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Chapter Three

Harvey awoke with a start. Unlike the movies where the person yanks up, sweat everywhere, heaving. But it was a start, his heart thumping as if something were trying to escape his chest. He dreamed of him again.

The early morn bleached through the curtains, filling the bare room with soft, untouchable light. The wolf sat up on the side of his bed, pulling the blanket off, and looked down at the tent he had pitched in his sleep.

"Dammit."

This was the hardest morning wood he had since he could remember. His paw fluttered over the fabric of his pants, testing his erection, taking note of the familiar rush of sensation that tingled from the glans. He, too, was a big guy where it counted most--a very big guy. Unfortunately, it had garnered him some bad attention.

Refusing to jerk off, he knew this would be a long morning indeed.

Harvey smirked.

"No pun intended."

* * *

Wednesday: day after Tuesday. Same goal. Same familiar stink. Arty really needed to invest in some kind of ventilation system to filter out the air. Opened windows just weren't enough.

Yune padded into the gym in search for the wolf from yesterday. Normally he'd slink in, head low to remain unnoticed, but he made a conscious effort to at least appear confident, that he was here to get things done, that he meant business and knew with whom to do business. Busier than normal today, almost every machine or bench occupied, it was a roomful of grunting and clanging and idle chitchat: a ram with giant, curling horns peforming dips and chin-ups; a lithe canine couple on stationary bikes; the highschool football team congregrated in half the room; a few ladies working with exercise balls in the corner. From the corner of his eyes he noticed the lion and panther that teased him from before, each working with a pair of huge dumbbells, eyes affixed to their doubles on the wall of mirrors, each reflection expanding and contracting like machines. Yune made sure to avoid their sancrosanct area of the gym.

Turning, he collided with someone huge, quickly noting that he was making a bad habit of this, but too stunned to apologize.

"Pardon me, lil' guy," Someone Huge said, a grizzly bear with a rotund belly typical of most bears, although from what Yune could tell by his momentary encounter, the stomach was more tempered than most, a gut of muscle, perhaps steel.

Without a second thought, the bear bounded his way to whatever equipment he was originally heading towards before the fox could stammer an apology. The bear was definitely the tallest guy here--and the broadest. So big, Yune almost didn't see Harvey bench-pressing an impressive amount by the corner.

The wolf grunted a hello, finishing his set before sitting up on the bench and wiping his brow. The fox gave a simple nod when Harvey asked how he felt. "Sore?"

"A little."

"Well, you'll be giving a resounding 'yes' tomorrow after we get through with you."

"We?"

"Brought a friend today. Nice guy. He'll help you out." He rolled his shoulders then flexed his chest. "Feel this."

Yune hesitated, then prodded him with a finger.

"No, no, no... I mean really feel it! It's okay."

The fox cupped his paw on the upper part of the wolf's chest, careful to avoid the nipple. It was like touching a boulder warmed by the late-morning sun. Again, he thought of home back in the mountains where he'd rest on that giant rock that'd conveniently fallen halfway on the trail he'd hiked on more times than he'd caught fish at the lake. He'd watch the sun creep its way to noon, the stream singing just below, hidden amongst the trees. Just from this small sample, the fox could tell the wolf was hard like this all over. He wondered how many years the wolf kept at it; and he had to admit to himself, Harvey's dedication was admirable.

"Coppin' a feel, are we?"

Yune nearly jumped, snatching his paw back as if he'd touched a hot pan. The voice. It was the bear from before, his shadow devouring the fox as he towered over him. Blushing followed like a chain reaction in a car crash. A guy touching another (in a gym, no less): big no-no.

"Hey, T. You with this guy or you just showin' off again?"

"No, he's the fox I was telling you about."

"Oh, him?" The bear cast a firm gaze, studying the poor fox who felt more and more awkward. "I just bumped into this guy a minute ago."

"Literally," Yune said under his breath.

"Well, a friend of Harv's is a friend of mine, I always say!" the bear cheered, a smile sundering across his face as he squished the fox's paw in a shake. "His chest is one thing. Just don't let this fag trick you into touching his dick."

"Hey, now!" the wolf cried, socking him in the side of the very gut Yune had bumped into moments ago. The bear didn't flinch. "Let's not scare the guy!"

The bear gave a hearty laugh. "Anyway, what's your name again?"

"Uh... Union," the fox stammered. "But you can call me Yune."

"Union, huh?" the bear said, rolling the name along his tongue as if sampling a foreign dish. "It's unique. Name's Buford, but everyone calls me Bubba. Don't be afraid to rub me for luck. My stomach, that is. Don't be rubbing anything lower than that!"

Yune gave a nervous laugh.

"Beware of this guy, though," Buford remarked, aiming a thumb at the wolf. "They call him T-bone because he can't wait to show you his,"--elbowing Yune suggestively--"if you know what I mean."

Harvey jumped down Buford's throat between lupine teeth. Yune couldn't hear the exact words, but he understood the gist of it and wondered if there was more to all the joking. "Don't listen to this guy, Yune. He's lucky he's my best friend or I'd kick his ass right now."

Yune watched, sorrow-eyed, as they play-punched each other and laughed as if some perfectly executed prank had occurred. The fox couldn't imagine what a friendship like this was like; he had grown used to lurking around as if the world were a place only meant to witness, like a spectator sport. Sure, he had associated loosely with a few people he could probably call "friends," which really only served as a gathering of nerds sharing matches on the newest portable gaming system. It was nothing like this. But that was a few years ago, back in high school, and he hadn't really done much with anybody since. Damn, he needed to get out more.

"All right, all right, all right," the wolf said. "People are staring at us now. It's time to get back to business."

"Right!" Buford said with a nod and then, meticulously forming every word with a horrible foreign accent: "We're gonna pump you up!"

"Oh, God..." Yune blurted, Buford bursting with hoots as he slapped the fox on the back. Yune winced in silence.

"Don't worry. You get used to him," Harvey gibed, sliding between the fox and his assailant. "Let's focus on giving those dumbbells a little trouble first. Just remember: they're excellent for their range of motion and versatility. Plus, they work your stabilizer muscles better than most of these other machines."

Harvey dipped into the skin of things immediately, giving Yune a crash course on some of the basic exercises to perform with dumbbells: the different presses, curls, and extensions. He explained the proper form of squats and lunges to prevent injuring the knees and even showed him the deadlift, an exercise Yune hadn't even heard about. Of course, the wolf performed every exercise first before fitting the smaller canid with an appropriate amount of weight, then guiding him through the motions, cheering him on. They even worked out next to the lion-and-panther team and Yune was surprised they kept to themselves, only glancing over every now and again to see what they were up to. And despite his imposing demeanor, the bear chimed in with a few pointers and plenty of encouragement, so much that Yune was feeling the burn of embarrassment worse than the burn of every rep.

Before Yune realized it, more than an hour had passed and he was drenched in sweat. But he felt good. Very good, actually. Probably the best he'd felt all year. He wondered, however, if Harvey was really a personal trainer here. He hoped he wasn't running up some sort of tab.

"All right, I think we're done for the day, " the wolf said, then, as if reading Yune's mind: "That'll be sixty bucks. That's my going rate for an hour."

Yune's face drained. He only had enough money for a week's worth of bus fare. He looked for the bear who was busy putting the dumbbells away. For what, he wasn't quite sure. Perhaps reassurance that this was only a joke.

"Man, I was just kidding!" Harvey replied, witnessing the fox's face contort in dismay. Yune gave an audible sigh of relief. "But, if you really want to pay me back somehow, I have some ideas."

"Oh?" the fox said, his ears perking up. "L-like what?"

The wolf gave a devilish grin. "I'll think of something."

That was when the bear chimed in before Yune could think any more of it, congratulating him on a good workout. "You're not going home already, are you? I think me and Mr. T-boner here will stay for a bit. Probably work our ass-muscles or something." Harvey shook his head in embarrassment. "How 'bout it, Union?"

"No, no, I think I'm done for now," Yune said, paws up in a defensive gesture, his arms feeling like jelly. "Thanks again, though. Really."

"Okay, then." Harvey smiled, offering a paw. "Tomorrow then?"

"Perhaps!" the fox said, obliging Harvey's paw-offer. "If I'm not too sore." And they departed, Buford giving the fox a giant pat on the back, reminding him to do some cooldown stretches first. The fox stumbled forward, but looked back with a smile, planning to do a few quick stretches in the locker room to stave away any awkwardness. The bear was definitely an interesting character; stranger still, he actually took a liking to him. But he wondered what Harvey meant by "something," if he meant anything at all. Probably nothing more than playful banter. Probably.

The locker room was empty, the sound of dripping showerheads perforating the silence. Yune fiddled with the combination lock and just as the locker door opened no sooner was it back shut. A paw was there, holding it closed--the lion. He had snuck up on the fox who was too preoccupied with his soreness to notice his approach.

"Can I help you?" The fox noticed the panther-friend was nowhere nearby.

The lion held a blank expression, but looked menacing nonetheless. His mane had a beautiful heaviness, a thickness that displayed special attention, its dark auburn contrasting with the light tan of his muscled body. He smiled.

"Just had a question for you." He took his paw off Yune's locker. "You like hanging around those two?"

Yune fiddled with the stuff in his locker, pretending to be looking for something. Really, all he needed was to strip naked so he could shower, but not with the lion hovering over him. "What's it to you whether I do or don't?"

"Just wondering. Strange pairing those two make, don't you think?"

"'Strange?'"

"I'll be honest. The bear is loud and obnoxious, but tolerable. It's the wolf that makes everyone uncomfortabe here. Don't believe the nice-guy act he puts on."

"'Nice-guy act?'"

The lion chuckled. "Fan of Twenty Questions, are we? Look--all I'm saying is don't be surprised if he asks you to his place."

The fox was starting to get annoyed, at least more so than he was already. He shut his locker, hoping that that was an indication the conversation was almost over. "Why?"

"Let's just say you'll need to bring pleny of K-Y with you, or whatever it is you guys use. I'm actually surprised he took a liking to a shrimp. No offense."

Yune sighed. "I don't even know why I should believe anything you're saying. You've been nothing but rude to me the first day I started here." The fox was right. The lion had "accidentally" bumped into him when he was first learning to use the equipment. The fox almost dropped a weight on his foot!

The lion shrugged. "I'm like that with everyone at first. Apologies. Look, I'm impressed you're actually giving it you're all out on the gym floor. I've seen small fries go as fast as they came in the years I've been here, even with help. Thought it'd be worth warning you. I've known Harvey before our balls even dropped, after all."

"Well, thanks for the warning," Yune nipped. "Now if you don't mind...."

"Sure." And, as if on cue, the black panther strode in. The duo conversed and laughed as if the fox were invisible, stripping off their sweaty clothes and entering the showers to wash off. Yune decided to pack up and bathe at home.

* * *

He missed it. He didn't know how, but he missed it. Perhaps his workout with Harvey and Buford took longer than he thought. The lion's doom-mongering didn't help either. Another bus wouldn't come for at least a half-hour and he forgot his copy of Don Quixote, which would've made waiting bearable. Turning pages sure beat counting the number of red cars passing by. And bus rides were perfect for reading--the hum of the oversized vehicle as it stopped and accelerated was easy to tune out; and hardly anyone rode buses these days. Sure, you'd get the stray homeless person in the back asking for change, or a gang of friends not old enough to risk joyriding in a parent's car would fire up a ruckus, but for the most part it was quiet. He would read and bask in solitude and sometimes take a small break and gaze at the pedestrians, taking note of the different clothing styles or the shops and bars some of them entered that he would never dare visit himself. Today, he wouldn't get that. At least not for that half-hour.

Yune stamped a foot and leaned against the bus post, arms crossed. He could always walk. Too tired. Hit the gym again? The lion was back there. Waiting game it was.

Five minutes and he found himself sitting on the grass, clenching thick tufts of it or tearing some out like hair. His stomach growled and he'd forgotten his cooldown stretches so he did a few lazy ones, but his mind wandered. That wolf. He was sure the lion was just messing with him, but even then--what if there were a smidgen of truth, a rogue ray of sun absconding over the horizon? He pondered over this for some time until the next bus peaked from down the road. He stood.

A blue moped pulled up as soon as he stood. He took a step back, but then realized it was Harvey. "Still here? Need a ride?"

The fox glanced at the bus as it crawled closer, then back at the big wolf who dwarfed his own vehicle. Almost oxymoronic, like a big-footed clown riding an impossibly tiny tricycle. Except the fox hated clowns and liked this wolf, although cautiously. The bus roared, closing in the distance.

"Don't worry about the tail--a bit playful, but it's harmless." The wolf's tail wagged over the empty spot behind him as if dusting it for the fox's arrival. Yune hesitated for only a few seconds, adjusting his gym bag. Harvey just had that smile. He took one more glance at the bus just yards away now, climbed aboard the moped, and clung on.