Caos Canine 02 (Patreon)

Beatrix wiped the sweat from her forehead as she carried the boxes to the end of the assembly line. The clang of metal against metal echoed across the factory floor, mixing with the hum of machinery and the chatter of her co-workers. Despite her monotonous routine, Beatrix found solace in the steady pace of her work. It was certainly tedious and repetitive, but it paid enough to cover her bills and that’s what mattered. She could do this until she was able to break into the music industry.

"Hey, Beatrix! You're falling behind again!" shouted her supervisor, a somewhat gruff older man who continually watched her extra closely. “You have four arms; you should be able to carry twice as many boxes.”

“That's not how my arms work,” she muttered angrily. She hated that her additional arms were even visible. She’d hide them beneath an oversized hoodie if she could, but she actually needed them to be effective at her job. She rolled her eyes and continued down the assembly line, trying to ignore the comments her boss and coworkers made. She wasn’t going to let anything get her down today.

“Ground Control to Major Beatrix,” a short-haired girl said as she came up behind Bea. “You look like you’re off in outer space. Daydreaming about a boy perhaps?”

“W-what?! No!” Beatrix said, her arms tightening around the boxes to keep from dropping them. She was sure Linda hadn’t meant to startle her, but the girl had been right in that she’d been lost in her thoughts. “I’m just nervous about tonight.”

“Oh, that thing with your rock band?”

“Punk band,” Beatrix corrected. “And yes. Today could be the day I get my big break! The day that changes it all!” If it had been possible for Beatrix’s eyes to turn into stars they would have. It wasn’t necessarily fame and stardom she dreamed of, but she did want music to be her career.

“Whatever,” Linda said. “Look I’m cheering you on, but right now your big break will come in delivering those boxes. Better get to it so the drill sergeant doesn’t yell at you again.”

Beatrix sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll catch you later,” she said and continued on her journey. As much as she tried to stay focused on her job she just couldn’t. Tonight was the big Canine Chaos concert and her band was the main act, the one everyone was coming out to see. Or at least she hoped they were coming to see her specifically. There were rumors that some big name producers would be there and she wanted to put on the best show possible for them.

With a thud she dropped the boxes off at their appropriate location just in time to hear her boss yelling, “Alright that’s enough for today. We’ll continue tomorrow!”. He waved a dismissive hand at them, and everyone scattered as quickly as they could.

Beatrix’s mind was on the stage and the lights and the music she would play as she grabbed her things from her locker and raced out of the factory doors. She made it home in record time, heart racing both from excitement and from the race home.

There wasn’t much time between the end of her shift and when she had to report in at the casino, so she wasted no time hitting the showers and getting dressed for her gig. She’d been so nervous she hadn’t been able to decide on what to wear so grabbed whatever appealed to her in the moment and threw it on. “Not too bad,” she said as she checked herself in the mirror. “A little sexier than intended, but I doubt anyone is going to mind that.”

After a quick fluff of her hair, she headed into the living room to gather her bass and all the equipment she’d need. Her eyes inadvertently looked out the window at the apartment across the way. It was dark and still. Troy must be at work. A small pang tugged at her heart, and she found herself wishing he’d been home and secretly watching her so he could see her in this outfit. “No!” she scolded herself. “You do not need his approval. Just get your things and go.” And she did just that.

Thankfully the Rusted Nail wasn’t too far from where she lived, though she still arrived with very little time to spare. The moment she walked in the door a dog girl with violet dyed fur was hounding her. “Where have you been?! It’s almost time to go on!”

“Wrong question, Nyx,” Jetta, a wolf girl, said. “The question you should be asking is' damn girl who you trying to impress?’” She looked Beatrix up and down, admiring her outfit.

“Any guys you haven’t told us about?” Echo teased. She was a humantaur girl with Dalmatian features. She was also the leader of their band.

Beatrix looked away, trying to hide her nervousness. “It’s not that! I just wanted to look good for tonight. There’s apparently going to be a lot of important people here tonight.”

“Alright alright,” Echo said as she rallied them together. “Let’s get ready for the show.” They all headed backstage and went over their set list one more time.

“Shit I can’t find my lucky guitar pick!” Beatrix said as she dumped out her backpack to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. It was an old, nearly worn out one that her grandfather had given her years ago. She’d used it at every show in his memory since he was who got her into music. To not have it with her on an important night like this would be soul crushing.

“I have an extra pick I can lend you,” Jetta said.

Beatrix shook her head as she carefully stuffed her things back into her bag. “No, it’s not that. This one was just really important to me.”

“We don’t have time for this. We’re about to go on,” Echo said. “Just grab a pick and let’s go!”

Reluctantly Beatrix accepted one of Jetta’s loner picks and slipped her guitar strap over her shoulder. Her legs were shaking as she mentally cursed herself for believing in lucky items and for having lost her own. “How could I have been so stupid?” she mumbled.

“Hey, you’re up next. Curtain in five,” a stagehand poked her head back at them.

A sudden commotion from their right drew Beatrix’s attention. “Sir you can’t be back here,” someone was saying.

“I’m sorry I’m a friend of the band. It’ll only take a moment,” a familiar voice pleaded.

Beatrix craned her neck and spotted Troy. “It’s ok, he’s a friend,” she said to the security person. He made his way over to Beatrix as quickly as possible, but the security guard was not too happy about it. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Beatrix! We’re on!” Echo called. She and the others had already taken their places on the stage and were just waiting for her.

“I brought you this,” Troy held up her lucky pick. “You must have accidentally dropped it at my house yesterday. Not sure why I thought it was important enough to push through security but hey. I hope it helps. And I hope you’re not mad at me.”

It took almost everything in her not to throw her arms around him a huge hug. “You saved my life,” she said with a smile and accepted her pick. It didn’t matter what had happened yesterday. The fact that he thought enough to bring her pick meant everything.

“BEATRIX!” Echo yelled again. “You can make out with your boyfriend later. We have a concert to put on right now!”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Beatrix snapped back, red as a tomato.

“Looks like I was just in time.” Troy’s cheeks were also bright red. “I’ll catch you after the concert maybe? I’ll be in the audience watching.”

Beatrix was already jogging to her place on the stage and plugging her bass into the amp. “Sounds great. You’ll have to tell me what you think!” Troy disappeared back into the audience and Beatrix gave her hair one last fluff. “Alright, let’s give these people a show they’ll never forget!”