HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 11:02 am

Don't worry about it, edits happen. I remain confident that whatever will come next will be worth the wait, as always

NHWestoN · Post by **NHWestoN** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:00 pm

...and, meanwhile. there's always "Members vs Mods 5: Next Top Counter"! heeheeheeheeheeheehee ……...

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:41 pm

You know that game is rigged towards the mods winning right?

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:48 pm

NHWestoN wrote:...and, meanwhile. there's always "Members vs Mods 5: Next Top Counter"! heeheeheeheeheeheehee ……...

Not being rude, but what does have to do with this fic? Just wondering, s'all.

(BTW, Chapter 2 is FINALLY being worked on now!)

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Tue Aug 06, 2019 2:44 pm

Yay! I can't wait to see how that chapter ends up coming out!

trekkie · Post by **trekkie** » Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:51 pm

I look forward to reading it, I’m sure that it’ll be awesome.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:58 pm

trekkie wrote:I look forward to reading it, I’m sure that it’ll be awesome.

Thanks. The reason for the wait was, aside from re-doing how the chapter would go, I was having trouble figuring out how I wanted Chapter 2 to begin.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:39 am

I'm sure that when you do figure it out, you will get back to the story as quickly as possible.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 11:22 am

Amazee Dayzee wrote:I'm sure that when you do figure it out, you will get back to the story as quickly as possible.

Thanks

The issue stems from the fact that because this and the next arc revolves around Zach and I never really wrote him before so I'm trying to figure out how to keep somewhat true to his character while giving him some evolution in the fic as well.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:35 pm

Well if you need a little bit of assistance with that, you can go back in the archives and start reading strips about Zach so you can get a fit for his personality.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:31 pm

(Short chapter but we are finally back on track!)

HousepetZ: Día De Los Muertos
Chapter II: A Tempting Offer

"OK...I can do this" Zach breathed heavily as he stood outside the woods that surrounded his home town. He knew he had to venture in and rescue Jessica from the Opener Cult and he had this strong feeling he should do it quickly. His heart was racing a mile a minute and sweat was leaking down his face, dripping off his whiskers and onto the pavement below. His breathing was heavy and he felt tense and nervous. But he knew he had to do this. With a deep breath in his lungs and a hope in his soul, Zach took one step...towards the nearest bench away from the woods.
"I can't...I can't do it" Zach sighed as he plopped down onto the bench, face buried deep within his paws. Even with his newly discovered Celestial Powers and the weapon given to him by Zodd, he still was just Zach and he still was afraid of most everything in the world. It was a fear he truly didn't understand as it seemed to occur randomly but it did affect him both physically, mentally, and spiritually, as evident by his shaking and sweating. "I can't leave Jess to them but I just can't work up the courage to..." Zach sighed before he could finish and leaned back on the bench. A bench that, unbeknownst to him, he had an encounter with during a time when zombies and cults were just relegated to entertainment. It was on this bench that he saw Bino sitting there in, what he assumed to be, sadness. He tried to help but Bino was still Bino back then and said that the guy he saw at Duchess' home was just some random person and that their date will be on the next day before skipping home and leaving Zach to sit there all dumbfounded. Now, he found himself yet again on the same bench, this time in Bino's position but for real this time. But now it was just him and his thoughts....
"Boy, for being a Celestial" Zach's ears suddenly shot up as a voice, one he recognized from a few days earlier, suddenly spoke up, "You sure are one big sissy when it comes to anything."
"Who are you?" Zach asked the voice, repeating his question from their first encounter, "I demand to know who you are!" This time, the voice responded with a small laughter then a vocal response: "Oh you lucky, lucky bunny. Haven't you guess, Zachy? I am your Beast Within. I have the power to help you rescue your darling Jessica. With me, we can do anything...and all you have to do is give your allegiance to me."
"A deal with a devil" Zach thought before asking "What can you give me if I agree to your terms?"
"Oh, child...I can give you anything: Immortality! Strength like never before! Powers beyond your imagination! I can even keep your friends from dying! And to sweeten the deal: I can even make your fear go away forever. What do you say? Do we have an accord?" This was very tempting to Zach as he gave thought to what this Beast was offering him. Immortality? More powers? No more fear? Seemed like an awesome deal he thought to himself and he was all set to accept the deal when another voice, one he knew didn't recognize, suddenly entered the picture. The voice, sounding calm and peaceful, said "If you are to take this deal, then you shall not only be betraying everyone you ever met, but yourself as well. You will be dead to the world spiritually." Some reason that he couldn't explain, Zach knew he could trust this voice and, somehow, he got a new found spring in his step so he said, in response to this Beast Within him, "Yeah, I'm going to say No to that."
"Sorry you feel that way," the Beast Within replied before thinking to itself "You're already mine anyway...you just don't know it yet." As that voice dispirsed, Zach stood up from the bench and look towards the woods. "I'm coming, Jessica." Zach proclaimed and, with a snap of his fingers, a familiar outfit that he wore during the last month of the zombie epidemic re-formed on him and, with another deep breath and a look of determination, Zach marched into the woods. He was going to rescue Jessica no matter the cost..."And I think I know where to start looking for this Cult..."

trekkie · Post by **trekkie** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:48 pm

Good chapter. I like how you described Zach’s internal conflict of whether or not to take the Beast’s deal.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:58 pm

I told you that when you would eventually write the chapter that it would come out nice! Wonderful job!

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 6:58 am

Yay it's back

Go Zach, you can do it!!

Post by **SeanWolf** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:51 am

HousepetZ: Día De Los Muertos
Chapter III: Into The Woods

It was now mid-day when Zach entered the woods with his new found courage, though that fear was still there, lingering like a odor. The fear was stifled by the sheer beauty of the woods, something that Zach forgot about as since he lived in Babylon Gardens for so long, he had forgotten how the woods can be so majestic. It was almost as if Bob Ross himself painted a picture and he was walking through it. However, for how beautiful and majestic the place was, he still had a job to do, which was to find and rescue Jessica and he had a feeling he knew where to start looking. "Knowing this Cult, they'd probably be at Custom Ink's new home...I'll start there." Walking through the woods but making sure not to make too much noise as to attract anyone, Zach made his way past the tree that had the initials GS+MAX surrounded by a heart shape, past a log cabin that seemed a bit big for a standard human, and over a small bridge, before arriving near his destination. "Seems oddly quiet" he thought to himself as he observed the location from, what he hoped, a safe area. Indeed the location, the home of Custom Ink, was quiet and devoid of any life or action, save for the twittering of birds and various forest dwellers, although thankfully no banjos were being played which gave Zach a sigh of relief. He thought that this was oddly going to be too easy and was about to walk onto the property, when his rabbit eyes caught sight of something he didn't recognize at all. A robed figure walked out of one of the trees, followed by four more robed figures and a non-robbed figure.
"Jessica!" Zach whispered as the robed figures brought Jessica, who honestly had her usual calm demeanor though she did have a chain around her neck, towards Ink's house. Figuring he needed to here what they were saying, Zach did some very quick hand motions and his ears were then able to pick up everything that was going to be said by the robed figures, Jessica, and soon Ink, who walked out of her home and towards the figures, though he wished he could unhear the one insult by Jessica:
"You sure you don't want to join us, Jessie?"
"Look, I don't go for all this hogwash and false beliefs. Heck, Zach told youOOF"
"Do not speak ill of the Opener Of Ways, heathen!"
"Oi! No slapping our prisoner!"
"Sorry, Ink."
"Now then, you have two choices: Either join us and accept the truth...or we sacrifice you to him."
"How about you go eat trash and let me go?" Jessica replied with a scoff, leading to Custom Ink chuckling and telling her followers to lock her in the box, for she'll be the first they'll sacrifice to the Opener. While this did upset Zach, at the same time he was disgusted. The thought that they would sacrifice someone to him just made him sick. "NOW I really wish I never opened that darned door." He thought to himself before returning his attention to the action below. As the robed figures led Jessica to the box, he notices Cory coming out of Ink's home and asking "Do you think he'll try to rescue her?"
"Probably," Custom Ink replies, flipping a coin in the air that caught Zach's attention, "If he does, you know what to do" which led to Cory nodding and motioning for a few followers to, well, follow him to behind the house while Custom Ink went back inside her home and the rest of the followers went about their daily lives and chores. Zach, meanwhile, sat behind his cover and was doing some thinking as to what the next step of his plan should be. "It's too risky to try to sneak in right now in broad daylight as I run the risk of being caught...There's also the idea of grabbing of their robes but they seem to be custom made...I could do a full on attack and just wipe everyone out but I run the risk of accidentally killing Jessica..." he was running out of ideas when one hit him like a smack to the head, "Duh! I go at night! I stick to the cover of darkness, make my way to where they have Jessica, grab her and boom! Home free!" This seemed like the easiest plan for him but he knew anything could go wrong so he didn't want to be too safe with the plan so he told him "As a precaution, if this doesn't work, I'll fall back to the eliminate all plan...right..." With the plan set and he was comfortable with it, Zach sat there and waited for the night to envelop the land.

As the moonlight peaked through the trees, Zach began to make his way down to the property and began to look for this 'box' holding Jessica. Making sure not to make any sound, once again, Zach peaked into every building he saw, including Custom Ink's, not only to make sure that they are asleep but to see if Jessica is in there. Sadly, with each building and tree he checked, there was no sign of her. He was beginning to get mad when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that made him face-palm hard. Near Custom Ink's house, there was a box--an actual box and it was big enough to hold an animal his size. "You gotta be kiddin' me" he grumbled as he snuck over to it and opened it up.
"Jessica?" he asked the being inside and the being answered--with a paw to his face.
"You let me out right now cause I got to...Zach? What are you doing here? And what is with the outfit?" It was Jessica and, much to his relief, she was still her sarcastic self.
"I'll explain at my house but, for now, I'm getting you out of here." Zach replied as he helped Jessica out of the cardboard box, "Now stay quiet and try not to step on anything noisy." Jessica nodded and followed Zach as they slowly snuck out of the area. "This seemed too easy," Zach thought to himself as they passed by one of the trees, "Something's wrong..." Then, as if on cue, bright lights emitting from flood lights suddenly came own, blinding both Zach and Jess for a few seconds. As they regain their eye sights, both then realized that they were both surrounded by the Cult, each one holding a crossbow.
"Gotta admit, I didn't expect the Opener Of Ways to be you, Zachy!" A voice called out, one that Zach recognized from the past. Turning around and seeing that it was indeed who he thought it was, Zach motioned for Jessica to get behind him as he replied "Hello, Cory..."

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:30 pm

This is a great chapter! You've got me eager to see what happens next

One question, would the cult really hurt Zach? I thought as the Opener of Ways they'd listen to him as a holy figure. I'm curious why he couldn't just show up and tell them to stop what they're doing

Post by **SeanWolf** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:43 pm

Nathan Kerbonaut wrote:This is a great chapter! You've got me eager to see what happens next
One question, would the cult really hurt Zach? I thought as the Opener of Ways they'd listen to him as a holy figure. I'm curious why he couldn't just show up and tell them to stop what they're doing

Not hurt him, per say, but rough him up so that he can be who they want him to be.

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:44 pm

I see, thanks for the response

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:56 pm

I'm hoping that the cult doesn't discover the "fun" of waterboarding.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Fri Aug 09, 2019 9:44 am

Amazee Dayzee wrote:I'm hoping that the cult doesn't discover the "fun" of waterboarding.

I can assure you they won't go that far nor will I get that dark.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 12:05 am

You had a badger getting decapitated with extreme prejudice so I'm thinking it could be that dark.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:31 am

Amazee Dayzee wrote:You had a badger getting decapitated with extreme prejudice so I'm thinking it could be that dark.

...true...point Amazee.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 12:32 pm

Small update as I work on Chapter 4:

- I scrapped a future arc as I realized I could've took elements of that arc and mixed them within the other arcs
(The arc in question was HousepetZ: Death Island and would've starred Jata and Lana on a vacation island...with the undead)

- The next arc will also be 5 chapters but each chapter will be a long read (as the arc after The Beast In Black will be, give or take, a long one...not as long as Bat Out Of Pandemonium, mind you)

- Cerberus will have a much bigger role in the next arcs along with a new Celestial I dare not reveal.

Otherwise, stay tuned for the next chapter of this arc!

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 1:56 pm

Good to hear! Sounds like you've got a lot planned for the future

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 2:22 pm

Nathan Kerbonaut wrote:Good to hear! Sounds like you've got a lot planned for the future

I do

I have a notepad filled with the plans for this entire storyline

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:00 pm

I do hope that we get to see all of those plans come to fruition!

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:38 pm

Amazee Dayzee wrote:I do hope that we get to see all of those plans come to fruition!

You will

So far, I only had to cancel three arcs:

HousepetZ: Angry Driver
HousepetZ: Mountains Of Madness (One thing DID survive from this arc...and the clue is in the title)
HousepetZ: Death Island

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 10:25 pm

I would have actually been interested in seeing what was going to go on in "Angry Driver".

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sat Aug 10, 2019 10:35 pm

Amazee Dayzee wrote:I would have actually been interested in seeing what was going to go on in "Angry Driver".

Heh well, here are the notes I made for it (some of the ideas survived and either ended up in the previous arc or a future one):

HousepetZ: Angry Driver
= Main Stars: Opener Cult, Zach, Jessica, Bruno, Breel, Anubis (Cameo)
= Main Points: The "SoulDestroyer" Gun, Bounty Hunter from the Netherworld arrives, The Opener Cult begins to rise up in power, Jessica is kidnapped by the cult, Breel arrives and talks with Anubis
= Ending: Bruno is destroyed with the SoulDestroyer Gun wielded by Zach...The hunter tells him he has to come to The Netherworld due to his actions and Zach does nod but ends up killing or rather destroying the soul of the Hunter with the SD
= Stinger: Custom Ink, the leader of the Opener Cult, reforms two forest critters into Truckstaff (Resurrected Truck and Falstaff but as one), executes their plan with the creation of a new zombie breed

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:55 pm

So it has nothing to do with a crazy driver racing through the streets of Babylon Gardens and taking out a phone pole or two?

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:02 pm

Amazee Dayzee wrote:So it has nothing to do with a crazy driver racing through the streets of Babylon Gardens and taking out a phone pole or two?

Nah, it was going to be a bit of a crazy story but I ended up dropping it as it didn't fit within the main story line I'm doing...though your idea is amazing!

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:03 pm

HousepetZ: Día De Los Muertos
Chapter IV: Welcome To Die!

"Hello, Zach...or is it The Opener Of Ways?" Cilantro or Cory responds back, his usual demeanor shining through like a chocolate stain on a white cloak. The first one inducted into the Opener Cult when it began, Cory was given the duty of protecting the other cultists and Custom Ink while delivering 'judgement' to those the cult saw as 'unfit for their lives'. Right now, he was preparing to bring judgement to both Zach and Jessica, the former for breaking out their prisoner and the later for leaving the Box. As he stood there, among the other followers, Zach eyed him closely while keeping a paw at the revolver Zodd gave him. He noticed that Cory was walking very oddly as each step he took produced a small audible thud as it hit the ground.
"What do you want, Cory?" Zach asked, keeping him in his line of sight while having Jessica behind him. Cory, in return, scoffed as he replies "What do you think, bunny? I want you and our prisoner over there. So, give yourself up...but if you don't," he then added as his voice lowered to a sinister tone, "Then I get to have some fun." Zach looked back towards Jessica with a 'Is-he-for-real?' look, to which she just nonchalantly shrugged. Looking back at Cory, who was still circling them as the other cult members stood there, with some holding small crossbows, Zach asked "What do you want with Jess, anyway? You know she never went along with this Opener stuff."
"Which is why we need her," Cory replied, "We are the way and the future of the world. We want nothing more then total dominance of us creatures over the world of mankind. We never knew if we could do this but you..." he pointed at Zach, "When you opened that man-made doorway, it showed to us that we can be better and stronger then man! This world belongs to us!" He turned his gaze towards the stars, "Father Phoenix gave us the tool to see this through but..." he then, slowly, returned his gaze to Zach, his eyes now as red as blood, and growled "..but you? You murdered the Father. You removed our one chance at achieving a paradise for all creatures! You...disgrace the name of Opener Of WaysGUH!" Cory suddenly fell backwards onto the ground, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. The other cultists gasped and mumbled as they looked at their fallen comrade before looking up at Zach, who was standing there holding a now smoking revolver. "Two things...One: I AIN'T the Opener Of Ways! and Two? MAN you don't like to shut up." As he turned to face Jessica to take her out of the woods, Zach's ears suddenly shot up as the sound of laughter soon filled the air. Turning around to see where it was coming from, Zach could only gasp as the, what he presumed, lifeless body of Cory began to stand up, along with his eyes opening back up. Cory looked down at his wounded chest and smirked before ripping the cloak off of him and revealing what had happened to him, much to both Zach's and Jessica's horror. The skunk they knew as a chubby fellow was now built like pro-wrestler, with veins pulsating through his arms, teeth razor sharp, eyes glowing red, and a ruffled tail. This was not the Cory they knew.

"Holy..." Zach murmured as he looked upon the beastly Cory, who growled "Beautiful, aren't I! This was a gift from Mother Ink and, I have to say, I look amazing! Now, I was told not to kill you but just rough you up...however you shooting me changes things..." Suddenly, and without warning, Cory-Beast lunged towards Zach, who both pushed Jessica out of the way and dived the opposite way and readied another shot. Except there was one minor problem: Where was the revolver?
"Looking for thisss?" Cory hissed as, within his grasp, he held the revolver before breaking it like it was nothing more then a twig. Zach gulped hard as the pieces fell to the ground. Before he could even grab even a stick, Cory's paw came flying towards him and knocked him back a few feet into a nearby tree with a loud crack. Zach shouted as he felt the pain rush into him as he hit the ground. "You know, for an Opener Of Waysss...you ssssure are a pathetic fighter." Cory taunted as he picked at his teeth a bit, "Come on, I'll give you a free hit." Zach, still in pain, stood up and took a swing at Cory, who in turn dodged and kneed him in the stomach. This time, Zach felt something break inside him. Never in his life has he met someone with the strength of Cory, let lone the beastly figure. The closet would be Pete but then he had help...help....Zach than felt like an idiot as he forgot he was a Celestial! Standing back up and facing Cory down, his paws began to glow as he felt strength running through his body and soul. With a boisterous yell, Zach launched towards Cory and landed a blow on his face. Which did nothing as Cory didn't even flinch. Instead, he grabbed Zach, lifted him to the sky and shouted "You know, I had a bet with Ink in wonder what would break first with you: Your spirit or...YOUR...BODY!" and, like Bane to Batman, Cory brought Zach's body down onto his knee and with a loud crack, Zach's back was broken. Zach's scream echoed throughout the woods as Cory tossed him aside like a dirty shirt. Jess looked on in horror as Zach laid on the ground motionless but breathing.
"Come on..." Jessica thought, "Get up....please..." Cory, in the meantime, laughed boisterously as he looked towards the cultists and proclaimed that he was the one is stronger then the Opener Of Ways, leading to cheers from the cultists. Zach, meanwhile, continued to lie there motionless as he felt his life fading away. He never wanted it to end like this but what could he do? Cory was five-thousand times stronger then him and, no matter what he did, Cory would just brush it off as a tap from a summer breeze. As he laid there, a voice he recognized made a return as it said "Quite the predicament you got yourself in, eh lad?"
"What do you want?" Zach thought which the voice, belonging to his Beast, replies "Oh nothing. Just the same deal as last time: Let me give you my strength and we can take this freaky down in no time and be back home in time for your date with Jessica." While on normal days he would've told the Beast off, this time, however? He was actually considering agreeing to this deal as he wanted nothing more then to be with Jess at that moment and to see the end of Cory-Beast. He didn't even care that it would mean the end of him spiritually as..."Listen to me, my child" Suddenly another voice, also one he recognized but couldn't place, chimed in, "You already have the power within you to slay this beast. All you need to do is just trust your heart."
"Who...are you? Zach thought, the pain of his broken back now greater then ever. The voice, however, simply said "In due time you shall know who I am. But for now: Believe in your heart and you can conquer even the mightiest of beasts." Both voices suddenly vanished from his mind, leaving Zach alone with the cheering cultists, CoryBeast, and a saddened Jessica.
"Believe in my heart..." Zach thought, "...worth *urk* a shot" As he did, he suddenly felt not only his back repairing itself but all of his wounds he sustained. A smile then formed as he felt power like never before coursing through him. Cory, in the meantime, was still soaking in all the cheering and thinking about all the praise Custom Ink would rain on him, when the cheering suddenly came to a halt. "Huh?" Cory said, "Do I have something on my tail?" As he looked to his tail, his eyes suddenly went wide as he watched Zach, the bunny whose back he could've swore he broke, stand up looking like he just stepped out of a massage parlor. "How in the...never mind" Cory growled as he walked towards Zach, "I broke you once, I can break you again." With that, Cory brought his head back and swung it down towards Zach's own head in the hopes to shatter his skull. Instead, his head just comically bounces off of Zach's head who, like Cory before him, didn't even flinch, let alone move an inch.
"My turn," quipped Zach whose eyes were now a glowing shade of an green emerald as he pointed his paws towards Cory and lifted him in the air using his Celestial powers. Cory began to roar and shout, screaming for Zach to let him down and fight fair. Zach, in turn, smirked and said "A beast has no place to ask for a fair fight..." Cory's screams suddenly became more louder as he felt his body pulsating faster and faster before, in a display of bright lights, exploding. Zach, using his powers, had tapped directly into Cory's very soul and destroyed it from within, leaving nothing left other then some fur. The beast once known as Cilantro, a skunk who was known for conning creatures, was no more. An air of silence then filled the compound as Zach picked up the pieces of the broken revolver then walked over to Jessica, his powers now back within him and his eyes back to normal, and took her paw in his paw and they both walked out of the woods, Zach casually knocking aside a group of cultists. Inside the main house, Custom Ink was watching the events unfold. "Pity about Cory," Ink said to herself as she watched both Zach and Jessica leave the woods while flipping a golden coin, "But he brought this on himself. I told him to just rough him up but he wanted to do otherwise. Whatever, we may not have the Opener and the outcast...but we still have the Gifts of Father Phoenix" she adds as she catches the coin and places it back in a large trunk by her bed. A large trunk that held even more similar coins to the one she was flipping...

Post by **SeanWolf** » Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:18 pm

HousepetZ: Día De Los Muertos
Chapter V: The Fallen

Back in Babylon Gardens, as Zach and Jessica made their way to Zach's home, there was another home whose door was forced open. Said perpetrator of the act then walked towards the open door. This figure was dressed in a ripped pair of black jeans and a tattered jacket. Their fur was burnt in various places, a birthmark was nothing more then a broken heart, and a scar had claimed a home on their head. Their eyes no longer looking normal but looked like they belonged on a beast. Behind this figure, a body laid motionless. It's mouth was open ever so slightly. Cuts from sharp objects littered its body. The figure who did this heinous act could only chuckle and mumble to itself as it looked down at a small object in its left paw. An object that once had belonged to the corpse behind them and, at one point, brought anger to them. Now, this object brought nothing but happiness. For now, their job was done. As this figure left this now lifeless house, they turned to the corpse and tossed the object onto their body. As it hit the body, the morning sun shone on the object, revealing the name inscribed upon it: K9 Officer Fox Lindberg.

NEXT TIME...HOUSEPETZ: THE BEAST IN BLACK

--------------------------------------------------------------

EPILOGUE:

It is said that there will come a time that a cult will rise and the dead would soon obey. Many will fight them but none shall succeed. But from the east, a beast of chrome shall arrive with a rider encased in steel. The name has struck fear into those who heard it, death to those who fought it, and hope to those who sought it. For the name of the rider is and always shall be: Fenrisúlfr

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 1:19 am

Wow these chapters got really dark and escalated everything up 100 levels at a time. Very spooky and malevolent. Nice job!

Nathan Kerbonaut · Post by **Nathan Kerbonaut** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:09 am

This was fantastic! That action was gripping and I really like the dark tone. Well done!!

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:16 am

Nathan Kerbonaut wrote:This was fantastic! That action was gripping and I really like the dark tone. Well done!!

Amazee Dayzee wrote:Wow these chapters got really dark and escalated everything up 100 levels at a time. Very spooky and malevolent. Nice job!

Thanks

I was worried a bit as to what reaction the death of Fox would receive, tbh. And, yes, the epilogue? Fenrisúlfr is the next Celestial on the way...but that's all I'll say..other then that is NOT the other voice in Zach's head.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:06 am

Not that it matters since if I ever do feel sad I can tell myself that Fox is alive in the actual comic, but will Fox be risen from the dead (like a soap opera!) or is he dead-dead?

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:41 am

Amazee Dayzee wrote:Not that it matters since if I ever do feel sad I can tell myself that Fox is alive in the actual comic, but will Fox be risen from the dead (like a soap opera!) or is he dead-dead?

In terms of this fic? Dead-dead. I think you probably already know who did the kill though.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 10:20 pm

Oh yes you are right about that. He's baaaaaaaaack. I wonder if Bino will feel guilty about this. I know that they hate each other now because of Fox's friendship with his biological cousin-in-law/adoptive brother-in-law, but I'm pretty sure he didn't want him dead.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 10:43 pm

HousepetZ: The Beast In Black
Prolouge

"Um...Good morning...out of everything I have ever had to say...this is probably the hardest one yet. But it is with deepest regret that we of the K9 Division of the Babylon Gardens Police Department have to announce that K9 Officer and Friend...*ahem*...K9 Officer and Friend Fox Lindberg was found dead today in his home from an apparent break-in gone wrong. Fox will not only be missed by us but by the countless friends he had made over the course of his life and the family he leaves behind..." as Sgt. Ralph continued on with the announcement, a few blocks away stood a figure who was sporting a sinister smile. They, in stark contrast to the rest of the folks, was happier then a newborn puppy at the death announcement. Stepping out from the nearby shadows and letting the sun bathe their face, the figure runs a paw through the fur on their head, revealing a scar they had received from an engagement. "Good fight they gave," the figure thinks to themselves as they run their paw over the scar on their head, "But I always win." They then ran a paw through their chest fur and over a small hole - a hole which held a dark secret. For you see, this hole was man-made, so to speak. This hole was what ended their life and prevented them from continuing their work. This hole, that was in the middle of this figures body, belonged to one...Sasha Hartford...and as she ran her paws over the hole, a smile slowly formed. Closing her jacket, she starts to leave the area but then catches sight of a small robed figure hurrying back into the woods, "Interesting..."