Because I like happy endings...<br/><br/>The memorial service was being held at the site where the victim had dissappeared, as there was no body, indeed no sign of the person, or the escaped dinosaur that had killed him. But even after a week, the signs were there, and the party of animal scouts that he'd been with had confirmed the scents when they came to look for him.<br/><br/>After escaping from the reservation across the mountains the diranodon had stayed to the water courses, and lain in wait, just as Andrew Reynarder had come down to the waters edge, to fill the canteens for his party of animal scouts. It had emerged from the water, and he'd tried to run, but the last imprints of his orthapdeic shoes showed him being dragged backwards, towards the water.<br/><br/>His class, his scout troop, his solemn family, even a reporter and cameraman from the local news werre there, listening to the old badger who was the cleric leading the service. Only the reporter was ortho-human, though most of them were regular anthro splices. There were a couple of partials, a cat-girl and racoon-boy who's only anthro characteristics were ears and a tail, but no other twofers, like Andy had been, with the digigrade legs and kevlar gloves they were generall required to wear to cover their functional claws.<br/><br/>Several wreaths had been laid at the edge of the police tape that still cordoned off the area at the water's edge, from his family, and his scout troop. Andy's younger sister had avoided the fate of getting a double dose of fox-genes, and looked like her parents, red fox anthros. She was sniffling, and wiping her eyes.<br/><br/>By comparison, the other teenagers were dry eyed. Most were solemn, but a few looked indecently happy, the jocks who were just happy to have an excuse to be out of lessons. At least the scrawny fox-freak was good for something. As a twofer, he'd not ranked high in the school's social heirarchy.<br/><br/>"Dearly beloved, we are here to comemorate the tragic passing of a fine young individual, taken before his time. Andrew was known to all as a bright, dedicated student, who made the most of his abilities, and always gave 100 percent to any endevour. He was talented with computers, and a keen animal scout, with many skills."<br/><br/>The badger was skimming over certain facts, that a number of regular pursuits were denied him. His two-fer body form and digigrade legs gave him less lifting strength than an average humanoid, but hair trigger reflexes and agility. Unfortunately, athletics were denied him because of his 'unfair advantage'. Painting and art was also out due to his colour-blindness, and poor daytime vision, the penalty for night-vision. And of course, being the 'odd one out' was always a felony in high school, especially in a freshman.<br/><br/>"It is unfortunate that Andrew was taken from us so early, at the age of only 15, before he had a chance to express his full potential..."<br/><br/>The air at the water's edge seemed to curdle, as if there was a heat haze forming. Then a vertical portal, a purple rimmed swirling vortex burst into being, over five metres in diameter with a shommph of displaced air. Some of the kids screamed, or yelled, and almost everyone moved further back from the cordoned off area.<br/><br/>Out of the vortex dived a digigrade red fox anthro, who tucked, rolled and came up covering the area with a rifle. It was Andy. His red and white orthopedic boots were mud splattered, and his kevlar gloves were grimy, and a three inch 'scar' of white fur slashed across one cheek. Rather than the scout uniform he'd been in when he went missing, he wore a once white t-shirt and camo pants, cut down to shorts length, and a flak jacket. On his head was some sort of comm device, and his jacket and belt was hung with equipment.<br/><br/>His gaze swept over the retreating group briefly, seemingly not recognising them, though he lowered the assault rifle and called out. "Stay back folks, some of the stuff following us isn't at all friendly!"<br/><br/>His attention turned back to the portal, and his gloved hand went to his comm device. "This end's secure! C'mon through!"<br/><br/>A few seconds later, a quad bike burst through the portal, engine roaring. It was driven by what most of the watchers would classify as another twofer, a wolf girl whio's most obvious charateristic was her 6 breasts. She was wearing biking leathers, jacket open, and a red t-shirt that did noything to hide her attributes. She also had an assault rifle hung around her neck, and a massive sword strapped across her back. She  brough the bike round in a bootlegger turn, to come up alongside Andy.<br/><br/>"They're right behind me!" She called out.<br/><br/>Andy just nodded. "Okay, set the generator to seal the portal, and I'll hold 'em off!"<br/><br/>Suddenly, a group of four creatures emerged from the rift, each the size of a lion, and looking like some bizarre crossbreed of demon, panther and a dragon, with spiny bat wings, scaled flanks and each a single glowing red eye. Two were flying, and the other two were bounding along the ground. Andy drew a pistol with an extended clip from a harness holster and took a marksmans stance in an instant.<br/><br/>Twice he shot, the pistol rock steady in a two handed grip, and each time a flying monster dropped with it's glowing crimson eye shot out. His aim dropped to the nearer of the two springing at him and again his shot gored into it's eye and the brain behind it. As he shifted to cover the fourth, it seemed he was too late, but then it was smashed away, partially dismembered as the wolfess swung her sword, with a blade that crackled with energy, and created some sort of explosion when it hit the creature.<br/><br/>"Thanks for that, May!" Andy exclaimed.<br/><br/>The wolfess grinned. "No-one and nothing's gonna kill my guy except for me, and then only from sexual exhaustion."<br/><br/>Andy laughed, even as he scanned the area around the portal. "First things first, gold-eyes. Ready to seal it?"<br/><br/>"Gizmo's charging right now!" Strapped to the back of the bike was some sort of device, the most prominent partt of which was a gun-like projector mounted on a pintle arm. It was currently pointing at the portal.<br/><br/>Andy sighed with relief. "Well that's..."<br/><br/>There was a horrific skreeling noise from the portal, and sucker tipped tentacles started poking through, ringing the edge.<br/><br/>Andy growled. "Not another one! We've dealt with three already!"<br/><br/>May was already spraying it with assault rifle fire. "I hate to tell you this, but we're out of RPGs and claymores!"<br/><br/>"Then I do it the other way!" His hand dropped to his belt, where his pocket computer was mounted.<br/><br/>May grabbed his hand, standing half a head over him. "No! If you use the power of victory again..."<br/><br/>"No choice. We can't let that thing get through!" He turned, brought up his free hand, and drew her head down  into a kiss, head tilted and muzzle open, which she resisted for only a second before melting into.<br/><br/>She let go of his other hand, and he touched the computer, which started playing 'Believe in myself.' the signature theme for Tails in Sonic Adventures. A golden corona surrounded the fox, and an extra tail sprouted beside the original.<br/><br/>He released the kiss, and stepepd back. "Don't worry, I'll come back, I promise, and I always keep my promises."<br/><br/>May stepepd back to look at a display on the device. "Well, you only have 12 seconds! It's charged and on automatic!"<br/><br/>"Plenty of time!" Andy grinned cheerfully as he ran towards the portal at inssane speed, leaving a golden comet trail behind. Just before he reached it, he leapt, and turned into a glowing disk of golden energy and crimson fur, with only his tails oddly visible. He disappeared into the vortex, and an even more hideaous screeching occured as the tentalcles were visibly drawn back by the impact.<br/><br/>The sounds of battle continued as the seconds counted down. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4...<br/><br/>The golden disk burst from the portal, and resolved itseelf into Andy, landing as if from a long jump. He had a three foot long section of tentacle wrapped around him, the severed end dripping dark ichor. Quick as a whip, he pulled some sort of device from his jacket, and slapped it onto the tentacle as he pulled it free.<br/><br/>"So long suckers!" He yelled as he flung it at the shrinking portal. Just as it shrunk to a few feet across, a flare of energy exploded out from the reamining gap in a straight line. Andy just swayed aside as the blast nearly took his head off. The portal winked out, and Andy's device spontaneously started playing the level complete music from Sonic the Hedgehog.<br/><br/>The golden glow faded and the tail evaporated in a flurry of golden sparks as he strode back to where May waited. He staggered a bit, and coughed, spitting what looked like blood. "Uggghhh! I really should have gone to the museum instead."<br/><br/>He was power glomphed by the wolfess and they shared a long deep kiss.