[b][u][center]Backstreet Brothers By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b] “Will you get your fucking boots off my bar?!” Sekani laughed as he dragged the leather heels off the wooden bar-top just ahead of Aisha’s sweeping wing. She glared at him, assiduously scrubbing at the oak bar as if her ragged cloth would get the long-embedded stains out. The hyena sat up straighter, leaning forward and giving her a toothy smile. “Ain’t getting it out without a little elbow grease.” “Ain’t got the fucking elbows for that, grease-ass,” the crow woman muttered, shaking her head and tossing the rag to the ground. “Christ. It’s good enough. You actually want something, you fucker, or are you just here to leave your shit everywhere again?” “One, butter, not grease,” Sekani said, holding up a finger. “Two, who’s to say that I’m not going to spend money here?” “You ain’t got any of your friends around, that’s what. You never spend a time, cheap-ass piece of –” “I spend plenty.” “Yeah? I ain’t seen a shimmer from you since day one.” “Well, that’s cause I keep earning favors, right?” The hyena chuckled. “Besides, you get paid. I ain’t getting anything free from you.” He laughed again as she rolled her eyes and walked away. Turning on the barstool to watch her feathered rump as it swayed between the various rounded, scuffed tables of the Black Wing, Sekani couldn’t help but imagine how it’d feel to shove her over one of them and see if he could get her to scream. Familiar thought for most males and females, honestly; for him, it was almost as casual as a handshake. Still, he was pretty sure that Aisha would just whip around and peck his eyes out. Fun as her holes would be, not worth the scars he’d get from her way of saying no. [i]And she’s got enough shit going on,[/i] he thought, turning around to face the back of the bar again, staring into the mirror. [i]Even if this handsome face’d probably take some of that fucking shit off her mind for a while.[/i] The hyena bit back another barking chuckle as he ran a hand along his face. It was never a bad time to stare at himself. Tan-brown fur with dark spots was the traditional hyena color, and who was he to fuck with perfection? A shiny wave of thicker brown fur between his ears gave him a greased-up look, and a pair of green-white lines of body-paint ran along his neck and met just under his chin, part of a network of body-paint that he maintained at all times. The fact that he was broad-shouldered, muscular, and fucking handsome was somewhat blunted by the fact that he was kind of short for a male. He barely came to five-foot-six, and an inch of that was debatably from his boots. He didn’t quite sink under the bar, but he didn’t rise as high as he would have liked in the mirror, either. “Hey! Sekani!” “What?” “Stop mugging for a second and gimme a hand over here; one of those ‘freelancers’ drunk himself stupid again.” The hyena rolled his eyes, getting to his feet and fluffing out his leather jacket. It was more an affectation than anything he needed; Docetri was hot enough when you knew where to look, and it, and his leather pants, were more than enough to keep him hot and a bit sweaty most of the time. Life in the Dead Zones of the city was hot, stifling, and more often than not, like a bubble of summer in the depth of winter. Not much surprise that those less fortunate migrated into ‘em during the cold times. As he walked around the tables, he wasn’t surprised to find someone without any of the local gang colors on. Freelancers liked to wander around the city, thinking that they could find work with some of the gangs when they didn’t work out at one of the Brains; the academies were demanding, but the gangs were just as fucking picky. Just in different ways. Sekani knew from experience that most people couldn’t cut it as an independent ‘round here. Despite the bull being another foot taller than him, the hyena leaned over and tossed the thick bovine over his shoulder. “Alley or street?” he asked. “Throw him out back,” Aisha said. “Ain’t no point in letting someone shank him before he wakes up.” “Heh, already stole his wallet?” “Just enough for his tab, greaser. Now, get.” As he walked toward the back of the bar, he shifted the bull around on his shoulders. Not that big, but definitely big enough to feel the weight of the big guy resting on him. He grunted as he dragged him along, wondering what his story was. Probably something about getting nowhere in the richer parts of the city, coming out here thinking it’d be easier, then finding out that it was gonna be just as bad, if not worse. [i]Heh. Life’s a bitch.[/i] He kicked the handle upward – getting a sharp caw of warning from Aisha – and pushed the door open the rest of the way. Tossing the bull behind the nearest dumpster, he clapped his hands together and shut the door again. “So, now that you don’t have any other customers –” “Calling yourself a customer without buying again?” the crow asked as she meandered back to the bar. “Hey, I can pull him back in if you wanna bitch about it; ain’t like you’re paying me for labor, eh?” “…Continue.” Letting out another barking laugh, he threw himself back into his stool. Much as Aisha got cranky with him, she was like that with everyone. She was constantly pissy, but that was just her way. The only time that it got bad was if you just let it roll over you. Stand up to her, and she’d treat it as banter; let it steamroll you, and she’d get worse, almost like she was pushing everyone else to stand up for themselves. “So, you seen Red-Eye lately?” Sekani asked. “Been looking for him and the rest of the Back-Breakers. Ain’t heard shit from ‘em for a week.” “Oh, hell if I know.” “Bullshit, Aisha. Come on, you know everything that goes on out here.” “Everything’s got a price, greaser.” “Heh, what’ll it take?” Sekani asked, smirking. “You know I’m game for just about anything.” “Funny, but I’ll pass. Musky assholes like you ain’t my type.” “When you shack up with some pretty, perfumed thing, send me a pic; I’d love to see who you want.” “Ace, bastard.” “Aro, bitch.” That one got her to crack a smile. Shaking her head, the crow pulled another ragged cloth from her belt and got to work futilely wiping down the bar again. “Last I heard, he was getting himself in the shit again. Raiding a couple of corporate storehouses, laying low to avoid the sweeps, then doing it all over again. Gonna be getting his head bashed in, one of these days.” “Heh, but until he does, he’s going to be living the dream of pissing off the corporations.” Sekani lifted an invisible glass. “To angry rich people.” Aisha shook her head. “What?” “I never know what to make of you, greaser. Why are you always smiling? What kinda shit are you on?” “Life.” “Okay, explain that. Now.” “Heh. Okay. You know how those Green followers keep talking about how life’s got this balance to it, everything being equal, all things getting a chance and there being some sort of cycle to it all?” "I try to keep the Green out of my bar as much as possible." "Yeah, noticed," he said. "Ain't a drop of color in here." "Fuck off. Keep talking." "Heh." Sekani leaned back, almost putting a boot on the counter before Aisha's narrowed eyes convinced him to keep it on a neighboring stool instead. "Well, I got this way of looking at it like...yeah. There's a balance, sure. There's the rich, there's the poor. There's the people that got shit, and there's the people that ain't." "How's that balanced?" the crow asked. "The way I see it, 'balance' is what you make happen," he said. "Life's too slow. You do your fucking best, however you can. Maybe you do something smart. Maybe you come up with some magic. Maybe you get to be the best thief or racer or whatever. Or maybe you find a way to get someone that [i]is[/i] the best to help you out. But one way or another, you keep on trying." "And how the hell does that make you smile?" "Because if I believe that life's got balance, that means that it's got a set of scales, and that means that as long as I don't try and slam my fist on the scale, it'll treat me fair as long as I don't try and take more'n I'm owed." "..." "Heh. Ain't gotta agree with me," he said, shrugging as he leaned back. "But the way I see it, if the guys that have shit wanna punch us down, then they gotta realize that we're gonna punch back eventually. If there's balance, then the harder they hit, the harder that we get to hit back. The more we get to take." "They don't believe in justice, greaser," Aisha said, shaking her head. "I don't, either. Justice would just piss me off. But they sure as hell believe that their money gives 'em permission to do whatever the hell they want. And if they wanna see the world as nothing but a shop with a price on everything, I choose to think I'm the guy behind the counter telling 'em how much to pay. I just don't charge their fucking card until they're out the door and don't know what's happened." Through the whole explanation, he just kept smiling. It wasn't even quite the right way of putting it; hell, he didn't know just how to explain what he believed when it came right down to it. All he knew was that he had a belief that life, itself, would eventually reward those that played some kinda fair, and didn't go for something beyond what they were owed or had earned. Seemed to have treated him well enough so far. THUNK! The Black Wing's door swung open, and Red-Eye - the very hare that Sekani had been looking for - all but threw himself through the door. White-furred with a cybernetic red eye, the hare was thin as could be, bones showing through taut skin, but he was completely clear when he said: "Rainbow Guard, right behind me." "Shit," Aisha muttered. "Heh, ain't done shit, won't be shit," Sekani said. "Chasing you off a job, Red-Eye?" "Ain't like that, Sek. It's -" The door slammed open again, and a slender, nearly-pink furred mink stepped through. Three other officers of the Rainbow Guard, all bearing the six-pointed badge with the little twinkle-star attached by a curved line, stepped through. The mink had two Dobermans and a possum to back him up, all of them hopped up on enough Body-magic to burn Sekani's nose, and he pinched the end of his muzzle, snorting and shaking his head. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A hide-away for lowly little thugs like you?" the mink said, looking down his nose at Red-Eye before glancing at Aisha. "Crow. Are there any others here?" "The hell you want?" "I wouldn't take that town with a sergeant of the Rainbow Guard," he said, chuckling before he kicked Red-Eye in the back of the knee. "Now, is there anyone else in this establishment?" "...No," Aisha said. "Hmm. Is she telling me the truth, cadet?" the mink asked, looking over his shoulder at the possum. "She's telling you what you don't want to hear, at the fucking least," Sekani said, pulling his boots to the floor. "You got something you wanna share? Like evidence or some shit?" "And what, pray tell, do you have to say? Hmm? Or shall I take you in for illegal Green-use?" [i]So that's your fucking game, is it?[/i] "Speaking of. I've heard that there's quite the little cult of illegal casters of the Green in this part of the city -" Sekani had already tuned the mink out. He met Red-Eye’s gaze, raised an eyebrow, and got a brief shake of the head in turn. Nothing like that, then. Not that he'd thought that the hare or the other members of the Back-Breaker gang would have been going in for that; they weren't the sort. They were hot-rodders, Machine-mages and Lightning-mages, not the kind that reached out to 'nature.' [i]Shakedown, then. Fucker.[/i] The hyena got to his feet. One of the Dobermans flexed their hand, a little sparkle of lightning dancing between his digits. Sekani chuckled. "I'm just getting some air, you jumpy fuck. You wanna charge me for something?" He turned out his pockets, a fly buzzing out of one of 'em. "Try it. I got jack-shit." "Let that one go. He's fouling the air," the mink said. "Hey. Before I head out. What's your name?" "And why should I tell someone that is little more than the grease on the street my name?" the mink said. "Long as you don't mind me calling ya 'shit-for-brains' because you're too up your own ass to give a little common courtesy, guess you don't." "Leave Sergeant Micah's name out of this!" the possum shouted. "Heh. Micah. Thanks." Tucking his pockets back in, he took the long loop through the tables and away from the bar. As he passed Red-Eye, the tables were between him and the other officers, but not between him and the hare. He rolled his fingers in a bit of hand-talk, gesturing silently. [i]Back in a sec. I got this.[/i] The hare said nothing. They trusted each other. Once he was outside, on the pot-holed street with the dead lines of long-lost enchantments no longer glimmering on the road before him, Sekani let loose the growl that he'd been holding in. The sign of the Black Wing, a single black-feathered wing outstretched over a door, did little to invite people in. You had to know where this place was, and as rough and brutal as Aisha was, the woman cared for the people that could meet her. Those that had the self-respect to join in with the banter and hit back were the sort of people that she looked after. And while he wasn't one of the Back-Breakers himself, the hyena had worked with 'em long enough to feel close. They were just trying to survive out here, and at least they cared for some of the rest of the neighborhood. Weren't a charity by any means, but they always put some of their take back toward the people that mattered to 'em. [i]Ain't nothing wrong with the Green, either, but sure makes a convenient accusation in the right place...[/i] The Rainbow Guard hadn't even bothered to hide their vehicles, nor do anything beyond the most basic locking-up. The cruisers, low to the ground with prongs on the front of both of them, looked like slithering snakes, but he knew for a fact that the engines could [i]roar[/i] like nothing else when they were kicked into high gear. They were powerful cars, capable of some serious bullshit with the right drivers. He walked over to the pair of 'em, lifting his thumb to his mouth and jamming it against one of his fangs. The soft heat of the puncture wound faded quickly, rising again as he ground against the digit to keep the blood flowing. [i]Heh, come on out to this, you shit.[/i] With a little grunt of effort, Sekani drew a few little signs on the door. He'd never been able to figure out just what the shit was, but he'd been taught the shapes at his mother's knees. Some of 'em made sense - the jammed line through a circle was as close to a lock as he'd ever seen, and the spiral could have meant 'eternity' as well as some of the other crap it'd done - but some of the symbols were just gibberish to him. Whatever they were [i]supposed[/i] to mean, his mother had never gotten around to explaining. But they worked. That was the important part. Once he'd finished drawing the designs on one car door, he repeated them on the other car. It didn't take long, which was a damn good thing, considering that he ran out of easy blood flow just as he finished the last symbol. The hyena looked down at his thumb, shook his head, and ground it against his thigh as he stood up straight. Nothing to do for now but wait. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for very long. Micah and his thugs dragged Red-Eye out of the building shortly after. The mink was muttering something to the hare and was clearly deep in whatever condescending bullshit that he wanted to say, because he didn't say a word to the hyena until he reached for the back driver's-side door and pulled on it...and it didn't open. "The hell - hey! Who's got the keys?!" "Won't work," Sekani said, crossing his arms over his chest and resting one leg over the other, leaning on the other cruiser. "You can try, though, if you want." "...What did you do, hyena?" Micah asked, the sergeant's voice dropping half an octave. "Heh, just thought I'd keep you around for a bit longer. Hey, Red? Bar-bird make the call?" he asked. Red-Eye nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought. See, you got about ten minutes before all the other Back-Breakers get here, big guy." "You - what?! Do you know what will happen to anyone that assaults one of the Rainbow Guards?" the possum officer asked. "Heh, a lot less that'll happen to you for fucking with someone just because you wanted to feel like the big man in town," Sekani said, looking back at the mink. "And your boss here knows that, I bet. Why you wanted to come by, do a shakedown, and just get the fuck out as fast as possible, right?" "..." "So, here's what I'm gonna do." Sekani nodded toward the other symbol he'd left on the car under him. "I locked both of these down. Ain't no way to open this while I'm still standing. So -" The hum of electricity was his only warning. The same Doberman that had started pulling lightning in the bar brought his hand up and released a bolt straight at him. There was no chance to dodge, no chance to pull away, and it slammed right into his chest. "Nnngh!" He slumped back, groaning at the sudden heat over his left pec, gritting his teeth as he huffed for air. Yet, at the same time, he knew that should have knocked him right off his feet. Hell, it probably shoulda killed him, particularly as other things burned all over his body at the same time. "...How the hell are you still conscious?" the dog whispered. "Heh...That's the thing with cops that don't know what they're doing, eh?" Sekani shook his head, pulling himself upright. "Never know what you're dealing with." "You're using Green-magic?" Micah asked. "Nah. I'm using mine." The leather coat was fucked over his chest. Shaking his head, he pulled his arms from the sleeves and shrugged it over his shoulders. Once it came free, he tossed it away, back onto the sidewalk and well out of the fight. As it came loose, the cops stared at him with bug-eyes. The two green-white lines that had come up the sides of his neck continued in various patterns all over his body. Half the lines were straight and jagged, but between them were spirals, random shapes like the ones that he had put on the cruisers, and each one glowed as the Lightning-magic was channeled through them and away from him. The last bits of its magical energy was discharged through his boots, blowing a hole out the bottom of them. "Fuck, looks like you owe me some new shit." "...What the hell are you?" "Fuck if I know. Me, I guess." "Let us go. Now," Micah said. "Heh, I was just getting to that." Pushing away from the cruiser, he walked around them until he was standing between the mink and the bar. Sideways, profile to the mink. Fucking asshole was a little taller than him, though not by much. Slender, probably had some of his own magic to fuck with people. Probably hadn't been one to use it much, though, not since getting so many bully-boys of his own. "Tell you what. You want to get outta here before Red-Eye's friends get here and help me kick your teeth in? Then you come over here, and you show me that you can take it." "...You want to fight me." "Nah, I want you to try and fight me. That badge? Ain't gonna help you here. Not with me. But you're one of the Guard, and I know they train you fucks to do more than drive fancy cars. So, you got...I'd say nine minutes now. Nine minutes to put me on the ground." "[i]You'll let us go,[/i]" the possum said. "[i]Unlock the -[/i]" Before the tickle of the possum officer's mental fingers could dig any deeper, Sekani grabbed a chunk of loose rubble from the street and hurled it. He popped the smaller man right in the cheek, sending him falling to the ground and cupping a well-scraped face. "I said you and me. You want outta here? You and me. Right now. Last one standing wins." "You asshole," Micah whispered. "Ain't the one going around shaking people down." "They're criminals! The hell are you defending them for?" "Eh, we're all criminals at the end of the day. Ain't that what all those big-brained people keep saying? Everyone steals from someone. I'm just keeping you from getting something that you ain't earned yet. Ain't got the right to take more of this shit from other people." "You're crazy." "And you're down to eight minutes. Keep talking if you're scared; I'm getting what I want either way." Whether in anger or fear, the mink finally snapped out of his daze and lunged forward. Sekani smirked, waiting for the first blow to come, and wasn't disappointed. The mink punched right for his gut, aiming for one of the gaps between the color lines through his fur. It wasn't much - Until it was. He grunted, backing up a pace as the punch sped up at the last second. The sudden speed boost made it hit far harder than it should have, and he stutter-stepped back. Another blow followed, fist to his chin, then to the burn mark on his chest, and - [i]Son of a bitch.[/i] Six punches in rapid succession to his core came to an end with a seventh right at his throat. The hyena tilted his head to the side at the last second, barely avoiding taking it right to his windpipe. The officer blinked. "Lightning speed, huh?" Sekani grunted, shaking his head before spitting to the side. "Heh...you just don't fucking learn, do ya?" "You...you'll go down," the mink said, though his shaky voice spoiled any confidence he might have felt. "I hit you. You felt that." "You think I was using any magic to stop that?" "..." "See, I was gonna play fair. I was gonna fight you...man to man..." He grabbed Micah's wrist before he could pull it back. "Hand to hand..." The mink's other fist came up, and he caught it, the lines on his arm glowing as it sped up to match the officer's Lightning-magic. "But if you want to try and rig it in your favor...well, I ain't just gonna take it." "You think...you think you can beat Lightning-speed?" "I dodged it without magic. Wanna see what I can do with it?" The mink's eyes went wide with terror. Unsurprisingly, his next move was a kick, and Sekani was already ready for it. He coulda just let it land now that the magic was running through the lines again; it woulda been like letting the mink kick a solid steel plate multiple inches thick. The asshole woulda shattered his toes, at the very least, and probably ended up with a fucking broken leg to go with it. But that’d end it too fast. Shunting his attention to his leg, he moved. As fast as the mink's leg came up, his right shifted position, his steel-toed boot cracking into the officer's leg from the side. Not only did the kick go wide, but the bruise it left had Micah hopping on one foot, gasping in pain. "Seven minutes, cheater. Think you can take me down in seven minutes?" "R-Run! RUN!" The Doberman officers looked at each other, while the possum was already trying to stumble away, gasping and shivering. Red-Eye grabbed him, glaring at the smallest officer. No getting away there. And no getting away for the squirming Micah, either. The cop tried to swing his other leg up, and the same focus-shift sped up Sekani's arm to grab it. He swung the cop around, sending him flying back toward his car. The front crumpled inward from the impact, and the mink was left staring up at the night sky, his breath wheezing through his teeth. The dogs stepped forward, only to freeze in place as shadows leaped from the darkness from the back of the alley. Faint daggers appeared, as well as the shimmer of moonlight off guns. Sekani chuckled as he saw the figures emerging from the shadows, shaking his head. "Looks like they weren't as far off as I thought. Let's bring 'em inside and collect some damages, eh?" Sekani said. "Hey, Micah. Hope you don't mind me rooting around for the key to Red-Eye's cuffs..." # The four Rainbow Guards were stripped of everything they had, and their cars likewise. The Back-Breakers gained a lot of loot, ranging from a few weapons to several confiscated enchanted items, and even some potions that the cops were clearly keeping for personal use. Red-Eye's boss, a one-eared rat, took most of them and promised to distribute them out later. The wallets of the Guards, however, went right to Aisha, paying for a round for everyone, as well as going into the pockets of the entire gang that had shown up. Far as Sekani could tell, that meant a couple hundred for everyone involved, but that was still more than they'd had at the start of the night. As for himself? He smirked as he dabbed his finger in the dark paint that Aisha had brought out to him, cautiously tilting his thumb this way and that as his squirming canvas growled and huffed in equal measure. "You good, Sek?" "Heh, oh, I'm [i]very[/i] good, Red," the hyena said as the hare leaned against the back of his booth. "This mink's going to be a fun guy by the time that I'm done with him." "Never get how that shit works. I thought you were a Body-mage." "Eh, all I know is that it's some kind of Body stuff and Enchantment. Old family mysticism and all that, you know." "Heh, that why you keep winning the races? All that shit you call a paintjob full of secret spells?" "Red, I don't cheat. You know that." "I know. I know. Still...thanks." "Hey, no problem," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Wouldn't be as much fun if you were dragged off. Besides, bitch like this deserved what he got. If he didn't get it from me, he'd get it from your boss later." "Yeah, and I'd still be in jail." "Wanna get under the table and suck me off? Or you good with leaving it as a thanks?" "Heh, I'll take it as a thanks," the hare said, nodding. "Enjoy your toy." Nodding at the pat on his shoulder, Sekani leaned back, taking in what he'd already done. Micah was quite a different person now. The various paintings that he had all but tattooed to the other man's fur had done a number on him. Body-magic was damn good at fucking with someone, but combined with the weird enchantment that he could do with symbols and paint, it became something completely different. Wide swirls around the mink's hips had broadened them, widened them, and his ass cheeks were fuller, thicker, and heavier than they had been. His balls, looped around the top where they met his crotch, were plumping up while also denied any release. More and more painted lines and swirls and symbols marked him, ranging from one around his tail that ended in an arrow to keep it raised to several that pulled around his arms and legs to keep him on all fours. He wouldn't be able to get to his feet again until the ink faded or was washed away. He smiled, dabbing his finger in the paint and slowly dragging it along the mink's asshole. Micah whimpered as he drew the outline of a flame around either side of that pucker, watching as it started to raise slightly, becoming more and more puffy from the blood rushing to it. The mink's gasps for air got stronger, too, and his hips started to roll back almost against his will. "What...how..." "Gotta keep those fires hot." "I'm...I'm a...male..." "Doesn't mean shit to the symbols. If I write you're in heat, you're in fucking heat." Micah bit back another whimper, but Sekani could already hear the building moans from the mink. He wouldn't be able to hold back for much longer, not with the spells on him already making him needy as could be. The constant adjustment of the body tended to be rather pleasurable anyway, and the symbols had always seemed to make it better still. He reached down to his pants, undoing his button and pulling down his zipper. A ten-inch erection popped out, and he stroked his paint-stained thumb over the tip. The same green-white lines ran long it, teasing, protecting, enchanting it just as much as the rest of him. Once his finger was nice and slick, he gently pushed it past the paint-rimmed hole before him. Micah gasped, and - "Nnngh...ah...ah...how..." "Heh, this shit only lasts fifteen minutes, but you're going to have a good fucking time." "Nnngh...ah...why...why does it - nnngh - feel so - AH!" A little bit of finger-stimulation was all the mink needed to start squirming, throwing his head this way and that as he was stimulated hard. Each little jab and nudge and grind of his finger over the other man's prostate had him all but howling, bucking his hips back already. It was not much different to what the other gang members were doing to the other cops. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see other Back-Breakers sharing the Doberman cops, and one of them had taken the possum back, probably giving him a lesson in Perception-magic from how dazed the other cop looked now. Then again, that might have been due to the musky cock jammed down his throat, too. He turned back to his own bitch. Grabbing his cock, he tapped it against that hole, rubbing more pre-cum into that swollen rim, and he used his other hand to jam it in. Micah moaned louder, gasping, whimpering, fighting against his bonds to thrust his ass back. [i]Don't wanna go too far, heh,[/i] he thought. [i]Take too much, and someone'll be after me for this.[/i] But a little bit of anal as punishment for a cop that’d been shaking people down for far too long? Well, he figured karma and the balance of life could handle that… [b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b] Summary: Meet Sekani, a chuckling hyena that is stuck in the Dead Zones of Docetri, and who is good friends with a number of gang members. A little slice of life. Tags: M/M, Body Art, Body Writing, Body Painting, Fingering, Hyper Sensitivity, Hyena, Docetri, Sekani, Mink, Hare, Various Species, Crow, Modern Fantasy,