The Plains

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A large stretch of flat and slightly hilly grass. Its similar to the Desert but not nearly as hot and with a lot less sand.

I closed the door for her. In this time, at least some minimal courtesy would be nice. I didn't care who she was.

I sat in the drivers seat and turned the ignition, the engine roared with a backfire. Sounding like a gun shot, I couldn't help but be startled.

I realized the truck was stick shift, a transmission that most didn't know to well. I shifted into drive and navigated down the poorly built driveway to the street and stopped.

"Ok i don't know this area to well, which way to?"

"Um... Just keep going straight for now." Coax instructed, after getting settled into her seat and on their way. "Eventually there'll be a right turn, but I can't remember which one. After that the mountains should be visable and we can just make a B-line to them." She said. "Are you.. Um, going anywhere? Or meeting anyone?" As she spoke her eyes trailed over the broken world as it passed by, almost like a film strip in some futuristic post-apocalyptic movie. But this, this was so much worse. This was reality, and that future was now.

I sighed. "Ok sure." I said as I turned and drove the direction she said to go.

"Na I don't got no where im going. No one left. Other than you, ive not talked to anyone in a long time. But stuff happens and makes ya change. You know? I was alone for so long, now that everyone is gone, Its almost to quiet even for me. I prefer to keep to myself. But the times are different." I said as I slowed down.

To the right a vacant gas station was visible. probably hasn't seen any customers for a while now.

"I wonder if we should stop and gather supplies." I said hoping to get her to not ask many questions about me. I had a past that I wanted to forget.

Coax smirked, turning her gaze from the outside world to the other candids face. "It's easy to keep to yourself nowadays." She said, a little darkly. "But... I'm sorry, about the whole 'no one left' thing. Maybe... Once we get where we're going, you can stay with us? I don't want to speak for the Fox, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind another anthro, as long as you can pull your own weight." Coax finished hastily, noticing the gas station. "Good idea. No need to pass it up if it's just gonna sit there. But there're still others out there, and more snipers than you'd think... We'll have to be careful."

[[ Oooh. Perfect time to introduce another character. ]]

I slowed down, pulling over. I didn't want to stay with any one else, I didn't want to have someone make my decisions for me. I liked my freedom, my independence. I hated it when I was in a pack.

"Ok I don't know if you want to get out, but im going in to see what we can get. " I said as I put the keys in my pocket.

"Of course I'm getting out." Coax said, swinging her legs out of the vehicle. She paused briefly to pull the gun from her bag and pop a pre-loaded magizene into the handle, taking are to keep the muzzle pointed at the ground, the glock held at her hip as she stood and made her way to the wolfs' side.

I pulled a sawed-off shotgun from my satchel and shut the vehicle door. Slowly I stepped towards the dusty glass door to the gas station. I peaked inside not hearing anything, yet sticking with my instincts.

I turned the door handle failing, cause it was locked. I smashed the window with my elbow and brushed away the glass shards to make it easy to enter the building.

"Ok lets see what we can find..."

Coax just nodded, slightly weary that someone else had heard the shattering glass. There's nothing we can do about it now, she thought, and with that she swung herself through the opening and started searching.
The interior was just like a normal gas station- but the most important part was that the shelves were mostly stalked, given the door had been locked so no one else could get in. She strode over to the snake food isle and picked up a bag of beef jerky. "What do we take? There's enough stuff in here to feed a family of like, 20." Coax said before ripping open the bag and biting down on a strip of the fried meat.

I walked towards the drinks and grabbed a 12 pack of beer.

"I know it sounds selfish but how bout we try to get as much as we can. Id rather get as much as we can while we got the chance." I said as I offered her a beer.

"I don't know if you care for beer, but I think this is a good time for a can. "

I casually sipped as I carried several boxes of food to the truck. I put as,Muchas I could in the back seat on false hopes,that it would rain.

I say down on a bench in a tipsy phase pulling out my charm and started muttering gibberish.

"look at me babydoll, you and me." I said,to the ring.

I was past the,point of knowing what I was doing. The booze was a demon and an angel to me.

I sipped one,more time before blacking out.

"Sounds fine to me." Coax said, turning to pile packages of non-perishable snack foods into her arms. Some chips, more jerky, some energy bars, ect. At the mention of a beer, she just shook her head, not bothering to turn around. "I've got bad experiences with the stuff. Not to mention I'm underage." Coax started to make her way to the truck to put the stuff away and come back for another load.
...
Coax stepped out from behind the truck, the back seat loaded to the brim. It had taken five or six trips, but she didn't mind it one bit. They were lucky to come upon a stockpile of supplies like this one. Looking around, she dusted off her shorts, trying to spot the wolf. "Where'd he get off to?" She muttered, making her way to the side of the shop. She spotted him there, passed out on the bench. Her initial response was to rush over, check for a pulse and make sure he was alright. The next impulse was to slap him across the face. "Are you kidding me? Of all the times you could get drunk, you choose to- Argh! I've got hlad a mind to leave you right here and get in that truck. A drink or two is fine, but I've got no respect for someone who can drink enough to do this to themselves." She said, practically yelling at the unconscious wolf she stood over. She didn't even realize that she'd grabbed the collar of his shirt out of anger until the dropped it, stepping back with an enraged snort. "Bastard."

I slowly came to, out of a dream I didn't want to leave. a dream about loved ones I had lost long ago. I weakly reached to scratch a itch on my neck hearing her words but unable to understand. I found a stub sticking out of my neck that had a small barb and was dripping with slimy ooze. I didn't know why I felt drunk. I didn't grab the regular beer. I had the caliber non alcoholic beer.

I slowly realized the thing in my neck was a dart. I was poisoned I didn't know where it came from. I stood up still weak. "Drive, we need to get outta here.." I said sluring my voice hoping she could understand my words.

I loped long and steady down from the mountains. It had rained and my fur was slick to my skin allowing the swift breeze to chill me. I kept going, my feet took me where they wanted. The memory of what happened burned in my mind and made me go faster. I was running from the past. From a memory, from a dream. From a nightmare. I shook my head and pinned back my ears. I closed my eyes and felt tears come down my face. I was grateful I was already soaked to hide them from view. I couldn't believe he was dead, so...quickly. I wailed, a loud strangled unnatural cry escaped my lips. I couldn't stop it. I just couldn't...I couldn't stop what happened to him, his friends, his pack, all of them. All gone, like that. They just, they were just gone. I couldn't imagine it. I closed my eyes but I still saw what happened. My ears still rang from the mighty roar of death as it came and took all of them. I couldn't do anything to stop it. Guilt welled inside of me and I cried harder. I ran, I ran faster. Longer. Harder. Farther. I was determined to outrun my rage and guilt and sorrow. I would not be succumbed to them, they did not control me. I saw lights ahead of me and went to them. Headlights! I thought. I bolted toward them, my sadness gone. More survivors! I thought gleefully. It was a jeep or truck or some other vehicle. I jumped on the roof of it and looked in the inside of what was a broken in old gas station. My ears perked up at the sight of two creatures inside. As my eyes adjusted i recognized one of them. "Coax?!" I gasped.

Me in my weakness had the feeling of sorrow. Of hope, and of fear. I was so weak I couldn't open my eyes but I heard a new voice...

The sound of her voice reached Coax before the scent did. She spun on her heels, the danger of spies and blow darts momentarily forgotten. Her eye's widened at the sight of her friend, soaked to the skin, her sillowett poised in the broken window, backed by the dreary rain. "Sylvia?" She asked, more out of habit than anything. She knew who it was. Quickly, she turned back to the wolf on the bench, putting a paw to his forehead. "Hold on, Ian. We're gonna get out of here. Just... Hold on." She said hastily, turning back to Sylvia. She took a few torn steps, not wanting to stray to far from the drugged wolf but wanting to get closer to her friend. But it only took those few steps for her to see beyond the window, for her to realize there was only one scent- one anthro. "Where's the Fox?"

I watched from my vantage point on the roof of the jeep. There was another anthro inside with Coax. I looked him over. He didn't seem to be in good shape. Oh gosh, I thought looking at him. His still body reminded me so much of the dead. Still, hard, cold...I shuddered. I shook my head and looked back at him. I saw the rise of his chest come with his breath and my racing heart slowed. I saw Coax. She was asking me about the fox. I turn my head and stared at her, my eyes wide and nostrils flared. My ears perked upright. "The Fox is dead."

I felt the urge to vomit but my muscles were to weak to do so. As I tried to force my eyes open I smelled a familiar scent of fumes.

I heard a sharp clink of metal on pavement. A canister of noxious gas bounced on the ground from some direction.

The fumes were overpowering knocking almost all the oxygen out of me. I faintly saw a dark cloud enveloping my companion and a stranger. I felt unfamiliar arms picking me up.

"Dead?" Coax said, not beliving what she was hearing. No, not at first. How could that be right? He'd seemed so cunning, he'd had a whole pack to back him up. How could someone like that just die? The store was silent, apart from the drizzle of rain splattering on the roof. Her fur stood on end, the whole thing seemed so ominous, the rain, the silence, the death. She barely had time to ponder over it, to mourn, before the sound of clinking slashed through her thoughts like a gunshot in the quite room. Coax spun around, spotting a dark shape looming over the wolf's body. She started coughing as she reached to her belt and fumbled for her gun, cocking the wepon and holding it out, aimed at the creature's head. "If you don't step away I'll put six rounds thru-" She struggled to say, interrupted by a short bout of coughing. "-Through your- your head, in an instant."

A group of 20 or more anthros emerged from the dead bushes and scap pills. They fired a salvo of rounds at the 2 allies I had. The anthro who was carrying me knocked the female aside with ease knocking hear about 8 feet away. I reached weakly into my pocket drawing a small piece of glass I had fashioned into a blade. I weakly stabbed at the boulderous hulk that was trying to carry me away. I missed the first time, the second time, but the third time hit home. Going deep into his throat severing the jugular. Blood sprayed everywhere. Clenching his throat with his dying hands he dropped me heavily onto the pavement.

"Kill em both but no one kills the wolf unless I say so." said a voice.

"No witnesses"

It all happened in an instant. One second all was still and quiet then abrupt chaos. A gas bomb of some sort clouded my eyes and dulled my nose. I sensed several Anthros surround us. My ears were still good. I heard them running, hooves clicking and paws padding swiftly toward me. I glimpsed a pair of prongs through the fog and at once realized they were antlers. A stag! I thought. I hadn't found any of my natural prey since my world broke. An animals urge for prey welled in my belly and I leaped down to the ground. The brute of a stag was much bigger than me, but as was the natural way. Deer were bigger than us. I snapped and nipped his legs causing him to rise onto two. He swung his head around, trying to gouge me with his antlers, and his legs kicked trying to slice me with his hooves. I snarled and went to his hindquarters before he could wheel his bulk around. I caught one of his hindlegs in my mouth and yanked. The bone snapped and he gave a deafening bellow. He dropped down to all fours and tried to turn. I went for his other back leg but he kicked outward. His hoof caught my shoulder and I felt a gash open up in my muscles. Blood dripped down my leg and I dipped under his body. I raked his underside with my claws and dark wet masses fell on me before I could get out of the way. The buck screamed. I hurried through his front legs and clamped onto his throat, silencing him. The big creature fell slowly and when I let go he was lifeless. I lifted my head and wrinkled my nose into a snarl. "Whose next?" I challenged into the fog.

Chaos errupted before Coax could fire a single round. Noise errupted and she felt the projectiles slashing through the side of her leg in two places- deep grazes, but nither stuck. The next one found a home in her side, lodging about and inch from the outside of torso, just missing her large intestine. As the adrenaline set in and the pain stabbed through her she stepped back as though, well, as though she'd been shot. The canine that had tried to knock her over missed by mere inches, and the next one that came in received two quick bullets to the head. Coax barely realized what was going on, stuck in a state between pain, shock and adrenaline. Blood trickled down her calf and flowed from her side, her eyes wide, as if that would help her see through the fog. The wolf, She thought, head pivoting. Where's the wolf?

I crawled desperately towards the building, pulling myself over a broken window ledge. catching my breath and trying to wear off the toxin that was in me. I breathed painfully.

I grabbed a broken piece of metal from a pile of rubble and clenched tightly.

I hurled myself out the window swinging with all my might. shattering a canines muzzle with ease. Desperation and rage were my fuel. I battered 2 more anthros with the primal urge to howl with blood lust. I grabbed a avian and twisted his neck to the side with enough strength that he didn't know what was happening.

I stabbed viciously blind with rage killing one by one. Until I found one who was giving orders. I thrashed him side to side breaking his limbs. Then I burrowed my claws into his throat remembering who sent these anthros after me. The blood welled up and the anthro gurgled one last breath. I threw his body to the side and began to attack the other anthros that had tried to attack me.

I rushed forward, blood blinding my eyes. I realized I was entirely covered in blood, I must be unrecognizable. My shoulder throbbed but I hardly noticed. I bit one attacking anthro and my mouth was full of feathers. I yanked them out a bit flesh. I twisted my neck, tearing out a large deep hole in the birds flank. I riddled its side in a crazy fury, feathers flew about in a mass and the bird was dead before I finished my rage. I leaped up and something jumped on my back. It wasnt large but it was heavy. I felt a pair of teeth clamp on my mane of thick fur around my neck. A long scaly tail wrapped itself around one of my back legs. Claws buried themselves in my fur but could get little hold on my slick body. I yelp in disgust as I bucked and twisted to get the giant rat off. I growled and snapped at it. It clicked its teeth at me. I ran forward, but still it kept its hold. I saw the broken gas station window and leaped. A large piece of glass embedded itself in the rats eye and it let go. I killed it quickly. I shuddered I hate rats...

I suddenly stopped as I heard a sound of something spinning in sync with a loud engine. I could not identify it, but I knew is was not good.

The sounds of a machine gun droned on bullets raining down into the chaos hitting everything in range. Shreading the gas station wall and the truck. It turned to a different direction. towards the gas pumps.


With a loud roar the gas station exploded in a ball of fire. I didn't have as much as time to recollect what was happening. But I knew if I were to survive damn im either super lucky or gonna be crippled.

I looked up from my position in the gas station. Something was wrong. The other Anthros were retreating. Why? They out numbered us significantly still and we were injuried. So why were they running? I jumped when I heard the metallic clicking of a firing machine gun. There were dull thuds, harsh twangs and sharp pinks as the bullets richochetted, flew past, or embedded themselves in a body. I searched frantically for Coax and her friend. I found her quickly. She too was hurt, I could see her bleeding from where I was. I rushed toward her and screamed. "Get down! Coax get down!" Where was the wolf?! I thought. I glimpsed him and caught him around the stomach with my arm. I ran to Coax and pushed her into a drainage ditch by the road. I collapsed on top of the two Anthros as a fireball erupted above us. The gun had hit the gas pumps.