A Werewolf In Under-Town

"That was still stupid."

Shaggy grunted around a mouthful of food as he rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. Each of his pack members had taken turns explaining to him why they thought he made a poor decision. Even Vick and Cekrass, who seemed to understand his choice, vented a bit about him letting John live. Rita, Ephemara and Sybil were, once again, the most vocal about their displeasure. Even as the pack found a late-night corner store.

The place wasn't that big, but it had some prepackaged food and a microwave. Initially, just Shaggy and Levy entered the store. Intent on buying some food and leaving. But the alien behind the counter was charging wildly exorbitant prices. And they wouldn't budge on the prices. No matter how much Shaggy argued. So now most of his Pack were ransacking the place as Shaggy had another cold sandwich and a soda. It wasn't the best meal, but Stanley had punched the microwave into pieces. Rin and Vud were outside watching the store as the rest were inside breaking stuff.

Shaggy swallowed his mouthful of bread, cheese, and ham and glared at Rita. She had been by far the most vocal. Even after Shaggy explained how he felt, having John and his Pack nearby was a good thing. The spiky hamster could deal with the threats coming their direction from the east. The Were-porcupine's turf was sandwiched between downtown Austin and Shaggy's territory. Sure, there was a chance that the little menace wrapped around to the south. But that was fine. So long as it wasn't their turf.

"Rita, let it go already. What's done is done. That pack of misfits can have downtown and the south. We need to look to the west. The Phreaks are still out that way and the south is a crap-shoot. To the north we have the Were-Lion Wayne told us about. Mr. Murphy, I think it was. So if we leave the packs alone, we just need to focus on the west and southern borders."

"That is IF the other Packs leave us alone, Shaggy! John already proved his ambition by challenging you to an Alpha Contest…"

"Challenge."

"Whatever. Either way, who is to say this Murphy guy won't try to do the same thing?"

Shaggy took a sip of his soda as a loud crashing sound came from the store behind him. "Murphy and Krumb were likely aware of our presence for a while, Rita. And neither of them tried anything. It was only after John beat Krumb that his little pack of misfits tried to push toward us."

"Little shit probably got an inflated head." Levy added helpfully.

"Exactly! But now that he knows I can handle him. He won't try shit again… not for a while, at least."

"You don't know that! He could be planning something right now!" Rita argued.

"Then you can manage our eastern border and keep an eye out for him! You've got the authority! Gather a few extra thugs and set up a schedule."

Shaggy brushed Rita away with his hand as the maternal werewolf growled at him. Just beyond her was Ephemara, watching the conversation like a hawk. He could feel her agreement with Rita and he had to focus not to roll his eyes.

"And you can get some spies into their territory, Ephe. But I want the same number of spies sent in all directions. Eventually, we will need to expand. Right now, it feels like we are going to have to fight for every scrap of ground we can get. Especially if we head west. Try to find out who's running things to the south."

Ephemara rolled her eyes at him for a change as a green fireball sailed behind her head. The soul-scorching ball of fire smacked into the wall and left a big black mark where it hit, its flames dying out swiftly. The noise in the store was dying down now as the others of his pack finished breaking everything within reach.

The store owner was crouched behind his counter, looking devastated. The slimy alien male had tried to call the police as soon as Stanley and Cekrass had charged in. Cekrass ripped the phone out of the guy's hand and smacked him with it until it broke. Surprisingly, the alien was made of some stern stuff because he survived multiple hits before he hid behind his counter. The others wanted to rip the alien in half, but Shaggy had them focus on the store itself.

Now that the store was well and truly wrecked, Shaggy wiped his mouth off with a napkin and turned back to the front of the store. Bags of chips, candy, and drinks were scattered along the floor in front of him, and he offered his arm to Levy as they walked to the front of the store. Shaggy gave the wet-looking purple alien behind the counter a withering look and then turned to leave the store.

"You will all pay for this!" said the store's owner in his warbly, watery voice.

Shaggy sighed as he spun on his heel. He approached the counter and placed both of his hands on it slowly. Making eye contact, Shaggy kept himself in control as his pack filed out of the store.

"Listen, I wanted to spend money here, and you fleeced me. Now, as the new owners of this neighborhood, how would it look if we allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of? Huh? It wouldn't look good. Especially because I would have to come back here and burn your entire store to the ground. This way, you still have your store."

"M-my prices are fair! A-a-and you ruined me for it!" The alien shouted, even as he continued to crouch behind his counter.

"Pfft!" Shaggy snorted in derision. "Please. You mean to tell me that if we go into your back room and I look at your books, I'll see that you buy prepackaged sandwiches from companies for one-hundred twenty-five credits a bag!? That's enough money for a crate of the damn things and you know it. Hell, even your signage says the things are twenty-five credits apiece. But the second I walk in here, you try to fuck me. Now this is the consequences of that."

"You've ruined me!"

"Bullshit!" Shaggy growled. He felt Levy placing a hand on his shoulder. Trying to calm his anger. "You still have your store and the money you made today. Now, you can either move your store out of our neighborhood or attempt to rebuild. But if you stay on our turf, there are certain realities you'll have to come to terms with. My people roam these streets. They protect our business interest and punish our rivals. So I wouldn't try this shit again. It might not work out so well for you next time."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Shaggy linked arms with his wife and attempted to leave again. But the store owner's quavering voice stabbed into Shaggy's ear again.

"Your outfit won't last a damn month! Why shouldn't I drain you bastards of every credit you've got?"

Shaggy sighed and went to turn around and deal with the alien. But Levy was slightly quicker. With a whispered word and a flash of purple, the store owner screamed in pain. Shaggy was sure he heard the man's heart stop as Levy's spell hit him and he looked up at his wife. Levy was scowling at the now dead owner before she met his gaze with a smile.

"Sorry, love. But if you had done it, the store would be an even bigger mess. Not to mention the blood stains. This way we can save the store and move our own people in. This is a nice little place, and the location isn't bad."

Shaggy grunted and gave a bob of his head. She wasn't wrong. The little place needed to be expanded and maybe redecorated. But it was nice all the same. With a sigh, he escorted Levy out of the store and back into the night air. Cekrass and Stanley were watching them eagerly as Vick rolled a cigarette. Shaggy felt a presence brush by him and turned in time to see Tom heading to the back of the store. He instinctively knew that his pack mate was going for the owner's office. He gave the man a mental thank you and then turned back down the street. His Legion was going to need some of the papers and credits from the store to get themselves set up in it.

"Wasn't Ryall from the southern area?" Levy asked suddenly.

Shaggy shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he was just a mercenary hired by the HLO. He's not a non-issue, but I don't think we have to worry about him yet."

"There's also the chance he got out of dodge as soon as the ass-kicking was done." Vick said.

"Wishful thinking." Sybil added. "That bastard is another problem our fearless leader let slip away. Seriously, boss, you have a bad habit of letting dangerous foes live."

"I've killed plenty." Shaggy disagreed. "Besides, Hob was pissed because he lost one of his mates. I get it. That had to be heart wrenching. But he took his shot, and he failed. Now he can either run off and do his own thing or come back for more. If he comes back, though, there won't be any mercy this time."

"What about John? That little shit just wanted what was ours. He didn't have any previous beef with us," Rita growled.

"Rita, I've told you I wasn't going to kill the man in front of his pack like that. You saw them. If I had done it, they would've each rushed me. Then you would've rushed them. Next thing you know, an entire pack is wiped out."

"So what?! They showed up on our turf acting heavy and trying to take shit that wasn't theirs."

"And John got trounced for his arrogance." Shaggy said with finality.

He could feel that Rita wanted to continue arguing. But she bit her tongue as Ephemara and Sybil held her back. Soon Shaggy sent most of his pack away to patrol the area. It was getting later into the night and he wanted to spend time walking around with Levy. They could handle any new incursions from other gangs. If not, he and Levy would rush around.

The night was quiet as Shaggy and Levy broke away from the pack. They wandered to the southern border and started west. The pair meandered through the streets, sharing a comfortable silence for a time until Levy had enough.

"So what was the real reason you let John live?" She asked finally.

Shaggy smirked to himself and tapped a finger on his forehead. He knew what she was doing. Chances were good that if he explained himself, his pack would pick up on his thoughts. He'd gotten decent at blocking them. But anything that reached the forefront of his mind was usually up for their viewing. Levy glared at him as she hugged his arm. She made it clear he wasn't getting away with a non-answer.

Shaggy sighed. "It was the looks on his pack's faces. They were devastated, sure. But they could've survived the blow of losing their leader."

Levy nodded along as Shaggy collected his thoughts before continuing. "Each one of them was… prey. In some shape or another. I recognized it as soon as we met them. But I didn't clock what it meant until I saw the looks on their faces."

"What look?" Levy prompted.

"Sad acceptance. It was like they were so used to being beaten down or taken advantage of that losing their Alpha was just another shitty thing that might as well happen."

Shaggy grunted as memories tried to assert themselves again. This game was poking at his soft spots far too much. Clearing his throat, he continued.

"What do you think it's like for Therianthropes that come from prey animals? I can tell you with certainty that my wolf wanted to devour the lot of them. They weren't people to it. Just food. Large food. I think that's why they all formed a pack together."

"So were they each different animals?"

"I think so. Though my wolf wasn't interested in cataloging them."

"How about now? What can you remember?"

Shaggy closed his eyes and fell into thought. They stopped at the corner of the sidewalk and Levy let him search his memories.

"I think the tall man was a Were-giraffe of some kind. But the others were more mundane animals. Sheep, rabbits, deer, and things like that."

"Really?! A Were… Giraffe?"

"That's what it feels like. But as I said, my wolf isn't interested in sectioning different prey into categories. It just wants to eat them or feed them to the pups."

Levy nodded before gently pulling him to cross the street. "I see. So you didn't like your wolf wanting to kill them?"

"There was no point. They were beaten… even before they bum rushed our turf."

"Yeah. But your wolf trying to force you to do something upset you, didn't it?"

Shaggy thought back to the fight and the way his wolf almost tried to assert itself. It wasn't anything too overt. But the beast was always there, barking orders. For lack of a better term. Shaggy felt a shiver go down his spine as he thought about how the wolf had taken control down in Under-Town. It was brief, and Shaggy had quickly regained control. But for a short time, the wolf was fully in control again.

Sharing a look with Levy, Shaggy nodded. "Yeah. It didn't try to do anything. But it made its wants known. Very clearly. It was persistent and belligerent. In fact, it almost reminded me of…"

Shaggy trailed off as his brain caught up with the words he was about to speak. Levy chuckled softly as she placed a firm kiss on his cheek and squeezed his arm.

"Like your old anger?"

Shaggy had time to brace himself as memories flooded his mind. For the first time, he began to think the game was forcing some part of his mind to drag them back up. Years of stupid choices and ignored consequences rolled before his mind's eye. He put a tight heavy lid on the memories and shoved them back into a corner before anything showed on his face. But by the look in Levy's eyes, she knew.

She had been the one to drag him out of that quagmire of idiocy. The one bright star in a massive black sea of his own making. More than anything else, her warmth and refusal to take his crap hauled him from that pit. More than his father's discipline or his sister's pleading and tears.

Shaggy shook himself like a dog, before smiling up at Levy. "Damn. You sure this isn't a therapy game? I haven't been this introspective in years."

Levy kissed him on the lips. Hard. An acknowledgment that he was shifting the conversation away from something he didn't want to talk about yet. Telling him she was fine with that. When she pulled back, she ran a hand through his hair and smirked.

"Naw. This shit was too expensive. Between the game and the pods. Therapy would've been much cheaper."

Shaggy couldn't argue with that. The two walked quietly through the rest of the night. In the back of his mind, Shaggy felt his pack. He was sure they had gotten most of his feelings about the Were-Prey pack. Whether or not they understood them was another thing altogether. But that could be handled in the morning. For now, Shaggy leaned into his wife's side and sighed as they continued to patrol their territory.