{"sf1_id":153607,"sf2_id":"pnG4OpM1","title":"All's Fair - Part 5","author":"Xi-entaj","words":3597,"posted_at":"2010-06-14T04:24:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Hate","Husky","Lion","Love","No-Yiff","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/153607-all-s-fair-part-5","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/pnG4OpM1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/35/d3/35d33f2e-0d28-41ae-b024-eece67266f70","description":"#5 of All's Fair","content":"The story's main character is bi, so don't read if you don't want to. As ever, your thoughts and criticism are welcome so that I can get better.\n\nThanks for reading!\n\n- Xi\n\n**All's Fair - Part 5**\n\nI got a little loaf of bread and a thick slice of ham at the grocery store, plus water - I paid for them since I was still sore.\u0026nbsp; After considering it, I decided not to go back to the mountain - some part of me knew you can't recreate those moments on command.\u0026nbsp; I headed south instead. \u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was flatter down there, and rather than an abrupt cutoff the houses slowly got farther and farther apart, and wheat fields started replacing them.\u0026nbsp; The road I took wasn't a major thoroughfare; it meandered gently along the low, rolling hills.\u0026nbsp; I ditched my shirt again, since it was getting hot and the shirt marked me as truant.\u0026nbsp; Not that the backpack didn't.\u0026nbsp; I tried to ignore my legs, but eventually they decreed that I was done for the day.\u0026nbsp; Even under my fur I felt a sunburn starting, so I was glad that there were trees planted along the roadside.\u0026nbsp; I leaned against one and shut my eyes, eating and wondering what had happened.\u0026nbsp; I don't do that often - usually I couldn't care less why I do things.\u0026nbsp; But that was my mood right then: happy, sort of, but thoughtful.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt didn't really help; the reason I'd left was that I couldn't climb onto the roof, and I was annoyed at Jake, and that just didn't cover it.\u0026nbsp; But nothing came to mind to explain things for me.\u0026nbsp; I wished I could have Ivan back, but that was hardly a reason to walk out on him halfway through lunch and be seven miles north by evening, a few miles south by morning.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt occured to me to wonder why I though _back_, when I'd never had him to start with.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI dozed off after a while.\u0026nbsp; I woke up thirsty as the sun was setting and wondered wryly if I even dared move now for stiffness.\u0026nbsp; I gave it a try, and my entire body shouted in protest.\u0026nbsp; I gritted my teeth and stood up, and somehow found myself giggling like a puppy and unable to stop.\u0026nbsp; The gigles grew until I laughed outright at my body, and I started hobbling back to the town for the second time that day.\u0026nbsp; I wished I could jump and dance for joy, but the reason I was happy was because I couldn't.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFollowing my tracks back, I noticed that someone else had walked this road recently; there was another set of prints overlapping mine.\u0026nbsp; Must be a local farmer or something.\u0026nbsp; About a mile down the road a passing truck stopped and the old mouse driving asked if I'd like a lift.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Rough day?\" he asked kindly once I was in the vehicle.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You might say that,\" I answered, fighting to keep the mirth out of my voice.\u0026nbsp; My laughted doubled, though I kept it silent, forcing me to clutch my belly, bending over and shaking with energy.\u0026nbsp; The old mouse looked sideways at me, uneasy, and I laughed even harder, my face contorting.\u0026nbsp; When I could finally straighten I wondered why tears were falling, and violently threw my head back against the seat, lips pulled back from my fangs as I grinned hugely and shook.\u0026nbsp; I asked him to set me down a few minutes later near the center, and he was relieved to see me go.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI was violently sick the next day, throwing up what felt like every meal I'd ever had and lying sweat-soaked and freezing - by turns and at once - under the covers in my room at the center while wolves and lions chased each other through my fevered dreams.\u0026nbsp; Between the nightmares, and sometimes part of them.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI guess they got a doctor to see me when I didn't get better after the first day, because when I woke sometime Saturday night my blistered pads were wrapped in disgusting-smelling gauze and I was drugged to the gills, judging by the way the world cartwheeled around the fog enveloping me.\u0026nbsp; I slept again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSunday noon I woke up again in something rather closer to consciousness.\u0026nbsp; I quietly staggered over to the bathroom, ignoring the drugged pains from my paws, then changed the sheets on the bed, suddenly revolted by the sweat in the old ones.\u0026nbsp; Then I curled up in the middle of the matress and wrapped my arms around my chest while the tears fell.\u0026nbsp; I didn't know why - my life was a shambles, a series of setbacks while I careened downward, out of control, insane.\u0026nbsp; Aimless.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't stop myself.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't even want to stop myself.\u0026nbsp; It didn't hurt when furs looked at me like a freak; it only hurt because when they looked I knew they were right.\u0026nbsp; So I told myself I didn't care about them.\u0026nbsp; And I believed it.\u0026nbsp; And I hurt them in retribution.\u0026nbsp; And now there wasn't anyone filling the cold space at my back while I cried.\u0026nbsp; It might have been any of that, or all of it, or none of it.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt might have been only a bad reaction to the painkillers.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMonday morning I was once again in the position of arguing to go to school.\u0026nbsp; My team did not want to let me - they wanted details, reasons, rationales, apologies, and commitments, none of which I wanted to give them and only one of which I actually had.\u0026nbsp; I laughed them off, told them it was okay, I was okay, looked pitiful and truthful and cheerful, made them feel in control and benevolent until they caved and drove me over.\u0026nbsp; I walked into composition like a returning monarch on bandaged paws, gave the Royal Marine a saucy wink, laughingly got the homework from Friday and brushed off his concerns.\u0026nbsp; I liked him - he could take me apart any time he wanted to, but he was really good about these things.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey, where've you been?\" Becky asked in physical science, looking concerned.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You wouldn't believe me if I said,\" I laughed.\u0026nbsp; Not true, but easier for furs to accept, for whatever reason, than 'I don't want to talk about it'.\u0026nbsp; \"Sorry about the movie, I hope you got another date.\"\u0026nbsp; She laughed when I fluttered my eyelashes at her.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAt lunch I got an exaperated sigh when I curled up against Ivan's side like nothing had happened, and a black eye when I laughed and kissed him.\u0026nbsp; My grin mocked Jake's serious expression until he pulled back and went to talk to Amy.\u0026nbsp; He was walking stiffly, accentuating his fantastic body.\u0026nbsp; Shame he was such a do-goodie jerk.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter school I talked the staff into another trip to town, or else they were planning one anyway.\u0026nbsp; After all, there wouldn't be too many 'nice' days for the rest of the year.\u0026nbsp; Resigned but a bit amused against their will, the let us out and I was gone in ten minutes again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe gang cornered me in an alley a little past sunset.\u0026nbsp; I wasn't thinking, dropped into the alley without even a quick check, didn't see them coming until too late.\u0026nbsp; I didn't know any of them; they were past high school age.\u0026nbsp; As soon as I saw the first pair I whipped around, but there were more behind me already.\u0026nbsp; The leader, a shortish - id est, only a few inches taller than me - black panther with biceps bigger than my waist, stepped forward and smiled lazily, running his tongue over his polished white teeth.\u0026nbsp; \"Well, what do we have here?\u0026nbsp; It looks like a dog, but surely not even a dog is dumb enough to be running around the alleys on _my_ turf.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, most furs would tell you I'm pretty stupid,\" I said carefully, grinning.\u0026nbsp; I knew that I was in pretty serious trouble - no one could see me without coming all the way around the store we were behind, and the walls mad awfully good sound barriers as well.\u0026nbsp; But even while part of me was trying to talk my way out of it, another part was spoiling for a fight, and I had to work to keep that out of my smile.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe panther nodded thoughtfully.\u0026nbsp; \"I believe that.\u0026nbsp; So I'll make this simple for you: I'm gonna cut you a break.\u0026nbsp; You hand over your wallet, and depending how much is in it maybe we let you keep breathing past tonight.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nWell, damn.\u0026nbsp; Not unexpected, but damn.\u0026nbsp; \"I... am afraid I can't help you too much there, I said, slowly reaching down and turning out my pockets.\u0026nbsp; \"I didn't bring my wallet with me.\u0026nbsp; But I'll tell you what, if you let me go, I'll never come back here again.\u0026nbsp; I mean, seriously, one little dog isn't going to put much of a feather in your cap, right?\u0026nbsp; I'll never tell anyone about it.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe panther's lip curled.\u0026nbsp; \"What, just let you walk all over my turf and then get away clean?\u0026nbsp; No, kid, you just bought yourself a shitload of pain.\"\u0026nbsp; He was moving before he finished, and so were his gang mates.\u0026nbsp; So was I though, and my grin got wider despite everything.\u0026nbsp; I leaped lightly around him, giving myself a second before he could turn and tangling him up with his friends somewhat, then darting back in.\u0026nbsp; I went for the eyes again; they're small targets, but almost everyone jerks away when to go for them and they are the most vulnerable part of the body if you don't have any weapons.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI was very lucky; he moved just the wrong way and I felt my claws digging into something hot, soft, and wet.\u0026nbsp; He screamed, clutching at his face as his friends hit me like a ton of bricks.\u0026nbsp; I went flying, and slammed hard into the asphalt.\u0026nbsp; Before I could roll back up again there were a pair of deafening gunshots and twin balls of sound and agony exploded in my side and shoulder.\u0026nbsp; It was my turn to scream.\u0026nbsp; A shadow loomed over me, and desperately I kicked as hard as I could at it.\u0026nbsp; Luck favored me a scond time; I heard a loud crunch and an even louder roar of pain.\u0026nbsp; But then a fist slammed into my temple and agonized blackness claimed me.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe next few days were a roiling black mass full of chaos.\u0026nbsp; It's my personal little pocket of hell to be trapped behind my eyelids, unconscious with nothing but darkness and pain for company.\u0026nbsp; I don't know what happened when I screamed and thrashed in my nightmares.\u0026nbsp; Maybe they tied me down, maybe nothing.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAll things considered, I was rather surprised to wake up.\u0026nbsp; I didn't wonder if I was dead, though; I had a very real-world pain coursing through every part of my body that instantly denied it.\u0026nbsp; I whimpered quietly, squirming in an attempt to make the agony pull back, but that only made it worse.\u0026nbsp; My whimper turned into a yelp, then another one before I got control.\u0026nbsp; But the pain let me find myself, and I opened my eyes to a clean hospital room done in white and light blue.\u0026nbsp; I lay as still as I could against the pain and took stock.\u0026nbsp; I was fairly sure I was on some kind of painkillers but they most have been wearing off, for which I was grateful despite the discomfort.\u0026nbsp; Two raw flames, one on my side and another under my collarbone on the right, must have been bullet holes; they were wrapped tight.\u0026nbsp; Judging by the pain accompanying each breath, I had more broken ribs - part of me moaned in pained frustration at that; I'd been getting better! - plus a cast on my right arm and one on my left leg.\u0026nbsp; The rest of me must have been one huge bruise, and I felt various small bandages over little scrapes from my nose to my tail.\u0026nbsp; When I carefully lifted my head and even more carefully lifted the cover away with my left arm, I winced.\u0026nbsp; The white fur on my chest, belly, and thighs was dark from the bruising beneath it, though the black fur on my arm hid it better.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe door opened to admit a wll-built horse in white scrubs.\u0026nbsp; \"I thought I heard you,\" she said kindly.\u0026nbsp; \"You're up a little early.\u0026nbsp; How are you feeling?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Okay.\"\u0026nbsp; My voice was a rusty croak, but I _really_ didn't want to cough on broken ribs.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe nurse seemed to guess my thoughts; the picked up a glass of water and started to hold it to my lips, but I took it out of her hands before she got there.\u0026nbsp; I definitly did not want anyone feeding me.\u0026nbsp; It took a wair amount of wiggling and stifled whimpers, biting the inside of my lip until my muzzle filled with copper-tasting blood, to get into a half-sitting position so that I could drink without spilling water everywhere.\u0026nbsp; Meanwhile, the nurse checked the instruments behind the bed and filled me in on my injuries, giving me a little space.\u0026nbsp; Most of it I'd already guessed, but I also had a broken collarbone, a couple sprained and dislocated joints, a fairly serious gash over my eye and temple, and a ton of internal bleeding.\u0026nbsp; I'd been out for several days; it was Friday morning now.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Frankly,\" she said, \"you're very lucky to be alive, and it was a near thing.\u0026nbsp; If some furs passing by hadn't heard the gunfire and called the police right away, you'd have bled to death before we ever got to you.\u0026nbsp; It'll be another week at least before we let you go.\"\u0026nbsp; If she heard my resignes sigh, she ignored it except maybe for a slight twitch of her lips.\u0026nbsp; Then she turned and filled a little syringe from a cabinet.\u0026nbsp; \"This should help with the pain,\" she said.\u0026nbsp; \"I expect you're feeling everything right about now.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nI shrank back.\u0026nbsp; \"Um, actually I'm okay, really,\" I lied.\u0026nbsp; The thought of more drugs in my system was suddenly repulsive and a little frightening.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe took a hesitant half-step forward, looking concerned, and I pulled even farther away.\u0026nbsp; She looked at the syringe.\u0026nbsp; \"We could do pills instead, if you're more comfortable with that,\" she said in puzzlement.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No - no thanks,\" I whispered, staring at my paws in my lap.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm all right.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter another moment's hesitation, she shrugged and empties the syringe again.\u0026nbsp; \"If you change your mind, just let someone know,\" she said as if this happened all the time.\u0026nbsp; Then she started checking all my pandages, making me blush when she lifted the legs on my hopital-issued shorts to get at the ones on my thighs.\u0026nbsp; She didn't comment, but I thought her lips quirked again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhen she was leaving, I tentatively stopped her.\u0026nbsp; \"Hey - has a lion stopped by to visit me?\u0026nbsp; He's a couple years older than me, named Ivan?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe shook her head.\u0026nbsp; \"I don't think so, no.\u0026nbsp; I might not have been in when he came by, though.\"\u0026nbsp; She shut the door softly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI bowed my head and fought to keep my expression neutral.\u0026nbsp; I knew the answer already, but I'd hoped.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHospitals are designed for waiting; treating sickness and injury are only poor seconds.\u0026nbsp; First all the visitors have to wait until the patient wakes up, then they all vanish and the patient has to wait for them.\u0026nbsp; It is really hard to pass the time when birtually everything hurts like it's about to come off.\u0026nbsp; You can't move too much, and the room seems made to be boring.\u0026nbsp; Several of my handlers arrived about half an hour after I woke up, but they seemed afraid to jump on me for being stupid enough to be in a back alley and equally afraid to hug me or be too exuberant in their relief.\u0026nbsp; I was grateful on all counts - I hurt.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter that, though, I mostly occupied myself.\u0026nbsp; I slept quite a bit, off and on.\u0026nbsp; They wheeled lunch in, but I devoured that in no time flat, ignoring how much worse the pain got when I moved, so it didn't help relieve the monotony much.\u0026nbsp; I spent a good half hour making my way to a bathroom, trying to work the crutches with a broken arm and collar, and another fifteen minutes being lectured on how badly that could have gone wrong.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI was waking up from another nap when Todd and Becky came by in the afternoon after school had let out.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey hesitated in the doorway, and I immediately opened my eyes and grinned at them; the last thing I needed was to be ditched again because they thought I was unconscious.\u0026nbsp; \"Hey!\u0026nbsp; Good to see a couple familiar faces!\" I exclaimed.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey grinned and came in.\u0026nbsp; Becky claimed the visitor's chair, so Todd took the edge of the bed.\u0026nbsp; \"Damn, Nick,\" he said, surveying me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You look like hell.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"It's nothing on how I feel,\" I assured him.\u0026nbsp; \"For once I think I'm actually going to have to stay here as long as the doctors want me to.\"\u0026nbsp; They laughed along with me.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Y'know, Nick, one of these days you're gonna go a whole week _without_ getting your tail knocked up between your ears,\" Becky joked.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yeah, and then you'll have to dust up there, since your skull will have been empty so long,\" Todd added while I mock-glared at them.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWe were interrupted by a shy knock at the door.\u0026nbsp; I looked up to see Claire from compostition standing there, looking at me with worry.\u0026nbsp; \"Hey, Claire,\" I said, grinning at her.\u0026nbsp; \"Come on in.\u0026nbsp; I'd offer you a chair, but you'd have to knock this lout out of it.\"\u0026nbsp; I flicked my right ear at Becky playfully.\u0026nbsp; The fox aimed a mock punch for my shoulder before she remembered I just might pass out from pain if she so much as brushed me.\u0026nbsp;\n\nClaire smiled in relief and moved with her usual deliberateness to the other side of the bed, sitting on the edge.\u0026nbsp; \"I was worried about you,\" she confessed, blushing a little under her thick, curly brown fur.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Pshaw,\" I said scornfully.\u0026nbsp; \"It'll take more than one murderous gang to do me in.\"\u0026nbsp; I tried to stretch nonchalantly but winced and stopped.\u0026nbsp; Claire gave me a tender, waspish look down her blunt muzzle.\u0026nbsp; \"...though maybe not _much_ more,\" I confessed sheepishly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe looked away, and I noticed a wet glimmer in her eyes.\u0026nbsp; Reaching up - more carefully, this time - with my left paw, I brushed it back.\u0026nbsp; \"Seriously, I'm okay,\" I said, torn between embarrassment, concern, and laughter.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBecky padded around the bed to hug the bear-fox around the shoulders while she snuffled and scrubbed her eyes.\u0026nbsp; Eventually Claire got herself back together and smiled at us.\u0026nbsp; \"Yeah, I guess.\"\u0026nbsp; Putting on her most businesslike expression, she scrutinized me closely.\u0026nbsp; \"You look like hell, though.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I've heard,\" I said sourly.\u0026nbsp; Todd snickered.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWe spent another forty minutes or so talking before they had to go do homework.\u0026nbsp; I had a small mountain as well, a gift from my handlers, I assume, and in the back of my mind I wondered how in hell I was still passing my classes.\u0026nbsp; Well, except for P.E.; any fool could pass that, except for the security guards.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI was dozing off again when I heard someone else come in.\u0026nbsp; Opening one sleepy blue eye, I saw Amy looking down at me like she didn't know whether to be horrified or pleased at my condition.\u0026nbsp; I was surprised enough to open the other one.\u0026nbsp; \"What are _you_ doing here?\" I asked in astonishment.\u0026nbsp; As I said, Amy kind of hates my guts.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What I'd like to know, too,\" she muttered to herself.\u0026nbsp; She started pacing - not really uncommon; most big cats don't sit still well.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm supposed to see if you're okay,\" she growled at last, showing off more of her spotless white fangs than was strictly necessary for speech.\u0026nbsp; I suppose it might charitably have been called a smile.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No offence, but why do _you_ care?\" I asked, still fighting through fatigue.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe leopard looked at the cieling as if asking for patience.\u0026nbsp; \"_I_ don't,\" she explained in her too-patient voice.\u0026nbsp; \"I said I'm supposed to see if you're okay.\"\u0026nbsp; When I continued to look puzzled, she growled.\u0026nbsp; \"Meaning someone asked me to see, genius.\u0026nbsp; In this case, Jake, and he owes me big time for the favor.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nWell.\u0026nbsp; That was weird.\u0026nbsp; I shook my head in an attempt to clear it, and emitted a quiet yelp before I could pull it back.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAmy started forward in concern, then checked herself.\u0026nbsp; \"So?\" she asked gruffly.\u0026nbsp; \"Are you okay?\u0026nbsp; Because no offence, but you look like hell, kid.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nI groaned.\u0026nbsp; \"Yeah, I'm all right.\u0026nbsp; But you're the third fur today who's said I look like hell.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe smirked.\u0026nbsp; \"Can't help it if it's true.\"\u0026nbsp; She hesitated, then ruffled my ears very lightly and left me feeling really confused.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWell that one jumped around a lot.\u0026nbsp; I don't like the part where he gets attacked and where he wakes up before Todd and Becky come in; they just don't feel believable to me.\u0026nbsp; But I don't really know how to fix that either.\u0026nbsp; In any case, I hope you enjoyed it, and please comment.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"All\\'s Fair","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/153311-all-s-fair-part-4.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/153871-all-s-fair-part-6.json"}}