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My Gym Partner's Bro's Tends The Privates Part Six. By Eightane ************************************************* To Will's credit, he never winced, or showed an ounce of regret. What fate and his lack of action brought him, he'd take like the man he knew to be. Wolverine's finger clutched down; and hearing Jerr scream like an imminent widower, he wondered if he'd also hear the shot, before darkness. But the monkey's noise was protest in that he was sure the dolphin wouldn't help by charging for the Colonel. Against the pain, still very much there from before - and against the notion he'd be merciful to one who'd earned otherwise - those legs were blue streaks, as he sprinted towards the gun. There was only time to lunge; all the Colonel saw, was the sleek right arm entering his vision field, outstretched high above, rocketing down as it slapped the cold steel barrel. Jerr's body wracked with shivering fright; Roland's core rolled, in his uncontrolled bellow. Will's jaw dropped with all the rest. But it was done; the dolphin screeched to a halt, just the other side of the Colonel, with the rifle clunking reverbs of its bounce on the dirt. No smoke on the barrel, no hole in Will's chest. The canvassed jock had all the time in the world, while turning around; contrary to the very prior instant, none else made a move or a sound. He was breathless, and with his stare swept to the gorilla, still felt the ache from that fist. But the score was settled, and Will needed nothing more than a look to know the dolphin's mode. Truth unspoken that their butting heads shouldn't be the last deed between them. But in the moment's fever, he'd forgotten the worst he could; the gun still lay on the ground, no one poised to secure it. And breaking gaze with the one he'd launched to save, next he saw was that cylinder of silver, in Jim's hand with stock resting right between his eyes. He wasn't so tactile as Will; wincing, dolphin-teeth gnashed, in the intervening second. This time, it seemed even more a certainty, and the morbid end for both. Until the click of an empty chamber. And then a rustling of the curtain wall. What flew in above their heads was no living thing, as the rising shouts of 'TEAR GAS!!!" enlightened him. It hissed, pouring smoke through the tent; only luck that the walls were so simple and loose, so the many others simply poured out in all directions. Will and Jerr took steps, backwards and shaken; though that's where their actions divided. Jerr turned tail and scampered out; Will stopped short, seeing the officers panic, Jim dropping the gun exactly as his peers might predict. The dolphin stood stiff, just now opening his eyes as the cloud of gas encroached on them, but glued to the ground in stun. Quick as the tattooed soldier'd come to his aid, Will shot forward and wrapped an arm around him, dragging him away and out the back. It'd been no more than half a minute, and all that remained were Jim and the Colonel; their eyes red and leaking, as elephant's knees doubled over, the Wolverine's punches landing square on two beak-shaked indents. Most all soldiers made the same escape; scrambling out, turning to view the ex-pavilion with an odd mental mix; ebbing fear and regret, but a rising bend of amusement. Will did no different, his arm around the dolphin, until they were both a prudent distance. When it was clear the blue male could handle himself, his arm untensed and fell... though with his eyes toward the tent, back outward, he was left to be surprised by the flash of orange, crashing on his ass with a clap. The hand lowered, just as he swung around. The ape perhaps jolted a bit by the straightness of his posture, but it was quickly back to its natural; just as fast as Jerr climbed his legs, swirled around his core like a barber's pole and shrouded Will's lips with his own. A hot, heavy, appreciative french, while the men gradually found them and congregated. They parted faces and viewed the admirable audience; faces of all shapes and sizes, wearing only smiles, some even striking short applause. Will gave his best joking bow as Jerr dropped gently from his neck, landing on his feet to flash a nonexistent gang sign. At least three-fourths of the soldiers were there to see, and laugh; the other, less-easygoing fraction, were busy kicking Seth, the marmoset and the MPs in their tight fatigue-d asses, back to their respective stations. But not one of them, in either case, missed out on that feeling; the simplest victory that revived their hope. Dolphin stood by, the third soul separate from the crowd, even breaking through his own hard 'shell' to form a grin. With Jerr's embrace gone from the gorilla, he marched over and threw his arms around that ally. Far longer than Jerr's show of passion, the most heartfelt hug to come from one like him. Neither actively stopped it; the gesture only melted away to firm pats of each other's shoulders. No words spoken, no words warranted. But Jerr's energy would put an end to silence; as would the task at hand, with David and Windsor still meekly in the back. The younger ape forced a smile, no less glad than Will's 'bestie' for his safety; but the moment wasn't his, as was neither the element around them. He knew he'd have his chance to shower thanks and relief when safely back home. Though as Jerr began to pipe up, his smile beat itself to submission; there was still the matter of their folks, who'd surely expect some answers. The monkey, with no such concern, beamed wide as a Cheshire cat. "Beautiful, man, just cherry. I'd explain a li'l deeper," He batted Will's shin with a wink, "If we weren't pressed to get the hell outta dodge." Though he glanced to David, and the younger simian, he'd already guessed what he'd see. Their timid looks and dropped chins, part-startled and part-awkward, but more than either not hiding their respect. Armadillo was first to move, with Windsor's heels close behind as they overcame their reserve. Will and Jerr well-expected them to show admiring thanks; from the change in their temper, it was a given. What they didn't predict, was David sauntering up to the monkey, one hand craftily behind his back. The first they'd seen of 'sly' on his features, before that mitt moved to his foreground; clutching what he'd taken from inside. Jerr's smile lay as entrenched as ever. "Fuckin' A, my cap!" He set it in place, slightly bobbing his head - a practiced trick - to keep the fur from tangling. "Dude, you're wassup. C'mere-" He leaned forward, just to give the grey male a simple brohug. But David took him one better... and before he quite knew what was happening, Aardvark's chops locked with his, clutching them hard and heartily. From the soldiers, came a hooting, deeper version of a TV-audience-'oooh'. And from Will, a smirk of put-on disapproval. David was quick, but thorough... In that few-second span, he jammed his tongue through the monkey's teeth, swirling like the tease he intended. Windsor kept speechless, his jaw agape but rather close to his brother's amusement, even once they'd parted. It had been so fast and sloppy, both their heads seemed to rocket back just from the energy. David's holding some bend of smoothness, though his natural ways returned in how he nervously scratched his haunches. Jerr, though just-about-incapable of 'nervous', stumbled back like a drunk for one good moment. "F-fuck, man!... I never woulda pinned you..." David's fidgets stilled, just in knowing he hadn't been too forward. "Heh, well that's one way I can count myself like you. It's just not all over how I hold myself." "Hell, any longer and you'da had me holdin' myself." It had only hiked Jerr's vigor, as he gave the aardvark's chest a soft punch. "We gotta be out... You comin' too, or was that just to screw with me?" Windsor, in conflicting emotions, barely kept his head's shake from visible. David's own dipped down, teeth no longer bright in the blazing sun. "You found me with Windsor for a reason... What he needs to escape ain't all that different for me." On that note, was perking of ears from half the soldiers. Those that didn't hear the raspy hum of an engine took it in the next moment. All eyes were on the distant roadside, and the bus that sputtered on, perhaps a quarter-mile from their stop and closing in. "Well," Will broke the trance it put over the rest, rubbing Windsor's hair just long enough to bid him wretch annoyedly away, "The pumpkin's here, last call for skullery maids..." His hand went up, half-in a fist. "How many we have, to hop outta here?" The way he'd turned that phrase, the majority of hands went up... But he kept it there a while, predicting what ensued. At least ten or more men either weighed the options in their head, or just looked to the emblems on their uniform. Pride, duty or uncertainty pared the eager ones down to maybe twenty, a shade less than half of the rabble. It came as no surprise... And recalling how it felt in their shoes, it was a choice he could happily respect. Though with one exception... Josh and Roland, somewhat in-middle of the group, were still visible. Goat's hand stayed up, while his other covered snout with a crimson tissue; but between them, it stayed up alone. Eventually, he had to glance over and see, the wistful bear's eyes confirming it. His question came muffled and like someone with a cold. "Rola'd... You do't wa'dda get goi'd, a'd leave de shit behi'd?" Hearin this, the bear tried not to crack a smile. He failed. "It's not really whether I want to... I need a good school, and this'll get me there." Straightaway, he was flanked by several shallow nods; half of those who made the same decision. "I doubt this whole... Thing won't soften the Colonel... Or maybe even get him thrown out, and buy us someone less of a tightass. And either way, they'll be time off, and you'll be the first I'd see." He toyed with Josh's goatee; something even a day before, he'd not likely do. But then his brown orbs went to Jerr; the twinkle in them, indicting that orange woof for how he'd blurred the boundaries. The blame was clear, but so was its gratitude, as went the soft tone while he continued. "And you better be there, in tandem. Soon as I get my tours behind me, it's State U with you fellas right in tow." Neither Will, nor his right-hand man, had even pondered it... But there set the widest grins of the day. "You ain't just whistlin' dicks-ie, guy," Jerr quipped, with an 'urban' hand-roll. "Be the best education a dude's ever had... And the heaviest-stained dorm room." Upon that, the dolphin stepped out from the crowd; bruises on his legs and chin, now that time brought them out. Not skipping a beat, Jerr confronted him, in the most friendly of up-and-down scans. "Don't tell me you're diggin' in posts here. Big ol' loose cannon, with skin like a senior Yakuza?" What returned was the grin of pride, far-cockier than Jerr himself could show. His skin nearly glowed in the light, its point of intensity moving down his arm as he hit his knuckles, in turn, on his chin; a gesture to deny the woof's insinuating. "Exactly. Not like I belong someplace else, or at least, somewhere I won't get swirled in some heavy shit." His eyes moved in a flash, then back; far too fast for Jerr to see where they'd bounced, from a tat on his own lower abs. The form of a shark in leather cap, but blurred with discongruent lines, like something was below but covered over. He fought the urge to gulp, but kept swagger. "They need a hell-spawned bastard up in here. Who else can keep shit on where you're leavin' it?" He pointed two fingers, first to Jerr's eyes, then his own. Nothing after. It wasn't lost in translation; the blue cap jostled with Jerr's nod. Steady, hopeful, lacking any questions. For the rest of those who would stay, they'd find their burdens indelibly lighter. Will, finding his brother start to brood, set an arm firmly around him, hiding the brown and green that itself hid his shoulder. As the elder took a pace backwards, loose and limber, his paunch bounced an inch away from Windsor's; the latter was yanked, just enough to make him stroll forward, and stare displeased at their dueling shows of 'gelatin'. Jerr didn't help by climbing his leg, over his back and perching on the berth of his scalp. Sighs were given, nits were picked, and the group who meant to follow them exchanged their final looks and goodbyes. It was only made so easy for most, knowing it would hardly be forever. David and Josh, sprinted up to Windsor's either side, as the thirty-strong troop amassed behind them, in relaxed and swaggering jokes. Will glanced back and observed this, both of theirs and the mob who stood their ground... One detail he remembered fondly, and was glad to see again, before he drew a breath to speak at his brother. "Don't think I've missed that power-pout you're selling me. You'll hate my guts a while, but I wouldn't go to all this trouble just for trouble's sake." The younger ape huffed, Jerr pawing through his ebony crew cut. "I'm not so witless I'd accept that callow tripe. But I don't 'hate your guts'... I'm obliged to be humble. The gesture isn't lost on my person..." He glanced over to David, smarmy in played-up disdain. "... It's just the chosen means, I'd circumvent." "What?" Will returned, like a crafty kid accused of cookie theft. "I always keep you beyond it. Just common sense." "Then why might my cranium feel dank, right in the vicinity of Jared's stomach-" Will wouldn't answer; too busy with inner rejoice, as while he'd stared back, someone else had sneaked up from a tent's edge in front. They locked stare, exchanged smiles, and Jerr knew on-instant just what Will's boast of the sergeant had looked like. Monkey's breathing went heavier, the shirtless seal's muscle flexing a bit with each step. Windsor shuddered, and threw him to the ground, an 'Ewwww' for the poke he'd felt on his neck. A roll on impact, and the orange ball was up to his feet, where he moved to walk as close to that officer as possible. There'd been no words, for why he spontaneously joined... But while that well-aged beef was ogled, pats of drool on the dirt and trailing from Jerr, he at least subconsciously heard their banter. "Damn-huge herd you got here." Lain's voice spoke a tad curt, his narrow gaze framing the gorilla. Then skewing away to the yellow heap of metal, puttering to its stop, roughly twice a stone's throw before them. The pair of jowls, undulating with the raise of his chin. "If I was an egghead, I'd say you're walkin' point for a textbook defection." Eyes back on Will, with his head in a low, sly tilt. "And that I should be doin' something about it." Will walked just as near to the seal as possible, without tangling their feet; part to rub in his correctness, and part for Jerr's same reason. "Nothing personal, y'know. Every man's got his mission, and I doubt you'd prevail with one-against-tens." The ego so thick, you could cut it with a knife. "No hard feelings. At least, not the unpleasant kind." Lain's smirk was sour, but unthreatening, as he sprayed the ground with chaw. Jerr watched, only throbbing harder behind him; but so caught up, he failed to miss stepping in it. Erection was quickly put down. Meantime, Will began to see in Lain how he didn't act as an obstacle. No aggressive manner, no approach of any 'interfering' kind. The raspy tone, addressing him warmly. "I got a few years to plod on, before I'm done as a working man... Last thing I'd do is take on a bunch o' cocksure unders. I want no part of learnin' how dumb I'd feel in traction, or how many words it takes to fill a cast." His eyes shone bright, straight into Will's; the only way it could show beyond his nature. "At least a damn-sight less than I'd wanna see you gone. You're a bright bulb, I don't expect y'd have to ask just why." The ape's lips couldn't curve any higher. "Then you're just as bright... Egghead." From this, his head swung slightly away, glee dimming. "I'm just sorry you'd still answer to that waste of fur and fangs." Lain repeated back the last phrase, but with confusion; at least until he pieced it together, and was brought to explain where the ape had left off. "He's not a goddamn bit of what he's cracked up to be, that's scripture. But no, he ain't my part of this." He paused, just to observe the soldiers... Most of whom returned his stare with pale cheeks and jittery gait. "... I got in this freak show, to sit behind a desk and make decisions, not brow-beat new kids into shape. Feels like I'm paid to piss on an anthill... I mean I do what I have to, and ol' J-D and his family always come through. But if they want better from the best years of their life, I'll get the picture." He socked Will's arm... Not by any means softly, but though the ape rubbed by reflex, neither could he resent it. "Plus, even an old fart likes to rock the boat now and then. I saw some of your guys back there, knockin' sense into 'coonboy and the MPs. Before it all went to pot, I'm sure you got to see their condition." It was the perfect time for Jerr to pipe in. "Yeah, still don't know what was up wi-" Not even a single full sentence, before he and Will traded matching 'O'-lips. Both then focused back to the seal, who wore the most pleasant sneer in history. "Pretty damn nice, what you can do when you've seen enough MacGuyver. Strippin' cords, raiding the infirmary's chemicals; had my shits 'n' giggles, and I found out I still have the instinct. Guess my career isn't total fuck-all." Jerr's laugh, was nothing more than worship; though he'd resist the urge to clamber up the seal, and more formally express his attitude. The driver had his schedule, after all, and their approach was already slow enough. "Man, why the fuck couldn't I meet you with Will. Classic genius..." His eyes practically fondled the sergeant as they traced him. "... Packaged even better. And don't sell yourself short... Couple'a nice touches, along the way. The lube in the shower, the tear gas back there... Shit, don't hide yourself next time." He shot the seal a sly finger, his other hand teasily adjusting himself. "That's an order, soldier." For the first time, he stared directly in Lain's green orbs, given near-chills for how they pierced him. But he also saw the notion they held; puzzlement, in a way that spoke denial. He didn't reply; not vocally. But the monkey soon realized he'd have to be thanking someone else. So his mind flashed over the possible perps while the Sergeant drew back to Will and David, for all the fear he couldn't shake in Sergeant's presence, discovered how much had been mere duty. Ten feet to the bus, and the smell of exhaust trekked through Will's nostrils. For Lain, any wants were irrelevant; he couldn't make himself a liar, and join them, so letting distance grow between he and Will. "You boys watch the world, out there. It fucks you more than any one part of its collective. And if this place couldn't make you into men..." His voice trailed off from Will, back to those who held the rear. "Have fun out there, findin' the rest of your way." He split off, first to parallel the road, head down in contemplative thoughts; then back to the field of encampment. It would be the first time that any nearby were sorry to part with him. David, for reasons even he couldn't name, was saddest. Many things done that day, but also many learned that he'd never have imagined. His reverie was broken as the bus door hissed open; Will's hand clutching the jut of its hinge, as he stepped up and in. Windsor couldn't analyze too much, only dreading the talk he'd have with their folks... But behind them, Jerr cringed, on what he'd just now considered; what driver, whose route pulled by a base, would see a busload of soldiers in uniform and not either question it or just-plain refuse them? His tail swished in apprehension, climbing to the floor; but looking up, he got his answer, in all its beefy glory. The bull laid eyes on him, and as he stopped short by the head of the aisle, two sets of teeth bared in smiles. A giant black hand was on the intercom in nothing flat. "Alright passengers, for one time only, no fare!" Cheers erupted from the men as they embarked, far outscreaming the ambience of [8]. Jerr felt them push past to their respective seats; while the bull's other hand clasped his slacks, undoing their button. He never strayed eyes from the monkey. "Enjoy the free ride... But only if this guy's willing to share my seat." His voice rose even louder in the speakers. "... Whaddya think, boys?" In Jerr's ears rang a chorus, from 'fuck yeah!' to 'damn-well better!' to 'go for it man, take 'im so I can get lunch!'. Punctuated by David's arm, weakly slapping his back on its way by. Jerr faced to the ceiling, staring 'past' it. A silent mumble of "Thank you... And glad you're upstairs", while the bull unzipped. From there, he leapt up to that lap, and handled his business.

David was last in... They'd all found a seat, and the ride set off down that asphalt, bumpy and swerving just a tad, the gravel shoulder nearly loud as the slurps and moans from the cockpit. Across the aisle, pockets of revelry broke out amongst them, save for the single rhino in business slacks, holding a binder and fearful from behind his Gucci spectacles. Two seats behind, set Will, next to the buffalo, egging Jerr on more than anyone. "Down low, boy! Show that bastard the perks of civil service!" His fist in the air, for a few shallow pumps. Curls of the bison's fur draped over his smile, while five knuckles tapped Will's side. "He's yours, ain't he?" The ape's head swung fast, with the look of most shit-eating grin. "Sure as my hands are oversized. I'd like to think I taught him the ropes, way back when." Windsor, directly behind them, reached up and pulled a hair from Will's neck. He waited for the flinch, and the turning-around, to remark. "Well he does fully grasp the many paths of misconduct. So I'm driven to believe you." "Urgh..." The pinpoint pain had Will rubbing his nape, while the fist that had pumped now menaced. "Mind yourself, twerp. I don't love you so much to guarantee you'll keep your teeth." A roll of bison's eyes, and a changing of the subject was at hand. He sighed low and quiet. "You really think we'll have luck out there? I mean, with the state of jobs like it is..." Will's grin completed its return, head cocked like a spaniel. "Maaan, you have the best blurb you could wish on a resume, short of 'CEO'. Besides... You're taggin' along to see what life hands you, correct?" "Well... In a way." His chocolate orbs met the curve of Will's core. "It's as good as the other reason." The elder gorilla knew his meaning, and teased it, pulling camo slacks low enough to show dark curls above the fly. "Yeah, they'll be time enough once we blow this oven-on-wheels." Fanning himself, he took a breath as bison continued... ... This time, the point came decidedly blunt. "Hey... You seen that guy in the back?" Will's brow lifted, and saw where the buffalo's subtle nod aimed. Behind them, diagonally three rows, alone by the window. His neck craned, until the dark brown hand swatted him. "Don't stare, man!" "-Then curb the 'O-MI-GOD-LOOKIE' routine." His posture straightened, while ignoring the groans from the cockpit. "I saw him, the lone buck?" "Yeah. It's the weirdest thing, but I'm sure I've not seen him before..." Will's reassessment - this time, far faster and sneakier - took in the wispy frame, perfect crew cut above the stranger. There wasn't much to say about him; beyond that he held a book, and sat cross-legged. Will meant just to steal a quick look, and be done with it; but in trying to understand that pose, he waited just too long, so that the thin-lipped smile was born under eyes that locked with his own. He whipped to face forward, wincing as his elbow jammed into the seat. "Fuck, he saw me." Trying to whisper, but failing. "I'm certain." "What? You dumb shit-" The bus filled with a clap; the closing of a book. Both were too spooked to look again; it was up to those across from the deer, to see his thin form stand, and sashay to the aisle's center. There, he paused, and reached back to a point midway down his spine; grasping a hook concealed by clothes, and undoing it with uncommon grace. Pressure was released, weight fell limp over his chest; and now there'd be no point in calling it 'he'. The doe revealed, she passed by every gasp given on her slow walk forward, deliberate and singly-motivated. Her lips - glossed and full - gave their greatest performance, in passing Will and company; an almost-pouting smile, as if to playfully scold them for finding her out. Will was aghast; everything short of his face going pale, like the bison's. Windsor knew nothing of the scene, but for seeing a femme among them; and with her so dead-set on approaching the front, he could easily guess the scenario. His jaw so slack, it could catch every fly for miles around; whatever happened could only be unsavory. From his seat, he could at least see the orange tail, swishing on-pace with every moan of the bull, and the shadow of their driver's tensed leg. Against his judgement, he nearly broke into a chuckle, for how the doe's graceful steps would hiccup in the bumpy ride. But she kept steady, surefooted all the way, to the very moment of truth; her finger came up, wiggling an instant, just relishing the time before it tapped that bull on the shoulder. Call it a miracle, they didn't run off the road and flip over. Of those double-seated, shoulders drove into their partners; Will's into the bison's as they veered between lanes. Though not a soul bitched or complained; they'd all had time to see the female culprit, and at least half were glad enough not to mock the view. The bull was not among them, one hand shooting back to the wheel, the other white-knuckled on his chair's edge. Jerr rolled off, and had what would be among his less enjoyable afterglows; sprawled on the bump between wheel wells, staring three feet up past a pair of prime tits, very much aware of the drool and pre girdling his lips. Had they crashed instead, he might've been thankful; better than wiping the manlube from his chops, while standing up to find himself exactly the height for eyes-to-muff. A light cringe, a heavier scowl, and he struggled to improvise something besides a string of curse words. "You... You need somethin', chick?" A pitchy giggle; and as she stooped down, he could stifle his cringe. Bent over on tiptoes, with hands on her knees, and many males behind with tongues lolling. "No, but I think you've got a few questions. You'd have to..." She reached out, to swirl his fur in one finger, strictly condescending. He wrenched free, and would've slapped her had she been slower to move it. But then another giggle, for just what she'd expected. "... After all that's happened. You boys have a good shower?" He stood awkward, dumbfounded. "Well o' course we... I..." The time was miniscule, for that mental puzzle to find its last missing piece. His nose twitched, eyes glued to her with stern resolve. "In the back. Now." "Hehe, you're a mind reader." She spun on her heel, with just as much cause to head back, and the orange fluff following her lead. Halfway, he caught the gaze of both gorillas; for a change, they wore the very same message, a blend of vexed pleads and impatient agitation. She gently took her seat; but resting elbows on each leg, something far less dainty than each prior gesture; and from the calmer look about her, he knew just what a crock the rest had been. Before he could ask, standing out beside her, she beat him there. "You still have no idea, do you?" His arms had never crossed with more vigor. He only hoped it showed just how nonplussed he was, to leave the bull for this. "Of why a bitch I've never met would hijack my time, and play Li'l Miss Cryptic? Y' got that one on the ball." The pearly glow of her teeth, as they exposed, meant he'd not break her down with petty slams. She reached up but back down without purpose; like someone who'd recently had hair and hadn't lost the habits to manage it. "You change about as fast as a mountain. Think hard... Shake the dust off those gears in your noggin." He sighed, but complied. Peering to her face, her legs, and everything that wasn't a pair of Double-C repellents. After twenty solid seconds, he'd done enough. "I'm drawin' a blank, just tell me. And no goddamn guessing games." She leaned up, and made a certain face; an odd sort, scrunched up nose, pursed lips and eyes that half-crossed. So unexpected, he had to laugh, lips spraying through a raspberry before they opened to cackle. "Well that was random as shit! Almost reminds me of the time this-" She returned to normal; he returned to stern. Though his arms went newly limp, robbed of any pomp. "6th grade. Dodgeball tryouts. I beaned you like an imp, but you never left the floor." Her smile was a 'yes', though both pleasant and judgemental. "Not bad, give yourself a hand." She drew low again, as close to him as he'd seem okay with letting her. "All the other kids would run away, in pain or tears or both. You ever think about that?..." She drew a breath, gathering her wits before proceeding. "Or that whole year in general?" He grimaced, head shaking as one who knew the facts and hated his lack of means to deny. "Some shit's not worth remembering." His finger came out, though only half-extended and less than confrontational. "And I'm not tryin' to say you're worthless. I'm sayin' you had the one best way to let me go, and now I find out you wouldn't take it." Will, and ten others, were so absorbed in this they sat with chin and fingertips on their seatbacks. There'd at least be no injuries, with the ride now much smoother, helmed by a beet-red bovine. Jerr wasn't backing her down; and vice-versa. But to their audience, it was sketchy just what they each intended. The doe's lashes batted, only more of a sardonic tease. "Oh, but I was pretty then, wasn't I? Good enough for a few seasons. I still wake up so often, knowing how it felt. Like it was yesterday." "Past is past. And we were kids, I didn't even have cream yet." His lip jutted a tad, with skepticism welling. "So you're grown enough to fight for the country, but not enough to separate 'cootie-crush' from the real shebang?" She almost reached for her 'hair' again, but cut herself short as she sized up their onlookers. "Who says I fight? Maybe I'm just good at blending in." Somehow, he understood on-instant. "You... Can't be fuckin' serious." He forced a chuckle, just due to how the moment begged for it. "That much effort, just to... And how'd'jou even know?" "Lady luck," She flatly intoned, legs crossing. "I let you go the whole trip there from the school, and not call attention to myself, just behind hotpants up there." She glanced briefly to the driver's seat; he glanced halfway back, feeling her indictment. "Not that I had to fret over being discreet; you didn't even hear when someone stepped off the bus right behind you." Her eyes rolled, as their own mini-shrug. "And you can thank the busybodied 'prunes', for knowing where you'd been. It shouldn't shock you that I guessed what you were doing." "But it shocks you that I wouldn't want you n- ah, fuck it," He groused. "This is some rock-stupid shit. You know I ain't into skirts, let alone you, so what the fuck do you get from this?" This time, she took the chance to lean all the way in; their snouts practically touching. "Only what I got by helping you 'clean' back there, or making sure you didn't leave the party with lead plugs and a stylish new body bag." Neither fast nor slow, she reached a claw up, and touched the crease of his lips. "One last thing I could do for you, and close the book on that chapter of my life. Just to know I had a hand in the pot... It's all I'd ever expected." His face, like a child's at a meteor shower... Wide and unbelieving, all while her back rose to curve in the seatback. Not a further word from her, and her hands gripped the book, flipping through to resume her place. For Will, Windsor and the rest, one single minute was forever, his look of bewilderment falling on one who ignored it. The first break of this was a twitch in his foot from where it moved a hair away from her. And he stared on, far past when he started to shuffle, slow and in a way defeated. He lost line-of-sight, but looked to no one else, in the time it took to reach Will and plop down on his lap. The single time he wouldn't land on a fat black bulge, just gazing through the windshield like a zombie. It took Will bending down, and filling his ear with deep whispers, to snap him out of it. "Forget it, man. Looks like she already has, just now." "Y-yeah, I know..." He scratched his chin, and then Will's. "I'm good, I just... Dayum, life's got a strange way of shakin' it up." The tiny shred of mirth in his voice, was reassurance for the ape, who gave the orange chest a few warm slaps. Windsor, seated by David, made astonishment clear to his company; though always in his thoughtful repose. "I'd say I'm prone to agree; it's a queer cavalcade in our being, as random and uncertain as the lottery." "That's no lie", David returned, more put out by the scene and not sure of what else to say. His gorilla pal took the slack; appearing to smirk, but sounding only curt. "Such as learning my confidant's unmentionables. I have yet to grasp how any 'dealer' would trust an appearance such as yours." David smiled, bashful and watching trees streak by the window. "It's not always the looks they look for. Someday, I'll explain." It would be a long, humid haul back to civilization. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Another solid hour to go, if the clock was to be believed. Adam's pale, stubby hand tapped the desk; any normal day's school was better than this. "Ah c'mon," Bullshark piped up from behind, so annoyed he could barely enjoy the field of spitball dots on Adam's back. "We had nut'n to do with this..." "Save it, you're not dumb enough to think I'd bite." The snow leapord shot back, cool but firm beneath his mirrored shades. Indeed, Bullshark knew better than Adam - or any others - not to waste his breath in detention. His many teeth ground on each other, in impotent rage through their guard's steadfast restraint. Little could work up that big cat, reclined with his feet on the teacher's desk, burgundy coattails draped by the wooden seat. His job today was the simplest, at least compared to actual detention; see that the miscreants didn't kill each other, and control the remote for the TV. First time in months it was tuned to something more than closed-circuit: news detail, of developing events. He cleared his throat, the motion bristling his temple's black-and-white tufts. "Personally, I'd kick you seven ways from Sunday, if it wouldn't land me unemployment. But the rest of you, whom I doubt I'll see again... Think of this as a reprieve. All the hubbub today's gummed up any chance of normal workload..." He leaned up a hair; took three claws to the shades' bridge, and lowered them enough to peek above. "... All you gotta do, is siddown, shaddup and watch. Today's lesson, a la Pixiefrog, is what happens when you step outta line or help those that do." He released the bridge, and switched foot position, eyes to the ceiling-mounted television, just waiting to point out the inevitable arrest. A 24-hour news channel, scrolling updates to the school's mess in screen-bottom scrawl; suddenly, came footage of a reporter, live on location outside the school. Their teacher-chaperone showed a smidgen of unease. Adam, Jake beside him, Bullshark to the rear, and a very-nervous Lupe front-left, gave their individual gasps; The business-casual Kangaroo reporter spoke through her mike, and the leopard's claw pushed the 'Volume Up' button. "Again, we're standing by for further details, but it appears there has been an incident at Charles Darwin Middle school with a rogue high school student, involving acts of a sexual nature." Jake, to Adam's right, elbowed his buddy. Maybe not the best time to show brotherly pride from the look of Adam's Limburger-frown. Lupe's wings came up, as she tried in vain to decide which were brighter. Bullshark's gaze rolled high, a bit more relaxed while he remembered. Then a loud crack boomed across the room; one swipe of a ruler, from the snow leopard's fist to his desk. All attention went back to the footage. "We still don't know how the student in question, one Jared Joshua Spidermonkey, sneaked out of class and across the city, or how it relates to the vanishing of another student from Diane Fossey High, one William Kenneth Silverback. Our calls to the school were not returned and the police are on their way to-" She stopped short, by a hoof reaching in from out of frame, somehow clutching a sheet of legal paper. Smooth as her job had practiced her, she took it, and segued right along. "And breaking news here, we have an update, it appears the student has been spotted at the West Knishelt Army-ROTC base, we've been told by our first-response crew, they're on the scene and setting up as we speak..." Jake's hand slapped Adam's back, his eyes still afire with giddiness. It came away more slowly, and he turned to mild disgust, studying the flat, goopy spots. "They've confirmed his identity, but he's apparently left before authorities arrived. Also, it seems the base has actually been shut down until further notice, our crew found several ranking officers there in poor condition, some appearing groggy or inebriated. Also, nearly half the soldiers stationed at that base are missing, and presumed rogue-" Adam's eyes took on rings of dread; his mouth silent, until the repeating touch of Jake's finger on his forearm. His response was low and weary. "What." "Uhm, I've been zonin' out in Miss Loon's class. What's 'rogue' mean?" Ginger kid's eyelids dropped like automatic blinds. "It means I'm hitchhiking to the Yukon. Buy a razor to remember me." ***************************************************************************************************************************** 'Tis the end, o' this fair fancy tale.