FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

June 5th, 1969

42d Precinct, Bronx

Travis didn’t have the day off. He was called in at four in the morning, two hours after Officer McNeil’s body was discovered, and told to come in immediately. The office was in an uproar. The older human officers bellowed commands loudly at the newbies, who all scattered around the office like children who had been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to. For once in Travis’s life, being partnered with James paid off. The chief kept the two of them in his office for the entirety of the chaotic morning. The usually loud and gruff police chief was quiet and looked carefully over the recently delivered folder in front of him.

“I don’t know what to make of this,” The older white man sighed and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses, “They found him with his pants off, and Dog semen everywhere.”

The police chief set his glasses down on the desk and looked back and forth between Travis and James. He hit the table, hard, causing James to flinch and spill coffee on his lap. This was the chief’s usual behavior and Travis was more than used to it by now. James sheepishly reached over for a napkin and cleaned the mess off of his pants.

“Do you have any ideas as to what happened?” The human sighed, “Did any of you know about his... tendencies?”

Travis took a deep breath. The chief wasn’t thrilled when the forensics team assigned to the case had found evidence that he had been having sex with another male. For that reason, his death was still on the hush hush. The German Shepherd took a sip of coffee and set the empty paper cup down.

“Do they know who saw him alive last?” Travis cleared his throat and adjusted his collar, “I’m guessing it’s the Dog he was with. That’s probably the killer too.”

Talking to the chief about this made Travis incredibly uneasy. It was 10:00 AM now, which meant that McNeil’s killer, albeit a killer who acted to defend his life, was cleaning his house. Now he couldn’t back out, no matter what. If Nathan got caught, Travis would get into trouble, go to jail, and probably die there. Cops in jail were hated to begin with, but a Fur cop? A Fur cop wouldn’t last the first night. McNeil was a monster though, and Travis was set on doing the right thing.

“They got prints off of the gun right?” James asked, “If they can’t find the individual, we could at least narrow it down to the breed.”

The German Shepherd picked up his coffee again to mask a nervous swallow. He hadn’t thought about pawprints. He only hoped that Nathan was clean. That would make life much easier.

“We’re still checking the database,” The chief sighed, “There’s lots of fags in that part of town that fit the medium-sized Dog build.”

Travis nodded.

“So what’s the plan now?” James asked, “Is there a reason you called us in on our day off?”

The chief scoffed.

“What do you think James?” The human shook his head, “Of course there is, or I wouldn’t have fucking done it.”

Travis didn’t have enough composure to bite back a snicker. If there was one thing Travis loved, it was seeing James make an ass of himself in front of the chief. The older man glared at the German Shepherd, wiping the smile off of the Dog’s face. It was always best to save the laughter for the squad car.

“You are going out plainclothes to the neighborhood McNeil was found in,” The Chief began, “Both of you have had detective training, so consider this an unofficial promotion. Do well, and the job may stick.”

James chuckled and jumped out of his chair.

“You’ve got it boss,” James ran out of the room, “I won’t let you down.”

Travis sighed and hung his head. He had always wanted a promotion, but not like this. Fur detectives were rare in this department, and getting that job would be a hell of a way to break more than one glass ceiling. Now he stood a good chance of losing his this amazing opportunity. He couldn’t actually solve this case, if he did then he’d be guilty too. The chief picked up on Travis’s hesitation and sighed.

“Haven’t you always wanted to be a detective?” The Human asked, “You’ve got your chance.”

“What if I screw up?” Travis looked up at the chief, “I’m worried about this case, it seems almost impossible.”

The older male scoffed.

“It pretty much is,” He began, “Truth is, unless someone saw the murder or the killer’s pawprints are on file, we will likely never know. We owe it to McNeil to try.”

The human sat on the edge of his desk and looked down at the German Shepherd. Truthfully, Travis thought that the chief wasn’t a bad guy. Sure he could be gruff, and sure he could show preferential treatment to the white human cops, but he was an honorable man, who knew how to give credit when credit was due.

“You’ll do fine,” The human continued, “It’s James I’m worried about. The damn kid got his idiot father’s brains.”

Travis chuckled.

“I’m sure there’s a nice position for him somewhere,” The German Shepherd replied, “Maybe put him in some nice white neighborhood. He’ll come into his own, it’ll just take an easy beat to get him there.”

The chief laughed, causing everyone in the office to turn their heads. Chief Hickling almost never laughed, with the exception of his infamous drunken escapades at NYPD christmas parties. He slapped his knee and sighed.

“Maybe,” Chief Hickling chuckled, “Don’t worry Travis. Your work hasn’t gone unnoticed. The only reason I was so hesitant to promote you was because of your species. The men wouldn’t take kindly to, you know.”

“I know boss,” Travis sighed, “So why now?”

“Well, you’re James’s partner, promoting the two of you and having you work together, at least for this case would be smart,” The Human replied, “Also, Officer McNeil was fond of you. He said you showed a lot of promise and was devastated when you transferred.”

Travis didn’t reveal the anger that boiled in his chest. Now wasn’t the time.

“His department wasn’t a good fit for me,” Travis said calmly, “I didn’t feel like I could live up to my full potential working there.”

“Well,” Chief Hickling smiled, “Go out and live up to it. Keep in touch, they’ll have updates for you throughout the day.”

Travis nodded and got out of his chair, his coffee in paw. This was going to be a hard day, but hopefully nothing would come of his efforts. If Nathan stayed safe and McNeil stayed dead the German Shepherd would call this day a win. James smirked and threw a set of car keys at the Dog, knocking him out of his musings.

“Come on partner,” James chuckled, “I picked the black one.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2 blocks from the site of McNeil’s murder.

The “black one” was a black, newish looking Ford Fairlane. It was nice car, and Travis enjoyed driving it. The only issue was that James was a horrible passenger. He had demanded that the German Shepherd stop for food. Once he got his greasy sandwich from the greasy sandwich shack he liked, he promptly made a huge mess all over the front seat. Travis stopped the car with a sigh and got out, not waiting for James.

“Hey what the fuck man?” James asked as he got out of the car, “We’re supposed to be doing this together.”

Travis rolled his eyes.

“If we do this “together” we’re not going to get anything done”, The Dog scoffed, “You are going to sit back and keep your mouth shut. The second you start getting abusive is the second these people stop talking to us.”

“Why do you care?” James asked, “It’s just a bunch of fags.”

Travis scoffed. If he really wanted to get out of this scot free he’d let James be in charge. It wouldn’t matter though. This was one of those cases that wouldn’t be resolved. Best case scenario, for the department that is, would be finding a scapegoat. Travis definitely didn’t want that to happen.

“We care because this is McNeil we’re talking about,” Travis replied, “My god. I’ll keep that in mind in case something like this happens to you James.”

James’s jaw dropped and he ran to catch up with the German Shepherd.

“That’s not funny man,” James began, “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

Travis rolled his eyes. He knew he was going to regret asking this.

“What do you plan to do then?” Travis asked, “If you aren’t going to be civil, how do you plan on getting any information?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The Human smirked, “We’d beat it out of them.”

“With what?” Travis returned the smirk as a humongous male Tiger walked past in a tee-shirt and shorts, “Why not start with him? Think you can take him in a fist fight James?”

The German Shepherd laughed as James shook his head and fell silent. The human was nothing without his uniform. He had the gun sure, but didn’t have the balls to use it as freely as he used his nightstick.

“Okay,” James sighed, “You’re in charge Travis. Let’s make this quick yeah? I don’t really like this neighborhood.”

Travis rolled his eyes and kept walking. The German Shepherd spent a lot of time up here when he wasn’t working. A lot of the males who walked by gave the Dog a knowing wink and a nod. They knew better than to talk to him while he was working. James picked up on this and smirked.

“I think they like you Travis,” James chuckled, “Am I going to have to keep an eye out for you in case they start to get frisky?”

“I can handle myself James,” Travis smirked and looked over his shoulder at the human, “Perhaps I should watch out for you. I think that Tiger was looking for a guy like you.”

“Guy like me?” James asked with a grin, “I can’t say I blame him. I am quite the specimen of man.”

The Human flexed, making Travis chuckle. It was rare, but there were times when James was genuinely funny. The two cops rounded the corner and nearly ran into a tall, black-furred Lion dressed in heels and a long purple gown. James froze, looking over the tall male Lion with a dumbfounded look on his face. This must have been his first drag queen.

“Hello,” Travis smiled and extended a paw, “How are you doing today Miss?”

“Felicity,” The Lion smiled and shook his mane, “If you want the rest you’ll have to see me at the Plaza tonight.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Travis chuckled and set his paw down, “My partner James and I are with the New York police department. We were hoping to investigate a murder.”

“There’s been a lot of them lately,” Felicity frowned, “Some of them were good friends of mine. I owe it to them to help.”

Travis reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a picture of Officer McNeil. Felicity bared his teeth and crossed his arms.

“I know that man,” The Lion growled, “Is that the murder victim.”

“Yes,” James interjected, “They found him dead this morning. A Dog did it.”

Felicity huffed and put his nose up.

“Good for the Dog,” He replied, “That man in the picture has always been a predator. I’d see him at the Plaza, at the other bars around town. He’d pick a boy, usually a Dog, one he could overpower, and then we’d never see that Dog again.”

“I don’t think I like your attitude,” James squared up on the Lion, “Why don’t you try that with a more respectful tone. The man died for God’s sake.”

“What are you going to do copper?” Felicity frowned, “Use that little pea shooter on me?”

Travis put an arm in front of James before he could say another stupid thing. If there was any job for a detective that involved being a colossal asshole or that required him to be locked away from the general public for extended periods of time, James would be perfect for it.

“Excuse my partner here,” Travis sighed, “Officer McNeil’s passing has shaken up my poor colleague.”

Felicity scoffed.

“Did you know they sent him to investigate his own crimes?” Felicity asked, “We told them again and again, and again and again they ignored us.”

James gasped.

“Travis,” James began, “Maybe she-”

Felicity posed and smirked.

“Only on weekends sugar,” Felicity chuckled, “I’m just out for my community right now.”

James nodded and pulled Travis aside.

“Maybe he’s onto something,” James began, “McNeil was always very shifty about his investigation. One time…”

James looked back at Felicity.

“One time I even caught him jacking off to one of the evidence pictures,” James continued much more quietly, “If that’s so, maybe he wasn’t murdered after all, maybe it was self defense.”

Travis’s eyes went wide. He had no idea James had the sufficient amount of brain cells to piece something like that together. James chuckled.

“Mind blown huh Travis?” The human smirked, “Come on. Let’s go tell the chief about this.”

Travis nodded, unable to stop his tail from wagging. If this worked, Nathan could come forward, give his testimony and then go free. He turned around and smiled at the Lion.

“Thank you so much for your help,” He began, “Have a good day, and an even better weekend.”

Felicity shot the Dog a knowing wink and walked away. Travis chuckled, there would be a good chance that he’d catch her performance, from the back of the bar of course. James led the way back to the car this time, clearly confident in his deduction. Things couldn’t have gone any better. In just a few short hours, Travis’s lawbreaking had totally worked out for the best for all parties.

“God my uncle is going to be so proud of us,” James smiled at the Dog, “I can’t wait for this promotion. The pay raise is going to be incredible.”

James punched the Dog in the shoulder.

“You could be one of the highest paid Furs in the force!” The human laughed, “Things really are looking up.”

“Okay,” Travis began, “But let’s go talk to some more Furs. Let’s build this case up.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1 hour later

“I have to agree with your logic,” Chief Hickling sighed, “But I can’t see what you want me to do about it.”

Travis scoffed.

“We caught the killer,” Travis began, “We need to tell people. We could put that whole neighborhood at peace.”

“Think about that Travis,” The Chief frowned, “These Furs already don’t trust us. You really think releasing an official statement that one of our Officers, the one tasked with investigating the disappearances and murders of a dozen Dogs, is going to make them trust us more? Hell, from what you’ve told me they already knew he did it.”

“That’s one bad cop,” Travis hit the table, “If we say yes, we fucked up. Yes we let this bad man hurt you. If we own up to it and make every opportunity to show our sympathies, they will trust us.”

The Chief frowned and gripped his full coffee mug hard enough to shatter it, dripping coffee across his shirt and desk.

“How dare you,” Chief Hickling stood up and poked Travis in the chest with a bloody finger, “If I hear you slander McNeil’s name one more time, your fuzzy ass will be out on the street. You got that pup?”

Travis nodded and hung his head.

“That’s what I thought,” Chief Hickling continued, “Now, here’s what is going to happen. The next time we convict someone for a murder in that area. We stick them with these charges. Good riddance. We do it quick and quiet.”

“Sorry sir,” James piped in, “But as you said earlier all those furs we talked to knew he was doing it.”

“It’s their word against ours,” The older human looked at Travis, “And our word will win every time.”

“What about the Dog who killed him?” James asked, “That would mean he’s innocent.”

“Yes and no,” The Chief wrapped his hand and then poured himself a glass of whiskey. “If the fingerprints come up in the system, or if we bring him in on something else. The Dog is going to get the death penalty.”

Travis growled and gripped his chair. He usually contained his anger at work. He wasn’t a human, which meant he had to be extra careful. Otherwise he could be muzzled and locked in a room until he “tamed”.

“What if he comes forward?” Travis asked, “Are we seriously going to punish an innocent Dog for a crime he didn’t commit. If this was a human male we wouldn’t be doing this.”

“We would do exactly the same thing,” Chief Hickling replied, “You’re familiar with Brendan McNeil correct?”

Travis and James exchanged blank looks and looked back at the older male.

“He’s the house representative for this district,” The chief continued, “The reason you idiots have jobs.”

James nodded and sighed.

“So he got away with it then,” James sighed, “Jesus. You’re saying if the department comes out about this that we’ll lose funding, lose jobs.”

Chief Hickling’s silence spoke volumes.

“You did good,” Chief Hickling took a drink, “And so long as this conversation doesn’t leave this room the both of you will continue to have this position.”

Travis sighed. He was so close to wrapping this up. Now he had someone who was as good as convicted if he as much as applied for the wrong job.

“Have the people in forensics come up with anything?” James asked, “I know it’s very early still, but maybe they got lucky.”

“No such luck,” Chief Hickling replied, “The both of you should go home though. I’ll get you some office space in the homicide division. I hope you’re fine with being partners.”

Travis nodded. This couldn’t get much worse. On top of dealing with the Nathan situation, he was now stuck with James even longer than he had planned. He nodded politely and left the room. He made it to the locker room and had just got his locker open, when James came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey,” James began, “You did really good out there.”

“Thanks,” Travis sighed, “Doesn’t feel like it though.”

James nodded and sat down beside the Dog’s locker with a sigh. He looked around put his head in his hands.

“Can I say I’m sorry?” James asked, “I just, well, I’ve learned a lot from you.”

“What?” Travis asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Well,” James began, “Working with you for so long and seeing Furs out and about with you. I, well, I think my prejudices are misguided.”

“Seriously?” Travis stood with his back to the lockers, “I thought you hated Furs. I mean this is like an overnight change. What happened?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night, well, I couldn’t sleep for a lot of nights,” James rubbed his arm, “I thought about you as a kid during the Fur riots. I thought about that Bat I put in the hospital. I thought about every person I did wrong because of the way they looked.”

James paced.

“That’s just how I was raised,” James sighed, “Being around Furs, Blacks, all of them, I just, well, I let my upbringing speak for me. I just feel so stupid it took me this long to figure out they were wrong.”

Travis blinked. He would have never expected this to happen in a million years. Maybe James wasn’t really a bad person, just an ignorant one. He reached over and put a paw on the human’s shoulder.

“I’m sure I’m going to slip up now and again,” James began, “But I want you to patient, and help me be a better person. I need to change.”

“That’s a big thing to admit to,” Travis replied, “Thank you James.”

“Maybe um,” James continued, “Maybe we could go out to a Fur bar or concert some time. I’d like to try and learn about well, you.”

“Well sure,” Travis began, mentally crossing off every gay bar he regularly went to, “Maybe the next day we have off we can to to a bar down in Manhattan or something.”

“Sure!” James chuckled, “Hey I’m going to take off. I’ll see you tomorrow Travis.”

James waved and left the locker room with a smile. Travis watched him go, still astounded by his partner’s change of heart. A smile slowly grew on the Dog’s face as he started to strip. He had a shower at home, but did not want to see Nathan just yet. He still needed to figure out what he was going to tell him. He threw his towel over his shoulder and walked into the showers naked. He needed some time alone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That evening

Travis grumbled as he trudged through the front door of his apartment. After his shower he was accosted by the other cops, demanding to know how he got his promotion. After an hour of trying to get out of dodge, he finally managed to make it home. Now all he wanted to do was lay on the couch and forget about Nathan.

“Hey you,” The Australian Cattle Dog began, “I thought you said you had the day off?”

“I did,” Travis sighed, “I had to go in and investigate what happened last night. Good news is I got a promotion. I guess that means you’re getting a raise.”

Nathan whined.

“What’s the bad news then?” Nathan asked, “Do the other cops know?”

“I don’t know yet,” Travis replied, “Have you ever had your paws documented? For any reason?”

“No,” Nathan began, “Why? Did they find my prints?”

Travis sighed.

“I was told,” Travis sat down and sighed, “That if they found out you did it, you would be tried for his murder.”

Nathan whined and sat down beside the German Shepherd on the couch.

“They know he is guilty,” Travis continued, “They know you were probably defending himself, but he had powerful family. What they want is taking precedence over justice.”

The Cattle Dog looked over at the Dog and took a deep breath. Travis returned the look, ready to embrace the younger male if he started to cry. To Travis’s surprise, Nathan didn’t break down. The kid was tougher than he looked.

“Would you like a drink?” Nathan asked, “When Victor let me in he showed me where your liquor cabinet was.”

“I can make it myself,” Travis began, “Shouldn’t you be with your family?”

“Not tonight,” Nathan replied as he put some ice in a glass, “The oldest is more than capable of watching them. If I need to stay I can call her. I just can’t be out for more than a couple days at a time.”

Travis sighed. He really could use a drink.

“Just get some of that scotch,” Travis began, “And I want it neat.”

Nathan dumped out the ice and poured the German Shepherd his scotch. He walked back over and sighed.

“You really should make that boyfriend of yours clean,” Nathan chuckled as he handed the cop his drink, “This place was a mess.”

“Victor isn’t my boyfriend,” Travis chuckled, “Besides this isn’t his mess.”

Travis looked around as he sipped his liquor. The apartment was noticeably cleaner now. Nathan had proved to be a good investment. The Dog didn’t want to regret helping Nathan like this, but recent circumstances made it harder for it to do. He looked into the Cattle Dog’s eyes and whined. He found his reason.

“Are you okay?” Nathan asked, “God this must be so hard for you.”

Nathan leaned in and embraced the German Shepherd.

“How am I ever going to repay you for this?” Nathan continued, “I was a total stranger, and you were more kind and generous than I knew was furly possible.”

Travis kissed the top of the Cattle Dog’s head and reciprocated the hug. A tear rolled down his cheek and fell on Nathan’s neck.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” Travis began, “Seeing you in that car was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t live with myself if you were caught. You’d get the chair.”

The Cop whimpered.

“Please,” He held the Cattle Dog tighter, “Promise me.”

“I promise,” Nathan rubbed the German Shepherd’s back, “Would you like me to stay here tonight?”

Travis shook his head.

“It’s okay Nathan,” The older male replied, “Besides, that would be inappropriate.”

“How so?” Nathan asked, “How is having some company inappropriate?”

“Because of what just happened to you,” Travis looked at the Cattle Dog incredulously, “I could never take advantage of someone like that.”

Nathan smiled sadly.

“I appreciate it Travis, and to be honest I wasn’t even thinking of having sex with you,” Nathan replied, “But this wasn’t the first time.”

Nathan sighed.

“Shit like this has been happening since I was 14,” The Cattle Dog continued, “It fucked me up for sure. The only thing that was so bad about this was that I actually had to kill the guy.”

“I don’t think you’re fucked up Nathan,” Travis sighed, “I just think you’ve had a tough life.”

“That’s your opinion,” Nathan began, “The truth is, I live for any situation in my life where I have control. I know better than to think that sex is just… fear and pain. I’m a survivor, but that doesn’t mean I have to merely survive. I’m going to live.”

Travis nodded. Those were the wisest words he had ever heard from the lips of someone so young. Nathan chuckled and took a sip of Travis’s whiskey.

“So if Victor isn’t your boyfriend,” The Cattle Dog began, “What is he? Just some guy?”

“He’s a friend,” Travis grumbled and took his drink back, “A friend who I just happen to be sleeping with. Is that a problem?”

“It’s no problem,” Nathan replied, “I was just curious. I wanted to know if there would be any issues if, you know.”

Travis scoffed.

“That’s not happening,” Travis chuckled, “You’re like my adopted son or something.”

“You can’t adopt a 19 year old,” Nathan crossed his arms, “Besides, I’m clean and could rock your world. I can’t think of a better way to repay the guy who saved my life.”

Travis finished his drink and shook his head. He hoped to god this Cattle Dog wasn’t a nymphomaniac. Victor was already insatiable enough. The poor German Shepherd couldn’t handle two horny young dogs.

“Look,” Travis chuckled, “Maybe in the future. No way in hell am I even looking at you that way until this is far in the past.”

“So why did you kiss me last night?” Nathan asked, “You kissed me full on the lips in my apartment.”

“No no no,” Travis set the glass down, “You kissed me full on the lips on your apartment. I didn’t initiate a thing.”

“But you kissed me back,” Nathan smirked, “And don’t think that I didn’t see that woody you were sporting as you left.”

“It’s not happening tonight Nathan,” Travis sighed, “You should go home. Unless you have something else you needed to do here.”

Nathan paused, counting down on his fingers the things he needed to do. He got up from the couch with a sigh. The younger male walked into the kitchen, fully aware of Travis’s eyes following him. It was not that the German Shepherd didn’t want to bed the Cattle Dog, it was that doing so would be totally irresponsible.

“I do need to finish cleaning your shower,” Nathan replied, “The rest of it is clean, but there are some dicey looking stains in that bathtub.”

“That’s fine,” Travis got up from the couch, “I’m going to make some dinner.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Nathan smiled as he got some gloves from under the sink, “I made you some macaroni salad. It’s in the fridge.”

Travis chuckled and pulled the bowl out of the fridge. It was covered and in one of the Dog’s only nice bowls, a china dish with a floral pattern that he stole from his mom’s house. He licked his lips and grabbed a fork before sitting down at the island in his kitchen.

“Thank you for cooking Nathan,” Travis began, “You know you don’t have to do stuff like that right?”

“I don’t mind at all,” Nathan replied, “I’m just repaying you for all that you did for me.”

Travis chuckled and started to eat the macaroni salad. The dish was well made, no doubt as a result of Victor stocking the German Shepherd’s fridge. He would have to thank Victor when he came back. Speaking of, the Black Lab was usually here by now on Thursdays. He was out of class early, which meant he was able to go out with his friends in the afternoon instead of the evening.

“Hey Nathan?” Travis asked, “Did Victor come by?”

Nathan poked his head out of the bathroom.

“I haven’t seen him since he showed me around your place this morning,” Nathan replied, “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Travis replied, “Don’t worry about it.”

Nathan walked out of the bathroom with a dirty towel on his shoulder. His shirt was wet and some of the fur poking out from the neckline dripped with water. After looking over the Cattle Dog with a blush, he smirked and took the towel from him.

“So I couldn’t help but notice your typewriter as I was tidying up,” Nathan began, “Are you a writer and a cop?”

Travis nodded.

“I write some articles and short stories,” Travis replied, “Usually in Fur magazines, but I’ve recently done a couple articles for some porno mags.”

“Damn,” Nathan sat down beside the German Shepherd, “Maybe I’ll be able to read what you work on some time.”

Travis chuckled.

“If Victor gets back in time you might be able to,” The Dog replied, “I let him borrow some of my manuscripts for translating practice. Then he’ll come back and talk German to me.”

“Do you speak German?” Nathan asked, “That’s awesome.”

“I don’t speak German at all,” Travis stuck out his tongue, “Victor just wants someone to practice with. I’m pretty sure it’s a confidence thing.”

“I guess I can understand that,” Nathan sighed, “I know I need to go home, but I really don’t want to.”

Nathan leaned forward onto the island with a groan.

“I had to take Martin to the hospital last night,” The Cattle Dog continued, “He stopped breathing shortly after you left. He’s had pneumonia for a while, and things just got so much worse.”

Travis looked over at the younger Dog with a dumbfounded stare. Who in the hell would do something like that? He jumped out of his seat and ran for his coat.

“Why in the hell are you here?!” Travis asked, “We need to get you to the hospital immediately.”

Nathan shook his head.

“No,” Nathan began, “Not tonight.”

“We at least need to get you home,” Travis whined, “Fuck, your brothers and sisters have got to be scared out of their minds.”

Nathan shot out of his chair as well.

“What do I say huh?” Nathan asked, “How do I tell them that their little brother is going to die?”

The Cattle Dog trembled and started to cry. Travis froze and hesitated for a few moments before walking up and embracing the younger male. He flinched a little as the Cattle Dog returned the embrace and buried his head into the older Dog’s tee-shirt. Consoling others had never been something the German Shepherd was good at, hopefully his presence would be enough to help the Dog through this.

“I just wish my mom was still here,” Nathan whimpered and cried harder, “She’d know what to do.”

Travis sighed and rubbed the Cattle Dog’s back as he sobbed into his chest. This was all too common in the Fur world, mostly in the urban areas. Furs were not liked by the human majority, and as such were targeted unfairly, even more so now that civil rights legislation for Furs had been gaining ground. This was no secret. Any Fur with a working pair of eyes could see it.

“Don’t you have any other family?” Travis asked, “Anyone who could help you out?”

Nathan looked up at the German Shepherd.

“After Mom ran off with my father, her family wants nothing to do with them or their children,” Nathan sighed, “My dad’s family isn’t in much of a position to help. I have no idea how to get mail to New Zealand.”

Travis whined.

“So you really have no one?” The Cop asked, “You poor kid.”

“I have you now,” Nathan nuzzled into the German Shepherd’s neck, “Would you help me do this? Help me tell them what happened?”

Travis nodded.

“Of course,” Travis began, “You should clean yourself up.”

The German Shepherd reached down and tenderly wiped a tear from the Australian Cattle Dog’s cheek.

“You’ve gotta be strong for them,” Travis continued, “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

Nathan pulled away and nodded, letting the last of his tears fall before heading to the bathroom to clean up. As the water ran, Travis walked into the bedroom started to change his clothes. He had gone to the cheapest clothing store he could find and bought himself a new suit. It was a medium grey, and had yet to be tailored. The Cattle Dog walked in just as Travis pulled his white dress shirt on.

“What’s the occasion?” Nathan tried to laugh, but couldn’t and settled for a smile, “You don’t have to dress up.”

Travis pulled on his trousers and looked at the Cattle Dog over his shoulder.

“I know but I want to,” Travis replied, “I’ve never had a suit without patches in it before.”

The German Shepherd pulled on his jacket and buttoned it up. He looked over himself in the mirror and smiled. Heads would definitely turn as the Dog walked into work tomorrow, especially with the oxford blue tie he had picked up. He turned back to the bed and put on the black leather belt he had picked up. He growled with frustration as he tried to fasten it. The guy at the clothes store must have sold him a belt that was too small.

“Fuck,” Travis swore, “I can’t get this fucking thing fastened.”

“Here,” Nathan replied, “Let me help you.”

Before Travis could react the Cattle Dog was within kissing distance and reaching down to fasten the Dog’s belt. The German Shepherd looked away as the attractive 19 year old finally got the tongue of the belt into the first hole.

“There,” Nathan smoothed the Dog’s suit, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a German Shepherd in a suit before. I like it Travis.”

“Thanks,” Travis shot the Dog a smile, “Let’s get you home. We can try the hospital too if you’d like.”

“Okay,” Nathan took the Dog’s paw, “I wish you could walk me to the car like this.”

Travis sighed and squeezed it.

“How about to the door?” Travis began, “I think I could do that.”

Nathan smiled and nuzzled up to the Dog’s shoulder.

“I would like that,” Nathan replied, “Thank you.”

The German Shepherd smiled and held the other Dog’s hand as they walked to the door. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of the Cattle Dog’s soft pads brushing against his. They stopped at the front door, neither wanting to break away from the other. Eventually, Nathan pulled away with a shy smile.

“I think that should tide me over,” Nathan smiled, “Thank you again Travis.”

Travis kissed the top of the shorter male’s head and opened the door. It was time for Nathan to be brave once again, to be more than a scared boy on the edge of 20. As they walked down the stairs, the transition from scared kid back to a strong man was seamless. Travis cursed the world and watched Nathan walk with a sigh. Time would only tell if this generation of Furs could be any more than battered and broken souls who were forced to grow up too fast and lose their souls in the process.