# All's Fair - Part 5

Author: Xi-entaj
Tags: Gay, Hate, Husky, Lion, Love, No-Yiff, Wolf

#5 of All's Fair

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.

Thanks for reading!

- Xi

**All's Fair - Part 5**

I 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I headed south instead. &nbsp;

It was flatter down there, and rather than an abrupt cutoff the houses slowly got farther and farther apart, and wheat fields started replacing them.&nbsp; The road I took wasn't a major thoroughfare; it meandered gently along the low, rolling hills.&nbsp; I ditched my shirt again, since it was getting hot and the shirt marked me as truant.&nbsp; Not that the backpack didn't.&nbsp; I tried to ignore my legs, but eventually they decreed that I was done for the day.&nbsp; Even under my fur I felt a sunburn starting, so I was glad that there were trees planted along the roadside.&nbsp; I leaned against one and shut my eyes, eating and wondering what had happened.&nbsp; I don't do that often - usually I couldn't care less why I do things.&nbsp; But that was my mood right then: happy, sort of, but thoughtful.&nbsp;

It 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.&nbsp; But nothing came to mind to explain things for me.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;

It occured to me to wonder why I though _back_, when I'd never had him to start with.&nbsp;

I dozed off after a while.&nbsp; I woke up thirsty as the sun was setting and wondered wryly if I even dared move now for stiffness.&nbsp; I gave it a try, and my entire body shouted in protest.&nbsp; I gritted my teeth and stood up, and somehow found myself giggling like a puppy and unable to stop.&nbsp; The gigles grew until I laughed outright at my body, and I started hobbling back to the town for the second time that day.&nbsp; I wished I could jump and dance for joy, but the reason I was happy was because I couldn't.&nbsp;

Following my tracks back, I noticed that someone else had walked this road recently; there was another set of prints overlapping mine.&nbsp; Must be a local farmer or something.&nbsp; About a mile down the road a passing truck stopped and the old mouse driving asked if I'd like a lift.&nbsp;

"Rough day?" he asked kindly once I was in the vehicle.&nbsp;

"You might say that," I answered, fighting to keep the mirth out of my voice.&nbsp; My laughted doubled, though I kept it silent, forcing me to clutch my belly, bending over and shaking with energy.&nbsp; The old mouse looked sideways at me, uneasy, and I laughed even harder, my face contorting.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I asked him to set me down a few minutes later near the center, and he was relieved to see me go.&nbsp;

I 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.&nbsp; Between the nightmares, and sometimes part of them.&nbsp;

I 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.&nbsp; I slept again.&nbsp;

Sunday noon I woke up again in something rather closer to consciousness.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Then I curled up in the middle of the matress and wrapped my arms around my chest while the tears fell.&nbsp; I didn't know why - my life was a shambles, a series of setbacks while I careened downward, out of control, insane.&nbsp; Aimless.&nbsp; I couldn't stop myself.&nbsp; I couldn't even want to stop myself.&nbsp; It didn't hurt when furs looked at me like a freak; it only hurt because when they looked I knew they were right.&nbsp; So I told myself I didn't care about them.&nbsp; And I believed it.&nbsp; And I hurt them in retribution.&nbsp; And now there wasn't anyone filling the cold space at my back while I cried.&nbsp; It might have been any of that, or all of it, or none of it.&nbsp;

It might have been only a bad reaction to the painkillers.&nbsp;

Monday morning I was once again in the position of arguing to go to school.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I liked him - he could take me apart any time he wanted to, but he was really good about these things.&nbsp;

"Hey, where've you been?" Becky asked in physical science, looking concerned.&nbsp;

"You wouldn't believe me if I said," I laughed.&nbsp; Not true, but easier for furs to accept, for whatever reason, than 'I don't want to talk about it'.&nbsp; "Sorry about the movie, I hope you got another date."&nbsp; She laughed when I fluttered my eyelashes at her.&nbsp;

At 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.&nbsp; My grin mocked Jake's serious expression until he pulled back and went to talk to Amy.&nbsp; He was walking stiffly, accentuating his fantastic body.&nbsp; Shame he was such a do-goodie jerk.&nbsp;

After school I talked the staff into another trip to town, or else they were planning one anyway.&nbsp; After all, there wouldn't be too many 'nice' days for the rest of the year.&nbsp; Resigned but a bit amused against their will, the let us out and I was gone in ten minutes again.&nbsp;

The gang cornered me in an alley a little past sunset.&nbsp; I wasn't thinking, dropped into the alley without even a quick check, didn't see them coming until too late.&nbsp; I didn't know any of them; they were past high school age.&nbsp; As soon as I saw the first pair I whipped around, but there were more behind me already.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; "Well, what do we have here?&nbsp; It looks like a dog, but surely not even a dog is dumb enough to be running around the alleys on _my_ turf."&nbsp;

"Well, most furs would tell you I'm pretty stupid," I said carefully, grinning.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;

The panther nodded thoughtfully.&nbsp; "I believe that.&nbsp; So I'll make this simple for you: I'm gonna cut you a break.&nbsp; You hand over your wallet, and depending how much is in it maybe we let you keep breathing past tonight."&nbsp;

Well, damn.&nbsp; Not unexpected, but damn.&nbsp; "I... am afraid I can't help you too much there, I said, slowly reaching down and turning out my pockets.&nbsp; "I didn't bring my wallet with me.&nbsp; But I'll tell you what, if you let me go, I'll never come back here again.&nbsp; I mean, seriously, one little dog isn't going to put much of a feather in your cap, right?&nbsp; I'll never tell anyone about it."&nbsp;

The panther's lip curled.&nbsp; "What, just let you walk all over my turf and then get away clean?&nbsp; No, kid, you just bought yourself a shitload of pain."&nbsp; He was moving before he finished, and so were his gang mates.&nbsp; So was I though, and my grin got wider despite everything.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;

I was very lucky; he moved just the wrong way and I felt my claws digging into something hot, soft, and wet.&nbsp; He screamed, clutching at his face as his friends hit me like a ton of bricks.&nbsp; I went flying, and slammed hard into the asphalt.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; It was my turn to scream.&nbsp; A shadow loomed over me, and desperately I kicked as hard as I could at it.&nbsp; Luck favored me a scond time; I heard a loud crunch and an even louder roar of pain.&nbsp; But then a fist slammed into my temple and agonized blackness claimed me.&nbsp;

The next few days were a roiling black mass full of chaos.&nbsp; It's my personal little pocket of hell to be trapped behind my eyelids, unconscious with nothing but darkness and pain for company.&nbsp; I don't know what happened when I screamed and thrashed in my nightmares.&nbsp; Maybe they tied me down, maybe nothing.&nbsp;

All things considered, I was rather surprised to wake up.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I whimpered quietly, squirming in an attempt to make the agony pull back, but that only made it worse.&nbsp; My whimper turned into a yelp, then another one before I got control.&nbsp; But the pain let me find myself, and I opened my eyes to a clean hospital room done in white and light blue.&nbsp; I lay as still as I could against the pain and took stock.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Two raw flames, one on my side and another under my collarbone on the right, must have been bullet holes; they were wrapped tight.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; When I carefully lifted my head and even more carefully lifted the cover away with my left arm, I winced.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;

The door opened to admit a wll-built horse in white scrubs.&nbsp; "I thought I heard you," she said kindly.&nbsp; "You're up a little early.&nbsp; How are you feeling?"&nbsp;

"Okay."&nbsp; My voice was a rusty croak, but I _really_ didn't want to cough on broken ribs.&nbsp;

The 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.&nbsp; I definitly did not want anyone feeding me.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Meanwhile, the nurse checked the instruments behind the bed and filled me in on my injuries, giving me a little space.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I'd been out for several days; it was Friday morning now.&nbsp;

"Frankly," she said, "you're very lucky to be alive, and it was a near thing.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; It'll be another week at least before we let you go."&nbsp; If she heard my resignes sigh, she ignored it except maybe for a slight twitch of her lips.&nbsp; Then she turned and filled a little syringe from a cabinet.&nbsp; "This should help with the pain," she said.&nbsp; "I expect you're feeling everything right about now."&nbsp;

I shrank back.&nbsp; "Um, actually I'm okay, really," I lied.&nbsp; The thought of more drugs in my system was suddenly repulsive and a little frightening.&nbsp;

She took a hesitant half-step forward, looking concerned, and I pulled even farther away.&nbsp; She looked at the syringe.&nbsp; "We could do pills instead, if you're more comfortable with that," she said in puzzlement.&nbsp;

"No - no thanks," I whispered, staring at my paws in my lap.&nbsp; "I'm all right."&nbsp;

After another moment's hesitation, she shrugged and empties the syringe again.&nbsp; "If you change your mind, just let someone know," she said as if this happened all the time.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; She didn't comment, but I thought her lips quirked again.&nbsp;

When she was leaving, I tentatively stopped her.&nbsp; "Hey - has a lion stopped by to visit me?&nbsp; He's a couple years older than me, named Ivan?"&nbsp;

She shook her head.&nbsp; "I don't think so, no.&nbsp; I might not have been in when he came by, though."&nbsp; She shut the door softly.&nbsp;

I bowed my head and fought to keep my expression neutral.&nbsp; I knew the answer already, but I'd hoped.&nbsp;

Hospitals are designed for waiting; treating sickness and injury are only poor seconds.&nbsp; First all the visitors have to wait until the patient wakes up, then they all vanish and the patient has to wait for them.&nbsp; It is really hard to pass the time when birtually everything hurts like it's about to come off.&nbsp; You can't move too much, and the room seems made to be boring.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I was grateful on all counts - I hurt.&nbsp;

After that, though, I mostly occupied myself.&nbsp; I slept quite a bit, off and on.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;

I was waking up from another nap when Todd and Becky came by in the afternoon after school had let out.&nbsp;

They 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.&nbsp; "Hey!&nbsp; Good to see a couple familiar faces!" I exclaimed.&nbsp;

They grinned and came in.&nbsp; Becky claimed the visitor's chair, so Todd took the edge of the bed.&nbsp; "Damn, Nick," he said, surveying me.&nbsp;&nbsp; "You look like hell."&nbsp;

"It's nothing on how I feel," I assured him.&nbsp; "For once I think I'm actually going to have to stay here as long as the doctors want me to."&nbsp; They laughed along with me.&nbsp;

"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.&nbsp;

"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.&nbsp;

We were interrupted by a shy knock at the door.&nbsp; I looked up to see Claire from compostition standing there, looking at me with worry.&nbsp; "Hey, Claire," I said, grinning at her.&nbsp; "Come on in.&nbsp; I'd offer you a chair, but you'd have to knock this lout out of it."&nbsp; I flicked my right ear at Becky playfully.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;

Claire smiled in relief and moved with her usual deliberateness to the other side of the bed, sitting on the edge.&nbsp; "I was worried about you," she confessed, blushing a little under her thick, curly brown fur.&nbsp;

"Pshaw," I said scornfully.&nbsp; "It'll take more than one murderous gang to do me in."&nbsp; I tried to stretch nonchalantly but winced and stopped.&nbsp; Claire gave me a tender, waspish look down her blunt muzzle.&nbsp; "...though maybe not _much_ more," I confessed sheepishly.&nbsp;

She looked away, and I noticed a wet glimmer in her eyes.&nbsp; Reaching up - more carefully, this time - with my left paw, I brushed it back.&nbsp; "Seriously, I'm okay," I said, torn between embarrassment, concern, and laughter.&nbsp;

Becky padded around the bed to hug the bear-fox around the shoulders while she snuffled and scrubbed her eyes.&nbsp; Eventually Claire got herself back together and smiled at us.&nbsp; "Yeah, I guess."&nbsp; Putting on her most businesslike expression, she scrutinized me closely.&nbsp; "You look like hell, though."&nbsp;

"I've heard," I said sourly.&nbsp; Todd snickered.&nbsp;

We spent another forty minutes or so talking before they had to go do homework.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Well, except for P.E.; any fool could pass that, except for the security guards.&nbsp;

I was dozing off again when I heard someone else come in.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I was surprised enough to open the other one.&nbsp; "What are _you_ doing here?" I asked in astonishment.&nbsp; As I said, Amy kind of hates my guts.&nbsp;

"What I'd like to know, too," she muttered to herself.&nbsp; She started pacing - not really uncommon; most big cats don't sit still well.&nbsp;

"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.&nbsp; I suppose it might charitably have been called a smile.&nbsp;

"No offence, but why do _you_ care?" I asked, still fighting through fatigue.&nbsp;

The leopard looked at the cieling as if asking for patience.&nbsp; "_I_ don't," she explained in her too-patient voice.&nbsp; "I said I'm supposed to see if you're okay."&nbsp; When I continued to look puzzled, she growled.&nbsp; "Meaning someone asked me to see, genius.&nbsp; In this case, Jake, and he owes me big time for the favor."&nbsp;

Well.&nbsp; That was weird.&nbsp; I shook my head in an attempt to clear it, and emitted a quiet yelp before I could pull it back.&nbsp;

Amy started forward in concern, then checked herself.&nbsp; "So?" she asked gruffly.&nbsp; "Are you okay?&nbsp; Because no offence, but you look like hell, kid."&nbsp;

I groaned.&nbsp; "Yeah, I'm all right.&nbsp; But you're the third fur today who's said I look like hell."&nbsp;

She smirked.&nbsp; "Can't help it if it's true."&nbsp; She hesitated, then ruffled my ears very lightly and left me feeling really confused.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

\*\*\*

&nbsp;

Well that one jumped around a lot.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; But I don't really know how to fix that either.&nbsp; In any case, I hope you enjoyed it, and please comment.&nbsp;

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/pnG4OpM1
Part of the series All\'s Fair
Previous: https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/153311-all-s-fair-part-4.md
Next: https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/153871-all-s-fair-part-6.md