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The Good Neighbor

By Evan Drake

Sherry let out a long tired sigh as she fell onto the sofa. A sharp pain shot up her backside from landing on her tail at an awkward angle. She pulled the scaled appendage from underneath her body and rubbed it to relieve some of the soreness. Once the ache had reduced to a dull throb, she leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

She saw a pair approaching the front door through a gap in the curtains over the window. She groaned softly when they knocked on the door.

Go away. I'm not in the mood to play hostess.

The intruders knocked louder.

With a heavy sigh, she stood up and maneuvered through the sea of boxes to get to the door. As she approached, she heard voices both male.

"Reuben, no one's answering. Maybe we should try again later."

"What? It was your idea to come over here now. I suggested we needed to wait and let the new neighbors settle in."

"Yes, yes, you're right. I made a mistake. You should take me home and punish me."

"Oh, just wait until I get you home..."

"You promise?"

Sherry rolled her eyes and waited in the hopes they would give up and leave. The loud bang on the door returned.

One of the figures on the other side sighed. "Looks like they're too busy right now. We'll just have to try again later." The voice took on a low, seductive growl. "And you have a lot to answer for."

A playful squeal responded, most likely from the other one, before the low thudding of hoof steps signaled their departure. Sherry turned away from the door and went upstairs to the office.

The "office" was more like an artist's station and the only room in the house fully unpacked even if it didn't look it. Canvases and large rolls of paper littered the floor. Crates full of pencils, erasers, glues, and rulers were haphazardly scattered on the shelf space. In the middle of the room was a large table. Under the table were large bins filled with wooden building blocks. Some of the blocks were piled on the table.

She sat down in front of the desk. On the desk was a large piece of paper with a horizontal line drawn on it. She stared at the line, waiting for inspiration to strike her, tapping the eraser of the pencil against the edge of her muzzle.

Nothing came to mind. She groaned and a familiar tightness formed in her chest. Her tail tapped the back of her seat.

Come on, now is really not the time to get stuck. If I don't finish this in time, I can kiss my job goodbye. Then how will I get Reilly back?

Still, her mind remained blank. The tightness in her chest worsened, and her tail rapped against the chair at a furious pace. She looked at her watch to see nearly four hours had passed since she sat down. She pushed away from the desk and roamed the house, looking for means to occupy herself and hopefully draw inspiration to finish the project.

The essentials, food, clothing and basic hygiene products, had already been unpacked so now it was a matter of doing everything else. She started in the kitchen, putting away the remainder of the dishes--not that there was much to begin with. Once that was done she flattened the boxes and left them in a pile against the wall for recycling.

Next, she unpacked the decorations in the living room. It went quickly since all she had were some family portraits. The empty boxes were stacked with the ones from the kitchen. It started to bother her how quickly the process was going. She always considered herself a bit of an introvert, but the new house felt a little empty with the lack of decorative items.

She stood there and stared at the boxes. Something about the overall shape gave her an idea for the house she was designing. She grinned as a sudden thought crossed her mind and hurried for the stairs.

There came a knock at the door again. She froze at the base of the staircase and swore. "I swear, this better be something good," she mumbled.

A pair of whitetail stags stood on the other side of the door. One a tall and slightly muscular, the other slightly shorter and thinner. The larger stag held a box in his hands.

"Hello!" the shorter deer said with a cheerful enthusiasm that made Sherry want to roll her eyes. "We wanted to give you a chance to settle in before we came to welcome you to the neighborhood. I'm Nathan, and this is Rueben." He wrapped an arm around the other stag. "We live right across the street."

"Welcome to the neighborhood," Reuben said. His voice was much

"Uh-huh," Sherry said.

Nathan didn't seem to notice her bored reaction or didn't care. He took the box from Rueben's arms and handed it to Sherry. "This is a welcome packet to help you feel at home."

Sherry snatched the box from Nathan's hands then slammed the door shut. "The first idea I've had in weeks, and that is what someone chooses to bother me for?" she grumbled under her breath as she stomped upstairs.

She threw the box in the corner and sat down at the desk. The idea that she formed in the kitchen was gone now. She groaned and dropped her head on the desk.

She lay that way for a few minutes until her cell phone rang. Without checking the name, she swiped the screen and held it against her ear. "Hello?"

Pop music played in the background, but her friend Rhonda's voice came through clearly. "Hey, Sherry! What's up?"

Sherry growled and sat up. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out. I'm finally getting a break from the kids and--"

"I'm in the middle of work," Sherry said irritably.

"Oh. Still stuck on that project, huh? Maybe you just need to get out of the house for a few minutes."

"Or maybe people can just stop interrupting me with stupid shit."

There was a lengthy silence. Sherry hung up the phone and frowned at the ceiling. Slowly, the anger and annoyance drained from her and she swore at her behavior.

I'm gonna have some serious apologizing to do later.

Her gaze was drawn to the box she received from Nathan and Reuben. She shrugged and retrieved the box from the corner.

Inside the box several bottles of lubricant and another smaller, brightly colored box. On the surface was a picture of a very large slightly-curved dildo. "The Penetrator" was written on the box in large block letters.

"What the hell?!" She closed the larger box and shoved it away as if contaminated.

Another knock at the door distracted her.

The stag, Nathan, stood on her front stoop and holding another box in his hands. His ears were pulled back and blushed the deepest shade of red she had ever seen.

It took everything Sherry had to not slap the box out of his hands or slam the door again. "Can I help you?" she asked coldly.

"Um...well, well, you see. I...I need to ask for...for your welcome package back." He held out the other box. "I kinda definitely gave you the wrong box by mistake."

She rolled her eyes and stepped aside. "That explains a lot. Come in, and I'll get it for you."

Nathan nodded furiously like an obedient child and hurried inside. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Rueben has no idea. If he found out I messed up this badly, he is not going to be happy."

"I wasn't too happy, either," she mumbled. More clearly, she added, "The box is upstairs in my workroom."

The sound of Nathan's hooves on the floor told her he was following. "You know, Rueben always said I would forget my head if it wasn't attached. I guess he was right. You, um, didn't open the box by any chance did you?"

"I did."

Nathan gave a frightened squeal. His ears turned an even deeper shade of red. "I'm so, so, so, sorry! You must think we're the worst."

"I did until I found out it was an accident. Don't sweat it. We're both adults. It's not like I've never seen one before."

"That's a relief."

They entered the workroom. Nathan squealed again, much more enthusiastically this time. Sherry winced a little.

"Ooooh! I love this! I had no idea you were an artist."

"Architect," Sherry corrected. She retrieved the box from the corner she shoved it moments ago. "And here you are."

Nathan's blush returned as they exchanged items. The difference in weight was immediately apparent.

You weren't joking when you said you were scatter-brained were you?

Nathan continued to stand there, shifting his weight between legs. "So...what did you think of it?"

Sherry shrugged. "If the picture on the box is accurate, it's very impressive. But I prefer the real thing."

"Well, so do I, but I can't expect Rueben to always be available. It's pretty hard to keep up during rutting season."

"If you say so."

"Actually, I worded that wrong. It's always hard and up during rutting season."

Sherry snorted into her hand.

Nathan giggled, his short tail wagging like an excited pup's. "Before I leave, open your gift! I want to see the look on your face. It's the right one this time, I promise."

Inside the box were cleaning supplies, a towel, a washcloth, and soap. Next to it was a clear container filled with Sitting on top of it all was a little card that read "Welcome To The Neighborhood!"

"It's a basic, 'survival kit'," Nathan said. "Moving into a new place it's pretty hard to find your stuff, so we put this together for you as

"Thank you. And I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. Slamming the door in your face like that was rude. You caught me at a bad time and I took it out on you."

Her cell rang again. She picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Sherry, I'm just calling to tell you Reilly won't be coming this weekend."

She immediately straightened up. "What? What do you mean she's not coming?"

"She said she doesn't want to go."

"Bullshit. Let me talk to her."

"She doesn't want to talk to you."

She slammed her fist on the desk. "More like you don't want me to talk to her! Put her on the phone!"

"She said no."

"Don't lie to me! We had a deal, dammit!"

"I'm not forcing her to go somewhere she doesn't want to. If you want to take your chances in court, suing for custody, be my guest."

The call ended. It took everything Sherry had to not tear the room down. She gripped the edges of the desk until her arms shook and let out a scream of pain and rage.

"Um, what's wrong?"

Sherry spun around, forgetting the whitetail was there. "Nothing."

"I don't know anyone who screams like that over nothing."

Sherry spun on him with a loud snarl. "What the hell do you know?!"

Nathan stared at her, his ears pulled back and eyes wide. His nervous scent permeated the room. Sherry sighed and sank into the chair. "Sorry. It's just..." She slammed her fist on the desk again. "That fucking asshole!"

"Whoa! Calm down, now. Take a breath and start from the beginning."

Sherry did as she was told. It didn't help much, but she spoke without letting her anger take control. "My stupid ex-husband, Chris. He thinks I'm a 'danger to our daughter' so he keeps her away from me to punish me."

"That's horrible. Why would he do that?"

"He knows I won't sue him for custody. Actually, I can't. Ever since I threatened his assistant, he knows I would lose."

"You threatened his assistant?" Nathan sounded both intrigued and worried.

Sherry's cheeks felt hot as her tail ducked under her seat. "Yeah. I thought he was seeing her behind my back. He would text her all hours of the night and even brought her home a few times when I was out, so I visited her." She wrung her hands in her lap and stared at them. "I might have forced my way into her home and put a knife against her throat."

"Hello!"

"Worst part was she's gay, so there's no way they did anything together. He just made me think they were, knowing I would get jealous."

"That's...well..."

"It's bullshit is what it is." She jumped to her feet and paced in front of the desk. "I had to move out because there's a restraining order against me and apparently, they need to work from home. I know he's poisoning Reilly against me." Her anger left her and she leaned on the closest shelf. "She won't return my calls. When we're together, she barely listens. I don't know how to connect with her."

"I'm sure she's a smart girl. She'll figure out her father is a manipulative jerk."

"I hope so. I just know she's waiting for the chance to move away from us both."

Nathan gave a quick yelp as a low vibrating sound filled the room. Chuckling nervously, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "Hey, Reuben. How--"

"Where are you?!" Reuben's angry voice easily carried. Nathan had to move the phone away from his ear.

Nathan's inner ears turned red again as he replied, "Um, I'm over at our lovely neighbor's"--he held the phone against his chest and turned to Sherry--"I'm sorry, I never asked your name."

"Call me Sherry."

"That's such a lovely name!" He held the phone out in front of him like it were a bomb. "I'm with our neighbor, Sherry... She just moved in across the street..." He stamped. "Reuben! She is not--that's not nice to say."

"Actually, about that, I wanted to apologize for being such a bitch to both of you."

"You hear that? She's sorry...That is not the point...We're just talking."

Sherry picked up the care package and left the room, electing to give them some privacy. She took her time putting things away. When she returned to the workroom, Nathan was off the phone and stacking the blocks on the table. He hummed to himself and wagged his tail like a child contently playing with their toys.

"Please don't play with those," Sherry said. "I need them for work."

"Oh, sorry. I just loved playing with blocks as a fawn and I just couldn't help myself!"

"You're a bubbly one, aren't you?"

"Well, Reuben is so serious all the time. I swear that stag has a toy stuck up his tail." He paused for a moment and scratched his ear. "Actually, I imagine that would put him in a better mood. I know I would be."

Sherry smiled to herself. "Yeah, I imagine you would."

"It was up to me to make sure little Raine would've wound serious like him!"

"Raine?"

"Oh, our daughter. She's our pride and joy. She's away at college now." He sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Sometimes I still think of her as a little pup, always smiling and laughing and full of energy."

"Wait, pup?"

Nathan chuckled and pulled out his phone. After making a few swipes at the screen, he turned the device around to show Sherry.

On the screen was a Nathan with his arm wrapped around a fully grown arctic vixen. They both wore silly expressions and wide grins. The vixen wore a large cone-shaped hat with the words "Happy Birthday" written in colorful letters.

When was the last time me and Reilly did something like that?

Sherry felt tears forming and turned away from the screen. "She looks happy. You did a great job raising her."

"That's what Reuben keeps telling me, but I can't help think of her as the little pup that bounced on my knee."

"So your girl in college? Reilly might be going next year."

"What colleges does she have picked out?"

"No idea," Sherry replied, shrugging. "She refuses to tell me anything anymore."

Nathan's ears fell. "Oh. Well, I'm sure she has a plan."

Sherry nodded although she didn't believe it.

At this point, I'm convinced she won't go just to spite me.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of blocks falling. She turned to see Nathan standing at the table again with a wooden block in his hand. He quickly dropped it and grinned like a mischievous child.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it. I loved building things as a child."

Sherry rolled her eyes but stared at the building Nathan had built. The structure looked so simple but it seemed elegant and inviting. She rearranged the blocks per the vision that flashed in her mind. The world around her dissolved as she worked, the clacking of blocks touching each other the only sound she heard.

Something touched her shoulder. She spun around, block in her hand raised to strike. Nathan backed away as he held his hands over his face.

"No, wait! I was just telling you I was leaving!"

Sherry lowered her hand, feeling her cheeks burn. "Oh. Okay. It was nice to meet you."

Nathan relaxed and nodded slowly. He then picked up the false care package and headed for the door. The moment he reached the doorway, the box slipped from his arms and landed at his hooves. The box's contents scattered around him on the floor.

Nathan chuckled nervously. "Maybe I should've taken the risk of Reuben finding out so he could carry the box. Me and my butterfingers."

"I'll get it."

"No, no. I can't ask you to--"

"With your luck, you'll drop it in the middle of the street or something." She started placing the item in the box. "Besides, I need to apologize for how I acted before."

Nathan said nothing and helped her gather the items back in the box. Then they folded the top closed so the items wouldn't spill out again if it did fall.

The entire walk back, Nathan talked about Raine and all the things she got into as a child. Sherry was impressed by how quickly the deer could talk. He told her at least three stories.

She was so wrapped up in Nathan's latest story about the time they learned Raine could get into the refrigerator, she didn't notice Reuben standing in the middle of the living room until the large stag cleared his throat. Judging from the surprised look on Nathan's face, he didn't notice either. Reuben stared crossly at his partner with his arms folded across his chest and tapping a hoof on the floor.

"Hey," Nathan said nervously. "I know you're probably a little upset I lied--"

Sherry whirled on the whitetail. "Wait, what?"

Nathan avoided her gaze and played with his ear. "Oh, I didn't mention that? Silly me."

"Anyway," Sherry said to Reuben. She crossed the room and sat the box on the sofa. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you when we first met. Thank you for inviting me to the neighbor. Now, I'll leave you alone to deal with him." She shot a look at Nathan who played with his hands.

"Thank you. It was nice to meet you," Reuben said.

"Hey, would you like to stay for dinner?" Nathan asked.

"You just want her to stay so you don't have to answer for what you did."

"Oh, there'll be plenty of time for that later," Nathan replied with a wink. "But right now, our neighbor needs help."

"What? I'm good. I don't need any--"

Nathan giggled happily land trotted off to the kitchen. Sherry stood there still trying to piece together what had happened.

"He does that. He acts like a scatterbrain, but that whitetail is a lot sharper than he looks."

"Sounds like you have your hands full." She joined Reuben on the sofa.

"I love that crazy buck. Wouldn't trade him for anything." He patted the box next to him. "Let me guess: He gave you the wrong box, didn't he?"

"Yep. Good thing he came by to explain because I had a very negative opinion of you two."

The insides of Reuben's ears turned red. "Yes. We are very open about ourselves, but we know that's not an appropriate gift to give to a neighbor."

"I didn't mind it that much. It would've been a nice stress reliever if I was into that kind of stuff. I don't like substitutes."

"Um, Reuben?" Nathan asked from the kitchen. "I think I might need some--" A loud clatter of falling dishes cut his words short. "Nevermind."

Reuben rolled his eyes and stood up. "I better get in there while we still have dishes left."

Sherry followed him. Only one plate had been broken, but Nathan looked ashamed as if it had been their last one, making Sherry smile. Dinner did not take long to make. They had pasta with roasted tomato butter sauce. Since the meal was so simple, Sherry didn't have anything to do, so she sat at the table and watched the deer stags cook. Nathan did most of the talking, mostly about how glad he was to only have to make vegetarian meals again.

"I'm telling you, we should've raised her a vegan. The smell of meat still makes me nauseous. Well, cooked meat anyway." He nudged Reuben and winked. "Your meat puts me in a different mood."

"Focus on the sauce before it burns," Reuben said with a low growl. He then swatted Nathan on the rear.

Nathan giggled and turned back to the stove. "Oh, Sherry, I've been meaning to ask: Would you like Raine to talk to Reilly?"

"Are you sure that will even work?"

"Well, they are closer in age. Raine might be able to get through to her."

Sherry shrugged and pulled out her cell phone. "Sure. She's already not talking to me. What worse can she do at this point?"

"Who's Reilly?" Reuben asked.

"My daughter. I'm trying to figure out how to get through to her. No matter how hard I try, nothing works."

"Stop trying."

Sherry's tail stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"If you push too hard to connect with her, she'll only push you away. Fawns don't want their parents hanging over them all the time."

"She's not a fawn," Nathan pointed out.

"You know what I mean. You have to let her be her own person and make her own decisions. Even if you don't like them. It's the same thing I have to tell this one." He swatted Nathan's rear again.

The whitetail yelped this time. "Hey! I give Raine plenty of space."

"Before or after you nearly drown her in your slobbery kisses?"

The insides of Nathan's ears turned bright pink. "That's not important."

****

Sherry entered her home, belly full of pasta and sauce and a smile on her face. She had stayed out longer than intended with Nathan and Reuben. She ascended the stairs, remembering all the laughs they shared over the last several hours. Boring was never an option with those two around.

That was nice. I actually forgot about all my problems for a moment. Maybe that crazy deer was onto something after all.

Instead of going to bed, she went to the workroom. The inspiration from before still lingered and it had to be recorded before her first idea in a long time vanished. She sat down at the table and began drawing. Her hands moved seemingly independent of her brain, guiding the pencil across the page.

The sun had begun shining through the window when Sherry leaned back and looked at the finished product. "It won't solve all my problems, but it's a step in the right direction."