A Hybrid's Retribution (Old)

History and Madness

It had been a few hours after the anthro squad let both Hector and Noah into the building, after checking both of their bags and making sure that neither of them had any means of accessing weapons, the duo were given a brief introduction to their new hosts.

The leopard Carter was their leader with his sister Emily as his second. Sasha and Maverick were similar in rank, their specialization in different roles setting them apart. One was a medic while the other was a whiz with technology, a glorified hacker from what Noah understood.

Once Hector was calm enough after being let into the building, Carter had asked him to discuss plans moving forward behind closed doors. After considerable convincing from Noah he left the room with the leopard. Noah was left alone with the remaining three.

It was obvious to the boy that everyone saw him as nothing but a threat. The tension in the air and the unwavering glares from the anthros made that clear as crystal.

"How long have you two been back in Europe?" The wolf spoke up, finally breaking the silence. "Since I took it you both left in the initial evacuation wave."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just a conversation starter to break the ice." It answered. "Or would you rather we rudely stare at each other in silence?"

"We've been back here almost a month. Just passed through France last week actually."

Both the wolf and leopard exchanged looks while Noah glanced between them. The dragon laid back on the sofa presumably having lost interest.

"How long have you four been holding up here?"

"We actually arrived just today, we've been gathering essentials and scavenging supplies while we waited for you." She replied, purposefully keeping her phrasing to the minimum.

"Sasha!" The anthro beside her cut her a scathing look warning her against saying too much.

"Relaaax, Emily. Let them talk; it's better than the silent ambiance."

Noah was surprised that the dragon had kept paying attention, let alone the fact that he'd stood up for them and their conversation.

"You four seem to get along well, how long have you known each other?" He asked out of growing curiosity.

They were a part of the same unit no doubt, but he was interested in their history. Besides, it's not like any other anthro would answer his questions without wanting to split him in two.

"I've known both Carter and Emily for a long time, after we got done with a difficult operation, Maverick transferred from an intelligence division. All in all, I'd say we've known each other for about eight years now."

"Cool."

"What about you and the flag-man?"

"You sure you want to know? It's biting off more than you can chew for a story." He answered desperately hoping that they'd move on to another question.

"We've got time. Besides I just gave you a quick rundown about us. I haven't even gotten to the details."

Thoughts and memories started to flood his mind like a rapid current. They all reminded him of how much of a hindrance and burden he was. Not just to Cole but to Hector as well.

A feeling of dread and guilt engulfed his body. He almost started to tear up until finally he managed to block out the memories and collect his bearings. After all this was no time to get emotional.

"My brother and I got picked up by the Highlanders shortly after everything started to go downhill. We met Hector around three years ago and kinda kept on bumping into him from time to time."