FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Alto almost punched the wall on his way downstairs. How could he be so stupid? Of course Josiah didn't want to talk about it! What was there to talk about? Nothing he could just brush off and say 'It's okay, man', or that he could even attempt to understand. Josiah and Dimitri had been soldiers for nearly four years now, and both were still very young. Younger than him, certainly; but they were far more experienced souls. In the five years Alto had known Josiah, he'd grown up fast, too fast. He shouldn't be having back problems this young, or feel tired and old despite how much sleep he got. He and Dimitri were so unlike the other five here; disciplined, experienced, tired and sad...

How could Alto hope to understand? The concept of a soldier was confusing enough for him, and thus he didn't have a hope of understanding this one. He didn't understand why you would willingly join a group of men holding guns, throwing themselves at other men holding guns who were just as adept at killing than you were? When he asked Dimitri years before, the tiger just turned away, unwilling if not unable to answer. Josiah did answer, but he wasn't sure if the fox was lying or trying not to remember all the fighting when he explained it. "For honor." he answered.

"Just honor?" Alto questioned, confused. Honor meant that much to these men?

"No." Josiah smiled, a little halfheartedly "For glory, for family, for friends, and for freedom. I fight for you and me, and for everyone else who can't or won't."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Then you never will." The fox answered, finishing the coffee he had been holding those years ago. "Now, when's the rent due?"

Alto leaned against the wall, trying not to cry. 'Then you never will.' he didn't know what that meant! How could it not be described? Everything could with words, right? Everything had a definition. It all could be understood.

Right?

He remembered Josiah's words from some time ago, remarking to him that his father narrowly missed Desert Storm, his grandfather was in Vietnam, after that his great grandfather was in World War Two, after that his great great grandfather fought in World War One... The list went on until The War of 1812 when no one in his family had any further information. So that's where honor and glory came from, Alto thought.

He shook off his frustration, feeling the need to cry disappear. He told himself shouldn't dwell on it much, Josiah did already say he wouldn't understand, maybe he should just accept it.

He walked into the kitchen and started on another pot of coffee.

***

Allen lay on the couch in the basement, holding Cody close, nuzzling the now very happy little wolf. "How d'ya feel, hun?" he asked, rubbing the wolf's back.

Cody was comfortably laying on Allen's chest, listening to his boyfriends strong, steady heartbeat. He was pretty out of it, exhausted, and barely heard Allen talk at all "Hm...?" he wagged his tail "Did you say something?"

Allen chuckled, it was obvious that the wolf felt fine, great even. "Naw, I didn't say anythin', sweat pea."

"Mmkay..." Cody murred, resting his head back on Allen's chest, his eyes fluttering and threatening to close. Allen smiled, steadying his breathing until it was slow and monotonous, sending the wolf straight to sleep. God knows he deserved it. The four days a week he did work he worked twelve hour days, from eight to eight, trying to pay for college. His brother, who had abused him in high school, had made sure he didn't get any inheritance from his deceased parents by squandering it all on the run from the cops, buying out entire isles in gas stations and such. He threw the family into debt, he spent so much; and was only caught when the debt was so high the banks got after him. Cody, then a senior, found out that his house had been foreclosed and everything, everything repossessed by the bank, leaving him with nothing really; just his clothes and a street corner. Allen found him afterwards, the wolf sitting on the corner trying on a network-less cell phone to dial his boyfriend so he could have a place to go. He didn't go to school for a little while after that, instead trying to get the bank off his back with help from Allen's father. Surely there must have been a policy for this sort of thing...?

No. There was no help. Not a single way of insuring the money lost this way. Cody's brother had left him with a sixty thousand dollar debt and no credit with the bank at seventeen years old, a hell of a way to start your adult life. Cody was majorly depressed afterwards, and tried to drop out of school to work full time, but neither Allen nor his family would hear anything of it, instead going to court saying that the debt should be placed on his jailed brother. For a year they pushed, all the while making sure Cody graduated and got to college, giving him the same amount they gave Allen, to start a higher education. It wouldn't get him all the way through college, and certainly wouldn't pay for rent anywhere close, but it was something. They began taking classes online and for a years they searched for places to go live together. Their money almost gone, they were growing desperate, despite Allen's parent's assurance that they could stay. Cody explained that he couldn't encroach on their hospitality any longer and Allen said he would go where Cody went, making sure the wolf was well taken care of. When the offer arose to homestead with Alto, whom at the time was looking for people to keep him company as he inherited the large lakehouse, they took it instantly, packing up and saying goodbye to Allen's parents. Cody couldn't stop thanking them for letting him stay, and right before he left they informed him that the court had agreed to place the debt on his brother. Cody was practically penniless, but happy to hear whatever money he did make could go to his life, and not the bank.

Allen smiled, remembering when Alto greeted them under the bamboo archway. Cody couldn't stop staring at the large house, holding on to his boyfriend as they met the other residents of the house, at the time being only Josiah, who was out fighting; Weylin, who greeted them with a shower of hugs and scented candles and chatter; and Dimitri, whom none of them had met but paid his share of the rent from over seas. Josiah assured them that the tiger was cool, and so Alto accepted that he could stay when he arrived. Jamie came afterwards, hailing from the same household as Allen; his adoptive older brother.

He dwelled on when Josiah met Jamie for the first time, both foxes not really saying anything, just throwing shy glances at each other. It took Josiah getting hopelessly drunk for him to express to the littler fox that he was infatuated with him, and one love confession and a hangover later the foxes were a couple. To be honest it was shocking, to think that his adopted brother would fall for a soldier, who at the time was very, VERY drunk. But it didn't turn out bad. They were happy enough, and loyal to each other without question. Jamie had had so many oppurtunities to get someone better, according to Allen, but the fox just smiled when the subject was brought up and asked 'Who?', at which point Allen would go through the list. But, in the end, Jamie was dead set on Josiah, and the collie had given up trying.

He sighed, not really seeing what Jamie did in Josiah.

He licked his sleeping boyfriends ears, eliciting a whimper and twitch from the wolf. He murred, and a slow smile crept across Cody's face. Maybe he didn't see what Jamie saw in Josiah, but his own parents had never really figured out what Cody saw in him; and the wolf had also had plenty of opportunities to ditch him for better guys. Ironic, really.

***

At about 1:00 p.m. the young males all showed themselves, peeking quietly into the kitchen for lunch. Cody was staggering a little, and leaned on Allen for support. Weylin was used to sex, and thus didn't have to lean on anyone; but made sure he was as close as could be to Dimitri, who was possibly the sleepiest tiger in history. Alto tried not to look at Josiah, who was casting apologetic glances the husky's way.

'Gods, I shouldn't have snapped at him...' The fox thought, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

'I wonder if he's mad at me...' Alto pondered, still not meeting Josiah's apologetic gaze. Josiah, having given up and dead set on taking the issue up with Alto later, leaned on the fridge and watched Jamie work his magic. The littler fox was a master with food, though you'd never guess it. He didn't have the plump look about him, nor was he vocal. In actuality, the young fox was slender, shy, and possibly one of the most subtle cooks in Maine. He glanced back at Josiah and blushed, turning back to the stove, where there was a pot on each iron and two homemade loaves of bread baking in the oven. He'd tossed a salad too, more so for Alto than anyone else, which he tended to now and again with a drizzling of flavored sauce and another healthy toss, occasionally adding more lettuce and basil leaves to balance out the flavor. The six furs whom he shared the kitchen with watched hungrily, stomachs growling occasionally, several imploring about the food.

"That looks done there, Jamie."

"No, it isnt. See the red in the center? Not done."

"That roast sure does look good..."

"I know, sweetie, but if you ate it now you'd get sick."

"Wow... How i'd like to bite down on-"

"Oh shush, Weylin, its still doughy." And so it went on. Jamie actually got a little peeved, a rare occasion, which all the other furs tried to avoid. "Please oh God get out of my kitchen!" He huffed, waving a wooden tossing spoon at the others "I will tell you when it's ready!"

The others, deftly dodging Jamie's swings, left the kitchen post-haste, not wanting to get swatted with the spoon. Jamie never meant to, but when he actually hit one of them it hurt like the blazes; all of them had learned through bitter experience.

An hour after Jamie had hurried them out of the kitchen, the little fox poked his head into the sun room, his ears laid back apologetically. "I-i'm sorry I y-yelled... But L-lunch is ready if you want it..." All six gladly jumped up and headed for the kitchen; Josiah picking his boyfriend up and planting a kiss on his lips. Jamie blushed, closing his eyes, appeased, his feelings of apology vanishing instantly. "I d-didn't know you liked it that much..." he stuttered.

"We all do, hun..." Josiah said, hoisting Jamie up and over his shoulder, carrying the now very flustered fox into the kitchen, on the way giving his ass a good squeeze. Jamie yipped and blushed, struggling a little.

"Put me down you big brute!" He laughed, making a pretense of trying to get down. Josiah held on tighter, gifting every struggle with a good squeeze, flustering the younger fox even more. Jamie's only relief came when Josiah had to put him down to eat, and even then it was onto his lap, where he could tease Jamie even more.

"I-i'm g-gonna get you..." Jamie whispered, burying his face in Josiah's chest.

"No you wont..." Josiah whispered back, holding a forkful of roast in front of Jamie's nose.

"J-just you wait." Jamie huffed, accepting the forkful of meat, slyly rubbing his boyfriends crotch under the table.

"Not at the table, you two." Alto warned "Or you two," he waggled a finger at Dimitri and Weylin "Oh God... not you too!" he shook his head and stared at the table as Allen and Cody blushed sheepishly "I'm going to go eat in my room, now, and escape from you crazy bastards."