Robber watched Lyra with a twisted smirk, his tail lashing the air side to side, like a predator savoring his most prized trophy.
He licked his lips, red eyes gleaming with greed. He crouched, resting on one knee, and clamped a clawed hand around Lyra's neck, squeezing just enough to make her gasp.
"Do you know how many have hunted you, little fox?" he whispered, his warm, fetid breath grazing her face. "I'm impressed you lasted this long."
Lyra struggled, her trembling hands scratching at the wolf's arm, but hunger and exhaustion betrayed her.
'Damn it, I don't have the strength!' thought Lyra, panic clawing at her chest.
With a growl, Robber hoisted her like a broken doll and slammed her against the alley wall, the rough concrete scraping her back. The stench of garbage and rot filled the air, dizzying her.
"Pity he wants you alive," the wolf snarled, his tail tensing like a whip. "I can't drag you to him while I'm on duty..."
His fingers brushed the metallic control collar around his neck, a grimace of disgust crossing his face. Lyra, gasping under the pressure, felt a surge of contempt.
"You... have no pride..." she spat, her voice broken and ragged.
Robber's eyes flared. He squeezed tighter, lifting her off the ground, her feet dangling. "You don't know anything! The boss asked me personally!" he roared, but a flicker of doubt betrayed his gaze.
"Yeah? Did he ask you to be the humans' lapdog? Some generous master!" Lyra hissed, taunting him, a spark of defiance in her eyes.
A guttural growl rumbled in Robber's throat, his fur bristling, fangs glinting. "Shut up!" he bellowed, hurling her like a rag across the alley.
Lyra crashed to the ground, the impact jarring her bones, shards of pain piercing through.
But seeing Robber clutch his head, as if a sting bored into him, a sharp smile curved her lips.
'Almost there... that collar's gonna break you, idiot,' thought Lyra, her plan taking shape.
She staggered to her feet, every muscle screaming, but drew strength from sheer will. She wouldn't fall here, wouldn't become another broken pawn for 'the boss' who never valued her.
Robber steadied himself, his growls thundering, red eyes locked on her with savage fury.
"Think you can screw me with the collar? Try it, fox!" he spat, dropping to all fours, claws scraping the ground. "I'll rip you apart!"
Lyra freed her tail from her pants, its tangled fur waving loose, giving her balance.
'Come on, Lyra, move or you're dead,' she urged herself, crouching, ready for the clash.
They circled, two beasts in a deadly dance, the alley's air thick with tension. Robber studied her, cold and calculating, his muscles quivering with pent-up power.
Lyra, heart pounding, trusted her speed, her eyes tracking every twitch of the wolf, every flex of his claws.
Suddenly, Robber lunged. He sprang with all four limbs, a blur of gray fur and brute force, aiming for her throat.
Lyra reacted in a heartbeat, twisting right, the wind of his strike whistling past her ear. She used the wall, planting her feet and leaping in a swift arc, landing on a trash can with a metallic clang.
Robber spun, enraged, and charged again, claws slashing the air.
Lyra dove to the ground, rolling under his strike, the wolf smashing the can with a deafening crunch.
"Damn slippery rat!" Robber roared, turning, bloodlust in his gaze.
Lyra, panting, felt fury ignite.
'Wrong species, moron!' thought Lyra, rage burning through her veins at being compared to a mere rat.
Her body shook, wild instincts roaring to life. Brown fur sprouted on her arms, her hands twisting into sharp claws, her face stretching into a Fox Feral muzzle, fangs gleaming.
'I'll teach you to underestimate me, you miserable mutt,' thought Lyra, glaring at Robber with bloodshot eyes.
Robber stepped back, alarmed. "Lyra, stop! Transforming now will kill you!" he shouted, but she was beyond hearing.
With a feral shriek, Lyra launched herself, a whirlwind of speed and rage. Her claws sliced the air, strike after strike, fast as lightning.
Robber dodged, blocking with thick arms, his growls mixing with the screech of his boots against the pavement.
He countered, a swift punch grazing Lyra's cheek, a trickle of warm blood dripping.
"Without this collar, you'd be done!" he barked, his body trembling, barely holding back his own transformation.
Lyra, lost in instinct, spun and leaped, using the wall to propel herself higher, a comet of fury.
Robber raised an arm to shield himself, but she was faster: she landed on his shoulders, claws sinking into his flesh, and bit, fangs piercing his neck.
The metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth, the rusty smell choking her.
Robber howled, a gut-wrenching sound, and tore her off, blood splattering the ground.
With a roar, he seized her by the waist, slamming her against the wall with brutal force, the concrete shaking.
Pain exploded in Lyra, her vision blurring, but she saw Robber stagger, his fur bristling, fangs growing.
His muscles bulged, his body swelling, claws slowly replacing his hands.
'Now, collar, do it!' Lyra pleaded, air barely reaching her lungs.
A shrill beep sliced the air, the control collar flashing. Robber's eyes widened, pure panic on his face.
"No! I'm fine, I haven't transformed yet!" he begged, his voice cracked and choked with his own blood, the growing muzzle on his face belying his pleas.
But a blue light burst forth, electric shocks jolting his body. Robber convulsed, claws scraping the ground, and collapsed, a limp heap of fur and blood.
'Pathetic... that's what you get for licking human boots,' thought Lyra, pain stabbing as she dragged herself up.
Leaning on the moldy wall, each step was agony, her transformation fading, exhaustion crushing her like a slab.
'I've got to go, before they find him...' thought Lyra, Robber's blood sticky on her mouth, hunger gnawing her gut.
But at the alley's edge, a human stopped her cold, his gray eyes piercing her from head to toe.
'Did he see me? Damn it!' thought Lyra, terror icing her blood, picturing chains and cages for attacking a Feral cop.
She wanted to run, but her legs buckled.
'Great, yell and bring more of your kind, human,' thought Lyra, resigned, too broken to fight.
Yet no fear filled the boy's gaze. Instead, Lyra saw something odd: pity.
'Why are you looking at me like that?' thought Lyra, frowning, that pity cutting deeper than the looks of hatred she knew so well.