Writing Project #13 - Moonlight Reunion
Another foray into a small world which has lingered in the back of my consciousness. Expect more to come flowing sometime soon.



The moon shone down on the streets as the fox walked along, head down as he regarded his shoes. There was something in the air, something which made Franklin on edge, and it chafed at his senses. He stopped at a sensed presence in time to see a tiger slide out of the shadows of a doorway and unerringly head for him.

"It's been a while." The deep, rich voice rumbled as the feline stopped and stood there. "Do you remember me, Frank?"

"John!" A sigh of relief, but the fox still tensed. Memories of fire and fear flowed back to him. "You're an unexpected sight. How've you been?" He started walking again, and the tiger fell into step alongside. "It's been what, two years?"

"Something like that. I'm just in town for a couple weeks, though." The tiger stopped at the crosswalk and murmured softly. "You never told me you were working for Damon."

"Don't."

A brief silence, and there was a vague hope the subject would be dropped. But with John, there was no such luck. "Did he know?"

"Come on!" Franklin flicked his ears and glanced up at the impassive gaze of the feline. "I get work where I can, and they appreciate my talents."

"All your talents?" The fox glanced away, and a chuckle. "So they don't know. Do they make use of another talent of yours? The killing?" Franklin was silent some more, closing his eyes tightly. The feline nudged his elbow and walked across the street slowly, voice shifting to a pensive tone. "Well that talent we at least have in common."

"John, I don't do that. I'm just a glorified coffee boy. Executive assistant isn't all it's cracked up to be." Franklin tried to put all he could into the words, swallowing nervously. "I get paid well enough, maybe I can leave some to my kids when I have them."

"You can't have kids, Franklin. None of us can and you know it. That's even if the laws eventually get changed." The tiger looked away now, a bitter note in his voice. "Technically we don't even have family . . . only purchasers. Clients of the people who control the technology."

They were quiet for a while, after that, both following their own thoughts as Franklin hoped the tiger would get to the reason he had been waiting for the fox. He didn't wait too much longer, as John stopped and let out a slow breath. "I know you don't just run coffee, or contracts, or whatever. I know what sort of work you really do." He lifted his fingers and pointed a single claw at the fox as he tensed. "And if I was going to stop you, or rat you out, I'd have done it already. What I want to know is simple."

The tiger looked up at the sky for a bit, and then down at the fox. "First, I need to know two things. You're not going to tell your employer about this." The fox shrugged and nodded. "I know you'll tell him anyway if it turns out I'm going to screw up the nice little operation he has hidden here, but that's not my intent. Secondly, have you heard from Kyle or Roland lately?"

The fox's tail bushed slightly at the names, then he shook his head. "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. The favor I need to ask of you is simple, though." He dipped a hand into a pocket and removed an index card with a name typed on it, a few more remarks penciled in after. "I'm in town looking for someone. I'm going to find him, it's only a matter of time. But your help would mean less time I have to spend chasing leads, and it would mean less disruption going on."

"Sure." He looked at the name, and his ears pinned back. "Oh, yes, I know about him. I'll help you find him, it shouldn't be hard." He pocketed the piece of stiff paper and coughed. "Look, would you like to go get something to eat? I know a good diner around here . . ."

"And we could chat over what happened since we broke apart? Since we parted ways? I don't think so. The less you know about it, the better; I figure the same is true for you, Frank." The tiger sighed and turned away. "I hope we do get a chance to talk but . . . not until this is all over."

"Until what's over? What are you after?" The fox raised his voice slightly, John a dozen feet away now. "Look, how's your sister? The Gnat? Is she all right?" The tiger paused and turned his head, his eye piercing and full of a barely suppressed fury. "Oh no . . . no, please. She is all right isn't she?"

"You'd know more about how she is than me. I haven't seen her since we all parted ways either, Franklin." The tiger's voice was silk over steel, soft spoken but there was a definite threat underneath it. Franklin felt another part of him responding, rising to the surface. The tiger must have seen it because there was an aura of menace around the steady gaze. "Go home. And for God's sake, don't get in my way. Even you don't get another warning."

Franklin stood and watched him go, then he looked at the card in his pocket, swallowing. The name on the card had been familiar, and he knew it. John hadn't meant to get any information out of the fox; this was the first warning to avoid this whole matter. To avoid what was going to happen.

Fire, and death . . . John was at the center of it again, and Franklin would rather be damned than stand idly by again. The fox closed his eyes, and opened his cellphone. He dialed without really thinking about it, and spoke quietly. "This is Franklin, authorization code nine two four. I need to talk to Mister Carlyle, immediately. I believe someone is going to threaten his life."

He waited a beat, and added. "I have an addition. Tell Mister Carlyle we have a Beta involved."