Here's my next story. Thank's DJ for posting these.I'll be sending out
more stroies after this one as soon as I can, even though I'm a lousy
typist. Keep watching for more.
                                                                         
                                                                                                  
T. Tyger

                            Fur and Fury

  "So, how did you two meet?"
  Chance was jerked from his thoughts by his partner's sudden question.
  He and Jake had been driving toward the address Tanya had given
them the day before.Chance had been thinking about all the things he and
his old friend had to catch up on. Jake had been sitting beside him
quietly when he suddenly asked his quetion.Chance shook his head,
turning his attention back to reality.
  "Huh?"
  "How did you meet Tanya?"
  Chance filed through his mind, searching for the old memories that had
long since been put away. For a second it was not so clear. Then
something snapped in his brain and the whole story came out like it
happened only yesterday.
   Chance's dad was an Enforcer, and his idol. He had always set his
mind on going into his dad's profession. During his 8th grade year, his
dad's plane was shot down in an air fight and he was killed.
   After that, Chance's anger and frustration built up inside him like
a raging inferno. Not to good on dealing with his feelings, he turned on
his friends, family, and anyone else who got in his way. By his Freshman
year of High School, he was despised by all and shunned by his peers
which only made his anger greater.
   Not even the older kats messed with him, unless they were in
groups. Still, Chance fought back so fiercely, they had second thoughts
about challenging him again.
   Chance remembered one particular morning when he messed with a
certain Sophmore Who apparently had a lot of friends. A lot of big
friends. The gang of kats had pinned him agenst an outside wall of the
school, punching him relentlessly in the stomach and face. They held him
fast and he realized he couldn't fight his way out of ti which only made
him madder.
   His face was red with rage and repeated collisions with the other
kid's fists.He then heard a voice from abouve the sounds of the beating.
   "Hey you guys, leave him alone."
  Chance felt the beatings cease and the hold on him loosen.
  "Yea, that's right, I'm talkin to you! Think you'er so tuff, take's
five of you to beat up one Freshman."
  The kats released Chance. He fell to the ground gasping and holding
his aching sides. The kats left him and headed towards the voice.
  "How about we take on you then?" one of the kats challenged.
  "Bring it on."
  Chance couldn't recall much of what happened next. The pain numbed
his sences. There were sounds of a fight, then the kats ran off. He
senced another kat kneel down beside him.
  "Are you okay?"
  Chance looked up into the deep green eyes of an orange-furred girl
kat. Chance was too dumbfounded to answer. The kat put his arm around
her shoulder and helped him to his feet.
  It took him a while to figure out what happened. But then he
realized the horrible truth. He had been saved by a girl. Suddenly, he
was mad. He tore himself from the girl's grasp.
  "What the heck do you think you're doing!?" he yelled at her.
  "I was just trying to help." came her soft reply.
  "Well I don't need your help. I was doing just fine. And who asked
you anyway?"
  And with that outburst, he ran off and around the corner of the
school. When the girl kat was out of site, he turned and peecked around
the corner at her. The orange kat looked bewildered for a second. Then
she shoved her paws into her pocket and solemly walked inside the
school. Seeing the look on her face made Chance regret what he had said.
  Chance was even groucier than usual that day. His body hurt all over.
Chance never did take pain or loosing very well. He was lost in his
grumblings when a kat suddenly appeared around the corner and they
collided, spilling the kat's booka and papers on the floor.
  "Hey!" Chance shouted. "Watch what you're...."
  He looked up to notice it was the same girl kat that had saved
him that morning. She lokked at him with suprize. Their eyes locked for
a second.Then she dropped to her knees and gather her things off the
floor.
  Under ordinary surcomstances, Chance would have walked off
laughing. But instead, he lowered himself to the floor to help retrieve
the fallen items.
  "Sorry." he apologized
 "It's okay." 
  With that she scooped up the rest of her papers and whisked back
around the corner she came. A split second later, she backed back out
into the hall. The gang of Sophmore kats, plus a few more, fallowed her
and pinned her agest the opposet wall.
  "It's payback time." one kat threatened.
  Chance stepped between them.
  "Hey, your fight's with me." he defended.
  "What are you doing?" the girl kat asked from behind him.
  "Go on." he insisted. "I can handle them."
  Chance held his fists ready when he felt a tug on his arm.
  "No." the girl kat stepped in. "We'll handle them."
  A huge fight broke out then and there. Chance threw his fists fast
and furious while the girl fought with suprizing skill. But in the end,
the only thing anyone won was a free trip to detention. There Chance
found out the kat's name was Tanya Tiger and her father was quite a
wealthy industrialist.
  Chance ended his story there as they pulled up in front of Tanya's
house. It was a couple miles out of Megakat City, all by itself on the
edge of Megakat Forest. The house itself actually looked more like a
mansion.
  "Wow." Jake exclaimed. "I knew Tanya had money, but I didn't think
she had this much money."
  "You think perhaps we'er under dressed?" Chance asked, eyeing their
casual ensaumble of jeans and t-shirts.
  They walked up the path to the house and knocked on the door. It
soon was flung open to reveal Rita's smiling face.
  "Hi guys." she said happily. "Come on in."
  She was definately in a better mood than last the last time they
met. She led them into the house which was much less extravagent than
they expected. Thay entered the living room which was furnished with
ordinary furniture, a TV which was ordinary size, and a dining room to
the left.
   "Tanya's around here somewhere." Rita told them. "I'll see if I can
find her."
   When rita was out of site, Jake and Chance took the opportunity to
explore. Chance walked down the hall to find a stair way to the second
floor.
  "Chance, come here." Jake's called from another part of the house.
  Chance fallowed the sound of his voice. Jake had found a sliding door
in to foyar. He opened ti to find a huge room that was prctically empty.
Jake guest it was used for parties. Inside was an extravagent grand
piano. It shined a brillant black and Jake walked over and stroked its
ivory keys. He sat down carefully on the satin bench.
  "I haven't played the piano in years." Jake mumbled to himself. But
Chance heard.
  "Yea right. You play the piano? Don't make me laugh."
  "Oh yea?"
  Jake thought back to when he was a kitten and how his grandmother
had taught him to play with her own special skill and wisdom. He
breathed in deeply as his fingers delicately pushed the keys. Out of the
instrument came the most beautiful melody Chance had ever heard. He
leaned agenst the doorway, eyes half closed, engulfed in the music. He
then turned to notice leaning on the other side of the doorway. She had
a radiant smile on her face as she gased at the skilled musician.
  Tanya then appeared in the doorway and silently guided past them
into the room. Jake felt the presence of someone standing near him. Out
of the corner of his eye he could see it was Tanya as she sat down next
to him. He could feel the warmth of Tanya's smile as his fingers flew
across the keys and he ended his song in a finale of radiance.
  Chance and Rita aplauded his performance as they walked toward him.
  "Wow." Tanya breathed. "That was realy good."
  She smiled at him and they locked eyes.
  "Nice job, buddy." Chance said as he placed a paw on Jake's shoulder
  "Yea, well.... you know." Jake stuttered, slightly embarraced by
all the attension he was getting.
  He stood up and walked out with the others fallowing. They all
walked into the living room.
  "Quite a nice place you got here." Chance comented.
  "Yea." Tanya agreed. "Would you like a tour?"
  The foursome wandered through the house looking at all the different
places. It had all the regular rooms of a two story house plus a library
with selves of books and a computer and an exercise room. Then, of
course the ball room with its grand piano. 
  "Hey Tanya, what's in here?" Chance asked, pointing to a door in
one of the halls.
  "I'll show you." Tanya smiled as she opened the door to reveal
another one, this time made of air tight steel.
  "Why the security?"
  "We had to sound proof the door." Tanya explained. "The noises kept us
awake."
  "Noises!?" both tomkats asked.
  Tanya pulled the door open to reveal what looked like a docter's
operating room. Everything was shiny and clean. Medicines and doctoring
tools were placed neatly on the shelves. There were strange noises
coming from the door at the far end of the room. Tanya walked over and
opened it. It led into a kind of room with no back wall. Along the side
walls were rows of cages. Most of the cages were filled with animals.
  "Welcome to my office." Tanya invited as they walked inside.
 "What is all this?" Jake asked.
  "This is where I work. A sort of ‘hobby' if you will."
  "What kind of work are you in Tanya?" Chance teased. "What do you do?
Do you do crazy experiments on these creatures?"
  "Yes Chnace," Tanya retorted sarcastically. "I mutate tham into an
army of monster fallowers in which I will use to take over the city."
  "Sounds like someone else we know." Jake whispered to Chance.
  "Actually," Rita spoke up. "Tanya uses this place as a heeling
center for all the hurt and wounded animals that are found in the
forest."
  "Is that so?" Chance was impressed.
  "Yea." Tanya said. "It's not much of a profession, but it's something
to do. The only other thing I have to do in this city is go to those
stuffy, boring city meetings and check up on all my companies every once
in a while."
  Suddenly a large cat came out of no where and landed on Jake,
knocking him over and pinning him to the ground. Chance instinctively
snapped into an attacking position. Jake shut his eyes, waiting for the
animal's fatal bite. He felt a wet tongue on his cheek. Rita grabbed
Chance's arm before he could throw himself at the beast.
  "It's okay," Rita asurred. "she's friendly."
 The cat licked Jake again. He laughed and tried to shield his face from
the rough tongue.
  "Get this thing off me." he cried.
  "Come on Sandy, you big kitten." Tanya said as she did her best to pull
the massive cat off of Jake.
  Sandy turned her attention to Tanya. She nussled her head on Tanya's
shoulder, knocking the small kat down.
  "If I'm not mistaken," Jake said as he got up. "that's a Megakat
Mountain lion."
 "One of the last of her kind." Rita added. "We saved her as a cub and
she's sort of adopted us."
  "Sandy's sort of our guardian." Tanya explained as she got up.
"She protects all the animals here."
  Tanya led them to the end of the medow where a huge open doorway led
them out into the forest behind the house. There was now one question
that lingered in Chance's mind.
  "How's your dad doing?" he asked Tanya.
 "Oh, he uh died about a year ago and that's why I'm stuck taking care
of the family buisness,"
   "Family buisness?" Jake asked.
  "Making money." both Tanya and Chance said droley.
  "I'm sorry to hear he died." Chance said. "I remember all the fun
places he used to take us. Wasn't we a great guy though?"
  "Sure." Tanya sounded insinsere.
 "Anyway," she added, changing the subject. "that's how I met Rita. I
had to take all these buisness classes so I'd know how to run the
companies. Rita was taking the same ones and we became friends. After
dad died, I called her up to help me and here she is."
  After the story, the four kats stood there quietly, not knowing
what else to say. Sandy soon got bored with the silence and wandered off
else where.
  "So Tanya," Jake spoke up. " How much of the forest do you own?" 
 "Pretty much all that's left of it. The mayor's been trying to sell me
out for weeks, so he can make room for his new golf course." She paused.
"You guys want to go for a walk?"
  The others nodded and the four kats made their way into the forest.
 During this time of silence, Chance took the time to study Rita a bit
closer. She looked a year or two older than Tanya. She had shoulder
lenghth blonde hair and she wore lighter colors than Tanya. Yet the two
looked almost related. They both had the same large green eyes and they
both had white fur that started at their cheeks and ran down their necks
and under their shirts. They almost looked like cousins. But Chance knew
the only cousin Tanya had lived far from Megakat City. Chance desided
that Rita was pretty good looking, even though he still had a crush on
Calley Briggs.
  "You know Rita," he stated. "I never did catch your last name."
  "That's cause I don't have one."
  "You mean you don't know who your parents are?"
  "Not that I can recall."
  "And you don't care?" 
  "Not really. Addressing me with just Rita is fine with me. I've sort
of obtained Tanya's hatred for formalities."
  Tanya made a face. She hated it when people adressed her as Ms.
Tiger. To her, it sounded real stupid. She liked being called by her
first name as well.
  "What was that?" Jake suddenly asked.
 "What?" Chance replied.
  "I heard voices."
  Everyone stood quiet. Jake was right, he did hear voices. They
fallowed the sounds until they found themselves on top of a wooded hill
which sloped down into a valley which contained a log cabin near a large
river. Strangely enough, ther were armed guards placed around the cabin.
Animal skins were stretched along the walls.
  "Tanya, it's them." Rita exclaimed in a hushed voice.
  "It's who?" Chance asked.
  "Poachers." Tanya answered. "We've been trying to catch them for
months."
  "Don't the Enforcers know about it?" Jake asked.
  "They wouldn't even look." Tanya said coldly. " ‘Not enough evidence
to support our claims' they said." 
  "So let's go tell them." Rita said.
  "Not yet, I want a better look inside."
  Tanya quietly snuck down the hill with Jake and Chance close
behind. Rita hesitantly fallowed.The four kats managed to get in though
a window without any of the guards spotting them. Inside, they were
perfectly hidden behind a stack of boxes. Tanya peeked around them to
see a stragly, light colored kat in torn jeans and a jacket talking to a
darker furred kat in a buisness suit.
  "It's all set Boss." the scragly kat said. "The whole shipment of
furs is in the boat, ready to be delivered to Mr. Sly's warehouse."
  "Good." the well dressed kat replyed. "He has informed me there are
buyers ready and waiting."
  Tanya turned to Jake who had been listening to the conversation
over her shoulder.
  "They've already got a buyer." Tanya whispered. "If we don't act
now, all the evidence will be sold before the Enforcers will get there."
  "But you can't stop them yourself." Jake insisted.
 "Just watch me."
  Tanya dashed out into the open and behind another stack of boxes
unnoticed.
  "This she kat's going to get us killed." Jake though to him self
before he dashed out after her.
  Chance looked over to see his two friends stealing quietly over to
the docks.
  "Hey," he called a little louder than he should have. "where do you
think you're going?"
  "You there," a guard yelled. "how did you get here?"
  Chance realized through his carelessness that he was now in full
view of everyone in the building. He ducked just before the guard fired.
  "Chance, what do we do now?" Rita asked, alarmed.
  "Stay here." Chance ordered.
  He pulled a small hand gun from his pocket. Always carrying a gun
was a habit he had picked up while being an Enforcer. He stood up and
fired at the guard, knocking the gun from his paws. Chance lunged at
him. The guard fell down, banging his head on the hard ground.
  Two more guards ran in, who were soon greeted by Chance's fist.
Chance found a rope to tie up the loosers of the battle. He was standing
over his catch when he heard a gun shot from behind him. The roof began
to fall on top of him. Chance felt something hard colide with his head
and he fell to the ground in darkness.
  "Chance!"
  Rita saw the roof collapse from her hiding place. She ran over to the
pile of rubbleand dug out an unconcious Chance Furlong.
  "So, there was two of you."
 Rita looked up to see the kat in the buisness suit pointing a large gun
at her head.
  "A fact I will soon rectify."
 Rita closed her eyes and waited for the gun to fire. But before the kat
could fire, a huge snrling animal landed on top of him. Rita opened her
eyes to see the kat pinned to the ground by a mountain lion.
  "Thanks Sandy." Rita breathed with relief.


  Tanya and Jake were already hidden away in the cargo hold of the boat
when the gunfire inside the cabin started. The boat floated slowly dow
the river towards its destnation. Tanya stood by the door, trying to see
out the cracks in the door way. The boat then hit open ocean. The boat
sped up, causing Tanya to tumble backwards into Jake's arms.
  "Sorry I dragged you into this." she said as she pulled herself from
Jake's grasp.
 "Hey, no problem. I like a little danger now and then."
  Tanya smiled at him and then turned het attention back to the door
as the boat bagan to slow down. It stopped. Theey heard a voice from
above them.
   "Where are those guys?" the voice asked. "They said they'd be here
to unload this stuff."
  "They're probably off sleeping on the job again." another voice
answered.
   The boat bounced slightly as the two kats got off to find their
accomplices. Seeing thier chance, Jake and Tanya slipped quietly out of
the boat. They stole across the dock over to a pile of crates. Tanya
stepped behind them and imediately found a gun in her face.
  "Make a move and I'll blow your brains out."
  An obviously armed she kat had also found the crates to be a good
hiding place.
  "Lieutenant Feral!?"  Jake exclaimed.
  "Clawson! What are you doing here?" Felina cried.
  "Same thing you are Lieutenant, trying to catch these poachers."
  "Well I don't remember you being reasigned back to the force Clawson,
so I sugest you get your tail out of here before I ...."
  "Excuse me." Tanya interupted. "But can you two quit the formalities
and get this stupid gun out of my face?"
  To Jake's suprize, Felina obeyed.
 "Now," Tanya continued. "I sugest, Felina, that we combine forces
because right now you don't have any back up. And if we don't do this
now, your bust is busted."
  Felina sighed. She knew Tanya was right.
  "Okay." she surrendered. "But you guys stay behind me."
  She took a gun from her pocket and handed it to Tanya.
  "Just in case." Felina added.
  Tanya looked at the gun and handed it to Jake. The last thing Felina
wanted was Jake Clawson, the deadest shot she'd ever known with her gun.
  "I don't like guns." Tanya said as if that explained every thing.
  "All right, let's go." Felina ordered. She started out but then turned
to add. "I'm keeping my eye on you two."
  "Man," Tanya stated. "you have a few criminal records and they never
let you forget it."
  Felina and Jake turned to stare at her increduously.
  "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
  Felina sighed again. What chance did an Enforcer Lieutenant, a
mechanic, and a trigger-shy smat mouth have agenst armed felons? Felina
was about to move out when she felt something hold her back. She turned
to see Tanya grabbing the back of her uniform.
  "What is your problem?" Felina hissed.
  "I heard a click." 
  "So?"
  In answer, Tanya pushed the pile of crates over. Felina heard some
muffled cries as the crates hit the floor. She picked through the fallen
crates to find two unconcios kats and their guns.
  Felina then heard gun fire to the side of her. Apparently the rest
of the kats had heard the noise and came to investigate. Jake fired a
series of shots at them, knocking thier guns out of their paws. Tanya
quickly lunged at the unarmed kats, fallowed by Jake. One of the kats
not involved in the attack came after Felina. She ducked as he punched.
She rammed her shoulder into his stomach and flipped him over her head.
  She then felt something hard collide with her arm, knocking her to
the groung. She looked up to see a kat with a metal pipe standing over
her. He raised his paws to deliver the fatal blow. But suddenly he
crumpled to the floor at Felina's feet. Tanya stood above her with a
board in her paws.
  "Aren't you glad we showed up?" Tayna said, reaching out a paw to
help Felina up.

  Felina, Jake and Tanya had just finnished tying up all the crooks
when they began to hear sirens in the distance.
  "I think we should go now." Jake said, not too wild about having
Commander Feral finding him there.
  "Yea." Tanya agreed. She turned to Felina. "Nice working with you
Felina."
  "Same with you Ms.- I mean Tanya." the she kats exchanged smiles.
  "Tanya, let's go." Jake said inpatiently. "We've got to Check on
Cance and Rita, they might still be at the cabin."
  "Cabin?" Felina asked.
  "Fallow along the north side of the beach." Tanya instructed over her
shoulder as she turned to fallow her anxious friend. "You'll find a
river that leads into Megakat Forest. Fallow it and you'll find their
base of opperations. Oh- and tell your uncle I'd like to talk to him."
  Across the street, a black limo was parked near by. The kat inside
frowned at what he saw. The bust wuold cost him millions. He'd get even.
Especially with that orange kat who blabbed to the Lieutenant where his
hideout in the woods was. Cursing, he ordered the driver to drive off as
the Enforcers began to arrive.


   Chance came to in the couch at Tanya's house with a splitting
headache. He placed a paw on his aching forehead and felt a large bump
under his blond colored fur. He groaned as the pain increased with every
movement he made. He felt a cool, soft paw touch his forehead.
  "How are we doing Mr. Furlong?"
  Chance looked up to see Rita smiling down at him.
  "Okay I guess."
  "Hey Sleeping Beauty."
  Chance looked to see Jake and Tanya pop up from behind the couch.
  "How'd you guys get back here?" Chance asked tiredly.
  "Taxi." Tanya replied simply.
  Chance would have liked to hear more but he hurt too much to ask
questions. He decided that Jake would have lots of explaining to do
later. 
  "You might be kind of sore tomarrow." Rita informed him. 
  "As opposed to what I'm feeling now?" Chance asked teasingly.
  As Rita finnished bandaging his cuts and bruises, chance looked
over at Tanya who was in mild conversation with Jake. Chance thought
back for the second time that day to when he had first met Tanya. 
  They didn't become fast friends right at first. After they had spent
detention together Chance had offered to walk Tanya home.
  "You're not from Megakat City, are you?" he had asked her.
  "No." Tanya replied. "We just moved here a couple of weeks ago."
  "How do you like it?"
  "It's okay, I guess. But I miss my old home and all my friends. I wish
so bad that I could just go back."
  "So why don't you?"
  Tanya suddenly got very serious.
 "That's not funny Chance."
  "No seriously. Why don't you just run away and go back there if you
miss it so bad?" Chance asked in his own spiteful way. Tanya's answer
suprized him.
  "Chance," she had cried. "It's just not that easy."
  To that day, Chance still wasn't sure what she had meant by that.
But somehow he had related to it. It wasn't easy for him to go home
either. To him, home was his father. It had been a long time since he
felt like he was home.
  But as he layed on the couch, listening to his friends talking, hr
felt like he was home. Like he belonged. Chance smiled, closed his eyes
and fell into a contented sleep.

The End