Rain fell hard that September morning. It landed in an erratic cadence against the metal roof of the car. Hunter's ears twitched every time the windshield wipers screeched to and from their nest. Weren't these ones brand new?
Off the brakes, onto the gas. Past the intersection by Bobmart, then take a right. Stop again. Where do I go now?
Richard hesitated for a moment and looked to his GPS. Down a mile or two, then another right. He nodded to himself, only for red lights to illuminate the rain drops on the road. A gasp caught in his throat. He slammed on the brakes and punched his car horn. The car in front of him came to a complete stop, then turned.
The idiot didn't even use his blinkers.
He drove onward and pondered this new address. It mocked him from a crumpled piece of paper tossed to the passenger's seat. The scratchy handwriting only just legible.
"Can't talk much, need help, come to 3205 Wintersby Ave."
A stray hand reached to his face and scratched the scruff on his cheek. No sane person up and left over strange letters in the mail. Life in the city might drive you to it though. Any excuse to duck out and run to suburbia was enough for him. Even if the old neighborhoods became faint shadows of the past, colored only by wistful nostalgia.
The smoky smells of a family BBQ. Kids might play in the front yard, dousing each other with the watering-hose. Even the family dog might be tugging his master by the leash, searching for new and exciting smells.
Not that you would see anything like that those days.
His car passed by dilapidated homes, a few windows cracked. Some boarded up entirely. Weeds and tall grass overran yards. Vines ensnared rusted chain link fences in their snake-like grasp. Not a place to hang around for long. House 3205 looked no different.
Thunder clapped in the sky and the rain came down in heavier torrents the moment he parked his car.
"Wouldn't have predicted this." He mumbled
He slipped out of his car and jogged through the rain. The moment he reached the front door he pounded it with his fist and bent over his knees to catch his breath. Water soaked his back while he listened for someone to answer the door.
The door creaked open, the shadow of a face could be seen through the small crack.
"You sent me a letter, something about needing help?" Richard said over the roar of the rain.
"Your name?" Said the person behind the door.
"What? You wrote it on the envelope though."
"Your name."
"Richard Spritz." He said.
"Your old name."
"You know the law, that isn't my name anymore."
"No one's around to hear you."
"Fine, it's Hunter. Now can I come inside?"
The door whipped open to reveal a anthropomorphic husky. A bright smile lit up his face. Richard, or Hunter rather paused in his tracks and laughed.
"Yet another unexpected twist, yes?" Said the husky.
"Jeez Exile can't believe it's really you."
"Get in now, before eary people decide to report us." Exile said.
Hunter did as he was told while the door shut behind him.
"Wait, you mean nosy right?"
"Why would I say that? You smell with your nose."
Hunter shrugged and nodded. Same old Exile. Time changed him very little. Not that he could say the same of himself.
"What was the deal with my name out there?"
"A precaution. I feared they got you too."
"Precautions? They? Exile you're starting to sound like one of those conspiracy nuts on TV." Said Hunter.
The husky glared a little and folded his arms.
"Someone is rounding up former Rovers and...doing things to them. I found Blitz by accident the other day. I barely even recognized him! Weird boy always used to be so stressed about his looks, and to see him the way I did. Oh it was weird."
Hunter tilted his head and took a seat on the couch.
"I said to him 'Blitz, you look like you need to lay off the doggy biscuits' and he goes crazy. He said not to make fun of his glandular problem or something. Then he goes on about how he doesn't even know who Blitz is! That I had the wrong cano-sapien."
"He didn't even recognize you?"
"Not even a smallish bit." Said Exile. "So I decided to find the old Rovers myself, before something else happened. Colleen and Muzzle, they are at The Master's old lab."
"Any news on Shag?"
"Nope. I don't even know if he could read my letter." Said Exile.
The idea that someone was out there hunting the Rovers made Hunter want to shrink into himself. Maybe Parvo did it? No way, he's dead. Son of Parvo, Parvo's apprentice, the groomer? Who could do it? And why now?
"I had to name check you Hunter, because when I saw you walk up to the door, I thought they got you too."
Hunter blushed. The weight of his own figure became quite apparent. A self conscious hand reached towards his middle and rested upon a...
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