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The Champion

By Cris Fireheart / Ken Anderson

Chapter 6 – Friends and Enemies

Author's note: This story contains scenes of extreme violence, profanity, drug and alcohol use, sale, and abuse, and some sexual situations. Reader discretion is DEFINITELY advised. That being said, if none of that bothers you, then enjoy!

As ever, any comments or votes are well appreciated! Also, for those of you who know about my 'ways' of inspiring myself, there's a song for this chapter: "Cochise" by Audioslave. Audioslave - Cochise (Lyrics) I feel like it suits the two main characters and their interactions well.

And now, here we go, y'all...

-C

“Well, shit; this is definitely unexpected..."

The tall, thick-muscled lion had ordered his mane to be cut short and spiked, and his face, neck, arms, and chest had been heavily tattooed; in direct defiance of his father's so-called 'Pride Laws.' As his father's crew had chosen the colors gold and black to represent themselves, he stood solidly dressed completely in a sleeveless black denim vest and black leathers, with heavy silver rings and bracelets on every body part from neck, to wrists, to footpaws, and tail; his thick arms crossed over his chest as he stared eye-to-eye with the slightly-panting wolf who stood before him. 'Lenny' Rhah, the 'disgraced,' former 'First Son' and scion of the Rhah Pride, let out a short huff, as he shook his head once again, in disbelief.

“Hey, Lenny... Yeah; I get how this looks, but you and I BOTH know that I wouldn't even think of coming over here if it wasn't something seriously important. As it is between you and I, our 'agreement' still stands. But, as of a few days ago, I've had to deal with a... problem. Could you humor me for a few minutes, and just hear me out? Alone, I mean..."

The impatient lion let out a short huff and tilted his head slightly, before offering a single nod to the black panther and gray cougar who'd been standing behind him, their paws resting nervously on what Marco could tell were concealed weapons. Without so much as a word of acknowledgment, the two felines turned on their heels and began to exit the small recording studio that had been chosen for this meeting, before closing the thick, heavy door behind them, leaving Marco and Lenny standing alone in the center of the soundproofed room.

“There," The lion remarked with a shrug of his shoulders, “We're alone. You wanna go ahead and say what you came all this way to tell me, now?"

“Yeah... Just... Give me a minute to catch my breath."

For the next few harrowing moments, Marco told his former enemy everything. How Ricky and Jake had gone to do a deal that was meant to go to the Rhah Pride, and the bloody chaos that had ensued as a result of the fiasco. He paused slightly to draw in a breath as he told of Jonny Scars having reneged upon the terms that both gangs had agreed to, before injuring Jake and Mike during the shootout, a revelation which brought a toothy snarl from Lenny as his tail twitched in agitation behind him. When he finally mentioned the “challenge" that the older gangster had left to Ricky at gunpoint, Lenny's snarl became a heavy, throaty growl as his yellow-stained fangs came into full view.

“Scars... That traitorous lech should've NEVER been promoted to Captain..." The lion's breath came out in an angry hiss as his fists began to clench tightly at his sides. “That bastard was one of the main reasons why I LEFT my father's Pride in the first place! Gods, if my dad still had half the brains that he used to, he would've seen something like this coming from miles away! But that's his problem; not mine. So... It's revenge you want, is it? For your 'Yote boy and to get one back for James Clayton?"

“Yeah..." Marco nodded in reply, “I've got the tiger twins, Mike and Ike; you remember them from the Unit? They're sitting outside in my truck with a pair of A-Grade rifles. Now... I KNOW that you and I have a bad history together, and as of right now, I don't exactly have much to offer you for this, but--"

“--I'm in, wolf-boy..." Came Lenny's interruption, punctuated with a toothy, rebellious smile.

“...What?" Marco blurted out, confusion drawn across his muzzle.

“You had me at 'Jonny Scars,' to be honest, Binetti. And you're not exactly right; you DO have something to offer that I want. I know that you and Jake are an item these days, so you're connected to James Clayton. You get me in a room with that old man, so we can talk, and maybe discuss some business about my side of town, and I'll ride with you on this one myself. I ain't gonna say it twice; you've known me long enough to know that." The lion let out a heavy sigh and twisted his head slightly, popping the joints in his thick neck.

“Give me a few minutes to go upstairs and arm up. You can head out front to your truck; I'll meet you outside."

“Lenny... I don't know what to say, man..."

“Then don't say ANYTHING. I've been waiting for a chance to put the hurt on that twisted old bastard for years, now. And if it happens to fuck with my old man's operation as well, then all the better. Now, get the hell out of my studio and go join your friends before I change my mind..."

Marco could find no more words as he silently obeyed, turning around to exit the recording studio, his movements slow, almost anxious, as he silently made his way down the long, empty hallway towards the entrance, where he'd parked the armored SUV.

As promised, less than five minutes later, the tall, determined-looking lion arrived and settled himself into the front passenger seat. Nodding his head towards Mike and Ike, he turned around to face Marco, whose paws were gripped so tightly to the steering wheel that the skin beneath his fur had turned nearly white with the strain.

“So, what's the plan?"

Lenny's question managed to jar the wolf out of his thousand-yard stare. Releasing his hold on the wheel, he shook his paws to ease the numbness which had formed, before turning his head to speak.

“The basic plan that I came up with is a smoke-out ambush. Mike and Ike will be taking up positions on the rooftops of a pair of buildings next to, and across the street from the club. From their vantage points, they should be able to cover every entrance and exit to Club Serengeti. My original idea was to find a way in there, and drive the bastard out myself, but..."

“– Change of plans," Lenny announced with a sad shake of his head. “NOW I see why you insisted on coming to pick me up for this op. Here's the new deal: Mike and Ike?" he turned to face the twin white tigers, “You guys go ahead and stick to the original assignment. Take your positions on top of the two buildings across and next to the club. Set up your rifles, and wait for our signal. Don't worry; you'll know it when you see or hear it. As for YOU..." he turned back to face Marco, a smirk of confidence drawn across his muzzle.

“You and me are gonna go in right through the front door. I may have left the Rhahs years ago, but nobody in hell is gonna try to tell ME that we can't get in."

Marco, not having taken his eyes off of his one-time friend and enemy, simply nodded his assent at the lion's suggestion. In the rearview mirror, he could see both of his hired enforcers doing the same, as he once again tightened his grip on the steering wheel, before depressing the heavy gas pedal completely to the floor.

Fifteen minutes later, the group had arrived in Harbor City's feline-dominated North side. Slowing down the truck so as not to attract any unwanted attention, Marco killed the lights as they pulled onto a deserted side street, located a couple of blocks away from the seven-story night club, the loud music of which could be heard, albeit muffled, through the heavy windows. Without waiting to be told, Mike and Ike swiftly exited from the rear of the vehicle, their long rifles partially concealed beneath the pair of heavy, dark trench coats they'd chosen to wear for this night. Marco had no doubts that the twins would be able to gain entrance to the buildings which led to their assigned positions; they'd been well trained, and had picked up some other, stealthier skills during the time since they'd returned from overseas.

For a warm Friday night, the streets were surprisingly quiet and featured less cars than usual, with most people choosing instead to park in the relative safety of a few independent parking garages situated between the many tall buildings. The only telltale sign that there was anything going on was the impossibly-long line of felines of every subspecies, shape, size, sex, and color, dressed in their best club gear as they all waited excitedly to gain entrance to the North Side's infamous Serengeti Club.

The establishment itself was seven floors of pure debauchery and unleashed inhibitions. The first few floors catered usually to the younger generation of partygoers, offering a wide range of EDM music, with a different DJ for each floor, and as much coke, molly and booze that one could afford, served right up in front of them on the bar top itself. The upper three floors were reserved for VIPs and a more 'cultured' clientele, offering a more 'personalized' service, including high-class escorts, a limitless supply of any drug, both common and designer drugs, available for consumption, along with five-star food, and the kind of alcohol that began with a bare minimum thousand-dollar price tag per bottle. The music up here was far more subdued; classical melodies giving way to soft rock and even jazz on good nights.

The Serengeti Club was known for being both one of the classiest establishments run by the Rhah Pride, and one of its most brazen, willing to serve every feline from the weekend warrior looking for a good time, to the upper-crust businessmen looking for a place to discuss their numerous schemes and backroom deals. The seventh floor, however, was completely out of bounds to anyone except the ostensible owner, Jonny 'Scars' himself. The stories of what went on in his so-called 'office' ranged from orgies, to gang rape, to the buying and selling of young 'talent' from overseas. The thought had made Marco cringe as he'd learned the layout from Lenny during the drive.

Marco and Lenny both took note of the large crowd as they slowly moved the SUV around the side of the main entrance, before reversing into a small alleyway between the two buildings directly across from the rear exits.

“When we get there, let me take care of it," Lenny muttered, as the two of them took the time to remove and check their pistols. Out of the corner of his eye, Marco noticed that Lenny had also donned a pair of long, wicked looking knives, which hung loosely from the belt holding up his leather pants. Giving a nod and an appreciative huff, Marco pulled out the key from the ignition, silencing the truck's engine.

“I may not be Pride anymore," Lenny continued, “But there's plenty of people around here who'll always look at me as my 'Father's' son. I'll do all the talking and get us in; if we're lucky, I might even get someone to tell us how to get into the bastard's office up top."

“Sounds good to me," Marco muttered as he stuffed the key into one of his pockets, before taking a moment to steel himself for the task ahead of him. “You should get first dibs, anyway... If the rumors of what he... did to you... back when you 'left' are true..."

Lenny froze up slightly, his door halfway open, as he slowly turned to lock eyes with the wolf.

“They are. That's all I'm gonna tell you about that right now. Between you and me, Binetti, I never want to hear you mention THAT again. Now shut up, grab your balls, and let's go skin us a fuckin' cat."

“Alright, just give me a minute. I need to make a call first."

The lion gave a single nod of his head, before closing the passenger door and leaving Marco in private. Heaving a sigh, the wolf retrieved his cell phone from one of the inside pockets of his usual custom suit. Sliding it open with a claw, he accessed his calls list and clicked on the icon for 'Davis.' After a few rings, the familiar young man's voice answered the call.

“Marco? How's the op going? Anything happen yet?"

“No, not yet, but it's about to; we're geared up outside of the Serengeti... I had to go and pick up somebody else to help us out with this one, though... You remember Lenny Rhah?"

“Shit... Staff Sergeant Lenny Rhah... Now THERE'S a story... And even after all the bullshit you two went through, he agreed to help?"

“Without a second thought. Seems he's had a hate-on for Scars for more than a few years..."

The sounds of angry yelling and scuffling, followed by a loud 'crash' suddenly echoed from Ricky's end of the line.

“One sec..." The man muttered. Marco could hear the sound of his phone being set down upon a hard surface, followed by angry footsteps departing. Even from several feet away, he could hear the rage-filled yell that came next. “HEY! You assholes! WATCH the damn table; that's from 1976, not the modern-day BULLSHIT!" came Ricky's raised voice, as the muffled sounds of cursing and fighting continued to fill his ears. A few seconds later, he heard Ricky's telltale sigh, and could almost feel the young man shaking his head on the other end of the line.

“Everything alright over there?" Marco asked, his voice having risen a few octaves.

“Well... Let's just say you may or may not have to find a couple of new bodyguards, after all, sir. Those pups you left with us for the last couple nights have been going stir-crazy. They made the mistake of calling Ted a 'pipsqueak,' and telling Connor that 'No real wolf ' would've let a Fox take them down in the ring. As you can probably hear for yourself, your boys are busy getting their asses well and truly handed to them right now. Lucky for us, the neighbors around here never call the cops; I pay them enough..."

“Damn it... Maybe I shouldn't have sent Carlos and Danny with you after all; hot-headed little shits..."

“Ya THINK?! Anyway; thanks for the update. I gotta get back out there before Connor ends up costing me a new carpet, and Ted starts making a necklace out of wolf teeth! Davis, out."

There was a soft 'beep' as the call was quickly terminated. Groaning under his breath, Marco shook his head slightly as he opened his own door and stepped out into the humid summer evening. Closing and locking the SUV behind him, he made his way around to the passenger side, where he found Lenny waiting, leaning against the vehicle while smoking a cigarette.

“Trouble in paradise?" The lion mused, offering a smirk as Marco's ears suddenly perked up in surprise. Chuffing slightly, he raised a claw towards his own smaller ears, as if to explain. “My hearing's just as good as yours, remember? Whatever it was, it sounded violent."

Marco sighed once again as he dragged a paw down his muzzle in exasperation. “So, you heard some of that, huh? Fine... It was Ricky Davis; I called him to give him a heads-up."

“Oh, yeah? I remember that kid. What was all that commotion about, then?" Lenny countered, offering the wolf his half-smoked cigarette, which Marco snatched from his outstretched claws, before placing the filter firmly between his teeth.

“I sent a pair of my personal guards home with him for added security after the 'incident' with Mr. Clayton at the hospital... Apparently, they thought it'd be a good idea to insult Ted Edwards and the new Middleweight champ..."

“Connor Oliver; no shit? You know that Fox?"

Marco nodded his head as he passed the cigarette back to Lenny, who finished it in one large breath, before flicking the butt against the ground.

“Yeah; he and Ricky are actually a couple; they live together these days. Ricky's the one who taught him how to fight, after we all got back home. Those two pups are in for the ass-kicking of a lifetime, if what I heard going on was anything to go by..."

“Hah! Yeah; they'd be expecting Connor to be a boxer, not trained by a combat specialist! And Ted Edwards? Jimmy Fender's son?"

Marco nodded in affirmation.

“Shit... Now I almost feel bad for them..." Lenny let out a breath, and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, at least we know their fight will end pretty quickly. Personally, I'm gonna want to take a little bit of time when it comes to ours... You ready, Binetti?"

“As I'll ever be. Let's do this; just like the old days, yeah?"

“'Dipped in the mud'..."

“'And covered in blood'..."

With a slight nod towards one another, the pair, once brothers-in-arms, now enemies-turned-allies, began their leisurely trek towards the entrance of the Serengeti Club, Marco taking the time to light up another cigarette, which he and Lenny passed almost nonchalantly as they rounded the corner of the building and were immediately greeted by the throng of felines who were standing anxiously, lined up outside as they hoped for their slim chance to gain entry.

“Your eye looks like it healed up well, by the way..." Lenny muttered with a toothy smile as they stepped onto the curb and continued towards the crowd.

“...Still itches sometimes..." Marco muttered in reply as he subconsciously reached up and drew his claw along the scar. “How's the leg?"

“...Nothing surgery and titanium couldn't fix. I don't gotta limp at least... Now watch this..."

With an almost regal sense of authority, Lenny took the lead and marched directly past the crowd, with Marco at his heels. As the two of them approached the bouncer, who was, predictably, an extremely large lion with brown fur and a dark black mane, Lenny slowed down his walk and allowed his arms to rest at his sides. Marco could see the corner of his muzzle turn up into a grin; a look he'd seen on the lion's face a hundred times before. He had an angle to play.

“Hey, Uncle Rory! Long time, no see, asshole!"

The bouncer's mane immediately puffed up, as he turned around with a snarl to face the source of the voice. When his eyes fell on Lenny, however, he took a heavy intake of breath, before letting out a loud, deep bellow of laughter. As Lenny walked up to him, the larger feline wrapped his arms around him in a tight bear hug, lifting the younger lion off of his feet for several seconds before lowering him to the ground.

“Lenny Rhah! The First Son! It's been years since I've seen you around here, Prince. You look like you've taken to your new life pretty well!"

“Prince?" Marco echoed from his position at Lenny's side.

“Hey; NO... Just don't..." Lenny shot him a glare, with a warning shake of his head, before turning back to face Rory.

“Yeah, I've done the best that I can, without my dad or the Pride to back me up. At least I still have some friends in this world..." he nodded towards Marco, who rewarded him with a smirk and a nod.

Lenny leaned in closer to Rory's ear so he could lower his voice to a whisper, “Anyway, what we're here for tonight concerns a personal matter, between myself, Mr. Binetti-" he motioned towards the wolf, who gave a respectful nod, “-- and Jonny Scars. The old bastard has finally overstepped his bounds. I heard on the street that he even had Jake Clayton shot, if you can believe it..."

The larger lion's ears twitched as he suddenly straightened up. After taking a moment to digest the information he'd been given, his shoulders slouched slightly, as he motioned for the two to come forward.

“Hey, Mark! Watch the door for me, will ya!" he yelled over to his partner, who gave a curt nod in response. Unhooking the velvet rope, Rory led the pair through the main entrance, before holding out an arm to stop them, and motioning to a door with a sign which read 'Employees Only.' Exchanging glances, Marco and Lenny both shared a nod as they followed the taller lion inside.

Once inside the large storage area, Rory stood up to pull a small chain, which activated a single light bulb in the center of the spacious room, revealing numerous cases of liquor and kegs of beer which lined the walls and were stacked nearly as high as the ceiling.

“Okay..." Marco spoke up first, crossing both arms over his chest. “Obviously, you've got something you need to say. Well, here's your chance; I'm here, and so is your... prince," the wolf snickered slightly as Lenny whipped around with a snarl.

Heaving a sigh, the younger lion turned back to face his friend, an expression of neutrality drawn across his muzzle.

“Binetti's right. So go ahead, Uncle. You've known my family since I was barely even a cub. You raised me when my dad was never there; you taught me how to fight, how to think critically; you taught me that it was alright for me to be... different. And you're also one of my dad's oldest friends. Seriously; I still can't believe he made you work under Scars, of all the bastards... If ANYONE deserved that promotion after I left, it should've been you."

''Yeah... That was the lowest point in my life..." The elder lion muttered as he took a seat on one of the empty kegs, before removing a pack of cigarettes and tossing one into his muzzle. Lighting it up, he took a deep breath, before letting out a sigh of smoke as he readied himself to speak. “Anyway... The Boss left me a message to give to whoever came looking for Scars, so...all cards on the table?" he turned to face Marco and Lenny, who both offered shrugs and nods of their heads.

“Your dad already knows the full truth about it. Old Benny over at the Diner spent a good half-hour screaming his ears off the day after the whole fucked-up job. And that half-insane bastard Scars, he's gone around bragging like a drunken idiot; telling EVERYONE how he finally got one over on James Clayton and Ricky Davis. Even claims he put those shots through James' boy himself. When Iggy-- ahh, your dad, found out, he was fuckin' furious! He wanted to send your younger brother in with a detachment of shooters to tear the prick to shreds!"

“Wait..." Lenny interrupted, “He wanted to send in Henry?! He's only seventeen! He barely just got into college early!"

“I know, that's why I voted against it at the Gathering. The cub's doing well enough in school, though there are rumors that he's already done several... other jobs for your father as it is. After all was said and done, your father agreed that retaliation would likely already be coming for Scars," He nodded towards Marco, “Particularly from you, Mr. Binetti. And if it could come without dirtying his own paws in it, all the better. So, on behalf of the Rhah Pride, you have his permission to go forward with whatever plan you might have in place. There won't be any repercussions from our side." With his diatribe finished, the older lion rose to his feet, and snaked a paw into one of his pockets. He came up holding what appeared to be a thin, translucent card, which he held out towards Lenny as he continued to smoke.

“That will get you up to the seventh floor. He doesn't allow guards upstairs, and he hasn't called for any company in months, so it'll just be him. Be careful, though. There's rumors that he's doing something new up there. He hasn't let anybody in in more than a few months."

Lenny reached out and took the card into a paw. “So my dad expected Marco and his people to come looking for payback? Why would he be so willing to let his 'enemies' storm one of his clubs?"

“His only request was that you TRY not to cause too much damage to the place. The one other thing you've got going for you right now is that neither your father nor Scars has any idea that YOU'RE here, cub. That might actually give you a fighting chance, and some element of surprise..."

The older feline stomped out his cigarette on the floor, before turning to face the two once again.

“I've said all I've been told to say; I'm about to go back outside and work the door again like nothing happened. IF you want my advice? Take the service elevator in the back, over there --" he pointed with a claw towards the far end of the storage room.

“And good luck. Both of you."

With that, the large lion offered them both a pair of solemn nods, before ascending the small flight of steps and closing the door behind him.

“Well..." Marco remarked with a shrug, “That turned out to be a little too easy..."

“Yeah; I got that feeling too... Makes me wonder exactly what my old man's thinking, along with whatever that old cat's got going on upstairs. I guess we're about to find out; let's go find that elevator Rory was talking about..."

A few minutes later, the pair were standing inside a large, rusted steel freight elevator, which looked like it hadn't been serviced in years. As Lenny slid the key card into the slot near the doors, a short 'beep' of acknowledgment sounded, the heavy doors beginning to close with a loud hiss.

“So... What's the plan for when we get up there?" Marco wandered aloud, as he turned to face his companion.

“Well, like I said, I call first dibs on the bastard... And you already know why," Lenny growled out through gritted teeth as he withdrew his pistol from behind his back, prompting Marco to do the same.

The elevator slowly began to rise.

“So... I know you said that you didn't want to talk about it earlier, but, if we're being honest, I've already heard the stories... We've known each other longer than we've hated each other, so you know that I gotta just come right out and say it: Can I ask what really happened that day?"

Lenny's shoulders and tail sagged slightly as his eyes began to trace the diamond-patterned steel floor at their feet.

“Look, out of respect... I'll give you the quick and ugly version, alright? When we came back from overseas, my dad and I actually had a pretty good relationship. He was proud of me. Things were great for awhile; he was planning for me to take over the Pride once he'd decided to announce his retirement. Then... well... He found out about my 'preferences...' And of course, the Pride has all their strict-ass laws regarding succession and being gay, and whatnot... Anyway, he convened the leaders of the three feline Families; our Pride, the Tigers who run the docks, and the Street Cats. He publicly disowned me in front of them all. And you'd expect that that would be it, right? No... He ordered Scars to tear off my colors, all the way down to my fur. Then he gave him permission. He ordered that prick Scars to rape me right there, on the table, with the same cats I used to call my 'brothers' holding me down... Then he had me dragged out and thrown into the street. Naked; not even a dollar to my name or a shirt on my back. That was three years ago... And now you know, Binetti."

“Shit... I'd heard the rumors about your dad, but that's even worse than I'd thought. Fuckin' barbaric..."

The elevator let out a slight 'beep' as it made its way past the fifth floor.

“Yeah... That's why I went ahead and started my own crew; I carved out a nice little slice of his best turf for myself. Just to show that old bastard that I'm never gonna go down without a fight. Speaking of fights, we should put this talk on hold until later on. We're almost there."

Marco nodded his head silently as the elevator creeped slowly upwards past the sixth floor. As it continued to rise, however, Marco's ears suddenly perked up as a sharp, chemical tang began to permeate the air inside of the elevator.

“Wait!" he whispered loudly, holding out an arm to stop Lenny from stepping forward. “You don't smell that?"

Taking a moment to pause, the lion raised his muzzle and took in a deep whiff, before instantly recoiling, rubbing his nose furiously with one arm as he shook his head to clear away the fumes.

“You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me..." he muttered under his breath as he turned to meet Marco's gaze.

“Yeah... smells like 'somebody's' got a little 'cooking' operation going on up there... I guess we're gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way. Safeties on."

Lenny nodded in agreement as they both returned their pistols to their respective holsters. Heaving a sigh, the lion reached down and grasped the brass handles of the pair of long knives at his belt, before drawing them out in one smooth movement.

“Here..." he muttered, offering one to Marco handle-first as the elevator continued to carry them to their final destination. “That's one of my custom blades; I made it myself. Don't lose it."

“It's nice..." Marco nodded appreciatively, hefting the dagger in his paw and feeling its balanced weight. “Feels just about right..."

A loud 'ding!' alerted the pair to the fact that they'd finally arrived. As the doors slid open, a slight 'hiss' filled the air as they stepped out onto the cold concrete floor, their eyes widening as they got their first view of the scope of the operation. Several massive tanks of different chemicals lined the walls, hoses feeding their contents into industrial-sized lab equipment, which had obviously sprung a leak in one of its gas seals, causing the noxious odor that constantly filled the air around them. As the two continued to admire the setup, they barely had time to register the hulking shadow that was slowly approaching them from behind.

Lenny was the first to react, pushing Marco off to the right with his shoulder as he dove into a roll to the left. Almost simultaneously, a large knife came down in a deadly arc where the two had previously been standing.

“Well, well well... Look what we've got here..." came the familiar drawl of Jonny 'Scars,' as he took two large steps backwards, placing distance between himself and the intruders. “If it isn't Marco Binetti, in the flesh! And you came here to kill me personally? I'm actually a bit honored, Alpha..." the older lion gave an almost respectful bow. Turning to face Lenny, however, his eyes seemed to grow wild and a large, toothy grin quickly spread across his muzzle.

“Ahh; there's our 'beloved' deposed Prince. It's been years, cub. Come all this way to see little old me? Or... maybe you just missed me..." Scars licked his dry lips in anticipation as his tail began to twitch irritably behind him.

The older lion was nearly naked, save for a pair of ripped black denim shorts. His fur appeared to be drenched, but judging from the scent, he was actually sweating profusely. He was obviously high on his own product. His endless collection of scars was on full display as he drew in air in ragged breaths, his paws firmly gripped around a pair of deadly, serrated daggers which glinted in the harsh fluorescent lights of the lab.

“Fuck you, you old bastard! You've had this coming for awhile, so go ahead. Get your blades ready! We'll settle this like we used to in the Pride, back when it still had some respect!"

With a joint cacophony of roars, the two felines immediately charged towards one another, the sound of knives clashing filling the air as Lenny struggled to parry and dodge the strikes from the more experienced lion in front of him. As the two remained focused on one another, Marco had stealthily managed to position himself directly behind Scars, and he exchanged a brief nod towards Lenny as he bent his knees and prepared to rush in and strike. As if he could feel the wolf's approach, Scars immediately dodged a swing from Lenny's knife, before delivering a kick to the younger lion's chest that sent him to the ground. In the same movement, he whirled around with surprising speed, swinging his right-handed blade at neck height as Marco drew closer.

However, Marco had anticipated this move. Sliding onto the floor on his knees, he managed to duck the wild swing, while maneuvering the dagger that Lenny had lent him into a horizontal slash directly through the hamstrings behind the lion's right leg. With a loud roar, Scars' leg muscles involuntarily gave out, bringing him to one knee on the floor. Lenny had gotten back to his feet quickly, and ran over to deliver a large cut to the older lion's back, a deep, diagonal slash which began to bleed profusely. Letting out another roar of pain, Scars surprised both of them by effortlessly raising himself onto his damaged legs, and taking a pair of lightning-fast swipes towards Marco, who quickly backed away.

“You little shits... I'm not goin' down that fuckin' easy..."

With those growled words, the older lion reversed the blade in his left paw and drew in a deep, ragged breath, before bearing his teeth in an almost psychotic grin.

“DID YOU FORGET WHO THE FUCK I AM?!"

With another adrenaline and drug-fueled roar, Scars leapt towards Lenny, bringing his knives into a downward slash as his feet hit the ground, causing the younger lion to jump out of the way of the deadly blow. Not stopping to catch his breath, Scars immediately spun on his heels, delivering a series of three chest-height diagonal cuts as Lenny struggled to bring up his arms in defense. The young lion let out a harsh growl of pain as the muscle of his left arm was sliced open deeply, blood beginning to drip from the wound as he used his remaining arm to parry yet another one of Scars' heavy strikes.

Searching for an opening, Marco suddenly thrust himself between the two lions, bringing his knife upwards in a heavy slash that carved a nearly vertical line across the older lion's chest and abdomen. With a repressed roar, Scars took a few steps backwards as he raised a paw to quickly assess the damage.

“You alright, man?!" Marco panted as he watched Lenny remove his vest, before wrapping it around his arm to staunch the blood flow.

“Not yet," Lenny responded through gritted teeth. “But I will be soon."

“You bastards... half-breed shits...fuckin' mutts..." Scars' speech was beginning to slur due to the blood loss he was suffering from his numerous cuts. “Should've killed you when I had the chance..." The crazed older lion's words came out as muttered growls. Marco and Lenny were about to move in to finish him, when suddenly, as if on cue, Scars whipped his body to face them and let out another roar, throwing both knives towards his opponents as he quickly turned on his heels and started a limping run towards the back of the large room. Lenny managed to dodge the blade which flew his way, but he heard a loud howl of anguish at his side that told him that at least one knife had hit its mark.

Turning to face Marco, he watched as the wolf gritted his teeth against the pain, before forcibly pulling the knife out of his left shoulder and tossing it aside. Growling through his teeth, Marco motioned towards the direction that Scars had headed.

“Worry about it later. That prick headed towards the back; there's probably an exit!"

Without wasting any time, the pair chased after the wounded lion, his trail being easy to follow due to the copious amounts of blood he was currently spilling onto the floor. The trail led to a metal door with a large EXIT sign above it; a staircase for emergencies. Throwing open the door, Marco led the way as the they began to take the steps down, two to three at a time, in an effort to reach the aging cat, who was nearly halfway down the winding staircase. As they reached the third floor, Lenny felt confident enough to draw his pistol, firing shots down the stairwell at Scars' fleeing form, while Marco redoubled his pace to catch up with the lion before he reached the bottom.

As Scars finally reached the end of the stairwell, he suddenly turned and used his shoulder to hit the bar which opened the heavy door leading to the alleyway behind the club. Marco and Lenny were close at his heels as they burst out through the door as well, Lenny raising his pistol to take aim once more as the injured lion continued to half-run and half-limp down the alleyway towards the main street which led to the entrance of the club.

“Wait!" Marco exclaimed, grabbing Lenny's extended arm with a steady paw, before lowering it to his side.

“Wait?! For what? The bastard's right there! If he makes it out to the main street, he's as good as gone!"

“Just wait, Lenny... Trust me. Watch..."

Against his better judgment, the bloodied lion gave a single nod of assent, as the two of them watched the scene unfold before them. Jonny Scars, feeling secure in his escape, finally emerged from the end of the alleyway, before turning his head to face the bouncers near the front of the club. Before he could open his muzzle to speak, however, the top half of his head suddenly exploded, leaving only part of his lower jaw remaining as his lifeless body crumpled to the ground. A half-second later, the report from the high-powered rifle sounded loudly, drawing the attention of the crowd. A half-second after that, the screams and cries of alarm started.

“Damn..." Lenny muttered under his breath. “I completely forgot about those two... Thought I was back overseas for a second, there..."

“Yeah; no shit. Now come on, we parked the truck on the other side, remember? Let's get moving before anybody sees us; we've got a pair of snipers to go pick up.

One Hour Later

After dropping off Mike and Ike at their apartment on the South side. Lenny and Marco found themselves rumbling along in the armored SUV, their fresh wounds still leaking blood onto the expensive leather seats as they sat, staring at the road ahead in silence.

“So..." Lenny began, “What happens now?"

“What do you mean? Are you talking about with us?"

“Well, since you put it that way, then yeah. Us."

Marco let out a slight scoff as he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, as far as I'm concerned, this was a mission that benefited the both of us. Though, if I'm being honest..." The wolf offered him a friendly smirk, “It was fun working with you again. I wouldn't be opposed to teaming up once in awhile."

“Hah; yeah it brought back some memories..." Heaving a sigh, the lion lowered his head slightly as he opened his muzzle to speak. “Look, Binetti, I'm just gonna give it to you straight; my crew's pretty small, and you know that. The only reason I've been able to hold onto the turf I took over from my dad is because I chose to let in ANY feline; not just lions. But still, even before the shit with Scars, my dad's troops have been trying to take it all back by force. That's why... Why I need to talk to James Clayton. If anyone can help, or at least get the Pride to back off, it's him... and You."

Marco drove ahead in silence for a few moments as he processed this new information. Finally, his ears lowered slightly, as he turned to face Lenny.

“So that's why you asked me to get you in a room with the old man... I get it now. And don't worry; I made you a promise; I'll keep it. As for getting your dad's Pride to stay out of your turf..." The wolf took his right paw off of the steering wheel, before reaching over towards his one-time friend.

“I'll help you out, myself. After what we just did, you'll be needing all the protection you can get, just in case one of your dad's other captains or one of the other Feline heads decides to change their minds about that 'no retaliation' clause. The Binetti Family will open the Southside to you and yours, and your crew on the Northeast just got a pretty substantial boost in numbers."

The lion's jaw hung open slightly as he stared down at the offered paw, unsure of how to react. “A MERGER?! Are you sure?" he muttered almost incomprehensibly. “I mean... will it be alright with your... Council?"

“The Council knows better than to go against me. They may have forced me to take over after James killed my Father, but they realized way too late that they'd made a mistake by naming ME as the Binetti Alpha. Let's just say they never expected me to get as far as I've gotten; let alone become even MORE powerful than my old man. If I give the word, you'll be fine, Lenny. Trust me. Fuck the Council. 'Til death, remember?"

“'Til death...So, no more bullshit between us?"

“Not unless you start it first, cat-boy."

“Fuck you!" Lenny laughed playfully, as he took the wolf's paw in his own, before punching Marco in his uninjured shoulder. “Down to business, though..." the lion continued, “No matter what happens, we're gonna need a place to lay low and hole up for a few days while we get patched up. Got anywhere in mind?"

“Yeah; I was gonna go and see if I could stay with Ricky and Connor for awhile. They've got an extra bedroom."

“Do you think they'd mind if I tagged along?"

“Knowing Ricky? Not at all; the kid would probably be happy to see you. Plus, you'd get to meet Connor and Ted-- Oh...shit."

“What's the problem?"

“Remember that call I made earlier? Yeah; I may still have something to deal with before we can get cleaned up...

“Oh, yeah; the bodyguards. Wanna place a bet on which one lost the most teeth?"

“Fuck no; that's a loser's bet. They BOTH probably lost a few teeth. Either way, they'll still need to be punished..."

---END CHAPTER 6----

Well, that was Chapter 6, everyone! There's been a lot of action so far; I know, but this isn't just your run-of-the-mill shoot-em-up story. The next few chapters will once again shift focus back to the two main characters, with many other new and familiar characters thrown in for good measure. There's gonna be a lull in the waves, so to speak; a calm before the next storm. I hope you all enjoy the next installment, and as usual, any and all comments and votes are well received.

–C.