A little boy, no younger than eight, was playing together with his little sister on their bedroom floor, a mystic place laden with mythical creatures, awesome monsters, swashbuckling adventurers, fair maidens and glorious legends. So long they were on their knees and with their dolls, action figures, plastic castles and other figurines, no troubles could ever worry the two; the stories would become ever more astonishing should mom or poppa join their quest, they never seemed to be too tired to chime in and take part in the adventure. As the months passed, both of them were less and less involved, coming home more and more tired, sad, angry even. It was hard trying to play and keep focus when there was a fight somewhere in the kitchen or in the living room, mom's voice always instilled fear in his and her sister's hearts. Poppa, whom had funny smell in his mouth as of late, kept insisting the Miles had to grow up soon and become the protector of the family and how times would turn dark and dangerous, much like the beginning of every quest; the pup had no idea what ever he meant through those speeches, but mom always cried afterwards and, no matter how big the fight had been earlier, they always made up. Other days, the old man insisted that humans are evil by nature and he should think twice before trusting any of their kind and that all of their smiles and good manners were nothing but charade.

"But daaad, I like humies! I want to be like them! My tail gets in the way a lot and my ears are tickly all the time and-"

His father couldn't take it anymore of that and struck the child's muzzle with the back of his palm.

"Don't you ever say that as long as I live, you hear me? You'd better be proud of who you are or they will stomp and kick you like an ordinary dog. You are not an ordinary dog!" He yelled, keeping Miles' snout close to his own by grabbing him by his collar. Stinking spittle went everywhere in the fur of his face, merging with the pooling tears of pain.

He couldn't possibly understand any of it. Not until the night he and his sister were startled by the thundering, chopping sound of multiple rotor blades closing in to their district. Soon, searchlights pierced through the curtains and lit up the room with a blinding white light, his sister promptly started to tremble and cry. There was a large racket all around, his mother running all over the place, a strange, distorted voice booming from outside, the wails of his sister; the next thing he knew, his father crashed in the room with a rifle in his left hand and a black vest over his flannel. He knelt beside the two children and clumsily embraced them before he turned his attention to Miles.

"Today is the day you need to grow up and start taking care of the girls for me, Miles. I'm sorry your childhood has to end this early, but if I could, I'd take you all away from the trouble out there."

"-dents are to evacuate their households immediately, lethal force has been authorized if you do not comply. This is the CPD acting under order thirteen-seven, all anthro residents are to evacuate their households immediately,-"

"D-dad, what's going on?" Miles asked, his voice shaking, his sister echoed his question.

"Humans. They've learned to hate us and treat us like animals, because we tried to be like them. Do not forget this day, for today they've showed their true face. Remember their face."

And he was off, his sister clung to his leg as he tried to leave, which he shoved off effortlessly and was never to be seen again. Mother quickly gathered whatever she could find of value in their house and grabbed the children to get out and face the true human nature. Miles swallowed a knot as he was looked straight in the eyes by a large frame of a person clad in padded kevlar armor, clutching an automatic rifle.

"It's the Longtails." The man uttered, looking straight down at Miles. "Put'em in."

He and Mel got separated from mom, screams of pain and fear were the only things he could remember from that night. Miles screamed with frustration too, knowing that he already failed his father; that and, he hated the fact that he was right. Mister Burke was the one who separated him and Mel from mom and poppa. Mr Burke is Joel's father, Joel was his best friend and only Joel knew where they were living.

There was a rhythmic clacking noise coming from a cramped, but still comfortable cubicle next to the corner of the giant, mostly empty room, as Miles kept flipping the black carabiner in his right palm. He was staring down at the framed photo of himself graduating the K-9 academy, where his academic cap sat at a certain angle on his head to allow his left year to point upwards; he held the diploma with a subtle disgust, yet, he had a smile on his muzzle as he looked straight at the camera lens. There was a shorter, nicely dressed and fairly pretty German Shepherd looping her arm through his own, brandishing a wide, toothy grin. It was a strange sight, seeing the snotty pup that kept stepping on her own dolls and fart loudly turning into a young, desirable lady; he was proud of her, in some aspects, but he was constantly plagued with worry and anxiety over her well being.

"Cut the racket, Buck, the officer's 'bout to come." Said a bloodhound over the cubicle wall, his ears and droopy skin flopping as he talked.

"Gotcha, boss." Miles muttered under his breath as he placed the carabiner on his desk.

He made sure his uniform was in pristine condition, fitting the sleeves and collar around his wrists and neck. He peered into the black monitor to straighten the fur on his face and the hair on the top of his head. It didn't matter who was the next officer he had to work with, he had to make sure he looked as best as he could, else he could face even more ridicule than normal. His previous partner did pay mind to his attire, forcing Miles to make a habit out of tidying himself up before patrols and ops. A pain in the ass, but that pain could turn into electrocution if he disobeyed. He threw a glance over to the opposite wall of the room, where his face was nailed under the title "2^nd best K-9 hound"; he smirked every time when he looked at it, finding it funny there was such a thing as 2^nd and 3^rd place for the best employee of the month. The first place was occupied by "Scout", the bloodhound that just snarled at him. They made a pretty good photo of you he remembered talking to his colleague your ears are drooping through the frame and all the way on the ground, just like in reality! Since that day, Scout has been a tad more pissed than usual.

Miles stood up, sighing through his nostrils and rubbed his eyes, dread creeping up his throat as he waited for the new police officer to pick him up. He didn't know if he was ready to cope with another McNeil, but he sure hoped he was commissioned to a better officer.

There she stood, rather nervous, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear it. Her mouth was dry, she lifted her water bottle to her lips and took a long gulp. This was they day she was assigned a K-9. She had been told many things about them, and how she must be strict, they are just humanised dogs that could talk. She was taught how and when to use the electric shock control on the collar, and exactly how much of a shock to give what different disciplines. She was given her remote for the K-9's collar. Christa clipped it onto her belt and tugged at it to make sure it was secure. She got a thumbs up and the go ahead into the kennels from her lieutenant. Her hound was awaiting collection.

She wasnt quite sure why she was so nervous. She had a flash back to when she was just a child. She had a good Anthro friend, she was a lop eared rabbit. Ruby, was her name. She smiled fondly as she remembered when they were playing in a puddle of mud. She remembered having to help her blow dry her fur and break the mud out. She stifled back a giggle as she remembered her fond memories of her old friend. The her smile faded as she remembered on day going to her home to call on her friend and she was gone. Just gone. Her and her entire family, disappeared, she had no idea where they had gone.

Christa shook her head as she brought herself back into concentrating on what was at hand. A security guard gave her access to the kennels. She took a deep breath and walked in. As she walked down the isles she felt eyes glaring at her. She did feel sorry for all the Anthros in cages... It was no life to live constantly caged. She knew that these Anthros... these people had just as much intellect as humans did. She didnt believe in treating them any less than she would anyone else, she was always brought up that way. Her father died before she was born but it was an anthro that helped him get to a hospital to be cared for. He was stabbed in the street by a group of young adult humans. It was the same lady whoms daughter she became best friends with, she saw a lot of Rubys mother as she often helped her mother as she was a single parent.

This was why she wanted to become a police officer, this was why she wanted to be part of the K-9 squad. She stopped and turned, looking into the cage she saw her new partner. "K-9 Miles Longtail. Pleased to meet you, I'm officer Christa Parks." She said politely with a small smile spreading across her lips. The security guard cam and unlocked the cell door. Christa offered her hand out to shake. She was hoping that this would be the start of a good friendship.

Hearing the door open, he walked over to the grates separating his own kennel from the rest, stood straight and still and saluted. Showtime he thought, feeling a chuckle of dismay trying to coax his muzzle open while he waited for the officer to arrive at his own little workplace. Darker and darker thoughts nagged him, fearing that he'll either have to cope with a fat, stupid and abusive officer of the law, or a slim, perverted and downright cruel mongrel of a man; he somehow contained his surprise when a womanly figure made its way in his field of view, his eyes nearly darted right down at her, but doing so could end up in a backhand slap over his nose. As soon as she greeted herself, Miles took the liberty to break his aimless stare and find her eyes; seeing her smile turned a gut in his abdomen, not knowing how to interpret that gesture of hers. He couldn't tell any form of hidden motive in her eyes, since her smile seemed to be as honest as possible. He swallowed dryly before he would open his mouth to talk, but he was promptly interrupted by Christa's offer to handshake. Confused, he blinked a few times before he responded with his own furred hand, feeling the softness of her skin as the fine fur brushed against it. He didn't shake too vigorously, or too limp, it was a proper introduction to the policewoman.

"It is an honor, ma'am." He replied courteously, unable to choke a small smile.

Crap, he thought,what is it that makes me smile like a dumb dog? The guard allowed Miles to get out of the cage without the extra security measure of handcuffing him, but instead, prepared a stun baton in case Miles tried anything smart. He followed the woman on the way out from the K-9 kennel, keeping silent most of the time; it was a good occasion to check her out and nodded to himself, approving of her body. If I'll get flayed alive, at least I'll have a nice view, he thought as they just exited the building.

Once out, Miles turned his head in the direction of the wind and whiffed at it, trying to catch any interesting scents floating in the air, but as usual, it was a mix of exhaust gas, perfume, freshly cut grass and feces. Especially feces. He stretched his back and arms, now that he had enough room to maneuver. After he readjusted the electroshock collar on his neck, he faced the officer and hid the sigh that came out on its own.

"What districts are we patrolling today, ma'am?" He asked, but as soon as he saw her flinch, his instinct snapped and told him she's a rookie. She never worked with a K-9 in her life. This is going to be a breeze.

"First timer with a K-9? If you allow me, ma'am, I could give you some suggestions: I know how to sit, roll, fetch, make poopy in the back yard, play dead. I still need to learn no to chew on things, but other than that, I'm pretty good at stuff. I'm not a call boy, though, I don't find the collar that kinky."

I sure hope she does have some faint sense of humor.

As Christa made her way out with Miles not far behind she took a deep breath of fresh air. She was nervous as hell. She jumped a little shen he began talking to her as she was off in her own little head thinking about what to say. She squinted a little as he asked her about what districts they were to patrol... In all the excitement she had forgot!

As Miles joked she burst out laughing. It completely took her off guard. "Well then! Youre almost fully house trained!" She exclaimed laughing still. "But, the question is... As a treat do you prefer a toy to play with or a burger? ...Because I am famished and its almost lunch time!" She said grinning at him then she raised her arm and looked down at some smudged ink. She wrote her district area down on her arm..In case she forgot. "...and I know a great place in Koreatown.. which is by the way, were the lieutenant wants me to stick to today as this is my very first shift!" She exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands.

Christa was a very bubbly, happy person. She wanted to be treated like a person, so she treated others like people too. Regardless of their race. She also wanted Miles to know that she had his back, just as she would want him to have hers, they were a team now. She had heard many times on the news that another K-9 had died due to their 'partners' ordering them into the line of fire just because they didnt want to do it... even though they are the ones the guns, not the k-9s! This human behaviour disgusted her.

As she walked over to her car she opened the passenger seat for Miles. She was told by other human K-9 police officers that they made the K-9 sit in the back where the criminals sit... because they didnt want dog hair all over their car. Christa didnt like this. Humans shed skin cells all over the damn place, hence dust! But god forbid you got a dog hair on you. It made her a little angry. So she wanted to indicate to miles that, he was her equal. He could ride shotgun. He was we partner and she respected him.

As she held the door open for him it gave her a chance to give him a once over. This caused her to smile quite severely at him. She found him rather cute indeed.

The dog mimicked a thinking face, rubbing his furred chin while he hummed from the bottom of his throat. For once in a long time, he felt his heart just light enough to enjoy a chuckle an a bit of fooling around.

"Well, a chewing toy sounds really awesome, but I get super excited when I receive toys; I piss all over the place and hump legs, but a burger sounds better right now, yes. Canned food can only satisfy you so much." Seeing her so eerily excited, Miles shrugged and allowed himself to chuckle. "Alright, a burger it is in koreatown, ma'am."

The walk to the car felt like a long road, he waited for anything to happen: a flinch, a twitch, a scream, anything to startle him and finally show her true face, but up to that point, the woman seemed to be very consistent in her behavior. He didn't know if he should be worried that he was very good at acting or if he should be relieved that he could at least breath for a little. Her next gesture baffled him, he froze in place as Christa offered him the passenger's seat instead of his usual backseat he became used to; confused, he looked at the seat, at her and at the seat again, not knowing what to do. Since he couldn't really refuse the lady, since she was his superior, he crashed in the seat and buckled up for the ride. Once the doors were closed, he found the liberty to speak.

"I understand what you're doing here and I am very grateful of your kindness, ma'am, but be careful about this around the compound. If any other officer sees you sympathizing with the K-9, they'll start calling you "bitch" and, hell, worse things; it's a friendly advice for a friendly officer, I suppose."

The ride was rather silent, he occasionally threw a furtive glance at the officer to look for any change in her behavior, but it only seemed that she was concentrated on her driving. He looked at the outside world, at the people, at the traffic, trying to look for a perfect excuse to jump out of the passenger seat and chase someone down or something; he wanted anything to happen, so long he could leave the seat and get back behind. He felt very uncomfortable having to stay in front where everybody could see him, he was pretty sure someone would pick on him. He was quite glad the they finally arrived at the burger shop. Miles did try to run up and open the door for Christa, but he must have been really slow since it was opened for him way before he could reach it. Seeing her smile so wide at him pulled a smile out from his own snout. Is she actually into anthros or something? He asked himself as he stepped inside the diner. He didn't catch her checking him out, he was looking for a good spot to sit down with the officer. This time, he offered her to take her seat first, then, he placed himself across her.

While waiting for someone to bring them a menu, Miles rested his head against his own fist and gazed idly out the window, until he realized that there was an awkward moment of silence between the two for a while now.

"So, you come here often? Wow, what a way to start a conversation- Uh. Ah, I know a topic: you are too nice to me. If anyone else were to be my officer, I'd already be chasing black people around like in the good ol' days from two centuries ago. You've been around anthros a lot, haven't you?"

That was the moment of truth, no human with hatred towards anthros could answer such a question with a lie without flinching. At this point, he was staring straight at her with a tired smile on his snout, waiting for any kind of reply. Checking her again, he couldn't help but to think that she's looking good, for a human.

As she sat down she picked up the menu from the holder on the table and began browsing the food. Her stomach growling slightly, she gave it a light pat to shush it and jumped slightly when Miles began to speak. She once again laughed at his attempt to start a conversation. She had figured he wasnt used to being treated like a person. Especially from his words to her in the car when she gave him the shotgun seat. Christa gave him a kind genuine smile in response to his question as she remembered Ruby her childhood bestie.

"My best friend ever since I was born was a Lop Eared Rabbit Anthro. Ruby and I spent hours and hours getting up to mischief and making our parents lose their minds attempting to look after us" She said laughing a little. Her smile faded as she once again remembered how her and her mother had just disappeared one night and never came back. "I also want you to realise, I have been ridiculed - As has my mother - for being 'Anthro Sympathisers' .. I also couldnt give less of a shit either. You are a person. Sure you have canine features mixed with human but regardless, you are a person, and I will treat you as such. So you are going to have to get used to that Miles" She said smiling softly, using his real name and not his silly code name that the police gave him.

"I want you to understand this, you are my partner now. You will not ride in the back with the criminals, you are my partner. You will not eat dog food while youre with me, you will eat people food, you are a person. If you have an opinion, or you think what I say is a bad idea, I want you to say it. Im new to this, you have had more experience in this field, I will take what you say into consideration. Again, we are partners, I learn from you, you learn from me. Thats how two human partners work so why should it be any different just cause you got fur? Thats right, it shouldnt." she said smiling at him once again. "I have got your back, no matter what happens. I hope you do the same for me" She said as she grabbed his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze before giving him a sincere smile. "Also, the names Christa, but you can call me Chrissy if you like...anything but Ma'am... " she said with a wink as the waitress came over.

Christa smiled at the waitress and ordered her food with a cold drink, it was a warm day today. The waitress then looked over at Miles, awaiting his order.

Miles was thoroughly impressed by the woman's attitude towards him, but it felt too weird for any of it to be true; he knew that it wasn't a dream, Scout usually has his long ears wrapped around his neck -much like a scarf- in his dreamworld. All that he could do was to listen to her speak, absorbing every word and picturing every phrase in his mind. He couldn't brag too much about loving humans, not after he taught himself to avoid them and be on guard at all times when around them; his own life experience made him hate humans. With all the nice things Christa said to him, he still had his defenses up, ready to take insults and ridicule with a straight face. Yet, he stood there, smiling at her, taking her kind words in to heal his broken ego.

"Hey, I got your back too, it's my job after all. Well, I've got your everything, the contract tells. Look, ma'am, I-"

The next thing he knew, he felt his hand touched by something and gripped tight, his first reaction was to hesitate and jerk his head down; he saw Christa's hand grasping at his own, then, her smiling at him. He felt embarrassed of his first, evasive reaction towards her and tried to correct his mistake by swiftly placing his right hand over hers to give a squeeze back, allowing a breathy chuckle to warm up the air between the two.

"Okay, ma- sorry. I mean, Chrissy. It'll take a while, yeah."

The wink killed him. His ears pointed up and he could feel his tail waggle somewhere behind him, hitting the cushions of the seat. That was the most inconspicuous moment of my life, good job, Miles, he told himself as he averted her gaze to try to kill the excitement that was a bit too obvious to be hidden. The waitress eventually popped up beside them, Miles erred a little before he spoke out his choices for lunch.

"A Californian style burger, fries and water. Oh, and I'd like the meat cooked medium-rare, please." And, as expected of an anthro, he paid his order straight up, including the tip. The K-9 sighed as he watched the waitress leave, feeling eager to talk more with Christa now. Get a grip, you thick idiot he scolded himself, you know better than to trust anyone outright. She may seem to be good and all, but give he a moment's slip and you'll see.

"So, if you're Chrissy, I must be- well, people call me Buck, Bucky, Mangy Mutt, Rex, Lassie, Dumb Dog, Fucktard, you pick." He then shifted his gaze down, a small smile visible on his lips. "Dad used to call me pup. He was pops, I was pup."

Shit, he thought, now you've done it. He covered his face in shame and tried to laugh the slip off.

"Please don't call me that of all things. Call me Sparky or something, but not pup."

"And also, you need to understand these things." He started, looking straight at her while he tried to relax by allowing his weight to bury him in the soft cushion. "I'm not used to this kind of treatment from a human. Anthros, yes, so long they're not my colleagues, but I've rarely met a homo sapiens sapiens actually wanting to converse with me and try to be nice; I can't trust anyone easily, not anymore. Sure, I appreciate kindness, but I've learnt on my own pelt the costs of being naive; you can insist as much as you want that you're nice and all, but know that I need some time to sniff you out before I can say that you're super cool. Don't get me wrong, you are already pretty cool, but you're a few steps away from super cool. And by cool, I don't mean the opposite of hot, because you're hot too- oh jeez."

He covered his mouth, the corner of his lips hinted a wide grin, his yellow eyes glanced away and back to Christa; his brow was lifted, allowing some light to reflect upon the irises, his snout's perfection and small imperfections clearly visible under the direct ray of sunlight: sleek but masculine shape of the muzzle, strong jaw, a small mole hidden somewhere under the corner of his mouth, fine forest of white whiskers, a barely visible scar. The way he glanced back at the woman was a clear hint that he totally meant to let his last few words slip.

Christa listened to his every word about not trusting humans and she nodded understanding. She more than understood. Humans has really fucked Anthros over in the past decade or so, its something that made her ashamed to be human. She began raising a brow at his words, calling her cool and pretty cool... then laughed as he called her hot. She did also go a little red. She was used to being called hot from other male police officers but it had always disgusted her. From Miles though. She wasnt sure, it was just different. "Ah? Well Youre not so bad yourself" She said as she looked him over in the ray of sunshine and his glances made her blush a little more.

"How about I call you by your actual name? Miles? Or... is there something else you'd prefer?" She said, still a little red on her cheeks and ears.
"As for your trust issues, I totally understand, you dont need to explain yourself to me. Trust is earned not something you automatically have." She said happily and reassuringly. She gave his hand another squeeze before letting go as the waitress came back with hands full of plates.

Her food got placed in front of her and she smiled and gave her thanks before beginning to devour her food. She was famished. Her nerves got the better of her this morning so she missed her breakfast. She quickly began to wolf her food down. Once she finished she wiped her mouth and looked over at Miles who was eating still. She giggled a little, he had got some of the sauce from his burger on his nose and top lip. He looked cute as hell. She blushed a little at her own thoughts.

"Not so bad, she says. Not bad for a dog, huh?" He poked at her quite coyly, seeing that she reacted positively at his quips. It pleased him to see her all flushed and giddy, he figured that someone in the command chain either really wanted to give Miles a break, or had no idea what he was doing.

"Miles will be fine, then. I'll have to get used to it, though, not a lot of people call me by my name anymore. I suppose not a lot of people call you Chrissy either. Trust is such a fickle thing too."

The food and drinks arrived at a certain point, Miles tried to help the waitress with placing the burgers and beverages without creating a sloppy mess; he felt his snout wrinkle in disgust when he saw the woman's aversion to him when he accidentally brushed his hand against her. Can't be any more yucky than touching a fucking dog, at least I'm cleaner, he scornfully thought as he checked out his burger. He didn't dig into it, instead, he used a knife to cut through the middle of it to check the meat on the inside; placing his finger against the pink-reddish portion of the meat, he felt that it was cold. Raw, he thought, is very different from medium rare, you fucking idiots. Thanks. He decided against complaining, as, he didn't want to look even more like a victim in the eyes of Christa; that, and, he knew too well the chef or the waitress would tell him to kindly fuck off and eat somewhere else if he didn't like the food there. He could stomach raw meat, much like any other omnivorous or carnivorous anthro, but he definitely preferred the meat heated up to some degree. So, he started eating away at it, feeling the weird, cold texture of the meat against his teeth and tongue; he still kept a smile on his face, he educated himself to be able to smile no matter what is happening to him, not a lot of people really care if an anthro is frowning or brooding. Christa might care, but again, he didn't want to victimize himself any more, since it wouldn't have a funny connotation in this scenario. He glanced over to the woman only to see her finish the thing way before him. Poor thing was starving. Also a tomboy. A prissy one would have taken me to a fancier place, if she would have taken me out at all.

When he heard her giggle, he turned his attention again to her to see what was so funny to her; she couldn't tell him, since she was having a real good blast, blushing and all, so he tried to figure out what amused her so much. As soon as he felt something weird on his nose, he crossed his eyes to try to focus and his own snout and there was a chunk of barbecue sauce stuck on the tip of his nose. His first instinct was to wipe his nose with a napkin and continue eating, but he reconsidered it quickly seeing the woman still giggling at him; she did have a very pleasant giggle for a police officer, thus, Miles took a quick look around him to see if anyone was watching him and once he made sure that there were no eyes on him, he used his long tongue to wipe off the sauce with two quick licks, much like a normal dog. He blinked twice and painted his expression with a small smile before he licked his upper lip too.

"You're easy to amuse, I see." He said after he swallowed his bite. "It's nice to have someone laugh at your stupid jokes every once in a while. Makes me feel slightly smarter." Just then, most of the contents of the burger half in his hands slid out, leaving Miles with a pair of buns; he looked at the pile of meat, sauce and veggies that landed on the plate more or less safely and snorted in amusement. "Like I said, slightly." At some point, he did manage to finish the whole thing, but now he was focused to clean the tips of his furred fingers to make sure there were no sauce or oil stains to make them stink of food the rest of the day.

"There's still something I still don't get", Miles started as he prepared to attack the french fries, after a couple of gulps of water, "why apply for the K-9 division? I know most of the guys are in for the money and the relative comfort, since we do the dirty job instead of them, but that's not you though. Let me guess: fetish, personal vendetta? Redemption? No? Hm. Trying to prove something? Ooh, I know! You saw my picture on the wall and said 'dayum, look at that hunk, I'd let him hump my leg all'- okay, someone should put me on a leash already before I break anything." He picked up a few fries with the fork and fed himself just to stuff his mouth to prevent himself from laughing at his own stupid jokes. "But for real now, you made me curious. You're the first police officer that offered to have something to eat together, the only police officer that let me sit on the passenger seat. Something has to drive you to do all this. You tell me this, then, you get to ask me one thing about myself. Deal?"

Christa giggled even more so when she saw Miles cross his eyes to look down his snout. She did indeed quite like her new partner. She just felt so comfortable around him. She thought with all the stories she had heard about the K-9 division that he would make her feel guilty or just plain awful for being a human being. She just hoped that she could prove to him that not all humans are douches. As she saw him attempting to get all the sticky sauce off of his furry hands she smiled and handed him a few wet wipes, she always carried them in case. She was prone to getting something spilled on her or something food related on her hands.

Christa giggled once again as he joked about him humping her leg. Then when he got serious, she stopped. She listened and thought for a moment. She wasn't sure how much to tell him. This could be a good time to sort of really get to know one another. Christa sighed and gave a kind of a sad look. "Well... Where to start really..." She said softly as she gathered her thoughts.

"Well, when I was born, my father wasn't able to get to the birth. He was in the army, he worked with K-9 Anthros. Anyway, as my dad was away, my mothers neighbors offered to lend a helping hand. She too was pregnant, her husband was a car accident just weeks before she was to give birth.. Oh by the way, our neighbors were an Anthro family. Remember I mentioned a Lop Eared Rabbit, Ruby? Well, that was her family. So Ruby was born about a month before I was. My mother was her labor partner as she had just lost her husband to an accident. Then vice versa she was my mother labor partner. So Ruby and I were often ant each others houses. Of course we were babies so didn't really know much. My dad didn't come back until I was one year old. When he came back he was a usual dad, he played with me and Ruby, he was her father figure just as much as he was mine. We all sort of became one family. We all helped each other and looked after each other. Then when I was 4, my father was brutally murdered. He was standing up to humans who were beating a K-9 friend of his whom he toured with. Sadly both the K-9 and my father were outnumbered and killed... My mother ended up almost relying on Ruby's mother, Ana. Ana didn't mind of course. We were still all a family unit. We all even talked of finding a home together for us four to live in. I remember Ruby and I getting so excited at the thought of sharing a room. Then when I was around six years, my last memory of Ruby and Ana was going into their house, Ana usually baked in the mornings so I was going round to grab a bun or two and ...nothing. The house was just as it was the day before. Everything was still there. I looked in every room, under the beds. No one. They had gone without a trace. My mother and I looked high and low for a letter or anything that would give us an idea to where they had gone. We found nothing. We both cried. We loved Ana and Ruby, they were our family and they had just gone." Christa looked down at the table rather upset, tears in her eyes. Then she looked back up at Miles.

"I joined the K-9 squad not only in remembrance of my father, but to find out what happened to my family. I can't find records anywhere on any Anthro. I believe they were taken. From the small amount of info I gathered, I know they were taken, but I don't know where. It took a big toll on my mother. I was the only one she had left. She suffers from severe depression and anxiety because of everything that has happened. I think if I could find our family, it would help her ease a little. Also I miss my sister dearly." She ended with a determined gleam in her eyes and small smile. Christa never referred to Anthros as anything other than people. They were people, with animal characteristics but they had the same amount of intellect as humans.

"..Now my question. I don't want this to upset you, it might be a touchy subject... but I'd like to know, if you know, anything about where Anthros were being taken away to..." She said softly. She hoped he had some answers for her. Miles was not the first Anthro she had spoken to, asking this question. When ever she manages to see them in the streets, begging for money for food she always gives them a helping hand, but they never seem to know anything, they managed to escape captivity so they have no idea where the others are. Its rare you see an Anthro on the street in broad daylight. They would most likely be captured and carted off somewhere. So information resources were scarce.

Miles rested his cheek against a fist, his eyes never leaving Christa as she gave away a bit more of her past. It became clear to him why the woman had such a conviction about treating anthros right, but there was still enough room for doubt in his mind to make him take everything with a grain of salt. Even though her facial expression clearly indicated sadness and sorrow, some sort of instinct nagged at him to not trust her wholeheartedly and keep on his toes for the smallest of inconsistent behavior.

"I'm sorry to hear that you've been through all that. You really are looking to crack some heads." He said with half a voice, dropping the whole comical cordiality in the trash bin. He looked down at his fingers as he began to twirl them together in a windmill motion, clearly processing something through his mind. It was either or that, or he was covering his face, trying to hide his own sorrow, his own weakness.

"Well. If I knew where they sent everyone off, I wouldn't be sitting here, right? I'm one of the "Lucky 137" folk that got to stay behind and make ourselves useful for the human community; by useful, I mean labor, poor education and poverty conditions. To me, this isn't a sensitive subject to talk about, I have enough things to say about it, but I'd rather not flap my muzzle out here in the open, I'd might get shot by a supremacist; not that someone would actually miss me, but I don't want to die without taking another look at your nice hind. I can die peacefully after that, though." He tried to recover from the dark place his mind inadvertently fell in at the mention of the harrowing night the anthro populace was selected.

"I've also searched about it. Much like you, I've lost something, but I fear I will never win it back; I do want some sort of closure, though. Just find out where they've been all taken. I mean, the usual answer 'they have been assigned to different parts of the country and the world to work in suitable facilities for their talents' just doesn't cut it, especially because no one tried to contact anyone back home." He leaned in, looking left and right, to make sure no one dangerous was eavesdropping on the conversation; if it were a regular 'flesho¹', he'd be more than glad to crack a skull, he needed to vent some anger on a target.

"I fear they've been taken to a place worse than a factory, or anything the like. My gut tells me it's a concentration camp, like the Nazis had nearly a century ago: work for food in poor conditions and worse treatment, but the government covers it all and hides the mess under the rug so they can push the agenda of humanity supremacy over the anthrokind. Fuel that with proxy conflicts, with our race being forced to take less-than-respectable-or-legal-jobs and just the general mood and opinion about us and hey presto, a lot of money, supporters and recognition. The elections are knocking at the door, after all, and I can assure you that no true American will vote for a pansy "zoophile"."

Miles retread his head, checking his surroundings again for any threat. "Great. First date in, we're already talking politics. Tomorrow, you can expect a ring and a prenuptial agreement: you get to keep me on a leash, but I can go poopy in your toilet as an exchange."

"But seriously, I don't know if we're ever going to get any official info on anything about the Selection. Dig too deep and we'll have feds sniffing our butts. Speak too loudly and the CIA shoots us down. Support the opposition and all hell breaks loose. For a first date, though, let's just settle with burgers, poopy and leg huming, eh?"

Although he tried his best to hide his own worry and personal vendetta, there were enough hints on his expression to tell that he was emotionally attached to the whole situation and very passionate about finding justice. He felt some hint of regret building up at the back of his throat, realizing he confessed his beliefs to a human, practically, the enemy. Even if Christa was a nice enough lady, she was still a bare-skinned humanoid.

¹ Flesho = Anthrofolk slang attributed to the Neo-Nazi subculture which strongly supports anthro intolerance and segregation.

Christa laughed a little at the mention of her 'nice hind' then, her face dropped and she felt her stomach twist into something ugly at the mention of the 'camp'. She thought she might just throw back up her wonderful meal, she took a few sips of her drink to steady herself. She too had had this thought, but dismissed it, thinking -hoping- the human race wasn't as awful as that. After all, she's a human and she doesn't want Anthros in a concentration camp so surely there's others of higher power who also feel this way? Though as time went on she realised the government isn't as flowery and kind as she used to believe.

She sort of switched off as her thoughts spun her away into a dark place. She began thinking of Ruby and imagining where she is and what she's doing and hoping, she's alright. Shed even pray if she knew it would do any good. She has never been religious, her mother used to be until her husband and Christa's father was murdered.

She started to hear talking again, Miles. Oh yeah, he was talking she thought, feeling guilty she had switched off, but it wasn't purposefully. She shook her head and focused back on Miles, just enough to catch his last sentence about a date, burgers and leg humping. He was trying to make light once again of the situation. Christa gave Miles a thankful smile. She was more than grateful that her new partner had a sense of humour. "Yeah." She said softly, half laughing.

She stood up and walked to the counter and paid for her meal. Once she paid and gave the right tip she looked at Miles and flashed him a cover up 'I'm okay, not really' smile. "Lets, head out, we have criminals to watch!" She said in an enthusiastic manner as she did a mini fist pump. Though it all seemed a bit put on. Christa walked outside and took a breath of fresh air and calmed herself down. She had to clear her mind and get on with work. She turned and looked back inside the cafe as she waited for her K-9 partner.

The enthusiasm his new officer displayed only brought a ball of mixed emotions in his canine gut. He pushed himself away from his seat and went over to the waitress to pay for his own part of the meal, all while the cogs in his mind spun and tinkered; clearly she was a rookie, she had very little clue on how to treat a K-9 unit, but that did not mean she wouldn't learn from her colleagues. The enthusiasm she portrayed endeared him, but also concerned him, knowing that this sort of energy would fade abruptly once she would hit a hard wall. It would be that hardship that would determine who she really is, and quite unfortunately, Miles was convinced that it would not end happily.

[i]Might as well enjoy it while it lasts[i], he thought bitterly, once she learns that she's got a leash and a whip in her hands, there'll be nothing to stop her from turning me into Kommissar Rex.

The canine adjusted his belt as he got out of the locale, immediately throwing his gaze left and right to scan the area for any possible threat; his augmented senses helped him to identify any odd smell floating in the air, but thankfully, there was no peculiar odor to attract his attention. The same as always: sweat, gasoline, farts, smelly underwear, nose-chapping eau de toilette, but no dubious substance. He could hear activity from quite a distance, but it would mostly be the usual racket a bustling city would give off. Finally, he had to rely on his eyes to look for anyone especially dubious; thanks to his experience, the ones who either smelled particularly bad, or of very cheap cologne, were the ones he would have to identify by their looks. Again, nothing particularly out of the order. None of these were done in a conscious manner, Miles had trained enough to do everything out of reflex, while hiding it all with an inconspicuous demeanor.

To keep this demeanor, he completely refused to take the passenger's seat and instead, hopped on the back seat. Before Christa could complain about it, the canine made sure to interrupt her mid-sentence, knowing that he could still be bold enough to talk over a police officer:

"This isn't your patrol car, darling." Miles commented, sighing as he stretched his legs across the back seats. "Someone else will take this enforcer, and once they do and find strands of my fur on the shotgun side, they'll search for you. Then, they'll get to me."

"Now I know, we can forget about the mutt, he'd get away with a beating and some off-time pinned next to the kennel. But, you will also get sanctioned, and believe me, you don't want to be viewed as a sympathizer. You'll be dead within a day, then reemployed at McDonald's the day after."

As she got into the drivers seat she noticed him get in the back. She opened her mouth to protest but he was already on it. She listened to him then frowned at his accuracy. She hated other people being right. Especially when it involved Anthros being below humans. She laughed a little as he made himself comfortable in the back. "Maybe we she go get you shaved then, that way you cant leave hair everywhere!" She exclaimed laughing as she put her seatbelt on. The look on his face made her giggle more so. "Aww come on... I think you could rock bald" She added as she started to drive still giggling at the thought of a bald K-9.

As she drove she took them to the area they were supposed to patrol. Just a few streets, but it was known for weed dealing. As she got out of the car she opened the door for her partner as the child/baddie lock was on. As he got out of the car she smacked his behind playfully and gave him a wink. "Can you get out of the car any slower?" She smirked as she closed the door and locked the car.

"Come and lend me your nose! Smell for the narcotics!" She said dramatically as she grinned over at him. She was relaxing around him now, feeling like she could be more herself. She didn't see him as a dog, she saw him as a person, and she would treat him as such. Even if he did insist on sitting in the back of the car.