A Werewolf In Under-Town

Even though they were barely a few blocks into Phreak turf, the resistance to them being there was surprising. They'd crushed three large groups of Phreaks across three streets, and they were still getting attacked. The smaller groups would try to hit them and rush off, but most were unsuccessful. They were clearly Phreaks, though. Judging by their hybrid forms and the gang colors they wore.

Shaggy took the swing of a baseball bat on his shoulder and glared down at the half-bird/half-lizard holding the thing. Wrenching the weapon away from the thug, Shaggy back-handed them away and kept walking. Seth's blurred form rushed by and the now-unconscious gangster was stripped of their possessions. The young blonde-headed boy was quickly back to their side as they kept walking eastward.

"This is getting annoying." Shaggy growled over the Pack Link.

"Meh, it's making us money and the young bloods are gaining experience." Rita answered back.

"how are the kids doing?"

"Fine. We lost a couple of people in the big fight early on. But none to these skirmishes so far. You were right, Shaggy. They needed to be blooded. They are gonna make great soldiers now."

"Almost brings a tear to my eye." Shaggy joked. "Cekrass? How about your crew?"

"Rolling strong. No casualties. These weaklings are going to have to try harder."

"Hey! Let them try harder tomorrow. Right now, I just want to make it home."

Ephemera's psychic voice snorted over the Link. "You kicked an ant hill, boss. The Phreaks have stepped up their patrols. They've even got people roof-hopping trying to find you."

"Your people safe?"

"Shit, boss. My people are pros and if they aren't, they're dead too fast for me to care."

"That's a little cruel." Rita said.

"Hey, that's the plight of being a spy, Rita. If we get caught, we are usually alone. It hasn't happened yet tonight, though. My people are keeping their heads down and just reporting what they've seen. And the reports are… interesting."

"How? Are the Phreaks not moving as a cohesive group?" Shaggy guessed.

"Got it in one, boss. Some neighborhoods have clammed up while others have exploded with movement. I even have one report of two Phreak patrols almost coming to blows. This neighborhood is volatile as hell, and even a suspected attack didn't unite them."

"Something to mull over. For now, keep as many of your people in place and then return when it's safe."

"Don't worry, boss. I'm already working on a schedule so I can rotate out my people. With the north somewhat secure now, we can fully focus on the Ninjas and the Phreaks."

Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face as he remembered the Shadow League. The Phreaks were one thing, but a guild of Supers was going to be an even bigger headache. They would need to build defenses and upgrade their armaments. Which meant they needed their Rackets up, fast. He looked around and spotted Seth just ahead, chatting with a still-silver Stanley. The tall, skinny boy was lifting a Phreak with crab arms above his head as he listened to Seth.

Stanley tossed the crab-man away like a rock and he collided with a nearby car. Both the car and the Phreak crumpled and Seth moved to raid the man's pockets. As soon as he was done, Seth returned to his quiet conversation with Stanley. Rin and Vud were slightly on either side of their walking group, keeping their antennae up for any disturbances. Shaggy turned to check their six and only saw the bodies they were leaving in their wake. He frowned.

"Should we be worried that we're leaving a trail straight to our doorstep?"

"I don't see why."

"No."

"They already know it's us, Shaggy."

"How the hell do they know that, Ephe?"

"Word of mouth and you're a fucking werewolf."

"But we haven't exactly left many of them alive. Those that are, are in no condition to speak."

"Boss, some of these Phreaks are spliced with animals. Those animal senses can tell when a predator is in their territory. One of my spies just sent word that a bunny-eared Phreak warned off his patrol before they could run at you. And that wasn't the only report of that type that I've gotten tonight."

"Wait…" Rita said warningly. "Ephe, where are you?"

"The suite at Glasinor's hotel and bar. Why?"

Shaggy snorted as Rita's annoyance over the Link exploded. The matronly werewolf practically went on a tirade over the link about wasting Legion resources. Ephe responded by saying she was on her own dime. But that just started another exchange that Shaggy wanted no part in. Cutting his connection to the Link, Shaggy placed his attention fully on the street ahead.

The patrols were growing less frequent and Shaggy could practically smell their turf. Of course, the scent was tinged with the smell of the dead. But Shaggy did his best to ignore that. It seemed his wife got her horde out of enemy territory without incident. He wondered if the black cloud followed them all the way home and helped hide the horde and mages.

Then a shout came from inside a building just ahead. Shaggy and the others tensed as a group of fifteen Phreaks rushed out of the building. Yelling and carrying various weapons, the group stopped to gauge their reaction, which quickly doomed them. Rin, Vud, and Stanley were already charging as Seth speed to the right to hit the new group from the side. Shaggy joined in, running in a wide arc to hit them on their left side.

The fighting was fierce, but short-lived as the ambush group had few enhanced. Their animalistic limbs and features gave them some advantages. But not enough to withstand Shaggy's group. Seth came up against another speedster, though, and the insect-like humanoid was giving the boy trouble.

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"Should we help?" Stanley asked, as the four of them stood by and watched.

"Not yet," said Shaggy as he tried to watch the super-fast fight happening in front of him. "He can do it."

Rin and Vud exchanged a few clicks of their mandibles that the game didn't translate. But Shaggy felt that they were dubious about Seth's chances. He was fighting a rather large, grey alien that moved with jittery steps. It had a large carapace on its back and Shaggy was sure it held a pair of wings. The insect-like alien flitted about as it poked and prodded at Seth's defenses. The boy was doing well in Shaggy's estimation, though.

He was keeping his hands up and using his speed to deliver fast blows to the alien's side and body. The trouble was, the alien was at least two feet taller than Seth. So the most that the young werewolf could do was hammer the thing's sides, where its insectoid armor seemed to be toughest. Meanwhile, his opponent was speeding around and tanking the smaller speedsters' blows. It was the first instance of a rope-a-dope that Shaggy had seen where the dope was the smaller of the two.

The bug was trying to wear Seth out. They were both moving fast, but Shaggy spotted several points where the bug could've gotten out of the way but didn't. It was intentionally taking hits to its most armored portions. Waiting for Seth to over-extend himself and then it would attack. Shaggy spotted the moment before it came. Seth delivered another powerful hook to the thing's abs, but was slow to return to his center. The bug snapped its mandibles and pounced.

Shaggy tried to intervene but, to his surprise, both Rin and Vud got in his way. With no time for questions, Shaggy just watched as the grey alien bug thing snapped its head down upon Seth. The blonde boy blurred even faster than before and, for a moment, he disappeared completely. There was a loud snap and the grey alien slumped to the street, without a head.

Seth reappeared with the creature's grey head under his arm and his body still spinning. Stanley cheered as Seth looked a little green from the maneuver. The boy slowly stopped spinning as Stanley moved to congratulate him. Shaggy stared up at the red and green ant-aliens. The question was obvious in his eyes.

"Youngest has been practicing." Rin's voice echoed in his mind.

"To 'show-off' to the Patriarch." Vud added.

"Well, it was a unique move." Shaggy conceded. "But it also seems to have left our speedster sick."

Seth was sucking in air through his nose and letting it out through his mouth as Stanley patted his back. The move was probably hell on the kid's equilibrium. Shaggy shook his head at the scene and then ordered the Bug Brothers to start looting. They all quickly filled their pockets with credits and whatever else they could find, and then hurried off.

They had to slow up because of Seth now, but no one complained. They were getting closer to the border between the two gangs. Shaggy didn't expect anymore ambushes, but he had the bugs up front in case he was proven wrong. Stanley stuck by Seth's side as the kid still looked a little sick. It was when they reached the underpass marking the two turfs that they finally ran into someone.

Surprisingly, it was only one person. But they were clearly a Phreak. Dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, Shaggy almost missed the thin wings coming out of the person's back. They were stepping out of the dark of the underpass as Shaggy's group approached. He guessed they were a guy, but with the chitinous plates on their face and the furry wolf-like legs, it was hard for Shaggy to tell. Until they spoke.

"Do you think tonight was a good idea?" The guy's voice was deep and seemed to shake the green insect-like plates on his face.

Shaggy watched the guy's wings flutter and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think hosting a meeting on our turf was a good idea?"

He tried to read the strange Phreak's face, but it remained a stoic mask as he absorbed Shaggy's information. Once he seemed ready to speak again, the Phreak moved toward the southern sidewalk. Shaggy joined him and waved for his people to leave him. None of them were happy about it, but they quickly followed his orders. He joined the Phreak under a flickering lamppost just outside the underpass.

"I don't know about any meeting. But this will surely bring the might of the Phreaks against you."

"If tonight was any sign, then I'm not worried."

The guy's chitinous plates clacked together noisily as he glared at Shaggy. "I noticed. But you should be. Things are happening that you aren't prepared to deal with."

Shaggy raised a hand. "Let me stop you right there. I'm used to being threatened with horrible consequences at this point. But let me tell you, that will not stop me. Your people invaded our turf. We struck back. That can be the end of it or it can't be. But don't tell me what I'm prepared to deal with. Cause you have no idea."

The clacking stopped as the Phreak's glare seemed to harden. "You're the one that dealt with George, aren't you?"

Shaggy just shrugged. Technically, it had been Dave that killed George Alan, but Shaggy had been a part of that fight. The ape-man's resulting death had thrown the Phreaks into the power-struggle that they were still dealing with. He wasn't sure how this new guy would react, but he was sure the guy wasn't mad about George's death. Few Phreaks were.

"And you are?" Shaggy asked, instead of answering.

"Weldon Whitmore. Potential Phreak Lieutenant." Weldon's wings fluttered as he stuck a hand out.

Shaggy gripped the half-chitinous hand and shook it before trying to let go. Weldon squeezed the handshake harder as he glared into Shaggy's eyes. Sighing, Shaggy matched the pressure in his hand, expecting Weldon to cry in pain. But the bug-man was made of sterner stuff. They held their pissing contest for another few seconds before they both let go.

"Yeah, you and a bunch of other Phreaks, the way I hear it."

"Times are changing."

"They do that."

"And I don't want you interfering with what's coming."

Shaggy rubbed his eyes with a hand before meeting Weldon's stare. "Like I said, that wasn't my choice. Y'all step into my turf, and I have to deal with it."

Weldon nodded. "I understand that. I'm just saying that it won't ever be me that 'steps into your turf' and I hope you won't interfere further in what's coming."

"You keep using that phrase. What's coming?"

"Change. The mammals have run the Phreaks into the ground. Instead of focusing on finding all of us a cure, they've focused on selling their drugs. It's made us rich, but some of us don't want to live like this anymore!"

Weldon's tone grew louder as he spoke and soon he was shouting into the dark night. Shaggy cranked an eyebrow up as Weldon coughed and adjusted his jacket. The clacking plates on his face grew louder and Shaggy thought he could see a growing annoyance in the bug-man's face. Nodding at Weldon's words, Shaggy made a hasty decision.

"If something happens, I'll deal with it. But I have no plans to 'interfere' with you."

The clacking of Weldon's face stopped and the bug-man's wings fluttered loudly. He nodded and pulled a datapad from his pocket. "Good. Just avoid these areas and we'll both leave each other alone."

Shaggy nodded as he checked the pad's screen. On it were a few street names and addresses. He didn't know for sure, but he assumed it was Weldon's turf within the Phreak hierarchy. He tried to ask, but Weldon was suddenly flying and backing away. His wings were flapping like mad and the Phreak was disappearing into the night sky.

"Guess we're done talking then." Shaggy griped as he pocketed the datapad.

He would look at it more in-depth at home. The Phreaks were all up to something and if he was a smarter man, he'd probably take better advantage of that. But for now, all he wanted to do was stand back and collect information. The Phreaks were an issue, sure. But the Players were coming and to Shaggy that was scarier.

He turned back to the dark overpass and looked across it to his home turf. Sighing to himself, he did one last check of his Pack before he started jogging through the dark. Stanley and the others had slowed their march home. Probably worried about him. Shaggy chuckled. It had been an interesting night out. Now all he had to do was wait for the next shoe to drop.