"So these three guys had Xain pinned against the wall, and after I ordered them to put their hands up, they…"
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One of the thugs, a lanky man with brown hair, glanced nervously at his companions before locking eyes with the one pinning Xain. The thug holding Xain had a more intimidating presence—a gray-haired demi-human with wolf-like features. His pointed ears twitched, and his sharp fangs were bared in a sneer as his tail flicked behind him.
"Hey, it's the Guard," the brown-haired thug muttered, unease creeping into his voice. "We should give it up for now."
The wolfish man, however, didn't even flinch. He turned his head, briefly acknowledging Malvin and Silas with a disdainful snarl before refocusing on Xain. His grip on the kid tightened as he growled, "Just give us back what you stole, and we'll leave, you little shithead."
Malvin's voice rang out louder this time, more forceful. "I said hands up!" His fingers twitched, hovering near his gun, but he hesitated. Drawing it would only make them run, and he wanted to bring them in—alive.
"We're just taking back what's ours, officer!" shouted the third thug, a stocky man with messy black hair. His voice was defiant, though his eyes darted nervously between Malvin and Silas. "The kid stole from us! We're not in the wrong here!"
Xain, struggled in the wolfish man's iron grip, kicking his feet. "You're literally ganging up on a twelve-year-old!"
Malvin felt a knot of tension forming in his gut as the situation heated up. Silas, however, nudged his arm, leaning in with that familiar reckless grin. "These guys aren't gonna listen, Mal. Why don't we just jump 'em?"
"They outnum—" Malvin started but before he could even finish his thought, Silas was already sprinting toward the thugs, charging headlong without so much as drawing his baton. "What the hell!" Malvin shouted after him, but it was too late.
The black-haired thug barely had time to react. "What the—" he started to shout, but Silas's boot connected with his gut before he could finish. The thug crumpled to the ground, gasping for air, the impact echoing through the narrow alley.
Malvin's eyes widened in disbelief at his partners recklessness, and even Xain stopped struggling for a moment, too shocked by the sudden shift. Silas, with a mischievous smirk, turned to the brown-haired thug, who was already swinging a punch at his face.
Silas ducked smoothly under the blow, slipping behind the thug with surprising agility. Without missing a beat, he planted his foot into the black-haired thug's back, sending the man crashing into the alley wall with a dull thud. "See, Malvin? Faster. More exciting!" Silas called out, his voice brimming with unearned confidence.
"Damn it, Silas!" Malvin snapped, yanking his baton from his belt. "Look out!" he warned as the wolfish man, furious at his companions being taken down so easily, threw Xain roughly to the ground and lunged at Silas with alarming speed. "You couldn't just let us do our job, huh?!" he growled, fury etched across his face.
Silas barely managed to dodge a wild punch aimed at his head, rolling out of the way just in time. "You were pinning a kid against a wall!" Silas snapped back, quickly regaining his footing. "Obviously not on the right side of things here!"
He launched a spinning kick at the wolfish man's face, but the thug was fast, blocking the strike with one hand like it was nothing. Silas's eyes widened as his foot was caught mid-air. "Ah, shit," he muttered, suddenly less cocky.
The wolfish thug tightened his grip. "I'm gonna break you," he growled, ready to throw Silas into the wall.
But Malvin was already moving. "Stand down!" he shouted, rushing in with his baton raised. The wolfish man turned just in time to grab the baton with his free hand, muscles straining as he tried to wrench the weapon away from Malvin. For a moment, it seemed like he'd overpower both of them. His grip on the baton was like iron, seemingly forcing Malvin back a step. "You little pieces of shit!" he spat, letting go of Silas to take a swing at Malvin.
But Malvin's finger found the button on his baton, and with a sharp click, the stun charge activated. A jolt of electricity surged through the wolfish man's arm, forcing him to release his grip with a loud curse. "Fuck!" he snarled, stumbling back and shaking out his hand, the shock coursing through his muscles.
Malvin wrenched the baton free, stepping back with it still buzzing faintly in his hand. He glared at the thug. "Next time, listen when I tell you to put your hands up."
The wolfish man snarled at Malvin, clutching his left arm where the shock had hit him. His sharp eyes narrowed with fury, but he made no move to continue the fight.
"Whew, you saved me there, partner," Silas said, brushing the dust off his uniform with a nonchalant grin.
Malvin shot him a sharp look, still brimming with frustration. "Wouldn't have had to if you just followed protocol!" he snapped, clearly not amused by Silas's reckless behavior.
Silas chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I got a little carried away."
Meanwhile, the wolfish thug glanced over at his two companions, who were groaning on the ground, still recovering from Silas's kicks. His gaze then flicked to Xain, who had quickly scrambled behind the two officers for protection. The thug's lip curled into a sneer as he directed his anger at the boy. "I'll get you next time, you little bastard!" he growled, before turning tail (Heh.) and bolting down the alley.
"Wait—what about us?" one of the thugs on the ground groaned weakly, but the wolfish man didn't even spare them a glance.
"The two of you as well!" he barked over his shoulder, disappearing around the corner without a second thought, abandoning his fellow criminals.
As the sounds of his retreating footsteps faded, Silas scratched his head and frowned. "Uh... why did we just let him go?"
Malvin, still holding his now powered-down baton, holstered it with a sigh. "We'll catch him later. Right now, these two need questioning." He turned his attention to the thugs still writhing in pain at his feet.
"Damn, I kicked them harder than I thought," Silas remarked, admiring his handiwork. One of the thugs groaned in response, rolling onto his back, still too dazed to stand.
While the two officers were distracted, Xain, sensing a perfect opportunity, began inching away, trying to slip out of the alley unnoticed. He moved slowly, eyes darting nervously between the thugs and the officers, hoping he could just fade into the background and disappear.
"I'm just gonna tiptoe out of—" he mumbled under his breath.
"Where do you think you're going?" barked Malvin, his sharp tone freezing Xain in his tracks.
Xain spun around, caught mid-sneak, his face pale. "—here?" he squeaked, eyes wide as his grand escape plan of just walking away fell apart instantly.