there's a room where the light wont find you"
"holding hands while the world's come tumbling down"

whoa
okay
this
this is good

trying my hand at clothing wrinkles so far it's cooperating lol

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here's a story for this picture lol

Nicodemus shouldered his way through the crowd, hesitating as he saw the wide open plot of cement bestowed before him. He knew what was about to happen, he felt it in his gut. He'd been here too many times. The tabby closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his mind with a deep breath and slowing down the mile a minute heartbeat his body was trying to run.

A familiar devilish laugh assaulted his ears and Nicodemus snapped open his eyes. Too familiar. He narrowed his eyes, stepping forward, the back of his coat tails sweeping his ankles. The noise from the crowd abruptly went silent, everyone's sights on him. Nicodemus let out a quiet grunt of suspicion under his breath, scanning the crowd of battle-scarred lawbreakers. A flash of white and black appeared in front of him, a contempt look in it's blazing yellow eyes.

Nicodemus lifted his chin "Laurence" his tone was emotionless as he uttered the name. "Nicodemus!" Laurence exclaimed with an evil chuckle, spreading his arms out dramatically, the silver reflection of a black stiletto glaring at him through the moonlight. "It's been a long time my friend" the wolf smiled darkly, slowly beginning to pace around him. "What do you want?" Nicodemus's hackles raised.

"I want to..settle a few things" Laurence formally exposed the weapon in his grip, squeezing the handle. Nicodemus slowly reached into his pocket, unfolding his weapon. He looked away from the tip of it, that night's activities did not justify themselves..

"Very well" Nicodemus accepted his challenge.

"Nicodemus!" He heard Inola's voice call him from the crowd. The feline turned over his shoulder. All his students were there. Inola mouthed the words "don't do it" as she shook her head. He turned away from her, his heart beginning to constrict.

Laurence laughed, walking over to his group of students, "I'm sorry sweetheart but daddy has a job to do" he gestured towards Nicodemus.

Calm down was the only words Nicodemus could tell himself at that moment. A fight with Laurence would mean..

Inola bared her teeth, rearing up a claw and smacking him in the face. Small bits of white fur flung off his cheek and Laurence flinched away at the sudden attack. He let out a deep snarl, "you little.." he grabbed her by the neck of her shirt. "Get off her!" Nicodemus bristled, pushing his way between Inola and Laurence. "Don't put this on my children" he thrust his muzzle towards the canine's.

"Very well, if you wont teach her to watch her tone.." his claws stretched out of his paws. "I'll just have to teach you" Laurence lunged for Nicodemus, pinning him onto the cement floor beneath them. The canine raked his claws across Nicodemus's muzzle, one of the nails cutting especially deep. Nicodemus yowled, snapping his jaws at his throat. Laurence's paw was scrambling for the handle of his knife. Nicodemus snarled defensibly, sinking his teeth into his shoulder, pushing Laurence backwards as he let out a yelp of pain.

Nicodemus reared up the blade of his knife and stabbed Laurence sideways near his thigh. "I'm not going to kill you" the tabby hissed, backing away from him. "Then I might have to!" Laurence snapped, his tone aggressive yet ebbing with pain. He sucked in a breath, thundering towards Laurence, his blade at his side.

The white and black wolf let out a snarl of fury and sunk his claws into Nicodemus, pulling and throwing him onto his back by the shoulders. Laurence pounced onto him, the blade of his knife hovering over his muzzle. Nicodemus brought up two arms against the hand that held the blade, pushing back as it pushed down towards his head.

"Nicodemus!" He heard a few of his students yell. "Stop!" Caramel hissed, holding them back. "Let me go! He's gonna kill him!" Inola wailed, thrashing in Caramel's tight grasp. The she-fox didn't have a response to that, her black eyes staring straight into the tabby tom's. Nicodemus turned his head, time freezing for a moment.

Dying wasn't an option.

He wrinkled his muzzle, turning back towards the knife. Laurence beat his tug of war. In a split second, he brought down the blade.

Nicodemus swiftly thrashed his head to the side, the blade of the knife getting caught in his ear. He held his breath, bracing himself. He heard the silent chuckle of pleasure as he felt a cold burning feeling surround his ear. Nicodemus writhed in agony, the painful grip of the canine holding him down. The feline screamed as the knife cut in a zig-zag path, slicing out a huge chunk of his ear. Blood pooled out as it went deeper.

Nicodemus screeched, his head freeing itself of the knife and smacking his muzzle into Laurence's face. The canine screeched as Nicodemus clawed any part of the wolf's body he could reach, his jaws sinking into his shoulder. No more mister nice guy. He felt instinct and adrenaline combine as the agonizing thumping of pain swelled through his head. He threw away his knife.

Laurence let out a cry of pain and reached up, slicing his claw across his face. Nicodemus screeched, his eye burning with pain. Blood clouded his whole vision, his surroundings turning an abnormally dark shade of red. Half-blindly, Nicodemus raked his claws across Laurence's head, somewhere, anywhere, he didn't even know where he hit him.

Whatever he did, Laurence let out a concernedly loud yelp and yelled a few things Nicodemus was too winded to hear. The tabby stared as he watched the canine flee, a small group of others following him. He let out a few pants, turning around to see his students and a small crowd behind him. Abruptly, his breath escaped, and he slumped to the ground, his cheek hitting the cold cement below.

Crystal screamed, and Caramel's figure blurred out above him, darkness swallowing him whole.