FSE

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_Author's Note: Hey everyone! Here's another chapter for you all. A little business to take care of too. I posted a story for the Summer Adventure's contest a little while ago. If you haven't already, please go check that out. If you have, thanks again for reading it! As with all of my stories please rate, comment, and favorite if you're so inclined (feedback is important). Once again thanks for reading any of my work. You're all the best- AK _

Dulion woke up and took a glance at the clock; it was six in the morning. His alarm would be blaring in an hour. He sighed and carefully turned on his shoulder so as not to disturb the Kitsune sleeping next to him. It was Ibuki's idea to sleep in Dulion's room, despite the lack of space. She said she wanted to be close to him; she felt safer when she was around him. The harassing calls had continued every day at different times. Yesterday was just as she was falling asleep.

Dulion grabbed his phone and silenced the alarm. Maybe an early start to his day would be nice for a change. Dulion rolled out of bed and threw on an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He forced his body to transform back into a human. The feeling of his fur disappearing was always a weird one, but it wasn't painful. What was painful was the cold air hitting his newly naked skin and the incredible throbbing in his leg. Dulion gritted his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside to a normal level. When it did, he grabbed his cane and hobbled out of his apartment door and headed to his mailbox. As he approached, he saw he wasn't the only one there. Dr. Tennant was flipping through his mail, fully dressed and ready to start the day.

"Morning Doc." Dulion said, perhaps more sleepily then he intended.

"Good Morning." Dr. Tennant said. "How are things?"

"Not bad. How was your first night with Cassie?"

"Well...it went...it could have gone worse."

"What happened?"

"Well, according to Jayson, she may have PTSD and or Agoraphobia. Possibly both. We're actually planning on taking her to the park this afternoon. Perhaps if you and Ibuki come it may help her."

"I'm in. I'll check with Ibuki. Oh, and see if Cameron and Josef want to bring Stephanie."

"Already ahead of you there. All three are in."

Dulion smiled and listened to the Doctor talk about how excited he was to be a parent finally. It was nice to see Tennant genuinely happy about something. Dulion couldn't remember ever seeing him this way. Dulion reached into is mailbox. As he grabbed at the various letters, he felt a sharp pain in his hand. He let out a small scream.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Tennant asked.

"I'm not sure. I think...I think something pricked me." Dulion answered.

He handed his mail to Dr. Tennant as he reached into the mailbox again, this time far more carefully. It took him a moment, but Dulion was able to pull out a small needle from his mailbox. Dulion had a feeling what it was even before he saw it; his frantic heartbeat and weakening body confirmed his suspicions quickly. Dulion tried to lean on his cane for support, but he slowly felt his body sink to the ground. He used the last of his strength to hold up the needle to Dr. Tennant. The last thing he saw was Dr. Tennant speeding off towards his room.

***

Ibuki looked at her human form in the mirror. Since coming to the Zoo, it always felt weird to be in it. Much like the clothing she wore for her job, it was more of a costume than who she really was. Still, she had been told it was appealing. Maybe she'd ask Dulion when he got back. It was taking him an awfully long time just to get the mail.

Ibuki's ears caught the faint sound of a door opening.

"Finally," she called out still looking in the mirror, "I was beginning to think that you got lost or some..."

The second she turned around, the word disappeared from her mind. Dr. Tennant and Jayson were supporting a limp Dulion who looked to be just barely conscious.

"Get a chair, quickly." Dr. Tennant said loudly.

Ibuki ran to the kitchen and pulled one of the chairs. She and Dr. Tennant guided Dulion onto it. Dulion took a few raspy breaths before he slowly put his hand to his still human face.

"C...could you g...get...water..." Dulion choked out weakly.

Dr. Tennant nodded and walked over to Dulion's sink.

"Jayson," he said, "get my medical bag. I want to make sure he'll be alright."

"Sure thing." Jayson said as he left the apartment.

Ibuki kneeled besides Dulion and grabbed his hand in hers. It earned her a weak smile from Dulion.

"What happened?" She asked. "He looks like he's..."

"Been hit with Wolfsbane? He has." Dr. Tennant said. "This was a particularly concentrated dose too. We gave him a quick injection of the antidote, so he should be fine. But I'm going to check up on him to make sure."

"How did he get stuck?"

"Needle in his mailbox. I told him to always carry the antidote just in case. He's way too stubborn."

"D...don't need it." Dulion said from the chair. "...be fine."

"Yes, says the man who has just been poisoned." Dr. Tennant said walking towards Dulion with a glass of water. "Here, I'll help you."

Dr. Tennant helped Dulion drink about half of the glass. Jayson came back into the apartment clutching the medical bag.

"Here's your bag, Matt." Jayson said.

Jayson handed Dr. Tennant the bag. Ibuki rubbed her head against his hand.

"You need to start carrying antidotes." She said to him. "Two scares are two too many. Besides, if you die on me, I'll kill you."

Dulion smiled.

"Okay." He said.

"Finally, a breakthrough. Call the local papers." Jayson said.

"I'll...be fine" said Dulion. "Takes more than a needle to kill a lion."

"Let's make sure of that." Dr. Tennant said.

Dr. Tennant checked Dulion's pulse, blood pressure and vision among other quick tests. By the time he was done, Ibuki noticed that Dulion looked better then when he was carried into the apartment.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dr. Tennant said.

"I'm fine." Dulion said. "Much better thanks to the antidote. What time are we going to the park?"

"I was thinking at around ten or eleven." The Doctor said. "We'll leave a little early so we can pick up your prescription."

"What prescription?"

"Your Full Moon prescription. Hopefully, it's the last one you'll need. Will you join us, Ibuki?"

"Sure, why are we going to the park? For Cassie?"

"Yup." Jayson said. "Figure it would do wonders for her. Show her that the world isn't as scary as she thinks it is. And it might help her get more comfortable with all of us."

"We'll see you then. For now, get some rest Dulion."

Dr. Tennant and Jayson left the apartment.

"Good thing Cassie doesn't know about the needle." Dulion said, getting up from the chair.

He stumbled for a moment and Ibuki was afraid he would fall, but he caught himself. With a sigh, he transformed himself into his lion form.

"Probably should stay in this form for a while." Dulion said.

"You don't seem too happy to be stuck as a lion." Ibuki said.

"I'm not. I feel...weird in it still. It's like I'm..."

"Naked?"

"How did you...?"

"It's how I feel when I'm a human. Probably due to my job. I don't know it's always..."

Ibuki's thoughts were cut short due to her phone ringing. She looked at the caller I.D. but didn't recognize the number.

"I'm not even bothering anymore." Ibuki said. "It's not worth it."

"Here," Dulion said, "I'll take it."

"You don't have to do that. I can handle it."

Dulion smiled, walked behind Ibuki, and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he grabbed her phone.

"I know you can." Dulion said. "So can I."

Dulion opened the phone.

"This is James Dulion, advisor for the Zoo and special agent with the FBI, how may I help you?"

Dulion didn't say anything more; he simply laughed and pressed the button to end the call.

"Hung up the second I said it." Dulion said with a laugh. "And I didn't even need to lie...hang on wait a second."

"What's up?"

"I recognize this number."

"You do?"

"I know exactly who's calling you. Let me make a quick phone call. Oh and I'm going to need your cell phone."

***

Dulion stared out the window of the unmarked cop car as it drove past another stop sign. Dulion wasn't sure if there were more stop signs in this town or that's just the way it seemed. He tried to keep his head down as much a possible as he was still in his lion form under doctor's orders.

"Thanks for helping me on such short notice, Mr. DeCosta."

"It's Tony, Jim." DeCosta said. "And after all you did for us, it's no problem. You sure you don't want charges pressed?"

"I'm sure. Well, okay, I'd like to see them pressed, but Ibuki is a different story."

"You've been dating her for what, a week, and she already has you wrapped around her finger. Take it from me, kid, you bend over enough times, you start to question who's really doing the screwing."

"I'll keep that in mind." Dulion said with a smile.

Within a few moments, the car pulled in front of a rather large, grey house. Even in his dreams, Dulion could never envision himself owning a home like this. The lawn was delicately manicured which was to be expected in this part of town. The paint job on the house looked new, too.

"You wanna come with?" DeCosta asked Dulion. "After all, as an advisor you are an agent of the prosecutor's office."

"Can't hurt." Said Dulion.

Dulion patted his pocket and made sure the small vial of Full Moon Dr. Tennant had given him was there. He hated carrying the stuff around; it made him feel like he had some kind of disease or something. Still, here it was necessary.

Dulion and DeCosta got out of the car and headed towards the front door of the impressive house. DeCosta knocked on the door and a middle age looking woman with greying hair opened it.

"Yes," she said. "May I help you?"

She looked first at DeCosta and then at Dulion to whom she gave a dirty look.

"Morning Rose." DeCosta said. "David in?"

"Yes. What is this about, Anthony? And why is that thing with you?"

"This thing happens to be an advisor for the prosecutor's office." Dulion said. "Dated your daughter too."

"Look here you mongrel, I will..."

"Get David." DeCosta said. "We need to talk to him."

"You've changed Anthony. Wait here."

Rose went back into the house and slammed the door in Dulion and DeCosta's faces.

"You know them?" Dulion asked.

"Yeah. That was a lifetime ago."

Dulion paused for a moment.

"You were in CATTL." He said.

"Yeah." DeCosta said. "Still am, actually."

Dulion gave DeCosta an incredulous look. DeCosta sighed.

"Look kid," he said, "You and the people from the Zoo are all fine. I joined CATTL because of WILD, not because I hate lycanthropes. I figure at its best, CATTL wants to stop WILD. At it's worse, well you get people like Rose and David. Sadly, the extremists took over quickly."

"Happened in WILD too." Dulion said.

"See, in a better world, someone like you would run WILD and make it about helping lycanthropes instead of encouraging them to take over and be violent. Maybe then, CATTL could go away for good; and believe me I would like to see that."

"CATTL will go away as soon as the KKK or the neo-Nazis do. It's a hate group and you know it. WILD too. Even if I did take charge, a new group would form the next day. Hence why I didn't agree when they asked me to run it."

"They did, huh? Well, makes 'em smart."

"So if you didn't join CATTL because you hate lycanthropes why did you?"

"My wife was killed by a lycanthrope. We never caught the bastard. Been looking for him ever since."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't kill her."

"Neither did all but one of the other lycanthropes."

"Point taken."

The door to the house opened and David, Danielle's father was standing in the doorway. He didn't say a word but simply crossed his arms over his chest. On his waist sat the Wolfsbane Gun Dulion had seen before.

"Morning David." DeCosta said.

"Tony." David responded.

"Apparently, there has been several harassing phone calls made from your house to a cell phone."

"I didn't call no flea bitten mutt." David growled.

'Well, someone here did." Dulion said.

"Who the hell do you think you are, boy?!"

"An agent of the prosecutor's office. As such, I recommend you stop."

"You better check those big ears of yours, boy. I said..."

"What's going on, Dad?" said Danielle who walked behind her father.

"Nothing Dani, don't worry about it." he said.

"My girlfriend has been receiving harassing calls." Dulion said. "Know anything about it?"

Danielle sighed.

"Yeah, I do. It's my boyfriend, Jake. He found Emi's number before I could delete it. I told him to stop around ten times. I'm sorry for him. Oh and I'm sorry about the Hibachi place, too. That was really mean of me."

"Hey, don't apologize to this mutt." Her father said.

"Don't worry about it." Dulion said. "Just tell Jake that if he does it again, Ibuki's pressing charges."

"I will." Danielle said. "It was nice seeing you again. Maybe we should patch things up soon. Maybe over coffee?"

"Maybe." Dulion said. "Take care."

With a snarl, David slammed the door again. Dulion and DeCosta made their way back to the car.

"Well that was...interesting." Dulion said.

"You dated her?" DeCosta asked.

"Yeah. She broke up with me when she found out what I was."

"She's having second thoughts. Or she's just jealous you have someone new."

"Thanks again."

"My pleasure, Jim. I'll bring you back to the Zoo."

"That's okay; I'm going to meet up with everyone at the park. I can walk from here."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

DeCosta nodded.

"Thursday Night, seven o'clock. A bunch of the cops go out for a drink or two when their shifts done. I never went. I'll take you; introduce you to some of the gang."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yeah I do. I need some excuse why I'm not going to the CATTL meeting."

***

Ibuki sat on a park bench in her human form and watched the children playing on the playground. She couldn't help but smile seeing all the kids running and having fun. It reminded her of when she was a child; probably the last time her parents loved her. Before her thoughts could go down that path she felt a pair of furry hands cover her eyes.

"Guess who." Said a familiar voice.

Ibuki smiled.

"My white lion." She said.

The hands went away and Dulion sat down next to her. When he did, she gave him a kiss.

"You're furry." She said.

"You're not." Dulion answered.

"Yeah. I figured maybe it wouldn't be so bad to try and feel comfortable in my own skin. How about you?"

"Doctor's orders still apply." Dulion said. "Speaking of which where is everyone?"

"Over there."

Ibuki pointed across the playground where Dr. Tennant and Jayson were sitting next to Cameron and Josef. Dulion waved and they waved back.

"So are Cassie and Stephanie getting along?" Dulion asked.

"See for yourself."

Ibuki directed Dulion's attention to the swing set where the two girls with Cassie in her human form sat next to each other giggling like mad. Dulion nodded.

"Good. All is right with the world."

Ibuki saw Cassie and Stephanie stop swinging and run over to the two of them.

"Hi Mr. Dulion." Stephanie said. "They said you would be coming."

"And here I am." Dulion said. "Are the two of you having fun?"

Cassie nodded.

"Uh-huh." she said. "We're going to go play on the monkey bars."

"Go for it." Dulion said. "Try not to fall."

"We won't." the two girls said in unison as they ran off.

"Cassie seems to finally be comfortable around a human." Dulion said

"Well that was kind of the point. Hence why all of us are in our human forms. I guess it's a way to make us all a little more comfortable."

"I guess so."

Dulion rested his head on Ibuki's shoulder. Ibuki pet the top of his head and put her arm around him.

"You know this could be nice." She said.

"What do you mean?" Asked Dulion.

"I mean the two of us, sitting on a park bench watching our kids playing."

Dulion laughed.

"Not even a month ago, you weren't ready to call me your boyfriend. Now, you're planning on us having kids?"

"Well not soon, but one day maybe. You'll have to marry me before that. And get used to calling me by my actual name."

"Whatever you say, Emi."

Ibuki giggled and leaned her head against Dulion. Both of them uncomfortable in their current state, but that didn't matter now. As long as they had each other.