𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙻𝙳 𝚂𝙾 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙳

Peace Demands War

Breaking news had continued to depict across countless television stations. Benjamin watched the coverage as he lied in the motel bed, carefully reading each headline that ran across the bottom of the broadcast. Volkov slumbered at the side of the bed upon a quilt pallet, his gentle snore being the only source of sound in the room. Benjamin watched the footage somberly, feeling a pit grow in his gut. Benjamin ponders to himself as he witnessed the footage of riots and violence that continued to rage throughout the spheres of influence, fearful thoughts racing across his mind as he wondered about the future.

After a while, the bathroom light of the room shuts off and the door slowly creaks open. Amaria emerges from the shadows of the bathroom as steam escaped into the main room as she ran a towel across the nape of her neck.

"Was the water warm enough?" Benjamin whispered to Amaria so as to not wake the slumbering wolf.

Amaria smiles warmly to the man and brings her towel down from her neck. "Yes, it was. I almost never wanted to leave it." She answers softly, adjusting her tank top.

"That's good. I was worried I didn't leave enough." Benjamin says, returning the smile and adjusts his legs.

Amaria giggled to herself and stepped quietly over Volkov and to the bed Benjamin lied upon, placing herself down on the edge of it. She tucks her dirty laundry underneath the bed and on top of her suitcase. Amaria then adverts her gaze to the television set, reading the headlines as she straightened her posture.

"Hey...turn it up just a bit?" Amaria asks softly, looking back to Benjamin.

Benjamin nods and grips the remote control that lied next to him, clicking the volume button.

"...After Common Era, the perpetrators of the awful attacks in Minneapolis earlier today, has claimed responsibility." A female news anchor spoke. "A statement has been issued on what appears to be the official web page of the group, stating 'all-out war' on 'the anthro race'."

Amaria silently whimpered to herself hearing those words, curling up to the pillows of the bed.

The anchor continued to speak before suddenly stopping herself, placing two fingers over her earpiece; silence fell upon the coverage.

Amaria's ears perked up curiously. After another moment, the voice of the anchor returned.

"We... we go live now to the World Embassy in Amarok where Prime Minister Sitka is set to give a press briefing." The anchor says as the footage cross faded to a grand conference hall. A stoic anthro bear in a white suit stood at a podium at the center of the stage while a line of anthro government officials stood behind him.

Amaria brings her hands up to her chest and nestles over to Benjamin's side. Benjamins' cheeks flushed a bit as the fox huddled close to his side as he watched the footage with her.

The crowd of the conference suddenly hushed to a murmur as the stoic bear grips the sides of the podium and leans into the microphone, feedback filling the silence.

"Peace. The supposed notion our modern world is built upon." The bear began as his gruff voice reverberated throughout the hall. "Our ancestors had relied upon such ideals. But yet, our kind is being persecuted. And now, our kind is being ruthlessly gunned down in the streets of the United States."

Benjamin let out a soft sigh before glancing at Amaria as she huddled by his side, noticing her ears were pinned back as she watched the speech intently.

"Hate. Discrimination. Violence. War." The Prime Minister continued. "The formula of aggression that should never go unanswered. The lack of the United States response to the welfare of its own citizens has brought light to the true meaning of the new world order." The bear says, his brow furrowing.

"To quote the late President Kennedy, 'Those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside'. The violence perpetuated by After Common Era and the utter lack of United States intervention reveals the open aggression towards our kind in the so-called land of the free. Lives taken upon the premise of ethnic cleansing and human rights."

"Oh, no..." Amaria whispers under her breath, her tail curling underneath her legs.

"For centuries, our ancestors and our nation's founders have taken every step necessary to obtain the safety and the welfare of our brothers and sisters of our nation, along with our rightful place in the reality of this world. However, as the time comes for action against an open aggressor, the world tends to pick and choose its battles. The brutality of After Common Era will not go unanswered. Peace is no longer part of the equation." The bear says before raising his head. As he begins to exit the stage, the sea of reporters and journalists rise from their seats and begin to call out questions as the prime minister strolls away from the podium. The coverage faded back to the anchor as she then continued to report the headlines.

Benjamin and Amaria sat in silence for a moment. Amaria then brings her hands down and gazes over to Benjamin. "Ben?"

"Yeah?" He responds, meeting her gaze.

"Have you ever been to the home country?" Amaria asked, glancing down to herself for a moment before bringing her gaze back up to Benjamin.

"I visited the capital on some kind of class retreat where the students with the best grades went on back in senior high... but I haven't been back since." Benjamin answered, placing his hands upon his lap.

"Was... anyone mean to you on that trip?" Amaria asked, tilting her head softly.

"Aside from my classmates, not really. But I remember a noodle shop owner gave all of us awful glares. He didn't look so happy to see a bunch of... Americans... in his shop." Benjamin answers,  reaching one of hands up and places it hand on the back of his neck.

Amaria glares down at her arms as they sat crossed on her stomach. "Do you fear going there again, especially now?"

"Kind of... but Volk's family and I go way back. We used to be neighbors back in early grade school, so I had a lot of time being around them. When Volk moved in with his aunt, his parents went back."

"Well, what about your family?" Amaria then asks, looking back over to Benjamin.

Benjamin lets a sigh out through his nostrils and brings his hand back down. "It's... a long story."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. There is no other place I'd rather be right now." Benjamin says, looking over to Amaria and placing his hand on her arm.

Amaria then smiled warmly at the man. Benjamin returns the smile just before Amaria brings the man into an embrace. Benjamin, caught off guard by the sudden hug, blushes as he looks down to the fox.

"Heh, what's this for?" He asked, placing his arms around her.

"For not abandoning us." Amaria answered, softly nuzzling his chest.