West Side Story
'Maria.' Tony mutters as the Gym begins to clear, each gang taking their girls home. Riff barely glances at him, one arm wrapped casually around Velma's shoulders. A-Rab and Baby John look once as they pass, but the whole gang follows their commander, no one making a sound.
Noapte looks up him, eyes slightly rounded. 'Did you see them? They were...'
'...beautiful.' Tony nods, sitting down next to her. Gladhand glares at him from across the room but doesn't say anything. 'Just beautiful.'
'We have to see her again.' The lynx says, resting her front paws on Tony's leg.
'We can't.' He frowns, patting her flank. 'What would Riff sa-'
'Who cares what Riff says!' Noapte says, snarling. 'Or Action or Diesel or Bernardo or-,
'Chino? I believe he's her fiancé.' Tony sighs, eyes downcast.
'I don't care. Neither does Maria, if what she said means anything.'
Tony rolls his eyes. 'You don't even know the skylark's name.'
Noapte jumps up, twisting slightly 'Let's go find out. We'll find her house, it'll be easy.'
Tony watches his dæmon, so happy and grins. 'Alright. Let's go find the girl we just kissed.'
Noapte grins, running out the gym with Tony.
Mano perches on the clothing rack, looking between Noapte and Valasus, waiting for one of the dæmons to say something. Maria and Tony are trying to convince Anita but all their dæmons are just staring at each other, waiting for one to move.
'You better be home in ten minutes.' Anita hisses. Her German Shepard dæmon steps forward, nose pressed against Noapte's.
'You hurt him, chica, I have a pack that will rip you to shreds.'
Noapte nods, watching the other dæmon walk after his human. Tony and Maria are talking about parents and weddings but Mano flies off the rack, landing on the lynx's back. The skylark tilts his head. 'Not worried about Valasus, are you?' He says, almost laughing.
'More scared of Soracepa, if I'm honest.' She says back, walking toward their humans. 'She threatened to bite my tail off.'
Mano nods but sighs. 'She won't touch you, none of them will ever touch you.'
'Are you going to stop them?' The lynx smiles, tilting her head.
Mano shakes his head, pressing his beak against her whiskers. 'When you and I are together, we are untouchable. That is a fact.'
The dæmons smiles, face pressed together, in love.
Callani growls, leaping across the drugstore towards Soracepa. The wolf crouches, ready to receive the attack when Bernardo's voice cuts through the shouting. He and Riff are shaking hands and Callani stalks back to her human, glaring at immigrant dæmons as she goes. The cougar stands by her man's side, a stone faced guardian.
Riff and Bernardo talk through the terms, one hand shaking the other's, one hand on their dæmon's head. Callani snarls when Tony runs in, shouting for a fair fight.
'I would enjoy to risk that.' Bernardo smirks, glancing down at Noapte. 'Alright, fair fight.'
'What!'
'No!'
Pepe and Action shout and Callani turns, snarling at her second's dæmon. Sekanu glares but submits, shrinking against Action's side. Callani turns back to face Soracepa as they agree, the two of them tensing when Snowboy whistles. The gangs scatter, mixing instantly and pretending to interact. Riff and Bernardo stand together, a pack of cards instantly between them. Callani and Soracepa lean against each other, collapsing next to their men in faked affection.
'Your man will die.' Soracepa whispers, biting down next to Callani's ear.
'By tomorrow, you'll be nothing but Dust, spic.'
The two glare, threatening each other silently.
Soracepa bears her teeth at the ocelot, waiting for her to attack. Their men are fighting already but the wolf is happy to wait.
'Stop it! Hold it!' The Polak runs in and Soracepa jumps to Bernardo's side. Her man crouches as the Polak tries to convince them to stop.
'Think you can take the lynx, Sora?'
'Easily. Don't go soft on me now.'
Bernardo laughs, standing to get a rise out of Tony, Soracepa presses against the lynx, trying to get a reaction. Before they can get their fight, before they can kill the Polak, Riff steps in, punching Bernardo in the face. Callani leaps at her, knocking her away from the smaller dæmon. The two wrestle on the ground, claws digging in, teeth biting down. Soracepa pushes Callani away, just as Tony runs through pulling Riff away from Bernardo. The Shark jumps forward, stabbing the Jet.
The whole world stills as Tony kneels next to Riff, taking the knife from his hand. Soracepa starts running, heading toward Bernardo as Tony stands, turning and shoving the knife forwards. The wolf jumps as Bernardo falls.
Soracepa just manages to get a paw on Bernardo's chest before she starts to fade.
Valasus presses her face against Soracepa's side as she and Bernardo leave to get ready for their war council. The wolf winks over her shoulder at the German Shepard as their humans share a kiss, Bernardo walking away and yelling jokes over his shoulder. Rosalia, missing the joke, believes 'etcetera' is an actual name. Anita groans.
'She means well.' Consuela mutters, although her swallow dæmon shakes his head.
'There are lots of pretty names, in Puerto Rico.'
'If you love that island so much, you should go back.' Margarita rolls her eyes, sitting down with Francisca.
Valassa laughs, pressing up against Anita's side. She crouches down, helping the others mock the girl and her fantasies of their homeland. Anita, of course, wants to stay in America, as does everyone else, but they have to convince Rosalia to just shut up. Anita scratches behind her dæmon's ear as the other women start laughing Rosalia.
'You do like it here, right?' She whispers.
Valassus shrugs. 'You're here, Nardo's here, Sora's here. I'm pretty happy.
Anita laughs, smiling around at all their friends. Valassus rests his head on her knees, shaking his tail and looking up at her.
'Me to, Lassus. Me to.'
Sekanu watches the PR walk into the drugstore, tensing instantly. The bobcat tilts her head, watching the dog follow his human, head bowed slightly in morning. Sekanu glances at the cellar door, making sure Doc isn't coming up anytime soon, before advancing on the German Shepard. The other dæmons follow her, circling the dog and separating him from his woman.
'Will you let me pass?!' Anita cries, desperately trying to get to her dæmon, and to get down the stairs to see Doc. Action grins lopsidedly, getting in her way.
'She's too dark to pass.' Snowboy smirks, the gang beginning to surround her.
Anita starts shouting and they all shout back, enclosing her and beginning to push her. Baby John is pushed forward, the other Jets cheering him on. Sekanu pushes John's dæmon Elina forward, growling at the dog when he tries to fight back, yowling when Elina presses him to the ground.
'Stop it! What have you been doing now?!'
The two circles disperse, each dæmon running to their man. Action scratches her head but freezes at Anita's message and Doc's rage. When the Jets leave, Sekanu rubs against his leg.
'We did good, right Action?'
He doesn't reply.
Tupaki sees the Polak and his dæmon before Chino does. The jaguar turns, calling for her man in a hushed whisper. Tony is shouting, yelling for Chino to kill him, to 'get him to'.
'What does he mean?' Chino whispers in Spanish, eyebrows raised.
'I don't know.' Tupaki admits. 'Get him like Nardo got Riff?'
'Like one of the Jets'll get me?' Chino sighs, collapsing next to the jaguar and looking at the gun. It's Bernardo's gun. It doesn't matter who uses it, it will always be Bernardo's gun. Just like Maria will always be his first love, no matter who she gave her heart to.
Tupaki rests her head on his lap. 'Let's not do this. We can find Maria, talk to her about this. It has to be a big mist-'
'Maria!'
Chino jumps up as he hears the American say his bride-to-be's name. He sees them running towards each other, eyes happy, and Tupaki snarls, wanting to jump at the lynx. Chino glances down at his dæmon as they run, checking for the tiny, almost unnoticeable nod she gives him. Chino raises the gun, just as Maria reaches Tony.
Chino pulls the trigger, feeling justified.
Dakanamu growls, towering over the other dæmons. They all snarl at her, crouched as if too attack, although the lioness knows they never would. None of her girls would ever attack her, no matter how much she gets on their nerves. No parental issues her tail.
'Do that again, Sekanu, and I won't let you in my store anymore.'
The bobcat growls but the cougar steps in front of her, protecting the older dæmon. As if she need protecting. She stalks back to her man's side, stationing herself right next to the bar. Doc scratches her back, smiling slight.
'You're a bit old to be getting involved in gang fight, aren't you?' He chuckles.
'Just breaking it up.' She says, getting Geetar and Mouthpiece's attention. 'Although, twenty years ago, things would have been different.'
Doc smiles, thinking back to those days, with the Hurricanes, fighting any kid who thought they could own the street. 'Give me a rumble over a fair fight, any day.'
'You were in a gang, Doc?' Mouthpiece says, getting the other's attention. Riff nods once and they all crowd round, a group of children waiting for a story.
Dakanamu smiles. 'You ever hear of the Hurricanes?'
Krupke runs after the boys, panting slightly. He's getting far too old and far too fat to be chasing hoodlums around the streets. However, it's not like the gangs will give him any piece and the precinct won't let him retire until he's managed to stop at least one gang from littering the streets.
'Calm down, Krup.' Adhikari says wrapped around his neck. 'You can get them later.'
He slows, placing his hand on the ferret's tail. She waves it slowly, attempting to console him but he shakes his head, turning to walk back to the station. Shrank'll have his head for this.
'One boy, Kari.' Krupke mutters as he walks. 'One boy and I'm set for life. I'll be the officer that caught the Sharks or the Jets or the Cougars or anyone in the act. I catch one boy and I get to retire.'
The ferret laughs lightly. 'You need to get out more, William.'
Krupke laughs. Adhikari allows him to pick her up, settling on the floor so she can move around. The two of them walk down the street, whistling a tune they heard the Jets playing.
One day they'll catch one of those stupid hoodlums.
Shrank pushes through the crowd, Malamu perched on his shoulder. They, like half of New York it seems, heard the gun shot but they are the first police members to actually reach the scene. They see Krupke, along with the shop owner and dance organiser, trying to get through the people but only Doc seems to be allowed through.
The pigeon flies off her man's shoulder, heading upwards to see what is happening. Shrank pushes harder as he feels her fear, managing to reach the front at the same time as the other adults. They all freeze at the sight of Tony, lying on the floor, the Puerto Rican girl crying over him. Krupke retrieves the gun from the floor as Shrank steps forward.
'Don't you touch him!' The girl screams, her dæmon flying at Malamu. The pigeon spirals back to Shrank, pressing against his ear.
'What do we do?' She mutters, as the gang members move to carry Tony off. Shrank looks at the other adults, their dæmon still and staring. He runs a hand over Malamu's back as the gangs and their girls walk off. Shrank sighs, shaking his head slowly.
'I don't think we can do anything.'