Dark Empathy by Archibald Bradford (inspiring books for teens TXT) 📕

the poor bunny’s arms were hugging herself as she looked to and fro, clearly lost as to what she should be doing in the midst of all of the activity, her ears wilted against her head.

“Hey, uh- shit. Jan!” She turned her head to her bond-mate; “Has anyone seen to her yet?”

The Wolfen looked to the sad bunny and shook her head, uncertain.

“I don’t know, she was kind of awesome wasn’t she?”

“She was.” Kala agreed as she cast aside the sheet of metal she had been examining.

“Hey Rebecca!” Miranda called, making her flinch before she cautiously came over.

The bunny looked nervous, as if expecting a reprimand, so the gruff woman softened her normal demeanor more than a little.

“I wanted to make sure you were alright, when we found your- when we went by your place and you weren’t there, we were worried.”

“I’m okay.” She said, one arm holding her opposite bicep.

One of the medics had bandaged her head and given her a shot of something that made the tips of her ears tingle.

Hoping to draw out a bit more of a reply than that, Miranda continued.

“You helped save a lot of lives by doing what you did, I hope you realize that.”

The lone monster blinked, holding herself tighter, clearly her emotional injuries were much deeper than her physical ones.

“I don’t, I mean, I didn’t... do anything!”

The seasoned Aegis operative’s eyes narrowed at the admission.

“The hell you didn’t! Everything we knew was from what you told us! If we had to do this shit blind it would have been a bloodbath, and that was even if we did it at all! I wouldn’t doubt you get a civic citation or something out of this. Point of fact I’ll be arguing for just that!”

But the poor girl wasn’t convinced, shaking her head as a hopeless tear trailed down her cheek.

“I was wrong, I was wrong to think I could join the Aegis, to do what you people do. Carol was right: I’m just a dumb bunny.”

With a grimace of pain, Miranda stood, hand held to her side.

“Carol was a cunt!” She barked, again causing the rabbit to flinch; “Carol didn’t know the first thing about sacrifice, or loyalty, or putting your ass on the line for your friends. Carol was one of the worst things to ever happen to anyone, so her words are crap. Mine aren’t. You want to join the Aegis? I’ll swear you in myself! You got the stuff, no question.”

She sighed as she eased off of the wide-eyed Lapine.

“Look, you’ve been through some shit- no, that’s not right: that bitch put you through some shit. It’s going to take you some time to process it all. You have someplace to stay tonight? Family? Maybe some friends in the city?”

Rebecca almost nodded out of reflex, but then she remembered poor Sandra, and the state of her home…

Reading the reticence in her posture, not to mention the source of it, Miranda nodded.

“Okay, you’re spending the night with us.”

“What? No! I couldn’t impose, I- EEEK!”

The Lapine’s protests were cut off when Jezebel hopped onto her back, her little green legs wrapping around her waist and her hands immediately going to work on her shoulders.

“Yeah! You’re a hero! You can even have sex with our mistress if you want!”

“Jez!” Miranda protested, her cheeks going slightly pink.

“What? You’re good at it! And she needs it. Just feel how tense her shoulders are!”

“You’re making them tense!” Rebecca exclaimed, her voice high.

The irrepressible frog’s head pulled back on her neck as she pressed her fingers to her lips, a lady caught off guard.

“Oooh, you want to have sex with me?! So brazen!”

A moment later Kala pulled the Gripau from the not-brazen rabbit’s back, meanwhile Jan stood before her and looked her up and down.

“Wh-what?”

A smile slowly spread across the Wolfen’s face.

“What are your opinions regarding mud-wrestling?”

“I-I’ve never been.”

“That’s enough! All of you!” Miranda snapped

“But I-” Jez began.

“Her cute little tail...” Jan whined at the same time.

“Give the girl some space! I meant she can spend the night with the Aegis!” She turned from her disappointed bond-mates and gave Rebecca an apologetic look; “I’ll need to debrief you anyways, and I thought that maybe you’d feel more comfortable around some friendly monster girls who at least know something about what you’ve been through.”

A bit less flustered now that the Gripau and the Wolfen had backed off, or been made to back off, Rebecca took a few seconds to think about her alternatives before nodding.

The memory of Carol’s eyes glaring at her, so lifeless and cold even before she was actually dead, was one that she would not soon forget, and the thought of facing the memory by herself terrified her.

Recognizing the haunted look on her face, Kala stepped forwards.

“Come little warrior.” The Amazon offered, her muscular arm going over Rebecca’s shoulders; “I will take you away from here. Fear not, for no harm shall befall you in my company.”

It was such a high-handed pronouncement that a faint smile of amusement almost found Rebecca’s lips, though when she felt the corded muscles of the warrior woman’s arm she also couldn’t help but believe her promise.

Leaning sideways into the reassuring embrace, a lump found her throat as she mumbled her gratitude for the Amazon’s sincere offer of protection.

She so very badly needed to be held.

Miranda’s eyes followed the bunny as her bond-mate led her away, a bemused look on her face.

Privately she had to admit, the self-effacing Lapine had impressed the hell out of her every step of the way with her courage.

And she also had to admit that Jan was right about her tail.

“She does have an amazing ass.” She muttered.

The Wolfen surprised her