Aslan took a drag from her cigarette, her head lolled back as the smoke left her mouth and nose. She leaned her back on the wall, the alley was cold and dark and the street was full of light, but Aslan didn't mind. It was better than having the cops on her ass. The beer can in her paw was cold against her fur, the cheap alcohol burning pleasantly as it went down.

She had been too distracted by her thoughts to notice her friends had quieted down, all of them looking in the same direction. "What's going on?" She asked, turning to look at her friends. They quickly put out their cigarettes and hid their beers, their eyes wide with fear.

A tiger girl named Kali leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Aslan... isn't that your dad?" She pointed toward the alley entrance, where a familiar silhouette stood in the shadows, illuminated only by the distant streetlights.

"Oh fuck!" Aslan stood up instantly, shoving the beer can behind her back. Her tail flicked nervously as she tried to arrange her features into an innocent expression. The metallic tang of fear mixed with the smell of cigarette smoke in her nostrils as she locked eyes with the figure approaching her.