FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Catching up By: Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: Some characters in this story and have been created for use within the context of this story. Others are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. All characters are fictional any resemblance to real-life persons, or anyone other characters, is purely coincidental. Furthermore, there is a prominent micro-macro theme presented in this story. You have been warned.

"Life does not get better by chance,

it gets better by change."

-Jim Rohn

There are times in our lives when the same is no longer acceptable. When you seem like you are on a treadmill, going nowhere in particular. Occasions when even your family is tired of seeing you spin your wheels, only to end up in the same place. Some times such events require intervention, while other occurrences, one can figure it out themselves. It is in these trials self-reflection is necessary and one must seek within oneself in order to determine the right path.

Matt was a young man on the precipice of independence. At 19 years of age, he was nearing his second year in college. The first year had been pretty trying for home. The man was the only child in a family of 3 snow leopards. The pack was close but his parents were sometimes overbearing, especially his mother who very much saw the young man as still a cub. But since he had graduated, things had changed and his father had become estranged about the issue.

Unlike his mother, the older male was insistent that he would move out. His wife persisted that the teen still had much to learn. She was worried that he would be picked on, as he had been throughout his academic career. Matt had always been a bit of a runt. Each and every year he had been expected to grow, but always came up short. By the end of what would be considered a normal growth curve he was no bigger than the average 13-year-old.

As a younger teen, Matt did what he could in order to make up for the deficit and joined just about every sports team he could. However, he was especially good at basketball. Ever since he was a kid he had enjoyed the sport, even despite his small size. His favorite athlete in the athletic world was Mugsy Bowls, the shortest fur to ever play in the Professional Basketball Association. Just like Bowls, Matt had decided to wear #1 and refused to take any other number assignment.

But Matt had never really been able to make friends, even despite the companionship that came through sports. However, the one friend he had made had been there since he was much younger. In fact, the two had been best friends ever since junior high. Andy was a rat who was only a few months older than his friend. As they got older the relationship, more or less remained the same even though Matt felt more enthusiastic about the other boy.

The first year in college things began to change between them. Andy had moved out of his parents in his freshman year and even been assigned a dorm with some other furs. Meanwhile, Matt was still hoofing it to the university by bike. His parents hadn't even let him a car. There reasoning had been his size. Last year they had tried to get him an experimental growth hormone therapy, which had been designed for people outside of puberty.

It had been close to almost a year since that happened and he had been instructed to continue his treatment at home. So far it had done nothing and very recently he had given up the thought of ever being what he considered to be normal-sized. As such his mother tried to persuade both Matt and his father, for him to stay home for the first year of college. But now that it was over with the ordeal was revisited again.

After talking over with it between themselves, the two parents decided to pay a visit to Andy's parents. Even though Andy had moved out, they figured they still had some kind of say in what he did. However, Matt's parents felt like if he moved in with the rat boy, he would have an easier time acclimating to college life alone. Once they sat down and talked with the teen's parents, they were more than happy to agree.

The process of rooming together was pretty simple. Only a mere request was needed and then all it took was for the next semester to begin before move-ins were allowed to take place. When the information was shared with Andy, he didn't seem to mind. He figured it would be pretty nice since his first roommate was a whiny Corgi, who he didn't particularly get along with. To be honest he was pretty glad to learn that he would be moving out into a new dorm.

Once Matt learned about it, he was pretty excited. He had never really been allowed to spread his wings before. Even at 19, he was still treated like a cub, at least by his mother. He was glad his father had his back, at least recently. As summer began to progress, he began to feel a little bit nervous. Knowing better than to recite his issue to either of his parents, the leopard decided to keep the issue to himself.

Upon the arrival of the week of move-ins, his parents informed him that it was time to get ready. His father popping his head in the door to make sure everything was alright.

"You need to do this on your own. No help...nothing." The man shut the door and left the teen to his own devices.

Matt had never packed on his own before but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He pulled out a rather larger suitcase and began to rifle through his things in order to find stuff he thought would be necessary to move out.

It took him a lot longer than it otherwise should have. He even had to look on the internet to see things to pack. But he was pretty diligent about it and felt confident that he would have what was necessary too finally get out of his childhood room. Looking around it, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Touching the poster of old Mugsy, wondering if he should take that as well. Deciding instead to leave it out of fear for what he perceived to be rules of decoration.

Over the next few days, the boxes and bags began to stack up. Of course, his parents rifled through them to see what he was bringing. His mother only stashing a few things here and there, but overall the teen had done a pretty good job packing. It wasn't long before the day in question arrived and the family would finally have to see their boy off. The mother couldn't help but tear up but knew the time would have to come eventually.

The family began to transfer the packages and Matt's various belongings into their sedan. The university wasn't terribly far away, but to the mother, the distance seemed like he was over on the other side of the continent. The mother was beside herself and finding it hard to deal with the moment. Her husband much calmer and more collected about the issue.

"Why don't you stay at home, honey? Besides...there isn't much space for a third person in here." He suggested figuring she might have a breakdown.

The woman's eyes were watering. "I...guess that's a good idea."

The lady leopard approached her boy, they were more or less the same size. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could.

"You'll always be my little boy. If you ever need anything...I'm just a phone call away." Her words were muttered and half-broken among her sorrow.

Matt returned the hug. "Ok, Mom...I promise to stay in touch."

"Come on, sport. Time to go." The boy's father beckoned to him from the side of the car.

The two broke their emotional moment and the teen waved to his mother. The woman ground her paws together as she watched her boy walk away. She began waving to them as they entered the car together. Once they were out of the parking spot, she couldn't help but sob and run inside.

Matt immediately felt bad and looked outside the window.

"Don't worry about her. She'll get over it." The father's voice was soothing and reassuring to his son.

The teen didn't respond and yet remained looking out of the window, his head and eyes following his mother's form until she was out of sight.

The man turned on the radio. "Relax. Today is a big day and you need your wits about you. She can't do everything for you. It's time to grow up."

"Yeah, I guess your right. I'm nervous but I feel ready." Matt sighed deeply and sat back in the chair.

The father made a hushing noise. "Hush. You will be fine."

The two remained silent for the remainder of the drive. Matt was much too consumed with his thoughts to talk about it much.

It was about 30 minutes before they arrived. The university campus was huge and sprawling. All sorts of teens and young adults were about getting their stuff to and from, trying to figure out how they were going to fit their stuff into their new accommodations. Many of them were in dorms and only a few lucky few of them had shared, or private, apartment spaces. Matt soon turned his gaze out the window, feeling a bit overwhelmed all of a sudden.

Eventually, the car came to a stop in the massive parking lot of the university. The snow leopard could see that many other cars were about. Most of them had their trunks wide open, with people fetching things from back and forth. Looking around, Matt didn't recognize anyone.

"Let's get you unpacked. Then you're on your own." The man opened his side of the car and popped the back door open.

The teen nodded and got out. He needed to be brave and was looking forward to seeing Andy, figuring that the rat had to be around here somewhere.

The two began got a few things from the car and left it open to easily access it. The teen pulled out his phone out of pocket to search for a note he had prepared telling him where his Dorm was. The message read 3G Delta, which he assumed meant he was on the 3rd floor of the Delta complex. Some signs were scattered about, the furthest west of reach pointed towards Delta. This was the first time Matt had seen the dorms up close.

Delta itself was more or less the same design as all of the other dorms around it. A 5 story complex with adjoining rooms on each floor. The building itself was made with red brick and a metallic roof. A huge satellite was on each end of the structure. As they approached the edifice, they could see the door was left open for people to come easily in and out of. Upon entering the place, the teen couldn't help but feel a little more nervous.

They head down the hall and up a few sets of stairs. The structure was split into two corridors so the length of the journey was cut down in half. After they arrived onto the third floor, the father and son made their way down to 3G. The door was wide open with some name tags on the door. The print on the paper was poorly designed but read Andy & Matt. The older male let his son into the room first. Sure enough, Andy was still busy organizing his stuff.

"Oh, hiya Andy." The leopard greeted his friend, wagging his tail behind him slowly.

The rat turned around and smiled. "Hiya, bud. How're you?"

"Fine. I just got here. Been here for a while?" The teen inched himself into the room, keeping his eyes on the rodent.

The rat showed off his somewhat muscular arms in an effort to impress Andy, knowing he was looking at him. "Yep, let me know if you guys need help. I'm almost done."

The teen's father patted Matt from behind. "Less chatty. More worky. Chop Chop. Help us if you want, Andy."

"Of course." The rodent began to help him unpack into the room.

Andy had taken the window bed, which left the one by the wall to Matt. The leopard didn't care much since both sides of the room had the same amenities. It was fairly bare on his side of the room but the rat had done pretty well with his meager space. The three began working in earnest in collecting what the teen had brought in the car. It took more than enough trips to get everything into the room. But once it was all inside, it was much quicker of a process to unpack it all.

The whole ordeal only took 2 hours to complete. When they were done, Matt's side of the room looked much more homely. Only a few boxes remained and they were things the teen would unpack as necessary.

"Alright, bucko. That's it for me. I trust you will be fine. I am a phone call away." The man ruffled his kid's head fur and then made his exit from the room.

Once he had exited, Matt couldn't help but feel lazy and plopped on his still naked bed. The mattress was nothing like he was used to at home.

Immediately Matt began to think of how he would manage to sleep on such an uncomfortable thing.

Tossing and turning he rolled over to face Andy. "How the heck do you sleep on this thing?"

"You get used to it. We can go to get you a mattress cover if you want. I use one." The rodent pulled up his sheets and showed the extra cushion above his mattress.

The white leopard nodded and sat up. "Sounds good. Let's go." Matt pushed himself out of the bed.

The two exited from the dorm room, which was left open to be inspected for meeting regulations. They were to have a dorm meeting lately and Andy knew all about the nuances of dorm life. Matt trusted his friend's intuition in this matter.

The two exited from the building and made their way to the campus store. The campus area known as the "community" was home to many things. It had the cafeteria as well as a sit-down restaurant. The book and supply store was located there as well alongside the general provision store for things that students needed. It was designed to be a one-stop place with slightly higher prices in exchange for the convenience of being on-site.

The general provision store was the last one on the corner and it always had people inside. Especially today, where it was obvious that there would be students inside. The staff had been instructed to be all on hand. The beginning of the semester was the busiest week of the year for them. Andy and Matt made their way inside. Employees were stationed all around the store to guide customers to where they needed to be.

"Where are the mattress covers?" Andy stopped by one of the aids in the shop.

The woman pointed to the far wall and they went over to it together. The covers were just spreads of foam of various sizes. Each of the sizes was clearly posted on the wall. The rat grabbed the mattress and placed it under the side of his arm with ease. Andy decided to foot the bill on this one since he knew the other teen hadn't gotten a chance to get a job yet. They made their way to the cash register and he paid for the item.

Matt blushed at the kind gesture of his friend. "Thanks. That wasn't necessary."

"Don't worry about it. You can make it up to me sometimes." Andy smiled and continued on his way back out of the store.

Now that they were done shopping, they could go back to the dorm and then do whatever they wanted. The text book shop wasn't due to be open until midway through the week and Sophmore registration wasn't being permitted since Junior's and Senior's got priority on picking classes. That means they wouldn't be able to get books until they knew what they needed. The bedspread made the trip a little longer than the way there.

Once they were back in the dorms, they could see that many of the doors were closed. Andy assumed that the dorm head had done their walkthrough. Even there own room was shut when they got to it. Andy was glad he brought his key since he knew the other teen hadn't gotten his yet. He opened the door and let the other boy in before guiding the cover in. Matt's mattress was still bare, so it was just a matter of putting the cover over it.

The rodent was able to throw it on in one swift movement, making his friend rather impressed at his strength. Andy was a bit of a gym rat, going there 3 days a week on top of his usual routine with the university basketball team. The rat retired himself to his bed and took a load off. Meanwhile, Matt dressed his bed with sheets and a pillow. The place looking much more like home now, even despite the small and shared nature of the room.

Matt looked over at his friend and chuckled a bit as his lethargic attitude, deciding to join him in being lazy. The rest of the day went more the same. The leopard was a bit overwhelmed from the ordeal and feeling rather tired anyway. They only left to go out for lunch and dinner. Andy leaving shortly after dinner to go to the gym, leaving Matt to his own devices. The teen calling his parents to check-in who was glad his first day had gone well.

The next day, Matt woke up bright and early as he wanted to have an early start on the day. Today was registration and that meant that he would have to get textbooks today. Upon waking up, he found that Andy was still snoozing on his bed. He could hear the other teen breathing, though he definitely wasn't loud enough to be considered a snorer. When Matt finally rose from the bed, he stretched and yawned making sure to cover his maw to not disturb his roommate.

Upon stretching, he found the shirt on his body was feeling snugger than normal. It was odd since he always wore loose-fitting shirts to bed. Matt played it off as nothing got up from bed, deciding that he would be more proactive today about getting stuff done. He fished his laptop out of his bag and turned it on in order to look through classes. He had already taken some of his General Education stuff, so he knew he had more flexibility this year than he did last year.

He began browsing through the digital catalog on the school's website. It was quite expansive and seemed longer than he remembered. It took an extensive amount of reading and reviewing, he had almost forgotten all about breakfast until his stomach rumbled and reminded him. Looking over at the other bed, he could see that Andy was still snoozing. After putting his shoes and some pants on, the leopard decided to go get food on his own, feeling that he knew the place enough to get around without an issue.

Matt left the room and made his way out of the Delta dorm complex. It was early in the morning and the sun wasn't fully risen yet. Still, there weren't many clouds about and so he had to shield his eyes as he exited from the building. The cafeteria was back on the other side of campus where the community area was. Not many other people were up and about as he made his way over back to where he and Andy had shopped yesterday.

When he arrived at the cafeteria, it was nice to see some other people around. Most of them were the older sort perhaps even some of the staff who lived on campus. Only a handful of other students seemed to be about and they self-isolated themselves from the older people. Matt made his way to the serving station where some furs were distributing food. Today's selection was between French toast and waffles and since he felt pretty hungry he didn't want, he went with toast and syrup.

The leopard was pretty surprised that the options were what he saw in front of him. He was expecting dry foods like cereal and pop tarts. It was a pleasant find to be sure. After he got his drink, he sat down next to some of the other students he had met from last year. They began to chat about nonsense, most of them sharing what classes they had selected for the year. Matt found himself disengaged with the conversation and gorged on his meal instead.

The teen was able to finish his meal in no time. He was extraordinarily hungry for some reason and wanted more. He wasn't quite sure that the cafeteria would give him a second helping, so he went back up to snatch some fruit that looked to be set to the side in a self-serving sort of setup. The leopard grabbed an apple and an orange since those were his favorites. He decided it was time to head back to the dorm since chatting with the other kids wasn't really stimulating him right now.

On the way back, he continued to much on the apple. It was sweet and juicy, just how he liked it. Sticking the orange into his pocket for now, Matt intended to save it for later. His clothing was still feeling rather stuffy on him and it was digging into him a bit as he walked. He wasn't sure as to why this was the case as even his shoes were feeling rather tight on him now. The leopard played it off as no big deal and continued on his way back to the dorm.

After arriving back at Delta, he realized he didn't yet have a key for his room. Immediately he felt bad and knew he would have to wake up Andy. Slowly he began to rap at the door, silently hoping that the other teen was awake. Sure enough, he was and opened the door for his friend.

"I was wondering where you went...Did you forget you need a key?" Andy sounded annoyed and short on patience.

Matt blushed profusely. "Sorry...I didn't really think about it."

"It's fine. Let's go get you a key right now. I'm starving and I had to wait for you to get back." The rat pushed his way out the door

The two made their way back down the hall to the dorm captain's room. Andy knocked and waited for a moment before a red panda teen appeared at the door.

"May I help you?" The bear folded his arms and looked up at Andy and then back down at Matt.

The rat pushed his friend forward, goading him on. "I need a key for 3G"

"Right One Second." The red panda turned around and disappeared for a moment before returning with a key in his hand. "Here."

Matt reached forward and took the key from his paw. "Thanks."

"Anything else?" The bear folded his arms and waited patiently.

Matt stuck out his paw in a gesture of greeting. "No but...my name is Matt. What's yours?"

"Cedrick, you can just call me Sid. Let me know if you guys need anything." Sid reached out and shook the smaller teens' paw.

The leopard smiled warmly. "Cool, thanks. See you later then."

"Alright, you have a key now. I'm off to the cafeteria for breakfast I'll cya later, squirt." Andy ruffled the smaller furs head fur.

Matt frowned at the tease but knew it was all in good fun. The leopard made his way back to his room, thinking of what he could do. He considered playing basketball but wasn't sure that the courts were open. Of course, the gyms were always an option since they were open year-round except in the most extreme of conditions. After arriving back into his room, he decided that the gym was the best course of action since it was the only thing he knew for sure that was open this early in the year.

The leopard moved over to his dresser drawer, where he had stored all of his clothing yesterday. Rifling through it, he began to search for his gym stuff. He had put it in the second draw and located them in the rear of the storage space. Once he had located them, he wasted no time in getting changed. Unlike yesterday, he was pretty restless and wanted to get out of the crusty dorm room. He thought maybe if he could bulk up a bit, he could even impress Andy.

After changing, he was ready to go. Surprisingly, even with the stretchy nature of gym clothes, they were rather snug on him. His gym shoes were even a tight fit. They had never had much space in them, but now he couldn't even get them on. A thought occurred. Maybe the treatment was actually working? He had stopped the treatment thinking that it was doing nothing but the doctors did say that it would take a while. Matt wanted to check and now.

He went into a bag that he was keeping right beneath his bed. Inside he has stored a fabric tape measure, which he had intended to use for measuring his muscles as he progressed. The leopard pulled it out and stepped on one end, noting where his toe hit the marks on the cloth. He proceeded to stand up straight and measured himself in one quick pulling up of his arm, stopping his two fingers as they tipped right over his head.

Once he stopped he held the tape forward and looked at. Sure enough, it read " 5 feet 5 inches." Thinking about it was a bit insane. He had always been a bit short, topping out at barely 5'2'' in his adult years. To think that 3 inches in such a short amount of time were insane, even for a kid in puberty. He couldn't help but feel a little bit giddy about it and the prospect of being bigger was always something that appealed to him, even if it wasn't by much.

Matt was still feeling restless and wanted to burn some energy, so he quickly stored the tape measure back under his bed. Making his way back out of the dorm and back onto campus proper, he streamlined right for the gym. He was eager to get to working out, in hopes that maybe the treatment with have increased his capabilities as well. Considering how fast he was walking, it didn't take him long at all to get to the gym.

Much like Andy, the gym was one of his favorite places and he had a regular routine he liked to follow. He always started with stretching before moving onto strength training and then finishing off with another cardio and stretching session. On average he spent about an hour there but since he was feeling a little antsy today, he decided to spend a little longer there. Upon entering he showed his campus ID card and was granted access before being given a towel.

He began his routine after grabbing some water. The leopard could see that not many people were around. This didn't bother him as it meant he would have better access to the equipment he wanted to use. Once he had finished his stretching he got on the rowing machine. Having to pop the seat back an extra notch, which made him smile a bit. He began going back and forth on it, keening on reaching his usual mile milestone.

This time he wasn't quite as tired as he usually was when he reached that mark. So he kept going, only stopping once to get a drink of water. When he was done, he had achieved over a half-mile more than he anticipated and in pretty good time as well. He was pretty impressed with himself as he stood in front of the mirror flexing. He could see his flat stomach peaking through his shirt, but at least his arms had definition he thought to himself.

But now was not the time to linger, he knew he had to get to work or he'd never be at the level of Andy. He began training in earnest going to each and every machine. Normally he capped at about fifty reps but he tried to force out an extra ten on each machine. About halfway through his workout, he saw Andy enter into the gym. He immediately began to feel the need to impress him once again. The rat smirked at him when he passed by the snow leopard.

Matt was pretty tired at this point but he didn't want to let up. He figured this would be as good a time as any to show off. The teen continuing his rotation down the line of machines before he was left with nothing but free weights.

"Hey, Andy. Can you spot me?" The leopard asked before laying down on a workout bench.

The rat nodded and made his way over. "How much are you trying for?"

"I usually go for 50 but let's try 60." Matt placed his paws on the bar while waiting for Andy to switch up the weights.

The rodent did as was requested and then placed himself at the head of the seat and waited for his friend to begin lifting the weights.

Matt began repetition of the barbell up and down. Usually, he capped out at around 15 reps before he got tired. But today since Andy was around, he wanted to impress him. As he got closer to 15, he felt himself getting a little exasperated. Using what strength he had he grinned and beared through it, able to barely round out an additional 2 beyond what he normally did. He even impressed himself considering the weight was about his comfort zone.

Andy smiled as he rested the bar on the notch for a minute. "Nice job. Another set?"

"Yep, just a second." Matt rested a few moments before he nodded, motioning that he was ready.

The feline continued for a second set, feeling brasher this time. He began his next few reps, his body now full of adrenaline and enthusiasm. This time he found it was easier to reach 15 reps, and then only found difficulty making it past his last mark. Once he did, he continued to push himself and found that he was able to eke it out to 20. He couldn't help but feel proud as his friend sounded out the number 20 out loud.

Andy placed the bar back down on the notch and sat up, feeling rather arrogant at this point.

"Alright, squirt. My turn. I'll show you how it's done." The rat flexed his arms and felt anxious to show off a bit.

Matt got off the bench and swapped places with the rat. When he got up he realized that a bit more of his chest was showing than before. He couldn't help but smirk at the prospect that he was still growing, even if he wasn't sure it was the case.

Before he laid down, Andy put a few more weights onto the end of the bar. "Alright, prepare to be amazed."

Matt smirked as he loved it when Andy was a showoff. The rodent began his repetitions, one after the other rushing through them as if they were nothing.

The bigger teen pushed through 30 and neared 40 before he finally tapered off. When he did he was huffing and puffing as if he had severely pushed his limit. For him, 30 was pretty good but he could see Andy was trying to impress him early. So now he was doing much of the same.

"Wow, that was pretty good. Are you going to do another set?" Matt struggled to set the barbell back down on it's notch.

Andy nodded. "One or two more...yeah."

The rat did just as he said he would, pumping metal for another good 2 sets before his body was showing signs of fatigue.

"Thanks." Andy sat up on the bench and got up.

Matt was feeling pretty exhausted at this point but saw that Andy was headed over to the free weight area. He figured this might be the last opportunity to impress the other fur. The rodent signed little signs of exhaustion at this point, despite his overexertion on the bench press. Already he had started on chest and biceps with little delay. The leopard pulled a bench to join him and began doing the same exercises the other teen was.

It was getting pretty difficult for Matt to do exercises at this point. His body was very much protesting further activity. Still, he pushed through it with a little effort. He certainly wasn't at par with the rat, he seemed to be keeping up all the same. After the free weights were done, the leopard thought it would be keen to end his day here. His body was quite sore and achy. He certainly didn't want to injure himself and knew that was possible if he pushed himself too much.

Matt waved to Andy, who was now doing some of the machines. "See you later."

The rat simply nodded as he was much too engaged to do anything else at the moment. The leopard ignored it and went about finishing his day with stretching. He figured the second session of cardio wasn't necessary since he had done extra strengthening. Plus he wasn't sure that his body would put up with it. After he was done stretching, he grabbed a towel and wiped off his sweat. His fur was matted with it and he felt rather heated up from the ordeal.

All he wanted now was to get back and shower. Matt showed himself out of the gym once he had disposed of the towel. Making sure to grab a water bottle and he guzzled it down without delay. The teen began heading back to the dorms, rather lethargically as his body wasn't cooperating. In fact, his legs were feeling wobbly. He was feeling lightheaded and stopped for a moment once a dizzy spell hit him. Before long his vision blurred and he couldn't see straight.

Within moments the teen passed out, collapsing on the floor. It seemed that he had overdone it. Luckily for him, campus security was about they were used to students passing out from being drunk. The two staff seeming surprised that one such occasion was happening this early in the year, but still picking him up and taking him to the medical services on campus. When he awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar area.

Looking around it seemed to be a doctor's office. The lights were dimmed and a blanket had been thrown over him. A wet rag had been wrapped around his forehead in order to help with his fever. He still couldn't see straight as his vision was blurry but he could make out some sort of white figure nearby as he came to.

"Ah, coming around, are you? You need to take it easy." A feminine voice beckoned from nearby.

Matt grabbed his head to keep the rag on it. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Nuwix and you passed out from overexertion. Next time you need to mind your limits or you might end up with a concussed." She spun around in the chair and faced the teen.

It took a few more moments for Matt's vision to fully recover. Once it did, he could see that she was a rather hefty looking green snake.

She inched towards him and held an oral thermometer in her hand. "Open and say Ah."

The leopard did as he was told and she began her examination of him.

"You're vital signs are normal. However, I recommend that you drink electrolyte heavy liquids for the next few days. Also no more strenuous activity for the next 48 hours." She said that as she read the reading from the thermometer in his maw.

Matt hopped off the table assuming he was done. "Thanks, doc."

"One more thing. Get some clothes that fit for crying out loud. I can see your belly." The woman continued writing her report on him.

The leopard made his way out of the office and was waved off by the person at the discharge desk. His condition wasn't serious enough to warrant a revisit and all medical visits were free to students on campus. Upon entering the lobby he saw that Andy was waiting, a bit surprised to find him there.

"You, alright? Security told me you passed out." The larger male placed his paw on the smaller one's shoulder.

Matt nodded and smiled. "Yeah, thanks for caring."

"Of course, I care. You're my friend. Next time don't overdo it...I know you were trying to impress me. You're fine the way you are. Even if you're a bit of a squirt." The rodent playfully ruffled the other teen's hair.

Andy led out of the medical service office with Matt close behind. The leopard feeling much better now than he was earlier.

They started heading towards the dorm before their stomachs reminded them that it was lunchtime.

"Are you hungry too?" Matt asked as he rubbed his stomach.

Andy nodded and changed direction towards the cafeteria. Once they arrived, they could tell it was lunchtime despite not knowing what time it was. There was already a line filing towards the serving counter where people were distributing food.

They made their way through the line. Matt couldn't help but feel a bit cold in his gym clothes but was hungry enough not to care. Eventually, they made their way through the long line. It never took that long since the place was pretty well organized. When they got to the front, both could see that today's selection was between taco's and fajitas. It seemed to be Mexican dish sort of day with all of the fixings and toppings to the side.

Each teen grabbed two tacos and stuffed it to the brim with all sorts of veggies and of course the atypical beef base. They sat down together at a table near the window with other students who had already sat down. Matt was much too interested in eating to care about what they were talking about. He finished his food and had a hankering for seconds. The leopard wandered if the cafeteria kept the fruit around from breakfast and wandered back over to the serving table.

Sure enough, the basket of fruit was there so he took a grapefruit. It was one of his favorites and he couldn't believe there was still one there. He tore off the skin and began biting away at it. As always it was just the right combination of sweet and bitter. After they finished dining, they left the cafeteria together. Now it was finally time to return to the dorm, which Matt was looking forward to since he was rather cold due to the thin nature of his gym clothes.

They made their way back to Delta complex. Walking back, Matt realized that his shoes were feeling pretty uncomfortable at this point. The sleeves on his shirt were much higher than he was used to as well. Perhaps he was still growing, he thought? He couldn't help but smirk at the possibility. Soon they back within the site of the building. A large group of people was outside and Andy wondered what could possibly be going on.

They joined the group before long. Standing on a box and speaking was Sid who was going over some protocol for the Freshman. Once Andy realized what it was, he pushed past it. It was something he went through last year and it wasn't something he wanted to experience again. After they got back inside, the rush of the air conditioning hit Matt's fur again. It reminded him that he was still somewhat moist from sweating and needed a shower.

So he grabbed a change of clothes and a towel from his dresser drawer after they got back into their room. He rushed for the communal shower which was in the center of their corridor. He was feeling a little nervous as he neared it since he had never showered in a semi-public setting before. He recalled an old adage he was told by his father; To always look at the tiles and look up only when you needed to. But it was early and there didn't seem to be any sounds coming from it.

Poking his head inside, he realized that no one was there. It made him feel better about the situation and he stripped himself without delay. He turned on the spicket which sprayed cold water down onto his body. He arched his back so he could still reach it and turned it so it would switch to warm. It wasn't long before steam began to relax and he could get inside. Once it warmed up, he eased himself underneath it and allowed his body to relax.

Matt had always loved the feeling of warm water on his body. His body was still quite sore from working out and the stream served to massage his muscles a bit. He took great care in washing himself as he wanted to make sure he smelt extra good, especially since now he was rooming in such close quarters with Andy. However, he wasn't one to linger about in the shower since it matted his fur and made his skin wrinkle on occasion.

After finishing, he turned it off and placed his towel around his waist. Deciding to change in his room he left the bathroom stalls. Upon exiting he saw the rat teen come his way. Andy was just as naked as he was, apparently ready for his own shower. As they passed each other they exchanged looks. Then when the leopard finally got by him, Andy took his towel off and snapped him in the butt with it. Matt looked behind him and the rodent walked casually as if nothing had happened. Though the smaller teen could very much see Andy's bare bottom now.

Matt blushed a bit before he scampered back to his room, slightly embarrassed he had almost been caught in the nude by the other teen. Now that he was back in his room, he wanted to see if he was in fact right. Was he still growing or was it just a figment of his imagination. Just like last time he pulled out the little cloth tape measure from beneath his bed. Using the same technique as last time, he measured himself again. "5 feet 8 inches."

His mouth dropped. It was unreal how much he had grown in just two days. He began to wonder if his old stuff even fit anymore. Sure enough, after trying it on, he verified that much of it was too small for him. He had to rifle through his wardrobe to find his bed stuff. Matt had always worn loose-fitting stuff to bed and hoped that was what he could use for now. He couldn't help but wonder if he would get any bigger.

It was a few minutes before Andy returned from the shower. Their freshly bathed scents filled the room with the smell of the shampoo they used. It was much better than it smelling like a musty gym room like it could have. When the rodent returned, Matt was lazing about his on his bed being quite the lethargic fellow. Andy cocked a smile and chuckled a bit, though he certainly couldn't blame him considering the day he had. Soon the rat joined him in the adjoining bed, taking to reading a book about basketball.

The two remained to have a lazy day for quite a while. Matt watched the tv, not really finding anything interesting and eventually landing on the sports channel. It was nothing more than news of the latest trades and games in all of the leagues. However, it was enough to keep him at least semi-engaged. After about an hour of watching the hosts ramble on about nothing in particular, he started to feel a little restless. The leopard began to wonder if his friend would be up for a game of Horse.

"You want to go shoot some hoops or something?" Matt turned over on his bed and looked at Andy.

The rodent laid his book down and cocked his head towards the other teen. "Hmm, shouldn't you want to recuperate?"

The leopard sat upright on the bed, finding his feet could now reach the floor more easily. "I feel better now. Come on...I'm bored."

Andy scratched his head a bit. "This doesn't seem like a good idea at all..."

"It will be fine...I promise...Don't be such a worrywart." Matt got up from the bed and went over to nudge his friend on the bed.

Andy eventually rolled over and caved in. "Fine...just stop bugging me."

Andy couldn't believe his friend wanted to go out and be active again, especially considering his most recent fainting spell. Still, Andy was feeling rather bored as well and would never turn down a friendly show of his basketball prowlice. The rat made sure to change into his own stuff, Matt not even bothering to wait for him. Once again they made their way out of the dorms and back into the campus main area.

All of the sporting complexes were towards the back of the school, a bit removed from everything else. Both of them had frequented the basketball arena more than enough times last year, so they both knew where it was. Now that they were outdoors again, Andy couldn't help but look over at Matt who was keeping in front of them. He noticed that the leopard was still wearing his bed clothing. It seemed strange, especially considering how loose they were on him.

Still, the enthusiasm of the other fur was infectious and he paid the issue no attention. Besides, it was highly likely that no one was at the arenas. They made their way back towards the sporting complexes. Andy had to walk faster in order to keep up with his friend. At the rate at which they were able to make the distance in no time at all. When they arrived, they could see that the entrance to all of the arenas were roped off.

This likely meant that they weren't yet open to the students. But this didn't mean that the two teens couldn't take advantage. Matt knew there were free-standing hoops off to the back of the arenas were, where recreation was located. The two friends made their way around the buildings back to where the sporting equipment was kept. Sure enough, the courts were there and no one seemed to be about.

Matt fetched a ball and took it on the court. The game of horse was quite simple and both had played it with each other a few times. The rules were quite simple; one player was to take a shot and then the second would be to replicate the shot. If the shot was not made then the person got a letter. The first person to spell the word horse would lose. Normally one of the boys would attach some rude terms of endearment for losing, but today neither seemed to be mentioning it today.

"Alright, so I'm going to go first." Matt began bouncing the ball in place and set himself up for a simple layup.

The leopard grannied the ball up to the backboard as it swished through the hoop. Andy watched and was able to repeat the shot without an issue. After all, he was just as good as his friend was.

The rat went behind the basket and shot from over the top of it. "Try that on for size."

Matt smirked, feeling confident as he could do the same trick his friend just did. Going to the same area and then repeating the trick from behind. However, his ball fell just outside the rim and bounced to the court below.

"Hah! H for you, squirt. Your go then." Andy passed the ball back to the other teen.

Matt frowned and grabbed the ball and gripped it tightly." "Behold!"

The teen's goal was to showboat a bit. He had tried alley-oops with himself before and had never really succeeded. But today he felt extra confident today and was feeling rather stupid that he had just been shown up by Andy. So he bounced the ball on the court a few times and made his way to the basket and threw it against the backboard. The ball rebounded and he was able to dunk it. Making his best Bowls impression he could.

"BA DOOSH" Matt bent his arms and puffed out his chest proudly.

Andy's mouth dropped as the other teen finally pulled off the feat. Immediately doubt began to fill his mind, but he knew he would have to attempt it regardless. So he took the ball and began dribbling it before repeating the same motions that Matt had. The ball back boarded and repelled outward. As he was jumping the ball slipped through his paws and be didn't even bother to grab the rim, knowing he'd failed.

Matt chuckled. "Hah! Now you got an H. We're even."

"Psh...that was nothing. Watch this." Andy stood right in front of the basket and pounded the ball on the floor.

Sure enough, the ball spiraled around the net and directly into it as if he had practiced it a hundred times before. Andy passed the ball back waiting expectantly. The leopard had never tried such a trick before but wasn't about to back down to a challenge. Standing in the same place as his friend, he tried pounding the ball on the floor. The ball didn't even make it above the rim and recoiled back down and hit him right on the head.

Matt rubbed his head in pain. "O..."

"Fess up, don't be a baby. It's game time." Andy tapped his foot as if he were impatient.

The leopard grabbed the ball and began to consider his next trick. Settling in on a full-court three-pointer, he went to the far side of the court and stood on the sideline before lobbing it up. The ball floated for a few moments in the air. Once it reached the rim, it spiraled around a few times before finally feeding through the net.

The leopard pumped his arm down in a show of triumph. "Oh yeah, beat that!"

Andy had done that before and felt sure he could do it again. He even went on the other side of the sideline to do it. He closed his eyes and then lobbed the ball up in the same way his friend did. The leopard watched in amazement as the other teen managed to swish the basket without issue. It was the rodents turn now and Matt was curious as to what he would do. The feline rushed to get the ball and passed it back to the other male.

Andy knew exactly how to seal the deal and to get the other boy to capitulate. He dribbled down the court, weaving back and forth as if he were being guarded. Then he jumped from the free-throw line and dunked on the rim. His weight even bent the rim a bit. After a few seconds, Andy let go and his feet hit the floor.

The rat pounded his chest. "Sh-bang, yo. SH BANG." He passed the ball back to Matt.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes. It was apparent that Andy had been practicing a lot more than he had. Yet again he knew he had to try it, even know if he didn't think he could pull it off. The leopard began to dribble the ball in more a straight line than the other teen had. When he got to the free-throw line he jumped. He had never been much of a jumper and his hop didn't come anywhere close to the basket as he fell short of the goal.

"R!" Andy snorted through his nose knowing he was closer to victory.

Matt shuffled his feet, looking down at the court. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"You're doing fine. Don't worry you'll get better with practice. You're just rusty." The rat patted his friend on the back to console him.

Matt nodded, feeling better about himself after his friend proved more modest than he thought. The game continued much the same way. The leopard was only able to score one more letter before he ended up spelling the word himself. When the ordeal was over, the two friends chuckled and joked about it. Andy was competitive but not to the point of hurting his friend's feelings. The two practicing a bit more before calling it a night as it grew later in the evening.

"Let's go get dinner. Then it's time for bed." Any placed the ball back in its storage.

The two made their way back to the campus' main area. It was getting darker and so many of the night lights were already on. Campus security was about on their rovers making sure that everything was going smoothly. Andy and Matt made their way back to the cafeteria. The door seemed locked but there was a note on the glass. "Barbeque out back." The prospect of a barbeque made Andy excited and he quickly dashed to the rear of the cafeteria.

Around the back, they found the lawn to the rear of the building was buzzing with activity. The smell of cooking meat was easily distinguishable. Some wooden benches had been assembled nearby and a welcome sign had been scribbled on a banner over the top of the party. Both staff and students were visible. It seemed to be the beginning of the year party and even the off-campus kids had been invited to the shindig.

For the first time all day, Andy and Matt separated. Andy went with some of his jock friends while Matt reconvened with some of the furs that he had met last year. Eventually, they all gathered and got food together. At the end of it all, they were huddled up for a picture. The dean of students urged everyone to get together for a picture, with all of the staff on one side and the students at the other. The Dean herself stood in the center until the picture was taken.

Once everyone had finished dining on food and chatting, it was rather late. Matt and Andy reconvened to head back to the dorm. It had been a long day and the two of them were pretty tired. Neither of them said much as they had back as both had been socially exhausted by the events at the barbecue. They waved goodbye to their friends and made their way back from behind the cafeteria.

At this point, the moon was out. It was a half-moon so it gave additional light along with the street lamps provided by the campus. Bugs could be seen around them now as it had been an overall muggy day. Soon it began to lightly rain, which further rushed their return to the dorm. It at least dampened the swarms of flies around them. They were able to hurry back to the dorm in no time and avoid getting overly wet.

Once they were back into Delta, they saw that most of the students were in the common area. Neither Andy or Matt wanted anything to do with that right now and skipped right along to their room instead. Both of them were sweating from being outside for so long. The two of them even going as far as going into the shower at the same time. Neither much paying the other any mind since they were rather tired.

After the shower was done, they finally retired to the room for the day. Andy resumed reading his book about basketball. Matt turned on the TV, only to be disturbed by a text from his mother who was checking on him. He felt rather bad about not checking in with her as he promised, but he assured her that he would do so going forward from this point. Eventually, he happened upon a basketball game which soon attracted his friend's attention.

Ironically enough it was a team they both liked so they were able to share in the moment together. The two hooting and hollering, though keeping the volume down since the rules dictated quiet time past dinner. As the game carried on they began to nod off. Matt was the first one to doze, his friend going as far as to tuck him in and turn off the TV before doing the same with the lights. It wasn't long before he too passed out. Hopeful for the next day and for the start of school.