The Superfur Chronicles: Chapter One
"Are you sure we should be here?" the lynx asked nervously. Her hood was drawn over her face to keep out the chill, but she still wrapped her arms around herself. "This is a bad situation."
"Hush, Anya," hissed the wolf next to her. "You heard the police scanner. This is the perfect place to be. We both saw what that guy did to that police car. I sure hope that was insured." Jo's tail was wagging eagerly. "No, the police can't do anything here. We're the only ones who can help those people."
"But why do we have to do it?" Anya whimpered, following her friend as she ducked past the dozens of blaring police cars parked outside of First National Bank. "Surely all those guns would be able to take them down?"
The wolf looked at her as if she was stupid. "Yeah, but how many of the officers would have to die first? These guys are like you and me, An. We're the best people to take them down and you know it."
Resigned, Anya followed suit as Jo kicked in a ground-level window. Thankfully the pair of them were thin enough to fit through the narrow opening. As they dropped to the floor in the sub-level of the bank, Jo let out a whistle. "Damn, this place is nice. No wonder those pricks targeted this bank - all the rich folks must store their blood money here."
"Let's just get this over with," snapped the lynx. Ever since they had entered the building she had grown more and more tense. She just knew something was going to go terribly, terribly wrong. Anya wasn't psychic - and she didn't know anyone who actually was - but she trusted her gut, and that told her she shouldn't be here.
Cautiously the pair made their way up the stairs to the main level of the bank. As they peered at the hostages laying on the floor of the main lobby, both robbers pointing guns at them, Jo whispered into her friend's ear. "If this goes south, I'll do my thing. You just focus on distracting the baddies. Remember the plan?" Anya nodded. "Good. Let's do this." The wolfess crouched, hidden, behind a pillar while the lynx walked into the main lobby.
"Sorry it took me so long to use the bathroom Mom, but you know how - OH MY GOD." As the lynx feigned distress, she suddenly had two guns pointed at her chest.
"Where did you come from?" asked the first robber suspiciously. He was a somewhat overweight grizzly, but he carried his weight well. "We searched every inch of this place."
Anya didn't doubt that, but for their plan to work she had to throw a wrench into their gears. "I - I was in the bathroom. Are you s-sure you ch-checked there?"
The grizzly frowned, turning to his partner, a russet horse. "Well? You heard the girl. Did you check the bathrooms?"
"Of course I did!" snapped the equine, though he sounded doubtful even to the feline's ears. "There was no one in there."
The ursine snarled. "Incompetent fool. Go check again! And be thorough this time." The second robber slunk away, defeated. Turning back to the young feline, the grizzly made a gesture with his gun. "Get on the floor with the others. And no funny business."
Complying, the lynx laid down next to an elderly vixen who was trembling. With a reassuring smile to the lady, Anya initiated the next step in the plan: she created a phone call out of thin air. One of the bank's telephones began to ring, and although the robber did his best to ignore the sound, it continued to ring. It would, after all - it was an auditory illusion.
Finally the bear crossed the room to the phone and picked up the receiver. "What do you want?" he snarled into the phone. Anya couldn't help but smirk. From her position she couldn't hear the phony words on the other end of the line, but she knew what they were asking: what the robbers wanted from the police. "We want five million dollars and a jet to anywhere we want to go! If you don't get it in the next hour, I start shooting people!" The grizzly slammed the phone down.
Beside her, the vixen started sobbing. Anya fought the urge to roll her eyes. At that moment the lynx heard a gunshot from another part of the building. Ice flooded through her veins. Jo! Was the wolfess alright? Had she been hurt?
The plan was falling apart. The grizzly rounded on her, aiming his gun at her face. "What did you do?" he shouted. "Who did you let in?" His anger was palpable, and Anya's stomach sank when she realized that the decorative pillars around the lobby were beginning to crack. Oh no. They had thought only the horse had powers like them. Evidently the both of them did. This was going completely off the rails, just like she had predicted.
Putting on a brave face, the lynx grinned at her captor. "The only person that can defeat you both. My best friend. And when she gets back, we'll take you down."
The statement triggered a surprised snort from the bear. "I don't think so, little kitty. If your friend gets back, it will be too late for you."
And he pulled the trigger.