It was a solemn day. No one dared to speak out of turn. The coffin in front of the crowd had the image of the very dear and beloved Kobold on top of it. Members of the community, as well as family members, came to give their respects. Soft sobs could be heard in the room; most tried to remain silent otherwise. A timberwolf approached the podium. ``Hello, everyone.'' Everyone could tell that he took a little extra time to come before the crowd; the streaks in his fur coming from his eyes were very apparent. ``It is with heavy hearts that we gather for the sudden loss of Furred Alliances?s owner, Drago. He was our friend, family, and a pillar of this community. We ask for your patience and respect for his family's privacy. We remain committed to supporting each other and the community. There is little I have to say about Drago, as his very renown is larger than we all could even fathom.'' He paused to pull a handkerchief from his shirt pocket. ``Let's try to keep things light and brief, as he wished.'' He took a deep breath. ``Drago was an ambitious young man. As the CEO of Furred Alliance LLC, he didn't discriminate against any business owner looking for a loan or endorsement to start a business. He firmly believed that everyone deserved a chance, local business was the heart of commerce, and no one should be turned away, no matter how obscure their idea was. He even assisted many furs with getting jobs at those businesses.'' Sobs from the family grew slightly. ``Of course, it wasn't him alone, but oftentimes, he would go out of his way to make sure things were done correctly and morally when the books couldn't have it. Sadly, Dargo left this world to a rare disease that even I can't pronounce. His last few months were spent in the hospital, but he was still running the company from his hospital bed. Dedicated to his work until the very last days. He is survived by his mother, father, and brother.'' Wails erupted from the front row. ``If anyone would like to say a few words, now would be the time.''
Several people came up to share their stories. A few even tried to lighten the mood, sharing tales of the good times. ``I remember the one time at the Fall Festival when all of my mozzarella went bad due to my walk-in fridge breaking down,'' shared one bovine pizzeria owner. ``This man here came by within an hour with a repair man and even paid for the cost himself. On top of that, he ordered a whole new shipment for me. I may have lost a ton that day in sales, but I didn't lose anymore from paying for the repairs.'' He paused for a second, sniffling. ``Drago was always selfless like that, and not because I always catered events at the company.'' The crowd laughed, successfully lightening the mood. ``I remember him telling me, `Davis, if your pizza goes away, I'll have to find another way to get my investors to come to meetings. They don't show up unless wanna toss more ads on the website.''' He chuckled, a tear streaming down his cheek. ``Gonna miss him.'' He returned to his seat, holding back his tears. The rest of the day continued in this manner, everyone sharing something that no one ever knew about his generosity or how hard he tried to hold things together by himself.
* * *
``Alright, people,'' the newly appointed Presidents stood before the board of directors. The room had an air of tenseness. It had been weeks since the funeral, and the company?s stocks were at a standstill. It was an improvement from before, as they were falling during the public announcement of Drago's poor physical health. The board of directors, all of which held another position in the company, as Drago believed one should not grow complacent with their one position of power, were his trusted associates. ``We've finally reached a stable point.'' The brown-furred wolf placed his hands on the table, leaning over with exhaustion. The press was giving the company a tongue-lashing, as expected. False stories regarding Drago's health, predicting the downfall of Furred Alliance LLC, and other yellow journalism that flourished in this slanderous age.
``Not even to mention,'' a blue kobold stood behind her, ``this story from this morning.'' The kobold tossed a newspaper on the table. The others leaned forward, reading the headline. ``'Furred Alliance LLC servers hacked!' When was I going to be told about this?'' She crossed her arms and glared at every member of the board. ``I already asked Dash, but he wasn't informed either.'' She placed a hand on the wolf's shoulder. She contained her anger, but one could tell by the slight twitch of her left eye that she was ready to lash out.
``If I may, Shavra,'' a Lynx raised a hand, addressing the livid kobold. ``You two were busy with PR and other company issues, so the tech team and I were going to tackle it immediately.''
``And have you, Nulfy?'' Shavra's eyes narrowed in on her as the other board members watched, hoping not to catch a stray accusation. A Gecko, Woodpecker, and Yak sat near the end of the table, sweating.
``Yes. We are already aiming to resolve the situation. Our specialists are finding exactly where the hackers got in if any info was taken, and if we need to lock anything down.'' She was sweating profusely, more than the other three in the back.
With an aggressive sigh, Shavra turned to the gecko in the back. ``Netrus, give me the truth.'' She glared at him, and he jolted, nearly falling out of his chair. ``We should have locked down the site immediately, not taken any chances. What actually happened?''
Netrus shook. ``W-w-w-well um, they didn't access anything.'' Shavra's eyes demanded more of an explanation. ``They hacked the servers and didn't access any information. It was unusual; we assumed some kid was trying to get in.''
Shavra scoffed. ``Bick, log on and see if anything's changed.'' The woodpecker obeyed immediately.
``Shavra,'' Dash stood up, ``that's enough.''
``No, it isn't.'' Shara denied it with her entire being, balling her fists. ``I know what Drago would have done. He wouldn't have wanted us to be so lax! Just because our leadership is changing doesn't mean we're gonna change everything. We're keeping things the way they are.''
``Shavra...'' Bick said nervously, ''I can't log in.''
``What?!'' Shavra ran to the end of the room, nearly shoving Bick to the floor. She tried her administrator password. It was denied. ``SHIT! Whoever this is has locked us out!'' She glared at Nulfy. ``See why we communicate up the ladder?'' Nulfy returned the glare with a scowl, her fur practically turning red with hatred. ``Great. You three, see what you can do. Get back to work. We'll call you if we need your vote or opinion on anything.'' The three were happy to leave the boardroom, scurrying out as fast as they could.
``Alright, minor setback,'' Dash said patiently. ``We can figure this out.'' He held his hands before his body, trying to calm the room. The heat radiating from Shavra and Nulfy was palpable. ``Shavra, just have a seat, ok? We had a busy morning. You need a rest.'' She glared at her as she walked around the table and sat. ``Next order of business. Who's going to run the place while we're at the conference?''
``Not Nulfy,'' Shavera muttered.
* * *
``I hate conferences, Dash.'' Shavra and Dash sat in their car after a long lecture on how to grow your company while cutting costs. ``Especially about that shit.''
``I know you do.'' Dash sighed, undoing a few buttons on his suit. ``I do, too. Hey, we're in the big city. Wanna get some food? Something different?''
``That depends.'' She pulled out her phone. ``Oh, got a text from the witch.''
``You shouldn't call her that.''
``I don't care. We got the situation resolved. It really was just some kid blocking access. Maybe some right-wing hate group or something. You know how that one company seems to have it out for us? Drago lost so many hours of sleep thinking of ways to bury the hatchet with them.''
``Who knows? Maybe it was.'' Dash started the car and pulled out into traffic. ``Look, let's get you something nice. You're stressing yourself out. Don't think I didn't notice those headache pills in your pocket.''
Shavra sighed. ``Maybe.'' She looked out the window. ``I just don't want his legacy to go under, you know? A company suddenly changes hands, and suddenly, it's all about money, or the new guys are looking at numbers and not the people behind the numbers, or... or....'' Tears welled up in her eyes. ``I just don't want this to change.'' She buried her face in her hands.
``Hey.'' Dash placed a hand on her leg. ``How about we take you back to the hotel for now? I saw a neat little pizza place on the way here. Probably locally owned.'' Her sobbing let up. All she could do was nod. ``Ok. We'll get take-out.'' Dash dropped her off at the hotel and returned with a gigantic pizza later. However, disaster struck again. When he returned, she wasn't opening her door. Thank goodness they had copies of their room key. She was passed out on the floor.
``I'll be taking on more responsibilities,'' Dash told Nulfy on the phone. ``Don't tell her I told you this, but I'd like you to have a little more pull. You've been with us for a while; you know the ins and outs, and, well, you know how devastating this whole situation was for her.'' There was a silence on Dash's end.
``Say no more,'' Nulfy said, ``I'll absolutely take on more here. How much longer do you have for conferences?''
``Well,'' she heard some papers shuffling, ``A few months. It's not gonna be fun. I'll try not to rack up too many expenses.''
``Take all the time you need.'' Nulfy hung up. ``About time.'' She was more than satisfied with this surprise promotion.
``I'm sorry this had to happen,'' Sharva sighed as she sat in the hospital bed.
``Hey now,'' Dash said, ``You put too much stress on yourself. We know he was your ex-husband, but you still cared about the company. I'll do my best to make sure things stay the same.'' He looked into her eyes. ``You know I will.''
``I don't doubt you.'' She sighed again. ``Doc says I have to avoid stress. But how much stress is too much stress? Am I supposed not to do anything at all? Is raising my voice too much stress? I mean, what about- GAH!'' She held her head, a throbbing headache appearing from nowhere.
``That is too much,'' Dash said. ``Don't stress it, ok? I'll keep you in the loop.'' Dash hugged her. ``Lots of meetings and stuff. You know me. Always busy.''
``Yep...'' because of me...
``Hey, Dash!'' A bovine called Dash from across the meeting room in the hotel. They had just wrapped up a boring meeting on incorporating crypto into your company. To no one's surprise, no one followed up with the presenter.
``Hey, Paulie.'' Dash gave him a firm handshake. It had been a long time since he had seen Paulie. He ran a milk industry, one of the biggest in the country. ``How about the presentation, eh? Bunch of jargon.''
``I know, right?'' He cleared his throat. ``'By integrating our innovative cryptographic tender within your corporate framework, you?ll be positioned to reap the exponential benefits of the burgeoning digital asset market. Our blockchain-driven currency boasts unparalleled liquidity and security, offering a paradigm shift in the realm of fiscal operations. The potential for unprecedented ROI is not merely a hypothesis but a veritable certainty within the volatile yet lucrative crypto landscape. Embrace the digital finance revolution, and watch as your company?s net worth ascends to hitherto uncharted strata of monetary prosperity.' You can tell this guy is trying to pawn a scam on us. You think you sound smart just because you use a ton of financial terms? Honestly.'' The two laughed. ``At least we get a free stay at a hotel.''
``You know it.''
``And it seems you needed the break.'' Dash looked confused as Paulie pulled out his phone to an article that nearly made him fall over. `Furred Alliance cutting funding for select businesses.'
Dash fell over, barely snagging a chair. Paulie looked as frightened as he did. ``Do you mind?'' Dash reached for the phone and kept scrolling.
Surprises keep coming from Furred Alliance LLC this week, as more companies across the country keep having their funds cut unexpectedly, leaving them in a financial lurch. Formerly run by Drago, the company seems to be shifting toward a more clean and money-focused mindset. Interestingly, the only businesses being cut are those offering more obscure services. We interviewed one of the business owners, Charmy Sunder, owner of Padded Sundries.
``I don't know what happened, to be honest with you. I was working in my cloth diapers shop one day, and I got a call from my business lawyer telling me that Furred Alliance wanted to cut ties. Of course, I thought it was a scam at first, so I hung up and called them directly. It took an hour to get anyone who could help me, but once I did, they told me that I was violating our agreement and our contract was now void. I just started selling adult-sized diapers a month ago. They're a hit and needed for this community's older population. What am I gonna do?''
It's not just Charmy, either. Several shops are having their contracts voided, and all ties are being cut for seemingly no reason. We have yet to hear any comment from Furred Alliance on this matter.
Dash nearly dropped the phone. ``What's going on?''
``You mean you don't know? You run the place.''
Dash's eyes were wide, pupils shaking. ``Do I?''
* * *
``Floo, we have a problem.'' Nulfy entered Floo's office, head of the legal department. Floo raised his head from the pile of paperwork on his desk. ``I've been doing some digging. You know how Drago accepted nearly everyone for a loan, regardless of whether or not their business had a chance of taking off?''
``Yeah, he was being nice.'' The snep looked at Nulfy in confusion, holding back agitation. He did not like it when Nulfy spoke about Drago, especially in such a way. ``What are you on about? Most of them succeeded in the end with an additional grace period from Drago.''
``I've been looking at our policies.'' She pulled out a stapled copy of their signed contract with every client. In article 2.7, `In the event that the contracted party fails to achieve the pre-specified pecuniary milestones within the stipulated temporal parameters, the aforementioned agreement shall be rendered null and void. Consequently, the cessation of all financial support shall be enacted, effective immediately upon the conclusion of the predefined period. This condition is non-negotiable and serves as a critical performance metric for the continuation of our mutually beneficial collaboration.'''
``Why are you throwing legalese in my face, Nulfy? Surely, there's a valid reason.'' Floo didn't like to be disturbed during work. ``Besides, we all know how you disliked his leadership.''
``I have a whole document here,'' she said, holding up a flash drive of businesses that breached that contract. And guess what? Our dear Drago gave them an extension that was NOT on the contract. He didn't make up any papers for it, get any signatures, or provide any evidence of such. How are we to know that they're not lying?''
This had Floo's attention. ``Alright, say I believe you. What exactly is your goal here?''
``We can't have everyone breaching the contract and using Drago's word as an excuse! I know how much you valued and respected him.''
That hit home. ``Alright, I'll take a look. But because I'm looking, don't assume I will act on your accusations.'' He took the flash drive and inserted it into a port. ``Now leave. I have work to finish.''
``I await your call.'' Nulfy turned and left. Excellent, she thought. If all goes well, my specially curated list will catch his attention. Her plan was already in motion. She had more leadership, and access to more files and data within the company. And with any luck, he won't look into what types of merchants they are, as I've conveniently left that detail out.
Three hours later, her office phone rang. ``Hello.''
``Nulfy,'' Floo said calmly, ``it seems you're right occasionally. Some of these folks didn't even meet their goal. What do you propose we do here? We could rewrite the clause so this doesn't happen and grandfather those previous members.''
``You've seen how our profits and stocks are doing,'' Nulfy said, cool as a cucumber. ``If we don't do something soon, we'll go under.''
Floo replied seriously, ``You know this isn't our philosophy.''
``Well, Dash left me in charge while he's gone.''
``That doesn't give you the right to make these decisions.'' Floo nearly hung up right there but kept his decorum. ``We'll wait for Dash to return and send these merchants a letter regarding their contract.''
``Maybe not, but wouldn't you rather protect the company? Drago's Legacy?'' There was a pause on the other line. ``We can't protect it if it's going under, now can we?''
Dash had canceled all his other appointments, meetings, and things that would pull him away. This was no time to be drawn away. He scheduled a PR interview in front of the offices once he returned. After calling his secretary for what felt like hours, he had the appropriate documents on his tablet ready to be looked over on his flight back. ``Undocumented extentions. What were you thinking, Drago? Your kindness was a blessing, but you still need to use common sense!'' He read how the calls and letters the merchants received mentioned article 2.7, read article 2 in full and specifically 2.7, and even thought of what to say when he addressed the media. The company had its fair share of scandals and oopsies in the past, but this was a big one.
``Ok, everyone.'' He ran up to the podium that was set up for him. Every news network, paper, and media outlet was there. Phones, recorders, and cameras were pointed at him. Sweat saturated his suit. ``I just returned from conferences and running around, unrelated to this. I have heard the concerns, and well, they are concerning. It is within the company?s best wishes, my best wishes, and frankly, Dragos,'' he paused for a few seconds to catch his breath, ``that we are lenient with our merchants and partners. We will find out the source of this confusion and find a resolution that helps everyone. Any questions?''
``What about those affected? Will they get their funding back temporarily?'' a news anchor asked.
``I can't say for certain.''
``What does this mean for everyone else? Can they have their contracts voided just as easily?''
``We will aim to resolve that as well.''
``Will those affected receive communications?''
``I am planning a meeting with those affected personally.'' He sighed. ``That's it.'' The crowd followed him to the offices, only to be met by locked doors behind him. The secretary at the front desk looked at him in fright. ``Get Nulfy in my office, now.'' He wasn't angry, wasn't aggressive, merely dejected. He wasn't around to prevent this from happening. He was too focused on improving the company.
``What the hell were you thinking?!'' Dash and Nulfy were alone in the boardroom. ``You trying to alienate our merchants?''
``Sir, I was only trying to,''
``Shut up until I'm done.'' Nulfy sat, her face red with embarrassment. ``I know you tricked Floo into doing it. He's just as guilty, but this happened on your watch.'' He placed both hands on the table. ``I looked through all the merchants whose funding you cut. Curious, they all sell obscure products. Sexual products, or ones that can be used as sexual products. You know one of our company policies is not to discriminate, right?'' She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it as Dash continued. ``I looked into your background a bit too. I won't go into it because you know exactly where I'm going with this.'' Dash looked her dead in the eyes. ``You're letting your personal religious beliefs drive the company.''
``Drago let his beliefs drive the company!'' She shouted, daring to speak.
Dash stood upright. ``Drago,'' he emphasized his name, ``had fair beliefs. You are letting biased beliefs discriminate against others.'' He approached her. ``If I didn't know any better, you want to clean this company up for a takeover.'' He let out a strong exhale through his nose. ``I see now why Sharva didn't like you.''
``Those shops didn't make it within the time allotted.'' She was chill now. ``I am pointing out companies that breached their contract. What's wrong with that?''
``I recall Drago was very lenient and forgiving.'' Dash stood only three seats away now, hands behind his back. ``I share that ideal.'' He turned around, ``However, you are lucky.'' She hung her head, knowing full well what was about to come. ``I cannot fire a board member willy-nilly. It takes a majority vote from the board. And I'm willing to bet you've bought most of them. I'll see you tomorrow. We'll see how many you've bought.'' Nulfy quickly hid her smirk and left.
Unfortunately for Dash, the damage had been done. He arranged a meetup via Zoom for those affected by this decision. Only a third showed up. Overnight, a good portion of the merchants had decided to leave and take their business elsewhere, and more were following suit by the day. It was understandable that every merchant was outraged. And as they learned that all of them sold sex-related products, they were even more furious. ``I promise we will come to a happy solution,'' Dash repeatedly promised. It seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, Nulfy and Floo were consulting legal counsel. ``We need to stop this fool from undoing this.''
``Well, if you insist on pursuing this action, you have a loophole,'' their lawyer said. ``Verbal contract is not as sound as people think. Drago may have promised them extensions, but if he didn't get it in writing, and as there is no grandfather clause, there's no chance.''
``Excellent...'', Nulfy sneered.
``Alright, let's address the elephant in the room.'' Dash stood at the front of the boardroom table. Each seat was filled, and the tension was once again unbearably thick. Shavra was attending via video chat but was still in the hospital. ``I move to strike Nulfy from the board and, furthermore, the company outright.'' Murmurs echoed in the room from all but two people. Nulfy and her lawyer were in attendance. ``I don't even have to express why. You all know why.''
``And I warned you that she wasn't to be trusted.''
``Let's get on with this, shall we?'' Nulfy sat in her seat. She was surprisingly calm for what was about to happen.
``All those in favor of striking Nulfy from the board?'' Dash asked. Of all eight members, Dash and Shavra included, only three raised their hands.
``You see, Dash,'' Nulfy rose with a folder. ``I have legal grounds for my actions.'' She slid it toward him. ``I've emailed a copy to you as well, Shavra.'' Dash snatched the file folder with disgust and opened it. It was a copy of the contract for their merchants. The key points, 2.7, were highlighted. Dash read it silently. The others sat silently, soaking in the tense atmosphere. His face turned to a grimace, then a scowl. ``I see...''
``And we don't have a grandfather clause, so even if you adopt one, the affected merchants will not be protected.'' She stepped away from the table. ``We need to protect our brand, Dash. Lewd merchants will only attract unsavory types.''
``Define unsavory,'' Shavra said with hatred dripping from every word.
``That diaper seller. He started selling adult diapers, right? I looked into his sales. More young adults were buying them than the intended market. Those people are closet pedophiles.'' The table erupted with gasps. ``Not to say all of them, of course. But why take that chance? They're using that as a gateway to get to children. Clearly, we can't have a merchant like that in our books. And what about this one here?'' She slid another file toward Dash. ``Comic books. That's fine. But his back room is filled with pornographic content. Yes, they're behind a curtain, and customers are carded, but what's stopping minors from going back there and reading that content? They're responsible for Minors viewing content they shouldn't even see at their age!''
``You're trying to clean up the company...'' Shavra scowled. ``And what gives you the right to make that call?''
``I don't. The law does. Our contract does.'' Dash placed his hand over his face. ``Oh, are you seeing the error of your ways, Dash?''
``This company,'' Dash said quietly, ``does not share your ideals.''
``I beg to differ.'' She waved a hand over the boardroom. ``I believe only one of us voted to let me go? Now, are you going to follow your own rules, or will I go to the press and give my two cents on the matter?''
``YOU BITCH!'' Shavra shouted, clipping her audio.
``Shavra, your stress.''
``I don't care! She's trying to ruin the company!''
``Look, Nulfy, we'll review the contract and see how we can fix this, but I will say it, regardless of your lawyer,'' he glared at her lawyer. This company does not operate on religious beliefs. We're dismissed. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.''
This press conference would be the hardest one he ever had to be in. With a deep breath, he approached the podium. ``Before anyone asks questions,'' this stopped a few reporters from shouting questions out the gate, and the remaining affected merchants that attended, hoping for answers, ``let me say my peace. After much time and consideration on the matter, as well as community outreach, we have decided to make an update and announcement in regard to recent incidents involving 2.7. A few weeks ago, merchants had their funding stripped in mass. We investigated every account and took action accordingly. While many of the merchants violated their contract and were correctly removed, a few were mistakenly stripped. These were reviewed during the appeals process and restored with explanations and apologies.'' Roars of outrage filled the air in front of the Furred Alliance building. Dash continued anyway. ``As per our contract agreements, violations of Section 2.7 are now highlighted to warn users that violations under that category may automatically be escalated to a 1st Level Offense, 2nd level, then 3rd, then termination. For more information on our penalty system, please see section seven of your contract agreement.''
The roars of outrage only escalated. ``THIS ISN'T WHAT WE WERE PROMISED!''
``YOU SAID YOU'D HELP US! YOU LIED TO US!''
``YOU'RE NOTHING BUT SCUMBAGS!''
``WE SAW THE TWEETS!'' A tiger approached the podium, holding their phone up. ``You think we're all pedophiles, huh?!?!''
``What?!'' Dash leaned forward and squinted to read the phone. From a popular Financial Analysis YouTube creator. Here's the long and short of the new changes, which you can read in more detail in the attachment. Stores that sell sexual goods are no longer welcome at Furred Alliance, or FA for short, because they think they're PDFiles. That seems to be the case to me. Here's the interview with their own Social Media manager saying it. ``Wait, this is a HUGE misunderstanding.''
Reporters shouted their questions and accusations, but none of them were heard. The world spun around Dash. Everything was falling apart. One comment rang above the others. He didn't know who said it, but it hit harder than any of the insults, accusations, or other mean things that were likely being slung at him: ``Is this what Drago would have wanted?!''
After the death of their CEO Drago, Furred Alliance LLC is starting to fall apart. Dash is running around and always away from the company on business, Sharva has been hospitalized due to all the stress, leaving a corrupt social media manager, Nulfy, to lead the place. Called back after a huge Media scandal, Dash is on damage control. A whole portion of their merchants are being ousted based on the goods that they sell! He didn't allow this, what's happening?! Surely the Lynx isn't trying to clean the place up, right?
