FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

six

by Lukos

Tik woke on the morning of his birthday feeling excited. He stared up at the ceiling from the smooth comfort of his expensive silk sheets, his drowsy mind quickly becoming alight with thoughts about the day to come. He wasn't excited because it was his birthday. He was excited because he would get to spend the day with Zone and Ban.

The panda rolled out of bed and quickly got dressed in something nice: a snug white polo with two thick navy blue stripes across the middle and one vertical one intersecting them on the left, a pair of dark blue jeans, his favorite watch. Nice. He looked in the mirror, adjusting his messy hair. Maybe... a faux hawk? No, too... everywhere. Spikes? Eh, too porcupine. Hmm, how about.... He walked over to his closet and put on a white cap, angling the bill to the left a little. Perfect. He looked great. Zone would probably think so too.

Zone.... Neither Tik nor Zone had brought up what had happened between them the other day. Things had gone on as they always had, which was a big relief for Tik. They had kissed. Not only that, but they had... touched. Tik could still remember the sensation of Zone's naked body beneath his paws. He knew he wasn't supposed to, but part of him had really liked it.

He sighed as he suddenly realized that his lewd memories had woken little Tik. The panda ruefully put a paw over his rapidly-tenting crotch, only to yank it away in surprise as a knock came from his bedroom door.

"C-come in!" he said, quickly sitting on the edge of his bed and placing a pillow in his lap. The door opened, and Mrs. Mirian stood there, a big smile on her face.

"Aww, Mr. Tik, I had hoped to surprise you!"

Tik blinked at the use of the title "Mister." Mrs. Mirian usually called him "Master Tik." Oh, right. He was eighteen today. He was not a Master Tik anymore. He smiled at the head maid.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mirian," he said. "How're you?"

Still smiling, she breezed into the room, opening the blinds and sitting next to him. "I'm doing well," she said. "How about you, my grown-up friend?"

Tik couldn't help but chuckle. Were it anyone but Mrs. Mirian, he'd probably feel indignant about being spoken to like a little cub. "Well, I don't feel any different," he admitted, leaning forward on his elbows against the pillow.

"Well," she smiled, running a paw over his head, "it's special all the same." It was then that Tik noticed that she was carrying a large shopping bag. It had goofy-looking, multicolored party hats scattered across its surface, and bright blue waxed paper poking from its open top.

"Mrs. Mirian," groaned Tik, "you didn't...."

"What? Oh!" She lifted the bag. "Yes, yes I did! And I don't want to hear any arguing about it. You only turn eighteen once, you know."

Tik shook his head, putting the pillow aside. Little Tik was fast asleep once again, and no longer a cause for concern. He gratefully accepted the bag from Mrs. Mirian. It felt somewhat light, yet somewhat heavy. He couldn't possibly think of what it could be. He peered inside, pulling out artfully-crumpled sheets of wax paper.

At the top of the bag, Tik found a rectangular, black box. He looked up at Mrs. Mirian curiously. The badger only smiled, and Tik opened the box. Inside, he found a glass spray bottle filled with clear blue liquid.

"I saw that cologne and thought it would smell very nice on you," said Mrs. Mirian. "It's called 'Rewind.'"

Tik sprayed a little of the fragrance onto his wrist and sniffed it deeply. "Mmm. I love it!" Without further delay, he peered back into the bag. There was something in there that almost took up the rest of the space inside. Placing the cologne back into its box and setting it aside, he reached back into the bag with both paws. As Mrs. Mirian held the bag still for him, he pulled out a large, stuffed panda bear. It wore a white plaid pair of cargo shorts and a blue T-shirt with a big, white X across its front--an outfit Tik himself owned and wore now and then. Tik couldn't help feeling a little weird, being a panda himself. He looked up at the badger for an explanation.

She reached out and stroked the toy panda's ears fondly. "I had this made special for you," she said. "I know, you're eighteen now, too old for stuffed toys, and seeing one of yourself is probably strange."

"A little," Tik admitted with a smile. "It's still pretty cool though."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it! Look at you. You're growing into a great young man, do you know that? I wanted to get this for you to just remind you to take your time as you go through life." She got a faraway look in her eyes as he spoke. "Life only moves forward. Someday you'll be even more grown up, and maybe you'll come back and visit your parents, maybe even me. Things may look different. We may look different. Even so, you can never go backward. You can't go back in time and make different choices, make things how they once were.

"You're about at your prime, Mr. Tik." She grabbed one of the stuffed toy's paws. "Enjoy this Tik, the one you are now. Hold onto him as long as possible. Don't try to grow too fast. Don't rush things. You have too much to enjoy right now, and if you try to rush through this part of your life, just remember that you won't get it back."

Tik stared thoughtfully at the smaller, inanimate version of himself as he listened to Mrs. Mirian's words. She was right. Time was precious, and as anxious as he was sometimes to grow up, to leave this place he was forced to call home, it would be a mistake to throw his young life away. It was a good reminder to live his life smartly and to its fullest. Automatically, his mind went back to Zone....

After a few moments, he smiled. "You know what?" he said, standing up and placing the stuffed bear on his bed. "I don't think I like being called Mr. Tik."

"No?" Mrs. Mirian smiled back.

"Nah. It's too formal. Too... not me."

"Then what do you want me to call you?"

"Tik," he grinned. "Just call me Tik."

Thirty minutes later, Tik had eaten and glanced around the house for any sort of acknowledgement of his birthday from his parents. Surprise, surprise--the house was as devoid of any birthday wishes as it was most of the year. It didn't matter. Tik had expected as much. He grabbed the keys to his Porsche and bid Mrs. Mirian goodbye. His parents might never remember his birthdays, but Mrs. Mirian always did, and so did Ban and Zone.

As usual, Zone gave him an excited, tail-wagging greeting before even stepping back to allow him entry into the home. "Happy birthday, dude!" he said jovially.

Tik laughed as he stepped into the stone-tiled foyer, with its high-vaulted ceiling, clean, white walls, and plants in little nooks by the window above that were impossible to reach. "Thanks! Where's your dad?"

"He just stepped into the shower. He woke up and did a little yard work. We can hang out until he's done though!" Zone's tail continued to wag behind him as Tik stretched upward toward the ceiling, inhaling deeply. The house smelled like new paint and fresh pancakes.

"You making breakfast?" asked Tik, suddenly noticing a light dusting of flour on Zone's paws and face, and spatters of something on his clothes.

"Er, yeah! Want some pancakes?" He started to walk back to the kitchen as he singsonged, "They're bluuueberryyy!"

Tik smiled. "Maybe just one or two. Mrs. Mirian already fed me."

"Well these are better," declared Zone, standing resolutely at the kitchen island. "I'm making them." In front of him, a glass-topped stove sat atop the black granite counter. Above, a sleek, tapering stainless steel vent reached all the way up to the ceiling, where warm spot lights shone down to illuminate Zone's work. He poured some blueberry-spotted batter into the large pan on one of the ranges. Tik noticed spatters of pancake batter on the cabinets and the hardwood floor, and on the white apron Zone had just put on.

"Yeah, and you're also making a mess," he chuckled. "Want some help?"

"Nooo!" he whined. "How can they be Zone's special blueberry pancakes if Zone doesn't make them?"

Tik held up his paws. "Hah, alright, alright! You do it, but then you get to clean up by yourself afterward too! I'll just get some orange juice and watch."

"Fine! You do that."

Tik took off his hat, poured himself a glass of juice, and sat on one of the high stools at the breakfast bar on the opposite side of the island. He watched a very focused, very serious Zone flip the pancake over, and giggled at the splash of purplish pancake batter that splattered onto Zone's apron. His mind traveled back over the last few days. Their texts and instant message chats showed that they would be perfectly okay pretending the other day never happened, pretending they hadn't become as intimate as they had. He didn't know about Zone, but Tik just couldn't get those moments out of his head. He was a virgin; he had never done anything like that with anyone, let alone his very male best friend. He gasped suddenly and blushed, placing both paws firmly between his thighs, glad the breakfast bar gave him some cover. Now was not the time to pop a boner.

"So," said Tik after awhile of nothing but the sound of sizzling pancakes filling the air. "Should we... talk?" He didn't mean to say it. It was just weighing so heavily on his mind that it just came out. Part of him was relieved. It would finally come out in the open. They could sort this out.

"About what?" asked Zone, still working diligently on his pancakes, leaning down and pulling a blue plate from a cabinet by the stove and loading it with two pancakes and a small bottle of maple syrup.

"You... you know," said Tik, mindlessly accepting the plate. He could feel his face reddening, his heart pounding. "About... the other day."

Zone tilted his head and glanced up at his friend, adding a few more blueberries to his pancake batter and stirring them in with a plastic spoon. "What happened the other day?"

Tik sighed with exasperation and covered his face with his paws, something he often did when shy or embarrassed. His friend could be so clueless sometimes! "You know," he said softly, as if someone might overhear. He could faintly hear the sound of pipes pumping water into the bathroom, so he figured he was safe to speak. "When we were... touching, and... and kissing, and... stuff."

"O-oh!" Tik blinked as Zone immediately forgot himself and quickly lifted his paw to scratch at the back of his head, slinging pancake batter from the spoon across the kitchen and onto the stainless steel refrigerator. Had his mind not been so preoccupied at the moment, Tik would have found it funny. "H-haha, that! We... I was just playing around, right? H-heh... we weren't actually... I mean it was a joke, so... I mean.... Oh look! I better clean that up!"

The panda sighed again as Zone hurried off with a cloth to wipe the trail of pancake batter from the floor and the refrigerator. He knew Zone was embarrassed, and so was he, but... "Look, Zone, I'm serious!" he said. "It's not like it's easy for me to talk about but... I've been thinking about it."

Zone paused at the fridge and looked back at Tik. "You have?" he asked uncertainly, a light blush across his cheeks.

"Yeah. And you're my best friend. You have been since we were little. We should be able to talk about this, shouldn't we? I mean, we... we kissed, dude...."

It was Zone's turn to sigh. Tik recognized the defeat in the sound as the husky slowly returned to the island, forgetting the remaining pancake batter running slowly down the fridge. Zone had clearly intended to pretend the whole thing hadn't happened. "Yeah... I'm sorry," he said, staring down at the countertop. He drew a finger across its polished granite surface, seeming to be suddenly interested in its quality and smoothness. "I didn't mean to do it, I just... It was...." The husky was clearly at a loss for words.

"I get it," Tik offered. "It was the moment, right? Started as a joke, and then got very real, and then we just.... Anyway, don't apologize. I kissed you too." His face flushed and he too stared downward at the granite countertop. He was positive Zone could hear his heart pounding. "I... you were just so... there. You were... you were naked, and you... grabbed me, and rubbed against me, and... I guess I knew you were playing, but I just... I wanted to touch you, so I did. I couldn't help it--and you let me." Tik's face burned as he recounted what had happened in the bedroom that day. If it had been anyone but Zone, he would not have been able to even speak to him about it. Zone was the one person he knew he could talk about absolutely anything with, but even so, it was difficult.

"You... you wanted to touch me?" asked Zone incredulously, his eyes never leaving the countertop. "I just thought I'd... you know, crossed a line or something. Taken the game too far. I thought you were humoring me or something. In fact, after you left I... well, I was scared you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore."

At this, Tik's eyes snapped up to his friend's face, noting the slight hint of sadness behind Zone's eternal smile. He had been so wrapped up in his own confusion about the matter, he didn't think about what Zone might have been feeling. He thought back to the awkwardness that night. They had stayed up late playing video games and watching movies as usual, but where there would normally have been jovial chatter and maybe general roughhousing, there had been awkward silences and fruitless searches for words to say. In the morning, Tik had left with a very stoic goodbye, and not the happy, friendly goodbye he usually gave Zone. Shame and regret instantly filled him.

"Zone, you know I always want to be your friend," he said. "That day, I was... I was just confused. It was awkward, you know? Realizing what we were doing, and trying to find something to say after that, it just wasn't easy. Don't ever think I don't want to be your friend. You're one of the most important people I know. No, you're the most important person I know."

Zone blushed a little deeper, scratching at the back of his head again, leaving the spoon in the bowl this time. "Thanks, Tik," he said, a note of relief in his voice as he continued to stare at the counter. "It means a lot. I didn't mean to make you so uncomfortable that day. I wasn't thinking."

"Neither was I," admitted Tik. "Not thinking, just... doing."

There were a few moments of silence as they both mulled this over in their minds. Zone turned off the stove as the pan began to smoke faintly. The shower continued to run in the bathroom. Other than that, there was no sound as both of them admired the granite countertop. Tik's eyes followed patterns in the polished stone, vaguely noticing the craftsmanship and quality, his blueberry pancakes forgotten in front of the seat to his left. It was amazing how a surface that looked rather black from afar was really had bits of lighter stone scattered around on it. Finally, Zone's voice cut through the silence.

"So what does all this mean?" he asked. "I... wanted you to touch me too, and I loved it when you did. So what? Are we... are we gay?"

Tik shrugged. That was a thought he himself had entertained over the past few days. What if he was gay? Did that mean Zone was too? Tik was sure his parents wouldn't give a rip if he were gay or straight, but would that disappoint Mrs. Mirian? Would that disappoint Ban? Would the world hate them if it found out he and his best friend were gay?

"I don't know," he said, answering Zone's question and all of his own. "I... I don't know. What if we are?"

Zone shrugged too. "We both liked it," he said. His voice got softer, as Tik's had minutes ago, as he tried to hide the taboo he was about to speak from an invisible audience. "We both got boners from it."

"H-ha! You're right," Tik stuttered. "We did."

A few more moments of silence.

"Is it... something you would want to do again?" Their eyes finally left the countertop, meeting each other uncertainly somewhere over the stack of pancakes. Their ears were back, their gazes nervous, as though they were meeting each other for the first time.

Wordlessly, Tik nodded. Nervous little smiles played across both their faces. For some reason, Tik's heart felt like it was ready to burst. His stomach felt like it was in knots. He looked away bashfully, taking a few moments to collect himself before standing up and walking slowly around the island. Zone turned to face him, staring embarrassedly past him at the refrigerator, but Tik could see the slow wag of his tail. Slowly, he walked up to his best friend. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a gentle hug. "Sorry for being so awkward," he said softly.

Zone let out a gentle chuckle. "Me too," he said, wrapping his arms back around Tik.

This felt good. It was warm, and it was close, and it was making Tik's heart race faster, and faster. Couldn't Zone hear it? Neither of them said anything for the next few minutes. They just stood there in the kitchen in front of the still-unfinished pancakes, leaning into each other's arms, holding each other, tentatively dipping their paws into a part of themselves and each other that they had yet to explore.

It was Tik that moved first. Still embracing the husky, he moved his head back, staring into Zone's heterochromatic eyes. The blue one was so clear, he noticed. The bright green one almost looked like it could be neon. It made Zone look like some cute kind of cyborg. He smiled a bit as he noticed the laughter behind them, a normal characteristic of Zone. He ventured his face closer, relieved as Zone reciprocated the action.

Tik felt his heart flutter as slowly, their lips connected again. The world around them vanished. There were no more pancakes, no more beautiful granite countertop, no more waiting for Ban in the shower. Tik's best friend was in his arms, and they were kissing. Again. The panda felt like he could melt into a puddle.

He gasped softly as he felt the dog's wide, wet tongue gently play across his lips. Automatically, they parted, and Zone's tongue playfully darted inward, then out again immediately, making Tik start a little. He smiled through the kiss. He was ready. The tongue slipped inward again. Gently, it explored the panda's mouth until it finally found his own tongue, the two greeting each other for the first time in a little dance, brushing past and around each other, each exploring a place it had never been before.

His eyes closed, Tik sucked gently on Zone's tongue for a few minutes before gently pressing his own forward. Zone's mouth was warm, and wet, and smooth, and it tasted faintly like pancakes. Never had he experienced something so intimate with someone. Even their previous kiss had been short, without much thought, and interrupted by Ban's arrival. This, this was... this was amazing. It was only made better by the fact that it was with Zone, he realized. The fact that it was with Zone was what made this as perfect as it was.

Slowly, the tender kiss broke. Tik opened his eyes as their tongues slowly separated, leaving a thin trail of saliva between them. Tik was glad he and Zone were still holding each other. He felt lightheaded. No, not just lightheaded. He felt light. He felt as though if Zone were to sneeze, he would just float off, up to the plants in the foyer that were impossible to reach, out the window they embellished, and somewhere into the sky. The two of them smiled and chuckled nervously like the inexperienced schoolboys they were, each searching for words to fill this moment, but needing none.

It was Ban's voice that sent them crashing back to reality. "Hey, Zone, those pancakes smell good," it boomed.

The boys jumped, startled, letting go of each other and hurriedly attending to matters in the kitchen. Tik turned the stove on again and Zone busied himself with stirring the pancake batter as the large husky walked across the balcony from the upstairs hallway and descended the stairs to join them. He was still very damp, and wearing absolutely nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, showing off his impossibly well-defined chest and abs.

"Dad!" groaned Zone. "Go put on some clothes! We have company, you know."

"Who, Tik?" Ban clapped a heavy paw on Tik's shoulder. The panda's knees almost buckled. "He doesn't care, do ya, Tik? Besides, you should talk." He smiled. "I remember the time when you were younger, and I had some guys from my publishing company come over to talk about my new book. You had just taken a bath, and you came tearing through the house, your towel tied around your neck like a cape but totally buck-naked otherwise. You stood in front of them in a perfect superhero pose and proudly proclaimed that you were Captain Nakeybutt, and that you would stop all the bad guys with your amazing nakedness."

"DAAAD!" cried Zone. "Why would you even say that in front of someone else?"

Tik tried unsuccessfully to stifle the fit of laughter that threatened to erupt from him.

"Oh come on, you were a little kid!" rumbled Ban. "How old were you... eleven? Twelve?"

"You're not helping!" shouted Zone. "Fine. No pancakes for you."

Ban chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Save me a few of those, would ya, Zone? Don't eat too much. We're still going out to eat later for Tik's birthday!" He messed up Tik's already-messy hair before turning to head back up the stairs and get dressed.

Tik patted Zone's shoulder sympathetically. The dog looked like he wanted to crawl underground and die or something. "It's okay," he grinned. "He's your dad. He's supposed to embarrass you."

"No way. Not like that. It's his mission or something. It's got to be."

Tik smiled and grabbed Zone by the shoulders, standing on his tiptoes to give the husky a soft kiss. Zone seemed to forget the embarrassment for a moment, sighing pleasantly as Tik's tongue slipped briefly into his mouth. Gently, Tik broke the kiss and smiled. "Okay, let's finish the pancakes, Captain Nakeybutt." He smacked Zone none too gently on the rump and scampered away, laughing. The husky yelped, then growled. "HEY! Get back here!" He laughed, chasing his best friend around the kitchen island.

The restaurant was rather packed later that afternoon. Luckily, Ban had called in ahead of time to ask the staff to save the three of them a table. They sat in a booth near a window, enjoying the semi-dim lighting, the scentless candles floating in ornate bowls of water, and the smell of fresh Thai food. The egg roll appetizers were delicious; Tik had gone through an entire order of them before their meals arrived.

"Save some room, panda!" said Zone, poking Tik's belly with the back of a chopstick. "You've got a whole meal to eat too, you know, and we're gonna have cake later."

Tik laughed and batted Zone's paw away as the waitress set a large plate of steaming fried rice in front of him. "So much food! Okay, I'll only eat half of this, and I'll take the rest with me. Hey, guys? Thanks a lot for this."

Ban waved a large paw airily. "Pfft, don't worry about it," he said, rumbling a quick thank-you to the waitress as she set his meal down for him. "It's your birthday! Since you said you don't want any presents, this is the least we could do for ya. Oh, but yes, save some room for cake. Not you, Zone." He grinned playfully. "Don't want you getting fat on me now, right?"

Tik smiled happily as Zone tried unsuccessfully to make a clever comeback. There were few times in his life when he felt like almost everything was going right. His parents may not always be there for him. Actually, they were rarely there for him, if ever. Even so, he had Mrs. Mirian, and he had Ban. Further, his relationship with Zone was now at a level he never expected it to reach. He felt pretty good.

Speaking of pretty good, this food was excellent. As Zone and his dad continued to bicker playfully with each other, Tik had picked some rice up with his chopsticks and carefully tasted it. It was appetizing and flavorful, even after the egg rolls, and had just the right amount of heat and vegetables. Zone, too, had shoveled some food into his mouth with a spoon before continuing the verbal playfight with his dad with his mouth full, earning a light box to the back of the head from the larger husky.

"Ow!" Zone yelped. "So-rry! Mmm... this food is good."

Only several yards away, a cub was wandering aimlessly around in the aisle next to her parents' table. She was very young, maybe four or five. Her parents were not paying attention to her, though hurrying servers were navigating those very aisles with trays of hot food and ice-cold drinks.

Tik, Zone, and Ban all jumped as they heard a loud crash. A server had seen the little girl, but too late. As he quickly and desperately hop-skipped aside to avoid hurting her in his rush, he overbalanced, and the tray of orders he had been carrying went flying. Luckily, no customers became hurt or messy, and though the plates and silver clattered noisily, nothing broke. Still, the server fell unceremoniously into a mess of Pad Thai, fried rice, curry, and various soft drinks. Of course, the parents shrieked and began berating the poor server for not watching where he was going, much to the dismay of Ban. A low growl rumbled in his throat.

"I hate stupid parents," he said. "I'm gonna go help the poor guy up." The big husky stood up and approached the scene.

"Yeah, you get 'em, Dad!" Zone encouraged.

At full height, Ban was highly intimidating. His sheer size, his deep, gravelly voice, and his gruff expression made him look like someone to avoid on a normal basis. The parents sat there helplessly as Ban calmly chewed them out. At some point during his stern speech, he reached down and grabbing the shocked waiter by the collar, easily lifting him and standing him upright, brushing bits of rice from his ruined uniform. Ban called them careless parents, imbeciles who clearly can't handle bringing their child out in public, and several more crude things for blaming the accident on the server, who just stood there awkwardly with Ban's heavy paw on his shoulder. Not long afterward, the parents left anxiously amid a smattering of applause for Ban from the other diners. When Ban returned to their table, Zone was clapping, tail wagging furiously. "You were awesome, Dad!" he cheered.

Tik nodded enthusiastically. "They deserved more than what you said. Who lets their little cub run around in a packed restaurant?"

"People that think with their junk instead of their brains, I guess," Ban said coolly.

Zone chuckled, filling his mouth again with rice and curry. "Mmm... this food is good," he declared again.

Zone jumped once more as another crash filled the air from several yards away. "Another one?" he asked incredulously. Sure enough, there sat the server in a mess of Pad Thai, fried rice, curry, and various soft drinks. Of course, the parents shrieked and began berating the poor server for not watching where he was going, much to the dismay of--wait a minute....

"I hate stupid parents," Ban was saying. "I'm gonna go help the poor guy up."

Tik looked over at Zone. "Didn't this just happen?"

Zone looked at him. "What're you talking about? Shh, we'll miss it!"

Ban returned to the table amid a smattering of applause from the other diners. Zone clapped, his tail wagging furiously. "You were awesome, Dad!" he cheered.

Tik found himself nodding enthusiastically. "They deserved it too," he said. Zone chuckled, filling his mouth again with rice and curry. "Mmm... this food is good," he said.

Tik looked at him strangely. "You said that already."

CRASH!_Okay. Something was wrong. Something was very, _very wrong.

"I hate stupid parents," Ban said, starting to rise from his seat. Tik reached a paw out to stop him. "Ban, wait! Don't... please, just... wait."

Ban looked at him strangely, but remained in his seat, looking on at the scene. The server apologized hurriedly and stood up, running to the kitchen. The family remained where they were. Tik watched carefully.

"You were awesome, Dad!"

... There. The mess at the table where the accident had happened. It had just vanished. It was there, and then suddenly it wasn't.

"Mmm... this food is good."

Oh, no. Tik realized just what was going on. Time was acting up again, and this time it was going crazy. It was endless deja vu, and Tik had no idea how to fix it. He looked around frantically, as if there would be some tool in a napkin holder somewhere that would stop this insanity.

Tik tried for a good ten minutes to make time continue as it was supposed to. In one loop, he stood up and asked the family to leave. In another, he gently moved the little girl out of the way of the server, with appreciation from her parents. No matter what he did, after awhile, the scene would reset and completely restart, beginning with Zone declaring that he loved his food. The only variable was Tik. He could go wherever he pleased and not be put back into the booth when the scene restarted. Feeling hopeless, distressed, and confused, he flopped back into the booth of his own accord. His birthday had been going so nicely, too....

"You were awesome, Dad!" said Zone for what felt like the ninetieth time. Tik sighed.

"They deserved more than what you said," the panda recited halfheartedly. "Who lets their little cub run around in a packed restaurant?"

"People that think with their junk instead of their brains, I guess," replied Ban.

"Hah, losers," said Zone. Tik's ears perked, and he immediately sat up straight.

"What did you say?" he asked, heart pounding for the fourth time that day.

Zone looked at Tik uncertainly. "Nothing. I just said they were losers."

Tik was so relieved, he felt like he could cry. Time was back again, as if nothing had gone wrong at all. He suddenly grabbed Zone and pulled him into a big hug. "I'm so glad!" he cried.

Surprised and confused, Zone hugged Tik back. "Um, about what?" he asked. "Are you okay, Tik?"

Tik suddenly remembered where he was. They had been in a crowded restaurant, yet no one noticed the completely conspicuous time loop that had just occurred. Tik figured it was all for the better. A hallucination like this would be better left to himself. Maybe he would go see a doctor tomorrow.

________________________________

The huge fortress under the sea was, as usual, a bustle of activity. People of all species with many different extraordinary abilities moved from place to place. Most were guests, there for specific reasons. The rest were employees, and in one specific office, someone's eyes were shining as she took in massive amounts of information in the blink of an eye. Darla sat monitoring the new activity that had just occurred and transmitting information of her own into the fortress' information management systems.

Within this information was the message, "Briefing and power check requested for chronomancer, Cartino Bay, California / Tik Tervo."