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Fur Watching

Nghia watched the four furs sitting around him with interest. He wasn't listening to everything that they said, but he was paying just enough attention to get the gist of the conversation. He studied the subtle, telling movements on each furry face as they spoke, analyzing them for signals.

Hale was speaking amiably enough with Snow, but there was just a small hint of reservation. He was seated directly across from the wolf-hybrid, with his lupine mate sitting on his right. The wolfess was leaning on her mate's shoulder, smiling over at their new acquaintance as he recounted his past experiences at the café.

"Atlas is really the one who runs the café at nighttime. The owner, Mr. Gorens, oh, he's a badger, he never had the place open at nights before Atlas started working here. But, she showed him that people were willing to come in after nightfall for some relaxation and artistry. She plays piano too, and when she showed Goren how well she could play and told people that the café was going to have music nights, he was really impressed. He can't stay here during the night hours, so Atlas is the manager whenever we have the place open," Snow told them, gesturing over to the ferret at the counter.

Nghia watched Snow's expression and gestures, taking particular note at how he looked at each person in turn. His eyes were shining as he spoke, and he held his paws out to the group as he gesticulated enthusiastically. Everyone was listening raptly to the hybrid as he spoke, nodding as he passed on each new piece of information.

"Okay, and so do you just come here as a musician at nights, and then work at the restaurant other nights?" Khor asked

Snow nodded affirmatively at the fennec. "That's right. I have to work both jobs, and also give piano lessons some days, so that I can pay for my housing, classes, everything."

Nghia nodded along with all the others at this. He leaned back, a look of restful nonchalance covering his face as his eyes peered out at the hybrid.

"Why do you have to work so much, though? Don't tell me the university doesn't give you a scholarship for your piano playing. You're amazing!" Amy merrily yipped.

"Oh, I do have a scholarship for piano. It's just that I want to save up as much money as I can for afterwards, because being a musician isn't always as...Lucrative as you may think," Snow responded, holding his paws together in front of him, brow furrowed in thought.

The iguana male continued to watch, hanging back from the rest of the group. As they spoke, he closed his eyes, listening intently to everything around him, both within the café and without.

Abruptly, Nghia stood up from the table. The others turned to look at them, and he took a moment to regard each of them silently, before speaking. "I have to step outside for a moment. There's something I forgot," he dismissed himself.

"Oh, okay. Well we'll be here when you get back," Hale told his roommate, nodding at him. The others waved as the iguana left, though he did not return the gesture. He stepped out of the café, swinging open the door and exiting out into the cool, damp night air with a twinkle from the bell.

Hey. Get up.

She kept backing up, putting one paw behind the other. Her eyes were glancing back and forth, searching for a way out of the dank dark alley. Her fingers brushed over the walls, feeling for any sort of purchase in the old red bricks, but the recent rains had slickened the grooves.

In despair, she looked back to her front, watching the jaguar stalk towards her, his body hunched over, ready to pounce. His prey continued to retreat, letting out a terrified cry as she backed up into the end of the alley. She turned her head around for just one second, to see if there was any other way out of the room, and that was when he made his move.

With a powerful flex of his muscles, the jaguar burst forward at an uncanny speed, colliding with the female falcon and knocking her into the wall. She screamed just once, before the male swept his arm around her neck and tightened, squeezing the air out of her. She thrashed and squirmed in the feline's grasp, kicking at him as he forced her down into the ground.

Lowly, with dreadful malevolence, the male snarled as he twisted the bird's feathery arm, crushing it down into the ground. She tried to scream, but the air was being drawn out of her lungs, silencing her. Her vision began to blur, and she felt herself blacking out as the male kept her pinned, growling maliciously in her ears, even beginning to chuckle.

The jaguar never saw it coming.

He had stepped up so lightly behind the struggling pair, his movements ghostlike as he padded towards the other male. He reached forward and gripped the felines scruff, seizing the attacker's shoulders and hefting him off of the falcon girl. He tossed him into a wall, grunting lightly with the effort.

The jaguar snarled evilly as he was thrown off the female. He spun in midair so he hit the wall with his back first, then sprung back, as though he had only hit a trampoline. He swung swiftly and viciously with his fists, his approach feral and raging. The other male swept his arms out in front of him, turning the attack upwards as he ducked down. In an instant, his fists lunged out, delivering a twin strike to the jaguar's midsection.

Reeling from the blow, the feline snarled at his adversary. He spun away, then ducked down low and sent his leg out in a heavy kick that swept over the ground. The other male dashed forward in a sudden burst of speed, leaping over the kick and replying in kind. His foot connected with the feline's head, knocking him down onto the ground.

With a furious hiss, the cat held his paw to his head, blood dripping from the blow. He glowered at his attacker, struggling to his feet. The attacker was slightly dizzy from the head blow, and so he leaned back against the wall for support. His enemy slowly walked forward, his arms tense as he readied himself.

Slowly, the jaguar put his paw over his side, as though he were recovering from the hit to his ribs. He then dipped his face, and a devilish grin came over his creatures. In a blitz-like move, he withdrew a small knife from around his belt, thrusting at the other males neck, laughing horribly.

His adversary saw the rapid strike coming toward him, and at the last second, his body turned. He spun so his body ran along the length of the cat's outstretched arm, and then used the force of his movement to bring his own fist down like a hammer. His other paw gripped his enemy's wrist, turning it with powerful strength, making his grasp on the knife slacken. He reached out and took it, then completed another rotation.

The jaguar howled in agony, but his painful scream carried on for only a second before the other male drove his own knife into his shoulder. He bellowed in agony, turning towards the other male as he tried to strike him. His wild movement came to no avail, however, for his adversary only wrapped his arm around his shoulder, rotating a final time as he drove his head into the wall.

With that, the fight was over. The jaguar crumpled to the ground in a bruised, bleeding heap. The falcon looked over from her position on the ground, still wheezing from the jaguar's attack. Her eyes were wide open, glittering in amazement and awed and terrified gratitude. She opened her mouth and closed it, trying to speak but to stunned to get anything out.

Her rescuer walked forward lightly, brushing the dust from the bricks off his shoulders, before looking down at the falcon with a restive look.

"Hey. Getup," Nghia said.

On My Own Two Feet

The falcon's brow furrowed at her savior's words. She cocked her head to the side, then struggled to rise, still wheezing from the attack. Nghia did nothing to aid her as he continue to stare down at her, a quizzical look over his face.

"He didn't bang you up to bad. Come on," Nghia said dismissively, going down on his knees. Instead of helping the falcon up, he reached for the jaguar and wrenched the knife from his shoulder, laying his enemy combatant on the ground and depositing the knife onto his chest.

The falcon rested her shoulders against the wall and was gradually able to lift herself up into a standing position. She continued to lean against the bricks, her eyes still slightly dizzy. She looked at the male reptile, noting his simple attire of blue jeans and black t-shirt.

"See, you got to your feet. You're fine," Nghia said with a neutral expression. He waved a hand at her, then began to whistle lightly.

The falcon seethed beneath her steel colored feathers. She had on a red hoodie and black pants, but her face was uncovered. There were black and tan feathers there on her face as well, and her beak was a dark black. "What's...Wrong with you?" she asked between breaths, looking over at the iguana with a look of startled confusion in her jade-colored eyes.

"What's wrong with me? Nothing. Probably," he shrugged. "I'm not the one who got mugged."

The avian panted, then straightened her back. Her knees wobbled a little, but she kept her ground. "W-why did you...?How...?Who was...?" she asked, her mind reeling with so many questions.

"Because I get bored on the weekends. And he was a mugger," Nghia answered, brushing his hands along his pants to get the brick dust and flecks of blood of.

"But...What now...?" she asked, her face puzzled.

Nghia looked over at her and shrugged. "Well do you want my honest answer?" he then asked, looking over at her with a sudden intensity in his eyes, a glimmer of total understanding and perception.

"About why this guy attacked me? Yes, of course! W-why?" she asked, stepping towards him, wobbling a little.

"Well, given that-" the reptile began.

"What the hell happened here?" came Atlas' outraged and befuddled cry from further down the alleyway.

The unconscious jaguar dreamed of almonds. A dozen almonds. A dozen fresh, wild almonds.

That's Not What This Room Is For

Nghia turned towards the ferret with vague indifference. She had a small, matte black handgun in her paw, which she kept angled down towards the ground. When she saw the iguana and falcon standing over the unconscious jaguar, she raised the pistol and aimed at them, holding up he paw firmly.

"Don't move, either of you! What happened?" the ferret demanded, slowly stepping forward, keeping the firearm raised.

"M-ma'am, please, put the gun down. This man saved me!" the falcon stammered, pointing at Nghia. The iguana only shrugged.

"Saved you? From who, the jaguar?" Atlas asked, her ears flat on her head. She stopped a few feet away from the pair, looking at each one in turn with a probing look.

"Yes. This guy, whoever he was, he...He attacked me here in the alleyway, and if this iguana hadn't stopped him, I'd be..." the falcon explained shivering in the cool, dark alleyway. Again, Nghia only shrugged.

Atlas looked again from one person to the next, searching for an answer perhaps in their eyes or body movement. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by her sibling further down the alleyway.

"Atlas? What's going on? Who are these people?" Missy asked frantically, walking out of the building towards the group.

Atlas raised her paw, balled up into a fist, over her shoulder. "Stop right there, Arty, don't come any closer," she told him, keeping the pistol's sights trained on the iguana and falcon.

Artemis stopped, a look of confusion and uncertainty playing across his features. "Atlas, I...What's going on?" he asked, looking from one person to the other.

Atlas sighed and slowly lowered the pistol. She shook her head and said to the iguana male, "Pick that cat up, get him inside. Use this back door." She then opened up a metal door in the alleyway which opened up into the back of the café.

Nghia bent down to grab the jaguar. His arms snaked under the shoulders of the other male as he dragged him inside. Quickly following him came the falcon, and finally, the ferret male in his little skirt and blouse.

Atlas flipped a switch, and a soft ceiling light illuminated the small room the group was standing in. They found themselves in the kitchen, with a pair of small ovens set against the wall. Atlas gestured to a clear spot on the ground, saying, "Put him there, and take his shirt off."

Nghia shrugged once more, depositing the unconscious feline on the floor. As he reached for the male's shirt to slide it off, Atlas called for the falcon, leading her out of the kitchen and into one of the two storage rooms. She kept the door open, and briefly poked her head out to talk to her brother.

"Arty, get on your phone and call the police," she briefly said.

"Okay, but...What the hell happened? Who is this guy?" he asked, gesturing to the jaguar.

As Nghia slid the shirt off the feline, revealing a finely toned torso underneath his midnight black fur, it was easy to see that blood was seeping out of the wound. Without any hesitation, the iguana took the jaguar's shirt and ripped it carefully, wrapping it around his shoulders, tying it tightly over the wound to stop the blood flow.

"I don't know, Artemis. Just...Call the police, they'll sort it out," she said dismissively, turning back towards the falcon.

"I...I don't...I have no idea what's going on right now, I'm so confused..." the falcon murmured, beginning to sit down on the floor while massaging her temples.

"Hey, don't sit there, hon. I think we have a chair in here somewhere," she said, tugging on a small chain hanging from the ceiling light. The storage room was lined with shelves, each stacked with herbs, spices, sacks of food, and sliced bread. Atlas found the chair she was looking for and offered it to the falcon. Shakily, she accepted, rubbing her arms as she tried to relax in the seat.

"Thank you for this...Do you...Know that iguana that saved?" she asked with wide eyes.

"No, I don't. I haven't seen him here very often, and he doesn't work here," Atlas replied, leaning back against an exposed area of wall.

Nghia carefully finished binding the impromptu tourniquet with the jaguar's shirt. He then leaned him up against the counter. The iguana looked over the male, from the middle of his chiseled torso up to his face, then shook his head.

"Why do I always get into these messes with mammals?" he muttered to himself.

The Memory May Trouble You

"My name is Roberta," the falcon told Atlas. She rubbed her forearms as she gently shivered in the cold of the kitchen pantry.

"Atlas, the manager of this café during nights," the ferret told her, massaging her neck as she leaned against the wall.

Roberta looked around the room as though she was expecting someone to leap off one of the high shelves. Atlas reached out and rested a paw on her shoulder, smiling assuredly at her. "Nobody can hurt you while you're in here, okay? My brother is calling for the police right now, and then that guy won't be able to hurt you again, alright?"

Roberta nodded, looking up at the ferret with glimmering eyes. "But...How will you be able to prove anything to the police? That jaguar could say that the iguana attacked him," she whispered in a fearful tone.

"It's alright, Roberta. You don't have to worry about that either. When I convinced my boss to open this place up for nights, he told me that I had to put up a camera on that alleyway. This isn't exactly the best part of town, especially after sundown," Atlas told her, pulling her paw back from the other female. "It'll be okay."

"A-a camera? W-where?" Roberta asked, feeling her body warm up after her time out in the alleyway.

"The camera overlooks the alleyway just in case anyone got, you know, mugged," Atlas told her. "Just relax for now, okay? I'm going to go check on my brother, why don't you come and sit down in the café, alright? I'll get you a hot drink to calm you down."

*** *** ***

Artemis took the phone up from its cradle beside the café counter and rapidly dialed the number for the police. His heart was racing as he heard the dial tone in his ears, and he felt his own breath coming rapidly from his mouth.

"New Astrium City Police Department, do you have something to report?" came the voice of the female operator on the other side of the line.

"Yes, I, um...There was a mugging here at the Sharding Café on 11th Street," Missy stammered.

"Please stay on the line, can you tell me who was involved?" the operator asked calmly.

"There was a female falcon, and she was attacked by a male jaguar. One of the customers here, a reptile, like a chameleon or something, he intervened during the mugging and well, um...Kind of knocked out the jaguar. We have everyone here in the café, please send someone soon!" Artemis answered.

"A pair of officers will be there as soon as possible, please remain calm," the operator replied.

"Arty, did you just call them?" Atlas asked as she came out of the kitchen.

"Alright, we'll keep everyone here," Artemis told the woman over the phone. He then hung up, and turned over towards his sister. He then immediately wrapped his arms around his sister, whimpering as he rested his muzzle against hers. "What the heck is going on?" he whispered into his sister's ears.

Atlas held her brother close, kissing his cheek once as she shook her head. "I don't know, Arty, but it's going to be okay, alright? Don't freak out, the cops are on their way and the mugger is unconscious," Atlas replied.

Artemis nodded and detached himself from his sister, looking over his shoulder at Snow. The white furred hybrid came over towards them, noticing the looks of confusion on the ferret's face.

"Hey, what's going on? Were you on the phone with the police, Missy?" Snow asked, his ears flat in worry.

"Yes, we were...Look, Missy, you take over the counter for me, Snow, you come back here and stay with the iguana, okay? I'll explain later," Artemis told him.

Missy and Snow did as they were told, the ferret leaning over onto the counter as he held his head in his paws, and the hybrid stepping back into the kitchen, a look of confusion on his face. Atlas then called through the door for Roberta and walked her over to a table, offering her a seat.

"It'll be okay, alright? Just relax," Atlas told her.

The falcon nodded, looking out the window at the night sky and silently thanking god that she was safe and unharmed. And then she cried gently.