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First Chapter
Next Chapter
Chapter Selection
Amber screamed at the top of her lungs.
Still, this did nothing to slow down the motorcycle. She could do nothing but cling onto the back of a human wearing a black leather jacket as he accelerated even faster through the neon city.
Worse yet, two hover-cars were still hot on their trail. Their headlights illuminated their positions, much like police helicopters during a dangerous pursuit down a highway, albeit buildings or other structures occasionally blocked their rays through the rain altogether. Amber’s fur, tail, and sparse clothes repeatedly fluttered. The wind howled in her ears, all while she transitioned between screaming or shouting certain words in a mantra...
“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD”
Another sharp turn around a corner aroused another shriek from Amber. Unfazed, the human carefully slowed down, then went full throttle once he completed the maneuver. Although his body blocked a majority of the incoming rainfall for Amber, some still soaked her fur, and brief glimpses over his shoulder revealed the severity of the situation as a speedometer on his dashboard climbed increasingly higher and higher.
140 kilometers per hour...
160 kilometers per hour.
From there, the needle indicator flickered somewhere near the top of the bike’s fastest possible speeds. Death became something that could occur in mere moments. Time slowed down. Concurrently, Amber’s jaw went agape as the motorcycle swerved and weaved its way through traffic, making its way through narrow passages between vehicles with a level of precision similar to threading a needle. As the hover-cars grew more distant, their spotlights struggled to keep up with their current positions.
One hover-car even made similarly sharp turns in pursuit of the duo, just to collide with a digital billboard, bringing them both out of action as shattered glass descended downward like raindrops.
The only remaining pursuer lagged behind. Taking advantage of this, the human gradually slowed down, then drove down a ramp to depart a major freeway acting as the ancestral spine of the city. He rejoined some pedestrians and other vehicles clogging the more minor roads now serving as streetways for everyone. Fortunately, his motorcycle provided a significant advantage compared to the larger vehicles as he drove through a crowd, the low growl of the engine alone being enough to alert people as they moved out of his way.
At the same time, the last hover-car continued following the freeway, zipping past Amber and the human in the far distance.
The motorcycle itself eventually moved away from the crowds and entered a neighboring tunnel. Upon doing so, precipitation stopped descending upon Amber, and the storm grew increasingly muffled. Yellow lights almost blinded her. By the time she closed and opened her eyes several times, her body pressed against the human’s back as they slowed down, pulling to an empty side of the tunnel to stay clear of any traffic before coming to a complete halt.
For a time, the two didn’t say a single word to one another. Everything froze. The human remained almost entirely stationary, and Amber became paralyzed like a statue as she clung to his back.
“You alright?” asked the human, breaking the silence.
His voice sounded… deep. A bit raspy. Like a man in his late-twenties a bit past the prime of his life.
Amber shivered a little. “Uh, not really.”
The human chuckled a little. “I probably should have figured as much.” He manually turned off the ignition of his motorcycle, silencing the rumbling engine. “Would you mind telling me exactly what I just got myself into? It’s not exactly every day that some minaki woman speaking English hops on my bike to flee from thugs or whatever the hell that situation was.”
“I… uh…” Amber paused to shake her head. “All that matters is that I got away, okay?”
“Right.” replied the man, grunting. He stood from his motorcycle and pivoted in place to face it.
However, Amber clung to his back like a monkey, resulting in her being brought with him.
The human didn’t utter a single word for a few long moments. “You can let go now.”
Amber’s body shook a little. “Of course…” she muttered. Lowering her legs to the floor, Amber finally released the man and stood on solid ground, letting out a sigh of relief. “Forgive me. I thought I was going to die on that death trap of yours...”
“Likewise.” said the human with a huff, back still facing Amber. “I’m not sure about you, but I had fun. Did you end up stabbing me with your claws during all that excitement?”
At these words, Amber focused on the man’s leather jacket. Clear gashes and scratches marked where her claws cleaved through it, chipping other parts of the leather material. Tiny holes also joined the damage. Her entire face scrunched up, and her nostrils flared a little.
“I’m not smelling any blood, but… uh...”
“But what?” he repeated back to her.
Her eyes glanced at the ground. “You might need a new jacket.”
He rolled his shoulders, turning to face her. “Great. That’s gonna cost me a pretty penny.”
Amber’s golden eyes locked onto the man’s gray-blue ones still obscured by his helmet visor. “That’s your main concern right now?!”
The human remained silent as he glared at her body, making Amber look down at herself. Her clothes were completely soaked. Specific garments were either damaged or missing, rendering her somewhat scantily clad by human standards. Only ruffled up fur still dripping with water preserved her decency otherwise, making Amber cross her arms and break eye contact.
“My outfit isn’t exactly in the best state either…” she resumed in a softer tone.
“You got a name?” asked the human.
She barely managed to meet him on an even eye level due to his height advantage of several inches. “Amber.”
“Huh.” He tilted his head up. “That’s not a very alien sounding name.”
Amber let out a slight snarl. “I was born and raised on Earth, bigot. That’s all I can say about myself for now since I don’t know if I can fully trust you yet...”
“Well, you trusted me with your life like ten minutes ago.” he retorted. “Doesn’t that count for something?”
Her tail slumped to the ground. “Touché.” Pointy ears folded against her head as she looked to the side. “Sorry, but I’m still a bit on edge from... all of that. I might have my guard up for no reason, but you’re not exactly a familiar face either. You’re more like a stranger.”
The human nodded. “I get it.” He placed two hands on his helmet, removing it with both hands before holding it under one of his arms. “Name’s Cain.”
Cain’s face immediately caught Amber’s attention. He had pale skin, a high and tight black buzz cut fading down his head to join his scruffy facial hair, and icy blue eyes. One eyeball briefly emitted a light blue glow, the tell-tale sign of a bionic one, while a small scar under it brought up even more questions. By all means, Cain had an impressive physique with his broad shoulders and a strong jawline that accentuated his other physical features.
It all made Amber’s tail spring up. “Cain… Cain what?”
“Just call me Cain.” he said in a cold tone. “You?”
“I… I’m A-Amber.” she murmured, trembling with her legs shaking. “God, it’s so cold…”
Cain shrugged. “Yup.” He placed the helmet on his bike and grabbed a pack of menthol cigarettes from his front pocket. “Now that we’ve seen each other face to face, what’s the plan from here on out? We gonna split?”
Amber tapped her foot against the ground as her tail swayed behind her. “At this point? I don’t know.”
“Because part of me thinks you’re nothing but trouble.” continued Cain, shaking his pack to retrieve a single cigarette. “Might be for the best if we parted ways once we reach relative safety. Otherwise, we’ll wait here for… oh, I don’t know… five minutes or so.” He placed the cig in his mouth, holding it with his teeth. “Then we move on.”
She looked up at him like a puppy dog, her eyes as wide as saucers. “But I don’t have anywhere to go...”
A mechanical click marked when Cain exchanged his cigarette pack for a metallic zippo lighter. Bringing it to his mouth, a straightforward motion and a flick lit the wick, lighting the cig before another clack of the lighter case snuffed out the short-lived flame. Afterward, he practically inhaled it. The cigarette’s tip burned a bright orange, then Cain exhaled with smoke emitting from his mouth and more forming from the cig itself as it created a wispy trail in the air.
Amber’s nose scrunched up from the minty smell.
“You want one?” he asked, reaching for his smoke pack once more.
“No!” answered Amber. “I want your help!”
He huffed and puffed on his cig for several seconds. “Here’s the thing. I’m not necessarily inclined to help you if you won’t bother telling me who you are and why those assholes were chasing you. I mean... I also have other obligations, you know? Not running a charity organization here.”
Amber looked in both directions before making eye contact again. “Okay, fine. Fine. I got myself involved with the wrong people to say the least…”
“Street gangs?” asked Cain.
Amber rubbed one of her eyes. “Sort of?”
“Speaking of which,” he said while scratching his chin, “Those guys were packing some serious heat. One had a weapon typically reserved for the military or the police if that’s anything to go by. Nothing a civilian could ever legally own, much less the typical trash gangsters tout.”
These words alone made Amber’s eyes shoot wide open. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, you’re right! I’d rather not say too much, but they’re more… sophisticated than most. They unofficially run some of the local night clubs too!”
Cain gave Amber a blank stare. “Like Purgatorium?”
Rather than responding, Amber looked away and wrapped her tail around her lower body.
“Is there a reason they didn’t just shoot you?” he asked.
“They want me alive.” she said under her breath. “Don’t ask why.”
In response, Cain nodded. “I see.” He temporarily took the cigarette out of his mouth to exhale, popping it back in upon accomplishing that. “That’s probably all I need to know, really. Don’t see how or why I should get myself involved in something like that though. Got enough problems as is.”
“Cain...” Amber said in a low tone, prompting him to perk his head up. “I don’t have anyone else to turn to or trust at this point.”
He sighed. “No friends or family?”
“None that can really help me anymore.” she answered, adjusting the wet tuft of fur on her head. “And some of my former friends aren’t exactly people I’d call friends anymore.”
“So you’re a criminal.” Cain said, crossing his arms.
For a moment, Amber growled, but the anger dissipated just as rapidly with a whimper. “Can we stop with this interrogation of yours? I just need somewhere to lay low for a few days...”
As before, Cain didn’t utter anything in return as he stared at her, focusing on his cigarette.
“I’ll buy you a new jacket if you can make that possible for me!” she said, scratching behind one of her ears. “That’s the least I can do. Unfortunately, I don’t have much I can currently give you in return, but I promise that I’ll return the favor to you… somehow!”
Cain pulled out his lighter again, snuffing out his cig with a special black pad. “You had me at new jacket. Might be stupid as shit on my behalf, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let you crash on my couch or something. I’m not afraid of these people.”
Amber’s ears folded downward and a more flabbergasted look spread across her face. “That’s it?”
“Yeah…” he said, casually discarding his cigarette butt by tossing it on the ground and crushing it underfoot. Ash and embers vanished beneath the boot. “I’m new to this city. Don’t have much besides a shitty apartment at this point. Thing is, I’ve been in the market for getting a real leather jacket for a long time now, but they can be very pricey compared to the synthetic ones due to the feds making the manufacture of new ones illegal...”
Amber scoffed. “You’re joking, right?”
“Authentic Italian leather is super hard to get your hands on.” Cain said, moving towards his motorcycle. “I don’t care if we have to order it online or try snatching one at an old-fashioned department store, but we’ll work something out. Especially if you got connections.”
She rolled her eyes, taking a few steps forward. “If you say so, but are you just going to leave that there?” She gestured at the cigarette butt on the ground. “It’s… inconsiderate.”
Cain gave her the usual shrug, then plopped his helmet back on. The visor sprung to life. Rather than showing his face, it transitioned to a digital skull shape with only his eyes poking out, matching the skeletal fingers on his gloves as if he transformed into an undead biker. His motorcycle similarly flashed on with several cyan indicator lights matching his black attire as he hopped on it.
Amber narrowed her eyes. “Ugh.” She squeezed her tail like a squeegee as some more water dripped down to the concrete. “My gallant knight in shining armor…”
First Chapter
Next Chapter
Chapter Selection
Next Chapter
Chapter Selection
Amber screamed at the top of her lungs.
Still, this did nothing to slow down the motorcycle. She could do nothing but cling onto the back of a human wearing a black leather jacket as he accelerated even faster through the neon city.
Worse yet, two hover-cars were still hot on their trail. Their headlights illuminated their positions, much like police helicopters during a dangerous pursuit down a highway, albeit buildings or other structures occasionally blocked their rays through the rain altogether. Amber’s fur, tail, and sparse clothes repeatedly fluttered. The wind howled in her ears, all while she transitioned between screaming or shouting certain words in a mantra...
“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD”
Another sharp turn around a corner aroused another shriek from Amber. Unfazed, the human carefully slowed down, then went full throttle once he completed the maneuver. Although his body blocked a majority of the incoming rainfall for Amber, some still soaked her fur, and brief glimpses over his shoulder revealed the severity of the situation as a speedometer on his dashboard climbed increasingly higher and higher.
140 kilometers per hour...
160 kilometers per hour.
From there, the needle indicator flickered somewhere near the top of the bike’s fastest possible speeds. Death became something that could occur in mere moments. Time slowed down. Concurrently, Amber’s jaw went agape as the motorcycle swerved and weaved its way through traffic, making its way through narrow passages between vehicles with a level of precision similar to threading a needle. As the hover-cars grew more distant, their spotlights struggled to keep up with their current positions.
One hover-car even made similarly sharp turns in pursuit of the duo, just to collide with a digital billboard, bringing them both out of action as shattered glass descended downward like raindrops.
The only remaining pursuer lagged behind. Taking advantage of this, the human gradually slowed down, then drove down a ramp to depart a major freeway acting as the ancestral spine of the city. He rejoined some pedestrians and other vehicles clogging the more minor roads now serving as streetways for everyone. Fortunately, his motorcycle provided a significant advantage compared to the larger vehicles as he drove through a crowd, the low growl of the engine alone being enough to alert people as they moved out of his way.
At the same time, the last hover-car continued following the freeway, zipping past Amber and the human in the far distance.
The motorcycle itself eventually moved away from the crowds and entered a neighboring tunnel. Upon doing so, precipitation stopped descending upon Amber, and the storm grew increasingly muffled. Yellow lights almost blinded her. By the time she closed and opened her eyes several times, her body pressed against the human’s back as they slowed down, pulling to an empty side of the tunnel to stay clear of any traffic before coming to a complete halt.
For a time, the two didn’t say a single word to one another. Everything froze. The human remained almost entirely stationary, and Amber became paralyzed like a statue as she clung to his back.
“You alright?” asked the human, breaking the silence.
His voice sounded… deep. A bit raspy. Like a man in his late-twenties a bit past the prime of his life.
Amber shivered a little. “Uh, not really.”
The human chuckled a little. “I probably should have figured as much.” He manually turned off the ignition of his motorcycle, silencing the rumbling engine. “Would you mind telling me exactly what I just got myself into? It’s not exactly every day that some minaki woman speaking English hops on my bike to flee from thugs or whatever the hell that situation was.”
“I… uh…” Amber paused to shake her head. “All that matters is that I got away, okay?”
“Right.” replied the man, grunting. He stood from his motorcycle and pivoted in place to face it.
However, Amber clung to his back like a monkey, resulting in her being brought with him.
The human didn’t utter a single word for a few long moments. “You can let go now.”
Amber’s body shook a little. “Of course…” she muttered. Lowering her legs to the floor, Amber finally released the man and stood on solid ground, letting out a sigh of relief. “Forgive me. I thought I was going to die on that death trap of yours...”
“Likewise.” said the human with a huff, back still facing Amber. “I’m not sure about you, but I had fun. Did you end up stabbing me with your claws during all that excitement?”
At these words, Amber focused on the man’s leather jacket. Clear gashes and scratches marked where her claws cleaved through it, chipping other parts of the leather material. Tiny holes also joined the damage. Her entire face scrunched up, and her nostrils flared a little.
“I’m not smelling any blood, but… uh...”
“But what?” he repeated back to her.
Her eyes glanced at the ground. “You might need a new jacket.”
He rolled his shoulders, turning to face her. “Great. That’s gonna cost me a pretty penny.”
Amber’s golden eyes locked onto the man’s gray-blue ones still obscured by his helmet visor. “That’s your main concern right now?!”
The human remained silent as he glared at her body, making Amber look down at herself. Her clothes were completely soaked. Specific garments were either damaged or missing, rendering her somewhat scantily clad by human standards. Only ruffled up fur still dripping with water preserved her decency otherwise, making Amber cross her arms and break eye contact.
“My outfit isn’t exactly in the best state either…” she resumed in a softer tone.
“You got a name?” asked the human.
She barely managed to meet him on an even eye level due to his height advantage of several inches. “Amber.”
“Huh.” He tilted his head up. “That’s not a very alien sounding name.”
Amber let out a slight snarl. “I was born and raised on Earth, bigot. That’s all I can say about myself for now since I don’t know if I can fully trust you yet...”
“Well, you trusted me with your life like ten minutes ago.” he retorted. “Doesn’t that count for something?”
Her tail slumped to the ground. “Touché.” Pointy ears folded against her head as she looked to the side. “Sorry, but I’m still a bit on edge from... all of that. I might have my guard up for no reason, but you’re not exactly a familiar face either. You’re more like a stranger.”
The human nodded. “I get it.” He placed two hands on his helmet, removing it with both hands before holding it under one of his arms. “Name’s Cain.”
Cain’s face immediately caught Amber’s attention. He had pale skin, a high and tight black buzz cut fading down his head to join his scruffy facial hair, and icy blue eyes. One eyeball briefly emitted a light blue glow, the tell-tale sign of a bionic one, while a small scar under it brought up even more questions. By all means, Cain had an impressive physique with his broad shoulders and a strong jawline that accentuated his other physical features.
It all made Amber’s tail spring up. “Cain… Cain what?”
“Just call me Cain.” he said in a cold tone. “You?”
“I… I’m A-Amber.” she murmured, trembling with her legs shaking. “God, it’s so cold…”
Cain shrugged. “Yup.” He placed the helmet on his bike and grabbed a pack of menthol cigarettes from his front pocket. “Now that we’ve seen each other face to face, what’s the plan from here on out? We gonna split?”
Amber tapped her foot against the ground as her tail swayed behind her. “At this point? I don’t know.”
“Because part of me thinks you’re nothing but trouble.” continued Cain, shaking his pack to retrieve a single cigarette. “Might be for the best if we parted ways once we reach relative safety. Otherwise, we’ll wait here for… oh, I don’t know… five minutes or so.” He placed the cig in his mouth, holding it with his teeth. “Then we move on.”
She looked up at him like a puppy dog, her eyes as wide as saucers. “But I don’t have anywhere to go...”
A mechanical click marked when Cain exchanged his cigarette pack for a metallic zippo lighter. Bringing it to his mouth, a straightforward motion and a flick lit the wick, lighting the cig before another clack of the lighter case snuffed out the short-lived flame. Afterward, he practically inhaled it. The cigarette’s tip burned a bright orange, then Cain exhaled with smoke emitting from his mouth and more forming from the cig itself as it created a wispy trail in the air.
Amber’s nose scrunched up from the minty smell.
“You want one?” he asked, reaching for his smoke pack once more.
“No!” answered Amber. “I want your help!”
He huffed and puffed on his cig for several seconds. “Here’s the thing. I’m not necessarily inclined to help you if you won’t bother telling me who you are and why those assholes were chasing you. I mean... I also have other obligations, you know? Not running a charity organization here.”
Amber looked in both directions before making eye contact again. “Okay, fine. Fine. I got myself involved with the wrong people to say the least…”
“Street gangs?” asked Cain.
Amber rubbed one of her eyes. “Sort of?”
“Speaking of which,” he said while scratching his chin, “Those guys were packing some serious heat. One had a weapon typically reserved for the military or the police if that’s anything to go by. Nothing a civilian could ever legally own, much less the typical trash gangsters tout.”
These words alone made Amber’s eyes shoot wide open. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, you’re right! I’d rather not say too much, but they’re more… sophisticated than most. They unofficially run some of the local night clubs too!”
Cain gave Amber a blank stare. “Like Purgatorium?”
Rather than responding, Amber looked away and wrapped her tail around her lower body.
“Is there a reason they didn’t just shoot you?” he asked.
“They want me alive.” she said under her breath. “Don’t ask why.”
In response, Cain nodded. “I see.” He temporarily took the cigarette out of his mouth to exhale, popping it back in upon accomplishing that. “That’s probably all I need to know, really. Don’t see how or why I should get myself involved in something like that though. Got enough problems as is.”
“Cain...” Amber said in a low tone, prompting him to perk his head up. “I don’t have anyone else to turn to or trust at this point.”
He sighed. “No friends or family?”
“None that can really help me anymore.” she answered, adjusting the wet tuft of fur on her head. “And some of my former friends aren’t exactly people I’d call friends anymore.”
“So you’re a criminal.” Cain said, crossing his arms.
For a moment, Amber growled, but the anger dissipated just as rapidly with a whimper. “Can we stop with this interrogation of yours? I just need somewhere to lay low for a few days...”
As before, Cain didn’t utter anything in return as he stared at her, focusing on his cigarette.
“I’ll buy you a new jacket if you can make that possible for me!” she said, scratching behind one of her ears. “That’s the least I can do. Unfortunately, I don’t have much I can currently give you in return, but I promise that I’ll return the favor to you… somehow!”
Cain pulled out his lighter again, snuffing out his cig with a special black pad. “You had me at new jacket. Might be stupid as shit on my behalf, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let you crash on my couch or something. I’m not afraid of these people.”
Amber’s ears folded downward and a more flabbergasted look spread across her face. “That’s it?”
“Yeah…” he said, casually discarding his cigarette butt by tossing it on the ground and crushing it underfoot. Ash and embers vanished beneath the boot. “I’m new to this city. Don’t have much besides a shitty apartment at this point. Thing is, I’ve been in the market for getting a real leather jacket for a long time now, but they can be very pricey compared to the synthetic ones due to the feds making the manufacture of new ones illegal...”
Amber scoffed. “You’re joking, right?”
“Authentic Italian leather is super hard to get your hands on.” Cain said, moving towards his motorcycle. “I don’t care if we have to order it online or try snatching one at an old-fashioned department store, but we’ll work something out. Especially if you got connections.”
She rolled her eyes, taking a few steps forward. “If you say so, but are you just going to leave that there?” She gestured at the cigarette butt on the ground. “It’s… inconsiderate.”
Cain gave her the usual shrug, then plopped his helmet back on. The visor sprung to life. Rather than showing his face, it transitioned to a digital skull shape with only his eyes poking out, matching the skeletal fingers on his gloves as if he transformed into an undead biker. His motorcycle similarly flashed on with several cyan indicator lights matching his black attire as he hopped on it.
Amber narrowed her eyes. “Ugh.” She squeezed her tail like a squeegee as some more water dripped down to the concrete. “My gallant knight in shining armor…”
First Chapter
Next Chapter
Chapter Selection
Category Story / All
Species Canine (Other)
Gender Female
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 70.6 kB
I wasn't expecting this series to get much attention compared to previous stuff, so I just wanted to say that I always appreciate every favorite or comment from people that are enjoying the story. This is technically a rewrite of an older series, so updates should be relatively quick since I already have things plotted out and old material to reference.
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