Aleta, Echo, and Enzo found themselves tucked away in the backseat of a slightly beaten up truck. Johnny sat in the drivers seat with Davis in the passengers. Carrot rode in the bed of the truck. Rock music quietly played in the background they the sped down the freeway. The sun had just began drifting behind the mountains as they passed the 48 mile marker. A mere hour away from the boarder of the two countries.

Echo passed out on top of Aleta no more than thirty minutes into the drive, snoozing soundly on her shoulder. Aleta relaxed into their side, resting against Echo. Enzo kept a relaxed posture as well, only his slightly puffed up fur giving away his actual feelings.

As the sun dipped behind the up coming mountains, Johnny pulled off onto a exit. Davis cleared this throat. “We’re about thirty minutes away from the boarder, and an hour away from our destination.”

Enzo lifted his eyes up, making eye contact through the rear mirror. He made a small nod of his head before resuming his previous position.

“Ok, thanks.” Aleta spoke softly looking over to Davis as well.

Davis nodded in acknowledgment before returning his eyes to his phone, scrolling. Aleta to returned her attention to her phone.

“Hey, before in that store you mentioned there being a bounty on our heads, what exactly did you mean by that?” Enzo suddenly spoke, voice level.

Davis and Johnny seemed to tense.

Davis released a long, weary sigh, “There is a two hundred thousand dollar bounty on both yours and that chosen one’s heads.” He began, “The bounty was initiated by some priest guy, what his name…” He trailed off trying to remember, “Jo something I wanna say.”

“Jojin?” Enzo offered.

Davis snapped his fingers, “That was it!”

Enzo scoffed, “Figers.”

“What is up with priest trying to kill me?” Echo wondered aloud.

Davis glance back at Enzo, curious, “What’d ya mean?”

Enzo gave Davis an appraising look, “He tried to hire me to kill Echo.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Obviously.”

The conversation fell short for a few moments.

“I can see why.”

Enzo grunted.

“They’re truly an oddity. To be honest with you I didn’t really believe the chosen one bullcrap until they were there saving my life.”

Enzo hummed, keeping his emotions in check.

“Your lucky to have them.”

“I know.” Enzo muttered beneath his breath, looking over to the sleeping form of Echo, “I know.” His gaze softened as his previous anger washed away.

Taking a deep breath, Enzo relaxed his posture once more. Untensing his shoulders. Unclenching his jaw.

----------

Echo awake to an elbow nudging their side as the truck they’d been traveling in turned onto a dirt road. Blinking they began to sit up, stretching their arms as they did so.

“Are we almost their?”

“Five minutes out now.” Davis replied.

Echo yawned, nodding their head in understanding.

“Who exactly is this person your taking us to see?” Enzo interrogated.

“Her name is Hannah, she lives with her wife Gracie. The two of them will help get you set up here.”

Enzo didn’t seem quite satisfied with the given answer.

Davis, seeming to sense this elaborated, “Me and Johnny did a mission a couple of times with them, trustworthy folk. Always had our backs when it counted.”

Enzo nodded once.

“Here we are,” Johnny announced as he pulled into a driveway, driving right up next to a beaten up truck out front of a small one story house.

The car came to a stop, nobody moving for a tense moment between Johnny turning off the engine and Davis opening the door. As his boots hit the dirt drive way Enzo popped his own door open, promoting Aleta to do the same.

Carrot squawked as he flew out of the back, landing next to Aleta. Who cooed, lightly petting his head. Johnny locked the doors once they’d all made it out of the truck. Davis leading the way to the house, Johnny not far behind with Echo, Enzo, Aleta, and Carrot. The group walked up a couple crumbling wooden steps before stopping right in front of a warn down welcome mat cover in grime and fraying at the ends.

Echo and Aleta looked around nervously, shifting slightly closer together. Aleta’s fur stood on end as her shoulders tensed. Enzo was slightly more inconspicuous about his own suspicions, ears twitching ever so often as his tail stilled. Johnny’s fist thumped on the door three times.

No more then a minute later the door squeaked open. Revealing a middle aged woman with fluffy bunny ears on top of her head standing in the door way.

“Ah, Davis, Johnny, you made it!” She exclaimed in a jolly tone, “Come in, come in.” She gestured them inside, steeping out of the way.

As the five plus Carrot walked in as the lady turned to address the awkward trio, “You must be Enzo, Aleta, and Echo! I’ve heard a lot about you three, quite the load of trouble you’ve manage to get yourselves into, eh?”

Aleta shifted uncomfortably. Echo gave a wobbly smile. Enzo glared.

“Well, no need to get to worked up about it, we got just the thing to help out, I’m Hannah by the way.” She introduced herself, stretching out her hand.

“Lovely to meet you, I’m Aleta.” Aleta introduced, glancing around every so often as she shock Hannah’s out stretched hand.

“Echo.” Echo greased with a small nod of the head and firm handshake.

“Enzo.” Enzo grunted, tightly grasping Hannah’s hand a shaking it a single time before quickly letting go.

“squawk!”

“And that’s Carrot.”

“Oh, that’s quite the unique goose you got there, I can’t say I’ve ever met another goose with peer white features! He is a beauty.”

Carrot preened at the compliments showing off his features as he took in the praise.

“Tell you what, I have the perfect place for him in the back, we got a couple geese of our own you see, he should be safe back there with them.” Hannah offered.

Carrot paused out that, taking in the new information.

“That sounds wonderful actually, thank you.”

Carrot shifted his focused to Aleta, beck agape.

“Its no problem, he’ll have fun with a couple of goose friends.”

Carrot did not like the sound of this.

“Excellent, can we taken him out now?” Enzo interjected.

“Of course, follow me.”

Carrot felt the ground disappear beneath him, he immediately began try to thrash about. Only to find his wings pined to his side, making him unable to escape.

“SQUAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!”