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Sand coated Noah’s teeth as they held the cigarette into the open air of the Iraqi desert, everything was grimey to the point where it felt like showering was just pissing in the wind. He looked out over the rolling sands and stout brush wondering what in the hell he was doing here. Orders were orders yes but there were quiet moments like this on the F.O.B. where he questioned why he joined the US Army in the first place. He was twenty seven and the early stubble on his sharp features only progressed how old he looked. Some of his friends from high school have already gotten married and what did he have to show for these years he spent in?

A rank no one would care about in a few years, lingering injuries that screamed every time the weather changed and an impartial look on the fact he could die in a flash? No, that wasn’t quite right. He was terrified of dying and it took his best friend getting injured to remind him of that. “Everything good here boss? Heard what happened to Wen and wanted to check on you. I know you guys are tight knit.”

Noah’s hazel eyes were drawn to the new voice joining him and no other feeling than emptiness hit him. “If he pulls through I will too, Top.” A heavy sigh escaped his lips with the cloud of tobacco smoke sticking to his crusty lips for a brief moment before mixing with the arid air. “We got the triggerman and the engineer that made the IED. So why don’t I feel better?”

“Better men than you and me have asked that question.” dropping down to sit with the young staff sergeant he snuck a smoke from his pack and lit up alongside him. “Never changes how you feel, getting back at those that have wronged you. At least if you take ‘em out they can’t hurt anyone else and that can be a small reprieve. ”

“That doesn’t help my best friend in sick bay. Doesn’t help me when I wasn’t there. I could’ve—”

“Jumped into the line of fire and gotten yourself killed.” More smoke billowed into the air as he exhaled. His dreary brown eyes were downcast and gleamed with the bright desert sands as he looked upon the dimly glowing ember pinched between his fingers. “Don’t dwell on things you can’t change. You and your friend are doing good work. It’s not pretty, but we’re needed here and seeking revenge won’t fix those new holes inside you. Only time will heal those, and right now you gotta be more stable than he is.”

The half smoked cigarette was set down next to the brooding man, their duty uniforms were bleached by the sun and stained with salt and sweat. “I’ll try.” No more words passed between the two men before Noah looked down to the sand between his boots, the rifle across his back weighed heavily on him as the last few days flashed through his mind like a torrent of wind and pain. He shook his head before stomping out the cherry into the hot sand. “When are we out of here bud? I just want to see those mountains you were telling me about.”

Two days passed and Max was med-evaced back to the states and Noah followed three months later. It didn’t take either of them long to reunite after that and soon exit the military a short year later. Luckily for Noah, the mountains didn’t disappoint and neither did the young husky girl he met soon after. For a brief moment in his life, nothing could go wrong. Little did he realize he actually had something to lose now.

-

Noah didn’t feel pure rage like most people, he got angry like others and would yell or break something sure but his rage? That was quiet, calculated…precise. There had never been a moment where that glowing red ember of rage ever sparked beyond brief flashes ever in his life. Nearly losing his best friend was the only other time where that ember grew into a white hot flame. But right now not only is his brother hurt but this wolf wheezing in front of him put his dirty hands on his children. It had struck his daughter. “Alright mutt, I’m only going to ask you once. Which hand did you use against my daughter?”

Pained breaths and blood laced coughs fell into the snow, staining new portions of snow around him in steaming streaks of crimson. “Kehehe… wouldn’t you like to know, spear chucker.” His strained laughs and snide remark brought a heavy and cold steel toed boot into contact with one of the bullet wounds Max had inflicted earlier. Leaving the wolf reeling in the snow below him with a new set of pained whines and bleeding coughs.

“ That was the wrong answer.” Lifting his shirt, the silver steel of his Colt 1911 gleamed in the pale light surrounding them before he swiftly drew the firearm and let it ring out into the night.. The .45 round sank into the wolf’s thigh. “The next one will go into your knee so you’ll never walk again. Answer me.” Noah’s voice was calm and even but that didn’t hide the cold malice that reflected in his eyes. He spoke with the frozen tone of someone that was dead serious and willing to follow through on the threats he was making.

“F—fine…you want the truth? Yeah I hit ‘em; with both hands too. You know it isn’t going to change what happened or that—” A sickening crunch met Noah’s ears as the toe of his boot sank into the wolf’s chin. The bone of his jaw buckled under his cold loathing and metal reinforced work boots. His hands flew to his face trying to keep any further damage from occurring. Noah just opted to drop another forceful kick to his ribs.

He looked back at his best friend who was currently limping over to his truck, no doubt he was going to bleed all over his interior but Noah didn’t mind. It had seen far worse from his kids. Returning his full attention back to the reeling Trevor beneath him. “Stand up and start walking.” A confused look washed over his bloodied and mangled face, his broken jaw failing to hide the fear that finally set in. “ I'm not going to tell you again.” He struggled to hold his weight under his wounded limbs as more blood smattered into the snow, staining the ground with scarlet before landing a punch in his torso wound. “ That was just the first one for my daughter. Now start walking.”

His movements were slow through the deep snow and the only thing keeping his pace up was the constant jabbing of the pistol in his back. He whimpered as the pain of his injuries finally started sinking in as the adrenaline wore off. Everything ached and wounds screamed under the constant movement. Feet felt like miles to the wolf as his vision blurred and legs shook until the side of Noah’s truck was directly in front of him. “Hands behind your back.” He was slow to comply but the moment his hands were there zip tie cuffs were tightened past being comfortable. The blood flow was cut off as Noah grabbed the wolf’s short fur on the back of his head and dropped his head into the cold metal of the bed of his truck three times. Lifting his head up he brought his mouth close to the wolf’s ear that was no doubt ringing. “ That was for my daughter but don’t worry, I’m certain my wife would love to have a word with you and trust me. She’ll be far less forgiving than I’ve been.”

Dropping his pistol onto the back of Trevor’s head his world went dark as his consciousness slipped and his body slumped at Noah’s feet. He had half a mind to just shoot the bastard here and leave him for the bears and other feral predators that would find him come spring but he knew that it would be easy to track it back to him. With a sigh he heaved the now limp wolf off the ground and dumped him into the bed of his truck. Trevor could wait, Max needed medical care first.

“I'm surprised you didn’t shoot him the moment he confirmed what I told you.” Max’s voice was raspy and strained no doubt a result of the constriction and subsequent beating he took. “I'm glad you didn’t though…Would be pretty shitty watching your kids grow up behind bars.”

Noah’s jaw clenched before he punched his dashboard, the multi-function display spitting plastic and glass into the air as it buckled under the heavy blow. “I want to make him unrecognizable…that they need a dental exam to figure out who the puddle used to be.” His goggles were pulled from his face and the neck gator removed revealing his features to his best friend. Bloodshot eyes and skin stained by tears marred his skin showing how furious and painful it must’ve been to hold back against the wolf. “I want to break him before I force his end but I know you’re right.” Another blow met the display, shoving it deeper into the dashboard. “I need to hold back. Not for my sake but for them.”

“You gotta believe it was hard not to shoot him when he told me. All I could think is that you would beat my ass if I didn’t leave him for you and Chelsea.” Max could see the question brewing behind his eyes and answered before he could even speak it. “I got sloppy, let my emotions dictate my actions and he took advantage of it.”

“And because of that you’re bleeding all over my seats.” His tone hadn’t improved but it did eek out a small chuckle from Max before being followed by a harsh set of coughs. “Think you can keep enough of your juice inside so we can drop off the trash?”

A left hand raised with a thumbs up and with that the tires spun in the snow, chunks of ice flinging into the air and against trees. “I’ll manage, your truck on the other hand may need a deep cleaning.” Max looked around to his immediate area where bloody hand prints and smears ran along the upholstery and dashboard where Max struggled to climb in with his broken ribs, mangled arm and other injuries.

“Sure, if you cover it.” Trees sped by in his headlights as he took the same path back to the Gray ranch providing an eerie feel to their near silent drive besides Max’s grunts of pain from every bump that shook the cab. “I’ll fix the dash…you just need to detail it if anything and I'm sorry for the outburst. Thought I could control my emotions better than that.”

“Dude your loss of control ended with the shithead unconscious and in the bed of your truck. Most you lost was a dashboard while my loss of control ended with I think every rib broke a shredded arm and possible blindness in my left eye. Christ, I hope it’s not permanent. Won't be able to see Eli in depth if it is.”

“Bro your eye might be the least of your worries with her when she sees the state you’re in.” Noah glanced at his best friend for just a moment and with a clearer mind actually took in the damage that had been done to his best friend. His face was swollen and matted with drying blood. His one open eye was clouded by the crimson substance and obviously blurring his vision and staining red. His arm was almost unrecognizable a few inches below the shoulder where the uniform and what could only be described as meat hung below the tourniquet currently holding his blood from spilling out. Bruises beginning to form around his neck and the crumpled plates of his ballistic vest spoke to his assumption of his broken ribs and possible ruptured organs hidden below the surface. He would need a doctor and from what Noah could see a damn good one at that.

“I just hope things are going well for her.” Max’s helmet fell from his head and his brown hair matted from the exertion previously as he rested. His eyelids felt heavy and the cab of the vehicle was so warm. “I’m just gonna rest my eyes for a bit.”

“ Don't go to sleep! If you pass out now you might not be able to wake up!” Max had already slumped in his seat and gone deathly silent. Causing Noah to increase his speed and return to the Gray ranch faster than before.

-

“So Miss Elianora, would you like to tell me what exactly has been going on here?” The lanky border collie sitting across from her in one of the nicer bars of Jackson regarded her with a skeptical look. His beady brown eyes were half lidded as he wrote down a new set of notes after her very animated talk on the phone.

“We thought the Gray family was in this aggressive stance against Max, myself and trying to control the town but as it turns out it was only Trevor, he was working as a lone actor and–”

“Ma’am please, I’m not going anywhere so you can take your time. Now, from the top.” Eli relaxed her arms and took a deep breath and tried to suppress the urge to play dead and just ignore the world around her. That wouldn’t solve her problems, she had to fix them.

She relaxed slightly and started from the beginning. As she spoke the man sitting across from her took notes and asked for clarification when needed. The past two months of information and events were laid bare from her and her partner's perspective along with the most awful events in the past days. “I just found out that the eldest son, Trevor, was using his family’s saw and influence to stay out of the eyes of the law and have some of the ranch hands assault Max in the road, at his home and ultimately kidnap his best friend’s children. Max went to go confront him while Noah, Chelsea and Jeff went to go confront the family at their home. That was until we found out he was acting alone. At least in regards to the kids, it's not a big stretch to assume that he was the sole driving force behind everything.”

The canid sitting across from her continued to write before putting down a final note and regarding the serpent woman across from her. “Would you like to know what I think?” Eli nodded causing the man to sigh and lean back in his chair, his casual clothes bunching around his midsection as he slumped just as her phone rang again.

“Oh just one more moment? I’ll be fast I promise.” Pulling the phone to her head Noah’s voice rang out loud enough for her to pull it from the side of her head to avoid the volume.

“Eli! get to Saint John’s hospital now! Max isn’t looking too good and you’re the only person I can trust to help him.” He was frantic and the engine blaring in the background almost drowned out his voice whilst he gave the harrowing news.

Color drained from her scales as she processed what he was saying. He was hurt, enough to have his best friend in near hysterics. Barely audible whispers of, ‘cmon, wake up!’ seeped into the warm air around her as took a moment to breathe and attempt to collect herself. “I’ll be there!” She hung up and turned to the black and white canine still slumped in his chair. “I'm sorry but I need to go, Max needs me.”

Turning away from the long haired canine another man approached her from the main entrance, he was short and had thick glasses that no doubt fogged up in the cold but helped his smaller eyes see. He was a mole with a distinct ‘press’ ID adorned on his chest and had a nasally voice when he spoke. “Ah miss Elianora I assume you’re the one i'm to meet?I’m Jack and apologies for being late but it’s so difficult to see at night and with all this snow. Oh who’s your friend? I thought you’d be alo-OMF!”

Eli tackled the man with the speed of a viper just as several gunshots rang out in the confined space before diving behind the bar countertop with the stout moleman in tow whilst thanking every deity she knew that she had kept her heated clothes on. Allowing her to keep at least the speed she needed to escape the initial volley. The distinct sound of bass hitting the polished concrete indicated that the man on the other end of the bar was reloading and that it was a revolver. “Sorry to do this miss but we can’t be having your little tale slipping through the cracks. Nothing personal.”

Eli’s needle-like teeth flashed in anger as this had been the second time she had been shot at by one of Trevor’s goons. This time she wasn’t going to play the scared and helpless woman anymore thanks to what Max had been teaching her. Drawing her pistol from her stomach holster she shot five rounds in an incredibly tight grouping through the thinnest part of the bar where she remembered the man had been. “You really want to do this for that fuckin’ asshole?” A thought hit Eli just as the words left her mouth, ‘I’m even starting to sound like him. Oh dad is gonna hate that.’

The man stumbled and braced himself against a rustic table as other patrons scrambled to leave with him firing a few shots from his snub nosed revolver without hitting a single person. “Mother fucker! You’re gonna pay for that you bitch!”

Eli braced herself and prepared for a fight whilst her mind was wracked with concern for the mole next to her and her lover being transported to the nearest clinic. That was until her attention was pulled to the man next to her tapping on her shoulder and to be met with a cold look and a glimmering handgun named after a snake species, a python. “There’s clearly a story here so we can talk after the dust settles. I can handle him ma’am, go help my friend.” A look flashed in his beady eyes that she had seen from Max and Noah before. She had since learned to not get in their way when they got that look because they were going to do something incredibly reckless and stupid. Shame it usually worked out for them in the short term.

He was fast, faster than a man of his size should be as he threw a bottle over the bar to draw the collie’s attention before popping up barely above the edge of the bar and fired off just two rounds. The shockwaves that monster produced rattled her teeth and shook her from the surprise of a journalist packing heat she moved. She moved faster than she thought possible, the interior passing in a flash before the door flew open and the cold air biting at her exposed scales. Her car was one of the few still there, the other people already having left of the few still there screaming at police over their phones and getting nowhere.

Her legs carried her to her car, motions memorized through years as she needed to get far from here as more gunshots flashed in the windows before she sped off on the salt strewn streets. She just hoped leaving Jack to fend for himself wouldn’t be a mistake or she was too late to get to the clinic.