“Hold,” the wolf fury sniffing the air as they entered the school track and field area. Walking in on the game of flag football, the state troopers had to order everyone to disperse. Of course many of the fury athletes were less than thrilled at the demand; however being informed of two dangerous humans who have already killed ten furies did convince them to call the game a tie and high tail it back home.
“I think they split up, the wolf fury getting the scent of the deer musk and the scent of a human pooling about.
“Then so should we,” Another fury trooper speaking up; “there is at least twenty of us. Ten per human should be an effective force for containment.”
Traditionally, a general never leads an army into battle and then splits his forces in two. It is considered a tactical blunder unless he knows of actionable intelligence that is to his advantage. However since every state trooper is a fury, and all furies can cast magic, it was quickly decided to split up. One group to continue following the trail towards the houses and the second trail leading towards the town center.
“All right then,” the wolf fury was about to take a step when he was told to stop. A second fury gets down on the ground and gently tugs at a wire tied to a tree; the other end leading to a claymore mine that was hidden behind some leaves.
“One more step and you’d have killed us all,” the eagle eyed fury speaking as he summons a pair of wire cutters. Carefully snipping the wire, another fury gently picks up the claymore; removing the blasting pin and rendering the explosive safe.
“Good eyes,” the wolf fury nodding as he exhales; “everyone be on the look out for more booby traps. We can’t be far behind them if they are putting these up to slow us down.”
“I may know what or who their target is,” a third fury speaking up; “I’m familiar with this area and we are not far from a residential area that a certain CDC director lives.”
***********
Denise smiled as she savored the latest culinary creation her mate has whipped up. It was a a fusion dish containing classic French cuisine with Middle eastern influences. The phyllo pastry wrapping the duck breast was almost like a beef wellington; a traditional fancy English dish. However the duck was cooked in rendered butter and garlic and then baked in the oven with the pistachio crusted phyllo pastry. Along with the protein was a traditional Iranian salad called a Shirazi. It was a finely chopped cucumber and tomato salad with dried crushed mint, olive oil, and lemon juice.
“Grandma did teach me how to cook Italian,” Michael topping up the wine glasses; “but not everyone eats pasta and garlic bread nonstop. Even Grandma had a few Greek and Spanish dishes she would whip out from time to time.”
“I bet she never thought of this,” the anthro Tigress fury combing a bite of the salad and duck into one forkful; “do you always come up with these experiments?”
“When I’m thinking of mixing up the menu at the restaurant,” Michael cutting into his pastry wrapped duck breast; “I usually get Jimmy and Jake to taste and provide input. But they are not here.”
“So I get first samples then,” Denise already half finished her plate; “I think this would make a great addition.”
“then I would have to remove something off of the menu,” Michael taking a bite and making a mental note the pistachios need more grinding; “but what to remove?”
Before Denise could make a suggestion, the doorbell rings; interrupting the couples evening meal.
“Now who is calling at this time,” Denise getting up.
“Sit back down,” Michael summoning his phone and looking at the screen before speaking; “Who is it?”
“It’s the police,” a large imposing Komodo Dragon fury speaking on the end; “is this one of those doorbell cameras?”
“I had it installed while you were in Washington,” Michael whispering to Denise before answering; “It is. I thought it best with my mate’s current job.”
“Sensible,” the komodo fury responding; “can you please let me in? This is important.”
********************
He ran through the woods at a break neck speed. Hearing the voices of those behind him getting closer; the man fumes as the booby trap he set earlier before splitting up with his partner failed to go off.
“Those fucking animals must have discovered it,” the man swearing as he spots a large oak tree and decides to make his stand. “Perhaps I can take a few out with my rifle before they get me,” the man climbing up the tree. He had no time to set another trap or two so he got up as high as he could and readied his bolt action rifle.
Looking down the scope he spots what he assumes was a feline fury slowly following his path.
“They can move fast,” the man muttering as he steadies his breathing and lets off a shot. The dull thud from his silencer ensures that the furies don’t hear and freak out. He smiles as the fury he aimed at suddenly fell to the ground lifeless. He could have sworn he saw more furies behind but now they all vanished.
“Dam it,” a horse fury swearing has he and the rest of the state troopers dropped to the ground; “he shot at us. Did anyone hear where it came from?”
“No,” another whispering; “but he can’t be far.”
“Wait,” a bobcat fury looking with a pair of binoculars; “I see movement in the oak tree ahead. He has established a sniper’s nest.”
“Well what an odd looking bird he is,” the horse fury speaking loudly as he and the state troopers crawl forward. All using their runes to make themselves invisible to the human’s eyes; “I wonder if he can fly?”
The man in the tree quickly pans the area trying to look for the source of the voices around him. Not realizing that the remaining furies stalking him are invisible, he starts firing his rifle blindly. Each shot eliciting a dull thud before he is forced to drop gun. The gun stock and metal barrel becoming too hot to the touch as one of the furies who managed to get behind him used his magic runes to melt the offending fire arm. The man watched as his military grade rifle turned into a pile of useless metal and the composite material made a nasty smell that even caused several of the furies to wretch in disgust.
“You might as well come down,” the Horse fury now making himself visible; “you are now surrounded.”
“Fuck you dumb beast,” the man pulling out his berretta only to have that taken from him the same way his rifle was rendered useless.”
“The next time we use our runes,” the horse fury glaring; “it will be to remove the branch you are sitting on. And I can tell you this right now,” The horse fury smiling; “gravity is still a heartless bitch.”
“So climb down,” a fury growling behind the man; “or fall down. Either scenario is fine by us.”
*********************
Denise and Michael Proudhoof looked stunned as the police sergeant explained to them that two humans have been killing furies since coming to town this morning. Not certain of their objective until twenty minutes ago, until the two split off and evidence supports one is on the way to try and kill Denise.
“Why would this person want to try and kill my mate,” Michael grumbling.
“I created the fury flu pandemic,” Denise placing a hand paw on her mate’s thigh; “Of course humans who survived the initial pandemic and found a way to continue on are going to want to target me. I effectively doomed them as a species.”
“It’s not as if we can’t co-exist with them,” the Komodo Dragon fury answering; “but they need to meet us halfway.”
“It’s not about peaceful co-existence,” Denise answering; explaining to the police sergeant that the fury virus mutated most of the viruses that the immune system fights on a regular basis. The modified viruses, will still make a fury sick; however if they infect a human, said human will soon become a fury.
“I did several interviews with the media about this while in Washington last week,” Denise adding; “surely you watched a few of them.”
“I try to spend my free time doing other tasks then staring at a television,” the komodo fury answering with a sigh.
“If these two are here to try and kill my mate,” Michael getting up and heading to the kitchen to close the blinds; “then it stands to reason that more be on the way.”
“It is a possibility,” the sergeant shaking his head at the notion; “would you be inclined to allow deputies and state troopers to stick around and keep an eye out?”
“It if helps to stop this nonsense,” Michael sitting back down in the living room; “I’ll even organize a special party at my restaurant for local law enforcement.”
“You going to make that Veal Cannelloni,” Denise purring at the thought of that stuffed tube shape pasta; “or will it be the Duck Wellington we just had?”
“You can make Texas style chili and every deputy and state trooper within a three hundred mile radius will come by,” the Komodo Dragon fury chuckling; “they won’t turn down free food or a party.”
“Then it’s settled,” the anthro stag-deer fury nodding; “a party at Proudhoof for the local constabulary. Noticing the komodo fury picking up his radio, Michael quickly stops talking as a voice on the other end begins speaking.
“Sergeant, we have one human in custody,” a state trooper speaking on the other end. “He climbed an old oak tree but he managed to kill a trooper before capture.”
“Take him to the jail,” the sergeant responding; “make sure he is properly booked. I want him and any other humans who may be contemplating this action to see that they are the beasts. Not us.”
“Roger and out,” the voice on the other end acknowledging.
“Now it’s just the matter of capturing the one on his way here,” the sergeant breathing a sigh of relief; “if you excuse me I need to make a phone call.”