World of Paws: Destiny of the Brood

The Crimson Reapers

Sherman hangs up and grabs a supply bag for his trip.
Taciana: "Where are you going?"
Sherman: "Aubrey needs my help. I gotta go, Mom."
Taciana: "What? What's going on? Is everything alright?"
Sherman: "No. She says the Eden Plaza was just attacked by a gang of some sort and that a lot of furries are injured. I have to help her right now."
Jackson: "Hold up, son. Take this with ya. Give those dealers a real run for their money."
Sherman: "Thanks, Dad. Uh... what does it do?"
Jackson: "It's a little thing I picked and modified in Europalia. I call it the boom flasher. It blinds enemies for eight minutes. Use them sparingly."
Taciana: "Jacky! You're giving our son weapons?"
Jackson: "It's a nonlethal device, Tacci. Besides as he tosses it a good distance, he'll be alright."
Taciana: "Oh Great Spirit above give me strength!"
Sherman: "I'll be fine, Mom. I have spirit powers. I can handle a few knuckle-headed dealers. Also, can I take Erasmus with me? Always good to have him by my side."
Taciana: (sighs) "Okay... you can take Erasmus. And Shermie..."
Sherman: "Yeah?"
Taciana: "Please very be careful."
She hugs him before he goes out the door and levitates to the shopping plaza.
Sherman: "I will Mom. I'll be back in one piece."
He leaves the household and takes to the sky uses his levitation ability.
Taciana: (sighs) "I hope we did the right thing letting him go out there."
Jackson: "Hey, Tacci. He's a Tontione. We see things through and step up when a community is in peril. He'll be alright."
Desmond: "Mommy? Daddy? Can I go help Sherman fight? I'm a warrior too."
Taciana: "No, not tonight, kiddo. Sherman needs you to protect the house while he's out."
Desmond: "You mean bad furries have attacked here before?"
Taciana: "They sure have. In fact, you can help me, and Daddy activate the security systems."
Desmond: "Yay! I can be defender like Daddy! Yaah! Hunnh! Ha! Eeyah!"
Desmond runs upstairs playing like a spy.
Jackson Junior: "Great, now he'll be up all night."
Jackson: "JJ..."
Jackson Junior: "Sorry, we'll all go help him. Come on sibs. Sherman gets do to all the action type stuff. I bet he's doing something cool right this second."
......Meanwhile at the Eden Plaza......
Aubrey: "Okay, it's alright we got you, Ma'am." Lady Okapi: "They... they stole my purse and my weekly medicine. Where's the Task Force when you need them? Better yet where's the Shadow Dhole or his young sidekick Razor Wolf? Goodness gracious we all need a miracle right now. Honestly... how could anyone do this?"
Aubrey: "I'm not sure, Ma'am. But I think I can help with getting everything back. Including your purse and your medicine."
Lady Okapi: "How?"
Aubrey: "My boyfriend should be coming soon. I know he can help."
Minutes later, Sherman descends from the sky and lands near the plaza's entrance. He finds Aubrey and her friends assisting the robbed and wounded bystanders.
Sherman: "Aubs? What happened here? It's like looking at a battlefield. Only not as messy."
Aubrey: "Sherman! Thank the spirits, you're here! Me and the others have been helping other furries, but there's so many injured."
Sherman: "I can only heal one at a time."
Zelene: "What if we combined our healing powers and it might make a large energy wave."
Sherman: "Thus, healing everyone at the same time. That's a good idea, Zelene."
Zelene: "Alright, here we go."
Sherman and Zelene combine their powers and a wave of light energy throughout the Eden Plaza.
Zelene: "Whoa, I can't believe it. Everyone's getting up. They're healed."
They see several furries thank the trio for giving aid to them.
Puma Furry Child: "Thank you, Razor Wolf!"
Sherman: "Hehe, I didn't expect such praise. But it also belongs to my friends here."
They all give thanks Aubrey, Zelene, Alicia, and the other girls who helped, while the rest of their friends looked on amazed. ......Back in the Duckel Burger restaurant......
Mei: "I wish I had done something, but I froze because of all that blood. I'm not comfortable with it."
Victoria: "Oh please! They are only giving them praise because of their powers! Nothing more! I'm going out there and giving her a piece of my mind and tell that crowd of victims that inspired them to help. Hey! I'm the one who inspired most of my friends to help out. Where's my praise? My adulation? Huh?" The crowd stares at her with shocked and unconvinced expressions.
Aubrey: "Victoria! If you don't have anything nice to say, then just leave."
Victoria: "Ugh! Gladly!"
She stomps off with attitude back to her car and drives off.
Aubrey: "Shermie, I've tried to get along with her for so long, but she can't understand the concept of simply moving on or even letting go. Can you try to get through to her?"
Sherman: "I've tried before too. She just keeps trying to find new ways to seduce me into being with her. But it's never going to happen."
Aubrey: "I still consider as part of our circle of friends, no matter how or what she's thinking."
Sherman: "It's all on her, babe. She's good deep down, despite her 'efforts' and all."
Aubrey: "Yeah. I'm still praying that she finds peace."
Sherman: "Those are good thoughts to have, Aubs."
Aubrey nods agreeably.
Sherman: "Anywho... which direction did you see those thieves drive off to?"
Zelene: "They went in off in that direction and there were at least four vans."
In Sherman's Mind: "Okay, so we know which direction, but how can we possibly know where they were headed?"
Sherman: "Let's check the road for evidence; there could be a way to track them."
Zelene: "Alright, I'll check over here."
Sherman: "Great. Me and Aubs will check this part of the road. Hmm... is this a leafy cigarette?"
Aubrey: "Looks like it's homemade. But it's hardly a lead."
Sherman suddenly takes a whiff of the cigarette and picks up a scent.
Sherman: "Wait... I got... a scent trail! They went this way! Come on!"
Zelene: "Right behind you, Sherman!"
Aubrey: "Wait for me! I can't float in the air like you two!"
Sherman: "My bad, Aubs. Do you need a lift?"
Aubrey: "Yes, but I don't see how... whoa!"
Sherman: "Stay calm babe, we're only ten feet above the ground."
Aubrey: "Okay, just don't drop me Sherm-Sherm."
Sherman: "Wouldn't dream of it. I gotcha."
As the trio go off to find the culprits, Ruth finishes treating a child's scrapes.
Siamese Cat Child: "Thank you, miss!"
Ruth: "You're welcome."
The child returns to her parents who were also recovering slowly from their injuries.
Alicia: "At least many survived."
Ruth: (sighs) "Yeah... but some didn't make it. All because... a bunch of greedy dealers wanted more drugs. Let's call the Task Force."
Alicia: "Hold up. We can't just wait for 'the law' to show up. We should be helping Sherman, Aubrey, and Zelene with the mission."
Ruth: "How are we going to fight? We don't even know where they went. Let's just stay put and make sure these folks are okay until the operatives arrive."
Ruth calls the city's task force, and they continue with providing comfort and aid to the injured and young furries in the plaza.
Meanwhile, sometime later, Sherman, Aubrey, and Zelene are still on the trail of the convey.
Sherman catches a whiff, and the scent is getting stronger. They find an ancient oil rig station.
Sherman: (whispers) "We are really close. They should about here..."
Aubrey: "So, what's the plan, Sherman?"
Sherman: "We'll need a way inside without drawing attention. That guard at the watchtower seems to have binoculars. You two sneak in and I'll give you two the go-ahead once the sentries are down."
Aubrey: "Okay. Come on Zelene. Let's go this way."
Sherman nods and sneaks up the first tower quietly. A guard was busy smoking a cigarette and is unaware of his presence.
In Sherman's Mind: "Okay and now!"
He grabs the masked furry guard and knocks him out.
Sherman: "Gotcha."
Sherman focuses his power and throws an energy burst at the other guard towers, while Zelene and Aubrey keep sneaking through to find anything worth reporting.
Zelene: "Wait, who is that?"
Aubrey: "Who?"
Zelene: "That."
She points at a heavily armed brown bear covered in steel based armor next to a bison furry in a sharp three piece suit. Aubrey then takes a snap photo of the bison furry sends a text to Sherman. Sherman sends a text back to Aubrey.
Zelene: "What are you texting?"
Aubrey: "I'm texting him a photo of the bison man over there. It looks he's running this 'operation.' Or something..."
Zelene: "Let him know we need to do something. I think some of them are about to leave."
Aubrey: "Hand me that rock over there. I think I can hit that rusty looking barrel over there."
Zelene gives her a rock from the ground. Aubrey then throws the rock at the barrel, and it draws the bison crook's attention.
Bison Boss: "It sounds like we might have intruders. Go and play, Vargas."
Vargas: (roars) "Sure thing, Boss. Hahahaha! Whoever's out there, I'll find you!"
He sniffs the air to catch any sort of scent and then stops abruptly.
Vargas: "Someone's behind those crates!"
Aubrey: "Run!"
Zelene tries using her powers, but nothing occurs.
Zelene: "Oh no! Oh no! It didn't work! My powers aren't working!"
Aubrey: "Come on, Zelene. We gotta run!"
Zelene: "Ugh!"
Vargas: "Haha! Gotcha now!"
Zelene: (grunts) "Let go of me!"
Vargas: "Quiet! Where's your other friend at?"
Zelene spits in his face.
Vargas: "Cute. Disgusting little whelp. Caught one of them Boss. The other one got away."
Bison Boss: "Doesn't matter. At least I me another drug maker for the lab. Toss her in with the others."
Vargas: "With pleasure."
Zelene: "My friends are going to come and save me! You'll see!"
Bison Boss: "Haha, yeah, good luck with that rodent. Hahaha!"
His minion, Vargas then tosses her into a large cage with many other furries, adults and teens alike. One of them, a rabbadhole named Echova Garcia helps her up.
Zelene: "What is this place?"
Echova: "You're in one of Horn Bao Harris' captivity labs."
Zelene: "Geez. What is that smell?"
Echova: "The drugs being cooked by the others and the bodies of those who refused to work. We were all taken and forced to come here by his Crimson Reapers."
Zelene: "This is crazy. We all need to get out of here!"
She whispers loudly.
Echova: "If we try to escape then they'll hunt us down."
Zelene: "You need to try and be brave, Echova. We can't stay in here."
Elizabeth: "Girl, give it a rest. We've been stuck here for a couple of months. There's no hope."
Alujura: "What's your name?"
Zelene: "Zelene. Who are you?"
Alujura: "I'm Alujura. Alujura Jensen. These two are my friends, Elizabeth Renton and Echova Garcia."
Zelene: "And everyone else?"
Alujura: "They're all either homeless, orphans, or runaways like we are. My parents were murdered in front of me during that giant snake spirit's occupation."
Zelene: "Vakatarus... I know how you feel. He ordered my parents dead too. He laughed and took joy in it."
She breathes and sheds a tear.
Zelene: "What about you two? What are your stories about?"
Elizabeth: "I ran away from home after me and my parents fought about what my life goals should be. I yelled at them and said I hated them, but I didn't mean it. I would give anything to see them and my little sister again."
Echova: "I'm an orphan. I was playing with my brother at a foster home near Midtown. Some of these 'Crimson Reapers' came out of nowhere and drugged me. Then the next thing I knew. I woke up here. It's been miserable ever since."
Zelene: "I'm truly sorry to hear of all your troubles. Tell you what we're going to get out of here tonight."
Alujura: "What?"
Zelene: "Yeah, just follow my lead. Guard! Guard! My friend here needs water! Getting dehydrated!"
One of the guard's grabs a water bottle and throws it at the cage bars.
Zelene: "One bottle? You're plain rude! You know that?"
Crimson Reaper Guard 1: "Hey, stop talking or I'll pop you myself."
Zelene: "Go ahead and try! It's not like you'll do anything without your boss's say. Am I right?"
Crimson Reaper Guard 1: "Say one more thing! I triple dare you. Give me a reason to not shoot you."
Zelene then sees Sherman and Aubrey descending from the ceiling window above.
Zelene: "You know I feel sorry for you."
Crimson Reaper Guard 1: "Why? This should've a good one."
Zelene: "Cause you're not going to see what's coming for you."
Crimson Reaper Guard 1: "See what? Aaaahhhh!"
The guard falls to the ground completely unconscious.
Aubrey: "Shermie, they're in here!"
Sherman: "Stay... down!"
Sherman grips two other responding guards with his energy grapple ability, thus slamming them to the concrete ground.
Sherman: "We don't have much time! They've already sounded the alarm."
Zelene: "Thanks guys! Get us out of here!"
Aubrey: "Is there a key around here?"
Sherman: "Ha! Bingo! Got it. It was in one the third guard's pocket."
He unlocks the cage.
Zelene: "Thanks Sherman. I owe you one. I also have some info on the furry who imprisoned us. The furry who runs this place is bison named Horn Bao Harris. What if he's the key to stopping all these illegal drug and furry trafficking operations?"
Sherman: "Maybe... but the Vitaea told us both that one of the leaders has political ties. I doubt he is the political type considering his demeanor."
Zelene: "Who could it be?"
Sherman: "The other gang they mentioned, the Feral-50. Maybe the head honcho of their crew is the one with political ties."
Aubrey: "Um... Babe?"
Sherman: "Yeah?"
Aubrey: "There's so many innocents and wild ones here. We must set them free."
Sherman: "I know but we can't risk their lives yet, Aubs. Some of these of the crooks might still be out there searching the whole area."
Aubrey: "Baby, you said that we're going to save everyone. You swore that we would. There are children in some of these cages too. No child should ever go through something like this. Shermie, please... you can shield us all during our escape."
Sherman: "I could, but not for too long. It can get exhausting. I'm not even sure if can pull it off."
Aubrey: "Hey... I've seen you do incredible things for others. Including me. You need to believe in yourself as much I believe in you."
Sherman: "Alright. Ahh, decisions. Decisions. Here. Unlock the rest of the cages. You help these three get everyone out here. There's a back door that leads back to the main road. Me and Zelene will cover ya."
Zelene: "Sherman, my powers aren't working."
Sherman: "You need to channel the energy from your soul and then through your mind and body. That's how the spiritual energy works."
Zelene: "Are you sure?"
Sherman: "Yes, I'm sure. I was trained by the city's biggest hero. Now let's destroy these drugs and take these fools down."
Zelene shakes with fear as she follows Sherman through the cook labs, they knock out the remaining guards.
Sherman: "Everyone! Listen up! You don't need to work for Horn Harris anymore. Tonight, you are going to be free!"
The crowd inside cheers, runs outside and joins Aubrey and the multitude of other furries outside. Zelene then unlocks the cages of every wild one; causing all of them to run free as he opens the doors. However, outside the front of the building, Horn Bao Harris and his goons are waiting on the other side of the labs front doors ready to kill.
Horn Bao Harris: "Yo! Ya think you can just waltz in here and take all my cooks and drug mules?! They're some of my main money makers for the gungtao root I sell! Mine! Why don't ya'all join me? The black market pays well! No answer, huh. Okay then... you better come out now! Otherwise, we start shooting everyone we spot!"
Vargas: "They ain't coming outside."
Horn Bao Harris: "You and the boys go find them. Anyone who ain't familiar. Shoot 'em."
Vargas: "Hahahaha! With pleasure! You heard him let's go!"
Meanwhile, Sherman and Zelene stay hidden in their chosen spot. They see the Crimson Reapers enter inside and end up attacked and trampled by most wild ones, but Vargus and three others slaughter some of them and keep going into the building.
Sherman: "Okay now! Hunnh!"
Zelene: "Yaaah!"
The pair render the three of the goons completely unconscious with their powers first. Sherman then tears their weapons piece by piece with both his spiritual and physical strength.
Vargus: "Hold it right there!"
Sherman: "How about flashing surprise!"
Vargus: "Wha...?"
Sherman's boom flasher implodes; blinding the polar bear furry.
Sherman: "Time for you to take a hint! Heeyah!"
Vargas: "Aaaah! Ugh!"
He groans in pain from being brought down to the ground by Sherman's spirit kick.
Sherman: "I think we won."
Zelene: "You're right, Sherman. I can use my powers. It's just a matter of using them wisely."
Sherman: "Well said. Let's go find Aubrey and put the smackdown on Horn Head."
Zelene: "Hehe, 'Horn Head.' That's a good one."
A gunshot rings out and Sherman looks at his side and collapses for a moment.
Zelene: "Sherman... No!"
Sherman: "I'm... alright. He didn't hit anything... important. I can heal myself. Get... that bison furry."
Zelene: "Okay, I'll be back."
She goes outside and searches for Horn Harris Bison.
Zelene: "What? He's gone."
Horn Harris Bison: "No, I'm not. Should've checked your corners rabbit."
Zelene: "Don't shoot me. What are you planning?"
Horn Harris: "You're coming with me on a little trip. That's what I'm planning."
He forces her to walk to a nearby truck at gunpoint but is zapped from behind by a taser.
Aubrey: "What a greedy monster."
Zelene: "Thanks, Aubrey."
Aubrey: "No problem. It's okay everybody! We're in the clear!" All of Harris' prisoners walk outside and take their first breath of fresh air in a long time.
Zelene: "I hope this is the only place these Crimson Reapers have."
Aubrey: "Wait? Where's Sherman?"
Zelene: "He was shot by this psycho here, and is attempting to heal himself."
Aubrey: "You left him alone? This guy shot him? Oh my gosh, come on!"
They run back inside the drug lab.
Aubrey: "Shermie! Oh no! No, no, no, no!"
Sherman lays on the ground; his side partially healed.
Aubrey: "Zelene, he said you have healing powers too, right? Please... please... help me save him."
Zelene: "Okay, um... come on... come on... Why isn't it working?!"
She starts to panic but hears the voices of the Vitaea tell her that she needs to breathe before placing her paws on his bullet wound. Zelene then heals him and the injury on Sherman's side fades away.
Sherman: (groans) "Hey... did we win?"
Aubrey: "Oh Shermie! Oh! Mwah. Mwah. Mwah. We did it. We freed everyone!"
Sherman: "Hehe, it's good to be back up again too, Aubs."
Aubrey: "I'm so glad you're okay. I still can't believe you got shot."
Sherman: "The other guy got lucky because I wasn't looking. But that won't happen again, babe."
Aubrey then nuzzles against his head. Zelene looks away rolling her eyes with a hint of jealousy.
Zelene: "So any who... let's call the Task Force. They need to know about this place and what has been what's been happening inside."

(Echova Garcia is shown above. Species: A rabbadhole.)

(Elizabeth Renton shown above. (Species: Fennec Fox Furry)

(Alujura Jensen is shown above. Species: Grey Wolf Furry.)

Author's Note: "Chapter 7  is complete! Next chapter is currently the works, y'all! There may or may not be more action going forward.