Series of Death Draft 01 CH 55 (Patreon)

Trembor ran for the building at the back, the only one there. That shed was a quarter the width of the dock area, and four full shelving deep, it was more of a smaller warehouse, and by the large open roll door, it must have been where the lift-trucks had been stored.

He was past caring for traps; he ran in, took in the partially disassembled lift-truck in one corner, the oil-stained floor, Bo tied to a chair in the opposite corner, and Marlot, unmoving on the floor at his feet, and ran for them, only to be intercepted by a hare dressed in a protector inspired set of clothing, tight shirt under a loose jacket and pants, all in a patch work of grays that was suppose to make them difficult to see under the right conditions.

Trembor didn’t give the hare time to do more than open his mouth before he was close enough to throw a kick at him. The hare blocked, stepping back under the force of the impact, and smiled. He came back with punches that had Trembor dodging to avoid. Then blocked before surprising the hare with a punch of his own; all the training with Marlot and his mix of moves had taught him a few things.

The hare wiped his muzzle with his arm and grinned as he glanced at the blood on it. “Finally.” He threw himself at Trembor.

Trembor backed off under the ferocity of the attack, surprised a prey species was capable of it, let alone a hare, known for running instead of standing their ground. The hits had more precision than strength. The hare was smaller, leaner, much quicker. Trembor couldn’t hit him as often, but each one did make the hare reel.

Trembor slowed his attacks, going for knockout blows; kicks to the head, debilitating ones; to the knees, while being more defensive. He needed to conserve his strength, if nothing else.

The hare cursed. “Stop holding back.”

“Why don’t you just give up?” He dodged, put a hand on the floor, and threw both feet at the hare, but he’d already moved out of the way. “You can’t win this.”

“You don’t even know what my win parameters are.”

Trembor was back on his feet, and they circled each other.

“Something about getting Marlot to kill you.”

“I gave up on the wolf. On your wolf. But you, on the other hand, I think I can motivate properly.” He came at Trembor with a flurry of punch, which he blocked and dodged, but the few that got through; hit nerves that made his arm or leg tingle.

Trembor shouldered the hare, using his mass to put space between them. He glanced at Marlot. If he could stretch this, his wolf might wake up. Together they could take this hare down.

“I’m thinking you need to be reminded what’s at stake,” the hare snarled. “Which one of them do you want me to kill?” Trembor’s eyes snapped back to him as the hare took off running for Marlot and Bo.

With a roar, Trembor took off after him, threw himself bodily at the hare and they ended up on the ground. The hare almost got out from under him before Trembor had him on his back, arms pinned under his knees, and was punching him in the face.

“Don’t you fucking dare touch him,” Trembor yelled as his fists impacted. “Do you hear me! I will end you.”

The hare laughed between strikes. “I’ll do more.” He spat blood. “I’ll desecrate that precious wolf of yours. I’ll use him in ways you can’t imagine.”

With a scream, Trembor opened his hand as he wound back, unsheathed his claws, and brought his hand down on the smiling hare.

The motion stopped, accompanied by a grunt from the wolf holding his wrist in his hand.

“Don’t,” Marlot said. “Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

Trembor stared at the wolf, taking in his growing steadiness, the fact he was there, looking at him, smiling at him. How he’d missed that smile.

“He’s going to hurt you.”

“I heard that part, but he’s just goading you.”

“And how many times did you kill to protect me?” Trembor demanded, the anger returning. “Is that it? You’re the only allowed to kill for me?”

“I’m the one who breaks the law. You follow it. He isn’t meat, he’s a criminal. He has to go through the system, I doubt there’s going to be anything left of him with all the evidence he left lying around in his house.”

“It’s never going to happen.” The hare coughed. He sounded tired, resigned. “They won’t let it happen.”

“I’m tired of your stories, Mikal,” Marlot said. “You’re sick, there’s nothing more to it than that.” He smiled at Trembor. “Trem, I’m sorry for how I made you feel, for what I did.”

Suspicion flared in Trembor. The gentleness, the apologies. It was just.

“Fuck,” Marlot whispered. “What did I do?”

Trembor realized his face was scrunched, that his suspicion was plain to see.

“I never meant to be bossy, Trem. To make you feel less.” He pressed his lips together. “I met Gorrek.”

“You what?” Dismay had Trembor start to stand. How had Gorrek known? Was he coming back for him after all these years?

Trembor was thrown against Marlot as the hare under him moved, then they were fighting to remain standing.

“Not this time,” Marlot growled, and Trembor was left to catch his own balance as the wold ran off. After the hare, he realized, and then Trembor was running after both of them. The hare limped, and Marlot caught up to him, only to be nearly brought down by a kick.

Trembor was between them, forcing the hare back, and then Marlot was on the other side of the hare. The wolf smiled at Trembor, and with a nod, they attacked the hare together. Trembor did his best to monopolize the hare’s attention, kicking hard and fast, letting Marlot take advantage of the openings he created to strike.

The hare was a better fighter than he’d let on, and even together, it was a few seconds before Trembor grew confident they’d keep the hare from escaping. More of his kicks made it past the hare’s defenses. The hare’s counter strikes were getting sluggish.

Trembor kicked the hare into Marlot’s arms, and he only got out of the hold by slipping out of the jacket, then he had the wolf on the ground with a kick in the leg.

Trembor was on him with a snarl. It was his wolf the hare had hurt. Two kicks and the hare was reeling back, he dodged the one to the head but stumbled. Before he could regain his footing, Trembor swept his legs out from under him.

Marlot was on the hare before he was done groaning. “It’s over, Nikal.” He ripped the hare’s shirt off and cut it into strips.

“Are you okay?” Trembor asked. “Your leg?”

“Hurts, but nothing’s broken.”

“Marlot, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to doubt what you said.”

Marlot looked up at him and smiled. “I screwed up, I know.”

“Did Gorrek hurt you?”

Marlot stared at him, looking stunned, then laughed. “No, he didn’t. Nikal killed him and left his body in my territory, along with everything needed to get him for all the other bodies he left lying around.”

“Gorrek’s dead?” The idea the lion was gone left him—he buried the conflicted feeling. That male didn’t deserve for Trembor to be unsure how he felt. He deserved what he’d gotten. Should have been someone’s meal a long time ago.

“We can talk about it later,” Marlot said. “I’d like to stop by your house once I’ve handed him over to the enforcers.”

“I should help you.”

Marlot nodded to the lion tied in the chair. “You need to see to your brother, take him home. I don’t think you want him involved in this.”

Bo. He’d completely forgotten about his brother among this. “If he tells the enforcer he was here, us leaving will cause you problems.”

“Nikal’s not going to talk about your brother.” Marlot tied the hare’s hands together, “Will you?”

Nikal sighed. “He served his purpose, it’s not like I care what happens to him now.”

“Getting Trembor here,” Marlot said. “So I’d come too.”

“It’s not like the two of you were going to talk otherwise.”

Trembor went to free his brother.

“I can’t believe how hard getting you two to stop screaming and talk was.” The hare continued. “The movies made it look so much easier. Get you two in the same room and you’ll realize you weren’t angry at each other, that it was the result of other stuff that had happened to you.”

“Did you really base all this on movies?” Marlot asked.

Bo was tied with ropes which Trembor cut his a claw.

“I did this because watch you two gave me hope, then you went and fucked it up by breaking up.”

Bo groaned and looked up, eyes unfocused. He had no injuries, so drugged.

“It’s called life, people fuck up and we have to fix it.”

“But you weren’t!” The hare’s anger was such Trembor looked. Marlot had him sitting against the disassembled truck. “You both wrapped yourself up in your misery and just stayed there. It was pitiful. If not for me, you’d probably still be in your office, barely doing any work, pining away.”

Trembor helped Bo up, supporting the majority of his weight.

“I fixed that,” the hare said proudly.

“You do get this isn’t fixed, right?” Marlot said, looking at Trembor. “I can’t just say I’m sorry and it’s all okay. That isn’t how life works.”

Trembor nodded, but smiled at his wolf. He was right, but for the first time in a while, Trembor wanted to fix this. Maybe it was because Gorrek wouldn’t be able to reappear out of nowhere anymore, maybe it was that Marlot hadn’t shifted the blame. Or Trembor just didn’t want to be alone, and he’d take his wolf, as bad for him as he might be, over the alternative.

“Don’t you dare fuck this up,” the hare warned. “Not after the work I put into this.” He deflated as Trembor approached. “At least let me keep this one good act, okay?”

“That isn’t how this works,” Trembor said. “What did you give Bo?”

The hare shrugged. “Nothing you need to worry about. It’s going to be out of his system in a few hours. By the way, is he the only one this gullible, or is it a family trait? I can’t believe he didn’t even try the door when I told him it was broken and he had to ender by the back.”

“You were nice,” Bo slurred.

“And look where that got you. Considering who you associate with, I’d have expected you to give me more trouble, put up a fight, give your brother a show of me taking you down, get him nice and angry.” The hare sighed. “Had to settle for waving.”

“It still got us here,” Marlot said. “You should still have a medic look your brother over. Jaxca won’t ask questions.”

Trembor nodded and headed for the exit.

“I wish you’d kill me,” the hare said.

“This is over, you can’t threaten me anymore.”

“No for you, for me. You have no idea what’s in store for me.”

“I’ve seen the work details, I have a good idea.”

The hare snorted. “I told you, they won’t let that happen, you’ll see I won’t even…” And Trembor was too far to make out the words. Marlot would tell him, when they spoke later.

When they figured out where they’d go from here.

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