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Chapter VII: You're Never Alone

Mike Swayne had a secret.

He was seeing someone he really shouldn't be seeing. It wasn't forbidden just... Well...

What would people say? How would they react when they learned that he was dating a male prostitute? Or at least a guy who had to be at least a decade younger than him? What would his parents say when they found out that he was having sexual intercourse with a guy? His 'I-want-grandchildren' mother would probably drown in her own tears and his father would rip him from the will. It wasn't about being in the thirty-first century and gay rights or homophobia, it was about expectations and the fact that he had spent the past thirty-six years acting straight and one guy he got a blowjob from just swept him off his feet and sole his heart.

Swayne lay on the bed of his ruddy apartment, just watching Gnoll slowly dress himself, pulling on a singlet very slowly so that Swayne could appreciate every curve across that muscular back.

It had only been a few days and this whirlwind romance was still roaring full of fire and fuel. Since Sunday, they had only seen each other twice but it had been for every night since then though this time it was the afternoon. Sure, that Sunday they had spent all night in bed with Swayne spilling his load into the hyena. He was conscious about tying with the guy, though.

He still couldn't help but wonder if this was just a constant fling between himself and the hyena, just something to relieve both their sexual urges. They hadn't really done anything but sleep together. Such doubts faded whenever Swayne was in the heat of the moment. On this occasion, when he Gnoll had sent him a text message with little more than a question mark, those thoughts began to resurface.

"Hey..." began the German Shepherd. "What is this?" He gestured between himself and the hyena.

Gnoll turned to him with that cocky, irresistible smirk of his. "I think that's cum on your fingers."

He regarded where his fur was patted on his paw. The hyena moved close, taking his big paws and gently lapping at them, cleaning them. A shiver ran down Swayne's spine at the delicate touch.

"I mean," he began softly, "you and me... is this... Is this just a fling? Are we just using each other?"

Gnoll stopped, and regarded him with a frown. "I know what this is to me. What is it to you?"

He was hoping he wouldn't have to answer first. "Look, my dad was in the army and he's always had a strong sense of what's right and wrong. Disciplined it to me. I'm his only kid and he always wanted me to live up to his expectations of being a just, honourable guy. And frankly, if they found out I was dating a guy like you, they'd flip."

That would've been insulting to any normal person but Gnoll was far from normal. In the last two days, Swayne had come to realise and accept that though it did nothing to lessen his admiration for the guy. Gnoll just took his words like a compliment, flashing that cocky smirk of his and shrugged.

"A guy like me huh? You mean a man-whore?"

"No! Of course not! You're not that at all!"

"To you or the world?"

In just two days, Swayne had learned when the hyena was teasing him. He folded his ears back and snarled a little. "You should've been born a fox."

Gnoll straightened, tapping his chin lightly. "I considered it but red just isn't my colour. I much prefer all the colours of the rainbow." His eyes glinted. "What about you, officer? What's your favourite colour?"

"Gold."

"Really?"

Swayne grabbed the hyena's waist and pulled him close, making him laugh and tumble as he fell back on the sticky, musky bed. "Yeah. 'Cuz it's the colour of your eyes.

Gnoll looked shocked, his jaw dropping open slightly. Swayne leaned in to take advantage of the moment but he was suddenly pushed away.

"Is something wrong?"

The hyena's eyes searched him for a protracted moment. Gnoll suddenly swept up from the bed, shaking his head, his flaming red mane shaking from right to left like a waterfall of fire. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"What?" Swayne asked, propping himself up.

"I can't do this to you, Mike," growled the hyena. "You're a sweet guy. Fuck, you're more than I deserve and for fuck's sake, it's just been two days and you're everything I ever wanted!" The hyena was throwing his paws into the air in frustration. "Strong but gentle. Smart but just that little bit of innocence that makes you so goddamn charming and irresistible! A smoking hot body but you don't go around flaunting it like some dumb jock! And your voice! It's that gravelly, manly rumble that just turns me on so goddamn much!"

"Then what's the problem?" Swayne responded, shaking his head in confusion. Gnoll was hurrying to pull on his pants.

"Everything!" Gnoll shouted. "I know so much about you but how much do you know about me, huh?"

The German Shepherd shrugged. "All I need to know especially after that outburst." He sat up, his feet tapping lightly against the floor. "We can make this work."

"No we can't," growled the hyena. "Just... Just stay the fuck away from me, Mike. For your own good, stay away."

"What?" Swayne rose, seeing the distress in his hyena. 'His hyena'. It felt so right. "Are you in trouble with the mob? Is that why you're doing this? Sleeping around so you can scrounge up enough money to pay them off? I've got some funds that'll help you out and -"

"It's not the mob! It's me!" Gnoll stepped back, pressing his back against the door. "Look... Do you even know my real name?"

"No but -"

"Exactly! And in two fucking days, you've already fallen in love with me!"

Swayne lifted his paws. "Whoa, whoa! I was just asking if it was possible! I didn't say anything about love!" He saw the horror in Gnoll's eyes and could almost hear the hyena's heart break. "Oh shit... Are you... Are you in love with me?"

The hyena spun and flung open the door. "I gotta go."

Gnoll slammed the door behind him. It took Swayne a whole minute to compose himself. Someone was in love with him and not just someone... the hottest fucking hyena he had ever met. He spun around, looking for some clothes...

... and froze.

His pants were gone.

Gnoll hadn't come in with pants. He was wearing just a very thin jockstrap. He had taken Swayne's pants.

For some reason... that just made the Shepherd smile.

*****

"I'm what!?"

Lillian Hale sat beside her son, gently draping an arm over his shoulder. "Caleb, you were adopted. But that doesn't make you any less our son. We raised you from when you were a pup."

Caleb's whole world was just imploding. Though he had read all the comic books and seen all the movie dramas about the child figuring out they were adopted, he still went down the same path of thinking that everything he had done, everything he had achieved was a lie. Suddenly, his life was filled with more questions and the complexity skyrocketed. Who were his real parents? Why had they abandoned him? Was he not good enough for them? Did they not want him?

"I think I would've preferred if you just kicked me out for having sex with Lance..."

"Oh don't worry, that still warrants discussion," Lillian said. "But I know this must be incredibly hard on you knowing that I didn't give birth to you or that your father's seed did not make you."

"Please," he groaned, turning away. "My head is already imploding. I'd rather not have that mental imagery squeezed in there as well."

"Sorry."

He felt Lance's paw around his shoulders as well and he instinctively leaned towards his... What was he...? 'Brother by law?'

"How...?" he murmured softly, feeling oddly weightless and just swaying in some non-existent wind. "Why...?"

"We don't know, Cale," answered David Hale. "One day, on my way back to work, I just heard you crying in an alleyway. You looked like you were barely out of the womb, still furless and weak. I couldn't just leave you there."

"We took you to the hospital," Lillian continued. "They took care of you. They didn't think you'd make it as you were fresh out of the womb without even a cloth to keep you warm. You were sick. Really sick. They thought they'd have to euthanize you because you were in so much pain."

"They were going to kill me!?" he cried in horror, his eyes wide.

"But you pulled through!" David exclaimed, grinning broadly. "You're nothing but a fighter, Cale. Somehow, despite a lung infection, several bites from rats and the diseases they carried, you made it through! We stayed with you through three whole days and then visited you every day for two weeks until you got better. By then, you had started to grow your fur and then... well..."

David moved next to his wife, holding her paw in his.

Continuing the story, Lillian Hale said, "We had blood tests run to determine your identity. They couldn't find your parents on record. You were going to be sent off to an adoption agency. We went to say our goodbyes but then as we stood there, you opened your eyes for the first time and reached for us with your tiny paws..." Lillian Hale sighed, closing her eyes and a tear rolling down her cheek. "Oh Caleb... It was love at first sight..."

"We adopted you on the spot," his father continued. "We gave you the name 'Caleb' because it means 'faith, devotion and whole hearted'. That and according to this story I read, there was a historical Caleb who was noted for his fearlessness in the face of overwhelming odds." His father reached forward and gripped Caleb's shoulder tightly. "You fought for your life, Caleb. You're a fighter from the very first moment you were born."

Hearing his 'origin story' of sorts made him feel a little... overwhelmed. Adopted! He was adopted! Part of him wondered if Mary knew all along and was keeping it from him though he couldn't really blame her for doing so. He glanced Lance who was giving him a shaky, sympathetic smile. Then he turned back to his parents.

"I look so much like you guys..."

"What are the odds, right?" David laughed softly. "Cale, you'll always be our son. Always. Where you come from, who your parents are, that doesn't matter. You are Caleb Hale. Your biological parents basically abandoned and if those assholes decide to come here, knocking at our door because they've seen how successful you are and want you back, they'll have to fight it over my dead body!"

Those words jumpstarted Caleb's heart and he managed a shaky grin. "I still wish you had told me sooner. I mean..." He took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. "This is a lot to take in. I'm adopted... Shit..." He rubbed his forehead slightly. "It doesn't change anything... not really... just... I dunno... Kind of makes me feel..."

Lillian hugged him tightly. "Don't let whatever Leon, Abby or anyone else say bother you, honey. You're our son. If they start calling you names or making fun of you -"

"I'll punch them," he rumbled. "I'm not worried about that."

"Then what is it?"

Possibly the reason for his Outsider powers. It was rare for the children of supers not to inherit some form of super power and he had always wondered why he obtained some degree of them while neither of his parents had any. But now... it explained a lot... or possibly opened more doors.

"Just..." He pointed between him and Lance. "This... thing..."

"Ah..." Lillian slowly peeled away from him. "Caleb, I know you are expressing your new homosexual lifestyle but converting your brother -"

"Mom," interrupted Lance. "I'm probably the one that converted Caleb. I'm gay too and... well..."

Both David and Lillian sat quietly as Lance exposed the truth to them; how Lance had approached Caleb on the evening of his birthday, how Lars had lied to cover up their escapades and how ultimately, Caleb had chosen Lance. Neither parent moved very much and neither smiled or even seemed to blink as Lance's pace grew faster and faster nearing the end of the tale. When he finished, he was letting out a soft whimper.

Lillian turned to her husband and smiled softly. They held paws tightly.

"Caleb, Lance," she began gently. "You are free to love whomever you want. That it is one another is... admittedly..."

"Unconventional," David said.

"But it is your choice," she continued without breaking stride. "We love you both very much and as long as you promise to take care of one another, then there is nothing anyone can say against you."

"You're not mad?" Caleb asked softly.

"Surprised." Her soft eyes met his and she absently shrugged. "I'm a little hurt that you had to lie so much to keep this from us but, in retrospect, we _did_keep the fact you aren't our biological son for eighteen years so let's call it even."

He smiled back at her. "Thanks, Mom."

They hugged tightly. The light pressure on his chest pushed out a great amount of stress from Caleb's system. The world became a lot... simpler now. No more hiding his affection for Lance - at least from his parents. That took a _massive_load of his chest. Though his adoption did raise more questions, he was content with the way things were. Yes he still had his role as an Outsider and involvement with the FBI but compared to what it had been a week ago, he was in a much better place.

He gave his mother a curious look. "So... Was my birthday just a date you plucked out of the air or was it when you found me?"

"When we found you," his mother answered with a smile. "Independence Day." She gave a smile at her husband. "We've always had this running joke between us that if we had left you, you would have been very independent regardless. You'd have grown up on the streets, literally with no one around you and grow up to be a supervillain hating the world or something."

Caleb managed a laugh, trying to hide his nervousness. That possibility was ridiculously close.

Lance waved a paw lightly. "Do we tell Abby and Leon?"

Their father smiled and rolled his eyes. "Let's keep this between us until your brother grows up a little. As for Abby... Well, let's just say that we'll tell her once Arthur pops the question."

"So never?"

David laughed. "I'd say within the next month or so. Arthur already showed me the ring."

Caleb pushed his mother away in shock but to his credit, so did she. They both whirled around to face David who was purposefully avoiding their gaze, a knowing smile on his muzzle.

"He what!?" all three wolves exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, it was a nice piece too," David said, waving his paw absently around. "Nice big rock. Looked pricey. He asked me for honeymoon ideas the other day. I told him I'd pay for it and the wedding. This is my little girl we're talking about. She deserves to be a princess."

Talk instantly flew away from the prospect of semi-incestuous love to the upcoming wedding. Caleb was relieved and he had an eerie feeling his father had done that on purpose to avoid any awkward discussions or silences. He cast a glance at Lance who grinned brightly and wondered if his brother was thinking about asking to marry him. Then he shook the thought from his head. That was absurd.

Despite the adoption, he knew where his real family was and he considered himself lucky that he was picked up by his David and Lillian Hale. Anyone else would've been far less accepting not only of his sexuality but also his preference in his brother. Maybe one day he'd tell them about his Outsider abilities.

Once he got clearance, that is.

Not that that ever stopped Mary from recruiting Ben and Lars.

But that was a different conversation all together.

*****

Brodie Mancini panted heavily. His enormous form slumped on the cum-covered floor of his little cell. A tear rolled down his cheek. It was a tear mixed with countless emotions. Firstly, he missed his wife and son so dearly. It had just been a little under a week and he was already breaking down without them especially as he now sat as a ten-foot something mountain of hyena muscle, unable to keep from unleashing random bursts of laughter. He could never go back to them. Ever. Just listening to him would turn them into beasts like him.

Then... Then there was the fact that he was so goddamn horny!

In the past hour alone, he had already cum three times. It wasn't just a pathetic spurt either. Gallons of his mutated hyena seed covered the walls, slowly dripping down and filling his cell with its pungent smell. Special drains had to be installed just to drain away the foul fluids that made him both ashamed and proud of his body. Across from his cell, one of his other co-workers was beating off their massive two foot cocks, grunting and yelping in unabated pleasure. The sad thing was, he knew none of them really wanted to be the sex-crazed beasts they had become. It was just so hard to resist.

Brodie groaned loudly as he felt the rush of arousal start creeping back into his system. It had been fifteen goddamn minutes and he was already ready to go again! He looked miserably at his sheath. The jet-black monster inside stirred. As it had done so many times before, it began to plump up and a soft rumbling escaped from him. It was halfway through a whimper and a growl of frustration. He fell to his knees, his body reacting to the need for great stimulation. His paws reached for his nipples, twisting them lightly and giving him the rush he needed to push that first inch out of his sheath and send a waterfall of precum dripping down his matted fur.

The hyena tried to fight it, he really did, but his body just screamed_for more. Every massive muscle across his body twitched and vibrated. Over the past few days, he had found himself growing stronger, bigger and much more powerful. It only increased his arousal and he had requested the mirror be taken away from his room because just looking at himself turned him on _so much that he couldn't sleep because he was too busy jacking off. Whatever was causing the growth definitely wasn't the food. He barely ate and yet, somehow, he managed to just keep growing and producing so much more cum.

It was impossible...

His massive two foot long cock bounced against his pecks by the time the first alarm was heard. When his cell was suddenly bathed in red light and people began shouting some sense of the construction worker he had been wrested control from the sex-driven hyena that ruled for the majority of his life. He moaned softly and managed to turn himself around, facing the powerful, shimmering force field that kept any sound he made from escaping the large cell.

The officers of Bal-Modrain, dressed in their black and white uniforms bolted past. They were wearing those headphones that made them immune to the transformative laughter of the hyenas. Brodie has seen the effect personally the first few days he had been captured. He found everything funny back then and he laughed his head off when the guard offering him food turned right before his eyes. The guilt of imparting the same fate he suffered onto another innocent man weighed heavily on his heart.

None of them were really laughing these days anymore... Well, the first batch of hyenas anyway. Some would let out a soft guffaw or snicker out of instinct but they had controlled themselves. The second batch, those steel mill workers, kept laughing in their cells. The big guy, Sanchez pounded on the walls and almost broke down the cell when he came in. He had to be placed in a special cell that apparently nullified superpowers.

As the days went by, more and more of the second batch were moved into those cells. Brodie looked at his paws and saw the tight muscles there. How long would it be before he too was moved there?

A loud clatter hit his ears. He looked up. A short distance away, a metal grating fell from the ceiling and landed on the floor with a loud clatter. A figure dropped down from the ceiling, landing lightly on the polished, metal floor. For some reason, just by looking at the tall, muscular hyena, Brodie instantly recognised him. Maybe it was the way his dark brown mane was shaped, the pattern on his fur or the faint whiff of the other male's scent but he just knew...

"Eric...?"

The hyena looked up, his golden eyes both bringing a wave of relief and sorrow to Brodie's heart. "Dad?"

He moved towards the force field, staring with jaw open as his son, now a hyena much like himself, stepped up to the field. Eric was about a foot shorter but there was no denying who he was.

"Fuck dad..." the hyena rumbled. "You're huge."

"Eric..." Brodie murmured. "What have you done?"

His son shook his head. "I needed power, Dad. I needed to free you."

"I'm in here for a reason!" Brodie growled to himself and took a step back. His cock was throbbing badly and the hyena was taking over again. His thoughts were permeated with the tight muscles of his son, the strong frame and the handsome, glossy fur. A large globule of precum dropped out of the tip of his cock, landing on the floor with a sickening splat. "I'm a monster! I... I've turned other people into this! And right now, I can't stop thinking about how much I want to fuck your sexy ass!"

He let out a loud roar and slammed himself against the force field, pressing his cock right up to it and wildly humping it. A loud laugh rippled from his throat before he managed to control himself and pull away.

"Fuck!" he cried.

Eric smiled at him gently and reached for the force field, pressing a paw against it. "It's okay, dad. I know. But you can control it. He can teach you."

"He...?"

"Gnoll."

Right on cue, another figure stepped out from just outside of Brodie's view. His eyes widened. He recognised that light brown fur, that cocky swagger and that tight, compact frame.

"You!" he roared.

The hyena turned to him, golden eyes glinting and giving him a sly wink. Gnoll dragged the unconscious body of one of the guards behind him, the poor man barely conscious. There were several cuts all over his body and his ears were bleeding. There was more fighting somewhere behind him.

"I'm glad you remember me," Gnoll said cockily.

"You're the one that turned me into this!" Brodie roared, pounding the shield with his massive fists. For a moment, a lattice of cracks appeared against the shield like it was glass breaking but that moment was fleeting. It healed over a second later. "And you turned my son into this!"

Eric stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the much smaller Gnoll. "Dad, no! I wanted this! I needed to break you out!"

He looked sadly at his son. It was... a wonderful gesture but one that damned them both. "Eric... You're a criminal now. How... How can you expect to live normally after this...? What about your mother?"

"We'll figure that out afterwards," Eric assured him. "Come on, I'm getting you out."

"No!" Brodie cried, stepping back again. The beast was taking over again. His cock gurgled with need. It had been more than ten minutes since he had last pleasured himself and the need was starting to become overwhelming. Plus with the hot piece of ass that was his son right in front of him...

"Dad, I trust you," Eric said softly. "Look, I can control it. So can you." Eric's big paw moved to the console beside the cell and he tapped a few buttons.

The force shield dropped.

In that instant, the hyena took over completely and Brodie let out a maniacal laugh before charging at his son. Eric's eyes widened before the two of them collided with one another. He expected his son to be thrown completely off by the impact but he was surprised when he found Eric remained standing, holding him tightly. There was immense strength in his grip, much more than what his size should have given. None of that really mattered as Brodie groaned loudly which he cock pressed up against Eric's sheath. He pressed his muzzle against his son's pushing his tongue deep into Eric's throat. The warmth, the rush of air from Eric's breath and the closeness... it sparked something in him.

The hyena abated and he pulled away, gasping.

For the first time in a week, he actually felt his cock sliding back into his sheath without having cum first. When he went back and kissed his son passionately, it was of his own free will and not that of some beast that drove him.

"Come on you two," Gnoll said confidently. "We've got to get the others out of here before more of the guards come."

Brodie snarled a little and gave the hyena the middle finger before diving straight for his son's tonsils, holding the slightly smaller hyena towards himself and letting himself drift off into the comfort of having his son in his arms and Eric holding him just as tightly back.

Gnoll chuckled softly.

"Alright then," he said softly, lifting up the waking guard in his paws. "I guess I'll have to employ some help." He let his muzzle hover over the guard's ear just as the man was starting to wake. He let out a very soft, hyena chuckle, infusing it with his transformative messages.

The guard's eyes snapped open, burning bright and yellow.

"No..." the man whispered, unable to fight the laughter building inside of him. "No... ha-ha-ha... No!"

Gnoll let the man drop to the floor as his form shifted and grew.

The guy, Hanson, from the nametag, fell on his back, clutching his stomach and letting out riotous laughter. He was kicking wildly, eyes shut in a mixture of ecstasy and fear. His feet tore right through the soles of his work boots, sprouting black claws sand dark brown fur. A wave of growth surged all the way up his calves, tearing through the black pants at high speeds. With every kick, his legs grew longer and longer, the muscles in his thighs surged outwards and becoming enormous, meaty tree trunks.

With a resounding rip, his cock surged out of the remnants of his pants and underwear, tearing right through it. The enormous, fifteen inch tool slammed against Hanson's chest, making the man open his eyes and stare at the black, pointed rod in enough awe that is stopped his laughter for a split second. Then, his cock spurted a fresh wave of cum that made his whole body shudder and twitch in pleasure. His laughter resumed.

Muscles ripped right through his shirt, two, perfectly square, muscular pecs bursting out of his uniform followed by a perfect set of delectable abdominal muscles covered in thin, light brown fur. The man was reduced to tears both from the laughter and in fear of what was coming as the transformation migrated to his shoulders, widening them until he shrugged off the remnants of his clothes. Brown fur rolled down his arms, bringing with them a burst of muscle that pushed thickening veins against his flesh. His hands grew stubbier, obtaining the distinct claws and leathery pads of a fur. They instantly went towards his cock, both paws squeezing and tugging at the massive tool.

Hanson let out a thunderous roar. His cock burst again, a mug thicker and heavier load exploding from the tip and splattering the man's face. His head became nothing but a white blob that shifted and gurgled. Gnoll smiled when the flat features of a human distorted and the white form beneath the layer of cum moulded itself into the square muzzle of a hyena with the cute, rounded ears.

The newly made hyena wiped the cum from his face, golden eyes staring at his paws in horror.

"Guard the door," Gnoll instructed. "I'll free the others."

"You bastard!" shouted the new hyena. "I'll never follow your orders!" As he said this, his paws were migrating to his cock again.

"You will if you don't want more of your buddies to be turned into guys like us."

To that, the man had no choice but to stagger towards the door, ears folded back and whimpering softly.

Gnoll smiled to himself and began going from cell to cell, freeing each of the prisoners. The first batch were hesitant at first but none of them shared the same noble spirit as Brodie Mancini. They were now 'monsters' in the eyes of the public and more than a few had willingly given themselves to the role. Gnoll found it interesting how his troops branched off into two different aspects.

One side was truly taken over by the lust and role. They obtained their own form of control over themselves, able to switch the ravenous beast on or off as they wished. This was his second batch and most of the first. But then there were those that still fought their instincts like Brodie. However, as soon as someone dear to them was shown, their level of control skyrocketed. Their instincts were all but sated. And they fought with equal amounts of their head and their body. Oddly enough, this second time was closer to what Shark Tamer wanted but they were rare indeed.

He opened the biggest cell and he instantly had an enormous cock pressed up against his muzzle. Large drop of precum dropped onto his muzzle, sliding down his chest.

"I missed ya, bud," Sanchez chortled.

"I missed you too, Madman."

The former steel worker rubbed his chin, complete with that jawline beard that made him unique and goddamn sexy. "Madman... Fuck, I like it." He grinned down at Gnoll. "I say we celebrate."

"Later, big guy," Gnoll said, pushing the cock reluctantly aside. "We've got to get out of here first. The guards here have got these headphones that nullify our laughter. We can't afford to stay any longer than we need to."

"So what?" growled Madman, flexing his enormous biceps. He was clearly the biggest of the hyenas, probably around 14 feet tall. "We crush them with these guns, tear of those headphone and get a fucking orgy on!"

"This is Bal-Mordain," Gnoll answered turning around and heading towards the door. "Supers are probably on their way. As tempting as it would be to fuck a huge, muscular guy in spandex, our powers have no effect on them.

"We're getting out of here."

*****

Caleb had spent the rest of the afternoon with his parents looking over old puppy pictures of both him and Lance. It surprised him just how many individual photographs there were of Lance and how few of them had both the twins in them. It just showed how vastly different the two were. Lance would be photographed playing with ridiculously homoerotic action figures and Leon would be throwing a football around.

All those memories reminded him more than ever that he was a Hale and not some abandoned child. Once his identity was reaffirmed, he called Mary and asked her if she knew.

"Knew that you were adopted? Yes."

He wasn't really that surprised at the statement. "Why didn't you tell me? Don't get me wrong. I'm not mad. Just curious."

She laughed softly. "Most people would be royally pissed that one of their closest friends knew about their adoption and kept it for them. But then again, you aren't like most people, are you Caleb?"

Caleb leaned against his windowsill where he could see Mary right next door.

She shrugged absently. "Truthfully, it wasn't my secret to tell, Caleb. I knew your parents would eventually tell you and I didn't want to be the cause of tension between my second family. To be honest, your dad has a very scattered brain. He keeps thinking about his stories and journals at random intervals that it's hard to keep a read on him even now. It was your mom that practically screamed it at him mentally with each of your birthdays that passed."

He smiled at the sentiment. If he had come out and told them that he knew about their secret, it would no doubt have caused tension. And it was good Mary hadn't told him. He had only joined the Outsiders recently and if she told him _she_knew, that would compromise her identity. Not that stopped her before...

It also reaffirmed what he already knew. His parents didn't see them as their adopted child. He was just their son. Yes, it would come up once a year but apart from that, neither of them thought about it. He was Caleb Hale through and through.

"Thanks, Mary. I appreciate it."

"Anytime."

The rest of the evening progressed as normal. Leon tried to torment him but Lance blocked him. Abby yammered on about how Arthur was dragging on their relationship and was pondering breaking up with him while Dad assured him Arthur was just taking things slow. Lillian Hale served them a very hearty meal as usual, ever the mother.

Nothing had changed and it wasn't just the family trying to pretend that everything was normal.

There was no pretending anymore...

Well... there was a little.

Caleb set down his knife and fork. "Hey everyone," he announced. Leon just kept on eating while Abby rolled her eyes at him. She made to talk to Dad again but he lifted a paw, silencing her. "I've got an announcement."

Lance reached under the table and squeezed his paw tightly, just out of sight.

"I found out something today," he said. "Mom and Dad confirmed it. I'm adopted."

Of all the people on the table, Abby seemed the most shocked as she spun towards their mother. "Really? Huh... I was ten when you had Caleb... You'd think I'd notice!"

"Dear, your nose was so far up in the air I'm surprised you noticed you were starting to grow breasts," Lillian responded. She turned to the rest of the family. "I'm not sure how much of a shock this comes to the rest of you but we've already spoken about this to both Lance and your father. Nothing changes. Caleb is one of us. That means..." She pointed accusingly at Leon. "I do _not_want to hear any insults based entirely on Caleb's origins."

Strangely, Leon just lifted a paw. "I'm an ass but I'm not that_much of an ass." His mismatched eyes turned towards Caleb and he actually reached out and gripped his younger brother's shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay, bro. I've got _plenty of material without needing to resort to that."

Of course he did.

That was probably the best he would ever get out of Lance so he just said, "Thanks."

"That said," Dad said, dabbing his lips with a napkin. "I also have an announcement."

Caleb's ears perked up not only because of this unprecedented announcement but also because he had the sneaking suspicion that his father was _really_distracting the family on purpose. Did he really not want to talk about the adoption? What was so bad about it? It was a heart-warming story!

David Hale grinned and puffed out his chest proudly in front of his entire family. "I got a job with the Elemental Alliance!"

Admittedly, that was a great announcement and had to be said.

"What!?" Leon exclaimed, leaping halfway out of his seat. It took Caleb a moment to remember that Leon was the superhero nut of the twins. "Are you shitting me!? No way!"

"Yup!" David exclaimed, beaming brightly. "It's nothing special. Just a job working very closely with none other than Feral Steel!"

Leon threw his paws into the air. His sudden movement knocked his bowl of hot soup straight onto Caleb's lap and his half-eaten meatloaf into Abby's hair. Both wolves let out a yelp, one of pain and the other of utter disgust. Lance pulled Caleb onto his feet and pulled the bowl away. He even went so far as to blow on Caleb's crotch to cool it while the younger wolf danced in place.

"That is fucking awesome, dad!" Leon exclaimed. "You have got to take me to the Tower! Oh! Oh! Can you get FS to sign something for me! Shit! I've got a tonne of his stuff!"

Caleb decided to leave his eldest brother to his hero worship and his father to Leon's glowing adoration while he cleaned himself up. Lance offered to help but Caleb just threw him a glance, warning him that it would be weird. Lance nodded lightly as Caleb went up the stairs -

"Claws!"

"Damnit!" He padded back down stairs and grabbed his sandals, muttering 'so close' under his breath.

He fetched a fresh pair of pants from his closet just as something hit his window. Wandering over, he saw Mary waving at him from the window. She was holding the primitive tomato soup can and string telephone. Though the soup still burned and was staring to stink, he pulled up the window and caught her next throw.

"Make it quick," he growled. "I've got my mom's minestrone vegetable and beef soup crawling down my thighs and if I stand any longer, I'll be carrying that scent with me all through the semester."

"We've got a problem," Mary said worriedly. "Someone's broken into Bal-Mordain."

*****

'Waiting for You' played.

He rejected the call and pressed the tomato soup can to his ear.

"Did you just say 'broken in'? As in some nut job actually wanted to go inside the most secure prison in all of West California!?"

"Yup," answered Mary. "Bren wants us there ASAP."

"Why? This is superhero territory."

"Normally, it would be. Except our laughing friends are in that place too."

Caleb scowled. "Shit... I need some excuse to get out of here..." He jogged his memory, searching for any reason. Football practice? Not this late. Get his homework for school? That would just take him five minutes to go next door. Family emergency. His family was sitting right downstairs!

"Lars," Mary said. "Tell your family that you've got to tell Lars the news before you forget. It's the least you could do after the deception. Right?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's a longshot but okay, I'll give it a try."

He tossed the makeshift phone back to Mary before hurrying to take a quick shower to wash the soup from his fur. After having taken a tour of Bal-Mordain himself, he couldn't imagine how anyone could've broken into that place or who'd be crazy enough to try. It was a bloody fortress! Running through recent history, he recalled several attempts by supervillains and gangs alike but all of them ended up extending their stay indefinitely.

Maybe that was their plan? Get all their troops in the one place for an epic breakout?

He shook his head. None of that mattered. There were hyenas in there that could turn anyone who listened to them into more like them. An island prison full of those guys would be a nightmare to control especially if they got to the mainland.

After a shower, he got changed and hurried back downstairs.

"Claws!"

"Crap!"

He darted back upstairs and slipped on his sandals and reached the dining room where everyone was rather animated at Dad's job. Abby pushed past him, wiping the grease from her hair with a derisive 'About time'.

"Hey guys," he said, hiking a thumb at the garage. "I'm to go tell Lars about my adoption. And... Um... apologise for lying."

Everyone but Leon understood his meaning but then again, the eldest twin just shrugged and went right back to begging his father for a tour of the Elemental Tower.

Great. Leon provided the perfect distraction.

Caleb turned and quickly left the house, jumping onto Ballistic and rolling it out onto the driveway.

'Waiting for You' played again in his ears and he quickly picked up his phone.

"Mary told me. We're on our way."

"Great. Meet me at the transport facility."

He immediately hung up and turned to his parents.

Mary was waiting for him in her convertible out on the street. After an exchange of nods, they were both zooming towards Bal-Mordain.

Caleb couldn't deny that the pang of fear that shot through his system. They were encroaching on superhero territory here. Bal-Mordain contained predominantly supervillains. If any of the Elemental Alliance was there, they'd be exposed as Outsiders. If Feral Steel was there, they'd practically be outed to the rest of the world, branded as 'terrorists' and that'd be something _else_he'd have to explain to his family.

"You don't have to worry," Mary said over the communicator. "Bren has set it up so that we'll just guard the transport facility. We just need to keep them from hitting the mainland."

"It's never that easy," he murmured.

In his rear view windows, he saw Mary nod grimly. "There are over a hundred staff members in Bal-Mordain, Caleb. All of them are vulnerable to the hyena's laughter if they lose their protective headgear. From the last reports, it seems that one of them has superpowers too."

That shocked him. "What!? Is it that Sanchez guy?"

"No. He's smaller. Apparently looks like a normal fur. Has the power to create powerful sonic blasts with his voice alone. Don't know the specifics but he's been seen commanding the others. I think this the boss, Caleb."

"Or another bloody clone."

"We have no proof that this is Gene Stealer work. It's not their MO. This is too..."

"Big."

The Gene Stealers were subtle; transforming an individual here and there and causing some mayhem but vanishing into the shadows immediately. But this... this was different. Large numbers of people were being transformed and now an attack on Bal-Mordain. Was it really a Gene Stealer...? Or just a super with the power to transform people?

The presence of this hyena with sonic powers certainly supported the latter.

"Let's leave the conspiracy theories to the coroner," he grunted. "Let's get over there and stop anyone else from transforming!"

They zoomed through the streets of the island city, navigating through the traffic as people crowded to newsstands showing a live feed of Bal-Mordain. There was an enormous hologram image hovering over the main intersection of Jefferson and Lincoln Streets. It showed explosions tearing through Bal-Modrain island from a helicopter. The cameraman zoomed in on the chaos but smoke covered everything.

"Just got a call from Bren," Mary reported as they approached the transport facility. "Elliot is deploying his experimental field device that should nullify the effects of the hyenas' laughter in an area. He's setting it up now near the entrance of the facility. Supers are already on their way to the island."

"Then why are we going? They sound like they've got it covered."

"Because from all appearances, there's someone taking the train_back _to the mainland. It might be survivors. It might not. Whatever the case, we can take the train to the island and lend a hand."

In his opinion, it sounded like they doing exactly what his father was against - they were wannabes trying to help when they weren't needed. If the Elemental Alliance was already on their way, why were they needed? Besides, he was fearful he might run into Feral Steel.

"Tell Bren we're not going down there."

"What? Why?"

"The supers can keep Bal-Modrain contained but our priority should be the people of West California Island. If those hyenas get loose, they're going to change the entire goddamn island! We can't let them off that train or let anyone take the train back. Once it's clear, we torch the thing."

Mary paused. No doubt she knew his hesitation about running into his father. Still, he saw her chatting with Bren. It effectively doomed whoever was left on Bal-Mordain to the fate of the hyenas but as long as the supers were there, that risk would be mitigated.

"Bren says you have a point. If they slip by us and take the train back, there's no one to stop them. We'll hold the fort."

Relief washed over him. "Is there anyone else at the gates?"

They rolled up to the massive walls of Bal-Mordain. His eyes widened as he brought Ballistic to a skidding halt. The huge metal gates had been blow clear off their hinges from the outside. Tanks had been thrown against the courtyard walls and there was an enormous hole in the flanks of the concrete walls. There were no bodies that remained. There was blood but no bodies.

"Holy shit..." he whispered, removing his helmet. He jumped off Ballistic and pushed through the large crowd of people that had been arranged behind a police barricade. As before, the police easily let him and Mary through without question. Some civilians shouted at them but neither of them responded, rushing the next hundred metres to the gates themselves.

Bren's van was there and the tiger was already out, setting up what appeared to be a large, cylindrical device with several radar dishes attached to it.

"Is that Elliot's toy?" Caleb asked.

"Yes," Bren said, straightening and patting the device. "Over the two and a half kilometres, those bastards can't transform anyone with their laughter."

"Hang on," Caleb said, lifting a paw. "Sound travels farther than that especially if you're on the outer edges. If a hyena is standing inside while someone else is standing outside listening in, will they change?"

Their handler shrugged and hit a button on the machine. It let out a faint humming noise. "I don't know. It's our job to make sure no one ever finds out." Bren straightened and took out his revolver. "Okay, arm yourselves with whatever you can find." He hiked a thumb at the truck. "There's lots of firepower in there."

Caleb glanced in the truck and found an assortment of junk most of which were historically proven to work well with him. There was a metal sewerage pipe, a hand grenade and even a freshly baked cherry. His eyes roved the assortment and he found one that just... spoke to him at that moment. He reached down and retrieved a flashlight.

"Really?" Mary asked regarding the object. "You're going with that? You've never used your powers on one of those things before."

"You're right." He turned to Bren. "Hey Bren, got another one of these puppies?"

A loud hissing hit his ears. All three of them turned in time to see the train pulling up from the underground tunnel.

"Underneath the front seat," Bren responded. "Be quick."

Caleb hurried to the front of the truck and fetched the second flashlight. Holding one device in each paw, he lined up with the others, feeling a little silly holding them while Bren was armed with a revolver and Mary just needed her fists. It took him a second to realise he wasn't breathing and took a deep breath.

The door to the train hissed open.

The loud, boisterous laughter told him it was not survivors from the prison. There was a spurt of cum that exploded out from the train and even about fifty metres away, he could smell the musky scent of the hyenas. A soft growl rippled from his lips, his fangs were bared and his hackles raised.

What came after sent his heart plummeting.

A hyena stepped out from the door. He wasn't like the super-masculine hyenas of before. He was only about six and a half feet tall, muscular and strong but nothing like the massive immovable mountains that were the other hyenas. This guy looked like a bodybuilder... if he were human sized. For a fur, he was short and a little squat but still devilishly handsome. His flaming red hair and made contrasted against his smooth, slick, short coat and he walked with a cocky confidence that Caleb recognised all too well.

"Gregory!?"

The hyena jerked around, flashing golden eyes at him. For a second, he thought the hyena recognised him then the fur inclined his head to the side. Caleb caught the sight of a smidge of cum on the fur's cheek. "Who? And while we're on the topic, who the hell are you three?"

Mary shook her head. "That's not Gregory... I think. I've only got a basic on our Russian friend but that's not him. He's... different. Evil twin?"

"God I hate it when that happens," Caleb muttered. "I wonder if Lars has one..."

"He's he just joined the team. Hasn't made a nemesis yet. He will soon, though."

"Once someone is motivated enough to create an evil replica of him."

Bren ignored their banter and stepped forward, lifting his revolver. "FBI! Freeze!"

The hyena threw his head back and laughed. "FBI? Really? We just broke out of the most secure prison in California and ditched a bunch of supers! You really thing you FBI chumps can beat us? There's only three of you!"

The train lurched to the side as multiple hyenas emerged, their weight just causing the vehicle to sway. Caleb's heart plummeted even further when he realised there had to be at least fifty of them! Worse, he recognised Lewis Sanchez. There were two others that were simply huge amongst them as well.

"Crap..." he muttered.

"Come on," the hyena said, tilting his head to the side. "Why don't you join us? Bet you'll have the time of your life!"

All the other hyenas let out another laugh. No doubt any other person would have succumbed to their powers. They all looked so confident. Their eyes were eyeing him in particular, just waiting for him to transform.

He turned towards the flashlight and prayed it was something good. Lifting one towards the hyenas, he channelled his power through it. The hyenas stopped their laughter as the flashlight became engulfed in dazzling blue light and feathers began springing from it.

"Oh shit..." the lead hyena gasped. "He's a super!"

WHOOSH!

A thin beam of pure light exploded out of the flashlight, shooting right through the chest of several hyenas and extending for what seemed like a hundred metres or more! The stunned hyenas yowled in pain. Caleb instinctively flinched and the slight movement caused the concentrated, laser to jerk to the right, slicing off arms and through flanks with frightening ease.

"Ha!" Bren laughed. "You've got a lightsaber!"

"Lightsabers don't extend that far!" Caleb shouted.

"They would if they were real. Or logical. And without the Force."

Caleb flicked his wrist and the other flashlight sprang into life, its laser blade shooting into the ground and melting the asphalt where it touched. "You watch Star Wars?"

"What do you think I do all day with Elliot?"

"Point."

Caleb swung his 'laser blades' through the air. Their ridiculous reach caused panic amongst the hyenas. Since the blades were made of concentrated light, they were only as heavy as the flashlights, ensuring he could swing them rapidly. The hyenas, untrained and relying purely on brute strength and numbers, scattered, yelping and yowling as the lasers came dangerously close to them. Caleb didn't want to kill them and made sure to keep the lasers from decapitating anyone.

It was just the cover Mary needed, however. She darted over and under the swinging lasers, leaping like a cat and charging like a bull. She came across to hyenas who stared at her before laughing. She kneed the first one in the jaw, making him bite his tongue. Whilst in the air, she lashed out and kicked the second between the eyes. Both hyenas went down whimpering after a series of blows to their semi-erect cocks.

Bren unloaded his revolver into the hyenas. The bullets bounced off their surprisingly thick hides but there were certain parts of their bodies that was still very vulnerable. Caleb winced when one such guy got shot in the nuts. Though the bullet didn't penetrate the skin, the guy fell down, paralysed with pain.

"ENOUGH!"

The shout shook the entire atrium. Caleb was hurled clear off his feet by the tremendous cry.

WHAM!

The ground hit his back hard, his laser blades skittering away. He watched as one remained lit while the other had its 'off' switch flicked to off and the blade vanished.

"We don't have time to mess with these guys," barked the leading hyena. "We're out of here!"

"But Gnoll -" protested Lewis Sanchez.

"Forget it! They're supers. We can't change them anyway. Go!"

Grumbling, the hyenas began to turn away to leave.

Caleb lunged for one of his flashlights, seizing the one that was switched off. Trusting his instincts entirely, he swung it through the air. Long poles of searing light suddenly descended from the pitch-black night sky. They embedded themselves all around the complex, forming a venerable network of lasers that made it impossible to escape.

Gnoll - the leading hyena - paused and frowned. His eyes turned back to Caleb. "That's some device you have there, kid. Or is it your power? We could use someone like you on the Gene Stealers."

That was all the confirmation he needed but he knew better than to just shout out what he knew. Supervillains loved their monologues. Just give them the slightest provocation and they would spill their entire plans.

"The what?" he growled, rising to his feet. He reached for the other flashlight -

Crrrunch!

A big hyena slammed his big foot on it, crushing it entirely. The fur gave him a big predatory grin. Caleb backed away only to find himself pressed against something hard and muscular. Something big, wet and throbbing pressed against his back. The musk of hyena manhood almost made him sick.

"Shit..."

"The Gene Stealers," responded Gnoll, stepping down from the train platform. "We're the group that's going to make this world a better place."

"By turning everyone into sick, horny hyenas!?" Mary shouted. As she said this, she had one such horny hyena in a headlock, punching the partially unconscious fur's lights outs.

"In a matter of speaking," replied Gnoll, smiling wanly at her. He spread his arms wide, the huge hyenas gathering all around him. "But don't think you can get me on a monologue. That just isn't my style." He brushed back his bright red mane. Now that Caleb looked at him closer, he was bigger than Gregory and his mane was a brighter red, almost unnaturally so.

Caleb rolled his eyes even as one of the hyena's seized his shoulders and yanked the flashlight from his paws. "So you're telling me all this is just so you can have some sick harem of hyenas that are more than willing to get fucked by you?"

Gnoll threw his head back and let out another ripple of laughter. "I'm not telling!" He grinned darkly at Caleb. "But I will let you in on a little secret." He tapped his nose lightly before hiking a thumb back at Bal-Mordain. "You see that back there? That's just the beginning. No one will be able to escape what's coming."

He spread his arms again, grinning broadly. "But I'll tell you what. You're a super. I'm a super. I know how much Sanchez here wants to rip off your head." Gnoll reached for the huge hyena beside him, seizing the guy's throbbing cock and giving its tapered point a seductive lick. Lewis Sanchez laughed before ending the sound in a moan. "But I'm a sucker for climactic battles and just vengeance. So how about this...?"

Gnoll turned to Caleb, stepping towards him. The other hyenas backed off, releasing Caleb. "You and me. One on one. Right now."

Glancing at Mary and Bren and how they were surrounded, he turned back to the hyena and growled a response. "What do I get out of it?"

The hyena tapped his muzzle lightly with a finger. "Land one hit on me that causes me to bleed and I'll let you and your friends go. Then again, if I beat you, you know I'll just let you go anyway. Why? Because if, by some miracle, you beat me, you're just going to throw me into prison where I'll eventually escape. Fair is fair."

Asshole.

"What makes you think I can't take you all out?" Caleb snarled.

Gnoll threw his head back and let out a barking laugh. "Are you serious? You really think you can take us all out?"

He glanced to his left where the closest hyena stood, chortling away. His morality was thrown into question. His eyes turned to Bren. "Promise me this won't go into the report!"

Confused, Gnoll just turned to Bren who held up his paw and said, "Promise."

Caleb then spun and seized the closest hyena's arm. Blue light spread right from the point of contact, ethereal feathers sprouting from it rapidly. The hyena screamed as the light spread all over its entire arm. It began creeping across his shoulder. Gnoll suddenly moved faster than Caleb could have thought possible and collided with the hyena. With his bare paws, the lead hyena ripped the entire arm out of its socket.

Caleb was left staggering away as the severed arm lost all fur and flesh, transmuting into solid metal. He found himself gripping a solid handle sitting right beneath the gaping maw of a red-eyed hyena motif. A thick, bone-white spiked club sprang from the hyena's maw, glistening with golden spikes. There were tufts of brown fur around the hilt, the only remnants of the weapon's organic origins.

"What the fuck!?"Gnoll exclaimed, leaping back while other hyenas tended to his lackey that had just had his arm torn off and turned into a weapon.

"Hey, you didn't tell me your plans," Caleb responded, holding the club in one paw and swinging it over his shoulder. "I won't tell you about my powers. Fair is fair."

The hyena snarled. And threw off the short, white jacket he was wearing to reveal his impressive muscle structure. He was wearing two leather harnesses across his chest that made an 'X' across his pecs and then leading to two 'tails' that hung on his flanks. The cut-off pants he wore hid his strong legs but Caleb could see enough of his calves to know that he packed a mean kick. Hell, if he was a super, it would be devastating.

Gnoll growled and with just that gesture alone, the air vibrated, the noise ringing deep in Caleb's chest.

Caleb only got a moment to fully come to terms with the fact that he was fighting against a super when Gnoll slammed a fist deep into his gut. The air rushed out of his muzzle and he was sent a whole ten feet back, thrown into the air and crashing to the ground with a heavy whump.

"No!" Mary cried.

He coughed, tasting blood and the left side of his face burning. Blood ran down his left cheek.

"You're no super, are you, kid?" Gnoll laughed. "You're all just a bunch of Outsiders. If you had been a super, you would've been able to take that punch."

Caleb sneered and struggled to his feet.

WHAM!

He gagged. Gnoll's bare foot pressed against his throat.

"Just give up, kid. You're not match for me."

Caleb gripped his club tightly. The eyes of the hyena-head hilt glowed. Gnoll froze, eyes widening in horror as about a dozen ghostly, feral hyenas began emerging from the ground around Caleb. Each one possessed the same, blazing red eyes as the weapon's hilt and as they fully emerged, they let out haunting laughter that chilled everyone the bone. One such feral threw itself at Gnoll. The fur tried to kick the creature away with a bone-crushing spinning kick. His leg just passed right through the ghostly creature and the beast's claws tore a ragged slash across the hyena's thigh.

Gnoll gave a cry of shock and staggered back, away from the pack of ethereal hyenas that surrounded a gasping Caleb. One of the hyenas even helped Caleb rise to his feet, prodding him with its nose from behind before offering itself for support.

"What the fuck are your powers?" Gnoll snarled. He ran a paw against his bleeding thigh. It only took a few moments but the wound was already healed by the time he lifted his paw away.

"I'm not telling," taunted Caleb, readying his weapon again. "Don't suppose you're going to honour your deal, are you? I made you bleed."

The hyena smirked. "Do you want us to go free? You're the idiots that came up against us."

"Point."

Not really knowing how the command his army of ghostly hyenas, he gave a shout of 'Now!' and pointed his club at Gnoll. His pack lunged at the Gene Stealer as more of them came springing out from the ground around him. Gnoll took a deep breath and -

"Caleb! Run!"

The wolf threw himself to the right just as -

BOOM!

A thunderous blast of sound exploded out from Gnoll's muzzle, tearing his ghostly pack to shreds and turning them into nothing more than light brown wisps of light. The asphalt directly in front of Gnoll had been upturned. Despite this, most of the ghostly hyenas came springing out from around Caleb.

A pang of fear crossed him. His only defence was the club and if just kept summoning these hyenas, it would soon reach its limit! Then he would be completely defenceless! He had to end this quickly!

A power rush. That was his only option.

With another shout, he sent his pack storming towards Gnoll. The hyena smirked and turned towards them, taking another deep breath. Before he could shout, Caleb swung his club upwards. The ground beneath Gnoll suddenly exploded in a shower of sharp bones erupted in a gruesome geyser right beneath his feet. Gnoll cried out as he was thrown back by the blast. The Gene Stealer's allies rushed to his aid but about seventy ghost ferals had emerged and were driving them back. Mary and Bren resumed their assault, taking advantage of their surprise at their leader's fall to knock several to the ground.

Sanchez and the two other huge hyenas roared and charged at Caleb. Sanchez was the only one with supernatural speed but it was still much slower than Gnoll's. Considering the guy's size as well, it was fairly easy to dodge the guy's massive arms. Caleb danced backwards and swiped his club at the hyena. He missed.

BOOM!

Just as a huge, white, tusk erupted from the ground and speared Sanchez's flank. The hyena yelped and was thrown to the side.

The other two gave a cry of shock before turning their attention straight at Caleb, lunging at him with vengeance in their eyes. Caleb couldn't move fast enough, finding himself sandwiched between the two. He instinctively brought his paws up across his face.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Thick layers of spiked bones erupted in front of him, forming a diamond-hard and spiked barrier. The two hyenas yelped as they crashed into it and had to extract themselves from the sharp point.

A pain suddenly erupted across Caleb's paw and he gasped, falling to one knee.

"Crap!" he cried. His club was engulfed once more in the glowing, blue and white light, feathers erupting from it. Its form began to dissipate...

WHAM!

And he was knocked back onto his back. Gnoll rested on top of him, his forearm pressed against Caleb's neck and his entire body pressing down on the wolf's chest.

"Looks like your powers have their limits," the hyena laughed softly. "Overuse will force you to lose your precious little weapon." Gnoll's golden eyes glimmered. "You know, you won't make a very good hyena. But I just bet, you'd make a great Gene Stealer."

"Fuck you!" Caleb growled.

"Don't knock it," laughed the hyena right in his ear. "You know, I didn't even know I had powers until I was approached. They awakened it in me. I would've been an Outside just like you but they made me a super. Gave me this smoking hot bod and the ability to make all those muscle-heads that ever made me feel inadequate, puny and small_into fucking _whores who beg for my dick."

"You're sick," Caleb sneered. "This is all for some sick sense of revenge? The construction workers, the steel mill guys and now this prison. People of authority!? You're turning them into your sex slaves because, what? They called you a faggot? Because you're not as tall as most other furs?"

Gnoll snorted derisively. "What other reason do I need? The world isn't fair. I'm just tipping it in my favour."

"Then why are you targeting Ambiance Logistics Incorporated?"

Gnoll looked shocked for the briefest of moments then he smirked. "Oh, figured it out, have you? Well, now I_really_ can't let you live. Or I'll have turn you into a Gene Stealer. I bet you'd love being a big, buff, wolf, right? Maybe a werewolf-esque macho-man?" He reached down and squeezed Caleb's crotch, making the wolf's ears fold back. "Yeah, I can see it in your eyes. You love being on top." He leaned down further, lips just in Caleb's ears. "Think about it, kid. As an Outsider, you won't be accepted by the ordinary folk or the supers. You're neither. But as a Gene Stealer, you'll be even more_than a super. Don't you just want to belong? Hell, don't you want to rule and make all those assholes like Feral Steel who ostracise you for just how you were born _suffer?"

Caleb frowned. Not because of what Gnoll said but because... something strange was happening. It took him a moment to realise that it was because something was wrapped around his right arm. He glanced towards his limb. The club... It was gone. But in its place was a large, bone-white gauntlet connecting to a whole length of arm-length armour including a vambrace and spaulders. They were decorated by tufts of tan fur sprouting from where they connected to one another. There was even a length of spotted, tan fur that extended from the pauldron down to his feet.

Gnoll sensed where he was looking and glanced over, his eyes widening.

Caleb slammed his paw into the ground, the white metal making a loud _thunk_against the asphalt. Bones erupted from all around him, shooting up from the ground. Gnoll was almost completely skewered but the hyena rolled away, suffering only light scratches against his back. Much to Caleb's surprise, the bones actually retreated into the ground... and he it felt like they were obeying his mental commands.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, opening and closing his now covered paw.

"What the hell!?" Gnoll cried, his voice shaking the whole courtyard. The fighting around them froze for a moment. Even Mary and Bren looked surprised at Caleb's newest addition.

Regarding the armour, he wondered what was so different about this weapon he had made. Was it because it came from a living being? No... he had used living things before to make weapons. The other Gene Stealers' often made little 'critters' like Spider Queen's children. Even those dissipated after a while. So what was different about this one...?

He pushed his puzzlement aside and clenched his fist. Almost instantly, a long, bone-white club erupted from the ground beside him, standing just a few inches from his paw. He seized it and swung it around, readying himself.

An explosion rang out somewhere behind them, back at Bal-Mordain. Lightning erupted from the island. The Elemental Alliance was there. Desperation crossed Gnoll's eyes and he swiped a paw through the air.

"Enough!" Gnoll turned to his subordinates. "Kill them all! Madman, Boy Breaker, Man Breaker, come with me! We're getting out of here before the supers arrive!"

"Why are you leaving so soon?" Caleb taunted, her eyes gleaming with a certain evil mirth. "I was just enjoying our time together. Weren't you about to tell me where to go so I can become Gene Stealer? Besides, where can you go? Those lasers aren't going anywhere."

"No..." Gnoll growled, turning his gaze towards Caleb. "But you are."

Caleb's eyes widened as Gnoll took a deep breath. Mary shouted his name but before he could move, Gnoll tipped his head backwards and let out an earth-splitting laugh. The air rippled all around hyena, rushing towards Caleb faster than he could react. The wolf punched the ground with his gauntlet. Thick bone walls erupted in front of him but -

Crrrrack!

*****

Swayne perked his ears and gulped loudly. He twisted the police hat in his paws nervously as he heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. For a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The hyena's scent was everywhere. A shadow crossed the light spraying in from the little gaps in the doorway.

A key was inserted and the doorknob was twisted.

The light from the hallway of the dingy apartment almost blinded him but he stuck to his script, to his plan. The figure in the hallway stopped.

"MIke," came that sexy, playful rumble but it was tinged with confusion and anger. "I thought I told you to -"

"Let me talk," Swayne interrupted, lifting a paw. "I know you told me you were dangerous; to stay away from you. But I want to make this clear: I don't care."

Gnoll snorted derisively. "You were raised -"

"I know how I was raised." Swayne took a step towards the hyena. "But I also know the man I want to become. And the man I want to be with."

Shaking his head, Gnoll said, "That's hormones talking."

"No it isn't." Swayne took another step towards him. "I've been thinking about this a lot. I've been thinking about you a lot. You say you're dangerous. Fine. But I'm the one with a gun. You're on the wrong side of the law? I don't care. Because if this is the price of love, then I willingly pay for it."

Gnoll's eyes widened and he took a step away. Swayne followed him with another step, his being a little bigger.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" the hyena asked. "We haven't even known each other for a week and you're telling me you _love_me?"

"A week is too long for this kind of thing," answered the German Shepherd. As he took another step forward, the light glinted off the buttons of his police uniform. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Fuck no."

"Neither did I. Until I met you."

Gnoll rolled his eyes. "That was the -"

"Corniest line of all," answered the cop with a smirk. "I know. But it's true. These last few days, it's been the happiest of my life. When you told me to leave you alone, it broke my heart. I was angry. I wanted to hunt you down and throw you in a jail cell. But then I realised that was only so I knew I could keep you close to me."

"You're full of shit."

"Probably," Swayne conceded. "So I'll make you a deal." He slipped his hat back on, resting it between his ears. "It's on you now. You want me out of your life, just say so. I'll leave and never bother you again. Otherwise, I'll stay and I'll try to make you as happy as you've made me feel."

"You don't even know my real name."

"And you don't have to tell me if you don't want me to stay. Otherwise, it'd be a great place to start our relationship."

Gnoll stared deep into his eyes for a long time. For the first time since they had known each other, Gnoll showed a sign of worry as he bit his lower lip and closed his eyes. Slowly, the hyena stepped aside, standing away from the doorway.

Swayne had been prepared for this. It was always a fifty-fifty chance that Gnoll wouldn't pick him. One half of him broke at the revelation and the other was prepared for it. That didn't stop the hurt, though. It was foolish to think Gnoll would -

Slam!

The room was plunged into complete and utter darkness as the door shut.

"Okay," Gnoll said softly. "You want in? I'll let you in." The hyena's eyes turned towards him, glowing lightly in the darkness. "I'll show you what makes me so dangerous." The hyena let out his trademark laugh, making the edges of Swayne's lips curl upwards.

"Fuck I missed that laugh."

Gnoll growled softly and wrapped his arms around the police officer's neck. "I bet you did, officer."

Swayne could only grin as he gripped the hyena's tight ass and hoisted the fur towards the bed. He dropped the guy of his dreams onto the dirty, musky bed. Gnoll was just wearing a leather harness across his chiselled chest and a pair of cut-off pants. All of which Swayne thought made the guy look all the sexier. He leaned down and pressed his nose against Gnoll's crotch, taking a deep, long whiff and shuddering softly as the hyena's scent permeated his being.

He bit the cuff of the hyena's pants and tugged at them playfully. Gnoll laughed at that. Swayne echoed the laughter. It was pretty silly but he just wanted the guy so bad. He released Gnoll's pants from his jaws and unbuckled the clothing. He took his time slowly pulling the fabric down, sliding it over Gnoll's throbbing cock like he was unwrapping a present. The grin on his face was almost manic as the marvellous foot long member throbbed in front of him, each pulse sending a fresh wave of hyena musk into his nostrils.

The German Shepherd tossed the pants aside. He leaned in and brushed his nose against Gnoll's manhood. His wet nose made the hyena giggle. More than anything, he wanted to see his hyena laugh, to see him happy. He lapped lightly at the hyena's furry balls. Gnoll twitched a little but that was accompanied by lusty moans and soft humming.

Swayne's long, flat tongue curled around the cock gently, performing laps up and down its black length. Long squirts of precum were dripping from the black tip, each droplet something that Swayne eagerly lapped up and devoured hungrily. Every time he reached the tip of that glorious pole, he kissed the tapered tip, making Gnoll giggle. He breathed on the sensitive flesh before diving in, taking the entire length into his muzzle.

He had never given anyone a blowjob before but Gnoll had given him so many since they had met that he got the basic mechanics down. The tip brushed against the back of his throat, almost making him gag. He persevered through it, swallowing the thickening droplets of precum that poured down into his stomach. Sliding back along the length caused Gnoll to moan in pleasure and Swayne's own cock to throb painfully against his uniform's pants. He made to rip them off when Gnoll's paw gently cupped his chin.

"No, no," cooed the hyena, "leave them on."

He grinned and then Gnoll gasped.

"Ah! Watch the fangs, babe."

Swayne folded his ears back in embarrassment before pulling his muzzle from that delectable member. "Maybe you'd prefer something with a little less teeth?"

Gnoll's eyes glinted. "My thoughts exactly."

With surprising strength, Gnoll seized Swayne's shoulders and suddenly threw him against the bed. Swayne was both shocked and aroused at the hyena's sudden show of dominance. Gnoll was suddenly on top of him, cradling his waist in with his legs. The hyena leaned down, pressing their lips together.

It was a sexy kiss, one to get Swayne's balls churning, to tease and arouse. Problem was, Swayne was already there but he wanted something different. He pulled Gnoll closer to him, refusing to drive into the hyena's muzzle with the lusty, ravenous, animalistic kissing the hyena was giving him. No, he went in slow, savouring every moment of contact, every breath shared and every step that their tongues took in their tonsil tango.

Gnoll seemed shocked for a moment and tried to pull away but Swayne pulled him closer. He wasn't rough. Just a gentle reminder that Swayne loved the man in his arms. Gnoll melted in his arms, every tension in the muscles all over his body just easing away. His paws explored Swayne's body through the fabric of his uniform. There was no urgency to tear it off, there was no wild need to rip off their clothes and stuck a dick in someone's ass.

Slowly, Gnoll pulled away, rolling his jaw a little. He let out a soft laugh. "Sorry... Never kissed someone for that long."

Swayne's eyes twinkled playfully. "Then you've clearly never been in a relationship."

The hyena gave him a puzzled look but it was broken by a cute smile. "No... No I haven't." He let out another short laugh that just made Swayne's cock pulse achingly in his pants. Gnoll rested his head against Swayne's chest, ear pressed against the big dog's heart. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course. Like I said, I love you."

Gnoll chuckled softly. "You're an idiot to fall in love with a man whore you barely know. But I guess..." He turned towards Swayne, smiling gently. "That makes me an even bigger idiot for falling for you too." He crawled up the dog's chest until he was sitting against Swayne's strong abs. "You've proven me wrong, officer Swayne. And for that... I can't thank you enough. So..." He gently pressed his paws against Swayne's cheeks making him locked gazes. "... I'm going to show you exactly who I am."

Swayne's eyes widened.

This was it.

Then Gnoll began laughing.

For a second, Swayne's brow furrowed. He couldn't understand what was so funny. But strangely... the laughter was infectious. He began giggling to himself, a strange warmth rising up from his chest and filling his entire body. The mirth filled his veins, making him feel a little like someone was massaging his muscles from the inside or tickling his nerves individually.

Then, he couldn't stop laughing even after Gnoll stopped. The hyena above him looked worried and was biting his lower lip.

"Wh - wha-hahaha!?" Swayne began but then his voice was cut off by the sound of fabric stretching. His shirt suddenly felt very tight and with uncontrollable chortle, he felt it growing tighter and tighter. He stared wide-eyed at his chest, peering over his pecs. The fabric began stretching across his enormous pectoral muscles. He could see his nipples pressing up against the navy blue shirt and the clear definition of his pectorals pushing themselves out to be known.

A long groan ripped through his throat, much deeper than what should have come from his muzzle. Loud pops filled the dingy apartment. Buttons came flying off from his chest, his collared shirt popping open while his white singlet beneath began ripping right down the middle. Every snicker and giggle me made felt strangely liberating. He_loved_ it.

His laughter carried through the entire apartment as he threw his head back, shutting his eyes tightly and just letting himself get absorbed into the moment. The pressure against his pants was growing and growing until he couldn't take it anymore. He made to reach for his pants but -

Rrrrrip!

His cock just burst right through them, the hot, dripping tip pressing against Gnoll's backside. His entire body shuddered at the explosion of cum and fabric, his cock twitching in glee at its newfound length and celebrating with a shower of cum. The distinct rush of orgasm that filled his body fuelled the changes. His already monumental chest surged forward, tearing the remnants of his singlet and shirt wide open. Four sets of perfectly chiselled abdominal muscles burst from his stomach, causing Gnoll's balls to bounce playfully against them.

His shouldered widened, pushing out further and further away from his neck while growing into massive, bowling ball-sized lumps of steel-hard muscle. The muscles across his neck thickened, nearly fusing with his shoulders with thick veins rolling all the way down the mountains and across his shoulders. Swayne shuffled uncomfortably as his back rippled and changed, his deltoids bulging out and forming the distinct 'V shape' that would make him the envy of every guy he crossed. His shirt and singlet tore across the back, nearly vanishing completely in the folds of his muscles.

Loud popping came once more but this time it was from his spine. Each one brought a fresh wave of release and a new wave of giggles. His cock spurted violently with every new rush. His head brushed against the headboard of the bed, forcing him to shuffle slightly and sit up as he just kept growing and growing. As he did so, he felt his cock rising up Gnoll's back, leaving a trail of stick cum along its way. Gnoll was forced to sit on his lap as his thighs began to thicken, massive muscles forcing his legs apart.

Swayne twitched in pleasure as each new inch of muscle added to his body brought a fresh wave of orgasmic pleasure. His entire body was a source of stimulus. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his muzzle hanging open in pure ecstasy.

On his lap, Gnoll could only watch with tears welling his eyes as the German Shepherd became another hulking brute reduced to a fit of laughter. The canine's black and brown patterns began to vanish. His paws began a chocolate brown while the black on his back became absorbed into thicker, dusty brown fur to leave only specks of black, a taunting reminder of what he had been. The canine's slim, masculine muzzle shortened, becoming broader and squarer. Pointed ears rounded in the edges and became much shorter.

Swayne opened his muzzle and let out a riotous hyena laugh. The massive fur seized his cock, reaching around Gnoll and squeezing his gargantuan member. Gnoll jumped a little at the spray of cum that blasted all of his back, practically drenching him entirely. He kept his eyes shut, trying not to shake in fury at himself.

Then... he was surprise when a tender kiss took him entirely by surprise. It wasn't a ferocious kiss that demanded attention like those the other hyenas gave him. No... it was Swayne's kiss.

Gnoll opened his eyes in surprise, blinking at the hyena before him. Slowly, Swayne opened his golden eyes and pulled away, smiling gently.

"So..." began the former cop. "This is you, huh?"

Gnoll couldn't understand what was happening. Most of those he turned did retain their personalities but they were either consumed by their sudden growth, driven by their enormous members or just so horny that they really couldn't be called themselves. They made the choice to become the monsters that they were. Sanchez and the Mancinis were exactly the same. But Swayne... He... He...

"Swayne...?" he whispered softly.

"You sound like you were expecting someone else," answer the newly made hyena with a smirk.

Gnoll didn't know what to do or say...

All he did was just throw himself at the hyena, push him to the bed, laughing genuinely and with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks.

Swayne... Mike Swayne... was still in there... He was still very much the same man who had confessed to loving him. Gnoll wasn't sure how or why but... He wasn't sure what the future held but for the moment, he was...

... he was truly happy.

He broke the kiss panting softly. Then, he broke into a grin.

"Hey," he whispered softly. "Let me tell you my real name."

*****

Caleb opened his eyes.

He was in a white room... it was almost blinding. Everything was white... He groaned loudly.

"Fuck... Not a fucking dream sequence..."

Wham!

Something hit his forehead and he blinked, turning his head to the right where Mary stood, a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"No" she snapped sharply, "you're not in a little mental world of your own, you haven't been transported into an alternate dimension by a god and you certainly haven't died, gone to heaven only to make the heroic decision to turn back to save your family and friends. You're in a hospital."

He looked around himself and noticed that he was dressed in a typical patient's gown and lying on a hospital bed. Everything was white because... well, the hospital room was white. Even the couches were white. Bacterial detection technology made sure that the room was always white except when coming into contact with potential bacteria of germs. Then, the point of contact and the surrounding area would turn a certain colour for certain types of germs. Milky green would be a cold or flu virus. Black was dangerous mutagens or blue would be urine.

"What happened...?"

His mother's face came into view, looking worried as ever with his father close by. "Oh Cale! We were so worried!" She hugged him tightly. Nothing felt broken but his ears rang and he was feeling light headed.

"Don't you remember, son?" David Hale asked. "You rode out to meet Lars and got into an accident..."

He quickly flashed Mary a look who nodded shortly. "Not... really... I... I was just... distracted."

Lillian Hale released him and sighed softly. "From now on, when you need to think, you do it aloud, okay? No more riding out on your own to think. It's not good to be rushing out with all these things in your head and you find yourself unable to focus."

He managed a weak smile. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"You're lucky," David said. "There was an attack at Bal-Mordain tonight. I need to jet to cover it. Not even signed the paper work already Feral Steel is calling me. Lil, did you want to stay with Cale?"

"I'm okay, Mom," Caleb said. "Can I actually get a second with Mary?"

Lillian looked worried but she gave him another hug before departing with his father. No doubt Dad was off to check on his friends at the Elemental Alliance. Once he was sure they were gone, he turned straight to Mary.

"They got away," Mary said sadly. "Gnoll used some sort of powerful sonic boom from his voice to knock you out then one of the hyenas smashed the flashlight you were using. Bren got killed. Again. I managed to hide behind a tank but still got my leg busted." He peered over his bed and noted that she was in a cast, supporting herself with two crutches.

Caleb tried to sit up but found his muscles and bones felt like jelly. He felt weak as a puppy. "How'd we get here...?"

Mary shook her head. "FBI agents and Bren's respawn came over and carried us out. Cleaned up the sight before the supers could get here. Apparently, there was a hell of a lot of hyenas left back at Bal-Mordain and more than one super was nearly raped."

Caleb shuddered. That would be one hell of a PR bomb that his dad would have to deal with. "Did anyone get transformed from the city?"

"We don't think so," Mary said softly. "Gnoll seemed pretty shaken by your powers."

"Speaking of which...?"

She nodded sagely. "I had the armour analysed by Elliot. It seemed that it 'evolved' for lack of a better term. Use of your powers on a certain weapon naturally increases the strength of that weapon's abilities. It carries over to other weapons that you make provided that it is exactly the same. But because of the randomness of your abilities, that's hard to replicate."

She sat down on the chair beside his bed. "Elliot thinks that somehow, that club didn't deteriorate because of the nature of the original. It was a Gene Stealer Thrall. Maybe your powers react differently to them but we can't be sure. Either way, he's still investigating."

Finding strength returning to his limbs, Caleb shuffled up the bed, sitting up with a heavy sigh.

Mary inclined her head to the side. "Something bothering you?"

He gave her a pointed look. "You know well what's bothering me."

It took a moment of silence before she nodded.

"Yeah. Gnoll now knows what we look like... and we let him get away."