Aye, it had been a hard year. I got some visits from Shieta every month. I always looked forward to those. My parents dropped me from the family. Alpha Pack had gotten into a few fights with Shang\x92an, I ended up getting put into Block-B (maximum security solitary confinement) for about a month total now. The members of Alpha Pack thought I was insane. I never did handle anger too well.

It was about five months into my second year of prison, my last year. I tried to stay out of fights so I wouldn\x92t get my sentence lengthened. Alpha Pack was starting to worry about me. Especially since Shang\x92an was itching for a good fight. Jake came over to talk to me a few times. He as starting to get worried about me.

"Dude, what\x92s wrong?" Jake asked.

"Nothing, I just\x85"

"Don\x92t want any trouble?"

"Yeah. I\x92m almost done with serving my time. I don\x92t wanna fuck it up now."

"I understand, I just need someone good to watch my ass during the big fight. Shang\x92an gave us a challenge yesterday. We\x92re going to fight \x91em in three days. Think you got it to fight?"

"I\x85 I can\x92t. I know I\x92m gonna end up fucking up."

"Dude. You\x92re pulling out of a fight?"

"I\x85 Yeah\x85"

"The others aren\x92t going to be as understanding as I, you realize that?"

"Yeah. I know."

He started to walk away, shaking his head. I knew what he was thinking, that I lost it in me, that I had become a pussy.

"Jake!" I yelled.

"Yeah?"

"Watch your back!"

He smiled and walked away again. I knew I had just made a major choice. No one ever backed out of a fight before. I knew that Jake knew why I did, but I knew the others didn\x92t. Things would be harder now than any other time.

I had watched and waited for three days. Shang\x92an left Alpha Pack alone for those three days and Alpha Pack did the same to Shang\x92an. I knew the fight was going to happen today. I didn\x92t know when though. I was hoping I wouldn\x92t get involved but somewhere I knew, I would. Maybe not intentionally, but I would. Damned sixth Sense (Yes, I believe in the sixth Sense).

It had been about an hour after lunch was served. Everyone was in the exercise yard. I knew if anything was going to go down, it would be here. I felt it. The gang members were at the opposite sides. The two most powerful gangs were slowly moving toward each other. I could feel the tension in the air. The two gangs, Shang\x92an made of mainly Chattans with a human or two and Alpha Pack made completely of Lupines. The leaders met.

"Rules?" Asked Hrunna, the Shang\x92an leader. He was a fairly powerful lynx and in for murdering three people.

"Aight, no weapons. No knives, clubs, anything except what\x92s part of your body, and don\x92t give me that shit about the knife bein\x92 an extension of your hand."

"Cool. You want first shot?"

"All yours."

Hrunna lunged and Jake jumped aside. Jake countered with a well place uppercut to the jaw. Then all hell broke loose. The guards were caught with their pants down (so to say) and didn\x92t know what to do. There had been fights before but nothing as big as this one. I tried to back away from the fight but it was sheer chaos. The fight was slowly spreading outward and I was stuck. Then I heard Jake cry out in pain. I looked and saw three Chattans holding him down while another beat him. That\x92s when I snapped.

I don\x92t remember what happened that made me snap. I just did. I lunged at them, grabbing the main attacker and shoving his muzzle into the dirt. I jumped off before one of his friends could kick me and hit his own friend. I spun around and landed a good kick to his face and spun again and landed one into his knee. The guy fell. Only two of them were left, and they had let go of Jake. I jumped over to the one on my left and landed behind him. He was a fast one, he kicked backward and him me in the chest. I lost balance and fell on my back hard. He and his friend jumped on me.

I could feel them beat and try to bite me. I held them off as best as I could and then I felt someone or something grab one of them off of me. It was Jake. He pulled on guy off of me and knocked him out. I tossed the other one off of me and got up quick as possible and leaped to the side. Suddenly, a loud crack of a rifle being shot sounded out. The chaos that had consumed the yard ended relatively quickly. I knew I was in for it, as well as Jake and the others.

I was sent to Block-B again. This time, it was for two weeks. The usually sentence was three days. This was extreme. Most of the other prisoners were sentenced to do extra chores and whatnot. Jake, Hrunna, and I were sentenced to three weeks of Block-B. The two weeks were maddening. We were in a dark room, alone, and fed twice a day with minimal nutritional value. The room was only five paces by five paces and had a hole in the corner of the room as a toilet. When we got out, we had the look, not the look that we were tough as hell or lost it, the blank look. Like we had gone through hell and back and our minds were blown. It took about a month for the gang to get us back into it. Hrunna, I\x92m not too sure he ever got back to normal. He always had this look in his eyes, like something snapped. Block-B was hard on a lot of people. Chattans never did too well, Lupines did worse.

Two months have passed now. I\x92ve been staying in my own corner of the place. I didn\x92t hang around the gangs that much anymore. I talked to the Alpha Pack guys every now and then, but didn\x92t really get into the business that much. Jake was starting to worry about me again. He was like a dad to me now. I guess me saving his life did something.

"Shaul, you haven\x92t been hanging out with us that much lately." Jake said to me at lunch one day.

"Yeah, I got another three months now. I\x92ve been trying to figure out what to do when I get out." I said.

"I see\x85 Got anyone?"

"Huh?"

"A girl. You got a girl?"

"Yeah, I guess. I\x92m suppose to talk to her sometime this week."

"You keep her happy man. Trust me, if you don\x92t your gonna regret it."

I smiled. "How bout you man?"

"Eh\x85 I never did well with girls. Divorced. It wasn\x92t good."

Divorce was a very big taboo, almost as much as homosexuality.

"What happened?"

"She cheated on me. I found out and divorced. Then went and beat the shit out of her lover."

"That why you here?"

"Assault and attempted murder. Altogether, about twenty years."

"Damn\x85 Dude, when you get out, find me. You always have a place to stay as long as I\x92m alive."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Lone Wolf."

\x91Lone Wolf\x92. The name fit me somehow. "You saved my ass. I owe you."

"You saved mine first."

A guard came by and told me that I had a visitor.

"Remember man, keep her happy!"

"Aye."

I was escorted by two guards this time to see Shieta. I knew it was her, no one else visited me anymore. When I got there she looked more beautiful than ever.

"Hey! Great news! I\x92m out in three months. I wasn\x92t going to be held back!" I told her. She knew about the fight I got in.

"I\x92m glad. There\x92s some bad news though. The Chattans and Lupines are really starting. On A\x92Blam, there\x92s a war starting. At least that\x92s what it said on the Viewer."

"Shit." Big mistake, Shieta hates it when I swear. "I\x92m real sorry. I\x92m just\x85"

"I know, I heard you got it tough."

"Yeah\x85"

"C\x92mon, you\x92ll be out soon. Then, you and me can get off this cesspool and to a grass planet."

I couldn\x92t help but smile. "I love you."

"I love you too. I have to go now. I\x92ll see you in a few weeks."

With that, she left. She was smiling. I was happy. Three months, three fucking months and then I\x92m off to heaven. I new she had been saving up to get off this planet but I didn\x92t think she was going to do it alone. I wish that she had told me she was working so hard. Damn, I\x92m going to show her the good life when we get offworld. I swear it.

I was escorted back to my cell by the same two guards. They took me to my cell. I had a lot of thinking to do. Tomorrow, right now I just want some rest\x85

My prison term was almost up. Two more days to go, just two more days. Jake knew it, so did the rest of Alpha Pack. I spent the entire day saying bye and getting in some good times with them. Tomorrow would be my last day with them. At the end of the day I started to get whatever I had ready to go. It didn\x92t take that long. All I had were some pictures the guards let me keep. Less than 48 hours and I would be free.

It was my last day. I spent a good deal of it with Jake. We talked, rough housed a little, and hung out with the rest of the gang. Then I got the biggest surprise of my life. The entire Alpha Pack gang came over to my table during dinner with all their desserts piled up onto one tray. They had made one giant cake from their small pieces. This was something that was rare, inmates sharing their food. With the small portions we were served, getting a piece of food from anyone was hard and usually led to fights. I was honored and surprised by their kindness.

"To the man who saved my fur." Jake said to the group.

"Orrah!" The gang yelled out our battle cry.

"To Shaul! The Lone Wolf!"

"ORRAH ORRAH!"

It took the guards some time to get the group broken up. Jake and a few of my closer friends stayed at the table. The surrounding tables were cleared for Alpha Pack members.

"You\x92re last night here, man." Said Jake.

"Aye, gonna miss you guys." I said, trying to figure out where I should start.

"We\x92re gonna miss you too. No one to cover me during fights now."

"I\x92d have thought Crusher over there might be good at that." I said, pointing to the biggest Lupine in the gang.

"Yeah. He\x92s good but a little slow. Besides, no one else here knows any good jokes. We\x92re gonna miss that a lot."

"Heh, wanna hear one now?"

I leaned over and whispered the dirtiest joke I knew. When I got to the punchline he just lit up and fell on the ground laughing. The guards looked over to see what happened and then went back to their posts.

"That my friend, is fucking hilarious." Jake managed to say as he got up.

"Thought you\x92d like that."

"We\x92re gonna miss you."

"Aye, lets just have fun and forget until tomorrow."

"Aye."

We spent the rest of the time joking around and telling jokes. Keeping a good sense of humor helped out a lot of the guys. I woke up a little early the next day. I knew I wasn\x92t going to go until after lunch. I got back into my bed. I thought about what I would do now. I wanted to marry Shieta, but I wasn\x92t sure if I was good enough now. I\x92d have to find a job I could do. I pushed the thought out of my mind. I didn\x92t want to worry about that now, not yet.

"Don\x92t worry about it now Shaul, not yet." I told myself.

It was time to get up now. I was ready to be free. I spent most of the day alone. I told Jake during breakfast so that I could think. He understood and so did most of the rest of the others. It was lunch now. I hadn\x92t done nearly as much thinking as I wanted. I guess I\x92d have to take things as they came.

A guard came up to me and told me that it was time for me to leave. I asked him if I could talk to some of my friends first. I went to the usual spot that Alpha Pack stayed around. They were all there.

"I\x92m going now." I told them.

They all looked at me. "We\x92ll miss you, man." Jake said.

"I\x92ll miss you guys too."

"PACK! SALUTE!" Jake ordered.

The pack saluted me and gave the battle cry. "ORRAH ORRAH!"

I asked to see Jake alone.

"I\x92m gonna miss you man." I told him.

"Me too."

"Remember, you always have a place to stay as long as I\x92m alive."

He smiled. "Thanks, man."

And with that, I left. The guard took me to the main gate where Shieta was waiting. We hugged each other and kissed.

"Took you long enough." She said.

"I had some friends I needed to say bye to." I replied.

She smiled. "I have so much to tell you about."

"We have plenty of time for that. Right now, I just want to go home with you and catch up on some things I haven\x92t been able to do."

We went to her house. It was a fairly nice place. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a nice kitchen, family room, and dining room. It\x92s a very cozy place. I got showered while she made a light lunch and we talked. We talked all day and caught up on everything that we missed. Then, she told me about how she had saved up enough to move offworld. I was astonished at the amount she had.

"You made that much money!" I said, astounded.

"Yes. You and I always wanted this. We can go anytime."

I knew she had been waiting for me. She had more than enough money to start a new life on her own.

"Why didn\x92t you already leave?" I asked.

"I wanted to be with you."

I kissed her. I never had anyone care that much about me. She started to massage the sides of my neck and from there she was in charge. I was in full submission. I don\x92t know what she did, but whatever it was I felt better when I woke up.

"You\x92re finally up." She said.

"Yeah. What did we do last night?" I asked.

She grinned and kissed me. "After breakfast."

She had become a damned good cook. I ate everything she gave me. Then we talked about where we should go.

"I always wanted to go to a grass planet." She said.

"How about Aurora or A\x92Blam?" I asked.

"Not A\x92Blam, too much fighting there."

"I guess you\x92re right\x85"

I had always wanted to go to A\x92Blam, I heard it was a beautiful planet. It was full of vegetation and life. It had not been too developed by civilization. It had people living on it but wasn\x92t overly developed. It was where the Lupines had originated from as well as the Chattans. The Lupines there still called themselves their original name, \x91Loupian\x92. It was when the humans had come that we integrated the technologies together and spread outward. Despite the technology, the Chattans and Lupines had always preserved culture.

"When the fighting ends, I\x92m taking you to A\x92Blam." I told Shieta.

"Mmm\x85" Was all I heard as she snuggled up next to me.

"So I guess it\x92s Aurora?"

"Yeah.

A month had passed and we had finished with the plans to move to Aurora. We had everything we needed packed and ready to go. We even bought a house. Then the big news hit, the Chattans on A\x92Blam have declared war upon the Loupians.