The Duelists of Livestone

The following story contains wild west style gun violence and implied sexual activity.

Reader discretion is advised.

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The leopard's hand held just above his revolver. The cat watched the vixen standing facing him; her own hand poised above the gun at her hilt.

The bell struck. The leopard drew and fired. The bullet struck the vixen high in her chest. She staggered back, clutching her chest with her left paw. She tried to bring her gun up again, but her arm dropped to her side. The bell struck twice. The fox staggered. The leopard licked his lips.

The gun fell from her hand. The bell struck three times. "Winner," was barely heard as the crowd began to cheer.

The fox stood watching the cat, still cluthcing her chest. The leopard licked his lips again. He raised his pistol again and fired. The fox dropped to her knees. A third shot fired from the gun and the fox collapsed to the ground.

The crowd roared. The leopard holstered his gun and raised his hands in the air cheering. He threw his hat to the ground. "Yeah!" he shouted repeatedly.

The bell struck thrice more, and the crowd closed in around him. They patted him cheered. He pointed his finger at the prone fox and mimed shooting her. The crowd near him laughed.

"Way to go," "Awesome kill," "You're the greatest," all were heard throughout the group around him.

He looked back through the crowd at the prone body of the vixen. The human judge was kneeling down beside her, checking over her body. He began gesticulating wildly.

The smile across the leopard's face turned sour. "No."

"Move, out of my way. Out of my way!" He pushed through the crowd. A rabbit and a hamster were running over with the wooden boards and sheet of canvas that served as a stretcher. The cat judge joined them and the four hoisted the fox onto the stretcher.

"What the hell?" the leopard yelled as the rabbit and hamster hoisted the stretcher. "What's going on? She can't be still alive."

"She is, she's being taken to medical."

"What, no," he looked as the med crew carried the fox through the street. The security was pushing the crowd back to make way. "I shot her three times. She has to die, I have a perfect record."

He looked again at the group. They were getting close to the doors next to the striped pole. He still had the revolver at his side.

He glanced around, two security officers were coming up behind him. They moved there hands above their revolvers. He glanced up at the roofs of the buildings. There was a rifleman on the ledge above him. Another on the building kitty-corner. He glanced back at the fox being carried off. "Damn it," he cursed as they pushed through the wooden doors.

"I can take that for you," the cat judge said.

The leopard hurredly took off the belt holster and shoved it in the human's hands. The leopard stormed down the street, his followers cheering behind him.

***

"I mean, I doubt she survived," the leopardess whore said. He hadn't bothered to learn her name. "I mean, you shot her three times, I saw it."

"Peh, you know damn well if they make it back there they never die."

" They do every once in a while. Besides, she probably died on the stretcher before she even got to the doors."

"I hope so."

"It's not like it matters anyway. I mean, you still won. You get paid the same either way."

"Of course it matters. I have a perfect record. Two duels, two kills. What kind of duelist has a sixty-seven percent kill rate? What kind of duelist would I be if I started letting furs live?"

"You put way too much thought into this," the leopardess climbed off the bed and walked over to him. She put her finger on his chest. "I think you need some good old fashioned sex to get your mind off it."

"Peh, I don't know how I can fuck after this."

"Well, let's find out," she dropped to her knees.

***

"Let's see," the brown female cat sitting behind the desk said. "I really can't release information about patients."

"What do you mean you can't release information about patients? I shot her yesterday, I demand to know if she survived or not."

"Oh, so this is pertinent to a duel outcome?"

"Of course it has to do with a duel. What other patients would I be asking about? What other patients do you even get? Guys who bruised their feet kicking merry-go-round horses? Do their hoes come in crying about how they're doing? Of course I want to know about the duel."

"Okay, sir," she worked at her computer. "Okay, here's the duel record, yesterday, three o'clock?"

"Yes, damn it."

"Now I can only give information relevant to the duel outcome. Let's see, um, shot once, declared defeated after dropping firearm, shot twice more as coup de gras, declared not dead after inspection, taken for immediate medical care, ah, here we go. Medical care was provided and duelist is currently in stable condition. Expected to make a full recovery. Verified by Doctor Narvus. Yep, looks like she'll be okay."

"Damn it!" the leopard pounded the table. "How the hell could she survive?"

"Doctor Narvus is very good. Last week we had a vole shot six times. Guy emptied the revolver in him. He walked out yesterday."

"Can't you like, do something for her?"

"Something?"

"You know, put a kink in her life support or something? I can pay good money."

"Sir, please don't make me call security."

The leopard stepped back.

"Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and she'll want a rematch when she gets better."

The leopard spat at her and turned and stormed out of the office.

The cat wiped her face with her paw. She sighed, only on Livestone does anyone coming to check on your well being hope to find you dead. Well, except for her family of course. They usually only went to hospitals to find a relative dead. But at least they pretended to be polite when they found out the relative was still alive. Moreso if the relative was rich.

She sighed. She really needed to find a new job.

***

The leopard went back to his hotel room. The hooker was gone, he tossed her out last night. Damn, he couldn't think like this. Sixty-seven percent kill rate. He couldn't have that. Well, there was only one thing to do for it.

He marched down to the duel office and signed himself up. Of course he still had to go through the process. This damn place had so many rules and regulation for furs killing one another it was ridiculous. Seriously, you put two furs in the street, give them guns, say go, and they shoot at one another until one is dead. How the hell did they manage to complicate that?

He cursed the damn system every day until his next duel finally arrived. This time he'd put the full six in the fur and make sure they were dead. Of course he could know they were dead if he just shot them in the head. Why the hell were headshots illegal?

He made his way to the street at the appointed time. His damn badger victim was already there, a grin across his face.

The judge handed the leopard his gun. He fastened the gun belt on. The two duelists assumed the position. The crowd was pushed back, and everything went silent.

That damn badger was still grinning. The leopard wondered if he would still be grinning with blood spurting out of his chest.

The bell rang. The leopard drew. A bullet struck him in the chest and he fell hard on his back. He heard the bell strike again. He coughed, and struggled up. He was hit twice more and collapsed to the ground.

After the required time had passed, the judge checked on the cat. He then stood and signaled that the leopard was dead. Few of the crowd actually noticed, most were busy cheering the badger victor.

The leopard's body was left lie in the street for several minutes. After that the rabbit and hamster came and dragged the carcass off.

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-tygacat3891