For A Season

AN A LITTLE NOTHING /COONAVERSE CROSSOVER 

Legal Notice: This story is Copyright © 2007 by Tigermark. This story may not be sold or used for commercial profit in any way, shape, form or fashion. This story may not be modified in any way. This story may not be posted on a mirror site or any other Internet site without the written permission of the author. This story may not be distributed on print, magnetic, electrical or optical mediums or any other mediums yet to be discovered. Characters are not to be used without obtaining author’s permission. This story is a fan fiction of Joe Martelle’s Open Season, and Chuck Percy’s Change of Season, and every attempt is made for it, with the authors’ permission, to be canon to those stories and the Coonaverse. 

Rick Coona, Kelso (Kel) Amanda Vixxen Ujinkhan, Max Badger, Kath Badger, Kacy Kelso Coona, Richard Randolph Coona, Gwen Smith (Harcort-Smythe) Coona, Jo-Ann Procyon, Dr. Charles Procyon, and Mike Ferretti are Copyright Joe Martelle. 

Kassir Ujinkhan, Lynne Smyth, Marie Cassini, Richard Kassir Charles Procyon and Kelso Gwenwyfar Procyon  © Chuck Percy 

Tigermark M’Rega © his player. Tammy Lynx (TL), Rachel, and Brianna M’Rega © Tigermark. Aslaug Larsdater and Aramis Dagaz © their players. Joe Latrans © Silver Coyote. Tani the kitsuné angel, The Amigos, and the Scruffy Squad © the ALN writing team. 

All other characters not credited here were created for this story and are © Tigermark 

Any resemblance to persons furry, non furry living, dead or undead is purely coincidental.

Chapter 5 

Dangerous Games

    Tigermark eased down into the streams of hot water, intent on relaxing stiff joints and sore muscles. The wet, cold ground and the events of the day had not been kind to him, so now he sought a therapeutic turn in the hot tub at Casa Coona North. As per the house rules, he’d shed his robe and now sat up to his neck in gently rolling hot water. The hot tub and patio were empty of anyone else, so he closed his eyes and relaxed his head back onto the side of the tub. The day’s mission had been successful, and he thanked God for the safety of the young fur they’d saved from abduction, but several things were making him feel ill at ease.

    The deaths of the three Brethren didn’t really bother him, per se. Their fate was the consequence of their chosen course. True, he had been the catalyst, but he felt no remorse, just sadness that it had been necessary. The things that were troubling him all revolved around one beautiful young skunkette named Lynne. The drive back home after they stopped the Brethren’s abduction attempt had been very quiet. Lynne had driven without a problem, but she’d seemed almost mechanical. When they arrived home, she’d gone into one of the bedrooms, and TM hadn’t seen her since. Gwen was working on dinner for the crew, but she’d checked on her cousin and said she was okay, but needed some time to digest what had happened. How should he go about helping her deal with the death she’d seen? When would be the right time to talk to her about the crush she had on him?

    The sound of someone entering the patio from the house perked up one of TM’s ears, but he felt too relaxed at that moment to even look up. The one big advantage he’d had on this mission so far, that he had all too seldom on other missions, was what he felt was a secure base of operations. If anything or anyone dangerous got within a hundred yards of Casa Coona North, the wards in place would give notice of it. TM assumed it was probably Gwen or one of the other family members, so he wasn’t concerned. The chlorine in the water precluded him from catching the scent of whoever had come in, but again, he wasn’t concerned.

    At least, he wasn’t concerned until he felt the water ripple and opened one eye to see Lynne stepping into the tub with him. She was on the opposite side, but he took in at one look the interest and attraction in her gaze. Her eyes sparkled with passion held in check for now, but promising much more if she had the chance. Tigermark felt almost dazed, the water and his state of relaxation making him slow to react. He breathed a sigh of relief when the skunkette settled into the water where she’d entered. Perhaps he was overreacting. Perhaps she too was more interested in getting the chill out of her bones and talking over the things she’d seen.

    And perhaps he shouldn’t make assumptions, as Lynne began to sidle his direction along the edge of the tub.

    “Tiger,” she said breathily, “It’s kinda lonely over here, can I sit with you?”

     TM was attempting to get himself moving up and out of the hot tub, but he couldn’t seem to get his muscles to respond. He sat there wide eyed with his muzzle partly open. He found a voice in his head trying to tell him she was only seeking comfort, and that suddenly rushing out would hurt her feelings. His better judgment almost fell over laughing at how naïve that sounded.

     The skunkette was only about an arm’s length away now. She stopped and stood up to prepare to settle in with him, her fur streaming rivulets of water, and her excitement and intent becoming clear. TM could now clearly see her state of arousal. The warrior who’d faced down countless monsters, both supernatural and fur, was desperately trying to think of a graceful way out of the situation, and fighting his own physical reactions as Lynne began to reach out toward him.

# # #

    Dale awoke in a dark place. He wasn’t sure if the room was dark, or the blindfold around his eyes just made it seem that way. He was lying on a floor that felt cold and hard, but in a way that seemed to sooth the pains in his shoulder, neck, and head. He recalled being flung through the air, and then nothing. The memory of the boxer who’d grabbed him suddenly came back to him, and he sat upright.

    Or at least he tried to. He realized he was bound paws and feet, and when he moved his paws, he heard the chain attached to them rattle. Some exploratory movements told him he was chained to a pipe. He was able to reach up and remove his blindfold, but that barely helped. There was no light in the room, and the little that spilled in under the door didn’t help much. He was able to make out that the pipe he was chained to ran up the wall, and that there were several more pipes on his side of the room. Then he heard a sound. It was a soft, almost pleading whimper.

   “Who’s there?” a young, female voice asked, almost too quiet to hear, even in the otherwise silent room. Dale turned his head in that direction, and could just make out in the gloom two figures sitting up against more piping on the opposite side of the room.

    “Uh, my name’s Dale. I’m chained up here like you are. Who are you?” Dale kept his voice low as well, unsure if anyone was outside the door listening.

    “M-my name’s Janie. What’s gonna happen to us? I didn’t even see who grabbed me. I was almost home from school an’ then I heard a loud motor an then somethin’ hit me, I think. I’m so scared.” The femme looked to be quite a bit smaller than Dale, and he could hear the tremble of fear in her voice. He could see now that she was a feline of some kind, but he couldn’t tell more than that in the gloom. The figure next to her, who appeared to be some type of squirrel and even smaller than her, spoke up next.

    “I-I w-want my mommy. I’m really scared too.” By the voice, Dale figured the fur was a male around six or seven years old. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He was scared, too, but it sounded like his fellow abductees needed someone to keep them from panicking.

    “I’m scared too, but there isn’t anything we can do about it right now. At least we’re in here together, so we’re not alone. Our folks are bound to start calling the police and looking for us as soon as they know we’re gone. We just gotta hold on until they find us.”

    “HEY! YOUS SHUT DA HELL UP IN DERE!”

    Dale jerked with a start. Janie let out a half-scream but clamped her paws across her mouth. The littlest fur gasped and buried his head into his knees. Dale looked and saw that the door was open just enough to show half the face of the boxer who’d abducted them. He looked angry.

    “Ya filthy little hybrids. We gots sumptin’ reeaal special in store for ya. Yous otta be glad we chose ya. Gonna be da greatest honor yous could ever have. Gonna make yous sorry ya mammas ever laid eyes on somebody outta their own kind. Now sit dere nice an’ still. Yous’ll have company soon, and it’d get too noisy wit’ all yer hybrid chatter, so shut yer yaps.”

    The boxer closed the door, and they heard the lock clunk into place. Dale waited a few minutes, and then they heard the boxer’s footsteps move away. He waited another moment, and then spoke at barely above a whisper.

    “Scoot in toward the middle.”

    After several minutes’ hesitation, the other two moved in as far as their bonds would allow. They were able to huddle together and speak low enough so as not to be heard from outside the room. After getting the blindfolds off the other two, Dale held still as Janie cried softly on his shoulder and the other fur tried to crawl under his arm. Finally he spoke again.

    “Okay, that told me who has us, I think. The boxer didn’t do this alone. I saw a van with him hanging out the door, but I couldn’t get away in time. Somebody had to be driving it while he was grabbing us. I been hearing a lot on the news lately about some group that hates furs whose parents are from different species. I won’t lie to you Janie and …”

    “Bennie,” came the muffled reply to the unspoken question. Dale nodded and continued.

    “Bennie, if that’s the case, we are in a lot of trouble. It doesn’t sound like they’re holding us for ransom.”

    A sound somewhere in the building outside their door silenced them for the moment, but they huddled together and tried to comfort each other. Dale knew their odds of going home alive weren’t very good, but he planned to keep his eyes and ears open, and watch for a chance to change the odds.

# # #

    The deputy looked at the tree, with its dark stain and traces of gore still coating some of the limbs, and shuddered. The accident had been a bad one, with one fur ejected right into that tree, and the other two possibly burned to death in the fire that followed the crash. At least there was enough left of the one who’d hit the tree so they could identify him. The body lay below the tree, covered by a white sheet. The deputy’s silent contemplation was interrupted as the fire captain walked up to him. 

    “Well Roy, the fire’s finally out. Not much left of the van or its occupants down there. Any clue what happened?”

    “Yeah, looks like a blowout. Stan found a piece of tire over there in the ditch with a piece of a bolt or something in it. They must’ve overcorrected when the tire went, and ran over the side. Must’ve been going pretty fast by the look of where they hit. Good thing the kid who called it in was on up the road.”

     “Really good thing. Say, the guys were speculating about something. Remember that bulletin that came out a couple days ago about keeping an eye out for strange vehicles with two or more males who might be attempting to abduct mixed-breed kids? You don’t suppose this could have been an attempt gone bad, do you?” The fire captain, a tall grey-muzzled collie, was looking at the tree now. Roy had been a Sheriff’s Deputy for ten years, and the Irish setter had thought of that connection, too. He didn’t want any rumors running rampant, though, so he gave a pat answer.

    “Not enough evidence to make that assumption, but we’ll know more when we get a check on the identity of the victims.”

    The collie looked shrewdly from under his helmet, and then gave a slight nod. “Well, if it was, that’s one lucky kid. He was just on around the turn when he heard the crash. If they’d gotten him and then had the blowout, he might be down in the ravine too, or worse.”

    “True, but like I said, no evidence of that, at least not yet. Ah, there’s the recovery crew. Has the burn area cooled down enough for them to get to work?”

   “Yeah, should be okay.”

    The Irish setter sighed. Now it was time to write up the paperwork on the incident. He motioned the body recovery team on and nodded a goodbye to the fire captain as he walked over to talk to the state police trooper who’d pulled in behind the recovery van.

    “Hello Bill, how goes your shift?”

    “Eh, was a bit slow until now. What’s the story?” The German shepherd trooper was an old friend of the deputy’s. He leaned against the side of the car and shrugged.

    “Van with three occupants blew a tire and went over the side into the ravine. All DOA. Two down below from either crash-related injuries or the post-crash fire. One up here ejected and hit that tree. Helluva mess.”

    “Any reason to suspect anything?”

    “Nah, found a piece of an old bolt in a piece of the tire. Why?” the deputy’s ears perked up at the question.

    “The name I heard you call in from the ID you retrieved from one of them matches a known member of the Brethren, that purist group that’s been in the news. That little bolt might have done everyone a really big favor. Anyway, looks like you have everything under control, so I’m gonna move on. Keep ‘em safe.”

    “Later, Bill.” Roy replied. The state police car backed down to a wide spot and turned around as the Irish setter returned to his car to begin writing the report. Unless the coroner’s report found something unusual, the crash investigation would be closed with the cause being speed too fast for conditions and tire failure caused by a foreign object.

# # #

    Jo-Ann nearly ran through the door at Casa Coona North, pausing barely long enough to open it before charging into the kitchen. Seeing Gwen working there, she stopped long enough to gasp out a question.

   “Gwen, huff, where’s Tigermark?”

    “Hot tub last I saw of him. What’s the rush?”

    “Got big news, come along and I’ll tell you both at once. The kits sleeping?” Jo-Ann managed to get her breathing back under control.

    “For now. You go to the hot tub, and I’ll go get Lynne. She was in the bedroom last I saw her,” Gwen stated as she wiped her paws on a cloth and started for the bedroom hall. Jo-Ann ran out to the patio where the hot tub was. She burst out onto the patio and found not only Tigermark but Lynne as well. The skunkette was standing in front of the tiger, and when Jo-Ann ran out, she turned suddenly at the sound. Tigermark stood up and quickly stepped out of the tub, looking both surprised and relieved. Lynne looked back to find him leaving the tub and took on a look of disappointment, but Jo-Ann was too intent on delivering her news to give the situation much thought. A moment later, Gwen came out and looked relieved to find Lynne stepping out of the hot tub. TM had quickly donned his robe, but Gwen noted that he looked like he’d just been saved from certain death, and that the front of his robe was covering a pronounced “show of admiration.” She filed that away for later thought as Jo-Ann began to relate her news.

    “We got ‘em! Well, two of ‘em anyway. Red-pawed with a little one in the van with them. They tried to run, but misjudged a turn and clipped a pole. Didn’t wreck them, but it disabled the van. The Sheriff’s Deputies chased two of them down on foot, and found a little femme bound and gagged in the back of the van. One got away, but they’ll probably get one of the two they arrested to give that one up, too. Preliminary report says they’re known Brethren members.”

    Here Jo-Ann stopped to take a breath, and then her excitement changed. No one said anything, as her expression grew dark.

    “We also got word . . . Three kits are missing down in Thurston County. A femme and two males. All the same thing. They live on rural roads, and walk either all the way from school, or from where they catch the school bus. They didn’t show up at home, and the parents are frantic after all the news reports. We know the ones we caught didn’t get them, because they went missing right around the time we caught the two.”

   They heard a sound, and Tigermark turned just in time to catch Lynne as she fell toward the tub. He eased the passed-out femme down to the floor, and Gwen rushed over to help check on her. After a few moments of combined effort, Gwen met eyes with TM, and he nodded. Gwen looked up at Jo-Ann with a half-smile.

   “She’s just fainted. The day and the news have taken a toll on her. She’ll be okay. Tiger, can you carry her back to one of the bedrooms and tuck her in? I’ll go with you and we’ll let her sleep a while.”

   TM nodded, with a grateful expression on his face. He easily picked the unconscious skunkette up and followed Gwen out. Jo-Ann took the opportunity to go get comfortable, as she’d rushed in fully clothed instead of her usual routine. A few minutes later the tiger and two femmes met back up in the kitchen. Tigermark began assisting Gwen with her meal preparations as Jo-Ann began to ease down from her rush to tell them the news. She took a deep breath and then spoke.

    “Tiger, I’m sorry you missed saving those three. Lynne fainting and all, she must be taking it hard that she picked the wrong place.”

    Tigermark stopped where he was, halfway between the refrigerator and the table with a stick of butter in his paw for Gwen. She held her paw out for it, and he silently passed it on. She noted a distinct set of finger-grooves squished into it. Tigermark then walked up and stood directly in front of Jo-Ann. His face was calm, but she noted anger in his eyes. For the briefest moment, she didn’t feel quite safe, and her paw itched for her service weapon. When Tigermark spoke, it was in precise, controlled tones.

    “Jo-Ann, I realize you don’t know what happened, and I wouldn’t tell you otherwise, as it could …complicate things for you and your oath of service, but I’m afraid you’ll cause Lynne more pain if you make a comment like that in her presence. Lynne wasn’t off one bit in her vision. There’s a young fur out there tonight who’s at home with his parents because of her. Violent death came to three of the Brethren, and she witnessed it happen. That’s a lot for someone so young and more or less untrained in combat to deal with. I too am sorry that the three were taken, but that just means we need to move faster. Lynne seems to be the one with a line on what’s happening next, and she may be the only way we’ll find them in time to save them. As to your two prisoners, if the demon works like he usually does, they might not live through the night. I suggest we encourage Lynne as much as possible, and have no question as to her accuracy right now. Now please excuse me, I have to go get dressed for my nightly vigil.”

    Tigermark turned and walked out, his tail still lashing a bit. Jo-Ann looked at Gwen uncertainly. Gwen smiled a bit and answered the unspoken question.

    “TM caused a blowout on the Brethren team’s van, and they crashed into a ravine. All three died, one in a rather spectacularly gory way. Lynne saw it through binoculars. Tiger’s a bit protective of her over that, as he tried to get her to stay with their car to protect her. Plus, he knows about the huge crush she’s developing on him. He’s trying to figure out how to deal with that without hurting her. What, ah, were they doing when you got to the hot tub?”

    Jo-Ann blinked. “Wow! I didn’t realize they were dealing with so much! Shoulda paid more attention, but I guess I was just too intent on telling what I knew. Eh, let’s see, TM was sitting at the back of the tub where the good shoulder jets are, and Lynne was standing in front…of… oh GEEZ tell me I didn’t walk in on that! She turned around pretty quick, and TM jumped up outta the tub like he’d been scalded. You don’t think…”

    “No, I don’t. I think maybe TM got caught by surprise, and was having a hard time getting away.”

    Jo-Ann laughed a moment. “Yeah, literally. I noticed.”

    Gwen began to comment, but little Kelso came toddling in leading her brother by the paw.

    “Mamma, we finished our nap. Th’ other two are awake now too. When’s supper?”

    Gwen smiled as she began to tend to her children and Jo-Ann left the kitchen to go care for hers. She had a feeling their Paladin had just dodged a bullet, but it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to deal directly with the situation. She only hoped their adversary didn’t find a way to exploit it before then.

# # #

    Specaurious was not pleased with the events of the day. The capture teams had only managed to acquire three sacrifices, and two had managed to get themselves arrested. Soon he would go and see what was detaining the third team, but for now he brooded in the place on Arlo’s property where he met with the lion. He could still feel faint echoes of the terror of the little femme in the van. Then the wildly careening ride, followed by the jarring crash as they’d side-swiped a pole. When the van ground to a halt, he’d floated out to see the three Brethren members running in different directions, with what he assumed to be police of some sort in close pursuit. Two of the team had been quickly captured, but the third had eluded the authorities. Specaurious’ first thought had been to prevent the two from talking, but with so few to work with, he might need them. It would be a simple matter to slide into their place of confinement and either free or kill them later. The one who got away, Specaurious wasn’t quite sure at the moment whether to kill him for cowardice or commend him for his swiftness. He had been the one in the doorway who’d been encouraging his fellows in their mission.

    “Perhaps it is time for me to take stronger measures with them,” the demon mused to himself as he floated in a non-corporeal state near the log where he’d talked to Arlo before. Just then he noticed the lion walking along the trail. He waited until the leader of the Brethren stopped at the log before popping in right in front of him. Arlo nearly fell as he recoiled from the sudden presence.

    “Da—, er, darnit! Do you have to do that?” Arlo managed to recover and attempted to look put out. The look turned to fear as Specaurious grew to stand about ten feet high, with his wings outstretched and a fierce expression on his face.

    “I find your tone offensive, Good Arlo. I am bringing you and your followers the chance for victory over the contamination of your world, and near unlimited power to rule it properly, and you whine like a child that I frighten you when I appear? Is your faith and courage that weak?”

    Arlo managed to stand through the chastising, although he felt like crawling low before the power in the angel’s voice. He stammered a bit, but managed to answer.

    “M-my faith and courage, and that of the Brethren are beyond question. Even now one team has returned with three for the sacrifice. The others are still out, so they may be even more successful. Do not question their courage, angel.”

    Specaurious scoffed in the lion’s face. “I do. One team of your so-called brave Brethren has already failed. The driver ran at the first sight of a police car, and crashed the van. Two of the three were captured, and they lost a MOST suitable sacrifice they’d already captured. I should go attend to the two who were caught, as we don’t want them telling all they know.”

    Arlo balked at that. “Captured? Already? Which team? Do they—, nevermind, you must go release them. Our numbers are few as it is, we can’t let good furs like them sit in jail.”

    The demon was about to propose his own solution when Arlo’s cell phone rang. He answered it and conversed in monosyllables for a couple of minutes. Then he closed the phone and faced the “angel.”

    “It seems we need those two even more. The third team had an accident down in Thurston County. All three are dead. This will play havoc with how fast we can acquire the sacrifices.”

    Specaurious looked down his muzzle at the lion, as he was still standing literally ten feet tall. “Perhaps, Good Arlo, you need to speed up the process. You have children, do you not? If you cannot acquire the rest of the tenfold, then your offspring will be sufficient to stand in the place of many tainted sacrifices. Pure blood is worth much more than tainted.”

    Arlo’s eyes went wide, and he sat down hard on the log as his mouth worked silently. He finally managed to get out his words.

    “Angel, s-surely you wouldn’t suggest sacrificing my children. They are the future of this world. They are what I’m attempting to cleanse this world for.”

    The demon’s expression didn’t change. “Indeed, your motives are pure, but if you are as dedicated as you say, it may be necessary. Your sacrifice of them would pave the way for a pure world for the next generation, and your place in the next world would be assured.”

    Arlo was desperately trying to think of another solution when his cell phone rang again. He answered it crossly.

    “Arlo here, what—, where are you? . . . Why did . . . You did . . . What! . . . Where? . . . I see. . . No, return to the warehouse and wait.”

    A smile had slowly spread across the lion’s muzzle as he spoke. Specaurious had already seen in his mind what Arlo had heard, but he let the lion tell him, ready to revel in the prospect of what he saw there.

    “That was Jacob, the survivor of the team that was caught. After he escaped from the police pursuit, he caught a taxi back to the warehouse. He saw something on the way that we’ve been trying to locate for months.”

    “Go on, Good Arlo, what did he see?” Specaurious said, shrinking to a more normal height and sounding almost amiable.

    “The tainted offspring of impure matings. The ones we’ve been searching for. We found them.”

    As Specaurious began a most un-angelic grin, Arlo grimly set his mind to planning as he muttered the goal he envisioned.

    “And soon, we will have them.”

End of Chapter 5

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