#hyenid

The small data slate the canid held in his hand that he held in the air for all to see was projecting a small picture a few inches above it. It showed a human in full detail, slowly rotating. The entire bar had gone quiet the moment the Galactic Community officer and his retinue had appeared in the doorway. All eyes on them until they had declared their business.

The canid was a zealot, which meant his team would be to. Zealots and norms don't mix. One finds the other either too much, or not enough. The ursidain all but blocked the door meaning even if a fight broke out, there would be no reinforcements from beyond the single room unless the GC team wanted them.

As it turned out, the GC team's business was bounty hunting.

"We have a substantial reward for the whereabouts, or credible information that leads to the whereabouts of the human known as 'Bruno' or any human that has interacted with him."

The hyenid on the opposite side of the bar merely took another long draught of their golden amber as the creature spoke, blinking slowly and unimpressed. It wasn't their problem, and they had no love for the GC nor the canid currently appealing to the patrons' wallets.

"He is wanted for questioning for the destruction of an entire species' development, along with assisting an armed assault and capture of a GC S-a-R vessel. The people on board were not soldiers, they were doctors. Rescue workers." The canid continued, slowly stalking deeper into the dive, seemingly not satisfied that the occupants had seen the hologram, nor heard the story.

In truth, the hyenid hadn't. They'd heard of the infamous 'Bruno', of course, but the version of the story they'd heard was not from a GC mouthpiece and was substantially different. The fiks didn't tell the story often, to the point where most almost outright claimed that 'Bruno', their prophet, didn't even exist.

"He's also wanted for a slew of other crimes including sexual interactions with a non-sentient creature. Conspiracy to distribute peanut bu-"

"Saah! Lies!" Cried a fik from a dark corner, the large creature jumping up onto its table and resting a clawed foot against the back rest of the neighbouring booth. In its hands were a chipped, but still dangerous looking sword and a curved axe, a wicked spike cut into the blade at the bottom. The sword would engage a target before the axe would be swung in a long arc until the spike was behind the target. The fik would then yank their arm back, puncturing any standard issue armour with the sharpened point.

The hyenid grinned as a point in their side twinged in memory. Fiks. Cheeky fuckers the lot of them. They took another slurp of their drink.

"Do you have something to say? Fik?" Demanded the officer, whilst the fik's tail was grabbed and pulled by its brethren who were sat at the same table.

"Saaah... Bruno has not... had interactions with animals!"

"His own admission on his rescue confirmed that he bedded several fiks before they were uplifted." The officer's snout curled back as he narrowed his eyes. "Your kind still aren't part of the GC. You're basically animals still..." Baited the officer.

"No one 'er's seen ya' stupid 'ooman. Fuck off." Called the hyenid over the rim of her drink before the fik could say or do something they'd regret. The canid's head turned their way and he lost interest in the fik now that they were less likely to give him reason to take action.

"The experiment speaks."

"Say's the paw licker."

The officer snarled again and marched up to the corner of the bar, just on the other side of the hyenid. He was mere inches away from where they sat on a stool. Wisely, he kept the bar between himself and them. For all he knew, they had a holdout weapon. Something short and stubby. Something loud. Something that could break a wrist if fired one hand, but preferable to nothing in a fight.

The canid dropped his voice into a low, gravelly rumble.

"No surprise your kind are now slumming it with these things, you fucking experiment." The canid sneered. The hyenid merely sighed into the now mostly empty stein. They hated dregs and wanted another, but the barman had disappeared and would likely remain gone until the threat of a fight was over.

"Tha's fuckin' rich." They belched loudly, directly into the face of the officer before tightening their lips and ensuring every speck of dead space was breathed out into the officer face. "Comin' from ya'. GC ain't welcom' 'er. The only thin' ya' gonna' get 'er is mocked."

The canid held her gaze, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. But he was GC. He had rules. His precious devotion to them had him follow those rules until otherwise. As a sanctioned bounty hunter, he had more freedom than most; but not enough to warranty attacking a bar full of people who hadn't actually touched him.

Crescent Station would throw the GC off of it if they got wind of a GC officer abusing his rights.

It was why the place was so popular with the folk who lived on the very edges of the GC's over extended reach.

The canid licked his chops and huffed before turning away and stalking back out, but not before he threw one last jab over his shoulder.

"Put clothes on you animal."

The hyenid glanced down at their naked torso and pulled a face, more confused than anything else. If they were a uniformed GC agent, fine, clothes come with the job, but they weren't?

Once the officer had disappeared, the hyenid waited before leaning back, away from the bar and addressed the space between their knees.

"Ya' okay?" They asked.

"Yeah thanks! That was intense!"  Said the human that was the spitting image of the wanted hologram. Except he'd gained a tattoo on his neck and a ring pericing on his eyebrow.

"Nah, tha' wan' intense. Tha' were a prick." The hyenid sniffed as the fik clan broke from.the corner and went to see where the officer had gone.

"Do you want your top back?" Asked Bruno.

"Nah, he'll smell ya' before ya' get back to ya' ship. Keep it on n' keep ya' 'ead down." The hyenid explained, shuffling backward so the tiny human could get out.

"Was that the only reason he didn't find me?"

"Yeah, look, ya' mates are callin' ya'. See ya' later."

The human gave a soft smile and a short wave before running the length of the bar and being swept into the long coat of one of the fiks, disappearing from view.

The hyenids had found staunch allies with the fiks, and with the GC breathing down both of their collective necks, anything a hyenid could do to piss them off was a pleasure to do.

[r/WolvensStories]

The young man still remembered the words that made his blood run cold.

“We’ll take ‘im.” Declared the looming shadow that had the comparatively tiny human shrinking away, despite his arms still being latched to the wall of the merchant’s vessel.

But that was an hour ago and his new ‘owner’ had appeared to collect their purchase.

It was a towering hunched creature, with a dark brown mohawk that ran from the top of it’s head, up and over the hunch before disappearing beneath it’s armour. It grinned wickedly with dangerous looking fangs. To Warren’s eyes, it’s body was a sea of scars and overdeveloped muscle. He took a guess that she was female based on the cleavage, but she looked as if she could tear a book in half with ease.

She grabbed ahold of his elbow and roughly led him away, a whimper escaped him.

This thing was massive, easily ten feet tall and all claws, teeth and muscle. At least the merchant had left him alone. What did this thing want?!

The march was brisk and silent as the grave. Warren focused on his feet, keeping his head low and doing everything he could not to burst into tears and beg them to let him go, to not hurt him. To just leave him alone.

The others had horror stories that they told one another when it was quiet and they were supposed to be asleep. Warren didn’t have any to add, he was a ‘new’ acquisition, was what the draconian had said. They’d taken him from a market place. One moment of needing to step away from the crowd and large, scaled hands had grabbed him.

“Boss!” Shouted a new voice, a brief glance upwards and Warren saw a new creature, similar in appearance to his current captor, but different enough to tell them apart.

“Since when we slavers? The crew ain’t ‘appy ‘bout this! Boss, *I* ain’t ‘appy ‘bout this.” Urged the newcomer, obviously pointing a clawed, meaty finger as Warren. He just kept his head down, the less they knew he was there, the less likely something bad would happen to him.

“We ain’t slavers.” The one holding warren retorted, before releasing the smaller human with a small shove forwards that felt like freight train had just tapped him. Warren stumbled forward into the oversized hands of the newest arrival, who just held him in place.

“I’ll get us away, n’ send a signal to the clan, n’ track the tracer I’ve dumped on their ship. Ain’t nobody ‘round ‘ere gonna’ be able to afford the rest of ‘em. We got a good few weeks to raid that asshole…” Explained the large canine-like creature. They weren’t canids, not by a long shot, but that was the only specie that they even remotely resembled.  The one now holding Warren grunted with a nod, satisfied with the leader’s words.

“And get this’un somethin’ t’ eat. Damn thing’s gonna’ turn inside out by the looks of ‘im.” She ordered, jabbing a finger warren’s way.

Without warning or any say in the matter, Warren was bodily lifted and thrown over the shoulder of the newcomer and carried away as the, seemingly, leader of the crew closed up the ramp and marched off before the human lost sight of her.

Shortly afterwards, he was brought into what could have only been a canteen. It was messy, old food stains had long since dried and were flaking off the walls and floor. The whole room was alive with similar looking creatures. Some wore armour, others; jumpsuits, some wore nothing at all. It was only because of this, Warren mentally realised that he may have been off on his guess of genders with these creatures.

They all sported chests that would make any man blush, but when his eyes naturally were drawn down the ‘nude’ creatures, he found that every one also sported significant endowments between their legs too. The whole room’s eyes were on him, the lights over head played with their gaze, some of their pupil turning reflective as they stared at him.

“’Ey! We ain’t slavin’! The boss has gone mad if their thinkin’ we’re gonna’ accept this!” Called one, which got the crowd to murmur and agree, their large heads bobbing in agreement. Warren could only glance around, petrified at the room full of at least thirty or forty dangerous looking creatures. Spikes and piercings adorned them. Some had weapons in their hands, from crude clubs to sharpened blades. They all had the posture of those who weren’t afraid. Neither for themselves nor to get what they wanted.

Raiders? Marauders? Although, based off what he’d heard, Warren couldn’t confidently pin ‘slaver’ to them. The one carrying him shouted back to the room, rather than addressing the one that spoke.

“We ain’t slavers! This un’ was all we could get our hands on.” She jostled the young man roughly as she spoke, punctuating her words. “The clan are comin’ to free the others by the tracker Boss snuck on the slaver’s ship.” She explained as she made her way to the far end of the canteen although Warren couldn’t see where she was going. He lay there, draped over her shoulder, his arms laying against the inch thick fur that was surprising soft, even with the diamond hard muscles that rippled underneath.

“So what that’un?” Shouted another voice on the other side of the room to the original that spoke. The one that carried him grunted.

“Hungry. Is wha’ he is. Get ‘im some food!” She demanded before Warren was once more lifted and brought down, placed on the floor at the feet of all these strange creatures. The one that carried him turned away and began to leave, Warren wanted to sprint after her… him? Them. Instead he remained rooted to the spot until they had left and the whole hall turned in unison at him.

He came very close to pissing himself in fear at the sight of an entire pack of giant bipedal hyenas all staring at him, some licking their chops with lines of spittle dangling down...

== 0 ==

Twenty minutes later, Warren had the fattest, largest steak he had ever seen sat on a large flat piece of metal still sizzling in front of him. It was easily an inch thick and wider than his whole torso. The idea he could eat all of this was a joke, but his growling stomach promised a good attempt.

The crew found it hilarious that he wouldn’t just pick up the meat and eat it, but one rather friendly Hyenid, as he found out what they were called, had taken out a gigantic bowie knife from their belt and sliced it into much smaller chunks. His fingers were greasy with fats, oils, salts and herbs that the chef had cooked it in. It tasted like the best steak Warren had ever eaten. Whether that was from his hunger or their skill, he didn’t care.

“So, you can’t smell?” Asked one, reaching over to touch Warren’s face and nose, only to have the same bowie knife that had cut his steak to appear, blade pointed towards the speaker, right between her fingers. The overprotective Hyenid shoved the knife towards the hand which had the speaker retract their hand, or risk the webbing between their fingers get sliced open.

“He eats first.” The wielder of the knife grumbled before shaking the bench Warren was sat on as she heavily sat down. They scooted forwards until their massive legs were touching his hips and their body was only inches away from his shoulder. He could feel her fur tickling him.

Warren chewed quickly and swallowed.

“I can smell, just not to the same degree as you guys… or many species.” He admitted, each of the creatures, still crowding him, but hanging on his every word.

“He’s tiny.” Whispered one, far too loudly.

“Is he one of the crew?” Asked another.

“What’s ‘is species called again?”

“I’m a hu-.”

“A ‘ooman!” Shouted one near to his back, obviously having heard him the first time, but talking over him now.

The crowd ‘aahed’ . It was weird being the centre of attention, and whilst they obviously had no personal boundaries, what with the overprotective Hyenid leaning forward and very obviously sniffing the young man, they weren’t the worst set of aliens he’d met before.

Being picked up like a sack of potatoes and having no manners was certainly not a deal breaker.

“Ey! Question!” Called another, Warren having long since given up trying to figure out names.

“What?” Called another.

“Where’s he sleepin’ tonight?”

The room went suddenly quiet, only broken by the loud anxious gulp as Warren swallowed a half-chewed chunk of meat and broke into a nervous sweat, now that all eyes were on him again.

[r/WolvensStories]

He had just run up to another human, a female by the looks of it, and halted her advance up the ramp towards a runner transport with a touch on the arm. A quick squint at the signs designated this runner as a shuttle craft for the much larger transport craft that waited relatively close to the Galactic Community station. The human hadn't grabbed her or spun her round, but the brief touch had the even slimmer human spin on her heel and raise her voice, knocking his touch away.

"I can do what I want!" She cried out, snarling at the male.

"I know that! But what about us? I thought we were happy? Where's this come from? We can talk about this." The young man nearly begged, his eyes frantically searching the other's, flicking from left to right. It was evident from the observer's perspective; whatever he was searching for wasn't there.

"'Us'? 'We' aren't anything. All 'we' had was convenience." She dismissed. The young man looked shocked and took a small step back as if physically slapped. He blinked dumbly whilst the young woman crossed her arms and settled onto her back leg, seemingly waiting for the slower human to catch up.

"Con-convenience?" He repeated, as if not understanding the word.

"Yes. You're literally the only other guy in the system, and you were fine when I didn't have options. But I don't have to stay here, I can be someone now!"

"I'd never stop that! You were always 'someone' to me. But, I'm not going stop you from being someone, wherever you like, but what about... about us?! We were dating! And-and now you're leaving without so much as a goodbye? I thought you were kidnapped! This came out of nowhere!" The male replied, gaining steam for a moment, but the female merely pivoted, taking him off the subject.

"Liam, do you know what humans are right now?" She asked in a lower tone.

"Endangered?" He replied honestly and factually.

"No, you idiot! We're famous! Humans can have whatever we want! All we have to do is demand it and every single one of these-these... these aliens! Will give it to us!" The youth nearly shouted, gesturing an arm at the various creatures that were walking too and fro nearby. The distance was not enough to drown out the words and they gained more than a few frowns from the denizens of the station who had all been aware that they were hosting not just one, but two humans.

"But it's dangerous Cass, there's a reason we've all been broken up. What happened to Ned wasn't his fault, but if we disregard what they're telling us, we'll end up the same!"

"Oh fuck Ned and fuck you. I'm smarter than the pair of you and know how to stay out of danger, plus the GC baby proof everything!" She a paused and swept a hand through the hair on the side of her head before continuing in another low, but now hungry tone.

"Now everyone is on a level playing field, I can be bigger than any human that came before! I don't need a marketing team, I just need to go to one of the core worlds, and I'll be the next best thing just because I exist!" The human declared, a righteous grin spreading across her face as she once again fantasised about how her life was about to change. How she was only weeks away from becoming the celebrity she had always deserved to be.

The young man however seemed stuck.

"What about..." He paused, as if realising something. When he continued, his voice was almost so small it was nearly too quiet to hear.

"This'll make you happy?"

"Obviously." She snapped.

The gulp was obvious from a distance as the male swallowed around the lump in his throat.

"Please be safe Cass. For me?"

The young woman rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. She then pointed at his chest.

"You're paranoid Liam. You're going to grow old here, safe as everyone else and when you're old and grey you're going to regret your whole life. You could have everything you ever wanted, but you're too afraid to take a step out the door and take it." She reached down and grabbed her bag. "One day you might grow a spine."

With that, she span on the spot, and stomped into the transport's private booth and the door slid shut behind her. She didn't even glance back or hesitate a moment. The young man however, stood there for the extra few minutes it took for the transport to finish bordering and begin pulling away.

The lone human raised a hand and waved at the retreating vessel before the airlock doors shut it from view.

The observer, who had been quietly stealing EMNs from the unattended stockpile that had been left next to the transport dock, snorted in disgust, and stalked away from the sight, their ill begotten bounty quickly secreted away.

== 0 ==

Liam was despondent from that day onwards.

Whilst his relationship with Cass had been strained at times, they'd been happy... Hadn't they? He'd combed through his memories looking for evidence of where he'd failed, where she'd given him a sign that he'd missed.

As he sat on a chair that rested on his balcony, he'd held his head in his hands as he mulled over their lives.

She'd not appreciated the overprotective nature of the other beings, that was certain. Aside from this, she merely lamented the loss of Earth, frustrated that it was necessary that humanity be split up. She was mostly just bored with the lack of social media to provide her entertainment. The jokes of the various aliens never really landed with neither Liam, nor Cass as both of them experienced the station in a different way so the analogues to social media that were available didn't fit the bill. It didn't scratch her itch.

More than once had Cass gone on a rant about the aliens and how they weren't like humans. Liam was aware that Cass had been trying to get a social media career off the ground ack home as she saw that as a way to live a good life without joining the rat race.

"She must have saw another chance." He mumbled, sighing and scooting back down into the chair. It was odd, having a balcony that led to the inside of a station. There were giant lamps that turned on and off as the day and night went by, but there was never any wind or rain.

Liam missed that sensation.

He'd wanted to go somewhere and feel the wind on his face again, but that was just a dream for now. He'd been told to stay put by the GC, and it didn't feel right to just...

'One day you might grow a spine.'

Her words slammed into him and pointed an accusing finger directly at him. Judging him. Telling him exactly why he'd been left behind by her. Liam pulled a face and a pit in his stomach opened.

What if he tested the length of his lead?

If he appeared at wherever Cass was, would that be enough to prove that he wasn't trapped by the GC? That they could both be free together?

"Oh, fuck what am I doing?" Liam asked no one as the young man stood and walked with purpose to his front door. His body moving while his mind reeled in frantic panic.

== 0 ==

Kelsh opened and closed her hands as they rested on the bar in anticipation, in a sort of 'gimmie' gesture. Her claws unfurling and curling back in as she licked her chops, eyes locked on her goal.

As the large cold beer was placed down on the bar in front of her before being pushed into her grip, she clasped it with both hands and tipped her back, drinking greedily. She'd been waiting for this for roughly three weeks. Ignoring that the bastards had been deliberately stalling her payment for good received, she now was rather flush with credits that these wimpy GC cretins accepted.

It was as she was downing her first pint that her second arrived and a human walked in. It was only because she was facing the door that she noticed the creature slip into the dingey bar and head over to the freelancer board. Kelsh lowered the glass, and placed it down more carefully than normal as she watched the creature browse the board.

That was when she remembered; this was the 'human' that had been left on the landing pad by its mate.

Her eyes widened as she realised that this creature was her meal ticket for the foreseeable future. No one would dare search a vessel with a human on board. The GC were petrified of giving the humans a bad impression of their oh so 'perfect' galaxy.

As she rose from her seat, a sneer sprung to her lips as a vulptanis beat her to the punch and began a conversation with the human. Kelsh picked up the pace and approached the human's back, before looming over the vulptanis. It took a second for either of them to notice her.

"We'll need to take a detour as we have other commitments, but we can provide... provide..." The haughty vulptanis's face dropped as she tilted her head back to observe the imposing hyenid.

"Fuck off." Kelsh ordered and the vulptanis obeyed, scuttling away with their tail between their legs. The human practically jumped, spinning on the spot, and craning his neck even further back up at the towering creature. Kelsh merely put her forearm against the passenger board and leant over the human, who placed his back against the board as she crowded him.

"If ya' gonna' be travellin' the black, ya' gotta' find a cap'in who's not gonna' run off the moment someone tells 'em to 'fuck off'." Kelsh explained down at the human who was looking rather pale at this point. She grinned wickedly, not quite drooling at how fragile he looked. He wasn't saying anything, so Kelsh spoke again.

"Look, ya' lookin' at t' passenger board. So ya' wan'in to travel, yeah?" She prodded, gesturing at himself, then the board. She had an idea where he was wanting to go, but she needed to know for certain. Her belt was mere inches from his chest, but she had left an escape route that went straight to the front door of the mercenary bar.

The human didn't run though, breaking her expectations and instead; nodded. She tilted her head in approval and placed her free hand against her chest.

"Alright, I'm a cap'in of a ship. I can take ya' where ya' goin'." She explained, placing her free hand against her hip, his eyes following it and naturally eyeing the curve of her thigh and stomach. To look her in the eye, those little eyes had to cross the rest of her too and her grin widened as they lingered by accident.

"But ah... " the human cleared his throat. "Y-you don't know where I'm going?"

"A good cap'in knows how t' make profit wherever she goes. Where to?"

"The 'core worlds'?"

Kelsh smirked, she suspected as much, but nodded.

"Theres a few of 'em. Got an idea which?"

"No... I'm looking for someone."

"A'rite. That's what they call a 'rollin' contract'. Ya' stay on board as we go n' my crew provide protection. Ya payin' in credits or material?" She asked. Chances were he only had credits, but his belongings could sell for significant money to the right buyer.

"I haven't agreed to go with you yet." He retorted, a frown briefly crossing his features. Ah! Unexpected, but welcome. He wasn't a complete welp.

"Aye, true. But ol' brushy tail there left ya' with the scary 'Nid. That's ignorin' that she just said she wan't goin' to the core straight away. That'll be vulp space where they're goin'. Outside of GC space. You goin' w' that type? The one that doesn't 'get' what it means to be a 'ooman'?"

Kelsh watched the human's face as he came to realisation that his protection was thanks to him already being somewhat deep within GC space. The further out he went, the less protections he had to going missing. He needed someone reliable, rough enough to protect him and willing to go deeper without delay. His precious mate would be getting further and further away.

"I'm goin' inwards. Toward the cores. Up to ya' though." She explained, curling her fingers on her free hand to 'casually' inspect her claws.

His scent was not lost on the older hyenid either. There was fear, excitement, and a spicy undertone of lust with how close her body was. Kelsh could happily stuff her muzzle into the nap of his neck and inhale until she could breathe in anymore.

But she resisted as the tiny creature eventually came to a decision.

"Do I have time to collect my things?"

"'Course. Bay 4, ship's called the 'Gnarled Gnoll'. Ya' ask for me when ya' get there. They won't bite if ya' tell 'em I sent ya'."

"Whats your name?"

"Kelsh, yours?"

"Liam. Pleasure to meet you ma'am."

Kelsh's laugh was long and loud, her head flinging backwards as hysterics washed over her. Never in her life had she thought to be called 'ma'am' before. This was going to be great!

[r/WolvensStories]