Hardships

Story by Zerink on SoFurry

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Warning! Read this first: This story contains: Rape, homosexual relations, homosexual intimacy, teenagers (:o), and statements/situations that may offend some people. If you are under eighteen, you should not be here, and definitely should not be reading this story. If you do not like homosexuality, you won't like this story. If you think rape is horrible, good. But still, you may not like this story. If you're iffy about teenagers having sex... well, don't read this story. If you don't like gay bashing, get over it. They're just words. Seriously.

Author's Note: This story was by request. All names and characters are fictional, as are their settings, environments, and situations. Any likeness to anybody or anything is purely coincidence.

--

The sun rose silently overhead, glaring through the windows, its rays fell through the blinds in a cascade. Slowly but surely, a fox began to rouse, rubbing his eyes as he stretched and yawned. He quietly got out of the bed he had previously been lying in and abandoned the heat he longed for. A paw went to scratch the white fur on his stomach as he gazed around for his pants. Upon finding them, he put them on, and jumped back into bed, looking around for his shirt.

After clothing himself and taking as much warmth as he could with him, he walked out of the room and passed a few doors before making a sound. His eyes glanced on a few backpacks near a sofa. He took the one that was most familiar and placed it on his back. After gathering whatever materials he deemed necessary, he walked out of the door, and immediately forgot to get his keys.

He looked at his key outside, staring at the door, and then frowning. He closed the door, locked it, and began to walk toward school. He slowly whispered to himself, "Ugh, school. I really don't want to go... I hate Mondays."

The wind blew through his rusty-red fur, giving him a chill. He shuddered and folded his arms to warm himself up, and wished he had brought a jacket. His eyes scanned the streets, and upon making sure there were no cars, he crossed. Several hundred feet away, he could already hear the voices of those in his school. A sigh escaped his lips. His breath misted and faded in only a couple of seconds as he walked by it.

Other furs funneled into the school, slowing down at the bottleneck. A familiar ringing caught his attention, and he quickly answered his phone. The voice on the other end spoke rapidly, "Hey Matt! Where are you? Did you get in yet? I'm over at the cafeteria getting breakfast. You need to come over here, okay? Hurry up! Bye!" And just like that, the conversation was over.

He put the phone back in his pocket and started his attempt to squeeze between the people and get into the school. On other days, it would not be so crowded, but this was the first day of school. Unlike most of the high schools in the area, this one had no halls. There was open space for students to walk to their other classes, while the different departments were separated into different buildings.

After several minutes of elbowing others in the side, the fox managed to get through the crowd. He walked over to the cafeteria. From the sides, a few of the other furs were giving him odd stares and whispering things to their friends, but he did not notice. He looked around at what was there, and there were plenty of new furs wandering around aimlessly, confused.

After point out the office to one of the newcomers, he spotted his friend, busy texting people on her phone. He walked over and said, "Hey, Tina. How was your break?"

The weasel smiled. "It was great! We went all over the place this time, visiting relatives, going in a cabin over in the snow... oh I loved it! How about yours?"

Matt looked at the ground for a moment, then back at the weasel. "Oh, just stayed home, really. Dad finally got home for the holidays and stuff, but you know how things are now." He lowered his tail momentarily.

Tina frowned. "Oh yeah, you came out to them, didn't you? How'd they take it?"

The fox laughed hesitantly for a moment. "Well, my parents didn't like it so much. In fact, I was pretty much confined to my room for the most part. They only let me out a couple days ago. My brother didn't take it too well, either. He just ignores me, now, and doesn't even say that I'm his brother anymore.... But my sister is supportive. She seemed kind of glad that I'm gay."

The weasel shook her head. "That's not good. Should've called the police or something! You can't just be confined to your room!"

"Nah. Maren kept me fed and let me out quite a bit without anyone knowing," Matt responded. He looked over at the diminishing line of furs that were getting their class schedules. He said, "I'll be right back. I need to go see what I classes I have this time around."

The wait only took a few minutes since not too many others shared his last name, or even the letter it began with. He picked up the list and groaned after seeing it. Upon walking over, he read the list out loud. "PE, Chemistry, Geometry, Art, and History. Fun stuff."

Tina laughed. "What, don't you want to see the nude guys in the locker room? Or all the other cute guys in the other classes?"

Matt blushed furiously. "No! That's why I didn't take PE last year, and now everyone knows I'm gay.... They're probably going to make fun of me or something."

The weasel shook her head. "If anything, you'll probably be put in a class with a bunch of freshmen. You can pick on them if you want, since you're a sophomore now! Just think of the possibilities!"

The fox rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I might as well just head to class. It starts in... ten minutes." The clock moved about slowly on the wall of to the far end of the cafeteria, but was big enough to see from far away.

Tina nodded. "Okay. I'll see you during the break, okay?"

Matt agreed. "Alright. See you in a couple hours then." He walked toward the gym. The locker rooms were connected on the side, with the male and female sections separated. He waited by the locker room door. The sun trailed through the clouds above.

The bell rang suddenly, and the door opened. The fox walked inside, past what he thought might be the coach. Sitting on a bench seemed like the best course of action, so that was what he did. Others trickled in slowly, many talking to their friends in their own groups, but there were the few that did not speak to anyone, but instead looked around curiously and anxiously. The fox smiled and identified their actions as his same actions during the first day of school for him.

The second bell rang, and immediately they were assigned their lockers. Matt placed his backpack inside the locker and closed it, as they were instructed to do. They would not be doing anything other than getting used to their teacher today, as it was just the orientation day. As such, they were allowed to leave early after seeing their last class.

Out of the corner of his eye, he examined the others in the class. The species varied, since classes liked to integrate everyone and eliminate segregation, even though the students formed their own groups within their own species anyway. He could see it happening slowly, different furs getting into their own groups all by species.

He continued to gaze from the side until he felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned around cautiously to see who it was and saw another fox. "Hm?"

The fox cleared his throat and said, "It looks like we're the only two foxes in this class...." Matt tilted his head. The fox added, "So... is this anything like middle school?"

Matt closed his eyes for a moment. "Well, I suppose it is. Might as well be extended middle school, pretty much.... So, you new here?"

The fox lowered his tail and folded his ears. "Well... yeah. It's my first day, and um...."

Matt smiled and held out his paw. "I'm Matthew, though most just call me Matt."

The fox seemed to relax a little. He took the paw and shook it lightly. "Nice to meet you. I'm George. Do you think I can... uh, hang out with you during the breaks and stuff? All my friends moved different schools and uh...."

Matt patted him on the head. "Sure thing. The more the merrier, though I just hang out with my friend, Tina, so it'd just be the three of us."

George hesitated, and was about to speak, but the coach blew the whistle. They were shown where they were to meet up, and then shown the gym. While the coach spoke, the fox nudged Matt lightly and asked, "Are you gay?"

Matt furrowed his brows, his heart sinking. "What? Why'd you ask something like that?"

George's gaze drifted off in the direction of a group of wolves off in the corner, whispering to themselves and pointing at them. "They keep pointing at you and saying that you're gay and that... well, yeah. At first, I thought they were pointing at me, but when I wandered off, they kept their attention over at you."

Matt sighed. He shook his head slowly at the ground and said, "Well, what they say is true. I'm gay. I only came out last semester, but everyone seems to know now." He looked over at the underclassman, who looked back slightly afraid. "If you don't want to hang out anymore, that's fine, I'll understand."

The fox shrugged. "I don't really care about that stuff. I still don't know anyone here except you, so I'll still hang around with you if you want."

Matt's heart lifted slightly. The class progressed quickly, and no other words were exchanged since the coach had made it a point that everyone be silent. The bell rang about twenty minutes later, signaling them to go to their next class. Matt and George said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Whispers kept following Matt as he walked to his other classes. He walked faster as if trying to escape their criticism, heading toward the chemistry building. Once inside the classroom, he sat down and put his head on the desk, closing his eyes. Only when he started to hear shuffling nearby did he open his eyes and look around.

One of the wolves from the PE class had sat down nearby and was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, a bored look on his face. Matt gulped audibly and looked toward the front of the room. The bulk of the class was the teacher telling the students what they would need and taking them over to the library to pick up their books.

While walking over there, Matt felt a paw grab his shoulder. He turned around and was greeted with another paw, held out, ready to be shook. He grabbed it and shook it, confused, and the wolf that the paw belonged to said, "Name is Jake. You're the faggot, right?"

A twinge of anger struck the fox, but he knew not to act on it. "I guess I am." He pulled his arm back and began to walk toward the library again. The wolf walked quickly behind him, keeping pace.

"Well, I can't know you by anything else if I don't get a name, you know."

Matt paused for a moment and looked at the wolf questionably. "It's Matt...."

Jake gave a smirk. "Nice to meet you, then, Matt. Unless you prefer the name 'faggot', that is...."

The fox gritted his teeth. He did not bother to respond to the comment, but instead walked even more quickly, hurrying to get his book and leave.

During the break, Matt walked over to where his usual spot was; next to the cafeteria. He had instructed George to meet him there along with Tina.

Tina walked over quickly, holding several books in her arms, swearing profusely. "I should have brought a god damned bag! What the hell are the teachers thinking, in just two classes, giving me eleven books? Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with them?!"

Matt only had one book in his bag, tried to sympathize, but could not help but laugh. The weasel glared at him. "Do you find my misfortune... funny? Is that it?" Matt shook his head quickly.

He spied a familiar fox walking toward them out of the corner of his eye. As soon as the fox arrived, he said, "Tina, meet George. George, Tina."

Tina looked over and said, "Aww, an underclassman. They're so cute, aren't they? All tiny and innocent and cute." She set down her books and patted him on the head.

George drew away, blushing. Matt laughed heartily, but said, "Okay, so after school, same spot?"

Tina nodded. "I need to get a bag for these. I think they have some over in the library, so be right back. Watch them for me, okay?"

Tina ran off in the direction of the library, leaving the two foxes behind. Matt prodded George and said, "So, why so quiet?"

George blushed. "No reason." His blush faded a moment later, and he asked, "Do people usually get followed here? I think those wolves from the PE class were following me earlier... in fact, they should be somewhere nearby, I think."

After looking around, Matt noticed the group of wolves standing off to the side, glancing over every so often, talking to other groups, who did the same. The fox frowned. It was easy to tell when rumors were spreading, and there was little to no doubt.

After a moment, Tina came back with another Weasel. Matt recognized it as her brother, and gave a greeting. He greeted him back, and took the books. Tina said, "I found something better than a bag! Now I don't have to lug them around everywhere, unless my other classes give me more books."

The bell rang somewhere off in the distance, and everyone scattered slowly. Matt and George walked off in the same direction, while Tina went over to the gym. Matt looked over at the other fox and said, "What's your next class?"

George said lightly, "Geometry. I took Algebra in middle school, so they put me here."

Curiosity manifested in Matt, and he asked, "What room...?"

He frowned after noticing that they shared the same class. It made him feel stupid that an underclassman was matching him in classes, but he just shrugged it off. They were assigned seats based on names, so Matt had to sit in the back, while George sat near the front. Matt sighed and waited to get his book and leave.

The rest of the classes went by uneventfully. Every minute was a minute wasted in Matt's mind, and he just wanted the day to end. He dreaded being locked up in his room again, but he knew it was inevitable.

After school had ended, he met Tina over at the same spot as always, and they made plans for the rest of the week. He had to make plans since his parents did not trust him, even less so now. But Tina was a girl, and they were usually fine with that. He just needed to relay their plans to them.

Upon arriving home, he closed the door behind him and took out the books he did not need for now, leaving his backpack by the sofa. He relayed the plans to his parents, who agreed eagerly. They told him that if he hung around her more, he might just get the idea and make children for them instead of being a faggot, or so it went.

He sat on his bed and heard the click of his door's lock. He sighed and collapsed, taking off his shirt and throwing it over to the side. He pulled his shoes off and put them next to the bed. His socks were discarded in the hamper across the room.

He took of his pants and put them on the floor next to his shoes. He kept his boxers on and climbed into bed, holding his own tail, and decided to sleep until dinner.

Sleep went by in a moment. Day turned to night in a split second, and he heard a knock at the door. He groggily sat up and heard the familiar noise of the door lock, and Maren stepped inside with food. She smiled at him and said, "That's kind of gross if you just lay there in your boxers all day, you know? Especially if you know I'm going to be here."

Matt shrugged. "So how's the family doing? Not like I get to see much of them anymore."

Maren set his food down. She furrowed her brows and frowned at him, then gave him a hug. "They're still in disbelief, you know. I'm sure they'll just get over it eventually. Though Andrew might not.... So, how was school?"

Quickly, he relayed what had happened at school between bites of food. Maren listened intently, nodding every so often, and when he ended, she asked, "So, do you like George?"

Matt choked on his food a bit, coughed, and said, "What do you mean by that?"

Maren laughed. "Well, the way you described him... I think you like him."

The fox looked away and blushed. "Pssh no."

His sister took his plate and said, "We'll see. Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Love you, little brother. I'll uh... lock the door for now, but now that school has started, we'll be unlocking it at 3 so you can get out and go."

With that, the door closed and clicked. Matt knew the lock was on the outside, so he never attempted to unlock it. He walked over to the bathroom and used it, and then looked in the mirror. He scratched his stomach and pulled out a flea. He promptly killed it.

He hopped back in bed and waited for the next day. Sleep came slowly, but surely. While falling asleep, he thought about the possibilities. He thought about what would happen if George were gay, as well. Would they go out? Would people make fun of him, as well?

His mind swirled around his thoughts, and he kept thinking how nice it would be. He snored loudly.

--

Furries trickled into school like the other day, but not nearly as crowded. Matt had slipped through the fence like he usually did when no one was watching. He found George outside of the gym, waiting for class to start. His phone was silent.

He gave George a hug, who looked startled by this. George asked, "What was that for?"

Matt shrugged. "Did it have to be for something? Hugs are just nice."

George gave a small smile. "Okay. Well, yeah, I suppose they are."

After the bell rang, everyone went into the gym. Matt found his locker, unlocked it, and stuffed his backpack into it. He looked at the gym clothes that he was to wear questionably. He looked around nervously, and took off his regular shirt, putting it into the locker quickly, and pulled the gym shirt over his head.

He blushed furiously when he took off his pants and put them in the locker. His arms and legs were shaking, his tail between his legs. He bent down and pulled on the shorts, fumbling with his shaking arms, losing balance every so often.

He heard a whistle and jeer from the side, and he glanced over to see the group of wolves from before. He finally pulled on his pants and felt all-too-warm from the blushing, and a bit light-headed. He spent the rest of the class watching his friend, wondering what it would be like to be able to hold him out of a class, maybe in a bed....

When the bell finally rang, they all went to the locker room to change back. He was fairly far back when everyone had went to the room, though, and most of the class was done. All the better, he thought. He went to his locked and smiled that no one was looking over. He took off his shirt and reached for his regular one when he heard shuffling off to the side.

He heard George's voice, and he ran over to see what was going on. He saw the group of wolves surrounding George, who was backed into the corner, tail between his legs, fear apparent on his face, shivering.

Matt ran over and said, "Hey! What the hell are you guys doing?"

What seemed to be the alpha in that group looked over and said, "Oh hey, look, it's the little fairy boy! We were just going to take care of your friend over here, probably another one of you faggots." With that, one of the wolves went over to George and pinned him to the wall, while another tore off his pants.

George began to cry, tears coming down his face and soaking into his fur. He stuttered, "B-but, I'm not... g-gay...." He sobbed loudly when one of the wolves pulled down his boxers, revealing what underwear is there to hide.

Matt gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. He formed a fist and punched the lead wolf in the face, knocking to the floor. One of his friends immediately said, "Charlie, you okay?"

Charlie growled loudly and responded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Let that other faggot down, we'll deal with him in a bit. This fucker over here volunteered to be first." He walked over to Matt, who was too shocked to move, and slammed him against the wall.

The fox yelped, immediately tasting blood. He tried to look around, dazed, everything in a blur. He felt oddly dizzy, out of breath, and immediately nauseous. He felt his pants and boxers being removed, and he heard Charlie say, "You take care of him, Jake. I'll go get the other fucktard."

Matt heard the sound of zippers being unzipped, the clink of metal on the floor from a belt, and the laughing of furries behind him. He was grabbed and propped against the wall, a paw holding him by the scruff, his face against the wall. He could see blurry objects through his tears of pain, one he recognized as a fox, the other as a wolf. The wolf was sitting on the bench, a large red blur protruding from his crotch, and the fox being lowered on it. A scream knocked Matt back to his senses, and he immediately struggled.

He could not move. The wolf behind him was far too strong for him to resist. He felt something push against his tailhole, of which he knew instantly what it was. He gritted his teeth and braced himself, and only a second later, the cock behind him was forced in. He shouted in pain, tears streaming down, blood moving down his lip from being pressed into the wall too roughly.

He felt the length move quickly in and out of him, stretching him open further than natural. He watched as the other fox was being bounced on the lap of the alpha, crying loudly, expressing his pain through his voice every so often.

The initial physical pain dulled down, and Matt began to feel surges of pleasure with each thrust. The pain of the situation still caused him to cry, but he slowly grew erect from the feeling of the wolf moving in and out of him. He bit his lip, trying to focus on the pain, but he could not help but feel aroused.

He heard the wolves comment on it. "Look at that! The little fag is enjoying it! Ha," and "His little friend doesn't look like he's enjoying it all that much. You probably just suck at it, Charlie," echoed in his mind. He felt the intrusion grow wider near the base, and he guessed what was to come. His attention was averted when he heard George cry out and Charlie growl loudly. The wolf bit the fox on the shoulder and thrusted roughly, releasing inside George.

After he finished, he pulled out, white fluid covering part of his cock, dripping on the floor. He tossed the fox on the floor, who cried out in pain. He used the torn up boxers from George to wipe his cock clean, and let it slip back into his sheath. He laughed and threw it at the fox on the floor, who merely sobbed. He said, "Alright, let's go. You can clean up, Jake."

The rest of the wolves left, all laughing as they walked out of the locker room. Matt felt the wolf thrust in roughly, and shouted out in pain as the knot entered him. This caused the others to laugh even louder.

Matt sobbed and cried, staring over at the fox on the floor who mimicked the actions. He felt horrible. He figured that if George had never met him, this would not have even happened....

He felt a paw pick him up slightly and he braced himself. He figured that the wolf was going to try to pull out now. Much to his surprise, though, the wolf pulled him up and held him closely, speaking lowly, "Sorry, had to give them a show." The wolf began to lick at his fur, a paw roaming down the fox's stomach, until it found what it was looking for.

Through a huge burst of pleasure, the fox noticed that the wolf had begun to paw him off. He gripped tightly on the cock that was inside him, causing the wolf to moan loudly and shoot his seed into the fox, spurt after spurt. He felt the paw stroke him gently, using the pre that was now leaking out of his cock as a lubricant.

The paw stroked him much more quickly, and he felt himself getting close. He began to thrust into the paw, moaning softly. He felt the wolf's tongue move across his neck, gentle kisses on his shoulder, and all of a sudden, he enjoyed the situation. The tears stopped momentarily as he willingly put his paws on the wolf's hip and thrusted, feeling the knot pull against the ring, and move back further in.

A fire rushed through him as his balls moved close to his body. Silently, his cock pulsed and shot the white stickiness onto the wall. He panted and moaned with each breath, the cum now leaking onto the wolf's paw, who moved it over to his face and lapped at it.

Matt looked over at the other fox. He had somehow managed to prop himself against a locker and was subbing uncontrollably. Tears came down from Matt's eyes, and he said, "I'm sorry I got you into this, George. I'm really sorry...."

The wolf slipped out harmlessly and let his cock go back into his sheath. He licked up whatever cum was on the fox, and then let him go after giving him a small kiss on the neck. Matt blushed lightly and could do no more than crawl next to George. George flung his arms around him and cried loudly. Jake cleaned the gym up of blood and cum.

Matt felt incredibly fatigued, and his tailhole hurt. His body was sore, and he still tasted blood. Salt mixed in with the taste, and he smelled heavily of musk and tears. He looked up at Jake and asked, "Why?"

Jake looked at them and said, "I told them to. I figured it was a better alternative than what they originally planned, which was to kill you both. They wouldn't settle for anything less."

George cried loudly at those words, and Matt felt his heart sink. He tried to calm him down by petting him, but he felt like he was ready to collapse. He watched the wolf kneel down next to them and say, "Sometimes it's better to just fit in until you can be who you are without any trouble. In the meantime, go to the nurse, and go to the main office. Tell them what happened. Most likely we're going to be expelled and probably put in jail, but I guess we deserve it."

Matt looked at him, puzzled. "So that means... you're...?" The wolf nodded. More tears fell down from the fox's eyes, but he said, "Help George put on his clothes. He needs to go to the nurse."

Matt wiped his eyes, but more tears came out. He sat on the floor and held his knees close, wondering how his day could get any worse. He did not want to move or speak or breathe, he just wanted to sleep. He wanted to wake up and find out all of this was just a dream. He pulled on some clothes when he could between sobbing into his arm. He knew he should be angry at Jake, but he was in too much shock to be anything but sad for George and himself.

It took a few minutes to get to the nurse, but they managed. The next set of classes had started already. The nurse looked at them and asked, "What's the problem?"

Matt said, "Look after him, Jake, I'm going to head over to the office."

Jake nodded and looked at the nurse. "He was raped just now. He most likely needs medical attention...."

The nurse's eyes widened and she stared at Matt while he left, and he knew she was putting the blame on him. He heard Jake say, "No, it wasn't him. He was raped, too."

As he closed the door and began to head to the office, he heard the nurse say loudly, "Serves him right, that little fruit cake. But why this one? We better call the police."

The fox made his way over to the office, feeling very awkward. Every step felt painful, and when he stepped inside, the furs at the desk just stared at him. A couple held their nose off to the side while the receptionist said, "Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

The fox said, "We need to get the police over to the nurse... my friend and I were raped just now." He choked on the last few words, as if it was finally hitting him. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he felt a pain begin to grow inside him. He walked out of the office, holding his head, and headed back to the nurse.

After arriving, he realized what he had done. He had just condemned the wolves present to whatever punishment they would receive, and he did not know if they would retaliate. He shivered and opened the door. He stepped inside and sank into a chair. He closed his eyes and was unconscious.

--

He woke up in his house. He sighed, relieved. "It was just a dream," he whispered. He saw a shuffling off in the corner of the room and looked to see who it was.

"What was just a dream, Matt?" Maren asked. She walked over to the fox and sat down in front of him. "Police are all over the school, and we took you back home yesterday when you passed out in the nurse's office. You've been asleep up until now."

Matt's heart plummeted. He felt faint for a moment, but recovered and sat up. "George and I were raped after PE...." Tears began to well up again, and he laid back down.

Maren grabbed him and stared at him intently. "Who did it? I'm going to beat the shit out of them until they're so fucked up, their parents won't recognize them."

The fox's eyes widened. He had never heard his sister speak that way before, and he felt scared for his own life. "It was a wolf named Charlie, and most of his friends...." Jake flashed through his mind. He hesitated and added, "The only one that wasn't there was Jake."

His sister swore. "The police already got them. George is in the hospital, and you didn't have any injuries. I heard what happened, but I didn't want to believe it until you told me. The police are outside the door. They want to speak with you." She opened the door, and a couple cops moved in. One was a Doberman, the other was a panther. Maren walked outside and shut the door behind them.

The Doberman crouched down and said, "So... what happened? George didn't want to tell us what happened. He said you'd tell us."

The panther took out a notepad and pen and waited. Matt sighed and closed his eyes. "It was after gym class, and I heard my friend shout something. I went to go see what it was and found him cornered, so I tried to help him out. They were picking on us because I'm gay and he was hanging out with me. So Charlie and his friends proceeded to... well, rape us. Charlie went for George first, then... he threw him on the floor and went for me. The rest just watched. Only one that wasn't there was Jake, though. He didn't do anything, even though he usually hangs out with them."

The panther quirked a brow. "Are you sure he didn't do anything? They're all saying it was him that raped you."

Matt shook his head. "Nope. It was Charlie. They're just trying to take him down with them." He looked at the panther, then back at over at the Doberman. They stared back.

The Doberman spoke up and said, "Alright. That's all we need. We'll investigate it further, but it looks pretty clear to me."

They walked out of the door. Matt blinked idly for a moment. His brain seemed to freeze for the time. He looked at the door and half expected the police to come back in and interrogate him more. Everything was in a daze and hazy. He trailed his paw across his face and realized it was damp. He had been crying and he had not even noticed.

He moved his paw across his fur, soft under his pads, and he began to close his eyes. Curiosity sparked, and he reached for his tailhole. He touched it, and it felt loose. It stung a little when he did so, though, so he moved his paw away. He sighed and tried to go back to sleep, but sleep would not come easily. He stared at the wall for hours, thinking about what had happened.

His mind kept going back to Jake. He wanted to feel angry at him, but he could not. Jake seemed like a good fur when it really came down to it, he was only trying to help the situation.... Sleep finally came to him, though. His mind rested as the darkness enveloped him.

--

The sun rose slightly overhead, glaring through the window, the rays cascading through the blinds onto Matt. He opened his eyes, feeling wide awake, since he had over a day of sleep. He got up and put his clothes on, and then went to the bathroom. After doing so, he hopped back in bed to regain the warmth that he had lost.

He heard a knock on the door, and in walked an older looking fox. He watched the fox walk over and grab a chair and sit next to the bed. Matt spoke up, "Good morning, Andrew. I haven't seen you in... a while."

Andrew frowned. "I don't like that you're gay, you know that. But I've been thinking... you're still family, as much as I hate it. No one deserves to be raped, especially family. Anyway, we have to go. Get ready and meet me outside."

Andrew got up and left the room. He left the door open. Matt got out of bed and put on a jacket, thinking about what Andrew said. He shook his head, wondering what came over him.

Before he knew it, he was in the car. Andrew was driving toward the hospital, after explaining that it was a request of George to see Matt when he was awake.

They had time before they got to the hospital since it was across the city. They sat in silence for the most part, until Andrew broke the silence. "Next time something like that happens, you tell me, okay? And you tell Maren. She was worried sick about you. She had been checking on you all night, you know. It was only after the police spoke to you that she finally got some sleep. We're your siblings, and we'll protect you if you need protecting."

Matt looked over at Andrew, who did not look back. The driver's brows were furrowed, and Matt could see tears beginning to well up in his eyes, which was bad for a driver. Andrew wiped them away at the stoplight, though. Matt said, "Okay, I will...."

At the hospital, George was lying in his own bed on his stomach. When he saw Matt walk in, he turned on his side. He said, "Hey.... Sorry, I'm not supposed to lay on my back or sit for... reasons. Not until I'm all healed up, anyway."

Matt kneeled down next to him in the bed and whispered, "I'm sorry for all of this, George. If you hadn't known me, this wouldn't have happened to you."

George shook his head. "Don't worry about it. What happened, happened, all I can do is try to forget about it... probably through tons of therapy, but still. Besides, it's not like you were the one that did it. The one that did is in custody now."

The fox nodded slowly. "You sure you're okay with it?"

George looked at the bed sheets. "Is anyone ever okay with it? I'm just trying to be positive, Matt."

There was a knock at the door. Matt rested his paw on George and then looked to see who it was. He saw a wolf standing there with a puzzled expression who gestured for him to come over. Matt said, "I'll be back in a minute."

The fox walked over to the door and stood there. Jake lowly said, "Why did you do it?"

Matt tilted his head in puzzlement for a moment. "Do what?

Jake looked at his feet and said, "Tell them that I wasn't part of it."

The fox blinked idly for a moment. A smile crept on his face, and he said, "You saved us, I figured I'd return the favor."

The wolf grabbed the fox and hugged him. Matt could smell salt in the air. "I'm sorry things happened like they did. I should've done something about it, but I just figured that I could take the fall...."

"Don't worry about it. George got it the worse and he's taking it better than I am. Should probably take after him, even though he says he needs therapy now." Matt waved his tail.

"Well, I suppose.... I know this might be asking too much, but since all my friends seem to be gone now, think I could just hang out with you now? I've kind of... taken a liking to you, ever since you came out last semester. You were stronger than I was, and still are to bear it all," Jake said. Matt nodded slowly, and Jake's face brightened up a little. Matt reached up and kissed Jake softly.

Jake looked startled, but Matt said, "You don't always have to fit in, you know. Just be yourself."

The wolf hesitated, and then said, "I want you to help me with that." He leaned over and kissed the fox on the lips, who kissed back deeply, closing his eyes.

The fox broke away for a moment to say, "Then I will."

--

A few weeks later, the light shone brightly through the clouds. The trees rustled and sang their songs while the hum of voices was heard all around. A fox and a wolf could be seen holding each other, while another fox could be seen holding a weasel. Whispers were carried across in the wind from one group to the next.

The sun also shone bright in a room. The bed was messy, as was the room, and the surroundings smelled of sleep. The lock on the door had been on the outside.

Now it was on the inside.