FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well here it is, part 5 all finished and I tell you what, I need to give my hands a break from typing for a day or two. This the longest part by far, measuring 45 pages in Microsoft works! Though there is a reason for that, I go a great distance story wise in this part, you'll see what I mean when you read it. Oh and I wonder whether anyone notices my little reference to a certain platform a certain magical person uses in a certain series of books (once again, you'll know what I mean when you read it). Time for the obligatory all characters, places, names, situations, birth dates, blood types and social security numbers are © to me (well ok only the first four). Thanks to everyone who has been so patient in waiting for it, I can only hope its worth the wait and you enjoy it. Feel free to post comments and I will get to work on Part 6 as soon as I have the time, oh and when my fingers have recovered.

Part 5: Parting words, Welcome home

Laying awake, watching the sun rise over the buildings, a creeping sapphire blue spreading across the sky. The only sound in his ears the gentle breathing of Larka on his chest. Exhausted as he was sleep hadn't come for Fenra last night. The conversation and decision still burned brightly in his mind.

..................................................................................................................................

"Home?" Lina asked curiously

"That's right" nodded Fenra

"You mean your heading back to the country?" Leo asked

"Yes" Fenra replied

"But why?" asked Lina in a high pitched tone

"I've told you about my fathers condition, no matter who he used to be to me he is still my father and I have a duty to go and see him"

"Understandably..." said Leo

"Not to mention Carl. He may have slinked off with his tail between his legs this time but what's to say he wont be back"

"But Fenra..." said Larka

Fenra took Larka's paws in his own "I need to ask something of you Larka"

Larka nodded, looking curiously into Fenra's eyes

"Will.... will you come with me?" asked Fenra

The room seemed to be drained of all sound, Fenra was aware of nothing more than Larka as Leo and Lina looked on. Each second she didn't answer felt like an eternity, his heart pounding in his chest as Larka opened her muzzle.

"Fenra, I love you..." she spoke softly, giving his paws a gentle squeeze"... whatever you feel, wherever it takes you, I will be there beside you"

Fenra could do nothing but smile and wrap his arms around Larka, pulling her into a deep kiss. Lina let out a small squeak at the scene as a tear formed around her eye and Leo hugged her.

"Thank you" Fenra whispered as he broke the kiss to which Larka simply smiled and nodded softly.

..................................................................................................................................

Larka stirred and felt around, her eyes slowly opening before sitting up straight with a start as she found Fenra nowhere near by, but letting out a gentle sigh of relief as she spotted him by the window. She stood up and walked over to him, her feet lightly padding along the floor, claws clacking gently in the silent air. Wrapping her arms around him as she reached his back, making him jump a little as he stirred from his thoughts.

"Why are you up so early?" Larka asked gently

"I couldn't sleep, too much on my mind" Fenra replied, half in thought

"Aw Fenra, I know this isn't easy, but I'm here for you..." Larka said, taking his paws in hers and kissing his cheek gently "... I'm not leaving your side"

"Thank you Larka, for everything" Fenra replied, giving her paws a gentle squeeze and kissing her softly for a moment

Larka leaned into the kiss for the briefest of moments before Fenra broke it, sighing gently.

"Since we are up, how about I make some breakfast and then we take a last walk to the park before the morning rush, would be nice to see it under early morning light" she said

"Oh you don't have to make breakfast Larka, I can..." Fenra started

"To late..." Larka said with a smile and a wink, wandering across the apartment "... I'm already in the kitchen"

Fenra simply laughed and scooped his clothes off the floor "I'll just go take a shower then"

As Fenra emerged from the shower, clothed and towel draped over his shoulder, which he placed over the arm of the sofa. Larka passed by him, licking his cheek as she went into the bathroom, tilting her head to a plate laid upon the kitchen counter for him. He walked over and began to eat the simple breakfast Larka had prepared and thumbed through a magazine which lay on the counter open in front of him, not really reading but occupying his mind to stop it wandering over the many thoughts that still darted through his head. The gentle sound of the running shower and Larka humming softly were the only noises he let his ears focus on, providing him a sense of calm and comfort before the storm clouds break.

Larka left the bathroom characteristically beautiful, her warm, intoxicating scent of wolf and perfume mixing aromatically in the cool apartment air. The sunlight coming through the window glinting a gentle orange off her damp fur in the early morning glow. Fenra looked up from the magazine as her scent reached his nostrils and he walked over to greet her with a gentle kiss and a soft whisper in her ear "everyday you look all the more beautiful"

Larka blushed deeply and smiled sweetly as she took Fenra's paws, picked up her keys and the pair set off from the apartment. The empty hallway they padded along, the rickety old elevator, the open front doors and the crisp early morning breeze. All sensations and sights Fenra took in with eager eyes. Though he had seen them all many a time before he wished to take them all in their full glory this morning for something was different.

Today more than any other, the sense of finality and the reality of what was going to transpire was heavy in his mind. He had faced leaving before but he knew today was the day the time had finally arrived.

Rounding a familiar corner and entering through the arch that led into the park the pair wandered over to their prized spot, the bench sat beneath the shade of a grand oak tree overlooking a small pond. Fenra drew in a deep breath of the cool morning air and recognised all the familiar scents, small plants, flowers, trees, he heard the gentle rustling of leaves, the soft trickle of water as it was whipped up by a passing breeze. Larka wrapped an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder, looking into the water as it rippled at a falling leaf. The suns reflection on its surface disturbed and spreading out into a thousand thin slivers of light. She sighed gently, contentedly and hugged Fenra tighter.

"I never knew the early morning could be so beautiful and peaceful" she said

"Hmm?" Fenra said, apparently lost in thought again, staring at a small leaf that had landed in his paws

"Are you alright Fenra, you seem distracted?" Larka said, tilting her head and looking into his face "well even more so than usual for you"

"Oh, sorry" he replied, shaking the thoughts from his head gently, pulling his consciousness back to the present "I'm just... taking stock of my life I guess"

"Stock?" she said puzzled

"Yes..." he said, then seeing her bemused look, scratched his head and tried to explain as best he could "... well this is our last morning here in I don't know how long, and the way I felt, walking here, seeing the familiar sights it... it awoke feeling I hadn't felt since that day all that time ago..."

"That day?" she said with a hint of realisation "You mean the day I walked you through town? the day I paid your rent and the day you thought you would be leaving?"

"Exactly" he nodded "I have faced leaving before but I never thought it would be under my own will, and now these feeling come back to me, fear, sadness... and the memories of my time here in this city, and here I find myself, taking stock of my life. Thinking of everything that had led me here and everything that may come beyond this moment"

Fenra was still staring at the leaf in his paws till a gust of wind blew it from his palms and he watched it drift off absent minded. Larka looked at his eyes softly, though she always knew a day like today was one he had been trying to avoid ever since he came to the city and the trouble thoughts like this caused him, she never knew just how much. The look in his eyes portrayed a deep internal struggle, a battle waged between two sides of his mind. She licked his cheek gently and squeezed one of his paws, deciding that, even if futile, she would offer him one last chance out, the question his mind was screaming but his muzzle could not form.

"Fenra, you don't have to do this, you don't have to go if it will be to painful"

Fenra looked deep into her blue eyes as she spoke and gently his sombre expression faded into a look of compassion, as if his duelling minds had laid down their arms at the sound of her sweet voice. She had once again, though she did not know how or why, given him the strength to answer his questions and give him the courage to conquer his fears.

"Larka, my love, I have to go, painful though it may be... there are things everyone has to do in life, challenges to over come, this is mine"

Larka smiled sweetly at him, looking deeply into his eyes, her own glistening gently with tears as she heard his next words and he gently squeezed her paws.

"You are my strength Larka, you are what keeps me going and gives me the courage to face these days, without you in my life I would never see these times, good or bad... without you I am nothing"

"Oh Fenra" Larka struggled through tear dampened eyes and a voice choked with emotion, she pulled him close and clung to him tightly, feeling his warm body, a single tear running from her cheek and into his shirt and sinking into the fur of his shoulder.

He clung back and kissed her cheek gently to which she turned her head and the pairs lips met, pressing their muzzles together. Their tongues interwoven in a beautiful dance, they kissed deeply before breaking the bond with a mutual contented sigh, standing up, taking each others paws and walking back to the apartments once more.

They arrived back at the street level doors to the apartment block and were about to step inside when Lina and Leo stepped out of the elevator as it descended.

"There you are!" Lina cried as she flung herself at Larka and hugged her tightly

"Erm hi Lina" said Fenra, giving Leo a quick wave to which he nodded back "what's up?"

"I was so worried I had missed you" squeaked Lina in her usual high pitched tone

Larka chuckled softly as Lina released her hug "Oh Lina, I told you last night our train isn't leaving till the afternoon, and besides I wouldn't leave my best friend without saying goodbye"

Lina brightened almost instantly, her face showing her characteristically cheery expression "phew I'm so glad"

Leo turned to face Fenra just as he and Lina had exchanged a brief hug "I made sure to get someone to cover your shifts at the bar for the time being"

"Oh, thank you" said Fenra "and sorry for doing this to you on such short notice"

"Its no trouble" said Leo shaking his head gently "you have things you need to take care of"

Fenra smiled and was about to speak when Leo withdrew from his pocket a small white envelope. Fenra tilted his head curiously as Leo passed it to him.

"What is..." started Fenra

"It's just a little something I gathered together" interrupted Leo "consider it... a bonus for all you've done recently"

Fenra opened the envelope and peered inside, within it was a handful of notes, adding up to at least a hundred dollars if not more. Fenra stared at this for a while then resealed the envelope, glancing at Leo with a bewildered look on his face.

"Leo I... I cant possibly accept this..."

"Think nothing of it Fenra, you're a friend and I look out for my friends" said Leo

"But this, I cant take all this money" said Fenra

"That's why I said think of it as a bonus for your work at the bar" Leo said with a smile "If you cant take it as a friend then take it as an employee"

Fenra was about to protest more when Larka gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs, he faced her and smiled the moment his eyes met hers, nodding to her and laughing gently "I know, stop saying no all the time, I'm working on it honestly"

Larka smiled sweetly at him, licked his cheek and he turned back to face Leo "Thank you, this is very generous"

Leo simply nodded in return as Larka spoke once more, spotting Lina giving a soft shudder at a passing wind "shall we head inside before we all freeze? we have some packing to do anyway"

The group all made their grunted agreements, headed inside and into the elevator. As it clanked to a halt at their floor Fenra heard a familiar voice as he stepped off.

"Hey wolf"

Fenra turned around rapidly but sighed and relaxed a little at the sight that greeted him "Oh Blake, what do you want?"

"When were you planning on telling me about your little exodus here?" said Blake gruffly

"Before we left of course" said Fenra "its hardly a big deal"

"It is for me, I cant have two unused, unpaid for apartments simply lying around. I'm a business man" said Blake

"Look I'm on a bit of a schedule today so tell me what I can do to make it right" said Fenra a little exasperated, he was hoping to avoid this sort of confrontation today

"Well two choices wolf..." started Blake

"Stop calling him that" snarled Leo, clenching his fist "he has a name"

"Easy Leo" said Fenra placing a paw on his shoulder, to which Leo relaxed with a sigh "its ok... go on Blake"

"Well as I was saying wolf..." Blake said with a look at Leo and emphasis when he said the word wolf "two choices, either clear out your places today or pay me a covering fee"

"Covering fee?" asked Fenra

"That's what I said isn't it!" said Blake impatiently "a few hundred to cover the fact that I'm going to have two apartments unused for a while with no new tenants"

"A few hundred! that's..." Fenra started but seeing the iron willed look on Blake's face he merely sighed in surrender, pulling Leo's envelope from his pocket "...fine, fine. I guess I don't have a choice"

He passed it to Blake at which Blake pulled it open, thumbed through it with one enormous finger and then looked back at Fenra with a sinister grin on his face "This will do nicely wolf, many thanks" and with that he shoved past them, got in the elevator and disappeared from sight.

When he was gone Fenra looked up at Leo and sighed "I'm sorry, I didn't want to use your money, there wasn't anything I could do I..."

"Its ok Fenra" said Leo placing a huge paw on his shoulder "really"

Lina also placed a paw on his shoulder as Larka wrapped an arm around his waist. Fenra smiled and nodded gently at Leo, to which Leo smiled in return and the group went into Fenra's apartment.

Fenra took little notice of the idle chatter the other three made as he gathered together his things. It didn't take long as he had very little possessions to take. Some clean clothes, basic wash equipment and so on. In total he could fit everything into one backpack. He was always a minimalist wolf, preferring not to clutter himself with unnecessary things.

"A simple life is a pleasant one" he heard his fathers voice echo in his head as he zipped up his backpack. Strange for that to come to mind he thought, but with everything that had been going on it was hardly surprising his mind was on his father. He paused and stared at the backpack before him, pondering for a moment his mothers words not a few days ago.

"you remind me of him you know..."

He couldn't help feel a bitter pang in his stomach at this, maybe they were more alike than he wanted to admit, regardless of how much he disliked the idea.

Still it was more than that he thought, trying to put the distance between himself and his father again. He had never had the money for anything leisurely since coming to the city, in fact he had had to sell a fair share of his belongings to keep up rent in the weeks before he met Larka. He smiled a little at this, though he did not know why he found the thought highly amusing.

"What on earth is wrong with me" he whispered to himself. He gently shook the smile from his face and tried to convince himself, though not effectively, that he had only smiled because he had rationalised that he was not like his father.

It was at this moment he noticed Larka kneeling behind him, looking a little bewildered.

"I believe it's a backpack" she said lightly, noticing how intently he was staring at it.

Fenra laughed gently and turned to give her a kiss on the nose "I know that"

"Then why are you staring at it like its some great lupine enigma" she said with a chuckle.

"Oh, no reason, I'm not really looking at it, it just happened to be where my gaze landed as I was..."

"... deep in thought" Larka finished for him with a smile "yes I know that look all to well, I've seen it almost daily since I met you"

Fenra smiled a little sheepishly "I guess you know me all to well"

"Oh not that well..." Larka replied "... I may know when you are thinking but not what you are thinking"

Fenra noticed that look on Larka's face. It was the same she had given him the first time she had asked him to open up, accompanied by the very same sigh. Fenra all of a sudden felt extremely guilty, everything Larka had done for him, everything she continues to do and he still keeps a part of his life so closed to her. These thoughts welled up inside him and he pulled Larka into a close, tight, loving hug, taking her slightly by surprise but she reciprocated.

"Larka I told you a long time ago that I would tell you everything someday, when I feel ready, that still holds true... I just need a little more time" he said softly, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I understand" Larka said with a sweet smile and the pair exchanged a tender kiss, their moment broken by a little delighted squeal from Lina at which they both blushed.

Fenra stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder, having been brought back from his thoughts to reality, and turned to Larka.

"So don't you have to..." he started

"No I packed last night silly, don't you remember?" said Larka

"Oh of course, it was erm... It was right after you er..." stuttered Fenra

"Right before we spent the night together?" Larka said with a chuckle "well I cant blame you for not remembering, you have a lot on your mind"

"I'm sorry Larka" he said

"Its ok" she replied and glanced at his alarm clock "oh my is that the time?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, that should be the right time, the alarm never goes off on time but it never fails to tell me, accurately, just how late I'm running" he said with a gentle laugh.

"Well if that's the case we better make a move" she said

"But its only midday? I thought your train didn't leave till the afternoon?" said Lina a little panicked

"Don't worry Lina" said Larka softly "we still have a while before we have to leave"

"Then why..." Lina started

"I thought if we left now we could get in one last drink at the bar before we have to go" interrupted Larka "sounds like a nice way to say goodbye don't you think"

"That's a great idea" said Lina looking down at her paws "but..."

"What's the matter?" asked Larka

"I wish you wouldn't call it goodbye" said Lina "it sounds to much like the end, its to sad"

Leo spotted Lina tear up a bit and placed one large arm around her shoulders

"Oh Lina" Larka said softly "you know its not the end, how about if I say "see you later" rather than goodbye?"

"That's much better" said Lina, drying her tears and perking up almost instantly in her characteristic fashion "so shall we get going?"

The group nodded, made their various acknowledgements and left the apartment. Fenra locked the door behind him and placed his key in a small steel deposit box at the end of the hall, just outside the elevator.

Larka quickly headed into her apartment and grabbed her luggage, though she travelled light she had slightly more than Fenra, filling a small suitcase. She locked her door behind her, walked over to the deposit box and held her key over the slot, staring at it adamantly.

"This..... Is the first time I will have left the apartment, left the key... its never been away from me before" she said, not to anyone but merely thinking out loud.

Fenra looked at her and noticed, though she hid it well, a hint of fear in her voice and body language. It was only now he realised just what he had asked of her, she had been born and raised in this city, this block was all she knew. This was her home, her fathers apartment and the first time she would ever truly leave it.

He placed a paw on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. She turned her head and the pair looked deeply into each others eyes. He did not know why, but his look seemed to help her make her decision, to give her the courage to take the next step.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly

She dropped the key into the box and gave him a gentle kiss "never better"

The group arrived at the bar, Leo unlocked the door and they all headed inside. Lina set out gathering a few chairs together and Fenra went to help her move a table into the centre of the room. Leo had headed behind the bar to switch on the lights and pour a few drinks.

"I didn't know you had closed the place this morning Leo?" said Larka "I hope its not on account of us"

"Think nothing of it" said Leo smiling "It was Lina in fact who convinced me to do it, I was all for opening it and just having my regards passed to you through her"

"And I told you that would not do at all" said Lina with a small giggle "and you would not believe how much it took to convince him"

"That sounds like our Leo" Larka said with a chuckle

"I'm a stubborn one that's for sure" said Leo, stepping out from behind the bar with small glasses of wine for the women and a whisky on the rocks for him and Fenra.

"Wow, this stuff looks expensive" Fenra said as Leo passed him his glass

"Its on the house if that's what your worried about" Leo said with a gruff laugh

"Oh no, that's not what I meant, but thanks" Fenra said with a smile "I just, well, don't know whether I deserve something like this"

"Ah don't think of it that way Fenra, this is a special occasion" said Leo patting him on the back "and to my mind there's no better drink to accompany such an occasion"

"Well thank you, cheers" said Fenra, raising his glass and taking a sip, to which the others did the same. He never had whisky before and the first sensation that hit his tongue was a bitter one. A sharp hit that made him want to cough but as he let it slip past the back of his mouth it rolled down his throat and into his stomach with a pleasant warmness, making him sigh contentedly.

"First time drinking whisky?" Leo asked with a smile

"How did you know?" Fenra said taking another sip

"Please, I own a bar, I can tell" Leo said with a chuckle "your taking it better than most do their first time"

"Well don't get me wrong, I had to keep myself from coughing" Fenra said to which they all laughed "but it certainly has its charms"

"A man after my own heart" Leo said, giving Fenra another hearty slap on the back.

Fenra took another sip and felt immeasurably calmer because of it, the warm feel of it lingering in his throat and hovering in his stomach was comforting. Not to mention the alcohol which, though not a lot, was enough to soften his senses a little.

"I hope we haven't disrupted things too much this morning" Larka said after a brief pause "I mean, you have lost out on a whole mornings business"

"No of course not" said Leo "sure I may have missed a few customers but things don't really pick up till the afternoon this time of week"

"Well that's good" said Larka

"Truth be told there isn't much point in opening it most mornings but it keeps a man busy" said Leo "oh and of course there's him"

Leo motioned over to the window facing the street where a familiar zebra stood outside, tapping a hoof on the glass. Fenra recognised him instantly as the regular who, if he didn't know better, could have sworn lived here.

"We're not open till later this afternoon" Leo called over to the zebra, at which he slumped off past the bar and down the street "honestly, every day since I opened this place he's been here. I swear if I have to listen to him talk about his youth once more..."

The others couldn't help but laugh and Leo joined in with them. The group sat and chatted idly for a good hour, talking on all sorts as Leo passed more drinks to them. As time went by and more whisky entered him, Fenra found himself a little detached from the conversation, more observing this gathering from the outside. Maybe it was the alcohol in him but he smiled. Taking a figurative step back and looking at it from the outside for once he saw just what he had gained coming to this city. Though the place itself still seemed to conspire against him, now he saw a group of friends, laughing and enjoying each others company.

Lina, a peculiar vixen but quite the person and with such a warm heart. A friend to everyone she meets and one he was glad to know and call her a friend in return.

Leo, on the surface a tough sort, quiet and serious but get beyond that and you find a kind person. Always there to help out someone in need and a heck of a friend because of it.

And then of course, there was her, Larka... the one who, without her, he would have none of this. He couldn't describe his feelings for her in mere words. When he looked at her, into her beautiful, soulful eyes, he saw everything he was, everything he wanted to be. She gave him the courage to stand up and face each day... since the day they met he knew, he was no longer living for himself, but living for her.

Lina had just finished a story of a time at college when she had a few drinks and ended up singing along to the radio on a table in the common room, and badly at that. They all laughed and Fenra sighed a little, spotting the time on a wall clock in the bar and threw back the rest of his glass of whisky.

"Erm Larka" he said, motioning to the clock

"Hmm? Oh my yes" she said spotting the time as he had "time to make a move"

"Aw that time already?" said Lina a little solemnly

"Yes unfortunately" Fenra said, grabbing his backpack and placing a paw on Lina's shoulder "our train leaves in twenty minutes"

"Your coming to the station aren't you?" asked Larka

"Of course" Lina said "I wouldn't miss the last chance to say goodb..."

"Ah!" interrupted Larka "its not goodbye remember? its see you later"

"How silly of me" Lina said with a smile and a chuckle

"Are you coming Leo?" Fenra asked "I understand if you want to stay here and open up the bar"

"I think I can live with missing a little more business" said Leo with a smile "besides someone needs to be there to stay strong for our Lina here"

Leo approached Lina and hugged her close, kissing her softly for a moment at which she blushed deeply. Fenra couldn't help smile at the sight, strange though the pairing seemed in his head, the way Leo had to almost lift Lina of her feet for their lips to meet for one, it still gave him a warm feeling seeing his friends together, sharing something that seemed so pure and tender.

"Shall we?" Fenra said, extending an arm to Larka as she grabbed her suitcase. Larka took him by the paw and the group set off from the bar one last time.

Fenra looked back and couldn't help his mind from wandering as he watched Leo turn off the lights and lock the front door. He remembered his first time here, when he met Lina. The first time he met Leo and being petrified that he would say something wrong. How this lion who was once his boss had become a close friend. He remembered his first night on the job as Lina showed him the ropes, the first time he stood up to Carl and a night Larka had made all the more special for him. The feeling of getting his first paycheque, the smile that had come to his face every time he rounded the corner on his way to work. Though just a building to some it was something more to him, it had been his last chance in the city and one that had paid off for him. He was shaken from his thoughts by Larka calling to him from the end of the street. He called back to her, taking one last look and sighing gently as he walked away.

The station seemed surprisingly crowded for such a large building. There was a large amount of floor space but still one could barely move without bumping into someone. Just inside the doors was a ticket booth and a set of turnstiles with a slot just on the inside which tickets were fed through and allowed the turnstiles to move. Fenra withdrew a pair of tickets from his pocket, passed one to Larka and made his way through the turnstile with Larka close behind. After a brief chat with a passing security guard, Leo and Lina followed through a guest entrance at the very end of the row of turnstiles. Past these were the main platforms, many long stretches of concrete spreading from one side of the building to the other, interspaced with lines of track running off in all directions out of the city. Placed strategically on various walls and surfaces around the building loud speakers emitted, in barely recognisable tones, the various comings and goings of all the trains, while a large electronic board placed directly opposite the turnstiles listed all the frequently changing information to show the most recent arrivals, departures, platform numbers for each service, the delays and the cancellations.

"So which one is yours?" Lina asked catching up with them and staring bewildered at the board

"Lets see... oh there it is, platform 9, or is it 10 I cant tell?" said Fenra

"Well it could hardly be platform 9 and a fraction now could it" said Larka with a chuckle "which one are we looking at?"

Fenra pointed to the service on the board and Larka nodded "Ah I see, its platform 9, this way"

The group followed after Larka and they arrived at the platform at the side of a large blue and green train, its electronic engine whirring gently as it sat there idle.

"Tickets please" A stout looking tabby cat said to them as he approached, Fenra handed him the tickets at which he punched a hole in them and said "very good, free seating anywhere in the standard class coaches, train leaves in three minutes"

The cat walked off to gather the tickets some more arriving passengers, and Larka turned to face Lina and Leo.

"Well I guess this is it" she said softly giving Leo a hug

"Be safe Larka" Leo said returning the embrace

"I will" said Larka "and Lina... Lina?"

Larka had turned to give Lina the same hug but found her turned away, shaking slightly.

"Lina are you..." Larka started

"I cant do it, I cant look at you... I cant..." Lina struggled through a voice choked by emotion "... I cant say goodbye..."

"Oh Lina..." Larka said placing a paw on her shoulder at which Lina spun round on her heels and threw her arms around Larka, crying softly. Larka returned this warm embrace and though she tried not to, she couldn't help a tear from rolling down her cheek.

"I'm... going to... m... miss you so... much" Lina said between breaths

"Its ok Lina, its ok" Larka said to her softly, rubbing her back "remember this isn't goodbye forever, merely see you later"

"Of course... see you later" Lina said quietly, releasing the hug and smiling through reddened, tear soaked eyes.

Lina turned and hugged Fenra close, to which Fenra reciprocated and spoke softly "see you later Lina"

"Take care" Lina said gently as she released Fenra giving him a gentle peck on the cheek "and look after for Larka for me"

"I will" said Fenra, rubbing his cheek a little bashfully and smiling

"I guess this is it" said Leo, stretching out a paw to Fenra "good luck my friend"

"Thank you for everything Leo" said Fenra shaking his paw. But before he knew what had happened, Leo had swept him up in his great arms and hugged him tightly for a moment. Fenra stumbled a little as Leo released him.

"My pleasure Fenra, take care of yourself" said Leo smiling

The moment the group had shared was shattered as they heard the cat from earlier call "All Aboard!" from the end of the platform. At this Fenra and Larka picked up their bags and clambered on board through the nearest door, finding seats by a window, opening it and leaning out to look at Leo and Lina.

Lina was obviously crying again as she was blinking tears from her eyes repeatedly. Leo had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close to his chest. The train lurched a little and then began to steadily move off from the platform. Fenra and Larka leaned out of the window and waved to the pair left on the platform. Leo waved back and Lina could be seen waving one frantic arm, her high pitched voice calling after them, audible over the noise of rumbling trains long after she had become nothing more than a silhouette in the distance. The train turned a corner and they were gone, the only sight was passing buildings and the only sounds reaching their ears was the steady rumbling of the train as it weaved its way through the city. With a heavy sigh Larka sat down and Fenra closed the window gently. He looked over at Larka who had fallen silent, her eyes staring down at her lap.

"Are you alright?" he asked

"Darn Lina..." she muttered

"What?" he asked softly

Larka looked up at him and her face was damp with tears "I knew she wouldn't make this easy on me... I didn't want to get so emotional..."

Fenra smiled sweetly at her, moving his backpack from the seat next to him and beckoning her over, she sat on the seat with her head resting gently in his lap. He leant down and kissed her forehead at which she smiled and sighed softly, nuzzling his chest and mouthing "thank you" to him.

The pair had sat in a gentle silence for a good forty minutes as the train trundled around the city and towards the outskirts. The buildings becoming less cluttered the further they travelled, more open space becoming visible between blocks and around bends. The passengers around them gradually filtering out at each stop they passed.

As time went by and the train moved ever forwards, Fenra could not help his mind wandering onto their destination and what might await him there. It had been so long since he had seen the country, had seen his home. As the train pulled away from another station, the last of the passengers in their carriage having left, he ran a paw gently over Larka's head. She smiled softly at him and took his paw in hers.

"Larka I... there's some things I need to tell you..." Fenra said quietly

"What is it?" Larka asked curiously

"Well... all this time I've known you I've kept my past from you... but I cant any longer, I need to tell you... you need to know everything, so you can understand why some things may happen if we see my father" he said

"Fenra you know I'd listen to everything you have to say" she said softly, rubbing his cheek gently

"I grew up in the country with my mother and father. Both very traditional wolves, both living the way their parents had, the way their parents before them had..." Fenra began "... very set in their ways. They believed in their way of life, so much so that the brewery, it meant the world to my father"

Larka listened intently, though they were as close as two could get, this was the first time, in all openness, Fenra talked about his past and of everything that led him to where he was the day they met.

"That very brewery had been in my family for generations, my father, his father before him, the generation before that... as far back as anyone can remember it had been the focus of my family, and it was every sons right... no duty, in my fathers eyes, to carry on the tradition..." he said, his eyes glazed over as his mind flittered between memories flooding back to him.

"Go on" said Larka softly

"When I was younger I spent many a summer with my father, learning the trade, how to make ale. Heck by the age of seventeen I could brew almost as well as he could... but, that's where he and I differed" he said "my father, all that mattered to him was brewing. Myself, I had other sights. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the life, the brewing, but my sight was always set elsewhere. The lure of the city, the larger scale, the busy streets. In my time growing up it was all I could think of, it was my dream to move to a place like that one day. Of course all these dreams were quickly pounced on and attempted to quell by my father..."

Larka couldn't help noticing how he spoke, with every word he spoke on his old life, his old home, his summers spent brewing, it seemed filled with a certain sense of pride, even joy. Yet every mention of his father had a tinge of bitterness and every word of the city seemed to carry sorrow and regret in his voice.

"He could never get it out of my head though. When I turned eighteen and left school I had one goal in mind, moving to the city and finding work there... my father however, he had another goal in mind for me. At eighteen I was of the right age to join him in the ale trade so that when he retired I would take over" he said "so of course when I told my father my plans I was met with scorn and bitterness. He forbade me to leave, calling me a shame on the family to even think of such a thing"

"That's awful" Larka said gently, rubbing his cheek

"No that's not the worst part..." Fenra said solemnly "... times passed, days turned to months, months to years, but I could never get the city from my mind. One night when I passed the idea by him again he grew angry with me, more so than he ever had before. We argued long into the morning until eventually his temper got the better of him and he... struck me"

As Fenra spoke Larka noticed his paw go up to his cheek and rub it softly, apparently soothing some long forgotten wound.

"After that night I felt so bitter and resentful. My rage towards my father was barely containable. It growled inside me like an angry beast, I needed to get even, I needed some way to show him..." Fenra continued "... then I remembered, the previous summer, my father had brewed a keg of his most expensive ale, one reserved for special customers and occasions. It was his pride and joy... and it was there I saw my chance to get even. One night when everyone was asleep, I crept down to the cellar and planned to burn this ale..."

Fenra couldn't help but choke up a little at this, the shame of what he had done that night and the emotion he felt taking over him.

"Oh Fenra... you didn't..." Larka said, a little taken back by his rash action but aware of how sincere his regret was

"I did Larka, but that's not all I did that night..." he continued "... you see I had planned to just dispose of that one. What I didn't realise was just how it differed from the other ales. Its alcohol content was much higher, it burnt much more intensely that I imagined. Before I could contain it the blaze had spread to another keg, then another, until the entire cellar was alight. I ran from the house, screaming to my parents to get out too..."

Larka merely sat, jaw open, staring at him. The impact of hearing all this shocked her deeply.

"The... rest of that night is a blur... fire... screaming... the entire village tried to help put out the blaze. Eventually it was, the brewery and house were salvageable but the entire supply of ale had been destroyed" he continued "that same night I fled. Gathering up what I could, catching the next train and heading to the city... my father and I have never spoken eye to eye since then. He only ever called when my mother forced him too... and... well now you know"

Larka stared deeply into his eyes for a while, still letting everything she just heard sink in.

"That's why, regardless of how hard I found life in the city I could never head back. I couldn't see my father after that... I couldn't admit I was wrong... even if it landed me starving, broke and homeless... before you came along" Fenra said mournfully

Larka turned from him and stared out the window as buildings passed, thinning yet further. Trees, patches of grass and open field now visible in the distance.

"After knowing this... I can understand if you need some time" Fenra stood up and began to walk from the carriage "I can leave you alone for a while if you want I..."

"Fenra wait..." Larka said grabbing his arm before he could leave "...don't go"

Fenra sat back beside her, stared into her eyes as she stared back.

"Hearing all that... well its hard to believe, it truly is..." she said softly "... but... that doesn't matter to me"

"It doesn't?" he asked curiously

"No... that isn't who you are and both you and I know it" she said

"But..." he started

"No buts..." she interrupted "... you were young, reckless and it is true you didn't do the right thing. But you never meant for all of that to happen"

Fenra listened intently to her. It was the first time, ever, he had heard someone talk of that day in such a way, with such understanding.

"Everything that has happened to this day, it was an accident... and with everything you have had to endure you have clearly paid for your mistake" she said, rubbing his paw gently "you are a changed wolf, not the same one who vandalised an ale cellar all that time ago. I can hear it in your voice, you regret it so sincerely... I defy anyone to hear you speak of it and still label you a bad person"

"I do regret it... everyday I regret everything I did" he said quietly

"Exactly, and that is why you are no longer that wolf" she said, hugging him warmly "you cant erase your past but you can learn and change from it, into the person you are now... and the wolf I love"

"Thank you..." he said after a brief pause "... no one has ever told me that before, you don't know how much I have needed to hear those words"

She simply smiled at him and hugged him tightly "your welcome"

The pair sat again in silence as the train left the city boundaries for the first time. Vast fields bordered by forests spread out on all sides. The city disappearing into the distance behind them, its silhouette glinting with the early evening sun as it shrank on the horizon.

Larka stared out at the sight of the steadily disappearing city behind them. She watched it for a moment before sighing heavily "How did it happen? this world we grew up in, when did it lose its spark? become something to be feared not fascinated by? when did life become so hard?"

She spoke to no one in particular and leant back into Fenra's arms as the city finally vanished over the horizon. Fenra sighed gently, kissed Larka's forehead and rested his head back in his seat.

Fenra's eyes eased open to a gentle tugging at his sleeve and a soft finger caressing his cheek. He blinked softly through heavy eyelids and took in where he was. Still on the train, still moving through the country, yet slowing down. He turned his head to where Larka sat next to him, smiling sweetly.

"Sorry to have to wake you, you looked so peaceful" she whispered to him

"That's ok" he said with a yawn "where are we?"

"That's why I woke you love, we are almost there" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and standing up, collecting her suitcase from under the seat.

Fenra glanced out of the window once more as a familiar sight greeted his eyes, moving closer in the distance. A small concrete platform, an old brickwork and stone ticket building shadowed by a canvas canopy and a small sign. Though faded it didn't matter what the sign read, to Fenra it spelt one word, home.

Fenra's heart skipped a little. He didn't know whether it was fear or excitement that brewed inside him, but he repressed it for now, simply choosing to stand up with a stretch, calmly place his backpack over his shoulder, take Larka's paw and move to the nearest door.

The train slowed to a gentle stop on the platform, the engine noise dimmed to a quiet hum and a voice through a speaker muttered the words "last stop, all passengers disembark please"

Fenra placed a paw on the cool, steel door handle, turned it and gave it a gentle push. It swung open with ease, its weight adding to the momentum until it hit a rubber stopper placed on the side of the train. He took a deep breath, Larka gave his paw a gentle squeeze and he stepped off onto the same platform he had long left behind.

Blinking as the mid evening sunlight hit his eyes, glinting off the train and metal tracks, Fenra glanced around. Little had changed, though time had worn away the surfaces, paint that had been clear as day was now chipped, the one old bench just outside the ticket building was splintered and the sign missed many of its letters. There was a loud whirr as the train came to life once more. Moving off and leaving him and Larka, the only passengers remaining to disembark, standing, luggage in hands, on a platform surrounded by nothing but one stone cobbled road and vast open countryside.

Fenra's eyes were still adjusting to the light as he took in his surroundings more, though he felt he didn't need to. Time may have taken its toll but the look of home had never changed. He did notice however, an almost familiar silhouette sitting hunched on the old bench. He had just spotted this figure when it stood up and spoke to him.

"Hey wolf" it said in a masculine voice so familiar Fenra couldn't help but stare. The figure drew closer, stepping out from under the shadow the canopy cast upon the station, the rays of amber evening sun illuminating the shape before him.

Fenra gazed at this sight for a moment, his eyes adjusting and mind reeling at what he was seeing, heart beating faster in his chest. However before he knew how to react or what to do this person had begun to run at him.

"Oh my god, Thri..." was all he could manage before he was knocked off his feet by a running hug that threw both him and his companion to the floor.

"You really think I wouldn't be here to welcome you home huh?" the man said, hugging Fenra tightly and nuzzling him softly, a deep and pleasant growl emitting from his throat "god I missed you so much"

"You always did know how to make an entrance" Fenra laughed, hugging back and reciprocating the friendly growl. As the man released him and offered a paw to help him up Fenra took it and smiled "I missed the hell out of you too but what's wrong with a normal hello eh Thriff?"

"Oh come on you know me" said Thriff chuckling and with a grunt of effort lifting Fenra to his feet

"Yeah that I do, but I would have thought, in all this time, you might have worked on your etiquette" replied Fenra

"Etiquette? Hell I can't even spell that let alone learn it" said Thriff with a chuckle

Larka had watched the pair curiously whilst they had exchanged their greeting, the one she knew now to be called Thriff, a golden orange furred fox wearing long, worn look denim jeans, a white and red cross hatched button up shirt, with the first half of buttons undone, and a felt, wide brimmed, high crown hat atop his head with holes through which two fluffy white tipped ears poked through. A wide fluffy orange tail with a white underside and darkened tip flicking happily behind him.

"Oh come on, we both know your more educated than that, farm boy!" Fenra said, slapping Thriff's arm gently.

Larka gave a gentle cough, having given the boys a chance to introduce themselves, attracting Fenra's attention. He looked over and put his face in one of his paws with a laugh.

"Oh I'm so sorry Larka, I got caught up in the moment, here Larka this is Thriff" he said motioning to the fox "and Thriff this is Larka"

"Hi" said Larka with a wave

"Pleasure to meet you" said Thriff with a little blush "I'm awful sorry you had to see me make a fool of myself"

"That's perfectly fine" said Larka with a smile

"Guess I should tell you, me and Thriff have quite the history together" said Fenra, picking up his backpack that had fallen from him when Thriff had hugged him.

"That's putting it the light way" said Thriff "we were best friends growing up, damn near inseparable"

"It shows" Larka said with a chuckle

"Yeah I guess it does" said Thriff with a nervous laugh and another blush, turning to Fenra "sorry about the whole, tackling you to the floor thing"

"Ah don't worry about it" said Fenra "but how on earth did you know I was here?"

"Your mother" said Thriff "she said you'd be coming in today, once I knew that, it was simply a matter of waiting till the train you were on arrived"

"You've been waiting here all day?" said Fenra, a little shocked

"No of course not, just from midday" said Thriff

"Damn, aren't you hungry? Or thirsty?" said Fenra

"Course I am" said Thriff with a laugh, smiling at Fenra "but it was worth it"

"Thanks man" said Fenra "means a lot to hear you say that"

"Shall we get moving?" said Thriff "we've got a little way to go if you remember"

"Yeah I remember" said Fenra with a laugh "I don't need an escort, but if I had to be stuck with someone local to walk me and Larka home, well I'm glad its you"

"Stuck with someone eh?" said Thriff with a grin

"Oh hell, you know I didn't mean it like that" said Fenra sheepishly

"Yeah I know, just teasing buddy" said Thriff, opening the ticket building's door for Fenra and Larka

Larka picked up her suitcase and began to follow on behind Fenra. However when she reached the door Thriff put his paw on her case and called after Fenra, who had already crossed the small room and was out on the other side of the ticket building.

"Still a real gentleman I see, making the lady carry her luggage" he said with a laugh, to which Fenra just snorted "here I can take that for you"

"Thank you" said Larka as Thriff took her suitcase

"My pleasure" Thriff said, tucking the case under his arm as he and Larka caught up with Fenra outside the station

It was then Larka got her first true experience of the country. An awe inspiring sight met her eyes, a vast open plain stretching out on all sides, one long yellow stoned path stretching into the distance and a pair of mountain's twin peaks stretched up in the distance, clouds swirling gently around their tips. The air was warm but not the artificial warm of the city, heated by bodies and machines. A natural warmth, the feel of unobstructed sunlight warming her back, sinking into her skin. She took a deep breath of the clean air and it felt like heaven in her lungs, so crisp and pure. There was no noise except the gentle chirping of insects and the soft rustling of grass and reeds at each passing breeze. Larka sighed deeply and contentedly, her body had never felt so at peace, so at home.

"First time in the country?" Thriff asked with a smile, stirring Larka from her trance

"Oh erm... yes, yes it is" said Larka with a blush

"I can tell" Thriff said with a chuckle "that's the same reaction every one has their first time, particularly you wolves"

Larka stared at Thriff for a moment as he stared off at the distant peaks.

"Theirs a kind of magic, of wonder this land has over people" Thriff said looking distant "and I'm not talking magician card trick kind of magic, but an emotional magic. A way that someplace so natural can make you feel so at peace. Its even stronger to the wolves here, must be something to do with your ancestry, I don't know, but it's a sense you can only get far away from those city streets"

"I had no idea..." said Larka, enthralled by Thriff's words "how do you know..."

"How wolves feel here?" interrupted Fenra with a smile, placing a paw on Larka's shoulder "Everyone born and raised here, regardless of species, is taught it"

"Taught what?" asked Larka

"How our ancestors used to run free across the wide open country" said Fenra, running a paw over his head "how to a wolf, places like this are as close to heaven they can get without ascending, or so the old stories go"

"It still effects us all, or at least all of us who have an affinity for the country" said Thriff

"But to wolves its more than that?" said Larka

"Yes, its more..." started Fenra "... to wolves its said to be more something in the blood, something inbuilt to want to be like our ancestors, to feel the freedom of a place like this"

"Wow" said Larka softly, staring around her

"But those are all stories" said Fenra "the main thing is the way clean air, peace and quiet effects people, the rest is all old wives tales"

"There you go again, your such a pessimist" Thriff said with a laugh

"You do know him well" Larka said chuckling

"Oh come on, you don't really believe in magical powers of the land do you?" said Fenra with a grin

"Maybe not but I still like to think there's something special about the country" said Thriff

"Fine, fine, I don't want to get into this debate again after all this time" chuckled Fenra

"Just cause you know you'll lose" said Thriff with a smile

"You wish" said Fenra, giving Thriff a gentle shove

"I think its sweet" said Larka

"There you go" said Thriff nodding toward Larka and laughing "even your girlfriend agrees and she's never been here before"

"Can we just get moving now?" said Fenra with a chuckle and starting to walk down the road

"I knew it, even after all this time you cant beat me in an argument" said Thriff grinning, him and Larka following, the trio walking side by side

"Yeah, yeah, you are the greatest" said Fenra laughing "you big show off"

"Just 'cause you're a sore loser" chuckled Thriff

"I am not a sore loser" said Fenra with a smile

"Whatever" said Thriff, slapping Fenra on the back

Larka couldn't help but laugh at the pair, such an odd two together, best friends regardless of time that separated them. Talking as if nothing had ever changed. It was now Larka knew just how little she actually did know. This was her first window into Fenra's life outside the city, a place he once had friends, a home and even after everything that happened, people who still cared and kept their hearts open to him. She smiled broadly at this thought. Seeing what Fenra had in comparison to how little he had when they met. Not in measure of possessions however, but in measure of someone like Thriff who truly cared. It brought a warmth to her heart.

"So you really knew my Fenra well growing up?" asked Larka after her moment of thought, placing an arm around Fenra's waist.

"Oh yeah, we were so close" said Thriff "there wasn't anything one did that the other didn't know about"

"I'll have to remember that" said Larka with a cheeky grin "get the dirt on just what my wolf was like when he was younger"

"Larka!" said Fenra blushing a little "come on that's not fair"

Larka simply laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh if you want stories I have so many of them" said Thriff with a smile "like one time when we were teenagers..."

The trio kept walking down the long path, Thriff rattling off stories, Fenra growing redder by the second and Larka struggling to contain her laughter. As the sun crept ever closer to the horizon, vast shadows were cast across the landscape, the sun bathing the fields and hillsides in a soft amber glow.

"...and then of course there was the time when..." Thriff started

"I think we've heard enough for now" said Fenra with an exasperated sigh "besides we're here"

"So we are" said Thriff "I got so caught up in the stories I didn't realise how far we had gone"

They had just passed over a small hill and arrived at the entrance to a small village. The path they were on formed the high street, stretching out into the distance, buildings halting just before another short hill at the far end of the street. Houses and local stores lined the street. A small, basic stone church at the centre of a crossroads intersecting the high street. Many other smaller streets branched off on all sides, leading down small paths to houses and fields, the occasional road leading a little further out to farms and ranches surrounding the village.

Larka couldn't believe the sight that met her eyes, wolves everywhere, dominating the scene yet mixing with other species. Talking as friends, neighbours, even lovers, as her eyes spotted a wolf in the arms of her cheetah partner resting on a bench outside the church. Wolven children played in the street, throwing leather balls to and from each other, laughing and screaming in their youthful way. Playing with the children of others, a hyena pup was in uncontrollable laughter as he watched a young timber wolf pull faces at him. Larka could not believe what her eyes were seeing, a place like this she never dreamt could actually exist.

Fenra saw the awe struck look on her face and kissed her cheek, taking her by the paw and leading her down the high street "welcome to my home"

"Fenra I... I never knew somewhere like this could... I mean..." Larka stuttered

"Its ok, I understand" Fenra said softly with a gentle smile "you grew up in the city, a place like this, it could only have existed in imagination to you"

"Yes... my father he used to tell me of places like this, places he and my mother had come from" said Larka "but I never knew what it would be like to actually see it"

"I know Larka, I know" Fenra said nodding and squeezing her paw softly

"Please Fenra" said Larka, gazing in wonder as she saw a panther help and elderly wolf carry her shopping around the corner "I want to know everything about this place"

"Well there's not much to it really" said Fenra "simple village, simple people"

"That church was the first building here" said Thriff "it was that and then two houses after that to start with"

"The church was run by one old wolf initially" Fenra continued "but as time went by more people came to the village, wolves mostly at first"

"As more came more houses were built, eventually local shops were set up, a few farms to supply the food, things like that" said Thriff

"That crossroads up ahead was the centre of it all, if it weren't for that being the diverging point between two major country roads none of this would exist" said Fenra "that's why the square of stone that the church is built on in the centre has never been touched and everything is built around it"

"You could say that church marks the dead centre of our little community" said Thriff "the needle in our haystack"

"As time went by more and more people came and settled here, my family for one, many generations ago" said Fenra "it wasn't all wolves though, all species came"

"My family for example" said Thriff "a generation later than Fenra's so the records say"

"But the wolves still remained the highest population here" continued Fenra "but we didn't let that effect us, one thing always remained, the wolven way of life, a promise to live a simple life off of the land around us"

Larka listened intently to the description, her eyes glistening with child like curiosity. As she heard Fenra speak of the wolves and wolven way of life she couldn't help but hear a sense of pride in his voice, speaking so knowledgably about his heritage.

"Its that same way of life that drew so many species here" said Thriff "we all wanted to experience this way of life"

"Its also why things are so different here" said Fenra "you see, unlike in the city, people respect the wolf and come here to live as they live, not just along side them but live at one with them, its why... well just look over there"

Fenra motioned to a lioness who picked up an apple that had fallen from a silver furred wolves shopping bag, hurried after her and handed it to her. The silver wolf smiled and thanked her, taking the apple, placing it back in her bag and after another round of thanks and wishes of good day from the pair they went their separate ways.

"Its incredible" said Larka

"Its not incredible, its just what the world should be like" said Thriff

"One caring community" said Fenra, as if reading the words from a script

"You still remember it eh?" said Thriff with a chuckle "we had to say that every day at school"

"Exactly" said Fenra with a laugh "saying something everyday is bound to get it stuck in your head"

The trio laughed and Thriff made a glance at a clock in a shop window "oh damn, I got to head off for a bit, I promised someone I'd... well never mind that"

"Oh?" said Fenra "who's this someone?"

"I'll tell you later" chuckled Thriff "I know, meet me at the pub later, we still have a hell of a lot of catching up to do"

"Sure thing my friend" said Fenra as the pair exchanged a hug

"See you later, oh and Larka it was great meeting you" Thriff said as he handed Larka's suitcase to her and headed off rapidly down a side street

"Bye" Larka called after him as he disappeared from sight

"Thriff... what a guy" said Fenra with a chuckle

"He's something alright" said Larka smiling

The pair laughed gently and Fenra took Larka's paw "shall we get going to the brewery, my mother must be waiting for us"

"Of course" said Larka

They walked for a good ten minutes, Larka asking various questions about the village and Fenra answering as best he could. They rounded a corner and headed down a small, worn path that led slightly away from the village. They could see the brewery a little way off in the distance, surrounded by fields of tall growing hop plants.

They had walked a little further when a small leather ball landed at Fenra's feet. He picked it up and looked around, seeing a small wolf, about nine years old with almost pure white fur, wearing only a pair of shorts running up to him.

"Sorry mister I'll be more careful I..." the wolf froze mid sentence as he looked up at Fenra

"Hey there sport, still playing ball in the street?" Fenra said with a smile

"Mister Fenra? Your back?" the wolf squeaked

"Yeah for a little bit" Fenra said, walking up and handing the ball to the pup "and what did I tell you about calling me mister, Karr? It's just Fenra, you know that"

"Sorry mist... I mean Fenra" said Karr

"There you go" Fenra said, ruffling the pup's head fur

"Its awful nice to have you back" Karr said a little sheepishly

"Well thanks little guy" said Fenra "Its nice to be back, if only to see my best friends like you"

Karr couldn't help but giggle at this and Fenra picked him up "so where's your mother today?"

"She went to your house I think" Karr said "wanted to talk to your mummy"

"Ah I see, well I'll make sure to say hi to her" Fenra said, setting Karr back down on the street

"Ok, but promise you wont tell her I was playing ball on the street" said Karr looking down at his feet "she gets mad when she catches me"

"Oh hey don't worry about it, I'll keep your secret if you promise to be careful ok?" said Fenra

"I will Fenra" said Karr with a smile, turning and staring at Larka through wide eyes

"Hello there" Larka said and Karr blushed a deep red

"Oh I'm sorry" said Fenra kneeling beside Karr "Larka this is Karr, Karr this is my very special friend Larka"

"Nice to meet you" said Larka kneeling down in front of him, Karr simply looked away

"Oh what's the matter?" said Fenra rubbing Karr's shoulders "your not shy are you?"

Karr nodded a little and Fenra chuckled "Aw well don't worry, she's a very nice person"

Karr looked up at Larka and Larka smiled down sweetly at him

"I don't bite" she said, extending a paw to shake his own. Karr smiled a little and instead of taking her paw, put his little arms around her neck and gave her a hug. Larka sighed softly and hugged him back

"See nothing to be shy about" Fenra said softly

"Nothing at all" said Larka gently as Karr released the hug

Karr smiled and blushed a deep red before mumbling "your really pretty"

"Aw well thank you Karr" Larka replied with a little hint of red in her cheeks

"Well little guy we have to make a move" said Fenra patting Karr on the head "grown up stuff to do"

"I'll see you again wont I?" said Karr

"Of course you will" said Fenra with a smile "play safe now"

"I will" said Karr with a broad smile as he ran off down the street

"Adorable pup" said Larka with a smile

"He really is" said Fenra as the pair headed off down the road again

"How does he know you so well?" asked Larka

"Well its kind of a sad story, his father died while his mother was still pregnant" said Fenra

"Oh no, that's awful" she said

"I know, and of course his mother then had to go to work to pay to support him" he said "the only job she could get was a waitresses position at a local restaurant, long, inconvenient hours"

"Oh poor Karr" she said

"Still lucky for him, my mother and his are close friends" he said "and when she left for work he would come and stay with us. Me and my mother spent a lot of time raising that kid, I got really attached to the little feller"

"Oh Fenra, that's so wonderful" she said

"Yeah, I really like to think we made a difference to that little boy's life" he said smiling "sometimes when my mother was busy, I'd spend long afternoons playing with him, he didn't have many friends because of his white fur, the other children made fun of him"

"Your such an amazing wolf" she said, kissing his cheek softly

"I just try to be a good person" he said smiling, kissing her cheek back in kind as they continued down the road.

They arrived at a simple wooden gate and fence that surrounded the brewery and house attached to it. Larka looked up at the building before her, it was unlike anything she had seen before. A large building with a gently sloping thatched roof with three tall white chimneys spread out evenly across is. Brick and stone work walls were interspaced with small, square glass windows. A heavy looking wooden door with a small symbol of an ale keg with a wolves paw print on it marked the entrance, just to the left of this door where two smaller wooden doors set into the earth which led down to the cellar. A small cobbled path led up to the entrance and the entire property was surrounded by vast hop fields.

Fenra chuckled as he read the sign on the gate before opening it.

"Gray estates?, honestly, one building doesn't make an estate"

Larka laughed along with him as the pair passed through the gate and up to the front door. Fenra raised his paw to knock on the door, paused for a moment in contemplation then placed three loud knocks on the hard wood surface. He heard his mother call from inside and the shuffling of feet. A moment later the door opened and there stood Braska, looking a little tired but other than that no worse for wear than when they had last met.

"Mother" said Fenra with a smile

"Oh Fenra, you came" Braska said, giving her son a gentle hug

"You were right, I knew I had to come back" said Fenra, returning the hug gently

"Nice to see you again Braska" said Larka

"You brought Larka as well" said Braska smiling "that's wonderful"

"I couldn't have left his side even if I wanted to" Larka said lightly, giving Fenra's arm a gentle squeeze

"Well come on in, no need to stand there all evening like statues" chuckled Braska, leading the pair into the house.

The inside of the house was very basic floored with cool stone tiles, a large woollen rug placed around the doorway. A small fireplace in the far corner was surrounded by a cloth lined couch and two armchairs, a long fibred red rug lay directly in front of the fire. A simple kitchen area was just to the left of the door with an old gas stove and simple stone worktops, one with a small sink set into the stone. Opposite this, in the centre of the room, was a wooden dining table with a white tablecloth draped across it and six wooden dining chairs surrounding it, each with a cushion on its seat. On the far left of the room was a door set into an archway which led to the brewery and on the far right was a staircase leading to the bedrooms.

"Come on in, sit down" said Braska heading over to the stove where sat a kettle over a small blue flame "would you like a tea? Coffee?"

"I wouldn't mind a tea, thank you mother" said Fenra, placing his backpack down inside the door and walking over to the fireplace and taking a seat on the couch "Larka?"

"Oh, yes I will have a tea if that's ok?" said Larka after setting her luggage down next to Fenra's and heading over to join him, her feet shaking a little as they met the cold stone

"Two teas coming up" said Braska cheerily

Larka made it to the sofa and sat down next to Fenra, resting her head on his shoulder. She lifted her feet off the floor and hovered them just in front of the fireplace which emitted a gentle warmth from a few glowing embers amongst a pile of ash. Fenra chuckled a little at this sight and kissed Larka's cheek

"You get used to it" he said

"Get used to what?" Braska asked, joining them and taking a seat in one of the armchairs, passing them their cups of tea

"The floor" said Larka a little embarrassed "It feels so cold"

"Oh yes I'm sorry about that" said Braska "I should have put down another rug or something, I'm just so used to it I forget how cold it must feel"

"That's quite alright" said Larka "I'm just used to warm carpeted floors, like in the city"

"From the city as well are you?" came a soft voice from the other armchair. Fenra and Larka turned and noticed, for the first time, a pure white furred arctic vixen sitting there in a white shirt and blue pleated skirt, sipping gently from a mug.

"Jessa!" said Fenra with a smile, getting to his feet and offering the vixen a hug

"Fenra Gray" Jessa said, returning the smile and a warm hug "one wolf I would have never expected to see here again"

"I'm full of surprises" said Fenra with a chuckle "Larka this is Jessa, Karr's mother"

"Oh, a pleasure to meet you" said Larka extending a paw

"A pleasure" said Jessa, shaking Larka's paw "I heard about you, Braska said Fenra had a special someone"

"Mother!" said Fenra with a laugh, blushing a little "gossiping behind my back"

"Oh come now Fenra, you know me and Jessa share everything" said Braska with a smile

"Oh yes, all to well" said Fenra, turning to Larka "every little bit of mischief I got into growing up, you can bet they both knew about it"

"You? Mischief?" said Larka chuckling "I cant imagine that"

"No your Fenra was a good boy" said Jessa addressing Braska "the only trouble he ever got into was being found in my husbands orchard sleeping under the apple tree that one summer"

"Oh yes I remember that" said Braska with a smile "your husband woke him up and gave him the fright of his life"

"Oh come on, I was ten and he was six foot wolf holding a pitchfork!" said Fenra blushing "that's a scary thing to be woken by for a ten year old"

"He only wanted to wake you up and see if you were ok" said Jessa with a chuckle "you jumped right out of your fur and ran all the way back home"

"He could have done that without the pitchfork" said Fenra with a smile "Thriff never let me forget that one"

"Still you were a good boy" said Jessa "one I didn't mind spending all that time with my Karr as he was growing up"

"Oh yes, we saw Karr on the walk up here" said Larka "he is such a cute little pup"

"He certainly is" said Jessa "he's my life"

"That reminds me" said Fenra "he said you and my mother had something to talk about?"

"Oh that" said Braska "Jessa just wanted to check I was free to look after Karr once she got her hours through from the restaurant"

"Ah I see" said Fenra "still have that old job?"

"Not anymore" said Jessa with a smile "I was promoted a little while ago, didn't you hear?"

"No, I haven't heard anything that's been going on here in a while" said Fenra a little ashamedly

"Jessa became head waitress and then assistant manager after that" said Braska

"Oh well congratulations" said Fenra

"Thank you" said Jessa "although it means more work I get more money that I can use to give Karr the best chance in life"

"About Karr..." started Larka a little sheepishly "... do you mind if I ask you..."

"About his fur?" said Jessa with a gentle laugh

"How did you know?" asked Larka

"That's what everyone asks when they first see him" Jessa said with a smile

"I'm sorry if it seems rude" said Larka "It's just, I've never seen a wolf with that fur colour"

"Its quite alright dear" Jessa said "he gets his fur colour from me, the rest is all wolf, all his father"

"Oh I see" said Larka "sorry to have asked, I was just..."

"Curious" interrupted Braska with a smile "my dear you must stop apologising and making excuses for everything"

"Curiosity should never be denied" said Jessa with a soft chuckle

"Are they still teaching that one at the school too?" asked Fenra lightly

"Of course" said Braska "The day they stop teaching those old sayings is the day I grow a third foot!"

All of them laughed at this before Larka spoke "well I think its nice, to have simple things like that told to the children"

"Exactly, and it helps keep our traditions alive in the younger generations" said Braska

"Still when you have almost twenty of them told to you day after day, you get sick of the sound of them" chuckled Fenra

"Well you never liked school so your opinion doesn't count" said Braska with a laugh

"Well I have to be going" said Jessa, finishing off her mug of tea and standing up "thank you for the drink Braska and thank you for being able to take care of Karr next week"

"That's perfectly fine Jessa" said Braska "I'll talk to you later"

"Goodbye Braska" said Jessa "Fenra, it was lovely to see you again and Larka it was wonderful to meet you"

"It was a pleasure to meet you too Jessa" said Larka

"Goodbye for now" said Fenra as Jessa walked out the door, down the path and out of sight

"Everyone here is so nice" said Larka

"It's a wonderful little community we have here" said Braska with a smile and hint of pride in her voice, taking Jessa's now empty mug and making her way to the sink to wash it up

"Can I give you a hand with that?" asked Larka, taking hers and Fenra's empty cups over to the sink

"No thank you dear, I can manage" said Braska "Fenra why don't you show Larka around the place?"

"Oh I don't think Larka would want..." started Fenra

"No I'd love to see your home" said Larka enthusiastically

"Very well then" said Fenra, standing up and taking Larka's paw "you'll be alright on your own wont you?"

"I've been on my own for years, a little longer wont make a difference" chuckled Braska

"Alright, no need to be sarcastic" said Fenra with a laugh as he and Larka headed off through the door to the brewery

Stepping into the brewery Larka's nostril's were filled with the scent of aging wood, the air was quite humid and was far warmer than the house had been. The room they stood in was about the same size as the house area but far more sparse, There was a small counter in the centre with a magazine on its surface, a set of draws just beneath it and a rack with various bottles on the back wall. A few large kegs lay in the far corner, each bearing the same symbol that had been on the front door. Next to these was a variety of farm equipment, spades, rakes, hoes, a scythe and hedge cutter. Larka walked towards the kegs and knelt down beside them, running a paw over the symbol on their side.

"Its my father's mark" Fenra said kneeling down beside her "he put that on every keg, bottle and glass he made so everyone knew it was this brewery"

"Is this where you actually brewed?" asked Larka

"No most of that was done in the cellar, I'd take you down there but there's nothing to see, just various barrels and fermenting equipment" said Fenra "this room was used for sales, its where my father would negotiate prices and store anything that would be sold in the near future"

"Oh I see" said Larka "why is it so..."

"Warm and humid?" finished Fenra "Its to keep the ale in top condition before its sold, it's the perfect environment for it"

"You certainly do know a lot" said Larka

"Well I did spend a fair share of my summers helping my father with these things" said Fenra "I was a fully capable brewer, just underage till I left school"

"Oh I see" said Larka

"Come on, I'll take you out to the fields" said Fenra taking her paw "I never could stay in this room to long, it makes me sleepy"

The pair headed out of the brewery through a door on the far side of the room and stepped out onto a soft patch of grass that lead straight through the centre of two fields of shoulder high growing hops. Above their tips in the distance the top of a tall oak tree could be seen swaying in the gentle breeze. The air was full of the sweet scent of plant blooms and pollen drifting between the long hop stalks. Fenra led Larka down the long grass strip till they arrived at the oak tree. A tall, magnificent being stood towering over them, at its trunk a patch of grass led to soft sand and stone. A familiar, soothing, lapping sound came to ear as water pulsed gently over the stones. Before them a small lake stood, glittering in the orange glow of the evening sun, softly breaking against the fine sand at its shore, bordered in the distance by a forest of grand ferns and evergreen trees. Fenra led Larka over to the oak tree and the pair lay beneath it, wrapped in each others arms, back against the trunk and stared out over the gently rippling water.

"Oh Fenra its beautiful" said Larka softly

"This was my favourite place in the whole country" said Fenra "every summer evening I would come out here and lay down. Sometimes with Thriff or Karr, sometimes alone. I would watch the water ripple and the clouds pass. I would feel so at peace"

"I think anyone would feel the same" said Larka "this place, its so amazing its... its like something out of a dream"

"It really is something" Fenra said with a gently yawn, exhaustion catching up with him and the serene calm of where he was relaxing him further, laying back on the grass and closing his eyes.

Larka smiled sweetly at her lover and kissed his forehead. She knew just how much all of this had taken out of him and simply whispered in his ear "sleep well my love", standing up and heading back to the house, leaving him to slumber in peace.

Larka stepped back through the door into the house, seeing Braska sitting upon the couch in front of the fire, having just thrown a new log on it, now sitting staring, absent minded, into the flickering flames. She walked over and sat in one of the armchairs.

"Braska?" she said quietly

"Oh Larka" said Braska, jumping a little "you startled me"

"I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to" Larka said apologetically

"Its quite alright dear" said Braska giving her a soft smile "I was just lost in my own thoughts, Fenra not with you?"

"No, he is sleeping under the oak tree out by the lake" said Larka

"So like him" Braska said, chuckling softly and looking distant "so many times when he was little I had to carry him inside at night"

"Your son is quite the wolf" said Larka with a smile

"Oh I know" Braska said looking down at her paws, it was only now Larka noticed her holding a small picture "he makes mistakes as everyone does, but he is still my son and I love him"

"May I see?" Larka asked motioning to the picture

"Of course" Braska replied, handing her the picture

Larka looked at the picture and smiled. There, in a worn black and white photo, and though very young, was unmistakably Fenra. He was wearing nothing but a simple pair of canvas shorts, being cradled in the arms of a proud looking wolf. This wolf had finely chiselled features and wore an open shirt and denim jeans, smiling broadly at the camera. Both were covered in patches of soil with bits of plant and leaves caught in their fur. Fenra had his eyes closed and was clearly sleeping peacefully in his fathers arms.

"We took that one summer when he was four years old, it was the first time we let him run out alone in the hop fields" Braska said with a smile "It took his father three hours to find him in the end. He was terrified we had lost him for good, of course Fenra thought the whole thing was hilarious"

"Is this his father?" Larka asked

"Yes that's Fell Gray" Braska replied "Fenra's father and my husband of many good years"

"I've heard a little of him from Fenra" said Larka, handing the photo back to Braska "when I first met him, though not much"

"Undoubtedly all bad" Braska said a little forlorn

"No, no he simply told me what he used to do" said Larka hastily "beyond that I know almost nothing of any of you. Today is the first day I really got a look into Fenra's past and family"

"That sounds like Fenra" Braska said with a chuckle "like getting blood from a stone is getting anything emotional from him ever since that day"

"I heard about what happened that day" Larka said "I'm hardly surprised he became so shut off"

"His father and I never hated him for what happened" Braska said looking deeply into the flames of the fire "they were both just so... strong willed. Neither would ever back down to the other so when arguments came they were always heated"

"Fenra is stubborn, I know that" Larka said "when I first met him it took all the convincing I could muster just to buy him dinner"

"If only they had learned to listen, really listen to each other" Braska said in a slightly shaky voice "maybe they could have understood one another, maybe none of this would have happened, maybe we would still be a family"

"I'm sorry" said Larka taking Braska's paw as she spotted a tear forming in her eyes "I didn't mean to bring it up"

"Don't apologise dear" Braska said with a smile, wiping away her tears "Its not your fault, I've just been very sensitive lately"

The pair smiled at each other for a moment before Larka spoke "Oh before I forget, thank you, for taking me into your home while I'm here"

"That's quite alright dear, Its what we do around here, look out for each other" Braska said "and anyone who has done so much for my son, well you are like family to me"

"This place, the people here, they are all so wonderful" Larka said

"Its simply the way we live here" Braska said "we all respect one another and only ask the same respect be shown to us in kind"

"My father used to tell me about places like this all the time" said Larka "but I never truly believed they could exist, not after being raised on life in the city"

"It is hard for anyone in the city to truly believe or understand things out here" Braska said "particularly those who have never seen it"

"I guess I just never believed there could truly be a place like this, where wolves lived as equals" Larka said "life in the city, it tends to drain hope out of a wolf"

"The city and the country, the wolves and the world" said Braska "both are still so divided by what happened all that time ago that now neither can truly talk to or understand the other"

"What did happen Braska?" asked Larka "how did wolves become so resented in the city?"

"You've never heard?" said Braska to which Larka shook her head "well you see, it all happened many, many generations ago. The world had begun to figuratively split, various forms of technology were being discovered and many flocked to follow it"

Larka listened intently to Braska's words for yet again today she felt that not only was she learning about the world around her, but more about herself and who she was because of it.

"There was one species however who denied this, the wolf" continued Braska "for you see, the wolves have always, dating back to the time of our great ancestors, lived lives off and of the land"

"As close as you can get to heaven without ascending" Larka spoke softly

"That's right, where did you hear that?" Braska asked

"Oh its something Fenra told me when we left the station" Larka said "Please continue"

"I see, well the wolves would not give up their steadfast commitment to the land but the rest of the world wanted their technology, their cities" said Braska "the wolves never tried to force their life on others but just wanted others to respect theirs. The problem was the rest of the world that wanted technology couldn't understand the wolves decision to decline it"

"And that's where it comes from?" asked Larka

"Not exactly, because at the start it was fine, just a simple divide with a few misunderstandings along the way. However as time went on, years went by, the initial reason for the wolves refusing technology became forgotten by most in the cities" said Braska "As time continued to roll by, those of closed mind filled the confusion with rumour and hearsay. The divide became larger and more extreme, the misunderstanding and confusion turning to mistrust and hate. Wolves became regarded in city communities as freaks and madmen. Add many more years and generations being brought up in that world and that way of thought and you have how wolves are treated now"

"But not everyone thinks that way about wolves" said Larka

"True and it is those who we should be thankful for" said Braska "those whose minds are open, as more time went by and others came to join the wolven way of life more came to understand it and places like this flourish"

"But the stereotypes, rumours and old hates still hold true in the cities?" asked Larka

"Exactly" said Braska "The cities are still filled with the descendants of the closed minded whose lack of understanding turned to hate all those generations ago, they know no different than the stereotypes they are taught, so they take rumour as fact"

"To denounce an entire people based on an ungrounded hate from generations past, its such a shame" Larka said with a heavy sigh

"That is why we wolves stay thankful for our homes in places like this" Braska said "where we can still live our lives and others respect us for it, even come to learn from us"

"So if what you say is true, its not just our city, I mean the one I came from, that treats wolves that way?" asked Larka

"No its not, it's the same the world over, we wolves live our simple lives amongst others in the country, others live their city lives" said Braska "never the two shall meet without conflict"

"Its so sad" said Larka

"Its for that very reason my husband was so opposed to Fenra leaving for the city" Braska said "he didn't want his only son exposed to that world"

"But, according to Fenra it was because of the brewery?" said Larka perplexed

"Well of course he would say that" Braska said with a chuckle "that's all his father ever told him. He loved his son but he was a stubborn, tough old wolf and would never want to seem weak or emotional"

"Being emotional isn't weak" said Larka

"Oh I know that as well as you do but try explaining that to Fell, or his father, or his father before him" said Braska with a smile "He came from a family where the men were men, the boys never cry approach. It still makes me chuckle to this day the times my husband would excuse himself for various reasons, saying he needed air or to stretch his legs when we all knew he just didn't want us to see him get emotional"

Larka and Braska sat in silence for a while, simply looking into the fire. Larka let her mind wander over everything she had heard today. All this time she knew so little of Fenra's past and her own heritage, but in one day she had come to know so much. This moment of silence was interrupted by a knock at the door and Braska went to answer it.

"Thriff? What can I do for you?" asked Braska after opening the door

"Sorry to bother you Braska but is Fenra about? He never came to the pub like he said he would" said Thriff

"Ah that sounds like Fenra" chuckled Braska "still forgetful as ever, he's sleeping out back, you know the place"

"Less than a day here and he's already sleeping back there, talk about your wolf of habit" said Thriff with a smile before heading through the house and out the back door, calling back "thank you Braska"

Fenra was awoken by a gentle kicking at his side. He eased his eyes open and the world was dark. The sun had set, stars twinkled gently against a sapphire sky and the moon hung low on the horizon. He saw a familiar figure hunched over him with a grin.

"Falling asleep on me already huh?" Thriff said with a chuckle

"Damn Thriff" Fenra said with a yawn and a stretch "I didn't mean to fall asleep out here"

"Hey don't worry about it" Thriff said helping Fenra to his feet "come on, I'll take you to the pub like I said earlier, I've got someone there waiting to meet you"

"Oh right yeah" Fenra said, steadying himself and the pair headed back towards the house "completely skipped my mind"

"Still the same old Fenra" Thriff laughed, slapping Fenra gently on the back

The pair arrived back at the house where Larka explained she had been talking with Braska and they explained they were heading out, Larka along with them. Braska nodded and waved them off from the front door as the trio made their way back towards the village.

The group arrived at the entrance to the pub, a two story, red stone brick building with a large wooden door at its entrance and a sign swinging gently back and forth in its frame suspended from the wall at the second floor.

"Oh my god, they still have that sign?" said Fenra after spotting it, the unmistakable paw print on a keg.

"Your kidding right? They'd never change that sign, not on your life" said Thriff with a laugh holding the door open for the pair of them

"But my father doesn't brew anymore, hell nothings come out of that brewery in a good while" said Fenra as he stepped inside, Larka following close behind and Thriff shutting the door

"That doesn't matter" said Thriff "this place wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your father in the first place, they still have that sign as a tribute to him"

"That's kind of sweet" said Larka

"I know, but try telling that to mister pessimistic here" chuckled Thriff

"Yeah yeah" said Fenra

The pub wasn't huge but a fair size. It had a bar just opposite the entrance with various tall and short pulls along its length and behind that racks with various wine and whisky bottles. The bar itself was surrounded by stools. There was a fireplace in the far corner, a few couches around the walls and short tables just in front of these. A dartboard and chalkboard with the scores of a half finished game still written upon it on the far left wall. There were a few people dotted around it in small groups talking, laughing and drinking.

"Evening Sahnder" Thriff said when he reached the bar to a palomino stallion standing behind it cleaning a glass, wearing a worn looking, pale blue shirt and a pair of black trousers.

"Evening Thriff, the usual?" said Sahnder then turning to Fenra and Larka "and what will your friends be hav... oh your kidding me!"

"Hey Sahnder" Fenra said, stretching out a paw and resisting the urge to laugh at the look on the stallions face

"Fenra Gray, Fenra bloody Gray it is you!" Sahnder said shaking Fenra's paw vigorously "I'll be damned, I never thought I'd see you in here again"

"Yeah I'm surprising all sorts of people today" chuckled Fenra

"And who is your friend?" asked Sahnder looking at Larka

"Ah, Larka this is Sahnder, Sahnder this is Larka, my very special friend" Fenra said, placing an arm around Larka's waist and kissing her cheek

"Nice to meet you" said Larka smiling

"Same to you miss" said Sahnder with a nod "sorry for my little outburst there, I just know your wolf there from quite some time ago"

"We'd been regulars ever since we reached drinking age" chuckled Thriff

"And heavy drinkers at that" laughed Sahnder

"Oh hey now that's not fair" said Fenra with a laugh "we just liked to have a good time is all"

"That's what they all say" chuckled Sahnder

"Just pour the ale" said Thriff with a grin

"Ale? oh heck no" said Sahnder grabbing a bottle from behind him and two glasses "a special occasion like this calls for a special drink, two whiskeys on the house, and for you miss?"

"I'll have the house wine if that's ok?" said Larka

"Oh and can you make it three whiskeys?" asked Thriff

"Ah for your special guest over there, sure thing" said Sahnder, pouring a third glass of whiskey and Larka her wine "there you go, enjoy"

"Thanks" said Thriff as each took their drink and followed Thriff across the room

"Special guest? What did he mean by that?" asked Fenra

"Well this" Thriff said as they reached a couch in which sat a midnight black furred wolf with deep amber eyes, no shirt showing off a slightly paler chest and a pair of khaki pants

"Here you go Khaz, compliments of the house thanks to my buddy Fenra here" said Thriff handing the wolf a glass of whisky and taking the seat next to him

"Oh wow thanks and thank you Fenra" said the wolf known as Khaz

"I've been waiting for this" Thriff said with almost tangible excitement in his voice as Larka and Fenra sat down on a couch opposite them "Khaz this is my best friend I've told you about and Fenra this is my boyfriend Khaz"

"Boyfriend! No way, your kidding!" said Fenra with a broad smile on his face, slapping his friend on the shoulder "that's awesome man, for both of you"

"Pleasure to finally meet you" said Khaz holding out his paw to Fenra "I've heard so much about you"

"Great to meet you too" said Fenra shaking Khaz's paw "and this is my girlfriend Larka"

"Nice to meet you" said Larka, shaking Khaz's paw

"Likewise" said Khaz with a smile

"Thriff you never told me you were gay" said Larka

"You never asked" chuckled Thriff after taking a sip of his whiskey "besides we'd just met and I don't exactly broadcast it, I'm not some walking, talking stereotype"

"I guess your right" laughed Larka "still good for you"

"Good for him and good for me too" said Khaz giving Thriff a quick kiss

"Hope you've been telling him all good things about me Thriff" chuckled Fenra

"Of course he has" said Khaz "not one bad word"

"Fenra come on, who do you think I am" said Thriff with a smile "heck I owe a lot of this to you"

Larka tilted her head curiously at this which Thriff spotted and laughed "I keep forgetting there's a lot you don't know, sorry Larka"

"Its quite alright" Larka said taking a sip of her wine

"Well you see, when me and Fenra were growing up I began to realise I was different" Thriff said "you know, that way"

"It was hardly a secret seeing you in the locker rooms at school" teased Fenra

"Yeah yeah" said Thriff rolling his eyes "so anyway it was Fenra here who helped me come to terms with it, if it wasn't for him I'd still be in the closet, a very depressing closet at that"

"Oh heck, I didn't do all that much, just said lots of cheesy stuff like "be proud of who you are" chuckled Fenra

"Hey don't knock that stuff, it really helped me, you know that" said Thriff with a smile

"Well I'm just glad I could help" said Fenra "I couldn't stand seeing my best friend miserable"

"Your so sweet" said Larka rubbing Fenra's cheek gently and giving him a soft kiss

"So Khaz, how did you and Thriff meet?" asked Fenra

"Oh well it was about a year ago I think" said Khaz "my old village, not unlike this one, was being taken over by a city"

"Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that" said Larka

"Yeah it was tough" said Khaz "everyday there were more buildings, larger roads, cars started driving through. The day an apartment block was built half a mile from my house I knew I had to get out of there, I couldn't watch as my village was engulfed by a city"

"That's when you came here right?" said Fenra

"Yeah, packed up everything I had and took the next train here, I had heard good things about it" said Khaz "problem was I had no place to stay and had spent my last dollars on the train ticket"

"That's when I found him" said Thriff "that same day sitting on the street with a suitcase just staring off into the distance, I couldn't just walk by"

"And I'm so glad you didn't" said Khaz giving Thriff a kiss on the cheek "he came up and was so sweet, offered me his couch to stay on till I got on my feet"

"Of course it wasn't the couch for long" chuckled Thriff "that same night I thought I would take my new housemate out for a few drinks, make him feel at home"

"You did more than that" laughed Khaz "a few ales in him and he told me all about himself, homosexuality and all"

"That's Thriff for you" said Fenra with a grin "can't help himself when ale is involved"

"Well one thing led to another and we, well spent the night together" said Khaz "things have just been growing since then"

"Yeah, one year and still going strong" smiled Thriff giving Khaz a gentle squeeze

"That's so wonderful for you two" said Larka

"Absolutely" smiled Fenra raising his whiskey glass "to Thriff and Khaz"

The others raised their glasses too and took their drinks down in one, followed by sighing contentedly in unison.

"That was great and all but now we're out of drinks" chuckled Thriff

"Way ahead of you" said Fenra, picking up the empty glasses "be back in a second"

"I'll give you a hand" said Larka, getting out of her seat and following Fenra over to the bar

Fenra and Larka returned from the bar a moment later with more drinks in hand, passing them to Thriff and Khaz and taking their seats once more. The group sat for hours talking and taking turns in fetching drinks, ales, wines and yet more whiskey consumed between all of them. Thriff rattled off yet more stories of Fenra's youth, to which Fenra countered with even more stories of Thriff. Khaz spoke more of his home and the year he had spent with Thriff. Larka even spoke of her time growing up in the city. Their lively conversation and hearty laughter filling the pub with a warm atmosphere even long after most of the other customers had left, drinks continued to flow and the conversation grew louder with each sip. A bell rang for last orders and the group got up, walked over to the bar, each got one last small whiskey, even Larka, took the small amount down their throats in unison, then waved to the Sahnder as they left.

Standing out on the street in the cool night air they said their goodbyes to each other, exchanging warm hugs before Thriff and Khaz headed off one way in the street and Larka and Fenra went the other.

Fenra supported Larka in his arms as she stumbled a little down the road. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced before, her head felt light yet surprisingly clear, as if she could do anything she thought of and everything was a good idea. It was a strange sense of euphoria that washed over her. Her distant vision was a little blurred, her speech slightly slurred and her legs completely opposed to the idea of walking in a straight line.

"First time drinking that much love?" Fenra said with a chuckle as Larka stumbled a little over a loose stone "you really didn't have to keep drinking along with us"

"Oh I'm sorry Fenra" said Larka "I didn't mean to do anything wrong"

"Its fine Larka" Fenra said kissing her cheek gently "you didn't do anything wrong at all"

"Well that's good" Larka said with a broad smile, leaning against Fenra's shoulder and nuzzling his cheek gently "mmm you feel so warm"

"Your so adorable" chuckled Fenra kissing Larka's cheek

"No you are" said Larka poking Fenra's cheek gently "and this village is and the people are so great, and they all know you"

"I wouldn't say all" laughed Fenra helping Larka over a small bump on the path "but you know I had forgotten a lot about this place, just how... warm hearted it is, just how many people I left behind. Friends, special people"

"None more special than you" said Larka giving his paw a squeeze, wrapping an arm around his waist, rubbing a paw down his side and over his rump

Fenra simply laughed and lifted Larka's arm around his shoulders, putting his own round her back and under her arm

"Yeah yeah, lets just get you home"

They reached the front door of the house and Fenra paused with his paw on the handle. There, attached to the door by a small pin, was a small handwritten note. He recognised his mothers handwriting almost instantly, took the note from the door and read it aloud.

"Fenra,

You weren't back by the time I decided to leave so I left you this note. I'll be spending the night at the hospital with your father. I would have asked you if you wanted to come along but you were obviously busy.

If I don't see you sooner, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon when I get home.

Love Braska"

Fenra smiled at the note for a moment before folding it and putting it in his pocket.

"That was sweet of her" said Larka as Fenra held the door open for her

"Yes it was rather nice of her to let us know where she is" said Fenra, closing and locking the door behind them "still she could have mentioned what she was planning to do before we left"

"Oh I'm sure she just knew you had things to do" Larka said, stumbling a little on the spot "what with it being your first day home and all"

"True" said Fenra chuckling at her "Larka I think you better sit down before you fall over"

"Oh I'm fine" Larka said walking over towards him with a wide smile on her face, swinging her hips "better than fine, I'm with you"

"Larka please..." started Fenra with a smile as she threw her arms around his neck putting a finger on his lips

"Haven't you realised? We're all alone" she interrupted, licking his cheek and nibbling gently on his ear

"I had noticed that" he smiled "I had also noticed that you have had a lot to drink"

"So have you" she said with a chuckle, running her paws down his back and pressing her hips against his

"But I'm used to it" he said, taking her paws and placing them back around his neck "if nothing else please sit down"

"Well alright" she said taking him by the paw and leading him over to the rug in front of the fireplace "so long as you sit with me"

"Of course" he said, throwing another log on the dying embers of the fire and it began to crackle to life

"Mmm, that feels nice" she said, stretching her paws out in front of the fire, beckoning him down to lay his head in her lap with a smile "come here"

"You know, I don't say it nearly enough, but you are really beautiful" he said as he stared up into her deep blue eyes from her lap

She smiled broadly down at him as a blush flashed across her face, leaning down and kissing him. Gently at first but her passion getting the better of her, pressing her tongue against his lips, parting them gently and delving into his warm muzzle.

Fenra was caught off guard by this advance, eyes widening for a moment but sighing contentedly into the kiss. As Larka broke it Fenra noticed a familiar, sweet scent reaching his nose and a deep warmth on the back of his neck. He only noticed now that his neck lay just over the sweet spot that was nestled between her legs. He couldn't help the arousal that began to take hold of him at the scent that flooded his senses and the throbbing warmth at the back of his neck.

"Larka I..." he started

"You know I want to and I sense you do too" she interrupted

"But are you sure? And the dri..." he began again

"Don't let that stop you" she said, shaking her head gently, running a paw down his sides and slipping a finger into his pants, shooting him a deeply seductive look

Fenra smiled broadly back at her, placed a paw behind her head and pulled her down into a kiss. Gently unbuckling his pants and slipping them from his body, guiding her paw over his sheath and rapidly swelling wolf hood.

She shuffled from beneath him, making sure not to break the kiss or remove her paw from his member. With her free hand releasing her pants, gripping her underpants at the same time and throwing them from her body.

He was the first to break the kiss. Releasing her paw from his, letting her work his member unassisted as he used both his free paws to remove his shirt, slipping his arms from it and letting it rest on the rug beneath him. Raising his paws and taking her free paw in one his own, together they removed her shirt, exposing her soft, perfectly formed breasts that lay beneath, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her heart raced. She bit her lip for a moment and opened her mouth

"Fenra I... can I ask something..." she said, breathing fast and blushing a deep red

"Of course" he replied, running a paw over her cheek

Larka opened her muzzle to speak but changed her mind, deciding showing him exactly what she wanted would be simpler. She lay back on the rug, gently rolling him over so he lay on top of her but before he pressed his member to her, thinking he knew what she wanted, she placed her paws on his shoulders. Pushing him gently he backed up down her body, kissing her chest and stomach gently as he went, unsure of what she wanted but taking every chance to make contact with her soft fur. She stopped pushing him as his head reached her thighs, placing her paws behind his head. She raised her legs and spread them before him, exposing her sweet spot to his eyes, pulling his head closer towards it till the tip of his muzzle lay an inch before it. He looked up at her and she stared back into his eyes with a pleading look. He gave her a smile and nodded softly, looking back at the pink jewel that lay before him.

He moved the tip of his nose so it lay just before her glistening entrance, taking a deep breath and drawing her scent in, sighing heavily as the odour flooded through him, arousing him further. He place his muzzle close to her, so close he could feel the heat on his lips. Flicking his tongue gently at her soft nether lips, tasting her teasingly, exhaling deeply over her. She quivered beneath him, moaning sharply at the feel of his warm breath against her most precious spot.

He placed his lips against her, tracing them against her own nether lips. Running their edges across her own, stretching his tongue out and pressing against the centre of her warm jewel for the first time. She let out a loud moan at the feel of his warm, rough tongue caressing her, shuddering gently against him. He grinned at the edges of his mouth before pressing his tongue against her more.

Aroused as she was her sweet spot was already deeply moist, his tongue slid inside her with great ease, her inner walls contracting a little against this new invasion. He held his tongue inside her for a moment, closing his eyes and focusing all his senses on the taste that covered his tongue. A taste so wonderful he couldn't get enough of it.

After a moment he began to move his tongue once more, to which Larka trembled slightly with pleasure, trying to suppress a moan that escaped her muzzle. He curled his tongue inside her, tracing it against her inner walls which pressed back against his tongue, pressing against them, pushing outwards, resisting as much as his tongue muscles could against the strength of her.

She moaned deeply beneath him. He cracked open his eyes and looked up at her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her eyes clasped shut and head flung back. He could feel her contracting against him harder and faster, growing more moist as each moment passed, so much so that large amounts of her fluid now flooded into his muzzle. He rolled this around his mouth for a moment before swallowing it greedily.

He had just swallowed another mouthful when he felt her paws beneath his muzzle, pulling him away from her. He looked at her curiously at she met his gaze.

"Thank you my love, that was wonderful" she said, pulling him on top of her, placing a paw around his member, holding it just outside her warm entrance "but I'm ready, I want you inside of me"

"Anything for you" He replied, smiling down at her

She grinned up at him as he said this, a cheeky, knowing grin. She grabbed his wolf hood in one paw, placing another on his rump. Before he knew what was happening, in one, quick, fluid movement, she pulled his member inside her with one paw, pressing him close to her with the other on his rump and finally leaning her own hips against his, pushing him further inside her still.

The pair let out a synchronised moan of pleasure, Fenra with a slightly bewildered look on his face but consumed by the pleasure that flooded through him. Larka grinned naughtily back up at him as the pair composed themselves a little.

"Someone knows a few trick" Fenra chuckled through deep breaths

"I've picked up a thing or two" Larka said between a moan beneath him

Fenra merely smiled at her before pressing his lips to hers, taking her in a deep kiss as he began to move his member inside her. Moist as the pair were, he moved with ease inside her, building a pace quickly, her insides squeezing against him with every thrust. Larka moaned heavily with each movement but Fenra refused to break the kiss, his tongue pressed against her own, dancing around inside her muzzle. She had no choice and moaned deeply into his muzzle, her voice vibrating against him.

The pair breathed heavily, breath flowing across each others faces. His pace against her building, her contractions against him growing, the pleasure in their bodies building. Both knew it wouldn't be long now.

Fenra felt it, a huge pressure against his wolf hood, signalling Larka was ready. This feeling pushed him further, his muscles tensed and his scrotum contracted. He broke the kiss for the first time and looked deeply into her eyes, drawing himself out to just his tip. She looked back up at him with fire in her eyes and lust in her breath, nodding gently with a suppressed moan.

Fenra answered her nod with a final thrust, pressing deep and hard inside her, letting out a great moan that built to a howl in his throat, his climax taking him, firing his wolven seed deep inside his lover.

Larka let out a piercing moan, the feel of Fenra's thick wolf hood pressing into her with such force was to much, the climax she had held off till now over took her. Her insides contracted against him, her fluids flowed thick and fast, every muscle in her body tingled with this pleasurable sensation.

The pair lay there stationary for a moment, their climaxes dying down but clinging to the feeling that still washed over them.

Relaxing gently as time went by, Larka lay her head back with a heavy, contented sigh, panting softly beneath him, eyes closed and tongue lolling form her muzzle. Fenra too relaxed, resting gently on top of her. Erection failing but still he kept himself inside her, enjoying the feeling of her warmth engulfing his member. Eventually his length slipped from inside her and rolled off of her with a sigh, pulling her into his arms and resting her head on his chest.

Larka muttered some unintelligible words as she drew up close to him, eyes closed tight and passing into a blissful slumber. Fenra smiled at her beautiful, sleeping form, kissing her forehead and whispering "sleep well love" into her ear.

He glanced over at the fire as his eyelids grew heavy. The warm, flickering flames dancing in his vision. His first day home had been full of surprises, he thought as he closed his eyes and yawned, and was certainly one he wouldn't soon forget.