I strap on the armor and gun to my waist band. I pause as Malich comes over to check. As the Admiral he was in charge of all the new recruits. I stay professional flattening my ears and averting my eyes but he lifts my snout to look at me sadly. I blink my red eyelashes at him and then let out a soft sigh giving in. “I’ll miss you too.”

“Be careful.”

“I will, besides, you could always make another clone of me.”

“They won’t have your horrible personality.” He jokes.

“Well.” I flick my ear. “I at least know you won’t miss my nightmares.”

He hugs me and I hold onto him tightly. 

“I-” I can’t bring myself to say I love him, I do but not in the way he yearned for. I felt closer to Drac in that way. “I will make you proud.” I finish. 

He nods and I get a little worried, “Don’t forget your medicine, don’t want you going berserk again.” 

“I may need it for the next battle.”

“Don’t mention that,” I spit, ears flattening and teeth baring at the thought of the Captain who turned my Admiral’s grief into a weapon. Especially after his stupid pink Omega got to live. I see the warning look and calm myself. “I’m sorry it just reminds me.” I shudder remembering the first time he went absolutely berserk. 

“He switched us.” The way Malich’s ears had slowly flattened in dismay. “He couldn’t stand the thought of knowing his Master would have let him, me, die.” He started struggling to breathe.

The first things I’d said in life followed by, “I’m the clone.” Then he lunged at me, teeth biting deep into my throat. The first things I said almost immediately led to my death. The snake hybrid had saved me by injecting the wolf alien with venom. Then dragging me out of the way of his rampage and giving me a shot to heal my neck. He destroyed the lab until he collapsed. Our relationship was strained for a while after that.

I blink and realize I’ve been messing with the scar. I should know better than to bring up Syl. I watch as he looks at me for a long time. I’d not acquired as strong powers as Syl, so I only occasionally know what he’s thinking, or maybe I just didn’t use them as much but my fur has long since been changed to a different color. 

I don’t know why but a red pattern showed up no matter how many times I went back into the tank and so dye was used. I think it was either subconsciously mimicking something in my DNA or Syl’s ghost was spitefully reminding Malich of his betrayal. I know I’d want revenge if it was me which... it kind of was.

I let out a low growl of frustration not that changing my fur color makes much of a difference. I look exactly like him. 

The sound of the other soldiers breaks us out of the awkward moment and I hurry to go join up with them. “Hey Malich,” I pause as I want to say something nice, “Thanks for not letting them liquidate me.” 

I wait as he acknowledges it and then put on my helmet. Now I look like every other soldier. I love my Admiral and respect him but I feel a breath of relief as I crawl into the back of the hover vehicle taking us to training. I love being a soldier because it gives me freedom and lets me be myself and not just someone else's tragic replacement clone.  

I let out a grunt doubling over in pain. 'On second thought, I hate training.' I lunge pinning the wolf soldier that had just slammed a staff into my stomach. I feign biting out their throat and then we return to starting positions and fight again. I prefer to fight with my teeth and claws but it’s required to learn a variety of weapons and guns. I catch a new staff midair, from the coyote working here today. 

'Of course we went after them, capturing any coyote unlucky enough to end up on a planet we wolves populated.' All of them have shock collars and magnetic shackles so if any of them did try to rise up again they can be more easily subdued. 'Still, Syl really cared about them, so part of me feels that's why I'm obsessed.' I watch them walk by eyes downcast and empty, 'but it’s kind of his fault that they’re treated even worse now.'

I watch the coyote flinch as one of the soldiers jokingly swings at him. Before I react stupidly I swing the staff at my sparring partner who easily disarms me and smacks me across the shoulders. I snarl, grabbing their foot and yanking them to the ground. I wrestle viciously with them for a second and pin them. Holding my claws to their neck they sigh, throwing their head back. 

“Lyre.” Someone laughs, “Are you going to keep letting him win or are you just that bad at hand to hand combat?”

“Shut up,” the female wolf says, sitting up she glares at the others. “They purposefully team us up to work on our weakest skills so that we can get better.” She shoves me, “Vix here can’t even hold a staff correctly.”

I look at her, ‘She used my clone number.’  Narrowing my eyes a little, I remind, “My name is Vestige.”

“Sorry Tige.”

“Oh I hate that.” I growl but keep my ears up and playful. 

“Come on Tige it’s time to eat.” The other soldier teases and then yelps as I flash my red eyes at them. I chuckle a little. 

“How do you control it so well?” Lyre asks. 

“Easy, I’m constantly simmering with rage.” 

“Yeah I noticed, ever since your first day of training. You kind of looked like you really wanted to kill your sparring partner.”

“Oh that.” I look for the wolf and see them, they make brief eye contact and then lower their eyes. “It’s because they thought they knew me, and called me by my real copies name.”

She full stops, “Oh yeah I keep forgetting you’re a clone.”

I smile at her, “And that’s why we’re friends.”

“Speaking of which, you know Terrafirma?” She breathes, nodding towards the wolf trainee a year older than her. I smirk a little at the way her eyes sparkle. She's hopeless. “Did you see the way she took down the trainer today? She’s got to be the strongest wolf.” She catches herself. “In, in our training class.”

“Maybe you should ask her to show you some moves?” I try to say casually but as I peek at her she’s baring her teeth a little. I laugh “Sorry, would you rather show her your moves?” She flushes. 

I soon see why as Terra leans over us, arms crossed but ears still upright. “Oh, was one of you challenging me to a fight?”

I point to Lyre quickly, but speaking calmly, “She was just saying you’re the strongest in class and would love it if you'd show her some moves.” Terra opens her mouth a little bit and then looks at Lyre in a way that I make an excuse to leave them alone. Lyre on the other hand looks like she’s going to kill me. 

Her tail trembles a little in nervousness as Terra goes, “Really? I’ve been wanting to ask you to show me that trick you do with your staff. Why don’t we train together after class?” 

I look over the food options and pick a mixture of meat, fruit, and veggies. A few of the first and second years welcome me over as I sit. I notice a few that are stronger than me and lower my eyes respectfully before starting to eat. 

“Hey V.” A second year nudges me. One of the others tenses up, “Oh shi-”

I dread the fact that it might be the Admiral but then feel my neck fur fluff up. One of the first years has the coyote by its neck holding it against the wall. I watch its feet kick as he lifts him higher.

“Aren’t you weirdly protective over that coyote?”

“Yeah,” I growl trying to calm myself down, “I can’t help it. I really wish I could ignore them but-”

“Yeah yeah we’ve heard your excuses before.” 

One of them whispers. “Are you going to just let it happen?”

The first year was practically a prodigy, having had training long before a year old. I would be an idiot to confront them aggressively.

I get up, “Hey! Leave my coyote alone.”

Everyone looks at me and the prodigy looks confused, relaxing his grip so the coyote can catch its breath. 

“Your’s like you’re fucking it or you’re the only one that can put them in their place?”

I consider the mood of the room, “Both.” 

Everyone laughs. 

He flicks his ear, “Gross.” But he lets the coyote go and I watch them scramble off sending me a swift hateful glare.

“Aw the coyote doesn’t seem appreciative, imagine that.” The one that whispered to me mocks. 

I deflate, but use a light tone, “Okay so maybe they didn’t know they were mine yet.”

I get another laugh and then the prodigy crosses his arms, “You’re the clone of the Admiral right?”

“I’ve been in his care, yes?” I say ltrying not to be wary. I really don’t like it as he just takes that information and walks away.

“Do you think he’s going to tell your dad on you?” The second year jokes.

“Ew don’t call the Admiral my father. He just took me in so I wouldn’t be liquidated.”

I narrow my eyes as I watch the prodigy get an all meat diet and sit down by himself.

“Should we ask him to join us?” One of the first years whispers.

I cough as the coyote grabs me pulling me into a tight corner hidden from a wall and slamming me against the wall. They glare at me and then look at the food on the tray I’m still holding. “What’s your game?” They growl.

“Seduce with gifts.” I joke and their lip twitches like they’re considering biting my throat out.

“I’m not your anything, not your plaything, not your personal slave, not your friend.” They take the fruit and eat it angrily.

I pull them in and they soften as I whisper, “I don’t sense any minds near. No one is close enough to see or hear us.” 

“I don’t trust you.”

“We’ve talked before.”

“And I tried to eat you.” They remind me.

I shrug. “I’m okay with a little nibbling.” 

They reach for the meat and eat with far more enjoyment. “What do you really want talking to me and feeding me, info? Do you want me to listen in on conversations and tell you what everyone is saying about you, a clone of an Omega.”

I stiffen and then growl, “No.” Then looking at their pretty bronze fur and almost golden brown eyes smirk, “How’d you get a job without bleaching your fur?”

“I’m not serving anyone important.” They sneer a little but I note that one of their ears is relaxed. 

“I want to…” I hesitate and then offer the last of the food. “I don’t really know. I’m just following my urges.”

They eye the vegetables then out of hunger eat them, “Do your urges have you talk to other coyotes or just me?”

“Depends.” I say, “You’re the only one that’s talked to me this long.”

They weigh the options of something in their head and then coming closer press their mouth against mine. I relax instantly into them and lift my arms to stroke through the pretty fur.

“What’s the marking,” they ask, pulling away to point at the red pattern on my fur.

“No idea,” I breathe heavily and pull them towards me again letting out a little warning growl as they bite my neck.

“Should we go to your room?” They ask me and I’m tempted.

“So you can get me in a secluded area, I’d be asking for you to kill me and leave my body to rot.” I laugh and gently pin them against the wall hiding us from the view of wolves and cameras. 

He moves his hips against me first and I buck leaning into it.

“Nonsense I’d eat the body to hide the evidence,” they laugh and let out a needy whimper. We hold each other close, moving, no longer talking. 

I pull away once he completes. Panting I lick my hand to hide the evidence and get his scent off of me. He looks a little ruffled. 

“Are you okay?” I ask. I gently nuzzle him. He bites me and pushes me away, running off. I hold my muzzle in shock. I guess I scared him or he was scared at how he’d been so bold himself. I clean the rest of the mess off of my armor. 

I laugh a little embarrassed. 

“Speaking on conquests.” She points to my muzzle, “Why coyotes of all things? Is it because they're…easy?” She says the last word a little shamefully.

“Anything but,” I shake my head, “maybe I have a hate kink.” 

She shakes her head at me. “They really do hate us.” She whispers, “I tried to be nice to this pretty white one and she glared at me.”

“Oh no not glaring! The one I was just with threatened to kill me and eat the body to hide the evidence but then he ground on me so I think I won this round.” 

She makes a face, “If that’s what you’re into?” 

“Humiliation and submission? Maybe,” I grin my teeth at her and she pushes me away playfully. 

“And are you sure he wanted to, considering?” She points to her muzzle. 

I think about it, “He made all the first moves. The only reason I can think of why he’d get upset is I tried to nuzzle him after the fact.” 

She smiles. “That's what you get for trying to nuzzle a coyote.”

Training starts up again and I grab one of the heavier guns feeling a lot more comfortable then with a staff. I aim at the target and work on getting closer and closer to the red circle. 

The trainer walks past the long line of soldiers and advises me, “Use a lighter gun, your aim is off because it’s too heavy.”

I grab a lighter one and continue but my aim is annoyingly worse. When the trainer comes back around, they pause watching me shoot for a while. 

“Stay after class today.” They tell me surprising me. Three others were told to stay after. At least I’m not the only one. I lay panting trying to catch my breath after being forced to run laps with the heavier gun and work out to build my endurance.

I notice Lyre and Terra walking around together talking, and smile a little only to be told to run another lap around the track. I limp exhausted and sore to my dorm. Thankfully I had the option to stay here with the other soldiers. I doubt I could walk all the way to the Admiral’s house right now. I notice a flash of golden eyes and pause. I turn to see the coyote watching me.

I make a mental note of how tired I am and the likelihoods of him being able to actually overpower me. Then brushing it off, approach. “Hi.” I say still sounding out of breath. 

He wrinkles his nose. “You smell.” 

“Yeah I was forced to work on my endurance because my aim sucks with the light guns.” 

He just looks at me for a while and then starts to leave.

“I’m heading to the showers.” I start, “Maybe you can tell me why you bit me on the way there?”

“Fuck off.”

“I already did, against you remember?” 

I brace as he shoves me back against the wall, “Quiet. I could get in a lot of trouble for that.” He looks around and then rubs his wrists, “I wasn’t thinking straight, leave me alone from now on.”

I actually deflate and nod, feeling disappointed. I won’t force them to talk to me. I watch as he walks off. He looks back and I look away. 

“That sucked,” I hope Lyre is having a better time than me.

I lean my forehead against the wall of the shower, letting warm water soothe my muscles.