BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 58
 

Sabine finished putting away her clothing and looked around the cabin that she’d been assigned to. The three rooms were larger than the apartment that she’d been living in as she worked at a garage that repaired air and ground cars, barely making minimum wage while scanning the employment ads daily for a mechanic’s position. As she stowed a couple of the books that she had brought with her, a few of her favorite romance novels, she saw something wedged behind the shelf.

  Struggling to get a grip on the corner of the thick, glossy paper that was sticking up, she was able to get it out without damaging it and discovered it was a photo of the crew, though there were three individuals that she hadn’t met. Looking at the name of the ship behind them, Sabine concluded that it was the three crew members that had been killed.

  The picture must’ve been taken at the beginning of the crew’s endeavor as the only discernible couple was the captain and his wife. It was easy to tell the two that were the group’s engineering team as they were dressed in smudged overalls. The pair of males was smiling broadly, the badger chewing on a stick of jerky while the tuxedo tom had warm and friendly eyes. They could easily have been any of the engineers and mechanics that she’d known during her few years in her chosen career and sniffed at having never known the individuals that everyone else spoke so fondly of.

  With a sigh Sabine tucked the picture into the upper corner of the mirror mounted frame and all to the bulkhead, and began shucking her clothing for a shower. Even though she and Baxter hadn’t been expected to start work just yet, she wanted to get familiar with the huge engines, dreaming to one day work with such powerful and sophisticated machinery but never really expecting it to happen. The day had been happily spent in access tunnels and crawl spaces.

  Everything she took off went into a hamper and she paused a moment to giver herself a good full body scratching before shaking vigorously and went to the integral dresser to pull out clean clothing, selecting a pair of peach colored panties with little blue and green butterflies and a one piece pajama suit with short legs and sleeves and button up front. Her cabin hatch chimed once before opening and Randal walked in, pausing for a moment and looking at her with wide eyes and a startled expression before swearing and spinning around.

  “Sorry,” the wolf said, his tail drooping as his ears plastered themselves to the sides of his head in chagrin. “I didn’t think…um, that was stupid of me…sorry.”

  Sabine swallowed loudly and picked up her clothing and a towel, holding in front of her.

  “I…um, you’re…here’s a copy of your contract…yeah.”

  The squirrel watched as he put it on the dresser, Randy realizing suddenly that he could still see her reflection and swore again.

  “Just…just sign and I’ll get it from you later.”

  As quickly as he’d come in, Randal left with Sabine being slightly embarrassed at the intrusion. She couldn’t have been too shocked, though. Randy was rather handsome and while surprised, she’d made no immediate move to cover herself when he’d come in. In fact, she’d let him get a long, good look at her. Of course she’d been stealing glances at him all day.

  Too bad he was with the rabbit.

  It had been a while since she had a boyfriend, and found herself very much attracted to their Safety Officer. As she stepped into the last room of the cabin suite and turned on the water for her shower, Sabine began a running argument with herself in the privacy over her own mind. One voice said that it didn’t seem that there was a permanent arrangement to what he and Lena shared while the other argued that there was no way she was going to intrude on a long term relationship. As hot water blasted grease and grime out of her head hair and fur with the aid of a fruit scented shampoo to remove the rest, she went back and forth, though the only argument that continued to resurface, sounding weaker and weaker each time was that she was rather lonely and had been for some time.

  It was with a frustrated sigh that she dried off and redressed in her favorite jammies and slid in between the sheets of her bed, one that was a good three times larger than the one that she’d had in her apartment and far more comfortable.

  Why were all the good guys always taken?

***

   Olin sat on the bed with Sonja as the movie she’d chosen played on the terminal in her cabin, the plate of nachos that he’d whipped up, with extra jalapenos per the Spaniel female’s request having long since disappeared, though that didn’t stop her from scraping up little blobs of cooled cheese with a claw tip and nibbling or licking it off while looking at him with soft eyes.

  She wasn’t remotely interested in the movie, some action flick that was filled with explosions, gun play, chases, narrow escapes and enough bikini clad and nude females to fill six months worth of ‘Galaxy Girls’ adult magazines. Olin would know; he had almost four years worth of the publication, including the quarterly special editions.

  Of course, if she’d wanted to, Sonja could easily grace the pages of that magazine. She was lithe and trim and he was wondering how the Spaniel would look in a bikini when she rolled onto her side and focused all of her attention on him, her head propped up on her hand, the other arm resting along her curvy and very attractive flank.

  “So, am I going to have to wait all night for you to lean over and kiss me, or should I go ahead and take the initiative?” she asked archly.

  While Sonja was, in Olin’s humble opinion, smoking hot, she also scared the living daylights out of him. Not only was she completely comfortable in her femininity, she could also beat him to a pulp, or readily shoot him as she always had a pistol somewhere on her. The blond Spaniel was only a year older than he was, but her experience was far greater as he’d only ever dated one girl that he’d known in school and had never done any more than kiss and maybe a little heavy petting.

  “Um…Sonja…I really like you, and you’re really pretty…actually you’re bloody gorgeous! But I’m…well, I’ve never…you know…”

  She cracked a wide grin. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re a virgin, Olin?”

  “Yeah,” he said quietly. “My last girlfriend…she never…she would tease but never let me, um…” He swallowed hard as Sonja reached out her hand and put it on his arm and began to pet the thick fur.

  “A good looking guy like you? I find that hard to believe!” she said with a laugh. Sonja really looked at him and tilted her head. “Wow. You really haven’t, have you? You’re as nervous as a cadet at first inspection.” She moved the plate to the stand next to the bed and scooted closer to the wolf-Chow mix. “Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said softly when his ears pressed back against his head. With a gentle touch Sonja ran her fingers through the thick fur behind his ear and neck to relax him. “It’s actually kind of sweet.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. A lot of guys take pride in the fact that they’ve bedded any number of females, and a lot of the ones that I’ve encountered think I’m easy.” The Cocker Spaniel snorted in amusement. “Well, I am sort of, but that’s only because I enjoy it as much as anyone else. But it was never with just anyone. And they had to be nice first.”

  Olin leaned into the attention she was lavishing on his ear. “I can’t lie and say I don’t want to,” he admitted, “but it would seem kind of weird. I mean, we’re going to be on the ship together and I don’t want to wind up getting all involved and hurt when we get to port and you see someone better or-”

  Sonja put her mouth over his to quiet him, smiling at his expression as she scooted closer so she could kiss the male properly. When they parted she looked into his eyes and smiled. “Olin, I haven’t been with anyone in over a year. Part of it was because we were a little busy, but it was also because of my friends. I saw how happy they were with dedicated relationships and decided I wanted that as well.

  “I want to find one person I can just be me with. No lies, no telling stories, or trying to impress…and something a lot more meaningful than a one night stand. I’ve had enough of those. I think I’d like to try something that lasts a lot longer than just until morning. The whole guy in every port, that’s worse than a one night stand. And as for being on the ship together, I think we can be grown up enough to stay friends if it doesn’t work, don’t you?”

  “I…I don’t know. I mean I saw Molly everyday in school with other guys and I still talked to her. Even after I found out she was giving it up for everyone but me afterwards…”

  Sonja sat up and slowly unbuttoned her loose blouse. “Her loss, my gain,” she said with a gentle smile. “I’m up for trying something long term if you think you are,” she told the male, pausing momentarily. “We just need to be open and remember to talk to each other. All of my friends are happy because of that. Of course it doesn’t hurt that you are incredibly delicious looking right now.”

  “Wh-what?” Olin asked in disbelief.

  “You are,” she said with a slow nod. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re quite the handsome fellow before?”

  “Not…not really.” Olin was thinking about what she said regarding a long term relationship and smiled. “It’s nice to hear. Especially from you.” He tentatively touched the side of her face. “I think…I’d really like to…to try this and I’m willing…if you are.”

  Sonja resumed unbuttoning her shirt and slid it slowly from her shoulders before stretching out over the wolf mix. “I think I’d like it very much. And I’d like to make tonight very special for you. How does that sound?”

  Olin found that he was incapable of further speech as the beautiful Spaniel loomed over him for another kiss.

***

   “I don’t know who said what to our chef to get him to make cheese and berry crepes, but keep it up,” Elias commented as he sat down at the table on the rec deck with his breakfast, inhaling deep the aroma of his food. The fox watched as Olin came out to drop a plate of crisp bacon on the table, pausing for a nuzzle and kiss with Sonja. The fox raised an eyebrow and the female smiled warmly in return.

  “What?” the Spaniel asked with her smile turning into a grin, her tail wagging furiously behind her.

  Elias chuckled and used the tongs on the plate to grab several slices of the bacon. “Carry on,” he said lightly.

  “Yes, Sir!” Sonja answered enthusiastically.

  As others filed in for their morning meal, Elias waited for them to get seated before breaking his news on them. “Well, we have our first client and cargo run in four days, so all of you have that long to get out into town to do what you need to do, get things in order and so on.”

  “What’s the job and is it passengers or cargo?” Lemuel asked as Keena brought him a plate of crepes to which he gave her a smile and kiss.

  “Both. Apparently some of the things that Rovi’s design team were working on, including those new rifles we already got to play with, and one of their engineers, needs to go to Binfurr corporate HQ on Fyn, so we’ll be making a run to the Centaurus system. From there, we have a pending request from Hestra to transport a package and three individuals to Joplin of all places.” Elias took a bite of his breakfast and chewed, his eyes almost rolling back into his head in bliss. “We’re looking at some fairly easy money for these runs as the primary cargo for each is less than two hundred pounds and one or two individuals.”

  “That’ll give me a chance to get some things for the kits before we leave,” Cerise said as she fed Renee, Van already having had his breakfast and was crawling around the deck with Randal and Lena. “In our haste to get our stuff we forgot to get seats for them when we take off and land and I want some extra ones to put on the bridge. Sabine’s already working on mounting brackets.”

  “They’ll be just like any other reinforced seat on the ship,” the squirrel said watching the kit on the floor and the two adults playing with him, an amused smile on her face. “I’m even making them adjustable so we can swap them out as they get older and bigger.”

  “We’ll be ready to go,” Baxter said with a nod. “Sab and I have already gone over all the systems. Now we’re looking in all the cabins and other spaces to make sure all the lights work. Which reminds me, did you want me to activate the FloBots that we found? Diagnostics show they’re ready to go and have been on the charger all this time. They aren’t like any others I’ve ever seen and even have security protocols.”

  “Wow,” Lena said from where Van was climbing over the doe, a bit of drool from his grinning mouth marking his ascent of Mount Auntie Bunny as he tried to get at the wolf on the other side who had a toy waiting. “I forgot all about Flea, Tick and Mite!”

  Elias nodded. “If they check out go ahead and fire them up.” He munched on a strip of bacon. “That’s pretty much it. Everyone’s free until Friday. We’ll transit over to Binfurr Saturday morning at seven sharp to load our first cargo and passengers.”

***

   Rovi and his friends Aran Deurman and Erwin Hammer were on the tarmac when Elias set the Ascendant Angel on the private pad of Binfurr Arms LTD, Dennier Branch. As soon as the cargo hatch opened the fox, lion and human came forward to greet Elias and Cerise. “I think that it’s fitting that we get to be your first clients,” the black furred fox said with a smile for his daughter and son-in-law.

  “And we know that we can trust you to get our babies to Fyn,” Aran said with a wide, toothy grin. “Speaking of which, where are your little scamps? I ain’t seen ‘em since the welcome home party!”

  “Still asleep,” Cerise told the lion with a scratch to the side of the huge male’s head. “Apparently they love flying! They had their breakfast and went unconscious as soon as the engines were spun up.”

  “I wonder where they get that from,” Erwin said with a sidelong look at Elias accompanied with a grin and wink.

  “No idea,” the fox said with a completely innocent expression. “We have a secure section for the cargo. Randy will show your people where to put it, and we have the cabin set up for the passenger.”

  “That’s appreciated, Captain Tivnan,” a female red wolf with auburn hair and russet fur said. She was dressed in a smart looking pantsuit in black with a dark blue blouse that had a restrictive looking high collar and her hair was pulled back into a severe pony tail. She held her back as straight as if she were tied to a metal pole.

  “Just call me Elias, Miss…?”

  “Candace Learner. And it’s Ms., thank you.” The she-wolf was rather cold and aloof, and looked at the ship and crew critically. “Are you sure that your people are qualified to transport secure cargoes?”

  Before Elias could speak Rovi interrupted. “Most of the crew have served with the SPF and their files are filled with more commendations than I care to list. They have my personal approval, Candace. And I expect them to be treated with all due respect. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, Sir,” the she-wolf said before turning back to the white fox. “I think I would like to see my cabin, please.”

  “Right this way,” Randal said stepping up and motioning to the cargo ramp, casting a look at his Captain and the others that bespoke volumes.

  Once the red wolf was in the ship Aran began to curse, spitting vehemently after he said the female’s name. “I don’t envy you and the rest the four and a half weeks you’ll have with her, but I am going to enjoy her not being here!” the lion said. “Stuck up bit-”

  “That’ll do,” Erwin said as he clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Candace is a little on the…abrasive side. Perfectionist and the like.” The human looked at Rovi. “Should we put a non liability clause in the transport contract if they feel the need to jettison her out of the airlock?”

  “She’s a top notch materials engineer, but as you can see her social skills are certainly lacking,” Rovi informed his family. “You’ll be getting her to Fyn and her new position in testing new materials much more quickly than if we sent her by starliner. As you’ll be saving the company a substantial amount of credits from the first class accommodations we’d have to get for her, I’ve been authorized to sign off on a voucher for an immediate five thousand credit bonus. Consider it payment for having to deal with her less than stellar personality.”

  “I think I’ll divvy this up amongst the crew,” Elias said with a chuckle. “I can at least lock myself on the bridge.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Erwin said with a grin.

  “I know you need to prepare for launch,” Rovi said. “I’ll need you to sign the insurance forms first, though.” Elias looked them over and saw they were fairly standard and affixed his signature before handing them back. “We’ll have your rooms at the house waiting for you when you get to come back through,” the older fox said embracing his family again, including Keena who’d joined the little group and shook Lemuel’s hand. “Safe flight.”

“Thanks, Rovi,” Elias said and headed back on board, making sure the cargo was secure after closing the cargo hatch. “Lena, begin checklist,” the fox said as he neared the lift to the upper decks and tripped the intercom.

  “Well, this ought to be a fun trip,” Cerise said with a shake of her head.

  “Lem, you might want to make sure the analgesics are readily available for the rest of the crew,” the white fox informed the tiger with a chuckle.

  “Why? Is something wrong?”

  “You didn’t meet our guest. She may be a bit of a problem. She’s a bit stiff and rather demanding apparently,” Elias said as the lift doors opened.

  “Captain Tivnan! I would like to know why I’ve been ordered to my cabin already,” the she-wolf demanded imperiously before anyone could step out of the lift. “If it’s all the same to any of you I would like to go to the cafeteria for a cup of tea.”

  Elias sighed and realized that he would have to put his foot down now so the red wolf female understood the way things were on his ship. He was tempted to put said foot down on the she-wolf’s neck, though.

  “Because we’re about to lift off and it’s standard safety procedure, the galley is off limits during lift off and landing,” Elias said flatly. “Miz Learner, I have been contracted to transport you and the cargo in the hold to Fyn, and I plan to do just that, but in accordance with interstellar law and the Articles of Maritime Commerce and Shipping, I am the law on board, my crew, and any passengers we may have, follow the orders I hand down.

  “There are things that I will not tolerate. The first is my orders being questioned. Another is any behavior that will put any one on this ship in jeopardy or put my vessel in danger. If any of my crew tells you to do something to keep all of us safe, you will listen and you will do it, or you will get off right now and you can explain to your superiors why you didn’t make your destination on time costing them even more credits because my fees are non-negotiable.

  “And while we’re at it, there are certain sections that are off limits and restricted unless I say otherwise and that is the bridge, engineering and the cargo bay. Any violation of these rules, or if I find you in these areas, I will confine you to your cabin for the duration of the time we’re in transit. Also, as the Captain of this vessel, should I see fit to mete out any punishment for infractions, those may include corporal discipline and believe me when I say I will have no problem having the largest individuals on my crew put you over their knees and paddle you thoroughly.

  “Now, we’ll be lifting off in a few minutes and that means you will be in your cabin and strapped in or I will have Randy tie you to your launch seat after our ship’s surgeon sedates you. When it’s safe to move around I will make that announcement. Are there any questions?”

  Candace Learner apparently wasn’t accustomed to being spoken to in the manner that Elias did. She might be important to Binfurr, run a testing group and direct a small staff of other engineers, but the ship was completely his domain and he would tolerate nothing that put his crew or home in danger. The she-wolf dropped her haughty attitude and lowered her head submissively, her tail pressed against the back of her legs.

  “I understand, Captain,” she said before turning back to her cabin and strapping into the launch seat before the hatch cycled closed.

  The group looked at each other, their expressions saying more than words could and headed to their stations for launch. Lem and Keena peeled off just before the bridge and headed for the infirmary. Sabine and Baxter were down in engineering, with Randal returning to the refurbished cubicle in the cargo bay.

  On the bridge Odette was at her position on weapons, just like when the ship had been a dedicated pirate hunter, though her demeanor was somewhat more relaxed. Her dark brown hair was brushed into a much less severe style and she had a rose tucked behind her right ear with a slight smile on her muzzle. Elias kissed Cerise before she took her place at communications and sensors, immediately striking up a conversation with Dennier air traffic control.

  Elias dropped into the pilot’s seat with Lena in Saul’s old position of navigation. “What’s with Odette?” the fox asked his First Officer with a chuckle.

  “She’s been getting acquainted with our new engineer,” the doe said as she ran a check over her instruments. “It only took about three nights,” Lena said with a mischievous grin.

  “We’re clear all the way to orbit, Lover,” Cerise called out.

  “Thanks, Babe,” the rabbit called back unable to help herself and laughed when the vixen blew her an exaggerated kiss.

  “Copy that,” Elias called back with a chuckle before tripping the intercom. “This is the Captain. We’ll be lifting in one minute. Please ensure that all of you are strapped down securely and that all loose items are properly stowed. Some of you may experience some disorientation as we transition from planetary gravity to artificial. Should you find yourselves getting nauseous there are pouches on the sides of all launch seats. Doctor Anders will be by to check on all personnel once we’re free of Dennier. Bridge out.”

  Lena looked at her board again as her friend and Captain did the same and called out to the fox and rest of the bridge. “Engines are green. Internal pressure is green. Shields are green…”

  “Lift off in thirty seconds,” Elias said as he looked over his own console.

  “Navigation is green, exit vector is green,” the rabbit continued.

  They continued to call off the various sections to each other until Elias took hold of the familiar controls, a smile on his muzzle. “Copy that, Lena, we are go for full burn launch.”

  The doe grinned wildly.

  “Five…four…three…two…one…”

  Elias lifted the ship straight up and felt the thump as the landing struts with their caterpillar tracks retracted into the hull and the armored doors closed. He pulled back, lifting the nose as the maneuvering thrusters held the huge ship off the ground, and stood the Ascendant Angel on its tail before slamming the throttles to their maximum output.

  As had happened the only other time Elias had performed a full power launch before, the ship hung for a second then leapt upward like a shot. Even with the inertial dampeners on full everyone was pushed back in their seats. Despite the G’s that were pushing on them, Cerise was talking to Dennier ATC with only the occasional grunt in her conversational tones. “No, Jarvis, your instruments are reading correctly. No, that’s why we verified that our exit vector was clear. Are you kidding? I’m part owner of this ship! You can’t pay me enough to come back! You realize that I’m married now, right? Two kits. He’s a Major in the SPF. Jarvis? Jarvis?!?” Cerise snorted. “The jerk disconnected!”

  In the time it took for Cerise’s short conversation, the Ascendant Angel made the hard vacuum of space and Elias reduced throttle. “Lena, go ahead and get us on our transit course for Fyn. I’m going to go and look the ship over.”

  “That was fun!” the doe exclaimed. “When are you going to let me do that?”

  “I’ll think about it,” the fox said with a grin. “The bunny’s got the bridge,” he said and headed for the hatch pausing to give his wife a deep kiss. “Go ahead and let everyone know they can move about.”

  “You got it, Lover,” she said and turned to her console. She knew that her mate was still standing over her, admiring the patterns in her fur that were presently dyed different shades of green to mach her eyes and the outfit of black shorts, green tube top and lighter sheer blouse that was knotted at her midriff and smiled to herself.

  The fox’s first stop was the infirmary and he found the tiger tending his wife who had her muzzle in a sick bag.

  “A little warning next time, Elias,” Keena asked weakly giving her brother-in-law a look of suffering before retching again.

  “You’ll be fine, honey,” Lemuel told the vixen with a gentle pat to her back.

  “I know you don’t believe me, but you really will be fine in a few minutes,” the white fox said. He smiled when the female nodded without looking at him, her muzzle still in the bag. “Lem, see if you can find her some chocolate. That worked for Treena the first time.” He left the infirmary and passed Olin on his way to the upper deck with Sonja in tow.

  “Hey, Captain!” the wolf-Chow said cheerfully. “Give us about an hour and we’ll have breakfast ready. Coffee’s already done when you want and there’s cookies if you can’t wait.” Sonja waved with a smile and disappeared with the male into the lift.

  The next individual that Elias encountered was Candace, the she-wolf looking a little drained but recovering quickly. “Are you feeling well, Ms. Learner?”

  “Please, Captain. Just Candace will do. I…I feel I should apologize for my behavior earlier. I know that Rovi Tambor is your father-in-law, but I honestly thought that I was going to be berthed on a tramp freighter with nothing but a bunch of uncivilized brutes. I beg your pardon for the way I acted.”

  The fox nodded. “Apology accepted, Candace. Now, as for the beverage you wanted. Feel free to head to the galley on the recreation deck. I believe breakfast should be ready within the hour. I’ll be around the vessel periodically though you may feel free to ask any of the crew or you can contact me on the intercom if you have any questions or concerns.”

  “Would…would you mind if I walked with you? I’ve only ever been on liners and cruise ships before. I heard that this was once a warship,” the wolf said with mild interest.

  “You may, but I’m just checking on my crew and the status of the different sections. I don’t know if it will be all that exciting.” Elias was wondering if the female was making a play and flirting, but her demeanor was still far too stiff and aloof. “My first stop is to look in on my children and their nanny.”

  “You have children on board?” Candace asked with surprise.

  “We do. After our last mission with the SPF I don’t want to be separated from them until they’re old enough to start their own families.”

  The she-wolf smiled minutely at that.

  The kits were rolling around on the deck of the cabin that was next to Elias and Cerise’s, giggling wildly and tussling with each other while Pala looked on with a content expression. As soon as the hatch opened Renee and Van looked up before trucking after their father as fast as they could move babbling and yipping excitedly. Unable to help himself the fox got down on the carpet and let his children assault him, laughing happily along with the kits.

  “They did extremely well during takeoff,” Pala said with an approving tone. “They’re natural spacers, Elias. With your and Cerise’s permission I was thinking of a little zero gravity playtime later on.”

  “You know, that wouldn’t be a bad idea at all,” the fox said with a nod, each kit getting a nuzzle and hug from their father before heading to their pile of toys. “I’ll be back by in a little bit, and Olin should have breakfast ready soon.”

  “I’ll take the children up as soon as I make sure their diapers are changed. The others will be happy to see them as well. Your children are truly fortunate to have such an extended family.” The Kastan took as much pleasure from tending the children as their parents and doted on them lavishly.

  Elias chuckled and continued his rounds after pausing long enough to politely recommend Candace either head for the recreation deck or to her cabin. The red wolf didn’t give any argument and took the lift to the third deck, Elias waiting for it to return before heading to the cargo and engineering sections. Randy waved with a grin as he moved around the ThunderBolt, inspecting the mounting locks for the small craft and the equipment lockers.

  “Any more trouble from our…guest?” the wolf asked, clearly having been tempted to use a different term for Ms. Learner.

  “I got an apology from her, so that’s something,” the fox said. “I might not have to have her confined to her cabin for the duration after all.”

  “That is something,” Randy conceded. The wolf looked up and one ear twitched as he saw a vibrant copper-haired head duck back into the engineering section from the open hatchway. “That’s the third time I’ve caught the squirrel-girl, Sabine, looking at me. It’s a little disconcerting.”

  “You haven’t done anything to scare her, have you?” Elias asked with a sardonic grin.

  “Um…well, I might have entered her cabin without really thinking and seen her naked,” Randy confessed with profound embarrassment, which meant his ears turned slightly pink.

  “Well, there you go. You probably scared the starch out of her,” the fox told his friend with a chuckle before heading into the engineering section.

  “Then why am I the one feeling like a target?” the wolf whispered to his self.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.