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"Why does it feel like we're going to war?" asked Keith, shifting nervously in place as he stood beside the fox. They were both standing in a semi-abandoned scrapyard in the middle of the night with nothing more than two flashlights, one handgun, and a backpack. Terrance turned to look at him and shrugged, returning his gaze back towards a suspicious looking rusted building.

"I guess its because I sent for several deadly weapons from my contact?" Terrance was being his typical self, a smart-ass. The dragon sighed and raised the pistol, turning it to the side.

"I already have protection, and besides I doubt it would even come to this-" he was stopped as the fox put a hand on his chest. He stared right into his green eyes.

"And what if it does come to that and you are not prepared? What happens if he kills you and gets his hands on Amy and Dianna? Do you think that you are going to be able to reason with a psychotic drug addict?" Terrance's words hit the Keith harder than he expected, the dragon looking down and stepping back. The reality of their situation was a harsh one, one that needed to be taken seriously. Terrance knew his brother better than anyone on the planet, and that was their advantage. But Keith was not used to such discipline and pessimism, his life had been great thus far. The fox sensed his wavering resolve, lightly tapping his chest and smiling. "Don't worry man, I'm going to be here every step of the way." Keith looked back up and simply nodded. The two females were back at Amy's place, packing a few things to take to Keith's hotel room. Terrance had suggested that it would be best if they stayed together, only splitting up if absolutely necessary. The last thing they needed was their paranoia overwhelming them, but it never hurt to be a little bit suspicious. The two stood under a flickering lamppost that had seen more than its fair share of rainy days. The dragon was definitely creeped out by the dark, unknown area they were in. The fox was simply on alert, glancing in each direction every few minutes.

"So that backpack...' Keith started, 'That thing is rather hefty but there is no way we can fit guns in there unnoticed, especially a damn rifle." He was caught off guard as the fox gave a hearty laugh, feeling like an idiot for not realizing the obvious solution.

"They'll be given to us in parts, we'll have to put them together. Come on man, use your head!" The dragon rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. Many bright stars dotted the vast expanse above, the sky lit by a crescent moon. Aside from the unsettling environment he found himself in, he still thought it was a charming night. The sound of an engine growing louder brought his attention back. In the distance he saw headlights from what looked to be a large truck. The vehicle weaved between heaps of rusted scrap and spare parts skillfully, as if the driver had navigated this area one too many times. The truck stopped a couple dozen feet from them, flashing its headlights three times in quick succession.

"That's him," stated Terrance, holding up his flashlight and flashing it thrice. The truck pulled up beside them under the lamppost, the driver obscured by tinted windows. There was a short delay before a window rolled down, smoke wafting out from the interior. Keith coughed heavily and waved a hand in front of his face in an attempt to clear the rancid stench of nicotine and vanilla. The fox seemed completely unfazed, breathing perfectly fine as he put his arms on the side of the door. Inside was an overly muscular, gruff looking crocodile. He looked directly at the dragon, his expression unchanging.

"You didn't mention you'd bring company," said the croc, frowning now. Terrance turned to look at Keith, who looked like he had never been more intimidated in his life.

"Don't worry about him, he's a close friend." The dragon smiled at the fox's glowing words, but he felt it would do little to appease the surly reptile. The driver snarled and curled his upper lip in a sign of distrust. He shifted in his seat and laid his arm along the small counter on the door, leaning in close to Terrance.

"There is a problem we need to discuss," he said as he eyeballed the skittish dragon. "Alone," he added after a moment. Terrance nodded and motioned for Keith to walk away and wait till their conversation had come to a conclusion.

The dragon only heard snippets of the overall exchange between the two, but it sounded somewhat heated. It never came to shouting, but the tone in each voice sounded harsh and matter-of-factly. Keith was sitting on a rotted bench that he had found some few dozen feet away from the truck, the wood warped beyond anything he had seen outside of abandoned buildings. He was texting his girls whilst browsing a few web pages to pass the time. Amy and Diana were back at his place and had already unpacked everything they brought. This whole ordeal had made him as great deal more paranoid. He found himself frequently looking over his shoulder, listening for the sound of footsteps behind him, and flashing light in random directions to alleviate his fear. He hated that the fox had dragged him into this god-forsaken drug-yard, it may have been inconspicuous but it was still a terrible place to hang around for any length of time. He remembered hearing in the news a couple years ago about a few mutilated bodies that had been found buried under piles of scrap in the very yard he was sitting in. Luckily for the victims their murderer was caught a few months later, as a few fingerprints and claw-made lacerations were found on the victims' bodies. Keith remembered seeing the suspect's face on the news, he definitely looked the part of a psychopath. His eyes were bloodshot, multiple scars lined along his muzzle, and several teeth missing. He was a loner who traveled from place to place, though all evidence indicated that he began his killing spree once he was in Florida. Various psyche evaluations had revealed his loathsome attitude towards others, including a deep-seated distrust of females. Gradually, details of his life began to surface, such as his terrible childhood and uncaring parents. He was bullied all throughout his school years up to and including one year he had gone to college. After that he split off and cut all ties to his relatives, living a nomadic lifestyle of destitution. He had roomed with several people, some of whom were tracked down by various reporters for interviews pertaining to his behavior whilst living with them. He had killed his last roommate, a bobcat whom he had been seeing for several months. She was an angel who was kind enough to let him into her life, and he repaid that kindness by stabbing her to death in cold blood. From that night onward it was hard to pinpoint what exactly had caused him to snap, some psychiatrists speculated that his violent outburst was due to an emotional time bomb, instead of the cause being some sort of outward stimuli. Whatever kind of good person he used to be was completely absent in his court date, where he seemed mentally withdrawn from his surroundings. All the evidence was stacked against him, but he delivered the final nail to his coffin when he uttered a very damning sentence.

"I just never had that 'caring' thing that others seem to have. I cannot feel empathy, nor do I feel the need to be altruistic towards my fellow man." Keith remembered his jaw dropping after the iguana said that, it was as if he didn't give a damn if he was given the death penalty or not. If that was his wish, it was served to him with haste. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers and given the choice of execution by electrocution or lethal injection. He chose injection, and seemed not the least bit concerned for his own personal safety. He was sent to a maximum security prison for a few months while they processed him and prepared for his final day. Later on his scheduled day, it was reported that he had formed a noose out of his bed sheets and hung himself from the light fixture in his cell. His final act of defiance had denied retribution to the families he had destroyed. It was his biggest "Fuck you" to the world, leaving behind a place full of people that he did not care about. The whole dreadful ordeal had left Keith feeling sordid for months on end, not to mention instilling a fear of abandoned areas and structures in him. He had done his best to forget about that whole mess, but being in this shady place was not alleviating his gnawing suspicions. He was thankful for the still working lamp post he was sitting under, though he was less thankful for all the moths and insects it was attracting. Still, he thought, some light is better than complete darkness. He tapped his feet on the ground, growing impatient with Terrance's delay. What was so important that it would take this long to discuss? Did the deal go south? Were only a few of the items able to be procured? So many questions lingered that he did not have the answers to, and that infuriated him. He leaned against the metal pole, checking the time on his phone before closing his eyes. If he had to wait, he'd at least get some sleep out of it.

The dragon grumbled and swayed in his seat as something hard jabbed him in the ribs. In reality Terrance was simply poking him with the unfastened stock of a gun, in his head Thomas was repeatedly stabbing him with a blade. He whimpered and buckled, trying to push his hated assailant away frantically, but each time he would come back. He opened his eyes and gasped as he saw the fox, now shaking him by his shoulders. He pushed him back and blinked several times as his vision cleared of the misty haze of exhaustion. The fox narrowed his eyes in confusion and backed off to give his friend some room. Keith sat up and growled as he rubbed his head, his eyes darting from side to side.

"You alright there?" asked the fox, staring intently at the startled dragon. Keith nodded and waved him off, unsteadily rising to his feet. He noticed the rifle stock in Terrance's hand, realizing the true source of his horrid night terror. The fox followed Keith's gaze and sighed as he put the stock away. "Sorry about that, but you were snoring pretty loudly. Anyways, thought you might want to know we can leave here now." Keith smiled widely and stretched out his arms, yawning heavily as he turned towards the direction they had parked. He gave pause for a moment, pondering the reason for the delay.

"So what happened?" he asked. Terrance rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled in a manner that only served to make the dragon more uncomfortable.

"We ran into a complication with some of the supplies. We only have half of what we needed, though its better than nothing." The dragon rolled his eyes expectantly, he figured something might go wrong. Still, it was better that they had half than nothing at all.

"What did we get?" he asked, tilting his head. The fox set the pack down and opened it, showing off the various disassembled parts and medical supplies. There were several spare magazines and shotgun shells along with a green shell that he did not recognize. He picked one up carefully and examined it.

"What kind of round is this?" he asked, turning it over in his claws. Terrance grabbed it and turned the golden top towards the light. Keith had to squint but he could make out the two words engraved: Solid Slug. By the name alone it was evident what it was but he had never held one before.

"You thought buckshot hit hard, try one of these babies. All those pellets concentrated into one hard-hitting slug," said Terrance, slapping the dragon on the shoulder. Keith nearly lost his grip on the slug and put it back into the backpack. The two made their way back towards their car in the dark. When they arrived Keith turned towards the fox and asked an intriguing question.

"Why do we need this much firepower?"

"Because my little brother is likely to have a couple of favors with nearby gangs. Knowing him he will bring his own toys and a couple bodies to use them." Keith winced, he didn't like the way Terrance referred to people as "bodies". Up until this point he hadn't considered the possibility that others would be involved in this little squabble. The possibility of this becoming a larger conflict scared him, and he was once more grateful that he had bought a gun. As if sensing the drake's uncertainty the fox turned to him. "I doubt it will come to that though, but it never hurts to be prepared for anything." Keith simply nodded, relieved that they had finally reached their ride. It was time to get out of this hellhole.

All four of them sat in the living room of Keith's hotel room, discussing their next step.

"I only have two more days before I have to go back to work here," said Amy, expressing her doubt about the situation being wrapped up quickly. Keith laid a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I have about a week and a half left, so at least you'll still have me around in the meantime." Amy smiled at him and turned towards Diana, awaiting her answer.

"I quit my job a few weeks ago, though I have enough in my savings to last me until I find another job. So yes, I will be here until this is sorted out." She leaned against a wall and crossed her arms, now looking at Terrance, whom chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm here until this has run its course, so don't worry about me splitting before then." Keith snuck a quick glance at the bag full of weapon parts, realizing no one had inquired about it. It was the elephant in the room that Amy and Diana were denying was even there. They would have to mention them eventually, but now they would discuss their plan.

"The police have not had any luck finding him, there are perhaps hundreds of white and orange foxes in this city," stated Diana. "He knows that and he's going to use it as an advan-", she was cut off as Terrance interrupted.

"That may be true, however many foxes usually wear something that separates them from others, like a trinket or a patch of dyed fur. My brother wears no such thing, and I'll bet he looks rather mangy and unkempt." The fox walked over to the glass door leading to the balcony, adding in, "He's been using drugs for a long time, his behavior will be very schizophrenic. The advantage we have though is that we can plan for his unpredictability." This statement made the other three look at him quizzically.

"How do you plan for something that is mostly random?" asked Keith, lulling over the many possible answers he was about to receive. Terrance smiled and offered the most obvious answer.

"By being even more unpredictable. There are four of us, we can put our heads together and come up with a plan. Four clear minds are more efficient than one hazy one." His logic was perfect and it sounded like their best shot.

Two hours had passed before everyone except Terrance had gone to bed. The door to Keith's bedroom was closed as he and the two girls shared the same bed. The blue fox had opted to sleep on the couch, though for now he was taking advantage of the luxurious hot tub down below. Whilst he was unwinding, the other three had engaged in a prolonged sexual session. They had been aching for a release from their worries and burdens, and enjoying each others bodies had been working out wonderfully for them. They didn't know how the next few days were going to play out, so instead of focusing on the unknown they took the path of indulgence instead. Terrance knew what they were doing and he didn't want to listen to it. The gaping hole in his love life was not going to be filled by the sounds of other people fucking. For him, comfort would be found in the bottom of a bottle and engulfed in bubbling waters. He had his guest pass on him, which entitled him to mostly the same privileges as paying customers, sans the free deluxe breakfast every morning and the reserved parking spaces. This luxury hotel had extended hours on all their facilities, as the pool, gym, and hot tub did not close until 4 am. Terrance took advantage of this as he sunk in chest deep into the delightfully hot waters, the warm jets washing over his fur. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh of relief. His muscles began to loosen, overly stiff from the amount of stress he had immersed himself in over this whole ordeal with his brother. The sound of laughter interrupted his relaxation momentarily, opening his eyes to see a raptor and avian couple splashing each other playfully. He groaned quietly and closed his eyes again, cringing as he could hear them begin to make out. He rose from the water and took a few steps towards his chair, leaning over the edge and plucking his phone and black headset. He plugged them in and selected one of his favorite radio stations, setting the phone a couple of feet from the edge of the tub, all but ensuring it would not be doused. He smiled contently as he drowned the world out, letting his mind wander to places he wanted it to, not his problems. He honestly didn't know how things were about to play out, but part of him wished that the police could do a better job of finding his brother, the other part wanted to do it himself. He accepted the possibility that they could all end up dead, by either his mistakes or someone else, but he kept that in the depths of his psyche as best he could. His training had hammered into him a sustaining sense of confidence, that he had to believe in his own decisions even if not one other person accepted them. He had made sketchy calls before that had saved the lives of others and himself, and this situation was no different. It was simply war in another place. He hammered a fist into the water and cursed under his breath, irritated in his inability to relax. He noticed the couple were gone from the pool now, leaving only him in the large room. He looked up at the ceiling and watched as the shadows played across it. He was a solitary fox by nature, keeping in contact with none but save a handful of close friends and contacts. He had learned early on in life that having too many people close to him only led to irreparable heartbreak when one of them turned on him. He would become suspicious of others and shut everyone out. His younger years were very lonely and desolate. He would have likely ended up like his brother had he not joined the Special Forces. Service gave him a sense of purpose, like he was serving a higher calling for the greater good. He had tried his best to enlist Thomas, but his efforts only aided in pushing his brother further away. He didn't think it was possible, but eventually his brother had become more of an isolationist than he had been. He recalled a time when he had never harbored hostile thoughts towards his sibling, those days were so far gone that remembering invoked a sense of nostalgia. Things had been altered so much since he was young, he just didn't know what had happened. One day he and Thomas were playing various games together and having a good time, the next time his brother was tying off in some god-forsaken back alley. The amount of emotional trauma that had been inflicted upon he and his family through the years had stuck with him like a parasite, always lingering there for him to see. He blamed a lot of his shortcomings and failures on his brother, constantly having to come to his aid before cutting him off altogether. It was the best decision he had ever made regarding a family member. It had opened new doors for him in life, granting him opportunities he never thought possible. His money was no longer squandered on his parasitic brother, leaving a decent amount for him to spend on himself. He had lost count of how many times he'd been told his brother had been arrested. The first few times he was contacted directly by Thomas, who wanted him to cover his bail. After many ignored phone calls his brother finally got the message and stopped contacting Terrance entirely. Admittedly he did feel guilty at first, but as the quality of his own life improved he soon forgot about his brother. He knew it would be better that way, to let Thomas sort out his own issues rather than himself coming to the rescue every time he fucked up. He thought things would only improve from there, how wrong he was.

He opened his eyes as he felt the water jets cut off, groaning as he started to rise. Had it been 20 minutes already? He'd have to set it for longer this time. His fur dripped with moisture as steam rose around him, stretching his legs out and growling. He jumped in surprise as the jets came back on, looking over to the switch and seeing Keith standing there with a massive grin on his muzzle. The fox snarled and sat back down, not completely surprised to see the dragon up.

"Insomnia again?" he asked. He received no answer but already knew what he asked was true. The dragon stepped into the water and slipped down to his waist, groaning out as he adjusted to the boiling water. The fox could see that the black circles under the dragon's eyes, a testament to his exhaustion.

"The girls are still upstairs, I don't even think they're aware that I'm gone. I've been meaning to use this hot tub ever since I arrived, yet this is my first time in it." The dragon chuckled and leaned back, sighing deeply as he released his worries. He unfurled his wings in the water, the water warming the spongy membranes. They were now completely alone, the only sounds coming from the bubbling tub.

"So we are really going to do this?" asked Keith, his tone more indicative of a statement than question. The fox rested his arms on the edges of the stone lining, seeming to stare off at something that the dragon could not see.

"Its really up to you. We could go through with this, or we could all wash our hands of this mess and try to move on. Frankly I wouldn't think lesser of you for picking that latter option." Keith smiled weakly at his words, knowing full well that running away was no loner a viable option. It was either fight or die, they all knew that. Plans were already drawn up, the waiting game now in full effect. There were few ways out of this save for a direct confrontation; and as the drake gazed at his friend, he knew their chances of success hinged on the group's morale. He had to keep their spirits high and their aim centered on what lay before them, to falter would only give Thomas the opening he needed.

"No, my friend, I'm going to make sure this is brought to its conclusion. Hopefully this can still be solved peacefully." He still clung to the thought of this horrible mess ending with no more blood spilled, but the pessimist in him said otherwise. One thing they could all agree on however, was that the endgame was approaching. Both of them chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. They sat there in silence, enjoying each others company and waiting for the new day. The days seemed to be growing bleaker with each new sunrise.