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*Neptune the Mystic. Blueprints*

'She's targeting my nervous system with her hits.' The vulpine's knees bent expecting another attack. His uniform wrinkled slightly as muscles underneath coiled with tension. The female husky dove once more, but in a now noticeable pattern for her opponent. The metal panels beneath her feet lightly sounded off at the sudden movement. He cleanly dodged it and swiftly counter attacked.

"Gah!" The husky cried out as his quick punches to the gut caught her off guard. One more swift kick before a block could occur and his adversary was on the floor clutching her white furred stomach. The painted metal floor made its distinct noise as shoes quickly moved. She coughed painfully before an arm suddenly locked her in a choke hold.

Behind a hidden pane of glass, a pair of figures not in military uniform watched two figures spar before them. It didn't take long for one to win, the one that always won.

"Not even the Delta III class can outmatch the original Beta I." The cougar backed away from the viewpoint over towards a table in the center of the room.

"At least the Delta III's can beat the remaining Gamma class units with ease." The wolf tried to cheer his companion up.

"Still. That's not enough here for me."

"I do wonder what the Delta IV class will have to offer, although I would be fine if they stopped with the latest class." The other admitted honestly.

"Wait, you are still part of the development staff right?"

"Yeah, but I don't really care too much for the specifics any longer."

"Hmm. I do enjoy being active on the development staff, but it would be a shame to stop at the Delta II class. I have had high hopes for it since I became one of the head designers after Dr. Hyustox retired."

"It's a terrible loss for such an acclaimed geneticist to pass away. I hope his family is coping well."

"I'm sure they are Tomic, especially with that pile if money he accumulated for them." Tomic shrugged before looking at an old blueprint dated a few years ago.

"You know that the old internal commands 'Limit' and 'Align' were brand new for his model Veccus." The wolf filed the sheet away.

"There must be a bug in the system somewhere." The cougar sighed. "The E-20 patch wasn't a part of his core, and neither was the Rexion system nor the Neo Core 1.3. No infrared or twenty by two vision enhancement. No coiled nano steel plating under his skin. Yet he still has a clean win streak and hasn't been shot. Period."

"Impressed?" Tomic grinned with pride.

"Just how many outside missions has he completed?"

"Three with his team. One of them solo." The wolf explained with a swift nod.

"Now I am impressed." Veccus said with an arched brow before organizing a few papers. "Why hasn't someone sent him abroad to work on missions daily?"

"We have used models of every class in groups or individually to complete tasks and operations, but he works well with those in his group of soldiers."

"Soldiers? Regular on-the-base military soldiers?"

"Yep. He works with them daily." The cougar was surprised again as he flipped through a few documents, most of them being blueprints. A claw trailed down one leaving a subtle crease.

"What does Beta I unit eighteen think of his prowess?"

"He has a name you know." Tomic said making the cougar stop.

"You gave the unit a name?" He nearly scoffed at the wolf's comment.

"Yes, he works very well with real soldiers on and off the field. You couldn't even distinguish between him and the other soldiers here on base." Veccus furrowed his brow in thought and left the room as Tomic gathered his things before departing as well.

"The Arkhov-9 is superior to the Richter rifle in round capacity by four extra shots, and it is a little lighter. However, the Richter rifle is standard and every regular soldier can use it efficiently already. It feels good to hold it."

"Alright I believe you! I'm not an expert on guns anyway like you are Baiju." Both figures stepped out of the large shower unit and grabbed a towel.

"Now you know how I feel when Nikita talks about females that he dated before." Baiju replied to the red wolf before shaking his hips to rid his fur of excess droplets.

"But according to him," He wiggled his hips suggestively, "it's all about how large your package is. And I'm pretty happy with that standard. You should compensate for any female soldier making a second glance at you." He stated as they walked by a few lockers.

"I'm not being sought after by any military women Yuri." Baiju scrunched up his face in minor annoyance.

"Not with that small sheath you're not."

"I promise you mine is average, and besides, I don't want it sticking out to get shot or something."

"Ouch. Good point." Yuri shuddered covering the space between his legs.

"Besides, Roger over there would split a guy in half with his." Roger, the German shepherd, turned around only to roll his eyes as they laughed. Everyone always poked fun at Roger for being well endowed because he was gay, but it was all in good fun. Yuri and Baiju walked over to the wind wall where a strong fan helped dry out fur quickly.

"Ya know, I never liked fans because my older brother beat me up with one when I was little." Yuri said as he combed over a knotted paths of reddish brown fur.

"Really?" Baiju looked at him skeptically.

"Oh yeah. You see, my childhood was always marked by fighting with him." He pointed out as if the discussion became a lecture.

"Strange how I can't even remember my own childhood when I can recall random details from over a year ago." The silver fox thought rubbing over his damp ears. "Only faint thoughts come to mind."

"You probably don't want to remember having a sibling that bullied you," Yuri mumbled before his expression softened. "But you should probably go to the infirmary if you really do have amnesia Baiju. That could be a serious medical condition." The red wolf fluffed over his chest fur before turning his back to the fan.

"I don't want to bother anyone with something silly like that, but if I couldn't remember who everyone on base was then I would definitely go to the infirmary."

"By then you wouldn't have any idea how to get to the infirmary." Yuri grinned as they finished drying.

"Wouldn't you be around to knock some sense into me, or would you take advantage of the situation?" They both chuckled grabbing their uniforms.

"Baiju! Tomic wants to speak with you!" A voice yelled from the doorway.

"Someone is in trouble." Yuri's silly voice tried to spook the silver fox.

"Yeah right." He tossed his towel in a bin. "Tomic would never have that happen to me." Baiju quickly dressed into uniform. "Alright. I'll see you later then Yuri." Baiju finished buttoning his shirt.

"See ya around." The red wolf called out before he returned to dressing himself. "Put that night stick away Roger." Yuri looked over his shoulder seeing the canine wearing only a shirt. "It's almost like you're bragging." Roger chuckled softly and picked up his boxers.

"You know how conscientious I am about it." He smirked. Yuri couldn't help but laugh walking across the locker room to retrieve his uniform.

The door to Tomic's office, adorned with its appropriate nameplate, was already wide open and Baiju promptly entered finding the older grey wolf with a young red vixen he had never seen before. The wolf acted like a mentor and briefer for him and a few others around the base, whether it was for training or a mission.

"Hey Tomic! You almost cut my shower short after I sparred."

"Ah," The wolf turned to greet the silver fox with an abundant smile. "Sorry about that, but I heard that you did really well."

"Yep. I hit hard and fast." He proudly smiled before mocking a punch towards the wall. "Just like training every day."

"Glad to hear it." Tomic chuckled, and even the young vixen beside him grinned.

"So uh, is that why you called me? Should I practice fighting or train differently than what I'm doing now?"

"Gods no, you're doing great. Don't kid yourself there." The grey wolf smiled. "You are being assigned a partner Baiju." The news caught the vulpine by surprise.

"Wait, a partner? Someone to work with on and off the field partner?"

"Yes," the wolf chuckled setting his clipboard on the desk. "I don't think there is any other kind." His words made Baiju's eyes widen with glee.

"Are you going to be my partner Tomic?! We'd make the best team out there, and I'm sure your new secretary wouldn't mind." The silver fox's imagination ran wild with all the fun he and Tomic could have training together again.

"No, no. I am not going to be your partner," he smiled proudly waving the fox down. "I've only been in the military as a soldier for a year anyway. Marion here will be your new partner." The ecstatic smile was drained from the vulpine's face as he looked to who he thought was a secretary. A girl? He closed his mouth glancing at a wall.

"Oh." Was all the silver fox could muster at the moment, letting the disappointing news sink in. The vixen held out her hand and he naturally shook it. Her smile and soft brown eyes told that him she was fairly satisfied about the arrangement.

"I know, I know. It must be quite a bit for you to take in, but I can assure that the decision was given a lot of thought. You and Roger are the only two soldiers on base who haven't been assigned to a partner-"

"So Roger isn't getting a partner?"

"Well... No, but she's a part of your group now. Be sure to introduce Marion to everyone and make her feel welcomed. I doubt you'll have trouble with that." Baiju nodded doing his best to keep the grin on his face before it fell to the floor like a lead weight. "Good to hear how your sparring went too, but I don't have anything else to report on." Tomic said taking a seat at his desk.

"No, I'm good on news too." The silver fox looked around wondering what he should actually do. "I was just going to head over to my room anyway."

"Good! You can help her unpack and get settled in." He leaned back pleasantly smiling.

"I'll see you later then Tomic." Baiju managed to strike a smile before heading for the door. The wolf motioned for Marion to follow him out. She followed Baiju out of Tomic's office into the base's typical white and grey hallway. He wasn't sure what to think. A partner, that stays in the same room as him and occasionally tags along base too? A girl at that! The annoyed look on his face didn't let up hearing the second pair of footsteps beside him. "Why would they give me a major in cybernetics or whatever it is that vixen does on the side?"

"I'm right here you know." Marion frowned walking beside him.

"Just don't leave fur brushes laying around the floor ok?" He replied opening the door to his room. "Gods." He muttered seeing the other bed near his with a large suitcase already on it. It was now their room. The thought made him shudder with discomfort. The vixen didn't waste any time and began unpacking her things. For Baiju it was too much to have stuffed inside a bag. Female styled military shoes, brushes, hygienics, and lots of clothes that were uniform and non uniform. Even a textbook made its way onto the bed after she took three trips to the bathroom.

"Tomic gave you a textbook to read?"

"No, this one is mine. Why? Did he give you that to read?" She pointed over at a pamphlet with a curious brown eye.

"Yes, it's a small manual on the Ha Go-40 series of semi automatic hand guns." He stated as if the information was recorded on file.

"Why a gun manual? Aren't you already knowledgable with weapons?"

"He wants me to make sure," he handed her the thin dozen paged manual, "that I understand every new weapon as soon as it comes out along with a review of current models and improvements."

"How much could you possibly know with all that high level training you constantly do?" Marion asked flipping through it.

"Everything. Why? You don't believe me?"

"I didn't say that." She set the pamphlet aside.

"How about I test you on your silly manual." He snatched the textbook from her desk.

"Hey give it back!" She jumped at him only for the silver fox to dodge her cleanly. He opened the book up to a random page.

"Alpha IV unit two model... Enhanced retinal display, copper filaments removed from wiring system to prevent internal fires, bug causing improper posture eliminated... What kind of boring junk is this?!" He said as she finally yanked the material away from him. The vixen snapped the book shut and set it back on her desk.

"It's what I study in my field of cybernetics." The vixen flatly replied crossing her arms.

"Sounds extremely boring." He stated as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. She bit her lip from retorting a reply. "I'm going to take a shower before eating dinner in the mess hall." Baiju said hoping that she would leave without him so he could stay put.

"Sure. I'll wait and leave with you." She offered making the frown return on his muzzle.

"Of course." He mumbled under his breath before gathering a clean uniform set. 'Two showers this soon.' The sound of running water didn't completely block out the noise of drawers and shelves being moved back in the room much to the fox's chagrin. 'Why does Tomic want me to have a partner?' He thought as warm water cascaded down his body. The clear shower door fogged up as steam filled the bathroom. As much as the silver fox wanted to hit his head against the wall in frustration, he refrained from doing so and cut off the water flow. He shook as much water as he could from his fur before grabbing the large fluffy towel and stepping out onto a black mat. Baiju loathsomely groaned seeing half of the counter occupied with her hygienics and feminine products. His eyes widened fearfully seeing one labeled 'For persistent feminine odor-'

'Today was such a great day, and now it's ruined!' He hung the towel before using the hand dryer to rid his body of damp spots. Refreshed and dressed, he opened the door finding Marion proudly looking her her neat and tidy arrangements.

"All ready?" She turned around with a crisp voice.

"You're acting way too happy." He walked to the door as she opened it. The vulpine pair only passed by a few people in the halls, but the little admiring grins each wore almost made Baiju lose his appetite. Her swishing tail practically made him seasick, but the simple cafeteria came with some relief. He managed to slip away from her around the salad bar and quickly found his friends by a table furthest from the main entrance. "Hey guys." Baiju sat down across from them with a brief sigh of relief. "Where is Yuri at?"

"No idea, he probably ate earlier as usual." Roger guessed wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"That looks like a lot of carrots even for you Nikita." Baiju observed the stack of orange on the mink's plate.

"I love 'em!" He replied with a loud crunch eating one.

"Even more than those three chocolate chip muffins you smuggled from the back last week?" Roger teased him.

"I love all foods that don't mess up my gut." He devoured a few more with gusto.

"Hey Nikita," Baiju asked after glancing around, "since you and Yuri were made partners, how much time do you two spend with one another on base?" The small mink looked up at the ceiling in thought for a moment.

"Uh. Like maybe an hour? Not counting when we're asleep in our room of course."

"Gods. Never, just as I thought." Baiju groaned crossly. The others simply returned to eating until their friend started up again. The silver fox could see Marion making her way over to their table. "Oh this can't be real." He groaned bringing a hand to cover his eyes.

"What's the problem Baiju?" The white mink asked seeing the silver fox grumble unhappily.

"Mr. Fox over here got a vixen to work with Nikita." Roger pointed out the vulpine approaching the table. The mink's eyes easily spotted her.

"What?! You get to room with her Baiju? She's so hot." He stared at her like one of the many pinups he had in his room just came to life. "Isn't there a rooming policy against this?"

"Then please switch rooms with me." Baiju said sulkily as Marion sat beside him.

"Hello!" She introduced herself far more cheerily than Baiju looked at the moment.

"Hello, you must be Baiju's new roommate. I'm Roger, and this is Nikita." He pointed over to the white mink.

"Heeeeey." Nikita said with a cheesy smile to Marion. She returned a confused look at the mink's awkward gesture.

***

Roger's ears perked up hearing the door behind him close with a jet like exhale.

"Covering all inner perimeters right?" Baiju asked hastily putting on a coat.

"So you're joining me for once tonight?" He zipped his jacket and picked out an R4 rifle sitting along a stand containing half a dozen others.

"Well I'm not here to tie your shoes. Just gimme a second." Baiju followed suit and grabbed a rifle before following the German shepherd outside into the darker night. The cooler air refreshed his nose from the enclosed room as the fox looked around the lit complex. There would be no vixen to bother him here. Roger began walking walking through the typical route with his friend in tow. Their boots made soft noise to march within the still light.

"You normally don't like guarding Baiju, especially since there's hardly any trees around the base to hide an imaginary intruder." The silver fox smiled recalling the times he went out on the neighboring field and pretended that his position was surrounded by enemy soldiers. It only lasted for ten minutes before someone would notice he had gone missing, but it was lots of fun. The spooky darkness though would make it interesting if he did run around for the fun of it.

"Tonight is an exception Roger. I let Nikita sleep in my room since he wanted to be with Marion so much." The German shepherd stared mystified at the silver fox, not believing him.

"How would he pull that off?"

"I gave him my room key after we ate dinner so he could hide under the covers and pretend to be me sleeping."

"That's ridiculous." Roger shook his head.

"At least Marion won't be all over me before she figures it out."

"That's probably the only action we will get with her being around. This place is pretty mundane compared to my last base I was stationed at."

"What was Endlemere base like? You were there for a year right?"

"It was fine. I liked all the outdoor exercises that we did because the base was located in a forest a few miles from the beach, but a particular group teased me for being gay so I requested a transfer."

"I wish I was there to knock some sense into those morons. You're a good friend to me."

"Thanks for the compliment," he said before chuckling, "although I don't like the idea of filling up the infirmary because of a little friendly fire." Both of them laughed at that walking down the empty sidewalk. "Haven't you at least given some thought about someone? What about Tomic? You're way more than just fond with the older wolf."

"No. We're not that close. He's practically been a brother to me ever since my first day here. The wolf's great." Baiju confidently stated as Roger gave an affirmative nod.

"I was surprised to hear Yuri talk to you about women though. Usually Nikita does stupid junk like that. I mean if I imagined beautiful people around me all day then I wouldn't get anything done."

"You're right, it would get in the way of training to say the least."

"Gods you wouldn't be doing anything else then. All you do is train like you contracted rabies."

"Maybe if you tell that to Marion, she just might leave me alone." Baiju smirked as they rounded another corner in the cool moonlit darkness.

A door leading outside closed shut as a chilled figure made his way inside. Baiju hung up the coat he had worn all night before using his hands to warm his nose.

'Gods it's cold at night.' He shivered feeling the exposed skin start to warm up. Roger still had another hour left outside even after the sun had risen, but the German shepherd didn't complain when he was left alone. Baiju took a deep breath and exhaled slowly walking down the hall. A small grin returned to his muzzle knowing it was time for some breakfast in the cafe. Continuing down the hall, he avoided his room where Marion and Nikita should've been sleeping, and now waking up. 'I don't want to hear her yell figuring that one out.' He chuckled to himself taking a right. The cafe had only a few people inside at this time. It was after all just before most people on base woke up to start their day. Baiju went through the empty line collecting his favorite items to eat.

'Guess Nikita was kicked out early.' The silver fox smirked spotting the white mink hunched over at a table by himself. Setting his tray down, he took the seat across from him. "Nikita what happened to your face?" Baiju noticed the mink's eyes were bruised badly along with a cut on his ear. Tints of purple and red outlined his half closed eyes with a slight puffiness.

"Ugh..." He groaned drinking out of a small milk carton before setting it down. "Your lady partner-" Nikita's eyes suddenly widened in fear looking behind the silver fox. The mink whined falling out of his seat before scurrying away.

'What the-' A hand landed on Baiju's shoulder cutting off his thought.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were guarding all night? I would've done it with you." Marion said clearly upset, but still in a soft voice. The vixen took a seat beside the now grouchy silver fox.

"There's no way you could've stayed up all night without dozing off. Besides, I had Roger with me."

"I'm your partner, I think I should be able to train and at least complete a round of guard duty with you."

"I don't think you can handle training with me, and I don't want you training with me." He flatly stated taking another bite. She gave a flustered huff and folded her arms.

"If I can handle a spy in my room at night, then I'm sure I can at least do something that you do. Or at least I could accompany you." She folded her arms.

"Nikita is not going to provide you with a challenge Marion."

"You won't even let me try to be your partner!" Baiju took a bite out of the apple he had and thought of an idea.

"Alright little lady." He said turning to face her displeased look. "Meet me at gym two in an hour then. Don't be late."

"Thank you." She replied leaving him in peace. Baiju sighed and returned to finishing his meal.

'What am I? A kit-sitter to some cyber whatever studying vixen!' He angrily bit into his omelet, scheming of a plan.

***

Marion strode into the second gym with a proud grin, ready for whatever Baiju had planned out for her.

'Looks like I beat him here for being early.' She confidently looked over seeing a red wolf doing pull ups at a wall. The vixen patiently waited by the door for her unruly companion to show up. Seconds ticking by soon became minutes, and Marion's smile lessened into a frown. That frown only deepened with each minute that passed. Fifteen minutes passed the designated time proved too much for the impatient vixen. She approached the red wolf taking a break on the grey bench, ready to boil over with anger. "Excuse me. Do you know where Baiju is at? He told me to meet him here in an hour."

"Baiju always trains at gym one across the complex miss." Yuri said wiping his forehead.

"Oh! That fox!" She exclaimed angrily kicking the bench, making him grab onto the sides.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you his new partner?" The red wolf calmly asked.

"Yes, but it looks like he doesn't see it that way." She growled, still steaming with anger. 'He's such a kit!'

"Just give him some time to adjust. He has never been one to request training with others.

"Hmm... Thanks for the advice." The red vixen collected herself before leaving Yuri on the bench.

"She is uptight." The red wolf gave a leisurely stretch before wiping his nose with a hand towel. Marion walked through the halls down to the other gym. It was identical to the previous one, and the vixen found her target doing pull ups by himself with ease. She approached before giving a tug on his shirt. The male vulpine immediately frowned, but didn't stop.

"What do you want Marion?" He grumbled out as if the vixen was his executioner.

"You can't keep running from me Baiju, and I'd really appreciate it if you would at least be honest to me." Her muzzle wrinkled angrily for a moment revealing four pearly sharp teeth.

"If we make that a game I can run forever, but in all honestly Marion I would prefer training by myself or with one of the guys than you." He brought his chin up and down at a steady pace.

"I'm supposed to be your partner." She crossed her arms. "You should get used to the idea of me at least being near you." He didn't reply and changed his grip on the bar before renewing his exercise. "What if I can train with you all day? Wouldn't that prove something to you and your thick skull?" With a frown, he landed on the floor rotating his shoulders.

"Ok, let's do some push-ups to warm our muscles." He walked over to a mat with her. She laid down on her front beside him before they both began, tails swishing confidently. Marion might have focused less on the physical side of the military, but she did possess a strong will. However, the vixen would've liked a little extra to stay on par with Baiju. She began to struggle passing the twenty mark, but Baiju had no trouble steaming ahead of her. "Fifty... Sixty... Seventy." He said working faster as if to taunt her. Marion's arms burned and shook as she crunched by forty as he proudly proclaimed one hundred. Just as she pushed to forty three, her arms caved in and her body plopped down to the mat.

'Oh gods this is going to burn in the morning!' She winced rolling over to sit up.

"Hmm. One hundred and twenty eight isn't bad for that time. What about you princess? I'm sure you only stopped because you were so far ahead?" He mocked her with a snappy voice. She growled ignoring the soreness that her arms carried. "Ready to give up?" He looked down as female stood up.

"That was just one exercise!" She protested unable to control the shaking that plagued her weaker arms. It was more than obvious that she would have a difficult time keeping up.

"Alright, we'll do something different for you." He schemed rubbing his chin causing her to feel uneasy. "I've got it!" His fingers snapped. "Let's do some sparring." Her eyes gaped in fear.

"Sparring?" She whimpered as he turned to face her. "With you?"

"No, with Roger." He walked over to the heavy built German shepherd as she collected herself.

"I can hear that you two are getting along just fine." The canine chuckled before either could say anything.

"Mind if we spar Roger?" Baiju asked standing on the large square of mats laid out.

"Trying to impress your lady friend I see." He grinned making the silver vulpine simmer.

"No. We're just training together." He sharply denied.

"As always." The canine crouched down facing Baiju as he did the same. Marion watched seeing the size advantage benefiting the German shepherd by far compared to the smaller fox. The two suddenly collided trying to out wrestle one another. Marion watched with worry as the canids twisted around before Baiju was able to overpower Roger. She winced as Roger was pinned on the floor before the victor released him and stood up.

"Your turn princess." Baiju stated smoothing out his uniform breathlessly.

"But she's a girl." Roger pointed out making the vixen frown.

"Tomic did pick her to be my partner." Baiju insisted making the German shepherd lightly shake his head as he sat up.

"It's up to you then." Roger offered Marion. The vixen crouched just as Baiju did but was much more concerned about breaking a bone. Roger readied himself and the vixen made the first move. Their arms locked, but it was easy to tell who was going to out muscle the other. He pinned the vixen with ease, winding her in the process.

"Ow." She wheezed catching her breath. The ceiling lights above her were probably going to be in her sights much more throughout the day. The silver fox's head and muzzle briefly obscured one of the artificial lights as he looked down at the vixen with a childish grin.

"Don't worry princess, we still have all day to wear you down." Baiju carefully helped Marion up to her feet.

"Why can't you be this caring and gentle all the time." She remarked at his hands delicately holding her up. He only frowned and let go of her in response.

A digital clock on the wall silently changed to 8:32 only for a doorknob to rustle. The door to Baiju and Marion's room was opened as the two foxes entered. The silver male had a calm look, the exact opposite of the orange furred female's exhausted one. Only two steps were managed before she collapsed on the floor breathing wearily with a groan.

"Ugghhhh." She moaned rolling onto her back with half lidded eyes.

'I am not bathing her for bedtime.' He crossly looked at her sweaty uniform. Baiju picked up and carried Marion to her bed where he then gently laid her down. The vixen mumbled something inaudible and snuggled into the soft mattress. The silver fox's gaze softened further watching her sleep peacefully. 'She can certainly be determined when she wants to. I guess Tomic saw that from a kilometer away.' He quickly changed in the bathroom and prepared himself for bed. After cutting the lights off, the silver fox contently laid down in his bed only for an annoying noise to pierce his ears. 'Although the snoring isn't nice.' He frowned as the light throaty sound continued. "Ugh!" He folded his ears and wrapped the pillow around his head for silence. What the fox would give for a ceiling fan that night!

Baiju woke up the following morning to a moaning ghost-like noise. The silver fox immediately sat up and looked to the source only to relax. His worn out companion was only waking up. With a cocky grin, he stretched feeling his body loosen and ready for an entire day's worth of activities. The vixen, however, could hardly move without feeling something throb or ache.

"Ugh. My body feels... old." Marion groaned like an elderly fox. Her muscles felt as if they had been ripped in half from their "exercise" yesterday.

"I definitely warned you about trying to keep up." Baiju slid out of his bed to dress. She made a few grumbling noises that unsettled the silver fox.

"Can you pick me up?" She looked at him with a worried expression.

"Do you need to visit the infirmary?" He finished buttoning up his shirt.

"No. Just please carry me to the shower. Sweat matted some of my fur and it is painful." Baiju didn't need to look twice to see Marion's fur matted and kinked around her neck and face.

"Fine." He conceded scooping his arms under her as gently as possible. The vixen remained limp in his grasp until he had to set her down on the commode.

"Can you unbutton my shirt?" She asked trying to stretch her arms without hurting herself. Baiju let out a sigh and knelt in front of her.

"There better be another shirt or something under it." His fingers deftly undid the uniform. Marion gave a meager nod, afraid that her head might snap off with all the soreness she had. The uniform soon hung loosely revealing a plain white undershirt beneath it. "Anything else your highness?" He nearly growled before reserving himself.

"Can you stay here and wait for me?"

"Fine." Baiju averted his eyes while the vixen ungraciously disrobed next to him. The water was soon cut on and a long moan ensued as she stepped into the hot shower. Time dragged by for the otherwise bored fox. 'She moans more than those videos Nikita watches.' He eagerly waited for the vixen to finish up. Everyone one else was probably awake and doing something by now. The water finally cut off much to his relief.

"Towel?" She asked behind the translucent wall. Baiju tossed one over to her from the closet. Marion wrapped it around her body and opened the sliding door to get out. Baiju quickly jumped up and steadied her as she got out. "Thanks." She sat down on the porcelain lid clutching onto the towel. "My legs are sore. Everything's so sore." She closed her eyes wishing it wasn't real.

"I kind of figured that one out miss." He pointed out with a flick of his white tipped tail.

"Can you help me dry off?" She asked nearly with a whimper. Baiju clenched his teeth but retrieved an extra towel from the closet. He couldn't bring himself to say no since it was mostly his fault. She held the towel around her front protectively as he dried her back dutifully. A quiet murr rumbled in her throat from his gentle hands lightly kneading over her back.

"Next time we train together, please take it easy." He suggested. The vixen's tail weakly thumped a pleasant reply before his hands easily dried it off as well.

"Why do you train so much? It's enough to kill yourself." For the first time, Baiju grinned at one of her comments and set the towel aside.

"I want to become the best soldier. The perfect one." He said handing her a fur brush. Marion mumbled to herself and smoothed out her drying fur. "What now?" He stopped hearing her whimper.

"Can you brush my back fur?" She held the brush out to him. Baiju grumbled and began smoothing out the vixen's ruffled red-orange coat.

'Why doesn't Roger have to get a partner?' His thoughts simmered.

*Mercury the Winged Messenger. Into the Jungle*

Two figures lightly sparred in gym one, one defending, the other attacking. The light smacking sounds quietly reverberated over the metal coated wooden floors. The male silver fox threw the predictable punches as the red vixen blocked each in her own manner. He would step forward occasionally, adding yet another dimension to defend against instantly. A simple throw skittered over her out reached arm.

"Ouch! Careful." She grimaced as the punch landed its mark.

"No, you have to block this way." Baiju showed using his arm.

"You nearly gave me a bruise that way." Marion rubbed her elbow.

"Hey, if you want to train with me then at least block properly." The two had been training together for a week when Baiju realized that she wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

"Alright I'm ready." She returned to her stance again. Baiju nodded and attacked her with the basic punches at a slower speed. The smaller vixen blocked each exactly as told one at a time, and she even developed a good rhythm. However, an unexpected leg sweep swiftly took the vixen off her feet. Marion looked up at Baiju with a frown. "Hey! I couldn't block that!" She complained standing back on her two feet.

"An enemy on the field will not tell what he is going to do." He reminded her.

"Well this isn't the battlefield, and we're not enemies." She wiped her uniform free of dust and dirt.

"I can't keep teaching one thing over and over or we won't get to the fun stuff." He scuffed his shoe on the gym floor imagining Marion performing like him.

"I don't think I'll do much better with you constantly changing your own routine." She huffed with her hands on her hips. He shifted legs and nodded.

"It's been an hour. How about you take a break while I finish my training?" Baiju offered.

"I need a break after you doesn't the hour breaking me in half." The vixen stretched before giving a sigh. "Alright, I'll be in our room for a little while but meet up with me for the cafeteria soon."

"Fine by me. I'll see you later." His tail flicked in a subtle wave.

"See ya." She waved leaving the gym.

'Block this way, block that way. She's getting better and won't admit it.' He watched her leave with a touch of contentment that she was learning. Baiju moved his gaze over towards a punching bag and didn't hesitate to do a fast warm up. The minutes couldn't have rolled by any smoother as the fox trained at his own pace.

"There you are." A collie secretary entered gym one where Baiju was working on the punching bag for a third time. "Baiju! Tomic needs you in a meeting now!" The canine barked. The silver fox stopped his exercise and ran up to her.

"A meeting? When?"

"A while ago, but I couldn't find you anywhere." She placed her hands on her hips.

"Thanks for telling me." He ran out of the gym hastily.

'His mind is always focused on one thing.' The collie sighed before walking out to her office. A figure walked out in front of Baiju as he ran down the hallway.

"Sorry! Excuse me miss!" He bumped into a husky nurse before jumping around her.

"Oh that's alright! Are you late for something?" She smoothed the fur down on her neck only to see that the fox didn't stop to explain himself thoroughly.

"Yes ma'am!" The silver fox hurried down the hallway in a fast walk. Tomic had notified Baiju of a meeting, but he was late to receive the message during a workout of all things. 'The one downside of training,' he told himself, 'is miscommunication.' The fox turned a corner arriving at the old wolf's office. Baiju caught his breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Tomic's muffled voice beckoned on the other end. The silver fox was surprised to see Yuri, Nikita, Roger, and Marion already in the grey wolf's office space. "Take a seat and I'll start the briefing." He sat up promptly in his chair.

'Finally, a mission to complete!' Baiju eagerly took a seat facing the wolf's desk beside his partner.

"Too busy training again huh?" Marion whispered at his lack of timeliness.

"I guess you should've stayed."

"Ahem." Tomic caught their attention. "Colonel Aristeeza has requested our unit go to the town of Olisipo. Known rebels of the New Viceroys Federation Community have been reported in a neighboring town moving west towards the area, and we need to eliminate them."

"That's a stupid name for a militant organization." Nikita leaned back in the chair he was sitting in.

"How many potential rebels are we dealing with?" Yuri inquired with more concern than his mink counterpart.

"Six to eight from intel." Tomic looked at the paper on hand. "That's something they're sure of."

"There's over a dozen major groups in Africa, and probably one hundred subgroups on that continent." Baiju reminded them of the obscure fact.

"That makes fighting tough." Roger added. "How do we know who we are shooting?"

"Honestly the best way is if they shoot at you first." Tomic admitted. "However, they should at least be dressed differently because Olisipo is a fairly isolated area due to the dense forests to its west and south, and desert to the north. They're route from the savanna in the east should reflect that."

"Where is this town exactly?"

"Central region of Africa otherwise known as Djungaria."

"How are we going to get there?" Marion spoke up.

"You five will be flown to a base and then driven by truck to a neighboring tropical forest. From there you navigate about a day to Olisipo without raising suspicion."

"A day of walking through a jungle?" Nikita frowned with disappointment. "A plane could transport us with hardly any hassle!"

"This is covert, as in no one can know what we're doing, Nikita." Tomic reminded him. The mink blew out a sigh and leaned back. "Alright, Yuri will be the navigator." He handed the red wolf a folded map of the region.

"Yes sir."

"I have a few booklets for you to read about the terrain and environment." Tomic handed the silver fox a small stack of thin reference books.

"Understood." He grinned.

"Boring..." Nikita muttered and looked over at the off white wall.

"Any particular reason why you didn't make Baiju navigator instead of me?" Yuri asked with a brow raised at the relative small amount to read.

"No need to overdo one's task. Any questions?" He asked receiving silence. "Alright. Report to the Bay Area in an hour ready to go. When you arrive at the town you should be received warmly by their governor." He dismissed the group.

"Sheesh. One hour." Yuri mumbled making his way out the doorway.

"At least Baiju is talking back to you Marion. That's better than before." Roger patted the silver fox's back as they gradually filed out into the hall.

"It only took... two weeks right?" Nikita chimed in.

"Oh just make fun of me because I was late." Baiju rolled his eyes.

"Stay back for a minute please Baiju." Tomic called as they were halfway out the door. "I need to talk to you." Marion cutely stuck her tongue out at the fox before leaving. He glared in retort before turning back to the grey wolf.

"Sir?" He asked only to find the grey wolf before his desk in a fighting stance.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your guard up on our first training session?" Tomic playfully advanced and threw a few quick punches at him.

"Well, well, the commander is a soldier once more!" Baiju blocked the blows and lightly returned a few as they danced around the office space in a mock spar.

"Hardly." Tomic stopped to laugh.

"You just need to get back in shape." The fox suggested patting his superior's shoulder.

"With you that would be a death sentence." He acknowledged. "Everything going well with Marion I take it?"

"Annoying at times, but tolerable."

"Good. Stay safe out there Baiju." Tomic hugged the silver fox warmly.

"Don't worry, we all have each other's backs as we always do." He reassured the wolf.

"I know." Tomic gave an extra squeeze. "Just make sure Nikita doesn't goof around in Olisipo when you all make it there. I heard that the people there dress lightly."

"Ay, ay, captain!" He joked giving a salute before hurrying out.

'Good fox. He's a good fox.' Tomic nodded taking a seat wearing a heart warming smile. The wolf glanced at a framed picture of Baiju and him at one of their first practice sessions together. He wished he had time like that again. Tomic sighed leaning back in his chair only for a familiar cougar to walk into his office space. "Ah. Morning Veccus." He greeted his colleague who chose not to sit down in any of the available chairs.

"Morning. We've been analyzing a lot of old data again."

"Sounds lackluster." Tomic stated knowing how slow days compared to exciting ones on the development staff.

"Yeah, but then a few of the older guys got talking about the old spy Lushun." Veccus added making all of the cheerfulness leave the wolf's expression.

"Why are you bringing that old thing back to light?" Tomic remembered the year that female snow leopard worked on base all too well. A spy operating right under everyone's noses was a stain best left forgotten.

"I heard stories about you in the so called Agent L affair." Veccus said with the smallest of smirks. "She ran off with quite a bit of valuable information."

"It's not my fault that the higher ups assigned her to this base." His brow crossed. "Then again she was pretty darn smart."

"Even though we are almost higher ups ourselves." The cougar said to himself. "It's understandable."

"Understandable? People could've been harmed." His voice trailed off with concern.

"Is that why you're so friendly and paternal to Beta I unit eighteen? Are you afraid something may happen to him?" The cougar asked him point blank.

"If I make a mistake, he could get hurt... or worse, and then I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"No one died during the Agent L affair, and that was far more problematic than one injury out in the field."

"I had no idea that snow leopardess was a double agent... It was so long ago." He stared entranced at a wall. "She's probably dead now."

"Roger Roger, roger roger."

"Knock it off Baiju." The German shepherd growled with mild annoyance.

"What? Can't a fox have some fun testing the communications system?"

"Not when you've been testing it for the past hour." Nikita groaned with annoyance as the transport truck thundered over another rough bump in the dirt road. 'The plane was much better than this ride.' He frowned rubbing above his tail.

"Better than cleaning my gun for the third time today."

"Or reading all those manuals over again." Marion added adjusting the communication piece in her ear so that it slipped into place. The microphone piece discreetly clipped onto the tip of her ear for easy messaging.

"Did those things have anything important?" Yuri asked.

"Uh. Not much is known about the NVFC according to our intel. Their first and current leader is Vegali Nurfrud, a feline with spots."

"Cheetah or leopard." Roger summated. "What else?"

"Well... The Gandis mountains are to the southeast." He shrugged empty handed.

"There's nothing worse than an unknown enemy." The German shepherd closed his eyes wishing the road was smooth enough to take a nap on.

"We just don't know anything about the area or people." Everyone's ears perked up hearing the brakes being gently applied.

"So much for your needed nap." Yuri patted the grumbling German shepherd. The truck slowed to a stop and everyone stood up with a satisfied stretch. They all hopped out before the transport truck turned around and lumbered back over the dirt road kicking up a small trail of dust.

"At least my tail isn't numb anymore." Nikita swished his side to side, returning the white fluff to its normal puffiness. Baiju was glad to have fresh air, rather than the stale metal smell of the military vehicle.

"Ok. Everything is real now so lock and load." Yuri loaded in an ammunition clip with a sharp click as everyone else followed suit.

"Marion, did you really only bring a simple TR-10, nine millimeter handgun with you?" Baiju disappointingly asked flipping the safety off.

"Yes, is that a problem?" She looked at the weapon in its holster on her side.

"Me and Roger brought the R4 6.1 mm Vanderbilt rifle, no special scopes attached. Heck, even Nikita has a JIX Sempervivum, which for a lack of accuracy easily makes up with a high rate of fire."

"Wha?" Nikita looked at his with an arched brow. "Low accuracy?"

"Don't fret. I'm sure you'll protect me." She mused with a grin.

"You three hurry up!" Yuri called already entering the dense outer foliage along with Roger.

'Wise tail.' Baiju glared at her for a second before they hurried up to the other two. The forest was thick much to everyone's disdain, even from the first steps.

"Why couldn't they provide us with a dew tank or something?" Nikita grumbled clearing a spider's web from his path. The mink looked back and wished that the truck would come back to pick them up.

"It's way too dense even for a dew tank." Baiju stepped on a small fern to avoid bumping into Roger.

"Excuses, excuses." Nikita mumbled.

"I read that foresters out here call this area the Kalahari Safari."

"Isn't the Kalahari a desert or something?" Marion asked jumping over a fallen tree.

"It's not like I named it for them."

"Don't waste your breath arguing when we are probably a day or so away from running into a band of rebels." Roger advised the two chattering vulpines.

"We'll probably reach Olisipo way before they do, even if there really is a group heading that way. I hope it's just a false alarm." Marion remained optimistic.

"Then it would be pretty boring, but you're right, no one gets hurt." Baiju summated before everyone focused on traveling further into the thick jungle. Over towering trees, noisy insects, crowded bushes, and the ever presence of the color green became their new surroundings.

***

No one really bothered to keep track of the time, but the group walked for a few hours only pausing once or twice if somebody counted a pause to tie a shoe. Then again the little journey was only supposed to last a day.

'This thick jungle is bothersome.' Baiju shouldered off a tiny branch. The trees were only half the burden. The humidity and heat was nearly suffocating with each step through the noisy green. The silver fox's ears pricked up hearing rushing water up ahead.

"Waterfall." The group walked to the top of a small incline to the top of a cliff where the landmark began. Rushing water cascaded down about twenty meters before crashing into the river below where it formed a frothy white.

"What a beautiful waterfall." Marion paused to look at it and the surrounding scenery.

"Don't fall princess, or I'll have Nikita carry you all the way to the town." Baiju joked making the white mink distance himself from Marion. The vixen lightly slapped the silver fox's chest and walked closer to the front with Yuri and Roger. The red wolf led the group down by the edge of the cliff towards the bottom where clearer water lazily flowed downriver. A few hands dipped in the water to cool off along the way as Yuri slowed down and momentarily stopped by a random tree.

"Is it time for a quick break woof?" Nikita asked hopefully, smoothing out his pants. He only replied with a frustrated grunt and wiped his forehead with a wet hand.

"Something wrong Yuri?"

"I think..." He turned the map around a few times, "we're lost." Everyone groaned in response to the red wolf.

"I knew we should've flown in!" Nikita whined covering his eyes.

"Let me see that." Baiju snatched the map from him. The vulpine's brow furrowed not seeing much of anything that could be considered a landmark on the map compared to where they were at. 'Where's that waterfall at?' His eyes looked over the various greens and blue lines giving him no better indication where they were right now. Yuri's hands suddenly rose in the air catching Baiju's attention.

"Hands in the air gentlemen." A feminine voice ordered.

"I don't want any crap Marion when I'm trying to-" Baiju's voice faded seeing the end of a gun's loaded muzzle pointed directly at him. The holder of the weapon startled him even more. A starkly nude red fox with little more than a bandana wrapped around her forehead glared back sternly at him. Scanning around, there were four armed females that had them surrounded with heavy firepower. None of them aimed at Marion, who was shaking behind him as if she had been dunked into a tub of frigid water.

"Are we all going to heaven?" Nikita asked ogling one nude female after another.

"Knock it off!" Roger elbowed the mink keeping a hand on his rifle.

"I said hands up!" The red vixen in front of the group demanded. The German shepherd reluctantly submitted and raised them.

"What should we do Baiju?" Marion squeaked out. "They'll have us butchered and-"

"Let my ears at least hear the gunshot." He quietly growled at the vixen. "I need to think." The situation didn't look good at all, but the fox had a feeling these four weren't related to the rebel group heading towards Olisipo. However, Baiju realized that there would be plenty of blood spilt if anyone did anything stupid, even if his gun was already aimed at the first one.

"Hands in the air silver fox." The nude vixen ordered firmly. Much to his disdain, he raised his hands above his head.

"We are from the military with orders to reach a town not far away from here." Baiju did his best to explain.

"Town? We're nowhere near a town silver fox."

"We're lost." He flatly replied. Wherever we are right now, it's not entirely our intention." The red vixen's face scrunched up in confusion. Apparently that wasn't an answer she was expecting.

"Follow us, and don't do anything stupid!" She commanded before turning around. Nikita jumped feeling a gun poke his back to move. Baiju shrugged not seeing a better strategy and followed.

'Three versus four isn't good.' He thought to himself. 'Marion is useless in combat as far as I know, and Nikita is too busy fantasizing about them.' Just in case, the silver raccoon observed his potential enemies. There were four of them; the vixen in front, a fennec fox, another vixen that was dressed to his right, and a different female behind him that wore a tribal like skirt barely covering her lower front. That female's thinner tail had him guessing as to what she actually was. Half of them were wearing a pair of pants, one of which also had a bra on, whereas the other half wore hardly anything at all. Baiju had no idea who they were or where they were leading the group to, but then again Yuri already had them lost in this humid forest. They were led by the females to a small campsite where two others were sitting.

"Sit down. Palms facing us in the air." The bandana wearing vixen ordered the group pointing to a fire pit. They gladly did so from all the walking they had completed earlier. "Don't move." The five made a circle with the other two and began whispering quietly amongst themselves.

"This isn't looking too good." Roger murmured. "And it's almost dark."

"What if these rebels execute us?" Marion whimpered fearfully sitting next to Baiju.

"I doubt they are rebels Marion. They didn't ask which military we were from a minute ago and they don't fit the description we're looking for." He calmly reasoned. "We should be fine." At least Baiju hoped everything would be fine. The group talked quietly amongst themselves while one or two watched their captives with a sharp eye. The tense moment finally ended when all six stood up and sat around the other side of the dormant fire.

"You guys can rest. We thought you were a band of mercenaries or something." Marion immediately fell back with a sigh if relief as everyone else lowered their hands thankfully.

"Thank you for not shooting." The red wolf relaxed. "I'm Yuri, this is Nikita, Roger, Baiju, and Marion." He introduced the team.

"I'm Rain." The nude blonde haired sand vixen introduced herself.

"I'm Topaz, a genet." The light brown hair fem stated.

"Johanna." An orange furred vixen plainly spoke.

"I'm Del." The bandana wearing vixen stated.

"Jodi." A vixen who actually wore pants and a bra introduced herself with a thumbs up. The male fox sitting between him and the genet didn't introduce himself. Roger, Yuri, Nikita, Baiju, and Marion introduced themselves in turn. Baiju scanned over the entire group again realizing that the red fox looked a little less native than the rest. He was also the only male among the new group, and was actually dressed!

"With all these females around, who might you be?" He questioned.

"My name is Chris." He introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you."

"Chris? That's definitely not a native name from around here."

"You're correct. I first came here to study the indigenous microbes and parasites that inhabit Kalahari Safari

"How do you study out here daily while it's so hot?" Baiju asked, "And how do you deal with the others out in the fur?" He added with a lower voice.

"Normally when it's too hot during the day I don't wear anything until it cools down during nighttime. Besides, it's not their culture to wear anything other than a bandana or scarf. It's just not a big deal."

"I never imagined it could be hot enough to abandon wearing a bra." Marion whispered to Baiju.

"How can you run without them... Jumping around?" He coughed as Marion elbowed his side. "Valid question."

"Such a guy." She whispered in annoyance.

"So if you don't mind us asking, why are a bunch of soldiers lost in the jungle?" One of them asked.

"We were trying to reach Olisipo and this was technically the fastest route provided for us, but either the map or Yuri over there was mistaken." Roger answered.

"Ouch. That's a bit of bad luck." The sand fox chimed in. "You definitely made a bad turn somewhere."

"Yeah, the map wasn't easy to understand if it's accurate at all." Yuri's ears guiltily laid flat against his skull.

"Good news, we can definitely get you all there after tomorrow." Del offered.

"Alright! Sounds good to me." Yuri relaxed noticeably.

"Any reason why we can't tomorrow?" Marion asked.

"It's going to be really humid and hot, so we'll lay around for the day and get some things ready and packed up." Del explained.

'Thats hard to imagine.' Baiju could feel himself already sweating. However, the silver fox was fairly satisfied with their predicament and couldn't see any way around it. They actually could've been captured by the very group they needed to take down, and an extra day or two to reach Olisipo was a fairly safe trade off. Silence prevailed between the two groups as darkness fully set in. Nudity created an awkward barrier for the soldiers to overcome, and eyes desperately wanted to cover up their tracks.

"Let's get some light here and eat." Del offered breaking the silence. Shifting ensued as the soldiers rustled around their packs for their packaged rations. The others stood up and quickly gathered a few things while the soldiers prepared their military meals. Yuri never liked rations, and the bread like mush made him frown. In front of him Jodi held a fruit that resembled a bright red orange that was the size of someone's head. The fox passed it over to Topaz before she cut into it wielding a knife. A large juicy slice was cut.

"Does that taste good?" Yuri eyed the foreign food co,pared to his pre made mush.

"Mmhm. Here, try it." Jodi held a large piece to the red wolf who sniffed it suspiciously. A bite released a wave of sweetness onto his taste buds.

"I like it." He took a larger bite.

"Is that a peach?" Marion eyed the round food in Chris's hand.

"Yeah, you want one?" Marion set the less than appetizing rations aside as he retrieved another for her. Military rations had come a long way in development, but they still lagged in delectable tastes. Baiju stuck to his despite the fresher options across the fire. Their mink comrade was the only person however, who seemed troubled when offered food.

"Don't tell me you're too busy staring at us to eat." Topaz smirked after swallowing a mouthful of cantaloupe.

"I'm afraid it might tear my stomach up." Nikita sulked looking at the food Del and the others had given him.

"What about your rations? Don't tell me you lost them." Yuri said scarfing down part of an orange.

"I already ate them because I was starving." He sighed as his stomach lightly grumbled.

"I'll make you a soothing tea then." Del turned around and rummaged through some things.

"Tea?" The mink questioned as she filled a small kettle with water and herbs that he couldn't identify.

"Just give it a few minutes to warm." She hung it over the fire.

"Doesn't the humidity make your fur fluff out?" Marion asked the ladies.

"Only if we run around a lot during a hot day." Topaz looked over her well kept body.

'Running... Bouncing.' Nikita imagined all of them in slow motion.

"Swimming and bathing every day helps." Rain added. Yuri eyed Nikita suspiciously who was ogling the ladies before him.

"Want to think of a battle plan in case we run into some idiots in town Marion?" Baiju asked.

"Anything that isn't running around and training." She agreed.

"It's hard to imagine they barely said a word to each other a few weeks ago." Yuri whispered to Roger.

"They're perfect for each other." The German shepherd couldn't help but grin. "I've never seen Baiju so open before." The silver fox's ear flickered hearing the last words of Roger's remark, but he chose to eat without barking back. The kettle soon boiled and Del poured Nikita a cup. The mink hesitantly ate and drank.

"How's that tea working Nikita?" Yuri asked through a mouthful.

"So far so good." He grinned not feeling any abdominal pain whatsoever. "It doesn't even taste bad."

"You'd eat anything." Roger noted from experience.

"Unless it isn't cake on the floor." He took another bite of the orange and sip of his drink. The quiet meal gradually dwindled down when someone finished and lied down to sleep. Without beds the hard ground would have to suffice. Crickets and other creatures hidden in the darkness created an odd relaxing music in the early night. Baiju looked at the peels scattered around the low crackling fire. It was probably past ten by now, but he didn't have a watch on hand. Nikita had already fallen asleep, or at least he was quietly staring at Del who was sleeping in front of him. Yuri was asleep as well along with Chris and most of the other ladies.

"You ok?" Baiju noticed Marion fidgeting nervously beside him.

"What should we-," A lengthy yawn cut her off, "do? We're in the middle of nowhere, a day behind the mission, no bed to sleep on-" Another yawn cut her off from worrying.

"Just get some sleep." He said feeling tired himself. There wasn't much else they could do, and he was grateful to have the other's help. Marion nodded and laid down next to him with her back to the fire. Baiju turned to the German shepherd who was still awake.

"Not tired yet Roger?" The canine not surprisingly yawned to his comrade's question staring into the orange flames.

"Just wondering what will happen since we're behind." He admitted.

"You two should get some sleep." Jodi said quietly from the other side of the fire beside her friends' sleeping forms. "I'll keep watch for half the night anyway." With that said, the German shepherd flopped down to his side and curled a tail around his own leg. Baiju followed suit with less haste. The ground felt uncomfortable under his back, but it wasn't too bad for him. Marion's tail swished momentarily against the dead leaves letting him know that she wouldn't be falling asleep quickly either without a bed at her disposal. Baiju gazed at the few stars he could see wishing that the thick canopy above would thin out a little more for him. The vulpine's eyes closed wondering how Tomic and the others were enjoying the comforts of the base at their disposal. The fire crackled lowly as Jodi added a few small branches to the hungry flames.

It was early morning and Baiju was already awake, unlike the tired members of his group. The sunrise was hiding below the horizon, giving all the unique foliage a dusty golden glow. The air felt steamy and thick compared to the base, or even the day before.

'It's going to be hot today.' He frowned already feeling uncomfortable in his camouflage uniform. Darker fur didn't help in this kind of situation either. Chris was sitting bare furred against a tree a few feet away from where Jodi was sleeping in a pair of unzipped cargo pants. A large sketch pad was situated in his lap as the vulpine keenly drew something of interest on it. 'He wasn't joking about the heat.' Baiju mused to himself approaching the bare furred fox. "Morning Chris." He leaned against a neighboring tree.

"Morning." The red fox stretched fanning himself.

"I was hoping that you were only joking about the heat yesterday."

"I wish that were the case, but it's worse than a desert sometimes with the humidity. Del knows how draining it can be to travel through it."

"As long as it doesn't come down to both of us being in the fur." He joked trying to loosen the collar of his uniform.

"Well no one here will criticize you if you choose to do so." Chris shrugged with a flick of his tail. Baiju wiped his forehead and leaned against a small tree hoping it wouldn't have to happen anyway. He stared out into the hot foliage that served as a barrier to the group's destination feeling frustrated at Yuri's little mishap. He returned his attention back to the pencil wielding red fox.

"You draw?" Baiju asked taking a seat beside him.

"Yep. It's a hobby of mine." He handed the sketch pad over for the silver fox to look at. His eyes scanned over each picture, surprised at the detail given to each. They were more like pictures than simple drawings.

"You must have a lot of spare time for your hobby then. There's dozens of them."

"Just enough between working." He shrugged. Baiju flipped through the mostly filled sketch pad. Solo sketches to fully colored pages dazzled the silver fox's eyes, a few in particular standing out. "You drew a lot of everyone here." Baiju noted handing his sketch pad back.

"It makes sense. I'm around them constantly." He stated with a grin looking at Jodi still asleep nearby. The silver fox was surprised to say the least.

"Although if you don't mind me asking, I am curious to know how that all developed in the safari. I mean one guy with a few ladies in a jungle is kind of odd."

"I worked in a lab before I studied here out in the field. I met everyone along the way and we kind of grew on each other to the point that we traveled together. It's been heaven since then with the exception of the heat of course." He added with a chuckle. "And you'll be surprised to know that Del and Topaz are the only two native to the rainforest. Rain is from a tough desert area, Jodi a northern pine forest plagued from guerrilla warfare, and Johanna somewhere else I can't recall." He finished scratching his chin in thought.

"That's a story in itself." Baiju remarked at how so many different people blended so well together.

"Maybe you could help me write it out as one." He half joked.

"That sounds a little too time consuming for me, especially when I'm already busy working hard at the base to train."

"If you ever change your mind, or if the idea suddenly piques your interest then think about it. Surely you have some spare time between work like this?" Baiju's brow knitted together in thought.

"Well... Even if I did, I can't write." The silver fox didn't see how it related to being a soldier.

"Then take your time here to relax from working so much back home. You won't regret it." He proclaimed wearing a knowledgeable grin. Baiju bade the fox a good day and wandered around the edge of the campsite before sitting back down at the fire pit. It felt odd having nothing to do.

'At least I'm not the only one awake.' His eyes caught two of the ladies shuffle through the thick foliage. He watched Johanna and Del carry two large birds apiece towards the dormant fire without a thread to their names. They knelt across from Baiju and starting working on the four caught fowl.

"You're up early." Del noticed the rest of the silver fox's group still sleeping.

"I always wake up early." He shrugged looking at her then the bird. Whatever colorful feathers left were quickly plucked away with adroit hands.

"You're not like the other males. My body doesn't seem to be a magnet for your eyes." She threw the remaining feathers aside.

"If being naked is your thing then I don't mind. The one you really have to watch out for is the mink over there." Baiju nodded over at the sleeping soldier. "His eyes will probably be the least of you troubles."

"He doesn't look like a problem." She admitted looking at his sleeping comrade.

"This is practically a dream that came true for him. Naked ladies all around him."

"Huh? All females have feminine bodies one way or another, what else should he expect?" Del set the half prepared bird down and handed it to Johanna to be completed. Baiju wondered how Nikita would handle that logic, or how Del would handle someone like Nikita for a whole day.

"How exactly does that bow work Del?" Baiju looked seeing the unique scope on it. Weapons always fascinated the silver fox, whether it was a gun or not.

"Like any other, but with an advanced scope."

"Advanced scope?" He questioned looking over the middle.

"Sure. Take a look." She handed her bow to him. The silver fox pretended to fire an invisible arrow, aiming at a small tree limb. The scope zoomed in automatically where he was looking like a mini telescope.

"Woah! What the-" Baiju blinked holding the bow back before looking more closely at it. The vixen chuckled at his perplexed behavior. "How does it do that?" He looked at the device from every angle.

"I can't explain with the best details, but there's a tiny sensor reading your pupil dilations and eye movements. It's offhandedly known as Gypsum glass, or as I say the fluid mirror."

"Or a third eye." He remarked. "You could've shot us with ease yesterday from far away."

"A quick kill from the distance means no running. So nothing will be 'jumping around'." She half mocked his voice with a teasing smirk.

"Hey, it was just a question from last night." He grinned modestly.

"Question my tail." She batted his side with her furry white tipped appendage. Baiju stood up and looked away when Johanna cut into the fresh kill. "Don't you want to help gut them?" Del held up one of the dead birds. The silver fox's stomach nearly flipped seeing Johanna working on the other.

"No thanks, I'll think of something else to do." He waved and walked out into the forest.

"Oh Gods." Nikita grumbled sitting up in the late morning heat. The others around him took notice at the urgency in his voice.

"Don't tell me your stomach isn't going to hold." Yuri preemptively rolled away from the mink.

"No! I feel great!" He rubbed over his slim abs feeling giddy with excitement. "Where's that red vixen at? I need to know what she put in that tea!" The mink looked around only to have his gaze fixated on something that made his eyes widen. "Oh man, there they are." Nikita murmured hypnotically crawling away from Roger and Yuri. His mind completely forgot about the tea.

"Where what is?" Roger looked around only noticing Jodi napping across from them against a tree.

"Such soft flesh and fur, and both are dangling to be touched!" He nearly drooled crawling closer to her.

"Oh gods." The German shepherd wiped his forehead as the mink ogled the female's uncovered white chest.

'If I could just massage them... Or touch one.' His eyes ballooned able to see them subtly rise and fall with the female's breathing. He stuck a hand out and licked his lips greedily at the tempting prize. Jodi frowned without opening her eyes revealing that her right hand harbored a serrated knife. Nikita bit his lip and hesitated seeing the knife, but wasn't deterred. The mink reached forward again only for the knife to come closer to him. "It's not fair!" He fell backwards hitting the ground with a fist.

"You can't win them all." Yuri yawned. "Even if they don't wear clothes."

"Or in this case, fantasize about them all." Roger added. With all the noise, Marion woke up on the not so comfortable ground.

'I've had better nights." She felt sore spots throughout her muscles. "Where is Baiju at?" Marion inquired rotating her neck. The fox was unseen around the fire.

"Probably out training knowing that fox." Roger guessed.

"But there's nothing out here to punch except for trees." She looked around at the jungle's confined space.

The silver fox threw a flurry of punches and kicks at the large tree with a constant speed before returning to his stance. He panted finishing a normal repetition, but the humidity enhanced workout wasn't helping his endurance. Baiju relaxed and leaned against a tree breathing through his mouth silently. The air felt so thick and heated that his clothes nearly made the vulpine bake with them on. 'I am not walking around nude like the others.' He said to himself over and over again as Topaz, Del, Johanna, Rain, and Chris freely walked around in their bare fur. Jodi, now wearing a bra, was the exception but that was the only garment the vixen was wearing. His team wasn't that far behind though. Marion only kept her clothes on because the other guys were around. As for the rest of his team, they were spaced out wearing little more than boxers before he left the camp.

'I need some air conditioning.' Baiju slumped down the tree and took a seat. A nap sounded nice but the heat made it nearly impossible to actually sleep, especially in uniform. His ear swiveled hearing soft footsteps to his right above the noisy understory. "Who's there?" He spoke firmly enough. After a quiet rustle of leaves, a slender red vixen appeared from the undergrowth with her tail tucked between her legs.

"Hi." She quietly introduced herself.

"Hello, you're Johanna right?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "I didn't catch your name last night though."

"Oh, my name's Baiju." He introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet you." She knelt down in front him and extended a hand. They quaintly shook.

"So... You aren't out her to cut up another bird right?"

"Oh no birds to catch here! But... Del said that you didn't stare like the others did." She admitted. "That's the only downside for me when we see others not from around here."

"I guess it's natural to look since I haven't personally seen a lady in the bare fur, but I don't see what good staring can do for someone." Baiju admitted. "Although both of you look good."

"Thanks." The vixen's black tipped ears pinned back coyly. She fidgeted a moment before summoning the courage to speak. "What's it like all the way over there? You know, outside of this place."

"You mean back on base? Well, it's a lot cooler than here so you'll have to wear something." He couldn't help but grin. "You spend most of the day inside one building complex unless there's time to go out in the yard, which I do frequently."

"What about big towns and cities?" She asked. "I've only seen a few small villages my whole life."

"How to explain that... Well I haven't really visited the small city outside base, but it has plenty of large buildings taller than the trees, places to shop, an airport, and restaurants. It's the opposite of the jungle so; lots of sun, cool breezes, and four full seasons."

"Wow. It's hard to believe everything that you said." She spoke in a wishful voice.

"There's hundreds and hundreds of cities that size and bigger. An isolated jungle like this one is pretty rare. Doesn't Chris tell you about his hometown?"

"Chris talks a lot about the lab he works in, but I don't understand most of what he's explaining."

"Well I can explain it's a lot cooler in any city than here." He waved a hand in front of his face to cool off. Johanna held a hand over her muzzle as she chuckled.

"Do you want to go swimming with Jodi, Topaz, and me for the afternoon? You'll be able to cool off from your workout here."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll stay here to train a little more." He declined.

"Oh ok." She stood up a little dismayed. "If you change your mind it's only a minutes walk this way." The vixen pointed to her right.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." He waved as she disappeared into the foliage. 'Now I can get back to work!' Baiju jumped up and returned to his fighting stance facing the tree. The silver fox returned to throwing punches and kicks at the tree before him. Each landed without the slightest miss from where he intended. However, noise interrupted him just as before. He paused and spun around hearing someone's footsteps quickly approaching. "Where are you going Nikita?" Baiju asked seeing the mink hurry by without a shirt on.

"To swim with them of course."

"You know that you'll have to swim without pants and underwear as well, right?"

"Your point?"

"Just control yourself." The vulpine lightly shook his head as Nikita ran off. "Now I'm glad that I didn't go." He stretched and returned to his fighting stance. The fox grimaced feeling how sweaty his uniform had become. "Aww, gross!" The stains on his underarm were annoying enough. The fox peeled off his shirt and tossed it over a branch. Much to Baiju's chagrin, he sat back down under the tree to cool off. 'If I sweat too much, I'll have to drop the pants.' He frowned staring at his lap. Trekking all the way to Olisipo would've left him drenched.

"Baiju!" Marion spotted her partner resting under the tree.

'Does everyone have to visit me at once?' He sighed and uncrossed his legs. "Burning up?" Baiju waved a hand in front of his face as Marion approached him.

"What an understatement." She croaked.

"Wanna go swimming with Johanna and the others to cool off? Nikita will be there." He gleamed a smirk as her eyes rolled.

"He will never see me naked, even if I'm dead." She growled thinking about the perverted mink. "How did he get into the military, let alone this base?" Marion wiped her forehead.

"Well he doesn't look it, but the lustful guy can move around faster through tight spots than any of us die to his size. I could ask you the same thing. How does a biology genetics person find herself at out base?"

"Oh..." Her black ears folded down in thought. "Well I was given the opportunity to further my education on base while serving the military more directly and for the thousandth time Baiju, I am a cybernetics person. Although I did plenty of studying in regular biology."

"All the same lab work I assume." He rubbed an eye.

"You have no idea." She mumbled to herself in annoyance fanning her face desperately for some fresh air.

"You don't look so... hot." He couldn't help but poke fun at her.

"Gods it's like an oven out here." She clutched her body heat trapping shirt.

"Then take your shirt off. You'll pass out in the worst possible area without medical care."

"I can't!" She huffed gripping the collar.

"And why the hell not?" He inquired.

"I slipped my bra off back at camp." She whimpered.

"Oh gods... Who cares? You're the only lady who is not naked."

"You just want to see me naked you perverted fox!" She covered her chest as if he had X-ray vision.

"You're a vixen who has a pair of breasts. What's there to see?" Marion gritted her teeth at his casual dismissal. The vixen looked around before picking up a stick and driving it into the ground. "What are you doing?" He watched her grab another stick.

"Close your eyes first!" She jammed the second stick into the ground.

"Whatever." He closed them and leaned back as if to take a nap. He could hear buttons quickly pop open followed by sticky sleeves being shucked off.

"Don't you dare look." She mustered a growl through an open mouth as she hung the shirt up.

"Finished?"

"Yeah." Baiju opened his eyes finding her wrinkled and sweaty uniform blocking the view from her neck to the ground.

"Inventive." He admitted. Marion seemed to think so with a proud grin displayed upon her lips. The heat wasn't that bad in her bare fur. "You aren't breathing hard anymore." Baiju noted that the vixen was quiet for once.

"I do feel better." Marion grinned laying back a little and unzipped her uniform pants. Baiju's brow furrowed until he watched the vixen set her pants, folded neatly. She didn't stop there and took off another garment next before spreading her legs. "So much better." The vixen sighed flexing her visible toes.

"Why didn't you just go some place secluded to strip down? You didn't have to do this in front of me."

"I wanted someone to talk to." She admitted. "It's boring out here."

"Why not drag Roger or one of the ladies with you?"

"I don't know them, and Roger doesn't talk to me."

"Roger doesn't talk, period." Baiju mused the common fact. The Germam shepherd barely talked to him. "Hey, you could've sat behind the tree so I can't see your front."

"I like being able to see who I'm talking to." She shrugged.

"You're an odd vixen." He stated plainly looking up into the canopy.

"Only because I do not train for hours hours everyday right?" She asked while her partner held back laughter. "What's so funny?" She frowned crossing her arms behind her makeshift curtain.

"You look like a floating head that's haunting me." He couldn't hide his chuckling smile.

"Yeah, I've been haunting you since day one." She crossed her arms behind her head and relaxed against the tree openly, carefree.

"I'm convinced."

"Silly fox." She closed her eyes. Baiju watched as her foot shifted and accidentally knocked down the stick holding up her shirt. The silver fox blinked as the shroud concealing her body fell crumpled by her feet. He was surprised to find the vixen bare furred from ear to toe, and spread out revealing everything.

"Uh, Marion." He smirked at the oblivious vixen before him. "You're naked."

"Yes Baiju, I am naked." She didn't bother opening an eye at her own folly. Baiju watched her chest rise in a deep breath before exhaling.

"Don't scream when you open your eyes then." He chided her. The vixen smiled looking at him, and then the crumpled shirt in front of her.

"Wha-?" The shocked look on her face was priceless. "Baiju!" She yelled covering her breasts and wrapping her busy tail over her lap. Marion hit her heel against the ground out of frustration. The silver fox shook his head hearing words being cursed under her breath.

"Admit it Marion. The whole thing was funny." He chuckled folding his arms. "You were spread out naked behind a shirt that you knocked over." The vixen furrowed her brow before taking a big exhale.

"Alright, alright it was funny." She managed to grin while looking away.

"Do you want me to resurrect your fort for you?" He flicked his tail at her shirt. Marion stared at the ground but thought about it.

"No... just don't stare." She started unfolding her arms and began spreading her legs.

"If I wanted to I would've gone swimming with the others. At least they wouldn't accuse me of staring." He kept his eyes level with Marion's as she freed her body and laid back openly, although the staring was more awkward than the nudity. Baiju closed his eyes once more just so she wouldn't have an excuse to yell at him. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Something to pass the time."

"Hmm. I'll think of something." He grinned and enjoyed the quietness that followed for a short time.

"Why didn't you go swimming with the others? Isn't that a dream come true for most guys?"

"It doesn't matter who is swimming with me, I just didn't want to swim." He didn't like the point that she was trying to make.

"You really wouldn't bat an eye if a group of naked ladies surrounded you and begged you to play with them." She remarked mostly to herself. He opened his eyes to glare at her and found the vixen sticking her tongue at him.

"Whatever." He growled as she giggled. Marion settled down and closed her eyes for a quick nap. She enjoyed the free pass Baiju was giving her with the great compromising position that she was in. He in turn appreciated the silence that she provided as he stared out into the jungle's mysterious lure. It didn't take much for him to imagine a strategy where an enemy hid behind each one lying in wait. Ducking, diving, and taking out each one by one with a single shot; or by swift hand to hand maneuvers. At least it gave the bored fox something to do for the thirty minutes Marion was napping, and that was better than dumbly staring at her.

"That was a nice nap." Marion stretched and rotated her joints, ending the silence. "But now it's over." The vixen stood up and brushed the dirt off her fur.

'Nice and quiet.' Baiju silently added wearing a grin.

"Maybe you can let me nap in the nude back on base if I'm overheated from working out with you."

"Gods..." He grumbled standing up to retrieve his shirt.

"I'm teasing." She turned around to put her underwear on first, followed by her long pants. "But in all seriousness I want to thank you for not eyeing me up like a pinup."

"You're welcome." He gave a relieved sigh that his uniform piece had dried completely. "And you definitely don't want to forget your shirt." He picked up the fallen garment for her.

"Can you hold it open for me?" She looked over her shoulder at him. The silver fox approached and held it open for her, right sleeve up first.

'At least it isn't damp.' Baiju thought as her arm went through. "If it helps your body image, you look fine." He held the second sleeve up for her.

"Thanks, but it's not body image. It's just that I don't want eyes to grope my body." She threaded her arm through.

"I'm not Nikita." Baiju placed his hands on his hips.

"I know... You're the exact opposite of him. You're very kind and caring." She caught him off guard with the compliment.

"Don't use words like that to get me out of a hard workout."

"Promise." She finished the last button. "Now let's go back to the camp."

"Where did you two run off?" Roger watched the two foxes appear from the undergrowth.

"She caught me resting, so I didn't have an excuse to ignore her." He plainly replied. Marion merely rolled her eyes, but was thankful that he didn't go into detail.

"You never rest." Yuri and Roger said at once. Topaz, Jodi, and Johanna were sitting next to them by the low fire chatting to one another while Chris tended to whatever was roasting on the flames. The latter of the three ladies was about finished combing her bushy tail from swimming.

"Hey wasn't Nikita with you three?" Baiju remembered the mink's schemings.

"Nope. Didn't see him." Topaz shook her head.

"What could catch his attention above three women swimming in the buff?" Baiju sat down in wonder.

"Found him." Roger looked mildly surprised behind them at Del. The red vixen approached camp with Nikita pressed up beside her.

"I think hearts are coming out of his eyes." Yuri whispered. The mink was certainly attached to the taller vixen to say the least. One arm was wrapped around her waist like a boa constrictor while they held hands. Del's friends looked surprised as well.

"He reminds me of a tick." Topaz mumbled at the closeness.

"At least he's wearing pants." Yuri shrugged as the odd couple sat down.

"So where have you two been?" Jodi inquired with a raised brow, watching the mink's tail wrap around Del's waist.

"The jungle of course." Del replied at the silly question. "We walked around, picked some herbs, and talked a lot." The mink's cheek rested against Del's shoulder dreamily as he nodded in agreement with every word.

"Is he normally like that?" Topaz leaned over to Baiju.

"No. His eyes would be cemented to her body." He murmured. "And yours."

'How strange.' The genet thought.

"Sheesh!" Rain plodded out of the brush with a large melon in her arms. "If anyone wants watermelon, there's plenty to go around." The sand vixen set the hefty fruit on the ground and started cutting it up.

"And this bird." Chris lifted the cooked fowl up a few tiers on the fire. "So there's plenty of everyone." He noted the full attendance.

"Let's eat!" Everyone was more open compared to the night before, with the exceptions of Roger and Johanna. Silent types. Regardless, the chatter went well into the night.

"Everyone listen!" Topaz held her arms up catching their attention. "It's dark and we have a campfire." She paused looking around. "Let's tell scary stories!" A round of agreement passed through the campfire as spooky subjects were brought up to be told.

"I'll never be able to fall asleep." Marion hid behind Baiju.

"Stories never hurt anybody." He gave the trembling vixen a curious look.

"Tell the one about the ghost of Namaqualand!" Rain nudged Chris's side. A quick chiding from the girls had him flustered.

"Okay, okay. Let's see... There was a little sand spirit." He started out with a low voice as e fire crackled and the forest chirped with its own telltale tune.

"All packed up?" Baiju noted the Djungarians' equipment neat and ready to go in a few backpacks.

"We're not the only ones in the safari, and we move around every other week or so." Chris explained choosing to keep his clothes on for the cool morning. Everyone was happy that the day would be cooler, especially the soldiers.

"Sleep well?" Topaz put her arm around the sluggish female soldier.

"No." Marion yawned putting her backpack on.

"Chris's story keep you awake?" Rain giggled as Marion nodded. "Don't worry, that one had me up for a whole night the first time I heard it." Marion quietly nodded again. Sleeping in an open jungle didn't exactly help the city vixen either.

"I knew I should've pushed Tomic to make you navigator." Yuri grunted in a stretch.

"It's not your fault that we had a bad map."

"Maybe you would've read it differently or something."

"No, you did fine." He replied and looked at Nikita holding a strange bag. "That's a large bag of... What's in that bag Nikita?" Baiju asked the mink clutching the filled item.

"It's a bunch of herbs that Del and I picked together yesterday." He happily replied by the vixen's arm.

"I thought it was weed." Yuri smirked.

"What I'd do just to mellow out some in this heat." Roger joked.

"Is everyone ready?" Del asked with Nikita by her side. A round of nods and murmurs of agreements passed.

"To Olisipo!" Topaz cheered putting on her filled backpack.

***

With the humidity being bearable, and the expert navigators on hand, it only took about two hours to reach their destination through the thick undergrowth without incident. Discounting the dense foliage and occasional sided webs, the journey was fairly easy to accomplish.

"Ok." Jodi stopped. "Olisipo is barely half a mile straight ahead." She pointed with her arm. "Just make sure you go straight ahead."

"I guess this means we're splitting up."

"Yeah. We're heading southeast from here." The genet flicked her tail in the direction.

"Thanks for the help you all provided."

"Catch some sleep when you can." Rain patted Marion's back.

"I will." She smiled, holding back a lengthy yawn.

"Bye." Johanna's ears shyly pinned back as she shook Baiju's hand.

"Take care." He modestly replied.

"Bye Del!" Nikita hugged Del and buried his face in her chest. The vixen happily hugged him back.

"Come back and see us if you can." She kissed the top of his head making the mink blush profusely.

"I will!" He promised before following his group away.

"Stay well!" Chris bade the group farewell.

"Goodbye!" Everyone waved to the other group before turning back to their respective ways.

*Uranus the Magician.*

"I miss them already." Nikita frowned with a slouch as he stepped on a rotten stump.

"I'll probably be hearing about whatever you two did every night for a year." Yuri rolled his eyes.

"Yeah what did you two do with all that time?" Roger asked with suspicion.

"I was walking to where the others were bathing when I spotted her. She approached me and started talking, but I was too busy staring at her breasts. Oh they were beautiful!" He clasped his hands together.

"Sounds right so far." Yuri chuckled.

"She yelled at me for not keeping eye contact. I looked away at the ground embarrassed, but then suddenly she grabbed my hands and rested them perfectly against her breasts! I couldn't help but squeeze and feel them! She told me how they were nothing important to stare at but I nearly fainted hearing her say that and landed face first into her wonderful white furred chest. I hugged her dearly and rubbed my face back and forth enjoying the serene moment. She actually grinned but rolled her eyes and pet my head saying how strange I was without giving me a slap. I kissed each thankfully-"

"I wonder where." Yuri smirked.

"Hey! Anyway... we walked and talked-" The mink blabbered on about his outlandish day while Baiju chose to tune it out from his thoughts. His mind focused on the original task at hand: to defeat potential rebels crossing over into town. The specifics didn't concern the silver soldier very much. He would adapt when necessary. The group stumbled upon a bunch of kits and pups that were playing on the edge of the thinning jungle. The youngsters eagerly followed the soldiers to their village.

"Kits. Always a handful." Roger murmured feeling one tug his tail.

"And an earful." Baiju added at how excited the young group was. They exited the forest and found themselves on the edge of the small town made primarily from adobe brick and mixtures of hardened clay.

"Talk about a quick change of scenery." Yuri noted the semi desert appearance of the town beside the rainforest. Plenty of locals carrying out daily chores were intrigued with the visitors, but otherwise remained busy at hand especially when the youngsters returned from the jungle. "That's our guy." The red wolf headed towards an old feline waving at them.

"Who?" Baiju cocked a brow.

"The governor."

"Ah, welcome." The old feline greeted them as they were ushered into a building. "I'm Lucius, the governor of Olisipo. Please take a seat and rest."

"You don't need to tell us twice." Nikita sighed enjoying the breathable air. "Ah, my shoulders." The mink rotated each after ridding himself of the burdensome backpack. Roger tossed his aside and took a much needed seat at the table.

"I'm surprised that you haven't complained yet Marion." Baiju remarked after the vixen stiffly set her pack down.

"We're too lucky so far to complain." She reasoned before taking a seat at the simple table. The door was quickly shut as the others found a spot to sit.

"We're assuming that you received a notification from the military correct?" Yuri asked Lucius.

"Yes I did, and I'm glad a specialized unit was sent. Thank you for arriving in due time." He smiled making the wolf feel guilty.

"We're happy to have made it before anything bad happened."

"What exactly is the situation I should prepare the village for? Heavy traffic for sub Saharan trade will pick up in two weeks and this town depends greatly on the seasonal revenue that it provides."

"No need for an economics lesson or panic, there are intelligence reports that a cell from the terrorist group NVFC is traveling this way."

"How many and when?" Lucius worried.

"Less than a dozen, but were afraid they may have slipped into town under cover of darkness or posed as traders from the east." Yuri elaborated. "And as far as we know, they're objective here would be to capture Olisipo."

"Either way it's bad for terrorists to be left unchecked." Baiju added. The silver fox's ears perked up hearing a gun load outside. A glint of metal caught his eye through the window. "Get down!" The fox jumped and flipped the table to cover the window. Cups crashed on the dirt floor as a single shot echoed, shattering glass and splintering wood. A large caliber hole was now visible through the table and window. The bullet was wedged in the dirt wall behind them.

"Sounds like they arrived first." Roger grumbled reaching for his backpack. More gunshots sounded out pelting the thick adobe walls. Inside, safeties were switched off as the group prepared for a gunfight. Screams could be heard outside as everyone ran for safety.

"Marion stay here and protect Lucius! I'll snipe this guy so the rest of us can move out."

"Understood." She loaded her pistol with a mostly steady hand.

'I never thought there would be any action.' Baiju thought loading his weapon. The silver fox kicked the table away and aimed out of the square window. His feline target was waiting for someone to exit the doorway, but a precise bullet left the adversary dead on the rooftop. "Clear!" Everyone checked corners before leading out into the small town. Baiju and Nikita exited the same doorway before slipping into the packed streets. The entire town hushed into silence as the last doors slammed shut and locked, keeping their respective families safe from looming danger. Nikita split from Baiju and ran between houses to find a proper position to snipe. The silver fox carefully peered around corners before proceeding. Gunfire erupted nearby catching his ears.

"I spotted someone armed running from a well." Roger informed everyone. Baiju crouched under a small food stand and scanned an open area in the town hoping others would be attracted to the gunfire. After an unmoving minute he crawled to the corner of a house and peeked out at the crowded houses across his position. Two gun wielding servals caught his eye by a narrow gap between two houses. Baiju set up his gun and took aim. One spotted the fox and raised his weapon, but in a split second both were slumped to the ground with bullets in their heads. 'Two down.' He nodded. A previously unseen third armed rebel ran down the alley and cut a corner. Baiju jumped up and quickly pursued. Small carts, baskets, pottery, and barrels were knocked over to slow down the soldiers but Baiju was relentless. The uneven ground and corner cutting made it difficult to shoot, but the feline continued to cut corners just out of the fox's reach. Baiju unlatched the safety pin to his only grenade and sprinted. 'Four... Three... Two...' He reached the corner and threw the live grenade before turning back for cover. An loud bang erupted leaving an eerie silence.

"I hope that was one of our explosions." Nikita's voice popped though the fox's earpiece.

"Yeah, just mine." Baiju confirmed. The silver fox peeked around finding an unmoving body lying messily on the found. 'That's another one.' He took a knee and readied his gun once more. A loud shot pierced the air.

"I got one near you Baiju, but there are two more that took cover." Nikita informed him. "A cheetah and a leopard. They're hiding somewhere in the alley from me."

"I'm on it." He quickly made his way over. As soon as he stepped foot into the small space between the uneven rows of houses one yelled spotting the silver fox. 'Sometimes I wish I was a fennec.' He took cover behind a watermelon stand and a few large pots. Guns blazed as each side exchanged fire. Wood splintered and adobe crumbled from the onslaught of hailing bullets. A clip was quickly replaced to continue the standstill fire fight. Baiju paused his shooting as belt of grenades was thrown at him. 'Oh crap!' He ran back around the house under gunfire and covered his ears. A series of quick bursts ensued, scattering shrapnel everywhere. "That was close." He looked over the bits of woods sticking out of the walls and blasted fruit chunks. Baiju hurried back to the narrow ruined street and spotted the two terrorists retreating behind a corner. "I'm following two through a street." Baiju relayed through his headphone.

"I'm pinned at my position." Yuri said on his end as shots fired noisily.

"I got one behind a house and well." Roger confirmed. Baiju hurried as the two went around a corner. The silver fox caught a glint of metal as he reached the corner.

"HA!" Baiju jumped to the side as a knife wielding leopard slashed at him. The big cat stepped forward with his arm extended leaving his core vulnerable for the more than capable soldier to strike. Baiju swiftly kicked the terrorist in the gut causing the feline to drop the knife and cough up blood. Keeled over, a knockout punch was delivered leaving the leopard unconscious with heavy internal bleeding.

"This half of town is cleared." Roger notified everyone. "There should only be one or two more left now."

"Good to hear." Marion sighed thankfully.

'He'll die before waking up... Now where did the other one go?' Baiju cautiously made his way by the side of the house and checked the corner before proceeding. "Uh oh." He spotted an open door with the top hinge bent, lying on the dusty ground. His ears detected sounds of footsteps fleeing inside the building. The fox jumped into the entrance of the dimly lit home and quickly navigated through a kitchen. He froze hearing something break in the next room. Baiju's heart pounded as he crept to the wall, finger ready at the trigger. The fox carefully peered around the wall only to see a tail slip out the backdoor and quickly followed. Baiju looked outside only to find the cheetah sitting inside a large spidery machine by the edge of the village. The main turret gun in the center fired a poorly aimed shot across the town, blasting an empty warehouse. "How in the hell did he obtain a Hranol-Cube!?" It was a very advanced military weapon, but was rarely used because of its lack of mobility. Essentially eight large glasslike panels moved from legs protecting the vulnerable center like a giant spider. "Everyone stay out of the open!" Baiju yelled into his speaker.

"What was that loud noise?" Yuri spoke up.

"A heavy piece of machinery is under enemy control." Baiju elaborated and tried firing at it. Bullets were stopped with ease from the reinforced synthetic steel. A large turret aimed at Baiju and fired. "Damn!" He crouched back inside feeling chunks of the upper wall crumble away. Dust and dirt shrouded him like a thick fog. "Hey Nikita!" Baiju yelled into the talk piece.

"Yeah?! Right here!" The mink responded on his end.

"How close are you to the cube?" A little static ensued as Nikita moved.

"Not far, but there's a good amount of wall between us." The mink quickly assessed.

"I need you to throw your grenades at the cheetah's machine ok? That should give me an opening."

"I'll sneak closer." A large rumbling blast from the Hranol-Cube took out the wall of the house next to Baiju and caused the roof to collapse.

'He can take out the whole town.' He eagerly waited for Nikita to hurry up. One by one, Baiju watched as four grenades landed and quickly exploded at the front panel. The other panels noisily spread out from the side to protect the front leaving an opportunity to attack the center. Baiju whipped around the wall and fired at the small opening to the inner machine's fuel cell. A small burst of flames erupted along with a shrieking scream as the occupant jumped out of the seat. The Hranol Cube's core disintegrated causing other wires and machinery to burn and smolder. Heavy glass panels shattered falling to the worn ground one by one leaving a worthless piece of scrap behind. "The Cube has been taken out. In pursuit of their leader." He quickly followed the figure running out of the smoldering mess. Shots were fired at Baiju through the smoke, but missed by wide marks. The cheetah ran into a nearby house with Baiju in hot pursuit. He bolted through a narrow hallway into a small living room. A clink on the ground caught his eye. 'Grenade!' The fox slid behind the turned table just in time as the weapon exploded loudly scattering shrapnel everywhere. Wood chips fell off his uniform as he jumped up, head rattling. 'Where did he-?'

"Mommy!" He heard a scream nearby.

"He's dead." Baiju growled running out the narrow doorway and into the street. Sunlight only blocked his vision for a moment as his pupils dilated. Threatening an innocent youth was a quick ticket to death for the silver fox as he ran into the open.

"Don't move fox!" The cheetah yelled with a wicked smile holding a pistol to a little tigress's head standing before him. Baiju skidded to a halt in the dry dirt kicking up a tiny dust cloud behind him seeing the innocent hostage in his arms. She cried fearfully as he roughly kept her in his clutches.

"Don't you dare harm her!" Baiju snarled despite how bad the situation could play out. This nut would gladly take a life knowing his own would immediately be disposed of.

"On your knees soldier!" His finger clenched the trigger, threatening to fire. Reluctantly, Baiju went down to his knees with a hateful glare. "Drop the gun!" The cheetah yelled pressing his painfully into the temple of the tigress causing the little girl to shriek. He growled looking at his right hand and briefly clenched it only to see the wicked gleam in his eyes. "Drop it!" The cheetah spat threateningly. Baiju clenched his teeth and set his weapon down on the ground. "Arms behind your head fox." He quickly ordered, and Baiju bit his lip obeying. The fox would rather take the bullet than the girl.

'I can't talk to anyone to snipe him.' The fox gritted his teeth feeling helpless in the situation. He screwed up. Baiju's eyes suddenly widened seeing the cheetah move the gun away from the little tigress and point it off slightly across his side. His cocky adversary's guard was down. With a blinding speed, Baiju picked up the gun from the ground.

'Align!' He barely noticed an electronic voice commanding him as his whole body aimed like an arrow. The gun fired before the adversary or victim could even blink. A few drops of blood dripped into the dirt as quietness settled in. His bullet left a single hole in the cheetah's head, right between the feline eyes. The cheetah's facial expression remained static as the body slowly fell backwards. A muffled thump was heard as the body landed on the ground knocking the gun away from his loose hand. Feeling her captor's grip dissipate, the tigress ran away crying towards her house. Baiju finally relaxed.

"I got him guys." He spoke feeling the head piece was still in his ear. The fox panted hard and went down to all fours closing his eyes. 'That was way too close.' He stared at his claws lightly ingrained in the soil. 'But I did my part perfectly.' Heads began peeking out from windows and others came running towards him. Hands helped pull him up as the villagers cheered before giving him some space.

"I saw it all happen! You moved like a lightning bolt Baiju!" Yuri passed through the crowd and congratulated the silver fox.

"I should thank you for telling me to align or whatever it was you yelled to me back there." The red wolf's face turned into confusion.

"Align? I never yelled at you. Heck, it took me a minute to close my mouth after watching what you did.

"So it wasn't you?" Baiju asked only for the canine to shake his head.

"I didn't hear anyone on my comm piece say anything."

'That's odd.' He thought before before something caught his eye. A yellow glimpse of something round was still in the cheetah's hand. "What is that in his hand?" Baiju uncurled the cheetah's fingers carefully. It was revealed to be a little yellow capsule in a ball, about the size of an everyday aspirin and just as light.

"Ooh! It's a suicide capsule containing a unique mix of poison to kill oneself quickly." Yuri said as the gleeful smile returned to his muzzle.

"The idiot just wanted attention before he died. I'll keep it as a souvenir on my dresser." The fox pocketed the death pill.

"No civilian casualties." Roger ran up to them breathing heavily.

"Good." Baiju was surprised but very glad to hear that piece of news. "Did any rebels escape?"

"Not that we know of, but losing their leader will leave them clueless for a while." The German shepherd confirmed. The crowd gave the team of soldiers room as a little tigress walked up to him. Her green eyes nervously stared at the ground before meeting his brown ones.

"Thank you sir." The little tigress thanked him in a high pitched voice. The silver fox bent down and patted her black striped shoulder

"I should thank you for being so brave and handling everything like a real soldier." Baiju smiled proudly. Marion slowly approached the hero of the hour through the small group of villagers.

'I never thought he could be so compassionate.' Marion grinned watching them hug before the tigress ran back over to her mother. "Good job Baiju." She congratulated the fox.

"Thanks-Marion you're hurt!" He noticed the cut on her shoulder.

"I'm fine Baiju." She grinned and calmly placed her hand on his. "A bullet just grazed me, that's all."

"You look tired." He observed her half lidded gaze. She teetered to the side before collapsing. "Marion!" Baiju jumped over and caught her halfway to the ground.

Marion rolled her head to the side blinking her eyes awake. A dusty smell filled her olfactory as the blurry images before her sharpened. Baiju and Yuri were standing at the bedside she found herself in.

"What happened?" She asked seeing the bandage on her shoulder. The vixen tried sitting up only for Baiju's hand to keep her lying down on the uncomfortable surface

"You fainted from exhaustion. Nothing serious." He firmly spoke.

"Nothing serious? You were all over her-OOF!" An elbow to the side quieted his red wolf friend.

"Are you feeling better?" Baiju asked in a softer voice.

"Mmhm. Where am I?" Marion asked looking around the dirt walls around them.

"On one of the villager's beds."

"It feels like a rock." She admitted feeling the hard surface beneath the blankets and pillow.

"That's because it is a rock." He informed her with a grin.

"What's with the bandage?" The vixen glanced at her shoulder.

"Baiju carried you to the closest house and wrapped you all up by himself."

"So it wasn't Nikita?" She looked down seeing her shirt was missing, but her bra was still on.

"Hardly." Baiju informed her. "I only took your shirt off." The fox pointed to where it was currently hung up on a clothesline.

"At least it was only you." She sighed thankfully.

"Rest until we leave for base. No exceptions." He leaned down and pointed a finger at her shoulder. Marion reached up and grasped her partner's hand. His black ears went back from the intimate touch. The vixen's palm was warm and radiated against his own.

"Thank you." She grinned happily.

"You're welcome." He gave a tiny grin and squeezed her hand in return. "Remember to stay in bed. I'm going to contact Tomic." The silver fox carefully laid her hand back down. "Make sure she stays in bed." He whispered to Yuri on his way out.

"I will." The fox headed outside to Lucius's house where the only international phone existed in the whole area. It looked like an ancient pay phone sticking out from a mud brick wall with a small terminal powering the device. Baiju dialed a long number before a long series of clicks ensued.

"This is Tomic Masaryk." A familiar voice finally answered.

"Tomic? It's Baiju."

"Baiju! Everything alright?" Tomic asked with urgency.

"Yes sir, no casualties and we took out every single rebel who was a member of the NVFC." A whooshing sigh of relief was heard on the other end.

"That's great to hear!" The wolf congratulated him. Baiju leaned against the wall with a smile.

"Marion did faint from a small wound to the shoulder, but she is doing fine now."

"Small wound?"

"Sterilized and bandaged by yours truly." Baiju reassured him.

"I should expect as much from you." He chuckled. "How many rebels were there?"

"Eleven. Yuri, Marion, and Roger took out one apiece. Nikita got three, and I took care of the other five including their leader Vegali Nurfrud."

"Excellent job!" Tomic commended the team's effort.

"Thanks!" Baiju leaned against the wall. "There were some close moments, but we never gave up." He pulled the suicide capsule out of his pocket and rolled it in his hand.

"Good to hear, good to hear." Tomic's relieved voice resounded. "We're they carrying any heavy arms?"

"Just basic automatics." He remembered. "And an occasional semiautomatic sidearm."

"So it was like a chess game with a bunch of queens on your side and pawns on the other?" Tomic jested.

"You would say that about any gunfight I was in, but you have time to play chess and not spar with me?" Baiju laughed.

"I wish there was spare time for me, chess or sparring."

"Wait. Did you hear that they had possession of a Hranol Cube?" Baiju's tone turned more serious.

"How in the world did they get ahold of something like that?"

"Beats me, but the fact that it was here means that this group has ties elsewhere and had it pre placed for an assault."

"Did anyone in the village know it was there?"

"No, I already asked around. The rebels must have known about its cloaking mechanism."

"I'll send a transport plane for you guys and have another unit or two be requested to visit neighboring areas." The phones clicked and hung up.

*Jupiter the Bringer of Jollity*

"Ah, the good old base." Nikita sighed setting down a pair of weights.

"It sure beats walking in the hot jungle." Yuri added taking a seat on the cushioned bench. Baiju was still continuing his already extended workout with Marion sitting on his back while he did push ups.

"I feel so much safer knowing that there's a bathroom a few yards away from me instead of everywhere around me."

"Being in a jungle for a few days wasn't that bad if all you have to complain over was a bathroom." Baiju said still doing push ups with Marion quietly humming to herself.

"You have no idea what it's like to have a bowel disease." Nikita said looking at his small and thin figure. "I probably don't even weigh 140 pounds." Even Marion opened her eyes to look at him.

"I thought my 165 was light." Baiju laid down on the floor and stopped his exercise, "No wonder Marion beat the day lights out of you."

"I didn't expect her to fight me. If it was a fair fight I would've won." He turned his head.

"Baiju has been teaching me a lot while we train together, so watch your back if you look at me funny." Marion warned the nosy mink.

'Roger is about to say something I won't like.' Baiju bit his lip recognizing the gleam in the German shepherd's eyes.

"Sounds like you two are getting really close. Training together, living together, an possibly sleeping together."

"Knock it off." Baiju growled as the double side doors opened.

"I suppose everyone is ready for a standard training run?" Tomic walked into the gym with a spring in his step.

"I always do really bad at these mandatory tests." Nikita grumbled. "And it's eight thirty... Too late."

"You sleep in till lunch..." Yuri elbowed his partner.

"You will do better the less you complain." The grey wolf teased as everyone lined up. It was a run through of some basic exercises: pull ups, push ups, and a short run among other things that left everyone a little more tired than before. Larger team exercises were saved for outside and took much longer than a few quick minutes to complete. One by one, everyone completed the tasks without much difficulty. Baiju ran back to the start, finishing the quick trial where everyone else was waiting.

'Piece of cake.' Baiju smiled confidently.

"All good personal times." Tomic jotted down the final marks. "I'll give out personalized charts separately to everyone in a day or so."

"Whoopee." Nikita exhaled standing up.

"So catch some good sleep tonight. That's my recommendation." Tomic grinned walking away.

"I expect him to read us a story goodnight." Yuri snickered to himself.

"Oh, and I want Baiju and Marion to stop by my office for a minute." Tomic added before leaving the gym.

"Someone's in trouble." Yuri cooed.

"They finally caught you blood doping Baiju, and Marion is the perfect gal in disguise to help." The mink chimed in.

"Fainting at the sight of blood definitely makes it impossible for me to be a surgeon." Marion frowned at the image in her head.

"Hey, come by the room when you're both done. I got a movie in the mail from home and all of us can watch it together." Yuri stated as the group made their way into the hall.

"Sounds good. We'll probably be there for a minute or two anyway.

"Isn't it obvious?" Roger added in only to receive uncertain looks. "Marion and Baiju need a witness to be married."

"Knock it off!" Baiju barked. "We aren't getting married."

"You'll have to smile more as my husband." Marion giggled pulling him down the hall to Tomic's office. A few calls and coos were given at the pair before they made a turn.

"Don't encourage them." The silver fox's ears pinned back from the embarrassing attention.

"I doubt Tomic has wedding us in mind."

"Maybe he wants me to help train you more." Baiju smirked at the thought.

"Ha ha, you're too funny." She batted his back with her tail. "Maybe it will be some good news if we're lucky."

"My idea was good news." He patted his partner's back as they approached the wolf's office. The foxy duo found the grey wolf busily writing a few notes down in a file at his desk.

"Just a second." Tomic placed the file away and swiveled back to the vulpine pair with a grand smile on his muzzle. "Baiju, with your bravery in the field, the Marquess has invited you to attend a ball dedicated to the military at his estate in Lux Aeterna."

"A ball?" He asked without an ounce of enthusiasm.

"A ball!" Marion jumped out of her seat with a start gleam in her eyes. The wolf seemed amused at the polar reactions and crossed his leg.

"Yes a ball. You'll both be flying first class to Richtersburg tomorrow morning and then taken by car to the small town of Lux Aeterna where he lives."

"Gods! What for?" Baiju nearly fell out of his seat as Marion kicked hers aside.

"For you saving so many civilians from potentially dying at the hands of terrorists."

"Why is Marion going then?"

"She's your partner of course." He glanced over at the giddy vixen.

"Come on! We don't have time to sit around!" Marion tugged him by the arm to the door.

"Dismissed." He grinned cheerily at the pair.

"What the hell." Baiju said with disbelief and a slow shake of his head as they walked down the hall.

"Oh don't inject any pessimism into this." Marion smiled and nudged the grouchy fox's side.

"It's made of pessimism." He muttered under his breath wanting to chop a water fountain they passed by.

"Can we at least watch the movie with everyone else without your grumbling?"

"Don't tell anyone that we're going together to a ball, especially Roger." Baiju said as they approached the open room.

"Alright I won't."

"It's about time you foxes show up." Yuri jumped up from his bed. Roger had a large tub of popcorn and was happily crunching away. Marion wrinkled her nose distastefully.

"It kind of... smells in here" The red vixen couldn't quite place the air in the mink and wolf's room, other than the butter.

"Sorry, but two guys in one room can create a lot of mess." The red wolf grinned at the moderate amount of junk in the limited amount of space.

"Baiju and you are neat freaks compared to us." Nikita added.

"Is the air vent covered up?" Baiju looked around.

"Forget about that, let's sit down." Yuri turned the tv on and popped in the movie.

"What are we watching?"

"The Deadly Morgue. It's a classic horror film, but I will warn everybody, there's a scene where someone gets shaved."

"There is nothing worse than being shaved, even if it's for medical reasons." Roger agreed.

"Oh gods that skin underneath our fur is disgusting!" The mink shuddered. "Just imagine how wrinkled it can get."

"Quiet. It's starting."

***

"Gotta take a leak." Baiju shuffled over to the bathroom.

"Again?" Roger asked only for the silver vulpine to shrug. Baiju quickly closed the door and stretched.

'I feel so worthless sitting here.' He threw a dozen punched into the air followed by a kick in the small space. Baiju never minded the company with everyone else, but in his mind this wouldn't help prepare him for their next mission. And traveling to a Marquess's estate with Marion for a ball didn't excite him either. 'At least I'm with my friends.' He sighed and flushed the unused toilet.

***

"I didn't like the bloody parts in the movie." Marion shuddered walking down the hall with her partner.

"That was relief to me from the shaving scene." Baiju grimaced at the image.

"Guys should watch better movies, like a good romantic comedy."

"That's not a better type of movie." Baiju pulled out their room's key and unlocked the door.

"We get to leave tomorrow!" Marion enthusiastically reminded him.

"Not so loud." He rubbed his right ear.

"Sorry! I'm excited." She practically bounced from the doorway to her bedside.

'I can tell.' He thought. "I didn't even get to enjoy my trophy from Olisipo." Baiju looked at the little suicide capsule on their dresser.

"That thing is disgusting." She wrinkled her nose at it. "I promise you won't miss it." The vixen knelt down and pulled out a small suitcase to pack.

"You're too excited about this whole traveling thing." He watched the vixen prance between the bed, dresser, and closet with possible clothes to take in hand.

"Come on, I have an extra bag for you to pack with." She pulled a second small suitcase out for him. Baiju reluctantly grabbed a few sets of uniforms and neatly packed them. He didn't understand what the fuss and buzz was all about. "Are you really just bringing your military clothes?" She asked, unable to decide between two dresses laid out in front of her.

"That's all I have except for shirts to go under the uniform piece."

"I'll have to buy you some if that's possible."

"Buy me clothes?" He rubbed an ear. "What I'm wearing is fine."

"A military uniform doesn't work everywhere. Especially if we go into the neighboring town."

"How much does Tomic want us to do over there? I don't have an entire wardrobe at my disposal like you do."

"In that case, you can borrow some from me." She teased holding up a bra. He smirked and shook his head before the women's apparel landed on his head.

"Hopefully I can stick with my uniform instead." He tossed the lacy bra back at her.

"That's the one thing you need to step out of for a few days at least." She put it away. "Uniformity. The same clothes, the same routine, the same everything. It's like you're trying to be the perfect robot rather than yourself."

"Oh calm down. Perfection can be achieved, and I will be the first person to do it. Machines will no longer be viewed as the only perfect things." The fox declared proudly.

"Just pack your bag Mr. Perfection." She lightly mocked throwing a shirt at him. "Although I've never heard anyone call a machine perfect."

"If we can make machines that solve huge math equations without error, then I can be the best soldier without error." He threw her casual shirt back.

"Try getting used to relaxing for the next few days instead Baiju, or will that ruin your good mood?" He rolled his eyes as she playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

Baiju walked down the hallway towards Yuri and Nikita's room while Marion was waiting for him outside the base's side entrance to leave for the airport.

'Hopefully Yuri knows something about ballrooms and estates.' He thought to himself as the room came into sight. Leaving base for something other than a mission seemed outlandish and wasteful to the fox, but he had to know the basics as if it were a mission. Baiju was about to knock, but paused hearing a moaning noise coming from behind the door. 'What the hell?' His brow furrowed hearing it continue. 'Trouble!' His body tensed. "Nikita! Yuri-!" He barged into the room.

"AAH!" Nikita fell off the edge of his bed in a compromising position. The mink's left hand was holding a large photo of a nude and seductively posing golden vixen while his right hand firmly grasped his erection. The silver fox loosened up realizing the situation. "Don't tell Del!" Nikita's pants were bunched down at his ankles as the mink haphazardly sat up.

"Oh gods." Baiju groaned to himself wiping a hand over his face. "Does shame not exist in your head?"

"Try knocking next time! Door handles were invented for a reason." The white mink stood up and fastened his belt with jittery hands. "Sheesh. Why did you bust down the door anyway?"

"I heard moaning outside of the door." Baiju replied causing the mink to guiltily frown.

"Why did you stop by then?" He changed the subject as the bulge in his pants died down.

"I came by to ask Yuri something before I left base. Not to bother your recreations." Baiju eyed the lewd photo on the floor before it was quickly snatched up and tucked under the mattress where dozens of other photos were hidden.

"Wait. You're heading out of base to somewhere else?"

"Yeah for about a week at a ball or something with Marion in an hour."

"A ball with Marion! You really do like her." The mink slyly replied.

"No! Tomic kind of ordered us to attend it, and I've never actually been to one before. Although I know it deals with dressing up fancy."

"My friend," Nikita approached the fox with his sly grin, "the ball is where the finest furs go to have fun and socialize on the grandest of scales, and you were invited with a stunning vixen."

"What's the purpose in all that?"

"Two words: pussy, everywhere." The mink answered seriously. "And I'm not just talking about gorgeous felines."

"Nikita, this is a ball hosted by the Marquess, not some stupid party for everyone to get stoned at."

"Wow, the Marquess! You've caught every female's eye at this point."

"The Marquess is a guy." Baiju reminded his counterpart with a huff.

"A guy who is married." Nikita held up a finger before dashing back to his mattress to fish out a photo. "See, his wife is the most stunning snow leopard on this side of our solar system." The mink readily brought back a photo of the lushly furred feline in clothes, but giving a seductive pose to the viewer.

"I'm not here to stare at pictures all day like you." He raised his hand to lower the photo. "I need to know what happens at a ball so I can be ready for it."

"I already told you." The mink cradled the picture like a dance partner. "It's a big social thing full of talking, dancing, luxury housing, and fine foods. In other words, no fighting."

"That's quite a bit to consider. Thanks for the inside details." The silver fox thought over the situation in a new light.

"Such perfect melons!" Nikita hugged the picture a little too warmly.

"Alright. Thanks again Nikita." He nodded and turned away.

"Hey! You owe me big for barging in like that!" He exclaimed as the vulpine was setting to leave.

"Like what?" He turned back seeing a goofy imaginative smile envelop the mink's muzzle.

"Uh." His ears went back. "Something of Marion's that you can get." He fidgeted in place. Baiju didn't want to know in the slightest of what his friend was thinking.

"Fine. Here's my room key." The silver fox searched through his pocket and tossed the small key over. "Please make sure that nothing is out of place when we do come back." The mink nearly fainted clutching the key to his chest as the door shut.

"Ready to go?" Marion wore an excited smile seeing Baiju exit the base hopping down a pair of stone steps.

"As much as I'll ever be." He mustered a grin and followed her down to a military jeep waiting for them. The vehicle started as they sat down with their bags already loaded on the back.

"I don't think you've even been into town by base."

"Never had the time." Baiju leaned back enjoying the wind on his face as the jeep flew down the road. Buildings were quickly passed to the right as they rode along the outskirts to the airport.

"Now you do have the time to enjoy everything outside of base that isn't about combat." Baiju found it hard to believe, but such a scenario was folding out before him. He wondered what the others would think when they found out the details. Plenty of cars and people soon entered his sights as the driver made a right turn towards the medium sized airport. It was a very busy site to see for Baiju, and one that wasn't entirely welcoming to the solitary fox. Before he knew it, he was standing by the jeep with his bag in hand next to Marion. "Thanks for the ride!" Marion waved back at whoever had the mundane task of driving the pair into town.

'Don't leave me...' Baiju frowned and watched the jeep pull away.

"Alright! Let's check in so we don't miss the flight." Marion tugged her partner along the busy sidewalk and through a pair of double doors. The terminal was busier and much louder than the sidewalks outside. Luckily for Baiju, Marion handled all of the talking and weaving through groups of chattering travelers, most whom were too busy staring at handheld devices rather than watch where they were going.

'I need earplugs just to think!' He flattened his ears in an attempt to block out some of the noise. Marion didn't seem to have any trouble with the extra noise, and hardly batted an ear to it. The social vixen eventually brought him to a funny contraption where she set her bag on it. He stared at the rotating beltway where luggage disappeared behind a portal of rubber tendrils. 'I wonder where it all goes-'

"Put your luggage on the belt." Marion nudged her partner's distracted side.

"I know, I know." He quickly slung the bag down where it was carried away. Another tug had him in tow behind the vixen once again, but this time she led him to a bench and promptly sat down. "Why are you sitting down?" Baiju couldn't make sense of the fast paced movement, only to calmly rest. It felt like an extended session of training in the gym.

"We have to wait for our flight to be called." She pointed up at a large screen above them with a long list of names, departure times, and other pending information. Down towards the bottom their flight was listed to Richtersburg as RTA 298.

"Have you flown before? You know a lot more about it than I do." He sat down beside her.

"When you've traveled a good part of your teenage life it just becomes second nature." Marion shrugged.

"This feels... Too fast for me." Baiju wearily looked around the wide spaces wishing that there was an escape route for him to take.

"It's not a honeymoon." Marion grinned sounding like Roger. The grumpy fox leaned back and closed his eyes only to be jolted awake as Marion pulled him up. "Don't fall asleep, they just called our flight." The vixen nearly dragged her partner to the gate where others were already lining up. Attendants quickly appeared to allow them in.

"Stop pulling my arm off." He growled.

"Oh come on, show some enthusiasm!" She cheerily held his hand as they boarded onto the plane.

"Calm down, there are people around us." He said through clenched teeth as a few heads turned watching them. The people were dressed fairly exquisitely and the plane was far from being plain. Expensive booths with leather seats were lined in half walled of sections where attendants catered to every whim given. 'This is a fancy aero plane.' Baiju stared at every feature, even the fine carpet beneath his shoes. It reminded him of what a fine restaurant would look like.

"Hello and welcome aboard flight RTA 298. May I see your flight tickets please?" A short red panda flight attendant introduced herself. They showed her the ticket numbers. "Follow me please." She led them up the wide isle where most of the other passengers were already seated.

"Just try lightening up a little." Marion whispered to him.

"You're making that hard to do." The red panda led them to a private booth and table with plenty of room by itself and space away from other passengers.

"Thank you." They sat facing each other.

"Do not hesitate to ask for something. Enjoy your flight." She curtly turned and walked away.

'Enjoy.' Baiju mocked the voice internally and looked across his seat at Marion. How could he enjoy anything with her? The fox scanned the area noticing plenty of other opulent fliers aboard. 'I wonder how rich they are.' He looked over at a samoyed and his badger wife enjoying a glass of wine while talking softly to each other. They were practically dressed like a duke and duchess. There was probably a good chance that they were royalty by taking this flight.

"Just imagine both of us having to work on a busy flight every day." Marion intently watched everyone. A few young female attendants walked by their booth catering to the beck and call of every passenger.

'At least it's Marion and not Nikita ogling females.' He thought relaxing in his seat.

"Attention everybody. We will be taking off shortly to Lux Aeterna. Thank you for flying Reaqua Transcontinental." A speaker quietly broadcasted above them.

"I love the booths. This is probably the softest leather I've touched." She ran a hand over the extra space beside her and leaned back

"Yeah they're nice I guess." He looked at the luxurious material and remained rigid. Everything was "nice" by his standards right down to the elaborately patterned napkins. Then again, riding first class in a high class plane, things like that should be expected.

"Stop acting so stiff and try enjoying yourself." She practically begged him to loosen up.

"I am relaxed." He retorted flicking his tail.

"Well... If you can't relax, then at least I can." Marion kicked her shoes off and rested her feet beside his leg, almost laying on him. It was too close for the normally solitary fox.

"Excuse you." He smirked pushing her feet away.

"You'll get brownie points if you massage one." She grinned setting a warm socked heel on his lap. "Even more for two." The other leaned against his leg.

"No thanks." He kindly moved her feet aside despite a protesting whine.

"I'll scream if you don't." A gleam in her eye made the silver fox go rigid. She knew how much Baiju hated having a ton of attention directed at him where he already was uncomfortable.

"What? We're on a high class plane Marion." He watched as the vixen held up a hand with her fingers up before counting down. "What's gotten into you?!" His teeth clenched and ears folded as she inhaled reaching one finger. He caved in to her bluff. Baiju instantly grabbed her right foot and returned it to his lap. Marion smiled releasing her breath feeling his thumb press and start rolling over her sole. "Fine. For one minute." He grumbled working over the bottom.

"Ah, ah." She teased sticking the tip of her tongue out.

"What now? A pedicure?" He bit back a growl.

"You have to take the sock off first." She wiggled her four toes in his hand. Baiju rolled his eyes but yielded hooking a finger under the wool cuff. He pulled the sock off and set it aside, away from curious eyes, revealing the vixen's black furred and soled foot. His hand quickly returned to the naked padding and worked over the entire bottom. At least the vixen's black foot pad was supple and warm for him. "Ooh, that's the spot." She cooed. "Thanks a ton Baiju."

"You're welcome." He tersely replied leaning his free elbow on the tabletop.

"You should order something nice. This is a rare thing even for you, besides, we can't eat heavy riding down the roads." She picked up one of the two lunch menus on the table between them.

"Alright I'll pick something." He opened the menu while continuing to rub her foot with his other hand. The names of each food looked hard to pronounce, but the prices made Baiju wonder how Tomic would be able to cover all of the expenses. He did his best to hide the vixen's foot in his lap when Marion flagged down a waiter. The vixen simply ordered a house salad, which was dubbed the 'plane salad', and Baiju picked a funny named soup to try. Both orders were out and served in a couple of minutes. 'At least Marion is happy while eating.' Baiju grinned finishing the small bowl quickly.

"How did the soup taste?" Marion churred, halfway through with her salad.

"It didn't taste bad." He admitted setting the spoon down. "Those leaves can't make your smile that big, can they?" The fox found small talk odd, especially since he was massaging the person he was talking to.

"No," her heart melted feeling him rubbing her in step, "it's mostly from your hand." Baiju pursed his lip and looked away, but didn't cease the tender ministration. 'A foot massage courtesy of Baiju while I eat... Heaven!' The vixen murred as he went over a tender spot.

"Please be quiet." The flustered fox worked over her curling toes. Baiju could hardly believe why he was being so nice to her so suddenly despite the claws poking his hand.

"Sorry!" She couldn't help it and bit a claw, causing his ears to shyly pin back. Her partner's thumb felt amazing in its sensual motions. Marion set the plate aside and closed her eyes for a nap. Baiju didn't take notice until her foot started slipping from his grip and leaning onto his leg.

"Marion-" He looked up only to find her head tucked down asleep. Baiju didn't stop the massage but earnestly continued pleasing her right foot. She actually looked sweet just sleeping in front of him wearing that pleasant grin, besides, the vixen wasn't annoying him like earlier. He looked over at her other foot that was still socked beside him while endlessly rubbing the other. 'I might as well...' He carefully moved the lone foot and set in in his lap beside the other. 'But why am I being so kind to her?' He asked himself without an answer. The sock was pulled off and set aside before his thumbs ran over both warm soles tenderly.

***

Marion woke up feeling her now socked feet being set down under the table.

"You picked a good time to wake up. We're landing in a few minutes." Baiju sat back and folded his arms. Marion yawned in an elegant stretch before sitting up properly.

"I was out cold." She smiled slipping her shoes back on.

"You're welcome." Baiju growled under his breath. Flight attendants rallied preparing to land as speakers. Other passengers gradually readied themselves as the plane taxied to a stop.

"Let's go!" She pulled him out of the booth and made haste for the exit as soon as an announcement permitted them to do so. Others looked on with amusement at the pair.

"We hope you enjoyed the flight!" The two attendants allowed them through the door. Marion pulled Baiju along using her vice grip hold on his hand.

"We're in the big city now." Marion led her partner into the terminal that was much larger than the one near base. The smell of cheap food uncomfortably hit Baiju's nose.

"I thought Lux Aeterna was a little town." He remarked at all the people seemingly wandering without direction.

"We're in Richtersburg. Tomic paid for a ride from here to the Marquess's estate."

"I'm glad you know what's going on." He looked around the busy place in quick stride.

"Don't worry it's only a short ten mile drive to town, and I know plenty of places to shop at before we leave."

"We're not shopping." Baiju stated.

"Oh what's an hour or two to you away from base?"

'She's twice as talkative and more active than usual.' He followed her ahead of the other passengers to retrieve their luggage. Marion even walked as if there were springs in her shoes.

"My soles feel great!" Marion bumped his side as if to read her partner's mind.

"Whatever keeps you from screaming." His tail batted her side in return causing her to chuckle.

"I appreciate it." Her hand unexpectedly held his. "Thank you."

"Please do not mention it." His ears folded in embarrassment, although her kind words made him feel oddly proud. The vixen zipped her lips cutely and didn't say anything more. The duo checked out their luggage and made their way into a large lobby to a small desk. "Auto Rentals" was visible on the desk in big blue letters.

"How may I help you?" The tigress inquired with a friendly smile.

"Yes, we have a rental under Tomic Masaryk. I'm Marion and this is Baiju." The vixen turned to the silver counterpart.

"Ah, we will have your car ready in a minute." She nodded and typed something down. "Please wait wherever you like." Her hand motioned around the large lobby.

"So far this is pretty boring." Baiju slumped into a cushioned bench beside Marion and watched other travelers quickly making their ways around the airport.

"We're not even there yet." She chided him. They still had to drive a few miles to Lux Aeterna.

"That's the problem. We're here, not there, not back at base either." He complained placing his chin in his hands.

"What would you do back at base? Punch and kick the wall a few times like you do every day. It's time for you to enjoy something different."

"Isn't being with you different enough?"

"You enjoy being with me." Marion elbowed his side lightly. Baiju pushed her arm back but stopped the child's play seeing a skunk dressed in an expensive suit approached them.

"Your ride is ready." The dark furred male nodded to both of them

"It's about time." Baiju muttered only far an elbow to hit his side. "Oof! Hey!"

"Hush!" She stood up.

"Right this way." He led the foxes outside where plenty of other people were hurrying in every direction. Rows of cars could be seen in the parking lot, and Baiju guessed that they were using the cheap one down the sidewalk. However, the attendant brought them to a much nicer vehicle parked in the front.

"A limo?" Baiju's brow raised in surprise as Marion tugged him along. The skunk opened the door for them and the two foxes piled in. "This is a big car." Baiju looked around the two long rows of seats all to themselves.

"Of course it is." She patted the seat adjacent to her from the corner. "Now take a seat." Baiju shuffled across the car and sat up straight. The car started, but crawled through the busy area.

"It'll take the driver ten minutes just to navigate his way out of this trap." He glanced at the tinted windows where traffic was congested from mismanaged parking.

"I meant it when I said to enjoy yourself and relax."

"Ok. I promise to enjoy myself and relax, but don't put your feet in my lap." He eyed her shifting legs. Marion couldn't help but chuckle as she nodded, choosing to cross them instead. The silver fox leaned back and spread his arms above the seats in a casual manner. Quietness, other than the car's engine, ensued as they reached a main road heading south. He looked over at his partner finding the silence odd without one of them talking. "So... What exactly do you work on as a cybernetics person?" He asked Marion who was currently enamored with the luxurious car.

"Oh there's a lot I would work with. Prosthetics, artificial intelligence, you name it. The whole thing is kind of like working with an engineer as a biologist. You know what inorganic and organic compounds work well together, and everything goes from there."

"What did you do for fun then?"

"There was plenty of studying but if I could find the time I would go out to eat or read. I've been busy ever since but there's a lot of things I would like to do; learn to paint, build sand castles, cook nightly, hike... It just depends where my field takes me." She fantasizes the scenarios in her head.

"You'll have to find a lot of time to fit all of that in." He grinned.

"What do you do in your spare time Baiju?" She returned the question to him. The fox suddenly felt embarrassed that he never did anything else except train.

"Being a soldier is a constant job." He softly spoke and looked away.

"I don't doubt that, but what do you like to do outside of being the perfect soldier?" Baiju had to think hard about that one.

"I like reading statistics on weapons and some military history." He find it awkward to say. The fox didn't do anything or aspire for much compared to his partner.

"Don't forget to add protecting me on that list." She giggled and tapped his leg with her shoe.

"Now that's a full time job." He grinned looking out the window as they passed a town. The vehicle slowed pulling into a gated driveway. Tires bumped over a small stone bridge that crossed a stream before proceeding uphill. "Guess we made it." Baiju noted that their ride was over. The door to Baiju's left opened and the two foxes eagerly exited the vehicle, bags in hand, but were unprepared for the grand sight before them. Two fennec shaped fountains on either side of the tiled walkway greeted them with bubbling spouts of water, but it was the Marquess's residence that had their wholesome attention.

"Welcome to the Marquess's mansion." The skunk turned to the massive building. A tall front that was only wider along the sides stood proudly before them. Countless windows and fine architecture could've matched the military's budget for a year.

"Mansion?" Baiju's eyes widened skeptically. "You could fit a few mansions inside this fancy fortress." They took a few steps up the walkway.

"Enjoy the view of the front garden if you like before checking in. Have a memorable visit." The skunk gave a proper salute before returning to the car.

"I like that guy." Baiju walked with Marion as she gazed at every notable feature. "He didn't give us any stupid questions."

"Everything is so beautiful!" Marion clutched her partner's hand tightly.

"Mmhm." He looked at their joined hands.

"See the lilacs right there? And the peonies over there?" She pointed with her nose and inhaled each fragrance hungrily. "Base is never like this!"

'How is the inside going to look?' He wondered as they slowly made their way to the entrance. The Corinthian columns beside them hinted at richness within as they opened the front door. Baiju could only equate the room to a lobby, but the first room was not a lobby by any sense. The whole area had a deep red as its main color expressed through rosy masterpiece paintings, red tapestries, and cherry wood flooring. 'This is just ridiculous.' They approached an attendant was reading a book behind a podium.

"Hello I'm Marion and this is Baiju." She introduced themselves, and at least her partner was smiling this time. "We're here on invitation from the Marquess."

"Yes, we've been expecting you two." He chirped making a note on a small booklet. "Ah, I'll lead the way to your room." The short feline hopped down from the small desk. The hall was short, but with only four doors that were spaced far apart. A final door was at the end leading further into the elaborate complex.

"Which one is ours?" Baiju asked passing by the first pair.

"It's further inside." He replied passing by the second set of doors. Baiju couldn't help but stare at one. The simple fixture looked more expensive than most rifles he had read up on and used in combat. The feline led them through the back door where the vulpine duo were surprised by a large courtyard in the center of the mansion's complex.

"Wow." Marion looked around the immaculate area. "This is a mini paradise!" Baiju couldn't even disagree. Statues, fountains, and lush gardens of any plant variety decorated the large space. Mosaics were generously added to whatever space seemed too dull if that was possible. They were led up a brick set of stairs to the second level overlooking the courtyard.

"This room right here is yours." The cat stopped and pointed to the door. "One floor below is a swimming pool, nude or clothed if you so desire. A pamphlet should be on your nightstand, and if there are any questions we have an intercom by the small desk. I hope you two enjoy your stay." He bade them farewell before walking back down to the courtyard. The foxes looked at the entrance half expecting a red carpet to lead them inside. The archway for the door was even elaborate with intricate designs and patterns matching the rest of the wall.

"Okay, this might be too much." Baiju grabbed the door handle in the shape of a fox's tail curled downward and opened it.

"Oh wow!" Marion walked inside as if on a cloud.

"They certainly know how to make a room luxurious." He observed the beautiful space. The curtains looked to be made of fine shimmering golden satin as they guarded the bay view window. Carpet beneath their feet was wonderful even with their shoes on, and the tops of the walls had a hand painted design resembling ocean waves. A marble topped table against one wall caught Baiju's attention simply because of how expensive it looked. A tiled bathroom was separated from the rest of the space with a beautiful curtain of its own. For a one room place to stay, it had to be the best one room.

"Wow! A king sized bed!" Marion exclaimed tossing her oversized bag to the wall.

"Uh. Problem."

"What are you talking about? The beds back at the base are barely full sized, and half as soft." The vixen felt the covers and pillows. Exquisite satin made her palms tingle.

"Obviously there is only one bed for the two of us." He pointed out. Her tail drooped at the realization. That bad news certainly could've dampened their whole stay.

"Let's worry about that later, and try to get settled in." Marion picked up a gold trimmed pamphlet on the nightstand.

'It's only two nights.' Baiju chose not to vocally complain and moved their bags to the bed and opened both. Marion read over the information while Baiju put away their clothes. "So what do you want to do?" Baiju closed both drawers.

"We have the rest of the evening till tomorrow afternoon to do whatever we want before the ball, and I suggest we do some relaxing. Or at least look around this beautiful place." She gazed around the opulent room.

"Relaxing?" The word was unheard of to the busy fox.

"Hey if you don't want to do anything else today, we will need to dance together for the ball. That's the whole point of a ball, and we don't want the military to look bad."

"It's just dancing." He muttered standing up. "Fine. What do we have to dance to?"

"It's called 'Dance of the Knights' composed and written by... Valery?" She squinted, unable to read the faded letters of both names.

"How noble." Baiju humored himself stretching his legs and arms. "How's it go?"

"You're lucky that I know how to dance." She set the pamphlet aside and approached him.

"And not fight?" He couldn't help but poke fun at her.

"That's your job." She grinned standing in front of him.

"Do I have to do anything embarrassing?"

"No. You place your hand on my waist here." She set his hand properly before grasping the other one. "And we hold hands here about shoulder height." She demonstrated.

"Does it matter that I'm two inches taller than you?"

"Nope. Just watch your footsteps." She started leading him in a basic motion around the room. Baiju found it odd at first, especially due to the close proximity, but shrugged it off as they went around the room.

"It's just like fighting positions." He stated with an excited grin.

"Do you always have to compare something to fighting?" She chuckled continuing the step by step motions with him. Back and forth, the slow revolving turns danced across the carpet in smooth strokes. "Oh I forgot to mention. You have to bow and I have to courtesy." She showed him.

"Any reason why?"

"Think of it as the equivalent of the salute in the military."

"Let's go another round." Baiju bowed. "That wasn't as boring as I thought it would be."

"It's about time you enjoy something outside of base." She courtesies and approached him. Both froze hearing a knock at the door. "Who's there?"

"Dinner to be served." A voice answered. Baiju immediately wondered what their cafeteria would look like.

"Ok! Let's go down and-" Marion was cut off as the door opened where a raccoon and snow leopard in tuxedos wheeled in a large cart carrying freshly cooked food. The foxes watched in half stupor as the servants set the table and served them a lavish meal, a bottle a piece of red and white wine included. "Oh my." Marion managed to say something as corks were popped and glasses filled.

"Enjoy your dinner." The raccoon bowed as the snow leopard lit a scented candle. "If you need anything at all, do not hesitate to call." His ringed tail flicked before the cart was wheeled away.

"Just give us a call on the intercom and we will collect the dishes." The snow leopard reminded them. Baiju watched the door close quietly before staring at the spread before him once more.

"Damn." He approached a seat and sat down across from his partner.

"Cheers." Marion held up her glass.

"Cheers." They clinked before a sip was given.

"Oh that was smooth and sweet." She licked her lips.

"You haven't even eaten yet." He grinned looking at the spread before them. There was freshly made bread in a basket with butter and cream cheese, a main plate of blackened salmon topped with parsley and a side of bread crumb encrusted vegetables with steamed rice, a small salad to his left, and for desert a parfait to his right. There was even a tray of sauces for them to share!

"Yet." The vixen commented as she dug in. Smacking lips and the clinking of fine silverware became the method of conversation with an occasional hum as taste buds were divinely treated. Not a single treat displeased either as their vulpine stomachs consumed and consumed. They called someone on the intercom when they finished and in no less than three minutes a group of attendants came by, gathered every dish and utensil, and wheeled a full cart of dishes away.

"If that wasn't professional." Baiju smiled picking his teeth. "Then there is no hope for me to become the best soldier."

"Gods I feel pregnant." Marion scooted her chair back and stood up with a full stomach.

"I don't see any buttons popping." he chuckled, "but that was great." Marion failed to cover her muzzle as a burp escaped her lips. "I'll take that as an agreement."

"Excuse me." She shyly stated and stood up before making her way to the bay window where the sun was setting. Baiju took little notice and swept a few breadcrumbs from his lap.

"I doubt Tomic and the others on base had a great meal like this tonight, right Marion?" The vixen didn't reply. He looked over at Marion and found the vixen smiling back at him through the sunset's light. "What?" He blinked. The setting sun casted Marion's fur in a glowing golden orange making the vulpine appear like an angel.

"Nothing." She stared at him with that oddly affectionate smile.

"The only people who stare at me that long are usually dead." Baiju stood and walked up beside her.

"I'm very much alive." She winked and turned around. "It's like we own a little kingdom." Marion looked out the bay view window to town, taking in the whole scene. Her tail swayed gently side to side next to his still one.

"It is scenic." Baiju agreed staying by her side through the moment.

"I hate to sleep on a full stomach, but tonight will be the exception." She walked to the dresser and fished out some clothes for the night. Marion changed into what Baiju equated as a t-shirt and underwear before diving into the bed. The over zealous vixen rolled around for a minute making herself comfortable before going limp. "This is nice." She sighed merrily as Baiju stripped down to boxers and an undershirt. The vixen shifted under the covers making herself even more comfortable in the satiny, pillow soft sheets. The silver fox approached the bed but instead knelt on the cool floor before laying down. Rolling above made his ears flicker. "What are you doing?" Marion asked peering over the edge.

"Going to sleep." He replied nonchalantly.

"On the floor without anything?"

"Well there's only one bed and I don't want you to kick me out of it during the night... Besides, I have clothes. That counts as something."

"We're not in Djungaria anymore Baiju." She said only for him to reply with silence.

"I'd rather just... be alone in bed Marion. It's nothing personal." He turned away to face under the ruffled mattress covers.

"Oh come on soldier fox, I'll feel guilty with all this empty space to myself." The vixen paused to rub her chin. "We've been sleeping in the same room only a few feet from each other, not to mention when the whole group was in the jungle." The silver fox bit his lip thinking the offer over.

"Are you sure?" His eyebrows raised in question up at her. She was definitely more accommodating than him, but sharing a bed together? "I mean, you're a female and-"

"So you would be more comfortable sleeping with a guy in the same bed?" She challenged him with a smirk. Baiju frowned with his ears back until her hand lowered down to him.

"I don't know." He reached up and carefully took her hand. The vixen's palm was warmer and softer than his own helping to ease his uncertainty. Her bright eyes even shined down to him like beacons.

"Well?" She asked sweetly. "Do I have to pick you up?"

"No, I'll move." He hastily sat up still holding her hand. Marion pulled the covers back as he joined her. He gave her hand a soft squeeze before letting go and sliding under the covers making himself comfortable. The pillow practically cradled his head as he rested on it.

"Now tell me that this is better than the floor." The vixen asked with an evident smile on her black lined lips.

"I don't know Marion. You're right... There."

"Just pretend I'm Tomic or something." She suggested with an unseen grin.

"Ok Tomic, why are you sleeping in bed with me? This sounds like a scandal."

"To make sure you train in your sleep." Marion replied trying to imitate the wolf's voice. Both laughed quietly, finding themselves smiling. Baiju snuggled more comfortably into the covers and closed his eyes. "Remember I'll be right here, so don't roll over." The vixen reminded him.

"Don't remind me." He chuckled to himself hearing a half annoyed sigh behind him in response.

"See? We had a fun day together." Marion rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, we had a good day." He admitted.

"And we have a whole day ahead of us tomorrow." She hummed causing her partner to grin.

"Goodnight Marion." He replied happily enjoying the high class bed.

"Goodnight Baiju." Covers shuffled as the vixen made herself comfortable.

'These covers are heavy!' Baiju grumbled in his thoughts feeling himself waking up. They felt like weights holding him down. Eyes opened slowly looking down only to find the satiny sheets by his ankles, but a black and orange furred arm around his torso immediately caught his attention in the dim predawn light. 'Marion.' He grumbled in his thoughts. 'What a heavy sleeper.' He sighed closing his eyes again, not yet wanting to get up and complain to her about it. The vulpine snuggled his head back into the pillow only for something to bump into his neck. With an annoyed look, Baiju turned his head to see what she was doing. 'I swear if she thinks it's a funny joke to push me out of bed-' The silver fox paused seeing her gently breathing with closed eyes, actually asleep. Marion's nose was buried into his neck fur creating a little hot spot whenever she exhaled. The fox rested his head as it was before, unsure of what to do. Marion's arm suddenly tightened around his midsection interrupting his thoughts.

The vixen grumbled something in deep sleep and held him closely. He didn't want to wake her. 'What do I do?' Baiju wearily thought as sleep slowly crept back to him. He was surprised to feel how warm her front was from being under the lush covers all night. The extra body heat actually felt nice and comforting to have. 'I'll tell her later.' The silver fox decided on sleeping in for a change.

Baiju woke up on his side, but this time found himself alone in bed.

"Marion?" He called out and didn't receive a reply. 'Well she's hopefully dressed.' Baiju noted the vixen's sleepwear lying crumpled by the bed. The door suddenly opened and Marion entered wearing a blue skirt with a white top. The smile on her muzzle was contagious as a small grin spread to her partner's lips.

"Good morning Baiju! I got breakfast for you. It's a plain bagel with eggs, and I know you'll like that."

"Oh. Um thanks Marion." He sat up as she handed him the small plate. "When did you wake up? You were out cold earlier." The welcoming smell made his stomach grumble hungrily.

"When did I wake up?" She cutely retorted. "You were lightly snoring when I slipped out of bed.

"Hey! When I first woke up you were holding me in your sleep." Baiju remembered the vice grip he had found himself in.

"Oh, that." Marion's fingers fidgeted as her ears pinned back. "You're really comfy."

"Huh?" His head cocked to the side.

"Don't let your breakfast get cold." She quickly changed the subject and handed him a fork. The fox found the taste to his liking.

'This is great!' The eggs alone were better than most breakfasts he had on base. "Not bad." His tail wagged briefly.

"I ordered a rental tux for you to dance in while I was out, and one of the servants will pick it up and deliver it to our room."

"Why would I need a tuxedo?" He asked before taking another bite.

"Well Mr. Perfect, you can't fight during a dance and besides, it will look nice on you." She explained with a flick of her tail. Baiju shrugged with a full mouth. He would wear it as long as it didn't look goofy.

"I'm going down to swim in the pool, do you want to come with me?"

"I haven't gotten out of bed yet." He looked at the pillow beside his lap.

"I'll wait for you." She smiled expectantly. Baiju flipped the idea around in his head for a moment.

"I think I'll pass this time. Maybe tomorrow?" He offered with a hopeful look. The vixen nodded at the idea.

"Suit yourself. I'll be downstairs swimming for the next hour, so stop by if you change your mind." She exited their room with graceful steps.

"Ok I'll see you later." Baiju finished eating wearing a content grin after the door shut. The silver fox dressed himself in his typical uniform without missing a button. A quick pat over ensured there were no wrinkles. He walked over to the bay view window where the small town lied nestled across the stream reminding him of a jigsaw puzzle a nurse on base worked on. "Let's see... The ball will be quick dancing, eating, and talking. Hmm. I'll have to think about the talking part but other than that I'm fine." He walked over to the bay view window where Marion had already opened the large panels. A warm breeze ruffled his cheek fur and made his brown eyes blink. 'It is nice outside.' He stretched and took a deep breath of fresh air. It was a good idea to swim under such perfect weather, and maybe the next morning would be blessed with the same sun. Sweetened fragrances from the flowery gardens nearby filled his olfactory making the smile on his lips brighten. "I guess I could look around the fancy mansion while I'm here." He wiggled his nose before heading out the luxury bedroom. A cooler shade greeted him along with the sounds of running fountains and birds that dwelt within the courtyard.

Sunlight painted the opposing wall of the Marquees's estate as he walked down the brick steps. Baiju quietly observed the courtyard while taking slow steps. There were a few fountains serenely decorated with marble and beautiful plants that caught his attention. "Damn... They're handmade." He scratched an ear wondering what wasn't expensive in the entire complex. An ear pivoted as a splash caught his attention. Eyes locked in on the source towards an open area along the edge of the courtyard, but below the rooms. 'That's the pool where Marion is swimming.' He noticed their room was directly above it. With nothing else to do, Baiju shrugged and decided to visit. The splashing noises became louder as he caught sight of the vixen in the water. Something changed when he saw her. Baiju's pulse increased and his eyes dilated. A few more steps and his muscles tensed. Breathing soon quickened as well. Feeling the onrush, Baiju partially hid behind the curved doorway and watched the vixen swim in her bare fur.

'She's naked like those women in Kalahari Safari!' The fox silently watched the vixen swim at her own leisure, unable to look away. Baiju expected her to bring a bathing suit but nothing indicated that she had brought one. His heart quickened watching her swim gracefully with each stroke, making an otter look sluggish in the water. 'Pulchritudinous.' His jaw cracked open as she slowed to float on her back. The water calmed finally and rippled along her exposed breasts, belly, legs, and tucked tail. She floated serenely before unceremoniously deciding that it was time to get out. Marion leisurely swam to the shallow steps at the far end and stepped out. Water dripped sweeter than molasses off her voluptuous figure in tiny rivulets. Baiju never found her form attractive, but for some divine reason his eyes craved her suddenly discovered beauty. It was very different from when they met, when she trained with him, when was naked in the jungle, and even last night. Marion shook her body scattering hundreds of droplets and ruffling her wet fur. Her hands smoothed over her vulpine curves to squeeze out any excess water.

"It's so perfect here," she hummed merrily choosing to dry in a lounge chair rather than use a provided towel, "and I have Baiju all to myself." Baiju clamped his muzzle shut with a hand to stop a vocal gasp. The silver fox whipped around the corner and pressed his back against the stone wall as if he were under fire. His heart thundered while his claws clutched the wall, brain abuzz in thought processing.

'No.' He swallowed. The kindness he had shown her progressively over the past weeks all suddenly made sense. 'Oh gods... I love her!' Baiju closed his eyes and shook his head, but he couldn't stop himself from shaking at the realization. Claws scraped against the wall before he bolted for the stairs and back to their room. The door slammed shut as he braced himself against its frame. His heart pounded with excitement and anxiety all at once! An hour passed before he found the will power to detach from the wall and think clearly. "Oh man..." The soldier felt like he had just jumped out of a plane without a parachute, and there was no going back. "This isn't happening." He told himself and took a seat on the bed's edge. The soldier had never felt this way before, and it terrified him. His palms turned clammy and his stomach fluttered uncontrollably. A round of push ups and sit ups only curbed the symptoms when he returned to the bed finding himself speechless. His body straightened immediately hearing the door open. Marion entered wearing her usual sweet smile. "Hey, enjoy your swim?" He remained cool.

"Yes! But you should've come with me though." She wryly smiled. "The water was perfect and the breezes were just enough to rustle a hair. "Did you do anything fun while I was gone?"

"No-no not at all." He stood up and looked away as Marion approached the closet.

"That's a shame, but now the real show starts." Marion opened up the closet where the dress she chose to bring was hanging. It was a beautiful sapphire blue that looked as silky as it was expensive.

"We have three hours before it starts." Baiju checked the time.

"I'm a lady, and it takes time for every lady to properly dress, groom, and get prepared." She took off her shirt and skirt, leaving her body clad only in light pink undergarments. But those too were slipped off in front of Baiju's eyes revealing the snowy white that ran down her front from throat to inner thighs. The male swallowed seeing pink nipples blushing in the white fur looking back at him with partially visible areolae.

"Uh... Aren't you wearing something underneath?" He suddenly found it hard not to stare at her feminine body.

"It will be too hot like the jungle if I wear anything else. Now hold it open for me, please." The nude vixen handed him the blue dress. The hours of preparation passed faster than Baiju expected. A good deal of time was spent brushing her face, arms, ears, and tail followed by adjusting her dress numerous times. With the remaining time she returned the favor and dressed her increasingly silent partner. The thoughts of watching and listening to Marion while she swam made the fox feel uncomfortably giddy. "I'm glad that they delivered the tux on time." Marion straightened Baiju's bow tie. The fox bit his lip staring at her face so close to his. "You've been quiet lately. Are you feeling nervous?" The silver fox nodded. "You blast away terrorists at a glance, so I think you'll do fine." She mused before backing out in front of him. "How do I look?" The red vixen spun around in her dazzling dress. Little diamond earrings glinted from the lower parts of her ears.

"Stunning." He replied with a dry mouth.

"You must be in a good mood to compliment me so nicely." She smiled checking over herself with a keen eye. "Or is it my good body image?" Baiju's core melted hearing Marion sweetly chuckle.

'Gods...' He didn't know what to say as she checked the time.

"Ready?" She held out her hand. Baiju reached out and grasped her tightly feeling his heart leap.

"Mmhm." He nodded biting his lip. A few others were seen leaving their rooms and heading towards an open hallway across the courtyard. "I guess we should follow everyone else." Marion tugged Baiju along.

"Ok." He nervously kept up with her. Marion might have been wearing a nice dress, but she walked as if in uniform. Another distant room somewhere within the estate was having live music played that echoed into the giant courtyard. Baiju listened to a small music player rarely when Tomic had one playing, but most of the sounds irritated the fox's ears. But this music was enchanting. The sounds were beautiful and eloquent, very fitting for the flamboyant atmosphere he could hear from the courtyard. They hurried across and entered a wide hallway that led to an atrium of sorts which in turn revealed a large entryway in front of them.

"Welcome." Two cheerfully smiling attendants greeted them simultaneously. Marion returned the jovial greeting and Baiju merely nodded. They entered an elaborate ballroom that didn't fail to impress them despite having a grasp of how wealthy he was. A live band was playing soft classical music to the side on a stage dressed in fine clothes. A long table to eat at was already immaculately prepared and set for dinner time. Tapestries, statues, and all of the aforementioned fit perfectly under the gigantic glass dome above that solely lit the room by magnifying sunlight, and later moonlight.

"The Marquess really doesn't disappoint." Marion was awestruck with the scenery as they slowly walked into the ballroom.

"Goodness. Is that Commander Suxho next to the Marquess?" Baiju stopped to look at the high ranking red fox standing across the room.

"Who?" Marion asked peering at the red fox he was looking at.

"The most decorated member of the military! Commander Enver Suxho. He is one of the big three of the entire military." Nearby, other prominent members of the military were present. "See Kvix Lon over there? He led the Feather Brigade during the Konstadt Mutiny. Captain Steel and Axayactl are even here!" Baiju looked over to the white Siberian tiger and jaguar. "The Shah from the eastern embassy-"

"Calm down Baiju! You're acting like you've never seen people before." Marion dragged him over towards a relatively unoccupied spot by his ear.

"Tomic gave me plenty to read up on military maneuvers and personals from exceptional soldiers to highly ranked generals-"

"We're at a well known Marquis's ball, there are going to be well known people here." She calmly told him as a plainly dressed feline approached them with boisterous strides. His clothes appeared too plain for such an extravagant gathering for the military's elite and talented.

'He must be a booted relative...' Baiju guessed.

"Hello, I'm glad you two were able to arrive safely." The tall and husky feline smiled as an introduction.

"Hello. Um, who might you be? Marion cocked her head slightly.

"I'm the Marquess!" His booming voice remarked leaving the foxes speechless. "What? Don't I look like one?" He chuckled.

"Wow. You fooled me." Baiju scratched his neck making their host laugh.

"I don't intend to but my taste in clothes is very plain." He shrugged.

"Thank you for inviting us to your estate." Marion spoke up.

"No problem. I hope you liked your stay so far."

"It's beyond most of my dreams!" Marion was quick to respond. "The delivered meal, the rooms, it's a fantasy world."

"Wow, I'm happy to hear that." He grinned. "But have either of you been down in this southern region before?" Both shook their heads. "Well there's a nice apple orchard across the town that's great for couples like yourselves to enjoy a fine sunny afternoon with a picnic."

"We'll have to arrange another visit then." Marion smiled liking the idea.

'Did he say couple?!' Baiju's eyes widened. A beautiful snow leopard approached the group before slipping an arm around the Marquess.

"Baron LePage

"Enjoy the night!" He waved and followed his wife.

"He thinks we're a couple!" Baiju tugged Marion's sleeve feeling his jaw clench.

"Don't fret." Marion dismissed his worries." Let's look around at the statues and paintings." She hooked her arm around his own and led him slowly around the perimeter. He was afraid to leave her side, and simultaneously afraid to be too close. Looking at the artwork helped distract the conflicted fox, until he bumped into someone.

"Oh! I'm sorry-Commander Suxho!" Baiju recognized the highly decorated fox.

"Your the first to recognize me without my uniform." He sheepishly replied putting his hands into the blue coat pockets.

"Baiju does enjoy reading up on his superiors." Marion smiled at the silver fox.

"Oh, you're the Baiju I've heard about from Olisipo. You saved a little girl at gunpoint from a madman terrorist at gunpoint. Thank you for your service. You're an exalted soldier." Suxho praised the silver vulpine.

"My whole team deserves credit." He managed to say. "Roger, Nikita, Yuri, and Marion make it work."

"Don't decry yourself from the magnificent accomplishment you earned." The senior military member stated. "Now if you two don't mind me, I'm going to sample some red wine." His eyes sparkled at a table where an attendant stood, bottle in hand. "It was pleasant to meet you both." He shook their hands and strolled away. Baiju clutched his side and stared at the ground. All of the excitement and sudden stress he was experiencing had never been handled before.

"Are you alright Baiju?" Marion held his hand concerned. The fox closed his mouth but didn't deny the question.

"I'm-I'm." He was cut off by a sharp ringing as the Marquess tapped a glass.

"That was pretty loud." The cat chuckled setting the silverware down. "I hope everyone is ready for a good round of dancing to work up an appetite before dinner is served. It's one of my favorite songs, so do enjoy!" He cheered. Marion tugged her lovesick partner to the main dance floor. The band readied itself as the military pairs lined up. Baiju clutched Marion's side and hand waiting for the first note to play. Horns rang out as the band started the song that Baiju had already forgotten about in the pamphlet. The music was booming and loud as Marion led him properly alongside the other dancers. Her steps were powerful and in tune to the song leading Baiju across the dance floor. Others moved similarly graceful, but no one's motions caught his eyes than his partner's. The music gradually slowed and changed into a peaceful array of winds. Their steps matched giving Baiju enough time to fully take in the moment. She was barely a hand and wrist away from him. A knee or leg would occasionally brush against his own, arousing his nerves teasingly. Her brown eyes twinkled like the diamonds in her ears, and the smile below was relentlessly pleasing to see. His nose wiggled detecting a scent he had missed in their room.

"You smell nice." He complimented his partner as they slowly graced over the floor.

"Thank you. It's a perfume called Azione Sottile." He breathed in nervously as she pressed her body closer to his. The vixen's black socked arms went around his neck and upper back breaking their first position.

"M-Marion." He couldn't distance himself while dancing in front of everyone. His left hand went to her waist, unsure of where else to go.

"Sh, let's just dance." She rested her head on his shoulder while flawlessly moving her feet. The silver fox's heart thundered so hard he thought it might punch her. Baiju wanted to push her away on impulse, but his arms remained protectively around her. He really wanted her to be closer if such a thing was physically possible. The silver fox started feeling clammy and had trouble focusing on his movements. Marion was practically hugging him, causing his heart to beat fuzzily. He wanted the music to stop, and at the same time, he wanted it to go on forever. The unstoppable smile never ceased as the gentle music carried their steps farther than most explorers. Baiju hardly noticed when the band stopped playing until her feet halted. Marion's muzzle brushed over his own, whiskers teasing each individual short hair like electricity. She leaned back causing a spark ran up his spine when their noses briefly touched. Their eyes caught each other's gaze in an unbreakable bond. She stared at him longer than considered casual with dazzling brown eyes. Baiju's ears perked up noticing Marion's lips move, but he missed the words entirely.

"Hm?" It felt like a watermelon had been wedged inside his throat.

"They're setting up dinner." She nudged him with a hand, and he immediately followed her to where everyone was taking a seat at the long table. 'What the hell is this feeling?' He concentrated on its nauseating, yet lovely effects. As a gentleman and soldier should, Baiju pulled Marion's chair out and seated her before seating himself.

"Thank you." Her sweet smile melted his heart. Waiters and servers rolled carts of steaming food freshly cooked from the kitchen and around the long dining table. Blackened salmon, wine sauced chicken, and countless other dishes were delivered on moonlike fine china plates. Baiju's eyes missed the food as his mind tried to figure a solution to his feelings concerning Marion. His mind replayed the day's events over and over again only to leave himself more confused. "Baiju." Marion nudged the daydreaming fox out of his stupor. He looked around realizing everyone was staring at him.

"Uhh-" Baiju's mouth turned into sand.

"Tongue dry I suppose." Commander Suxho chuckled. Baiju felt his cheeks burn out of embarrassment.

"Catching flies is what I told you." A few chuckled. Baiju hung his head low for a moment and snapped his jaw shut. Marion rested her hand on his lap, unknowingly making it more difficult for the fox.

"You're too happy for those political stubs to bribe you." His wife mused as the topics of interest changed.

"They do say food is the fastest way to a male's heart." The Marquess took a bite of the filet mignon on his plate.

"In your case be sure to call a cardiologist." A friend jested and everyone laughed. Baiju blinked glancing at Marion before finding the stomach to take a bite of pasta. It was going to be a long night for the soldier.

***

The room's light flicked on as two figures entered just after midnight. "That was so much fun!" Marion spun in a circle before sitting in the bed and kicking her shoes off. "And I know I wasn't the only fox having fun."

"Yeah. It was great." He sighed, finding his voice once again.

"Now if you could give my feet a good rub then I'd know this whole trip was a dream." The joints in her toes cracked. Baiju started to kneel and offer a foot rub only to remember that he didn't particularly like rubbing the vixen's feet.

"I'm not going to fall for that one again." He turned and undid his bow tie. "Keep it together Baiju." He muttered under his breath, unable to wipe the smile from his muzzle.

"I wish that you would this time." Her brow furrowed as she felt over the sore marks from her shoes. "They hurt from dancing so much."

"They do?" He looked at the black furred feet with more empathy seeing toes scrunched uncomfortably.

"They're going to ache tomorrow." She set each heel on the ground and gruffly exhaled. Baiju bit his lip as she reclined to her elbows and tried flexing each for comfort. The vixen quickly shucked her dress and set it aside revealing her ruffled fur to him, but her silver friend was concerned about her well being than her voluptuous figure.

"I'll rub them if you want." He interrupted Marion from smoothing over her messy fur.

"Really?" Her ears perked up before shyly pinning back. "You don't have to." She held her breath as he bent over and lifted one leg straight out. The vixen's toes splayed happily as a thumb simply rubbed up and down.

"I don't want this to end the night for you on a bad note." He insisted causing her smile to broaden. Marion grabbed a pillow and lied down on her front while Baiju sat on the end.

"I guess I'll wake up back on base in the morning." She sighed and set her feet in his lap.

"Not likely. Now relax." Baiju rested both of his hands on her cold padded soles and rubbed. Marion sighed feeling her feet warm up and relax. The male continued tenderly petting them and gradually increased pressure focusing with his digits.

"Ooh!" Her head perked up as her foot curled. "Careful around the sore spots please." She relaxed before resting her head on the pillow once more.

"I will." He took extra care in cradling the foot. Marion's radiant smile returned feeling his thumbs gently rub circles into each foot.

"Right there. Oh that feels nice." She heartily cooed as he worked down to her toes. It felt like he was able to secretly love a part of her without the vulpine finding out. Baiju smiled proudly and took his time, wanting the vixen to enjoy every minute. Marion sounded like a purring cat under his loving ministrations; cooing and flexing a foot if he tuned a tender spot just right. Half an hour probably passed, but no one kept count of the time for a record. Neither really wanted the moment to end, but the late hour prompted them to sleep soon.

"There. All done." He said lightly petting both for another minute before Marion rolled over. The warm grin wouldn't leave her muzzle as she gracefully sat up beside him

"Thanks. They feel great now." She leaned over and nudged him with her shoulder. Her soles felt over the carpet as if they had been liberated. The fox kindly smiled but shrugged.

"As long as you're happy-" He was cut off by a pair of warm lips.

"You're too modest." She smiled undoing the contact, leaving her partner speechless. "But it's sweet." She went over and hung her dress back up in the closet before grabbing something to sleep in, tail swishing generously. Baiju staggered backwards to the dresser with a dopey smile plaguing his muzzle. His heart surged euphorically. He had a tough time not staring at her while she swapped shirts for the night. The silver fox had to turn around and close his eyes just to change and keep his gut from stirring. Marion crawled into bed and made herself comfortable. "Aren't you coming to bed?" She looked over at the idle fox through a yawn.

"Y-yeah in just a second." He took his time hanging up the tuxedo and turned off the lights before walking over to their bed where the sublime vixen was waiting for him. He lied down in the bed beside Marion, who gladly pressed her side against his. A hand found his and intertwined fingers with him. Baiju's arm reflexively jerked, startling himself more than his partner. "Don't start throwing punches in your sleep." She smiled rubbing her foot over his, which oddly comforted the jittery male. That was another odd thing that the feelings he had for the vixen could do; turn fear into calm.

"Shoot! Sorry about that." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She patted his shoulder. "So did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

"I think so." He gave a nervous chuckle, but nodded. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"You're a great dancer for learning one day ago."

"I have to thank you for the lessons. I thought dancing would be boring." He thought of the first steps they took yesterday for practice, and then back to their whole stay at the mansion so far. "I have to admit everything has been a lot of fun."

"The Marquess is a better host than I expected." She lifted their joined hands and rested them on her chest. "And he really knows how to arrange a ball."

"He has the perfect place to hold one. He must've had his weight in gold to afford that dome in the ballroom."

"Yeah." Marion chuckled as serene silence settled in. A strong breeze and a band of crickets could be heard outside despite the windows being closed. It was the perfect way to end the most exciting day of Baiju's life.

"Wanna call it a night?" She sighed closing her eyes.

"If we must... Goodnight." He whispered staring at the dark ceiling.

"Goodnight." Marion replied. Baiju gulped feeling her foot unceremoniously lay over him. The vixen's hand loosened its grip on him as she easily fell asleep. 'Is this what married couples do?' His heart pounded against his chest. The soldier could easily imagine a clock ticking in the room as the minutes eased by. The vixen rolled over at some point in the night, lying halfway over Baiju with her arm hugging his side. He shuddered but instantly wrapped his arms around her. The vixen's body was undeniably warm and comfortable as it brought a satisfied smile to his face. Her head unconsciously snuggled into his chest as he finally calmed down enough to fall asleep.

Baiju awoke to a rustling noise as his partner shifted in bed beside him, although the vixen was technically halfway on top of him already. Baiju feigned sleep as Marion arched her back in a sweet yawn. The silver fox didn't want to leave the comfortable position yet. The warm body on top of him and the cloud like mattress underneath gave the impression could last an eternity. Marion nuzzled against him and relaxed for another minute before making an effort at waking up. She had to crawl over him to get out of bed, and she took her time much to Baiju's delight. Her thinly clothes body brushed over his. Hardened nipples from the cooler air casually brushed over his front before she slipped out of the bed altogether. He watched her from a hidden eye, hoping that she wouldn't notice. That didn't seem to be a problem as the vixen stripped out of her sleepwear. Marion gave him quite an eyeful while bending over with her tail hiked up. Her youthful body was proudly shown off, not a single hair hidden. The vixen sashayed to the dresser for a change of clothes, but took her time to enjoy the morning in her bare fur. After a minute of sunning, underwear was quietly stepped into. The vixen didn't mind spreading her legs while doing so.

Marion appeared to savor the warm sun on her bare breasts before reluctantly picking up a plain white bra in one hand. Her free hand slowly went over a breast and lightly teased the pink fleshy nub at the center. She slowly cupped each into the garment before latching the strap. Baiju had to control his breathing. Marion then picked out a yellow shirt and quickly put it on. Her ever watching partner held back a smile at how cute it looked when her head burst through the opening. It accented her fur perfectly as she ran her hands generously down her front to ensure wrinkles weren't present. The male didn't know the proper speak for women's apparel, but she put on a ruffled white skirt of some sort next followed by a quick brush up of her facial fur. The vixen turned around multiple times in the sunlight much to his delight before resulting in a satisfied nod. She didn't bother putting on shoes, something that was sort of a tradition in warmer regions of the country. The barefoot vixen smoothed her bushy tail and disappeared from his limited sight. Baiju closed his suddenly fearing discovery of his compromising position. He held his breath and kept his eyes closed hearing the unseen footsteps approach the bedside.

A brief silence ensued where Baiju had to concentrate from letting his ears dial towards any sign of her. A tail faintly brushed over his nose revealing a nice perfume on her person. The female's footsteps grew softer until he heard the door open. His eyes shot open right as the door closed. Baiju sprung out of bed as if his fur was on fire. From waking up with her to the final ruffle she smoothed on her skirt. The sensations made the fox feel like he was a soaring airplane without a sky's limit. With shaky hands the silver fox dressed himself, almost wishing Marion was there to help him. Baiju couldn't focus, much less do anything so he ordered someone on the audio panel to bring up something small for breakfast. Although the fox barely had the stomach or conscience to eat the fine food.

"Is she doing this on purpose?" He paced the floor. The vixen went swimming without clothes, expecting him to join her! She must have predicted that! "But why didn't she call me out afterwords?" Baiju planted his forehead on the wall, unsure of what to make of everything that occurred in the past day. The fox spring back as a new idea hatched in his head. "Did Tomic plan any of this?" His mind irrationally played out a scenario with the wolf and vixen maniacally laughing at his emotional plight. 'No!' Baiju frowned and headed into the bathroom feeling his body start to sweat from panicking. Shaky wet hands smoothed out his facial fur. His toes curled as the sensations isles in his gut. "No, I can't feel this way. I'm too busy training!" He slammed a fist into the marble countertop. Baiju stared at himself in the mirror breathing through an open mouth. The vulpine composed himself. "It's a silly emotion. Nothing more." He concluded with a nod to the mirror despite the pleasant side effects. Saying it really didn't help his fluttery stomach or uptight demeanor. Baiju walked out of the bathroom holding his shoulder. The silver fox paced the room worriedly. "Gods I could really use Tomic's advice right now."

"Use Tomic's advice for what?" A voice interrupted him. He spun around finding Marion standing behind him. The vixen wore a happy grin and had a bundled cloth in her hand. He didn't even hear the door close.

"No-nothing!" Baiju backtracked. "Um. Where did you get that?" He pointed to the cloth in her hand.

"It's a scarf that I bought from a vendor out in the town this morning, now what made you a nervous wreck?"

"Oh! I-uh, didn't hear you come in... That's all." He dismissed her question despite his ears telling otherwise.

"No. Back at the dining table and last night you were acting strange too." She pointed out making his stomach tie into a knot.

"Whuh?" He backed up, nearly shaking in his fur.

"I know." She smiled sashaying over to him, her bare pads lightly scuffing the carpet. He took a shaky step back feeling her finger poke into his chest. "You're homesick!" She swept her finger off his shirt grinning confidently at him. He blankly stared feeling a huge wave of relief wash over him. "Don't look at me like I'm insane. I can see it in your big brown eyes."

"Ok, ok. But when do we get to leave?" He calmed down enough to talk coherently.

"We're supposed to go back today, so whenever you're ready."

***

Either Tomic or the military realized how much money the two foxes were costing them. Baiju strongly felt that way when he and Marion found themselves on a simple passenger jet rather than the luxury liner they flew to Lux Aeterna on. The infinite mix of scents made the silver fox's nose feel stuffy, which didn't help the current emotional situation he found himself in. Darting an aversive glance to his right, the red vixen was minding her own business at the moment. Baiju gave an internal sigh of relief.

'At least we have two seats to the side by a window.' He stared out at the sky, mind in turmoil. It proved to be a great distraction for him. He looked down and froze as Marion's hand gently rested overtop of his. That warm feeling began to ignite inside his body again starting in his stomach before spreading to his heart. Looking to his right, the red vixen was grinning at him sweetly which only made it worse. Baiju returned the smile only to turn away quickly and look out the scene-less window nervously. Her thumb began circling over his hand making the silver fox breath out an uneasy sigh.

"Everything ok Baiju?" He heard Marion ask with a concerned squeeze of her hand. His ears were splayed outward as he struggled to say something.

"Y-yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, you haven't said much since the night we danced and ate dinner together. You're quiet."

"I'm just... thinking." He played down the observation.

"About what?" She pressed the issue. Baiju bit his lip feeling his stomach tie into a knot.

'I have to say something!' He scorned himself. "I uh..." He fidgeted staring at her mesmerizing soft brown eyes. "Will you train with me back at base?" The fox blurted out. His heart pounded waiting for an answer.

"Sure! Just go easy on me." She bumped his shoulder affectionately.

"Can we practice dancing too?" He quickly added in one breath.

"I'd like that." Marion sweetly smiled and intertwined their fingers. The silver fox's heart surged.

In a high security lab, blueprints were scrutinized under a spotted eye. Each and every line had been subject to change at some point during the last month all for the sake of improvement. Blueprints had been drawn several times over just for this upcoming model, all in search for the perfect soldier.

"You wished to see me sir?" An otter who was a lower ranked researcher asked the feline behind the current madness of rapid development. The cougar of tall stature stood up and carefully gathered his papers as if they were holy scriptures.

"Everything measures out." Veccus purred. "This model's speed will be equivalent to the beta unit's due to mass, but strength will exceed him. It won't even be a contest since all fights are hand to hand." He handed over the set of blueprints to the otter. "Scrap unit three. We're building Delta III unit four now." The cougar proclaimed with an insatiable smile, fangs gleaming under the low lighting. "Beta I unit eighteen will be no match for him."

*Venus the Bringer of Peace*

"Ah!" Baiju stumbled back as Marion pushed him down. The cooler gym floor felt odd underneath his rear and hands. The silver fox looked up at his red counterpart standing over him. The fall wasn't hard, but it shook up the normally steady vulpine.

"Letting your guard down for me?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I was distracted."

"I never thought you could be distracted from training, while actually training."

"Well... You're right there standing in front of me." He stood back up dusting off his front.

"Let's go again." She grinned readying herself. He gladly obliged and lunged at her. Baiju only used moves, attacks, and defends that Marion would be able to read. The vixen blocked each one with ease, one at a time, but one blow broke through her defense. However, her attacker's fist slowed down and lightly tapped her rather than risk giving her an ounce of pain. "You're acting like I'll be bruised forever." She couldn't help but grin, and relaxed her stance.

"You will if I'm not there to protect you." A hidden blush formed in her orange furred cheeks.

"Well at this rate I'll be the one whose protecting you." She poked his chest with a finger.

"This gym is not a battlefield." He poked back making the pretty vixen giggle until his stomach growled ending the fun. "Um... I'm going to take a break and eat."

"A break? Are you sick?" Marion looked at him surprised.

"No. I'm obviously hungry." He modestly replied. "Do you want to join me?" The fox's ears pinned back as he fidgeted nervously.

"Sure. I'll meet you there later if you don't finish too quickly." She agreed. He quickly left the gym only to slump his shoulders in the hallway.

'What do I do?' He felt so conflicted. Admitting his feelings felt so difficult for some reason, and rightfully remained off the table of negotiation. The downcast soldier plodded through the double doors of the cafeteria with a drooped gaze. Floor tiles changed colors as he reached the empty line. A small group of maintenance workers were laughing about some off handed joke while the fox mustered an appetite. Baiju ladled some soup into a bowl and sat across from Nikita who was choking down by himself. The mink burned through a second helping and couldn't help but notice his friend's seldom bites and worrisome expression.

"Looking... Stressed Baiju. I didn't think you would ever feel stressed about being back on base." Nikita said between spoonfuls of chicken and rice. The silver fox shrugged twirling his spoon in the soup he had.

"I-I don't know exactly how to explain it. I'm nervous to talk to Tomic about it too." Baiju stared into the golden water with lots of noodles and beef floating inside. A hunk of rice nearly missed the mink's mouth from his eagerly ravenous appetite.

"Dang it must be important if you can't talk to him about it." Baiju only nodded sullenly as the mink's lips smacked. "Maybe if you talk to him about other things it will just come out, you know?" His friend added. "It couldn't hurt." Another spoonful disappeared as Baiju thought it out.

"Yeah that's not a bad idea." Baiju quickly downed the soup and stood up. His tail flicked up in agreement.

"Oh yeah! You'll need this." The mink happily handed over the fox's room key.

'I hope Marion is not missing anything.' A quick mental note was jotted down. "Thanks." He pocketed the key and quickly headed for Tomic's office. Baiju briskly walked down the hallways to his friend's office. The grey wolf always knew what to do when Baiju was unsure of something. It took less than a minute before the typical wooden door and its nameplate were in his sights. Baiju knocked before entering. His friend's office was organized perfectly except for the crowded desk full of countless documents and random files.

"Ah, I was just about to go looking for you." Tomic stated walking around his office briskly with a file in hand.

"You were?" Baiju leaned on a chair gazing at a diploma on the wall.

"You're the only Baiju on base correct?" He chuckled opening a file cabinet.

"Last I checked, yes." He mused.

"Drat!" Tomic dropped the file in the wrong spot. "So anything interesting on base." The wolf inquired. Baiju opened his mouth to talk, but froze up and started doubting himself.

'Rats! Say something Baiju, Tomic can help you through any problem!' The silver fox battled a tied tongue while the wolf shut the cabinet and tended to a quick tidying of his messy desk. All Baiju could do was imagine Marion's face smiling at him, and a fluttery nausea afflicted his stomach.

"You fight against a new opponent tomorrow." Tomic said while organizing a few manila folders before slapping them down with a sharp snap. He glanced back before returning a concerned stare to the vulpine. "Is everything alright Baiju?" He said breaking the fox's daydreaming stare into nowhere.

"Huh? Oh yeah, fight a new opponent tomorrow for sparring." He repeated, barely half focused to himself.

"Are you sure that you're doing well? I heard that you haven't been training hardly an hour since you and Marion returned from the Marquess's estate. Even Nikita has been to the gym more than you lately." Baiju shook his head as if he was sleepy.

"You're right. I've been too far out of the loop recently. Thanks for the info Tomic!" He quickly left the older wolf to his business.

'What's gotten into that fox?' He shook his head flipping through a few papers within the folder. The entrance to gym one came into the silver fox's sight in no time, and luckily no one else was occupying its space.

'I can tell him later. All I need to do is focus my mind in the gym and get back to my old self!' He confidently grinned heading towards the back. A quick warm up ensued with a series of pull ups, swift kicks, and stretches. A ten minute run was easily added into the mix before he moved onto heavier training. A heavy punching bag became his target and center of focus for the next few minutes. Baiju punched the bag with a hard swing and watched it sway back a little before coming back. A series of flying fists quickly pummeled the equipment. "It looks like Marion's fur." He noticed how similar the oranges were. His punches became lighter and aimed towards the sides before stopping altogether as he daydreamed about the ball. The vixen's dress flowed with each graceful step, and her fur was brushed so finely that not a single hair was out of place. Most of all, Baiju remembered how slowly they danced together. Back and forth, back and forth like two petals dancing together in the wind. His heart melted imagining a kiss at the end of the dance, although he didn't imagine the gorgeous vixen's lips were so rubbery.

The silver fox blinked realizing that he was kissing the punching bag while hugging it with his arms. Baiju looked over his shoulder seeing Roger staring at him in the doorway with a shocked look. The awkward stare ensued before the German Shepherd slowly backed out of the gym and disappeared into the hall. Feeling a wave of embarrassment Baiju yelled and slugged the bag with a heavy sucker punch. The fox walked away sulkily after the bag finished swinging back to its original position. 'I need to shower.' He sighed walking back to the gym door. 'Alone.' At least the hallway was silent for him to think by the time he reached his room.

"Hey Baiju." Marion's sweet voice rang in his ears.

"Hey!" His mood brightened considerably in an instant seeing the vixen. She looked up from the book she was reading on the edge of her bed.

"I didn't see you in the cafeteria." Her voice hinted at disappointment.

"Oh I ate first and then stopped by to talk to Tomic." He quickly explained realizing he had forgotten about meeting up with her. "I'm going to shower. Wait right there for me."

"I'm not going anywhere Baiju." She giggled as he smiled his way into the bathroom. The silver fox slumped against the door as soon as he closed it.

'Why did I say 'wait right there for me'?' He angrily scolded himself before calming down. He had the whole night to be with her. Clothes were tossed aside before he jumped in and started up the shower. His black and silver fur was quickly soaked and a cleansing shampoo was added to the mix. The warm water helped put his muscles at ease, but not his mind. He remembered the vixen floating so elegantly and nude in the private pool. The image was so clear and arousing at once. Then at the dance she was practically divine in appearance. Her fur nearly shined like her eyes and earrings did as her beautiful orange and white coat always did. Baiju moved back and forth as if they were dancing again. Even as the shower cut off, he swayed side to side while drying himself. The more his thoughts drifted to her, the more his member peeked out into the steamy air.

Baiju opened his eyes from the imaginary dance and found his red rod throbbing openly, the tapered tip staring back at him. The silver fox growled in annoyance tossing his towel aside. "Okay you, get back in there." He grunted, grabbing his erect phallus trying to push into his sheath.

"Everything alright in there Baiju?" He froze hearing a knock. "You've been in there forever, so save some hot water for me." Marion's voice rang out.

'Why does she have to shower right after me?!' "Uh-yeah! Just a minute." The silver fox felt himself beginning to panic. He could just put on his clothes and walk out backwards so she couldn't see the bulge. No. He could hide in the tiny closet, but then she would wonder where he went. Then there was always the option of telling her what was wrong. NO! His mind quickly dismissed the ideas as ineffective, embarrassing, and stupid. "Ugh! Marion, Marion." He grunted just wishing that the red vixen would just be a little more patient with his "problem." The door suddenly clicked open.

"Why does it take you so long to-" Marion walked in only to stare with an open mouth at the silver fox. Baiju froze staring back at her still holding his shaft with a hand. The vixen almost said something as well, but her jaw locked up in shock. He quickly let go of the throbbing organ only to lose his voice as the cooler air from the other room made him shiver. He saw her eyes dart over his body. The awkward stare ensued for what felt like minutes to each vulpine until the vixen brought a hand up to her mouth in utter shock. The door was quickly closed leaving Baiju alone once more, although without any need to plan for decency. He could feel his heart beating rapidly without pause as his face contorted into a ferocious frown.

'Why is this so embarrassing?!' He screamed in thought pulling his ears down. 'Marion is my roommate and partner. I shouldn't feel embarrassed!' Of course it was obvious that she was a female, and they have been living together for a while now which made the whole thing even worse. Thinking about it all made his stomach feel funny and light, just like his rapidly beating heart. 'I am not in love with her.' Baiju reminded himself looking in the mirror only to find a grin on his muzzle at the thought. 'AH!' He shook his head and held his ears. 'I can't even recall if I dated anyone before!' The fox could never recall anything the day before he walked onto the base for that matter, but he didn't care about that. By now his problem had gone back into its sheath and the vulpine dressed himself quickly. Opening the door to the bedroom, he found Marion sitting on the edge of her bed with her ears pinned back and clothes in hand. "Uh. Shower is all yours." He squeaked out before embarrassment made him look away towards the less accusing wall.

"Ok." She merely stood up and walked over to the bathroom like a zombie before quietly shutting the door. Baiju stared at the closed door until the sound of running water broke his trance. He contained a scream before plopping back onto his bed with his arms stretched out.

"Why am I such an idiot?" He felt so confused and embarrassed. "How can I tell her anything after that?" His pillow didn't provide any solace as Baiju hid his face. He would've done anything to know what she was thinking. He sat up hearing the door click open. Marion stepped out wearing a breathable pink silk gown to help air dry the rest of her fur. 'Gods she is beautiful.' Baiju couldn't help but admire her before scolding himself for staring.

"I'm so so so sorry I barged in on you Baiju." Marion quickly apologized standing only arms length away from him. "I thought you were calling me that it was alright to come in."

"You're fine... I'm the embarrassed one." The silver fox was unsure how else to word it. Marion awkwardly stood by unsure of what else to say. Baiju bit his lip wanting to tell her.

"Uh, do-"

"Marion-" They spoke at once. Their ears flattened simultaneously. "You first." Baiju conceded.

"Do you... just wanna go to bed?" She quietly asked holding her arm securely. He nodded with his tongue twisting itself into knots. Neither said anything more and quietly went to bed as the lights were cut off. Baiju buried himself under the covers shamefully, barely able to conceal a pathetic whimper. Time stood still for an eternity to the fox. He just wanted to fall sleep and wake up in the morning as if nothing had happened, but all he could do was toss and turn with heavy thoughts. The silver fox wasn't the only one rustling around trying to sleep. A discontented sigh made Baiju freeze as he sat up on the end of his bed. "Can't sleep?" He heard Marion ask from the other bed.

"No." He replied staring off at the wall.

"Neither can I." She sat up before slipping out of the sheets. Her feet softly stepped across the carpet and approached his bedside. He looked over seeing her sit down beside him. Despite being so close, the darkness only provided an outline with vague features present at best underneath her night gown. She looked beautiful regardless. Baiju tensed feeling her hand rest on his shoulder.

'How can I feel so relaxed and contentious around her!?' He thought desperately trying to regain control of his actions. Marion sighed quietly and retracted her hand back to her lap.

"Let's lay down together and talk then." She suggested scooting back to the top of the bed. Baiju gave a sigh before agreeing. They laid down next to each other staring at the ceiling. Every movement, no matter how subtle, was detected by Baiju's sensitive ears. Their breathing quickly became the only sounds to hear.

"Everything going ok on base for you?" He managed to ask. Marion shifted next to him and tapped her tail.

"Pretty much. Being a soldier and a cybernetics technician is a time consuming job, but worth it."

"Sounds like a lot." He already ran out of things to say. Marion nodded quietly beside him as they both blankly stared at the dark ceiling.

"I heard that you haven't been training rigorously as you normally do when I'm not with you."

"Yeah I've been out of the loop. Even Tomic noticed it." His voice trailed off, unsure of how to talk about that topic after the evening's events.

"I... noticed in the bathroom." She gave a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry. It only happened once before when I was thinking about you after we danced, and I didn't know what to do about it." Her ears perked up hearing that.

"I should be sorry for barging in on you when I heard my name." A small silence passed. "I guess I can make it even for us." Her thumb rubbed over his hand as she brought it up to her shoulder.

"Even?" He questioned her strange tone of voice.

"I know it's too dark to see, but... you could... touch me instead." Marion suggestively brought his hand closer to her chest, barely above her left breast.

"That's improper Marion! You are my partner." His heart started beating funny again as his eyes strained to see her vulpine face better in the darkness. Yet he hesitated to do anything otherwise. The vixen hesitated as well before a gleaming smile erupted along her lips.

"Then stop me." She salaciously whispered into his ear tickling the sensitive hairs within. Baiju froze as she moved his hand lower so that his hand rested atop the left side of her chest. His palm distinctly felt the silk gown on top, and the softer mound thinly covered by it. Marion then moved his hand in a circular shape, but he remained frozen as the feminine mass rolled under his palm. Words failed to form in his muzzle as she made him feel her over. Her guiding hand slid off his after a minute, but he paused. "Go on." Her voice encouraged him as she subtly arched her front into his hand, but Baiju backed away much to her surprise. The silver fox scooted over the covers, backing nervously to the wall. Marion merely gave a predatory smile at the challenge. The vixen sat up undoing the straps and allowed the sleepwear to slide off before setting it aside on the floor. His eyes glued to her unveiled form. The white from her jaws ran all the way down her entire front to her inner thighs. Her beautifully rounded breasts were covered in the same snow white fur as her front. The vixen's tail swished excitedly as she turned towards him causing his heart to leap.

"Marion this isn't right!" His back flattened against the wall with nowhere left to hide.

"Baiju it's alright." She cooed to him in a consoling manner. "You don't need to hide anything from me." Her voice tantalized his ears as she approached on all fours. His heart pounded like a symphony solely dedicated to drummers. Her eyes and smile gleamed beautifully as she continued slowly crawling to him over his legs, barely arms length away now.

"Marion I-I don't know what to think!" He nearly sobbed tightly shutting his eyes, balling up the sheets in his hands. He felt her daintily sit in his lap letting a moment of silence pass over them.

"I know." Her hand rested over his heart and compassionately rubbed over the area to console his worrying as her bushy tail wrapped around his waist. "You love me." She whispered brushing her muzzle agains this own. Their noses touched as she moved back. "And I love you." He barely heard Marion as her lips connected with his own. The whole world around him felt as of it had faded away as his eyes opened. A warm appendage could be felt at his lips seeking entrance, and he gladly obliged. Mouths cracked open allowing their respective tongues to mate passionately. His hands went around her back as hers went around his head. A low murring sound could be heard coming from her throat that oddly made him feel better about the whole thing. He was out of breath when their mouths parted.

"That felt wonderful." His voice sounded like a daydream. Everything felt wonderful. Her muzzle brushed over his lovingly and her clawed fingers periodically flexed as if to massage his shoulder and arm. "So Baiju, what exactly were you thinking about me hmm? I heard you say my name before I walked in on you." Her murring voice poured over him like golden sweet honey. "Tell me."

"I um," he paused to take a controlled breath, "when we danced together."

"I enjoyed dancing with you a lot." She rubbed his shoulder tenderly. "I've been thinking about you quite a bit over the past month."

"Yeah. Same here." He grinned feeling his ears pin back at the thought. "I've never felt this way before. I wanted to talk to Tomic about it, but I was too afraid."

"That's fine, we can tell him soon enough." She nibbled along his jawline. He shuddered and let her continue to his collarbone. Baiju brought his hands up to her hips, but shied away. "It's ok. You can touch me." She returned his hands to her sides. "My fur is soft from showering." With a new found confidence, he combed over her sides all the way to her underarms feeling the fur ruffle to his touch. The vixen was warm and undeniably soft. Her tail twitched excitedly when his hands returned to her lower tummy. "Let's lay back down." She whispered causing his earth flick. They shuffled over the bed and quickly made themselves comfortable lying shoulder to shoulder once again. This time, Baiju eagerly returned a hand to her side and felt over her feminine body. Curves were traced cautiously as he felt her up. Orange and white were blended with black as he ruffled their balance. Her tummy was slim but not too thin. A small layer of fat existed, but it was tough to accumulate much more with the training he put her through. Baiju trailed up before returning to a familiar barrier. Two round breasts covered in snowy white fur reminded him of a pair of hills during wintertime.

Each bore a pink fleshy peak that emerged from the snow, taught eager. Baiju hovered his hand at the cusp before carefully cupped her breast and pressed his palm to the lovely mammary.

"It's so... so soft." He marveled at the feminine anatomy as it moved to his touch.

"Mmhm." Her voice rumbled a pleasuring murr. He gave the mass a gentle squeeze. "Ohh." She moaned causing him to pull back.

"D-did I hurt you?" He asked concerned only for the vixen to grab his arm pulling it back.

"No! It feels good, keep doing it." The vixen commanded him with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. His hand returned to the soft breast and promptly proceeded. Marion shuddered biting her lip as a thumb and finger gently tweaked a nipple, sending bolts of hot pleasure through her chest. She rolled onto her side and gave Baiju all the access that he desired as his hands explored her other breast inquisitively. Marion panted, loving the intimate attention and reciprocated for a minute feeling over his torso and sides. Strong muscles underneath his pelt could easily be felt despite being hidden by his dark fur. She moved on while he was enamored with her femininity. Her hand held his waist while her leg sensually brushed over his own. The vixen gradually slid over him until she was straddling him, knees pressing against his sides. Baiju could see the excitement radiating from her predatory eyes. Her groin gently rubbed over his own, long enough to get the reaction she wanted. Baiju froze feeling his member twitch and begin to grow. "The erection is coming back." He distinctly felt his foxhood peeking out from its home, swelling erect.

"You don't know very much about making love do you?" She breathed through her open mouth.

"Well... I-" He was silenced with a finger.

"Good. I can teach you to be as good as your fighting. Now," she said scooting over slightly, "let's have him come out and play." The vixen's hand snaked down finding her target easily as it began peeking out from the hem of his shorts. Baiju jerked slightly feeling her hand wrap around his length, giving it repetitive squeezes.

"Ma-Marion-" He cut himself off with a needy grunt.

"Lose the pants." She ordered with a firm grip around the base of his member. Baiju didn't need to be told twice as he swiftly kicked off the now intrusive fabric where it silently landed on the floor in a crumpled mess. A warm rump quickly sat on his lap as if to replace his pants. He stared down his body despite the darkness making it difficult to see. A subtle heat caught his attention as her adroit hand moved. He held his breath feeling a warm and wet sensation come into contact with the tip. The vixen's white nether lips glistened like morning dew as they parted. His length twitched in her hand as she guided him inside. An entirely new sensation tingled throughout the fox's core. Her hips slowly rolled allowing more of him to slip inside her as she slowly continued accustoming herself to the fox's width. Baiju gasped feeling the incredible heat envelop him from tip to base sending limitless pleasure throughout his body. The vixen's iron covered silken walls caressed his length reflexively as she gently impaled herself. The sensations easily overcame him.

"Ma-Mar!" He quickly covered his mouth and flung his head back feeling a breaking point hit. His hand quickly muffled the cry as he came within the vixen preemptively. It felt like a powerful force had knocked every emotion out of his body except for euphoria as his seed was emptied into her canal. Moments passed with unrecordable time as he held onto the bed feeling the last spurts dribble out until his member began to soften, being replaced with an afterglow. He twisted his head to the side trying to register the whole sensation until he noticed her sitting very still.

"Baiju." He heard her innocent voice laced with open lust. "Look at me." Her voice beckoned like a dinner bell to a starving soldier. He stared into her brown eyes hearing only their aroused breaths. His eyes darted down south feeling his length slip out no longer a virgin, but very embarrassed.

"I-I-I'm so-sorry!" He shook underneath her guiltily. The adrenaline rush made it difficult to sit still despite the position he was in. A gentle finger landed on his lips, hushing the inexperienced male.

"It's perfectly fine Baiju." Her voice was much softer and consoling now. "You've never been touched by anyone before. Don't punish yourself over a quick release." A nimble hand made contact with the semi hard length causing the male vulpine to tense excitedly. The lusciously smooth and warm padded hand began stroking him to full length once again under her masterful technique. Their eyes remained locked his time. "If anything, I'm convinced that you find me almost too attractive." Her thin black lips remained curled into an open smile. He whimpered with a nod feeling her rub his tip back and forth along her wet labia. "We can always try again." She noted his rapidly hardening length. The vixen let go once to see it throb openly before taking control once again. Her tail swished playfully as her hips lifted once more to align with his proudly standing tool. Baiju stared up at her afraid to move, and held his breath as she penetrated herself slowly once more. The electrifying sensations flooded his body once more causing him to moan vocally. Her silken iron walls enveloped his length in a sensual hug to the hilt.

"Ungh!" Baiju screwed his eyes shut and shuddered.

"How does it feel?" She wiggled her hips, coaxing a moan from the silver male.

"Oh-oh wow." He wasn't sure of which words could be used for the situation. Marion giggled at his stupefied reaction and brushed his cheek with a comforting hand.

"You can still touch me." Her back arched forward keeping her breasts tantalizingly close to him. Baiju's hands were shaking as they reached up. The sensation in his groin made concentrating very difficult, but it was nearly impossible when her hips started rocking.

"Nn!" Baiju shuddered and groaned feeling tight muscles squeeze and caress his length. She didn't relent and gave a much harder thrust pushing every bit of his length within her heated tunnel. Baiju writhed below in a sea of pleasure as his knot fully inflated inside of her, intimately locking them together. The male wiggled around realizing that they were stuck together, but received a rewarding coo from Marion for his effort. A grunt escaped his throat feeling her insides constantly caress him with every minute movement that they made. "I-I think we're stuck Marion." He couldn't pull back completely and feared hurting her.

"Gods you are like an innocent adolescent!" She moaned aggressively grinding their joined hips together. "We're tied now." He whined unsure if that was a good thing or not. "Don't worry, it means I'm not going anywhere." She whispered making his ear flicker. "And neither are you handsome." The fiesty vixen rolled her hips in a grinding motion. Baiju groaned feeling her walls squeeze him lovingly, sending a jolt of pleasure up his spine. He bucked into her with a wet squelch causing a melodious moan to leave the vixen, but she had no intention of stopping.

"Slow down Marion!" He gritted his teeth through the pleasuring tugs, but she didn't seem to hear him. The vixen's moans steadily became more vocal, and her motions more erratic. Baiju could only hold on for the ride as she sent him into unknown heights of pleasure, each building on the last. He looked up through the fog finding Marion lustfully staring back down at him. The vixen panted heavily in every breath as her breasts subtly bounced with each complete motion below. Baiju grabbed her hand planted beside his head to catch her attention, unable to say anything through his groans. He couldn't take all of the lovely pleasure given to him at once. The vixen above shook her head and widened her grin. Baiju twisted weakly beneath her. The shining teeth excited him as much as they frightened him. His heart pulsates faster as her hips bucked harder. The fox's member pulsed as he reached his breaking point. "Oh gods Marion!" Her lover's back arched, lifting the vixen up for a second. Baiju grabbed her hips and cried silently.

His whole length throbbed before erupting within her. Each spurt drove him to a mind numbing pleasure until the last drop was received. His waist crashed down to the bed with her hips still grinding. "M-Marion." He squeaked out with his body still trying to buck into her as the room stopped spinning. She moaned heartily from above unable to hear him coherently as similar sensations overcame her body.

"Baiju, I'm com-" Marion clamped her muzzle shut and grabbed a fistful of bed sheets. She muffled a scream as her body convulsed, milking him for drops already received. Exhaustion made an untimely appearance when her arms gave out. His eyes felt so heavy as the gorgeous vixen laid on top of him panting raggedly. Some of their mixed fluids oozed out from the sudden shift, matting their fur. His length remained buried deep within her because of his pulsating knot, but sleep was winning an easy battle against him. For a soldier used to running miles without one stop, this was the toughest endurance test he completed. Baiju wrapped his arms loosely around her and let sleep overtake him feeling a generous kiss against his lips. "Goodnight." Her velveteen voice echoed through the subconscious.

From head to toe Baiju was in contact with Marion's body, his front to her back like a fitting piece to a puzzle. The silver fox couldn't imagine any other words to describe how he woke up the following morning, but it was the best feeling to have. His arms were protectively wrapped around the vixen beside him in bed, and the silver fox didn't remember falling asleep that exact way. Sheets were all but kicked aside from the passionate night. Her tail was entwined with his thigh like a secure loving chain. A smile edged itself onto his muzzle at the scene. His arms cradled her body closer to his. He could smell both of their scents intermingled in the air like an exotic perfume tantalizing his nose. Marion's soft breathing could be detected through the serene moment causing the fox to smile. An angel would be jealous of her. Baiju wanted her to be safe and happy with him. He didn't know how to describe the feeling, but he wanted it to last a long time every morning and night. His partner stirred catching his attention.

Like the rising sun, Marion woke up with a cute yawn exposing all her little pointy white teeth for a brief moment. The vixen looked back happily before rolling over to face her lover. Her sweet brown eyes stared at him with the same feelings.

"Marion I-" His sentence was halted as their lips connected tenderly. Her hand snaked behind his head pressing him closer. His eyes closed feeling the softness of her lips against his own, and gently pressed forward in a kiss. Baiju reciprocated his best hoping that he was doing what she wanted, and a pleasant murr confirmed his actions. The vixen slowly parted with him, fluttering her eyes back open.

"You were about to say something?" She grinned from ear to ear as their noses touched. Baiju found his heart wedged in his throat, and blinked trying to speak. "Oh come on, I promise that I won't bite." Marion giggled cutely rubbing noses with him. He licked her nose before blissfully closing his eyes.

"I want to wake up like this every morning Marion." His arms cradled her close.

"You do?" He heard the vixen salaciously reply. Her hands began exploring his back once more, lightly going over his subtle, yet powerful muscles. "Do we have to be naked all the time?" She giggled snuggling up to his chest and neck.

"No. You just have to be here with me. Together." He rubbed her back receiving a pleasant murr as she arched closer into his arms.

"I don't have any complaints." She whispered resting a hand on his shoulder as her other one combed through his black and silver furred chest.

"I am not sure how to explain it, but when you're with me everything is better without worry."

"Love does that." She lightly kissed his lips.

"I wish I wasn't afraid of it for so long. I though it would make me weak." He nervously admitted.

"You, weak?" She giggled feeling a bicep. "You have more firepower than this entire base my handsome todd." His brow furrowed in thought.

"Oh! I almost forgot about the sparring match I have today!" Baiju exclaimed before rolling out of bed. Marion watched with a dubious smile as he hastily dressed himself by the bedside.

"Just don't forget to come back with your sparring partner." Her hand grabbed his malehood and gave it a playful squeeze before cloth hid it.

"He needs a little rest." Baiju chuckled as she patted gently between his legs.

"Both of you will need more than rest when I'm through with him." She giggled as he backed away buttoning his shirt.

"Careful or I may be benched with an injury." He couldn't help but smile at her laying across the bed so openly. Marion propped up a leg to give him an extra eyeful.

"Good luck out there my handsome fox." She cooed making his heart soar. Baiju felt wonderful.

"Thanks. I guess we'll meet up later." He coyly smiled opening the door. Marion blew him a kiss and nodded.

"Definitely. I love you." Her honey sweet voice bathed his ears.

"I love you too!" The silver fox left the room and closed the door. 'How am I going to tell this to the guys?' He thought unable to wipe the smile from his muzzle hurrying down the hall to gym one.

*Mars the Bringer of War. Bronze vs Iron. David and Goliath. The Archangel. Dance of the Knights.*

Veccus entered a small room with a large pane of glass viewing an open gym. On a table in front of the view were some scattered papers where Tomic sat down writing a few notes. Various blueprints and schematic designs made up the majority with figures in multiple stances and positions. The cougar set a folder marked 'Classified' down next to the wolf disrupting his train of thought.

"I think you will finally be impressed doctor. And by nothing less than the Delta IV unit four model."

"Unit four already? What about the first three?" Tomic asked surprised that three relatively new models were skipped from fighting directly to another.

"They had trouble with defects." He flatly replied with cold disappointment. "But don't worry, it's solved now." His eyes dilated as a figure entered the gym.

Baiju looked up at the domestic dark brown cat that was clearly seven feet tall wearing only a long pair of white pants. His bold yellow eyes casted apathy throughout the room much like a full moon. 'Something's not right with this guy. I'll have to ask Tomic about it later.' He thought to himself walking to the center of the gym. The two adversaries stood off and bent their knees waiting for the signal to begin. Baiju observed his opponent with a scrutinizing eye. The feline was barrel chested and every muscle above his knees were clearly massive and well toned. A tribal pattern decorated his upper left arm in a light brown compared to his darker fur.

'He kind of looks like-' A monotone bell sounded for the match to start. Both combatants sprung at each other. Baiju threw a few light sporadic punches to test the big cat's reaction. Every single one was handily blocked and exchanged with a few punches in return. He twisted around to land a clean hit on his larger opponent's side only for the cat to cleanly dodge. This time a few kicks were added in, but too easily the feline blocked them all and return a few. They backed off breathing heavier than before.

'This cat is pretty tough.' He looked at the larger feline not letting his guard down. The thought savored quickly in his mind as the thrill of fighting coursed through his veins. They both edged forward waiting for an opportunistic moment to strike. A swift extended punch from the warring feline narrowly brushed Baiju's ear as the silver fox dodged. 'Fast too!' Too many punched and kicks were traded to even be counted as they sprang forward a second time. They increased in heaviness with each blocked strike. Normal bones would've broken with the gravity each hit produced. Baiju's foot clipped the cat's chin just as the cat's knuckle grace his chin. Both immediately backed off a step in equal frustration.

'Why can't I get a direct hit on him!?' The fox brushed his chin as the feline wiped his chin respectively. Both fighters breathed steadily, not wanting to show an ounce of weakness to the other. Baiju keenly watched the cat suddenly fish around in his right pocket. He was shocked to see what his opponent pulled from its pocket. The item was a small steel ball with a tiny lightning bolt engraved on it.

'Those are used to disrupt magnetically charged nano cathode cells in processing machines.' Baiju recalled as if the information was as important as his name. The brown furred feline flicked the ball with precision at his opponent. The charge went off sending little purple lightning bolt around a small radius accompanied by a static popping noise. Shielding his eyes from the brief luminous light, the silver fox barely had enough time to turn and defend himself as the cat charged him. A deafening sound ensued as their hands locked together with force. Each face was mere inches from one another as their arms vied for supremacy. Individual hairs and whiskers stood visible like buildings in a crowded city. Both huffed in a grunt not backing down from the other. Baiju looked up at his opponent and wondered if he was made of concrete. The fox pushed with all his might but the cat matched him evenly in strength and force.

'Limit!' An androgynous electronic voice barely audible spoke inside his head scaring him. His muscles burned unable to push the assailant back. The metal floor beneath his feet began to indent and sink in. His teeth gritted as his entire upper body worked to move him.

'I can't push back?!' He felt his arms and shoulders burning to maintain their strength. 'Uh oh.' His arms were slowly being pushed back by his adversary. 'I'm losing!' The realization struck him. Thinking desperately, Baiju suddenly head butted the cat with force. His assailant yowled and released his almighty grip, allowing the fox to jump back and have a moment to think of a new plan. The feline glared at him with hatred and muttered a few curse words angrily. Time to think was cut short as he quickly approached. A slugfest ensued as soon as they were within arms reach. Blows were readily exchanged at the consequence of receiving damage. Baiju received a heavy blow to his cheek but returned an equally powerful punch to his foe's chin. Enraged, the cat aimed a sucker punch directed at the fox's head. Baiju ducked and rammed his opponent's core with a shoulder and arm. He felt nothing but solid muscle around the feline.

'What is he made of? Concrete?' Baiju failed to move him as a pair of large hands grasped his waist. The fox was suddenly and forcefully lurched over the feline's shoulder. He threw Baiju over thirteen meters with one arm. Baiju landed on all fours and quickly rebounded as the cat rushed him. The fox caught the first fist thrown at him, and then the second as they were once again locked vying for superiority.

'Limit!' The quiet electronic voice repeated as his muscles ironically reached their limit of force. He strained harder but yielded no extra power against his adversaries immovable arms. The voice resounded and annoyed the silver fox.

'I'm not limited!' Baiju shut his eyes and moved every muscle in his body forward. To everyone's surprise the feline was pushed back a step, and then another. The fox's body flared with pain, but gave every ounce and successfully took another step. Baiju painfully pushed his larger adversary back step by step until the big cat fell to the floor. Baiju took a few steps back to catch his breath. A sharp pain between his shoulder blades flared suddenly causing the vulpine to lean forward. 'Oh gods I overdid it.' Baiju edged back a step as his opponent rose to his feet. The big cat's facial expression was furious.

"I will not stop until that light leaves your eyes!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, nearly ripping off his ears in pure rage. Baiju was shocked seeing his opponent's face look so angry and hateful beyond comparison to anything else. A deep bellowing metallic groan nearly inaudible was heard as the feline's body tensed ready to pounce. A tinging noise rang out suddenly along with a tear. Baiju's eyes widened as he blocked a punch, too tired to evade. A flame very plainly shot out from the side of the feline's neck and was quickly accompanied with a thin trail of black smoke. Baiju backed away and watched as the feline paused to scream again with more fire escaping his neck. Flames continuously shot out of the opening as his scream turned higher in pitch with a metallic ring to it. The combusted soldier suddenly charged him, for the first time striking fear into the fox's body. Baiju's body automatically defended, but he was too slow. Two intensely fast blows hit his chest and jaw sending him stumbling. More punches commenced as little bits of heated metal and wires ricocheted out of the opening in his neck and landed far away on the gym floor.

'Two ribs fractured.' He grimaced as the onslaught didn't stop, punch by almighty punch. One blow to the gut made Baiju cough up blood, the red spray staining the feline's face. 'How is this possible?' He fell to his knees clutching his pained abdomen and chest. He gasped for air in ragged breaths and noticed that his opponent had stopped beating him to a pulp. Blood dripped from his lip onto the gym floor as the feline screamed again. Baiju immediately thought of how shocked that rebel cheetah must have felt in Olisipo when staring death in the face.

'Beep! Beep!' A loud yet bearable beep sounded off within his head. The silver fox couldn't distinguish it from reality or fantasy. His opponent covered his eyes continuing to scream whether it was heard or not. The feline hunched forward yelling at the ground as flames continued to flicker outside of his open neck. Suddenly, before his eyes, the cat's upper body exploded into flames sending a small shock wave through the area. Baiju nearly fell over shaking weakly.

'Beep! Beep!' The loud ring returned like an echo. Baiju wetly coughed detecting a pain shooting through his head from behind his left eye. He hunched forward feeling his stomach churn as his body hotly pulsed in agony. A green screen then appeared in his vision before him that he knew didn't exist physically.

Sequence_retract_Driver version

Version 1200 asxx/// F432v8.1

Scanning xH iHarpoon: method.

Optic damage={-12%} Retinal display, call iFragment,

Retrieve ((undo loop, 1, )) True. Self.tPH

Initiate Shutdown ((sequence_12, 1, True, True ))

CoreScan affirm. Processing(1, 0) True. Signature doct Yu64720&82se

Rescan sequence terminal_option/ {e2}

Overflow file deleted/ backup resetting isequence2 -u

/(Reboot_pathway take iCheck 4)

CheckingCompatibility ID= "0" (#cs-577~Eo).

Shutdown system is enabled...

He covered his left eye seeing the long list of words continuing in sequence like that of a computer screen. Pain flared on and off all over his body making his situation unbearable. "What's going on?!" He yelled with confusion as the gym's smoke alarm was set off. The feline he fought however was in no shape to even be alive. The fire still burned encasing most of his opponent's body in a formless smoldering mess. Black smoke had to be filtered out from the ventilation system above.

'Beep! Beep!' Suddenly Baiju felt his body going numb and dropped onto his side. The silver fox couldn't move no matter how much he wanted to. Dozens of military personnel and a few nurses suddenly flooded into the gym running towards the two as his eyes slowly closed against his will.

'What's going on?' He wondered before falling into unconsciousness.

*War Weary. Saturn the Bringer of Old Age*

'I lost.' The two words hung heavily on the fox. Brown eyes opened quickly revealing a bed and a body in a small infirmary room. An arm with an IV, tail tip, two foot paws, all with a simple sheet covering the rest of the body were seen by the two eyes. Baiju blinked a few times realizing it was his body he was seeing in an infirmary bed. He groaned quietly adjusting his sore neck.

'I'm in one of those recovery rooms.' He thought, clearly remembering what put him here in the first place. His head felt like a bell that had been rung one too many times. A familiar orange figure caught his eye against the opposing wall from the end of the bed. "Marion?" He murmured scratching his head with his left hand. The tubes connected jiggled together. Knowing that she was with him made the loss feel like a win. "If you're here, then I guess there's nothing for me to worry about." The silver fox smiled feeling the rest of his body begin to wake up. She nodded releasing a tensioned sigh.

"You're doing pretty well." A tiny grin appeared on the edges of her muzzle.

"Wow, he must have done a number on me if I'm plugged up with all this in my arm." He observed the two tubelike IVs in his left forearm. Both were attached to two typical clear bags containing fluids that helped him while he was unconscious. "How long was I out?"

"Four hours and twenty two minutes." She plainly responded. He took a deep breath feeling a sore spot on his chest.

"So then what is my prognosis Dr. Marion?" He asked with a small grin. She practically acted like a medic would in their group and had to know something. His playful expression soon dissipated as the vixen held her arm nervously taking a deep breath.

"Your computer malfunctioned." Her voice was barely audible enough for him to hear across the room

"Pardon me? My what?" He asked half chuckling despite hearing her correctly. "How did a computer mess me up?" That little steel ball the feline had couldn't have done anything serious.

"No. Your computer processor inside your head." Her face scrunched shut briefly as her black ears remained pinned against her pretty orange furred skull. Marion sounded like she didn't want to believe what he had just been told.

"Have you gone mad?" His facial expression turned more panicked as she looked down and failed to respond. "I want to see Tomic. If something is wrong inside of your head then we need to check-"

"Just stop Baiju! It's the truth!" She yelled shocking him even more as her ears laid down. The vixen sulked hiding her eyes, leaning against the wall. A muffled whimper was heard as he stared fully shocked at her.

"Marion-" He softly called her only for the door to open. An older wolf walked in wearing a familiar white coat. His normal happy go lucky expression was replaced with a saddened nervous one similar to Marion's.

"Thank goodness you're here Tomic. Marion over here thinks I'm a robot since I lost my first-"

"Baiju." He stated.

"-fight and all. So I think her head-"

"Baiju!" Tomic's voice became loud, effectively silencing the silver fox. The older wolf calmed down and took a deep breath before talking. "I need to talk to you about... that."

"B-but-" A hand cut him off angering the soldier.

"Baiju you need to be told once and for all. You were a cyborg originally created in a military medical facility to be the perfect weapon from a long line of attempted failures that continually grows."

"I don't believe you." Baiju muttered a response as anger danced in the silver fox's brown eyes.

"Of course you don't." Tomic sighed putting his hands in the coat pockets. "Your brain was the most advanced processing computer of its time, and there was something special about you. It wasn't because of the machine parts inside of your body, it was the non mechanized part." He paused to take a breath. "You are only by traditional definition, three years old. As for the strange list your left eye saw, an optic mirror was damaged and allowed the processing from one part of your mind to be displayed as an image. It's a mandatory procedure that your body shut down and repair itself until waking up again. I received the emergency beeping from you as soon as your head analyzed the extant of damage taken. The fact that you heard the command in your head was a sign something needed to be repaired for who knows how long."

"But I have parents and forgotten memories!" He protested in a shocked voice.

"They don't exist! You never had parents, we assembled you from scratch, and your first retrievable memory should have been when we introduced you to the base a few years ago." Baiju thought back as far as he could, and it never went further back than when he first came to base.

"What about that guy I fought who burst into flames?"

"The opponents you faced were created for the same purpose, to be the perfect mechanized soldier. You faced and defeated all able combatants from Beta II unit one all the way to Delta IV unit four. The last one apparently malfunctioned because Veccus tempered with him during the building stages."

"What happened to all of them?... After I beat them." Baiju's pleading eyes made Tomic turn away briefly to collect himself.

"The first four Alpha classes were terminated until the military court outlawed disposing cyborgs entirely. The others would be studied until they either died due to complications or they continued to work menial tasks testing things along with their outdated fighting styles."

"Is Marion one of them?" He asked looking over at the sad vixen. Those soft brown eyes stared fixated on the floor.

"No, she was originally meant to protect you."

"Wha-?" Baiju could not understand.

"When I heard from a doctor that Marion planned on studying further into cybernetics, I couldn't help myself in making her your partner." Tomic quietly spoke sitting at the foot of his bed. "I was terrified at the possibility that you could've been hurt on a mission, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to you at ANY cost. But Marion could've repaired you if anything bad happened. Besides, you needed more social interactions with the opposite gender on a daily basis. I was hoping that you two would become like brother and sister since you socialized so well with everyone else on base and your entire team." He paused to give an odd chuckle. "I remember making her swear to never treat you any different because you were secretly half machine. I couldn't have been more proud of you." His smile beamed. The clock could be heard by everyone ticking incessantly on the wall.

"Then why did you go through all that trouble to keep me safe?" He questioned. "I'm just a disposable weapon to you."

"Because I always saw you as a son rather than a machine." The wolf replied looking at him in the eyes. Baiju looked away this time out of sheer surprisal and disbelief. His brown eyes looked towards the wall, the door, then Marion who stared at the white tiled floor sadly. "You continue to defy everything about what limits a machine. You have friends-"

"Go away. I've heard enough." He turned his head to rest against the pillow. The wolf stared for a moment before standing up with a nod. Marion looked worried and took a step towards the fox's bed, but Tomic's hand convinced her not to. Footsteps miserably faded to the door. It clicked open without a word. Hearing the door shut, he pulled the bed sheets over his head and covered his eyes. 'I'm a machine!?' For once in his life Baiju cried. All behind the defense of an eight hundred thread count.

Medical room 004 remained quiet until a black furred hand twisted open the knob leading inside. Marion walked inside finding the fox hunched over in bed with his hands covering his face. The IV was no longer inside his arm and had been replaced with a well wrapped bandage. His hospital wear had been replaced with the more typical uniform he always wore. Baiju was physically well, but his mental and emotional state were cracked, and possibly shattered. Marion felt invisible as she sat down in front of him. No recognition of her presence was made. Only when she rested a hand on the troubled male's shoulder did he stir. Watery eyes looked up at her, barely able to hold back the bursting dam from within. As soon as her hand traveled to his back, Baiju broke down into a ruined sob and hid his face into her providing lap.

"Sh. You're ok. You're ok." She gratefully whispered cradling him to her body. Baiju was more than lucky to be alive from the fight he faced the other day.

"I'm just a useless machine." His eyes began to water as his voice choked up, a sad cough escaping his quivering throat.

"Hey don't say that." Marion told him in a soft voice trying to console the helpless silver fox.

"It's true! I'm worthless!" He sobbed burying his head into her lap. "A stupid piece of scrap metal!" Marion held him close to her and patted his back, unsure of what else she could do to help. The crying didn't last long, but gasps and whines racked his body for a better amount of time. "It's the worst feeling... knowing that you exist solely to be replaced." He whimpered. Marion held him tightly.

"No one can replace you Baiju." Marion wished that she could make everything better for him in an instant.

"Don't you regret what we did the other night?" Marion held him close. His mind was currently a slow shattering piece of glass.

"Baiju." She whispered, unable to imagine what he had just said. "I will never regret a single day of spending my time with you." He gradually sat up and eased himself back down onto the bed and pillows wiping tears away from his damp face. At least her heartfelt answer didn't upset him any further, but he wasn't comforted by it either. His partner noticed a full plate of food nearby that been untouched. "Come on. You need to eat something." Marion shakily said pulling the small portable table to his bedside. The vixen scooped up a healthy amount of mashed potatoes in a fork before wedging it between his lips. Despite how cold the food was, he ate the mouthful and swallowed. Marion felt her heart sink seeing Baiju dismally staring at his left.

"You're just like me." He murmured quietly staring at his heart monitor next to his bed. Marion set the fork down and dabbed her eyes doing her best to control her breathing.

'I won't give up on you Baiju.' She swallowed as cold lump picking the fork back up. "I heard that food is the best thing for a guy to have in any mood." She piled another forkful for him eagerly almost too eagerly, but the silver fox chewed through it. Another warm tear escaped his eye as she fed him a fourth forkful. Her smile turned desperate into fear as she began shaking. Marion didn't want to see him wither away like this.

"No more please." He held up a hand after the sixth bite. Marion frowned sympathetically, and rested a hand over his. "I'll eat the rest later." He reassured her with a quick half grin. The vixen hesitated, but set the fork down after scooting the table right next to his bedside. Marion reached over and held his hand, but he didn't even try grasping back at hers. A cold silence passed as his eyes failed to meet hers.

"I'm stuck waiting on my textbook. It was supposed to come in a day ago." She tried thinking of something to cheer him up.

"The one about me?"

"Yeah." She bit her lip looking down dejectedly at their joined hands.

"Oh." He hollowly replied. Marion hand squeezed his in support as the silence killed her optimism. She leaned forward and softly kissed him.

"Please be strong for me." Marion whispered, afraid to cry in front of him. The silver fox nodded as she stood up still holding his hand. "I know we can handle this together. We make a great team." Her words fell on deaf ears as hollow eyes stared at her. Baiju watched her step to the door and constantly peeking over her shoulder at him. She stared at him for a silent minute before finally going outside. The door closed quietly leaving him to his own thoughts, although he could clearly hear Marion break down outside and cry. The silver fox's gaze hardened looking at the heart monitor as its chart displayed his heartbeat.

***

The door to Baiju and Marion's room clicked open before soft steps entered closing it. A light switch was flipped on revealing the mostly typical space. The room hadn't changed in the slightest. Baiju sighed looking at the bed that had remained unkept since that wonderful morning. Although his clothes had been moved since then. There on Marion's bed was the new textbook she had been waiting for, seal still intact and everything. Instead of making fun of her for reading the bulky item on base, he curiously wondered what she had been reading all this time. "Operation Perfection: Third Edition." There was a vivid warning label that only authorized military officials were allowed to open its pages. Baiju opened the book regardless.

"I was created to be studied." He flipped to a random page titled 'Alpha I unit six model' and read a block of text.

"Speech is still a huge task to overcome," Dr. Rodolfo Umbrius states, "but movement is now independent along with decision making using the C styled computer base. HK-2 receptors within the ear tend to decay despite insulation-" Baiju flipped the page. "-and synthetic fur has difficulty remaining in the base of the skin pad... The failed model had to be put euthanized due to lung complications." The figure presented a coyote with an open mouth. The model's molar teeth were mostly screws and fringed wires keeping him held together. Large sections of synthetic fur had been shaved off revealing flaky skin with electrodes and other miscellaneous things attached to it. A big screen in the background showed a various list of numbers, similar to the ones he had seen when his eye was damaged.

'Yikes.' Baiju shivered at the sight that could've been him. Half of the model's face was made entirely of metal with a complex lens in place of an eye. He then flipped to a large section that made his eyes widen.

'Beta I unit eighteen model' was written on top of the page. There were pictures of him fighting other models and sparring with other soldiers.

'Oh no.' His eyes watered seeing the photo of him and Marion standing together in the office with Tomic in the background. It was the day Tomic first introduced him to the red vixen who he thought was a secretary. The text almost sounded like a fantasy world to him as he read it on the bottom page.

"This is the model that defies the field of cybernetics itself. Not only are his systems outdated, but his height and weight are merely average. Constantly besting all opponents remains his own standard." Baiju flipped through the next few pages with disbelief about all the data and pictures about him. Charts, graphs, and countless other numbers had been neatly organized to show his steady improvement as a soldier since day one. He flipped through the pages and dozens of other models like him. The last cyborg in the book was Delta III unit four, the husky he remembered fighting months ago. It showed a detailed blueprint with lots of fine print pointing to various areas of the model's body.

"We have great hopes for the Delta IV series. Nerve plasticity research has been phenomenal for the last two model units. For once, we are very confident in not only producing a cyborg soldier to match their original counterpart, but possibly exceed it entirely!" The book suddenly snapped shut with an angered growl.

'Counterparts and cyborgs?' His free hand balled into a tight fist. "What the hell am I supposed to be?!" He yelled throwing the book across the room. The textbook smashed into his dresser knocking a few items on top around to the floor. One in particular peaked his interest as it slowly rolled across the smooth surface. Walking forward, a fast hand caught the small circular object from falling off. Holding it up to the light, the answer became very clear as he looked back to the door. His voice nearly choked.

"Ode to Death."

"I'm worried about him Tomic." Marion paced the office slowly. Not even looking at the happy pictures along the wall brightened her mood in the slightest. Dozens of used tissues remained silent in a trash bin by the door.

"I am too Marion." He ran a hand through his head fur only to slam his desk with a fist. "This wasn't supposed to happen! Why would Veccus create a monster just to have a better model!... I can't imagine what kind of distrust, hatred, and fear that is going through Baiju's head now."

"At least jealousy or ambition isn't inside of him like it is inside of Veccus." Tomic gave an acknowledging nod. The vixen jumped hearing the door whoosh open. A husky nurse burst into the room with a wild look in her eye.

"Tomic! Baiju has gone missing from his hospital room!" She gasped breathing heavily.

"What?! Where did he go?!" The wolf jumped up knocking his chair back causing dozens of papers to scatter to the floor.

"I don't know. He vanished." The nurse quickly led them down to room 004 where he was kept in, except when the door was opened, no one was resting in the disorganized bed. Everyone silently thought of what to do. "The sheets are still warm." She murmured patting over the area where his legs once were.

'He can't be far then.' Marion deduced looking around the room. The only thing she could hear was the clock ticking as it always did. Her ears dilated noticing that the clock was the only thing making noise. She spotted the heart rate monitor only to find its screen blank. Marion stared at the machine before looking down behind the stand it was on. The power outlet was void and the plug rested on the floor. "Tomic look." Marion lifted the heart monitor showing where it was unplugged, rendering its alarm deactivated. The wolf looked very worried now and combed through his head fur frantically.

"I do not want an alert going out! Do you two understand?" He ordered both of them. "The last thing we need is to make him feel like an outsider even more and hunt him down like a wild beast."

"How can the three of us find him quickly over the entire base?"

"I'll call his friends to my office and tell them what's been going on. Maybe they saw him."

"He wouldn't do anything dangerous would he Tomic?" Marion asked only to see the wolf hesitate and stare at the heart monitor.

"I-I don't know. Just look for him. I don't care if we have to turn over every floorboard and tile in this base, go find him." All three split up without hesitation. Marion went to one place she knew he would've visited. The vixen's legs carried her as fast as she could go down the halls while worrisome thoughts made her fear the worst. She didn't even bother explaining to those she ran by what was going on.

'Why would he do this? What are you planning on doing Baiju?' Her eyes dilated seeing the white door ahead. "Baiju!? Baiju?" She kicked their room door open only to find it empty. The vixen checked under the beds and bathroom only to pace the room panicking. "Maybe he left a note or went on a walk." She tried calming herself down only to find the dresser disorganized. "My book." She noticed the text partially open laying against the wall beside the furniture. Looking back, Marion's eyes glued to the normally tidy space feeling her breath quicken. Walking over to the fixture, a sudden sense of dread inexplicably overwhelmed her. Time stopped and she very clearly heard her own heart beating. Staring at the dresser, she knew what was missing instantly. "Oh no!" The vulpine bolted out the door as fast as she could sprint.

The gym was dark except for one light turned on in the center, illuminating a lonely figure sitting on the metal plated floor.

"I'm a built failure." Baiju solemnly told himself staring into the darkness, wondering if all the other models he had defeated thought about the same thing. He wiped his eyes to clear the tears that kept forming. He had brought a tissue, but it was already soggy from over usage. Thinking about Marion's bright smile or lovely features didn't even lift his deadened mood. "Gods." The silver fox grumbled out to himself in frustration. "I shouldn't love. It only hurts me even more with everything else." It felt more like betrayal. Fresh tears continued to mat his fur as he thought about all his friends on base and off base. Yuri, Nikita, Roger, Chris, and the "Djungarian" ladies all crossed his mind smiling and laughing. They could still do all of those fun things without himself to bother or worry them about being a perfect soldier. 'What a worthless goal. To be a stupid fucking idiot.' He wiped his eyes with a wet sleeve before taking a shaky breath. His hand creeped into a pocket before pulling out a small yellow capsule, the same one that the would be murderer back in Olisipo could've used to kill himself. He looked at the little innocent poisonous ball between his index and thumb, rolling it around in a fateful and predictable circle.

'Will everyone miss me when they build a better version of my unit?' He thought before taking a heavy sigh. His brown eyes closed to the last light flickering above him. "I don't want to know." Baiju concluded to himself bringing the yellow capsule closer to his lips as they parted. The pill contained a unique mixture of cyanide and other chemicals to provide a quick death. It would all just be a vague, forgettable memory-

"Baiju! Stop!" He looked up hearing one of the double doors open. A figure ran towards him with lightning speed.

'Marion?' The vixen's mostly orange and white pelt was recognizable outside the dim lighting of his circle. Marion didn't slow down and tackled him as he remained sitting on the floor.

"Don't do it! Please for my sake!" Baiju managed to remain in his spot as she sat in his lap with fistfuls of his uniform. Baiju was surprised at the tone of her voice as her hands grabbed his shoulders. "Don't you dare kill yourself!" She shook him lightly only for a sob to escape her lips. "Don't even think about it!" Her voice only quavered more, already breaking apart.

"I won't fight you Marion. Just let me do this." His monotone voice brought the vixen bawling to tears as she hugged him tightly.

"I won't let you!" She screamed refusing to budge, crying into his shoulder. "You can't kill yourself! I'll stop you!" Marion dissolved into more sobs making him drop the capsule. The vixen cried dampening his shoulder while clinging onto him like a life raft. She could still smell him through his uniform reminding her that he was still there with her. "Don't leave me." Marion whimpered. The silver fox swallowed feeling his throat tighten.

"I'm... afraid Marion." He barely squeaked out. Her tears slowly subsided enough so that she could respond.

"It's alright to be afraid Baiju, it's natural, completely natural, but I'll be with you to care and nurture it away every day. I promise." She held him so tight that it almost hurt. Baiju felt his eyes water and face begin scrunching closed. A light sob escaped his throat.

"It is a flaw to cry. A male shouldn't be so weak." His shaking arms gently wrapped around her back as the sobs increased from him.

"You're anything but weak Baiju, and you aren't some flawed machine. Two nights ago you filled me with every drop of love you had, and then you cradled me with every fiber of your being throughout our sleep. Gods, I love you."

"You can't love a replaceable machine, can you?" He felt more tears stinging at his eyes as they demanded to be known.

"You're not a machine Baiju, you never were unless... Unless you want to see yourself as one." He shook his head in response without hesitation.

"No!" He choked out. "I love you!" The silver fox hugged her dearly feeling all the tension begin to lift away. "I love you." His voice descended to a mere whisper. An immense pressure slowly melted away from his body as he chanted the three words in his head. "I love you Marion." A golden warmth spread throughout his body as he said it with meaning.

"I love you too Baiju." Her beautiful voice enchanted his ears. It felt like the sun was shining on them both from that single light hanging overhead pushing away the darkness far away. Baiju could hear both of them breathing much more calmly than before with their bodies pressed together.

"Everything hurts." He opened his eyes seeing the yellow capsule resting on the gym floor. "It was too much." Her hand stroked his back as she listened intently. "I didn't know what to do."

"You don't have to face everything all by yourself. You have a whole team to support you, and I was selfish thinking that I could handle it all by myself." She whispered, brushing her muzzle over his and leaned back. They connected in a kiss that had both tails twitch. It was soft, just the edge of their lips joined together. His heart surged at the hope she provided him.

"Thank you." He softly answered.

"Baiju! Baiju!" Tomic yelled breathlessly running into the gym as the rest of the lights turned on.

"I'm ok Tomic." He quietly sighed standing up with Marion's help. "Just... tired is all."

"Oh gods Baiju please forgive me!" Tomic embraced the fox almost as tight as Marion did. "I should have trusted you and been honest from the start."

"You do not need to be sorry... I shouldn't have acted so rashly." Baiju ignored the capsule on the floor as Marion stepped on it. "I'm sorry."

"As long as you're ok." Tomic breathed a shaky sigh. "Name the place and I'll arrange a vacation for you, Marion, and anyone else you want to be wherever."

"Thanks, but I don't want to go anywhere for a while." He declined the gracious offer as the wolf finally loosened his grip. "Even if they make another like me." The wolf immediately shook his head.

"The project has been halted indefinitely." Tomic informed them both. "After what Veccus did and the damage it resulted in, Commander Suxho and Minister Mazarin chose to stop Operation Perfection."

"What'll happen to me?" Baiju didn't want to subject to testing as a failed product.

"Nothing. No one will be able to touch you with the entire military as your family." Family... Even though the cyborg fox never had a biological family, he was always surrounded by those who really were his family. Tomic grabbed his left hand and Marion grabbed his right as all three walked towards the double doors back to the hallway. Their steps quietly echoed through the tiled hallway. The offices or rooms they passed were dark and empty or simply closed due to the late hour at the inactive base. His partner's fingers intertwined with his own in an everlasting bond that transcended physical intimacy. Baiju's black ears perked up hearing other footsteps ahead quickly approaching.

"Baiju!" Nikita, Yuri, and Roger ran up to them. "We just heard about... Well, everything." Nikita confessed.

"Are you going to be ok? We'll bust some skulls for you any day." Roger added patting his rifle.

"We'll stick by your side even if we're surrounded." Yuri gave a thumbs up. Baiju looked at his team with grateful eyes.

"Thanks. This means a lot guys, but all I need is a good night's sleep for now."

"If you need us for anything, you know where we'll be." Roger nodded.

"Don't sweat it. We always have each other's back." Nikita added. Tomic nodded a silent thanks to the three as they walked by. Marion simply clutched her partner's hand, happy to have him alive.

"Do you two think Del and I will get married?" Nikita watched them walk down the hallway.

"Stop thinking about yourself Nikita." Yuri tugged the mink's ear. The trio gradually made their way to Marion and Baiju's room.

"You're in good hands." Tomic nudged his friend's side and winked.

"You made a life changing decision by making her my partner." He grinned feeling Marion's hand gave a reassuring squeeze.

"We can have a meeting tomorrow if you want, just the three of us." Tomic patted his back before departing. "Take it easy."

"Will do." He replied as Marion opened the door for him. He stepped into the dark room and flipped the light switch finding the entire area just as he had left it. "I didn't exactly clean up." He looked over at the dresser guiltily where he had thrown the military textbook. The angry thoughts from moments ago were still fresh in his mind.

"It's ok." Marion patted his shoulder consolingly and stooped down to help him put everything back. Baiju handed the military textbook to her, unable to look at it. The vixen set it aside and out of view.

"Thanks."

"Let's shower together. Hospital beds don't exactly clean the body well." Marion began unbuttoning his uniform. "And it's been a long day." He nodded in agreement as she undid the last button. Marion didn't tease and removed his clothes from behind simply enough right down to his boxers. Baiju looked down as his sheath openly stared back at him. Marion's hand was gentle as it traveled up Baiju's hip to his back and shoulder, no clothes interrupting. A pointy claw tapped him and the fox turned around finding the vixen waiting for him to do the same.

"Are you sure?" Her front was arched forward proudly and expectantly.

"Positive." She waited for him to undo the first button. His hands methodically completed the task one at a time. Her shirt gradually parted revealing a white front and plain bra. She briefly turned around for him to take it off and set it aside. Her bra came next as he reached for a strapped shoulder. "No." She grabbed his wrists and guided them to her sides. "You have to reach around me." Baiju stepped forward and fumbled with the strap while Marion's hands explored his shoulders and back in simple gliding strokes. As soon as her chest was freed, the vixen embraced him in a warm and comforting hug. Baiju gratefully dropped her bra and returned the intimate embrace.

"This isn't going to be easy." He sighed looking at the wall.

"No, it won't." Marion patted his back. "But we won't give up." He nodded undoing the embrace to finish undressing her. The vixen's pink nipples blushed warmly at him. His hand traced down her white tummy to the hem of her uniform pants. The silver fox crouched down to unbutton and unzip them. The synthetic folds parted with ease, and a tug along the waist had the whole garment pooled around her black ankles. She stepped out of them leaving him inches away from her final garment covering her femininity. He noticed how the unkempt white and orange fur underneath the thin fabric seemed to stick out from an entire day of hiding.

"Are you sure Marion?" Baiju hesitated and looked between her breasts at her smiling face for conformation.

"I trust you." Marion's honey sweet voice assured him. He nodded and placed his palm over her clothed mound noticing how warm the area was. She spread her legs slightly for him as his fingers splayed. Baiju gave a gentle tug, and with his other hand succeeded in pulling the garment down revealing the vulpine's full nether lips. Her tail flicked feeling the cotton trail down her thighs where it was quickly kicked off. He leaned forward detecting the subtle and welcome aroma from her unclothed body. It reinvigorated his senses as he stood back up. Marion brought a hand up around his back and methodically rubbed over a single spot before nudging him to the bathroom. He walked into the shower with Marion right behind him. The vixen quickly started the water and guided him inside, half a step behind. Warm water immediately soaked their bodies to the core and helped relax over anxious muscles from the worrisome day. A breast or knee remained intimately pressed against his body reminding Baiju that Marion was right behind him. His ears flicked through the falling drops hearing a bottle snap open and then snap shut.

Hands full of sweet orange scented shampoo rested on his shoulders before kneading through his predominantly black fur. "You could use a little rest and relaxation." Marion quietly moved to wash over his silver ticked back, fingertips lightly rubbing his skin underneath. Baiju marveled at how nice it felt to be touched, and its ability to keep his sadness at bay. Marion eagerly pressed against his back to take care of his front before crouching down to his legs. Her touch acted in place of a fine practical art, and his legs spread to help the artist through her performance. Baiju rinsed off his soapy self when she finished, a sense of renewal growing from within. "Better?" Their fronts barely touched.

"Yeah." He sighed thankfully. It felt as if the most noticeable worries had been physically washed away. Marion nodded, quaintly grinning, and reached for the shampoo bottle herself, but but Baiju intervened. "Wait." He picked up the bottle before she could. "Can I return the favor?" Baiju asked causing her petite grin to grow. Marion folded her arms behind her back and arched her body slightly with an approving nod. He quickly lathered up his hands and placed them on her shoulders before gently scrubbing into her fur. Suds accumulated in the vixen's fur as his hands glided over her beautiful lithe frame. There wasn't a single spot he couldn't stop to marvel at as his fingers massaged every inch of skin. Marion cooed lovingly and wagged her tail when he rubbed over a tender spot. Down her slender calves, Baiju finished around her ankles and the tops of her black furred feet,

"You don't have to rub them." She watched him go over the black fur on both.

"I know. I'll save that for another day." He grinned patting both and stood up out of her way to rinse. She looked so beautiful with the water flowing freely over her form.

"Do I look clean?" The lovely vixen turned halfway to him with water still cascading down her body.

"More mature than clean." He grinned scratching his neck. The wet vixen giggled turning the water off. They both shook excess water off their bodies, leaving fur kinked out in a spiky soggy pattern. Marion stepped out and gathered two towels, tossing one back to Baiju.

"Something funny?" She noticed Baiju smirking.

"I've never seen you stand soaked to your skin in front of me." He found her wet fur tight body amusing.

"We're both foxes so look at yourself." She stuck the tip of her tongue out at him.

"But you're far more beautiful than me." He stepped forward and touched her side, setting his towel on the counter. The soggy hairs felt funny under his padded fingertips.

"Males are handsome, not beautiful." She rested her hand on his shoulder, abandoning hers as well. Their free hands respectively joined, ready to dance.

"Would you care to dance?" He asked in a whisper. Marion smiled as their feet carefully stepped side to side. Their eyes remained locked, in wanting to see anything else.

"You know Baiju... I think I started falling in love with you when I woke up on the rock bed. You were standing over me like a guardian angel, protecting me from danger."

"Despite knowing that I wasn't exactly a real fox?"

"That didn't stop me." She churred at the fond memory.

"I fell for you rather suddenly." He grinned staring into her soft brown eyes as their feet glided impeccably across the floor. "I stumbled across the pool under our room in the estate where you were swimming, and I couldn't take my eyes off you."

"I kind of... wanted that to happen." She shyly looked away with her ears pinned. A soft kiss on the side of her muzzle helped her explain. "If you felt the same way about me the I planned on pinning you to a corner, or chasing you."

"That would've forced an answer." He imagined how that could possibly play out. "And I wouldn't have been so nervous over the following days."

"But everything worked out." Marion regretfully halted the dance and reached behind Baiju for the towels they discarded. They broke off and helped dry each other from head right down to each white tail tip. When all was said and done, the foxes returned to the cooler bedroom. Neither bothered retrieving a set of clothes to sleep in. Marion went over and lit a candle on their dresser in the corner of the room. The sweet fragrance filtered into the room making Baiju close his eyes and take a deep breath.

"Mmmm lavender?" He guessed the subtle aroma clinging to his nose.

"I honestly have no clue." She took a deep breath enjoying it as well. The vixen jumped forward, startled, as a blast of warm breath ruffled a spot on her neck.

"You smell better than the candle." Baiju wiggled his nose appreciatively.

"I shouldn't smell after a shower." She lifted an arm and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's a good odor." He reassured her. "It's you."

"I'll accept it as a compliment then." His partner and mate murred contently. Each glanced at the clock realizing how late it was. "Want to call it a night?" Marion rubbed the sheets beside her. Baiju nodded and walked over to turn the lights out. His hand rested over the off white switch, but he looked back hearing the bed shift subtly. The vixen had moved and was lying down on her back looking at him with a soft smile. One leg was raised up a little more than the other, and her white tipped tail lazily tapped between both. Black socked arms and hands were neatly folded over her lap White furred breasts and their blushing nipples stared at the ceiling. Both subtly rose and fell in time above her tummy with each breath she drew. The silver fox knew that there was nothing to hide anymore.

"You're so beautiful." He sighed. Marion winked as he turned the lights off. The candlelight bathed the room in a soft glow that created dancing shadows all around them. Baiju joined his partner and scooted forward pressing his front to her side where she guided his head to her bosom. Marion felt him cling to her form shakily.

"Baiju?" She whispered. His eyes watered remembering the intentions he had earlier in the day, and the pain accompanied it. A pair of arms and tail encircled him. One hand traced over his back as the other cradled his head. The warm embrace dissipated his fears and brought calmness to his mind. "Sh. You're with me Baiju." Marion cradled his head to her bosom, stroking him tenderly with care. "Remember, we'll wake up every morning together." A grin caught his lips.

"With or without a crazy night." He remembered pleasantly. She hummed happily and continued to caress him.

"With or without clothes is what I thought you said."

"Same thing." His smile beamed. The silver fox propped his head on a breast to see her better.

"Hey... My boobs aren't pillows." She cutely stuck her tongue at him. The moment struck him with a sudden rush of comfort.

"Oh gods what would I do without you Marion?" He choked up for a second before calming down enough to breath normally. Baiju inhaled her comforting scent. It was uniquely hers, beautiful, and amazing in her right all by itself.

"Probably train like a crazy fox." She said with a heart melting smile as Baiju looked up at her.

"I love you!" He proclaimed and kissed her passionately wrapping his arms around her neck.

*The Unknown Soldier. Pluto the Renewer.* (epilogue)

"Alright, aim a little lower and kick the center with your shoe this time." Baiju instructed holding up the target. The raccoon with white and grey fur, instead of the normal grey and black, nodded and kicked with his right leg. Just before his motion finished, a set of lights at the back of the gym cut on distracting him. Baiju took a step back and avoided the swift kick as the raccoon stared at the lights before shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry." His ears pinned back as he stared towards the floor.

"Beta I unit three, don't let anything distract you. Your files say that distractions are a major obstacle for you to overcome."

"Yeah," he sighed out, "that's what everyone tells me." The raccoon scuffed his shoe on the floor.

"Don't fret." Baiju rested a hand on his shoulder. "With hard work and a strong will, you can overcome anything."

"Baiju!" A familiar voice rang happily in the silver fox's ears. The raccoon watched as the male's tail flicked up seeing who it was.

"Now you look distracted." The raccoon claimed seeing the red vixen.

"Hey, this is different than training." Baiju started walking towards her. "Keep practicing or take a break."

"Yes sir!" The coon sat down.

"Who do I owe the honor of seeing you at this time?" Baiju happily asked standing up perfectly straight.

"Don't flatter me." Marion grinned tracing a finger down his arm. However, the one wearing the diamond had his attention. "Tomic wants to see you."

"But I didn't even finish practicing with B-1-3 yet."

"You can get back to that later. Just take a break."

"Do you think I'll catch a cold from working too hard?"

"Not even a computer virus could get you sick." Marion remarked gleefully.

"Hey, that's not funny." Baiju grinned feeling her bump into his side playfully as they walked into the hallway.

"He's so distracted..." The raccoon stared at the wall daydreaming once more.

"So what does Tomic need?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me."

"He doesn't tell us anything until the last minute." The couple chatted to each other hand in hand down the hall to the wolf's office. They both knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Tomic called from his desk as the vulpine pair entered.

"What's happening Tomic?" Baiju wandered around the room in a small circle.

"I thought I said you could get him after he finished training with Beta I unit three." The wolf gave the vixen a questioning look as her ears went back briefly.

"A break never hurt anyone." The silver fox held his hands behind his head in a pseudo stretch glancing at the walls. A picture of him and the old wolf from a year back brought a pleasant grin to his lips. "So what's the news Tomic? Are we off to distant lands for fighti and dancing?"

"Hardly, but there's a letter written to you Baiju." He shuffled through a stack before handing a light brown envelope over. "The postage says it's from Olisipo."

"Olisipo?" The two foxes said in unison. 'From the Kalahari Safari' was written on the outside.

"How did Chris and the others get a hold of a letter in the safari?" He thought aloud looking at the regular envelope. "And what would he want from us?" Curiosity getting the better of him, the silver fox opened it and pulled out a thick folded sheet of paper. Unfolding it, both vulpines looked with surprise at the picture inside. Figures, familiar and unknown, all sat in a row before their eyes.

"I don't remember him carrying a camera in the safari."

"I don't remember so many actually being there with us." Baiju scratched his head counting more than seven.

"It looks like they found a bunch of clothes too." Marion remarked only seeing two of them in their bare fur alone. They were all sitting down in an area where the grass at least helped cover the few nude ones up from below the waist, but little else was left for the imagination.

Chris was pressed closely beside an arctic vixen in a hug smiling brightly. She had a shy expression, but the clothes she wore told of a more active lifestyle. Del wore a little grin holding up a freshly caught fish, the hyena next to her had an annoyed expression trying to back away from the fresh catch. Jodi and a male look alike sat together smiling next to Rain and a fennec vixen wielding a pair of sunglasses. A civet held two fingers behind Topaz's head laughing while the genet smiled happily. Johanna simply had her rifle in hand at the far left looking at everyone else as if they were all crazy.

"Oh! It's a drawing not a photo!" Marion pointed out. Baiju blinked and focused closer. Sure enough, it was indeed a finely made drawing and not a photograph.

'How long did it take for him to make this?' He looked over the detailed scenery. Grass, guns, and trees alike appeared to be touchable from the paper.

"What does it say at the bottom?" Marion pointed to the letter. Baiju removed his thumb to see a small note scribbled in blue ink on the bottom right hand corner. The vixen's head tried weaseling in front of his.

"Hold on, hold on. I'll read it out loud." He chuckled holding it up to for her to see better.

I hope all is going well for our new friends at the military base and that you guys, plus Marion, can come by and get lost for a visit.

Baiju flipped it over to continue.

~Sincerely, your extended family; Johanna, Topaz, Mazia, Jodi, Levi, Del, Ross, Rain, Ruth, Anastasia, and Chris.

P.S. Do you have any idea how much postage has gone up in the past years?

Baiju slowly shook his head in disbelief as Marion's orange cheek pressed against his black one. All the drawn people smiled back happily waiting expectantly for an in person reply.

"Guess we'll have to plan a little vacation." She curled an arm around his waist.

"I guess we will," He replied quietly as a grin overtook his muzzle, "for training of course."