“Ah, what a nice night,” Nega murmured as she sipped the last of her drink. She smiled warmly at Ratter and laid the money to settle her tab on the table, plus a little extra. “Keep the tip. Drinks were especially good tonight.”

“Really? You’ve only had three in over an hour,” he commented.

“Ah, being tipsy is more fun than falling on my face drunk and having a headache the next morning,” she responded.

She stood and waved to the bartender in goodnight, leaving the watering hole and letting the clear night air hit her fur. She was in an exceptionally good mood, spending some time with her brother and his lover, getting some new equipment, and just generally enjoying her new found freedom out of the canyon she was now allowed to have. And now all she had to do was head to her nice, warm bed and screw Sleet’s brains out before getting to sleep.

She went over to her bike, starting it up and driving off to the caves where the Tribe lived. She was almost there when she noticed the strange clanking of her motorcycle before it gave a start, sputtered, and died.

“Are you kidding me?” she snarled, her good mood suddenly flying out the window.
She climbed off of it, and knelt down and was about to inspect the engine when her back stiffened.

She wasn’t alone.

Fingers curled around her pistol, her ear straining to hear something. Rocks skittered for a second and she spun around to face the spot, opening fire. A shadow under the moonlight moved, dodging the assault and jumped her. She slammed her fist into the figure’s gut, throwing it off of her before it did anything else.

“Who are you?” she snarled at the person. A dark cloak wrapped completely around the figure and hid all of his or her attributes.

“Krick sends his regards,” a low voice hissed out as suddenly a knife shoved itself into her side.

Nega shouted in surprise and pain, seeing the tail that was wrapping back underneath the cloak. A shot rang out into the otherwise silent night, and the figure lay still in the clearing.

Grunting softly from the pain, she pulled her knife out and slashed at the cloak, tearing away long strips to bind her stomach. The hood was yanked away roughly and her eyes widened.

“Oh shit,” she whispered.

--

Nega stumbled as she gripped the wound on the side of her stomach. The blood flow was barely being stopped by her hand or the heavy burlap material she’d bundled up on her stomach and wrapped around her waist to hold it in place. Precious red fluid seeped out of her and made her fur sticky and tinted red along with her white shirt. The knife wound had not been clean or small, and her mind was burning in agony from the pain.

‘I have to get to help,’ she thought desperately and clawed along the wall with her other arm, making her way slowly to Stone’s home. She was going to make it, but it didn’t stop the fact that ever step she took was agonizing. The stomach, aside from the kneecap, was the most painful place someone could get shot. But luckily, it also was one of the places that it took the longest to actually die from as long as the vitals were untouched. But she had been drinking, and it thinned the blood out, even with the little bit of food she’d nibbled on.

If it weren’t in the middle of the night, she might have found someone to help by now, but it seemed everyone was asleep. She gasped when she finally reached the cave that she called home with Stone and Sleet.

‘I’ll make every one of those little fantasies the pup has come true,’ she thought in a silent form of prayer. ‘Just get me some help.’

“Sleet!” she yelled into the cave. “Stone! Guys... please tell me you’re here...”

She slumped against the wall, wincing a little. Sliding to the floor, she curled into a little ball, fear and pain seeping through her.

“Sleet...” she whimpered, "...please help me.”

She whimpered as she was moved clutching to Stone for the stregth. Getting here had taken a lot out of her.

"It was an attack," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady. "I was comming home... ambush, someone waiting for me."

She coughed violently, her body shaking as she did.

"It was a rat," she stated. "I knew him... from an old employer."

She squeezed Stone's arm, tears brimming in her eyes.

"It hurts so bad..." she whimpered.

Nega barely felt her head swim in the commotion. The last thing she saw was Sleet's worried face as she slipped into unconciousness.

--

B.B. stared down at the body of the dead rat, lying in the rode, cloak torn to shreds. She placed a hand on her hip and looked about. There were tired tracks, but nothing else, besides for the fresh scent of blood.

“If she dies,” she muttered, “I’ll drag you back to the land of the living just so I can kill you again.”

She moved quickly to the Canyon stretching ahead of her, following the tracks. How had Nega even managed to get back home, much less ride a motorcycle? Seemed the kid was tougher than shed been last time they met.

“Hoo boy,” she said a small whine. “She’s all grown up and here I am same as ever. I feel so old.”

Her luck didn’t hold out however. When she reached the canyon she didn’t get far inside before a voice called out angrily to her.

“Hey you!” a male shouted. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

She looked around, several men, and guns she noted, surrounding her.

“Um,” she said and grinned sheepishly. “Surrendering it would seem.”

She put her hands in the air.

“Before you make a big mistake and kill me, you mind telling Nega I’m here before the poor girl dies? It’s really important.”

"Thank you," B.B. said sweetly. "My what a nice reception, this place is so friendly."

She was glared at and she sat down. "I'll be quiet now, I promise."

Glancing arround nervously she hoped Nega was all right. Without the younger woman to vouch for her, she had no doubt in her mind that she was going to get seriosuly hurt before she was able to get out. And if Nega was already gone, she was going to escape from here. Krick was going to pay for messing with her friends.

That hyena was dead, he just was too stupid to know it yet.

--

Nega blinked, her eyes opening slowly. She could tell she was in pain, but the feeling was so foriegn feeling right now, she could barely recognise it. Like a fuzzy feeling on the edge of where you think it should be. She saw two rats working on applying bandages to her stomach and looked to Stone and Sleet nearby, grinning weakly at them.

'Stone's gonna kill me for getting hurt like this,' she thought.

B.B. let her tail flick lazily, wondering how much longer she would have to wait.

'Little Nega better still be alive,' she thought as she stared at the walls. 'If these guys let her get killed...'

She looked up suddenly and saw two males enter the room. One was young, barely more than a teen, but the other was another story. Tall and harsh looking, he looked like he was the type who had only one mode, Pissed Off.

'Nega has been hanging out with this crowd?' she thought with an eyberow raised.

"I take it she's still alive otherwise you wouldn't be much into threatening me, thank goodness," she said with a sigh, not paying much mind to the knife. Pff, like she'd never been threatened before. "I lived with Nega during her first job, while she was stil affliated with a guild of mercs. We were roommamtes who happened to be employeed by the same man... for vaslty diferent reasons. How I ound her, well I have to give credit somewhere else. A sandraider named Krick is after her, and I happened to be in the same town when I heard he was after her. I followed the rat who was assinged to kill her, not that she needed my help handling him considering his brains all over the dirt on your front porch."

When she was finished she frowned at the young one.

"And you young man should harldy comment on a lady right in front of her. Keep that up and you'll end up alone with your hand. Show some manners." She giggled. "Though they are real, and I'll have you know I never had to pay for a inch of it, even though I did face a nice price in my youth. Ah, to be young again."

"I never claimed I worked for any guild," she answered. "We were under employ from completely different sources. As for believing me, I've done nothing wrong except for being ten minutes too late trying to save Nega. I surrundered when I was caught, and as long as she's okay, I have no reason to want to escape. You can keep me here or throw me in a cell or whatever until she recovers and can see me. I'll agree to any terms, as long I can know she's okay." She pouted a little. "I can trust you, right?"

"Besides," she said as she crossed her legs with a seductive smile, "if you kill me and Nega wakes up to find out about it, she is going to get you back for it. Though it is sweet that you care so much about her. She must be pretty sweet on you two. That's rare for her."

"No problem," she said with a smile and stood up with a little bit of bounce in her step. She oozed confidence as she started to walk, knowing it would only piss the one called Stone off. He was by far the funnest one to tease in that whole room. Men drooling was so boring for her. A challange was so much more fresh, and this partner comment intrigued her.

Her tail flicked out, lightly stroking at the younger one's ass as she passed. She winked at his shocked expression, sticking her tongue out like a six year old before she was led out of the room.

"Oh, is HE the one?" she giggled. "So sorry, I thought when you said partner..."

She glanced at the one called Sleet.

"Mmm, strange for her to go for a younger one. You seemed so much more her speed, she went for the older rats when she was younger. Maybe she didn't like him up and leaving her," she noted before smiling at Stone place a hand to her cheek in mock embaraasment. "Terribly sorry for the mix-up, I feel just awful now. Next time I'll be sure to hit on the one who isn't... spoken for."

"Oh, hitting on somone and sex are sooo different," she told him as she turned arround and bars were slammed shut on her. "Want me to teach you the difference?"

He turned on her and walked away.

"I'll take that as a no then," she cooed. "Nice to know there are still some guys with decency on this planet. Or maybe he's just imagining me dying in a vat of boiling acid." She shrugged and went to lay down. "Well, either way."

--

Nega groaned as she woke, her vision blurry for a second before she saw she was in Stone's bed. Huh, that only happened when they had one of their late night talks. But she'd been out last night.

A small throb in her side reminded her what had happened. Oh, right. Someone had tried to kill her... again.

She sat up slowly, careful of her stomach. The pain was much better than what it had been before. Now it was more sore than anything. She saw Sleet sitting on the floor next to her fast asleep with his head resting on the edge.

"Were you looking over me this whole time?" she asked softly and reached to stroke at his cheek. "I wonder where Stone is."

"Well, I've felt better, but the pain medication is taking care of most of it," she said. "Is it morning? How long was I out for?"

She stared at him.

"B.B.?" she asked happily. "She's here? I haven't seen her in... Wait a minute, a cell?"

She shoved him off of her.

"Why'd you bloody well do that to her?" she yelled. "Has she been interigated? If Jenner has touched her I'm going to kill that bastard!"

"Uh, yeah she has that affect on people," she stated coughing lightly. Looking down Sleet still hadn't woken up, even through her yelling. He must have been really out of it. She was kind of pissed that Sleet had apparently been staring like Stone had said. But now really wasn't the time to worry about that crap. She'd yell at him later.

“The guy who stabbed me, his name's Yough, works for somebody named Krick,” she said. “Or at least, he did. Krick is a Sand Raider that I use to do the odd job for. Nasty guy, and he has a bad habit of thinking once he pays you for one job, he owns you. Also, I don’t think I need to go into detail of how much those idiots adore those slinky outfits for women. When the pay wasn’t worth fighting off his advances anymore, I booked and found a job with one of his competitors. Mostly it was just passing on some info for some fast cash before I left the city.”

She gave a little wince as she shifted.

“I never thought anything of it, but he always did have a nasty temper. I guess he wants to settle the score, mostly by having my guts ripped out and shown to me.”

"Wait, what?" she yelled, but he didn't reply. "Stone!"

She sighed and hung her head, cursing angrily. It's not like there was much she could argue about. In her condition, she'd be able to walk, but storming arround and demanding her frind to be set free wasn't going to happen.

She glanced down at Sleet, frowned and shook him awake roughly.

--

B.B. sat on the cold floor, staring at the floor in a daze. Excpet for meals, the bars never opened. No one said a word to her, even as she tried to coax information out of them on the well being of her friend. Flirting, demanding, even begging had giving her little results.

The creak of metal altered her to the pressence and she looked up at the one she remebered as Stone. She had not seen him since her imprissionment that she herslef had agreed to. She wondered why she was agreeing to this charade. Nega was obviously gone, and they were keeping her here. Why? Maybe for the fun of it. maybe Stone found this funny, or was taking Nega's death out on her.

"She's dead, isn't she?" she asked, not caring that her voice gave away her broken state. Her friend was gone, what did she care? "She would have come to see me before now if she was alive, and none of you have the balls to talk to me. Are you having fun torturing me? Did you really hate me on sight that much?"

B.B. stared at him warily. Was he lying? It was hard to tell. She slowly brought herself up to her feet, dirt scrapping under her boots.

She still had her weapon, they hadn't found that, thank the gods. If this was atrick, she saw no reason for it other than to drive the knife in her a little bit more. If she had to, she could escape, and then she'd be off to find Krick. It wasn't a full plan, but she'd had experience thinking on her feet.

She raised her hands, hoping this man was telling her the truth, and walked out of the cell with him.

--

Nega looked at Sleet for a second, wondering what to do. She could yell at him and accuse him, for something that came natural to men when it concerned women like B.B., or she could get something done about this whole affair.

"I heard B.B. was here," she stated. "And that she'd been taken prisoner. Sleet... I've given up a lot for you, my whole life turned arround so I could be with you. Are you... willing to do me something that could very well result in you having to give up everything for me? I need to get her out and... you're the only one I could trust to help her."