Tough Love

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Damara suddenly felt a sense of danger in this position. The rival gang leader squared off with Spike, Dagger, and herself. Damara wouldn't let her fear show, managing to stand tall and look straight at Muse despite the butterflies in her stomach. She felt as the other woman walked round to the back of her, feeling vulnerable now that this woman could strike her from behind whenever she wished. Damara's muscles were a bit tense and she stared at the ground before looking up at Muse again. Dagger and Spike seemed less comfortable, offering wary glances at Tonya and conflicted ones towards Muse. They didn't know how to feel since Roxy so openly hated the old member of the gang, one now dubbed as a traitor.

Spike and Dagger already knew well that Roxy would be very pissed off if she discovered where they had been. It was now either follow Muse or run back to Roxy to be punished, but still accepted. The two were skeptical since if they switched sides and were found by Roxy, they'd probably be brutally attacked as punishment and maybe even killed. On the flip side, they could be joining a gang that had the potential to surpass the strength of Roxy's. It seemed that more people could join and strengthen the growing gang, and Spike and Dagger could use a fresh start. Maybe Muse would be a bit more casual or something, as the woman had always seemed nice when she had helped Roxy lead.

Spike and Dagger exchanged looks before following Damara, who was heading after Muse towards the Kitty Kicker's territory. Spike and Dagger wouldn't mind having higher positions thanks to their experience. In fact, they may be able to one day best the Onyx Dragons and gain respect for it, which would put Roxy in her place. They were beginning to think that maybe Roxy wasn't as wonderful as they had hailed her to be. They wanted to have more freedom and fun and it seemed the Kitty Kickers may offer that opportunity. They still felt a nervous prickle down their spines after Tonya's last warning.

Damara followed with careful steps, hoping that this was a wise decision. She asked Muse, "Will...will your members offer respect or hate us for dropping out of our last gang?" It was odd to refer to it as a gang she used to be in, even though she hadn't been initiated into this gang yet. It gave her a pleasant burst of adrenaline and a brief smile. She could imagine Roxy fuming when she figured out she lost three members, two being rather skilled.
 
Muse shrugged at the new girl.

"I don't know. I don't care. That's up to you really. First," she held out a single finger to Damara. "You gain my respect. After that, how you gain respect with the others is up to you. My girls are pretty friendly as they already accepted in some former Silent Scorpion members. So, as long as you don't blow it, you should be good."

Seeing the hideout, Muse hollered at the party going on. The gang looked back and cheered, running and pinning themselves to the chain linked fence as they looked ahead. Their smiles slowly dropped when they saw the three Onyx Dragon members, especially by the former Scorpion members.

Caroline opened the gate for them. Rickie jumped off the dumpster and hid the guitar underneath the dumpster.

"Don't give me those looks. Say hi to our potential new members! Caroline, lock that gate behind us," Muse ordered.

Once all three were in the hideout, Caroline locked the gate and stood on guard by it. Her cousins gathered by the gate as well, eyes pinned at the new strangers in their hideout.

"Take a seat...you'll be here for a while," Muse pointed to the couch. "Now, tell me why all three of you want to join the Kitty Kickers. What is it about us you like compared to the Onyx Dragons?"

Muse was taking a different approach with them than she normally did. While she was testing them out, interrogating them to see where their loyalty, skills and smarts lie, Muse also wanted to know any news about the Onyx Dragons. If Muse remembered, Spike and Dagger were pretty close with Roxy within the gang. They may know any plans Roxy had concerning anything.

The Kitty Kicker members, Elva and Tulip leaned against each side of the sofa, licking their fangs as they stared the trio down. Muse smiled at Elva and Tulip, seeing how perfect they were for the gang.
 
Damara was reassured by Muse's words. It seemed that so long as she played things cool, she shouldn't have her throat slit in the middle of the night. Damara could play things cool, having only been an Onyx Dragon member for about a week. She wasn't sure how Spike and Dagger were handling things though, as the two had been members for at least a half of a year. Damara felt her stomach drop when the Kitty Kicker members hugged the fence, expressions becoming less joyful at the sight of foreign trio.

Damara entered through the gate, fear prickling at her stomach. Spike and Dagger followed after observing the different members, knowing they were stuck here now. Although they came to this realization, they showed, nor felt any fear. They sidled up behind Damara, posture proud and tough as ever. Upon being order to take a seat, Dagger said, "Don't mind if I do," and sat down upon the couch casually with a sigh. Spike sat beside her and patted the empty space to beckon the jittery looking Damara. Damara took a seat in between the two women, casting apprehensive looks towards the two women leaning against the couch that were staring them down. Damara noted the fangs, feeling a twinge of fear until she realized she had her own after all. She was still scared though, especially when the gate was closed.

Spike and Dagger noticed the women licking their fangs and didn't mind. In fact, Dagger actually made a show of pulling a small blade out and using the point to carefully pick something out from her sharp teeth. She soon pocketed the knife and leaned back in the seat, resting her arms behind her head in a casual gesture that also served to show her fearlessness in this scenario.

"Well, I came mostly because Damara here did. But now that I'm here, I think I'll stay. My reason is because I want a challenge. Sure it's pretty sweet being part of a real superior gang, but I want to show my real potential by helping people take down that gang. It's more interesting and risky than just remaining a top dog. Or wolf in this case."Spike replied, flashing a toothy smile.

Dagger spoke next. "I decided to stick around for opportunity. Some of you guys seem like amateurs, especially the Silent Scorpion run offs. Luckily, I'm totally willing to help you guys be bad asses if the offer is extended. The Onyx Dragons gang is great, amazing even. But I think it would be more fun to show Roxy a lesson or two. She's a bit too uptight for my liking. Needs some loosening up, like this gang."

Finally, it was Damara's turn to explain. She looked around warily at the Kitty Kickers. "Well...I wanted to join because I'm not sure the Onyx Dragons is right for me. Sure it's been a pretty fun week over there, but I don't like the way things are run. Gangs are supposed to be...you know, wild and free. Roxy's gang is more like an army considering all of the order and stuff."she said, seeming less confident than the other two at her sides since she was just new to being in a gang.
 
Muse crossed her arms over her chest, thumbnail between her lips as she bit on it lightly. Her head nodded to each girl's answer, humming to herself. While all three were qualified, with Dagger and Spike being overqualified, there was still a few issues with them. Muse knew she couldn't be picky when selecting members, but she wasn't too sure about Damara.

"How can we trust those two?" Tonya spoke up, pointing to Dagger and Spike. "They just came along with that girl over there. I bet if that girl came alone, we wouldn't be seeing them."

"...that's a good point...but I've known Dagger and Spike for a while before I left the Onyx Dragons. They always seemed like the trustful types," Muse answered. "You two need to give me more. Show me your loyalty...tell me what Roxy is up to...what plans does she have?"

Her eyes cut over to Damara. Muse couldn't shake the feeling that Damara wasn't really cut out for the gang life. She would hate putting Damara at risk over something she couldn't handle. But, at the same time, Muse always believed in giving someone a chance if they could prove themselves.

"And you...you look so soft and innocent...but, I want to give you a chance. Prove me right, okay?" Muse smiled over at Damara. "Are you feeling okay today?"

Once Damara answered yes, Muse would order her initiation to be part of the Kitty Kickers. Dagger and Spike though...Muse felt that putting them through the initiation would be more of an insult. They were long time gang members and very good at what they do. A grin appeared on Muse's face. She waited for Spike and Dagger to answer her question. Their answers would determine their initiation.
 
Spike and Dagger merely snorted at Tonya's question. The two weren't for along for the ride anymore, they had announced their decisions and wanted to leave the Onyx Dragons. It seemed that the Kitty Kickers were still wary. The two couldn't blame them, as if they came to pick a fight the two could have at least six dead or badly injured before they were detained themselves. However, they weren't ones to go on suicide missions, however loyal to Roxy that they may have been.

Muse's question was met with raised eyebrows and a brief glance between the two former Onyx Dragon members. "Your kidding me, right? You just gonna pester us then kill us off before we ever can join this place?"Spike asked, seeming displeased.

As Spike and dagger talked quietly among themselves, Damara still focused on Muse. "Innocent? I don't think so. I nearly flayed a Silent Scorpion member...."she mumbled. Looking over to the former Silent Scorpions she mumbled, "Sorry about that... the whole Roxy destroying your gang..."

Then Damara answered Muse with an expected affirmation. "Right now I am, but I have a feeling you guys are going to ruin that really fast."Damara said, looking around suspiciously. Amanda had looked beat up, and Damara was far from stupid, so she sort of knew where this was heading.

"Well, to answer your previous question, Roxy is not happy with you guys. We called you guys the Feline Fuckers, pretty cool name actually. Anyways, basically once the Kitty Kickers get a little bit big enough then Roxy is going to try to smite you all. Bitch cares too much of honor so she won't attack when you guys are small. She likes a good turf war, I believe."Dagger spoke up.
 
Muse flicked her lip, lowering her arms to the side as she let out a huff.

"You two know me better than that. I'm not just some petty bitch lurking for rumors and gossip. I run a gang and I always put my gang first before anything." Muse said. "Roxy at anytime could wipe out this gang, that's an obvious fact. As a leader, which you two can rise to be, will learn that you'll want to obtain information whenever you can."

She fixed the bun on top of her head and let out a low breath. There was too much tension now with between them all. It was really starting to weigh Muse down. She sat on the couch, stretching out her legs and arms to get herself comfortable. The former Silent Scorpion members looked around at each other when Damara directed a comment to them. They just shrugged. There was no blame or bad memories of Damara to them. If anything, the blame was on their now dead leader.

Muse scratched her cheek, listening to Damara.

"We're going to ruin it? No, you're going to ruin it," she turned to look at Damara with her golden eyes. "I'm offering you a home, family, a way to become stronger and respected in the community. Right now, you can offer me your loyalty, your impressive fighting skills, and eagerness to help this family grow. All important traits that I love for my girls to have. Don't say to me things are already being ruined for you before you even join this family. I hate that. It makes me think you're going to be more trouble than you're worth."

She sighed and went back to scratching her cheek. The rest of the Kitty Kickers looked around worried. The interviews didn't seem like they were going so well. The Kitty Kickers pulled themselves away from the couch and instead sat on the pillows scattered on the floor. There was a few minutes of silence, the only sounds coming from the expressway above and Muse's loud breathing. It was clear Muse was trying to calm herself down, not wanting to say things out of a small frustration.

Muse nodded, listening to Dagger speak up. So, Roxy was waiting for them to get bigger before launching any sort of attack.

"Well, that's good news then. We only have a little bit more time than I thought to grow. I should have remembered Roxy's 'honor'," Muse snorted. "Feline Fuckers, huh? Damn it, that's almost a better name! Alright! We have a long day today!"

Muse stood up and curled her fingers, beckoning her girls over. They circled her.

"Dagger, Spike and...Damara? Yes, that is your name. I need your firm confirmations, join us or not? If not, the door is right there," Muse pointed her nose to the door. "We all would love to have you three join our happy family and help us grow to beat the Onyx Dragons."
 
Damara was quick to lower her eyes from Muse's gaze. "No..I uh..sorry. I didn't mean that...I just know that you guys are going to beat me up for initiation. I was speaking of that, not of this opportunity you have given me."she clarified, mustering up her courage long enough to meet Muse's golden eyes directly.

Damara was more than happy to join a family of sorts and learn from Muse, but what she had assumed the initiation was wasn't pleasant to her. She didn't really want these intimidating looking women to beat her into the ground and really didn't look forwards to it. Joining the Onyx dragons was no cake walk though. To join that gang Damara had to brawl with another member. At least in that initiation she had been allowed to fight back.

Spike and Dagger had already reached their decision. "We're staying under the condition that we forgo initiation. I don't care what the fuck it is, but I believe it is redundant considering when you were with Roxy you had initiated us already. You have our word that we'll stick around. Give a command and we'll follow so long as it isn't crawling back to Roxy."Dagger said, confirming that they were to join.

Sure what they were doing felt wrong, but they wanted a challenge and the promise of a higher ranking. It's not like gang members had spotless morals to follow. They would remain in this gang until they retired, died, or found a better opportunity somehow. For now, they would obey Muse and stick around with the Kitty Kickers.

Damara also made her decision. "I will stay and join."she said, voice gaining some confidence. She offered a small smile in Muse's direction.
 
Muse sighed softly, running her finger through her left eyebrow. She was happy that all three decided to join after a pretty tough interviewing process. But, to forgo the initiation? It would be unfair to all who went through it for Spike, Dagger, and Damara to skip it. It may cause a bit of unrest within the gang.

"Fine, you two don't get initiations because of our history. But, you Damara...I'll give you something easy and simple. We can agree to that? You don't even have to do it now, but later on today. All you need to do...is get us dinner," Muse grinned. "You can buy it, make it, rob it, doesn't matter. But, we want something good!"

The girls surrounding her nodded. They all talked at once, some suggesting burgers, other suggesting some sort of fancy soup, and some girl even suggested Indian food. It's been a long while since they all had anything but gas station food wrapped in plastic and left to sweat in the sun.

"Well then! Go introduce yourself to our three newest members, Spike, Dagger, and Damara! After that, we're going to have a quick tour of our own territory as a gang then cross over to the Silent Scorpions. I think with our new numbers it could be time to grab that territory before the Silent Scorpions have time to regroup!"

While the rest of the gang introduced themselves, Muse walked over to the gate and let out another deep sigh. She never knew how hard it was to run a gang all by yourself without a co-leader. The thought of Roxy crossed her mind. If Roxy was here, she would have never let that interview get so intense. Roxy was good under pressure.

Soon, her thoughts about Roxy shifted to their rivalry. The Kitty Kickers were growing much faster than anyone would have thought. Now, they were at a comfortable eleven strong. They were still a bit smaller than the Onyx Dragons, but not by too much. They also had some incredible fighters. The Kitty Kickers were growing stronger with each day and soon Roxy would discover all of that.

"Should we start some training later this week?" Tonya approached Muse.

"Yeah, we need to quickly strength the other members. I see a fight coming our way real soon," Muse answered.
 
Damara sighed in relieved manner. Fetching dinner was something that she could manage. It was preferable over being beaten into the ground, that was for sure. She was a tad bit overwhelmed by the sudden bombardment of requests from the gang members, but she managed an amused half smile anyways and listened to them. "Alright, alright. Can we come to an agreement? Are burgers good?"she asked them. Burgers were delicious and cheap in large quantities so they were more ideal.

Spike and Dagger managed happy expressions, high fivng one another. They were glad to have been accepted, free of any tedious or painful initiations. They were officially part of anew gang. They had hopes in this one, already yearning for the fall of their former gang. They wanted Roxy to fall from her perch at the top of the totem pole. Already Spike and dagger were wondering what Muse would do with Roxy if they ever bested her. It sure would be an interesting confrontation and they were willing to see it.

Spike and Dagger got to their feet, finding that they should be friendly now. Spike offered a hand out to the nearest gang member in offer to casually shake it while Dagger did the same but offered a high five instead. Damara got to her feet, standing sheepishly behind Spike and Dagger. Although she was now in a new gang, she still wanted to stick closer to those more familiar to her. Deciding that acting weak wouldn't help her now, she managed to pick her head and shoulders up and join Spike and Dagger in casual introductions.
 
After the friendly introductions, Muse led the Kitty Kickers through their own territory. She pointed out all the advantages, that her territory was a mess of confusing, abandoned lots with overgrown weeds and brush with a lone, empty shell of an apartment building who's construction was halted for some reason. It was the perfect lookout point. The main disadvantage was how spread out her territory was. Any gang could invade in any direction easily.

Once the tour was over, Muse led them into the Silent Scorpion's territory on a mission to figure out what exactly happened to that gang. Since their fight with the Onyx Dragons, the remaining Silent Scorpion members were in hiding and very tight-lipped. Tonya and her's investigation about them ran cold as known of the locals knew anything about them.

"Keep together, this is an unstable territory now. But, since it's still daylight I don't think we'll be in any real threat," she told her gang.

They walked closer to the edge of the Scorpion's and Onyx Dragon's territory line. Along they way, they stopped and talked to some kids of the neighborhood while the former Silent Scorpion members talking amongst themselves trying to figure out where their old gang would be hiding.

"Wouldn't it be fun to go sneak into the Dragon's territory?" Caroline giggled to Rickie. "I hear about that gang all the time, but haven't met them face to face once!"

"Yeah Muse, why don't we go see how the Dragon's are doing?" Rickie walked over to Muse, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're just itchin' to see them!"

Muse knocked Rickie's hand off her shoulder.

"Don't be dumb. We don't want to push our luck with them. Right now, our goal is to see what is up with Scorpion territory and see if we can claim it quickly," Muse said as they all stood on the territory line between the Dragon's and Scorpion's.

Everyone could tell by the twitch in Muse's eye that she was dying to crossover the line. No one had any faith in her when she ran off from the Onyx Dragon's that she could create and run her own gang. Everyone thought it would be some joke, just a small group of bored, violent girls pretending to be important.

Even though the Kitty Kickers were growing fast, Muse doubted they were respected. They haven't really done anything besides stake out territory in one of the worse sections of the city and stole a few Scorpion members. The Kitty Kickers needed to do something big, like claiming the Scorpion's territory.
 
Damara, Spike, and Dagger kept close to one another as they followed around the Kitty Kickers. It still felt odd walking amongst another gang, especially one that had formerly been their rivals. The trio had the feeling that eventually they'd adapt to the new gang and feel more comfortable around the other girls. They looked around the territory, seeming interested in the abandoned apartment building. It appeared that that building would indeed make for a good look out over the area, providing some decent visibility of the surrounding roads and old buildings.

Spike and Dagger seemed a bit wary in the Silent Scorpion territory, as the remaining members could still be hidden around here somewhere. They were sure that the remaining members would have little fondness towards both current and former Onyx Dragon members. Damara was too lost in her own thoughts to think much of the potential danger that this section of the city brought. She was thinking about her short time with the Onyx Dragons, but what worried her most was how the gang members there spoke of traitors. The things that they had wished to do to Amanda for joining the Kitty Kickers seemed pretty horrific and Damara didn't want to suffer the same fate.

Dagger and Spike remained a few meters away from the territory line, not wishing to near Onyx Dragon territory. "They'll find us and flay us if they even catch wind of our presence."Dagger explained briefly, answering the unasked question regarding why her and Spike were hanging back.

Damara stayed closer to the others, feeling a bit safer among them in this area. It seemed that a few Kitty Kicker members had the idea to enter dragon territory for fun. Damara didn't find that to be wise, especially since there were now four members of the Kitty Kickers that had come from the rivaling gang. If the Kitty Kickers entered the area by themselves, they would be turned away by a patrol. If they had been present with Spike, Amanda, Dagger, Damara, and the former Silent Scorpion members, they would have been attacked instantly. There was some tolerance for rivals, but none for those deemed as traitors.

Spike voiced her dissent before Muse had spoken, "Trust me, it would be no fun entering their territory. If spotted, we would be ambushed by a bunch of aggressive, heavily disciplined canine shifters. Sure Roxy may be a bitch, but she's the alpha bitch of a rather experienced group of people. She has her ways."

Dagger was quick to nod her agreement, glad that Muse had shot down the ignorant idea of crossing over the line. "Best to grow a bit before we try to take 'em down."she commented, mostly to Spike.
 
For the rest of the afternoon and until early evening, the Kitty Kickers patrolled the Silent Scorpion territory to find any sort of clues to their whereabouts and the status of the territory itself. Elva, Tulip, and Alek, the former Silent Scorpion members, were off on their own on their own little mission set by Muse. Their mission? To return to their former gang and try to recruit the rest of the members to the Kitty Kickers. Muse was always one to prefer the non-violent approach to things as it was the least stressful and least way to meet more enemies.

Elva, Tulip, and Alek made their way to another parking lot that was located in the center of the neighborhood. The parking lot was surrounded by a dingy strip mall that was full of nail salons, small gift shops, and smoke shops. Each shop was in with the Silent Scorpion as their members' families' owned them.

The three carefully entered the empty parking lot, hoping that none of remained Silent Scorpion members knew about their switch. They also hoped that the Silent Scorpions didn't regroup and chose a new leader. Their former gang wasn't that organized with co-leaders, second in commands, and any other ranks. All of them followed the one leader diligently as he ran like a king over his kingdom.

Elva gulped, seeing a few of the Silent Scorpion members sitting beside a large cargo truck. The blonde haired girl with black spots sprinkled all over her hair approached with a very small smile. Tulip and Alek stood behind her.

"Hey...hey guys..." she said, holding her tail in front of her, gripping it tightly. "How's...how's it been?"

There were four sitting. Three girls and one guy, all of them werecats with different coats. They stared and Elva and the two as a few more Silent Scorpion members left the smoke shop beside them.

"...anything new?" Elva asked them.
 
One of the werecat females stood up, her long hair a deep auburn color. A few black streaks ran through her hair, marking her as a tiger shifter and one not be reckoned with. The others stood up behind her and flanked her, the small group facing the girls that were approaching. The tiger shifter was quite tall for a female and well muscled too, a few scars running along her jaw. Her eyes were a deep amber an they eyed up Elva, a flexible orange and black tail flicking behind her.

Since this was a werecat territory, there was little reason to try to hide feline features. The other Silent Scorpion members had tails and ears right now, not fully shifting. There was a shorter female with tall, lynx like ears and an absence of a tail since it was so short and concealed in her jeans. Another female had short tan hair and her exaggerated eye makeup and tail identified her as a cheetah shifter. The male stood in the back, his blonde hair unruly with rounded lion ears poking through.

The Silent Scorpions didn't seem too keen on casually explaining what had happened after last night's fiasco. The tiger shifter, Adara, was the first to reply, "Where have you all been? We all ran in different directions after the fall last night, but where the hell were you guys?"

Judging from her tall posture, authoritative tone, and that she had been the first to speak, Adar had become the leader. This was bad news for the former Silent Scorpion members, as it would be harder to sway the current Silent Scorpions if they had elected a leader already. Adara had never been second in command, as there was no position in the gang, but she had been one of the more experienced fighters. Last night she had given the Onyx Dragon members many wounds to remember.
 
"We were...um..." Elva gripped her spotted tail firmer. "...we went to look for safety since everyone else ran off abandoning everyone. Once the leader was dropped, it was all for themselves."

She glanced up at Adara, twisting her tail more. Elva wasn't the bravest one of the bunch, but she knew she had to step up to prove herself to Muse. Tulip and Alek stepped forwarded and nodded.

"Aye! I didn't see none of ya'll bothering to look back for the rest of us!" Alek, the questionable female, was one of the largest of the bunch. "I got my fuckin' ass nearly slaughtered and not you Adara even gave a look back! Where the hell were you? Where the hell were the rest of YOU?"

Alek pointed to every Silent Scorpion member, her finger waving at each. Tulip nodded strongly, exhaling through her flaring nostrils. Not one of the three wanted to admit that they jumped ship to join the Kitty Kickers just yet, but Alek was constantly nibbling on her bottom lip, ready to burst.

There was hostility in the air and a stand off. Elva slowly backed down to let the much larger Alek take her place. Out of all the Silent Scorpion members, Alek was the one who looked as if she endured through many battles. All over her body were scars, scraps, healing puncture wounds and an overall sense of a bad attitude. Her tail was nearly ripped from her body, leaving only a stub of a tail that wiggled more than swayed. Her black feline ears were nicked, cut and torn.

"I was limpin', strugglin' to run off before my legs gave out and left me sprawled all over the street. If it wasn't for the Kitty Kickers takin' me in I would probably be pushed off to the side by the public without any of you...especially you Adara...to look for me!" Alek screamed. "Yeah you heard right. Another rival gang came to my rescue...not my own gang..."

She glared right into Adara's eyes with her own dull amber ones, a hand forming into a strong fist.

"You guys don't give a shit about anyone. We weren't really a gang. Just a mess of fighters following one dumb leader. Us three were given a chance to join a REAL gang. You guys can too..." Alek went on, puffing up her chest to rival against Adara as she approached closer. "Take this opportunity like we did..."
 
The Silent Scorpions looked at each other, seeming puzzled by the sudden hostility from the other members that had just arrived. Adara looked especially pissed off right about now. She grit her teeth, ears flattened against her head in aggression. Her tail swished in a way that suggested she was agitated, her now crossed arms and taller posture confirming this. She looked Elva right in the eyes, showing she didn't fear the less outgoing member.

"Fuck your accusations. You know we were being slaughtered out there and I couldn't do much to babysit all of you."Adara snapped right back, exposing long canine teeth.

The others standing behind Adara seemed to bristle as well, both angry and unsure of where this confrontation was going. They became especially uneasy when Alek took a stand, the larger female being able to see eye to eye with the equally imposing Adara. Adara and Alek had been close friends and a few of the first to join the Silent Scorpions, but had grown distant over time due to more conflict. So now tensions were as high as ever, the two facing off with each other. It stung the rigid looking Adara that Alek would go out and say that it was another gang that had helped and not her.

"You didn't see me get shredded either. It was rough out there. They had damn good weapons and training and even the two of us couldn't kick their canine asses to the curb. I limped off too, but I woke up bloody in a ditch instead of showing my belly to a rival gang."she hissed angrily.

Taking a step towards Alek, she didn't seem pleased that the Silent Scorpions as a whole were insulted. The other members behind her seemed more conflicted, unsure of the status of their gang. That didn't mean they didn't look a bit irked by the blatant insult as well, even though it was true. IN fact, the harsh reality made it stung worse. Adara watched as one by one, the members behind her joined the new Kitty Kicker members. Adara was left standing alone in front of Alek. Offering a bitter growl, she allowed her ears to raise. "Fine. It seems that everyone abandoned ship so I may as well look after this band of misfits."she spat, joining the side of the Kitty Kickers. Secretly, the new opportunity yielded hope, removing some of the sting from the previous defeat. Now they had a chance to grow stronger and Adara could follow another leader. While very ambitious, Adara preferred looking up to someone else, if they were worthy of her respect of course.
 
Muse and the rest explored the Silent Scorpion territory, learning all the ins and outs. It was a nicely laid out neighborhood with a lot of small, dead end streets. It only left a few straight streets open for anyone to pass through, making it perfect to create roadblocks. Muse smiled as she remembered each street name and any main landmarks.

Up ahead, Muse and the rest spotted Elva, Tulip and Alek squaring off with the remaining Silent Scorpion members. The smile and enthusiasm on Muse's face quickly disappeared and was replaced with nothing but seriousness. She alerted her ears, narrowed her eyes, and smoothly approached them at the parking lot with the Kitty Kickers beside her.

"Yeah? Well none of ya'll will regret it. The Kitty Kickers is the next big gang of this whole city. I can promise you that," Alek smiled proudly.

In only a few short seconds, Muse and the rest stalked their way to the group. They stopped just a few feet away to keep a safe distance as she was unsure of what exactly went down. From the faces of the Silent Scorpion members and from Alek, it looked like everything was going much better than expected.

"So this is them, huh?" Muse asked Alek. "They look like a good bunch...just so...I don't know...you guys look like orphans no offense..."

Placing her hands on her hips, she looked at each of the Silent Scorpion members that crowded around Alek, Elva, and Tulip. There was no tension in the air. Only suspicion, nervousness, and a hint of relief.

"They not orphans no more. All of them have decided to join us after a little persuasion by me," Alek pointed to herself with a big goofy grin on her face.

"Oh? Well this is great!" Muse gave them a warm smile. "You all ready to see your new home?"

The rest of the Kitty Kickers smiled and nodded to them, being as welcoming as possible. They all expected some sort of fight with the desperate Silent Scorpions to maintain their own territory. All were prepared for a bloody fight, but Muse seemed to know better than them all. Muse walked around neighborhood like she already owned it and constantly talked how the added Silent Scorpion members would give the Kitty Kickers the...well...kick to start establishing themselves as a put together gang.

"You know what...this is a cause for celebration! Damara! Go run off and do your initiation! But this time get some beers or something along with dinner! Let's give all our new members the welcoming they deserve!"

Of course, Muse planned to watch each new member from the now dissolved Silent Scorpion very closely and give them their own initiation that had to do with the shift of resources to them. Muse was familiar that the Silent Scorpions had some money to them which was now hers.

With her large gang, Muse paraded them back to their home base with a grin on her face, but her stomaching twisting. She knew it was finally time to start encountering the Onyx Dragons and Roxy.
 
Adara still seemed apprehensive, the fur on her striped tail on end. She offered Alek only a snort in return for the consoling remark, as it was the nature of Adara. Adara wasn't one to easily submit and right now her pride was wounded, leaving her to be rather jaded. When Muse approached her ears flattened on her head, still used to being hostile towards newcomers. Her snarl became caught in her throat and she lifted her ears again, grumbling to herself. "We aren't orphans."she commented quietly, mostly to herself as she crossed her arms.

The other former Silent Scorpion members looked to be in better spirit, offering light smiles and generally relieved expressions. The man with the unruly golden locks and rounded lion ears seemed to smile more warmly, throwing his arms around the shoulders of the lynx shifter and cheetah shifter. While the cheetah shifter purred quietly and leaned into the male's chest, the lynx woman merely scoffed and pressed her tail ears back with a light hiss. She only received a tongue stuck out at her, hiss hardly heeded.

The former Silent Scorpion members introduced themselves to the Kitty Kickers. The lion's man named was Luke, while the cheetah woman was Cleo and the shorter lynx female was simply known as Grin. Luke proved to be outgoing and caring, but with a tough nature to back up any accusations made towards his ability to be in a gang. Cleo seemed like the flirtatious and mischievous kind, managing to even make Spike and Dagger laugh with the use of dog jokes. Grin kept to herself, though it was always clear that she was listening closely, her tall ears erect. They all followed the others towards the Kitty Kicker's hideout, save for Damara. Damara had retreated with a smile on her face, hoping to get burgers and drinks for the others.

All was going pretty well back at the Kitty Kicker hideout. There was talking and laughing and everyone seemed relaxed, save for Grin, but that was a given. However, Adara seemed to become unsettled with the presence of the former Onyx Dragon members thanks to recent events. The way she was looking at the wolves suggested she had a distaste towards them.

---------------

Damara was walking along the street happily, glad for the recent turn of events. Now she had a more fun loving gang that was growing in strength and fueling her ambition. She nearly strutted, feeling quite pleased. The burger chain was almost in sight and she believed that little could go wrong now. Damara was mistaken. Suddenly, she was pushed off of her feet and onto the asphalt with a harsh shove. The deep growling already confirmed that wolves were about. Sitting up, Damara came face to face with a four foot tall, creme pelted she wolf with deep green eyes and a metallic chain around her neck. Damara scuttled back on her hands with a nervous smile on her face. The wolf crept forwards, lips pulled back into a silent snarl. Other wolves approached as well, one brown pelted one and one grey taking their places at the creme colored wolf's flanks.

Damara held shaking hands up. "H..hey there, Roxy..."she said, voice quavering. In a quick motion, Damara had taken the form of a small, deep red pelted wolf. Her muzzle lowered in submission, eyes cast on the ground.

In a swift bound, Roxy's teeth clamped on Damara's scruff. She shook her head, jostling Damara around and eliciting light whimpers from the girl. Roxy snarled and released Damara, snapping at the other's flank and leaving a small, bloodied wound as a warning in a way that released her pent up anger. Damara yelped, tail tucked in between her legs. "Not you too! I've lost four gang members now and received word that Muse has taken over the Silent Scorpions and their territory. Is it true you've all shifted your loyalties to that bitch?"Roxy growled, clearly angered.

Damara whined and pressed her belly onto the ground. "Y..yes. Muse took the territory...and the members too..."she confirmed, lowering her head.

That drew out another snarl from Roxy, but surprisingly she turned and began to walk away. Looking back over a lean muscled shoulder, she added,"Tell Muse that she'll get what she wants soon enough."

Damara seemed puzzled and stammered, "W..what does she want?"

Roxy made a sound alike to laughter. "War."she replied simply,green eyes glowing. She leaned back on her haunches and released a single howl, a mere warning for what was sure to come over the course of the upcoming weeks.

Damara was quick to run off, patching up her wound with bandages she had snagged from a drug store. As ordered, she bought the needed burgers as well as a few large orders of fries and some cases of beer. It was a bit difficult to hold due to the amount as well as the fact that she was still trembling. Returning to the Kitty Kicker hide out, she set down the food in the center and was quick to retreat to the edges. "Ay, what took you so long?"Luke asked in good humor.

Damara looked to others and said in a shaky voice,"Roxy," as she lifted up her shit to reveal a bloodied bandage on her lower abdomen.
 
The celebration of the newly formed Kitty Kickers was about to start! All were comfortable at the hangout, some lounging on the couches and pillows. Other at the main area standing and chatting. And, some were even play fighting and just wrestling around. Right now, the gang felt like a family at Christmas dinner. Everyone was getting along as best they could, but the older gang members seemed to assert themselves a bit more over the younger, playful gang members.

Muse sat on top of the dumpster with Tonya, her tail swishing happily behind her. It was one of the few times that Muse decided to let her hair down from her bun. The only person who has seen her hair down was Roxy, but that was back in high school when things were friendly with the two.

Tonya began to comb her fingers through Muse's wavy hair, surprised by how soft and fluffy Muse's hair was. If looked closely, there were very faint dark spots all over her black hair, giving a hint on what type of werecat Muse was.

It made Tonya think. She has never saw Muse in her werecat form. Muse seemed to deal with everything in human form. Before Tonya could ask anything, Damara stumbled in. She jumped from the dumpster and walked over the edge of the hideout as the other girls began to grab their food.

"Finally, what took you so...what happened to you?" Tonya asked placed her hands on Damara's shoulders carefully using her body to shield Damara from the others. "Who did this to you?"

Luke answered Tonya and they both gave a heavy sigh. Tonya looked back to see Muse socializing and eating with her girls, laughing with them and playfully teasing. Tonya turned to look back at Damara and Luke, whispering to them.

"Take care of Damara, Luke," she said before walking over to Muse.

She whispered in Muse's ear and instantly Muse's mood crashed. With a swift turn, Muse left the hideout mid-celebration and headed through the new territory and into the Onyx Dragon's with Tonya trailing behind.
 
Damara looked up at Tonya, choking back any tears. She looked to the ground as if embarrassed and was glad that the other gang member shielded her from the eyes of any suspicious others. The others till seemed a bit preoccupied with celebration, becoming well acquainted with each other. They joked, laughed, and even sang. A few had mock spars and were tussling on the ground, even Adara and Alek taking to some playful shoving. Spike and Dagger seemed more relaxed than they had been with the Onyx Dragons, glad for the lack of order for once. Everyone just did as they pleased for now and enjoyed themselves.

Spike was sitting in her wolf form. She was tall, very lean, and covered in a short grey coat. Like in her human form, she still maintained a mohawk of sorts. Her usual hair do was replaced with a short mane on the top of her head. Next to her, Dagger decided to take her own wolf form just for kicks. She was still very lean, but was a bit shorter. Metal caps covered her already sharp claws, replacing any knives she carried in her human form. Dagger's pelt was a dark ashy color and while short, was pretty unkempt. Part of her ear had been chewed off, suggesting she had been in a scuffle a while back. Dagger soon returned to her human form and released a chuckle, sitting back down on the couch. Spike hopped up beside her and pretended to sit like a person, eliciting a few laughs from the others.

Damara headed over towards Luke, unsure of what else to do with herself. The lion man seemed nice enough. While Damara had managed to clean and bandage her wound, she was still a bit shaken up. Even a tougher member wouldn't be able to blame her, since they knew well that Damara's fear of being targeted and killed by her former gang was rational and very possible. Also, one should be a bit stirred up if war was declared. Damara watched as Muse and Tonya exited, probably to confront Roxy.

Roxy had anticipated Muse's reaction of course and was waiting for her. She was in her human form in the alleyway a few blocks away from the Onyx Dragon hideout, still on her territory. She leaned up against a brick wall with her hands in her pocket. On either side of her were two Onyx Dragon members and her closer ones at that. Biter, a small spitfire of a woman, and the very tall Riley were close at hand. Roxy didn't anticipate a fight though, only tense conversations. She was rather good at reading Muse and although Roxy wouldn't admit it, Muse had grown to be pretty good at reading her as well.
 
A sudden burst of memories stopped Muse in her tracks briefly. Being in her old territory of the Onyx Dragons was starting to feel overwhelming. Familiar sights and smells plagued her senses, bringing up good and bad memories of her time here. As she recovered and went on searching for Roxy, Muse couldn't stop from thinking about how she helped the Onyx Dragons grow.

Her instincts brought her into the alley Roxy and her two guards were waiting. This was the same alley that Muse was forced to flee away from when she was official banished and exiled from the Onyx Dragons. A part of her could still smell the blood that dripped off her body as she ran for her life, the injuries caused by an intense fight with Roxy.

She and Tonya stopped just a few yards in front of Roxy. Both Kitty Kicker members hissed with Tonya contorting her back back to give it a high arch and the hair on her tail sticking up.

"I should get at you now for attacking one of my members..." Muse hissed. "...but you had no clue that the Silent Scorpion territory is mine now. See this as your first and final warning Roxy. Do not cross onto my territory again!"

Muse breathed heavily, her golden eyes glaring hard at Roxy. She nearly forgot to consider the two other Onyx Dragon members around Roxy. She and Tonya were outnumbered, but only by one. Muse wasn't expecting a fight from Roxy. She wasn't too sure what she was expecting from her ex-friend. All she knew was that one of her members were hurt.

Placing a hand on Tonya's shoulder to calm her down, Muse's eyes stared at the other Dragon members. She didn't recognize those too.

"It's about time we settle everything, isn't it Roxy? I bet you didn't expect it to come to this point. No one in your gang ever expected Muse to be successful, did they?" Muse laughed. "It took everything I had and all my guts, but I finally have formed a gang that can make you nervous, Roxy. I can see it in your face. You're nervous, aren't you?"

Tonya calmed quickly, but stayed on alert as Muse walked a few feet closer.

"But you know me. You know I'm always for peace before anything else. All of this...it's just business," she hinted at stealing Onyx Dragon gang members. "I'm willing to have peace talks...a truce...before anything goes wrong..."
 
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