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Chapter 5

Afraid to Fail

Vergennes had studied over ten hours for his Anatomy and Physiology final. But now that the night before the exam had arrived and there was only one week left of school, he felt he could no longer put his muzzle into the textbook. Sitting at a table in the library with his study group consisting of Burn and Shard, who were both looking at their notes, Vergennes leans back in his chair so that the front legs are in the air and rests his footpaws on the table. Crossing his legs and closing the textbook and bringing his paws behind his head, the otter looks up at the dreary ceiling and lets out a long sigh.

"I. Cannot. Study. Anymore." The otter groans as he closes his eyes and rocks his chair forward and back.

"Well, help us study then." Burn replies, throwing his notes at the unsuspecting otter.

"Hey!" Vergennes complains as the papers hit his face and his chair rocks forward and slams the front legs to the ground. "Alright. Fine. What is the tissue type for the small intestine?"

"Simple squamous epithelium!" Shard shouts with his muzzle and eyes buried in his crossed arms on the table.

"No fair. I didn't even get a chance to say anything!" Burn laughs as he makes a next question gesture with his paw.

"What comes first, bicuspid or tricuspid valves in the heart?" The otter says, looking at his two study buddies.

Snapping his paw-fingers together, Burn shouts out, "The tricuspid! Because it's on the right side of the heart." Knowing that he got the answer correct, the red-wolf smiles.

"Yeah." Vergennes nods as he turns the notes over.

God. Why do I need to know this? I'm going into Athletic Training. Not Biology or Medical school. Verg thought as he sets the papers on the table and sighs again.

"Alright, guys. I'm going to go to bed. It's eleven o'clock. Thanks for working out with me earlier Burn. And thanks for both of you coming and studying with me. I'll see you at the final." Vergennes says exhaustedly as he picks up his textbook and notes for the last time, and heads out of the room.

"See you, V" Burn replies, grabbing his notes again and shuffling through them.

"Later, buddy." Shard replies, his face and eyes still hidden in his forearms.

Walking out of the mildew smelling library, Vergennes takes a deep breath and heads to the dormitories alone.

_Whatever happens, happens. Whatever grade I get, I get. It's out of my paws now. I've done well on all my other lecture finals. It's time to do well on this last one._He thinks as he turns and opens the dormitory hall doors.

I can do this.

The otter opens his dorm door and walks in. Careful not to wake Lance, Vergennes sets his books and notes on his desk and crawls in bed, fully clothed, and falls asleep. However, nightmares about failing his Anatomy final and not getting into the AT program plagued his restless sleep. Nine hours later, Vergennes awakes to the last alarm of the year and gets ready for the exam.

Pulling on a pair of grey slim jeans and a casual red v-neck shirt, the otter walks out of the dorm with a cup of coffee in hand made from his and Lance's Keurig, and walks to the Science Hall slowly in an after lunch haze to his three o'clock final. Every step seeming to bring more and more dread into Vergennes' body. By the time the slowly walking otter reaches the science hall, Burn, Shard, and Lance had all caught up to him, chatting eagerly about what they think will be on the test.

"Hey, V. You okay?" Burn asks, wrapping a tattooed arm around Vergennes' shoulders and squeezing him.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Whatever I get I get. I've put a lot of studying into this test, and I believe I'm going to do well." Vergennes replied, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking down. His long and powerful tail dragging behind him.

"How much did you study?" Burn asked, removing his arm and looking at the otter as the four of them ascended the stairs to the Science Hall.

"Eight hours." Vergennes said as he pulled the entrance door open and letting the three others in first.

"Thanks, and shit bro! Eight hours. You should do good with that amount." Burn replied as they reached the classroom. Pulling the lecture door open and taking a seat in the third row, sitting between Shard and Burn, Vergennes takes out a pencil and taps it nervously on the small desk.

"Don't be nervous, V. You'll do fine." Burn said, punching the distant otter's shoulder.

"Thanks, Burn." Vergennes replies blushing slightly.

"Now, can you stop tapping your pencil?" The red-wolf laughed.

"Y-yeah. Sorry. Just nervous." Vergennes said as his ears twitched and Professor Langurt, a young, skinny gazelle with a doctorate in Biology, walked in carrying a stack of papers.

"Good afternoon class!" She called merrily.

"Good afternoon professor," a few students muttered back.

"Well! We're finally here! The last test of the year. Ah, it is about eighty questions and ten short answer questions. Any last comments?" She looks around expectantly with wide eyes and an enthusiastic smile. "No? Well, without further a due, I'll hand out the exam!" She smiles widely again and starts walking around, giving each student an answer bubble sheet and a test packet.

Vergennes could hear his heart beating faster as Professor Langurt reached his row. Handing out the test packet and answer bubble sheet to Burn and Shard, the professor hands Vergennes his with a smile, and walks to the other students. The otter's heart was in his throat as he looks down at the start of the exam, and he could bet anyone money that Burn could hear it with his lupine ears. Feeling a bump on his arm, Vergennes quickly looks over to his right. Burn had nudged his arm with an elbow and was looking at him sneakily so that the professor couldn't see, with his eyebrows raised in a questioning expression, as if to say, "You good?"

"Yeah. I'm good." Vergennes whispers back, giving his friend a nod. Burn smiles lightly and starts filling in answers on his answer sheet.

"I can do this." Vergennes whispers out loud to himself as he presses his pencil to the answer sheet, and fills in his first answer.

...

"Alright! Do I have everyone's exams?" Professor Langurt asked as she paces the front of the room, in front of her large desk. "Yes? Okay then! Have a nice summer break, and thank you all for such a great year." She said as she walked around the desk and collected the papers into a pile. Everyone stood up and began to file out of the room. Occasionally saying "thank you," and "have a nice summer," to professor Langurt.

"We're done boys!" Shard roared as they exited the science hall, wrapping his arms around both Vergennes' and Burn's shoulders.

"Yeah. Summer break is only four days away!" Burn said smiling as his tail wagged behind him walking down the stairs.

"It's too bad that Lance dropped out of the Anatomy Lecture. Did he say what his new major will be?" Shard asked Vergennes, who was quiet, still thinking about the exam.

"Yeah. He mentioned that he just wanted to complete his gen-ed courses first." The otter said as they began walking down the path to their dorm building.

"How do you think you did? I'm pretty sure I passed it." Shard asks as he skips ahead and turns around, walking backwards and facing his friends with his arms up behind his head.

"I probably got a B." Burn shrugged, smiling at the energetic dragon.

"Shut up!" Shard laughs. "You always say you probably got a B, and you always end up with, like, a ninety-three percent!" Burn just smiles and shrugs again.

"What about you, V" The red-wolf asks as he nudges Vergennes' shoulder.

"I don't know actually. I know I definitely passed it. But like I said, I need to get an eighty-three percent in the class in order to get into the Athletic Training program. I'm at an eighty percent right now. So I would've needed to get an A." Vergennes shakes his head and flattens his ears. Feeling an arm around his shoulder as he continues to walk, the otter looks up and to his side into Burn's ruby eyes.

"I know you did fine, V. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Burn." Vergennes replies blushing almost the color of his friends red-fur.

"Come on guys! Let's go celebrate!" Shard calls from a distance. He had run ahead and was already standing at the dorm building.

"You go ahead!" Burn shouts waving to Shard and pulling Vergennes aside to stand on the side of the walkway. "We'll be there in a minute!"

"Cool! See you soon!" Shard called back disappearing into the dorm building.

"Hey, come with me. Let's go to the Sports Center and shoot some hoops." Burn said, taking Vergennes' paw with his own and leading him to the walkway that leads to the sports performance center.

"Um. Okay." The otter replies awkwardly as Burn releases his paw and walks beside him.

Slowly, the two of them make their way up the almost deserted campus towards the sports center. All the other furs had made their way home after their finals, leaving only a few students in the dorms. Closing his eyes and breathing in the warm summer air, Vergennes feels his worries slowly start to fade away with each breath.

"I wanted you to come with me because I wanted to tell you this. Don't worry about the test, V. I know you did really well on it." Came Burn's voice suddenly, waking Vergennes out of his dream state.

"Yeah. I hope I did. It doesn't do any good to worry now." The otter replied, watching his red-wolf friend's tail wag back and forth as he walks ahead of him and opens the sports center's door.

"That's the attitude. If you keep worrying about it, I'm gonna kick your ass in basketball." Burn laughed as the two of them entered the cool sports center.

"I play tennis! Not basketball. I bet you would kick my ass anyway!" Vergennes laughed as they approach the entrance desk where a black pantheress is sitting playing on her phone. Burn digs out his student I.D and hands it to the student-worker.

"Basketball please." He says, leaning on the desk with an arm.

"Sure thing." She replies, taking the card and trading it with a basketball.

"Thank you!" Burn says as he takes the basketball and rests it under his arm.

Together, Burn and Vergennes make their way down the hall and turn past the coach offices to the deserted basketball court.

"Let's play half court." Burn says, walking over to the nearest hoop. "Hey! I have a great idea. You care to make a bet?" Burn says sultrily with a wink as he bends his knees and begins to dribble the ball with a paw.

"What sort of bet?" Vergennes laughs as he lunges for the ball, completely missing his friend as Burn steps around and displays a perfect layup. Sending the basketball down the net. Catching the bouncing ball and throwing it to the stunned otter, the red-wolf puts his paws on his hips and smiles.

"Two to zero! Let's go first to ten. If I win, I get you for the night. If you win, you get to choose what to do with me tonight." The red-wolf says, wagging his tail and jogging up to Vergennes, who is holding the ball uncertainly in his webbed paws.

"Um. Okay. Deal." The otter says as he dribbles around the unsuspecting red-wolf and displays a not-so-perfect, but still sufficient, lay-up. Getting himself two points.

2-2.

"Fair enough. But that's the only two points you're gonna get!" Burn laughs, shrugging as he takes the ball back to the start.

"I don't think so!" Vergennes says, taking a swipe at the ball as Burn steps to the side and bends his knees. Bringing the basketball up to his eye level and jumping up, the red-wolf releases the ball with perfect form from a three-point line and hits the backboard. Vergennes turns around with dread as the ball bounces down into the hoop and back onto the gym floor.

"Fuck..." The otter mutters under his breath as Burn jogs to grab the ball and throws it back at him.

"Five to two!" Burn teases, wagging his tail. Dribbling the ball, Vergennes charges forward awkwardly, only to have his friend swipe the ball away from him and bounding back to the three-point line. Once again, Burn bends his knees and jumps, releasing the ball in a perfect arc for another three point shot.

"Eight two! Only two more, V!" He teases as he jogs past the stunned and smiling otter to grab the ball and toss it back at Vergennes.

Charging again, the otter steps into the red-wolf and fakes moving to his right. Seeing Burn lean that way, Vergennes dashes to the left and to the side three-point line. Bending his knees and releasing the ball in a not so perfect arc, the otter releases the ball. Both friends watch as it sails through the air and bounces against the rim of the hoop, straight into Burn's hands.

Looking at his friend, Vergennes' eyes widen as Burn looks back at him with a smirk. They both knew the game was over. Running up for another lay-up, Burn tosses the ball for the final two points as it falls through the hoop and to the ground with a thud.

"Ten to two." Burn laughs, panting as he walks over to Vergennes who was resting his hands on his knees, dripping sweat and panting as well.

"Damn. I-I didn't know you were that good at basketball." The otter pants as the red-wolf rests a hand on his back.

"Come on, let's go back to the dorms." Burn laughs as he picks up the basketball and starts heading to the gymnasium doors.

"I'm going to need a shower when we get back! That was tough." Vergennes laughs as he walks to the door and waits for Burn as the red-wolf trades the basketball for his student I.D.

"Yeah, me too." Burn says as he catches up to the otter, walking behind Vergennes as they exit the performance center.

Together, the two friends walk down the long road towards the freshman dorms. The moon slowly rising behind the tree line, casting iridescent shadows everywhere and turning the sky into a silver haze. Approaching the doors to the freshman dorms, Vergennes' ear perk up, as well as Burn's.

"Sounds like they've already started." Burn laughs, turning to Vergennes as he swipes his I.D through the security system, and opens the door. Holding it for the younger otter.

"Yeah. That's a good song too." Vergennes laughs as the music blares from an open window, clearly heard from around the dorm building, and enters after Burn.

"Shower first right?" Burn asks as they walk together to the first floor of dorms. The music still blaring through the floor above them.

"Yeah." Vergennes nods, standing at his door as many furs scream from above them. "Man. These guys are insane." Vergennes laughs as he opens his door.

"Yeah." Burn laughs, two doors down as he opens his. "Don't forget our bet, V. I'm looking forward to it." He winks as he enters his dorm and closes the door, leaving the otter wide eyed, ears perked, and blushing.

"Damn." Vergennes mutters, entering his dorm room as chanting begins above his head.

Slowly, the otter undoes his sneakers and sets them aside. Taking off his socks, he tosses the sweaty garments into his hamper from across the room, a perfect basketball throw. Sighing, he leans on his desk.

"Why couldn't I do that with regular basketball?" Vergennes laughs darkly as he stands up again and removes his shorts and shirt. Tossing those into the hamper as well, the otter walks over and grabs a towel from his rack and wraps it around his waist.

Turning on the hot water in the bathroom showers, Vergennes sighs and runs his paws through his head fur.

_Summer break._He thinks to himself as he rolls his shoulders and lets the water pelt the back of his neck and roll down to his swaying and flicking tail.

I can relax for a little bit. But I've got to take another anatomy course on top of training this summer. It's going to be just as hectic as this year. Vergennes thinks as he turns around and lets the water pelt his face, closing his eyes. His back to the curtain of his shower stall.

Tennis, workouts, and anatomy lectures and labs. Great. Vergennes sighs. Unaware of the curtain behind him being pulled to the side and closed once again.

Suddenly, a pair of red arms wrap themselves around the unsuspecting otter's shoulders. Vergennes' yell was drowned out by a series of cheers from above and the loud music blasting louder in the dormitories.

"What the hell!" He screams as he turns around, dumbfounded and terrified to see Burn standing in front of him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya, V." The red-wolf laughs, his tail wagging behind him as his fur slowly begins to get watered down from the shower head. "I was thinking, maybe we can save some water and settle our bet at the same time?" Burn says as he walks forward and wraps his paws around Vergennes' hips, smiling.

"B-b-but what about the other students?" Vergennes stutters, recovering from his shock and realizing just what an awkward situation he managed to get himself in.

"Relax, V. It's just us here. You, the tennis guys and I are all that's left for the freshman guys. So we can do whatever we want for the next four days." Burn states calmly as he squeezes his paws on Vergennes' hips and smiles.

"Besides, we both needed a shower." Burn laughs playfully as he pulls Vergennes into a tight and wet embrace, squeezing the smaller otter against his red-fur. Feeling heated, Vergennes's cheeks light up on fire as he feels his cock grow into a semi-erection at the awkward embrace. A small groan escapes his lips as his body is squeezed by the muscular red-wolf.

"B-Burn. I just...I don't know." Vergennes whispers uncertainly and embarrassed as he covers his front with his long tail.

Leaning back, his paws on Vergennes' shoulders now, Burn looks into the otter's hazel eyes and smiles broadly and laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" The otter asks, pushing Burn off him, smiling.

"I understand. It was only a joke to get you to stop thinking about the exam, see?" Burn says, chuckling and turning off the water as he flings the curtain to the side and steps out of the shower. "I just don't like seeing a good friend so unhappy. But, I do have something I need to tell you." The red-wolf states as he begins to dry himself off and wraps the towel around his muscular waist.

"Thanks...Burn. I'm sorry I've been so down...what is it?" Vergennes says, chuckling at his friend's cruel joke as he blushes deeply and takes his own towel to dry himself off.

"Well, if you do end up staying over at my place for the summer...I'm going to have to introduce you to my best friend." Burn says, casually smiling at the otter as he walks over and leans against the bathroom wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Who?" Vergennes asks, surprised, his ears darting upward and his eyes widening as a broad smile forms on his muzzle.

Laughing, Burn turns to leave the bathroom and holds the door open, waiting for the otter. "Yeah. Been best friends with him for quite some time now, his name's Nesh. He goes to school here as well and we live in the same city. So we get to see each other often."

"That's great! I cant wait to meet him! What's he look like?" Vergennes says, smiling as they walk out of the bathroom and to their separate dorm rooms.

"Wolf, black fur and white markings on his chest. The most amazing shade of violet in his eyes and an awesome tattoo on his arm." Burn says, seeming to stare off into the distance as they reach their respective dorms.

Standing at his door, the otter looks at the red-wolf two rooms down.

"I would love to meet him. I can't wait to stay with you for the summer with Lance and meet Nesh. You going to the party?" Vergennes states happily as he rests a paw on the door handle.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get changed and head there soon. I'm excited for the summer too. The four of us are going to have so much fun. See you upstairs?" Burn asks, opening his door.

"I don't know. Parties aren't really my thing. I might just go to bed. It's already pretty late and my brain is fried!" Vergennes laughs, opening his door.

"Okay, I'll be by to check on you in an hour, okay?" Burn says, walking from the hallway and into his room.

"Okay. I might be asleep by then though!" Vergennes says, laughing at the chuckle that came from the red-wolf, out of sight as he closes his door.

Turning around, Vergennes takes the towel from around his waist and pulls on a pair of briefs and climbs into bed. Resting his arms behind his head, the otter stairs up at the ceiling as sounds of laughter, music, and drunken activities berate his ears from the floor above.

I'm done. I hope I made it into the Athletic Training program. Now it's time to focus on tennis. He thinks as he closes his eyes and rolls onto his side and drifts off to sleep.

...

Vergennes emerges from a pool of thick black tar, gasping for air and fighting to stay above the rippling waves. Panting heavily, the otter gazes terrified around at the circular cavern surrounding him. The water seemed to be sucking him down into its black depths, almost as if it was alive and pulling on his legs hungrily. Walls seemed of dark jagged stone juts out to form sharp ridges that might be climbable to the top enclose him. Looking up the dark, almost well-like hole he's in, Vergennes can make out the faint glimmer of daylight far above him.

"It's so far away!" He says to himself, his voice echoing as the black liquid pulls on his kicking legs and forces him to submerge in the dense black liquid again. As his head is dragged under, the otter's ears fill with the black tar and voices enter his mind. Seeming to come from the black liquid in his ears. You're going to fail. You're going to lose. You'll never reach your dreams. Your dreams are too big. He hears over and over again. Fighting to stay afloat, the otter kicks off the black tar pulling on his legs and resurfaces, gasping for air.

"I've got to reach it! I've got to reach the top! I've got to fight!" The otter tells himself as he brings an arm up and reaches towards the faint and far daylight.

"I will make it!" Vergennes yells as he swims over and begins to climb the well wall, placing his paws carefully on the slippery and jagged ridges of stone. Pulling himself up from the pool of self-doubt and beginning his ascent towards his goals, the otter grunts in pain as the sharp stone cuts into his paws and he reaches for the next ledge.

"Reach for my paw, V!" Came a voice from far above him.

Looking up at the figure, standing at the far off surface, Vergennes makes out a red dot. Reaching up for another stone, the otter grunts in pain as his muscles seize up and the jagged rock cuts into his paw.

"Burn! Help!" Vergennes says, reaching out for the distant figure.

"V! I'm here! We're all here to help!"

More figures appear at the edge of the well and look down at the struggling otter. Squinting up at the distant light and figures, Vergennes makes out the shadows of his friends all reaching their paws down to help him. Burn, Shard, Clarence, and Lance.

Feeling his eyes tear up from his stinging paws and loving friends, Vergennes reaches up for another ledge. Driven on by the sight of the figures all trying to encourage him to climb higher. All of them there encouraging him to reach for his goals.

...

"V, wake up!" Burn yells, shaking the younger otter awake.

Vergennes flails out of the covers and his nightmare and looks around, scared and confused.

"Wh-what? Burn? What happened?" He says, rubbing his watering eyes and sitting up. His heart racing.

"I came to check on you and see if you wanted to go to the party. Then you...called my name when I entered. You asked for help. It was like you were having a nightmare. So I shook you awake." Burn says, leaning on the bed and looking into Vergennes hazel eyes, concerned.

Overcome with emotion, Vergennes leans over and wraps his arms around the red-wolfs shoulders and gives him a tight hug.

Surprised by the hug, Burns eyes widen and his ears perk, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, he brings his arms around Vergennes' back and hugs him back.

"Thank you, Burn. For being there for me." Vergennes says softly, releasing his friend from the tight hug.

"Um. You're welcome?" Burn laughs hesitantly. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just a bad and rather emotional dream." Vergennes replies, sliding out of bed and pulling on a pair of tight jeans and a bright v-neck. "What time is it?"

"Eleven. Guess that means you're gonna come with me to the party?" Burn asks, moving over to stand in the door frame.

"Yeah. Why not. I'm not gonna drink, but it should be fun." Vergennes laughs as they walk outside and close the door.

"Yeah, I won't either." Burn laughed.

The music, if possible, grew louder as they walked up the single flight of stairs. The smell of alcohol grew worse as they opened the door to the hall. Walking to the dorm room where the commotion was coming from, Vergennes pounds a fist against the wood frame hard so that it's heard over the pounding music..

"Verge!" Comes Lance's voice as he peers through the peep hole. "Hey! Hey guys! Hey! Turn the music down! Guess, hic, who's here!" Lance shouted and opened the door wide.

"Verge!" Came three voices all at once as multiple arms grabbed him and pulled him inside, despite his struggles.

"Guys! Burn's here too!" Lance yelled over the music, pulling the red-wolf in by the arm and closing the dorm behind them despite Burn's protests.

"Here! Have a corona!" Clarence shouted, thrusting a bottle into Burn and Vergennes' paws.

"We're not gonna drink tonight." Burn laughs, handing the bottle back.

"What!" Lance yelled, laying on the couch next to Shard, who was passed out already.

"Yeah. We just came up here to check on you guys." Vergennes says, sitting on the couch next to the sleeping dragon and the very drunk Lance.

"You're so sweet..." Lance says, wrapping an arm around Vergennes and resting his head on his shoulder. "Anyone ever tell you how amazing you are?" The otter asks as he closes his eyes and falls asleep instantly on Vergennes.

Vergennes blushes as Clarence sits down on the couch as well, squeezing everyone together tightly, hip to hip.

"One big family. Come here, Burn, you too. You're as much one of us!" Clarence pushes everyone to the side drunkenly and opens a spot between him and Vergennes, indicating for the red-wolf to sit as he turns off the speakers with a remote control. Burn walks over laughing and sits down on the crowded couch.

"One big family." Clarence states again before falling asleep, just as fast as Lance and Shard.

Looking at each other, laughing silently, Vergennes and Burn wriggle together and try and make more room.

"Guess they were just as exhausted as us." Burn laughs, as he lays back into the couch sighing.

"Yeah. That's a new record. It's not even midnight yet and they're asleep." Vergennes laughs as he watches the red-wolf close his eyes.

...

Surrounded by his friends, the furs who encourage him the most to reach for his goals, Vergennes laughs the night and his stress away as summer break begins to dawn.

I will reach for that light. My friends are there waiting for me at the top of that well. Vergennes thinks, two hours later as he sits awake alone. Everyone else had fallen asleep on the couch, packed tightly like a can of sardines and snoring lightly.

Closing his eyes and drifting off into dreams next to the furs he loves the most, Vergennes has what he would consider the best night sleep he would have during his freshman year of college.

End of Chapter 5.

Thank You for Reading!

-Vergennes