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The Veranda

A story by Wingspan Life was all too terrible for Vern, a sixteen year old green dragon. Once his grandparents and father left him, he was stuck with his cruel and strict mother who simply didn't understand him. He took a passive approach to trouble which kept him safe from bullies and stupid dragons that didn't like anyone. However, his stress was sky-rocketing and his little head could only take so much more forceful abuse of its emotions before it would simply explode. Vern needed to be saved, by something... anything... now. Prologue

Hello, my name is Zenith. I am not a part of this story, or any for a matter of fact, I don't really exist. I am simply used to represent a sample of an Old Dog Dreaming. Most of you probably don't know what that is, however it is my job to explain and you will know soon enough. Everyone remembers when they were a kid, right? And everyone knows that they spend their whole life learning right? Well, once you learn all of the secrets that Earth has to offer, you sort of "pass the test" and are freed from the Earth by death. Now, you think you're dead but really you're not. No, you're in a room with Pandora's Box behind you, and you hopefully are smart enough to turn around and shut it. Now, where are you exactly? You're not in heaven, you're just somewhere in the stars. There are people, dogs, and wolves around you, all have also died and passed Earth's test. Now you are in fact, an Old Dog Dreaming. It's now kind of like going to college, except for quite a long time. You get around two billion years to learn all of the secrets the stars have to offer (which is considerably more than Earth because Earth is so small compared to every other star and planet in the universe) You get to meet every dog or wolf that has ever died, including your own dogs. Everyone speaks a language known as ONiX Voculet; even you're dogs or wolves, so everything talks. You will meet a person named Alekwosi, who will help you plan your time as an Old Dog Dreaming. If there is anyone on Earth you would like to assist, you can choose to live another life on Earth as a wolf or as a domesticated dog. You can help these people in this form in any way you want to, however, you do not have to pass Earth again to be let back into the stars. When you live this life on Earth, you do know that you are an Old Dog Dreaming, and remember that you actually were a human once and that you're real home is in the stars. Eventually, you die on Earth and are sent back to your home in the stars. Otherwise, you can go to a different world called The Veranda. You simply chose to live another life there instead of on Earth. In the Veranda however, you can be any creature you can imagine, even a dragon if you wish. However, in the Veranda, you assume the form of an anthromorph, not a real animal (for example, if you wanted to be a fox in the Veranda, you would be a morphic fox that wears clothes, speaks English, and walks on two legs) Most O.D.D.'s help at least one person on Earth before retreating to the Veranda for a while. Normally, you would learn from other O.D.D.'s about the secrets of the stars for about three hundred years at a time before taking a little coffee break and living a life in the Veranda for a while. You can live as many lives as you want as an Old Dog Dreaming, so most just relax and enjoy their time in the stars. If you still don't understand, just think of an O.D.D. as a veteran of life that knows everything, like a god.

*okay sorry but I got some things to say. My name is Vern and I'm gonna walk you through this story. I like my readers to know exactly what is happening, I hate leaving readers to think for themselves. Sorry... if that last one sounded a bit offensive but I often say stupid things like that. Anyways... the bold text is where I'm gonna help you out alright? Sorry about butting in and all, if you like, just skip over the bold text and read the rest. Once again, Enjoy! Part 1 I cringed slightly as I felt an incredibly sharp claw flick my left ear. "What the fuck is it now?" I whispered quite loudly while reeling around in my seat to face my antagonist. Jared (red and yellow dragon) was just smiling and laughing quietly, as was the rest of his table while Mrs. Fink (my English teacher, an arrogant old deer with those little librarian's looking glasses) was trying to go through a slide show on the computerized board. I rolled my eyes at him and smiled in a sarcastic way that let him know he was being a dickhole, and returned my attention to the board

*okay, stop right there. If you read the synopsis of the story, you understand that I take a passive approach to trouble. Well, there it was, right there. Jared flicked me in the ear, which did hurt a little, but I really don't care. I don't see why I have to slug him in the face or anything for that. I usually just let stupid dragons treat me like that; once again, it's not a big deal. When we're done with class, I'll just keep dissing on him until he shuts his fat face. Well, back to the story, sorry.

"Boys," Mrs. Fink began (I hadn't noticed she had turned around and was staring right at us, Jared in particular) "do we have a problem over there?"

"No Mrs. Fink, we weren't talking or anything."

"I didn't ask if you were talking Vern, I just asked if there was a problem. But since you were talking, I'm going to give you and Jared the privilege of reading the rest of the slideshow, alright?"

"Okay then." Jared and I said in unison while pushing out our chairs. Jared was just bold enough to flick my ear again, but this time Mrs. Fink caught him in the act. "Jared, what was that you just did?" she inquired quite calmly. "Umhhh... "Jared bit his lip as he noticed the entire class staring him down, smiling evilly as they knew what was to come, they had observed Mrs. Fink's manner of sarcasm on many occasion. "Jared, if you cannot answer me, I could answer for you if you like?" she said knowing that Jared wouldn't find words in time. "Class, were you all watching to see what Jared has done to Vern, or shall I explain?"

"Please explain Mrs. Fink!" the class yelped in unison. "Well then, if you insist class." She began with a sly grin "I happened to notice Jared give Vern a cute little flick to the ear as they were supposed to be heading to the board." The class all chuckled quietly "Continue Mrs. Fink!" (She really had those little bastards in her hands now, like a bunch of clay in between her fingers, it sickened me) Jared was blushing deeply when I looked over; I had nowhere else to look. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think that our little hatchlings may have taken quite a liking to one another?" she said mockingly while smiling; proud of her embarrassing us. "Now who the fuck is she to presumptuously tell the class that I'm gay with Jared, that arrogant bitch, of all furs that get on my back about the whole bi thing, my own English teacher?!?!?" I thought to myself in rage and shock at her boldness to say such things.

*sorry I forgot to add this before, startling revelation. I'm sorta... umhhh... bisexual I guess you could say? Hehe... big point to get across about me I know. Just keep that in the back of your head as it is quite a useful piece of info, back to the story.

The whole class was fighting back laughing hysterically. I just looked over to Jared and saw that he was pissed. It all of a sudden hit me that I was pissed too, Really, Really Pissed. "Now boys," she began again "would you care to head to the board and pick up where I left off?" That was it, I couldn't take her bullshit anymore, in a fit of rage I mustered all of my devious hatred and pure bitter malevolence for Mrs. Fink into my mouth, and seemed to express it with a few words that I knew would cause her more problems than she's ever been faced with at one time in front of so many ignorant children. "And where exactly did you leave off Mrs. Fink, hmmm... perhaps with your tongue inside Mrs. Zander's beautiful warm and furry asshole?"

*Quick story, I once caught Mrs. Fink's profile on a little website of mine called Felidae Fantasia. Don't ask me why I'm on a furry fetish website with a bunch of Felines, it's hard to explain but it's the same reason you're reading this story in the first place. When I clicked on her profile, I discovered she was friends with Mrs. Zander (a nicely built Northern Gray Wolf and also a crazy math teacher, but I'll admit, she was incredibly hot and I only survived math by staring at her amazingly tight ass) I'm pretty damn sure I caught them hitting on each other in the comment box, and everyone assumes already that both teachers are lesbian. After last year's little incident where a friend of mine was sent to Mrs. Zander's car, there really was no doubt that both teachers loved nothing more than to fuck ones of the same gender. All that my friend found sitting in the front seat was pretty much this and I need not explain more: a pink tee shirt (female's), a Genesis album, a pair of really hot panties, and for some odd yet very predictable reason, KY intense lube for women (what a goldmine to find in your crazy-ass math teacher's car, am I right?) Anyways, I've been waiting for so long to use this all to blackmail Mrs. Fink, but, I guess it works just to embarrass the fuck out of her in front of the class. (Pardon my language but I'm sixteen, cut me some slack)

The entire class gave an enormous and well choreographed oooooohhhhhhh... followed by laughter so loud that the tile floor shook. Jared fell to his knees in laughter, he was laughing so hard that I even saw little puffs of smoke radiating from his nostrils. Mrs. Fink tried to remain calm, but her face filled with lava despite her efforts. "Did you just say what I think you said you little shit." She said awestruck, trying to ignore the intense shades of red furnishing her face. "I believe I did Mrs. Fink." I stated blankly. "Then I shall treat you to a nice little visit to the office, alright?" she said through gritted teeth. I just shrugged my wings as I realized I was in deep crap "why do you have to be such a bitch?" I muttered under my breath. I stormed out of the room promptly, leaving a little smoke trail behind me. "Oh crap, now I'm screwed." I thought to myself "completely screwed. And not even my mother is gonna give me lip when I get home screwed, no I mean really friggin' screwed." I hung my head in shame as I slumped through the hallway, which was usually a pleasant reminder that I was out of class and free to roam. But now the hallway was made dismal due to the fact that where the tiles all met together about a hundred feet away, impending doom awaited like a million cinder blocks tied on my back threatening to knock me over flat. I felt a little spark of excitement now and then as I replayed my bold words over and over in my mind perhaps with your tongue inside Mrs. Zander's beautiful warm and furry asshole. I even chuckled a bit this time (sorry about being a pervert but that's where I want my tongue right now... oops... did I just tell you that?) I knew she was just as screwed as I was; it was only a matter of time before the whole school knew the story of the lesbian English teacher and her furry little partner. But, it was Mrs. Fink's fault of course, if she's going to get on me about my sexuality, then I'll be very sure to rip on her about her very own sexuality.

Reluctantly dispelling fear and shame out of my head, I continued down the hallway until I reached the principal's office. I hesitantly swung open the door; ready to take a beating of words for what I had done. Mr. Alexander was perched in his little chair at his desk, busying himself with a game of solitaire on the computer. Mr. Alexander was a black and white border collie, and also the school's principal. He was usually a great friend to me and we would often chat in the hallways and at lunch (I know it's a little weird but the principal is a cool guy and my parents are pretty much friends to him so we talk just like any old fur would casually converse with a neighbor) Although I was his favorite student perhaps ever, I was ready to take a beating from him today, after all I said some harsh things back there and I was by all means due for punishment. He heard my footfall draw nearer and swung around in his office chair to face me, leaving the solitaire game to cast a little green light across an illegible paper on his desk . "Ahh... Vern, what can I do you for?" he began (apparently I was gonna have to tell him I was in trouble, or else I would probably get suspended for the student equivalent of evading arrest) "Hello Mr. Alexander, ummmmh... I'm kinda in trouble..." I began reluctantly. "Trouble, What kind of trouble?"

"What the hell was I supposed to say to that? I'd have to make up something quick... Uhhh... big trouble sir"

"Tell me; was it in English or elsewhere?"

"Now that's an easy one I suppose... English sir"

"And why are you in trouble, Vern?"

"Oh shit, we're back to this question, well might as well make up something stupid agan... Uhhh... I said some bad things to Mrs. Fink."

"Would you care to tell me what exactly you said Vern?"

"Damn it, he was gonna make me say i. No I couldn't... it was too much to tell him... he would kill me on the spot for being so disrespectful... Uhhh... I'd rather not sir; I really did say some bad things..."

"Don't worry, you'll not receive any more punishment for the word choice you selected, however, you will receive no less either." He had a point, either way I was in deep crap, so I tried my very best to explain; being phased only slightly by the knowledge that a sharp, sturdy calligraphy pen was well within Mr. Alexander's reach, and at any moment after informing him of what I said, it may very well end up embedded deep in my trachea. "Uhhh....Mrs. Fink wanted me to pick up where she left off on the board and uhhh... I asked where exactly did you leave off Mrs. Fink." I explained hesitantly; Mr. Alexander staring me right in the eye. I didn't know how I could say the rest, I wanted to lunge for that pen and just get the beating over with now, but I knew I was being irrational. "But I answered for her; perhaps with your tongue inside Mrs. Zander's beautiful warm and furry... asshole." I finally stated blankly, gulping as I cussed in front of an authority such as Mr. Alexander. He stared on in shock at my boldness to say such a thing to a teacher. It was clear that he didn't know what to say, so he just stared at me until I finally managed "I'm sorry sir, but I just couldn't take any more." I began "she is such a bitch! Oh, crap... sorry about that and everything but I hate her."

"Vern, it's alright... I'll just call your mother and let her handle the punishment. I know you're going through a tough time, don't worry." He said with much more sympathy for me than Mrs. Fink. "What did he mean he knew I was going through a tough time? Surely he didn't think I actually cared about what others treated me like, but then again, he was an authority and such a title made him stereotypical toward children such as me. And why did I have to get pissed now, it was tenth period. There were only ten minutes left in the day. I could've been free. And better yet my mom is gonna kick my ass when I get home."

I just continued to think to myself in misery as Mr. Alexander picked up the phone. He was well in earshot but I chose to cancel out the words, I didn't' want to know what was being said. I listened to them talk (in a blur of course, I had stretched my wings over my ears) for about two minutes before Mr. Alexander hung up the phone. "Vern," he called softly "I'm sorry but your mother is pretty upset. If I were you I would walk up to your house using your book bag as a shield, hehe" he said chuckling at his own sarcastic remark. I actually thought it was a good idea and pondered taking his advice, but soon realized it would probably piss off my mom even more, trying to pull a funny at a time like this would surely bring that whole calligraphy pen scare back into play; however my mother was probably a hell of a lot stronger than Mr. Alexander. "Thanks Mr. Alexander, you know, for not killing me on the spot."

"No problem Vern, you have a nice day now..." he trailed off realizing that there was no way, shape, or form that today was going to be nice for me from this point on, regardless of the following week which was to face me; all the other furs cracking jokes about what I had said in front of Mrs. Fink, and making up their own stories to get me into further trouble, and somehow they would tie Zach into this. But I dared not think about those fucks and their bullshit plans at the moment, for I had bigger problems at hand. I didn't even attempt to muster a goodbye to Mr. Alexander; instead I just slumped out to the bus in misery, puffing little rings of smoke out of my nose the whole way there. My bus ride sucked. Usually I just stare out the window but today I had the inevitable to ponder; how the fuck was I gonna get out of this? Zach was sitting next to me (black dragon, and best friend) with the same look on his face as I.

*Zach is my all time best friend forever. He is a western black dragon with neon blue accents on his tail and ears (which are actually really stellar looking if you ask me) He has just as miserable a life as I, however, he chooses to attack it, no wait... kill it, rather than ignore it like me. He beats the crap out of dragons that piss him off whereas I just ignore them (Jared would probably never have hatchlings if he ever flicked Zach's ear, catch my drift?) so basically, Zach's an ass kicker and I'm a pacifist, got it? Thanks, now back to the story.

Zach appeared pretty miserable so I asked, "what's up bro, got a problem?"

"That yiff headed shit faced mother fucker suspended me!"

"Whoa whoa, backtrack, you got suspended?"

"Only cause that jack faced fucktard Ronny pissed me off!"

"Tell me you didn't kick his ass; please tell me you just let it be for once?"

"That little mother fuck said I was your fucking lover, that bloody rat bastard fuck!"

"Zach... pop a damn chill pill would ya? Seriously though, my lover, shit, there ain't one damn fur left that doesn't fucking know." By now Zach had moved over to my seat.

"I can't help it..." Zach was starting to cough and I knew what was coming next. "Every time someone gets on my back about being a fucking bisexual, I just gotta... kick their... f-fucking ass!" he said in between sobs now full blown bawling his eyes out on my shoulder.

*sorry but I forgot to mention a big point. We're a little more than just friends alright. We're sorta bi lovers working towards mates. I've almost told him once but I'm not sure I consider him a mate yet, it's a big decision. Yes, we're madly in love and yiff whenever we get the chance. And boy, he's pretty damn good. I know I know... a startling revelation in the middle of the story instead of end, cut me some slack though, its Mrs. Fink's job to yell at me about the writing process. And don't tell me I'm too young either, I would have fucked him if I was thirteen, it's not that big a deal. Story time.

I swung my arms under Zach's wings and clasped my claws together around his back; embracing him with a big comforting hug. He hugged back still sobbing, but smiling a little as we shared our body heat. We grew nearer and nearer to my house and I noticed shockingly that there was no car in the driveway, No mother, could this really be happening. But Mr. Alexander had called my mother, and told me to approach my house with a shield. Maybe mother had gone out somewhere, regardless of my actions and her intention to whip my sorry ass. But at that time it really didn't matter, nothing mattered, I just knew I had to comfort Zach somehow because he was feeling pretty damn bad and it broke my heart to see him like this. I seized the opportunity as I saw it and instantly swung my plan into action. "Zach, want me to help you relieve some stress?"

"Oohhhhh... yipp yipp my scaly little friend." He replied with a yiffy twinkle in his voice.

"You dirty little bastard, I love you so much. Don't let me forget." I said tauntingly. He quickly gripped my ears with his claws and pulled me in for an amazing kiss. I moaned a little as our tongues locked together inside our muzzles and closed my eyes; this was the love of my life. He let a claw sink down to my crotch and started stroking my now solid cock through my jeans. We got a few sideways glances from other furs but they all knew the drill and most accepted us for who we were, others (the ones who received no more friendship from me than that of my middle finger) just chuckled quietly to themselves in their seats and caught little glimpses of us every few seconds to fuel their amusement. Our noses touched and we both melted away with each other into a different world, one where nothing mattered at all save the fact that we could just stay there with each other in perfect happiness. When the bus arrived at my driveway and sounded its decrepit air breaks, we disembarked into my driveway and waited for the bus to once again depart. We both made a dash for the door and swung it open. At the time I didn't read the note posted on the fridge, which was by no doubt new since this morning, and addressed with my name at the top. At that time I knew what had to do and it required absolutely no reading of any random note posted on the fridge. We hastily bolted upstairs to my room like any two extremely horny and madly in love dragons would, and slammed the door shut. "Well Zach, now what?" I said tauntingly. "Now we kiss silly, I love you when you get all cute like this."

"Awww... that's so sweet, I love you too beautiful."

"Aren't you a sweet talker you sexy little beast." He said putting his hands on my backside and massaging me slowly. Without further conversation, our tongues found each other once again. It was a great kiss, better than any others previously that we had shared. With tongues still tied together in each other's muzzles, we slowly slid off each other's tee shirts, pausing briefly from our makeout when we had to pull them over our heads. Our tee shirts ended up in distant corner with a quick flick of the hand, followed by the hasty resume of our beautiful kiss. I was somehow massaging Zach's back while embracing him at the same time, his cool bare chest cuddled close against mine. I orriginally wrote this story with a big yiff party right about here but i took it out because i'd rather nobody read it. anyways, some sticky stuff happens and we end up with Vern and Zach back in the bed after all this. we now re-enter our story He closed his eyes and I drew circles on his belly with my claws, which made him murr softly. I picked up in the middle of an old Yes song, both of our favorite "he spoke of lands not far, or lands they were in his mind. Of fusion captured high, where reason captured his time. In no time at all he took me to the gate... in haste I quickly checked the time, if I was late I had to leave to hear your wonderous stories... I had to hear your wonderous stories..."

*we both loved Yes and believe me they have some of the best music ever. That particular stanza is from a song called Wonderous Stories. It's probably my favorite and I love to sing it to Zach. I don't know why but those lines give me a natural high, they must mean something important to me. Maybe you can figure it out? Read on, back to the story.

Part 2

*** 30 minutes ***

"HEY ZACH! GET YOUR SORRY ASS DOWN HERE SO I CAN WHIP IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" Zach's father called from the front door as I held my ears shut. Why had I let that fucker into my house? Zach's father was a flat out asshole, no other way to put it. I knew Zach was screwed, as was I when my mother got home, wherever she was? Zach reluctantly pounded down the steps "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU BULLSHITTIN ME WITH NOW!?!?! I COULDN'T HELP IT, THAT LI..." Zach's father cut in "WHAT WAS THAT YOU JUST SAID?!?!? YOUR LIFE HAS JUST ENDED!"

Zach tried to make words but failed as his father slumped over to him; feet shaking the picture frame above me from the force of his movement. Before I knew it, Zach's father extended his claws and slapped Zach with tremendous force right across the muzzle. I gasped, that was my fucking mate he just slapped, right in front of me. Zach was crying now and I could tell he really wanted to just run over to me and bawl out on my shoulder, but he persevered. I heard footfall outside the front door which broke an awkward silence between the three of us. It happened to be my mother (awww... fuck it anyways) "Vern," she began with force but not anger "I want you to go to your room and stay there until I say you can leave, understand?"

"I umm... yes mother." I said stopping myself before I caused more trouble. "You will not be spending any more time with Zach; he's in a lot of trouble and is a bad influence on you. Off you go." She said uneasily (I noted her hesitation but ignored it for the time being) "Hell no, Zach's my..." I trailed off, I couldn't say mate and friend wasn't a strong enough word. "No, no no I just can't leave him, he's my... umm..."

"You'll do as I fucking say now go to your room Vern!"

"Fuck no!" I shouted boldly reeling around to face Zach at the foot of the steps. I walked up to him briskly and embraced him in a big comforting hug. He barely hugged back, but I forced him into a tremendous kiss and we both lost each other in moans. Zach's father nearly pissed himself and just backed into a corner. My mother on the other hand at least found her voice "uhhh... what the hell was that Vern?"

"Mother, Zach and I have had feelings for each other for a long time, and now we're madly in love. I knew we had something special ever since his beautiful eyes met mine and separating us now would be like shoving a knife right through the heart of yet another misunderstood being that has all rights to be treated as equal. Zach is my lover, I wouldn't trade him for anything that I could ever imagine because my hearts greatest desires and imaginations greatest extent, are presented before you as Zach." I stated proudly, knowing my plan had worked.

"SOMETHING WRONG IN YOUR FUCKING HEAD BOY!?!?! DO I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS BULLSH...?" Zach's father was cut short as my mother delivered a jaw breaking blow to his muzzle. "You get the fuck out of my house right now and leave those two boys alone or I swear to god, you will never forget the next twenty seconds of your life." My mother stated boldly, standing a full two feet higher than me or Zach. "Zach... lets go." His father attempted. "FUCK NO!" my mother began again "I saw what you did to that boy and under my watch you shall never see the light of day again. I will put every ounce of strength I have in these kick ass claws towards making sure you are locked up somewhere far away from here, I'll swallow the key myself you crazy bastard." Zach and I just stared into space in utter incomprehension of what was happening before our eyes. "You have absolutely no right to treat a child in such a manner as you have presented and you will not get away with it. And Vern... I'm extremely sorry for how I've treated you... I suppose I never really understood you either. But I hope you always knew that I would never hurt you, never hit you or beat you or even lay claw upon you." Without another word, Zach's father made way to his feet once again "you cannot take my child miss, you have no right."

"I'll do as I please, now get the hell out of my house."

When Zach's father didn't so much as flinch, my mother sent a foot forward right toward his crotch with force enough to demolish a Corinthian column. Zach gasped as his father went down but also received some natural high from the feeling of his father getting beaten. "Zach... r-run..." his father muttered desperately. But Zach did nothing more than walk three steps forward and spit right beside his father's head "how does it feel you bastard? After so many years, it's your blood... have fun in hell you son of a bitch, hope they serve your torture with a side of repentance." With that said, Zach smiled deviously and stepped back. My mother grabbed Zach's father by his right wing and dragged him out of the door. He could not retaliate, he was far too weak. "bastard." My mother finished, also spitting by his face as she dropped him on the front porch. She stepped back and slammed the door shut (she had purposefully left his head about a half inch into the path of the door so it would just clip his skull upon closing) with that, she turned around and smiled "so boys, owe me some explaining I suppose?"

*** An hour of explaining, emotional distress, and recovery later***

"Zach... I'm sorry I got you into this mess... I didn't mean to... I love you... sooooo much..." I gasped in between plenty of sobbing. My head was on Zach's bare chest which always provided a little comfort; his chest was warm and reminded me of when I was a little hatchling and I would lie on my mother's chest and she would sing to me. She would sing the same songs that I always sing to Zach, loving Yes must run in the family I suppose. "Hush Vern... it's alright, you know you'll always have me, no matter what happens. I'll always love you, and I'll always be there for you, you're my best friend, you know that. Don't be silly." He stated reassuringly, pulling me extra close with his arm which made me smile a little. "What do you think your dad is gonna do? My mother can't keep him away from you for more than one night, right?" I said gazing up into his eyes. "Well Vern, your mother loves you very much and she would never do anything to make you unhappy. I think we really just changed her views toward the both of us for the better. In fact; I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon, you're probably my brother now."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, my dad is going off to prison for a while because your mom is doing a great job at making up a story and has a fantabulous lawyer. She's gonna sue that bastard for everything he's got, which ain't much. And I'll help a great deal; I'd like nothing more than to see that bastard locked away forever."

"I just hope you're right, I don't ever wanna leave you Zach..." I finished with a smile while wrapping my arms around Zach and giving him a big squeeze. "Hush now Vern, just relax. It's been a very rough day. Just relax, you're here with me now and I'll make sure no one disturbs you. Close your eyes if you like." Zach said in that maternal don't worry tone. "Mhrrr... I love you mama." I said softly as I nestled my head against Zach's warm and smooth belly. Zach smiled and wrapped his arms around me in that mothering nature, which comforted me as I closed my eyes slowly. I listened to Zach's heartbeat and let my wings spread as I curled up in a ball and drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, I awoke to find that Zach had also fallen asleep as I glanced to the pillows behind me. He looked absolutely adorable when he slept. He didn't make even the slightest of sounds, and he had some sort of grin on his face; a peaceful and relaxing grin. I carefully turned my head to the clock (I didn't want to disturb Zach) which read 8:00 PM. I figured I might as well go back to sleep; Zach was obviously staying the night considering his father was in deep crap and it was already eight o' clock. I sighed in relief and cleared my thoughts; trying to concentrate simply on the fact that right now I was here with Zach and life was okay. I rested my head against his belly again and listened to it rise and fall softly. Once again I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning; the sun giving my eyes a cruel wakeup call through the open window. Realizing I was no longer resting on Zach's tummy, I rolled my head over to face him. His eyes were just barely open, but I could tell he was awake. "Good morning Zach, sleep well?" I offered with a slight smile. "Huh? Oh uhh... yeah sure, did you sleep well cause I did sleep well?" he said reluctantly, tripping over his own words. "Yeah I did, but why are you acting weird?" I offered catching his hesitation. "I'm not acting weird at all why? Are you? Huh." He stated once again tripping over his words like they were being forced out of him uneasily. "C'mon Zach, you know I'll always love you no matter what you tell me. Hmmm... you must have got up in the night or something because I fell asleep listening to your heartbeat and woke up because the sun was killing me... So spill."

"Promise you won't laugh, because I'm real embarrassed..."

"I won't laugh Zach, it'll probably be something cute that you just find embarrassing."

"Uhhh... I was having bad dreams about yesterday... so I went downstairs and got Talus, my stuffed Zebra... he helps me sleep."

"he he... you sleep with stuffed animals still... awww... my lil' hatchling." I teased. "Shut up Vern. He's way cooler than you." Zach said biting his bottom lip. "I'm sorry Zach... that's the cutest thing ever. I've always loved stuffed animals but my mom made me get rid of them all because she thought I was getting too old..."

"So you're not gonna laugh at me?"

"No way Zach, if anything I just think you're more loveable than before... now get dressed cutie, we got the weekend ahead of us."

I smiled at Zach and he put his jeans on over his undies. After he got dressed, he sat down on the bed and waited for me to pull on a t-shirt. After we were dressed, we went downstairs together for some breakfast. I didn't see any lights on downstairs so I assumed my mother wasn't up yet. I clarified this by searching the house with Zach and indeed my mother was nowhere to be found. The clock on the microwave caught my eye though; 9:00 AM. "That's weird Zach; she should be up by now don cha think?"

"Well... maybe she's not here. Check the garage for her car."

"Good idea, I'll go look." I said while turning around toward the door to the garage. I opened the door and stepped into the garage, the door was closed. Mom's car wasn't there, but I decided to check outside before deciding she wasn't home. Turning around, I walked for the wall by the door where the opener is for the garage door. When I reached the door however, it wasn't there. No, the opener for the door just wasn't there and it didn't look like it had ever been there in the first place. Once I disregarded the weirdness, I walked over to a window to climb through. The window was solid however, no opening to the outside, no way to open it whatsoever. I was trapped in my own garage! The only way to go was the door back into the house. Now this was getting freaky, maybe I'd just break through the window? "Zach, there's no way out of the garage and my mom's car isn't there."

"WTF? No car in the garage? And what do you mean no way out?"

"C'mon to my room so I can find something to break a window with."

"Why you breakin' windows, your mom'll be pissed."

"Just trust me on this one."

*now, for those of you who haven't caught on yet, I am trying to build the illusion that I am trapped inside the house. Sure I could break a window but the point is that something sealed me into the house and I wasn't meant to escape. All shall be explained, I promise. Read on.

And with that we turned and headed for the stairs. I couldn't help glancing out of a window in the hall along the way. "Whoa, Zach?" I muttered in amazement as I looked up into the sky. The sun had been replaced with the moon, but was still just as bright. However, not much light reached the ground; it was dark and dismal outside. Zach's jaw dropped but he didn't speak, so we just continued upstairs. Upon reaching my room, we both found ourselves more awake than we had ever been. It felt like somebody had just injected me with adrenaline and all of a sudden I was awake and alert as ever. There was no light in my room save the window; the rest was dark and dead. Zach now had Talus at his side once again, and was staring on in amazement at the picture before our eyes. The window was radiating a phosphorescent orange light which slightly furnished the walls and floor below it. The light had depth as far as I could judge by the black tails of contrast that spun inside the orange and swirled to a point at its center. I just stared on in oblivion for the time being, but I could only persevere for so long before, compelled by curiosity, I would have to step through the light. Zach latched on to my shoulder and closed his eyes. It was a few seconds later that I found my feet involuntarily moving toward the light. Soon enough, my leg was rising over what I assumed was the window sill and I cringed as my toe touched the orange light. It was cold but the black tails that kept swirling over my foot were warm and the contrast made me feel weird. I stepped in a little further, as did Zach and Talus. Now only a bit of my wing was left outside of the aura and the black tails of warmth were swirling all around my body from head to tail. I turned my head back; my room was no longer there, just more orange light. In fact; after spinning around once or twice I didn't know exactly which direction my room was even supposed to be in. suddenly a blast of cold and warmth mixed together slammed into my face with the force of a rock. I seemed to be floating in the air but I really couldn't tell. "What is the release of death? That I do not know. What composes of life? That I cannot show. What bends reality? The escape from Earth; It bends all reality, even time itself..."

I didn't know who spoke. If anything, I believe that it was I indeed going insane from the light or something. The mysterious voice was none that I have ever heard, and damn hard to decipher. I was lost in that aura; simply trying to contemplate the message just spoken it bends all reality, even time itself... What did that mean? I barely had enough time to remember the words before I closed my eyes and found myself once again at room temperature. I opened my eyes slowly and found a completely different world, beautiful at first glance. I smiled a little as I gazed on into the endless meadows and pastures that blended together to create what seemed like an endless valley. The sun was high in the sky, yet I was comfortably shaded by a large maple tree above my head. The grass below me was lush and soft like a blanket; unlike that rough green grass that left stains on your jeans back at my house. There was no doubt in my mind that I was in a different world; however I didn't know where this new world was. It was much better than the valley that I had come from, that I could just feel. It was like I had just been born again in a different form; all old and distant memories no more than such. I inhaled and yawned once as the smells of green and blue happily blending together entered my nose and relaxed my mind. A shiver went down my back and ended up running the full extent of every single limb; leaving me at a comfortably warm and cozy temperature. Then I exhaled and a little steam rose off of my nose. My eyes followed the steam until I found myself lost in the tree above. It was such a nice tree, a beautiful composure of raw mossy bark, with little cracks of jet black penetrating. About seven feet up there was a two-way fork that split the tree into two equal parts, a perfect footing. For sure this would be an ideal tree to climb. The leaves were a dark and mossy looking green which canceled most of the light from the sun above and left a shady and cool oasis beneath the trunk. I could tell that I was going to like this place a lot. And of all the things I did not know at the time, that one last thing that I did know kept me sane.

Part 3 I don't know how long exactly I examined my new surroundings from that point under the tree. Zach was fairly close beside me; Talus still in his claws. He appeared to be halfway sleeping so I decided to leave him alone. It was only upon my looking down that I was jarred back to reality (or whatever this world was, not sure it was reality yet) I really didn't know what had happened at first because it had been so long that I had forgotten the feeling. Yet, it was only a matter of time before the realization of what I had done set in. no further doubt in my mind; I had wet myself. My jeans were soaked from my crotch all the way to my feet and the obvious dark spot was certainly something to be ashamed of. I could even feel that my tail was a little wet, I don't even know how, it was a terrible sensation. I felt like crying, I was so ashamed. But Zach had started to stir a little, and any minute he would be fully conscious. In a blur of panic, I hastily made a dash for the opposite side of the tree. But it was too late; Zach was on his feet and heading toward the tree I was desperately hiding behind. "Vern, is that you?" he called softly in a confused tone (a rhetorical question no doubt, but I answered anyways) "yeah... it's me Zach. Please don't laugh, it wasn't my fault..." I began to explain while sniffling a little and puffing little smoke rings from my nose. A quizzical look appeared upon Zach's face as he walked halfway around the tree to face me. My obvious wet spot wouldn't have caught the eye as much if I had been standing but since I was on the ground, Zach was already looking down. "Wait... you mean... snort you... hehe wet yourself? snort" he chuckled uneasily; desperately suppressing hoards of laughter. My face filled with lava and I just shut my eyes and decided to ride out the storm of words to follow. "awww... my lil' hatchling." He said tauntingly as I had done to him before "shut up Zach. I had no control and that was a scary ride... wait" why the fuck did I just say that?

"A scary ride?!? Hehehe what the hell Vern.... Did you really just say that?!?"

"Zach shut up, I didn't mean to... I just" Zach cut me off "wet yourself? Huh?"

"You son of a bitch, I hate you!"

My eyes went wide when I said this, as did Zach's. He blushed a little himself once he realized that he had actually hurt my feelings "I'm sorry bwother; you know I love you no matter what..." Zach hesitated through forming tears. "It's okay Zach. I'm sorry about what I said, really sorry. I love you too beast." I replied with a little smile returning. With that, Zach wrapped his arms around my wings in a tremendous hug. I hugged back moments later and also gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He blushed even more and we just kept on hugging until I was interrupted by a distant sound. Zach didn't hear it at first, but my ears were trained to pick up the slightest irregularities in sound around me. "What's wrong Vern?" Zach asked curiously. "Shhh... I hear something." I retorted hastily. I carefully turned around to face the sound; Zach just watched curiously at my analysis. The sound was increasing slightly in volume about every three seconds. It was by no doubt footfall, but very faint footfall, and from paws, quiet and well padded paws. "Hello? Someone here?" I heard a soft voice call, a feminine voice. Zach looked absolutely dumbfounded so I took over for answering "Uhhh... yeah, I thought we were alone?"

"Nope, you're here with me now. Just stay calm and I'll walk you through this."

"Uhhh... alright then... I guess."

The one who spoke in the feminine voice had now reached the top of the little hill that I and Zach were perched upon. She was in fact, a female; an incredibly beautiful female. In short, she was an arctic panther with snow white fur, may I say pulchritudinous and delectable snow white fur. Instinctively, I began to analyze her entire body, beginning where her tail twitched slightly against the thin blades of lush grass. She had a most marvelous tail, full in all entireties yet not the slightest bit unkempt. It appeared to be a very soft and warm tail at a glance; my eyes went wide at the thought of feeling it for myself. Her paws were as huge and masculine as that of a lion's, yet she somehow kept them perfectly manicured. My eyes crawled slowly up her fuzzy white legs, which were quite slender and well formed, until I reached the rim of her shorts. I paused and then continued scrutinizing her legs with a yiffy twinkle in my eye the entire time. I paused once again at her waistline; her hips were rotated slightly, as if she wanted to show off her tight and furry little ass. She was wearing a shirt cut off below her chest, leaving her tummy exposed completely. She had the cutest belly I think I have ever seen (sorry Zach, your cute too, but she's friggin' hot) It was so well rounded and expertly shaped; with a little bit of softness and comfort built into its slender and sleek look. I was already in love with her tummy, no doubt about that (in case you haven't noticed, cute bellies are kinda my weakness) I reluctantly continued my journey up her thin and slender body until I reached her chest. In an extreme feat of will power, I managed to push away my perverted instincts and not stare, and my eyes continued. I didn't notice until now that her belly had slightly aroused my... uhmmm... well you know. I blushed a little as I realized my jeans were barely big enough to contain me anymore (*pat on the back!) Now I met her face, ahhhhh... no possible way to be a pervert looking at her face right? It was a truly amazing thing to take in. I inhaled slightly as my eyes met hers, and she stared right at me. She had incredible and vibrant blue eyes with little twinkles of sunlight mixed with the shade of the tree above. Her eyes were so bright and amazing that I would believe they emit their own light and capture it in a way that no other thing in any world could capture so beautifully. She was smiling and staring back into my eyes. I lost her when we blinked at the same time and when I regained sight, her eyes had moved. From what I could judge, she was staring at my aroused cock which was threatening to rip my jeans off this very moment (damn hormones) I chuckled a little and blushed even deeper than before. Having snow white fur, I could easily tell that she was blushing an even deeper shade of magma than I. She chuckled a little in return; it looked like she wanted to slap herself for being so rude in front of someone she just met. I had decided at

this moment that she was the most beautiful (and most arousing) fur that I have ever met. I was going to like it here, wherever I was, and I was gonna enjoy my time no matter what.

"You must be the new one, my name is Alison, it's nice to meet you hehe..." she began in that very comforting and soft voice. "Uhhh... yeah, uhhh... I'm Vern; it's nice to meet you to Alison." I replied in a daze. "Well, come walk with me and I'll fill you in."

"Uhhh... alright then, hehe..."

Alison smiled and her tail traced little circles in the grass as she walked slowly over to me. She smiled and took my hand in hers; pulling me into the air and onto my feet. "so Alison, uhhh... where the hell am I?"

"You're in the Veranda silly, hehe..."

"And what exactly is the Veranda?"

"Well, you didn't die in your old world did you?"

"Of course not, I'm only thirteen."

"Then you led a terrible and unbelievably stressful life correct?"

"I guess you could say so."

"Well that's why you're here."

"Cause my life sucked?"

"Yep! That's why everyone is here, either that or they died."

"You mean this is like heaven?"

"No, of course not, It's just a place to visit I guess to get away from it all. You see, when nice and kind hearted fellows get a terrible life they don't deserve they come here to escape it."

"so since I was a good little dragon and never beat anyone up even when they got on my back, I got sent here because I deserved a better life?"

"Precisely... you understood quicker than most."

*now wait just a sec... if you haven't caught on, you've probably noticed an obvious glitch in this logic. Bullies lead a terrible life right? But the point is they are mean to others, so they deserve a dreadful life. Now I on the other hand take a passive approach to trouble, no matter what those other fuck head dragons did to me, I dealt with it. I was nice to everyone and was altogether a good soul, but I still had a suckish life. That's why I was sent here. The Veranda is for people who deserve a better life. If you have an awful life but are mean to others and do bad things, you don't get to go to the Veranda, you have to live in hell forever hahaha... story time

"Hehe... this is awesome!"

"Exactly my point,"

"Do I get to spend forever here? Are there any problems here? Come on tell me more..."

"One at a time geez, Yes, time stands still here. No there is pretty much nothing to worry about. Not much more to tell you."

"is there anyone else here besides us?"

"Well, my mother Catherine I suppose. She's not really my mother, but she acts like one. She's a dragon too, I'm the only fur in this damn place hehe... but she'll love you... wait, didn't you bring a friend?"

"oh yeah my m... I mean my... uhhh... Zach."

"what?"

"oh shit... I couldn't tell her Zach was my mate." I thought to myself "at least not yet."

"Uhhh... nothing that's just Zach over there by the tree, I think we scared the crap out of him because he's out of it right now."

"Hehe, your right, hey follow me down the hillside; I've got something planned..."

"oh hell no, I knew there was a catch. This wasn't a perfect world; she was going to rape me. Damn it why does every good thing have to end so quickly? Oh this is the end, there is no god, and what does she mean she has something planned?"

"uhhh... what are you going to do?"

"Shhh... calm down... I'm training to be like Catherine when I get older and she says I need to start practicing now if I'm gonna be good enough to be a caretaker."

"good enough at what, and what do you mean caretaker?"

"a maternal figure, like she is to me, and she will be to you."

"what are you going to do to me? What do you have to be good at?"

"Vern I want you to relax. I would never do anything to hurt you or make you uncomfortable. But I did notice you had a little... uhhh... accident."

"Oh hell no, hell no," I thought to myself. I gasped yet again as I remembered that the entire time I had been casually conversing with Alison, I had been soaked from my crotch to my tail.

"Vern, I'm just gonna change you into a fresh pair of shorts, you'll enjoy it, and so will I."

"No way, that means you have to see me naked! You pervert."

"Vern, if you would just calm down you know you'll love it."

"no, I can't."

"Yes you can, hush now; if you think this is bad you're gonna love meeting Catherine hehe..."

"What the hell does that mean? Huh? Is Catherine gonna be a pervert too?" I thought to myself. Just then, Alison sensed my stress and made a daring move to calm me. She cupped my face in her paws and pulled me into an amazing, heart stopping kiss. I closed my eyes and the rest of the new found world seemed to melt away into little particles of distant memories. "maybe she was right, she was going to be a mother figure here one day and I guess now is a good time to start. But I don't want her to see me naked. No way in hell. That would be way too embarrassing." I thought as she slowly pulled away from my face and brought her paws back to her sides. A cool breeze struck my muzzle and I cringed as it sent a shiver down my back. She just smiled at me and took my hand again, once again leading me with her to the hillside. "Alison, I can't do this." I began hesitantly "I think I'm old enough to change myself, I don't need you to help."

"But I need the practice Vern. And trust me, it's not that bad."

"So practice on Zach or something, but we just met, and I think it's a little too early for you to see me with all of my clothes off."

"Hehe... you have the most priceless remarks Vern. Alright fine," she began while bending down and swinging the pack off of her shoulder. She unzipped it and removed a fresh pair of shorts that looked exactly like hers, tan with a little rhinestone design on the back pockets; just short enough to leave half of my thighs exposed. "Wait... your making me wear your shorts?" I asked in a quizzical tone. "sorry but I don't carry anything else around with me, unless you want umhhh... never mind I'll let Catherine take care of that. Anyways, just take these and go down that hillside, I'll look the other way don't worry."

And with that I rolled my eyes and reluctantly grabbed her shorts from her paws, leaving a broad grin across her muzzle. "just bring me your wet shorts when you're done, alright." She called as I headed off down the hillside. I glanced back occasionally to make sure I was out of Alison's sight, and, I was paranoid that she was going to follow me. But she kept her place I suppose for I saw neither hide nor tail of her upon my frequent checking. I took note of a patch of particularly green grass, and decided there was where I was to stop. I trotted hastily over to the spot, eager to get out of my soaking wet clothes which were now becoming quite cold and uncomfortable. I made no effort to savor the moment as I slid off my shorts and undies with quite some force, them dropping to the lush grass below me. I kicked my wet clothes off of my feet and they landed in proximity to a very shiny and interesting rock about four feet away. I blushed a little as I glanced down and saw my bare and slightly aroused cock completely exposed in the middle of this lush green world. I knew nobody was around but still I made haste to find clothing once again. My muscles tensed as I remembered I would have to wear Alison's girly short-shorts. For a moment, my gay side overpowered all other emotions and I began to like the idea of showing off my hips and beautiful ass, but I quickly pushed those thoughts aside. But no matter what I thought, the girly shorts were at my feet and were, by all means, not soaking wet, and were certainly my only option. I took one last uneasy glance at the masculine, camo green and black cargo shorts that were sitting in a soaking heap four feet away and slowly put one leg through Alison's shorts. I pulled them up past my knees and realized how differently they would fit a male than a female. They were my same size, but they don't flow the same way as male's clothing. I tugged extra hard and sucked in my chest making a futile attempt to bring the dreadfully tight apparel to my waistline. With a few more tugs, the horrible ordeal was over. I could barely breathe. It seemed as if my ass was being sculpted into some completely different form which was completely unnatural to me. Gaining control of my breath and letting my gay side overpower me once again, I decided to check out how I looked in my new tight, ass sculpting shorts. I actually thought I looked some slender and awkward form of sexy, but those thoughts quickly faded into the realization that I looked like a chick. I pondered this for a moment, and came to the decision that I might as well finish off the look with one last touch. I grabbed hold of my prized Yes t-shirt that I was sporting, pulled it up to my upper chest to expose my stomach, and tied a knot in the back so it would stay in place. With a little adjusting of the wing holes in the back, I was comfortable with my new look, and happy to be dry. Part 4 There was no doubt in my mind that I did in fact look like some creepy male dragon gone cross dresser, but it wasn't so bad. After all, Zach would love seeing me with my tummy exposed like this. Maybe I would keep this look, what do I have to lose, there is nobody to criticize me here. I hadn't even thought about the old world until now. This place was so much better, there was no stress, I could act like myself without having to worry about judgment, and Zach could be all mine forever and ever. No doubt it would take some getting used to, and Alison (though breathtaking and gorgeous) was a little on the iffy side. But regardless, I was anxious to get back to the top of the hill and get a good laugh out of her. I did look truly ridiculous; I realized that I had completely lost all of my dignity by doing nothing more than changing my clothes. But regardless, I liked the way I looked and I would probably stick with this weirdo look for a while longer (maybe add a light pink Yes shirt next time, and ditch the rhinestones on the back of the shorts, ohhh... and a pink sweatshirt just to tie around my waist... oohhhhh... I love playing dress up!)

I spent my time traveling up the hill in a daze, thinking about how cute I could make myself look for Zach. Stereotypical assholes are just a thing of the past now. Nothing was stopping my feminine side from showing more than it ever did before. I was gonna have a great time with this. But soon enough the sun peaked out over a large oak and I realized I was back where I had left Alison to wait impatiently while I changed. I reached the top of the hill; upon glancing down I noticed there was an impression in the grass from where Alison had been standing. However the spot was missing those snow white masculine paws that belonged to her, so I decided to look about in search of her. I stood in my spot and spun in a circle once or twice, but I caught no immediate sight of the snowy panther I'd left here. I sighed deeply and rolled my eyes, I had not known Alison very long at all but on reference to first impressions, I assumed she was playing a game with me. That much I had learned just by talking to her for a few minutes, and realizing the odds were in my favor, I sat down (or collapsed if you will) into a pile at the base of the shady oak tree above me. I curled my knees up a little and let my arm rest in such a way to allow my hand to support my face. Sighing once again, I glanced down and remembered my tummy was completely exposed now. I giggled in a very juvenile manner as a cool breeze swept by and tickled me along with the oak tree, making the leaves whisper little secrets to each other. I tried to make out words but the wind died a second later and left me under the tree, still, staring at my tummy and giggling a little. I thought about the world that just an hour ago I had known to be none other than my very own. I thought of all the terrible times that transpired in that awful world; those events such as the previous day and the beating of Zach's father by my very own mother. I still find it impossible to understand how he could do such a thing as strike Zach with brute force across the face, his very own son, his very own blood running through those veins. It was pure misunderstanding, a failure to communicate, a failure to articulate complete truthful thoughts to one another. The thought of Zach having to go through life being misunderstood and unaccepted for who he was by his very own father was so heartbreaking that my smile dipped away into nothing, and the leaves of the trees stopped whispering as well, as though listening intently on my own thoughts instead.

But I believe what appalled me more than any other thought to cross my mind while meditating under that very oak tree, was what Zach had said to his father on his behalf. Knowing that he would probably never see his father again, the one who had treated him so miserably for his entire life to that very date, the one who never fully understood anything at all, Zach did nothing more than muster up all of the bitter hatred for his father he could, and express it in one paraphrase for him to hear loud and clear. And the words that left Zach's mouth at that time entered my ears as well as everyone else's and never really left. No, they stayed fresh in your mind, always haunting you at the least expected times. And it was those words, those few little words, which I believe will haunt me more than any words ever spoken in my life for its entire duration. I won't forget those words until the day I seize to draw further breath, which was one thing for certain, for never had I heard such a hateful, malignant tone of voice in my life. It was like a needle against vinyl, permanently engraving the bitter hatred into my mind, never allowing me to let go of the old world. That engraving kept me connected to my past life, the one that I had let go of just an hour previously, and would never let me completely forget the old world and accept my new life in the Veranda. But one thing did give me hope that one day I would forget of the old world and accept my life here, just one thing that gave me peace of mind and quieted other thoughts. And that was simply put, that I had crossed the Rubicon by stepping through that aura, and no matter what I was never going back to that old dismal world.

---

Eventually, I returned to the hill where I had left Alison and Zach. Alison was residing beneath a tree picking at her claws when she saw me arrive atop the hill. "Hey Vern, what took you so long? I've been waiting here forever, and I was about ready to send Zach to wait for you!" She said excitedly while slowly looking up from her paws to meet my face, and entire body fully fledged with pink girly clothes. "Ohhh... uh yeah, right, uhh what the hell Vern? Hehe, what have you done to yourself?" She voiced through a few confused chuckles. "Well, nobody here to judge me, right? I mean, Zach will think it's cute and all and I love making him laugh, it's adorable."

The words were already out of my mouth, it was too late to take them back.

"What!? Look cute for Zach!? Wait, are you like uhhh... his like... boyfriend or something rather that I shouldn't know about?"

My face just went red and my jaw clamped shut, she was never gonna be my friend now. 'But I might as well answer her' I thought to myself 'maybe she'll accept you like everyone else?'

"Uhhh... yeah he is my boyfriend but I wasn't planning on telling you until later." I managed to force out with 10,000 pounds of will power "you won't hate me or anything will you? I really want to be your friend. I'm sorry if I'm the fucking creepy faggot, damn it I'm sorry! I'm fucking sorry I can't change who I am alright! God damn it all anyways..." and with that I went into a torrent of crying and sobbing. I fell to my knees on the grass and just stayed there, motionless. I wanted to die and feel pain; I wanted to punish myself for what I was. I wanted everyone to hate me for what I was, and I wanted to descend to hell right at that very moment. "Vern! Vern please don't cry... there's nothing wrong with you." Alison said as she ran toward me and locked me in a warm comforting embrace, "You can be whatever you want to be and nobody can ever change that. Just stop crying, please. You're making me feel really really bad and I don't want that... that's the reason I left the old world damn it!" I could feel Alison's muscles tense and her diaphragm began to twitch against my tummy. "Son of a bitch it's been a long time since I've seen anyone cry. I hate seeing others cry, it's why I left that terrible place! No..." Alison began to tear up and started screaming and bawling just as I was. Now I held her in my arms as well and we hugged even tighter as our torrent of crying progressed. "I had forgotten what it was like... Vern, don't let them send me back there, I don't... I don't wanna cry anymore..." Alison broke out into hysterical sobbing once again. This time it was my words that comforted her "don't worry; you'll never have to go back... it's a terrible place and they love us all here very much... they would never send us back... it's alright to cry sometimes Alison... it makes you feel better in the end..."

We both held each other and cried into each other's shoulders for quite some time. Eventually, we both fell into a deep sleep, and I dreamed about the old world and how it was the last bad memory I'll ever have. Part 5 Meanwhile, as we slept atop the hill, Zach was left all alone. He had begun to wander and pace, calm at first, but soon in panic. He knew nothing about the world, or where it was, or what he was doing here. Eventually, he came across a large Green Dragon in his search to find something or anything besides trees and grass. The large dragon offered a hand, and Zach followed her back to her home, which she called The Veranda. She explained about her house and the world and how Alison and Vern were nowhere to be found. And Zach remained confused and scared the whole time. He knew he would feel better once he found Vern, but until then he was a bit tense.

*** Vern and Alison awoke in the midst of night. Vern was the first to rouse, and he tapped Alison on the shoulder to wake her up after admiring her beauty in the moonlight. They were still under that tree that they had fallen asleep beneath and Alison stated plainly that they needed to get back to Catherine. "But what about Zach?" I asked over and over, though Alison assured me that Catherine had already found him. "Old D.D.'s are have special abilities and stuff that help them do stuff like that." She would say, even though I had no clue what an O.D.D. was. So we trekked on through the night to Catherine's house in hopes of finding Zach. I didn't think once of what happened before, and I didn't think once of the old world. The emotional scarring of that terrible world was finally over and I would never have to bear with it ever again. This I knew for sure. I washed away those last few memories in that last sleep.

We continued on until I saw a little light peak over a distant hill. I couldn't make out the outline of the hill, but the light was definitely there. "That's it." Alison whispered from behind me. Her paws made so little sound when she moved that she had actually startled me; I had completely forgotten she was there. We made little sound as we approached the house. Now I could see more lights, clearly oil lanterns or something, hanging in a few windows and out on a patio that seemed to stretch around the house. It was so beautiful. There was something intriguing about the scene, it was breathtaking for some reason but I couldn't place a claw to it. "I know its beautiful Vern, we can have a minute if you like to take it all in; time is of no importance to us here. We have enough to waste and then some." Alison said softly; her voice only adding to the beauty of it all. The moonlight reflected against streams of smoke gently flowing from two chimneys on opposite ends of the roof. The shingles were all homemade of wood and flowed in a beautiful pattern along many different planes of roofing. The house was a marvel. It was such a beautiful thing to look at; you couldn't help but take a moment and stare. Even Alison, who had obviously seen the house on many occasions, seemed to stop and stare; I guess it never got old.

"Vern, we should head in now. I think Catherine will be anxiously awaiting us." Alison spoke softly into my ear. "It's so beautiful, how could something like this exist? I've never seen anything as amazing as this before. All the houses back in my plain are boring and white or blue, but this is a marvel!"

"I know Vern, I would say you'll get used to it, but Catherine says you never do, and I haven't so far." Alison said with a slight chuckle as we began walking to the little porch stairway. There were four steps to a huge front door and the walk-around veranda bordering the house. "This is "the veranda" so to speak. It's where it got its name; remember what I said before about the house?" Alison said in a whisper as she slowly turned the knob to the front door and creaked it open (with quite some effort, the door must have weighed 90 pounds or so) "come on, let's go find Catherine and see if she has Zach."

Alison led me through a few hallways and large rooms. It's surprised me that the house was only one floor. It must have been some 7,000 square feet at least. It was more like a three story mansion smashed into one story. We stopped outside a door somewhere near the middle of the house "Wait out here a moment, I'll talk to Catherine." I just snuck a peek inside the door before Alison closed in behind me. It appeared to be somewhat of a nursery. 'I thought Alison was the only other one here? Did Catherine have other children too?' I thought to myself s I waited outside. I wondered if Zach was in there, and I wondered how I got here again. But I pushed the thoughts of the old world out of my mind and focused instead on why the room Alison had just entered appeared to be a nursery. I had just sat down against the wall when the door swung open again and Alison stepped out. The door shut quickly behind me once again. "Why won't you let me see the room?" I asked inquisitively, as if I was onto her scheme (not that I suspected anything just yet) "well... I don't want you to freak, because..."

"Why would I freak? I've already been transported to a new world and gotten over that."

"Well... Zenith doesn't have you under a Download that will keep you calm so I didn't want to take any chances."

Now I was onto her. "Who is Zenweezy may I ask?"

"He's just another wolf here; he's our tech geek if you will."

"I thought you were only here with Catherine."

"Well... I lied Vern. I was just taking precautions. There are about thirty-two of us stationed here now."

"Is there anyone else in this house? Where do the others live?"

"Only me and Catherine here, the others sleep under the stars. This is where we house newcomers like you and Zach."

"So this is like a little town where everyone knows everyone?"

"Exactly Vern, again, you caught on quicker than most.

"What do you mean 'quicker than most'?"

"Well... I've been loading for a while now. Usually I load from assorted plains like the one you were from. We open a rift and isolate the subject so the only way out of a twenty five foot spherical radius is through the portal, and then we wait for curiosity to teleport the cat, hehe."

"So that's how I ended up here? You did this to me!?"

"Yep! I borrowed Zenith's Download thingy and sent two Flakes to your house. One sealed you in and took away all practical entry or exit points, like your garage door opener. And the other one opened a rift to our plain. I had been watching you for about three and a half days nonstop."

"So you've been spying on me!"

"Yah, but not in a bad way."

"Doesn't that mean you already knew I was...?"

"sigh yeah Vern I knew about you and Zach even before you came here. But I had to act surprised when I found out before 'cause I wasn't planning on telling you any of this until later."

Now something hit me like a ton of bricks filled with solidified embarrassment. "Uhhh... you didn't happen to be spying on me this morning did you? Or was it yesterday morning?"

"Oh what, your little yiff party? Hehe, yeah I just watched you cuddle and sing to him because I thought it was cute but I didn't watch any of... the, well... you know, intercourse."

I blushed deeper than I ever had before and looked down at the ground in shame. "why did you not just leave the room?"

"'Cause, I never see anything like this. And the vision is in my mind, we don't have TV screens here. I can't just leave the room Vern."

I made a face at her and tried to hide my reddening cheeks but sadly couldn't and only ended up making it worse. "C'mon Vern, let's go talk to Catherine and Zach." Alison said as she stood up and opened the door to what was indeed a nursery. There was a broad open space with a plush carpet in the center of the room surrounded by little cub furniture and some play sets. A small crib sat in a corner next to a pile of plushies and a small closet. The walls were painted pastel pink and blue and the ceiling was a pale yellowish color. A border with little dragon hatchlings stretched the entire perimeter of the room, as well as the molding nearest the ceiling. There was also a regular twin-sized bed to the right upon which sat Zach and a large female green dragon who appeared to be in her early twenties. "Zach!" I gasped as I ran to my mate and locked him in a comforting embrace. He returned the embrace and wrapped me in his wings which sent a warm and reassuring shiver down my spine. I felt like kissing him, I really wanted nothing more than to feel his warm tongue pressed against mine, but I figured I wouldn't put on a show for Alison and the other dragon I had not been introduced to yet. "What happened Zach? Why did you leave the tree?" I asked tenderly as we continued our embrace. "We'll talk later about that Vern," he said as he pulled out of the embrace "this is Catherine, and she found me wandering this plain aimlessly and took me in."

"You'll never believe how we got here Zach!" I nearly shouted "Alison has been... well... I guess you don't really know Alison yet but I..." Catherine cut me off. "Vern, I've already informed your friend of everything Alison has told you. All that's left is to introduce. I'm Catherine and I'll be taking care of you for a while Vern. You've already met Alison and I suppose you know Zach quite well, hehe." Catherine began to explain as she held out a hand for me to shake, which I promptly grabbed to return the favor. Alison stepped forward to Zach who hadn't really noticed her (if that was even slightly possible with her radiant snowy fur) "Allow me to introduce myself," she said while extending a paw to Zach, who was now marveling upon her beauty as I had done before "my name is Alison and I'll be your little friend here in The Veranda"

Zach returned the handshake/pawshake and smiled a great broad smile as he looked over and our eyes met briefly. "Have a seat Vern!" Catherine exclaimed light-heartedly as she patted a spot on the bed beside her (she sounded a lot older than she appeared) I hopped up from my slouching pose and took a seat on the bed to my right between Zach and Catherine. I reached my arm around Zach's back and quietly massaged his lower back and ass but was careful not to let anyone see. There was a brief pause which I was about to break by inquiring the ways other furs got here; a question that had been building in my mind ever since Alison had said 'Usually' I load from assorted plains like the one you were from.' I wasn't exactly sure what she meant by 'usually' but I assume it implies there are other ways to 'load'. But the silence was broken instead by an electronic ringing noise which appeared to be radiating from Alison's pocket. "Damn." Alison muttered under her breath as she reached into her pocket and removed a strange looking device. "We leave that language in the old world Alison." Catherine said wagging a claw at Alison. "I gotta go help Zen fix a hole. What has he been up to with those PBJ's again?" Alison said heading for the door behind her. "Uhhh... peanut butter and jelly?" I asked with a chuckle. "Plain Barrier Jammers silly, grow up." Alison said sarcastically from down the hall; she had already run out of the room by the time I had asked. "Well then boys..." Catherine turned to us; grabbing our attention "I suppose I should show you around."

"What's a Plain Barrier Jammerette?" I asked with a little smirk. "It separates your plain from ours and when there is a hole in one, you could fly in an airplane from your world to ours without a rift. A very dangerous situation depending how big the plane is."

"Why is it so bad for our people to come here?"

"It's not bad for you to come here; it's just bad to have more than fifty people here at a time."

"But this place is huge!"

"Good Lord Vern, you ask so many questions! And don't be concerned with the old world Vern; you must learn to forget it. But now it is my turn to ask you a question Vern: why in the name of God are you dressed like my Alison?" she inquired with a noticeable laugh. My face went deep red once again "uhhh... "I began 'how could I put this delicately? I thought to myself. "Uhhh... I lost some nerve control in the rift and released some bodily fluids which led me to require a change of clothes."

"Vern, this is a nursery you're sitting in. if you peed yourself you don't have to sugar-coat it." Catherine stated matter of factly. Zach let out a little chuckle at this "you're a funny one Catherine."

"Please dear, call me mother or mom or mommy or nana or anything other than Catherine."

"They were the only clothes available at the time." I stated in a small voice while twiddling my thumbs in my lap. "I understand perfectly Vern; it's perfectly alright to wear whatever you desire. There's nobody here to criticize you so feel free to be who you are." Catherine explained with a warm smile just as Alison had. "Uhhh... right, hehe."

There was an awkward silence among all of us which I broke with a question hot of the griddle of my brain "What time is it?"

"Well..." Catherine began to explain "hourly time is the same as your plain here. So home time reckoning to you would be 3:47 AM precisely now." This time Zach was the one to cut Catherine off with an inquiry "how do you know what time it is if you don't wear a watch?"

"I'll train you in that field tomorrow Zach. Anyways, the annual time and seasonal time move differently. We get no seasons here but if we really want to, we can harvest snow from other plains and bring it here. Otherwise, our seasonal stick shift is jammed in neutral. You would know 'neutral' as 'summer' I suppose. But there are sixteen times more days in a year here so you 'get old' very slowly, you'll be young for as long as you are here. "Zach cut in "What do you mean 'we'll be young for as long as we're here'? Won't we be here forever? You always say I'll never have to go back."

"Well Zach, that's true and not true at the same time. You never have to go back to the old world, so don't worry. But you will eventually run out of 'vacation' time here and have to leave. You will head to the stars to study the universe for at least another 600 years before you get a chance to once again return to The Veranda."

"But are 'the stars' a bad place? What is it like in the stars?" I chimed in. "well..." Catherine began to respond "it most certainly isn't a bad place. But I don't know what it's like, I've never been. I've only been here in the Veranda for sixty-two years. I've got another two hundred-fifty or so before I must head off to the stars."

Both I and Zach sat on the bed with perplexed. We were both still a bit puzzled as to what the stars would be like. I opened my mouth to ask a new question but Catherine seized me in the act. "Vern. I know you have plenty enough questions to keep me awake all night but I really must show you two to your room and get you changed so you can get some sleep."

And with that, Catherine led us out in to the hallway and to a set of spiral stairs. We must have been in the very center of the house now. "This here is the Overwatch. I believe you will enjoy..." Catherine said as she began to lead us up the long set of spirals. It was growing progressively darker, which was becoming a bit of a problem. "Catherine, how do we see?"

"Vern, it'll be beautiful when we reach the top. You must start training your eyes now to see in upmost darkness." This confused me a little but I went along with it. Eventually, we reached the top of the stairs which opened into a large, circular room; still very dark. "now, look up and contain your excitement." Catherine said as she reached for some kind of rope and pulled. I heard some curtains falling above and was taken aback at what they exposed. Thousands upon thousands of tiny blue stars appeared, twinkling in the dim evening light of the sky. "I've never seen stars so beautiful." I said in a soft voice filled with amazement and awe. "They're not stars Vern, look closer..."

I looked very closely at the twinkling ceiling, but the blue lights still appeared to be shimmering stars. "They're glow worms Vern... thousands of tiny blue glow worms."

"Oh... that makes sense I guess." I replied realizing why the 'stars' were blue. "Look around you Vern. You can see the whole Plain from up here." And Catherine was indeed correct. You could see the entire Plain from up here. The rivers and streams twinkled softly in the moonlight and the trees seemed to emit and ambient yellow glow, if only so softly and slightly.