Guarded Ep. 07

Life began to settle into normality for Tracey, the hours got faster and the days started going by. The tour bus became home and even comfortable. Max had gotten her a few workout items that she was more than happy to put to use.

A full week had passed since the show that sparked the video and three more venues had come and gone. The shows were fairly calm with no real issue. However, now some of the fans were pointing her out coming and going from the venue with Leo, calling her 'doggy guard' much to her irritation.

The video got close to two million views and seemed to spark another boom in his popularity. Neon Sunset actually halting it's way down the charts and gaining a few spots back into the top five for the week.

She had been with this ram for two weeks now. He had made her open up and talk about things she swore to keep buried until the day she died. He made her feel comfortable, made her feel like she had someone to protect, and not just because it was her job.

Max would get frustrated with their antics sometimes, but you could tell he genuinely enjoyed spending time with the two of them and seemed happy for Leo.

Trixie and Tracey hadn't had that sparring match yet, but the two of them did make a point to have some drinks together and iron out the kinks. They had started to grow more friendly towards one another, or at least not full-on hate each other.

The loud heavy crack of thunder filled the bus, the boom of sound making the ram wince and blink his eyes open. His first thoughts turned to his wolf, knowing she wouldn't be happy. It was then he realized he was alone in the bed. His heart lurched into a panic during that foggy moment of just waking up wondering where she was.

He calmed himself and then lifted an ear, hearing the sounds of huffing and panting from the other side of the curtain, the sounds of her no doubt. The ram shifted to sit up and pulled the curtain open to the rest of the bus.

There the wolf stood barefoot in just a pair of white panties and a sports bra. She was on her left foot, her right leg extended as if she had been in the midst of a wide roundhouse kick when he pulled the curtain. Tracey shifted her stance and stood normally meeting the ram's eyes with a gentle smile.

"Couldn't sleep?" Leo spoke the words as he climbed from the bed in just his boxers and moved over to his lover. The wolf's chest was rising and falling and she was covered in a sheen of sweat. Her scent was familiar and comfortable now to him.

"You know me and rain..." Tracey spoke the words feeling her lover rest his hand on her waist and guide her closer to him. The two exchanged a kiss, it wasn't full of passion or desire, just a gentle token of one another's affection.

"Do you need to talk about anything?" Leo spoke the words gently, feeling her step from his arms and move towards the side of the bus next to the TV.

"Nah... working out did the trick. Sorry if I woke you." The wolf rested her fingertips on the tinted window, watching the water rush down the outside of it while sheets of rain slammed into the tour bus.

"Funny enough, it was you not being there that really woke me." Leo gave a yawn and rolled his shoulder, "Maybe I should have you show me some moves some time, just something defensive."

The wolf gave him a grin, her eyes shining at the words. "I would be happy to, I just... all I want is you to be safe, Leo."

"All I want is to be with you..." The ram closed in on her again, gently pushing her against the side of the bus, his lips lingering on hers.

"Phttt... sappy damn sheep..." Tracey growled the words but wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her mouth to his own in a loving kiss. The two shared the exchange for several moments before she pulled from his mouth and grinned. "Got an early start, shall I drag you back to bed?"

The ram huffed out and grabbed the wolf's hips and hoisted her up off the ground. Tracey yipped and giggled as she clung to him while he held her against his chest his palms under her rear, white tail brushing his fingers. "Not if I drag you back to bed first..."

Tracey wagged her tail happily and held tight to the ram, huffing against his throat while he held her as they moved towards the bed. Another crack of thunder erupted and the dog pulled closer, reminding herself to relish the moment, to not squander this time with him.

#

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this shit again, Max." Leo groaned the words over his cup of coffee, sipping it while sitting in the makeup chair.

"Leo, baby. This isn't just a morning show, this is THE morning show. It's nationally televised. This is like showing up on the late-night shows, only... you know morning!" The rat grinned and flicked his tail about while clenching his fists.

The idol clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "I guess..." He looked over at Tracey who was sitting on the nearby sofa, sipping her own morning tea.

"Think of the fans, Leo... baby." Tracey huffed the words with a coy grin before sipping more of her drink.

"Yeah!" Max exclaimed and moved over to Tracey shoving his fist out.

The dog snorted and looked at him over the rim of her mug. "Too early in the morning for that shit, Maximillian."

The manager gave a pout and moved back over to the idol. "Anyway, this is our last stop on the west coast and the biggest city by far. We've not quite sold out yet either and since this is one of the biggest stops on your tour, it would do to drum up a bit more attention!"

"Yeah, gotta fill that half a dozen seats in the nose bleeds, right?" Leo rolled his eyes and downed the last of his coffee. "Did you at least make sure they have a competent band?"

"This show is the big leagues, baby. It will be fine!" Max huffed the words confidently then looked to the door as Trixie came in with her kit.

"I still don't see why we can't use our own guys on this shit." Leo looked at the llama and grumbled, "Just do a light layer, it's only one song."

"Sure thing, boss." Trixie drolled the words out sounding bored as she got to work on his lightning bolt, her little puffy pink tail wiggling about in concentration.

"So where to after this?" Tracey spoke up, looking at Max over the rim of her coffee mug.

The rat turned his attention to the wolf and grinned, "We're heading to the east of here then we will begin swinging back up to the north through the central plains. Not a lot of stops through this leg, so maybe three shows over the next two weeks."

Tracey whistled at that, "Lot's of driving, not a lot of action eh? I might lose my mind from all the boredom."

With a sigh the manager nodded, "It's going to be the slowest leg of the trip, then after that we will be on the east coast. We will pretty much spend the next several weeks dotting along the coast hitting major cities, so the pace will be very similar to here."

Trixie pulled from the idol after finishing a few quick stars on his cheek. "There you go, Romeo. A quick and dirty job that should get you through this silly shit." The llama huffed out and turned to trot out of the room.

"The label is trying to squeeze in a few more shows on this upcoming leg though, they were eager to capitalize on your single climbing back up into the top five." The rat pulled out his phone looking through it for a moment. "Yeah... looks like they are trying to secure a few more venues if ticket sales look promising here."

"You know that's because of her, right?" Trixie chimed out from the doorway, giving a nod to Tracey on the couch.

The wolf barked out in protest, "You're kidding right? Why is everyone so crazy about that fucking video?"

"Because he's one of the most trending things happening right now and you did something crazy during his show. These people are rabid for anything to do with him. However, you're the last thing they expected." Trixie shrugged a shoulder.

"I was doing my job, not some stupid ass stunt for attention!" The wolf snarled the words, her cheeks flushed now.

"I know that you stupid dog! I'm not accusing you of doing it on purpose." Trixie growled the words back and glared at the wolf.

"Will both of you please fucking chill?" Leo groaned out as he stood from his chair and rolled his neck.

"Don't tell me what to do, sheep!"

"Don't tell me what to do, ram!"

Both the wolf and llama snarl the words at him almost in unison while glaring at the idol.

"Yikes... okay cool, just kill each other then." Leo quickly flopped back into the chair and spun it around to face away from the two of them.

The wolf and llama glared at one another for a few heartbeats before Trixie finally sighed out and pushed a hand to her forehead. "I wasn't trying to rile you up, okay?"

"I... yeah, I'm just touchy over this. I never wanted it and it's going to seriously fuck with my career after this gig is done." The wolf growled the words and folded her hands in her lap.

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked the wolf curiously, now leaning against the door of the dressing room.

Leo flinched in the chair but kept it turned. He had already ran the numbers in his head and knew what she was about to say. Still the thought of the 'gig' ending and her leaving made his heart sink all the same.

"I mean... most of my clients are high profile political types. None of them will agree to someone that's got that kind of history trailing behind them, it would be too big of a risk. They want the faceless dutiful guard that wears a suit and does their job with no strings attached." Tracey looked away and gave a shrug. "Guess it's a bridge I will cross when it comes."

The llama folded her arms and gave a shrug. "Then roll with the punches."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" The wolf asked her flatly.

"It means you're here and this is now. You can't go back and it's going to happen regardless. Just embrace it fully instead of skirting the issue." Trixie gave the dog a hungry grin. "If the world has painted you in a light, embrace it and revel in it instead of shirking away for the shadows."

"Damn Trixie, I should have you both sit down with me and help write songs. That was pretty good!" Leo spoke the words with a grin after spinning his chair back around.

"Of course, I'm more than just makeup." The llama huffed and put a hand on her hip before opening the door and slipping out of the room.

Tracey sat there in silence, head down and hand rubbing at her chin. The llama was right, this would get back to Mac at the office. She was his best but even she knew he would have trouble getting her work. Then there was the matter of leaving the ram. The thought of parting with him made her ache, she actually felt her chest start to feel tight at the thought of not being in his bed and sharing the bus with him.

"Tracey, I'm sorry. I never thought about the situation this would put your career in." Max spoke out gently to the wolf as he moved closer to her, his head down and his hand holding his handkerchief while he rubbed his mostly bald head.

The wolf looked at the rat while lost in thought. Her gaze then shifted over to Leo who was sitting in the chair also looking at her apologetically. "No, it's fine. I don't regret it and I would do it again in a heartbeat to protect him." Tracey gave the ram and grin. "Even if I weren't being paid."

Leo gave the wolf a smile and even through his makeup she could see his cheeks darken, his eyes seeming to grow brighter and a little wet. "Tracey, I..."

"You need to finish getting dressed, I know." The wolf grinned at him and hops up, moving for the door. "I will be outside when you guys are done with your nerdy pep rally."

Tracey moved out of the dressing room and closed the door. Trixie was there waiting as if she had known she wouldn't be far behind her. The llama folded her arms and gave the wolf a look before speaking. "Look, I don't dislike you, okay?"

"You certainly liked me well enough when I was buying the other night, so I hope so." Tracey gave a grin and shrugged.

"Well if you're going to hold it over my head, I will pay next time. Fuck... anyway... I'm sorry okay?" The llama spat the words out, the apology sounding like it was painful to muster up.

She closed her eyes, thinking about things and smiled at the llama. "I'm sorry too... I know we don't see eye to eye, and we butt heads a lot, but I think you're a pretty cool girl."

A silence settled between the two of them for several moments before Trixie folded her arms across her stomach, similarly to how Tracey did it. "So... were you going to leave once your contract was up? Leave him?"

The wolf flicked her ears up and answered with no hesitation. "I wasn't, no. I want... I want to stay by his side as long as I can."

"That's good... no one else will drink with my bitchy ass, I... would have missed having someone to do that with." The llama rolled her eyes at her own words and looked away.

"Thanks, I think it's important the moody bitches of the group stick together." Tracey gave the llama a grin.

"So... about your hair..." Trixie cooed the words playfully.

Tracey flicked her pierced ear sharply and gave the llama a calculated look. "What about it?"

"I think some red would look good in it." The llama raised a finger. "Not a full dye, maybe just a nice highlight running through it."

She flinched at the words, it took her back to the days when she was a younger less jaded wolf. The dog took a controlled breath and focused on the makeup girl. "You don't say?"

The llama grinned. "Well, I know he braids your hair. I could even set it up so the highlight could be braided through to create an alternating pattern down the braid."

Tracey thought about it and nodded. "I mean... maybe. Do you think he would like it?" The wolf raised her ears, surprised by her own words.

Trixie looked equally surprised by the statement and gave the wolf an amused smile. "Surprising... didn't think you would be the type to care what a guy thought."

Tracey blinked at the words and looked away. "I-I...I'm not. I mean..."

"You've got it bad, dog..." The llama grinned and folded her arms.

"Eat me!" The wolf growled the words back and glared.

"Ha! That's more like it!" Trixie grinned at her and clenched a fist. "Just let me know if you want it, also remember what I said... You're in the here and now, lick it up and fully embrace it while you can. None of us are promised tomorrow."

The llama trotted off and Tracey stood there in her thoughts. She clenched her teeth and drooped her ears. "No promised tomorrow huh?" She reached for the small silver pendant on her chest and held it in her palm, looking at the small book. "Helen... maybe it's time I stopped squandering your gift..."

"Yeah! Let's make some magic!" Max cheered the words while opening the door and trotting out.

"That's right! Time to make hopes an-" The ram couldn't finish his words as the wolf silenced him with her mouth after grabbing his jacket and pulling him down to her. The idol huffed out against her lips but eagerly returned the kiss.

The two of them stood there, outside of the dressing room kissing right in front of the stagehands and everyone. Tracey didn't care, she just wanted to taste and touch him. Finally, a few heartbeats later she pulled from his mouth, her lips a shade of blue from his lipstick, "Go make hopes and dreams come true, my ram."

The wolf grinned and turned on her heel walking towards the stage area, her tail wagging about lazily. Both the rat and ram left behind her looking stunned and shocked by the sudden public display.

"That was an amazing performance. Thanks for being here this morning, Blue." The feline host a grey-haired lynx spoke from the small sofa across from him. He looked about mid-fifties and gave that older than your dad but younger than your grandpa kind of vibe. A perky beagle sat next to him, a dirty blonde with just enough weight on her to appeal to the soccer moms but still attractive enough for the husbands.

"Thanks for having me here, Tony." The idol gave a wide grin to the audience while they cheered and called out to him, it was about three times the size of the one on the last show and he could see several more die-hard fans in the mass.

"Can I just say, that like everyone in the audience here, I'm a huge fan. I've got all three of your albums and follow all your social media!" The co-host huffed the words, her tail plainly wagging about while the audience screamed and cheered out their agreement.

"I bet you do, I can smell you from here." Leo thought to himself with an awkward grin before replying. "Thanks, Carol, that means a lot to me. You know it's all for my fans at the end of the day." Blue gave a bright grin and pointed out to the audience, the whole building shaking in response.

"I bet you are, dog. I can smell you from here..." Tracey growled the words from the side of the stage while standing next to Max. She had her gloves on and was popping her knuckles, her tail wagging about in agitation.

"Relax, Tracey. I don't think the host is going to attack Leo." Max chirped the words playfully at the wolf and grinned at her.

"The smell says otherwise... but yeah..." She grumbled and folded her arms over her stomach while watching the scene.

"So... you're going to be performing tonight then?" The cat proded the idol.

Blue nodded and gave the cat a grin. "That's right Tony. The show is almost sold out but there's still a few tickets left."

"And this tour is to promote your new album that came out last month, right?" The co-host chimed in, the two of them taking turns asking the questions in a practiced manner.

"That's right Carol, the album is named 'Neon Sunset' off the song we just performed." The idol raised a finger as if he had just remembered something. "Ah right, an album that everyone in your audience will be getting a copy of today!" He winked at the crowd and put his fingers together in a heart shape.

That set the whole building off with screams of adoration while Max took his phone out and started quickly texting someone. Probably to get the albums sorted out. Tracey huffed and scanned the crowd while they cheered and expressed their love, making sure no one was too happy about it.

"So, let's talk about the latest thing with you, Blue." Carol chimed in after the audience died down.

"Uh... latest thing?" The idol looked at the dog cautiously and raised a brow.

"Yes! Last week at your show fans shot that video which has been blowing up the internet. Everyone has been enamored about that wolf in it." The cat spoke the words and the ram could see the glint in his eye seeing he had caught him off guard and the reaction would be better for the camera.

"A shame really, for them to die on national television. I'm not afraid of prison but I will miss you guys..." Tracey snarled the words as she rolled her shoulder and looked like she was ready to stomp out on stage after the hosts.

"Calm down, it will be fine!" Max huffed out and bumped Tracey gently with his shoulder.

Blue smiled at the two hosts and closed his eyes, he seemed to compose himself for a moment then opened them again and gave a cocky grin. Tracey lifted her ears up sharply. She recognized the transition, they weren't talking to Electric Blue anymore, they were talking to Leo.

"Yes, my personal bodyguard. She's an amazing woman and I adore her." The ram gave the cat a challenging look and clicked his tongue. "What about her?"

"Well what can you tell us about her? Your fans are dying to know more about the woman that saved you." The dog flicks her tail about excitedly.

"Well let me tell you, Carol... That video doesn't do her justice. That wolf has been protecting me for a while now, she has saved me numerous times, just never in such a hectic and extreme situation as that. I trust her with my life." The audience clapped and cheered and Tracey felt her cheeks darken at his words of trusting her with his life. The idol waved a hand at them and nodded.