FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Daisy and Boss: 17 - Take Two Steps Back

This chapter reminds me a lot of my Great Pyrenees dog Hank, who hates heights, loves to be brushed but hates to have his tail messed with. Ratings are for future stuff and some previous stuff... n' stuff. Thanks for sticking with me everyone. Here we go!

-Lilly

Dinner was a rowdy affair with Dani and Sarah getting along famously and drinking like old pals. Boss and Daisy were swept along with the mood and soon even Daisy had finished off a couple glasses of wine and was giggling at Dani's stories about Boss. The mare was grinning from ear to ear and using a lot of hand gestures to explain how Boss had gotten stuck up a water tower after chasing some young thugs who had been spray painting graffiti.

"Omygosh, you should have seen it!" Dani giggled, serving herself another helping of the excellent casserole. Boss scowled.

"Monkeys..." Was all he said, suddenly very focused on his food. Dani snickered and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Boss hates heights!" She confided to her audience. Sarah and Daisy were all ears as the mare continued through her laughter.

"So, haha... so we rock paper scissors for it.... And he loses."

"Because you cheat!"

"Oh, shut up, you can't cheat at rock paper scissors!" Dani swatted at him playfully and he rolled his eyes and fell silent, but his surliness was given away as he smiled around his glass when he went to take another sip of his wine.

"Anyway, so he goes up the ladder after these kids, and they're like, hehe, throwing cans of spraypaint at him and being real little bastards. And suddenly, he gets halfway up, and they all bail out over the railing and jump to the roof of the next building over... scamper away and leave Boss clinging to the ladder like a scared little pup." Dani grinned, watching Boss scowl as he recalled the event.

"They were monkeys! How the hell was I supposed to catch a bunch of teenage lemurs?!" Boss exclaimed.

"Then the ladder broke." Dani winked at Sarah and Daisy. "On account of Boss here being a big fat ass."

"Hey, now... watch it." Boss growled. He turned to Daisy who was giggling helplessly. "It was rusted. I could have died." He implored.

"I believe you." Daisy grinned breathlessly. "I don't think you're fat... just really fluffy." She giggled. Boss gave her an incredulous look and blinked in surprise.

"Ooh, burn!" Sarah laughed.

"Oh, come on!" Boss barked.

"We had to call the fire department." Dani was doubled over in her chair rendered helpless with mirth. "And they had to send a fur up the retractable ladder to coax Boss down. It was this tiny little guy... Hahaha! Tiny tiny guy up a ladder and he was all like... 'Here kitty kitty!' Hahaha!" Dani leaned over the table and reached out to Boss's face, making little kissy noises at him. "Here kitty kitty, It's okay..."

Boss grinned and shoved Dani's hand away from his face, laughing at the mare who was pretending to sweet-talk him out of a water tower like you would a scared pussycat out of a tree.

"You, are so full of shit...." He chuckled as the mare kept calling out to him and laughing. "So, so, so full of shit."

"How did you really get down?" Sarah asked. Boss rolled his eyes and glared at Dani who was not giving him a break.

"Well he didn't call me kitty... anyway...." Boss groused. The three females burst into renewed laughter as Boss admitted to being rescued.

After dinner everyone was stuffed and tired from good wine and laughter, Boss threw on a movie and they hung out on the couch for a bit, returned to its normal place in front of the tv. Sarah kept nodding off, her busy school schedule and the exercise she had gotten earlier making her one tired badger. Dani was absorbed in the movie from her spot in the recliner. She kept giving Boss and Daisy little glances when they murmured to each other happily, and eventually Dani chased them from the living room with shooing motions. They padded off to Boss bedroom where Daisy resumed her snooping from before and Boss sat down on the bed with a sigh.

"You have a lot of brushes!" Daisy exclaimed, peeking in the top drawer of Boss dresser. Boss chuckled and rolled so that he was lying propped up on his pillows.

"I have a lot of fur..." He raised his eyebrows at Daisy. "You think it stays nice on it's own?" Daisy looked at the different types of brushes and combs and picked up a medium sized paddle brush with plastic tipped wire bristles, contemplating it.

"I've always had really short fur..." She murmured. "Does it feel nice? To brush your fur? I always thought it would feel nice..." She looked at Boss in a way that made him pause, his voice turning low and appealing.

"It feels nice." He smiled, sitting up. Daisy walked back over to the bed, the brush still in her hand. Hesitantly, she reached out and fingered a tuft of white fur at Boss' shirt collar.

"Can I...?" She asked. Boss nodded, his skin already tingling pleasantly at the thought of Daisy running the brush over him.

"You want me to take this off?" He tugged at the collar of his button up shirt and Daisy nodded after a tense moment. He opened the buttons to his shirt slowly, enjoying how Daisy watched his fingers, her mouth a soft bow of wonder. He wore one of his usual tank tops underneath and once he had shed the button up shirt he scooted back up on the bed and sat upright with his legs crossed, waiting. Daisy looked at the tank top and almost asked him to take it off, but wasn't brave enough. Instead, she climbed up on the bed and with a little adjusting, found that if she was on her knees behind him, with him sitting she was just tall enough to brush his mane with not too much trouble. Her mouth strangely dry, she reached out and ran the brush through the silky fur just behind Boss right ear, her fingers following the path of the brush. Gently untangling the snarls she found, she fell into the motion of the brush easily, feeling the big dog's hot skin when she lifted them gently to brush the back of each folded ear. Boss hummed when she spent a few moments concentrating on the top of his skull. His eyes had slid closed and he was relaxed, tipping his head back to meet the brush and to make it as easy as possible for her to continue. She worked her way down until the neckline of the tank top started to get in her way, and she tugged at it wordlessly. Boss obeyed, rousing long enough to pull the undershirt off over his head and toss it in the general direction of the closet. Daisy stared at his broad back in awe. Even through his shaggy coat she could see the way the muscles corded and bulged. His shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and Daisy looked down to see Boss's long snowy tail curling and uncurling in a lazy wag beside her. He looked over his shoulder at her questioningly.

"You okay?" He husked. She cleared her throat but instead of answering, she brought the brush up and stroked it across one shoulder blade. Boss dropped his head again and flicked his ears at the pleasurable sensation. The bristles whispered through his fur and reached down to the skin, scratching gently. Boss groaned as the brush ran the length of his spine a few times, Daisy's building confidence showing in the firmness of the brush strokes.

"Feels good?" She asked. Boss grunted his wholehearted agreement and smiled at her over his shoulder.

"Much better than doing it myself." He toned, his eyelids heavy. Daisy prodded his arm and patted the blankets.

"Lay down, I'll be able to reach better." She whispered, hardly believing her own words. He complied wordlessly and rolled to his back, making her pause all over again. His muscular back was one thing, but his front was something else. Daisy's brain simply stalled and she gazed down at him with a mix of instincts and emotions vying in her head. Boss could see the hesitation in her face and sense her fear just under the surface.

"Nothing will happen that you don't want, Daisy." He stretched out and put his paws behind his head, hoping that he looked casual, and that she couldn't see how tight his jeans had gotten.

"I know." She answered, automatically, fiddling with the brush.

"I would never hurt you." Boss murmured. Daisy looked at him in surprise.

"I wasn't afraid of that..." Daisy blurted. "I just... I don't know what I'm afraid of... but it's not you..." Daisy brought the brush up and stroked it along the fur at his throat and along his collar bone. "I don't think I could ever be afraid of you."

"I'm glad." He tipped his muzzle up and exposed more of his throat to her, his eyes closing again at the wonderful sensation of the brush against his pelt. "Don't want you to feel scared of me, ever." She didn't answer, but as she brushed along the lines of muscle and worked her way down his arms, she found herself smiling at the boneless way Boss allowed her to manipulate him. She lifted one arm to brush through the tufts at his elbows and he sighed deeply. She learned all kinds of things about him as she worked to get the little tangles. Like how he had a small spot of grey on the inside of one wrist, how he had an extra set of dew claws hidden in the feathering on his massive feet and how his long tail had a tiny curl at the end that was fused that way, hidden under the plume of long white hair. She discovered this when she followed it with her fingers all the way to the end and he opened his eyes to regard her with caution.

"Careful... that's sensitive..." Daisy held the tip of his tail and brushed the long fur ever so carefully around the small bones.

"It's beautiful." She smiled, smoothing the fur with her fingers.

He sniffed and with a slight muscle twitch, flicked his tail from her grasp and curled it to the other side of him, out of reach. Daisy frowned at him in disappointment.

"I was getting a tangle out of that..."

"Hmmm...." Boss eyed her with a spark of something mischievous in his eye. "Gets me into trouble sometimes. I used to get it caught on everything it seemed like." Boss rolled so that he lay on his side next to her. "Almost went to the doctor and had that little curled part removed once, but never did. I just keep it close these days." Boss propped his head on one arm as he spoke. Daisy, determined, leaned across his hip and reached for the fluffy lure only to have it flicked up out of her reach again. She gave him an exasperated look.

"Hey, You wouldn't hurt me..." She pointed out. "Why would I ever even think of hurting you?" Boss blinked, not hearing her for a second. Her upper body was pressed against his abdomen, her modest breasts resting atop his hip, the sensation of heat and closeness deafening him to anything else for a moment. She regarded him with her large eyes serious, even as the arms she had draped over his side reached stealthily for his tail tip again. The image made him indescribably happy, for some reason. Her leg slid close to his paw when she reached a little further over him and he snagged half a cloven hoof between a thumb and forefinger. She squeaked at the sensation of something between the two halves of her hoof and pulled back to sit on her tail, legs tucked, giving him a dirty look.

"Hey!"

Hey what?" He laughed.

"That's cheating..." She pouted.

"How is that cheating? You were after my tail!" Boss loved the way she tilted her head and shook her finger at him, scolding.

"It's cheating, because my feet are ticklish." She smiled, sitting back and looking at all of him, her eyes wandered over him before returning to his face. He didn't miss the way she seemed to catch her breath, as if she had forgotten to breathe properly for a moment.

"Well then. I'll remember that for next time. I may need to defend my tail again..." He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, towering over her once more. Daisy's gaze followed him up as she tried to hide a yawn behind her hand.

"Next time.... I'll wear my boots." Boss flicked his ears at that image. Daisy decked out with boots, armed with a comb and a determined expression. Kneeling on his bed.

"Hm." He huffed, amused. "We'll see."

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Daisy said through another bigger yawn. Boss looked to the clock and realized it was going on eight o'clock.

"Tired?"

"A little."

Boss looked around, a thought sobering his mood. He still hadn't told Daisy about the letters from Wilderson. Hadn't asked her if she would press charges so that he could go after Wilderson legally. If her father had been burning them for the last three years, than there was a good chance she didn't even know about them. He sighed, wondering how to even approach the subject. She must have sensed his sudden indecision, because a second later he felt a small hand on his arm.

"What is it?" Daisy's dainty fingers threaded through his fur, still idly brushing him in her mind. He looked down at her and his eyes were apologetic.

"Before I take you home, I have to ask you something, and I don't think you're going to like it very much." The white dog stated finally, deciding the direct approach was best. Daisy shrugged.

"Well, what is it?" She asked again.

"Your Father told me something, when I was at your house last week... Something he's been keeping from you. But I think you need to know about it." Boss mourned inwardly when Daisy tensed and became smaller somehow. This was not going to be easy.

"What kind of something?" She whispered, the gold of her eyes burned into him with their intensity, their stillness, and he found he couldn't look away.

"Julian Wilderson has been sending letters to your house from prison. If you press charges against him for harassment then I can go forward with finding out how he's doing it, and put a stop to it.... Daisy...?" Boss paused when Daisy dropped her head suddenly, drawing in a deep breath and withdrawing her hand from his arm as if burned. She clutched her hands to her self and curled forward defensively.

"Stop it." She whispered from behind the fall of her ears. When Boss ducked his head, he saw that her eyes were squeezed shut in denial.

"Daisy?"

"I don't want to hear that! It's not true! He doesn't even know where I live!"

"Daisy... I'm sorry... but he does and it's dangerous, I don't like that he-"

"STOP IT!" Daisy bleated louder, turning away from him on the bed. Her hands went up and covered her ears tightly. A light tremor started along her limbs and spread along her whole frame until she was trembling violently. "I don't believe you." She moaned. "I don't believe you, I don't believe you..."

"Your Father gave me one of the letters." Boss said gently, his ears flat against his head in worry for the doe. This was something he had not seen her do before and it made him afraid for her. His words seemed to rouse something in her, but when she lifted her head and stared at him, it was not an improvement.

"He gave one... You read..." Her breath gasped out of her and she sucked it back in too quickly, panicking. "My Dad... Oh god... I can't... I can't...."

"Daisy! Slow down, breath... Please, calm down!" Boss reached for her to soothe her but she flinched away, crying out.

"NO!" Daisy shrieked. "Stop it!"

A commotion of claws in the hallway approaching alerted him just before the door to his bedroom flew in and banged against the wall. Sarah stood there, and her normally cute happy face wrinkled in a nasty snarl at what she saw. Her small eyes took in Boss' shirtless state and Daisy cowering beside him and she took a few threatening steps into the room. With her ears pinned and her head down with all of her teeth showing, she was fierce looking indeed, and Boss was reminded of the temper that badgers were famous for.

"What's going on!?"

"Easy, Sarah, we were just talking. She's upset, that's all." Boss stood and Sarah snarled again at him as he attempted to explain.

"Upset about what!?" The badger girl barked just as Danielle appeared in the doorway as well.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" Dani snorted, hands on her hips. Daisy had slid to the floor and was now hugging her knees, shaking and hyperventilating, well on her way to a tried and true panic attack.

"I told her about the letters." Boss groaned, going to his knees beside Daisy, hovering but not touching her as he watched her spin out.

"Well how did you tell her, you moron? Did you draw her little pictures of how she might die!? Look at her!" Dani shook her head and moved around Sarah to kneel in front of Daisy, murmuring to the goat as her shallow breaths became faster until her small frame rocked with the violent panting. Daisy's glazed eyes raced over the floor and the walls flicking here and there as if searching for escape, stress etched into the lines of her face as she pressed her muzzle down against her chest.

"Letters? What scared her so bad? What about her dying?!" Sarah growled, still looking at Boss suspiciously. Boss shook his head and didn't say anything, watching as Dani talked to the small doe, carefully laying her hands over Daisy's where they clutched onto her knees.

"Hey... Hey, you gotta slow down." The mare was murmuring. "I know you can hear me, Daisy. You aren't alone. You're safe. You're having a panic attack, no one ever dies from panic attacks, they're just scary as hell, okay?" Dani smiled at the doe when she looked up and shot a glance to Boss that promised a lecture later.

"I- I- I know." Daisy gasped through her rapid shallow breathing. "Not- Not stupid." Dani's brows soared at that and she patted Daisy's hands.

"Well look who has an attitude all of a sudden! Good for you!" She nickered. She moved one hand to press lightly against Daisy's upper chest and the doe shuddered against her, pressing back against the bed frame and pushing with her legs weakly. Her heart was thudding hard enough for Dani to feel it easily, racing with adrenaline.

"I cant... I c-c-cant bre-eath!" Daisy panted.

"In through the nose out through the mouth, okay?" Dani coached. "Like you're blowing up a balloon. Got it? Can you do that? Deep breaths... From your belly."

Moments went by and Daisy began to calm down, but with the metabolizing of the adrenaline came exhaustion, and she still trembled slightly when she allowed Boss to pick her up and carry her out to the couch under the watchful eye of Sarah. Dani sat next to her and sighed.

"I know this is hard to deal with Daisy, but if you can we could really use your help. I don't think you're in any danger, but we shouldn't allow him to harass you and your family, sending things to the house... We don't want him thinking he can do whatever he wants, right?" Dani spoke soothingly, as if to a child, and Boss could see Daisy's ears stiffening. Sarah listened intently, a look of shock on her face as she started to realize what no one was explaining to her.

"He already did!" Daisy bleated, swiping angrily at the tears that welled in her eyes. She still stared at the floor. "He already...I don't want to talk about this... I-I just want to go home now, can someone please take me home?" Her lower lip trembled slightly as her mind made circles around her fear. The wolf knew her address, the wolf knew where she slept, the wolf knew and he sent her letters. Her Dad had seen the letters. And round and round. She felt sick to her stomach.

"I'll take you home." Boss didn't wait for a response, just headed back into his room to put on a shirt. The evening was officially over.