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"I don't wanna go, Abby."

"Oh come on, sis!" she pleaded.

"Why are you so intent on getting me to this party?" The desert bobcat turned her back toward her sister, refocusing on packing her suitcase. It was close to Christmas break for Nevadan college students, so it was also the time for college dorm parties. That meant dancing, drinking, roughhousing, singing Christmas carols--some poor, some really great for their state of inebriation--and let's not forget the extreme possibility of hook-ups. Most students were leaving campus the next day, so there wouldn't be any of the social awkwardness of the next morning or next few days when you passed by them on your trek to the science building or to the student lounge.

Sara's sister, Abby, explained all of this to her older sister, her tail bobbing and aching to go. "Why don't you just go yourself? You're 18. You don't need me to babysit you. Or do you?" She grinned and threw a pillow at her younger sister.

"You trickster." She tossed the pillow back to Sara, who put it back in its proper place. "No, I just want you to relax. Have some fun. We're in college now, Sara."

"Abby, you're a freshman. I'm a sophomore. Trust me, it's nothing to get excited about."

"You don't get it, do you? Last year, when you came back from Christmas break, I was sooo disappointed in you."

She turned, ears hiked. "Excuse me?"

"You barely had any good, juicy stories to share with me." She plopped herself down on her sister's bed, disturbing the folded clothes. "I thought college was going to be boring, that all the exciting stories that people have about it were a bunch of honky, at least for this school." She turned on her side to face Sara, "Then I was even more disappointed when I came here and found that it was just you."

Sara stopped in mid-motion from putting a pair of black-laced panties into her trunk. "Just me, huh? You think I'm the only one here that's actually here to get an education?"

"The only one that's related to me," she quipped back.

"Just because we're related by blood doesn't mean that I'm obligated to entertain you."

"Oh gosh!" she groaned. "Stop thinking for just a few hours. That's all I'm asking. Let loose. Get to know some people. Have fun!"

"I have fun," Sara protested. She moved to close the trunk on her clothes.

Her sister swiped her paw into the trunk and pulled out the black-laced panties. "Uh-huh. Tell me," she said with a knowing smirk, "when was the last time you showed a guy one of these?"

"That's none of your business," she said a little too loudly as she swiped the underwear back from the thief.

"Calm down. It's just a joke," she said as innocently as she could manage while stifling a giggle.

Sara stuffed the lingerie back into her trunk. She grumbled, "I'd just like to get on with vacation, okay? It's been rough this semester. Besides, I'm a philosophy student. I can't just turn my brain off or else I'd fail."

"Your grades are fine, especially last year's. Mom and Dad wouldn't stop talking about how well you were doing. But remember what Aunt Dee says? 'Having fun and hanging out is part of the college experience.' I don't want to miss out on that."

Sara breathed out a short laugh. "You take too much after her, you know that?"

"Hey, you like her too." Abby's arm reached behind then lunged forward, pillow in her claws.

Sara blocked the strike in time. "Yeah, but I don't hold everything she says as scripture."

"You don't believe in that," she countered. Abby put the pillow behind her head and stared up at the stucco-styled ceiling that decorated every dorm room on campus, tracing some of the water damage lines with her eyes. "Seriously though, I don't know how you find all of that reading to be interesting."

"You HAVE been doing your homework, right?" Sara suddenly asked.

She waved a hand in dismal, unphased. "Yeah, I've got it covered. I'm fine."

"Not sure if a C+ can really be seen as 'I've got it covered.' Mom and Dad will ask about it, you know."

"They already have. They haven't given me much trouble. I just told them that I have to relearn how to study."

"Don't slack off. You'll be missing out a great opportunity."

"So will you be if you don't come with me." Abby sat up and turned to her sister.

"Abby,"

"Look, our flight is at 12:00 tomorrow. We can go to Dresden Apartments for a few hours then come back to our rooms. We'll have enough time to sleep--5, maybe 6 hours--pick up breakfast and get on the bus for the airport. We can sleep on the plane too. It's a 5-hour flight. "

Sara sighed, "Okay, fine. If it'll shut you up."

"Yes! Great! Thank you so much!" She hugged her sister's neck.

The older bobcat hugged back. Something still nagged her. "There's gotta be another reason for you wanting me to come so bad. Why?" she asked.

"Oh, no reason."

"Abby..."

"Oh, okay, fine. Not only do I want you to get out and have some fun, but I want you to meet someone."

Sara scrutinized her. "Did you have someone in mind?"

"No." Sara stared at her sister's thin, feline face. Her tawny-colored stripes and styled fur swayed slightly in an innocent pose. Her black-tipped ears twitched a little bit.

"Okay," she said. "Let's go and get this over with then."

"Heh, you're not gonna have much fun if you have an attitude like that."

"You know, you're my sister, and I love you, but I still have every right to smack you. Aunt Dee wouldn't complain if I told her that. And the fact that you swiped my underwear."

"Heh, no. If anything, she'd probably congratulate me and have encouraged it. It got you out, didn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She grabbed her black coat and threw it over her silvered-colored shoulder as they exited Sara's dorm room.

Dresden Apartments at Whitesdale University was the closest a student could get to off-campus housing without being in off-campus housing. It was two buildings set close together: a small but long, red brick building and a taller, white, colonial-styled house. A yearly Christmas party was held in the colonial house. It was famous for being loud and raucous. It was just off of campus security's jurisdiction, so it quite easy to sneak a keg or two into the apartments, which accounted for some of the party's popularity.

The party was also famous for its annual Blind Karaoke attraction. Every year, the large dining room would have a small stage erected along with two drawn curtains as their wings and another dividing the center of the stage. By entering the party, you were subject to partaking in karaoke. Victims would suddenly be blind folded and sent to the stage to showcase their pipes for eager and raised ears throughout the house. Karaoke never started until about 2 hours into the party. It allowed ample time for people to get a few beers into their system and lower their inhibitions.

Sara remembered this just as she arrived at the front door, where a lion mentioned it off-hand to a lioness. "Abby!" she muttered to her, "Is that what this was about?"

"What?"

"What do you mean? The Blind Karaoke! You know I don't sing in public."

"What's the big deal? You have a nice voice."

"That's not the point," she growled. Her ears flicked, and her tail lashed.

Her sister shrugged off her complaints. "There's over a hundred people here. What chance is there of you getting picked?"

"Knowing my luck..." she trailed off. She suddenly spotted a red-orange and black canid. Just seeing his long muzzle and loud orange t-shirt got her tail lashing even more. "Damn," she muttered, "exactly my luck."

Before she could think of a way to slip by the coyote, he turned and saw the bobcat sisters. "Well, look who's here," he said in a baritone. "Never expected to see you here, Sara."

"Hello, Sly," Sara muttered.

"I figured you'd already be packing your bags and getting to bed early."

"You can thank me for that," Abby piped in.

"Oh. This must be your sister," he replied with a playful lilt.

"She's my sister Abby. Don't be getting any ideas."

"Me? Why never, Sara. You know my viewpoints on relationships."

"You must be the coyote in Sara's philosophy classes," Abby said.

"Bright. I like that too," he responded, giving his poofy tail a wag. He tipped his solo cup back up to his muzzle.

"Yeah. Sara talks about you quite a bit."

"Heh, not good things I take it? With about as much back-and-forth the two of us go through during discussions..."

Sara interrupted, "I just don't understand how you can think that..."

Sly countered, "Hold up, precious."

"Precious!?"

"Look, let's not get into that right now, okay? It's the end of the semester, and we're likely to be gabbing at each other next semester with Professor Helton. But right now, it's Christmas."

"Christmas is in two-and-a-half weeks, idiot."

"Regardless," he said through slightly gritted teeth, "it's Christmas time. Plus, it's a Dresden party. Let's just relax and pass over each other and act as if nothing went wrong just now."

"Being ignorant again, aren't we? You know that it isn't bliss."

"I'm aware, my dear feline, but bypassing the argument in this situation can be a exception. Abby, it was nice meeting you. Enjoy the party you two." He turned and gave a nonchalant wave as he disappeared around the corner and into the throng.

"Well, he seemed nice," Abby said, watching him go.

"Nice?" Sara humphed. "Yeah right. My tail he's nice."

"I think he likes you."

"Likes me?!" She turned on her younger sister.

"Well, yeah. I mean, he called you 'precious.'"

"'Precious' is what he calls me when we're arguing with each other during class."

"Oh? Hmm." Abby put a finger to her lip in concentration.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with."

Abby grabbed her sister's arm. "Hey, you know he's right. Just ignore it, okay? How do you expect to enjoy yourself if you're going to grumble the entire time? No guy wants a girl that argues all the time."

"Who said that I'm here to pick up a guy, anyway?"

"No one did, but you really should."

"And why is that?" Sara glared at Abby.

She sighed. "Because I said you got a boyfriend in order to distract Mom and Dad from asking more about my grades."

"I knew it. I just knew that something was up." Sara stomped over to the makeshift bar in the kitchen. There, a cheery otter was monitoring the beverages and acting as in impromptu bartender. Beer was the drink of choice at a Dresden party, but the otter had a few skills with a mixer. The main reason he had been asked to come to Dresden parties for the last 2 years, including this one, was because of a sweet yet tart white mix drink that Whitesdale students affectionately referred to as Mistletoe, having known to lead its partakers to enact out various sultry activities. She grabbed one of the white, bubbly concoctions and drank.

Abby's tail curled into her as she approached her sister, "Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best thing to say."

"You think so?" she grunted. She lifted the cup to her muzzle, the Mistletoe tasting sweet as it passed over her tongue and leaving a pleasant tartness afterwards.

"Seriously though, you should find someone, Sara."

"Why? So I can fulfill your lie?"

"No, it's not that."

She sighed, "Look, I don't need a guy to make my life complete, alright? I'm perfectly happy being on my own. All of...that, isn't worth my time." She flicked her free paw in a gesture. "Besides, I'm at college to get an education, as are you, Abby."

"Please, don't bring up the 'your job is to get an education' speech. I know that. You know that. Our parents pounded it into us since we were in grade school."

"Still holds," she murmured, lapping from her cup.

Abby touched Sara's shoulder, speaking calmly, "Look, I'm not saying for you to find a husband tonight, okay? At least talk to a guy for a little bit, get to know something about him so that you tell Mom and Dad when they ask you. Please?"

She sighed after a moment. "Alright. Fine. I'll try, for you." Abby squealed and hugged her sister tightly. Sara hugged back as much as she could. "You realize that they'll find out eventually though, right?"

The bobcat peeked up at her sister out of the corners of her eyes. "Don't spoil the moment, okay?"

For the first half-hour, the two bobcats wandered the halls and rooms of the colonial house. Abby did her best to get her to "meet" some of her single, male friends. Sara at one point wondered about her sister's taste in guys as most of them seemed to be struggling against "The Freshman 15." Not that Sara was picky about that, no. It was just a sign that they didn't care about themselves and that they were likely going to be obnoxious and stupid. That's something she couldn't handle, nor something that she wanted to invest an hour of her time in. Their hygiene wasn't the best either.

They split off after the 4th meeting, and Sara found herself wandering aimlessly and wall-flowering. From her vantage point in what would have been the living room, she saw most of the people having a great time. Two calicos were busting out in laughter over some shared joke that couldn't be heard over the din of the room. A tall and pesky fox was prancing about, forcing people under actual mistletoe. Gender didn't matter, although the fox was favoring girl/girl pairings. The 3rd time Sara noticed this, he got a positive reaction between a female mouse and a female lhasa apso. The fox got a few guys to follow him after that, hoping to see more reactions like that. 'At least they're having a good time,' she thought to herself, shaking her head. This is what she expected to happen though: herself, standing around and observing while the rest of the building would be enjoying the atmosphere. She told herself that it was just because she didn't know how to handle crowds very well. She tilted her cup to her muzzle and found it empty.

She made her way back to the kitchen via the dining hall. A pair of fennecs and a handsome buck were doing last minute checks on the sound equipment for the Blind Karaoke. She winced at the idea of her being on stage and ducked out of the dining room as quick as she could. She was greeted by the otter bartender. "Back for more?" he asked with a smile.

She nodded and grabbed another Mistletoe while disposing her used cup. "The stuff's surprisingly good," she remarked.

"Thanks. To be honest though, I can't take all the credit for it. The recipe's actually my roommate's. I just mix it better than he does."

"Uh-huh." She took a sip. She normally would have left at that point. Perhaps it was the alcohol finally letting her hang loose, but she thought to herself that she might as well try to talk to the otter. There was no reason for her to not at least try and have some fun. Plus, the otter was a junior, and he looked like he took care of himself. She extended a paw, "Name's Sara."

"Daryll," he said, taking her padded paw in his webby one. "So you're Sara, huh? Philosophy student?" he said with a smirk.

"Heard about me from somewhere?"

"Oh, my roommate takes the philosophy classes too."

"Well then, I'm sure he must have heard of me, along with a certain coyote."

Daryll's smirk widened to a grin, "Yeah, I've heard some horror stories. Other students can barely get a word in when the two of you go at it."

"I don't know," she shrugged, taking another sip and leaning against the countertop, "there's just something about the guy that rubs my fur the wrong way."

"That he's highly opinionated, right?"

"Yeah, he is."

The otter poured a cup from the keg for himself. "I hear ya."

Sara tilted her head, "No Mistletoe for the barkeep?"

He shrugged, "It's fine, but it gets a little too sweet for my tastes after a while. I usually just have one to make sure the mixture is right, and that was close to 2 hours ago."

Sara asked the otter about what he studied and where he was from. The otter did the same. It was the standard niceties of college life. The bobcat started to think she had enough to extrapolate a picture to her parents. Mission accomplished. Just as she thought about heading back to her dorm room she was spun around from behind and blindfolded before she could protest. "Ah, it seems we're starting already," she heard Daryll say.

"You bet," said a deep voice, likely the buck. "We got a duet planned to kick things off."

"A duet?" Sara complained.

"Oh. If I might make a suggestion..." Sara couldn't hear what Daryll whispered to the buck.

"Really now?" the buck said. "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"I thought you would," she heard Daryll say. "Break a leg, Sara."

Sara stumbled, under the prodding and directing of the buck. They stopped. "Wait, right here. Don't move; otherwise you're likely to fall off."

"Damn you," she muttered.

"Hey girly, no need to get feisty with me. Everyone is subject to this."

'Yeah, but did you have to pick me?' she thought. She stood there for what seemed like 5 minutes. Her tail lashed and her ears darted about to hear if any critters were gathering. 'The less there is, the less likelihood of embarrassment.'

Her throat was already starting to feel dry. She gulped as she heard footfalls to her right. They had found the 2nd victim.

The buck's voice came in through loudspeakers to either side of her. "Okay, folks. Hope you're all enjoying yourself. It's time to get the Blind Karaoke started." There was a "Whoo!" of approval from someone in the room. "This year, we're going to be starting off with a duet. Now, you all remember the rules. Attendance here makes you subject to karaoke. Remember that there's no judging here. We're all here to have a good time. Merry Christmas to all, now let's get it started right." Sara thought she heard a name being mentioned during the buck's speech but it was drowned out in his deep voice. The buck continued, "Again, remember, it's BLIND Karaoke. No name-calling. To get us further into the Christmas spirit, we've got a sexy classic for you."

'Oh gosh, what in the world does that mean?' She felt furred paws on the back of her head and hoped the song was something she was familiar with.

Her eyesight returned, and she was handed a microphone by one of the fennecs. A quick scan of the room noted that about 3 people were actually looking at the stage while everyone else was busy minding their own business. She could peek into the kitchen from the stage and saw Daryll winking at her. The right-side of the stage was curtained off, so she couldn't see her partner, but in front of each side of the stage was a karaoke monitor displaying the name of the song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside". It was the Miss Renaissance version. 'Oh good, I actually know this one.' She felt her legs quiver and her tail lash. 'I hope my partner can actually sing.'

The music started up and the screen displayed the first lines on the screen, the female part in white text, the male part in yellow. The intro held a slow, country twang to it, seeing as the group was known for that. It had a sensual, tropical feel to it as well. 'Okay. Just relax, Sara. You can do this. Just go with the music.' She tried her best to drop her tense shoulders and sway slightly to the music.

She started softly, "I really can't stay."

"But baby, it's cold outside," she heard. It wasn't bad. It had a nice tone and carried the song.

A bit of tension was relieved. She sang stronger, "I gotta go away."

"But baby, it's cold outside." The stranger dipped his voice. It sounded good. Perhaps he had some talent, but the guy part was easier in the beginning.

"This evening has been."

And right on cue, even before the words highlight she heard, "Been hoping that you'd drop in." The guy obviously knew the song, but she knew the next line might be a bit difficult, as it got a little higher.

"So very nice."

"I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice" He hit it. Sara's confidence rose. This was going to turn out nice after all.

"My mother will start to worry."

"Beautiful, what's your hurry?"

"My father will be pacing the floor."

"Just listen to that fireplace roar."

"Now really I'd better scurry."

"Sweetheart, what's your hurry?"

"Well maybe just a half a drink more."

"Why don't you put some records on while I pour."

The song was turning out great to Sara's ears. She swayed more easily to the music, as if she was starting to dance with her unseen partner. Their voices harmonized with each other and drew more attention to the dining room. She even noticed her sister come dashing into the room, her tail curling about to listen to her older sister. She saw her sister's eyes go big for a moment then a sly smirk came across her muzzle. Sara just shook her head and continued, even giving a nod over to Daryll for the "Say, what's in this drink?" line. The otter gave her a thumbs up. When the two sang, "Baby, it's cold outside," their voices synced to each other, harmonizing almost perfectly.

The end of the first verse was met with hoots and howls of approval. People were enjoying the performance, and Sara had to admit that she was having fun with her partner. The way their voices moved together, it was almost as if they knew each other. Even as the song continued, she moved from just singing, to singing to him--just as if they were lovers, and he trying to convince her to stay. She couldn't help but give her sister a playfully scolding glare at the, "My sister will be suspicious," line, but the counter of, "Gosh, your lips look delicious," got her attention again. She felt a warmth creep into her cheeks. The line felt genuine even though they couldn't see each other. Their voices merged once more at the final "Baby, it's cold outside," line. They even shared some camaraderie at the end of the song.

"It is kinda chilly out," Sara mentioned.

"Just stay right here, baby," the voice said, putting a slight drawl into it. "You ain't gotta be no where."

Final chords struck, "Alright. You win," she said. She even giggled at the end. Their finish was met with several applause and whistles.

"Outstanding." The buck said. "Great job, you too. Let's give them another round of applause, shall we?" More cheering filled the dining room. Sara couldn't help her curiosity though. She needed to see whom it was that she connected with so well. She peeked around the outside edge of the curtain. Her muzzle came close to the long, red-orange muzzle of Sly.

Sara gasped and shrunk back behind the curtain. A few wolf whistles resounded as Sara hopped off the stage and ran without looking back.

"So that's what happened?" her Aunt Dee asked, excited.

"Yeah, that's basically it," Sara admitted. They were at the shopping mall together, back home in Michigan. Sara had an old blue hoodie wrapped around her, even though they were inside. It had been 3 days since that eventful night. Her black jacket was probably gone forever, left at the Dresden Apartments. They could have it for all she cared. There was no way she was going to set foot into those apartments again after having embarrassed herself like that.

Her aunt saw her niece's ears fold down as she held the hoodie tighter around her. "Aw sweetie, it's not as bad as you think it is."

"Not as bad?"

"Of course not. The coyote didn't laugh at you did he?"

"No."

"No one booed you offstage, did they?"

"Well, no but..."

"Then there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"But Aunt Dee,"

"But what, Sara sweetie? What's the problem?"

"I..." she closed her muzzle. She had an idea, but how could she explain it to her aunt, who didn't even know Sly, without sounding like she was crazy?

"Hmm?" Dee grinned at her niece.

"What?" Sara asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently. They wandered into the big department store in front of them. They looked among the racks of the discounted and for sale designer clothing, looking for something for Sara's mother. It was usually a difficult task seeing as she always said something to the effect of, "All I want is my family to be here for Christmas." It was a nice sentiment, but it did nothing to make the shopping for her any easier. Her Aunt Dee knew her sister very well though. She knew that she kept old design magazines, even though she couldn't regularly afford the fashion.

They found a nice skirt that would go with the heavy grey of her mother's fur, and were just sorting through the blouses when Sara's aunt decided to broach the idea that was on her mind. "You know, sweetie, I'm quite glad that you went out and had some fun though."

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly, not wanting to be reminded.

"Good to get you exposed to other people."

"Aunt Dee, I get exposed to people enough. It's bad enough that I felt naked on that stage after everything ended."

"Hmm, interesting choice of words."

Sara held up a bright orange blouse that she was eyeing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." Aunt Dee remarked on the blouse, "Interesting color choice too."

"Huh?"

"Doesn't quite go with grey fur though, don't you think." Sara grunted and put the blouse back on the rack. "Perhaps it would look great on some, what color was it? Red-orange fur?"

"Wha-what are you getting at, Aunt Dee?"

The older bobcat continued, putting a paw to her chin in contemplation. "Not a feline body though. No, there aren't many it would work with. Perhaps more of a canid?" She grinned knowingly.

Sara's ears perked and her fur ruffled. She started to feel hot. Again she asked, "Just what are you getting at?"

Dee put an arm around her niece. "It's fine to like someone outside of your species, dearie." Sara went stiff. "I had figured there was a rebellious streak somewhere in you. Ha, I figured it might have been something like that. The way you talked about that coyote last year just reeked of it."

"R-reeked of what?" she managed, trying to wriggle away.

"Desire, dear. Interest." Dee's grin turned toothy. "Passion?" she suggested.

The younger bobcat flushed. "A-Aunt Dee!" she said a little too loudly.

"Boy, I could tell you stories of stuff that I've done in college. I even experimented with females."

"Aunt Dee!" she practically screamed.

"Ssshh. Calm down, sweetie. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I do not like that, that, that loud, smug, over-bearing, stubborn coyote!"

It was at that point that her aunt finally stopped talking. Sara was close to fuming. "Excuse me," said a voice from behind.

Sara turned on her heels. "WHAT?!" she shouted. She immediately clammed up with she saw none other than Sly, looking rather calm, though his ears were turned back. "Sly?" she muttered.

"Um, hi Sara." Sly said shyly.

"Sly!" she growled.

"Um, hi Sara?" he said again.

"Hi? HI?!"

"Sara, sweetie," her aunt said, "he's just saying hello."

She turned on her. "You stay out of this!"

Dee stepped pass Sara, leaving her stunned, and introduced herself to the coyote. "You must be Sly, I take it?"

"Um, yes." The coyote took the extended paw in his own.

"Deidra Lantar."

"Sly Byrne."

Dee giggled. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's a bit of an unfortunate name, but I manage." He smiled.

"Oh really?"

"Have to. Sometimes I even live up to it." Sly smirked. "Your niece there can likely attest to it."

Sara finally reacted. "Why you--"

"What?" Dee's ears perked and her tail straightened. "Sara, you never told me that you've already hooked up with this coyote!" Her eyes shone with delight at her revelation.

Sara deadpanned again for a moment, as did the coyote observing the elder bobcat. "We have not had sex!" They both yelled.

"Oh?" She looked to both of them. Red shone through Sara's fur as she looked away. The coyote looked at the ground. "Oh...I see. Heh-heh. My mistake."

"Mistake?!" Sara exclaimed. "How can you make a 'mistake' like that?"

"Come now, sweetie, you know I have a dirty mind." The elder bobcat laughed at the situation. Sara and Sly could hardly look at each other.

"So um..." the coyote spoke, not looking at the young bobcat, "...it's kinda funny running into you here."

Dee stopped laughing a moment after she felt a twinge in the air. Discomfort? Embarrassed? Tension? "Hmm?" She didn't want to jump to conclusions on this now.

Sara turned toward him, staring through him. "Running into me?" she scoffed. "For all I know, you've been stalking me."

Sly meet her look. "Oh, lighten up, precious."

"Precious?" Sara growled.

"Precious?" Dee said, her eyes glowing for a split second.

Sly bit his muzzle closed at Sara's reaction. "Now hold on, I didn't mean it like that."

"Really? What did you mean it as then?"

"Listen, I was kinda hoping that I'd get to talk to you when the next semester started, but..."

"But what? You thought you'd just fly out to Michigan and hound me like a dog?"

"Hey, now that's a little uncalled for," Sly said with a clenched jaw.

"Oh, I think I'm within my rights. Setting me up like that like you did. You're lucky I don't tare your throat out right here."

"You think I set that up? Sara, it's called 'Blind' Karaoke. I had no idea what was going on."

"Oh please, Sly. Don't play the dumb coyote trick."

"There's no trick here, Sara."

"Whatever! I don't have to take this crap!" Sara shoved the clothes in her paws over to her aunt.

"Sweetie," she called. "Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom," she replied, a little too loudly for a department store.

Sara practically kicked the door open to the women's restroom. Lucky for her and everyone else, no one else was near the door at the time. For all she knew, whoever had been there had felt her rage coming from across the store and bailed. She held herself up above the bathroom sink, her breathing coming in hitches and her tail lashing. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked to no one in particular. "What the hell was all that?" Her claws extended and scraped along the countertop. "Didn't plan it, my ass," she muttered.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, unlocked it, and loaded the Youtube application. She called up her most recent search terms, "Whitesdale blind karaoke bobcat coyote." The top result was already highlighted as having been viewed. She tapped it and looked at the info while the video loaded. "Uploaded 2 days ago. 2,106 views." Sara didn't like that number. For all her luck, it was probably going to be a trend. She'd be the laughing stock of the Internet.

The video started with the tail-end of the introduction from the deep-voiced buck. The slow twang of the song started. There the two of them were, singing with each other, she unaware of who it was behind that curtain. She had to admit that they did sound good together. The memory of the connection was still palpable in her mind and body as she watched herself perform and the coyote harmonize with her. "Too bad it was a lie," she muttered to herself.

The song finished and the applause of approval filled the phone speakers. The cameraman could be heard hooting for them. The buck stepped back on stage, on Sly's side, and called for another round of applause. As that started, the camera--as if on queue--tightened in on Sara peeking around the curtain just as Sly was. The bobcat on screen shied away and ran off. The coyote's ears had raised and watched, mouth slightly agape, and watched her run off just as the video ended. "Damn him," she grumbled.

She made an upward motion with her thumb to turn the visual off, but it caught the surface of the screen and scrolled up to reveal the top comments. One read, "Sounds great. Looks like someone's going to have a cold night though. X3" The other comment read, "Aww he looked so sad at seeing her go." Sara had never noticed the comments before.

"They don't know him. I mean, just look at him." She rewound the video to 15 seconds before it ended. There was the coyote again. She watched his movements carefully. Ears raised upon seeing her, shock. "Wait. What?" His mouth was slightly open, no mirth or cunning on his muzzle. His head turned to watch her run off. His mouth moved. No sound came out. She rewound two seconds, the mouth moved again. "W-wait?" she whispered. "Is that what he said?"

It was 6 weeks into the first semester of Sara's sophomore year at Whitsedale. The Philosophy class was discussing about society's development on the concepts of romance. "Ever since modern science began to figure out how the body reacts to chemicals like oxytocin, the biological theory of romance has gained extreme ground, saying that love is just a series of chemical reactions in your brain."

"But what about the emotional aspect to it?" The coyote asked the professor. "What about the person's consciousness? Their spirit?"

"That doesn't matter to science or medicine," Sara countered. "It's intangible. It can't be weighed or measured."

Sly turned to the bobcat, who was right behind her and up a level in the auditorium-style classroom. Her position didn't falter his conviction. "That doesn't mean much."

Sara scoffed. "Not much? How can you say that?"

"Well, are your emotions real? Would you be offended if I called you fat?"

"No. I wouldn't."

"Why's that?" Sly said with a smirk.

"Because I'm not fat," Sara said with a little too much conviction.

"Just a joke, precious. Of course you're not fat, but the way you said it right now shows that you cared about the statement." She humphed as Sly continued. "So would you say that your emotions aren't real? Just because they can't be measured by science?"

"Of course they're real. And just to let you know, modern medicine and science has been able to measure emotional reaction based upon the body's neuro-chemicals."

"Well of course I know that, precious." Sly smirked at Sara's furrowed brows. "But what about your spirit then? Science and medicine hasn't found a way to measure that. Do you think your spirit, your soul, doesn't exist because of that?"

"Let me ask you something then, Sly." She put a drawl in the coyote's name. She grinned down at him as her tail lashed lazily. "Can you tell me what a soul is?"

He laughed. "What a soul is?"

"Yes. Give me an actual definition of what a soul is." Sly opened the internet browser on his laptop. "Not the Webster definition, Sly. I want you to tell me, in your own words, what a soul is."

Sly paused for a moment. He stared at his laptop screen and closed the browser window. "Having trouble, Sly?" Sara asked.

"I'm thinking okay? It's a delicate question."

"Delicate, huh? Gee, that's something I'd never think you were."

He looked up at her out of the corner of his eye. "You'd be surprised, precious." Sara refrained from badgering him for about a few seconds. "The soul...is what you are, at your core. It is your personality, who you are. Your inner most being. Some can equate that to being your spirit. Some people call it their 'guts' too. It's what drives you to get up in the morning, to have aspirations, to dream, to love." He stopped for a moment, considering the bobcat.

"You finished?" she asked, her head resting in a paw.

The coyote's muzzle contorted for a moment then settled. "I guess so."

"Well, that's a pretty sentiment there."

"Your point?"

"What would you say to a person that lacks 'drive'? That lacks 'passion' or doesn't 'love?'"

"Well, can you really call that living, precious?"

"Would you knock it off with the 'precious' already?"

Sly smirked and continued. "Living life without a purpose, or a drive, or being invested in something, can you really call that living? Life doesn't have much meaning unless it's shared with someone else. Those that don't can't really say that they're living. Do they not have a soul? No. Do they lack soul though? Probably."

Sara scoffed. "That's quite unfair, don't you think? Especially to those that desire to live safe lives or that just want to live in peace."

"I've got nothing against that. That there is an aim, something that drives them, especially to those in third world countries or that live in times of war. But average citizens in this country?" The coyote shook his head.

"You....you...."

"Don't worry, precious. I'm not attacking you. I can tell you've got soul."

"Grrr....Stop calling me 'precious'!" she screamed.

Sara held the phone in her hand, staring at it. She thought about the video. The connection, the flow of emotion she shared with her-then-unknown partner. What was it? "Passion?" she muttered. "Gah! What am I saying? It's not like you haven't experienced it before." One night. Her first time was at the end of high school, with a drunk tiger who was a benchwarmer for her high school's football team. Afterwards, she felt nothing. She had thought it would be something special. It just turned out to be so ordinary. It couldn't have been that then, could it?

The ladies restroom door opened to reveal a red vixen. She just about turned and left, but Sara got up off the floor and silently went into a stall for privacy.

Sitting on the toilet seat didn't help Sara unravel much of her thoughts. 'What did he say? He said...that he wanted to talk to me...the video. Did he really say 'Wait'? And at the party...he went out of his way to make me comfortable...by making himself scarce. If he came all the way out here...' Sara covered her mouth to stifle her gasp. The coyote liked her? What was she supposed to do? How could she talk to him now? What about all of those heated arguments? She thought he hated her. Was the "precious" an actual term of endearment? Did she like him too?

She thought about those few seconds when she was still swimming in the ether of music. She turned the curtain to see the red-orange muzzle just inches from hers. Just within kissing distance. She could almost smell him, feel his fur brush hers, taste the canid tongue sliding over hers. Her paws went to her cheeks. She felt warmth radiating from beneath her pads.

Sara peeked from behind the stall door to make sure the vixen was no longer there. She wasn't, thank God. She took a moment to splash some water on her face and calm her mind. Once she felt satisfied, she headed for the bathroom door. 'He's probably gone by now,' she thought. 'That's fine. It'll give me time to put my thoughts in order and think of what I should do.'

It really wasn't turning out to be a lucky Christmas for Sara, because just around the bend leading into the department store, the coyote was leaning against the wall, waiting for her. The bobcat jumped back and instinctively hissed. "S-sorry," the coyote placated. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Um, no. That's okay." She hesitated for a moment. "Um...why are you holding my coat?"

"Technically it's a hoodie..."

"I know it's--" she started to growl, but stopped herself in time. She took a breath and spoke more calmly. "I know it's a hoodie."

"Sorry, pre--I mean, Sara. It was a bad joke on my part. I kinda do stuff like that, make jokes out of the obvious."

Sara couldn't stop the bit of snark as she said, "I'm sure your friends get such a kick out of it."

He chuckled lightly. "Actually, it annoys the hell out of them too, but I do it anyway." The coyote shrugged. "Can't help it. It's my father's influence on me."

"Who's your father? A corn stalk?"

Another light chuckle, carrying some amusement. "Yes, in fact. He said I was his son right from the start with the way that I 'popped' out of my mother."

Sara groaned and put a paw to her lowered forehead. "That was terrible."

"You're smiling though."

"Yes. It was amusingly terrible." They were silent. The bobcat brushed her forearms, and the coyote scuffed the ground. "So uh," Sara said, "can I have my hoodie back?"

"Oh yeah, sure."

Sara tucked the blue, folded hoodie under her arm. "What were you even doing with it? If I may ask."

Sly's ears perked. "Oh! Your aunt asked me to hold it for you. She went to checkout with your purchases and asked me to wait for you. I mean, I told her it wouldn't be a good idea, but she was insistent. She said, 'If you want to pay the $200 some-odd dollars for our Christmas presents, be my guest. If not, just wait for my niece.' And seeing as I don't have $200 to spare..."

"Hold up," Sara said. "How long ago was that?"

"Um, about 10, 15 minutes ago?"

"Shoot! I've gotta get to her. We're gonna be late!" Sara jogged off to the other end of the department store, leaving the coyote behind once more.

She struggled to throw her hoodie on in preparation to run out the door. She nearly knocked over an elderly armadillo, mumbled an apology in passing, and bumped into a table stack of perfume bottles. She got a stern warning from the doe behind the counter, emphasizing for her to be grateful that nothing fell over and shattered. After that, she stopped and tugged her "coat" down over her before sprinting to the register at the store's east exit, where the two bobcats had parked.

Her Aunt Dee was nowhere to be seen at the registers. 'She wouldn't have,' she thought as she ran out the door. A scan of the parking lot gave more credence to her fear. She ran to the third column of vehicles, towards the back, near the 3rd lamppost. Sure enough, she found the spot empty, the red sedan no longer parked there. "Damn it!" she hissed.

She trudged through the slush back to the building. She shivered as she fished in her pockets. She found a 5-dollar bill and some loose change. She had left her purse in the sedan too, since her aunt insisted on paying. It was just enough for her to take the bus back to her place. She decided to take shelter in the store for now. At least it had some heating.

A brown collie from behind the square of the checkout area perked up as she walked back in. "Welcome," she said cheerily.

"Already been here," she muttered.

"Oh wait, um, are you Sara?" the collie asked.

"Yeah?"

"Aha. Your aunt checked out here. She asked me to give this to a female bobcat in a blue hoodie. She figured you'd be by this way soon."

"Uh thanks." She took the note:

_ _

Sara,

_ Sorry, but you know the rules with Christmas shopping. Don't drag your feet or you'll be left behind. Why not ask your coyote friend to give you a ride? He seems nice. Not too bad to look at too. Have fun._

_ Love,_

_ Your Aunt Dee._

"Is there anything I can do for you?" the collie asked.

"No, no thanks," she grumbled while crumpling the note.

"Hey," said a familiar voice. "Did you catch her?"

"No, unfortunately. I got dumped."

"Sorry to hear that."

They were quiet again. "Um, listen," Sly started, "do you...need a ride? I live about 15 minutes from here, but I've got about three-quarters of a tank. I can spare the gas."

"No thanks," she said quickly. Sara stopped. Who knew when the bus would be here? She hated buses too. She could just call her parents, but then she'd have to explain why she got left behind. That would reward her with an ear full about the importance of being punctual, and she didn't need to hear that again. "Actually, sure. I'll take that ride, if you don't mind."

Sly's tail swished. "Great. But I've got some shopping I have to do myself. You don't mind waiting do you?"

'Typical. Thinking of himself first.' Sara had another thought. 'Now that's not fair, Sara. You live a half-hour away. He's going out of his way to help you. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'

"Sure," she sighed. "I got nothing else to do."

"Well, I'll try not to be boring," Sly said with a grin.

They exited the department store into the mall proper. The 2-floored mall complex was swimming in the noise of footfalls, cell phone calls, and the excited chatter of critters rushing to get their Christmas shopping done. The two floors were barely enough to deal with the traffic, but that's what you get when you decide to do your shopping at the last minute.

Sara followed Sly to a down escalator. The coyote's poofed tail was raised high and swishing in tiny, jerky movements. 'Is he excited to be here with me?' She couldn't tell. The coyote had his paws in his coat pockets, and she couldn't see his muzzle to confirm. "So where we going?" she asked above the din.

"To a game store," he said, turning his head toward her. Not much of a change in his usual facial expression, a grin that bordered on smug.

"And who exactly is this for?" They stepped off the escalator. "Don't tell me that you're a big game nerd."

"Hey, they're very entertaining, especially when you want to put off studying or doing your homework."

She laughed. "What are you? 12?"

"Young at heart, but all male." He flexed his arm right in front of her as they kept on walking. It was a hard to see if any muscle was there since his coat was loose.

"Wow. You are a dork."

"If you must know, it's for my little brother, who is 12 by the way."

"What game?"

"Oh? So you're interested in games then? I figured you were covering your tail."

"No, moron." The insult had no sting behind it as she rolled her eyes. "I'm...just curious."

"Well it's the newest FPS, that's short for First Person Shooter."

"Uh-huh. Look, it's good that you pointed that out for me, but I have no idea what that is."

"Seriously? You've never played any videogames before. Ever?"

"Well..." Sara scratched her chin, thinking through her childhood. "Oh. I remember playing something called First Fiction when I was about 11. I played that for quite a while, but I couldn't get the hang of it. I finally just gave up on it."

"That would be a role-playing game, RPG for short."

"You know quite a bit about games for someone who claims to not play them."

Sly looked her in the eye, waving a finger with his smug grin, "First off, precious, I didn't say that I never played games." Sara's ears lowered as she looked away. Sly looked ahead, paws back in his pockets. "Sorry. It slipped."

"It's...it's okay," she muttered.

They walked for a moment in silence. During that time, Sara noticed Sly move ahead of her. 'Wait. How long was he walking beside me? Calm down, Sara. You're overthinking things. It just happened. But then again...' She was still bothered by the fact that they had just ran into each other while she was at home from school.

"Hey," she said finally breaking the silence. "you do live in the area, right?"

Sly looked over his shoulder at her and turned back toward the front. "Yeah. I do."

"Oh. I never knew that before."

"Well, you never asked." The coyote's tail swished a little. "This is the place, GoFur Games."

Sara noticed the line of people almost extending to the entrance of the small shop. "Looks like we'll be here for a while."

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"I called ahead. The game I'm getting for my brother was put on reserve. They have a separate line for that." The coyote pointed to two people standing to the side of the line. "We'll be out of here in short order."

Sly was true to his word. It only took them about 5 minutes to pay off the game then they were out the door. Sara was glad for it. She wasn't sure how to feel in a shop that was lined and filled with videogames.

Hunger struck the pair of shoppers, so Sly suggested getting lunch. When Sara said she couldn't afford lunch because of her "missing" purse, Sly offered to pay for her. "I insist," he said before she could argue against it. They sat, ate, and talked for a half-hour in the food court. Conversation was light at first, but then they started talking about their other classes, comparing professors and subject matter. Sara found herself smiling once or twice, blaming it on the above par taste of her chicken sandwich, for a food court at least. She couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this a date now?'

After eating, they made their way back to Sly's car. It was snowing hard when they came outside. The cold had been amped up too. Sara rubbed her arms a bit in Sly's car, waiting for it to warm up while Sly dusted off the windshield. Sly stepped in and noticed her attempts at getting warmer. "Don't worry. It'll heat up soon. It just takes a while for the old girl." He patted the heating vents.

"Yeah, well, that's fine. Just wish it would hurry up."

"Which reminds me," Sly said. "You mind if we stop by my place first? There's something there that I think you'll want."

"Y-your place?"

"Yeah. I-if that's fine with you."

"What...what's there?"

"Your...coat."

"Oh! You have my coat?"

"Yeah....I noticed that you had left the party without it. I just thought I'd keep it safe until I saw you after break."

"Um...thanks."

"Yeah....you're welcome." Sly's paws tightened on the steering wheel. He turned to her with a smile on his muzzle. "Well, shall we go then?"

The bobcat strapped herself in. "Yeah. Sure."

The ride was mostly quiet. The snowplows were able to make at least one pass on most of the traffic heavy roads, i.e. around the mall and leading out to the highways. Sly took that route for the first 5 minutes. Sara thought this had really turned out to be a date now since she was going back to his place. 'It's fine though, you're only picking up your coat. Nothing else needs to happen, nor will it.'

The coyote spoke up as he turned off the highway. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna take my time with the rest of this here." It was sound advice too since the coyote could hardly make out the yellow lines of the shoulders. The plows hadn't been through the area yet.

"Yeah, you do that," Sara said. "I'm in no rush."

The coyote drove while Sara returned to her thoughts. 'Do I want nothing to happen though? Would it be so terrible if something did? I mean, Aunt Dee said he was nice. Yeah, when he's not running his mouth, he's quite tolerable. But, that's just class. The last few hours haven't been so bad. I mean, except for when we ran into each other, but that was really my fault. Why am I thinking this now? This is ludicrous. Nothing will happen.'

"Can I help you with something, Sara?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you've been staring at me for a few minutes. And normally I wouldn't mind. I get stared at quite a bit, but you're kind of distracting me right now."

She turned her head toward the passenger window. "I-I have not been staring at you," she protested.

"Hey I know the..." he stopped. "Nevermind. I guess it's just my anxiety getting to me."

"Yeah," Sara said, "Maybe it's that. You should concentrate on the road."

Sly groaned. "That's what I'm doing."

It was still snowing outside the car, more so than when they left the mall. Sara felt that it wasn't a good sign; especially since the road right now hadn't even had a plow come through it. 'At this rate, it's going to be a blizzard.' That thought, though disconcerting, didn't bother her too much. Why didn't it though?

She pondered aimlessly until she felt the car stop. "We're here," Sly said. "You wanna...come inside?"

Sara heard herself agree before she could think against the idea. The Byrne house was a 2-level house. The pale yellow boards could just be made out against the piling white backdrop of the outside. A chimney could be seen along the right side of the house, facing the south. Sara tucked her arms and tail into her against the cold.

Sly made quick work of the door and let her inside. The front of the house was a hallway with a staircase leading upstairs on the right. Sara could make out the edge of a refrigerator at the end of the hallway. To the left of the hall was a doorway to what appeared to be a living room. To the right lied an entryway with a room housing two large chairs and a loveseat, centered around and facing a fireplace. "Looks like a nice place," Sara commented.

"Thanks," Sly said. "It hasn't really changed much over the past 5 years. Hold on for a moment. I want to check the weather report."

Sly went off to the left. Sara heard several different sounds come from the living room, likely the changing of channels. The changing settled and she heard, "...in doors. The National Weather Association is issuing a blizzard warning for all of Michigan State. It is advised that all residents stay in doors. White out conditions should persist into the next morning and chilly winds are sure to keep things cold. Hopefully you have your Christmas shopping done because now would be a good time to just gather around the fireplace." The announcement left, and Sly returned to the entrance.

"I guess you heard that, huh?'

"Yeah." Sara folded her arms.

"I'm sorry. I was worried this would happen when I saw how bad it looked on the road." Sara wasn't sure what to say. "Do you...want me to take you back?"

"Oh no!" she said a little too quicker than she first thought she did. "I mean," she recovered, "we don't want to end up getting lost or hurt right? I suppose staying here would be good."

Sly's fluffy tail wagged. "Good plan. You gonna take off your hoodie then?"

"Oh!" The bobcat hugged herself tighter. "Uh, I think I'll keep it on for right now. Kinda cold, don't you think?" She rubbed her arms to give credence to her ruse.

"Well, I guess so. My dad likes to turn the heat off when no one's in the house. He's kind of a penny pincher. I'm gonna head out the back. We've got a wood shed. I can start a fire for us."

"Sure. Sounds nice."

"Make yourself at home." Sly went down the hallway towards the kitchen and turned back, "You...sure this is okay?"

"Yeah. It is." Sara smiled politely at him, and it eased him enough for him to head to the kitchen. Sara let go of a breath when she heard a door open then close.

"What am I gonna do?" she said out loud. "I'll be in the same house with him for who knows how long?" The bobcat could just see it happening: the two of them, sitting in front of a warm fire, sitting close to each other; the amber light dancing off of the coyote's red-orange and white fur; an arm around and over her shoulder; a gleam in his canid eyes; that cocky yet coy smile; smelling a mix of burning pine and his soft, masculine scent; their muzzles get inches away from each other.

"Sara? Are you okay?"

Sara woke from her daydream. "Huh?"

"You're cupping your cheeks and hunched over. You okay? Do you need to...use the restroom?"

"Oh," she chuckled nervously. "I do actually, heh-heh."

"Just up the stairs and to the left. I'll get the fire going soon."

Sara followed his directions and paced in the bathroom. "This is getting ridiculous," she said to herself. "I can't spend the evening like this. I mean, I really could just be overreacting. Yeah, that's it. It could be another misunderstanding, just like this afternoon. The quickest way to get over this is to just come out and ask him about this. He'll deny it, and then everything will be fine. We can just go back to the way things were. In fact, that's probably what he was going to do in the first place when he came up to me. We'll just clear the air. Yeah. That'll be perfect." She smiled at her reflection, which was clutching at her tail in desperation.

After taking a moment to calm herself, the bobcat made her way back downstairs, feeling more confident knowing what needed to happen. She turned into the sitting and saw Sly stooped in front of the fireplace, getting some embers to crackle and burn. "Hey," he said, "you're looking a little better."

"Better?" she responded. "Heh, I guess you could say that."

"Yeah. I was wondering about it because you were speaking in one or two-word phrases."

"Well, trust me. I'm fine now." She sat down on the plush and comfy loveseat.

"That's good to hear," he said into the fire. He tossed a few more logs on and closed the grating. He turned and stopped for a moment, looking at the bobcat. "Um...you want anything to drink as well? Coffee, water, hot cocoa?"

"That sounds nice," she said, smiling at the last suggestion. She followed Sly into the kitchen to help. Her mind churned at ways to even try and approach the subject of the two of them as she poured water into the mugs and set them in the microwave. She took a look out the window over the sink and watched the snow fall. It reminded her of a song. She started humming "Let It Snow."

She heard a familiar voice singing softly, "It doesn't show signs of stopping." The coyote was peeking into a cupboard, hiding his face.

"And I brought some corn for popping," she whispered sing-songy.

"The lights are turned way down low," came the response.

"Let it snow, let is now, let it snow." The singers stared at each other, easy smiles across their muzzles. It was as if their anxiety lifted while singing the carefree lyrics of the song.

Sly pulled a wrapped bag from the cupboard. "Popcorn."

Sara giggled. "Sure."

After Sara had mixed her cocoa, she went into the sitting room to wait for Sly's return. That brief moment of singing got her to thinking that maybe it was true, maybe he did have a thing for her. Maybe she did too. Her tail curled about lazily as that idea bubbled and warmed her mind along with the glow of the fire.

The coyote returned with a bowl of warm microwave popcorn. "Sorry it took a while."

"Oh, don't worry about it." She took a handful and popped a few kernels into her mouth. "Mmm, this is good. What kind is this?"

"Oh, just the regular butter-styled popcorn."

"Well yes," she popped in a few more kernels on her tongue then licked her chops. "There's something different about it. Cheesy even."

"That would be the parmesan cheese."

"Really?" In went a few more kernels.

Sly took some of his own. "Yeah. Never had it on popcorn before?"

"No."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm glad that you really like it."

She stopped for a moment. "Sorry. I'll slow down."

"Don't apologize, prec--Sara. I really like it too. Sometimes I just can't help myself either." With that, he took a handful and proceeded to shove it into his muzzle. A lot of the kernels missed though and ended up on the loveseat.

Sara giggled. "You're such a dork."

"But a lovable dork. Mmph!" Sara had pressed her short muzzle at the coyote's long one very suddenly. He hesitated for a moment before he kissed her back, his paws rounding her silver-furred shoulder to her back. Sara stiffened at the touch and almost pulled back, but the canid tongue had touched her own before she realized it, short-circuiting the instinct. Instead, her paws circled the coyote's neck and pulled his body closer to hers.

Breaths and tongues mingled for a few moments until they parted slowly. "That's...quite tasty too," Sly said through half-slitted eyes.

Sara leaned back into her seat slowly, embarrassed. "Yeah."

"What's the matter?" Sly asked.

"Nothing."

"You're speaking in one-word phrases again." Sara was silent. "Okay, I think we need to talk about this." Sly turned in his seat toward Sara. "Listen, the reason I came up to you this afternoon wasn't to try and annoy you."

"I know, Sly."

"You must think that it was something I planned. I mean, that's what you said."

"Yes, I know. I was wrong."

"You were?"

She paused. "I'm sure you must have seen the Youtube video."

"Yes. My roommate showed it to me. Apparently it was recorded by one of the A/V guys who work the karaoke."

"It was them?"

"Yeah. As far as I know, they've done it the last few years as clips for the year's highlight videos. There's always a few good, sober performances."

Sara groaned. "I'm gonna be part of the highlight reel?"

"Calm down. It may not even get put in. Tons of videos are sent to the A/V guys for the reel. Only about a third of them make the cut." Sara hid her face behind her paws. "You know, you were great actually."

"Oh please."

"No, I'm serious. I really wanted to know who it was I was singing with at the end of the song. I felt a...a connection."

Sara lowered her paws. "I...I felt it too."

A pause. "Why did you run away?"

"I...I don't know." She stared at her knees. "I guess I was...confused? I still am actually."

"About what?"

"About," she gestured with a paw, "this." She turned toward him. "Listen Sly, this afternoon was great, fun even. There was a slight hiccup upon meeting, and if you were angry at me, you had every right to be. I mean, I called you a liar and insulted you. I was rude to you at the Dresden party. But there was that singing. It....it felt good, singing with you, even though I didn't know it was you at the time." She turned her head away. It was hard for her jumbled mind to find clarity while looking at Sly's attentive gaze. A weight shifted closer to her. "I didn't think that...it would be possible for me to...for you to...for us--Mmph!" Sly had turned the bobcat's head towards his and kissed her fiercely. Sara swooned under his attention. Any sort of protest she had died as the coyote's tongue slinked into her mouth once more. Her paws grasped around his neck, pulling him in deeper. She tongued him back and reached as far as she could into his long, canid muzzle.

They pulled apart, gasping for air. "Sly," she murmured.

Their whiskers brushed each other in a nuzzle. Sara purred. She licked the side of his muzzle then pressed her lips to his. She pulled the coyote body against hers, laying back on the couch. Sly didn't fight as he positioned himself over her, slinking his tongue over hers. Both moaned appreciatively from the delicate massaging of their soft flesh as well as from the massaging of their warming privates through their clothes.

Sly suddenly pulled away. "What's the matter?" Sara asked.

"Nothing," Sly said, his tongue sticking out a little, tail wagging. "Just hold on for a minute. Stay right there." He sprang up from the couch and rounded the corner into the hallway to quickly pad up the stairs.

Sara sat for a moment, staring at the fire. It felt nice being so close to the coyote, but wasn't this going too quickly? It had been less than a week since the Dresden party. It was too soon. But they had known each other for over a year, but only as classmates. They avoided each other like the plague. Sara had when she had thought about it. She didn't deny that the coyote was handsome. Plus, he was intelligent, he could hold his own against her in class, but they argued so much. What was she doing? Making out with practically a stranger? In his parents' house? Parents! What if they were walked in on them? They're waiting out a blizzard, she'd have no way of escaping or hiding. Word would get out, and she'd be called a slut. But wait, wouldn't she have to be doing it in the first place for that to happen? The option of not having sex didn't come across her mind a moment ago.

"Sorry to keep you waiting..."

"Am I a slut?" she suddenly asked him.

Sly deadpanned at the sudden question, "Um...come again?"

"I'm a slut, aren't I?"

"What? No. Of course not." Sly set down two wine glasses filled with a golden-colored, bubbly liquid on the side table and sat beside her.

"But...I almost..."

"What's the matter?"

Sly brushed her leg, and she gently pushed his paw away. She looked outside. The snow was still falling. "Maybe I should go home," she muttered.

"A-are you kidding? It's still snowing and the roads are practically covered. I mean, I'm sorry, but there's no way that I'd be able to drive you back safely."

She got up. "I'll call a cab," she said calmly. She shuffled to the kitchen. "Could I use your phone?" She picked it up without waiting for an answer.

"Hold up a second, Sara," Sly said slowly, following her. "Think about it: if I can't drive you back, what makes you think that a cab driver would be able to make it out here?"

The bobcat slammed the phone down. "I'll walk then. Where's my coat?"

"Sara, calm down. You're not thinking clearly. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," she said without turning to him. She went to the coat tree right by the front door. "Forget the coat. You mind if I borrow yours?" She started to put it on.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Sara started to sound desperate. "I'm gonna walk back. What's it look like?"

"Sara, this is crazy."

She started to open the door. "Look, it really has been a great time, but I really--"

The door was forced closed by a white and red-orange paw. Sara didn't try to pull the door open again, but she shuddered when another paw caressed her cheek. "Sara," his voice said softly in her ear. "Relax." Her head tilted up, guided by the soft caress, to look into the canid's eyes. There was no irritation in them.

"Sly, I," she stopped. The coyote pecked her cheek then her lips. Another paw ran across hers on the door. It was pulled away. It couldn't help but shake in the coyote's loving hold.

"Your paw's just like ice."

She smiled nervously, her eyes toward the floor. "Must be the cold."

"I've got a nice fire going," he said while rubbing her paws. "That should help."

Returning to the fire was a little slow, but they were soon sitting together on the hearthrug, illuminated by a gentle, amber glow. The coyote kept rubbing the bobcat's paws. Sara watched the light dance in the color of his paws. She felt tension slough off of her shoulders.

"Sara," she heard. Her ears perked, and she looked at the smiling canid. "I'm...really glad I ran into you today." He continued rubbing her paw, moving a little bit toward her wrist.

"I'm...I'm glad too."

A beat. "Do you know why I usually call you 'precious?'"

"N-no. I can't say I do."

"Heh. Of course. Well honestly, it was to annoy you at first."

Sara forced herself to slowly move her paw away instead of just yanking it out of his grasp. "Uh-huh," she muttered.

He gave a slight, nervous chuckle. "Sorry, that was kind of awkward. I'm not really good at saying how I feel."

"According to some past classes, I find that a little hard to believe."

"Well, it's true. I first started calling you 'precious' because it irked you and, like an ass, I got a bit of enjoyment out of it. I don't know when it changed, but I soon enjoyed seeing you get flustered or red in the face. It was cute...and I wanted to see more of it.

"Ever since the party, I wanted to talk to you, to set the record straight. I was roped into it. I had no idea it was you until after the song finished."

"Sly, you told me this already," Sara said. "What are you trying to say?"

The coyote took a breath. He scooched in closer to the bobcat. "I like you, Sara. I really do. I mean, we've both known each other for a while, but not really, you know? I'd like to...get to know you, outside of classes." Sara looked at the ground again. "I think we might have something. The Dresden party was evidence of that, and just a moment ago...heh-heh. It was very nice. Very. Nice." Sara blushed with the recent memory. "There's that cute face again."

"L-listen Sly," she started, "I don't deny that...there's something between us, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about what you mentioned before either...about you liking me and all. I'm just..."

"Well, it's a place to start."

"Huh?" Sara stared at him, confused.

"We both agree that we have a fondness for each other. That's a good place to start. Besides, it's the holidays too. It's the time to be with the ones that you care about."

"You do have a point, but..."

"But?"

Sara sighed. "I'm...scared. What if this-?"

Sly touched her arm. "I am too, Sara. My heart's beating fast right now. We can contemplate 'what if's' all night, but we won't know for sure unless we try." The touch and shared sentiment comforted her. "We can start slow, however you want. It's up to you." She smiled at him. The coyote's paw remained on the silver-colored fur for a moment in silence. "Mind if I move in closer?" he asked.

She giggled. "No. You can move in."

"Alright." He got up, moved a pace, and sat down again, closer to her. He wagged his tail as she giggled again.

"You're such a dork."

"But a lovable one." Sly looked at her, smiling with some sort of expectancy. "Not sure if you remember a few minutes ago, but this is the point where you kiss me." She batted his nose playfully. He caught her paw and kissed it.

She smirked. "You are so full of it. Really?"

"Just the kind of guy I am, Sara. Oh, speaking of schmultz--" He got up and picked up the two glasses from the side table. "Here," he said while offering her one. "It might be a little warm though, but I'm sure the drink will taste familiar."

The drink passed Sara's lips and tongue. It reminded her of the Dresden party. "Is this a Mistletoe?"

"Yup."

"How'd you get the recipe? Don't tell me. The otter who tended the bar was your roommate."

"Correct. The Mistletoe is actually my recipe."

Things clicked into place. She tipped her glass. "My compliments to the bartender."

He took a sip from his own glass. "Much appreciated." He sat down beside her again, almost shoulder-to-shoulder.

It must have been the heat from the fire, because the alcohol couldn't have affected her yet, but Sara leaned in to the coyote's shoulder. The glow and warmth relaxed her body, and interestingly enough, her mind was stilled too. A fire couldn't do that though, could it? No, it must have been the company, knowing that he was just as nervous as she, that she wasn't alone in the feelings she was wrestling with, that he cared about her feelings, and that she cared about his feelings too. Her curiosity beckoned her.

The wineglass, half-empty, was set on the rug beside the couch, there to likely be forgotten. Sara needed to free her paws to rub Sly's arms. The coyote turned his head, seeing the expression and request in her eyes. He smiled at her. The bobcat leaned up and pressed her muzzle to the coyote's. A smooch turned into a held kiss, which turned into a sliding of tongues along lips, then finally reaching inside to caress. Sara had the shorter tongue, but she pushed her body into it to make up for that weakness. Sly lowered himself to the floor, holding Sara's sides as their tongues continued to play with each other.

The crackle of the fire echoed the crackles of desire. Sara felt confident enough to run her claws along the exposed fur of Sly's--which she was now noticing--toned arms. His shirt fit his body nicely, giving him a nice, trim silhouette. She wondered why she never noticed this about him before until now. Her tail curled about slowly as her claws ran over his chest and teased down his sides as they continued to kiss.

Sly's paws felt nice on her too. She loved the way his soft pads felt, stroking her side and running along her back. She felt a point run down her spine. It made her shiver in delight and her ears flick. She leered at him as his paws ran over the curves on her chest, but her smile and purr belied her enjoyment in the act.

The edge of her blouse became a little tight. Sly's fingers were curled around it. Her fingers teased underneath the lining of his shirt. The coyote looked in her eyes. His breath was becoming heavier. She heard her own coming just as hard, not to mention that she felt something hard pressing into her stomach as she laid on top of him. He wanted confirmation. Sara smiled and nodded.

Gentle fingers slipped under her blouse and ran up along her delicate curves. She felt the warming light of the fire against her fur, seeping into the skin underneath. She fought the urge to cover herself as she just remembered that she was wearing a black-lace bra. It went well with her silver-colored and black stripped and spotted fur, but it also highlighted her breasts against her white front. Sly kept staring at her, drinking in her form. He hadn't said anything, nor did he make a move to take off his own shirt. Sara brushed her ear. "Do you...like?" she asked.

"Like?" he responded, propping on his elbows. The coyote looked shocked at the question. He brought himself up further, forcing the bobcat to sit on his lap. Sara blushed at the motion. "You are absolutely beautiful."

His tongue was inside her muzzle, throwing her off balance, sending her to the floor, half-guided by Sly's arms. Sara felt her own fire building in her lower stomach. She moaned as the canid tongue seemed to twist around her own. She imagined that tongue at work in other areas, and she shuddered. Her claws sprang out of her paws, teasing up Sly's stomach, dragging his shirt up with them. His musk reached her nose as the shirt went over his head, revealing his trim body. The scent was dusty and masculine, like he came from a desert. The soft light almost made his fur look the same color as what was crackling in the fireplace. Sara's body grew hotter.

She barely noticed her paws fumbling at the front of his pants. Sly's tonguing became insistent, wanting to taste every inch of her. The heat of the fire swirled around them, moved along by the constant swishing of the canid tail. Sara pulled his pants down, and the desert smell tripled in intensity. His flesh was halfway out of his sheath. It twitched and plumped. "Sorry," Sly growled. "Went commando today."

Her eyes studied the naked coyote above her. A purr rumbled through her body. Grins grew into toothy smiles as she guided the coyote's paws on to her hips and pushed them down, dragging her pants along her legs.

Black lace covered her sex. The coyote's nose twitched, and his cock reeled out more above her. Sara propped herself up, undoing the front clasp of her bra to reveal the white mounds of her breasts. Sly's tongue lolled out. "May I?" he almost panted, staring at her black-laced panties.

Giggling, she said, "Certainly." She purred loudly as his fingers curled around the strings near the centerpiece. She hissed in a breath as Sly's furry fingers brushed against her lips. His head went down instead of coming back up. "Sly, what are you--" She moaned as the coyote's tongue lapped against her warm, moist mound. Her legs clenched around him as he pushed inside and ran along the clit with each lap. Sara dug her claws into the carpet, looking for something else to purchase herself with. A growl of ecstasy built in her throat. "Sly, don't...stop." She felt her opening widen, the canid tongue probing deeper into her. Hot breath blew over lips and clit, sending tingles of pleasure up her spine. A thumb pressed into her, making her squeak. It was too much. "Sly, I'm gonna..."

The coyote pulled his muzzle away from her, his whiskers and muzzle looking slightly damp. As she breathed in a sigh, the wet muzzle was already at her own, kissing her passionately. She leaned back, wrapping her legs around his midsection. Pressure and heat were applied to her sex, and she felt her lips part and envelope Sly's flesh. Sara moaned, and Sly hummed in appreciation. Her lower most portions expanded and contracted as Sly's cock slid in and out of her slowly. He leaned over her, giving him a position to grind against with each thrust.

Sara watched, with hazed eyes, Sly's exertion on her. His jaw clenched, baring his teeth in a dominant growl, and his arms tensed, holding her close to him, not at all like that tiger who did his best to keep himself distanced from her. She squeaked and purred as a large bulb pushed against her opening. Her tail lashed along the ground, brushing against the coyote's. Sara didn't want this to end, not yet. She clenched as Sly's cock was about to slip out of her again. "Oh, Sara," he moaned.

"Sly. Ah!" The coyote had thrust hard into her hips. Her lips stretched further, trying to take in the knot, but not succeeding yet. "Yes," she hissed. He thrust again. "Yes," she cried, louder. Pound after pound, she sang her desire, her need, to be one with him. It soon came to the point where the knot slipped more than halfway in and suddenly pulled out. The tension and pulling brought the bobcat over the edge. She roared and felt her juices empty out of her on to Sly's slick and hot cock. Another plunge and Sly's knot was buried and squeezed by Sara's innards. Sly barked and yipped as Sara felt bursts of sticky fluids fill her. His jaw grasped at her throat as his flesh twitched spurt after spurt. The bobcat's claws raked at his back, making the coyote clench harder at her throat.

The twitches and growls died down. The coyote slumped onto the bobcat, both of them reveling in their afterglow. Purrs rumbled through both of them. "Sly...That was amazing."

"Heh, glad you think so." Sara licked his muzzle, and he laughed. "You were amazing too," he added.

Sara tugged, and Sly yipped. "Um, I don't think you'll be going anywhere for a while."

"Oh." She looked down between them, barely being able to make out that Sly's crotch was still near hers. She tugged again. Another yip, and she clenched her jaw. "So this is tying?" she asked. Sly nodded. Sara looked at the coyote, a loving smile over his muzzle and a playful look in his eyes. She smiled back. "Heh. I gotta say that I like this concept."

"Glad you do, because we're gonna be stuck like this for about 10 minutes. I'm guessing it'll be about 15. Never felt my knot get as large as that before."

The bobcat laughed. "Um...thank you?" She nuzzled him, which he returned. "But seriously, thank you."

"Pleasure's all mine, precious." Sara blushed. "Sorry," he said. "It slipped out."

"No, don't be. I...I actually like it."

"Alright." He smirked at her, "Precious."

She leaned up to kiss him, pushing her tongue into his muzzle. "Mmm." She felt a tremble inside of her. "Keep that up and we'll be like this for about a half-hour."

Her voice carried a slight growl, "I don't mind. Besides, we've gotta keep warm somehow."

"But we've got a fire right beside us, silly."

"Yeah, but that fire's going to die eventually. We'll have nothing but each other then."

The coyote matched her lecherous grin. "No argument here, precious. Point goes to you."

"Men," she giggled. "You rolled over that easily? Perhaps I should bring up sex more in class, that'll probably keep you distracted."

"No fair," he mock whimpered. "My one weakness. Damn my libido." They laughed and held each other close as the fire popped and sizzled away. The fire in their bodies kept them warm and comfortable throughout the night. A warmth to be revisited several times more.