“AAAAAAAA!”

  Whiskey and Vivi continue to fall into the black abyss with no ground in sight. It was as if they were fated to fall into the earth's core. There's an iron ladder and rocky walls rounded in a cylindrical manner.

  Whiskey’s heavier stature made him fall at a faster rate than Vivi. He redirects his body to align right below her. His limbs stretch out, reducing his falling momentum by a significant amount. Vivi took this opportunity to latch onto his back. Her arms wrap around his neck while her legs wrap around his body. With his girlfriend secured, Whiskey turns his attention to reaching the ladder. His hands grip onto the sides of the ladder.

  “AAAARRRRGGGH!”

  Whiskey immediately regretted doing so. A great burning sensation enveloped his hands as they grind against the iron bars for many steps. The whiplash from grabbing it also contorted his arms; his bones became disjointed. The pain of it all tempts him to let go.

  “Whiskey, no! I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

  Vivi cried her heart out. There was no way Whiskey could give up after hearing that. His perseverance forced him to hold on for dear life. Soon after, the falling momentum reduced again, allowing his feet to join the ladder grind. Seconds later, the falling momentum stops, but their safety is not ensured yet. Steam came out of the burns on his hands. And his strained thighs developed into a cramp, churning his muscles inside out. The only thing he could do was hug the ladder to prevent more free-falling.

  “Ohhh…” Whiskey groaned.

  “Whiskey! Are you okay?!”

  “No… please… don’t scream right next to my ear… I can feel it ringing.”

  “Sorry… thanks for saving me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

  Vivi ruffles her face against the back of Whiskey’s hair; he can still hear her muffled apologies. His mane is starting to feel wet; it's tears from Vivi. Her obscured vision allowed him to fix the strain on his limbs. Tendrils swim inside his body to kink out any nerve damage and joint cracks he suffered. However, he can't heal his hands without Vivi noticing; he’ll have to endure the burns for now.

  “Ssshhh, it’s going to be okay, Vivi. We’ll be fine.”

  Vivi uproots her face from his hair. Her face is still sniffling from crying so much. She grooms the back side of his ear through licks. He knew it was supposed to be a kind gesture, but...

  “Uuuuu…”

  He couldn't help but let out soft moans.

  “Hehe, you like that, huh?”

  “Mmmfff I-wha?”

  Before he got lost in a lustful stupor, his eyes saw the brown rocks turn red for a split second. He reaches out to touch the wall but fails to do so. The wall was only a few inches in front of them and yet it felt like it was running away from him. He reaches out again. This time his eyesight grew dizzy as the wall somehow shuffled away from getting touched. The dizziness was powerful enough to loosen his grip and almost fall off the ladder.

  “Aaaahhhh, Whiskey!”

  Vivi’s scream snapped him out of his affliction. Tendrils sprout from his shoes to wrap tight on the ladder, allowing him to regain his balance. They both breathe heavily as they regain their composure.

  “Are you okay? Do you want me to get off?”

  “I’m okay… I’m okay. Question: how deep down did we fall?”

  “Not sure to be honest with you.”

  “The place where I’m from, where I live is the Towers of Black and White. You left Man Hat Tan in a hurry so I couldn’t show you, but they’re massive skyscrapers. Stack those towers on top of each other and they’re almost 1200 meters tall. Yet we fell much further than that as if we were in limbo. Why do you think that?”

  “I-I’m not quite following your train of thought, Whiskey. Although I’d say the odd thing that sticks out to me is the lack of a sewer system down here. Where does all the waste go? Wait, is this an illu-”

  ”Please unzip my pants!“

  “…”

  Vivi was stunned.

  “What the hell?! You want a reach-around at a time like this?!”

  “W-well you got me going ever since you licked the back of my ear and now I want more.”

  “That was a thank you, you weirdo!”

  Whiskey can see the wall in front of him is sweating. His vision shakes violently at this revelation, forcing him to close his eyes. He’ll pass out at this rate.

  “Please, Vivi! It has to be you!”

  “Ugh, fine! You owe me one!”

  Vivi climbs down by gripping Whiskey's tuxedo. The ladder is too difficult for her to maintain her core strength. To her surprise, holding onto his clothes was easy. The smooth velvet threads wouldn’t tear no matter how awkward her grips were. The movements she displayed climbing down were like a sloth: slow and precise. She unzips his pants upon reaching his waist. Her hand felt a flaccid cock of four inches come out.

  “Tsk! I thought you wanted more?“

  “I am! Use your feet!”

  “Wha?! I’m wearing shoes right now! They’re too expensive to discard!”

  “Please!”

  “Grrr…!”

  Vivi uses one of her shoe’s toes to pry off the other shoe’s heel. As the shoe dropped into the abyss, she heard a faint clack. Then, the sound of running water came for a brief moment. Vivi’s ears pricked at this revelation. Her bare foot pried off the remaining shoe. The klack and running water noise came in again as well as the stench of sewers.

  “Hurk!”

  The suddenness of the smell made Vivi gag. She does her best to ignore the stench and wraps her legs around Whiskey’s waist. One of her feet rests below his cock while the other massages on top. The feet’s warmth causes his manhood to erect another two inches. In particular, the beans of her top foot paw rubbing against the shaft felt strange. He felt a rough scar, but it was such a good feeling that he ultimately didn’t mind it.

  “Uuuu…” Whiskey moaned.

  He can see the wall in front of him sweating more profusely. Rocks crumble off the wall, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes peering from the other side. The eyes freak out and add more rocks in front of it to hide again. Vivi begins using her top foot to stroke Whiskey’s manhood. The motion was very awkward due to the ladder steps obstructing optimal movement. Whiskey moved his lower body back to give her the space to work, but not so far back that he lost his core strength.

  “Aaahhh… ahhhh… ahhhh… uuuuuufff…” Whiskey moaned.

  His manhood grew another two inches. Vivi wanted to make a smug face, but having to stroke ten inches took a toll on her concentration and effort. Sweat dripped from her brow as his shaken body began to lose stability. She braced herself to prevent falling off.

  “Hey, quit moving so much! I’m going to fall off at this rate!”

  “Sorry. Can you keep going?”

  “Of course~”

  Vivi uses her bottom foot to move with the top foot’s stroking. They couldn’t reach the tip, but it was more than enough to rev up Whiskey’s sex drive to the max. His moans turn fierce with heavy breathing.

  “Ah…! I’m… I’m cumming!”

  “Yuck, enough! I can’t take it anymore! You’re both disgusting freaks!” An unfamiliar female voice said.

  The entire environment surrounding Vivi and Whiskey shatters. What seemed like an abyss warped into a spacious hideout. Only the brown rocks remained consistent from before. The ladder Whiskey held onto became a large iron cage bolted from the ceiling down to the floor. Whiskey approximated that he and Vivi were likely fourteen feet up in the air. At the bottom of the cage is a massive blower pointing upwards that’s currently off. The blower has a steel grate, so there’s no danger of falling into it. Atop the blower are Vivi’s shoes. The pair of glowing red eyes became dozens of small mice in ragged clothing standing on a platform. They all have blushed faces from staring at Whiskey’s twelve-inch manhood. Vivi’s feet are still stroking his manhood. She has no idea what happened because her face was firmly planted on his back. She was too concentrated to notice the female’s shriek. Her stroking continues to go at a faster pace.

  “W-wait, stop, I don’t need it anymore-aaaahhh~!”

  Whiskey came. Toward all the mice no less. They scatter off to a tunnel in the back of the platform. The white-hot mess kept pumping out even after they all disappeared.

  “Huff, huff, huff…” Whiskey shook his head. “Vivi… the illusion is gone already, huff…”

  “Hmm?”

  Vivi reeled her face. However, seeing how high they were had convinced her to plant her face onto Whiskey’s back again. He can feel her body shaking up.

  “Um! I want to grab my shoes please!”

  “Of course. But I need your feet off my dick please.”

  “Hehe, sorry.”

  Vivi obliges by wrapping her feet around Whiskey’s hips. The zebra – with his pecker still peeping out – climbs down to the blower below. He moved awkwardly to avoid his pecker slamming against the bars; it refused to calm down. It didn’t help that Vivi’s soft breasts pressed hard against his back. He could feel her nipples were currently erect. It doesn’t seem like it’s deriving out of lust though. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking.

  “Are you afraid of heights by any chance?” Whiskey asked.

  “Y-yeah…” Vivi answered. “I’m not a good climber…”

  “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll get you down safely.”

  Vivi’s shaking intensity slightly calms down. It still aggravates his stability, but her purr keeps him concentrated. Vivi immediately gets off Whiskey's back as soon as they reach the bottom of the cage. Each step they take clacks against the blower’s grate. She brings out a plain white handkerchief from Whiskey’s breast pocket to wipe up his pecker. She swathes it over and under the shaft before putting it back in his pants and zips it up. She then puts the cloth back in his breast pocket. The waft of his cum made him gag for a moment.

  “What the hell?!” Whiskey’s invisible brow flares up.

  “Pffthaha, what’s the matter? Never smelled your juice before?”

  “Why you! How about I make you smell it?”

  Whiskey takes out the cum-stained handkerchief and waves it toward Vivi’s face. Her fur riles up from the pungent stench. She rolls past Whiskey to jump a fair height onto the cage and climbs to safety.

  “Aieee! Quit it, jackass!”

  “Despite what you said before, you’re a decent climber.”

  “PBBBLT!” Vivi blew a raspberry. “Flattery is not going to convince me to come back down. I’m not letting you stuff my face with your cum rag!”

  “Oh yeah? What if I do this?”

  Whiskey walks over to Vivi’s discarded shoes and picks them up with his cum-free hand. His other hand hovers the handkerchief over them.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Vivi snarls. “Give them to me!”

  “You want it? Come get it!”

  “RAAAAAHHHHH!”

  Vivi leaps off from the bars to perform a missile dropkick right at the center of Whiskey’s chest. The fierce impact flew him to the bars so hard they opened up, throwing him further out on his back. It shocked his psyche more than it hurt. The shoes and handkerchief he held flew away from his hands, landing in front of a tunnel. Vivi herself lands on her back against the blower’s grate. The noise of what transpired echoed throughout the room, ringing for everyone to hear.

  “Aagh!”

  Vivi squirms around; she seems to have received more damage than Whiskey. Upon recovering, Whiskey offers a helping hand. She fixes her hair before accepting his offer to get up.

  “Hmph, thanks.” Vivi puffs her cheeks.

  “Heh, you’re welcome.” Whiskey rubs his chest. “That was most unexpected.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t like competition?” Vivi smirks.

  “You started it. Again.” Whiskey grimaced.

  They get in each other's faces and stare. The – not sexual – tension is heavy. It lasts a few more seconds until Whiskey drops his grimace and licks her nose. Vivi giggles and licks his nose back.

  “Hehe, enough already! We are wasting too much time!”

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  The two walk towards where her shoes and his handkerchief landed. As they approach the items, a lone mouse leaps out from the tunnel and steals them. He dances joyously in a circle before sprinting back into the tunnel. Vivi and Whiskey run after the thief. The path gradually inclines into an intersection that splits into five new paths. There are no special markings or tracks that differentiate one another. Vivi licked her thumb and stuck it up for any downwind. Doing so suddenly caused a cold breeze from all paths. She had to button up her jacket to keep warm.

  “Kekekekeh! You’ll never get out of here alive!” A raspy voice said.

  Echoes of laughter taunt the two from all the paths. Vivi cannot determine which path leads to the source of the noise. Her fur stands up out of annoyance at being unable to decipher their way out. Whiskey twitches his ears before continuing forward the middle path. His confidence stunned Vivi before she followed his lead.

  “Eh? Do you know where the voice is coming from?”

  “I don’t care about that. I’m going after your shoes and my hanky.”

  “How can you be so sure this is the right path?”

  “…”

  Whiskey continues walking without answering; Vivi's ears droop from his silence. They walk for ten minutes without any disturbances occurring. The taunts stopped, and their steps became the only noise in the immediate vicinity. The path splits into two more paths: left and right. Without a second thought, Whiskey goes for the right path. Vivi could only hold his arm tight as his confidence remained strong. He lifts her hand to kiss it as a token of appreciation for sticking with him. At another crossroads, they go right again. A third crossroads appears before, prompting them to go left this time. They went through the right path at the fourth crossroads when a rumbling noise stopped them. The rumbling noise turned into swishing that got stronger with each passing second.

  “Uuu… I’m not a good swimmer…!” Vivi said.

  “Don’t let go of me, okay?” Whiskey crouches down.

  Vivi complies by wrapping her arms around Whiskey’s neck once more. She wraps her legs as he stands up. He goes through the right path; the noise gets audibly louder. Shallow water runs through the ground past his feet.

  “Brrr!” Whiskey shivered.

  His shiver caused a bone-chilling chain reaction to Vivi’s fur. She couldn’t feel how ice-cold the water was yet; his response was enough to give her an idea. He takes each step carefully so as not to splash any water onto Vivi. This proved an arduous task: the water is somehow glacial compared to Man Hat Tan. At this rate, he could die from hypothermia if he doesn’t pick up the pace. Vivi’s body heat is the only reason he hasn’t faltered yet. However, the further he progresses the path the higher the water rises. It hasn’t elevated above his knees, but now is the time for decisive action.

  “Vivi, can you climb on top of my shoulders.”

  Without question, Vivi complies with Whiskey’s request. Her head is just a few inches away from bumping the ceiling, forcing her to bend down and hug his head. Even though he’s at a bigger disadvantage of less body heat and awkward positioning, it’s possible to run now. Also, his head between her legs again is a lovely bonus. Sprinting through the water splashes violently; fortunately, Vivi is safe from this danger. Instead, it lands as high as Whiskey’s crotch. He is getting literal blue balls from this situation.

  “Brrr!” Whiskey shivered.

  His shiver caused a bone-chilling chain reaction to Vivi’s fur. She couldn’t feel how ice-cold the water was yet; his response was enough to give her an idea. He takes each step carefully so as not to splash water onto Vivi. This proved an arduous task: the water is somehow glacial compared to Man Hat Tan. At this rate, he could die from hypothermia if he doesn’t pick up the pace. Vivi’s body heat is the only reason he hasn’t faltered yet. However, the further he progresses the path the higher the water rises. It hasn’t elevated above his knees, but now is the time for decisive action.

  “Vivi, can you climb on top of my shoulders.”

  Without question, Vivi complies with Whiskey’s request. Her head is just a few inches from bumping the ceiling, forcing her to bend and hug his head. Even though he’s at a bigger disadvantage of less body heat and awkward positioning, it’s possible to run now. Also, his head between her legs again is a lovely bonus. Sprinting through the water splashes violently; fortunately, Vivi is safe from this danger. Instead, it lands as high as Whiskey’s crotch. He is getting literal blue balls from this situation.

  “Hnngg…” Whiskey groaned.

  Vivi felt his body shriveling up. One solution came to her mind immediately.

  “Ommmf!” Vivi nibbled on Whiskey’s ear.

  “Aaahh~”

  Whiskey got hot all over. He still couldn’t shake off his shivers, but Vivi’s nibbling revved up his legs to run faster than before. He can even see the end of the pathway: a dead end. Water pours through cracks in the wall. Vivi’s fur bristles up at Whiskey’s insistence to keep running towards the dead end.

  “Um, Whiskey… are you sure about this?” Vivi asked.

  “Y-y-y-yeah!” Whiskey answered with nonstop chittering of his teeth.

  As they approach the dead end, Vivi notices light beaming down from above. There’s a noticeable ledge they can climb onto, but it’s just a few feet short out of their reach. Vivi extends her hands toward the ledge to no avail. More cracks fall from the wall in front of them, causing the water to spew, hitting Whiskey’s core. Refusing to let Vivi get even an ounce of the cold water splash on her, he hoists her feet onto his shoulders. His constant shivering made it difficult for her to keep balance.

  “T-t-t-t-t-think you c-c-c-c-can reach it from here? BBBBRRRR!”

  “Yes!”

  A gleam of confidence appears in Vivi’s eyes before jumping off Whiskey’s shoulders. It wasn’t as high when she ran away from Whiskey's cummy handkerchief, but it was enough to grip the ledge. Her muscles strain to pull herself up, but she successfully climbs over the ledge.

  At the top, many mice wait for her in a large area. Many tunnels line up the walls. The middle has an arena featuring a wooden table with center padding. Wooden bat stick grips face each other from opposing corners of the table. Vivi hisses at them and raises her tail, high above her head, producing her yellow circle. One of the mice in the back row reacts to the circle, signaling Vivi to chase after that mouse. Down below, Whiskey is still squirming against the wall.

  “W-wait, Vivi! What’s happening up there?” Whiskey shouted.

  “Ahh…!” An unfamiliar voice yelped in the distance.

  “Eeek, stop…!” A different unfamiliar voice yelped in the distance.

  Before Whiskey could start climbing, the cracks in the wall blast open, blowing away the zebra. The icy water envelops him, carrying his body opposite from Vivi. The hair flops everywhere, revealing the fury in his amber eyes.

  “BBBBBRRARRAAAAGH!” Whiskey gargles underwater.

  Tendrils came out and clawed into the ground to prevent further lost distance. Even with the tendrils’ grip, the current is too strong for Whiskey to progress. He’ll drown if the situation doesn’t improve. The tendrils morph into an oblong-like shape akin to treads from a tank. The treads slowly move forward past the current. He uses the treads to climb the sides of the wall where he got blasted from, dangling his feet mid-air. An uproar of cheers and jeers rings his ears which gets louder as he closes the gap.

  Before reaching the top, Whiskey’s treads revert to normal hands. He climbs over the ledge and sees many mice in rags surrounding a tiny arena. There is also a pile of mice sleeping to the side of the gathering. In the arena are Vivi, a Mr. Owl (who looks like the bartender from the hotel), and a large female rat in rags with purple eyes. Vivi and the rat – who is taller by seemingly six inches – stare each other down with a wooden table between them. The rat’s green acid eyes are full of confidence at what’s about to happen.

  “Hoot!” The owl said.

  "I promise not to cheat." Vivi and the rat lady said simultaneously.

  The ladies rest their elbows on the table and clasp each other’s hands. They then use their free hand to hold their respective wooden bat stick grips. They’re preparing to arm wrestle. The rat’s muscles are more impressive and toned compared to Vivi’s.

  "Larissa!" The mice squeak.

  “I have no idea what’s going on, but… YOU GOT THIS, VIVI!” Whiskey shouted.

  All the mice finally noticed the big hulking Zebra approaching them. The mice closest to him scuttle away to the other side.

  “Eww, that’s the perv who jizzed at us!” One of the mice scowled.

  “Vivi?” Larissa said, tilting her head.

  Vivi takes off her glasses, showing off that her eyes have no ounce of fear. A shocked Larissa couldn't believe her eyes while Whiskey stayed confused. The only thing he could think of doing right now was shaking the water off him. The mice near him scatter away; they know how cold that water is.

  “I didn’t realize you were an actual POW member.” Larissa shakes her head. “Whatever. I know your record: you’re just a loser who got a few lucky wins by cheating. There’s no way I’m losing to you.”

  “Heh, how about we raise the stakes if you’re so confident? Let’s make this an official POW match. I also know your record: you could stand to have more reputable wins.” Vivi grinned.

  “Cocky little whore. Fine.”

  “Hoot.”

  The owl brings a camera from their pocket and points it at the ladies. They can hear the shutter button pressed. The owl goes to a different spot for a better angle and presses the shutter button again.

  “You ready?” Larissa raises her brow.

  “Sure!” Vivi’s grin stays intact.

  “…”

  The air in the room gets more intense as the ladies go quiet. Their gaze, sharp like knives, try to pierce at each other’s confidence. The match hasn’t started and yet their grips remain rock solid to show they meant business. The owl is having a field day capturing this moment before the storm.

  “…” The owl readies their finger on the trigger before saying, “HOOT!”

  “URRGGH!”

  Larissa uses all her strength for an immediate advantage. Vivi is already on the cusp of losing the match as her knuckles almost touch the table. She’s desperately wrestling for a comeback, but Larissa refuses to relent. Vivi’s tail raises high above her head. No yellow circle appears, but her fur puffs all over her body. Larissa smelled a faint scent of onions, making her teary-eyed.

  “Wha?!” Larissa gasped.

  The rat lady found her arm getting pushed back. A few seconds later their arms are tied at the center. The ladies grunt fiercely as their efforts aren’t gaining any advantage over the other.

  “Larissa! Larissa! Larissa!” The mice cheer.

  The mice gang's support motivated Larissa to push harder and gain an advantage. Vivi is now a quarter away from losing. Her teeth clenches harder than ever to recover the lost gap.

  “Come on, Vivi! I know you can beat her!” Whiskey screamed.

  Whiskey’s cheer motivated Vivi to successfully wrestle her arm a quarter over to Larissa’s side. The rat is starting to sweat more profusely compared to Vivi. The owl capturing every single shot of this made Larissa more and more agitated.

  “You’re…!” Larissa couldn’t stop grunting. “Cheating, I know you are…! There’s no way you’re actually this strong…!”

  “Pfft…! That’s, urgh, sore loser talk! I thought you were completely confident that you would w-win this!”

  Vivi’s taunt gets into Larissa's head. Their arms are gradually shifting over to the rat’s side. Despite her more impressive arm strength, Larissa’s stamina is quickly fading. The fear on her face is displayed for all to see.

  “N-no…!” Larissa couldn’t hide her embarrassed blush. “How dare you humiliate me like this!”

  “Heh, heh, heh…” Vivi’s previously pained grunts turned into a wide grin again. “You accepted my challenge; you only have yourself to blame for this.”

  “…”

  The mice have all gone quiet now.

  “Let’s go, Vivi!” Whiskey continued cheering.

  Vivi pushes a quarter past Larissa’s side; victory is guaranteed now. In a desperate last-ditch effort, Larissa lets go of her bat stick grip and switches to the table's edge. The advantage is still in Vivi’s favor, confusing her. That was until she realized what was happening to the table: Larissa was cracking it.

  “Umm…” Vivi started sweating bullets from her brow. “Is that legal, Mr. Owl?”

  “Hoot.” Mr. Owl continues shooting pictures.

  “Heh, it’s my turn now, bitch.” Larissa scowls.

  The table breaks down in half. The ladies fall on their bellies with it. Larissa used the falling momentum to slam her arm to Vivi’s side; she was a mere few inches away from victory now. Without a grip, Vivi was forced to rely on brute force for victory with only her wrestling arm.

  “Hmm?”

  Whiskey noticed Vivi’s puffed appearance reverted to normal now that she was prone. As she fell, he saw two tiny yellow circles dissipate from the balls of her feet. Unlike Vivi, Whiskey doesn’t know which mice can see her magic. He looked at the bunch of downed mice piled together. They’re all sleeping with seemingly no injuries visible. He can only hope that the illusionist is amongst the sleeping beauties. Then there's Mr. Owl. There's a possibility he can see Vivi's magic. Thankfully, the owl seems too busy taking pictures to notice. However, one thought crept into the back of his mind.

  "A shame I can't siphon that illusionist..." Whiskey whispered to himself.

  “Arrrgh!” Vivi grunted. “Ahh, aghh, ahhh…!”

  "Come on, Vivi, you can still win this!" Whiskey went back to cheering out loud.

  “Your boyfriend’s fuckin’ annoying. It will be music to my ears once he squirms over your loss!”

  Larissa becomes confident again, but Vivi knows the rat is too gassed to get a definitive finish. Vivi’s tail raises high above her head. There was no yellow circle visible, but Larissa smelled the faint scent of onions again. Her confidence shatters upon seeing Vivi's fur puff up again.

  “N-no…!”

  Larissa can feel Vivi’s strength coming back. Slowly but surely, she realizes she’s locked in a losing war of attrition. Their arms almost reached the center when Larissa chucked dirt at Vivi’s face with her free hand. The dirt stung and blinded the poor skunk.

  “Ah! Hey, not cool!” Vivi wipes the dirt off her face with her free hand.

  “Hoot!”

  “Fuck off, Mr. Owl!” Larissa snarled. “You’re supposed to be on my damn side!”

  The rat’s plan succeeds as their arms are a quarter past Vivi’s side. The skunk keeps her head down to prevent further dirty attacks. Larissa smells the scent of onions getting stronger. She realizes that it’s related to Vivi’s muscles getting stronger. Their arms reach the center.

  “AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

  Both combatants scream their hearts out. The echoing war cries result in their arms at a quarter past Larissa’s side. Tears fall from Larissa’s eyes. She already knows her defeat is inevitable, but she’ll be damned if she never gave it her all.

  SLAM!

  Vivi’s arm completely reaches Larissa’s side. They immediately let go of each other's hands and roll over to their backs. The entire audience is silent over the outcome. The only sound that can be heard is the heavy breathing of the women trying to calm themselves down. Mr. Owl took pictures as quietly as possible. As Vivi’s puffed fur reverted to normal, her wrist couldn’t stop throbbing in pain. Larissa merely rested her arm over her face. She didn’t want her underlings to see her crying.

  “Huff, huff, owww…” Vivi winced. “Good game. You seriously pushed me to my limit, Larissa.”

  “Huff, huff, sniff…” Larissa failed to hold back her tears. “Yeah, good game…”

  “Aaaaaa!”

  Whiskey came running and screaming towards Vivi. He lifts her and throws her up in the air. The sudden flying strained her muscles, but she couldn’t deny the view of pure joy on Whiskey's face. Mr. Owl was more than happy to capture this moment while everybody else had a look of disdain on their faces. Whiskey catches Vivi in his arms on her way back down.

  “I’m confused why this happened, but I’m so proud of you! My champion~” Whiskey rubs his nose against Vivi’s.

  “Kya~” Vivi happily reciprocates rubbing Whiskey’s nose with hers. “I challenged her to a duel for everything we need. That’s all.”

  Larissa stands up with ease. Besides the damage to her pride, she hasn’t sustained any physical pain from the arm wrestling. Her purple eyes turn more corrosive staring at the couple’s affection for each other.

  “Ugh, quit it already. I’ll uphold my end of the bargain. Bring them in.”

  Larissa gestures to one of the mice. That mouse scampers to a wall and presses against it. A humming noise whirrs out loud, vibrating the ground. The wall opens up a few seconds later like an elevator. Two familiar figures come out: the Dalmatian from the rooftop and the hare from the alleyway. The Dalmatian has many coin purses while the hare has Vivi’s shoes and Whiskey’s handkerchief. The mice escort them through the crowd to Vivi and Whiskey. The Dalmatian presents the coin purses and wallets to Vivi while keeping his head down. Vivi gets off Whiskey's arms to properly inspect and pocket her rewards.

  “I… I’m… I-I’m sorry for stealing from you and your friends…” The Dalmatian apologized with his head down.

  “Lift your head and look at me so I know you mean it,” Vivi demanded.

  The Dalmatian lifted his head. For a split second, his eyes met with Vivi’s before turning away. Vivi’s presence was too much for him to bear.

  “What’s the matter? Look at me.”

  “So embarrassing…”

  The Dalmatian looks at Vivi again with a flushed face this time. Their eyes stare at each other for a few more seconds than in the first round. It felt like an eternity for the dog boy. His breathing got harsh, while Vivi remained calm. She approached him, went behind, and wrapped her arms over his shoulders.

  “What’s your name?” Vivi asked.

  “M-M-Miles…”

  “Nice to you, ‘M-M-Miles’, pfft!” Vivi snickered.

  “Ugh…” Miles’ ears drooped.

  Vivi hugs Miles tighter. Miles got worried, but he felt no animosity behind it. He reaches for her hand. She gently caresses his hand back.

  "Sniff, Sniff… snort!"

  Vivi smells Miles which ends with a disgusted look on her face. She began grooming his head with her tongue. His eyes went bug-eyed as if they were about to pop out.

  “What are you doing?!” Miles squirmed.

  “I’m cleaning you, silly! A young man such as yourself deserves good hygiene.”

  Miles tried to wiggle his way out but failed due to Vivi’s superior strength. She hugged him tighter and continued to lick his head. After getting her way, she spat fur to the side.

  “Good boy,” Vivi whispered with a smile.

  “Ugh, don’t say it like that,” Miles said.

  “So…” Vivi continues whispering. “Would you like to join me?”

  “Wha?!”

  Miles jumped at the question. Larissa looked at the two with intense curiosity. In particular, she gave a stink eye to Miles. Vivi noticed and let Miles go to turn him around and face her. She saw his eyes fear stricken from Larissa.

  “Listen,” Vivi whispers again. “my boyfriend and I are riding the Buried Jewels Express to White Sugar Land for a week. I can’t tell you exactly where since it’s private property. After that, we’ll be at Brown Sugar Land for the weekend in the Millionaire’s Arena. Do you know where that’s at?”

  Miles nodded. Vivi's comforting smile reassured his safety for the moment. After a lick on her thumb, she wipes away a smidge of dirt on his face. Satisfied, she turns to see Whiskey head patting the old hare. Neither of them said anything. The hare wasn’t embarrassed like Miles; shame burdened his face.

  “Hmm…” Whiskey sighed heavily. “You okay, Uncle?”

  “…”

  Uncle remains silent. He only hands Whiskey Vivi’s shoes and his handkerchief. Whiskey smells the cloth first to ensure its cleanliness before pocketing it. He walks over to Vivi and crouches to put her shoes on. Vivi clings to his arm as he stands up and rests her head against his shoulder.

  “Hehe!” Vivi couldn’t stop giggling to herself.

  “…”

  Vivi could feel Larissa staring at her.

  “Mmm, let us leave through the elevator. Then we’re even,” Vivi said.

  “Fine. Leave and never come back. Same goes for you, zebra.”

  “Hmph! Gladly~”

  "Hoot!"

  Mr. Owl goes inside the elevator and waits for the victor. Vivi and Whiskey walk past Uncle and Miles to follow suit. Miles wanted to say something, but the aura from Larissa left him slack-jawed. Uncle, however, didn’t care and turned around.

  “I am sorry for all this. Please have a nice day.” Uncle bows.

  Vivi and Whiskey turn to Uncle. They’re both smiling.

  “Yeah, you too, Uncle.” Whiskey said.

  Vivi’s smile turned to a grin upon seeing Larissa's menacing stare at them. She walks up to Uncle while keeping her stare locked with Larissa and kisses Uncle on the forehead. Her warm lips did much to ease his worries.

  “I invited Miles to join us. My offer to him extends to you too. We’re taking the Buried Jewels Express to White Sugar Land. I'll be spending a week at my friend’s place. In the weekend afterward, I’ll be having a match at Millionaire’s Arena in Brown Sugar Land.” Vivi whispered.

  “Wait, isn’t your friend the ch-”

  “Shh~”

  Vivi puts her index finger over Uncle’s mouth before he can finish his sentence. Without saying, he closes his gob and nods. She pats his head before trotting back to holding Whiskey’s arm.

  “Hey! What did you say to him?!” Larissa said.

  Instead of answering Larissa’s question, Vivi enters the elevator with Whiskey. Vivi sticks her tongue out and makes a double victory sign with her fingers. She then puts the fingers together: VV. Larissa’s face is steaming red, but the elevator closes before she can say anything. She runs over to Miles and Uncle. Each step sounds like a stomp that reverberates through the cavern. The mice run away, knowing what’s about to occur.

  “So disappointing,” Larissa said. "I thought she was going to punish you two. Well? What did she say to you two?"

  "..."

  Neither Uncle nor Miles answers her question.

  “You two better tell me what that slut said or else!”

  Larissa gestures at one of the mice. That mouse skitters away into a hole in the wall. The mouse returns with a bandolier carrying six knives and hands it to Larissa. She slugs it over her shoulder and takes out one of the knives. It's very tiny, only capable of stabbing grievous wounds. She drives it into her heart.

  "Ahh!" Miles said, stumbling backward.

  Larissa takes the knife out, there's no blood or blade. The blade sprang open after a second passed. It's a prop. She throws it away and grabs another knife. With both Miles and Uncle unable to take their eyes off Larissa, her eyes shoot a beam into Miles and Uncle's eyes. Nobody can see this purple beam: only Larissa. She stabs the second knife into her heart again; No blood. Stabbing herself with the third knife resulted in no blood either. Before the fourth knife could be used, Uncle raised his hand.

  "Wait!" Uncle said. "I'll tell you. Please spare us."

  Larissa smiles and says, "Good boy."

  TO BE CONTINUED...