Chapter Eight: Arrival.

"time to get started..."

-Beta Wolf (999's DSBIWO clone).

Beta and lightningblazer looked over the travel information.
apparently, they were to touch down on a terminal just outside Virada, and held in quarrantine for a few hours, apparently 'just in case they were carrying diseases or contraband'
Beta huffed "that's a load of bull."
lightningblazer looked oddly at him.
"okay, i bet what they're really doing..." Beta continued "is keeping earth's people seperate for a while, so they can 'innoculate' us."
"innoculate?"
"sure." the wolf sighed "make us defenseless. take away any means of protecting ourselvess."
"like how?"
"well, for example, they might think your Stabilizer is a weapon. they'll confiscate it."
"what?!" lightningblazer panicked "but i can't stay in this form without it!"

Beta sighed and sat on the velvet couch, he knew why his friend was so protective of the earring.
his friend wasn't usually humanoid, normally, he was a quadripedal equine, one sporting a red mane, blue colouration, elegant blue pegasus wings, and the horn of a unicorn.
but, thanks to the mix of enchantments and technology in his earring stud, he was able to take human form.
and something like that was beyond expensive.

"hey, i'll hold onto it for you, if y' want."
"but, they'd still find it on you..."
Beta smirked "you forget, i can hide it in between seconds."
he recieved a confused look.
the wolf sighed, ears splaying out to the sides and he slouched.
"frigging-- look, okay, look."
he opened his paw to reveal a translucent crystaline orb, inside which, a small purple flame burned.
"a secret universe within the known universe, a seperate space and time within our own, let me translate;" the wolf said dryly "pocket.... dimension.... comprehendo?"
"oh," the amusement returned to lightningblazer's voice, and he smiled "right... but that'll still leave me in the other form, won't it?"
Beta nodded warily "yes... but you'll only be inconvenienced temporarily."

as the shuttle touched down and the passengers were quarrantined, Beta and lightningblazer, with the former once again in his black cloak, and the latter now in equine form, found the wolf's suspicions to be true.
everyone was stripped of weaponary, armour, virtually anything deemed as a method of protecting themselves.
many sneers were directed at the winged unicorn from the security, but as each one came into notice, each one recieved a fearsome predatory scowl from the wolf, causing them to slink off in intimidation.
"thanks..." lightningblazer whispered.
"no prob," Beta whispered back with a friendly grin "'cause nobody messes with my best friend and gets away with it. not if I get a say in things."
a child who'd travelled with her family on the shuttle tugged lightningblazer's mane "pony! pony!"
Beta smirked tauntingly, lightningblazer glared at him, having a wordless conversation.
-don't you even dare say a word about this later. >:(
-me? i don't think you get to decide that >:3
nonetheless, Beta cleared his throat "hey kid, can you not do that? he doesn't like it."
the child's mother took her away.
everyone was then given a white armband and badge, marking them as 'from earth'.

four hours later, the pair finally exited into the crisp, fresh air, born from recent rain.
Beta breathed deeply "ahh, no matter the planet, you can't beat fresh air!"
the equine chuckled "guess not. now can i get my stabiliser back?"
the wolf withdrew the crystal ball from the folds of his cloak, dipped his paw through its surface, and retrieved the earring stud, clipping it onto his friend's left ear.
in a straightforward transformation, the equine changed to human form, but kept his wings and horn.
"take a flight, go ahead, it's really quite something."
"is- is that actually allowed here?!"
"hoh yeah."
"well then..." he grinned, spread his wide cerulean wings, and in a single beat, he lifted up into the air, laughing jovially.
Beta gently rose into the air alongside his friend, back on earth, morphics such as lightningblazer were forbidden from flying out in the open, but here, there was no such discouragement.
he gestured his paw for his friend to follow him, and they flew off, heading somewhere that Beta was insistant it was nessisary for them to go.

---

benson, and ciril, who held virlan in his paws, walked down the street, headed back home.
"hey," benson asked them "i never asked, you two friends with them?"
"you mean Radin, Felicia and Malcom... right, dad?" ciril responded, curious.
"i do."
ciril looked at his brother, who spoke up
"yeah, guess so, why?"
"their parents... they're all friends of mine, of your mother's, too."
benson began regailing his sons with tales from his past, but, in certain ones, he ommitted the mention of a certain wolf...

eventually, they arrived at the apartment, finding lily waiting for them with a pizza box on the dining table.
"finally. i know you said you'd be late, but it's 8:39!" she giggled
benson leaned down to give her a kiss once he got close enough "sorry, lil."
"you kept me waiting, you big jerk~"
"well," he grinned "i try~"

soon they were all eating the pizza, which featured ham, cheese, and pineapple.
"let's review, ciril had three and two-thirds of slices, virlan had a third of one, you had half of one, lil, so that means... i had four and a half." the fox smiled "i win, easily"
(Author note: Eight-slice pizzas are the norm down here in Australia, where i'm from... i don't know if it's different in other countries.)
ciril laughed "although, mum and virlan did really well, i don't think i could've made it through a half slice, or even a third of one, at their size!" he admitted
virlan groaned "make a note, a third is a bit too much..." he rubbed at his distended stomach, his face looking a bit sick.
lily moaned "ugh... a half was way too much... i feel like it's backed up all the way through from the bottom of my stomach to the top of my oesophagus..."
benson chuckled "okay, from now on, Ciril and i get a seperate pizza from the two of you!"
"no- urp... no argument..." lily said queazily
benson sighed "come on boys, bedtime."
ciril allowed his brother to board his paws, then headed off to the bedroom they shared.
"i'll be there in a bit." he called to his sons, then turned to lily.
"you too, lil." benson said with a smirk, holding out a big, black-furred paw to her.
"no," she protested "i... i'm fine..."
she didn't look it, in fact, she looked ready to vomit.
"no, i don't think you are. i think you should sleep it off."
"okay..." she submitted "but only 'cause i don't feel up to arguing with you right now..."
he stroked her gently as she boarded his paw "fair enough... but i'mma take a shower after i tuck the boys in, 'kay?"
"okay..."

in a few minutes, he was standing under the pressurised jets of the shower, scrubbing at his fur with a brush and sponge to get the grime out.
as he scrubbed, a chilly wind brushed up his spine, making him shiver.
"a-ah..."
the next one wafted over his muzzle, then trailed down across his body, from head to toe, leaving nothing unchilled.
"g-gah..." he shivered, then noticed a figure on the sink through the steam.
"wh-who's th-there?"
the steam parted, revealing lily with a smirk on her face.
benson sighed, due to his study on magic, it had been possible to awaken it in the little feline, specifically ice magic, but it was a little annoying that she used it this way sometimes.
"d-dammit, lil, st-stop that!"
"okay," she giggled "on one condition."
"n-name it..."
she tugged her dress strap down over her shoulder "you let me in there with you~"
"damn," he blushed "blackmail and seduction... sometimes, you can be so evil, lil."
"so, that a yes?"
"it- it is..." benson shuddered "just stop chilling me!"
she made a sly face "oh, but i might have to chill somewhere if i join you~"
"stop it!" he protested with a smile "just get your tail in here."

as benson cradled her in his paws under the shower stream, she took every chance she could to snuggle against him, and on occasion, to sneak in a kiss here and there.
she absolutely adored being able to share moments like these with the big fox, especially this close, where she could look over the expanse of his toned body, standing like some sort of handsome, orange-furred god in all of his glory.
although he had never had a choice in being changed into a giant, she was happy he had been; there was more of him to admire this way.
"lil, what're you staring at?"
she blushed, realising he'd caught her looking down.
"you don't want me to?"
he brought her to his muzzle and licked her face "i don't mind, long as i get to do the same~"
she batted a paw "you big pervert."
he scoffed, sitting her down on his nose "oh? and you're not, little miss peeper? being a pervert works both ways, you know"
she noticed his eyeline drifting over her torso, and stretched out, surprising him "fair enough, benny, go ahead, get an eyefull."
she felt his face flush with warmth beneath her as he blushed "what's the matter big boy, not expecting that?" she taunted him with a seductive grin.
"jeez lil," he responded hesitantly "you sure like playing with fire..."
suddenly, benson swayed, one paw clutching at his head, the other secured her to his muzzle as he nearly fell over.
"B-BEN!!"
he slumped against the wall, breathing hard.
"it felt like... something... my head...."
she stroked at his muzzle tentatively "you're probably just exhausted..."
he sighed "yeah... probably..."

---

as they flew over the district where he could sense the presence of the fox, Beta spotted a group of hoodlums in a ute, headed south.
"what's up with them?" the wolf asked "where're they going?"
"you're askin' the wrong person." lightningblazer replied.
they followed the hoodlums, until they reached an apartment on the south end of the city, and the hoodlums took out baseball bats and rolls of Toiletpaper.
the duo frowned.
"Juveniles." Beta said with a hint of annoyance.
they flew down and swooped over the heads of the weasels, spooking them.

"shouldn't you be in curfew?" lightningblazer quipped
"shut up, Earthie," one of the giant weasels sneered "you can't do shit about us!"
Beta cracked his knuckles, and a loud cracking sound rang out in the otherwise silent night "oh can't we now?"

(next chapter: violence solves nothing... most of the time.)