OOC: Don't worry I blame Rico for a lot of things. n.n

IC:

It was a pretty decent day out, well if you weren't part of the rodent family. Then you had to deal with being glared at, knocked around and generally looked down upon by the majority of the city populace. Of course George, who was an unusually tall old graying hare, that towered at just under six feet and 5 inches and weighting close to a tone didn't really have to deal with such things. Well most people would be close to insane to mess with the guy whose limbs have been replaced with military grade prosthetic limbs. Then they'd pretty much be mentally deficient in some way or just that foolishly brave if they manage to brush of a rather intimidating red glare of his left optical implant.

Which brings us up to the point where we find out fin long eared friend moving amongst the crowded market place trying to get the days shopping done, Making sure to keep much of his body hidden within his navy blue long goat and his fedora had tilted forward and down to keep his implants hidden from view. So not to draw any more undue attention onto himself, not that it helped much, seeing as how he towered over most of the people around him.

Heaving a light sigh of relieve having just finished dealing with a particularly troublesome Cat and was about to make his way back to his small apartment when shouts and cursing could be heard just down the street and around the corner. It wasn't until a few minutes later that George was able to identify the source of commotion in the image of three teens. Two male, one a fox and the other a dog of some sort, and coming up behind them a female rabbit gaining on them fast with a look of pure anger etched on her face.

'And it was such a nice day out too.' Thought George as he stared at the three as they drew closer. The graying hare seemed to just stand there and think as to what he should due. Should he get involved or just mind his own damn business. It was quite obvious to him that the two young boys had stolen something of hers, what with the purse being in held tightly to the foxes chest as they tried their best to out run the girl. Here George snorted.

Sigh. 'Why not?'

As calmly as he could he maneuvered his groceries to his other arm and quickly lashed out his free hand grabbing hold of the vulpine while simultaneously moving a leg out to trip the bulldog.

"Well what do we have here, hm?" His gravely voice spoke out quietly to his struggling captive and his sprawled out partner. A single glare from his red optical eye stilled the Fox as the grip on the purse slackened.

OOC: Why am I to blame?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Squeak*

Behind the hulking hare a small squirrel stared at the scene in disbelief, his mouth hung open making his oversized teeth all the more visible. A plain red furred squirrel in simple shorts and a light blue shirt he appeared more a bystander than anything. His reaction only furthered that theory.

"What... What are doing!? They'll... They'll arrest you!"

OOC: I feel like blaming somebody. Sue me. j/k XD
--------------------------------------------------------------------

With his partner looking undeniably terrified, the bulldog watched as the stolen purse dropped to the ground. "Heh, heh, your loss, pal," he sneered as he hastened to snatch it up. He wasn't counting on a prepubescent girl's foot stomping down on his free hand, however.

Hearing the audible crack in two of his fingers, the canine howled in pain.

"BOSS!" the fox finally choked out.

"Serves you right, trying to rob an old lady!" the girl snapped. "Don't think you were gonna get away with it. No one messes with Aria Stiles without hell to pay!!"

------------
OOC: I really need to get some sort of train of thought going here...

The young squirrel looked completely awestruck, but didn't speak further.

~Rico

(OOC: This looks interesting. I wasn't in the other two RP's, and I only read the first post of each, but I think I got enough of a background to participate. Now I just have to think of a suitible character and entry post...)

OOC: There's no need to rush. I do have some ideas in mind so far, but I'm holding off for a bit.

OOC: If you have questions ask away. My wiki is dead so there is no written form of this universe aside from my hard drive.

The bulldog growled under his breath, scooting a short distance away on his rear. His good hand slipped inside his vest. "$&%ing little brat..."

Then his eyes fell on the squirrel, and a sly grin crossed his features. As he scrambled to his feet, he barely grabbed onto the surprised youth with his broken hand and yanked him towards himself, brandishing a small firearm. Everyone who saw panicked.

"Someone call an enforcer!"
"He's got a gun!"
"We're all gonna die!"

"ALL RIGHT!" the dog bellowed, keeping a hold on the squirrel's neck with one arm and waving the gun at the crowd. He glared at Aria with a twisted grin. "You wanna play hero, kid, try savin' this little guy here. You think you can take me out before I blow out his brains?!"

A suddenly whistling sound split the air as a large rock came flying from a side street, striking the dog's hand with a bone-shattering impact. The gun fell.

Two rabbits emerged, a brown middle-aged one with an ornamental mantle and tied ears; and another gray rabbit with bleached blond hair that looked to be in his mid teens. It was unclear which had thrown the rock, but the smug look on the younger lepoid's face was a telltale sign. The elder seemed to be some kind of authority, extremely rare for his race yet his clothing was almost on par with a noble's. He narrowed his eyes on the scene speaking coldly at the injured bulldog, "That will be enough of that. District Liason Joseph Droegemeier. You called for an Enforcer, I've dispatched notification. Until then is there some kind of problem here?"

(OOC: So...rodents are being persecuted, right? And creatures like hedgies and weasels and such that aren't ACTUAL rodents are still considered rodents? (Not to say that I WILL use a hedgie char, but...just to get a better idea...) )

The bulldog howled again and crumpled to the ground, cradling his broken hands. The squirrel, now free, yelped and made a run for it.

"Boss!!" The fox ran over to the canine. "Boss, you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm %&$! OKAY?!"

Aria picked up the fallen purse and dusted it off. "Those two thought they could rob an old lady and run," she growled. She glared at the thieves. "How does it feel to have your ass handed to you, huh?!"

"Aria! Watch your language!"
The old hare with the cane finally caught up to her charge. "Seriously, there is no need to speak that way."

"Sorry, Miss, Estella." The girl crossed her arms and turned away.

"I thank you for helping recover what was stolen from me," Estella addressed the other two rabbits. "The girl had good intentions, but she is very rash. We were on our way to meet a friend of mine who had left her with me some time ago when these young men attacked us."

"I woulda beat them by myself!" Aria said loudly. "Lousy *$."

OOC: It depends. I'll liken it to the real world situation. How tan do you have to be to be considered black? How effeminate do you have be to be gay? This universe it's no different. The line seems to drawn when the species has visible incisors, as it's the main mockable trait a lot of rodent species carry. It's supposedly a job of the enforcers to maintain quality of life of the rodent races and keep the level of persecution down. But as you're about to see, even the most liberal of the nobilities stooges has to put a certain slant on things for political reasons. Joseph is one of a handful of prey species selected to be liasons between their community and the nobles. As a rule prey species are the lesser citizens, as it's an extremely rare occurence one has any supernatural abilities. Rabbits seem to be an expection, but are lumped in with the rodents and other prey because, well, because of their teeth. Nobility is basically any predator species. The top of the top would be wolves, however in the last generation foxes have risen to the top with them due entirely to the Underwood family line and their extreme talents. Your royal family is Warden Master Russell Underwood, Lady Diane Underwood, and of course their son's Eckalak Trevor Underwood and Eckalak Rico Underwood.

If I follow the timeline right the rumbles of a third son should be pretty loud in the underground now. A son thats half rodent. Just thought I'd throw that out for ambience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The squirrel boy ran behind the much larger hare and poked his head out silently.

"I'm outta here pops, gotta playdate with Ken, lemme know if you need sumthing." The younger rabbit said tossed a second rock aside, one the squirrel caught very clumsily, and wandering into the same side street they'd emerged from.

The hare looked across to the bulldog and bowed slightly, "I appologize for my ward. His first instinct is to aim for the firearm, as only enforcers are legally permitted to carry them."

He glanced at the girl momentarily with concern, then stiffened his features. "I'm sure you were mistaken miss. The lady must have simply dropped the purse and they had retrieved it." He took in a breath, "With the way you were chasing them they could have suspected you a thief yourself."

Aria suddenly felt someone stuff something into her pocket moments before the hare gave a slight and fleeting smirk, "If nothing else maybe they thought they would be rewarded for their efforts to find the purses owner. Surely you can spare something from one of your pockets. A few silver coins?"

She felt into her pocket, the one she'd felt someone disturb. Coins? Was that it? He was using his own money to buy off the robbers? Why?

"I should hope this problem would resolve itself quickly, before the Enforcers arrive and begin 'taking statements'." A final statement from the hare before a blue vehicle pulled up across the street and men in dark maroon overcoats exited it to the street. The hare looked up quickly and walked over to greet them, the squirrel still stuck to the trailing edge of his mantle.

The bulldog stared blankly sneered, "You heard the nice man. We were only going to give the old bat back the purse that you stole. Unless you have something else in mind..."

At first, Aria could only stare in disbelief. "Wait, you're not going to do anything? Stop screwing around! You're supposed to help us out, you pompous... you pompous bastard!!"
Beside herself with frustration, the girl almost shoved the purse into a surprised Estella, threw money in her pocket to the ground and took off down the street, leaving the elderly hare to call after her and hobble along with her cane once more. Her tears sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.

The bulldog nodded to the fox. "Pick those up. Then we scram."
The fox hastily gathered the money, briefly turning back to his friend. "What about the--"
"Forget about it."
"But, boss, your hands--"
"A small price to pay. At least we ain't leavin' empty-handed after all, thanks to that guy."

Aria didn't know how far or how long she ran, all she knew was that she ran right smack into someone and fell over.

"Oi! Watch where you're goin'!"

Hastily, the girl scrambled to her feet and backed away. "Sorry, I didn't see you at first..." She trailed off, finally noticing just who it is she'd bumped into.

Grumbling under his breath and brushing dirt off his blue shirt and long jean shorts, was a Felinoid boy who looked about her age. Once he sensed that she was staring at him, he froze, his left green eye and right blue eye wide with surprise. "... Aria?"
"... Kenny?" The rabbit took a step back. "... Kenneth Sonata, is that really you?"

And exchange of identities and cards began, information carefully crafted to show the truth in a way that would please society took place. Droegemeier was a master word weaver, for his job he had to be. It was a thankless existence though, the enforcers hated him because he represented those that caused them the most trouble, his own kind hated him because he used his authority to make incidents go away. What neither side understood was that he was helping them both. The enforcers were spared dealing with the result of the unfair treatment of the prey races, and the rodent races themselves were spared the already frustrated wrath of the overworked enforcer units, not to mention the number of riots averted thanks to his apologist tactics. But it was hard as it forced him into a position as a social pariah; hated by society as a whole. The only two that spent any time with him were the young squirrel Samuel who if not for the occasion phrase he would have thought mute, and the precoious Lepoid youth Jonathon Kinnear who had disarmed the leader of the muggers. Both seemed to understand him and his goals, without them life would be a lot harder than it was.

"Your... ward, is gone."

One of the officers stated. He'd been finessing them on autopilot again, thinking of other things to keep from forcing his consciou mind to deal with reality. He stopped and looked behind him, indeed Sam had vanished. But it wasn't unusual, in the short few years he'd been hanging around Joseph had found out little about the boy. He did know he lived at the local shelter and had no parents that he'd admit too, but that was the extend of what the child had told him. The hare shrugged, "I'm sure he went back to the shelter. Are we done here?"

A trenchcoat clad wolf nodded, "Yeah, sounds like you got it sorted. Saves me the paperwork. Take care, Droegemeier."

Joseph nodded, "Thank you for your time, Enforcer."

Both returned to their respective duties uneventfully.

"The one and only. Who else do you know with these eyes?" Kenneth crossed his arms.
Aria snickered. "I see you actually grew a few inches on your vacation, Short Stuff. Had plenty of milk, did you? Or was it that fancy superpower crap you nobles are so proud of?"

The fleeting look of annoyance crossed the boy's face. "Very funny, Stretch. Did you think of that one while trying to file down your teeth?"

"I dare you to say that again." Aria glared at him with clenched teeth.
"Ladies first."

After a moment of silence, the girl relented. "You haven't changed a bit, Kenny."
"Neither have you. What are doing by yourself?"

Aria scoffed. "I'm not not by myself... at least I wasn't, I was with Miss Estella. Anyway, I should be asking you the same thing. I haven't seen you not clinging Ryn like some lost puppy before."

The boy didn't answer right away. He turned his back to her, his left ear twitching. "Eyan went to visit someone, didn't tell me who. I got bored staying in a that stuffy room, so I decided I'd take a walk..." He trailed off, looking around him as though expecting someone to jump out on them any second.

"You said you were with Grandma 'Stella, right? Let's go look for her." He started walking at a brisk pace.
"Yeah, but, what's wrong, Ken?" Aria ran to catch up with him. "I know this isn't the best of places, but--"

"I think someone's following me."

-Sonata Manor, 4:30 pm-

"You've got a lot of nerve, showin' yer face back here, you..."

A disgruntled male gray cat was standing in the doorway to leading to the large hallway behind him, staring down at a slightly shorter white female wearing a black bandana tied around her head, a short-sleeved shirt, jeans and boots of the same color. Two belts crossed each other around her waist.

"Forgot your own sister's name already, Nathaniel? What a pity, if you weren't already thick enough in the skull as it is."
"Why you little--"
"The name's Ryn," the young woman said coolly. "I'm not here to reason with the likes of you. Where's Vincent?"

Nathaniel's hardened glare faded. "What? Whaddaya wanna see the our old man for?"

"It's urgent. Where is he, Nate?" Ryn's violet eyes flashed with anger.

"He's in his study, all right, jeez." Nathaniel backed off. "Hurry up and get outta here before I change my mind."

Ryn walked right by him and glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't make empty threats. You just may end up dead."

Even though she had left it behind such a long time ago, Ryn still knew it well. It never held many happy memories for her, yet, at the very least, it had been at least elegant once. It had deteriorated further since she had last been here; many of the family treasures and trophies were gone or else vandalized. The wallpaper was peeling, and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in decades. Ryn placed her left hand on one of the corridor walls. It was cold to the touch, just like the hearts of the inhabitants who resided here. Maybe even her own heart was no exception...

*tap*

The young woman removed her hand from the wall and looked towards the end of the corridor. Standing at the end was a old tomcat, dark gray in color with amber yellow eyes. His navy business suit was new and sharp as were his shoes, and he carried about him a sort of arrogant pride. His features, however, told a different story, showing age and revealing the sadness hidden within.

"So, what the commoners are saying is true. You have returned."
Ryn scoffed. "Seems like you've finally decided to tune in to the real world, have you, Vincent?"
Vincent took a few steps toward her. "I believe I have you to thank for that. After my wife's murder, you wouldn't stop at anything to prove your former caretaker's innocence."

"I knew she didn't do it, but that's neither here nor there, now is it?" Ryn stared right into his eyes.
"I notice that my son is not with you. This must mean that what this conversation has something to do with him."
Ryn smirked. "You catch on quickly, Vincent. In that case, I'll get right to the point: Kenneth is not a little kid anymore. In all the years of his life, you have not once bothered to spend any time with him, let alone get to know the kid. You've got one more chance, Vincent. Either step up and get to know him or don't bother at all."

The young gray rabbit wandered out of the shadows. He didn't even seen to be following them, walking with his hands in his pockets and a distant, almost forlorn, look etched on his face.

OOC: Just in case my description of Aria was lacking, I've decided to link to a couple of pics. This one's in pencil, and it looks much better than this one in color. I'll just have to color it in Photoshop again when I'm up for it.
I'll have an IC up later. My train of thought just derailed.

IC:

Aria gave the kitten a puzzled look. "Who would be following you around? It's not like you're being targeted by some super-secret radical organization trying to wipe you out of existance."
"I dunno," Kenneth shrugged. "All I know is I kept seeing the same dark figure everywhere I've been since I got back."
"Did you tell your sister?"
"Didn't get a chance to. I told you she went off without me, an' I don't know where she is..." The boy buried his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. "People keep whispering about me behind my back, and stare at me like I'm contagious or something. I don't know what's going on around here anymore."
The rabbit girl scoffed, "A lot more than you think, buddy."

They walked on in silence for another moment or so. Kenneth kept looking over his shoulder, his expression wary. Was he being too paranoid? Maybe there was nothing to worry about after all. The whispering couldn't be anything important, could it? It had to be something trivial, and yet, he felt like he was in the middle of something, like he had a bull's eye on his back...

"Kenny... Ken, look!"
"Huh?" Kenneth snapped back into reality as Aria grabbed him by the arm and yanked him to the side behind a merchant produce stand. She was stopped over, keeping her ears laid with one hand so they didn't poke out over some tomatoes.
"Look, over there. That guy looks suspicious, don't he?" Aria pointed to a cloaked figure walking just ahead of them. "It's a little warm out here for that get up, ain't it?"

Had this been about thirty years ago, Kenneth wouldn't have given them a second thought. Now, something about seeing this figure made his fur stand on end.

"I think... we should go get some help or something..."

"Forget it, Kenny, they ain't gonna help out here, no one is," Aria snapped. "We gotta take this into our own hands. Let's follow 'im.

As soon as the figure was about to disappear into the crowded streets, the rabbit girl was about to get up and follow, but Kenneth grabbed her arm.
"Hey, what's the big idea?"
"We are not doing that," Kenneth said. "We gotta find Estella."
"Oh, alright." Aria looked down the street. The cloaked figure was gone. "You made me miss 'im anyway. Booger."

As she wrenched her arm free from his grip and started to walk away, Kenneth stared ahead at where he had seen the cloaked figure. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen...

"Oi! You coming or what, Kenny?" Aria called out.
"Wait up!" Kenneth shook his head and ran to catch up with the rabbit girl, hoping that he was wrong.

---

Vincent's features hardened. "You dare enter my estate unannounced and make demands of me, Ryn? You should know your place, you little street urchin. Why should I care about what happens him? If he's under your care then he is of no concern to me."

Ryn's eyes narrowed. "So, you're just going to outright abandon him, eh? I knew I was asking too much of you. You gave up on the rest of your children, and Kenneth is no different." She turned about face and started to leave. "You've become a pathetic old man, Vincent Sonata. I'm finished here."

Vincent bit his lower lip. "WAIT!" he finally called after the young woman. "I just want to ask you one thing."
Ryn paused, and turned to the old man. "What is it?"
"I don't understand... why is it that you watch over the boy like that? You always act so..."

"Motherly?" Ryn smirked. "I have my reasons, Vincent. And unlike you or the rest of your sons, I'm not doing it for the money." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Think about how your life would be if you were Kenneth."

Vincent continued to stare blankly at her as she walked down the corridor and disappeared around the corner. For some reason, he wasn't even in the mood to argue anymore...

---

"... so he's bound to be by himself somewhere."

Nathaniel sat in his bedroom with one of his brothers, a light brown tomcat standing in the doorway who looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties.
"That all, Rob?"
"Yeah. So, what do we do?
"Nothing. Yet. You still have Mother's will, right?"
"Of course."
"We're gonna need that. We've got to at least keep that. Remember, the goal is to get her out the way so we can get the kid. And when we get the kid, we get what's rightfully ours. And there ain't a damn thing she, our old man, or anyone can do about it."

He'd made it to the meeting area without being followed, a good sign. The gray rabbit started into a rusted looking doorway before pausing, taking a step back, and looking down the alleyway. "Stop stewing runt." A gruff voice barked out from the side of the building. The youth raised an eyebrow, "That you halfbreed? Old lady got attacked..."

"I saw, and Gentlemen Joe halfassed his help like always. And watch the namecalling... mutt." Came the sarcasm laced interruption.

"He did what needed to be done to keep the peace, Tivu." The youth snorted at the figure still perched in a shadow.

"Whatever, you should've taken his eye out, not given him an widdle booboo on his paw."

"You know Kane doesn't like us doing unnecessary things."

"Trying to hit on little girls is necessary Johnny boy?"

"I... I was worried about the old lady."

"Now I know you're lying." Came the poisonous reply.

"Maybe you missed the part where I sent a noble in to protect her." John fired back with more irritation than sarcasm.

At that point the shape of a killer moved away from the building and started back down the alley. It looked part canine and feline and feral variants of both. He waved the youth off snorting, "I must have, I just saw you strap her to that yowling snot-nosed brat."

John sneered and finished entering the building muttering defeatedly.

"She musta gone this way, Ko'sa 'Stella! Don't worry, we'll find her!" Yelped a scrappy little fox who seemed to be more pulling the old woman along rather than doing much protecting. Shoving patrons and enforcers alike as he charged headlong through a crowded market area.

"Oh, I hope so. Thank you so much, young man. Although, do you mind slowing down a bit? I have a condition." Estella could barely keep a grip on her cane, let alone straighten her glasses. "I know she didn't mean to run off like that, but it really isn't safe around these parts anymore, with all kinds of crime and riots and whatnot. I just don't want her to put herself in danger, she's like a granddaughter to me."

She stopped speaking as they neared a corner, spotting the very child she had been searching for. "Oh, there she is, finally," said the old woman, tapping the fox on the shoulder with two fingers. "Just over there, near the main street." She waved her cane in the air, calling out. "Aria? Aria!"

The girl stopped in her tracks near where the main street intercepted a crowded row of shops, unaware of the kitten nearly bumping into her. As he tried to regain his balance, she tapped him on the shoulder. "I see her, Estella's coming this way."

The boy finally straightened himself and followed her gaze. Sure enough there she was, although...
"Who's that with her?"

The street wasn't as crowded as most, but many of the loitering people were noble races. And even the fox cub knew that could mean trouble for the old lady. His thought processes weren't clear but his youthful voice was. "Ix-sa!" He called out the curse down the street to noone, or everyone, the target wasn't really denoted. "I'm leading the old lady down this street and you nerds aren't going to cause her any problems or you'll have ME, Eckalak Richard Underwood to deal with!" The sheer amount of bravado in his voice was almost heavy he would have had to thump his chest to make himself anymore obvious.

It wasn't entirely clear whether anyone noticed him or not, but a path seemed to clear out nonetheless. In plain sight, Aria was waving a paw as she running towards him, but was calling out to the old woman. "Miss Estella! Over here! You'll never guess who I ran into!!" Following close behind behind her was Kenneth, who kept looking over his shoulder as though expecting a ghost to pop out and scare him.

"Really, there's no need for that language," came Estella scolding voice as they got closer. "Surely your parents wouldn't appreciate-- oh, Aria, where have you been." The old hare swiftly sidestepped the fox and embraced the girl. "I have told you many times not to go running of on your own..."

"Sorry, Miss Estella," Aria said apologetically, pulling herself away after a moment. "I didn't mean to..." She trailed off, noticing the fox. "I suppose you were the one yellin' like an idiot in the middle of the street," she addressed him. "I don't care who you think you are, but don't think for a minute anyone else 'round here's gonna care when you get your ass kicked."

"Aria," Estella scolded, "this lad helped me find you. You should be-- well, isn't this a pleasant surprise."

The old hare's kind blue eyes fell on Kenneth, who was just standing with his hands in his pockets as though hoping he wouldn't be noticed. "Hi, Grandma 'Stella," he said in a small voice.

"Kenneth Sonata, I'd never thought I'd be seeing you again. Come on, come on, there must be so much to talk about. We'll have tea at my house. Come on, Aria and... Richard, you said your name was? Yes, let's go, I insist!" Estella took the surprised kitten by the hand and gently pushed the fox along.

"Eh? But what about the shopping?" Aria asked, puzzled.

"Oh, we'll manage for today, dear. We can go tomorrow. I've already had enough excitement for today."

The fox smirked and trotted along muttering lowly but angrily, "They can kick my butt all they want, but in the end all those noble pricks lose. I have this name and I'll use it so people like the Ko'sa can walk the streets without worrying about being robbed or beat up."

"He's not coming then." A large wolf said quietly, fingers pressed together in a thinking position. He, John, and a myriad of other sat in a rundown apartment, collected around a large table covered in papers ranging from maps to transcripts. John seemed to be youngest there, though not the smallest as even the adult rodents lack the size of a young adult kydane lepoid. "He was more interested in mocking me and doubting Rico." The young rabbit snorted.

"His doubts aren't without merit, Kinnear. The kid IS an Underwood and was raised as a noble." One of the rodoid men said flatly. The rabbit stood up taking an aggressive stance, "You... you're being as bad as THEM."

"Jonathan. Sit down." The wolf's voice raised from the soft spoken tone it had been to a command. The rabbit's stance dropped and he looked at the wolf wide-eyed. "They do have a point. Regardless of his actions up to this point and you friendship with him you cannot be sure of his reaction to who you really are. You would ask him to betray his family?" The rabbit's nose wrinkled, "Of course, he's furious over their treatment of the Droegemeier incident. He'd turn on them without any provocation!" The wolf sighed and stood, raising himself to his full height, dwarfing the young rabbit. The others seemed to shrink down in their chairs, John as well sat back down.

"How did you feel just then, John?" The wolf said, his voice returning to it's original softspoken tone. "Like you were going to kill me." The rabbit said, evading the wolf's icy blue eyes. The wolf nodded, "And I'm not even your father, but a surrogate. You won't stand up to me yet you expect richard to not only stand up to his real father, but sadden his mother and prove his brother to be the better son?" The rabbit looked down in defeat, "So I'm wasting my time?"

"Kid, of course you are." Another voice said from another of the members. The wolf sighed and sat down.

"Kid's shouldn't be forced into finding out things the hard way Ken. Youda thought in all this time youda learned that little lesson, e'la." The nasally voice came from the side opposite the sulking youth. A coyote sat with smirk, wearing what looked like a large hat, something odd for most Kydane as they were a human invention. The canoid had cut holes for his ears, making the hat look almost comical. The man tipped the hat at the depressed bunny, "Ricky's your friend right?"

"Yes Master Bant."

"Then ya reply by asking the old man here if you should give up on your friend. Not droop like a starving flower." The Coyote said widening his smirk.

John looked over at the wolf who sighed, "Master Bant, if I could have a word with you?" The coyote shook his head, "Nah, you know it wouldn't do any good."

"Master Onaskatew? If I could be so bold, can we get back to other matters?" A raccoon stated with a large amount of irritation. The wolf nodded, "Indeed." And the group returned to studying the mass of papers on the table. Only the rabbit noticed the coyote called Bant slipping out the door. It was an easy task to follow him.

Ryn watched with indifference as the gates of Sonata Manor closed behind her. She'd wasted her time coming here, she knew she was asking too much of her own father to spend any sort of time with his own son.
"Heh, he's probably much better off, anyway," she chuckled lightly to herself as she started down the walkway to the motorcycle she'd parked nearby. "I wonder what Kenny's going to think when I tell him the news."

She mounted the bike, fastened the helment on her head, and revved the engine. "Darlena, you must be turnin' in your grave now, knowing how your husband's been treating him."

Without another word, she rode off down the road, hoping that her brother was where she still left him.

--

A tall figure of a canoid wearing a long trench coat walked emotionlessly through the market, ignoring the curious stares around him. He remained silent; he was to carry out his mission and nothing more. He allowed himself a moment to watch as a ball passed by, and several roboid and lepoid children scramble over themselves to catch it. A futile effort. They, along with everyone would realize after this day that it was all futile...

When the children had disappeared into the crowd, he tore off the coat in one swift motion, revealing a massive amount of explosives strapped to his chest and back. Several people gasped. Others panicked. The canine had the detonator raised high above him as he shouted above the chaos.

"FOR ALL YOU FOOLS WHO REFUSE TO LISTEN, WHO STILL REFUSE TO BELIEVE, THE TIME FOR CHANGE DRAWS EVER CLOSER! A NEW WORLD WILL BE BORN FROM THE ASHES OF THIS DESOLATE LAND, AND ONLY THE WORTHY ARE ALLOWED TO LIVE!!"

In the middle of the renewed shouting and cries for help, the button was pressed. A bright light flashed, and all that remained were flames and smoke.

--

Two figures sat perched on a rooftop. One was checking out the steadily rising column of smoke through some kind of scope while the other sat backwards with a holding a long metal pole across its back with its arms.

"You hear that. I love the sound of chaos in the moring," said the figure sitting backwards.
"It's afternoon, moron. It looks like the show's just starting," snapped the scope-wielding figure.

"That's just the opening act. The real show has yet to begin."
"You think they'll finally get it through their thick skulls?"
"Beats me. As long as I get to do what I do best, it's all fine with me."
"You're a twisted bastard."
"I know. For now, let's just sit back and watch what happens."

It echoed throughout the city. Several things happened as the ripple of death charged into the air. Over half the planets population had a strong link to a supernatural energy the Nobles called The Art. This energy was one of the major reasons the populus believed the Warden's "Remembrance". The Warden's would say the number was of people that died due the blast was sufficient that the energy stored in their bodies spilled loose and caused a cascade in the ambient energy, almost as if a massive body of water was dropped into an ocean, huge waves would disperse from the point of impact and affect everything in the sea. The same applied to those with attuned to that energy on the planet.

"Kane... Kane. Kane?" The Raccoon waved her hand in front of the wolf's catatonic face. A tear fell silently as he closed his eyes and lowered his head, "Something's happened, Alex. Take John and scout the downtown area."

The raccon nodded and turned to where John had been, "He's..."

The wolf looked up, "I guess it's taken care of then. But we still need to secure the city. The meeting will have to continue later when we known more about whats happened."

"Suicide bomber, didn't get a chance to see more than it was a dog. Wasn't enough left after too identify. Continue the meeting." The lithe halfbreed that had taunted John earlier spoke frankly sauntering in.

The raccoon looked concerned, "Needless we should check to see if any friends or family were killed!"

"Whatever, Old man, I need to speak with you in private anyway." The oddly marked tiger snorted to the wolf.

"Very well," The wolf muttered quietly, "Marcus, take Alex and find out who the victims were, I'm sure Bant will help you after that tracking down the responsible parties. The rest of you scour the market district, someone will know something."

"Kane. The Market was the target." The tiger said smirking.

"What?! Thats not something to be SMUG about! My son was there!" The raccoon suddenly cried out moved at the tiger. Marcus, an otter, was instantly on her keeping the horrified woman from attacking the smiling felinoid. "Alex, not here, we need to get to the market and find out more," The otter said softly, still holding the enraged woman at bay.

"The same applies." Kane said flatly, "Reave, come with me. The rest, you have your tasks." The group slowly dispersed, each seeming to stop and glare at the tiger, and he seemed to enjoy every nasty glance.

'Stella felt the boy drag, pushing against her hand. A glance was enough to assess his condition, he looked like he was going into shock, his fur was wet to the touch, his eyes dialated. "I... I don feel well," he squeaked out in a small voice.

Meanwhile on the rooftop the two figures weren't alone. However after their exchange of words the third party revealed himself by fatal accident. Perched on a window over hang was Sam, the small red squirrel seemed to be intently listening to the men conversing, slowly creeping closer to hear even better. Suddenly he slipped, the agile rodent caught himself and regained balance but but before uttering a small chitter in fright.

The bike suddenly lurched forward and screeched to a stop on the outskirts of town. Ryn took off the helmet, gasping for air. Her violet eyes spotted the thick, billowing black cloud of smoke steadily rising in the horizon.

What the hell is this world coming to? she thought as she kicked off and rode into the city. There was no time to waste now.

Her helmet remained abandoned by the side of the road.

--

The man perched backwards near the edge perked his head up. "Looks like someone's come out to play, Specs." He stood up to full height, letting the afternoon sun reflect off his spotted golden fur. He looked to be a cheetah with a thin build. Various scars decorated his chest and arms, as though he'd been in all kinds of fights. The metal pole he held was stained with dried blood, as were the bandages on his knuckles, wrists, and right upper arm. A red cloth was tied a little above his left elbow, and he wore baggy looking jeans which were full of holes and tears, as though they had been slashed at over and over again.

"Quit callin' me that. And whatcha tellin' me that for, moron? You're the fighter, you handle it," his companion, a black panther, snapped unmovingly.
"He looks kind of scrawny." The cheetah eyed the squirrel like a kid with a new toy and grinned. "The scrawny ones always take the longest..."
"Quit whining and acting like a retard. Get it over with before I kick your ass. And don't rough 'em up like you did the last one."
"The last one doesn't remember a thing."
"That's because I had to put a bullet through his head. Now get to it."

The cheetah stuck his tongue out at the panther, then turned back to the squirrel with the same childish grin. "I must apologize, but I'm afraid I cannot let you interfere. How about we play instead? I'll let you take the first shot, and then it'll be my turn, okay?"

--

"Oi, Kenny!"

The kitten seemed to come out of a trance as a pair of fingers snapped right in his ear. "Huh?"
"Are you alright, Kenneth?" Estella asked. "You look pale."
"What? I do? Like right now?"

"What are you, deaf?" Aria snapped from beside him. "Foxboy's havin'a fit over here and you just look like you've seen a ghost." She paused a moment to pull the other boy's arm over her shoulder to keep him from slumping.

The stench of smoke, burning wood, and blood hung over them like a thick blanket. It only took one look to the sky to confirm what had happened.
"Grandma 'Stella, how far away is your house?"
"Not too far... Kenneth, what's the matter?"
"We need to get away from here. Now."

Where is he going? What the hell was that blast? Why isn't he moving to help? It was almost certainly some kinda bomb. Why is he still moving parallel to it. The rabbit thought still tailing the canoid. He wanted to go help, but the thought of finally finding out more about the rather enigmatic Myca Bant was too alluring.

The tiny squirrel's mind screamed at him to run, the cement edge of the building under his feet, now his life was in danger. The boy took off like a lightning bolt down the edge of the building tearing away from the cheetah, hitting the end of the building and launching his small body into the air between the two building roofs with no a hint of hesitation or fear. To his pursuers shock the child seemed to have simultaneously judge the wind and jump so the draft between the buildings would help propel his light frame over the street and to the next buildings rooftop. Unfortunately the speed he came in at was far to great for a safe landing and he toppled into a roll and slamming his back bluntly into the side of a brick rooftop entry stairwell. Coming a stop suddenly and in a heap.

He couldn't move, but he'd made it, he just had to make it to the street, to the public eye. But it felt like his brain was liquefied from the impact, even pulling himself to his feet took all his energy. The door handle wouldn't move. Was it locked? No he was just too weak. The squirrel fell against the handle with his dead weight finally producing even force to open the heavy metal door, then fell to the ground in a lump, the door swinging shut and pinching his torso. He felt the cold concrete of the stairs inside the door, forcing his fingers to curl around the edge of the stair and pull himself inside the stairwell, the door swung shut behind him. The small rodent took a moment to rest, the damage the landing had done was bad, and he didn't want to think about it until he'd made it the street, till he was safe. It was a conspiracy, he HAD to tell Joseph, no matter what.

With the childish grin still plastered on his face, the cheetah gave chase, vaulting himself over the gap with the pole and landing on all fours. He could smell the fear, and it made only made his grin wider.

The door was only a few feet away. Picking up the polearm, he dragged it over to the roof entry and thrust it once against the door with brute force. Once, twice, three times, until it finally swung open, slamming against the wall with a crash. If it were possible for his grin to stretch any wider than it already was, then it did.

"Looks like this is the end of the line." There was a clinking sound as part of the polearm fell on the top stair, apparently connected by a steel chain. As the cheetah picked it up, the hint of a blade could be seen at its tip, which looked as though it had been coated with crimson. "I win."

*THUNK*

The small knife had been thrown seemingly from nowhere, and hit its mark right in the felinoid's chest. It didn't seem apparent to him until he looked down and saw the hilt, and then the blood. By then it was too late. The weapon clattered on the stairs, and the last thing he saw was the white feline dressed in black emerge from the shadows, holding a similar one in her right hand.

"Damn... you," he rasped with his last breath as he collapsed in the doorway.

Seeing her handiwork, Ryn sheathed her other knife on her belt, and walked up the remaining steps to retrieve her weapon. "I thought I heard something strange as I was searching this building," she addressed the injured squirrel, wiping the bloody blade on the dead cheetah's pants and replacing in in another sheath on her belt. "You alright, kid?"

He seemed only partially aware of his surroundings still forcing himself to stand, leaning heavily on the stairwells safety railing and slowly walking away from her.

It was obvious this kid was hurt. Had he gotten beaten up by the guy she just took out? Ryn didn't know. Judging by the slowly approaching footsteps coming from the roof, she knew he probably wouldn't make it out if he was found.

"Looks like he wasn't alone," Ryn said grimly. "Don't force yourself to do anything, I'll help you get outta here."

Taking care not to injure the squirrel any further, she lifted him in her arms. "Hold on," she instructed as she carried him the rest of the way downstairs.

Just as the cat and squirrel vanished from sight, the panther's shadow loomed in the doorway. In his hand, he held a two-way radio.

"... yeah, he was taken out. I think I've just seen who was responsible for it...

"I think it was a woman. Felinoid. It looked like she was carryin' someone or something else."

A moment of pause as he listened to some indistinct speech on the other end. The panther nodded. "You'll let 'im know, right? Good. I'm gonna make sure she doesn't get far."

The boy groaned but didn't reply, however his eyes did open. His head lolled to one side, staring off towards the market.

OOC: Whoa...lot of action since I went away for the holiday. Still working on that character...I'm thinking female beaver...and maybe somebody else from the higher class...but we'll see...

EDIT: In fact, I think I have something now...

IC:

She was probably leaving a trail of blood from where the timbers of the market cart had crashed down and gashed her tail...but she couldn't worry about that now...not with her boss glaring at her like that. The beaver hurried to pick up the pieces before he could yell more orders at her. It almost wasn't worth the meager pay she earned to have to put up with that...but she had no choice. She had bills to pay and a family to support.

"Hurry it up, Bigteeth! I have a business to run here!" barked the jackal harshly, sneering, "And don't step on the merchandise!" He added harshly as she narrowly avoided tripping over some fallen oranges.

"With all due respect, sir, I'm doing the best I can!" And don't call me Bigteeth! The name is Dellia! She didn't DARE voice that however. "It's hardly worthwhile to even attempt to continue doing business right now after that blast, don't you think?"

The jackal snorted, "Yer jest trying to get out of working! SOME beaver YOU are...not wanting to work your fair share!"

THAT stung. It was bad enough that he had to use the customary insults that were flung at rodents in general...now he was maligning her SPECIFIC race! But...there was nothing she could do about it. She NEEDED this job! She sighed and shot him a glance when he wasn't looking.

TBC

"'Ey you. Yeah, you smiley." a Koala donned in the typical enforcer maroon trenchcoat snapped out jabbing a blunt baton at the jackal. "Enforcer MacRaedy here. Ease up on the lass, you know the laws. Besides you can bet one of the liaison officers is around here. You wanna lose whats LEFT of your stand because you wanna kick rodents around instead of doing some REAL work." Then the Enforcer got a very insidious look on his face, "Course, I could save him the trouble and say you did that to 'er tail." He spat out as the weapon seemed bathed in a blue light before frost started forming on it's surface.

It was a known fact that although marsupial races like koala and wombat were not technically considered part of the poverty level class, they were largely ignored completely in the eyes of most. Despite a decent number having connection to The Art they were rarely acknowledge as a race with magical ability. When they were, they rarely had the money to pay for the private schooling necessary to use it effectively. This treeclimber had apparently not only made it through the hurdles but attained a position in the police force as well. On top of that he seemed ready to dish out punishment as some kind of reprisal for his entire races misfortune.

The ball seemed in the jackal's court, obey someone that could almost be considered a rodent, or challenge his authority.

A motorcycle abandoned at the side of the street. A figure spotted just ahead and getting further away, headed right for the source of the blast. Perhaps she knew her luck was running out? Meh, he didn't care. If he couldn't take her out, he was going to personally make her life a living hell.

The panther found the small license plate above the bike's rear tire and, using what looked like a camera-like device, took a picture. With his other paw, he held his radio to his ear.

"I'm sending you a picture. Dig up as much dirt as you can on whoever this belongs to. Everything, including anyone their affliated with, talked to or even breathed on. You know who to relay it to."

"Got it, Watts," cracked a voice on the other end.

The panther reached into his pants pocket, making sure the small firearm he'd taken with him was still there. He wasn't about to wave it around for everyone to see, there would surely be Enforcers and the like running around here.

Good, he thought as his fingers felt the cold metal in his pocket. Now it's time to take care of business.

-City Slums District, Estella's Residence-

Kenneth sat in a chair staring blankly through a window, in direct view of the smoke rising from the market's main street. One paw remained on the handle of a mug of steamy hot chocolate on a desk while he drummed his fingers on his leg with the other. He was only half aware of the fox laying in bed on the other side of the room, eyes closed with a wet cloth covering his forehead . A bowl of water sat on the nightstand next to it. Aria was leaning in the doorway, staring sourly at the boys as though they were violating her personal space.

"So, how long you gonna sit there?" she finally asked. "You know you wanna go out there and check it out."
"Whatever," came the kitten's muffled reply.
"I know foxboy's only pretendin' now. Probably gonna wait til I leave here and climb out the window. It's okay, we're only on the first floor, you're not gonna hurt yourself."

The girl stepped into the room and yanked open the window in front of Kenneth. "There, I just saved you the trouble. Just know that you two ain't goin' nowhere without me."

"Someone has to stay here with Grandma 'Stella," the kitten spoke up. "Just don't go running off and leaving her alone again. You were lucky someone was with her."

The rabbit scoffed, crossing her arms. "Like you know how to fight. The most I've ever seen you do is cry for Big Sister because 'mean old' Aria pushed you in the mud."
"Shut up."
"I'm telling the truth, you know."
"And you're still staying here."
"Like you can tell me what to do."
"And you know I'm right. You don't want to admit it." Kenneth still didn't move from the chair.

"Why's he waiting here?" John muttered to himself peeking around a corner to see the coyote leaning lazily against the building just inside the alleyway they'd come down. "Some place isn't it!" The coyote stated loudly. "You can quit hidin', ya really think I didn't notice ya?" John muttered and wandered over to the larger canoid, "Wht are we here, some kinda bomb went off downtown. Shouldn't we look into?" Bant smirked and keep his eyes on the house, "Conjure Ken's got it taken care of. Got more ta do here anyway." The youth squinted and look at an open window in the house across the street, it was a dump, just another rundown home in the slums. Then something in the window caught his eye, "Wait a minute, that kid, he's..."

"A noble? Yup. I bet you'd be interested in who ELSE is in there." The cowboy canine nodded out. The rabbit squinted, "The girl, she was with the old lady... which means. Rico?" Bant smiled, "You got it. They're all in there. Wanna take bets on how long before they leave?" John's eyes widened a little, "The bomb?" The coyote nodded again. "And we're going to follow them?"

The coyote stood up straight and dusted his western style clothing off, "Nope, you are. There are other things that need done, I'll handle those." The rabbit looked annoyed, "You couldn't have planned to be two places at once. You planned me following you, right?" The coyote smirked. The rabbit folded his arms, "Fine, but at least tell me one thing. Why do you wear that thing." Bant touched the brim of his hat, "This? All cowboys wear them, e'la." John raised an eyebrow, "But you're from Mesric, you guys are leading this system in space travel. Why would you wear something that not only symbolizes the past. But the Human's past." Bant smirked again and walked off waving a hand and saying, "Who says there can't be cowboy's in space? Seeya."

The fox sat bolt upright with a yelp. He was breathing heavily, his eye were wide and dilated, "Tobe...." He looked around quickly. His eyes quickly returned to normal and his gave a toothy smile, "Looks like I fooled ya, huh? Is this the old lady's house? Where'd she go, anyway? John said to stay with her and I think I got hit in the head or something." He suddenly realized the two other kids were very sullen and angry looking and stopped grinning like an idiot, "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Kenneth said, still seething.

Aria smirked. "Just ignore him, Kittyboy hates getting his buttons pushed," she addressed the fox. "Miss Estella's in the kitchen, you should really go see her. She looked like she was real worried about you."

Ryn had to have looked back for the umpteenth time and to see if she were alone. She was sure that the guy she'd taken out had somebody else with him, and that he'd be looking for her. She wasn't about to leave this kid to struggle on his own, even though she really need to find her brother.

"Just hang in there, I'll find some help, I promise," she said, uncertain whether the squirrel would hear her or not.

She looked back again, then ducked into the nearest alleyway she could find. She noticed that some of the buildings in this area were damaged. She had to be near where the bomb went off. If she could get that far... It would be risky, though. She briefly poked her head out for another look. Just ahead, a jackal at a half-destroyed produce stand was getting chewed out by an enforcer while a beaver close by.

On the other hand, her pursuer, which was a rough-looking panther walking with his hands in his pockets, was approaching slowly but nevertheless closing the gap.

It's now or never, Ryn.

The fox's eyes narrowed, "Just because I'm little doesn't mean I'm stupid. I've had over a decade of training at that sadistic school. I can read emotions." He looked at Kenneth, "I know what he's feeling, because I've felt the same thing." He drug himself off the bed and wandered toward the door stopping in the doorway looking at Aria, "I hope I'm wrong, but how he's feeling... I had a bully once too." He left to find Estella leaving his words hanging in the air. His voice changed while speaking, it had a kind of finality that someone so young should not have. A price of being essentially the lesser of the two Princes to the Underwood rulers?

OOC: Well, I'm just going to try to roll with it.

IC:

A thin tall coyote crouched down to one of the blast victims, a older male wolf, and immediately put his finger to his neck. "Dead." Muttered the coyote as he pushed his glasses back up with his other paw. He stood up and sighed, while loosing his necktie. Then he heard someone a bit off barking orders instead of the silence. "Someone barking orders is someone who SHOULD be helping out the injured," he thought to himself. The young physician did a short jog towards the fruit stand, stopping just a short distance away from it.

"You three!" Yelled the well dressed coyote to the jackal, beaver, and koala. "Get to the bomb site and help out, damn it!"

MacRaedy stood his ground, still pointing his baton at the jackal. "Your move, smiley."

IC:

Estella seemed to be one of the few who lived in the slums who seemed determined not to let their homes look like the rest of the slums. Her apartment was spotless, as though she literally got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed every single surface. Perhaps it stemmed from her former work as a housekeeper and nanny for a noble family, but it showed that she took much pride in her work, even in her old age.

A few photographs in dark frames lined the short corridor leading to the kitchen. The first was fairly recent, depicting Aria with a broad smile and holding up her index and middle fingers on one hand like a "V." The second was of a younger, more timid Aria standing infront of slightly more youthful, but still very old Estella, along with an adolscent cat girl with violet eyes. Poking his head out from behind her in the photograph was the kitten from the back room, who looked as though he were frightened of the camera. The last photo was worn and tattered; it had to be at least a century old. The same girl from the second photo was here, too, but as a child of about twelve, frozen in a struggle to calm the bawling toddler in her arms as a middle-aged Estella tried to intervene.

The fox would find the old woman in front of the stove, humming to herself as she poured hot water into two small cups sitting on the counter. The aroma of chocolate chips pointed to a small plate of cookies sitting in the middle of the table.

"Oh, glad to see your awake," she said as she turned her head and noticed him. "I was starting to think you'd come down with something. Would you like a cup of tea, dear? It'll help you feel better. Vanilla Chai, I think it is."

"Sure," the fox said quietly sitting down. "Sorry about that. I'm not sure what happened. I just felt sick all of a sudden." He mulled over the photo's in his head, watching her prepare the tea.

"Well, all that matters is that you're alright now." The old woman paused a moment, looking lost. "Oh, where did I put it again? I thought I just... oh, there it is, right on the tray. Dear me, I've been so forgetful lately."

After a couple of minutes she placed the tray with two steaming cups and a small bowl of sugar cubes on the table and sat in a chair right behind her. "Here we are. Have a seat... Richard, was it? Now, don't give me that blank stare, help yourself, I insist. Even someone as young as you needs a moment's peace. I can tell you have that look about you. One who's had experiences far beyond their years. It can do many different things to children. I've seen it all the time."

"You still standing there?"
"You still moping?"
"Leave me alone."
"What's the hell's the matter with you, really?" Aria asked, feeling her blood boil.
Kenneth sighed. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
"I'm lost."
"What's that supposed t'mean?"
"I don't really remember this place. At all."
"You've been gone a few decades. Things change."

A moment of silence passed. Ken pushed away his mug and buried his face in his arms.
"I hear them. People are spreading rumors about my sister."
"What the heck are you listening to their BS for? They don't know anything."
"I know. It's really bugging me how they're trying make her look bad. Like a kidnapper."
"Just ignore it."
"I can't. Not when I hear it everywhere I go."
"Well, is talking making you feel any different?"
"No."
"Well, so much for that one." Aria stood up. "Do what you want. I'm outta here."

The jackal muttered something under his breath that sounded like something foul and did as he was told, glaring nastily at the koala. Seeing this as her opportunity, Ryn ducked out of the alleyway. "I've got a kid injured here, I could use some help!"

As she got closer, a story quickly formulated in her head. It wouldn't be entirely a lie, but if it could get that panther out of the way, it'd be a small step forward. Or so she thought.

Looking back, she saw that the panther had stopped, and was speaking into a small radio held to his head. He caught her gaze, and his piercing yellow eyes narrowed as they met her own violet ones. The next time we meet, you're dead.
And with that, he turned tail and ran, right into an alley and out of sight.

Ryn cursed. There would be some unfinished business after all.

"... So, like I was saying, we got a real major hit off the description you gave us, Watts," crackled the panther's radio. "That broad you're after's a noble, Ryn Sonata, about 21 or 22 GSA. Currently has sole custody of younger sibling Kenneth Sonata, who should be just about 11 GSA by now. From what I'm getting so far, though, the whole family is completely nuts except for the kid."

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree," the panther mused. "Good, keep digging. We need anything we can use in our favor."

The fox narrowed his eyes, staring into his mug, "I'll be fine, it's all pointless really. Whatever is done to me, is just the stupid adults wasting their time. There's only one thing that matters and they won't hurt him. They'd have to kill me first, and they can't, so everything is going to be fine. Besides, one day I'm going to take everyone like you and the girl away from here. Somewhere safe, then blow this whole world to pieces. Kill all the people trying to hurt innocents in one blow." Harsh words, cold words, people like her? Was he talking about rabbits? Maybe all rodents? Why was he talking like this? The boy smiled and stood up, his green eyes wide and sparkling with youthful energy, "That other kid is gonna leave soon, I think he's like me, not the nobles. I think he's going with me when we save all of you and destroy evil. Whats his name?"

"Right! Over here miss! Lets have a look at WHAT?!" The Koala's expression fell from a helpful one to a panic. He fumbled and pulled a small radio out yelping into it frenzied, "Central Guard this is MacRaedy in the bombsite, Central Guard respond!"

A moment passed.

"Guard Command, whats going on down there MacRaedy, you sound like another bomb went off under your tail."

"Quit the jokes, get me Joey. NOW."

The tinny voice paused for few tense moments, Ryn looked on holding the boy in confusion, watching the koala stress more every second that passed.

"He's already in route to the site, he says he'll meet you there."

"Dammit this is an emergency, tell him Sam's been viciously attacked!"

"*sigh* Just a minute."

". . .Bzzt"

The koala threw the radio, smashing it into a wall, "The %$#$ hung up on me! What the hell is going on here."

"Because I told her too, James." Joseph said flatly wandering lazily towards them. "Um. You realize that radio is going to come out of your paycheck, right?"

The Koala folded his arms and sneered, "Don't care. Doesn't seem you do either, about Sam."

The tall hare turned to Ryn and the battered squirrel, he cocked his head to one side, "He was scouting. Seems he found something." He turned his ice blue eyes on Ryn's own violet ones, "May I ask what happened to my ward?"

"I don't really know, I found him in a building not too far from here, while I was searching for my younger brother," she said truthfully. "Someone was about to stab him, a cheetah. I took him out, scooped up the boy, and got away from there as fast as I could. I don't think he was alone. His companion ultimately got away."

Ryn looked over her shoulder again, as though making sure the panther was walking in her direction again. "I have a hunch... that they may be involved with what happened here somehow. Maybe that is what he discovered."

Estella stared at him for a moment, a bit puzzled. "Oh, you mean Kenneth? He and Aria were the ones who helped you back here."

"And you weren't exactly light as a feather either." Aria stepped into the kitchen with a smirk on her face, pulling out a chair and sat down, looking at the boy. "You sure talk big, kid. You sure you got the stuff to back that up?"

"Now, Aria," Estella started.

"Don't think I don't know what family you're from, Underwood. All you nobles do is talk. Talk about how everything's gonna get better for our kind, but the only thing that happens is that we keep being robbed, kidnapped, and murdered. Blamed for crimes we don't commit. Hell, I bet you can't even find the bastards who killed my parents and left me out in the streets."

Soon the smirk faded from her face, turning into an angry scowl. Her eyes were devoid of emotion. "What I'm tryin' to say is, I don't trust you. And unless you convince me otherwise, everything you say is a freaking lie."

She stood up and left, ignoring Estella as she called after her. The old hare's ears drooped. "I apologize about her, she never trusts anyone easily. She was orphaned a long time ago, and left in my care by Kenneth's elder sister, Ryn. She's the only one the girl believes in, and although they argue, Kenneth is a dear friend to her."

Upon seeing the cat coming out for his help, he couldn't help but to check her out. "She's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Furthermore, that voice is absolutely lovely." The physician thought to himself, he then saw the squirrel in her arms and flew into action. He slowly jogged up to Ryn, pulling out an small flashlight from his left jacket pocket. He looked the young squirrel straight in the eyes and said, "Kid, the name is Doctor Augustus Johnson. Call me August."

The rather young physician seemed to completely ignore what was happening around him, giving full attention to his young patient. "Now, kid, I'm going to do a few test on you before I do anything else. So don't be alarmed." August shined his flashlight right into both of the young squirrels eyes whilst holding open the squirrels eye lids with his other paw. He shook his head a bit and put his flashlight away only to pull out a small reflex hammer. "Well, Sam." The coyote started with some relief in his voice, "Your brain is fine. Now lets see if your spine is fine as well." For this, the physician just knocked the knees of the young squirrel lightly with his small hammer, this produced the desired response of the leg moving up a little bit. With this, the young coyote sighed a sigh of relief while putting the hammer back in his pocket. "Well, Sam, it looks like you took a good knock but, you should be fine. Just take it easy over the next few days."

The boy slowly opened his eyes, then looked at Ryn. Then over to the doctor. Then at the hare. He pointed at Ryn excitedly and nodded.

Joseph nodded at the boy and looked at Ryn, "So it seems. Anything you can tell me about the surviving conspirator? You realize if you were seen that you are probably in danger."

"She's isn't a bad person. She knows what she said about me was wrong. Why else would she leave before I had a chance to respond." The boy was still sullen, stirring the remnants of his drink slowly, "Although I deserve it. Still, I'm gonna use this name for good things, not what my father wants me to use it for."

Ryn nodded understandingly. "He was a black panther. Tall, wearing a navy shirt and denim jeans. I have reason to believe he's armed, he kept one paw in his pocket. That much I saw." Nothing I can't handle on my own.

"You do realize I can still hear you?" Aria stepped back into the kitchen briefly. "I don't have these ears for nothin', pal. Don't talk about what I know and what I don't know, or I'll kick your high-and-mighty ass to next week. You don't know %&$@# about me. NOTHING."

"Aria, that's enough," Estella scolded, bringing her cup to her lips. "You know I don't tolerate that language around here."

The girl opened her mouth as though to retort, but a shuffling sound was heard from the back room. "Eh?"

Estella stood up. "Oh, what is it now?"

The old woman and the boy followed Aria to the back room, only to find it empty. The window was as wide open as it could be, the chair lying on its side, and the mug of hot chocolate sitting on the desk.

"Just as I thought," Aria scoffed. "He took the window. Wasted a perfectly good cup of hot chocolate, though."

He had no idea why he was running. And yet, he was.
He had no idea where he was going. His feet were directing him instead of his brain.
He just knew he couldn't sit there and do nothing. Not while something like this was going on. Not while he was still out there, keeping watch over his every move. One of his brothers, he just wasn't sure which one.

Kenneth's running slowed to a walk as he neared ground zero. Buildings were on fire People lay dead in the streets, rich and poor alike. Just ahead of him were the bodies of young Roboid children, apparently trampled to death in the chaotic seconds just before the blast. He felt his stomach lurch. Just who would be responsible for this?

Fighting to keep his breakfast down, he turned away from the gruesome sight, he stepped in something else. Looking down, he realized it was a deflated ball, burned and smelling faintly of blood.

The boy closed his eyes. Such senseless acts of violence. He was tired of seeing it, he'd seen enough of it when he'd left.

"It's a shame, what happened here."

Ken opened his eyes. Standing by the trampled bodies was a gray feline with unkempt fur and a slightly drunken look. He was possibly in his late twenties, wearing a black vest, jeans, and what looked like wooden sandals. His left paw held onto a bottle wrapped in a paper bag and rubber bands. His right hand gripped the sheath of a short sword, which he pointed at the bodies.

"Terald?" The boy questioned. "Are you--"

The tomcat looked up at the boy. "Who were you expecting, Julius?" he asked. "I'm sure he's the one who likes lurking in the shadows so he can follow little boys around. Or am I wrong?"

His golden yellow eyes fell onto an alleyway behind Kenneth, where another tan-furred felinoid stood. His cold blue eyes glared at his elder brother, his expression a nasty scowl.

"You're only half-right, you filthy drunk. I was only told to keep an eye on him. If I had my way he'd already be dead."

"I doubt it. He was able to sense your presence the whole time. You do forget who he was with the whole time he was gone."

"Like she actually taught that brat anything." Julius took a few steps forward. "Come on, boy, did Big Sister teach you how to fight?"

"I'd stay back there if I were you," Terald warned. "I've already got a big chip on my shoulder and I aim to take it out on whoever decides they wanna pick on a kid."

"Hmph. I don't have time for this." Julius turned around and started walking away. "Count yourself lucky, Kenneth. You won't be next time."

"Hey, Jules, tell Nate the next time he pulls this stunt I'm going to kill 'im."

"Likewise." The other feline disappeared into the alleyway from whence he came.

Ken opened his mouth to speak, but Terald stopped him. "Save it for later, Squirt. I know it's been a while, but you know you shouldn't be wandering around here. Unless you want to answer to Enforcers. I'm only here to clear out the area. A volunteer, so to speak."

The hare nodded, turning to leave.

"Hey..." Ryn started, noticed the boy was still with the medic, and that she'd be stuck with him if the hare got away.

"Don't worry, he's past the diaper stage." Came a gruff reply as the man strode off further into the area.

Rico smirked, "I thought we weren't discussing what you thought," giving Aria a smug look.

Outside John had watched the departing feline boy with hesitation. He wanted to follow, but he needed to stay on Rico, he had to know if he was right or wrong. He had to hope Bant would somehow make sure nothing happened to him. A noble kid out alone in a bad area? Ugh, he watched the house, guilt slowly overcoming better judgement.

The young physician looked towards Joseph. "Leave me with the kid and I'll be sending you a bill for my time." August responded in a deadpan manner while pulling out a silver cigarillo case out of his suit coat pocket.

Droegemeier stopped for a moment at looked back, "I thought you volunteered. You can always leave him there." His words weren't cold, but almost comical. It was odd, the way the Koala had reacted it seemed like the boy was a surrogate son to the Enforcer Liason, but he didn't act as if he cared what happened.