Never Letting Go Pt. 8

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Chapter 8: Preparations

The waiting room was quiet, not a whisper escaped it's walls. There wasn't a single soul there aside from a lone female, white cat, waiting patiently. It was an eerie silence. The cat sniffled, wiping away a single tear from her fuzzy face.

"Terra!" A voice called from behind her, startling her a bit.

Terra turned around in a flash to see her mate, Keith Mutz, w/ Dr. Harken standing beside him, "Keith!" She blurted out, running into his massive arms, "Is... Is Jaymz alright?!"

Keith returned the embrace, hugging his love, "He's alright, he's okay." A small tear escaped Keith's eye, "He has a few minor burns, but they managed to escape before the explosion at the island!"

Terra sniffled, "Sorry, I... I don't mean to be such a baby, it's just that he means a lot to me."

Keith agreed, "It's okay, I understand. I've been crying myself for a little bit. That was one helluva blast!"

"What... What happened to Angelica?" Terra gulped.

Keith sulked, shaking his head. The doctor decided to chime in.

"She's suffered severe trauma to her left breast, she's in ICU as we speak. She'll need surgery... She's more then likely to loose her nipple, or her entire breast." Dr. Harken proclaimed.

"I... never really cared for her, but that seems so... sad." Terra sniffed.

"She tried so hard to make things right between her and Jaymz." Keith pointed out, "For this to happen... It's..."

"They're still alive, Keith." Terra assured, "I'm... I'm sure Victor Slavic can help her in some way about it, I mean, look at you! He managed to give you a new set of testicles!"

"Which he STILL needs to be in bed, getting his rest, by the way." Dr. Harken scolded Keith for being out of his room.

"Yeah..." Keith sputtered, Who could've done something like this to them?!"

"Not sure..." Another voice called from down the hallway, "But what I AM sure about is that something's about to go down..."

"SEAN!" Keith exclaimed, "You're here, too?!"

"On visit. I heard what had happened, and I rushed down as soon as I could... Keith... I was attacked by three assassins around the same time this happened to Jaymz and his mom." Sean announced.

"Wait, what?" Keith questioned, "What do you mean?"

Sean continued his story, "I'm saying that these two things aren't isolated incidences. Jaymz and Angelica's attacks are related to mine, or at least, that's what I think."

"You seem to be okay, Sean. Not a scratch on you!" Terra declared.

"I'm fine, but the assassins they sent out for me... They weren't ordinary killers. I had a hard time keeping up w/ their movements. I couldn't even get to my sword, 'Vanguard', in time, but I managed to take care of them."

"THAT'S a relief." Keith quoted, "So what exactly are you saying, Sean?"

"Sargin." Sean exclaimed.

"Sargin?" Keith scratched his head, "King Frai's former kingdom? What about it?"

"Those assassin's I fought has matching tattoos under their garbs. Its was the evil king's insignia. The techniques they used were founded in Sargin during Frai's rule, I'm sure of it. Something tells me what I want to find is in Sargin." Sean explained.

"You think Frai's... alive, somehow?" Keith gulped.

"Not a chance. King Frai is dead." Sean concluded, "But something's brewing in Sargin, no doubt about it."

"But Sean, I seriously doubt Sargin would send anyone after you. All of King Frai's council and generals are either dead or imprisoned for crimes against furries AND humans alike. Sargin has turned into a democracy since King Frai's reign, it's changed, YOU made sure of that! They're thriving on morals, now. They've no reason to pursue it's champion!" Keith interjected.

"There's too many variables, Keith. Sargin's cooking something up. I'm heading there in the morning. I have to protect Jaymz!" Sean snarled, "We've fought so hard... I'VE foght so hard so furries like him could live in peace! I won't have everything we've fought for go to waste if something IS happening there!"

"Sean." Keith addressed, "I... If you're serious about this... Then I'm going w/ you."

"Honey, no! You're not even supposed to be out of bed! YOU just had surgery, yourself! You could be hurt!" Terra warned her man.

"I'll be fine. I'll be w/ Sean, and he's practically the toughest guy on the whole planet." Keith mentioned, holding onto his mate, "I'll be fine, Terra."

"Keith, no." Sean butted in, "I'm not putting you in danger like that. You're not coming w/ me. You have to stay here and protect your family."

"I DO intend to protect my family... EVERY member, and that includes YOU, Sean." Keith vowed, "You yourself said that those assassins almost got to you... How many attacks are you able to take like that, Sean? I know you stood before King Frai's armies at Bulger during the war, but even Sean Baxton needs help sometimes."

"Keith, I said no! I'm going..." Sean began, but was interrupted by a voice from behind them.

"I'm going, too."

Sean spun around, "Natashia?"

A burnt, beaten and wounded Natashia Mutz stood before the group. Most of her clothing had been singed off due to the fires at the former slave camp. Wounds protruded from her skin. The smell of charred fur was overwhelming, "I said I'm going, too."

"You're my..." Keith stared at Natashia, trying to form words.

"D... Dad?" Natashia stammered, looking back at her father for the first time in her life.

Sean snarled at the thought, "You 'Mutz' are so stubborn! What if something happens to you?! I... I can't explain that to Jaymz!"

"And what if something happens to YOU, Sean? You want to put that burden on US?" Keith inquired the hero.

A dead silence overtook the group for a moment or two. A cold chill crept up Sean's spine as he fought against his better judgment. He'd tried so hard to assure a future for Jaymz and his family, was it now out of the question to get help from the ones he's saved time and time again?

Sean broke the silence, "You won't let me go alone, will you?"

"Not a chance." Keith acknowledged, staring Sean down.

Sean dove his finger into Keith's chest, pounding it into him, "If you're coming w/ me, be careful! I... I don't want to have to explain what happened to you if something were to go wrong to Terra OR Jaymz, got it? DON'T make me regret this!"

"Sean, there's not even a guarantee we'll find anything, but okay. I'm no rookie, remember? I WAS once a part of the strongest furry team once upon a time." Keith looked over to his mate after talking w/ Sean, "Terra... I'm sorry, kitten."

Terra sighed, "I... I understand. You do what you have to. Please... come home safely."

"If anything were to happen, protect Jaymz. I know you're more then equipped to handle anything if the need arises." Keith declared, looking into his love's eyes.