\n "What the fuck is going on?" Mr. Arnold screamed into the window. He opened the door and dragged Haley out. She screamed, kicked and fought back; his grip was too strong. I got out of the car and went after her, but Mr. Arnold gave a quick jab to my throat. He looked down at me. "Listen to me you little furbag, I thought I told you to stay away from my daughter. Now what part of that was so damn hard to understand?" I coughed hoarsely. He put his foot on my throat and applied pressure. Tears formed at my eyes as my windpipe was crushed by his size 12 shoes. My vision started blurring and I saw spots.

"Dad, stop it!" Haley screamed. He turned and just glared at her, releasing the pressure from my throat.

"I thought I taught you better!"

"I hate you! I hate what you do, what you say and I-" He slapped her. Something in that returned my voice to me.

"You bastard! You think you can get away with hitting her like that?" Shakily standing, I looked him in the eye. He just laughed.

"You're on the losing side of this fight."

"I don't care! All I care about is making Haley happy. Which is what you should be doing. Isn't that what a father is supposed to do?"

Mr. Arnold kneed me hard in the stomach. I groaned in pain.

"Young man, I suggest you get out of here before it's too late for you." He said as a caveat. I shook my head.

"No! Damn it, no!" I walked towards her father.

"Brent!" Haley cried. "Please, just go." She was tearing up and I knew it hurt to say it. She was right though. Of course she was. I went to my car and drove away. It was tough to do, but I had to let her go.

\n *****

\n I pounded on the door. He was going to have to make time for this. He had to. I waited for a few minutes before pounding again. "Dammit Jake, I know you're there, open up." I heard him whispering to Logan from within. He opened and I walked through, going straight to the den. Logan was sitting there shirtless, looking a little distressed.

"What's going on?" Jake asked, sitting next to Logan.

"He took her."

"Who did?"

"Haley's dad. I dunno. He followed us or something. He took her."

Jake looked thoroughly confused and Logan looked like he just wanted me to leave. "Calm down," Jake said, "it can't be that bad."

"She's gone! Don't you get it? She's gone, and he's probably gonna hurt her or something." My mind was torturing me with thoughts of her being hurt. It put me in a frenzy.

"Call the cops?"

"Don't you get it? This will only fuel the hatred. I'm telling you, Arnold is going to use this for his agenda."

Jake grimaced. "Shit, you're right."

"Damn right I am!" I screamed. Jake looked uneasy.

"Fuck... what can we do?"

"That's the thing -- we can't do anything!" That was what hurt the most, knowing my helplessness. I lean against the wall and slump down. "Damn it. I knew this was gonna happen. But I was just... Fuck." I was so lost right then. I needed help. I needed to figure out what the fuck I was supposed to do.

You don't always get what you need.

\n *****

\n As predicted, Arnold used it against the furs. He claimed that we had brain-washed Haley into a dark beast. There was something in those words. Something heinous and sinister. Hate crimes increased exponentially, that day alone. I knew that Haley hated every moment, but she couldn't do anything about it, they made her tell her story, leaving out names, to everyone. At every rally. I would go and hang out it in the back to see her. I dreamed of getting on that stage and taking her back, but there'd be no such thing. Arnold had Police on the stage, keeping an eye for him.

Then one day, it all stopped. All of it was gone. The rallies, the Arnold's, and Haley. I wasn't the only one to be so confused, but I think I was the only one that wanted them back. Just so I could get a glimpse of her. The Arnold's complete dropped off the radar, and without a leader the humans were at a loss for what exactly to do.

I ended up spending days in a haze of numbness. School passed by and I was completely unaware of the situation at school. Unaware of the fact that Roberts wasn't showing up, or that there were student-led protests against the proposed segregation. The only thing I was aware of in school was the empty desk next to mine that only burned the empty space in my life that Haley would take up.

One day I was sitting in my room, lights off -- fighting off tears. It sounds pathetic, but I was so worried that Haley was going to be hurt. It consumed me. I heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. I peeked through my hands to see Sophie walking down the stairs.

"Hey Brent."

"Hey Soph."

"Thought you might like these." She presented milk and cookies to me. I couldn't help but laugh at the gesture. I take a bite and my mouth is filled with peanut buttery goodness. She giggles at me because my tail starts wagging. Peanut Butter cookies are my comfort food. "So what's wrong?"

I sighed. My kit sister was trying to cheer me up.

"Haley."

"Oh." I had stormed in that night and screamed about it. Sophie was terrified. She didn't like me in that state, and I don't blame her. I was getting violent. Dad ended up restraining me.

"It's my fault that she got taken away. I could have done something. I could have stopped him. I-"

"Brent you know that you're really pathetic right now right, right? It's not your fault! You didn't know that it was going to happen; you just wanted to see her. You didn't know her dad was going to follow you two." Sophie was really laying it on me, and I deserved it. But as she went on, I knew I'd have to tell her something.

"I went by the house today." I could feel her eyes bore into me.

"Why?"

"I- I don't know. I just... I wanted to check on her. The place is empty."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it was completely empty. No one was there, nothing was there. They left. They left... and I may never see Haley again." I was crying at that point. The thought of never seeing her again shook me to the very core. Sophie stood up and sat next to me and held me while I cried. I was so alone. Even being held by someone who really cared for me, who looked up to me, I felt alone.

\n *****

\n I didn't go to school the next day. I was so sick of the protests, the screaming, everything. I took a walk at around nine, after Mom and Dad had left. They understood my need for a personal day. I went to the place where Haley and I first made our love official. I walked through the woods to the clearing and lay there, staring at the sky as the clouds rolled by. I held myself a little when the wind would blow. It was officially hoodie weather and I was taking full advantage of it. I had quite a collection of hoodies to choose from. That day, I was wearing my favorite one, my white and blue one that said 'Greece' across the chest. It was a comfy gift from my parents when they came back from their anniversary a few years ago.

I looked at the trees and heard light rustling. My ears jumped up and rotated, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound. My eyes shot to a tree where a paper was attached to a branch. I stood and looked up at. It was maybe twenty feet up, not that bad, but still a considerable climb. I grabbed a branch and pulled myself up, carefully making my way up to the branch where the note was attached. I grabbed it and opened it. It read:

Dear Brent,

\n I hope you find this. I really wish things were better than this, but there's no denying it. My dad is taking me to the pure camp tonight. I don't know what to do. I'm scared and I can't do anything. I love you and I hope we can meet again some day. But Daddy... I'm not sure if he'll let anyone leave. We're all scared. I'll manage to get out. I'll get back to you, I promise.

\n Love,

\n Haley Annette Arnold

\n Great. The universe just hates me doesn't it? I jumped down from the tree and walked back to my house with a purpose. I was going to break Haley out of the pure camp. Even if it killed me.

\n *****

\n
I drove in silence, Jake sat next to me musing. He was entirely prepared for what we'd have to do. We had brought bottles of chloroform and bats. We weren't planning on killing anyone, but we wanted to make the point. Jake was always making glances behind or letting little sighs out. I knew he wasn't up for this, but he insisted on coming along. He wanted to make sure I wouldn't get hurt. I parked the car a few blocks from the camp and we walked to the fence. Jake cut holes in the fence with the bolt cutters and we booked it. I lifted the gap so he could squeeze through. Part one was easy, we were in.

Part two was the hard part, finding Haley in the group. I had a vague idea where they might be staying but the neighborhood was foreign to me. I could only guess. The two of us ran in silence through the yards, ducking in the shadows as guards patrolled. Neither of us made any noise that night. We were too terrified of what might happen if we were caught.

The night was still, no dogs barked, no animals moved, there was nothing. It was eerie. My instincts told me that the house at the top of the hill was where Haley was, so that was where we headed off to. Along the way I saw the perfection everywhere. The perfect little houses, perfect little lawns, perfect shrubs. It was nauseating. It was all so fake and disgusting.

Jake and I approached the house. There on the porch was a fur, a vixen, strung up with a sign around its neck.
\n  

\n Show no compassion.

\n You sympathize, you're as bad as them.

\n
The fur stirred and opened its eyes. I knew those eyes. I knew that look in those eyes. And I knew that voice.

"Brent?" Haley asked.

\n :O OH SNAP! I finally was able to get it to the point where I was happy with it. It just took forever! Review and Rate and etc.

\n Thanks! -Kergiby

PS: Thanks to everyone who helped with getting ideas and such etc. And a very special thanks to ErythWolf as always for his editing.