NOC ch5: New Plans
All things considered, it was a pretty good day for the pit bull and the runaway jackalope. BJ had his concerns about Marcus's tolerance, not to mention if he'd have a panic attack given how anxious the kid tended to be, but those concerns turned out...
NOC ch13: The Chimera
Marcus's sleep was not the most peaceful that night in Boston. His dreams were a mishmash of anxious nightmares and wild fantasy, ricocheting between visions of Adrian Lucas as some monster movie beast looming over him and idyllic life with his real...
NOC ch12: Lighting the Fuse
"Ma'am, please calm down, we're trying to help you." Barbara Lewis glared at the officer in her living room. The middle-aged wolf's belly swelled each time he took a breath, his voice sounding like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. He stood...
NOC ch11: The Exo Club
Against all odds, Marcus Lewis was happy. It was a loose grasp of happiness, a hand clutching onto the frozen lake surface after falling through, but one nonetheless. The entire week felt like it spanned a year, with Marcus's memory of his school...
NOC ch14: While You Were Sleeping
The trip back to Temptations flew by in an instant for Marcus Lewis. Even without any headphones in his ears, none of the noises around the jackalope registered. From the walk to the bus stop to when he slipped through the back hallway and into...
NOC ch15: Icarus
Dylan was having a hard time focusing on work. Admittedly, his job didn't require his complete and utter attention, and even on good days when the equine was tapping away at his computer his mind tended to wander, but the last forty eight...
Rat Park ch3: Setting Sail
Charlotte Norwich sniffed unhappily, looking away from her eldest son. The last few days had been rather icy between Alphonse and his mother. She had let him know in no uncertain terms that she didn't think inviting that mouse inside and spilling his...
Ch3: Talking it out
"MARCUS!!" The jackalope jolted awake, nearly falling off of the couch in the process. His head whipped around, trying to get his bearings. He'd packed up and come back downstairs to watch some videos on the big screen before the sun came up... and...
2: Down to Business
"Muri? Yoo-hoo!" Behind her desk, the small black rat sat with earphones in, her nose practically buried against her tablet. The device itself sat propped up by a stand, her paws folded as she leaned in as close as she could manage. The cheetah at...
Ch2
Marcus pulled his oversized Range Rover (his sweet sixteenth birthday present, and he was adamant about it because he "needed the head room") up the driveway and into the four car garage. For once, getting home from school early wasn't much cause for...
NOC Ch4: Down time
Brian Thomas Jr absolutely loved Wednesdays. It wasn't that he disliked his jobs. If anything he felt pretty damn blessed to be able to earn a living doing the kind of work that he actually had a passion for. That all by itself put him well ahead of...
NOC ch10: A Middle-Class Menagerie
Marcus stepped into Melody's room, unsure what he would find there. He even closed his eyes as he entered, trying to temper his expectations. He reminded himself that the dance was an act. As mesmerizing as her performance had been, Melody wasn't some...