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Axl’s previous emotions of irritation and exasperation had since abandoned him as he and Rolf walked through Forest Park Path, discussing their next plan of action following their failure to get signed by Beach City’s local distribution companies. Whether or not it was a result of laying his differences with Shane to rest he did not know. He was simply glad that things were finally getting back to normal. Or, at least, as “normal” as one could be while in the presence of the ever-incensed Rolf Steiner.
    “Feels good to get some fresh air, huh?” Axl asked, glancing at his canine bandmate.
    Rolf didn’t respond, and Axl took it as a warning and proceeded to continue staring ahead, avoiding eye contact with his furry friend. As the two walked, a third pair of bright yellow eyes stalked them, observing the two curiously, from within a familiar white van parked some distance away.
    “Look at them,” growled the voice of Chase, who was sat next to his bandmate Shane in the Dreamcatchers’ van. “They ain’t gotta clue. Why don’t we just go for them now? I’m sick of waiting.”
    “No,” Shane muttered. “We’re close now. Let’s not screw it up.”
    Shane opened the passenger-side door and stepped out onto the street and began walking towards Axl and Rolf, who spotted the white wolf approaching.
    “Oh, here we go,” Axl muttered under his breath.
    Rolf lowered his ears threateningly while Shane’s ears remained pointed upwards, a sign of confidence. “What the heck are you still doing here?” Rolf snarled.
    “Look,” Shane began, holding his paws up in surrender. “I don’t wanna fight. I’m here to make things up to you.”
    “Sorry, Milky Way,” Rolf spat, casting a curious eye over Shane’s white furred body. “But I ain’t the ‘kiss and make up’ kinda guy.”
    Shane smirked. “I figured as much. I figured you’d be glad to know I’ve found you a distributor.”

    Axl’s face lit up. “You have?”
    “Oh, c’mon, Axl!” Rolf scolded. “You don’t really believe this schmuck, do ya?”
    Shane retained a calm demeanor as he and Rolf stared each other down, though Axl could detect a hint of enmity in the wolf’s yellow eyes.
    “I spoke to Axl a few nights ago,” Shane explained. “From what I know, every distribution company in Beach City is refusing to sign the Nightriders on; so, as a peace offering, I decided to find you guys a distributor who’d be willing to take you on. Think of it as my way of calling a truce.”
    Axl couldn’t help but grin widely, amazed at Shane’s altruism. “Shane… I don’t know what to say. Thanks, man. We really needed this.”
    Shane shrugged his shoulders as a look of consternation emerged onto his face. “Only thing is, he’s based a few hundred miles away from Beach City. If you wanted, I could drive you there.”
    “Nah,” Rolf exclaimed dismissively. “I’d murder you before we got there.”
    Shane chuckled dryly. “I would love to see you try.”
    Shane turned his back on Axl and Rolf and began to walk away, but stopped after a few steps and half-turned to face them. “Hey, Rolf; if you ever wanna have another brawl, hit me up. I would love to fight you again.”
    Rolf made to charge at Shane, but Axl gripped his arm firmly and held him back.
    “Also,” Shane continued. “If you wanna accept my offer and get that album of yours distributed, come find me. I’ll be waiting outside Buzzies tonight. I won’t wait forever, so make your minds up.”
    As Shane walked away, Rolf turned to glare at Axl. “And what were you doing conspiring with the enemy?”
    “He’s not the enemy, Rolf,” Axl replied calmly. “He said it himself - He wants to try and make peace with ya. Maybe think about that offer, huh? Come on, bro; it’d be so much easier to just drop it and make peace with them.”
    “Why should I bother? We’re the Nightriders! We don’t need the help of some wannabe rock band. They just wanna put us to shame.”
    “Believe what you want, man,” Axl said, letting out a sigh of defeat. “As far as I’m concerned, the dude that attacked you is genuinely sorry and wants to make things up to you by getting us our album promoted. And if ya want my opinion, you should drop this stupid rivalry and just make peace with him.”
    Rolf furrowed his brow, weighing Axl’s advice. “I’ll think about it,” he mumbled, as he proceeded to walk away.
    Axl felt a smile creep along his reptilian snout, knowing full well that he had successfully managed to reach his bandmate as he followed after him.
    “I knew you’d come to your senses,” Axl said contently.
    “Shut up, Axl.”
***
    Later that evening, Shane, having kept to his promise, was sat in his band’s van, anxiously fiddling with his crescent moon pendant as he waited for Rolf to make his appearance. The sky was dark, pricked with the occasional star, as the sun had begun to set, casting a pale pink color on the few clouds that lingered. Shane’s mind was racing. Every muscle in his body tense as he thought about what he was about to do; a twinge of guilt stabbed at his heart momentarily before his conscience-stricken thoughts were broken by the sound of Chase’s voice.
    “Here he comes!” the panther exclaimed.
    Shane glanced into his rearview mirror to see the Nightriders’ familiar blue van pulling up next to the Dreamcatcher’s white van, its high beams glaring. Shane took a deep breath as the lights shut off, revealing Rolf in the van, with none of his other bandmates in sight. Shane grinned at the sight of his lone target as he climbed out of the blue van, amused at the fact that he had chosen to come alone.
    “Perfect.”
    After exiting the Nightriders’ van, Rolf climbed into the passenger side of Shane’s van, shooting his white-furred counterpart a scornful glare.
    “Shouldn’t Selena be with you?” Shane asked curiously. “I thought she was your manager?”
    “Nothing is set in stone yet,” Rolf grumbled as he fastened his seatbelt. “I wanna meet this distributor guy for myself just to make sure you ain’t pullin’ my tail.”
    “And you didn’t even think to bring Axl with you?”
    “What’s the point?” Rolf asked rhetorically. “Like I said, I’m going to meet this dude with you alone to make sure he’s the real deal. There’s no point in draggin’ Axl along. Besides, he hates all this promotional crap. He just likes to get up on stage and throw that jacket of his into the audience for all the screaming fans.”
    Suddenly, Shane began to chuckle, seemingly amused.
    “What’s so funny?” Rolf snarled.
    Shane ceased his laughter and turned to glare at his gray-furred counterpart. “You’re such an idiot. You came here all alone? Boy, you really fell hard, didn’t you?”

"What do you mean 'fell hard'?" Rolf asked angrily.

"For our little ambush," Shane replied malevolently. His yellow canine eyes narrowed as he glared into Rolf's eyes darkly. "Sweet dreams, Rolf."

    Rolf barely had time to process what Shane had said before he felt something smack the back of his head. His vision went dark and his muscles loosened as he collapsed onto the dashboard, unconscious. Seconds later, his body was dragged out of the passenger-side door and into the back of the van by Chase.
    “Darn, this guy’s heavier than he looks,” Chase grunted. “Why isn’t Vincent doing this?”
    “Quit your whining and tie him up,” Shane grumbled.
    Chase tied Rolf’s hands behind his back and looked down at the incapacitated wolf with an expression of glee. “Man, we finally got him! The boss is gonna be so happy!”
    Shane opened the door and stepped out onto the street as Chase dragged himself into the driver’s seat and opened the window, looking out as his bandmate, who had begun to walk away. “What are you doing?”

    Shane turned back to face Chase. “You, Marvin and Vincent just focus on getting Rolf to Nevlow. Once he’s there, just hang tight and wait for me. I need to hang back to throw off the other Nightriders for a long as possible; we can’t risk them finding out about Rolf’s disappearance yet.”
    “What’s the worry?” Chase asked. “It’s not like we have any reason to stay here now. We’ve got what we came for.”
    “The whole point of threatening every distributor is Beach City was to throw the Nightriders off the scent,” Shane explained. “The whole time he’s missing, they’ll just think he’s out looking for a different distributor out of town - They’ll have no idea what’s really going on. That way, the boss can have as much fun with him as he wants. Now get going before somebody spots us.”
    Chase nodded his head and ignited the van’s engine before peeling out down the highway. Once the sound of screeching tires had completely faded, Shane turned and continued walking back into the sleeping Beach City - A city completely oblivious to the devastating events that had just transpired.

Illustrations by mattieguy95

Thanks for reading!

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Part 6):

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Prologue):

The Dreamcatchers belong to ShaneWolfrik
The Nightriders belong to AxlReigns

Description

Axl’s previous emotions of irritation and exasperation had since abandoned him as he and Rolf walked through Forest Park Path, discussing their next plan of action following their failure to get signed by Beach City’s local distribution companies. Whether or not it was a result of laying his differences with Shane to rest he did not know. He was simply glad that things were finally getting back to normal. Or, at least, as “normal” as one could be while in the presence of the ever-incensed Rolf Steiner.
    “Feels good to get some fresh air, huh?” Axl asked, glancing at his canine bandmate.
    Rolf didn’t respond, and Axl took it as a warning and proceeded to continue staring ahead, avoiding eye contact with his furry friend. As the two walked, a third pair of bright yellow eyes stalked them, observing the two curiously, from within a familiar white van parked some distance away.
    “Look at them,” growled the voice of Chase, who was sat next to his bandmate Shane in the Dreamcatchers’ van. “They ain’t gotta clue. Why don’t we just go for them now? I’m sick of waiting.”
    “No,” Shane muttered. “We’re close now. Let’s not screw it up.”
    Shane opened the passenger-side door and stepped out onto the street and began walking towards Axl and Rolf, who spotted the white wolf approaching.
    “Oh, here we go,” Axl muttered under his breath.
    Rolf lowered his ears threateningly while Shane’s ears remained pointed upwards, a sign of confidence. “What the heck are you still doing here?” Rolf snarled.
    “Look,” Shane began, holding his paws up in surrender. “I don’t wanna fight. I’m here to make things up to you.”
    “Sorry, Milky Way,” Rolf spat, casting a curious eye over Shane’s white furred body. “But I ain’t the ‘kiss and make up’ kinda guy.”
    Shane smirked. “I figured as much. I figured you’d be glad to know I’ve found you a distributor.”

    Axl’s face lit up. “You have?”
    “Oh, c’mon, Axl!” Rolf scolded. “You don’t really believe this schmuck, do ya?”
    Shane retained a calm demeanor as he and Rolf stared each other down, though Axl could detect a hint of enmity in the wolf’s yellow eyes.
    “I spoke to Axl a few nights ago,” Shane explained. “From what I know, every distribution company in Beach City is refusing to sign the Nightriders on; so, as a peace offering, I decided to find you guys a distributor who’d be willing to take you on. Think of it as my way of calling a truce.”
    Axl couldn’t help but grin widely, amazed at Shane’s altruism. “Shane… I don’t know what to say. Thanks, man. We really needed this.”
    Shane shrugged his shoulders as a look of consternation emerged onto his face. “Only thing is, he’s based a few hundred miles away from Beach City. If you wanted, I could drive you there.”
    “Nah,” Rolf exclaimed dismissively. “I’d murder you before we got there.”
    Shane chuckled dryly. “I would love to see you try.”
    Shane turned his back on Axl and Rolf and began to walk away, but stopped after a few steps and half-turned to face them. “Hey, Rolf; if you ever wanna have another brawl, hit me up. I would love to fight you again.”
    Rolf made to charge at Shane, but Axl gripped his arm firmly and held him back.
    “Also,” Shane continued. “If you wanna accept my offer and get that album of yours distributed, come find me. I’ll be waiting outside Buzzies tonight. I won’t wait forever, so make your minds up.”
    As Shane walked away, Rolf turned to glare at Axl. “And what were you doing conspiring with the enemy?”
    “He’s not the enemy, Rolf,” Axl replied calmly. “He said it himself - He wants to try and make peace with ya. Maybe think about that offer, huh? Come on, bro; it’d be so much easier to just drop it and make peace with them.”
    “Why should I bother? We’re the Nightriders! We don’t need the help of some wannabe rock band. They just wanna put us to shame.”
    “Believe what you want, man,” Axl said, letting out a sigh of defeat. “As far as I’m concerned, the dude that attacked you is genuinely sorry and wants to make things up to you by getting us our album promoted. And if ya want my opinion, you should drop this stupid rivalry and just make peace with him.”
    Rolf furrowed his brow, weighing Axl’s advice. “I’ll think about it,” he mumbled, as he proceeded to walk away.
    Axl felt a smile creep along his reptilian snout, knowing full well that he had successfully managed to reach his bandmate as he followed after him.
    “I knew you’d come to your senses,” Axl said contently.
    “Shut up, Axl.”
***
    Later that evening, Shane, having kept to his promise, was sat in his band’s van, anxiously fiddling with his crescent moon pendant as he waited for Rolf to make his appearance. The sky was dark, pricked with the occasional star, as the sun had begun to set, casting a pale pink color on the few clouds that lingered. Shane’s mind was racing. Every muscle in his body tense as he thought about what he was about to do; a twinge of guilt stabbed at his heart momentarily before his conscience-stricken thoughts were broken by the sound of Chase’s voice.
    “Here he comes!” the panther exclaimed.
    Shane glanced into his rearview mirror to see the Nightriders’ familiar blue van pulling up next to the Dreamcatcher’s white van, its high beams glaring. Shane took a deep breath as the lights shut off, revealing Rolf in the van, with none of his other bandmates in sight. Shane grinned at the sight of his lone target as he climbed out of the blue van, amused at the fact that he had chosen to come alone.
    “Perfect.”
    After exiting the Nightriders’ van, Rolf climbed into the passenger side of Shane’s van, shooting his white-furred counterpart a scornful glare.
    “Shouldn’t Selena be with you?” Shane asked curiously. “I thought she was your manager?”
    “Nothing is set in stone yet,” Rolf grumbled as he fastened his seatbelt. “I wanna meet this distributor guy for myself just to make sure you ain’t pullin’ my tail.”
    “And you didn’t even think to bring Axl with you?”
    “What’s the point?” Rolf asked rhetorically. “Like I said, I’m going to meet this dude with you alone to make sure he’s the real deal. There’s no point in draggin’ Axl along. Besides, he hates all this promotional crap. He just likes to get up on stage and throw that jacket of his into the audience for all the screaming fans.”
    Suddenly, Shane began to chuckle, seemingly amused.
    “What’s so funny?” Rolf snarled.
    Shane ceased his laughter and turned to glare at his gray-furred counterpart. “You’re such an idiot. You came here all alone? Boy, you really fell hard, didn’t you?”

"What do you mean 'fell hard'?" Rolf asked angrily.

"For our little ambush," Shane replied malevolently. His yellow canine eyes narrowed as he glared into Rolf's eyes darkly. "Sweet dreams, Rolf."

    Rolf barely had time to process what Shane had said before he felt something smack the back of his head. His vision went dark and his muscles loosened as he collapsed onto the dashboard, unconscious. Seconds later, his body was dragged out of the passenger-side door and into the back of the van by Chase.
    “Darn, this guy’s heavier than he looks,” Chase grunted. “Why isn’t Vincent doing this?”
    “Quit your whining and tie him up,” Shane grumbled.
    Chase tied Rolf’s hands behind his back and looked down at the incapacitated wolf with an expression of glee. “Man, we finally got him! The boss is gonna be so happy!”
    Shane opened the door and stepped out onto the street as Chase dragged himself into the driver’s seat and opened the window, looking out as his bandmate, who had begun to walk away. “What are you doing?”

    Shane turned back to face Chase. “You, Marvin and Vincent just focus on getting Rolf to Nevlow. Once he’s there, just hang tight and wait for me. I need to hang back to throw off the other Nightriders for a long as possible; we can’t risk them finding out about Rolf’s disappearance yet.”
    “What’s the worry?” Chase asked. “It’s not like we have any reason to stay here now. We’ve got what we came for.”
    “The whole point of threatening every distributor is Beach City was to throw the Nightriders off the scent,” Shane explained. “The whole time he’s missing, they’ll just think he’s out looking for a different distributor out of town - They’ll have no idea what’s really going on. That way, the boss can have as much fun with him as he wants. Now get going before somebody spots us.”
    Chase nodded his head and ignited the van’s engine before peeling out down the highway. Once the sound of screeching tires had completely faded, Shane turned and continued walking back into the sleeping Beach City - A city completely oblivious to the devastating events that had just transpired.

Illustrations by mattieguy95

Thanks for reading!

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Part 6):

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Prologue):

The Dreamcatchers belong to ShaneWolfrik
The Nightriders belong to AxlReigns