Underdogs The First Stories - By Geonn Cannon Page 0,26

The red one stood on its hind legs, using its front paws to flip it open. It moved with uncanny intelligence, betraying its nature as it carefully manipulated small buttons with careful movements of its paw. The boxer watched, then turned and trotted back to the back door of one business. It stood up, closed both front paws around the knob, and twisted. The door swung open and the boxer dropped to the ground and slipped inside. The other two joined it a moment later.

Ari whined and looked up at Bryn. She was still sitting on the fence and her head twitched quickly from side to side. Ari pawed at the dirt, eager to do something about what she was watching. The lookout dog returned first, eyeing the street before disappearing back inside. The three dogs came out together, but now all three had bags on their backs. Straps ran around each dog's front legs, holding it in place as they hurried away from the building.

Ari watched them go, frustrated that she couldn't stop them. She heard a quiet thud and turned to see Bryn had jumped off the fence. Ari stood, stretched, and followed her. The high weeds of the field whipped against Ari's legs and body as they ran. Bryn reached the abandoned warehouse first, and she was mid-transformation when Ari arrived.

They transformed together, but Bryn finished first. She put her hand on Ari's back, and Ari could feel her flesh convulsing underneath Bryn's steady hand. Bryn whispered to her, stroked her hair, and Ari collapsed against her once she was completely herself again. Naked and panting, sweaty from their run, Ari eventually pulled away from Bryn and went to the stash of their clothes. She handed Bryn her bag, and they dressed without looking at each other.

"Why'd you stop me? I thought the whole point was stopping them."

"No, the point was showing you what was going on. They cut off the power so there won't be any security cameras or alarms. The locks are all electronic, so once the power goes they can come and go as they please. This is the fifth store they've hit in the past three weeks."

Ari tugged her T-shirt over her head and turned to face Bryn. "How did you know where they would hit tonight?"

"Anonymous tip. Someone on the inside grew a conscience, I guess." Bryn finished buttoning up her blouse and stepped into her jeans. "We don't know how many there are, just that there's more than one group. They're organized. If we take down one group, the others will just get smarter and become harder to catch. We need to take them all down."

Ari smiled. "You need someone on the inside."

"Yeah, ideally." Bryn smiled. "What do you say, pup?"

Ari shrugged. "I'll see what I can dig up. If it looks doable, I'll give it my best shot." She wiped her face with her hand, rubbing her finger under her nose. Sometimes the overactive nose of the canidae remained with her after transforming. It was like having a vacuum in the middle of her face sucking up every stray scent in the vicinity. She snorted and wrinkled her nose as she looked to where she had parked. "So you want to come over? I could use a massage."

"Uh, not tonight. Not to leave you in the lurch or anything, but..."

"No, it's fine." Ari smiled. "Rain check."

"Yeah, definitely." She tucked her shirt into her jeans and put her hands in the middle of her back, twisting at the waist to work out the kinks. "God. Sometimes changing for twenty or thirty minutes just isn't worth the aches. I think I'm going to walk from here."

Ari looked around. "Are you sure? This is a pretty bad neighborhood."

Bryn opened her bag and took out her service revolver. "I may not have the uniform, but I'm still a cop. I'll be fine." She kissed Ari, more on the cheek than the lips, and rested a hand on her hip. "Thanks for looking into this for me, Ari."

"I'm always happy to help the police. Give me a couple of days and I'll have a more definitive answer for you."

"Okay." She hooked the bag around her neck, tucked her revolver into her belt, and walked up the driveway to the street. She waved once more before she started walking.

Ari leaned against the concrete wall and closed her eyes. The scent of the night was starting to fade, an odd sensation. It was like hearing an orchestra