby cleared of all charges." Down goes the gavel, finalizing the judgement. Daniel smiles at me. Moments later, Daniel is being un-cuffed and escorted off the stand. He stops next to me.

"You have the heart of a lion, Tony. Thank you." I put my paw up to stop him. Then I hug him. People start talking again. Daniel hugs me back.

"Cowardice isn't against the law, but it's something I want you to change. Redeem yourself." I say this into Dan's ear. He nods his understanding. I let him go. He smiles at me one more time before taking a seat behind me, not far from the President. Once Daniel is seated, the judge pounds his gavel.

"Enough. This trial has already gone from unusual, to absolutely odd. In the interest of keeping things on track, I'd like the defense to make their case. Now, since Mr. Bane is the only wolf to have plead not guilty, he will be the only one to make a case. Bane, Ms. Swift will be your court appointed lawyer. Ms. Swift?"

"Yes, your honor. Just give me a few moments with Mr. Bane." A tall, slender cheetah woman speaks up.

"Very well. Court is now in recess. We'll re-adjourn in fifteen minutes." The crack of the gavel rings through the courtroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This pocket watch belonged to your grandfather." Me and mom are sitting in a little room away from everyone else, where it's quiet and private. The light is off. There's enough sunlight filtering through the window blinds to see. She hands me the golden watch that I pawned so long ago. "I was just a little girl when he hid it. He wanted to keep it with the house when we were supposed to move. I thought he buried it. Or put it in the attic."

"So grandpa was gay?" I ask my mother. She nods

.

"I found them one night, together. They asked me to keep it quiet, and I did. I do miss Willy. He was so fun to be around. Him and your grandfather would take me to the park, and we'd play on the swings."

"What happened to him?" Mom starts looking sad.

"Back then it wasn't acceptable to be gay. The rest of our family found out. My sister was always a snitch... She sealed Will's fate. It was a dark, rainy night. William had written the letter, and put it in the watch. Then he gave the watch to me for safekeeping. That was the last time I saw him." I can tell moms eyes are tearing up, even in the low light. I put my paw on hers for support.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I now call this case of Tony Vs. The 'Wolf Gang' back in session." Judge Davis says in his commanding voice. "Gregory, you have been given time to talk with your lawyer. Ms. Swift, will you please give your client's opening argument."

Ms. Swift stands after a little hesitation. She stammers a bit before speaking. "Gregory has requested to take the stand and make his own argument... Against my recommendations."

Davis eyes the wolf. "You realize, by not accepting a lawyer, you cannot file for a mistrial."

"I know." Greg says in his cold voice. It makes a shiver run down my spine.

The judge pauses, thinking it over. "Very well. This trial is already unconventional as is. One more won't hurt." He waves to the guards who lead Greg to the stand. After a few moments Greg takes the pledge of truth, and the trial continues.

"Gregory, you are being charged with rape and assault of a minor, cub trafficking, attempted murder, kidnapping, and the maiming of Tony Goldenpaw along with numerous other charges. You have plead not guilty. You may now testify in your defense."

Greg nods. When he starts speaking, his voice sounds harsh, and cold. "Two years ago, I found a secret hidden from us by the Aztecs. A secret so powerful, it has the ability to wipe out the entire furry population. I? I am trying to save us all. The sacrifice Tony gave will have benefited the entire world." By this point, people are trying to hold their laughter. The judge holds his tongue.

"I don't expect you to believe me." Greg turns his head and locks eyes with me. He talks to me directly. "It's not over." Suddenly, Greg stands up. His cuffs are off of him. The next moment, a big bang rocks the room. Screams and shouts ring with the sound of the explosion. Rocks and rubble fly everywhere. Dust fills the air.

"NO!" I hear the shout over everything else. A figure rushes past me into the cloud of dust. "You will pay!"

"Not today."

He's getting away. Greg is getting away. He planned this... I stand, forcing my way out of Luke's grip, and I run toward the voices. I run through the dust.

"Tony!" Luke shouts after me. I don't listen. Through the slowly settling dust, I see two figures. Fear stops me from going any further.

"You always got in the way. You're weak. You're worthless. You will die for nothing!"

I can hear Daniel's dim voice through all the chaos. "You won't get away with this..." Greg's shadow leans in next to Daniel's ear.

"I already have." After that, I see Daniel slip to the floor lifelessly. It's not hard to figure out what happened. Greg takes off out of the hole in the wall. The entire room is still in chaos, and there's chaos out in the street. Chaos everywhere. I run to Daniel's aid.

"Tony..." His breathing is ragged and short. "I'm sorry."

"No..." I say. I shake him to try and wake him up. He doesn't move. He doesn't breath. He's gone. A sense of pure rage comes over me. Luke is by my side, but he can't stop what's coming. I open my maw and let out a roar that would rival that of a fully grown lion warrior. In the next few moments, I'm sprinting out through the hole in the wall after Greg. I spot him getting in a news van next to the building. There's people everywhere in a panic. I sprint to the van. Before I can get to it, he drives away... The bastard got away!

I fall to my knees, and let out my mighty lament again. I fall to all fours. Tears running down my face. Everyone on the street watches, and stares at the sickly little lion boy. The one who roared fiercer than anyone they've heard. The one who's small body quakes so hard with emotion. The one who lost.

Behind me I hear the rustle of feet. I can feel the presence of three people... Maybe more. But definately three. Two at my sides, and one in front of me. I can feel them kneel. The two by my sides hug me tightly. By their scents, I know who they are. Dad to my left. Mom to my right. And Luke, just inches from my muzzle. I'm still crying, and shaking uncontrollably. All of my rage, slowly turning to salty water that runs down my cheeks.

I feel Luke's paw push my chin up to face him. I can't see. I just cry. Then he kisses me. The most tender, loving, saltiest tasting kiss imaginable. Tears still flow from my eyes, but I go quiet.

Outside of this little bubble, cameras are swiveled on the small group. Close up's are being taken of the two young lovers kissing. Panorama's are being taken of the streets damage, with the small group right in the middle of it. A group of furs behind them, standing. One fur lays at an odd angle on the ground just inside of the building... Just in sight of everyone. The scene is solemn, and sad.