A Soviet's Struggle

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The cold winter air of a January evening against her nose, Xiao slammed her body weight into a streetlamp as she attempted to make a left turn, running. Panicked, she ran through the student center; a deep, masculine voice following close behind, footsteps gaining ever closer. Curfew was in 45 minutes.

"Hey, bitch!" the voice yelled, huffing loudly at the running. The man behind the voice, Jacob - the Belgian Malinois - was deadset on harassing any of the animalloids associated with Mariya, and her involvement in making Zamir, and now Arthit, who was also declared missing when he stopped showing up for classes after winter break, disappear.

Xiao made another turn, down another avenue. This avenue housed a few of her friend's part time jobs, including Burhardt's, Chahsa's, and most notably, Mariya's. As she rounded another corner past a building, through the pounding in her ears from her heart racing, she noticed the stomps of the pursuer stopped. She leaned against the wall for a moment, heaving and clutching her chest through her work uniform, using her other paw to take her work hat off. He had waited for her as she left work that night, jumping her as she walked away from the business. Chahsa had told her about a Belgian Malinois that jumped her when she had picked up her son from the school daycare a few days prior, but no physical altercation had actually taken place, rather just harmful words. In Xiao's case, however, he went 'straight for the throat' due to how close she and Mariya were. Her pupils dialated, nose licked, wild and aware, she listened for any sounds or smelled for his scent. His scent, a musky, axe-body-spray-scented hunk who clearly didn't shower enough, was still in the air, but so was the faint, but prevalent smell of a very familiar cologne. The two scents did not compliment each other, the overwhelming smell of toxic masculinity overpowering her nostrils.

But the cologne... it was so familiar.

Out of curiosity, Xiao put the hat back on and pushed herself off the wall she put herself on to support her weight, peeking around the corner slowly.

There she was. Mariya; holding Jacob in a one-handed chokehold, proping him against the building, the same one Xiao had taken shelter with, with minimal effort. How this Russian didn't writhe from the scent alone baffled the Tabby. As she appeared from around the corner, her senses relaxed a bit. Mariya was talking to him, she could tell, despite Mariya's muzzle being covered by her left arm, which was extended - hand grasping the neck of the poor dog-kinned animalloid - elevating the intercepted above the ground. Her face was animated, as was with how she talked.

"Consider this a gratitude." The Russian coldly muttered, tightening her grip on the suffocating, her sharp claws superficially piercing his neck, causing blood to flow ever so slightly . His eyes offered the same kind of fear as a deer in headlights; much like Fynn. German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois' had a lot in common, both in appearance and in genus. She knew their weak points. She knew their anatomy, their taste, very well.

"Now, get out of here." She hissed, dropping him to the floor. Jacob gasped, coughing up a fit at his release. He looked up to her in a special kind of horrified way, her staring back unmoved, unchanged. Within moments, he was up and he was gone; running back where both he and Xiao had entered, petrified for his life.

When he disappeared, the Russian turned to look at Xiao, who looked at her with relief. The Tabby opened her mouth, beginning to thank the hybrid for saving her, but was cut off as Mariya slammed into her with a surprise hug. She held her close, her grip on her body overpowering, in a way. The sudden act of affection made Xiao turn a bright shade of red from under her fur, hugging Mariya back, snuggling her face into her shoulder; the smell of her heavenly cologne that drove her wild taking over her nose.

"Are you alright?" The Russian asked, still holding Xiao close. Her heart skipped a few beats with every pound, relishing in the embrace. It felt good to do, the hybrid longing for such an interaction for a long time.