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Elliot blinked his eyes open and looked at the clock set on his table. He slept fourteen hours! Whoops he thought to himself as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked across the room and chuckled. Allen took him seriously. The lion shook his head as the wolf had his paw wrapped tightly about his morning wood.

"I guess I did give you permission to sleep in the nude," Elliot chuckled as he stripped off his clothes.

He huffed. That's been several days of baking. He balled them up together and stuffed them into the bottom of his duffel bag. He pulled out fresh clothes and boldly decided to walk over to the showers in the buff. No one ought to be awake yet.

He got inside the luxury bathroom, and picked a locker. He could hear that one of the showers was on. Whoever it was was singing in a different language quite beautifully. He set his clothes into a locker, and carried his soap with him into the shower room. He didn't want to bother whoever it was so he picked a shower near the front of the room and turned it on. The singing stopped.

"Hello?" came a somewhat familiar voice, Danse came around to the front of the tower he was showering behind, "Oh, it's you."

Elliot gave him a polite nod, "Morning Danse."

"Guten morgen," he said as he walked up and leaned up against the wall next to the lion, "You're up quite early."

"Hehe, yeah. I kinda fell asleep a little too early yesterday," he said as he leaned into the shower head.

"Hmm," Danse considered him for a moment, "I haven't seen you since we got here. I hope you've been well."

"I have," Elliot nodded, people here sure didn't seem to mind personal space, he made a mental note that he'll have to get used to that, "I hope you have too."

"It's been interesting," he said as he turned a shower on, standing with his back against the water, "Everyone here is very nice. It's been kind of weird."

Elliot was relieved to know someone else thought it was weird, "I haven't been quite sure what to make of it. Everyone's super comfortable with everything too. Definitely something I'm not used to."

"Ach, see," said Danse with a polite smile, "As I have just done. I've invaded your privacy to shower next to you."

Elliot huffed, "I guess I'm just uneasy. My comfort levels seem to have been abandoned, but I'm building them back up. I mean, hell, I wrestled naked yesterday out in the woods. I'd never dream of doing anything like that before I got here. I surprised myself."

Danse gave a light chuckle, "I guess I'm more comfortable. Where I'm from, everyone was pretty friendly and relaxed. We had a strong community. Also, nudity is a whatever thing, we had our own nude beach. It's our most natural form and we should not be ashamed or sexualized for it."

Elliot nodded, "I guess it is kind of silly to be embarrassed about it." The lion lathered himself up, scrubbing up into his mane, and then he moved his paws to his back, sudsing where he could reach. He then froze as he felt two paws against his back, "Here, allow me."

Danse started to lather up the lions back. The lion wasn't sure if he should protest or not. The tiger was gentle as he worked up a lather over Elliots whole back. Elliot turned around and took his soap back from Danse, "Uhm... Thanks..."

"Not a problem" said Danse as he leaned back under his water, "It's healthy to clean every inch of your body. Perhaps you should buy a shower brush."

Elliot managed a laugh, "Sounds too fancy for a country bumpkin."

"Bump...kin?" Danse repeated quizzically.

Elliot grinned, "Hehe, I guess it's slang to describe guys like me that live in the middle of nowhere."

Danse seemed amused, "You all always seem to have the funniest words. But then again, so do we in Germany."

"Hehe, I can't even make heads or tails of your language," said Elliot, "So I envy you for speaking English so well."

Danse smiled as he turned his shower off, "Well Elliot, it was a delight talking to you. Maybe we can hang out sometime that's not in the shower."

"Sure thing," said Elliot.

Danse said goodbye and dismissed himself into the locker room. As the tiger left, the shower room was starting to fill with early risers. Elliot decided it was time to go and felt he was clean enough. He grabbed a towel as he entered the locker room and wrapped it around his waist. He dried himself off at his locker and slipped his clothes on. He ruffled his mane up with his towel, trying to make himself as dry as possible.

He dropped the towel in the towel bin on his way out. He seemed to have forgone wearing shoes as he returned his stuff to his cabin and left again without even bothering with them. He could smell food coming from the main lodge, and that was more important to think about. The lion made his way inside and entered the dining hall. There were a handful of patrons about, already ordering their breakfasts.

Elliot started himself with coffee. He tossed in a few sugar packets to help him get fired up and dumped some cream in. As he was putting his coffee together, a figure had come up behind him and cleared their throat. Elliot turned and came face to face with an unfamiliar cheetah.

"Master Blackwood?" the cheetah asked as he bowed, his voice very British.

"Oh, uh... Just Elliot, but yes," he responded.

"Master Elliot," he said, leaving the lion amused, and the cheetah gestured to the table at the front of the hall, "Master Loring wishes to have your company for breakfast."

Elliot looked up at the front table, and saw Elric sitting there, "Oh, uh, sure... Lead the way," he picked up his coffee as the cheetah lead the way. The cheetah pulled a chair out for him once he got there, so he took a seat. This was becoming far more amusing for Elliot as he felt he really was just in a coma and dreaming of this weird fantasy land where he was treated too kindly by everyone.

"Elliot," said Elric as he reached his paws across the table, shaking one of the lions paws, "Good to see again. Thank you, Turbo, you may return to your tea."

"Thank you, Master Loring," the cheetah said with a bow before retreating to the far end of the table to sit and sip on his tea.

"I'm ordering the full English breakfast," said Elric, "Would you like one as well?"

"I have no idea what that is, but sounds good," Elliot chuckled as he started on his coffee.

"So, Elliot," said Elric as he put in the orders and set the tablet down, "You seem in good spirits, and not in my garage."

Elliot smirked, "Yeah, I guess not. A very convincing staff member has encouraged me to try and be relaxed."

"Pascal did report to me after your escape in the woods," said Elric, "I'm very happy to see he was effective in helping you."

"He either hypnotized me or his charming personality broke through to me," Elliot chuckled.

"He is very good with words," Elric nodded, "He even sweet talked me after his first year here to be one of my counselors. He's been a true asset and friend since."

"Well, I certainly hope to have a strong friendship with him," said Elliot, "His company was some of the best, although be it rather interesting and odd, that I've had in some time."

"Good to hear," Elric gave him a most majestic smile, "Have you signed up for any activities yet?"

"Naw, not yet," said Elliot, "I'm not really sure what I'd be into doing. The couples thing sounds fun, but I'd have to find a partner before then. And maybe the medieval reenactment. I've always wanted to get into a sword fight."

Elric laughed, "Some of the men here act like it's a living, so be careful with that event. We always get bumps and bruises every year, and occasionally someone needing stitches. But alas, Dukagjin, one of my counselors, pays well to keep it going annually."

"That's something I've been curious about," said Elliot, "Most everyone here pays a larger fee to get what they want, right?"

"That's right," Elric agreed.

"And no one's thought about a movie theater?" Elliot said.

Elric laughed, "Oh my, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe we can get an outdoor one. We could host movie nights every other night."

Just then Turbo arrived with plates at hand and set them down "Master Elliot, Master Loring. Do either of your require more coffee?"

"If you don't mind, Turbo," said Elric as he handed the cheetah his coffee cup. Elric nodded towards Turbo as he smiled at the lion. Elliot nodded and handed him the cup.

"I saw you put two sugars, and five creams in your cup earlier," Turbo said to him, "Is this the desired amount?"

"Oh, sure," said Elliot, a bit caught off guard as the cheetah bowed and left to get the coffee.

"Handy assistant, isn't he?" Elric laughed at Elliots expression.

"I had my back to him..."

Elric chuckled, "That boy has been a complete mystery to me since he came into my services, but I let him do as he pleases, and that's apparently pleasing me and my guests."

Elliot smirked. He looked down at his plate. It had fried eggs, beans, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, hashbrowns, two pieces of toast, and a slice of tomato. He started to dig in and decided that the full English breakfast was going to be his meal everyday, he didn't care if he got fatter because of it. Turbo returned with their coffees, and promptly bowed his way back to his end of the table. Elric continued to talk with Elliot about career, home life, and more about the sorts of things he could do at the camp.

Turbo interrupted and bowed very apologetically, "Master Loring sir, the Guardians require your presence."

"Thank you, Turbo," Elric gave the cheetah a nod, and turned back to Elliot, "I must apologize Elliot, duty calls. The camp likes to keep me on my toes sometimes. I do hope you'll attend the show tonight."

"Of course," said Elliot, "I look forward to it."

Elric and Turbo gave their goodbyes and left Elliot by himself. The lion swirled his coffee cup around, nearly empty. He stood up to go refill it, and dropped his plate off at the dish station on his way. He went out the backdoor which exited onto a broad balcony that overlooked the lake. He took a seat at one of the tables and sat back to observe the nature around him. He chuckled as he saw Keller go zooming over the top of the lake with goggles over his eyes and still naked, a familiar orange fin between his feet.

The lion sipped on his coffee and smoked cigarettes till the cup ran out. He sighed as the sun's rays increased, making him a bit warm. He decided he may as well check out the lodges shop and see if he could find swim trunks. It was high time he indulges himself in the amenities of the camp, such as the lake.

He entered the shop and snooped around for a bit. He found a shelf labeled swimwear. He tilted his head as it was full of small square boxes, each with waist labels on them. He inspected more closely. They had colors listed at the bottom of the waist size on them. Orange, Hot Pink, Blue, or Yellow.

"I guess I bring these to the counter to get what I want?" Elliot said to himself as he picked up a box labeled blue. The lion took his box up to the reception desk and set it down. Walther was there.

"Oh!" said the quokka, "Got yourself one of our speedos I see."

"Oh," said Elliot, finally realizing the small box contained the needed swimwear, "Uhm, you guys don't have trunks?"

The quokka chuckled, "Don't tell me a strapping young lad like yourself is afraid to show a little extra leg?"

Elliot blushed, "Guess you've got a point..."

"Hell boy, there's been a damn naked coyote running around the last day," said Walther mirthfully, "No one's paid him any mind, and I'm sure no one's gonna judge you for wearing a tight little something to keep your balls in place."

Elliot felt like he was being scolded by his father, but in a rather perverse sense, "That's an even better point..."

"Be confident in yourself young man," he continued, "We're all too old to care about what others think about how we look. You are strong and bold. Take the reins and pull yourself into adventure, that's why we're all here."

Elliot gave Walther a smile, "I guess I should respect my elders and do as they say."

"Damn right," said Walther with a chuckle, "Now go on, go enjoy the day. But don't stay out too late."

Elliot chuckled and picked up his tiny box. He made his way back to his cabin, climbing up the steps. He opened the door to find his roommates sitting on Allens bed, having a conversation. The wolf had modestly put a pillow over his crotch probably because he heard Elliot coming up the steps.

"Hey guys," the lion nodded to them both.

"Hey Elliot!"

"H...hey!"

"I'm gonna go hit the lake," said Elliot as he started to undress with his back to them, "Would you two care to join? I'd like to get to know you guys better."

"Uh, sure," said Allen as he gave Luke a jab to his shoulder.

"W...we can join you shortly, is that o...ok?" said Luke, "M...me and A...Allen were discussing a p...private issue."

"Oh," said Elliot as he slid his speedo up, strapping the clasp around his tail, he wiggled around in the speedo as it felt a bit tight, "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"It's alright," Allen gave Elliot a flashing grin, "It's nothing to worry about. We'll totally be down soon."

Elliot gave them a nod as he went out the door. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before going down the steps. He started walking over to the bath house to grab a towel, which he wrapped around himself. Now he felt ready to walk down to the lake.

He tossed his towel over one of the benches next to the lake, and dove on in. The water made waves as his body slid down to the ground beneath the water. He swam around for about a minute before he came up to get some air. He gasped out as he came up, shoving a hand up through his mane to get it out of his eyes. He felt something brush by his legs which caused him to roll his eyes. A figure swam up and broke through the surface. It wasn't Victor!

"Whoa!" said Elliot taken aback.

He was a rather rotund otter. His round cheeks broke into a broad grin as he nearly shouted, "Oh sweet molasses, a new guy!" He grabbed his paws around Elliots and shook his paws under the water, "Nice to meetcha! My names Liam!"

"Uh...Elliot," said Elliot, trying to pull his paws back.

The otter let him go and chuckled, "Havin' a good time fella?"

"Yeah, just getting used to things," he said.

"Hope yer not havin' any second thoughts," Liam winked at him, "This place has the best food! There's a huge barbeque tonight that's phenomenal. All you can eat wings, ribs, and burgers, and skewers, and good grief, my mouths watering."

A surge of water passed over the both of them as a shark mounted coyote approached, "Ahoy mateys! This here's the dread pirate Keller's territory."

"Yull neva catch me alive!!!" shouted Liam as he dove down into the water and swam off.

Victor broke over the surface as he watched after the otter, "Sorry about Liam. He'll talk your ear off all day though. Good thing I've got a loud mouth on top of me."

"I heard that!" said Keller.

"Did he fit you with a harness?" Elliot laughed as he saw straps over Victors shoulders.

"Yeah, well," Victor chuckled, "I don't mind. I'm actually enjoying this. He's a new kind of fun."

"I'm king of fun," said Keller as he struck a pose.

Victor stood straight up, causing the coyote to vault backwards, "Now you're the king of the verticals."

"My feet are still strapped in!!!" the coyote struggled to keep his head over water.

Victor popped the buckles off around the coyotes feet, causing him to splash around in the water before the shark grabbed him by the scruff of the neck to reorient him.

"There, better?"

"Yeah..."

Victor snorted, and shook his head before turning his attention back to Elliot, "So, how are you today? Feeling better?"

"Very much so," said Elliot, "I figured I'd be more involved."

"Coming to the lake by yourself is more involved?" Victor teased.

"Well, my cabinmates said they'd come down shortly," said Elliot, "But they're having a private conversation, so now I'm stuck waiting."

"Now you're stuck with us!" said Keller from down at Elliots chest, the coyote spinning circles as he tread water.

"Maybe I can go shark surfing," Elliot smirked.

"Maybe if I was built like Pascal," Victor said as he patted the lions belly.

Elliot laughed, "Yeah, I like food a bit too much."

"And you're built like a damn tank," said Keller as he squeezed Elliots arm.

"Ah, heh," the lion blushed, "Just years of lifting a bunch of heavy shit."

"At least you're not small and rascally!" the coyote threw up his arms which caused him to sink a little, "Although, I wouldn't be able to shark surf if I wasn't..."

"Is that all I am to you?" Victor teased him.

"Nooooo!" Keller pouted, "You're soooo awesome! I wanna take you home!"

Victor chuckled, "I've never had a fanboy. You're one goofy dude, Keller."

There was a splash behind Elliot. The lion turned to see Luke standing at the edge of the lake. Allen popped up out of the water next to all of them. Elliot splashed the wolf.

"HEY!" Allen chuckled, "What's that for?"

"Making me wait," Elliot laughed, "I got accosted by a very chatty otter, these two had to save me."

Luke slowly wade his way into the lake. He was skinny, so what was held in his bright orange speedo left little to the imagination as it hung six inches off of his body. Elliot blushed as he averted his gaze out of the lake. The rat was soon standing next to them.

"S...sorry I took so long," he said.

"It's ok," said Elliot, "Keller and Victor kept me company."

"Heya Luke," Victor ruffled the rats headfur.

Luke laughed, "H...hey V...Victor."

"You wanna go for a ride?" the shark smirked, "You're light enough."

"R...really?" Luke huffed as he tugged at the straps on the shark, "I...I'd like that."

"Have him back by dark, we need him," said Allen as he picked up Keller, who was seemingly drowning under the mass of large bodies around him.

"Yeah!" said Keller as he sat atop of Allens forearm, "Keep my shark in one piece. I hear tonight's a competition night."

Luke got strapped in and secured, then Victor took off with him at a dash. The rat nearly lost his legging as they lurched forward. He leaned into the wind as they went, yelling out in joy.

"My ride," Keller fake cried.

"Hehe, they'll be back soon," said Allen.

The three of them waded around as Luke enjoyed his shark ride. Keller helped them out by keeping a steady conversation going. Elliot wasn't quite sure if Keller even knew what oxygen was when he got on a topic. He didn't act like a know it all which Elliot liked. He was full of curious questions, and dumb ones, and pervy ones. He was quite entertaining. A short while later, Luke came surfing up and dismounted.

Victor came up, "Hope you had fun!"

Luke nodded,"Y...yeah, t...thank you."

"So, what's this competition about tonight?" Elliot asked.

"Pff, it could be anything," said Allen, "I'm pretty sure we're all going to be attending the barbeque, so the counselors are sure to launch something. It could be anything."

"D...do we even know what the prizes are this year?" asked Luke.

"As always, they have it under tight wraps," said Victor, "Last years prize for the fourth was a stay in the luxury lodge though."

"Luxury lodge?" asked Elliot.

"Yeah!" said Allen, "It's up on top of the mountain there," he pointed, "It has a hot tub, swimming pool, arcade room, billiards, and a huge luxury bed full of silky pillows that everyone gets to share."

"Oh," said Elliot, "That sounds really nice."

"T...they always allow us to invite one guest too," said Luke, "A...and whichever cabin wins, gets their counselor as a personal servant, and the Guardians too."

That's the second time Elliot heard about the Guardians today, "Who are they?"

"The maintenance workers," Allen chuckled.

"Oh," Elliot chuckled, "I guess that makes sense. Nothing works without them, right?"

"Pretty much," said Victor, "They're the hidden ninjas that make the place run well."

The five of them swam around for a few hours, and Elliot learned more about each of them. He'd already learned more about Luke than anyone else. Allen worked as a personal trainer, and competed in strong man competitions. Keller owned a flea market. He took great pride in running one of the largest in the country. Must explain why he has zero social issues. Victor had an unexpected profession, a massage therapist.

"If you want, I can make you putty sometime," the shark gave the lion a flashy grin, "Free of charge of course."

"Heh, I'll keep it in mind," said Elliot, "I've never had a massage before. My back will probably be a nightmare."

"Nothing I can't handle," the shark laughed.

"Alright boys," said Allen, "I think we should hit the showers. Don't wanna be late to the party tonight."

"What time is it?" asked Elliot.

Victor looked at his wristwatch, "Hmm, we've been down here awhile. It's already three."

"We missed lunch!" Keller cried.

"You ate ten pancakes this morning," Victor shot at him.

"We can at least get some snacks," said Allen, "Come on."

He got out of the lake, and to no surprise to Elliot he was quite nude. They all got on shore and shook their fur out, except Victor as he had none. They stopped in the dining hall to get snacks and refreshments. Keller grabbed a whole box of donuts.

"How the hell do you eat so much and not gain any weight?" Victor demanded.

"W....we're freaks," said Luke who had also picked up a box.

Once they got their snacking out of the way they made their way back into their cabins to grab their sanitation products. Elliot had just wrapped his towel around himself, while the rest of his friends just went in the buff.

Keller tugged his towel off and ran off with it, "Live free Elliot!!!" Elliot turned a bright red while the rest of them laughed. He took off after Keller which he had no hope in catching. He sighed as he got to the bath house and went in. Keller was standing on one of the benches with Elliots towel wrapped around his shoulders.

"Mwahaha!" said the coyote, "I have thwarted your modesty Captain Cautious!"

Elliot picked him up and he started yelping and squirming. They were causing such a ruckus that the handful of patrons in the locker room were pointing and laughing at Kellers predicament as Elliot stuffed him into a locker. The coyote struggled as best he could, but Elliot got the door closed.

"Not fair!!!" Keller shouted, "You're bigger than me!"

"Looks like I got the best of you dread pirate Keller," said Elliot as he leaned back against the wooden door.

Victor chuckled as he came over, "I'll take it from here. I'll subject him to a deadly scrub down in the bath."

"Anything but that!" Keller shouted from the locker as Victor picked him up and dragged him off to the showers.

Elliot chuckled as he went and grabbed his soap he tossed down to manhandle the coyote. Allen whistled at him as he bent over, causing him to blush. Allen gave him a wink as he went into the shower room. Elliot shook his head as he went and found himself a shower to wash away the lake smells.

They were surely an odd bunch of people. Victor actually was bathing Keller, the coyote mockingly protesting his bath as the shark scrubbed him down. Even timid Luke was helping Allen clean his back off since his muscles restricted his reach. Elliot chuckled to himself and shook his head as he cleaned himself off.

"N...need help too?" Luke offered from behind him.

Elliot sighed, there was no escaping the kindness, "Heh, sure. You won't be the first today..."

Luke blushed as he started to scrub the lions back, "I...if this is too much for you, p...please l...let me know. I n...know where to draw the line unlike those guys."

Elliot gave Luke a reassuring smile, "It's ok Luke, I think I'm starting to get used to this here."

Luke grinned as he averted his gaze away from Elliot as he helped the lion get his back cleaned, "W...we're all just very friendly. I...it's our one month to bond and do different things away from f...friends a...and family back home without a...anyone being judgemental."

Elliot felt his ears burning as the cogs finally clicked into place, "O...oh, by bond and different things, you mean?"

Luke took his paws off of Elliot, "W...well s...s..some...t..times," his stutter came out hard now and he took a deep breath, "Things kind of happen when you get close to others out here." Luke hung his head sheepishly.

Elliot turned around and whispered to Luke, "So...is that normal?"

Luke raised an eyebrow and nodded, "I...it's only polite to let you know before you get in too deep into staying here. I...it's bothered a few people in the past, a...nd l...led to them asking for private cabins or j...just leaving. A...and as short lived as it's been that w...we've hung out, t...the guys really enjoy your company."

Elliot let out a small chuckle that got Luke to ease up a bit, "Well, I did mess around when I was a teen, and nothing ever came of it because I got a girlfriend that I ended up marrying. If you guys are worried about me, don't be. I just gotta work on my people skills. My social life has been business for ten years. I came here hoping to find myself again, and to open up a bit."

"S...so you're ok i...if...."the rat struggled.

Elliot nodded, "Yeah. You guys were a little overwhelming at first, and I can't thank you enough for letting me know what kind of moods to expect. Cabin fever at its best," Elliot chuckled and shook his head, "Right now, I'm just going to go with the flow, and hope for the best outcome for me."

Luke nodded as he looked up at Elliot, "T...that's great to hear," he turned to look over at Allen, who was currently helping Victor continually scrub a protesting coyote, "A...and, y...you were almost onto something yesterday. A...Allen and I a....are...."

"Ah, married?" Elliot laughed.

"Dating!" Luke blushed, "W...we live so far apart, a...and just trying t...to get to know one another. I...it's h...hard, and when w...we found out we didn't get the c...cabin to ourselves, w...we were worried about..."

"Hey, hey," said Elliot holding a thick finger up to the rats lips, "I understand. Don't let this old, grumpy lion scare you guys. Just, take things slow around me, and I think I'll be ok. I'm just anxious when I'm not in the comfort of my own home."

"W...we will," Luke gave him a smile, "W...want me to finish your back?"

Elliot smirked, "Yeah, sure. Maybe if I let everyone wash my back, I'll get used to all of you."

Elliot turned back around as the rat went back to work. Moments later a coyote skittered by on all fours, yelping, "No more!!!" Allen and Victor were in hot pursuit.

"Is that normal?" Elliot asked.

"Th...their just getting warmed up," Luke chuckled.

Luke and Elliot finished up their shower and went to get dry. Victor and Allen had Keller wrapped up in several towels, restricting him from moving. He was in high spirits as he yammered on about the excitement of the evenings events. They all got dry and made their way back to their respective cabins.

"Good luck tonight fellas!" Keller waved to them as they departed, "You're gonna need it!"

Victor picked up the coyote and threw him over a shoulder. He started laughing hysterically as the shark started to tickle him, causing him to flail about. Elliot held the door to their cabin open. Elliot took off his towel and started to rummage through his bag.

"By the way, is there a laundry room of some sort here?" he asked.

Allen laughed, "Naw. Just leave your clothes on the floor. One of the Guardians will come by and do them for you."

"Wait, really?" Elliot tilted his head.

"Yeah, they're super efficient. They label your clothes with your cabin number and which bed area they came from, and they'll have it back to you at the end of the day."

"Cool," Elliot chuckled as he dropped his used clothes onto the floor next to his bed, "That's good to know. Also, if you and Luke need privacy, put something on the doorknob outside to indicate you're busy."

Allen slammed his knee into something, "Oww...Wha...What?"

Luke hung his head, "I...I told him about us."

"But! He!" Allen couldn't get his words together, "Elliot, I'm so sorry! Please, don't think poorly of us! It's been like this for years! Please don't leave!"

Elliots laughter caused him to stop, "You're fine! It's ok."

'It is?!" the wolf was astounded.

"I'm completely ok if you and Luke have a relationship," Elliot assured him.

Allens eyes welled up as he came over and hugged the lion, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. We were so worried about crossing the line."

Elliot blushed as they were both naked, but he returned the hug, "Think nothing of it."

Allen jumped back, realizing they were naked, "Sorry!"

Elliot laughed as he bashfully took a step back, "It's ok. I should have waited till I was dressed to say something, I should have expected that."

Allen looked like he really wanted to hug him again, but restrained himself and hugged Luke instead. Elliot smirked as Luke gave him a thumbs up from under the mass of muscle. The lion got dressed as Allen was still on the high of Elliots blessing. He had started dancing around with Luke as the rat was trying to get dressed, both of them laughing.

Elliot grinned, "You two ready?"

"Yes!" said Allen, "Make sure you guys are ready for running too. Just in case."

"W...we'll probably be better off barefoot," said the rat.

"Running?" asked Elliot.

"Sometimes the cabin contests involve fast reactions," said Allen, "Which can involve running. You never know what they're going to throw at us."

Elliot patted his gut, "I'll do my best."

The three of them left the cabin and made their way to the barbecue pits. The smell of meat hit them in a tidal wave. Brett was conducting on several grills and big smokers. He was a wolf about the same size as Elliot. His large paws wielded spatulas as he ran through the burgers, flipping them two at a time as he went.

They rejoined Keller and Victor, along with their other roommate Jiro, a bat. He was a little taller than Keller, he had a kind face with a red mohawk and black fur. He had a cigarette between his fingers and a glass filled with what looked to be scotch.

Victor patted Jiro, "This is Elliot," he signed to him.

Jiro nodded and signed up to Elliot.

The lion gave a polite nod, "Uhm, nice to meet you?"

Victor translated for him, and the bat smiled, and began to sign again, "Victor has told me much about you. He says you're a delight." Elliot smiled, and thanked him, it was the only sign language he knew.

Victor continued to help them converse. Jiro was a game designer that focused on making games more compatible for people with disabilities. He grew up without many outlets, and since technology became a mainstream product, he was finally able to find his voice. Now, he wanted to share it with the world.

"That's really cool," said Elliot.

"Yeah!" Keller chipped in, "He's been showing me how to sign. It's a lot of fun."

"I might have to give it a try," said Elliot, causing Jiro to smile.

"He's got a wicked talent though," said Victor, "He may not be able to hear, but he can feel vibrations on his ears."

Jiro waggled his large ears, and began to sign, "I have to be very close to the source or have my ear up against it. It does let me know when someone enters a room. The vibration from a door closing, or heavy footsteps."

A triangle rang in the air as Brett shouted out, "COME N' GET IT!"

Victor patted Jiro's arm and jerked his thumb towards the food. They all gathered around the barbecue palace the wolf had created. Brett had platters stacked high with burgers, ribs, kielbasa, barbecue chicken, skewers, and even some vegetarian options. Elliot helped himself to one of everything, except the vegetarian stuff. He couldn't even identify what it was.

They all retook their seats with plates full. As they were digging in, their counselors came over to join them. Pascal greeted them all quite jovially, as well by an incredibly tall and thick silver dragon. His scales shone brightly from the fires around them. He took a seat next to Jiro and began signing with him.

"You boys ready?" Pascal grinned to his cabin team, "I can almost guarantee there's a cabin challenge tonight," he winked.

Allen laughed, "The whole camp knows. Someone must've let it slip."

Pascal grinned, "We're at a slight disadvantage, but we can at least try."

"Oh..." Elliot hid behind a rack of ribs.

"Wings and water swimmers," Pascal winked.

"Oh," Elliot chuckled, "I was worried my gut would slow me down."

Pascal patted the lions belly, causing him to blush, "Don't you worry big guy. You're my secret tank this year."

Elliot smirked. The silver dragon had finished communicating with Jiro, and he suddenly piped up to the whole table, "My apologies, I had to fill in Jiro on the event tonight." he suddenly shot a large clawed hand towards Elliot, which it encompassed the lion's paw, "I'm Jeigor, we haven't been properly introduced."

Elliot shook hands with him, "A pleasure to meet you. Sorry about the barbecue sauce."

The dragon laughed, "Quite alright friend. I wish you boys luck tonight."

Pascal grinned, "I've got confidence in them."

Jeigor and Victor helped Jiro communicate as they ate dinner. Elliot sat back after three plates and patted his gut. Stars shone in the sky as the barbeque started to simmer down. Brett had trouble keeping up to feed all the voracious appetites. The wolf had finally sat down to eat his own meal, a huge stack of ribs. Elliot was glad to see Brett among others had just as big of appetites as he did.

Pascal belched, "Oh man. No more. Eight racks was too much I think."

Jeigor chuckled, "Good, I might be able to keep up for once."

Pascal winked at him, "Once dinner settles, I'll keep you in check."

Jeigor put up his hands, "I gotta poke you when you're down."

The wolf wagged his tail, "Mm, once you boys finish up, we're meeting over on the hillside there for the fireworks. All the booze you can drink too."

Pascal motioned for Jeigor to follow. The two of them took off towards the hillside. Luke stacked all their plates together and carried them to a trash can. Allen stood up when Luke came back and took his hand. The group of them walked over to join the rest of the growing crowd on the stadium style seats that faced away from the lake. Elliot assumed they used this spot every year with how nicely done up it was.

In the middle was a pool full of ice and beers. Elliot reached in and grabbed a few, joining up with his friends. They all took a seat. The benches were actually quite comfortable. Allen and Luke were cuddled up. Allen put an arm around Elliot as he sat down. The lion blushed.

"Us three, are going to win tonight," said Allen, "And if we don't, we're gonna win by eating more food from depression."

Elliot chuckled, "I'll probably burst."

As everyone settled in their seats with their beers and companions, the show began. A sparkling mist of fountains blazing across the hillside, with a mix of roman candles in the middle of their blaze. Now that everyone's attention was grabbed, the sky lit up in eruptions of dazzling lights. Whistling and booms filled the air as mortars and rockets shot into the night.

All the guys cheered and drank beer. Everyone was having a good time as the show went on for what seemed like twenty minutes. It was a hell of a show for all of them. They all applauded as the show ended. There were clanking of cans of beer as they all cheered and drank. They didn't get much time to celebrate the ending of the show as Elric stood in front of them with every counselor lined up next to him.

"Alright boys, simmer down now" said Elric into a megaphone, he waited till everyone got silent, "As everyone figured out, it's a cabin challenge!" Everyone cheered and the ram gave them time to settle down, "The Howler Team, Tonk, Harper, and Brody, think you can use this time to run off some of that barbeque," this was followed with several groans of disapproval, "As you can imagine, the fireworks cause a big mess every year. The Howlers decided that maintenance gets the night off." All of the counselors turned around and walked behind barrels, numbered one through fifteen.

"You all get one hour to pick up as much litter as you can from the camps grounds, and fill up your barrels. You're prize is a night in the luxury cabin with the Guardians and your counselor as your servants. The ones who fill up their barrel with the most, wins. The first flare indicates the start, the second flare indicates five minutes left," said Elric, the ram raised a flare gun up and shot it off.

There was sudden rustling as everyone got to their feet and went all directions. Victor smacked Jiro on his ass and the bat took off into the air to get up the mountainside, he was soon followed by several others into the night sky. The shark then took a detour and sprinted down to the lake, passing a huffing Liam. The shark took his shirt off and threw it at the otter.

"Damn you Victor!!!" the otter shouted as Victor dove into the lake with grace, while the otter went thrashing into it.

Allen had Elliot and Luke trotting off up the mountainside, "Elliot, you take middle, Luke, go left." Allen and Luke split off, leaving the lion to scan the hillside, where many others were running around searching the ground. He shrugged and went off to find mortar shells and whatever other trash he could.

He stumbled around the mountainside, going in and out of trees as he had pulled his shirt off to carry his trash in. The lion felt he was making some decent progress. He heard a crash from overheard. He looked up to see someone tumbling through the branches of a tree and drop towards the ground. Elliot dropped his shirt and ran as fast as he could. He caught them and turned as he dropped onto his back with a grunt to try and soften their landing.

The lion huffed as he felt paws push up against his chest. A very panicked Jiro was trying to sign to him, trying to speak words as well. He seemed like he was trying to apologize. Elliot didn't know what else to do other than grab the bats paws and give him a smile.

"It's ok," he worded out.

Jiro tried to sign again and paused, he put his paws over his heart, and gave Elliot a thank you. The lion gave him a thumbs up as the bat stood up. Jiro helped Elliot to his feet. The bat looked at the ground where his litter got scattered. Elliot helped him pick it all up. Jiro was very thankful with him as he shakily ran off.

The lion went back over to his shirt, picking it up off the ground. He went back to trying to search through the dark, picking up litter here and there. The fireworks had made quite the mess. The sky lit up with another flare. Elliot decided to walk back towards the barrels and pick up anything he found on the way. He wasn't the first one back surprisingly.

Several parties were emptying their contents into their barrels. Elliot went up to where Pascal stood. The wolf had a broad grin over his muzzle as he gave Elliot a wink. The lion blushed as he dumped his contents from his shirt into the barrel.

"Not bad El!" said Pascal, "Hope the other two make it back in time."

The lion stood there, waiting. The barrels filled up fast as cabin mates returned. Luke had several arm fulls of trash he struggled to hold. He leaned over the barrel and dropped in his trash.

"Ugh, I...I feel so g...gross," said Luke as he shook his arms.

"We'll all go take a shower after," Pascal gave him a wink.

There was only a minute left when Allen came running out of the darkness. He was hugging a huge pile against his chest as he approached. He chucked it into their bin. He wagged as their barrel was quite full. There were several people still missing.

There was a yell from down by the lake as Victor was struggling with what he had. He seemed to have found a net in the lake and used it as a filter for the water. The net was packed full as he dragged it up the hillside. Jiro and Keller ran down to help him lift. Keller struggled as he got under it to push it up as the three of them ran it up to their barrel. They stuffed it down into the barrel, pressing it down best as they could. The barrel was overflowing.

"That's time!" Elric yelled into his megaphone. The ram and his assistant approached each team. They looked through every barrel thoroughly. Turbo would tug up huge wads to make sure they weren't blocking any empty space underneath. They didn't take long to discuss who the winners were. It seemed mostly obvious as only three of the barrels were overflowing. Elric took his place back in front and brought his megaphone back up, "The winner of our first cabin challenge is cabin...Seven!!!"

Keller, Victor, and Jeigor started to cheer and dance around. Victor grabbed Jiro and jumped up and down. The bat grinned broadly as they started to cheer. The four of them settled down as Elric raised his hand.

"That being said gentlemen," Elric beamed at everyone, "You all get to pick one friend each to bring with you to the luxury cabin tomorrow night. Also, an added bonus," Elric motioned with his hands to three black sheets, "You get to choose what the Guardians and your counselor get to wear. First up," Turbo whipped the cloth off of a dressed up mannequin, "We have these lovely butler outfits," there were some cheers, "Or we have maid outfits."

"Please no," Jeigor planted his face into his paws and slid them up his face as he glared at his cabin troop.

"Or," Elric grinned as Turbo whipped off the final sheet, "We have thongs with matching bow ties!"

The whole camp started cheering "Bow ties!" as Victor, Jiro, and Keller talked it out. A menacing Jeigor trying to protest between them all. Keller approached the three mannequins. First he walked up to the butler outfit, and turned to the audience, giving everyone a thumbs down. He then went up to the maid outfit, giving a thumbs up, and slowly turned his thumb upside down as he danced up to the thong and bow tie with his arms wide to display it.

"Noooooo!!!" Jeigor protested.

"It's been decided," said Elric with a broad grin as Jeigor brooded, "You all have until after lunch tomorrow to decide who you'll bring with you. Thank you all for participating!"

There was a round of applause as cabin seven got swarmed by everyone congratulating them on their win. After everyone settled down, everyone went off to the showers. The room had never been so crowded but Elliot didn't care. He was too exhausted and just wanted to scrub off and crash.

There was a tap on his shoulder as he showered and he rolled his eyes as he turned around, "Yeah?"

Jiro was standing there with Victor, "Jiro wanted to thank you again for catching him."

"Think nothing of it," Elliot gave the bat a smile.

"He would also like to invite you with us tomorrow as a thank you for saving him and wasting your time," Victor translated for Jiro.

Elliot was taken aback, "Really? I mean, I'm sure there's others he's connected with more."

Victor grinned, "That's why we're cabinmates now, but we surely can't invite each other."

"Thank you," said Elliot as he motioned to Jiro.

The bat blushed and signed, "You're also really cute."

Victor signed back to the bat to ask him if he wanted to translate that, and he shook his head, "He says he's absolutely sure about this. Thanks again Elliot."

The lion shook his head in disbelief. He felt very flattered as he finished up his shower and went off to his cabin. He flopped down onto his bed without even bothering with putting on underwear as he was too exhausted for that. The next day was sure going to be a lot of fun.