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Chapter 0.5 - Mid Slumber

Darkness; pure and utter darkness surrounded him for what seemed to be a millennia. All of a sudden, two figures appeared towering above; mum, and dad. Both were holding cuffs outstretched in a paw, attached to the same leather strap that strapped around his neck tightly; suffocating, choking, leeching. Both adults pulled tightly at the leash, knocking him over. He spluttered and gasped for breath, coughing roughly as he clawed at the digging leather at his throat. All he could hear was the sound of them laughing; their hears upturned, their bodies jumping up and down with each chuckle. All the while he choked and fought to get up, the life draining from his body.

"You'll never escape."

Chapter 1 - Sunday Wake-up

Beep! Beep! Beep! The drone of an old fashioned alarm clock beeped incessantly, resting on the dark wooden nightstand wedged next to Xio's bed. The wolf in question grumbled, turning onto his other side, slamming his paw onto the top to turn it off. Slowly opening his dark hazel eyes, he could see the time of 6:00 blinking at him in red.

"What a dream," Xio grumbled. He slowly sat up and stretched his lanky arms upwards, stumbling from his bum onto his knees, peeling back one of the thick blackout curtains: sunny. No surprise for late May, with the fresh, Spring sun sprouting in the sky.

Xio rolled out of his single bed, of which had an oak frame and looked just small enough to be for a child. He'd had it for years; the wolf only measured 164cm tall and fit in 32cm waist garments, so why get anything bigger? He sleepily pulled the covers over and squeezed the pillow so that the bed looked somewhat made, before trudging along the old, oak-slatted floor, wobbling down the narrow staircase.

The stairs creaked under each of the small wolf paw's press. Xio cursed under his breath at this, padding slowly and sneakily down towards the bottom, clinging onto the wooden bannister which wobbled within his grasp.

To the left stood the outer corner of the living room; this room in particular had short ceilings that Xio only just fit under without having to crouch. The whole room leaned inwards by a significant amount, owing to the era of the property. A comfortable-looking, hazel coloured fabric sofa straddled the far-side wall near the rustic front door, with a flatscreen television resting opposite on the majestic mahogany mini shelf, left of the staircase entrance. A singular, square, single-glazed window merely the size of a modest backpack rested just above the sofa and the morning glory shone through it, cutting through the air and illuminating a small area of the otherwise shaded room. Xio shuddered as he peeked in, noticing the swirls of dust exposed by the sun. Rotted timber beams laid bent, lining the ceiling above.

To the right stood the corner of the dining room; a room slightly larger than the living room, with marginally taller ceilings and less lean on the walls. Unlike the cosy, darker décor of the living room, the dining room was painted in white and this included the ceiling; of a plaster construction rather than timber. A modestly sized oak dining table hugged the staircase side, with matching oak chairs around all the other sides. The far corner from the staircase entrance housed a larger, but still single-glazed square window overlooking the rear garden, which shone light onto a more modern looking pine desk that housed what appeared to be a laptop: ageing, dirty, and thick, with its lid down and locked with a key of sorts. A thin, mahogany bookshelf hugged the entire wall by the staircase entrance brimming with books, some poking out into the room.

Xio navigated himself between the bookcase and table, hugging the left wall into the walkthrough kitchen. Clad in patterned and white tiles were the floors and walls which made Xio shiver as he padded through on his bare paws. The cupboards were clearly wooden too but painted white to match the walls, and a brand new modern oven was squeezed next to the cramped cabinets of the small kitchen, juxtaposing an old clay sink opposite.

Finally, the bathroom; A modern, recent extension, its ceiling stretched high up, unimpeded by the lack of 1st floor above it. The walls shone a brilliant sky blue and the modern frosted windows let in oodles of light that reflected off of the white bathtub and cubicle.

To the right of the new style bathroom door sat a large mirror-come-cabinet. He opened the cabinet and saw familiar three similar style brushes, all differing in colour: one red, one blue, and one green. He picked out the green brush that looked the cleanest and least furred out of all of them, the wolf grinning at this very fact, feeling prideful about his brush upkeep.

Gazing at himself in the mirror, he saw what he always saw: a young wolf just tipping into adulthood, with scruffy grey headfur that nearly matched his facial fur but just a touch darker. The dark silver colour of his face continued down his entire body, save for the bottom of his neck, which faded into cocoa-coloured fur; trailing down his torso in an oval shape, disappearing underneath the brushed, blue cotton pyjamas resting slackly around his waist, two drawstrings tied messily in a bow. He tilted his body to the left to check his fluffy tail lying still behind him, tugging the appendage out slightly. The brown from his torso matched the stripe on the base of his tail, with the rest of the fur there matching grey with his body, save for the very tip which shone an off-white.

Xio analysed his figure in the mirror, posing, placing a paw on his waist and leaning his body, letting his tail flick back: Thin, narrow, lanky. Even his shoulders looked childlike. He barely tipped the scales at 47kgs which was, in the words of his father which he'd overheard yesterday, _ pathetic _ - spoken in such vitriol that made him shudder right then and there, his long, fluffy fur rising up slowly. He fought the urge to whimper and instead worked the brush into his other arm, roughly untangling the knots that had appeared, groaning painfully during the disentanglement of his shoulders.

"Need a paw?" Gruffed a deep, hoarse voice from behind him, and in reaction Xio dropped the brush clumsily into the sink. Xio quickly zipped around, looking up at his father wide-eyed.

The figure that shrouded him crouched down over Xio, his headfur flattened against the ceiling. Measuring at just over 202cm with the breadth and width to match, Lawry was a sheer presence to behold. Up close Xio's sensitive canine nose twitched, picking up his father's familiar, earthy and pungent scents; intensified by the morning setting. Xio gulped, having just thought about the words he'd overheard last night.

"Oh umm... Please, Dad," Xio meekly responded, his ears flattening slightly as his mind wandered to what he'd overheard. He grabbed the brush and held it out for Lawry, who accepted it sluggishly. The older wolf was still clearly waking up, with his half-lidded blue eyes and scruffed-up facial fur pointing in all directions. Unlike Xio, who was dressed in plaid blue cotton pyjamas concealing his lower body, his father was dressed in loose fitting boxer shorts which were nearly eye height for Xio.

Xio turned around and rested his paws on either side of the sink. The boy sighed deeply, his fur still standing on end and only started to flatten. Truth be told, Xio loved his father... But sometimes, he just blurted hurtful things. Xio daren't say anything though; he wanted to keep the peace, and he knew his father didn't mean it, at least he thought he didn't.. The harshness of the metal comb against his knotted back incited Xio to tremble and groan loudly, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Sorry kiddo, I'm trying my best to be gentle," came the bassy, supple voice from behind. Xio grumbled in protest, his ears wilting. He rotated his head as much as he could, with a wrinkled nose. "I'm not a kiddo any more dad! I'm 18 in two days!" He protested with a huff, his voice whiny, tilting his head up, shooting daggers at his father through the mirror. Lawry let out a gentle chuckle, working the brush down towards the hem of Xio's pyjamas. "Sorry son... You'll always be our kiddo in our eyes. It's a parent thing; you'll understand someday." Xio grunted in response, and after his father finished Xio's back, he handed the brush back to the teen. "I'll leave the bottom half to you," smirked the dad, who left the brush on the side of the sink, and closed the bathroom door behind him.

"Finally, urrrrgh," Xio groaned out loud, flicking the lock latch to secure his privacy. He knew the new style door was good at keeping normal volume voices secluded to the bathroom... he wouldn't want to test Lawry's patience early in the morning. "Kiddo this, kiddo that," ranted the wolf, who gazed at himself in the mirror again. "Why can't anyone call me a dashing gentleman?" Pondered the wolf aloud. He kicked his PJ bottoms to the corner of the room before turning the dial right to the hottest it'll go, waiting a minute before stepping in, letting the scalding water shroud him and his thoughts.

Child. Baby face, mused his internal voice. His smallish head combined with his large hazel eyes didn't help matters, and his little whiskers complemented almost a domestic looking smile. Why couldn't I have looked more like my father? Came a surprising thought that Xio tried to shove from his mind. Xio grumbled to himself, but even he knew he looked adorably friendly, no matter how grumpy he tried to look.

Xio murred as the steam shrouded his body and his senses, swirling up his nose. He reached out to turn the knob up, the water pressure remaining woefully mediocre, even at "maximum". Hehe, knob... Remarked his brain as he looked at the silver gauge within his paw. He looked down at his own sheath and package, as the water drenched through the thick layers of his fur, dripping down his back and front. He eyed up his bits; A modest affair, coloured the same oak-brown as his middle chest. His balls sat pert up to him even with the heat, and his plump, fluffy sheath sat snugly above. His left paw lingered gingerly, before cupping the package sat between his skinny legs. _What's so special about adulthood, anyway? Isn't something supposed to happen around my bits? _He thought.

He remembered back to class; his teacher, Mrs Wolffe, had mentioned certain 'changes' that happened to boys and men through teenhood. He didn't feel much different at all! Aren't I meant to be horny? He asked himself, whatever it meant - he wasn't sure.

Saving that thought for later, he grabbed the shampoo bar and massaged it through his headfur slowly and purposefully. As the water temperature tapered a bit, his movements sped up somewhat: lathering his arms, armpits, neck, torso, back, legs, and finally around his more delicate areas, sifting a paw around his snug ballsack and circular sheath, tugging it back ever so slightly to clean the appendage thoroughly.

After a thorough rinse and an even more thorough dry with his favourite double thickness towel, he emerged from the bathroom, steam still rising above his head and shoulders. The familiar sound of sizzling could be heard and Xio slipped past his father slumping dutifully over the oven hob, the familiar aroma of bacon and eggs permeating through the air. Xio drooled slightly as he slipped by, about to bounce upstairs when a figure stopped him right at the stairwell.

"Good morning darling!" Announced Clana, his mother. A fairly broad woman, sitting nearly a foot taller than Xio and housing a chunky figure to boot, she wore her nightgown with little concealing her naturally sizeable breasts. Unlike Lawry, Clana's fur was predominantly beech-brown coloured with occasional grey highlights dashed within her fur. Her tail was docked to a nub and a notch missing from her right ear. Her expression smiled sweetly, her ocean blue eyes meeting Xio's brown ones. She opened her arms for a hug. Ugh... Every morning, groaned Xio internally, opening his arms to embrace his mother. She smelled of... her. Xio couldn't quite describe it. Finally allowed to slip by, he zipped upstairs, holding his pyjama bottoms, dressed only in his towel.

With a thud, Xio firmly shut his ill-fitting, wonky bedroom door as he lobbed his old PJs and the towel into the wash basket hanging off of the wall. His room housed a single bed that took up just under half the width of the room and nearly all the length. A mini bookshelf with mostly academic books sat at the foot of the bed, with a shelf dedicated to Malorie Blackpaw fiction. The other end of the room housed a TV mounted onto the wall, hooked up to a PawStation 4, the plug of which was covered up by a locked case. Why don't they trust me to moderate my own screen time? Pondered Xio to himself, images of the dream he'd had shuttering in his mind's eye.

He'd only started to question his parents' methods; being homeschooled, he hadn't had any exposure to other kid's childhoods. Recently, he'd managed to sneak onto Reddit, and read all about what other kids' lives are like; as well as the recent trip to collect his new bicycle from the city. He'd noticed the amount of outright toddlers using smartphones! So why couldn't he have one? All the 8 year olds roaming the streets freely, so why couldn't he? The thought was giving him a headache, so he shoved them to one side and focused on dressing himself.

Opposite the head of the bed rested Xio's wardrobe - painted a cream white to match the walls. It looked tired, with curves and flourishes in the wood. Even the doors opened with a traditional key lock, with the key left permanently in the lock. He twisted the key clockwise and a mechanical click let the doors freely open.

He picked out a plain red t-shirt. It hugged his small figure quite snugly, showing off his scrawny figure. Opening up one of the drawers below, he picked out a pair of slightly off colour tighty whities. They were at least 5 years old, but still fit the wolf's figure nicely. _That's a bit sad, isn't it? _Came yet another thought. "Shut up brain, I've got a good life here," outwardly retorted the wolf, who slipped them on over his package. Next came the pair of shorts he tended to always wear this time of year; they were a simple navy cotton pair, that rested just above his knees, with two drawstrings at the hem. Featuring zipped pockets, they were soft and stretchy and loose; perfect for cycling, as he knew that's what Sundays entailed for the Wolffe family. Lastly, he picked out a set of fox patterned socks from the last drawer and pulled them across his small feet.

"Breakfast is ready!" Announced the coarse voice of Lawry. Xio rushed down the steep steps like a bolt of lightning and eagerly sped into the kitchen to set the silver cutlery and floral placemats onto the table, doing so obediently. Clana sat patiently, reading the local newspaper that had been delivered in the morning, whilst Lawry dished up dinner between the three ceramic flower-patterned plates. "Oh look here Xio! They're looking for newspaper delivery boys at the next village over. You said you wanted to make a bit of money on the side, maybe then we could stop the pocket money?" Chuckled mum. "Could you get me a glass of milk?" She added, looking at Xio. "Of course mum," responded Xio curtly, considering the rest of what she said as he poured out the fresh, full-fat milk into a glass, handing it to Clana. She didn't thank him; too embossed in the newspaper in front of her.

Lawry dished up the three plates of bacon, eggs, baked beans, and toast. The bacon had been cooked to a crispy texture and the eggs had been left soft; just how Xio loved it. Licking his lips with his long, canid tongue, he fetched a can of Kombucha from the fridge and set it down on the placemat next to his food.

He groaned to himself and slumped his paws upward, outstretched either side of him, knowing exactly what was coming next. Lawry accepted Xio's right paw and Clana to the left, folding up her newspaper and putting it away, but not bothering to take off her reading glasses. With everyone holding paws, Clana cleared her throat, and all 3 wolves' eyes closed. "We now say grace, to our lord. Thank you for providing us with the materials for this gorgeous breakfast. Thank you for providing us the sun, and the rain, and the trees that let us breathe. Amen." "Amen," came the two voices from the men in the room.

Xio rolled his eyes discreetly at this daily ritual. He eyed up his father, knowing that Lawry wasn't religious either; he just entertained it for mum. Saying grace wasn't so bad, but church?! Ugh... It's Sunday today, of course... _Xio thought as he munched into his meal. _This is really good! Damn dad, came the following thought as he looked over at his father, who'd already inhaled his dinner like it was a mere morsel.