FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cover fan art by the generous kensukethecat ! Thank you, kensuke!

Hehhey, folks!

I am delighted to be welcoming you to the first chapter of the incredible fourth season of my furry soap opera "I'm With The Hockey Hunk"! This chapter, which is incidentally the 117th chapter overall in the series, takes us back to Rory and friends...and all the drama involved! :P

It is a pleasure to bring the story back to you, everyone, and I do hope that you will enjoy it. I've had to do a lot of thinking to get this season going, and I would be most pleased to receive your feedback, as always. Comments are the best gauge of my success, and without your feedback, I doubt this story would be here today, for everyone to enjoy, to discuss, and to think about. Thank you! I hope you'll be as diligent as you have been in the past. With you, I am sure that we will be able to make this into the best, funniest, and most exciting season yet!

So what else is there to be said? A few technically matters, perhaps! I shall continue posting on Mondays and Fridays at 16:00 GMT (give or take), aiming for 3,000-word chapters minimum, and I shall be posting regularly until my Christmas break, which will start somewhere around the 20th of December, I would imagine, so that everyone will get a good, nice, wholesome rest, before the new year, and more Season 4 madness. I shall hope to continue throughout 2013, or, of course, as long as I feel good about it.

But before that, of course, we shall be enjoying many chapters, and many adventures.

Have a nice read, everyone, comment, ARGH, anything, as long as you'll enjoy yourselves!

Cheers,

Gruffy

*

It was after the lunch break, and my muzzle was still very savory after a nice bit of Minnie's chicken and mayo sandwich, and I had just about settled back behind my usual register on the sales counter, when the customer walked in.

The bell on the door chimed and marked my transition from stretches-his-paws-casually-Rory to the usual happyhappy-customer-service-Rory, and of course, made my pretty round leonine ears flick up and down in accordance. The customer, whom I identified as a rabbit, took in a couple of steps before his eyes turned towards the sales counter and its sole occupant at the moment, me.

Our eyes met.

He was maybe 24, 25, I suspected, lean, neat, a bit of a hipster with that shoulder-slung bag and the nicely fitting shirt and that stylized wide belt that hugged his hips a bit lower than it probably was meant to, or maybe he had suddenly lost 30 pounds of weight and still liked wearing that belt. His head furs were a neat brown and he had a few highlights, darker and lighter, to make it all stand out. He even had a bit of a fringe, though nothing of the emo sort, there was danger of that hair falling over his big, blue eyes.

We were looking at each other, and my smile persisted, and his easy-going expression changed to a smile as well, mirroring mine.

"Good day!" I declared. "Can I help you with anything?"

The cute bunny kept on smiling, and stopped by the counter, so that only a couple of yards remained between us. I could even smell his shampoo from this afar, something with almonds, I suspected, as I took my surreptitious sniff and leaned against the counter, the epitome of helpfulness in my bright red shirt and nametag.

"Hi," the bunny greeted me.

Not too nasal. A little bit of a whistle, as was the trait for some rabbits, in my experience, and no lisp. Just a certain amount of cheerfulness that could be attributed to a certain kind of...inclination.

Heh.

"Hey," I repeated, out of habit and courtesy, and smiled some more.

The rabbit waved a paw in the general direction of the sparsely populated shop interior, and smiled.

"I'm just browsing for now, thanks."

"Alright", I replied, not missing a beat, "just ask any staff member for assistance if you need any help, and don't forget to check downstairs."

I lifted my paw and pointed my thumb in the general direction of the second-hand section.

"We've got a great collection of old books there at very affordable prices."

The bunny gave me another look and winked.

"Thanks for the tip!" he grinned.

I smiled a little bit more and watched the rabbit dude head towards the interior of the shop, bag slung from his shoulder, and those pants, due to the belt, having the appearance of being in danger of slipping down. Couldn't see any peeking underwear though when I was...heheh, well, peeking a bit, watching how he went along his way. Didn't mind watching. He wasn't really my type, but I knew a nice curve when I saw one, and he was showing some alright. Maybe he wouldn't even have minded some lion appreciating his butt-curve. I flexed my paws a bit, still resting against the glass surface of the counter, and pretended to be looking at my cash register while I was actually watching the bunny disappear behind the first line of shelves. His fluffy tail waved goodbye to my prying eyes, and I snuffled to myself.

It was probably a bit unethical, butt-watching while at work, but I wasn't hurting anyone, so why not? I knew very well that Marge was as guilty as me, and worse, even, since being a of a female persuasion, she could do as much man-butt-ogling as she could without causing any ire in the potential backside-owners. No such luck for me.

Oh well. At least my tummy agreed with the lunch and was no longer churning with hunger. My chicken sandwich had been almost as nice as Marge's huge cheeseburger, which seemed like an awfully heavy meal for the hour, but she had devoured it with remarkable intensity while happily chatting about "that hot piece". Rodney, I guess. I think she was talking about a Rodney the other day, and I presumed that she hadn't swapped boyfriends since. She liked talking about men for the fun of it, I supposed. Put a little bit of an extra purr into her voice, too.

I rolled my shoulders, out of boredom and stiffness, and sought out signs of the puma manager's presence by scanning the perimeter of the room. I could see disembodied heads floating above the rows of shelves, including a wolf, a bear, a coyote and a lion, not to mention the bunny from before, but there were no cougars in sight. Maybe she was fetching something from downstairs. It was like a supermarket in here some days. You just had to go back and forth, restocking the shelves, or at least making them neater after furs pulled books out, fondled them and put them back, usually to the wrong place. There's a system to it, you know, it's not just random books on random shelves. Well, at least they're messed up by random furs in the end but...bah.

I wished someone currently mingling there would come to ask me for help or at least come to pay for something to give me something to do. It was a slow day today, even for this hour, when furs were still at work or at school. You'd usually get at least some traffic. Especially when it was as cold as it was outside. It had even snowed a bit last night, because everything was covered in a gentle layer of white. I think my pant legs felt a little damp from the snow that had melted on them when I tramped along Lewis Boulevard, from the bus stop to the stop. The smell of wet winter clothing was strong in the circulated, though gently warmed air of the store. That was a small mercy. I wondered if it was too early for coffee after lunch. Maybe Mason would cover for a while on the register. That new guy was alright. He could handle it.

The doorbell chimed once more, and that was my cue to put out again. I stood up straight, coiled my tail, and trained my attentive face towards the newcomers.

A whiff of musk and deodorant and wet clothes arrived full force, along the duo of a wolverine and a pit bull who had just burst through the doorway. Their jeans and T-shirts seemed awfully flimsy for the weather outside, but maybe they made up for it with their strutting walk and sheer confidence in face of the elements. One of them had MP3 earplugs on, and the other one was carrying a backpack.

Yup. Student alarm!

"Good day!" I greeted. "Can I help you in any way?"

The lumbering wolverine turned his big head towards me, and a sharp ear was flicked.

"They say on the university website that you can get books for Introduction to Macroeconomics here," the wolverine rumbled. "That right?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure!" I smiled. "We've got a deal with the university, to keep a stock of most of the required textbooks and some extra, too. You can find the Economics section if you go right to the back along the main aisle, and then you'll turn left, and there's the Biology section, and the Economics books are on the opposite side. It's clearly marked."

The wolverine gave a suspicious look to the direction I was gesturing at, then nodded, and elbowed the pit bull.

"Thanks, bro," the frat dude rumbled and went on his way, trailed by the dog.

I watched them for a short moment, walking slow and with paws stuffed in their pockets, and wrinkled my nosepad a little. Difficult to tell anything about their butts while they walked hunched like that.

I wasn't watching them for too long, because the lioness had finally decided on which fashion magazine to buy, and had now approached my counter. I flashed my best masculine smile as I picked the glossy edition from the counter and waved it quickly by the barcode scanner.

"That'll be six ninety-five," I said. "Would you like a carrier bag with it?"

The lioness already had he purse out and was browsing through it. Her concentrated eyes hopped up to mine, briefly, as I spoke.

"Oh, thank you!"

I grabbed the red bag from under the counter and slipped the magazine into it while the lioness sought out some cash and then offered them to me.

"Thank you," I said as I opened the till, put the bills where they belonged, printed the receipt and handed it over with the five cents of change I owed her. Then I picked up one of the folded red brochures from the little holder on the counter and shoved it to her. "I'll also put one of these to your bag - it's the Albrecht Brothers Winter Sales Special voucher that gets you five dollars off at your next purchase that is over 20 dollars here. It's renewable both here and our outlet at the Stepford Center."

I pushed the little slip of paper into the bag and then offered it to her.

"Thank you for visiting, please come again soon!" I happyhappied.

"Thanks!" the lioness said as she snatched her magazine from the big bad lion and then went on her way, tail swaying rapidly from side to side.

I watched her go and was prepared to go back into my gentle do-nothing state, when a burst of loud laughter perked my ears and caused my head to turn to the left. It was not difficult to make out the towering shape of the wolverine standing there, nowhere near the Economics section, too, muzzle still open in laughter while he was pointing at something...or perhaps someone, while he laughed still. The pit bull was standing next to him and had his ears flattened, while he too seemed to be laughing, and getting some attention from other customers as well. I frowned a bit. I knew that this wasn't a library, but you were still supposed to behave, right?

Then the wolverine moved a little to the side, and I saw a glimpse of a pair of tall ears, and the top of a head, and my stomach clenched painfully.

The pit bull said something again, I could see his muzzle move, and the big wolverine laughed again and glared at the smaller male standing in front of him. The tall bunny ears flicked up and down, and I was sure right then that this wasn't just a friendly chat between university buddies.

Hmmm.

I locked the cash register with a flick of my paw and them, slowly, rounded the counter and began to walk towards the small group that had clustered behind one of the shelves. I walked slowly, even if my heart started to thump, and I hoped that my slow approach would be noticed by one of them, perhaps, and it would be taken as a hint to defuse the situation before I would actually have to say anything. I tried to walk casually, but my tail kept flicking sharper than usual, not the gentle looping I preferred, and I tried not to let my breathing get audible.

The bunny must've seen me first, because his big eyes met mine as soon as I was close enough for proper eye contact to be established, and I could definitely see that he wasn't feeling comfortable with the situation. The pit bull was standing next to him and seemed to be planning to say something again, before he too noticed me. I rounded the shelf and stood there, basically blocking the exit to the main aisle as I did, and cleared my throat.

"Can I help you?" I spoke in a normal, level voice, not raised at all.

Now the wolverine knew I was there, too, and swung around with surprising speed despite his bulk, and faced me. My belly clenched again. He was about half a foot taller than me, and definitely weighted much more. He filled out that T-shirt, too. I was puny in comparison.

The bunny's eyes looked almost pleading, staring back to me, while the wolverine harrumphed and the pit bull seemed to be pretending he wasn't even there.

"We were just trying to show our friend here the way to the right section," the wolverine gave the small bunny a glance from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah," the pit bull added and shrugged his broad shoulders. "The queer studies section."

The bunny's ears dropped against his skull, and he stepped backwards, further away from the pit bull who was now looking at the smirking wolverine. Judging by their looks, they had just exchanged a verbal high-five. The dog wagged his tail.

"Yeah," the wolverine said. "He seemed a bit lost and we thought we'd help."

The bunny definitely looked like he didn't need any help from these two. He looked quite terrified, in fact, with one paw clutching onto the strap of his bag, and eyes jumping between the two frat dudes and me, standing there, unmoving and with my heart smacking itself against my ribs. My breathing was starting to fall into a rumble, which was something I definitely didn't want to do. Appearing somehow threatening to them was not going to make my job any easier.

"Would you like me to show you the Economics section?" I spoke sternly. "I think you took a wrong turn, it's actually over..."

I waved my paw.

"It's actually over there, and this is the Classic Literature section."

The pit bull snorted.

"You heard that?" the dog growled. "This is the wrong section, bunny."

"No, I think you have the wrong section," I repeated more firmly, "maybe I could come and show it to you, make sure you'll find the books that you need, alright? It's just around the corner."

The wolverine snorted in my direction and bared his teeth. The furs on the back of my neck bristled and spiked up. My tail smacked against the floor audibly. The sound reached the wolverine's ears, definitely so, because his ears flicked sharply, and he pushed his shoulders back to appear even bigger in comparison to me. The pit bull seemed to be noticing this as well, because he grunted, too. The bunny seemed to be shrinking in front of my very eyes, but daren't move away. My clasped paws began to feel clammy.

"Everything alright here?"

The voice made my ears jump in recognition, but I did not move my eyes away from the trio in front of me. I both smelled and felt the presence of Marge standing next to me, arms folded over her ample chest, too, and head held high, I glimpsed from the corner of my eye, while she glared at the furs filling the aisle.

The tall wolverine looked down at the cougar standing by me now and scowled. The pit bull seemed nonchalant, but kept an eye on the wolverine and the shivering bunny.

"We were just talking," the wolverine said.

Marge wouldn't budge.

"Well I heard you talking pretty far away, so I think you should keep it down and not harass any of the other customers here," Marge spoke firmly, staring the wolverine squarely in the eye. "Can I help you with anything?"

The pit bull snickered.

"Well we were just - "

The bunny took another incremental step backwards and got a staring glare from the pit bull that nailed him back to the floor.

"I think you were just going to leave because you couldn't find what you were looking for here," Marge said.

My ears jumped. So did the wolverine's, who gave Marge another glare, and then a quick look at his wingman the pit bull, who was still trying to keep a threatening look on the rabbit.

"Dude!" the wolverine grunted.

"I suggest trying TaylorBookExchange.com or Amazon," Marge carried on. "I am sorry we couldn't provide the product you wanted this time. If you would like to leave a request for it, I would be happy to sign in one into our system and we could order the book to you in one to two weeks time."

The wolverine shook his head and grunted.

"Don't think so, dude," he growled, giving the pit bull a look. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here. Don't think I wanna do my business in a queer shop."

The wolverine stepped towards Marge and me, and the pit bull bared his teeth once more at the bunny before he trailed the big guy. Marge stepped backwards and I followed suite, to give them plenty of room, and I got a very ugly look while they passed by me, breaths coming as hot, loud huffs.

"Yeah, guess everyone's a fag here, staff included," the pit bull muttered behind the wolverine who was already making a rapid step towards the thankfully clearly marked exit.

My paws were clenched into fists and I was breathing hard, with my cheeks burning red with fear and nerves. My tail had slammed down to the floor and remained there, heavy and unmoving, as I tried to gather my wits. Marge kept his eyes on the frat pair until they disappeared through the door which the wolverine unsuccessfully tried to slam, but couldn't overcome the stopper arm.

"Fuck," Marge cursed softly.

I was well aware that half a dozen customers were staring at the three of us there. I turned to look at the bunny who was standing with his back pressed against the Classics shelf, paws clutching his bag while he, too, seemed to be trying to calm down. He was definitely upset, and I wished I could say...just something...anything...

Marge rubbed her chin with her paw and snuffled loudly.

"Damn it," she muttered before she turned to look at the bunny. "Are you okay?"

The breathless bunny nodded, ears still flopped down.

"Y..yeah."

Marge smiled.

"Good," she said in a gentle tone now, "they didn't touch you, did they? If they did, you should call the police. That's assault."

The bunny shook his head.

"No, they...uh, they didn't," he muttered in a voice that was very much unlike the cheerful tone that had greeted me before. "Just told me to...uh...find the queer section."

Marge snorted.

"Well it's behind this one if you're really interested," she pointed at the shelf the bunny was leaning against, "there's a new Harvey Milk biography that came in last week, and it's 20% off as a new acquisition."

The bunny still seemed breathless and scared, and I really, really hoped that I could say something...anything. One of his paws still clung to the strap of his bag now, and he rubbed his own face with his paw now. I hoped he wasn't going to burst into tears.

"Or whatever," Marge grunted. "As long as you know that there isn't any room for bullies in MY shop, you hear me?"

The bunny uncovered his face and nodded somewhat shyly.

"Uh...thanks, ma'am..."

"It's miss," Marge corrected quickly, "Miss Marge, shop manager."

The bunny's ears jumped a little.

"Okay..."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Marge continued. "Would you like something to drink, maybe? Rory could fetch you a coke or some coffee..."

The bunny shook his head.

"Uh, thanks a bunch but I think I should just...you know...go now..." he looked from side to side, obviously feeling pretty damn self-conscious about this hole business. "I think I've caused enough trouble."

"Nonsense," Marge grunted.

"I think I really should go," the bunny said, "thanks again...thanks."

He was past us before either of us could say anything more, and soon disappeared into the paw-traffic outside the shop, quick enough that when I blinked, he was already well gone.

"The nerve of some furs..."

I shook myself out of my own semi-shocked state and forced myself too look at Marge, who was still staring in the direction of the door, her tail flicking sharply from side to side. Her small paws were curled into fists.

"Damn it..."

"Yeah," I muttered meekly.

"Bastards," the cougar grumbled.

I nodded lamely.

Marge harrumphed.

"Idiots," she said. "We lost a good customer in that rabbit. Not sure if he dares to come back now that he got harassed here."

"Let's hope so," I muttered.

The shape of the new wolf, Mason, soon appeared up the stairs from the second-hand section, perky ears, slightly dreamy eyes and a swinging tail, all coming into view as he walked over to us, slowly, casually, the way he usually moved. The odd cable hung from his neck, indicating that he'd been indulging in his music-listening habit.

"Wassup?" the wolf gave curious looks at the two of us standing there.

"You missed a great opportunity, Mason," Marge addressed my younger co-worker in an almost normal voice, "We had some difficult customers here."

Mason's ears jumped.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"We dealt with them," Marge replied.

"Well, mostly Marge," I added in a snuffle.

"That's an important lesson to all of us," Marge said as she stepped back so that she could look at the both of us in turn, "always have backup when you're dealing with a difficult situation. Makes it so much easier to handle situations like that."

"Yeah," I rumbled, still feeling horrible about this whole ordeal. I had failed not only the bunny, but myself, and the shop. Freezing like that...good grief! My cheeks were still burning, and I wasn't sure whether my tail was going to resume it usual springiness all day after this piece of shit.

"Well then!" Marge clapped her paws together. "I see an empty cash register there and I was doing some inventory, so I think we should all get back to work now."

"Hear, hear," I rumbled softly.

Mason nodded and scratched the back of his neck.

*

"Rory?"

I almost spilled my coffee over my lap with the jerking motion my body did in reaction to being spoken to. My ears flicked, and directed my full attention at the cougar sitting opposite to me crashed on the old armchair.

"Yeah?" I smiled.

"Are you okay?" Marge questioned. "You've been a bit quiet since that thing happened."

I snuffled, and let my smile widen.

"Maybe a little," I said, nodding now so that my nose approached the pleasant fumes coming off the mug in my paw. "I really don't like conflict. I don't like seeing furs get hurt."

"What a bunch of idiots, eh?" Marge huffed. "I know they're compensating for their intellectual and phallic shortcomings but damnit, I thought that kind of behavior became old a long time ago."

"Apparently not," I replied with a shrug. "Fools."

"That bunny wasn't doing anyone any harm," Marge snorted. "Just minding his own business like anyone else. It's those two who should've been minding their business."

"Obviously," I replied.

Marge scratched her side, making her cleavage bounce and jump accordingly. I remembered to be a good boy and watched the up and down motion briefly while he carried on.

"Still haven't lost it, though, me," she grinned toothily.

"Hmm?" I questioned.

Marge snuffled.

"Been a while since I was called dyke," my cougarette replied with another grin.

My eyes widened at the statement.

"Huh?" I almost dropped my coffee again.

Marge chuckled.

"Oh, Rory, I've been working in a bookstore for over fifteen years, I've lived through the entire Ellen Show era," she shrugged, "once she made it official, there was no way to escape comparisons."

She was speaking in light tones, but I wasn't sure whether she truly felt upset over it, or whether she was making fun of it, for my benefit. The unease feeling in my stomach persisted, though, and the aftertaste of mayo in my muzzle seemed a bit less pleasant than it was right after the lunch.

"Oh," I muttered.

"Bah," Marge stretched her paws high over her head, "that's idiots for you. I juts hope those two don't come back."

"Me too," I rumbled.

"You should chill out," Marge said, "You look like you could use some fun."

I smiled a little.

"Maybe," I said. "I really don't like situations like that. You saw the size of that guy..."

"I understand, Rory, I sure do," Marge said, "I've had worse, and felt pretty crap afterwards. But it's one of the possible negative sides of this job, and you gotta be ready to handle even the worst customers, even if you start feeling threatened."

"Yeah," I nodded." That's how I felt."

"Not good at all," Marge replied. "But don't worry, it'll pass."

"HEEEEEY!"

We both turned to look towards the door, or more precisely, the steel stairs that now clattered under the hooves of Crystal. The mare was smiling cheerfully as she trod down towards us.

"Hey, Crystal!" I called out.

"Heya!" Marge concerted.

"Hey, guys!" Crystal replied, now at the foot of the stairs and approaching fast. "Wassup?"

"We're bitching here," Marge said as she got up from the armchair, "get yourself a coffee and I'll go upstairs to relieve Mason and he can join you guys. Rory, be upstairs in ten, okay?"

"Sure," I nodded.

Marge put her mug down to the sink and headed upstairs, while Crystal poured herself a mug and was soon occupying the seat previously warmed by the cougar. She was smiling at me, and I smiled back, quickly, and mostly genuinely, despite my distraught state.

"So, what're we bitching about?" Crystal asked me all so cheerfully.

I was almost finished with my explanation and Crystal was much less smiling by the time Mason wandered down the stairs and grabbed himself a mug of the sanity-saving brew and joined me on the couch.

"That really, really sucks," Crystal carried on with her statement. "What a bunch of bastards."

"I know," I rumbled. "I'm glad Marge knew how to handle it, though. All kudos to her."

Mason sipped his coffee and smacked his lips when he was done.

"Still taking about those idiots?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Jocks," Mason shook his head with appropriate finality.

I smiled a little.

"It's hard to believe that furs still make such a big number out of whether someone's gay or straight," Crystal mused. "I mean, we're living in 2011, everyone!"

Mason and I both almost jumped when her voice rose in her declaring statement. I could help but smile a little at the genuine passion for equality in her voice. Gotta love these good kind of university students. Reminded me of the good times, too, in a way, back when I wore plaid and berets and boyfriends were aplenty.

As if.

"Yeah, I guess," Mason rumbled. "Don't much mind it, as long as it stays cool."

The wolf took a sip from his coffee, and flicked his ears. I tried to get interested in my own drink again, but felt as bad as before. The coffee seemed unappealing now, as did the prospect of continuing this discussion. It was hitting a bit too close to home.

"I think I'm gonna go out for a drink tonight," I said then, cheerfully. "You got any plans, anyone?"

"Naaaaah, I gotta study," Crystal nickered." And I have a dental appointment tomorrow, SO not looking forward to that."

She snorted and nickered a little. Mason scratched his muzzle.

"I might otherwise, but I've got a word test coming up and my friend was gonna come over to study with me....and I'm covering for Crystal tomorrow so I won't have any time to study tomorrow either..."

I chuckled and elbowed Mason gently, considering that both of us were handling hot drinks.

"Well, I doubt we go out to drink in the same places, anyway," I chuckled.

Mason gave me a bit of a look and flicked his frat wolf ears curiously, while Crystal snickered.

"I bet Mason's just happy to be able to be drinking, heheh," she nickered. "Legally, at least."

Mason snuffled.

"Hmmm." he rumbled.

"That hangover of yours when you turned 21 was epic," Crystal carried on, and winked.

"Don't remind me," the wolf groaned. "Ugh...."

I recalled the story about projectile vomiting, and decided to leave it there.

*

The nighttime air was a bit chilly over my nicest-shirt covered torso, but I was managing as I walked along the cheerfully lit and thankfully not too slippery Promenade. I walked slowly, with my head held high and my tail swinging properly as it should. I smelled nice and I had flossed and gargled and combed my mane. I was smiling and had some money in my pocket. I was passing furs just like me, laughing, walking in small groups, having fun, or at least heading into places of fun.

The chill was soon but a memory when I nodded at the bouncer at the door of the neon sign-adorned front of a nightclub and entered into the musky, forbidden darkness offered by its doorway. My whiskers already thrummed along to the beat of music coming from beyond, as I climbed down the stairs into the basement, and the sound intensified.

_ _

And I think I like him better with the fitted cap on

He ain't even gotta try to put the mac on

He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look

Then the panties comin' off, off, unh

Some sort of a thrumming baseline assaulted me from the ears to the spine, and my tail flicked automatically as I tried to acclimate myself into the musky, multi-colored and badly lit interior of the club. Bodies gyrated on the dance floor along to the tune, and not just bodies themselves, but bodies on bodies, I noticed, and smiled, just a little, and felt just the right kind of a stir, as I navigated my way along. The bodies moved, drinks were had and laughter rang from the small tables and booths to my right, and I knew there were eyes, roaming, looking at everyone walking past, asserting, grading.

I wondered how I ranked.

Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy

You know I really got a thing for American guys

I mean, sigh, sickenin' eyes

I can tell that you're in touch with your feminine side, oh

The loud music boomed and I swung my tail a bit long to it as I entered deeper into this haven of pure, sheer queerness. This was no place for those bullying jocks, but for that poor bunny, shouted at and threatened simply because he just happened to look like something, whether he was that or not, and he had paid the price.

I had paid price, too, with the feelings that had plagued my all day. Uncomfortable in my own furs, I was, a damn uncomfortable, quietly closeted lion who didn't know how to deal with the uglier reality of things when it slapped you in the face. It made my chest tighten even now, listening to the laughter and rough growls coming from the crowd who was definitely enjoying themselves, from the shy twink to the outrageous queen and the leather-clad daddy sipping an apple martini on that nearby table.

I rounded my way to the bar counter, and by that time, the strange song about buum-bu-buum-bumbuum-something had faded out and been replaced by some good old and familiar Pet Shop Boys. My ears flicked along to the strings of "Maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should", and I felt a little bit better for actually thinking that maybe I could dance along to this. Maybe.

I planted myself down onto an empty stool next to a fox wearing a pink T-shirt and chatting to some big, dark canine sitting on the other side. I had just about put my ass down on the stool before the barkeeper was already upon me, an otter wearing a mesh shirt, and a big grin.

"Hey, gorgeous," the otter said, and when he smiled, I could see a flash of metal on his tongue, "What'd you like?"

"How about a gin and tonic?" I suggested.

"Well how about it!" the otter grinned. "Coming right up."

He worked quickly and efficiently and had the time to flirt with a beaver sitting on the other end of the counter before he was back with my drink, and I paid.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, hun."

I took my first sip and enjoyed the tang and the quiet burn it brought to me, cool, familiar, and distracting.

A shuffling noise told me that the fox was gone.

"Hey."

My ears perked. A deep voice, from my right, coming from the big dog I'd seen sitting there. A closer look revealed him to be a Doberman. Not a bad-looking one, etiher, sitting there, nursing a beer.

"Hello," I smiled politely.

"Slow night?" his ears flicked rapidly up and down as he spoke, watching me sideways with slightly squinting eyes.

"Pretty much," I replied, toasting him with my drink.

*

Hehhey!

Thank you for reading the chapter!

If you were a bit TOO surprised by this one, worry not - we'll be back to the "present date" on Monday. *chuckle* But nonetheless, I hope that you enjoyed this opening chapter, and that it prime you well into the story again. Going back to the roots felt like a good opportunity to me at this point in time, and I hope that it sparked some thoughts in you as well. So why don't you comment now, and tell me what you think? All feedback is always appreciated.

Also remember that all votes, faves and watches will help others to find these stories to enjoy as well. Those days spent on the front page truly count. *chuckle*

See you on Monday!

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