Guarded Ep. 09

New years eve was spent on the road to the next show. The crew stopped to celebrate at a truck stop, with champagne and other spirits. Then after the festivities were finished, they were back on their way to the next show.

Days turned into weeks and before Tracey knew it, she had spent her third month with everyone. The concerts themselves were going pretty straight forward. Occasionally she would need to pluck an excitable fan off the stage, but there hadn't been any outright drama.

Every time she had to appear on stage though, the fans would cheer and applaud her. She had taken to treating them with a lighter touch these days. Usually, she would tug them behind the stage, scold them and turn them back loose into the crowd to finish the show. With the token threat, that if they tried it again, she would throw them out of the venue.

Tracey found herself at the side of the stage during Leo's Valentine's Day concert. Love was in the air and the idol was really into it. He even wore an alteration of his usual stage outfit, going with pink and white. She had threatened to hurt him severely if he pulled anything with her during the show.

Another sappy song, the fourth one in an hour. Each time he finished he would look her way and the wolf would give him a blushing grin. The stage lights and laser beams made her small silver pendant he wore shine with sparkle on his mostly open chest.

The bodyguard shook her head with a smile and started to move back to the other side of the stage, where Max had been. The poor rat had run off to make his third emergency bathroom trip of the night.

However, something caught her eye and gave her pause. She looked out to see a young girl quickly scramble up on stage after security became lax in that section.

"Are you kidding? While I'm feeling all fuzzy and giddy, one of you assholes decides to do this?" The wolf barked the words out to herself over the performance and quickly tugged at her gloves, before pushing past the curtains.

Her white ears elevated as the crowd cheered and called out when they saw her. She felt her cheeks darken slightly like they always did. She heard a few yells from the mass of adoration for her specifically, particularly one fan screaming out. "I love you, Tracey!"

They knew her name now, well of course they did. Those stupid videos and the ram blabbing his mouth on that dumb tv show. She shot a look in the direction of where she heard the adoration and gave a quick toothy grin, then shifted her gaze on the young woman that had climbed the stage.

She had stopped her advance when she saw Tracey come out from behind stage. The young woman was a wolf like the bodyguard, even down to the white ears, tail, and hair. Her hair wasn't nearly as long as Tracey's though, only coming down to her shoulders. Tracey gave a visible sigh before placing her hands on her hips, giving the other dog a shake of her head.

The bodyguard extended her hand and crooked a finger, beckoning the younger wolf to her. "Please just behave and come here... I don't want to tackle you and interrupt the show..." She barked the words out, but knew it would be impossible to be heard over the performance.

An excited grin spread on the girls face and she quickly trotted over to the older wolf, her large white tail wagging like a puppy. Tracy cocked an eyebrow and motioned her around the curtain, making sure to stay within grabbing reach if she tried to bolt.

Once behind the stage, the bodyguard folded her arms and snapped out sternly at the girl. "What the hell are you doing, girl? Did you come here to see Blue, or go to jail?"

"N-neither! I came here to see you!" The younger wolf barked the words out and wagged her tail.

Tracey showed her teeth and looked into the girl's eyes while growling. She looked like she might have been eighteen or nineteen at best and her eyes were a soft brown. The older wolf felt a chill go up her spine, the eye color reminding her of Helen. She looked away and up on stage at Leo still performing.

Two of the security goons came over to the two of them. "Should we escort her out, ma'am?"

"Now you want to do your jobs? Fuck off and go help at the stage!" Tracey barked the words at the two larger men, who scowled at her but left the two wolves be.

"Y-you're so cool!" The younger dog spoke out, her cheeks dark and her tail still wagging.

"You're an idiot kid..." Tracey muttered the words and jerked her head. "C'mon... let's go for a walk."

"O-okay!" The younger wolf paced up next to her. "I'm Hilde by the way, I'm really exci-"

"I didn't ask for your name." Tracey barked out while they walked. Hilde drooped her ears and looked away, growing silent.

The two dogs moved further backstage until the sound of the performance was muted enough she could talk without shouting. Tracey leaned against the wall, planting her boot against it and bending her leg. She crossed her arms over her stomach before growling out. "I would have already thrown your ass out by now, but... You remind me of my grandmother. So... Hilde, what's your deal?"

Hilde met Tracey's azure eyes with her own soft brown ones. "I- uh... t-that is..."

"Calm down, girl. I'm not going to kick your ass or throw you out. So relax and just tell me what you were hoping to accomplish with this silly shit." The older wolf huffed the words out, trying to be more comforting.

"I just think you're amazing and cool. I'm... a big fan of yours." Hilde spoke the words excitedly, the tone of voice reminding her of how the fans spoke around Leo, during autograph sessions.

"You have terrible taste in role models, Hilde." Tracey showed her teeth in a grin and kicked off the wall. "I will admit I never thought I would have a fan though. I'm flattered..."

"You have a lot of them, Tracey! I'm a member of a community online of them. We've got a few hundred members and there are multiple communities!" The younger dog wagged her tail as she started explaining.

"T-that... is unsettling... I'm just a normal girl, Hilde... I've got baggage like crazy and a truckload of issues. I'm nothing to idolize." Tracey clicked her tongue and looked back towards the stage area.

"The fact you're so down to earth and humble, just makes you even more amazing!" Hilde waged her tail furiously and clenched her fists, looking upon the slightly larger wolf. "I can't believe this worked... I can't believe I'm getting to talk to you!"

"It was a stupid idea and you're an idiot for trying it!" Tracey barked the words at the younger dog. Hilde flinched at the words while The older wolf spoke out again. "How old are you?"

"I-I'm nineteen..." Hilde looked away awkwardly at the reprimand.

"You're not a kid anymore Hilde, this kind of stunt could have gotten you jail time. You want a record following you around?" The blue-eyed wolf folded her arms and then frowned at the dejected look on the younger wolf's face. "L-look, I'm just..."

Tracey sighed and reached out, putting a hand on the young wolf's head, rubbing her ears and hair comfortingly. "I'm just busting your chops because I don't want you to fuck up, okay?"

Hilde's eyes widened at the touch and she looked back at Tracey, nodding her head several times, her eyes shined as if they were growing wet. "Y-yes, thank you!"

The bodyguard showed her teeth and playfully ruffled the younger wolf's white locks, before pulling her hand away. "Well we're here... promise me you won't do boneheaded shit like this anymore and I will answer a few questions for you."

"Really?" Hilde's brown eyes sparkled and she quickly ran her fingers through her hair, fixing it. "Ah... yes I promise not to! So I can ask anything?"

"Within reason, you start asking me creepy stuff like my panty color, I'm tossing your ass outside." Tracey showed her teeth and gave a playful grin.

"Damn... that was my first question." Hilde snapped her fingers dramatically and smiled up at the older wolf.

Tracey barked out a laugh and grinned before looking back at the stage. "You're cute kid, but I'm slacking off for you, let's get on with it."

Hilde nodded her head before speaking. The first question was the one she pretty much expected her to ask. "Are you and Blue dating?"

The bodyguard cut her eyes back to the younger wolf and retorted with a question of her own. "Do you like EB and his music?"

"Of course! I'm a big fan of his. Not as big of a fan as I am of you, but he is great!" Hilde smiled and wagged her tail excitedly.

"He is contractually obligated to not have any public relationships of the romantic variety. Did you know that?" She spoke the words in a conversational tone towards the young fan.

"I didn't know that... so he can get into trouble if he dated someone?" Hilde asked curiously.

"The record label could fire him or even sue him, yes. Well if he openly admitted to it." Tracey gave a nod in response.

"Ah... I just saw he was wearing your locket now, so-"

"Hilde are you a fan or a stalker?" The older wolf barked at her, giving her an irritated look.

"N-no! But... the community has lots of pictures of you, and the idea of you two dating is a popular topic. So lots of members have put plenty of research into it." Hilde quickly explained, trying to reinforce herself as a non-stalker.

"Fandom is terrifying..." Tracey mumbled the words and ran her fingers through her red and white bangs. "Hilde, you smelled him on stage I assume?"

"Oh yes... he smelled heavenly..." The younger wolf wagged her tail, her voice shifting to a more aroused tone.

"Mhm... and how heavily do I smell of him right now?" She asked Hilde pointedly.

"O-overwhelmingly so..." The younger wolf spoke out, putting the pieces together.

"Well, I can't answer that question, Hilde. It could cause Leo a world of shit. So my answer is; you're a smart girl, I'm sure you can figure it out." Tracey gave a shrug. "Anything else?"

"I want to be like you," Hilde spoke out plainly.

That made the older wolf lift her ears. "Like me? You want to be a bodyguard?"

"I do! You're so strong and brave!" Hilde furiously wagged her tail and grinned at the older wolf.

"More like a fool with no self-preservation," Tracey snarled the words and gave Hilde a level look. "Hilde, this gig isn't glamorous or cool. It's dangerous and tedious. You saw a video of me on stage fighting off that idiot. That's the most action I've seen in a year. The rest of it is long boring rides on buses, cramped sleeping arrangements. Having to hold it for an extra hour, because your VIP doesn't want to stop for a bathroom break..."

"I've looked into it quite a bit, I have an idea. What I'm asking is... how can I be like you? How can I be so cool and stoic, so reliable..." Hilde blinked at the wolf in adoration.

Tracey averted her eyes at the look and clenched her teeth. "I'm one of those things, Hilde. I'm reliable because I've got years of training and conditioning. Join a dojo, learn some martial arts, that will help with that." Tracey sighed and shook her head. "Stoic and cool? More like jaded and bitter... Hilde, I was a mess for a long time...before, well..."

"Before him?" The younger wolf gave her a knowing grin.

Tracey smiled and looked back towards the stage. "Something like that... the right people are what make you, Hilde. Be a good person and strive to surround yourself with those kinds of people, that will get you the results you want."

The younger wolf smiled and nodded. "We are known by the company we keep, yes?"

"You got it." The bodyguard grinned and waved a hand. "I really need to get back to the stage, we should wrap this up. One more."

"Uhm... Can I get an autograph?" Hilde asked point-blank.

The larger wolf gave a laugh. "You're kidding, yeah? Hilde, my signature isn't going to ever be worth anything."

"It's worth the world to me, Tracey." The younger wolf huffed the words out stubbornly.

Tracey clicked her tongue. "I don't have a pen, or anything to sign..." The wolf looked down at her new phone that Leo got her for the holidays. "How about... a picture together?"

"You serious!?" The younger dog barked out sharply, her tail furiously thrashing about.

Tracey pursed her lips and jerked her head for the younger wolf to follow. "Sure... I need to drop you off to see the rest of the show anyway... Let's get it with the stage in view."

"Oh, my gods! Seriously?" Hilde trotted after the bodyguard, her tail a blur of white.

The older wolf felt a gentle smile form while watching the younger one follow her like a puppy. A chill went up her spine at the situation and she placed a hand to her chest, forgetting the pendant was with Leo.

Tracey got the younger wolf's number before they got to the stage. "I will send it to you after the show." She called out over the music and crowd. The younger wolf nodded her head eagerly in response.

The bodyguard climbed back up to the side of the stage with the younger wolf in tow. Leo or Electric Blue as it were, was just finishing up a song. He saw them out of the corner of his eye and gave Tracey a bright grin. He then blinked in confusion to see the wolf she had snatched earlier with her.

Tracey smiled at him, shaking her head before turning with the younger woman to get a picture with the stage and band in the shot. Leo felt a grin spread across his face and waved at his bandmates before calling out to the audience. "One moment loves!"

The bodyguard never got the picture before turning to look, as the ram happily moved over towards her and Hilde. "The fuck are you doing sheep? Get back on stage!" Tracey barked the words, her cheeks growing dark at the scent of him covered in sweat and musk. The younger wolf quickly averted her eyes and gave off her own faint pant.

"I see what you're doing here hun. Why don't you let me make it a really special picture?" The idol hummed the words against both of their ears.

"Hun?" Hilde spoke out, looking at the other wolf curiously.

"Are you stupid?" Tracey growled up at him, her ears folding.

"Relax, I'm a performer, improv is what we do." Leo cooed the words into the bodyguard's ear, then shifted his gaze to the younger wolf. "What's your name, love?"

Her brown eyes widened and she looked stunned, stammering to speak to the superstar. The fear and his own scent had shattered her brain thoroughly. "Her name is Hilde, you stupid damn sheep!" Tracey spat out, glaring at Leo childishly.

"Got it... leave it to me, this is going to be amaaaazing!" He called the words out and trotted back to the stage.

"I... I'm gonna throw up..." Hilde weakly huffed the words, her cheeks flushed red. The younger wolf took a calming breath after the Idol slipped away, thankful for the fresh air.

Tracey took in a deep breath and patted her back."You're gonna be okay, my stupid boyfriend will see to that."

"Boyfriend?" The younger wolf asked her through the noise of the crowd.

"You must have misheard me through the crowd." Tracey gave her a knowing grin and a wink.

Leo quickly moved to each of his bandmates explaining, then turned to the crowd. "So! Terribly sorry about that delay, my loves!" Blue called out to the crowd, which in turn roared their love and understanding back at him.

The idol started to pace the front of the stage, wagging a finger. "Now we planned a little Valentine surprise this time without telling any of you..."

"Son of a bitch... stealing my thunder..." Tracey growled the words, showing a grin as she folded her arms.

"W-what's he doing?" Hilde asked curiously.

"Being an asshole... Hope you're not afraid of crowds, girl." Tracey grinned and looked over at the younger wolf.

"We held a little lottery with the ticket stubs and chose one lucky member of the audience to come backstage. You may have seen her being collected by Tracey, my lovely bodyguard earlier." The idol cooed the words and turned back to his band, flicking his little fluff of tail.

The crowd cheered and roared in response. Blue sauntered over to the side of the stage once more and extended his hand towards the younger wolf. "Come along little wolf, this is your moment..." His voice filled the concert hall.

Hilde blinked wide-eyed at the idol and hesitantly moved a hand to grip his. "Guess our selfie will have to wait, have fun Hilde." Tracey barked the words playfully, as the idol pulled her from the side area.

The young wolf gave the older one a wide excited grin, quickly reaching out and grabbing Tracey's wrist with her free hand. The older dog barked out her protest as both of them were dragged out onto the stage by Blue.

"I'm going to kill both of you!" Tracey barked the words loudly, her words swallowed up by the roar of the crowd.

"So, this lovely wolf is Hilde." Blue calls out to the crowd. The concert hall bursts into cheers in response to his words. The idol looks over at the older wolf fussing and gives her a wide grin. "Of course you already know my lovely bodyguard, Tracey."

The crowd got even louder at the mention of her name. She folded her arms over her stomach and looked to the side, muttering and growling to herself, her cheeks darkening.

"So Hilde, did Tracey do a good job keeping you company until this?" The idol called out and put his hands on his knees, bending forward to get his mic piece closer to the young wolf.

Hilde blinked several times at how close his face was to hers. She swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking out. "Y-yeah... I was really happy to talk to her, I'm a big fan of hers..."

The crowd cheered and clapped and Blue made a shocked look, putting a hand to his chest. "Really? That's some stiff competition, I don't think I could compare." The ram gave the wolf a playful grin and lifted his ears. "I'm a big fan of hers as well, so I can relate." Tracey cut her eyes back at the ram, her cheeks dark at him talking about her to the audience.

Hilde flicked her ears up and waved a hand. "N-not that I'm not a big fan of you too, I love you, EB!"

"I love you too, Hilde! Aaaaand... of course, I love all of you out there as well!" He turned to point out towards the crown, their cheers and adoration intensifying.

"So!" The ram leaned in close to Hilde and raised his ears sharply. "This is your moment, my love. Any song you please and it's yours, what would you like to hear?" The idol moved in holding his hand against his mouth as if the crowd couldn't hear him on his feedback. "Except Neon Sunset, I have to save that for the finale, ya know?"

Hilde giggled and the crowd laughed at the candid outtake of the idol. Hilde folded her arms in thought. "Given the day and how much mush you've already cranked out tonight..."

The crowd laughed and cheered as Blue gave her an innocent look. "Mush? That's a funny way of saying love and adoration, Hilde!"

Hilde gave him a bright grin, showing her sharp teeth and reminding him of Tracey for a split second. "Uhuh... I want to hear, True Blue Avenue!"

The crowd roared to life at the request and Leo stood up, crossing his arms over his stomach, not unlike how Tracey would do. "Ooph... and you call me mushy..."

She averted her eyes at the words and wagged her tail. Leo smiled and nodded to his band. "James, you want to get us started on that?" The short, black-haired corgi pointed at the ram and got right to it from his deck. The speakers filled with a long synthetic build-up of sound, each of the band members joining in with their own parts.

By the time the first syllables had crossed Leo's lips, the whole venue was still and quiet. Soon the whole building was in harmony and singing along. Nothing mattered right now but the moment. Race, religion, or any other views. It all bled away to the unity of the moment, tens of thousands all in harmony.

The idol strode about the stage singing to the crowd, then gave the young wolf a grin and snatched her wrist up. The small dog barked out before being pulled up to the idol and embraced in a slow dance while he sang. Some cheered but most just kept singing in time with Blue.