IC:
Meeka quickly climbed aboard Marshal, not wanting to attract to much attention from Blood the giant slinkie.
"Meeka shall help friend woof if Meeka you need, though Meeka not big rat rat Meeka have sharp teeth, nash nash." He declared this by baring his teeth and clacking them together loudly.
Meeka's ears suddenly perked up,
"Meeka scare man-thing by foamie-ing all over and looking like craziething then he run run far far away and never bother again. Or Meeka just bitie him, make him all sore and bumpie."
Meeka was working himself up into a frenzy bouncing up and down and chittering, his sickly yellow teeth showing and his whiskers going in every direction.

Marshall was a bit nervous with Meeka on his back, behaving like that, but he had to agree that Meeka would be helpful. He put on a goofy grin to Blood. "Heh, I've been living in the city almost all my life, and I was a pet for a few years. I guess you should be in charge of this operation. Right, let's move out!"

Marvin knew it was pointless to run without a vehicle. He couldn't outrun them. They would be after him soon. His best bet was to use everything he possibly could, as quickly as possible. Now was the time for traps.

White took on a regular expression, her fangs no longer visible. Both she and Rhymane stopped circling each other. "Rhymane. You have said some very bold things. I must come even to you. I have been using your crime as an excuse for personal reasons."

Rhymane looked up at her. "What?"

"Striker's mother died when he was young. I raised him in her stead. He was like my own son! Ever since the accident, I have dreamed of this day, where I could bring justice to the forest! But really, my motivation isn't justice - it's revenge. You inspire in me the most terrible feelings. Even now, as I look at you, I want to taste your blood! Hear you scream!"

Gem was very moved by the scene, and began to step forward, but a sentry wolf stepped in her path, shaking his head. Gem looked up at White, fear evident. "Lady White, please...I don't have any right to tell you what to do, but please...don't do it!"

White let out a bitter laugh. "The little one speaks." She sighed, and ordered Rhymane, "follow me."

White stepped down from the throne, and Rhymane followed. He said nothing.

White continued to speak. "I have lived for far too long, and spent too much time in the city. Humans...they are amazing creatures. There are no laws of the forest that demand retribution. Any judgement that needs to be dealt out, will be dealt out, in the next phase of existence. By taking the laws of creation into my own hands, I too will bring punishment upon my own head. Striker wouldn't have wanted you to die for your passion. He was level-headed, a trait that I...have been lacking of late."

As they approached the group, they could see that White's features had softened. "Rhymane, I owe you an apology. I owe all of you an apology. I am not the loving Administrator I was, so long ago. I am old, and will soon pass from this Earth. When I finally realized an important truth, I could think of nothing but myself. I will not be selfish now, not when lives are at stake."

White looked to the Alpha Wolf, and nodded. He and his pack left the area. White began to walk towards the city. "Come with me, to the city. Fenix is in danger, and I will help you in your quest. Explain to me all the details you have as we go."

IC:
Amber followed the Admin White, still feeling a strong sense of loyalty toward Rhymane, she now atleast knew what had happened now and felt much better for it, she half expected herself to slink away from Rhymane but she still trusted him...it WAS an accident after all...

"You know, if you're offering, I'd be glad to take the responsibillity!" leerd Blood as he, Marshall and Meeka set off through the park gates. "Your priorities in this operation of yours are sadly misplaced and misunderstood. I'd be happy to sort things out for you...you know, clean up a few loose ends?" He leered up at Meeka, a gleam in his eye, his fangs clearly visable.

============================================================

As the others turned and set off after White, Rhymane stood, rooted to the spot, staring after her. His mind was spinning. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what!

His gaze dropped to the floor. He felt numb, cold.

He had not expected to leave the forest alive...

Slowly he turned and looked back at the Ice Throne, now looking bleak and empty with nobody around. Forgiven...?

"Fenix..." he sighed quietly. "When she finds out...that's when I'll be punished..."

He closed his eyes as a lonely tear trickled down his cheek. The wind whistled through the trees, making a rustling noise in the branches, and the rain, now somewhat calmer than before, dropped to the ground with a soft pattering noise.

Slowly he turned and set off in the tracks of the others, head and tail down, his usually fast-paced trot changed to a slow, dejected crawl...

Blood's tone caused Marshall unease, and caused more than unease for Meeka. "Um, no, sorry, I was thinking out loud there...my mistake." Trying to put humor in his voice, he said, "besides, if you were in charge, you'd want to eat me again!"

Marvin faced the approaching animals, claws and bow ready. He was walking backwards, careful of his footing.

Marshall turned his gaze to the human. "Well, um, there he is, so shall I charge him and let you get him while he's distracted, or vice versa?"

It was no use! Fenix couldn't figure out how to open the cage. It was some sort of complicated electric lock. Her teeth couldn't even dent the steel. She looked around the room, trying to find something, anything, that could help, all the while her children growing more frantic. With a few gentle words, she calmed them, a plan forming in her mind. "If Slayer came here for me and my kids, and if the others are doing everything they can to find me, then I can't give up! Not now!"

Footsteps from out in the hall reached Fenix's ears. With a quick word, the kits became silent, and Fenix then dashed beneath the machine. The door creaked open, and Fenix could see the man's boots and trailing lab coat enter. She watched as the lab worker marched over to the cage. She heard her children squeak with fear, and run to the far side of their cage, away from the door. The man spoke. "Ahh, my little pretties. How are you doing, hmm? Getting hungry?" The man opened the cage door, and pulled out the food and water dishes. In a moment, he began to refill them with the buckets he brought with him. "There, there, I won't hurt you. We can't have you getting hurt, oh no. That would be bad. You're such beautiful creatures, you deserve to be treated with respect. But I understand if you can't tell the difference between me and those other humans. I know you have good reason to be scared of them. But not me...oh no, not me at all."

The human seemed to like to babble as he refilled the dishes. Fenix saw an opening for her plan, and just hoped it would work! Both the door and the cage were still open, the human not done filling up the dishes. Fenix lunged out from the machine, her jaws snapping around the man's right ankle! He let out a surprised yell of pain, as he fell! Fenix clamped down and pulled, ripping a chunk out his his foot, making it almost impossible for him to walk. The buckets landed hard on the floor, and spilled their contents all over. "Children, follow me! We're getting out of here!"

The little fox army of two dozen dashed into the hall.

~*Forest*~

Stormcloud followed behind Admin White, feeling a bit dazed. It felt strange to know that the Rhymane she had encountered -nice, caring, friendly- had done such a thing. It seemed impossible. But whenever she chanced a look at the dejected looking fox behind her, she knew it was the truth. Storm dropped back behind Ruby, who was trying to get a hold of herself, and began walking next to Rhy. The fox lifted his head just enough to see who it was, before dropping it again.

"Listen Rhy, I..." She began.

"Don't. Don't even try Storm," Rhymane mumbled, sighing.

Storm stiffened, "Well, fine. I'll just let you know that the city animals are in danger. You know that, right? Good. Then why are you so pitiful looking?"

Rhy glared, "Don't you know what just happened? I-"

"Yes. Yes I do. I perceive you are forgiven, at least for the moment." Her eyes searched his face, and her stance softened just a tad. "You know, acting like that under these circumstances tells me that you feel sorry for yourself and Fenix. That's quite alright. But do me a favor, hmm? Mope later. We haven't the time for that."

Rhymane looked away, sighing yet again. He mumbled something else, but the Stray walking at his side didn't catch it. Stormcloud nudged his shoulder with her head, getting his attention once again.

"Rhymane, if it means anything, I don't care about what you did in the past. That's all said and done. All we have now is the present, where we can take action. The past means nothing to me. What I did yesterday is something I can't change, no matter how much I'd like to." She paused, waiting until she saw Rhy nod. "And you know what...you can't change what you did either."

With a half smile, the fox next to her nodded again. "Yeah...I know."

With a glance toward Ruby, Stormcloud smiled and turned back to Rhymane. "You know, Rhy...if you'd look in front of you, you'd see a very special friend who'd do almost anything for you. A friend who forgave you without question...."

Rhy's ears perked up, and he looked to the cat with a questioning gaze, but she had already bounded up to Lady White, and had begun to tell her what she knew. He heeded the Stray's advice, and found himself staring at Ruby. She had stopped crying and was staring blankly ahead, but the faintest trace of relief was evident in her eyes.

White obviously knew the shortest way back to the city. In a few minutes, they would reach the edge of the forest, and from there, not long to reach the outskirts of the city.

Gem couldn't help but notice the distortion in the storm. Wherever White walked, a 'hole' in the storm followed. No rain fell on her, or any of the others with her, while the storm raged all around.

But this observation was second in Gem's mind, for she had been watching for a specific plant. Spotting a small batch of them, a green stem with thin blue flowers, at the base of a nearby tree, she moved over to them. With a quick motion, she swiped one of them stems in her mouth, and then walked next to Rhymane. Using careful motions, she broke the plant, and as a pastey-white goo began to leak out, she dabbed the end of her tail in the goo. Using her tail like a paintbrush, she began to spread the goo on Rhymane's injuries.

To Rhymane, it was like a warm breath, no stinging or pain. In fact, in terms of his body, he was feeling much better.

White, after hearing all Stormcloud knew of the situation, commented, "I see. To fight against humans will be like fighting against an ocean wave, or against the light of the sun. This will not be easy, by any means."

A chirping noise, much different from any bird, came from the forest near them. "The wolf...not the white one...the wolf...leave him there..."

White stopped and bared her fangs. "If you are to make demands of us, show yourself! You need not hide if you wish to talk."

A tarantula, covered with thick red hair, stepped out from behind a tree. His eight eyes focused on Wraith, and then one eye went to look at one animal. It was truly a disturbing sight, the spider's eyes all in different directions, as he opened his mouth and exposed his long fangs. "Leave the wolf with me, and go on about your business, and none of you will be hurt."

Wraith growled and stepped up next to White. "Yeah? Aren't you worried about getting hurt yourself?"

The tarantula's front legs and fangs twisted into a horrible smile. "My name is Eric the Red, and I am backed by the most powerful group of humans in this region. If you do not heed my request, your safety is forfeit."

Eric's many eyes were gathering a lot of information, and he was processing it.

Persian cat: former house pet; weak and inexperienced; naive and slow; apparently medic. Danger rating: E

White Wolf: forest animal...and city(?); physicals maximum(!); (warning!) Force of Nature detected; emotional/mental state...unreadable(!). Danger rating: S

Stormcloud whispered to White, "this is dangerous, and we need you for the mission. We need Gem to play doctor if this goes badly. I think maybe we should take care of this while Gem stays out of harm's way and you go into the city, maybe with one or two others. What do you think?"

White glanced at the group. "Not a bad plan. With that injured paw, Ruby is at risk. Rhymane also might not be able to fight well at this moment." Facing the spider again, White said, "we do not desire to fight you, but if you will not desist from your course, we don't have much choice."

Eric had already planned a strategy. "Very well then. A demonstration of power, to convince you to change your minds."

Lifting one leg, a bolt of lightning shot out of it - at Gem!

IC:
Amber pulled Gem out of the way of the lightning bolt while the others jumped a side. The tabby cat's eyes narrowed focusing on the spider.
"Your not normal." She hissed, glaring at him, watching all his limbs with caution.
"Even with your threats we can not abandon one of our companions to you. Whatever you are." The tabby stated measuriung up the spider yet not spider before her...

Rhymane blinked in supprise at the sudden flurry of action around him. Despite Storm's words, he still couldn't shake his feelings, and he hadn't really been paying much attention to events nearby.

Other people forgiving him was all well and good, but the problem was he couldn't forgive himself...

But the flash of electricity caught his attention. He stared at the spider in shock. Just what WAS that thing???

============================================================

Blood hissed in irritation at Marshall's question. "Do I have to teach you common sence too?" he growled. "My strength is in sneak attacks! You're the one that is best in frontal assault! Keep him destracted while I get myself into striking position!"

Plus it will considerably lower the danger for me, to have him concentrating on you. he thought as an afterthought, his leer returning to his face...

Marvin was watching them. He knew they were coming, and was ready.

Marshall nodded. "Right, of course."

Marshall charged forward, putting his full effort into this first attack! The human was fast! Marvin pulled to the side, and claws slashed claws, bouncing off of each other. Marvin fired another arrow, and it speared itself right into Marshall's back left leg!

Marshall squinted in pain, but turned and lunged at the attack again! Marshall was obviously stronger, but Marvin was faster. The clang of claws and fangs and claws became a constant as they played a cat and mouse game with each other.

Eric the Red laughed. White was not amused. A sudden gale of icy wind rose up around White, and swarmed forward, rushing over Eric! The tarantula wasn't fazed in the least! White growled, "what did the humans do to you?!"

Eric still had that horrible grin (OOCC: Seriously, try to imagine a large spider deliberately smiling. Gives me the jeebies!). "Allying with humans has certain advantages. I was almost killed once, but they rebuilt me, much better than before! Because I am helping them in their mission, they help me with mine."

Amber had the right idea, being suspicious of all the legs. She guessed that each one could do something different!

Eric turned, and began walking into the distance. "I have warned you. The next time we meet, you will regret not having heeded my demands."

And, quick as lightning, Eric vanished into the forest!

Still shaken from her close call, Gem shuddered. Turning to Amber, she said weakly, "thank you."

Meeka had been clinging to Marshal for dear life when he attacked Marvin, finding it hard to stay on with him leaping everywhere, finally Meeka managed to jump onto the human, scuttling round to bite at his hand with his sharp teeth...

Marvin cried out in pain as Meeka's teeth dug in deep, the same hand that Blood had bitten earlier! He flung his hand around, dislodging the rat's grip and sending him flying through the air! It was a long enough destraction though...

Marshall lunged again, throwing all his weight into the attack. Marvin was thrown backwards, landing on the tarmac with a THUD and knocking all the wind out of him. Quickly he struggled to stand up again...

But found he couldn't move! In horror he looked down at his body, only to see a large, long, green form coiled tightly around him, steadily closing tighter and tighter as it's muscles contracted!

Blood brought his head close to the man's face, staring him in the eyes with his evil grin. "You're mine now!" he muttered slyly, as Marvin began to gasp for breath...

============================================================

His emotional turmoil forgotten for the moment, Rhymane moved over to Gem, looking over her for signs of injury. "You alright?" He asked, his voice concerned.

Gem nodded, and Rhy turned to look into the forest where the creature had gone. He shook his head for a moment. "Should we follow it...?" he muttered, looking at the others, a perplexed expression on his face...

"I should think not!" Ruby exlaimed, eyes wide, ears pinned against her head. "Look at what...what that thing almost did to Gem!"

The others glanced at the spot where Gem had been moments before, seeing a scorched spot on the earth. Storm padded up to sniff the spot, curling her upper lip in disgust and uneasiness. The Stray then cautiously walked up to the area where Eric had been standing and sniffed. Suddenly the she-cat recoiled, as if having been struck a blow.

"What is it Storm?" Rhy asked, slightly concerned at his friend's reaction.

Stormcloud shooked her head, the fur beginning to lie flat on her shoulders as she calmed herself. "The scent...it's disgusting, that's what it is. That spider positively reeks of humans and other such smells that are quite disturbing."

Ruby swiveled an ear toward the Stray as she spoke, then went and sniffed just as Storm had. Her reaction was almost the same, though she pulled back a little more slowly. Nodding, she said, "Stormcloud is right. It stinks."

"What...what are we going to do?" Gem asked timidly, ears back. "I don't think following him would be such a good idea....."

Wraith snorted, "Maybe not for you...but I have other ideas."

Stormcloud raised an eyebrow. "Are your really foolish enough, Wraith, to follow that thing?"

"He wants me, doesn't he? I can show him a thing or two!"

Rhy frowned, "Yeah, he does, but that isn't the wisest thing to do, considering the fact that he isn't your normal spider....what kind of spider can shoot lightning from its legs?"

"So?" Wraith asked, challenging the fox. "If he works for the humans, he's bound to be just as stupid as they are."

"Don't jump to conclusions, Wraith," Rhymane retorted.

"He's right," Ruby said, walking up beside her friend. "He could be more dangerous than you give him credit for."

IC:
Meeka shrieked as he was sent flying crashing against a wall. Everything went blurry and started spinning when he hit the ground, the small rodent closed his eyes, gasping in pain from an injury to the head, he smelt his own blood.
"Meeka no likie man-thing, man-thing hurt poor Meeka." He managed to mutter, before he blacked out. Blood dripping down from a wound to the back of his head...

"Meeka!" Marshall cried out as the rat was tossed.

Moments later, Blood had grappled Marvin, so Marshall went to check on Meeka. Finding him unconscious, Marshall slipped him beneath some cover, to protect him from the rain, and then turned back to see if Blood needed any help.

Marvin gasped as he fumbled for his belt. It was hard to move anything, but he put everything he had left into it, and reached the device he had been searching for. A button-press later, and Blood noticed something very unusual happening: Marvin's suit was inflating! The force behind it was incredible! Marvin smiled as the pressure of his suit pressed Blood away, relieving his pain. Tapping another device on his belt, the manhole Marshall happened to be standing over exploded! Marshall landed poorly nearby, stunned.

In Blood's anger at this turn of events, he snapped at Marvin, and bit into the suit! The inflation exploded like a balloon, and Blood and Marvin were knocked back! Marvin had been expecting this, and rolled to his feet easily. He rapidly loaded his bow again, took aim, and fired at Blood!

White began to walk. "You can do what you like. My course, and the course of Rhymane and those who want to help him or Fenix, is to the city. Make your choice."

The group was near the edge of the forest now, and it wouldn't be long before they arrived. Then, all they would have to do is find one of those trucks, which might still be out, collecting animals...

The snake let out an aganised screech as the arrow bit into his scales. Fortunately it had caught a glancing blow, piercing just a small bit of skin half way along his body, and missiong his vital organs. It still stuck out the other side of his body though, and it hurt like mad!

Grimmly Blood grabbed the shaft of the arrow in his teeth, wrenching it out with a powerful yank. He allowed the pain to take over his mind as a red mist decended over his vision.

That's it...you're dead!!!

Clang! Clash! Clang!

The sounds of teeth and metal hitting each other filled the street. Marvin was moving almost as fast as Blood, and was doing a good job of holding him off while his other hand reached for another button on his belt. Another net launched from the nearby alley, catching Blood in its grip! Marvin smiled triumphantly. "You fought well, but today neither of us will win! I'll catch you later!"

Marvin ran to the alley, and pulled out a small motorcycle. Revving it up, he zoomed off. "Phew! That was close! I can't fight them like this, and I need to resupply and get backup before trying for that squirrel again." Sadly, poor Marvin didn't realize that his motorcycle had been sabotaged by William's squirrels, and soon he would find himself out of fuel.

Marshall helped Blood get the net off him. "I reckon your sense of smell is just as good as mine, and you could follow his trail. I'll get Meeka to Central Park, and I think you should come back and get some medical attention, too."

Amber looked back where the spider had gone, what were the humans doing now? They were dabbling in dangerous things, to animals and humans, especially animals, the immediate abandonment of pets had to be their doing right now, but why?
There were too many things to think about, Amber decided to just follow, do what she could, and work it all out later...

Meeka's eyes flckered open then closed in pain.
"Meeka no likie this, no likie at all at all..." he muttered struggling to move. The world swam and his vision was blurred, but his hearing was fine, he heard the motorbike disappearing and heard the voices of his companions.
"Big woof stil there?" He squeaked, trying to crawl out from his shelter, disorientated he stumbled and fell over, too tired to get back up again.
"Big woof no leave Meeka, friend of Meeka is big woof, no let giant slinkie eat Meeka..." He stamered, trying after a few moments to rise again...

"Medical attention my tail!" spat Blood angrily. "That Human is going to pay for this!!!" He set off down the road angrily, but a sudden wave of nausea hit him, stopping him in his tracks.

He hissed angrily. "He was moving too fast anyway." he muttered, trying to hide his discomfort from Marshall and pretend he'd turned round for other reasons.

At this point the duo heard Meeka's cries. Marshall ran over to the rat quickly. "Oh thank goodness you're ok!"

Meeka started mumbling something quietly, obviously in a lot of pain, as Marshall carefully lifted him up with his nose and placed him on his back. He then turned to Blood, who was staring at him silently, obviously unimpressed by his actions.

"Mighty hunter..." the snake muttered sarcastically, shaking his head.

Marshall ignored the comment. "Come on, let's get back to the park."

============================================================

Rhymane started walking again, following White as she left the clearing. Whatever that spider thing was, it had gone, and there were more important things to worry about.

White was walking a little way ahead, and slowly he increased his pace, pulling alongside her.

He glanced across at her large form. "White...I...I didn't know...about..."

Her eyes flicked across at him, once again burning into him like diamonds, and his voice went quiet. Bad idea...he shouldn't have tried...

Fenix had no idea where she was going, as she led her children through the halls. She evaded the occasional human, but otherwise there was no incident. Then, she noticed something. A slight breeze of fresh air! She lifted her nose, and located the source. Turning down a long corridor, she saw two guards at the end, and beyond them a ramp up. She couldn't make out any details, but that ramp had to be the exit to this place!

The guards were bored. Not much happened to them. They were there mostly as a formality, it seemed, but they were payed, and they did occasionally have an exciting moment or two, like an accident they could help out with, or a runaway animal. As Fenix spied them, one was nodding off, and the other yawned and stretched. She ran over a quick plan with her kids, and then gave the word! "Charge!"

The guards turned to see a mass of little furry animals rushing at them! Before they could pull out any weapons, or sound any alarm, it was too late! The 23 cubs jumped on top of and knocked over one of the guards, nipping and clawing! Fenix rushed the other one, knocking him hard into the wall! Fenix signaled to her kids, and they jumped off the guard they attacked. He was in bad shape, but his uniform protected him from a lot of it. He was mostly in shock.

That done, Fenix and her children moved toward the ramp. Inches away now...Fenix could now see more and more of the room above. It was the inside of some small building, a back room of some sort. The scents of other animals were stronger here, and she recognized the distinctly 'pet' scent. But, just before they could reach the ramp and climb up and out, a siren blared! "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! No I.D. badge detected! Intruder alert!"

At that exact moment, a wall fell down in front of the ramp, and another wall behind them! As her children began panicking, Fenix heard some sort of gas filling the room! Vents in the floor had opened, and the room was being flooded with a faint pink mist. Fenix began to bash desparately against the wall that had fallen. As she rammed it, she heard her children grow silent, and became very, very tired herself...

The scents all around her were so very familiar, yet so foreign. White commented, "ah, yes. The sights and smells of the human city. I find I do not miss them all that much, yet it does have a certain charm, once you get used to it."

Yet, as they walked, White was engaged in a mental battle with herself.

"...kill him..."

"OBEY!!!"

"...Lady White?" Gem's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? Your eyes, they started to look a bit...red."

White bit her lip. "It, uh...it's the city air. Making my eyes water. We'd better hurry, there's no telling how much time we have before it's too late."

White picked up the pace a little. The streets hadn't changed much, and White was on a straight course to Central Park.

One of those trucks sat at a street corner. The driver and his partner both gave each other odd glances, as Eric the Red hooked himself up to their radio. The driver spoke through. "HQ, this is Kitty Patrol, I need to speak with the Boss."

The technician on the other end replied, "the Boss is preparing for other things right now. What's the situation?"

"Uh, well, Boss's pet spider-" Eric shot him a glare, "-er, I mean, tarantula, wants to use the radio to talk to him."

The technician reacted instantly. "I'll get the Boss right away! Please hold."

"Can he really talk to the spi-I mean tarantula?"

Eric was getting ready to bite the stupid driver, for his incompetence.

"Yes, yes he can. He can, he has, and he will again."

Marvin sighed as he investigated the damage. "Squirrel bite and claw marks...all's fair, I guess."

The fuel tank had been leaking for the time it was in the alley, and they had damaged the circuits, so the gauge lied, too. He was close enough that he could make it back to HQ before those animals caught up to him, but they might be able to follow him there, and that was a big no-no. Not having a radio of his own, Marvin had to find the nearest Animal Catcher Patrol Unit to get a ride, and be able to talk to HQ. He sighed, and began walking, hoping he would find one of them soon.

OOC: I've had a lot of RL stuff to do, so I'll add some more when I have time. This is just a notice.

EDIT OOC: Okay, I have a little time now, and here's something to move it forward.

IC:

While Eric the Red was communicating with the Boss, the driver's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, this is Marvin."

"Agent Marvin? Aren't you supposed to be working in Central Park?"

"Yeah, I was. I had to fight several animals, and I had to retreat. We're all going to lick our wounds and fight again later. But right now, my bike's been sabotaged by those Central Park squirrels, and I need a ride to HQ."

"Right, where are you?"

"North Side, at the pay phone near Grisby's joint. Can you pick me up?"

"Yeah, you lucked out. We were watching for a particular cat, but in this rain it doesn't seem likely we'll have much success, so we were going to head back anyway. We'll meet you soon."

The driver hung up, and prepped the truck to move. Eric the Red disconnected from the radio, and the voice of Dr. Mobius came through. "Kitty Patrol, you will take Eric to an area near Central Park, and drop him off there. Then you are to return to HQ. All units are being called back now, and we are moving into the next phase of the plan."

"Roger that, sir."

White's group came within view of Central Park. As they approached, a truck drove by the park. Gem's eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "that's one of those trucks that attacked us before!"

White's eyes darted to the side of the truck, and she read the writing as it passed by the Park. White let out a laugh. "Well, I'll be!"

Stormcloud gave her a puzzled look. "What's so funny?"

White continued walking forward. "I'll explain when we reach the Park. Marshall should hear it, too."

Marshall, Blood, Meeka, and Mossbelly were huddled under one of the biggest trees in the Park, doing what they could for first aid. A distinct presence fell upon them, and Marshall stood up, facing east. The others with him looked, and they all saw White and the others approaching. "Administrator White, you came!"

White walked right up to Marshall, and they stared in each other's eyes for a moment. Then, Marshall bowed his head in submission. White smiled. "You still know your place. Good. Yes, I came. For Fenix's sake. There was a truck that passed by the park just a moment ago, and I read what was written on it."

"And...?"

White laughed. "Remember back when there was a pet store on the North side? 'The Happy Little Pet Stop'? That store went out of business when the Mall opened. The Mall had three pet stores in it, and they were much nicer than that old place on the North side. Not long after they went out of business, the Mall was abandoned for several reasons, one of them being a mysterious infestation of rabid and diseased animals. I never realized the connection until now, but that pet store's logo and name was on that truck! The humans who attacked you must be operating from there, and must be responsible for many incidents since then. Now that you know what the writing was...I am no longer needed."

During this, Gem had noticed the battered condition of Meeka, Marshall, and Blood, and she gathered some herbs from a nearby flower bed. She was preparing medicine and poultices for them.

Marshall looked up at White. "Does this mean you won't stay to help?"

"...I'll stay, but only long enough to make sure about Fenix and her children, one way or the other. Either way, we all seem to be tired and beat-up, one way or another, and we should take some time to rest and formulate a plan."

"Okay so what are we doing?" asked Rhy immeadeately. He seemed egar to start, looking round at the others impatiently. "Marshall, does anyone know the location of this pet shop place?"

"Didn't Wheat say Slayer and the others had found something?" asked Storm thoughtfully.

A sharp hiss interrupted Marshall's reply as Gem tried to tend Blood's wound. "Don't you dare touch me!" hissed the snake angrily, baring his teeth at her.

Whatever Gem was feeling on the inside, she certainly didn't show it on the outside! "You obviously need medical attention!" she retorted. "Now sit still and shut up!"

White let out a little laugh. "Just like your mother..." she muttered, shaking her head in amusement.

Blood didn't look happy, but he seemed a little shocked into silence that someone had actually stood up to him! He coiled himeslf up tight, ignoring Gem while she completed her work...

Marshall looked thoughtful for a moment. "White and I know where it is." He thought briefly of William and Jack, the other Admins in the park, but William refused to leave the trees, and Jack was injured. "I'm sure there are plenty of animals who know where it is."

Gem took a moment from her work to state, "I was near there, once."

Rhymane turned a confused look at her. "I thought you'd never left that human family's house?"

"Except for vet visits." She shuddered briefly. "The Vet's office was across the street from that place. The only reason I knew what it was was because Ky- my human family talked about it, when we were there. I think I could find my way."

Marshall had a smile on his face, as he looked at Gem. "That trip to the forest must have done you good, Gem. I guess I shouldn't have worried so much. Your mother would be proud."

Gem had a sheepish expression on her face. "Thanks, Marshall."

Marshall looked over at Stormcloud. "It is true that Slayer's gang had narrowed the search down to the Northern section of town. I'm sure that many of them could show you the way, and they wouldn't be particularly difficult to find right now."

"Why not?" Storm asked. "Don't they usually hide?"

"I had Wheat spread out the gang, to keep an eye out on a lot of streets that we know The Don and Zenobia will probably use. It should be just a matter of looking in any alley on the way and asking. Admin White, do you have any suggestions?"

White winced a little at the mention of 'Admin'. "Please don't call me that. And yes, I have one: either you or I should stay here. That way, the Park would be safer and it wouldn't be difficult for Rhymane and those following him to get to the target. In one way, Gem doesn't have to go, as Fenix is also a healer, but if any of the captive animals are injured, she may come in handy. But we will be competing with humans and their technology. Getting through doors may be tricky, and alternate routes will be dangerous. We could fight them directly, but unless someone here knows how to pick locks and open doors, we would be better served if we let them open the doors and sneak in."

While everyone absorbed the new information, Marshall turned to Rhymane. "Say, Rhymane," he said, gesturing to Ruby, "I'm pretty sure she wasn't with you when you left. Who's your friend?"

Rhy blinked in supprise. It hadn't even occured to him that Marshall and Ruby had never met.

"Sorry, yeah you're right. Marshall, this is Ruby, a friend of mine fron the forest. We met her on the way. Ruby, meet Marshall, the Admin in charge of the park." He stepped backwards, allowing the two to greet each other...

Ruby smiled, "Pleased to meet you...Admin Marshall."

Marshall returned the smile, though his was more forced, "Nice to meet you too, Ruby. Though the cirumstances aren't granting much....."

The vixen nodded and sighed, her smile fading. She picked her head up in time to hear some quiet purring, and she spotted Stormcloud touching noses with another she-cat. Mossbelly had spotted her mother at the same time Storm had spotted her, and of course, given all that had happened since they had last seen each other, Mossbelly was relieved to see her mum alright. Storm was just as glad that Mossbelly hadn't been attacked.

OOC: This is sort of an announcement. I think my schedule has finally become stable, and I will be able to check every Tuesday and Thursday for a couple of hours. If I'm able to get on at all on any other day, it will be for a very short time.

What I'm saying is, sorry for the delay and absence, and don't expect me until Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Also, as for right now, I have been up for hours above and beyond my normal time, (blame fate, classes, homework, extra curricular activites, and Tales of Symphonia, or yourself ;p ), and so for right now I have no IC, but I will edit at the next opportunity, probably Thursday. By then I should be able to keep my eyes open without squinting, and make a coherent post.

OOC:

OMG! I seriously apologise for my massive absence x_X
Had retakes from hell but all is good now!

I still want to be part of this! There will be a lot for me to read and I am trying to set up broadband at my new accommodation. Could try to read the posts while I am at a college... or even print them all out for me to read when I go 'home' as it were.

I sincerely apologise once again and hope all can bare with me...

(OOC: Way's RP of course, so his word goes, but as far as I'm concerned it's all cool Ben^^ Wraith is still in the story...we were kinda hoping you'd return lol. Hope we played him in character

Welcome back^^)

OOC: Why, it's Bentleee! I was actually starting to consider a way to get Wraith out of the RP, but now that you've said something, I guess I don't need to make any extra effort. Good to see you! You might have noticed I have very little time, so things have been slow lately. Things may or may not pick up, but I think either way, you should be able to catch up.

Oh, and this way maybe I won't have to think about what Zenobia is up to...

IC:

After a short time of resting, catching their bearings, and grabbing a bite to eat in whatever way each individual would to keep up their strength, they met together again. Marshall turned to the group. "Let's review. There are three of us who know the way to the 'Happy Little Pet Shop': myself, White, and Gem. Rhymane has taken it upon himself to go there to help Fenix. This will be dangerous, and it may lead to hostile confontations with humans. We don't know how many more animals like those mutts we fought they may have, nor do we know how well the humans are prepared for us. Judging from the encounter Blood, Meeka, and myself had with one of them, though, these people are very capable of fighting us."

Amber added, "There was also that spider that attacked us." Her ears folded back. "It wasn't natural."

Marshall nodded. "Right. So, this whole situation will be dangerous. Rhymane, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Rhymane swallowed hard, then stood up to his full height. "For Fenix's sake, I will do whatever is necessary."

Marshall looked over the group. "I thought you'd say that. The rest of you, each of you will decide for yourself how far you want to go with this. Your lives will be on the line if you help Rhymane."

Gem stepped up near Rhymane. "I'm sticking with him. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't."

White and Marshall faced each other. "One of us has to stay here. White, I admit that I am itching to get back out there, but it would be a hassle to explain that you're taking over the Park. Would you go with them?"

White had a faint smile, and made a sign of acknowledgment. "Yes."

Marshall turned back to the others, specifically looking at Blood. "We know where they are. You said something about wanting to face up to humans, and the one that attacked us should be there, too. Are you going to go?"

"Is that a trick question?" retorted the anaconda wryly, matching Marshall's gaze with one of his own. He had wanted to get at the Humans before...and now, after the fight with Marvin, he was absolutely fuming! No Human would better him in a fight and live to tell about it!!!

Rhymane was staring at the snake through narrow eyes. "You'd just better keep to your promise." he muttered. "I have my eye on you, snake."

Blood's glare switched to Rhy. "I keep my word." he spat angrily. "Just stay out of my way or I will be the last thing your eyes see!"

Rhy snorted a chuckle. "A promise and a threat in the same sentance...is it any wonder I don't trust you?"

"I promised to defeat the Humans." replied Blood testily, slowly uncoiling his body from it's wrapped position. "I will do anything it takes to complete that, and it you're in my way when that time comes, that's too bad."

"Alright that's enough." snapped Marshal, stepping between the two animals. "You're working together, so let's cut the arguing right now and focus on the task at hand."

Both fox and snake went quiet, but they continued to stare each other down as the others spoke...

(OOC: Nice to see your still interested Ben! ^^)

"I'm not letting Rhymane out of my sight." Ruby's face was set in a determined frown as she went to stand by Rhy. She averted her eyes from his, focusing blankly on Stormcloud and Mossbelly.

Stormcloud, however, took a little longer making up her mind. Stealing a glance at Mossbelly, the older she-cat meowed, "I'm going with Rhy as well." Someone needs to keep him in line.... And with a small smile the cat pressed her muzzle into Moss's fur and bounded over to the others.

Mossbelly looked at her mother longingly. It depressed her slightly to know that Storm was heading into a potentially dangerous situation once again. Sighing, the cream and ginger she-cat turned to Marshall. "Marshall, what will you have me do? Since I have the powers of an Admin only temporarily....well, what do you want me to do?"

Marshall nodded to Mossbelly. "I've been thinking about that. If you're willing, you and I will organize the animals here in the Park. With the abandoned animal camps, we have plenty of hands. It's just a matter of sorting through them, assigning leaders, see who's capable of what, and organizing them up. If we can get them ready then, with Slayer's gang, we should be able to stop The Don or Zenobia from taking over."

Marshall looked back at the others, the ones who hadn't yet had the opportunity to speak, and listened.

OOC: This part is sort of a roll call, and while it would be nice if everyone who hasn't yet put down a decision for their character would reply, I'll move things on soon enough, probably the middle of next week.

OOC: That's great to hear guys! And thanks Way ^^

Yeah, I'm really sorry about all of that.

The bad news is that I got new accommodation but they ahve no net. I'm going to try to move out because the journey to college is way to exhausting (and I land directly in peak hours ALL the time so I am paying 50% extra for public transport) and I need the net for my course anyway.

God this has all been such a headache! >_< Am at my brother's hosue for saturday night posting this.

Well, I won't burden you with my inner gripes, lol. It could be worse.

I'll make an effort to catch up. This is all great to hear! Check you all later

OOC: Right, finally have enough time! We're so close to the end of what I had been planning, that it seems a pity to me to stop here. We shall press on!

To keep things moving, I decided to take all current characters, and split them into two teams. I'll do an IC explanation of that. If anyone has anything they want to change with this situation, let me know. I want this to go well, and I think we can all put out some creative juice to keep it going!

On with the show!

IC:

Marshall looked over the group. "Then it's decided. It's a bit of a problem to have such a large group all going together, so I'll split you up into two groups. The two groups will take different paths, and will meet up at the target. So, the two groups are gonna be..."

Gem, Rhymane, Ruby, Stormcloud, Amber. This was Team One. They were taking the North road from the Park, and would turn East halfway through their path. By this time, the storm had died down, and only a sprinkle of rain was coming down. They knew that they didn't have much time before sunrise, and so there wasn't much time before people began to walk the streets again. They kept at a good clip, and they would probably make it before dawn.

Glancing at her comrades, Gem wondered if she ought to say anything before they got there. She focused on leading them in the right direction, sticking close to the main roads, the only path she knew.

White, Blood, Wraith, Meeka. This group of oddballs was the second team. Their path was East, then North, the same general path the other team would take. If all went well, they would arrive at the same time.

White's senses were alert as she led the group rapidly through streets and alleys. She remembered the paths; not much had changed. With her knowledge of shortcuts, this would not take long at all.

All the while, a cunning red tarantula watched in silence, eyeing his target, Wraith, and waiting for his opporunity as he shadowed them...

Mossbelly couldn't help but notice the heavy limp Marshall had in his back left leg, where Marvin's crossbow bolt had gone. "So that's why you didn't go with them."

Through the pain, he smirked to her. "I knew I couldn't fool you. Gem knew, too, but even her pain medicine isn't enough for this." He sighed. "I'm getting too old for this..."

OOC: If I forgot anyone, lemme know. I try to keep track of it all, but hey, no one's perfect.

"Finally some action at last." muttered Bloot as he slid along after White, looking around at the deserted streets nonchalantly. "You idiots sure can talk!"

Wraith glanced at the snake through narrow eyes. "What do you know?" he muttered. Blood just leered at him with a grin, baring his teeth.

Meeka was none to pleased about being in the same party as Blood, especially with Marshall no longer being there. At the moment he was keeping pace with White, running almost as fast as his little legs could move, glancing back fearfully at the "slinkie" behind him. Blood caught his glances.

"Aw, do I scare you, pipsqueak?"

"Oh just shut up, snake." muttered White without looking round. "We don't have time to play games and your voice is beginning to annoy me."

Blood hissed in agrivation. "Well if we have no time for games why did you puny city animals sit around talking for so long?" he hissed. "You're all the same...weak, contemptable, pun..."

White spun round, baring her teeth and cutting Blood off mid sentance. "I'm not from the city, snake...remember that!" she growled.

Blood just raised an eyebrow, meeting her stare calmly. It was impossible to tell if her words had any emotional affect on him.

White turned round again and set off down the street, the others following...for the moment in silence.

============================================================

Rhy was secretly glad to be away from White. There was something about the wolf's aura that made him uneasy, like somehow for all her words, she still hadn't really forgiven him.

Maybe it was just her manner...she was an unusual creature.

He followed Gem silently, not the happy, friendly self he had been when they first met. His past was still on his mind, and he was deeply worried about Fenix.

Most of all, he was scared how she would react when she finally found out, whenever that would be...

Ruby was walking alongside him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her cast him a sidelong glance. He raised his head, giving her a warm, if weak, smile. "You okay?"

(OOC: Umm...Wraith? Wraith the wolf is a he. Just wanted to remind you. xD Will post sometime tomorrow, hopefully)

(OOC: lol yeah I know SL...I'm afraid I don't get what you mean. The only referance to Wraith in that post was:

Quote:

---

Wraith glanced at the snake through narrow eyes. "What do you know?" he muttered. Blood just leered at him with a grin, baring his teeth.

---

and I put "he " in there lol. I re-read the post as well but I'm afraid I can't see what you mean. Let me know and I'll edit^^)

OOC: Just a guess, but I think that since 'White' and 'Wraith' are so similar, it was a trick of the eyes.

(OOC: Aw, geeze, sorry guys. xD Ha, I'm known for my bad eyesight and I had just skimmed the post you made Wraith. So sorry! Way is right; tricked me eyes it did, lol. I apologize. ^^)

(OOC: lol Ah kk. np^^)

Ruby tried her best to shrug her shoulders, but in doing so reviving some of the bruises she had recieved from the train fiasco. Wincing she replied, "I've been better."

Rhymane sighed and muttered, "You shouldn't have come, you know. You shouldn't have gotten yourself mixed in with this mess Ruby."

The vixen just shook her head and closed her eyes momentarily, "Well, it's too late now, don't you think? Too late now. Besides, everyone needs a friend."

Rhy stared at her for a moment, wondering for all the world what was going on in her head to make her so forgiving. Wondering why she had joined him and his group instead of resting and going home. Ruby hadn't changed much since he had last seen her though; still stubborn and reluctant to take the easy way out.

When Ruby opened her eyes, they were filled with determination when she looked at him with the same forced smile he had given her. Rhy blinked, seeing a familiar emotion in those silver eyes...was it? Yes, the same wistfulness that had been there back at the train station! But just as quickly as it had come it vanished, leaving Rhymane to wonder about that as well.

Ruby brushed her tail across his back in comfort and murmured, "Don't worry Rhy. We'll save Fenix. I promise I'll do as much as I can help you and the others...for her."

Gem looked around the road, then led the group down another street. "I'm starting to think that when it comes to us and humans, none of us should be involved. But we've made up our minds to do this." She half-closed her eyes and stared at the ground for a moment. "Gosh, I've never been more scared..."

Eric the Red spied Wraith and the others from an alley. Their guard was down, and his opporunity would be soon! As he crept forward, something larger than him and furry to boot fell out of a trash can in front of him! Eric recoiled as he identified the creature as a skunk. "Curses! Of all the times for interference!"

The skunk happened to see Eric, and his fur puffed up! "Holy cats, it's the biggest spider I've ever seen!"

The skunk whirled around, lifted his tail, and sprayed the tarantula! Eric's senses ablaze, he turned and ran! "Aiieee!"

It would take some time for Eric to recover, and even if he did, the odor would make stealthy manuevers impossible. Deciding to take another route to return to base, Eric scurried off into the night...

...Both Teams would soon reach their destination...

OOC: This would be the last opportunity for any event to happen within the seperate teams. Next Tuesday I plan on having the teams meet up, and the infiltration begin!

(OOC: Just a crazy idea I had here...hope it's ok)

IC:

Andrew Davidson was yawning. He knew he shouldn't have accepted the graveyard shift. He'd been at it for two months now and still found it hard getting up going to work at night.

At least tonight he was getting to go home early. The guy who had taken over from him was over-excitable, and had arrived a good two hours early! Andrew certainly wasn't complaining!

He was a security guard at the local superstore. It did pay good money...that was one bonus. Also the store was in walking distance from his home.

He rubbed his eyes as he turned the corner of the road that his house was on. He felt he could sleep for a week! He opened his eyes again wearily...

...and blinked in amazement! Stood there in front of him ws a collection of animals...a rat, what appeared to be some kind of blue-furred wolf, a full blown white wolf, and one of the biggest snakes he had ever seen!!!

Man, this shift was playing with his mind more than he thought! The animals were stood looking at him, as though he had startled them...

(OOC: Andrew's an NPC character, and nothing in particular is planned...I'd just be curious to see how the "unusual" cfharacters would react to this situation lol)

============================================================

"Thanks Ruby." Rhy sighed. The vixen continued her smile.

"What are friends for?"

Rhy nodded slowly. Friends. After all that had happened, someone in the forest was still able to consider him a friend! He had to blink slightly to see where he was going. He wanted to say something...to tell her how much it ment to him, but he couldn't find the words.

"I'm starting to think that when it comes to us and humans, none of us should be involved. But we've made up our minds to do this....Gosh, I've never been more scared..."

"Speaking of friends..." Rhy muttered, casting a knowing glance at Ruby, then he increased his pace and caught up to Gem. "Hey..." he grinned, "...don't be afraid...you got all of us backing you up remember?" He gave her a reassuring nudge on her shoulder with his muzzle. "So long as we stick together we'll be fine."

Stormcloud purred in agreement, "Rhy is right, Gem. It's alright to be scared when dealing with humans...they're pretty unpredictable as it is. But just remember you're not doing this alone."

The alley cat also gave Gem a reasuring nudge, making the younger cat smile gratefully. "Thanks guys..."

Ruby gave a small smile as she watched the whole thing. It made her feel better as well about the situation they had gotten themselves into. Sure she was a little scared, but she was happy to have Rhy right there to help.

"..now, let's get cracking you all." Storm gave them all a little grin, causing Ruby to giggle ever so quietly.

IC:
Amber smiled at the touching scene, but kept apart from the others, it wasn't her area of expertise, she'd stand up for them but friendship...well, she didn't have much experience with it.
"Friends." She mused, testing out the word in her mind. She didn't know what to make of it, it sounded...alright, but in a way alien to her way of life.
Once again she felt the numbing loss in her as she rememberred-she pushed it back. "Just concentrate on the mission."...

Gem stopped, and looked up. "We made it."

The 'Happy Little Pet Shop' loomed above them. It was a small, one-story building. The front door was made of old wood, and from this side was the only way in. It seemed no one was there, as the window was dark.

(OOCC: If anyone wanted to do anything with this scene, feel free. I'm moving by it only to get to my part)

White turned away from the human, and kept marching on. "He's no threat."

Wraith grunted agreement. Meeka kept pace with White again. Blood hesitated, looking at him a moment longer. White called back to him, "He's not the human you're looking for. Now come on, we're almost there."

With almost a sigh of discontentment, Blood followed.

Rhymane and White exchanged glances, then both looked away from each other. Now that the two teams were back together, White ordered, "fan out, explore the surroundings. Look for other possible entrances. We need to assess our options and make the best decision."

While the building was small, there was no telling what secrets it might hide. "There's a small window in the back. The glass is thin, and looks easily breakable." Storm called from the back of the building.

White tested the door. "It is sturdy, but I believe I can break it down."

Rhymane found a pile of boxes on the side of the building, and climbed up them to the roof. "Up here, there's part of the ventilation system!"

The animals gathered at the pile of boxes. White commented, "the easiest way in, then. Nothing to break, and it might get us to where we need to go."

Ruby said, "maybe we should send a scout, to make sure it's safe."

White nodded. "Good call. Meeka, that's your job. Go for it."

White helped Meeka get to the roof, and then Rhymane helped Meeka get into the vent. While he was exploring, Gem asked, "This is such a small building, and no one's here. Is this really where the humans have been taking the animals they've captured?"

Wraith nodded. "Yes. There's been a lot of human activity here. The scent of those trucks is here, as well."

"But where do they put all of them?"

Blood finished circling the building. "A basement. I can feel vibrations beneath us."

Meeka returned with his report. Since Meeka's voice was so tiny, Rhymane took the message and relayed it to the others. "The vent does go inside the building. There are shelves and stuff set up, so it's easy to get from the vent to the floor."

White nodded. "Then it seems to be the best choice. Let's go."

Rhymane was the first inside. He moved out of the way for the others, and took a look around. The layout was what one would except, though the shelves and counters were all empty, the walls bare. It had gone out of business, so the conditions made sense. Ruby landed next to him. "...It's kinds scary, you know? To think about all the animals that had been caged here..."

"Yeah."

Rhymane and Ruby headed for the back room. The door was open, so it wasn't hard to get in. At first, they didn't see anything but bare walls. But, hidden in the floor was a handle! The two foxes tugged at it, but they couldn't get a good grip. They headed back to the main room to report, and most of the others had already gotten inside. Storm was looking up at the vent. "You're scared of heights? Gem! C'mon!"

Gem's voice came from the vent. "I...I can't! I'm too scared!"

Blood hissed behind Gem, and with a yowl, she jumped! Bouncing from shelf to box, Gem made it to the floor safely. Storm nudged her reassuringly. "See! I knew you could do it!"

Gem rapidly pulled back away from where Blood was coming down. "Y-yeah..."

White looked to Rhymane and Ruby. "You've had time to look around; what news?"

They all gathered in the large back room. "A handle. The door in the floor is heavy. We couldn't budge it."

White gestured to Blood. "We can handle this."

White lifted the handle up, and Blood was able to slide his tail in it, and curl it around the handle. Together, White and Blood pulled it up! Amber looked surprised. "You make it look easy!"

Neither White nor Blood chose to say anything.

The door revealed a long ramp that went down. The design changed from a normal building to some kind of hospital-like structure. Wraith's fur shot up when he saw it; it reminded him heavily of those accursed labs...it wasn't the same place, of course, but the memories were still brought back.

Gem sniffed at the ground. "Oh my gosh..."

The entire groups' senses' were filled with different scents, most of them animal. Some new, some old. Human scents were there as well. Very faint scents of machines were there, apparent to the more sensitive of them.

While they didn't see him at first, there was a human at the bottom of the ramp! He was wearing a mechanic's suit, and was fiddling with a control panel on the wall. He was muttering to himself. "Stupid scientists...don't know how to keep their security in good shape. Does what it's supposed to do, stops some escaping vixen and her kits, then it breaks because they didn't clean it! Stupid..."

Rhymane's heart skipped a beat as he took another whiff if the air. His nose confirmed it; Fenix had been here, not long ago at all!

White had a small smile on her face. "We lucked out. Their security is down, so we can get it with no problem." Gesturing to the human, she said, "Blood, you can practice on him. The rest of you, follow me."

The mechanic was oblivious to the animals passing right by him. As White and the others reached the first 4-way intersection, the heard a muffled scream behind them. Gem shuddered. It gave her unpleasant feelings to think about it, so she focused on the path ahead. "Which way do we go?"

Rhymane said, "we're here for Fenix, right? We can follow her scent."

White was acting a bit strangely. "Left is a storage area for human supplies. Right will lead to the animal storage areas. Straight will take us to the laboratories."

She started going straight. Gem rushed up and stopped her. "Hold on! How do you know all that?"

White didn't meet her accusing stare. "...my senses are far better than yours..."

"That's a lie! How do you know this place?! How do you - what's your connection to these humans!?"

White paused before replying. "...if you follow me, you'll find out soon enough."

And she walked right past Gem, and continued on. Amber commented, "they've got a lot of animals captive here, right? If we go to the right, we can free them! Fenix should be there, too!"

Rhymane paid attention to his nose. "...no, she's straight ahead, somewhere..."

White had left them at the intersection, to choose their own path. Rhymane had come for Fenix, and so his path was set; he headed straight, catching up to White. Ruby and Gem didn't hesitate to follow him. The others took a few more seconds to think about it, but most followed White as well.

Dr. Mobius completed the finishing touches to the controls. The massive machine in this room was now, at long last, ready. He looked over the console at Fenix, who was in a closed compartment. "Are you ready, my dear?"

Of course, anything Fenix may have been wanting to say, she couldn't. With an odd smile, he wrung his hands in anticipation. With one rapid motion, he pressed the big red button and pulled the lever!

Throughout the facility, the power surged in and out for several seconds, the lights flickering, until they finally gave out. The red emergency lights came on.

White didn't even flinch at the change in the environment. She did whisper to herself, though, "I thought so..."

Amber was feeling tense her yes snapped around the room, torn between following the others and going to free the other animals.
"Safety in numbers..." With a sigh she followed the others, but she promised to herself that she would return, never again would she abandon them...never again...

Blood was dearly wishing he could swallow the mechanic then and there, but there were other things to be done first. A large meal would immobilise him, and he didn't want to miss out on the action. He could always return later...

"Well isn't this exciting." he drawled a little sarcasticly as he followed White and the others down the darkened corridor.

Rhy was looking around uneasily, but his eyes, though extra sensitive to light, were having real trouble in this atmosphere. Foxes are unable to see the red end of the color spectrum, and the red light of the corridor just looked like almost total blackness to him! Fortunately he had his nose to guide him, and he kept alongside White as she strode along, feeling her presence and using it to guide him. Even so, he hoped the corridor wouldn't turn sharply anywhere, as he'd probably end up walking straight into the wall!

His nose was picking up a cacofony of different scents, animal and human, and also many medical smells, chemicals and machinery. This place was creepy!

He gritted his teeth, ignoring everything. Focus on the mission...

It took several minutes of traveling down corridors before the power started to come back on. The restored lighting made traveling quite a bit easier, and they increased their pace a little.

A human man in a lab coat came walking towards them, from the other way. He stopped, and the animals also stopped, sizing him up.

Abruptly, White said, tilting her head up to leave her neck vulnerable, "Rhymane, I want you to tear out my throat."

Rhymane was floored. "What?! But..."

White was deadly serious. "It isn't a request; it's an order. I can't do it myself. Now, hurry up."

Rhy hesitated again, but the tone of voice she had given him convinced him to go through with it. To make it easier for them both, he moved quickly. His teeth wrapped around the flesh of her neck, and he clamped down and pulled! Gem and Ruby gasped; they couldn't believe he actually did it! What was surprising was that there was no blood! Rhymane spat out a clump of fur. The fur he had ripped off had been concealing a metal plate and speaker! Through it, White spoke in human speech! "There we go. Dr. Mobius, how are you doing these days?"

The man bowed. "In good health, as you seem to be. I thought you weren't planning on coming back, so it comes as a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

White laughed bitterly. "A surprise to us both, then. I'm here on account of Rhymane here," she gestured to the fox, "he wanted to rescue a captured vixen by the name of Fenix."

Dr. Mobius' face lit up. "Fenix? Well, your timing is good! She's feeling better now, and is up and about. I'm sure she would be glad to have visitors! Come, follow me."

He turned and walked down the hall, and White immediately began to follow.

Confused looks were passed from most of the animals behind White, but the tone of the situation kept them quiet. Dr. Mobius knocked on the door at the end of the hall. "It's me. I've brought guests."

A lovely woman's voice answered, "really? Bring them in!"

The door slid open, and Dr. Mobius led the animals inside. This was a nice room, with soft, luxurious furnishings. Sitting on a soft chair was a humanoid, but definitely not a human! She had characteristics of both human and animal! While she was wearing a darling white dress, her body was covered in fur. She was some sort of mix between a human and a vixen! She had a surprised expression on her face as she looked at all the animals, but she smiled pleasantly as she recognized several faces. In human speech, she said, "Gem...Mossbelly's mother, Stormcloud...Ruby...even White is here! Oh, Rhymane! It's so good to see you!"

Rhymane stepped out in front, disbelief on his face. "...Fenix???"

The vixen/human's smile broadened, and a gleam of water appeared in her eyes. "Yes, it's me."

Dr. Mobius was reading the reactions of the animals, and he was aware of what they were 'saying', even though they weren't speaking in human speech. "Gentlebeasts and ladies, allow me to present - the first Mobian!"

OOC: That's it! That's everything I had planned. From here, anything can happen!

Ruby had to keep herself from darting up and perching on Fenix's shoulder to examine her more closely...really, it took all her resolve not to bark out questions. She could feel Rhymane shaking slightly beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Stormcloud with wide blue eyes, taking a step forward and drinking in the Mobian's scent.

The vixen did the same...and was quite surprised when she smelled a scent that was most definitely Fenix, but had a strange twist to it......human? Possibly. Ruby pinned her ears back and frowned. What was the meaning of all this? What was happening?

"What...what happened to you Fenix?" She murmured quietly, wondering if Fenix would understand.

Ruby heard Rhy gulp and take a shaky breath. Almost unconciously Ruby pressed herself against the larger fox, feeling a new rush of confusion, aprehension, and slight fear.

Stormcloud, meanwhile, was just staring. This whole thing was absolutely crazy...Mobian??? What the heck was that?? The she-cat was just as confused as Ruby and every bit as aprehensive about the situation.

"What is all this..?" Storm muttered, casting a glance at White.