Zig Zag is Copyright © Max Black Rabbit. Sabrina, Darke Katt and R.C. are Copyright © Eric W. Schwartz. James Sheppard, Marvin Badger, Rhonda Badger, Yohni, Alexi, Michael, Esteban, Mia, Wanda Vixen and Tamara Rabbit are Copyright © James Bruner. Alex O'Whitt is © Tigermark. The B-Team is © Silver Coyote. Jean LeBrun, Gabrielle Ryder, Timothy Bigglesworth-Farthington von Salzburg, Malcolm Grazer, Doctor Fox Jones, Peter Spermophilus, Miranda Spermophilus, Dina Spermophilus, Leo Leon, Miriam Redtail, Lizzy Doe, Emma Grey, Professor Moose Nicholson, Professor Erica Belge and Pethouse Magazine is © Joan Jacobsen, 2005. All other characters appearing in this story, except where otherwise specifically noted, are likewise © Joan Jacobsen.

Legal Notice: This story is Copyright © 2005 by Joan Jacobsen. This story may not be sold or used for commercial profit in any form or fashion. This story may not be modified in any way. This story may not be posted on a mirror site or any other Internet site without the written permission of the author. This story may not be distributed on print, magnetic, electrical or optical mediums.

Permission to use characters that are Copyright other individuals was obtained prior to the appearance of said characters.

The author, Joan Jacobsen, hereby asserts moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

This is an independent work of fiction with no connection whatsoever to Max Black Rabbit, Eric W. Schwartz, E.S. Productions or James Bruner and is in no way meant to imply any connection with Max Black Rabbit, Eric W. Schwartz, E.S. Productions, or James Bruner. This story contains characters created by Max Black Rabbit, Eric W. Schwartz, James Bruner, Tigermark and Silver Coyote. Events and characters occurring in this story should not be considered part of the storylines for either 'Zig Zag', 'Sabrina Online' or 'Sabrina Online - The Story'.

In fact, as far as 'Zig Zag', 'Sabrina Online', 'Sabrina Online - The Story' and 'Zig Zag the Story' are concerned, this story does not exist. The artists disavow any knowledge of and do not officially sanction the events in this story.er nodded. "I'm sure."

It's not over yet...

By the time Miriam and Fox had left the party, the guests had been anywhere between pleasantly inebriated and roaringly drunk. With one exception. Emma had avoided getting drunk. She didn't trust her own reactions yet. Nonetheless, she had a great evening, and by the end of it, she was smiling and laughing with her friends. She had enjoyed the company of Mrs. Redtail...no...wait...

That wasn't right.

Of Hannah.

The vixen was adamant about it. She kept saying it made her sound fifty years old whenever someone called her Mrs. Redtail. The joke, of course, being that she was in her mid-fifties already. It showed Emma that Miriam's mother had a sense of humor and self irony, and the mink greatly appreciated that.

It was morning now. Emma was in a great mood as she walked around Jean's and Esteban's apartment, where she had stayed overnight. Her hosts were still asleep. That was okay. In fact, it was better than okay. It was perfect. It was almost noon by now, but then, the party had continued into the wee hours of the morning. She couldn't very well blame Esteban and Jean for wanting to sleep late. Plus it gave her a chance to make brunch.

Well, it couldn't be real brunch. She didn't have all the things she needed for it, but she would make do. Perhaps some pancakes would be a good idea.

She started playing around with pots and pans, taking out a couple of bowls and a frying pan. She looked around for the flour and sugar, before she opened the fridge, to get the milk and eggs.

Her eyes fell on some mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, and she picked them out as well. She'd need another frying pan, then.

She picked up a small, sharp knife and started cleaning the mushrooms. She stopped again, almost immediately and put the knife down, taking a deep breath and steadying herself on the kitchen table.

What if she cut herself? What if she had to look at blood again?

She wanted to scream. That was no way to live. It was no way to think. It was idiotic, and silly, and stupid and...

And...

Sighing, she picked up the small knife again. She turned it over in her paw and bit down hard, gritting her teeth. The night before had been fun. She had friends...furs who cared for her. She had family...even if her parents were far away. She knew they could always be reached over the phone. Her father would probably come to Ohio immediately if she asked for it...but she wouldn't. She wanted to prove to herself that she was indeed strong enough to get over this, by herself. On her own.

Well...with the support of her friends and family, for sure...but not by asking them to go out of their way for her. She had to deal with this in her own time.

Jeremy was dead...and she had pulled the trigger, that much was true. But she knew she wasn't to blame for his death. He was, himself.

What could she have done differently? Rolled over and died? Accepted that he should be allowed to beat her up, possibly even to death?

Never.

She looked at her paws and sighed. She had been so angry...so determined, that she hadn't even noticed that she had, in fact, cut herself. She needed to find a band-aid before continuing.

The thought was oddly comforting. She wasn't panicking. She was thinking rationally and calmly.

That was progress.

###

Leo looked at his feet. His boots weren't quite ready yet, but he was taking Sergeant Pardinus' advice and making sure they were soaked. His feet were going to stink that night, but a nice foot-bath would probably help. He had to walk slowly, since there were still raw patches on his feet. A day and a night of healing had done a lot, and he had bandages covering the worst places, but he was still sore. Fortunately, the entire morning would be spent on administrative duties. The afternoon would be spent training his troops, and the evening would see some practice as well.

First, however, he had a meeting with the captain.

He knocked on the door and waited, patiently.

"Enter!" the brusque voice of Captain Cervus said from the other side.

Leo opened the door and removed his cap, holding it under his arm as he entered. Then he turned around sharply and saluted. "Captain!"

Captain Cervus nodded, before returning the salute. "At ease, lieutenant."

Leo stood at ease and waited. He wasn't quite sure what for, but a few moments later, someone else knocked at the door and entered. Within a couple of minutes, every platoon leader in the company was present in the office.

Captain Cervus put his paws behind his back and came around his desk, looking at the furs in front of him. "Gentlefurs, you had best prepare your troops," he said, evenly. "I've received our orders. We fly out of here in ten days."

A general mutter went up from around the assembled officers. Leo signaled that he had a question.

"Lieutenant Leon?"

"What's our destination, exactly?"

Captain Cervus looked straight at the lion. "Afghanistan, of course," he answered, looking as if Leo had asked if the moon was made of cheese.

Leo kept a straight face and simply nodded. "Yes, Sir, but Afghanistan is a large country, and the topography differs greatly from the northern provinces to the southern ones."

Captain Cervus took a long look at the lion and tried to decide whether Leo was being impertinent or not. It seemed like a smart-ass question, but then again...it was relevant.

"We will be stationed on the borders between the Helmand and Kandahar provinces, Lieutenant Leon. It is a serious hotbed of Taliban activity, and the ground forces in that region are going to need all the big guns they can get. Seems the Taliban decided to dig their foxholes so deep they undermine entire mountain ranges. We'll have to level more than a few hillsides to get to them."

"Yessir!" Leo replied and saluted.

The captain nodded, slowly, before looking at the rest of the officers. "Get your troops prepared. Study the layout of the area as best you can, and make sure everyone signs their life insurance policies. We're going to see action, Gentlefurs."

Leo just nodded and went back to paying quiet attention. Quietly, he asked himself if he was ready for this. For leading furs in combat. He didn't let this show to his his fellow officers, but somehow, he didn't doubt that most of them were entertaining similar thoughts. While he knew he was doing okay at the moment, there was a big difference between training in a secure place like a base in Pennsylvania, and leading a unit under fire in hostile territory.

Captain Cervus kept talking. Leo did pay attention...but at the same time, he realized, that for the first time since he was a child...he was praying.

###

Gabrielle couldn't feel her left paw. As a matter of fact, she hadn't been able to feel it for the last two hours. Next to her, Yohni tried to avoid having an aneurysm from fear. The mongoose had been fine the first six hours of the flight, but then she had realized they would be coming in over New York City...and that they'd see the devastation.

From that moment of horrible clarity, she had clutched Gabrielle's paw so tightly that the filly was starting to wonder if she'd ever feel her fingers again.

Nonetheless, she hadn't complained. Clearly, Yohni was afraid, and she spent all her energy trying to calm the mongoose down.

It was getting very difficult, but from the looks on the ashen faces of most of the other furs in the seats nearby, Yohni wasn't the only one worried sick.

At least, Gabrielle had been smart enough to take the window seat. That way, Yohni wouldn't accidentally turn her head at the wrong moment to see what was outside and below.

Or what wasn't there, more like it.

Gabrielle put a paw behind Yohni's neck and pulled the smaller femme close against her. "Don't look," she whispered. "We're circling...I can see Manhattan..."

Yohni nodded and didn't peek. "What's...what's it like down there?" she asked.

Gabrielle turned her head, slowly, looking out the window. A lump started to build in her throat. She didn't know how to explain what she saw down there. The column of smoke that she had expected wasn't there, at least. It wasn't the only thing that wasn't there, though.

"It's...empty, love. Don't look..." she whispered and brushed her paw down Yohni's back.

"I didn't think it'd be like this," the mongoose whispered. "I thought I could take it. It's been weeks..."

"Yeah, but we've been in Europe. We've been far away from it all. Even if we knew what had happened, we weren't caught in the middle of it," Gabrielle said, quietly.

The plane leveled and Yohni looked back up. "I'm being stupid, right? It's okay...you can say it. I mean...for not wanting to look."

Gabrielle shook her head and smiled warmly. "Then I think everyone on board is stupid. It's okay, Yohni. We'll land soon and we'll go visit my brother and Malcolm, okay?"

The mongoose nodded and sighed. "I just don't want to be such a coward..."

"You're not. You're being rational. I took a look out there, and I'll have nightmares, I know that already."

Yohni just nodded.

The sign telling the passengers to fasten seat belts came on. Gabrielle kissed Yohni's forehead gently and sat back in her seat, fastening her belt and closing her eyes. She really needed to get firm ground under her hoofs again.

She couldn't shake the image of the incomplete skyline.

###

Emma wanted to get back home. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the company of her friends, but she had explained to Esteban and Jean why she needed to get back to her own place. She wanted to get back there and start looking for a job. Clean out her closets and get rid of anything left over, reminding her of Jeremy.

She wanted to get on with her life.

Jean, at least, had understood. Esteban had been slightly more wary of the whole idea. That was comforting, really. That he was so concerned. On the other paw, it was nice to know that Jean understood why this was necessary.

She never did like long bus-rides, but she had declined Esteban's offer to take her back home. She wanted to take care of it, herself.

Opening her book, she smiled slightly to herself.

###

"Are you sure she weell be okay, chica?" Esteban asked, sounding rather worried.

Jean nodded and smiled a little. "I think so, yes. I know what she's thinking right now. It's important that she feels she can do something without leaning on her friends for support..."

"Eet's not like we theenk eet's a problem..." Esteban started to protest.

Jean laughed a little and kissed Esteban's cheek. "You are such a gentlefur, but occasionally you get ahead of yourself, Esteban. She isn't doing it so she won't be a problem for us. She's doing it because she needs to feel that she can."

The wolf opened his mouth to retort. Then he flopped an ear and put his head slightly to one side, looking at the vixen next to him on the couch. "You theenk so?"

"I know so," the vixen replied and took one of Esteban's paws in her own. "Anyway, we have something we need to talk about, too..."

Esteban nodded and folded his fingers into Jean's. "Si. Veeseeeteeng your parents..."

Jean nodded. "Exactly. We said we'd do it after the wedding, after all."

Esteban thought about it for a moment. He wasn't quite sure what to expect. Jean's parents were like night and day to him. He liked Francois a lot, but he barely knew Marie. In fact...he didn't know her at all, and until recently, he would've sworn he never would. After all, the older vixen had not exactly been forthcoming or reasonable. And then...suddenly...she had decided to contact Jean.

He really wasn't sure what to make of it. He couldn't help dreading that the visit would go disastrously wrong...yet he also realized that thinking that way only made it more likely to happen. He had to relax. It just wasn't easy.

"I theenk..." he began at last.

Jean listened. It seemed like Esteban was going to need a few moments to consider.

"I theenk we should go tomorrow alreadee..."

The vixen nodded. "I thought much the same thing. I'm glad we agree. We shouldn't postpone it more than necessary."

Esteban nodded again. Once more he fell silent. Then he nodded, as if to himself, and reached out for the phone. Jean looked confused, but didn't stop him. He paused another moment. Then, certain that he was doing the right thing, he dialed a number and held the receiver to his ear.

"Hola Francois..." he said, as the connection was made. Then he waited for a moment, before continuing. "Notheeng een parteecular...although Jean and I wondered eef we could come by tomorrow?"

He listened again for a while and looked sidelong at Jean.

The vixen smiled and patted Esteban's knee, then got to her feet and headed for the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

"Si...si, that ees what I am theenkeeng. Absolutelee..." Esteban said behind her.

She picked up the electric kettle and filled it. She put it back down and flicked the switch, before looking for a pair of mugs. She was nervous, there was no denying that. All she hoped was that the worst of it would be gone by the next day.

"Bueno...we'll be there at two, then," Esteban said from the living room. "Hasta mañana..."

There was a click and Esteban appeared in the kitchen door, a smile on his face. "There. Now we can't veree well back out of eet..." he grinned.

Jean nodded. "Good thinking. In the mood for a cup of tea?"

Esteban shook his head and smiled again. "No...not reallee..." he said. Then he headed into the kitchen and slipped his arms around Jean, holding her about the waist and kissing her neck.

She leaned back against him. Smiling contently. "I think tea can wait, too..." she mumbled and closed her eyes.

###

By the time they were through customs, Gabrielle and Yohni were exhausted. The security procedures, in Yohni's words, were mind boggling and the equine could only agree. Their passports had been scrutinized. Their luggage had been opened and checked, twice. They had passed a sizable army of security people and even regular troops...and quite a number of checkpoints.

Finally, they were ready to find a taxi. Gabrielle had deliberately not called her brother. She wanted to drop in unannounced. It had been years since she'd seen Timothy, and she thought the surprise would be fun.

Yohni wasn't sure how many more surprises New Yorkers really wanted, but she had gone along with the idea without mentioning her worries. Somehow, she didn't really think it'd be a problem.

New York did look mostly like itself. Mostly. Apart from the gaping hole in the skyline, of course. Life, however, was returning to normal. Gabrielle had worried that the city would be in some kind of emotional slump. Instead, she saw righteous indignation everywhere, even before they had left the airport. There was no doubt that the wound was deep and bleeding, but it would heal and leave the kind of scar that New Yorkers would collectively scratch on rainy days.

"Where were you on 9/11?"

That was the kind of question furs would ask from now on. Everyone would remember, to their dying day, what they did when they first heard of the attacks on the twin towers.

The equine smiled a little. A grim kind of smile. For all their differences, for all their mutual anger and ridiculous fingerpointing at one another, Americans would band together when under attack. It was reassuring to know. She raised a paw as she left the airport, trying to flag down a taxi.

It wasn't easy. There were a lot of furs in need of a cab. More than either femme had expected.

"What's up with this?" Gabrielle muttered.

Yohni shrugged. "Best guess...everyone who got caught overseas when the attacks hit are returning home these days. Hence the pressure."

"Probably. I'm sure more than a few taxi-drivers earn small fortunes right now," the bronco complained and tried again. Still no luck.

"Let me handle this one..." Yohni said with a smile. She put down her luggage and walked up to a taxi, adjusting her top some. Then she leaned forwards...giving the driver the best view in New York, and purred something through the half open window.

Gabrielle was hard pressed not to break down in giggles. Instead of looking, she concentrated on keeping an eye on all the luggage. There were a lot of furs milling about and a bag might easily get 'lost' in the confusion. It only lasted a moment though, before Yohni was back with her.

"He'll drive us anywhere we want in the city, at a discount..." she grinned.

"You have no shame, Yohni...honestly...no shame," Gabrielle said, trying to look stern and failing miserably.

"Proud of it, too," the mongoose said with a wink and a flick of her tail, as she picked up some of her bags. "Let's take advantage of this driver's generosity and get to your brother's place..."

Gabrielle nodded and picked up her bags too.

###

Leo opened the door to the barracks and entered. He wasn't surprised at the sight that met him. Furs lounging on their beds. A few of them had broken out some cards and seemed to be playing poker. The stakes looked high...at least fifty matches.

No one seemed to notice the door had opened, and Leo took the opportunity to watch his troops at a relaxed moment. They seemed to be content.

"HAH! Pay up, private..." the skunk corporal grinned and placed a straight on the floor with a triumphant look of glee on his face. A lean, well muscled badger groaned and tossed his cards down on the floor.

"That's 'HAH! Pay up, PFC', Corporal," Leo chuckled and removed his cap, sticking it under his arm.

The response was, if anything, impressive.

"ATTEEEEEN...SHUN!"

The corporal had snapped from seated to standing and at attention seemingly without needing to 'unfold'. Leo hadn't seen anything like it before. It was quite impressive.

Every single fur in the room came upright and to attention, immediately. Leo waited until the dust had settled, before coming further into the room.

"I don't believe in beating about the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. We've received our orders. We fly for Afghanistan in ten days, furs. We'll have the privilege of bombarding the living daylights out of the Taliban in the Kandahar and Helmand provinces. Corporal Mofeta..." he said and turned towards the skunk.

"Yessir!"

"I'll be running drills unannounced from now on, until we leave. It's your duty to make sure that not one single fur in this platoon sleeps until his entire equipment has been checked. I'll expect the same once we reach Afghanistan. You may as well get used to it right away. When I wake you, I want the entire outfit ready to march in two minutes, sharp."

Corporal Mofeta saluted sharply, to show that he understood the order.

Leo nodded and walked through the room, slowly. "Now...that takes care of the official part of this. At ease everyone...I've got a thing or two to say to you, off the record..."

Every fur in the platoon stood at ease and looked towards their commanding officer.

"Listen..." the lion said and ran a paw over his mane. "First of all, I realize this is not the US Marines or the Rangers or something similar. But I cannot stress enough, the importance that you don't take this war lightly. The United States has an overwhelming amount of advantages, and our victory is certain. There's no chance that the Taliban will stand even the remotest of chance of victory. But the Afghan people have fought invaders for hundreds of years, and they are used to fighting in the mountains and the remote parts of their country. They're stubborn and obstinate, and they'll die before giving up. They invented many of the tactics guerrilla warriors use all over the world today. If you're careless or if you don't think they'll keep fighting, you could very well end up dead in an ambush. Remember, the infantry will rely on us to deliver precise, destructive and lasting barrages. Their lives may well depend on us being up to the task."

Everyone listened attentively. Finally...Corporal Mofeta smiled crookedly and looked at Leo. "We're up to it, Lieutenant," he said.

Leo nodded again and put his cap back on. Then he headed out of the barracks. A moment later, Corporal Mofeta came after him, the badger he had played cards with earlier trailing him.

"Sir...one word if you don't mind?" the Corporal asked.

Leo stopped again and turned around. "Sure...what can I do for you?"

The skunk looked slightly ill at ease. Then he scratched his neck and chuckled. "Well, first of all I want to apologize to you. I'm the one who started the bet on whether you'd call in an ambulance. I was kinda ticked about the whole dressing-down you gave me the first day, Sir..."

"No problem, Corporal. I can accept an apology, and I appreciate your honesty in telling me this to my face. I've seen you when we practice. You're a damned fine soldier," Leo said, matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, Sir. In any case, PFC Brock here has something he'd like to say on behalf of the platoon..." the skunk said and stood at ease again.

Leo nodded to the badger and raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead..."

"Well sir...the boys would like to say we appreciate what you did with the money. We've all decided to throw in a monthly amount to keep the pot raising steadily. We know we may get 'fined' by Sarge...I mean Sergeant Pardinus...on top of that. But we thought it was most fair that way. Besides...it's not like we'll feel the difference all that much while we're stationed anyway. No booze, no babes...begging your pardon, Sir...but what's a gunner gonna spend his cash on in Afghanistan?" the badger said and smiled crookedly.

Again, Leo nodded. A slight smile spread on his face. "I appreciate that. Thank you for telling me this. By the way, Brock...you look like a fit fur..."

"Sure, Sir...I box for the company. Middle weight."

"Good. Are you certified on Squad Automatic Weapon?"

"Yessir...but several of us are. I haul ammo, most of the time. It's not as if we really have much use for the SAW except on maneuvers..."

"Excellent. Find someone else to haul ammo. We're going to be stationed in enemy territory, and I want those SAWs ready at all times. Who else?"

"Well, I'm on SAW for my squad, Lieutenant," Corporal Mofeta added. "PFC Twain is on SAW for third squad, but he's due from the hospital tomorrow. He had an accident just before you arrived, Sir. Someone accidentally dumped a crate of WD-40 on him. He almost got out of the way but it hit his leg. He's been moaning for a month with his leg in plaster and traction, Sir."

Leo nodded. "Very well. Then you can tell PFC Twain from me that from now on, you eat with your weapon, you sleep with it, you hold it across your knees while you take a dump...you don't ever leave it out of your sight. Got it?"

Corporal Mofeta grinned crookedly. "Yessir..."

"Dismissed."

Leo watched the two soldiers walk back inside with a smile. He knew he had the respect of the furs he commanded.

###

By the time Emma got home, she was in a pretty good mood. The best in weeks, if not months, in fact. She had even stopped on the way from the bus-station to her apartment, to get some dinner, and she had indulged herself with some junk food for a change. She had even allowed herself to think nicely of the male behind the cash register.

Just thinking, of course. Thinking and looking. She wouldn't dare say anything, although a treacherous little voice at the back of her mind had told her to answer "your phone number?" when he had asked "What can I help you with, Miss?"

Maybe later. Not yet, anyway.

She sighed wistfully and turned the last corner. Somehow, going home didn't seem dangerous anymore. On the contrary, it'd be nice to get back home to safe and secure surroundings.

She opened the front door and started heading up the stairs. She could hear the couple on the first floor shouting at each other. She could smell the pancakes from the old lady's apartment on the second floor. It was all...well known. She was home.

As she turned the last stairs, she didn't expect what greeted her. Nothing could really have prepared her for it.

Her front door was covered in paint. Fresh paint, it seemed. Blood red. Someone had written all over the walls, too.

"Killer"

"Murderer"

"You won't get away with it!"

"It's not over yet!"

Emma felt her knees give and she collapsed to the floor. She didn't cry or scream...and later she didn't know why. She just stared at the vandalism, in disbelief.

The words on the walls resounded in her head.

"It's not over yet!"