Impure - Chapter Nineteen (Patreon)

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Chapter Nineteen

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“We’ll start you off small, Spots.” Argos set an armored case down atop a wide, weathered table. Countless scratches and scuff marks marred its dark wood. “Set your case here, next to mine.”

Rivi grunted, hefting his heavy cargo up alongside Argos’s. His arm ached slightly from carrying it around the ship, but excitement outweighed his discomfort. “This is so exciting! I hadn’t even realized The Worldstrider even had a shooting range.” The cheetah rubbed his shoulder. “I just assumed we’d be shooting out into the open sky, from the viewing deck.”

“We can do that later, if you want.” Argos flicked through numbers on the case’s combination lock. “They have a pretty high class skeet shooting program, if you wanna aim for something that moves. I just thought you might wanna try shooting a few of my guns, first.”

“I do!” Rivi looked away while Argos input the code. “And, as long as my arms haven’t fallen off afterwards, I’d love to go shoot clay pigeons with you, too!” He blinked, flicking his ears back. “At least, I think that’s what they’re called in Gilded?”

Argos shrugged. “There’s a few words for ‘em. If your arms are sore later, we can always play with scatterguns another day.”

Rivi beamed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’d like anything that involves spending time with you.”

How swiftly the trajectory of his day had changed, Rivi thought. Just that morning, he’d trapped in the vice-grip of emotions, indulging in a childish tantrum and raging at the unfairness of his own existence. Rivi had been in tears, to have Argos see him in such a state. And yet, there was not a single speck of anger inside Argos. No disappointment in what the cheetah had done to the cabin. Only concern for Rivi’s well-being. Now, only a short time later, he was standing alongside Argos, about to fire guns with the coyote Rivi doubted he could have been happier.

Even the walk from their cabin to the shooting gallery had helped to improve his mood. Argos had selected several of his personal firearms, and loaded them into a case. He’d packed ammunition into a second case, that he gave Rivi the responsibility of carrying. Every time they entered a lift with other people, a little tingle of excitement ran through the cheetah, leaving his tail twitching. To think, so many people who had not idea that the slender little bespectacled cheetah standing alongside them was holding a briefcase full of bullets.

Rivi rubbed his arms as Argos retrieved some ear protection from a nearby shelf. The cheetah’s mind wandered back to that morning for a moment. In hindsight, Rivi saw how foolish his outburst was. It did him no more good than any of his youthful tantrums had. Rivi could not change who his father was. He could not change who he was. The best Rivi could do, was to accept his lot in life, keep his head down and his heart sheltered, and keep himself safe. At least, that was what he’d always imagined. That his own safety and shot at happiness were both wrapped up in the idea of giving himself fully unto his work, and never truly pursuing that which he could not have.

Then along came Argos.

Rivi had known the coyote scant days, but that was all it took. Already Rivi knew that Argos would prove the greatest test, and temptation, in all his life. Never had he been faced with someone who so openly desired him. Never had he imagined how thrilling it would be to be desired. If Rivi could resist the coyote’s temptations over the next few months, then surely he could resist impurity itself for the rest of his days.

And yet…

Rivi wondered if he truly wished to resist his own impurity. Was it genuinely his desire to shed himself of impure thoughts? Or was that merely what his people wanted of him? Expected of him? What his father expected of him. Rivi wasn’t so sure, anymore. For all their moralizing, for all their demonizing of the very idea of being impure, no one had ever made him feel as comforted and content as Argos. Surely, that meant something-

“Spots?” Argos put a hand on his arm. “You listening?”

“What?” Rivi spun around, offering the coyote a sheepish grin. “N-no, I’m sorry. I was thinking about…” His gaze wandered along the coyote’s body. Before they left, Argos had donned a light gray pocketed vest with bright silver buttons to go with his black shirt, and charcoal trousers. His personal sidearms were visibly strapped beneath his vest. Even in muted colors, the coyote still cut a striking figure. “You, actually.”

“Oh yeah?” Argos posed dramatically, with his head held high, and one hand on the table near where he’d set the protective headsets. “Good thoughts, I hope.”

Rivi giggled at his display, his tail flicking. “What was it you said last night?” He tilted his head. “Do you want the honest answer, or the Church-approved answer?”

A lopsided grin graced Argos’s muzzle. “Honest, always.”

The cheetah swallowed. If Argos wanted honesty, then Rivi would give him just that. “I was just debating whether or not I even want to try and resist my impure thoughts, anymore.” He gestured at the coyote. “Around you, I mean.”

“Ah, I see.” Argos’s expression turned more serious, his ears set at flat angles. “That’s something you gotta figure out for yourself, Spots. I can tell you what I believe all day long, but in the end…” He tapped the cheetah’s chest, just over his heart. “You gotta listen to this.”

“Yes, I know.” Rivi bowed his head a moment. “And thank you.” He straightened back up, offering the coyote what he hoped was a coy look. “With my luck, I shall wait until the last night of our voyage to decide. And then I shall throw myself into your arms, and say, Argos!” He put the back of his hand against his forehead. “Ravage me, you beast! And then regret ever more, that I only allowed you one night to do so.”

Argos burst into yapping laughter. “I’ll tell you right now, Spots, if anything happens, we ain’t jumpin’ straight into ravaging you. Kinda like these guns…” He popped the firearms case open. “We’ll start small and easy, and work up from there.”

Rivi giggled with him. He glanced at the weaponry on display, as a particularly wicked retort popped into his head. Immediately, a hundred doubts and even more ways to mangle his own words also popped into his brain. Don’t say it, Rivi! At best, we’ll sound like a pervert! At worst, we’ll sound like a fool, and a pervert! Rivi ignored the doubting voices, and chose his words carefully. “You know, Argos,” he said, brushing his gloved hand across the coyote’s arm. “Unlike these guns, I am neither small, nor easy.”

That only made Argos laugh even harder. “Hey, that’s pretty good, Spots!”

Rivi smiled, his hand still upon Argos’s arm. “I’m glad you found my jest amusing, and not offensive. I wouldn’t normally make jokes about my…” He cleared his throat with a little cough. “Anatomy. But you do seem to appreciate such bawdy, tavern-place humor. That, and…” Rivi grimaced. “I seem to recall making a number of such comments whilst under the influence of alcohol, last night. The damage is surely already done.”

“Ain’t no damage,” Argos said. “You are givin’ me some mixed messages, though.”

Rivi blinked, not entirely certain what the coyote was implying. “Am I? That wasn’t my intention.”

Argos chuckled, waving him off. “I’m just teasing ya, Spots. Last night you were implying that you didn’t exactly consider yourself impressive. Now, you’re telling me it’s bigger than my guns!”

Rivi’s whole face heated beneath his fur, his ears flat. The cheetah did not shy away from the topic, however. Not because he wasn’t increasingly embarrassed, but because some buried, playful part of him wanted to at least match Argos’s tawdry double entendres, if not surpass them. “Perhaps, then, I’m right in the middle.” He lifted his hand away from Argos, then flourished them both in a grandiose gesture, as if unveiling a banner. “Spectacularly average!”

Argos stared at the distance between Rivi’s hands. “I dunno, Spots, that looks a lot bigger than average to me.”

Rivi did the same, then erupted into another round of mewling feline giggles. “Divines, Argos, if it was that big, I’d be bedridden! My heart would give out at the first signs of excitement.”

Argos laughed with him. “Yeah, that might be a bit much.” He shook his head, then clapped his hands once, loudly. “Alright. Let’s get serious for a few minutes. We can flirt again later.”

“I shall hold you to that,” Rivi said, still smiling. He straightened himself up, removing his coat. Before they left the cabin, he’d exchanged his nightclothes for a green and gold shirt in a casual cut, and dark golden trousers. “Where should I put this, for now?”

Argos pointed to a small coatrack at the back of the area. “Right there’s fine.”

Rivi walked to the coatrack. They stood at the end of one of several long, narrow lanes. The lingering smells of spent gunpowder and smoke tinted the air. At the other end, far away, were immense, sharply angled piles of earth intended to stop bullets. Reinforced walls likely filled with more earth or other materials lined their lane. At their end, several tables sat, along with an assortment of paper targets, and a crank and pulley system for sending the targets further down the lane. Rivi found it to be an incredibly impressive feature, considering they were aboard an airship, however much it might resemble a city in the sky. Countless questions formed in the cheetah’s mind. Had they brought in the earth when first building the ship, or did they replace it often? How much maintenance was required? What further safety precautions did they take to stop stray or poorly aimed bullets? Would they let him return and take photographs of their entire setup?

When they’d first approached the shooting gallery, muffled booms rang out from the other lanes. Though the sound was dampened by some unknown noise baffling material, it still left Rivi’s ears flattened. However, after Argos had a few words with the workers, it was not long before the cheetah and coyote had the place to themselves. Rivi imagined there were bank notes involved, but he’d made a point not to watch what Argos was doing at the time. He appreciated Argos’s thoughtfulness, just the same. Rivi expected he would find it easier to concentrate without being started by someone else’s gunshots every few moments.

The cheetah hung his coat up on the rack, and returned to the coyote’s side. Argos had both cases open now. Three different pistols sat in padded enclosures inside the first, along with spare magazines. The second case held boxes emblazoned with angry looking logos, containing ammunition in different sizes. But before Rivi could examine everything, Argos handed him what looked like a pair of padded earmuffs, with a spring loaded band connecting them.

Rivi took them and looked them over. “These are to protect my ears?”

“Yeah.” Argos had a similar pair. “Unfortunately, they only have human-style ones available. I shoulda thought ahead and brought my own, but hopefully they’ll work. Might not be comfortable, but…” He pulled them over his head, adjusting them until they covered up the bottom half of the inside of his ears. “That’ll do, I think. Put yours on, see if they’ll work with your spectacles. Otherwise I may have to go get some that’ll fit us better.”

“My ears are smaller than yours, so…” Rivi carefully pulled the protectors over his head. It didn’t fit quite right, but he found that the band was adjustable. He stretched it out further, until the cups fit over his ears. Rivi found they were just large enough to squeeze his whole ears into. It wasn’t especially comfortable, but it did muffle the sound. “I think this works for me.” Then he realized Argos looked a little out of focus. He fidgeted with his spectacles and the ear cups until he’d achieved some sort of equilibrium. “There. That’s as good as it’s going to get.”

“Can you see okay?” Argos waved a hand in front of the cheetah’s face. His voice was muted and distant-sounding now.

“Yes, Argos,” Rivi said, chuckling. He grasped Argos’s hand and gently pulled it down. “I can see your hand. And you. And everything else. I just had to adjust them, a bit. Also, obviously I can still hear you. Is that okay?”

Argos nodded. He shifted his own headset a little more. “These don’t make everything go silent, they just muffle things enough to protect your ears.”

Rivi scowled as he watched the coyote fiddle with ear protection clearly designed for a human’s head and ears. While his own ears were small enough to be smothered by the oversized ear cups, Argos’s more triangular ears did not come close to fitting completely under them. “Are you certain that’s going to be enough for you?”

“I ain’t gonna go deaf, or nothing.” Argos took them off, adjusted the band, and put them back on. “At least not today. My line of work, any amount of ear protection is a luxury. Trust me, Spots. When you’re suddenly in a shootout in a hotel lobby, the last thing you’re worrying about is how loud the gunfire is.”

The cheetah blinked, unsure if Argos was teasing him or recounting an actual experience. “Were you really in a shootout in a hotel?”

“Oh, yeah.” Argos fidgeted with the headphones a little more until he got them somewhere he was comfortable with. “Couple times. Hell, more than that if you count the rest of the hotel, and not just the lobby.”

Rivi wasn’t sure if he should be horrified, or awed. He settled in both, staring at Argos with wide eyes. “Your life really is like a radio serial, isn’t it!”

“Nah.” Argos shook his head. “It ain’t near that glamorous. And you don’t gotta shout, Spots, I can hear you.”

Rivi rubbed his muzzle. “My apologies, I hadn’t even realized I was raising my voice.”

“Good! That means yours are working.” Argos turned towards the table, brushing his fingers over the smallest of the three firearms, still resting in the case. “Ready?”

“Yes, but wait!” The cheetah stared at him. “Does that mean yours aren’t working?”

The coyote just shrugged. “They ain’t perfect, but they’ll do well enough. I’ll know more if my ears are ringing after we fire off a few shots. Which reminds me.” He gestured at the cheetah’s ears. “If yours start ringing, or worse, if they hurt? Tell me immediately. We’ll stop for a bit, and I’ll get you some protection made for a feline your size, okay?” He held a finger up, grinning. “And because this is a serious matter, I ain’t even gonna make a joke about using protection, or feline sizes.”

Rivi giggled, shaking his head. “You won’t, hmm?” He tapped his ear cuffs. “I’ll let know if they’re adequate or not when I’m able.”

“Good.” Argos slowly removed the first gun. It was a compact little pistol with a short magazine. The gun was mostly black, with a few stylish red flourishes. “This is the Firebat 11. You remember the rule I told you, when I let you hold that big revolver?”

Rivi nodded. “I believe so. You told me never to touch your firearms without your explicit permission. I also assume that even when I do have permission, I should act as if they are always loaded, for safety purposes.”

“That’s right,” Argos said. “That’s rule number two, in fact. Always treat it like it’s loaded. Never point it at yourself, or anyone else. Hell, even if you know it’s not loaded, never point it at anyone. We don’t joke around with that shit.”

The cheetah slowly nodded. “I understand.”

“You spend enough time with me, Spots?” Argos turned the gun over in his heads, flicking catches back and forth, pressing little buttons. He pulled the magazine free, examining it. All the while, he kept the gun pointed down range, towards the berms, and away from the two of them. “You might notice that I don’t draw my pistols until I intend to use them. You ain’t never gonna see me point a gun at someone, unless I intend to shoot them if I need to.”

“I’ve already noticed that.” Rivi peered down at the magazine. Argos turned it towards him to show him it was empty. “Even with that wolf, a few days ago, you never drew your weapons.”

“Correct.” Argos’s ears twitched beneath the cuffs. Rivi imagined they’d have flattened if they weren’t constrained. “Now, I was prepared to, but I’m glad it didn’t come to that. Listen, Spots.” Argos set the gun down on the table, then patted one of the pistols holstered across his body. “These are loaded. So, if you ever see me draw these, assume that the danger is real, and imminent. You see me pointing them, or any other firearm, at a person? Assume that person is either about to be arrested, or about to be shot. I consider them my last resort, and if I pull them, it’s for a reason. You understand?”

 Rivi wrung his hands, staring at the coyote. “Yes, I do, Argos. I find your restraint to be commendable. I hope I never have to see you draw them.”

“Me too, Spots.” Argos waggled the empty magazine at him. “Okay, rule number three. In keeping mind rule number two, I want you to double check every weapon we use today. Both when we take it out of the case, and before we put it away. You never wanna store a weapon loaded.” He scrunched his muzzle. “Well, unless you’re expecting an ambush or something.” He chuckled, then tapped the magazine against Rivi’s chest. “But these rules are for you, Spots. So I want you to check this, and tell me if it’s empty.” He glanced at Rivi’s golden-gloved hands. “First though, would you be okay taking your gloves off? I promise to be careful of your pads.”

“Certainly.” The cheetah removed his gloves, and set them aside. Then he took the magazine from Argos, careful not to brush his pads. Rivi peered inside it, and saw no cartridges waiting inside. He turned it over in his hands, examining it, then returned it to Argos. “It’s empty.”

“Good.” Argos smiled at him. He idly spun the magazine around his fingers like he was toying with a knife. “But remember, I said double check it, right?”

“Oh, right.” Rivi found himself lost in Argos’s smile for a few seconds longer. He forced himself to tear his gaze away, and held his hands back out. “May I see it again?”

“Of course.” Argos passed it back to him.

Rivi quickly gave the magazine another inspection. He was careful not to take too cursory a look. Somehow, he doubted Argos would allow him to get away with slacking off on his safety rules. When he peered inside, he gave a little gasp. A single, unspent round now sat within it. Rivi stared at it a moment, then turned it over to show it to Argos.

“There’s a round in here now,” Rivi said.

Argos looked down at it, and gave a low murmur. “There sure is. Did you miss that the first time?”

Rivi’s ears twitched against their muffling confines. “I must have…” His tail sagged, and he glanced down. “I’m sorry, Argos, I…” Then he slowly lifted his head again, narrowing his eyes. Argos was watching him far too intently for this to be a simple mistake. “No. I did not miss it before. It was empty the first time, but it’s not empty now. You’re trying to teach me why I should double check.”

“That’s right, Spots.” Argos grabbed his shoulder, and squeezed. “Sometimes, we see what we want to see, or what we expect to see, not what’s actually there.” Argos took the magazine back and set it down. “But you looked carefully both times, and you were right both times. Great job.”

“Thank you.” Rivi’s heart swelled with pride. He glanced down at Argos’s hands. “How did you get that bullet in there, without me noticing, though?”

“Party trick. I’ll show you. Oh, and not that it matters, but…” Argos gave him a lopsided grin, then picked up the magazine again. “The bullet’s just the projectile itself. You ever hang around gun people, they can get real nitpicky.”

Rivi chuckled. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Argos held up a single round between the thumb and finger over his other hand. “Watch closely.” He brushed his hand over his chest, as if scratching an itch. The round vanished. Then he picked up the magazine and rolled it around his fingers again. “Hey, Spots.” He smiled at the cheetah. “Guess what.”

Rivi looked up at Argos’s face. “What?”

“You missed it again.” He passed Rivi the magazine, which now had two rounds in it.

“How did you…” Rivi blinked, turning the clip over a few times. “What’s the trick?”

“The trick is in getting you to look at my face, not my hands.” Argos held his hand out. “First, you were lost in my smile. Second, you looked up cause I said your name.” He smirked. “Both are perfectly natural.”

Rivi passed it back to him. “Will you show me again?”

“I will,” Argos said. “And I’ll do it slower, this time. Don’t look away from my hands, no matter what I say. Got it?”

“God it.” Rivi squared his shoulders, turning his head slightly to stare directly at Argos’s hands. “Go ahead.”

Once again, Argos brushed his hands over his vest. This time, the movement was slower, and Rivi spotted a small bulge shift inside one of his pockets. In a deft, almost imperceptible motion, Argos removed it and hid it against his palm. “Hey, Rivi.”

Rivi refused to look up. “Staring at your hands, Argos.”

“Okay, but your trouser button just came open.” Argos flipped the magazine end over end around his fingers. “Huh.” He tilted his head. “You really do have spots everywhere.”

Rivi tensed, fighting the urge to look down and ensure his modesty remained intact. “Not looking yet, so you may as well enjoy the view while you can!”

Argos flipped the magazine around his fingers again. This time, in a movement almost too quick to follow, he moved the round hidden against his palm, to the top of the magazine. Another flick of his fingers, and he’d pushed it inside with the others, all while still flipping the clip around his hand. When it was done, he held it out to the feline.

Rivi took it from it, then glanced down at his crotch. As expected, his trousers were still thoroughly buttoned up. “Oh, thank the Divines for that.”

Argos just laughed. “Well done, Spots. You catch it that time?”

“I did!” Rivi peered at the cartridges before handing it back to Argos. “That’s a hell of a party trick. Like something a slight of hand illusionist would come up with.”

The coyote set the magazine down. “Yeah, you’d be surprised some of the shit Iosa and I have come up with to try and entertain each other during downtime. We could be on a recon mission, where we’re supposed to be surveilling a target, right?” He picked up the pistol, checking it over, then held it up in both hands, aiming down the sights towards the berm. “But we might be on sight a week or two before the target is, and we’re just…” Argos mimed firing the pistol. “Bored out of our minds. So we start coming up with dumb tricks like that. Now…” He held the pistol out towards Rivi, careful to keep the barrel pointed away from them, and down range. “Are you sure this is unloaded?”

Rivi took the gun as gently as he could. The metal was still cool to the touch, despite Argos’s short-lived hold on it. It was heavier than it looked, with a textured grip. He turned it over a few times. “It doesn’t have a magazine inserted, so…” Rivi glanced up at Argos, uncertain.

“Is that the only place a pistol can have a round?” Argos tilted his head, his voice filled with patience. “In the magazine?”

“Well, no…” Rivi tapped the barrel. “It can have one inside, right? In the…” He wasn’t sure of the exact term. “Barrel?”

“This is the barrel.” Argos brushed a finger down the length of it. Then he tapped a section further. “See this opening here? That leads to the chamber. That’s where a round is housed, before it’s fired.”

Rivi listened closely, glancing from the coyote to the weapon. “How do I safely check inside there?”

“Excellent question.” Argos held his hands out, and Rivi deposited the gun in them. “Hold it like this…” He squeezed his hand around the grip. “Then grasp it like this, with your other hand, and pull back the slide. Slowly.” Argos demonstrated how, but just as the chamber began to open, he stopped and slid it back into place. “You do it, Rivi. But carefully. It’ll take some force. You don’t want to pinch your pads.”

The cheetah took the pistol back, mindful of where his fingers were. “Understood.” He held it up, keeping it pointed away from, then tried to grip it the same way Argos had with his right hand. With his left hand, he grasped the back of the slide, and slowly pulled it back. It took more effort than he expected, but soon the chamber was open, revealing how empty it was. Rivi peered inside, just to be sure. “It’s empty.”

“Good.” Argos held his hands out. “One mistake, though. And don’t feel bad. It’s a mistake I expected you to make, so I could teach you from it. Let me show you something.”

Rivi passed it back, his tail swishing happily. Even making an apparent error, the cheetah was enjoying himself immensely. In the back of his mind, he realized Argos was teaching him only the most basic, beginner level safety lessons. Yet he still felt as if he was getting secret, personal instruction from some kind of firearms grandmaster. Argos’s patience with him was immensely appreciated. The few times before when he’d learned to fire scatterguns with his father and some vice officers, the trainer had proven impatient, snapping at him whenever Rivi didn’t immediately pick up the lesson. Argos, though, was anything but impatient.

The coyote held up a single round. “I’m going to load this now. Just so you know. We’ll forgo having you double check it, just because I don’t want to hand you a loaded weapon until you’re ready to fire it.” Argos pulled the slide back, and carefully chambered the round. “There. This weapon is now loaded.” He glanced at the feline. “Do you know what you did wrong, Rivi?” Even asking such a direct question, there was no derision or disappointment in Argos’s voice. Only patience, and a genuine desire to help Rivi learn.

Rivi slowly shook his head. “No.”

“You put your face too close to the chamber.” Argos tapped it. “Firstly, when you fire it, that’s where it ejects the spent cartridge. Which will be white-hot. Now, you were just checking to see if it was loaded, not firing it. However, watch closely.” Argos held the weapon out, then swiftly pulled the slide back. The round he’d just loaded popped out, spinning through the air. Argos snatched it as it fell, then held it out towards Rivi. “You don’t wanna take that in your eye.”

The cheetah crinkled up his muzzle. “No, I don’t. Even if my spectacles deflected it, it would probably leave them horribly scratched.”

Argos smirked. “Better those than your eyes.” He set the round down on the table next to the magazine. “Okay, so a few other things to go over real quick.” Argos showed the gun to Rivi once more. “This is the safety, here.” He flicked it back and forth. “Red means danger. Simple enough.”

Rivi licked his nose, repeating after the coyote. “Red means danger. Got it.”

“This is the magazine release.” Argos pointed it out. “Press it when you want to…”

Rivi glanced up at him. “Release the magazine, I assume. Easy enough.”

Argos flipped the safety on. “For you, safety on at all times, unless you’re actively shooting. Safety off only when you lift the pistol, and prepare to fire. When you’re done firing, safety back on, even if you’re out of rounds. Got it?”

“Got it.” Rivi looked down the lane towards the berm. “Should I get used to engaging and disengaging the safety device, before we load the rounds?”

“Wouldn’t hurt.” Argos handed him the weapon. “Again, it takes some force. It’s okay if it leaves your fingers and thumb a little sore, at first.”

Rivi took the gun, and slowly lifted it, pointing it downrange. “Safety on until we’re prepared to fire, Rivi. Then…” He pressed his thumb to it, grimacing as the metal dug into his soft pads. It was stiffer than expected. Rivi was forced to admit that perhaps the oft-gloved hands of a scholar were not quite suited for firearms handling. But he refused to relent or ask Argos to do it for him. Soon, though the switch dug into his thumb pad, he finally flipped it off. “Safety off while we fire.”

“It’s empty.” Argos put a hand on Rivi’s shoulder. “Go ahead and pull the trigger, just to get a feel for it. Just like the revolver, remember? Real slow, steady pressure. You’ll feel it click and lock back, but it won’t have the dramatic hammer strike the revolver did.”

Rivi did as Argos instructed. He curled a finger around the trigger, then slowly pulled it back. This weapon’s trigger, while still stiff, did not provide as near as much as resistance as the revolver had the other day. Before Rivi knew it, the pistol clicked. This time, the trigger locked into place, and he couldn’t pull it back again. Argos reached out and pulled the slide back, then manually reset the hammer. Rivi squeezed back on the trigger until it clicked back and locked a second time. After that, Argos patted his shoulder. Then the coyote held out his hand for the gun. Rivi pressed his thumb against the safety again. He grimaced as it dug into his pad, but soon enough the mechanism engaged. Only then did he cautiously pass Argos the weapon.

“Good, Spots!” Argos took it back and set it on the table. “You even remembered the safety. You ready to shoot it for real, now?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Rivi rubbed his hands together. Excitement twisted in his belly. “Are there targets for us to fire at, or are we just going to shoot all that dirt?”

Argos pulled the spare rounds from his ‘party trick’ back out of his pocket. “We’re gonna shoot the dirt till you get a feel for the guns. Then we can send some targets out, if you like.”

Rivi giggled to himself. “I’d probably miss them anyway. But…” He licked his muzzle, watching the coyote deftly load the rounds. “I’d love to watch you shoot targets.”

Argos glanced up, giving him a playful grin. “You would, huh?”

“Very much so!” Rivi put a hand on Argos’s arm, enjoying the feeling of his silken shirt against his pads. “I doubt I’ve ever seen anyone shoot who’s anywhere near as good as you. Why, I bet you wouldn’t even miss once!”

Argos barked happy canine laughter. “Not unless I meant to. You don’t make Orphan-tier if you miss at this range.” With a few rounds in the magazine, he popped it into the gun, clicking it into place. “Okay, weapon is loaded with three rounds. I’m going to fire twice, to let you see how loud it will be. I want you to watch the way I stand, and the way I hold it. Then I’ll let you fire off the last round on your own. I’ll see how you handle it, load another, tell you what to adjust, and let you fire another one. We’ll continue that way until you’ve got the hang of it, and you’re ready to fire a few in a row. Sound good?”

“Indeed.” Rivi moved back from Argos to give him a little room.

“Moving to firing position.” Argos took two big steps forward, then glanced at Rivi. “Do not, under any circumstances, ever stand in front of someone with a loaded weapon. Clear?”

The cheetah nodded. “Crystalline.”

Argos lifted the weapon, taking up what Rivi imagined as a shooter’s stance. His motions were slow and methodical, allowing the cheetah to see just how to stand, how to hold the gun. Argos stood with one foot forward, and the other back, bracing himself. Both hands gripped the pistol, with one nearly wrapped around the other. The coyote held the weapon up even with his muzzle. He stared down the sights, even as his finger rested on the trigger guard.

“Okay, Spots,” Argos said, unmoving. “Look at how I’m standing, how I’m holding it. You’ll hold it the same way in a moment. Ready to hear it fire?”

Rivi put his hands across his ear protection, just in case. “As I’ll ever be!”

Argos shifted his finger to the trigger. Slowly, he pulled it back-

BANG!

Rivi jumped as fire flashed from the barrel. The shell casing spun through the air, clattering to the floor. At the same time, bits of earth jumped from the distant berm, followed by a little puff of dust. Smoke rose from the barrel, tinting the air with its acrid scent. Despite the sound startling Rivi, it wasn’t quite as loud as he’d feared. He lowered his hands away from his head set, watching closely as Argos squeezed the trigger again.

BANG!

The gun fired a second time. Argos scarcely even moved. Though Rivi was certain the weapon must possess what the cheetah would consider a powerful recoil, Argos may as well have been squirting water from a child’s toy. The cheetah gave a little, awed mewl. Somehow, he imagined himself far less capable of resisting the weapon’s bucking anger. Just the same, the idea of actually getting to shoot something like that left his heart pounding with nervous excitement. The last time he’d fired a gun, it had been under the judgmental gaze of his father and his various officers. This time, though, Rivi already knew he could miss every single shot and Argos would offer only advice and patient instruction, not impatience and derision.

“Alright, Spots.” Argos lowered the weapon, but kept the barrel facing down range as he stepped back towards the cheetah.“Your turn. For safety’s sake, before I hand it to you, I want you to repeat to me, that I’m handing you a loaded weapon.”

Rivi gave a single, solemn nod. “You are handing me a loaded weapon. I promise to keep it pointed away from us.”

“Good.” Argos held the pistol with one hand, indicating the barrel with the other forefinger. “Do not touch it anywhere up here. It’s white-hot right now. Take it by the grip, like this.” Argos illustrated, and then held the weapon out for Rivi. “I apologize in advance if our pads touch, but right now, safety trumps personal beliefs.”

The cheetah smiled. “I understand.” Rivi took the gun from Argos, curling his fingers around the grip. He lifted it, keeping it pointed towards the berm. Then he put his other hand around the first. “Like this?”

“Close.” Argos touched Rivi’s hands, adjusting his fingers slightly. “You want to sort of, cup the first hand, with the second. Keep your finger on the trigger guard until you’re ready to fire. Take a couple steps forward. The shooter at a range should always be in front of everyone else.”

“Understood.” Rivi did as Argos instructed. Then he shifted his own stance, trying to mimic the way Argos had been standing. “How’s this?”

“Pretty close.” Argos moved up alongside him. “Instructor forward.” He gently repositioned Rivi’s arms. “I know it’s just us, but I’m gonna play this by the book. As the current shooter, you wanna always listen to the instructor. Instructor forward means he’s joining you. It also means do not fire without permission. Though if you’re working with an instructor, that should be a given at all times, anyway.”

Rivi gave another slow nod. “Of course. Will you also say, instructor back, when you move to stand behind me?”

“That’s a good guess,” Argos said. “The wording varies a bit, but something like that. In your case, I’m going to stand with you while you fire, in case you need additional support.” Argos crouched down, patting Rivi’s right leg. “This one back, slightly. Brace yourself against it to help with the recoil. Other leg a little further forward.”

The cheetah shifted his footing, looking down. “How’s this?”

Argos pointed to the gun. “Eyes on the weapon, Spots.”

“Oh, sorry.” Rivi would have flattened his ears if they weren’t covered. His tail coiled.

“That’s okay.” Argos stood back up, putting a hand on Rivi’s shoulder. “Just remember, never lose awareness of where a loaded firearm is pointed, or who or what is front of it. When you’re looking at me, your aim may drift. Or some dumbass might run out on the range in front of you without calling out.”

Rivi licked his nose, refocusing his eyes on the gun in his hands, and what lay beyond it. “Got it. I will do my utmost to keep that rule in mind.”

“Good, that’s all I ask.” Argos squeezed his shoulder. “Your footing is better, now. Now, normally, I’d back away and call out the all clear to fire. However, given your general inexperience, I’m going to stay with you. I want to hold your hands with mine, if that’s alright. Just until you’re used to the recoil. Is that alright, Rivi?”

The cheetah fought the urge to smile over his shoulder at the coyote. “Certainly. My pads are on the gun, anyway.”

Argos moved behind the coyote. “I’m going to get awfully close, now. I might even have to press myself against you.” Rivi could practically hear the grin in his voice. “Do I have your permission?”

The cheetah kept his eyes on his weapon, but allowed the smile to break through across his muzzle. “You do. Although, Argos…” Rivi giggled to himself, letting a playful, lilting tone creep into his voice. “Didn’t you tell me this was a serious matter, and you wouldn’t be making jokes? Does that not also extend to flirting, and finding excuses to press your body into mine? Rivi blinked, his smile quickly twisting into a scowl as soon as the words left his tongue. “Oh, that was far more tawdry than I’d intended.”

Argos laughed as he eased up against Rivi’s back. “It is a serious matter, and believe it or not, that’s the main reason I’m doing this.” Argos’s chest pressed against Rivi as the coyote worked his arms around him. “Your safety is my first priority, followed closely by my safety.” The coyote firmly grasped Rivi’s hands, and by extension, the pistol. “I don’t want you to lose your grip when it kicks, or anything else. The rest of this…” He pushed the rest of his body up against Rivi, until Rivi felt the warmth and firmness of the coyote’s form against him all the way from his shoulders to his rump. “Is just a benefit. A totally unintended benefit.”

Rivi shivered. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he could even feel Argos’s more intimate regions brushing against his tail. Maybe he was just imagining it, he told himself. Then again, if it was merely in his mind, Rivi was certainly he could feel them if he shifted his tail just a little more to the… Rivi grit his teeth, and swiftly banished the thought. Not because he feared the impurity of it, but because he knew he shouldn’t allow himself to be so distracted. For all he knew, this was a test from Argos, to find out whether or not Rivi could maintain his focus on the dangerous implement in his grasp.

“Focus on the gun, Rivi,” the cheetah said, his voice a soft mutter. “We can think about Argos’s own dangerous implements later.” Then he hissed when he realized that particular thought slipped out of his head and into the wider world. Without looking away from his gun, he brushed the back of his head against Argos. “You didn’t hear that.”

The coyote clamped his jaws to halt the yipping laughter that had only just started. He cleared his throat. “Hear what, Spots?” Argos adjusted Rivi’s grip a little more. “There you go. By the way, if I’m too close, just let me know.”

Rivi shook his head without turning his eyes from downrange. “Your discretion is appreciated.” His smile soon returned. “As is your proximity. I’m just trying to focus. Am I ready to fire?”

“You are. When you’re ready, announce that you’re firing, out loud.” Argos tapped Rivi’s index finger. “Then move this to the trigger.”

Rivi took a breath, then called out in as loud a voice as he could manage. “Firing!” He chuckled. “Feels a little silly, announcing it like that when it’s just us. Oh, was that too early?”

Argos shook his head, grinning. “It’s fine. Anyone else here would know you’re about to fire. Besides, it’s good to build up the habits.” He cradled Rivi’s hands in his, his arms against the cheetah’s. “When you look down the barrel, you want to see the sight at the end, right between the two at the back. Line them up, and that’s where you’re aiming. Clear?”

“Very.” Rivi peered along the gun, lining up the sights. “Is the recoil going to be quite powerful?”

“Not terribly,” Argos said. “But you still want to be prepared for it. Your instinct is going to be to anticipate it, but you don’t want to do that. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself trying to fight it, and that’ll throw off your aim. Hold your arms steady, but don’t lock your elbows. Maintain a good hold on your weapon, firm but not tight. Think of yourself as guiding the weapon, not fighting with it.”

“Guiding the weapon…” Rivi liked the sound of that. It made him feel as if he was in control, not the gun. As if it wasn’t strength alone that was required to tame the power of a firearm, but thought, consideration, and guidance. “I think I’m ready.”

Argos tapped his hand twice, then cradled it again. “Then go ahead and move your finger to the trigger. Take a breath, then breathe out slow as you pull back the trigger. Slow, steady, until it fires.”

Rivi moved his finger to the trigger. He curled it, just as before. The cheetah inhaled, and then let out a slow exhalation while gradually pulling back the trigger. Somehow, knowing the weapon would fire this time made the trigger feel heavier, but it gradually eased back. Rivi followed Argos instructions, pulling it slowly, and steadily-

BANG!

The pistol jumped in Rivi’s hands as fire erupted from the barrel. The jolt sent a shockwave through his arms, but the force was not as intense as he expected. He kept a firm grip on the weapon. Argos’s hands remained clutched around his, preventing his them from rising too far with the recoil. A puff of dust rose from the berm. Earth crumbled down the front the front of it. Rivi slowly lowered the weapon, while keeping the barrel pointed away from them.

“I did it!” Rivi bounced on his toes a few times, heedless of what that meant his tail might be doing to Argos. “I shot a gun, Argos! I shot a gun!”

“You sure did, Spots!” Argos laughed, a happy, yapping sound. He released Rivi’s hands, and then eased back from. “Let me have it back, and I’ll load a few more rounds for you.”

Without Argos’s warmth against him, the cheetah’s back felt almost unpleasantly cold. He flicked the safety on, then carefully passed the weapon back to Argos. The coyote took it, then swept a hand towards the table, indicating Rivi should return with him to avoid being downrange. Rivi’s heart thundered in his chest. His hands shook a little. Nervous excitement roiled in his belly. His spotted tail flicked back and forth in a quick, off-time rhythm.

“Did I do well, Argos?” Rivi bounced on his toes again.

“You did great, Spots.” Argos removed the magazine, then deftly loaded more roads. “I’m gonna put six in here, this time. I’ll support you for a few more rounds. Once you’re used to the recoil, I’ll let you fire a few more on your own.” He pushed the magazine back in. “Then, we can move to a larger caliber. Each time we move up, I’ll support you again at first.” He glanced at the second case that Rivi had carried down. “Though, if we come back here with that revolver you liked, I’ll probably hold your arms the whole time, just to be safe. That one’s got a kick.”

Rivi rubbed his spotted hands together. “Yes, I imagine it does.” The idea of firing such a powerful weapon was somehow both exciting, and terrifying at the same time. “It does sound exhilarating, but I’m happy enough just to spend time handling your smaller weapon.” Rivi blinked. That hadn’t come out quite the way he’d intended. “By which I mean the pistol we’re firing, not…” He gulped, glancing away. “Anything else.” Then he scowled, his tail swishing. “Not to say that anything of yours is necessarily smaller than that revolver. Or that it’s as small as this little pistol. Or…is that small, for canines?” Invisible flames licked at the inside of the cheetah’s hidden ears. “I’m just going to shut up now.”

Argos just smirked at him. “Don’t worry about it, Spots. I think just about everyone’s smaller than that big revolver I brought.” He took a few steps forward, leading the way back into the firing area. “Unless you’re like a huge bear, or a gnoll or something.”

“Oh, yes, I’ve noticed the gnoll guards are carrying tremendously large rifles.” Rivi followed after the coyote, only to cough loudly when the coyote’s ever-widening smirk told him that wasn’t what Argos meant. “Oh, you mean their, erm…other weaponry…”

“Their personal sidearm, you could say.” Argos made a show of wiping his muzzle with his free hand, his grin vanishing. “Okay, serious face again. Handing you a loaded weapon. Safety is on.”

“Handing me a loaded weapon, safety on.” Rivi took the gun as carefully as before. Several comical yet lascivious retorts fluttered through his mind, but he decided it best to ignore them in favor of focusing on safety. Rivi adjusted his stance, and let Argos adjust it further. He lifted the weapon, and allowed Argos to alter his grip, as well. The coyote didn’t move his fingers around as much this time. “Did I do better this time, Argos?”

Argos took up his position behind the cheetah. “First, Spots, you did great the first time. No beginner is ever gonna get it exactly right. But second, yes you did. You’re picking this up real fast, so far.” He pressed up against Rivi’s back again, working his arms around him until he was once more cradling Rivi’s hands. “Remember how to pull the slide back? Do that to chamber the first round. Keep your finger off the trigger.”

Rivi gripped the back of the slide, slowly pulling it despite the resistance. “It’s quite stiff.”

Argos yipped in laughter. “It’s a good thing we’re being serious, or I’d have things to say about that.”

The cheetah tried not to giggle as he finished pulling back the slide. “Yes, you can make jokes about…” He released the slide, and it snapped back into place, chambering the round. “Erection functions, when I’m not busy handling your weaponry.”

“I dunno, Rivi.” Argos tilted his head. “I think you just made one on your own.”

A few mewling giggles escaped the cheetah despite his best efforts. “Purely unintentional. What next?”

“Take off the safety, and you’re ready to fire.” Argos waggled his thumb. “I dunno if your sharp claws are as sturdy as my dull ones, but I liked to use a claw tip to flick the catch, myself. Might be easier on your pads.”

The cheetah moved his thumb into place, unsheathing its claw partway. He pressed the tip against the catch, then pushed it, grunting in effort. It flicked over to red quickly enough. “Oh, that was easier.” He smiled, keeping his eyes on his gun. “Should I announce that I’m firing again, even though it’s just us?”

“Might as well.” Argos guided Rivi’s thumb back into place, then gripped his hands. “Get yourself into the habit in case you’re ever at a shooting range without me.”

“That seems profoundly unlikely.” Rivi took a breath, and then called out in his brassiest voice. “Firing!”

Argos had no further instructions, so Rivi worked his finger around the trigger, and took a slow breath in. He let it out just slowly, squeezing back the trigger. This time, when the muffled boom erupted from the pistol, Rivi was far less startled. The jolt through his arms already seemed less intense. When Argos did not remove his hands, or offer any critique, Rivi squeezed the trigger a second time. Once more the weapon jumped in his grasp, and once more Rivi was proud of the way he kept it under control. He stared down the barrel, aligning the sights, then aiming at a particular section of dirt. Rivi gradually pulled the trigger back. The pistol fired again, and chunks of dirt exploded not too far from where he’d been aiming.

The coyote patted him, asking for his attention. Rivi lowered the pistol, but kept it pointing away. “How am I doing?”

“Fantastic!” Argos slowly removed his hands from atop Rivi’s. “You wanna try a few without my training wheels? I think you’re ready.”

Rivi nodded. “Certainly! Though, I suppose that means you’ll step back.”

“Normally, yes.” Argos put a hand against Rivi’s side. “But since you’re a beginner, I could stay right here behind, and…” The coyote gave an all-too-casual shrug. “Put my arms around you, to show my support?”

It was all Rivi could do not look back at the coyote. “That sounds quite appropriate to me.”

“Which is exactly how I’ll act.” Argos circled his arms around Rivi’s waist, his chest and belly once more pressed to Rivi’s back. “Appropriately!”

“You’d better.” Rivi slowly lifted up the weapon again, hoping Argos couldn’t feel his skyrocketing heartrate. “If you were to cause me any sort of…” Rivi cleared his throat, but forced himself to say it. “Excitement, it might distract me from all the safety lessons you’re teaching me!”

Argos gave a single bark of laughter. “That is, unfortunately, all too true.” He adjusted his position until he wasn’t pressed quite so firmly against Rivi. Then he rested his head against the cheetah’s, as if watching the feline’s aim. “How’s this?”

“Close enough to appropriate, anyway.” Rivi slowly raised the pistol again. “Firing!”

“Take your shots slower this time,” Argos said, tightening his grip around Rivi’s waist. “Get a fresh feel for the recoil, now that you’re on your own.”

Rivi nodded, but did not verbally reply. He focused on the berm, mentally reading his body to absorb the force from the leaping firearm. Then he inhaled, exhaled, and pulled back the trigger. When the gun fired, it jolted Rivi’s arms harder with Argos steadying him. Yet the cheetah found it still was not too difficult to not only keep hold of the weapon, but withstand the recoil. He took a few breaths, and fired it again. This time, he held it even steadier than before. Rivi’s tail flicked against Argos as he focused himself on his final shot. When the last bullet leapt from the barrel, Rivi’s hands hardly elevated at all.

“Great job, Spots!” Argos squeezed him tight, beaming. “That was impressive!”

“Really?” Rivi lowered the gun, beaming. “I felt like I was doing better, but I don’t really have a frame of reference.”

“Oh, hell yeah.” Argos relinquished his grasp on the cheetah, holding his hand out for the weapon. “You wanna shoot something bigger, now?”

Rivi’s smile only grew as he flicked the safety off, and passed the gun to the coyote. “Absolutely.”

Argos led him back to the table. “So this…” Argos waggled the pistol. “Was the Firebat 11.” He popped the magazine out, checked it out, then set it down. Argos pulled the slide back a few times, ensuring there were no rounds chambered. Then he set it on the table, and turned his attention to the case. “And this…” The coyote removed the next weapon, a larger pistol of silvery metal, with a black grip. “Is a Silver Eruption.” He pulled the magazine free, showed it to the cheetah, and then set it down. “One of my personal favorites. Same manufacturer as my Guild service weapons, actually. Different model, though. The Silver Eruption’s for fun, the Silver Starfire’s for work.”

Rivi glanced at the pistols strapped beneath Argos’s vest. “What’s the difference?”

“The Eruption’s a fun-loving lady.” Argos removed a new box of ammunition from his case, and quickly began loading rounds. “You take her out for drinks, maybe a little dancing, and you’ll have a great time. You take the Starfire out for drinks, and she’s gonna start a bar fight as soon as she gets bored, probably break a chair over your head.”

Rivi scrunched his nose, his tail flicking. “I have no idea what that analogy is intended to convey, Argos.”

The coyote gave a bark of laughter. “The Starfire’s a bigger caliber. It’s got a lot more stopping power, and it’s a lot harder to handle. It ain’t for fuckin’ around with.”

Rivi nodded, looking back up at Argos. “So I assume outside of combat, you only ever fire those at the range for training purposes.”

“Correct.” Argos popped the magazine into the Silver Eruption. “My Starfire’s are duty-only, but it’s important to stay in practice with them.”

“And I also assume,” Rivi said, leaning against the table. “That since they’re duty only, you never allow yourself to enjoy firing them for training purposes.”

Argos led the way back into the firing area. “Oh, absolutely not. I’ve definitely never had a blast shooting them till my arms ache, or beating any other Orphans and Ghosts at an intra-guild competition. That’s just not allowed.”

“Of course not.” Rivi stayed behind Argos and his weapon. “Are all Guild members assigned the same weapon?”

The coyote shook his head. “Nah. We’re not necessarily structured like a formal police force, where everyone gets the same sidearms. Ideally, everyone uses the same caliber, just to make ammunition distribution easier. A lot of members use these, actually.” He held up the Silver Eruption. “I’m just the rebel who’s gravitated to the bigger ones. That’s a personal choice, really.”

Rivi adjusted his headset. “Is there a particular reason?”

“Well…” Argos’s muzzle twisted, his ears shifting beneath their own protection. “Yes, but it’s classified Guild information. Let’s just say, early on in my career, I came up against something that really made me wish I had a lot more firepower.”

Rivi’s eyes widened. “Some thing? What was it? Were you battling an armored vehicle all by yourself?” He glanced down at Argos’s duty weapons again. “Would those even penetrate its armor? Or, are you referring to body armor? Or an extremely large creature? I know some of the world’s larger beasts scarcely even notice-”

“Spots.” Argos held his hand up. “I ain’t supposed to talk about it.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Rivi made a show of stitching his lips shut.

“On an unrelated subject…” Argos chambered a round, then took up a firing position. “Whether or not the Starfires can punch through armor depends on a lotta factors, starting with what kind of armor you’re talking about. Firing!”

Rivi covered his ear cups with his hands, just in case. Argos pulled the trigger. BOOM! The sound was larger than before, as was the fiery flash from the weapon’s muzzle. But neither were overwhelmingly so. The coyote fired three more shots, then lowered the gun, flicking the safety on. Rivi dropped his hands down. 

“You ready to go, Spots?” Argos gestured for Rivi to approach. “I was gonna have you fire one round from each weapon, till you got the hang of them. But since you’re doing so well, I think we can skip ahead and just let you shoot them. I’ll guide you at first, though.”

“Certainly.” The cheetah approached, and took the gun with Argos offered it. “Is there anything else I need to know about this one?”

“Not really.” Argos moved around behind him again. “The trigger’s tuned for fun on this one, though. It’ll fire easier than the last one. And, on another unrelated note. Some of those larger creatures you mentioned have been known to wear body armor of their own, when deployed to combat.”

Rivi mewled to himself. “That does sound imposing.” He hefted the gun, turning it over in his hands. It was heavier than the last one, and of sturdier build.

“It would be, if I ever experienced anything like that, early in my career.” Argos pressed himself against the cheetah’s back, his arms around Rivi’s. “Which I couldn’t tell you about, if I did.” He cradled Rivi’s hands in his. “Take the safety off, and fire when you’re ready. This one’s gonna kick harder, but nothing you aren’t ready for.”

The cheetah nodded. As curious as he was about the hints Argos offered him, he knew he needed to focus. He used the tip of his thumb claw to disengage the safety as he lifted the weapon. Rivi shifted his legs, then allowed Argos to adjust his grip slightly. When Argos gave him the go-ahead, Rivi stared down the barrel, aligning the sights. He put his finger on the trigger, then ever so slowly pulled it back. Just as Argos warned him, there was less resistance now. Compared to the Firebat, the Silver Eruption fired almost immediately. The BOOM reverberated around the room, and the recoil jolted Rivi’s arms all the way to his shoulders. Argos’s hands kept him steady.

Rivi gave a chittering, incredulous laugh. “This one feels much stronger!”

“Compared to the Firebat, it is!” Argos bumped his nose against the back of Rivi’s neck. “Fire a few more. Then if you’re ready, I’ll let you shoot it on your own.”

Rivi pulled the trigger again, and once more the weapon went off almost before Rivi was ready for it. The eruption of dirt from the berm was clearly larger than the last one. A little cascade crumbled to the lane’s floor. He fired it again, trying to allow his entire body to absorb the power of the recoil. Whether that was right or not, he didn’t know, but it seemed to help him. Rivi pulled the trigger once more. This time he was ready for it when the gun went off quickly. The burst of earth exploded just where he’d set the sights.

“Ooooh!” Rivi made a happy, mewling sound. “I think I’d have hit the target that time, Argos!”

The coyote smiled, nosing at his neck again. “Oh yeah? You wanna try shooting at a target?”

Rivi engaged the safety, then lowered the weapon towards the floor, then glanced at Argos. “Yes, please!”

“Look at you, Spots, remembering the safety and everything.” Argos took the weapon, and carried it back to the table. He removed the magazine, setting the gun down. “You got rounds left, but I’m gonna go ahead and fill this up again. I’ll let you shoot a full clip, if you like.” Argos quickly packed fresh rounds in. “You don’t got to, of course. But for your level of experience, and your build, the Silver Eruption’s gonna be your best bet for target shooting.” He glanced at Rivi. “Unless you’d like to go back to the Firebat. That’s fine, too.”

Rivi shook his head. “No, I like this one better.” The cheetah stared at his own hands, as if in disbelief they’d just been firing guns. “It feels angrier when it goes off. It’s exciting!”

Argos laughed at that. “I did bring something even angrier, too. But if you wanna shoot targets, I think we’ll it for another day.” He popped the full magazine back into the weapon. “Same with the skeet shooting. Those guns are pretty heavy, and your arms may already be sore when we’re done here.”

“That gives me something to look forward too, then.” Rivi smiled at the coyote. “Do you use scatterguns for shooting pigeons?” He rubbed his shoulder. “I remember being quite sore after the duck hunting trip.”

“That’s right.” Argos set the loaded weapon on the table, its barrel pointed down range. “Leave that there a moment while I get you a target.” The coyote went to a stack of thick, paper targets with images printed upon them. “I know you told me you didn’t hit anything on that hunting trip, but did you have fun shooting bigger guns, at least?”

Rivi’s ears tried to flatten under their protection. “Complicated question. I was having lots of fun, at first, but…” The cheetah snarled. “The more shots I missed, the more I felt as though my father and his men were judging me. And father hired a safety instructor to teach me the basics, early that morning. Before Father arrived.” Rivi huffed, folding his arms. “He was very impatient with me. Unlike…” He glanced up at the coyote, smiling a little. “Unlike you.”

Argos glanced back over his shoulder, smiling. “I got all the time in the world for you, Spots.” He turned his attention to the targets, searching through them. “Honestly, that goes for anyone I’m trying to teach to shoot. If you ain’t got the patience to help them learn to do it right, then go fuck yourself. You shouldn’t be doing it at all.” He held up a target with a silhouetted feline on it. “You wanna shoot a cat?”

Rivi blinked. “Not particularly.”

“Then I’ll assume you probably also don’t wanna shoot a canine.” Argos showed him another target, this with a different species silhouetted.

Rivi smirked, flicking his tail. “Depends on the canine, I suppose. Do they have one with a large wolf in a long coat?”

Argos gave a happy bark, putting the target back. “That’s fair. Okay, we also got…” He flipped through a few more offerings. “Humans, another feline, another canine, a kobold…” Argos glanced back again. “You wanna shoot at a poorly drawn dragon?” He held up an image of a winged, four-legged beast with an especially distorted head.

Rivi stared at it, wide-eyed. “Oh, my. I don’t think one eye is meant to be that much larger than the other. Or so far above it.”

“Bonus points if you hit the small eye, I guess.” Argos put it back. “Oh, here we go.” He pulled a target free, then showed it to Rivi. It consisted of nothing more than a series of ever-larger rings. “Basic bullseye. How’s that suit you?”

“Much better than aiming at people, honestly.” Rivi wrung his hands together. “I know they’re just targets, but it would still make me feel uncomfortable. I’m not sure I could ever shoot at a person, let alone do the sort of things you must have done. Why, I doubt I could even live with myself if I ever shot someone! The guilt alone would-” He clapped a hand over his muzzle, wide-eyed. His heart thundered. Why, Rivi? Why would we say something so insensitive? “I-I’m terribly sorry, Argos, I didn’t mean to imply…erm, well, anything.”

Argos flashed his usual, easy-going smile. Yet something darker flickered in his eyes, a glimpse of wounds that may never quite close. Argos blinked and it was gone just as quickly. “Don’t worry about, Spots. I’ve had to do pretty fucked up shit, that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.” He carried the targets into the firing area. “Not wanting to hurt anyone just makes you a good person. Bring the Silver Eruption. Safety stays on, do not chamber a round, muzzle pointed away from us.”

Rivi picked the gun carefully. He inspected it to ensure the safety was still engaged, then followed after Argos, keeping the weapon aimed down and away from them. His ears would have drooped if not for the headset protecting them. “You’re a good person too, Argos.”

“Yeah…” Argos didn’t sound convinced. He hung the target up overhead, then cranked a wheel connected to a pulley system that sent it down range. “That’s what I hear.”

Rivi’s heart sank a little. He hoped he hadn’t hurt Argos somehow, or dredged up painful memories. Was the coyote’s tail hanging more limply, or was that his imagination? Were his triangular ears drooping against the protective cups? He wanted to hug the coyote, but the firearm in his hands prevented that. Maybe he should set it down, then hug Argos. Whenever Argos had hugged him, he always felt better, after all.

The cheetah blinked. Wait, he wanted to hug Argos? He’d…just thought that like it was a normal thought, hadn’t he? As if hugging people when they were sad was simply something he did. Something he wanted to do. Well, not people, but Argos. But that was terribly improper. And yet, when he was sad, Argos had hugged him. Which meant it was normal for the canines, right? Or at least the coyotes. But for felines, it remained a gesture reserved for the closest of friends and family. Had he grown so close to Argos so quickly that he already wanted to hug him whenever Argos’s ears started to droop?

“Spots, you okay?” Argos grinned at him. “You were kinda just staring off into space.”

“Oh!” Rivi cleared his throat, glancing at the weapon. It remained pointed well away from them. “I’m sorry, I should have been…” He swallowed. “It’s just…”

Argos rubbed Rivi’s arm, still smiling. “Go on, Spots. You can tell me. Or don’t. Whichever makes you more comfortable.”

“I was worried about you,” Rivi said, his words tumbling out a little too swiftly. “And I wanted to hug you, but I was holding a gun so I couldn’t. But then I thought, I shouldn’t be wanting to hug you, at all!” Rivi’s words came faster still, and yet there was nothing he could do to stop them from crashing into one another. “It’s improper to hug someone, and yet I still wished to do so, and if you were sad I wanted to make you feel better, and then I was wondering about how close I’ve grown to you and how quickly it’s happened and I am absolutely rambling right now and I’m not totally sure I can stop myself-mmphh!”

Argos gently grasped Rivi’s muzzle, playfully holding it shut. His hands smelled like coffee and gunpowder. “There. Now, hand me the gun.”

Rivi did so, his tail flicking.

Argos took it, releasing Rivi’s muzzle from his other hand. He carried the weapon to the table, and set it down. When he returned, Argos held his arms out. “There. Now you can hug me.” 

Rivi did not hesitate to do so. If anything, he flung himself against the coyote with urgency and fervor that startled him far more than the gunshots ever had. He rocked Argos back on his heels, wrapping his arms around the coyote. He squeezed Argos tight, pressing his face into Argos’s chest. When Argos hugged him back, he squeezed tighter, still.

“I’m sorry I made you sad, Argos!” Rivi shook his head, rubbing his muzzle against Argos’s shirt. “You’re a good person! And you don’t deserve to be feel sorrow simply because…” He snarled at himself, his tail lashing. “Because we said something stupid, Rivi! Something insensitive! Argos deserves better than some stupid-”

“Hey.” Argos bumped his chin against Rivi’s head, smiling down at him. “That’s my friend you’re talking about, so you better not be planning to say anything insulting about Mister Rivamiralous. He’s an esteemed scholar, you know.”

Rivi chuckled, just a little. He lifted his head to stare up at Argos. “That’s what I hear.”

Argos snorted. “Well played.” He nosed at Rivi’s head, ruffling the fur around the band of his ear protection. “You didn’t make me sad, Rivi. I just…” He sighed, his shoulders slumping, tail going limp. Only the padded cuffs on his ears kept them from drooping. “I don’t always get over the things I do, as easily as some people.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Rivi’s mouth. “That’s because you’re a good person. Even if you have to do bad things, sometimes.”

“If you say so.” Argos gently rubbed Rivi’s back. “Point is, you didn’t make me sad. Only thing you been makin’ me feel lately, is happy.” Argos scrunched his muzzle, a few fangs bared. “Oh, shit. That sounds sappy as fuck when I say it out loud.” He shook himself, fur bristling around his neck. “Look, Spots. Just don’t feel like you done something wrong. You ain’t. But, the hug was nice.” He lifted a hand, and removed Rivi’s ear protections, just to stroke his head. “So, thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome.” With his head temporarily freed, Rivi laid it against the coyote’s chest. The steady thump of Argos’s head proved a soothing balm for his worries, and ever-present stomach tightening anxiety. “I just thought, whenever you’ve hugged me, it…” He laughed, a slightly embarrassed sound. “It made me feel better. So maybe it would help you feel better, too.” Rivi glanced up. “Did it?”

“Yeah, Spots.” Argos stroked his head again, then simply cradled it against his chest. “It did. Thank you.”

Rivi smiled. “I’m glad.” He closed his eyes, listening to Argos’s heartbeat. The cheetah savored his warmth, his comfort, the protective feel of Argos’s arms around him. “Do we have to stop, now?”

“Nah, Spots.” Argos slowly rubbed Rivi’s back. “We can stay like this as long as you like.”

“Good.” Rivi cuddled closely against Argos. As glad as he was that they were alone in the shooting range, in that moment, he’d have held Argos longer even if they were surrounded by strangers. “Because I don’t want this to end.”

Argos was silent for longer than Rivi expected. Then he took a slow, trembling breath. “Me either, Spots.” There was just enough shaking uncertainty in Argos’s voice for Rivi to realize something. Argos wasn’t just talking about their hug, or the moment they were in.

He was talking about them.