FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

You know how some people say that ordinary life is too boring? That they wish something huge and random would just happen to snap them out of their funk?

Well let me tell you, there are times when I miss ordinary and boring.

_ I'd give anything to be sitting bored in a classroom listening to a professor droning on and on about some random topic, or put up with all the rowdy shenanigans from the football team in the mess hall. It would certainly beat hiding in a basement, scrounging a ruined city for food and water, never knowing where the next vicious and lusty creature is coming from..._

.-May 17th (E-Day + 8)

---

Reeling backwards from the cot, Auren fumbled and fell on his ass, his face set in sheer panic as he scrambled away from Riku.... or what had once been Riku. The fox laying on the bed frowned, his triangular ears folding back as he tilted his head in curiosity at his friend. Auren was pressed up against the wall under the sink, eyes as wide as dinner plates as his mind scrambled to wrap itself around the horrible truth before him.

Riku was infected.

The fox rolled upwards and stretched, before looking back at Auren. "Nice to see you too, bro," he scoffed, scratching his neck. The moment his hand - paw - touched his neck, the fox froze and stared at his arm. Letting out a loud yip, the fox-morph threw off the blankets and started checking himself all over. Fur, tails, ears, paws....."W-what happened to me?" he wailed, eyes now as wide as Auren's.

Standing up slowly, the blonde youth got to his feet but remained tense, seeing Nate and Brandon slowly moving towards the door as well. "Riku?" Auren asked carefully, not knowing what else to say.

The fox looked back at his friend with a scared expression. "Auren....what happened to me?"

Swallowing the nervous lump in his throat, Auren took a slow step forward. "You......you fell in a puddle back on campus, remember?" The vulpine nodded quickly, his ears twitching. "After we left, you got kinda sick. You complained of stomach pains and stuff." Another eager nod. "When you passed out, we put you in the bed and then....well...."

"You're telling me I got infected?" Riku yipped, looking over himself again, pinching himself in random spots to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Pulling at his now-looser clothing, he stopped with a surprise. "Hey....I'm shorter..."

Indeed, the fox that was Riku had changed in height, along with everything else. Now, he stood about 5' 10", but with a swimmer's build of muscle adorning his frame. The hint of defined muscles showed through his rusty orange pelt as the fox rubbed over his abs, staring at both them and his black-colored paws. His coat went from its normal rustic-orange color to a creamy white along his lower abs and waistline. His face was a fox's muzzle, narrow and sleek, with just a hint of white fur around his mouth, leading to a black nose atop his snout. Two fuzzy ears sat on top of his head, gently twitching every now and then at a new sound. A large, bushy tail swished gently behind him, and judging by the look on his face when he checked inside his pants, he now had a vulpine groin to match.

Taking another, more calm step forward, Auren reached out to his friend gently. "How do you feel, man?"

Halting his examination of his body, Riku took a deep breath. "Good......great actually," he said, sounding surprised at his own words. He rolled his shoulders and stretched, arching his back. "I mean, I remember feeling sick and all, but now, I've got all this energy. I feel....good?" He shrugged, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "I dunno....its hard to explain. I still know I'm me, but I can feel things alot differently now, you know?" He took another deep breath. "Dude....the smells! I can like, smell each of you, not to mention everything else in this whole building. And the sounds!" He turned to Brandon and gave him a toothy grin. "I can still hear the slight wheeze as you breathe, from that cold you had last week."

Relaxing as Auren had, Nate and Brandon came over to their changed friend to look him over themselves, trying not to treat him like some kind of exhibit at the zoo. "This is so.....freaky," Brandon mumbled.

"Yeah...but at least he's not trying to rape us," Nate muttered, gently poking Riku in the shoulder as if seeing if he were real.

The fox sitting on the bed shifted a bit, and let out the smallest whimper as he adjusted his pants. "Well...actually...." The three boys could have sworn Riku's cheeks went a deeper shade of red from a blush as he ran a paw over his groin. The fabric was tight around the front, and a bulge was clearly evident running up along his belly. Seeing them back away again, Riku shook his head. "N-no! Its okay! I'm not gonna....you know....try and force myself on you. But I am...well.....horny."

Auren tried desperately not to picture what was bulging out Riku's shorts, a noticeable musk in the air around the fox. "Well the infection does seem to...ah...raise one's libido. That would certainly account for all we've seen so far with the more feral creatures."

"So, how come Riku isn't all nuts like the others we've seen?" Nate asked bluntly.

As one, the two boys and fox turned to Brandon. The shorter boy looked up from his zone of thought, and blinked. "What? Oh, you think I know?"

"Well do you?" Auren shrugged.

Sighing, Brandon threw up his hands. "Typical jocks. Take charge and lead on with your muscles, but when its a thinking problem, you turn to the bookworms."

"Hey, I didn't-"

"Shut up, I'm thinking," the brown-haired boy grumbled, tapping his chin. The other three fell silent and gazed at various objects around the room as they let their companion think, having no explanation themselves. Finally, after a few minutes, Brandon just shrugged. "I got nothing. Maybe....maybe Riku just got lucky, you know? A random toss of the dice let him keep his humanity."

Said fox shifted on the bed, still rubbing his crotch gently. "Maybe. I mean, I feel fine - aside from a serious need to jerk off." The bulge in his shorts throbbed slightly, a small wet spot appearing at the tip. "Like.....really badly."

"Well, just uh....watch where you point that thing," Auren muttered, even though he had a slight grin on his face. Despite the situation, a part of him was overjoyed to know his friend was still himself, regardless of his new form. "Sane you may be, but chances are you could still infect us if you....you know..."

"Right," the fox smiled sheepishly, his ears going flat on his head in slight embarrassment. Taking this as their cue, the three still-human boys turned and headed out of the bunk area of the shelter, intending to give Riku the privacy he needed to overcome this surge of lust. As soon as the door shut, the vulpine quickly slid off his shorts to free his straining member from its fabric prison. With the waistband removed, Riku's throbbing fox cock bobbed out in front of him, the full red length having slid from his cream-furred sheath, and his paw wrapped around almost instantly.

Slowly stroking his new canine member, Riku groaned and gave into the lustful urges that he had been fighting back ever since he had woken up. Yes, he still knew who he was and all that, his humanity still very much intact, but along with the physical changes was an almost supercharged libido, making the poor fox feel like he was stuck in rut. Tongue lolling slightly out of his mouth, Riku leaned back against the wall and stroked his newly changed cock, rubbing over its full length along with his fur covered balls. The red length sticking out from his groin was a nicely built, 8-inch piece of vulpine maleness, throbbing and dripping pre onto his black-furred paws. The tapered shaft was sensitive enough that Riku felt his sac twitch and tense up after only a few minutes of stroking, all the more evidence that his needed this badly. With his other paw, he reached down and fondled his golf ball sized testes, rubbing the furred scrotum as he felt the fluid churning about inside.

His lusting mind wandered to the thought of having his hot, dripping cock buried in someone, making them moan as he mounted them in true canine style, his libido slowly taking over the rational part of his brain. Images of his friends drifted through his mind; Auren on his knees licking at Riku's newly knotty cock......or Nate rocking in his lap as he suckled the fox's flat tongue......or Brandon on all fours just begging to be-

Nnngh....no....can't go down that path, the fox grunted to himself, even as he continued to jerk himself. I'm not a beast....I'm Riku.....Riku..... The vulpine boy panted and grit his teeth, forcing himself to remove his friends' faces from the lusty images. Yes, deep down he knew he desperately needed to fuck something, and that sooner or later, he was going to have to submit to these urges once and a while. He resigned himself that this new lust-filled mind was a part of him now, but there was still enough sense in him to know he could never force himself on his friends.

The base of his cock began to swell and grow, his newly formed knot thickening as he neared his climax, and Riku panted in pleasure as he squeezed the bulb of flesh, letting out a few whimpers of ecstasy. His paw was nearly a blur as he furiously stroked himself, having surpassed any last curiosity about his new body in favor of needing this release. His cock throbbed hard again, swelling to its full size as he gripped his now baseball-sized knot, yipping in delight as his orgasm struck. Feeling his balls tighten up against his groin, the fox moaned happily as spurt after spurt of thick seed shot out of his tapered tip, painting the wall with several streaks of white. He humped upwards into his paw, lost in the bliss of orgasm.

Finally, after a minute or two of blissful cumming, Riku sagged back on the bed, panting and licking his chops. The fiery lust that had filled his mind dimmed, allowing him to restrain it back to where he could think clearly. His spent cock slowly deflated and retreated back into his sheath, the fox shivering slighting at the new sensations in his groin. There was still going to be the odd lusty thought now and then, but as long as he had some regular paw time, Riku was pretty sure he could handle it.

"Feel better?" came a slight chuckle from behind him.

Sitting up, Riku felt himself blush as he turned around to see Auren standing there with a small bundle in his arms, and a slight grin on his face. Immediately, the fox felt his ears flatten in embarrassment again. "Erm.....yeah, kinda," he grinned sheepishly, not bothering to cover himself up.

The blonde-haired youth just chuckled again and handed his friend the bundle he was carrying. "Here, these might fit you better that your old clothes." Holding up the garments, Riku looked over the khaki-style pants that had been hastily trimmed into knee-length shorts. Nodding his head in thanks, he slipped them on, grinning when he felt a slight gap along his backside. Shimmying the shorts on, Riku looked over his shoulder to see his new bushy tail fluff out a conveniently placed hole in the back of the pants, and he turned to Auren with a wide grin. "Nice touch."

"Figured that might come in handy," the youth said, flashing his teeth in a smile. "Also got a shirt for you, but I didn't know if you would want it with the fur and all. They were in with the supplies we gathered from the school bunker."

Looking down at the plain grey t-shirt, Riku pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah, I should be good. Besides," he grinned, flexing his newly-toned midsection."Why hide this sexy frame from the world?"

"Easy, tiger," his friend chuckled, rolling his eyes. Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, he said, "Nate got one of the little hot plates going, and is making some soup. You hungry?"

"Starved, thanks," the fox purred. As Auren turned to head back upstairs, Riku reached out for him. "Hey...wait." The blonde-haired youth paused, and looked back at his friend with a curious expression. "Umm.....are we still good?"

"What do you mean?"

Lowering his eyes a bit, the fox felt himself blush a bit. "You know.....we're still friends, right? Even despite all...this?" he said, gesturing slowly at himself.

Auren snorted lightly and gave his friend a slow, warm smile. "Doesn't matter how foxy or frisky you have gotten....you're still the same Riku we know and love. That's not gonna change, bro."

Feeling his lips part in a happy smile, the vulpine lunged over and hugged his friend tightly, his bushy tail wagging. "Thanks, Auren."

"Anytime, foxy," his friend chuckled, patting the furry back of his buddy. "Now come on; let's get a hot meal and then think about some rest." The boy-turned-fox nodded eagerly and followed his friend as they headed back upstairs, the smell of chicken soup tickling the vulpine's sensitive nose.

---

A small chuckle of rubble shifted and fell as Auren crested the mound of what used to be the other half of the apartment building beside them, the six-storey block now missing most of its south walls from the fourth floor down. Apparently, whomever or whatever was inside was too big for the building, and made their own exit after their transformation. Shuddering slightly as the thought of what had grown to be that size, Auren reached back and helped Brandon to the level he was on, and they looked down the small hill at their target, the remains of a grocery store.

The next day had dawned in an almost eerie calm, as the four boys left their fortified shelter in the Library to head out in search of supplies. For most of the morning, they had skirted through what remained of the residential area around the library, passing house after house that looked to have been ravaged either by uninvited guests, or the tenants as they changed and headed out on their own needs. Surprisingly enough, they had not run into one feral creature yet, although they had seen signs of them all over the place. Damage to cars and buildings, claw marks, or the ever-familiar puddles of fluid were present everywhere, more and more evidence of how far the infection had spread throughout the city.

As it turns out, Riku's transformation was starting to look more like a blessing than a stroke of bad luck. The youth-turned-vulpine, along with his increased libido, was also granted an increase to his senses, most prominently his hearing and smell. Thanks to this, the group was able to avoid any encounters with unfriendly creatures, Riku being able to hear or smell something amiss before it happened upon them.

Despite the shock of finding out Riku had been infected and turned into a fox, Auren and the others knew they still had their friend under all that orange fur, and that alone made this transition a whole lot easier. There were still moments where they found themselves staring for a bit, but just as quickly dismissed it. Riku was still Riku, no matter the body he currently had. Even though they knew the vulpine now had a larger sex-drive than before, (as hard as it was to imagine with the always horny Riku) all they had been subject to was a slight increase in his flirtatious behavior, and the odd grope or grind now and then. They knew Riku would never try and rape them against their will, because he was still himself. Anything else was just playful suggestions.

Standing atop the pile of rubble, the three boys gathered behind said fox as their orange-furred companion sniffed at the air, his cute fuzzy ears twitching in the slight breeze. "Anything, Riku?" Nate asked, peering down at the abandoned grocery store.

"Something....yeah..." the vulpine said slowly, taking another sniff. His tail swished once, then fell still. "Wolves," he said, the fur on the back of his neck standing up.

"You sure?" Auren asked, looking around the area before them.

The orange-furred canine nodded. "Mmmhmm. I may not completely understandhow I know....but I know. Or rather, this knows," Riku said, tapping his vulpine muzzle and snout. "I can smell something on the air coming from the store, and my nose is telling my brain 'wolf'. At least a handful, maybe more."

Brandon and Nate traded looks of unease before turning their gaze to Auren, who had his face set in a scowl. They could see their friend thinking it over, weighing the odds against one another, before sighing and letting his head fall, rubbing his temples. "We need the supplies," he said finally.

"Dude....I'm all for trying to find some food, but really?" Brandon asked with a slight note of panic. "Riku just finishes telling us there is a pack of wolves in there, and yet you still want to go in?"

"You got any better ideas?" Auren countered in a snappy tone, waving his arms around the area. "'Cause I'm not seeing any other promising finds. We've poked around houses all morning, and found - what? A few undamaged tins of soup, and a loaf of half-dry bread. That," he growled, pointing down at the store. "Might be our ticket to at least a week's worth of food."

"Accompanied by a pack of hungry wolves."

Sighing and sagging slightly, Auren let his head drop. "Alright.....yes, there is the chance that this is a bad idea." He lifted his head and looked the others square in the eyes. "But its my call, and I say we go in. If anything happens, well, then I guess its on me."

Brandon wavered for a moment. "Since when are you in charge?"

"Since the three of you keep looking to me for all the decisions," the blond youth growled back, striding forward and heading towards the abandoned store. Realizing that he was right, at least in part, the remaining three companions relented and followed their friend down the small hill, hoping against hope that their luck would hold out just a little longer.

---

The empty shopping cart gave a tiny rattle, the nearly-silent sound becoming deafeningly loud in the isle of the empty store, making Nate grimace and wince as he brushed against the metal trolley. Auren and Brandon froze, looking back in slight terror as Nate quickly grabbed the squeaky cart to keep it from moving again. Holding a collective breath, the three human friends waited as Riku stood stock still, his ears twitching, listening for any indications of company. After two gut-wrenching minutes of waiting, the fox gave the smallest gesture with his paw, signalling that they were good for now, and the other three let out their breaths slowly.

The group had managed to enter the grocery store basically unnoticed, relying on Riku's heightened senses to guide them in out of detection from the wolves he claimed to be around the area. Sneaking in through a side entrance, the four boys held into their luck for the time being as they immediately came across the warehouse in the store, and scored a find of several stashes of unspoiled food. Stuffing the boxes of cookies, crackers and other dry goods into one of their duffel bags, the four companions picked their way slowly through the warehouse, avoiding the large mess in the middle. Several pallets worth of food were strewn everywhere, looking like a grenade had gone off in their midst, except the explosion was probably due to one or more of the workers suddenly transforming, the all too familiar puddles of fluid covering the floor.

Sliding past an overturned floor jack, Auren poked his head out into one of the main isles, looking for trouble, before signalling the others to move up. After exiting the warehouse, they had started combing the isles slowly, looking for more unspoiled food stuffs that they could grab. The fresh sections like the produce and meat counters were out of the question; when the store lost power, all the refrigeration went out, leaving all the fresh foods to spoil within the first few days. After a week, the idea of finding an unspoiled steak or batch of carrots was a pipe-dream.

As they searched through the store, Auren and the others found evidence to support Riku's claim that a pack of wolves may very well be inhabiting the building, paw prints and other traces of recent feral activity were all around the isles. It was a calculated risk nosing around in a wolf-den, but as Auren had pointed it out, their options were limited. And now, given the two duffel bags' worth of uncontaminated food and other supplies they had scavenged, even Brandon had to admit the rewards were starting to outweigh the risks.

At least, for the time being.

The instant that Riku's fur fluffed out, and his tail shot straight up, every one of them knew their luck may have very well run out. Ears twitching, the vulpine youth sniffed the air delicately, then covered his muzzle with a paw to muffle the slight yip of fright that leaked out. At Auren and Nate's questioning looks, the fox pointing over to the isle next to theirs, and held up two claws. Two wolves in the other isle. Another heartbeat passed, and Riku made a walking motion that pointed towards the nearest end of the isle, meaning that they were moving in that direction. Waving his friends back, Auren ushered the group to reverse course back down the other way, hoping to maybe hop over to another section to put some distance between them and the wolves. The four youths prayed that the sheer number of scents and smells permeating the ruined grocery store would be enough to help mask their own scents, giving them just a little help in avoiding the lupine ferals.

Rounding the far end of the isle, Nate hesitated and looked back as he pushed Brandon on, checking their rear guard. The dark-haired youth felt a prickling in the back of his neck, causing him to look back again, and his heart stopped at the sight behind him.

At the opposite end of the isle was a wolf, easily as high as his waist or even more, its thickly muscled body moving with grace and power. The feral beast gazed at the four intruders a few dozen feet away, and a rich growl came from its muzzle. Fangs parted its lips as the wolf slowly stalked forward, sniffing the air and zeroing in on their scents, before throwing its head back in a loud howl. Instantly, Auren and the others' blood ran cold. Around the store, several more howls were heard, telling them that the pack had heard their brother's cry, and were joining the hunt for their newest prey. His arm was gripped hard, and Auren jerked his eyes forward to see Brandon clutching his arm in a death-grip, the shorter youth pointing down an isle on their right. At the end of the ravaged shelves was an emergency exit door, hanging half open, the pale sunlight streaming into the darker store like a small beacon of hope. Brandon and Riku looked back at Auren, waiting for the single word to fly from his lips.

"Run!"

The four friends bolted, forgetting any sort of stealth as their adrenaline spiked and they made haste for the nearest exit. A loud snarling, barking sound came from behind them, as the first feral wolf gave chase, his dinner plate sized paws tearing through the debris as he flew towards them. All around them, barks and howls sounded as the other wolves tore through the store, hunting for their prey. Riku had grabbed Brandon's hand out of instinct and was darting towards the door, practically pulling his friend along as fast as his nimble fox feet could carry him. Auren and Nate were right behind them, heads lowered and arms pumping in a flat-out run.

A crash echoed from the shelves on their right, as one of the wolves leaped atop the six-foot racking and sent the flimsy metal shelving crashing down, the supports buckling under the beast's weight. Auren managed to just barely dodge a falling tower of cans, but Nate tripped up and sprawled face first into the isle. Skidding to a stop, Auren turned to go back for his friend, but the taller boy waved his arms frantically. "Go GO!" he screamed, urging Auren to keep going, even as he struggled to his feet. The wolf that had leaped atop the shelves was nowhere to be seen, but the first one to initiate the chase was right on top of them and Nate knew he would never get away now. The least he could do was try and drive Auren away to save himself.

Scrambling backwards on his hands and feet, Nate braced himself as the thick-bodied lupine barrelled into him, pouncing on him and sending them both sliding several feet. Claws ripped at his shirt and he felt the teeth of the wolf bite into his shoulder. Nate prepared himself for the pain of being killed savagely by this feral beast, feeling the hot streaks of claws on his body, causing him to cry out in pain and fear. Instead, he was treated to a worse horror as the wolf held him down and began thrusting against his own groin, the creature's arousal making itself as evident as its hunting lust. The male wolf - as the dripping cock protruding from its groin revealed - humped and bucked atop his human prey, holding the youth down as his pre began to squirt onto Nate's chest, clearly intent on claiming himself a mate instead of a meal. Nate pushed and beat at the beast as hard as he could, screaming incoherently but the wolf only bit his shoulder harder.

A high-pitched yelp, and the wolf's jaws were ripped from his shoulder as something heavy and blunt slammed into the creature's head, forcing it back. Looking up, Nate blinked through teary eyes to see Auren standing over him with what looked like a frying pan, the metal bent from the impact into the wolf's head. The lupine feral snarled with rage at the second adversary, and lunged at Auren, seriously pissed off at being denied his bitch. The blonde-haired youth had a snarl of his own across his face, and swung his impromptu weapon again, catching the wolf in his chest. Another yelp, and the beast stumbled mid-leap, pure hate in its eyes. A third blow to the head sent the wolf to the floor where it remained, a trickle of blood running from its snout.

Stunned and in pain, Nate jerked violently in surprise as a pair of arms grabbed him around the shoulders and hauled him up, Auren's face a mask of effort and determination as he half-carried, half-dragged his friend towards the exit as fast as he could. Other wolves were rounding the far end of the isle and racing towards them, as the two friends limped and surged to the door. The second wolves were only feet away when a large, cascading waterfall of cans and tins rained down on them, pelting them and driving them back. Waving his arms urgently, Riku ushered his two friends through the door, standing at what remained of the base of the tower of cans he had pushed over to buy them time. The instant they were through the door, Brandon pushed as hard as he could against the dumpster he had found and wrenched it across the door, slamming it shut and trapping the wolves inside.

Gasping for breath, Auren lifted Nate off his shoulder to inspect his friend's wounds. The dark-haired boy had several cuts and marks across his chest, as well as a decent bite on his shoulder. The worst though, was the blotches of thick lupine precum that soaked through his tattered shirt and onto his skin, making Auren's stomach clench and twist. The blocked door banged loudly, jerking the group from their thoughts, and Auren hauled Nate back up on his shoulders. "Riku, lead the way! Brandon grab the bags! Come on lets get out of here!" With the vulpine youth taking point, the group headed away from the store as fast as they could, setting their sights on the safety of the Library.

---

Nate winced as Auren ran a small cloth over the cuts on his chest, biting his lip as the alcohol rub stung his injured flesh. His blonde friend flashed an apologetic smile as he continued cleaning the wounds, wiping away some of the dirt and grime. In the doorway, Riku and Brandon stood with worried expressions, knowing Nate's condition was worse than the few cuts on his chest. All three of them had seen the wolf's pre covering their friends chest, and knew exactly what it meant. He may have gotten away alive, but the damage was already done.

"Thanks," Nate grunted, pushing Auren's hands away as he covered himself up with the thin blanket. The dark-haired youth avoiding his friend's eyes as he shifted away from him, not having the courage to meet his face, knowing full well what was going to happen to him. Auren sighed, and jerked his head softly to the others, asking them to give the two of them some space. Riku nodded, and the vulpine closed the door gently, leaving Auren and Nate alone in the small room. Reaching out, Auren tried to touch Nate's shoulder softly. "Don't," his friend growled, moving away. "Just....don't....."

"Nate..."

"You should just leave, Auren," Nate said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Before I....I..."

"I'm not going anywhere," the denim-clad boy snorted, rising to put away the medkit he had been using. Looking at the door, the smallest part of his mind contemplated doing just that, before he shook his head and turned back to his friend. They had brought Nate back to their shelter in the Library, and taken him to a small, secure room in the back of the building. Seeing their friend covered in the wolf's sticky pre, they all knew it was only a matter of time before Nate started changing, the lupine's sexual fluids carrying its form of the infection that had hit the city. Halfway back to the Library, Nate had already started showing signs of getting sick, evidence that the infection was rapidly taking over his body. Hate it as they might, they knew the best course of action was to confine Nate until the change was over, in case their friend.....wasn't their friend anymore.

"Why did you come back for me?" Nate yelled, rolling over and sitting up, glaring at his friend, suddenly angry at the situation Auren had put him and the others in. "You should have left me there! I was already infected when it bit me, but now, you just put yourselves in danger!" His brown eyes were wide with sadness and fear, knowing full well he was a short time away from becoming something else. Something that could potentially hurt - or kill - his friends, and he would be powerless to stop himself.

A sharp, stinging slap hit his cheek, and Auren knelt down face-to-face with his friend on the dingy mattress. "Don't....even....think....that," he growled, making Nate look into his eyes as he stared back at his friend. "We left Reston behind at the school, and her screams will haunt me until the day I die. I was not going to leave you behind too!" Those twin pools of electric blue stare back at him, and in them, Nate felt a deeper, unspoken message calling out to him.

"But...Auren," Nate whispered, holding his stinging cheek and pleading with his friend through his own eyes. "I'm infected. We both know what that means W-what if I turn feral and go after you?"

The blonde-haired youth shook his head and sat back, his face a scowl. "Then I will pay the price. It was my call to go into the store.....its my fault you were infected."

"You know that's not true. You couldn't have known we'd get caught!"

"I knew there were wolves in there," Auren spat, kicking a lump of blankets away angrily. "And yet, I still persuaded you to go in, knowing damn well what the risks were." His electric blue eyes dimmed with the sheer weight of his regret. "I made the call, and you got attacked because of it. This is my fault." His head sagged and all the fight fell away from him. "I'm.....I'm so sorry, Nate."

The injured youth pulled himself forward, and dropping all his reservations, hugged his friend tightly. "I'm not mad at you, Auren," he whispered. "I could never be." Sighing, his companion returned the hug fiercely, holding Nate close to him as he fought back the tears building in his eyes. Together, they held the moment as long as they could, letting their body language say all that needed to be said and more. Letting go, Auren stood up and with a grunt, heaved the small cabinet against the door, blocking them in, and making Nate start in renewed panic. "Auren wha-what are you doing?!"

"I'm not leaving you," Auren said in a low voice, coming back to sit on the floor with his friend, his eyes looking at the floor for a moment before rising to meet his companion's. "I don't care what you turn into, I'm not leaving you." Before Nate could say anything, the youth reached over and took his friend's hand gently, giving it a small squeeze. "I didn't leave you in that store, and I'll be damned if I'm going to leave you now."

"But...you know what's going to happen to me," Nate whimpered softly.

"Yes," his friend said firmly. "And I don't care. If I can beat back a wolf trying to make you his own, then I can be here for you in the scariest moment of your life." His hand squeezed Nate's tighter, making the dark-haired youth blush and blink away his own tears. "You are my best friend, and I'm not going anywhere. No matter what. I....." His voice trailed off as he swallows past a lump in his throat, the youth seeming like he wanted to say more.

Nate smiled and felt his heart leap for Auren, his actions warming Nate to the core, despite the wave of chills caused by the twisting in his gut. Before he could open his mouth to say something more, something he had been wanting to say for a long time, a sudden gasp left him, and Nate clenched Auren's hand all the tighter as his body was wracked with spasms of pain and nausea, the boy doubling over on the floor. He felt Auren grip his hand harder as he came to stand over him, even as spots swam before his vision, and he felt the waves of heat and pinpricks flash though his body. His mind reeled as he felt his insides burn and shift, knowing that the infection had finally reached the nanites inside him.

"Unngh...Au-Auren! Its....its starting!"

///////////////////////////////////////////

Oh dear.....now its Nate's turn.

Come back to see how it turns out!