Luna had decided to go to the store and it was light when she left. However an hour had passed on the short trip as she had hidden without need several times to let those who were human or just looked human pass. She could control it most of the time but her anxiety sometimes got the best of her even when she knew it was most likely safe. Pushing herself out of the latest alley hide away, she attempted to steel herself and pushed on down the side walk. She only glanced over her shoulder once at the person she had dodges who had never even looked up from his phone.

Her hand reached back and stroked her tail as she began walking again. It was a nervous habit she had picked up since transforming. Then she froze, her ears twitching and moving to catch sound, having heard the sounds of several sets of foot steps behind her. After a minute or so she quickened her pace and could hear those behind her do the same. She let go of her tail and trying to look natural, as natural as anyone with a fluffy tail could. She glanced over her back and could see the group behind her who picked up their pace now. Without looking she fired a shot from her tail, she heard the scream and broke off into a run.

Their were a few less sets of foot steps behind her but they were still coming. So she fired a second shot, which a shoulder glance told her was way off target. It was very hard to aim when moving as her tail bounced. A moment later she felt someone grab onto her tail and pull some fur out, as she grabbed onto the brick corner and pulled herself around the corner and threw herself forward. She fired a third shot before she got running again and heard someone yell about their eye but their was still six of whoever they were, after her. 

She made another quick turn and came to a terrified halt as she saw the brick wall in front of her. Then something hit her from behind and she was thrown  down onto her stomach her jaw striking the ground hard. She tried to move but the heavy weight on her back gave the side of her head a nice form punch and felt her tail be pressed up to her body as whoever had her tried to minimize her best weapon. She screamed loudly before her muzzle had clenched shut.

He hadn't really been out since he arrived. New York wasn't some place he had visited in the past either. It had been around two weeks now and today he decided to venture out but nothing too adventurous. Just something simple. Maybe grab a movie, some popcorn, and a tall cold soda. After that, go for a stroll and definitely head back to the mansion before it was too late or trouble had presented itself. Kind of pathetic he thought. He didn't really make any good connections either in the friends department. Just acquaintances and usually they were into things that he wasn't. It's ok, he was sure there would be more time for that later. Right now it was about just getting out.

Kala had just turned the corner, looking into a snack shop. Something in the reflection of that store window had caught his attention. He turned quickly to get a better look. Just as he had thought, another student from the mansion. He started to try and recall her name... "I think it was Luna." He began to rush over to her to try and catch up. The walk light had just turned go and he rushed over. He kept watching her to know where she was going then she made a fast one into an alley. He began to wonder what was wrong or was she just hiding because of her appearance. He began to yell out, "Hey, Luu..." That's when he had noticed. He was still holding his soda from the movie when he began to run over. Several people, mostly men were following her. He could make out about five guys. Maybe they were some college kids trying to cause some trouble. He wasn't sure but he picked up his pace. It was when one of them yelled out when Kala began to sprint.

Kala had heard one of them strike Luna, either a slap or punch and by the time he got there the five assailants were surrounding her. One was rubbing his face, two were holding her. One of them holding her mouth shut began to say, "What do you think you're doing out? Ain't it late for you?" Another guy said, "It should be in a cage." The one holding her mouth began to talk again as he raised his fist, "I'm gonna give her my own style of knockout treatment. Then..." Just then the man was drenched with soda all over his shoulders and head. Kala was close enough to throw his soda and hit his target. It was enough to catch his attention, as well as, everyone else's. The men closer to Kala looked back first then soon they all were.

"Sorry, sorry I thought you was the trash can. Because you all definitely look like where trash should be," Kala was looking straight at the man holding Luna so she couldn't speak. "Now let my friend go and all of you can leave while we go about our way. I don't think you want this to get messy," Kala was somewhat bluffing knowing very well he had no control over his powers and at this point he could only manage creating a few flashes. He kind of shook his head at the thought of it. If things were going to go down right now, then it would have to be punches and kicks. He was hoping his furry student friend had more skill than he has.

The two men let Luna go and all the men started to walk over to Kala, even the guy who was still rubbing his face. When their "leader" began talking again, Kala didn't wait. He leaned back swiftly and released a solid punch to the man who was rubbing his face's jaw. Kala thought he would be the most vulnerable still rubbing his face and all. That man dropped like a log. "I guess somebody went to sleep early," Kala said with a smile then fixed his stance ready for what came next.

There were still days when Bram dressed the part and pretended to be like everyone else, today was not one of them. He had long since mastered the art of being invisible in plain sight but his own particular gifts allowed him to, on occasion, escape the pressures of fitting in and skulk in the unseen shadows beside them. It was an odd experience, he shared the pitch darkness of the streets with all of those that normal society feared, where crime was as commonplace as a handshake and more people concealed weapons than a smile but it was simultaneously the only time Bram could be outside without having to try and hide himself in a crowded isolation. He was sitting atop the buildings, lounging on one of the low walls on the abandoned rooftop terrace and surrounded by the comforting blanket of shadows. He hadn’t bothered with his usual disguise tonight but he wasn’t planning on meeting anyone else.

The distant sounds of the city had become oddly comforting since he had moved here, nothing like the isolated silence he knew back in Scotland, but the sirens and car horns were now so familiar he could no longer imagine a sound without them. Screams were not an uncommon sound of the city either, most commonly they were over a drunken argument or marital affair, but there was something about the particular pitch of notes breaking the familiar hum of the city that sounded… off. It wasn’t a scream of rage but one of fear, one that a brave and noble hero would investigate and so, like any noble and upstanding citizen of New York, Bram would do nothing. Whatever was going on in the city beneath him was none of his business and certainly not worth being stabbed or shot. This was New York, people here were strong and whatever trouble befell the victim they’d pull through, or at least that’s what he told himself. Still there was a small voice inside him, the Scotsman he long since ran from, that wanted to help, who knew it was the right thing to do. 

Once again caught between two worlds he cursed himself as he got to his feet, he’d just take a look, then when everything turned out to be ok he could call it a night and head home. Another of the few advantages of Bram’s gifts were that when he was up high he could make good time across the city. From the streets below the dark shadow of black fur was barely visible as it leapt over alleys and shimmied across the narrower ledges. It only took a moment until he honed in on the action. There was a group, six, maybe seven, too far away to make out any details on them and they were chasing… curse it that was a mutant, like him, very like him actually with fur and tail to match. Well not quite match but that was the thing about mutants wasn’t it, you never really found a perfect pair. She was running, but unless she had anymore tricks up her sleeves he wasn’t going to get away. Indeed he watched as she was knocked down and they set upon her. Cursing again he realised he had no choice but to get involved, even for his own self interests he had to stand up to this.

Hinging himself off a window ledge he scaled the brickwork down to the fire escape to analyse the group which was about the time the other figure appeared. Some kind of hero type he guessed, pausing again he took stock of the situation once again. He was cocky but he was talking a lot, fighters don’t talk a lot they just attack, he was trying to make them run away. That was smart, he was outnumbered and would be easily surrounded, ok Bram could play at that too, not quite the same way but maybe it could work. He watched as one of the men drew back his arm, he couldn’t tell what it was but it was clear he was throwing something again. Diving off the metal structure he positioned himself behind the assailants, out of the fight but not cutting off their escape. Moving as fast as he could manage he grasped the man’s arm and pulled down hard, knocking him off his feet and throwing him to the ground. With a deep breath he let out a low growl and turned his gaze to the group whilst putting his foot on the man’s arm to keep him down “Get away!”. His heart was thundering and he was sure he was going to end up getting stabbed again but with any luck the combination of the cocky hero and the feral monster would be enough to win the battle before it even started, but just in case he let his tail wonder over to the wall to seek out a handhold again.

She heard the awful things the men said about her and tried harder to break free, bit even with her feet under her she did not have the strength to break their grasp. She struggled but the claws on her feet were only stroking the fur of her tail. Luna's mind began to race, trauma and fear boring through her. She recalled the anti mutant ambush at her school briefly even as she pressed against those restraining her. Luna Heard the familiar voice but could not quite place it.

As soon as she felt the Hands lift from her, her tail swung out straight and fired another shot, it was much two low to hit anything more then the back of the boot of one of the men but the effect was immediate. The alley very quickly took a pungent smell to it. She scrambled to her feet bewildered, a Monkey Man and another guy she was unsure of but knew had entered first.

She looked wildly around her left alone and not quite sure what to do. Luna knew she had claws and her scent of course but Luna had never needed to fight before. However panic and the fact that it was a dead end alley meant their was one way to go.

She heard a man scream as the Ape mutant put him down and restrained him. Going from 1 helpless girl and 6 adult male two vaguely a 3 on 6 changed the once brave men's spirits. One of the turned and began to run while another of them pulled a pistol from his pocket and began firing, Luna felt one past threw the fluff of her tail as she did her best to look fierce and intimidating as she held her tail looking for a shot.

The others attackers were looking worried now what should have been a nice easy job, was now a real fight and the idiot had used his gun. That would attract cops they knew.

Not for the first time Luna wished she had gotten an animal with maybe a bit more bulk, an elephant for example. Sure you would still get harassed but well Elephants were tough to kill. Or even a Tiger that would have been fun. She hoped the rest if these idiots would just run but she kept her eye on the gun guy.

Kala was just waiting things out now, and the time seemed to go by so slow. He didn't really know how this whole situation would play out. Everything seemed so silent yet every noise seemed so clear. The level of alertness and reflexes were definitely on sensitive at this point. Too late to turn back now and running wasn't much of an option... well, not just yet for the least.

The attention was on him and that's what he had wanted. For the most part, they had let her go. Problem was, they were heading his way. Kala began to dig the balls of his hind foot into the ground for leverage as they started to move. The turn of opportunity gave enough opening for several things to happen at once. The guy whose foot was hit with gas turned about confused and holding his nose. It was strong enough for even Kala to jump back a bit. Almost simultaneously, a figure dropped down and brought one of the other guys to the ground just as fast as this individual had appeared. Kala couldn't notice who or what it was but the growl he gave off was certainly saying not to mess with him. As he spoke, it must have caused the men to panic. The attention was now on this stealth-like individual. Not only were they surprised but they seemed startled. The two men that were holding Luna scattered to the side. The guy holding his nose pulled out a gun and started shooting in panic. He wasn't even aiming. Just shooting frantically towards Luna and the mystery man. Another man, in fight or flight mode, decided to jet out the alley.

Initially, Kala reacted to the gunshots, jumping back and moved low to the side. It wasn't planned but he was behind the armed man who was now trying to point his gun at Luna and the mystery man. The armed man was shaking in his aim. Kala grabbed the man around his shoulders and flipped him backwards with a hip throw but he fell with the man to the ground. The gun slipped out the man's grip and onto the ground. Kala kicked it. The gun slid away but unfortunately over to the leader of their group, the man who was previously talking to Luna.

"Are you stupid!" He yelled at his partner, "You can't just start shooting like that," and leader picked up the gun.

His partner managed to punch Kala in the face. A second punch was attempted but Kala blocked and locked it while bringing the man to the ground again, smashing his face into it.

The leader guy pointed the gun, "That's enough!"

Kala stopped with his hands in give up position, as the man's partner freely stood up. He kicked Kala while he was still on the ground then backed up over to the other two. Kala slowly stood up, holding his side where the man had kicked him.

"Let's looky looky. Two my guys are down and one decided to leave. I'll deal with him later. Now, you three are making this difficult on yourselves. I say the cops will be here soon enough. Aaand we'll just say you three jumped us." He loosely pointed suggesting with the gun toward his two partners who were still on the ground. One of them because of Kala and the other by the mystery man.

"What are you three anyway? This your girlfriend?" He asked the mystery man. "Plannin' to have some skunk-monkeys running around or somethin." The two other men laughed out loud. "And what you trying to do?" He turned to Kala. "Maybe I should just shoot you for getting involved." He started to lift the gun and aim it steadily.

She could feel her tail was almost empty on it's shot's and did not think the three would give her the chance to turn around. To say Luna was completely and utterly terrified was understating it. A Wall behind her and the only Ally she could currently see was down. Wait for the cop's? She had no idea if the cops would help or hurt them as the reports she had seen had been mixed. Then he raised his gun and took aim to shoot the Mutant who had come to her aide. Her imagination focused more on the horror stories she had heard however.

Her feet felt like lead but she had to do something, if nothing else then to keep Kala alive. She figured he did not need to die here. She took a deep breath, and gripped the pavement beneath her clawed feet tight. She darted forward leaping at the three humans, trying to use her pointed teeth and claws for intimidation. She managed to put deep scratches down the chest of one of the men, her claws dyed red with the blood. She turned by the armed man turned and took a quick shot which brushed by her side, but she felt a stinging pain in her tail, She backed away trying to growl. She could feel the warmth and the pain right away.

Her goal had simply been to give the other Mutant time to escape or fight. But the sight of the blood on her claws quickly dredged up awful memories. Her hands went to her head as her vision swam as shock began to take over. Focus was becoming hard and she staggered trying to clear the false mental images that were there. She could see the school and the anti mutant attack on it all over again.

When the leader of the group straightened out his gun aim on him, Kala just froze. He had thought about his powers but "letting loose" could put Luna in danger and leave Kala knocked out.  Uncertain over his power training, it was  a  chance he didn't want to risk. With that split second of time to himself, all he could think about was his family back home. His eyelids began to close.

When the growling and gunshot went off, reflexes caused Kala to duck slightly and put up an arm out of defense. Through his fingers he could make out Luna slicing one of the men's chest. Pieces of clothing shredded and tossed like salad. The man screamed out and dropped, dripping redness onto the pavement. The other man started to run as if to flee but looked at their leader and hesitated. He backed up against some trash cans then hid behind them.

Luna wasn't doing so well after that. Kala watched in shock at how everything unfolded in a short amount of time. Something was bothering her as she was clenched down. He watched as the leader was also in shock staring at his partner who was afraid and screaming on the ground. The leader was looking around frantically, even with Luna in front of him. Kala jumped forward and attempted to shin kick the leader in the face. The impact was so loud that you could hear the jaw loosen and crack. The leader dropped the gun and grabbed his jaw in pain before slamming against a wall and sliding down unconscious.

Kala now started to look around, not knowing what to do next. The other man behind the trash cans moved back even more, "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" He was frightened and continued to slide backwards on his hands and heels. Kala reoriented himself and found Luna who seemed disconnected at the moment with what was going on.  Drops dripping to the ground at her elbows.  The razor sharp claws had done its damage but something was doing more damage to her.

He slowly walked towards her with his hand out, "Luna? You okay? We have to leave." He slowly placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm gonna get you out of here, Luna, okay?" He gently swooped her up in his arms and decided to jet out the alley.

"Come on, Luna. We'll be okay." Kala slid a bit as he exited the alleyway. Yells of a bleeding man heard now in the distance while another man screamed for help. Kala didn't look around nor did he stop. A few people stopped and just stared. He just kept darting straight to the mansion. Soon enough, police sirens could be heard in the distance.