Sactuary(redone)
Let me start out by saying that it's a bad idea to let your parents catch you doing what I was in my room, especially with a dog.
Leaving the Humane Society parking lot, my mom took a left turn, heading for the nearest interstate highway. After they had found out about my "relationship" with my black lab, they decided to get rid of him, and then take a long vacation. Why, I have no idea. My dad, nursing a black eye, fat lower lip and a bleeding upper one, turns around in the seat and looks at me.
"It's for the best."
"Screw you!" I mumble. I had fought the whole time my parents were trying to put Ryuu into the van, until my father had slammed me against the wall, knocking me out.
"Hun, that's no way to talk to your father, and you fucking know it!" My mom said, losing her cool mid-sentence.
"It's ok. He has a right to be angry." My father said, looking sympathetic. He wasn't though. He loves pissing me off. "You do realize that what you were doing with him was not acceptable?"
"Whatever."
So what if I was a zoophile? It was not their problem.
Thinking this, I had a sudden urge to attack them again. However, I couldn't due to the fact that while I was knocked out, they had made a makeshift straightjacket out of duct-tape. Evidently, I was not the only one in the family who knew about its restrictive properties. I had to admit that I found it strangely arousing, and I would have been sporting a raging erection if my member had room to expand. Considering the circumstances, I was forced to deal with a rather annoying pain in my groin.
Settling on chewing their asses off the whole trip, I began to do so. Until, of course, my dad got my mp3 player out and set it on my favorite song. This particular one always caused me to shiver in delight every time the female singer hit a high note. So, basically, I was reduced to a tape-covered yelling machine that was suffering from mini-seizures of euphoria. The singer's voice was kind of airy, but DAMN, SHE WAS A GOOD SINGER!!!
We traveled for about three weeks, going nowhere in particular. They had ripped the tape off of me, none too gently, about the fifth day into the trip, so I was free to do as I pleased. After, of course, they showed me they had stocked up on tape. Damn parents always thought ahead.
One day, my father spotted a sign for someplace called "Sanctuary". Supposedly, it was a place "Where all your troubles are forgotten!" Before I could stop myself, I stated that the place sounded like a giant tourist trap, so we just had to find the place, according to my mother. They might have Christmas stuff, you know.
The sign failed to mention, however, that it was in the middle of a valley between four mountains, about one hundred miles away from the nearest town. The buildings (there were several in view) were in good condition, though. They all had fresh paint on them, and each had a mural of a different animal on the side. Each also had several trees around them.
Pulling up beside the smallest building, which had a sign stating that it was the office, mom shut the van off and hopped out, followed closely by dad. I refused to budge, so they simply drug me through the door. While they were doing so, I noticed a green truck sitting under one bunch of trees.
I had to admit I was glad they did. The office was considerably cooler than the van, considering the fact that the damn AC quit working several days ago. The smell of vanilla air fresheners was quite strong, though. I did not realize this. I was too busy drooling over the person sitting at the desk in front of us.
To say he was hot would be a cruel understatement. He was about my age, sixteen; had blonde hair that was about five inches long, and had light blue eyes. He had no shirt on, and was clearly not expecting any customers.
"Oh! Hullo. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you pull in, or I would have made myself more decent." He said in a voice that sent chills down my spine. I was glad I was behind my parents, because there was no hiding that I was highly attracted to this kid.
Qucckly grabbing a shirt, he slid it over his head and onto his body, much to my dismay.
"Now, My name is Atuf. Sorry about the smell, there's a dog that wondered in here a couple months ago and kind of became our mascot. Haven't been able to get the smell off him. How may I help you?" He asked, holding out his hand. Dad introduced me and mom to him, and he shook each of our hands. If it weren't for my dad prying Atuf's hand away, I wouldn't have let it go.
Dad then got down to telling Atuf why we were here. Unfortunately, he told the kid everything, including the fact that I was gay. Atuf looked at me out of the corner of his eye, and I could have sworn I saw him flash a smile before quickly getting his face under control.
"I see. Well, as you probably noticed, no one else is here, so you basically have the whole place to yourselves. Here is a pamphlet explaining everything there is to do, along with a map of the entire property. You will be staying here," he said, pointing to a spot about a mile off, "which is close to my personal building, where I will be available if you have any questions. You can stay as long as you like.
"You don't have to pay ahead of time or anything, and everything around here is extremely cheap. I live here quite comfortably with a sub-minimum wage salary. I'll take care of tidying up your building during the day with moving as little of your personal belongings as possible, along with fixing the meals. The only thing you guys really need to do is enjoy yourselves." During this whole speech, which I caught none of, I could have sworn Atuf (probably Arabic, I thought) kept stealing glances at me. Or so I hoped.
Saying thank you, my dad and mom then drug me (my mom had my left arm, my dad my right leg) out of the building and into the van. The short trip to where my family and I were staying would have been pleasant, had I had any idea we were taking it. I was still trying to get the bulge in my pants to go away, which I found quite hard.
The building was small. The inside was arranged so that space was maximized, however. As far as furniture went, there were three king-size beds, all in different rooms, bathrooms and closets branching off of each. There was a couch that sitted three people, one that two could sit in, and a recliner, all arranged around a big-screen TV. There was a small refrigerator in the corner, which was packed with drinks and snacks. My dad wondered aloud if all the buildings were like this.
After unpacking the van, which took over an hour, for I refused to help, mom and dad sat down and began looking at the map and pamphlet, attempting to figure out what to do first. I glanced at the map, saw a place called "Thinker's Hill", and decided to go there. No way in hell was I going to stay near these annoying ass people.
The view was actually quite nice. It was hard to find something that didn't put my mind at ease. Deciding to enjoy it, I sat down. Clouds covered the peaks of the mountain I could see.
I was extremely surprised to feel something cold on my bare arm. Jumping up and spinning around, I realized it was a dog.
Its fur was a cacophony of colors, every thing from black to white. Its eyes were a dark brown, and seemed to take everything in at a glance.
Realizing it had scared me, it sat down on its haunches and lowered its head, as if to beg forgiveness. Looking, I could see it was a male.
Looking up, the dog held out his paw. Bending down and grabbing it, I realized there was something tied around it. Untying the string, I read the paper quickly.
Hello!
My name is Charlie. I welcome you to Sanctuary.
Incase Atuf had not told you, I am the camp's
mascot, and wander around aimlessly, making
sure everything is ok. Please do not be alarmed if
you hear me barking in the middle of the night,
because I'm probably just chasing away a pesky
rabbit!
_ Sincerely,_
_ Charlie_
"Well, hello." I said. Sitting back down, I looked at Charlie, who came over and sat beside me, looking out at one of the mountains. For some reason, looking at Charlie made me remember the kid in the office.
While I was sitting there, I started thinking about how my life had become screwed up lately. I had my whole future planned out. I was going to the local vocational school to take a computer program, then use that to pay my way through an aviation institution where they taught you how to work on planes. However, I failed Algebra, which I needed to pass in order to attend the Vocational school. This caused a slight problem, seeing as there was NO WAY I was going to be able to pay for the aviation course. All this, on top of the whole Ryuu/zoophile thing, just sent everything down the drain.
Coming out of my little daze, I realized how late it was. Chewing myself a new ass, I jumped up and ran to where my family was staying, knowing I was just going to get it there, also. Sure, my family and I didn't get along well, but they still worried about me.
The next day, my mom and dad decided to go play tennis. I refused, of course. I had a reason this time, other than the fact that I hated their guts. I also hated tennis. With a passion, in fact.
While they were gone, I decided to raid the refrigerator. Just as I got to it, though, someone knocked at the door. Silently chewing them out, I went over to it and threw the door open.
"WHAT DO YOU WA- oh. Uh...hi. Is...there a...um... pro-problem?"
Atuf smiled broadly, clearly thinking my little speech problem I was suffering at the moment comical.
"No, I was just wandering if every thing was ok."
"Well, that depends. Considering how my life is fucked up at the moment, not really."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like to talk?"
"No, not real- oh, hell, why not. Come on in. I was just getting something to eat."
Entering, Atuf went over to the fridge and stood beside it. "Mind if I join you?"
Giving him a weird look (who had that kind of manners anymore?), I opened the door and knelt down. After glancing in the fridge for a second, I looked at Atuf. However, I forgot to compensate for the fact I was kneeling, and ended up staring straight as his crotch.
"Uh... what...sounds...good...to...you?" I managed to get out. Yeah, I'm smooth like that. One would ever know I was looking at them, would they?
Atuf just laughed lightly and knelt down beside me, however. "Well, unless some one found it, there should be cold meat and buns in the drawer right there." He said, pointing.
Blushing considerably, I opened the drawer. Grabbing the meat and buns, along with the mustard and two cans of some sort of drink, I apologized to him "Sorry about that. You still interested in talking. I'm not in the mood for jokes, so don't lie, either. You are? Well then..." We then spent the next two hours talking about my life, along with anything else that came to mind.
Until, that is, until Atuf mentioned the AC in the "apartment". It didn't seem to be working. I told him that it wasn't, that I had volunteered to come tell him, but my parents downright refused. He said he felt like he could take his shirt off, he was so hot. At this, I literally started silently screaming at myself. "TELL HIM HE CAN, YOU ASSHOLE!!! SPEAK, DAMN YOU!!!" instead, I told him I was tired and didn't want to talk anymore anyway. What can I say? I'm a dumbass.
Several weeks later, during which my family and I did everything there was to do, I was looking for the dog again. My dad had told me we were going to leave tomorrow morning, and he had already went to the office and paid our bill, a meager fifty dollars. I had also seen Atuf several times, but never seen him and Charlie at the same time.
Walking past the office, I happened to glance inside to see Atuf standing behind the desk, crying. Yelling something inaudible, he spun around and punched the wall. He then began to chew Charlie out, for some reason.
"Yes, Damn it, Charlie, I'm upset! You're not fucking blind! DON'T START WHINING EITHER!" Stopping, I wondered if I should see what was wrong. I almost decided against it, until Atuf looked up and seen me standing there. He smiled, and his smile lured me in.
"Sorry, but I seen you crying and was concerned. Is everything ok?" I asked.
"Well, it depends on your definition of "ok". By most peoples', no, I'm not. Have you ever loved some one so much that you felt a pain in your heart every time they were not in your sight?" Thinking of Ryuu, I nodded.
"Keeping that feeling in mind, would you consider joining bodies, so that your spirit and that of the one you loved would be in one body, with that person, even if it meant that the resulting being would be in constant pain as a result?" Wishing it were possible, I nodded again.
"Well, I had that opportunity, and took it. I joined bodies with my dog, named Atuf."
"So both your dog's and your name is Atuf?"
"No, my name was Charlie. One of the things required for two bodies to join is to switch names. Now, we can take on two forms, the human you see before you, and a dog." Atuf's blue eyes became brown, his blond hair becoming multiple colors, and hair of the same type was sprouting from every inch of visible skin. I was positive that the same was happening all over his body.
After showing me this form, he then turned back into his human form to continue speaking.
"You see, I too was a zoophile. I loved Atuf more than anything else in the world, even my own life. Sitting beside you on that hill, I was reminded that of the sacrifices I had made to be with my love for the rest of my life. One was that I forgot that Humans could love each other, as I have grown to love you in the short time I have known you. I am sad because you are leaving to morrow, and I will probably never see you again."
Listening to this, I also began to cry, realizing that I had fallen in love with both forms of the creature before me. Wordlessly, I pulled my shirt of and walked to the back of the building where I saw a bed in a different room. Atuf followed me.
A little while later, I went back to the building my family stayed in, helping them pack. I then got in the van, never saying a word.
As we went by the office, I noticed a dog sitting in front of the door.
"Stop the van! I said STOP THE DAMN VAN!" I yelled savagely. My dad slammed on the brakes, causing my mom to hit the dashboard. As I got out, the dog ran into the office, barking. I ran in after it.
"Atuf!" I yelled.
Atuf came out from behind the desk, brushing away dog hair.
Smiling, he said, "I'm still trying to work out how to stop shedding."
"Well, I can help you with that."
At that moment, my parents entered the office.
"Mom, Dad, I'm staying here." Walking over to Atuf, I kissed him square on the lips. He slowly closed his eyes, and I could have sworn I heard a growl of content.
"The hell you are! I demand that you get back in the van this instant!" My mother was clearly ignoring the fact that I was a little busy.
Without breaking the kiss, I swung my arm around behind me and flipped my parents off.
This, evidently, made my dad a little angry. He practically leaped the distance between the two of us and grabbed me by the hair, then proceeded to drag me to the van. As we exited the office, I swung my arm up, hitting him under the arm. Screaming, he released his death grip on me. Chalk one up for pressure points.
Quickly getting up, I ran for the green truck under the trees I happened to notice while initially being dragged into the office. Opening the door and jumping in, I thanked every Deity I could think of that the keys were in the ignition. Finally, some good luck.
As I began to speed off, Atuf jumped out in front of the truck. Slamming on the brakes, I managed to avoid hitting him. He ran to the side of the truck and jumped in the cab. As soon as he was in, I again floored the truck. I got about half way up the lane leading to the road when I felt something against my head. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw it was a handgun.
"Listen to me. I would rather die than shoot you, but I will if I have to." Atuf said while fighting back tears.
I slowly eased off of the gas and pressed on the brake, bringing the truck to a stop.
"Good boy. Now, let's talk about this. You do not want to stay here with me. You would not be happy here. I mean, look at this place! It's in the middle of fucking NOWHERE!"
"Atuf... Charlie... Whatever the hell your name is, you don't understand what it's like to live with them! They HATE me! Everyone hates me where I live. I'm a freak in their eyes. If you're not into pussy, ass, and huge boobs you might as well be a pedophile!"
Apologizing to me, Atuf hit me on the head with the handle of the gun.
Waking up several hours later, I was irate to hear my parents talking. I tried to move, but they had wrapped me in duct tape again. Go figure.
Looking back, my dad smiled his usual "HA HA!!! I GOT THE BETTER OF YOU AGAIN!!!" smirk. "Ah, I see the lover boy's awake."
"Take me back there RIGHT NOW!"
"Why? There's no one there."
"You fucking liar!"
Smiling again, he pointed to the seat behind me. Craning my head, I just managed to see a cacophony of colors and a brown eye.