Fierce 5. Looking Up
Been veeeery busy with school, but at last I found the time to do this. Enjoy! It's building up to something!
Looking Up I had spent many hours with my rediscovered friends, and I decided it was time for a little alone time, since my new features had begun to get a little out of hand. I told them that it was about time for me to get home, and I would talk to them later. I could never explain the sensation in words to anyone, but I knew I was about to change. My skin pierced all over with millions of needles through every pore, I could not seem to reach the forest in time to avoid being seen. The pain was too much to allow me to focus on stealth, and I found it necessary to stop and nearly keel over every few steps. If there were any spectators nearby, I would be too distracted to notice. The ends of my finger bones began to disintegrate and shorten. I pulled my hand up to my rapidly shifting face, and witnessed the breaking and recomposition of my own hands. "NGGYAAAAAAA!!!" I clawed at my cheeks and fell to my knees. "Not again..." Claws sprouted out of the ends of my feet and tore through my shoes. "No..." I fell to my hands and knees and crawled behind a bush. I could not comprehend the full situation, as my entire body was being skewered at every angle with an abundant amount of fur, and the other parts altering their bone structure felt as if they were being eaten by acid. "STOOPPP!!!" As soon as I cried out in pain one last time, the transformation stopped. My fur did not scrape against every cell of my skin, my snout, my hands, and my feet were not breaking into thousands of pieces anymore. I noticed only then that I was breathing faster than a jackrabbit, and my heart was beating so fast that I could feel only a constant whirr. An unrelenting ring also masked any other noise in both sets of ears. I moved my arms. No pain yet. Nor in my legs. I rose to my feet and examined my body. Fuck. There has got to be a less painful way to do this. The ring quieted down, and my heart rate slowed. "I found my purpose. I guess now's as good a time as ever to start."I took a deep breath and relaxed for a quick second before I began. But how am I just going to start helping people without any information? I stood still and thought to myself for a minute. Based on my experience in the world, I knew what I had to do. Go where people are. Given long enough, I will run across some crime. Yes, I was relaxed enough. It was time to fulfill my purpose. I sprung into the open street, pushing against the ground with greater force than the strike of a jackhammer. ****** I had silently and inconspicuously explored the downtown city for several hours, investigating back alleys, abandoned workhouses, everywhere dark. By staying in the dark, I could conceal my furry physique to be sure no one would see me and tell the world about it. I held my back against a brick alley wall and neared the corner, still obscured by darkness. Perhaps if I stayed in one place for long enough, I could catch someone in the act. I stood, unnoticed behind the corner of this old building for quite some time, as hundreds of people passed me by, all alone, all striding faster than the one before him. This isn't working. Maybe busting criminals isn't the best way to use my strength. I receded further into the alley to give myself breathing room, and bent my knees all the way. I looked down, touched my palm to the ground, and concentrated. I tensed every muscle in my body for about five seconds... and released! The cold, cruel wind rushed past my face as violently as it would if I put my head out a car window on the freeway. I focused on the rapidly nearing brick wall and positioned my hands in front of me to stop myself from hitting it. My vertical speed slowed and I finally reached the wall, about halfway up. I inserted my claws in between the bricks, pushed my paws up against the wall, and jumped. I zoomed past the wall again, and at last the edge moved under me. I positioned myself again and at last my hind paws hit the concrete, producing two large craters in the concrete. I rose to a stand. I estimated to be on top of a six-story building, taller than its surrounding neighbors. The cool wind struck blew my fur almost off my skin violently and without stopping. Had I been in my human form, it may have even blown me off my feet. I drew a deep breath and tightened my fists. My snout peered over the edge of the building, I noticed the bustling nightlife of a proto-city. Every street totally enveloped in fluctuating crowds. Luckily, my yellow fox eyes allow for me to see far more detailed and magnified images. I utilized my exceptional eyes to study the crowd below. Man with an umbrella for no reason... probably not. Happy couple... nope. Black guy... nope, I'm not a policeman. At last something caught my eye. Aha... A man with a baggy trench coat, concealing hat, and a stuffed briefcase. I saw him slip away into the opposite alleyway, and my mind raced. How do I get closer without being noticed? No open spots on the ground... There was only one option left. My eyes gravitated to the rooftop across the street. Thankfully, it was at the same height as this one. Well... If I fail I won't die... I'll be noticed. The possible criminal could be escaping as I thought about jumping! Now was not the time to hesitate. I walked back about 20 feet and set one paw to the ground. My right leg was directly behind me, and my left one was bent beneath me, ready for action. On instinct, I pushed my paws into the concrete for more friction when I finally decide to get going. As usual, I slowed the air escaping through my lungs and shut my eyes for a brief moment. It's time! Let's go! I ripped my eyes open and grit my teeth. My legs exploded from the new holes in the concrete and I immediately moved them into a sprint. I was ten feet from the edge. I leapt in the air as close to the edge as possible. I positioned my legs next to each other and aimed at the ledge in front of me. I felt the ground reach my hind paws, and I swung my arms to my front. I released massive energy from my legs aiming myself directly over the frighteningly far away street. I felt cold air against my face for some time, and I felt my body speeding against gravity for some time before I slowed down and I looked down. I was a good 2 stories above the target roof. "Shit!" I may be practically invincible, but I'm still not so atoned to the sense of danger. I moved my arms in circles, desperately trying to move my legs in front of me. The roof came closer to me. I jerked my legs into position. BOOM. I did not even notice the moves my body made to land atop the now severely dented concrete roof. I'd better not put my head over the edge yet, they probably couldn't miss that sound. I waited an anxious thirty seconds before very slowly peering over into the alleyway below. Five figures now, cloaked in large hats and trench coats. The one with the briefcase lifted it flat in his hand, clawed at the locks for a while until the thing swung open. I spotted some kind of white dust in hundreds of Ziploc bags... I needed no more proof. "It's go time." I focused on one of the criminals as intensely as I could. He's not going anywhere... I slowed my breathing, I did not shut my eyes. Rather than jumping several feet in the air first, I simply allowed my body to fall off the ledge. Wind enveloped my hearing as I rushed towards the group of five men. The man furthest from the middle of the group neared me... closer... My hind paw came into contact with his shoulder. I heard a snap, but felt no pain. Poor fella. I reached the ground instantaneously after attacking the first man. I could not be discovered by them yet, they may have been armed. I soared into the night until I reached an empty balcony. I guided myself to it and listened carefully for their voices. "SHIT! What the fuck was that?" One of them exclaimed. My ears winced at the click of a gun. And another. And two more. All of them have guns. Fucking perfect. I didn't know just how much this body could withstand, and I had no desire to find out. I leaned slightly over the balcony wall. They were frantically searching for their stealthy attacker. "Unghhhhhhhh" The injured one sprawled out on the floor, clutching his shoulder. "Tommy, shut the FUCK UP!" One of them turned and screeched at him. "Spread out! We have to find this sonnovabitch!" One of them ventured to the other side of the alley, but the rest were not so valiant. Stupid move. They turned their backs to each other, facing the rest of the alley. I focused on the lone criminal. He was already shaking, bad. I stepped up on the railing. I slowed my breathing again. This one would be easier than the first! I dove 30 feet over asphalt straight to him. Parallel to the ground, my chest met his back, and he fell instantly to the ground with me on top of him. I struck his head with a light fist to be sure he stayed out. Despite the extreme ease with such a punch, it still made a racket. The remaining three whipped their heads around, but I was already on the balcony again. "FUCK!" Their vocabulary was certainly limited. "WHO'S OUT THERE??!!" His voice was riddled with fear. I smirked. They all stared at my most recent victim. I knew this was my chance. I stood on the railing once more, and leapt directly over their head, and tucked into a roll. I then straightened back out, having achieved a frontflip half-turn, I was standing directly behind them, totally silent. I drew my paws near the sides of two of the men. Closer... I pushed their heads with my paws, smashing them together. They fell immediately, leaving one last criminal. He turned slowly, shivering. I stepped towards him and snatched his gun. Still in the shadows, I entered his vision. I assume all he could see was the silhouette of my upper body. I held his weapon in both my hands, and shoved it in front of his face. I pulled and pushed and twisted the gun into a clump of metals. He started to back away. "D-don't hurt me, man! I was just crossing by here! I didn't know they were dealing drugs!" I simply followed him, and replied. "You brought them." My voice sounded as the mountains speak. I had no idea this specific form would allow my voice to go so low! "I- I mean I- someone must have slipped it into my briefcase!" He tripped on a crack and hit the ground hard, but continued to scoot away from me. I kept walking. "You've gotta believe me! Please!" His back hit the alley wall. He was cornered. I stood in front of him, gripped his collar, and forced him into the brick. He coughed severely. As I intimidated him, a brief flash of light from a passing car hit my face. The criminal had seen me now. "What the fuck... What the fuck are you???" I gave him no chance to think over what he had seen. "Scum like you don't deserve the lives you're given. It's a good thing it isn't up to me to decide what happens to you." I lifted him up several feet in the air by his throat and punched him once across the cheekbone. He went out like a light, and hit the ground hard. I walked to the briefcase, now closed, and picked it up. Another few cars and strangers passed slowly by the alley. I stood by the alley corner to avoid their glares. "Shit." I couldn't risk such a sighting... My eyes were drawn to a heavy black trench coat draped over one of the men. I ripped it off of him and donned it. Not bad! It reached past my ankles, the hood covers enough of my snout, and I can still move agilely in it. I shot straight up to the roof of the building and opened it the briefcase. Luckily, my paws did not maintain my human fingerprints, so I did not have to be careful about leaving evidence. Many pounds of illegal substances sparkled at me, but I had no use of them. I discovered a felt pen in the case, and scribbled on the cover of the briefcase: WABASH & KENDALL ALLEY. And then I thought, I'm starting this thing... guess I might as well get completely into it. I sketched a quick picture to the right of my message: ^. .^ I threw the pen away, locked the case, and leapt across countless buildings until at last, I found the place. POLICE HEADQUARTERS. I carefully jumped down each story by the balconies, with my trench coat flapping madly each jump until I was close enough. I tossed the briefcase onto the porch, and it spun frantically on the ground until it hit the glass doors. I took my leave. ****** I was most of the way home, and the sun had still an hour to begin the day. Satisfied with my work well done, I felt no need to make a speedier journey back home, and this coat conceals my alien shape from the humans. Then again, I was beginning to feel weaker. My stride gradually shrunk and weakened with each step. I felt the burden of reality on my back, of carrying my old muscles. I pulled up my sleeve- yes, my fur was receding quickly. I had not noticed earlier the intense cold of the night, nor the shards of glass and trash littered around the streets that scratched at my bare feet. Almost human now, I wrapped myself in my currently oversized coat and did not stop making my way home. ****** The only next thing I remember was the ceiling of my house, and the heavy coat I must have used as a blanket. I slipped easily out of it and rubbed my arms. The bare, pink skin was less than welcome to me now, especially due to its lack of warmth. I trudged and staggered to my room and covered myself in many layers of clothing. "Dammit, I need to fix that window." The relentless boulder seemed to have meant to make me cold everyday since it obliterated that window. And yes, I realized that I talked to myself a lot at this point. But I really didn't think I was crazy. Not yet. "Human. I guess today is a school day for me." ****** "Markus!" Herman yelled out to me and waved one arm in a small circle. Irene and Donald, facing each other, simply nodded and smiled, all maintaining their spots behind the school. "Alright, you got me. What's up?" I hugged Irene, shook Herman's hand, and nodded to Donald. Irene smiled, as did Herman. And Donald's half asleep gaze passed over my face. I took that as a smile. Irene smirked and spoke to me. "We were just having a pleasant conversation about which is a better medium, art or stories-" "Literature!" Herman spoke abruptly. "No point in arguing if you're going to be childish about it!" He crossed his arms. "Irene! Starting fights are we? I'm disappointed." This of course, must not have been true, but her contradiction would have started a real argument. She was wise enough to see that. "Well I was saying that art is aesthetically beautiful, and that connects more directly to human nature. So art has the ability to be more meaningful to us." We all looked at Herman in wait for a response. "It is true that we crave a visual art more than an intellectual one, but that is exactly what makes LITERATURE-" he paused and glared at Irene "a great outlet. Every scene paints a picture in your head, and in addition to these panoramics, is an overarching tale to connect all of them." Irene inserted herself. "And a great piece can tell a thousand tales all in one frame!" neither were angry, they were simply passionate about their subjects. I noticed finally the futility of their fight. "So pictures tell stories, and stories paint pictures? Great, I think we've reached the end of the road, fellas." I laughed quietly. They continued to argue until first period started. Of course we all shook hands before going our separate ways, this argument being a simple conversation to occupy free time, a way for us to talk together. I enjoyed it, as I'm sure everyone did. ****** The final school bell rang at last, and the doors burst open with a stream of teachers and teenagers. I calmly slung my backpack over my shoulder, and walked out the door. However, today I found someone else waiting for me, instead of my usual friends. The intoxicating aroma of almonds had already reached my nose, stronger now than ever before. I drifted for a few seconds on that scent. I was closer to her now, the strength in my stride still holding true. She was leaning back on a tree trunk, her gorgeous brunette hair flowing with the wind. She looked up at me, but didn't move her head. Two awe-inspiring aquamarine eyes softly met mine, and did not look away. It was her! And I didn't even know her name! Her head turned up to catch my gaze, and she smiled with the beauty of the angels. I was standing directly in front of her now, shaking invisibly (I hope), to her. "Markus." She tilted her head and smiled contentedly. "Hey, uhh..." I frowned a little and latched my eyes to the ground. "Uhh-" "Alice." She half-closed her eyes. "Right! Alice. What are you doing he- I mean why aren't you- I mean, what brings you here?" She just might have caught on to my nervous temperament. "I just had no where else to go. I hope this doesn't mean you want me elsewhere." Man, compared to me, this was Shakespearean. "Oh- no! Of course not! Why would I want you elsewhere? I mean what do you want to do?" Shit! I'm being too forward! "Well I was hoping we could just hang out and talk for a while. As long as no one's waiting on you." She almost unnoticeably raised one eyebrow to me. I was pretty sure she meant me to catch that. "Oh, no of course not! What- uh, what do you want to talk about?" She giggled- and the bush behind me rustled quickly. I glanced at it when Alice looked away from me to think. Irene and Herman. They must have set this up. "Hmm... So what's up with your group and their animal tails? What's up with that thing?" She connected her gorgeous eyes with mine again. "Whoo! That's a going to be a bit of a long answer." I was going to keep talking, but Alice inserted herself first. "I've got the time." She smiled genuinely and chuckled a little. I relaxed and smiled back at her. Relax, dude, she isn't going to bite. "Well, we're what society knows as furries." I'd recited this speech so many times, to friends on the web, to the curious new bullies. Maybe it could make me sound even slightly intelligent now. "The furry fandom is different for everyone, but the one similarity between us all is that we like anthropomorphic animals, which is an animal with human characteristics. Specifically, our group consists of a fox, that's me, a wolf, a cat, and another fox. The community is just a group of friendly people with a common interest. For some people, it's a minor hobby, and to some, it's a lifestyle." She nodded her head periodically throughout my words, and looked intently back at me. "So, what is it to you?" She was definitely invested. "I fall into a sub-category, called the therians. Although it is not really connected with the furry fandom, some of us, including me, are still furries as well. A therian holds a specific belief having to do with his animal. Not pretend, not for fun, this is a serious spiritual community." "Interesting. And what do you believe?" She seemed slightly anxious. I knew I had to tell her, but I did not want to risk her finding me weird and unusual. I let out a small and quiet sigh. My voice was harsher and more matter-of-fact. "I believe my soul is that of a fox's, and I was born into this human body for some reason." She raised her eyebrows and stopped leaning against the tree. "That's really cool!" She said after an awkward pause. "I wish I believed in that kind of thing!" "Really? You think so?" I beamed and stepped forward a little bit. "I do. What else do you believe?" I was ecstatic. This was the first non-furry who accepted my views! And it just happened to be the girl of my dreams! After we had become more comfortable around each other, she asked me to walk her home, and I accepted. We continued to talk about life, death, and everything in between until we reached her house. She hugged me, and I gave her back an awkward, stiff hug. "We'll have to hang out more often, you seem like a cool guy." As she walked to the door and through it, I just stood with my hands in my pockets, watching. Until a voice that sounded like her mother's told me to get off her property. ****** I had finished all my work in class, all my friends were busy, and I had no other plans. It was another night for the city. I went home, left my belongings there, and wore nothing but my black shorts and the heavy trench coat. I closed my eyes and waited. Waited, as I had become patient enough to wait all my life for this event. I sat in a meditative state. "Fox!" I reached for that corner of my mind beyond my consciousness and called out. He responded in the understandable wordless language of the mind, and started the transformation. It hurt less than I can recall for the last few times, but it would not go unnoticed. The change took only 15 minutes today, perhaps it was fueled by my unusually strong emotions. The intense pain was over, and I was in my most powerful form. I could feel my control over my fox changes grow, as though it were not as inevitable as it first was. I could control it now, even if only a little, no longer making this experience feel like watching a dream. My coat fit well now, concealing the majority of my fur. I whipped my hood over my ears and my head, the sides scratched the fur on my cheekbones. I opened the door, and sprinted for the city. ****** The wind was strong atop these tall buildings. An interesting desolate mood sweeps over the roofs so opposite from that of five stories below, like a river in the desert. My coat waved with the wind, but it did not make any noise... it must have been stolen, those common crooks would never have paid so much for this kind of material. It continued to flow silently in the wind as I pulled my hood down and put one foot up on the ledge. I closed my eyes, and just listened with my fox ears. I never tried it this way before, but I knew it would work. "See you tomorrow-" "every day, at nine thirty-" "not enough time for that-" "That'll be six-fifty" "No! Let go of me! Stop!" That one sounded like trouble. My eyes opened immediately. I peered over the edge, following my ears. It was four men and a defenseless woman in a secluded dead-end alley. "Help!!" Real fear was present in her voice. "Stop making noise, bitch!" One of them from the side slapped her with the back of his hand. "Maybe if you're quiet enough, we'll let you live." Another licked his knife. The one with his arms crossed in the back spoke. "Get on your knees." He had a high voice, but he was still threatening in this situation. She cried and covered her mouth with her palms. "I said get on your fucking knees!" "It's time." I stepped atop the ledge of the roof, pulled my hood on. The alley was directly beneath me; all I had to do was fall down. "Piece of cake." I jumped into the air, and listened to the air whooshing past. My coat whipped in the wind along with me. At last, my two hind paws hit the ground with a tremendous force. BOOOOM. The sound resonated for another seven seconds, I had compressed to my haunches with my coat splayed out around me. "What the fuck?" I had landed in the fray, with four offenders in front of me, and one innocent woman to my back. I could hear her heavy, worried breathing. "Back away, asshole. You don't want none of this shit." He pressed the button on his switchblade. He stepped closer to me. I kept my head low so the hood would obscure my figure. "You fucking serious?" He took two steps closer to me. I moved my head in his direction. "Oh you listening now?" He was now four feet from me. "I guess I got your attentio-" I grabbed his hand, and squeezed tight. CRRRRUNCH!! "AAAAAUGGHH!!" I let go, and he clutched his limp wrist. The other three now moved in. One of them whipped out a gun. I leapt forward and propelled my fist into the gunman's face. This awesome force forced him against a wall. I swung around to face the two remaining villains, both quaking worriedly. I spun in a circle with bent knees and straightened one leg out to sweep under one's feet. His legs were up in the air, as his whole body was. I rose immediately to standing position and punched the last one hard, in his sternum. He flew back in the air as well. All three hit the ground at the same time, one on his face after landing against the brick wall, one on his ass after losing his balance, and the last on his back after a precise hit to his chest. Two moaned incessantly grasping their shattered limbs. I examined the four of them, none would present a threat now. I turned to the shaking, horrified woman. "P- P- Please don't hurt me!" I knew my resolve was not friendly, but I was not her enemy! "I'm not going to harm you ma'am." My voice, deeper than usual, was not friendly either. She sank to the ground, hugging her knees. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't help it. I took her hand in my paw and pulled her to a stand. "Wha- Wh-" She stared at my hand, and could not get a hold of herself. "Get yourself to the police station, and tell them four rapists are incapacitated in this alley." She looked into my shadowed hood, and reached for my face. I gently grabbed her wrist. "Give them this." I closed her hand around a piece of paper, and ran away into the crowd of the street, leaving her in the scene. Walking in the crowd as inconspicuously as possible, I pulled my hood further over my face. No one was following me, no one noticed me. Perfect. She opened her hand and unfolded the note. Scribbled on it was one symbol: ^. .^ I scurried up a fire escape and returned to my post on the roof. Only 15 minutes later, I heard another "HELP!!!!"
"19 guys?" "Yes, sir. 14 of them were ours." "How the fuck is that even possible???" "I don't know sir." "I want him." "Yes sir." "Now!"
"That's the sixth one we've received from him, sir." "Fingerprints?" "No sir. But we did find several hairs." "...And?" "Well sir... they were fox hairs, sir." "Jesus-" "Well they do call him The Fox, sir." "Do not praise that furry bastard! He's just another fucking Batman-wannabe." Silence. "I want him caught. Double the officers on patrol in these areas." END OF CHAPTER FIVE