FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

As a foreword to this short-story, I would like to quickly give a rundown of what readers should expect. This story does have a few NSFW aspects to it (although I would certainly not consider it yiff) along with involving mature themes and language.

From what I can tell, there are quite a few well written steamy hot sex stories currently available on this site. If that is what you are looking for in this tale, I'm sorry but, you will have to look elsewhere.

This is one of my first stories and as a result I'm sure it will be riddled with errors and incongruities. I ask that you please let me know if I have made any such glaring or obvious errors (preferably in a respectable manner) and I will do my best to remedy them in the future.

As with many stories on this website this tale is meant for people over 18/21 and may contain elements that some readers find offensive, including but not limited to the following:

-Furries

-Homosexual Relationships

-Heterosexual Relationships

-Gore (Both blood and Presidential Candidates)

-Sex (Of any kind)

-Abuse (Verbal, Physical and Emotional)

-The Color Blue (Whether it is Indigo, Teal or even Navy)

If you find any or all of the above list to your disliking I would ask that you not scroll down or read any further. To the remainder of the folks, please enjoy and I would love to know what you think.

All characters are fictional and any names or they may share with persons, both fictional and non-fictional are purely coincidental.

All characters and fictional locations are the intellectual property of banditfromtheeast © 2017

All Rights Reserved

A Very Merry Christmas to Me

"How long do you want it in for?"

I started taking off my disposable nitrile gloves while I yelled at the golden retriever finishing his counts on the backside of the room.

"Two minutes please, I should be out by then."

The canine didn't look up from his work, jotting down the count of colonies on his clipboard. Chuckling a bit as I took off my lab coat, I hung it on my hook close to the door. My tail moved around in a wide circle stretching itself out after it had been essentially immobilized under the white laboratory attire for the past few hours.

"Last time you said that I was already finished eating before you finally decided to join me."

I could see the pair of eyes poke up from the counter and stare at me for a few seconds before returning down to the plate he was working with.

"Two minutes to cook, I'll be there by then."

'Sure you will,' I thought to myself as I scrubbed down my arms and paws before heading towards the door. It opened out into the hallway and was situated directly across from the kitchen where, in theory, we were both supposed to enjoy a special Christmas Eve lunch courtesy of his grandmother. The time however, was now well past 3:30pm and thus I was more than a little eager to drag the golden retriever away from his apparently fascinating work.

As I opened up the door I froze in place, my blood running cold in fright.

"R ... Ryan!"

I cried out and my voice cracked more than just a little at the scene presented to me in the hallway. I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't heard me at all.

"Ryan get out here!"

I looked up and down the old beige tiled hallway at the long trail of bloody shoe prints spread across the floor. They seemed to span the entire length of the corridor, leading all the way from one side to the other, while taking a small but temporary detour through the staff kitchen. The bloody marks mixed in and around the faded gray counter tops and circled the small dining table before once again heading out and continuing down the hall.

"Ryan!"

I yelled again, frantically hoping that the retriever would finally provide me with some assistance. Still, I found myself unable to draw my gaze away from the mess spread out in front of me.

"What?"

I jumped at the sudden and close noise right behind me, my fur puffing out at the surprise. I quickly stepped out of the laboratory doorway revealing the startling scene to my unsuspecting co-worker.

"What in the world..."

His voice trailed off as his eyes followed the same series of motions that mine did but a few moments prior.

Finding I could now move my limbs once again, I left him gaping at the mess as I back-tracked the trail hoping to find the source. I didn't have to look far to discover the not so subtle scene. A large pool of blood spread across the old tiles, drying and slightly crusting over around the edges. It was evident from the large amount of prints that a pair of shoes had crossed in and out of it a number of times. Whether it was good or bad I'm not so sure, but the blood's origin still was unknown. No body or other source was visible in the small hallway. I hustled back down towards my still gawking coworker located in the doorway across from the kitchen.

"Come on."

I tugged on his lab coat to snap him out of his trance and together we followed the trail of prints. Down the hall, around a few corners and past a handful of small offices before we finally entered the large open storage area. As we entered from one side of the room, our vision was immediately drawn to the lone figure sitting in a chair on the opposite side. His paws were clutched to the back of his head holding what was likely once a white cloth, now soaked to a scarlet red. Our paces quickened as we approached the individual who I now recognized as one of our office staff.

"Carlisle?"

I spoke softly as I came up behind him.

"Are you alright?"

If he had heard me, he didn't show it. Ryan and I took opposite sides to each other and now flanked the obviously injured figure. Even with our close proximity he failed to acknowledge our presence. It wasn't until I placed my paw on his shoulder that he finally seemed to notice us. He slowly turned his drooped head up to face me, his eyes attempting to track up to meet my own. The first and most obvious thing that I noticed is that they were glassy and unfocused.

I knelt down in front of him in order to take a look at his face. He blinked slowly and once again tried to focus in on my eyes. I moved a little from side to side to try and gauge his response; little more could be said about it other than it was very poor.

"Carlisle, what happened?"

I let the question sit in the air for a moment before I looked up to Ryan.

"Carlisle, do you know what happened?"

I repeated the question again, thankfully this time the words seemed to sink in and the stricken Carlisle carefully shook his head no. It certainly wasn't the response I was hoping for but I was still thankful that I at least got one from him.

I stood up and tried my best to take a look at his wound but the dried blood and crusted cloth afforded me little opportunity to gauge its severity. I tugged a little at the fabric but the kangaroo's grasp was firmly seated.

At this point I think reality had started to set in a bit and the faint memories of a first aid training course taken far too many years ago started to be brought forth.

"Ryan can you call an ambulance, then grab everyone else and meet back here."

I watched him blink twice as my order settled in, before he quickly nodded and set off towards the main desk to find a phone.

Now all alone with the injured fur, the only noise I could hear between us was the mildly labored breathing coming from the roo. I suppose it was natural to try and break the silence, and it did make sense to try and get him to talk. In the end, the sooner I could figure out what happened, the sooner we could help him. I knelt down in front of him once more and looked him in the eyes.

"Carlisle, do you know where you are?"

After a few seconds his eyes blinked slowly a handful of times and he finally spoke.

"Y... yeah."

I both internally and externally breathed a sigh of relief at the deep voice of the kangaroo, but I was more than a little concerned with the tone. It was quiet and reserved, very much out of character for the normally outgoing guy.

"Do you remember what happened?"

I didn't bother waiting for a response before I gently grasped the end of his muzzle and began a thorough examination of his face. There was a bit of dried blood around the end of his nose and below the left side of his mouth. I pressed my search a little further and found that skin around his left eye was also beginning to swell and darken.

"No."

I pulled my head back and realized he had finally answered my question. The look of defeat on his face made my stomach churn. The thought of something causing this normally upbeat and friendly man to go through this just made me sick.

"It's okay Carlisle, I'm going to make sure everything is alright. Help is going to come and then we'll have a doctor look at you."

I'm fairly certain he heard me but I never received a reply. We sat in silence for a few minutes, all the while I was thinking about whether or not I should try to look at whatever wound had caused the copious amounts of blood to spew from his head. In the end I decided against it as the cloth seemed to have stopped whatever bleeding had started.

Ryan came back after five minutes with a scowl on his face, behind him came Beau and Terry. The pair were the only other people working in the facility at the moment, although that wasn't too out of the ordinary considering the holiday. Their faces immediately fell when they saw the kangaroo but neither seemed to find any words for their disdain.

"Six hours."

I would say he spat the words out rather than said them. I could tell he was thoroughly unimpressed, although you'd have to be blind to miss that considering the angry look sitting on the retriever's face.

"You're joking?"

"Wish I was. It sounds like there was a major accident on the highway through the pass east of here. They said they couldn't spare anyone for this."

My heart sank for a moment as the wheels of thought started kicking into high gear. It wasn't more than a few seconds before my mind was made up.

"I'll drive him to the clinic, but I need help getting him into my car."

Ryan looked like he was about to start an argument but the quick gaze I shot him settled it before it had begun. He slowly nodded and took up a position next to the kangaroo.

"Beau, I need you to try and get hold of one of the managers. Keep calling until you get through to one of them, somebody needs to know what happened."

The small pug looked a little taken aback by the sudden direction but quickly left with little more than a snort.

"Terry, you and Ryan help Carlisle to the east doors. I'll pull my car around and come back to help as soon as I can."

Without waiting for a confirmation I jumped up and headed to my locker where I grabbed my personal affects along with my coat, and headed out to the parking lot. The very heavy snowfall met me at the door while the chilly mountain breeze swept through my open jacket. With what could best be described as trudging, I managed to make it to my car. I started it up and blasted the heat before I began to clear the windows of the thick and heavy snow. It was miserable weather to say the least, although I suppose it came with both the season and the territory. You wouldn't expect a tropical environment up in the mountains during winter. It was days like today though, where I truly cherish my family's snow leopard heritage.

With a little bit of coaxing I managed to make it through the un-plowed parking lot and up to the east side doors. I left my car running as I hurried back inside, tapping my security card to gain access. As I passed through the still bloody hallway I stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a few more cloths, just in case something happened on the way to the clinic.

I met the trio at the opening to the kitchen, where together we set out towards the exterior door and into the near blizzard beyond.

We moved slowly but this thankfully allowed us to avoid any more incidents. Carlisle seemed to be able to move a little with the assistance from us but his balance was quite bad and he remained silent throughout.

Once he was safely buckled in I carefully closed his door and turned to my slightly chilled coworkers, now being only sheltered from the cold by their lab coats and street clothing underlay.

"Ryan can you call or text me when you hear back from one of the managers and I'll let you know what I find out from the doctor."

The duo nodded continuously while I spoke, their teeth jittering every once in a while enunciating how quickly the storm's wind could impact an individual.

I walked around to the driver's side door just in time to see the pair slink back into the lab with the door clicking shut behind them. I darted into my vehicle as quick as I could, hoping to reduce the amount of heat lost during the maneuver.

Once buckled up I looked over the kangaroo who now only held his right paw to the back of his head. The blood, still dry, seemed to have held firm in our transfer outside. I placed my paw on his left knee and he slowly turned to face me.

"Carlisle, it's going to be fine. We're going to go and see the doctor right now. Okay?"

He slowly nodded and tried to give me a weak smile, although it didn't last very long. I threw the car in gear and we set out to the town's medical clinic.

The trip wasn't very long; the town didn't have more than a few thousand people in it so getting from one side to the other didn't take more than five minutes. Ten if you were driving in a blizzard.

It was ten minutes later when I finally parked outside the moderately sized building. I wouldn't quite call it a hospital, but the clinic was definitely more than just a simple doctor's office. It serviced both our town and the few dozen even smaller communities within a fifty mile radius.

I cautiously hauled my injured coworker out of my car, only realizing now that we had forgotten his coat back at the lab. It was a little late to go back for it now so there was nothing more we could do except press on. I draped his left arm across my shoulders and wrapped my right arm around his back and up onto the side of his wide chest. Together we slowly trudged through the ever deepening snow towards the entrance.

I could feel feel him start to shiver halfway to the door and I began to rub my paw up and down his shirt in an effort to keep him warm. Whether it was a conscious decision or not he also leaned in and pressed himself towards me.

We finally reached the sliding doors which opened and exhaled a wall of warm air onto us. I took a quick glance around at the nearly empty waiting room before I cleared the snow off of my shoes and fully entered the clinic. We hobbled to the lone staff waiting at the desk, the slow tapping of keys being hit the only noise in the otherwise silent room. She looked up as we approached the desk and her eyes settled on my visibly injured companion.

"Head injury?"

"Yes."

"Name?"

"Carlisle..." I paused at the realization before looking at the kangaroo.

"Carlisle what's your last name?"

The kangaroo's expression turned intense for a moment as if trying to solve a difficult mathematical puzzle. It quickly came to end with another saddening look of defeat taking its place.

"I don't remember."

I felt the pit in my stomach clench tight and I couldn't help but squeeze him a little closer to me.

The ferret in scrubs behind the desk gave us a little sympathetic look but quickly carried on.

"That's alright, first name is fine for now."

The ferret looked down and picked up a small package of paperwork along with a clipboard and a number, and handed it to me.

"The doctor will see you next, it's a good thing you came when you did. Have a seat in the lobby."

"Thanks."

I lead the still shivering kangaroo to the closest pair of chairs where I helped him slowly take his seat. I brushed the remaining unmelted blobs of thick wet snow from his now rather damp shirt and pants.

Sitting down next to him I began to look through the clinic's paperwork. I quickly realized that there was very little I could do at the moment to fill out any of it, and my injured coworker was likely in a very similar state of mind. I tossed it aside for the time being and pulled out my phone to text Ryan.

At the clinic now, should be in shortly. Will let you know how it goes.

A million and one things raced through my mind, however the audible shivering next to me brought that down to just one. I tossed my phone on top of the clipboard and stood up in front of the kangaroo.

"Give me your paw."

The roo slowly looked up at me with a pair of curious eyes and I repeated my statement, this time with a little more emphasis.

"Give me your paw!"

He slowly complied and extended his left paw towards me. I took it in both of my own and began to rub them up at down the length of his arm in another attempt to warm him up. After a few moments we swapped limbs before I moved down to his legs, although the results were to a much more limited effect due to his damp full length pants.

"Rollenby."

I paused and looked up to him where I saw a joyful expression quickly spread across his muzzle.

"My last name is Rollenby!"

I couldn't help but smile as I went back to work on his calves. I continued until I heard the tell-tale ding of my phone and then stopped to check the message.

We managed to get a hold of Martha. She's out of town but wants us to try and find Carlise's emergency contact information in her filing cabinet. Not going as well as hoped but still working on it. I'll get back to you ASAP.

I put my phone back down and looked at the still smiling kangaroo. I thought about asking him a few more questions to try and fill out the clipboard but was preempted by the gruff voice of a large female black bear calling from a doorway leading further into the clinic.

"Carlisle?"

I quickly stood up and helped my coworker to his feet. He seemed to be a little more certain of his footing but kept his arm around my shoulder for good measure. Together we walked towards the nurse who looked on in what appeared to be a gaze of neutral contempt.

"Carlisle I presume."

She looked at the kangaroo who nodded as she spoke. The bear then turned to me with the same static expression.

"Are you a relative or an immediate family member?"

The question surprised me a little more than it probably should have. I figured it probably was obvious that I was not exactly related to the larger kangaroo standing next to me.

"Umm, no. I'm his coworker."

"Then you'll have to wait out here. Family members only without expressed permission from the patient."

"Oh ... okay. Carlisle, I'll be waiting for you out here, don't worry, everything's going to be fine."

I went to turn away but found that I was being held in place by the roo's strong grip on my shoulder. I looked at his face and saw the pleading in his eyes.

"Please don't go."

"Are you going to allow this gentleman to join your consultation with the attending physician?"

The bear spoke in a nearly monotone voice with no change of expression to her face.

"Yes."

I want to say that my heart fluttered a little but that would sound a little corny so I don't think I will. The nurse quickly beckoned us to follow her, and lead us down a wide but short corridor into a small examination room, where we once again both sat down on a pair of armless chairs. She placed a clipboard on the small desk in the corner before departing, shutting the door behind her.

We sat together in silence and I wondered if there was something else I should say to my companion. A long list of general conversation topics flowed through my mind but I dismissed all of them out of hand. I was pretty sure that my pal here wasn't exactly in a talkative mood.

I checked my phone in the hopes of hearing anything from Ryan, but the new message count remained staunchly at zero. I tucked it away and glanced over to Carlisle who was now cautiously exploring the left side of his face with one of his paws. He visibly winced when it made contact with the skin directly underneath his eye and he quickly withdrew. I couldn't help but notice that he was still shivering, although that wasn't too surprising considering his damp attire. I had a small idea that might help but I wasn't about to go about it without asking him first.

"Carlisle are you still cold?"

He didn't look at me to reply but began to rub one of his paws on his large thighs, trying to emulate the technique I'd used on him a few minutes ago.

"A little."

The voice was still soft, but at least was starting to sound a little more confident.

"Hold a second then."

I took off my coat and placed it on the back of my chair. I then scooted my seat over towards the kangaroo before placing my arm around his back. He looked a little puzzled but didn't make any motion to stop me.

"Scooch down towards me."

I intended it to sound like an offer but as soon as it left my mouth I could see how it could have been taken as an order. I immediately opened my mouth to clarify what I just said but was silenced when I felt a strong arm wrap around and pull me very close to the large and muscled chest of the kangaroo.

I'll freely admit it surprised me more than just a little, and I quickly had to suppress my not so innocent desire to purr. I felt terrible for even having a few other thoughts shoot through my head in this situation, but admittedly I did nothing to resist him.

We stayed together like that, locked in a wonderful half-embrace for a glorious 12 seconds before I managed to screw it up. He lowered his paw down my back in what I assume was to get better leverage on holding me tight against him, which sort of startled me. My ears shot up and I inhaled sharply through my teeth. Harmless sounding to me, but I suppose to an unfamiliar pair of ears it sounded like a hiss.

He immediately jerked his paw away and leaned back.

"Sorry ... I'm sorry."

He looked down with an embarrassed expression and scooted to the far side of his chair, resting his free arm down on his lap.

"No No No!"

I spoke quickly, trying to get my point across as soon as I could.

"You just startled me, that's all!"

He didn't look up at me while I tried to explain myself, instead letting his gaze drop down to the floor. After he didn't respond for a few seconds I figured it was now up to me to show that no harm had been done.

"Come on, scooch on back over here."

Carlisle still didn't look at me, but did finally respond. It was still slower than normal and I could certainly detect the embarrassment in it.

"No, it's alright ... I'm okay."

I looked over at the large kangaroo and would have had to have been blind in order for me miss the blatantly obvious, freezing appearance of the fur.

"You're telling me that you're not cold?"

My words were a little dry, but I still thought I could find a way to spin this to our 'mutual' benefit. The polite and reasonable portion of my mind however was protesting loudly at the potential ethical issues regarding my somewhat ulterior motives for aiding my stricken colleague.

"No ... I'm still sort of cold ... but I'll be alright."

He started to rub his leg again with his paw at which point I knew I couldn't leave him unattended. I lowered my head a little to try and take a peak into his eyes but they were angled away from me, spoiling my view.

"Fine, this is happening then."

With my mind already made up, my words were firm but final. I shuffled over the space between us and wrapped both my arms around his chest and back once more. Leaning in close, I pressed myself tight to him. I could feel him shudder at the sudden contact and he soon lifted his head up to look at me.

"I told you that I'm alright."

I couldn't help but let out small smirk to the kangaroo.

"I know, but you're a terrible liar."

I pressed myself against his well build chest, probably a little tighter than what would normally be considered polite. Unfortunately I just couldn't resist with the clearly outlined muscles caused by his damp shirt. In my defense though, he did quickly follow my lead and wrapped his right arm around me, although I'm sure his reasons were much more innocent and reasonable.

"Also, maybe I'm a little cold too."

I once again had to stifle my not so innocent instinctive reflexes as his chest reverberated a shallow chuckle that I could feel spread down the length of my body. I felt a weight settle down on my shoulder, which slowly increased as he laid his head down upon it. My heart began to race a little bit as I got a lungful of the damp, natural musk of the kangaroo. And just when I thought I finally had everything under control, I felt his paw wander up my back to the nape of my neck where he gently brushed a finger through my plush winter coat.

"I think you're lying."

My ears pricked up at the accusation and my equally plush tail fell limp to the floor behind me.

"You're not cold, your fur is too fluffy for that."

I snickered a little, although I attempted to stifle it the best that I could. I think he heard me though because he continued.

"I'm kind of jealous, it looks so warm. I bet you're never cold in the winter."

The rumble of his voice made my tail twitch involuntarily along with a few other, less seemly things. Fortunately the polite and considerate side of my brain managed to shut those down almost as quickly as they started. I could hear him slowly breathing while he absently rubbed his paw across my back. I couldn't help but reciprocate and both my paws found themselves meandering around his broad and defined lats.

My mind wandered to various thoughts, however the only one I'm willing to share is about how much of a change it would be if I were to have the same type of short fur as Carlisle. I hated the idea of having to rely on a jacket all the time to stay warm, especially in the long cold winter nights in the mountains. I shuddered to imagine how frigid he probably was right now which only resulted in me tightening my grip around him. Once again he copied the move which forced out a small gasp of air from my lungs. The kangaroo was now seemingly more than content to use me as his personal space heater/ stuffed animal/ pillow, and I knew deep down that I wouldn't have it any other way.

He nestled his head deeper down into the crook of my shoulder and sighed contently.

It was about ten minutes of mutually shared warmth before the physician, a dark brown coyote, finally entered the small examination room. We immediately broke apart from each other when we heard the door begin to open. The doctor waltzed right by the both of us to the chart the bear had left, with little more than a hello. He flipped through it quickly before tossing it down and turning to face us.

"I'm sorry but this is going to have to be brief. Please excuse me if I sound a little curt but frankly I only have few minutes to spare."

It took me aback a little but there wasn't exactly much I could say in my position.

He knelt down in front of the kangaroo where he pulled out his stethoscope.

"May I?"

He asked but had barely waited for the nod before he started in. He proceeded in a flurry of motion and I found that I had to back away to give him space to work with. The coyote went through the usual doctor "hmming" and "hawwing" before he went to a small cabinet in the room and removed a few packages of gauze, wipes and a container of some clear liquid.

With quick forceful glance at Carlisle he convinced the kangaroo to give up his grasp on the cloth. The doctor tore open a few of the wipes and began to rub around the top of the roo's head while slowly pulling the fabric away.

"I'm going to use this to seal your wound."

The coyote beckoned to the container in his right paw.

"I'd like to say it won't hurt, but frankly it's going to sting like a bitch."

After what I could only describe as a sudden tornado of activity, the cloth was removed, the wound which had protested its exposure to the world by bleeding once more, was disinfected and completely sealed off with the clear liquid.

The doctor stood back to admire his rapid handiwork, while I stood by in shock and Carlisle inhaled sharply through his now clenched teeth. After a few seconds he looked at me while he calmly went to wash his paws.

"Your buddy here seems to have suffered a bit of a cut to his head although I'd really hope you've realized that part already."

I nodded a bit, my jaw still hanging down in disbelief.

"I'm guessing he's been dizzy, had poor motor control, maybe some memory loss?"

I once again nodded but this time managed to shut my mouth.

"He's probably had a mild concussion then. In an ideal world I would like to find out a little bit more, and maybe keep him overnight for observation. Unfortunately he picked a terrible day to get hurt and I've got at least 26 furs coming in from a pile-up on the eastern pass, all in varying states of trauma."

He finished washing up and quickly dried his paws while I stood there still looking at him in confusion. He seemed to take the not so subtle hint and continued.

"The storms closed all the highways from here to Craymont Peak. We're not set up to handle this sort of thing on the best of days, and now I can't even get these people driven or flown out until the weather clears..."

He looked down at the kangaroo who had begun to reach for the top of his head.

"Don't touch it! It'll be dry in about ten minutes at which point it'll be waterproof."

Carlisle quickly withdrew his paw and looked up at me.

"Make sure that somebody is with him at all times for tonight, then come back tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have a better grasp on things by then."

A quick knock at the door ended the consultation as the doctor quickly headed out into the hall and started walking away briskly with the black bear at his side.

After standing in a stunned stupor, I managed to poke my head out the door to hopefully try and ask the physician a few follow up questions before he left, but the short corridor was now empty. I returned my focus to the examination room, specifically to the kangaroo that was now staring at me with a rather blank look on his face.

"D-did you get any of that?" he asked, his voice cracking nervously as he spoke.

"A bit of it ... I think," I replied, chuffing a little and leaning up against the wall. I pulled out my phone and began to peruse through the several new messages that I'd received in the last few minutes.

Found his emergency contact. It's his parents, we're calling them now

"Okay..." He trailed off and looked down at the floor.

I glanced up from my device and could see the discomfort in his demeanor.

"What?"

It took him a moment and a pair of false starts before he found the words.

"Sorry I ... uhhh ... didn't really hear what he said."

He looked up at me with an overly sheepish and rather guilty look that took me a bit by surprise. I returned a half-cocked gaze and grinned before I tucked my phone back in my pocket and gave him my full attention.

"Honestly it wasn't much. You need to come back tomorrow and shouldn't be left alone. Don't worry though, Ryan found your parent's number in your file at work and is giving them a call. We'll have them meet us here to take you home. Hell, they'll probably be on their way right now."

The look I got in reply from my coworker was not the one I was expecting. His face noticeably fell and he began to rub his legs nervously. I was about to question him about it when I heard the ding from my phone.

We can't get a hold of his parents, can you check if there is anybody else?

"Carl-" I started, before he began to speak over me.

"That's alright, if you can just drop me off at home or even at the lab. I can get my parents to pick me up."

I looked up to see the kangaroo looking down at his feet, rubbing one paw absently on the uninjured portions of his head.

"Carlisle-" I managed to get the whole word in this time, before being cut off.

"Actually I can wait here, I'll call my parents. Thanks for everything, but you don't need to wait around with me. I feel bad enough taking up so much of your day as it is."

"Carlisle!"

This time I put more than a little emphasis on his name. It seemed to do the trick and he finally looked up at me. I saw the all too guilty look in his eyes, like a small child being caught red-handed while stealing cookies from the pantry.

"Where are your parents?"

Whether it was intentional or not, more likely not though, his eyes never met mine while he spoke.

"Umm, they're probably at home right now."

I gave him what I would consider an 'unimpressed stare', although he still wouldn't make eye contact with me while speaking.

"Carlisle, where are your parents?"

I felt I had made it quite clear from the tone of my voice that I was having none of it.

He sighed heavily, looking at me briefly before turning back down to the floor.

"They're in Hawaii until after New Years."

His response was both sheepish and embarrassed, but I couldn't be mad at the guy.

"Do you have any other family here? Siblings, or maybe a friend you'd like me to call?"

His silence spoke more than any words ever could. I would like to say that I thought very carefully about what I was going to do next, but that would be a lie. The words were already out of my mouth before I had even considered the option.

"Alright then, I guess you're coming home with me tonight."

He shot up at that and began to protest; all the while I started to compose a message to Ryan.

His parents are in Hawaii. They can't keep him at the clinic tonight and he can't be left alone. No other choice but to take him home with me. He seems to be getting better (more argumentative anyways), but I'll bring him back here in the morning. If you need anything let me know, otherwise Merry Xmas

"-No I can't let you do that, just drop me off at my house and I'll be fine. I can make my way back here in the morning on my own-"

He continued rambling on for a few minutes and I let him burn through his list of requests, excuses and attempted negotiations. I didn't bother responding to anything he said, and instead simply finished my text to Ryan, which I sent off before finally pocketing my phone. I looked up to the still nattering kangaroo, who seemed oblivious to the fact that I wasn't actually paying him any attention. I simply brought up my paw and raised my index finger. This stopped him from talking for a moment and I simply took over from the silence.

"The doctor didn't say much, but what he did say is that you can't be left alone. Unless you've got another idea, this is what we're going with."

I didn't think I was harsh when I hit him with the reality of the situation, but my voice was pretty firm. His expression simply turned to one of defeat and he only spoke a soft, single word reply.

"Okay."

I don't think he had anything against spending the night at my home, but was more against the thought of inconveniencing me further, especially after already helping him thus far during this whole incident. At least I hoped this was the case. Anyway, it makes me feel a little better if this is how I quantified the situation.

Together we walked back into the lobby, but now found the room vacant. I could hear the faint flurry of activity coming from somewhere deeper in the clinic, but I did my best to keep my mind away from what was going on in there. From my vantage point in the lobby, I could see two ambulances parked in front of the main entrance; they couldn't have been there very long but snow was already starting to build up on the windshields.

Carlisle looked out at the snowstorm and started to mentally prepare himself for the cold once more. I watched on, stifling a small giggle, as he breathed in and out a few times while clenching his paws together and bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Alright, let's go!"

He began his stride confidently towards the door but stopped abruptly after being hit with my jacket.

"What's this for?"

"For keeping you warm. You're right, I don't need it with my fur. You on the other hand, Mr. Shortfur, are already almost hypothermic and need it way more than I do. Now put it on and let's get going before it gets worse out there."

That was sort of a lie, well I suppose it was more like a half-truth. He did definitely need it more than I did, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to be freezing without it. Though I believe it was a more than necessary sacrifice to make.

"I can't take your coat! Here!"

He walked towards me with the jacket out in front, but I simply crossed my arms. He tried a few times to get me to take it, but I simply just stared at him.

"Non-negotiable."

He glared at me, his eyelids coming together to only reveal a thin but focused gaze in my direction. I wouldn't quite call it angry but it was certainly confrontational. I held my own stare firm to his and although I won out in the end, for just a moment, I wasn't too sure that that was going to be the case.

The kangaroo grumbled to himself as he put it on the slightly too small piece of clothing, but the moment it was fully zipped up he became silent. I put my arm around his back and he followed suit. It seemed that he was becoming significantly more confident with his own movements, although I hoped he wasn't pushing himself too far too quickly.

It was getting close to near-whiteout conditions before we finally reached my little hatchback. A small amount of remnant heat lingered in the cabin from earlier and the climate control system didn't take that long to spool up. I spent the brief period of time clearing off my windows and wipers before settling down behind the wheel.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't cold but I refused to let it show to my passenger. My fur was way more than adequate enough to deal with the snow, the wind on the other hand was a completely different story. It sliced right through my defenses and sent chills right down to my bones. I spent a minute warming my paws in front of the fans before finally buckling up and starting the short ride home.

We couldn't have gone more than a block before I saw his expression light up from the corner of my eyes and he began to speak.

"Somebody hit me!"

I half glanced over at him, trying to keep my eyes on the road, well, the little bit of it that I could actually see.

"What?"

"Somebody hit me while I was walking down the hallway."

"Why ... wait. Who hit you?"

The kangaroo paused for a moment and his heavily thinking face returned. It settled down into a muddled look and he continued.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think I knew them. I think it was maybe a polar bear, but I also think there was a fox there. I'm not too sure though..."

I could see he was a little troubled by the whole thing, and honestly was rightly so. That being said, there wasn't much else we could do about it right now.

"Just try to relax, we'll look into what happened in a few days. For now let's just focus on you getting better."

He didn't say anything else for the rest of the trip, not that you could really call it much of a trip. I didn't live far from the clinic, well I suppose I didn't live far from anything in town, and about five minutes later I was pulling into my parking stall outside of my apartment. Together we looked out at the wall of white facing off against us, my building completely hidden from view behind the storm.

"Okay, final stretch. Ready?"

I looked over at Carlisle who seemed to be limbering himself up once more. He took in a deep breath and nodded. Together we both opened our doors and stepped out into the abyss. I met him at the front of my car and wrapped myself around him. Visibility was rapidly decreasing and all the while the sun was setting in the sky, though it's not like we could actually see it.

Still, we struggled forth against the storm, although it was becoming less and less obvious if we were actually making any progress. The wind whipped past my ears in a deafening roar but we pressed on. I had made the identical journey from the parking lot to the door of my apartment a thousand times before, so by this point I could have made the trip blindfolded, which was handy as this wasn't too far from the case.

I knew we were getting close when we passed by the bench sitting next to the pathway. We took another couple steps forward before turning left towards the building that I knew was now only a few dozen feet away. I tried to yell out that we were almost there, but I could barely even hear my own voice over the thunderous wind. The exterior columns faded into view about twenty feet in front of us and I figured we were home free.

But I believe as the old adage says, 'don't count your chickens before they hatch'. It happened pretty quickly, as with many things in life. I stepped on a patch of ice hidden underneath a foot and a half of snow and lost my footing. I was already leaning heavily against the wind on that side so it didn't take much to bring me down.

The impact itself didn't hurt at all, there was way too much snow on the ground already. What did sort of hurt was the 230lbs of kangaroo that immediately landed on top of me. I think he had tried to catch himself with his right arm, unfortunately his aim was off and I got the brunt of it smack dab in the middle of my chest.

The blow knocked the breathe clear out of me and I found myself gasping in vain for air. Carlisle quickly rolled off of me and onto his back while he too regained his composure. I think he tried to apologize but I couldn't hear him, and frankly I was already too occupied with trying to coax my lungs into working again to really notice either way.

By the time we got to our feet and made it up, and inside the building, we were both sopping wet with the vast amounts of melting snow that clung to our bodies.

Those three flights of stairs never felt steeper than they did that day. When I finally closed my apartment door I just slumped down against it onto the floor, shivering and breathing heavily. I probably would've just stayed there if I was alone, but a teeth-chattering kangaroo once again caught my attention.

"Come on, let's get you into the shower to warm up."

Carlisle nodded quickly, his teeth clicking together through the shivers. I lead him to the bathroom and quickly started up the shower.

"I'll see if I can find you something to wear. Just yell if you need anything."

I left him to his own devices and entered my room before starting to dig for some clothes. Thankfully I tend to keep on top of my laundry and I found a loose pair of shorts and baggy t-shirt that just might fit him. I set them on the counter along with a fresh towel and walked to the kitchen. I was just about to set a kettle of water to boil for tea, when I heard a yell pierce the otherwise calm and quiet air.

"Fuck!"

I hurried into the now rather steamy bathroom unsure of what I'd find.

"Carlisle what happened?"

He didn't respond but could hear him rustling around in the shower.

"Carlisle?"

I could see the faint outline of a figure through the frosted glass near the door. It slid open a few inches and his head popped out, and looked at me with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Ummm..."

"What?"

"Please don't hate me for what I'm about to say, but I have to ask."

My heart fluttered for a moment, and thousand different thoughts raced through my mind in the split second he paused for.

"I need your help."

I believe I stopped breathing at that point as the door to the shower slid open a few more inches, revealing the large, bare and well-defined pectoral of the kangaroo. I knew that I was standing there gaping like an idiot, but couldn't do anything about it, although my imagination immediately went into overdrive filling in the remaining unknowns of the marsupial's physique. Looking back I hope I wasn't drooling, but I wouldn't put it past me.

"So again, I'm sorry and it's stupid but ... yeah, I'd really appreciate it."

'Uh-oh,' I thought to myself. 'Did he keep on talking? Shit! What did he say? Stupid sexy kangaroo, distracting me...'

I caught a glimpse of the red dripping down from his paw and my mind immediately switched from social blunder to worse case scenario.

"Carlisle are you bleeding?"

He looked at me with a bit of a puzzled gaze, before looking back at his paw.

"No, like I said, I'm trying to get the dried blood from my fur but it's really matted in there, and the shampoo and soap fucking stings when it gets in my cut. I can't really tell where it all is, so ... I was kinda hoping you'd be able to help me get it all out."

He rubbed the top of his head nervously as he finished the question. I looked at him then quickly glanced at his pile of clothes sitting on the floor, before returning to him.

"In the shower?"

"Well ... yeah, I think that might be easiest."

"Naked?"

"Umm ... I suppose I could put on clothes if that makes you uncomfortable."

My eyes widened a little, well more than a little, and I think he noticed.

"Look, sorry, it was a stupid thing to bring up. Forget I asked."

He started to close the door but the sub-conscious portions of my brain decided that it had heard all it needed to to make the decision.

"Nope it's alright I'll be happy to help, just give me a second to grab a pair of clean clothes."

I turned and bolted from the bathroom, faintly recognizing the 'thanks' being shouted from the shower. Rummaging through my closet I found a nice pair of sleep shorts along with a lounge shirt, and quickly returned to the bathroom where I set the pair next to the clean clothes I had left for the kangaroo. I started peeling the cold, wet clothing away from my fur and left them in a pile on the floor. I supposed it would probably be easiest if I were to wash all of our stuff together after our shower.

'Alright Marcus,' I thought to myself. 'You're just going to help a friend, so focus. Sure you might be in the shower together ... naked ... and he's really good looking. Dammit, focus! Keep your paws and eyes above the waist, well maybe a little higher. His whole upper half might be a little too good looking for you to handle, those arms, pecs, probably chiseled abs ... No! Bad Marcus, bad thoughts. Stick to your principles; help the poor guy out. He's been through a lot today already, you don't want to traumatize him further. Okay, let's go. Think unsexy thoughts! You can do this, you are strong, you are fierce, you are better than your primal instincts. Get It Done!'

In one quick motion I opened the door, stepped in and closed it behind me. There he was, underneath the spray, his back facing me. The strong creases through which made my sheath stir a little more than I wanted it to. I found my eyes starting to wander down his back towards his tail but I managed to control myself.

'I can do this, I can do this, think unsexy thoughts. MARCUS YOU CAN DO THIS!'

Then he turned around.

"Sorry, you still must be freezing, here."

I felt him gently grab my arm and maneuver me under the shower head. The warmth washed over me and bathed my body in a delightful embrace. Then another type of warmth began to sweep across certain parts of me as I couldn't help but take in the unimpeded view of broad chested kangaroo standing right in front of me.

Simply said I had no chance.

It was better than even what my wildest dreams could come up with. His broad pecs gave way to a chiseled and glistening set of abdominal muscles. Two wide and four in length, given the opportunity I could have spent all day just counting them again and again. Then seamlessly, they ended in beautifully defined belt that I'm sure even Adonis would be jealous of.

"Oh my god you're gorgeous."

And just like that, the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. My paw quickly shot to cover my muzzle and I closed my eyes in embarrassment. I half anticipated being on the receiving end of a blow to the head, but after a few seconds of nothing I slowly looked out at the smirking kangaroo in front of me.

"Sorry."

I muttered the word and looked up at him apologetically.

"For what?"

He still stood there, like a photo-shopped model out of some glorious magazine. His coarse russet brown back fur fading to a lighter and thinner tan color over his chest and stomach.

"For calling you gorgeous."

His eyes squinted together a little and he took a half step towards me.

"So you're saying I'm not gorgeous."

I looked up at him with wider eyes and began to stammer.

"Umm, w-well. N ... no, you are gorgeous."

He took another half step in before reaching out his right arm and pushing it against the wall behind me. It couldn't have been more than an inch or two from my face, and if I didn't know any better he began to flex his bicep.

"So you're saying you like the way I look?"

I slowly backed up against the tiled wall but the kangaroo simply closed the distance between us.

"No ... wait ... um. I guess ... Yeah?"

His left arm was brought up and now mirrored his right. I couldn't help feeling trapped as the kangaroo still pressed ever closer to me, his various muscles filling every square inch of my eyesight.

"Good."

He leaned in close, his muzzle coming down towards mine. He was on a collision course and I braced for impact.

But it never came.

He stopped a few inches out and started to laugh.

"Sorry, I'm just messing with ya."

He took a step back out of the flowing water and gave me a little space.

"I've worked hard to get this body, nothing wrong with others admiring it. From what I can tell it's you Americans that seem to have problem with nudity. I mean, it's without a doubt the most natural form. Yet you all seem to get twisted up when you're faced with it."

I didn't say anything as I stayed against the wall and looked up at his smiling face.

"Now let's be honest here, do you like what you see?"

The kangaroo used his paws as a sort of display as he beckoned down the length of his body.

I tried to say something, but nothing came out. Upon realizing this I simply nodded in affirmation.

"I'd have to say you look pretty good yourself."

He gently patted the back of his right paw against the fur on the upper pair of my visible abdominals, and I felt my knees begin to quiver from the touch.

"And thanks for not lying."

I could feel the muscles in my face scrunch together while I tried to understand what he was talking about, when I felt a gentle grasp on my furry sac. It quickly slid up past my sheath and continued up my clearly visible and unsheathed erection. As his paw came to the top he removed it, and began to absently rub his chest.

I quickly looked down at the realization that I was throbbingly hard before looking back up at the roo. He smirked and gave me a wink.

"Sorry, just couldn't resist."

I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, or honestly what had just occurred, but the kangaroo seemed to have that all under control.

"Anyway, I did actually just need your help trying to get this crap out of my fur, are you still up to the challenge?"

Still muted from the encounter, all I could muster was a simple nod.

"Perfect, just gimme a second here"

He turned around and slowly got down on his knees.

"Alright, just let me know where I need to move."

It took me a second to register that what was happening, was actually happening and not some figment of my rather perverted inner mind. However once that was over and done with, I simply helped him get the crusted bodily fluid out from his fur. I sort of wish I could say it was a steamy hot and sexy affair, but I don't want to lie to you. I essentially just helped him lather and wash his head ... and shoulders ... and then maybe his back and arms ... also his chest.

Seriously though! Nothing happened.

I just did what he asked and my arms never went below his waist. Sure, he may have returned the favor, and he might have given me a nice massage while he lathered up my back and shoulders. I suppose I also might recall those strong paws slowly finding their way down to my tail before finally coming to rest just a little lower on my rear. But in the end, that was it...

I wish I could say that this was the start of a blossoming relationship that lasted for many years to come, but honestly, it wasn't. He stayed the night and together we watched movies and ate some frozen pizza. We slept in the same bed, although that was more due to the fact that I only had one, and both him and I refused to let the other sleep alone on the couch. Nothing else happened ... well we maybe cuddled/spooned a little. To be fair though, it was pretty cold and his fur wasn't exactly designed for this sort of weather. Anyways, the important thing was that there was no steamy late-night sex, and no good-morning quickies. Honestly! We were both just sort of tired and that, simply, was that.

We became a little closer for a while, but life happens and gradually we faded apart over the years. Last I heard he was in Denver. Doing what? I don't know, but even that was a few years back so I wouldn't be surprised if he was long gone by now. Sure, it wasn't the best night of my life, nor was it anywhere near the worst, but without a doubt it was the most interesting Christmas Eve that I've ever had.

End

Thank you for taking the time to read this, or scroll to the bottom of the page. Either way I would like to personally thank you for it and if you have a moment I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism on the work.

Word Count: 9,730