July 7th, 2044
Cherise sat outside on a bench, looking up at the cloudy, but also beautiful sky. She closes her eyes as the snow falls on her visor, it melting and running down the nanotech surface.
"It just feels so wrong..." Cherise says to herself. "I can feel it...but...its a different type of feel. Almost like a...phantom limb sense. The feeling is there...but you can tell its not truly there..."
She hangs her head low as she looks at her paws and paw pads, then turns them around to look at her beautiful white and grey fur, feeling up the back of her head to her ears.
"If only I were born human...maybe even gone to the same school as Bryson once did...he wouldn't have had to lose so much just because of me. Its so unfair to him..." she said, as she put her head in her paws.
"Over a month living here...and yet I still just..." she started tearing up, the guilt over pressuring her, like twenty tons being dropped on her.
"I...." she said, between sobs and hicks, "I'm so sorry, Bryson...I didn't want any of this to happen-"
All of a sudden her visor went black as she collapsed on the ground, Bryson still inside and unaware. Her eyes all of a sudden opened, and she was back at the room she saw in her childhood.
The poster on the wall, a giant metal door, and her caretaker...right there in front of her. His voice seemed clouded and distorted almost like his voice, but then, she saw the caretaker hold up a picture.
She slowly grabbed the picture, her paws being smaller as she was younger, and looked at it carefully. A young boy was in the picture, smiling towards the picture taker, holding a screwdriver and an old looking PC.
Her ears perk up at the caretaker's voice. "This kid is very special to me. He's kind, smart, but very protective." The voice said chuckling.
Cherise looks deep in the photo as she can be seen wide-eyed, and smiling, already crushing on the boy. She turns the picture around and sees, 'August 13th, 2032. Bryson's first PC!' She froze as she tried to say, "This looks like-" but then, she heard a voice.
"Cherise. Cherise. CHERISE!"
Cherise's heartrate increased as she was pulled back from her memory and her visor came back on, snapping awake as Bryce was right above her, "Oh, thank god! What happened?" Bryce said, holding her up and hugging her tightly.
She was still processing what had just happened as she pulled from the hug to look at Bryce in the eyes, still in his arms. "I have to tell you something."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bryce is seen sitting with her at the table as his hand in through his hair, listening and processing her new found memory. "So...you saw a picture of me? When I was a kid?
"First of all things, why were you out there all alone? If you needed alone time I totally get it, but just be sure to let me know next time. If they found us they could've taken you without me even knowing."
She nodded in agreement, "I-I'll try to be more communicative on that...I promise." She said, her voice still shaky.
Bryce smiles as he sighs and gets up from the table, going towards the couch and patting down. "C'mere, goof." He said.
Cherise slowly walks to him, her tail swishing with her hip movement, effortlessly swinging side-to-side. Instead of sitting beside him, she lifts on leg over and sits in his lap, her knees on the cushions and her hugging him tight, her muzzle buried in his neck. "Heh...someone likes this cuddle position, hm?" he said, rubbing her back and tail.
She smiles and nods, her tail wagging a little faster. Despite how much guilt she feels, she can't help but want to be around him. He makes her feel whole, special, and not like a burden.
After they hold each other for a while, Bryce gets an idea. "Say...its been a while since I mentioned this before, but I think its time we get your practiced." he said, with confidence.
She tilted her head, "Practice...? Oh, for shooting a gun?" She asked, her ears perking up.
"Exactly! Its a great stress reliever for me, might be to you, too!" He said, a little excited. "Just follow my lead and listen to every instruction, okay? For both my safety and yours."
Cherise took a deep breath and had confidence build in your eyes, "You're right, I can do this!" She said, looking tough, holding her fists in front of her chest.
Bryce chuckled as he kisses her on the forehead, "That's my girl." She blushed super intensely as her ears fell, her knees getting weak. She whispered under her breath, "Ugh, why are you so charming?"
"C'mon, daylight's burning!" Bryce said, with the bag full of guns on his shoulder. Cherise followed him quickly, closing the door and following behind carefully.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After walking for a few minutes, they end up in a secluded area where trees surrounded an open shooting gallery. Metal plates and reactive targets set up everywhere, with a nice, but old, wooden table at the front of the range.
"I remember this place so well, hasn't changed a bit." He looks over to Cherise as he carefully sets the heavy bag down, "This is where I was taught to shoot when I was younger."
"I can definitely see a lot of indents on the targets...how good are you?" Cherise asks, curiously.
Bryce chuckles as he gives her a little side-eye. "Watch me."
He walks over to the bag and carefully unzips it, grabbing his custom 1911. He took out the magazine and checked how many were in it, "Five, six, and seven-" He inserts the magazine back with a good slap and pulls the slide backward, chambering a round, and letting it fly forward, as Cherise stands beside him, admiring his fluidity and almost artistic way of handling such a deadly firearm.
"Oh, before I forget." He takes out the magazine again and racks the gun, popping the round out as he puts the gun in safety and sets on the table. Confused, Cherise tilts her head, "Why did you take out the bullets?"
"I forgot to give you some ear protection, here." He hands her a pair of purple in-ear protection, as she plugs them in he asks her, "Can you hear me?"
She looks over to him, "Its a little hard, but I can hear you slightly."
He nods, "Good, now get behind my left shoulder."
He quickly slaps the mag back in, racks in a round, and points his gun towards a target around midrange. His stance is poised, confident, as his eyes are focused, but not bloodlust, more of just total concentration.
He squeezes the trigger a round bellows out of the barrel, a giant *BOOM* heard as Cherise yelps and hides behind his shoulder, the gun still being pretty loud. The bullet was heard zipping and making a loud *PING* at the target.
"Whew...I still got it." Bryce says as he tightens his grip.
He then fires all rounds into multiple targets back-to-back, never missing a shot.
As he fires his seventh round, he quickly ejects the spent mag, and slams in a new one while also hitting the slide release, his movements so swift and smooth, you'd think he was trained in the military.
After his second magazine, a tiny amount of smoke can be seen at the edge of the barrel as he ejects the mag carefully, and clicks the slide forward, putting it back into safety. "So," Bryce asks, taking off his ear pros, "What did you think?"
Cherise comes out from behind his shoulder and admires his dead-eye accuracy. "Wow...you are really good..." She said, a little spooked from how loud the gun was, but mesmerized at how good he handled it.
"Alright, your turn." Bryce said.
"W-wait, your gun seems like it might have a little too much power for me-" Cherise said nervously.
"Oh no don't worry, I brought a specific one just for you." Bryce goes back in the bag as he pulls out the Glock pistol, a basic looking firearm. "This is for you. Its a Glock nine millimeter, very light and controllable, plus a pretty large magazine, negating the need to reload as much as I did."
He takes out the magazine and checks the chamber, before handing it to Cherise, she gripped the gun and held it up at the targets, squeezing one eye shut as she held it up. "It fits well in my paws, somehow..." She said, her posture a little off but not terrible overall.
"Oh yeah, Glocks are pretty much built for all sizes." Bryce said, overwatching her.
As Bryce went over the basics of gun safety, Cherise nodded along and tried her best to retain all of the info he gave her. He then wrapped his arms around her as he showed her how to properly hold the weapon, his chest and body pressed right up against hers, she tries her best to focus, and closes her eyes tightly to try and concentrate.
"Cherise?" He asks, her opening her eyes and turning to look at him, Bryce still holding the gun and pointing it downrange. She looks up at him, "Sorry...just trying to remember and keep everything you said in mind..." She said, worried that she's being a nuisance.
He slowly sets down the gun and makes her look up at him, nudging her chin. He gives her a quick kiss before looking at her in the eyes. "You're doing just fine. Just breathe, focus, and put your heart and soul into it. You've got this." Cherise closes her eyes for a second.
She then opens them back up with a determined look. "I'm ready."
"Atta girl, now, take your shot." Bryce says, helping her turn around before putting in her ear pros. She grabs the Glock, remembering everything he told her what to focus on. She puts in the magazine, chambers a round, and points it downrange. Her stance is much more confident, and her eyes focused.
She breathes out slowly as she squeezes the trigger, the gun firing a round downrange as it spooks her at first. All she hears is the empty brass bounce on the table, over and over, until it finally sits still. She looks up after the first shot, "No way...I missed?" She said, feeling defeated.
Bryce comes from behind her, "Well, of course you did. Not everyone can land their first shot. Try again!" he said, encouraging her.
She smiles and nods, and picks up the gun again from the table, aiming down the sights before taking her time again, firing another round.
*PING*
"Wait, did I-" Cherise asks.
"YOU DID IT! You landed a shot! Nice job!" Bryce said, hyping her up.
Cherise smiles as she aims again, landing hits on targets, granted she was hitting more near the outside edge, she still hit her shots.
After spending one magazine, Cherise carefully puts it down as he turns around and smiles at Bryce, wagging her tail. "That actually was kinda fun!" She said.
He laughs as he holds her shoulders. "Now, let's try something different." Bryce goes over and grabs a fresh magazine and sets it by her gun. "Go ahead and reload." Bryce says.
She picks up her gun and ejects the old mag, carefully setting it down. She then grabs the fresh mag and puts it into her gun, giving a courtesy tap to make sure its fully seated, before trying to press the slide release. "Its kinda stiff..." She said, trying to click it.
Bryce comes behind her again, "Try pulling the slide back ." She nods and does what he said, pulling the slide a little more back, as it flies forward and chambers another round.
"Okay, I'm curious of this, activate your visor setting called, "Trajectory...something-something and see if you have any assists come online." Bryce asked, holding her shoulders. She nodded and looked into her visor settings, all of a sudden she sees a beam and a target finder come up on her heads up display. "Woahhh, its showing me where the bullet is going to land, without me even aiming!" She says, amazed.
"Really? Give it a shot!" Bryce says.
Cherise then points the gun again, this time with only one paw. She fires rapidly as she lands near-perfect shots, all landing on the targets as she also lands a round all the way in the back target for her final round.
"Holy shit, girl. That'll really come in handy." He said, amazed.
She deactivates the function as she once again ejects the mag and safely stores it back on the table. "Thank you, Bryce. I really enjoyed this...and now we both know we can protect each other, right?"
Bryce chuckles as he looks at her, "Exactly right."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As Bryce and Cherise were headed back to the house, the trail to get back seemed to be swept away. The cold winds getting harsher as it seemed a snow storm started to blow through the area.
"Dammit...I can't really see anything through this wind...Cherise, can you see through your visor?"
She activates her different visor modes and tried looking around, using scanning mode and even thermal. "No...I can't see a thing either, I'm so sorry, Bryce!"
"Its okay, we'll figure out a way through this mess- let's just keep going, we need to find the house or at least someplace with shelter." Bryce said, trudging through the snow.
Around fifteen minutes later, they stop and look around to only see trees, and the storm getting worse. "Dammit, I think we're lost." Bryce says, looking at Cherise. She's shivering, despite being covered with fur. Her visors light being one of the only things he can see.
"Wait..." Bryce says, squinting his eyes. "There! I see the safehouse, c'mon we're almost there." Cherise tails behind him closely as they both rush through the door, and Bryson shuts it, locking it up.
"Whew...definitely need some new signs for the trail." Bryson said, chuckling.
He then lights a match as he tosses it into the fireplace, starting a nice, cozy fire.
He puts the gun bag back in his room and safely stores it, as he comes back to the den to see Cherise all bundled up in a blanket in front of the fire. Bryson sits right next to her as she then leaned against him, closing her eyes.
He brushes her fur as she cuddles next to him, smiling at his touch.
She then says, "Thank you for today. Hopefully next time the storm won't catch us off-guard."
"Agreed." Bryce said, chuckling, "Now we know you're an excellent marksman."
She laughed and sighed right after, "Y'know...even if its secluded and alone...I don't mind living like this, as long as its with you."
"You sure? I mean you've been great around people so far, for the few you've seen." Bryce said.
"I mean...yeah, but no one compares to you. How patient you've been with me and the fact that you haven't wanted to throw me away." She then turns to look up at him, "You don't, right?"
Bryce snickers as he puts his hand on his chin, "Hmmm...let me think-"
Cherise then softly jabs his arm and laughs, "Don't be a meanie!"
Bryce busts out laughing as he continued playing with her fur , "No, Cherise." He answered.
"You're not disposable. I'm not ever throwing you away." He kisses her forehead,
"I promise."
She looks up at him and holds up her paw, "Pinky Promise?"
He smiles and wraps his pinky onto hers.
"Pinky promise."