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I sobbed softly. This was no sanctuary. There was no harmony. This was a gathering of furs gone primitive with fear. Only Shadow's age-old gesture at the end had really made any impact on them.

Hate-filled furs.

We were unwanted here. Shadow was unwanted. I was unwanted, as I had been with my father... wherever he was. Rejection of a fur's existence as a worthy being... it always hurt.

Shadow took us back through the FurShopper. He helped me skirt the bodies occasionally blocking our path. My nose and eyes refused to raise as my long tail brushed the floor. After a brief period of wandering around I heard clinking cans.

Air freshener.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry.

"I don't even know if this will work well enough to get us out," he whispered. The bat tapped repeatedly on the floor as he thought.

A long moment passed. I managed to bring my eyes up a little, but I still clutched to Shadow's fur. More safety in the deep black fur than the darkness of the FurShopper.

"You okay?" he whispered in my ear, passing me a can.

I nodded mutely, taking the can. I hated this, and I felt awful.... But I would survive it, with him.

We walked towards a distant wall. Maybe it was the way we had entered. I was no longer sure; not that I cared. We were leaving this dark realm.

"Wait!" yelled Burt urgently, clattering up behind us. "They've agreed to let you stay for now. They'll be civil."

"I'd rather not be watching my back all the time," Shadow barked a harsh laugh over his shoulder and kept us going. I could see the bat swinging near the floor out of the corner of my eye.

"Wait, please." Howard approached us, flicking his tail. "I just found out what happened. I can vouch for you. You're both good furs."

"They don't know you either," Shadow pointed out, stopping us. "Your word won't convince them."

I heard several more furs gather behind us as we stood there. We were almost to the wall. I wanted to leave this place. It was hostile. I leaned forward and whimpered.

"Tyler, it's okay. I know you'll be safe here," reassured Burt. "I'll make sure of it," he rumbled.

I nodded vaguely, but took a step toward the wall anyway. Safer... maybe. At least there was a chance of safety, because here had proven hostile.

"Shadow, please." It was Jenny. "You need to stay at least through tomorrow morning. It may be pretty bad tomorrow, or the next day. You should both stay here at least past then."

I shuddered. If another bad Curtain came.... Would a normally safe place even hold? So frustrating being ignorant.

Shadow grumbled under his breath as the bat end tapped to the floor somewhere behind me. "We're free to go."

Burt sagged audibly. "Yes," his deep voice said quietly.

"Neither of us appear to be very welcome here...." Shadow shifted his footpaws.

"They need time," Jenny said.

"But they're okay with Howard?" growled Shadow. He turned to face them, putting himself at my back.

I took another step towards the wall. I'd had enough rejection in my life. I didn't want to fight it again. Not today, at least.

Shadow snagged a belt loop at my waist and held onto me as he faced Burt. "We won't stay if we're not welcome," he insisted.

"We'll welcome you," said Jenny. I heard her come nearer. "The others will too, in time."

I sighed and calmed myself. I was overreacting, I knew. This whole day had me unsettled, had me wanting to crawl into a hole until things resolved themselves. Cleared up on their own. The ups and downs of emotion had my head spinning.

"Tyler?" Shadow whispered to me.

I turned, putting the wall behind me. I saw Burt's foothooves and dragged my gaze up, almost hoping to find an excuse to retreat again.

Burt's large face drooped in sadness, but he grew cautiously hopeful as I gazed up at him. "I'll make sure it goes well, okay?"

Three new furs stood behind the three I had only met that morning. Burt's friend, the big rabbit we'd met when we had arrived was one. The two others were a raccoon and some strange looking fur whose species I didn't recognize. They watched cautiously, but tried to appear welcoming.

I remembered that moment in the car. When I had sheltered against Burt's broad side. I remembered his breathing shifting me and the sleeping bag around. The feeling of life beneath my shaking paws. Burt was alive. The other furs here were alive. I couldn't leave that. Hopefully, they couldn't turn away from the life in us either.

Decided then. I cleared my throat, my voice was faint in the dark air, "Your group was already on a trial-basis." I glanced at Shadow. "We'll continue a little longer, but consider this a breach of trust."

Shadow nodded.

Jenny looked regretful, her black-tipped tail hung sadly. Howard watched us almost neutrally.

Burt smiled slowly and gestured with a hoof. "Please come eat with us then? It's a good way to start out."

Shadow frowned, ready to refuse.

Enough hiding. If we were to stay.... We needed to try.

I gritted my teeth; best just to do it. I grabbed Shadow's paw firmly and dragged him along behind me, ignoring the corpses I stepped over. After a few stumbling steps he kept up, but his paw trembled in mine.

I heard the group of furs trail hurriedly behind us. Enough delay. We were hungry. If we were going to eat, we just needed to do it. If we were to face the furs, we just needed to do it.

If Shadow had any hope of acceptance here, I needed to help that. I could weather the hostility against us right? I had Shadow. I could... I needed to do this.

I pulled a stumbling wolf behind me through a crowd of startled furs. They gaped at me as we passed. I glowered at them, challenging them in the dim light to refuse us again. I didn't know how Shadow looked in that moment, I could only hope he was gaining strength from my firm grip.

I pulled Shadow over to one of several picnic tables near the cluster of tents. It was near the edge, my only concession.

I made Shadow sit down, and he blinked in confusion, though he managed to set the bat next to his leg. I sat next to him, close enough that my hip touched his. The touch steadied my nerves as I tried to appear resolute. Crossing my arms in front of me, I glared at the crowd.

Several of the gathered furs were still for a few seconds, muzzles agape. Burt and the others came up quickly.

Burt, Howard, and Jenny were followed by the rabbit.... What was his name? Stan? No... Steve. The female raccoon and the strange species of fur followed.

I looked around, frowning in disappointment when I saw the new wolf in the crowd of furs. She had not come to help fetch us. Helaina had obviously cared for the looks, but not the wolf, I decided. For whatever reason, she had not stuck her neck out at all.

"Right," said Steve, breaking the quiet. "Let's finish up and eat!"

"I'll get you two some food. Just sit and relax for a bit," Burt watched us carefully as he moved away.

The other furs who had followed us slipped in among the crowd.

Several furs looked guarded, but a mouse and an antelope appeared openly hostile. So much for a warm welcome. I wasn't sold on staying here. We should leave tomorrow.

"Hey, sorry I missed the excitement before," a massive gray fur stepped up to our table, trailed by a slender doe.

Already tense, I yelped in surprise. Shadow twitched hard, but otherwise didn't react.

"Pardon me, I have a bad tendency of startling furs," said the female rhino we had seen at our arrival. She shook her weighty head in chagrin, making the horn on her nose swing. She grinned suddenly, "My name's Siku Radi, but everyone calls me 'Sally'. "

I waved a paw shyly and said, "Tyler." I had been startled out of my glower.

"Sorry I wasn't here before. Steve and I were showing your friend Howard around the store. If either of us had been there, we would have never- ever! -have allowed that behavior in my store."

The slender doe peeked from behind Sally and nodded vigorously.

Shadow stared at other furs nearby, eyes jumping between them. He didn't seem willing to talk yet. When I gave him a nudge he managed a low, "Shadow."

"So I hear," said the rhino sitting on the other side of the picnic table. The doe behind her sat close to Sally and tried to look invisible. "You know Steve over there?" Sally asked pointing to the large fawn-colored rabbit, standing at a food-laden table.

"I know his name," I replied cautiously.

"He's a Flemish giant and Burt's partner. Both of them were cops."

I nodded. Ah, Burt had been a cop.

Shadow stared hungrily when someone opened a hot grill. He eagerly shifted next to me. He recovered quickly enough to be hungry already?

Sally pointed a padded hoof, "Steve went with Burt and his wife there - the pregnant cow, Michelle - to get checked out at the doc's. They all got stuck in an elevator that first day with that nice collie family."

I looked over at the collies, remembering them from earlier. The parents did not look very nice as they glared down long muzzles at us. They shepherded their two curious pups over to a distant table.

"They're the Patterson family. They went to their pediatrician that day and... well they all made it!"

I nodded, then stared at the table cloth.

"Ah," Sally sighed, ending with a grunt. "I didn't mean to make you feel down. Most of us lost pretty much everyone we knew."

I nodded, mutely. I didn't want to face this. The simple tablecloth was safer.

"She's not scaring you, is she boys?" asked a familiar deep voice.

I looked up, happy to see at least one familiar fur.

"No Burt! Don't sit next to me!" grunted Sally. "Sit over there with the pups before we break the table!"

Burt rose awkwardly from almost sitting. He was grinning and juggling plates piled with food. He sat next to me, and the plates clunked to the table.

Suddenly I was interested... famished. Grilled veggies, aluminum-wrapped potatoes, and fruits piled the plates.

Jenny sat on the other side of Shadow, placing two steaming bowls in front of us. A meaty soup.

All the food a growing young fur could want.

"Eat up pups," chimed Sally merrily. "We have all this produce in the FurShopper that needs eating before we have to throw it all out. Meat in the soup's from cans though."

Fresh food... after days of junk food. The only things we had eaten all day were odds and ends from the gas station.

The gas station seemed a lifetime ago, when we'd had no idea there were even other furs alive. Had we only left the farm yesterday? I didn't care as I started digging in, trying to keep pace with Shadow.

There was no hope for me though. There is a reason the phrasing is "wolfing food down" and not "foxing food down." He must have easily eaten three times what I ate in the same amount of time.

"You'd think they'd never seen food before," said Howard, dropping his suited goat butt on the other side of Sally.

My ears dropped in embarrassment, and I felt my ears burn beneath my fur. I willed my eating slower, but did not stop.

Shadow slowed briefly but then continued at the same wild pace with a shrug.

"We did have regular food a couple days ago," I said between bites, remembering the oatmeal. I consciously raised my ears and tried not to look so embarrassed.

Jenny laughed prettily around her meaty soup. "What have you been eating? Candy?"

"No," I said a little indignantly. "My mom would've been furious! ...um.... " I paused thinking. "We did eat all the food groups," I mumbled.

Shadow snorted, and pointedly slowed his eating to controlled nibbles. Enjoying his food, he said, "Jerky, chips, and dried fruit. Yum!"

I cringed, thinking of my mom saying similar words. "We weren't really in places we could cook much...."

Burt frowned. "What happened to you guys?"

I stopped eating. "We'll tell you another time.... Just not today, okay?" Maybe our experience wasn't even that bad, but chaos had touched us as well.

Shadow nodded, "Takes too long anyway. Food now." Good food had cheered him considerably. Easy to make him happy.

I really didn't feel like sharing with them what had happened. Even leaving out the... interesting things I had done with Shadow. It was too much to reflect on. My nerves were too shot today. I could feel him shift next to me where our legs touched. Maybe that simple contact and the food was enough to eliminate his hesitations, but it was not enough for mine.

Shadow finished as suddenly as he'd started. He leaned back and a belch rippled his lips.

Sally chuckled, "Good food, huh? Michelle - the cow - and Erin - the collie mother - make the food. Michelle's getting close, though. She can't do a whole lot more than be company while Erin cooks."

Burt muffled a laugh, "Roger, Erin's husband, has been telling me how much his wife is learning about cooking, now that there's no frozen dinners."

Jenny laughed around a bite of food, her whiskers twitching. "And Burt's so worried Michelle will drop any moment, she nearly had to chase him out to look for more survivors. Constantly hovering."

Burt mumbled a vague excuse.

Sally said, "He knew it was important to go, but his conscience wouldn't let him leave Michelle. He was attached to her hip so much she couldn't take a step without him. He tried to take her to the doctor's every week, even though the docs kept saying she showed no signs of labor."

Jenny smiled, "Michelle told Burt that Erin would be help enough if anything happened. She's been through it twice, after all. Even midwifed for a friend."

Howard nodded his horned head. "Females always seem to band together when one's pregnant. My ex was always having friends over to help her cook when she was carrying. Never trusted me in the kitchen."

"Erin's a good dog like that," Jenny pitched in.

"Yes. The collies are a good lot, give them a little time," said Sally, Glancing over at them. She bit into a large slice of melon, "Oh, that's good."

I looked at the collie family. They had all settled down with the red and white cow, Michelle, and she chatted lively with them. Michelle saw me watching and gave me a cheerful wave. The dog parents eyed us suspiciously. The male, Roger, even showed me his teeth when he caught me looking. No progress there.

Damn. So much for hope.

Also.... "Um..." I wasn't sure how to ask as I shifted in my seat. "Bathroom?"

Burt chuckled and pointed to the nearest wall. "Restrooms are back there. We made 'Camp' close to them."

I nodded and stood up.

Shadow stood with me, rubbing a plumped belly. "I'll go too," he said, grabbing the bat and flashlight.

Jenny snickered, "You're just like a couple of girls. Going to the bathroom together."

I shrugged. I would feel safer with Shadow there. "Ah, anything we need to do in there?"

Sally nodded into her melon, "Yeah. Don't use the toilets, they're all pressure flushed. We keep a portable commode back there."

"Make sure you use the 'boys' restroom," called Burt as we left.

Shadow and I were already on the edge of the gathering furs. At least we didn't have to move through them.

We left the flashlight standing by the sinks, and I went to relieve myself first. The restroom had a standing plastic toilet in the handicapped stall. It had been emptied recently.

Again, it felt reassuring on a basic level to use something... well, almost normal.

Shadow went in after I finished.

"It looks like a toilet using a walker," laughed Shadow from the stall.

The bathroom was pretty small for such a large store, another cost-cutting measure. The other two stalls had been closed and locked from the inside to keep furs out. The urinals had plastic covering them. No use using the facilities when they wouldn't flush. At least they had paw sanitizer over by the useless sinks.

"How often do you think they clean out the bucket?" I asked, looking in the mirror. My fur looked unkempt, but not too dirty. My raggedy appearance must not be helping our first impressions, though.

"Don't want to know." He stepped out, bat in paw and tail wagging. He grinned as we left.

There was a tense dip in the noise from the furs when we came back out. They self-consciously resumed whatever they'd been doing. Were we that much of a disturbance? A threat? I led the way to the table, where the brown and black Howard was pounding Sally and the slender doe with questions.

After a few minutes I gathered that Sally had been a manager in the FurShopper before the Curtain and the shy doe had been her employee.

Jenny got up for a hot drink, and Sally abruptly asked, "Did you see any sign of Peter out there? He said he might circle around to the same direction you left, Burt."

Burt sighed, "Sorry Sally, the only other fur we saw was Howard's friend, who we lost. No signs at all of other furs."

Sally nodded, then turned to Shadow and me. "He and Jenny got along nicely. If he never returns, it may break her."

Shadow nodded mutely beside me as the other furs quieted. I understood. It was difficult to keep going, and as each thing got ripped away, the will to go on would fade. The quiet stretched for a minute. Though, when Jenny returned, hot cup in paw, the conversation became lively again.

But... I was drooping towards the table. The excitement of the day had driven me. Now that things had settled, the world was going vague with fatigue. Shadow looked only slightly better, but he was still watchful.

Burt turned to me. "While you two napped, I had a few of the furs set up a tent for you. Your sleeping bags are in there whenever you're ready."

Shadow nodded and dragged me to my feet. I blinked and drooped as he supported my sleepy weight.

Burt led us away with his big flashlight. "We'll get you set up in a better tent later."

"If we stay," grumbled Shadow, gripping the bat.

The scattered skylights were dark. The small tent he led us to was set a little ways out from the rest. The others were a mix of big and little tents. Looks like most preferred the larger ones though.

"Just a basic tent to start you out with, okay?" Burt pointed his hoof. "I thought for this first night, you might need some space...."

I shrugged, too tired to care. Inside, it was cramped, but I immediately lay down on top of the nearest sleeping bag. Smelly.

"We aired them out a bit, but they still smell like that air freshener," Burt said. He was probably rubbing a horn.

I felt Shadow crawl in next to me and settle in, sitting up in the low tent.

"We didn't have much time tonight to set you up, but get some sleep. Things should look better in the morning."

Who knew. Maybe things would be better....

The tent was zipped up.

Immediately Shadow pulled up a groggy me. He rearranged the bags while I pulled off my clothes, down to my boxer-briefs. I lay on a completely unzipped bag and he pulled the other unzipped bag over us. He snugged in close behind me and edged closer, finding more contact.

It was comfortable, and I poked at the sleeping bag under me.

"They have sleeping pads underneath, so it's soft," Shadow whispered in my ear. He moved in close with a sigh and placed the bat just past my curled paws. His paw snaked around my waist, holding me close.

I could feel his bare chestfur against my back as I drifted away.

***

Shadow jumped behind me, pulling me abruptly out of my sleep.

I tensed and opened my muzzle. Before I could make a peep, his paw locked over my lips. He was still and tense behind me.

I shivered. Something was wrong.

A quiet pawstep sounded close, outside the tent.

There was the faintest light coming from the direction of "Camp". They must leave one light on during the night. It was not enough of a light to cast a shadow on the tent....

Another set of steps approached the tent. Hooves.

But they were too light to be Burt's....

Shadow tensed, ready to rise, and pulled the bat closer. It was dark with dried gore.

"They haven't left? You're sure?" whispered a voice I didn't recognize.

"They're in there," replied a second whisper.

Shadow breathed a tiny growl, inaudible past my ear. He carefully moved, so slowly. He pushed the sleeping bag off and sat up silently. I could see him dimly. His paw was no longer over my muzzle, but I kept still... alert.

"Anything happen? They been going out at all?"

"Nope, just crawled in and went quiet. Watched the whole time."

I shuddered. How close had this fur been while we slept? Shadow's paw settled on my hip, gripping it solidly. The other paw held the bat to his bare chest.

"We can't relax with them here. You never know what they might be capable of," whispered the first.

"If they come out at all, just be sure to make them sorry they ever set paws here. No one will miss them, I'm sure."

The two furs shifted on paws and hooves, quietly speaking nasty threats in even fainter whispers. The threats escalated, as if they tried to outdo each other. Pain, torture, humiliation, death....

Things they would do with our severed tails....

Suddenly, I wished I had my ice scraper with me. Where... damn! It was still in the car. I was useless again.

Minutes passed, threats sounded just beyond the tent walls. Some fur ran something - paw? hoof? something worse? - lightly down the side of the tent.

My teeth were cooling. I realized my lips had pulled back from my teeth on their own. Ordinarily, I should have been embarrassed. Modern furs were considered pretty crude to show teeth without thinking. Well... most modern furs didn't have strange furs threatening death and torture right outside their sleeping areas when there was no social structures to protect them.

A tiny growl rose in my throat. An involuntary expression of my tension.

"Hey!" said a low voice in alarm. Hooves thudded up.

It was Burt, arriving.

The two furs shuffled a little away.

"What the- Blood and fur! Get away from there!" Burt's low voice sounded furious.

"Now Burt, we haven't done anything wrong."

Burt dropped his voice to a furious whisper, but he moved forward an extra step, "This is harassment! Stalking! Intimidation! Give me that.... You too.... Leave the pups alone!"

"We didn't try to enter their tent or anything."

"We only wanted to make sure-"

"I don't care about the reason. This is wrong. Go back to your tents. Now! We'll talk about this in group tomorrow."

"No need to bring every fur into this...." grumbled one, hooves moving away.

"We're here to keep them safe too...." said the other with a grunt, but that fur also faded.

"I would have thought you two were better than this," rumbled Burt.

Angry mutterings left.

Shadow's paw relaxed on my hip, but he didn't move.

Burt came close to the tent and whispered, "I don't know if you're awake or not.... I'll bring this up tomorrow to the group. I know we're better than this." He sighed, "I just hope you can see it in time."

His heavy hoofs wandered slowly away.

I sat up. Finally feeling I could move again. Staying still for so long had increased my sense of unease.

"I think we should leave." Shadow wrapped an arm around me.

I nodded into his shoulder. "We have to wait until after the Curtain. We don't know what's changed with the zombies."

Shadow growled in frustration. "I want to leave now."

"How long? How long was that one out there?" I asked. When I got no answer, I tried, "All this time?"

He sighed and nodded.

"Lay back down, Shadow. Did you get any sleep?"

He shrugged. Pretty much a no.

"You sleep, then. I'll be awake a while, okay?" I rubbed his backfur.

We lay down, facing each other. I set his head to my shoulder and set the bat nearby. If I could protect him in any way from this, I needed to do it. Find out how.

He shivered against me for a while, licking my chestfur occasionally. He finally did relax, and his breathing evened out.

This was becoming a major problem.

I'd always assumed that at least the older furs had grown to see past rumors they'd never seen any actual proof of. Treatment of this sort had been bad in my school. Any fur that was marginalized was given various abuses. I'd been quick on my feet and avoided too much attention, but I had seen cruelty and paranoia in furs before. Wolves were often marginalized and demeaned wherever they went.

This was the sort of prejudice that would not go away on its own. Sometimes things change abruptly, but that was not likely to happen. Shadow would not suddenly become the adult version of "cool"... whatever that would be.

No. The best thing would be to leave.

Well, we had a carload of space to fill; no more passenger space....

I felt cold and heavy. The empty feeling grew in me.... I was disgusted. By them, by our situation, and even by our helplessness to stop it.

We needed supplies from the FurShopper. Unfortunately, they might not be very accommodating. Even if they had far more supplies than they could use any time soon, their behavior suggested we might not even be able to stock up. We could always go back to the gas station and pick up our old gear....

No. Even if I missed the things from home, it was not worth sacrificing ourselves to get it back. Take what we had and leave. Go somewhere empty.

Hold out until after the Curtain. Then we could leave.

I gathered my thoughts. Deciding what to take if the group allowed; deciding what we'd need immediately if we left without anything.

It kept me up, along with my tension from before.

Sometimes, I gently stroked Shadow's back. Especially when he moved restlessly. I'd gotten enough sleep. I knew he must really need his.

Thoughts and more thoughts until it grew lighter than the dim lamps of "Camp" provided.

>>>>[[NOTE: DAY 8]]<<<<

Small sounds from outside the tent told me that someone was an early riser. Time slowly passed and the dim light grew... less dim. The little skylights were not enough to light the superstore well.

Shadow came slowly awake, nuzzling in my chestfur. I licked an ear firmly and slowly as he sighed.

After a few minutes, I felt him lick, then nip at my fur and the tender skin beneath.

I twitched after a harder nip. "Hey," my ribs shook with repressed laughter. "Stop that!"

"You smell good enough to eat," he mumbled somewhere near my armpit.

"Then we should eat."

His arm flexed around me, and he wiggled closer. Of course he was hard... again.

I snickered into the thinner fur on his head. "It's like it never calms down."

"I have my needs," he complained.

"Needs for another time. They'll hear us like this, you know."

"So? You know they do stuff like that too. Any fur does... usually."

I didn't want to know....

"Food," I wiggled away and started to get up.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me down again. I had not gotten far, and his tongue dug into my belly button.

I yipped and giggled as his tongue tickled around. I wiggled around in glee on the tent floor.

I managed to grab my clothes and pull my shirt on before I sagged, sitting up and gasping for breath. After a brief respite, the tickling continued as I gasped and giggled.

He was shoving his cold, wet nose into my bellyfur. He jabbed in with his tongue, making loud, snuffling noises under my shirt.

When he moved his head lower, nudging my sleeping self, I clutched his head and gasped. He licked at that special area through my boxer-briefs, and I felt myself hardening.

This really was not the best time. Or place.

But it felt amazing....

I slapped gently at a paw holding my waist. Trying to hold in any extra noises, I tried to sound serious as I said. "Really, I think we should get ready to leave."

He paused and looked up at me. He looked disappointed, but accepting. As he released me he smirked and said, "Okay, but I know you want to try this too."

My eyes widened, and I grinned at the possibilities. That was a definite yes.

With a satisfied grin, he pulled his clothes on as I finished with mine.

I was the first out of the tent. "Food first," I whispered back to him.

He nodded his agreement, right before his stomach gurgled.

"Didn't you just stuff yourself last night?"

"Hey, I slept it off. Now I'm hungry again." He picked up the bat. Well, he didn't have the security of his backpack....

I led the way to the tables. Two furs were there.

Shadow tensed, but I continued towards them, watching cautiously.

It was the strange fur whose species I didn't recognize and the female raccoon I had seen Jenny greet when we arrived. They had come with Burt and the others to convince us to stay.

"Hey," said the female raccoon who looked to be only a little older than we were. "I'm Ruby. The shy one over there is Clovis." She pointed with a gray paw to the strange creature.

"I'm Tyler, and this is Shadow."

Shadow was staring, fascinated by the strange fur. The bat hung loosely in his paw.

I had to admit, I had no idea what species he was. His eyes seemed to stay fully wide and round... a little unnerving.

"Clovis! Don't be so shy, come say hello to Tyler and Shadow."

Clovis the... something... moved forward on... claws? Fingers?

He gave a tiny wave with long, delicate fingers. "Hello," he said in a quiet voice.

I smiled back. He seemed genuinely shy. Neither of the two were pulling away from us. Neither seemed to be one who had "watched" our tent.

I tilted my head, then tilted it again. "I'm sorry. Um... I just have no idea what species you are," I admitted.

Clovis chuckled, "I'd rather have you ask, believe me. I'm an aye-aye. We're pretty rare in this part of Furdom."

Shadow nodded, "I've never heard of your species, but I was raised...."

"Among wolves?" asked Clovis in his small voice. "I've known some of your kind. Wolves have problems fitting in just like my species."

"Really? Hmmm. I'm not even sure I recognize the species name..." I said, embarrassed. I had read up on all sorts of furs. Though I had to admit, there were always more I didn't know about.

"Like wolves, aye-ayes don't learn much about the outside world. Most of us are unaware anything exists far beyond our little patches of forest."

I was confused. In modern times, there were still such distant furs?

"I look strange to you, yes?" he asked, swishing a long bushy tail. A tail like a black fox, only longer and without a tip....

I mumbled my agreement, feeling awful I still thought him strange.

"Most furs do. Aye-ayes remain so hidden because the local furs are terrified of us. Far more than furs here are of wolves."

Shadow looked intrigued. His ears leaned forward to catch every syllable from the small muzzle.

Clovis made a shrugging gesture. "Local legend has it that even sighting one of us is terrible luck. A sign that a fur in the area will die. They think if an aye-aye points at a fur, that fur will die," he held up his slim fingers, and I saw that the middle one was even longer than the others. "They say the only way to avoid death is to kill any of us on sight."

I shuddered. Even imagining a world like that.... I was nearly in it now with those things outside. But these were live, thinking furs Clovis was talking about.

Clovis looked between us... thoughtfully? "We're distantly related to lemurs, who are even among the locals. They don't care about the Furdom laws when it comes to the safety of their families."

"Can you kill a fur by pointing your finger?" Shadow bent lower to examine the pad-ended fingers.

"If we could, we wouldn't hide in the forest all the time. We're actually bold by nature, so many young aye-ayes wander around without thinking." The strange fur twitched an ear. "Wolves at least understand there's a world beyond their lands, my kind often do not."

"But don't the locals know that it's all myth," I asked. It suddenly felt imperative to know furs could change misconceptions, superstitious or otherwise.

"They're too terrified to try." Clovis shivered. "It all seems true to them. Any evidence given is explained away in their fear."

So there really was no hope. Furs could not change opinion quickly at all.

"Well," chimed in Ruby, "I think he's pretty cute!" She gave him a hug and kissed him on his grayish cheekfur.

I shrugged and peered at him. It was hard to tell. Cute? Ugly? My mind couldn't seem to decide. He definitely had a strange look to him.

"Grab some food, young furs. There's some laid out." Ruby gestured to the closest table. "Clovis and I were going to bed down in a few hours. We're nocturnal furs, you know."

"My friend Eric was the same way. Never liked mornings." I paused, "He was a raccoon, lived two doors down."

Ruby gave me a cautious pat on the back, "Clovis and I worked together. Nighttime photography, our little niche. The first day, we were up late, trying to finish a project in the darkroom, when... that thing happened."

We gathered food and sat together at the table. The bat was set next to Shadow's leg, and his paw settled to my knee.

"Tyler calls it the Curtain," said Shadow around a muzzleful of food. He didn't hold back when there was lots available. At least he was eating slowly again.

"Curtain? Did you see it?" asked Clovis.

I nodded as we settled down to breakfast. I went over what I had seen.

When I was finished, Ruby leaned back, her eyes blinking in her black-masked face. "I think the only other one here that's seen it is the antelope? You know the one?"

I shook my head.

"His name's Sandahwe. He's a springbok," Ruby said.

I tried to sound it out.

"He also goes by Sanway a lot." Ruby said, popping a berry into her muzzle. "Yum." Her ringed, bushy tail swung in a pleased circle. "There's a lot of foreign furs around here. Furs from distant parts of Furdom. They come for jobs. Some even try to cross into Featherdom - it's not too far away from here, you know."

I thought for a moment. "So... you were in a darkroom? What makes a place safe from the Curtain?"

Clovis peered at me with his wide eyes. "Ah, whatever it is, it definitely needs the light to move around. Anything transparent is a gateway. Glass, plastic, water. The space doesn't need to be airtight or anything. Even a few minuscule pinpricks might be okay, but we don't know for sure, yet."

I tilted my head curiously.

Clovis nodded a head sprouting several wild, white-tipped hairs. "When the thing, existing in the light, touches you or envelopes you... that's when it kills. Seeing it seems to be harmless, as both you and Sandahwe seem to be fine."

Ruby nodded seriously, "We met Burt's family and the collies the next morning. We traded notes and were right in front of the darkroom when the second one was coming. We were very, very lucky."

Clovis nodded, "Sadly, I could well be the last of my kind now. We never made permanent places to stay."

I shivered, unsettled by his story. Shadow was unnaturally still, gaping at the strange fur in renewed fascination.

Furs were trickling in for their breakfast. Shadow and I grew more watchful and silent. After last night, our safety was not guaranteed.

Ruby and Clovis occasionally drew us into talking, but they too were quieting.

Clovis really did look unusual. He was a pretty dark color, but the hairs around his neck were white on the ends. His wide, orange eyes closed slowly, only to pull all the way open again. Nose and ears... like a bat maybe?

He was unusual enough to creep out the youngest pups, but I couldn't see how anyone could immediately think of him as "evil".

I looked over at Shadow. He was a deep black all over. He had a few clipped patches in his fur, and I knew he must have scarring under all that fur. The muzzle scar was the only visible mar on him. I didn't think he looked "evil" either.

I sighed and pushed away a bowl of cherries. "We need to start packing," I whispered into Shadow's ear.

He nodded and rose.

"Hold on there, pups," Burt said walking up to us between the still-groggy furs.

Shadow tensed and growled. He gripped the dirtied bat tightly.

"Ah- Well, I don't know if you heard what happened outside your tent last night..." Burt drifted off, rubbing the back of his black neck.

I carefully tried to make no look at all, but Shadow openly growled louder. Nearby furs skirted a little further away as they passed by. They probably only saw a violence-leaning wolf, not a wronged and offended fur.

Burt sighed, "I need to bring this up to the group. Preferably after they eat...."

I frowned and stepped away. I wouldn't wait that long.

"Right," he nodded, "just wait while I get Steve and Sally to round up everyone."

Shadow shrugged, but glared at some furs behind Burt suspiciously.

We sat back down with Ruby and Clovis; they were yawning, well adjusted to night life.

Shadow held my paw. I could feel him grip and release it nervously.

After a few minutes, Sally stomped among the picnic tables, followed by a skittering doe. "Furs! We have an urgent meeting. Gather immediately. Wake anyone else not up yet."

"Everyone?" asked Roger, the collie father. He shook his head in annoyance, making his rich white ruff of fur ripple around his neck.

"Everyone!" Sally grunted her insistent order.

A space at the center of the of picnic tables was cleared. Sally and Steve stood in the middle, apparently leading the group. The doe moved to sit at a table. Burt stood off to the side, almost like a bailiff.

"Is this everyone? Even the furs watching the roof?" Sally demanded.

Burt nodded, frowning. "Everyone seems to be here."

Clovis looked around, yawning. His eyes were still wide even when he was tired. He drew some poorly hidden stares from a few furs, but otherwise seemed accepted here.

It didn't matter. We were about to leave this place.

"Right!" Sally yelled. "I'm disappointed in you. What you have let happen here."

Furs around the circle of tables stiffened.

Steve raised his voice surprisingly loud for a rabbit, "Burt tells me that he caught Sanway and Rusty outside the young pups' tent last night."

A few furs murmured to each other.

The Flemish giant didn't wait for silence, "Trying to guard them through the night.... Threatening them. With knives and guns!"

Murmurs grew in shock.

"What have they done?" Sally gestured a padded hoof at Burt and Jenny, who sat with her white fur puffed in sudden fury, "They brought ours safely back to us. We invited them in. We fed them. Then we threatened their lives and safety."

Howard shook his curved horns and looked around at the furs in dismay.

"I would say in any culture, that would be highly unethical. Rude. Primitive." Steve rumbled, twitching long rabbit ears.

The tables were silent for seconds, then an angry murmur grew.

"Even in primitive cultures, there are guest rights." Sally said and stared at each fur. Many dropped their eyes in shame. They quieted.

Clovis turned his wide-eyed stare to us, blinking slowly. I decided he was shocked.

Burt called, "Rusty, Sanway. Get your asses up here and face these pups like furs!"

Feet shifted and two furs slowly rose.

Sanway was the springbok, and that meant Rusty must be the mouse. On any street in Furnonn, I would have thought them ordinary furs. The general kind you would see everywhere.

The two stepped forward, trying to appear stalwart. But the closer they got to Steve's severe frown and Sally's rage, the lower the mouse's head hung in shame. A loud sniffle came from Rusty, the gray mouse. The springbok, Sanway, twitched his ears and looked testy.

Steve stepped up to them. "I would never have believed that this would happen here." He turned to the circle of furs, flicking his puff tail. "We've even discussed this kind of thing happening a few nights ago! We have opened our doors to any and every fur who manages to survive this far. Now you suddenly want to refuse someone the safety here?"

"They could be dangerous. It's for the safety of us all!" protested Roger.

Ruby stood; the modest raccoon raised her voice. "What if Jacob developed a cough and fever. Would you accept throwing him out claiming it -might- be the plague? Would you help get rid of him for us all?"

"Of course not!" the collie shouted back, flicking his dark ears. "That has nothing to do with this!"

"Because he's a pup? What if it wasn't a pup, and it was your wife.... What if it weren't your pup, but someone else's.... What if it was a complete stranger? Would you?" She looked around at the furs, "Would any of you -dare- to condemn a fur based on such a vague assumption?!"

Mixed reactions came from the crowd. Not looking promising.

Shadow shifted next to me. He wanted to leave this meeting of unstable furs.

"What do we even know about them?" shouted Steve, facing the crowd. "Do we know they are dangerous?"

"How would we know before we end up dead?" sneered Sanway the springbok.

Steve stepped right in front of the antelope, his voice was dangerously low. "What have they done? Have the shown themselves to be violent? Hostile?" The rabbit's voice raised, carrying to the furs in a practiced tone. "We have shown -ourselves- to be violent and hostile. It reflects well on them that they have not reacted in kind."

There was only silence.

"What do we -know- about them? Not rumor, not conceptions - fact."

Still silence.

"...Anyone?"

Jenny stood up, flicking her black-tipped tail. "Shadow's protective of Tyler," she clearly stated, then sat firmly down.

Howard nodded his black-marked head. He cleared his throat and softly said, "Tyler drives surprisingly well for how young he appears to be."

"Anyone else?" Steve waited, his puff tail flicking impatiently. "What? No creeping in the night, rooting around in your belongings? Making off with your children in the dead of night?"

I saw Helaina staring at us and at the angry pair in the middle. She made no sound or gesture.

"He's black!" yipped the male collie pup, pointing at Shadow. Jacob probably, from what we'd heard last night.

"He has pretty eyes!" chimed the female pup Diana, not to be outdone by her brother. "They both have pretty eyes," she stated, raising her long muzzle in pride.

"He's a wolf..." started someone in the crowd. I missed who.

"Yes, he is a wolf. So?" Steve turned, staring at them. "Helaina's okay, but he's not... why? Because he has a scar? Because he's black? ...We all know Clovis' story. We felt badly for him. Can you honestly say you're any different right now than the furs who lived in his part of Furdom?"

This was turning into a scolding for furs of all ages. An elderly cat looked irritable but said nothing. Only the two pups seemed unfazed, gazing curiously around or playing with toys and silverware.

"You're trying to defurize them in your minds to justify throwing them to the zombies out there?" asked Sally. "No pretending! They're not ferals! They're furs!"

Burt stepped forward, gripping two shoulders firmly. "Sanway, Rusty, I think you should have something to say to two innocent furs, barely more than pups...."

They stood together in front of our table.

Shadow's paw gripped mine in alarm. He growled and whimpered under his breath. The furs who had proved themselves dangerous were close.

I knew; they were within striking distance, an instinctively vulnerable area. They could easily still refuse to accept us. I had seen it so many times before. They would refuse. The crowd would seem sympathetic, but some would secretly still despise us.

Rusty looked shocked, like he'd never seen us before. I knew exactly what he saw. A lean wolf fidgeting in alarm and an undersized fox.

"I-I'm sorry," he gasped. "I-I don't know what happened.... It all seemed too much, and then..." he trailed off.

I nodded hesitantly. I understood how fear could drive a fur to do terrible things, but he really had taken it too far.

Sanway frowned and said, "Sorry for that." He didn't seem that sorry, only sorry he had been caught. Some furs are beyond ordinary reach.

I stared at him, mutely. Shadow wouldn't even look at him. Well, at least Rusty had not refused us.

"Are we done?" the antelope asked Burt grumpily.

Burt frowned, then turned to the crowd. "This is why we had Furdom laws regarding this, everyone! It's still important we keep at least some semblance of being furs here."

There were more nods from the tables. Many at least looked thoughtful.

Steve assigned the day's tasks. Sally dismissed everyone to their work as the slender doe rejoined her. Carrying out the many bodies still in the store was on most furs' list.

Clovis and Ruby said encouraging things to us that I didn't really hear. Burt came up after he'd seen everyone else off. Shadow and I were still sitting quietly at our picnic table.

"You're welcome to stay. They'll treat you well now, don't worry," he said forcing cheer into his deep voice.

I briefly looked at my paw, open on the table with its blunt claws. "I'm sorry, Burt. But I think we're still leaving," I spoke barely above a whisper.

Shadow nodded mutely beside me, holding the bat firmly.

Burt's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"They'll pity us now... but hearts won't change overnight. It's just not safe here...."

"I thought we could get to know you," he gave a tiny sniff. "You two are such good furs!" He blinked damp eyes rapidly. "It's too dangerous out there. I really want you to stay!"

I nodded and said softly, "We know.... We'll be packing some things from the store... if that's alright."

"I might leave with you when you go," said Howard, his clicking hooves coming up behind Burt. "I think I may need to find somewhere else."

Burt sagged. His nose tried to touch his massive chest. "I won't stop you. You're free to go. Just... think about staying?"

I shrugged. There wasn't much to think about. Not really.

As Shadow and I wandered off, Burt called, "We blow whistles around the FurShopper before we close everyone up for midday. Be sure to come. Right here to Camp."

I nodded and Shadow was silent next to me as we left to gather supplies.

It went fast. Most of what wasn't in my car, we found quickly. I pulled extra gear for Howard into our heavily loaded cart. As the cart got heavier, it was harder to push between the few bodies still in the store.

Shadow and I picked out a few new clothes, not taking the time to be picky. We finished up at the tent, the laden cart waiting outside. The sleeping bags and pads were rolled up in silence.

Shivering, we lay on the bare floor of the tent, snuggling close and breathing in scent. It was comforting, but did not erase the tension. We held each other until the whistles blew.

Furs gathered in the camp, staring at our cart and whispering to each other. A few made hesitant greetings, but it no longer mattered. Most understood we were leaving and didn't bother sticking their necks out. I was disappointed to see Helaina edge away from us as well.

Turned out their "safe" place was the restroom. Actually, both were used, to accommodate all the furs. Burt led the way into one, followed by Howard. The boys' restroom. Ah, I'd still have to wait to get a glimpse inside girls' territory.

Burt explained on the way that there were a few other places that worked, but this was easier to keep track of furs. "Floor's have been cleaned," Burt assured us, guiding us in.

Michelle stood next to him, smiling sadly at us as she gestured us in.

The floor was mostly covered with blankets and comforters. I clutched Shadow's shirt, and we settled into the far corner, drawing away from the other furs. Our spot was near the cleaned and folded commode.

Shadow and I sat quietly. He held me and the bat close.

After a minute, I saw Sanway and an old female cat slip out. Our very presence was so horrible? It was another reminder that things don't change just because of a pretty speech.

Nothing mattered. The only thing that mattered now was our prepared cart waiting right outside and the approaching Curtain.

Howard sat near us, looking withdrawn from the surrounding furs. Michelle settled nearby, but left us space.

Burt met Steve at the door, and they checked their lists of names, making sure every fur in the superstore was present. Steve left to close up the other bathroom. The door closed, and the bottom was covered by a thick layer of blankets and anchored by packages of play sand.

Don't put all your furs in one restroom. Well, there was not enough room to comfortably fit all the furs anyway.

Burt tapped twice on the wall, and I heard a dim return of two taps from the other restroom.

I wasn't curious about it; I didn't care. As long as it worked and we could leave this place. Perhaps it was no longer directly hostile, but the furs' reservations and fears remained. They would only build over time.

"Everyone quiet down," said Burt. When the bathroom was silent, he said, "This one or the next one will be bad. Try to relax. Any tension might make it worse."

There were nods and murmurs from the gathered furs.

"Ah, Burt! It's kinda hard to relax now that you've told us," commented Michelle, rubbing her pregnant belly.

Ruby waved to us from where she sat with Clovis. She was rubbing his ears and the aye-aye was slowly blinking his wide, orange eyes. Jenny was settled on her other side, twitching her little ears nervously. Howard smiled in response to them and lay down on the floor.

I curled up on the floor with Shadow, blocking my awareness of everything else around us. All I needed was him. His deep, black fur was even darker in the dim light of the bathroom. A darkness I could fall into. I dug my nose in where his neck and shoulder met, drawing deep breaths of wolf into me. He was doing the same to me as we lay quietly. Safe. Safe here.

It was the two of us. My awareness of other things nearby faded. There was nothing else in my world. Only him and his scent drawn up into my muzzle, invading my lungs. I closed my eyes, and all I could see in my dark eyelids were bright golden eyes. Shadow. Bardawulf.... The being that was, made this life.

Vibrations rose around us, but all I was focused on were the vibrations of his life. The floor under the blanket vibrated, but Shadow breathed. I relaxed.

The world beyond hummed.

The Curtain dropped.

It fell... quietly.

Not too bad....

The quiet that grew and overwhelmed everything. The world trembled violently, in a tiny way. Each moment a new escalation.

Subtle vibrations. Became wrenching. Claws of no existence traced every groove of my skull, slipping into my brain. They scritched trails into my brain, trying to pull everything out my ears, my eyes, my muzzle. My teeth vibrated into my skull. My claws felt like they dug in backwards, into my knuckles.

Each inch of me felt too much, feeling the silence that became the pain.

Tiny bits of me tried to squeeze out through every pore.

Claws, real or unreal - it didn't matter. Vibrations spreading.

He was gone.

I was alone.

Alone with shrieking claws. I was lost. Nothing existed beyond the vibrating pain. The pain grew beyond pain. Then the new pain faded and became nothing.

It was still there, but I was gone. It had become my being, and I had become the screeching pain. I no longer felt it; I had become it.

There was only me - a being of pain - and the vibrations. Vibrations which hid a rhythm. The rhythm became me, pain.

And it stopped.

And I stopped.

There was nothing. When the rhythm ended, I was simply gone.

The end of my rhythm.

And it was the end of me.

[NOTE: If you're sick of this story, you can always stop here... otherwise: there's more! I want to see them become stronger!]