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Please read the disclaimer for the Prologue if you have not already done so. Thank You.

In Love, This is Real: Part II

Is This a Dream?

2005 by Eldyran

Rin streaked through the dark, decrypted forest, and slowed only when he tumbled into the occasional spruce in his mad dash from his unseen perusers. The pale light of the full moon failed to penetrate the dense canopy overhead, and his tattered jerkin and breeches threatened to snag on every single branch in the thick undergrowth. The semi frozen ground squished between his toe pads; already they burned with frostbite.

His breaths came in hurried gasps, caught in his throat from fear. His nostrils flared, his ears erect, his eyes wide as he dared a look through the heavy underbrush behind him. A yearling could follow the swath of carnage he left behind on the trail on his desperate scramble for sanctuary, and the howling, snarling things that now gave chase had millenniu of experience hunting down wayward runaways. Rin knew his flight was hopeless, but the alternative held even less promise. There where things worse then death ...

The wolf tore through a thicket of brambles, and what was left of the jerkin ripped free of the undershirt, moments before Rin plunged into an icy stream. The shock of the icy water made Rin's bowels move, losing precious ground as he floundered in the frigid water. Rin found tenuous purchase on the opposite bank of the stream, and scrambled on his muddy back out of the black, churning water.

Rin choked back a scream as several pairs of bright yellow eyes appeared out of the inky blackness on the other bank. The eyes seemed to slide to a halt, and a unfathomable howl of absolute frustration ripped through the forest. Rin froze, unable to comprehend why he wasn't already in their amoral clutches. As the bitter cold of the stream numbed his bootless hind paws, the answer flashed into Rin's dazed mind.

Running water. They couldn't cross running water.

Rin leapt up and continued his sprint, thankful to whatever gods that still smiled on him. He knew they would soon find a way around the stream or ...

The thought was yanked from his thoughts as quickly as the breath was choked from his lungs when something crushed his larynx and snapped him backwards off his feet. No yelp escaped his lips as his back slammed into the unyielding ground, and Rin gasped for ragged breath as stars swam before his eyes. Something tugged Rin back toward the stream, and he clawed at the constriction around his neck, but found nothing.

Magik.

Rin struggled against the bonds of force, and dug his hind claws into the ground, to little effect. Through stinging tears Rin thought he watched a strange fire spread through the forest canopy above him, and as he thrashed about, he heard hauntingly familiar tenor voice called out to him.

"Rin ...are you ok?"

Rin turned his narrowed vision toward the voice, and there, perched on a large boulder, sat a fox in a gray sweeping cloak, an opened spell book in his paws. The fox seemed relaxed, as though he had just been caught in the middle of his arcane studies. The hood was pulled over the fox's ears, and concealed much of the face, but in the dark recesses, familiar dark brown eyes locked on his own green ones.

The shared gaze seemed to strengthen something deep within Rin, and he felt now something corporeal around his neck. He slashed and thrashed with all his might against the bonds, which now felt eerily like ... cotton. Rin's sleepy eyes shot open, and he found himself in an unfamiliar room, disoriented.

"Where ... where am I?" Rin asked as he peered around the room filled with such strange machinations and furniture. The ceiling was aflame with the last traces of a fiery sunset, which filtered through the dusty window. Rin pulled the shredded remnants of his blanket from around his neck and chest.

"Your ... in your dorm room ..." replied the soft tenor voice, "Where else would you be?"

Rin peered around the room until his unfocused gaze fell upon his best friend Adrian. He sat in a camping foldout chair, one of Rin's old philosophy textbooks opened in his paws. The fox still wore the over sized windbreaker from their meeting on the hilltop last night. Adrian closed Nietzsche's Meditations, and moved over to sit on the edge of Rin's bed.

"Are you sure your ok? I thought you were having a nightmare."

Rin slumped back into his bed, still groggy and exhausted from his nightmare. He reached up to touch the tender part of his throat, and found a friction burn there on the sensitive skin under his fur.

"How long have I ...?"

"All last night and almost all of today. I didn't wake you because you dreamt so deeply." Rin looked up to his the concerned gaze of his friend.

"Did you ... stay here all day?"

"No, not all day anyway, I went back to my room for a few hours to pack for the car trip back home for break tomorrow. Adrian touched Rin's bare shoulder and asked, "Just how much sleep have you got lately?" Rin looked away from Adrian's gaze.

"Enough."

Adrian sighed a bit before he got up, made his way to Rin's small bookcase, and stowed the old college textbook away. Rin rubbed his eyes and unraveled himself from the shredded remains of his bedding, but his paws soon shot out for the pillow to cover himself when he realized that he was completely naked. Adrian turned around and rubbed the back of his head, his face flustered.

"After you passed out in bed last night, I kinda got you out of your drenched cloths," the fox offered, unsure of how his friend would take the situation, "I was worried you were going to catch a cold."

Rin's face turned beat red at the thought that his best friend had undressed him last night. He regained his composure and turned the tables around to hide his underlying arousal at the thought.

"You didn't cope a feel while I was out did you?" The fox opened his muzzle in surprise at the accusation, but was cut off before he could mount a protest. Rin shot Adrian a sly wink "Cause I normally charge for that ..."

Adrian was about to stammer out a defense, but then realized his friend had just poked fun at him. He mewed in annoyance, grabbed a foozball off the bookcase, and threw it at Rin's head. Rin ducked the projectile and quipped back.

"Hey Adrian I hear they are recruiting for next quarters softball team ..." Adrian seemed to fume at this and started to gather up his things.

"Hey ... I was only joking." Adrian shot Rin a dirty look.

"Is that how you thank me for being there for you last night?" Rin's ears flattened against the back of his skull as Adrian stormed to the door, his arms full of sketch pads and stencils.

"Adrian .... I'm ... sorry ... please ... don't leave ... I don't want to be alone right now ..."

Adrian put his paw on the door and turned back to the darkened room to address the wolf. His patience with Rin's erratic behavior over the past few months had reached its breaking point, and his face contorted with frustration and hurt feelings.

"Ive had it Rin! I try to be your friend and you push me away, I try to give you your space and you tell me not to leave you alone ... just what do you want?" Adrian pushed open the door and slammed it shut behind him before Rin could offer a response. The echo of the slam reverberated around the room, and after it died away, a tear rolled down Rin's cheek as he realized that he may have just lost his only friend.

"I just want you ..."

Rin's lip quivered, but Adrian was already far down the hallway, unable to hear him. A wave of emotional exhaustion overtook Rin, and he slipped back into his depression induced slumber. As darkness and vertigo overcame his senses, Rin thought back to the exact moment when his friendship with Adrian began to fall apart ...

* * * * *

In the weeks that followed the incident at the gym, Rin and Adrian soon became good friends. They spent more time eating together, and sometimes even went out for lunch outside of the college cafeteria. The occasional trip to the movie theater followed shortly after that, and Adrian even introduced Rin to some of his other friends, although most of them seemed pretty indifferent to him. One of Adrian's single female friends even developed a crush on Rin, but rumor soon went around that when she suckered him out on a date, Rin deflected her advances with a strange disinterest.

Adrian wasn't sure what to make of Rin's spontaneous changes from fervent to apathy, but it seemed he always made time to try something new with him. Adrian manged to get Rin to try painting, but after a few tries, he snapped one of the cheap beginner brushes in his right paw in frustration. Rin likewise took Adrian to fencing class and general swordplay, although after a few basic lessons, Adrian's patience and finesse won out over Rin's recklessness and heavy handed strokes. Rin wasn't sure to be humbled or annoyed that the fox was better as a beginner than he was as an expert. Adrian wasn't sure why Rin felt so competitive toward him, and Rin felt that he couldn't find a way to impress Adrian. Overall they both found a comfortable sense of belonging with each other, one that couldn't be found with anyone else.

This all changed one night a a month before finals week fall quarter. Rin brought a rented copy of Clive Barker's Lord of Illusion over to Adrian's dorm room and Adrian popped some microwave popcorn. Neither one said much during the opening to the movie, mouths full of popcorn. Adrian couldn't make sense of the opening to the movie, something about cultists and magicians, but Rin seemed like he had seen it all before. They both sat in bean bag chairs, slurped soda and munched on popcorn through the first quarter of the movie. At some point a real magician turned stage performer got caught in an stage act gone awry, and was skewered by about a dozen falling swords.

"You know he's faking it" Rin said absently, and munched another pawful of popcorn. Adrian turned away from the gore fest, overcome from a wave of nausea from the graphic evisceration.

"You actually like this movie?" Adrian asked as he slurped some carbonated sugar water in an feeble attempt to not puke.

"Eh, not really, but the cultists reminds me of some furs I know." Adrian's muzzle opened a little, and he scratched his right ear in confusion.

"And you're friends with them ...?" Rin was about to respond when there came a soft knock at the door. Adrian got up from his bean bag and headed for the door.

"Want me to pause it?" Rin asked, curious to know who came to visit Adrian's this late.

"Nah, this will only take a minute ..."

Rin tried to turn his attention back to the movie, but peered through the partially open doorway to see who Adrian talked to. Rin turned down the volume on the DVD player to listen in on the conversation, but felt like an eavesdropper for doing so. His erect ears only caught a few words from the faint conversation through the doorway, something about weekend, art show, and the Ramada. After a few minutes of quiet conversation, Rin watched through the doorway as Adrian hugged a well dressed male snow leopard. A mix of curiosity and jealously coursed through Rin, but he turned back up the volume on the movie before Adrian came back into the room. Rin pretended not to care about the strange visitor as Adrian retook his seat and asked Rin what he missed.

Rin gave him a quick rundown of how the detective had figured out the act on stage was all a very elaborate illusion to fool the magicians enemies, the returning cult members from thirteen years ago, and now the evil magician who's head looked like an ad for Home Depot had come back from the dead to enact revenge and destroy the world.

"Oh."

"Not the greatest plot, but I think well save the Hellraiser series for when Ive cracked open your mind a little more."

"You've got some weird tastes in bad horror movies, Rin."

"Hey you liked the Phantasm series."

"Was that the ones with Orbs o' Death?"

"Yeah."

A moment of silence ensued.

"So when do I get to show you What Dreams May Come?"

"When Dante's Inferno stops accepting newcomers." Adrian sighed at his friend. He rather liked that movie. He looked over to Rin who shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and swung his legs over each other. Something bothered his friend, but he didn't want to be rude and bring it up if Rin didn't want to talk about it first. Rin stared at the TV screen, his thumb slid back and forth over the DVD remote, and after a minute of silence, Rin spoke up.

"So who was that dashing young guy outside? A new boyfriend perhaps?" Rin asked rather coyly.

"Oh the guy? Drake just dropped by to ..."

"Drake !!!??? You mean ex Drake?" Rin shot a look back at his friend and muted the TV. Adrian seemed uncomfortable when Rin called Drake his "ex", and went on to explain.

" ... let me know where he's staying for this weekend."

"Why in the seven hells is he even up here?" Adrian grew defensive, and shot Rin a miffed glare.

"This weekend is the School of Art's open gallery, and some of my stuff went up on display, and he offered to come up and help me with my setup." Rin turned back to the muted TV and tapped his thumb on the remote as if annoyed.

"Why didn't you ask me to come with instead?" Adrian scratched the back of his head and tried to come up with an answer the wolf would accept without more grief.

"I didn't think you would be interested in walking around a small room talking to people about concrete art for hours on end." Rin turned back to Adrian and his lower lip bunched up. Adrian was right, and Rin couldn't think of a good rebuttal.

"But why him?" Rin asked. Adrian shrugged and gave Rin a smile.

"Why Rin, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous ..."

"I most certainly ... am ... not!" Rin stammered, and almost dropped the remote in the process. Adrian giggled in response.

"Then why are you so upset to know he came up to see me?"

"First of all cause you can do better, and second of all, he doesn't deserve you after how he treated you a few months ago!" Adrian blushed at the outpour of compliments from Rin.

"Rin, I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but we are really just friends now, and he has promised to change how he treats me ..." Rin jumped up at those words and threw down the remote in anger.

"You don't get it do you? No one ever changes! Even if they want too!" Rin yelled as he picked up his things and left the room in a huff. Adrian stared after Rin but made no effort to stop him. He didn't know what he did to make Rin so upset, but he knew sooner or later Rin would cool off and want to hang out next weekend.

Adrian turned off the TV, took out the DVD, made a mental note to return it for Rin tomorrow after ceramic lab, and got ready for bed. It took longer than usual for Adrian to fall asleep that night as he tried to convince himself that Rin was not jealous of Drake, and only after he contributed it to his own wishful thinking did slumber overtake him.

* * * * *

Rin crouched in the bushes near the fine arts building, nostrils flared. The early autumn breeze carried with it scents of recent fallen leaves, rancid garbage from the nearby cafeteria, and the pungent smell of pot drifting from one of the open dorm windows. The dull yellow campus lampposts cast long shadows in the late night along the many rows of hedges and bushes that dotted the college landscape It was the perfect setting to stalk his query. Sure enough, the scents he looked for soon emerged from the main doors of the art building, along with a small contingent of others.

Rin peeked above the top of the bush, ears erect for Adrian's voice. The breeze picked up a bit, toward Rin, with any luck there wouldn't be a shift in the direction of the wind. He felt like a total tool for spying on his best friend, but he didn't trust the snow leopard any father than he could spit.

"Why do they insist on displaying your stuff with everybody else's? Drake said, "When your sculpture's are way far beyond any others in technique? Rin almost smelled Adrian's blush, but the only thing he saw was the black tips of Adrian's ears and Drake's fat feline head.

"Why thanks Drake..."

"But this largest, most detailed one ... why a wolf?" Rin jumped at that remark. When did he start doing wolves? But then again it's not like Rin ever dropped by the Ceramics Lab. Rin waited till they separated from the exiting crowd and scurried low after them when it was safe he slipped from bush to bush, undetected.

"Its just something Ive read about in the tale of Roman history, I wanted to do Remus."

"Well if you ask me felines are far more attractive, wouldn't you agree?" Asked Drake as he slipped his paw into Adrian's own as they walked over to the campus commons grounds. Rin nearly choked at this, and ducked back into the bushes as he realized he made too much noise. Adrian turned to the sound of the rustled bush, and took his paw away from Drake's while he did so.

"You hear something?"

"All I hear is the wind." They continued back on their way. Rin waited longer before he followed them, and hoped that he wouldn't give his position away so easily again. After of few minutes they arrived at the stone benches that marked the commons. The breeze shook of a few of the maple leaves from the nearby trees and they tumbled in the air past Adrian and Drake, who stood in the center and faced each other.

"So when are you going to transfer back? I cant believe you left to come to this piss ant community college."

"Drake we've been through this, I want to be here, I only have one year left .."

"You should have stayed with me ... I have my own house now." Said Drake as he placed his arms around Adrian. Rin spied this above the hedge with anger, he knew it! He ducked back down and looked for a rock at the bottom of the hedge line.

Meanwhile Adrian took his paws and pushed Drake's arms off him.

"Drake! You promised you wouldn't!" whispered Adrian hoarsely, and hoped their fight didn't draw anyones attention. Drakes eyes flashed in anger and he grabbed a hold of Adrian's wrists, his sharp claws extended past the thin fur into the tender flesh there. "D-d-drake ... you're hurting me ..." Adrian whined quietly, and tried to get his writs free, but stopped as the claws sank even deeper in.

"Now listen to me you little bitch ..." Drake whispered into one of the black tipped ears that laid flat against the back of Adrian's skull "... this is how it's going to be until you get it through your dense skull that you belong to me ..."

Rin popped up with a small rock and tried to listen in on their conversation. They seemed to whisper to each other; Drake held Adrian and seemed to nuzzle the top of his head. A pang of jealousy ripped through Rin, and the rock threw through the air before Rin could restrain himself. There was a sharp thwack as the stone connected with the back of Drake's head, and Drake released Adrian's wrists when he felt the back of his skull.

"What the fuck!" Drake hissed out as he turned around, but didn't see anyone in the darkness beyond. Adrian rubbed his wrists and tried to edge away, thankful for the diversion. Drake sensed his prey slink away and spun around. "Don't even think of going anywhere you pathet ..."

"Hey Adrian!" Called out a feminine voice from the edge of the commons. All three furs turned to the small group of furs that walked down the sidewalk "Were on our way to The Foamy Lip for some coffee, you and your boyfriend want to come?"

"He's not my boyfriend, Lori." Adrian said with tears in his eyes. He glared at Drake, "In fact he was just on his way out of town tonight, isn't that right?" Drake sneered in the darkness, and glared back at Adrian with promises of retribution.

"I guess I'll be seeing you when my next break comes along then," Drake said with fangs exposed through a insincere smile. Adrian shook his head.

"I might have a date with Lori, isn't that right dear?" More as a proclamation that than a question, and Lori giggled as Adrian took his paw in her's.

"Oh Adrian, your horrible!" Lori giggled as she squeezed her paw around Adrian's and savored the feeling. She knew he was joking, but he was cute regardless. The crowd walked off and laughed at Drake's general direction. Even though they thought it as a cute joke, Drake claws extended and flexed with rage.

I guess its been too long since his last shiner, Ive been too gentle on him lately, thought Drake. Adrian never used to be this rebellious, and Drake thought back to the sculpture of Remus tonight. He wondered if this change in Adrian was brought on by this Rin fellow he talked about all the time. A change in the direction of the breeze brought a familiar scent, one that reminded Drake of popcorn. He turned around just in time to see a hedge rustle as if someone had just just from that spot.

His light cobalt blue eyes narrowed for a moment before he spun back around and headed back to his car. He pulled out his designer cell phone from his front pocket and hit a speed dial button.

That fucking ferret better not be at a football game and answer his damn cell phone, Drake frowned, unsatisfied with how tonight had turned out so far, I'm going to get a piece of ass tonight whether he feels like it or not ...

* * * * *

Rin shuffled through the hallway of the Fine Arts building with only a backpack on his shoulder. His rain slicker still dripped from the late evening shower that broke tonight without warning. His head fur was drenched with a cold rain, and looked like a mess. He tried to soothe over the tangle of wet head fur, with little success. The lightning from the outside windows flashed on the shiny tiled floor, and almost blinded Rin. A peal of thunder drowned out the squeak of Rin's sneakers as he walked to the Ceramics Lab. It was late, and everyone else went home for the evening.

Rin knew that Adrian worked late on Tuesday nights on his projects, and he wanted to confront him about the sculpture of Remus standing in the gallery. Rin thought he looked into a mirror at first glance at the sculpture, and wanted to ask him about it. At least thats what he told himself. He he really wanted to do was apologize about how he acted last week. He couldn't tell Adrian he knew that Drake still wanted him back, or else he might tip his hand that he spied on his best friend. As he turned to the doors of the Ceramics Lab, he hoped Adrian had forgot about his little tantrum in his room.

The doors to the Ceramics Lab were pried open, and current of air zipped past Rin's soaked sneakers. Through the glass doors he saw several fans blow air over a partially dried cement floor. Small spots of wetness were scattered about the floor, like oases in a muddy desert. Even though the fans whipped the air around, it still smelled of a thick dust like grit, which seemed to hang in Rin's nostrils.

Rin slipped through the doorway, he didn't see anyone around. Maybe Adrian had already left. He glanced around the room, at the spinning wheels and pedestals, still caked with dried bits of clay around their base. Rin's sensitive ears couldn't make out anything above the drone of the fan blades. He didn't like it. Rin was effectively blind in here. An ambush could come from any direction, come at any ...

A scrape on the tiled floor outside sent Rin into a spin, claws and fangs bared. The janitor looked at him funny as he replaced the now empty trash can on the floor, and moved his cart on his way. Rin's bristled fur smoothed.

Get a hold of yourself wolf, he thought, and took in a deep breath.

Rin turned back and sneaked even deeper into the Lab without a sound. As he approached the room with the main kiln, he halted in his steps. He watched as Adrian put a layer of thin glaze on a small figurine in the glaze room. Adrian still wore his sculptures smock, except now Rin thought he looked so ... sophisticated. Adrian placed the figurine on a drying pedestal, and rotated it. Adrian looked for any imperfections in the base coat, the red glare of the low intensity heat lamps above reflected dully of the figurines into Rin's eyes. The figurine had on a robe that covered most of his face, and he carried a large staff. A book hung from the figurines belt, and as the figurine rotated toward Rin, he caught a peek of the large muzzle and piercing eyes.

"Kylo ..." Rin whispered, almost a whimper.

The lab lights began to dim, one by one, and Rin picked up the scent of dew and mushrooms on the air. Rin turned to the old red oak that appeared before him to his left, the bark intricate and sharp. Rin reached out a paw to touch the surface tentatively, and his pads made contact with the rough, moist bark. Rin turned his head back to Adrian, who now stood in the only spot of light in the lab.

"Adrian ... " Rin whispered, but he now seemed so far away, as if he watched Adrian through miles of thick dark, forest.

The forest threatened to swallow Rin, and soon he couldn't see any more of Adrian. Through the think inky darkness in front of him, a figure appeared, and glided toward him, as if on rails. Rin wide eyes trembled as he looked down and saw the wolf's boots never touch the forest floor. The wolf's cloaked rippled, as if caught in some preternatural breeze. The wold's fur had similar markings to Rin's own, but showed a bit more maturity in the ways the black lines rippled sharply through the white underbelly and gray coat. The yellow eyes bore into Rin, and froze him to the ground; there would be no escape this time.

"Father ... no .. please ... " Rin whimpered as the magician floated toward Rin, his entire body shook with unbridled dread and terror "... I didn't mean to summon you ..." The other wolf continued to advance, those unholy yellow eyes filled Rin's own vision, until all Rin could see was the cold, empty expanse of Kylo's pupils, which encompassed all worlds, all times, all possibilities ...

... Adrian looked up from his miniature version of the lore master Romulus. The oversized canvas cap he wore slid to the other side of head, and he used a paw to absently push it back over. One red and black tipped ear stood erect and flinched. It heard a whisper, almost as if Rin called out his name, pleading. Adrian turned around, and something caught his eye. He walked over and picked up a small red and green mushroom cap off the floor. As he turned it over in his paws, the under cap glowed with a purple phosphorescence.

He looked back to the figurine of Romulus, builder of an ancient empire which spanned hundreds of years. The figurine's muzzle now grinned with a malevolent will. Adrian turned back around where he found the mushroom and sniffed; he found the familiar scent of Rin upon the ... forest air.

"R ... Rin?" Adrian called out, but no one answered.

* * * * *

Two days later Adrian caught sight of Rin as he jogged to his Advanced Form and Articulation class. Adrian skidded to a halt in the dry, warm air, most likely the last of the season. He ran after Rin through the throngs of other college students on their way to their next class. Rin seemed in a hurry to get back to his dorm room, most likely to change his clothes from a .. rain slicker? Rin seemed to walk with a slight limp as well, and held his torn backpack behind him in an attempt to keep his books and school supplies inside. Something fell to the ground out of the backpack regardless, and as Adrian came upon it, picked it off the ground to retrieve it for his friend. He peered at the empty prescription bottle and read the contents. Zuclopenthixol.

Adrian didn't understand what medication this was for, but jumped when he heard the caw of a flock of large crows above him. He turned to see a large murder above him perched on the college library. As Rin continued to limp away, they took off one by one and perched on the building above him. Adrian didn't know what this all meant, but he intended to find out. As Adrian neared Rin he noticed that he was soaked with the scent of recent rain, his clothes still wet.

"Rin!" Adrian called out and put a paw on his shoulder. Rin halted and turned around to stare warily at the fox, and then turned and continued on his way. "Rin, wait!" called out Adrian as he loped along his his friend. "Where have you been?"

"Elsewhere," Rin grumbled. Thats when Adrian noticed a bruise over Rin's right eye.

"Rin ... did you get into a fight?

"Sorta"

"Are you all right?" Adrian asked as he noticed the limp, and the deep stab wound through Rin's jeans in his left thigh."

"Oh my god Rin your hurt!" exclaimed Adrian as he tired to get his friend to slow down. Rin threw Adrian's paw off his shoulder and lurched forward.

"I'm fine." he shot back "It will be gone by tomorrow anyway." Adrian stopped, unsure of what his friend meant.

"Rin you dropped your pill bottle."

"Its empty anyway. I ran out six months ago."

"What are they for?" Rin continued on without a word spoken in reply. The murder flew to the next building ahead of Rin, and seemed to know where he was headed.

"Whats with the crows?"

"Ravens." Adrian followed after Rin, confused.

"Why are they following you?"

"Because they want to keep an eye on me."

"Why?" Rin turned back to Adrian and snarled, his eyes full of rage. The crowd around them stopped and watched them.

"What in Nine Hells is this Freaking Fucking Jeopardy?"

Adrian stepped back in shock and clutched the pill bottle. The collective crowd shrugged and moved on, the sounds of gossip and playful bather filled the air once again. Rin's eyes softened as he realized he had just snapped at his best friend.

"Look, Adrian ... I'm sorry," He offered, "Something has just ... come up ..."

Adrian stepped back up to his friend and placed a paw on Rin's shoulder, the material there was muddy, ripped, and tattered.

"Whatever it is ... tell me," Adrian said in a tender voice, one that he hoped would soothe the wolf, "and we'll work through it ... together." Rin's looked away, and Adrian thought he saw a tear in his eyes.

"You cant help me through this ... nobody can ..." The wolf turned and walked away. Adrian thought better about it, and didn't pursue the matter. For the first time, Rin didn't want Adrian around him. A terrible sadness grew within Adrian, one that he could not pin down, as Rin walked away.

* * * * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Rin became more reclusive and erratic. Adrian noticed he skipped class more often, and seemed miss their dinner dates with increased frequency. As Rin withdrew even more emotionally and socially, Adrian's concern deepened. He tried to confront Rin and get him to seek counseling after he learned that the description was for an potent anti-psychotic drug, but Rin rebuffed him, and slammed his door in Adrian's face.

One night after he got out of class Adrian discreetly followed Rin around campus, and then up the hiking trail to the buffs above town. He looked on in a clump of dense undergrowth to see Rin talk to himself and pace back in forth in a strange clearing that overlooked their quaint town. Rin asked so many strange questions to the empty air, but figured Rin worked through his problems in ways Adrian couldn't begin to understand. A slight breeze picked up without warning, and Rin's tear streaked eyes looked up in Adrian's direction.

"Adrian?" inquired Rin to the clump of bushes. Adrian knew better than keep hidden, so he stepped out into the clearing, his face full of concern.

"I'm sorry Rin, I was worried about you ...," He apologized, "... I hope you don't mind." Rin looked half torn, a part of him looked like he wanted to rip Adrian a new one verbally for the invasion of his sacred private spot, the other part seemed to want to embrace him, glad he was here.

"I ... don't know if you should be here, "Rin said as he looked away, the breeze ruffled his exposed fur. "I don't want you to seem me like this."

"Rin I don't care, I want to help you," Adrian said as his blue wind breaker rippled with the chilly air, "Please come back to campus with me, I can make you some herbal tea, and we can talk about it." He stepped closer to the wolf, but stopped within a few feet. Adrian hopped he make Rin even more skiddish than he already was.

"There's no point in it ..."

"No point in coming back to campus?" Adrian asked, his eyebrow raised a bit, "If you haven't noticed its about to storm. We better get out of here if it lightning begins to strike."

"No! Theres no point to anything!" Rin said as he raised his voice "It doesn't matter if I come back or not, it doesn't matter if I graduate, it doesn't even matter if lightning strikes me right at this second!" Adrian flinched at the tone of his words.

"Why would you say something like that?"

"Because I don't belong here ... I don't know where I belong ..." Adrian stepped even closer at those words.

"You belong ... with me ..."

"But your not real!" Rin wailed as his paws balled into fists with frustration, "I don't know if at any given moment if your going to disappear on me! Everything in my life! Its nothing but an illusion, a dream, and I don't know if and when I'm ever going to wake up!" Adrian's heart skipped a beat. He loved Rin, and it hurt so much for Rin to tell him that the way he felt wasn't real.

"Rin ... but the way I feel about you matters ..."

"Nothing matters! It's not real!"

Adrian's heart stopped and his stomach turned to ice. He trembled ever so slightly with rage, which seemed to go unnoticed by the wolf. Without thinking, Adrian stepped up to the wolf, who flinched, arms raised in fear. In impulse he moved his muzzle close to Rin's own, unable to stem the flood of feelings that coursed through him. Something within Adrian awoke, stirred. The world around him bent to his indomitable will, and evoked a stroke of brilliant, raw energy from the turbulent stormy sky above them.

"Is this real?"

Adrian pressed lips against Rin's; a desperate gambit against everything: their trust, their friendship, their love. Adrian's mind swam with the intimate contact, felt his soul exhaled into Rin, and with the sudden intake of sharp warm air, felt Rin's essence enter him as well. Colorful arches of light exploded in Adrian's mind and every fiber of his being lit up, began a resonance, slipped into perfect harmony. That perfect harmony split the black sky above, and a curtain of frigid rain washed over them. This union of all points of the multi verse transcended anything heaven or hell offered. Before Adrian could find his true nature, Rin broke the kiss, pulled away, and sucked deep for air untouched by Adrian's own lungs. The resonance ended, and Adrian returned to his mortal husk and its limited, imperfect way of perceiving.

Adrian held his friend and rocked him in the downpour, their body heat mingled to keep the cold at bay. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, but he refused to let his stubborn friend give up on life, and on himself. The storm continued its unrelenting assault, and battered them with strong winds and rain, until Adrian decided it was time to find shelter. He looked up into the sorrowful green eyes of Rin, his fur and clothing completely drenched.

"You've had a rough night ... let's go back to your room."

Rin nodded, but did not say anything. As Adrian took Rin's paw into his own and led him on the muddy path back down the hillside, Adrian felt a calm and piece of mind enter him, a strange sense of confidence about himself, one that did not exist while he was with Drake. As they reached the safety and warmth of Rin's campus dorm room, Adrian wondered if was any chance that Rin would ever care for him the way he dared to care about him.

The lock of Rin's dorm room opened with a clunk, and the heavy steel door swung open. Adrian almost had to carry Rin as he stumbled through the doorway, exhausted and frozen. Their shoes left muddy prints as they staggered to Rin's bed, and small puddles formed beneath them. The springs of the bed's mattress creaked as Rin fell in to bed and shivered. He was deep asleep within seconds. Adrian took off his drenched windbreaker and moved to turn on the radiator near the window. The clang knock knock of steam as it passed through the radiator confirmed that blessed heat would soon arrive, and satisfied, Adrian peeled himself out of his rain soaked attire. He set his clothes near the warm radiator to dry.

Adrian looked at Rin, sound asleep, and stripped off his boxers. He crept to Rin's dresser and searched through it in an attempt to find some dry clothes. Everything Rin had that was clean or didn't smell like a forgotten compost heap was way to big for him. Adrian moved to the walk in closet and peered in. He didn't see any towels or spare blankets to wrap himself in, but then again he didn't see much else in the closet either. It seemed to go on and on for an indescribable, illogical depth. As Adrian took his head out, the door slammed shut by itself. Curiouser and curiouser.

Unable to find any dry, clean towels, Adrian returned to Rin's bedside, and watched with trepidation as Rin's teeth started to chatter in his sleep. With tense intake of breath, Adrian bent over and removed Rin's own drenched clothes. He hoped Rin wouldn't wake up, because he didn't know how to explain to his best friend how they both had lost their clothes in a way that Rin would accept, much less understand. As Adrian removed Rin's boxers he fought temptation to gaze at his nude friend, and gathered up Rin's clothes to place next to his own. Adrian stood by the radiator, which now gave off a small amount of heat, but not nearly enough.

Standing still, the bitter cold of his drenched fur seeped deep into his slender bones, and Adrian soon found that his own teeth began to chatter. He glanced at the bed and Rin, who was entangled in dry, warm blankets. The sight was just too inviting to resist. He moved over, and before he slipped underneath the sheets, he froze for a moment to admire Rin's nude body. Rin's drying fur rippled, his chest fell and rose with each deep titanic breath. Adrian's gaze snatched every line of muscle and arch of sinew in Rin's sculpted form. Adrian grew aroused unexpectedly and blushed. Rin would freak out if he saw him like this, so he slipped underneath the blanket in haste.

Adrian made sure to keep the sheet between them, and tried to keep to the other side of the bed, but it was a typical dorm bed, and not very big at all. Adrian's chill subsided bit by bit as both shared proximity body heat, and Adrian's eyes grew heavy, his body taxed from an unexplained expenditure of raw willpower. On the cusp of sleep, Rin stirred and mumbled something in a language Adrian couldn't understand. Adrian mewed in unexpected joy when he felt Rin part the sheet, encircle him, and made rapturous full body contact beneath the blanket.

"Adrian. ..." Rin sighed in his deep slumber as their nude bodies encompassed each other, the heat, the contact plunged Adrian into the yawing abyss of Nebuchadnezzar's embrace ...

* * * * *

Adrian jerked awake, still disoriented from his frightful, unfocused nightmare. The fire tinged rays of sunrise peaked through the dusty window, which sent of mosaic of different spectrum of colors around the walls of the small dorm room. Adrian's mouth was dry, and he was drenched in sweat. He realized Rin's arms still encircled him, and with care not to awake him, Adrian pushed them gently off and crept out of bed.

"Adrian ... don't leave." Rin murmured in his sleep and rolled over. Adrian looked back to his friend and reached over to smooth Rin's face fur. Rin growled in contentment. When he thought Rin was settled, Adrian went over to the window and opened it a crack. The thick snap and plop of falling sleet outside accompanied the rush of cool air into the room. Adrian checked his clothes and found that they were dry.

After he got dressed and rummaged through his friend's mini fridge for a can of soda, he returned to his own dorm room to pack for the car trip tomorrow back home for winter break, and to get a few more hours of sleep.

Later in the day Adrian returned to Rin's room, certain that Rin would be awake by now. As he opened the door he found Rin still asleep, wrapped up snugly in the blankets, just as he left him. As Adrian moved into the room, he noticed that several things in the room had moved, as if someone had been in here besides him recently. Adrian shrugged and realized Rin might have awoken for a brief time. One of Rin's old philosophy textbooks had been removed from its bookcase, and placed on a foldout camping chair in a corner of the room. Adrian approached the book with a small measure of curiosity, and saw that there was a felt bookmark that marked a particular page. Adrian scratched the back of his head, unsure of why this book was left here, and in a fashion that was almost certainly meant for him to find.

Adrian picked up the book, Nietzsche's Meditations, turned around, and sat down into the foldout chair. When he opened the book to the marked marked, he noticed three things: an elaborate felt page marker, a quill pen, and a marked passage.

The first thing to snatch his attention was the page marker. It was rather large in comparison to others he had seen, as it ran the full length of the book's spine and more, and ran about a quarter of the page with. He grasped the dark green felt, and noticed that it was hand sown, with intricate but unreadable runes embroidered along it's outside edge. A large gold embroidered "M" was stitched into the top of the page marker, with an Olde English symbol of a morning star behind it. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the gold thread wasn't even dyed cotton, but actual strands of metallic gold.

Adrian picked up the quill pen and examined it. Although it looked like a typical quill pen, the ink was still wet to the touch. It hadn't been tucked into the binding for very long.

He looked at the passage that was marked, and although the language was written contemporary English, the hand script had a definite old world slant to it. Above the marked passage was written:

"In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned, to tell the king his dreams." - Daniel 2:1-2

Tell me, young Lord fox, about your dreams, so that I, Ren, may interpret them ...

The actual marked passage was First Meditations, Passage Five:

1. Though this be true, I must nevertheless here consider that I am a Fur, and that, consequently, I am in the habit of sleeping, and representing to myself in dreams those same things, or even sometimes others less probable, which the insane think are presented to them in their waking moments. How often have I dreamt that I was in these familiar circumstances, that I was dressed, and occupied this place by the fire, when I was lying undressed in bed? At the present moment, however, I certainly look upon this paper with eyes wide awake; the head which I now move is not asleep; I extend this paw consciously and with express purpose, and I perceive it; the occurrences in sleep are not so distinct as all this. But I cannot forget that, at other times I have been deceived in sleep by similar illusions; and, attentively considering those cases, I perceive so clearly that there exist no certain marks by which the state of waking can ever be distinguished from sleep, that I feel greatly astonished; and in amazement I almost persuade myself that I am now dreaming.

Rin suddenly shot up in his bed and tore at the blanket wrapped around him. The sudden flurry of movement caused Adrian to open his eyes and lift his head up. When had he fallen asleep again? He looked down at the textbook rested comfortably in his paws.

"Rin ...are you ok?" asked Adrian from his chair. Rin's sleepy eyes shot open, disoriented.

"Where ... where am I?" Rin asked as he peered around the room filled with such strange machinations and furniture. The ceiling was aflame with the last traces of a fiery sunset, which filtered through the dusty window. Rin pulled the shredded remnants of his blanket from around his neck and chest.

"Your ... in your dorm room ..." replied Adrian, "Where else would you be?"

* * * * *

As Adrian neared his dorm room door a few minutes later after their fight, he grumbled and fumbled for his dorm room key in his right front pocket. He was still pretty upset over his friends erratic behavior, and his lack of gratefulness for all that Adrian had done for him as of late. Adrian had got used to most of Rin's mood swings, but this latest wave taxed his patience to its breaking point. Although Adrian still cared for Rin, he wondered how much would soon be too much.

Adrian stopped at his door and found his key, but it was wrapped in something. His paw pulled out the felt forest green page marker, the one from his dream. Adrian shook his head, last night's exposure to the cold must have done something to his senses. He unlocked his door and entered his room, but he froze and his muzzle dropped.

Nothing was packed, and his room looked exactly like it had been when he left to follow Rin up to the hilltop.

Confused, Adrian closed the door shut behind himself and locked it. His paw remained on the deadbolt. When had he become paranoid? He shuffled over to a shelf, grabbed a small glass jar, and sat down on his futon. He rolled the jar back in forth in his paw, the strange mushroom inside Adrian found on the Ceramic Lab's floor crumbled to a colorless dust as he did so. His other paw squeezed the strange felt bookmark.

What did it all mean ...?

~ Fin Part II ~

Please don't be offended if I don't respond to comments and or suggestions about this series. They are always appreciated.