Go back the way she came

Once more, Texas found herself in an unwinnable situation. If this was supposed to be a game, Rivercrest wasn't playing fair! Between the gassed up shipping crates and all those sniper towers, Texas was pretty sure both of her escape plans would be doomed to fail. She was going to have to find another way out of this damn factory. Slowly, Texas crept back inside and closed the door. She just sat there for a little bit, waiting and thinking over her options. No doubt Zirona had already tried rattling Texas out of hiding, but would she give up so soon? Not usually but...she also had a job to do for Rivercrest. Texas couldn't imagine that the fox woman would let her waste much time weasel hunting!

Quiet as could be, Texas started to sneak back the way she came. She wasn't sure if that Miss Nightshade person was still in the Employee Lounge or not, but Texas did NOT want to alert whoever they were to-

"I can hear you out there, darling. You aren’t quite stealthy enough to sneak past a bird of prey.”

Shit. So much for not alerting them! The door to the Employee Lounge swung open right in front of the crouching weasel, and Texas was greeted by the sight of a Snowy Owl woman. She had a relatively average build, about five inches taller than Texas, a very lovely dress, and a gentle smile on her...beak? Well, Texas assumed it was a smile anyways. It was a little hard to tell for sure. Her feathers were a pristine white with little brown spots patterned throughout. She also wore a pair of thin half-rim glasses, probably to help her see better during the day. THIS was the woman who nearly made Texas keel over earlier? She looked so...normal!

“Ah! Sheriff Stanton, yes? I was told you would be visiting today. Shouldn’t you be speaking to Miss Gildegarden right now?” The owl asked, tilting her head at an angle that made Texas wince just watching her.

"Uhh...well uh...I was just...er..." Texas wasn't quite sure how to frame this in a way that wouldn't get her in trouble. This lady was probably someone Rivercrest brought in from back East and was probably way more loyal to the wealthy vixen than any of Texas's foes. And her foes were already trying to beat on her for sneaking around!

"...trying to scope out Miss Gildegarden's factory without having to interact with her?" The owl asked, her head tilting even further as she did so.

Texas gulped. So much for normal! That head thing was really starting to freak her out! Sure, that was a normal thing for owls to do but it was still spooky! But just as Texas expected this bird of prey to pounce...her head turned back to its normal, upright position.

"Well, that's perfectly understandable! Miss Gildegarden can be a rather intimidating woman. It's not often she goes through all this fuss over a single person, but it's always quite the scene when she does! I don't envy you, Sheriff! Not one bit!"

It was only now that Texas realized she had been holding her breath through that entire exchange. She let it out with a long, relieved sigh. For someone so average looking, this lady could be really intimidating! Though, part of that was probably due to what Texas had witnessed her do earlier! "Er...s-so then...what should I call ya? I heard you an' that guard talkin' earlier and know ya don't much care for bein' called Miss Nights-"

The owl's gaze snapped downward to where Texas was still crouched, making direct eye contact with Texas. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks and her head began to tilt again. It felt like she was going to put a hole through Texas's skull with her stare alone! A chill went up Texas's spine and her whole body started to tremble! "You had best forget you ever heard that name, Sheriff. You are correct. I DON'T enjoy being called that. And since you were present for that, you also know what happens when people DO use that name. My name is Nyla Shables. Do not forget that."

Texas nodded her head furiously, not wanting to incur the wrath of this now very terrifying bird woman! "Y-yes ma'am!"

"Ah yes, ma'am works as well." Nyla declared as her eyes went back to their normal shape.

"R-right so ah...are y'all gonna...uh...let me go now?"

Nyla chuckled "oh of course not, Sheriff Stanton. As an employee here I have an obligation to bring you to Miss Gildegarden at once. I can't exactly call myself Plant Manager if I allow you to simply galavant around the place without Miss Gildegarden's blessing. No, I'm afraid you'll be going to see her now."

Texas barely had time to scream before Nyla turned around, stuck out her rear, and ripped a fart right in her face! A putrid cloud of dark purple flatulence surrounded the sheriff and scorched her nostrils with a stench unlike any other! Texas immediately collapsed on the ground, clasping her throat as the ghastly stench wracked her olfactory system in agony! No wonder people called her Miss Nightshade! This smell was like breathing in pure poison! Every breath Texas took was **** on her nose! In a matter of seconds, Texas totally blacked out.

When her consciousness returned to her, Texas found herself flanked by two burly wolf men in security guard uniforms. Noticing that Texas had woken up, the duo shoved her forwards towards a door. A door labeled "R. Gildegarden."

"Get your ass in there, Sheriff. Unless you'd rather stay out here 'n huff our boots till Miss Gildegarden comes out."

Yeah, Texas didn’t need to be told twice. She wasn't foolish enough to keep Rivercrest waiting now that the vixen definitely knew she was here. Stepping forward, Texas very briefly acknowledged the sheep girl sitting at a desk just next to that door before heading on in.

As soon as she opened the door, Texas was reminded just how horrible Rivercrest smelled! Her office was hot, humid, and it reeked bad enough to make skunk puke! Texas was barely able to keep from doing just that as she stepped inside. That sheep girl was quick to slam the door shut behind her, leaving Texas in the haze of fox stink.

Speaking of foxes...April was here too! She was in one of the two chairs opposite Rivercrest, just lounging with her boots off. She didn’t even turn her head to acknowledge Texas when she walked in and...ugh! Her feet were definitely contributing to the rancid air in the office!

“Ah! There you are, Sheriff Stanton!” Rivercrest said with glee from behind her desk. “We’ve been waiting quite a while for you to arrive. So glad you could finally make it!”

Wait, so Nyla hadn’t told Rivercrest that Texas had been sneaking around? That was...odd. Perhaps something worth looking into later. Still nervous about facing Rivercrest, Texas very cautiously took a seat in the vacant chair.

“Good girl. Now, onto the reason I was so eager to get you here.” Rivercrest cooed, leaning forward as she did so. “You see...Mayor Vivian and I have had some issues with your past performance. We both believe that there is another individual in Gold Springs far more suited to the position of Sheriff. I believe her name is...Georgia?”

Crap. With the mayor in her pocket, mind control powers, gobs of cash, and, from the looks of it, April’s brain in the palm of her hand...Rivercrest probably COULD oust Texas with very little difficulty. And a crook like Georgia would probably be more than happy to turn a blind eye to all of Rivercrest’s insane operations! “N-now hold on! Ya can’t ju-”

“BUT! I am a reasonable woman, and so I’ve devised a little test for you. I have hidden seven specially minted coins in the possession of multiple high ranking employees in my staff. The Plant Manager, Floor Manager, Head of Human Resources, Head of Resource Refinement, Our Delivery Coordinator, the Head of Security, and my darling protege April here. If you manage to acquire them all through whatever means you deem appropriate, you may continue your work as Sheriff. If you fail or give up...well...I highly doubt you need me to elaborate on what will happen. The entire workforce here will be told to make this very, very difficult for you. But if the stories I have heard about you are true, well...you won’t have any trouble.”

Rivercrest’s smile had become a full-on malicious grin. The kind that told Texas that the vixen expected Texas to fail her little game. “And ah...what if I don’t feel like playin’ along with this test o’ yers?” She asked.

“Then I believe you’ve shown me just how ill equipped you are to be the Sheriff of this town. Unable to muster up the courage to face a few factory workers. In that case, I think I know a job you will be MUCH better suited for...”