�Yes SAI I�ll be fine. He knows I�m coming and is probably just out of the cabin.�
�Very well Johnman stand by for transport��
A moment later the transporter chamber on my ship disappeared and was replaced by the one of the open fields near Cerb�s cabin. After taking in a breath of fresh country air I started to walk towards the front door. But before I reached it something abruptly pinned me to the ground.
�Hello Johnman.� The giant yellow megawolf above announced playfully.
�Oh Hello Vikki�� I replied nervously.
�What�s the matter pawslut? I thought you liked being stepped on?� The megawolf inquired gently pressing me into one of her soft paw pads.
�Well I do but it�s just that I used to Nikita��
�Are you saying SHE has nicer paws than me?� She interrupted in an irritated tone.
Actually as I lay beneath the wolf�s paw something occurred to me. Vikki actually had some of the nicest paws I had ever been trampled by. The pads were very clean and soft and her toenails were perfectly pedicured. My guess was that these peds were well taken care off. Which made sense since Vikki was into fashion and probably took her personal appearance very seriously.
�No Vikki you have really nice paws. It is just I am used to� I mean I�ve come to trust��
�Trust Nikki???� Vikki replied and let out laugh, �Wow you are sure one crazy human. Let me show you something.�
With that the megawolf scoped me into her hand. She then started towards another open field in the distance. As we approached I could make out Nikita and several other normal sized furs. The megahusky had just separated two of the furs and placed them next to each other in the field.
�FIGHT!� The husky shouted.
As commanded the two furs began to pound on each other with bare hands, rocks, sticks, and whatever else they could find nearby. They fought viciously while being cheered on by Nikita, who was watching the whole thing with demented delight. Finally after several minutes of bloody competition one of the furs took a sharp blow to the leg, probably breaking it, and fell to the ground. The injured fur cried out in agony as his opponent quickly backed away. A moment later Nikita swung a paw over the crippled fur and smashed him flat.
After taking a moment to wipe the gore off of her paw the husky grabbed two more terrified furs, placed them together, and shouted, �FIGHT,� starting the whole deadly contest over again.
�So this is your beloved husky?� Vikki asked sarcastically.
�Well you see��
�Johnman wake up. You were nothing but a pet to her. A toy to be played with� And now she�s bored with you.� Vikki replied coldly.
�Ouch Vikki. You�re right but��
�Perhaps I could talk to her for you.� Vikki replied slyly, �Maybe she could be convinced to find you entertaining again��
Suddenly it dawned on me what was going on, �What do you want Vikki?�
�Oh come on pawslut! If I wanted something from you I would just take it!�
�Well I�d expect Nikita to try that, she�s dumber than a rock. But you�re a lot smarted than the playful husky over there. You know that I can always just push a button and get whisked away to my ship never to return. So instead you decided to offer me something in exchange for� A gadget from my ship? A favor perhaps?�
The megawolf grinned and replied, �You�re one cleaver little human. I like that. Ok then let me be blunt� I need you help.�
�Let me guess, Cerb�s in trouble again.�
Vikki grinned again, �You are clever��
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�Listen punk I told the big bitch over there that I don�t know where they�re holding that little punk.� A smug fur announced from inside the cage used to keep the girl�s playthings. �So either kill me or let me go!�
The fur was beaten up really bad, apparently Vikki had already questioned him. However despite his attitude I could see a look of terror is his eyes. And the scans I ran during our conversation indicated that he was lying.
�Vikki you said that he was trying to steal the safe out of Cerb�s cabin, right?�
�Yeah he claimed Cerb owes his boss money for a gambling debt but denies knowing where MY little pinewolf is!� Vikki replied with a angry growl.
�Well I can tell you this much,� I replied and looked directly at him, �HE�s LYING!�
Vikki let out a furious growl and reached into the cage. After a desperate escape attempt, she grabbed her prisoner and tossed him on the ground. As he struggled to recover the megawolf stood up and swung one of her paws over his legs.
�Wait, don�t��
The fur�s pleas were totally ignored as Vikki slowly began to press down. He let out a painful scream followed by a series of pops and cracks. My scanner showed that every bone in his legs was being shattered under the wolf�s gigantic foot. However before having his legs totally crushed, she released him to suffer in agony for a few moments.
�Now tell me where my Cerberus is or I�ll break your arms next!� Vikki growled.
�Ahhh, no more! I�ll tell you� Just no more� ahhh.� The fur begged while grasping his devastated limbs.
�NOW!!!�
�2007 Seventh street. The old warehouse� Password is Tumor�� The fur managed to sputter out before passing out from the pain.
�Thank you.� Vikki replied and slammed her paw down on the fur, grinding him into mush with a cruel twist.
�Vikki you could have gotten that out of him anytime. What did you need me for?� I inquired dumbfounded.
�I want you to find out if Cerb has a gambling problem before Nikita and I take care of those punks downtown. My little pinewolf has a lot of bad habits but I really hate gambling. He knows that and won�t admit to anything but you could find out before we rescue him.�
�And if he does have a problem?�
�Then we�ll get him help�� Vikki replied sincerely, �Listen a close friend of mine ruined his life because of that nasty habit. I don�t want the same thing to happen to my Cerberus.�
That little statement was a real eye opener for me. For the first time I saw Vikki not as a powerful megawolf but as a concerned young women. One who really cared for her boyfriend and wanted to protect him.
�Of course I�ll help you�� I replied with a smile, �all you had to do was ask.�
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�Alright SAI let the girls know I�m at the warehouse. Tell them to stay hidden until I call.�
�Affirmative Johnman. Be careful.�
After putting away the communicator and checking my ETE I knocked on the warehouse door. A moment later a peephole opened.
�Password?� A large muscular thug asked.
�Tumor.�
The thug gave me a quick look over and then opened the door. After I got inside my newfound friend took possession of my pulse pistol. Luckily he was only instructed to confiscate weapons and nothing else.
Once past the security checkpoint it was a short walk into the main warehouse hall that looked like a fancy Vegas casino. There were slot machines, card and roulette tables, and even a bar. The entire building must have been soundproofed because all the activity was inaudible from outside. Perhaps the local authorities were bought off also.
BEEP, BEEP
I quickly pulled out my communicator, which was disguised as a cell phone, and answered the call.
�What is it SAI?�
�Johnman I think I�ve located Cerberus. Sensors are detecting a wolf fur matching his vitals in a back storage room. The room doesn�t appear to be part of the public area and there is a guard posted at the door.�
�Good job SAI.�
With that I �hung up� my communicator and headed towards the back. As I arrived at the room another guard and two thugs had just reached the door. After ducking for cover I watched the two thugs enter the room. Now there were Two guards and Two thugs, I needed a distraction.
�SAI this is Johnman, call in the girls and beam down my backup pistol.�
A moment later a pulse pistol appeared on the floor. Then right on cue the ground started to shake and all hell broke loose. Tile and plaster fell from the ceiling as the girls torn the roof off. Then Vikki climbed inside and started stomping. Amidst the loud crashes and horrifying screams the two guards decided to make themselves scarce, leaving the door unattended. It was time to move.
Quickly I rushed over and knocked. When the door opened I busted my way in and shot one of the thugs. Unfortunately before I could react the other jumped me and we started to struggle. A warm coppery taste filled my mouth after it received a rather large knuckle sandwich. However I returned the favor with a swift kick to the stomach that sent my attacker crashing into the wall. Before he could get up I grabbed my blaster and settled the fight. Lucky for him I always used the stun setting, then again if the girls find him�
�Johnman��
�Cerb are you alright?� I asked while rushing to the corner to untie him.
�Yeah I�ll be fine. Guess the girls are here huh?�
�Of course but we won�t be leaving out the front door bud.� I replied and told SAI to lock onto us with the transporter.
�Johnman I�m not leaving without this.� Cerb announced and grabbed a large wooden crate in the far corner.
�What is it?�
�It�s what I came here for. I�ll explain later. Now just give me a hand.�
�Alright I�ll have SAI beam it up with us.�
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�The medical scan shows no permanent injuries Johnman.�
�Thank you SAI.� I replied and turned to the pinewolf lying on the scanner bed, �So you weren�t gambling down there then?�
�No Johnman. I went down there for� Well I didn�t go down there to gamble. Vikki hates gambling. I don�t know why but she is very� adamant about it.�
�OK,� I replied scratching my head, �then why did you go to a hidden casino then?�
�Because those guys were the only ones that could acquire enough� well let�s say raw material. Also they claimed to know a really good craftsman to do the work.� Cerberus replied choosing his words carefully.
�Then why were they holding you prisoner?�
�Because they double crossed me!� He replied pounding his hand on the table, �After the work was finished they wanted more money. I told them I had it in my safe but they wouldn�t let me get it. I guess one of girls caught the henchman they sent� �
�Johnman this is SAI please take a look at the monitor on your right.�
I got up and checked the monitor. It was a transporter pattern report that showed what was inside the box. What I saw put a smile on my face.
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�Damn Cerb this thing is heavy! Where did you say you wanted it?� I grunted while struggling with the crate.
�Right over here by the cabin. Did you contact her?�
�Yeah she is on the way back from her apartment. Guess she wanted a shower after the casino rampage.�
Just as we finished positioning the box tremors started. In the distance a large yellow mass appeared. It didn�t take long for Vikki reach the cabin and pick me up.
�Does he have a problem?� She inquired apprehensively.
�No but I think he has a surprise.�
Just then she noticed the crate and put me down. Then the megawolf reached over and picked up her hubby and the box.
�Is this for me?� Vikki asked in a curious tone.
�Yes�� Cerb replied with a smile, �Open it.�
Vikki carefully pried the top off the crate and her face light up, �Oh Cerb� I love it!�
�Did you think I forgot our anniversary? We�ve been going steady for a year today. I wanted to get you something special.�
The happy wolf carefully lifted a solid gold ring out of the crate. It was sized perfectly to fit her finger and had �VIKKI� engraved on it. The gigantic piece of jewelry must have cost a fortune but its effect on the megawolf was far more impressive than the price.
�Tonight I�m going to take real good care of you little man.� The megawolf declared and gently stuffed her boyfriend between her breasts.
With a warm feeling in my heart I decided to leave the happy couple. However as I started to reach for my communicator Vikki�s paw came crashing down. For a moment all I could feel was the warm soft leather of her sole engulfing my body. I could hear the ground buckling and began to fear that the distracted wolf may not have seen me�
Just as I was about to accept my own imminent death the paw lifted and I opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed were the deep heel and toe craters in the front and back of me. Meanwhile the ground around my body was only lightly indented.
Then I noticed the megawolf smiling down warmly. Apparently she had very carefully shifted her weight from heel to toe giving me the best �paw hug� I ever had.
As I watched the titan casually walk into the sunset I realized just how lucky Cerb was to have a girlfriend like that.
Acknowledgements:
- Cerberus and Vikki are copyrighted Cerberus characters. Used with permission.