“The Wickedness of Some People Even. Alas…..Xin_Ktsune and ,Kikuko Senzuken are picked up by slave traders on an outworld planet. Of course who else but the intrepid duo..feline shifters, whatcat and Zatsit are on the case.”

 

 

**"heh.. knew these would come in handy.. too bad we got skunked down in the Borderlands on the deal..who knew it was going to start raining just at the most inconvenient moment." Whatties smirked as she peeked into the pouch that still held several king's ransoms worth of fake diamonds.

Zatsit smirked back at her.. the effect somewhat spoiled by his appearance, torn ears, a hideous scar where one of his turquoise eyes should be, and an active case of mange denuding his left side. "Don't think it rains much here, whatties, never saw a place like this in all my lives.. what a horror show.. you sure the kitsune and Kiku are here?"

"yep..positive... not sure if Nims or even Ryuujin and Gemstorm know their daughter has been taken by these slavers.. notice the  collars all the slaves wear?..Overheard some demons laughing about how the collars blunt the abilities of the slaves, assuming they have any powers beyond the physical."

"Yeah, saw that.. so we going to meet this Khek fellow tonight and try to get a lead on where Xin and Kiku are being held?"

Whatties nodded.. "Not much to work with there but it's all we got right now,Think he will give up something useful when he sees a couple of these little glitterers in front of him.  I kind of hope there is some underground movement here.. futile and slim hope.. this place is really locked down.. the collars keep the slaves from any thought of revolt against the overlords but we need to get as much information as possible from whatever sources we can bribe or if necessary strong arm into telling us about the place."

"What if he gets suspicious about our asking?"

"Heh.. what do you think? Zats.." She gave him a long dark look but did not expand on her question.

"Think we can get them out whatties? Zatsit squinted out of his one good eye at his disreputable companion. Her slumming appearance of a slit eyed demon cat from the lowest circles of some hell was rather terrifying even knowing it was only a disguise.

"If we can't, we go back and get some help...Zats..the kitsune will surely die of the noxiousness of this place and the lack of clean light if we don't .. stars only know what they are doing to Kiku.." She looked soberly at her friend..then startled a bit.. "Cheese it Zats.. here comes another file of slaves on the way to the mines...guards are looking around too.."

The two shifters faded back into  the garbage strewn noisome alley. A large mishapen shadow fell across the entrance.. then moved on.**

**"Are you sure about this?" whatcat looked at her naked tail with consumate disgust.

"Yep" Zatsit wriggled his rat snout whiskers in amusement. Whatties had been extremely resistant to shifting into a rat form..he had to remind her several times to bag the blue plumy tail, it just didn't go with the look.

"Okay,since Khek never showed we gots to do something, and rats are everywhere, no one will pay any attention to us I guess..<sighed with aggrieved dignity> Come on then Zats, lets get moving, there is a hole back here that ought to take us into the walls of the buildings.. they all seem to be interconnected in this place." She scampered over the broken masonry of the ruined structure and oozed through the opening, yanking her disgusting tail through with a disgusted twitch.

Zatsit followed her.. his eyes adjusting quickly to the gloom.. "This way I think ..." he hissed after a moment of intense scrutiny with his snout questing in the dank air.

"Bleh, coming...wait.. look.. a duct ..got wires..lets chew them a bit.. it's the ratly way.. you know. also.. whatever is going on .. if they use wiring .. they are vulnerable to outages..<snickers>

Several hours later the two shifters had worked their meandering way into the heart of the complex of buildings. Poking her head through a wide crack in the wall, whatcat saw a familiar shape in the large metal floored room below. "Zats..look.. that is Kieron...looks like they are going to do something awful too..bet he went dormant on them.. they think he is just a pretty recreational ship or something.. well.. that means one thing for sure.. Kikuko is definitely here.. Kieron would not leave her, must have followed the slavers after they grabbed her somewhere and got trapped too. Let's get closer.. maybe we can do something....going to need a ride out of here anyway..." Whatcat squeezed herself the rest of the way out of the crack and leaped down onto a small ledge.. working her way to the floor.. standing up on her haunches she peered around but saw no sign of any movement, dropping to her four paws again she blurred across the open space and slid breathlessly underneath the shelter of Kieron's wing.  A moment later she was rudely shoved another few feet on her snout as Zatsit slid helter skelter into her backside. "Ack!"

"Sorry, thought I heard something.... Now what.. Kieron is gone dark and cold.. no sense from him at all.. think they already got to his 'brain'? " Zatsit scurried around looking for anything that might show the ship had been slaved somehow.. finding a long thick cable that led to a strange looking machine.. he squeaked to whatcat. "Found something.. looks like he is plugged into something here..check the other end for alarms.."

Whatcat nodded..ran up the cable ..sniffed around .. could sense the current through her whiskers.. leaped to the floor and scanned to see if the machine was hot keyed to any alarms..a red sensor light blinked intermittently "Dang.. Zats..think there is an alarm.. keep a look out.. I need to shift my paws to hands.. think I can recode it without setting it off"

Whatcat delicately removed a small metal cover and fiddled with the inner wiring.. the sensor hesitated. then continued it's blinking.."Got it..okay..let's get inside and see if  Kieron can talk to us." She scurried back to Zatsit and they ran up the ramp and scooted inside the main cabin. Whatcat shifted again into her semi humanoid form and sat down at the console..putting on the headset.. she ran her fingers in a rapid tattoo across the keyboard. A small light switched on and she nodded to Zats.."He is still alive.. and okay..says they have Kiku in this building too.. and he thinks that the kitsune has been sent to some kind of coliseum thing.. gladiators..says this entire galaxy is under their control.. weird stuff.. science and technology mixed in too..well we can see that..they are trying to create something by mixing genetic material from different species..bleh..hmnn.. alright..well.. our job is to get our people out of here..Kieron says he has the drift of how they get the collars on people.. can beat it now that we have him free of the slave device.. will remain here until he gets the signal from us that we are ready to blow this popsicle stand..heh.. he says he means that literally.."

Whatcat took off the headset..her blue eyes glowing with purpose.."Okay..let's go get Kiku.. then we can find the kitsune.."

Zatsit nodded..waited for whatcat to shift back to ratform, then scuttled after her. They slunk across the open floor, whatcat's tail slapped something metallic.. she turned to look at it and her eyes popped.. a key..whatever it went to.. had to come in handy sooner or later..she made a small adjustment in her form..and popped the key into it. Then blurred across the floor and up the wall..disappearing back into the crack.**

**Kikuko tried to shift a little.. ease the pressure on her shoulders and back, it increased the red veil of pain that had been her new best friend since she had been snagged by these villains on the small planetoid with all of the interesting life forms. Moaning a little as the hot burning feeling amped up along her nerves, she kept her eyes closed and tried to find the one place in her mind that she had retreated to, when the 'procedures' had become more than she could bear. They had left her a bit ago ..running out the door when an alarm had sounded and the lighting had flickered.. almost going out, then coming back on but dimmer, a yellow-brown sickly glow. She had tried again to wriggle out of the restraints but had passed out from the intensification of her pain. Not a mark on her body on the outside but she felt like a completely burned out building on the inside.. Not completely burned out she thought bitterly, still plenty of undamaged nerves to work with.. think my littlest toe on my left foot still feels normal.

A chinking sound filtered through the haze of her awareness.. then the clash of a metal grate falling to the floor. It came from behind her, so she despaired of having a look at whatever was about to hurt her now before it got to her. A solid thump on her shoulder made her bite her lip hard enough to make it bleed to keep from crying out. A cold wet something was poked into her neck and she could feel something breathing on her. Turning her head slightly and squinting through her tear ravaged, swollen eyes, she saw the most dreaded, from her worst nightmares, creature. A rat!  Whimpering, she tried to pull away from it. The collar she wore gave her a severe shock.. reminding her as she nearly passed out again, of it's inimical presence. She heard the rat growling low in its throat with unparalleled savagery. She weakly hoped it got her jugular on the first bite. an end at least to all that she had endured in the past few days.

"Kikuko Senzuken, don't you dare pass out on me! Whatcat..hissed into her ear.. trying very hard to control the rage she had felt on seeing Kikuko so bound and obviously badly tortured. Her aura was faint.. with many streaks in it of nearly unendurable pain.

Kikuko rallied slightly, sure she had already passed into some last dream of hope but it sounded very like whatcat's voice,..croakingly  whispered through her parched and much abused throat.. "whatties?..

"Yes.. and Zatsit too.. we get you out .. Kiku. no worries.. Zats.. do something about that door.. jam the lock mechanism or something..don't want them swarming back in here.. think.. <snickers> something is going right.. told yas chewing on the wiring was a good idea.."

Whatcat.. shifted into her humanoid form and quickly unfastened the metallic strapping that held Kikuko in a strained upright position, her feet only barely touching the floor. She helped Kiku to a chair.. and found some clean water in a pitcher.. pouring it into a small cup and handing it to Kikuko.

"There.. drink slowly. . need to see about getting that collar off you .. looks a little more complicated than the ones we saw on the mine slaves. Whatcat ..narrowed her eyes and examined the collar, without touching it. Kiku had flinched back when she had tried to hook a claw under the edge of it. 

Zatsit came over, shifted into his humanoid form.. giving Kikuko a warm smile and nodding to whatcat's query about the door. Looking at the collar himself he suddenly quirked his brow.."Whatties.. look.. little hole there on the back.. bet its the lock .. see if that key you picked up by Kieron will fit."

Kikuko held her breath, afraid of another massive inner jolt from the collar as whatcat applied the key to the back of it. Instead the collar opened and fell to her lap.. at the same time she felt a surge of incredible energy and well being come back into her body..every nerve end relaxed and became normal with the stimulus of the collar removed.

The all started and looked around as once again the lights flickered .. going even dimmer...

"Time to hustle children.."whatcat's eyes glowed like acytylene torches in the dimmed room. "Kiku.. you good to go?..We are busting out of this armpit of the cosmos.. Kieron is waiting.. and oh yeah.. got to find the kitsune.. bet some of the recent excitement around here is directly linked to him"

Kikuko stood up. strength returning by the second.. looking over on a table she chirped happily.. "Oh yeah. my sidearm.. oh. how that irked me.. so close and yet so far.. but got it now.." She snatched her side arm off the table.. jacked it and set the cycle to full power. "Okay .. I'm ready. Something flew through the air toward her and she snagged it out of midair. The key.. okay.. could be useful  if the kitsune was still collared. Her eyes bugged when she saw her two companions shift in to their large feline forms. A pair of 800 pound tigers would not be bad back up she thought with a crooked grin. She shot the door lock out and the three of them slipped out into the corridor. Now to find the kitsune.. **

He slept in his cell with an irritated expression. A guard resembling an Orge shoved him with the bunt end of a spear a few times, snapping at him in some language he didn't understand. His fox ear twitched as he opened his left eyelid. "..Give it a rest already, I'm awake ..!" He snapped .. swatting away the spear. A man beside him whispered. "Shhh! Just do what they say, it must be your turn to fight in the colliseum."

Xin let himself be drawn up with the stranger and forcefully jerked into a walk. Down the ugly hall of the dungeon he walked .. the corridor sounding with clanks from his bare feet and ones from hsi armor clad 'partner.' He looked to the man with a mustache who whispered. "Let my gods protect us!" He rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest. Do we get any weapons..?" Mustache looked back and hissed a sharp. "No!"

That was when the light shined blindingly against him. He smirked until he remembered the collar .. to which he itched at with a sharp claw. "Stupid collar.." The crowd went into a screeching uproar. Chanting "Kill him, kill him, kill him! Kill the traitor!" He looked with a quick snap of his head towards his partner and snapped out. "T' heck is wrong with these morons?" The man quietly retorts. "Aren't you in cahoots with the interstellar threat, Deyko?"

Xin carefully shrugged .. "Yeah .. and..?" He dodged some kind of sloshing drink substance flung in his general direction. "Hey!" Xin snapped at the general direction in the multitude of audience. Mustache muttered. "Yup, that'd do it." A man stepped forward at a microphone .. calling out .. "Ladies and gentlemen .. do you want to see some blood ..?" The cried roared in excitement, stomping feet, banging fist and claps cued the savage nature associated with these 'games.'

"Now ... prepare for excitement .. as our two hapless victims are crushed to pieces by none other than .. Lars, the mutated Crocodile!" Xin felt his eyes narrow in unsure registering .. "Mutated ..?" Mustache finished with a look of pure weary .. knees buckling in horror .. "Crocodile ..?" A cage door was slowly opened with a rusty whine .. and the sandy ground began to quake with more notice now. The beast in question stepped out with a slow moving advance, body swaying side to side in a predatory fashion.

It was almost four times larger than its normal state, with sickly green fluid trickling down and smaller living paralysis tendrils flailing around at maddening paces. Its body was lined up with razor sharp spikes along its back and tail.  Its jaw opened slightly revealing more of the jagged teeth.Xin figured the next part was only possible to imagine that the scientist somehow craftily worked it into its DNA. The tongue of this beast dripped what could only been noted as some acidic substance dripping out of the sides of its maw.

Xin held a hand to his forehead. He muttered. "Take the portal to the left, Senzuken said. It'll take you there faster, he said. Tch .. " He ignored his unlucky situation now .. his abilities frozen due to the collar ... he'd have to be resourceful .. he glanced to his side and Mustache was already running. He shook his head and slowly looked forward, unsure whether to call his 'partner' wise or a cowardly. Maybe a little of both. "Heh .. all right then have at it, puss covered mutant."

Xin leapt back his bare feet skidding up sand in a dividing passage. His eyebrows remained furrowed above determined eyes. Narrowed while staring at the glowing and baleful eyes of Lars. The scabby tiny eyes of the mutation of alligator, crocodile, and too much more echoed vividly disgusting images in the kitsune's mind. 

Another wide mouthed jaw shot sent the distracted Xin rolling. He narrowly avoided the splashing acid which sizzled near him. Yet the tail managed to snag him with a audible 'thwack.' His figure soared to the other side of the stadium, back hitting the tall unmerciful wall of stone. He plummeted with a crumpled and heavy thud below.

"Nn.." He shook his head a few times, to try to clear his vision. When he did the horrific sight of the rapidly closing in beast ready for 'dinner' dawned upon him. He was distracted from the intensifying quake of its advance for but a moment. With a snap of his eyes, he re-aligned his mind into working out of dizzy state. He dodged with a smooth leap, but one of the wiry tentacles managed to swat his leg forcing him to drop like a sack, colliding with the sandy floor.

He promptly began to roll sideways ignoring the numb leg for the better sake of life itself. Looking around anxiously for assistance, Mustache was trying to squeeze himself into the furthest end of the giant oval and worm about in fear. The audience were on their feet now, dazed somewhere between chanting and screeching their hearts out with their current favorite line. "Kill him, kill him, kill him!"

Xin hissed beneath his breath while snatching an intake of air at the same time after a huff. "I plan to!" He rose on one leg, the other unable to give him much effort, he merely let it sway in a pendulum fashion while skipping back on his good leg. Someone in the crowd cried out "Take this, warrior!" Head looking in the high direction of the toss, a black beam sword holster landed in front fo him with a light splatter of the sand.

He broke into a run towards it with vigorous one leg bounces, but suddenly jerked on his leg just as the gator closed in on him performing a beautiful arch into the air. When he landed back first from the high flip he slid forward thrusting his working foot out to boot Lars on the underside of his maw. Anxiously gripping and igniting the weapon .. he timed removing his leg and rolling backwards to avoid the sudden flow of acid that was soon spilling in his previous spot. He swirled the newly acquired weapon in a deflective fashion with a swift cycle to the side of the mouth to make the beast step back wearily.

Lars attempted to close in one last time, and Xin used the invitation to leap up and vault the weapon to its head with a shoving and to somersault over its head at the same instant The dreadful beast wailed one last time, hostile vibrating exiting before it was soon drifting into an eternal slumber. All went silent with the final heavy thud of Lars ... the holster sticking from the top of its scaly head as Xin lay knelt down, panting.

The audience screamed in outrage and sudden indignation. "Destroy him, destroy him, destroy him!" He managed to quip out between breaths .. "Tch .. 'least they found a new chant to whine.." That was when the guards broke in with their guns trained on the target. Xin used that moment to jerk out his beam sword with a desperate yank. Suddenly they opened fire attempting to tag Xin who broke into another run. He moved between acrobatic awkward gestures to avoid the sudden onslaught.

An array of bullets, missiles, and laser shots began sailing towards him literally erupting into the field yet unfortunately creating a small smoke screen. He took a piece of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it eagerly around the button that needed pressing to keep the beam ignited.

Taking a limping jog forward, he spun once to build momentum and tossed the sword like a spear. He turned his head to see if his aim was on, and almost said aloud "success" as one of the guns sailed towards him. He snagged it out of the air and opened fire the second he did. The kitsune instantly took out the momentary guards with well aimed laser shots, smoke rising from them as they dropped like flies. He looked over his shoulder, snapping. "Hey, Mustache! Snap out of it! Pick up a gun, we're breaking out." To which Mustache whimpered, and yelped out while displaying his dance of fear.  "No no no! You get caught, we get caught, escapee always do!"

With a glare of vexation he merely thanked himself that he wasn't chained to his 'partner', and took off into the gate. Racing down the long corridor, he turned and slid into one of the offices foot slamming the door close. He headed for the controls pushing buttons while staring at a large monitor. He needed to shut down the video cameras and the various alarm systems. He kept one fox ear ready and waiting though, just incase more guards arrived. His breathing was shallow due to the lack of light except when he'd gone outside just now for the fight, but he ignored it .. this was his one shot to get out of here .. but with this collar still on ... right now that seemed rather impossible ..

"Heh." He announced .. perfect. The lights had dimmed .. most of the electricity was off, and the power sources were down. The alarms were also off .. as well as the video cameras all had a tiny dancing silver fox on the screen.Good thing he learned how to hack, the mischief ol' fox.

Audible clanks announced his backing away, and soon he turned into a dash. It was time to escape. He took off thinking of stealing himself a ship and sneaking off. Yet ... he sighed, and decided to do 'the right thing' .. With a low sneer he turned .. heading for the cells. He made his way to the stairs and paused for a moment .. guards ..

He waited .. but that didn't last for long. The guards were nearly clobbered by two tigers, and an eyebrow arched in shock. Then he noticed Kikuko rushing out, blasting the last one into next week as he went skidding along his back. He smirked .. but not for long, for an army of footsteps were surrounding. He turned and stepped out .. his confident voice bellowing out. "Hey, what are you just standing around for? Let's free those prisoners and bust out of this dump!"

**Emptying her clip into the ceiling, she was pleased to see a group of guards upleasantly surprised by the sudden drop of a section of masonry on their heads.  The two shifters were belly down, tails twitching as they stalked another pair, whatties rearing up with a coughing growl and with one powerful swipe of her talons totally decapitating the fear paralysed man. Zatsit knocked his mark on his back and dealt with him  efficently. A spray of sparks came snapping up off the creature. Zatsit hissed in surprise as his nose pad was stung.  He swung his great head over and bared his fangs in a feline grin.. "Robots and androids too ..oh my.. what fun whatties!"

Suddenly the floor under their feet rocked violently. The two shifters extended their talons gouging into the surface of the corridor, to keep their balance. "Kieron?" whatcat inquired mildly.

Kikuko snagged a rifle off the floor and flipped the strap around her forearm.. she had slapped another power cell into her sidearm and with a shout to whatties and Zatsit, sprinted down the corridor toward a set off double doors..bursting into the next hallway.. she skidded to a halt .."XIN! ALRIGHT!" she exclaimed triumphantly. The kitsune was holding his own under heavy attack from the guards.. the wide corridor was alight with the tracers of photon fire.. she heard him shout something that sounded good to her, like leaving, over the cacophony of shouts and the groans of the structure which was beginning to tremble alarmingly under her feet.

Whatcat snarled cheerfully to the kitsune..and bounded over to start ripping off the cell doors.. the prisoners surged out..adding to the melee of confusion.  Kikuko worked her way over to Xin.. seeing the collar still on his neck.."w00t Xin.. got a key here...hold still a hot second and I can get that thing off yas" she hosed a clot of advancing guards with her purloined rifle then quickly unlocked the collar around the kitsune's neck.

"Kieron is probably setting charges and blowing his way out.. Xin..we better get out of here before the whole place comes down on our heads.. he can pick us up once we get out in the open...um... where is the "open"? Her attention was distracted by a person approaching them, she leveled her rifle then lifted the barrel as the person put his hands up in a sign of no ill intent.  The fellow looked pretty badly done in but a  light of defiance gleamed in his odd eyes.. he pointed to the collar around his own neck.. Kiku  nodded.. tossed him the key..shrugged and smiled.. "good luck pal.. we are out of here.. " she said as she turned back to see what Xin had in mind. The two shifters joined them with smug looks on their huge tiger snouts. **

 

He was ... free ... ? His shoulders began to vibrate from the low chuckle that emerged out of him. His hand opened and closed on reflex .. talon claw fingertips slowly raising in front of his face.  "....."  Suddenly a booming voice rang through the heads of the scientist hurrying about in the control room to fix the little 'light' and 'camera' situation, and the dancing kitsune on their screen. * ~ "You ... foolish doctors! You dare lock me up?!" ~ *

Half of the scientist almost fainted in awe of the deep and fear striking voice which roared in their minds and echoed through their ears. An image flashed before their eyes of a long silver haired man, with shining golden eyes and razor sharp fangs. In a sudden enchantment the scientist became locked inside a hallucination and their many different nightmares or just notorious and horrific looking creatures came to 'lif'e.' In a gigantic world .. their essences were stripped into a sort of astral plane where they roamed in this false reality outside of space.

The illusion of a giant hundred foot tall phantom fox made a majority of the workers scream and break into a mad dash for safety as it licked its chops in a carnivorous fashion. Those who did not do so now themself broke into a run in desperation. If anyone would notice, Xin's actual body at the moment was a incredibly solid, his eyes were a frightening shade of crimson that glowed in the dimly lit hall.

One of the guards fired a missile from a lone tower .. sending it sailing towards the gigantic phantom fox .. it went clear through it and the man yelled. "Don't be afraid, it's just some kind of hologram of some sort!" Xin laughed as a mystical fire flew from the phantom fox's widening mouth. The tower was instantly set flame to, and of course ... proving the assumption incorrect in one sweltering blow. Debris sprayed out and rained on the scientific slave operation.

The phantom fox continued to grow larger as unnatural calamities fell upon the land. More of the mythical fire bombed down planes of enemies trying to pull a last minute retreat, and the illusion fox breathed it onto continents of the devious slavery bent mongrels. There was also an out break of unknown diseases spreading rapidly across a few other continents resulting in convulsions, sores, and the spread of popular yet deadly plagues. Toxins filled the waters from cracks in the ocean floor while pure acid rained from the couds, leaving many screaming for mercy yet too far to be heard.

Swirling tornados swept up hundreds of screaming men, beast, and even the servant robots flinging them about in his fiery and passionate rage. Off on other sections of the now chaotic planet was a rumble sounded deep beneath the surface of the water .. and a giant tsunami was soon seen advancing out of the ocean to cast a darkening shadow over the majority of land and a momentary dusk .. and buried them in a flood of water and that which dwelt therein.

Shaken out of his hate before the destruction grew too out of hand .. the phantom fox returned to his essence, and the calamities slowly began to cease. Xin fell down .. holding his head in his hand for a moment .. what just happened .. ? For a brief second .. the power of his heritage was full throttle .. no longer a half kitsune in appearance .. but able to clutch onto its full power .. which altered his normally golden eyes to its vicious hot red state.

Realizing they needed to leave .. he leapt up .. swinging his claws and slashing the ceiling to pieces sending it soaring in opposite directions. He climbed out of holding cell he was just in .. having no clue it was truly an evil intent from something done to him in the past which brought out the chaos .. he figured it might've just been an ironic change which allowed him to tap into his true kitsune strength. Yet .. almost just as abruptly .. he was back to normal. 

He knew the others could easily make it out of the hole .. but it wasn't until he left, that he saw the destruction for himself in a normal state .. he looked on in awe .. and wondered how far he'd gone .. for he was sure that not every who was working for them was evil .. and even more sure that not all of the slaves had escaped .. he gazed on silently even as Kieron waited and shifted them on deck .. with Whatties, Zatsit, and of course Kikuko.

Postscript:

** "mmmm.. good idea Zats.. this is the best place yet.." Whatcat stretched luxuriously then rolled onto her back to let the hot sun warm her tummy.

"Told yas, whatties. We deserve a break after all of that mess.. did you..um.. notice how the kitsune powered up after Kiku got the collar off him?"

"heh..little hard to miss...Zats...didn't feel quite right though.. something there.. can't put my claw on it.. have to wait and see I guess. Meanwhile.. look at all the lovely gold coins we have.."<snickers>

Zatsit cracked a lazy lidded eye and looked dubiously at whatcat.."You sure that was a good idea? He might get a clue when he sees his pouch full of fox kibble biscuits. Might be just a little testy about it too. Zatsit shook his head .. whatties was going to be the death of him yet..one way or another, maybe he should have just gone with Eureka like he was supposed to have.

"eh..cross that bridge when we get to it.. meanwhile.. where do you want to go from here?" whatcat switched her tail as numerous delightful destinations percolated through her ever busy mind.

"As far away from irate nine- tailed celestial  foxes as is possible" Zatsit murmured sotto voce.

Whatcat's whiskers bristled upward in a sly feline smirk. "Heard that Zats"**