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Monday mornings were usually the easiest for Dakota to get up and get going. After a weekend with her mom, she was ready to go back to school, to get away from that apartment and see her friends. But after her weekend, she wasn't even sure if there was a point. No one at school wanted anything to do with her, so why even bother?

How she ended up on the bus, she wasn't sure. Maybe her body just went through the motions. Her heart certainly wasn't in it.

It turned into an average school day, other than Dakota not saying a single word. Her voice was gone. How could she even say another word, ever? Not even recess brought any joy to the pup. As her classmates filed out and began running around and playing, she found a quiet spot along the fence, out of the way of everyone, and sat down. Maybe she'd just stay there for the rest of her life.

Not long into recess, a cub she'd never seen before walked up to her. The cat was probably in the other fifth grade class.

"Hi," she said.

Dakota looked up at her, but didn't say anything. What did this other cub want?

"I'm Rosie," she offered. "You're Dakota, right?"

The pup briefly thought how she could have known her name, but with the school rumor mill, everyfur probably knew it at this point. There was no point in denying it. She nodded.

Much to her surprise, the kitten sat down next to her. "You look lonely. Do you need a friend?"

This was the strangest interaction Dakota had ever had. Who in their right mind would just come up to someone like HER after what had happened? Didn't she know that Dakota was a dirty dyke? The pup remained silent, and stared down at the dirt between her footpaws.

The kitten didn't budge. "Other cubs can be really mean," Rosie said. "But they just don't understand. I mean, I have two moms, and it's the best!"

That caught the pup's attention. She looked at the kitten next to her, an eyebrow raised.

Rosie grinned back at her. "Yeah, my mom married my mama like a year ago, but they'd been dating for a long time before that. They're really great." She giggled. "Maybe you could come over sometime. I don't live too far away, we can just walk home together after school if you wanted, and my moms are cool with me having friends over."

Dakota looked away. Hearing the word 'friend' hit her weird. She had just met this cub, why would she consider her a friend? The only thing she knew about Dakota was that she liked girls, and the only thing Dakota knew about Rosie was that she had two moms. She was weird.

"We don't have to do it right away," Rosie said. She sounded a little sad. "I just thought you might like to have a friend."

The pup snorted. As if they had any basis for a friendship. The more this girl talked, the less Dakota liked her.

"So, uh, what do you like to do?" Rosie asked. Dakota remained silent. She had no reason to answer any of this girl's questions. "I like reading fantasy novels. Sword and sorcery stuff. Mama really likes 'em, too, and she makes sure to get me ones with girls as the heroes. Those are my favorite, though sometimes ones with boys as the hero are good, too. I read this one book where..."

Dakota sighed. This kitten wouldn't be deterred. She hugged her legs tighter, her ears pressing down toward her head. Though much as she hated to admit it, the more Rosie talked about her books, the more interested she found herself. But she couldn't let her know that. After all, then she might REALLY start to think they were friends.

The school bell was a welcome relief. Off the cubs went, back to their classrooms where Dakota didn't have to worry about weird girls trying to be her friend. Hopefully after that she'd just be left alone.

But the next day at recess, Rosie found her again. Like the previous day, she sat down next to her and just talked. She talked about the TV shows she liked, some of her favorite songs, even singing a bit of them. It made Dakota want to hate her more. But at the same time, the things she liked seemed interesting. Tried as she might to feign interest, she couldn't keep her ear from perking towards her to hear better. If the kitten noticed, she didn't comment.

Even though Dakota didn't say a word to her, Rosie came back every recess that week. On Friday she even brought along a copy of one of the books she had been talking about. The kitten insistently pushed it into her paws, assuring her that she could take as long as she wanted to read it.

The one good thing that came out of the previous weekend was that Victor had told her mom that she'd been a good girl for him. That weekend was her first without a cubsitter. Dakota reveled in the silence, and ended up spending most of her weekend reading the book Rosie had given to her. The pup had to admit, the book was really good, just like her friend - no, Rosie, she wasn't her friend - had said it was. The ending indicated that there were more books in the series, and that got Dakota curious to read them.

The following week opened on that same pattern. Monday, Rosie sat down next to her at recess. The moment she did, Dakota pulled the book out from her jacket and offered it to her.

"Oh! Did you read it already?" Rosie asked.

The pup nodded. She kept staring between her footpaws.

"Cool! I've read the whole series," Rosie said. "I can bring 'em to you one at a time if you want. They're really good!"

Dakota smiled a little, perhaps the first smile she'd let another fur see in weeks.

Rosie giggled, then leaned in and whispered, "The heroine ends up dating another girl in the fourth book, and in the seventh they get married."

A little blush spread across Dakota's cheeks. That seemed very on point. But hey, Rosie had two moms, so it's not like it was really THAT weird, right?

"I've drawn some pictures of them together," Rosie said. "They're not very good, but maybe I could show them to you?"

The pup nodded. What harm could it do to look at her drawings?

"Cool! I'll bring 'em tomorrow along with the next book," Rosie said. "It's so nice having someone to share these with. Most of my friends think it's weird."

Wait, her friends thought it was weird? Well, at least she had friends. But then, it's just her parents that were gay. It's not like SHE was. So maybe that was the difference.

The rest of the school day went pretty normal, at least until the end of the day.

"Dakota, could you stay behind after class for a moment?"

The pup froze. Her teacher rarely asked students to stay behind after class. She tucked her tail between her legs as she walked up to her teacher's desk.

Mr. Roswell adjusted his glasses and tie as the rest of the class left the room. A few other cubs snickered behind Dakota's back, but the teacher took no notice. He sat down at his desk, and once the rest of the class was gone, he looked at the pup.

"You've been a lot quieter lately. I don't think I've heard a single word from you in a week," he said. "Is everything alright?"

Dakota remained silent. She hadn't spoken a word since that last night with her cousin, and the pup wasn't about to break her silence. What was the point? No one listened to her anyway. No one cared.

The goat sighed and loosened his tie. "Dakota, you know you can talk to me, right?" he said. Dakota nodded. "And there's nothing you want to tell me?" Dakota shook her head. "Alright. You can go."

The pup left the room as quickly as she could. It felt weird being alone with a male, even if the door was open and the hall was full of cubs and adults passing by.

She had just opened her locker to grab her jacket when she heard a familiar voice. "Oh hey, Dakota!"

In a flash, Rosie was at her side. "I didn't know your locker was here. Mine's just on the other side of the hall. How cool is that? We can say hi every morning!"

Dakota gritted her teeth. Great, now this weird girl knew where her locker was. She sighed and pulled on her coat, then packed up her books for that night's homework, trying to ignore the kitten as she started talking to her.

"Do you live far away? I haven't seen you walking home from school. Do you take the bus? Does your mom or dad pick you up?"

Why was this girl so INSISTENT? She was starting to get on her nerves.

"Hey Rosie!"

The kitten turned as another cub called her, and Dakota used that as her chance to get away. She was half way down the hall when Rosie caught up with her.

"Dakota, meet my friend Chase!"

The pup sighed and rolled her eyes, then turned around to look at the kitten and her friend. The cub she introduced as Chase was a hare. He wore jeans and an oversized hoodie. His reddish brown fur looked well cared for, almost shimmering in the light. She raised a paw briefly in greeting, then turned away.

"Chase and I are heading to my house after school," Rosie said. "Do you wanna come?"

Dakota's paws balled into fists. She closed her eyes and took a breath, then shook her head.

"Oh... maybe another time, then?" Rosie said.

Dakota shrugged. Seriously, what was this girl's DEAL?

"Dude, she clearly wants to be left alone." That must have been Chase's voice. "Just let her go. Not our problem if she wants to be a loner."

"But Chase, she can't be HAPPY like this," Rosie said. "I just want her to have friends like her!"

That got Dakota to whip around. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she spat.

The two other cubs recoiled. Rosie recovered first. "Just that you might like having friends who are, ya know... gay."

The german shepherd pup froze. What did she say? Surely she must have misheard her.

Chase spoke up next. "Yeah, we're kinda the LGBT crew in our class. Us and Evie. Well, she's bi, but still."

"I have a friend who was in our class last year, Riley," Rosie said. "He's been kinda keeping me up to date on stuff, 'cause his dad's friends with my mama, and he told me that you've been having it rough, but like, he doesn't really wanna risk his own reputation, ya know?"

"How noble of him," Dakota growled.

"Look, we do what we gotta do to survive, okay?" Chase said. "Sometimes it means keeping our mouths shut."

Rosie sighed. "Look, if you want me to leave you alone, I will. But I'll still lend you those books if you want."

Dakota's mind was reeling. Could this be real? There were... other cubs like her? In her own school?

"Come on, Rosie, she clearly doesn't want to," Chase said. He took the kitten's paw and started walking away.

"Wait," Dakota said. What would her mom say if she just went to this other cub's house? Would she care? Would she even notice? There was only one way to find out. "Can I... come with you guys?"

Rosie grinned. "Yeah. Come on!"

Much to Dakota's surprise, she found herself leaving school and walking, not to her school bus, but to the home of a girl she had only met a week ago. She remained quiet for most of the walk home, though Rosie and Chase were eagerly discussing their plans for the afternoon.

The pup was thankful that Rosie lived in a different direction from Olivia. She was the last fur that Dakota wanted to see right then. Though come to think of it, she hadn't seen Olivia at all last week, had she? What happened to her?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the other cubs turned up a walkway to a light green duplex. She hesitated a moment before passing through the gate, then followed them up. Rosie ran the last few steps up to her front door and threw it open.

"Mom, we're home!"

Dakota followed the two into the house. They entered into a small living room. A large sectional couch filled the corner of the room. Across the room were two doorways, one with a closed door, the other leading into the kitchen. To the left of the door was a stairway leading upstairs.

"Welcome home!" came an adult female's voice from the kitchen.

"We brought another friend, too!" Rosie called.

"Oh! Well, let me come out and meet them!"

Rosie's mom emerged from the kitchen a few seconds later. She was the spitting image of her daughter, just older and taller. She wore a simple black rose-print dress with a red sweater. The female smiled kindly at the cubs as she entered.

The kitten beamed and bounced up next to Dakota, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Mom, this is Dakota. Dakota, meet my mom!"

The adult offered a paw. "Pleased to meet you, Dakota."

The pup took her paw and shook it. She was a little suspicious of the adult, but she seemed nice.

"We're gonna head up to my room to play, okay Mom?" Rosie said.

"Of course, sweetie. You three have fun!"

Before Dakota could react, she found herself being pulled upstairs by the kitten. She charged right through a door at the top of the stairs and into her bedroom.

On the fall wall, under the window, was her bed. It had rainbow sheets on it. To the right was her desk, covered in art supplies. To the right of her desk was her dresser, and to the left, a bookshelf full of books. Tucked in the far corner was a little closet.

Rosie released Dakota's paw once they were in her room and flopped down onto her bed, dropping her backpack next to it as she landed. "Aaaaah, it's good to be home!"

Chase came in just behind Dakota. He dropped his backpack by the door and sat down at the foot of Rosie's bed. "Yeah, your house is pretty chill." The hare pulled his hoodie off and tossed it aside. Beneath it, his frame was lithe, almost wiry. He seemed much smaller without it.

The kitten rolled onto her side. "Make yourself at home, Dakota!"

The pup shrugged off her backpack, leaving it next to Chase's, then took a seat in the middle of the floor. "So, uh, what do you guys usually do?"

The hare answered. "Draw, read books, sometimes pull out a game. My big brother's been getting into D&D and says I can borrow his books if you guys wanted to try."

"Oooo, that sounds cool!" Rosie said. "Mama has some, too. Maybe we could get the whole squad together and play!"

"The squad?" Dakota said.

"Just what we call ourselves," Chase replied. "Yeah, I bet Riley'd be into it. You think Evie might?"

"I can ask!" Rosie said.

The two broke into scheming about games. Dakota sat by, listening with growing fascination. Gay geeks? It seemed so weird, but at the same time...

After a few minutes, the pup cleared her throat. "Hey, uh, can I ask you guys something?"

They paused their conversation and looked at the pup. "Anything!" Rosie said.

This was such a weird thing to ask, but she needed to know. "Do you guys, like... do anything with each other?" she whispered.

Rosie and Chase exchanged smirks, then looked back at her.

"Well, obviously not the two of us," Chase said. "But like, yeah, Riley and I kiss sometimes, but we're not really like, boyfriends."

"And I'm not really Evie's type," Rosie said. "Like, she's cute, and we like each other as friends, but she doesn't really like me that way. It's cool, though." She grinned.

A blush rose across Dakota's cheeks. "Do you think I'm cute?"

Rosie eeped. It was her turn to blush. "Well, uh, yeah, kinda," she said. "But that's not why I started talking to you. Well, maybe it was a little bit, but it was mostly so you just like, weren't alone."

Dakota got up off the floor, then walked over to Rosie's bed and sat down. "You're silly." Before she even realized that she was doing it, Dakota leaned in and kissed Rosie's cheek. "And cute."

Chase snorted. "Oh no, cue the lesbians!"

The kitten grabbed one of her pillows and whacked the hare with it, earning a bout of laughter from him. "You're just jealous!" she said.

"Hey, not like I didn't try it once!" Chase replied.

"What, being with a girl?" Dakota asked, genuinely curious.

"Being a lesbian," Chase replied. "But I think I'm just a gay dude."

Dakota tilted her head. "That's a thing you can just... do?"

Chase shrugged. "Yeah. The, uh, 'T' in LGBT. Trans. I dunno. It just feels right."

The pup nodded. "So that means you, uh... don't have a... a pe..."

The hare chuckled. "Yeah, no dick here," he said, pointing between his legs.

"Probably better that way," Dakota said darkly. "Those... things... are nothing but trouble."

Both of the other cubs blinked at her.

"If you say so," Chase said after a moment.

Rosie took the pup's paws. She hadn't realized she'd balled them into fists. "Dakota, are you okay?"

"Huh? I'm fine, fine," Dakota said. But she pulled her paws from Rosie's and eased back a little, until her back was pressed against the wall.

Much to Dakota's surprise, the kitten followed her and hugged her. It felt weird, having another cub hug her. A good weird. She sighed and hugged her back.

A few moments later, even Chase was in on it, both of her new friends hugging her. Yes, 'friend' felt like the right word.

"Sorry," Dakota whispered. "I just... I've had... boys have done..."

Rosie eased back a little and put a finger to Dakota's lips. "It's okay. You don't have to explain."

Chase cleared his throat. "But, if you do wanna share... we'll listen. We're here for each other. Just like, don't feel like you have to, a'ight?"

The pup shook her head. She still wasn't sure if she could trust these other cubs, but at the same time it was hurting her to not be able to talk about what happened.

"Well, anyway," Rosie said. "Why don't we do something fun? Oh! I could show you some of my drawings."

Dakota smiled. "I'd like that."

The tension in the room eased as the three got into sharing drawings. It made Dakota wish she had her drawings, but maybe she'd bring them with her to school tomorrow to bring them home to show them. Rosie had said she wasn't very good, but the pup thought her drawings were actually okay. Not as good as hers, but not bad, by any means.

An hour slipped by as the three looked at and talked about their art. Chase mentioned his poetry, and read one to them. Dakota didn't quite get it, but it was very pretty. And she couldn't help but to think that maybe a boy who didn't have a dick might be an okay boy. The hare was certainly proving to be pretty cool.

As they finished looking through Rosie's art, Chase got to his footpaws and stretched. "I gotta pee. Back in a sec." He left the room, leaving Dakota and Rosie alone.

The two girls looked at each other and giggled.

"I'm glad you came over," Rosie said.

"Me too," Dakota replied. She blushed a little, then leaned in and whispered, "Is it bad that I kinda wanna see Chase naked?"

Rosie blushed and giggled. "Nah. He's really cute. I can't blame you. If you ask nicely, he might let you."

The pup smirked, then leaned in closer to the kitten. "Would you?"

The kitten booped Dakota's nose. "Maybe." She glanced over Dakota's shoulder toward the door, then leaned in and whispered, "Sometimes when we have sleepovers, we all just hang out naked. Depends on whose house we're at, though. My moms are cool with it, and so are Chase's parents, but Evie's grandma and Riley's mom are a lot more strict, so we gotta be sneakier there."

Dakota's eyes bulged. This was a whole new world for her! She'd had friends who'd sometimes take baths together with her or others, but never ones who'd hang out naked. And ones who were cool about liking the same sex? It was wild!

She was pulled back to reality when Rosie kissed her. Their lips met for just a brief moment, but it sent a shiver down Dakota's spine. She blushed deeply, but beamed at the kitten, who looked likewise embarrassed but proud.

At that moment, Chase returned. "I should probably get going," he said. He picked up his hoodie and pulled it back on, then grabbed his backpack. "My mom wants me home for dinner."

"Okay!" Rosie said. She leapt up and hugged the boy.

Dakota tucked her tail between her legs. "D-do I have to go, too?" she asked.

Rosie turned her attention to the pup. "Of course not! Mom's always happy to have my friends over for dinner if they want, and Mama can take you home afterwards."

The hare waved a goodbye to the girls and slipped out of the room. "See you tomorrow!" he said over his shoulder.

Again the girls were alone. Rosie walked over to her bedroom door and eased it shut, then looked at Dakota. "So... did you wanna get naked now?"

The pup blushed. This kitten was forward. But she wasn't complaining. She nodded, then started to pull up her shirt.

By the time she pulled hers off, the kitten was bottomless. Dakota giggled and stood up, quickly taking off her jeans and panties, leaving her just as bare as her friend.

Both girls had flat chests. Puberty had yet to start its work on their bodies. Rosie beamed, blushing bright, then sat down on her bed and spread her legs. "This is me!"

"Damn, girl," Dakota said. She beamed, then sat down on the bed next to her. She brought a leg up, showing herself off. "And this is me!"

Rosie looked her up and down. It felt weird showing herself off to another girl, but good. She watched her eyes as they roamed over her body. They paused looking down between her legs.

"Wow," Rosie whispered. She looked up into Dakota's eyes. "You're even cuter naked."

The pup beamed. It felt really good to be called cute. She slid closer to Rosie, and she likewise moved closer. Their legs touched, then their paws, then they were pressed against each other, their arms wrapped around each other and lips meeting.

Then there was a knock on the door. Dakota's heart nearly stopped. Rosie simply giggled and looked towards the door. "Yes, mom?"

"May I come in?" came the female's voice.

Rosie looked at Dakota. "We won't get in trouble," she whispered. "Are you okay with it?"

Dakota trembled, but nodded. If her friend insisted it'd be okay, she'd trust her.

"Come on in," Rosie said.

The door opened, and the adult stepped inside. She giggled as she looked at the two nude ten year olds. "I see your new friend has already gotten comfortable," she said. "Anyway, I just had a couple of questions. I'm making spaghetti for dinner, and I wanted to know if you were going to be joining us, Dakota."

"Could I?" the pup said, almost too quickly.

The adult giggled. "Of course! I also wanted to check in about where you live and your parents' phone number so I can get in touch and get you home tonight."

"Oh," Dakota said. Her ears and tail drooped. "Right..." She gave her the number and address half-heartedly.

Rosie's mom took down the info on a piece of paper, then looked at the pup. "Everything okay at home? You look like it's a death sentence."

A shiver ran down Dakota's spine. She couldn't just TELL a stranger about what her life was like at home. She bit her lip and looked down at her footpaws.

A large paw came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Rosie's mother standing right in front of her. "You're welcome here any time, sweetie," she whispered. "If you need a place to stay, our door is open. If you want you can even store some extra clothes here. You wouldn't be the only one of Rosie's friends who does."

Dakota looked over at her friend.

Rosie smiled sadly. "Some of the squad don't have great home lives, so they come here when they need a break. We, uh, kinda look out for each other."

The pup nodded. Despite her reservations, it felt good knowing that there was somewhere she could go. She had an uncomfortable feeling that she might need that sooner or later.