Anon’s heart was breaking steadily. It was already Friday afternoon and the letter from the Military ordered him to be in Nevada on Monday!
Little Jon raided Anon’s cupboards and brought a glass of whiskey which he ordered Anon to get down the hatch while he cleaned up after the fluffy fight. While he was cleaning he called a couple friends and talked to them about Anon’s situation. “Yeah…no not a contractor, drafted…” he muttered with one, “Nellis on Monday man, you and I both know where he’s goin…yeah…think they moved 'em? Haa!” with another.
An hour later he joined Anon on the patio, the drink still untouched, his own whiskey poured and he sat in silence. Anon, blearily looked up “It would’ve been hard enough going with them man. I don’t wanna do this to begin with…but now…what if they come back?” Jon put his hand on Anon’s knee, “IF they come back, me and Karyn, Misty…hell I’ll even ask Clint to stop by. We’ll keep checking for them and we’ll look around. You have a job to do now. And you CAN’T fuck it up. You habe got to get your shit wired my man. Get a soldier mindset and quick. You can’t back out. Cause they’ll just send someone around to snatch your ass and drop you in Leavenworth and move on to the next guy on their list for their super-secret boy band.”
He looked up at the setting sun and in that moment Anon saw a glimpse of a man who had existed 2 decades ago. There was a hardness that his jaw took on that spoke of smoke and discipline, of pride and death and for the first time it occurred to you that he had never pried into his friend’s past. Anon had just assumed he was quiet about his service like many veterans not out of shame but out of compassion for his fellow man. Better to let one man carry the ghosts than to unburden them to others who would never understand their nature.
The moment brought him back to his dilemma. Brushing his palms across his jeans, Anon stood. “Guess I should pack some stuff. Send emails. Cle-”
Jon shook his head. “I got some friends from…the old days…they will get you set up. You gotta get in tomorrow though…so just pack and lock up the house. Don’t worry. We’re gonna search and we’ll wait. The boys will turn up. You’ll see…it’s gonna be okay.”
Leonidas awoke from his dazed nap, and crawled his way back up the hill to the sidewalk. He looked down the road where the landscaping truck had gone. He was so far behind, the truck could have gone anywhere! And he was so small, and had never been alone before, and…maybe he sould go find daddysniffle and he was just a fluffy he should go back…sniff…
Leo’s little face hardened. He was small, but Clyntius was just a little chirpy baby. And Clyntius needed him. He was Leonidas, Daddy’ Little Lion. Leonidas the brave, and he would find Clyntius or go to forever sleepies. He put one hoof in front of the other, walking, then trotting, then running and sprinting…
And his speed was rewarded, cresting the hill at the end of the street he saw the truck and the trailer! It was pulled into a gravel utility yard down at the bottom of the hill. It took Leonidas until the big sky ball was gone and Moon Mumma was high to reach the yard. Across the flat black thing daddy called the “s-tweet” was a big housie thing but the windows were boarded up, or broken. Leo scrambled his way under the gate into the utility yard, and searched the empty trailer deck. Sniffing as best he could he first caught the scent of the black eyed black fluffies, and then under it the sweet baby scent of Clyntius. Leo followed it out to the s-tweet, looking both ways for metah munstas like daddy taught him, then kept going until he found a little bit of Clyntius poopies, then into the yard of the big dark house place and over to a broken part of the door.
He paused. Looked around. Then stepped inside. Picking his way in the near darkness, he listened. Faintly a tinny weepy “speep, speep” could be heard coming from a long way inside the building. Leo clambered forward, ducking over broken pipes and wood, skittering across glass. Clyntius! He was there! “CWYNT! WEO COMIN’ CWYNTEEUSSH!” He called, rushing his way through rotted boards and abandoned cardboard.
Leo finally burst out into a large room and skidded to a stop. An old mechanic service bay, lit by a faded, buzzing sodium bulb hanging in what was left of a suspended panel. In front of him was an empty, deep, wide pool, a rolling gate at one end. And surrounding it were dozens, even hundreds of the black fluffed, silver maned, silent fluffies. On a pedestal made of toppled filing cabinets and a rotting office chair sat…the biggest fluffy Leonidas had ever seen!
He was all gold, with a big shiny horn and black eyes. Eyes that locked on Leo as soon as he appeared.
“Ah…Weonidas…it took 'oo wong enuff.” The gold fluffy rumbled in a voice that seemed to roll across the ground like smoke. “Yoa wittew chiwpeh fwen nevah gave up, doh he awso nebah shut da fwuff up!” He pointed a massive golden leather hoof down into the pit where a group of the black fluffies separated. In the center of their group, little Clyntius lay, his snout bloodied. The foal lifted his head, “W-Weo! WEO HEWE! speep! Weo sabe babbeh!” and tried to scoot towards, Leo while holding his arms out for upsies. Leo’s face became a mask of rage and he cast his eyes about for a way down. Finding none he took a step back, ready to leap into the hole. “Ah-AH!” the golden fluffy raised his hoof, “Not su fas’ ‘Weo’” he called mockingly. “Joo have some wearnin’ ta do”. Leo sneered.
“Pewhaps, Weo, joo couwd shawe yoa knowledge wiff ush.” The fluffy cajoled. “Pewhaps, joo can eben wearn a fingy o’ two fwom da gweat Siwksees” the fluffy pointed at himself.
Siwksees, the name rang alarm bells in Leo’s head. The fight in the park, the nasty smarty and his proclamation before fleeing. Leo stepped forward and puffed his chest. “Wenidas been shawin’ wut he noe wiff Siwksees aww day.” He declared, defiance shining in every word.
“NO!” Xerxes stomped, “Fwuffy noe nuffin! Buh Siwksees gonna show joo…Siwksees teachin’ da mos’ impowtan’ wesson ob aww…pain…an woss.” He looked down at the black fluffies gathered around Clyntius and raised his hoof, drawing it across his throat.
The black fluffies with their dead black eyes began to mercilessly kick the beautiful, innocent foal back and forth between them. They stomped his tiny legs, they bit his little tail and tore it out strand by strand. All the while he cried pitifully, letting out tiny fading “Peep peeps”. Leo watched in horror, readying himself again to leap, but realizing the entire cavernous room of fluffies had stood, all poised to pounce on him. He would never make it to Clyntius before they bore him down.
And the beating went on. And on. Each kick, each sicking thud, each crack, driving an icicle of horror and sorrow into Leonidas’ heart. Clyntius’ head popped up and he screeched when one black fluffy pinned his leg and bit him. “WWWWWEEEEOOOOO!”
“Joo see!” Xerxes roared. “Wook Weonidas! See wha’ happen wen joo defy Siwksees! See wha’ you bwave-ness getchu! Wook upon wha’ JOO cause!”
Clyntius was kicked out of the circle, his little sides heaving, his face a mashed bloody pulp, limbs mangled. He lifted his head once last time and sorrowfully looked directly into Leonidas’ eyes. His tiny voice mustered and he called"hgh…hgh…Wub Weo…Huhuuu…Wub Weo awways-"
A black and silver fluffy loomed over him, reared, and with complete silence, stomped both hooves down on Clyntius’ head with a sickening crunch. And Clyntius, the beautiful, bright chirping foal, was still.
Xerxes began to laugh, a deep throated, rolling thunderous laugh filled with all the cruelty and malice this world can muster. His army of black fluffed, silver maned, dead eyed followers began to advance on Leo.
And Leo fled. Pushing his way through the warehouse, breaking out into the darkness. Rain began to fall, and still he ran. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed and he fled. He lost his way, eyes stinging, blind to the world behind him, his grief and terror his only aimless guides. All he knew was to keep his little legs moving. Through the black rainy night…
Leo ran away.
