Intro

Story by Aslan Printy on SoFurry

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#1 of Lupine Assassin


Auren opened his eyes blearily as the familiar opening guitar lines of "Click, Click, Boom" blasted through his earphones. Growling a little, he jerked his paw instinctively to his mp3 player and hit the off button, silencing Saliva instantly. He pulled the earphones out of his ears and dropped his mp3 player into his duffel bag. Auren yawned and stretched his arms, flexing his biceps before clenching his paws into fists, smiling as he heard the satisfying popping of his knuckles. Sliding off the edge of the bed, he balled his paws as he leaned back and twisted his spine, listening to all the pops it made. He raised a paw up to his face and used his claw to dig out the shit stuck in his tear ducts, wiping the residue on the sheets.

Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he twisted his neck before raising a paw to massage it slightly.With a sigh, he walked across the room to the bathroom and flipped the light switch next to the mirror, squinting his eyes as the florescent light shone through the plastic casing. He glanced at the mirror for a moment, watching his reflection distort as it neared the edges. He raised his paw to his head and smoothed his mass of aqua head fur back, which didn't work too well as it sprang back up in tangles. Shaking his head in disgust he turned to his right, looking past the toilet to the shower stall. Leaning inside, he stretched his paw and twisted the knob so hot water would come out before leaning back so the freezing water wouldn't get on his fur while it heated up. Padding silently back into the bedroom he knelt next to the bed and rummaged through his faded green duffel bag, pulling out travel-size containers of shampoo, conditioner, and soap. With a shake of his head to clear the fur from his eyes he stood back up and walked into the bathroom, smiling as he spots faint wisps of steam streaming from the top of the stall.

Stepping gingerly into the stall, Auren soaked his paws first with the water on the tile, then his chest and arms as he stepped into the stream of boiling water pouring from the showerhead. Closing his eyes, he ducks his head into the stream and slicks back his headfur, flicking his ears inadvertently as water dropped onto them. Opening his eyes, he pours some shampoo into his paw and rubs it on his fur, scrubbing it vigorously until a nice lather forms, at which point he steps back into the flowing water and rinses it out. Grabbing a bar of soap, he starts scrubbing his arms, making his way up to his shoulders and back before reaching back around and scrubbing his chest, working the soap through his ashen fur. Leaning down, he scrubs the fur on his footpaws before working up his muscled calves to his thighs; with a slight murr, he runs the soap around his sheath and up his chiseled abs before setting the soap aside and stepping closer to the water, rinsing himself completely of the perfumed suds covering his form.

Stretching his neck once more he grasps the conditioner and squeezes out a good amount into one paw and slicks it through his head fur, spiking it slightly in an effort to make sure it was all covered before dipping his head back into the stream and completely rinsing it off. With a sigh, he shuts off the knob and grabs a towel hanging on the edge of the glassed side of the stall, first rubbing his head fur and face vigorously before wrapping it around his waist and stepping out of the shower and making his way over to the sink, leaving damp paw prints on the tan linoleum floor.

Glancing up at the mirror, Auren wipes off the steamed-over surface until he can see his reflection fairly well: ash-hued fur, electric aqua head fur, bright green eyes, and a piercing in both of his ears: gleaming pewter 2/3 rings with bright green tips. He was a remarkable specimen of a wolf-anthro. He stood a remarkable 6'3'' in height, and weighed a muscular 210lbs; thick neck attached to his broad shoulders, bulging biceps at his sides, chiseled chest resting atop a smooth washboard abdomen which melded into his sculpted legs. Glancing away from the mirror, he smoothed his head fur back between his ears and pads into the bedroom. Grabbing a pair of boxers, jeans, and a Rammstein t-shirt from his duffel bag, he puts them on, taking special care not to bind his tail in his pants and boxers, instead, poking it carefully through holes that he'd cut in them.

Turning back to his bag, Auren digs deeper into it and pulls aside a smallish plastic container containing his dual Heckler & Koch Mk. 23 pistols and focuses his attention on the long, slim plastic case, which he grasps and pulls out of the bag. Setting the case on the bed, he flips the two latches and opens the top-half, revealing an oily black Barrett M98 rifle, broken into pieces. This was a premium piece of weaponry: chambered for deadly .338 Lapua rounds, semiautomatic firing capability, and a firing range of 1200 meters, this was exceptionally formidable, especially when used in the right paws. Grabbing the super-light polyamide plastic base, he quickly assembles it with the rest of the rifle before attaching a bipod and a laser under the tip of the barrel and a 10x magnified scope to the top. Standing up, he leans against the wall nearest him and flicks on the laser before peering through the scope and zeroing it in quickly. Padding over to the single window in the room, he pulls up the blinds, squinting in the sudden light before resting the rifle on the wall and walking to the bed and grasping his Palm Pilot, turning it on and scrolling through his list, checking the one entry marked for 8am of that day. He closes his eyes as he reviewed the plan once more in his mind.

Stephen Palmer was a prominent senator from New York who had been an outspoken opponent of Embarq, the nation's leading pharmaceutical and medical research company, which also was the only company that dared to dabble in anthro-breeding programs. The same company that created me, Auren thought with anger as he unconsciously balled his fists up. Well, to be an outspoken opponent was an understatement; for as long as Embarq had been around, Palmer was there to try to impede their progress every step of the way. At first it was cutting public funding, which worked until interested parties gladly donated money for R & D. After that trick failed, Palmer dipped lower and lower, trying to make sure Embarq was shut down. In public speeches, he proudly announced his contempt for people tied to the corporation in any way, shape, or form. Not to mention he showed his absolute disgust for the science being conducted within Embarq's walls. As bad as that all sounded on paper, he was far worse in person. Auren had personally uncovered evidence years ago of Palmer's involvement in the execution of any captured anthro, whether from the US or not.

Embarq was a now-private company funded by all-private sources, mostly scientists that advocated the practice of unrestricted stem-cell research and cloning. They started small, cloning random animals and researching the secrets of stem cells before moving on to gene splicing. That was where they garnered nearly all of their profits. As soon as the government learned of the advances they were making in the field, senior military officials approached the company about a contract; eager for a client as prestigious and rich, Embarq quickly accepted.

The work was simple, not to mention intriguing. They quickly made advances in splicing and soon were implementing the changes into human subjects that volunteered themselves for about five thousand dollars per test. The volunteers, who sometimes did the tests without pay for being so thrilled about the possibilities, were granted random abilities; some were given the hearing of a feline, some the sight of a hawk, and others the scent of a wolf. This continued for about fifteen years until the technology became so advanced that the scientists were able to make complete hybrids. These hybrids were human test subjects that volunteered themselves to the program, mostly for the benefits they would receive once the procedure was complete, others because they needed money. Benefits were amazing in and amongst themselves: canines had heightened hearing and scent abilities, felines had the typical traits of stealth, extraordinary balance, and keen eyesight. The precious few who chose to entertain the avian program were given growth hormones that substantially increased their chest and arm muscles, while also growing feathers on their arms.

The military liked the idea very much, what with genetically engineered anthros being at their disposal if they so chose; and they did choose to utilize it. Pentagon officials contacted the president of Embarq and sold their cause successfully; within two years Embarq was inducting soldiers into its program and churning out anthros with heightened senses. Auren happened to be one of those. He was a crack PFC in the Marines before being contacted by his superior about the program. Interestingly enough, he was told exactly what was involved, and that he would likely be shunned by the general populace. Casting those thoughts aside in favor of the benefits, Auren chose to go through with the program, and after nearly three months of testing, procedures, and recuperation, he was released from Embarq as he was now, an anthro wolf.

Auren shook his head and opened his eyes once more, taking a quick glance at his watch. Palmer always started work at 7am sharp, punctual bastard that he was, but he never actually went into his office until 8 o'clock to start official business. Shit, it's already 7:57! He rushed back to the window and cracked open the bottom 4 inches before he picked up the M98 and reached behind him onto the bed and groped around until he found the silencer in the M98's case and quickly screwed the custom-made piece onto the tip of the rifle. Resting the rifle's bipod on the window ledge, he glanced through the scope and squinted, doing his best to ignore the mid-morning glare from the Sun. Swiveling around quickly, he spotted Palmer's building and focused in on the senator's office. Auren reached up to his scope and twisted the knob; Palmer's head, protected by only a slim layer of glass, enlarged 4-fold in his sight.

Closing his left eye he pulls the rifle in tight to his shoulder and lets his right index claw hover on the trigger, making tiny corrections automatically as they flew through his mind. Auren scanned carefully until he was sure nobody else was in the office, then assumed his stance and wedged in next to the window. He pulled back for a moment and blinked, Maria's face swimming through his mind's eye as he remembered the cheetah. Auren blinks once as a tear slips down his fur, leaving a damp trail, as he remembered the experiences they had shared with one another in Italy only a few short months ago. I did it, babe, I made him pay.

He takes a deep breath slowly and centers his crosshairs on top of the bald spot on the man's head before pulling gently on the trigger. He feels rather than hears the near-silent explosion as the enormous rifle bucks in his paws, throwing off his balance for a split second. He watches as first the bullet punches through the glass cleanly, leaving nary a hint of spider-cracks, and then rips through Palmer's head. At first the skull seemed to cave in on itself, a red split formed for a moment on the top of Palmer's head, the entire skull seemed to cave in on itself before exploding into red, white, and flesh-colored bits over his desk.

Fuck you... Auren smirked as he looked on at the scene for a few seconds before sliding the rifle inside and poked his head outside, checking to see if anyone had heard the soft pop of the bullet as it fired. A few women in their twenties jogged along with music playing in their mp3's and appeared to be oblivious to everything, a middle-aged woman walking with her toddler child, and a man playing an accordion on the street corner in front of a bucket. Satisfied, Auren ducked his head inside.

He quickly disassembled the rifle and placed it into the case before jamming it into his duffel bag with his clothes, zipping the top shut. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he opened the door and padded quietly into the hallway, closing the door silently behind him. Walking swiftly down the hall he made his way to the stairs and hopped down them two steps at a time. Hitting the bottom step, he padded past the front desk and stops for a moment to drop a five hundred dollar bill in front of the surprised clerk who was, amazingly enough, a young, bored-looking female leopard. "This is for room number 312," he said with a broad smile as he shook his head, getting the aqua strands clear of his vision. "Keep the change....if you're working here I'm sure you could use it," he said as he walked off, pondering whether it was smart to leave such a large amount of cash for her, seeing as it might call attention to him when the senator was found dead.

Shrugging it off, he pushed through the front door and walked nonchalantly down the sidewalk until he came to his car, a '97 Acura 3.0CL. The 3.0 6-cylinder engine was scrapped in favor of cramming Porsche's 3.4 flat-6 in the engine bay and mating it to a hybrid rear-wheel drive platform. It was outfitted with the latest performance options: new exhaust system, turbocharger that increased output by twenty-five percent, and a chip that deactivated the limiter. Capable of 185 miles per hour and scrambling from zero-to-sixty in four seconds flat it was surely no slouch. Inside the cockpit there was even more technology: state-of-the-art police scanner which included a GPS-like system showing all available cops within a maximum twenty-five mile radius, slick six-speed short-shift transmission, and two liter-sized bottles of nitrous hooked up to the fuel line resting where the passenger seat should've been. Auren smiled, remembering the last time this car had gotten him out of a tight squeeze; though not much to look at, she surely impressed any police officer who dared pull him over while behind the wheel.

Using the automatic door locks 5 yards away, he grabs the door and pulls it open, effortlessly swinging his bag into the back row as he slides into the driver's seat and closes the door behind him. Slipping his key into the ignition, he depresses the clutch and turns the key, rewarded by a smooth growl from the muffler as the engine purred to life. Smiling, Auren jerked the gearshift into 1st and smoothly pulled out into the lot before turning the radio on to the nearest news show.

"Well that sounds like quite the weekend we have coming up, doesn't it?" some crackpot DJ babbled on in that infuriating fake-happy voice that Auren hated. "...well let's get on to the sports, here with us today is Dan Ba-, wait, hang on, my manager is just alerting me to some breaking news. Ladies and gentlemen we have breaking news, not two minutes ago we received confirmation that New York Senator Stephen Palmer was assassinated in his office here in downtown Lopwick. Repeat, Senator Palmer was assassinated mere minutes ago in his downtown office. Police are already on their way to the scene and are closing off all available exits for a five-mile radius to perform background checks on everyone..." the stream continued on.

"FUCK!" screamed Auren as he banged his paw against the steering wheel. "How the fuck could they have already known he was dead? I just blew his brains out not ten minutes ago! There must have been someone in the room that I missed.....no, I checked, there wasn't..." he said as he shook his head, jerking the wheel to the right and turning onto a larger road in an attempt to find his way to US 78, his default exit road. Using his GPS, he finds Bluemont, a road that leads him directly to 78, and cuts across a few side-streets before cranking the wheel to the right as he made the turn. "We're almost home, babe," Auren says with a smirk as he pats the dashboard.

Accelerating from a stoplight, his smile disappeared almost instantly as he saw a police car make a quick 90-degree slide onto the wolf's side of the road, cutting off Auren and the car in front of him. Slowing down obediently, Auren stops behind the car in front of him and puts his car in neutral as he waits for the drama to continue. As he waited, Auren kept a close eye on the officer and was surprised to see that he checked the entire car in front of him, rummaging through the driver's purse and a few shopping bags. Looking guiltily back at his duffel, Auren swallowed what felt like a gallon of saliva. "Fuck...I'm screwed if I stay here..." he whispered to himself. Auren glanced back at the cop and scowled as he got finished with the woman ahead of him and started sauntering in the Acura's direction. Fuck this, outrunning cops without them getting a description is better than them trying to arrest me for having a fucking duffle full of guns in my possession.

Auren reached his paw down and jammed the gearshift into 1st, ramming the gas pedal to the floor as he let his paw off the clutch abruptly, causing the CL to lurch forward. The rear tires spun wildly, spewing silvery wisps of smoke as the rear end slewed to the side, unable to gain traction with the gobs of horsepower the engine emitted. With a squeal the tires finally bit into the pavement just as Auren cranked the steering wheel to his right, narrowly avoiding the officer that had to jump to get out of harm's way. Flooring the gas, Auren let the engine rumble to 6500rpms before he dumped the gearshift into second and was forced back into his seat from the sheer power. Tearing through an intersection, barely speeding in front of cross-traffic, Auren smoothly aimed the CL for the on-ramp, seatbelt cutting into his chest with the angle of the incline together with the acceleration of the engine. Looking into his rear-view, he noticed a flashing pair of blue and red lights in it and grumbled to himself. Fine...if you think you can handle this bitch, bring it.

Auren checked his left mirror for oncoming traffic and nearly clipped a sedan as he merged onto the highway at nearly 85 miles per hour, stomping the clutch to the floor as he shoved the gearshift forward into third, smiling as the engine quieted a bit before roaring as soon as the gear was engaged. Cutting across two lanes, Auren floored the gas once more and sped up to 115 mph before switching into 4th gear. Glancing for a split second in his rear-view, Auren noticed the annoying flashes of light and the faint call of the siren. "Motherfucker..." he muttered as he swerved sharply to avoid rear-ending a sedan, tires protesting loudly at the action. Glancing up at the road again, he shook his head. Oops, that was close...

Auren peered further up the highway. "Shit....." he grumbled as he saw a small mass of traffic. I should've thought about commuter traffic. He slowed the CL down slowly as he approached a collection of cars in front of him, effectively sealing all three lanes of the highway. "Come on, move the fuck up!" he growled as he checked his rearview mirror once more and was disappointed to see that the police cruiser was closing in on him, fast.

"I'm sorry babe, I really am," he murmured as he patted the dashboard softly before switching lanes to tail a hatchback. Auren accelerated smoothly until his front bumper connected with the hatchback's gently, then gunned the engine, forcing the smaller vehicle to move up much quicker than the driver would have ever gone of his own volition. As soon as Auren had cleared enough room to change lanes he jammed the brakes then swerved the wheel to the right, dumping the other car immediately and leaving the other driver pissed, as was heard by the repeated high-pitched horn blasts. Auren glanced into his side-view mirror and smiled a little before he punched the gas pedal and soared off, thankful for the temporary breach in traffic. He let the engine drop off around 120mph and coasted for a little while before a faint whirring noise caught his attention, looking over his shoulder he growled at the sight of the same police cruiser that he'd let behind earlier. Don't these guys know when to quit?

Moving hastily, Auren grasped the gearshift and jerked it back into 4th gear as he punched the gas, resulting in an explosion of power that temporarily knocked the wind out of him as the seatbelt cut into his chest. Resting one paw on the steering wheel and keeping his eyes glued on the road, Auren groped blindly behind him and finally grabbed the handle of his duffel bag, swinging it up and placing it on the floorboard next to the nitrous tanks. Averting his eyes from the road for a moment, Auren quickly zipped open the bag and grabbed a medium sized gray case and thumbed open the tab before jamming the gearshift into 5th, mildly aware of the engine's increasing pitch.

Inside the case was a glistening silver-toned pistol, overly large, with a black grip inlined into the handle; a Desert Eagle .50 caliber handgun, well, handcannon is more like it. Pulling it out of the case and resting the massive gun on one leg, Auren reached back into the case, under where the pistol had rested, and pulled out the two clips that laid within. He shoved one of the clips halfway into the pocket of his jeans and, using his left knee to steer, grabbed the pistol with one paw and slid the clip home, hearing a satisfying click as it locked itself in. He thumbed the safety off and jerked the slide back, smiling a little at the soft ka-chink it made as the first bullet was locked into place. Auren rested the gun on his lap and glanced into the rearview mirror once more, a frown crossing his face as he saw that the cruiser had managed to keep up with him; he looked down at his speedometer and was surprised to see that he was only cruising at 135mph. Heh, you want to play? Keep up with th-

Auren jerked forward as the entire car seemed to backfire. "What the fuck?!" he exclaimed before glancing over his shoulder and saw that the cruiser was right behind him, preparing to ram his car once more. "Aw HELL no!" he said as he downshifted quickly into 4th while trying to keep the CL from fishtailing too badly. Before he let off the clutch, however, he was slammed forward again, the seatbelt pressing painfully into his chest. Holy shit these guys mean business...

Auren grabbed the steering wheel and barely kept the CL from sliding out of control, letting one paw off the wheel to grab the Desert Eagle securely in his paws. He was glanced over his shoulder and checked to see where the cruiser was...but it was gone. "...the fuck?!" Auren muttered before he whipped his head and looked out his left window to see the shit-eating grin of the cop not six feet from him. He instinctively ducked, trying to keep his features hidden before he realized that his windows were tinted too deeply. Auren glanced at the near-empty road in front of him, then back at the cop, who pointed a finger at the car and waved it to the side of the road.

Auren switched the gun into his left paw and reached into his duffel bag once more until he felt the familiar wool fabric of his ski mask. Personally, he hated it, but there were times when it was needed, and this was one of those times. He grabbed the cap in one paw and stretched it over his face until it was completely covered, being careful around his maw so he wouldn't stretch the fabric so much that it broke. He mashed his paw on the window control button and it slid down electronically. Looking out the window, Auren saw the cop making the same "pull-over" motion that he had done earlier. He kept the steering wheel steady with his knee as he jutted his left paw out the window and flipped the cop off, smirking as the officer's smile faded into a twisted scowl before Auren grabbed his Desert Eagle with his other paw and aimed it directly at the cop's head before he was jerked forward once more, gasping for air as he lost his grip on the pistol and it dropped to the floor.

Auren glared at the cop as he worked to straighten the CL out with his knee, but saw that the cop's attention was behind both cars, and that a stunned expression now creased his features. Auren glanced in his rearview mirror just in time to see a man in a black suit holding something that looked like a nightstick lean out of the passenger window of a black Lincoln before his rear window was blown into shards from the shotgun blast.

"SHIT!" Auren yelped as he felt a sharp searing all over his right paw, arm, and shoulder as still-smoldering glass fragments dug into his skin, instantly welling blood from around the edges. Fuck, Palmer's goons... A second blast was all Auren heard as his windshield seemed to implode on itself, sending most of the shards forward and out of his way while leaving a small cloud that was easily blown back onto him from the speed he was currently traveling. Auren raised his arm in front of his face in an attempt to protect it as most of the glass impacted harmlessly on his bloody arm. He reached down for his gearshift, his arm protesting rather painfully, and jerked the gear into 2nd, his paw feeling like it was going to explode from the pain. Auren let off the clutch abruptly and tried to speed away from his pursuers, glancing down, he noticed what looked like a 3'' sliver of glass buried in the top of his paw, and what felt like a whole inch inside it.

Auren winced as he flexed his paw before glancing into his rearview, noticing that the cop had backed up a good half mile while the Lincoln was still on his bumper. Just as he glanced back down to pick up the pistol, though, Auren noticed the Lincoln swerve to one side of his car and speed up. He tried to punch the gas but it was too late for any action, the Lincoln rammed it's front fender into the CL's quarter panel, sending the car into a spin. Gripping the wheel tightly with one paw and the pistol in his other, Auren fought to maintain control of the car; taking notice of his spin direction, he dropped the Desert Eagle next to the gearshift and jerked it painfully into reverse, causing the entire car to shudder as it's transmission jammed momentarily before slipping into reverse. He grabbed the pistol in his right paw, keeping his other paw on the steering wheel as he kept the car in control.

The man with the shotgun, who was again leaning out the passenger window, had a shocked impression on his face at the save Auren had made. Taking advantage of the temporary lull, Auren stretched out his right arm, pain searing through it with each movement, and quickly centered his sights on shotgun man and pulled the trigger once. A thunderous crash filled the air as the giant handgun bucked crazily in Auren's paw as he saw shotgun man's chest seem to utterly explode in a spray of red. The man's black suit was completely obliterated where the bullet wound was and his white shirt underneath was already seeping with blood. Smiling at the faint cry of agony he heard emanate from the man, he quickly sighted once more and pulled the trigger. Unfortunately for shotgun man, his driver decided to swerve the Lincoln to his left, causing Auren's shot, which was aimed for the man's heart, to hit him square in his right shoulder, sending him clear of the window he was leaning out of from the sheer force of the impact along with the G-forces from the swerve. Auren looked at the man long enough to see his knee get crushed under the rear wheel of the Lincoln before he turned his attention to the driver, who hid behind a darkly tinted windshield. Auren smirked and fired two quick shots, both cracking the windshield as they hit the near-bulletproof glass. "Shit...." Auren muttered as he glanced behind him quickly to ascertain there was no immediate traffic, then glanced back and took aim once more at the Lincoln's windshield.

He followed the Lincoln's swerves calmly and finally zeroed in between where his first two bullets has lodged and pulled the trigger, the Desert Eagle bucking in his paw as he saw the windshield finally explode in on itself as the third .50 caliber bullet impacted. Auren smirked as he aimed carefully at the man behind the steering wheel and pulled the trigger two more times quickly, watching as the first caught the man dead in his chest, forcing him back into his seat as the second ripped through the man's throat, sending a fine spray of blood everywhere before the man slumped over his steering wheel, causing the Lincoln to jerk towards the concrete center barrier and crunch against it, slowing it down for good.

Auren released the clip and dropped the handgun onto the floor as he rested his paw on the leather gearshift and jerked the steering wheel to his left, forcing the CL into an abrupt 180-degree spin. He slammed his paw down on the gas and let up on the clutch, smiling as the Porsche engine roared to life, accelerating the car effortlessly. Auren glanced into his rearview and was surprised to see that the police cruiser was no longer behind him. Wincing at the pain in his paw as he maneuvered the gearshift into 2nd, and then 3rd, Auren looked around for his exit. "Come on, where are you?" he asked no one in particular as he peered at the green exit billboards until he found his street, pulling smoothly into the exit lane before navigating his way home, incessantly on the lookout for any police cruiser that might try and pull him over for having both of his windshields blown clean out.

Auren sighed as he drove deeper into the industrial side of the town until he spotted his warehouse standing all by itself at the end of the road. Auren pulled the CL into the side bay, which served as a makeshift garage, and braked abruptly as he saw another car in his place: a dark red Pontiac GTO. He furrowed his brow and immediately pulled in beside the other car, cramping the double garage-sized bay. Shutting the car off, Auren slowly opened his door, stripped off his ski mask, and grabbed everything in the car and shoved it in his duffel bag before sliding his other clip in the Desert Eagle and cocking it silently. He closed his car door and slipped around the back of the GTO, making note of the rental plates on the back. Padding silently on the concrete until he reached the door leading inside the warehouse, he noticed that the padlock he used was laying on the ground, obviously picked. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit... Auren silently opened the door, glad that he had finally gotten around to oiling the hinges a mere week ago, bright florescent light pouring out as he peered in, keeping the pistol gripped firmly in his paws.

The warehouse was Auren's main home whenever he was in the US. He had bought it back when he first started his mercenary work with the savings he had accumulated from his stint in the Marines. It was a literal scrapheap at first, but with some attention to key areas, Auren had literally transformed it into the perfect safehouse. There were two rooms dedicated to weapons alone, one giant portion was the garage where he maintained and upgraded many of his automobiles, and the rest Auren had built into a very comfortable house. There were three bedrooms, two baths, a large kitchen with heaps of industrial-grade equipment, and an enormous living/entertaining room where Auren spent all of his free time, whether watching movies, playing videogames, perusing the Internet, keeping tabs on all of his clients, or even kicking back and reading a book in his spare time.

Auren padded carefully into his laundry room, squinting at the bright light that emanated from the kitchen, which was connected by a short hallway. He gripped the desert Eagle firmly in both paws that throbbed dully, keeping the muzzle pointed at the floor so if he twitched from a scare, he wouldn't hurt much at all if he pulled the trigger on accident. Padding silently over the tan hued linoleum, Auren made his way into the kitchen, ears perked at the sound of what appeared to be a football game coming from the living room. He hunkered down and crept beside the island in the middle of the kitchen, melding against the medium oak cabinets before peering around the edge of the island into the living room. Sure enough, he saw his TV on, squinting, he noticed it was a recent game that he had taped for a bet he had placed. He leaned further around and noticed that there was a backpack that was most certainly not his on the far wall of the living room resting next to the entertainment center the TV was located in. Who the fuck is this? Breaking into my house to catch a football game...either the world's laziest burglar or someone much worse.

Auren took one more step around the island before padding slowly towards the living room, keeping his paws firmly in control of the handgun in his paws so it wouldn't shake too much. Just as he passed the entryway into the living room, paws now comforted by the luscious touch of carpet, he swung the Desert Eagle around and pointed it directly at his couch, the only piece of seating furniture in the room besides his standalone swivel chair, which sat at his computer desk. Furrowing his brow, Auren was about to mutter a curse under his breath when he heard a toilet flush and then a door open from directly down the hall that led to all three bedrooms and the accompanying bathrooms. Swiveling his footpaws, Auren swung into a kneeling stance and kept his gun trained on the hallway, where from the darkness padded a dingo. The male stopped dead in his tracks and froze, even his tail hanging in midair, not even bothering to rest languidly. "Well, this sure is a nice surprise," the dingo said in a light Australian accent as he smirked. "I haven't seen you in over two months and this is how you greet a mate, huh? By getting ready to blow a giant bloomin' hole in his chest?" Auren blinked a few times and shook his head, immediately releasing his hold on the trigger and thumbing the safety on as he stood back up, shrugging off the duffel bag from around his shoulder and dropping the gun on top. "Holy shit, Raush, you have to give me more notice when you decide to pop in," Auren said as he gave the dingo a once over.

Raush was dressed in a simple pair of faded jeans, a black t-shirt that had "Sure our weather is fucked down under, but at least we got cool shit!" printed boldly on the front in red text., and nothing on his footpaws. He stood roughly six feet in height and was pretty toned, his pecs pressing noticeably against his shirt. He was covered in a thin layer of tan fur, with a mass of naturally auburn headfur that flowed back down and ended at the base of his neck.

Raush gave Auren a frown as the dingo took in the wolf's features, noticing that the grey fur was now a mass of maroon and black on the right side of his body. "Oh yeah? Well I think I'm more entitled to you giving me a heads-up when you decide to go fucking around, and don't tell me you weren't...what was it this time?" he asked as he padded over to Auren and grasped the wolf's arm gently, inspecting all the glass that was embedded in it, some a dark shade of red that had scabbed over, others a brighter shade that glistened as light shone on the fresh blood.

Auren frowned and winced a little, his arm still felt like it had been dipped in acid. "You remember Maria, right?" he asked hopefully. Raush nodded his head but didn't look up as he continued to gently poke and prod the glass.

"Yeah, I remember her...hot little bitch. Would've pounced her in a second myself if I wasn't....well, you know," the dingo said as he glanced up for a moment with a wink. "It's a shame what Palmer did to her, and you too if you hadn't gotten away. I'm still waiting the day that I get a clear shot at the fat fuck, I swear it wouldn't be wasted." Auren nodded at this comment before growling and jerking his arm out of the dingo's hold, grimacing as even more pain shot through his arm at the agitation.

"Fuck...well, I'm sorry to say that you won't get a shot at Palmer, man. That's where I've been today. I finally got shot to take him down and I did," Auren said, causing Raush to glance up at this, a shocked expression crossing his face. "You mean you actually did it? Today?!" the dingo asked as he blinked a few times. Auren nodded his head slowly as he gestured with his left paw towards the TV. "If you hadn't been watching old shit like this game you'd have known...it's probably plastered all over the news right now," the wolf said as he started padding towards the bathroom, leaving the stunned dingo to fumble with the remote.

Auren walked down the hall into his bedroom and didn't even take notice of the room as he padded into his bathroom. He stripped off his shoes and socks then proceeded to kick them into a corner. His claws made light clicking noises on the cream colored tile as he flipped on a light, padding over to the giant mirror that lined one wall. He grimaced at the view. His aqua headfur was matted down and had a greasy look to it, his shirt had a yin-yang look to it: one side completely fine and the other sliced apart in places and matted down in blood at others. Auren leaned closer to the mirror and cocked his head, glancing at his right ear, frowning at the small incisions he saw cut into the edges of it from what must have been the rear window. He then turned sideways and examined his arm: it was almost completely matted and in many places damp, glass stuck out at odd angles in his fur and he noticed a few drops of blood still dripping from around his paw.

"Shit man, looks like you had a fun time, pulled it off quite easily, too," Raush said, causing Auren to jump a little as he turned around and saw the dingo leaning against the doorway. The wolf turned back to the mirror and furrowed his brow as he poked at the large shard of glass stuck in his right paw. Wincing, he growled softly and kneeled down, grabbing a bottle of peroxide from under the sink and a bag of cotton balls. Auren opened the bottle of peroxide and pulled a cotton ball out of the bag and was about to reach for the shard in his paw when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned around to see Raush looking at him with a concerned expression on his face, the dingo had one paw on Auren's shoulder and the other on his left paw.

"Let me handle that..." Raush said as he grabbed the cotton ball, soaking it in peroxide before turning his attention to the large shard in Auren's paw. "Shit man, when you decide to get fucked up, you sure do it right," the dingo trailed off as he grabbed the glass gingerly and wiggled it, furrowing his brow as he pulled it gently out, leaving a sticky mass of red fur in it's wake. Raush grinned as he dropped the shard with a faint plink into the sink bowl before turning his attention back to the wound, squeezing the ball first so the peroxide seeped into the wound, then rubbed the soaked cotton over the wound as Auren growled, closing his eyes and grimacing with the pain. Glancing up at the growl, Raush smirked. "Lookit you, trying to act all big and bad with that growl, put up with the pain you little pussy," the dingo said with a chuckle as he moved his way up to another large shard stuck in Auren's arm.

After about an hour of deep concentration from Raush, Auren's arm was soon de-glassed. The pain was still there, but the intensity was dulled. The wolf's arm was now covered in white gauze in places as a precaution to the wounds opening up later. Auren smiled at the dingo and nodded. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it...would've been a bitch to do this all by myself," he admitted.

Raush smirked and ruffled Auren's headfur, running his digits through the soft fur. "No worries, man. Can't just barge into your house and not help ya pick glass out of your arm, wouldn't be very...houseguest-like of me." Auren closed his eyes and leaned into the rubbing, murring softly. The dingo quirked his brow and dug his claws deeper in the wolf's fur. "Wolfy like?" he asked with a smirk. Auren smiled a little and pulled out from under the dingo's paw and padded out of the bathroom without a word, trailing a paw behind him, digits outstretched until the dingo filled them with his own paw.

They padded down the hallway where Auren sat down on the couch as Raush walked into the kitchen, screwed around for a few minutes, and then came back with two shot glasses and a bottle of Skyy. Auren grinned at the sight and kicked a few newspapers off the coffee table in front of the couch, clearing room for the bottle. "Mmmm, so romantic," Auren said caustically as he smirked. "Oh yeah? Well nobody told me this was supposed to be an intimate occasion," Raush snickered as he plopped down on the couch, resting the bottle and glasses on the table before resting his paw on the wolf's thigh and slowly caressing it. "Or is it?"

Auren glanced first at the vodka then turned his gaze on the dingo, smiling as he perked his ears. "Up to you...I enjoyed our last evening together," he said as he placed his paw that wasn't bandaged on top of Raush's. The dingo smiled and slid his paw further up Auren's thigh, tracing it with his claws as he kept moving it closer to the groin of the wolf's jeans, chuckling as he slid his paw over Auren's crotch, feeling the bulge beneath. "Mmmm, been awhile for you, hasn't it?" Raush asked as he wrapped his paw around most of the bulge and squeezed, causing Auren to gasp. Raush smirked at the wolf's reaction as he slowly undid the jeans and pulled down the boxers, revealing Auren's sheath, a few inches of pink already slipping through the tip. The dingo growled lustfully and dug his paw underneath, cupping the wolf's balls in it as he rolled them around before giving them a quick squeeze, causing Auren to tense and grab the couch cushions tightly. Raush grinned and placed one paw against Auren's crotch, pulling the sheath down and revealing more of the wolf's pink shaft before he leaned closer, lightly flicking the tip of the wolf's member with his tongue before wrapping it completely around the throbbing meat and slowly engulfing it in his maw. Auren gasped and tensed slightly before he relaxed and fell back into the couch, half-closing his eyes and murring at the wet warmth around his cock. "Shit...I forgot how good you were at this," Auren murmured as he rested one paw softly on the dingo's head, caressing the fur. Raush came back up for a moment, licking his lips as he grinned. "Oh really? You mean to tell me that you haven't met someone who gives better blowjobs than me, eh? I guess I should take that as a compliment," he said before he tucked his lips over his teeth and slid his maw down Auren's almost fully-engorged member, pressing his damp nose against the wolf's fur and sliding his tongue out over his teeth and lapping gently at the twin orbs hanging lower.

Auren winced and dug his claws into the couch as the dingo slowly pulled off, carefully working his way around the knot forming at the base of the wolf's shaft. Raush curled two digits around the base of the knot and gave a slight tug, exposing more of the wolf's shaft beyond the knot. "Big boy we have here..." Raush said as he snickered, leaning back down and slipping the tip of Auren's cock in his maw as he rubbed the wolf's knot roughly, causing Auren to squirm on the couch. "Oh fuck...keep doing that and I'm going to cum soon," Auren panted as he threw his head back, clenching his jaws tightly together. To this, the dingo leaned forward and wrapped his other paw around the wolf's sac, massaging the twin orbs, giving them a light squeeze now and then. Auren pinned his ears back, folding them closely to his head as he closed his eyes tightly and rested both paws on the dingo's shoulders. "Shit...I'm gonna cum," he whispered as he slid both paws to Raush's head and held him gently as he felt the first waves of his orgasm. Raush pulled tightly on the wolf's knot and sealed his lips tightly around the throbbing cock, murring as he felt it engorge momentarily before it jetted its first waves in his maw, barely registering the wolf's howl as the cum quickly filled what little room the dingo had left in his maw as he swallowed rhythmically, keeping the flow at bay. After the last few waves had passed, the dingo pulled off the wolf's cock, licking from the base all the way to the tip, causing a large drop of cum to emanate from the tip, which he licked off before pushing himself off Auren's lap and wrapping his arms around the wolf's neck, forcing his tongue inside the other's maw. Auren murred deeply as he tasted himself, flicking his tongue lightly against the dingo's as he rested both paws on Raush's back and rubbed gently, grinding his claws in at certain places, causing the dingo to growl softly and arch his back.

Raush pulled out of the kiss slowly and rested his head on Auren's shoulder, licking his lips a few times to catch the last strings of cum that had stuck. "How long are you in town this time, mate?" he asked as he ran a paw down the wolf's chest, riffling the fur with his claws. Auren opened his eyes and sighed softly, resting an arm around the dingo's neck. "About a week...this thing with Palmer was something I'd scheduled my entire month around, on Thursday I have a flight to Scotland; seems they've had some trouble with terrorists in the past and they want my expertise in eliminating them," he said. Raush nodded and closed his eyes, nuzzling into the wolf's neck. "When do you think you can come out to Australia? I've been lonely without you..." he whispered. Auren frowned and pinned his ears back against his skull. "I dunno...I've put aside a lot of contracts to focus on Palmer, so I'd prefer to get maybe three done to pay some bills and buy some new shit before I actually take another vacation. Can you give me perhaps a month?" the wolf asked hopefully. Raush smiled and nipped at Auren. "Sure thing, mate...I'm due back home in five days, so I'll probably leave around the same time you do," he said before bringing a paw to his maw to stifle a yawn. Auren nodded slowly and sat up, letting the dingo get off before he stripped his shirt, jeans, then boxers off, kicking them all onto the floor as he took the dingo's paw and the both padded silently down the hall into the bedroom. As soon as they got past the entryway, Raush shrugged off his tee and kicked off his pants. They both crawled into the queen-size bed and tugged the smooth Egyptian cotton sheets over themselves, Auren snuggling tightly up behind Raush, draping an arm around the dingo's chest. Raush smiled and rubbed his tail against the wolf's chest as he curled an arm around Auren's and interlaced his paw with the wolf's.

Goodnight, babe.