Wolf & Coyote Mercenary Services [Looney Tunes AU]

Episode 35: Heart of Darkness

"Maybe that was when

I chose to stay fallen"

~ Mili "Between Two Worlds - Realm of Darkness"

~*~*~

Sylvester, with Junior and Charles' help, finishes preparing the Christmas dinner when the doorbell rings. "I'll get it." He rushes to open the door. "Merry Christmas, Furrball–" His heart skips a beat.

There at the front is not Furrball, but a blond cat adorned in purple. Beneath the rim of their pork pie hat, a pair of purple-and-gold eyes stare back. "Merry Christmas, Tiger," the stranger greets him. Before Sylvester can respond, his new guest invites themself in, acting as if they own the place. Taking in the sight of the decorated interior, they sigh nostalgically. "Good to see some things never change. So, where's the kid?"

Peeking in from the entryway leading into the dining space, Junior gasps upon seeing the guest. "Mom?"

The blond cat's ears perk up. "If it ain't my little Sylvie! Come give your ol' mama a hug."

Junior hesitates for a second before approaching them. Then, eyes wet with tears, he wraps them in a warm embrace. "I can't believe it... It's really you. You're alive...!"

"Sorry for not coming back sooner," his mother replies. "Work got complicated, and I couldn't afford transport 'til now." They rustle his hair.

"So you'll be staying? For real?"

"You and Ol' Sylv need me here more than the Alleycats in New York. 'Sides, I miss this place."

After a round of warm greetings, the cats head to the dining area to celebrate proper. While dinner commences, Junior peers at Charles, poking at his food without eating it. He leans over to whisper, "What's wrong, Charlie?"

The young skunk doesn't immediately respond, instead eyeing the adults eating and drinking merrily. "Papa called me earlier. He got a new job recently and won't be coming home tonight." His gaze shifts to Junior's mother, and his hands start shaking. "What if his new job requires him to leave, too? What if he never comes back?"

Junior glances at his dad, his returning gaze expressing worry. "I don't think that's going to happen. Pepé cares about you a lot, and even if he moves out of Acme City, there's no way he'll leave you behind without a good reason." He pauses to take a bite from the roasted chicken on his plate. "Eat up; it's what he would've wanted."

Encouraged by the kitten's words, Charles follows along, taking small bites until his taste buds become accustomed to the food. But the loneliness still nags at him. His aunt is a wanted criminal who left him behind, and his father is working on Christmas Eve. Even if Junior turns out to be right, it doesn't do much to quell the pain he's feeling right now. When are you coming home, Papa?

***

The pitter-patter of furry feet echo in the brightly lit halls of ACME Corp's Science Department. Observing the locations of the doors and intersections, as well as the floor number "B2", Pepé slowly comes to the realization that he had never stepped foot in this part of the building. With that comes one filled with dread.

In front of him, the young doe researcher, Fifi, is acting as his guide. "This is where we host our ongoing research. Since Project Acmetropolis is still ongoing, much of our resources have been going towards it."

Project Acmetropolis. The name is a controversial one to bring up in conversations, he learned recently. For every supporter excited at the sci-fi dream of traveling to space and living on a bio-technological Sapient-made colony, there is a detractor criticizing the project as a waste of money and the CEO-slash-mayor candidate should be focusing on fixing the planet they're already living on. Pepé is divided, torn between his ambitions as a scientist and his feelings as an earth denizen. But for the sake of keeping this position–and his one chance to help his son–he will keep mum on the subject.