A Soviet's Struggle

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"This turns everything onto its head!"

The group of animalloids sat with a wave of disbelief washed over them, some with crossed arms, others pacing back and fourth. Titus, who was one such pacer, walked Mariya's floors, his brow furrowed and nostrils flaring in an attempt to cover his pained emotions. He scoffed, still baffled by the news, loud enough to further get the attention of his friends:

"You guys realise that, right?"

"We are very much aware," Akari sighed, her leg bouncing up and down as she sat on the couch. "I'm trying to come to terms with it."

"I mean, how?" Burhardt chimed in, leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs. "No one has escaped before. No one, it doesn't happen."

He paused, rubbing his temples and sighing:

"It never has."

"A-a-are we sure this isn't some kind of sick prank, love?" Roberto emphasised, glaring at his Siamese companion across the couch. Brittney, who sat next to Xiao along the L-shaped couch's long side, furrowed her brow, noticing that, in her peripherals, Xiao's scarred face watched her; awaiting her answer along with every animalloid in the room at that moment.

"Look," the Siamese muttered, earning the respected silence of the collective group; her leg bouncing and hands folded in her lap. She licked her chapped lips, an ear flicking in frustration at the mass of eyes staring into her. Despite her lineage, her title, and her future as Queen to the British, never was she the speaker-type. Sure, she had a visage she projected; walls she threw up when she arrived, but this lot tore them down, and, with what was a hard shelled lolli' had a hidden, soft, sweet centre; overtime losing her ability to speak to crowds.

"I..."

Brittney turned to look into Xiao's pleading eyes, their emerald green gaze striking her as helpless as the two looked at each other.

Brittney closed her eyes and shook her head, turning back to Roberto and meeting his gaze once more:

"...Don't understand why it would be."

Roberto scanned his love's face with a scowl; still unconvinced. Burhardt, as far as all animalloid-kind was aware, was correct; no one had ever escaped the clutches of the resistance. After all, since her disappearance, he wouldn't put it past some males or females to prank call a tip to the police, or pretend to be said police, to screw with those who were close to Mariya. While Mariya never explicitly had any enemies, that didn't stop some from being insensitive. Such prank calls were the reason some of the group, such as Roberto or Chahsa, had given up hope for her safe return, choosing to move on with their lives and grief for her death in private.

"I was just as unconvinced of the possibility she was alive, hun." The Siamese continued despite the Black Bear's stubbornness. "But, I heard him. Xiao said it sounded exactly like the guy!"

Roberto's eyes danced over to Xiao, who body was stiff from tension and pain in both the atmosphere and injuries sustained. She wore a slight, stoic-like expression to hide the pain which throbbed in her side, her lips sealed throughout the bickering between friends in an attempt to process.

"Well? Did it?" Roberto scoffed, waving his paw in the air towards the Tabby, causing her eyebrows to raise as eyes danced over her, each animalloid awaiting a response.

"From what Brittney described to me, it did sound like him, yes."

Xiao's fur stood on alert as her lazied tail began to fwhip at her side as Roberto huffed through his wet nostrils.

"Then why haven't you gotten another call since?" He said through grit teeth, becoming increasingly frustrated with the conversation.

"Roberto, I understand that you don't want your whole world-view come toppling down after building this wall you've got for yourself since her disappearance." Xiao rebuttaled, her nose wrinkling into a mild snarl as her ears flattened in anger; throwing her paw up at him and pointing aggressively, the couch echoing a thud with each irritated slap of the tail within the quiet room. "I mean, it's clear you're still grieving..."