Within Escada – Chapter Fourteen – Through the Wind You Hear the Sound of Birds

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Edward Rudolph Telfair - an 18-year-old grey fox. He has become the new focus of Jessica’s eye ever since he asked Scott about her in their photography class. He has a charming personality that has so far won her over. Edward does have his hopes held high. He plays on the schools baseball team as a shortstop and has a strong eye when it comes to photography.

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*Warning - Adult Content*

Contains homosexual and heterosexual characters and themes.

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Xavier came in from having another treatment for his poisoning. Taking a seat at his desk, he shuffled a few papers aside before he reached into his desk drawer for a folder. He checked the day of the week. Wednesday, December 4, 2030. The skimming through the same file never made him feel any better either. The most it did for him was enrage him even more. He sat there in his silence when a knock came on the glass to his left. A weasel came into the room carrying a tray of medical supplies.
“Sir, I’m here to provide your shots.” He said as he stood in the open doorway.
From the outside, a thrall of sounds emanated from behind the fur. The sounds of structures being built and furs shouting to one another. The weasel walked into the room and shut the door as he advanced to the table that was on the right side of the office. Xavier rolled up his shirtsleeves as the fur readied his supplies and walked over to the fox with a sphygmomanometer.
“What’s the status on my condition?” Xavier asked, knowing that his condition floated round through the entire organization.
“I can tell you that it doesn’t get any better from here sir.” The weasel said while fastening the strap and checking the fox’s blood pressure.
“So all I can do is continuing receiving immunosuppressant?” The fox said angrily.
“I apologize sir, but there isn’t much else that can be done.” He said as he finished and went to fill the syringes.
“Did you also bring what we used on the wolf?” Xavier demanded to know.
“Yes sir, Serum G like you said.” The weasel said as he walked over with two separate syringes in his paw.
“Good, since she hasn’t been exposed to Dekoret like I have it will kill her. But for me it may give me more time.” He said as the weasel stuck the needle into his arm and emptied its contents.

Grinding his teeth together, he could feel the medicine course into his arm. Soon after, the feeling of the weasel sticking the second syringes contents into his other arm flooded in. He exhaled as the second syringe was withdrawn from his flesh. The weasel stood from his seat and went to gather his supplies, Xavier rolling his sleeves back down.
“We’ll need you to come back down to the medical ward so we can run some tests on you to see how your body is handling the serum.” The weasel said as he walked over to the door and opened it once more and left.
Once again, the sounds from the outside flooded into the room. Xavier decided he had had enough of sitting in his office and decided to go out and check the work on the new compression chamber that was being built. He walked out of his office and stood in the very large and expansive cavern that had been cut into the earth. Walking the short one hundred feet to a set of stairs he was saluted by the passing furs walking by. He nodded back in acknowledgment to very few of them as he continued climbing the stairs till he reached a rounded platform that overlooked a large chasm filled with the structure being built inside of it. He walked around on the path that was built around this chasm that was hollowed into the earth, viewing the furs below who were working tirelessly. They knew what it would mean if the boss happened to watch them and he saw even the slightest slacking. He sighed and vanished in a wisp of faded light, appearing next to the foreman who was looking over the blueprints. The eagle flinched as the fox appeared next to him in a flash; he nearly fell to the ground from it.
“Xavier, sir.” He said as he ruffled his feathers and tried to regain his composure.
“How far along are you?” The fox asked as he looked over the eagle’s notes.
“We are working on the underlying structure bellow the Dekoret. It should only take us a few more hours to fasten all the fabricated parts together and then we can get the upper portions of the chamber done by tomorrow evening.” The bird said as he pointed to a group who were riveting a platform that was full of electrical cables below the larger structure.
“Good, once it’s done all that needs to be done is to load the Dekoret.” Xavier said as he handed the eagle back the notepad.
The eagle let out a very hidden sigh of relief as Xavier walked away without a word more. The eagle looked back to the blueprints, then turning to whistle at two furs that were walking across a support structure and pointed them to move a pane of titanium.

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Wolfe stood on the podium with Dr. Volks as everyone gathered round to hear some good news. The whole group was in a buzz as the instructors gathered around Wolfe.
“Settle down everyone. Take your seats, we got some good news for you all.” Mr. Histav said as he waived down the throng of furs.
Slowly the whispers came to an end and everyone was waiting for the news. Some members of the school staff, even the Principal of the school, had come down to hear it.
“Now, as you all know, we had already gone through the qualifying rounds for placing to compete in regional finals.” Dr. Volks stated as he silenced the bustling furs.
“Well are we going to them?” One of the clarinetists shouted, causing everyone to go back into frenzy once more.
“Silence!” The black bear shouted in demand, everyone going silent once again.
“If you would give us a moment to do so, then we’ll tell you.” Mr. Histav stated as he snarled slightly.
“Take it easy Greg. They’re just anxious.” The Principal calmly stated as he handed a still sealed envelope to Dr. Volks.
Taking the letter from the St. Bernard, the bear let out a sigh.
“I’m just as anxious as all of you. So let’s have your Drum Major have the honors.” He said as he handed the letter to Wolfe.
The lupine took the parchment and cut open the envelope, removing its delicately folded paper. He unfolded it gently and read it through, taking in each word.
“What’s it say?” Alex called from the back of the room.

“We, the board of judging and review, have taken into account all of the score totals for the season at the numerous competitions for Shadow Cascade Academy High School, and have determined your placement from semi-finals competition.” Wolfe said as he looked up from the letter briefly to see the group before him, he had read ahead through the last line.
“Well come on now Wolfe, what’s it say?” Jessica said as she sat with Scott.
“After tabulating the scores for your semi-finals competition we, the Counsel of the CMOA find…” He added a pause as he fought back a grin.
“Just get out with it!” One of the French horn players said.
“… You have QUALIFIED TO FINALS!” The lupine shouted as the entire group broke into cheers.
The entire group was ecstatic as they shouted and broke into roaring excitement. The instructors came round and congratulated one another while Alex, Scott, ad Jessica all came running down to Wolfe.
“I can’t believe it!” Alex barked in joy.
“This is amazing!” Scott said as he hugged Jessica who was just as happy.

Wolfe continued smiling and conversing until he saw Dr. Volks give him a look from his eyes, though filled with a threatening confidence. The lupine nodded and looked to his three friends who knew to step back.
“Band, attention!” The wolf bark loud and clear causing the entire room to snap forward to him and salute, minus Jessica who slipped out of the way behind him.
“Salute, sir!” They all barked back in unison.
“Now, just because we made it doesn’t mean we have all in the time in the world to celebrate. Finals are this weekend and we have a lot work to do. Wolfe, get these furs to the field.” Dr. Volks said with a grin.
“Band, field, attention!” The lupine ordered.
“Sir!” The throng echoed back to him before quickly dispersing to retrieve their instruments and out to the field.

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More days of attending random conferences and mingling with the debutants of the elite leaders didn’t seem to be of any value to Jacob. Jacob and Mark had taken over on today since Steve and Karen had done the major work and was to be sent back home. Unfortunately, Douglas asked them to stay fearing they may be needed. The two had confirmed that the Chinese had supplied the titanium, and were somehow funding the development of the Dekoret compression chamber. It was a bit of a mystery to many at the conference when they had noticed that the Panda representing the country of China had left the ceremony unexpectedly; none knowing that Mark had taken him in to custody for funding such a decisive scheme. Douglas had also sent Thomas in to the government to raise hell among the leaders of the expansive nations not so tolerable ways.
“We picked up suspicious seismic activity this morning in the southern desert about 110 kilometers from the Great Pyramids. It was in off in the lake near the area of Shalshuk, sir. It wasn’t very large, but unusual.” The Beta squad leader stated to Douglas.
“They just slipped us to where they are then. We’ll run satellite imaging over the location. Send the coordinates STAT.” The ursine ordered.
“Yes sir.” The fur said before cutting out completely.
“Get me Uroso on the line.” Douglas said as he looked over a few new reports that were handed to him.

“Sir, Uroso speaking.” The ape said as he appeared on a screen.
“Get Jacob out to the location that I’m sending you in two hours. Mark will be accompanying Steve and Karen at the conference again.” The ursine commanded.
“Right away sir. Veronica is going down into the sewers to run gravity scans and imaging.” Uroso replied as he forwarded the report to Douglas.
Douglas looked at the report on one of the screens and looked at the report he had received from Beta squad. He knew there was some sort of connection; they already knew that they were going to attack during the conference.
“Be sure that she checks down low enough, I have a feeling that their plan will be launched from below.” The ursine said.
“Yes sir.” Uroso responded, ending the connection.
Douglas moved along the row of screens as he stopped to view the report once more.
“Get the captain of the Ulysses.” Douglas ordered.
A Bengal tiger went straight to the task, giving a thumb up when contact was established.
“Agent 989 Epsilon, sir.” The captain aboard the large aircraft craft carrier stated.
“I need you to ready a Black Falcon. It is to be placed on standby and await further orders.” The ursine said as he heard the shuffling of feet in the background.
“Yes sir, immediate action to be taken.” The captain said, then terminating the connection.
Douglas walked along the bridge as the furs below him on the lower level were talking and entering in information. Information and reports from the field never stopped coming in. As the ursine continued to look upon the report, he let out a sigh of frustration before returning to his chair.

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It was an early day already for Jacob as he shacked while preparing a cup of coffee in a bathrobe. He had loaded the machine and was sleepily waiting for it to finish. Soon, the machine began to gurgle as the last of the water sucked up through to wash over the grounds.
“Finally… Just what I need.” The lupine said as he reached for a cup.
He filled his cup and walked over back into his room and turned on the television to Deutsche Welle (German Waves), a German language and international news channel. He sat comfortably on the bed as he added sugar and cream into his steaming drink. Mark had gotten up with him, even though they had taken a chance to have some enlightening action the previous night. Jacob brought the dark coffee to his mouth, carefully sipping it into his maw.
‘Nothing better than a good Cup-of-Joe in the morning.’ He thought as Uroso came into the room holding papers.
“Chief wants you to go to the desert at these coordinates in two hours.” Uroso said as he handed the lupine the printed report.
“Uroso, I have secured a vehicle.” Mark said as he handed the listing to Jacob.
“That should be fine. I think I will be good with this.” The wolf said as he set the report on the bed.
“Veronica will be going below the city to run scans, Mark and the others are going to attend the last of the conferences while you’re out there. I believe Douglas has their plans figured out.” The ape stated.
“Would seem that they are most likely finishing of the compression chamber in one location and channeling the energy from the destruction of the Dekoret underneath the conference to a separate chamber to further break down another source but change the chemical composition to cause a catastrophic explosion comparable to splitting the atom.” Jacob said plainly as he refocused on the television.

Steve and Karen had walked into the room with the lupine’s statement. The four all stood dumb found in place as the wolf just stared blankly at the screen.
“And you came up with that theory how?” Steve said as he scratched his head fur.
“Yeah… If you have this figured out then why are we having to deal with this?” Karen said in an upset tone.
“I already sent it to Douglas this morning. It’s a theory, nothing more.” Jacob said as he got up from his perch on the bed.
Mark shrugged his shoulders and left the room, the others doing the same.
“Be sure to get out of here on time Jacob.” Uroso said as he walked back over to the computer with Steve and Karen to begin the day’s work.

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Jessica walked along the Library as he tried to not get lost amongst the bustle of students, in a school this large it could be a problem. She was on her way to meet Edward in the photography room for a late lunch after school. Working past the bustle of leaving students, some of her cheerleading pals chatting with here, she made it to the door to the class. It was a large classroom with many students leaving a darkened room on one side and the flashes of lights from another. She looked around to see if she could find Edward, but to no avail.
“Can you tell me where Edward is?” She asked a Blue Jay who walked by carrying a stack of photographs and sheets of film.
“Edward? He’s in the studio today, just over there.” The bird said as she rebutted before ruffling her feathers.
The fox nodded in appreciation and then went towards the room where she could here the lights bursting inside. It was a very expansive room with very high ceilings and many different items hanging on tracks above. In one niche of the studio she could see that lights had been pulled down onto a section of wall with a combination of backgrounds and props against it.
“Raise your head slightly Scott, just like that. Pick up the energy and give it right here to the lens. Now flex lightly, hold it.” Edward was saying as he continued hammering the buttons on his camera and catching the images of Scott.
The panther was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and suspenders, his well worked physique very well seen through his pelt as the flashes of the lamps reflected off of him. Scott was a natural in front of a lens, striking the right pose and bringing in the appropriate amount of emphasis into every frame that was taken of him.

“How about this shot?” Scott said as he raised his arms into the air and flexing tightly across his body as he looked over his shoulder toward the lens, his body turned slightly to show off his set of abdominal muscles in the light.
“Hold it!” Edward said as he furiously mashed the settings on his camera and took many frames of the image before him.
Scott adjusted himself slightly to give his frames variety, the panther bringing lust onto the set. He was really bringing it all out as he continued his setup and following the fox’s directions, while throwing in a few of his own. The flashes continued to fill the room until they stopped after Scott made a final pose.
“Shit! Damn panther, either you filled the entire card in my Nikon or you caused the damn thing to overload!” Edward laughed as he walked over with a towel to the panther so he could dry of the glistening sweat from his body brought on by the heat of the lights.
“I’ll be sure to buy you a new camera cause I can see it smoking from the session it just had with me.” Scott said as he ran the towel along his coat.
“Stop being an egotistical fag and put a shirt on.” Jessica said as she tossed a shirt on the ground to him.
The panther laughed as he dropped the towel and slipped the shirt on. Edward turned when he heard her and walked to her side, smiling as he took out the card in his camera.
“I see your camera has been broken by this cats ego.” She said, throwing a sly grin to the panther.
Edward laughed knowing that she was doing so to mess with the panther. He smiled as he walked over to the set and began to put away the items with simple pushing of buttons on a controller. Scott had dressed and gathered his things before he walked over his photographer and said goodbye. He walked over to Jessica next.
“Don’t worry, it was all my idea. You two have fun.” He said in a whisper as he smiled to her.

She smiled as he left the room, leaving just him and her. Slowly she walked up to him and took his paw in hers. He smiled to her lightly before craning down to her and giving her a kiss on her muzzle.
“I missed you. I feel I haven’t seen you in a few days now.” He said as he walked over to his bag and put away the camera completely.
“We saw each other yesterday. Remember?” The fox said with a giggle.
“Everyday feels like more than they are with you.” He said before sweeping her into his arms now.
She laughed in surprise of his strength, a settling calm of protection flooding her mind. In the span of the days since the weekend, both of them had grown closer to one another, the two just matching so well with each other like puzzle pieces. They kissed passionately, both caught in joy for seeing each other.
“What do you want to do for lunch?” Edward asked as he kissed her nose.
“Whatever is fine by me, as long as it’s with you.” Jessica said as she walked toward the exit, Edward following shortly after grabbing his stuff.

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After dropping Alex off at home, Wolfe and Scott drove over to the nearest party store to pick up some supplies.
“Looks like were going to have to party on Thursday since we’ll be gone all weekend.” Scott said as he got out of the car.
“I’m sure he wont mind. We get to miss school the next day since we’ll be leaving on Friday.” Wolfe said as he grabbed a shopping cart.
The two walked down through the aisles gathering the supplies they would need, finishing at the balloon counter.
“What can I get you?” An Irish Setter asked them.
“We need about ten-dozen balloons for a birthday party.” Scott said as he fished out a piece of paper with color choices for them.
“Delivered to this address here?” The dog asked as he pointed to the address on the paper.
“Yes, that’s right. I need them delivered at four.” Wolfe said as he nodded to Scott.
“Alright then, we’ll get the order created and have them there for you. Would you like me to ring you up for the rest of your merchandise?” He asked as he looked down to the now two shopping carts full of merchandise.
“If you could that would be great. Plus, maybe someone to help me load this into my car.” Wolfe said with a chuckle.
“Not a problem.” The Setter said as he began to take the items and ring them up.

Scott checked his phone for the time and then called Jessica.
“Hello Scott.” She said with excitement and giggling.
“Hey there Ms. Fox. We got the decorations. You are taking care of getting the food and cake right?” He inquired.
“Yep. Edward and me are doing that right now. The will be delivering the food at four.” She said as Edward, in the background, told the decorator the name to go on the cake.
“Awesome. Wolfe already gave me a key and an alarm code so you and me will be able to take care of everything before he gets back with him.” Scott said as he pulled out a notepad and filled in a few lines.
“Tell Wolfe that he needs to wait to bring Alex until five. That will give us plenty of time to setup.” The fox said as she giggled, Edward wrapping his arms around her.
“Not a problem, tell Ed to stop that. I’m having a conversation with you.” He chuckled.
“Why should I?” Edward said as he laughed in the background.
“I’ll try Scott. I’ll see you two tomorrow at school, okay?” Jessica said as the sound of a receipt printer echoed.
“You two have fun. See you both tomorrow.” Scott said as he then hung up the phone.

Scott turned to Wolfe as he made some more notes.
“Wait till five to bring him over tomorrow. That will give us some time to get setup.” Scott said as he marked that note off.
“That’ll be easy.” Wolfe said with a grin as he turned to the cashier and handed over his card.
With everything bagged up and the Setter carrying some of the bags, they walked into the parking lot and filled the compact sports car to the brim. After waving goodbye to the cashier, Wolfe and Scott climbed into the car and made the journey to the lupine’s house. All was well till Wolfe hit a large dip in the road.
“Oh no! Damn…” He said as he looked at the fur on his head.
“What?” Scott said as he turned to the Lupine before breaking into laughter.
Wolfe was covered in party glitter all over his head and clothes. He sighed as he pulled down his street and into the driveway. Scott was still in laughter.
“Hey girl, you want to hit up the club after this?” Scott said as a joke.
“No girl… I don’t want to go to the club after this.” Wolfe said in a sarcastic manner as he shut off the engine and got out of the car.
They both got out and began to load the party supplies into the garage, Wolfe being upset that he was going to have to vacuum his car.

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“It’s parked down stairs in the parking lot. The black one.” Mark said as he tossed the keys over to the Lupine who was now wearing a jacket and had a helmet in one paw.
“Okay then, I’ll see you guys when I get back.” He said to the others before briefly kissing the lion.
Waving as he left through the door, he proceeded down the elevator to the parking garage. He had not ridden a motorcycle in almost ten years, being slightly afraid as to if he would remember how. He walked through the rows of parked cars to where he saw a bike parked carefully matching the description. He took hold of the key and briefly admired the motorcycle, a black Ducati Superbike. He climbed aboard and inserted the key to start the engine, it roaring to life beneath him. Jacob enjoyed the thrill of the engine purring its full, well-made strength.
“Now I know why Alex has one of these.” Jacob said with a grin as he shifted the bike into gear and rode out of the structure.
Inside his helmet a screen flashed on and a map appeared to guide him to the through the outskirts of the city to a small village near the location. He followed the map through the city, the sun lighting up the land before him. As he approached the Great Pyramids, he could see the sun washing in from his right along their stones; a true mark of their glory. It reminded him of a song he listened to in college of a piano playing an Egyptian-feeling theme, the notes and chords casting a sense of luxury from the past. He passed the Sphinx next, catching a glance of it in his side view mirrors.

Approaching the area of Al Fayyum, he looked for a petrol station so he could fuel the beast of a bike. He pulled into the station and parked the bike next to a pump. Taking off his helmet, he let out a sigh of relief from feeling the cold winter air hitting his face before putting on a pair of sunglasses. An attendant to the station walked up to him and greeted him. Fishing out his wallet, he prepaid for the fuel and left the attendant to fuel his bike.
“How do we look Jacob?” Uroso asked from within his ear.
“I’m here now and so far all I see is normal. I can drive around and check out the place.” The lupine replied.
“Good idea since it’s all that can be really done. Remember to report anything you find.” The ape ordered.
“Affirmative.” The lupine said.
The attendant flagged him over since he had finished fueling the bike and tried to give him his change. Jacob kindly refused to take it, the fur being very grateful for his kindness of such a generous tip. Once he had his helmet back on, Jacob started the bike once more and rode into Shalshuk to find a place to eat. As he always knew, restaurants and bars were always a wealth of information. He chose one that was very bright and colorful, subtle music emanating through it open windows and doors. Even in the cold winter climate that had fallen all over the globe, there was still enough sun along the equator to combat the weather.

He walked into the restaurant where he was politely greeted by a young crocodile that smiled to him and seated him out on the patio. Briefly looking through the menu, he put in his order and removed his jacket. He wore a casual long sleeved shirt with a jacket, a blue scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. She left to put in his order while he removed a newspaper from inside the jacket and began to ‘read’ it. He surveyed the square that lay about forty feet ahead of him down the dirt street. She came back with a glass of ice and a soft drink for him, an already ice-cold bottle of Coca-Cola. He handed her back the glass of ice and popped the top of the bottle, chugging down a portion of his favorite drink. He pointed to a small sentence and showed it to her.
“Well Jacob, you sure know how to make your entrance.” She said quietly.
“Agent 257 Pi, what have you gathered?” He inquired.
“Usually there are a number of furs who come in the morning to eat. They sit out here talking about how they feel like they could be ‘easily replaced’.” She said as she continued.
“Well then I will have to stay here for awhile. Can you take my bike and move it to a more hidden location? I doubt it would be good for anyone to see a fully loaded Ducati just sitting out in front.” The lupine asked as he handed her the key to unlock the engine.
“Yes sir.” She replied as she walked away to do so.
Jacob continued to read through the paper, activating a connection to Mark. A truck pulled up into the area in front of the restaurant, six furs stepping out from the back of it and the driver.
“Mark, did you get that entry?” The lupine said as he continued to read.
“Yes, if they are eating in the town then they can’t be to far from there.” The lion said as he looked at the maps on his screen.
“They come in on a truck. Run a satellite rerun of where it came from. I’m keeping the connection open for recording.” Jacob said as he reached over to the cap to his soda.

On the underside of the cap was a series of numbers, a code.
“Mark, code number: 91h2y6d33e49.” The lupine said as the group of furs came out to the patio and were conversing loudly, flirting with the agent in disguise.
“Got it. I’m opening the connection link now. Radio silence will start now.” The lion said as he cut out.
Jacob sat minding his own business and flipped through the paper, but of course listening carefully to them. At the table before him there were six total: two Rottweilers, a moose, a rat, a rather large stallion, and an opossum.
“Talk about another long shift, they never seem to give us any breaks.” One of the Rottweilers stated.
“That’s cause the boss taking pressure from HQ.” The rat said as he furiously lashed his naked tail behind him.
“If there were more of us we wouldn’t be working as hard and be able to have the extra help to get it done.” The moose stated as he gently massaged his beard.
The agent had brought out drinks to them, a large bottle of alcohol and shot glasses. She poured them each a glass as they all gawked over her body, even while being bundled up from the slightly cold air. Leaving the patio, they all snickered with each other over inappropriate comments. Jacob just continued his reading and sipping on the bottle of Coke.

“Every time we come here I want to just slam into that croc more and more.” The stallion said as he adjusted his pants.
“You’re not alone there. I would love to lay her out right here and make her suck this bone I have.” The other Rottweiler said as he massaged his tenting pants.
The group laughed out loud as the crocodile came back into the area holding a plate of food. She walked over to the table that Jacob sat at and placed it on the table, taking the now empty bottle of Coke with her. Jacob set down his paper and reached for the silverware next to the plate. He kept to himself, using the sunglasses to glance up at the group who seemed to be looking at him carefully. Through the lenses, he had small screen appearing that were taking in pictures of each of the furs. He began to eat the plate, savoring the ethnic flavors on his palette.
“What more do we need to finish when we get back?” The opossum said in a whisper after tipping back a second shot.
“Once the compression vessel is finished, the foreman will have us go in and begin hauling in the Dekoret. Then, we will need to drive all the way over to the fusion chamber to drop in the last of the Dekoret so they will be ready to destroy the city.” One of the Rottweilers said.
Jacob took in the information very seriously and tried to keep his composure. On the right lens of the sunglasses a message appeared from Veronica.
‘Increased seismic activity under the ground beneath the conference, thermal image scans show heavy quantities of furs building a super structure. Chief wants a confirmation of all information learned ASAP.’ The screen stated.
He finished his meal, popping open another bottle of Coke that was brought to him. He sat back and reopened the paper and began to read once more.

“Come on now, we need to be heading back. You know how the boss can be.” The rat said as he got up from the table.
“That’s cause he’s the one dying and wants to take it out on us.” The other Rottweiler said as he slammed his chair into the table.
“Remember, we can’t use the north entrance since they are setting up the scrambling array since those ‘pigs’ are tracking us.” The opossum said as he patted the rat on his back.
“No problem boss, it’s just a longer drive.” The rat said in response.
The stallion paid the crocodile as he left, giving her a look over as she left to the patio to clean up from them after patting the stallion on his back. He reached across the front of his pants and massaged his swelling hard on as he saw her bend over to the table.
“Let’s go!” The rat called out to him, causing him to jump in surprise before clamoring into the back of the truck.
Jacob sipped on his drink once more as the crocodile came back over to him. She had a look of disgust on her face as she carried a tray of glasses.
“I take you would like another Coke, sir?” She said as she moved the glasses on the tray.
“Yes, thank you. Keep us posted on any others coming around here, agent. I’ll be sending in a report to Chief when I get a hold of Uroso.” The lupine said as he handed her the bottle.
“Yes sir. You be careful, those were the good crowd around here. The rest aren’t as friendly.” She said as she took the bottle and left.

She came back a moment later with another Coca-Cola in tow as Jacob was conversing with Mark on what he found out. Setting the bottle down, she handed the lupine the bill as he finished the conversation. He chuckled to himself as he pulled out his wallet and handed her the money.
“I guess even I can’t get a free meal now and then, huh?” The wolf said with a grin on his face to her.

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Wolfe ended his call with Alex and then walked into his room where the panther was vacuuming the carpet.
“Alex’s parents aren’t’ back yet.” He said to Scott as he grabbed a stack of towels.
“That’s odd. Well we have to be back at the school in about an hour for practice. Why doesn’t he just spend the night with you?” Scott said after turning off the vacuum and wrapping up the cord.
“That’s what were going to do.” The lupine said as he came back into the room and began to make his bed.
“I don’t want to go to practice tonight, but I know it’s like the most important one of the season.” Scott said as he tossed over a few of the pillows to Wolfe.
“You bet it is. Oh! Did you want to practice the conducting?” Wolfe asked as he turned over the last of the blankets into place.
“Since we have the chance we can.” The panther said as he walked to the lupines laptop and opened iTunes.
He started the recording of the field show and watched as the lupine waved his hands in time to the music, Scott jumping right into it as well.
“Careful with the formation of this pattern, it’s tricky.” He said as he saw the panther nearly stumble through the count.
“That’s cause it’s such a strange count.” He said as he continued.

They finished the set and sighed in content with the work they did. Looking at the clock on the wall, Wolfe reached for his car keys and grabbed his jacket. Scott followed him out, shutting off the light before he headed out. In the car they continued listening to the mix Wolfe made of the music his dad listened to.
“Your dad listened to some really good stuff Wolfe. I don’t know how many times I have to say it.” Scott said as he chuckled and resumed singing along to the lyrics.
Wolfe smiled as he pulled into the driveway and honked his horn to cal the fox. Scott opened the door and slipped into the back seat as he turned up the volume on the song that was playing and began to dance in the back seat. Alex came out of the house holding his bag and luggage, chuckling as he looked into the car to see the panther getting really into the song that was on. After loading his stuff into the trunk, Alex climbed into the front passenger seat and shut the door. Wolfe just smiled as he shifted into gear and pulled out of the driveway while Alex laughed at Scott even more now that he was shaking the seat he was in to the beat of the song.
“Scott you’re such a fag!” Alex shouted over the music.
“What of it fox?” Scott said as he moved to the music.
“Okay guys, enough of the pop. Time for some good old fashion rock.” Wolfe said as the song ended and lowered the volume and switched to an artist.
“Aw… you’re no fun. Put that one song on by them here.” Scott said as he pointed to the name of an artist on the screen.
“They’re one of the ones I like.” The lupine said as he selected the second song of the album and refocused on driving.

Wolfe pulled onto the highway as his iPod announced the artist he had chosen.
“Emery – The Question – Playing With Fire, now playing.” The somber voice said over the speakers.
He made his way down the short stretch of interstate to the exit for the school, the lupine singing along with the lyrics. Alex and Scott listened to the words emanating from Wolfe, admiring the ability of the lupine’s voice. The music echoed from the vehicle as the engine roared into the parking structure. Finding a good parking spot, Wolfe rolled the Mustang right into place and parked. He stretched as he reached behind his seat for his binder, still singing as he waited for the song to finish before climbing out of the car. Wolfe killed the engine and they all started walking to the elevators. Coming toward them as the three began walking were Jessica and Edward.
“Hey you three.” Jessica said as she waved with a smile on her face, holding Edwards paw in hers.
“Hey Jessica! Come to see us practice?” Alex asked as he wagged his tail back and forth.
“Wouldn’t miss it. Edward and I are going to get the day off of school to go drive up with you guys. He has been asked to take photos of the competition for the Yearbook.” She replied.
They all smiled as Wolfe led the way to the elevators and boarded. As they walked along the path to the Performing Arts building Alex asked Scott a question.
“Did you see if they pulled over the covers on the stadium?” The fox asked.
“Yeah, they pulled them over yesterday since they were going to deice the field and stands.
“Good, I didn’t want to march in snow again.” Alex said with a laugh as he held onto Wolfe’s paw as they walked into the band room.
Inside furs were gathering their instruments and anything else they may need and exiting through a door on the opposite side from where they came in.
“Go grab you’re drum kit.” Wolfe said as he looked down to the fox.

Alex padded of into the room where his equipment was and came back fully harnessed and ready, but then he started hearing clicking. Edward was taking photographs of him.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” The fox exclaimed as he turned his back to him and threw over the hood of his jacket on.
“Just capturing some good photos of you and the others. Why? It’s not like it matters.” Edward said as he turned to take pictures of the other furs around the room that were getting their instruments assembled.
“Well don’t take any of me!” Alex barked angrily before he walked away from them and through the door with everyone.
Edward turned to look at the fox as he left, then to Wolfe who then chased after the fox. He fought through the musicians and caught up to the fox on the far end of the field. The stadium was built with many different access halls from the varying buildings of the school. Much of the school had short cuts through these paths underground that connected the campus since it covered so many acres. The stadium was like that of any high school, but with much more seating and an enclosure that could be used to cover the field or not. Wolfe caught up to the fox and stopped him in his tracks.
“Babe, I know.” Wolfe said as he wrapped his arms around the fox from behind.
Alex began to sob lightly as he raised his arms to hold those of the lupines, the fox feeling the comfort of his mate against him. Wolfe had learned that Alex had many fears, but the one that he was truly afraid of was that of photography; he hated the idea of having his picture taken in through that of a lens with him being aware that it was focused on him.

“I’m sorry Wolfe.” Alex said as he craned his neck to rest his muzzle against that of the lupines.
“It’s okay Alex. I understand.” Wolfe said as he nuzzled himself against the fox.
Scott could be heard coming through onto the field as he shouted at Edward, the panther snarling at the fact that the fox had no empathy of Alex’s fear. Jessica didn’t say anything as she stood aside from the two to converse with one of the band members from her math class.
“You better learn a thing or to about asking someone for permission. Some furs don’t like having their picture taken and you’re going to have to do that!” Scott shouted as he shook his fist at the now cowering Edward.
“Can you tell him to stop yelling at him? It’s just not necessary.” The fox said as he patted his paw on the lupine’s arm.
“I will. Go on now, get the line warmed up.” Wolfe said as he gently kissed the fox on his forehead.
Alex smiled and trotted off with his snare, while wiping away a few tears, over to the rest of the drum line who were waiting on him.
“Oy, Alex… you be alright?” A kangaroo said to the fox, concern on his face as he adjusted his snare on his body.
“It’s okay guys, I’m fine…” Alex said as he sniffled just a bit.
“Wolfe didn’t hurt you feelings, right?” A Yellow-Tailed Swallow said to the fox as he set his tenor drums on the ground, wringing his appendages as if in preparation to fight.
“Hey! None of you need to worry about it. Scott has it handled and it’s not with Wolfe.” Alex barked as he withdrew his sticks.
“Just asking mate, you know we don’t appreciate seeing crying kits. Plus, we wouldn’t want to have to beat your boyfriend for upsetting you.” The kangaroo said as he formed up next to the fox.
“You guys all know that he would never do that to me.” The fox said with a smile as one of the base drummers patted him on the back, a small tabby cat, as she moved into position.

Clicking his set of sticks for a count off, he started them off in warm ups, putting a smile on his face knowing that the guys had his back. Everyone knew about Wolfe and Alex, it was like headline news that finally leaked to the press and spreading like wildfire. Though the band members were stunned for about a week, everything went back to normal shortly after. There was the fact that everyone knew about Scott and Grant, since Scott would hang all over Grant since he was the quarter back for the football team and would always be in the spotlight, and were all really comfortable with the fact of to male furs being together.
“Band, attention!” Wolfe barked out over the group who were all warming up their lungs in groups and their bodies for the enduring exercise.
“Salute, sir!” They all called back to him.
“Warm-up, exercise 5. Group formation!” The lupine barked as Scott appeared on the field next to him.
“Form, sir!” They shouted as they formed into a pyramid shaped pattern on the field.
Wolfe walked over and climbed to the top of the podium as Scott went over to Mr. Histav to speak with him in regards to something. The lupine began to clap his hands in tempo.
“Band, mark time hut.” Wolfe said as the group began to raise the back of their feet from the ground.
From the top point of the pyramid, Alex tapped his drumhead to give the lupine a beat to follow.
“1. 2. 1, 2, 3, 4!” The lupine said as he waved his hands in the tempo for the group.
Immediately the group began to play a series of scales in unison while shifting the formation of the shape they were in. Some moved fast as they played the warm-up while some remained in position marking time. Even the Auxiliary team, with flags, sabers, and other objects in hand, were involved within this strange yet interesting dance on the Astroturf. They all moved their bodies in different ways to stretch the muscle groups they would be using, the different instrument sections of the group changing into individual, yet harmonious musical licks.

“I’m so surprised as to how many furs are out here tonight.” Jessica said as more and more furs flooded into the stadium in the home side bleachers.
“Well look at them! Even their warm-ups are exciting.” Edward said over the cheers of furs as he snapped shots of the group while they continued to form complex shapes and move in different times.
“It’s all thanks to Dr. Volks, that bear used to teach Drum Corps and colleges. Plus, he’s only in his late forties and works here.” The fox said proudly as she watched Edward click away.
The group on the field ended the warm-up after a long building climb of notes, stopping in a new shape facing the home stands while those of the front edge remained still when they finished. The now large audience broke into cheers as Scott walked out to the field to brief the group on the field as to the agenda. Wolfe turned around and waved out to Dr. Volks in the stands. The bear signed a few words to him to which he nodded in agreement. Scott clapped his paws together to break the group apart to move to their opening set, he then proceeded to the podium that was opposite of the lupine.
“Let’s run the whole set. I want to see what you all can do with it fresh in your minds.” Dr. Volks said into the megaphone in his paw.
On the field everyone quickly shouted suggestions and comments to one another while the sound of Mr. Histav plugging in the sound equipment could be heard. He got up from underneath of one of the instruments in the ‘Pit’. With a thumb up from him, Dr. Volks began to run through the announcement of the group.
“And now, we are proud to welcome another one of our finalists. Performing their field show titled ‘Winter Storm’, from Shadow Cascade, California, it’s The Shadow Cascade Academy High School Black Knights!” The ursine said as the large audience erupted in support.

Wolfe called out as best as he could over the roar of the crowd behind him for the group to snap to attention. Smiling warmly to the group and making a few funny faces, he made eye contact with Scott on the other side of the field.
“Shadow Cascade Academy High School, are you ready?” Dr. Volks said before chuckling as he saw Mr. Histav trip on himself on the way up the stands.
Wolfe turned around in a fluid snap before snapping to a salute to the stands, once again causing the furs to erupt in applause. He broke the salute and turned back to the band once more.
“Shadow Cascade Academy High School, the judges are ready.” The ursine said as he waited for the group to begin while conversing with the various instructors surrounding him.
Wolfe raised his arms into the air and synced his timing to Scott. Together they counted off in unison and began one of the many run through of their field show.

---- ----

Jacob rode his bike through the area looking for something that would give him a lead. Unfortunately, he lost track of the truck. But the crocodile, being a step ahead, planted a small tracking beacon on the stallion’s jacket sleeve. They had found that on the opposite end of the lake there was an abandoned access tunnel for a storage facility that was being worked on ten years ago, but the government decided to abandon the idea. Around four years ago, the land was bought by a private investor who began to work on the continuation of digging out this facility. On the surface it appeared to be a storage facility for aircrafts, but of course that was just on the surface. With the intelligence that had been gathered to this point, this was the location of the unknown organizations operations for anything involving Dekoret.
“I’m going over into the area of Qârûn. If anything, I may be able to get a lead on when exactly they plan to attack.” The lupine said over the roar of the wind outside his helmet.
“Roger that. We lost signal from the tracking beacon, most likely due to some sort of malfunction. We did get a lead on a high level member being seen in that area so keep your eyes open.” Veronica said as she continued trying to connect to the beacon.
“Read you loud and clear, 456 Omega out.” The lupine said as he winded around a busy section of frost-covered road.
He looked over the map on the inside of his helmet and located a bar, finding it to be a prime location since another agent who had been in the area had pinpointed strange furs in the bar. Pulling into the small area he could consider a good spot to park his motorcycle.

Taking off his helmet and slipping on a pair of sunglasses, he walked to the swinging doors of the bar where he could hear the sounds of laughing furs from behind it. Stepping inside he could smell the odor of lust and alcohol in the room. He glanced around the dim lit bar and took a seat on the bar that put him at a good distance from the group that was an obvious focus of interest. He noticed that another crocodile worked in this bar.
“What can I get you sir?" The crocodile said to him in a polite mannerism.
“Just a good shot of something to give me a good kick.” Jacob said as he looked at the reptile dead in the eyes.
The crocodile nodded and proceeded to retrieve his drink returning in a flash as he set it onto the bar. Jacob, being ever alert, could see the crocs eyes focusing on a booth just a good four meters away from him.
“Thanks mate. Makes me feel as if through the wind you can hear the sound of birds.” Jacob said as he nodded again to the crocodile, who left him to be after pouring him another shot.
Jacob listened carefully to the group behind him; the crocodile hadn’t set up the equipment to record any audio so it was all left up to Jacob at this point.
“I’m getting tired of that fox, every time he comes near me I want to wring his little neck.” A rather large bull said to the three other furs he was with.
He sat with an eagle, a puma, and a dragon. The dragon being the rarity to be seen since they never usually left the regions of northern Europe. The bovine slammed his bottle down as he finished chugging it and cursing under his breath as he clamored to his hooves to go to the bathroom. The other three just looked at the bull in disgust as he walked away.

“If he isn’t careful, he’ll be on the list.” The dragon uttered as he pushed away the drink he decided not to finish.
“Well the boss did that one guy in this morning. Talk about a gruesome sight.” The puma uttered amongst the others.
“You best be on your toes then.” Xavier said as he walked past their booth.
They never heard or saw him walk in, he just appeared. As he walked past the booth and Jacob, he turned back to the booth.
“Where is he?” The fox said threateningly to them.
They sat silently, just reveling in the fact that they were all expendable.
“Do I need to take action on you all as well?” He said as he clenched his paw to them.
“The bathroom, sir.” The eagle said as he turned away from the fox to hide his shame.
Xavier walked to the back of the building to the bathrooms, the furs nearest to them quickly clearing out of their seats and leaving the bar. Jacob kept his back turned as he heard the group in the booth leave, not wanting to hear nor be there after what may happen to their comrade.

Kicking in the bathroom door, Xavier walked over to the stall that he could hear the bovine in, the sound of him spitting into the toilet and smell of vomit tingeing the air. He tore of the door to the stall like a piece of paper, the bull looking up to him in surprise and then fear. Xavier grabbed a hold of the bull’s neck and sinking his claws into the thick neck.
“It seems you have a problem with me.” He said as he tightened his grip and raised the bull to his hooves.
“No sir… Not at all…” He said as he gasped for air under the grip.
“Doesn’t seem to keep me from doing this.” The fox said as he turned his wrist and sunk his claws deep, breaking the bull’s neck and causing blood to burst forth.
The body he held up in his paw went limp as the bull’s eyes froze in a blank stare. Xavier grinned as he felt the trickle of blood pool and fall to the cold, damaged tile. Having taken care of the useless pawn, he threw the corpse back into the wall of the stall. The body slammed hard against the wall and slumped down onto the porcelain, the weight from falling down breaking the toilet bowl and causing the vomit within it to mix with the heavily forming blood. Xavier walked over to the sink and washed the blood from his paws and muzzle, a small amount had shot forth when he killed the bull. Finishing, he turned back to see the body before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a cigarette.

As he walked out of the bathroom puffing a plum of the tobacco, he made sure to prop the door open. The bar was nearly empty with the exception of a few furs and the owners.
“You have a bit of a mess back there, croc. Be sure to clean up really well.” The fox said with a sinister tone as he walked through the doors.
Jacob had made the smart move of going behind the bar and hiding on the ground. The crocodile had been trying to keep his cool as if he had seen this time and time again. Once the fox was gone and out of sight for a good amount of time, he signaled down to the lupine to rise from the ground.
“Send a full report. I’m going after him.” Jacob said as he poured a shot of Grey Goose vodka and hopped over the bar.
“Yes, sir.” The crocodile said in slight emotional exhaustion.
Jacob slipped on his sunglass and grabbed his jacket before he turned towards the door. He looked back upon the crocodile who nodded to him once more. Letting out a sigh, the lupine burst through the doors to the street.

---- ----

The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers as the large climactic end of the field show came to an end. They had finished the final run through of the night. The furs on the field were breathing hard as they held their instruments high in the air from playing their final note.
“Mark time hut!” Wolfe barked over the crowd, signaling for Alex to strike his drum to a count.
The band marched off of the field where they formed ranks and marched onto the track, Wolfe and Scott taking their rightful place at the head of the formation.
“Band, halt!” The lupine shouted again when they had all lined up on the track.
The crowd was still in cheers as Dr. Volks called out over the field through the megaphone to the group.
“Great work everyone! Let’s pack it up and you all get home for some good rest! Be sure to have all of your stuff packed and ready and be here at 4:00 AM tomorrow!” The ursine shouted into the amplifier as he looked down to the group.
The group was smiling at their success as the crowd died down.
“Band parade rest!” Scott shouted as Wolfe walked over to the middle of the group and called them in around the podium.
The lupine was smiling at them in their accomplishments. The many furs he called his friends were all in a good mood. He sat there for a moment as they all talked to themselves some and then focused on the lupine. All of a sudden, Alex pounced him from behind and hugged him. The crowd beneath him laughed as the lupine smiled and wrapped his arms around the fox. Once everyone was silent, once more he spoke.

“All right everyone. We’re at the last stretch of the season. Tomorrow is going to be our best show. We all have worked hard this entire season and the tunnel has a lot of light at the end of it.” Wolfe said as he heard a few cheers from them.
“Let’s remember to keep our heads on the prize. We can make this one of the schools many achievements. Plus, for all of us seniors, it’s the best way to end it for all of us.” Scott said as he got a roar of cheers from the furs around him.
“Exactly. But we don’t do it just for the seniors. This could be a once in a lifetime chance for all of us.” Alex said as he held onto the lupine.
The group once again cheered as the fox gently kissed the lupine and climbed back down the podium to the group below.
“Now let’s remember all of this, band. Be sure to get some good rest, cause the bus ride will be long and the competition fierce.” The lupine said as he rose from the stand and looked back down at the group.
Happy with the pep talk, the group was in a great mood.
“Band, attention!” Wolfe said as the entire group snapped into position.
“Salute, sir!” They shouted.
“Band, dismissed!” He barked.
“Thank you, sir!” They responded.

The throng dispersed and everyone began to clear up from the field, parents coming to the children and congratulating them and friends conversing. Wolfe folded up his podium and rolled it over to the truck to be loaded, one of the parents taking it from him. He let out a contented sigh before once again the fox pounced on him.
“Got you!” Alex laughed as he gripped the lupine.
“Oh no!” Wolfe responded as he pretended to be surprised.
The two fell to the grass and rolled around, a few furs passing chuckling as the two played. Wolfe and Alex rolled around some more before they ran into someone.
“Come on now, you two. I want to go home so I can get my beauty sleep.” Scott said as he grinned to the two.
The two got up from the ground and stood paw in paw as they walked back to the hall connecting to the performing arts building. It had been a long evening and they had all wanted to just go home.
“Jessica and Edward already left. They said they’ll be here in the morning to see us before we leave.” Scott said as they walked to Wolfe’s car.
“Cool. Well let’s get you home and such. We’ll see you at 3:00 AM.” Wolfe said as he started the engine.

After dropping of Scott, they drove quietly through to the lupine’s home. Alex had fallen asleep in the car; he was dozing of as soon as they got in the car. After pulling in and killing the engine, Wolfe got out and opened the door to the other side where Alex was. He smiled down to the fox that was still sleeping.
‘Got to get him inside somehow.’ He thought as he reached in and picked the fox up and carried him on his back.
As he opened the door he could feel the fox gently stir but not awaken. He chuckled to himself as he locked up and armed the alarm. It was a bit tough to be carrying a bit of dead weight on his back but he made the ascent to the second floor and into his room. He situated the still sleeping fox in his bed and walked over to his alarm clock to set it for the appropriate time before he climbed into bed with the fox to sleep. With his arms wrapped around the fox, he looked down to his sleeping mate before falling into sleep.

---- ----

The rays of the sun hit Jacob as he walked right out into the sun-drenched street. He immediately began searching for the fox since who couldn’t have gone very far. He looked down the street where he saw a figure staring right at him on a motorcycle, the engine running as he sat upon it.
“Xavier, we meet again.” The lupine said as he stared down the corridor.
The fox whipped the bike around and took off down the street. Jacob quickly clamored to his own motorcycle and immediately started it before he took off after the fox. Dodging the pedestrians and vehicles, he pulled out a gun from thin air immediately took aim for Xavier as he whipped through at an exhilarating speed down the corridor to the outskirts of the area.
‘I’m not letting you get away that easily.’ Jacob thought to himself as he aimed and fired his weapon.
He missed just barely as they continued the trek to a road on the outer border.
“It is going to take more than that dog!” The fox shouted as he turned over his shoulder and launched a maelstrom of flames to the lupine.
Quickly dodging the flames, Jacob dashed to the left side of the road as the flames licked the pavement and charred anything in its path. A small group of stands burst into flames as the furs that saw it coming ran out of harms way. Jacob shifted gears quickly as he took his aim again and fired continuously to the enemy before him.

Xavier laughed maniacally as he continued to throw flames to the lupine, catching buildings and other structure in flames. Jacob dodged behind vehicles to keep from being hit.
‘Damn fox… All I need is a clear stretch of road.’ Jacob thought as he dodged a burning car.
Al Fayyum was in their background now as they pulled through on the stretch of road that cut into the landscape. Jacob had a clearer shot at the fox since there was more space to move on. He fired three rounds, each knocking on the body of the bike and ricocheting to the road.
“What’s wrong whelp? Can’t get a good shot?” The fox said as he then and shot his own weapon at the wolf.
The lupine snarled as the bullets past him and shifted his bike to gain more speed, flying down the road at nearly 170 kilometers. Soon they were neck and neck, the fox trying to change his position on the road to cause the lupine to fall to the fast moving pavement beneath him. Jacob pulled next to the fox and rammed his bike hard against his. Quickly, he turned his gun and fired a round, the fox dodging the bullets by making a hard left sending him into a grinding spin in the middle of the road. He spun his bike around and continued accelerating to pass the lupine and get ahead. The lupine continued to accelerate as they approached the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. The fox hesitated slightly as he began to weave across the road.

Making a decision, Xavier cut off of the road and went straight into the dirt as he turned straight toward the Sphinx. Jacob was caught off guard and veered off of the road in pursuit. The fox shot another maelstrom of flames as he gunned his engine to its limits, driving toward the wall surrounding the Sphinx. The lupine rolled right through the flames as he himself conjured the energy to blast the fox with an electrical charge. The attack hit right on, the fox howling in pain. Xavier took his chance and pulled his bike onto the wall and road quickly across. Jacob quickly followed the same idea and joined him up on the wall as he pushed forward to follow behind the fox. Firing his gun, the fox kept his eyes ahead and focused on his target that lied a dozen meters ahead. Jacob tried to dodge the bullets, using his bike as a shield as he held himself tight to its frame.
“This is where it ends wolf! Nice knowing you!” Xavier said before he pulled the break hard and flipped the bike forward.
He rolled over, placing his paws on the wall and using his legs to swing the bike in a circle through the air toward the lupine. He finished the motion and let the motorcycle go flying toward the lupine with sheer force. Jacob in the blink of an eye climbed on top of his motorcycle and kicked off toward the fox, the two bikes exploding in a burst of flames and crumpling metal upon impact.

“I’m just getting started Xavier!” Jacob shouted as he pulled out the small sheet of titanium and brought it down to the fox as he fell through the air.
Xavier quickly dodged and rolled off of the wall before he broke into a run away from the wolf. Jacob quickly pulled his sword from the wall and leapt down before chasing after the fox. It became a battle between the two as they fought one another before the Sphinx, the furs around them fleeing as the land became enthralled in flames and dirt went flying into the air. Jacob brought himself into close range as he extended his paw to strike the fox in a sluice of water and fists. Xavier quickly dodged and made his own attempt at hitting the lupine. The lupine back flipped and continued to try and connect a blow, his attempts being dodged and nearly countered as he continued his assault.
“Stop moving and stand still!” Jacob shouted as he threw his blade into the dirt and let his fists fly at the fox, each one being blocked.
“Not a chance, dog. You won’t be able to stop a thing.” Xavier shouted as he connected a blow to the lupine.
Jacob fell to the dirt, his jaw now expelling a river of blood from it. Jacob snapped from the recoil just in time as the fox cast a continuous flame to him, Jacob rolling across the dirt into the air. He situated himself up right and dashed to his weapon once again, quickly swinging it at the fox before he got to close. Xavier jumped out of the way and pulled his gun from his side and fired off once more. Jacob quickly swung his weapon to stop the flying bullets before running to his left as fast as he could.

Xavier kept his eyes on the lupine as he emptied his clip and quickly loaded a new one. The wolf took the advantage and drew his own gun and fired at the fox, two of his bullets piercing the fox’s arm that held a fresh clip. He howled in pain as he felt the bullets pierce into his arm. Tossing his gun aside, the vulpine charged at the lupine and swung his unwounded arm at the wolf. Xavier landed a blow on Jacob’s stomach, causing him to collapse from losing his wind. Quickly taking his chance with the situation, the fox ran away far enough from Jacob.
“This isn’t over, but soon it will be.” Xavier said before a compression of blue light collapsed around him and he vanished.
Jacob looked up from the ground and made an attempt to catch the fox just before he dissolved into nonexistence.
“Damn it!” He shouted as his swung his weapon, it striking the ground and indenting the earth heavily.
Jacob left the blade in the dirt as he breathed heavily, his exhaustion taking advantage of him. He deactivated the titanium to collapse into its prior form, pocketing it in his jacket before his handgun dissipated out of his paw. He clenched his paw to his gut, taking his other and activating a connection to Douglas.
“Jacob, report.” Douglas demanded.
“Sir, I made contact. We have till tomorrow.” Jacob said with the breath he had to fight hard to use.
“We’re sending a Black Falcon right now for you.” The ursine responded.
Jacob looked to the west as the sun descended to the horizon, whipping the blood from his muzzle.

*******

Next installment is Chapter 15 – Getting Away from the Travesty at Hand.

-WDE

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All characters, structure, scenario, and plot © 2010, 2013 Wolfe Dimitrivich Escada aka XenialShadow

All artists, music, brand names, company names, slogans, registers, and trademarks are copyright to their respective entities and used only to enhance the story.

The majority of the story is purely fictitious and is not to be taken into account in the event of coincidental reality.

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