Guarded Ep. 10

Hilde pushed the front door open and stepped back into the kitchen of her family home. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead with sweat, the rest of her hair pinned up in a short ponytail. "I'm back, Mom."

The older wolf smiled at her from the stove, where she was mixing some eggs. "Welcome back, honey. How was this morning's run?"

"Good, ran an extra mile since we've had so little snow the last few weeks." Hilde panted the words and wiped her brow of sweat. She felt a shiver go down her spine, the chill from outside setting upon her, now that her heart rate was coming down.

"Well, I'm just getting started on breakfast. Go grab a warm shower before you set up with a cold." The mother wolf spoke the words out in a gentle but firm tone.

"Alright, thanks, Mom." The younger wolf quickly moved from the kitchen, heading to her bedroom. She quickly gathered some clothes and made for the shower.

Hilde pushed her forehead to the shower wall, still feeling a faint pant on her breath from the hard run. The hot water rushed down over her, the heat soothing and warming after the heavy exercise. She didn't bother with shampooing her hair, she knew she would take a more thorough shower this afternoon, once practice was done. Opting to just rinse her white locks out for now.

Humming to herself after stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her small body and used another to begin drying her wet hair. The young wolf was a little on the shorter side of things, like her mother. This was one of the reasons she looked up to the bodyguard so much. Tracey was also on the smaller side, but she was tough and a strong fighter.

The young woman pulled the towel from her body, moving it to more thoroughly dry and fluff out her tail. She continued to hum to herself and glanced at her own body in the mirror. It had only been two months since this all began, but she could already see the definition and tone starting to show in her limbs.

Her tail wagged while she turned to look her backside over in the mirror. Her butt and hips had taken on a little more curve, thanks to the definition of muscle there. These last two months had really started to show, it stood to reason though. Working out and training was essentially her full-time job now. She had been running five days a week and hitting three different martial arts academies twice per week. On top of regular visits to the gym she had joined.

Hilde quickly donned her panties and sports bra, the second article feeling a little tight. She frowned and tugged at the fit, seeing the muscles in her chest had made her go up another size or two. "Guess I better look into some new bras."

After brushing her hair out and pinning it back in a small ponytail, she donned the rest of her outfit for the day. Hilde gave herself a grin in the mirror and moved out of the bathroom, returning to the kitchen.

Her mother had just finished things and gave her a smile upon entry. "Have a seat, sweetie." The older wolf hummed the words and moved to place a large plate of eggs, meat, and vegetables down.

"Thanks, I'm starving." The younger dog spoke the words excitedly, moving to sit and go right to work on her breakfast.

The older wolf sat down across from her daughter, her own plate of food in one hand, a mug of coffee in the other. "So what's on your agenda today?"

Hilde lifted her ears and finished chewing before taking a sip of her own coffee. "I've got judo at ten this morning, then there's boxing later around three. I might sneak in a few hours at the gym between then."

"Don't injure yourself like you did a few weeks ago, dear." The older dog spoke out with concern.

"I will be okay, it was just a pulled muscle. Anyway, I've brought the tempo down a few degrees, just until I'm one hundred percent again." Hilde took a few more bites of food and saw the look her mother was giving her, like she wanted to say more. "What?"

"I'm still not happy about this." Her mother spoke out pointedly.

"Yes, I know." Hilde replied before taking another sip of coffee.

"And you're just going to do what you want, huh?" The older wolf gave her an annoyed frown.

"Yes, I am. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I plan to see it through." The younger wolf spoke confidently, her tail wagging behind her.

"It's such a dangerous job though." Her mother spoke out, the tone in her voice becoming more authoritative.

"Everything is dangerous, Mom. People die every day just driving to their perfectly safe jobs." Hilde growled the words and looked away. "Can we not have this argument at breakfast? I feel bad upsetting you after you cooked for me."

Her mother gave a sigh and relented. "Alright... just know I worry about you."

"I get that, but if anything this is making me a stronger woman, so you won't have to worry so much." The younger wolf gave her mother a grin, then returned to her breakfast.

"I'm still not sure how this all happened... it's all been moving so quickly." Her mother sighed the words and shook her head. She still had not received the full story, on how her daughter met Tracey to begin with.

Hilde snapped up the rest of her breakfast before giving a satisfied huff. "Damn, I love your eggs."

"It's just scrambled eggs, sweetie." Her mother gave her a smile.

"As to how it happened..." The younger wolf moved from the table, taking her dishes to the sink to quickly clean them. "Well sometimes you have to take chances in life, you know what I mean?"

"Would you like to elaborate upon that, dear?" The mother wolf asked while holding her mug of mostly drank coffee.

"Will you promise not to freak out?" Hilde grinned at her from the sink, her tail slowly wagging.

#

"Hello, my loves!" Electric Blue called out to the roaring crowd before him. He just stood there, basking in the adoration, listening to their cheers and screams for him. Several seconds passed, the idol just standing there, his arms spread and his palms open. It was as if he were feeding on their energy and excitement.

"Welcome to the last night of our tour!" The idol called out and placed his fingertips on his chin, trying his best to look introspective for the crowd. The whole building seemed to shake with the enthusiasm of the fans. Leo pointed a finger as if to talk, then just waited and rolled a hand, as if allowing them to continue cheering for him.

"Fucking showboating nerd." Tracey barked out from the sidelines. She had a grin on her face, her arms crossed over her stomach, her tail lazily wagging behind her.

"It's his last one for a while, he wants to drink it all in," Max called out to her with a smile and shoved his fist out towards the wolf.

Tracey snorted and knocked fists with him without even making eye contact. "It's good to see him so happy... it's all I want." The white wolf spoke the words with a smile.

The rat showed his teeth, lightly bumping the wolf with his hip. Tracey looked down at him questioningly. "You've changed a lot, Tracey. You seem much happier now."

She showed her sharp teeth and moved a hand to pat at the rat's completely shaved head. The wolf was careful not to muss the blue and white stars Trixie had given him before the show began. "Ha! I'm not the only one, Maximillian!"

Trixie came up behind the two of them and folded her arms. "Don't fuck up my work, I'm not fixing them."

The wolf gave the llama a grin and moved her hand from Max's head, before flipping her off. "Bite me, I was watching out for them."

"So! Before we begin the show, I want to do something a little special. Seeing as it's the last night of the tour and all." The idol spoke out to the fans, his small fluff of tail flicking about rapidly. He grinned at their cheers of interest.

"Oh fuck... here he goes again..." Trixie groaned the words aloud. Max frowned and stiffened his back. Tracey just rolled her eyes and growled at the ram.

"So this will take a few minutes..." Blue paced the stage as he spoke, looking out over the audience. "You see, I've been with all these people almost a year now. I've said it before and I will say it again. I'm nothing without them."

The crowd grew quieter as the idol continued to speak humbly before them. "So... I'm calling them up here by their jobs. I want you guys to show them all the love you would me. Can you do that for me?"

The building rumbled with cheers from the fans and Max pushed his palm to his forehead. "Damn it... you heard the ram..." The manager spoke out as he connected the mic, holding a finger to his earpiece. "Everyone group up by your positions and wa-"

"And since I love catching him flat-footed! The first one I want to introduce is my manager!" The idol called out over the feed and gave Max a grin from the stage.

The rat glared and shook his head. "I am not going out there, Leo ba-"

Max yelped out as Trixie grabbed his arm and started pulling him with her to the stage. "Come on, Max... don't slow the show down," The llama spoke out cheerfully.

Leo grinned as the two made their way out to the stage. Trixie gave a lazy look to the crowd and brushed her pink hair back. Max just fidgeted awkwardly. "So this is my manager Maximillian, none of this would be possible without him." The crowd roared and cheered while the small man gave them an awkward wave of his hand.

"And this... is my assistant manager, Trixie. She also does my makeup and hair. It's no exaggeration to say I wouldn't be Electric Blue without her." The idol gave the llama a grin while introducing her. The crowd applauded in appreciation for her and Max.

And so it went. It took several minutes, but every member of the staff got a moment in the limelight. From the technicians that worked on the sound equipment, to the drivers of the buses. Everyone but one particular individual.

"Well... I think that takes care of everyone." The idol cooed the words out to the audience. The crowd clapped but seemed restless. The ram smiled over the masses and perked his ears up. "Ah... did I forget someone?"

The white wolf scowled and folded her ears, her cheeks turning red. She could easily hear her name circulating through the crowd. The idol put a hand to his chest in a mock look of shock. "Oh, how silly of me... of course, I didn't forget. It's called building tension my loves."

"Asshole... I'm gonna kill him!" The wolf growled the words and clenched her fist.

"She bitches, but I think secretly she likes it." Trixie called the words out towards Max.

The rat grinned and nodded at Trixie. "Yeah, you can tell because of her tail wagging."

Tracey glared at both of them and then at her own tail which was furiously cutting through the air. She showed her teeth and willed the wagging to stop.

"So I don't think I need to introduce her, but please show your love for my lovely bodyguard, Tracey!" The idol called out, pride in his voice as he motioned a hand towards the side of the stage.

Tracey growled and took a step forward before Trixie grabbed her arms and halted her. The llama met the wolf's eyes and spoke to her pointedly. "Remember what I told you months ago... This is here and now. You have no promised tomorrow's, bask in the moment and in his love for you."

The wolf blinked at the words and felt her pull away, the llama gave her a gentle push to get her feet back into motion. Tracey folded her ears in thought while she paced out under the hot lights of the stage. Even through the roars of the crowd, she could hear her own heartbeat thumping in her ears.

Leo gave Tracey an adoring grin as she approached. She didn't realize it in the moment, but Trixie had pushed something into her hand during the exchange. The white wolf looked out over the crowd cheering for her. She thought about her friends, about her mother, and Helen.

Her azure eyes shifted to his chest, seeing the silver pendant resting there. She then moved them up to look into his eyes. Leo gave her a sad smile, as if he already knew what she was thinking about.

Tracey took a deep breath, closed her eyes and focused her thoughts. She pulled the radio piece out of her ear. Then quickly donned the mic and earpiece, that Trixie had pushed into her hands. She heard the feed go live in her ear and opened her eyes, giving the idol a confident grin.

"I don't think any of you know the story behind that pendant he's wearing..." Tracey spoke the words out casually. She began walking and pacing the stage, not unlike how the idol had done before her.

The wolf flicked her ears and folded her arms over her stomach, looking out over tens of thousands of fans before her. "It's my late grandmother's and It's my most prized possession-"

"She was an amazing wolf!" The idol spoke out sharply to the crowd, jarring everyone to look upon him again. "My website has a segment on her, go look her up later."

Tracey smiled at the idol. "Really... how long has that been? You never told me."

The idol smiled and shrugged. "A few months now..."

Tracey grinned at him and then turned back to the masses before her. "Here is what I want to say to all of you... Thank you. Thank you for loving Leo... He is a kind and wonderful ram. Please, don't ever stop loving one another either, that's all my grandmother wanted."

The crowd roared to life with cheers and applause. Tracey gave them a blushing grin and turned to walk back to the idol. "Sorry for stealing your show."

"It's cool. I will play bodyguard and let you do the singing and dancing tonight!" The idol spoke the words playfully, the crowd cheering and laughing in response.

The wolf gave him a laugh and shook her head. "Get to your fans, darling..." Tracey spoke the words playfully and put a hand on his chest, resting it on the locket. She stood up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss, the audience reacting with enthusiasm. She gave him another smile and moved to leave the stage.

"Sing a few songs with me!" The idol called out, not even bothering to turn and look at her. The crowd screamed their eagerness for the duets.

"T-this isn't karaoke you dumb ram!" Tracey fired off without thinking. The crowd filled with laughs and 'ooohs'.

"Ha! You see the abuse I put up with?" The idol called out to the crowd, then grinned at Tracey over his shoulder. "C'mon hun, they want you to... my fans would let you know if they didn't like it." The concert hall roared it's affirmation to his words.

Tracey pushed her palm to her cheek and looked over at Trixie with a smile. The llama put her hands on her hips and grinned at the wolf from the side of the stage. "Alright... but all of you paid good money for this show. If I bring it down, please tell me. I don't want to ruin your nights."

The crowd cheered as the wolf moved over to stand next to the idol. Leo gave her a look full of pride and pointed out to the audience. "Okay! That's enough talk, these people came here for music!"

Tracey grinned as she heard the drummer Neil pop his sticks together a few times to cue the pace of the song, then the bass and synthesizers joined in. Lasers bathed the wolf and ram as the two of them began the first song of the set.

Of course, Tracey knew the lyrics, she had been listening to his songs almost daily for the last six months. Leo slipped behind her and pushed his back to her own while they sang together. The wolf grinned between verses and pushed back against him.

"This is insane..." Max grumbled and rubbed his face.

"It's cute... they look so happy together." Trixie called out to the rat. "You should find a sitter and bring Joanne to a show or two next tour."

"She might enjoy that. Maybe so, when we're near my home next tour." The rat smiled while watching the ram and wolf on stage. "It's rough but her singing isn't all that bad, it seems to harmonize well with his."

Trixie grinned and folded her arms. "Maybe we should put her through some lessons, make her an occasional duet partner for him. People eat up that stuff... couples singing together..."

It was harder work than she expected. The lights were hot and she was starting to understand why the idol wore such exposing clothes. Leo smiled at her and once the current song came to an end, he spoke out over the feed. "Go get some water real quick."

Tracey nodded and quickly slipped backstage, killing the feed on her mic. Max had already prepared a bottle of water for her. Tracey drank it down and huffed out. "Damn... that's harder than it looks..."

"You look like you're having fun, Tracey." The manager smiled at her playfully.

The wolf grinned and looked up at the idol prancing around on stage talking to the crowd. "I am..."

"So! Quickly now, how are you liking this my loves? Give me a thumbs up if you're enjoying it, give me a thumbs down if you're not." The idol folded his arms and looked over the crowd, grinning at them. "Now... you guys aren't just doing that for my sake are you?" The idol gave a laugh at the almost universal 'No' that seemed to echo out from the crowd.

"Freaking nerd..." Tracey grumbled the words and finished her water, before climbing back onto the stage. She turned the mic back on and moved over to the idol.

"Welcome back!" The idol cooed the words and the audience returned his gesture with cheers.

"Thanks. Sorry to keep you waiting, uh... loves?" Tracey barked the last of the words awkwardly. The audience echoed their approval and the wolf showed her teeth in a childish grin.

The show played out without incident and the crowd seemed to really enjoy her participating with Leo. A few fans thought about climbing up to the stage, but the wolf would always transition towards that side of the stage. A quick show of teeth and glare sufficed to deter the situation.

In a way, this made her job easier. She was front and center for him. Standing guard in plain sight, both a deterrent and entertainment at the same time. The songs came and went and the show went by much faster than she expected or would have liked.

The finale was upon them and Tracey moved up to Leo, pushing close to his chest. "Ah... for Neon Sunset..."

"Yeah?" The idol rested a hand on her hip, his ears lifting curiously.

"It's one of my favorites too... however... I want to try something, is that okay?" Tracey huffed the words out, a slight pant on her breath from all the singing and dancing with him.

"I'm not opposed if they aren't!" He pointed to the audience who of course was happy to parrot whatever he wanted.

Tracey drooped her ears and snorted into her mic. "I hope you guys are really enjoying this and I've not ruined your nights..."

The audience sent waves of encouragement towards the white wolf and she grinned, her cheeks darkening. She understood now, what she saw before with him. Understood how the energy of the crowd could feed into your own. The wolf gave the ram a confident glance. "Start the song like normal, don't wait for me to go in time with you."

The idol grinned and nodded. "Let's hit it guys!" He pointed to his band as the synthesizers and lasers started up. The intro finished and Blue started the song up with practiced form. The lyrics came off strong and focused and the audience happily sang them in time with him.

Tracey clenched her teeth and took in a controlling breath, she wouldn't be able to sync up with him on this. It was going to be all her.

"Take my hand, as we gaze upon a neon sunset..." The idol sang the main chorus and the moment he finished, the wolf was before him.

"So let's just dance, this is our last chance." Tracey sang the words gently, pushing her hand to his side. The ram quickly took her hand in his, pulling her into a dance like they shared before.

The idol grinned as he continued to sing "The laser lights and neon."

The wolf smiled and put her head on his chest. "The pain of our last goodbye..."

"Take my hand-"

"All I wanted was this dance."