After Invasion

Chapter 6

Conrad smiled at the sleeping form in his bed. Elaine had been very good company during the night. Talking about what they were until sleep overtook them both had been quite entertaining. And while intercourse had not been involved, Conrad felt it wasn�t even necessary. It had been too long since he could speak with someone on his level. He shook his head one last time and sighed, walking to finish getting ready. �It�s gonna be a busy day.�

Alpha pulled the bus to a stop in front of the complex. She opened the door and walked through the bus waking those whom needed it. First, Knight and Aeris, the latter of whom had slept against her father�s shoulder, while Knight himself lay with his head against the glass of the window and his fist under his chin, as if in thought even when asleep. Red was wiping the sleep from his eyes when Alpha got to him. She smiled brightly at him.

�We�re here. How are your paws?� Red looked down at them.

�Useable, not for much more then changing the channel on the television but usable.� He got up and stepped off the bus waiting for everyone else. Katherine was up too, but looked like she was about to get off the bus to go to school.

�Oh, don�t look like your about to suffer, Katherine. It�s a vacation, not a field trip.� Katherine shook her head.

�That much time on the bus brought back some old memories.�

�You too?� Erica spoke from the seat behind Katherine. Katherine got up and stretched as Alpha went to check on Erica.

�Knight told me, you feeling better?� Erica nodded.

�He�s always been my rock. My support, but I don�t mind sharing every once in a while.� Erica got up and joined everyone else outside. Alpha decided to wake up the lovebirds. Gently nudging Phenix, the great red and gold avian�s pupiless yellow eyes opened.

�Are we there yet?� Alpha smiled.

�Knight�s right that joke�s run its course. Especially since we are.� Phenix smiled and nudged the ball of black feathers next to her.

�Come on, Xen we�re here. Wake up.� Phenix decided her mate needed a wake up call and licked his beak. Up like a rocket, Xenif looked about and smiled down at his beloved. �About time, sleepy head.� Conrad ambled forward as everyone is getting off Alpha�s bus.

�Welcome, everyone to my small part of the world.� Alpha chuckled because she knew how many square acres this �small� place was and it was anything but. �The grounds are completely yours to roam as you please if you have any questions just ask me, and�.�

�Phenix?!?!� Cee Cee ran out and hugged the red avian so hard she almost tackled her. Pandora and Theo were walking out to greet Conrad�s guest as well, when Pandora almost mimicked Cee Cee. �We thought you might have left.�

�I didn�t leave you then I�m not about to start bad habits now.� The three of them continued the conversation as they walked into the complex, Xenif behind them, struggling only slightly with both of the avians luggage. Katherine was about to follow when she heard someone speak from behind her.

�Sis?� Katherine turned slowly seeing Catrina come out of invisibility behind her. Katherine�s eyes started to water as she took a few tentative steps towards Cat then closed the gap quickly and embraced her. She chuckled a bit, a tear or two already starting to stain her fur. �I�ll take that as a �hi.�� Erica and Red had been watching the reunion as they had been removing the stuff from the compartment from beneath the bus.

�Hi Red, Erica.� Even with their backs turned to her, they knew it was Artica. Erica turned quickly and smiled at her.

�Artica your alive?� The white vixen nodded.

�Last time I checked. How have you two been?� Erica smiled and was about to say something, but when she tried to step forward her cybernetic knee jammed slightly and made her stumble into Artica, whom caught the younger vixen before she fell.

�Surviving.�

�What happened to you?� Erica just smiled again and tapped her fist against the cybernetic knee, make a light knuckle-to-steel sound.

�A long story I�ll tell you about later. I just want to get settled in a little bit. I�ll see you around Artica.� She picked up her luggage and stepped inside, a woman with dark brown hair doing so as well.

Artica ran a paw through her head mane then turned to talk to Red, but he had gone over to help an orange fox with black jean shorts and a sleeveless shirt with his and another woman�s luggage. Everyone else had stepped inside wanting to finish their conversations there. Red looked over to Artica and sighed, shaking his head. �Why didn�t he just hit me, it would�ve hurt a lot less.� Undeterred, she walked over to the three of them. Her eyes were unconsciously let go of a few tears, she didn�t even feel them. Red had his back to her; she gently taped him on the shoulder. �Hey, Red I was wondering if you wanted to�..� When he turned she could almost see the flames in his eyes, poorly masking the pain that was truly there.

�Not right now, Artica.� He had almost growled it. She closed her eyes, in the back of her mind realizing the truth, and just barely keeping herself composed. Her fists were clenched as she opened her eyes more tears escaped. Her heart was tight in her chest, her teeth grinding under her lips.

�I�m glad you�re alive, and�. I�m sorry.�

�For what?�

�That I�m not Scarlet.� She turned her paw to her muzzle, head and tail low so no one else would see. Red only now realized that he�d been a complete dick. Then, Knight sealed the information slapping him upside his head.

�Smooth move, Ex-lax. Should I have been taking notes on how to be an asshole, because that class you just taught was top notch?� Red took a step in the direction Artica had gone when Alpha held her arm up to block him.

�What�s her name, again?� Red sighed.

�Artica.�

�I�ll try and talk to her.� Alpha walked at a slow pace and watched as Artica slammed the door to her room so hard it came back open without her realizing it. �Quite a temper, almost reminds me of me.� She blew away a lock of her hair that had found its way into her eyes. Waiting a few moments longer she heard the sound of drawers opening and closing. She walked to the entrance of her room, leaning against the door frame. She watched the artic vixen throw a few more things in a bag before deciding to reveal to her that she was there. �Are you really going to run?� Artica shook her head.

�No, I�m just going to stay in the woods for a while. That way we won�t see each other, so we won�t hurt each other.� Alpha looked at the note on the dresser, next to the door. Picking it up and reading it briefly. The words almost an exact match to that of a song she knew. She looked up to see the vixen, ready to leave. �Please hand that letter to Conrad so he won�t worry. Let me pass.�

�I can�t do that Artica. You know running away will solve nothing.� The vixen nodded.

�I know but, I�m not trying to solve anything, I�m just trying to make sure nothing else happens, please move out of my way.� Her voice was rising slowly in a mix of rage and melancholy. Alpha just shook her head again.

�I�m not going to do that, you couldn�t survive out there.�

�Why would you care, your probably just another human that wouldn�t mind losing another worthless slave.� She formed an ice blade in her free paw. �Now, please don�t make me do something I�ll regret.� Again, the woman simply shook her head. Artica raised the blade to where it was level with the woman�s nose. �Last chance, move. Please.� The woman stood up straight and fire lit up in her eyes as the tip of the blade caught a blue fire. It continued to melt, until the hilt and Artica could not re-grow it. She dropped it and the woman looked down extinguishing the flame. She looked back up at the vixen that had backed up all the way to her bed and then fallen onto it not realizing it was there.

�I�m the reason Erica can still walk, so your first theory is bullshit.� She walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Artica snarled again, but knew it was pointless.

�Defeated again,� Artica mumbled.

�Defeated? I don�t remember fighting you.� Artica looked at her, her head tilting to the side slightly. �That was just a small display that I�m not exactly what I seem. I am a human that cares. Otherwise, I would have let you go.� Artica let it sink in, after wiping off some more tears.

�Who are you?�

�My name is Alpha Raye Craven.� Artica looked up in complete shock. �Yes, the Triumvirate member. Is there another reason for Red�s outburst? Granted, that�s the most emotion I�ve seen out of him since I acquired him, but I would�ve liked it to be more joyful.� Artica looked down, finding a piece of the carpet that had somehow captivated her interest.

�It�s a long story.� Alpha smiled at her, chuckling gently.

�Does it look like I have something better to do?� Artica sort of smiled, but kept her eyes low. Artica told the story to Alpha. How she gained her powers, how they had made her sick missing the training day with Red. How her spot had been filled by Scarlet. Then how the jealousy had over taken her at times, then of the time before the last battle, where she tried to confess that she didn�t care anymore. She closed her eyes as she flashed back to that time. Scarlet almost towering over her as she usually did, in height and victory.

�He�s mine; you won�t take him from me.� The artic vixen drew her paw across her muzzle where the red vixen had slapped her. Her power ignited but she restrained from using it. Artica got up from the floor, a spat some blood at Scarlet�s feet.

�I didn�t come here to take him. I came to try and make up. I should�ve known you were going to do this!� Her fists were clenched. Red had just walked in to see the usual stand-off between the two. �He doesn�t deserve someone as BULLHEADED AS YOU ARE!� Red stepped next to Scarlet wondering what in Kenal was going on.

�Enjoy her Red, but know I could give a shit whether or not you make it through this!� Artica rubbed her paw across her muzzle wiping off some of the red that had stained her white muzzle. Red took a step towards her but she had already taken two backwards. �I don�t care, just die, just die and leave me ALONE!� She had said the words with such malice and just turned and left. When Alpha�s hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present there was a stain on the carpet from where she�d been crying. �I didn�t mean it. I said she was bullheaded, but now that I look back, I was too. By the time I had realized what I said was a mistake, I was already running from the hunter�s. I wish I could�ve taken it back.� Alpha had been listening the whole time. She shook her head, trying to smile.

�I�ve been around a while, Artica. My temper and stubbornness have gotten me into more trouble then they�ve gotten me out of too. You can�t change some things, once their done. All you can do is try to make up for it and move on.� Artica shook her head.

�You saw how Red reacted to me, how am I supposed to get through to him now? He�ll probably think I�m still bidding for Scarlet�s position.� Alpha shook her head this time.

�Red, when he would talk, spoke very highly of your bravery in the final battle. Even with what you had said fresh in your mind, he noticed that you and Scarlet took on a great deal of the hunters alone.�

Artica nodded. �I figured it would be better to make up for what I had said with actions rather then words. The whole time Scarlet and I were fighting them, she only looked back once, and when she did, she was smiling at me. It was almost as if she was saying, �Thank you.� I wish she was here, more for Red�s sake then my own. I know it�s been terrible for him, without her. I wish I could�ve defended her better, I wish I could�ve done a little bit more. Maybe I wouldn�t have lost sight of her in the smoke; she might�ve helped me get to Eclipse. Maybe�� Artica held her head down again, crying again, this time the sobs shaking her body and soul. She felt Alpha wrap her arms around her and she cried into the human�s shoulder. Alpha held her for a few moments and then sniffed the air.

�Cigarette smoke, one of them is listening.� Alpha looked at Artica, and smiled. �As I said before, he noticed. He doesn�t hate you, he just has a lot to deal with, at the moment and you caught him at a bad time. The healing of his heart and his paws has taken big chunks out of his soul. Try to help him with the process. Right now though, get cleaned up a little. Smile for him, he needs a strong team, now more then ever, for him to lean on.� Artica looked up at her and smiled.

�Thank you, Lady Craven.�

�I�ve been a counselor of the soul and heart for a long time. My ears work pretty well if you ever want to use them again. Just let Red get settled before talking to him again. Oh, and the �Lady Craven� thing, just Alpha from here on out, okay?� Artica hugged Alpha again, and then stepped into the adjoining bathroom of her room. Alpha got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She knew a fox would be waiting for her, but she didn�t know which one to expect. As Red put out his cigarette, he stood but Alpha blocked his way. �Let her rest for a while, and remember, things can be said out of hate but the bond of friendship, if strong enough can never be broken by mere words.� Red and Alpha both walked away from Artica�s room.

Later that day, Conrad and Elaine were walking around the outside of the complex. Conrad looked over and Elaine had a sad look on her muzzle. �What�s wrong?�

�Just wish I knew something about my team. We were the first to break up� I really hope nothing happened to them.� After saying that a single car pulled up to the entrance of the complex then pulled into a parking spot. Elaine looked curiously, and Conrad started to walk to the side of the vehicle.

�Well, a late comer.� He smiled as someone stepped out of car and Elaine�s eyes nearly popped out of her head. The late comer smiled.

�I don�t know I think I�m right on time.�

In the gym, Artica did another rep of free weights. She then moved, without resting to the bench press. She started to lift and got a few reps in before starting to rely on pure will. She was into her next press, when her paw-hold slipped and she caught it just in time for it to be holding her to the bench, by her neck. She was having trouble breathing, and tried to scream for help, but the bar kept her quiet. She couldn�t believe it, after everything else she�d survived; she was going to die, by a bench press bar. She tried to lift the bar only able to get it up a few centimeters, enough to breath but didn�t have the strength to hold it there long. As the bar started to slide again, she gritted her teeth.

�No, not here.� Still, a scream couldn�t escape, as the bar cut off her air again. She was about to let death take her, when she saw a black furred arm and a cybernetic arm getting into position to help her lift the bar. As the bar came up and then set into its resting place she sat up and started to cough, never really going to take breathing for granted again. Someone sat down next to her and patted her back gently.

�Come on, Artica, breath. Breath, Artica.� She didn�t open her eyes, but continued to take the strong yet caring voice�s advice. When she got up enough air to speak only one name came to mind.

�Duncan?� She opened her eyes, and saw Duncan�s faithful green eyes gazing into hers. Duncan nodded, smiling at her.

�I told you I�d protect you.� Artica tackled him against the bench, kissing him deeply. At first Duncan was thoroughly surprised, yet pleasantly. He wrapped his arms around her. She hesitated only slightly when the left half of her body got cold. When they pulled from the kiss, she noticed his left arm, up to the shoulder was cybernetic.

�Maker, Duncan, what happened?� Still smiling, and feeling a bit dazed from the muzzle lock, he shook it off.

�Well, I lost it in the final battle. Omega Hunter I didn�t see till it was too late. At least it got replaced, but the rest of me is still here.� He opened his arms and she almost jumped into his embrace. He greatly missed her scent, a winter evening in front of the fireplace. Artica smiled as she got up taking his paw into hers.

�I know someone that wants to see you.� Artica guided Duncan along the halls of the complex, her paw in his. It felt so right, she wondered what she had been thinking, staying strung out over Red when there was a perfectly good fur, not ever too far from her. She knocked on the door to Rachel�s room. �Rachel, you in there?� Duncan�s eyes went wide, as the door opened.

�Yeah, Artica what�s�..� She stopped in mid-sentence seeing her half-brother before her. �Duncan?� He nodded smiling slowly as the two gave a soft embrace. She felt a tear hit her shoulder and looked at him. It was the only one to escape.

�I apologize to both of you. I tried�.� Their turn to cut him off and Artica rested her head on his shoulder, yawning slightly. Rachel patted his free shoulder.

�Don�t apologize for something you have no control over. You might want to take her to her room though she�s looking a bit tired.� Duncan looked down and smiled at Artica. Her eyes were having trouble staying open. Artica almost yipped when Duncan swept her from the floor into his arms. She snuggled into his chest closing her eyes. Rachel just smiled. �We�ll talk about things another time. You two make a good couple; the colors make it even better.� Duncan looked down, and she was right. Artica was the white to his black, the light to his darkness, and whether she realized it or not, she still had a firm grip on his heart. Rachel walked back into her room after giving him the directions to Artica�s. He found it with little problem but before he opened it; a human hand beat his already occupied paws to it. Duncan looked up and smiled at Conrad.

�Thanks.� Conrad opened the door for them, and as he was shutting it behind him, he said.

�Well, I was going to tell you that your room was ready but, it seems to me you�ve already found one.� The door shut gently as Duncan laid the sleepy Artica into her bed. He was about to turn to leave when she pulled him into her embrace and opened her blue eyes, smiling devilishly.

�Where might you be going?� She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled from the kiss and almost laughed when he looked intoxicated by her. �A gentlefur, such as you, wouldn�t leave a vixen all hot and bothered, now would you?� Duncan smiled and this time; kissed her passionately.

�Not a chance.� Duncan needed no further clues to take the initiative. He kissed her as his paws started to roam her body, his paws finding the straps of the workout suit. It slid down her divine form, as he licked at her neck and his paws traced through her fur. He started his descent with his tongue, and started to lavish her breast with his muzzle�s affections. His right paw gently massaged her breast and she started to moan.

�That�s not fair.� She bit into the lower part of her muzzle, as small jolts of pleasure were sent through her by his tongue. His paw trailed down her body as he felt her paw slide to the front of his pants and starts to rub the bulge that was already starting to form. She moaned louder when his paw found her already moist folds. The first finger of his paw dove into her, almost as if knowing her very well. Her body shuddered and she moaned again, and by this time she had managed to get his pants off and get a good grip on him.

�You like it when I don�t play fair.� She smiled at him, as he slid down her body and stuck his muzzle into her, licking long and deep. Her back arched slightly as both of her paws ran over his head, and tweaking his ears. She continued moaning, until she almost howled hitting her first climax in a while. She was panting her eyes still gazing at him lovingly. He sat up and positioned himself in front of her, while she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. �It�s probably going to hurt.� She smiled at him once more and pushed with legs as he pushed into her. Her teeth ground against each other and Duncan didn�t move a muscle. He licked her cheek, as she opened her eyes and nodded. He took an even pace, and started to take her slowly. He was rubbing her involuntarily, and her second peak rising. She pressed herself into him, never wanting this feeling to end as she felt her second release, and with her walls tightening against him he unleashed himself into her. He had just enough energy to lie down next to her, still within her and pulls the blankets of there bed over there shoulders. He looked at her as she had fallen asleep in his arms. She had only reacted to the cybernetic arm once, and she didn�t even care. �I love you, Artica.� He closed his eyes, and he joined her in sleep, for he knew he�d get some of the best he�d had in a while.