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Please do not read if under the age of consent for your area. Contains adult and homosexual references and situations, and strong language.

All characters are copyright to Teeto Fox and John Avon who are one and the same person.

The Shackles of Vemados Caducus: The Buildup.

The familiar scent of winter hung in the air. The unyielding black of a moonless night stalked through the city. A yellow glow hung over part of the street, surrounding a working streetlight, which in itself was a rarity. A vandalised phone booth stood, alone and deserted. Miscellaneous rubbish drifted by, unheeded by the beggar that slept a fitful sleep in a doorway.

On the corner of the old, decrepit street, the only sound in the entire neighbourhood could be heard - a bass beat. This emanated from Nu-Vibes, the local nightclub. Named after a famous club in one of Amora's republican states, Nu-Vibes was where most furs went on their day offs or on special occasions - it stood to reason that the owner was the richest fur on the island. He was consequently the most powerful - he had enough money to bribe members of the local Justice, and this was often enough to sway anything in his gluttonous favour.

A glass was raised to a mouth, and was lowered once again to the bar. Vemados Caducus stared at the iron bars on one of the frosted windows. He smirked to himself and murmured. "Ironic. Just like a prison." He thought about this for a moment and then downed the rest of his drink. "Hey, Barthez. Give us another one."

The rotund bovine barkeep waddled over to the smaller otter. "Sure thing, Vem. I'd make this your last one though if I were you. Boss is payin' us a visit."

Vemados didn't bother to reply, simply nodding and taking his glass. The glass raised again, and paused at his lips. "Hi Vince." he said without turning around.

Another otter, larger than Vemados, took a seat beside him. "Hi Vem. You ok?"

Vemados smirked, but didn't take his eyes off of the window. "Fine. Why shouldn't I be?"

"You look like a fucking slob, man."

Vemados didn't reply. Instead, he raised his glass to his lips, and downed the drink in one. His eyes remained on the window.

The larger otter sighed and put his elbow on the bar, resting his chin in his palm. "Is it me?"

Vemados didn't reply.

"Look, buddy, I can't help this. It's my job. It's my life. Can't you understand that?"

No reply.

"This assignment is important. There's a possibility - no - a certainty of promotion. You know what that means, don't you?"

No reply.

"It means a huge pay increase, lots of privileges, and more days at home."

At this Vemados slowly turned in his chair until he was looking the larger otter in the eye. "Just promise me one thing, Vince."

Vincent smiled and replied. "Shoot."

Vemados looked back at the window for several moments, and took a long, shuddering breath before turning back. "Promise me you'll be safe."

Vincent paused, and looked out over the crowd. His ears lay flat. "I...I can't promise you that, Vemados. You know that." he said, and there was a disparity in his voice that even he noticed.

The two otters sat. An uncomfortable air hung over both of them, knowing what to say but unable to say it. Finally, Vincent stood up and spoke. "I'll miss you, brother."

Vemados looked up at the older otter and shook the paw that was offered to him. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I'll miss you too."

Vincent Caducus saluted. Then he turned, and walked stiffly out into the cold, dead night.

Barthez picked up the empty glass and tipped the remaining contents onto his hair to smooth it. He then placed it absently in the sink, turning on the water and running a greasy paw through his greasier hair.

Vemados sighed as he looked at his reflection. His reflection sighed back. He bent and dipped his head into the pool of cold water in the restroom sink, not bothered by the grime coating the once white china. He paused there for a moment, blowing bubbles, before lifting his head and shaking it relatively dry.

There was a disconcertingly loud bang as the door flew open and the head of Barthez poked around the corner. "Vem, quick, get on the stage! Boss is gonna be here in a sec, get up there!"

Vemados turned to face the bear, a slight smile on his face. "I'm not getting up there, man. I'm quitting tonight, and I want to tell that to his," he spat the word. "face."

There was silence. Then, "Fine." and the bear's head disappeared.

Vemados smirked to himself, then pulled the plug out and walked out the door.

The club was in full thrive as the back-up stripper went on. The music had been turned up, and techno lights flashed all around. Probably for the first time in their lives, most of the furs on the island of Squia seemed to be enjoying themselves. And then the boss arrived.

The hefty double doors flew open, followed by two huge gorilla bodyguards in black suit and ties. They stood side by side and watched the occupants of the room warily.

A enormous creature followed the gorillas. Whilst the gorillas were both tall enough to have to bend through the doors - which were designed for easy passage for a bear - this creature had to bend almost double to step through. He stood with almost his entire torso above everyone else's head. His muscles practically bulged through his specially-made suit, and in his hand he held a simple black cane with a gold knob. It stood against logic that the huge wolf felt he needed bodyguards. This was the boss - Ubel Davonlaufen.

Barthez sidled up to the giant and put on his best smile. "Mister Davonlaufen, sir. How are you today, sir?"

The wolf turned to regard the bear with his usual mix of contempt and superiority. "How nice of you to enquire, barkeep." came a deep bass rumbling. The wolf seemed to think before replying. "I am good today." He continued in his allegorical accent. "Good today...yes."

"Good, good. How about your handsome son, Bezeichnet?" The bear added, sounding almost desperate to please Davonlaufen.

The wolf chuckled at this, a low, rumbling sound that was reminiscent of thunder. "Oh, he is fine also. He should make Gamma before that boy."

Barthez nodded, the smile never once leaving his face. "So, sir, d'you wish to view our show?"

The wolf again chuckled, sitting on a chair which creaked, barely supporting his weight. The two gorillas stood either side of him. "But of course, barkeep." Came the reply as Davonlufen set his cane against the table and waited for Barthez to arrive. He did, with a hastily prepared drink. The wolf picked up the drink and noted the uncharacteristic cleanliness of it. Keeping his eyes on the amber liquid inside the glass, he spoke. "I have noticed that the otter is not now getting ready, barkeep."

Barthez glanced over to where Vemados was sitting. "Ah...no, no he isn't." Barthez was subjected to a pause. Ubel Davonlaufen was very good at pauses. He seemed to create a void which the speaker had to fill. Barthez, on the other hand, knew Davonlaufen too well to attempt any kind of filler for that void.

The wolf continued staring at the glass for several crawling moments. He then raised the glass to his lips, taking a deep sip and smacking his lips. He placed the glass on the table and span round to face the bear rapidly enough to startle him. "Why is this, little bear?"

The "little bear" bristled slightly. "He is unwell tonight, sir." The fur's voice was laden with unmistakable venom.

The wolf continued to stare at Barthez. Sitting, he was only slightly shorter than the bear. He leaned forward ever so slightly. "You are not threatening me, little bear?"

To his credit, Barthez stared Davonlaufen right back in the eye. But then, like most under the gaze of the giant, he wilted. "No, sir. I was just informing you, sir. No offence meant sir."

The wolf remained in the bear's face to say: "Good." He then span back to his original position, again with surprising speed for one so immensely large. "But you are lying to me, aren't you? The otter is perfectly alright - look at him." The wolf looked at Barthez, who started busying himself with wiping the table down. His expression was hidden from Davonlaufen. "Bring him to me."

The bear froze. "Bring him to you?"

"I wish to know why he is not working."

When Barthez still didn't move, Davonlaufen motioned to one of the gorillas. The brute moved over to where Vemados sat and spoke to him. Vemados looked up at him and then looked over to Davonlaufen with a scowl on his face. Standing up, he shrugged off the gorilla's paw and strode over to the giant wolf, walking with a purpose.

"Ah, master Vemados Caducus, am I right?"

There was no reply from the comparatively diminutive otter. Davonlaufen simply waited for one.

Finally, the otter yielded reluctantly. "Yes." He spat the word with as much venom as he could muster.

The wolf chuckled. "You are very stubborn...totally stubborn for one so small and insignificant." He looked at Vemados. "Your brother is healthy?"

The otter bristled.

"Not to worry so, he shall be back soon after my own son gives him his lieutenant's leave. Listen up now little otter-"

"No, sir," Vemados interrupted. "You listen up now."

Barthez, the two gorillas, and seemingly the entire nightclub froze. Not a muscle on Davonlaufen's face twitched. The wolf was an expert.

"I've had to work here for two fucking years, and you know why? I needed the money, that's all. Just a small on-the-side job, no problem. Earn a little money, get a reputation ?round the village for having a nice body. Fine. But, I wasn't betting on you, Davonlaufen. I'm not about to become some toy for you and your corrupt, cold-hearted, pro-dictatorship, fascist bastard friends. So you can take your job and shove it up your ass, you...gigantic son of a bitch - I quit." With that, he turned and stomped out of the nightclub.

The club had grown silent during Vemados' speech, the occupants having turned their attention to the sight they recognised as Davonlaufen.

A laugh disturbed the silence. It started as a chuckle, then it grew into a bout of roaring laughter. The occupants shuffled nervously as the giant wolf bellowed with laughter.

Davonlaufen wiped his eyes with the corner of a silk napkin retrieved from his top pocket, then put it back. He then motioned to Barthez. When the bear leaned forward, Davonlaufen suddenly grabbed his head with one huge paw and brought him even closer. "Let me tell you something little bear. I am from a small island in the Jennisons, and when I was young I had got a small job to earn some money. Do you know what that job was? I was a bouncer in a nightclub - like this - in a republican" He pulled a face. The word was just too sour for him. "state. It was called Vibes - maybe you have heard of this?

"Well, soon I earned enough money to actually buy a small place and turn it into a club of my own. I called it Nu-Vibes after my first workplace. And soon, I had an entire chain of clubs in both of the End Islands, the Jennisons," he waved his paw dismissively. "this little backwater island known as Squia and Amora itself." Davonlaufen let that sink in before continuing.

"It is a shame now that I have had the first case of an unhappy-" The wolf paused, to mull this last word over. He seemed to come to a conclusion. "The first case of a fur who chose to leave his post. It is indeed unfortunate." The wolf stood and smoothed out his suit. "I think I shall leave now, little bear. I am going to put down my free beer, pick up my gold-topped cane, put my silk handkerchief back in my silk-lined pocket, let my two bodyguards open the door to my limousine and be driven back to my mansion. And there, I will await my private jet." He smiled. "And this cold-hearted, corrupt, fascist's bastard friends paid for it all. And I now suggest that you should hire more...efficient staff, barkeep." And the huge wolf motioned to his bodyguards, picked up his cane and stooped out of the nightclub into the cold, dead night.

'I cant believe I did that.' The same thought whizzed around Vemados' head at a hundred miles an hour. 'I can't believe I did that.' He walked with his paws stuffed into his pockets, slouched and keeping his head down. He turned off into a dark alley, glancing around to see if anyone had seen him. 'I can't believe I did that. I drank too much. Oh man, if only my brother had been there. He'd have stopped me.' The otter quickened his pace a little.

Suddenly, a dark figure loomed in the darkness, crashing into him. Trying not to scream, he pushed back with all his might and managed to shove his assailant against a wall - and into some light. He sighed in relief. "Oh, Tumble! It's only you. Damn man, you scared the shit outta me."

The rat known as Tumble smiled a crooked smile. "Hey there little Caducus. How's it goin'?"

Vemados glanced around. "Er, yeah it's great man, but listen, I gotta run."

The rat grabbed Vemados' arm. "Hold up, hold up man! What's the rush?"

"Er, nothing, I just gotta go. Let go of my arm, man."

"What's the hurry, come on man..." The rat still didn't let go.

"Tumble, for the love of gods let me go!"

Tumble started to say something, and glanced up at Vemados. Suddenly he started to cry , collapsing against the otter's chest. "I'm sorry man." He gasped between sobs. "I couldn't help it, I didn't want to man, but when he offered me so much cash, oh man, oh man, I'm sorry man, I'm so sorry..."

Realisation started to creep across the otter's face. He shoved the sobbing rat back, and turned to run. But then, the world went black.

A ceiling. A black ceiling. Vemados stared up at it, glad that he still had his eyes. He tried to turn over, but stopped when a brilliant flash of pain sliced through his head. He moaned, raising a paw to his head. It got half way before it was stopped short by something holding onto his wrist. He looked down - it was a shackle. One on each paw, and upon looking further down, he discovered one on each foot too. He moaned again. 'Fantastic.' Suddenly, he blinked and looked down again. Something was missing. It was his clothes. He looked over and found them piled neatly on a chair. There was his jeans, his jacket and his fingerless gloves. But...no socks or shoes. He was still wearing them, along with his boxers. 'Weird...' He looked around him. There was very little light, but he could see that he was on a bed with no covers. The shackles were connected to a chain which was connected to the iron headboard. That was all he could see.

A door banged. "He's awake." This was spoken by a flat, monotonous voice.

"I'll call the boss." Another toneless voice answered. They could have been behind him or in front of him. They could have been underneath him for all he could tell.

"He definitely told us to leave the shoes and socks on."

"Yes."

The two mysterious voices left, banging the door behind them.

Vemados had a pretty good idea of who "the boss" was. His thoughts were interrupted by another banging, and a large fur came into his field of vision. He - or she - was wearing a black suit and tie, but their face was concealed by the absence of light.

The mystery fur threw something onto Vemados' chest, making him groan slightly. "Open the packet. Now." The voice was as flat as the previous voices, but there was no way of telling whether the fur was either of them.

Vemados opened the plastic packet and took out the contents. "What is this?"

The mystery fur paused. Vemados wondered if he was checking the door. "Headache pills and water. They are both in edible containers. It is small, but it will get rid of your headache. It will not help with what is to come. Consider this a mercy."

Vemados started as he heard the fur walking towards the door. "Wait, let me see your face. I wanna know who you are."

There was silence. Then, two slow steps. And the fur stepped into the light - it was one of the gorillas who had been at the club. "I am Isaias Ayudante. Do not tell my name to the boss. I...I am...sorry I could not be more help." And the gorilla turned and left.

The otter sighed and opened the pills. He popped one into his mouth and drank, pausing as he heard more voices outside. He quickly stuffed the edible containers into his mouth and swallowed them.

The door opened, and Davonlaufen stooped in.

The wolf was even larger than the otter remembered. He had seen him for the first time at the club - the lights of the stage having made the audience invisible - and had been totally undaunted by his size. Now though, laying shackled and nearly naked, the predator looked larger than ever.

Davonlaufen walked around, lighting candles around the room. Light gradually seeped back into the room, and Vemados could see. The room was quite small, but tall enough for Davonlaufen to stand upright. The ceiling was black, but the carpet and the walls he could see were a deep, dark red. Almost blood red. He looked back up at Davonlaufen, and his eyes widened as he saw that the giant wolf had begun to take his suit off.

Davonlaufen removed his jacket, shirt and tie and put them on the same chair that held the otter's clothes. They covered the chair. The wolf then turned to Vemados, whose eyes widened further at the site of Davonlaufen's bulging muscles. He looked like he was about to explode. "That was a very good speech, Mr. Caducus." Davonlaufen spoke softly as he removed his belt. "I now commend you for it."

"Like those adverbs, huh?" Vemados asked casually.

Davonlaufen paused in his actions. He looked thoughtful, then walked slowly over to where the otter lay and placed one huge paw on his face. It covered Vemados' whole face, leaving his eyes uncovered between the wolf's fingers. "You are the first employee to be so very cheeky, Caducus." He hesitated, but continued absently. "Please continue in this manner, it is most enjoyable." The wolf squeezed a little, then removed his hand and proceeded to take off his trousers.

Vemados lay slightly baffled. "Yo, wolfie-boy big." He tried to be casual, just to irritate Davonlaufen that bit further. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

The wolf replied just as casually. "I am not going to kill you, little otter. At least, I don't actually intend to."

"Why, you big...freak of nature, you?"

Davonlaufen chuckled with his back to Vemados and placed his shoes and socks on the chair. "What if, little otter, I do not want to?"

Vemados' cogs were whirling at top speed. "Wait...why aren't you calling me Caducus anymore? Don't want to give anything away?"

The wolf was silent, but he turned to face the otter. His expression was wooden, shut down so as not to give anything away.

"That was a mistake, wasn't it? Telling me you're not going to kill me." Vemados saw the flicker that crossed Davonlaufen's face. "Yeah, it was. And a big one, if I'm judge. It's not that you don't want to kill me, I can see it in your eyes that you want to kill me. No, it's not that. It's that you can't kill me, can't you?"

Davonlaufen smiled and raised a finger to his nose. "Very good, little otter."

"So that is it. And I bet I know why. You can't kill me because of Bezeichnet."

Again, there was no reply. Instead the wolf moved out of sight and could be heard moving things around.

"If you kill me, people'll start asking questions, right? Questions you don't need."

No reply. More sounds. It sounded like Davonlaufen was opening drawers.

"If you kill me, people will suspect you. Won't they, Chuckles? And why? 'Cos you're the father of Bezeichnet Davonlaufen. So what, people will ask? Because Vincent Caducus is Bezeichnet's greatest rival, and whoever "wins" out of them gets to become a Gamma agent of the Justice."

The wolf started chuckling. "And who is Vincent Caducus' brother? Why, of course, it is Vemados Caducus." The wolf stepped forward into the light once more. He was holding something, but Vemados couldn't see what it was. "You are much more intelligent than I gave you credit for, little otter. But of course I should have known you were going to "figure me out", as they say. That silly rat furson told me you are quite brilliant."

Vemados' heart sank and his fury rose as he recalled his former rat friend. "You mean Tumble."

"Oh, was that his name? I did not catch it in time."

A lump grew in the otter's throat and he felt his heart skip a beat. "You mean Tumble's dead? You killed him?"

A chuckle. "I had to be sure he would not go and alert the local Justice to your disappearance, could I?"

The lump grew bigger. "Am I still in Squia?"

Another chuckle, but no reply. The wolf was really getting to Vemados. "My dear, dear little otter. If you were not so set in your anti-government, republican ways I would have you as my own. You are brave, quite brilliant. And of course you are very, very beautiful."

A chill ran up Vemados' spine. "What are you gonna do?" He whispered, though he already knew the answer.

Davonlaufen lowed himself until his huge nose was pressing against Vemados' much smaller one. His voice was soft and quite calm. "You assumed correctly, little one, when you asked me if you are still in Squia. The answer is no. You now are in my mansion in the Jennison islands." Davonlaufen released whatever it was he was holding and placed both paws either side of Vemados' head. He began to lean his whole body down, the weight causing his paws and the otter's head to sink further and further into the mattress.

"My mansion is heavily fortified, with an army of guards and even my very own dungeon. This mansion actually was...donated to me, from a client who had passed away the day before. Wasn't that unfortunate? He owed me money, too." A chuckle followed this remark.

"It used to belong to the Saint James Jennison Museum. It was an old clan castle, before it was a mansion. The dungeons were used to hold those who opposed the clan. The dungeons were where people were tortured beyond recognition and - eventually - killed." The giant wolf pressed further, his torso now brushing against the little otter's own lightly muscular body. "If I were a little Squian otter, I now would not attempt any more jokes. My accent may be amusing, but your cell will not be and that is guaranteed."

And Vemados stared right back into Davonlaufen's eyes.

The wolf suddenly got up, letting Vemados spring back up from the depths of the mattress. "Gods, how I hate Squia. It may be the first land discovered by Alpha Robert Duran," Davonlaufen picked up what he had been holding. It was a pan with a wooden spoon handle leaning against one side. Vemados' ears pricked up quizzically. "and it may be Castus's only ally, but by the Gods, I hate that backwater little fuck." The wolf sat on the edge of the bed, his weight nearly sinking clean through it. "That is why I intend to run for Alpha of Squia."

Vemados' heart skipped a beat. "You? Ruling Squia?"

"Yes, little otter - my little otter. I will rule Squia, and make it part of the Jennison island cluster. Do you know what that means, little otter?"

Vemados did, but Davonlaufen told him anyway.

"It means that it will lose it's status as an ally of Castus, and the capital state of Amora will not have enough political power to remain in it's coveted position. And Castus, the great republican Castus, will finally fall. You know what that means, little otter. You are smart enough to work it out."

Vemados nodded. "The Jury won't be in power anymore, and the Alphas will lose power until a new capital is named. The whole planet will become temporarily republican. And that means that...fucking...assholes like you can come to power."

"Fucking assholes exactly like me. In fact," And the wolf leant down to whisper into the otter's ear. "me."

"But you can't do it. Not only will the Jury not let you become an Alpha, but the Chief Judge won't let you either. They have too much to lose."

Davonlaufen smiled. "Oh do not worry, little one. I have plenty of allies in Castus. And one of them is a Judicator. That's nice now isn't it? A friend of mine in the Jury, a friend of Ubel Davonlaufen working in the Towers. Soon, it will be Ubel Davonlaufen, Alpha of Squia, Alpha of the Jennison island cluster, Alpha of Lador."

"Lador?"

"Ah, I seem to have found...as you say, a "hole in your net", little otter. Did you know that Lador is now the second most powerful state in Amora? You surprise me that you did not know that."

Vemados chose to ignore the wolf's comments and work out his plans instead. "And it's a governed state. If Castus loses political power, Lador will become the new capital. A fascist state, with a fascist Jury and fascist Chief Judge..."

"Oh no. Quite incorrect. You see, the Chief Judge may temporarily lose power, but once a new capital is named, he will regain all he had lost. Except for a new Jury, and office of course."

"Right, you can't exactly move something like the Towers of Peace and Justice..." Vemados could feel the hair rising on the nape of his neck. "Wait...a new Jury? And with you being Alpha of Lador? You'll be in for sure. And then...two Judicators and probably more in league... enough to sway the votes of the Jury. And then, Chief Judge Davonlaufen, ruler of the planet Vicis. Right?"

The wolf raised a single oversized finger to his oversized nose and winked. "The governed planet, Vicis. Far more intelligent than I took you for, little one."

"But you're still not calling me Caducus...my brother has something to do with this, doesn't he?"

A ear twitched. That was all he needed.

"He does. Something important. Something that depends on whether Vince becomes Gamma of the Justice. He can investigate."

Another flicker. This one was far too important to miss. It was a flicker at the word "investigation".

"...Investigate...into my disappearance, right? And if people know it's you, you definitely won't be up for Alpha - of anywhere, let alone somewhere of as much political importance as Lador."

No reply. The wolf looked away.

"You didn't want me kidnapped, did you? It was another mistake, wasn't it? And you can't afford so many mistakes in your plan. Tell me, who kidnapped me, huh? It wasn't anything to do with you." It was less a question than a statement.

The wolf sighed. "One would think you are brighter than I am, little otter. No, it was not me who kidnapped you."

"Then who did?"

"I do not know."

"And you ain't lyin', either. If you knew, then you'd have had the guy - or gal - rubbed out by now."

"I fear, little one, that you have made a mistake too."

"I don't make mistakes."

The wolf chuckled. "Everybody makes mistakes, little one. Such as referring to your kidnapper as a "guy". You even tried to cover it up."

Despite himself, Vemados could feel himself blushing.

"Do you want to know what I think?" Without waiting for a reply, the wolf leaned forward slightly. "I think you do not know who your kidnapper was, but you have an idea. So...what is your idea, little otter?"

Little otter did not reply.

The wolf laughed. "How do Squians say this...you have plenty of balls."

The otter looked up at Davonlaufen suddenly. "Wait. If Vince is the only one who can stop you...what are you going to do to him?" The otter asked. He knew that Davonlaufen couldn't kill him for political reasons but...he just hoped to God that Davonlaufen knew that.

The wolf looked back at Vemados. "I feel that the time for talking is over." He told him. " Now to business." He stated to move, but stopped. "If Caducus had more balls than brain, he would not fit into his pants. That was what my father said about him. There is no such thing as a stupid Caducus. There are a lot of your family who have gone on to become Gamma, Alpha, even a Chief Judge I believe at one point. You should have run for one such coveted position yourself, little otter. I suppose I will give you a clue. For fun, as they say." The wolf smiled. It was not a friendly smile, as mirthless and cold as steel. "It will involve Transfigured Fury."

And the otter's blood ran cold at the mention of the virus.