Sneak.

Sneak. Sneak. Sneak.

Sneak. Sneak. Sneak. Sneak.

“Jason, we’ve been over this before. You can’t sneak up on someone if you’re literally saying ‘sneak’ the closer you get to them,” Strikira growled.

The red and yellow costumed Florida panther grinned as he poked his head up from behind the couch, “I know, but you looked extra frowny today so I figured a warning would be a suitable handicap.”

Strikira sighed as he hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to her, “Going ta need more than a handicap today. Please just go bug someone else for a change.”

“Awww, but I have the best cure there is for a grumpy pup,” Slipstream smiled as he reached over and wrapped his friend up in a big hug. “Warm kitty snuggles have even been rumored to be able to cure the common cold. What’s got you so down anyway?”

Strikira snorted through her nose as she shrugged him off before handing him a crumpled piece of metal. Watching him raise an eyebrow as he pawed it she added, “It’s a chunk of what’s left of me Superbike. Tailing Hatcher’s convoy when the big ole bird herself pops out of a sunroof and blasts me outta the air with an RPG.”

“So that’s why you have a faint whiff of smoke about you,” Slipstream said as he tossed the wreckage back to her. “Should be glad it was just an RPG. That lady could hide a minigun in her cleavage.”

The corners of Strikira’s mouth scrunched up a little as she tried not to laugh, but it quickly turned to a frown as she growled. “Barely jumped off in time, but me poor bike took a direct hit. Just to rub salt in the wound, a certain you-know-who is blaming me for the whole thing and said I should have been more aware of the situation.”

“Amazing that someone supposedly gifted with vision powers is even more blind than me,” Slipstream sighed before standing up dramatically. “Well if kitty hugs won’t solve this problem then we’ll just have to step it up a notch.”

Strikira yelped when Slipstream suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and began to tug her towards the door, “Slip! What the bloody hell are you doing?!”

“You’ll see,” he just grinned back.

A short while later the sound of laughter could be heard in the skies over Colmaton. Strikira was back in the air much like she had been earlier that day, but this time she was riding on the back of a Florida panther rather than a hunk of metal. Slipstream smiled as Strikira would squeeze his shoulders indicating the direction she wanted to go, and he was all too happy to oblige.

“Want to go higher?” he shouted back.

“Of course! Let’s go!” she replied.

“All righty then, hang on tight cause we’re pulling a loop-de-loo!”

“Wait what?! No doooooooaaaaaaahhhhahahahahaha!”

Slipstream leveled off and slowed to a hover. Cruising along slowly so they didn’t have to shout at each other, he looked back at her as much as he could and grinned, “So, is this marginally better than kitty hugs?”

“I’d say it’s situationally dependent,” Strikira smirked before leaning over and hugging him around the neck, “but yeah, marginally.”

“Anytime you want to come flying with me just say the word. The Slipstream Express is always happy to take customers.”

-

Art by  bluwolf0
Jenna Ronfauni/Strikira by  wolfrider
Jason Mills/Slipstream by  gamegod210