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Russ came to feeling groggy and a little disoriented. His eyes fluttered open and were immediately assaulted by bright fluorescent lights that shone down from the ceiling. After his eyes had adjusted, he took a better look at his surroundings.

He was in a brightly lit room with no windows and a single door. A computer workstation sat at a small desk with various papers scattered around the surface. The husky was lying on a soft recliner bed and was surrounded by several devices that displayed indiscernible lines and numbers on their monitors. A few cords and tubes connected him to the machines, but didn't seem to be doing any immediate harm. His breaths caused a plastic mask secured around his muzzle to fog up. The husky carefully undid the mask and inhaled a lungful of bitter yet sterile air.

He could also feel a heavy weight on his head. Reaching up, he felt a heavy gauze bandage wrapped around his head. The skin underneath felt strangely numb under the material.

Where am I?

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a visitor. Russ instantly panicked at the sight of green scales, gripping the sides of the bed in fear.

"Woah, woah! Calm down, fella! I'm not going to hurt you," said the dragon, waving his arms. He wore a white lab coat and slacks, painting him as some sort of scientific professional.

He speaks my language. Russ relaxed a little, relieved that he wasn't one of this nightmarish creatures, but didn't let his guard down. "Who are you? What do you want? Where am I?"

"Hey, hey, one question at a time, please! I'm only one poor dragon," the doctor replied with a smile. "You're at Westborrow General Hospital. You took a pretty nasty fall that resulted in a fractured skull. Someone found you early on and called 911. You're quite the lucky guy!"

The husky didn't know what 911 was, but apparently it had saved his life. The dragon approached him and offered a clawed hand to shake. "I'm Dr. Smith and I'll be helping oversee your recovery. I'll need to take your vitals real quick, if you don't mind."

Russ still didn't trust the dragon, but it seemed he did not have a choice. He shook the proffered hand and reluctantly complied, the dragon retrieving a small tool from a display on the wall. Dr. Smith switched it on and a small light appeared on the tip.

"Eyes straight ahead, please." The doctor began moving the light around his eyeballs in careful examination. "Could I have your name, if you don't mind?"

"Russ."

"Ah. Short for Russel?"

Russel? What an odd name.

"No."

A pause. "Last name?"

"Talvek."

"Could you spell that for me, please?"

He did and the dragon moved away, grabbing a clipboard and scribbling something on the paper. After taking a few more vital tests, Smith sat in his spinning desk chair and began typing on his computer. Russ watched as the dragon's claws danced frantically over the keys and he occasionally clicked with the mouse.

Only a few moments of typing ensued before the dragon sat back with a frown. "Strange. I don't see you in our database. Do you have a middle name?"

Russ hesitated before replying, "Krendor."

Smith entered the name into the computer and shook his head. "Nope, still nothing. Please excuse me for a moment, Mr. Talvek, while I go resolve the issue. I'll be right back."

The husky nodded and waited for Smith to leave the room. Once he did, he eagerly threw the covers off the bed and onto the floor. He carefully removed cords and needles from his arm and let them hang freely from the equipment. Russ took a few experimental steps and found that while he was still a little dizzy, he could walk just fine. While he was up, he also noticed that someone had washed the sand out of his blue fur; he could no longer feel the annoying scratchiness it had caused. His ruined linen sleepwear had been replaced by a large gown that hung loosely on his frame.

Wobbling slightly, Russ crept to the door and slowly pulled it open just a little. Outside the door, he could see hospital personnel of varying species going about their business, some wearing scrubs and others carrying clipboards. The sight sparked an eerie illusion in his head that he was a test subject in a research facility. Russ suspected that wasn't the case, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of danger within the establishment. He needed to get out of here, and with so many people around, his best bet was to just make a run for it.

He braced himself, counted to three, and did just that.

"Hey!"

Already several employees had spotted him. He immediately made a right down the hall, having to dodge some groping paws along the way.

"Sir, you need to get back in your room!"

"Someone call security!"

Russ scrambled frantically trying to find an exit. The hospital was a maze, an unending labyrinth of doors and dead ends. With countless people chasing him now, the husky vaulted over a small cart and dashed down another hall aimlessly. After reading a few signs along the way, he found himself facing a door labeled in neon red "EXIT." Russ was overjoyed. He had found it!

Unfortunately, his delay was his downfall, for not a second later, someone grabbed him firmly from behind.

No! It was right there! The door was right there!

"Get off! Let go of me!"

They didn't listen. More people in lab coats and scrubs were restraining him and speaking to him in rushed tones. The husky struggled with all his might, but it was in vain. They were too strong.

"Sir, please stop struggling!"

"Please quiet down! You'll wake up the other patients!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I HAVE RIGHTS!" Russ bellowed, trying to shake them off with all his strength. "YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE! I AM THE SON OF A COMMAN -"

There was a sharp pricking sensation on his backside and all went dark.

.........................

Russ woke again in the same fashion. Glancing around a see he was in the same room, and that the dragon was back, typing away obliviously on his computer, he sighed in exasperation.

"Damnit..."

Smith, having heard his muttering, quickly finished what he was doing and grabbed his clipboard again. The dragon spun toward him in the chair with an eyebrow raised. "So would you like to tell me what that was all about?"

Russ growled. "I don't belong here."

"Then where do you belong?"

"On my home planet, Tessa! In the Solarian galaxy! I'm supposed to have school in a couple of weeks and all my friends..." His voice trailed off as he choked up a bit. He looked the dragon straight in the eye, speaking with conviction. "I'm not from here! I crash landed in an escape pod in the middle of the water! I have to get back! You have to let me out of here!"

Smith seemed to take all this in with a surprising amount of patience. He shifted in his seat before asking, "Mr. Talvek - Russ. Can I call you Russ?" When the husky didn't answer, he continued. "Do you remember what happened before you hit your head?"

Russ gaped at him. "I just told you! I crash landed!"

"Right," the dragon said dismissively. He scribbled down some notes and then asked, "Do you know where your parents are right now? Maybe you have some contact information we can use?"

"What - weren't you listening? My parents are dead. Any contact information I do have is useless!"

Smith straightened in his chair and cleared his throat loudly. "Mr. Talvek, you took a rather hard hit to the head when you fell on that rock. The collision caused your skull to crack in some areas. It seems reasonable to conclude that you may be suffering from a moderate to severe brain injury."

Russ couldn't believe his ears. The dragon didn't believe him and was blaming his story on a brain injury that he didn't have! "I'm not crazy!"

"I did not say that you were, Mr. Talvek," Smith said in that annoyingly calm tone. "I am merely suggesting that you wait the full recovery time before making any decisions." The dragon stood and walked toward the door. "Mr. Talvek, there is someone here to see you and ask a few questions. Is that ok?"

Russ rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure," he said, his voice dripping with bitter sarcasm.

Smith opened the door to let another doctor inside the room. He was a husky, just like himself, but he had more of the traditional markings of a husky: dark grey fur on his head, down his back, and on his tail, with white on his chest and stomach as well as the underside of his tail. Most of this was covered by the lab coat and long pants that the people around here insisted on wearing.

"If you don't mind, Mr. Talvek, I will be back after you two are finished." After a dismissive wave from the blue husky, Smith promptly left the room.

Asshole.

The husky smiled pleasantly and pulled up a chair. "Hello, Russ. I'm Dr. Reiner and I'm just going to ask you a few questions if you have the time."

Russ gestured randomly. "Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

Reiner responded with another smile as he flipped through his notes. Turning to a specific page, he glanced up at his patient and said, "So you say you crash landed on the beach?"

The young husky was skeptical. Reiner sounded sincere, but there was no way he actually believed his story. "Not exactly. I landed in the water and then swam to the beach."

Reiner jotted down some quick notes. "Would you mind telling me exactly what happened before you fell?" The doctor looked up at him with an encouraging smile. "For the sake of context. It's okay if you don't remember everything. Just give me as much as you can."

But he did remember everything. Every last bit. Russ filled him in on the events of the past day or so (he wasn't sure how long it had been), staring with the ambush on the ship. Reiner listening to his story without saying a word, only sitting silently, his face expressionless. Occasionally, he would write something down or nod reassuringly, but for the most part he just sat and listened. Even if the doctor didn't believe him, it felt good for someone to just listen for once.

When he finished, Reiner sat back and seemed to think for a moment. Then he finally spoke up. "Russ, are you aware of the extent of your injury?"

The husky's heart dropped. Here we go again.

"I'm not that injured! I feel fine!" It was true. While he had felt a little dizziness before, he now felt perfectly healthy and functional.

"Russ, I understand your frustration, I really do." Reiner reassured him. He fixed the younger husky with a sympathetic and caring gaze. "But you need to realize that hitting your head that hard is likely to cause some delusional issues."

Delusional issues?! "I'm not crazy!"

The psychologist shut his eyes and sighed. He flipped through his papers again. "I am going to sign you up for a counseling program to aid your recovery. You would meet with a professional twice a week to help overcome this issue."

A counseling program? Are they trying to brainwash me or something?

That's it. I'm out of here.

"I'm not signing you up just yet, but I want you to think about it." The doctor gathered his papers and stood up. "I'll be back in about two days. I'd like to hear your answer then."

"You can hear it now. And my answer is no."

Reiner did not respond immediately. He simply slid the chair back underneath the desk and went to the door. With one paw in the doorknob, he turned back and said, "I_really_ hope you reconsider, Russ, for your own sake. I'll see you later." With that, he was gone.

Russ wasted no time. He carefully unhooked himself from the machine and made his way to the door. Before he went to open it, he got a strange feeling that he was forgetting something. He glanced around the room, looking for anything that seemed unusual. He couldn't remember bringing anything with him, so what -

Then he saw it. A thick black wrist watch sat among the scattered papers on the computer desk. How long had that been there?

He could clearly remember Krendor's words. Keep this with you. And keep it charged if you can.

The husky wrapped it tightly around his wrist and pressed the small power button. The screen lit up and displayed the factory time setting and the battery level. Ninety percent. It had survived the water; it must be waterproof.

Russ went back to the door and opened it a tiny bit, peeking through just like before. A few furs stood nearby making idle conversation. Others walked from place to place through the halls. It was the same as last time: since there were so many employees about, he was going to have to make this quick.

Okay...let's do this.

Russ opened the door...and began casually walking at a relaxed pace. He spotted the group of doctors watching him as he was about to turn a corner. He gave them a pleasant smile and said, "Just using the bathroom."

They seemed to buy his lie, going back to their conversation. A few other people gave him weird looks, but no one went after him. As the husky continued his casual stroll through the hospital halls, people brushed past him constantly, some not even looking at him. So far, his tactic seemed to be working.

"Mr. Talvek! What are you doing out of your room?!"

Shit. It was Smith. Russ began to walk faster.

"Mr. Talvek, come here!"

That was it; there was no pretending now. Russ turned the next corner and broke into a full sprint, terribly startling a nearby nurse carrying equipment.

"Mr. - someone stop him!"

Russ didn't even bother looking back this time. He just ran as fast as he could, ignoring the shouts of those behind him. He couldn't let them catch him again; luckily, he now had the advantage of knowing exactly where the exit was located.

He turned on last corner and saw the door to freedom straight ahead. With an extra burst of speed, the husky pushed through the door and into the outside world. He was immediately blinded by the sunlight, but he didn't care. He was free. He was finally free.

Before him was a large parking lot filled with colorful vehicles that he did not recognize. Russ heard Smith voice called out to him from the door; he resumed running, dashing through the parking lot in hopes of losing them. He just kept running and running; he wanted to be far, far away from that place.

The husky only stopped for a breath when he was sure he had escaped his pursuers. Russ took a look at his surroundings. He appeared to be in the middle of a typical small town setting. Restaurants and stores could be seen in all directions and people constantly moved in and out of the buildings in a never-ending stream. Cars of all shapes and sizes zoomed down the multi-laned highway like marbles rolling down a ramp. The noise frightened him a little, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

He was lost.

As relieved as he was to finally be out of that damned hospital, Russ could not deny that he was completely and utterly lost. He had nowhere to go, no one to call. If only Krendor were here to tell him what to do. The mere thought of his father brought sad memories into focus, the bulky watch on his wrist seeming to grow heaver at the notion. Without any sense of direction or goal, the husky kept walking.

He eventually wandered into what appeared to be a neighborhood complex. Groups of modern style houses with clean porches and neatly trimmed grass presented themselves as he walked by. He was not used to this type of house; the ones on Tessa were further reinforced with metal and were therefore more metallic in color. These were made of brick and were different variations of red and brown. Lined by tall green trees, the street was exceptionally quiet. That is, until -

VROOOOM!

The sudden roar of a passing motorcycle startled him so badly that he tripped and fell into a nearby mud puddle. The dirty water seeped into the fabric of his gown and started to soak into his fur. Russ hastily rolled out of the puddle, effectively smearing even more of the filth into the linen. Getting back up on his feet, he glared at the retreating cyclist in agitation.

Then he looked back down at the state of his clothing. He had sticky brown mud all over the gown and the entire back side of it was soaked.

Well, now what?

Russ had no clue how to proceed from here. It now became apparent just how severe his situation was. He was lost on a foreign planet with no way of sustaining himself and no way to contact anyone he knew. And the locals didn't seem to want to cooperate either. Perhaps it would have been better to stay at the hospital...

Lonely, dirty, and shivering, the young husky walked across the lawn to sit against the side of a house. He sat with his knees tucked against his chest. He felt so helpless sitting there alone with nothing but a dirty gown to cover his body. Once again, the absence of his parents and his friends made itself painfully known, and the poor husky began to cry again. The sound of soft sobbing was the only disturbance in the otherwise silent air.

In his misery, Russ missed the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. He sat sobbing until he was startled by the voice of a woman right beside him.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?"

Russ looked up to see the concerned face of a female wolf staring back at him. This wolf was pure white of fur while deep blue eyes gazed into his. She wore relatively casual clothing, black pants with a colorful blouse and top. In her arms, she carried several bags of groceries with ease as if she was practiced in the act.

"Um...sorry," Russ sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes. He got into position to stand up. "I'll be on my way..."

"Now hang on!" The wolf stopped him. "I haven't seen you around here before and you seem rather lonely. Are you lost?"

"Yes," the husky replied. "But I shouldn't be on your property. I'm sorry. I should go -"

"You don't have to go anywhere just yet," the she-wolf interrupted him. "It's not every day you find a poor husky like yourself crying on your lawn. Where are your parents? When was the last time you saw them?"

Russ managed a half-ironic smile. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The wolf's stance relaxed a little, a nonverbal indicator that she had plenty of time on her paws. "Try me."

Russ thought about it for a moment before responding. The wolf was persistent and genuinely seemed to want to help. So he caved and told her the whole story, including the ambush, the death of his parents, and the entire fiasco at the hospital. Instead of looking skeptical, the wolf's expression became increasingly sympathetic the farther he progressed in his story. By the time he finished, she seemed to want to hug him, but obviously couldn't due to the bags she carried in her arms.

"Oh, you poor thing," she said. "Do you know anyone you can call? A relative, maybe?"

Russ sighed inwardly. She clearly didn't believe his story either, but at least she was being nice about it. "No."

"Well, I'll tell you what," said the wolf. "Normally, I don't let strangers into the house, but you seem like a good kid and I can't just leave you out here like this. I'm willing to let you come in and clean up. Then when my husband gets home, we can sort things out."

The husky gaped. Was this woman really offering to help him? "I don't know. I don't want to intrude..."

"It's not a problem!" The wolf insisted. "It's the least I can do. I'd feel terrible if I didn't try to help."

"I - thanks!" He exclaimed with a smile, the first genuine one in a while. Russ was overjoyed. "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem. Come on, follow me inside." The husky eagerly clambered to his feet and followed her to the door. She began to fiddle with her keys. "Oh, and my name's Abigail, but you can call me Abby. All my friends do."

Russ offered her a smile of gratitude. "Thanks...Abby."

Inside the house, Russ was greeted with a faintly floral scent in the air as well as a fairly inviting view. The front door opened into the living room, where a couch and two reclining chairs sat in front of a widescreen television. Abigail set down her groceries and placed her shoes next to the door.

"You wait here for a second," she said, picking up the bags again. "I'm going to put these in the kitchen. I'll be right back."

Russ nodded and waited, taking in the view. Now that he was more relaxed, he was beginning to get sleepy. That couch was looking very inviting at the moment...

True to her word, Abigail arrived from the kitchen only moments later, but turned toward the stairs, gesturing for him to follow. Russ did so, climbing up the stairs and doing his best not to track too much mud on the floors. The carpet was firm yet very soft under his paw pads, a welcome feeling that seemed almost alien to him.

Abigail opened a closet at the top of the stairs and pulled out a towel, handing it to Russ.

"Here, you can use these. The bathroom's over there," she said, pointing down the hall. She the pointed to another room. "And you can use some of Tyler's clothes for the time being once you're all cleaned up. If you need help with anything, just come and ask me. I'll be downstairs."

Taking the towel, Russ nodded, indicating that he understood. "Thank you so much, ma - Abby. It really means a lot."

"Oh, it's nothing," Abigail insisted pleasantly. "Oh! I never got your name."

"It's Russ. Russ Talvek," the husky introduced himself, offering his paw to the woman.

She took his paw and shook it genially. "That's an interesting name! Is it short for Russel?"

Why do people keep asking me that? "No, just Russ."

"Well, pleased to meet you Russ," said Abigail. "I need to go take care of some things in the meantime, but just holler if you need something."

"I will, thanks!"

Abigail went back down the stairs while the husky continued down the hall. On the way, he became captivated by the pictures on the wall. Hanging were framed photographs depicting the family that lived in the household. In several pictures, he saw Abigail with a male wolf, who he assumed to be her husband. This wolf had grey fur with some white splotches on his arms and what was visible of his chest. Hazel eyes completed his image, and he held his arm lovingly around his wife's shoulder.

Standing between them was a much younger wolf; he looked to be around ten years old. This wolf was very clearly their son, with his predominantly grey fur dusted with white. He had the hazel eyes of his father, an almost ocean-like color that radiated his charm and youthful spirit. All three wolves stood together in front of a playset surrounded by rich green grass and tiny dandelions. It was the perfect depiction of a happy family.

Moving down the hall, there were more pictures of each family member in different settings. One such picture displayed Abigail and her husband at their wedding. Others showed different parts of the family with more elderly relatives. One in particular depicted the son - much older now, probably in his mid-teens - wearing a red and white nylon jersey with tight-fitting white pants. He carried a red hard plastic helmet under one arm and looked at the camera with a close-lipped smile, just short of a smirk. Based on the big white "73" on the front of his jersey, Russ could only guess it was some kind of sports uniform.

After admiring the pictures, Russ found the bathroom and went inside, closing the door. He flipped the light switch and found that they kept the place fairly clean and organized. A cup of toothbrushes sat alone next to the sink. Above the sink was a large mirror wide enough for Russ to see his entire reflection. What really got his attention, though, was the shower.

Behind the lime green curtains...was a shower nozzle and a bath tap. It appeared as if someone had installed two larger water taps against the wall. Russ had never seen a shower quite like this before. On Tessa, the showers were basically walk-in chambers that automatically cleaned one's body upon entering, allowing a fur to walk in, get clean, and leave in a matter of seconds.

Setting the towel on top of the toilet, the husky carefully took off the filthy hospital gown. His blue fur underneath appeared matted and unkempt; he definitely needed this shower.

Stepping into the shower, though, he wasn't entirely sure would to do. He didn't know how it worked. Intrigued, he pulled the tiny plug on top of the bath nozzle. Nothing happened. Then he saw the handle on top with the letters "C" and "H" on either side. Russ gave a shrug - "what's the worst that can happen?" - and turned the handle just a tiny bit...

Only to receive a splash of icy cold water to the face. Russ jumped back in fright, feeling the water trickle down and soak into his fur. He retreated to the back of the shower out of the way of the stream, staring at the nozzle in shock. That had been cold! Who in their right mind would have the water so cold?! Then he regarded the letters on the handle again. C and H...cold and hot...ahhh....

Suddenly understanding, he ducked back under the stream of cold water and turned the handle toward the "H." Russ instantly felt the water warm up. Much better. Now if only he could find the -

Hot! Hot! Very very hot!

The husky yipped as the water became searing hot, and he jumped out of the way again, nearly slipping on the slick floor.

There was a knock at the door. "Are you okay in there, Russ?"

"Yeah!" Russ called out through the steam. "Made the water a little too hot, that's all!"

"Ah, well I just wanted to let you know that you can stay in the guess bedroom if you'd like," said Abigail. "It's just to the right as you leave the bathroom."

"Thanks!"

Russ glared at the shower nozzle as if it had just been rude to him. Gritting his teeth, he dipped into the stream again just long enough to turn the water down to a safer temperature. Now that the water had become pleasantly warm, he looked for the soap that Abigail had mentioned. He found a large bottle of "shampoo." This had to be it, right?

Squirting some out of the bottle, he began scrubbing the soap into his fur. Bubbles rapidly formed, emitting a pleasant floral odor that Russ couldn't quite place. It didn't matter though, because as he continued to wash himself - avoiding his head bandage - he felt all the dirt and grime that had been in his fur wash away with the suds. He actually felt somewhat rejuvenated now that he was clean.

When he finished, Russ turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry off. Realizing that he still had no clothes to change into, he quickly dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and left the bathroom. He didn't see any clothes in the guest bedroom, so he went to "Tyler's" room instead.

Whoever this "Tyler" was, he was really into sports. Posters of professional players covered the walls while silver and gold trophies littered the shelves. On a desk sat a silver compact laptop, some pencils, and an open notebook that displayed an undiscernible drawing. The bed was unmade, the sheets and pillow a miserable mess on the mattress. A medium sized dresser stood in a corner and was one of the least cluttered surfaces in the room. On top of it was a large football with a name on it signed in black, and a golden trophy engraved with the words "Westborrow High School, Varsity Football MVP, Tyler Mooney."

It clicked. Tyler was the son who played sports.

Russ went to the dresser and selected a set of clothes to wear. He took a simple white t-shirt, some shorts, white socks, and a pair of boxers. He felt a little sheepish at the prospect of stealing someone's boxers; hopefully Tyler wouldn't mind.

He took the clothes back to his room and proceeded to change. All of the clothes were a bit baggy on him, which made sense if Tyler was a bigger guy than he was. He had to go borrow a belt from Tyler's room as well to keep his shorts from falling down. Once dressed and feeling fresh, the blue husky made his way downstairs.

As he came down the stairs, the husky picked up the sound of Abigail arguing with someone.

"Abby, you cannot be simply inviting strangers into the house!"

"He needs a place to stay!" Abigail protested. "You should have seen him just sitting there on our lawn crying. The poor thing was lost!"

"It's not our place to meddle in his business." The mystery voice was deeper, that of a male. "You should have called -"

"Who? I should have called who, Bryan?" Abigail snapped in agitation. "He's Tyler's age. If a shelter hasn't taken him in by now, no one will. I'm not saying he'll stay here permanently, just for as long as it takes to sort this out."

Bryan was having none of it. "And how long will that be? Weeks? Months? We can't afford to take care of him for that long -"

"We can more than afford that, Bryan, and you know it. He's a nice kid. Give him a chance!"

"Well, it looks like I'm going to have to. I come home from a nice day at work and suddenly we have another kid? You need to talk to me before you make these decisions!"

Russ decided it was time to intervene. He walked the rest of the way down the stairs and saw Abigail and her husband - presumably Bryan - glaring at each other by the kitchen door. The older male's features matched exactly with his photograph on the wall.

"Look, I can leave if you want," Russ said nervously. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Nonsense! You're always welcome!" Abigail insisted, shooting a bitter look at her husband, who huffed in response. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out, I promise."

Bryan opened his mouth to retort, but decided against it. Instead he inquired, "And how is Tyler supposed to react to this?"

"He'll be kind and courteous like the polite young wolf he was raised to be," Abigail said matter-of-factly. "I'd expect nothing less of him."

At that moment, the sound of keys jingling was heard at the front door before it swung open to allow a teenage wolf to walk in. He was much bulkier, but bared an uncanny resemblance to the young wolf in the picture. He was dressed in a green t-shirt with an unrecognizable logo, shorts, and sneakers. Earbuds hung from his ears as he shuffled through his iPod, totally oblivious to the three other furs in the room.

"Speak of the devil," Abigail said sternly with her eyes narrowed. "And just where have you been, young man?"

Tyler looked up in surprise, pulling out one earbud. "Wha?"

"You're home late. Where have you been?"

The teenager's eyes shifted to Russ and then back to his mother. "I was working out with the guys."

"You said you'd be back by four. It's now almost six." Abigail accused. "When you say you'll be home by a certain time, I expect you to follow through. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. Sorry." Tyler's gaze shifted back to Russ. "Who's that?"

"This is Russ. He'll be staying here for a while." Abigail moved to stand next to the husky. "I expect you to be a polite host while he's here."

Tyler gazed at Russ in bewilderment before muttering, "'Kay."

"I'm going to go change and then start dinner," said Bryan, loosening his tie. He headed toward the stairs. "I'd appreciate some help if possible."

"I'll be right there with you." Abigail said. She addressed Russ again. "You're welcome to join us for dinner. We're having lasagna with homemade tomato sauce tonight."

Russ had no clue what "lasagna" or "tomato sauce" was, but he did feel rather hungry. In fact, he was ravenous, having not eaten in nearly an entire day. But he was exhausted, and having dinner with two angry wolves did not seem like a good idea.

"Actually, I'm really tired. I think I'll just go to bed for now."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay, if you're sure. Tyler, would you please lend him some more of your clothes? You can put them in the guest bedroom."

Tyler looked shocked, his ears angled backwards. "What?! But -"

"Now, Tyler!"

Wincing at his mother's outburst, the teenage wolf glanced at Russ one last time and retreated up the stairs.

"Don't worry about him or Bryan," said Abigail. "They're just shocked to have another person in the house, that's all. They'll come around in time."

"Uh, yeah," Russ said shakily. "I'll just get to bed then."

"Sure, sure," she replied, stepping out of the way. Before the husky disappeared from sight, she added, "Hey, Russ? I'm really sorry about what happened. It's terrible that someone as young as you had to deal with something like that."

Russ wasn't sure what to say. Abigail was certainly a nice lady, given all she had done for him, but she seemed willing to sacrifice a lot just for him. The male members of the family may not have been accepting of him, but she was. He suddenly knew exactly what to say, a response that floated easily to the surface of his mind.

"People like you make it better." he said with a smile. Without another word, he went upstairs.

Russ went straight to Tyler's door to retrieve his clothes. After some hesitation, he managed a small knock.

"Yeah?" Tyler's deeper voice sounded through the wood.

"Um," Russ stammered. "Can I have some clothes?"

"In your room!" Tyler shouted gruffly.

A little intimidated by his tone, Russ went back down the hallway and to the guest room. After some thought, he realized that Tyler had called it his room. He supposed it was his room now, wasn't it? He'd be sleeping there for at least one night, so for all intents and purposes, the room was indeed his.

Russ found the spare clothes tossed haphazardly in a pile on the bed, causing him to whine a little bit. It was a subtle sign that Tyler didn't care for his presence in the house, and that bothered him. Would they ever get along?

He folded the clothes for later and put them in the spare dresser next to the bed. He thought for a moment, and proceeded to strip to just his boxers. The husky then snuggled into the mattress, pulling the covers over his body and reveling in its comfort. The bed was soft and springy, no more than the hospital bed, yet it only seemed that much more inviting. It was truly touching that someone like Abigail was willing to offer him a place to stay. He wasn't sure what would become of this, but for now, things were okay.

Having this thought to bring him some form of solace, Russ closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.