Chapter 25

Kyaro wrapped his arms around his son and Mika, squeezing them tightly. He was overjoyed his son was awake and talking, but he also knew he would now have to say his goodbyes. He pulled back and looked at Maka. His son was now a man, barely, but a man indeed. He had waited his entire life in anticipation of being able to perform The Bonding on his son. That opportunity was gone now, but the more important thing was that he was alive. He could live with his regrets as long as his son was safe.

Lennard shuffled his paws and made his way over to the twins. He hoarsely whispered, "I guess this is goodbye for us as well." He didn't want to say it out loud, didn't want to make it real. "You two need to get home before anyone notices you here."

Neko and Niko looked at each other, their eyes wet with sorrow. "This is really happening, isn't it?" Neko asked, his voice catching.

"I can't believe this is goodbye. We're going to miss you guys so much," Niko added.

"I'm so sorry things turned out this way. We were just getting to know Harlow the man, not the boy," Niko said, patting the top of Harlow's head and jiggling his floppy ears.

"And we really like the new and improved Lennard. Having a proper mate looks good on you," Neko said, poking Lennard's stomach.

They all four stepped forward and hugged each other tightly. Lennard could feel Harlow's tears soaking through his shirt, and he squeezed him even tighter.

"We'll talk soon though," Niko said with a wink at Harlow. "Don't say goodbye, just say 'talk to you laters.'"

Harlow made a slight nod, not totally sure to what Niko was referring, but unable to bring himself to talk.

"Be safe, and come back soon," Neko added, as a tear rolled down his cheek.

The twins then turned to Kyaro and bowed. "Thank you, sir," they said in unison. Kyaro nodded his head back to them and smiled politely.

Mika let go of Maka's hand and walked over to her brothers, her eyes were brimming with tears. "What am I going to do without you?" They had been her family for so long. They had raised her, taught her, molded her into the strong woman she was, and she couldn’t fathom a life without them.

The twins embraced her tightly. "You'll be fine," Niko said. "You'll be back before you know it."

"Enjoy the ride, and go visit Aunt Kurina," Added Neko. "She'll take good care of you." Unseen by anyone outside the circle they had created, Neko winked as he said this last bit.

"You are strong and will be leading these boys around in no time," Niko said, wiping a tear off of his cheek.

Mika wept, but nodded along. "I will."

Their embrace ended and Kyaro saluted them as they walked out of the room. The twins quietly passed through the back door and left their friends and sister alone in the clinic. They wished there were more they could do, but knew Lennard would take care of them.

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There were way too many emotions flowing through the room. Harlow and Lennard held back tears, knowing they would have to be the responsible ones. Kyaro reluctantly pulled away from his son and Mika. "You need to go."

Harlow moved up to help Maka to his feet, but Lennard swooped the boy up into his arms. "No time for limping. Harlow, grab the bag and put those healing potions in there."

Harlow did as told, feeling very glad he had restocked the medical bag earlier. He nodded to Kyaro, who stood and tried his best to hold in his tears.

"Goodbye, Kyaro," Lennard said to the mayor. "I hope they go easy on you. And thanks." With that, he turned towards the back door and followed Harlow and Mika.

Harlow ran into the house to grab what money Lennard had. He took a few seconds to glance around, regretting the loss of this house. He had not officially lived there for long, but he had been there for years while working for Lennard. This house felt much more like a home to him than his own had. With a tear escaping his eye, he ran back out to his awaiting companions.

Lennard assumed the gates would be watched tonight. Large events were always more secure. Since the town didn't have any actual guards or police, the members of the Ailuropoda church volunteered to man the gates. Their strict rules forbade drinking and merrymaking anyway, so it worked out well.

With this in mind, they set off towards the main street, where the festivities were going on. As they approached, Lennard set Maka down and they did their best to mingle and look like they were just enjoying the festivities.

Maka's limp and Harlow's large black bag stood out, but luckily the people gathered here were well into their cups and paid no attention to the limping boy and his crew. Especially since they were being led by the town’s physician.

"Lennard, where are we going?" Harlow asked. "We should be heading to the gate."

Mika and Maka just followed Lennard without question, placing their trust in the physician.

"What, you don't remember?" Lennard replied with a crooked smile. "We have a date with Crossman tonight. You're the one who wanted to experiment."

The thought of them going to see Crossman at a time like this seemed utterly ridiculous to Harlow. A deluge of strange thoughts flew through his mind. Was Lennard serious? Could he really be thinking with his hormones right now? He was pretty sure the violet light had made all of them release as he had. What was Lennard planning?

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They worked their way through the throng of people and were halfway across the street when Lennard stopped and ducked down. He motioned for the rest to do the same.

"That can't be right," he muttered barely loud enough for Harlow to hear.

"What is it?" Harlow asked.

Lennard raised his head up a little again to double check what he had seen. Harlow followed his gaze to a platform on the side of the street they were headed for. There he saw two familiar figures surrounded by black and white monks.

The two figures stood looking out across the sea of people, obviously searching for someone. A shiver went through Harlow's spine as he recognized who the people were. Jenba was one of them, which was odd but not unexpected.

The other person with her, however, was a shock. Standing next to her and pointing into the crowd was his father, Brodil. He looked freshly bathed and sober, which was a far cry from the man Harlow knew.

Harlow's heart began to race. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His father was here, and he looked like a completely different person.

"What the hell is HE doing here?" Harlow asked, knowing Lennard wouldn't actually have an answer.

"I don't know," Lennard said, "but he definitely looks different than he did the other day."

Harlow peeked through the dancing Canursids again and looked closer. His father, Brodil Otsoa, stood tall and clear eyed, rotating his head from side to side, scanning the crowd. He wasn't drunk. He actually looked like he hadn't had anything to drink in a while. But maybe the most startling thing was his clothing. He wore a white shirt and a small black hat.

How was it that his father who hadn't been sober in years could stand there amidst thousands of people here who were drinking and not be plowed himself?

The very idea made Harlow's head hurt. "He's sober!" Harlow whispered in response to Lennard's question. "But How?"

"Yes he is," Lennard answered. "As for how?" He just shrugged his wide shoulders.

The Ailuropoda were a somewhat secretive organization in many ways, known for their rituals, sacred texts, and practices. Lennard had heard many years ago that they held the secret to allowing someone to overcome their addictions. He hadn't really believed it then, but now as he saw Brodil standing there, sober as if he hadn't had a drink in weeks, he questioned that belief.

"This complicates things," Lennard said to the group. "We need to get across the street and down the first alleyway to the north."

Lennard had known that Jenba would alert the church. He had assumed that they would have to get out of town fast. He didn't think they would go to this length to try and find them.

What they had done was obviously not sanctioned by the church. With Jenba screaming about Lennard being a pervert and then building a harem, he assumed the response would be greater and faster than normal, but this was more than he could have ever imagined.

Lennard scanned the crowd for any sign of the sect members, and to his horror, he saw them everywhere. There were roving bands of black and white monks scattered throughout the square, and he quickly counted over forty of them. He couldn't believe it. This town usually didn't even have half that many full-time sect members. Where had all these extra men come from? And why were they here?

Lennard's pulse quickened. He had been worried before, but now he knew they were in serious trouble. If they were caught, there would be no way they could fight their way out. They needed to find a way to escape, and fast.

"Stick close, and keep your heads down," Lennard ordered.

They slowly began moving forward, trying their best not to attract attention, but luck was not on their side and only a few yards into the crowd, a drunk man bumped into Maka, toppling the still injured boy over.

"Oh, sorry man," the drunk Canursid said.

"No problem, he's just had a little too much to drink tonight," Harlow quickly replied, pulling Maka up before anyone else could intervene.

"I hear that!" the drunk man said, lifting his glass to the air. "Woohoo!" He raised his arms above his head and cheered, but the movement was too quick for his inebriated state. He lost his balance and toppled backward, landing on a slow-dancing couple.

The couple was startled by the sudden intrusion and had no time to react. They were knocked to the ground in a heap of fur and sticky ale. The drunk man lay on top of them, laughing and hiccupping.

Lennard looked back and could see the fallen people had left an open spot in the audience. He also saw that he wasn't the only one who had noticed the break in the crowd, as he looked up to see Jenba pointing directly at them with a wicked smile cutting across her face.

"Time to move, guys," Lennard said in a raised voice. He grabbed Harlow's arm and began dragging the three of them behind him. In their headlong rush, people quickly moved out of the way or were bowled over by Lennard's enormous bulk and rapid momentum.

They pushed their way through the stunned partygoers as fast as they could. The people parting behind them created a visible wake. Their opportunity for using stealth was over. Their only hope now was to be faster than the members of the black and white squads making their way through the crowd.

Lennard knew he needed to do something to distract the sect members. He just needed to figure out what. He continued his beeline for the alley, pushing people out of the way and bulldozing a path. Then he spotted a familiar face and smiled.

Merrily bobbing in front of his establishment, The Dapper Dragon, was a raccoon-ish looking man bouncing on his inflated furry sack. It was Crossman, and Lennard felt extremely lucky to have found him where he was.

Lennard slowed his pace as much as he could and began squeezing and dodging rather than barging and pushing people over until he stood before his chubby little friend. He was panting and out of breath, so he waved to get Crossman's full attention.

"Lennard! Here for our date so soon? The night is young!" Crossman howled.

"Crossman," Lennard said in a ragged voice. "The black and whites are chasing us. We need to get out and could use a diversion. Purple and green!"

Crossman's entire attitude changed in an instant as Lennard had used the code words for an escape. He instantly inflated his sack to look above the heads of the crowd. He clearly saw the mobs heading their way. This both confirmed Lennard's words and gave him a time frame to work with. He deflated, shrank to almost his original size, and spoke quickly.

"Go to the back entrance. Tell Harla, "Have any fruitcakes?" and she'll know what to do."

The small man then deflated completely, touching his feet on the ground before his sack engulfed him and he began to grow. Within seconds, a copy of Lennard stood before them. The copy saluted the original, then took off along the walkway, throwing people as it bounded along in the opposite direction.

It was always strange to see Crossman take his shape, or make a copy of him from his sack. However, Lennard had to admit it was an incredibly useful ability.

Without waiting to see if the black and whites would take the bait, Lennard pulled his group down the alley and behind Crossman's shop. A discreet-looking door became visible as they rounded the corner. It looked like the same door most places had on the back of their shops to receive inventory and remove trash.

Lennard quickly came up to the door and knocked three times, paused for a second, then knocked twice more. The door opened slowly and a woman peeked out.

"Lennard!" she said loudly when she noticed who all was at the door.

Without pausing for introductions or greeting the woman, who obviously knew him and seemed about to speak again, Lennard said, "Do you have any fruitcakes?"

The woman froze for a moment, her mouth open in surprise. Her eyes widened and she stuck her head out the door, looking down each side of the building and scanning the area. Then she opened the door wide and shooed the four of them inside.

As soon as they were all in, the woman shut the door and began locking it. There were three separate locks on the door: a simple one with a key, like every door; a large chain that hooked onto the knob of the door and extended to the side, where it was bolted to the wall; and lastly, a thick wooden post that was attached to the frame on the closing side of the door and was moved downward on a swivel to slide into a hook on the opening side of the door, effectively barring the door from being bashed in.

Once she had finished locking the door, she moved the still panting newcomers into an adjoining hallway and closed the door leading to the rear exit.

In a room at the end of the hall they stood in were several ladies and a man sitting and chatting on luxurious looking couches. They watched the newcomers as they entered. One of them asked, "What's going on, Harla?"

Harla waved downward and said, “Fruitcake.” The people in the room went silent and began looking around, as if someone were going to come crashing in through the windows.

“It’s going to be a tight fit with all four of you, so get as comfortable as possible. It’s going to be at least a day before we can move you,” Harla said as she spread the clothes hanging on a rack along the side of the short hall. Behind the clothes was what appeared to be a wall, but Harla reached up to the ceiling of the closet and the group heard a click. The wall opened up slightly, leaving a gap which Harla slid her fingers into and slid the entire wall to the right.

Harlow was the most impressed by this. He had never seen anything like it before. The others seemed less impressed and more impatient. As he watched the wall slide open, he could barely make out stairs heading down which Harla motioned them to take.

Lennard went first, and brought Maka with him. He carried the boy down the stairs backward. Mika followed them next and Harlow brought up the rear. Before he could descend completely, Harla stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

“There are provisions in the cabinet, as well as bedding. I’m not sure when we’ll be able to get you out, but Mr. Crossman will most likely come to check on you tomorrow. Good luck,” she said.

With that, she let go of Harlow’s arm and he descended the stairs. The light was dim, barely enough to see by. Before he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard the wall slide back into place and latch tight with a now familiar click.