FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Nick was excited. The cat tugged at the sleeve of his shirt with one hand as he walked to Nathan's door. A glance at the flowers in one hand, mostly red and white with just a few black lilies encouraged him.

He shifted from one foot to another. What if he hates them? What if he hates me?

He knocked.

He had barely pulled his hand back to his side when Nathan opened the door. The fox answered the door in a pair of jeans, and not much else. Not that the cat minded right now.

"Hey, Calico. You had me worried. What took you so long?" Nathan leaned against the door frame, face just a few inches away from his own, a mischievous grin on his lips.

"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to get you some flowers. Here!", He harshly thrust the flowers towards the fox. "I uh, got these for you."

"They are lovely. But I'd prefer you over them any day." He took the flowers and waved the cat inside. That vulpine grin never left his face. Nick wanted so badly to know what the fox had planned. "Oh. Lock the door, would you? We wouldn't want any interruptions."

Nick's blush was apocalyptic. He turned to close the door and was startled to find the Fox practically pressed into him when he turned around. He could feel the fox's muscles against his chest. The heat of his breath against his face. The smell of him was intoxicating.

The fox pulled him closer, one hand trailing lower down his back. He could feel their hearts beating, faster, faster, like two drums playing to the same beat.

"Now, let's get to the fun part, my sweet Calico." Their faces inched closer, and Nick closed his eyes.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Nick woke up. He laid there for a moment, regaining his sense of self as the alarm buzzed incessantly. His heart was still pounding from the sudden return to reality. He needed to control himself better, he hadn't even realized he liked the guy a whole twenty-four hours ago.

Maybe I should ask Sebastien about- No. Not doing that. Not in a million years. He'd probably tell me to just walk up and grab his butt or something. I really am in love, aren't I? What a mess.

A short while and a cold shower later Nick had gotten dressed and was trying to decide what to do with his day. Sunday wasn't a busy day for him. I could ask Rebecca what to do. She's intense but at least she isn't as bad as Sebastien.

Mind made up the cat was quick to arrange to meet her at a local cafe he knew she liked. He figured she would be more helpful if she was in a good mood.

The walk wasn't too long, and about fifteen minutes later he was standing outside The Black Cup.

The building was a bit of a local oddity. It had been here apparently since the early eighteen hundreds. Renovated multiple times, no one had ever changed the aesthetic to anything more modern, so it stood out rather strangely. Even more so since the neighboring buildings to either side had both been torn down and rebuilt a few years back. It was almost like the corner of the street had a cutout of a time long ago. Even the lights had been designed to mimic the appearance of the old gas lamps that would have been everywhere so long ago. The calm flickering added a lot to the unique atmosphere of the little cafe.

Soft music played over hidden speakers throughout the dining area. The dark brown color of the walls and floor, and the off-white tables really set the tone for a calm space. There were pictures along the wall, taken once every twenty years or so since the building was originally built. It really was a special place. He liked Nathan's shop more, but not by much. He wondered if it was the shop he liked so much or the fox he had found there.

It wasn't long before the bell at the front chimed. A short otter made her way to the counter to place an order. A few moments later she was sitting across from him. "So? What did you want to talk about so badly, Calico?"

Nick floundered in his head for a moment. Of course, he had asked her to come here but he forgot that he would actually have to confess. To say it out loud. Somehow that felt like it would make it all the more real. As if by simply saying the words out loud it would become something solid in the order of things. He didn't know if he was ready for that-

His train of thoughts came to an abrupt end when Rebecca poked him in the nose with a slightly webbed finger. "Earth to Nick, Nicholas? Hey, you in there?" Oh, right, she was right there and waiting.

"I just. I don't know how to say it."

"I'd start with words. Usually arranged in a sentence."

"That's not-" He noticed her grinning at him and frowned.

"Look, I'm not gonna judge. So tell me. Is it about your parents, I know they're shitty but I don't know what else they could do to make it worse..."

"I like Nathan!" His face went crimson It felt like if his cheeks were any warmer his whiskers would burn right off. He buried his face in his hands. I can't believe I just said that!

"Oh!, Is that all? I mean, I knew that. I just wasn't expecting you to figure it out so quickly. Or to tell me." He made space between his hands to look at her with one eye. She was smiling at him. She's such a mom friend, I'm lucky to have her.

"It's fine, he is rather cute if you're into that kinda thing."

"It's not okay. I just don't know how to talk to him. He's incredible. The way he plays, and you heard him sing. And the muscles he has under that shirt..." He realized what he said a second later.

Rebecca had a Cheshire grin, "No, don't mind me, how did you find out about that? He wears such baggy clothing all the time I had no idea."

"Well, okay, so you know how I drove him to practice yesterday?"

"Sure..."

"Well when I got to his house he was in a bit of a rush, I don't live that far from him so he only had like ten minutes to get ready before I was there. Anyway, I think I caught him just as he was getting out of the shower. "

"When he opened the door he, well." He blushed even more brightly, hands returning to his face for a moment. "He didn't have a shirt on, and he was still wet, he's got abs, Rebecca. The thing is I was so surprised I kinda forgot to look away."

"Yeah? Got a good look huh? I didn't know you had it in you."

"I was staring, for like a whole minute! And he saw me! How do I talk to him after that?"

"Oh you naughty kitty, getting eye candy of your man before you even ask him out. I mean I'd at least buy a guy dinner first before getting that far." She was laughing so hard she had to hold on to the table for stability, a couple of times she still almost fell out of the chair.

"It's not that funny."

"It is hysterical Calico!"

"You know I came here to get help not to get laughed at."

"Well, I'm the complete package so you're getting both. Now let's see how we're going to get you a nice fox hunk eh?" Rebecca leaned over her side of the table conspiratorially.

His blush had finally calmed down only to return full force. "Can we not call him that, please?"

The otter lifted a hand off the table and lightly waved it back and forth for a moment. "Sure sure, anyway what's he into? Besides music that is. We already know that."

"I don't know, I only met him a couple of days before the practice, and that was at the shop he apparently co-owns."

"He owns a shop? Isn't he a bit young for that? Never mind, well what happened there?"

He went back and remembered. He was a total wreck that day, he couldn't have done anything more wrong. How does Nathan even talk to him anymore?

"I was a complete disaster. I don't know what it is about him, but every time I'm alone with him I just lose control. I stutter, and I get nervous. It's awful."

"I doubt you were that bad. And the rest of it is just normal dummy. You like him. I'd say you're head over heels for him even. Come on, what did you do that you think is so bad?"

"The first time I met him he was playing a guitar on a stool, and I was so impressed. I mean, he wasn't really playing any kind of song but he made it look so easy. And well I wanted to tell him that but I startled him. He tipped over the stool and I panicked. I tried to help him up but I tripped on it and landed on him. I didn't even have the sense to stand up until he asked me to get off of him."

"And it didn't stop there, I was a mess the entire time we talked. He offered to help me learn to play after they closed up though. That was nice, he showed me a lot about how to hold it right, and where to put my fingers."

"Oh my, bit forward huh?"

"What? No, not like that he was teaching me guitar you ass!"

"Sure sure, carry on."

"Well uhm, after that it got to chords and he ended up standing behind me, he had to put his arms over mine to show me the chords and it was nice. He filled in the bits I didn't already have down and fixed what I was doing wrong. I'm nowhere near as good as him but I made more progress in a few hours than I have in months."

"Aww, that's adorable, I can just see it now. Seriously there's no way he doesn't like you too."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. He's just a nice guy is all. And I think he felt bad for me anyway. I wouldn't read too much into it." He knew it sounded pathetic even before he said it, but it was the truth.

Rebecca jabbed a finger to point at him. "I call bull, the guy is nice. But I doubt he gives every clumsy cat he meets guitar lessons,"

Nick sighed, "You're probably right. But still every time I talk to him I turn into a clumsy, stuttering mess! How am I supposed to-to impress him and make him like me if I keep making an idiot of myself"

"Well, you start by realizing you are an idiot because he already likes you. Just ask him out. Take him on a date and see how it goes. It's really not all that hard. And if it leads to something a bit harder, ask Seb, he'll tell you exactly what to do to make him-"

"No, please don't do that to me. I didn't ask my brother for a reason. Besides, he figured it out too, as soon as he saw us even. I'm pretty sure he wants Nathaniel too."

"Oh, well that is a problem. You better move fast kitty, unless you want to share."

"Absolutely not! He can't have him! Oh, I just said that out loud didn't I?"

Rebecca smiled at him, one hand held over her mouth as she poorly concealed her laughter. Nick didn't pout, no matter what Rebecca would say later. Once she had control over herself she spoke. "That's a great start, Calico. All you gotta do is say that to him, and Seb."

"But, he already flirts with bro like they're dating."

"Honey, he flirts like a guy who knows nothing is going to happen, I don't think he even believes your brother is really into him. He is a fox, after all, mischief is kinda their thing."

"So what should I just ask him out next time I see him, grab him by the collar and, and, what?"

She was grinning again," Well it's not the approach I would take, but sure why not. If that's how you want to do it. The point is to actually tell the guy that you like him, idiot."

"It's not that simple."

"Of course it is, it's just not easy."

The two didn't talk much after that. They sipped at their coffees and nibbled on the pastries they had bought. It was nice. Nick's mind raced, frantically imagining the different ways he could tell Nathaniel how he felt. The two simply sat for a while and enjoyed the other's company.

Nathan P.O.V.

Nathan had just finished the physical portion of his training for the day.

As he read through the Clan Bible, he found something very interesting. It was a short list of artifacts that the clan had encountered over the years. He was mildly surprised to learn that the sword his mother had used was at the top of the list. As it turned out the blade was etched with several patterns meant to make it an excellent conductor of Ki. With practice, a skilled user could use the runes to cut through just about anything. This was in addition to the passive effect of making the attacks damaging to supernatural creatures when a weapon was ki enhanced.

He had always thought it was just the forger's showing off. It wasn't that uncommon for a blade to have filigree or etching simply to make the blade more suitable for nobility.

What really took his interest however was the second item on the list. It was the pocket watch mom used to always carry around. He had always found it a bit odd, after all, she had a wristwatch too. It didn't take long to rummage through his dad's room and bring the watch back with him.

"Yeah. That's a perfect match for the image. So what does it do?" He figured the only way to find out was to actually read more. He was well past the normal amount of time he would spend on this, but his mind would itch with the need to know if he didn't keep reading.

The Chaos Vector appears to be a standard Victorian era pocket-watch, however, this is merely the disguise. If a Ki practitioner channels a small amount of energy, it will attune to them. Once this is done, the watch will alert the user to hostile intent, or acts of malice within a certain range. The range seems to vary based on the user's strength with Ki. The enchantment seems particularly adept at sensing Supernatural elements, however, it is recommended that the clan keep hold of and make use of the Chaos Vector.

Nathan was intrigued, this would be incredibly useful for anyone in his position. He didn't have much in the way of information sources, and yet it was his job to keep the supernatural in check around him. It was the original purpose of his clan after all.

He channeled some ki into the artifact, a blue-green thing slowly coming over the whole of the device. A moment later the face of the watch had changed to a sort of compass, the arrow spun wildly in all directions every few seconds. Guess it doesn't have anything to lead me towards. He decided to make a point of keeping it on his person at all times, in addition to the tanto he carried when he couldn't conceal a larger blade.

A while later he had finished his practical training with Ki and showered off. Dressed in slightly loose jeans and one of his dad's band shirts, under a loose jacket.

It was time to leave the house for the day. He had to meet with the lawyer in charge of challenging his dad's trial results, and it was visiting day. He wasn't going to miss the one day a week he was allowed to see his father, even if they wouldn't let him stay for more than half an hour.

About an hour later he stepped out of his truck onto the asphalt. He swallowed, before marching down the blacktop. He really did hate this place.

The office building was rather plain, which set it apart somewhat in the town. Where most businesses had a personalized aesthetic or at least some sort of decoration to cover up bland design, this building was practically stalwart in its plainness. Just a gray rectangle of a building sitting apart from everything else. It was surrounded by a perfectly rectangular parking lot of pitch black asphalt on all sides. It was as if the building was determined to suck up any energy or enthusiasm it came into contact with. Nathan felt tired just looking at it.

Oh well nothing for it, I guess. He entered the building and checked in with the receptionist. She had politely informed him that another client had called an emergency meeting and so his appointment would be delayed. Figures, even with all the money this is costing we aren't important enough to get to the top of the list.

The inside of the building wasn't much better than the outside. There were a few potted plants and pictures of motivational phrases around the space. However the sterile white and silver colors mixed with perfectly spotless glass was painfully dead. The air was cold and smelled faintly of disinfectants. The sounds though were what really ruined it for Nathan. The occasional squeak as a secretary shifted in the cheap chairs, and the constant clicking of keys. Computers beeping and printers whirring. It all just seemed so wrong to him. He knew deep in his heart that he simply didn't belong in a place like this.

Despite having been assured that the wait would be of minimal inconvenience to Mr. Yoshino. He ended up waiting for over an hour. Finally, a rather familiar-looking pair of tigers stepped out from the back. Funny, they kinda look like Sebastien. "Mr. Yoshino, Caroline will see you now."

Nathan stood up and walked back through the maze of hallways that comprised the back end of the legal firm. After a few minutes and two flights of stairs, they arrived at the right office.

Ms. Caroline Hetzburg Jd

The secretary knocked, and shortly after they were called in. "Mr. Yoshino, good to see you. Jessy, thank you, darling. You may leave." The dismissal, though it sounded polite, was quite cold. Nathan never enjoyed talking to this woman.

"Now, down to business, please sit. Your father's trial truly is an anomaly. It ended just about as fast as any normal trial could have. After digging a bit we did find out that your father's alibi was verified, and even that the jury unanimously chose to dismiss that evidence when asked about it."

She hadn't been talking long, yet Nathan wanted nothing more than to stand up and walk out. Never to see this place again. Unfortunately, he did need her. So he stayed put and kept quiet.

"In 6 years of working here, I have never seen such a strange case. I have a lead that implies the jury was bought out too. Do you have any Idea how hard it is to rig a jury like that? No, of course not. But that's my job."

"Sorry, did you want to ask any questions or can I move on?" Nathaniel grit his teeth, the tone was so sweet and fake, that it made his stomach turn. He wanted to speak, to tell her that he wasn't as naive as she thought. Instead, he pushed that down and spoke with the same voice he had learned for difficult customers. "I can wait, I want to know what you've uncovered first. Please, continue ma'am." He wasn't going to help anything by getting angry with her. Even if it would feel good to take her down a peg.

"Of course. Anyway besides that it seems the prosecution's evidence is strong, and weak at the same time. For example, the police have a handgun in the lockup that was confirmed to have killed the curator; However, there is simply no evidence that your father was the man to use it."

As she continued to list the various ways the case had been meddled with, Nathan fell into shock. The idea that a court case could be so thoroughly subverted was insane. He wanted to scream and shout at the sheer absurdity of it all. To find the ones who did this and beat them to a bloody mess. Instead, he kept it inside, saved it for a better time, and listened.

"And then we get to the museum itself; The new curator has moved into their role swiftly after the murder of his predecessor. I am pursuing that angle but as of yet, I haven't found any leads on how or why the new man was pushed into the role so quickly. I have however confirmed that he had no experience or connection to the local museum or any other similar roles before he became a curator. It's all rather strange."

"I'm going to be calling in an inspector who owes me a favor from Interpol to take a look. She will be able to look deeper into the working of the local police than I will. With any luck this will give us a hammer to use against the old ruling."

"There is also the matter of obstruction. None of this information was as easy to acquire as it should have been. Most of it was buried in records in a way that can't be anything but deliberate. There is something dirty going on here and your father seems to be the victim of it."

Well at least she's finally on the same page. Maybe now we'll finally get somewhere.

"What this comes down to, however, is that challenging the court decision is not so simple as it normally would be, and well. I am a high-quality legal professional, you need the best, I admit that now, I was doubtful at first that you would need someone of my talents. But, the more I investigate, the more clear it becomes that I am the only one capable of handling this case. However, this does mean I will have to raise my fees significantly. This case is a mess and untangling it all will be quite a bit of work. Never mind that it will distract from other business. You might understand these matters soon enough yourself. I understand that you are the effective owner of your father's business while he's locked up. I'm sure that experience will grant you some perspective you do not yet have."

"I understand, let me know how much I need to pay you and I will take care of it. Get me, my father. I'll make sure you get your money. Do you have any documents for all this? I'd like to go over them myself."

"I doubt they will be of any interest to you, but you are the client. I can have Jessy give you copies on your way out. I do believe that concludes our business, then. Jesse will forward the documents relating to the increased cost of my services along with what I've uncovered so far. Good day, Mr. Yoshino."

It was a dismissal and a rather blunt one at that. The woman primly stood up and replaced her chair, before exiting the room. Nathan did much the same a few moments later. It wasn't hard to find Jesse, the meek badger all too happy to give him his paperwork and usher him the rest of the way out of the building.

He made his way across the lot, body still stiff in the pose of formality. He didn't relax until he got behind the wheel, tension practically evaporating out of him as he slumped over on the wheel, mindful not to land on the horn. He turned the key backward and soaked in the sound of an up and coming rock group on the radio.

Once he felt like a real person again he took stock of the documents he'd been given. With the information confirmed and all in one place, he felt better. He allowed himself a few moments to relax before he set off to the prison.

SafetyCorp Site 333. The building was depressing in its dark gray coloring, only occasionally broken up by scraps of black or white. Nathan supposed that was the point though, it's not exactly meant to be a fun place. Somehow it had more character than the office he had been at last however. Old graffiti and the minor damages accrued over the years had added their own form of decoration to the place. It felt alive, if sad.

Nathan pulled into the security checkpoint and waited for the guards to check the truck over. A few moments later he was directed to move through the barrier and park in the visitor's zone, he did so.

He carefully removed the pair of short knives hidden under his clothes. No point testing fate here. After a moment's consideration, he left the pocket watch in the truck as well. It simply wasn't worth the chance that they decided to confiscate the invaluable trinket.

Inside the building, he put up with a thorough security screening. The pair of jackals were silent with their brooding stares as they went about the tasks. One pressed against his clothes wherever he might hide something, while the other waved a metal detector across his limbs and torso.

Once he was finally waived inside he spoke to the rabbit behind the visitor's desk. It felt wrong to talk to someone through chain-link barriers with a concrete wall between them. Too impersonal. "Nathaniel Yoshino, here to see Eric Yoshino."

"Oh! Yes, just one moment." The rabbit clacked away at the keys on their terminal before rolling off to the side away from the window. He keyed a microphone in the wall and spoke quickly into it.

Nathaniel focused just a little bit of Ki into his ears to try and hear what he was saying.

"-athan Yoshino, here to see Erick Yoshino. Would you have him sent to a visiting room? It appears room number 3 is open now. Yes, of course, ten minutes. Okay." The rabbit dropped the receiver with a plastic Thunk! Before rolling back over to the window.

"Okay, so it should be about ten minutes but I can let you in early. I'll unlock the doors for you. Just go through the door to the left of the window, and look for room number three. Eric will be sent in shortly. It says here that you've been to visitations before, but I'll remind you that you only have fifteen minutes, so don't waste it. Have a good day sir!"

Sitting in the lone chair in a small room Nathan couldn't help but fidget. The room was cold, not just in temperature either. He kept gazing up at the camera in the corner. The lone red light, the only color in the whole room, felt like it could see things he'd rather keep hidden away. It made his skin itch. But dealing with this is the only way I get to see dad for now. Tough it out, he's dealing with worse after all.

He had begun shivering when the door on the opposite side of the glass opened. A large bear stepped into the room, roughly dragging his father behind him. He smoothly unlatched the restraints on the older man before pushing him hard in the direction of the chair opposite Nathan. "Alright, you get thirty minutes before I drag you back out of here." With that, the bear was out the door. A second later it slammed shut and the echo of metal on metal rang out into the room. The door was locked.

Eric picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself off. Despite the rough treatment, he had a warm smile as he turned towards the window. Hurrying over he sat down and adjusted the mic down to his height.

Eric Yoshino was a fennec fox, with sandy fur and large ears, and a somewhat diminutive height of 5'5. This had led to rather humorous family portraits, with both of his children passing his height in their early teens. Even now he found himself looking up slightly to meet his son's eyes.

"Hey, kiddo. How's it going?"

"The same, mostly. Good and bad, you know?"

"Well I don't have much else to do, so why don't you tell me about it?"

"I-yeah okay. Well, I graduated, near the top of my class, that B I got in math last year was the kicker I guess. It was hard, being alone during graduation.", He felt tears behind his eyes, but he wouldn't cry. Not here. His dad would want him to be happy after all.

"Ash and I are fighting again. I just. I don't understand how she can brush this all off." He threw his arms wide, before dropping them abruptly onto the small shelf in front of the glass. "It's hard, being alone in that house."

Eric put one hand on the glass. "I'm sorry. I wish I could be there for you." And that was the last thing Nathan wanted to hear right now. He didn't want to make him sad. Not when he was free, and his father was stuck here. It wasn't right to give him more to worry about.

So he lied. "It's fine. I'm making it work okay, you know. The shop is doing pretty well. We aren't doing amazing, and money's a bit tight. But I'm making it work. I joined a band too! They aren't big or anything, just a small cover band. But the bandmates are a ton of fun.

The drummer, Rebecca, is a tiny otter girl, barely shorter than you. She can play the drums like she was born to do it. She's a total mom though."

"The bassist is this tiger, Sebastien. "He's tons of fun to talk to. I haven't seen him play anything spectacular but there isn't a whole lot of music that will let a bass player show off, you know." He paused for a second thinking about the last member of the band.

The fennec's ears were perked and he looked genuinely excited for Nathan. "That's great! It's good to know that you're still making friends. I don't want you to forget to live while I'm in here. Now don't keep me in suspense, I'm guessing you're the guitarist, so who's doing the vocals?"

Nathan smiled to himself, nothing ever got dad excited like talking music. The man lived and breathed it. The thought was a bit bittersweet as he remembered how out of reach that was in a prison.

His thoughts turned to the question though. Thinking about Nick, he got nervous, and he didn't know why. "You're right, I met our singer first. The cat was at our shop. Nick has a great voice. He's not so great with an ax yet, but he's a quick learner. I gave him a few lessons after the shop closed when we met. and he picked it up faster than I did when you were teaching me. He's incredible."

Throughout the whole speech, Eric's face had scrunched up a bit in thought, about halfway through he had to put a hand over his mouth to cover up the fatherly smile on his face. "It's good to hear, I know I said it before, but it's good that you're making friends. I'll be okay, even if I never get out of here, just so long as you and Ash can live well. That's all I need to make me happy."

Nathan wasn't ready to hear that. The dam burst, all his worries and fears, and yes even the tears let loose. His head hung, too afraid to look anywhere but the floor in between his knees as he spoke, "I don't know if I'm getting any of this right dad. I can't even talk to Ashley. You're still stuck in here. I still can't figure out half the stuff mom wanted to teach me. I keep messing things up, dad. I don't know what to do."

"Son. Son, look at me." Nathan looked up, ears folded down behind his head. "You make me proud every day. You're my kit. I'm sorry that I failed you for so long. I'm sorry that I can't be there for you to tell you this every day. I love you. I am damned proud of my son. If you can't remember anything else I'll tell you; That's okay, but remember those two things for me. You are doing the best anybody could ask of you. More even. So, just remember that. For me, okay? I love you."

Nathan opened his mouth to respond, but the door behind Eric slid open. "I'm sorry kit, looks like I have to go. Just, remember what I told you. You're doing great. Your mom must be proud of you too." he stood up as he said that, presenting his arms to the guard.

"Alright, enough of that, time for lowlives to go back to their cells, and brats to run home." The guard clicked the manacles back around the fennec's arms and legs before dragging him roughly back out of the room. The door slammed shut with an echoing finality.

Nathan was in a daze as he walked back out to the truck. He managed to get far enough away from the prison that he couldn't see it before he had to pull over. Parked on the shoulder of the road, he laid his head in his hands and cried. I don't know if I'm as good as you think I am, But I'll do my best.

Nick P.O.V.

They had spent quite a while in the little cafe. The subject had shifted several times and there was a small stack of remainders from the various re-orders they had made. Unfortunately, it had been quite a while and the sun was retreating below the horizon.

Rebecca left first after explaining she had an appointment early the next morning. Nick left shortly after. He decided to take the long way home, it was still only about a twenty-five-minute walk. But it was through a quieter part of town, and he wanted to clear his head. The conversation of the day had been rather heavy and he needed to let it settle.

This area was rather close to the forest and this late at night it was almost empty. He actually didn't see anyone around. He felt relaxed.

Nick heard a rattling noise in the alley he was walking past. As he peered into the darkness he heard it again. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Right? He pulled his phone out and turned on the flashlight, before creeping his way into the alley.

Halfway down the alley, a rather large dog walked out from the shadows. Its hackles were raised, and it was growling impossibly deep. The noise echoed throughout the alleyway he was in. That's not a dog, that's a wolf! He shifted his feet to run. Then the wolf started to change.

As he stood there, too terrified to move, the skin rippled and bones snapped. The beast snarled as it slowly stepped up onto two legs, then it started growing. four feet tall, five feet, six, seven, it stopped in a hunched posture at eight feet tall. The fur was dark with patches of gray. It was massive, with rippling muscle and sharp claws. One of its twisted paws, and yes they were paws not hands, could have crushed his ribcage without effort. Nick opened his mouth to scream. That's when everything went black.

Nathan P.O.V.

The sun had just finished setting when Nathan got back to the outskirts of town. The truck would need more gas soon, and- He felt a buzzing in the back of his head. He wasn't sure why but he felt like he should check the compass. He reached into his pocket and retrieved it. Trying to unlatch it while driving took some doing, but he managed. The needle was pulsing a bright red and locked straight ahead. There is no way that is a good thing. He stepped on the accelerator and the engine happily answered with more power.

He drove like a madman. Nathan wasn't sure why but he just knew he needed to hurry. The little red arrow on that compass was all he cared about as he raced through the empty streets, engine roaring. He slid around a sharp corner and took out a stop sign without paying it any mind. Nothing mattered except getting there just a few seconds faster.

A few minutes later the compass pointed him directly into the woods. He hit the brakes hard and pulled off the road. The truck slid to a stop in the mud and Nathan nearly jumped out of the door.

Alright, gear check, what do I have? Two Tantos, the compass, a mag-lite, and that's it. Okay sure. That's plenty for an unknown enemy in the middle of the woods at night. The compass buzzed in the back of his mind. No time to worry about it.

He clicked the flashlight on, the compass held up in his other hand, and set off into the woods.

The woods were a bit sparse this close to the city, though they got denser as he traipsed deeper into the trees. He didn't have to follow the trail for too long before the compass arrow began to flicker on and off. The pulsing accelerated slowly. He stopped where he was, and checked his surroundings.

"Know the terrain before you fight Nathaniel, or else you may find yourself in a trap when you least expect it." Mom's words echoed in his head as he scanned the clearing.

There were trees of course, dense and filled with shadows that fled from the ray of light cast by the flashlight. The clearing was filled with an uneven ankle-height wild grass. Bushes of varying height were scattered around the periphery, interspersed with gnarled trees covered in vines.

He moved into the center of the clearing. If something was looking to ambush him it would have to cross the distance into the open. Hopefully, I'll have time to react that way.

He took a deep breath as he circulated Ki throughout his body. His body felt light and warm, he would be stronger and faster. He focused on pushing it deeper. His senses sharpened. Individual blades of grass and the insects feeding on them were clear as day despite the low light. His ears perked to the sound of something big coming his way, and on the breeze, the scent of blood. When he was like this he felt like he could take on anything. Tucking away the flashlight and compass, he drew his knives.

Set into a fighting stance, eyes shifting across the trees, Nathan waited. This was always the worst part his mom used to tell him. The part where you know you're in danger, that the fight is coming. And all you can do is wait. The seconds turned into hours as he watched the trees, his heart beats seemed to come slower and slower until-

The werewolf charged out of the forest in a blurred dash. It stood at least eight feet tall even in its hunched posture, a massive thing of brute muscle and animal ferocity. Nathan turned and dived out of the way. Bouncing back onto his feet he barely avoided the next slash of claws.

His blood ran cold, he wasn't ready to fight this. All he had was a pair of knives, enchanted yes, but still merely knives. This monster had a full set of four claws the size of short swords on each massive paw.

The beast was covered in mangy dirty brown fur caked in blood. The eyes were a disturbing solid red all the way across. The werewolf faced him and howled, bits of viscera and spit flying from its gruesome tooth filled maw. The noise was deafening this close, and Nathan's ears laid flat to try to shut out the painful noise. Huge claws tore into the earth and propelled the beast like a shot from a gun. Nathaniel dodged again, getting grazed by the long claws. Thin lines of red leaked vital blood from his shoulder.

He struggled to remember anything that might help him. He knew he was fighting a monster made real by sorcery, or possibly divine intervention. He crossed gods off the list by the fact that this monster attacked first. Gods made guardians, not berserkers. Bones as hard as plate steel, incredibly resistant to pain. Not helpful anything else?

The fox charged, ducking under a reactionary swipe. He plunged a tanto up to the hilt in the beast's chest and twisted. The beast didn't so much as grunt in pain before it backhanded him away. The fox lost his grip on the blade as he tumbled away. Pain flared in his ribs, and he just knew that without ki that blow would have killed him instantly.

He rolled to the side and barely avoided getting speared by gory claws. The werewolf paused to pull his natural weapon out of the dense soil.

He racked his brain for anything that might help. Some of them can regenerate, and getting hurt tends to just make them angrier. It takes devastating overkill to finish them off. Yeah, not looking good with my one knife. I'm going to die here, aren't I?

Nathan took that chance to get up and leap onto the beast's back. He stabbed just off to the side of one of the werewolf's shoulder blades. His aim was true, rewarding him with a loud, wet Snap! Its left arm fell limp and useless.

The flesh began to writhe and shift under the tanto as if it was even now knitting itself back together. The fox twisted the knife before ripping it out in a spray of blood.

The werewolf, its useful arm now free, reached back to grab the fox.

Nathan flung himself away, avoiding the grasping limb. His landing was bad, and as he stumbled one foot caught on a stump sending him to the ground. On his back, the fox barely had a chance to react when the monster pounced on him. The werewolf's good arm dug into his chest with its claws, pressing him to the ground even as the claws drew blood.

Nathan sent his knife into the bottom of the werewolf's neck as it tried to bite. The other arm desperately held the beast's jaws away. The fox stabbed it again, apparently, that was enough. The werewolf ran. Its arm tensed as it jumped away from the fox, claws digging down to the bone at the increased force. Nathan's head swam in the fog of pain. He felt the buzzing from the compass slow as the werewolf apparently fled.

Nathan gasped for breath, thankful his lungs were still intact. He focused on healing the wounds to stop the bleeding. The pain intensified as the warm heat of his ki flooded the wounds, flesh quickly healing just enough to stop the blood loss.

He stood, pain like fire lit in his chest. He didn't let it stop him, his job wasn't done yet.

A trail of blood led deeper into the woods, and a quick check of his compass confirmed that he needed to follow. He looked into the foreboding darkness and set off.

Nathan's chest ached as he ran after the injured werewolf. As it turns out, getting the crap kicked out of you hurts. With his senses enhanced he could see just well enough to avoid the trees as he ran.

The fox just knew he should be running. Get some real gear and come back ready for a fight. And yet he felt that he only had one chance to do... something. He pushed onward.

He arrived at the edge of the wood and nearly retched at what he saw. Piles of bones from a mix of wildlife and people littered the area. The smell of death and decay was thick in the air. Nathan cut off the enhancement to his sense of smell, though that didn't help that much. As he scanned the area again he noticed a prone figure out cold.

The werewolf was down on all three of his useful limbs. Gore and viscera flew as the monster tore into a half-consumed carcass. As the monster consumed, its wounds rapidly healed. Nathan frowned when the skin on its shoulder shifted before it leaned down and tested the limb. He had been hoping that injury would stick.

The fox snuck closer. An attack from stealth might just give him the upper hand.

He moved low to the ground. Slowly shifting his weight from the back foot to the front. Silent as a ghost he walked through the clearing until- Crack!

The werewolf stood, looking directly at him in the open. Standing up, Nathan finally saw the body in the center of the corpse-strewn field. He cursed his luck, and the beast charged.

Nick P.O.V.

He woke up in a blurry mess. Everything was spinning and his head felt like a ringing bell. Never mind the small cuts and bruises he could feel all over his body. He felt like he'd been dragged through a forest.

Then the memories hit. The strange wolf that had shifted into that...thing! Looking around he found himself in a field. When his vision focused, he wanted to vomit. Bodies. Several of them. Some looked to be wild animals, but an alarming amount were people. The smell of death was suddenly overwhelming.

Adrenaline shot through his system. The same primal part of his brain that once led his ancestors to hunt recognizing what this place was. The den. The feeding pit. The nest. A dozen names but none of them would change why he was here. To be consumed. And he knew it.

His head cleared, though not by much. He took in his surroundings again, this time standing. He saw a figure with a curved knife fighting a huge beast. Snarling maws and sharp claws sought out the figures' flesh. Both of them moved impossibly fast. When one would miss a strike, puffs of dirt and dust shot out from the sheer force of their blows. The smaller figure dodged and parried, the huge claws and crushing strikes with incredible skill. Still, it was obvious that the fox couldn't win.

Fox? Yes, as he peered through the darkness he was sure it was a fox. In fact, he looked familiar. He squinted, struggling to see into the dark. Pinpricks of lightning buzzed behind his eyes, and then for just a moment, he saw as clear as day. Nathan? Nick's thoughts screeched to a screaming halt. There was only one thought left on his mind. I've got to help him.

It took the cat a few tries but he was able to stand up, his legs shook under him a bit. His view kept switching between a blurred view and a clear albeit doubled perspective. He shook his head, still blurry, and started walking.

Nick tripped. He pushed himself up and found himself lying on a skeleton. Empty eye sockets pointed directly at his own eyes, it felt like he was being judged and found wanting. He scrambled away, only to run into another carcass. This one still had strips of half-rotted flesh and blood clinging to the marbled bones. He stifled a scream.

The werewolf roared in triumph. Nick looked over to see him standing over Nathan. The fox was pinned to the tree by a huge paw, knife still in hand but unable to reach. The werewolf almost seemed to be reveling in its victory. Gloating even.

Nick frantically looked around for something, anything he could use to save his friend. That's when he saw the gun. Gun wasn't at all a fair way to describe it though. It was a massive revolver with a heavy barrel, almost as long as his forearm. The cylinder was bulky, almost ridiculously so. It seemed to have strange and arcane markings covering the barrel and cylinder.

He picked it up, the sensation of electricity shooting down his arm and into the gun. Shaking off that insane thought, he popped the cylinder out to check if it was loaded and gaped. Not only was it loaded. The revolver was chambered in a rifle round. Nick figured it was his lucky break. He was going to need the stopping power.

Nick stood up, the gun in his hand. The werewolf was just rearing back one arm to finish the fight. He needed to act. So he did.

Nick squared his shoulders and raised the gun. The sights were iron, useless to him in this dark. He would have to aim by eye. Both hands held tight, he aimed and fired. BANG! The shot was deafening, and the recoil sent the barrel skyward. He wasn't expecting that much force.

He missed. A half second later the ground next to his target exploded, not a huge blast, or even enough to cause harm. Explosive rounds, okay then. Sure. Why not?

The beast forgot about his wounded prey almost instantly. He turned, Nathan falling limp to the ground. On all fours he charged, a dark blur shooting through the night. Nick fired again. He missed, but he was closer. So was the werewolf. He fired one more shot, then dived to the side to avoid the charging mass.

HIT! The round struck the shoulder, pulverizing bone and flesh alike. It tumbled to the ground howling in agony. The round detonated, ripping the limb the rest of the way from the body in a shower of red mist and gore. It wasn't dead though.

The beast stood, towering over the cat on the ground. He was too close to get a shot off. The werewolf would kill him first. A clawed hand shot toward his chest. It struck the ground inches to his side as Nathan bodily shoved it away.

The fox didn't waste any time. He took the knife and stabbed the beast right in the heart. The werewolf ripped its arm free of the earth and grabbed Nathan around the chest. It lifted him up and started to squeeze. Nathan screamed under the crushing force.

Nick took his chance. He leveled the revolver at the creature's back, and fired. He fired again, and again, and again. He pulled the trigger one last time only to hear a loud click. Then the rounds exploded.

Viscera and blood showered the cat. The werewolf's torso exploded, once, twice and then once more. Bits of spine and meaty chunks of flesh flew out, leaving behind a gaping hole. It's hand slowly loosened around the fox before dropping to the ground.

The werewolf dead, his adrenaline high finally began to ebb. Nick was exhausted, his vision seemed to shrink in, before long it all faded to black. The last thing he saw was Nathaniel, covered in blood leaning over him, an apology on his lips.