Renegade: 86-0501 (Part 7)
I am falling so behind, it's overwhelming... 6000 words to go before I'm caught up. Eeeeee.
Total wordcount: 14,536
An antalian courier rushed into the Founders’ area of HQ, out of breath and grasping a sealed manila envelope in one paw. She swatted the intercom button and stood breathless waiting for a reply from one of the three Founders sequestered inside.
It was present day. And headquarters had just received some very bad news from their network administrator.
“Yes?” a pleasant female voice answered the canine. She swallowed and gritted her teeth. She hated being the bearer of bad news.
“This is Viel Hashana from networking. I have an emergency report.”
“Why wasn’t it emailed to us?” The lantali could feel her palms sweating.
“It’s so classified it’s off the record, ma’am.”
Behind the reinforced metal door, Kae paused. A courier sent with data from that protected of a file meant only one thing. It was from Project Fresh Blood. She grimaced, now afraid of what news the courier might hold.
“Send it through,” Kae affirmed, pushing a button that unlocked a paper transfer slot beneath the intercom. It kept the Founders from having to show their faces to any more people than possible for safety reasons. If the whole galaxy knew their faces, they would be in grave danger. And they knew that the more individuals were allowed to see them, the more of the risk of a leak, and thence the less likelihood there would be of the secret of their identities would fall into the wrong hands. But right now there was a much bigger secret at risk. One the Founders didn’t even speak about amongst themselves, though they all knew very well what it was.
Kae watched as the envelope came through with agonizing slowness. Complicated and very precise scanners checked the slip for any indicators of tampering or forgery. They wanted to be sure that the paper was paper and not an elaborate way to poison, spy on, or pester the Founders in any way. One couldn’t be too safe when you’re trying to run a planet of which the majority of inhabitants wanted you dead.
Finally the scan was complete and Kae grabbed up the message with increased anxiety. She hit the intercom button and dismissed the courier with as impassionate a word of thanks as she could manage under the sudden anxiety she felt- she couldn’t let on to Viel that anything was wrong- before turning away and devouring the contents of the short but alarming text.
Classified file PFB confirmed accessed. Information retrieved on dates indicated below by unit MY, authorization level alpha. Printing of document information also confirmed. Location of access points and miscellaneous other information attached.
And at the bottom, a personal note from whomever had written the report.
I am so sorry.
Kae felt her blood run cold. She turned and ran back into the common area, where she leapt into one of the computer chairs and hammered out an urgent instant message to Ryan and Jennifer. Wherever they were, they would receive it on their PDA instantly and be summoned to the common room.
Once the message was sent, Kae sent another instant message, this one to her anitiga contact in Special Forces. It warned him that he’d be receiving an emergency call soon and kindly asked that he make himself available to their call. Kae knew that he was a busy reptile and often was stuck in long, drawn-out meetings involving miscellaneous governmental affairs, but she also knew that he would gladly free up his schedule in a heartbeat for any emergency the Founders called him to. He was a reliable source that had proved to be a great asset. No matter the time of the day or night, he was there for them.
Ryan was the first to burst into the common room, his clothing disheveled and fitting his were-aya body awkwardly. Kae didn’t have time to ask him why he wasn’t in his human form, but she already knew the answer. Often the Founders worked in their were-bodies so they could stay awake longer than their human counterparts would be able to. They were also able to eat less and remain focused longer without having to deal with hunger pains and exhaustion. Ryan obviously had been pulling another long and sleepless shift. Kae would have scolded him for not taking the time to eat, but this time she knew he hadn’t had a choice. They were doing all they could to locate Matt and restore stability to their network.
Ryan’s questioning look was met with a quick shake of Kae’s head. She wouldn’t trust herself to speak until Jennifer came- but she did, however, hand Ryan the courier’s dire message. She bit her lip as he read it and watched as his eyes grew wide and his face pale. He looked up at her with the same sense of dread that she herself felt- and it was only worsened by Jennifer’s timely arrival. She seemed to have already heard about what had happened, as her eyes were red and puffy and her face haggard. Kae began to speak as Ryan took Jen’s hand and led her to a chair. She sat awkwardly, knowing already what they were about to say.
“Jennifer… we’ve got some horrible news.”
---
Elixander crouched in dense forest undergrowth to hide his red and white pelt, his sharp eyes locked onto their prey. He had chosen an elderly domatira for their potential prize. The aging buck’s antlers were pitted and scarred, several prongs snapped off and a few simply deformed. The old male walked with a limp and moved slowly. It would be a perfect practice run for the two ayas-in-training which Xander had recently been teaching to hunt. They were twin siblings, one male, one female, and both bearing a pelt of greenish grey with forest green and black speckles. It was a perfect coat for camoflauge in an earthy environment such as this. In fact, the majority of Xander’s pride bore such a coat. Funny were the ways of genetics, he mused.
The domatira moved a few paces closer to the patch of brambles in which Xander knew the twins were hiding. They had only begun their lessons in the past few days, so he had his doubts that they’d be able to pull off this hunt. However, this was a perfect of choice of prey as any. The old male had little strength left in his waning life to fight back- however, for a short period of time the buck would indeed be able to use his sharp hooves and significant rack to put up a fleeting defense. He wouldn’t even have the strength to run very fast or far- it was obvious why his herd had deserted him under the leadership of a younger buck, as the old male clearly would not be able to keep up and would only be an attractant to hungry predators such as these.
The buck moved ever closer to the brambles, and Xander held his breath. The twins should be attacking by now. In a moment the old domatira would catch their scent or hear them and then the trap would fail. Xander had already decided that he’d let the twins go hungry for a day or two if they weren’t successful in bringing down this prey. By all logical thought the two adolescents would be able to take it down without much effort, but they constantly surprised them with their slowness to learn. It irritated him, but he had disciplined himself well in the art of patience. There was a reason he was the one in the pride who taught the younglings, even though that practice traditionally fell to the adolescents’ parents or the pride leaders.
Suddenly a flash of grey green and black shot forward from the bushes and charged the domatira. The old male’s reaction time was not as fast as it used to be and therefore shied away a fraction of a second too late. The 300 lb. adolescent sunk its fangs into the bull’s snout- a location that made Elixander cringe- while a second, smaller aya of the same coloration charged at it from the side. Despite his shortcomings the mighty buck still had muscle mass enough to out-bully the students- he swung his mighty head to intercept his second attacker, jerking the first one off of his feet and sending him on a collision course with his sister. The two young ayas collided with a collective oof, the air getting knocked out of the larger male and stars dancing in the smaller female’s head. At the moment of impact, the male had let go, and the female’s charge ended abruptly. The domatira was free to do as he wished.
Elixander knew all too well that older bucks like these were prone to kamikaze missions of last-ditch attack, especially when the large herbivores knew they were going to die soon anyway, by the hands of these predators or others. Being at the bottom of the food chain made one all too aware that death could lurk around any corner, and domatiras were no exception. They seemed to think that if they couldn’t run away, they may as well die fighting and do as much damage as possible. It was a sort of revenge for those who would later pick your meet off of your bones. Perhaps they wouldn’t enjoy their meal so much if they had a broken jaw.
While the younglings were recovering, Xander saw the bull draw back and rear to his full height- an impressive altitude, given the male’s hunched stature- and watched as his tattered antlers scraped the low tree branches overhead. White shone all the way around the bull’s eyes and drool strands mixed with blood from his nose dangled from his chin in disgustingly long pieces. The teacher knew then that this was one of those kamikaze reindeer- he was going to go out with as much damage done as possible. Unfortunate, for Xander knew the twins were even more inept at fighting than they were at hunting. They would easily be injured or perhaps killed if the buck was not stopped.
With a resounding roar Elixander lurched forward. His muscles rippled beneath his red and white pelt and claws shot from red-dipped paws as the large male erupted from his concealment and burst through the air. In a single leap he was at the buck’s throat, knocking the large animal clear off its feet and into a sturdy tree. Its chest was crushed against the immobile trunk, and with the force of the blow one could hear ribs snapping and blood rushing into gurgling lungs. After this attack Xander withdrew, his saber fangs coated in crimson from where they had punctured two smooth holes in the domatira’s neck and then twisted with a jerk of his head, ripping muscle and ligament from its bones without severing any major arteries. A lesson could still be learned from the now-crippled buck, and Xander intended they glean as much information from this situation as possible. They would still be allowed to kill it, though they would have to work fast in order to be able to claim the kill as theirs instead of having it succumb to less-than-honorable wounds from Xander’s charge.
Leaving the buck to reel from the attack, Xander prowled over to the groggy-looking adolescents and bared his fangs at them in an expression of frustration.
“Finish him in the proper way, squabs, before he dies from a death he doesn’t deserve.” His voice was a moderate tenor in pitch, but his tone was low with disapproval. A frown furrowed his red-furred brow and his tail flicked in irritation.
Elixander watched the younglings untangle their limbs from each other and regain their bearings. After a moment of circulatory prowling- which burned Xander with irritation since it was both a sign that they didn’t know what to do next and a waste of time- the female leapt forward and plunged her fangs into the side of the weakening domatira’s neck. But, Xander could see once she stepped away, that she had done it in the wrong place and had not severed any major arteries. He growled his frustration and shot a pointed glare to the boy. Get this right, whelp…
The larger speckled male prowled cautiously up to the buck and seemed uncertain. He hesitated twice before taking a generous bite of its neck and tearing away the flesh, leaving a gaping wound which gushed blood. The youngling looked proud of himself, despite the disgusted look his sister gave him- he had a string of gore hanging from his bottom jaw.
Elixander stared, but then rose to his paws and quickly strode to the young male’s side. The adult delivered a generous whack to the back of the adolescent’s head. Then he turned to the female, who yelped and ducked away before she too was conked.
“Congratulations, Jerom and Josine, you’ve made fools of yourselves,” Xander hissed. “And, you made an intelligent creature die a dishonorable death. He bled out before you even got off your butts, and then you made things worse by ripping out his throat because you don’t know where his JUGULAR IS!” The two adolescents cowered while their teacher simmered and paced in front of them. “We won’t waste this kill, but you two will eat last, after the pride has eaten its fill.”
“But they’ll leave nothi-“ Josine began, but her brother quickly elbowed her in the side, shoving her into silence. Xander glared at her before gesturing to the carcass.
“Come on. You two can drag it back to the pride grounds. You both could stand to build more muscle.”
“That’s gotta be two miles!” Josine objected, but again was elbowed by her brother. Xander ignored her and started walking toward where he knew the rest of the pride gathered.
“Come on Jo,” Jerom hissed into Josine’s ear. “If we don’t drag it, he won’t let us eat at all. So shut your mouth and let’s go.”
Each twin latching onto the carcass’ rump, they began dragging it slowly in Xander’s wake. It would take about an hour before they reached the den. But when they did, a gruesome scene met their eyes.
The pack was dead.
Strewn about in various contorted positions and in various bloodied states lay six pack members, all adults. Even more cause for alarm was that there were two other adolescents- one male, one female- in the pack the same rough age as Jerom and Josine, and they were gone without a trace.
Total wordcount: 14,536
An antalian courier rushed into the Founders’ area of HQ, out of breath and grasping a sealed manila envelope in one paw. She swatted the intercom button and stood breathless waiting for a reply from one of the three Founders sequestered inside.
It was present day. And headquarters had just received some very bad news from their network administrator.
“Yes?” a pleasant female voice answered the canine. She swallowed and gritted her teeth. She hated being the bearer of bad news.
“This is Viel Hashana from networking. I have an emergency report.”
“Why wasn’t it emailed to us?” The lantali could feel her palms sweating.
“It’s so classified it’s off the record, ma’am.”
Behind the reinforced metal door, Kae paused. A courier sent with data from that protected of a file meant only one thing. It was from Project Fresh Blood. She grimaced, now afraid of what news the courier might hold.
“Send it through,” Kae affirmed, pushing a button that unlocked a paper transfer slot beneath the intercom. It kept the Founders from having to show their faces to any more people than possible for safety reasons. If the whole galaxy knew their faces, they would be in grave danger. And they knew that the more individuals were allowed to see them, the more of the risk of a leak, and thence the less likelihood there would be of the secret of their identities would fall into the wrong hands. But right now there was a much bigger secret at risk. One the Founders didn’t even speak about amongst themselves, though they all knew very well what it was.
Kae watched as the envelope came through with agonizing slowness. Complicated and very precise scanners checked the slip for any indicators of tampering or forgery. They wanted to be sure that the paper was paper and not an elaborate way to poison, spy on, or pester the Founders in any way. One couldn’t be too safe when you’re trying to run a planet of which the majority of inhabitants wanted you dead.
Finally the scan was complete and Kae grabbed up the message with increased anxiety. She hit the intercom button and dismissed the courier with as impassionate a word of thanks as she could manage under the sudden anxiety she felt- she couldn’t let on to Viel that anything was wrong- before turning away and devouring the contents of the short but alarming text.
Classified file PFB confirmed accessed. Information retrieved on dates indicated below by unit MY, authorization level alpha. Printing of document information also confirmed. Location of access points and miscellaneous other information attached.
And at the bottom, a personal note from whomever had written the report.
I am so sorry.
Kae felt her blood run cold. She turned and ran back into the common area, where she leapt into one of the computer chairs and hammered out an urgent instant message to Ryan and Jennifer. Wherever they were, they would receive it on their PDA instantly and be summoned to the common room.
Once the message was sent, Kae sent another instant message, this one to her anitiga contact in Special Forces. It warned him that he’d be receiving an emergency call soon and kindly asked that he make himself available to their call. Kae knew that he was a busy reptile and often was stuck in long, drawn-out meetings involving miscellaneous governmental affairs, but she also knew that he would gladly free up his schedule in a heartbeat for any emergency the Founders called him to. He was a reliable source that had proved to be a great asset. No matter the time of the day or night, he was there for them.
Ryan was the first to burst into the common room, his clothing disheveled and fitting his were-aya body awkwardly. Kae didn’t have time to ask him why he wasn’t in his human form, but she already knew the answer. Often the Founders worked in their were-bodies so they could stay awake longer than their human counterparts would be able to. They were also able to eat less and remain focused longer without having to deal with hunger pains and exhaustion. Ryan obviously had been pulling another long and sleepless shift. Kae would have scolded him for not taking the time to eat, but this time she knew he hadn’t had a choice. They were doing all they could to locate Matt and restore stability to their network.
Ryan’s questioning look was met with a quick shake of Kae’s head. She wouldn’t trust herself to speak until Jennifer came- but she did, however, hand Ryan the courier’s dire message. She bit her lip as he read it and watched as his eyes grew wide and his face pale. He looked up at her with the same sense of dread that she herself felt- and it was only worsened by Jennifer’s timely arrival. She seemed to have already heard about what had happened, as her eyes were red and puffy and her face haggard. Kae began to speak as Ryan took Jen’s hand and led her to a chair. She sat awkwardly, knowing already what they were about to say.
“Jennifer… we’ve got some horrible news.”
---
Elixander crouched in dense forest undergrowth to hide his red and white pelt, his sharp eyes locked onto their prey. He had chosen an elderly domatira for their potential prize. The aging buck’s antlers were pitted and scarred, several prongs snapped off and a few simply deformed. The old male walked with a limp and moved slowly. It would be a perfect practice run for the two ayas-in-training which Xander had recently been teaching to hunt. They were twin siblings, one male, one female, and both bearing a pelt of greenish grey with forest green and black speckles. It was a perfect coat for camoflauge in an earthy environment such as this. In fact, the majority of Xander’s pride bore such a coat. Funny were the ways of genetics, he mused.
The domatira moved a few paces closer to the patch of brambles in which Xander knew the twins were hiding. They had only begun their lessons in the past few days, so he had his doubts that they’d be able to pull off this hunt. However, this was a perfect of choice of prey as any. The old male had little strength left in his waning life to fight back- however, for a short period of time the buck would indeed be able to use his sharp hooves and significant rack to put up a fleeting defense. He wouldn’t even have the strength to run very fast or far- it was obvious why his herd had deserted him under the leadership of a younger buck, as the old male clearly would not be able to keep up and would only be an attractant to hungry predators such as these.
The buck moved ever closer to the brambles, and Xander held his breath. The twins should be attacking by now. In a moment the old domatira would catch their scent or hear them and then the trap would fail. Xander had already decided that he’d let the twins go hungry for a day or two if they weren’t successful in bringing down this prey. By all logical thought the two adolescents would be able to take it down without much effort, but they constantly surprised them with their slowness to learn. It irritated him, but he had disciplined himself well in the art of patience. There was a reason he was the one in the pride who taught the younglings, even though that practice traditionally fell to the adolescents’ parents or the pride leaders.
Suddenly a flash of grey green and black shot forward from the bushes and charged the domatira. The old male’s reaction time was not as fast as it used to be and therefore shied away a fraction of a second too late. The 300 lb. adolescent sunk its fangs into the bull’s snout- a location that made Elixander cringe- while a second, smaller aya of the same coloration charged at it from the side. Despite his shortcomings the mighty buck still had muscle mass enough to out-bully the students- he swung his mighty head to intercept his second attacker, jerking the first one off of his feet and sending him on a collision course with his sister. The two young ayas collided with a collective oof, the air getting knocked out of the larger male and stars dancing in the smaller female’s head. At the moment of impact, the male had let go, and the female’s charge ended abruptly. The domatira was free to do as he wished.
Elixander knew all too well that older bucks like these were prone to kamikaze missions of last-ditch attack, especially when the large herbivores knew they were going to die soon anyway, by the hands of these predators or others. Being at the bottom of the food chain made one all too aware that death could lurk around any corner, and domatiras were no exception. They seemed to think that if they couldn’t run away, they may as well die fighting and do as much damage as possible. It was a sort of revenge for those who would later pick your meet off of your bones. Perhaps they wouldn’t enjoy their meal so much if they had a broken jaw.
While the younglings were recovering, Xander saw the bull draw back and rear to his full height- an impressive altitude, given the male’s hunched stature- and watched as his tattered antlers scraped the low tree branches overhead. White shone all the way around the bull’s eyes and drool strands mixed with blood from his nose dangled from his chin in disgustingly long pieces. The teacher knew then that this was one of those kamikaze reindeer- he was going to go out with as much damage done as possible. Unfortunate, for Xander knew the twins were even more inept at fighting than they were at hunting. They would easily be injured or perhaps killed if the buck was not stopped.
With a resounding roar Elixander lurched forward. His muscles rippled beneath his red and white pelt and claws shot from red-dipped paws as the large male erupted from his concealment and burst through the air. In a single leap he was at the buck’s throat, knocking the large animal clear off its feet and into a sturdy tree. Its chest was crushed against the immobile trunk, and with the force of the blow one could hear ribs snapping and blood rushing into gurgling lungs. After this attack Xander withdrew, his saber fangs coated in crimson from where they had punctured two smooth holes in the domatira’s neck and then twisted with a jerk of his head, ripping muscle and ligament from its bones without severing any major arteries. A lesson could still be learned from the now-crippled buck, and Xander intended they glean as much information from this situation as possible. They would still be allowed to kill it, though they would have to work fast in order to be able to claim the kill as theirs instead of having it succumb to less-than-honorable wounds from Xander’s charge.
Leaving the buck to reel from the attack, Xander prowled over to the groggy-looking adolescents and bared his fangs at them in an expression of frustration.
“Finish him in the proper way, squabs, before he dies from a death he doesn’t deserve.” His voice was a moderate tenor in pitch, but his tone was low with disapproval. A frown furrowed his red-furred brow and his tail flicked in irritation.
Elixander watched the younglings untangle their limbs from each other and regain their bearings. After a moment of circulatory prowling- which burned Xander with irritation since it was both a sign that they didn’t know what to do next and a waste of time- the female leapt forward and plunged her fangs into the side of the weakening domatira’s neck. But, Xander could see once she stepped away, that she had done it in the wrong place and had not severed any major arteries. He growled his frustration and shot a pointed glare to the boy. Get this right, whelp…
The larger speckled male prowled cautiously up to the buck and seemed uncertain. He hesitated twice before taking a generous bite of its neck and tearing away the flesh, leaving a gaping wound which gushed blood. The youngling looked proud of himself, despite the disgusted look his sister gave him- he had a string of gore hanging from his bottom jaw.
Elixander stared, but then rose to his paws and quickly strode to the young male’s side. The adult delivered a generous whack to the back of the adolescent’s head. Then he turned to the female, who yelped and ducked away before she too was conked.
“Congratulations, Jerom and Josine, you’ve made fools of yourselves,” Xander hissed. “And, you made an intelligent creature die a dishonorable death. He bled out before you even got off your butts, and then you made things worse by ripping out his throat because you don’t know where his JUGULAR IS!” The two adolescents cowered while their teacher simmered and paced in front of them. “We won’t waste this kill, but you two will eat last, after the pride has eaten its fill.”
“But they’ll leave nothi-“ Josine began, but her brother quickly elbowed her in the side, shoving her into silence. Xander glared at her before gesturing to the carcass.
“Come on. You two can drag it back to the pride grounds. You both could stand to build more muscle.”
“That’s gotta be two miles!” Josine objected, but again was elbowed by her brother. Xander ignored her and started walking toward where he knew the rest of the pride gathered.
“Come on Jo,” Jerom hissed into Josine’s ear. “If we don’t drag it, he won’t let us eat at all. So shut your mouth and let’s go.”
Each twin latching onto the carcass’ rump, they began dragging it slowly in Xander’s wake. It would take about an hour before they reached the den. But when they did, a gruesome scene met their eyes.
The pack was dead.
Strewn about in various contorted positions and in various bloodied states lay six pack members, all adults. Even more cause for alarm was that there were two other adolescents- one male, one female- in the pack the same rough age as Jerom and Josine, and they were gone without a trace.