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Chapter Six

"Welcome To The White Citadel"

By

Furry Sith Lord

Leggo charged at the white wolf as he stared at him blankly, surprised that the white fox would attack him. Merrik shouted at him but he ignored the overly pretentious leader of C.I.Z.A. because he was determined to protect Sanic from bullies like the wolf.

Their leader, Bear, was either unwilling or unable to control his followers and that made him a poor alpha in Leggo's eyes. He could already see the weakness of The White Citadel and he was looking forward to Lou destroying them. They could build a better community where the weak and helpless were not bullied by the likes of this wolf.

The wolf crumbled to the ground as Leggo pounced on top and as Leggo bared his teeth, the wolf looked at him in panic. The cub's meal box he was holding was accidentally flung aside with the contents spilling as Leggo tackled his prey. Leggo was quickly knocked off as Merrik charged at him and pushed him off using all his body weight.

"Stop this!" Merrik shouted at him but he was too enraged to hear him clearly. Merrik stood between them and extended his paws making himself into a shield between them. The wolf locked eyes were focussed on Leggo as he began to snarl back and both were drooling as they stared at each other. Merrik tried to break contact but both seemed to be able to see through him.

Leggo suddenly felt a large overwhelming presence behind him and he was lifted off the ground as he was held by the scruff of his neck. He hung helplessly as Bear held him suspended and Merrik moved out of the way as he approached and used his other hand to grab the wolf in the same manner. The wolf made a desperate attempt to kick at Leggo but Bear quickly shook him and he hung as helpless as Leggo was.

"That's enough from both of you." Bear ordered and lowered them to the ground but kept his paws firmly locked on the scruff of their necks in case they tried something else.

"I must apologize for my son here but I was the one that put him up to it." he replied coolly and Leggo looked at him in confusion while Merrik did a double take himself.

"You?" Leggo asked and the large polar bear released them now that he was satisfied they were finished fighting. Merrik took Leggo in his paws and pulled him slightly away just to make sure he had calmed down.

"Hey, no hard feelings right?" the wolf said and he extended his paw for Leggo to shake. Leggo folded his arms across his chest as he looked at Sanic, who was hiding behind a larger fur, then at his meal that was laying on the ground with the box crumpled and the food spilled out of it.

"I don't like bullies." Leggo replied as he turned away from the wolf.

"No need for that, I already explained that 'I' made him do it, so if you want to be mad at anyone then you should be mad at me." Bear replied but he did not seem troubled at all and his lack of emotion was unnerving.

"Look a while ago I was a bully to Sanic but Bear had a talk with me and made me realize that bullying was wrong. I promise you, whatever your name is, that I will make it up to him. I'll make it up to you too! Want me to buy you a new meal as an apology?" the wolf asked.

"Buy one for Sanic because you owe him but I don't want anything from you." Leggo replied.

"Ease up Leggo," Lou said and Leggo heard it from the special hearing aid.

"This is my fault, how about I buy both you and my son Sanic a Tail Waggin Meal. Actually while I'm at it I could use one as well." Bear said his voice sounded friendlier. "How about you Largo? Want anything from McAlphas while I'm at it?" He asked Merrik.

"I'm good." Merrik replied and Bear took some money out of his pocket.

"May I fetch the meals for you? I do owe them since it was my fault his was ruined in the first place." the wolf asked meekly and Bear gave him the money and nodded. He quickly ran off and Bear gestured for Leggo and Merrik to follow him.

Before he could follow Sanic ran up to Leggo and held out the red panda toy and Leggo took it and held it next to his heart.

"I kept it safe for you, just like I promised." he replied and Leggo handed it back to him and gave him a little kiss on the nose. Sanic began to blush and his face was almost as red as the panda's was.

"Keep it safe until I return because you're the only one I can trust with it." Leggo said and he turned to follow Bear and Merrik into Bear's office.

"Seriously?! You know he isn't a child right? Even if his size is small." Lou said.

"He's my friend." Leggo said so that Lou could hear over the hearing aid's hidden microphone.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Bear asked him as he turned suddenly after hearing him.

"I was just saying Sanic is my friend." Leggo replied.

"Oh, I'm sure that will make him very happy because he doesn't have many friends. Most species are too afraid because he's so small that they fear stepping on him or because of his spikes they fear he'll stab them. Can be tough when you're so small that no one seems to like you." Bear replied. They entered his office and both shivered at the coldness then Bear smiled and pointed to a couple of parkas that were hanging on the wall. Both quickly put them on and as Leggo breathed a sigh of relief he could see his breath.

"Sit, sit." Bear said as he motioned them to the two chairs set up in front of his desk. "Sorry about the temp but I like it cold. It's just part of my nature I guess. Anyway let's get down to business... but first there is something I have to ask.

There's something funny about you Leggo, when you were fighting my son, BH, it looked as if you were fighting as equals. Like two wolves facing off and not a fox versus a wolf." Bear said as he sternly looked at him.

"Leggo, tell him you had a best friend that was a wolf and he taught you how to fight like that." Lou replied from the hearing aid.

"Well it's kinda a long story but I knew a cub by the name of Collet and we were friends. Well before his family moved away, that is. Anyway he was a wolf and we used to fight and play and when he and I would wrestle I learned a few moves to keep him off balance. Course he cheated by tickling me. Oh and when I slept over once he stole my underwear and I had to find it because if I went home without it my... family would get upset." Leggo rambled.

"It's true because he lost a pair under the sofa and got a spank for it. Our mom yelled saying 'I spend all this money buying you clothes that fit and you just casually lose it! Leaving your nasty drawers under the sofa, momma is not pleased!" Merrik said and Leggo turned and listened to him wondering if it really happened to him or was it a complete lie.

He had used an actual friend he once knew and Collet did steal his underwear but he ran it up the flagpole at school thinking it was funny. The students laughed except for him and the teachers that pressured him to tell on Collet. He refused and kept saying he didn't know who did it. In the end he got a week's detention. Collet was a sheepdog so there was no way he could teach a wolf like him how to fight. They were evenly matched when they wrestled and before his family moved away they never found out who was the strongest between them. Which was the main reason they wrestled.

"I see," Bear replied coolly but that seemed easy considering the temperature. Normally Leggo didn't mind the cold but he usually had his full set of fur unlike now that he was shaved to look like a white fox.

"Stay frosty guys, he's looking for weakness." Lou replied through the hearing aid.

"No kidding," Leggo replied to Lou but he said it before he realized Bear could hear him. Both Merrik and him looked at each other and Merrik nodded accordingly. Bear seemed satisfied for the moment.

"So let me tell you about our community here and why I built it. The White Citadel or WC was originally established as a safe haven for rare white fur species. Most of its members are all white furs but we occasionally take in a normal colored species provided they adhere to our rules of patience, tolerance, and acceptance.

Originally we were The White Community but my former boss decided to smear our good name by calling us The White Citadel. Since both have the letters W and C we just refer to us as WC now. We're not the monsters that the media and that cub book claim we are. We just want to live in peace and find acceptance. Since we are all outcasts we decided to come together so we could find acceptance.

The three main points as I've mentioned are: Patience, meaning we need to understand that each of us has had struggles and carry scars. It might be tough getting used to each other with all the baggage in the way but if you are patient enough then you can break through and find a home where you are welcomed. If someone gives you a hard time or tries to start a fight I ask that you report to me and I'll talk it over with them and try to work things out.

Take for instance my son BH or BloodHound as is his real name. He's called that because he has a very keen nose and he was a slave that escaped when his master died. His master used him as a tracker to find wanted species. When his master died his collar automatically released because there was no next of kin to pass him to. We found him and brought him in but it was tough at first because of how his master would beat him, he would get angry alot.

Because of how he was treated he started picking on smaller species here and your friend Sanic was the main one he tormented. Sanic came to me and told me about how BIG was treating him and some of the others and I quickly stepped in. I had a long talk and it took several days but he soon learned the errors of his ways. I'll explain more about it later but remember I asked him to pretend to pick on San ic so I could test you both to see if you had a future here.

Tolerance is the next one and this is probably the most difficult. As I mentioned, the species here come from different backgrounds and lifestyles. It can be tough getting used to others here but I ask you to be tolerant and try to keep an open mind. You'll often find you have a lot more in common than you first realize. I hope you learned that even species like Sanic that seem like they hate you and want nothing to do with you can be your best friends if you give them a chance.

Lastly is Acceptance and basically it's all we want. A place where we can feel safe and belong no matter the color of your fur. Here we are all equal and we live as one. I'm merely a guiding hand to help keep the three rules thriving." Bear preached.

"Sounds wonderful but keep your wits about you. There is something I don't trust about him and this whole setup." Lou replied.

"There has got to be more to it than just that! What about stealing, rape, murder, and theft? You must have rules about all of that!" Merrik asked.

"Yes we have rules about all of that but if you follow patience, tolerance, and acceptance then those behaviors are something you will never want to do. Should they happen then the culprit(s) will be found and will be dealt with but in a way we can rehabilitate them and welcome them back into the community.

The reason they call me Papa Bear is because I am like a father and everyone here is my children. They are brothers and sisters to each other and when you hurt your sibling you are only hurting yourself." Bear continued. Merrik turned and punched Leggo in his arm and he yipped and rubbed it looking angrily at him.

"Didn't hurt me at all." Merrik replied in a snarky manner.

"But you see how hurt your brother is as he rubs his arm. Does it really fill you with happiness to know you caused harm to the one that has always been by your side?" Bear asked. Both Merrik and Leggo knew that Merrik didn't care at all nor did he actually feel bad. Merrik remained silent as if wondering how he should respond. The silence seemed to encourage Bear that his words had hit the mark and that Merrik was feeling bad.

"Would you like to apologize to him?" Bear asked.

"Sorry Leggo, I didn't mean it." Merrik lied. Leggo reached out to hug Merrik but he whispered very softly when he got close so only Merrik could hear him.

"You're gonna pay for that, you little shit."

"Gotcha!" Lou exclaimed. "He's a cult leader, he tries to make you believe he's built a utopia when in reality it's just everyone obeying his orders and he tries to twist you into following his way of thinking. Refuse and I bet there is a reeducation program designed to convert you back into being one of his willing puppets.

I'm willing to bet that is what happened to that wolf and why he was so eager to buy the food and make friends. This Bear reeducated him and now either he becomes compliant or suffers the consequences." Lou remarked to no one in particular but merely speaking his thoughts out loud.

"What happens now?" Leggo asked.

"I'm about to show you the three principles in action. Are you both ready?" Bear asked and they looked at him in confusion. "So I did a search for Largo and Leggo and found some interesting things out. I found birth certificates and a medical paper about your separation operation. Even school records which I must admit are pretty impressive to hide who you both really are. I did find a flaw, however, because the name Leggo brought me to a marriage certificate between a grey wolf and a red deer. The deer was named Lou and his husband was Leggo.

I found that odd so I searched them both and found they attended Bearly Academy. I love the name of that school, it has a nice ring to it. Bearly Academy. The other fact was that the news reported that one of you was arrested but when I hacked into the police database I could not find arrest records with either a Leggo or Largo white fox listed.

So I feel you gave me fake names to hide your real identity. I can understand why," Bear stated.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Lou replied.

"So I feel we need total truth between us if we are to continue. Like who you are, who you really are." Bear continued.

"I forgot that when we were married, we signed a marriage license. This fucks everything up." Lou ranted.

"It's clear we don't fully trust each other. I mean strangers blindfolding us and taking us to a secret location and doing extensive background searches doesn't tell me you trust us. Nor are we gonna use our real names so you can use that against us." Merrik replied coldly.

"Then what are your real names?" Bear insisted.

"I'll tell you my name and my brother's name when I'm sure I can trust you. For now you may consider us Largo and Leggo." Merrik said. Bear narrowed his eyes as he stared at them then a knock on the door broke the mood as Sanic entered.

"The meals have arrived. Shall I bring them in here?" he asked.

"Things have become a little too cold in here so let's eat outside while the weather is still good." Bear replied and he smiled at the hedgehog. He rose and gestured for his guests to exit. They returned the coats and quickly exited.

Sanic had the Tail Waggin Meals set up on an old picnic table and BH sat there with a more adult meal for himself. Sanic sat next to Leggo and they both revealed their toys to each other. Leggo got a kangaroo squeak toy while Sanic got a rooster and they compared cards explaining facts about their species. Bear invited himself to the conversation by revealing he had a crocodile toy in his meal. BH, with no pun intended, was wolfing down his combo meal as he listened in. Merrik sat nearby watching Bear like a hawk watching a deadly snake.

All three meals were the chicken nuggets variety and Leggo smiled as he watched Sanic chow down on the nuggets that seemed too big to him compared to how tiny they were to Leggo and Bear.

Bear conducted himself as if the accusations had not been made and he was friendly enough as BH and Sanic were around but Merrik was overly suspicious of what he was up to and how much did he really know. Even Lou remained silent as he listened in to hear whatever else was said. He excused himself as two white birds approached and he moved away to talk to them. Leggo was too busy chatting with Sanic to pay attention and Bear's size obstructed Merrik's view so he could not identify which species the birds were.

Sanic burped with how stuffed he was and this encouraged Leggo to get into a burping contest with his friend. Merrik could not believe how calm Leggo weas when everything was falling apart. Depending on how much Bear figured out their entire cover could be blown and polar bears were said to be the most vicious out of all the bears. Now add the fact that this one was a former C.I.Z.A. agent who doesn't just let things slide makes him very dangerous as they just learned. Even the deer was caught off guard by his attention to details and the whole mission was blown now leaving them to go back to the drawing board.

Leggo didn't seem bothered in the slightest and that may be their only saving grace. Bear seemed focussed on him but Leggo definitely did not act like an agent or a cop so perhaps they managed to not alert Bear that they were undercover officers. However, Bear's true motive in diverging all this is also unclear and what his secret agenda is is still unknown.

"Can I leave my toys with you?" Leggo asked Sanic. "I want it to be my promise that I'm coming back and that you and I are friends forever." He told the hedgehog and Sanic smiled at him.

"I'd like that," Sanic replied and Leggo curled up his fingers but left his pinky finger out and Sanic did the same and they intertwined their pinkies making a pinky promise.

"Leggo," Bear stressed his name deliberately. "I think you'll make an excellent addition to our community." He remarked and Leggo smiled at him. Merrik caught on to what he was doing by only inviting Leggo back but so far he had been excluded.

So he wondered what made him different that he wasn't invited back. There were others here that he observed that were closed off like he was around strangers while Leggo was openly happy and making friends when he got the chance. Although he kept focusing on the hedgehog and his friendship with him. Could that be the key?! Or maybe because Leggo seemed too trusting and was someone that Bear could easily manipulate.

"Can my brother join?" Leggo asked innocently and Merrik squinted his eyes wondering if Leggo could read minds or did he just have amazing intuition.

"I dunno he doesn't seem to want to be here and I'm not about to force him to join us. I'll have a talk with him before you both leave and see what his feelings are." Bear replied then he excused himself and started to walk away then turned back.

"You both are free to walk around and check things out. Sanic you can guide Leggo and BH you will guide Largo. Feel free to go anywhere you please but once sundown hits I expect to see you both back in my office and we'll discuss your departure and possible return. Understood?" he asked firmly and everyone agreed. The white wolf walked over to Merrik as Sanic grabbed Leggo's paw and asked if he wanted to see where he lived. Leggo agreed and they ran off as the wolf watched him waiting for a response

"So, what kinda stuff do you have around here?" Merrik finally asked as the silence was becoming uncomfortable.

"Everything a normal city has we got too. We have stores and businesses and places to eat. It really is no different than any other city except we are all rare white fur species... well most of us are but we have a few norms here too."

"By norms you mean normal fur species?" Merrik asked.

"Yup, here let me take you to the shopping district." BH gestured and Merrik followed his escort.

Bear sat at his desk as Merrik and Leggo were brought to him as the sun was setting. Each made mental notes of everything they saw and experienced to report back to Lou with later. Sanic keep things light and brought Leggo to all the fun places and Merrik was shown how The White Tower was no different than any other place and heard suggestions of the best places to find jobs.

Sanic and BH left once the guests entered the office and the supposed brothers put the parkas back on. Bear was at his desk smiling with his paws folded on the desktop.

"So how was it?" he asked them and Leggo launched into going to Sanic's house and all the stuff he saw. Merrik did the same talking about the shopping district and the restaurants. He explained his fascination with fine dining.

"I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves but before you both leave we need to get down to business. First off you will leave in the same manner you arrived in. Sanic will hand you the hoods and he'll sit with you while BH drives you back. This is for the safety of everyone here because of the recent fake news that was spread by untrustworthy species that shall remain nameless. I started this so word of our location doesn't reach them so they can charge in and hurt my children.

Leggo, I think you could make a comfortable home for yourself here and you would be welcomed but Largo... I have my suspicions. Still I wouldn't be following the three principals if I just threw you away because you look like you don't want to be here. I desperately hope that you prove me wrong. But there are a few things we need to clear up if you hope to ever be allowed to return.

The first thing is that you tell us your real names and I will conduct a thorough background check on you both. You can hate me all you want but it's what I do for all my children in order to keep them safe. I'm sure you can appreciate the need for wanting to have a place where you don't have to worry about being bullied or persecuted because of your fur color. You two aren't the first to come to us with fake names and you won't be the last." Bear stated.

"What if our adults that gave birth to us named us something like 'White Piece of Shit' do you really want us to tell you that?" Leggo asked as he remembered that Lyon's adult named him 'White Disaster' to belittle him even though he and Dash now use that name as a strength to show they are better than a weak, feeble, old alpha lion who lost out on having the best son in the world. The same went with Tyger also because one day he will show how he is amazing just like his husband Lou is and the adults that sold him as a slave will realize the treasure they lost.

"Yes, but I promise no one else will ever learn of it! I can make a concession due to something like that but I do need to know who you two really are." Bear replied and he passed two business cards to them.

"My personal number to call if you want to join us. This time you will be speaking to me directly so we have no misunderstandings and no one else needs to know who you really are unless you want them to.

In order to join us, I have an indoctrination period where I will train you and teach you so that you accept the Three Principals as a way of life. I train you personally and while it'll be grueling it's for your betterment and after I feel you have completed it you will be given the option to either join us or reject us. If you accept you will become my children and the others here are your siblings. I will have you call me Papa Bear and like a good father I will b e available for you anytime you need me.

Should you refuse, then we bid you farewell and will send you home and you will never hear from us again. The choice is yours entirely how much effect you want to put in and if you want to belong with others like yourselves.

I can't tell you how long it will take to train you because depending on how your home where you were raised was, it can vary. My indoctrination is like a father raising a child and my goal is to be the father that may have rejected and hurt you because of your white fur.

If you wish to continue then call me and we'll see about moving forward but if not then it was a pleasure meeting you both and I wish you the best." Bear concluded and both Leggo and Merrik looked at the business card before they exited and put on the hoods to return home.

To Be Continued...