Tough Love

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy awoke in her darkened apartment after a short nap. Yawning, she sat up groggily and gathered up her courage to leave the warm nest her blankets provided. Eventually she swung her bare legs over the side of the queen sized bed, feet reaching the thin carpet. She ambled over to the window and opened the blinds to reveal the low evening sun shining down lazily on the city. As night began to slowly fall, the civilians would lock their doors and hide for the night while criminal activity ran rampant.

Turning away from the window, Roxy approached her bed and made it tidy, fixing the covers. Her room was rather simple. It had grey walls and was square shaped. In the corner closest to the door was her bass guitar and amp, while in the other corner by the window there was a desk with a computer perched on top of it. Her closet was located parallel to the foot of her bed. Opening it up, she revealed her clothing. Roxy slowly began to rouse again as she donned her usual outfit of a dark tanktop, vest, loose jeans, spiked belt, gloves, and combat boots. She was careful to shove one of her many knives into one of the boots for emergencies.

Then Roxy exited her room and entered the living room, which consisted of a couch placed before a simple TV with a coffee table placed in between. Near the TV was a window that allowed another view of the city. A few feet behind this area was a table and chairs with a small kitchen beside it. A bathroom was located a few feet next to her room and Roxy made her way in there, fixing her mess of dirty blonde hair and attending to her light makeup. Then she slid a knife into each pocket and left her apartment. In the garage below the apartment building, she entered her car, which was an old red Camero. It had been a present from Roxy's father, courtesy of a wealthy man that her father's gang had done in.

Roxy drove herself to a random seeming alleyway, making sure that she wasn't being followed. Then she parked the car alongside the road and exited swiftly, striding down the darkened alleyway. She reached a door at the end, concealed from street view by a dumpster. Reaching the door, she knocked the proper amount of times and the door opened. Unfazed, Roxy found herself under gunpoint for a moment before she was identified. The door was shut behind her and locked before she continued to walk. The area around was dimly lit with smooth concrete walls. Continuing down a set of stairs and passing more armed guards, who were all female, she finally reached a door at the bottom. Someone must have announced her presence via walkie talkie or phone since the door opened to admit her without password.

This opened to a rather spacious room. It had a circular shape to it, the cement walls covered in grey wall paper for a more refined look. Painted in black on the wall, by Roxy herself, was a black eastern dragon similar to the one around her arm. The front area was more like a lounge, couches situated in a circle with a few short tables in between. A few loyal members resided there, chatting with one another. They stopped and offered a short head bow to Roxy as she passed. The next area was up against the walls with tables and computers. The people seated there were doing research on different places to rob or people to kill. In between these walls was a large, wooden table for meeting purposes, though one in a backroom would admit more secretive conversations. A wall separated the main area from a back one. This area was guarded well and contained a portion of their guns, knives, drugs, and ammo. The rest was in different locations so that no one could steal it all in one swoop. There were other rooms that branched off the main one, but these would be explained later.

The Oynx Dragon hideout was placed in an underground area that was meant to be for plumbing, but that had never worked out and was instead placed towards the side alleyway, leaving a rather large empty space underground. Above was a shoe shop, run by a close ally to the gang. He made sure not to speak a word of the gang that dwelled beneath him. Everything was organized, as it should be.

Roxy took a seat at one of the tables that was located towards the back of the lounge area. She was soon approached by a woman who wore a blazer and slacks and had short, black hair. "Miss Lupus, I have news that may concern you."she spoke up.

"Out with it then."Roxy said as somone set an iced coffee before her, receiving a silent thank you.

"Amanda deserted us. She is rumored to have joined the Kitty Kickers."the woman said.

Roxy nearly spit out her coffee. She swallowed carefully and said, "You've got to be fucking kidding me. She went to the Kitty Kickers? Out of all of the gangs to flee too, she chose our rivals."

Sighing, Roxy added, "No matter, it's not like they didn't already know where our hide out is since god damned Muse has the knowledge of course. Let's hope Amanda tries not to loose her tongue too much. Even in the safety of another gang, Amanda knows I can have her tongue cut out in due time. If she hasn't lost her wits she'll run back with her tail between her legs."

 

[MUSΞ]

"It's been a long while since I've gotten a manicure..." Muse sighed as she filed a single nail in a desperate attempt to make it pretty. "I think I'm getting a hangnail..."

In front of her, three members of the Kitty Kickers were giving their new recruit, Amanda, the standard gang initiation. It was a very simple one as Muse couldn't be too picky about who can join their gang. All the potential member had to do was survive seven minutes of a severe beating from the other members.

Amanda covered her head as the three girls kicked, punched and scratched at the poor girl while Muse casually watched on. Kitty Kickers gang was officially named a gang for about two months, but the girls were already gathered before. It took a long while to get everything in order. Muse was forced to move to a different neighborhood across the city once she left her former gang, being seen as a traitor and most likely punished for it. Once settled, she had to find a new hangout. Which, was under an expressway overpass. It was a temporary spot as they were somewhat out in the elements. But, it was well hidden, spacious, and Muse was able to decorate it perfectly with a few pieces of abandoned furniture she found on street corners.

Her new gang members, all who recently dropped out of high school, were all eager to join and very capable of defending the gang on their own. From what Muse heard from rumors of this neighborhood, all three girls were cousins in some way and each delinquents in their own rights.

"...time!" Muse looked down at her watch as she stood. "Alright, get off her. Is she still awake?"

Muse wandered over to Amanda, a bloody and bruised body on the dirty ground. She nudged Amanda with her foot and smiled when Amanda looked up at her.

"Welcome Amanda to Kitty Kickers!" Muse congratulated.

The rest of the girls cheered, helping Amanda up and walked her to an used couch. They gave her a beer, some rags to clean up and friendly pats on the back. Amanda smiled wide through her bloody face.

"Thanks Muse. You don't know how much it means for me to be here. When you left, The Onyx Dragon just didn't feel the same anymore. It felt like we were missing something too important...even more important than Roxy..."

"Pffff, Roxy..." Muse snorted. "I wonder how she feels with you leaving?"

"I don't think she knows I'm here with you," Amanda said.

"Good, hope we can keep it like that. She won't come after you. Roxy wouldn't leave her cozy neighborhood to travel all the way here. She has it made there...thanks to me..." Muse sat next to Amanda. "I did most of the work and she sat back looking on...I'll show her...I'll make The Onyx Dragon crumble and burn like fuckin' Pompeii...and we're going to do it by slowly picking out each member..."

The girls applauded as they surrounded Muse and Amanda on the couch. With Amanda on their side, Muse knew it would only be a matter of time when more former Onyx Dragon members join the Kitty Kickers.

"Once their gone, the city will be ours...you hear that Roxy! The city will be mine!" Muse shouted into the open air as she suddenly stood, raising her fists high above her.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy of course, couldn't hear the cheers of the riled up gang members across town, but she had an odd sense that Amanda would be welcomed to the Kitty Kickers like anyone else. The thought sickened Roxy. She had had of course had some disapproval regarding the fallout between her and Muse, but she didn't think that it would only take two months for the first to walk out. Roxy would be sure to have her members keep a lookout for Amanda if the woman came near their turf again. That way they could giver her a congratulations for being a turn cloak and promptly beat the bitch into the concrete. Roxy didn't tolerate much in the ways of traitors. She'd first ask them if they'd like to submit to her, just to see who the cowards were before they were punished the same as the defiant ones.

Roxy looked up at the sound of shouting to see two of the gang members going at each other. It was a brawl between Riley, a tall ruthless woman, and a little spitball of a shrimp nicknamed "Biter."The name was given to her due to her knack of biting her opponents. Sometimes she even wore metal caps over her canine teeth to inflict more damage and humiliation. Roxy sat back casually and sipped her coffee, eyes trained on the fight taking place. Riley took to aiming strong kicks at Biter, but the other woman was fast and too hard to hit. Roxy knew who the winner would be even before Biter's leg darted out and sent Riley sprawled out on the floor. A few of the women spectating hooted happily, flashing toothy grins and raising their drinks. Roxy even cracked a brief wolfish smile.

Then she heard someone ask when there was a lull in the conversing, "Hey, where the hell is Amanda?"

That's when Roxy spoke up, diverting all of the attention to where she sat. "She fled to join the Feline Fuckers. Or Kitty Kickers as they like to call themselves. Do make sure that you give the girl a warm greeting if she stumbles into your path. Courtesy of the Onyx Dragons."she said, the room having gone quiet when she raised her voice.

As soon as the news had been shared, talking broke out again. Mingled in the fray were yells of, "I will carve a smile into that traitor's face!" Or even, "I'll give that bitch a nice kick in the chest, since the Feline Fuckers like kicking right?" Roxy growled, a low sound that brought on another bout of quiet. All she said was, "Easy. " Then she added, "There is no reason to get worked up over a bit of scum when we have work to do tonight. We have planned to pay a visit to the Silent Scorpions. They've been taking their sweet time in skirting around our turf, so we may as well remind them why they shouldn't dare to step a foot closer."

Roxy stood up and walked over closer to her group. They had a decent amount of members considering how long they had been together. "I will take you, you, you, you, and you in my group. You five will skirt along the west side of the territory, and you five will patrol the east. My group will be the ones making a more direct confrontation with these assholes. Am I clear?"Roxy explained, pointing a few of the women out of the group and watching them show silent signs of glee in result.

They nodded, showing their understanding. "Very well then. We leave in 15 minutes sharp. Prepare yourselves."she said with a nod before turning and stalking off. The Silent Scorpions had turf located in between the Kitty Kicker's land and the land of the Onyx Dragons, so Roxy hoped that a certain werecat wouldn't dare to make an appearance with her new ensemble of wanna be thugs.

 

[MUSΞ]

Once Amanda was all cleaned up, Muse sat the gang around an open fire burning in a trash can. Inside were the bloody rags used to clean Amanda up, a couple of piles of newspapers, and underneath those Muse threw in a few photos of Roxy and her back in high school. Muse felt bittersweet about throwing the photos in the fire. The two girls had such a great time in high school causing so much hijinks and troubles for the teachers. They had a good reputation as well for being the two toughest girls in the school. But, at the same time, Muse felt relief that she was getting over Roxy after being screwed over with their first gang. Both girls wanted to lead and control, but both had different leading styles that always clashed. Roxy was also way too bossy for Muse's liking.

"What are we going to do now?" Caroline, one of the three cousins, asked.

"We can't do too much right now because we don't have enough girls," Muse answered. "We have to keep an extremely low profile and try not to get on any gang's bad side, especially Roxy's."

All the girls nodded as they stood around the fire.

"You still going to take Onyx Dragon members?" Amanda asked.

Muse nodded, scratching her black cat ears.

"Slowly, yeah. We can't just go in and advertise to them openly or Roxy will destroy us. Out of all the gangs, the Onyx Dragons have the most seasoned gang members who know the way of gang life and rules. I don't have time to be teaching majority new recruits our way of life," Muse said.

The girls stood quietly for a while. The three cousins, Caroline, Rickie, and Tonya, breathed in unison as they tried to figure out a way to help the gang. All the pressure was on Muse to quickly grow Kitty Kickers and to establish it more as a stand-alone gang than a sub-gang of the Onyx Dragons. The Kitty Kickers had no allies, no financial backup, no trade. Right now, they were a struggling nation trying to make their way.

"Wait," Tonya, the only cousin that had dyed pink hair, interrupted their silence. "What about the Silent Scorpions? Isn't that gang falling apart?"

"Is it? I heard they have been scrambling to keep their territory in check...their leader kind of sucks too..well then, let's pay their leader a visit, hmm?" Muse smiled.

If Tonya and Muse were correct, the Silent Scorpions was in dire need of new leadership and approach. They were never much of a threat to anyone. Not even to the newly formed, low member Kitty Kickers. Muse led her girls out from the underpass and through a small thicket of overgrown brush to the edge of the Silent Scorpions territory. All Muse wanted to do was simply talk to their leader, maybe form a partnership. While the Silent Scorpions had more members than the Kitty Kickers, they still fell short of members and quality compared to the Onyx Dragons.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Someone fetched a black sheath for Roxy. Roxy took it and slowly pulled the blade out. It had a black leather handle and a 10 inch long blade with a smooth cutting edge and a serated option on the back. Examining it, Roxy found the blade to be satisfactory. She slid the knife carefully back into its sheath and attatched the sheath to her belt.

Other girls on the assignment were also grabbing their favored weapons. One even grabbed a whip that was crudely studded with barbed wire to inflict more pain. Another weilded a baseball bat spiked with nails. The girls also made sure they had a clean appearance, hair fixed and dark clothing organized. Roxy liked to keep her members orderly and well groomed to scare off those who were less off than their gang was.

Roxy returned to the lounge area at the specified time. All the girls were there and ready, save for one who came walking over. Roxy rounded on her, teeth bared. "Who do you think you are being late and this casual?"she asked, scaring the other woman who was easily a half a foot taller than Roxy herself.

"Um..I'm sorry, Miss Lupus."She replied awkwardly.

Roxy reached up in a flash and smacked the woman across the face, leaving a red handprint. The woman took the slap with just a flinch. Then Roxy's facial expression softened again and she said, "Get in line with the others."

The woman obliged. Then wordlessly, Roxy headed towards the door. Her group followed behind her and the other groups formed behind that group and parallel to each other, making the groups arranged in a triangle. Roxy quietly walked up the stairs, the doors opened for them. Her group entered the alleyway outside while the others knowingly stayed. They'd be released in about five minutes, then there would be another wait before the last group since it would be too suspicious for them to all be traveling at once.

Roxy was flanked by none other than Riley and little Biter. Riley had short, red hair and Biter had a mess of tangled black hair that made her appear as feral as she acted. Behind her was Thunder, a stocky loud woman. Next to Thunder was Cobra, a quiet woman who had a killer strikeand a poisoned knife. Next to Cobra was a newer member who had no nickname and went by Damara.

Roxy walked with a dignified and smooth gait, head moving side to side to detect any danger. They reached the sidewalk and began to walk along it, the girls being apprehensive. It was a short walk, about 5 blocks away or so, until they neared an old abandoned parking lot where the Silent Scorpians had made their residence. The parking lot was spacious and Roxy could see that they had lit a fire and were sitting around it.

Roxy walked towards them with little hesitation. The members of the other gang looked over to see figures approaching in the dark, wondering who they were. Their answer came in the form of a rumbling growl from Roxy's chest. There were about ten people present and they all stood up, weapons in hand.

 

[MUSΞ]

The Silent Scorpions main territory was a good three miles from the edge with Kitty Kickers. Muse led her gang down the empty street surrounded by old apartment buildings and abandoned store fronts, walking along the center line of the street with her arms extended. The girls followed after, arms extended as well, as they pretended to balance on the line.

Muse was much more playfully when leading her gang, believing that a firm, yet gentle approach was the best way to lead. She wanted everyone to feel like family with a purpose rather than a soldier in the army.

She stopped, raising her head as her nostrils flared. Her cat ears pointed forward and wiggled slightly.

"You guys hear that?" she asked her gang.

They nodded together and began a slow trot over to the source of the sound. It didn't take too long before Muse could see through the sharpness of her eyes at the encounter between the Silent Scorpions and the Onyx Dragons. A low hiss escaped her lips as her golden eyes landed on Roxy.

"What's going on?" Rickie asked.

"Shut the fuck up and follow me," Muse instructed.

They couldn't be seen by either gang now. The Silent Scorpions were too occupied and most likely flustered by the appearance of one of the best gangs in the city. Muse led her gang to a clearing just outside the parking lot, behind a chain linked fence with easy access down an alley in case they were seen.

Muse narrowed her eyes, her gang clinging their hands on the chain linked fence as they stare on at the two gang.

 

[Wistful Beast]

The leader of the Silent Scorpion's stepped forwards. He was about six feet tall eith a wiry build, a harsh jaw line, and a black mohawk styled roughly atop his head. He wore a black leather vest and matching jeans with steel toed boots. Almost every inch of exposed skin was covered in various tattoos. He looked at his gangand then back to Roxy. "Are you lost, doll!"he asked, eliciting a few laughs from the six women and three men that collected behind him.

Roxy stepped closer so that she was only a few meters away, eyeing the leader up silently with her girls forming a line behind her. "Lost? I don't believe so. I know exactly where I am."Roxy replied, causing a few of the rival gang members to murmur amongst themselves. Roxy held her arms behind her back, showing she didn't fear them.

Then she added, "I have reached the sovalled turf of a gang of cowards. A group who is all bark and no bite with a name that doesn't fit the pathetic ensemble."

This caused the rival members to clutch their weapons tighter, beginning to shout obscenities before they were promptly silenced by their leader. "Can you count, Roxy? There are ten of us, and only five of you."the leader spoke confidently, though on the inside his stomach was lurching.

Roxy laughed, throwing her head back. Her girls added their own laughter to the mix before they all seemed to cease at once. Roxy looked the leader dead in the eyes. "I could have bested you all by bringing only two."she growled a challenge.

That's when the fighting broke out. The rival leader sent his riled up group towards Roxy's. The girls keot their formation as best as possible, helping each other out to fend off the higher amount of enemies. That left Roxy and the other leader facing each other. In a flash, Roxy took the form of a four foot tall creme pelted wolf, teeth bared and fur on end.

The leader backed up nervously, pulling out a machette. Roxy stalked forwards, snarling.

 

[MUSΞ]

Muse watched Roxy and the leader of the Silent Scorpions intently, her eyes never leaving the two. The other girls crouched low, biting their lips from shouting and cheering the fight on.

"Damn, if I knew this was happening, I would have brought some chips or somethin'!" Rickie said.

There was a bit of envy as Muse watched on. The Onyx Dragons looked so put together, so much like an intimidating team that all they needed to do was show up and catch the other gang completely off guard. Muse looked down at her small gang. They had a lot to do to even become half as powerful as the Onyx Dragons with very little time.

"We can't have them win," Muse said lowly.

"Who?" the girls asked together.

"Onyx Dragons. If they win this fight it would completely tear up the Silent Scorpions. Sure, they'll keep their territory for now...but it'll be a matter of time before Roxy just wipes the floor with them and take it over," Muse explained. "Ugh...if only I talked to the Scorpions leader sooner..."

Muse crouched with her girls and looked on at the fight. She bit her nails, silently cheering on the Scorpions as they fought. They had to win this fight. At least, for now until Muse could gather more members for the Kitty Kickers. The cousins watched on, discussing among themselves about who was the best fighters while Amanda crouched beside Muse.

"There are few who are on the fence about staying with Roxy," Amanda told. "But, it'll be a bit of a struggle to convince them to come over."

"It's alright. I have this pretty nifty way of 'advertising' us," Muse smiled, placing an arm around Amanda's shoulders. "Sit and watch the show. We have a few minutes before we have to hurry off."

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy was squared off with the leader of the Silent Scorpions, body crouched low and muscles taut. The leader held his machete in a shaky hand, staring right into the face of the she wolf. Roxy was hardly paying attention to her crew now, knowing they could handle what was thrown at them. They were overwhelmed though considering their numbers. Roxy was merely fixated on the man ahead of her, her prey in this moment. Roxy began to slowly shift her weight to her hindquarters, anticipating an attack from the enemy.

Soon enough the opposing leader lunged towards Roxy, hollering and brandishing his large knife. That's when Roxy released the tension in her hindquarters with a sudden jump, colliding with the chest on the other leader and bowling him right over. The leader landed with a crunch flat on his back, the large wolf standing over him with bared teeth. The leader pushed his knife towards the wolf's throat, but Roxy was quick to dart off of him and out of the way. Her claws skidding on asphalt, she turned to face him again. Wasting little time, Roxy lunged forth and knocked him over when he was struggling to stand, jaws clamping down hard on the man's shoulder. He cried out in pain and shoved his knife towards Roxy, slicing her shoulder and eliciting a yelp from her. Roxy shook her head to tear the man's flesh before she backed off to avoid another desperate slash of the machete.

The opposing leader clenched his shoulder, wincing in pain. Roxy was about to make the final move when a strong force collided with the back of her head and sent her to the ground. Dazed, she staggered to her feet only to receive another thump. Roxy shifted human after falling, stumbling to her feet and slashing her own knife out. There was a flash of steel, a splatter of crimson, and a gurgled cry before the man assaulting Roxy with a baseball bat fell to the ground, a red slash on his throat. The opposing leader was back again, placing Roxy in a headlock with the blade against her throat. "Stop!"he yelled. The fighters realized what was happening and paused to look at Roxy. Roxy only offered a sly smile, feeling the cold steel against her throat.

"Surrender now, Onyx dragons."he hissed. That was before Roxy sent her fist right in between the man's legs. When he doubled over, he released her, allowing Roxy to bash him over the head with both fists and send him crumpling unconscious to the ground. After the leader was down, the rest of the Silent Scorpion's darted away to escape. Roxy shifted and bounded after one, leaping on the man and biting his arm hard. Shaking aggressively, a large tear formed on the man's flesh. With that anger out, Roxy stalked away and assumed her human form again. She looked over her women to find that none were dead, though they suffered a few injuries. The new girl caught her breath, looking around at the others and wondering why they ever thought doing this was a good idea. Roxy offered verbal praise. "Great job, ladies. You have all done well and have earned a bit more of my respect. You shall be rewarded for your efforts."she said, receiving a few smiles and happy hooting. The new girl still didn't seem very happy.

 

[MUSΞ]

"Ohhhh! Did you see that?!" the cousins cheered together. "That was so close! That was a great fight!"

"It's time for us to go," Muse stood as the other Scorpion members began to scurry. "We've had enough fun tonight."

The girls nodded and stood. They ran back to their territory, blending into the rush of Scorpion members. Muse stayed behind, eyes glued onto the scene just a few ways ahead of her. She was wondering what Roxy was going to do with the unconscious leader. Muse knew how ruthless Roxy could be. The leader looked so pitiful, so defenseless...

Muse adjusted her bra, pulling it up as she followed along the fence to gain a better view. She was still in somewhat of a hiding place as the bushes that surrounded the fence was overgrown, but Muse wanted to risk it. She was also curious about the newest girl Roxy had.

Muse noticed the new girl's expression, her posture. The girl didn't seem happy over the victory the gang had over the Silent Scorpions. Maybe the girl wasn't cut out for that life? Or, maybe being part of the Onyx Dragons wasn't her fit?

A smile crept on Muse's face. A person like that is always a bit toxic to the gang as a whole. But, Muse wasn't going to think too much of it. The outcome of this event may benefit her anyway. If Roxy gets rid of their leader, Muse may be able to round up the Scorpions and invite them to join the Kitty Kickers. If the leader somehow makes it, Muse could still use some of her charm to at least gain an ally. A weak ally...but one that may give in and join the Kitty Kickers.

She had no room for error as all her cards had to be played perfectly.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy looked down at the unconscious leader of thr Silent Scorpions, wondering what to do with him. Looking to her girls she said, "You may leave now. The others are patrolling so you may go back to the hideout or your homes. "

The girls hesitated a moment before dispersing, walking back ti the hideout and whispering amongst themselves. They wondered what their leader would do with the unconscious man, taking bets on whether or not she'd kill him or not. The majority guessed she'd kill the man and they were correct.

Roxy stood over the man, looking down at his limp body and thinking if what a sniveling coward he was. Roxy was rather violent, but she had some sense of mercy considering she hadn't had her girls pick off any of the runners. So she decided to give this man a swift and painless end to his miserable life. She leaned down and with one quick swipe she slit the man's throat open. Wiping the blood from her knife, she sheathed it carefully and looked at the quiet area around her.

Roxy knew she wasn't alone though, having scented a familiar smell when she had been in her wolf form. Still standing above the man, she looked around and growled, "Muse. I know you're here."

 

[MUSΞ]

"... no you don't..." Muse stepped from behind the overgrown bush, but continued to use the fence as a guard. "...nah you're right. Surprise?"

She smiled, lacing her fingers through the fence as she leaned her body forward on it. Her ears pinned at Roxy, following whatever movement Roxy would make. Muse was on guard, but not really too nervous at the unexpected encounter between the two. While they had their issues and seen as bitter rivals, there was nothing at this moment that would be in cause for a sudden attack. Maybe.

"Thanks for making me waste my time coming here Roxy. You didn't have to go and kill the guy...but that was a pretty good fight the two of you had. He got that lucky shot to you," Muse trailed her finger along the fence as her eyes wandered the area. "I would ask if you're okay, but you probably wouldn't believe me that I give a care. That's half true, I don't care that you got sliced, but I am glad it wasn't on that face of yours."

It was hard to keep back all the memories Muse had with Roxy. She fought them returning to her mind, playing like a slideshow as she talked to Roxy. Muse sighed, pressing her body firmer on the fence as she rubbed her eyes.

"Well, with that I should be on my way. Congrats on your victory over the Silent Scorpions. Hopefully they regroup and launch a last ditch effort against you instead of just disappearing into the fog. I know how much you love wars," Muse said. "It was nice seeing you again? Hmm, yeah I'll admit it was. Though, I doubt you feel the same about seeing me. Later, Roxy. Have fun throwing away that body."

Muse slowly backed from the fence, keeping her eyes on Roxy as that smile remained on her face. She held up her hands, placing them beside her cheeks and put them into the "peace" sign. She curled the two fingers slightly forward, displaying the Kitty Kickers gang sign. There was a bit of hesitation before running off as Muse wanted to hear what Roxy wanted to say, but didn't want to risk being in a now unclear territory. It was still the Silent Scorpions until they decided if they wanted to regroup or abandon the whole thing.

Either way, Muse knew she had to do something drastic. The Silent Scorpions were the only ones that created somewhat of a barrier between Roxy and her. With them nearing collapse, the territory would be open for the taking.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy took a few steps towards Muse, though she stopped when there were a few meters between them. Roxy wore a neutral expression on her face, jaw set and eyes fixated almost coldly on Muse with little movement in her pupils. It was a wolf like gaze, intense and unbreaking. She kept her posture in good condition with a mostly straightened back and upright shoulders, but she allowed herself to shift her weight to her right hip and loosen her arms a bit. She was confident that there would be no fight between them right now, but tensions were still pretty high.

Roxy was pleased to hear that she had hindered whatever plot Muse had, taking enjoyment in stopping the traitor from executing a plan that would probably aid the Kitty Kickers. She allowed a sliver of a smile, eyes still amber in color from her recent shift. "I'm glad you enjoyed the show."Roxy replied, voice portraying her triumph. Though she made no attempt to respond to what Muse's concern. The girl was right, Roxy didn't believe that Muse would care. The slash running across Roxy's shoulder was dripping blood onto her shirt, but she wouldn't dare to show any weakness despite the stinging pain that overtook her senses. She kept her teeth pressed together to avoid any pained sounds that may have escaped her, feigning indifference.

Roxy didn't know how to feel about Muse. The woman was a traitor, and Roxy had little time for turn cloaks. But then again, Roxy couldn't quite remove all positive feelings aimed towards her best friend. Unlike Muse, Roxy didn't have the emotional strength to destroy the pictures they had of one another. They were stored in a box under her bed, hidden from prying eyes. On occasion she'd look at them, but she'd get angry that she still felt a connection and always ended up yelling, ripping a few of the photos, and then drinking. Then when sober the next morning, she'd reluctantly repair the pictures with tape and store the box away again for the next time. In public though she had tuned her emotions to try to replace anger and bitter betrayal with any kinship she felt with Muse.

Roxy didn't respond to Muse's goodbye, though she did offer a brief devious grin at the mention of wars. It was true, she loved the thrill of fighting for her territory. She loved to develop strategies and of course she loved to win. Roxy looked back to the man when removing the body was mentioned. Roxy thought about leaving it there since this was a shady part of town and no one would care much for a dead criminal, but she'd at least ditch the corpse in a dumpster. Roxy watched as Muse made her leave with her gang signs and what not. Roxy replied simply by raising both hands and flipping the woman off silently. Then she walked back towards the corpse, anger bubbling inside her. How could that woman still have an effect on her? Roxy angrily kicked the corpse, teeth bared. Then she grabbed it by the arm and began to drag it, now in a bitter mood. She dumped the body in a nearby dumpster and began to make her way back towards her hideout.

 

[MUSΞ]

Muse walked back to her lands, seeing Amanda waiting for her at the territory line. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Did...did Roxy say anything?" Amanda asked cautiously.

"Not really," Muse answered. "She didn't really pay me no mind."

There was a bit of hurt in Muse's voice. Deep down, Muse was hoping of some sort of conversation with Roxy. Even if it was just them shouting obscenities and wishing death on each other. Muse felt ignored, blocked, not even hated anymore. She felt like she was more of an annoyance to Roxy than anything else.

Muse shook her head as the two walked back to their main hideout. She was surprised to see some of the Silent Scorpions taking refugee in their hideout. The ones seriously hurt were laying on the ground on the dirty mattresses while the ones with superficial wounds gathered around the still burning trash fire. Tonya walked up to Muse.

"They say they're too scared to go back and have no where else to go for medical help. Rickie and Caroline are tending to the really bad ones," Tonya explained.

Muse walked up to the Silent Scorpion members. All were female with one kind of looking very guy-ish. They all looked up at Muse with pleading, pitiful eyes. Some wiped their teary eyes. Others were openly crying.

"You all can't be here unless you want to join me," Muse said. "I'm giving you two minutes to pick yourselves up and get out of here. I'm feeling sorry for you all from that terrible beating you all had."

"What of our leader?" one of their members asked.

"He's dead. Gone. No more. Resting sadly in some ditch probably," Muse said.

The Silent Scorpion members gathered around each other, thinking of their options. Many had no homes or families to go to. All had no idea what would happen to their now tarnish gang since their leader was dead. It was clear that the Silent Scorpions didn't have a plan B for this sort of event.

After the two minutes, only one girl left the Kitty Kickers hideout and patrolled out into the night. The others crawled over to Muse, begging her to take them in and to pledge themselves to her. Muse couldn't hold back a smile. If things went right after the initiation, Kitty Kickers would now have three new members, reaching a good eight members.

"Hurry and fix them up!" Muse ordered Rickie and Caroline. She turned to Amanda with a huge grin on her face. "I think we have a good enough force to really stick it to Roxy. Maybe enough to persuade some of the Onyx Dragons to switch sides like you. Who wouldn't want to be part of a fast growing gang? Who wouldn't want to be part of history at being one of the earliest members of the greatest gang this city will ever have!"

For the rest of the night, the founding members of the Kitty Kickers tended to their promised new members while Muse contemplated on how to persuade Onyx Dragon members and make the Silent Scorpions territory a neutral territory.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy was in a bad mood now. Anyone that crossed her would have another thing coming. She knew that letting the defeated gang members go was a terrible idea, realizing that they may go join the Kitty Kickers. The last thing Roxy had wanted to do was accidentally give the Kitty Kickers a few more members. It would be terrible if the gang wasn't kept to a few members, since the more members meant a stronger gang. A stronger gang meant that the Onyx Dragons would have some real trouble. Roxy knew that as soon as the Kitty Kickers became a strong gang that Muse would first target Roxy's gang. The thought further angered Roxy and she harshly kicked a trashcan over, watching it clatter to the ground and spill its contents.

Roxy didn't have the guts to take down the Kitty Kickers yet since that would mean potentially needing to kill Muse, which she wasn't ready to do. She hated the woman's guts for being a traitor, but they had enough history that she couldn't yet dream on actually murdering the woman. Roxy also hated that she had neglected to pester Muse about the loss of Amanda and maybe ask for Muse to give a warning to the girl, but Roxy had been too distracted by her wound. She looked over at her wound now, noting that it was of course still bleeding and stinging like a bitch. She'd have to get it patched up soon.

Roxy eventually reached the hideout, entering quietly and saying nothing to the curious looking guards posted at each door. She reached the main area to see the members all sitting in the chairs in the lounge area, asking the returning members how the encounter went. They all looked over to Roxy and offered their congratulations and smiles. Though a few were skeptical about their leader, others adored her and were proud to stand at her side. Biter offered a loose wave from where she now sat atop Riley's lap, a cigarette hanging from the clutches of her sharp teeth. "How'd it go, Roxy?"she asked, voice rather gruff for such a small woman.

"It went mostly as planned and I am proud of the work of those involved."Roxy replied curtly as she walked passed them all. They mumbled to each other, wondering why their boss was in a mood but being smart enough not to ask yet. Roxy reached a few people in the corner that were healing one of the girls, looking up and seeing their leader was wounded. In no time Roxy was tended to, her wound cleaned and bandaged. With that taken care of, Roxy stalked off elsewhere.

Roxy walked towards one of the back rooms with quick strides, entering and locking the door behind her. It was a rather small room with cement walls and flickering florescent lights overhead. Someone wrote "fuck" in large red marker on the side of one wall. At the back of the wall were a series on red and white targets. Next to the door was a table lined with various throwing knives. Roxy often came here to release pent up aggression. Luckily, her left shoulder had been sliced and not her dominant right so she could still throw. Roxy grabbed one of the knives by its black handle and threw it at one of the targets with an excessive amount of force. Her hast made her hit the ring furthest from the bulls eye, the blade being stuck in the wood anyways. She hurled another one with a small grunt of effort, landing a hit on a different target.

Her mind began to travel towards a memory of her and Muse finding this hideout and making it their own. She thought of them laughing with joy as they walked around and pointed to different parts of the empty space, predicting what they'd eventually place there. Roxy remembered Muse's excited gasp when Roxy suggested her idea to paint a large black dragon upon the wall. That had been a good day and an exciting one, but soon the memory was replaced with the one where Roxy chased Muse out into the darkened streets as she shouted obscenities and held back angered tears. Blinded by her sudden rage, the next knife Roxy threw hit the cement next to a target and bounced off, clattering unceremoniously to the cold ground. Roxy stayed there for a while, having thrown at least two dozen knives. Once satiated, she caught her breath and left the room, heading towards the lounge. She sat down at a black leather armchair that was situated in between the couches that the others sat on. They welcomed her merrily, beers in hand. They offered Roxy a bottle and she accepted it with a smile. She popped the top off with a tooth and raised the bottle. "To obliterating the Feline Fuckers."she said before drinking. Others repeated the gestures with grins, also knocking their drinks back.

 

[MUSΞ]

The Kitty Kickers were up early in the morning without an ounce of sleep. The former Silent Scorpion members who weren't that badly injured had their initiation and passed without making their injuries worse. The one who was badly injured was resting comfortably on the mattress and will have her initiation as soon as she felt better.

Caroline and Rickie were giving a tour of the Kitty Kicker's territory to the new members, two spotted werecats named Elva and Tulip. The one injured looked to be a very terrifying looking werewolf who went by the name Alekandra, Alek for short. There were already rumors about Alek looking too manly to be a girl, but no one had time to find out.

Amanda stayed behind to take care of Alek as Muse and Tonya went to explore the Silent Scorpions territory. They stopped by a small gas station and picked up some breakfast, gas station powdered donuts and coffee. Muse chomped on her donut, the powder smearing all over her face as she led Tonya around.

"Why don't we just take this? The Silent Scorpions are done," Tonya said.

"Nah, they have a chance to redeem themselves. Unlikely, though. Besides, we don't have the woman-power to control this territory too. This is about a good five mile radius. If we add that to our already four miles, that's nine mile's we'll have to cover with eight girls. It's way too much work for now. Besides, we need to make this neutral," Muse took a drink of her coffee.

"Why?"

"Tonya...it's obvious. It needs to act as a buffer between us and the Onyx Dragons. With neutral territory, no one is at risk of being hurt or killed. It's neutral. Everyone is allowed and has to be non-violent. Also, there's this..." Muse pulled out a single sheet of paper from her pocket, unrolling it. "Free advertisement!"

The paper was a "Kitty Kickers Recruitment" flyer. It was hand-drawn by Muse all by herself, showing their logo and a few captions about why the Kitty Kickers was the perfect fit for everyone. Instead of mentioning it as a gang, Muse explained that it was a dance group that was involved with daily dance battles for fame and recognition. Of course, all could see that was a front, but the police wouldn't be able to go into any investigations off a front.

"Once the Silent Scorpions are over, which they will be, we can place these all over here. We may get more Scorpion members, but our goal is to slowly chip away at the Onyx Dragon's member base. It's a damn good thing we got Amanda. She's more up to date with Roxy's gang than I am now. I don't know what she's doing with that gang anymore," Muse rolled up the flyer and placed it back into her pocket.

Tonya smirked.

"You really think we're gonna get Onyx members by posting flyers everywhere?" Tonya asked.

A bit annoyed, Muse smacked her hand up, knocking Tonya's coffee all over her shirt.

"No! But if we keep saying we're recruiting, it might spark an interest with some of them. Shut up Tonya and let me work my magic..."

The two continued to explore the territory, eavesdropping on the locals to get any new information about the Silent Scorpions.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy also stayed up late into the morning hours, though she did retreat to a backroom to sleep amongst other members of her gang. In the morning she got herself ready for the day again and headed out in the main area. She spied a russet colored werewolf tumbling playfully with a grey one, growling playfully at one another. Roxy decided to allow them to play wrestle, however childish it may be.

Roxy offered a greeting to the few members millijg about. Someone had brought back pastries this morning and the box sat neatly atop a table with a stack of paper plates. Roxy grabbed a plain glazed donut as she passed, not bothering with a plate. She took a bite of it and approached the girls she had sent patrolling last night. "Any update on what happened to the Silent Scorpian members?"she asked.

"We tried to follow them as far as we could, but they crossed onto Kitty Kicker territory."a woman answered, sharpening her knife as she did so. Roxy swore under her breath, her suspicions being true. She took an aggressive bite of her donut and stalked off.

Roxy decided some time as a wolf would do her well and after she had polished of her donut she took her large light pelted wolf form. A few in the group took that as their cue to join and assumed their own wolf forms. A small group were even weredogs instead of werewolves. Roxy looked around her gang, no, her pack now.

Meanwhile, the new girl, Damara, was out taking a walk with a few others. With her she had Spike, a woman nicknamed after her impressive mohawk, and Dagger, a woman known to be armed to the teeth with blades most of the time. They were walking along the sidewalk, enjoying the sun that the morning brought.

Damara asked, "Don't you think Roxy can be a bit...too harsh?"

Spike took a drag of her cigarette and replied with, "Depends on how you look at it. She keeps order, plain and simple."

Damara still didn't know how to feel.After a while, they spotted an advertisement for the Kitty Kickers Dance group. Dagger laughed at it, looking over the flyer. "What a cheesy front for the Feline Fuckers."she commented.

Damara looked at it wistfully. Spike noticed and asked, "Yo, what's up?"

Damara answered by walking off, heading towards Kitty Kicker territory. Dagger and Spike followed apprehensively.

 

[MUSΞ]

Caroline and Rickie returned to the Kitty Kicker's hideout with the new recruits in toe. Amanda was there to welcome them after spending the morning tidying up the place.

"Why would you sweep away dirt on top of dirt?" Caroline asked.

"...there's cleaner dirt underneath?" Amanda answered.

The cousins rolled their eyes. Muse and Tonya still weren't back from their exploration around the Silent Scorpions area. Meaning, the rest of the gang was free to do anything they wanted in the hideout. Muse was very lenient when it came to letting her girls do anything they pleased as long as they got their jobs done and were ready at any moments notice.

"How about some music my bitches!" Rickie walked over to a dumpster and fiddled through it until she pulled out a very damaged looking guitar. "Ask whatever song you want! I can play anything on this thing!"

Rickie closed the lid on the dumpster and jumped on top to sit. She snuggled the guitar just under her breasts, adjusting the strings to get the perfect pitch and began to roll her fingers over the strings to play a quick scale. The girls requested something fast and upbeat. Rickie nodded and began to play a song she created as a small girl.

The girls all gathered in the center of the hangout and began to dance. Some paired up with each other, mixing a couple of new age dances with some old school. Even Alek was lightly tapping her foot on the ground along with the beat of the music.

"Think Muse will let me think of our theme song?" Rickie sang through her song.

"Yeah!" the girls cheered, taking a break from dancing to instead clap along Rickie's song.

Meanwhile, Muse and Tonya were finishing placing the flyers around the Silent Scorpions' territory. They mostly focused around the border of the Scorpions' and Onyx Dragons' territories. They didn't hear of any gossip concerning of the Silent Scorpions after their battle.

Seeing that their job was done for the day, the two began their walk back their hideout, picking up some food on the way.

 

[Wistful Beast]

Roxy was content in her wolf form, taking a moment to walk around the hideout to stretch her legs. Stalking around also helped her think and her mind began to wander back to how Muse was trying to expand her new gang. Roxy was contemplating how many people would have to join the Kitty Kickers before she'd have to have her gang try to break them up. It wasn't a task Roxy wanted to bring herself too, seeing that it was owned by a person that she used to admire. She decided that as soon as the Kitty Kickers reached an almost equal size in comparison to the Onyx Dragons, that Roxy would wage a war that would be a tad bit more fair. Roxy was relieved by this thought, as she believed that it would take quite a while for the Kitty Kickers to survive long enough to grow in strength and number very easily.

Roxy returned to the lounge area to socialize with the other werewolves and few weredogs, all of them quite enjoying their canine forms. During the day time, it was rather peaceful here in the Onyx dragon hideout. They would socialize and discuss plans for night time, relaxing and preparing. Then by nightfall they would be prepared to take order and complete any tasks that may have been planned or at least patrol. Well, there was still the excitement of training and such since many of the members liked to spar to exchange fighting techniques and sharpened their skills.

-------

As Damara led Spike and dagger onto Kitty Kicker turf, the two began to become apprehensive. they stole looks around themselves, unsure if they should turn back. they didn't really know what Damara wanted to do once they got there. They could be torn up pretty badly if the word was given, as they knew they couldn't take on a whole gang with just three lightly armed people. "Yo, what are we..."Spike began before she was cut off by a shush from Damara.

"If Roxy finds out..."Dagger added in a mumble and was also shushed. it would seem that Damara was persistent for some reason.

Soon people came into view and Spike and Dagger slowed down. there were two people, one being recognized as the leader of the Kitty Kickers. This was a shocking discovery, as they were now coming into contact with the leader herself. Damara didn't seem scared though, even though she recognized the young woman. "Hey...Muse.."damara managed to call out to get the attention of the other women.

"Before you try to flay us, we come in peace....Well, I do. I can't speak for Spike or Dagger."she added, stopping next to Spike and dagger and standing tall.

"So...what was that advertisement all about?"Damara asked, receiving confused looks from the two members at her side. They now knew that Damara had come to try to join the other gang, which would be inexcusable in Roxy's eyes. Spike and dagger didn't quite know what to do, not sure which gang was better. They would have to be convinced.

 

[MUSΞ]

Wiggling her nose at an unfamiliar scent, Muse looked up in time to catch the three Onyx members stepping onto her territory. She approached swiftly with Tonya trailing closely behind. It wasn't a happy sight to see those three, especially after what went down last night. Muse stood in front of the three, hands on her hips as she eyed them seriously.

A small grin appeared on Muse's face.

"Yeah? Would you three like to dance? I can teach you," Muse began as she chuckled. She shifted her position to something a bit more relaxed, but still on high alert. "We specialize in street style dances, but with more members, we will be leaning more towards contemporary dancing with props...weapons you can say. Ah, let me introduce you two to my second in command, Tonya."

Tonya circled the three, her blonde tail quivering as she gave them a simple wave. Muse stepped in front of the trio, blocking their way to escape back to the Onyx territory while Tonya stood guard in front of the Kitty Kickers. Muse wasn't familiar at all with Damara, but she remembered Spike and Dagger from her days at the Onyx Dragons. They were fantastic fighters, well knowledge in the ways of their life, and all around good members of the team. She was surprised to see Spike and Dagger here as she figured they were loyal to Roxy.

"If you would like to know more, you can follow me back to our hideout. You two though," Muse pointed to Spike and Dagger. "...I don't know. Roxy will get pissed off if she found out you two are here probably without her knowledge. Will probably flip her shit if she finds out you two are even letting me speak without any sort of consequence or threat. Don't worry, I won't tell on you two but I see a terrible beating in the future. You know Roxy always finds out things."

Muse scratched her nose and let out a low yawn, the bun on top of her head sliding off slightly.

"You two are welcomed to come. I mean, you're in a bit of a tight spot. Either you can go back with your tails in between your legs, trying your best to keep this secret of meeting me between you two from Roxy. Or, you can come with me and join a growing and flourishing dance group with opportunities to climb in ranks. You two are already...well trained...that you might even get to be sergeants or something like that. But, if you do come with me and decide against joining...well...let's not hope that happens. The same goes for you new girl. If Roxy catches you here, she'll probably just kill you on the spot. You're new to that gang. She doesn't care much about you. Besides, I saw you at that fight last night. It was so obvious how incompatible you are with Roxy's way of leading. Anyway, if you're still interested, follow me! Come on Tonya!" Muse began the walk back to their hideout letting the three decided what they wanted to do.

"Only follow if you believe in Muse and lost your faith in Roxy. If not, go back and don't try to come here again," Tonya warned before following Muse back to their hideout.