Natural Affinity

Reputation

"Dude, you're trending EVERYWHERE! Furries are talking about you nonstop!"

"Well, I can't say I didn't expect it..."

A few days have passed since the press conference in which Fred was revealed. Luckily nobody knew where he was staying, but that didn't stop the media from blowing up. C was able to put in a good rep for the human, but some theories were made about him and why he came. He didn't mind it, to be honest, as it was just speculation made from paranoia and freak-outs. Some claimed that he was on a mission to destroy them, but they didn't get much attention. Currently, he was with Tom in his room looking at Barker, a social media site that seems to be the main one furries use.

"They think I'm cute...", he said as he looked at some of the posts, "I don't know whether to be flattered or a little creeped out."

"I'd say both.", the bear said as he scrolled down. The posts were mostly buzzing about how the boy ended up in the museum and why the tablet exploded. Astonishingly, they had yet to find any negative posts about him- discarding the tabloids, that is. Eventually, they found a long post that ranted about how Fred shouldn't be trusted and that others are being naive. It had a lot of reposts with some furries agreeing with the user and others vouching for the boy.

"Well, so much for me not becoming the center of a media war.", he said indifferently before noticing one of the reposts, "Who's Striker?"

Tom was confused for a moment before following the human's eye to the repost, "Well, Striker is a vigilante ho fights crime with magic- like the furs who have special powers. Nobody knows who he is, so he's mostly a mystery. Some even say that he works for someone and kills those that are targeted, but that's just a theory."

Fred went silent at that. The repost said that this "Striker" would get him if he does anything sketchy, which scared him a little. It wouldn't be as bad if magic didn't exist, but it did here. The thought of someone using magic to attack him when he's so vulnerable made him shudder. Hopefully that won't happen, but some hopes are dashed sooner or later.

~~*~~

The night sky brought the city into a peaceful silence, only broken by crickets and passing cars. A small diner had its lights on, the inside bare of any customers except for a hooded figure sitting at a booth, two cups of coffee in front of him. He looked to the clock near the front door, finding that it was a few minutes past eleven. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the table, waiting.

He should be here by now..., the furry thought in irritation. He made it clear to his client that punctuality was a must for him, as he didn't want any unneeded attention.

    He perked up at the ringing of a bell, looking over to the now open door. Standing in the threshold was a raccoon, his features hidden behind a knee-length coat and fedora. The only clue to what he is was a blue and black striped tail, the appendage sticking out from behind. The two locked eyes before the latter made his way over to the booth, sitting across from the other furry.

"You needed something from me?", the raccoon asked in a whisper.

"Yes.", the hooded being replied, "Your superiors sent me on their behalf. They needed use of your particular skill set."

"A new target? I assume it will be well worth taking, correct?"

"Of course. However, this target will be a hard one to find...", he produced a newspaper and set it in front of the raccoon. He looked at it briefly before perking up slightly.

"...and they're sure of this? Usually I'm never one to question my targets, but this one is puzzling."

"I don't know. All they told me was to contact you and give you the assignment. They didn't make any specifications, though."

The raccoon stayed silent as he looked to the newspaper again. He knew this target was hidden somewhere, but finding it would be difficult considering that the OSI have it- or rather, him. Usually his targets are legitimately guilty of some wrong doing, but this one is innocent. He only had the interview as a guide, so he could be wrong. He let out a small sigh.

"I'll see what I can do."