Dark paths (Awelo, Part 2)
Red moonlight bathed the cityscape in its sooty softness.
The city continued its mad, never-ending rush. Furs hurried past, going from one entertainment to the next. Others strolled along without a care in the world. Couples kissed in dark corners. Canines howled their peculiar moonlight madness into the night.
It was full moon.
Darian sat on the tiny little balcony of his little student's apartment, watching in silence as life happened all around him. Dressed in his birthday suit, he sat cross-legged on the cold concrete floor, letting the moonlight fall onto his skin. Full moon had its own effect on the little fox.
He raised his muzzle, pointing his black nose into the air, and sniffed. The city had no shortage of scents. Most of them were bad, but he could still detect the briny scent of the ocean, and the slightly rotten miasma of the everglades. They were drowned out by the smell of garbage, exhaust, soot and cooking food.
Darian loved the city...except on nights like this. On the full moon, he wanted to feel his paws dig into the soil, his claws find purchase to propel him forward as fast as he could run. He wanted to feel the wind in his fur...
On nights like this was one felt the wild beast inside. He wanted to yip at the moon and tear into flesh with his fangs, feel the thick, red blood slicking down his throat...
He wanted to fuck. His foxhood stood hard and erect between his legs. All 8" of it, in full, throbbing glory. He wanted to be filled, pressed back onto his bed and taken...fucked like a puppy until every last drop of seed had been spilled. He wanted to feel the weight of a lover bearing down on him, possess him utterly and fill his entire awareness with his presence. His scent. His sweat. His seed. His grunts and his breathing. The sweet fire of his kiss...and the soft tenderness of his paws. His loving caress.
He wanted Jennan.
Jennan had ruined him.
It's been three weeks since their encounter in the locker room, and since then, Darian had not slept with anyone else. He just didn't want to. Unfortunately, that didn't mean he didn't still want to have sex.
Double damn Jennan for being so wonderful and so unavailable.
His reputation was suffering. Fuck-buddies were looking elsewhere.
It was starting to dawn on Darian that very few of his friends liked him for who he was...and that hurt most of all. He found himself with fewer and fewer furs around him as he partied less and less. The friends who remained were, perhaps unfortunately, either twinks like him or female. It...left them open to bullying...and Jennan's pack was quick to move in.
Earlier that evening, in fact...
He rubbed his reddened cheek and side of his muzzle, biting back tears. One of them had had too much to drink and had decided to do something about the fags...
Darian sighed and swallowed his frustration and fear. He jumped up easily and padded back inside. His slinky foxy hips swayed slightly as he walked, heading for bed. The door was securely locked.
He switched off the light, and got into bed.
Oh Jennan...how could you...?
The sun was his enemy.
Ugh...no...please...
He moaned and clutched his head. A blacksmith was hammering at his skull and his left eye felt like it was about to pop out of its socket. His muzzle was dry and....ugh...a septic tank must have been emptied into it. Gods...why did I drink so much...?
He whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut.
There was something warm beside him...Mmm...oh...
His jaws parted in a canine grin. He'd brought someone home with him...He rolled over and hugged the warm body close. It was...somewhat smaller than he remembered. More...curvy. What the fuck? Where...what happened to that nice, flat...
He muttered a weak protest. What had the fox done since last night to get this...ugly?
He remembered there was the celebration. They'd won the intervarsity, with himself taking gold in the 100m sprint. They'd partied hard and he'd been having fun until...across the room...a little fox was looking sadly at him while that tabby cat gave him a lapdance...
...that tabby cat...?
...tabby...
"D...Darian...?"
He opened his eyes a crack and immediately shut them again.
"Uhhhnnnnn..." he groaned. This is not good...
Why oh why did I drink so much?
The lump beside him was female.
Worse than that...it was feline.
Even worse...it was that tabby cat with the laugh like a donkey...
Oh gods...
Mornings were bad enough, but not even Satan deserved to wake up next to that...
Jennan glanced her way again and shuddered. Her fur was all mussed and she stank of stale beer and whiskey. How could he, even in a drunken stupor, have taken...that...to his bed? Why hadn't he gone after...after...mmm...
No. Darian hadn't been there. Had he? It had been some other fox he saw. It must have been.
Faces flowed together in his mind. They were so difficult to sort out amid the sun's glare and the horrible pounding in his hear. His stomach was on fire.
There was this fox. He...looked kinda like Darian...but...his face was all bloody?
No...he couldn't have seen that last night. There hadn't been any brawling...that he could remember. That face and body...it looked so much like Darian...
But...no. He must have imagined it. Too much tequila did that to you...made you see things that were not there.
It also made you do things you didn't really want to do.
Like sleeping with gods-awful girls.
He groaned and dropped his head into his paws.
The Tabby stirred and turned onto her back. Jennan jerked his head away and paid for it with a massive beam that drove straight through his skull. He almost blacked out from the pain...but it was worth it to avoid seeing those fleshy bags of...mush on the tabby's chest.
Something had happened to him since his afternoon with Darian. Females...most females....just sucked, and his mild attraction to males had bloomed into near obsession. He no longer dared shower with his buddies after practice for fear of shooting a stiffy. Every fox he saw reminded him of Darian...and of the little fox he'd beaten. He still couldn't believe he'd done either.
The two of them looked so much alike, now that he thought of it...
Feline paws caressed his thighs and quested around toward his sheath. Jennan's body tensed.
"Mmm...oh gawd. Yew was sooo good last naigh, man! C'mon...wanna have another go?"
The thought of it...oh god no...not while he was in the grip of the biggest goddamn hangover in the known universe...
Jennan hauled himself up and out of bed. He ignored the pain and staggered to the bathroom, where he was violently sick into the john.
"Babee, you 'kay?"
Oh sure. I'm just spewing my guts for fun...
"No..." Jennan whispered.
How could he possibly be okay? He was gay. There was no denying that fact anymore. Years of denial and empty attempts at finding love had abruptly ended when Darian broke the control he'd maintained for so long and forced him to look at the truth. Iara had been a fluke, because their closeness had always been of the spirit, and so it was easy to ignore his body. But after she left him...
He was gay. There was no way in hell he could ever be with another female. No way. Not after Darian. His soul longed for fulfilment, and he could only have that with a male.
He wanted to die.
"G...get out..." he whispered to the tabby when she entered the bathroom.
She stared at him in shock/
"Just...get out of here. Let...let me...be..."
He retched violently into the john.
The cat left without another word.
"Ewww...you shoulda seen it! He just...bolted and got sick all over everthang. An' Ah thought he could take 'is drink. Barstard. Then he jus'...thew me out. But man! The cock on 'im! Like a log. He kin really fuck, he can! Like...Ah awlmost wanted to yell 'timber' when he got it up!"
Darian smiled as he listened to Flow describe her drunken evening with Jennan.
Yes, he most certainly can...he thought, and almost blushed. And yes...he really has a nice one...
"Well, at least you enjoyed it, even if it ended badly."
Like you could really appreciate anything about him other than his cock. Slut...
Flow giggled, not noticing his hostile look, or how he kept glancing past her toward the door.
"Yeah. Big puppy-dawg! I'd do 'im again. He rhaides like a rollercoaster!"
_There he was._Darian grinned as the big grey wolf entered.
Eyes all over the room followed him. By now, everyone knew that he was badly hung over and had been violently sick. His buddies laughed and poked fun at him for that while admiring how he managed to fuck Flow in spite of his boozed state.
Yeah, he's such a big stud...
_Mine..._something deep inside the little fox growled.
Jennan took it well. Things like that never bothered him. He took the good natured abuse and seemed no worse for wear. Maybe a bit bleary-eyed, but he still walked with that swagger as if his package didn't fit between his legs. He was dressed in his usual black jeans and shirt, but instead of "Metallica", it read "Pain".
He looked good, and entirely comfortable with his tail wagging a little...
An elbow nudged him in the ribs.
"He ain't gay, Dar. Eyes off 'im, 'kay?"
Darian's tail tucked.
"I know..."
Before he could embarrass himself further, Dot barged into their company in what was for her unseemly haste.
"Flow...Yasmine wants to talk to you. Something about a brush and fur-dye or something. Kit...can you help me? I forgot to do old Sourpuss's assignment. I really, really need your help..."
Darian waggled his eyebrows at Flow and rolled his eyes. What can you do, eh? the expression said. He shrugged and followed Dot to an open spot relatively removed from the milling crowd of their class.
"What happened, Kit?" Dot asked when they'd seated themselves.
Darian winced. Dot wasn't one to beat around the bush. He took off the dark glasses he wore to show her the bruise where he'd been hit. His thick fur covered the one on his cheek well enough, but his eye was a different matter.
She hissed in sympathy and gently touched his face, exploring, feeling for swelling.
"Jennan..."
"No. Not Jennan. He got drunk and Flow dragged him off. I'm amazed you haven't heard all about their wild night. You know she never keeps stuff to herself. The slut."
Dot grinned, and refrained from commenting. It was hypocritical of him, to say the very least, given how many guys he himself had fucked. She clapped a paw over her muzzle and gasped to suppress her laugher.
"Oh Fozzie..."
The fox blushed and smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm no better. But still."
Dot giggled.
"Yeah. But Kit...what happened? If it wasn't Jennan..."
"It was Rocco. Jen's friend. I..."
"Oh gods, Dari! Why on earth did you go to the celebration?"
Spot on. As usual.
Darian sighed.
"I...I had to see him, Dot. I just wanted to be there, you know? Congratulate him..."
Dot's lips pursed in scepticism. The truth, fozzie. Tell me the truth.
He sighed again.
"Alright. I wanted him to take me to his room. I knew he'd be drunk. He might have been drunk enough to actually make that kind of mistake. I...just wanted to be with him..."
For a moment, Dot's face looked stricken before she took his paw in hers. Thanks. That was the truth.
"Fozzie...you must talk to him. And tell him about Rocco, for god's sake. That idiot's not going to stop. Jennan could..."
"No."
"Fozzie..."
"No! I can't! Dot...please...I can't. He hasn't even looked at me once these last three weeks. It's like it never happened..."
"And yet...whenever you're in the same room together...Kit...didn't you notice how his ears are always turned in your direction? He never looks at you, but...he's always keeping track of you. I've seen it. He's careful about it, but..."
"And that's exactly my point, Dot."
Dot watched her fuzzy young friend and sighed deep inside where he wouldn't see it. The mere mention of Jennan's name made him perk up. He'd blushed and smiled when she mentioned how Jennan was keeping track of him, and for a moment, his eyes shone. Just the thought that the big wolf might show him some attention again was enough to make his little foxy soul soar. He was in love. No doubt.
She turned her attention back to what Darian was saying.
"He doesn't want anyone to know. He's not...what would talking help when he doesn't even want to let others know we're..."
"What? Friendly toward each other?"
"...no. I don't know...Just..."
Oh for crying out loud, Dot though. How could he not see it? It's so obvious...
"Fozzie..." she said softly. "You have to talk to him. You're never going to know how he feels if you don't, because he isn't going to come to you. You want him, you go get him. That's what he's used to. He's used to being hunted. Every girl on campus hunted him. But right now, he's out of his element. Even if he did want you - and he does want you, believe me - he wouldn't know where to start. He's never had to make an effort to win a partner since his partners always came to him. Lots of gays tried, and he always...turned them away." Dot tactfully didn't mention that Jennan usually turned them away with a quick cuff and a few threats. He never outright beat anyone up anymore but...
Mmm...interesting...
She continued.
"But now...Big alpha male like him, doing tender, loving things with another male? He's not going to handle that too well, Kit. Not without some serious help. Help only you can give him. You want him, you're going to have to guide him. You're going to have to talk to him. Tell him how you feel, then leave it with him. Let him make up his own mind. But you have to show him that there's actually a choice to be made here. He needs to know that you're interested before he can decide whether it's going to be worth trying something with you. Especially given how...um..."
"Slutty is the word you're looking for here," Darian said tartly.
Dot ignored it.
"Indiscriminate you've both been. You told me he was looking for a partner. For fidelity. Show him you can be that. Show him you can guide him down unfamiliar, dark paths..."
But you've been doing that already, haven't you Fozzie? And you'd hoped he could see it and come crawling to you. Sorry Kit. That's simply not going to happen. Not with Jennan. That one will never crawl. And you'd better not crawl either, if you want a chance with him...
"Fozzie...you want to catch yourself a wolf, you have to understand wolves. Wolves run in packs most of the time, but sometimes a wolf might leave to start a new pack. That happens a lot when a pack has more potential alphas than it can handle. Or...a wolf might leave his pack if he finds a mate. If you want to be that mate, Kit...you have to show him you can match him. You need to be bold and show him you have the balls to try. He's already an alpha. He has nothing left to prove. He's not going to come to you. You need to go to Jennan and show him you're worth his time. And don't worry about being just a little fox. In a wolf pack, it's attitude and balls that matter. You can bluff a big dog into thinking you're stronger simply by not being scared of him. Don't be scared of Jennan anymore. Go get him. Show no fear. Give him a choice. And then give him time. See what happens."
Darian nodded, but before he could answer, the lecturer arrived, and there was no further time for thought.
His last lecture ended at 5. Jennan was exhausted. With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he left class as quickly as he could and trudged down the stairs and out the door. Today, not even Luigi's or Barney's had any appeal for him. All he wanted was to get home and get in bed.
He'd made sure everyone else had left before going. Today, he didn't want company. At all.
"Hey Jennan! Wait up!"
Jennan cursed under his breath.
Gods, there was always something...
It was his friend, Rocco. He paused and waited for him to catch up.
Rocco was a German Shepherd. He stood 5'11 tall and had the build of an NBA player. The tank-tops he habitually wore fitted his personality perfectly. He was good-looking, and he knew it. He was also uncouth enough to show it off in the crudest way possible. Today it was white, and didn't leave anything to the imagination.
"There's this new club opening tonight over at 8th Street. Wanna come? We're heading there at 9."
Jennan hesitated. He really didn't have the strength for that. Not today. Not after the disaster with the tabby cat.
Rocco noticed his reluctance.
"Aww, c'mon, man. You can go without a chick for one night. Do it for the team. Do it for your buddies. Or did that cat wear you out that bad?"
Rocco grinned as Jennan growled.
"Atta boy. See you around. At 9."
The Shepherd walked away, leaving Jennan alone on the walkway. He sighed and headed out. The block of student flats loomed before him. He sighed. He lived on the 6th floor, and there were no elevators.
Ah fuck it...
The grounds surrounding the building contained many trees and the lawns were well-trimmed. It was the only thing about the place that was well maintained. Looking at it from outside, one would never guess what a dump it really was. The gas supply was intermitted, and the drains clogged easily. The paint on the inside walls were cheap and flaked off easily. Three of the stove plates in his apartment didn't work, and the fridge was noisy.
None of this bothered him much. He'd lived in worse back in Yucatan. Much worse. He shuddered. Those were not days he liked to remember.
Two small cubs, a wolf and a jaguar, begging on a street corner from furs just as ragged and disease-ridden as they were...
Jennan shivered and sat down under the nearest tree. He rested his back against the rough bark and closed his eyes.
The old red panda in whose orphanage they grew up didn't believe in dreams. She believed in hard work and being useful. If you were useful and willing to work hard, you got to eat the stale bread, mildewed meat and hard cheese that were the best fare she could provide. Occasionally there might be some sour milk...if they were very lucky, and the gods were kind to them that day.
Some days, the gods were not kind, and they got to listen to the grunts of old males and the crying of their brothers and sisters as Bad Things happened in the room next door.
They usually ate good for a few days after that...
Jennan swore it would never happen to Iara and himself.
He kept his vow. It never did.
Iara...didn't keep hers. Perhaps that was a good thing. They'd lived through hell, the two of them. They'd struggled in Yucatan, and they'd struggled Stateside...but they'd made it, in their own separate ways.
He smiled grimly.
"I know you're there, Iara. Do you really think after all these years you could sneak up on me?"
Her silvery laugh barely reached his ears, and then she was there beside him, her back also resting against the tree.
"Sure I can. I managed well enough that other night." She giggled.
Jennan opened his eyes and smiled. She wore green today. A girly skirt with ruffles and puffy sleeves. It didn't suit her at all, Jennan though.
"I was distracted."
"By some cute guy. I remember. How's that working out for you?"
"Iara..."
"Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean it like that, Jensie. I was just curious. Genuine."
Jennan nodded.
"Anyway...I just came to tell you that we're meeting tonight. I'm calling all of us who made this place our home together."
Jennan sat up straight.
"Why? Jeeze, there hasn't been a meeting in..."
"A long time. I know. But we're going to have to do something, Jens. We can't go on like this. It's just not working. We're not making much inroads on this problem, and I'm getting sick of it. We're going to have to learn to work together. It's time we took back our place."
Jennan sucked in his breath through his fangs.
"That's going to take some doing, Yara. We're not made for this..."
"It's not like you to back away from a challenge, Jennan. Hell, if not for you, I'd have died back there in Yucatán..."
"I know. I know. I'm not backing away. I'm just saying we've never done this before. It's...oh what the fuck ever. I'll be there. What time? Where?"
"Well, there's this new place opening in 8th Street..."
Jennan burst out laughing.
"Fine. I'll be there at 9."
Everyone was going to be there.
"You ready, Fozzie?" Dot called from the small living area in the fox's tiny apartment. Like the rest of the building, the place was rather dilapidated, but the fox had tried to decorate it with at least a semblance of good taste. Unfortunately, no amount of pawn-shop bought worn down Persians and cheap candles in plastic scones could do much to lift the dreadful ambience created by the scabrous-looking pea-soup green paint on the walls. She shuddered.
"Almost!" he called back.
The shower stopped running and she heard him bang his little fist against the wall to get the water-pipe back into place. He yelped as what would be either too hot or too cold water hit him.
It was cheap for a reason: no one else wanted it.
Darian lived on the 3rd floor, in the opposite wing from Jennan.
"Kit, we're going to be late! They open at 11 sharp! If we don't get there before 9, the lines will be too long to get in!"
"I'm hurrying, okay? Keep your panties on."
"Huh. You keep yours on, bitch."
Darian laughed.
"No worries. Gotta impress that wolf, huh? No panties today. You sure he's coming?"
Dot rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, pretty sure. I heard Rocco say Jen said he'd come."
"Good. I wouldn't want to go through all this trouble for nothing..."
Darian emerged dripping from the shower, holding his towel in his paw. His jewels hung relaxed in their furry sack and his white sheath was slightly swollen, although nothing was peeking out as yet. With his fur plastered to his body, the shape of him was abundantly visible. Lightly muscled and lithe, he was a twinky dream.
"God damn it, Kit..."
Dot jumped around and tightly closed her eyes.
Darian giggled.
"Oh, come on, Dot. It's not like anything's going to happen. Can't you think of me as a girl friend or something? I'm going to need help getting my fur dry."
"No." She said firmly. "Unlike you, I'm pretty damn straight, and you're still male. A body like yours...does things to a girl..."
She blushed, carefully keeping her back toward him. She heard the sounds of cloth rubbing against fur as Darian dried himself. He wisely kept his muzzle shut.
It just wasn't fair that all the really good-looking and decent guys were gay. The fox was hot. There was no getting around that fact. Her body burned as her mind tormented her with the image of his butt-naked body emerging from the steaming shower. Oh gods...
It seemed an eternity before he was ready. Only when he proudly announced that he was ready did she turn around.
She gaped, eyes wide.
"Wow! You look magnificent, Fozzie."
She really meant it too.
Darian blushed.
"Really?"
"Oh hell, yeah..."
He smiled and struck the stereotypical twink pose, hip thrust out sideways, paw resting on it, the other raised up as if stroking back sweaty hair. His black jeans fitted him like a second skin, and were cut low. It cupped his package just enough to show off its size without giving away its shape, and barely kept it covered. It was embroidered with gold-coloured thread in tribal patterns down the outside of his thighs, and it closed with string and hooks. His shirt was of the short-sleeve t variety, and likewise hugged him like a lover. It was bright electric blue with a yin and yang sign over the heart. He'd also put on three gold loops in his right ear and a silver ring on the middle finger of his left paw. Black running shoes rounded out the image. He looked ready to party, and if Jennan didn't notice that, the big guy wasn't gay at all. Every gay eye was going to be on the fox, and every girl was going to cry herself to sleep over all the hotness that was not available to them.
Their howls would be even louder if Jennan took the foxie home tonight...Two pieces of prime beef they couldn't have.
She shook herself, aware that she was staring at her friend like a pervy slave merchant at the goods. Gods, he was hot! She'd bang him if...if he was straight. If he was not her best friend. If she felt anything resembling romance for him. He knew it too, and was fine with it. In fact, he loved torturing her with it. Little bastard.
"Can we go now?" he asked huskily, and winked.
He grinned wickedly, and crossed his paws shyly over his bulge, hiding it from view like he was some embarrassed puppy whose crush had noticed the erection in his pants. All that was missing was the hopeful look and the uncertainly wagging tail...
Years of longing, a decade of being ignored by every male that crossed her path...and here was this hot little thing...within her grasp...so hot...so deliciously...available. He'd give it to her. Look at him, posing like that...oh, I want him...
"Dot...? Dot? Why are you...looking at me like that?"
He blushed, and suddenly the shyness was real. She could see his discomfort in the way his body tensed up. Confused. The smile slid off his face to be replaced by...fear. His scent spoke to her, and fuelled a fire that was beyond her control. The predatory instinct she'd suppressed surfaced in her mind for the first time. She was in need. Here was her prey. Her prey feared her. She could have him. Right here. Right now.
"Dot...you're scaring me...get away from me...!"
She realised that she was stalking him. He was backing away from her. So shocked was he that he didn't even look back to see that he was backing himself into a corner.
She grinned and started to unbutton her blouse as she approached. It was thin cotton and she wore nothing underneath in the hopes of catching some young stud.
Eyes wide with disbelief and fear, Darian backed further away until his back touched the wall. Dot just kept coming. Her breasts were small and perky, but the nipples were reddened and hard. Her eyes held no mercy in them.
No...this could not be happening...
The badger girl pressed herself close to him and kissed his neck. She moaned as he rubbed herself against him.
"Dot...no..."
He tried to wriggle his arms in between them to push her away, but she pressed forward harder, pinning him against the wall with the full force of her weight. Dot was a big girl. Muscular, like badgers always were.
"Oh no, Fozzie...none of that..." Her soft voice sounded so tender and sweet...
Darian wanted to scream. Repulsed by the feel of her body, her scent, her...groping...his foxhood retreated deeper into its sheath so all she got for her groping was a fist full of skin.
This seemed to anger her. She jerked him away from the wall with both paws and threw him hard down onto the floor.
Darian yelped as he hit, and groaned, stunned.
The monster that had been his friend approached, her eyes shining with lust and need. She slipped her skirt off the wide hips and kicked it away. Darian tried to scramble away but she was on him in an instant. Her paws gripped the ties of his jeans and undid them in moments. She yanked them off, exposing his body.
"Dot...Darian whispered in horror as his former friend started to grope and paw at his sheath and orbs.
"N...no...please..."
"Yes...yes, fox." Her paw stroked his genitals as she positioned herself between his legs, forcing his legs apart.
"Mmm...such a hot little thing...with so large a package. Show me how big, foxy. Show me your meat..."
Her paws kept stroking him, and instinct overrode his fear and revulsion.
No...no...
The tip of his foxhood spread his sheath open.
She murred softly and fondled it, stroking the tip between her thumb and finger.
Darian flinched away from her touch and finally found his voice to scream.
"No! No! Get away from me! Get away!"
Her fist slammed into his muzzle.
"Shut the fuck up, fox. I'm not done."
The gentle, wheedling tone was gone. Dot hissed and growled when she spoke. Tears streamed from Darian's face...tears of rage, betrayal and humiliation. Pain too. His nuzzle hurt horribly where she's hit him...but it wasn't nearly as bad as his heart.
His best friend was raping him...
He whimpered as she loomed over him and lowered herself onto him. The tip of his member had once more sought shelter inside his sheath, but Dot didn't seem to care. She ground her wet chuff against his sheath. Her paws snaked up over his belly and chest as she rode him until they found his muzzle and clamped it shut.
Darian struggled and tried to shake loose, but she was too powerful. He gasped for air as her grip partially closed his nose.
Panicked, he screamed with his muzzle closed as she started to bounce on him. His meat refused to respond, but all this did was fuel Dot to more frenzied acts.
"Get in me, damn you!" She screamed and let go of his muzzle. Her first slammed into his chest.
The breath whooshed out of him. Fearing for his life, the little fox fought back. He drew up his legs and slammed his knees into her back before pounding his little fist into her face. Dot fell sideways off him, and Darian scrambled to his paws.
Out. He had to get out!
Forgetting that he was undressed, he sprinted for the door and was out in an instant. He ran down the hall, crying and sobbing.
Behind him, he heard a scream of rage, and knew he was not safe yet.
Where to go...where...
There was nowhere. No one in the building liked him. His best hope lay outside. He sprinted down the stairs and crashed into walls as he took the steps three and four at a time. His legs trembled and tears obscured his vision.
Jennan. Jennan would surely help him...Have to find...Jennan...
Grass under paw.
He was out. Pure instinct drove him out the gate and down the street.
Little Egypt was just a few blocks away. Provided he took the shortcut. The back-alleys were dangerous and dark predators prowled there, but the big wolf walked confidently through them. More than any other place, this was home. He'd grown up in worse alleys than these. He passed dumpsters where scavengers scrounged a living off other people's discards. Sometimes a dumpster held more than just food. Sometimes it held valuables. Or secrets. Street kids who didn't want their asses stuffed full of cock soon learned to befriend the local scavengers...
Old habits die hard.
"Howzit, Ole?"
"High five, Jose."
"Man...man...justa dollah...just...justa halfa dollah..."
These were his people. Jennan understood them like a banker understood cash.
A chill passed through his soul. How easily he could have ended up like one of them...so he gave them respect and real help when they asked. He understood that even such as they could have pride...
"Got something for me, Plinkly?"
He paused by a completely nondescript wooden crate covered in carton and sealed with...Jennan shuddered. He didn't want to know what Plinkly used. Plinkly was a third-generation scavenger. His family had prowled these streets for decades, and his mother had probably gotten his name from some foreign TV show she saw while watching at a storefront. The streets were the only home the young mouse had ever known. He was content here and never wanted anything more.
The carton moved and a twitchy pink nose poked out. It cautiously sniffed the air before relaxing.
"Master Jens! Good to see you!"
The cub jumped out from under his cartons and flew up into Jennan's arms. The small muzzle kissed and licked his face all over.
Jennan smiled and let Plinkly hug and kiss him for a while as he hugged the thin little body close before he set the mouse cub down. Plinkly was six years old, and loved Jennan like a brother.
Everyone was "Master" to Plinkly. He was a well-behaved street-rat.
The cub slid his paw into Jennan's and motioned for him to sit down on the crate.
Jennan did so without hesitation.
"Nah. I don't have nothin'. But...Yazoo is back. Saw him yest'day. He got hisself a new tat too. Right on the ass. Round the hole, ya know?"
The cub giggled as Jennan snorted in laughter. So! Some insider had wanted a view when he took Yazoo. Served him right.
"And you saw this when...?"
"Oh...yeah...he bent over for Balthazar. I saw it all." The cub grinned, and Jennan fuzzled him gently.
To a street kid, the functions of the body and the perversity of furs held no secrets. Even at his young age, Plinkly knew more about furry nature than most psychologists did.
So! Yazoo was reduced back to street whore, huh?
I wonder if he's been pimped...
"Nice work, little one." Jennan smiled and rummaged around in his jean pocket for something. He produced a slightly used Swiss Army knife, which he handed to the little mouse.
The cub's face lit up with excitement and he took the knife reverently from Jennan.
"Oh wow! A real fixer!" Immediately he started opening it, carefully examining every tool. Some showed signs of use. Upon noting this, the cub relaxed. He was deeply suspicious of new things...and especially of those who offered them.
New, expensive things was Trouble.
Jennan smiled as the cub threw his little arms around him and hugged as tight as he could.
"Thanks!" the cub murred.
"It's no problem. You earned it!"
A scream cut through the night.
Instantly, Plinkly disappeared, down into his hole under the crate and carton.
As quick, Jennan tensed and pricked his ears. It came from somewhere to his left...maybe a few alleys over. Screams were not unusual in alleys...but it would not have been an alley dweller. Screaming attracted more predators. Scavengers knew that, and kept silent...kept to the shadows when the predators arrived.
He patted the cartons in a quick farewell, then sprinted up the narrow, filthy alley until he came to a fence. He vaulted over it easily and kept going. He could hear whimpering now, and sobbing.
"Now, now, dearie...ain't gonna hurt ya. Just...just wanna look atcha."
Jennan shrank back against the wall. The voice came from his left, just around a corner. He knew that voice. It was Moochka. The slobbering hyena was dangerous...when he was sober. When he was not, he was scared of his own shadow. He sounded sober now. Best to take him on when he was distracted.
"No...please..."
A pathetic whine sounded from around the corner.
"Mmm...nice ass, kid. How come ya not be wearin' pants, eh? Some fucka took er off ya, eh? Hole got slicked up nice, eh?"
"No!"
The young victim was growling now.
"Take your paws off me! No!"
"Just gonna play with ya a little. No harm in that..."
"No! No!"
Thrashing sounds. Jennan judged his moment carefully. It didn't take much to gain Moochka's full attention, and once he started slobbering, he wouldn't have the presence of mind he needed to fight back.
"Ugh..."
A sound of disgust.
Jennan smiled. Now...
He stepped around the corner.
"Let him go, Moochka."
"F'ck off."
Moochka had a little fox pinned and dangling against the wall. His back was toward him and his face was pasted against the wall as Moochka slobbered all over his ass. Nice ass it was too. The little guy's ears were pinned back, but he was still fighting. Good. He wasn't helpless then. Just not quite strong enough. But that wasn't his fault.
Jennan jerked back hard on the hyena's shoulder. The big, ugly brute staggered back and snarled. The little fox fell to the ground with a dull thud, and instantly jumped to his paws.
Jennan's heart froze.
It was Darian. Their eyes locked for a moment, and that "thing" between them spoke the words neither could express.
He's hurting me! Please...help me!
Okay...No problem. I got you covered.
Jennan snarled savagely and whirled the hyena around.
Slobber spat in all directions. The hyena hooted in surprise. His fists came up, ready to protect his sole right to play with his prize...
Jennan's fist hammered into his face. The hyena staggered back.
"Aaaaargh..." he growled.
"You will leave the fox alone, Moochka. I'm not warning you again." Jennan's voice was cold as ice and hard as steel. With his fangs bared and his fist raised, he looked quite demonic.
On the ground, Darian watched, horrified. This was the Jennan he remembered from that awful day...Jennan the savage. Jennan the destroyer.
For a moment, the hyena looked ready to fight, but then fear crept into his eyes.
"J...Jennan..." he whispered. He backed away even further until his back was against the wall. In an instant, Jennan was on him and had the hyena punned up against the wall in exactly the same way Darian had been earlier.
"No! Please!" The hyena screamed, forgetting every rule about living on the street.
Never show weakness. Never beg. You'll go down like the meat you are when you do.
Jennan growled, his fangs snapping right in front of the hyena's face.
"He's under my protection, Moochka. You are not to touch him. You do, it's my fist in your face. Get me?"
"Yes! Yes!" The hyena blubbered. "I gotcha! I gotcha! I didn't know! I swears I didn't! Please!"
Jennan abruptly let him go. The hyena fell like a sack of oats and lay there, sobbing in abject terror.
Wide-eyed with fear, Darian stared up at Jennan.
Is he...did he...what's going to happen to me? What should I do? Fly into his arms or run away...?
It was gentle Jennan who approached him and sank to his knees beside him.
Darian crashed into him and threw his arms around Jennan's neck. He buried his face in the big wolf's shoulder and howled. The past few hours of terror all came bubbling from him in a flood of tears and sobs. Powerful arms locked around him and held him close. Gentle paws rubbed his back soothingly. It took him a long time to find his voice, and for his tears to dry. Jennan simply held him close. No groping, no sexual advance. He just held him until he relaxed and his body stopped shaking.
"Come foxa. Let's go. The whole block will have heard that."
He chuckled when Darian looked fearfully up at him.
"Oh, don't worry, foxie. They won't take me on. But it will attract a lot of gawkers. You forget...you're not currently...well...decent. Let's not attract too much attention, shall we?"
The dry humour in his voice brought a smile to Darian's lips, and he let himself be drawn upright.
"Let's make a run for it, okay? See if we can beat the paparazzi."
Darian nodded, but clung to Jennan's paw, unwilling to let go of the comforting solidity of the big wolf's presence.
Jennan nodded his understanding, and let the fox hold on as they ran paw in paw through the alleys. It wasn't far back to the apartment building...but the street was crowded when they arrived. A lot of furs had seen him sprint bare-assed out of the building and into the alleys.
Jennan poked his head around a corner and winced as he noted their numbers. Half the building was out there.
Darian's heart sank.
He'd never live it down...and those people all hated him already...
He felt his paw being squeezed, and he looked up into Jennan's eyes.
Jennan smiled, and before Darian could protest, he hauled the little fox along. They sprinted out from behind the corner and ran paw in paw right through the assembled crowd. Darian's ears burned as many furs yelled abuse, exclaimed in surprise, horror or appreciation of his state of undress.
He couldn't believe Jennan was doing this. For three straight weeks, Jennan had barely looked at him, and now he was hauling his half-naked self along by the paw in public with dozens of witnesses seeing them head inside. The gods only knew what kind of stories would spread now...
Jennan completely ignored the crowd. He just kept holding Darian's paw as they ran through the gate into the grounds and from there straight through the open door and up the stairs.
They pounded up the stairs. Darian was exhausted. The stairs seemed to go on forever. Each flight seemed to have more steps than the last one. His heart was pounding from more than just exertion. The whole day had gone mad...
He stopped when Jennan did, and clung to him as the big wolf fumbled for the keys.
How'd he manage to get a key to my door...?
My door...Dot...Dot's in there...No. No...Don't want to enter...Don't want...
The door swung open and Jennan pushed him inside before he could protest.
It was dark inside, and it smelled of Jennan. When Jennan switched on the lights, Darian took the chance to look around.
Oh...
The walls were mostly bare with a few posters of rock and metal bands pasted here and there. The walls were painted beige and was every bit of scabrous looking as his own. It was just as neglected...but with added clutter. Books were strewn all over the floor and on every available surface. Unwashed dishes were stacked in the sink and a layer of dust covered everything.
He glanced around quickly through the open bedroom door. The bed was unmade and clothes lay in random heaps on the floor.
It was as different from his own place as it was possible to get. There was nothing of himself, or of Dot here. This was Jennan's territory, and as had been made abundantly clear...no one messed with him.
Darian knew he should be terrified, but for some reason, he wasn't. Some deep instinct, that thing that existed between them, told him that he was safe. He was in the wolf's den, and the wolf would never hurt him.
"Sorry for the mess." Jennan apologised as he closed the door behind them. He smiled and briefly folded his ears flat in embarrassment. "I haven't had much motivation to clean up the place recently. Sit. I'll get you something to drink."
Darian smiled and sat down on the faded reddish brown sofa. It was covered with shed grey and white fur, and Jennan's scent clung to it. For some reason, this reassured Darian more than anything else could have. Forgetting that the lower half of him was still naked, he leaned back and closed his eyes.
"S'okay..." he murmured. Gods...he wanted to sleep...
The day had started out so well. They'd made their plans, Dot and himself, to get him close enough to Jennan so the two of them could talk. They'd gone to great lengths to make sure that he'd catch Jennan's attention. What had gone wrong? Why had it happened? Dot...the one person in the world that he trusted implicitly had tried to rape him. She'd actually beaten him. The hurt of that incident still clung to him and wouldn't let go. Try though he might, he couldn't understand why she'd done it. Nothing in her behaviour or in how she spoke had ever indicated that she was capable of something like that. It had come as a complete, terrible surprise.
Darian sniffed and bit back the tears that threatened to run down his furred cheeks. Suddenly, he longed to feel Jennan close to him ,to hold him and lick him and make everything just be alright again...
He'd escaped Dot only to run into that hyena, and almost got himself raped a second time. If it hadn't been for Jennan...
"Here, foxa. Drink this." How could so huge a wolf sound so gentle?
Darian opened his eyes and smiled. Jennan held out a plastic cup filled with clear liquid. Darian looked enquiringly at him.
"It's sugar water. It'll help for the shock, foxie."
Darian took the cup, but his nerveless fingers refused to grip. His paw shook so badly that half the contents spilled out before Jennan took firm hold of his paw, and sank down on the sofa next to him. One powerful arm slid around his shoulders and hugged him close. The other paw still gripped his paw with the cup. Gently, Jennan guided the cup to Darian's muzzle and hed it steady so he could drink. It wasn't till his tongue tasted water that he realised how thirsty he was. He gulped down the sugary water. Once he was finished, he lay his head on Jennan's shoulder and closed his eyes. Right now...all he wanted was to be safe, and not having to think of the events of the day.
He murmured a weak protest when he felt Jennan tense as he prepared to get up.
No...please don't go...
He felt himself being hauled onto the big wolf, and he didn't fight. A moment later, he found himself cuddled in Jennan's lap, just like they'd been that wonderful day in the locker room.
"Mmm..." he murred softly, letting his mind idle. The warmth of Jennan and the deep familiarity he felt made it seem so natural to melt against him, let himself be held. Jennan's paws caressed him with the same tenderness he'd shown that day in the locker room...but without the sexual undertones.
Which was just as well. His body was spent. He wondered what he would do if Jennan wanted him tonight. It was so ironic. He'd planned to talk to the wolf, and maybe seduce him...and now here he was, in Jennan's arms where he desperately wanted to be...with playing distinctly not an option.
"I'm sorry..."
"Mmm...what for, foxa?"
"I...just am. For everything...I don't know..."
"Shh...it's alright, foxie. It's okay."
No...it wasn't okay. His best friend had tried to rape him. He'd almost been raped again, and now...Jennan...
Jennan was all he had in the world now, and he barely knew him. He knew nothing about him. There was Jennan the lost kid who'd once beat him. Then Jennan the lover, who cared so much about a little fox he barely knew. Jennan the protector, who saved him, and then calmly took a naked gay fox up to his room in full public view without once caring about the personal consequences it would bring. Then...there was just Jennan himself, who held him so close, who didn't grope or paw at him, who didn't ask questions, who were just...there.
There was no explaining any of it. There was no reason for him to trust Jennan so deeply, or feel so familiar with him. It was just as inexplicable as Dot's turning on him.
How was he ever going to face her again? Oh, he never wanted to see her again. He wanted to stay right here, in Jennan's arms, forever. He never wanted this to end.
Why should he feel so loved?
"Mmm...Jennan?"
"Yes, foxa?"
"Can...can I sleep with you tonight?"
~To be continued~
No...the plot twist I originally had in mind hadn't happened yet due to...unforeseen circumstances.I never saw Dot's actions coming. It wasn't in the original gameplan. :P Something just told me that she would do this, and so I wrote it, gameplan or not. Anyway...look out for the promissed plot twist in the next one. :P
Thanks for reading!