Snowfall
Here's my newest story, done for the Rocky Mountain Furcon Conbook. The theme of the con is "I Need A Hero!" so, I wrote my story according to such. Kyell Gold and Rukis are actually the Guests of Honour for the con, this year. :) And if any of you have read Kyell Gold's old superhero story, "Don't Blink", you'd see he's a definite fit.
Corlen is a snow leopard who wants to live a normal life, but his telekinetic abilities have always made him feel like a freak. His friends, on the other hand, have always been in awe of him, and believe he should put his powers to... use.
A departure from my usual stuff. Hope you all like it!
***
It wasn't easy being different. Being special. Being 'gifted'. Having powers of any kind was always a double-edged sword, and for Corlen, it always seemed more bad than good.
"You've got a special gift," his parents would often tell him. But half the time, he thought of it as more of a curse. In fact, he felt like a freak.
Why me?
That was the thought that constantly loomed in the snow leopard's mind for years. He was all too aware of the fact that there were millions of people who would have given anything to be telekinetic or have some kind of 'superpower'. Corlen, on the other hand, was one snow leopard who would have given it away, if he could; he wanted to be normal, live a normal life, and be a normal person.
But that was impossible.
He largely kept his 'gift' a secret, known only to his parents and close friends. His parents, of course, tried to console him, and his friends always stood in awe of his powers, but even they didn't make things easy for him. Some of them had even come up with the most absurd of ideas--a superhero.
What was meant to be another relaxing hang out in their usual, quiet and secluded corner at Winter Leaves--Corlen's favourite coffee shop--suddenly turned into a collective effort to get him something he never, ever imagined himself doing.
"I don't think so," Corlen said tersely before taking another sip of his cappuccino.
"Come on, man, why not?" Denton, a clouded leopard threw back. Denton was among the most outspoken and supportive of the idea. He was always that sweet guy, the perfect person to have at your side whenever you needed someone, and Corlen actually liked him a lot more than he let on. They were just friends, though; he never imagined himself being in a relationship with someone who... didn't know what it was like to be him. It would just have made things complicated.
"I think you could really do a lot with those powers," Nikky, an otter, chimed in.
"Alright, how far would I get? How many people could I save? How long until I get killed or the cops decide to stop me for being some retarded vigilante? It's just stupid." The snow leopard almost banged his fist on the table. He'd yelled a little louder than he intended, but he didn't want to hear this kind of crap.
"Well, with the police being the lackluster force they are, I think they can use all the help they can get. You could make their jobs easier," Karey, an artic fox grinned.
Corlen just growled and that quickly shut the vulpine up.
"Well, hold on, guys," Gavin said, holding up a paw. Corlen could already predict what the spotted hyena was going to say. "Maybe we're jumping ahead of ourselves, here. We don't even know if Corlen has full control over his powers, yet."
The feline averted his eyes. Apparently, his predictions were off. And why not? They all thought highly of his powers, and it was true: logically there wasn't much reason not to use such powers to help people.
But Corlen just wanted to be normal.
"I can control my powers, just fine." He gave a stern look.
"Then why not go for it?" Denton continued, "This is Toronto, the biggest city in Canada. Do you have any idea how many people could use a helping hand?"
"Denton..."
"Seriously. The police can't be in every place at once. What about all the people who get mugged or have their stuff stolen, and the police are either too late or just can't help them, for whatever stupid reason? And let's not forget about all those stupid hate-crimes against gays... I've always liked the idea of a gay superhero. Being part of the Gay-Straight Alliance only gets me so far. This is exactly the kind of thing we need, what everybody needs: a hero." The rocky-furred feline was rather adamant. "You could do so much, Corlen."
The other three nodded in agreement, with the inevitable 'yeah' and 'totally' in support of Denton's sentiment.
Nikky then laughed. "Gay superhero, I like that. I've already got a name for you, too: Snowfall."
Corlen scoffed. "Are you serious?"
"Sure!"
Even though they were in their usual secluded corner, Corlen was beginning to feel somewhat embarrassed. He looked around and found several others at another table giving them rather funny looks. It was more like they were glaring, though.
"Hey, I like that. You're a snow leopard, so it works perfectly." Karey raised his coffee with an enthusiastic smile.
"...It's retarded."
"Well, regardless of the name, dude... I think it's a great idea, too. You could even have a side-kick or something." Gavin chuckled.
"Alright, will you guys just quit it? I don't want to talk about this anymore. Seriously."
"I'm just saying, Corlen, you could really make a difference. A big difference."
"No," Corlen snarled, finally getting up from his chair. "I couldn't."
"Aww, come on, don't be like that..." Nikky frowned.
Before any of them could say anything else, the leopard cut them all off. "Forget it, guys. I'm no hero. I'm not a saviour, or any stupid crap like that. I'm just a cat with extra features that he never wanted in the first place. I'm out of here."
"Corlen--" Denton started.
"Forget it."
And with that, the snow leopard grabbed his drink and walked out of the shop, much to the dismay of his friends. He hadn't caused too much of a scene, but several people did have their eyes on him as he left. Corlen didn't care.
They'd stayed at the shop a lot longer than he thought, because it was already nightfall. He didn't want to leave like that, but he was sick of hearing the same thing over and over; he just wanted to get away. Perhaps take a walk. He needed time to himself.
The others weren't entirely wrong in their argument, though. Walking around alone at night wasn't always the safest thing to do, especially in the bigger cities. Granted, Canada always had a reputation for having a relatively low crime rate, but this was still Toronto.
That's not to say Corlen couldn't handle himself if he got into a skirmish; he most certainly could. However, he wasn't entirely forthright with his friends.
After finishing his drink, he intended to throw the cup away, but instead decided to fiddle around with it. As he walked, he opened his palms and extended his fingers, using his power to let the cup float a couple inches above his paws. It didn't take much to do manipulate something so small; it was the bigger, heavier, or otherwise complicated things that Corlen had trouble with with.
"I can control my powers, just fine." His own words echoed in his head. Of course he could, but but he hadn't mastered them by any means. That was all the more reason why he gawked at the notion of himself as a superhero; no one's going to want a hero who hasn't fully mastered their own powers.
He also noted how adamant Denton was, over the others. Truly, the clouded leopard had a fiery passion for the things he believed in, and he was quick to voice his opinions. That was just one thing Corlen liked about him, coupled with how supportive and generally sweet he was. Just to humour himself, he wondered if Denton would make the perfect side-kick.
A humourous thought, indeed, and probably the only time he managed to chuckle all night.
"...Crap!" he yelled out, instantly remembering that he left his bag back at Winter Leaves. He quickly threw the cup in the nearest bin before turning tail and heading back toward the shop.
He wondered if his friends would still be there. That'd be just what he needed, another long lecture from them, and that's probably what they'd give him. But he wasn't hearing any of it, he was just going to get his bag and leave.
It didn't take the feline long to get there, and just in time, too, because they were about to close. He was surprised to find his bag still at the leg of the chair where he'd left it, but his friends were gone. "Guess they went home."
With that, he quickly grabbed his bag and set off, again.
Corlen's bag contained some of his traditional art supplies, since he usually liked to draw whenever he got the chance, especially in the comforting and tranquil atmosphere of a coffee shop or bookstore. He also contemplated what he'd say to his friends next time he saw them. It was inevitable that he'd see all of them at college, tomorrow. An apology for storming off like that was definitely in order; Corlen often didn't burst out of places like that.
"Maybe I'll buy all the drinks, next time," he chuckled, shaking his head.
As he walked, a shuffling noise gradually became louder in his ears. What was that? It sounded like two people, and it was quickly attracting Corlen's curiosity as he came closer and closer with every step.
The noise soon became clearer and sounded more like a fist fight. Probably just two idiots fighting over something trivial. You could find that all over the place in Toronto, and it didn't surprise Corlen, in the least. Yelling, grunting and exertion soon followed. Eventually, the only sound permeated the air was that of something being beaten. Nothing more. Just incessant beating.
Apparently one of the fighters had lost. Clearly.
The leopard's eyes went wide when he turned an alleyway to find a rather large lion--one of the very same guys who gave him those glaring looks back at Winter Leaves--beating on a another downed feline with a wooden bat. A rocky-furred feline, it looked like.
It was Denton.
The clouded leopard's face was bloodied, bruised and battered, and his fur was matted barely beyond. His clothes were also torn slightly and stained with his own blood. And he eventually stopped moving as the superior feline continued beating him with the bat.
Corlen stood frozen while a myriad of emotions flooded him at once. Anger, shock and confusion; his body was shaking, ready to explode.
"Get off him!" he yelled, jumping on the lion's back, pulling him away from Denton's beaten body. He struggled against the bigger cat, trying to wrestle him to the ground, but the hooded feline put up a challenge. He elbowed Corlen twice in the stomach, loosening the snow leopard's grip before quickly coming loose, turning around and punching him in the face. Corlen fell to the ground, groaning as he clutched the left side of his face. The lion packed so much power, Corlen wondered why he even had a bat.
"You're about to join this fairy," the behemoth said, panting slightly as he reached for his bat.
Corlen snarled and held out his free paw, extending all five fingers toward him. Suddenly, the assailant's body tensed up and froze, much to his surprise. "What the hell?!" he cried out while struggling against the leopard's telekinetic grip. Corlen bared and gritted his teeth, using all his efforts to keep the lion in place; he'd never manipulated another being before, and this guy being as big as he was made it all the more difficult.
"Denton... didn't deserve that..." Corlen's said through clenched teeth, still trying to maintain a full grip while his anger surged with every second.
"Let me out of this, faggot!" the lion growled, almost dismissing Corlen's words.
That was probably one of the worst things he could have said, and Corlen proved it as he growled back and swept his paw downward, consequently slamming the lion face first onto the hard ground.
A stream of painful yells and groans spewed forth from the other cat's muzzle as he desperately tried to free himself from Corlen's grip, but the snow leopard didn't concede. He eventually raised his paw, drawing the lion back up and holding him in mid air, once again.
"What are we, to you? Just trash for you to kick and throw away?"
Even through the immense pain, the lion not only smirked, this time, but managed to snicker, as well. This was hopeless. What was Corlen thinking, believing he could change the mind of some random homophobe on the street? There was no changing people like him. There was clearly no remorse, no sorrow, not even conscience for what he did; he actually delighted in it. It was disgusting, and the lion's subsequent snickers (or attempts at such) catapulted Corlen's growing indignation.
"Fine," Corlen said curtly with a cold look in his eyes. He then swiped his paw as hard as he could--like he was throwing something--toward the building to his left, sending the other feline crashing through the wall in a bloody mess of fur and debris.
Corlen finally let his paw down, his left one still clutching the side of his face as he panted with exhaustion. He was a little shocked; he'd never used so much power before, especially not enough to send someone through a wall. Perhaps he was more powerful than he originally thought. His body was fatigued and aching; he'd definitely overexerted himself, and his body was paying for it in addition to the pain brought on from that lion. "Guess I'll have to be careful with that..." he groaned.
He immediately brought his attention back to Denton, who just laid there, lifeless. Corlen's eyes flooded from the mere sight of him and, it took almost as much effort not to look away as it did to manipulate that lion. He hoped with every bit of his being that the worst hadn't happened.
"Denton..." he said in a tender voice, patting the clouded leopard's arm, only to find that it was broken. "God..." His vision blurred from the onslaught of tears. "Come on." He tenderly scooped the broken feline into his arms, picking him up from the cold ground. They were roughly the same size; Denton was actually a bit slimmer, but with Corlen having just overexerted himself, it was difficult to carry someone of similar weight. He didn't care, though.
He finally stood back on his feet, taking a deep breath as he emerged out of the alleyway, with Denton in his arms.
"Hey! A-Are you alright?!" a Husky called out from across the street, quickly drawing Corlen's attention. Before he could even answer, the dog ran over to him, worry and concern brimming in his light blue eyes. "I saw what happened... you were amazing, man. Are you alright, is... there anything I can do to help?"
Corlen glanced back at the battered feline in his arms, pausing for what seemed like an eternity. "I'll be alright." His breathing was still a little heavy. "I need to get him to a hospital," he said as he started walking.
"You sure there's nothing I can do?"
Corlen glanced back over his shoulder. "Call the police on that lion."
"What do I... tell them?"
"Tell them... he got what he deserved."
And with that, Corlen continued down the street, intent to rid himself of this night as quickly as his legs would allow him.
"Will do! Hey, you're a hero, you know? A hero!" the Husky yelled out once more.
Corlen didn't look back this time, he just kept walking.
A hero... The thought briefly permeated the snow leopard's mind, once again. He didn't have time to think about it now, though.
"How is he doing?" Corlen asked, walking up to an older, female clouded leopard and peering through the window at a bed-ridden and bandaged-up Denton.
The older feline stood silent for a while, at a loss for words.
"Maybe I sho-"
"The doctors say he's in a coma. He was beaten pretty badly... a couple broken ribs, his left arm broken in several places, bruises everywhere... they don't know when he'll wake up, but say it could be anytime, now." she finally said, with a heavy and somewhat shaky voice.
Corlen just lowered his head, trying not to let his eyes burst again. "I'm sorry..."
The older feline quickly and firmly placed her paws on Corlen's shoulders. "No. You shouldn't be sorry, sweetie. If it wasn't for you, Denton...wouldn't even be here. He could have... " She paused again, taking a deep breath and trying not to cry, herself, "He could have died if it wasn't for you!"
"I just..."
She then drew him into a tight hug before he could even finish. "I know I said it before, but I can't think you enough for what you did, Corlen. Denton's extremely lucky to have friends like you. Really."
Corlen tried to smile. He tried to... but he just couldn't. He did embrace the older feline, though. "Thank you, Mrs. Rockley."
She smiled and sniffled. "Honey, you saved my son's life. Please, call me Jen."
Corlen just nodded when she released him.
"I'm... gonna go get some coffee. Do you want anything, hon?"
"I guess I could use a cappuccino... but you don't have to do that..."
She smiled and ruffled his hair. "I want to. I'll be back in a bit, alright?" And with that, she took off down the hall.
Corlen just turned his attention back to the younger, unconscious leopard in the next room. He'd never seen Denton like that before, so it was understandably hard to look... however, it was considerably better than the earlier sight of him back in the alleyway.
It was nice to finally talk to Denton's mother, though. She was very sweet. The rest of his family had fallen asleep outside the emergency room. Some of Corlen's own family, along with Nicky, Karey, and Gavin were also there, asleep as well. And rightfully so, because it was two in the morning; it was almost surprising to see that Jen was still awake.
Corlen's eyes intently watched Denton's body, almost as if he felt a responsibility to watch over him. A coma... Again, it was hard to see him like that. But, it was infinitely better than the... alternative. He hadn't left Denton's side, either; it had been thirty-three hours since he'd brought him to the hospital, and Corlen stayed as close as possible, the entire time.
Finally, with a deep breath, he quietly entered Denton's room, seeing the clouded leopard up-close for the first time since they'd arrived. A of couple tears immediately rolled down his cheek, but he wiped his eyes and pulled up a chair next to Denton's bed.
"Hey..." he said gingerly, despite knowing that Denton wasn't going to respond. He felt like an idiot for even saying anything, but his emotions were getting the better of him, and he couldn't think of anything to do otherwise.
"I don't know if you can hear me...," he started, "But...God, I don't even know what to say, right now. Part of me still finds it hard to believe that we're even in here. That this could happen to someone as...wonderful and sweet as you. I never told you that..." He sighed heavily, burying his face in his paws for a moment. He then gently took hold of Denton's paw, giving it a soft squeeze as he continued. "I never told you how much I really liked you. I should've. You're...amazing. You may not even believe that from me, but...it's true. And, to see you here, like this...I can't stand it. On top of that...I'm sorry for storming out on you and the others like I did. And that all this...even happened. Somehow, I feel like this is my fault...like I did something to cause this..." Corlen had to pause again, because he was on the verge of breaking down. "I'm sorry," he finally concluded.
His head immediately perked up when he felt a sudden weak, yet tender squeeze in his own paw, for a change. He looked up to see tears streaming from Denton's face and nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Denton!" he yelled, quickly getting up and delicately running his paw through the other feline's hair. "How are you feeling?! A-are you alright?!"
"I've had better days..." Denton gave a weak smile.
Corlen laughed stupidly in relief as more tears flooded his own face. This time, they were tears of joy.
"I heard what you said... thank you. Really."
"I was just being honest..." Corlen squeezed his paw again.
"It was very sweet." Denton's smile widened, despite his voice being weak. Still, his personality was fully intact.
"Don't feel responsible for this, though. This isn't your fault, at all." Denton sighed. "Still...who knows what might have happened if you hadn't been there to save me."
"You remember that?"
"The last thing I remember is you pulling that lion away from me, and...then I think I blacked out."
"Right..."
"If it wasn't for you, Corlen...well...I'd be a lot worse off. Thank you." He squeezed once more. "My hero."
"Denton-"
"No, please... don't fight me on this. You saved my life, Corlen. I don't know where I'd be right now if you hadn't. You are my hero," he said solemnly. "Thank you."
Corlen tried to scoff, but ended up uttering more of a relieving chuckle.
"I see you're coming around..." Denton giggled weakly.
"I guess..."
"Well, come here," the clouded leopard gestured with his finger.
Corlen immediately knew what he was hinting at and he finally smiled for the first time in days as he leaned forward, letting his tongue and muzzle connect with Denton's. Despite the fact that Denton wasn't in much of a position to reciprocate, the rocky-furred feline still made an effort, and their tongues happily swept over in each over in their kiss. It was just as good as Corlen hoped it would be. Perhaps better. It felt so amazing to finally kiss him, but even more so since Denton initiated it.
"That was...wonderful," Corlen said when they parted. Denton just chuckled a bit.
"So...how do you feel? Still don't... like the idea of being a hero?"
Corlen took a deep breath, shifting slightly in his chair. "...I'd like to help people. But I don't know if I can...always be there for everyone."
"You'll do your best. And you'll always have the desire at heart. That's all people can ask."
"I can try..." Corlen squeezed Denton's paw, again.
"That's good enough for me." Denton smiled.
Corlen nodded, his own smile coming back. "...I'm gonna need a name."
"A name, huh?"
"Yeah. And I think I've got one that fits quite nicely, too."
Denton's smile widened. "What's that?"
"Snowfall."