Chapter Text
Tokyo. The sprawling metropolis was the pinnacle of animalkind. Every ordinary animal went on about their days. Some had jobs, some took the train to drop their children off at school, and when the day ended, some hit the streets and celebrated. Some see a movie while couples may prefer to go out and eat at the newest restaurant.
Some animals prefer it that way, at least…
In the shadow of what many consider a “perfect society,” the Back Alley thrives. Selling off meat to the carnivore population and illegally supplying their urges. Some carnivores visited the Alley to retrieve meat to suppress their urges, believing if they had their fix, they wouldn’t act on their cravings out in the city… While other carnivores on the other hand let their instincts fly off the handle, only caring about their next meat fix.
It was chaos. A type of chaos fueled by the gangs of the Alley. There were the lizards of the Dokugumi, the females of the Inarigumi and the leopards of the Madaragumi.
But none compared to the most feared organization in the Back Alley. The Shishigumi. Which almost entirely consisted of Lions of all shapes and sizes. They were the kingpins of the meat trade and killed anyone who would remotely interfere with their operations.
The Alley thrived in the shadows of this “utopian society” that the government had conditioned their citizens to believe. This couldn’t be far from the truth.
The Alley was the most feared place in the city. There was no animal who didn’t know about it and its practictices.
But… where the Alley thrived, another practice existed in its shadow. Another set of gangs thrived on adrenaline and thrill
Where Alley’s gangs influenced the public, these new gangs controlled the streets.
When the sun sets over the horizon, the streets come to life. And Rex was it an exciting time.
If an animal had a car and the guts to take on the best, they were challenged to hit the streets and race their hearts out. Abandoned lots were recruitment grounds for the biggest leagues in the city. Highways were their playgrounds. The open roads were their disposal.
The city was in their grasp. The leagues were free to race wherever and whoever they pleased. Or at least that’s what they believed…
Up until recently, the gang of the Back Alley and the Street Leagues coexisted and remained out of each other’s way. The Leagues had their races while the Alley had their meat trade. But a very disturbing discovery threatened to set both of these very different sides of the city on a collision course. A course that would only lead to bloodshed.
This discovery was what made twins Riku and Raya, the Street Leagues’ de-facto race brokers, call in the “heavy hitters” as they had named them.
Both African Wild Dogs, they grew up in the streets and were both respected and feared by many. A lot of animals never trusted them since they both grew up in the Back Alley, but their expansive charisma and knowledge of vehicles in general made them the clear choice to be their collective voice. Their roots in the Back Alley was probably the very thing that kept them off the streets.
These “heavy-hitters” as they were referred to were already briefed on the situation and were requested to meet the twins at “The Bend,” which was considered the central hub for the happenings in Tokyo’s Street Racing community.
The Bend was a big dirt field that bridged off from a road connecting to a highway that led into the city. The skyline could be seen in the distance. Heck, even Cherryton Academy could be seen from the Far East of the field. A good twenty to twenty-five minute drive at most. Of course that depended on how fast one went.
Several sturdy makeshift buildings were established. Bunkhouses, stores that sold car parts, and even some trailers were littered in the area. But everything and anything that happened in The Bend centered in The Cantina, a bar that had been established in an old Warehouse, which had been refurbished into a mighty fine establishment. The walls were repaired, beer taps were installed and flowing, and the music played at ten times the normal volume.
This place was truly the definition of a racer’s paradise. An oasis in a world of rules and laws.
Everyone and anyone from all walks of life were welcome. Workers, High School Kids, and especially Auto Mechanics made their way to The Bend on the weekends to party and show off their cars. And even races were commonly held on the strip of road that led to the bridge heading past the school and into the city.
It was a weekend, meaning all of this and more was happening. But Riku and Raya weren’t there to spread the good word or enjoy the rowdy festivities.
They were here to rally the troops.
Riku was in the driver’s seat and his sister was in the passenger’s seat wearing a black backpack. Riku pulled his White, black decal Mazda RX-7 onto the black asphalt road leading to The Cantina. They passed car after car with their hoods propped open to show off each engine. None of the vehicles or animals in the crowd looked like their guys. That could only mean they were inside The Cantina itself.
Out of the corner of his eye, a young coyote stumbled in front of the RX-7, clearly very intoxicated. Riku slammed on the brakes, blaring his horn at the teenager.
Stumbling back to his feet, the Coyote looked very annoyed. “You wanna honk that thing at me some more, tough guy?” He barked at Riku. “Come out here and I’ll show you-“
“Hey, dude!” A fox appeared from between two cars on the left, clearly annoyed. “There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you, bro!”
Even though his friend tried pulling him out of the situation, the Coyote was still fixated on Riku, who remained motionless in his running car. The drunk Coyote pointed his brown, furry finger at the RX-7.
“This jackass here wants to start somethin’ with me…” he trailed off. “I’d say we teach him a lesson he’ll never-“
“Or” the young Fox began. “How about we take you back to Migs and the rest of the guys so they won’t be worried sick, huh? I really don’t want to have to explain to him how you got a black eye…”
The teenage Coyote seemed to not want to fight his friend, letting him wrap his arm around his shoulder so he could get out of there.
“You win… this time…” the two began to waddle away, the Coyote giving Riku the middle finger as they disappeared behind the makeshift buildings that littered the aisle.
Lifting his foot off the brake, Riku scoffed.
“Fucking teenagers…” he grumbled.
“I honestly should’ve got out just to stomp him to the pavement,” Raya added. “Then that would’ve shut him up.”
“Very… considerate,” Riku noted plainly. “But I don’t think that would’ve done anything but raise alarm. Right now we need to find Ethan. Dealing with a dumb, drunk teenager and his friend isn’t top priority right now.”
Riku would’ve done the same thing his sister suggested. But the biggest difference between him and her is that he can hide his rage all too well and condition it to be more passive, while Raya simply says what’s on her mind. Two very different contrasts, yet they work together hand in hand. When passive-aggressive doesn’t work, downright violence solves it.
He’s almost certain that if that kid knew who he was talking to, he would’ve piped down. Even if he was drunk.
Raya scanned the crowd with hatred for each and every one of them. Riku parked the RX-7 on the border of The Cantina next to another row of cars. He peered at Raya, who was now scanning the buildings behind her.
She was still looking for those kids.
Riku sighed. When his sister was angry, she wouldn’t stop until she'd ‘gotten rid’ of the problem. It was almost like she was feral or sadistic. There were rumors that she’s even killed someone for looking at her the wrong way.
Of course, Riku wouldn’t confirm nor deny these rumors.
Nonetheless, Raya was still a high valued asset in this operation, so he knew he had to have her on board.
“They’re gone, sis. Give it a rest,” Riku reprimanded.
Raya clenched her fists as her eyes turned red, ear twitching violently. “I just wanna strangle their little…”
“Do you want to be involved in this operation or not?” Riku scolded. “They were just some stupid kids… Sure, I would’ve taught them a lesson just as much as you, but we have to choose our fights, not the other way around.”
Raya began to ease up, not wanting to start an altercation with her brother in the car. She only went on board because she was promised a “huge payoff” in the end. She let her brother drag her all the way out here from their compound in the city, so it best be worth it to her.
Or who knows? She may very possibly snap at Riku.
Once he saw that his sister was calm, he opened the door to step out to the blaring music coming from The Cantina’s speakers and bright neon lights that illuminated from them, lighting up in sync with the bass drop from the music.
“Follow me inside once you’ve cooled off…” Riku shut the RX-7’s door to make his way down the dirt path leading to The Cantina. A neon sign was erected with the name of the bar switching colors every few seconds.
Blue, Green, Yellow, Red. Even the lights on the sign lit up to the high-volume song that was playing. The lights and the bass were cranked all the way up.
The song in particular that was playing was “Pure Grinding - Avicii.” It was usually used to test the lightning and bass since it was a “high octane” song. And when it was put on, that usually meant that the night was only just starting. A Raccoon in particular was their DJ and installed the setup with the lighting himself. It sometimes helped to be that small and fit into the nooks and crannies of the complex.
The kickoff was the highlight of the night. Several animals gathered in front of the building to dance like crazy, failing their arms about to the beat of the song. The sound of engines roared as a Mongrel did burnout after burnout in a Subaru Impreza, kicking up dirt in the process and a group of animals cheering around him, which only encouraged him to continue.
It was extremely loud and hectic. So much so, the animals in attendance didn’t even notice Riku, their ‘leader’ cut through the crowd to get to the metal industrial door leading to the inside. Riku almost couldn’t hear the loud grumbling that approached him from the behind.
It was Raya, who had calmed down, but still had the Coyote on her mind. The only reason she didn’t track him down for insulting her and her brother was because she didn’t want to risk being sidelined. Especially if it meant missing out on the action that was promised to her…
And even if it wasn’t as intense, she could always get her fix from her suppliers in Back Alley. They weren’t Shishigumi or associated with the other gangs, but this person in particular could be very… intimidating.
And Raya did enjoy an intimidating animal.
Riku turned to acknowledge his sister. Now knowing she had made her choice, he pulled the steel door forward, motioning for Raya to enter first. She shook her head, motioning for Riku to go.
Not thinking much of it, Riku disappeared inside The Cantina, leaving Raya alone to finish tucking the pistol that was concealed behind her black coat.
Even though this was most likely not going down in a violent altercation, at least… not now, Raya refused to take any chances.
Following behind her brother, Raya disappears into the Cantina as well, shutting the steel door behind her.
——
The steel door was strong enough to drown out the noise coming from the outside. The bar was lit up just as much with a makeshift stage in the far center, but instead of a mic, a table and chairs were set up. Instead of their guys, a pair of drunk canines were using it. An African Dog, just like Raya and Riku and his red fox friend, who looked nothing like the fox they encountered outside.
They both were passed out from all the partying and were snoring, as if they couldn’t hear the loud, but smoother music that played over the speakers.
The twins stayed close to each other, maneuvering through the dancing crowd and drunks who were tumbling around the bar, spouting out nonsense left and right. This would’ve been Raya on any other night. Maybe when this was done, she’d get a beer herself…
She knew she’d probably need it after the chaos that was about to ensue that night.
On the right, a makeshift bar was erected, serving beer after beer to the next paying customer. The bartender was a beautiful animal. A jaguar, who was no nonsense and refused to oblige in any drunken passes she received from males.
Anyone who did make a pass was removed immediately. And usually, ‘she’ herself was the one who did the removing. But with Raya and Riku present, it was almost guaranteed no one would try anything.
Glancing over to the pool table and bar tables on the far left off from the bar, the twins spot a familiar looking German Shepherd. He had dark fur at the top of his head, one ear crooked, and he was wearing a red hoodie.
Looks like they found their guy. Well, one of them at least.
Ethan saw the two scary looking canines approaching him, but he didn’t move an inch from the brick wall he leaned on. Riku and Raya were some of the most influential figures in the streets. Their words meant so much in these parts. So when Riku called him up asking for his crew, he knew he had to respond.
He and his crew of three had been winning race after race in The Fringe, which consisted of the outskirts of the city and the backroads around the mountains. They took out gang after gang, gaining quite the reputation around the city.
So one could understand why Ethan was as excited as he is. It’s rare when a League gets to conduct a heavy-hitting operation in the city, and he felt rightfully honored that out of all the Leagues Riku could’ve gone to, he chose them.
It was a big deal. They could start looking beyond The Fringe. Now they’re in the big leagues.
“Are you Ethan?” Riku demanded, passing one of the two pool tables. Observing the two canines, Ethan could spot the clear difference. The twins were both very intimidating animals, which made him uneasy. But of course, the well built German Shepherd didn’t let that show.
They wanted soldiers. Animals who wouldn’t crack under the pressure. If they started showing that now, they could kiss the job goodbye.
“Absolutely,” Ethan replied stoically.
Riku analyzed the German Shepherd. He looked fit, muscular. And he looked like he'd taken a beating.
Ethan may have looked durable, but Riku’s only hope was that his driving was just as good as his attitude. That way, things would be simple. An in and out operation.
Of course, all Raya could think about was his looks. He took care of himself well, as it showed.
Raya frowned. It’s almost a shame that if him and his crew didn’t make it out, that would mean there would be one less handsome male out there…
Riku took notice that she was fixated on his looks, and gave her a quick glare to get her to knock it off. They needed to focus on the task at hand.
“Is it just you here?” Riku questioned, placing his hands on his hips. “Me and my sister were under the impression you had a crew.”
Without hesitation, Ethan glanced over at the furthest pool table to the left, Riku and Raya’s dagger eyes following him.
A female red deer and a black sun bear were playing a round of pool, but interrupted their game after seeing their “fearless leader” as he’s comedically dubbed, approach the table with two smaller, but nasty-looking canines from the rear.
They almost immediately recognized the male and female Wild Dogs. The two could be distinguished from the small braid that hung from Raya’s cheek fur, and the gold earring that wrapped around the pierced end of Riku’s right ear.
Placing their pool sticks down, the carnivore and herbivore both stood by, waiting for a statement from Ethan. Before meeting the twins, Ethan told both of his friends not to make a scene, especially Darla, who was a red deer and the sole herbivore of their little crew. She grimaced, seeing the twins, but didn’t say a word.
She had some serious reservations about working with the both of them.
Especially after hearing about the money smuggling rings Riku was involved with. He had some leagues backing him, and it was a smaller operation that didn’t interfere with the collective. Usually those who found out about their operations and threatened to jeopardize them were “removed” as she overheard Riku call it.
Yes, she spied on them. But does she want them to figure that out? Absolutely not.
But it wasn’t just him that scared her. Usually, Riku had ordered someone to be “removed” from the equation, they were found with their throats ripped out or several knife wounds.
As an herbivore, you’re taught to be cautious around other animals. Especially with carnivores. And something told Darla that several fingers were pointed towards Raya as the culprit behind these vicious attacks.
But why was she involved? Surely a simple in and out didn’t require so much bloodshed?
Did it?
No matter how many times she told Ethan to watch his step around Riku, he’d never listen.
If something did indeed happen, she knew she had to stop it.
Breaking off her hateful glance at Raya after she spotted her, Darla folded her hands, listening to what Ethan had to say.
“This everyone?” Riku was perplexed. He expected something a bit… bigger. If this crew took down all the bigger leagues in The Fringe, then they must have some guts. All three animals were about Twenty-One to Twenty-Three. Riku never understood the comradeship that came with being in a small gang like Ethan’s. It was easy for him to say since he’s always been so closed off from the outside and not foraging relationships.
He was in it for business and business only.
“Yep,” Ethan replied. “The big guy here is Akio, our in-house mechanic. He’s honestly the guy you’d want to thank for us being here right now…”
Akio, the slim, tall bear appeared well built with some muscles showing and wore a navy blue jean jacket with the sleeves ripped off with a plain white T-shirt underneath that sported a few oil and grease stains. He appeared confident and collected enough, as he should be. He modified everyone’s cars for the main event tonight, and he didn’t want to disappoint.
All of the vehicles had been tested and put under the most extreme levels of pressure in anticipation for the main event, and Akio was to thank.
“And I think you all know about Darla, right?” Ethan introduced the doe, who had her arms crossed, looking anything but pleased. “She’s one of the best drivers I know. There’s not a single place in this valley and city she doesn’t know of.” He paused, motioning for her to step forward. “And if she doesn’t? Well… she’ll figure it out.”
Darla shot daggers at Raya, who cancelled them out with her own. Darla’s instincts kicked in. When one looks into a predator’s eyes as an herbivore, there’s almost a sick feeling they have. A feeling telling them to get out of there. But Darla wanted to do the opposite.
There was no way in hell she would back down from Raya.
Satisfied, Riku winces at the music volume. He had to shout over it so Ethan could hear him.
“We should find a place where we can talk in private! Maybe the place behind the Tattoo shop!”
“Sounds alright with me!” Ethan replied, shouting just as loud.
The twins led the way as Ethan motioned for the deer and bear to follow behind him. Darla grabbed Akio’s arm, glaring at him. She was still very unsure about all of this, and if Ethan didn’t listen, surely he would.
“Ethan seems to be putting so much faith in these two…” Darla spoke in a loud enough voice to blend into the crowd.
“Well, why wouldn’t we trust them?” Akio replied, speaking in the same tone of voice. “They came to us, and it sounded urgent. And you know Ethan wouldn’t get us into something he knew we couldn’t handle.”
Darla trailed off. “I know that… I trust him and all, but something just feels off, man…”
“Hey!” Raya shouted over the music. Her, Riku, and Ethan were propped up next to an industrial door leading to another part of the warehouse. “You two coming back here, or am I gonna have to come get you?”
Darla winced, exchanging looks with Akio. He didn’t seem to understand the potential gravity of the situation and it showed. Without a second thought, he raced ahead of her to meet with the rest of the group.
Darla followed behind reluctantly. All she knew about the job was that it was dealing with some corrupt racers, not the specifics. Where they were from, where the operation would happen, and why the twins were so hush hush about it.
So many red flags shot up that it made Darla uncomfortable.
But nonetheless, she was dragged into this, and Ethan and Akio were the only two people she had closest to family. So of course she would help them.
She only hoped that whatever did happen tonight, she’d be ready.
——
The Tattoo shop was crawling with several different animals. Off the record, four artists worked there. The youngest being eighteen and a High School dropout. Though young, she was probably one of the best artists there.
The room had four chairs each, one being cleaned by the young artist. A white arctic fox, whose wrist had a spider’s web sprawled across it, and right in the center, a black spider was there. Fangs and all.
And what no one knows is that she did it herself. It was uncommon for an artist to apply their own tattoos, but she only trusted one animal to do the job. No one else could get the design right.
She was feeling alright. Her boyfriend, a brown and white fox himself had just left not too long ago with his intoxicated friend. From his words, they “had places to be.” She sighed, wishing she’d get more time with him. But him being a student at Cherryton, working in the city, and hanging with his friends left almost no time for the odd couple to see each other.
She continued spraying down her work station’s seat, getting ready to close up for the night.
“What’s happening, Michelle?” A familiar voice called out. Ethan was walking along the marble and tile aisle and gave Michelle a small wave.
Noticing his crew, Michelle gives a gentle wave. “Hey, guys!” She grins.
“Hey, Michelle,” Akio calls out. “We're still gonna get my wrench tat on my back next week?”
“You betcha, Akio!” She cheered, setting some tools back into a sleeve. Lastly, she took notice of Darla, who was being unusually quiet, sporting a strange stare that was still aimed at Raya, but her peripheral vision still caught wind of Michelle.
“Hey, girl, how're you doing?” Darla didn’t respond, only giving a head nod and smile. She didn’t want to break too much contact with the female canine that stood in front of her.
Michelle was confused, noticing how she was trailing off. Over the music, cars could be heard revving up from the outside. The female fox turned and noticed the window pane by her workstation was open. She remembered opening it to let some air in, but now the revving was cutting out the music.
Stepping out to observe the chaos, she spots a Silver R33 and a Yellow and Orange Honda S2000 participating in a drag race on the strip of dirt road leading to the end of the field. She owned a car of her own. A Purple and Black Nissan 240SX that she had won herself at 16, which was way beyond the legal driving age in Japan.
Sure, she maintained it and all… but she never had time to actually drive it. Ethan’s crew had been very helpful to her with getting it up and running. They even invited her to join their gang, but she declined after three attempts. One from Akio and two from Darla, who was her biggest customer. There wasn’t a thing that happened that Darla didn’t let slip by Michelle.
Or at least, not this time…
Shutting the window to silence the incessant motor revving, Michelle flicks her ear, finding the office door in the corner of the parlor slide close.
What in Rex’s name could be going on in there?
——
The room was dusty and it was clear the owner of the parlor didn’t care too much for cleanliness. He was gone for the evening, after all and didn’t care too much for the party being held tonight, so Riku and Raya decided to make themselves at home.
Even if the owner did have a problem with his office being used by others, who wouldn’t dare object to the twins of all animals?
Motioning for their guests to take a seat, Riku shuts the door, Raya already taking her seat in a living chair in the office’s far corner.
Darla, being the last of the trio, took her seat on the couch across the desk, still refusing to take her eyes off Raya, occasionally darting away to avoid contact.
Was she not being subtle? Probably not. But she didn’t care. Shortly before meeting with her crew, she overheard Raya on the phone with a mysterious character a few days ago. The only words she picked up before Raya almost caught her were “transport” and “the assets.”
She assumed she was talking about the job. Everything felt so off to her.
Honestly, the only thing keeping her from saying anything in the here and now was the different scenarios that played in her head.
What would Raya do? Would she snap? Would she make an example of one of them? Darla knew she couldn’t risk it, but every fiber in her being and her instincts told her to say something.
But she never did.
Now that everyone was seated in the dusty, unkempt room, Riku decided to skip formalities and head straight to talking business.
“Apologies for being so secretive, but we wanted to keep the details under wrap as much as we could in anticipation of our meetup.”
Riku folded his hands, leaning back into the desk chair. “You three know why you’re here, right?”
Everyone nodded. “Simple,” Akio began. “A collection of rogue racers are running jobs for the Shisigumi in the Back Alley and you need us to deal with them.” He smiled, confident that he managed to get the plan down. “Because any League associating with the Alley is alway bad news,” he added.
It was nothing new to the trio that drivers had began running some jobs for the Shishigumi in the past few months. Apparently, the money that was in their pockets was as big as their reputation. The League in question was a collection of racers that had let the Shishigumi’s wealth get to their heads.
And since the gang of Lions had a new boss, the pay doubled. Rumors had it that he was an herbivore himself. Single handedly doubling the number of meat warehouses and factories. So naturally, with this expansion came the need for transportation. Fast transportation.
The twins didn’t want to make a scene, but when the news came out that the Shishigumi were hiring racers from The Bend to run jobs, they knew it couldn’t be ignored.
After all, if they could turn even the smallest number of their drivers over to their side, who knows how many more they could gain by the end of the year.
Although satisfied with Akio’s summary, Riku sighed. “I wish it was that easy…”
Everyone except for Ethan frowned. What did he mean? It was just the League they were after, right?
“I’m pretty certain you know a little about what’s going on here, Ethan,” the canine said matter of factly. “How about you give your guys a little rundown about what we discussed.”
Ethan sat up, looking at the other two animals sitting adjacent to him. Riku figured Ethan’s crew would take the rest of the information better if it came from him.
“We’re gonna be running some supplies tonight in the city. The Shishigumi’s drivers are no longer a priority.” Darla’s eyes narrowed. They weren’t told this before. They were told they were dealing with a single group of racers… not this.
Ethan fiddled with his paws, waiting to continue. “Now, Riku and Raya here told me they found something else just a few days ago…” Darla and Akio huddled around Ethan, not daring to miss a word.
Riku stopped him to pull out a map of the city. “The Shishigumi’s drivers are going to be collecting some packages from a series of warehouses across the city, so you should be on the lookout for them.” He pointed at the three locations circled in black marker.
“You three can split off and rally at this parking garage right here.” He pointed his claw at the eight story parking garage in the upper downtown area further away from the Back Alley. “There, we’ll be waiting for retrieval. You get paid and we go our separate ways.”
“What are we even getting?” Akio demanded. “You can’t just expect us to go in there without any information on this ‘package’ of yours.”
Riku snickered. “It’s not my package, kid,” he corrected. “And in all honesty, I have no idea… the client was very very ambiguous and refused to elaborate.” He paused. “All they told me was that it was from the Horns Conglomerate. So look for their logo.”
Riku grabbed a cigarette laying in the desk’s open drawer. He sat it on the tip of his snout and lit it, letting out a huge puff of smoke. “And who knows what it is. The Conglomerate deals in a whole lot of shit nowadays.” He shrugged, taking the lit cigarette out of his mouth. “It could be anything. Weapons, car parts… heh, maybe even socks,” he cackled.
Rearing up from the map sprawled out on the wooden desk with the cigarette in his paw, Riku grinned. “So? Are we set?”
Before Ethan could speak for them, Darla shook her head slowly. There was no way that this didn’t seem shady at all. “This doesn’t make an ounce of sense…”
Everyone eyed the red deer. You could feel the tension radiating from her. “Darla-“ Akio attempted to calm her down.
“No, you’re gonna listen!” She was tired of holding her tongue. Why did Ethan not trust them enough with this info? They were a crew. Shouldn’t they have just as much right to know.
“When you told us about the job a few days ago, you said we were taking on some traitors,” she snapped her finger at Riku. “And now, you’re saying ‘oh forget that! How about we send you on a little errand run!’”
She turned to Ethan, who stared blankly at her. It was almost like he was disappointed. “You don’t get what I’m saying, Ethan? They’re pulling the wool over our eyes! We don’t know what this package is and-“
“Darla!” Ethan snapped.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to listen to them!”
“Enough!” Ethan growled, Akio caught in the middle.
Her eyes were fuming red, staring straight down at Raya, who was… smiling? It was almost like she knew exactly what Darla was talking about. And it scared Darla more than anything.
Did she know that she spied on her earlier? That she picked up some words from her phone call? It sure seemed like that’s what she was implying.
Darla’s herbivore instincts made her tense up, being in a room full of carnivores. She averted her eyes from the threat that sat next to her brother. She narrowed at Ethan, who she stood over, trying to prove how dire the situation truly was. Could he really not see it? Or did he just not care?
It was like she was on the verge of tears. Begging him not to take this job.
“You didn’t trust us enough to tell us the full truth, is that it?”
Ethan was puzzled. His ears lowered. “Darla, that’s not at all what I-“
“You just wanted to get us into this so we could get paid. You didn’t care about the risk…” Darla spotted the door, pacing with her feet.
“This is gonna be our big break!” Ethan retorted. “Riku promised us fourteen million yen for this job alone! If we get that much we can open up our own place and live by our rules!” Before Darla could open the door, Ethan stood up to grab her hand. Not enough to crush it, though. It was more… tender.
“Darla,” he began. “You trust me, right?”
She froze up. She didn’t know what to say. Ethan was always so rash, but even this was out of character for him. Has the money really gotten to his head? He must have if he didn’t see the clear red flags.
She didn’t give him a response. Only a statement.
“One last job. Just this once… and then I’m done.” A tear trickled down her face. “I can’t trust someone who can’t tell me the full truth. I’ve lived my whole life looking over my shoulder. I joined up with you and Akio because I thought I didn’t have to do that anymore…”
She winced, opening the wooden door, letting the smooth music fly into the room. But she wasn’t done talking.
“You guys are all the same…” she choked up, seeing the look of disappointment on both Ethan and Akio, Raya still smirking at her.
“I’m heading to the warehouse downtown. Don’t try to follow me…” She disappeared into the busy parlor, letting the door slide shut.
The room fell silent as everyone collected their thoughts. Ethan felt terrible. Part of him wanted to run after Darla and get her back. He couldn’t bear seeing her like this. And a single second of her being by herself in Shishigumi territory was something that he couldn’t bear the thought of.
But the other part of him wanted to get the payoff. It would be beneficial in the end and Darla would come around. This wasn’t the first time she went off on Ethan.
But would she come back? She never seemed as angry as she was at that moment. This time, she seemed like she meant it. She was done.
“Well, then…” Riku broke the silence. “I’m assuming she’s still a part of the plan,” Riku chuckled, clearly not moved or touched by Darla’s speech.
“That is…” Riku regained his focus. “If we’re still on?” Riku gave Ethan an odd look. As if he wanted him to agree.
Darting back to the door, then back to Riku a few times over, Ethan drew in his breath before letting it out.
“We’re still on…”
Riku grinned. “Attaboy!” He slammed his hands onto the desk, forcing himself upward. He made caution not to get his tail wrapped up in anything on his way off the rickety chair.
“You two have your cars, right?”
Ethan and Akio both nodded. They prepped them and had them ready for tonight’s operation. They could take a beating that’s for sure. And now that Darla was on her way to one of the warehouses, things would probably go way faster tonight.
They’d get paid and they’d be on their way. Sounded foolproof enough. And besides, Riku and Raya never gave Ethan a reason not to trust them. They may have seemed a bit eccentric, but surely they meant well.
“Excellent!” Riku met the bear and canine at the door to open it for them.
“I know you three won’t disappoint. I’ve heard some very good things.” Narrowing his gaze, Riku’s voice drops in tone. “I expect results. And I hope… wait. I ‘know’ I’ll get them.”
Despite his stature, Ethan felt very intimidated by Riku. His beady eyes stared deep into his own. Like they were trying to mask something… deeper.
He shrugged this off, thinking it was just him in his own mind.
“You can count on us,” Ethan replied with uncertainty.
Riku smiled. “Well, alright then.”
Riku spotted his sister on her phone, immersed in what appeared to be texting. “I think I’ll let you lock up the office for tonight, sis! I’ll leave the car unlocked for you.”
Raya didn’t give much of a response other than a nod. Riku and the two larger carnivores left the dusty, smelly office to Raya, who was typing away on her phone.
Waiting for two solid minutes, Raya raced across the office to lock the door and shut the blinds. She wanted to make sure no one would get back in.
Pulling out her phone, she dialed the number she was exchanging messages with. It must’ve been very important to have caused this much ruckus.
Dialing the number, Raya waited anxiously for a response. The ringing got more and more repetitive, causing her blood to boil.
‘When will he pick it up?’ she groaned. She grinded her teeth in anticipation.
“Hello?” A raspy voice echoed through the phone.
“Yeah, it’s Raya. Just wanted to let you know the stones are in motion.”
“That’s great! Great!” The voice boomed. “You think we’ll have any problems with the Shishigumi interfering? I don’t want them to… yet at least. I still have a whole lot of plans with them. Personal plans.”
Raya leaned against the desk, feeling drawn in by the raspy, primal-like voice that boomed in her ear.
“Don’t you worry,” she reassured. “We’ve gotten our delivery guys on the way. They’ll bring the package right into our grasp.”
“You mean ‘my’ grasp,” the voice barked. Raya should be fearful, but instead she felt very very fascinated.
“And these… delivery guys. The drivers,” the voice trailed off. “Are they gonna be a problem? I know they’re the distraction, but I just wanted to be sure.”
Raya twiddles her fingers, licking her lips. “Well… there is this one girl. Red deer. Female. She’s a part of this group of two other drivers. She caught me spying on our last conversation, I just know it. I don’t know how much she has heard though-”
“Get rid of them,” the voice boomed.
“I-“ Raya stuttered. “I’m sorry?”
“No loose ends.”
Raya was puzzled. Her ear twitched. “I thought we were gonna cut them loose until after we dried them up-“
“I don’t care!” Raya pulled the phone away from her ear to avoid the screeching. “If one of them knows somethin’ is up, it won’t be long until the others catch on. And we can’t have our plan leak out like this. Not when the fun is just beginning.”
Raya pulled the phone back in, not wanting to make the animal on the other end upset. It made sense. Ethan did show some signs of doubt. And in the end, he was loyal to his crew.
At this stage, it wasn’t worth the risk to follow the original plan and let them keep them breathing.
“I- I’ll tell my brother then. Better yet. You can come down and do it yourself. Make sure the job is done right. I’ll be there personally to see the supplies shipped off-“
“Not you. I have another job for you… A job that’s a bit… angsty. That is… if you’re up for it.”
Raya was intrigued, being pulled back in by the soothing, scratchy voice. What exactly could he be demanding?
“The deer girl. Make sure she doesn’t meet up with those friends of hers… and bring her to me. I’d like to meet her.”
Raya grinned. “As long as I get to have a say about it. She’s been giving me this look all evening and I’m all but fond of it.”
“Done,” the voice replied instantly. “I’ll see you tonight after everything’s said and done. I bet we’ll have a whole lot to discuss then.”
“Then maybe I can see the face behind the voice?” Raya licked her lips once more, chattering her teeth at the mere thought.
“Of course. Then we can talk business.” He paused. “Let me know how things go. See you tonight.”
Before Raya could bid the stranger farewell, the phone beeped, ending the call.
She was disappointed, nonetheless. She had hoped he’d want to continue the conversation. It always excites her when he calls. But with the main event now in motion, she was reassured in knowing she’d be seeing him tonight.
She made her way out of the office and into the main parlor where the music was still playing, but the crowd had died down. Many now hit the streets to find a race or just head on home. It didn’t feel like they were in that office for that long.
A ping on Raya’s phone sounded. She pulled it out to reveal a digital map illuminating from the screen. On it, three blue markers were scattered from one place to another.
But the one that had the labeling “350z” on it caught her attention. That was the same type of car that Darla owned. She was already at the foot of the city, getting ready to cross the bridge.
She was running out of time. Without wasting another minute, she made her way out of the parlor and through the dying crowd of the bar.
Finally, she’d be able to teach that deer a lesson. For the whole night, she bottled her rage up and now could release it. Every fiber in Raya’s being wanted to lunge off that chair and consume her flesh…
If she couldn’t get rid of her yet, at least she could teach her a lesson. Right before they both meet their mysterious client.
This would be a long and eventful night for everyone. But to Raya, it was only just beginning.