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But we also learn a little about Martin's own past. \n\nMartin, Andais, Yvonne, Yvette and others belong to [iconname]Charvale[/iconname]\n\nChani, AJ, Crystal, Jenny and Lee are mine. [iconname]AJDurai[/iconname]\n\nRead it here too. https://inkbunny.net/submissionview.php?id=678852\n^_^", "description_bbcode_parsed": "More of Chani's past is revealed and Martin is there to help and console her. But we also learn a little about Martin's own past.

Martin, Andais, Yvonne, Yvette and others belong to [iconname]Charvale[/iconname]

Chani, AJ, Crystal, Jenny and Lee are mine. \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAJDurai\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAJDurai\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t


Read it here too. https://inkbunny.net/submissionview.php?id=678852
^_^", "writing": "In only a few minutes, the two of them were walking over to where Martin’s bicycle was locked up to the bike rack. Chani was still shaking, her eyes clenched shut as they continued onto the grassy knoll just to the left of the school. “Here.” he offered, “Let’s sit down for a few minutes.” Not surprising, the young woman practically dropped, her shaky legs giving out from under her, while the young mink helped to lower her gently onto the grass. Sitting down beside the feline, the young mink crossed his legs while placing his arm behind her back.\n\nSitting there for several minutes, he just looked at Chani noting how she continued to tremble, tears running down her face from the memories, and yet he just sat there silently while offering a proverbial shoulder. When he noticed that her tears had slowed, he brought up his loose t-shirt, dabbing at her cheeks. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.\n\nNot surprisingly, Chani shook her head violently. “No! I… I did my best to forget…” she cried out, bringing her legs up in front of her, and wrapping her arms around her knees, “I really don’t want to remember what happened!”\n\nGingerly rubbing her back that fluffy tail wrapped around Chani’s legs, while he nodded. Martin just sat there, nodding slowly. “I understand.” he remarked, “I was just hoping it might help make you feel better to share.”\n\n“How?!” she shouted, pulling away from him, “You’ll never understand what it feels like to have nothing! Never know how horrible it is to have people treat you like you’re worse than the dirt under their paws!” She started to scoot away, but to her surprise Martin just pulled her against him so that both arms were wrapped around her. At one point she tried pushing him away, tried hitting his chest, but he just held her tighter, so she resigned herself to just sit there and cry. Chani could feel that satiny soft tail still wrapped around her as she practically convulsed, the tears coming back in full force for several minutes. \n\nNodding, he gave a sigh as he saw her tears starting to lessen again. “You’re right.” he remarked softly, “I’ll never know what you’ve gone through, but I am still asking.” That caused her to look up at him, and he once more started to dab at her cheeks with his shirt, actually caressing the side of her face. “I only want to make sure you’re alright, Chani, because in spite of the fact that you’ve screamed at and hit me, I don’t want to see you in this much pain.”\n\nA look of utter horror filled her face, “Oh! Oh no! I… I’m so sorry…” she said as she wrapped her arms around the mink, practically glomping him. Now she was crying while trying to constantly apologize, and nuzzle into his chest. He felt her gripping his shirt, her small body pressed against his side as he held her.\n\n‘[i]Nice going, genius! Make the emotional feline start crying again![/i]’ he thought silently to himself, giving a soft sigh as he just held Chani close. Only a few minutes later, he felt a twinge of pain in his lower back, so to alleviate it, he gently scooped up the feline and sat her onto his lap, causing her to make a cute little mew of surprise. At first she started to protest, but Martin held her close, curling his tail fully around the pair.\n\nIt was nearly ten minutes before Chani was able to compose herself enough to speak, her body shivering slightly. The entire time, Martin held her close, doing little more than rubbing the feline’s slender back. It actually took her another five minutes before she felt comfortable enough to talk. “I… I was homeless…” she then looked up sharply, peering into his eyes deep ocean blue eyes with her lavender ones. She found no judgment there, only compassion and a desire to hear more. “For two years…” she took a deep breath and let it out, “I lived on the street, but was lucky enough to not have anything too terrible happen to me until that last month.”\n\n“That must’ve been difficult for you, Chani.” Martin commented, just holding her. “Didn’t anyone try to help you out in those two years?”\n\nShaking her head slowly, the young feline looked over the plane of that pure white fur, watching the field where the football players were still practicing. “Everyone on the streets tries to look out for each other, but I was a young girl and could slip through with little notice. Two months before my father found me, I overhear a report about people killing the homeless in my area, so I stayed out of the major areas, and was terrified to be seen by almost anyone.”\n\nMartin started to lightly massage her back, causing Chani to purr softly, her face leaning up to nuzzle against his collar. “What happened?” he asked.\n\nChani closed her eyes, “I… I’ve never told anyone… not even my family this…” she said softly, before looking up into his face, “That wolf and his tiger companion,” she shivered, “I watched them kill two homeless people three weeks before my father found us, and saved my life.” She shivered as he held her, practically trembling as the memories came flooding back. “I had found an abandoned building, and slept on one of the upper floors while a pair slept below.” \n\n“You don’t have to continue if…” Martin started to say, but she looked up at him.\n\nUnshed tears glistened in those lavender orbs. “Yes, I do. I owe it to them. The male was a muskrat who had been nice to me a couple of times in the past, and he was seeing a female opossum at the time.” she shivered as she spoke, until she was openly trembling. “I don’t know how they found us, but I woke up to the sounds of dull thuds. Rolling over, I watched as the muskrat was held down by the tiger, and the wolf was… was…” she shook her head. “He was punching her in the face while he…”\n\nThe mink wrapped her up in a hug, “You don’t have to say anything more about what they were doing.” he said softly, “I get the idea.”\n\n“While she lay there, unable to do anything they beat the muskrat, punching and kicking him until he couldn’t move, only watch as they went back to the opossum. Both of them were at it for hours, but then the wolf and tiger split up and stabbed both of them.” She trembled in his lap, “I couldn’t help but scream and run. Both of them to saw me, and I was sure of that when I used the fire escape, but thankfully I was able to get away.”\n\n“Was that when your father found you?” he asked.\n\nGulping, she nodded, “Daddy, Jenny, and Lee… they never asked about my past, and I really didn’t want to relive what I had seen.” she gave a deep sigh, snuggling against him. When she was done with the story, she almost felt lighter, as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “For months I had nightmares whenever Jenny wasn’t sleeping in bed with me, but they went away after a while.” She then looked up at him. “I never wanted to remember that, but…”\n\n“I think you should tell the police all of this.” Martin suggested.\n\nChani gulped again, this time in apprehension, “They won’t believe me, Martin.”\n\n“Yes they will, Chani.” the mink stated, “If you tell them about the people you saw murdered, and they can link both men’s DNA to the murders, then they have an air-tight case, and those two will go away for a very, very long time.”\n\n“I… It’s just… I don’t think I could do it alone.” Looking up at him, she shivered as if freezing. “Would… Would you come with me to the police station, and stay with me until my father arrives?”\n\n“Of course, Chani. You didn’t even have to ask that question.” Martin answered, “I can leave my bike here tonight, and ride it back home tomorrow.” Wrapping her arms around him the small female embraced him in a tender hug, causing the young mink to blush, but also made him squeeze her just a little tighter.\n\n“Thank you.” Chani said softly, purring as she nuzzled against him.\n\n“You’re welcome.” Martin said, “Besides, I think you’re going to need all the emotional support you can get for this one.”\n\n“Why?” she asked, looking at him.\n\nMartin looked at her, “I think you’re suffering from the first stages of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” he said softly, “Your reactions today have all the trademarks of PTSD, and considering what you just told me, I can understand why now.”\n\nChani blinked, just looking at the young man. “A-Are you sure? How would you know about P… PTS…”\n\n“P.T.S.D.” he said slowly, “My father is a Captain in the Navy, and when we lived on the east coast, he was constantly on edge, with increasingly violent outbursts. At one point he jumped up and started to scream at my younger sister Yvette when she made a loud noise while in the same room as him, and I intervened.” Closing his eyes, Martin sighed, “At one time, my dad was in the Navy Seals, and was constantly going out on deadly missions. Loud explosions just meant that there was a threat nearby, and that’s how he saw us.”\n\nBlinking, the young feline looked up at him. ‘Oh god! What happened?’ she thought to herself.\n\n“I woke up in the hospital three days later with a severe concussion, and my sisters sitting beside my bed.” He shook his head slowly, “My dad had nearly killed me, and yet nobody could have told me that was my father. Taking a psychological evaluation, they discovered that he had a severe case of PTSD, and remanded him to mandatory counseling. Over the years, he started to return to normal, the fun and loving man my mother married, and I remembered so fondly.” She blinked as he stopped talking.\n\n“Then what happened?” Chani asked.\n\n“Our ride arrived.”\n\nBlinking, she cocked her head to the side. “What?” she asked.\n\nPointing in front of him at a forty-five degree angle from where he was looking, Chani turned her head to the side. Seeing a black and white police cruiser as it approached the school, the pair watched as it turned into the bus lane. “I’ll finish the story later.” he said softly.\n\n“In the car?” she asked.\n\nMartin nodded giving the feline a small smile. “Okay.” Chani stood up from the mink’s lap with his assistance, that tail uncoiling from around the pair even as the police cruiser stopped about ten feet away. “I just recommend, if your father can afford it, that you sign up for counseling specifically designed for your PTSD, because without that, you never know what could trigger a violent reaction.”\n\n“C-Could I potentially hurt Jenny, or even Lee with one of my reactions?” she asked.\n\nAll she received was a grim nod from the mink as the driver’s side door to the police cruiser opened and a six and a half foot tall black bear exited the cruiser, his police uniform stretched tight across his muscular chest and arms, while his lower body seemed almost disproportionately toned. “I’m officer Beld.” the large bear commented, “Who am I supposed to take to the police station so that they can make a statement?”\n\n “That would be us.” Martin stated as he stood up dusting off his backside.\n\n“I was told only one person needed a ride, not two.” Officer Beld commented.\n\nMartin offered small shrug. “Is that alright?” Chani asked, looking up at him with soulful eyes.\n\nGiving a sigh, the bruin shook his head. “No, I guess not, but I’m not a taxi service. Please keep the volume down so I can listen to the radio, and make out my calls.\n\n“We understand, Officer Beld.” Martin said softly as he walked Chani over to the police cruiser. \nOpening the door for the girl, he watched as she slipped into the back seat, scooting over to allow the mink entrance. When the young mink slipped into the back of the car, he had just enough time to get his tail out of the way before the door slammed shut. “Frickin’ kids… always got to be the cab...” the officer remarked as he stomped around to the driver’s side door.\n \n“Ow.” Chani remarked as she felt the solid, unforgiving plastic bench under her backside. There wasn’t even a millimeter of cushioning under her rump. Reaching down, she tapped the seat, only to discover that the entire back was one solid piece of hardened plastic that did nothing to make any ride to the precinct even slightly comfortable. “This is really painful.” she remarked as the officer sat down behind the steering wheel of the car.\n\n“Just imagine how much more painful it is to be handcuffed in the back of this type of car.” Martin commented.\n\nShivering ever so slightly, the young feline shook her head. “No thanks.” \n\n“Thirteenth precinct, I have a white mink, male, and a white cat with purple markings, female that said they were who I was to pick up.” he announced into his radio handset. \n\n“I thought you were there to pick up the girl.” the dispatcher announced over the radio.\n\nOfficer Beld nodded, “Yeah, me too. Apparently, the girl wanted her boyfriend to come along.” That caused both of them to blush, and yet the pair looked at each other for several seconds before scooting a little closer so that their hips touched.\n\n“Understood.” there was a moment of silence. “I’ve just spoken with the arresting officer, bring them both to the precinct so that the girl can give her statement. Officer Morgan wants to talk with the boy.”\n\n“Why does Jacob want to speak to the mink?” he asked.\n\n“Apparently they know each other.” the dispatcher announced.\n\n“Got it.” he remarked. The car was still idling when he hung up the radio, and put the vehicle in gear. Pulling away from the curb, the four door sedan went around the loop that made up the bus stop so that they went around the parking lot. Within seconds the police car turned onto the main street, and then started in the direction of the police station.\n\nLeaning in, the young feline looked up at Martin. “So… what happened next? You know, with your family?” she asked as he turned to regard the young woman.\n\n“I healed, but was afraid of my dad for months after that.” he shook his head, “Poor little Yvette didn’t want to have anything to do with him, and would snuggle against me instead.”\n\nChani nodded, “I can definitely understand that.” she said softly, “You were willing to risk getting hurt to protect her. That creates an unbreakable bond between siblings.”\n\n“About a year and a half after I got out of the hospital, my mother received a job opportunity, and… well, we moved here.” he said as he closed his eyes. “I haven’t seen my father in five years, and yet… even after everything…”\n\n“You miss him.”\n\nMartin nodded, “Stupid, huh?” he asked, “The man almost kills me, and I just want to be around him.”\n\n“No.” Chani said with a shake of her head, “That’s not stupid. Holding onto resentment for something that wasn’t his fault, that would be stupid.”\n\n“That’s the thing,” Martin said as he leaned back, “I doubt anyone resents my dad, it feels more like everyone is afraid that it will happen again.”\n\nNodding, she leaned over and snuggled against his shoulder, “The possibility will always be there, and it would be stupid not to prepare for that eventuality, but real parents would rather hurt themselves than do that to their children.”\n\nReaching over, Martin gave the young girl a hug. “Thanks. I needed that.”\n\n“You’re welcome. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Chani remarked, “How did you know that one officer’s name?”\n\nGiving a smile, he shrugged his shoulders. “My mother’s company develops non-lethal methods for stopping criminals, and Jacob was the officer that they sent to help test out some of the equipment.” Sitting in the back with his tail covering their laps, he could feel Chani’s thigh pressed up against his as they talked. “Can I ask you a question?”\n\n“Um, sure. What do you want to know?”\n\n“Are you finally going to tell your father what you told me?”\n\nLooking away, she shook visibly. “I… I don’t know.” She then shook her head as if trying to clear her head. “He deserves to know, and I think I should tell him, but… I just don’t want him look at me any differently.”\n\nWith his arm already around her, Martin gave Chani a gentle, one armed, hug. “If he truly loves you, then all he will want, is to be sure that you’re alright.”\n\nChani nodded, a small smile spreading her lips. “You’re right. I should have told him earlier.”\n\n“No.” Martin commented, “You weren’t ready to tell him, and I doubt he would have been ready to hear about it at the time.”\n\n“Probably not.”\n\nThe rest of the ride was made in silence, the young mink just holding onto Chani as she sat there, purring softly from the closeness, and the comfort that simple touch gave her. After only a few minutes she even forgot about the discomfort that the seat had given her. Only a few minutes after she’d just gotten comfortable, the police cruiser was pulling into a parking space beside the precinct. Shutting down the car, the officer exited the front, and opened the back door to let his passengers out.\n\nSlipping out the back door, Chani gave the officer a smile, “Thank you.” before going up to stand on the sidewalk to wait for Martin. Exiting the vehicle, the young mink nodded his thanks to the officer as well, and joined the young feline on the sidewalk. When he was close enough, she wrapped her arms around his before they ever went up the stairs to the entrance of the police station.\n\nEntering the foyer, they would note that the central area was full of police who were talking to others in uniform, while some were walking handcuffed individuals back into interview rooms. The entire place was massive, with vaulted ceilings that led to stairs going to upper levels, doors on either side while a large counter surrounded four officers. “Name?” a bored looking female ferret with black hair pulled into a bun asked, causing Martin to look at her hazel eyes.\n\n“I believe the name is Chani?” Martin asked.\n\nThe ferret looked at her computer screen. “I don’t have anyone named Chani in the system.” she commented, “Do you know the inmate number?”\n\nMartin blinked, “Oh. No, Chani is here to give a statement, she’s not an inmate.”\n\nBlinking, the ferret looked at the mink. “Then she’ll want to go through that door, and ask for the arresting officer.” she remarked motioning to a door on her left.\n\n“Okay, thank you.” With everyone talking so animatedly, and the sounds growing around them, Martin walked with Chani until they were through the door, and the noise quieted down considerably.\n\n“I… I don’t remember the arresting officer.” Chani remarked, shaking a little.\n\n“That’s alright.” Martin commented. “His name is Jacob Morgan.” Stopping for a few seconds, the young mink looked over at Chani. “Before you head off to give your statement, do you want to call your home and let them know where you are so that they can pick you up?”\n\nChani looked down shyly, “I probably should… but I don’t have a phone.”\n\nReaching into his satchel bag, the young mink produced his cell phone, and handed it over to her. “Don’t worry, you can use mine.”\n\nLooking at the device, she smiled softly and nodded, “Thank you, Martin.” Chani then walked over a cushioned bench by the wall, and sat down with her knees together. The mink stood close enough to her so that fluffy tail could wrap around her. A look of apprehension crossed over her face, and she trembled as she brought up the touch pad on the phone display. \n\nLooking back up, Chani saw Martin smile and nod. Feeling bolstered by his support, she started typing the number into the cell phone’s display, and then pressed the green phone icon. Bringing it up to her ear, she took a deep breath, and blew it out as she heard the phone ring. On the second ring, she heard Crystal’s voice from the other end. “Hello?”\n\n“Hi, mom. It’s Chani.”\n\n“Chani?” the dragon on the other end asked, “Where are you? School got out an hour ago.”\n\n“I’m sorry for worrying you.” she said softly into the phone while tears misted her eyes, “I… I should have called but I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright.” She actually doubted those last two words as she thought about saying what came next. “Can you call dad and have him pick me up at the police station?”\n\n“Police station?!” Crystal’s voice went up an octave as she spoke, causing Lee and Jenny to look at their adoptive mother, and then back at each other. “Why are you at the police station? Is everything alright? Are you hurt?”\n\nIt was a testament to the draconic species that her adoptive mother was speaking so calmly, and yet Chani could hear the concern in Crystal’s voice. “Yes, I’m alright.” she answered, giving another sigh, “I just had something happen after school today, and I really just need dad to pick me up.”\n\n“Okay. I’ll call him and let him know where you are, but when you get home…”\n\n“I’ll tell everyone everything.” Chani answered, “I just… I want to tell everyone in person.”\n\nCrystal nodded. “I understand. When we hang up, I’ll call him immediately.”\n\n“Thank you, mom.” she said as she reached up and wiped away the tears that started to spill over her cheeks. “I love you.”\n\nA smile split Crystal’s lips. “You’re welcome, honey, and I love you too. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll keep dinner warm for both you and AJ.”\n\n“Thank you again, mommy.” Chani said softly.\n\n“You’re welcome, honey.” Crystal said with a nod.\n\n“Bye, mom. I’ll see you soon.”\n\n“Goodbye, Chani.”\n\nHanging up the phone, the young girl looked over at Martin as he leaned against the wall. “Thank you for letting me do that.” she said softly.\n\nMartin smiled, “It’s not a problem.” he said with a smile as he saw a familiar german shepherd walking down the hallway toward him. “Perfect timing. Here comes, Jacob now.”\n\nReaching up, the slender feline pulled down the fur of his tail, giving a little giggle as it tickled her nose. When she saw him, she finally recognized the male as the one that pointed the strange gun while his partner handcuffed her tormenter. “Ah. There you are.” Jacob said as he walked up to the pair. “Officer Beld said that he brought you in, so how about we just make sure you can identify the tiger you told us about?”\n\nChani looked over at Martin, shivering slightly. “Can he come with me?” she asked.\n\n“I don’t see why not, as long as he doesn’t try to influence your decision.” Jacob answered.\n\nNodding slowly, Chani followed the older male, the tip of her tail twitching nervously, while Martin walked beside her. Wrapping his tail around her, he watched as she tightened her grip on his arm a little, causing him to look at her. “Are you nervous?” he asked.\n\nShaking her head a little, she shivered. “No. I’m terrified…”\n\n“He won’t be able to see you.” Jacob said softly, “You’ll be behind a two-way mirror. The only thing he’ll see is his reflection, so you have nothing to worry about.” Walking up to the door, the officer turned the knob, letting Chani and Martin through first, before slipping in behind them. The entire room was dark, with small lights flashing all around them. Although she didn’t know what any of the stuff was, she could tell that there was enough electronics around the room to make a Radio Shack blush. “Send in the first group.”\n\nChani clutched Martin’s arm hard enough to make him wince, but that was nothing compared to what happened when the men walked through the door. The tiger never even made it to the stairs before she buried her face into the mink’s chest, her claws popping out as the memories of two years previously filled her mind. Seconds went by, with the young feline relearning how to breathe properly, her eyes closed and her heart hammering against her ribcage. “It… It’s him…” she breathed out.\n\n“Which one?” Jacob asked, “You just have to tell me which number, and we’ll send all of the men away.”\n\nShaking like a leaf on the wind, she looked up to see the number, her eyes focusing on the tiger for a few seconds before seeing which one he was standing underneath. “Four… he’s… he’s number four…”\n\n“You’re sure?” Jacob asked.\n\nNodding, the young feline closed her eyes before she buried her face into Martin’s slender chest. A full minute after the men had entered the line-up, they left without preamble. She had to stand there for another two minutes, looking at other tigers, but there was no doubt in Chani’s mind of who she’d seen that day. “That’s all that we needed for this part.” Jacob said with a nod, “Thank you.”\n\nMartin looked over at Jacob, “Where should we go to have Chani write out her statement?”\n\n“We already have them on the attempted sexual assault of a child, with Chani already telling us that they intended to rape her,” the officer remarked, “so I doubt we need much more.”\n\n“No!” she shouted, shaking her head, “I… I didn’t tell you why they were coming after me…”\n\n“It’s alright. They’re going to go away for a long…”\n\n“Both of them were the ones killing homeless people!” Chani interrupted, stopping Jacob in his tracks.\n\nEveryone stood there, stunned, while Jacob blinked twice “You’re positive?” he asked.\n\nChani nodded, brooking no argument. “I watched as they beat on a male muskrat and rape an opossum female, before stabbed the homeless pair more than two years ago.”\n\nJacob just stood there, looking at the young woman, noting that for once since he first met her, her eyes weren’t looking away. He could see determination and honesty in that gaze. “Then… that means… you’ve just helped us catch two serial killers whose crimes go back almost two decades.” he said softly, crouching down. “Now these two will be lucky to get ten years before they are executed.”\n\nEscorting both Chani and Martin over to one of the interview rooms, he sat a tablet in front of her once they sat down. “Please, just write out what you remember from that day, and we’ll make sure that neither of them ever plague anyone ever again.”\n\nLooking up at the officer, she glanced over, and happened to see someone she recognized walking down the hallway. “DADDY!”\n\nAJ had just entered the side door, and asked an officer about where to find Chani. Upon being told to head for the interview rooms, he started down the hallway, only to hear the familiar cry of his adoptive daughter. Turning to look he had only a moment to register the tears running down her face before he ran into the room. Almost the moment the door was opened, the little cat leaped into his arms. Catching her without any difficulty he held her close, nuzzling the top of her head as she held onto him and cried.\n\nIt took several minutes for her to calm down enough to talk properly, but in that time Jacob walked up to the dragon holding out his hand. “Hello, sir.” he said softly, “I’m Jacob Morgan, the arresting officer.” His hand was grasped by the dragon, and yet he could tell by the confused expression on AJ’s face that he was obviously not told anything.\n\n“What happened?” AJ asked. “I was only told that my daughter was at the police station.”\n\n“It was the wolf, daddy!” Chani announced, pulling back to look him in the eyes, “The one you saved me from. He… he came to the school… but… but Martin called the police and they arrested him…”\n\n“Whoa.” he said softly, looking at his daughter, “Slow down, honey. Are… Are you talking about that wolf from two years ago?”\n\n“Yes! They have him and the tiger in jail… and I just pointed the tiger out from a line-up, and…”\n\nAJ just stood there, watching Chani as she told him everything, the look in his eyes changing and shifting ever so slightly with practically every word she said. When she finished, the dragon wrapped his arms around her, holding the feline against his body. “I’m… I’m so proud of you…” she could hear his words, but it was the thickening of his voice that spoke more to her. He’d been choked up with emotion and actually had to compose himself in the brief second’s pause while tears threatened to spill out of his eyes.\n\nChani buried her face into his chest, just enjoying the fact that she could feel safe with him. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner…” she finally said after a few minutes.\n\nShaking his head as Martin scooted over a chair for him to sit in, AJ sat down with his adopted daughter snuggled into his upper body, his hands caressing her back in a fatherly manner. “When we first met, you were scared of practically everything, and apprehensive of even being around the family.” he remarked softly, holding her close, “It was more because of Jenny and Lee that you were able to come out of your shell at all, and I allowed them to help you as much as possible.” \n\n“I should have told you everything, daddy…” she said softly\n\nHe then helped her to sit up, holding her face in his hands, and wiping away Chani’s tears, “Although we took you in, I understood that there might be things about your past you didn’t want anyone to know about immediately.” AJ gave a sigh, and a shake of his head, “I told both Crystal and the twins that we should let you reveal what you want when the time was right. Perhaps instead I should have been more attentive, or more insistent about those two men, and for that I am truly sorry for not being a more protective parent.”\n\nChani shook her head, “No. It’s because of you, Crystal, Jenny, and Lee that I even have a family.” she said softly, a smile spreading her lips. “Besides, you were right. I wasn’t ready to talk about what happened. Not until now at least.”\n\n“I probably don’t say this as often as I should,” AJ commented as he smiled at Chani, “but I’m proud of you. That took a lot of courage to face your fears, and conquer them.”\n\nBlushing, the young feline shook her head. “I… I didn’t do it alone…” she murmured, “Martin over here helped me out the most.”\n\nLooking up at the young mink, AJ gave him a smile and a nod. “Then it is you that I must thank for protecting my daughter.” Holding out his hand, the two shook for a few seconds before he asked, “How do you know my little Chani anyway?”\n\n“I was a new transfer to Chani’s World History class.” Martin announced before Chani broke into the conversation.\n\n“He’s also in my art class at the end of the day.” Chani said with a smile, “and he’s going to be helping me out with some of my art assignments.”\n\n“Oh, so both of you have the same art class?” AJ asked, looking over at his daughter.\n\nBlushing she nodded. “Yeah, but he’s further along than me in art skill.”\n\nMartin shook his head with a smile. “That’s not true, Chani. You’re more advanced than I was before I learned from my sister, so once I give you a few pointers I have no doubt that you’ll be the best in the class.” he said encouragingly.\n\n“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, we still need Chani to make her statement.” Jacob remarked, looking from Martin to AJ.\n\n“Then let’s get this over with.” AJ commented, “I can fill in a few points from what happened two years ago since I was the one that saved her in that alley.”\n\n“Okay, then we’ll need statements from both of you.”\n\nNodding, the young mink gave the trio a smile. “Then I guess you don’t need me around anymore.” he remarked.\n\nChani blinked, looking from Martin to AJ. “Please, don’t go… I…” she started to say, but the young mink gently laid his hand on top of her head, rubbing between the ears, making her purr.\n\n“I’m sorry, but I really need to get home, and it may take you both, potentially, an hour to finish your statements.” Martin said softly.\n\nLooking over at AJ, she blinked with those lavender eyes. “Couldn’t we give him a ride home?” she asked. “Tai’s still out front with the carriage, right?”\n\n“That’s not necessary.” the young mink said with a shake of his head.\n\n“I really should do something to show my appreciation for you helping Chani, Martin.” AJ insisted. “Perhaps…?”\n\n“When you shook my hand, you gave me all the appreciation for what I did that I would ever need, sir.” That one comment made AJ smile as he looked at the young mink. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to put you out by making you go in the opposite direction of your own home.” he finally said with a cordial smile.\n\n“Oh really?” AJ asked, “Where do you live?”\n\n“My home is only a few blocks away, on Hall Street.” Martin announced.\n\nAJ brought up his hand, rubbing his chin, “That should only take about ten minutes to walk from here.”\n\n“Exactly. Besides, I was just here to support Chani, but now that her father is here, I can just head on home.” He then shrugged his shoulders, “I’m surprised my mother hasn’t called the police to ask where I am already.”\n\n“But, I…” Chani started to say, looking down shyly.\n\nStepping up to her, he gave the young girl a gentle hug, “Just let me know how everything went when you get to school tomorrow. Okay?”\n\nGiving him a smile, Chani nodded. “I will.” was all she said before leaning up and giving him a peck on the cheek, the pink tinging her fur on her cheeks.\n\n“Again, thank you for helping Chani.” AJ said, shaking the young man’s hand a second time.\n\n“I would do it again in a heartbeat, sir.” he remarked before leaving the interview room, and heading for the door that would eventually lead outside. Waving goodbye to the pair, he was outside in the waning sunlight only a minute later as he exited the police precinct. Reaching up, he actually felt the place where Chani had given him a kiss, his tail twitching as he thought about the young girl. ‘Should I have kissed her on the cheek too?’ he thought silently, not really sure what the socially acceptable response would’ve been, especially with her father standing there.\n\nDeciding to push the thoughts out of his head, Martin crossed the strap of his satchel bag over his chest on his way home. AJ was correct, because it took Martin ten minutes to get home, a happy smile spreading his lips the entire time. ‘I still can’t believe she kissed me on the cheek. Truthfully, I did only what anyone else would do in that situation.’ he thought as he felt butterflies in his stomach. Opening the door, he called out, “I’m home!” before setting his satchel bag down by the door. \n\n“Yay! Martin’s home!” Yvette called out as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.\nLooking past the open living room, he saw Yvonne (Yvette’s twin) sitting at the table, dressed in a turquoise shirt and jeans. The twin currently hugging him was wearing a white t-shirt and a pink skirt on her lower body as she continued to wrap her arms around his waist, her feet on his toes. His mother was in the kitchen, poking her head through the arched doorway, her upper body leaning as she looked from him, to the stairs leading to the second floor, and back again. “Martin?” Andais asked as she cocked her head to the side. “I thought you were upstairs.”\n\nShaking his head so that his black hair shifted slightly, he smiled at his golden haired mother as he walked to the table, his sister giggling as she rode his feet like a fleshy mech-suit. “No. I had to stay after school…”\n\n“Did Mr. Crawford give you detention again?!” she groused as she started to pick up the phone. “I called and told the office that you would be late getting to school, they should have…”\n\n“No! Mom! It’s alright, I didn’t have detention.” he called out as he walked into the dining area. “I was just getting information about this new project our team in World History is studying.”\n\n“World History?” Andais asked, “I thought you were still taking American History.”\n\nShaking his head, the young mink gave his mother a dazzling smile, “Nope. Mrs. Tsakumy had me come into her office and introduced me to my new teacher, Mrs. Shearer. She’s in charge of the World History class, and wanted to make sure I was caught up with the subject matter.”\n\n“Oh, well that sounds really interesting.” Andais commented before motioning for the sink. “Go wash your hands, dinner is almost done. When you get back to the table, I want to hear more about what happened at school.”\n\nThe young mink nodded, smiling as he leaned over and kissed the top of Yvette’s head causing her to giggle. “Okay, mom.” Walking to the downstairs bathroom, he started to wash his hands. ‘I wonder if I should tell her about Chani and what happened after school?’ he thought to himself, ‘I don’t really want her to worry, but this might be something she needs to know about…’ Another thought popped into his head. ‘Technically, it really didn’t have anything to do with me, so I really don’t have any right to tell my mom anything really. Hmm, I would rather she hear it from me than someone else, especially after the police got involved.’ After nearly half a minute, he rinsed his hands under the heated water, and then dried them on the towel.\n\n“Martin! Dinner!” broke him out of his reverie as he finished drying his hands.\n\nWalking out of the bathroom, he headed for the dining room. “Oh. There you are. Come on. I made everyone’s favorite.” Andais announced as she walked over to the dining room table. Setting the casserole dish down onto a hot pad in the center of the table, everyone sat around the circular surface without even needing to be told.\n\n“Can I say grace, mommy?” Yvette asked looking at Andais.\n\n“Of course, Yvette.”\n\nIt took only a few minutes for the youngest of the family to finish their nightly request for blessings, but by the time she was done, everyone’s stomachs growled as the scent of the food wafted up into their nostrils. Dishing up the food, Andais smiled as she passed the plates around to her three children, making sure that she would only get her dinner after everyone else had theirs. “Tell us about this new class, honey.” she said softly as she handed the last plate to Yvonne.\n\n“Unfortunately, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to do much, but I found out that this class is a lot different than my American History class was. I’m actually in a group with three of my classmates working on a project together.”\n\n“Are they nice?” his mother asked, as he took some of the casserole into his mouth and started chewing.\n\nWhen he swallowed, she almost didn’t need to hear him say anything, especially considering the smile on his face. “They’re wonderful.” he announced, “I can’t wait to work more with them. I mean, at first we kind of butted heads a little, I guess the group initially didn’t want another member, but at lunch we…” he smiled as he looked at the tuna casserole on his plate, “I don’t really know. I guess we bonded a little, sort of saw what it was like through each other’s eyes.”\n\nNodding, their mother gave Martin a smile. “Does that mean you made a few friends.” she asked.\n\n“Yeah. I think it does.”\n\n“I’ve noticed that you have a smile on your face again. Over the past five years you haven’t exactly been the most social person.”\n\nMartin nodded, “Yeah, I know… and I’m sorry.” he said softly, “I guess I was just focusing too much on what I lost and not really seeing what I could’ve had instead.”\n\n“To tell you the truth, I felt a little guilty uprooting the family like that…”\n\n“No. It’s fine mom.” Martin commented. Although his older sisters often told him that his longing for his old friends would leave when he made new ones, that lesson never really sank in until today. The young mink shook his head with a sigh. “Everything seems to be working out though, so let’s just say that I’m over my moodiness.”\n\nAndais smiled, nodding. “Now that is a reason to be happy. Seeing you wandering around with what equated to a chip on your shoulder was getting pretty old, honey.”\n\nMartin closed his eyes with a sigh and a nod, “I’m sorry, mom. Back when we first started packing, I really didn’t want to move here. When we arrived, it was like I couldn’t tell you about what upset me, because I knew how important your career was for you, so I just kept it to myself. Unfortunately, that just made everything worse.”\n\nGiving a smile and a nod, Andais looked at Martin, “I’m just glad that I have my son back.”\n\nOn the young man’s right side, Yvonne tapped her chin with the handle of her fork. “Okay, but if that’s all you were at school for, then why are you home so late?”\n\n“Yeah?” Yvette asked mirroring her twin.\n\nWith a small smile on his face, Martin gave a noncommittal shrug while his mother started to take a drink of her water. “Oh, that’s because I had to wait for the police.”\n\nThe look on his mother’s face was priceless as her eyes widened to beyond normal levels, and she spit her water back into the glass. “POLICE?!!” she shouted, his sisters blinking.\n\n“Everything is fine…”\n\n“What happened?!” she asked as she started to rise, “Did you get into trouble?! Were you attacked?! Did someone try to kidnap you?! Is the world coming to an end?!”\n\n“Mom.” he said soothingly, but his voice raised higher as he tried to calm her down, “Mom! MOM!!” Martin finally shouted standing a little. “Would you please calm down?! It didn’t even have anything to do with me!”\n\n“Don’t yell at me young man!” she bit back.\n\n“Then calm down.” he remarked forcing himself to speak in a quieter tone, while sitting down again. “I had to wait for the police because one of my new friends had someone stalking her, and I stayed back to make sure that she was able to get to the station to wait for her father.”\n\nAndais sat back down onto her chair, looking at her son. “You… You helped a young woman against a stalker?” she asked. “Martin! That could have been dangerous…”\n\n“Haven’t you and dad always told me that I should do the right thing?” he asked.\n\n“Yes, but there are multiple ways of doing…”\n\n“I wasn’t in any danger.” he interrupted, “All I did was call the police while I was still in the school, and wait out front for the police to arrive. The guy could have easily gone into the school after I had left, but he decided to stand there and talk with me, meaning that the girl I was helping didn’t have to confront him.”\n\nNarrowing her eyes, Andais looked at her son, “You could have been killed…”\n\n“Mom. I could be killed going to bed at night.” Martin scoffed, “I’m not going to be afraid of every little thing just because the potential for me being harmed is out in the world.” Giving a sigh, he shook his head, “May I please be excused? I just lost my appetite.”\n\nTaking a few deep breaths, he watched his mother nod with her eyes closed. “This conversation isn’t over young man.”\n\nGiving a nod, Martin stood from his chair. “You’re right, and I’ll be waiting to accept your apology.” he remarked as he stepped around his chair, and slid it under the table.\n\n“Ooooooh!” both of his little sisters remarked looking from their mother to their brother. The former with a look on her face that caused them to stop any potential remarks before they were ever thought. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, while Martin ascended the stairs heading for his bedroom.\n\nWhile he headed for his room, the young mink picked up his satchel bag from beside the door. When he was in his room he tossed the bag onto the bed, and gave a sigh. Looking at the computer in the corner of his bedroom, his character’s online “sheet”, an Elf with a pair of curved swords and plate mail armor remained on the flat panel display as a wallpaper. Martin shook his head, a grumble coming to his lips as he felt the adrenaline draining from his body. ‘Smooth move! You just now manage to get back to something akin to normal, and wind up having another fight with your mom.’\n\nPicking up his satchel bag, he pulled out his binder and set it on the center of the desk, along with his phone. Setting it to vibrate, he laid the device down on the table. Sitting in a black computer chair, Martin flipped open his binder to start working on his school assignments. \n\nRoughly an hour later, a knock came to his already opened door. “Come in.” he said softly as he turned in his chair to see… “Chani?” Standing in his doorway, dressed in the same outfit that she’d been wearing in school, the young woman walked over to him. Blushing profusely, the young feline leaned in to press her lips against his. He was about to ask if everything went alright at the police station, but the moment his mouth opened captured his lips with hers. \n\nMartin could hear a purr rippling through the room as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, swirling and exploring his maw even as she pressed her hands to his thighs. Closing his eyes, he moaned in enjoyment as she slid her hands up over his waist until her small hands were pressed against his chest. Sliding her fingers through his satiny soft fur, he groaned into her mouth, even as she moved her hands down to his waist. Within seconds, she was pulling his jeans open, her dexterous hands finding him already hardening. Breaking the kiss, Chani gasped as she moved to straddle his hips. Looking at him with a playful smile, she chewed on her lower lip before kissing him again, even as he felt her hands guiding his length under her body.\n\nIt took the young feline gently pulling his hands away from the armrests where he’d been gripping them tightly for him to even start touching Chani. Reaching up, he gently gripped her hips, causing the young woman to move herself forward and back on his tip instinctively. Breaking the kiss, she leaned up to his ears and whispered “I’m not wearing any panties…” in a lustful purr. Holding onto his shoulders, he barely had time to register what she had said before she sank down onto his lap, a cry of lust coming from her mouth as she straddled him, getting used to the feel of the mink inside of her.\n\nKissing him again, she broke the kiss only seconds later. Martin’s hands slid under Chani’s skirt to find that she was indeed without undergarments even as she rotated her hips forward and back. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she raised up and lowered herself down. The feel of her body surrounding his shaft, her tight, hot, and wet folds causing him to shiver even as he helped to guide her. \n\nEach time Chani’s rump impacted his thighs, she gave a cute little “mew” as she broke the kiss so that her tongue hung out, her eyes rolling upward in a look of utter bliss. “Yes! Mmmm, Martin. Oh… Oh, Martin…” she said in a lustful purr, her back arching as she threw her head back.\n\n“Oh, yes! Martin!” she gasped in ecstasy, moaning and purring. “Martin! Martin…”\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "In only a few minutes, the two of them were walking over to where Martin’s bicycle was locked up to the bike rack. Chani was still shaking, her eyes clenched shut as they continued onto the grassy knoll just to the left of the school. “Here.” he offered, “Let’s sit down for a few minutes.” Not surprising, the young woman practically dropped, her shaky legs giving out from under her, while the young mink helped to lower her gently onto the grass. Sitting down beside the feline, the young mink crossed his legs while placing his arm behind her back.

Sitting there for several minutes, he just looked at Chani noting how she continued to tremble, tears running down her face from the memories, and yet he just sat there silently while offering a proverbial shoulder. When he noticed that her tears had slowed, he brought up his loose t-shirt, dabbing at her cheeks. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Not surprisingly, Chani shook her head violently. “No! I… I did my best to forget…” she cried out, bringing her legs up in front of her, and wrapping her arms around her knees, “I really don’t want to remember what happened!”

Gingerly rubbing her back that fluffy tail wrapped around Chani’s legs, while he nodded. Martin just sat there, nodding slowly. “I understand.” he remarked, “I was just hoping it might help make you feel better to share.”

“How?!” she shouted, pulling away from him, “You’ll never understand what it feels like to have nothing! Never know how horrible it is to have people treat you like you’re worse than the dirt under their paws!” She started to scoot away, but to her surprise Martin just pulled her against him so that both arms were wrapped around her. At one point she tried pushing him away, tried hitting his chest, but he just held her tighter, so she resigned herself to just sit there and cry. Chani could feel that satiny soft tail still wrapped around her as she practically convulsed, the tears coming back in full force for several minutes.

Nodding, he gave a sigh as he saw her tears starting to lessen again. “You’re right.” he remarked softly, “I’ll never know what you’ve gone through, but I am still asking.” That caused her to look up at him, and he once more started to dab at her cheeks with his shirt, actually caressing the side of her face. “I only want to make sure you’re alright, Chani, because in spite of the fact that you’ve screamed at and hit me, I don’t want to see you in this much pain.”

A look of utter horror filled her face, “Oh! Oh no! I… I’m so sorry…” she said as she wrapped her arms around the mink, practically glomping him. Now she was crying while trying to constantly apologize, and nuzzle into his chest. He felt her gripping his shirt, her small body pressed against his side as he held her.

‘Nice going, genius! Make the emotional feline start crying again!’ he thought silently to himself, giving a soft sigh as he just held Chani close. Only a few minutes later, he felt a twinge of pain in his lower back, so to alleviate it, he gently scooped up the feline and sat her onto his lap, causing her to make a cute little mew of surprise. At first she started to protest, but Martin held her close, curling his tail fully around the pair.

It was nearly ten minutes before Chani was able to compose herself enough to speak, her body shivering slightly. The entire time, Martin held her close, doing little more than rubbing the feline’s slender back. It actually took her another five minutes before she felt comfortable enough to talk. “I… I was homeless…” she then looked up sharply, peering into his eyes deep ocean blue eyes with her lavender ones. She found no judgment there, only compassion and a desire to hear more. “For two years…” she took a deep breath and let it out, “I lived on the street, but was lucky enough to not have anything too terrible happen to me until that last month.”

“That must’ve been difficult for you, Chani.” Martin commented, just holding her. “Didn’t anyone try to help you out in those two years?”

Shaking her head slowly, the young feline looked over the plane of that pure white fur, watching the field where the football players were still practicing. “Everyone on the streets tries to look out for each other, but I was a young girl and could slip through with little notice. Two months before my father found me, I overhear a report about people killing the homeless in my area, so I stayed out of the major areas, and was terrified to be seen by almost anyone.”

Martin started to lightly massage her back, causing Chani to purr softly, her face leaning up to nuzzle against his collar. “What happened?” he asked.

Chani closed her eyes, “I… I’ve never told anyone… not even my family this…” she said softly, before looking up into his face, “That wolf and his tiger companion,” she shivered, “I watched them kill two homeless people three weeks before my father found us, and saved my life.” She shivered as he held her, practically trembling as the memories came flooding back. “I had found an abandoned building, and slept on one of the upper floors while a pair slept below.”

“You don’t have to continue if…” Martin started to say, but she looked up at him.

Unshed tears glistened in those lavender orbs. “Yes, I do. I owe it to them. The male was a muskrat who had been nice to me a couple of times in the past, and he was seeing a female opossum at the time.” she shivered as she spoke, until she was openly trembling. “I don’t know how they found us, but I woke up to the sounds of dull thuds. Rolling over, I watched as the muskrat was held down by the tiger, and the wolf was… was…” she shook her head. “He was punching her in the face while he…”

The mink wrapped her up in a hug, “You don’t have to say anything more about what they were doing.” he said softly, “I get the idea.”

“While she lay there, unable to do anything they beat the muskrat, punching and kicking him until he couldn’t move, only watch as they went back to the opossum. Both of them were at it for hours, but then the wolf and tiger split up and stabbed both of them.” She trembled in his lap, “I couldn’t help but scream and run. Both of them to saw me, and I was sure of that when I used the fire escape, but thankfully I was able to get away.”

“Was that when your father found you?” he asked.

Gulping, she nodded, “Daddy, Jenny, and Lee… they never asked about my past, and I really didn’t want to relive what I had seen.” she gave a deep sigh, snuggling against him. When she was done with the story, she almost felt lighter, as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “For months I had nightmares whenever Jenny wasn’t sleeping in bed with me, but they went away after a while.” She then looked up at him. “I never wanted to remember that, but…”

“I think you should tell the police all of this.” Martin suggested.

Chani gulped again, this time in apprehension, “They won’t believe me, Martin.”

“Yes they will, Chani.” the mink stated, “If you tell them about the people you saw murdered, and they can link both men’s DNA to the murders, then they have an air-tight case, and those two will go away for a very, very long time.”

“I… It’s just… I don’t think I could do it alone.” Looking up at him, she shivered as if freezing. “Would… Would you come with me to the police station, and stay with me until my father arrives?”

“Of course, Chani. You didn’t even have to ask that question.” Martin answered, “I can leave my bike here tonight, and ride it back home tomorrow.” Wrapping her arms around him the small female embraced him in a tender hug, causing the young mink to blush, but also made him squeeze her just a little tighter.

“Thank you.” Chani said softly, purring as she nuzzled against him.

“You’re welcome.” Martin said, “Besides, I think you’re going to need all the emotional support you can get for this one.”

“Why?” she asked, looking at him.

Martin looked at her, “I think you’re suffering from the first stages of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” he said softly, “Your reactions today have all the trademarks of PTSD, and considering what you just told me, I can understand why now.”

Chani blinked, just looking at the young man. “A-Are you sure? How would you know about P… PTS…”

“P.T.S.D.” he said slowly, “My father is a Captain in the Navy, and when we lived on the east coast, he was constantly on edge, with increasingly violent outbursts. At one point he jumped up and started to scream at my younger sister Yvette when she made a loud noise while in the same room as him, and I intervened.” Closing his eyes, Martin sighed, “At one time, my dad was in the Navy Seals, and was constantly going out on deadly missions. Loud explosions just meant that there was a threat nearby, and that’s how he saw us.”

Blinking, the young feline looked up at him. ‘Oh god! What happened?’ she thought to herself.

“I woke up in the hospital three days later with a severe concussion, and my sisters sitting beside my bed.” He shook his head slowly, “My dad had nearly killed me, and yet nobody could have told me that was my father. Taking a psychological evaluation, they discovered that he had a severe case of PTSD, and remanded him to mandatory counseling. Over the years, he started to return to normal, the fun and loving man my mother married, and I remembered so fondly.” She blinked as he stopped talking.

“Then what happened?” Chani asked.

“Our ride arrived.”

Blinking, she cocked her head to the side. “What?” she asked.

Pointing in front of him at a forty-five degree angle from where he was looking, Chani turned her head to the side. Seeing a black and white police cruiser as it approached the school, the pair watched as it turned into the bus lane. “I’ll finish the story later.” he said softly.

“In the car?” she asked.

Martin nodded giving the feline a small smile. “Okay.” Chani stood up from the mink’s lap with his assistance, that tail uncoiling from around the pair even as the police cruiser stopped about ten feet away. “I just recommend, if your father can afford it, that you sign up for counseling specifically designed for your PTSD, because without that, you never know what could trigger a violent reaction.”

“C-Could I potentially hurt Jenny, or even Lee with one of my reactions?” she asked.

All she received was a grim nod from the mink as the driver’s side door to the police cruiser opened and a six and a half foot tall black bear exited the cruiser, his police uniform stretched tight across his muscular chest and arms, while his lower body seemed almost disproportionately toned. “I’m officer Beld.” the large bear commented, “Who am I supposed to take to the police station so that they can make a statement?”

 “That would be us.” Martin stated as he stood up dusting off his backside.

“I was told only one person needed a ride, not two.” Officer Beld commented.

Martin offered small shrug. “Is that alright?” Chani asked, looking up at him with soulful eyes.

Giving a sigh, the bruin shook his head. “No, I guess not, but I’m not a taxi service. Please keep the volume down so I can listen to the radio, and make out my calls.

“We understand, Officer Beld.” Martin said softly as he walked Chani over to the police cruiser.
Opening the door for the girl, he watched as she slipped into the back seat, scooting over to allow the mink entrance. When the young mink slipped into the back of the car, he had just enough time to get his tail out of the way before the door slammed shut. “Frickin’ kids… always got to be the cab...” the officer remarked as he stomped around to the driver’s side door.
 
“Ow.” Chani remarked as she felt the solid, unforgiving plastic bench under her backside. There wasn’t even a millimeter of cushioning under her rump. Reaching down, she tapped the seat, only to discover that the entire back was one solid piece of hardened plastic that did nothing to make any ride to the precinct even slightly comfortable. “This is really painful.” she remarked as the officer sat down behind the steering wheel of the car.

“Just imagine how much more painful it is to be handcuffed in the back of this type of car.” Martin commented.

Shivering ever so slightly, the young feline shook her head. “No thanks.”

“Thirteenth precinct, I have a white mink, male, and a white cat with purple markings, female that said they were who I was to pick up.” he announced into his radio handset.

“I thought you were there to pick up the girl.” the dispatcher announced over the radio.

Officer Beld nodded, “Yeah, me too. Apparently, the girl wanted her boyfriend to come along.” That caused both of them to blush, and yet the pair looked at each other for several seconds before scooting a little closer so that their hips touched.

“Understood.” there was a moment of silence. “I’ve just spoken with the arresting officer, bring them both to the precinct so that the girl can give her statement. Officer Morgan wants to talk with the boy.”

“Why does Jacob want to speak to the mink?” he asked.

“Apparently they know each other.” the dispatcher announced.

“Got it.” he remarked. The car was still idling when he hung up the radio, and put the vehicle in gear. Pulling away from the curb, the four door sedan went around the loop that made up the bus stop so that they went around the parking lot. Within seconds the police car turned onto the main street, and then started in the direction of the police station.

Leaning in, the young feline looked up at Martin. “So… what happened next? You know, with your family?” she asked as he turned to regard the young woman.

“I healed, but was afraid of my dad for months after that.” he shook his head, “Poor little Yvette didn’t want to have anything to do with him, and would snuggle against me instead.”

Chani nodded, “I can definitely understand that.” she said softly, “You were willing to risk getting hurt to protect her. That creates an unbreakable bond between siblings.”

“About a year and a half after I got out of the hospital, my mother received a job opportunity, and… well, we moved here.” he said as he closed his eyes. “I haven’t seen my father in five years, and yet… even after everything…”

“You miss him.”

Martin nodded, “Stupid, huh?” he asked, “The man almost kills me, and I just want to be around him.”

“No.” Chani said with a shake of her head, “That’s not stupid. Holding onto resentment for something that wasn’t his fault, that would be stupid.”

“That’s the thing,” Martin said as he leaned back, “I doubt anyone resents my dad, it feels more like everyone is afraid that it will happen again.”

Nodding, she leaned over and snuggled against his shoulder, “The possibility will always be there, and it would be stupid not to prepare for that eventuality, but real parents would rather hurt themselves than do that to their children.”

Reaching over, Martin gave the young girl a hug. “Thanks. I needed that.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Chani remarked, “How did you know that one officer’s name?”

Giving a smile, he shrugged his shoulders. “My mother’s company develops non-lethal methods for stopping criminals, and Jacob was the officer that they sent to help test out some of the equipment.” Sitting in the back with his tail covering their laps, he could feel Chani’s thigh pressed up against his as they talked. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Um, sure. What do you want to know?”

“Are you finally going to tell your father what you told me?”

Looking away, she shook visibly. “I… I don’t know.” She then shook her head as if trying to clear her head. “He deserves to know, and I think I should tell him, but… I just don’t want him look at me any differently.”

With his arm already around her, Martin gave Chani a gentle, one armed, hug. “If he truly loves you, then all he will want, is to be sure that you’re alright.”

Chani nodded, a small smile spreading her lips. “You’re right. I should have told him earlier.”

“No.” Martin commented, “You weren’t ready to tell him, and I doubt he would have been ready to hear about it at the time.”

“Probably not.”

The rest of the ride was made in silence, the young mink just holding onto Chani as she sat there, purring softly from the closeness, and the comfort that simple touch gave her. After only a few minutes she even forgot about the discomfort that the seat had given her. Only a few minutes after she’d just gotten comfortable, the police cruiser was pulling into a parking space beside the precinct. Shutting down the car, the officer exited the front, and opened the back door to let his passengers out.

Slipping out the back door, Chani gave the officer a smile, “Thank you.” before going up to stand on the sidewalk to wait for Martin. Exiting the vehicle, the young mink nodded his thanks to the officer as well, and joined the young feline on the sidewalk. When he was close enough, she wrapped her arms around his before they ever went up the stairs to the entrance of the police station.

Entering the foyer, they would note that the central area was full of police who were talking to others in uniform, while some were walking handcuffed individuals back into interview rooms. The entire place was massive, with vaulted ceilings that led to stairs going to upper levels, doors on either side while a large counter surrounded four officers. “Name?” a bored looking female ferret with black hair pulled into a bun asked, causing Martin to look at her hazel eyes.

“I believe the name is Chani?” Martin asked.

The ferret looked at her computer screen. “I don’t have anyone named Chani in the system.” she commented, “Do you know the inmate number?”

Martin blinked, “Oh. No, Chani is here to give a statement, she’s not an inmate.”

Blinking, the ferret looked at the mink. “Then she’ll want to go through that door, and ask for the arresting officer.” she remarked motioning to a door on her left.

“Okay, thank you.” With everyone talking so animatedly, and the sounds growing around them, Martin walked with Chani until they were through the door, and the noise quieted down considerably.

“I… I don’t remember the arresting officer.” Chani remarked, shaking a little.

“That’s alright.” Martin commented. “His name is Jacob Morgan.” Stopping for a few seconds, the young mink looked over at Chani. “Before you head off to give your statement, do you want to call your home and let them know where you are so that they can pick you up?”

Chani looked down shyly, “I probably should… but I don’t have a phone.”

Reaching into his satchel bag, the young mink produced his cell phone, and handed it over to her. “Don’t worry, you can use mine.”

Looking at the device, she smiled softly and nodded, “Thank you, Martin.” Chani then walked over a cushioned bench by the wall, and sat down with her knees together. The mink stood close enough to her so that fluffy tail could wrap around her. A look of apprehension crossed over her face, and she trembled as she brought up the touch pad on the phone display.

Looking back up, Chani saw Martin smile and nod. Feeling bolstered by his support, she started typing the number into the cell phone’s display, and then pressed the green phone icon. Bringing it up to her ear, she took a deep breath, and blew it out as she heard the phone ring. On the second ring, she heard Crystal’s voice from the other end. “Hello?”

“Hi, mom. It’s Chani.”

“Chani?” the dragon on the other end asked, “Where are you? School got out an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” she said softly into the phone while tears misted her eyes, “I… I should have called but I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright.” She actually doubted those last two words as she thought about saying what came next. “Can you call dad and have him pick me up at the police station?”

“Police station?!” Crystal’s voice went up an octave as she spoke, causing Lee and Jenny to look at their adoptive mother, and then back at each other. “Why are you at the police station? Is everything alright? Are you hurt?”

It was a testament to the draconic species that her adoptive mother was speaking so calmly, and yet Chani could hear the concern in Crystal’s voice. “Yes, I’m alright.” she answered, giving another sigh, “I just had something happen after school today, and I really just need dad to pick me up.”

“Okay. I’ll call him and let him know where you are, but when you get home…”

“I’ll tell everyone everything.” Chani answered, “I just… I want to tell everyone in person.”

Crystal nodded. “I understand. When we hang up, I’ll call him immediately.”

“Thank you, mom.” she said as she reached up and wiped away the tears that started to spill over her cheeks. “I love you.”

A smile split Crystal’s lips. “You’re welcome, honey, and I love you too. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll keep dinner warm for both you and AJ.”

“Thank you again, mommy.” Chani said softly.

“You’re welcome, honey.” Crystal said with a nod.

“Bye, mom. I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodbye, Chani.”

Hanging up the phone, the young girl looked over at Martin as he leaned against the wall. “Thank you for letting me do that.” she said softly.

Martin smiled, “It’s not a problem.” he said with a smile as he saw a familiar german shepherd walking down the hallway toward him. “Perfect timing. Here comes, Jacob now.”

Reaching up, the slender feline pulled down the fur of his tail, giving a little giggle as it tickled her nose. When she saw him, she finally recognized the male as the one that pointed the strange gun while his partner handcuffed her tormenter. “Ah. There you are.” Jacob said as he walked up to the pair. “Officer Beld said that he brought you in, so how about we just make sure you can identify the tiger you told us about?”

Chani looked over at Martin, shivering slightly. “Can he come with me?” she asked.

“I don’t see why not, as long as he doesn’t try to influence your decision.” Jacob answered.

Nodding slowly, Chani followed the older male, the tip of her tail twitching nervously, while Martin walked beside her. Wrapping his tail around her, he watched as she tightened her grip on his arm a little, causing him to look at her. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

Shaking her head a little, she shivered. “No. I’m terrified…”

“He won’t be able to see you.” Jacob said softly, “You’ll be behind a two-way mirror. The only thing he’ll see is his reflection, so you have nothing to worry about.” Walking up to the door, the officer turned the knob, letting Chani and Martin through first, before slipping in behind them. The entire room was dark, with small lights flashing all around them. Although she didn’t know what any of the stuff was, she could tell that there was enough electronics around the room to make a Radio Shack blush. “Send in the first group.”

Chani clutched Martin’s arm hard enough to make him wince, but that was nothing compared to what happened when the men walked through the door. The tiger never even made it to the stairs before she buried her face into the mink’s chest, her claws popping out as the memories of two years previously filled her mind. Seconds went by, with the young feline relearning how to breathe properly, her eyes closed and her heart hammering against her ribcage. “It… It’s him…” she breathed out.

“Which one?” Jacob asked, “You just have to tell me which number, and we’ll send all of the men away.”

Shaking like a leaf on the wind, she looked up to see the number, her eyes focusing on the tiger for a few seconds before seeing which one he was standing underneath. “Four… he’s… he’s number four…”

“You’re sure?” Jacob asked.

Nodding, the young feline closed her eyes before she buried her face into Martin’s slender chest. A full minute after the men had entered the line-up, they left without preamble. She had to stand there for another two minutes, looking at other tigers, but there was no doubt in Chani’s mind of who she’d seen that day. “That’s all that we needed for this part.” Jacob said with a nod, “Thank you.”

Martin looked over at Jacob, “Where should we go to have Chani write out her statement?”

“We already have them on the attempted sexual assault of a child, with Chani already telling us that they intended to rape her,” the officer remarked, “so I doubt we need much more.”

“No!” she shouted, shaking her head, “I… I didn’t tell you why they were coming after me…”

“It’s alright. They’re going to go away for a long…”

“Both of them were the ones killing homeless people!” Chani interrupted, stopping Jacob in his tracks.

Everyone stood there, stunned, while Jacob blinked twice “You’re positive?” he asked.

Chani nodded, brooking no argument. “I watched as they beat on a male muskrat and rape an opossum female, before stabbed the homeless pair more than two years ago.”

Jacob just stood there, looking at the young woman, noting that for once since he first met her, her eyes weren’t looking away. He could see determination and honesty in that gaze. “Then…  that means… you’ve just helped us catch two serial killers whose crimes go back almost two decades.” he said softly, crouching down. “Now these two will be lucky to get ten years before they are executed.”

Escorting both Chani and Martin over to one of the interview rooms, he sat a tablet in front of her once they sat down. “Please, just write out what you remember from that day, and we’ll make sure that neither of them ever plague anyone ever again.”

Looking up at the officer, she glanced over, and happened to see someone she recognized walking down the hallway. “DADDY!”

AJ had just entered the side door, and asked an officer about where to find Chani. Upon being told to head for the interview rooms, he started down the hallway, only to hear the familiar cry of his adoptive daughter. Turning to look he had only a moment to register the tears running down her face before he ran into the room. Almost the moment the door was opened, the little cat leaped into his arms. Catching her without any difficulty he held her close, nuzzling the top of her head as she held onto him and cried.

It took several minutes for her to calm down enough to talk properly, but in that time Jacob walked up to the dragon holding out his hand. “Hello, sir.” he said softly, “I’m Jacob Morgan, the arresting officer.” His hand was grasped by the dragon, and yet he could tell by the confused expression on AJ’s face that he was obviously not told anything.

“What happened?” AJ asked. “I was only told that my daughter was at the police station.”

“It was the wolf, daddy!” Chani announced, pulling back to look him in the eyes, “The one you saved me from. He… he came to the school… but… but Martin called the police and they arrested him…”

“Whoa.” he said softly, looking at his daughter, “Slow down, honey. Are… Are you talking about that wolf from two years ago?”

“Yes! They have him and the tiger in jail… and I just pointed the tiger out from a line-up, and…”

AJ just stood there, watching Chani as she told him everything, the look in his eyes changing and shifting ever so slightly with practically every word she said. When she finished, the dragon wrapped his arms around her, holding the feline against his body. “I’m… I’m so proud of you…” she could hear his words, but it was the thickening of his voice that spoke more to her. He’d been choked up with emotion and actually had to compose himself in the brief second’s pause while tears threatened to spill out of his eyes.

Chani buried her face into his chest, just enjoying the fact that she could feel safe with him. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner…” she finally said after a few minutes.

Shaking his head as Martin scooted over a chair for him to sit in, AJ sat down with his adopted daughter snuggled into his upper body, his hands caressing her back in a fatherly manner. “When we first met, you were scared of practically everything, and apprehensive of even being around the family.” he remarked softly, holding her close, “It was more because of Jenny and Lee that you were able to come out of your shell at all, and I allowed them to help you as much as possible.”

“I should have told you everything, daddy…” she said softly

He then helped her to sit up, holding her face in his hands, and wiping away Chani’s tears, “Although we took you in, I understood that there might be things about your past you didn’t want anyone to know about immediately.” AJ gave a sigh, and a shake of his head, “I told both Crystal and the twins that we should let you reveal what you want when the time was right. Perhaps instead I should have been more attentive, or more insistent about those two men, and for that I am truly sorry for not being a more protective parent.”

Chani shook her head, “No. It’s because of you, Crystal, Jenny, and Lee that I even have a family.” she said softly, a smile spreading her lips. “Besides, you were right. I wasn’t ready to talk about what happened. Not until now at least.”

“I probably don’t say this as often as I should,” AJ commented as he smiled at Chani, “but I’m proud of you. That took a lot of courage to face your fears, and conquer them.”

Blushing, the young feline shook her head. “I… I didn’t do it alone…” she murmured, “Martin over here helped me out the most.”

Looking up at the young mink, AJ gave him a smile and a nod. “Then it is you that I must thank for protecting my daughter.” Holding out his hand, the two shook for a few seconds before he asked, “How do you know my little Chani anyway?”

“I was a new transfer to Chani’s World History class.” Martin announced before Chani broke into the conversation.

“He’s also in my art class at the end of the day.” Chani said with a smile, “and he’s going to be helping me out with some of my art assignments.”

“Oh, so both of you have the same art class?” AJ asked, looking over at his daughter.

Blushing she nodded. “Yeah, but he’s further along than me in art skill.”

Martin shook his head with a smile. “That’s not true, Chani. You’re more advanced than I was before I learned from my sister, so once I give you a few pointers I have no doubt that you’ll be the best in the class.” he said encouragingly.

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, we still need Chani to make her statement.” Jacob remarked, looking from Martin to AJ.

“Then let’s get this over with.” AJ commented, “I can fill in a few points from what happened two years ago since I was the one that saved her in that alley.”

“Okay, then we’ll need statements from both of you.”

Nodding, the young mink gave the trio a smile. “Then I guess you don’t need me around anymore.” he remarked.

Chani blinked, looking from Martin to AJ. “Please, don’t go… I…” she started to say, but the young mink gently laid his hand on top of her head, rubbing between the ears, making her purr.

“I’m sorry, but I really need to get home, and it may take you both, potentially, an hour to finish your statements.” Martin said softly.

Looking over at AJ, she blinked with those lavender eyes. “Couldn’t we give him a ride home?” she asked. “Tai’s still out front with the carriage, right?”

“That’s not necessary.” the young mink said with a shake of his head.

“I really should do something to show my appreciation for you helping Chani, Martin.” AJ insisted. “Perhaps…?”

“When you shook my hand, you gave me all the appreciation for what I did that I would ever need, sir.” That one comment made AJ smile as he looked at the young mink. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to put you out by making you go in the opposite direction of your own home.” he finally said with a cordial smile.

“Oh really?” AJ asked, “Where do you live?”

“My home is only a few blocks away, on Hall Street.” Martin announced.

AJ brought up his hand, rubbing his chin, “That should only take about ten minutes to walk from here.”

“Exactly. Besides, I was just here to support Chani, but now that her father is here, I can just head on home.” He then shrugged his shoulders, “I’m surprised my mother hasn’t called the police to ask where I am already.”

“But, I…” Chani started to say, looking down shyly.

Stepping up to her, he gave the young girl a gentle hug, “Just let me know how everything went when you get to school tomorrow. Okay?”

Giving him a smile, Chani nodded. “I will.” was all she said before leaning up and giving him a peck on the cheek, the pink tinging her fur on her cheeks.

“Again, thank you for helping Chani.” AJ said, shaking the young man’s hand a second time.

“I would do it again in a heartbeat, sir.” he remarked before leaving the interview room, and heading for the door that would eventually lead outside. Waving goodbye to the pair, he was outside in the waning sunlight only a minute later as he exited the police precinct. Reaching up, he actually felt the place where Chani had given him a kiss, his tail twitching as he thought about the young girl. ‘Should I have kissed her on the cheek too?’ he thought silently, not really sure what the socially acceptable response would’ve been, especially with her father standing there.

Deciding to push the thoughts out of his head, Martin crossed the strap of his satchel bag over his chest on his way home. AJ was correct, because it took Martin ten minutes to get home, a happy smile spreading his lips the entire time. ‘I still can’t believe she kissed me on the cheek. Truthfully, I did only what anyone else would do in that situation.’ he thought as he felt butterflies in his stomach. Opening the door, he called out, “I’m home!” before setting his satchel bag down by the door.

“Yay! Martin’s home!” Yvette called out as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
Looking past the open living room, he saw Yvonne (Yvette’s twin) sitting at the table, dressed in a turquoise shirt and jeans. The twin currently hugging him was wearing a white t-shirt and a pink skirt on her lower body as she continued to wrap her arms around his waist, her feet on his toes. His mother was in the kitchen, poking her head through the arched doorway, her upper body leaning as she looked from him, to the stairs leading to the second floor, and back again. “Martin?” Andais asked as she cocked her head to the side. “I thought you were upstairs.”

Shaking his head so that his black hair shifted slightly, he smiled at his golden haired mother as he walked to the table, his sister giggling as she rode his feet like a fleshy mech-suit. “No. I had to stay after school…”

“Did Mr. Crawford give you detention again?!” she groused as she started to pick up the phone. “I called and told the office that you would be late getting to school, they should have…”

“No! Mom! It’s alright, I didn’t have detention.” he called out as he walked into the dining area. “I was just getting information about this new project our team in World History is studying.”

“World History?” Andais asked, “I thought you were still taking American History.”

Shaking his head, the young mink gave his mother a dazzling smile, “Nope. Mrs. Tsakumy had me come into her office and introduced me to my new teacher, Mrs. Shearer. She’s in charge of the World History class, and wanted to make sure I was caught up with the subject matter.”

“Oh, well that sounds really interesting.” Andais commented before motioning for the sink. “Go wash your hands, dinner is almost done. When you get back to the table, I want to hear more about what happened at school.”

The young mink nodded, smiling as he leaned over and kissed the top of Yvette’s head causing her to giggle. “Okay, mom.” Walking to the downstairs bathroom, he started to wash his hands. ‘I wonder if I should tell her about Chani and what happened after school?’ he thought to himself, ‘I don’t really want her to worry, but this might be something she needs to know about…’ Another thought popped into his head. ‘Technically, it really didn’t have anything to do with me, so I really don’t have any right to tell my mom anything really. Hmm, I would rather she hear it from me than someone else, especially after the police got involved.’ After nearly half a minute, he rinsed his hands under the heated water, and then dried them on the towel.

“Martin! Dinner!” broke him out of his reverie as he finished drying his hands.

Walking out of the bathroom, he headed for the dining room. “Oh. There you are. Come on. I made everyone’s favorite.” Andais announced as she walked over to the dining room table. Setting the casserole dish down onto a hot pad in the center of the table, everyone sat around the circular surface without even needing to be told.

“Can I say grace, mommy?” Yvette asked looking at Andais.

“Of course, Yvette.”

It took only a few minutes for the youngest of the family to finish their nightly request for blessings, but by the time she was done, everyone’s stomachs growled as the scent of the food wafted up into their nostrils. Dishing up the food, Andais smiled as she passed the plates around to her three children, making sure that she would only get her dinner after everyone else had theirs. “Tell us about this new class, honey.” she said softly as she handed the last plate to Yvonne.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to do much, but I found out that this class is a lot different than my American History class was. I’m actually in a group with three of my classmates working on a project together.”

“Are they nice?” his mother asked, as he took some of the casserole into his mouth and started chewing.

When he swallowed, she almost didn’t need to hear him say anything, especially considering the smile on his face. “They’re wonderful.” he announced, “I can’t wait to work more with them. I mean, at first we kind of butted heads a little, I guess the group initially didn’t want another member, but at lunch we…” he smiled as he looked at the tuna casserole on his plate, “I don’t really know. I guess we bonded a little, sort of saw what it was like through each other’s eyes.”

Nodding, their mother gave Martin a smile. “Does that mean you made a few friends.” she asked.

“Yeah. I think it does.”

“I’ve noticed that you have a smile on your face again. Over the past five years you haven’t exactly been the most social person.”

Martin nodded, “Yeah, I know… and I’m sorry.” he said softly, “I guess I was just focusing too much on what I lost and not really seeing what I could’ve had instead.”

“To tell you the truth, I felt a little guilty uprooting the family like that…”

“No. It’s fine mom.” Martin commented. Although his older sisters often told him that his longing for his old friends would leave when he made new ones, that lesson never really sank in until today. The young mink shook his head with a sigh. “Everything seems to be working out though, so let’s just say that I’m over my moodiness.”

Andais smiled, nodding. “Now that is a reason to be happy. Seeing you wandering around with what equated to a chip on your shoulder was getting pretty old, honey.”

Martin closed his eyes with a sigh and a nod, “I’m sorry, mom. Back when we first started packing, I really didn’t want to move here. When we arrived, it was like I couldn’t tell you about what upset me, because I knew how important your career was for you, so I just kept it to myself. Unfortunately, that just made everything worse.”

Giving a smile and a nod, Andais looked at Martin, “I’m just glad that I have my son back.”

On the young man’s right side, Yvonne tapped her chin with the handle of her fork. “Okay, but if that’s all you were at school for, then why are you home so late?”

“Yeah?” Yvette asked mirroring her twin.

With a small smile on his face, Martin gave a noncommittal shrug while his mother started to take a drink of her water. “Oh, that’s because I had to wait for the police.”

The look on his mother’s face was priceless as her eyes widened to beyond normal levels, and she spit her water back into the glass. “POLICE?!!” she shouted, his sisters blinking.

“Everything is fine…”

“What happened?!” she asked as she started to rise, “Did you get into trouble?! Were you attacked?! Did someone try to kidnap you?! Is the world coming to an end?!”

“Mom.” he said soothingly, but his voice raised higher as he tried to calm her down, “Mom! MOM!!” Martin finally shouted standing a little. “Would you please calm down?! It didn’t even have anything to do with me!”

“Don’t yell at me young man!” she bit back.

“Then calm down.” he remarked forcing himself to speak in a quieter tone, while sitting down again. “I had to wait for the police because one of my new friends had someone stalking her, and I stayed back to make sure that she was able to get to the station to wait for her father.”

Andais sat back down onto her chair, looking at her son. “You… You helped a young woman against a stalker?” she asked. “Martin! That could have been dangerous…”

“Haven’t you and dad always told me that I should do the right thing?” he asked.

“Yes, but there are multiple ways of doing…”

“I wasn’t in any danger.” he interrupted, “All I did was call the police while I was still in the school, and wait out front for the police to arrive. The guy could have easily gone into the school after I had left, but he decided to stand there and talk with me, meaning that the girl I was helping didn’t have to confront him.”

Narrowing her eyes, Andais looked at her son, “You could have been killed…”

“Mom. I could be killed going to bed at night.” Martin scoffed, “I’m not going to be afraid of every little thing just because the potential for me being harmed is out in the world.” Giving a sigh, he shook his head, “May I please be excused? I just lost my appetite.”

Taking a few deep breaths, he watched his mother nod with her eyes closed. “This conversation isn’t over young man.”

Giving a nod, Martin stood from his chair. “You’re right, and I’ll be waiting to accept your apology.” he remarked as he stepped around his chair, and slid it under the table.

“Ooooooh!” both of his little sisters remarked looking from their mother to their brother. The former with a look on her face that caused them to stop any potential remarks before they were ever thought. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, while Martin ascended the stairs heading for his bedroom.

While he headed for his room, the young mink picked up his satchel bag from beside the door. When he was in his room he tossed the bag onto the bed, and gave a sigh. Looking at the computer in the corner of his bedroom, his character’s online “sheet”, an Elf with a pair of curved swords and plate mail armor remained on the flat panel display as a wallpaper. Martin shook his head, a grumble coming to his lips as he felt the adrenaline draining from his body. ‘Smooth move! You just now manage to get back to something akin to normal, and wind up having another fight with your mom.’

Picking up his satchel bag, he pulled out his binder and set it on the center of the desk, along with his phone. Setting it to vibrate, he laid the device down on the table. Sitting in a black computer chair, Martin flipped open his binder to start working on his school assignments.

Roughly an hour later, a knock came to his already opened door. “Come in.” he said softly as he turned in his chair to see… “Chani?” Standing in his doorway, dressed in the same outfit that she’d been wearing in school, the young woman walked over to him. Blushing profusely, the young feline leaned in to press her lips against his. He was about to ask if everything went alright at the police station, but the moment his mouth opened captured his lips with hers.

Martin could hear a purr rippling through the room as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, swirling and exploring his maw even as she pressed her hands to his thighs. Closing his eyes, he moaned in enjoyment as she slid her hands up over his waist until her small hands were pressed against his chest. Sliding her fingers through his satiny soft fur, he groaned into her mouth, even as she moved her hands down to his waist. Within seconds, she was pulling his jeans open, her dexterous hands finding him already hardening. Breaking the kiss, Chani gasped as she moved to straddle his hips. Looking at him with a playful smile, she chewed on her lower lip before kissing him again, even as he felt her hands guiding his length under her body.

It took the young feline gently pulling his hands away from the armrests where he’d been gripping them tightly for him to even start touching Chani. Reaching up, he gently gripped her hips, causing the young woman to move herself forward and back on his tip instinctively. Breaking the kiss, she leaned up to his ears and whispered “I’m not wearing any panties…” in a lustful purr. Holding onto his shoulders, he barely had time to register what she had said before she sank down onto his lap, a cry of lust coming from her mouth as she straddled him, getting used to the feel of the mink inside of her.

Kissing him again, she broke the kiss only seconds later. Martin’s hands slid under Chani’s skirt to find that she was indeed without undergarments even as she rotated her hips forward and back. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she raised up and lowered herself down. The feel of her body surrounding his shaft, her tight, hot, and wet folds causing him to shiver even as he helped to guide her.

Each time Chani’s rump impacted his thighs, she gave a cute little “mew” as she broke the kiss so that her tongue hung out, her eyes rolling upward in a look of utter bliss. “Yes! Mmmm, Martin. Oh… Oh, Martin…” she said in a lustful purr, her back arching as she threw her head back.

“Oh, yes! Martin!” she gasped in ecstasy, moaning and purring. “Martin! Martin…”
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