Phly nodded, "Sounds like our old boss before he died and his son took over... The true White Lion was fearless and powerful as I'm sure you guys have heard stories about him...Like we have about your old boss..."

"Good, cause those books back at the scientist's library seemed like they were full of lots of information." Thanatos smiled and turned and held onto Gabriele's neck like a small child. Gabriele smiled, "I'm not really used to being around a lot of people still."

Gasket looked up at the ox, walking up to him and stared at him in the eye from his waist level height, "That, my friend, is my baby. It can stand up to ten tank shots and twenty explosions at least. I believe it can even stand up against zombies if they ever existed." Gasket smiled as the bus stopped behind him and let out a few loud blasts, though it was expected to the boy so he didn't get scared and become defensive.

Connor shook his head. "It's kind of sickening how death is the only way to do things," he growled. "Our old boss was the reason a lot of us survived after we were all freed from the labs. I should have shot Cade for what he did," he added fiercely. Reve cleared his throat. "Enough about this. We know our gangs have deteriorated but there's nothing we can do except adapt," he reasoned. "You're only saying that because he bribed you into siding with him," Connor muttered but noone responded to it. Probably because they knew it was true.

"Really? Well, if this whole things works out maybe you can stay a bit. And we'll let you pay back Hudson for all the trouble he caused," Nayeli laughed, starting to feel a bit queasy. She checked her arms again and nodded.

Ox's ears layed back as the blasts rang out but didn't blink. "Impressive," he said, looking from the bus to the skunk. He sighed. "We're taking that thing, aren't we?" He raised an eyebrow. Lula giggled.

"We should head out before the older members come back. They are never around unless they are really needed." Phly suggested looking at all the wounded anthros, "We need to get a few people medical attention as well." He said and looked over to Gasket, "Well Gasket that horrible monster you made better work."

"It's not a monster, it's a masterpiece! Besides, I'm the only one who can drive the damn thing." The skunk boy smirked and looked up again at the on, "Of course we're taking it, Mr. Limpy." He giggled and hit a button on the remote. The door on the bus groaned as the springs were pushed and the door opened, "It might sound unsafe, but believe me, it's better than a fallout shelter or a foxhole." He smirked and hopped into the driver's seat, plugging the remote into a slot made for it and grabbed the steering wheel, "All aboard!" He laughed at his own joke.

"That sounds like a plan. Though I'm sure Thanatos would disagree." Gabriele smiled and looked over to the bus, "Looks like a cage more than a bus." She laughed a bit. Thanatos watched Nayeli checking her wounds, "You okay?" He asked full of curiosity.

Lula, always the enthusiastic one, was the first to fly into the bus, picking her seat and folding her legs happily. Reve followed her, wandering to the back.

Nayeli smiled at Thanatos. "I'll be fine until we get home. It just stings a little," she told him. She looked at the thing. It definately was intimidating.

Connor stood infront of the doors, examining the bus but not entering. Nayeli let out a sigh. "Come on, scaredy goat, get on. We can't wait all day." She put her hands on his back and pushed. "There aren't any windows!" Connor replied nervously, bracing himself as best he could without using his arms. His claustrophobia was getting the better of him. "Just get on the god forsaken thing or I'll break the rest of your bones!" bellowed Ox from behind. Connor jumped and ran inside with a small, anxious moan.

Thanatos jumped out of Gabriele's arms and ran into the bus, sitting in the front seat, "FIELD TRIP!!" He smiled and jumped up and down in his seat. Gabriele taking the seat across from him to keep and eye on him. Her wings unfolded a bit and took up most of her seat, "The sooner we get medical help, the better."

Phly was the last to get on the bus, looking about, and said with a smirk, "Welcome to Lost Dreams traveling service, where we scare because we care." He jumped into the seat in the middle of the bus.

"Scaredy goat, I love it!" Gasket howled from the driver's seat and hit the gas pedal, the bus lurched forward and headed off, "Somebody want to be my navigator, or do I get to give directions?" The boy chuckled to himself over the bus's intercom.

"Oh, sounds like a hoot," Reve muttered with a weezing cough, examining his singed feathers. Connor looked even more uneasy but once he was in his place he let his head rest against the side and slipped in and out of a doze despite the rumbling of the bus. His arms were now just buzzing with the pain but there was no doubt he was bleeding, even if nothing had broken through. He could see the dark blood of the bruises through his skin.

Nayeli took charge. "Get out of the light district and go another mile before turning west. You'll know it once you're in our territory. We're close to the Feral Den," she called, sitting close to the front. The Feral Den was the remains of a mall which contained thousands of wild anthros and a fighting pit below. Members from all gangs took part in the sport, fighting eachother or a captured Feral for prize money.

Phly watched out of the window and after a while got up from his seat and took the large Browning to the back where a ladder led to the roof of the bus and disappeared up to the roof. His footsteps could be heard as he walked towards the front of the bus, stopping when he got to a stand that was made for the gun. The top of the bus had a protective border made of welded steel and had holes for guns to be shot through. Phly stayed up there as a sentry guard as they headed towards the Feral Den.

Gabriele closed her eyes, trying to relax a bit while she could. Her wings were numb from all the pain, which was a plus to her wounds. Thanatos waited until he saw that Gabriele had fallen asleep before he moved around the bus, first sitting next to Ox, "How did you lose the horn?" He looked up in awe of the dangerous man and his deadly looking horns.

Gasket nodded and followed her directions, turning off the lights and paused as he made it to the border of the territories, killing the engine for a minute and flicked a few toggles and levers, turning the engine back on, it was running a quite a bit more quietly, but was still loud enough to be heard from a distance, "Anybody want to go to the Feral Den?" He asked, a bit nervous, but was trying to hide it, slipping the gas mask back on, not knowing if he would need it as the bus moved into the next territory.

Ox watched Phly climb to the top of the bus before he realized the boy was sitting beside him. He glanced up at the broken remains. "I got it torn off by a porcupine back there. It's probably still stuck in his side," he said, smirking a little at the recollection of the fight. But his horn would never grow back and that was depressing him even though he hid it well with his hard exterior.

"Are you kidding? We'd die in there," Reve muttered. Nayeli glared back at him before turning around to answer. "Nah, just pull up a few blocks from the hotel. That's where everyone hangs out," she said, watching the old shopping mall building warily. The sky was darkening and the sounds of active Ferals echoed out from the broken windows. Eyes shown red and green the light that was reflected from the side of the bus. Nayeli noticed the boy replace his mask and the hair along the back of her neck rose. Fear is one of the many emotions that are contagious. Lula shuddered visibly.

"Hey Stickytongue, how do things look up there?" The skunk asked through a walkie talkie. He steered away from the mall, noticing the eyes and grabbed the intercom, "Not to...gas masks can be found under your seats." Gasket told them, trying to protect them from his nervous habit.

"Does it hurt?" Thanatos asked curiously, noticing how large the ox's hands were compared to his tiny ones, "You are really big, you know that?" He smiled, his innocence getting the better of him. He jumped out of the seat and moved over to Gabriele, "Gabby...Please wake up for a minute. You need to get your gasmask on." He told her as the hawk started to wake up. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked around confused, "What?" She opened her eyes to find a gas mask in Thanatos's hand held out to her, "Put it on if you are going to sleep...You might need it."

"Looks clear for now, though there are a lot of eyes watching the bus." Phly's voice cackled through a small speaker near the driver's seat. He was reeking with fear, the gun aimed at anything that moved, nervous that something would try to attack.

Everyone took theirs out just to keep them at the ready. There were creatures in there that couldn't be recognized as even partly human. Nayeli placed the shotgun in her lap and sat straight, watching out the front windows. "We'll be fine. They're wild but their not stupid. Most of them know what a gun is. You two have never been to the Feral Den have you?" she asked. Connor lifted his head. "We'll have to take you there some time. Show you how the real gangsters fight." He grinned. "Don't show off. You won't be fighting for a while anyway," Lula snapped, rolling her big eyes at him.

Ox looked down at the boy. "Sure does," he said. The blood from the tear had dried around it but it was still sensitive to even a shift in the air. He laughed, a deep shoulder shaking laugh. "I get that a lot." He watched Thanatos leave, his mood lightened considerably.

"I'll stay awake." Gabriele told the boy and took the gas mask from him with a small smile, sitting up and winced as her wings bumped the seat. Noticing that everybody else was nervous, she looked out the window and instantly reached for her trench gun after seeing the eyes. Thanatos nodded and ran over to Nayeli, sitting next to her now, "How are your arms?" He curiously asked, his ears perked up towards the rest of the bus, not wanting to miss anything.

"Hey Smelly, you might as well let them know where we keep everything." Phly's voice crackled into the speaker as he looked at the eyes, moving over to the sniper rifle that was mounted to a stand, aiming at each shadow as that they passed, "Might want another person up here as well." He added.

"Why...you know better than to scare me like this." Gasket replied and slowly started to speed, "Under the seats and at the back of the bus where the seats have been removed, are plenty of ammo and other supplies, including medical supplies. By the way, I'm a mechanic and a decent medic." Gasket told them through the intercom. He jumped at the sight of a large feral running in front of the bus and he quickly pulled on his gas mask down completely, "Sorry." He mumbled the apology into the intercom as the bus started to stink. A shout could be heard from over head followed by a yelp from the feral falling to the ground, a headshot.

"Gah!" Thanatos wrinkled his nose and pulled on a gas mask and curled up next to Nayeli, not enjoying the scent. Gabriele pulled down her gask mask, muttering how easily the skunk got.

Nayeli cursed as she heard the thing being shot from outside and slipped on her gas mask. She put her arm on Thanato's shoulder. "Hey, Reve! Go up and help the frog if he needs it. They might be ticked that he killed one of them," she ordered, tossing the gun across the bus. The black bird grumbled as he caught it, getting up from his seat and climbing to the top of the bus. "The sooner we get off this thing, the better," he growled.

She looked down at Thanatos. "They're fine for now. I'm tough," she assured him. The truth was they were starting to throb with the pain.

Reve pulled himself up next to Phly. "You're making them excited. The less we freak out the happier everyone will be." He pulled his lighter out and seemed purposeful at first, then he took out a cigarette from his inside jacket pocket and lit it, apparently oblivious to the angry creatures watching him. "Smoke?" he asked, holding out another for Phly. A furious snarl rang out from the building and Reve took the ciggie from his mouth before roaring back at it, just as furious sounding. "There," he said, satisfied.

"Sorry, can't let them get too cocky." Phly apologized and pointed to the assortment of guns that lay at their feet, "Mount any of them on a stand and you can help keep watch on the other side if you want." He aimed at another feral that looked like it was going to run, but the feral hissed at the sight of the gun aimed at it and froze, "No thanks... Smoking ruins the stickiness to my tongue."

Gabriele relaxed a bit when she saw that the ferals kept their distance, wishing the ride would be over soon enough. She looked over at the others and stood up, moving to the back of the bus to see what all they had available on hand. Thanatos nodded after the smell was gone from the gas mask, "I'm glad they don't hurt." He smiled and bounced up and down in his seat, "So what are we going to do when we get back in the territory?"

"Territory line in twenty yards." Gasket reported to them as he pressed a bit harder on the gas pedal. The bus roared a bit in reply as it started to speed a bit faster, the territory line was in view.

Reve picked up a Mossberg, tossing the shotgun down, and faced the opposite way of Phly. He shrugged and put the cigarette back in his jacket. As he looked around with his black eyes a thought formed in his head and he glanced back without turning his head. Reve had almost forgotten that he was a rival. Up here, he could say a feral got the frog and noone would know. He stood quietly, debating with himself.

Nayeli thought for a moment. "Well, all of us big kids have to get cleaned up first. Maybe rest a little. Lula could take you to see the old laboratory. There's lots of interesting books and stuff in there," she suggested, noticing that Lula was one of the few that wouldn't need attention.

Connor looked out the windshield. Home, he thought and then bit his lip. He was going to get the worst of it, he knew. He had harbored Gabriele and Thanatos and started this whole thing. Hudson had probably said he had killed Enzo too. The anticipation of what would happen was making him sick. Maybe if he was lucky Cade would end him quickly, like he had his father.

(you like the fox I adopted? same breed as Thanatos!!!)
Phly was watching the ferals while tugging on the knife stuck to his hand, letting out a small chuckle when he finally got it off, "Took long enough." He set the knife in his belt, needing to give it back to Nayeli the first chance he could get.

"I like reading and Lula is nice. She saved me from the alligator man." Thanatos smiled and looked up at her curiously, "So when we get there, nobody will be mad, right?" He smiled innocently and rested his head against her side, feeling a bit tired. Gabriele was watching out of the window, knowing that Thanatos was safe surrounded by the others.

"We're only a yard away from the line!" Gasket shouted happily, the smell wasn't as bad as before, the bus airing out as it drove.

(It's so cute! Sorry I haven't replied quickly.)
Reve, hearing how close they were, decided against his plan and stood silently at his post. He glanced down at the knife with a wary stare and waited for the bus to reach its destination.

"Lula's nice to everyone," smiled Nayeli, looking at the friendly bat who, noticing her watching, grinned back at her. Nayeli let out a sigh as her ears lowered. "Hopefully. But I don't know for sure," she replied quietly, putting her arm around him.

"Finally," Ox grumbled. Connor slid farther down into his seat, resting his arms in his lap as he tried not to have a melt down right infront of everyone. He'd be ruined for sure. Death was better than being called a weakling, in his eyes.

Phly smiled when the bus passed the territory marker, "We made it!" He cheered and looked over to Reve, "Come on, we're no longer need up here." He jumped over to the ladder and climbed down the side, his hands and feet sticking to the metal as he climbed into the bus heading over to Nayeli, "I think this belongs to you." He handed her the knife, the blade towards himself.

Thanatos nodded a bit slowly as he started to nod off to sleep. The day had been a long and energy draining one at that.

"Okay, so now where to?" Gasket asked as the bus blared when it crossed over into the other territory.

Reve flicked his cigarette out into the street and climbed back down, maneuvering his wings through the hole and taking his seat again.

Nayeli looked up at Phly when he approached. "Thanks," she said, taking it gingerly and examining it. It smelled faintly. "Would have come in handy back there, huh?" she chuckled and tucked it into her belt. She craned her neck to see exactly where they were. "Okay, there's a big hotel if you keep going straight. That's where our headquarters are." Everyone around seemed to settle down, more at ease now that they were in familiar territory.

"No problem." Phly smiled a bit and hopped into a seat, closing his eyes, "Let me know when we get there somebody." He smiled, though couldn't sleep with all the bumps that the bus gave with the potholes it hit.

Gabriele was relaxing as well, though her wings still throbbed in pain, "I can't wait till we get there, my wings are sore as hell."

Gasket nodded and set the bus on cruise as he sat back in his seat, watching the road as he fiddled with a small medical tool.

"Will do," Connor told him, laying his head back again. Nayeli glanced over at Gabriele and looked closely at her wings for the first time. She swallowed as she wondered if the bird would ever fly again.

The sky above seemed to be more overcast than usual and that's when it Nayeli realized it wasn't nightfall that was making the sky dark, but rain cloud. It started lightly, a few drops here and there hitting the windshield. "Hope your bus is acid proof," Ox muttered, hearing the drops sprinkle gently. It never rained much but when it did, it left paint stripped from cars and burns on anyone who got caught out in it.

"Of course it's strong enough to withstand acid rain... I grabbed this one for a reason." Gasket looked back to Ox, "It has a few extra inches, not only for bullets, but it's been coated in paint that has powder titanium. Titanium is great when faced against acid rain, so I'm sure we'd be fine." He smiled and looked up at the roof, "Guns might need a bit of work later though." He sighed and looked back at the road.

Gabriele looked around when she felt like she was being watched and noticed Nayeli staring at her, more specifically her wings, "The pain has died a lot compared to what it was like at first, soon I should be able to fly again." She smiled a bit, hoping that was the case.

"I should have figured," the large man smirked as the rain became steady. "Well, this isn't ominous at all," Reve muttered, staring at the back of Connor's head. Hearing his words, the gazelle sunk lower into his seat and Reve let out a small laugh at his response.

Nayeli nodded. "There's hardly anything medicine can't fix these days," she said cheerfully. Of course, with hardly any pain and all the blood that covered her wings, Nayeli still wondered. She looked down at her own arms. They too had gone numb but the skin around her cuts was turning red.

"Hey, leave the poor guy alone before I toss your feathery ass out in the rain." Gasket puffed up a bit, challenging him to do something. He was getting tired of hearing the bird pick on Connor and didn't want to hear it anymore.

"Yeah, that's what I'm hoping... "Gabriele nodded and checked on her wings, some places the bandages were glued by the blood to the feathers, making too painful to remove without soaking them in water first, "Let's just hope they could be fixed."

"Chill out, kid. He knows I'm joking. Right, Bambi?" Reve snickered, knowing that since he was practically Cade's right hand guy Connor wouldn't do anything else to get him in deeper trouble. He was wrong. Hearing that hideous nickname, Connor whirled around and leaned over the back of the seat like he might try to climb over it. "Shut up! Just shut up, you damn vulture!" He threw his arms infront of him and flipped the bird off. "You think you're so tough!? Why don't you try fighting me, you ugly bast-" "Hey!" Ox interupted. He shifted in his seat, ready to move if either boy decided to go after the other. Connor glared at Ox for a long time before turning around and slumping in his seat again. Reve ruffled his wings before folding his arms in what he made look like satisfaction.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. They'll definitely need time to heal, though. We've got some pretty good surgeons if it comes to that," Nayeli confirmed before twirling around at the sound of Connor shouting. She shook her head. "You turned into such a hothead, Connor. Always have to pick a fight, don't you?" she muttered quietly with a sad smile.

"If you both don't stop fighting, then I'm taking the gas masks away from you two and make you guys suffer." Gasket growled, this being the last warning he was going to give. His tail had raised and he was reaching for his own gas mask, ready to spray the two at a moments' notice.

"Yeah, thank goodness for what science has done." Gabriele laughed at the pun. She turned at the commotion, ready to jump in and help restrain the two.