FIRE ON HIGH

    “Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2006 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.

The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, Tonya and Zig Zag are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. ZZ Studios, James Sheppard, and Marvin Badger © James Bruner and appear here with his permission. Although characters from and events referring to Zig Zag the Story appear here, this story is not canon to that one, and the author will disavow any knowledge of this story. Matt Barstock and Intermountain Charter, The Bitch, and her crew © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE.  Gail Rutherford © me and is not canon to any other story involving ZZ Studios.

Chapter 35

 Confrontation

Jenna sighed for the fourth time since she’d sat down on the couch. All the household chores were done, just like every previous day since she’d been on paid leave. Quite frankly, she was bored out of her mind! She missed the work and the hustle and bustle of the office, and the contact with other adults. All the reasons she’d gotten a job in the first place.

Jeremy had called several times to report on the progress of the legal wrangling about the magazine pictorial. The time for Furfemme’s monthly release was fast approaching, and so far they’d been able to do zilch to stop it. The court date for Sunburst’s lawsuit was well after, and they hadn’t been able to get a judge to order an injunction against it. Jenna had done her best to prepare her cubs and everyone at church for the possibility. Jack had stood with her as she’d told everyone the story. Most had been very sympathetic, and had offered prayers and any help they might give. Some of the older members had seemed a bit put off. Jack handled them, asking if they’d ever been swimming. After a few “yes” and “of course” answers, he asked what they wore to swim in. Trunks or a bathing suit was the common answer. Jack then chided them for parading around in public like that. The parallel had its desired effect. Sheepish apologies followed, along with pledges of support from those furs, too.

Just then the phone rang. Jenna got up and walked over to pick up the cordless pawset, noting the number showing on the caller ID was from Bluegrass Advertising.

“Jenna O’Whitt,” she said as she put the pawset to her ear.

“Jenna, Jeremy here. Need you in for a meeting about the pictorial in two hours. Gotta run, bye.” *click*

Jenna stood speechless. Jeremy had followed his usual frenetic manner of delivering a message. Hopefully, this call meant that a resolution to the matter was about to take place. She put the pawset down and went to get ready.

Two hours later Jenna walked into Bluegrass Advertising and Production’s building. Stella, the receptionist, sent her right on back toward Jeremy’s office. She saw Penny Panelli walk across an adjoining hallway, but the tiger-fox just waved, too busy to stop at the moment. Jenna arrived at the border collie’s office and knocked on the door. After hearing a muffled “come in” she opened the door and entered.

Jeremy was seated at his desk, and a slim doberman in a suit sat to the side. Both furs stood as Jenna walked in. She had dressed conservatively in slacks and a short-sleeved blouse, which still showed her figure well. Neither male seemed to notice that, however. The look of determination on her face, the curling, angry flip of her tail, gave both canids pause. Jeremy spoke first.

“Jenna, thank you for coming in. This is Andy Schwartz, our company lawyer.”

The doberman stepped over and held out a paw to shake. As they shook, Jenna noted that, while the lawyer looked like he could probably chew through steel, he had a gentle, friendly pawshake. His greeting was polite and friendly, too.

“Mrs. O’Whitt, it’s a pleasure to meet you. The ads don’t do you justice.”

“Thank you, Mr. Schwartz. What’s going on?”

Jeremy nodded for the lawyer to explain as he motioned for them to sit down. Andy took a breath and started.

“Mrs. O’Whitt, we called you in today for an important meeting, which I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss. So far, the legal action filed by Sunburst is the only action taken. This has allowed us to maintain your privacy and not let it get out to the press. The judge won’t hear the preliminary case until after publication of the issue in question. We’re meeting with the CEO and legal reps for Sunburst, the owner of Furfemme and his lawyer, as well as the photographer and model involved in the pictorial. Our hope is to be able to come to an understanding and keep this out of court and out of the media spotlight. We called you in early so we could tell you about this and help you prepare for the meeting.”

Jenna thought for several seconds about how to respond. She’d wanted the matter resolved, but now that she was faced with confronting the ones who were responsible for possibly wrecking her reputation, she knew she’d have to keep her cool.

“I see,” she said finally. “What should I expect?”

Jeremy spoke up first. “I know the both the CEO of Sunburst and their legal firm. Bill Merideth is a good fur. His legal folks are your typical corporate lawyer types. Very cautious. They won’t commit to anything here unless it’s clearly to their advantage.”

Andy then picked up the explanation. “The owner of Furfemme is a rather repugnant pug named Randy Biggs. According to my research, he’s made his fortune by exploiting young, unknown femme’s who think they’ll advance their mostly non-existent careers by posing for his publication. He also has a reputation for using fur dye and lighting tricks to make his models resemble famous celebrities. That has gotten him in trouble several times in the past. The last time cost him a two million dollar judgment, but he probably made three times that in sales from the controversy.”

Jenna nodded and listened as the two canids continued to brief her on what to expect in the meeting, and in no time the intercom on Jeremy’s desk chimed. He reached out and pressed the button to answer.

“Yes Stella?”

“The CEO of Sunburst and two associates are here for the meeting.”

“Ah, good. I’ll come up and escort them back. Thanks!” Jeremy was on his feet in his usual frenetic manner. He motioned for Andy and Jenna to follow him. When they arrived in the lobby, Jeremy introduced everyone.

“Hello Bill. This is Andy Schwartz, our company attorney, and Jenna O’Whitt, the lovely lady who’s picture graces your ads. Ron, our photographer, couldn’t be here, but he has told me all he knows and said I could speak for him if needed.”

Bill Merideth, the grey fox who ran Sunburst, shook paws with Andy and Jenna, and introduced the two beagles with him.

“Glad to meet you both, especially you, Miss O’Whitt. The ad campaign with your picture on it has done great things for our sales. I’m sorry for the trouble it’s causing. These two gentlefurs are Ronald and Donald Beagle, of the law firm Beagle, Beagle, Barker and Wag. They represent Sunburst Incorporated in all legal matters.”

The two beagles smiled and nodded in a professional way as they shook paws with everyone. Jenna noted that both Andy and the twin Beagles greeted each other with a standard, non-committal “Councilor” and a cursory pawshake. She spoke up to correct the title Bill had addressed her with.

“Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Merideth, but it’s Missus, not Miss.”

“Ah? All right then, Mrs. O’Whitt,” the fox replied. 

“If everyone will follow me, I think the conference room will hold us all,” Jeremy said as he led the way from the lobby down the hall. They entered the door marked Conference Room and in short order everyone was seated. The lawyers remained silent as Jeremy and Bill small-talked. Soon the intercom signal chimed from the phone on the table. Jeremy quickly answered it.

“Conference room.”

“The furs from the magazine are here.” Stella sounded slightly out of sorts as a loud snickering could be heard in the background.

“Okay, I’ll come and greet them.” Jeremy stood and excused himself, and left the room. The silence hadn’t quite gotten awkward when he returned with the contingent from Furfemme in tow. He had a disgusted look on his face as he started to introduce the group, but the short, rather pudgy pug who came in right behind him cut him off.

“No need for that, Jerry. I’m sure everyone here knows Randy Biggs, owner and publisher of Furfemme. The weasel in the suit is my lawyer, Sloan Wellington. The otter is Frankie Rockwell, one of our photographers. This beautiful creature is Miss Sunburst, Kelli Karn.”

It was all Jenna and the others could do not to laugh. The femme was young, Jenna would guess around nineteen, and not even a feline. The dye job on her fur was beginning to show some tawny roots. The species of the femme finally came to Jenna. Cairn terrier, but her fur had been cut, styled, and dyed to resemble a tiger, even down to trimming her tail fur to make the tail look round. She was a very buxom young femme, and fairly trim otherwise, but there was no way anyone could mistake her for Jenna. The fact that the canid was at least three inches shorter was an immediate giveaway, but Jenna supposed one couldn’t tell that in the kind of pictures Furfemme would show. Still, the differences were so obvious she began to hope once the publisher saw his model next to the real Miss Sunburst, he’d abandon the pictorial.

Polite greetings and nods were passed around, as both Randy and his lawyer gave the impression of being so slimy no one wanted to touch them to shake paws. The pug leered at Jenna so intently that her claws began to flex unbidden. The four settled into chairs, Kelli flanked by Randy and the lawyer, with the photographer beside Randy. Kelli’s vague, somewhat apprehensive expression told Jenna  that the young femme was probably an unwitting participant in the sham. The lawyers were all eyeing each other, sizing up their possible opponents as Jeremy started the meeting.

“Ladies, gentlefurs, the way things are going with the magazine pictorial is not acceptable to either Bluegrass Advertising or Sunburst. If you go forward with it, Randy, it will cause harm and embarrassment to this company and its employees, as well as Sunburst Incorporated. You know that if you go ahead with it, and then lose the lawsuit filed by Sunburst, you’ll pay out a great deal of money.”

Jeremy was hoping to play to the pug’s greed. Randy smiled such a slick, oily smile that it made most of the others, except the lawyers, slightly nauseous. Sloan had a similarly oily smile as he opened his briefcase and began to pass out folders, speaking as he did so.

Gentlefurs, gentlefurs. Oh and ladies, too. Relax. This’ll all be put to rest in a moment. Just take a look in the folders, and read the bottom of the first page carefully. You’re welcome to look over the whole thing, but it’s the first page that’s really important here.”

Jenna opened the folder the weasel passed to her and was shocked to see a picture of a quite naked Kelli in a very vulgar, raunchy pose. The title across the top said “Miss Sunburst Shines for Furfemme.” The bottom part of the page held an area of text with a white background, the beginnings of a minimal article on Kelli and the pictures that followed.

“That’s some of my best work so far,” the otter chimed in. Jenna was unimpressed by Frankie’s work. The lighting was adequate, and cast just enough shadows to attempt to hide the species of the posed femme. Other than for pure raunch value, the poses on the front and following pages were bland and the color tones flat. Jenna then noticed some very small print at the very bottom of the page. Before she could squint enough to read it, Sloan Wellington spoke again.

“As you can plainly see, this disclaimer ends any legal grounds any of you might have to object to or stop the pictorial.” The weasel’s voice held a decidedly contemptuous tone. Jenna held the page up, ignoring the picture and squinting at the fine, small print.

Kelli is not a spokesmodel for Sunburst, Inc .Its ad agency Bluegrass Advertising, or any agent thereof. Randy is negotiating with the real Miss Sunburst to appear in this publication.

“That’s outrageous!” Bill Merideth was the first to find his voice, followed closely by Jenna’s “What!”

Wanna pose for Furfemme, Gorgeous?” Randy asked with even more of a leer in Jenna’s direction.

“No!”

“See, we negotiated. Tell you what, though,” the pug said with a wink at his lawyer, who gave another oily grin. “If everybody will drop the threats of legal action, and the lawsuit already filed, I’ll drop the line about negotiating.”

“What about making the print big enough to see?” Jeremy said and he tilted his head a bit sideways trying to read the disclaimer.

“Oh no, can’t do that. It’d ruin the aesthetics of the page. Anybody can see and read it just like it is.” The pug set his jaw, ready for an argument, but Jeremy just gave him a sour look. There was silence around the table for a moment after that, and then Jeremy stood up.

“I think Bill and I need to confer with our legal team over that. Will you excuse us for a few minutes?”

“Sure, take your time. Sloan and me will talk, too. Hey, where’s the john?” Randy stood up and beckoned the weasel and the otter photographer to follow him. Jeremy told him where the restroom was and then he and Bill walked out with their lawyers in tow. Shortly, Jenna found herself sitting alone with the young canid Furfemme model. There were several moments of quiet, and Jenna’s thoughts had wandered off to what she needed to do before she picked the cubs up from school.

“Um, Missus O’Whitt?”

Jena’s head snapped around and her eyes focused on the terrier so fast it made the young femme flinch.

“Oh, sorry. Feline reactions. What did you want to say?”

Kelli looked a bit shy. A neat trick considering the pictorial Jenna had just seen of her. “Um, I wanted to say you’re very beautiful. I hope the layout doesn’t cause you any problems, but Randy says it’ll really be a boost for me. I want to be an actress, and he says playing a completely different species will impress a lot of directors and producers.”

Jenna looked at the young femme for several moments before answering. She finally took a deep breath and replied.

“Look Miss Karn, I —.”

“Uh, my real last name is Killiarski. Randy gave me the Karn name as a stage name, but please, call me Kelli,” the terrier interrupted.

“All right, Kelli. Let me tell you something straight up, femme to femme. Yes, I believe this will cause me problems, but I’ve already laid the groundwork with my boyfriend, friends, and relatives to minimize those problems. I don’t blame you for any of it. You are just trying to make your way in the world, but let me tell you something. Randy Biggs might make his promises, and be treating you real nice right now. I’ve read he does that to the current big project. He’s done the same with dozens of young femmes like you. Don’t be surprised, though, when the issue is out and he begins looking for next month’s feature, that you find yourself out of his graces, out the door, and out of the limelight with no career and very little of the cash he makes off you in your pocket. As I said, he’s done it that way dozens of times. I’ll deal with whatever happens in my life because of this, and I hope you come out of it better than I think you will. When it’s all over, and if it doesn’t go as well as you hope, give me a call here at work. We’ll talk, and I’ll help if I can.”

Kelli looked a bit stunned, and Jenna could see she was thinking about what had been said. She started to say something, but the door opened and Randy and Sloan came back in, looking a bit put out. Just as they reached their seats Jeremy, Bill, and their lawyers came back in as well. None sat down as Jeremy strode to the front of the table and spoke to the group.

“Mr. Biggs, if your proposal about the last line in the disclaimer is acceptable to Jenna, then it’s acceptable to Bill and I.”

The pug leer-grinned in Jenna’s direction as she silently nodded her assent. It was probably the best she’d get from the fur, and at least it did say that Kelli was not the real Miss Sunburst. If anyone accosted her about it, she could always chide them about staring too long at the pictures and missing the fine print. The Sunburst CEO spoke next.

“That settles the matter, then, but let me warn you, Randy. If you ever presume to use our brand name or smear the reputation of someone who represents our company again, I’ll see to it that every advertiser you have pulls their ads and ceases to do business with you. Oh, and before your lawyer pipes in, let me assure you he won’t be able to prove a thing.”

Sloan glowered, but said nothing as Randy replied, “Yeah, yeah, don’t get your shorts in a bunch. You got nothin’ else I want, anyway.”

“Good!” Jeremy said with a rather nasty baring of teeth that surprised Jenna. “Then you’ll not be trying to recruit femmes from my staff like you did out there just now. I should have let Stella and Penny have you after that ham-pawed proposition you tried on them.”

“Huh, just as well. That tiger-fox nearly took my head off. Besides, both her and the Siamese are too old, anyway.”

“You be sure and tell them that on the way out, Biggs. I’ll gladly recarpet the lobby after they’re done,” Jeremy replied, still with bared fangs.

“I’m shakin’. We done here?”

The rest of the group, even the lawyers, nodded shortly.

“Then we’re outta here. Be sure and buy the issue. C’mon Sloan, Frankie, and uh, Kimmi.”

“It’s Kelli!” The terrier’s cross answer, and the way she looked when Randy put a paw on her elbow and she jerked away, told Jenna the young femme had actually been listening when they’d been alone.

“Whatever, c’mon,” the pug grumbled as he led the way out.

Once they were gone, Jeremy and Bill stepped together and shook paws as Bill prepared to leave, also.

“Jeremy, I’ll be in touch. We may want you to put together a short disclaimer add of our own, with print big enough to see.”

“Thanks Bill. That sounds like a good idea. Now I gotta go calm Stella and Penny down before they both quit on me or something. Oh, Jenna. Be here in the morning, bright ‘n early? ‘Bout time you came back to work, isn’t it?”

The collie winked his blue eye at her and grinned as he moved to follow Bill and the lawyers out. Jenna smiled and nodded as she watched them go. After a moment, she stood up and headed out the door for home.

“Yes, it is about time to get on with living,” she thought.

 

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Alex methodically went through the contents of his gear bag, making sure he had everything he might need for the evening’s class. Satisfied with that, he then double checked that his Glock was loaded. He tucked it back into the waistband holster at the small of his back and pulled the extra clip out and verified that it was full, too. His usual ankle holster wasn’t practical with all the movement he did when he was teaching. He didn’t really expect trouble tonight, thinking it would take the gang at Izzy’s another couple of weeks to get the courage up to do anything. By then, they’d be holding class in Versailles and the police could deal with the gang in its own time. Still, especially with Tia involved, he didn’t want to risk being unprepared. It had been hard enough to convince his sister-in-law that it was safe for Tia to attend class that night. He wouldn’t risk not being able to defend her if something did happen.

He took a deep breath and calmed his thoughts, letting them settle on teaching tonight. It’d be weapons again, as he’d resolved to concentrate on that until after the move. He then walked out and put his gear bag in the rear seat of his truck. He was supposed to pick Tia up at school and take her to class with him. Now as the time for class approached, he was feeling a little apprehensive. Izzy had said he would call the police gang unit again, but Alex figured the response would still be the same. Call if they actually do anything. Only thing was, by that time Izzy, Alex, and the students could all be badly hurt or dead. He wasn’t about to not be prepared and let that happen. The thought of Greg Baker briefly crossed his mind, but he shook it off. He would not allow that to happen again, if he could help it. Alex realized what he was feeling at the moment was quite familiar. The circumstances were different, of course, but it was the same feeling he always got before flying into combat. That adrenaline charge. That sharpening of the senses that preceded contact with an enemy.

Alex took a deep breath and started the truck. He drove over and picked up Tia at her school. Luckily she was waiting out front, as he had no intention of walking into her school armed. He was still in street clothes, preferring to change into his uniform once they were at the dojo, but he didn’t want to risk someone accidentally seeing his pistol while he was in the school. Tia put her books and her gear bag in the back seat and hopped in beside him. As they drove toward Lexington, the young tigress was very quiet. Finally she looked over at Alex and spoke.

“Uncle Alex, do you think anything will happen tonight? I’ve been kind of edgy all day.”

Alex smiled and gave her a reassuring glance. “Of course something will happen tonight. We’ll go to Sensei Quai’s and have a nice class on defending oneself from street weapons using traditional weapons and tactics. As to anything else, if I thought there was a good chance of that, you wouldn’t be going. Just the same, if anything does happen, you stay safe. I have to admit, I’m a bit on edge, too. Stay sharp, okay?”

She nodded as they drove on. Alex was impressed at how his niece was handling the situation. In this case, being on edge was good.

Soon they pulled up in front of Izzy’s dojo. They got out, retrieved their gear, and headed inside. Alex looked around, but saw no one except the now ever-present young fur in the shadows of the alley across the street. Once inside, Tia and Alex went back to the locker rooms to change for class. Alex carefully transferred the pistol and holster from his street clothes to the waistband of his uniform. Soon he was ready, and he and Tia met up again in the hallway and walked back out together.

Once in the main room, Tia joined the other students and Alex walked up to Izzy, who stood at the back of the room.

Izzy,” Alex said quietly as he bowed.

“Alex, thank you again for teaching,” the snow leopard replied as he returned the bow. “Shoop has informed me the word is now that something is going to go down before we can move. I was considering canceling tonight’s class, but it has seemed quiet.”

Alex gave Izzy a neutral look. “Whatever you decide. I’ve been a bit on edge all day, myself. I’m going to have them continue with weapons practice, so they’ll be at the ready, just in case.”

Izzy nodded. “Edgy can be good. I’ll be close by.”

Alex again bowed and then stepped over to the training area. The students lined up to start class. They went through the usual ritual of bowing, and then did a warm-up routine. They then collected their weapons. Most had proved to be more comfortable with the bo, or staff, except Shoop, who had taken well to using a sai in each paw. To everyone’s surprise, Trish had excelled with the bamboo sword, called a shinai. The bo was a good choice for combating street weapons like chains, clubs, or knives. It allowed the wielder to keep a little distance between themselves and their opponent. The other two handled their respective weapons well enough to handle such attacks, as well. Alex was pleased at how quickly they’d all picked up the use of the weapons.

As class got well underway, with Tyler leading all the bo students in repeating move exercises, Alex worked directly with Shoop and Trish on their particular weapons. He noticed Izzy quietly walk to the front door and lock the deadbolt, as a precaution he supposed.

They’d been at it for about a half-hour when a loud crash resounded from the front door. Izzy and Alex looked at each other. The door was a rather sturdy affair, but both had heard a distinct cracking as whatever had impacted it had hit.

Alex snapped out a quick command, instantly obeyed by the students. “Space yourselves out, backs to the center! Shoop, you on this side. Trish, you opposite him on the other side.”

He then moved with Izzy toward the door. They hadn’t gone two steps when another great crash echoed through the dojo. This time the door frame visibly cracked and splinters flew inward, but the door still held.

“Watch out for anyone coming from the office area, I doubt they’ll just come at the front door,” Alex stated calmly as he turned back toward the students. He took up a position off to the side of their formation as they waited for the next hit on the door. As if on cue, seven canids of various breeds charged in from the back, but instead of making for the door to open it, they charged toward the students, yelling specist slurs and waving clubs and pipes. Three went down fast, unconscious, after charging around the support post Izzy had moved to stand beside. Alex grinned in spite of himself. The old snow leopard, to the untrained eye, had scarcely seemed to move. Alex had been able to follow it all, though. The first young fur had run right into a horizontal punch to his jaw. The second a side kick to the side of his head. The last head first into a high elbow strike. The three practically sat down hard where they’d been hit and fell over. The other four went down after a very short melee’ with Janie, Beryl, and Jodie.

Tia stood with the rest. The combat hadn’t come her way, and she found herself feeling very frightened. Still, she would not let her fellow students, Izzy, and her uncle down for anything. She took a deep breath and made sure her stance was correct. Just then a third crash came from the battered front door. The frame gave way in a shower of splintered wood. Fifteen howling canids poured through the opening. The sight and sound was terrifying, but Tia just took a firmer grip on her staff and waited for someone to come in range.

This time, instead of charging in, they warily surrounded the group, eying their fellows laying on the floor. Just then a tall, very tough-looking wolf stepped forward.

“Well, look here. My, don’t you all look tough in your pajamas, holding your sticks up like you could do somethin’ with ‘em. Where’s the two big kitties at? Slunk off and left ya, did they? Just like a feline.”

None of the students fell for the bait and looked away from their antagonists. They trusted Izzy and Alex, and if the big wolf couldn’t see them, so much the better.

“Got nothin’ to say?” the wolf continued. “Then let’s do this. T-Rads, get ‘em!”

The canids charged, but backed off and began to move more warily as Tia, Tyler, and Trish all immediately felled their attackers. The rest then would move in to just beyond range of the staffs, probing for an opening. One swung a chain at Beryl, which she blocked with her bo. The chain wrapped around the end, and the canid barked a short laugh as he started to pull. That quickly became a howl of surprise as he rapidly found out why it’s not a good idea to try and match strength with bear, even a young one. He was jerked off his feet and collided with the other end of Beryl’s staff in midair. He fell to the ground in a heap, unconscious, with his chain wrapped up around him.

The leader of the T-Rads held back, watching the action, searching for a vulnerable spot. It wasn’t going nearly as well as he’d expected. They were taking way too long, and he was becoming nervous that the police might be on the way.

The next few actions happened at such a speed that T-Lo wouldn’t put together the exact sequence until much later. Tack, a wolf of about seventeen, had been trying to get in close enough to get a hit on the meerkat femme with the bamboo-strip sword. All he’d gotten so far was a bruised left arm and the loss of his knife. He snarled in frustration and jammed his paw into his jacket, pulling out large-caliber silver automatic pistol. T- Lo decided now was as good a time as any to end this and started to do the same.

Tack was just leveling his weapon, and the surprise and fear was just starting to show on the IBAM’s faces, when a loud report sounded not three feet from T-Lo’s right ear. The canid nearly jumped out of his hide, his own pistol still only halfway out of his waistband. The next sight he saw was Tack’s pistol spinning away through the air and the wolf grabbing his paw and howling in pain. T-Lo turned in confusion, wondering who had fired. Only he and Tack carried pistols, and surely none of these chop-heads would carry. He found himself suddenly staring into a gun barrel that looked large enough for him to stick his entire head in. Behind the gun were two very cold, icy-blue eyes. T-Lo felt paralyzed as a paw roughly pulled his pistol from his grasp.

Around the room, the gunshot had caused total confusion, and everyone had frozen in mid-motion. Then Tyler barked an order and before the gang members could react, the students had them surrounded and disarmed.

“Now,” Alex said, not wavering a bit from his position with his pistol in T-Lo’s face. “What’s this all about? There’s no rival gang here.”

T-Lo found his voice, realizing he had to respond or risk losing the respect and faith of his gang.

“We’re here because you filthy IBAMs are not welcome on T-Rad turf in any way shape or form, and cause that little half-breed lovin’ pup there is defilin’ himself with the likes of you. You got lucky and got the drop on me, so go ahead, shoot.  I bet your too weak to do it, just like all you IBAMs. I bet you ain’t so tough without that gun. Where were you and that old cat hidin? Bet you were too scared to fight, and was hidin’ behind your so-called students here. Bet you wouldn’t face me in a fair fight.”

Alex had been standing back in shadow, mostly concealed. Now he stepped out into the light, and fear dawned in the wolf’s eyes as he took in Alex’s size, and the uniform and belt he wore.

“I’ll be glad to oblige, though I doubt a fair fight is what you had in mind,” Alex growled. Before he could move, though, from across the room came the sound of Izzy clearing his throat.

“This is my dojo, and these are my students. Your fight, therefore, is with me. What about it, wolf? Winner take all. If you win, I’ll move permanently out of what you call your turf. I’ll leave this place to you and your gang. If I win, the T-Rads disband and you leave this area.”

The wolf looked the old snow leopard over. Yeah, he’d be crazy enough to keep his word. T-Lo decided it would be an easy win. He’d even let the old feline live, just so he could gloat over him going packing. The place would make a great hangout and headquarters, too.

“All right, old cat! But only if the tiger gives his word not to shoot me in the back if I win.”

Alex growled at the affront to his honor, but nodded yes, lowering and holstering his pistol while keeping a firm grip on the one he’d confiscated from T-Lo. Everyone backed away from the center of the room, with the student carefully shepherding the gang members, their weapons at the ready. A few had to be carried by their fellows. Shoop looked down to see the now-ruined pistol that Tack had pulled, arching an eyebrow at the bullet lodged firmly in the action. He whistled softly to himself and decided to be very careful to stay on Alex’s good side.

Izzy stepped to the back of the room as the gang leader took up a stance in the center. The snow leopard slipped his robe off, revealing pants underneath. A pale blue tattoo shone on his right shoulder, easily seen because the fur didn’t grow in the pattern. The symbols looked familiar to some of the students. Tia recognized the two Chinese characters, because of a recent fad of decorating things with these types of symbols. One represented power, and the other anger.

T-Lo tried not to show it, but he was suddenly apprehensive. The leopard might be a grey-muzzle, but he was lean and well-muscled. The wolf stood waiting in the center of the room. Izzy turned and walked out to the him, stopping a few feet away. After a moment of eyeing each other, he stepped up closer and bowed. T-Lo had been waiting for that, hoping to humiliate the old cat and that stupid custom. He threw a punch at the bowed figure, planning to connect right below the old furs left ear.

Izzy knew this game well, too. His eyes had been on the wolf, and he snapped a paw out and caught the fist in mid-flight. He then applied his claw tips to it as he straightened up.

“You must observe the proprieties, Terrance.”

T-Lo had started to sneer at what he thought was a lucky stop, but the look turned to shock. “Wh-what?”

Izzy smiled calmly, claws still immobilizing the wolf’s fist. “You are Terrance Lobowitz, now called T-Lo. You have a long record as a troublemaker, ever since you were in elementary school. Your father was mostly absent, and your mother tried her best to raise you in the right, but you chose to follow mostly in his footsteps. Don’t look so surprised, my young canid. I have lived in here for fifteen years. Folks talk, I listen.”

As Izzy released his paw, T-lo realized that he was not in control of the situation, not even close. He needed to shift the focus back onto the snow leopard. He took up a fighting stance again.

“Yeah, so what? What’s that mark on your shoulder, anyway? Bet you were someone’s property. Be about right for some dirty cat from China. Only thing you’re fit for.”

Izzy didn’t move, only continued to smile, only now a bit sadly. “I am from Korea, actually. The tattoo is from my younger, more foolish days as leader of the Ko-Ri street gang in Seoul. I realized that life was no life at all, so I left. What will you do, Terrance? You’re getting a bit old to still be playing in the streets.”

T-Lo snarled and threw a punch at the snow leopard’s head. Izzy dodged it without changing his stance. The wolf took a half-step back to attempt a kick. Izzy stepped in and easily blocked it, but caught part of the left hook the wolf threw on his right jaw. T-Lo barked a short laugh to cover the fact that he’d thrown the punch out of desperation, while the T-Rads howled and barked encouragement.

Izzy only shook his head slightly and smiled again, stepping in and backing the wolf up. This time a right jab came Izzy’s way, which he blocked. T-Lo was beginning to get winded, and frustrated, too. He made the move that Izzy had known would come sooner or later. T-Lo feinted with a left while his right paw went to his pocket. As his paw came back up, there was a *click* and a flash of silver as he flipped open a lock-blade knife.

There was a gasp from the students, who’d been silent at Alex’s signal so as to not distract Izzy, and a cheer from the gang members. Izzy’s motion was suddenly a blur as he reacted to the weapon. His left paw shot out and caught the wrist of T-Lo’s knife paw, claws out. He continued the paw’s upward motion, pulling the wolf off balance. Then his right foot came almost straight up and caught the canid just below his left ear. The wolf’s eyes went unfocused and the knife clattered to the floor. T-Lo himself followed shortly after, collapsing in a heap.

A loud cheer erupted from the students, and the T-Rads looked both deflated and ready to run if given the chance. Then a loud shout sounded from the broken front door.

“POLICE! Everybody stand right where they are!”

About a dozen uniformed officers streamed in, weapons drawn, followed by several plain-clothed detectives. Seeing no usual weapons out, and no actual fights going on, they eyed the students with their weapons cautiously, uncertain whether to disarm the uniformed students or not. Then one of the detectives spoke.

“I’m Detective Sergeant Phillips, Lexington Police. Which one of you is Isidis Quai?”

“I am he.” Izzy didn’t move. With so many firearms out, nobody else did either.

“I only want to hear from you. What happened here?” the detective was a burly mastiff, and no one seemed inclined to argue with him.

Izzy still didn’t move. “My school was invaded and myself and my students attacked by the furs in street clothes you see here, as I said to the 911 dispatcher. They are members of the T-Rads gang. Their leader is the one on the floor here beside me. Some of them may need medical attention.”

“I see. Okay, have your students shelve their weapons. Guys, stand down and start cuffing the gang, even the unconscious ones.”

Half the policefurs holstered their weapons and set about securing the gang members as the other half covered them. Detective Phillips walked up to Izzy as the snow leopard stepped over and put his robe back on. Alex joined them.

“Detective, my name is Alex O’Whitt. I’m a friend of Izzy’s and help teach here. I took a firearm from the gang leader, but I don’t want to get shot giving it to you.”

Just then a loud whistle came from one of the officers. He held up T-Lo’s knife in one plastic bag, and the destroyed pistol in another. Detective Phillips looked Alex up and down.

“I take it you’re carrying, also?”

Alex was very careful not to move his paws or make any other sudden motion. “Yes. It’s holstered in the small of my back, and I have a concealed carry permit. Do you need to see it?”

The detective thought a second. “If I run a ballistics test, will the round stuck in that gun match yours, or the one you’re going to give me?”

“Mine.”

“Hmm. Nah, I don’t need to see it. Now, carefully go get the other gun you mentioned and paw it to me, butt first.”

Alex walked over to a small side table, accompanied by Izzy and the detective, and carefully retrieved the pistol he’d taken from T-Lo. Detective Phillips had donned a pair of gloves and gently accepted the weapon as Alex passed it to him. He flipped the cylinder open and emptied the rounds into a plastic bag, then placed the gun in and sealed the bag. They noticed that the uniformed officers had finished securing the gang.

“Okay, get these ganger wannabes out into the wagons, and then come back in and start collecting statements,” Detective Phillips ordered.

The uniformed officers began herding the pawcuffed gang members out. Three had to be carried, as they were still out cold. They were about to pick T-Lo up when he groaned and opened his eyes. Sitting up quickly, he looked around and blinked.

“Aw shit!”

The students stifled a laugh as the police rousted him to his feet and led him out. He was still too groggy to say anything else. Izzy and Alex watched him go, and then Izzy turned to Detective Phillips.

“Detective, do I have to watch for them to return soon?”

“Well, T-Lo has a record a mile long. Combine that with tonight’s charges, and the fact that he’s skipped bail before, and we should have him as our guest for quite a while. As for the others, most are juveniles, so they could be out by morning. I doubt you have to worry, though. Whoever knocked T-Lo out, beat their leader. This was a canid-only gang. Like a pack of wild kalis, when you defeat their Alpha, he’s discredited and banished. The rest might still run together, but without their leader, the T-Rads are finished. I think I’ll have a talk with the juveniles. Maybe I can point them as a group in a more positive direction. If I can, it’d help them, and be a big help to this neighborhood. Otherwise another gang might try to move in, and some of the bigger gangs downtown make these guys look like a fur scout troop.”

“Then I shall pray for your good influence upon them,” Izzy said as the detective turned to the work at paw. For the next half hour, the policefurs wrote down statements and took pictures of the front and back doors. The back door had been smashed in also. The gang had used a big concrete planter from well down the street as a battering ram. When the police were all done, Izzy and Alex called the students together, and Izzy dismissed them.

“Class, I am proud of you all. You did very well tonight. I think this will qualify as a belt testing for Trish and Tia, and Tyler as well for his skill and leadership. Now, go reassure your parents that all is well. I’ll see you all here next week, and we’ll get back to as normal as we ever get around here.”

Izzy bowed low, and the students bowed in return. As they began to retrieve bags and meet the anxious parents who appeared in the wrecked front door, Izzy and Alex, could see a new degree of confidence and calmness in each of the students. Before long, everyone but Izzy, Alex, and Tia had gone. Alex helped Izzy put the back door back in place and temporarily nail it shut. They set the front door in place, and nailed up holders so that a heavy board could be used to bar it and hold it in place after Tia and Alex left. Izzy hefted just such a timber into its standby position beside the ruined doorframe. The two males spoke not a word, but simply shook paws and bowed when they’d completed their work.

Tia also bowed to the old leopard, and then surprised him by hugging him tightly for a moment. Then she and Alex made their way out to his truck He was surprised to see it still in one piece, without even any graffiti on it. They put their stuff in the back seat and then got in and headed for home.

After a few minutes, Tia quietly asked, “Uncle Alex?”

“Yes Tia?”

“I was scared.”

“So was I.”

Tia paused a few seconds, and then continued. “I nearly jumped out of my fur when the door crashed that first time, and I was so scared when it gave way. Then the gang charged in, and everything seemed to slow down. I was moving without thinking, doing exactly what we practiced so many times. A scruffy-looking spaniel came at me with a club, and I did a push-block, then a side sweep followed by a direct thrust into him. I – I think I felt his rib break, right through the bo. He went down hard, and after that the rest wouldn’t get too close.”

Alex smiled ruefully. “Tia, congratulations. You’ve made it through your first fight. That guy at your school doesn’t seem so intimidating now, does he?”

Tia grinned. “No, I think if he ever tries anything like that, he’ll be in for quite a surprise.”

“Good. Now, are you ready to take on an even tougher task?”

She looked askance. “What’s that?”

“Telling your mom about this. She’s, ah, what’s the term? Going to crap a brick?”

Tia gulped. “Uh, yeah, that’s the term.”

As they drove on toward Winchester, Tia thought that perhaps she’d rather be facing the gang again instead. For his part, Alex felt the same way.

END OF CHAPTER 35

 

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