full

“A Leap Forward” by MikasiWolf (part 3 of 3)

In a world where Parkour traceurs live on the roofs, away from the discrimination and persecution of life of the ground, Lesaut the african civet was tasked be the community leader to mentor a newcomer by the name of Snoss. Lesaut was however concerned due to an experience in his past. As Lesaut shows him the way to his rooftop home they would stay for the night, Snoss seems like he has plenty to hide about his past, however…

Today’s story is the third part of “A Leap Forward” by MikasiWolf, who is a Wolf Mercenary writer.

"A Leap Forward” had formerly appeared in Claw the Way to Victory by Goal Publications (formerly published by Jaffa Books), and Furry Trash by Rabbit Valley Press and you can find links to more of his stories on his Wikifur or Furaffinity page.

This is the conclusion of a three-part story.

Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

Transcript
Speaker:

You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

Speaker:

I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

Speaker:

and Today’s story is third and final of

Speaker:

“A Leap Forward” by MikasiWolf (https://twitter.com/mikasiwolf?lang=en),

Speaker:

who is a Wolf Mercenary writer.

Speaker:

“A Leap Forward” had formerly appeared in Claw the Way to Victory by Goal Publications (formerly published by Jaffa Books),

Speaker:

and Furry Trash by Rabbit Valley Press. https://www.rabbitvalley.com/item.php?item=9809&return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rabbitvalley.com%2Fsearch.php%3Fsearch_text%3DFurry%2BTrash%26return_number%3D25%26page%3D0 by Rabbit Valley Press (https://www.rabbitvalley.com)

Speaker:

and you can find links to more of his stories

Speaker:

on his Wikifur or Furaffinity page https://en.

https:

//en.wikifur.com/wiki/MikasiWolf https://www.furaffinity.net/user/mikasiwolf/ [if this is the second or third entry] Last time, Lesaut and Snoss leapt off the top of a moving train in a bid to escape the cops.

https:

What happens next?

Please enjoy:

“A Leap Forward” by MikasiWolf,

Please enjoy:

part 3 of 3

Please enjoy:

He dropped to a roll a quarter-second too late,

Please enjoy:

and he felt something sharp scratch several parts of his pelt as he tumbled over in a jumble of fur and tail.

Please enjoy:

His body ached and hurt even as the largest brunt of the fall was dissipated, and he groaned,

Please enjoy:

clutching his sides

Please enjoy:

as he lay painfully on the uneven ground.

Please enjoy:

Taking a look around as he staggered slowly upright,

Please enjoy:

the civet saw that he was on top of an uncompleted building,

Please enjoy:

tools and machinery lying about.

Please enjoy:

Looking down, there was no end of debris that could have caused the cuts on his back,

Please enjoy:

despite his thick fur.

Please enjoy:

His tail hurt worse than it ever had,

Please enjoy:

and he was surprised it still worked.

Please enjoy:

Snoss lay on his side next to a stack of I-beams, and Lesaut

Please enjoy:

stumbled towards him.

Please enjoy:

To his relief, the horse was still conscious,

Please enjoy:

clutching his hooves as he breathed.

Please enjoy:

“You okay, Snoss?” asked Lesaut as he bent over him.

Please enjoy:

Slowly and carefully,

Please enjoy:

he flipped his mentee over.

Please enjoy:

“Fuck! My leg hurts!” cried Snoss, and Lesaut was quick to assess the situation.

Please enjoy:

The wall of his right hoof had a large split down the middle,

Please enjoy:

and it appeared to have gone through his skin.

Please enjoy:

Already a trickle of blood had seeped through it,

Please enjoy:

staining the dirty concrete.

Please enjoy:

“You'll be alright;

Please enjoy:

it’s only your hoof that's broken,”

Please enjoy:

said Lesaut, pressing his pads over the horse's leg

Please enjoy:

to check for broken bones.

Please enjoy:

The civet hid his relief.

Please enjoy:

“What were you thinking, Snoss?

Please enjoy:

You know better than to land that high without dropping to a roll!”

Please enjoy:

Snoss moaned. “I won’t ever let them catch me.

Please enjoy:

And your pelt's bleeding.”

Please enjoy:

The sound of police sirens came from far off, and Lesaut knew their respite

Please enjoy:

was only a short one.

Please enjoy:

His whole body hurt, but Snoss was still his responsibility until they were safe.

Please enjoy:

He would like to know why the police were after he who was thrust under his care, but Snoss was hardly in any shape to explain.

Please enjoy:

The worst thing that could happen was for him to panic,

Please enjoy:

and Lesaut needed the horse calm to be evacuated.

Please enjoy:

Despite being so much lighter than the horse was, Lesaut

Please enjoy:

lifted Snoss slowly and gradually,

Please enjoy:

draping him across his shoulders.

Please enjoy:

At least his toned muscles had shown to be useful in more than just

Please enjoy:

The Movement. *** “Tell me, Liam.

Please enjoy:

Is Snoss a criminal?”

Please enjoy:

The two of them sat on a tiled roof overlooking a series of shorter ones after the cat helped patch both mentee

Please enjoy:

and mentor up with some plasters and antiseptic.

Please enjoy:

This used to be the post office until the newer one was built closer to the main train station.

Please enjoy:

Even Traceurs rarely came here because of the long jump that had to be made to reach it,

Please enjoy:

but Lesaut had set up a pulley system with a rope he use to climb up the side.

Please enjoy:

The winch mechanism was padlocked so he was assured of some privacy.

Please enjoy:

Some of the old mail sacks from the building allowed him to craft a sort of

Please enjoy:

tent in which Snoss now rested.

Please enjoy:

Other than the jitters of having almost been caught by the police

Please enjoy:

and his cracked hoof, he seemed

Please enjoy:

to be fine. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

had an old digital watch, but he didn't need to look at it to know it was nearly midnight.

Please enjoy:

The familiarly that came with knowing the city

Please enjoy:

from running countless circuits through it was like a second instinct.

Please enjoy:

He had called a cab for Snoss

Please enjoy:

after making his way down the stairs of the construction site, and the driver had accepted their tall-tale of a rough night in the alleys,

Please enjoy:

though the coyote's nose never stopped twitching from the scent of blood and fear.

Please enjoy:

Fortunately, Liam still had enough prepaid credit to answer his cell,

Please enjoy:

and had come down as soon as he heard what happened. Liam turned his muzzle towards him, ears barely twitching.

Please enjoy:

“What makes you think that?”

Please enjoy:

His voice was careful, calculated even.

Please enjoy:

“The damn police tried to catch us.

Please enjoy:

What more evidence do I need?”

Please enjoy:

demanded Lesaut. “And Snoss was looking over his shoulder the whole night like a hunted

Please enjoy:

feral, and I thought he was just plain timid.

Please enjoy:

But he’s wanted for something, isn’t he?”

Please enjoy:

“If he is, will you retract the promise you just made?”

Please enjoy:

Liam asked coolly. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

snarled and got up,

Please enjoy:

and already he was prepared to thrash the cat where he sat.

Please enjoy:

But Liam stayed where he was without blinking,

Please enjoy:

and Lesaut had to fight to keep his fur down.

Please enjoy:

“Of course not! But I don't like the sound of this. Here we are, minding our own accursed business, when this guy comes along.

Please enjoy:

If the cops are after him, that means they will soon take to the roofs. And once that happens,

Please enjoy:

all of our Traceur brethren will lose their rights to The Movement!

Please enjoy:

Our clients will cease dealings with us,

Please enjoy:

and we will be without purpose, having to find our lives on the ground.

Please enjoy:

And I'll be damned if I ever let that happen. It’s dangerous down there, you know?

Please enjoy:

Especially for me.” Lesaut

Please enjoy:

pointed at the spots on his arm.

Please enjoy:

Liam sighed. “Look, Lesaut, I admit that I didn't expect any of this shit to happen. But I promise you,

Please enjoy:

Snoss ain’t no crook.

Please enjoy:

He's a runaway, just like the rest of us. His aunt put out a notice for his retrieval.” Lesaut

Please enjoy:

stared back at him.

Please enjoy:

“But why?” That was certainly a

Please enjoy:

first. “Snoss' parents died 4 months ago,”

Please enjoy:

said Liam. His voice became steadier now that Lesaut was listening.

Please enjoy:

“His parents left a trust fund for whoever was to take care of him after their passing,

Please enjoy:

and it was to be paid in monthly installments as long as Snoss lived with his guardian.

Please enjoy:

His aunt had volunteered,

Please enjoy:

and the reason why she’s demanding for his return

Please enjoy:

is that she only took him in for the inheritance.

Please enjoy:

Snoss overheard everything she said to her boyfriend.

Please enjoy:

He ran off a week back and

Please enjoy:

took the train here with less than a hundred quid and The Movement to guide him.

Please enjoy:

He left behind everything he had ever known,

Please enjoy:

friends, family, his familiarity with the city, but it was too much for him to take, Lesaut.

Please enjoy:

You know what it’s like to be held against your will, in a place where nobody understands you?

Please enjoy:

His aunt never cared for him,

Please enjoy:

and as long as I'm alive, I'll make sure she never gets him.

Please enjoy:

I found him trying to rough it out in the docks district, will you believe that?

Please enjoy:

As his only source of support,

Please enjoy:

we have to show him how to live to his full potential

Please enjoy:

and avoid the coppers till things die down.

Please enjoy:

That's where you come in.”

Please enjoy:

“But how did the police track him all the way from New York?” asked Lesaut

Please enjoy:

as he paced.

Please enjoy:

All kinds of thoughts were racing through his mind, and he didn't know if that was good or bad.

Please enjoy:

In Clichy, things were simple:

Please enjoy:

you avoided the cops to avoid trouble.

Please enjoy:

Now, they had a greedy aunt right out of a movie to content with.

Please enjoy:

“Intersection's an intercity transit hub just like New York.

Please enjoy:

It’s not like it’s the first place New Yorkers have to go if they want to get anywhere else.”

Please enjoy:

“Remember those tracker cams I told you they have in London?”

Please enjoy:

asked Liam as Lesaut nodded impatiently.

Please enjoy:

“Well, New York has them too.

Please enjoy:

They must have cross-referenced his image at their station with those from the shitty cams at our very own train station.

Please enjoy:

Whatever it is, we can't let them find him.

Please enjoy:

There's only so much we as Traceurs can do to hide him from the Grounders,

Please enjoy:

so we have to teach him how to survive,

Please enjoy:

staying out of sight in the topside.

Please enjoy:

I'm not just asking you to be a mentor, Lesaut but a big brother too. Snoss

Please enjoy:

is alone. He needs someone to look up to.

Please enjoy:

The kid's only sixteen, and you know how vulnerable they are to influence at that age.

Please enjoy:

Make sure it’s a good one.” Lesaut's

Please enjoy:

eyes flickered.

Please enjoy:

“Yes, but-” “Skyler convinced me and the other cubs

Please enjoy:

that he was doing it to help us,

Please enjoy:

but now I know all of that is bullshit,”

Please enjoy:

said Liam. His face was a mask of calm,

Please enjoy:

and there was no anger for his former mentor.

Please enjoy:

“We were being used,

Please enjoy:

and I, being the fool I was,

Please enjoy:

believed him. The same thing

Please enjoy:

must not happen to Snoss or anyone else we have the means to help.

Please enjoy:

Do you understand that?”

Please enjoy:

There was urgency in his tone, and Lesaut knew Liam had told him all he could about the horse under his care.

Please enjoy:

No lies, no trickery.

Please enjoy:

Only honesty, one of the principles of The Movement.

Please enjoy:

“Of course.” said the civet as he breathed out.

Please enjoy:

“Is there something you're worried about?”

Please enjoy:

asked Liam. With his cap off, Lesaut could see that he was genuinely concerned,

Please enjoy:

ears turned to him.

Please enjoy:

What little light there was reflected off his eyes, as they frowned to better see him.

Please enjoy:

“You know you can always talk to me about anything, no matter what it is.

Please enjoy:

Earlier today, you seemed worried about mentoring Snoss.

Please enjoy:

Why exactly? Did something like this happen before?” “I...” Lesaut swallowed, fighting to take a breath. “I was nervous about it, that's all. I wasn't exactly a great teacher back in Paris. Don’t worry, Liam, I’m fine.

Please enjoy:

I'll be okay after a good sleep. I'll take good care of Snoss. That I promise.” He forced a smile back at the angora. Liam didn't look convinced, but he wasn't

Please enjoy:

going to get anything more out of the civet.

Please enjoy:

“Well, you know how to reach me,” said the cat with a smile.

Please enjoy:

“Just don't call after nine tomorrow alright?

Please enjoy:

I’ve got stuff I need to take care of.”

Please enjoy:

In a blink of an eye, he was gone,

Please enjoy:

a silent shadow flowing down the building by the various foot and pawholds it offered. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

got up on the parapet and looked down at the lithe form of the cat

Please enjoy:

dashing towards a neighborhood,

Please enjoy:

his dark chocolate pelt barely a signature on the unlit streets.

Please enjoy:

The cat was pure confidence and courage,

Please enjoy:

perfectly at ease on the ground as he was on the roofs.

Please enjoy:

Something told the civet

Please enjoy:

this would be the last he saw of the cat in full form,

Please enjoy:

a master bidding a silent goodbye to his disciple.

Please enjoy:

There was no ceremony and fanfare when passing on the reins of mentorship,

Please enjoy:

for those of The Movement knew to take things as they came. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

hung his head as his elbows rested on the parapet.

Please enjoy:

So much happened in such a short space of time.

Please enjoy:

His life had just taken a large turn,

Please enjoy:

but was he who let his brother fall

Please enjoy:

worthy of the duty thrust upon him?

Please enjoy:

Snoss had taken an unnecessary risk as Cicel had,

Please enjoy:

but he was fortunate enough not to have met the fate of his predecessor.

Please enjoy:

What if it happened again?

Please enjoy:

Looking down at the height that separated him from the ground, Lesaut’s knees buckled as he sobbed,

Please enjoy:

memories of long past overwhelming him.

Please enjoy:

No one knew why he had come to Intersection,

Please enjoy:

and he had to bear the burden of it alone.

Please enjoy:

He had resolved not to let the past control him, but sometimes,

Please enjoy:

it was all too much. *** Lesaut

Please enjoy:

fiddled with the locket around his neck,

Please enjoy:

staring out over the roofs

Please enjoy:

of the ever-evolving city.

Please enjoy:

Life below moved forward, while life above followed close behind.

Please enjoy:

The morning sun peeked out from the tops of the roofs that had ensnarled it,

Please enjoy:

rays of light bringing with it

Please enjoy:

life and renewal to the city. It was the dawn of

Please enjoy:

a new day, promises were reaffirmed, and important decisions were sealed

Please enjoy:

as rest brought new perspective to them.

Please enjoy:

He had come a long way from where he was,

Please enjoy:

one little civet in an ocean of so many others,

Please enjoy:

all brought together by a common desire.

Please enjoy:

A desire to live,

Please enjoy:

survive, and belong,

Please enjoy:

each new day an affirmation of life’s little successes.

Please enjoy:

He had made his way alone to this spot near the city center once more,

Please enjoy:

knowing that in the days that would follow,

Please enjoy:

he may not be able to.

Please enjoy:

He had peeked in on Snoss right before he left,

Please enjoy:

and left a breakfast of flame-boiled oats with a note telling the horse to wait for him.

Please enjoy:

Liam had mentioned that he may be visiting the city center today,

Please enjoy:

and Lesaut needed to be sure of a hunch.

Please enjoy:

It was too early for a football game, and a lone rabbit gardener could be seen reseeding the field,

Please enjoy:

his large brown ears twitching. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

settled himself more comfortably against his gargoyle friend and waited,

Please enjoy:

humming softly to himself.

Please enjoy:

A lingala folk song took his fancy, and soon he was bouncing along with the words.

Please enjoy:

Just as the public clock showed the time as 8.50am, Lesaut

Please enjoy:

spotted the distinct form of the angora’s chocolate pelt alighting from a bus,

Please enjoy:

and Lesaut couldn't help but stare.

Please enjoy:

Liam had always hated public transportation,

Please enjoy:

but here he was, a commuter of the masses.

Please enjoy:

He had never seen Liam wear anything other than his assortment of tee-shirts and jeans,

Please enjoy:

and here he was in office work clothes, looking rather uncomfortable and out of place in them.

Please enjoy:

Beside him was a female British shorthair,

Please enjoy:

her prominent hips visible even from afar.

Please enjoy:

Lesaut whistled as he took in her swagger of a dance across the sidewalk.

Please enjoy:

She was dressed in the off-white apparel of a nurse,

Please enjoy:

and the civet figured that she was heading to work. Liam's gaze kept darting to the front door of the Transport Authority building as they stopped before it.

Please enjoy:

He lifted his head to the morning air

Please enjoy:

and breathed heavily

Please enjoy:

even as the female spoke,

Please enjoy:

her paw clutching his shoulder.

Please enjoy:

Liam grew calmer as the minutes passed,

Please enjoy:

even laughing as he spoke to her. The glass door to the main lobby opened,

Please enjoy:

and a uniformed wolf stepped out, setting a placard on a poster stand.

Please enjoy:

Upon it was printed:

Please enjoy:

“Walk-in Interview for Logistics Assistant:

Please enjoy:

9-10am”. Liam took one last breath before turning to his companion.

Please enjoy:

He and the female hugged,

Please enjoy:

and it was then Lesaut knew why Liam had really left The Movement.

Please enjoy:

He had found his love by chance when he had hurt himself,

Please enjoy:

meeting her in the hospital

Please enjoy:

in a stroke of fate.

Please enjoy:

Like the Traceur he was,

Please enjoy:

he had surmounted the obstacles of life to move from one stage of it to another,

Please enjoy:

each obstacle a new opportunity,

Please enjoy:

a new chance his life.

Please enjoy:

Just as Lesaut had left Clichy to avoid arrest,

Please enjoy:

Liam had given up The Movement

Please enjoy:

to be with his love,

Please enjoy:

someone he kept secret from the others to avoid misunderstanding and discord within their fragile community.

Please enjoy:

And Lesaut didn't blame him.

Please enjoy:

All of them sought purpose in their life,

Please enjoy:

and Liam of all people

Please enjoy:

had been no less deserving of it,

Please enjoy:

which was more than Lesaut could say for himself.

Please enjoy:

The Movement was the angora’s life,

Please enjoy:

and the civet knew how much it would have hurt

Please enjoy:

to give up everything he had spent his life perfecting.

Please enjoy:

Without him, they may not have a community that understands each other,

Please enjoy:

and the Traceurs would be lost among the masses,

Please enjoy:

important beliefs and philosophy worn away by neglect.

Please enjoy:

He watched Liam give one last smile to his girlfriend as they parted from each other,

Please enjoy:

disappearing into the confines of the building.

Please enjoy:

The civet couldn't help but feel a rush of happiness for the cat,

Please enjoy:

and tears started to fall.

Please enjoy:

Looking back, Lesaut realized that

Please enjoy:

he had learned more in the last one day than he had in the past six months.

Please enjoy:

Life was about moving forward, not staying in the past, as Ahsun had said,

Please enjoy:

and it was only after crossing an ocean that it came to him.

Please enjoy:

To live in the past

Please enjoy:

was to die in the present.

Please enjoy:

And with changes came new opportunities for one to go further,

Please enjoy:

be it in life or The Movement.

Please enjoy:

All of them had different fates,

Please enjoy:

different goals, and each person's journey was different.

Please enjoy:

Sometimes, it takes not just themselves, but others that they knew and respected

Please enjoy:

to give them that boost in their jump,

Please enjoy:

that purpose in their life.

Please enjoy:

Snoss was without somebody to guide him,

Please enjoy:

but it didn't have to be so.

Please enjoy:

He needed someone

Please enjoy:

not to restrict him,

Please enjoy:

but to protect him as he spread his wings to go further.

Please enjoy:

What happened to his brother back in Clichy

Please enjoy:

has been his greatest mistake, but Lesaut

Please enjoy:

had learned from it.

Please enjoy:

Even masters at the art made mistakes,

Please enjoy:

but there was always something to learn from both successes and failures.

Please enjoy:

Should the law ever come knocking,

Please enjoy:

Snoss would have learned how to survive,

Please enjoy:

with Lesaut as the brother he needed to guide him.

Please enjoy:

And, through the philosophy,

Please enjoy:

Snoss would learn that life was more than simply running away,

Please enjoy:

but facing and embracing change when it came.

Please enjoy:

As in the words of the founder:

Please enjoy:

“The key to The Art of Displacement

Please enjoy:

is realizing that obstacles are part of your pathway.

Please enjoy:

And to move is to live,

Please enjoy:

for Movement is life.”

Please enjoy:

Liam had moved on,

Please enjoy:

and so would Lesaut. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

got to his feet even as Liam's girlfriend settled herself onto a bench,

Please enjoy:

and made the dash towards the roof’s edge.

Please enjoy:

His brother's locket no longer held bad memories, and was now a comfort against his neck ruff

Please enjoy:

even as the wind soaked into his fur,

Please enjoy:

the drop of the edge opening below him.

Please enjoy:

And with a leap, Lesaut moved forward,

Please enjoy:

not merely to the next place,

Please enjoy:

but the next stage of his life. ***

Please enjoy:

Two years later... Snoss wondered why anyone would choose to drive when they could run.

Please enjoy:

He had gone for driving lessons when he turned sixteen, and had hated it from the start.

Please enjoy:

It gave little freedom to one who was used to lots of open space around him,

Please enjoy:

and a vehicle was little more than a moving cage.

Please enjoy:

His peers had been nothing short of surprised when he chose walking to school over catching a ride.

Please enjoy:

Only that he walked paths

Please enjoy:

no one else had. Blocked alleyways became open roads,

Please enjoy:

fences mere gates to another path.

Please enjoy:

The sounds of Intersection's early-morning traffic jam were audible even from up high,

Please enjoy:

amplified rather than softened by the buildings around it.

Please enjoy:

Snoss reared forward on his handhoofs

Please enjoy:

as they lightly gripped the parapet,

Please enjoy:

the momentum of his swinging legs throwing him forward into a spinning arc.

Please enjoy:

His hoofs contacted the concrete landing of a lower fire escape perfectly and he rolled,

Please enjoy:

landing smoothly back up.

Please enjoy:

The file placed within the small of his back

Please enjoy:

rubbed slightly even as he shouldered the emergency door open with a bang,

Please enjoy:

finding himself in the all-too-familiar multi-story garage.

Please enjoy:

And who else would be waiting for him

Please enjoy:

but the cops? Snoss knew he could back out the door and make it to the next two levels down before the cops cried foul,

Please enjoy:

but here was a complete lesson in The Movement all set up for him.

Please enjoy:

Ever since his mentor saved him from near-capture,

Please enjoy:

the horse was determined

Please enjoy:

not to run away from any of life's difficulties.

Please enjoy:

He knew that the cops had probably staked out the place based on intel from

Please enjoy:

cross-referencing reported

Please enjoy:

and digital sightings,

Please enjoy:

but no matter. The horse

Please enjoy:

sailed over a Camorra in a dash vault,

Please enjoy:

eyes taking in every detail of the parking garage.

Please enjoy:

Already the cops had started towards him,

Please enjoy:

nightsticks and telescopic batons out as they yelled for compliance.

Please enjoy:

He recognized the pine marten barking out orders from the day he had met Lesaut,

Please enjoy:

and noted with some mirth that he was still a sergeant.

Please enjoy:

Snoss dropped to his feet and palms, flinching to the side as an overzealous officer struck out at him.

Please enjoy:

Throwing his body forward with arms outstretched,

Please enjoy:

he narrowly dodged the whistling metal implements,

Please enjoy:

and heard the cops yell as the cracks of metal on flesh resounded.

Please enjoy:

Snapping his head back up,

Please enjoy:

his eyes locked on the sergeant exactly as they had two years back.

Please enjoy:

With a venomous snarl, the sergeant drew his Glock 17,

Please enjoy:

and Snoss ran up against a van and sprang.

Please enjoy:

Years of constant training made everything he saw appear to slow,

Please enjoy:

foothoofs coming together on the pistol

Please enjoy:

as he approached the marten. .

Please enjoy:

.Caught in the momentum of the pull,

Please enjoy:

the marten tumbled in a mess of tail and fur right before Snoss landed,

Please enjoy:

the gun clattering right next to his hoofs.

Please enjoy:

Snoss bowed apologetically to the flabbergasted lawmen

Please enjoy:

before sprinting out through the other end.

Please enjoy:

He could almost hear the radio chatter that would be on the police airwaves,

Please enjoy:

but he wouldn't be caught today.

Please enjoy:

As long as the Traceurs avoided hurting the cops, they were pretty much safe from retaliation.

Please enjoy:

The marten was trigger-happy today, but anyone in his position would be,

Please enjoy:

trying and failing to round up the bums his captain had ordered him to.

Please enjoy:

He reached the drop-off point of his delivery,

Please enjoy:

dropping off the security-sealed file as he cleared an alley.

Please enjoy:

Today’s delivery sure was eventful,

Please enjoy:

and Snoss was hesitant about agreeing to it.

Please enjoy:

The contact he met looked like the nervous military type,

Please enjoy:

but he paid well enough to avoid any questions.

Please enjoy:

The horse made his way back to his roof,

Please enjoy:

throwing in a few false vaults and turns to confuse any watchers.

Please enjoy:

Even as the horse stepped into a disused water tower and lay back against his couch,

Please enjoy:

he felt almost sorry for the cops.

Please enjoy:

They were simply doing their job,

Please enjoy:

a difficult one considering the qualities of the suspects they were dealing with.

Please enjoy:

But the horse enjoyed his freedom,

Please enjoy:

and he was determined to keep it as long as he lived.

Please enjoy:

His cell rang, and the horse's face grinned when he saw the number.

Please enjoy:

He patched the cell through his Bluetooth earpiece.

Please enjoy:

“Yo, Mentor,” neighed Snoss.

Please enjoy:

The voice at the other end groaned.

Please enjoy:

“Come on, Snoss. I've told you not to call me that.

Please enjoy:

that.” “Old habits die hard, I guess,”

Please enjoy:

said the horse cheekily

Please enjoy:

as he turned on his TV set.

Please enjoy:

This close to an office block, Snoss was able to connect a couple of cables to give him all the comforts of an actual apartment.

Please enjoy:

He had to admit that the air-conditioning had been a little difficult set up,

Please enjoy:

but a couple of jobs he had done alongside Lesaut earned him enough to buy a portable model.

Please enjoy:

On the news channel,

Please enjoy:

a haggled-looking mayor was assailed by reporters on what was deemed

Please enjoy:

“The Topside Problem”.

Please enjoy:

Shortly after his near-escape,

Please enjoy:

the police had announced that they had reason to believe an unknown number of hoodlums had been living illegally on the roofs of Intersection.

Please enjoy:

Aside from unconfirmed witness sightings,

Please enjoy:

the police has yet to come up with any progress.

Please enjoy:

They would come a day when the cops took to the roofs,

Please enjoy:

decked out in Freerunning gear and training, but today was not the day.

Please enjoy:

“So, what's up?” Snoss asked the civet. Lesaut

Please enjoy:

chuckled. “Aside from the usual drama about us?

Please enjoy:

Liam asked if we would like to celebrate his kits’ first birthday with him.

Please enjoy:

I told him that I'd check with you.”

Please enjoy:

“Count me in, bro!” exclaimed the horse,

Please enjoy:

seating up straighter.

Please enjoy:

“What do they look like?”

Please enjoy:

“I've seen them a month back.

Please enjoy:

They're pretty cute.

Please enjoy:

Two of them’s brown like him while the other’s grey.” Lesaut

Please enjoy:

cleared his throat.

Please enjoy:

“But enough about him, eh?

Please enjoy:

How are you doing so far? Have you

Please enjoy:

made any consideration to your, err...”

Please enjoy:

“Coming of age?” asked Snoss.

Please enjoy:

Lesaut mumbled in affirmation.

Please enjoy:

“Sure have. The moment I turn eighteen a month from now, my aunt no longer has custody of me.

Please enjoy:

That means the cops ain't got any reason to catch me no more.

Please enjoy:

But I'll still run with you guys till the Flow tells me to take it easy like Liam.”

Please enjoy:

“That's not how the Flow works.

Please enjoy:

Have you forgotten everything I taught?” groaned Lesaut.

Please enjoy:

“And you've got a thing coming if you think Liam has it easy.

Please enjoy:

Do you know how many train and bus schedules he's in charge of?

Please enjoy:

Not to mention the number of subordinates he has to oversee with a

Please enjoy:

pain-in-the-tail boss to answer to.

Please enjoy:

And you know just how cats and dogs get along!

Please enjoy:

Liam told me there were times he wished he could run with us again,

Please enjoy:

but now it’s just a passing dream.

Please enjoy:

Delores would have his pelt if he tried anything like that again,

Please enjoy:

ever since he became a father.”

Please enjoy:

“Nothing like freedom, eh?”

Please enjoy:

laughed Snoss. He stepped out of his den,

Please enjoy:

looking down at the vast expense of the city that was his home.

Please enjoy:

With its countless paths,

Please enjoy:

routes, and waypoints, it was a maze of opportunities and lessons abound.

Please enjoy:

Not for the first time,

Please enjoy:

the horse realized just how fortunate his life was.

Please enjoy:

He may be miles from his birthplace,

Please enjoy:

but that was simply part of following the Art

Please enjoy:

of Displacement.This was the

Please enjoy:

the 3# of 3# parts of

Please enjoy:

“A Leap Forward” by MikasiWolf,

Please enjoy:

read for you by Khaki,

Please enjoy:

your faithful fireside companion. Thanks for reading!

Please enjoy:

As always, you can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,

Please enjoy:

or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Please enjoy:

Thank you for listening

Please enjoy:

to The Voice of Dog

About the Podcast

Show artwork for The Voice of Dog
The Voice of Dog
Furry stories to warm the ol' cockles, read by Rob MacWolf and guests. If you have a story that would suit the show, you can get in touch with @VoiceOfDog@meow.social on Mastodon, @voiceofdog.bsky.social on Blue Sky, or @Theodwulf on Telegram.

About your host

Profile picture for Khaki

Khaki