FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Elliot Blackwood swept back his hair as he hung over the hood of a classic car. He reached in with a wrench at hand and started to loosen some bolts. The lion sighed as he leaned back up and grabbed his socket wrench. He fumbled around with the sockets till he found the size he needed and clicked it into the ratchet. He grumbled as he had to force his large arm at an odd angle until he found the bolt he needed. He rolled his eyes and pulled the tool back out and clicked it to turn the other way. Before he could dive back in, he heard the doorbell chime out front and a very loud voice. His ears flattened.

"Where is he!?" came a woman's voice.

"Where's who?" came a defensive voice.

The shop door swung open on the far side of the garage. There stood a rather tall lioness with a fierce look in her eyes. A cheetah stood behind her, and he looked like death had just walked in.

"Your dad hasn't come in today," the cheetah lied.

"Harold, so help me, I know he's here," the lioness made her way across the garage.

Harold backed away into the reception area and slowly closed the door, peeking through the window to watch the show. The lioness had reached the first car, a pair of thick legs stuck out from under the car. She put her foot on the creeper board and pulled out the body from below. A wide eyed rhino gulped as he saw who it was.

"Kara!" he exclaimed, "What brings you in today?"

"Rich, be honest," she grinned toothily down at him, "Where's my dad?"

Rich stood up and sheepishly looked around, leaning in towards her to whisper, "He's in back with the muscle."

"Good boy," said Kara as she marched towards the back of the shop. She leaned around the car, and looked under. Elliot had vanished. She heard a rustling sound from the garage door. It was cracked only just a little, and big Elliot was struggling to wiggle under it. He let out a yell as Kara grabbed him by the tail.

"And where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

He slumped his body, completely defeated, "I don't wanna go...."

Kara sighed and slid herself under the garage door with ease so she could talk face to face with him, "Just a few months ago you were all about going."

Elliot looked up at her, "I can't change my mind?"

"Dad, everyone chipped in to pay for this," Kara put her hands on her hips, "That's two thousand none of us are getting back."

"I just don't think I'm ready to get out and do things again." Elliot muttered.

"It's been ten years since you've gone out and done something with yourself," Kara's tone softened, "Please dad, you can't just live in your garage."

"Elliot sighed as he pushed himself back under the garage, and slammed it shut. Kara shouted, "Don't you dare!" She stormed back to the front of the building as Elliot absconded out the back door. She paused as she realized he ran out the back door.

"You know he's even hard to take out to eat," said Harold from his desk.

Kara looked over to him with a sigh, "I know. I'm going to go pack for him. Give me a ring when he gets back."

"Will do boss," said the cheetah with a thumbs up.

Kara left the garage and made her way next door, climbing up a flight of stairs. She opened the door that led into an apartment above the garage. It was rather tidy for a single man living with his coworkers. She was pretty sure if Harold didn't live there, the home would be a disaster. She walked to the back of the house where the master bedroom was. Which, was covered in clothes, bed unmade, and she didn't even want to question why there was a pile of shop rags next to the bed. She opened up the drawers, trying to figure out where everything was.

She shook her head. The drawers had only plain white t-shirts, socks, and underwear. She went over to the closet to see what was in there. She wasn't surprised to find at least twenty blue coveralls hung up on hangers and laying on the floor. Elliot sure showed he only worked and went home. She began sliding the hangers around, finding only a few flannel shirts, "These will do, and he'll have to deal."

She pulled a duffel bag out from under the bed. She shook it out, and flipped it upside down to shake out any dirt that may be in it. She pulled out his underwear, and she chuckled. They were all mostly beat up, stretched out and holey. She tossed them into his bag along with socks, the flannel button ups, and .... A thong!?!

"Dad, the hell?" she laughed and shook her head as she just chucked it in for good measure, "Does he even have pants or shorts?"

Back in the closet, Kara found a pile of shorts laying on the floor under all the blue coveralls. She picked them up and just stuffed them into the duffel bag. She rummaged around the drawers trying to find any sign of swim trunks. She was unsuccessful, "Maybe he can get some on his way out..."

She grabbed his daily essentials and packed them away into the bag before zipping it shut. Her phone buzzed, Harold came through for her. She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked back down to the garage. She dropped it on the floor with an audible thud. Harold nodded towards the bathrooms.

"He's such a child sometimes," she walked over and knocked on the door, "Come on dad, Harold outed you."

The door unlocked and Elliot leaned against the doorway. He only stood a few inches taller than his daughter. He looked down at her with a frown.

Kara raised an eyebrow, "Don't give me that face. You agreed to this. You haven't left the town in ten years, and you need to get out."

"I just don't know how to be around other people anymore," said Elliot.

"Just be yourself. Treat them like your customers if you have to. I've seen you laugh and go on with tall tales all the time here in the garage."

"That's different."

"No it's not," she tugged at his mane on his chin, "I've gone and packed for you. You're going to have a good time. Fresh mountain air, middle of nowhere. You don't even have to hang out with the other guys while you're there. You can go sit by a lake the whole time, and smoke and drink beers. Stuff you used to do."

"I've just been lost without your mom," said Elliot.

"I know dad," said Kara, "That's why we all pitched in for this trip. It gets you away for month. Who knows, maybe this is exactly what you need to start living a bit more. Your garage and all of us will be here when you get back. I even have Tony coming over to help take care of your garage."

"Ugh..." Elliot ran his paws down his face, "Do you have to bring him here? He suuuuuucks."

Kara rolled her eyes, "Dad, I know you don't like him. Just him a chance."

"I've disliked him since you two started dating in high school," he crossed his arms and turned his nose up.

Kara chuckled, "You really are a piece of work. Just wait till we get married."

"Gross," said Elliot, he slumped his shoulders and sighed, "Fine! I'll go. Let me get showered and changed."

"Don't take too long," said Kara, "Orientation is at three this afternoon. Also, I packed up your things, so you're stuck using one of the others guys' things."

"Great," said Elliot, "I'm stuck using fruit Harold or plain jane Rich soap. They have no taste."

Kara snorted, "Go clean up, which car you taking? I'll load your bag up for you."

"Eh, just pick one," said Elliot as he left to go shower.

The lion tread his way up the stairs and into his home. He went into his room and stripped his coveralls off, tossing them into his dirty laundry corner, shortly followed by his underwear and socks. He caught a glimpse of his greased and grimy fur in the fullbody mirror on his way to the the bathroom. He flexed himself up, and gave himself a playful growl.

The lion chuckled as he went into the bathroom. He turned the shower on and got in. He rummaged through his selection of soaps and settled for Harold's products. He lathered his paws together and ran them around his round belly, slowly working his way down his legs. His big arms made it difficult for him to get his back, but he did what he could to reach most spots. He ducked his head under the water as he lathered his mane up. The fur matting down as he rinsed himself out.

He turned the valves off and shook his fur out. He stepped out and grabbed two towels, one for his head and the other for his body. He dried his body off, ruffling his fur up, and hung up the towel, he then proceeded to rub his mane dry. He rubbed his towel around, getting himself sufficiently water free. He looked down at his paws, they were still pretty dirty from working on cars. He grabbed the heavy duty stuff from over the sink and tried to scrub his paws out as much as he could.

"Mmm, good enough," the lion dried his paws and left to get dressed. He rummaged around his room looking for clothes, "Did she pack everything? Geez."

He managed to find a pair of shorts Kara missed. He got himself fully dressed and headed back downstairs. Kara was leaning up against his SUV, arms crossed as she was talking with Harold and Rich.

"You ready?" Kara asked.

"Yeah..." said Elliot, "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Don't worry about the shop, me and Rich have got this," said Harold.

"Yeah," said Rich, "It's only for a month. I think we can handle this."

"Don't let Tony touch my tools," Elliot said sternly.

"Dad, get in the car," said Kara as she opened up the door and handed him the keys.

"This better be fun," said Elliot as he grabbed the keys and sat down, "Dad Camp just sounds so silly."

"It's perfect for every dad over thirty-five that needs a getaway from everything," said Kara as she pushed his tail over his lap and closed the door.

He started the car and rolled his window down, "Keep an eye on my garage."

"Dad, go, " Kara chuckled, "Everything will be fine without you. I even have aunt Cheryl stopping in to help."

"Ugh, my sister?" said Elliot, "Don't let her touch anything."

Kara rolled her eyes, "I'll make sure she just does reception work. Harold can help her file. She's been trying to find steady work after her divorce."

"Yeah, she married a Tony," the lion stuck out his tongue.

"Get out of here before I beat you up," said Kara.

"You're so mean to me," said Elliot, "Take care, kitten."

"Oh, you're so awful," Kara laughed, "Enjoy yourself. You need this."

Elliot shift into first and took off. Waving goodbye to everyone. The lion rolled out of town and up into the mountains. The campsite was only a few hours away, so he had plenty of time to make it. After several towns being passed and many hours of trees and road, the lion was getting impatient. He hadn't made a drive like this in a long time.

His GPS dinged, indicating he needed to take the next exit. He pulled up the exit and stopped briefly at the gas station there to get some soda. Feeling refreshed from his beverage and stretching out of his legs, he was ready to finish the last stretch. He found himself going up the mountains. Something up ahead caught his attention. There was a raccoon with his vehicle on the side of the road. He appeared to have a flat.

Elliot slowed down and came to a halt ahead of the racoons car. Elliot approached and called out. The raccoon jumped out his trunk.

"Hey!" the raccoon exclaimed, "Any chance you got a jack? I seem to have misplaced mine."

Elliot chuckled as he looked down at the raccoons small car, "Uhm...well, I think my jacks a bit too big. I'm pretty sure I can hold it up for you."

The raccoons ears tucked back as he stared up at the lion. Elliot was almost twice as tall as he was, and he let out a chuckle, "Haha, well, if you think you can, I'll try to swap the spare out fast as I can."

The raccoon pulled out his lug wrench and loosened the lug nuts on the wheel. He popped them off and set them on the ground, and hauled the spare tire over. "The name's Hagan by the way."

"Elliot," said the lion as he positioned his paws under the car, "You ready?"

"Hit it!" said Hagan as he positioned his paws around the flat tire.

Elliot let out a grunt as he pushed his feet into the ground. The car slowly lifted, leaving enough of a gap for the raccoon to slip the tire off. Hagan hurriedly slipped the spare onto the car, and slid the lug nuts on, spinning them around just enough to make sure the tire stayed in place, "Let 'er down!"

Elliot let out a grunt as he gently placed the tiny car back on the ground, "Woah, there you go!" Elliot chuckled.

The raccoon blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I appreciate the help! You're hella strong."

Elliot chuckled, "I've worked on cars most my life. When smaller customers come about with their vehicles, they tend to be easier to work on. Not unless I have to get inside the hood. Those small tools slip away a lot."

Hagan laughed, "Just my luck! I get help from a mechanic."

"That'll be fifty dollars," said Elliot with a wink.

"A cruel mechanic," Hagan laughed as he tightened the nuts on his tire.

"So, where you headin'?" Elliot asked.

"Oh," the raccoon paused as he started to load his trunks contents back into his car, "It's...a bit silly. I'm heading up to a place called Dad Camp."

Elliot let out a laugh, "That's where I'm going!"

Hagan chuckled, "Well, I guess we're just a couple of old guys getting away from all the kids at home. How many you got?"

"Just the one," said Elliot, "She's already engaged," he made a gagging face sticking his finger in his maw.

Hagan laughed, "You're lucky! I have six," he let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his forehead.

"Holy smokes," said Elliot.

"Three boys, two girls, and one that hasn't decided," the raccoon laughed, "But they'll figure it out someday if they want. Youngest is ten, and the eldest is thirty."

"Wow, you don't look that old," said Elliot.

"I'm fifty!" the raccoon laughed, "But I've still got some years left in me. This is my first time coming out to this place. All the kids pitched in to give me some time off. My wife was unimpressed at first, but she realized it was a perfect time to take the kids to see her parents without me moping the whole time."

"I used to hate that," said Elliot, "Her parents always judged me."

"Oh, past tense," said Hagan, "My apologies."

"It's alright," said Elliot with a kind smile, "It's been a while since she passed. I've made a pretty successful dad on my own. But, my daughter had to twist my arm to come out here."

"I didn't have to be asked twice!" said Hagan, "A whole month without having to worry about anything? I'll do this every year."

Elliot chuckled, "Well, we should get going. Don't wanna be late for this orientation thing."

"Right! Thanks again for helping me out!" said Hagan as he got into his car.

Elliot loaded back up into his car, and took off. Hagan followed on behind him. A short while later they came over the mountain. Before them was a breathtaking view. A very blue lake shimmered in the midday sun. Around the lake were a few cabins and within the lake a few boats were puttering around. The surrounding forest loomed around the edges with paths leading off in all directions.

There was a beat up looking sign on the side of the road with an arrow pointing down a side road. 'Dad Camp, Established 1989.' Elliot shook his head, not having realized a place like this has been around for quite some time. He turned down the road with Hagan still behind him. They pulled up to a very large cabin with a very well maintained parking lot in front. They both found parking spots and got out.

"This place is gorgeous," said Hagan as he popped his trunk open to grab his bag.

"Sure is," said Elliot as he lugged his bag from his passenger seat and threw it over his shoulders. He looked around, trying to figure out where they had to go. He spotted a sign that said 'Orientation this way!' on it.

"Come on, bud," said Elliot as he lead the way, "Let's see what we're getting into."

Hagan and Elliot walked up to a side door on the large cabin. They were a little early. Elliot dropped his bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, sticking one between his lips and lights up. He offered one to Hagan.

"Oh, no thanks!" said Hagan, "Haven't had any of those since college."

Elliot blew smoke from his nose, "Oh yeah? What do you do for a living?"

"Well, I'm actually retired now!" said Hagan, "I used to work for Micropaw, I was with them for twenty-five years. You could almost say I'm the original IT guy."

Elliot chuckled, "Wow, that's pretty good to be retired so early."

"Yeah, it's been a bit weird, but this is why I didn't mind getting out of the house," said Hagan, "Ever since I became a stay at home dad, I've done all the chores and taking care of the kids with driving them to games, and school, making their lunches every morning. I needed an out. I honestly don't know how my wife did it beforehand."

Elliot smirked, "I just threw money at Kara every day. I was too lazy to make food for her every morning."

"You only have the one! Trust me, it gets expensive when three or four of them ask for lunch money," Hagan chuckled.

A stocky looking deer just then showed up at the door, he had a hiking pack strapped around him. He gave Elliot and Hagan a polite nod and went inside. "Guess we should go in too," said Hagan. Elliot found an ashtray, snuffed his smoke, and opened the door for the raccoon. They entered into a large hall with rows of chairs facing a stage. They wandered up to the front and grabbed some seats. The deer sat opposite them of the aisle. Next to him were two other men deep in conversation about politics, one was a slender, brown furred coyote and the other a tall, bulky red dragon. They both broke into laughter, filling the silence of the room. Elliot noticed another sitting in the very back row.

A tiger with a very sullen look. He had his arms crossed on a chair in front of him as he seemed to be contemplating if whether or not he'd leave. Elliot was then startled by a door from the cabin banging open and a ton of voices radiated over the room. A pack of men started to file into the room, all chattering excitedly as they filled up the seats. There had to be at least thirty of them. Elliot took note they were all greeting each other as old friends, and going on in conversation as if they'd known one another for years.

Elliot had a feeling him and the other five that were first before the crowd were new to this, and they were all the veterans. There was a very broad range in species, and size, even a few accents could be heard over the chatter. A cheetah dropped into the chair next to Elliot.

"Hello fellas!" he exclaimed, "First time, eh?" He held out his paw to shake theirs, "The names Zahir."

Elliot shook his hand, "Friends call me El."

"And I'm Hagan," said the raccoon as Zahir shook his hand.

"Oh man, you guys are in for a great time!" said Zahir, "This is my fifth year here. You guys have made a great decision in joining us."

Elliot laughed, "I hope so."

Just then a rather fit looking ram took to the stage. He tapped on the mic that was up there to make sure it worked. Everyone took this as their cue to take a seat. He had a blonde mohawk running down his head, he looked very much like an active runner, and his horns were rather large. He donned a pink shirt that had 'Dad Camp' printed across his broad chest.

"Good afternoon, dads," he said into the microphone, his voice quite silvery as he spoke, "Welcome to Dad Camp!" there was applause and he waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking again, "My name is Elric, and I am the proprietor and head counselor of Dad Camp. It is with great pleasure to welcome all of you back, and a big warm welcome to our six new members this year. We are happy to have you. As always, I'm going to bore you with a bunch of nonsense. I would like to remind you, we are very lax on rules. You can do whatever you want while you're here in Dad Camp, just please, no hard drugs and no violence. Unless you enter the dueling competitions." there was applause to this from a corner of the room with a few howls, "Down boys, hehe. That being said, this camp was designed with you in mind. We have a broad range of daily activities from boating, to four wheeling, to hiking and camping, whatever you enjoy most. There's also many places to grab respite such as our hotsprings and our many solitude locations in the woods. I have fifteen available counselors should you have any needs during your stay here. And you all better watch out, little Harper has been working out and will have none of your nonsense this year," laughter rounded the room, "Now, I don't want to bore you too much, afterall, you're not children. All of you are free to do as you please, and I would ask that the new members remain and we'll give you a tour."

There was applause, and many of the members went up to shake hands and give hugs to Elric. He gave everyone a jovial greeting with a broad grin. He seemed to really enjoy all of this attention. One by one, the room cleared out, leaving Elliot and the five others from before sitting there in silence.

A lanky zebra came in and stepped up on the stage with Elric. Elric grabbed his microphone, "Gentlemen, a big welcome, we are so happy to have you. This is Brody, and he'll be showing you around the campground today, and he'll be showing you to your cabins that you'll be sharing with some of our veterans. We do three to a cabin. If you happen to not get along with any of your cabin mates, let us know, and we'll be happy to move you." Elric nodded and waved to everyone before handing Brody the microphone, "Have a wonderful time!"

"Alright," said Brody as he looked down at his clipboard, "When I call out your name, give me a hello."

"Elliot Blackwood."

"Right here," said the lion.

"Checkaroni," said the zebra as he poked at his clipboard with a pen, "Danse Gruhlke."

"Back here," said the tiger in back.

"Hagan Kalani."

"Yo!" said the raccoon.

"Pierce Mater?" the zebra tilted his head at this name a bit.

"Howdy," said the buck from earlier.

"Keller Prichard."

"Alive and well," said the coyote.

The zebra sighed as he stared at his clipboard, "Gunner Sigur...oa...??"

"Sigurðardóttir," the dragon helped him.

"Righto..."said Brody as he hugged his clipboard against his body, "Let's start the tour! You can leave your bags here, and we'll have counselor's guide you over to your cabins afterwards."

The zebra seemed a bit stiff with his walking, and was terribly tense looking as he guided the six of them around. Pierce seemed to be much the same, and Danse just seemed very quiet. Keller however interacted with everyone and asked all the questions that needed to be answered by Brody. They made their way through the main cabin, which held the dining hall with an impressive setup, enough for at least a hundred count over five humongous tables. There was also a large lobby with a fireplace surrounded by several couches and lazy chairs. He lead them out the back door, walking them down to the docks where paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks were, and one large yacht. Brody explained the yacht was used four times a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and ran specific hours which required a signup.

"No peddle boats?" Keller frowned.

Brody shook his head. The coyote fake sobbed as the zebra continued to show them around. Elliot could feel his feet starting to ache. So much nature crunching beneath his shoes as they rounded themselves around the lake and up into the woods, where the cabins lay in wait. Each cabin had large different colored numbers bolted over the doors. There were two cabins with the number nine on them.

Brody slumped his shoulders and sighed, "And the pranks begin." Brody pulled a radio off of his belt and made a call, "Hey, can I get maintenance over to cabin six? Someone's spun the number upside down."

The radio squelched back and a muffled voice came through. Brody shook his head as he clipped it back to his shorts. He led them around to the rec center, which was located between the cabins and the main lodge. It had a swimming pool, hot tub, tennis court, basketball court, pool table, table tennis, and so much more. Elliot could hardly believe it. This was better than going to the local rec center in his town. Brody then explained to them where the trails were that led to private baths and hot springs up in the mountains, and where the staff cabins were located if there were emergencies, and where they can get maps to locate them and the campsites laid out in the forest.

Brody brought them back to the main cabin, "And this concludes the tour. Any questions?"

"When do we eat?" asked Keller.

Elliots stomach rumbled, "Yeah, when?" he laughed.

"Breakfast is from seven to ten, lunch is noon to three, and dinner is six to nine. The kitchen has a morning chef, and an evening chef. They can prepare snacks any other time of the day, but they keep their focus on main course meals at those hours. Brett is here from six till three, and Hank is noon to ten. Should one of them call out sick, do not worry. Elric's assistant Marcus will cook for us."

"Quite the staff here," said Elliot.

"Yeah," said Hagan, "I wasn't expecting this kind of treatment."

Brody bowed, "We only provide the best. Please, go inside to meet your counselors. They're

assigned to you for the whole month and will take care of all your needs." Brody then marched off to the front of the cabin.

The six of them exchanged looks, and finally Keller marched on to hold the door open for them. "After you gentlemen," he made a bow like Brody had just done, "I hope we're not at some cult camp."

This caused Danse to say his first words, "We can feed them the small one first."

Hagan paused, "HEY!"

"Just kidding," he smirked, a lingering hint of a thick accent laid on his words, "Besides, they're all very polite. I'm sure Brody was just nervous as much as we are. He seemed to be a bit new with how he showed us around."

"I suppose you're right," said Keller, "And I suppose I won't hold this door forever for you ladies. Get in there."

There were six counselor's waiting for them. All of them dressed in khaki shorts and the same pink shirt that Elric was wearing. They each held a sign with their names on them, and each of them picked up everyones luggage as they came in. Elliot approached his counselor. The wolf was a few inches shorter than him, but twice as thick muscle wise. The wolf held out a paw to shake Elliots, "Elliot! It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Pascal, and I'll be your counselor for the duration of your stay."

"Nice to meet you," Elliot shook his hand, "And you can call me El."

"Right this way, El!" Pascal led him back outside. Elliot padded behind him. The wolf seemed very eager to get him settled in, and rather happy the lion was there with them. Pascal launched into the history of the camp, and how his favorite place was the gym, if that wasn't obvious enough, and he loves coffee. Elliot confided his love for coffee as well. It wasn't long before they reached the cabins again. Pascal led them up to cabin five and knocked on the door before pushing it open.

"Hello boys!" the wolf howled out, "I have you a new room mate."

Elliot ducked into the cabin. He got introduced by Pascal to his room mates. There was Luke, a middle aged rat with a very skinny body, and Allen, a red wolf that could have easily matched Pascals size should he tried just a little bit harder. Pascal slid Elliots bag down onto a queen size bed, which seemed to be the standard, "Every cabin is one room, there are bathrooms and showers located in the central area of the cabins. Should you decide to use them for alternative uses, please clean up after." Elliot blushed, "Every guy does it. Fresh towels are dropped off in there every day, and you're responsible for your own essentials. The main cabin does have a shop in which you can pick up anything extra you need. Should you have any other questions, Luke and Allen have been here for years."

Pascal bid them all farewell, and bounded back towards the main cabin. Elliot sat down on his bed and laid back. Allen came over and sat down next to him.

"Pascal wear you out?" Allen laughed.

"He seems to be full of energy."

"He's always been like that. I remember my first year, I wanted to work out with him. I thought I was going to die after my first week," Allen chuckled, "But yeah man, if you need anything, let us know. I know where all the athletic stuff is, and Luke can show you around the lake. He'll even teach you how to scuba."

"Scuba, huh?" Elliot sat up.

"Y..yeah," said Luke, "It's a hobby of mine. I've taught most the camp. Elric keeps wanting me to be a counselor, but I just don't know if I'm cut out for it."

"Old man treats us well," said Allen as he stood up and flopped into his own bed.

"H..he does," said Luke as he looked at his watch, "W..we should get to dinner."

Elliots stomach rumbled, "Man, yes please.

The three of them strode back over to the main lodge. There were already a few areas along the tables filled with patrons when they got there. Luke and Allen led Elliot over to a table. Luke grabbed a tablet from the middle of the table and looked at it for a moment before pushing a few buttons, and Allen did the same. The wolf passed it over to Elliot.

The lion picked it up and noticed it had a menu selection he could choose his items from, "Huh...Kinda high tech..." It took Elliot a few moments to figure it out. He rarely ever touches his phone, let alone play with anything technology related that isn't attached to a car. After he picked out a few food items, he slid it back over to Allen and Luke, "I don't know what to do...."

Allen chuckled and spun the tablet around, "Just hit this button here when you're order is made. And when it's finished, the tablet will flash green, and you can hit the confirm button. Then you go up to that counter there to pick up your meal. This system helps the chef from getting overwhelmed by confusing orders and waiters."

"That's pretty cool," said Elliot, "I should get something like this for my garage."

"Oh?" said Allen, "You a mechanic?"

"Yessir," Elliot nodded, "Have been most my life."

"Very nice. I can change my tires and brakes, I'm useless at anything else with a car," said Allen, "I'll have to keep big El's in mind for all my mechanical needs."

Elliot chuckled, "This all seems a bit more fancier than I expected. Certainly what I paid doesn't cover the cost of all of this."

"O..oh," Luke leaned towards Elliot, "T...there's a lot of investors in this. Not all members pay the two thousand dollars. M..myself for instance pays five times that amount. But no one is expected to pay more than the starter cost. Just...t...the more you donate, the more say you get in what gets added to the camp. N...next year we hope to have a go kart track."

"Oh wow," said Elliot, "That's awful kind of you. And a pretty neat way to run things."

"Mmhmm," said Allen, "I pay double, and that's just enough for me to make small requests. I'm easy to please."

Luke squinted at him, "And just what are you getting at?"

Allen rubbed Lukes head, "Hehe, you're always easy to squeak."

Squeak he did, "H...hey, now. S...stop.."

"You know what I mean. My only request was to allow twenty four hour access to the rec center," Allen nodded, "It used to be open from six in the morning till ten at night. It's nice to squeeze in a late night swim or early workout, you know. Elric has honored that request for the last three years I've come."

"Huh, well, everything looks fine for me," Elliot chuckled. They continued their chat for a bit, learning more about each other. Allen was a personal trainer, Elliott had no idea how that slipped by him. Luke owned his own seafood restaurant. The rat went on about all the new recipes he'd been experimenting with until they were interrupted by a flashing green light. The tablet was going off.

They went retrieved their food and came back to their table. Allen showed Elliot where to get drinks, and the lion about died. Endless coffee, soda, and beer. The lion was quite content with this. He took his seat with his new acquaintances, soda and food before him. They continued to talk into the night as they ate, drank, and were having a great time. After some time, Luke let out a broad yawn.

"Ugh....O..old man syndrome," he chuckled, "I think I'm gonna go hit the hay."

"Sounds like a plan," said Allen, "I can totally use a shower first though."

The three of them started to walk through the lobby and Elliot paused at the front desk. On top of the desk were a line of clipboards, each one with signups on them. The lion approached the desk to browse through them. A leopard stood up from his seat in back and came up to Elliot.

"Good evening, sir," said the leopard, "Do you require assistance?"

"Oh, I'm just browsing," Elliot said.

"Well sir, if you need any explanations, we here at reception are happy to serve," said the leopard, "My name is Angelo, I'm the evening man. Walther is here in the mornings. If you need to know how any of the events work, we have all the answers, as do most of our patrons. We also provide you with hiking packs should you wish to seek respite in the mountains. Here."

Angelo handed Elliot a map of the area, "Thank you... Is there a cost for the hiking packs?"

"Only if you lose one," Angelo laughed, "They're rather expensive, so I expect you'll hold onto it tightly."

"Right..."said Elliot.

Allen came up beside him and gave him a nudge with his elbow, "He's only tugging your tail. It's just a fifty dollar fee. And quite honestly, I don't think any of us have lost any of them. They're all day packs."

The leopard chuckled, "Mr. Allen, it is good to see you again."

"Likewise Angelo," said Allen as he leaned over the counter, "How's the leg?"

"I've adapted," he said as he lifted up his leg, revealing a prosthesis, "Stupid accidents happen, but Elric made my recovery as painless as possible."

"What happened?" Elliot asked.

"Angelo thought he'd be a cool cat out in the mountains, and lost his footing while jumping from cliff to cliff," said Allen.

"I misjudged and fell about a hundred feet," Angelo shrugged, "I'm lucky it was just my leg. I had several fractures everywhere else, and had anything more snapped, I probably would not have survived."

"Whoa..."said Elliot, "That's awful."

"It is a lesson," Angelo smiled, "I've already started climbing rocks again. I won't let death stop me. I just need to be a little less cocky now."

Allen put a paw over Elliots arm, "Come on El, I can show you where the showers are."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry," said Elliot, "It was nice to meet you Angelo."

"The pleasure was mine," said the leopard, "Don't forget, if you need anything, please feel free to ask us here at reception."

Allen led Elliot back to their cabin, rejoining Luke on the way. The rat let out a few more stifled yawns as they talked and wandered. When they got back to their cabin, Luke instantly flopped into his bed and began to snore.

"Hehe, poor guy," said Allen, "He drove sixteen hours to get here. I'm surprised he didn't pass out sooner."

"Where'd he come from?" asked Elliot.

"Northern Maine," said Allen, "I'm not that crazy to travel that far. I'm only a few hours south from here."

"Yeah," said Elliot, "It only took me six hours to get here."

The wolf started to strip himself naked. Elliot blushed and turned away. Allen sure didn't show any modesty of any sort. The wolf noticed the lion turned away and let out a laugh.

"Hah! What's the matter El?" said the wolf as he shook his body around, "Too much for you?"

"Ahah, I just wasn't quite ready for that," said the lion.

"Well, like Elric said at orientation, there are no rules," the wolf chuckled, "Hence why I'm not getting clothed between now and when I wake up."

"Oh?" Elliot turned around, curious now.

"Usually once all the new members warm up to our activities here, I'll probably not wear clothes for the rest of my time here," said Allen

Elliot blushed even more as he was facing Allen now. The wolf's physique was a thing to be admired. Elliot tried to not let his eyes wander, but the wolf gave him no choice. He shook his head as he was embarrassed by some thoughts that crossed his mind. He wasn't made for that.

The lion let out a small laugh, "I guess I'll have to get used to it."

Allen winked at him, "Come on, showers this way."

Elliot reached into his bag and pulled out what Kara packed for him. He followed the nude wolf into the center of all the cabins. There was the large building Brody had pointed out earlier. Allen held the door open for Elliot. It was like a large locker room. There were a few benches, and the walls were lined with lockers to store things in.

"Go ahead and undress," said Allen, "The showers are this way." The wolf left through the back of the locker room. Elliot picked a locker to undress at and set his clothes into the chamber. Next to the archway leading into the showers was a pyramid of towels on either side. Rolled up and ready for usage. The lion grabbed one and wrapped it around himself.

He entered into the shower area and his shield became fallible. It was a massive communal shower. There was a large bathtub in the middle filled with bubbles, and lined along the walls were many shower heads, and two large shower towers on either side of the bathtub. A few of the showers were occupied and there were two in the bathtub. One of them was Zahir the cheetah from earlier in the day, and a massive yak.

"Elliot!" Zahir waved at him, "Join us?"

Elliot blushed, "Oh...uhm..." the lion hesitated. He always tried to be a people pleaser, but he was at unease. He took a deep breath, "I...appreciate the offer, but I just came to grab a quick shower and head to bed."

Zahir waved a paw to the nearest shower to him, "Stay nearby then! It would be nice to know more about you."

Elliot felt put on the spot and did as the cheetah suggest. He hung his towel up and turned the water on. He felt more embarrassed now as he could feel the Zahir's eyes on him.

"Oh!" the cheetah began, "This is Bram! One of my roommates. He's a coffee connoisseur!"

"Uhm...." Elliot was not expecting casual conversation during his shower, "Nice to meet you."

"A pleasure," said the yak, "Zahir has been going on all day about the new members. Good to finally meet one."

"Are things always this casual?" asked Elliot as he tried to keep his back turned to them, as he started to lather his body up in bubbles.

"Oh yeah!" said Zahir, "The best part about Dad Camp, is no one cares! We're here to do as we please, and get away from the restrictions of real life. Day in and day out I'm always on call. This is my time to do what I want, when I want."

"And there's really no rules?"

"None! That's the point of this camp. You can do whatever you please. It's a great way to let loose. And don't be shy about it. We're all grown men. We've seen what life has to offer. Damn living in shame all the time."

"No shame, huh?

"Nope!"

"I'll try to loosen up then," said Elliot as he rinsed his body off. He turned his shower off and wrapped his towel around himself, "Well, I'm off to bed."

"See you around," said Zahir with a wink.

Elliot let out a soft sigh and went back out to his locker. Allen was in the locker room as well, suggestively drying himself off as he chatted with a few other patrons. Elliot started to gather his things, doing his best to ignore this. The lion slipped his shirt back on and made sure his towel was tightly bound around his waist.

He wandered out of the bathroom paradise alone and back to his cabin. Deep in thought, he found himself confused. This experience was turning out to be much more extraordinary than he anticipated. Everyone seemed very open and comfortable. He tried to focus his mind as he entered his cabin. He rummaged through his bag and slipped on a fresh pair of underwear. He dropped on top of his covers and closed his eyes. He let himself drift off to sleep as he thought about how he had to adapt to not caring for the next month.