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Kris had been in his room for three days when Edmund finally forced him out the door. "No kid of mine is going to sit around, crying over something he did to himself! You get your ass to school!" He'd only missed school Monday, but obviously, his father wasn't going to let him just, as he called it, "sit around and mope."

He pulled on a clean school uniform but didn't pay much attention to his hair or fur as he grabbed his backpack and skateboard. Not stopping to say anything to his father or to grab something for breakfast as usual; Kris just bolted out the door as fast as he could and down the stairs. He already had his backpack slung over his shoulder when he set the board down on the pavement and headed for school.

For the last three days, all he'd been able to think about was how it was his fault that Duke had... that he had... what Duke had done. But that wasn't right. Coach had said that what Sean did, when he'd hurt Kris, was wrong, and that Sean was at fault. So how could Kris control Duke's actions? Duke was bigger and stronger than he was. He was older, and he'd been drunk. Kris was in no way responsible for what the dog had done, if Coach and Mr. Black Wolf were to be believed.

The beautiful sunshine started to sink in as Kris rounded the corner and saw the gates of the school ahead. It was morning practice today for the swim team, but he really really needed to talk to the Coach about this before he let the dark feelings get the better of him again. Maybe he could stay out of the pool enclosure and have the coach come to him? That'd be the best thing to do. Especially after missing practice yesterday.

* * * * *

Venn frowned as yet again there was no sign of the raccoon boy. This would make two days in a row. He'd have to ask Kerris if there was anything on record about the boy being ill. Perhaps he could go by there after work today and check on the lad? No, that would be showing favoritism; he couldn't afford to do that with the regional meet in less than a week. There had to be some way to check on the boy without making it look like he was going out of his way to do it.

"Hey, Coach?" Kittara interrupted his tortured thoughts. "I think Kris is trying to get your attention by the gym doors." At first her words didn't sink in, though he did consider asking her if she'd be his messenger and see what was keeping Kris from... Wait, did she just... His head whipped around and his eyes widened as he saw the boy standing just outside the doors to the pool. Without responding to Kittara's "Coach, are you alright?" he headed toward Kris.

Before he could reach the boy, Kris had ducked back into the gym and around the corner so he wasn't visible from the window. A frown crossed the horse's face as he pushed the door open and looked around the corner, letting the door swing closed behind him. "What's up, Kris?" He was a little startled when the kit reached out and grabbed his t-shirt pulling him away from the door so that he stumbled and had to put a paw on Kris' shoulder to keep from falling.

* * * * *

The moment he felt the Coach's paw on his shoulder, Kris wrapped his arms around the older male's waist and buried his face against the strong chest. "Coach!" was all he managed to choke out before he was a trembling sobbing mess, like that morning in the pool not so long ago, once again clinging to the only life preserver he knew. He didn't know why he kept coming back to the Coach, why it felt so right to be held in those strong arms. The Coach had made it clear that he was too young for the things that he might have given in exchange for this wonderful sense of security that he gained when he was around the horse. And yet he knew, knew with every fiber of his being, that he would say, would do, anything that the tall horse asked of him.

* * * * *

Venn found himself again in the questionable position of holding an underaged boy in his arms. This time, it was in plain view of anyone who happened to come into the gym, and yet he couldn't make himself let the raccoon go. Instead, he rested his velvety nose in the kit's hair and tried to figure out what the hell was going on. There was a bad smell here, not like illness... alcohol? And the kit hadn't washed in days, and there was something else, something feral, like desperation, like raw terror... Venn had encountered that smell during some of the more intense experiences he'd had while he was in the military and on his other job as a cop. What the hell...?

"Kris?" He adopted the same soothing tone that had worked so many times on the kit. "What's happened? Can you talk about it?" All the while his paws moved on their own, sliding up and down the boy's back and holding him tight to his chest. "You missed school and practice yesterday; that's not like you. Are you feeling all right?" He put his paws on the lad's shoulders and managed to push him back enough to check for signs of sickness, swollen lymph nodes, bloodshot eyes, fever (he didn't feel overly warm),but he sensed clearly that illness didn't seem to be the trouble. As soon as he relaxed his hold, Kris was plastered to his chest again, wetting his shirt with yet more salty tears. This was getting to be a habit for the boy, one that Venn hoped would end before something horrible happened to him.

When the boy opened his mouth to answer him, a chill ran down his spine. "Coach... something bad happened..." He paused to swallow and closed his eyes before he went on. "One of Dad's friends was at the house when I got home. He... he was drunk and... I guess he thought I was a girl or something..." A shiver went through the raccoon's body that transferred itself to Venn's, and he stopped the boy there.

"Kris, stop. I think I know where this is going." He spoke through clenched teeth wanting to know the details, but after that incident with Dallas, he was afraid that if he knew, he'd act on it in a way that would get him put in jail instead of the asshole that deserved to be there. "If I get you to Mr. Black Wolf, will you be able to tell him?" He tried to keep the tension in his body from the boy, but that was nearly impossible considering how Kris kept clinging to him.

Something about his distress seemed to calm the boy at little, which made things a bit easier for him. "I am going to get Kittara and ask her to take you to the counselor. Do you think you can hold on until you get there?" He stroked the boy's hair back from his face with both paws and looked deep into those tear streaked eyes. "Please, Kris, can you do that for me?" He held eye contact until the boy nodded then hugged him close for a bit so that they could both take solace in the fact that they were alive and physically well.

After about a minute of just holding the boy, Venn kissed him on his curly mop and pushed him away slowly. "Okay. You wait here while I get Kittara." He stroked his thumbs over the kit's collar bone. "I'll be right back." Before he could change his mind he turned and went back through the doors into the pool enclosure.

"Kittara." Venn called out the moment he was through the doors and saw the vixen standing talking with Assistant Coach Jaz. "I have a special task for you this morning." He watched her approach him warily, her eyes flicking to the door behind him, but didn't comment until she was within arms length of him. "Kitt, I need you to take Kris down to the counselor's office and wait with him till the wolf gets there. Can you do that for me?"

The vixen didn't hesitate a moment; she just nodded and said, "Sure, Coach. Should I change first?" She skipped a few steps trying to keep up with his longer stride.

Venn spared a glance at her, then shook his head. "I don't think we have time." He thought for a moment, "I'll send Krista with your clothing, and she can trade off with you sitting with him while you get dressed. Will that work for you?"

The vixen nodded, a look of concern on her face as she grabbed a towel from the benches and hurried toward the door he had just come back in through. Seeing her on her way, Venn motioned for Jaz to keep the kits in the pool as he ducked into his office to make a call.

* * * * *

Tristan Black Wolf wouldn't describe himself as "OCD," but a few habits were near enough to rituals for him that another therapist might argue the point. He'd come in to the school as usual, made his morning hellos, checked his mailbox slot in the main office, come round to his own, unlocked the door, and juggled his belongings in the same way he always did. Small briefcase to the side of his desk, cup of coffee-laced cocoa in his travel mug set before his desk chair, and he was just about to hang his coat on its usual wall peg when his phone rang.

"Objection!" he said softly. "Out of order!" The phone trilled again, in contempt of the wolf's court. He stuck his tongue out at it and finally picked it up. "Black Wolf," he said, by way of introduction and identification.

"Tristan? It's Venn." The voice on the phone sounded off... like someone on the verge of fury, but that wasn't like the coach at all. "I'm sending Kittara around with Kris Blackwood. I think you need to see him. Right now."

"Of course I will," the wolf said softly. "Can you tell me what's happened?"

"Kris will tell you. I don't know everything, but what the kit told me..." The horse's voice choked, and the counselor was convinced that it was indeed rage he was holding back. "If I'm right, you might need a policeman to take a statement. Do you want me there?"

Black Wolf's blood froze in his veins. His professionalism took over and answered for him. "If it's as you say, better to have a complete stranger take the statement. Anyone associated with the school could be considered..." he trailed off.

"You've met Dayle, haven't you?"

"Your partner?" The counselor remembered meeting the snow leopard at a Career Day thing -- the only time that Venn had worn his police uniform to school. The counselor nodded a little. "That should do."

"Don't call him yet," Venn advised. "He works late shifts too, and I hope..." Tristan heard a click in the horse's throat. "I hope I'm wrong."

"I'm here, Venn. Not just for students. Let me talk to Kris. If he gives me permission, I'll tell you what he says; if he doesn't, then I'll tell you what I can, and then listen to what you say. That's the job. And that's what friends do."

"Which would this be?"

"Both."

Slow, deep breaths for several seconds, and then the horse spoke again. "I'm glad he's got you to count on."

"Ditto." The wolf looked up. "I think they're here. I'll call. Count on it."

Tristan whispered down the phone and looked to the door again. Whatever was about to land on his head, it would happen long before the cocoa could have its desired effect.

Moments after the wolf hung up, there was a soft tap on his closed door. He took a deep breath and opened it. Outside stood two kits, the two Venn had told him to expect. Kittara nodded to him and gave Kris a last hug before she stepped back and let him usher the distraught young raccoon into his sanctuary. "Thank you, Kittara, I will take it from here. You best get back to practice." He smiled at the vixen as he closed the door shutting her out.

* * * * *

Clawdia rushed to the school moments after hanging up with the school counselor. Her first thought was for her kit, to hold him, comfort him, tell him things like This would never happen to him again. But the reality of the situation meant that she couldn't make that promise; all she could do was prepare for the worst case scenario. In the solitude and privacy provided by the back of her limousine, she let the tears course down her cheeks and the sobs have free reign over her vocal chords, letting out the pain, the fear, the frustration. By the time she arrived at the school, she was once again her usual composed self.

She entered the front doors with the force of like an avenging angel, demanding of the first adult she saw the location of the counselor's office. Having received directions, the diminutive yet formidable lady walked purposefully down the center of the hallways, staff and students scattering before her determined air. She gave one perfunctory knock on the door that said Counselor before opening it to invade Tristan's space.

The wolf looked up, startled at this intrusion, his eyes widening as they met hers. Not a word was exchanged as she sat down on the opposite side of her sobbing kit and pulled his head to her shoulder instead of Tristan's. Recognizing the maternal air and knowing the danger of coming between a mother and her kits, Tristan simply passed her the box of tissue he'd been holding, took his cocoa mug in anticipation of this issue taking some time, and quietly left his office, closing the door behind him.

The old wolf stood sentinel outside his office, giving Kris and his mother the privacy they needed in this difficult time. The teacher in the room across the hall from his, a sweet-natured bovine, had one of her students bring him a chair so he could rest his old bones. As the day went by, bells rang, students hurried from class to class; he maintained his vigil, only letting those in authority -- principal Stevenson and a police officer introduced to him as Dayle Anderssen -- through the door.

To the questions of curious students, he simply replied his office was being fumigated. To one overly-inquisitive pup who asked what for, he said, with straight face, "Cooties." He quickly rescheduled appointments and signed notes to teachers, all the while keeping an ear on what was happening inside his office.

* * * * *

About half an hour after Tristan shut his office door, an announcement came over the PA system. "Would the winning students from last Friday's costume contest please come to the main office?" There was a ripple of excitement following this request in the classrooms that had one or more of the kits in them, a chorus of cheers and cat calls echoed down the hallway as the lucky ones headed for the office. They were broken up into smaller groups as they arrived and ushered into small rooms, singly and in pairs, where they were asked to wait patiently until the principal could see them.

"What do you think is going on?" Lisa whispered fearfully into the mostly empty room.

Paul shrugged and reached for her hand and replied with an encouraging smile. "We'll know soon enough. Maybe they wanted to congratulate us seperately or something." Privately, Paul was a little worried himself, but he refused to let Lisa see it.

The door opened and a large white bear ushered Lisa's father and a uniform-clad snow leopard into the room. The leopard took his hat off and tucked it under his arm, then pulled a small black leather case from his breast pocket and opened the notebook, removing the pen that was attached and clicking it open. Mr. Lavine pulled a chair up beside his daughter and took her paw in his saying nothing.

"Lisa Lavine, and Paul Godfrey, both juniors." The polar bear said as he entered and closed the door behind himself. "Kits, this is Officer Dayle Anderssen; he's here to ask you a few questions about what happened Friday night. No one's in trouble; let's just say that we want to get some facts about that night. I'm quite sure that none of you did anything wrong. It's to do with..." The principal paused, seeming to consider something. "...a report of some suspicious person in the neighborhood. Don't worry, Paul; you can speak freely. Your parents have been contacted, and I have been designated to act as in loco parentis in their absence. All that means is that I'll be looking out for your well being while Officer Dayle talks to you." He smiled reassuringly at the two youngsters and settled into a chair across the table from them while the officer did the same.

Lisa looked at Paul who gently squeezed her other paw under the table. "We understand, sir," Paul said in a steady voice. "How can we help?"

"Good lad!" The bear said, smiling at the young giraffe, "We'd just like to know what happened Friday night after you won the contest." He watched the two kits look at each other as if they were speaking silently, then the giraffe looked at him again.

"Is anyone going to get in trouble?" From the way Paul stressed the word 'anyone' it was clear that he at least had seen something that made him concerned.

Since the whole school had been abuzz with the details of what happened on the stage after the group won, the bear smiled reassuringly. "If you're worried about the reactions of your friends on the stage, that's not going to get anyone in trouble. We are more interested in what happened afterward."

The snow leopard leaned over and whispered something into the principal's large ear to which the bear responded, "Yes. I see." He turned back to Paul and nodded. "Go on, from when you were announced winners of the contest, if you please."

Paul nodded and began in a serious tone. "Well... everyone was all excited. We were bouncing around and hugging each other. We hoped, but we never expected, to get first place. I think the girls were the most excited about winning, since they started doing cartwheels and other acrobatics on stage."

Lisa interrupted at this point, "Paul, that's not fair; not all the girls were acting like that, and some of the boys were as well. Didn't you see Brice and Audio holding paws and dancing in a circle?" She sat up a little straighter as her father acknowledged her comment with a gentle paw squeeze and went on. "Dastinon was the only one, besides me and Paul, who wasn't acting like a fool, and he was grinning from ear to ear."

Paul smiled at her and added, "Well, I wasn't including you in the girls anyway, you're different than they are."

It was clear to the three adults that the raccoon girl and the giraffe boy had feelings for each other that went beyond friendship, from the look that passed between them, though they might not be ready to act on those feelings yet.

* * * * *

Audio and Brice sat in identical postures, paws folded together resting on the table top, backs straight against the back of their chairs, feet firmly on the floor staring at the wall to either side of the Principal's shoulders. Neither of them looked as if they were going to break the silence. They had been that way since the officials had entered the room, and they had declared their refusal to speak until they each had a parent present. The Principal gave a passing thought to what movies they'd watched to have adopted such a stoic response to authority, and then he decided he might chuckle out loud if he found out.

The door opened and Kerris motioned a diminutive hedgehog lady into the room before him. "Alright, boys," Principal Stevenson said in a serious tone, "Now will you tell us what happened?"

It was like a switch had been flipped. Both boys became animated and started talking at the same time, finishing each other's sentences. "Well," Brice started, "It was kind of chaotic, you know, with the girls jumping around and the boys whooping and dancing."

"Brice and I were more contained than some of the others; we just watched impassionately as they acted like fools," Audio added. This assertion made Kerris snort and the hedgehog lady cover her mouth with a handkerchief; apparently, the parents didn't agree with the kits' declaration that they were dispassionate about winning. Officer Dayle likewise hid a small smile as he made notes in his notebook.

Brice took up the narrative once more. "Liran and Marcus were the most out of control," he declared. "Liran grabbed Kris by the shoulders and pulled him down to kiss him!" There was a gleeful note to his voice at being the one to announce what was obviously a high point in the celebration from his point of view.

However, before he could go on, Audio piped up and added, "Yeah, but Marcus didn't let that go on for long; he spun poor Kris around and kissed him too! Liran looked pissed!" At a soft sound from Kerris, Audio quickly amended that to, "I mean Liran looked like he was about to explode."

"Explode! I thought he and Marcus were going to have a fight right there on the stage!" Again, Brice seemed gleeful at the idea of ensuing mayhem.

Audio, frowning, put in, "If Dastinon and Jamal hadn't pushed them apart, they might have!" There was silence for a few moments as the kits let their audience digest the news.

* * * * *

Kerris was again sitting in the room, with Kittara this time, as Principal Stevenson entered. They were seated by a smartly dressed young ocelot lady who had a briefcase open on the table and was whispering things to Krista Moreno, another of the kits who had been in the group that won the costume contest.

Krista kept shaking her head and nodding depending on what the lawyer said to her, but she looked a little frayed around the edges, her eyes darting to Kittara and Kerris as if she was silently asking them for help. Before anyone else could speak, the ocelot stood and declared, "My client has nothing to say and would like to be excused from this meeting." Which made Krista reach up and pull on her sleeve to try to get her to sit down again.

"It looks," Officer Anderssen said dryly, "like the young lady disagrees with you, counselor." He tilted his head toward Krista and kindly asked her directly, "Would you like to be excused from the proceedings, Miss?"

A blushing Krista (Officer Anderssen was a rather handsome male after all) shook her head and started to speak when she was interrupted by the lawyer once more. "She is a minor and unable to make those kind of decisions for herself." Her breath huffed out as she finished speaking, and she pushed Krista's paw off her shirt sleeve. "As her designated legal counsel, I am making the decision for her."

At this point, Principal Stevenson spoke up. "Miss...?" He paused and looked at the lawyer waiting for her to fill in her last name. When the silence stretched into the uncomfortable, he went on, undaunted. "This is merely an informal discussion regarding an incident that happened last Friday evening, here at the school, and later that night. It is not in any way going to put Miss Morano in jeopardy and will likely be instrumental in aiding one of her friends. If she wishes to participate in the discussion, I suggest you let her, unless you'd like us to take her downtown for questioning as a material witness, where it will likely cause her more distress --something we hoped to avoid by holding the meeting in a more familiar setting." He paused to let that sink in for a few moments, but before she could speak, he added, "I believe that, when I spoke to Mr. Moreno, he seemed quite pleased that the conversation would take place here where his daughter was more comfortable, and where he would not be obliged to leave his work to see what his appointed counsel is up to."

That seemed to take the wind out of her sails, and she sat back down abruptly, nodding to Krista, indicating that she could do as she wished.

"Ladies," Principal Stevenson asked when the room grew silent again, "we understand that the whole group of you left campus; could you explain to us a little bit about why you left campus?"

Kittara and Krista looked at each other, then shrugged, and Kittara told them. "We were hungry. You know teenaged boys they can eat all the time. So we went to AIO." She frowned a little then added. "We didn't think anyone would be upset about us going to grab some food, and really, AIO is the only place that all of us can get something that suits our diets." She paused again and looked at Krista, uncertain if she should volunteer anything else. Unlike Audio, having an audience tended to shut her down rather than make her speak out.

The mouse girl had been chewing her lower lip all through Kittara's answer, but when the vixen looked at her now, it was she who decided that, whatever happened, they needed to tell the whole of what happened last Friday night. "Kris suggested it, really; he has been on this kick where he thinks that AIO is, like, the best thing under the sun. We were going to suggest something else when Liran chimed in and said it was a wonderful idea, and then when Marcus said so too, it was decided." She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, clenching her forepaws together as she went on. "Liran and Marcus have crushes on Kris, you know? They both want to be his boyfriend, but I don't think Kris realizes that they do. Not fully. At least, not what it would mean." This last came out softly as she lowered her eyes and blushed furiously.

The four men in the room shared a speaking look. Kerris and Krista's father, a stout brown mouse named Winston, looked pained as the news sank in. Officer Dayle looked puzzled, and the Principal Stevenson decided to let the girls explain it to him. "Krista can you please explain that last comment for the officer? He doesn't know you kits as well as the rest of us do and might not understand the importance of that last remark."

For a moment, both girls held their tongues, neither willing to explain to a stranger what had happened in the last year. Finally, Kittara reached out and gently squeezed Krista's paw, made eye contact with the smaller girl, and nodded slightly. "Okay," Krista whispered, then sat up straighter in her chair looked the police officer in the eyes and begin to explain. "Kris thinks he's gay. It wouldn't be a big deal if his Dad and Mom were backing him up on it." A gentle nudge to her shoulder had her looking at the vixen then rolling her eyes and clarifying, "Well, alright, his Mom is pretty cool with the whole situation, but his Dad is the problem here." She paused and looked at the Principal who nodded slightly, then at the officer. "You see, sir, Kris's Dad has done some pretty nasty things... like, last year, he got Kris beat up by some big guy, just 'cause Kris hit Audio."

Dayle nodded slightly. "I've heard a report on that, young lady. Are you saying that it's somehow tied into last Friday's situation?" He didn't divulge what the "situation" was, but motioned for her to continue her assessment of the situation.

"You said you know about last year?" Kittara interjected, "Do you know how much that messed with Kris's mind? His own dad setting him up to get beaten, over and over, by someone twice his size? And all because he was defending that same dad from my little cousin's rude comments." She shook her head. "I'm surprised that he was able to forgive Audio at all for that mess." Kerris reached out and placed his paw on the vixen's shoulder, whether in comfort or caution was anyone's guess.

Krista exchanged a curious look with Kittara and answered the question the officer had asked. "It's not so much that it's tied in, it's more... We all know Kris's dad is likely to go off the handle at the slightest little thing, and if he found out Kris was gay... Well, it would be really bad." She shivered in her seat, running her forepaws up her arms and back down again. "That's why Liran and Marcus having a crush on him is bad. If his dad found out that Kris was interested in either of them, something really bad would happen."

"You kids think something bad would happen... Do you have any idea what that something is?" the officer probed. He was trying to keep the girls talking without leading them, which was sometimes a delicate task.

"Well," Kittara interrupted, "we all know that Mr. Blackwood has a habit of getting... physical when he drinks. And that he doesn't approve of same sex pairings. What we're afraid of is that, if Mr. Blackwood finds out Kris is into boys, he'll hit Kris." She left it there, a bald statement that the raccoon boy's friends were afraid his father would turn physically abusive if he found out about his son's sexuality.

The room was silent for a few moments. Kerris had already seen the signs himself and knew the kits were right. Winston trusted his daughter's judgment, as did principal Stevenson. That left only officer Dayle, who was good friends with the boy's swim coach and had heard first-hand accounts from the horse of the goings-on last year.

* * * * *

Sylvia snorted disdainfully. "Some of us are seniors," she said with a sneer in her voice, "we do have our licenses and access to vehicles." The "duh" was not voiced, but every adult in the room heard it as she rolled her eyes. She slumped back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest, and glared at the officer as if daring him to ask her another stupid question.

With a long-suffering sigh, Jamal leaned forward, folded his hands together on the table and made eye-contact with the officer. "I'm sorry; sometimes, she forgets that not everyone is as smart as she thinks she is. Sylvia drove one car, I drove mine, and Dastinon drove one. I think it's his guardians', or it might be his, I don't know. In any case, we split up. Liran and Marcus talked Kris into going with them in Dastinon's car. I don't know what happened in the car on the ride there, but Kris was a little agitated when we got to the restaurant."

"Liran, that's the cacomistle right? And Marcus is the panther?" Officer Dayle said, looking down at his notes. "The two who kissed him on stage?"

"That's right. Marcus is on the swim team, and Liran is part of the theater group. Both boys are fairly open about their preferences, and both are really into Kris." Jamal's ears laid back, and he turned to glare at Sylvia who, it seemed, had kicked him under the table. "What is your problem today? It's not like I'm telling them anything they don't already know. Everyone saw Marcus and Liran kiss Kris on stage. Just because you have a crush on Kris doesn't mean you can stop the boys from expressing their interest. Besides, you know he's gay, so I don't see why you keep mooning over him."

The wolf just glared at him, refusing to say anything else, her golden eyes boring holes into his skull from the side as he went on. "I can't tell you much more than that, really. Kris was a little upset, but he didn't seem much different than usual; more... distracted, I guess? Maybe one of the guys finally got up the nerve to ask him out or something?"

* * * * *

Marcus looked at Principal Stevenson again. "Liran made me sit in the front seat. I didn't want to. I mean, Dastinon's a nice enough guy, but I'm not really interested in him, you know?" His tail flicked to and fro acting like a trapped animal with a mind of its own.

Fully aware of feline body language, being a snow leopard himself, Officer Dayle watched the younger feline's every move as asked the next question. "Liran made you sit in the front; why do you suppose that was?" His eyes followed the almost hypnotic back-and-forth sway of the black tail, noting it in his book.

Marcus actually hissed, "Liran tried to put the make on him!" Before he remembered who he was talking to, he went wide-eyed and snapped his muzzle shut, paws coming up to cover his mouth.

"I take it you aren't very happy with that?"

Marcus shook his head, heaved a sigh, and put his paws in his lap again. "I've known him longer!" he moaned softly, as if this gave him some prior claim on the boy's affections. "Liran's just taking advantage of a younger boy. And maybe if he hadn't had his hand up Kris's skirt, Kris wouldn't have been so upset." it came out accusatory, as if the panther blamed the older boy for whatever happened afterward.

The snow leopard nodded slowly. "From what you're saying, Kris and Liran were making out in the back seat, and you were in the front with Dastinon, is that right?" He looked expectantly at the young panther, waiting for some indication that he understood the situation.

Marcus noded grudgingly, sat back in his seat, and heaved another sigh. "Yeah, that's pretty much what happened."

* * * * *

"Kris asked me to stop, so I stopped," Liran said in an indignant tone of voice. "I don't do anything anybody doesn't want to do!"

"It's okay, son; nobody's saying you did anything wrong. We're just trying to get to the bottom of what happened that night." Principal Stevenson reached across the table to place a his large paw over Liran's smaller ones. "What happened when you got out of the car at the restaurant?"

Liran chewed on his lower lip for a moment, looking from the police officer to the principal, to his mother, and finally seemed to come to a decision. Sitting up straighter in his chair, he became more serious than he had been through the first part of this discussion. "We got out on opposite sides of the car. I followed Marcus and Kris, sped up to walk beside Dastinon. I didn't think much of it, because Kris and the otter are kind of like brothers. It wasn't until we were standing in line, and I reached for his paw -- Kris' paw, I mean -- that I realized something was wrong. He pulled away." The cacomistle looked down into his lap, still chewing on the inside of his lip.

"He pulled away?" Officer Dayle asked looking up from his notebook.

Liran cleared his throat "I think... maybe I pushed a little more than Kris was ready for. But I swear, I stopped as soon as he said so."

"I'm sure you did," Officer Dale assured him. "You don't seem like the kind of young man who would force another to do something they didn't want to do." With a glance at his notebook, Officer Dayle continued, "Did anything happen in the restaurant?"

Liran furrowed his brow in thought. "Nothing unusual. Everybody ordered, and we all sat around a big table together. Kris started to open up again when Brice and Audio decided to reenact some of the moments on stage. They really are crazy."

"I'm sure they are. When you left the restaurant did you come back in the same cars?"

"Yes." Liran shifted a little in his seat. "Marcus insisted on sitting in the back with Kris, since I'd been in the back with him all the way to the restaurant. Everything was fine, until we got back to the school..."

* * * * *

"We were the last ones to get to the school, thanks in part to Marcus and Liran's quibbling about who got to sit in the back. Kris settled the argument by saying it was only fair that Marcus got to ride with him, since Liran had ridden with him to the restaurant. He's a bright lad, Kris. Well, in some ways." Dastinon was more composed than any of the other kits, but then he was one of the oldest. He seemed unafraid to make his statement right from the start and had given the officer more than any of the rest of them by way of observations. "He's still a little young to recognize the amorous attempts of the other boys for what they are. All of them except Liran... that one's as blatant as they come."

"Do you think Kris could have been overwhelmed by what happened between him and Liran in the back seat?" Principal Stevenson asked. "Perhaps things went a little further than he intended?"

Dastinon shook his head, "I was keeping a pretty close eye on them in the rear view mirror. Kris seemed to be fine until Liran slid his paw under the raccoon's skirt; that's when he stiffened up. I don't know if it was literal or not; please don't give me that look. All I do know is, that's when Kris told Liran to stop and Liran stopped. He didn't jump away or do anything that might make Kris feel like he had done something wrong; he just moved his paw out from under the raccoon's skirt and went back to holding paws with him. Even told Kris it was all right that he wasn't ready, Liran'd wait." He looked from the principal to the officer and back again, "I think Kris was just startled. Even with Liran and Marcus kissing him on stage, I don't think he understood that the other boys both have crushes on him, at least not until that moment."

"We have a better idea of that particular incident. Let's go back to when you got to the school again. How did you find that the doors were locked?" Not having to be as careful how he phrased things with Dastinon the officer's questions were more straightforward, digging for the information that he needed.

The otter thought for a moment. "I can't remember if it was Brice or Audio, but they both came running towards the cars shouting that the doors of been locked. Since none of us are live-in students, we didn't have a key to let us in. Kris seemed the most upset, insisting that we call someone who had a key to get in. Unfortunately, all of our cell phones were either inside or dead.

"Liran and Marcus convinced Kris that it would be okay. They said, even if his dad was awake, he'd understand it was just a Halloween prank; after all, he was young once too. Kris seemed willing to accept that, but he was still nervous, and he declared it was his turn to sit in the front seat. I think that was partially to get away from Liran and Marcus's constant attention."

Dastinon frowned for a moment, as if considering everything he'd said already. "Based on the fact that we're sitting here, and your current line of questions, I'm going to go ahead and jump to the assumption that it wasn't all right when Kris got home. Something happened, didn't it?" The otter looked from the principal to the officer and back again, saw their reluctance to enlighten him, and leaned back in his chair, folding his paws together over his belly. "I saw who came out of the other rooms ahead of me; I know that, besides Kris, you have spoken to everyone who was there Friday night. I also know that you don't have what you were after, or that there is a missing piece of information you are looking for. Since you are talking to me now, you think I have it." He arched a brow and waited.

The silence stretched on for a minute, then two, before Officer Dayle sighed and nodded. "Alright, something happened. However, I am not at liberty to discuss what it was with a minor." Assuming that would be the end of the matter, he glanced down and started to ask another question. "When you pulled up did you--"

But he was cut off in mid word. "I am not a minor. I had my age of majority birthday last month. That is why I don't have parental representation in the room with me, as most of the others did." He paused a moment before adding, "I might not be his parent, but I look out for Kris. So I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what I think happened, in general, and you can just nod if I'm right. Sound good?" The otter looked expectantly from the principal to the police officer and back again.

Principal Stevenson looked at officer Dayle, considered for a moment, and realized the officer's paws were tied; he could not talk about what had happened to anyone but the boy's parents, particularly as this appeared to be the beginnings of an ongoing investigation. Stevenson however was not under the same obligation. Yes, he was required by law to report any activity that might be detrimental to a child under his care. But he could make this deal, provided that the information never went beyond Dastinon. He considered what he knew of the otter and his guardian, then nodded slowly. "All right, Dastinon. You tell me what you think happened, and I'll tell you if you're close. That's sound fair?"

The otter seemed to realize this is the best deal he was going to get. He nodded and leaned forward once more, resting his paws on the table. "Okay, that works for me. Kris was too preoccupied to notice that there was a large black SUV parked in the parking lot, one that I remember seeing several times before when I dropped him off after swim practice. I know from the license plate that it's the same one. It's driven by a large mastiff who makes Kris nervous every time he's there. I gather it belongs to his dad's drinking buddy, the one Coach took down in that incident last year.

"Based on the information I have, I would say Kris went home found his dad and this mastiff drinking or drunk, and one or the both of them assaulted him. I would also think his being absent on Monday, and you're not being here until today, means you don't have any physical evidence of the assault, so either they didn't leave bruises, or they could all be explained in other ways." The otter seemed to consider for a few moments, "Or the assault wasn't physical at all. Sometimes, words hurt worse than blows." For a few moments they sat in silence Dastinon searching the faces of both officials and reading in those faces how close he was to the truth. "Is he all right?" He said it in a hushed voice as if unsure he wanted the answer.

Principal Stevenson reached across the table and briefly touched the otter's paw. "He will be. As you surmise, there was not much physical damage, but mentally, he's a wreck."

Dastinon closed his eyes for a moment, thanking every deity he knew, his shoulders relaxing slightly from the tense position they'd taken when he realized what must've happened. He took a few deep breaths then nodded, opened his eyes, and asked, "What else do you need?"

It was officer Dayle who responded this time. "You've given us enough, with the identification of the SUV and its owner. If you could provide that license plate number, it would give us more concrete evidence that places 'the mastiff,' as you call him, at the scene. I trust, given the nature of the incident and the well-being of your fellow students, that you won't be discussing what you learned here today with them?" His last statement seemed to be more a direction than a request, but Dastinon understood how delicate the situation was, and how devastating rumors could be... so he simply nodded.

* * * * *

Dayle sat at his desk in the police squad room, a half full cup of stale coffee sitting by his left paw and his head cradled on his right arm. It had been a long day already, and it was about to get longer; he still had the whole night shift to get through. A polite cough caught his attention, making him lift his head, blinking weary eyes. "I wondered when you get here. It's as bad as we thought. The boy alleges that his father's friend, a mastiff named Duke -- the same individual was involved in an altercation last year -- sexually assaulted him when he arrived home Friday night after the Halloween party. There's no physical evidence; all we have is the child's word against the mastiff and his father." The snow leopard reached a paw up as if to forestall any comment. "Before you go flying off the handle, I've spoken to the mother. She's willing to file for a restraining order that would force the mastiff to stay 100 meters from her kit. She is giving the kit a cell phone so he can call for help if anything else happens. Also, I've contacted the offspring protection agency, and they've agreed to make a home visit to assess the father's abilities as a parent.

"You do realize, however, that this case is already strained since the mother is not the same species. The courts are more likely to leave the boy with his father based on that alone. Unless something else happens -- and I hope it doesn't -- our paws are tied."

Venn closed his eyes and sat heavily in the chair positioned at the side of Dayle's desk. He lowered his head into his forepaws, resting his elbows on his knees. He could feel the anger burning inside him, the need to do something, anything, to right this injustice. After a few more moments (and more than a few deep breaths), he lifted his head, looked at his partner, and asked the most pressing question on his mind. "You said sexual assault. How far did it go?" His voice sounded rough, raw, full of some unnamed emotion, not like him at all.

Dayle recognized the signs and pulled his chair closer to the horse. "Vince, you've got to promise me you won't take this into your own paws." He said, then demanded, "Promise me!" as he shook the stallion's shoulder roughly.

The horse's eyes looked wild for a moment, untamed, like he would rush out on an instant's notice and wreak havoc upon the individual who caused such pain to someone he cared so much about. When Dayle's words sunk in, he shook his head, stared into the snow leopard's eyes, and gave one jerky nod of his head. He'd promised not to take vengeance into his own paws; however, all he could think about was the way it felt to punch that smug black dog last year, and how he should've killed him when he had the chance.