“They started rallying and cheering me on after I was finished; I’d say it all went quite smoothly.” Monsour sat down in a plush armchair, looking around the rented room.

  The other vulpurs in the room all acknowledged his words, exhibiting various degrees of happiness with the progress report. Following that, Perola walked over to a cabinet in the corner of the room, opening it. In Seraphis Kingdom, it was tradition—almost paramount—for a few bottles of alcohol to be left there for guests.

  Perola grabbed the bottles and a few shot glasses, equally distributing the beverages among her companions. Even if it was already getting late, the vulpurs in the room exhibited great excitement.

  “To progress and betterment!” Perola cheered, clashing her glass with the others in the room.

  After they finished their drinks, pushing aside the shot glasses, Losalzo was the first one to look at Shinso. Earlier, they had restrained the boy to the wall with the chain bolted into a metal plate. Shinso hadn’t bothered to use the newspapers provided for him; they had even given him a bucket if he needed to do the other option.

  “Are you hungry, Shawn?”

  “It’s Shinso,” The indigo-haired boy stumbled, folding his arms as he sat against the wall. He looked down at the empty plate before him.

  He had devoured the entire meal like a rabid dog, yet he still felt his stomach grumbling. Though, he didn’t want to feel like a burden or a nuisance to the people around him—if one could refer to them as people—so he decided on remaining as inconspicuous as possible for the time being.

  “I’m not hungry.” Shinso closed his eyes, trying to lie down on the ground, but the length of the chain only allowed for one to sit.

  The only way for him to lie down would be for his neck to be raised slightly, facing constant, painful pressure from the tugging of the chain. By morning, he’d sound like a boy who hadn’t drank any water for months on end.

  “Alright,” Losalzo said with a shrug as he looked back to his companions, smiling.

  “Now, what’s the next order of business? Should we sleep to preserve our energy for tomorrow's tasks, or should we stay up later and enjoy ourselves?”

  Francis and Fatima immediately started vibrating, fists clenching and unclenching. “How about we explore the city? Seraphis Kingdom is so big, I wanna see all the gadgets and fancy clothing!” Fatima buzzed.

  “But someone would have to say back and watch Shinso here,” Perola looked back at Shinso, scoffing. “Do you plan on actually sleeping like that?”

  Shinso grumbled. “This is all the damn movement this chain provides me. If you have a longer one, I’d gladly take it.”

  Perola exchanged a glance with Felonious and Monsour, smiling. “How about you two accommodate the twins, show them around. Though, I’d advise you four to be extremely careful in this particular kingdom. Don’t you remember the glares they shot us?”

  “Yeah, they hate us because they ain’t us!” Francis and Fatima high-fived.

  “No, they’re flat-out racist to us. This kingdom is a highly conservative place. If you show an ounce of your body, even a sliver of your shoulder, you’ll either get abducted by an addict or harassed for your lack of manners.”

  “We don’t show our shoulders; we’re polite like that,” Francis barked.

  Perola groaned under her breath, rubbing her temples. “Felonious, just ensure they don’t run off. If they steal, grab them by their bushy tails and drag them back here.”

  “I assure you that won’t happen, correct?” Felonious shot the two vulpurs death glares, his icy eyes almost like the bitter winds outside.

  The twins gulped nervously. “Y-yes sir.”

  Upon hearing the assuring answer, Felonious nodded his head in approval. “Alright. If we have extra cash, I might tend you two to a small treat if you don’t grab anyone or anything.”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Monsour stepped forward. “We’ll be back in an hour or two.”

  As the four of them left, leaving Losalzo, Perola, and Shinso alone, Perola turned to the boy chained to the wall like an animal.

  “Losalzo, stay close in case something happens.”

  Losalzo nodded without saying a word. As Perola reached into a drawer, taking out the key needed for the chain’s lock, Shinso’s body tensed—he immediately began planning.

  Click!

  The moment the chain fell loose, Shinso bolted forward thrusting his head into Perola’s lower abdomen like a live battering ram. Perola fell backwards, groaning as she hit the floor. Shinso—who had begun to feel that rush of adrenaline and pride with his actions—only felt the emotion for a sliver of a second before a massive hand grasped the back of his head, slamming him into the hardwood floor below.

  Losalzo’s hand pressed deeper, as if he were trying to mix Shinso’s body with the floor. Shinso let out a muffled groan of pain, teeth gritting. Soon enough, the gritting of his teeth shifted to enraged chattering, encompassing his barely restrained rage and desperation.

  “I think he’d prefer being chained outside the apartment complex," Perola groaned, dusting herself off as she stood up.

  Losalzo chuckled darkly to himself, grabbing Shinso by the back of his collar. Shinso tried to protest, but Losalzo’s other hand found its way to Shinso’s mouth and jaw, squeezing with an intensity that could shatter it at the slightest of ministrations.

  As Losalzo crept to the door, Perola suddenly paused. “Actually, he’d freeze and perish. We are to keep him warm and safe, but… closely monitored in case he tries something like this again.”

  Without any hesitation, Losalzo tied Shinso back to the wall, the collar around his neck biting into his flesh, turning it slightly red. Shinso tried to move again, but the length of the chain had him on his knees at most. He couldn’t even stand, only crouching as much as the chain could pull him.

  …

  “It sounds interesting and all, but I’m too busy to help you guys,” Leo said as he brought a lit cigar to his lips, puffing thick black smoke into the air of his office.

  “Alright.” Aizawa nodded, looking at Olivia.

  The blonde-haired woman looked back at Aizawa, shaking her head. “We’re dwindling. What if we can consult Oboro?”

  “Oboro?” Leo inquired, arching an eyebrow.

  “You know him?” Aizawa asked.

  Leo nodded his head. “He comes here somewhat often for a bite to eat. Last week he came here with his good friend Aaron, but the latter disappeared when he came back here just a few days ago.”

  Aizawa fell silent, lips twitching. “What was Oboro like when he visited recently? Was he different in any way?”

  “Well, I did mention Aaron was missing from his company. It was just him. He ordered a drink and a small meal, ate it up, and just left. The entire time, he remained silent, a little too silent for his usual demeanor.”

  “What if it’s about Aaron?” Olivia exchanged a worried glance with Aizawa. “We could check up on him, but that’d dwindle our current operation.”

  “Aaron can wait.” Aizawa stood up from his chair, approaching the door leading from Leo’s office. “We have to find Shinso.”

  …

  “Hands off you tail-back!” A woman sneered, pulling her hand-woven purse away from the clutches of Francis.

  “Francis!” Felonious barked, storming over and snatching the back of his shirt, sharply pulling him away from the woman.

  “Get out of our kingdom!”

  “Go away!”

  Countless crude and degrading remarks echoed through the crowd of people surrounding the vulpurs. Felonious found himself used to the remarks and the noise. After all, he had endured Kael’s attitude and authority countless times over through the underground meetings. Fatima looked on the brink of ripping someone's eyes out, while Francis looked like he wanted to run from the noise and the scene.

  Mosour remained silent, hands tucked behind his back in a professional manner. He paid no heed to the sneers, for the political prowess he had gained short of an hour ago was enough to fuel his ego.

  “Let’s keep walking,” Felonious calmly ushered, leading the two twins down the snow-covered sidewalks.

  As they walked in silence, the people stepped aside for them. All of them could tell it wasn’t due to their enhanced political status or special circumstance. Felonious silently scoffed to himself, while Francis and Fatima stayed close to his side.

  “They’re quite nappy to anyone who’s not a human,” Monsour sarcastically commented.

  “Yeah, no squat, Perola warned us of all of this!” Fatima looked back at Monsour.

  “Maybe you can make a plant that makes everyone nicer to each other.” The pink-furred vulpur leaned in a little closer, smirking.

  “That’d take a miracle.” Fatima grumbled like an impatient toddler.

  “Hey!” A voice suddenly called from behind them.

  The four vulpurs turned around, catching sight of two figures.

  Felonious sighed softly, turning around to face them. “Have you come to pelt us, maybe tie us to a stake and scold our flesh?”

  “I don’t see why’d we do that. We’re not the type to advocate for torture,” Aizawa said as he stepped forward. He looked at all four vulpurs, gazing at them up and down.

  “I have a few questions for you.”

  Monsour’s lips curled into a frown. “Questions?”

  “Yes, related to some people you may know.” Aizawa’s term grew heavier as he made his way even closer to the vulpurs.

  “Well, we can’t simply talk in the middle of the street,” Felonious commented, scanning the road and the buildings on either end of it.

  “What’s coffee? It sounds… interesting.”

  “Fine,” Aizawa huffed, rubbing his glabella. “I’ll purchase you some coffee if you can talk with me in the store.”