FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"S-s-stop, please!" Mallory begged breathlessly, tears pouring down her face as she thrashed in her bonds. The broken heroine had been nearly comatose for the last few men of her gang rape earlier, but the vibrators they had brought out were going a long way towards revitalizing the orange tabby. Or at least towards making her scream all over again.

"Ah come on, you can still give us a few more I bet! Besides, everyone loves seeing Kitty-Slut cumming like a good girl." At the start of this ordeal the red-headed heroine never would have thought that she would rather be raped than have a vibrator used on her. But now they had been going at her with them for well over an hour. So hard, so relentless with those powerful buzzing machines that she thought by all rights she should have been completely numb down there.

Instead it was like everything was in high contrast. Every little ripple and shake of her legs was being transmitted right through those infernal devices, straight into her incredibly sore sex. The soreness was old news by now, but it certainly wasn't getting any better. She had long since lost count of how many men had cum inside her. There was a tally down there marked on her fur that kept track, but she doubted she could have brought herself to look at those marks even if she wasn't otherwise preoccupied.

Besides, there were so many other degrading things written on her that focusing on just one would have been missing the point.

"Hero Slut" adorned her belly, "Cum Here" on her inner thigh with an arrow towards her pussy, or simply "trash" were all plain to see on her striped hide. Most prominent of all was the massive "WH_RE" written across her face, with her mouth forming the "O". It wasn't exactly original, but it fulfilled its humiliating purpose. Especially when that industrial-strength vibrator was turned up to eleven, the dastardly buzzing tearing another screaming orgasm from the cat.

Her whole body shook and writhed in her bonds, the relatively flexible restraints giving her plenty of room to move. It wasn't for her benefit though, but for her abusers' -- they knew she wasn't in any state to fight back, but the viewers loved seeing her toned body helplessly quivering in a forced response to the relentless overstimulation.

A normal or caring partner would have turned the thing down after that climax. But a normal or caring partner wouldn't only be concerned about making Kitty-Flame look like the most depraved bitch to ever try their hand at being a hero. To that end there was one thing still remaining even after all this time, all these men, and all this abuse later. Her crimson mask stood proud, making sure even the most casual of glances would reveal who it was cumming her brains out live on stream.

The only question left on people's minds was when they would stop.

Or if they ever would.

---

Barely a hundred yards away, separated by steel and concrete, Amber paced around anxiously. Fuck, she felt so helpless it was maddening! She knew what was happening, knew that her powers could help, knew that she shouldn't have let her friend get into this awful situation in the first place, but none of that mattered. Until she got here, Amber had to just wait out here, so close to her friend, useless! Goddess above, how much longer could it take before--

The distinctive high-pitched scream of a sport bike's engine revving at full throttle pierced the air. It was impossible to miss, especially with ears as large as the mouse's. That had to be her! Thank the fucking goddess!

The electric-blue liter bike zipped dangerously close around a shipping container, finally bringing it and its rider into view. Elynxtricity, or rather Catherine as she was known these days, absolutely man-handled the powerful machine into submission, locking the rear tire as she brought it to a screeching halt mere feet away from the mouse and the edge of the corrugated metal building. She was wearing a black leather jacket over a tight white tee shirt and leather pants, though Amber was pretty sure that none of it was actual riding gear. She definitely didn't have a helmet to cover her distinctive black ear and cheek tufts.

Catherine smoothly dismounted the bike and put the kickstand down in one motion as she looked around. "We have about 15 minutes before my ankle monitor pings, then another 10 till the police get here. I thought you said you'd have reinforcements," she stated simply.

"And I thought you said you would get here quickly! Look we have... we have all the firepower we need." The blue-haired mouse was clearly flustered as she spoke, hardly even able to articulate her thoughts as her tail thrashed around behind her. "We just have to--"

"Do you know how many fucking traffic laws I broke to get here as fast as I did? Look I-- never mind. Do you have like, a gun or something? Mal is a good fighter, if they took her down then they probably have some heavy hitters. Do you think you can--"

"Shut UP!" Amber cut her off. " I am a goddess-damn heavy hitter, alright? Let's just do this already! Every second we waste out here is another that they're- that they're... FUCK!" Amber stomped her foot in futile anger, splitting the pavement. Catherine flinched away, looking at those creeping cracks with an incredulous expression.

"YOU have powers? Since when?"

"Since always! Stand back!" Amber was in no mood for idle chat. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. Catherine shivered as an arctic breeze swirled from the mouse. Frost started to form at the mouse's feet, crawling along the ground in an ever-growing circle with her as a centerpoint. The blue-haired girl held still for a moment, then all at once a wedge of ice the size of a semi-truck burst forth from the ground, smashing clean through the side of the building! It held that position for only a moment before splitting in two down the middle, tearing the building open in a cacophony of rending metal and crunching ice.

"Holy fucking shit! You just... holy shit Amber!" Catherine caught her head as though it might fall off, staggered from the scale of power she just witnessed. "You've always had powers like THAT up your sleeve?"

"Not the time, OK?" Amber barked back, tears welling in her eyes and freezing into her fur as they ran down her face. "Let's just do this already!" Catherine couldn't argue with that, quickly moving to follow Amber into the dark warehouse.

---

"What the FUCK was that?" A raccoon man who had been busy making Mallory dance with carefully placed shocks from a taser asked, looking around as the echo of his victim's screams faded. The whole building had suddenly shook, and there was a sound as if the heavens themselves were being ripped open.

"Hell if I know!" Said the rat in a poorly fitted three-piece suit. He had been acting as a host for this ridiculous parody of an entertainment program, moving them from one activity to another, keeping Kitty-Flame's humiliation fresh and making sure that Mallory's world was always a new sort of hell. The fact that he was unsure of something, that his control was slipping actually gave the cat a spark of hope.

It was extinguished quickly though. Even the brightest of sparks couldn't have ignited when their tinder was the exhaustion-soaked tabby. So many long hours of torture had taken their toll, mentally and physically. What did it matter if she was rescued now? The damage was already done.

"We've lost contact with the south guards!" shouted one of the technical crew. There was gunfire too, getting closer with every burst.

"Are either of the big guys here still?" The rat asked.

"No, they're long gone."

"Fuck. Set up a defensive perimeter in the corridor with the floodlights. Turn that place into a fucking shooting range!" The rat's mirth and charisma when describing what would happen to the feline hero next had vanished. "Cut all comm and net links, and destroy anything you can. We're not leaving evidence here, got it? Camera on me!" He brushed some probably non-existent dust off of himself, fixing his suit and re-attaching that showman's smile like it had never left. "Sorry folks, looks like we're--" intense, sustained gunfire echoed, forcing him to shout to be heard, "--experiencing some difficulties! Don't worry, we'll be back soon with more of your favorite Super-Slut!"

---

Amber and Catherine advanced relentlessly through the warehouse, a thick wall of ice in front of them catching every bullet with ease. When the gunmen got close enough Catherine could shock them around the frozen barrier with her whip, or Amber could throw ice shards the size of a sedan at anyone who gave them too much trouble. In this much fairer fight, the outcome was the exact opposite of what Mallory had experienced yesterday.

Soon they came to a large, long room with powerful spotlights at the opposite end and a whole lot of firepower waiting for them. The noise was tremendous, but even with massed arms bearing down on them Amber's powers held up with ease. Any time the bullets threatened to overcome her barrier she could pull up another one to maintain their advance without even straining herself.

"Looks like they're trying to establish a defensive perimeter here, we're probably close," Catherine pointed out. "Continue this way." While it was Amber's overwhelming powers that were turning this into a cakewalk, Catherine was the one providing direction and commands to the duo. And the one who had already stopped them from walking into at least two traps. "Watch those spotlight towers, they're probably going to have someone stationed up there to shoot down onto us."

Amber nodded, growing her ice shield so that it went a bit higher and sprouted an edge folding over the top to create a protective umbrella. It was just in time too, a man with an assault rifle popped out and poured fire into the newly-constructed addition. He had as little of an effect as everyone else.

"Your powers are REALLY incredible, you know that?" It was about the fourth time Catherine had said it, but when the mouse swept away a half-dozen armed men in a single attack without breaking either her defenses or a sweat it was worth mentioning.

"Yeah, I know." Was all the mouse said as she shot another car-sized shard of ice at an empty shipping container. The frozen projectile rent the heavy corrugated metal like it was paper, sending the man standing on top of it tumbling down to the concrete floor.

A moment passed before Catherine softly asked, "Have you ever thought about--"

"Yes, and the answer is no." Amber didn't need to raise her voice to make it clear that she was completely firm on the issue.

Catherine's ears twitched, followed immediately by her powerful form twirling around and pushing off of the ice wall in one swift motion as she lunged at a wolf who was attempting to sneak up behind them. The lynx grabbed the muzzle of the man's rifle before he could get a single shot off, electricity arcing down the barrel into his hands. The acrid smell of burning fur pierced the heroines' noses while the canine henchmen dropped like a rock, body convulsing, letting Catherine rip the weapon from his hands. She bent the barrel like cheap plastic and tossed it aside.

"Always watch for corners like that. You only have to slip up once for them to get you. Do you have any healing abilities?"

"I told you, I'm NOT going to be a hero!" Amber did raise her voice this time, the ambient temperature dropping a few degrees as she spoke. "This is for Mal and only for Mal, you understand? I'm not joining that corrupt fucking clusterfuck of a system! Now let's do this already!" That tone left Catherine no room to argue.

There was another thick hardened metal industrial wall in front of them, the doors locked with a heavy duty chain. Nothing that would stand in their way.

---

"Comm lines are cut, papers are burning, we've got three trucks on their way out, and one more ready to go Sir." The cadence of the weasel's speech as he gave his report to the rat suggested him having at least some military training. The shift from film crew and brutish rapists to professional paramilitary had been rather astounding, not that Mallory had the energy to care. The only thing on her mind was that they were all too busy to hurt her for once, giving the redheaded cat at least a few scant moments to relax and catch her breath.

"Good! Let's move out before they get here. Just leave the bitch to rot, we've already lost enough men today." The rat said, gesturing for them all to leave.

He had yet to turn away when the horrific sound of tearing metal and crunching ice stopped them in their tracks. The sturdy steel of the building was torn asunder by a frozen spike as easily as an arm would brush aside curtains. Amber and Catherine burst in right after, their eyes searching the room. Catherine's landed on the evacuating men, while Amber's found the tabby tied up against a wall.

"Mallory!" Amber shouted, sprinting towards the cat, throwing a sharpened ice chunk to sever the cables binding her friend's hands. Mal's arms dropped like rocks as the masked shell of a heroine looked towards her rescuers, the situation finally starting to come into focus for her.

"Amber?" She croaked, weak and incredulous, "What are... what are you doing here? How did you...?" It was all so much to take in after such a grueling experience that she failed to see what was happening behind the mouse.

"AMBER GET DOWN!" Catherine shouted, her whip cracking out and striking a pistol the weasel was holding with a crash of electricity.

But despite Catherine's quick action, the shot still rang out.

Aimed at the cat and mouse.

The bullet thundered towards them, tearing through the air without an ice wall or a piece of cover to cower behind this time. Nothing to stop the bullet as it nicked a corner of Amber's ear, impacting right above Mal's head.

The shooter dropped his gun as both the agony of the powerful bullwhip lashing across his fingers and the paralyzing shock of the lynx's electric powers struck his hand. Disarmed, he would be an easy target for the predatory powerhouse that the retired hero was.

"SHIT!" Amber yelped. In a moment of pure instinct she called upon her powers, instantly sealing herself and Mallory in a rough craggy sphere of ice a few meters across. The reactive use of her powers meant that the frozen water tore through metal wall and concrete floor alike, shutting out the entirety of the outside world in a single action.

Their ears were still ringing from the bullet, but right now there was no noise. No wind. Nothing from outside their shell.

Only the scent of all the cum stuck in Mallory's fur.

No amount of separation from the world could reverse the damage already done. No matter how strong Amber's powers were, she couldn't turn back time. She couldn't even give Mallory clothes to protect what was left of her modesty. Or whatever was left of it that hadn't been destroyed on stream while the whole world watched.

Amber suddenly felt so helpless. So useless. Mallory was getting blurry in her vision for some reason, and it took a moment for her to realize it was tears.

She sniffled, wiping her eyes. She needed to focus. This wasn't about her. The teardrops froze into little snowflake patterns on her hand as she spoke in the softest tone she could manage, "I'm so sorry. I took so long and I... you... Mal, I..." Amber choked out those last words. There were so many things she wanted to say, and she managed to get out none of them.

Mallory just sat there, legs slightly spread, arms laying at her side as if she had no more energy than a puppet with its strings cut. A bit of sticky semen rolled down her cheek along the same trail that a tear would have. Her chest moved slightly as she breathed, but aside from that there were no signs of life to be seen. Finally she broke the illusion of stillness by looking down and away from Amber, her eyes fixing to the cracked concrete floor.

"Are you..." Amber stopped herself. Are you OK? What a fucking stupid question. She chastised herself for even thinking it, much less starting to say it. Of course Mallory wasn't OK. And she probably wouldn't be OK for a long time and that was fine! But rushing her to it would never work. Instead Amber thought for a moment and instead asked, "Is there anything I can do for you right now?" A moment passed before she added an even quieter, "Please?"

Mallory didn't react for a long second before finally giving an almost imperceptibly small shrug. Of course she had thoughts. Ideas ranging from being left alone to the mouse just killing her right now.

Instead she settled for asking, "You've got powers?" Her voice was a hoarse croak, barely audible even in this silent environment. It wouldn't help her to know, but there had already been enough focus on her for a while. Maybe even forever.

Amber was about to scold her for trying to change the subject. But would that really help right now? Should Mallory be forced to talk about her experience? No, maybe a distraction was what she needed. "Yeah. Pretty good ones too. I never had any extra durability though, and I never liked the attention, so I figured I was better off supporting you."

A small nod of acknowledgement from Mal. Another pregnant pause. Mallory opened her mouth, then closed it. Amber waited for her, encouraging the tabby with only her eyes. Finally, Mal managed to speak. "Thank you for savin-- for coming here." Saving wasn't quite the right word. It wasn't the wrong one either. But she didn't exactly feel saved right now.

"Anything for you." Amber replied without hesitation or waver in her voice. "I just wish I could have come sooner. Mallory I--"

She never got a chance to finish that sentence. Three light, sharp knocks sounded from the outside of their icy bubble. If it had been any sort of danger it wouldn't have been so courteous, so Amber opened a small porthole. The distinctive lined cheek-tufts and antenna ears of Catherine peered through. "It's safe out here. Rat boy had some weird clone or illusion-ish powers, but he was predictable then and he's knocked out now."

Amber nodded, dropping away the ice surrounding them. Suddenly all of the lights and sounds of the world came back in a rush. The groaning of the weasel with an obvious scar from Cath's whip, the flickering of the overhead fluorescent lighting, the creaking of the building settling after the damage it had taken from Amber's ice. All of the stimulation threatened to overwhelm them, but at least the salty freshness of ocean air could start to wash away the scent that seemed to stick in Mallory's nose no matter how hard she tried to clear it.

"Ah shit..." Catherine muttered, dropping her ears as she pointed at Amber's. The mouse was puzzled for a moment, but a warm tickle on her skin gave her a hint. Reaching to touch it, her fingers came back sticky and red. With the adrenaline, she hadn't noticed that a round bullet-sized chunk had been punched out the corner of her ear. But now that she was aware of it she felt the sharp, throbbing sting. Amber froze the bleeding, but she knew Mallory had noticed too, however much she tried to look away.

They stayed there for an awkward moment before Catherine spoke up. She visibly tried to avoid staring at Mallory as she did. "You two probably don't want to stick around for this next part. Police will be here soon, but they won't have an ambulance right away, and the back of a cruiser isn't a comfy place to be. Can you walk Mallory? If not I can lift you--" She reached towards the tabby, who flinched away hard despite the lynx being nowhere near her yet, nor even as close as Amber.

To her credit Catherine moved back just as quickly as Mallory had, retracting her hand and lifting both her paws up to signal she was giving the cat space. "Right right, my bad. I'm sorry, I won't touch you or come near you unless you want me to." Despite this reassurance she was starting to look a bit stressed. "It's just that this is, uh," Catherine glanced around at the wrecked room and the knocked out and tied up people she had fought, "one HELL of a parole violation."

Amber nodded, "I understand. Go get Mal's car, the one I drove here in, and pull it around closer to this side. I'll take her from here." She reached in her pocket, fishing out the keys and tossing them to the lynx. Catherine snatched them out of the air, putting them in her own back pocket.

"Keep her safe while I'm gone." She instructed Amber before jogging out. The mouse gave a curt nod, her big ears flopping as she did, the bite of her wound making her wince.

Mallory hated the feeling of being protected.

---

"Look Mrs. Gwynn I just... I don't know. It's only been four days." Amber said into her phone with a mixture of frustration, exasperation, and tiredness. Before all of this she hadn't called Mallory's mother by anything other than her first name for years, but now it just felt... wrong.

Everything did. This wasn't supposed to be how the world operated. How heroes worked.

"I have asked her, but she's just not ready yet. Thank the fucking goddess she's eating again, but she hasn't talked to anyone besides me, and even I can't get more than a short sentence out of her. I told the university that her grandma died, but I don't know if that's going to be enough to reschedule all of her finals, especially in some of the classes she was already behind in."

Amber paused. She was almost sure that she had heard a sound from Mallory's room. A part of her hoped that it was the tabby finally coming out on her own for a reason other than to fill her water bottle. A bigger part of her knew that it wouldn't be.

"Hmm? Oh yeah like one or two, but not badly. At least not unless she misses all of her finals..." Another small noise from Mal's room. Or was Amber just imagining that? "Well they start on Monday of next week, but even if she DOES go I can't imagine she'd be in any sort of headspace to do well."

Amber picked up the newspaper that had been sitting on the table for a few days now. 'Elynxtricity Strikes Twice!' read the headline, while the article itself gushed about how Catherine had made a surprise break from her retirement to stop an illegal sex-trafficking operation. Normally Amber would have torn into it for only portraying heroes in a positive light and ignoring the real news, even brushing over the fact that Catherine was clearly in handcuffs along with the thugs in that article's picture. But just this once she was glad they hadn't covered the actual story.

"No, she still hasn't told me anything yet. Yeah, I'll let you know if anything changes. Have a nice day Mrs-- Sarah." Amber waited a moment before reaching up to end the call. She paused again as her big ears, one of them adorned with a white patch, perked up slightly to try to determine if she was imagining things. Not hearing anything, she called out, "Mal, was that you? Do you need something? Anything?"

A resounding silence answered her. She let it sit for a moment before sighing. "Alright, well I'm headed to class. If you need me to pick up anything or do something or just want to talk I'll have my phone on, alright? I'll lock the door behind me too."

Mallory didn't answer. She just stayed sitting down, her back leaned up against the inside of her bedroom door as she hugged her tail. Locking the front door for even short trips was a habit they had never been in before. She hated Amber's attempts to increase security. They didn't make her feel safer, they just provided another reminder of how far she had fallen.

It felt like those were all around her. Everything in this awful fucking room was superpower this or hero that. Newspaper clippings and printed articles about her greatest victories were pinned or taped up to the wall. Her closet was full of old versions of her super-suit, even going back to the leotard from her gymnastics days that had served as the uniform of her first appearance. Her desk was covered with books and notes from the communication major she had taken just so she could market her heroine self better.

The bathroom had the worst reminder of all though. The Plan B box in the garbage was bad, but the ashes on the countertop were even worse. It was unrecognizable now, but she knew what it had once been. Knew that if she looked around she would probably find more Sublime-Canine memorabilia lying around or tucked away.

After all, what kid with burgeoning powers wouldn't look up to him? He was the best, the most heroic, and maybe not THE strongest, but always the most willing to fight for good. The one everybody wanted to be like. He was an absolute institution among heroes at this point. When she had actually surpassed him in this year's popularity rankings, the first person to do so in 8 years, it was the biggest dream come true she could imagine.

And now it was a nightmare, because she knew that no one would believe her if she told the truth.

She knew SHE wouldn't have believed herself.

Mallory put her head in her hands, taking a deep shuddering breath as a sob wracked her.

What was she going to do?

---

"Seriously though, there's obviously..." Catherine's sentence was interrupted by a grunt as she lifted the weight from her sports-bra covered chest, the extra-thick barbell groaning and bending slightly under the ferocious force of gravity as she did. "...SOME similarities."

"That's five reps. And sure there are some... IF we're assuming that what happened to you four years ago was all planned, that is." The sleek, black-furred rabbit currently spotting the lynx's workout countered, clearly having heard this before. He didn't seem actively annoyed at that, behaving more like he was patiently explaining things to a friend who was into moon landing conspiracies.

"Oh come -urf!- on! You have to admit it definitely wasn't ALL a random accident. -rgh!- A notably virulently bigoted alderman happens to come to -ragh!- my place looking to start a fight? A place that's -hrgh!- known for being good for queers and -nmph!- a bad place to start fights?" She shot a glance up at him between her reps, the fluff of her cheeks flipping around to fall in the opposite direction from usual.

He had to bite his lip as she did that. It was really hard to argue with someone you found so hot. Maybe that was part of why they got along so well. "Ten. I mean, I don't doubt that he was here to start a fight. But I just don't buy that he was SENT here by someone else."

"-Rgh!- Not even with them adding online voting and me doubling -hmph!- my standings and sales that same year? You can't -Grmph!- tell me that was just a coincidence!" The argument was a classic at this point, but with recent events it seemed especially relevant again.

This was also the part that Sam had more trouble refuting. The svelte lagomorph still thought it was a bit presumptuous of her to assume that it was all a big plot to get her, but following the money sure could point that way. "Thirteen. I guess there could be something there, but I am at least sure that Sublime-Canine was really defending you when he made that court appearance, and that he saved you from a usual sentence for assault charges. He wasn't just acting as some... some false, planted bearer of mercy. He's, like, THE hero! That's a bridge way too far."

Catherine scoffed, though the sheer weight of the extra-dense tungsten plates was starting to get to her. She focused, taking a deep breath and letting her power run through her. Little sparks trickled off of her body, following the conductive drips of sweat she was leaving all over the equipment. "I guess. -RAGH!- But if he is THE hero then that sure would be a good cover if -HMPH!- it was all to trap me."

"Fifteen. I mean, I guess he would have been good for that. But that's starting to assume that EVERYONE was in on forcing you out of being a hero, rather than there just being one cranky alderman who rolled a nat 20 when he threw the book at you."

She couldn't help but chuckle at that before forcibly steeling herself to make her last few reps. "You're such a fucking nerd."

Now it was Sam's turn to scoff through the smile she had infected him with when he heard her laugh. "Seventeen. ME, I'm the nerd? You're our DM! And that's nineteen...and...twenty!" He cheered as she hoisted that ridiculously heavy bar into place for the last time today. Or at least for now, there was still time left in the day for another workout later.

The gym equipment groaned slightly under the weight of the bar as the lynx set it down, the special ultra dense plates causing even the high-quality and heavy-duty bench to strain. She needed that special equipment to really challenge herself though. Normal weights were no match for her when she used her lightning powers to enhance her natural bioelectricity and increase her strength, a critical aspect of her fighting style and powers as a whole.

Catherine took a deep breath before sitting up, a shiver running through her as she let the excess charge in her body drain out. "Not bad for a retiree, if I do say so myself!" It was a bit of a joke of hers. At 30 she wasn't exactly geriatric, and was busier running her sex club than she ever had been as an active hero anyways. She was still in great shape too, especially since the rescue two weeks ago when she had started working out more.

That said, she was technically retired. It had been the 'kind option' extended towards her by Sublime-Canine when the verdict had come in, and though she had hated it at the time, she couldn't say she'd done poorly for herself in the intervening years. "All joking aside, that is a record for you in the past four years." Her boyfriend said in a practically worshipful tone. He had an absolutely dreamy look on his face as his eyes wandered all up and down her muscular form, covered only by the black of her sports bra and gym shorts. He wasn't a weight-lifter himself, but he spent a lot of time on the treadmill, so he could appreciate how much work it took for her to keep herself in top form.

She blinked in surprise at that revelation, glancing back at him and catching his staring in the act. "Wait, really? Have I been slacking off that much?"

Sam looked away quickly with a blush as he shrugged at her, not wanting to answer this one in the wrong way. "I wouldn't say you were slacking off. I'd just say that you've been working extra hard lately!" His little bushy white tail wagged behind him as he said it, the smaller male trying to dance around WHY she was working out extra hard while simultaneously congratulating her for doing it.

Unfortunately for Catherine the reasons and the results were pretty inseparable. Sure it had given her motivation and gotten her back training like she should have been every day, but the cloud of guilt that caused it hadn't gone away yet, nor was looking like it would anytime soon. That bullet especially... Her ears drooped. Had she been a split second slower...

With a sigh she closed her eyes, shaking her head. It hadn't happened, that's what mattered. Now she had to make sure it wouldn't happen next time either.

She wished she could do more, but Mallory had made it clear after the conviction four years ago that she didn't want anything more to do with her. Catherine could respect that, much as she wished the girl could be convinced otherwise. Perhaps recent events would soften her, but the past was the past. Better to focus on the present, where she had something else to focus on. Something lovely and bully-able. "Oh would you? And that's certainly not just because you're buttering me up, is it?"

A little giggle came from the rabbit at that. At least he was here for her. An undeniably bright little ray of sunshine on even the gloomiest day. You wouldn't guess it from his glossy black fur, but he shone for her more brilliantly than anyone else. "Of course not! You know I'm always brutally honest with you, Mistress."

Oh that title. It went straight up to her head as it sent a shiver down her spine. Just like Sam knew it would. He sidled up closer to her, handing her the water bottle. She took it and downed a hefty gulp, glancing him up and down as she did. Making it clear that he was the tall glass of water she'd rather be taking a drink of. He was dressed in just a pair of gym shorts even tighter than her own and a loose-fitting tank-top so oversized that it practically fell off of him, both items that only accentuated his lithe frame.

She had always had a thing for prey species, and when they came in the form of delightfully submissive boys with a nigh-insatiable appetite they were even better. Catherine reached a clawed hand out to grab his chin, forcing him to look up into her eyes. Even without words his look was silently pleading, begging her to do whatever she wanted with him.

"You're such a good little bunny rabbit, you know that?" She cooed at him, tilting his head this way and that with only the slightest touch of her claws. As if she was inspecting him. Had she needed to, the big lynx easily could have forced him around. But he offered no resistance, not even when her fingers dug into the sides of his maw, forcing him to open his mouth for her.

His jaw was controlled by her, but he still stuck his tongue out to give her a better view down his throat entirely of his own accord. "Uh-huh," he replied as best he could with her commanding his mouth like this.

Catherine's lips curled into a cruel smile. He had fallen for her trap! "What was that? Because I believe you're supposed to address me as 'Mistress', little rabbit." Her grip tightened to the point that Sam was forced to whimper, though she went no further than that. He knew her grip was strong enough to snap him like a twig if she really wanted.

He also knew she wouldn't do that. But even just knowing the power she had over him was enough to make him weak in the knees. "Thorry Mithreth!" he slurred as best he could, hoping his eyes would do enough begging to make up for his poor enunciation. The gentle brown of his irises meeting the sharp green of hers with nothing but earnestness and pleading.

It would almost have been enough to melt her heart into treating him more gently, if she didn't know exactly how much he liked this. Catherine released him abruptly, her hand turning over to point down at the floor in front of her. "On your knees. Present."

She really only needed that last word. He knew the position very well. Present had him on his knees with his legs spread wide and his hands interlaced behind his head. A good way to show off every bit of her greatest prize, and comfortable enough for him to hold for quite a while without discomfort.

It was doing its job right now, showing off both his runner's physique and how his shorts were struggling to hold back his cock inside of them. All while giving Catherine a front row seat to the battle between fabric and flesh. She smiled at the sight of it as she sat down on the weight bench in front of him, crossing her legs so her right was atop the left. "Are you...enjoying this?" The big lynx asked him rhetorically, moving her lower foot out just far enough that her toes touched the barely constrained hardness.

Sam nodded so quickly she thought he might be risking whiplash. "Yes Mistress!" He added, much clearer this time. A little bit of his last syllable did waver into a moan as she pressed her big paw further onto his cock. Soft toes parted around his shaft, gripping it slightly as she moved and teased him.

"Good boy. So easy to please. All I have to do to rile you up is... adjust how I'm sitting." Catherine took her paw off him as she said that, but gave him a treat to watch in return. She moved her right leg down and off the left, spreading them further than needed. A bit of cameltoe had formed in her shorts there, something Sam got an eyeful of before she put her left leg atop her right in a perfect mirroring of how she had been sitting before. It had only been there a moment, but he still stared for far longer, imagining the prize hidden beneath as well as taking in her absolutely sculpted abs before remembering his place.

When Sam did finally break his gaze from that little teaser to look back up at her eyes, he was promptly rewarded by another big lynx paw on his turgid member. It made him shiver, the denial and servitude of the situation setting him on an eager edge.

Fuck, he was so desperate to just reach down and jack himself off, or better yet, to plow her until she moaned just as hard as he did! But to do any of those things wouldn't feel as good in the end. Wouldn't be earned. So he waited. Bided his time. Obeyed his Mistress. Because only through her could he be truly fulfilled.

That said, her gentleness was driving him absolutely mad! Those toes were just barely trailing over his cock, up and down, so teasing and soft. As if she was trying to get him to break and disobey! Not to mention that his shorts felt like they were about eight sizes too small at this point. A desperate little whine escaped the cute rabbit as he shifted around in his place, though he didn't go far. She hadn't ordered him to move from this position, after all.

But she was only mortal too. Catherine wanted him just as much as he wanted her, she was just better at concealing it. Usually. She smirked as he whined, pulling back to again switch her legs and give him another teasing glance at that cameltoe. "Such a needy bunny. Take off those clothes, show me what I own."

Sam was quick to follow those instructions, grabbing the loose top and pulling it off without the slightest hesitation. Tossing it aside, he was on his feet to work those shorts off before the shirt had even hit the ground. He was moving like she might change her mind if she had any time to think about it, despite her obvious hunger for him.

His haste did make her smile though. Even after all this time he really was so eager to serve her. Catherine's eyes traveled up and down his sleek black fur greedily, taking every drop of her little rabbit in. "Attention", she stated as soon as he had the shorts off. The single word made his ears perk just as the command to Present had earlier. He shot into position, legs together and hands at his side. Rigid, almost military-like in its formality.

It did a great job to show him off. Catherine rose from her seat slowly, licking her lips as that cock of his stood just as ramrod straight as the rest of him. He wasn't the biggest in the world, but he was definitely above-average for his size, and he absolutely knew his place. Knew to follow her with nothing but his eyes as the lynx stalked around him, a predator taking in her prey from every angle.

The mottled grey lynx made a full lap around the sleek black rabbit before she finally moved behind him, stepping up close enough that her still-clothed breasts were pressing against the back of his head. The poor, teased rabbit could only shiver at the feeling, every fiber of his being just wanting to turn and serve her. But his mind knew better.

His mind knew to stay still when he felt her reaching up to grab at the hem of her sports bra. Knew exactly what she was revealing back there, even with his eyes forward. He could feel the synthetic fabric brushing against the back of his neck, then the back of his head, then finally how it tickled all the way up past the tips of his long ears.

And yet he couldn't look. Even as she reached forward with the offending garment in hand, bringing it into his view before dropping it to the ground, he couldn't quite see those fantastic tits out of the corner of his peripheral vision.

Sam couldn't help a needy whimper from escaping him. He could FEEL those immensely soft lynx breasts on him, a stark contrast to the solidity of the toned muscle of the rest of her body. But he couldn't touch them. Couldn't even see them! It was torturous!

Catherine chuckled softly into one of those long ears of his. Her hot breath tingled as it passed through his fur, then was capped off by a small spark leaping from her nose to slightly zap the tip of that lobe. It flinched away instinctively, though Sam was well trained enough that the rest of him stayed quite still.

"Good boy," she whispered. That phrase, the knowledge that his Mistress was praising him, sent the loveliest shiver down his spine. All the way to his bushy little tail.

Catherine wouldn't be idle for long though. She reached for her workout shorts next, pulling them down in a similarly teasing way, making sure that her lovely bunny could feel every inch of it trailing down his black fur. Of course he still couldn't see it or the lynx's fully nude body as she pulled it off completely, tossing it forward and into his line of sight. But he knew it was there.

"Walk forward, and lay down on the bench." Her instructions were simple, and Sam was quick to follow them. Against his desire, but in line with his better judgment, he didn't look back. Instead he kept his eyes forward until he laid down on the workout equipment, a performance of willpower to make Orpheus jealous.

Only then did he finally get to take a look at his Mistress, now fully nude. His eyes drank in every inch of her, from the tufted black tips of her ears to her piercing green eyes to those lovely breasts to the abs he could have spent all day drooling over to the lovely slit whose taste he knew intimately well to those absolutely sculpted legs to, at last, those big footpaws he always wanted to be under.

It was a sight well worth the wait.

Especially given the grin on her face. He knew that look. That was a smile that she wore when he had done well for her. When she had really enjoyed commanding him, or the effort he had put in.

Or when she was just horny and about to rock his entire world.

Catherine didn't move slowly as she approached Sam. No, a predator had no reason to be cautious when her prey was exactly where she wanted him. Truth be told, they had probably fucked in this room more than their own bedroom. The exercise equipment was all at the perfect height and had so much variety, not to mention all of the convenient tie-down points.

Speaking of perfect height, Catherine had absolutely no issues stepping over the bench, perching herself just above Sam's face. His entire field of vision was taken up by lynx pussy, just a few inches away from his face. She held there for a mere moment, letting him appreciate the sight of her privates, the feel of her thighs on either side of his head, the scent of her desire.

"What does my little rabbit say?" She asked simply. It was a rather open-ended question.

But only one thought came to Sam's mind.

"Please, Mistress." The pure desperation and adoration that rang through every syllable of those two words was palpable, and recognized.

Catherine purred as she climbed up onto the weight bench herself, finally lowering her slit that last inch down onto Sam's face. She wasn't pressing herself into him just yet, but he started licking eagerly all the same. Lick lick lick~ Every little lap of her soft folds feeling just lovely for the big lynx.

A purr of delight radiated from her chest as she shifted, making herself comfortable as her loving sub put his all into pleasing her. He was just in the warm-up phase for now, not yet going after her more sensitive clit or diving too deeply inside of her. But he was absolutely tasting every drop of her dew, and making good use of his smooth rabbit tongue in quick little licks.

"Good boy!" She exclaimed again, a bit louder this time and meaning it just as deeply. Her little nub of a tail flicked about in predatory delight, and her smile was wide as she reached for her sub's cock, taking a gentle hold of it with her big hand.

Sam shivered under her, his attention to his Mistress only hitching for the barest of seconds as those soft paw pads made contact with his sensitive shaft. Then he was right back at it, even though she was doing her very best to distract him.

Up and down along his cock, up and down, up and down. On the very edge of moving too slowly, but Catherine seemed to know right where that edge was. Knew how to toe at it, approach it, and always keep him wanting more. And damn did he want more. She was so hot, so in control of him. She was so PERFECT. And he could signal that in only one way.

Sam switched tactics with his licking. No longer was it the light, fast movements intended as an appetizer. Now it was long, slow licks. Matching the pace of her stroking on his cock. But the critical element was that he was no longer avoiding the more sensitive parts. Instead they were serving as the starting points or the finishing touches of his motions, little reminders for her that he COULD be doing more, if only she'd do the same for him.

Officially, if he had outright said that she would have denied him, reminded him who was in charge. But perhaps because he had been so good, perhaps because she was feeling nice, she indulged him. Catherine shifted again, pressing her loins a bit further down onto his face and tightened her grip just a bit, her pace increasing. The only negative change she made was that she wasn't touching his tip at all anymore.

It was almost to the point that he was going to ask about it when her plan was revealed. A hot breath washed over his shaft, followed a second later by her big, soft tongue wrapping around his tip.

"Oh FUCK!" The rabbit gasped from under her, that textured feline tongue of hers doing an incredible job of teasing her trapped toy. She couldn't help but let out a little laugh at that expression. And she didn't even punish his momentary lapse of concentration! What a gracious Mistress she was. Surely deserving of more intense licks, something that he was happy to provide.

Sam pressed his nose up into Catherine's slit, increasing the pace and aggressiveness with which he was using his tongue. ESPECIALLY on and around her clit. The area he had purposefully avoided at first was now getting absolutely bathed by his eager tongue. Running over and flicking and twirling and teasing and every other trick she had taught him being put to good use for pleasuring her to the best of her abilities.

His eagerness translated straight into her doing the same for him. Her other hand grabbed onto his thigh for stability, clasping the thickest part of the muscle there. His runner's physique left nothing to be desired, nor did the adorable way that he squeaked when her claws pricked into him.

It wasn't enough to draw blood, not by half. But he still felt the pinch of those sharp little points prodding him, and in turn the lynx could feel his cock twitch. And that was all the signal she needed to wrap her lips around his cockhead. Thick, soft lips gripped around his tip, massaging and squeezing while she applied a soft suction that seemed to come and go in wave after teasing wave.

Sam moaned aloud into her pussy as she did that, the feel of his Mistress giving him this gift too much to contain! He had to stay focused though. Had to make her feel good first. Even as another moan slipped through his lips, he stayed positively glued to her, not letting up. Redoubling his efforts even! He knew she couldn't take much more of this either, not when he was nose-deep in her folds and not giving her clit any respite save for little gaps to tease her into wanting more.

She didn't need to call him a good boy this time. Didn't need to use any words. Instead Catherine just reciprocated the attention onto his shaft, sliding her maw further and further onto him. Putting more of his sensitive shaft in her warm and inviting mouth. Her tongue slathered on his tip, her lips gripped around his base, all while little rumbles of pleasure vibrated through the whole thing.

Given how damned good she was at this, it was a wonder that Sam could maintain his concentration at all. But she wouldn't have kept him around if he wasn't good, and with her training he was about as close to perfect as anyone could get. A well-trained, obedient, cunt-licking rabbit boy who knew just when to go on the final offensive.

Catherine had already been wavering, her ability to hang on against his tongue's assaults faltering. One of her own moans vibrated his cock, and just the fact that his Mistress was moaning for him made the rabbit practically explode in delight. And more importantly, it meant he had found the spot.

Again and again he licked at it, using almost exactly the same motion with only the_slightest_ little changes. Switching it up too much would have given her a moment's respite, some time to recover, but when he went like this she wasn't going to get a break. Another, longer moan teased his cock, and Sam knew he had her.

He could feel the tension as her thighs gripped him tighter and tighter with every lash of his tongue. Sense the little tingles as she lost some control of her electricity, growing stronger and stronger by the moment. Taste the way she was getting uncontrollably wet, soaking the fur of his muzzle in her desire. There was no going back for her.

Sam kept it up just another few moments longer before lightning struck. Catherine cried out in bliss onto his cock, and everything he had felt as she approached her climax got so much stronger. His long ears were squeezed against his head as she veritably humped into his face, and a wave of undulating electrical power twisted and arced off of her. Most of it found the sweat and... other fluids on its way to the metal of the bench, but a healthy dose traveled through the black-furred rabbit.

And as was so often the case, that was what pushed him over the edge. While electricity had only been a minor interest of his before, he had a near pavlovian response to it at this point. Knowing that his Mistress had achieved a powerful release, that she had been unable to control herself in the face of the pleasure he had given her? It was the best feeling in the world, bar none. The rush of satisfaction alone would have been great, but with his cock already in her mouth he knew what was going to happen.

He drummed his fingers on her thigh in one smooth line, his signal to her that he was about to cum. She didn't slow in the slightest, and only a moment later he was orgasming along with her. Sam's desperate pleasure washed over him in a wave as he exploded in his Mistress' mouth. Both domme and sub were a mess of fur and moans and cum and mutual desire as they peaked at near the exact same time, grabbing and gipping each other close as their lover's mouths made everything else in the world fade away.

They stayed like that for a long moment as their climaxes faded away, locked in each other's grasp and not wanting to leave. The electricity stopped flowing, the tight grip of her thighs released, but they stayed close, just breathing heavily.

Catherine was the first to move. She almost always was, given her role in things. She pulled herself up and off of her lover's face, shifting around to be next to him instead of on top. From there she grabbed Sam tightly and rolled over so she was on her back, and he was laying atop her. The best bed he could imagine.

"I love you, Mistress." He whispered softly from his perfect perch.

"I love you too, my good bunny." She replied, causing a final little shiver of delight to run through his body.

They stayed like that for another long moment before the rabbit's sensitive ears heard something. A familiar voice, deep, bassy, and smooth was speaking on one of the TVs they had in the exercise room. It was at a low enough volume that to anyone else it was near inaudible, but considering their earlier discussion he couldn't help but bring it up.

"Oh look honey, your favorite hero is on the news!" He joked, prompting Catherine to lean her head back, looking at the screen he was referring to. And when she did she wished she hadn't.

Sublime-Canine himself was on the screen, speaking about... something. The topic was apparently 'Hero Safety, is enough being done?' Catherine scoffed at that. She had a good idea she knew what he was saying, even if her less-sensitive ears couldn't pick up the actual words being said.

"Advocating for that police requirement law again I bet. What a fucking bootlicker."

Sam laughed at that. "Come on, isn't that a BIT harsh? I think you're about the only person in this city who doesn't like him."

Catherine hmphed in response. "And isn't that a bit suspicious? I mean, is there anyone else who everyone loves so universally that... what are they switching to up there?"

Sam had stopped paying attention, but on that questioning he looked over again, ears lifting up so they could hear better. "Uh, breaking news something. They actually interrupted Arthur, so it must be something good. They're going on-scene somewhere, at a quad-plex? I don't know, looks like it's near the college?"

Catherine squinted as she tried to figure it out. "Yeah, definitely near the college. I think I-- Wait. That's not..." She lifted Sam off herself like he weighed nothing, turning over to look more closely. "Shit." She cursed, looking around for her clothes and phone.

"What, what is it? What's wrong?" He asked, fluffy white tail flicking about.

Catherine stood up, her hands already full. "That's Mal's house!"

---

It was loud outside.

Mallory didn't know why, nor did she really want to look. The door and blinds were closed for a reason. She was resolved to just wait out whatever it was until she heard Amber downstairs.

"Shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Amber really was cursing up a storm out there. Even down the stairs and across the house Mallory could hear her clearly.

Something must be wrong.

Reluctantly, Mallory got up from her desk, kicking some old fast food bags aside as she walked to the window.

"Mal? Mal?!?" Amber called out. Mallory felt a bit bad about not answering, but she hadn't been answering all week, so it's not like she'd disappoint the mouse by keeping quiet. At least no worse than she'd disappointed everyone else.

The noise outside was getting louder. Vehicles, talking, shouting. Was that even a helicopter she heard? It was all incoherent and loud, a low growl that never let up.

Amber was shouting something again. It was hard to tell what exactly she was saying over the noise from outside. Something about news? It shouldn't be. Unless...

Mallory pushed her blinds apart, peeking through to see what was making all that racket. Instantly, her heart fell.

It had to be every fucking news crew in the city, outside their house. For all they knew this should just be a random college kid's rental. Unless someone had figured out her secret identity. No, they wouldn't all be here at once if that were the case.

Someone must have told them.

Mallory didn't wonder who it could be for long as the crowd pressed closer and closer to the front door. Surging and stopping as they battled between their respect for privacy and their urge to get this scoop. Of course the second one was going to win out. A conclusion as forgone as who had told them.

Someone who wanted to hurt her. To rob her of privacy. Expose her. Bring her down, sully her image. Someone who thought themselves beyond reproach.

"Arthur you piece of shit..." she growled, anger starting to burn in her chest.

He really was doing his best to get rid of her. First ruin her as a hero, then leave her unable to even escape that image? It was calculated. Planned as finely as his... attack. And now she was in his snare again. Maybe she had never left.

The hungry mob had taken over the entirety of the front lawn at this point. The front line of reporters was supported by a backup of boom mics and cameras, all closing in on... Amber.

No no no! She wasn't supposed to be out there! And yet there she was, in the center of it all, trying desperately to get them to leave. Trying to protect her. Again.

The flames of anger, previously just smoldering, flared to a raging bonfire in an instant. Even if she went down, she was NOT taking Amber with her! Amber had been hurt once because of her, and that was already too much! Mallory flung her blinds aside, yanking her window open.

" BACK AWAY FROM HER!"

She shouted at the baying crowd, and for a moment they seemed to listen, giving Amber some breathing room. Quickly though, Mallory realized that it wasn't out of any kindness. The break only came as a result of the hungry eyes of those vultures locking onto new, much juicer prey. The one they had come for. No, that they had been sent for.

"Leave her alone!" Mallory repeated, swinging from her window to land lightly on the soft green turf of the lawn. The grass sizzled beneath her feet, the anger inside her boiling over to spill out in the form of her powers. "We all know it's me you want." That bastard wanted to play? To send his puppets to trample the ruins of her life? Well it was time for some fucking payback!

"You want a statement?" She spat the question out rhetorically. "You want me to come out and talk to you and the whole world about the worst thing that's ever happened to me?" The heat around her seemed to pulse, intense enough that the reporters closest to her were pushed back. It didn't stop them for long though. Nothing would.

"Fine! I'll give you a FUCKING statement!" Frantic gestures and warnings shot between camera crews as they scrambled to censor the swearing out of the live broadcast. That did feel good. To have them reacting to her instead of the other way around for once. It made her feel powerful again. Sublime-Canine wasn't the only one who could use the media. She'd show him his mistake!

The fires of pain and righteous rage burned inside of her, made incarnate by her powers. Waves of heat rose above her red hair, distorting the very air around her. She exhaled, the sheer strength of her rage turning it to steam, like a bull about to charge. Fuck them if they didn't believe her! She was going to say it anyway.

"I was drawn out. They wanted me alone, and targeted me specifically. I was attack-- no. No, I wasn't attacked, I was_ambushed_. Ambushed by someone with a bone to pick, by..."

A ray of sunlight glinted off one of the van windows, filling her world with white. A sharp pain at the back of her eyes forced her to squint... a familiar pain. A terrifying kind of familiar. Her ears rang as the fear, the failed escape, the pain, the laughs, the searing shocks all came back to her in an instant, blowing her momentum away before the van moved like nothing happened, letting her see again.

And she saw them all. The cameras, like eyes drilling into her. Was that one the same model as they had used that night?

"By..."

Her expression had suddenly shifted, her anger vanished. She was panting, her heart racing. She knew she had to focus, but she couldn't. The heat around her wavered along with her determination, now failing to force the closest wave of reporters away. She flinched for all to see as they pushed in, clawing for the best spot closest to her. Thrusting their microphones in towards her face, wanting to be the one that the camera would see. Making her theirs for everyone to watch.

"I... I was ambushed by Su--"

The words froze in her throat, not even her powers able to melt them out. Mallory's heart was pounding in her ears. She had to do this. She NEEDED to do this! She needed to ignore the eyes of the cameras, the reporters closing in around her, and the cold breeze against her fur. Her powers had kept it at bay previously, but now it passed through her flimsy pajamas and blew over her uncovered, completely unmasked face.

Mallory's heart dropped. "H-He wanted revenge for me putting him away and he... he planned and carried out the whole event."

The cat's voice had fallen from a shout to carrying about as much conviction as a forced confession. She screamed internally, her chest tightening, but externally didn't show any of it. Her eyes lost focus. Why couldn't she say it? She was so close! Why did she fail again?! She continued, the heat around her little more than a flickering candle easily carried away by the breeze now.

"I can say two other things," she said, having to force her words to be more than a mutter. "One, I am not done. I will NOT quit. And two, not killing me was the worst mistake of your entire life." She was trying so hard to make it sound like she meant it, and even harder to make it sound like a threat instead of a wish. "Now get the fuck off of my lawn!"

A final flash of feigned anger would hopefully hide her humiliating defeat. She could almost hear that wretched dog laughing behind her back, her chest caught in a vice as she stepped back to her door. Amber was clearly trying not to look shocked as she opened the door for the cat, stepping in just behind her. Mallory stood in her hallway as her ears twitched from the sharp clack of the lock, Amber once again trying to shield her from what had already happened. The reporters were already heading back to who had sent them with their juicy bone, satisfied with their work. Not even considering the damage they had caused.

A deafening silence followed as Mallory stood there, the heat from earlier now more akin to dying embers of a fire put out long ago. The doors of the vans slammed and the hum of their engines started and fell outside, but in here there was nothing.

Finally the mouse's soft voice broke the silence. "Can I--"

"Why am I so fucking weak Amber?" Mallory spoke over the mouse, looking away from her best friend as steamy tears rolled from her eyes to sizzle on her cheeks. Aside from those last few vestiges, Amber could feel the power dissipating fast.

"Mallory you're... you're not..."

The red-headed cat leaned back against the door with a thud, slumping to the floor with her head down. The last of her anger-stoked powers faded, finally letting the tears pouring down stain her white-furred cheeks. "I'm such a weak fucking failure. I can't... I can't even lose right." Mallory choked out a sob as she wiped her tears away. "I just made everything worse for everyone!"

It was hard to say she hadn't. Now the whole world knew who she was behind the mask that had tried so hard to hide it. If she hadn't gotten carried away and walked straight into this gaping, obvious trap, she'd at least still have her secret identity. There'd still be a refuge, and at worst she'd at least have been able to destroy all evidence she'd ever been Kitty-Flame. Pretend it was all a dream that went awry. Now, she couldn't even run away. Everywhere she'd go, she knew what people would think as they all either averted their gaze or openly stared. Her tormentor had taken even the option of surrender from her.

Though really, he hadn't taken it. She'd given it to him willingly, even relinquished her perfect opportunity to strike back.

Amber put her hand on Mallory's shoulder as she sat down next to her, nothing but concern in her red eyes. The cat couldn't even look at her. She knew her eyes would wander to the mouse's ear, to the piece of her childhood friend now forever missing because her weak self had to be rescued. Luckily Amber had been able to dig her out of that hole, but now thanks to the cat's somehow even worse fuckup, any paparazzi or mob hitman would know where to find them. And for what? All because she was so desperate to regain her pride, to no longer be the victim, that she'd jumped into obvious danger?

Maybe jumping from somewhere much higher would be better. Then at least she couldn't make any MORE mistakes.

As the worst thoughts ran through Mallory's mind, Amber stayed resolutely at her side, lightly stroking her fingers through that blazing red hair. "Mallory, I don't even know who I'd be without you, but I know it's worse than who I am now. We're going to get through this, together."

Mallory turned away.

---

Across town, in the penthouse suite of the tallest tower sat Arthur Evan in a finely-tailored suit. The silky soot black garment, made from a material as expensive and smooth as the whiskey he sipped, complimented his soft tan and black fur. His own network's live news report played out on the television in front of him, showing exactly what they had cut his interview off for.

"No, I wasn't attacked, I was ambushed. Ambushed by someone with a bone to pick, by... by..."

He took a sip, then swirled the golden liquor in his glass, the ice cubes chiming gently. To the workers putting the camera that had just been interviewing him aside, he seemed the exact appropriate amount of sympathetic, while still largely unconcerned.

"I was ambushed by Su--"

The swirling stopped, one of his ears lifting up ever so slightly. His perfectly level countenance almost imperceptibly slipped as he gripped that glass hard enough that it threatened to snap.

"By Sampson Sabretooth."

His grip on the glass loosened. Even after all these years in the business, Sublime-Canine couldn't stop a trace of a smug smile from spreading across his face.

"Good girl," he whispered.