FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Broken Toys Part 4

The entire world bounced softly up and down as a mountain of black furred stallion zipped down the sidewalk clad in only a short pair of running shorts. His big hooves pounded the pavement as air rushed in and out of his cavernous lungs. The stud had been running since the sun came up letting the physical exertion carry his mind away and trying to keep from thinking about anything.

Salvatore had lived on West California Island almost entire month and during that time he had done little more than acquire exhaustive carnal knowledge of one of the people he had sworn to stop. Most days he woke up with his lover and warden Erik Aloysius wrapped around him. He usually had to pry the dragon off him quickly before his own hungers got the best of him or the dragon would drag him back down into the sheets were they would sometimes spend the rest of the morning. He hated the fact that he enjoyed it so much and hated the fact that his resistance seemed to be growing more and more tepid.

His speed made the wind whip past him harder as he thought for a moment about the virus that had made him what he now was. Walking up as a horse every morning did not yet feel 'normal' but those seemed to be the cards he had been dealt. Salvatore had never been a one to complain about his lot in life, but his now impressively capable body came with some serious strings.

Salvatore had been unable to pin down the group responsible for producing the virus that had transformed him, only that they were embedded deeply within the military and had somehow ended up with some Gene Stealer tech. The cocktail they brewed up had been their own attempt to copy the Stealer's efforts at creating supers, and it seemed to work well for the very short period of time before it killed the user. Salvatore had survived only thanks to the timely intervention of a still unknown benefactor apparently at Dragon Knight's behest, and his own outsider powers.

Unfortunately the group who had created the virus had also created a way to control those who they gave power no matter how short their lives might be afterward thanks to a sister serum designed to give the user control over an infected person. Salvatore's body was specially keyed to certain pheromones, certain sound frequencies, and even the sight and taste of anyone using the controller serum. It amounted to a set of built in biological reins that he couldn't seem to break, and Dragon Knight had found and stolen an entire stash of the stuff.

The damned dragon had shot himself so full of the serum that it was hard to even breathe when the reptile was in the same room. The compulsion to obey and submit was impossibly strong, and though he tried to fight it, it seemed almost hopeless. Erik had him wrapped around his little finger and it seemed that there was no way out, but even more terrifying was just how much parts of him enjoyed it.

What this produced was the most hostile and dysfunctional relationship he had ever been in. In fact it wasn't so much a relationship as it was a one sided war. Salvatore had tried everything he could to make the dragon hate him. He had called him names, insulted him in every way he knew how, and had once come home covered in the scent of half a dozen other males but nothing seemed to work. Erik would just sit there and stare like he was looking down at a rebellious child before they somehow ended up naked and sweaty having furious not-makeup sex.

He could feel his resistance to the dragon being chipped away day by day, and their seemed to be nothing he could do stop it. Part of the problem was he was finding less and less about Eric he could hate. It left him clinging to the part of himself that still despised the dragon with a white knuckled desperation of someone that knew he was losing. The only thing growing faster than his infatuation with the black scaled dragon was his anger at himself for giving in so quickly.

Recently when he became aware of how much Eric seemed to like his long tail and mane he had them cut shot and bobbed. Now his comb of hair stuck up in a short natural mohawk, and his tail didn't whip back and forth near as much. It certainly was better for running as cool morning air zipped through his exposed fur as he passed a trio of wolves running in the opposite direction. He turned a corner still not precisely sure where he was as he began to run faster to try and outrun the thoughts in his head.

One thing that dragon liked to do was talk. When they weren't fucking there was a good chance that Erik was talking in that smooth sonorous tone of his trying to convince Salvatore that he and the rest of the Gene Stealers had some majestic overriding goal they were moving towards. That there was some grand reason for the things they did. Salvatore could tell that Erik believed what he said with the zeal of a true convert. He pretended not to listen but each little detail that slipped from the dragon's lips he remembered. Unfortunately Erik never let anything truly useful slip but Salvatore sure that something big was coming and soon.

A week or so back had come home late one night to find the dragon sitting in his apartment with an almost manic expression on his face. It was a look so intense that it frankly scared the stallion as he was pressed up against the wall. The pair didn't even make it to the bed room before collapsing into an intertwined heap on the floor.

As they slowly spiraled down from their endorphin high the dragon had said something in a sleepy tone that set alarm bells ringing in Salvatore's head.

"You know you won't be as alone much longer. Soon you will be one of many, but you will always be mine," said Erik as he purred almost too softly to hear. His words kept the horse up almost the entire night as they rolled over and over again in his head. Whatever the Gene Stealers were planning next it was coming to a head and soon.

Salvatore rounded a corner and felt the urge to push himself as he practically flew down the sidewalk. It felt good to cut loose and let his body moved faster than should have been possible. For several minutes he maintained his speed until he looked up and noticed he was staying even with a minivan in the lane next to him. A small human boy with a mop of red hair had both his hands on the rear window as he stared wide eyed at the sprinting horse.

The stud slammed on breaks, skidding almost ten yards before stopping as the minivan continued on its way. He slowed to a walk before looking up at the street signs and realizing that he had no idea where he was. His phone guided him back to his apartment where he had a shower, breakfast, and a protein shake before slipping into some workout clothes.

Thirty minutes later his low slung black car threaded its way through traffic towards a slightly older and seedier part of town as the traffic became thinner. Potholes and cracks from heavy commercial traffic were everywhere as Salvatore pulled into the gravel lot of what looked like a dingy warehouse. The horse slowly unfolded himself from his car before pulling a gym bag from the trunk and starting his walk towards the building.

A sign above the double door entrance read "Eddy's Gym" in peeling green letters as the stud pushed his way through the double doors into a large open room. Inside the smell of sweat and slowly rusting iron permeated the air as he breathed in the scent of the place. The crowd was light as several massive furs and one or two humans strained against piles of weights making the plates clank against each other as an occasional grunt punctuated the air.

The person Salvatore was looking for was sitting behind a shabby desk so covered with papers and junk that you couldn't see the top of it. He was leaning backward with his arms behind his large head as his eyes flicked slowly open. Yellow irises fixed on the horse as his massive tail moved propelling him to his feet. Molted green and gray scales covered the massive frame of the crocodile as he stood and slowly crossed both his beefy arms.

"Just in time. I was itching to hit something today," said the male croc in a languid tone as Salvatore put down his bag.

"Eddy," said the horse as he extended his right paw and the reptile shook it. The crocodiles grip was bone breaking and would have pulped a normal person's paw as the stallion began to squeeze back. The croc's muzzle broke into a bit of a toothy grin as he let go and stepped up out from behind his desk, his thick tail dragging behind him. Dressed in a faded gym t-shit and standing nine feet tall, the massive male only had to tilt his head slightly to look at up at the equine. Like a lot of crocs, the older reptile had a slight hunch to his shoulders giving him a slightly stooped appearance and arms almost as muscled as the stud's.

One side if his face was heavily scared and he seemed to walk with a bit of a limp in his left leg, but his rudder like tail more than made up for that. Built like a fireplug with an impressive muscle gut the lizard and didn't seem capable of smiling, but he had recognized what Salvatore really was the instant he walked through the door. The ankle monitor around his right leg and a number of seedy types that seemed to frequent the gym gave the place and its owner an almost sinister quality, but this gym was one of the only places that the horse could really train and push himself.

"Get taped up cupcake, I need to beat some of the pretty off of your face," said the grouchy lizard as he slowly walked toward the lockers while Salvatore picked up his bag. The crocodile had a deceptively clumsy waddle to his walk that had made Salvatore underestimate him the first time he had crawled into the ring with the older reptile, but that like much of his appearance, it was only a ruse.

He stopped by the water fountain and quickly mixed an extra-large protein shake as he tipped it back before entering the locker room. The croc let him finish the shake before tossing him a roll of tape as he began to wrap his fingers and knuckles. Salvatore tore off the last bit of tape with his teeth as a pair of scared and worn looking gloves were tossed into his lap. The horse slipped them on, and Eddy stepped forward with a pair of iron rings in each paw. Each ring had a hinge and a clasp that locked them closed as he slipped the smaller pair over each of Salvatore's wrists, and the larger pair over each one of the horse's ankles.

All four fit sung and didn't move as the croc closed his eyes for a moment. Each of the rings began to vibrate very quickly sending a tingle up each of Salvatore's limbs as the density and weight of each of the rings began to multiply. Soon each ring was shockingly heavy and the stud had to make an effort just to hold them up as he lifted each paw slowly feeling the weight.

"I can't move with this much weight on me," said Salvatore as he struggled to stand.

"Then l guess you're going to get hit a lot," said Eddy as he slipped a pair of gloves over his own paws and walked out the door. Salvatore followed him slowly, taking deliberate steps and adjusting to the weight that rested on each of his hooves. It felt like he was wearing a pair of lead boots as he stomped his way to the half size boxing ring just outside the lockers. Just getting up the steps was a challenge as he slowly swung one heavy leg though the ropes then the other before slapping his mitts together with a nice loud pop.

"Good to see you're ready," said the croc as his tail slapped at the bell in the corner of the ring as the big reptile moved like lighting towards the stationary horse. Salvatore barely got his mitts up in time to defend against the barrage that the crocodile laid on him. If anyone saw them moving faster than they should have been able, no one said anything as he felt each blow rattle his entire body while the super strong and experienced boxer began to work him over like a professional.

There wasn't any time to do anything but defend as Salvatore tried to make himself narrow and use his feet to get him out of trouble. The weights around his ankles conspired against him making the lighting quick stallion painfully slow, and the older boxer seemed to read his movements before even he knew where he was going. He tired a hard left jab only to see the croc deke inside and land a crushing body blow just above his heart. What followed was a devastating combination as the crocodile began to rain blows on wherever Salvatore's hands weren't.

The stud would block low and Eddy would hit high. When he tried to protect his body he got a right hook to the face that nearly knocked him down. The stallion tried to duck and weave out of the line of fire but the croc seemed to be everywhere. The limp in his left leg and the waddling awkwardness vanished when Eddy was in the ring where he displayed a balance and quickness that seemed almost impossible even for a super of his size. He would use his thick muscular tail like a third leg to anchor himself and drive through his punches and to help him balance while he ducked and weaved.

The sound of his gloves hitting Salvatore's arms and body were like gunshots, each one a solid loud 'POP' as several of the patrons looked up at the beating Salvatore was receiving. The stud tried to control his breathing and temper so he could mount a counter attack when the lizard landed a knockout blow on his chin. Blood was suddenly everywhere in his mouth as his vision dimmed a split second before going red as his arms began to move faster.

"There we are!" shouted Eddy as Salvatore mounted his attack. His green and gray body zigged and zagged twisting this way and that faster than the stallion's weighted fists could account for as he dodged punch after punch. His inability to hit Eddy only severed to make the horse even madder as he kept attaching trying to push the croc into a corner.

He caught Eddy with a glancing left to the body and followed with a right arm haymaker right at the other males chin only to watch as his opponent bend backward letting the missile zip harmlessly over him. Eddy's tail flexed like a spring board rocketing him forward as he brought his entire body underneath the overextended horse. The force of his punch actually lifted his considerable frame off the ground as he hit the stallion under the chin will all his strength.

Salvatore didn't remember anything else until he looked up to see Eddy standing over him breathing hard as his tail slapped the bell again.

"Ten minutes, a new record for you. You almost didn't remind me of a drunken turtle this time." The horse tried to say something only to find that his jaw wasn't working to well as the croc laughed and removed his gloves. Salvatore got up shakily rubbing at his chin as the bone started to nit itself back together while Eddy slipped on a pair of punch mitts.

"You don't need to talk to throw a punch," grumbled the other male as he raised his paws up and set his feet. "And I better see those hooves of yours moving." The stud nodded and soon the pair was working through a series of combinations. Salvatore had no idea how much weight was in the rings around either wrist but it felt like a ton as he tried to force his arms to move faster in order to satisfy the crocodile but it was never enough.

The gray and green tyrant continued to goad and insult him, lashing out with his own gloves forcing Salvatore to dodge and counterpunch when he could. After just over thirty minutes of nonstop attacking the stallion's arms felt like jelly as he tried to keep up with the grouchy trainer who seemed to grow angrier by the minute.

"We don't stop until you knock one of these off my paws," he said starling as he began to flash the mitts even faster. The stud's body was scrapping the last of its reserves as he swung his right fist hard as he could letting a small dense pocket of air form just in front of it. When it hit he let the pocket of air burst magnifying the impact of his blow as the force tore the glove right off Eddy's paw with a loud 'BANG'. The red leather glove sailed across the room and hit the back wall with a smack as pair watched it go. Eddy turned back around with a look that was almost proud as he dropped his paws slowly and stopped moving.

"Take five grab some water then meet me at the bench press," said the lizard as he pulled the other glove off and stepped out of the ring. As soon as he went the rings around Salvatore's arms and legs grew lighter until he couldn't even feel them as he sagged against a corner. His body was dripping, and his sweat had stained large portions of the mat as he peeled his gloves off with his teeth then took off the iron rings.

The horse's fingers weren't moving so well as he threw his mitts over his shoulder and gingerly stepped out of the ring before trotting towards the water fountain again. He mixed another massive protein shake started to guzzled it down as he tried to catch his breath. Super healing and super stamina gave him some of his wind back as he finished the last of his calorie packed drink. Salvatore had been pouring them down his gullet what seemed like every five minutes trying to get stronger and put on more muscle. So far he seemed to be succeeding adding almost thirty pounds in a month thanks in large part to Eddy's training.

No one seemed happier about his than Erik who seemed to take an almost fetishized interest in his development and every new pound he put on. Despite the drake's obvious joy at his growing physique he continued to push himself, hoping that it would help him resist the reptiles control and make him strong enough to one day defeat him. Eddy was waiting none too patiently by a rather grimy bench press rack as Salvatore made his way over.

He placed his wide back as flat as he could on the bench, and each hoof flat on the ground as he rolled his shoulders. His paws went to the tacky sections of the bar that rested on its hooks directly over his chest as his fingers tightened around it. The bar had about four plates on each side which was an impressive amount, but by no means earth shattering even for many of the gyms normal members.

Salvatore hefted it slowly off the hooks, raising it up till his arms were fully extended as he felt the weight begin to sharply increase. Eddy tapped his shoulder and he started his rep letting the bar down smoothly to touch his chest before controlling the weight all the way back up. The strain and burn in his muscles felt good as his chest began to strain against his shirt by the twelfth rep.

He racked the bar and sat up trying to take slow deep breaths before Eddy nodded again. His time when he lifted the bar off the hooks there was a noticeable difference in the weight. The thick metal straight bar in his paws was not actually steel like the rest of the straight bars in the gym but rather a titanium alloy designed to withstand the amounts of weight Eddy's powers could generate, but even it drooped a bit as Salvatore lowered the bar towards his chest.

This time it took every bit of his concentration to perform clean reps and the plates on either side of him clanked each time they changed direction. The bench under his back groaned under the weight as he grunted with each lift forcing air out of his lungs. Veins popped in his arms and his chest rose and fell until the very last rep where he re-hooked the bar and sat up.

There was a slight tremor in his flesh and blood arm as the horse tried to slow his breathing and got up to take a sip of water. He slowly worked both his arms through their range of motion to try and ease away some of the tightness as Eddy pointed to the bench.

This time as he lifted the bar off the hooks he was sure the croc was trying to kill him. Salvatore didn't know how much weight he was holding up, but it was enough to make the bar bend a disturbing amount. As he lowered his arms for the first rep his whole body was already shaking from the effort. The second and third managed to go smoothly but by the fifth his left arm was threatening to give out.

"Push horse! I don't like pussies in my gym!" grumbled Eddy and Salvatore grunted and forced his muscles to comply gritting out the next three reps as his body screamed at him. Sweat matted his fur as a seam popped in his shirt and a metallic coppery taste filled his mouth. The thick veins in his arms looked ready to burst and the palms of his paws ached but he pushed past the ninth and tenth reps.

On the eleventh, his arms all but collapsed as the bar hit his chest hard enough to bruise. The adrenalin from the sudden pain was enough to get the bar half way back up as his arms shook.

"Stop staring at it and lift!" growled Eddy with a bit more urgency as his own paws went to the underside of the bar and hovered there. Salvatore was staring murder up at him as the bar slowly began to rise up before he locked his arms and began his final rep.

The expression on the crocodile's face held something close to concern as the bar touched the stallion's chest and stayed there. He was about to help the horse with the bar when the stud shot him a look that made him stop. Salvatore let out a furious snort and dug deep as his body bowed and his hooves pressed even harder against the floor.

Muscle and sinew bunched and strained as the stallion screwed his eyes shut and let out a roar that seemed to center his focus. The bar began to inch its way upward slowly at first as Salvatore's teeth ground against one another lough enough for Eddy to hear. The fingers on his metal paw were squeezing hard enough to dent the bar as the metal let out a metallic sounding moan and several heads slowly turned toward the pair.

The bar slowly rose above the hooks as the stallion locked his arms and the weight seemed too diminished to near nothing and Eddy grabbed the bar. The croc pulled it back onto the hooks as Salvatore slowly unclenched his numb fingers. His arms felt like they were going to fall off as he slowly sat up and let them fall into his lap. Eddy patted him once on his shoulder before he began to pull the plates off either side of the bar. "Good lift. Squats are next," said the reptile as the horse just tried to catch his breath.

After obliterating his legs and core, an extended bath in a scalding hot shower was in order. The heat soothed his angry muscles and made him almost feel live again as he tested his jaw. After he dried off, and slipped into some fresh clothes, he walked into Eddy's grimy and cluttered office. The mess and filth of the gym seemed to be the most concentrated here, and the only thing that didn't seem dirty was a large surfboard that sat against the wall in the far corner.

"Close the door," said the big reptile as Salvatore shut it and sat down. Eddy stared at him a moment before reaching up with one paw and grabbing a tooth that was sat a bit crooked on his lower jaw. He pulled and with a wet snap it came loose as he flicked it toward a trash can in the corner of the room.

"Loose tooth," he said as his finger massaged around the hole in his gums. "Nothing's worse."

"So have you thought about it?" asked the horse.

"Yeah I have."

"And?"

"I'm still thinking about it," said the croc as he starred across his desk. "I'm thinking that it is an odd request from I guy I barely know involving some very dangerous people."

"I'm plenty dangerous myself," said Salvatore as the lizard squinted at him.

"Careful now kid, a man who frightens easily might think that's some kind of threat."

"You don't frighten easily," said the horse as the male on the other side of the desk chuckled.

"You're not wrong, but just because I might know a lot of guys who may or may not put on masks and break things for money doesn't mean that I want to attract the attention of the yahoos you're interested in. I'm not really the heroic type. There's also the fact that I asked a friend who knows everyone in this line of work about you."

"He tells me that he's never even heard of a horse named Salvatore with your description, and you're not exactly easy to mistake for someone else. Matter of fact he has never heard of anyone by your name save for a human in Vegas who according to reports is pushing up daisies."

"I'm just asking for a favor that's all. I've got no reason to dime you out for anything," said a stone faced Salvatore as Eddy gave him a look.

"I like you kid you've got talent. More than anyone I've seen in a long time and more than some of the ones that do it for a living which just makes me curious why I've never heard of you."

"I don't make a lot of friends."

"You have at least one though, a dragon I think," said the croc as he tapped his snout. "Don't want to bring you boyfriend to your dive gym?" The horse's arms twitched and broke both of the metal armrests on either side of his chair as they clattered to the floor while his ears went flat on the top of his head.

"Hit a nerve did I?" said Eddy as Salvatore forced himself to remain seated.

"He is the reason that I need this from you," said the stallion in an almost quite voice as Eddy's expression changed.

"Just how deep in the shit are you kid?" asked the crocodile in a serious tone.

"Up to my eyeballs."

"Then why should I do this for you?" asked Eddy.

"I heard a story one time," said Salvatore slowly. "About twenty years ago there was a gang that was hitting banks all along the west coast and giving the police fits. They never hit the banks during operating hours, and had an interesting way of getting into the vault. One of the members was a super who could manipulate weight and mass of metallic objects. He would either trip the door mechanism to pop the vault or simply make the entire safe fall straight through the floor and into the sewer below into order to break the thing. When the police tried to stop them, the same guy would make their weapons so heavy the cops couldn't even lift them. He would do the same thing with their cursers when they gave chase and no one could seem to catch them."

"This all continued until the group robbed a bank next to a high-rise and pulled their trick with the vault, collapsing most of the bank with it. The only problem was the banks foundation and the high-rise were connected and the impact from the vault falling caused part of the building next door to collapse too. The impact killed eight people and injured twelve others as the group made their get away, but after the news broke the leader of the group turned himself in to the police."

"Latter it was discovered that the contractor who constructed the building had cut corners almost anywhere that was possible and if there had been so much as another heavy wind, the entire building would have fallen. When the information came to light the leader of the group's sentence was reduced, but he chose instead to serve his entire sentence before he was paroled out. I don't think a man like that wouldn't just stand by if he knew there was something he could do to protect his city from a bunch of psychos that want to do far worse than just drop a building on it."

Eddy hadn't moved an inch since Salvatore had started talking as his beady yellow eyes stared back across his desk. He blinked once as he leaned back in his chair and his crawled feet made it up onto his desk.

"You're making an awful lot of assumptions," said Eddy.

"Yeah well I hear that every now and then the police around here get a little whisper in their ear whenever a really nasty job is about to go down. Not when a painting goes missing or a safe gets cleaned out, but the kind of job where innocent people turn up dead. That kind of person would know the right people in the police that could help stop people like the Gene Stealers."

"I might know some people like that but why don't you just walk down to the police precinct yourself and tell them all this?" asked the Croc.

"I got my reasons," said Salvatore.

"Don't want to let any Gene Stealers know where you sleep at night I guess," said Eddy as the horse nodded.

"Yeah it's something like that."

"Fine I'll do it. I know someone who is heavy into the Gene Stealer investigation. She's already picked my brain for any information on them. The police are pretty desperate for any information they can get right now, and the local band of caped crusaders has been less than open with them apparently." said the croc as he stood up slowly.

"Which one," asked the horse as Eddy slowly rubbed the part of his jaw were he had pulled the tooth.

"The United Asshole Alliance," said the croc with venom in his voice. "They're too up their own asses to give these crazes the attention they deserve, even after they brought down the bridges. Now they're just playing catch up."

"And Arsenal?" asked Salvatore as Eddy turned towards him.

"It's being run by the former Asshole in Chief, but they seem to be taking this threat seriously. They're green but they have a lot of weapons and some members who aren't very restrained which is a good thing. They've got some talent, I'll say that much," said the croc.

"Are they going to make any difference?" asked Salvatore as Eddy seemed to think about his question for a moment.

"Arsenal is a lot like a firefighter. The Gene Stealers torch something and they put it out before it burns the whole city down. The world needs firefighters, but until you find the arsonist responsible the fires don't stop. They need to go on attack and cut off the head of the snake so to speak," said the crocodile as he stared at Salvatore for a moment before the horse let out an annoyed snort.

"So your contact in the police?" said the stallion changing the subject.

"How do you want to meet her?"

"Tell her to meet me here," said Salvatore as he handed Eddy a small slip of paper. The croc looked at it a moment before grumbling.

"Bit dramatic isn't it?

"I can't exactly do it in public can I? Besides I should be able to see anything coming."

"Whatever you say kid. You got anything to cover that mug of yours for the meet? If you want to keep your identity a secret a bandana isn't going to cut it for you I don't think."

"You think I need a mask?"

"I know you need a mask. People take a man very seriously when they're your size and wearing a mask. There is also an unwritten code among those who put them on."

"A code?"

"Yep, believe it or not one exists," said the croc.

"Where the hell would I even buy something like that?" asked Salvatore as he stood up.

"I've got a guy," said Eddy as he pulled open a drawer. An off gray blinker mask landed in the middle of his desk as the blank white slits stared menacingly up at Salvatore.

"Fuck no," said Salvatore after taking a look at it.

"Either you want the whole world to know who you are, or you wear a mask. That's how this thing works," said Eddy as he grabbed it and threw it into the horse's chest. "Now put it on or I don't make the phone call." Grumbling the stallion slowly slipped it on and found that the masked appeared to be quite elastic and breathable. Instead of laces in the back the mask had a pair of small but powerful electro magnet clips that snapped together as soon as Salvatore moved them close to one another. Just as soon as they cinched together there was a tingling around Salvatore's nose and the area around his nostrils started to itch.

"Micro-screen filters in the nose piece," said Eddy. "They won't keep out everything, but as long as you breathe through your snout you won't have to worry about tear gas and such. But that's not the best part," said the croc as he moved toward the wall and flicked the light switch off. The already dim office was plunged into darkness, but as Salvatore looked around everything was still visible. Most of the color had drained away from objects but he could still see well enough to move and probably fight.

"Night vision, nice," said the horse as he nearly jumped at the sound of his voice which came out sounding like he was gargling road tar. "Why does my voice sound like I have double throat cancer?" asked the stud as one hand rubbed at his neck.

"Vocal scrambler. Keeps anyone who records your voice from IDing you latter. Also sounds very scary. You can disable it by tapping the underside of your chin three times." Salvatore did so and hummed once in his normal voice before reaching back to undo the clasp behind his head. It took a bit of force to pull apart, but when it did the silky material slid right off him. "It's even machine washable," said Eddy as he flicked the lights back on.

"This didn't happen in a day. How did you know I would need this," asked the horse in a serious tone as he stared at the croc.

"Kid, I've been around a long time. You might like to think you're a complicated person but you aint. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were going to need one of these sooner or later. What I didn't know was if I was willing to help you. That and I've never trained a hero before."

"I'm not that," said Salvatore very quickly as he stared down at the mask in his paws.

"You'll do," said Eddy as he sat back down. "If you make it to my age you get these strange urges that make you want to give something back to people. Seeing you beat the shit out of those freaks on TV will do a lot to soothe my soul. But you owe me kid."

Those were Eddy's last words before he turned his chair around and ended their conversation. Salvatore quickly stuffed the mask into his gym bag before heading out the door and back into the noonday sunlight. He didn't let his gym bag out of his sight as he sat down at a diner near his apartment which had quickly become a favorite stop. They barely batted an eye as the hungry horse gobbled down a massive belt busting lunch.

Afterward the stud stopped by a local drugstore for some costume fur dye. His next stop was a rustic themed sporting goods store as the horse walked towards the large gun counter near the back of the store. A russet red fox with the store smock on was the attendant behind the counter perked up as he saw Salvatore approaching

"Hi their! Anything I can interest you in anything?" asked the fox as Salvatore looked down a the shorter attendant.

"Looking to protect myself," said Salvatore as he placed his paws on the glass counter.

"Well um- is this for your home or on your person?"

"Person," said the horse.

"Well we have a number of concealable firearms that-"

"No guns," said Salvatore quickly. "I never touch the things."

"Oh, well... We have a selection of stun guns and tasers if you want to look at those," said the fox.

"You wouldn't happen to have any mace would you?"

"We sure do!" said the fox seemingly excited about the prospect of a sale. "We have these handy small ones that fit on your key chain," he said as placed a key fob sized container on the counter. "And we have some that are a bit larger with a full six foot spray range," he said as he placed a small red aerosol can on the counter.

"Do you have them in bigger sizes? I want the hottest stuff money can buy," said the horse as he looked down at the items in front of him.

"Oh, well.... Um actually we do. Hold on just a minute," said the fox as his bushy tail vanished into the back before reappearing a moment later with an almost foot long aluminum canister. The top had a large nozzle and trigger beneath for your fingers as the fox placed it one the glass countertop. "Diablo brand pepper spray. It's made from ghost chilies and they claim that it's the hottest pepper spray on earth. The local PD use to use it till an officer maced a guy indoors and the whole building had to be fumigated. It also contains a nontoxic orange marking paint so the police can identify your attacker afterward, if they're still breathing."

"Perfect I'll take four cans please," said Salvatore as he picked up the can..

After walking out of the sporting goods store the stud got back into his car and headed downtown towards a dilapidated office park. He parked in the back and got out before grabbing his things and heading for the grimy looking door. He unlocked the door and stepped into a dim hallway as he flicked on some lights. The florescent bulb illuminated a small bathroom on one side, and a mostly empty storage closet on the other.

The stud put down his things before walking towards the front of the office suite. The front of the suite was a large glass window and it should have been nice and bright but wasn't since Salvatore kept the shades pulled low. The entrance had no signs other than a fading black number beside the door, and the horse hadn't unlocked the door since the first time he had walked through it. The only real object of interest was a phone on the bare desk set near the hallway. He never answered it no matter how many times it rang not that it went off that often.

Anyone who wanted to hire him for his little side business called that number, so whenever he needed money or got bored he checked his messages and gave the most recent one a call. He pressed the delete button on the phone and walked back down the hall and into the one large office or whatever passed for it. It was the only room that showed any of the horse's touch and inside each of the walls was papered with corkboard.

Pinned to the wall across from the doorway was a picture of every Gene Stealer known to the Alliance or the Media with names and various details scattered about underneath them. Those who were deceased had big red 'X's across their faces, those that were imprisoned had bars instead. A laptop sat on a dusty desk open to the Alliance files that Frost had given him access to as its screen lit up as he tapped on the keyboard.

Salvatore doubted that the snow leopard knew exactly the extent of what he had handed off when he left Vegas. It amounted to nearly complete access to the Elemental Alliance's database cloud on the Stealers. He had been though nearly every file and didn't find anything particularly interesting other than some files the Alliance kept on Arsenal and their reformed Stealer Madman.

The database had helped him fill out the wall to his left which had a map of West California Island and dozens of different pins beside of a chronological list of every single recorded stealer attack. He had spent hours staring at that wall and trying to piece together some kind of disenable pattern but none seemed to emerge.

From the files he had access to he had pieced together how things had gotten started. The Gene Stealer problem had originally been too small for the Elemental Alliance to look into so the FBI had taken over under some now defunct program that used Outsiders as field agents in lower intensity super crimes. From what Salvatore could tell, the core of Arsenal had been birthed there, and the attacks had gone on until the Stealers' first major offensive. Those early attacks had involved zombie like thralls with no sentience and only the most basic powers of their creators.

It was the first Gene Stealer offensive that had really escalated things with their Hyena strain. Spread by sound as well as other bodily fluids, the creatures were stronger than thralls and also sentient. The hyper masculine, sex mad creatures first attack had been at a baseball field in Newport on the western side of the island that was under construction. Their second had been at the Iron Arm Steel Factory then the break out at the supposedly impenetrable Bal-Modrain super prison lead by the source of the strain Gnoll. The hyena had apparently perished in a battle with the FBI outsiders and some Supers only to resurface just recently. The hyena strain of gene Stealers had effectively been neutralized thanks to a cure the Elemental Alliance developed just after the original's apparent death. Why he would fake his own death puzzled the stallion as he stared at a picture of the grinning crimson haired yena'.

His eyes then moved to the next picture on the wall were a small framed brown bull sat smirking at him. Calling himself Minos, the bull spread his bovine strain though visual media like tattoos and other art work. He was a powerful Stealer who could also bring works of art to life to fight for him. While active Minos created a quartet of super powered bulls that had helped him terrorize the city. Minos' efforts very nearly brought down the city and his attacks made the Elemental Alliance really take notice, but strangely it seemed his goal had been to expose the threat of the Gene Stealers to the entire world all along. It seemed in that he had succeeded. Stampede, Taurus, Bullhorn and, Spit Roast had all been created by the rouge Steeler though the latter two had been captured. Like clockwork the Elemental Alliance had come out with a cure and everything went almost back to normal.

Salvatore had spent many long nights pondering the possible connections between the prodigies of Minos and the bulls he had met on that fateful day and concluded that there must have been some connection. What it was he didn't know and he couldn't exactly ask Minos now as he stared at the big red "X" across the bull's face.

Next up was a grinning raccoon with dark beady eyes and a savage expression on his face. The former human super villain had shown up out of the blue one day all decked out in sleek fur and muscle before calling Feral Steele, his longtime nemesis apparently, out for a brawl in the streets. Two of Steele's offspring, a super and an outsider, had joined the fight with their old man and had managed to defeat the renamed Zigzag-Zapper handily. Somehow though the raccoon had escaped whatever hole they threw him in and had attacked the Elemental Alliance directly. He had made a pretty good go of it two before a very scary looking wolf appeared along with Dragon Knight.

Between the two of them they had messed the Zapper up badly before Dragon Knight spirited him away again. The Zigzag-Zapper proved that the Stealer's could infect supers but Salvatore doubted the raccoon was one of their agents. One look and anyone could tell that the Zapper was nothing more than a hand grenade with a fuzzy tail.

The picture beside that one was the face of a large and burly male panda. Gabriel Ramos AKA Ursa who had given power to his now super powered sons, along with creating Grizzly, Odin, and Othello who were still on the loose. Another super powered bear calling himself Kodiak who was connected to Ramos had surfaced during the final battle with the original and had also been captured but not before attacking the panda. For some reason the files did not reveal Kodiak had turned on his fellow stealer sending him into a coma. The battles had brought down the bridges to the main land but the group Arsenal and their member Weapons Master seemed to be able to heal those infected with the Ursa strain and the city had begun to bounce back once again.

Wherever he looked Arsenal and their members seemed linked with the Gene Stealers somehow, but then he couldn't exactly talk as he shifted his gaze to the smiling draconic image in the middle of his wall. Those green eyes seemed to follow him around the room as his left paw picked up an old combat knife laying the on the table beside him. His fingers began to twirl the blade faster and faster as his mind wandered. Erik's voice was suddenly in his ear as he remembered the words the dragon had whispered into his ear last night and nearly every night before as the anger than was always simmering just below the surface boiled over. The knife buried its self to the hilt in the wall between the dragon's eyes as Salvatore snorted and turned to his computer.

Poring over recent news stories gave him something to do as he kept searching for patterns or clues where the Stealers might strike next but it felt hopeless. He wasn't made for this kind of work as his stomach rumbled and he looked at the clock. Almost four hours had passed and his tank was empty again as the stallion grabbed his keys and walked out the door.

A taco truck a few blocks over was like a shining ray of sunshine as he trotted over and placed a massive order at the rolling kitchen. The boar inside knew his face by now and was happy to feed one of his hungriest customers as he handed Salvatore a grease stained paper bag and one road taco. The stallion paid and mumbled his thanks before biting into the delicious wedge shaped foodstuff.

He took a short cut though an alleyway popping the last bit in his mouth as he heard the pitter patter of paws behind him. An adolescent jackal was making a mad dash towards him holding what looked like the large tip jar that sat on the counter of the horse's favorite taco truck. The canine's eyes widened as he shoved the jar into the crook of his arm like a football and tried to juke past the equine.

Salvatore's silver arm shot out and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket as he hosted the canine up into the air. The smaller male let out a yip as he tried to take a swing at the horse's muzzle and missed while the stallion's ears flicked toward the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

"Trainee Leon in Pursuit! Have sited suspect, and he appears to have a large accomplice. A very large accomplice over!" shouted a large wolf in a police uniform as he rounded the corner and skidded to a halt in front of the horse and Jackal.

"LET ME GO!" shouted the canine dangling from Salvatore's paw as he tired a kick which the horse had to dodge. Meanwhile the police wolf drew his stun baton as he puffed out his chest.

"WCI POLICE! EVERYONE ON THE GROUND!" yelled the large blue clad canine as he barred his teeth. Salvatore was watching the tip of the wolf's stun baton with great interest while attempting to corral the ball of fury that was the young jackal. A second set of footsteps echoed off the walls of the alleyway as Mike Swayne sprinted into view holding his side.

"Rook I know you think it's important that you chase down EVERY single perp yourself but leaving you commanding- Oh hey Salvatore what are you doing here?"

"Tacos," said the horse holding up the heavenly smelling paper bag with his left paw.

"Yeah same here, I think I've got half of one suck in my side," said the German Shepard as he straightened up.

"Sir do you know this guy?" asked the wolf as Swaine smiled.

"Sure do. He's my next door neighbor."

"Don't I need to frisk him or something? Check for weapons?"

"Can't blame you for wanting to rook but I'm sure he's clean and it even looks like he did your job for you."

"Happy to help," said Salvatore as he passed the squirming jackal to the dog. Swain grabbed both the kid's wrists as a stern expression came over his face.

"Carlos that is the third time this year I've heard of you stealing. Me and you are going to have a talk with your mother and she is going to tan your hide."

"C-can't you take me to juvie or something? I mean we can make a deal right?" said the ashen faced jackal.

"Nope. No more juvie. You'll just bust out again. I think we need to have a chat with your dear sweet mother and Benji, the fur you just robed," said the shep as he took away the tip jar. "Maybe you can work for him for a bit to pay him back for the trouble you caused. Leon take a statement from Salvatore while I drop this one off at his parents."

The big wolf then pulled out a tablet and stylus as he turned back to towards the large horse. "So mister Salvatore were you headed when you ran into the suspect?" he asked the muscled canine as he began tapping the screen. Salvatore's stomach grumbled as he looked hungrily at the sack of tacos in his paws and began to answer the police wolf's questions.

Five minutes passed before the extremely thorough report was through and at last the wolf was satisfied. He slipped the tablet and pen back into his cargo pockets as he looked up.

"Sorry for the third degree. Trainee's get graded on everything and I want to make a good impression on Officer Swaine."

"No problem. Everyone's got to be more vigilant these days, and it's a pretty dangerous time to be a cop."

"Don't remind me," said Leon. "Seems like we would have met though. I thought I knew most of the serious body builders in town."

"Heh, I haven't been seriously lifting that all that long. I had something of a late growth spurt."

"Where do you work out?"

"Eddy's," responded the horse as Leon's nose wrinkled.

"Hope you got a tetanus shot."

"I should be good. It has its own particular kind of charm," said the stallion.

"How does lifting work with your arm?" asked Leon "I don't think I've ever seen a guy your size with a synthetic limb. In fact I don't think I've seen to many guys your size at all."

"It's a custom job, but yeah you have to make sure to work the left arm out a lot," said Salvatore.

"How did you get that thing if you don't mind me asking? You don't see to many people with limbs like that these days." Salvatore paused for a moment in thought before slowly replying.

"It was a war wound. A souvenir from Korea."

"Wow," said the wolf his eyes going wide for a moment. "You were a soldier? What was that like?"

"A lot of marching, waiting, mixed in with brief moments of terror. Not exactly a recipe for a good time."

"I remember when I was a cub my dad left to cover the war for a few months before in ended."

"Your dad was a reporter?"

"Yeah David Halestorm."

"Who was he embedded with?"

"The 08th Force Recon Platoon," said Leon as Salvatore flinched. "Apparently they were a bunch of bad asses."

"Your dad was pretty brave running with those guys. I can confirm they were indeed bad asses," said the equine slowly as he scratched his chin.

"Rook did you get his statement," said Mike as he walked back up to the pair.

"Sure did Sir. Mr. Monti and I were just chatting."

"Thanks for grabbing that kid for us Salvatore. I'm worried that if he doesn't get caught he won't stop and he's already been to youth detention once. I don't want him turning out like a lot of the kids around here," said the German Shepard.

"It's good that someone cares," said the horse.

"So you come down here just for the taco's?" asked the police dog as he crossed his arms.

"Nah just had to visit the office and got hungry."

"You work around here?" piped up Leon.

"Yeah I'm in construction. I do demo work mostly and the office is just a block or two that way," said the horse pointing.

"Good to know you found something," said Mike smiling. "Still though, we should be on our way. Got plenty more crime to stop and I need to put rook here through his paces, but I think you've done you hero duties today Salvatore."

"Sure thing Mike. Maybe we should go get a beer sometime and you can bring the kid if he's legal."

"I'm legal old man," said the wolf as Mike chuckled and patted him on the back. The pair turned and went on their way as Salvatore's gaze lingered on the rookie cop for a moment. The entire time he had been with the 08th, he had never seen or met a wolf reporter named Halestorm.

His phone rang interrupting his thoughts there as he picked it up and pressed it to his ear.

"My contact will meet you at ten o'clock tonight," said Eddy on the other end of the line in a slightly grouchy voice. "Nothing bad had better happen to her either horse. She's a friend."

"You can count on it," said Salvatore as he heard the Croc hang up. By that time he was almost back at his office as he pulled out his keys. Once inside the stallion finished off his slightly cold tacos before rooting around through the things he bought earlier.

He picked up the bottle of costume fur die and stepped into his bathroom and stripped out of his clothing. When he stepped out a few minutes later nearly every hair on his body was a dull gray as the nude horse walked to the storage room in the back and opened the door.

Inside was an arsenal of weapons and an alarming number of explosives as he picked up some clothing out of one of the boxes on the floor.

A jock strap was the first article of clothing went on, as the elastic straps were pulled tight over his round muscled rump. A snug pair of XXXL army cargo pants in speckled urban gray then slid up his legs and over his waist as he zipped them up then pulled on a long sleeve microfiber shirt. The shirt was a dark gray and its stretchy fabric clung to his body like a second skin. A sleeveless combat vest went on next. The vest like the pants had come from a surplus store and had plenty of pockets and webbing on the front that Salvatore had already filled up. Two of the pouches were filled with the cans of mace. A shotshell placard rested high on his left shoulder while a combat knife took up space on the other side. Clipped across the middle of his chest in a kydex holster was a large revolver. Last but not least Salvatore picked up a black short barreled pump shotgun.

The scattergun had no buttstock and instead had a rear pistol grip that was almost too small for the stallion's big paw. His finger pressed the bolt release as his left paw grabbed the forearm and slid the bolt back checking the chamber. An orange twelve gage round peeked out as he slid the bolt back home. His fingers checked each shell in the sidesaddle on the left side of the receiver to make sure none of them were lose before he slid his right arm thought the one point bungee sling attached to the rear grip.

The loop slipped over his head, starting just under his right armpit and crossing over his left shoulder. The sling made the short shotgun lay down flat against his body with the barrel stopping just before his waist. The horse then slipped a dark jacket over his shoulders and zipped it up effectively hiding his entire arsenal as he shifted his shoulders and cracked his neck. The last thing he put on was a thin pair of gloves and his watch as he briefly checked himself over in the mirror.

It was now or never as he slipped the mask Eddy had given him into one of the jacket pockets and stepped towards his door. Minutes later he was in his car and heading up town as the streetlights began to turn on to fight the growing dusk. Soon Salvatore had his headlights on as he wound his way along a side street in a nicer part of town. He got out and fed several coins into a meter beside his car as he looked up at the towering building two blocks away.

The West California Hotel was lit up to impress everyone as towered over the buildings around it. An institution of luxury and opulence that had been around as long as West Californian Island had, the glass and steel monolith was a home away from home for visiting celebrities, dignitaries, and anyone with the means to afford a room there. With a one of the city's most popular clubs on its ground floor, a multitude of shopping opportunities, and three resultants located within the tower, guests didn't have to go anywhere to experience the best the city had to offer. Salvatore was not going to get to enjoy any of that as he looked around the deserted street before bending down and picking up a manhole cover near his hooves.

Soon he was sliding down the latter beneath the manhole cover as he put it back and continued downward. The smell wrinkled his nose as he slipped the mask over his head as the lenses in it reacted to the dim light. Just like that he could see as he walked down the mostly dry tunnel in the direction of the hotel. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for as markings indicated that he was directly under the tower.

The hotels foundation appeared to go even deeper than he was now as he followed several signs until he found a staircase upward. He ended up somewhere in the bowls of the hotels basement after breaking the lock on one door as he found one of the hotels emergency stairwells. Not a soul saw the large horse as he jammed a paw though the security glass of the door and opened it from the inside.

Hotels were still required by law to have stairwells like this one that spanned the building from top to bottom as Salvatore began to make his way up the long staircase. Eighty five floors passed in silence as Salvatore made his way skyward until at last he reached the end. A single door stood in front of him marked "Roof" as he pushed slowly until something gave way inside the door and it flew open.

In a single motion the horse unzipped his jacket and had a hand on his shotgun as he moved out onto the roof. He was met with the roar of the cool autumn wind coming in from the ocean as it whipped past him. What he wasn't ready for was the view as the entire landscape of California island opened up before him. The city below was a lacework of lights as he stared down for several long moments. Salvatore was about a half an hour early for his meet as he began to scout the roof top which seemed surprisingly open. The access door he had come though was the smaller of the two that led to the roof. The other door appeared a bit less utilitarian and was next to a pair of raised helipads. Other than that there was little on the roof other than the marker lights that outlined the twin landing zones.

The wind continued to whip his jacket around as his sharp ears twitched and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Someone was coming up the stairs of the other entrance as he turned to face his visitor.

A female golden retriever wearing what looked like a police detective's uniform moved carefully out of the door near the helipads. Soon as she saw the big horse her gun was up and pointed right at him as she slowly crossed the distance between them.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that you're Eddy's friend," she said as she looked up a Salvatore.

"Friend might be a stretch," said Salvatore looking down and her and trying to size up the canine officer.

"First things first though I'm going to need to you to drop all those guns and anything else you have on your person and take off that mask."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Salvatore coolly as he watched her eyes widen a bit. "I meant what I said about wanting to help you. I have the Elemental Alliance's entire dossier on the Gene Stealers. It's yours but I can't take off the mask." Her gun dropped just a few inches as he heard her swear.

"We've been requesting information from those caped assholes for months and gotten nothing! Is it on you right now?" she asked almost desperately as Salvatore shook his head.

"Not just yet, I need to know that this information will be in good hands."

"Why does everything with you people always get so complicated," she said as she holstered her handgun. "Ever since the Gene Stealers became more than a nuisance the department has been black balled from poking our noses in it. Anything that even smells like suspicious super activity is reported, and the Elemental Alliance swoops in takes over. They're great when you need to take down a fifteen foot rampaging shrew but not so great at investigation and following up leads."

"You sound a bit like Eddy," said Salvatore as the canine in front of him snorted.

"That croc may be slimy but he isn't dumb. I chased his ass all over this island when he still liked to break into banks, I almost had him to before he turned himself in and was his parole officer when he got out. Clearly I haven't been keeping a close enough eye on him."

"He failed to mention that fact, Miss?"

"Conway. Detective Conway," said the golden retriever as she stuck out her paw. "I'll be grateful for any information you can give me on the Stealers but don't think I won't track you down when I get the chance if I find out you like to rob and break things like Eddy did. Then you'll be wearing a bracelet just like he does."

"I don't even like to J-walk," said Salvatore as he shook her paw.

"Well keep it that way. Still we need to keep our meetings hush hush. I can't even take the risk of making you a regular CI. If the brass got wind I was meeting with someone like you I don't want to think about what would happen. What can I call you by the way?"

"Just horse will do," said the stallion as Conway frowned.

"I though you guys always had a name to go with you get up. You look like you are ready for a fight."

"Better safe than sorry and all that. Do you think this information will lead to anything?"

"That's hard to say," said the detective as she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of one pocket. "From what I've seen of the Steelers who have been captured they behave a lot like a normal supers. They have hidden identities outside the ones they use when they decide to blow shit up. They hide who they are for the same reasons you do, to protect themselves. Any information we get might help us ID these guys and either force them out of hiding or help us capture them."

"And when you do find them you plan on kicking down the doors yourself," asked Salvatore.

"Nope," said the canine as she placed the cigarette in her mouth. "I plan on calling the Alliance or maybe Arsenal if I can get their number. Knocking heads is their job," she said as she produced a lighter.

"Though I might need some help from time to time running down leads. There are places this doesn't let me go after all," she said pointing to her badge as she struck the lighter and started to bring it towards her mouth.

It was halfway there when her phone went off and she grumbled before picking it up. Her eyes seemed to widen when she saw the caller as she placed it against her ear before an enraged voice on the other end began to lay into her. The cigarette in her mouth feel slowly to the ground as her face hardened and she looked up at the horse. Her finger killed the phone call as she crammed it back in her pocket the same moment a distant droning hum reach Salvatore's sensitive ears.

"You need to go right now," said Conway urgently as the humming sound grew louder. "The chief, I don't know how, found out what I'm doing. I think he pinged my phone and knows where I am so he might have called the-"

The roar of thrusters washed over them both as a fast moving aircraft skimmed the top of the building. The wash from its engines nearly knocked Conway down as Salvatore grabbed the smaller canine while they both watched the craft spin and two figures leap off the top of the craft and land in front of either access door.

The sleek craft cut its power and simply hovered just off the roof as Salvatore's eyes drifted over the ship. Stamped on the front was the symbol for the elemental alliance as the horse turned to see two of its members blocking him from escaping from the way he came.

The one in front of the door he had come through was a white Bengal tiger close to eight feet tall and armed with what looked like a pair of short katanas hanging off ether hip. He wore a lose fitting kimono in a brown earth tone over his pair chest and one of his arms was tucked casually inside it while the other fiddled with tooth pick in his mouth. He didn't look the least bit concerned as he starred right at the horse and the arsenal strapped to his chest. A black lacquer mask sat just above his muzzle and covered his eyes whiting them out. The mask also had two small nub like horns above either brow that jutted up towards his dark black hair. His head turned just a hair as flicked the toothpick away making the ponytail of hair he had behind his head bob suddenly as he turned to look at Conway.

"Officer Conway, it's been a while," said the tiger in a silky purr as Salvatore heard the canine start to growl.

"Takez?," said the detective as she stepped in between Salvatore and the tiger.

"Officer, I know your chief has warned you about sniffing around in super business before. He had to give us a call when he was informed that you were meeting with an informant who might have information about the Gene Stealers," said the tiger with a bit of a smirk.

"It's none of your business who I talk to cat. Maybe if you didn't have your head so far up your ass you could actually do something about the Stealers instead of just running your mouth."

"We just want to talk to your tall friend here nothing more, but I do know that your boss wants to see you back at the station five minutes ago," said the cocky super as he crossed his arms. The golden retriever swore and turned back around to Salvatore.

"Well I guess this wasn't meant to be," she said as she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and slipped another one out of the box. Her usually steady paws slipped as the pack fell to the ground as the horse glanced at it before picking it up and holding it out to her. She shook her head as she lit the one in her mouth before stepping away.

"Keep em' I need to quit anyway," growled the detective as she walked toward the roof access door near the helipads. Salvatore slipped the packet of cigs into a pocket as he turned around to look at the super behind him. He was a fearsome looking four armed titan of a wolf, but he slowly stepped aside to let the female canine past. One of his arms even held to the door for her until she was gone. His suit looked more like the traditional super hero garb of tight fitting spandex in silver and saffron with a full face mask and blanked out eyes. He met the horse's stare evenly as the tiger coughed and Salvatore turned back to the more flamboyantly dressed of his two guests.

"So who do I have the pleasure of addressing because I don't believe we've met," said the tiger as one of his paws went to the hilt of one of his swords.

"Pick whatever name you like kitty cat," said the stud as his eyes stayed on the tiger's paw.

"Well Mr. Horse, do you mind if I ask what you were discussing up here with Ms. Conway?"

"The scenery. It's a nice view don't you think," said Salvatore as the wolf behind him let out the briefest of chuckles. The tiger's face shifted to a frown as the fingers of his paw wrapped around the hilt of his sword a bit tighter.

"It's not bad. If you are a fan of this view we have an even better one back at the tower. You can see everything from some of the rooms there. I'll even let the rookie here give you a free tour if you like."

"That's nice of you but I've got places to be so if you don't mind," said the horse as he pointed to the door behind the tiger.

"See FeralFang, you try to be a nice guy and people just walk all over you," said Takez?.

"Maybe if you just asked him nicely about the Gene Stealers he would-"

"Quite rook," said the tiger cutting his partner off. "We know you have information about the Gene Stealers and we need it. If you don't give it up I'm going to assume that you are protecting them for some reason, and that we can't have."

"Bit of a leap there, isn't it," said Salvatore as he cracked both knuckles and rolled his shoulders once or twice. "Besides I kinda doubt you would even be able to do anything with the information I've got. You haven't really been stopping them up till now have you? I mean Arsenal seems to be the only real protection this town has these days." That brought a low growl from the tiger as he squared his shoulders and his body tensed.

"Listen pal I don't know who you think you are but one way of another you're coming with us back to the tower for some questioning. In what condition you get there is all up to you," snarled the big cat as he pointed at the horse. "Your guns aren't going to protect you from us!"

"Um Takez?, maybe starting a fight up here isn't such good idea, I mean I'm sure he wants to stop the Stealers. That's why he's here right?" said the wolf from behind Salvatore.

"Yeah yew two need ta stop having a dick measuring contest and just ask him back to the tower like a nice fella. We just wana pick his brain is all," said a voice from the hovering airship as Salvatore saw a masked Roo poke his head out from the cockpit of the craft.

"He is coming with us one way or another," said the tiger as he went into a combat stance. Salvatore slipped his jacket off his shoulders and folded it into a ball as he briefly glanced at all three furs around him.

"Is three on one what you call fair kitty cat?" asked the horse as Takez? snarled.

"Stay back rookies. He's all mine!" shouted the tiger as his body tensed like a spring and launched himself straight forward at the equine. Salvatore hurled his jacket straight at the tiger's face as the cat's arm shot upward cleaving it in half with one katana as he closed to within three feet of the horse. His paw started to descend in order to bring the metal pommel down on the forehead of the horse when Salvatore's right palm slammed into the tiger's snout hard enough to stop all his forward progress.

The studs finger's warped around the tiger's whole head as his knee came upward and into the stomach of the feline making the tiger's whole body go limp as he slammed his left fist right into the middle of the supers chest, driving through the blow and sending the tiger rag dolling back towards the roof access door.

Takez? slammed into wall beside the door nearly knocking it down and cracking the cement with a shocked look on his face. The surprise didn't last very long the male super bounced off the wall a bit unsteadily before drawing both blades and moving towards the horse with both of them up in a guarded position. The shotgun under his right arm came up and barked sending a beanbag right at the tiger's forehead as one of his blades came up to block the projectile.

Lighting fast blade work stopped the first three missiles, but not the fourth or sixth shells as the rounds slammed into his upper chest and clipped one ear. That seemed to set the tiger right off, his face a mask of rage as he lunged straight for the horse as Salvatore let the gun fall from his paws. He moved into a fencing stance with his right arm forward and with a sharp metallic 'SHINK' let the blade in his metallic arm fly free.

The motion brought everyone to a halt as Takez? stopped his charge, his eyes widening as he readjusted his swords.

"Holy Shit, that brumby's a swiss army knife!" shouted the roo as Salvatore heard the wolf move behind him.

"Don't interfere rook!" shouted Takez? as FeralFang stopped slowly clenching each fist and letting out a growl of his own.

"He's a SUPER Takez? you don't just get to call us off when you need help!"

"I don't need your help and if you want to be allowed out on patrol anytime in the next year you will shut the fuck up and follow your superiors orders," yelled the cat as a news chopped swooped down low over the top of the building casting its light on the Alliance Airship then lighting up the top of the room. The wirily bird had channel 13 plastered on the side of its fuselage and Salvatore could already see the camera man aiming the camera at them both as they squared off against each other.

"Last chance kitty cat if you don't want to get licked on live TV. Just step aside and let me through that door and nobody has to get their whiskers pulled," said the horse goading the other male in front of him as the tiger flew at him in an angry whirl of blades.

About a mile away a dark scared dragon was sitting at a sleepy looking bar in a nicer part of town. It was a place festooned with brass railings and burled wood. A mixture of mostly male humans and furs mingled as ice clinked against glasses and people poured expensive alcoholic beverages down their throats.

The dragon was in normal looking street clothes and few people paid him any mind save for a few that noticed his wings. They draped down his back and wrapped around his shoulders almost like cape, and looked large enough to be functional, even though Dragons no longer were able to fly under their own power. The glass in his paw was half full of scotch as he took a sip and let some of the smoky drink slip over his tongue.

The person he was waiting for at last stepped through the door and walked over to the bar and sat down next to the dragon putting both his shoe clad feet on the brass bar beneath them as he called the bartender off and ordered. The plan looking human looked only a bit out of place dressed in knit vest and slacks and a pair big brown loafers. A pair of thick black rimmed glasses just a hair too far down his nose looked a bit strange since no one still wore corrective lenses anymore. They might have been some kind of fashion statement, but the human didn't really look like he knew what the word even meant as he ordered a bloody mary from the bartender.

"I don't know why we have to meet here especially when you can be anywhere you want," said the human as he adjusted his glasses and the bartender placed a tall bloody marry in front of him.

"I wanted a drink and a moment away from the prying ears of our compatriots."

"They can certainly be the dour sort from time to time, but don't insult my intelligence about why you asked me here."

"Fine," said Erik as he turned to the human next to him. "I want to know about the blood and viral sample I gave you."

"I thought so," said the human. "A fascinating find, I would very much like to know where you got it and where the victim is buried. A full autopsy of the subject might be very illuminating."

"I'm afraid that's impossible," said the dragon. "What can you tell me about the blood?"

"Well I recognize my own work when I see it, the viral agent is very similar to the one that silly human busboy shot himself full of. It also shares traits with a number of our other compounds. In fact there are a frightening about of similarities," said the man as he turned and gave the male next to him a very hard look. "I would be very interested in knowing where you got it." Dragon Knight didn't answer only took another sip of his drink before the human next to him looked away.

"If you had to guess where it originated from?"

"I would say that it is nothing more than an amateur's take on what we created combined with some very interesting bits thrown in for good measure. The work may be shoddy but the virus seems quite ambitious. While our methods try to join the subconscious and conscious in order to draw out a person's inner abilities, this virus attempts to obliterate that boundary all together," he said as he took a long sip of the red cocktail. "It's a brutal process but I've take a few interesting tidbits from it in my investigations, it's too bad in its current form it looks like a death sentence to anyone infected with it. The blood sample was a bit strange though. Were you aware that they were two separate DNA signatures in it?"

"I was not," said Dragon Knight

"The victim looked to be human but it appeared that the virus bonded with some equine DNA and began rewriting the entire host's genetic sequence. The host also appeared to possess traits associated with an Outsider."

"That's very interesting," said Erik as he finished his drink. "And if someone were able to survive the transformation?"

"Doubtful," said the human as he raised his own drink to his mouth and took another long swallow. "If they did, they would emerge quite powerful with at least baseline super powers and if I had to guess a very aggressive temperament. Were you aware that there were even chemical control mechanisms built into the virus? Whoever compounded it wanted to have near perfect control over the victim for however long their body lasted. An excellent system for a deniable agent. Simply inject, order, and then after the mission is completed the agent dies taking all knowledge of his mission within him. Brutally elegant."

"You would enjoy something like that wouldn't you Alphonse?" said the dragon.

"Like I said, it is impressive. It gives one ideas," he said as he took another sip of his drink. "Tell me does he know about this?" The dragon didn't even reply as he rolled his eyes while the human nodded too himself.

"Of course he does. That was a stupid question, but what do you plan to do with the rest of that virus?" he asked as the dragon opened his mouth only to have the TV above the bar cut him off.

"We interrupt this broadcast to go to a live shot of a superhero battle taking place on the roof of the West California Hotel. Our eye in the sky cam is capturing life footage of Elemental Alliance member Takez? fighting with an unidentified equine while alliance member FeralFang looks on."

A shot of the roof top came into focus showing the masked stallion and tiger furiously battling, swords and blade flashing back and forth as a number of the bars patrons turned toward the TV. The glass in Dragon Knight's paw exploded as it clenched reflexively letting a mixture of blood and scotch drip onto the wooden surface of the bar. Hardly anyone noticed save the bartender and Erik's companion as he looked up at the TV. The dragon was staring with a furious intensity at the image on the screen as his drinking partner's eyes slowly narrowed.

"Curious, very curious," he said staring at the horse on the screen as the wheels in his head began to turn.

Salvatore was a bit unsure what exactly he was doing as he fended off the tiger's assault. The cat had a pattern of dashing in and striking with one sword while blocking with the other preventing any kind of counterattack. It wasn't a bad strategy but it wasn't working. The tiger kept his swords constantly moving but he had to loop the blade each swing to build up speed for each strike. It meant that the horse had time to prepare for each attack.

His reach was greater than that of the feline swordsman since he could use his entire arm to block blows and his use of a fencing stance meant that Takez? had to lunge or reach to get around the stallion's guard. When he stretched it limited the angles his attacks could come from and make blocking as simple as turning the blade to face each oncoming swing. This allowed Salvatore to lead the tiger around putting him almost were he wanted him to go by changing the direction of his movements.

Several times he could have gotten away. He could have made it down the stairs and into the sewers were he would certainly lose them. He didn't really need to fight this samurai super in front of him, but part of him wanted to anyway. A dark and ugly part of Salvatore enjoyed fighting. His childhood had been filled with it, and as he had grown older and his opponents had gotten bigger, he had gotten meaner. He had only passed high school by the skin of his teeth, and a carrier in the military had been the only thing that appealed to him. His record had been too checkered for the domestic forces so he had joined the UN peacekeeping force who would take almost anyone.

Salvatore had been very close to being kicked out of that too when Korea flared up. What he saw and experienced there had changed and tempered him somewhat, but that dark violent bent he carried inside had been far too useful in the war to completely abandon. Afterward he had tried to seal it off but his transformation and the anger and turmoil it brought with it seemed to wake it up again. Worse still was the fact that Erik seemed to see that part of him and revel in it.

Ironically he was doing the same thing to his opponent that Dragon Knight had done to him their very first fight, and it appeared that to be having the same effect. With each block and counter Salvatore felt the shock of the impact move up his arm and into his body but he couldn't drop his sword and his wrist didn't get tired from gripping his blade. Takez? on the other hand did. The stud's sharp eyes noticed brief pauses between his attacks as his paw would retighten around the sharkskin lined hilt of his sword and how the impact of his attacks would rock his whole body each time their blades met.

Salvatore couldn't stop himself from comparing his current opponent to the only other swordsman he had fought. Erik's swordsmanship was far more brutal and savage rather than the orderly dance he was now watching. There was no pattern, no pause, and no mercy in the dragon's attacks. His sword would change direction faster than a snake striking, and he could force himself inside your guard or pick you apart from the outside. He was still much faster than the horse and the stud still didn't know how he summoned such strength from his slender limbs.

Despite his liquid smooth strokes and impeccable form, Takez? was doing little more than pounding away at the horse's guard pitting his strength directly against Salvatore's own, and it wasn't going to work. Seemingly frustrated the masked cat roared angrily as he swung one of his blades in a mighty downward stroke that would have cleaved the horse right in two as Salvatore's sword retracted and his paw shot upward.

The stallion's metal fist caught the blade mid-swing as his fingers wrapped around it locking it in place as his left paw came around in a brutal right hook aimed right at the base of the blade above the hilt. Takez? was too stunned to do anything as a super dense blade of air formed in front of the stallion's fist as it slammed into the flat of the tiger's katana.

The blade snapped at the point of impact leaving him holding nothing but a sword hilt as Salvatore moved forward and slammed his forehead directly into the muzzle of the feline. The impact made his whole body snap backward as his second sword slipped from his grasp. The light went out of Takez?'s eyes as he slumped over completely out cold. Salvatore then tossed the broken blade across the roof as he turned to look at FeralFang who looked a bit stunned

"So are you going to let me go or are you going to play tough guy," said Salvatore as the news copter's spotlight washed over them both.

"I could have before you did that to Takez?, but I can't now," said the canine as he lifted his arms into a fighting stance. "I might not have liked him, but he was a member of the Alliance, and I can't let you go around beating up my comrades."

"You tell him Hun! Go kick that brumby's ass!" shouted the Roo. "Help is on its way!"

"Well now that changes things a bit," said the horse as FeralFang grinned.

"You thinking about fighting the whole league? I wouldn't advise it unless you want to get put down hard. You look pretty tuff but nobody's invincible and you're not getting pass me," said the wolf confidently.

"Ok," said Salvatore as he looked over the edge of the roof and drew his pistol. "Can you swim?" The question surprised the canine super hero as he cocked his head to one side.

"Uh I mean yeah but- look whatever you're planning it isn't going to work. I'm bullet proof," he said as pointed to the gun in Salvatore's paw.

"Well do you like Thai food?" asked the horse as the wolf grew more confused.

"What? What does that have to do with anything?" asked a puzzled FeralFang as he stared at the horse.

"He's just trying ta mess with your mind wolfie! Don't listen to him!" yelled the roo as he poked his head out again.

"Wolfie?" asked Salvatore as the four armed super crossed one pair of limbs over his broad chest.

"You don't get to call me that," said the lupine.

"Fair enough," said the horse as he pulled a canister of mace from his vest. "Apologies for this in advance by the way." FeralFang started to say something the same moment Salvatore flung the can of mace directly at his face. One of his arms snapped up and grabbed the projectile as the stud took aim and fired.

The bullet from Salvatore's revolver slammed into the aerosol can making it explode in a hate flavored orange cloud as the pepper spray. No amount if Thai food could have prepared the canine for the fiery assault on his senses as all four paws came to his face all at once. His eyes filled with tears as he tried to breathe only to have a charging freight train slam full speed into his chest.

Salvatore held his breath and hit the massive super with his right shoulder and wrapped his opponent up as his momentum carried them right off the roof and out into space as the pair began to free fall. The horse saw the Alliance craft with the Roo pilot turn and rocket towards them but it was already too late as gravity yanked them downward.

One of the major focal points of the West California Hotel was its expansive pool. It was one of the largest and deepest in the world, it provided an excellent way for the hotel's guests to cool off on a hot day. Surrounded by six hot tubs, three bars and even a stage for live entertainment, it was the center of activity during the day at the hotel and at night was lit up so people could still swim and frolic as much as they wished. A young otter was doing just that as he splashed around the edge of the shallow end zipping around on a boogie board.

His parents were keeping close watch nearby when both of them saw a red Alliance air ship glide over the top of the hotel's roof. A whistling sound reached each of their ears as a large dark object slammed directly into the deep end. There was a loud pop just before whatever it was hit the water as the impact kicked up a massive plume of water and an accompanying tidal wave. The otter giggled and squealed as the wave picked him up and he rode it right out of the pool and half way across the hotel's lawn.

When the wave finally gave out the tiny otter skidded several yards across the wet grass as his parents ended up in a pile behind him. They were still better off that most of the guests in an around the poor as everyone slowly picked themselves up. The tidal wave had blown everyone off their feet and completely emptied the giant pool of almost every last inch of water. The tiny otter quickly grabbed his board and ran back towards the pool hopping for a another wave only to find that it was completely dry, with two large furs laying side by side in the deep end.

Salvatore caught enough of his breath to stand up as he felt the stinging pain ring across his body. It was certainly the least graceful exit he had ever made from anywhere as he heard FeralFang cough next to him. The larger super's body had served as his shield when they hit the water, and even though he had formed a huge bubble like pocket of air beneath them he knew the large wolf had to be hurting.

His eyes popped open, red and angry, as one of his paws shot out and grabbed Salvatore around the ankle.

"You're... not going...... Ughhh.... Anywhere," said FeralFang as the horse jerked his leg away.

"Maybe some other time," said Salvatore as couched down and placed his metal paw against the bottom of the cement pool. He could hear the Alliance craft above them circling and looking for a place to land in the crowded courtyard. The blade in his arm shot out and dug into the concrete as he cut a quick circular hole into the bottom of the pool. A swift kick had the slab of concrete falling into the underground parking garage below.

"I'm not done with you," growled the wolf as he flipped over and drug himself closer to where the stallion stood just as the tiny otter slid down the damp slope of the pool on his boogie board and wiped out right in front of both males.

A surprised Salvatore carefully picked the cub as he began squealing and pointing with both paws at FeralFang.

"FeralFang! FeralFang! Can I get an autograph!" shouted the cub as the horse held him up by the scruff of his neck.

"Of course you can!" said the stud as he placed the squirming otter directly onto the wolf's very sore back "Just sit right here until old Feral catches his breath." The big lupine groaned and nearly whimpered while staring daggers at Salvatore as the otter began to bounce up and down with excitement. Salvatore grinned before he slipped down though his hastily made escape route. By the time the Elemental Alliance ship landed he was already in the sewers.

The horse had to peek out of several manhole covers before he at last found where he parked his car. Salvatore quickly slipped off his mask and tossed all of his gear in his trunk. The now grey and black stallion quickly dried himself off on a towel he kept in the back of his car as more die came off him. When he finished he was mostly black again as he slipped bare chested into his vehicle. His adrenaline was still pumping as he pulled out of his parking space and put the hotel in his rearview mirror.

He nearly swerved when an Alliance ship zipped overhead, but it continued on its way. Ten minutes later the stud was parked in front of his apartment as he let out a long slow breath and reached into his pants pocket. His paw found Conway's cigarettes as he pulled the cellophane wrapped carton out. Inside were three slightly crumpled cigs and a tightly rolled up piece of paper.

Salvatore unrolled the slip of paper and saw the phone number scratched there. He smiled as he memorized the number before tearing it up into tiny pieces and dropping them on the ground as he stepped out of his car. All of the aches in body seemed to remind him they were there as he walked up to his door in the pitch black dark. His key slid into the door to find that it was unlocked.

That could only mean one thing as he readied himself and stepped inside his apartment. His door closed behind him as his hand flicked on the light. In almost the same instant a knife was thrown through the bulb plunging the room back into darkness. The flash of the bulb ruined his night vision and the stallion barely saw the dark blur moving towards him as he rolled straight forward trying to take his attackers feet out from under him.

It didn't work as his aggressor simply hurdled over him and spun hitting him square in the chest with a strong heel kick right as he made it to his feet. The big stallion only took a single small step backwards but it was enough of a pause for his opponent to close the distance between them. Salvatore tried to surge forward and bulrush his smaller attacker as his assailant's foot shot out and hit the side of his knee.

A grunt of pain slipped lose from his belly as his body twisted sideways and his right fist shot out fast enough to whistle as he felt it glance off something hard and scaled. His left was already moving when something wrapped around on ankle. It yanked upward pulling his hooves out from under him as his vision improved just enough to actually see his attacker even though he already knew his identity.

His back hit the floor hard enough to rattle everything in the room as Salvatore's knee came up to keep his opponent away from his belly. A fist descended from the dark above as the horse jerked to one side to avoid it as it grazed his chin. The movement sent his knee wide and the attacker made it on to his belly as a got his legs on either side of the horse.

The stallion could see just enough to avoid and deflect the barrage of strikes aimed right at his neck as they began to come faster and faster till his left forearm and chest was covered with bruises. The white glint of teeth was all he saw as two paws caught each of his wrists and brushed them aside for just an instant as he felt fangs press against the nape of his neck.

They made him freeze as he lay still while they pressed into his skin. The stallion felt a warm breath wash over his neck as bare scales moved across his chest. His vision at least cleared enough to see every detail of the male on top of him while he swore making the teeth nip once almost hard enough to break the skin. A sound almost like a cat purring, but not quite, rumbled slowly through the room. The tone was much deeper, like it was rising from some deep dark earthen cavern. It was an unmistakably possessive and eminently satisfied sound that Salvatore wanted desperately to hate.

The large equine felt a paw slip under the waistband of his pants and into his jock as hungry fingers found stallion sheath. The teeth then slowly came off his skin as a tongue ran up the long line of his neck. He couldn't keep his body from reacting as his cock stretched the fingers warped around his sheath. The stud was already breathing hard when two fingers found one of his nipples and squeezed making him groan and squirm while the familiar scent of horny dragon began to mingle with his own growing musk.

"You're getting faster," said Dragon Knight as his muzzle moved up to one of the stud's ears and gave it a nibble. "I like you making me work for it," he said as the tip of Salvatore's dick filled his waiting paw.

"You think you're so.... Nghhhh... clever don't you," said the horse as he tried to grit his teeth and fight back against his blossoming arousal. "All of this is just that thanks to that fucking drug in your veins."

"Oh is that what you think?" smirked the dragon. "You thing one drug designed for obedience could inspire this much lust? You think it could make you this hot? This wanton?" purred the dragon. "Perhaps it isn't chemical so much as mental. Perhaps this is just what you want."

A snarling horse grabbed the smaller dragon and flipped both of them over pinning the smaller reptile surprising them both. Even pined and on his back Salvatore couldn't seem to intimidate the dragon who just smiled up at him.

"I'm sick you and your stupid games! Thinking you know who I am! What I am!"

"But I know all I need to. I saw your fight tonight."

That shut the stud up almost immediately as Eric's grin seemed to grow even more satisfied.

"The news loves a good super fight and you gave them one didn't you? Even though your opponent seemed to be somewhat lacking. Perhaps that was why you were toyed with him for so long."

"I didn't-"

"Oh yes you did," said the dragon his face suddenly serious. "You could have punted him right off that roof if you wanted but you didn't want to just survive, you wanted to win. To show him what you were made of and you enjoyed every last minute of it."

That statement more than anything had Salvatore on his feet and backing away from the painful truths Dragon Knight was telling as he bumped into a nearby wall. Erik rose regal as always, black scales shimmering in the dim light without a scrap of cloth to hide the muscled curves of his body. Salvatore wanted most to hide from those permanently predatory green eyes but they never seemed to miss a thing as he kept talking.

"You like fighting. It's in your bones. It's why you joined the UN and why you survived Korea. It's also the only reason you were able to survive the virus in your blood. You were made for it Salvatore, that's the reason you haven't just run from me like any normal person would. You don't even know what running away means do you?" said Dragon Knight as he stepped towards the still silent stallion.

"Sometimes I like to wonder what form you would have taken had it not been for your friend's blood on that fiend's fingers, but I can't image a better one," he said pausing for a moment as he ran the back of one paw down the side of Salvatore's jawline.

Like everything else associated with the dragon, the horse wanted to jerk away but didn't as the smaller male closed the distance between them and planted a light little kiss on his lips.

"Your hold is slipping," said Salvatore as he tried to believe his own words. "You can't keep me like this forever, and I'll find a way out."

"If you really wanted me gone you could have done so by now. All you had to do was walk into the Alliance Tower and mention my name. There would be a team of supers outside right now waiting for your signal to take me and lock me away in some deep dark hole but they aren't coming are they? You can't help but try and stop me but you can't bear to give me up can you. It's quite flattering," he said pressing his body against the stallions. "Or did you think you were wearing that mask to protect yourself?"

Salvatore didn't want to think about how right his words were as it grew harder and harder to think about anything but the feel of the dragon's body on his. He knew he was lost when he leaned into the next kiss as time seemed to speed up. The next thing he remembered they were both on bed pawing and tearing the rest of his clothes off.

He remembered the black scaled male on top of him using both paws and his muzzle to bring him to full hardness as the dragon began to lap slowly at his tip. Gods he was so patient. He would sometimes tease the horse's body for hours until he begged on bended knee for it. Salvatore had never been a bottom before he met Eric, but the smaller male didn't let him be anything but.

Sweaty memories of dragon bending him over and rutting him like an animal were now etched into his mind until the former top began to crave it. Already he could feel his hole twitching as Eric pressed his slick tip against it only to draw it away again.

Eric could do naught but lick his lips and look down at the male under him. His paws ran over the muscled orbs of the horse's rump as he squeezed and felt the steel like muscles twitch under his fingers. He had never been one for pumping endless amounts on iron but he couldn't argue with the results. The endless miles and squats had certainly done wonders for this part of his horse, and the same regimen combined with Salvatore's caloric intake was putting even more muscle and beef onto his stallion. Dragon Knight knew the male under him was already physically stronger than him and commanding all that strength was an aphrodisiac beyond compare.

Even better was the way he fought in bed though. Furtive little movements as he tied to keep the dragon from pinning him like he loved to do. Erik knew the horse hated to lose more than anything, and on top of that Salvatore was one of the most dominant tops he had ever met. Humbling the horse was incredibly satisfying as he slowly broke down the stallion's will. Like everything else it was a battle but he was patent, he was very experienced, and his horse couldn't hide what he really wanted.

Soon he was on top of the horse's wide chest again grinding his own cock against the pillar of flesh that jutted up from the stallion's groin. His tongue flossed the crease between the stallions heaving pecks tasting his sweat and musk as he began kissing down the long line of Salvador's abs laying a peck on each brick like pair before his snout bumped into the equine's cock. Erik let his long tongue drag across the fine short fur of his horse's groin while one paw warped around as much of the equine's quivering rod as he hold.

The dragon's mouth at last reached his goal as he nuzzled at the space between the Salvatore's dick and heavy balls. Each orb had a surprising weight to it as he licked and sucked while his paw fondled each one. He took a long deep breath at the spot where the stallion's musk was most potent before letting out a roar and surging upward wings unfurling.

Erik roughly grabbed the horse's hips and was soon deep inside the tight equine while the horse's flat tipped flare gushed sticky horse cum all over his chest. The dragon soon had the stallions ass tipped upward so every time he came he gave himself a self-facial as he began to cum more frequently and with greater intensity. Soon the heavily muscled equine was bent almost in two as he pounded his horsey's rump. He had long since mapped that bundle of nerves deep inside Salvatore that made the equine come unglued, and he made sure to hit that same spot on each thrust. He didn't go very fast, but each thrust was purposeful making the stud's body practically vibrate and clench around his cock each time.

Both of them liked it rough and rough for two super strong supers could get quite intense, what amazed him most though was the seemingly never ending fountains of cum that the studs churning orbs seemed to produce. He had never seen anyone cum so hard, so much, or so often. Salvatore's chest and face were already thickly glazed from what much have been half a dozen climaxes.

At some point very early in the morning both their bodies gave up the ghost and Salvatore settled into a near coma like sleep. It was one of Erik's favorite times as they lay wrapped around each other. It gave him time to think free of interruption, at least for a while as he thought about what his horse had said earlier. The stud was halfway right about the ties that bound them together. Part of it was influenced by the command serum he had injected over a month ago, but he had stolen all there was and had run out last week.

The prospect of keeping the horse in his clutches without its help had frightened him more than anything else had in a long while, but it seemed that even as the serum in his blood grew thinner part of his sway over the horse remained. He wasn't sure exactly why he still seemed to have the grip he did only that it was there, and that when they were together all of Salvatore's denials about how he felt meant nothing. The horse gave him a sleepy nuzzle as he began to let his doubts fade. While he wasn't sure of much, he was sure that when his master's plan at last came to fruition, Salvatore would be right there standing at his side.